Christmas Season

This is really a great time of year. I have just had time this morning to think back on this year and I am happy about everything that it has brought. I am getting to spend more quality time with my daughter!




We got a dog this year .....(Bear)




and then decided to get another.....(Bryant)





We also have had a ton of great friends enter into our lives through our new small group.




Over all I am very happy with where me and my wife are this year. I am just ready for things to keep on rolling. I want to wish everyone a great and peaceful Holiday Season and a Merry Christmas!!!!

If your name is Zach....this post may do something for you. If not then its still an 80's classic!

Eventful

Sunday after church I headed to Cape Girardeau, MO to see my little daughter's play. I planned to get there early, check into my hotel room and go to her school Christmas play that afternoon at 3:30. Her nutcracker play was the next evening at 7:30. Every thing was going as planned. I arrived on time, checked into my hotel room for the night and was headed to the school to see Sydney sing, when ALL OF THE SUDDEN.....I got this sickening thought that I forgot something. I DID-- my Nutcracker TICKETS!

About a month and 1/2 ago I purchased a ticket to see Syd in the Nutcracker. With the tickets back in Memphis and me in Mizzou I had no clue what to do. Well Liz had a great idea. She called her dad while she was downtown at a photo shoot and he met her with the tickets. After Sydney's Christmas play on Sunday I headed back down to meet Liz at a half way point. I met her, hugged and kissed, and returned back to Mizzou with tickets in hand (so much for a relaxing afternoon in Cape Girardeau).

The next day went as planned. I cruised around Cape and watched a movie (When the Earth Stood Still) and hung out at the mall and the bookstore for most of the day. That night was Sydney's show- She played a snowflake in the Moscow Russian Nutcracker. She is such a little star. She was the leader of her group and did a great job. I tried to take a video with my phone but it did not work. I gave her the biggest hug and kiss after the show. She was busy with her mom all weekend, so I didn't get to spend much time with her, but Liz and I going up again on Friday and Syd will be staying with us in a hotel for the entire weekend. Overall, I was so glad I could be there to support her while she performed.

I left Missouri around 9:30 last night. Normally, I would be home by about 12:30, but it had been icing and snowing all day in Missouri, so I didn't get back until about 2:00 this morning. Liz was freaking out a bit, but I made it home safe.

All in all it was a great trip, with a lot of adventure. But if I had to do it all over again, I would in a heart beat- just to see the smile on my little girl's face!

Number One..... is a underdawg?

I know that I have been out of the blog world alot over the past few weeks, but I could not let this week get by w/o posting on the TIDE's plan to smack up on Florida! I just don't understand why the TIDE is a 10pt underdog to the Florida Gators. I mean I think that the Gators have a great football team and that they deserve to be playing in the SEC championship game, but not to be the favorite. "To be the best you gotta beat the best" right? And for the time being that team is the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE!!!!! Can you tell that I am excited about this football game? Last year we had Memphis making its run in March Madness and the Giants upsetting the Patriots in the Superbowl. Well if Bama wins tomorrow it will easily trump those two exciting moments in sports for me. This is a team with no superstars, a great coach and a completely focused unit on the field. Bama is basically one win away from playing for their first National Title since winning it almost 17 years ago in 1992. I could have never dreamed this up. Especially coming off of a tough finish last year and returning pretty much the same team.

I'm so excited.... and I just can't Hide it!!!!!

Can it be done?

I do not know who all out there reads this blog but for those of you who do thanks!!! I have a challenge for you. A couple of weeks ago a few of my buddies were hanging out and were talking about the last time they just sat alone in complete silence and did nothing but meditate. Can you remember the last time you did that? Just sat and meditated?

I couldn't, so last week I tried it. I sat in a room with nothing going, no radio, no TV, no IPOD, no lights, no clothing.....just kidding! In all truthfulness it is tough. Tons of thoughts went through my mind. My childhood, spending more time with my wife, work that needs to be done around the house, my daughter the list went on and on. For 30 minutes I sat.

I think that everyone should do that from time to time. MEDITATE. My goal is to transfer this meditation over to a better prayer life but I am choosing to start here first. Anyways....hear is the challenge to you, CLEAR YOUR MIND FOR 30 minutes for one day this week. Let me know how it plays out. Looking back at how my 30 min were spent with me thinking about everything that I have going on in my life, which was good to do, but it was not the goal. I did not accomplish what I sat out to do. So its now your challenge. Can you do it? Let me know your progress.

OMG

This last weekend we went down town with Zach and Katie Cordell for Katie's birthday party. We had a good time. After we ate dinner someone suggested that we go and get dessert. The place that we chose was Cheesecake Corner! One word awesome! The downtown atmosphere was really cool, smooth R&B music and a low key feel is great for a night out. Fellas if you are looking for a nice place to take your loved one after a night out check this place out. Here is a pic of my dessert. It is called "Strawberry and Chocolate Cheese Cake" MMMMMmmm Mmmmm Good! Google it and go there!!!!

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1st time Since 92'

Alabama sits atop of the polls of college football elite today claiming the top spot in both the AP and the coaches poll for the first time since winning the National Championship since 1992. This is an exciting time for the Crimson Tide. Since Nick Saban has come to town in only two short years, he has pumped this team with guidance and sense of stability that has propelled them back to the elite of college finest. My question is now what? They will be put to the test next weekend when they face #15 LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday. With Saban at the wheel I hope that they will not be caught up in the hype. All I know is that I am happy for them. Rather a title is at the end of this run or not I hope that they stay on track and continue to be in the mix again.

It has been fun to watch if nothing else. Bama Football I am happy to say, is back!

Someone help me with this please.

Every year around election time the question is brought up about where people stand on abortion. I have had a ton of people ask me if I am pro life or not. I guess some may gauge their answer to see who I am voting for. I give a confident; "pro life" and move on. Every time I answer this question I think about my wife and if she was ever placed in this difficult situation in the future how my confident answer would be put to the test. Picture this hypothetical situation; one where while delivering your kid the doctor told you that your wife could possibly lose her life or your kid's the chance is 50/50. What would you expect her to do?

"Aha"-my pro life answer gets tested. Are you pro life at all cost? That is a question I think you gotta ask yourself. That is why the Roe vs. Wade was passed in my opinion. The Supreme Court Justice System thought there was a grey area there. Collectively they made a decision that it would not be constitutional to blanket the country with a anti-abortion law. My question is this: is there a grey area here? If the bible says no (thou shall not kill) then why do we create one? Is this area black and white? Some say it is. I want some smart people out there to give me some clarification on this topic. I need help here.

And last but not least, do you think that (thou shall not kill) commandment used above is a stand alone commandment and consequently we use this one in election year and all the others fall to the waist side?

Here are the others:

"And God spoke all these words, saying: 'I am the LORD your God…

ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'

SIX: 'You shall not murder.'

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'

**Are these not just as important to you? Do we fell as strongly about laws being in place to protect us from being charged in these areas. (coveting, honoring, aldultry etc.)

Thanks for your help in advance on this one.

Wow what a weekend!

I do not even know where to start. I guess I could start by thanking JR and Mathew for making this trip happen and making it great. Miami was so much fun. The conference that we attended was CCDA . This was one of the best things that I have ever seen. To see people from different cultures and from cities all over America who have changed their lives and decided to be a vision of Christ where they live and to do this when everyone else tells them that they are nuts is astonishing. It is one thing to hear people speak on it, but when you shake the hands of men and women who have made this a reality in their lives and in their cities is just inspiring. I had the chance to meet alot of great folks.

John Perkins (left)was one of the speakers and founders of CCDA. Mr. Perkins was a guy who before this conference I did not know much about. A few weeks prior to the conference I had an opportunity to attend an event here in Memphis where he spoke at Crichton College. Although I was impressed with his overall knowledge and understanding of community and how it should look, I still saw him as coming from one side of the spectrum regarding the black society in America. During the span of the conference not only did Mr. Perkins feed me with a wealth of knowledge, he shared his story with us from a view that is unlike any other message that I have ever heard. What I love about his message is that it is color blind. Though I have not had a chance to read any of his books if you have intrest check it out here: books. He will be my next author to read.

The other speaker that really caught me was Mr. Carey Casey. He spoke on the importance of fatherhood and really placed the microscope on what it takes to be a good father. This is something that in most inner cities sadly, has a huge void. His website fathers.com goes deep into the subject and is something that I want to learn more of. How we can bring this attitude to more of my brothers and sisters here in Memphis. And how we can show our fathers to play more of an active role in their kids lives regardless of status: (married, divorced, or out of wedlock) etc. Uncoering the myth that the father's presence is indeed just as important as the mother's.

Overall I received a wealth of knowledge. Now the next step is what to do with it! I am glad to be home. (I missed LIZ so much) Great conference great experience. Again thanks Mathew and JR for the experience and invite.

The Tide, BBQ with an old friend, wife's BDAY!!!!

This weekend the TIDE is back on!!!! Today @ 2:30pm Bama hosts Ole Miss on CBS. I am really looking forward to this game. Hopefully they can come out and handle business early and I can get some things done around the house. I am also excited that this weekend I have a long time friend Jake Eaton who will be visiting the area for a BBQ to celebrate his wife's Nichole birthday. It should be great to see my old teammate and his new family. They live in Nashville TN and since I gratuated in 2004 we do not get to see too much of each other any more. While I was at Union I ran into a few tough times. During these times Jake and his family really took me under thier wing and I appreciate that more than they will ever know. They really displayed in that momenet to me of what a true friendship should look like. I cherish that still to this day. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to thier time here.

Last but not least is my wife's b-day. She will be 27 on Monday and we are excited about it! We had a semi birthday celebration for her last week at her parents. We really enjoyed it. Now the pressure is on for me to deliver on Monday!!!! Just so you know babe....I am up to it!

A great weekend ahead, I am at work now and ready to get to it. Great weather, great food, great times!!!

LONG WEEKEND!

I am pretty excited about this weekend. One of the largest reasons I am so excited about this weekend is b/c Liz and I are going to see my daughter this Sunday! We have not seen her at all since mid September so there will be lots of hugs and kisses to give! I am also off on Monday and you know I am pumped up with a long weekend ahead. Lots of Liz's family will be in town celebrating the birthdays of my wife and Jennifer's at the Shackelford's home on Friday. It will be so much fun having the boys (Clayton and Jack) in town and hanging out with their parents Fred and Jennifer. Tori and Lee will also be there and I feel as if I we have not hung out with those guys in forever! Overall I am looking forward to this weekend. I should be a long and fun one!

I miss home.

SWEET HOME ALABAMA.....I miss it sometimes.


Do you ever have those times in your life where you wish that you could go back to the days that you were planning your homecoming in high school. The time when everything was not so simple then but looking back on it.....it was? I am having one of those days today. Not to go into too much but I miss home. I miss my lake, I miss the old hang outs- "The Nets" "The Pier" I miss all of my friends that I grew up with that I never see. I miss my mother who is so wild sometimes. I miss my grandmother who has one of the best hearts ever. I miss my good friends that know me so well that they can call me and tell me what I have for lunch! (AB) I miss my brothers and sister. I miss the park that I used to hoop at til 2 in the morning sometimes. I miss the lake smell. I miss the highway that we would ride on and listen to loud music. I miss being 18! I miss laughing hard with old friends.

I am never the type to wish to rewind time to change things, but I just want to daydream a little about yester-year. I miss some of those times. Friends, places, memories. Sometimes....I miss it. Do you know what I mean?

The Weather

Gosh this time of year is so awesome! I really like the fact that I live in a part of the country that has all seasons, but it's just the time in the middle of these two seasons that is the sweet spot. Something inside of you changes and just makes you feel like a new person. I don't know if its football, warm drinks, great tv shows, or all the above. Mid 70's to 80's and a slight breeze makes any day a good one. I mean who can complain .....well least about this weather! Get out and enjoy it.

Bama Fan in the Making!

I love this pic of my main man here! Last Saturday we went to The Ross’s to watch the Tide roll all over the Georgia Bulldogs and claim 2nd place in the polls. This family is so awesome! The three kids are precious and Luke is my main man. This hat is so his personality too. I just love it! See more of this day on Angie’s blog.

Ready for the weekend

This weekend is a big weekend for the Tide. It is a weekend that we are excited about. After taking care of Clemson in week one 34-10Alabama has been moving up the charts ever since. Now the 4 and 0 Saban lead football team will go into Athens this weekend to face the No. 3 team in the country the Georgia Bulldogs, who some say are national title contenders themselves. The game will be televised on ESPN Gameday at 6:45pm. Is the Tide ready? I sure hope so. I have had this game marked on the calendar for weeks now. National Title hopes are on the line here. I can't wait for Saturday!

I will be pulling out the hound sooth for this occasion!

Great Weekend

Overall, this past weekend was a great one. It started off with The TIDE who is now 4-0 taking care of biz with the spanking of Arkansas 49-14. I watched the game with a good friend and a huge Tide Family, Bryan and the Ross's. This family is so awesome and they love some Bama football. I really enjoyed my time with them watching the game.

We also got together with the Upchurch's to watch the Auburn vs LSU game at our home which I also enjoyed the outcome of (AU lost!!!!). Anytime this happens and Bama wins, it's a good weekend.

Sunday after church I got together with a group of friends and played flag football. We had a great time. Needless to say I am moving a little bit slower this morning b/c of it.

The weekend ended with my wife and I hanging out and watching a little tv. After her busy weekend working on photo shoots and mine just playing, we needed Sunday night to just chill out!

It just hit me....my wife has 2 jobs!

I do not know how much you read my wife's blog but if not, you have gotta check and see just what we have been up to. Overall this last weekend was a good time. My wife is such a super woman! She is somehow managing to kick off her own business venture, maintain a steady job in contracting, all the while helping me run the "Wiggs" saga at home. Ask me how she does it and I will tell you that I do not know how. She really is a super hero! I love her so much. Each and everyday she just continues to amaze me.

Why?

I am not a huge political person. I really try to listen to the topics, look at each candidate and try to swim through all the crap to see that if it is truly possible to fix all of America's issues in four years (and you would be crazy to think that could happen). But if so, who could really do it?

Though I am not that big on politics and how they work, I am a huge fan of the news. I have loved the news ever since I was a little kid. I even married a woman that produced live broadcast for more almost 5 years (she was amazing at it too!). What saddens me with the news is that we allow these shows and anchors on these shows to somewhat dictate what we think about candidates instead of really going in to study them before we place a vote.

I mean, it's so high school to me. Do you remember the class president race in school? Who did you vote for then? Was it a friend? A foe? Why did you vote for them? Was it because your other friends liked them? Was it b/c of how rich/poor they were/You were? etc.

What is so hilarious to me is the Republicans/Democrats scene. Think about it. Are you one or the other? Why are you one or the other? Some may say Republican, because I do not believe in abortion. So, do all Democrats believe in abortion? Some say, Republicans because poor people should work for what they get. Does that mean that all Republicans are rich? I personally do not claim a party, and I do not see why I should. Personally, I think that it's foolish. That is just me. Just as foolish I might add as saying that I am Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian or any other christian denomination. I am two things: American and I am employed by God. "A Christian American," think of that! I may not be the best employee but I am sure trying to be.

If anyone reads this and has a compelling argument to why I should choose a christian denomination or why I should accept a certain party to stand behind, I would love to hear your opinion. I really would. My wife and I discuss this a lot, and I would love to hear your argument either way. I just do not know why we have to decide who should be president a (Dem or a Pub) in a race before we even know who is going to run?

Please someone enlighten me on this one.

Thanks,

THE TIDE MAKING NOISE IN THE POLLS!

I did not know if you were watching or not, but Bama finds itself moving up the charts last week taking the number 13 spot in the polls. The Tide plays its first home game of the season when they host Tulane tonight at 7pm. If you are like me and will not be able to view the game in person then you can check it out on ESPN 360. It should be a good one. I am looking forward to it.

Sydney Carlene

It has been a while since I have seen the little one. Over a month to be exact. I just wanted to show our love for her and give her some space on my page. We love you Sydney. I am so looking forward for the day that we can give you the biggest hug and kiss on the cheeks! We miss ya!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

I do not know about you but to me there is nothing better than being around family and cheering for your favorite team. That's just what we did this last Saturday in my home town of Guntersville AL. If you read my wife's blog you can check out further detail around our weekend but I wanted to talk on the TIDE'S football team. I think that we are back! I have been a fan for many years and love to follow this team. I know not a ton can be said about a team after one game-but for me I loved watching it. They played with heart and tenacity and it is something that was fun to watch for any fan. (Check out more games here.. schedule. )

The TIDE took care of business with a 34-10 shellacking over a top 10 rated opponent Clemson. They shut down the run and did what ever they wanted on offense. I am ready to see what they will do this year and I will be wearing my hat and t-shirts proudly. (Sorry for my cockiness in advance!) I can accept the fact that Bama will not win a championship every single year, but what I love about this year's team is that they seem to carry the same drive and motivation as their coach. And if you have followed him in the past 6 years you know that he likes to win. He and Bama fit!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

I have been tagged!

Mandy and Joey have both tagged me, but Mandy was 1st! (Sorry Joey) So thanks to Mandy I am going to start with my 6 things.

1. I only eat ketchup and Cheese on my burgers.

2. I actually like Counrty Music

3. I love, love, love, ALABAMA FOOTBALL.

4. I love mixing Milk Duds in my Popcorn. (try it sometime)

5. I love to dance in front of the mirror.

6. When there is something that I like or want I am so impatient about getting it.

Here are the rules.1. Link to the person who tagged you2. Post the rules to your blog3. Write 6 random things about myself4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted Here you go! Joey, Bill Mauldin, Fred Shack IV, Dan Shack, Fred Shack III, Renee Shack and Lee -n- Tori

Enjoy

This last weekend!

Last weekend was a good one. The girls had a night on the town in Memphis and all of the fellas got together for a night of friendly competition. We started the night at Huey's restaurant. This was a ton of fun, we kinda caught up on all the events of our lives and ate some great burgers! After that we all went to bowl! We split up into teams Zach, Kyle, and Rusty were on one team-while Lee, Ross, and myself were on another. We played the best out of three and it came down to the wire, but the best team (US) pulled it out over Cordell, Kyle, and Rusty. The consequence was that the loser buys ice cream! (THANKS KYLE AND THE GUYS) the ice cream was great!
From the bowling alley to the pool at Kyle and Elyssa's home. We decided to go swimming at 9pm that night and it was great. Kyle came up with this basketball game to play and needless to say with my swimming skills I was not the best at it. We finished up the night playing poker smoking cigars and sharing some laughs. Over all it was a great night with the guys. I love the girls being around as well, but it is good to get the fellas out on the town and should be short in coming around again soon.

Thanks guys!

The Olympics are not over!

I wanted to let everyone know that the Olympics are not over yet. I know that for the last couple of weeks around the water cooler everyone has been talking about swimming and for good reason. Michael Phelps has put on a show with 8 medals, but all in all we still have some good items left. One is the USA basketball team. They are really playing well. I know that the NBA has been a turnoff with all of the large contracts and egos, but for the Olympics, all of these things are being pushed aside for some great team ball. They are really playing well to this point. They are in the medal round after a whooping on Australia this morning by 30. The next game is set for Friday August 22. I am excited. This team needs Gold. They are settling for nothing less. Please do yourself a favor set your TiVo b/c the games come on at weird times. Here is a link that you can use to help you out with the time.

I will leave you with this. If you could see Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul on the same team play for your country courtside would you take it. Well here is a front row ticket.

GO USA!
Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE / Getty Images

OMG!!!!!

I lost my dogs last tonight! (No need to panic they both were found)!!!! For the first time probably, since I have had them tonight I felt as if they were my kids! If you have ever owned an animal in your lifetime they can and will become family. Here is the story. This afternoon I had a dinner with my company downtown. Liz was tired and not feeling to well and let the pups outside to play and eat after she got off from work. Later that afternoon after I had been home for say, and hour or so I decided to check on the boys and let them in. Well when I open the back door nothing! The fence (that has been broken for a month and I have not got around to fixing it) was opened and I started to panic! Bear and Bryant are gone!!!!! I drive around for twenty minutes at 9pm and find nothing. I walk around for another 20 with the same result and just when I'm about to head back to the house to get my car I see a stop sign with a large white poster 50 yards away! I take off running to that sign as fast as my flip flops would let me and low and behold it reads as follows

"FOUND" 1 Labrador + 1 golden retriever!!!!! Call this number! I called, they had them, I was so excited! PRAISE THE LORD! I have my boys back. Thanks so much to my neighbors who I am going to bake something for soon. Gosh, when I lost the boys I lost family. I love them so much! I am tired so I will go to sleep now. Just wanted to share.

"BEAR"

"BRYANT"

"BROTHERS BACK AT HOME"

Back in the day!

Do you remember these guys? Kriss Kross! Jump Jump! These guys were like totally krossed out! I hate to admit this but in the 3rd grade one of my good friends and I were sent home from school for coming to class with out clothes on backwards! These little dudes were so cool. I just dropped the video for your listening pleasure. If you do not remember these guys you are one of the three.... not black, not cool in the 3rd grade,(just kidding) or did not listen to kid rap! And for those of you who did not know them I am going to take you back to 91'

Enjoy,

Love this commercial

Check it out!

We are a world of consumers.......really I didn't know!

You have to view this commercial below and ask yourself this question, "Have I been tricked as an consumer in this country?" Have I been subject to think that the definition of "Who I Am" is a direct and sad reflection of the amount of money in my bank account, the cars I own, the size of my home, or how much my sunglasses cost! I saw this commercial and I realized something, I am one of those people. I love material. I love new things, IPods, the laptops, the flat screens.

My old self would be asking why is this type of thinking so bad? I mean, I think that this is a decent question to ask, right? If I have the cash, why not look to purchase something that I am totally capable of being able to enjoy?

The better question is....."Zach, is this biblical?" When I am posed with this question, my materialistic ways cannot ever stand the test. Lord, thank you and only you for keeping me a humble man.

I do not want to push you one way or another with this video ..... I mean, I am a banker: I need people to consume! I think the "how" and the "why" we consume should be discussed and is the more pertinent question. They speak to this in the end of the commercial so listen closely.

By the way, just so we're clear: I don't believe Discover Card is the answer to purifying our hearts. :) Enjoy.

Sydney Visit!

On Saturday Liz had a photo shoot at 9:00 am with Clay, Emily, and Evelyn that you can see here: Elizabeth Wiggs Photography. Yes, Liz is a professional photographer now! I am so excited for her.

After the shoot we left for Missouri to see this little girl. It is nice, I must say, to get pics like this all the time! I love this little girl and I am so glad I get to catch these moments on camera. Thanks baby. Enjoy!

Bowling with the office!

Last night Liz and I went bowling with my office team. It was a fun night. It was not competitive, it was not for business purposes, it was just for fun! I really enjoyed hanging out with the people I work with. Getting to see their family members and being a part of something other than the work place was very enjoyable. I hope we get to do this again soon. Thanks team for a great night!

Do you ever feel like this?

I do not know what it is about this week that has taken its toll on me, but I am tired. Maybe it's the summer and its the heat wave that is blazing though the south, or maybe its is the fact that life has not slowed down at all in the last few weeks. Lets go over what we have on the menu right now? We are currently looking at placing our house on the market, I just started a basketball league on Mondays, Liz is looking working on her photography almost full time, and oh yeah we have 2 puppies that we have to take care of! (and we both have full time jobs.) I know some would say that we don't have kids at home yet, and that is part of the reason we get to run so much now. But for those of you who know me, I have a little girl who we make 6 hour round trip to see every other weekend to visit with. I am not complaining at all b/c I am blessed! We have found a great group of friends and we are growing in the word of Christ everyday.

Like the picture above I think the wind up toy is a symbol for something that I need to do today: REST! Because a "brotha" is beat!

My litte Girl!

I really miss my little one today. Her bday is coming up next month making her 6 yrs old. I can not believe how much time flies by. She is a really good kid. Anyone who has met her knows that. This post is just for her. Below are just a few of out great times together. I hope that one day when she can go back and read this thing that she will understand how much I loved and cherish all of our times together in her youth. I love you Sydney Carlene!

BLUE FIN & FRIENDS

One of my good friends from my home town David Boyer has been in town the last 2 months for work. Like me he is big on food and taste, and since Memphis is mecca for the two, I wanted to make sure he tried some of my hot spots while he was here. Lets see we did Corky's, Commensary, Bennigan's ,Swanky's just to name a few. And the last stop on the list was Blue Fin. This place is located off of main down town and has a great sushi bar. Our favorite of the night was the Red Bird and the Hurricane. These two taste are incredible. You have to try em! If I lived down town I would be at this place at least a few times a month! Live DJ, great seating arrangements, just an overall cool ambiance. This a great place to entertain friends or take the significant other for a night out. Weeknights are the best to me. Its laid back and easy going. BLUE FIN right here in Memphis gotta check it out!

Pics from the beach!

Our trip was awesome! Here are some pics of all the group at the beach! If you want more info please see Liz's page. Enjoy!

My best friend.

I was told about a week ago by my great friend that I was not giving him any love on my blog, so AB this post is for you! Adam Baxter (or for those that know him AB) is a great guy. We grew up together in Guntersville AL, and since we met in the 3rd grade have been cooler than a polar bear's toenails!

I have too many stories that I can tell about our friendship and crazy things that we would do to each other growing up. Like my vicious head butts I would give him, or the late night cruises we would take around our home town in the "black acura" during our senior year of school together!

Out of all of those things that I remember about Adam, his personality with people is why we are so close. Ask anyone that knows him and they will not have anything bad for the most part on the way he carries himself. His ability to transcend race and look at someone for who they are over what they have or where they live is what draws people to him. You see, AB does not look like me or come from the same type of family dynamic as I, but with his good heart we did not need those things in common to be great friends.
Years go by and our friendship has stayed strong. "Brother's from another mother" is a quote that serves our friendship best.

If I had to sum this guy up it would be in these words: Bama Fan, Best Man, Great friend. Not to get to mushy, but he is my boy and deserves this post.

Love ya bro.
ZW

Rest of Memphis vacation!

The last two days of my Memphis vacation were just as good as the rest. I spent Thursday at the Marting Luther King Museum. This is an awesome place. I had always wanted to go visit the museum before I had even moved to Memphis. So I added this into my vacation week and needless to say, JR and I had a great time there. To be able to trace back the Civil Rights Movement all the way back to 1816 when the bondage of slaves first began to April 4th 1968 where the leader for equality was murdered was really eye opening. It really opened my soul to the struggle for equality. The museum not only shows you a glimpse of Martin Luther and his story it also opens up African American history in a way that was really unbelievable. In short it was an awesome experience. To not really live in this time where things were so unequal for a people, it was a great historic event for me. Check this out when you get time: MLK JR LAST SPEECH

Friday was also a relaxing day. I went up to Jackson TN where I met up with a couple of my college teammates Chima and Drew for a round of golf. It was really fun getting to see those guys and we had a great time playing golf. That evening I drove back to Memphis and Liz and I had some of our small group over and played games and caught up a little.

The end of my vacation ended on Saturday which was my BIRTHDAY! I turned 28 this weekend and my wife treated me to a sushi dinner and movie. All in all it was a great week off and I enjoyed it all with close friends and family right here in Memphis!