NEGLECT

I have really neglected by blogging lately. Too much other stuff has gotten in the way. Hopefully I can carve out a few minutes each week to write some. Usually we take a vacation in the summer and I have something to write about during our adventure. We always have an adventure!

So just a few quick thoughts and then I will leave you to your day.

1) Office is under construction

2) Office has hired more people

3) Office is over budget.......of course who is to blame?

4) Yard is finally looking pretty good

5) Haven't spent nearly enough time in The Sanctuary

6) Patio isn't going to get rebuilt this summer

7) Air conditioning needs replaced

8) In February, I tore up the kitchen......still torn up

9) New additional Kitchen cabinets have been designed and contract signed

10) Need to build out the rest of the garage to handle the kitchen expansion

11) Every other weekend I seem to be running off to somewhere for work

12) Achilles is finally feeling better so I can run again

13) Way behind on my running schedule and goals

14) Signed up for Mud & Music Mayhem 6M obstacle run in NC on Aug 3.....first ever for me

15) I will be dead on August 4th

16) Signed up for first marathon in Disney in January

17) Am I crazy? Only need to run four times longer and farther than I am now

18) Starting back on diet for phase 2.....another 15 pounds

19) Haven't done any artwork in a long time

20) Have I mentioned I've been a bit preoccupied?

Enjoy your day my friends. Make time to rest and love your family.

ET This I Believe 

Eugene Thompson

Fourth of July Weekend

Well this holiday weekend is finally over. For me it seemed like I missed out on this one. All of the traditional activities just slipped past. Rest and Relaxation did as well. Unfortunately the duties of life took over this time. What did I do?

Wednesday night: Drove over to Richmond to stay overnight so we would be close by in the morning. Long drive after a long day of work.

Thursday morning: Ran the Fourth of July 7.4 race. Not a great time but my first race since February due to my Achilles issue. Completion is success! Afterwards headed to jobsite and spent roughly 4 hours taking detailed millwork measurements for new library shelving to fit accommodatingly with the existing historic trim and moldings. Hot and sweaty while my wife and Mavrick wait outside for me in the clients gardens. (Funny note: Mavrick wasn't too sure of the statues around the yard. He barked at several of them.....also wanted to chase the deer that ran through.) Afterwards, London drive back home. Went to grocery store.....note to self....remember to go to the store at this time when everyone else is at the fireworks. Walmart was empty! Back home...unloaded....fell asleep.....no fireworks display....too tired.

Friday morning: Got up feeling pretty good from the run. Started mowing the lawn first thing. Was hot and sweaty starting off the beginning of the day. Afterwards....after the cool down.... Started editing the project specifications that I have been procrastinating on.....due Monday! Oops! Worked for about 6 hours while my wife was doing real estate. Quiet day......boring day. Nothing special.

Saturday morning: woke up to begin my specs and get them knocked out and the laptop wouldn't fire up. Great! Brand new laptop and it is dead......Threw a fit and stormed around the house because that meant I had to go to the office to complete the work. Certainly not my expectation of what I wanted to do. After trying several different stores to see if it was the charger. HHGregg, Best Buy, Batteries + no luck....wasted an hour. Up to the office I headed. Spent 8 hours up there trying to knock it out. There is only so much spec writing you can do in one day. Headed home.....did a little bit of gardening to give myself some peace. I like my flowers.

Sunday morning: woke up and decided I needed a more aggressive method of getting my frustrations out. Tested my Achilles again and ran 5.25 miles.....no problems......knock on wood! But super tired now. Went to church and then afterwards went up to the building to work for about 3 1/2 hours on the specs. Made good progress but didn't finish all the way. Close enough that we will be able to wrap the final sections by Monday afternoon. Went home, unwound by playing a video game.....probably a complete waste of time but good unwinding method. The spent the rest of the evening doing some more gardening, sitting and cleaning the wheels on the car......nothing special.

Okay, so now I am ready for my vacation......please. Weird 4th of July. No kids, no fireworks, no cook out, no nothing.......think I missed out on something.

Monday morning duty calls. Busy day, busy week. Marching to the drummer. This is my life......but I still need my getaway. Don't follow my example friends.....be sure to take some time.

ET this I believe 

Eugene Thompson

There are some days that......

You know, there are some days that I wake up and just wonder, "What in the world am I doing?" What am I going to do today is really a pretty silly question. Because I already know the answer, I just haven't acknowledged it fully yet. Because I am going to be doing work. Work on something. Work at the office on projects, business development, invoices, hey maybe even design something....what a novel idea for an architect.

But I might wake up and work on the yard, or maybe the house chores or should I say repairs? 

Or maybe I just might answer my question with a nice run in the morning. Can I say that is work? Well it is a WORK-out!

Seldom do I get up and answer myself "What in the world am I doing?" by responding with, I think I will take a vacation! Not sure I know how to VACATE. You can ask my kids.....every time we took a vacation it really was a process of work.....because it always became an adventure. Not entirely sure ADVENTURE = VACATION. But they we usually fun. I think?

"What in the world am I doing?" Certainly could refer to my state of mind. And yes before you say it.....that is a scary place. I completely agree. I wonder about myself sometimes. At 47 years old, there are times I ask myself about my future. What do I want to do? Where do I want to go? How do I want to live? Should I come or should I go? (Yes I did just insert song lyrics) What do I want to make of myself? Or have I already made it? Now just live it? What does "live it" mean? Am I too old? 

I told you that was a scary place.

How about "What in the world am I doing?" with my business. In the last few years all of our businesses have been on a roller coaster. Which consequently put our lives on the same coaster. Things are good right now and the work is flowing in. We are expanding with new members on the team. We are expanding our borders by adding more space and hopefully creating a really unique fun place to work. The roller coaster may return and all I can do is enjoy these big moments and share them with others and then when things turn tight again.....because they probably will.....we will enjoy the small moments and celebrate them like they are big. Relativity is a powerful perspective.

I am not really sure I know the answer to my question but every morning I wake up and ask it. I ponder it each day as I sip on my coffee brought to me by my loving wife in bed. I take time writing silly thoughts about my life, some times they are serious but not often. I get up and go to my office....if I want, which I usually do want. I can go in early....my boss doesn't give me any bonuses for going in early. I can go in late....my bosses doesn't gripe at me too much about this either. That is nice of him. Really, for the most part I chose my schedule.

Really for the most part.....I choose my life. We really all do to some degree. So we shouldn't complain. And I certainly cannot complain. I have it pretty good. The dreams that I have chased are right here. Maybe not as big as in my dreams but not bad either.

So...."What in the world am I doing?".......today.....I am just going to live it. Gotta Keep Chasing The Dream.

Never forget my friends.

ET this I believe 

Eugene Thompson

Renewed Wedding Vows

Ok, I have had my share of weird dreams but this one goes to the top. Not sure where all of this came from but when I woke up in the middle of the night, I had to tell my wife immediately for fear of forgetting any of it.

Now, I have thought for a long time about doing something special for my wife that involves renewing our wedding vows. Maybe on a special anniversary date like 30 or something. And she has always thought about being married with a halo of flowers on her head and white dress and barefoot. Maybe in a castle in Ireland or something. So that has been the thought.

What comes of the following....I have no clue. We weren't even thinking of it.

We had this big event with a lot of people.....many I didn't know. Apparently they were in the entertainment business and knew my wife. Singers, actors etc. It wasn't a casual get together...it was pretty formal and in some sort of an outdoor venue with a big tent on a beach.

So the weirdness begins......we had Aerosmith sing a love song to us at the beginning of the event. Everybody loved it. Many people coming up to congratulate us and talk. I got up to give a speech, thank everyone who came. The crowd looked like a who's who among the stars......have no clue why. 

I thanked Steven Tyler for the song and joked that he needed to sing us another song after we come out of our honeymoon suite..."Walk this way"...in regards to a bow legged stagger. Everyone laughed at the joke and I continued...."Steven's thinking yeah right....another song? Your crazy....DREAM ON!" The laughs continued.

And then for more weirdness. For some unknown reason I had this lipstick smeared on my face in the manner of The Joker or something and was wearing a wedding dress.....no body else could see me but a female singer paying us tribute later on in the evening....I think it was Behance. She had a hard time singing her song because she was laughing too much.

So what in the world did I eat that evening that caused this?

For your continued amusement my friends!

ET this I beleive

Eugene Thompson