Habitat was fun!

That was a fulfilling experience! I met a lot of great people, helped to change one families life and learned some new man skills! I got to tear out a window and replace it with a new one. Demolition is fun! I head out to Tx in the morning to visit family and visit Austin as well. I will talk to you guys soon.

Habitat for Humanity Time!

So it's time for my first Habitat for Humanity adventure. The house is in Manassas and sounds like we will be putting in new windows for a lucky family. I've been looking forward to this for a while, it feels good to give to people less fortunate than myself. It makes me feel like I am actually doing something to make the world a better place for someone. Plus, I like building things for some reason...I have to keep the man skills up to par. I helped my dad build this cool arch for hanging plants. And when I say help built I mean about 5% of the total project...hahaha. What? I was busy with getting my 401k and profit share moved over all that day. I'll let you know how it goes.

T

I'm now on Skype with a webcam.

If you are on it too add me, my user name is tkmwww.

Hope to talk to you guys!

T

Swine Flu Free!!!

I made it back nice and healthy!!! I got to experience the real Mexico. I wish I knew more Spanish because all the signs, food, etc was in Spanish. We found a Walmart there! Luckily some of the things had pics so I didn't starve. It also makes me appreciate living in the US. The average salary according to my driver was 50 pesos, which is about $4.50 or so a day.

We checked out two of the natural water park/culture parks; Xcaret and Xe-ha which were both great in their own ways. I would highly recommend them because it was a very fun experience.

I actually get to be in town for about a week before taking off to Texas to see family and check out Austin for a few days. Traveling a lot is just like a job...

I actually got to take the jetski out yesterday and ride with some buddies...I love that toy!

Talk to you guys soon!

I made it back from the South!

There is nothing more mind numbing then driving 8 hrs at a time. Thank god for my ipod touch...greatest device ever made! I came across a great quote about the interstate system. "Thanks to the interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything". I did notice that VA has much better views along the highway. NC and SC not so much. But overall I would say Charleston it is a great area! The history in that area is amazing! I included a pic of the houses along the battery. The historic district is awesome! Lots of parks, people jogging, playing kickball, dog parks, etc.

The fact that it is right on the ocean makes it a paradise to me. I saw plenty of public boat launches so I could put the jet ski in with no problems. The parks there are really nice also, which is where I camped out for 3 nights and it was great. James island county park gets 5 stars from me! The amount of money they put into their parks is impressive.

The people there are very nice, it was kind of shocking to me at first. An older lady let me cut in front of her at the grocery store so I could buy my diet mountain dew. A couple on a motorcycle asked me about where I was from by seeing my license plate. And the grocery store clerk gave me all the things I had to check out in the area. One of which is the angel oak, which is the pic of the tree, craziest tree i have ever seen! Notice the person at the lower left in the red shirt so you can get an idea of how big it is. Then I met some college kids on a adventure getaway that introduced themselves at the campsite I was staying at, they where from Mississippi University, they thought I was there age...they were only 10 yrs off...hahaha.

The bridge pic I included is one of the coolest looking bridges I have ever seen. It is huge and they have a path on it so you can jog or walk the whole bridge. I would say it is about 2-3 miles long over the bay.

So I get one whole day to relax then head out Mexico! I will talk to you guys soon!

Hola Amigos!

Hey everyone! So it has been a fun week so far. I did have to hit the dentist before the insurance runs out so that
sucked.

I got to catch up with some good friends this week. Got a lunch in at Pan e Vino in Lorton station…yummy stuff! A good
older friend of mine was giving me some sage advice. I always enjoy getting advice and hearing stories from older people.
They have been there and done that so makes it easier to avoid mistakes and enjoy life more. He said he admires what i am
doing because most people are too scared to try it and might not even make it to retirement...so that was good to hear.

I also got to check out another good friend of mines new place and have dinner. I’m very jealous of his crib...very nice!

Another thing that was cool is that my dad and I got to spend some father/son time together. We hit the sporting goods
store and picked out some softball gear for him for his birthday. Then we hit boater’s world which is going out of biz
and having a crazy sale…I didn’t find anything though. Then we got to play a game of catch…haven’t done that in probably
15 yrs…it brought back lots of memories. I also forgot how scary it is when he beans a ball at me.

Just got back from camping overnight at burke lake. Not a bad place at all. It only cost $25 for the night and it has good facilities. Showers, camp store, tables, fire pit, etc. It would be really fun for a family they have mini-golf, a mini-train that goes 1.5 miles around the lake, a biking/walking trail (that we tried to run this morning but once we found out it was 4.5 miles we turned around half way). The lake is very beautiful and the woods are relaxing (lots of bugs though...I hate spiders). By the way, starting a fire without a starter log...not cool! Spend the $1.29 and save yourself 30 mins of yelling at the wood to burn!

I’m meeting up with another buddy tonight to chill then spending some time with the family for Mother's day. Then Monday morning I'm heading south the good old SC.

T

Time for Lunch!

So just got done with a 2.5 mile run…feeling good! Going to lift this afternoon. I figured out that my natural sleep pattern seems to be 2 a.m. – 9 a.m. I need to get that lower to maybe 12-7 so I can enjoy more of the sunlight, which there has been zero this week. I thought April was supposed to be the raining month?

So the plan for this week is to meet up with friends in the area and catch up before the traveling starts. I’ve been booking lunches and dinners since everyone else but me seems to have a job. I was talking to a friend today that said I’m the only person he knows that actually quit in a recession…hahaha…oh wait…he’s right!

It’s weird going to the store because the only people I see are other people that are retired. One store was empty and I was thinking “Did they quarantine this place and I didn’t get the memo? Oh wait there's someone…wait...what the... ZOMBIES!!! RUN!!!

So on Sunday or Monday I am heading down to Charleston, SC!!! It is about an 8 hour drive so it is going to be a long one. I’m going to spend a few days down there checking out everything since it seems to be my #1 seed for a possible place to move. Ocean, national parks, lakes, city on the water…what’s not to like!

Then Saturday May 16th is the first out of country trip…MEXICO!!!

T

Finally got to play some guitar!

I used to play all the time but with too many things going on you really don't have time to slow down and play. This will be one of my passions that I get to revive on my break.

The first weekend

I have to say that it was sad to leave my job on Friday. I'm going to miss my co-workers very much. Thanks to EV for the cupcake party and all the people that showed up to say bye. It feels good to know you will be missed. I got everyone's contact info and with the amount of different technologies in today's world, there is no reason why we can't stay in touch. Hence why I am starting this blog so my family and friends can come along on my travels (and get jealous). Plus, my memory sucks so this will help me to remember what I did.

The going away happy hour was a blast! Lots of people from the office came out and showed me by far the best going away party ever!!! Thanks for coming out Kevin, Hazel, Robin, Sean, Gerry, Teddy, V, Delphine, Bryan, Mario and Mellisa. I think I finally made it home around 2 a.m. only because Sean convinced me to miss my bus. So thanks for Hazel's friend for giving me a ride all the way to Woodbridge.

So this week will just be getting the things from my work life taken care of...moving accounts, getting temp health insurance, etc. I will possibly be driving down to check out Charleston, SC for a few days.

First big trip will be to swine flu central...MEXICO!!! It will in Playa del Carmen which is as far from Mexico city that you can get. I will be rocking the face mask and hand sanitizer don't worry. That is May 16th -23rd. Then the 24th-25th of may will be a whitewater rafting camping trip with friends. Then May 31-june 7th will be to Tx to visit family and check out Austin while I am down there.

I will talk to you guys soon!

P.S. Have you ever been able to sleep in everyday without an alarm clock for 3 months? I get to! Yippeee!!!