Buckeye Mike

I sat outside that place in my car this morning, listening to ESPN radio and watching as the people filed in. This is a new experience. I was not even sure that I was going to make it to the front door, much less step inside. After all, I have always been leery of the next big step I needed to take in life, even when it is in my best interests. For years I lived an unhappy life, knowing I needed to change, yet did nothing. When I finally removed myself and my boys from that situation, I looked back and wondered what took me so long. Recently, after many try and fails, I put down my smokes for good. Now I look back and wonder what I was so addicted to, the feeling like crap or the being a slave to a habit I had to make time for 20 times a day or so. But this morning, this place, was different. And as I began walking towards the door, the new mountain I was looking up at seemed incredibly daunting. I went inside just after 5:30 am and checked in at the Gahanna, YMCA. This membership wa...

I sit in my office on Monday morning, wondering what the day or week might hold in store here at work. Outside of this place, I have a lot of exciting things happening that could lead to bigger and better things for my sons, my wife, and myself. But here, well this is the week that the other project manager heads off for vacation, leaving me to hold down the fort on both sides of the company. Last year as he was driving out of town, we received the largest claim in the history of the company when the Staples store in Whitehall, Ohio lost it's roof during a storm. A month later, he had to go to San Antonio for training, and we got nailed with the largest residential claim we had ever experienced while he was away. So with this week upon us once again, I knew I had better take the weekend to relax. Tiffany and I love having the boys with us. They have come alive and changed so much since the custody switch that they are like different kids. All of them have grown physically and m...

I do not remember who sent this to me, nor do I know who wrote it. It was an email I forwarded myself when I left Belfor. However, I found myself in a strange place today. And I was looking through my old emails and found this, which I have not seen since the day I sent it to myself almost 3 years ago. I forgot I even read it in the first place. But I really needed to hear this today. And as I am learning more and more everyday, everything will be shown to you when God decides you need to see it. Please enjoy. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.  Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and “to do” lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so imp...

Dear Me, Keep your confidence. Do not let them see how nervous you are. Slow down. You have a tendency to talk really fast when you are excited. Take a breath. Listen more than you speak. Every word will be important. Think about the question before you give an answer, give yourself time to process what you are trying to convey. When answering, speak confidently about what you are putting in front of them. Remember why you are there. The names are John-Michael, Benjamin, Tanner, and Tiffany. Remember what got you there. 40 years of life experience. You are, like Mom, a story teller. Let them see that. It is a strength. Remember, you have one shot, one opportunity. Do not let it slip. What's for you WILL NOT pass by you. Keep the faith. In yourself, in Ralph, and, most importantly, in God. He put you here, he gave you this chance. And remember that no matter what happens, whether you walk out overjoyed, disappointed, or neutral, you have 3 great sons, a tremend...

I had a pretty terrific weekend. It was no surprise, as Tiffany and I usually try to maximize Saturdays and Sundays both when the boys are with us and when we are all by ourselves. The last two days were the latter and we woke up early Saturday to begin the adventure. We spent Saturday morning visiting numerous yard sales around North East Columbus. We usually have one or two things we are looking for, and got lucky to cross everything off of our list by noon. We returned home, unpacked the car then headed to Utica, Ohio, to a tattoo shop owned by a high school friend of mine. Tiffany wants to get a sleeve tattoo, and we met with my artist friend (also a Tiffiny). They planned was is sure to be an amazing piece of art for my sweetheart's left arm. We had lunch at the Pioneer Restaurant in town (terrific ambiance but the food was not what you may have heard) and then headed to Pataskala for our first cones from Dairy Hut this season. Then it was home to do a little re-arrangi...

I feel like I am on the precipice of something great. A meeting tonight and another next week will, if things go as planned, open the door to a new life for myself, my family, and my best friend Ralph. As stated in the last post, I am anxious, excited, and scared to death. But the people I am sitting down with will never know. It could be nothing. But it also has a very good chance of being something . And with life being where it is today, I have faith that it will be more than a thanks but no thanks when the moment of truth arrives. I was talking to a girl in the office today. We were speaking about how things can change so rapidly, and my life is a testament to that. I stand on solid ground now. I have a beautiful home, amazing wife, and my three sons call my home their home full time. But not long ago, I was looking up at a mountain from the bottom, trying to discover the path to the top and finding that the first step was next to impossible to take. At that time life felt lik...

I am excited this morning. And nervous. And cautiously optimistic. What we are talking about here is the realization of a dream. A pipe dream that started with two friends, closer than brothers, sitting around bouncing ideas off of each other. Ideas flowed that day and have continued to form as we marched to the place we are today. And now, with hope in one hand and faith in the other, we await a meeting that could change our lives, our families lives, and our legacy forever. I can be a head in the clouds guy. While I take my job very seriously, I often daydream about a better life for Tiffany, the boys, and myself. The zest I have for life, and wanting to experience as much of it as possible, has never taken a backseat to my career. Don't get me wrong, it is a great feeling to take someone's hand, look them in the eye, and tell them you are going to make it better after the flames are out and all that is left is the charred remains of a life they had built. Out of the ash we...