Buckeye Mike

This morning I returned my boys to their mothers house just before they were to head off to school. Not different than a lot of Monday mornings, but this one was a little harder on me because I had spent the last week and a half with them. I enjoy spending every moment I have with them, and when they are home for an extended period of time, it makes me wish they did not have to go back. But it is what it is, so I kissed them good bye and told them I was looking forward to their return trip Thursday. then it was off to work. As I begin my final week with Belfor, a few things stick out to me like a sore thumb. The first is the lack of work I have now. Most of my projects have wrapped up, and the ones that are ongoing have been passed onto to others. I have packed up my office, taking my personal belongings home and putting the rest in boxes that will be placed on a shelf filled with the same thing from other estimators that have moved on. My office is empty, walls are bare as it awaits

Those are the words I read on a friends facebook page this morning. Fake it til you make it. I had been pondering for a couple days what my next blog post would be. Started a few, stopped though, and filed them in the unpublished folder. But this expression spoke to me this morning. Because I think we are all guilty of this from time to time. The words can have so many different meanings though. Its Tuesday, and things have been relatively normal today. A shouting match between my boss and a colleague is not an unusual occurrence in my office. As a matter of fact, if we go more than a few days without one of these blow ups between the GM and a member of the staff here, people take note because it is truly out of the ordinary. Some of my co-workers would tell you that there are very sinister things at work here, and to a large extent I believe that, though I wouldn't actually tell anyone around me. None of these people need to know the real reasons I am leaving, though most of the

Today I begin the best week of my year. It has been that way for the last few years, dating back to 2007. That was the first year that my ex-wife went on  vacation with her family, a trip I was not invited to participate in. No loss for me, though, as I took vacation and spent the time with my boys. After the divorce, the week became even more special as having them full time, even for only a few days, is awesome. We play and laugh and go on adventures and it is truly a glimpse of how I wish was all the time. Not that life is bad, mind you. In fact, it is hard for me to remember a time when I was happier. While people are coming and going (more the latter) in my life, and I am beginning a new chapter in my career, the waters still seem to be calm. I can only attribute that to where I find myself in life and, more importantly, who is beside me. And this will be the first time that she will be with me as my guys stay come home for this week. Its funny as I sat trying to figure out our

Giving my notice yesterday was not easy for me. I was stressed out both before and after I sent the email to my boss to let him know. After I broke the news, both at work and on my facebook page, I received quite a few phone calls and emails asking me why, requesting that I re-consider, and telling me that I will be missed. While I appreciated the word of my friends at work, by the end of the day I was ready to get it all off my mind. When I got home Tiffany told me that the refrigerator was broken. When I asked what she meant, she told me to go look at it. I opened the door and discovered two things - number one, the appliance was working fine. And two, a freshly made batch of banana pudding. Now, anyone who knows me is well aware of my weakness for this particular dessert. So as I grinned from ear to ear, she told me she had never made it before and hoped I would like it. We went out to dinner at a local steakhouse a little while later. As usual, we sat and talked and laughed whi

Over the last five years of my life, I have had the privilege of meeting a lot of great people in my travels with Belfor. From Chile to Minnesota, Virginia to Oregon, and everywhere in between, I have worked alongside of people who shared common goals and a passion for what we do. It has truly been my pleasure to have been associated with all of them. I have made the decision to leave Belfor USA to pursue other opportunities. It a not a decision that came easily, and one that I have been mulling over for quite some time. Belfor has been very good to me, from making sure I was taken care of during the time my mother was sick and subsequently passed away to seeing me through my surgeries earlier this year. From my separation and divorce, to my recent engagement, I have had more change since I have been with this company than at any other time in my life.  In deciding to step away, I took many factors into consideration. From spending a lot more time with my children to pursuing s

As I sat outside my hotel in Paintsville, Kentucky tonight, I watched the rain start. A few drops, followed by a steadier drizzle, and the ensuing downpour were soothing to me as I thought about the day today, and the last few days. When we left off, I was in Tappahanock, Virginia working on a job in the hurricane zone. The east coast was deluged with water from the time Irene came ashore through today, when the remnants of lee made there way into New England and the surrounding states. And in typical fashion Belfor was there to begin the cleanup and rebuilding process. The stories of storms in the lives around me, and to some extent myself, inspired this blog tonight. I considered not writing at all, but as I sat in thought I knew the words I had inside me were much better expressed in writing than in spoken word. I know me. And I know I get lost in my own thoughts and trip over my own words when in conversation. So I choose this blog, this open letter to the world, to be my voice w

I remember as a kid growing up, when my Mom was first dating Mike, we would go out to dinner every night. From Perkins to McDonald's, having dinner out was a nightly ritual as we got to know this man I call my Dad. And some of the best memories were at Friendly's. Known for it's ice cream, I loved going to this all american restaurant. I, of course, had to pick the biggest sundae on the menu for dessert every time we went there. The Jim Dandy. And oh was it dandy. 5 scoops of ice cream with marshmallow, strawberry, and chocolate toppings, covered in whipped cream with nuts, a banana, and a cherry. It was really a meal in and of itself. I have been a lot of places for my job. We travel the country and world to be there when disaster strikes. I always get that "here comes the calvary" feeling when I am on a plane or in my truck headed to where ever the next project is. But this time, I stopped in my tracks when they said Tappahanock, Virginia. Bless you, I replied