Yes I am a pirate...

  Well it happened, I am sitting here at my computer working on building a business. I just looked at the clock and realized I am forty now. Forty years old, WOW! It is amazing how forty seemed so old when I was a kid but it does not feel that way now. I feel great! I started a new journey on Herbalife for the last month and I feel amazing. I honestly feel that I am taking control of my life and I am steering my ship where I want it to go.
  Sometimes in life I think we just react to outside stimulus instead of planning our route, acknowledging the rough patches and taking charge. I have decided or maybe just realized that no one can take charge of my life but me. MY dream is to live on a sailboat and travel wherever I want. That is not going to happen by sitting around hoping for it. I need to take charge and MAKE it happen. Maybe I am just getting more introspective as I get older, I'm not sure.
Joe           2-4-16

"Yes, I am a pirate two hundred years too late.
The cannons don't thunder, there's nothin' to plunder,
I'm an over forty victim of fate
Arriving too late, arriving too late" -Jimmy Buffett

Living my life like a song: Been away for a bit

Living my life like a song: Been away for a bit:  It has been awhile since I wrote. With the holidays, work and life, blogging took a backseat. I have not felt like writing at all. The holi...

Been away for a bit

 It has been awhile since I wrote. With the holidays, work and life, blogging took a backseat. I have not felt like writing at all. The holidays depress me. But now I am back and charging forward. I am sitting here on the eve of my fortieth birthday wondering how in the heck did I get here? Hitting this milestone has reminded me how much the supposed little things are actually the big things. I have promised myself to concentrate more on the time I have with my family and to spend less time thinking about work.

Live in such a way that if someone spoke badly of you, no one would believe it.- Unknown

You make your bed because even if your day is complete chaos and you cannot get anything done, at least you made your bed. It may only be one small achievement but you did it.

I love tomato soup, especially when I can have a delicious grilled cheese with it. I was looking for a recipe to make tomato soup and found this incredible, tasty pot of perfection! I got this recipe from Pinch of Yum. It was a big hit with the family, even though they all said they do not like tomato soup! I made it in a dutch oven that was passed down from my grandmother.

SIMPLE HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP

Author: Pinch of Yum, inspired by The New Classics cookbook

Serves: 4

 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2 carrots, chopped
  
  
• half of a yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
  
  
• 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon flour
  
  
• 4 cups chicken broth (more to thin out the soup at the end as needed)
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
• cream (optional - to add at the end as desired)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fry the bacon in a large soup pot over medium low heat until bacon starts to get crispy and browned, about 5-8 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic to the bacon in the pan; saute for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are very aromatic and tender.
3. Add the tomato paste - stir for a few minutes until you can see/smell the tomato paste starting to brown and caramelize. Add the flour and stir for a minute or so.
4. Pour the tomatoes and their juice into a bowl and crush them with your hands. Add the broth, thyme, bay leaf, and tomatoes to the soup pot. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree in batches and return to the pot. Add cream if you want.

Making your own life

I tried to call my daughter this morning on the way to pick her up. Maddy is 12 and is hilarious. I love her outlook on life and how much fun she brings to my life. Of course she does not answer right away and my call goes to voicemail and I hear, "Hi, this is Maddy. If you are trying to get ahold of me, I am probably off doing something AWESOME! So leave a message."
  As I was chuckling about her message, I really started to think. Here is a young girl in seventh grade. Her folks are divorced, she is working hard in school and she is still trying to create a great life. She is always my ray of sunshine. I do not think I have met anyone so totally positive and upbeat. When I pick her up she is smiling and happy and even though she is in seventh grade she still calls me Daddy. I know how lucky I am to be her father. I am trying to incorporate her upbeat outlook into my daily life.
  We make the choice on how we feel. It is my decision to either get upset by something or to accept what I cannot change, shrug and move on. Jimmy Buffett has a great song titled"Breathe in, breathe out, move on". That is great advice and I am trying to incorporate it into my daily life. It is HARD to not get angry over things. Other drivers, traffic, the line at the coffee shop, but I am sure trying.

The world

  There are some serious bad things in the world. I try to be prepared for what I can control. I carry a flashlight (it always gets dark), a pocket knife, a first aid kit (small personal size), a lighter and chap stick. I hate having chapped lips. This what I carry on me everyday, every time I leave the house. I also have a bag that goes with me when I leave that has a more extensive first aid kit with tourniquets, bandages, gauze... that is large enough and hopefully equipped enough for my family. I pray that I am never faced with having to use any of this but I would rather have it and never need it than to have the one time that I could have helped someone and not be able to. My best advice is to get first aid training. With proper training you can be an asset not a liability. An emergency does not necessarily mean a terrorist incident, it could be a car accident, a hunting accident or something small like a kid getting hurt on the playground. The key is to be prepared and knowledgeable.
  In my family we have contingency plans in place for high stress events. We discuss what we will do in the event of a tornado, fire, car accident... We also plan and discuss what each of our roles are in the event of an active shooter. It is important to talk about traumatic events ahead of time. When it happens it will be too late
  Flashlight: Pelican 1920
  Pocket knife: check your local laws. I prefer a knife with a pocket clip so it is ready, available and in the same place at all times.
Pocket Trauma kit: Concealed carry trauma kit
IFAK(Individual First Aid Kit): IFAK

Training: Use the Google machine to locate training. I recommend a Wilderness First Aid class because it teaches you how to conduct first aid in an austere environment. But just make sure you get good training. Look for training that is trauma oriented and get your family involved.