Sorry if I blog too much...

Hello everybody! Do you like my title for this blog? I thought it was appropriate, being that I just can't seem to stop constantly blogging! lol...

Anyway, just to update you with the events that I wrote about: I did retake that Calculus exam, and got a 60. A passing score was is 60 or better. Isn't God amazing?! Seeing that, you can't deny that He has a sense of humor...

So, I will try not to bore you with too much writing, and will try to share what has been going on in our lives with some pictures this time. Let's see, where to start...Well, I think my last blog was just before Regis' birthday, so here is a picture of her opening her present from me. Obviously I surprised her!

I ended up going to Tarpon Springs while she was at work to get her a pretty "Ivory" necklace, some fudge, and a Greek handcream that she likes from the Sponge Docks. The Ivory is really this carved nut from from South America that looks like Ivory...

Below is our last Dog-Beach outing before the water started to get chilly. First is the puppies with their heads out the window smelling their way to the beach. Next is Regis in the water with the dogs.

The beach is always one of our favorite weekend getaways. Next up was a little get-together we had at our place several weeks ago. We had our neighbors, Eric and Shannon over with their two dogs, and also had our friend Zandra over. We barbequed, and then played some Poker. That was a fun night...By the end of the night, though, it was a little too much fun for Eric, so he passed out on our couch...

Once the pumpkins started hitting the store, Regis and I decided that we would get a couple again this year. Neither of us were particularly proud of our artistic carving skills, but it was fun anyway...

I did the one on the left, and Regis did the one on the right. Like I said, not our finest works of art! Next up, Quagmire and Jack Sparrow wanted to say hi to everyone:

Well, I guess I will end this picture-laden blog with some pics of the plants I have been enjoying and growing in our yard. Among them are hibiscus, plumeria, banana trees, bougainvilla, and my new favorite plants, the bamboo! Yep, we bought two types of bamboo and planted it in our backyard. The tallest one is about 15' tall right now, but they both will multiply greatly over the next year or so, and grow to heights over 40'! I will start with the bamboo pics. Enjoy:

Ok, one last pic: our beautiful Christmas tree!

Time to breathe...

Ok, time to write a little more than simply "I am tired." To be quite honest, though, there was nothing else to write at that moment. Those three words expressed perfectly and completely what I was feeling. If you are wondering what may have caused me to write something like this, let me tell you a little about what has been going on with me lately.

For the last two months I have been taking Programming in C++ and Calculus I. I know that may sound like a ghastly combination, but to be honest, the C++ class was a lot of fun. I actually enjoyed the material, and the lessons were to the point and not overwhelming. Calulus on the other hand, was a nightmare. Some of the concepts were pretty difficult to grasp and get through, but the hardest part wasn't learning it. The hardest part was the sheer amount of homework assigned to this course. My first lesson took me over a week to complete, and that was using every spare moment I had to do the homework. Not an hour here, an hour there...No! EVERY BIT OF TIME I HAD. I went to my teacher about the amount of homework, and he said that it is a very heavy load and that the course was actually considered to be a 5 credit course. Well I found this absolutely baffling! Why was it baffling? Well as it were, I am only supposed to be receiving 4 credits for the course, not 5. So something did not add up. Either the work level should have been decreased to accurately represent a 4 credit class, or the amount of credits rewarded should have been raised. As you can imagine, neither of these things happened, and that is why this baffled me. How in the world could common sense have taken such a backseat at an institution of higher education? Doesn't everyone operate off of a sense of common sense? (If you are reading this, I apologize if you choke over the think cloud of sarcasm pouring of the monitor right now) Anyway, needless to say, I struggled. For a month and a half, I worked and worked and worked on this course. The last several weekends have been nothing but staying at home trying to get the massive amounts of Calculus problems done. As a matter of fact, after all my homework was finally turned in just on time, and all my tests (save for the last proctored exam) were graded, I managed to pull of an average of 83! Yeah, I was very proud of the fact that I managed a B in Calculus! However, that was all pending the successful completion of my final. I took this final, and very nervously submitted it.

I failed.

Here is where I should explain something about the lovely policies of Grantham University (where they claim things are set up for the student to succeed): Their policy on final proctored exams is that the entire course hinges upon the success or failure of this last exam. Yes, this exam is pass-or-fail, and if you fail, the entire rest of your course is all for nothing. Again, baffled! Let me once again explain why this baffles me. You see, even with the failed grade of my final exam added in to my overall average, my average was still an 80. AN 80! You got it: I failed with an average of 80! It is funny, because when they post the grade for your course online, they put the Grade letter next to the average. What is funny about that is that next to the F they gave me, they put a zero. That is funny because if they had put my actual average for the entire class, there would be an F next to an 80. And that just wouldn't make much sense, now would it? NO, IT WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE, GRANTHAM. I guess this all goes back to Grantham's original goal: set the student up for success (with accurate and fair policies like pass-or-fail final exams).

As it turns out, I may be given a chance to retake the exam. My admissions rep will be working out the details of that this coming week. If I am given this chance, I could really use everyone's prayers for that exam, because this is the hardest class I have ever taken, and I never want to have to take it again.

To make matters worse, earlier in the day I had a phone interview with a company that would have been a lot closer to where I live, and that sounded like a great opportunity to further my experience and grow in my career. I was actually very excited about it. Unfortunately, I felt that by the end of the interview, I had bombed it. I don't know that for sure, and won't know for sure until I hear back from them, but it was just a very disappointing thing for me. Then to follow it up with the news that I had failed this wretched class that I worked so hard on and sacrificed so much time on, I just became extremely tired.

I felt like I climbed in to the boxing ring with life, and at the end of the 15th round, life landed a strong uppercut to my chin and sent me falling to the floor, out cold. To be honest, I just felt like I wasn't smart enough to move forward with my education, and that I didn't have what it took for a job that I thought I would be perfect for. It was a low feeling. I have been working my fingers to the bone trying to advance my career and education, to provide a better life for my wife and animals, and this day just seemed like a billboard announcing that this was the best I was going to do...That any attempts to push further were just wastes of time, ending in failure.

So, like a soggy log, I have spent the last day feeling down and disappointed in myself. Meanwhile, my amazing wife has been right there by my side, encouraging me, lifting me, trying to show me my true value and worth, and loving me unconditionally. Regis has been great to me while I have been down, but it has been hard to shake the feelings of failure.

And this word, failure...I just couldn't get it out of my head! Finally today God sort of shed some light on this whole thing. He made me realize that I was getting a bit carried away with plotting and planning things out on my own. I had made up my mind what I needed to do to advance in life, and I was making a plan and pushing forward with it. Pushing forward with MY plan. Ah. There it is.

MY plan.

I then began to realize that though furthering your education and applying to a job that would improve my financial situation are not bad things, I was going about them wrong. Instead of saying, "Hey, there is an opportunity. I am going to give it a shot, and just guide it in the direction you want, God", I convinced myself that this was the path that needed to happen. So when my perceived "bombed" interview didn't go how I thought it should, I felt as though I failed. The same with school. I have just demanded of myself that I finish my bachelors yesterday, and that any setback to that is a failure. As a result, I have worked so hard on it that I haven't made time to go to the beach with my wife and dogs, or just set aside time to be with Regis and cherish our fun moments, leaving the mass amounts of homework to a fully capable and merciful God. So, when I failed that test, that huge 2X4 with the word "FAILURE" etched in it smacked me square in the face.

But then God asked me a few things. The first was this: "Am I not capable of helping you to get back up, dust your shoulders off, and successfully retake this exam?" He then asked me, "And if you are not to pass the retake and you must repay the VA the money for the course, am I not able to provide you with the money for that?" He proceeded to widen my perspective on life past the narrow events of failing this test and possibly bombing that interview. Did these events mean that the great job God had already given me was going away? No. Did it mean that I no longer have the most amazing and beautiful wife that loves me and takes great care of me and our dogs? No. Did it mean that the awesome house and amazing provisions that God has given us were going to disappear? Did it mean, AT ALL, that these perceived failures of mine were going to limit or take away God's love, protection, and provision? No, and definitely NO.

So, at the end of this, God calmly told me, "This too shall pass." As a matter of fact, He gave those simple words to my wife to deliver, and they brought so much truth with them. These problems are small, and will pass. I was made to realize that I need to turn all my plans and desires back over to God, and only then will I be truly happy. He knows what is best for me. If I can just learn to tell Him what I would like and want, but then submit completely to His desires for me, I know that I will find myself pleasantly surprised.

Well, if anyone actually stuck with me long enough to get through all that, here is my challenge to you: Do not let YOU get in the way of your own life. Sit down, shut up, and listen. God knows what He is doing, He knows what makes you happy, and He knows these things MUCH better than you do. So please, PLEASE...Listen to Him.

Life...

I'm tired.

House. Cat. Insanity.

Let's start out with the last word in the title of this blog: Insanity. And to the left, we have Exhibit A. I am sure you are thinking what in the world is wrong with you. Well that is a questions that no man can answer, but in this particular picture I decided one night that I would take the tie from my wife's bath robe and tie it around my head to turn into a ninja. I then figured that Regis might prefer a silent ninja, so I made the modification over my mouth. Why does this behavior even cross my mind? I can't say for sure, but I think that I have just been so busy lately that once in a while I temporarily lose my mind. I think it is actually a good thing because if I didn't just give into being a freak once in a while, my head would implode with all that has been going on!

Now, to start filling you in with what has been going on since my last post (a whopping month and a half ago). First off, the big news: Regis and I bought our first house! Yep, we took that huge plunge and signed the dotted line, making us homeowners. Actually the line wasn't dotted, and it felt like there were about 3,000 lines that we signed, but we are homeowners nonetheless.

Now we weren't exactly looking to buy a house, but we ran into an opportunity that we couldn't pass up. This house was just an amazing buy for the price, and it will be a really good investment for our future. For the moment, though, we are loving the new place! It was a nice change for us. It has mostly wood and tile floors, a dog door (that I installed), more space, an in-ground pool and hot tub, and all brand new kitchen appliances. We have been loving it since moving in. Here are a few pics of the house:

Ok, that's all the house pictures you get. If you want to see more, you have to come visit. Sorry, house policy. But it has been a fun and interesting adventure so far. I have had to buy a lawn mower and actually start taking care of my own lawn now (trying to keep grass clippings out of the pool isn't fun). I've also begun to explore the joys of maintaining your own pool. I have just kind of fumbled through this task, but have learned how to clean the pump and filter pretty well, as well as keeping the right chemical balance to the pool. I have decided, for now anyway, that the maintenance is very much worth it. To sum up the new house experience, we are loving it! Now come the mortgage payments...

Also, surprise, we have a new animal. And as usual, it is all Regis' fault. I just can't keep her from collecting a new and different quadriped from time to time. Ok...perhaps she wasn't totally behind this case. Actually, I guess she wasn't really behind any of the cases...That isn't the point, though. The point is this: another cute and innocent animal has a shot a joyful and happy life in the Blalock residence! Yes, I can put quite a spin on things...I get that from my Dad! lol...

Anyway, here is the cute bugger:

His name is Captain Jack Sparrow, but we just call him Jack. He's quite the fiesty little kitten right now. We are being woken up every morning by kitty claws and teeth sinking into our legs and feet on the bed. Very obnoxious! But gets along with the other animals great. He was pretty much buddies with the dogs from Day One. And when I say he gets along with the other animals, I mean ALL the other animals. Below you see him buddying up with Quagmire. Below and to the right, there is a picture of the Jack hanging out in the guinea pig and rabbit hutch (which I also built).

He was actually a present for Regis, pending her allergies being ok. And so far they have been fine with him! She likes him quite a bit and thinks he is really cute, though he has his annoying moments with both of us. Here is a pic of her and Jack the present kitty:

Well, as you can imagine, packing up our household and moving it, all on our own, getting through all the mortgage paperwork, and adopting a new kitten has been a lot of work. But on top of all this, I have been trying to rap up a Programming class and a Pre-Calculus class. Thank goodness I am finally done with them (pending a final math exam), but it has just been insanely busy the last couple months! We are finally getting a breather for the next couple weeks. I guess by "breather" I mean back to the norm. So, I will go ahead and wrap this blog up with a couple last pics. The next couple are of Regis and I putting up the third side of the privacy fence in our backyard because there were only two sides up when we bought the house for some reason. Following that is Regis and I on the 4th of July. And don't worry, Mom, I am working on that blog that you wanted me to post...coming soon!

It's Been A While...

I know, I know, I am almost as bad about blogging as I am about updating the website. Sorry! May just so happened to be a very busy month. Let's see, first there was the fact that my work schedule shifted from Swings (3 P.M. - 11 P.M.) to Days (7 A.M. - 3 P.M.) which didn't allow me to get any homework done at work. This means that I had to do all my homework in my own time after work. Then there was family visiting for about two weeks. Don't get me wrong, we had a GREAT time visiting with Brit, Steve and Kate and showing them all the places that we love around here! I just was so busy having fun showing them around that I put school off for the first half of the month. After they went back to Texas, I then had to play serious catch-up on schoolwork, so my Memorial Day weekend was all studying and projects, and no beach time . :-( There have also been several other things keeping me busy this month, but I finally finished the homework, and I go back to Swing shift next week. So I FINALLY get to make a post.

In the middle of all this business we still managed to have lots of fun moments in May, and have plenty of pictures to prove it! Here are some pics to summarize some of the fun we've been having:

LEFT: Kate and her daddy playing in the sand. She LOVES the beach!

RIGHT: Britany and Kate enjoying some more beach time. We spent a lot of time on beaches...


LEFT: Regis and the Dooleys at Venice Beach. The water colors are so blue and beautiful at Venice, which is one of the reasons that it is our favorite Florida beach so far. We did a little snorkeling and shark tooth hunting this day, and then headed over to Pam's (our landlord and Steve's co-worker) house for some pool time and a barbecue. That was lots of fun!

LEFT: Regis and I sharing a moment at Venice Beach. Apparently it was a funny moment. It looks as though it was a funnier moment to Regis than it was to me....Anyway, just to reiterate, Venice Beach is beautiful!

RIGHT: Regis, Britany and Kate in the pool at Pam and John's house. I must say, they're backyard pool, bar and deck setup was pretty amazing!

LEFT: It's Kate the sponge diver! We went to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks one day for their little aquarium and some awesome Greek food! Both missions were accomplished.

BELOW: Kate got to pet a baby alligator at the aquarium! She couldn't stop talking about alligators the whole visit. I guess there was a bonding going on there that the camera just couldn't capture.

BELOW: Regis even got a little friendly with the alligator! I don't think she was obsessed afterwards as Kate was, though...

BELOW CENTER: We took the dogs to the dog park beach on Ft. DeSoto with the family, and it was a pretty amazing sunset behind the palm trees. I took the picture from the water. Just thought I would let you all see what a sunset on the beach is like here.

LEFT: Me and Joe. That's my serious "I'm down with my bad self" look...Because of this face, Regis made me take the picture two more times until I smiled nice. But that picture isn't nearly as cool, in my opinion.

BELOW: Britany and Ben being buddies on the way to Crystal River.

LEFT: Britany and Steve coming back from snorkeling at Crystal River. We were hoping to see manatees, but it was just the wrong time of year. :-(

RIGHT: This appears to be Britany just thoroughly enjoying her visit to Crystal River. Oh, she was enjoying herself, but not for the reason I just mentioned. No, Britany was so happy because at this very moment, she was peeing. Yes, we stopped the pontoon long enough to lower the ladder and let Britany relieve herself. It looks like she was very grateful!

LEFT: Ay, tis Captain Josh Sparrow! Ok, so I am no captain, and the pontoon was no ship. But I was captain for a day, darnit!

BELOW: Regis and family one of Regis and my new favorite places to eat, the Hut, enjoying a nice water-side, open-air dinner.

LEFT: Poor Kate. She thought she was just enjoying some yummy chicken nuggets. Little did she know, she was chowing down on her best buddy: some delicious alligator! Oh well, she won't know the difference. At least for a couple years, anyway.

BELOW: At last, the faces of people at the end of an exhilirating vacation. Regis and I might have been responsible for some temporary brain damage at this point? Kidding...We loved having you guys, Brit and Steve. Can't wait for the next visit!

BELOW: Regis and I enjoying an evening at the beach. The picture below that is just a neat skyline one day when Regis and I were taking a walk...

Well, hope you enjoyed the update of what May has been like for us. Provided that things aren't as crazy next month as they were this month, I will try to update you sooner next time. Till then, Later!

I Am Rich

About a year before I got out of the military, I started working really hard to ensure that I would get a good job after I separated and joined the civilian ranks. I finished up my Associate's degree, earned my MCSE (Microsoft certification), and started shaping up my resume. Sure enough, God was good to us and provided a great job that pays me well. But since I have become a civilian and started working at this job, I have come to realize even more how much I want to get ahead of the game. I have really wanted to ensure that I provide a good life for my wife and future children, and for the furry kids that we already have (our zoo). I enrolled back in college and am within a year of my Bachelors. I recently earned my Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) cert, allowing me to officially teach Microsoft courses. And most recently, I upgraded my MCSE to the 2008 version, and earned the new premier 2008 cert: the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator. As you can see, I have been working really hard to try to attain a good living, and to be the best provider that God will allow me to be.

However, there are times when I get really focused on earning a bigger paycheck, and making as much money as possible. I know I probably will never be very wealthy, but I find myself trying as hard as I can sometimes! And this morning as I drove in to work (my first day back on a day shift), I was driving over Tampa Bay on the Gandy Bridge and was just stunned by the beautiful sunrise coming up over the flat water of the bay, with the Tampa city skyline in the background. It was right then that I felt God smiling on me, and I knew He was reminding me that despite all my efforts to make that bigger paycheck, He had made me rich in a way that I could only give Him the credit for. He gave me her:

Yep, she is a goof ball, but she is my Goof Ball, and God knew exactly what He was doing when He brough her into my life. She is the best friend I have, and the best friend I could ask for. She makes me smile, and she makes me laugh. She still makes my heart flutter. See, I am not even ashamed to be a little cheesy! She is fun and beautiful, and very sexy. She is probably one of the most patient people I know, but then again, anyone that married me would have to be incredibly patient! She sends me off to work with coffee and delicious, healthy meals. Sometimes there are even little napkin notes to remind me how much I am loved. She takes great care of me, and is the most loving dog "mommy" a pup could ask for. And I don't care how ridiculous anyone might think it is for me to base an opinion on this, but I can already tell by how amazing and loving she is toward our animals that she is going to be a great and nurturing mother. She has a huge heart, and she gave it to me. She is the love of my life.

I hope you know how much I love you, Regis. Thanks for all that you are and have been to me. Thank you for taking such good care of my heart. Thank you for giving me a chance to make you happy. I know there may be times that I let you down, but that won't stop me from continuing to try for as long as I am alive to make you as happy as is possible.

To all of you that read through this whole thing hoping for some new and exciting news about us, sorry, but this was as close as I could get to shouting from a mountain top. So I took the opportunity...

Temp Goes Up, Fur Comes Off...

Well, not a whole lot has happened since my last blog, but we did have a little adventure before I left for work yesterday. As summer is approaching quickly, the temperatures are consistently in the mid-80s, and Joe, our youngest dog (8 months), is getting hotter and hotter in his thick fur coat. Regis and I had thought about getting his fur cut, but decided against it after hearing from a lady at the dog park that she paid $62 to get her dog groomed! Yesterday, however, we had the great idea of saving the money and giving him a hair cut ourselves! I figured, even if it is an amateur job and uneven, it isn't like he is a kid who will get teased by other kids because of an uneven haircut. Right?

Below is a picture of Joe before the haircut. You can see the darker line over his back where the scruff starts to form and the fur gets really thick. He almost has lion mane, but you can't really see it in this picture.

Just so you know, Joe was the worst haircut client ever! He hated the clippers. Regis had to hold him there for a lot of it. Here he is getting buzzed, but looking tired from fighting me.

Below are a couple more pics of his haircut. The entire process was about 20 - 25 minutes, and there were very few of those minutes that he wasn't fighting. Luckily Regis used those few minutes to snap a few pictures!

Yep, it was quite the ordeal. As you can probably see from some of the pics, he lost quite a bit of hair! I trimmed him with the #2 attachment, and left all the hair on his tail, legs, and head. Even with leaving all those areas untrimmed, there was still this huge pile of hair in the floor:

Yep, gross. Anyway, he didn't turn out too bad. Ok, yes he did. It is a pretty uneven, amateur haircut! But oh well, he's a dog. Here is the final product. The trimmed part almost looks like a sheered sheep.
Hope you enjoyed the journey through Joe's haircut! By the way, in case you haven't seen it, there is a little video posted on our website. It is a collection of clips that Regis and I made since coming to Florida. So if you are bored and have about 11 minutes of spare time, check it out!

Another Blogspot Victim...

I always said I would never create my own blog on blogspot or any other blog facilitating website. So, here is the lesson of the day: never say never! Now I know you have probably noticed that in telling you not to say "never," I have again said it myself. Well, for everyone that felt the need to be sarcastic, let me clarify that my use of the word "never" ("never say never") is the exception to the rule. Got it? I hope so, cause I am moving on whether you were able to follow my train of though or not.

To pick back up where I left off before my side-rant on the word "never", I always said I wouldn't start my own blog because I had my own website and could just be creative by updating people on my life through the website. Well, my life has become quite busy since leaving military life and becoming a civilian. My time is much more precious now, and I just don't have all the time it takes to update my website on a regular basis. So, after much debating, I made the decision to start my own blog. Yes, I gave in. BUT, I still have the website, and it is in the process of being spruced up! This blog will give updates in our (Regis and I) lives, but the website will still have pictures and hopefully some video soon. Also, many people may have known what the URL of our site used to be. Please don't go to that site, as it is no longer an innocent site about my family (Note: to all website owners, pay attention to when your site lease expires so that no one else takes it over and turns it into something that it shouldn't be!). There is a link to our site on the right column of this page, but for your convenience, the URL is http://www.joshandregis.com/.

Well, I will give you just a quick update on our life, since I hadn't posted any updates on our other site since around November! For starters, I ended up getting hired by a contracting company as System Administrator on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. As you can imagine, this was quite overwhelming since it entailed us packing up our household and driving all the way from San Antonio to Tampa. That was one long drive! Especially when I was driving a 26' Penske Truck that was towing Regis' car on a trailer, with Regis following in the Xterra. This was her view the whole way:

Anyway, we finally made it to Tampa Bay after many hours on the road, and God has truly rewarded our willingness to pack up everything and move to Florida. We have loved it here! I don't even know how many hours we have spent on beaches in the last few months, but it hasn't taken long to discover that we are definitely sun-and-water people! We have great neighbors on both sides of us, and Regis has even found a dog-walking friend in the neighbor that we share a backyard fence with. We have been snorkeling with Manatees in Crystal River, collecting shark teeth on Venice Beach, walking among the sponge shops and Greek restaurants of Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, and playing in the water of the dog beach on Ft. DeSoto. Below are some pictures of all this stuff:

As you can see, we have had many adventures over the last few months, and the puppies and are quite enjoying our new home! I know a lot has changed since you all were updated on the last website, but if you have any questions or just want to know more, shoot me an email! Until next post, Hello from the beach!