First full Day of Fall.

Good morning all and welcome to the first full day of fall. This is my favorite time of the year. I love to feel the the chill in the air as the Fall ushers Summer off for its well deserved vacation.

I have officially started growing out my winter whiskers. As usual I have one daughter who is happy with this and the other who will tolerate it because she has no real say in the matter. :)

We planted a bunch of mums at the front of the house this weekend. It should add some much needed fall color. That is if they make it through the initial planting stage.

I know it is hard to believe , but I didn't hit the lottery this weekend so I now have to head off to work. I'm beginning to wonder if this is the best vehicle for my retirement plan?

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

I Learned Something New.

My cousin, Elizabeth, Has taught me something new today. I challenged everyone to go out and make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. She showed me how you can make a difference, every day, without doing anymore then surfing the web. Here is how:

Visit:

The Breast Cancer Site

At this site, click on the pink button that says "Click here to give... it's free"

This site relies solely on advertising. And if enough people click this button everyday, then the advertisers pay for someone to have a mammogram, every single day.

It's really easy. I added it as a second home page. I don't even have to think about going to the page, it just comes up. Open the page in a second tab, and then go to internet preferences/settings, and for the homepage, click the button that says "use current".

It's that simple

After you click on the button the first time, the site will show you the statistics on the service they have provided because people took the time to click. Every little bit helps and this one is free.

Peace and Good Cheer,
Marty

P.S. Thank you again Elizabeth.

People, What Are You Waiting For.

A challenge is in order. I want to challenge everyone to participate in one event over the next year that benefits Breast Cancer Research. I know that here in Columbia, there are events year round that help to raise money for this cause. I will be posting information soon about one of the many events happening during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

My Cousin and the rest of her family have already done their part. They dedicated their race in honor of Christa. What will you do?

I hope I will have many take me up on my challenge and when you do send me a picture. I would like nothing more than to post them on my blog. Good luck to all.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

P.S. I "swiped" the picture from Elizabeth's blog. Check there for more great pictures.

366 Days, But Who is Counting.

Thanks again to all who visited my blog on 9/18. It was the largest amount of "hits" I have ever had and it shows me that we are still in many peoples thoughts.

I hope everyone will take a minute and look over the entire blog. I have added several new pictures as well as a poll question where you can vote for your favorite answer. Most of the questions will be of the humorous nature, so I hope we can have fun with it.

Gotta head to work.

Peace and Good Cheer,
Marty

11:00 pm And Life Goes On.

So I've decided that I really had no idea what to expect from today. What I do know is that I have had a good day. I've heard from a few people that I haven't heard from in a while which was nice. I've had people, whose opinion I value greatly, say very nice things about me. Always a plus.

So, what does it all mean? Here is what I've come up with. Today should always be a day to celebrate Christa's life. Christa is missed greatly but she is not mourned. She instilled in many the need to continue moving forward with our lives.

I want to thank all of you who have checked in on me today. I wish all of you the very best and I hope that you are so inspired to continue to move forward in all that you do.

Raise a glass for Christa.

Peace and Good Cheers to All,
Marty

6:20 And Still Going Strong.

People have said many nice things to me today. A very good friend of mine nominated me as a local "Hero". As usual it is hard for me to take such a compliment. I want to share what she wrote because it made me feel very proud.

A year ago, my nomination began to live the life of a hero. On 9/18/06, Christa Ballew-Matthews died due to inflammatory breast cancer. She left three young children (9, 6 and 3) and a loving husband.

Since then, Marty Matthews has greeted each day as an opportunity to live and teach the lessons Christa's life embodied. While others might give up, Marty remains steadfast as a parent and friend.

Like all truly great heroes, Marty isn't perfect. He reminds me every day of how the best inspirations are folks who meet the challenges of life head on with grace.

Thank you, Susan, for the very kind words. No "qualifiers" this time, just a humble thank you.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

3:15 And All Is Well.

A friend of mine sent me this earlier today. I'm sure that it is one of the many stories that people have about Christa and believe me they are always nice to hear.

Today is a very special day for the four of you as you remember Christa's passing and celebrate her life and memory. While I spent only a short amount of time with her, I do want all of you to know that I found Christa to be a truly remarkable spirit and I enjoyed my conversations with her very much. Every single time I see a box of chocolates I recall Christa telling me of her mother sending a huge box of chocolates and the purpose behind it. Everyone who enters our lives leaves a memory and I am certainly glad to have one of Christa.

Thanks for sharing your memory Leslie. I hope to post more later.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

Two In Twenty.

Sounds as if my last post has got people worried.
I have had two calls of concern in less than twenty minutes.
Really, all is well and there is nothing to be concerned about.
The previous post has more to do about getting my day to day life more organized so that "hopefully" things run a little more efficient.
Sorry for not being clearer.

I will try to post more later.

Peace and Good Cheers to All,
Marty

Almost A Year.

A friend of mine posted this on their blog a little while ago. It sums up some of what I have been thinking over the last week or so. I hope they doesn't mind me borrowing it. I'll leave it anonymous as to protect the innocent.

I think that more to the point is that I’ve resumed where I left off about a year ago when there were a couple of deaths in the family, people who served as reference points and people for me to look up to. A year later I haven’t really pressed on as much as I should have, and I have to face the fact that I’ve racked up quiet a few poor choices in the process. Some of these decisions were major ones that require some drastic course corrections on the sailboat of life. I alone am responsible, but I like to make up excuses.

To all who are concerned, I'm doing well. Reflecting on the past year. Both the good and not so good. Not that I have many things to complain about. It is however, time to try to get my "sailboat" headed in the right direction. I think I can feel the "winds of change".

"Left at the first star and straight on until morning."
Peter Pan

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

Pictures From Labor Day Weekend.

Here are a few of the pictures from our trip to the lake over the labor day weekend. We all had a blast. As you can see it was perfect weather for swimming.

Rub-a-dub-dub.

You know the rest.

Rowen was supervising the water activities.

Rowen kicking back and relaxing.

After four hours of swimming in the lake, the kids decided to spend a little time in the pool. I think this was the "rinse" cycle after the lake and before the bath with soap. I'm sure the chlorine will kill almost anything. :)

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

Smile For The Camara.

Today after work, I have to take Eilish and Elora over for their first "cover" shoot. The girls are having their picture taken with Miss Missouri for the cover of a local magazine that is sponsoring a "Roll For The Cure" in October. It should be fun for them. As soon as I have a picture I will post it.

As all of you know, October is "Breast Cancer Awareness Month". If you feel that the only way that you can support breast cancer research is by buying something pink then please do. But if you really want to maximize the dollars for research, don't buy the "pink thing" and just write a check to one of the many fine organizations that are doing the vital research. Or better yet, organize a team and join a Walk For Life. A friend of mine and I will be organizing a team in memory of her mom and Christa, who both were taken by Breast Cancer.

I hope this hasn't been to preachy for being my second post back from "getting coffee". It is just what is on my mind this morning. Have a good day all.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

Meet "Big Bertha".

Imagine this thing being pulled behind a boat, at 25-30 miles an hour, over choppy water, with Elora and I in it. Did I mention that she is doing everything she can to bounce the tube so it will "catch air". I asked her afterward if she was trying to bounce me out. She said she was. I informed her that if I had fallen out she would most likely have to. She said she was OK with that.
I can tell you I used muscles this weekend that I forgot I had.
I'll post pictures later.
I hope all had a good and safe labor day weekend.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty