Stop and Smell the People

I’m way behind and I apologize…

GRATITUDE WAVE ALERT: Only four days until the next “Wave of Gratitude.” Noon EST time, Tuesday, November 24. Be part for the wave that washes over our military! All you have to do is at Noon Tuesday change your FaceBook status and send a Tweet with some simple words of thanks to our troops this Holiday season!

I’m way behind and I apologize…

I should have written two amazing stories for this week that I haven’t gotten to yet. They are so worth telling that I’m annoyed with myself right now.

The move has consumed more time than we expected. I’ll carve out time today and this weekend to write these stories for you all.

I need a favor from you, though. I’m concerned the “Wave of Gratitude” is becoming another ho-hum event. I know the media is on it more this time than last, but I can’t tell if we all have spread the word enough. Because that’s what truly matters and makes this work.  Can we all go back and re-double our efforts to get our friends and family on board? Don’t let people forget that it’s this coming Tuesday, November 24 at Noon EST,

All people need to do is send a tweet on Twitter or change their FaceBook status to some simple words of gratitude for our military and their families’. It’s such a simple thing to do… and can really impact the morale of the ones who need it most this Holiday season.

So do me this favor. Tell your friends… again. Send them here if they need more details.

Peace to you all in SASTP-Nation!

What in the heck is going on here?

Before I get to today’s disjointed, meandering post I want to send out a big ole reminder: We’re only a few days from the next Gratitude Wave for the troops! For first-time readers, a “Gratitude Wave” is a social media hug from all of us to our military troops and families all over the world.

We pick a time and day and everyone tweets or changes their FaceBook status to say a brief thank you to the troops. The next wave is this coming Tuesday, November 24, 12 Noon EST (7 Pm in Iraq and 8 PM in Afghanistan).

If you want to participate start sending this info to your friends on FB or Twitter and get as many people to join us at Noon EST on Tuesday!

For my Charlotte, NC, peeps I’ll be on Charlotte’s Morning News with Al Gardner and Stacey Simms Monday or Tuesday talking about the Gratitude Wave. Tune in and spread the word! The wave is building…

Now for the meandering, disjointed part… Continue reading ‘What in the heck is going on here?’

Moving Day 3:15 PM: Boxes 101

I’m sitting on the floor of a completely empty house. I have my laptop and the modem on the floor next to me. I don’t have a lot of time right now because I have to get to Time Warner and return the modem. And then Anna and Crowley and I head for Roanoke.

Moses drove off in his truck/ark with all our belongings at 3 PM straight up. It took only six hours to load our lives into a tractor trailer the size of Rhode Island. I wish we could pack all our friends in there. And when we get to Roanoke they would all come piling out of that truck and spend the day eating and drinking with us.

Here’s a little sidebar that I just can’t get out of my head: The company we hired to move us is Smith Dray Line out of the Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina area. The president of the company, Bill Turrentine Jr., came out to do the estimate. He walked through the house, the basement, the shed and made notes. On his notes he estimated the number of cardboard boxes it would take to pack it all up. His estimate was 102 boxes. That’s dish-packs, wardrobes, every kind of box they have! A month later (that was yesterday) when the packers were done they had used 101 boxes. This guy was off by ONLY ONE BOX! I’m sorry but that’s inconceivable.

Naturally I gave him a hard time for not being more accurate. Seemed funny at the time.

Okay, next time I write you, I’ll smell like I’m living on the Ponderosa! Hoss! Little Joe! I’m Home!

Godspeed… MR