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!

Memphis Vacation: Day Two

Day 2 of my vacation was a little more relaxed. Because we had our small group over at the in laws for discussion and dinner, I spent much of the day cleaning up and shopping for dinner. Dinner and friends sum up Day two and it was well worth all the cleaning and cooking because we had a great time. We are currently going through a series right now called, "Love and Respect" What the speaker, Dr. Emerson does in this series is try to break down love and respect and how we as a married couple can use this in a way to get to build a stronger foundation to grow on as you move further in your marriage. I have grown to really enjoy the series and sharing my thoughts with the rest of the group has helped a ton.

In saying this I would like to take a second to praise how awesome I think my wife is. Elizabeth Jean I can honestly say was sent to me from heaven. Anyone who knew me before would know that she would have had to been sent from heaven to come and pull me from where my life was going. She is the most understanding and amazingly prideless human-being I have ever met in my life. Her ability to be my wife and in doing so taking on the responsibility of being a step mother in the same right is astonishing.

Many times in our early stages of dating I would always ask her why she would even want to get into something with a guy who has no clue where he is going in life, she would just look at me and tell me that she could see my heart. (Ladies if your husbands ever question why you love them ever, please use this line!) I don't know if she ever knew this but that small statement coming from her made me melt. She really is God Sent. My wife is unique and thrifty. She is smart and silly. She is sexy and elegant. "Dang it" she is my wife and I love her to death!

Sorry to get off on a tangent, but I just wanted you to know that my partner means everything to me and I spent most of my day yesterday and this morning thinking about her and all of her extraordinary ways that when seen make me a better human. I love you Hun!

Day two to sum it up, was a peaceful one and I needed that.

Touring Memphis: "Day One"

Yesterday was a fun day. Started off with JR and I going to the driving range in Bartlett. The place is called Putt-Putt Golf and Games. It is pretty cool for a family to attend. They have games, batting cage, putt-putt golf, and go carts! JR and I decided to avoid all of that excitement and get down to business on the driving range. It was a ton of fun. JR could really crack it off the tee, I was impressed. We hung out there for an hour or so, hit some balls with the new clubs and then headed back to the Shack's home to hit the pool. Great conversation and a cold refreshing Frosty at Wendy's wrapped up our day. Golf, Pool, Food, pretty good day for anyone huh? Well that is not all that I did yesterday..... I got a tattoo!

I am so not an impulse person at all, so do not think that this just happened b/c I was bored. This was about 5 years in the waiting. A artist from the shop "Cat Daddy's Tattoo Parlor" did a spectacular job. This was something that I have wanted forever. I have been in several shops over the last 5 years and never saw anything that I would ever want permanently branded on me for life. But when I took this vacation time I stated to look for something that I would really like that carried a meaning that was specific to me. And here it is.

It took the guy about 1 hr after he started to draw on the tattoo. He honestly did a great job. At the beginning it was a little uncomfortable, but afterwards I cruised to the ending. At the bottom of the tattoo is a verse that you cannot see in the photo: Isaiah 40:31

The verse reads as follows,

31 but those who HOPE in the LORD he will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

I really like it. HOPE is all you need. He can take it from there.

I am on vacation!!!!

This week is going to be an unusual vacation to say the least. My wife will still be at work and simply put this week will not be as exciting as if she were here with me. With that being said, I still have to find something to do.

So I have a plan. The city of Memphis is AWESOME and with one full week I should be able to find some pretty interesting things to do with my life while Liz is at work. So I am going to dedicate this week to Memphis. For those of you who do not live in the city, hopefully my blog this week will give you some insight on how fun of a city Memphis is. And for those of you who do, maybe I can come up with some neat things to do that you may find intresting as well!

For the most part I won't be doing this alone. JR who most of you know, (and if you don't then you are missing out!) will be hanging out with me most of the week. Another childhood buddy from back home David Boyer "Super Dave" for me, will be in Memphis this week as well. Tune in this week should be an interesting one!

Tiger Woods meets Tiger Hood!

So, Thursday, we get back from my nephew Jack's party in Jackson, TN and guess what I find on the front porch.......?

I'm so excited and I really do not know why. I am not a golfer at all. I have never really played and to be honest, after I made the impulse purchase online last week for my birthday, I contemplated several times about canceling. I think it will be fun to hit some balls and get to know a new sport, but if you are the type that is already competitively playing golf, please don't ask me to come and play with you just yet (unless you are patient). I will be playing for the fun of the game-- not to compete at all! I am excited. Who knows, maybe I wont be so terrible at it after all. First up, my brother in law, Lee Smitherman, and I will be going out to hit some balls. See you on the greens!

My, how far we've come.

Have you ever been out in your neighborhood, at work, at the mall even, and thought that you were better than someone b/c of what you had, where you live, or by the color of your skin? At the same time have you been in those same places and thought that someone thought less of you for those same reasons? How far have we really come as a country from 50 years ago? We pride ourselves on melting cultures and being one. You know, the coming together attitude that we carried so proudly after Sept 11. But when anything comes in that we cannot wrap our minds around we freak out and say that things should go back to the way it was 50 years ago.

I have always carried the quote with me, "We are scared of things we do not know." What if you were a family that lived on the other side of the Mexican border and had a family of five, three of which were severely malnourished because they had not eaten a solid meal for the last 2 months. You had no money, and in your current town, there was not an honest way to provide for your family. You want to do something, but have no clue of what that needs done and no idea on where to start. Would you,

A. Do nothing.

B. Rob, steal, and kill in order to feed your starving family.

C. Try to cross the border illegally where there were jobs to help feed your starving family?

I am not saying that either of these are right. But if I were in that same scenario, I know which one I would choose if I had a starving child. I write about this b/c I have fell victim to this type of racism. Why can't Whites, Blacks, Asians, Mexicans, Indians, etc. help each other? To me that question is easy. It's not about race anymore. It's about class.... I attached part of an article I read tonight on this subject. Check out these stats. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/feb/19/usa.paulharris

"An America divided."

.There are 37 million Americans living below the poverty line.

· The United States has 269 billionaires, the highest number in the world.

· Almost a quarter of all black Americans live below the poverty line; 22 per cent of Hispanics fall below it. But for whites the figure is just 8.6 per cent.

· There are 46 million Americans without health insurance.

· There are 82,000 homeless people in Los Angeles alone.

· In 2004 the poorest community in America was Pine Ridge Indian reservation. Unemployment is over 80 per cent, 69 per cent of people live in poverty and male life expectancy is 57 years. In the Western hemisphere only Haiti has a lower number.

· The richest town in America is Rancho Santa Fe in California. Average incomes are more than $100,000 a year; the average house price is $1.7m.

This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday February 19 2006 on p32 of the World news section. It was last updated at 13:31 on February 27 2006. " After you look at these statistics of what make up our America, which makeup of our culture do you think that you are most racist toward? Whites, Black, Asians, Native Americans, Mexican? Does it have something to do with where they live, what they do, what they look like? At the same time does this have a direct correlation with the amount of money that race makes. I would argue that the latter of those options is what I struggle with more than any other type of racism. It's so sad that it happens but it's true. Has "racism" taken on a new color and tone? This is a question that is being asked a ton in our small group. Have we disassociated ourselves from people that don't look like us so much that we have turned racist with out even knowing it? Or even sadder, have we done this knowingly and blamed it on crime and a bad city to save face? What do you think?

VISIT WITH SYDNEY

As you know I did not get to see the little one on Father's Day. So I took the day off Monday to visit with Syd and it was well worth it. We started the day with my father's day gift that she and Liz picked out (60's Soul music CD oldies but Goldie's) and afterwards went to the mall and spent the day doing some of Sydney's favorite things. One of them is the book store. (Here she is above signing up to win a doll.) Afterwards we took a break and went to the coffee shop for some warm drinks and conversation and then finished up at the book store making a couple of purchases of "My Little Ponies" books and heading home for the day. I will never forget these days when she gets older and I sure hope she doesn't. I love this girl!

TIGER, TIGER, TIGER, WOODS YA'LL

That is all I have to say. I watched this yesterday and I think this clip is worth showing it again. How does he do it? I dont know, but time after time he does.

HAPPY.....WELL EVERYTHING!

This weekend was a bit of a whirlwind for the Wiggs family. With this weekend being Father's Day we decided to stay at Liz's parent's house so we would cut down on driving. I should have seen some clues that something is going on, right? WRONG!

For the last couple of months my wife has been planning a surprise party for me and I had no clue! My birthday is not for two weeks (June 28) but with her folks leaving the country, she wanted them be a part of it. I must say I was shocked. My first surprise party was a hit. Thanks baby, you are the greatest. See more pics on my wife's page.

The next part of the weekend was Father's Day. This is someting that really gets to me sometimes b/c of the distance between me and Sydney. Sydney's mom had something planned this weekend, so I was not able to get there to see her on Father's Day. I took off work today so that I could be with my little girl the day after, at least. This little girl is something special and I cannot wait to give her a big hug and kiss for Father's Day! Gosh, I miss her so much.

Lastly, I wanted to say how awesome I think that my wife's family is. With basically all of my family living out of state, it could be very tough during times such as Father's Day and my birthday to feel at home. Not with the Shackelford Family being here. You guys have really made Memphis home for me. I love all of you for making this weekend a great one. And to my wife who set up this whole thing up, even after she knew how much surprises freak me out, I LOVE YOU SO SO SO MUCH!

And to my father, I love you. You are an awesome man. I owe my kind spirit to you. I know that we did not get to spend it together this year but it was great talking with you today. Thanks for being in my life and staying there. You are a great guy, and dad.

Happy FATHER'S DAY, DADDY!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I FELL ASLEEP!

Sorry KOBE,

Boston's stunning comeback! Guess when I heard about it? The next morning! I fell asleep during the 3rd qtr of the game when the Lakers were up by 20 points. I was getting tired, so I said to myself, "This game is over" and went to bed... only to miss the largest comeback in NBA history.
Great game I guess. Maybe I can check it out on youtube. The Celtics are back and soon to be WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!

Great work, Celtics. I am excited for you~

Bear and Bryant

This is my first post about my dogs. These are my boys. I really believe every man should own at least one dog in their adult life. In my case, that meant having two. We got Bear (chocolate lab) last Christmas. We were so excited about getting him. He was so cute and playful, but something was missing. That's where Bryant came in:They are growing so much right now! In the beginning, I was not interested in the idea of having a dog, much less two. Liz begged me for one and we already had a cat, but eventually I gave in. She told me I could name them if I let her have one. So, that's where "Bear" and "Bryant" spawned from. Now, I can't imagine life without them. They can get into trouble and make life frustrating, but I love coming home and playing with them. I love running with them and teaching them how to fetch. They're really great dogs.

We are going to see Syd!

Liz and I are going to see Syd this weekend. With her mom getting married in August it has been a busy last few weeks for them. We are so excited. Nothing is more perfect than having a sunny afternoon with both of my girls!!!! I can't wait. Here are a few pics of my girls.

Where are they now?

Today's post is dedicated to Joey Goforth for giving me the idea to ask the question: Where is Arsenio Hall? You guys remember him, don't you? He co-starred in some great movies like "Coming to America", and "Harlem Nights." Though he had great roles in both movies, he was best known for his night time talk show that aired in the early 90's. The Arsenio Hall Show was awesome for a lot of reasons. First off, Arsenio Hall was one of the first black hosts to ever air on a late night show and although it was short lived, he had some pretty cool guests. My favorite part of the show, hands down, was when they would announce Arsenio's entrance. It went a little something like this... "And now here is your host ARSENIOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL."

He is an excerpt from en.wikipedia.org, on what Arsenio has been up to since the show ended.
"Hall has made only infrequent appearances on television (including a short-lived 1997 sitcom called Arsenio) before starring in Martial Law with Sammo Hung from 1999–2000 and hosting the revival of Star Search in 2003.

Hall made a cameo appearance as himself in Chappelle's Show in March 2004, when Dave was imagining "what Arsenio is doing right now" in a dinner scene. It showed Hall at a wine party eating some cheese and saying, "Damn! That's some good-ass cheese!" After which, Hall started punching and slapping people for not telling him about the apparently delicious cheese. Paul Mooney also joked about Hall in his "Negrodamus" sketch: when asked "Will Arsenio Hall ever get another show," Mooney responds "Yes. Arsenio Hall will host another show. It will be called Good Morning Black America, and it will be broadcast at noon throughout the country."

In addition, as of 2008, Hall is a guest co-host on Wednesday evenings on the Tim Conway Jr. radio show on 97.1 KLSX in Los Angeles."

In short, he ain't doing too much. I'm still a fan, though. Since everyone knows I'm a crazy Jordan fan, I decided to include a clip from MJ's appearance on Arsenio Hall's show back in 1990. Check it out...

Starbucks, what happened to my change?

Let me start out by saying that this story in no way is targeted to people who drink Starbucks coffee. The coffee is some of the best tasting stuff I have ever had. Lee Upchurch, a good friend of mine, introduced me to this drink and it is awesome.

"The Tall White Mocha"

Over the last few weeks I have stopped in to get this drink and have waited up 10-15 min at times just to get it. But I mind you almost everytime it has been with a gift card.

My first experience without a gift card was a little different. Last week for instance, I pull up to the order window and I order the drink and as I waited for my drink I started to ponder on the thought of what I am actually waiting for.

Now my wife can attest to this, that I am not the most frugal person in the world, but I have started to wonder about what the cost of a cup of Joe' is now days and its getting kind of scary. (anyways back to waiting in line) So I waited in line and started to realize that I was little hungry, and as I approached the window the nice Starbucks lady (who gets an A+) for bringing my thought into fruition when she asked " if I would Iike a soft blueberry muffin with my order of Tall White Mocha" The spirit in me said no that is too much, but my tummy screamed oh yes you do!

So I pulled out 6 bucks and passed it to the lady and waited. As time passed I played up the thought of how great my coffee would taste and how I would have asked for that muffin even if she did not up sell it to me. Then "Finally" the wait is over. I had my White Mocha in one hand and my warm, creamy, blueberry muffin in the other. As I placed the muffin on my passenger seat and freed the other hand for my change I turned,opened my hand toward the window, and out dropped like 45 cents into my hand! Hence the question: What happened to my change back? OK Starbucks lady, I gave you six bucks and you gave me a coffee and a muffin, where is this fare?

As I pull off with the face that I am sure she sees often from a somewhat new of a Starbuck's goer(the what tha just happened face)I thought to myself ok ok... I am civil, I'm not going to freak out about this. Its just six bucks it will be okay. So the next week I stopped on the way in to work and pick up a coffee and McGriddle (please try one if you have not) from McDonald's. The meal was great- I was charged a few bucks, and guess what....I did get change back!!! I really think McDonald's finally figured it out. Our coffee choices may not be as bold and we may not have the cool feel of holding a Starbucks cup, but when a client hands us 6-7 bucks for a coffee and sandwich, we are going to give them some change back! Starbucks I love you, but maybe you can takes some notes. Your business may even triple what it is doing now if you come down a little and stop me from having to take out a small loan for a cup of Joe. In short Gimme some change with my order.

Thanks,

Let it BURN

This Saturday was going to be a great weekend. I was about to get off work and I called Liz and told her to grab some hamburger meat and lets make some burgers on the new grill. I was so excited when I got home and Liz had the patties of 4 delicous burgers seasoned and ready to go (I love her)!I got the grill going and forgot that it was placed on high (this happened b/c my lovely dogs Bear and Bryant were driving me nuts and I couldn't focus!) So with the grill on high I tossed the burgers on and like any guy popped in to finish up on the last pitching series of the Braves game. 8 minutes go by and I suddenly look out from the corner of my eye and see smoke and flames coming from the grill. Oh no!!!! Yes, the burgers were toasted. I learned two things that day: One, if you are going to cook, stay focused, and two, if you are going to burn good food.... it's always good to have two dogs around so you won't waste it.

To top all of this off, Liz comes in last night and says she is going to make dinner. She is the queen of the kitchen and I would say one of the best cooks I know. I let her have the kitchen, but I claim to be the king of the grill. But last night, she came in and put me to shame by preparing the best shish kabobs you have ever tasted. What can I say? She is the bomb!

Here is a pic of her work!

FINALLY!!!

One of my favorite things about June (other than the fact that I turn a year older) is the NBA Finals. Although in the last few years the NCAA Tourney has really outshined the League, I think the NBA is on a comeback with the two contenders for this year's title.

First, you have the Lakers; Kobe and Phil. These guys know how to win (Phil and his 9 titles and Kobe's 3). Bottom line, if I am Boston I am a little scared. Kobe is an assasin and this year has proved he can take over a game almost any time he wants to. With the additions of the Spaniard, Paul Gasol (who by the way is a great player), and Derrick Fisher (leader), the Lakers look like no one can stop em'.

But wait...

BOSTON IS IN THE PLACE! The Big Ticket, Paul Pierce, and Ray Ray are hungry. No one thought they would take off like this and I have to tell you, I was one of those critics. They have an edge in the series with home court throughout and they will need it against the battle tested Lakers. With road struggles and a couple of nail bitters in the first 2 rounds, it seemed the Celtics were in for it, facing Detroit. But a sleeping Ray Allen who was 0 for his first 9 playoff games awoke and the rest is history.

There you have it. Lakers vs. Boston. I love it. Reminds me of the old days

Remember these guys.

I am glad to say that the NBA is back!!!!! Can Kobe make it four and continue the debate for the greatest to play the game? You know that MJ never lost a finals he appeared in (there is a fun fact for ya!). Lets see what you got, Kobe- give us a show!