Beauty of Brevity

Brevity is such a beautiful thing. It reminds me of a time when I was at summer camp. I pretty much, besides a few other things, got up out of the bunk bed that I was sleeping in...I was on the top bunk because the guy sleeping under me was real short, but anyway got up and took a quick shower. I would normally try to get up early and be one of the first people to take a shower because that way I could take my time and I would be sure to have hot water because I just hate taking a cold shower at summer camps. The few times that I have taken one of the last showers at summer camp and it was like really really really cold, I always ended having a bad day. For instance, I remember one specific time when I had a bad day and I am still attributing the horrible occurrence of the day to the fact that I ended up waking up just a few minutes after the other guys and I had to wait to take my shower for like 18 minutes and by the time all of the other boys had taken their showers, the water supply for the entire camp was cold, so I wanted to shower but had to in cold water. Now that I think of it more, I guess the whole day wasn't altogether horrible. Don't get me wrong, it was a bad day. You see there was this girl. I did not really LIKE her like girlfriend type girl...granted I was still 11 or 12. I have trouble remembering my age when I experienced something. A lot of my childhood memories run together and I am unclear on the exact age I was when something happened and by "exact", I mean the age I was when did something...like the actual number...not too specific like down to the month, but just the age. About this girl, it seems like every guy at the summer camp was talking about her like she was soooooo hot. I almost felt pressured to like her. She was really tan with blonde hair and athletic, but she just did not seem that cool to me. So I got with the 2 coolest camp counselors. One was a boy and one was a girl. I was thinking they sort of had a crush on each other. And then it was Jessica and I. Jessica was the girl that everyone thought was pretty and I did not think was very cool. So the 4 of us stayed behind one night after all the other kids went to their cabins. It was just the four of us and we all went there and started swinging on the swing as the sun set around 8:39pm. It felt like we were up there swinging until midnight, but I think we were really there for around 30 minutes. It could have been 45 minutes I guess, but I don't think the exact number of minutes officially matters. We were up there swinging and all of the other guys in my cabin knew it. It was like they automatically assumed that me and Jessica were about to become boyfriend and girlfriend, but that was just so not true. I did not like that girl like that. I could also feel the pressure from the guys 1/2 of a mile away in the cabin while the 4 of us were swinging along in the swings. I did not like this feeling and I think the whole course of my day would have changed had I gotten up earlier to take a shower before the other guys, so my water would not have been so cold. I guess that was the biggest thing that kind of made my day be not very good, and it was all because of the cold shower. The other thing was in chapel I was sitting next to this person who was a really good singer and I always wanted to be a good singer. Because I was sitting next to them, I wanted to prove to them that I was too a good singer. But for some reason, that night, I was not singing well. That was kind of sad because singing well was something that I cherished at the time. I was flat on Kumbaya My Lord, Sharp on This Little Light of Mine, and I don't think I sang one correct note on Amazing Grace(Bluegrass version). Not to mention, before that chapel, we had spaghetti, which I did not even like at the time, for dinner. I ate a little bit and I think the nasty stinky vegetables in it gave me gas. All of these things started by me waking up a little later than normal and getting those darn goose bumps. A lot of times I think life is full of revolving doors. Oh but the reason I was talking about brevity being so sweet is summer camp. I mean, generally summer camp seems like it flies by. That's sort of the beauty of it. If you were there any longer, besides the fact that the atmosphere above the boy's cabins would turn green and smell putrid, you would be exhausted. Also, you would not appreciate it as much. Knowing you only get those five days gives you a sense of urgency, so you take full advantage of every second that you are at the camp. That is what makes it so fun. Honestly, when you really sit back and think about it for a while. That is the way we should approach life. We have such a brief stay on this earth and it could easily be even briefer than we think right now. It could be regular briefs or boxer briefs or briefcases. It could be brief is really all I am trying to say. If everyone would sit back or lean forward or just stay in their usual upright position and think about the way they approached their time while at summer camp, took those sorts of ideals and life approaches and implemented them into their present day actions, life would be so bearable, so enjoyable, even fun as absolute junk. So I am pleading with you, reader....embrace brevity.

Holla.

Time has wings.

Well folks, I have let this here blog get away from me. Ashley and I have been shackin up over at Meemaw's house. We have not really had much access to the internet. We are currently working on getting things straight with the new criznib, so we can chiznill on the piznorch. I wanted to touch base and let you know that it may be another 2 weeks, but I have a lot I want to tell everyone about.

My Father is a CLL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY HILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Believe it or not, my father is now a CLL. He was honored to recieve this certification over the weekend. He had to go to High Point for this lofty distinction. Douglas M. Hill is 1 of only 34 CLL's in the state of North Carolina.

A CLL is a Certified Laughter Leader. I was enlightened of this fact last evening when my mother told me I was in the presence of a Certified Laughter Leader.

Dad then demonstrated the "Cell Phone Laugh"....You are talking on the cell in a public place, you see someone you know, you point at them, and (while still holding the phone to your ear) begin to laugh and continue pointing. There were 4 other people in the room and within 30 seconds my dad had us all laughing hysterically. His Laughter Leading skills were in full effect.

Who knew such certifications were available? To learn more about being a Laughter Leader you should visit http://www.worldlaughtertour.com

I am sorry it has been a while since I blogged. Once we get internet set up in our own house, it will be much easier. Right now Ashley and I set up our "studio" apartment in Meemaw's basement. It is working out really well. Meemaw is really nice and is taking great care of us. Things are moving along well with the house and the job. Hope all you readers are well.

Holla.

CASA

Pretty exciting news. Ash and I put a contract in on a house today. We close on April 28th. We have been pretty busy with that and our new jobs. We both officially start our new jobs on Monday, March 28th. The house is in Ardmore on Walker Ave. We really like the house. Good porch and back patio for entertaining. We hope to have friends over often. We will have 2 swings outside and a basketball goal in the future. The backyard is big enough to toss disc.

Ashley and I are pumped about getting back up to the Dash. This is a huge basketball weekend. I am also pumped about the Pack. They should beat Wisconsin. The Pack is favored by 2 points.

There is a pic of our "should be" house below(assuming things go well with inspection, etc.).

Go Pack!!!

Holla.

Blash hopes many of you will come to visit. 

Madness Carol

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
With the ballers all dunking,
and everyone yelling,
"Shut up Bill Packer"
It's the most wonderful time of the year.

There'll be plenty of gambling,
and analysts rambling
the best basketball on the globe.
there'll be great upset stories and
tales of the glories of tournaments
long, long ago.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
There'll be one cinderella
thousands of sad fellas,
wishing that they could cheer.
It's the most wonderful time of the year.

I peed in a cup yesterday

That's right folks. The Lord has hooked the ole' Hill fam up
with a J-O-B at the local Bizzle Bizzle and Tizzle. I begin March 23rd as a Relationship Banker for BB&T. I will work in the Gray Granite building at 5 points in the Dash. This job should provide me with plenty of bloggable situations. We are very excited and stressed as well because we have a lot to do in the next couple of weeks.

By the way: I peed in a cup for a drug test for my new job.

Go Pack

Holla.

Call me Apollo from Rocky IV

The Mad Russian has knocked me down. Right now I feel just as I imagine Apollo Creed felt after being utterly dominated by Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. I now need to morph into Rocky. Bizzle Bizzle and Tizzle did not want me to help them out as an Institutional Trust Communication Specialist. Basically came down to someone who had been doing the same position for 3 years with another company. Realistically, I figured this would be the case, but was still extremely hopeful.

I am currently imaginging myself to be Rocky, training in subzero temperatures in backwoods Russia preparing to take revenge on behalf of my buddy(whom I used to be) Apollo. If anyone has any training tips(potential job opportunities), let me know.

That's the story. I am going to keep on trying.

Holla.

Novant will pay!

They are going to pay Ashley to be a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit beginning March 28th at Forsyth Medical center in The Dash. Ash is going to work the night shift, but she is happy about it. Working at night will be an adjustment, but she is a young, resilient, beauty capable of conquering giants. Ashley loves taking care of the lil' babies. Still waiting to hear from BB&T on my job. I think it must be one of those tough, busy weeks for the hiring manager. I may not hear until next week, but mad props to Awesome Ashley for hooking up a job at Forsyth.

Holla.

Biggest Mistake of our marriage

Last night the results of Ashley's biggest mistake of our marriage were realized. 'It' was something that happened as a result of a choice she had made several weeks ago. Patty Griffin sings a song about how we as humans are fragile and must be handled with care. The name of the song is "Be Careful" and Ashley just wasn't. Ashley does not normally make mistakes of this magnitude, but several weeks ago, 'it' happened. I could not believe it whenever I found out around 7:30 last night and I have thought about 'it' many times since then. I have found it in my heart, and by the grace of God, decided to forgive her. She has since promised that she would try to never do 'it' again.

I will try to articulate exactly what happened(as best I remember) so as to try and spare all of you from making the same mistake. I guess the mistake originated about 8:15pm on a random night in early February. Ashley had to work and was going to be getting home about 7:45. I had prepared a spaghetti dinner for us to enjoy as soon as she got home. I love to make dinner for my wife and have it ready when she gets home from that long 13 hour day. We use Angel Hair pasta for our spaghetti(so I guess we actually made "Angel Hair" because isn't spaghetti just the type of noodle...I guess it has evolved to the name of a meal over time) Anyway, we use angel hair pasta. I put the noodles in to boil as soon as she got home. I realized then, we were going to be a few angel hairs short. I opened up a new box of pasta and put a few more angel hairs in the pot. I then served up an Ashley-sized portion and a Blake-sized portion promptly. We ate dinner, had a nice conversation recapping the day, and then began to clean. This is when 'it' happened. I normally wash the dishes and Ashley does the miscellaneous cleaning(wiping down the table, throwing away trash, saving unused portions, etc.) On that fateful night at about 8:15pm, after I closed up the Angel Hair box, Ashley put it in the pantry UPSIDE DOWN!!!!!!

Last night, that dreadful mistake was realized. We had decided to have spaghetti, or Angel Hair if you'd like, again. Once more, Ashley had been gone over 13 hours and I was eager to have a good meal ready for her when she arrived to our humble abode. It was time for me to get the noodles out. I reached into the pantry and casually grabbed to pasta box. I lifted up the box, but the noodles did not come with it-----instead gravity grabbed hold and pulled those noodles straight through
3 flights of wired shelves plunging straight into our soup stash and the half-full Pop Ice box. I had to spend the next 13 minutes of my life making up for my wife's biggest mistake of our marriage. We discussed it, made amends, and are now more in love than ever.

Moral of the story: My wife is freakin' AWESOME!!!!

Holla.

GET A BLOG!!!!

Now is the time for my rant on the importance of a blog. Everyone should get a blog. The reasons everyone should get a blog are numerous.

One. Bloggers are cool.
Two. Blogging will be the next big thing.
Three. Blogs are more efficient that AIM.
Four. Blogs make the world smaller.
Five. Blogs allow people to stay up-to-date on one another's lives.
Six. Blogging is fun.
Seven. Blogs encourage creativity.
Eight. Blogs make one more technologically savvy.
Nine. Blogs are free.
Ten. Blogging challenges the mind.
Eleven. Blogs allow you to share your life experiences with others.
Twelve. Blogs are cool.
Thirteen. Blogs save you time.
Fourteen. Blogs are powerful for communication.
Fifteen. Blogging is good for sharing ideas.
Sixteen. Blogging can be a forum for artistic expression
Seventeen. Blogging is cool.

If you read all seventeen, you are convinced. If you read ten or more, you are probably going to do it. If you read between five and ten, then you are on the fence. If you read less than five, then you should go back and read some more.

I recommend www.blogger.com It is owned by google and allows you to post pictures, audio, and choose from many layouts. Also, a neat feature is www.audioblogger.com which allows you to call a phone number and leave an audio post if you are away from internet access. Just call the number, enter your password, and speak. Twelve seconds later, your blog will be automatically updated with an audio post.

I hope you are now well on your way to starting your blog. If you have any questions, email me, leave a comment, or give me a call. Whatever you do, GET A BLOG!!!!

Holla.

That's Blash

Here we go

Team Blash is excited about our relocation to the great Dash. Winston-Salem is going to hear from Blash soon, but we don't know exactly when. Our hope is to be there by the end of March, but it may be April. If you do not know where you want to settle down, consider Winston. Ashley and I would love to have more friends in Winston. Ashley will be working at Forsyth Medical center and I will be working anywhere that will hire me. We are really excited about getting back to the ole stompin' grounds. Anyone who wants to hang out...send us an email.

Also, there is a concert in Greensboro on Sat., Feb., 26th. A Michael Jackson cover band, Who's Bad (http://www.whosbadmusic.com/), is playing at McCullah Castle at 10pm. We are trying to get some folks together to go. Should be fun. I've heard they're awesome and an acquaintance of mine from high school is in the band. Check out the website and email us if you want to go.

Holla