BrianandLibby.com

Things I am learning while my wife is away at training…

So Lib actually made it home this past weekend and we enjoyed some time shopping and hanging out. I am very proud of her…she is tearing it up at her training-surprised? I think not. Unfortunately she had to go back on Sunday night thus making today Day 2 without my wife all over again.

Today I had…received…endured…a root canal. For the last week as I shared this information I was flooded with stories that brought a calmness to me and then there were stories that kept me up at night. Besides a little soreness in my jaw I am good to go. Today I learned that Root Canals aren’t that bad…I mean don’t get me wrong I would never have one just for the fun of it…but it wasn’t horrible.

Tomorrow I go to Fenway Park to cheer on the Red Sox! I will blog from Boston about all the things I have learned at a Sox game while my wife is away! Can’t wait!

What I am learning while my wife is away…

Today at 3:00pm my dentist told me I have to have a root canal.  I am learning that I should have gone to the dentist more then once in the last two years. Enough learning for today.

…don’t want to be…all by myself…Libby leaves for training(finally) tomorrow and will be gone for three weeks. I am going to miss her terribly however I feel as though blogging will help me cope. I am currently taking dinner invites…haha. Stay posted over the next 3 weeks to share in my misery and see exactly why I married Libby!

Our softball season came to a screeching hault tonight with a loss in Game 3 of our best of 3 championship series. Tough loss…you never like to be second best.  I walked away from the game tonight in a surprisingly good mood however. I got to thinking about the friendships Libby and I made this summer. It’s great to win but when it was all said and done it was more about community then competition. It was about an outsider who finally felt like he was on the inside.  It was about a group of guys encouraging each other through long innings and through life’s little and big problems…it was in an obscure way, a picture of what the church is supposed too look like…it was a great summer.

This past Monday night my teammates and I  lost Game 1 in the renowned Capital District Church Softball League best of three championship series…we lost 11-8 and we didn’t play particularly well, so my hopes are high for us winning game 2 tomorrow night. However that is not the point of this entry in the blogging world.

Have you ever had a smell just take you back to a certain place in your life…maybe it’s a certain food, the smell of popcorn at a carnival, or fresh ocean air. I had one of those moments on Monday night. I arrived early to the field for our game and had some time to walk around a bit…the smell of the grass - the dirt…my freshly washed uniform…the warm summer night…I was instantly transported back to Jaycee Park in rural Chatham, Ontario where I spent the bulk of my childhood summer nights playing little league baseball.  Not a care in the world….just me and my friends doing what we loved most…it’s amazing how smell recall works.

Fast Forward almost twenty years later…me and my friends playing a game that we love and for a couple of hours every Monday night we turn into little leaguers again and we don’t have to think about bills or work or responsibilities…Where are your smells taking you?

Jet Blue is incredible….umm no they are more then incredible they are incredibly incredible. We flew from Syracuse to Ft.Lauderdale and then back to the ‘Cuse from Ft.Myers and I have never enjoyed two flights more!Here’s why…

1. Snack Choice - what more can I say, you had your choice of anything form a biscotti, to chips, to a dorito snack mix! Obviously Libby got the Doritos. I chose the Blue Chips - seemed like the “when in rome” thing to do. Although I only took one bag, other more seasoned JB traverlers asked for one of each…and they got them!

2. Pain Free Full can of soda - Every time I fly I always want the whole can of soda, not just the half a can they put in that very small cup full of ice. JB gives you the can and the cup of ice with no questions asked!

3.Hello my name is- The Captain came out and introduced himself and he looked like the kind of guy that I would want to hang out with.

4.Coach but not really - All passengers are treated as first class…there is no segregation. All leather seats - a ton of leg room and polite flight attendants.

5. DIRECT TV in every seat - Our flight was delayed almost an hour and a half. We sat on the runway for 45 minutes but guess what, I could care less. I was watching the NBA Playoffs.

God Bless you Jet Blue and please come to Albany!

Wow…I got back from Texas last night and I am still trying to process all that happened. From the ridiculousness that was Buddy and I trying to keep the top of our convertible from flying off to the awe of checking out Bay Area Fellowship’s new building to the straight up frightening plane ride from Houston to Corpus Christi…this week was unforgettable.

This week I got to meet men and women that are knocking it out for the Kingdom…Bay Area has an incredible staff who went out of their way to hook us up with resources and make us feel welcome. Can’t wait to continue to hook up with them in the future. I also got the chance to meet other Ed Young from Fellowship Church in Dallas. Huge news about Ed-Northway-and this summer…coming soon!!

The best thing about the week was hanging out with Buddy…I love working for a boss who challenges us daily but also loves to have fun! We made a lot of memories this week. Check out his blog to hear how he scammed 3 bucks out of me on the plane ride home.

With the Office on hiatus for a month or so, Libby and I decided to give some new shows a shot to compete for a spot on the highly coveted Howe DVR List. The winner hands down is 30 Rock.

This show is smart, sassy, and just flat out hillarious. It’s all star cast is the the perfect blend of clever Saturday Night Live alums, big shots like Alec Baldwin and a few witty upstart comedians. Great stuff. This show is a pop culture enthusiast’s dream. The show is shot in real time and it takes jabs at everyone and everything.

30 Rock-welcome to a permanent spot on the Howe DVR list…

I have to give a shout out to my good friend Ed Weidman. Ed and his wife Sara have “crazy vision.” They dream God sized dreams and inspire me whenever I am around them. Ed recently gave me a copy of the book “An enemy called Average.” WOW. I firmly believe that readers are leaders and I make it a point to read anything I can get my hands on. This book is broken down into “nuggets” and is a fairly easy read besides all the proverbial punches to the stomach and slaps to the face that the leadership principles will undoubtedly leave you bruised but motivated by.
Today’s nugget - Don’t quit after a victory

This lesson was best taught to us by the New York Yankees in 2004. After leading the Red Sox 3 games to 0…they decided coasting on the previous victories would be a good option. The headlines just a week later would prove that theory wrong.

It’s so true that often times after a victory in business, our relationships, or a dream seized we tend to go into coast mode…

“One of the greatest prizes of victory is the opportunity to do more.” - John L.Mason

Imagine a life where our victories were the catalyst for more wins…the catalyst that inspires us to do more…to live more…to try harder….imagine.

Thanks Ed!

Libby is in Chicago - The following are the top 5 reasons life stinks when Libby is away on business…

5. I have no one to fill me in on the Yahoo 10 - I mean, I guess I could watch it myself but it is better to hear it from Libby with her added commentary.

4. I get tired of eating out of Tupperware.

3. Our nightly Jeopardy battles are not as fun when I have no one to inflict my trivia dominance upon.

2. I miss the constant nagging to watch The Closer on DVR…even though i wouldn’t give in…well maybe now that I miss her so much I might give in…umm no, I wouldn’t.

1. I have no one to edit my blogs to make sure I don’t come across uneducated or ignorant.