Resolved Volleyball Tourney

On July 24th 2010, the 2nd annual Resolved Volleyball Tourney solidified itself as a tournament to be visited again for years to come. At 11 am, 41 competitors assembled on the Sand Beach Volleyball court in the Yoder's backyard braving the 97 degree high with the heat index surpassing 100!

The first round of  group play action showed Team Macarena in the A division and Team Alan in the B division to be the tops of the groups both tallying up a 2-0 record.
After bracket play advances by Team Octapi over the Salty and Team Magnificent over Applicious the semi-finals were set.
The first upset of the single elimination round came quickly as a tight 1st game unraveled giving Team Octapi the win over a foiled Team Macarena - despite their best of dancing, singing and chanting. The 2nd semi-final match set the stage for an all division B Final as Team Alan took down Team Magnificent handily.

After Hours of Volleyball and many victories and defeats Team Octapi overcame their play-in game weariness and beat Team Alan establishing themselves as the 2nd annual Resolved Tourney Champs. Congrats to Team Octapi for swiping the Winner-take-all Gift Cards Prize.

                                                                                                      Many thanks to everyone who made this our best tourney yet..

HUGE thanks to the Yoder family for the upkeep of such an amazing venue and the kindness to allow us to party on it all day long.


See you at Resolved!

PS
Big Props to the 2 teams the brought home Zero Victories.... this one's for you

Out

Charleston Chew

I recently took a trip to Charleston with my family. Though the drive was a little long it was fun. We even made up our own road game that will soon be packaged as a board game and sold in stores nearest you. 

Though Charleston was amazing and the company was even better my highlight or higlights of the trip were the time of chewing away in Charleston at local restaurants.

While yes the Charleston Chew is a favorite candy bar of mine and its delight is increased by freezing it the little places we found to eat while in Charleston were amazing. Here is the tale of our eating adventures.
Night one- Shoney's
  I know what your thinking, but at 11 pm when you have been driving for 7 hours and the last bit in the pouring rain Shoney's can do you well!

Morning one - Charleston Cafe
  If your ever in Charleston it is well worth it to go to this little spot. It has some incredible breakfasts like amaretto French Toast with a stuffing of cream cheese. But what was most amazing to me was their specialty that i have found no other place in all my adventures - Potato casseroles.  I ordered the Dewey's Island .  This delicious plate was a heaping portion of homemade thick potato chips with Turkey, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, and other goodies in there and topped with a spicy tomato sauce-- unreal. The Sweet Potato Biscuit was also out of this world.

Lunch 


Night Two- Long Point Grill
This spot was another locality that made amazing plates and portions. Every plate was incredible. I ordered a Chicken plate that was stuffed with cheese and perfected by a vinaigrette with a side of exquisite broccoli and potatoes. I also ate some of Bekah's Crusted chicken.




Lunch-  A little sandwich shop right off the open market. A good pick me up as our energies were waning.


Night 3 -Sticky Fingers
This Charleston great has been visited by loads of celebrities who have left their John Hancock on the restaurant window.  It was a great meal to finish a day of shopping around Charlestons open air market which is known to be open every day of the year.   Known for its barbecue pork sandwich (my order) it a fun place with sauce bottles on each table. You can try them all or mix them for a perfect personal combo to dump on your meat.


Lunch - A burger joint right off the beach where we rode our bikes.. the normal stuff really. Our highlight here was discovering an Island. I found the route to get there through the current and claimed it Connor Island.



Night 4 - The Mustard Seed
This restaurant was the first of a locals 9 restaurants that excel in the Charleston area. It's a quaint little spot right between two roads with cozy seating and friendly servers. Though my parmesan crusted Chicken wasn't what I ordered, it was great and the free "I'm sorry I messed up dessert" was huge and tasty.

Morning 4- Charleston's Cafe
If you can't tell this was our favorite for morning and I was glad to return for another Dewey's Island. This time the memory was made complete with purchases of Charleston's Cafe used mugs for a quarter!


Well, Its been about 2 weeks since the vacation, maybe three... and that's all I can remember of the restaurants. Sorry if its spotty, but if anything you can see. When you in Charleston you can eat better than well. Make sure to hit up Mustard Seed and Long Point Grill family of shops and of course the Charleston Cafe!

Back In NJ

Well, I guess its official, I am back in NJ.
Yes, I have been here since last tuesday, so make it around 10 days, however, I had not yet unpacked everything until today making this the first official "back in NJ day" to me.

Though it was a bit shocking to be released I am excited to be back at my church home in New Jersey -- South not North. No, there aren't black jeans, gold chains, and a ton of greased up hair here, that's the other state that's known as New Jersey... up North. You know, people like the Fonz from Happy Days...
  

(Is that Jeff Boettcher???)

Being back in the place that has been my home for the past two years is pretty comforting, I have so many great friends and of course my girlfriend here that were difficult being away in the D. I know what you are thinking... why New Jersey.. Isn't that the armpit of the world.. or at least the US.

Well, I thought the same way for the majority of my life. In fact, I even went so far as to say aloud once, or maybe a few times, "I will never live in New Jersey." I also said, I would never play NFL Europe or AFL - both of which I have now done. (Proverb 16:9)

South Jersey is actually a nice little place regardless of what your preconceived notions may be. Its a short little skip into Philadelphia (10 minutes) and less than an hour to the shore (where you can swim in the masses of people on the sand and boardwalk).  Though it may lose some of its appeal to those who are fans of "The Jersey Shore TV Show," that's not how it is around here.

So in summary, I am glad to be back and thankful, so thankful to the church in which I owe for so much support, friendship, and growth. 

Facing the music

The Chorus of George Michael's "Faith"---- cus I gotta have faith, faith, faith...
is on repeat playing in my head today. Though I don't know the rest of the lyrics, I am pretty sure they wouldn't apply to my situation.

After a strong showing here playing in Dallas through OTA's and Mini-camps getting bigger and stronger and even kicking off well, Coach Phillips released me today.  He said I did well but it was a numbers thing for training camp. 

I am left a bit disappointed as I felt I was in a good position to play this year, but I have faith that God is both protecting and providing for me through all of this.   I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity to come here and train at Valley Ranch with one of the premier teams in the NFL.  I was blessed to get to know some great guys that play and coach there and wish them all the best for the upcoming season.

As for me, I will be heading back to stay in Cherry Hill NJ, where I am excited to rejoin my amazing Church, Sovereign Grace in their new building.  I am also praying that a job will be around the corner for me as I try to keep in shape in any case of a future call from the NFL.

I am up in the air as to whether or not to continue to blog.. I guess I could still offer some entertainment value for you all and perhaps some humor about some day to day stuff.

Stay Tuned if you'd like, one thing I have learned...
        You don't have to be a professional athlete to have an interesting life!
                   or funny thoughts.

A few helpful verses
1 Thes 5:16-18
Prov 16:9

But more importantly
Rom 5:8  is more giving of joy that the other to me.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!

See yall in NJ

Senior Cit Dinner reminder

As I was running some errands today I became very hungry... I'm talking dinner time hungry.
I then received a text from Jon Stewart that had a time stamp of 5:30 pm, so naturally I figured it was a bit early, but I could eat .....an early dinner perhaps.

I walked into Pei Wei, ordered some sesame chicken, got some water and squeezed some oranges into it.. (quite refreshing by the way) and as I waited for my dinner and thinking it odd I was surrounded by elderly people I looked at my watch and there it was..... 4:30 pm.
WOW... so this odd event reminded me that there have been some requests for another blog entry and on is about due (and its 9 now and I'm starving.. thanks Jon)

Well here we go.. sorry it has been too long and by now there seems to be too much to fill everyone in on fully so... I believe it might be good to give a brief summary, although I am slightly distracted by this weird "Alice in Wonderland" movie I got for free at red box.
---search "red box coupons" in google and the codes really work! -- your welcome


Since last post,
I have been to Dallas Vigilantes Arena game.. they lost to Chicago.
I have had an amazing weekend at NEXT with everyone from Sovereign Grace Church in Cherry Hill NJ. And I arrived back from PHL in DFW at 130 thanks to over 4 hours in my flight delay!
That next week, I played golf once and had 3 ota's, 4 workouts.
On that Friday I became very ill and laid in bed from Friday thru Monday... i kept my blinds shut and stayed in the dark...  pretty vampirical! -- i still dont know what was wrong with me!

Then that Tuesday through tomorrow morning everyday I have had football..  I managed to squeeze another round of golf in though and went to the Village evening service to listen to Matt Chandler speak.. and I have also reigned supreme in online Battleship over Bekah..

We finished finally our OTA's and our only full team mini-camp and then my fourth workout day this week will culminate tomorrow right before I get on a flight to go see Johnny Tsunami get married to Rip Curl Hurls.

Sorry so brief and so little  humor... so little time.

I will do better everyone.... or I will try.

Thanks for tuning in.

Hughes.. out

Call the Guinness Books

It's been a while since my last blog... sorry. But for other who don't care or rather not have to take the time out of their day to read.... your welcome.

Things around here have been fairly boring lately.  We have begun OTA's (off season team activities)
so that means the level of seriousness has stepped up.  Three days a week we are meeting in the mornings, practicing as a team and getting a lift in.  YES kickers have to lift too. (I have actually gained about 8 pounds since coming here).  Things are going well.

That also means that I am not playing golf as much... good thing for the snakes on the course. And I am going to bed earlier... Last night I stayed up past 12 for the first time in a while and the last hour was rough. I don't know what it is about staying up. If I don't have anything the next morning I feel obligated to stay up later, regardless if I am doing anything in particular or not, which then leads me to sleep in a little bit the next morning groggily, thus changing my whole day. Instead of (as Jeff would say) "happening to life" I think it more allows life to happen to me, for what thats worth.

Anyway, last night I set a new record and this is something worth noting.  The record was the most weight in a hunter green VW cabrio convertible.  My buddy from UVA is in town playing arena football against the Dallas Vigilantes... Van's new team, and I picked up him and two of his buddies for dinner at PF Chingy Changs last night.

( I thought another visual of my car was necessary for the full effect)








We had a total bodily weight of about 880 lbs give or take 30 in that tiny little car. Of course the top was down.  Needless to say many people we drove by were pretty impressed 4 grown men could make a cabrio look so good... hardly.  I still can't figure out why so many people were laughing though, I don't have any funny bumper stickers on the back of the car. But anyway we managed to survive driving through and around Dallas despite some really really bad drivers. You really look at driving totally different when you are head height to the hub and rubber of the 18 wheels of an 18 wheeler.  No top on and no windows up.  The Lord provides.

Well that's about it for now. Tonight I am going to the Arena game in Dallas to see some former teammates and friends play. Should be fun!

Hope everyone is well
Connor

PS when there is that much weight in the car acceleration is severely limited..... and so is braking.  There is no need to call myth busters, you can take my honest word for it. SCARY.

JJ's Golf Bash

Most of you know who I am referring to when I say JJ. He's the only man I know with more money than I can imagine.

That's besides the point, Last night I went to a party at the stadium for the Golf tournament he is holding and it was incredible. The room was a mix between a 5 star hotel and a high end bar/lounge.
Flat screen tv's adorned the walls with little pockets of couches and chairs dispersed about this giant room with a partition.  But this wasn't your run of the mill brown partition, instead it was made out of mirrors.... a wall of mirrors that had flat screens set back into them. If the tv's were off you saw mirror, but when on you saw the moving screen.

(This pic is from bigger side looking at glass divider - there are tvs hiding in it on both sides. This pic doesn't even show half of the entire room, most of its behind you)

It also had two bars, one giant 360 degree bar and the other back in the smaller partition raised with bar stool table seating around it. This place was the ultimate in class and prestige.

Girls walked about the room serving small portions (mini burgers, shrimp cocktail, cookies, shots of banana pudding and wafers), but you could also grab a glass of spicy chicken on top of macaroni and cheese (amazing and my favorite), or have some fish tacos, or sushi.

The night went fine for the most part except for the embarrassing part where each player had to stand up and introduce himself to everyone and without a mic.  Oddly intimidating.

It really is sad how this description can not do that room justice, imagine the nicest modern bar/loung/hotel lobby.. it was prolly nicer than what your thinking and it was in the stadium! I'm glad I could find a pic to show you a little of what I'm talking about.

That's all

Weddings and Wolves

What a weekend! (and this is the condensed version)
On Thursday I flew out of Texas back to NJ with hopes of arriving at 4:50 pm and having a night of relaxing before driving to Va for my friend Preston's wedding. Since I flew standby nothing was guaranteed but that it would be cheaper than a regular fare.
After being passed up for 4 flights I had to reroute and fly into Newark. Thanks to Bekah and Mr Buchan picking me up, i had that opportunity or else I would have hit the hay in Atlanta's Terminal B for the night. I am pretty sure I could have made a sweet pallet out of my bag and boxer shorts to sleep on.
Instead, we made it to Dinner by 10pm joined by the rest of the Buchans and Ben-jammin Davis.

Bekah and I hit the road for Williamsburg Friday morning even though my tux didnt fit.. (somebody's gained some weight while being away). We made it just in time for the dress rehearsal.

Saturday Morning (the only non-travel day) we drove to Newport News to pick up the newly arrived tux with Mom, Brock and Carlin. My mom was in paradise having two girls for the weekend -- i hear she has been deprived for the past 20 some years!

The wedding was great. Somehow the girls were victorious against the 30 mph winds which battled to un-weave hair and blow up dresses. The only real point for the wind was as the bride left... her 8 or 10 foot veil close-lining her entire side of the Wedding.
The reception afterwards was a blast catching up with a bunch of past friends and dancing to "the cupid shuffle" and "you've lost that loving feeling" (in truth i did more shouting than moving to that song).

Sunday after Mother's day breakfast at Astronomical Pancake House ( I had an omelet and Bekah's french toast) we drove back to NJ hung out on the couch with Benny D and Robcat for an hour and then to the airport for the return flight and a goodbye.

I was so wiped from the weekend I fell asleep before the plane even took off, slept an hour, waking up only for the drink cart for some OJ, and then back to sleep until the plane thudded against the ground to land.

In my sleepy stupor I drove Van's truck back to my place instead of his to get my car... turned around then and drove to his place and on the way WE SAW WOLVES right near where people live... crazy! we howled at them, they ran, then went to his place. I wish the story ended there, but as I got in my car I found out it wouldn't start.... again. V drove me to a CVS I bought some Jumper cables and then finally 30 minutes later I was back in my room.

What a great, but exhausting weekend. Time to sleep

Ps. check out michael bleecker on grooveshark for some good christian music
if you have time.

Bloggy Blog

So this blog is basically a filler blog.. its a blog to say that I have nothing to blog about.
I have no real news thats exciting or even funny that I can think of from this past week.

I apologize for not being more entertaining. I will, in fact, try to have more of a life for the sake of everyone (I even played golf in a storm the other day in effort to create a spark) . This past week was filled with Workouts, two rounds of golf which showed real promise ( I thought I was getting good until my outing yesterday - once again... storm), and then i participated in rookie mini-camp, which took up the whole weekend.. all of it.

A neat little trinket of wisdom to take away
After reading Phil 2:14 in devos last thursday morning I was given the opportunity to put into practice what I was reading within the hour. I found out that morning that I needed to participate in the rookie mini camp all weekend. Praise God for opportunities to grow in not grumbling and complaining! After initially both grumbling and complaining I remember the verse I read in the morning and repented. What a great opportunity it would be to get to know the coaches better and have something to do all weekend!


On a side note... There has been a really weird smell in my room the past few days. I have no idea what it is... but I am pretty sure something is dying somewhere. Today I finally found the location of this malodorous scent as I was writing this blog... right behind me in the dishwasher.
Now I'm downstairs in the lobby waiting for the news...

Stay tuned for the unfolding of the case of the malodorous dishwasher.. i know the suspense is killing you.

(as Saved by the Bell use to say)      To Be Continued....

Tips for Living Extended

Here's a list of a few things I have learned while living in the Extended Stay here in Dallas.
One of these tips may save you some serious cash over your the span of your life...

1. Don't buy stuff that requires an oven
Why? You don't have one
--Save your sanity by not buying a frozen pizza that won't fit in the microwave.

2. Buy Ziploc containers, you know, the kind like Tupperware, but cheaper and less permanent.
Why? These will not only come in handy for storing food like cous cous and rice (since your cooking for one), but will also double as a measuring cup.
--Save about 4 bucks.

3. Buy Purex 3in 1 Laundry Sheets
Why? It's a one stop... It goes in the wash, it goes in the dryer, and they are a good price for the convenience.. about as much as just detergent but without all the liquidy mess.

--Save a hassle and a few bucks

4. Don't buy too much breakfast food.
Why? They provide it free downstairs in the lobby. Just make sure to plan ahead for the weekends if you want to sleep in.  PS. They don't carry cereal or OJ
--Save 5-15 bucks a week.

5. Use your room key to press the elevator buttons
Why? You don't know where other people's hands have been. Those little buttons could just harvest some nasty flu stuff.

6. Don't go #2 right before bed unless you have some spray.
Why? The air conditioner has no constant fan mode,  so unless you want a stop and go, on and off jet stream right next to your head throughout the night (jet turbine noise cut to complete silence repeatedly), you will want to leave the bathroom door open to utilize the buzz of that fan to drown out any surrounding noises aka crazy people in the hall.
--Save years of your life (studies link good sleep to longevity)

7. Look forward to Thursdays (or whatever day you checked in)
Why? This is maid day. Though I have yet to actually see them, my room is cleaned, I get fresh towels, and my bed is made on Thursdays. It's quite nice.
--Save some time on cleaning Wednesday night.

8. When Traveling, look to buy your airline tickets on Tuesdays.  For some reason as I have monitored various airlines and flight bookers, Tuesday seems to be the day of the dipper. Not always spot on but usually gives you the edge in finding cheaper fare... that is, if your at least a month out.
-- Save from 20-60 bucks or so each trip!

Hope that helps anyone out there if you are ever in the troubled state of.... living extended.

Pizza Pizza

   There are a few characters that come to mind when you think of the ability of elusiveness...
Speedy Gonzalez, Jerry the mouse (from Tom and Jerry), the Roadrunner, and even the Wascawwy  Wabbit that Elmer Fudd never caught,  but I never would have thought that the Pizza Mascot of Little Caesar would be quite so sneaky.

It all started on Tuesday in the Training room.  I was waiting to meet the Chiropractor when my friend Steve decided to wait by running to Dominoes...
Still starving as he returned, my heart leaped with jealousy as Steve told me he had pizza for lunch. 
In that moment myy craving for Little Caesar's 5 dollar hot and ready pizza was born.

I don't know where my craving for this pizza came, Little Caesar's was a "go to" when I was a kid, but it was ripped from my life when it closed at Ewell Station and we had to make a move elsewhere for our Pizza Needs.

 

Well, on Tuesday Night I was coming back late from golfing, but remembered just in time to put Little Caesar's in to my GPS.... 2 came up close to being the nearest me.. I had to make a call. I went for O'Connor blvd....
15 minutes later I pulled up to an empty building.. 
               There was no hot and ready... none. I immediately hit my GPS for the next one....
                            it was...... too far away

I would have to pack in in for the night and settle for some VOILA out of the package - a life saver.

Wednesday night crept up on me quick and still I hadnt staked out my next Little Caesar's.  Again I remembered as I was in my car to hit my GPS to try the other close one.... 15 minutes later I was pulling up to another empty lot. At least this one still had the remains of their old roman sign.... I was getting closer.. Tracking this Little Caesar wasn't going to be the easiest thing I had ever done, but I could smell success, and pizza.

In desperation I hit my GPS one more time --- BINGO -- there was another target less than 2 miles away. I had a good feeling this time... you know, like that feeling where you just might cry if it doesn't work out again. 

10 minutes later I triumphantly walked into a real, working Little Caesar's Pizza place.
I had bagged the Caesar and all of his cheesy goodness after all... and only 6.01 for a pizza that was already hot and ready, waiting just for me.

I hope this is an encouragement to all of you out there who have a dream, any dream.  Chase it like a Little Caesar.... I did.

Paperroute and Penske

       It's always a great night when you get surprised by a best friend from the past... Add another and you have two best friends from the past on the SAME night.

Well to be honest I had some knowledge my buddy Mark Hodo Miller Jr, former UVA linebacker and now Pit Crew member for Penske Racing (Nascar and Nationwide Series), but it looked like he was going to be in and out in one day with no visiting.

Gavin McDonald, once starring drummer of Christian Youth Sensation "Anchor" and now drummer for "Paperroute" (touring with Owl City) called me Saturday Morning asking if I wanted to come to his show that night...

It was shaping up to be a pretty sweet day...
I was pumped about going to see Pepto at the Concert when I found out that the Race had been rained out and now Mark was free for the Night.... One quick call and BLAM.. two all access passes to see Paperroute and Owl City.  (Even though I have to be honest.. I had no idea who Owl City was... something about fireflies).

Paperroute











Me and Mark pulled up to Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas after eating Pizza with the rest of his crew and the first obstacle of the night... Parking = 15 dollars and I had only had 4 in cash.
Collateral was my license.. too bad when I got to the window I needed an ID to get my tickets.
Minor delay though, I whipped out my college ID and things happened.


Paperroute was nasty.. if you get a chance, check them out.. http://www.paperrouteonline.com/absence/
After the Show we had our second dilemma.  According to the security guard, our all access passes didnt get us down the stairs, we needed... a wristband! He said we could get one from the band managers etc..

We asked what is this pass good for? He said, "Well, you can go backstage."

So we could go backstage, but we couldnt go stand down in front of the band while they played.....
                           that makes NO SENSE... we didnt want to go down there anyway Mr Security Guard.


We hung out with Gavin for a while and helped him pack up his sticks and then Mark went back out to see Owl City and I got to take Pepto out to grab some food.

It was an awesome night of catching up with good friends..
     i found out that Gavin is getting married.... May 29th --- Congrats buddy.

Oh and if your the inquisitive and discerning type...  I did remember to go back and get my driver's license though it took me a few trips around the Arena in the rain.  I just kept forgetting that I parked back with the buses after getting food.


Good night with Great Friends

CriBs EpiSoDe

Irving, Texas

Studio Flat Residence

20 x 15 = 300 sq ft (my feet)

1 Bedroom
1 Bath
Kitchenette
Arm Chair
 Walk Through Closet

(Numbers have been reversed as not to give away the specific address of residence)

Hey, C'mon in.. I've been expecting you

Connor Hughes
Kicker for Dallas Cowboys









So, this is where it all happens...

No, seriously this is the only room I got, so everything that happens, happens here.
In this one room I have a bed, a chair, a refrigerator, a stove top, a microwave, a tv, a sink... everything really.
Plus I have a walk through closet and a bathroom.
I know what you're thinking and yes.. I know its a lot, but we're gonna get through it all in one day.

        So as you walk in to the left.. (or your right because the pictures got flipped somehow) you will see a five star kitchenette and dining facility.
Its LOADED with two chairs, a microwave, stove top and refrigerator.. and a sink too. And a trash can.








If you come in a little further you will see the view from my kitchen to the rest of my kingdom

Oh, I know what you're thinking and......

the TV does swivel
           Don't act like your not impressed.





Now, that you've really gotten a long way into my room, you're actually standing on my bed.  Mind your balance and drink in this gorgeous non-balcony view.
From here I can see miles into the sky (weather) and check the traffic without even rolling over!  I didn't want to show too much of the pool in my best attempt not to breed jealousy in your heart.

For the last few features of my place check out my walk through closet.......

and finally for the most used portion of my room, besides sleeping 8 hours in the bed, eating/cooking in the kitchen, reading and watching tv in the room etc....
 

That's right,

the Bathroom.

As you can see by the angelic glow this truly is a sanctuary of relief and thought.








Well, I know we've done a lot and your probably pretty worn out, so I guess I'll send you on your way now. Ya'll take care and feel free to use some of what I've done here as inspiration in your own... probably more humble abodes.

God Bless

[Disclaimer: The thoughts and words contained here in this episode do not express any negative sentiments on the part of blogger.  This blogger represents that he has been blessed abundantly and chooses to display his joy by means of humor, jesting, and the use moderately insightful quips]

The Green Hornet Strikes

There were some interesting events that occurred this weekend in the green hornet.

For those of you who don't know the green hornet, please refer to the rest of my blog and you will see amazing pictures of the green convertible that I am driving now.

2 Stories
1.  I haven't been locking my car much although I do have some valuable stuff (my Ipod, some gift cards, and a gps)  in there that could be stolen.  But I bought some Jelly Belly's this past weekend for 1.69 and left them in the passenger seat.... I locked the doors...... and put the windows up

2. On Sunday, today, I was driving to one of my coaches houses and while mesmerized at the size of one of the houses, I notice that a cop was driving the other direction.. he turned around QUICK.
I pulled over into the neighborhood where I was going and when asked if i was talking on the cell phone, which is forbidden in that area (and I wasnt) I explained that I was distracted and shocked at the size of one of the houses, and also that I was looking for my coaches house.
He took my license and registration.. once I found it in the borrowed car.
I thought to myself that I was fine with getting a ticket, though I didnt speed on purpose, I was guilty because I broke that law even though I didnt know what the law was in that circumstance... I hadnt seen a speed limit though it was properly posted.

He came back up to the car and told me to have a nice day... and "enjoy the Shane and Shane cd!"

He didn't give me a ticket.... I thanked God for a christian officer who had mercy on me the guilty. He recognized Shane and Shane by the voices in the background from my radio - only something a Christian would notice.
What a great example of the grace and mercy that God affords to those who repent and believe.  Though guilty, Christians shall not be condemned or incarcerated -- but instead of an officer we have Christ to thank - the ultimate judge and the payer of our penalty.

God is good.

What a Weekend!

This post is a bit delayed in being posted.. sorry.

This past Easter weekend was such a blessing

Last Wednesday afternoon I was surprised by Mr Buchan telling me that they would like to fly me in for the weekend... what a shock! 48 hours later I was on my way to the East Coast.

Not that I hate being around 60 weightlifting dudes here all the time, but it was a sweet get away for me to see my girlfriend and the church that has been so dear to me for the past 2 years.

This weekend:
I chatted with strangers on the plane about the Gospel
I got picked up from the airport by Mr Buchan and Bekah --we drove up a one way
I ate chick fil a
I played a terrible round of chip and putt on a beautiful day (Ben was almost as bad as me)
I had water ice--- a gelatini or something to be more precise
I had hang out time with friends
I went to an awesome Easter Church service
I took this picture with Bekah (courtesy of Robert Buchan Photography)

I had a great Easter celebration with the Buchan/McNesby family and dominated on the Wii, but not in ladderball.
I played putt putt - we were the only onnes on the course (for you Yanks its stiffly known as "mini-golf")


And then I flew back to the D, got picked up by V
and the next morning I was late because my car wouldn't start..

What a Great Weekend

Introducing Van Nelson

Last week I had the joy of reuniting with my good friend that some of ya'll in NJ have met before.. Big V.

To those of you who have made Rob and Big comparison to us, well, I got nothing, I guess I could see similarities. He's big and I'm not. Well when V came to hang out the other night I showed him some high class dining at an upscale, "she she" (I can't spell) restaurant called Dickie's Barbecue.. it was V's first time.

The beauty of fancy dining such as this is that you get to put on your two sides yourself.  This really enables you to get the full value that a 6'5 360 pound man is looking for.



Here's his plate. (Objects in this image are actually larger than they appear)




There's actually beef under there.






Here's what he did to it...

Afterward we drove back to my place.... Just two guys rolling through Dallas in the "green hornet."
Good times.

(V asked that I not show him on camera.. Im not sure if there is any shame related to his wishes but I am glad to comply)

Free Golf and Cars

So, the other day i got to drive one of my teammates new 2004 BMW stick shifts that looks like this

AND THEN...
later after playing a round of free golf in 25 mph gusts of wind,
While I was driving this

I saw this

drive by me.... fast.

Pretty crazy, if your into that kind of stuff.

Wrong Turn

When I left New Jersey I thought that I was leaving all the craziness of odd traffic patterns, poorly planned parking lots, and trolls that guarded Philly. I mean tolls.

I was wrong. Very Wrong. The roads here are on a totally different level. (Crazy quick on and off ramps and speed limits of 70).  Everything is highway and most of the highways have roads that run beside them. The catch is.... Highways have tolls.
In New Jersey a Fast Pass would speed things up instead of having to use change... here there isnt even a place for change! If you dont have a pass they photo your car and send you a bill. Fortunately I'm borrowing a car with a different address--- totally kidding!

Yesterday I went out to try to check out a 7pm church service on Walnut hill street. Unfortunately, I typed in Walnut Street Dallas.
As I drove my manly intimidating car through the slums of South Dallas, I realized, I might as well be in a golf cart. So as soon as I saw what looked to be a drug deal, I spun around and got out of there quick. I then calmly put in the Right address.

When my Garmin led me to the right address I found myself on an unpaved road leading off into the distance surrounded by trees....

Two Strikes were enough for me.. I gave up, Went Home and Ate Dinner.

My Sweet Whip

Last Night I was extremely blessed to be handed the keys of this car to borrow. Check her out!

I know what most of you are thinking... and "NO", I argue, this is not a girly car.
Despite receiving a few cat calls while driving around today with the top down in sunny Dallas, a free car is a manly car... period.

While I have yet to drive it into our facility, I am eager to turn a few heads in this baby!

In all seriousness I can not express how thankful I am to have some wheels here.  I already felt like a burden to some of the guys while asking for rides and it was tough being confined to my 1 room studio hotel room (future "cribs" blog to come) with no where to go. Thanks to everyone praying for me, this was a huge means of God's grace to me!

Blessed
Connor

Attempt to Blog

Hey Everybody, or nobody, depending on if anyone actually reads this.
I figured since I had some free time I would try my hand at this new-fangled phenomena called blogging.

So here goes,
I was recently signed by the Dallas Cowboys and am now here participating in Off Season workouts. If you wanna keep updated with whats going on here feel free to check out my blog at times.

If your wondering, what's with the name, well I was going to try to teach kicking lessons and use this as a homepage but figured this would be more appropriate to put effort into for the time being. So here goes....

Crazy Trip

"Oh my Stars and Bars," as I've hear it said before down south. I hope the rest of my stay here is nothing like my trip was.

It tipped me off when I checked the flight status the day before and couldn't find my flight anywhere. But I figured it would be fine seeing how all things seem to work themselves out. I was wrong, or right I guess.

As I drove up the airport I couldn't figure out on the first go around where I needed to be to park for 30 minutes or so. Instead I drove into and through the departures, past all the gates, and got back on the ramp to make another pass... Wrong ramp. Instead I found myself on 95 south!

No big deal. I turned around 2 miles later and took another go -- fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me-- type thing. This time i figured I'd just park next to my airline, leave Bekah there at the car, and then come back out once i was checked in --- why all the hassle? Well, I had two big bags (big), a guitar, a carry on and a laptop bag. I thought it might be easier in phases.

Well, I went inside and the flight which i was "booked" did not exist. Not only did it "not exist" there wasnt even a flight at that airport headed for DFW at the time. I ran back out the door with my "big three" (or stumbled really) and saw Bekah a little shook up. It seems I had parked in a pedestrian walkway, even though its never used, and a custodian had come out and yelled at her to move.

A minute later while I was on the phone a COP came up too! Praise God that he was kind to us after explanation and directed us where to go park. A ticket should have been warranted for my little parking shenanigan.

Finally, after some struggle I straightened out everything with the Adam from the Cowboys and he set a flight for 6:10. I was very thankful for the extra time I was able to spend there with Bekah.

We decided to go ahead and check in and then take it easy the rest of the time, GOOD THING. Upon Checking in I found out my third checked bag alone costs 100 dollars tallying my total baggage fee to 160 - I gasped for air and called Adam again....Thank you Cowboys for picking up that tab... i hope.

After the check in process (i left out the crowded part) we decided to take a peek at the security line...
Now, I am thankful for the added safety of the Security Alert, but I'm not sure that safety translated into efficiency. The line for Security was "around the corner" as the loud lady yelled and half way down the mile long hall. So much for taking it easy.

Everything from that point on went pretty smoothly though (despite having to say goodbye to my girlfriend of just under a month and a half while standing in a line with an audience of strangers). And nothing out of the norm until after the extra long flight due to storms (and the intercom lady tricked me out of another hour of sleep) when I finally got to my hotel where my room was... not reserved. I calmly and graciously replied to the manager, "I'm not surprised." Fortunately for me the only room left at the inn was the King Executive Suite.


PS
Mad props to my man Adam from the Cowboys for hanging in there despite my numerous calls. Thanks for your help man. And huge thanks to Bekah for the bag of goodies that supplied my dinner for the night and smelled so good.