11 YEARS LATER...

When I got home this afternoon I saw a box on the counter from the National Eagle Scout Association. My directory had finally arrived and was thrilled to open it up.

A few months back I was contacted by NESA asking if I'd like to be put into the 2008 Eagle Scout Roll Of Honor Directory. People have always said that the Eagle Scout accomplishment lasts a lifetime. Quite honestly I rarely look back on it. Every once in a while some type of scouting will come up somewhere and I'll say, "I'm an Eagle Scout." To most people it's a complete shock. It's not something that a lot of people know about me.

When I was going through some of the 800+ pages in the book I came across my name on page 169. Looking back now it was quite an accomplishment, considering all that I was going through.

I started my Boy Scout Journey on July 9, 1991, and earned the Rank of Eagle Scout on May 28, 1997. During those years I held several positions with in Troop 634 which was originally based out of the Sun and Sail Club in Lake Forest and later moved to Rancho Canada Elementary School. I was also a Den Chief for Cub Scouts and Webelo Scouts.

Prior to earning the Rank of Eagle Scout, I became actively involved in the newly formed Lake Forest Division of the Orange County Sheriff's Explorer Post. After starting the explorer stuff, I had no intention on attempting to finish my Eagle Scout. Both programs fell on the same night and same times and I hated missing out on the explorer stuff.

Looking back, I'm happy that I was pushed into finishing it. Not only was I happy that I actually accomplished my goal, but that I was able to accomplish something so important while not liking it at the time and having to sacrifice a lot to actually finish it out.

My accomplishments from those years of my life really help formed and shaped the person who I am today. Not that I near perfect, but it has definitely given me an education and an understanding that so many teenagers are really missing out on in these stages of their lives.

"The Eagle Scout Award. It's Scouting's highest rank and among its most familiar icons. Men who have earned it count it among their most treasured possessions. Those who have missed it by a whisker remember exactly which requirement they didn't complete. Americans from all walks of life know that being an Eagle Scout is a great honor, even if they don't know just what the badge means.

The award is more than a badge. It's a state of being. You are an Eagle Scout-never were. You may have received the badge as a boy, but you earn it every day as a man. In the words of the Eagle Scout Promise, you do your best each day to make your training and example, your rank and your influence count strongly for better Scouting and for better citizenship in your troop, in your community, and in your contacts with other people. And to this you pledge your sacred honor."

This is quite true. My best friend Keagan and I achieved the Rank of Eagle Scout on the same day, just 45 minutes apart. To this day I still have all of my Boy Scout patches, uniforms, other paraphernalia, and yes, my Boy Scout Handbook.

Eagle Scout Board of Review (May 28, 1997)















Me and Keagan (May 28, 1997)

CALIFORNIA BANNING TEXT MESSAGE USE WHILE DRIVING

As we all know, as of July 1 of this year talking on your cell phone without a hands-free devise became illegal. Now Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a law making it illegal to read or send text messages while driving in California (basically you are not allowed to touch your cell phone while driving) starting in January 2009.

The bill imposes a $20 fine for a first offense and $50 for repeat offenders using any electronic devices to read or send messages, e-mails, etc.

Now I'm just waiting for the State of California making a law that every person needs to register their cell phone like a firearm. This is getting WAY TOO RIDICULOUS!

DARIUS RUCKER'S NEW COUNTRY ALBUM: LEARN TO LIVE

On my way out to Phoenix last weekend I stopped at Best Buy and picked up Darius Rucker’s first solo country album titled, Learn To Live. I’ve been hearing the debut song, "Don’t Think I Don’t think About It" on the radio for a few months now and really liked it.

Being that I had nothing but time to kill on the way to Phoenix, I listened to the album 3 or 4 times and was quite impressed with the album. As the lead singer for Hootie and The Blowfish, Darius has always had a voice to their music as it’s changed over the years. However, as a solo artist on his country album I was extremely impressed and am already looking forward to hearing his next album.

Darius will be joining Brad Paisley for the "Paisley Party Tour” in early 2009 along with Dierks Bentely and Canadian’s Crystal Shawanda. As far a Hootie and The Blowfish are concerned, they are on hiatus for an indefinite amount of time. According to a recent interview Darius said, “We’re taking a break…people [in the band] just wanted to take time off. We’ll play together someday. We just don’t know when.” Most of the other band members also have separate solo recording contracts outside of Hootie and The Blowfish.

With that said, I’m happy that I got to see them perform the last two years that the Anaheim House of Blues. Unfortunately, there are no California stops scheduled for the remainder of the “Paisley Party Tour.”
I got my copy of Learn To Live for $7.99 at Best Buy, which is now $9.99. It's still a great but for the 12 tracks on the album.

PHOENIX…DAY 2

I started “house hunting” at 11am this morning with the company with my aunt. We headed west of their Phoenix houses to the Town of Laveen. Laveen lies just to the west of Phoenix and just north of South and Estrella Mountains. On our last stop we came across my favorite property.



Located at the west end of Laveen, I came across a property that I absolutely fell in love with. It’s a 2,247 sq. ft. 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 3 car garage which lies on 7,233 sq. ft. of property. The house comes with all stainless steel appliances such as refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, and range stove/oven, and washer/dryer. The kitchen cabinets are Sussex Cherry with 2 1/4” crown molding and Granite stone countertops all around. The floors are all 18” tiles with carpeted bedrooms.



The backyard views are amazing; facing south, southwest with a beautiful view of the two mountains to the rear of the property. All of this for under $200,000…I want to move into this house so bad!



Tomorrow it’s off to look in the southeast valley before my trip back to the OC.

ARIZONA…PART 1

I left work at 3pm today and started my journey to Phoenix. First off, I love coming to Arizona…the scenery, the weather…did I mention that it’s 91 degrees right now? While every one in the OC is in the low 60’s to high 50’s…it’s still summer time here. Being that it’s 91, quite honestly, it doesn’t feel that warm. Don’t get me wrong, it’s warm, but it just feels like a nice summer night in the OC minus the humidity.

One of my favorite things about Arizona besides the above is that Arizona is an “Open-Carry” state. For those of you who don’t know what that means because of California politics, allow me to educate you; You can legally carry a loaded firearm on your person as long as it is holstered and in plain sight. Yes, you can go to dinner, grab a movie, go to Starbuck’s with a gun on your person. Even better, you can keep a loaded firearm in your vehicle at ALL times…just tell the officer if you get pulled over.

So what did I do when I crossed the Colorado River at 6:25 pm this evening? I removed my Glock 36 from the trunk, loaded the magazine, and placed my firearm in my vehicle. It’s great that there is still a state that allows you the freedom to protect yourself.

Prior to, still on the California side, I was FINALLY able to let loose on the Camry. I’ve wanted to open up the engine for a while now, but never have. A few months ago I had high performance tires put on my Camry that are rated to speeds of 167MPH. I know my car can’t go that fast, however, you can never be too careful. With that said I opened it up a few times. Once I got used to hitting 120MPH, I wanted to see how fast my car could go. Let me put it this way…I hit 130MPH and there was still plenty of room for acceleration.



Once it hit the 130 mark, the testosterone button was pinged. That and my hands were super sweaty from the adrenaline. But the last time I went that fast was in a Chevy Caprice back when I was an explorer with the OC Sheriff’s. The digital speedometer read 136 MPH.

Tomorrow I go to look at properties in the area. I’ll be looking in Laveen, which is just west of where I’m staying now. I’ve been doing some research and have written down some areas where I want to look. Being that my uncle is also in the housing business he has also given me some areas to take a look.

HELLO AGAIN...

Okay, first of all I know it’s been a super long time since I’ve posted anything meaningful going on, but I’ve been super busy so I apologize for that.

With that said, last night Andrew and I attended the Counting Crows and Maroon 5 concert which was opened by Augustana at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine. Both bands put on an amazing performance in different ways. Counting Crows was the first up opening with Mr. Jones. I really enjoyed the musical aspect of the show, especially when both Counting Crows and Augustana ended singing a duet on their closing song (I want to say it was either Time and Time Again or Rain King).

On the other hand, I think Maroon 5 had a better performance with stage lighting and special effects, but I really enjoyed Counting Crows music a lot better and wished that they could have had more stage time.

Prior to going into the amphitheater I saw about a half dozen of coppers I used to work with and haven’t seen since I left the department back in 2004 which was a real treat. All in all it was a great night and wished that I hadn’t been so tired (I had been at the Calibre Press Street Survival Seminar all day and the day before which was great).

On that note, more to come…I bought some new toys which I will tell you about and I’m going back out to Arizona next weekend to take another look around out there…super excited.