This plus that = really, REALLY FAST!!!

I am currently on a trip with Michelle in the Nevada desert. We went to Las Vegas to get married (5 days and counting) on April 28, 2014. When we arrived in Las Vegas, we had reserved a small car (nissan) to drive around town to get done what we needed to for the wedding (tux, Elvis, etc).

One of the things that I have had on my bucket list for some time has been to go to Minden, NV and do some wave soaring with Russell Holtz (highly recommended instructor in the industry). I attempted to do this 3 years ago and as many of you know that was not a good time in my life.

In any event, the trip from Las Vegas to Minden, NV is 447 miles which should have taken about 7 hours. This is driving unlike I have ever done before, mountains, hundreds of miles of open desert road, and the upgraded rental car that we were “suckered” into…

As I sit in a hotel in Lake Tahoe, NV 500+ miles from Las Vegas, after a pretty awesome drive in the rental car.

This:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

plus THAT:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

= The reason you don’t buy a used rental car!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the event that anyone from the Nevada Highway Patrol is following this blog, I have sent this blog post AFTER I am back in Las Vegas… I am not sure if there is a statute of limitations, so it was NOT me driving that Dodge Charger with the HEMI…

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

Selfie gone “Awry”… Snow when you don’t need it!

 Trip to Minden, NV is a bust. Was supposed to spend Friday 4/25/14 “Wave Soaring” but an unexpected snow storm hit us in Lake Tahoe, NV!

 

 

 

 

 

 

View from our hotel room “MontBleu” in Lake Tahoe, NV… Spent time & money that day in the casino “donating” to the local economy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View from the hotel room the next morning as the clouds are starting to clear. All the white on the ground was snow that “stuck”. Thought for sure that we were not going to be able to get out of there because the rental car did not have tire chains or snow tires. It CERTAINLY did not have 4 wheel drive!

 

 

 

 

 

Quick pic of the rental car when the Valet delivered it to us this morning when we were loading to leave. Lake Tahoe, NV/CA got a total of 4-5 inches of “fresh powder” on the slopes with GREAT weather expected for the rest of the weekend. One last blast for this winter tourist town. Just my bad luck, all the way around!

 

 

 

 

 

This is what happens when you don’t have your camera set right, the sun is too bright and you cant see the DAMN camera! Need to get my eyes checked…

In any event, it got most of the “beauty” and less of the “beast”, so it was not all bad.

 

 

 

 

 

Entrepreneurship, isn’t AMERICA the GREATEST country in the world?? Aliens and hookers in the same place, maybe they are “alien hookers”? In any event, this is about 75 miles north of Las Vegas on highway 95. We stopped for gas on the way out, but no need on the way back since we got gas in the mountains. (more than $475 PER gallon!)

 

 

 

 

More to post later…

Have a GREAT day!

 

The wonder of “God’s great earth”…

We hear so much these days about space travel, technology, and everything “modern”… does one ever wonder about the amazing parts of our country that are still pristine?

 

 

I had the pleasure to drive today from Las Vegas (which is in the middle of nowhere, anyhow) to Minden, NV. It was one of the greatest things that I have done to date… Mountains, nothing but black ribbons of road and mountain passes that brought us from 2181′ ASL (above sea level) to over 8193′ ASL in one of the mountain passes…

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at a little place called Lee Vining, CA (who knew that our drive was going to cross state lines) with an elevation of  6,781 feet. (All told, there were some mountain passes that took us to over 8,120 feet.) We stopped for lunch and during my BLT, the altitude made me a little dizzy and with the thin air, I was out of breath.

 

 

Heading Northwest on (NV) 395 we soon hit a BEAUTIFUL mountain lake just outside Lee Vining. The sulfur and salt deposits made the lake a color blue that I had not seen before except in the Caribbean ocean…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a couple of pics along the way of the cool rock formations, wish my camera had better pixel rate because the photos do not do the real life image justice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The intent of the trip was to get to Minden, NV to fly, however, as I sit here this morning, Looks like that might not happen, it is 34 degrees, and snowing here in Lake Tahoe. Gliding does not happen in cold weather…

We shall see what tomorrow brings…

Just my $.02

 

Call me old fashioned!

I have been to Las Vegas several times over the last 5 years or so, and I have found that there are really 2 different Las Vegas experiences. Most people know Vegas for the “Strip” and the mega hotel/casinos. There is also the “old section” which is not new and glitzy, but the hotel/casinos on Fremont Street at “retro cool”.

Having just stayed at the Golden Nugget in “Downtown” Las Vegas, I am happy to report that I am now sold on the fact that if I go back to Las Vegas, I WILL be staying at the Golden Nugget!

Friendly, happy, glad to help, EXCELLENT hospitality, and best of all, I won $800 at blackjack! (IRS, don’t worry, I gave it all back to the MontBleu Casino in Lake Tahoe… plus a little more… after all it is called “gambling” for a reason.

Here are a few pics that I took while walking around on Fremont St. Really cool “vibe” under the LED show that they put on…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New chapter in my life…

 <<– On the inside I feel like this. More than a year ago, I started a new chapter in my life with a wonderful woman who has helped me shed the unnecessary tasks that were running my life when I met her. She has helped me focus on what is important in my life, my family & my business.

There are still some “strings” that are still out there that only time can tie up, but I am not going to let those things run my life any longer.

Inside, I feel like the giraffe that has climbed the tree, why, I don’t know… the photo just showed and awkward and odd entity in the tree, one that you would not likely see everyday.

 

 

<<– On the outside I feel like this! Over the years, with the amount of adversity that I have had in my life, I have created a “man of steel” exterior that has protected me from all of the kryptonite at various times in my life.

As you are reading this, I will be on an airplane off to Las Vegas, to enjoy a few days off, and to marry my soulmate, Michelle! Because what screams love more than neon lights, Elvis, and alcohol more than LAS VEGAS!?!

Yes, that’s right, we are doing the “CHEEZY” powder blue tuxedo, Elvis official, Las Vegas wedding! Since we have both been married before, and it really does not matter “where” we get married, it is going to be between us, we felt that it would make for a good story, with GREAT photos!

We have sent out invitations, we will have a ceremony for family & friends to celebrate our marriage, and the 2 oldest boys high school graduation in May. So to all our friends and family that will be there to celebrate with us, Thank you! See you then…

Have a GREAT day!

Steve

What type of day are you going to have?

Have you ever had a day when NOTHING works for you? Nothing is going your way, and you just wonder why you even got out of bed?

Then you have days when everything goes just as planned, you even have great things happen that you were not even expecting.. Those are the days that I live for!

Somewhere I picked up the expression, “Some days you’re the windshield, some days you’re the but… and it seems that I have those types of days…

I strive for then windshield days, even when the day starts me out as the “bug”…

My tip for today is “Don’t let anything turn your day into the bug…

Strive to be the windshield, strong, bug crushing, and clear!

Have a great day!

Steve

The Blind men and the elephant…

I found this story interesting. As a mediator, I am always trying to help myself to understand how others see the world… This story is a good example of “differing opinions” I felt that I wanted to share…

ELEPHANT AND THE BLIND MEN

Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, “Hey, there is an elephant in the village today.”

They had no idea what an elephant is. They decided, “Even though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway.” All of them went where the elephant was. Everyone of them touched the elephant.

“Hey, the elephant is a pillar,” said the first man who touched his leg.

“Oh, no! it is like a rope,” said the second man who touched the tail.

“Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree,” said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.

“It is like a big hand fan” said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.

“It is like a huge wall,” said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.

“It is like a solid pipe,” Said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.

They began to argue about the elephant and everyone of them insisted that he was right. It looked like they were getting agitated. A wise man was passing by and he saw this. He stopped and asked them, “What is the matter?” They said, “We cannot agree to what the elephant is like.” Each one of them told what he thought the elephant was like. The wise man calmly explained to them, “All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all those features what you all said.”

“Oh!” everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that they were all right.

The moral of the story is that there may be some truth to what someone says. Sometimes we can see that truth and sometimes not because they may have different perspective which we may not agree too. So, rather than arguing like the blind men, we should say, “Maybe you have your reasons.” This way we don’t get in arguments. In Jainism, it is explained that truth can be stated in seven different ways. So, you can see how broad our religion is. It teaches us to be tolerant towards others for their viewpoints. This allows us to live in harmony with the people of different thinking. This is known as the Syadvada, Anekantvad, or the theory of Manifold Predictions.

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Just a little “food for thought”

Have a GREAT day!

Steve

Time for a vacation?

 Day in, day out, we work, toil & slave away at our jobs… I have been fortunate to do  what I love in my life, so my “work” is really not like work at all.

However, there are times that I feel that I need a little vacation, just from the mental  stress that I have from time to time. One of my favorite places to unwind is in a  hammock. It does NOT have to be on a beach between 2 palm trees (although I  would not turn that down if the opportunity presented itself!)

So for today, I am going to go through my day, just thinking about a little cool  breeze, laying in a hammock, drink in hand, woman I love by my side, just enjoying  the time that I have together.

Have a great day!

Put a little “pep” in your step, BE HAPPY!!!

This is a video that was shared from a friend of mine. Thought it was interesting, so I decided to share it with you!

Enjoy!

She loves me not!, Yes, I think she LOVES me!!!

As many of you know over the last few years, I have had a little bit of a “woman issue”…

Yes, I know that for those who know me, it is hard for some to fathom, but yes, it is true. From a bitter, messy divorce, to a couple of semi-serious and a bit crazy girlfriends, to a woman who has grown to become my soulmate.

NOW, before you say, “what do you mean “has grown” to become my soulmate” please allow me to explain…

This woman who moved into my house of calm with her two children literally by “accident” (BTW, thanks knucklehead #1) I was a little unsure at first about how all this was going to shake out. My gut, at first, told me that this was going to be another semi-serious relationship that was not going to last, however, this time, my gut was wrong, REALLY, REALLY WRONG!

The love of my life, has proven to me that she is dependable, caring, TOLERANT (of my gruff demeanor, and rough around the edges red-neck personality), woman who loves me with her entire being. She even puts up with my slob-ish teenage boys…

Many months ago, I asked her to be my wife… she accepted.

Now as we are planning our wedding (the second for both of us) we have had many discussions on how we wanted to handle the situation. I have always said that if I EVER got married again, it was going to be “LAS VEGAS CHEEZY” including Elvis, yes Elvis as the official. At first she thought that I was nuts, and maybe just a little, I am… but after all, why not. My first wedding had a shotgun. So it would have to be a story that would top that one at least. So the powder blue tux with tails, ruffle shirt, and yes, camo shorts and flip flops, it is!

NOW, again, I know you are sitting there saying that I am getting everything that I want, yes that is true, however, I was open to other ideas, and we kicked around a BUNCH of ideas, so many that I believe that we covered everything except the formal Catholic wedding idea, because of course, I am not Catholic. I was happy to give her any type of wedding that she wanted, because to me it is just an event that I show up to, and say, “yes, I do” give her the ring, a kiss that will knock her socks off, and then go do my “thing” that evening. I am now, and have never been fond of any type of detail planning. The only alternative that we BOTH thought would be an acceptable compromise would have been a beach wedding on a small beach in Honduras, or some other caribbean Island with just us and the boys in attendance. We do well, but the cost of that little venture, as we both agreed, would have broken the bank… SO VEGAS IT IS, BABY!!!

Eventually, she came around to my way of thinking, and after much discussion, we have agreed that it will be a “traditional Vegas” wedding, and she allowed me to have Elvis there… Thank you, Thank you VERY MUCH!! (use your best Elvis impersonation here.) We decided that it was just for us. We will share the photos and the video with all of our friends once we return. But we wanted this dose of cheese to be just for us!

The reason for this post, and putting things out there for everyone to see, is to express, mostly to her my level of love that I have for her. Michelle, I love you! There, I said it publically, and it makes me the LUCKIEST guy on the planet as far as I am concerned to have a woman that is WAY out of my league in love with me. To Kevin, I want to say “Thanks”!

We are planning a local celebration for our family and friends (details will be coming in the mail) for May 31st, 2014 in conjunction with our boys high school graduation. I will smoke some meat, cold beverages, and the boys wanted a “bouncy house” so there you have it, a bouncy house!

As for the title, “She loves me not!, Yes, I think she LOVES me!!! it goes to show that when one door closes in your life, you may still have loose ends to tie up, but you never know when the next door will open and present the greatest thing to happen to you in your life next to the birth of your children… OH YEAH, about that, the answer is NO, we will NOT be having any children together… We are both in an agreement that it is too late to start all over again with the diapers, and the bottles, and the middle of the night feedings. We both agree, been there, done that… and we are now looking ahead to retirement, and that long, long life ahead of exploration of the world by RV!

More on that chapter of our life later…

Until then, be good, and if not, then be good at it!

Steve