Warp Speed Ahead…

Life has been so fast the last few weeks that I have been unable to grab time and collect my thoughts and put them here. I have so many ideas floating around in my head that I am struggling to get them out and move with any of them. You see I am a thinker…I actually think to relax. I am not sure how this happens but I think in stories and create things in my head that could actually happen…but never really happen. I create an alternate reality if you will..not as a means of escape but just another world that functions off of the principles I believe are right and true. This is a great thing for strategic planning..but can also bite me in the butt as my mind wanders into areas that should be avoided.

Anyway I have left off from my journey through random memories and would like to pick that back up but need to wait until I get my thoughts together. So for today all I am going to do are list out the thoughts that I am pondering as I drive silently in my car:

1. Financial Stability – I am dreaming and planning to get out of debt and actually have ownership in a money making engine.

2. Writing – I want to write..with my wife. I want to create something with my wife that impacts and influences people. We have some ideas on the table but haven’t pulled the thoughts together.

3. Speaking – I miss this. I miss communicating to people about ideas and thoughts in my life.

4. Calling – I am wrestling with how people use the term “calling” in our culture…I think we over mystify what God wants us to do with our lives

5. Legacy – I am processing through what to leave my children…how can I shape our relationship into one that we are in proper authority but also love as we can.

6. Business – I want to build a business that works…I get this from my father.  I want to create a new idea and have others use it effectively.

So there are the few things that I process on a regular basis. These are my hopes and dreams and ideas and ambitions. I have no plans with any of these…but I will.

Do you want to ring the bell….

I have been so busy and unable to generate and meaningful fodder. I apologize and I will be a little more consistent now that I am through a few things that were consuming my time. So thanks for hanging in there and I hope you enjoy this little number.

When I was growing up lets just say that humilty was not my strong suit. Surprised I know, but I was often a little big for my britches. On one particular occasion my parents had enough of my endless self absorption/promotion and decided to stage a prize fight between me and my older brother in the front yard.

I cannot remember the events leading up to this but I am sure it had something to with me nagging my older brother who wasn’t allowed to pound me so he was getting frustrated. For some reason I was convinced that I could demolish this guy and become the Alpha Male of the house…well of the kids anyway. So I am sure I was going on about my awesomeness and how I could kick his fanny…we couldn’t say butt, it was on the bad word list. So after this proclamation one too many times my parents said, ok let’s see it.

Now I have had several moments where my faith in myself was tested. This was one of those moments. I was about to step into a sanctioned fight with my brother who was 4 years older and several pounds heavier than me. Whatever doubt I had was quickly replaced with ego and I accepted this chance to become the greatness I knew me to be. So to the front (not the back) yard we went.

We squared off and I was standing as tall as I could trying to grab some factor of intimidation. The rules were that who ever cried first lost so I thought if I can scare him into crying I would be out of this without throwing a punch…no dice. So like David standing before Goliath I prayed for some help, but it turns out God does not favor egotism and arrogance…huh go figure.

Chris landed the first punch right on my arm…I thought to myself…that hurt but not bad enough to cry..so I stood in. I was contemplating hitting him at this point when like a saber-tooth tiger he struck again…on the same arm….in the same place…that was still sore from the first hit. I was like that hurt and I think I am going to have to cry…hold back man…..again no dice.

I cried…and I lost. I was ashamed at my failure and did what any little brother would do. I went and found one of my little brothers to pick on so I could feel big. The pecking order had to be respected right?

Back Next Week

I will be back next week. I am preparing for an exam that has had me pretty busy.

Fun Facts

Here are a few fun facts about me for those of you who may be new to my world or just those of you who haven’t heard me babble about my life for a while:

1. 3rd of six children, 5 boys and 1 girl and she ran the house

2. Don’t eat vegetables – unless my children are present – actually I don’t eat much except…

3. I Love Sugar in almost all forms but particularly cherry coke and twizzlers

4. I am a dork – I laugh at my own jokes and most of them stink

5. I am married with 2 boys and I love these people dearly. Farah and I met in high school have been through a lot of life together. She is a brilliant woman and an amazing mother. My boys are just that…boys…tons of energy and very little sense.

6. I am loud but only because I think I am brilliant

7. I am funny but only if your standards are pretty low

8. I don’t like rap, and who told Jamie Foxx he could be a musician

9. I am a neat freak and love organization, I cannot think in clutter and I love to ride in my car in silence to just think

10. I have no style other than the slacker look, but I am usually too lazy to go for it.

11. I have never ridden a horse, been in a hot air balloon or out of a plane, or bungee jumped

12. I am safe and calculated but take risks in the name of experience

13. Six flags is better than Disney__________

That’s all I have right now…drop me a few random facts on youself and let me know what you are into.

I should have been a Jedi

As I watch my kids grow up and get into more things they remind me of my life as I grew up. They are totally into Star Wars right now an love to play Jedi’s and watch anything Jedi, especially Clone Wars which isn’t really Star Wars at all. As a matter of fact Farah and I talked the other day about them knowing Anikan rather than Darth Vader first. It messes up my mind to know that the story is out of order by being in the right order. But that is another post.

When I was growing up I was apparently into Superman. I don’t remember ever being into it, I just think I was because of one Halloween that I dressed up like Superman…sort of.

This was during the time of life that I dressed up and it was still ok to wear your costume to school. So I dressed up with my suit and my cape and trodded off to school. It never crossed my mind that my “suit” was my pajamas. All the other kids had costumes and I was running around in my pajamas and all the other kids made fun of me. I was so embarrassed and swore off Halloween all together.

I can remember running through the playground with my pajamas and kids chasing, pointing, and laughing as I tried to cool up my costume and jump off of things and fly. Obviously that never worked so I tried to fake an injury for the sympathy vote. My teacher, with all the compassion she could muster, said “suck it up” to which I was shocked, but I did because I knew she wasn’t buying it.

Overall I am better for it, but me and Superman are not really on speaking terms anymore.

Busy

I will update soon, life has been crazy

My First Fan

I have never been extremely popular but have always had some people to hang out with. But to be honest I was kind of a nerd. I was a studious kid and always did my homework and had a pretty good work ethic. So much so that I was willing to risk my life for a school project and brave the wilds of the upper kitchen cabinets to complete my assignment.

As a shortish middle schooler I loved school supplies. Anything that provided organization or gave a finished look to a report was on my list. One report in particular needed a little something extra. The casual staple in the top left corner was not going to do it for me. I needed a little pizazz to make my report stand out.

I remembered that my parents had some school supplies in the cabinet above the stove and there just might be a stylish green folder in their that would make my report complete. So like any kid, instead of asking for help I decided to go on my own to get the folder. Being in middle school I was way too short to reach this cabinet so I got a little help from the counter top. I hopped up and began to fish around in the cabinet for a folder until at last I had found them, and there was a selection to my surprise and I picked the best one I could find. No rolled corners or wrinkle marks for me, it had to be straight.

So in my excitement I jumped to my feet and it was here that I encountered my very first fan. Forgetting that I was on a counter and that even though I was short I was not short enough to stand on the counter, I stuck my head directly into the ceiling fan of the kitchen.

Now lucky for me the fan was on….yup you read that right…it was ON. Now if you know me you know that I have a hard head and in a battle you might actually bet on me against the fan, but I was no match for the sneak attack. It was almost as if the fan was waiting and watching and knew that I was a moron and planned its rotation accordingly.

So as I inserted my head into the rotating fan my ear took the brunt of the force causing a nice gash that bled like a stuck pig. The force however knocked my dizzy and I almost fell right off the counter. Unaware of what I happened I climbed down, gathered myself, and surveyed what just hit me.

The fan chuckled as it began its rotation after coming to a dead stop from whacking my head and I looked around to see if anyone saw me.

No one did…whew

The Wabash Cannonball

Family vacations were always a special time in the Isbell family…well more like traumatic. Most of my memories of family vacations revolve around some traumatic event and what lead to it. But one of my favorites is the time we went to OpryLand.

I was just getting to the age where I could enjoy a theme park and ride the majority of the rides. So I was going around with my brother Chris and my Sister Shea to ride all the big kid rides. The funny thing is I don’t remember a single ride we rode. All I remember is the one I didn’t.

As we approached the Wabash Cannonball all I could see through the trees was a half pipe that looked like a plumbing drain from Mario Bros. Not so bad right…until I saw the car of the ride going through the half pipe. There was nothing holding it in. It came through the curve and rode high up the bank of the wall almost to the edge. I froze,  literally, I would not move another inch. I was convinced that when I rode this things that I was going to be in the one car that managed to find its way out of the pipe. I wasn’t going near this thing.

Now a lot of things can be said about my older siblings, but having mercy is not one of them. If you have ever seen the way the mean babysitters treat kids in the movies, that is about how this went down. Chris started with the, you will be ok and it will be fine approach. No Dice. Then he went for the shame approach and tried to shame me into getting on the ride. He underestimated my security with being a coward. I was totally fine with being the kid that never rode that ride because I am a pansy. No worries.

After several minutes of conversation, Chris resorted to force…he tried to drag me onto the ride. Ha, funny guy. I latched onto a trash can and held on for my life. It was like trying to drag a cat into the water and I was not ever going to let go. I was so sure that I was going to die on the ride I was going to take my chances getting beat by my older siblings.

Fortunately for me my parents happened upon us and I was saved. I am sure they were embarressed but all that matters is that I was safely not on the ride. My siblings went and rode it without dying and I to this day I have never tamed the Wabash Cannonball.

War Eagle

I will be heading out for A day this weekend and it looks to be a beautiful weekend to sit on the plains. I am really excited to be able to hang out in Auburn with my Wife and my Children. I will post some next week, but for this weekend I am out like a fat kid in dodgeball.

Left at the Alter

It was a warm sunny summer day and I was standing alone underneath a large tree swaying in the wind. The limo pulled just out site as I realized that I had been left to pick up the pieces and try to move beyond this situation. There was to be no honeymoon for me……but of course it wasn’t my wedding and I was only like 9 so no worries right.

I was actually left at the church alone after my Uncle’s wedding. It is well documented that my parents have a lot of kids and in this particular case it caught up with them. My family had all attended my mom’s brothers wedding in S Alabama and we had managed not to burn the church down which was a victory in itself. After the Wedding everyone loaded up to go to the reception and hang out and party the night away. Some of my siblings got in the car with my parents and some got in my grandparents….I got in the bathroom….and got left.

I came out of the bathroom to find the church empty except some old ladies who were cleaning up and the happy couple and a photographer. I ran outside, unnoticed by my aunt and uncle, and found that the cars were gone, except for the limo. My aunt and uncle came out of the church moments after me towards the limo and I ducked behind a tree. I wasn’t a kid of the world but I knew enough that I did not want to be in the limo with a newlywed couple on the way to the reception.

So I watched the limo pull off and I was left alone. My parents eventually realized I wasn’t with them or my grandparents and came back a got me, but the damage was done. I had been left….and I can assure you I think twice even know before going to the bathroom around my family.