Live Learn and Grow

As we get ready for Eli Samuel

2011-12-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

Infant Car Seat....Check

Breaking out Zachary's strollers, swings, and toys.....Check

Smiling thinking about raising 2 boys while I do all of this.......CHECK!!!!

I am so excited about tomorrow. I never thought that I would be at a point in my life where I could say that I have 3 kids! Those words coming out of my mouth make me chuckle as I think about my first child coming into the world. I remember how young I was when I had Sydney (21) I was just a kid who was still trying to finish school and figure out life and here I am getting ready to watch Sydney's mom bring her into this world. Talk about heart pumping! I remember seeing her eyes after all of the crying stopped. I remember that expression of "you must be my daddy look"on her face. There are not many things I can't remember about that day 9 years later, but I will never forget that first look. Heart stopping.

With Zachary I remember being excited that he was my first boy! I remember collecting as much Bama gear as I could find and made sure that he came home in something that said "Tide" on it. The first memory that comes to mind with my son was how laid back he was. It just seemed as if he took everything in. Two days old and he looked as if he had it all figured out. He was just so serious. I remember my wife coming to tears as she held him the first night. I knew without saying it that those tears were the sum of the joy that overflowed as she begin to realize that she could love something so much. That memory will stick with me for a long time. "A mothers love."

That brings me to Eli. Son you will be here in less than 24hrs. I am sure that there will be memories I will be sharing soon. I can not wait to see you and hold you. Can't wait to see what your first look will be after you stop crying......

I pray that as this 3rd kid enters this world that I raise him as Christ would approve. That I can be the best imperfect dad that I can be to all of them. I pray that the Lord guides me to make the right decisions and to be the best that I can be. I love my kiddos! Ready for the next one to be here. Until then wish us luck!

Thanks!

My Wife is 3-0!!!!

2011-10-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

I can remember this picture like it was yesterday. Five years ago on this date I proposed to my wife. It was the best decision that I have ever made in my life. Look at us..... we were so young, broke, and in love! Elizabeth you mean so much to me. There is no way that I could picture my life without her. I am truly convinced that Christ sent you to me. I am still figuring out the reason why, because I simply do not deserve you. Elizabeth you are an amazing woman. Capable of anything. I want you to know that you have rocked these 30 years to the max!

You are a friend, you are a confidant, you are a mother, you are a blessing to our family. I hope that you have enjoyed your 30th. You have so many people that love you and care for you. I am your number one fan! Lets go for another 30 more together. What do you say? Happy Birthday honey. I am so proud of you.

Love
Zach, Sydney, Zachary Jr., and Eli :)

Its cold out but.....It's getting hot in here!

2011-10-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

I think that we may have just started a tradition when it begins to get cold outside. My special hot chocolate hit the spot tonight. When fall season starts the Wiggs' fam gets very excited. Leaves changing, temps drop, and we start making wintry drinks! This one I stole from the side of the half n half box. What we used to make this great tasting stuff:

Mug
Hot Water
Pack of hot choc. (I cheated here, but it still worked)
1/4 table spoon of vanilla abstract
hand full of choc chips
1/4 cup of half and half....or a little more if you like :)
Top it off with Whip Cream
Sprinkle with Cinnamon

Enjoy!

1600 sq feet of first.

2011-10-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

As I put my son down for the night and I cozy up to my Michelob Ultra I can not stop thinking about the selling of our home. I go from a 30 second high of blissfulness as I imagine us moving back into the city that we love (Memphis) -and then there is a bit of sorrow as I think about leaving the home that my wife and I moved into. I could never forget when we first took the keys to this home. No kids, no dogs. Just me, my lovely wife, and Precious the cat. I feel like those times were just yesterday. We moved out into this small little town just outside of Memphis and knew no one. This home took us in and we slowly started to make it our own. Pictures, new furniture, a new grill for the backyard ...oh the purchases of young folks in love. This house held up to our youthfulness as a young married couple. These walls patiently took on our arguments, our debates, our singing, our disagreements with dignity. These floors took on our spills, our kids first steps, our dancing, our gaming.

We started a business here. We found a closer relationship with our Lord here. A Jr was born here. Birthday parties were done here. Football games were watched, people cried here, Thanksgiving was had here, snow cones were made here, dogs ate things they weren't supposed to eat here, We made new friendships that will last forever here. Our first home together means so much to me. A tear comes to my eye when I think about leaving it. So much history that is found in these 1600 square fee of "first ".

Its been a while

2011-09-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

My laptop has been down for quite a bit! It is now fixed just in time for the football season to kick off. So I am sure that this fall you will be hearing more from me here. My top 5 things right now.

1. My Kindle-currently reading Call of the Wild. Yes I took it back to the 4th grade on this one.
2. Alabama football! We are looking like we can go for another title this year.
3. Selling our home. No rush on this but we do want to sell.
4. Fall weather. I am a huge fan of this weather change and being able to dress for it.
5. My wife's cooking. This lady is on a mission to fatten me up! And I am enjoying every bit of it!

More updates to come later.

Thanks!

Letter to my Granny

2011-06-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Granny I don’t even know where to start. I wanted to write you this letter and tell you how much you mean to me and also let you know that it is because of you I am who I am today. Looking back on my childhood I could not imagine life without you in it. I remember the nights that you started keeping us on Saturdays so that Josh and I could begin going to church with you on Sunday morning. I loved coming to your house and hanging with you and paw paw. Watching the TV shows like Hee Haw and eating your wonderful cooking on those Saturdays nights is something that neither of us will forget. I will always remember those nights that you would stay up with rollers in your hair and prepare for the lesson that you were going to teach the next day in church. You would always make sure that we were focused and that we knew how important Gods word is. Smiles come to my face as I think about you teaching us The Lord’s Prayer. I will never forget those nights.

I remember the afternoons that you would come and pick me and Josh up and take us to go on walks with you. I will never forget why you would you would even take us on these walks. It seemed as if we slowed you down more than helped! Josh and I were always amazed with how fast you could walk that levee. I remember how sad I was once when I lost some money up there. We spent the better part of that afternoon searching for that money than we did walking. You even pitched in to help. I remember you patients with two goofy grandkids who wanted to find that money! Thinking back to those times being with you and getting to be close to you are memories that I will keep forever.

Your cooking will also be something that I will keep with me. You know that I would travel for miles to get to eat your food. My family will always be reminded that Granny’s cooking is what kept me going. I will never forget or let my family forget my favorite meal. Pinto beans and corn bread. That combination will be one of my favorites forever.

As I got older and began playing sports you supported me. You began to see that my interest in sports could lead to a better life for me. And although I couldn’t see it you begin to assist me in preparing myself to move on from my small town that I love so much. I remember that as I began my senior year in school that you always said that I was going to have to leave Guntersville to find better work and start my family. Though I was thinking that I would always be back there by now, I think that you knew then that I wouldn’t be.

Then I graduated high school and moved to Tennessee to attend Union University. The one thing I will remember about that school dorm is that I would get a weekly phone call from you early in the a.m. asking me how things were going and making sure that I was doing what I needed to do. I think that my roommates even knew that it was you calling so early! Those calls kept me grounded and focused.

Moving on past college with kids and family I hope that I have made you proud. I hope that I have embodied the heart and soul that you seem to carry so well. You have been with me and help mold me into someone who is capable of being anything I want to be. You showed me that it was possible.

Granny you taught me about God. You showed him to me by the way you lived and how you cared for us. You showed me how to care and love a family. I want you to know that you have your fingerprints all over my life. From the time that I was a little boy all the way up to now. The way that you have lived your life for others is something that I want to continue. Granny I know that you are very sick. I wanted to write this to you so that you could know fully that you were so amazing to me. You were such a hero to me. Strong, solid, dependable, constant, my rock!

I love you grandma! You will always be so special to me. And no matter what happens with this cancer you will always be super woman to me. May the God that you introduced me to be with you. Love you so much lady.

Thoughts

2011-06-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

You know sometimes I think that I have it all wrong. The busy life. The running, the going, the ups the downs. Cramming as much stuff in as I can in 16 hours. Trying to be smarter, looking to move up. Sometimes I feel that it is just too damn much. I see a guy playing a air guitar everyday on my way to work. I pass another guy who is homeless. Sometimes I ask myself do they have it right and I have it wrong. Don't get me twisted. I love my family and I love my way of life. Being a provider for my family is something that is so important to me. Sometimes though I feel that I miss out on it. With work and everything that is going on sometimes I think that I get lost in that and I miss out on what is real.

On the other hand I feel that I need to be an example. To be the only kid in your family that went to a four year college and finished you get that pressure not from your family, but from inside of your gut to continue to push on. To go as far as you can go to show them that there is a way. To show your family that the sacrifice that they made for you paid off. At the same time I feel that in my strive to push hard I move further from their reality.A reality that makes it hard for mine and theirs to mesh. Tough.

At the same time I say that this is tough, I am hanging out with kids that I mentor weekly that are in the same spot I was in as a child. They come from families that are some what as broken as mine was as a kid. They have a reality that my kids will never be faced with.(I hope) Their parents are stressed with how to pay bills on the daily and how to put food on the table. Things that are or will be passed on to them to deal with when they have their families in years to come. That is unless they find another way......

I feel a pressure that I have to show them the way to live another way. A way that is so foreign than anything that they know. What is even worse is that they live two blocks away from where another way of life is looming. A life where it is easy to see the difference between the have's and have nots. A life where the land of plenty will never reach their doorstep. And if it ever does I wonder sometimes if its even worth it. Even if everything around them tells them that it is. I don't really know where I am going with this post. Not really trying to make a statement. For the last few years these are things that I have come to realize about myself.

I have started to feel a pressure from within. To make a difference. Not just for me and mine, but for those who can do nothing for me. Those who have less. Those who can not return the favor to me in any way. This pressure gets even larger when I enter back into that world I used to know and see that there are so few people who are looking to do the same. PRESSURE.

On the daily I ask God to lead me. Tell me where to go what to do. I hope that I am listening. I know that he is the only reason I am here. So knowing that, I try to push on and remove my worldly thoughts and views from my head although tough I keep striving.

Hopefully we are leading the right way. One step back two forward. That is how I tend to go. Thoughts right now. That is all I have. I will keep moving though.

Poetry Remix

2011-03-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Even though Black History Month has passed I still felt lead to still share something I heard during a black history celebration a few weeks back and wanted to share. Black History is something that I feel pretty strong about. And from time to time I like to pull things from this history to share. Here is one I find good. This is from Rudyard Kipling called "If". With a twist. Martin Luther King Jr. style.

Ted Williams......this story is amazing.

2011-01-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

The thing that I love about America is how fast your life can change! You can go from being loved to hated overnight. i.e. Micheal Vick, Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, and most recently LeBron James to name a few. On the flip side of that you can also be Ted Williams. The story of this man is so compelling to me. It says that there is hope. I love this man's compassion and how he speaks so much about his redemption over the last few years. Ted Williams better known as "The Man with the Golden Voice" was homeless less than two weeks ago. HOMELESS...living in a tent in the city of Cleveland. He was known for his silky smooth voice and worked in the radio in the early 80s. A stint with drugs and alcohol shortened his career and caused the downward spiral to becoming homeless. His story is here and I will let you follow the links. My prayer for this man is for him to be a spring board for the gospel and to tell his story to millions! My prayer for him also is that he stays on this path and that God places on and when the light dims that he can be strong. That the Lord places wonderful people around him to help him stay the course. This story is powerful to me. It shows me that in this country anything is possible. I know that this is the tip of the iceberg, you don't go from being homeless to perfect. God Be with this man. With this quick fame he is going to need it!

Here is him on the Today's Show, The thing that I looooove about this one is how he speaks to America about the homeless and tells us not to assume when we give them money. Everyone has a story he says...everyone.

Last here is him doing a commercial! Ted Williams will be on a commercial near you!

Making a Trip to see the girl tomorrow!

2010-12-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about tomorrow. Want to know why? Liz, Zachary Jr. and I will be driving up to Cape Girardeau MO to watch Sydney sing in a choir tomorrow. I have a special gift that I plan on giving her. You see the last time that she was in town she really enjoyed a gift that Elizabeth made for me called "50 Things I Love About You." It is a mason jar filled with little snippets of things that my wife loves about me. Syd has become quite the reader over the last couple of years, and she enjoyed reading them so much that I decided that we should make her one. Here are the pics. I hope that she enjoys it. She is precious little girl and I can not wait to give it to her. Can you tell I am excited to watch her tomorrow! Below is her gift.

The Front

The Back

The Top

Thanks!

Adoption.....what it means for the Wiggs' family.

2010-11-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

This is a word that had little meaning to me until I turned 18 years old. I knew that I wanted to adopt at a young age. That I wanted to provide a home to a child who didn't have one. Although I knew this way back then, I didn't know what my home would look like or even how I would look to do this. Over the last couple of years my wife and I started talking about what we wanted our family to look like. We knew that we wanted to adopt early on, but didn't see this happening til many years down the road. (More than likely when we were done with the idea of having any more biological kids of our own) For those of you who don't know me before I met my wife I already have a daughter named Sydney who is now eight. She is our little princess. After her there is a age gap of 7 years. Zachary Jr. came along and has been nothing but a joy! After Zachary arrived we began asking the question what is next for us? What about our next baby? What about adoption? What about now?

As these questions started to rise I felt a huge calling. A calling that began to grow over the next few months after Zachary that adopting was upon us. I never brought this up to Liz. I wanted to wait and make sure that she felt comfortable about making this move and be considerate to her after just having Zachary. Shorty after this thought my lovely wife called me at work one day and told me that this had been on her heart and that she wanted to see what I thought about it! This is what I call the Lord working. Since this time we have started the process. We have accepted an agency and have formally started the process of adoption. We have selected Ethiopia as the country to adopt from.

I could go into a huge spiel of why we decided to adopt internationally over domestic or why we are even adopting in the first place. I won't bore you now with the why. I will tell you that we feel led and blessed to be able to grow our family this way. I am really excited about seeing this little one and introducing him to our family. I am so happy that I have a wife that is as open to the new chapter of our life as I am. Adoption to the Wiggs' means growth. 360 degrees of growth. My wife has started a blog that is following the process on where we are if you are interested. Here is the site http://wiggsadoptionstory.blogspot.com . We ask that you pray for us. Pray that the process moves in the direction that the Lord wishes for it to. Currently was are getting ready for our home study. We are also following lots of folks who have decided to grow their families this way and this has made us feel so much better about our prayerful decision to move this way. Thanks!
ZW

Population Me......

2010-11-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

I heard this song last week and I can not get it out of my head. The song is by a guy named Matthew West and it is called my Own Little World. This song made me think on my own life. How sometimes I can get soooo trapped thinking about me and mine. It is so easy to do this sometimes. We can get so engulfed in our own stuff that we forget how powerful a person each of us can be. This song does it for me. It ask the questions what if? What if I spoke to the man on the side of the road? What if I said hello to my neighbor of 10 years? What if I volunteered for something? What if I helped one person? This song reminds me of a famous quote that Nelson Mandela used in his 1994 inauguration speech. I love this quote so much because it reminds me of low times in my life that all I though I could do is bring someone down. This quote takes that notion and turns it on its head! Powerful stuff.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Maryanne Williamson

Enjoy the video!

Bama drops title aspirations loosing to LSU 24-21

2010-11-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

Well folks yesterday was not a great day for Alabama football. We dropped our second game of the season to LSU late in the 4th qtr by the score of 24-21. With this loss it all but kicks us out of the SEC Championship game and destroys the Tide's chances of repeating for a National Championship. With all of that being said, I have to tip my hat to the LSU Tigers. They played a wonderful game and had a terrific plan of how to attack our young defense. Great game. We just ended up on the short side of the stick. Hmmmmmm.....big bomber.

Tide fans lick your wounds and continue to cheer on your team. We are young and are still at the tops in college football. I am still excited about the rest of the season. Get used to competing every year as long as we have coach Saban at the wheel. Congrats again LSU and lets go Crimson Tide. Lets finish this thing out strong.

ZW

So much going on and no post!

2010-11-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here is an update of everything that has happened over the last few months in pictures and vids! With work kids and other activities going on sometimes it is hard to get around to my blog. Here goes!

We will start with the Alabama Arkansas game. We got a chance to spend some time with the Cordell's in Zach's home town and we couldn't pass it up! We always have so much fun with them and it was great spending time with his family in Fayetteville. The game went pretty well for us too! Bama came back to win in the 4th qtr. Such fun!

Liz and I at the game.

Lizzy tailgating. She is so pretty

After the game we stopped at the "Catfish Hole" Right outside of Zach's hometown. This place was amazing! Some of the best catfish I have ever tasted!

A few weeks later we hosted a game night outside. With the help of a good friend, we set up the Florida-Bama game outside. We ate smores, grilled out, and invited friends from the neighborhood to hang out! So much fun! Oh yea....Bama won!

We got a chance to make one more trip to Seacreast Florida. Liz had a wedding there and Jr. and I went as well. We got a chance to spend some time with Aunt Tori and Uncle Lee there. Outside of the 190.00 tickets we both recived on the way there we had a blast. So much fun!

Pizza by the Sea was simply amazing. Some of the best pizza I have ever tasted. If you are ever in Santa Rosa Beach Fl. please stop in.

Uncle Lee and Aunt Tori traveled with us.

Crab legs are a must! This was Lizzy'z bday gift since she was sooo busy with the wedding.

Gotta have some Whataburger if you are in Florida!

I got a chance to tutor these kiddos at the Florida-Kansas Elementary School through Jr. Achievement . They were a hoot. Awesome school and great kids.

Sydney and I got a chance to bring in the fall season at Discovery Playhouse. They had tons of arts and crafts that kept her busy. Fun times!

Guess who this kiddo is? Halloween was this weekend and for Zachary's first one he was a Memphis Tiger. He loved his costume and he got to spend lots of time in it with his mother taking lots of pics of him in it. Happy Halloween Jr!

We gone find you!

2010-09-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

This was a story that was shot last summer. IT is soooo funny. What is wonderful about it is that the family was able to move out of this neighborhood because of all the fame. Great ending to this story.

Here is the song that was made from the story.

Here is the success from this. I love it!

Game Changer

2010-09-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

We are going to the Bama vs Arkansas game this week. I can not wait to see these two teams match up. We are going with some good friends of ours the Cordell's. Zach Cordell is a Razorback fan and is originally from Arkansas. This is going to be either a really fun trip or a sucky one for each of us. The ladies and kiddos will be making the trip as well so it should be fun. Anyways I wanted to send this out so that Mr. Cordell could see what he is up against this weekend. Hey Fayetteville, "A Tide is headed your way!"

Big 5 for this week!

2010-09-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

1. Football season has kicked back off. I am a little excited about it. Bama's game is televised and they play Penn State tonight. My friend Justin from up the street will be over to watch the game with me. Can not wait to watch it.

2. I have had some terrible headaches the last few afternoons. Liz asked me to try the neti pot and it was simply amazing! I think that I will live by this from now on. Here is a vid of how it works.

3. Keeping Zachary on the weekends. I keep my son on the weekend's while my wife is out working. We have so much fun together. Granted I don't get much done around the house when it comes to mowing and maintenance but all of that can wait when I have the curly headed kiddo around.

4. We watched a move this week called "The Joneses" this movie is one that if you never watched it is well worth it. Redbox has it for 1.00. Great concept and I love the way it makes fun of consumerism. Its kinda sad though. Go and get it!

5. My new flag. I purchased this flag a week ago and it has caused some ruckus in my neighborhood. I had my next door neighbor put a letter in my mail box that I called him out for today. We had a good laugh about it.

Wish I had one of the guns in this vid. One that makes people dance!

2010-08-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

6 reasons he is my favorite boy

2010-08-01T09:34:00.001-07:00

Zachary Allen Jr has been such a blessing to me. I remember how excited I was when I found out that we had a baby on the way. I remember how over the top I was when I found out he was a boy! I am not a huge emotional person- (not on the outside at least) but I was so joyful to see him when he got here. Now he is getting ready to turn six months old and I thought that a "Top 6 reasons why he is my favorite boy" would be fitting. Here goes,

Number one: Your curls. I love running my hands through them and trying to figure out a way to style it every day.

Number two: Your diaper butt. Nothing looks sweeter than to watch you sleep at night with that little diaper bottom sticking up.

Number three: Your giggles. I love listening to you giggle and I love making you laugh.

Number four: your serious look. You always look as if you are trying to figure out things.

Number five: Your love for Bear and Bryant. I can just tell that you 3 will be great friends.

Number six: Your love for your momma. That my friend we both have in common.

I love you Zach Jr. You have been a huge inspiration to me. I want you to know that if there is ever anything that you need. You can come to me for it first. Happy six months and I love you! -Daddy.

Don't worry....about a thing.

2010-07-31T06:26:00.001-07:00

This is so the motto for the place we visited. Jamaica was soooo much fun! There was so much to do and there was not enough time to do it all. Liz and I really wanted to take another trip before we have or start trying for another little one. This trip was it. Being in paradise was quite fun, getting to spend this time alone with the woman I love is priceless. I am going to try to give you our views from the trip and add a video of our pics. Hope you enjoy! Jennifer and Matt thanks again for this referral. It was exactly what we were looking for.

This was our room. OMG are the only words I have.

Here are all the pics.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Trip before the vacation.....

2010-07-25T10:23:00.001-07:00

Before Liz and I headed on our vaca to Jamaica, I had to go and see about a girl. That young lady would be my Sydney Carlene! The first thing that I noticed is her new hair doo! It looked so pretty. She is turning into such a lovely little girl.

We have such great times when I make the day trip up to see her. With the weather being so hot out, we had to find some things inside that we could do to enjoy ourselves. I asked Syd where she wanted to go grab lunch when I got there. She said that she wanted something fast. Since I had to stop at Target for our trip, we decided to head over to the food court there to grab lunch. The pretzels there are amazing!

We then went to see what movies were playing. I have never heard of Ramona and Beezus, but Sydney had. We decided to go and watch that movie and it was treat. The movie was great for kids and adults alike. I teared up 3 different times during this movie and that is not like me at all. There is nothing like a large popcorn, coke, and movie with my daughter! After the movie we decided to wrap up the trip at the bookstore which is so like us. We headed right over to the kids section to see if there were books out for Ramona and Beezus. There is a whole slew of books that capture the entire movie. Syd Decided on this book. Another great trip seeing the little girl.

Jamaica

2010-07-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

In just a couple of days my wife and I will be landing in Montego Bay for our final big vacation of the year! We are soooo excited! The trip came out of left field. Liz and I have been dreaming up this trip for over a year now. We both said that before things got crazy i.e. more kids etc, that we would look to take a tropical vacation. Liz then began the overwhelming search to find our destination. The search became somewhat difficult with so many beach spots you could visit. After looking for hours she talked to our good friend Jennifer LaJeunesse who just returned from Jamaica and we were hooked. The home of Bob Marley, beautiful oceans, and alone time with the wife. You can not beat it. Jamaica we will be with you soon!

Big Sugar.....

2010-07-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

Liz and I were talking about sugar and how much of it I eat on a daily basis. (it's scary!) We decided to research sugar and find out why I am so addicted to it. Turns out that you can possibly be. The product has been tampered with so much from what pure sugar is that scientist think that you can literally be hooked on it. Check this story out. Pretty powerful stuff. There is also a video that I watched. I will tell you its pretty long. Great information and something to think about with children running around tearing into this stuff on a daily basis.

I think that weight is all about consumption. I don't think that I will ever stop loving sugar, although after this I may watch how much and what kinds I eat and allow my kids to eat.

Knowledge is power!

The New "Big 3"

2010-07-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

Gosh I could have never imagined this. Lebron, Wade, and Bosh will play on the same team and I think that this is awesome. For three of the best players in the league to all join forces on one team is spectacular to me. Especially when you realize how large egos are and selfishness is in the league these days. They are all joining forces and trying to accomplish something together....greatness. Some have tore them apart saying, that they should try to beat each other and not join forces. That by playing on the same team is selling out to each other, and that by Lebron leaving Cleveland is abandonment.

These things just make me laugh. I am so proud that these guys have a desire to be great. A desire to play unselfish and do something like this. Alot of folks say Jordan would have never done this. He never had to. Lets see why:

Coach in Phil Jackson (Check)

Players like Rodman, Pippen, Horace Grant, Tony Kukoc, willing to come there (Check)

Big Market- Which I think had alot to do with Lebron's decision to leave (Check)

No player on the planet better than he was.(speaking of Jordan here.) (Check) Kobe is the best player in this era not Bron.

All of these things were things that Lebron didn't have in Cleveland. To me its easy to see why he did this. There will never be a player of Jordan's caliber. Some have come close, but they don't have the killer mentality he did. (Kobe is the closest to this) Lebron's whole game as great as it is, is nothing like Jordan. So the whole comparison is ludicrous. Kobe is the only one who can deserve such a comparison. Other players have done what this team is doing. David Robinson and Tim Duncan, Clyde Drexler and Hakeem, Shaq and Kobe, Magic, Worthy, and Kareem The big 3 in Boston. The list goes on and on.

I say all of that to say this: Lebron did what was best for him. He wants to win and he wants to do it now. He moved into a major sports market where he will be marketable, he will get to display his awesome game: (that is more comparable to Magic Johnson's than Jordan's) and he will get to do it on one of the greatest teams to ever assemble. Smart move. Now just win baby win! I understand Cleveland's pain. They lost a great player. I feel bad for them. Why he couldn't get those guys to do this in Cleveland is simple...its Cleveland. Let's see, finish my career in Cleveland where the market is small and there is only so much I can be stretched or play in Miami? Easy decision.

I am for it. Now lets get some championships and make this look like a smart idea in real life. I am ready to see Kobe and Paul vs this Trio!

I am officailly 30!

2010-07-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

I turned 30 years old on June 28th 2010 and my wife took it upon herself to make it a memorable one. She decided to surprise me with a downtown hotel stay and Texas de Brazil for dinner! It was a wonderful night to be with my lady. With Zachary, Sydney, two dogs, and a cat at home we don't get much of this anymore. We started the night with the most wonderful b'day cake ever. It was a six layered cake with the coolest colors of any cake I had ever seen. Cream cheese icing covered this rainbow cake and the buttery layers inside were to die for.

After cake we headed over to Texas de Brazil. What was so nice about going to have dinner is that we were able to take the trolley (which my wife was so nice to plan out with our hotel location) to the restaurant.

We had a lovely time there eating some of the best meats in the world. Texas de Brazil is an experience that if you have not experienced it you must! Its simply amazing. *if you go to thier website and enter in your birthdate you will recieve a coupon for buy one get one free for your birhtday! After dinner we ended the night with a nice walk downtown and enjoyed great one on one conversation time.

I am so thankful for my wife. She is so wonderful and knows how to take care of me like no other. She is a gem! Thank you Elizabeth for a great 30th birthday celebration.

2010 Summer Vacation

2010-06-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

Vacations are soooo much fun! When you add kids to the mix it can be both fun and challegning in a sense that you want to make sure that eveyone is enjoying themselves. A couple of weeks ago we were able to get the entire family together along with two other couples and head to Santa Rosa Beach Fl. for a week of sun and fun. This was a sentimental trip for me since it was Syd's first time to travel for a full week with us. It was so exciting.

Here are some of the things that I will remember from our trip.

Sunsets.......

Zachary cried the whole there and back! (I said highlights didn't I!)
Our Beach House. It was awesome!

Zachary first time in the ocean.

Liz and I got to enjoy our traditional crab legs!

I took Sydney on a date in Seaside

Sydney tried oysters for the first time! (didn't like it)

Sydney watched tons of movies on the way there and took care of Zachary during the drive. She's a great big sister.

Taking lots of pics on the beach.

We enjoyed the patio night hanging out and with friends

Watching the dramatic USA win in the 90th min. in the world cup! SCOOOOOOORE!!
Swimming in the largest pool ever!

Over all it was sooooo much fun. It will be a time that I will remember for ever. Looking forward to many more fun trips with the family. here are some more pics.

I love my family!

Sydney's Dance Recital

2010-06-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth and I have been some busy folks over the last few weeks. Putting new floors in the house, traveling to Mizzou to see the little one play soccer and perform in a dance recital, and just living life with Zachary in Memphis. With all the "busyness" that goes on sometimes you can get into a mode of feeling like you don't get time to be with each other and just have fun.

Friday night we were able to travel together and watch Syd perform in her dance recital and it was so much fun. Watching her dance was such a thrill for us. She did so great! When the show first began it started out with 3 year old girls dancing. They were so cute. After a few dances Sydney came out and I could not believe how grown up she looked. (the lip stick and make up she got to wear may have had something to do with it!) She is becoming such a big and beautiful girl!!!! It brought tears to my eyes to watch her perform and to see how she is coming along as a young girl. Here are two of her dances below.

Sydney Starts out in the back row here. (second tumbler)

(This was the mob dance finale. Syd is front and center!)

(Sydney with her two cousins Tori and Lexi after the recital)

Her dancing was so fun to watch. To see her in her own little element and being able to watch her perform in it was so great to see. I loved every second of it. Afterwards Liz and I got a chance to spend time together on the way home. We laughed, danced to music, and had great conversation. All and all I had a great Friday night with my two girls! I love you guys so much!

Happenings.

2010-05-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

So much going on these days and no time to post about it. Such is life at the Wiggs' house these days. Liz and I got to go to Alabama this last week in order for the folks to get to see the little guy. It was a good trip, but always seems to happen so fast. I love getting home but with the responsibilities that I have back here (Sydney being the largest portion on those) its hard. Glad that everyone was able to see the little guy though.

He didn't have the best time with the travel, but for being three months old and having the look of cutting teeth while we were there I give him an A+ for his efforts. When we got back from Alabama we decided to plan to have some friends come over on Saturday to place laminate floors down! Oh yea and I had to work on Saturday! Crazy stuff. I am still in recovery mode from all of this. It is worth it though the floors look great!
Thanks to all of the guys who helped out. I really enjoyed hanging out with you. Sunday made up for it though. As Zachary and I went into church I needed something to raise my spirits and I got it! Check out Zachary's new gift from Uncle Bryan Ross.

You gotta love it!!!! Zachary will have so much fun on this! Angie and Bryan you will get pics of him on it that is for sure!

How do you change a culture?

2010-04-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

I love going back through old blog post looking for things that were once heavy in the hearts of my wife and mine at one time or another. This post comes from my wife's old blog. There was once a writer that shared an article on the "Smart City Memphis" that really caught my wife's eye. She posted this over 2 years ago and I decided to repost it. I love the insight of this post. Even after all this time reading it-its worth looking over again. Not being from Memphis originally this article really spoke to me. Thanks for posting this hun. Good stuff. The link is below.
Take a deep breath and read!

http://smartcitymemphis.blogspot.com/2008/05/changing-reality-starts-with-race.html

"It takes time to reverse the momentum that has dragged Memphis in the wrong direction for years. That negative momentum has been fueled and driven by oppression of one culture by another. Although it's not nearly as measurable or tangible as in years past, its aftershocks will be felt for years.There are two cultures here that don't mix very well. One culture needs to seek forgiveness and provide tangible evidence of providing a way out for the culture it oppressed. This same culture says to the other, “Move beyond your past and seize the opportunities.” Sure, just tell the lion at the zoo to not let that barrier keep him from realizing his true capacity to roam. There are a lot of socio-economic barriers that have been raised as a result of the residual cultural infrastructure that exists here. You don’t see it if you visit Memphis, but you do if you move here.It's this rift between two cultures that is absolutely revolting to the outsiders coming to Memphis. And nowhere is it more obvious then when an outsider family goes to a public school and is suddenly transported back to the segregated pre-Civil Rights era. You can talk about all the great ways that people claim race relations have improved, but the public school system is the reality check. It tells the whole story to a family coming to move to Memphis. There is the change that people desire and preach and then there is their action to back it up. Let’s face it- it’s completely socially acceptable within the churched culture here to segregate your kids. How’s that for a selling point for our city?THIS IS NOT NORMAL!Memphis is plagued by hypocrisy - a putrid stench to the prospective working professional and to the Memphian that has smelled it their whole life and is aching to get out of it. This hypocrisy is the running joke with one of my Australian colleagues.A culture that preaches forgiveness and tolerance and yet continues to promote segregation by placing its children into private schools. How do our children learn racial tolerance and harmony if they don't grow up together? Most of the parents that I have met who do place their kids in Memphis City Schools are non-religious folks. What does that say about what people believe? Does God only live in private schools? Why is it that the “non-Christians” are more Christian in their convictions (or at least actions) than the “true Christians.”Yes we need more high tech jobs, low tech jobs and such. But for people to sink their roots down and commit to a community we need racial harmony and congruity. The church here needs to live out the principles and actions and align their beliefs with their actions.On the brighter side, times are changing. As more outsiders move in, the melting pot is starting to stir again especially in the Midtown areas but it's slow and even slower within the native culture. But it’s happening and I have met Memphians that are equally disturbed with this incongruity. But wait! MCS are terrible and not safe. Right? Not true. That's a smokescreen or code word for the MCS being mostly populated by blacks. There are some great MCS schools out there!!As you see racial reconciliation continue to unfold, this city will become a beautiful vibrant place - inside and out. It already is a beautiful little city but it's the culture, the tension and the manifestations of this rift that start to wear on those of us who are new to Memphis.Let’s start with a Forgiveness Garden perhaps on the grounds of Auction and Main.This is the area visible from the trolley route where slaves were traded and the property has been for sale for along time. H-m-m. Why not get churches to donate money to jointly buy, run and maintain the site? Why not host inter-racial worship services on Mud Island on Sunday nights?People will stay and not leave as the day-to-day gritty realities around us begin to fade. And they will fade as harmony is restored between the cultures belief system and it’s actions."

Things that have been going on lately

2010-04-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Gosh there have been alot of happenings going on since the last time I posted. I want to try and catch you up on some of them. First things first the little girl. Over the last few weeks Syd had to go into surgery to have a swollen lymph node checked out.

We were shocked to hear the news that it would have to be surgically removed. She was a champ during the whole process. After is was all said and done, she is back to normal and the doctors chalked it all up to an infection and nothing more. Praise the Lord for this!

We have now purchased our deep freezer and totally changed the way we are eating around the house. We are doing more cooking from scratch, purchasing wheat flour instead of white, and staying away from many processed foods. I have never eaten like this before and I think that it is so fun! The change has really not been as hard as I thought it would be. Using the Internet has been the key to recipes and a way to connect with other folks who have changed eating habits as well.

The fitness part of my life has really kicked back in. I think that this is the time of the season its nice to be outside. I am currently getting ready to run in a 5k the first weekend in May. I have not really trained for it at all so we will see how that goes!

Our little guy has turned two months old! I am still getting used to the fact that my little man is here. After having a girl for 7yrs now, it has been an adjustment and the changing table has been just the beginning. If you have ever been in our home and seen Syd's room you would know that there is a huge difference. She is the epitome of a girl.

Zachary's room is quite the opposite. I wonder if it will fit his personality as much as Syd room does her. We'll see!

"Fat Tire"

I have totally found a new beer to drink. A buddy of mine at work spoke this beer into my life about 3 weeks ago. For the next 2 weeks I tried to find this beer and finally ran into it at the shopping center at Kroger a few days ago. GREAT STUFF! If you are a beer drinker, you should try it out. It has a great taste for an American Beer.

Bama Football is back! You folks know how we love our Bama Football. Last weekend was A-Day in Tuscaloosa Al. This is the day were only in Alabama 92,000 people get together to watch Alabama scrimmage each other! I didn't get to see the game due to work, but you better believe I will be trying to catch the replay very soon. I can smell the season in the air. Can not wait!

Lastly we are getting ready to place the house back on the market.....again! This time we will be doing it with updates. We are redoing our floors, gardening, and several other items. I am so pumped about what the future holds in our moving plans. Updates will began May 15th any help will be welcomed!

Exciting times!

To Bow Tie or Not to Bow Tie? That is the question.

2010-04-08T19:12:00.001-07:00

Spring time is here and to get into the spirit of it I am looking to change up my wardrobe a bit. In looking at doing so I have decided to break out the bow tie. I have not worn one of these things since I was in the 6th grade for a school picture and thinking back I was not too excited about it then. Being a little older, I am ready to step out and do something a little different than the same ole same ole. Check out the look and let me know what you think about my new swag!

Thoughts?

Our Song.

2010-03-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

Don't really think we have to argue about what song fits us best.
-I love you.

This weekend.

2010-03-27T07:37:00.001-07:00

I am pretty excited about this weekend. March 24th was Liz and my 3 year anniversary. I am so proud to call her my best friend. We have know each other a little of six years total and through all the ups and downs we remain so close. I will be taking her out and making some surprise stops around town today. Hopefully we will have a wonderful time celebrating our 3 years together as a family.

On Sunday I will be able to go and watch my little girl play one of her favorite games (soccer). She has come such a long way in the game and I just love watching her run and enjoy her friends.

I have just been on cloud nine over the last few weeks. Watching my family grow and looking back and seeing my growth really makes me smile. There was a time in my life where I wasn't always this way. I was unsure, I was shaky, I was a shell of myself. Over the last few years I have decided to let people in, I have decided to trust in the Lord for direction. I have grown.

I love where I am at right now. No things are not perfect and rosy. But the place I am right now, I wouldn't trade this time for the world.

At first there were two sets of footprints in the sand,
And then there was one set of footprints in the sand,
And when time gets hard and it hits the fan,
God don't walk with me he carries me man!

Home alone with little man!

2010-03-18T05:34:00.000-07:00

Today will be my only my second time at home with this little guy without the wife. With "Super Woman" being away what will we do? Hmmmmmmm I think that I may just introduce my new bud to what we like to call March Madness!!!!

The best tournament in the world starts today and we will have a front row seat to watch the best day of it! While Liz will be out taking a photo shoot and spending time out getting some R&R we will be getting ready for today. A good college friend of mine Andrew will also be coming over to watch with us. Let's see......

Food on the grill (check)

Spring Time in the Air (check)

Watching my first college basketball tourney with my son....(Priceless)

I looked at JR this morning and said, maybe one day we will be watching you take the University Of Memphis to the championship in 2029!

Kids....this is why school is so important!

2010-03-13T06:51:00.000-08:00

Food.Inc ah-ha moment.

2010-03-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

After watching the movie Food.Inc Liz and I began asking ourselves some tough questions when it comes to what and how we eat. We began asking questions such as how would we buy non commercialized meat? Where would we get things to cook if we didn't purchase them from a supermarket? Would we starve if we stopped buying all of our products from Wal-Mart or Kroger? All paths to answer these questions seemed to be dead end roads. We decided to do what we do when ever a dispute comes up in our home.....Google it!

When we did we came up with great suggestions for local farmers in the area and how you could purchase our food items from them. Liz then began searching for answers on different blog sites and found answers! Clay and Emily Jones a couple who moved to Seattle a couple of years ago from Memphis and good friends of ours have been searching as well and found a new way to eat. Their search landed thousands of local farmers of where you could purchase grass fed cows. They also discovered a way to join CSA groups in their area to purchase fruits and veggies all from one great site. We were so excited to find this and immediately got online and searched our area for farmers who also took part in this.

The results were amazing. The website LocalHarvest.org is an amazing site that gives you thousands of farmers in your area that sell fruits, veggies, and meats that can be delivered to your doorstep ready to eat! I am so excited about this. You are basically helping the local business sector in your area and also eating fruits and vegetables that have not been chemically distorted at the same time. Pretty cool eh?

The meat process worked the same way. From this site you can find thousands of farmers near you by simply searching by zip code located on right hand side of the page. You will get tons of local farmers in your area that you can purchase grass fed meat from. You again will get leaner meat from a local farmer who will benefit from your purchase. (Prices will vary) This is what we ended up with from the farm closest to us.

Sample Items in a Quarter of Beef
Packaged for 2 People
Rib Steaks - bone in
3 to 5 packages
Porterhouse / T-Bone Steaks
2 to 3 packages
Club Steaks
1 to 2 packages
Sirloin Steaks
3 to 5 packages
Round Steaks - deboned, tenderized
3 to 6 packages
Loin Tip Roast
1 to 2 packages
Chuck Roast (4 pound average)
2 to 4 packages
Arm Roast (4 pound average)
2 packages
Rump Roast (4 pound average)
1 to 2 packages
Round Roast (4 pound average)
1 to 2 packages
Ground Beef (2 pound tubes = eight 1/4 pound servings)
15 to 24 packages
Stew Meat (1 pound packages)
2 to 4 packages
Soup Bones (2 pound packages)
1 to 2 packages
Short Ribs (2-3 pound packages)
1 to 2 packages

Enough beef for say.......2 years! We also ordered 1/4 of a pig that we will receive late spring. Currently we are in the process now of purchasing a deep freezer to store our meat and will keep you posted on how this goes. I am just pumped that we could get this done. And for less than what we would pay for it at a store. I would challenge all of the readers to look into this. We found that it is not as hard as it seemed. Lets be more focused on what we allow into our bodies! Its the only one we have!

Why does a head of lettuce cost more than a bag of chips?

2010-02-27T18:58:00.001-08:00

Are we being tricked into eating food and told that the answer to this is more excercise? Are we being numb to the fact that what we are placing in our bodies is slowly killing us and our families? When is the last time you read a label on the back of a food item you purchased? When is the last time you made a decision of what you placed in your body and it was more about how healthy it was and not by the cost?

Watching the movie above proved to me that I need to ask myself some tough questions about my cheap food budget that I set for myself weekly. If you are wondering where or why I am asking myself these types of questions is because this documentary of the food business shocked me to the core. The movie is called Food Inc. and digs into our food industy.

The documentary speaks to us in a way that says currently we tell the food industry that we want cheap feel good food, that is full of stuff that we don't need. Then after we eat it, we go to the gym or to a run so that they can melt if off of us.

This is like trying to fill up a cup of water with a hole in the bottom of it. It will never be filled. How do we fix this? How do we stop from doing something that we may know hurts, but feels so good? Over the rest of this year I am going to try and find out how for myself and I want to challenge readers of this blog to do the same! To me its not about not eating meats. Its more about knowing where my food comes from and making smart decisions about what I buy to feed my family.

Some may read this and say "I AM GREEN ALREADY" Its one thing to recycle a can or pick up trash, but to think that this act of humanity and where you puchase your meat does not go hand in hand after this documentary would be silly. Please go and watch this movie! I want you to tell me what you think! It is something that has got me thinking at least.

50 Reasons Why I LOVE My Wife

2010-02-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

My wife (above in one of my favorite pics of her) suprised me for Valentine's Day with 50 reasons why she loved me and I thought that is was so sweet. I feel that she deserves to know that I have 50 things that I find in her as well that make me love her more than anything else on this earth! And here are a few of them!

I love.....

1. The small freckles on your face that you have before you put on make-up

2. Your ability to make me smile when you walk in a room.

3. Your love for soulful music

4. Your trust in me

5. Your love for being outside.

6. For how well we travel together! (I love long trips with you)

7. For the way you move!!! (you can dance...and I love it!)

8. For the mother that you are to my daughter and our son.

9. For your kisses

10. For the way you love to snuggle in the morning before I get out of bed.

11. Your cooking ability! (sista can burn!)

12. Your love of movies

13. Your love for buttery popcorn and chocolate during movies

14. Your Eyes

15. Your ability to be self sufficient

16. Your ability to deal with my love of sports

17. The way you cherish small things.

18. They way you are with my family

19. The way you are with your family

20. The way you see people

21. The way that you don't see color

22. The way that you are with money

23. They way you look at me when you are sad or tired.

24. The way you look at me when you are really happy....I think of our wedding day.

25. The way you love taking pictures of life

26. The way you love TV drama but hate real life drama

27. The way you Love ME!!!!!

28. Your creativeness

29. Your smile

30. Your long legs

31. Your junkieness.........yeah I know, but I have to love this to love you!

32. The way you look at me when I'm trying to be funny

33. The way your hair gets wavy when you get hot

34. The way you respect my love for Bama Football

35. The way you are independent and dependant of me.

36. The way you look in dresses

37. Your long hair

38. Your love for Boston Baked Beans.....even though I an not a fan of em'!

39. Your ability to stay upbeat and positive

40. The way you try to keep my spirits up

41. The way you care about things that mean so much to me

42. Your respect for "ALL" of my friends

43. Your body

44. Your love of Christ

45. Your desire for how we raise our children

46. Your ability to deliver in your profession

47. The quality time we try to spend

48. Your sense of direction.......

49. Your love for food!

50. Your ability to make me fall for you over and over again each and every day!

Lizzy- you are the most awesome thing that I have going. I am so blessed to have every little piece of you with me. I love you sooooooo much! Without you I am a peice of a man, with you I am whole. I HEART YOU!

Jordan-esque?

2010-02-24T08:40:00.000-08:00

Kobe Bryant strikes again killing the Griz in the last seconds scoring 9 points with under one minute remaining in the game. I don't like the comparisons to Jordan, but at the end of the day you have to start asking the question. There is no doubt that he has the killer instinct, the only question left is if he will get to those 6 rings that MJ has. I enjoyed watching Jordan play more than any other guy out there and there was no one during his time that folks loved watching more. Kobe meanwhile is still sharing the spotlight of the other great player LeBron (The Chosen One) James.

Jordan's shadow still lingers over the NBA. Kobe right now game winner, by game winner is slowly stepping out of it. "The Black Mamba" as he is called, has been a joy to watch this year. Keep doing your thang! I am enjoying it.

Super Bowl Commercial

2010-02-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Sydney Soccer.....a long time ago

2010-02-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

This post is coming so late, but I need to get it in. A couple of months ago Sydney was selected to play on a regional soccer squad. It was so fun watching her and her teammates play soccer against some of the best players in her area. She played defense on this team and did a great job! The team ended up in this tournament placing second place. The girls played their heart out and I was so proud of them. Here are a few pics from that weekend. Sorry it is sooooo late.

Little Zachary is here.

2010-02-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

There is alot going on in our house right now with the new edition we added. "Little Man" is here and we are so excited. Zachary Allen Wiggs Jr was born on Feb. 3 2010. He weighed in at 8 pounds and 12 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. Here is a picture that we took yesterday. I am sure that there will be more to come! We love this little guy so much and are simply overwhelmed by all the love and support we have received over the last few days! Thank you all so much! Jr. thanks you too!

Polar Plunge.....

2010-01-31T19:05:00.000-08:00

My brother-in-law and I wanted to see how fun it would be plunge into the in-law's pool and do it in the freezing water! When you are bored one thing I can credit guys on, is the ability to do stupid things for free entertainment. It was cooler than a polar bear's tonails! Check it out!

VISIT......

2010-01-31T17:34:00.000-08:00

Every time that I visit my little girl we have such a great time. This week I challenged her to come up with something different that we could do on this visit. With it being so cold outside it limited our ideas of things that we could do. We decided that we would visit an old bookstore on the other side of town. The store is called Hastings. Although they did not have a Starbucks inside, it was a great little store that had its on personality. We did this to kill time before we went to see the movie "The Chipmunks." Sydney found a Snuggie inside and had to have it. You know that I gave in!

We ate lunch at McCalister's one of our favorite places to eat. The chocolate chip cookie is my favorite!

The one fun item we added was a surprise for the both of us. We got a chance to get up close and personal with these little guys! Inside of the mall of all places they had an exhibit that was called the Parakeet Jungle. This place was sooooo cool. They gave you these sticks that had seed glued to the end of it. You had to buy a stick that was a dollar each and proceed into the gate where you were able to feed these little animals. It was an experience that is for sure!!!!

Like we always do on the end of visits we finish with dessert! This girl has a love for sugar covered cookies that only I can compete with! Great trip! I love you sweetheart!!!!! Many, many, many, more memories to make!

What's your favorite drink?

2010-01-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

This is such a great question. There are so many good drinks out there to choose from. If I had to narrow it down to 3 I would go in a breakfast, lunch, dinner format.

For breakfast I would choose Gatorade.

I know your response would be.....Gatorade....what? I know. When I wake up I am so thirsty and dried out. When I get out of bed and get going I get so thirsty. Not only does it qunich my thirst like no other, the quotes that they have on the bottles just get me in the right mood. "Be Tough" "No Excuses.? "That's G" Love em!

Now on to lunch.

My choice for lunch would be sweet tea or sprite. Since I have to choose between the two I am gonna take............Sweet Tea!

I am really shocked by the choice since I only started drinking this stuff 5-6 years ago. Milo's is made in Alabama so it holds a special place with me. They are now selling this in select Kroger in and around the Memphis area. If you like tea check it out!

Lastly a drink for dinner. This one is really not that tough for me. Any light beer would work for me. Depending on what time of year would determine by drink of choice.

Summer Night:

A nice glass of water will do otherwise. There you go! What about you?

Help for Haiti

2010-01-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

Last week something tragic happened in Haiti that if it would have only happened a few years ago while still tragic, would not have touched me the way that it does now. You see, I have two brothers that have family there that are suffering right now. Robert Joseph (in photo above) and Pierry Valmera are both from Port-au-Prince Haiti. I met them as teammates at Union while playing ball a few short years ago. Both guys are phenomenal athletes and both are still playing ball professionally now. (Robert in Spain) (Pierry in Switzerland) To know these two guys I consider myself blessed. They have big hearts and are just great people. They both grew up in Port-au-Prince and both have families there who need help. Robert will be heading back to Haiti next week to visit his two sisters who are still there. If you are interested in a way to help please let me know. Both families of my two brothers are fairly safe but if you could imagine an event this tragic hitting in the middle of your own city or town you could imagine that their safety is still in much jeopardy. If you are looking for ways that you can help click here.

My wife is also taking part in this cause running an add for free print orders before tonight at midnight. All proceeds will be donated to the Haiti Relief Teams. Click below to find out more.

I know that we are frozen sometimes by tragic happenings that we can not explain and we are often puzzled by how to help. (at least I am.) Every dollar helps. Thanks in advance for your help.

Bama Did It!

2010-01-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

This was an exciting year for the team that I love to watch! Going undeafeated and winning the title was just fun! I enjoyed every bit of it and I am excited for what next year will bring! This pic above I think will sum it all up best. ROLL TIDE ROLLED!

Texas....here is your reward.

2010-01-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Texas-congrats you have made it to the National Championship game. You have had a great season and with ease destroyed team after team with your great QB and wide receivers. Below is your reward for your last game. The nastiest defense you have faced all year! Good Luck

Happy New Years!

2010-01-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year! 2010 brings lots of mystery and anticipation as we are expecting our first boy to be here in February of this year. We are so excited so cautious, so scared about what is to come! With all of the anticipation of Zachary Allen Jr getting here I still want to take time to look back at 2009 with pictures! I hope that you enjoy.

This year began with a trip to Central Asia to see my brother-in-law Dan and his wife Tami and kids.

We visited some cool sights and had a great time with their family there. I miss them being around alot! This was my first time that I traveled this far outside of the states. Liz and I had a great time! I would say we travel well together!

Great trip!!!! We also had a make over in one of the rooms of the house for my little girl! It was so exciting getting watch the make over happen. Here are some pics of the before and after!

Before:

After:

We had one happy girl when she was able to see her room! Talking about making a room pop! Great stuff Liz!

The year continued to roll on as we find out that we are pregnant! It was an exciting time for us at the Wiggs' home. We were both hoping for and it was a......boy!!! He is not here yet but on his way! Below was our first look at him!

Watching my wife's body change was the other fun part of 2009

I also had my 10 year reunion this year. Being the senior class president of the 1999 GHS Class I had the responsibility to get everything planned. I could not have done it without a group of folks from my class who helped out a ton. Although it was tough contacting all, it was so great to see everyone.
Through out the year we have enjoyed watching my little girl take leaps and bounds in soccer. I got the chance this year to see alot of games this year and soaked all of it up. Being able to watch her and see her confidence grow with each game is fun.

Our small group has had alot of changes this year. With all the moves and all the babies that are everywhere now, I think that we have continued to make leaps and bounds of trying to move closer to Christ.

My wife's photography continues to grow. I have enjoyed so much this year watching her grow as a business owner and soon to be mother. I love her soooooo much!!!!

And while I am at it we had our first ever photo session this year. Fun stuff!

Probably our first and last one with out permanent fixtures surrounding us!!!!
Running in the St. Jude half marathon! Probably the toughest thing I have ever done! And I am going to keep on doing it til I run a full one!

This year was wrapped up with the last thing I will speak on and that is the TIDE!

Alabama is on its quest for their first national championship since 1992. It has been a long time waiting but come Jan. 7th if they win, it will be all worth it! I am excited about 2010 and all that it brings, but 2009 will hold a special place in my heart for all of the reasons above! Thanks for following.....now off to a new year!!!!

College Football Dynasties

2009-12-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

To be in an argument about being a dynasty team in college football your name would have to appear somewhere in the top ten of this list. I like the look of this report for my team.
Check it out! http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/12/25/gallery.dynasty/content.12.html

Half Marathon Run and Bama's SEC Championship Win

2009-12-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a great one when it came to wins! I was able to finish my first Half Marathon in a time of 2hrs and 20 min. I hope that I get a better time in the future but for my first one I will not complain. It was soooooooo cold the morning of the run. I could not feel my feet or fingers for the first 3 miles of the race! The atmosphere was great and the cause was awesome. St. Jude thanks for putting this together for the runners in and around Memphis. Awesome time. Big thanks to my brother-in-law to whom I'll give all the credit for keeping me going and helping me to finish my first half marathon! (Fred and I below) Thanks bro!

Secondly, the Tide Rolled!!!! Bama took on Florida in the SEC championship on Dec. 5th. The game was a great one if you were a Tide Fan. I loved every second of it. We had alot of our friends at our house for the game. Great food, awesome friends, and Bama rolling over the competition, it could not have been a better day! Needless to say after the game I crashed big time. This weekend was a great one!

I can not wait for my next race- and Jan. 7th when the Tide will meet up with Texas. Now for the first time since 92' the Tide will compete for the shot at their 13th national title. Come on Bama bring us a little peice of heaven back from Pasadena! Should be a great game! Ramma Jamma Yellow Hammer!

DEC 5 2009

2009-11-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

I would add a little something about next Saturday, but I think that this vid created on YouTube sums up perfectly how I feel about Dec 5 2009

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-29T14:50:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving 2009 was a busy one! We had Sydney the weekend before Thanksgiving and it was jammed packed with fun! The better question to ask for this weekend would be, "What did you not do?" Someone asked me, "Zach, why do you fill so much into one weekend when Syd comes to town?" I laugh and told them, "You have to know her in order to understand it!" Things will slow down after the holidays. (we hope) Here are a few picks of some of the things we did this week.
We visited Priddy Farms in Bartlett Saturday morning and cut down our Christmas Tree!

We also got a chance to take our Christmas Pictures during the weekend.

Next...decorating the tree! If any of you know my wife, you would know that the ornament below represents!

We ask Syd to pick hers out this year and this is what she came up with,

We had such a great time listening to music and decorating the tree! Syd did such a great job, she didn't want to stop! Last we had a chance to go to Zoo Lights! So much fun!

Zoo Lights was awesome! We were able to do so many things together. Slide down the slides,And pet iguana's! (Syd was a trooper this night!)All of this equals one happy and tired little girl at the end of the night!

Sunday was a relaxing day at the Wiggs' house. I smoked my first Turkey and it was pretty good. We had some friends and family over and enjoyed a great Thanksgiving Dinner and relaxed. Great weekend! Hope for many many more!

Chick-Fil-A

2009-11-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

I love me some Chick-Fil-A! I don't know what it is about a food stop that can make people patiently wait in line for food, but this food joint has figured it out. Last weekend during Thanksgiving (which I will post about later) showed me a hilarious song about Chick-fil-A.

My past weekend.

2009-11-16T16:35:00.001-08:00

This weekend was a busy but good one. On Saturday I got to go and see my daughter and watch her play soccer. Syd had a soccer tournament that she played in and if she won on Saturday she would play in the championship on Sunday. Sydney and her team played great. They ended up finishing 2nd place on Sunday. It was great watching her and her team play. They really played great "team" football. Fun to watch 7 year olds do that.

After her game on Saturday night I was able to watch the TIDE ROLL over Miss. St. It was awesome to see how this team is playing. This is our year folks!

My least favorite part of the week was time away from my wife who was not able to make the trip b/c of work. I missed her so much, and spending one night away from her was too long. It was so funny sleeping without her. Even without her being there I still sleeped on my side of he bed!

After spending a little time with Sydney after her tournament was over on Sunday I was able to get back home and spend the rest of the time with Dan and Tami before they left the states. It was a bitter sweet time to be with them knowing that they were leaving and taking those sweet kids with them. It was so good hanging out with them over the past few weeks. WE already miss you and wish you a safe trip back!

After this fun filled week of travel I headed home and passed out! Looking forward to next week when Syd is here with us to kick off the holidays!

To shake a hand, or not to shake a hand? That is the question.

2009-11-12T13:23:00.000-08:00

Over the last few months I have seen the simple hand shake become something that is viewed nasty to do, and I can't get my head around it. Why has this changed so much? Over the years hand shaking was your signature. It sealed deal and joined nations. The way you shook a strangers hand meant something. It almost told a story about what type of person you were. Why the change? Are people more sickly now than they were 25 yrs ago?

This has been something that I think overall is silly. The fact that we won't shake a hand anymore, but will happily partake in some of the following baffles me.

open a heavily used door at the mall (with bare hands)
flush a toilet on a bathroom stall
drink after a friend
drink from a public water hole
allow a dog to lick you in the face when you know where his tongue has been and you don't care.

We have become way too over-protective in my view. Have you ever just spent a day watching a two year old and all that goes into him. I have had the privilege of being around my nephews and niece for a whole weekend and watching at the way that they play and how they enjoy their food. After watching them for a full weekend I have come to this conclusion: shaking hands is alright.

Thoughts?

Great weekend in Paris TN

2009-11-08T16:34:00.000-08:00

This last weekend Liz and I got to spend some time with family in Paris TN. I can not begin to tell you how much of a good time we had in the woods at Paris Landing. Being in nature during this time of year, you just could not ask for anything more. The reason I wanted to make this post is to say how thankful I am for having some of the most kind-hearted in-laws a guy could ask for. Not having any immeadiate family here in Memphis, it is nice to have in-laws like mine that I feel right at home with.

There is not a day that goes by where I am not so thankful for the family that I married into. You guys have truley accetpted me, and everything that comes with me, with open arms. There is a greatness to that, that I will never be able to fully show. I love you all and I am so greatful for you. Thanks for this weekend again!

A lot going on and no post!

2009-10-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

Gosh the last couple of weeks we have had alot going on! There has just not been alot of blogging time because I been so busy. Last Saturday I was able to attend the Ole Miss vs. Bama game. The weather was so so but the atmosphere was great!

I would have been okay with just the game that weekend, but I got to see my daughter as well on Sunday! Sydney was in town last weekend! We had a great time at the house playing house. For her birthday, my inlaws purchased Sydney a large cardboard house for her to build and color on. We spent most of her visit enjoying her new digs. Here are some pics of that.

Overall it was a great weekend. I

Sleeping on the wrong side of the bed.

2009-10-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried this before with you spouse? I never really realized how big of a deal it is to switch sides of the bed after you get comfortable with one side. At the start of last weekend Liz and I decided to change sides of the bed and see how it went. We switched sides, and it lasted all of two days! There we so many things I took for granted. Being closer to the bathroom, being furthest from the light switch (so I wouldn't have to turn it out of course) and over all being on my side of the bed! When I was younger I would always over hear married folk talking and making jokes about my side of the bed. Well, I guess I again have hit another notch in the marriage trail! What about you? Do you have a side? Have you ever considered changing? Wonder if you could do it!

Visit to see the little one.

2009-09-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Liz and I made the trip up to see Sydney. It's so fascinating to see how big she is each time I see her. On the way home Liz made the comment that calling her "little one" on my Facebook status update may no longer be fitting. I remember the first time I held this little one in my hands. I was so young, so immature, so fragile with her. There was one thing I was not and that is ungrateful. She has been a huge blessing in my life and even though she's only seven, has taught me more than some adults have. To me she will always be "my little one."

Here are a few shots from the weekend. This one is probably my favorite. Hmmmm, wonder why......

We visited a park that we had never been to before in Cape Girardeau. The park was set up around a lake with a paved walk that surrounded it. And all around there were several activities for kids to do so we did them.

We walked on the rocks....

We played hop scotch.....Liz and Syd were just plain silly!

We had such a great time.

At the end of this trip we got a chance to check out one of this kiddos soccer games where she scored 2 goals! Over all it was a great trip. Being around my "little one" and my wonderful wife makes me so happy. This past Sunday was all smiles. I love you guys!

I got a feelin'

2009-09-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

Oprah had her 24th annual season of her show this week. The show was aired in downtown Chicago and she had the Black Eyed Peas in town to perform. Oprah was not aware that the crowd had a surprise for her. It was really cool check it out!

Football Season Is Here!

2009-09-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

Aside from my grass growing at a slower pace, and the heat being somewhat bearable, football season is here! I love this time of year. The tailgates, the food, the games, college football is upon us! Liz and I were able to get together with Angie and Bryan Ross for the opening weekend of this season. Two families cheering for their college teams can be wild! We had a great night. Bryan took care of us when it comes to the food and grilled shrimp that was simply amazing! We love getting together with the Ross's. Their family is so much fun. Listen to Luke (their son) talk about his "man juice" (his fathers cologne) while hitting on my wife was so funny! We had a great time watching the Tide roll over Va. Tech and enjoying each other company. We are so blessed to have friends like them who we can learn from, and thankful that we have some Bama fans to cheer with each year! Thanks guys for a great time!

Birthday weekend

2009-09-03T04:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated the birthday's of my mother and my daughter. These two ladies really mean alot to me. I think that it is very fitting that their birthdays fall right after each other on the calender. (Moms-August 30th and Syd's August 31st) Although I did not get to spend any time with my mom (far right in picture with Liz and my sister Shandy on the left) on her birthday, we made up for it with all the fun we had with Syd.

I am so thankful for both of these ladies being in my life. For my mother, I was the first of four kids she raised as a single parent. Having Sydney I can only imagine how hard this would be. She stuck in there and made things the best she could for us and I really appreciate her for that.

And what can I say about my little munchkin! She turned 7 years old this weekend and I am so proud of the young girl she is becoming. Liz and I enjoy her company so much the weekends she's with us. It something that I cherish so much. Her birthday party this weekend can be seen on my wife's page. Watching her grow up these last 7 years has been so much fun. All the laughs, talks, and the hugs, will never be forgotten. I miss her so much when she is not here, love on her so when she is. We are so proud of you Sydney Carlene. Your unselfishness and your unique ability to warm the hearts of others is truely a gift from God.

In short these ladies are great to have around! I love you both. Happy Birthday!

If you could only eat three things everyday what would they be?

2009-08-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday night a few friends went to Memphis Pizza Cafe and Zach Cordell posed a question that I think is worth blogging about. If you could only eat three things everyday for the rest of your existence what would those foods be? What I want to know here is the main course.
After a week of thinking about this, I have come up with my favorite things!

Waffles or pancakes: I could eat waffles everyday. If I can throw in Toaster Strudel under the waffle group, then I am all in and would be totally satisfied with this pick. Warm butter, sweet syrup, and any topping would keep me going for years and years!

Hamburgers: I love em'! I could easily eat a hamburger everyday no problem. There are so many different tastes. Chilli's yum, Huey's awesome, and Backyard burger.....hmmm! Not to mention burgers on the grill. Burgers have a special place in my heart. I can remember a 6 mo period in High School where I ate a double cheese burger from BK everyday! Nice I know.

Lastly would be steak/chicken: I know that I am cheating a bit here, but there could be a toss up with both. I love steak- grilled perfectly (you know, the red stripe right down the middle) Mmmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmm! Chicken is also great! I mean you can do so much with it. If I had to go with one or the other I would have to side with the chicken. Too much can be done with it. Its hard to get bored with chicken. One of my fav recipes: "Drunken Chicken"

Your turn. I am interested to hear it! Something to think about if you are ever forced into the situation!

Jack-n-the box

2009-08-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

While Syd and I were shopping for some bday ideas for her upcoming birthday we came across a Jack in the Box toy. Sydney asked, "Daddy what is a Jack-n-the Box?" I smiled and said, "turn the wheel and try not to jump!" Here were the results. Let me know what you think. Did she or didn't she?

Got tha shoes!

2009-08-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

Did a little shopping on Sunday after church. As I said in the earlier post a few days ago I needed some running shoes. I took care of that today. I took the advice of friends and went to Fleet Feet, they are simply awesome! They specialize in helping you pick a shoe that is not just cool looking, but one that actually allows you to be a better runner. They send you through a simulation where they place you on a treadmill and video tape you while running. During this run the tape allows you to see how your feet hit the ground. This is how your feet are fitted for the right shoes. Great experience. Check out the pick of the ones that I came out with.

Lastly I had to pick up some music. I am a huge fan of the slow stuff. Liz gave me a Father's Day gift to Border's Book store. I already had a ton of books that I haven't cracked yet so I decided to head back to the CD department. Glad I did. I picked up 2 great CD's. Miles Davis Greatest Hits, and Maxwell's Black Summers' Night.

Great soul music here. Miles is great to play when you are spending a weekday or weekend reading a book. Maxwell's Black Summer Nights is great for a weekend or weekday when you are with the wife. (get a baby sitter before you put this one in!) Just a disclaimer. You have been warned. I am just saying!

"Running Man Wiggs"

2009-07-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

It is official. I am about to start training for the St. Jude Marathon on December 5th! I will be training for the half marathon and I think that it would be fitting to note that I am not a good runner at all. I actually tried to quit playing basketball in high school because my high school coach made me train with long distance running. Saying that, I am going to truely give this a go. My two brother-in-law's Lee Smitherman and Fred Shackelford are running in the race as well. Both are great long distance runners already so I won't see them too much during the race I am sure. (*unless it's the back of them!) I know how good cardio is for you and it is something that I need to get better at doing. I just don't like it. It is just hard. I am going to need some help and motivation along the way. First, I need to know what kinda shoes I need to get since I have none for running. Secondly, how much do I need to start running in order to not burn out? Lastly, what is the best time to run and what should my diet be before and after running. I start training next Monday so help!

Thanks in advance.

HIP HOP NAMES

2009-07-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Check this out and play it with your friends. My wife called this morning and told me that we should pick our child's name from this site. I think that we should!

My name was: MC Baby Thug Z

Here you go. Enjoy!
http://www.ideazoo.com/things/hiphop.cfm

What tha Davenport Happened Here!

2009-07-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since my last post and I promise that I will get better with my posting. I guess the first place that we can start is my birthday! I turned 29 years old on June 28th. Sydney was down for the weekend, along with family and friends from all over Memphis who came to celebrate. We ate burgers and hotdogs and hit the pool at the Shack's home. We had a great time. I got tons of really cool gifts for my 29th. My favorite was the the guitar my wife reluctantly purchased for me. I say reluctant b/c she has kindly labeled me as "One Track". This means that I have a great ability to get really focused on something and then in a months time or shorter that same focus will fizzle out til my next big thing. My goal now is to learn how to play the guitar and learn within the next year's time. I wanted this gift because I love music. And since its one of my passions I would like to learn how to play something. Liz doesn't really see it that way, so we will have to prove her wrong huh?

The weekend after my birthday we connected with a group of friends and traveled to Davenport, Iowa. If you are like me you are probably asking yourself why does anyone travel to Davenport? Well it was for a friend. Our pal JR Rozko was married 4th of July weekend to Amy Garrington. We left on our eight hour journey Friday morning and returned Sunday around 3 in the morning. It was a great being able to see a friend get married, but the drive was just brutal. Corn fields, corn fields ......a few cows......and more corn fields. The trip did come with a few laughs. The Iowa Machine Shed Restaurant was the scene of the story.

Looking at the resturant above it would be easy for one to assume that they probably served great iced tea right? Well they do, it's just not the great stuff that in the south we like to call, "SWEET TEA." After we were seated, drink orders were about to be taken. One of the girls in our group looked up to the waitress with a look of excitement in her eyes and said, "I bet ya'll have some good sweet tea here huh?" Being in Iowa of course they did not. The waitress quickly responded with, "No, but we do have Iced Tea." With a disheartend look on her face Allison paused and said, "Oh the barn threw me off." Hilarious! A week has gone by and we are all still laughing about that. In her favor though, it did have that feel. The look of the south, the feel of the south, and no sweet tea. Great memory and good time with friends.

Legends of Super Man

2009-06-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

Fellas did you ever feel like you are him sometimes? Guys all of you have at one point or another ran around the house in your fruit of the looms, with a red sheet tied to your neck, flying around the house like "The Man of Steel." You could jump large buildings in one leap or stop a train with one bound. Over the last few weeks I have come to the sad conclusion that I am not him......Superman that is. A few weeks ago I burned my hand on lawn mower, then I damaged my knee playing basketball, and finally I skinned up my arm pretty bad sliding backwards down a swimming pool slide! Ten to twelve years ago I was totally convinced that I had super powers. There was nothing I couldn't do. Somewhere in between now and then I have ran into my kryptonite! Maybe its the great food that I have grown to love. Maybe its all the scraps an bruises over the years. Maybe its my old age! Its a sad statement, but my superman days are coming to an end! Tonight as I was picking shrubs out of my yard and felt the back tighten up a little as I bent down. My first thought was "Gosh I should have stretched before this." That comment was the last straw! I am here now. I have crossed to the other side. This comment is to my poor beat up body..........I have officially crossed.

Living Legacy

2009-06-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

Over the past four weeks I have had and amazing opportunity to hang out with a group of ladies through a non profit organization called Living Legacy. Right now we are going through an eight week course teaching financial literacy. Through this class we learn about the importance of financial planning, saving, and spending habits and the effect these decisions have on our lives each day. Living Legacy is a non-profit organization that looks to bridge the gap between the homeless and people like you and I in our society. In this two year program the ladies come to the non profit totally broken....homeless. They sign on to this program with an agreement to get clean and change the course of their lives.

(Def. for HOMELESS: Having no home or haven. Think on that for a moment. Then picture this life with a child. You have the women of Living Legacy.)

Living Legacy takes it from there with programs such as AA treatments, financial literacy, job placement, housing, and many other sessions that help reshape the lives of these women and their children. This program is not an easy one for these ladies. Being reshaped and made new comes at a price and it takes a toll on the women that you would not believe.

During our last few weeks they have really opened up to me and often share fears they have with me. They fear what it will be like in the "real world". They question if they will fail and go back to being homeless? They wonder if they'll go back to an addiction? Living Legacy feels that their niche is to help restore confidence and overall trust in the Lord, so that when those temptations creep into their lives they will be strong enough to withstand them.

I have learned so much from this organization and these women. I've learned that Memphis has a ton of Living Legacies all over our city. Shinning glimpses of God's work being done. I've learned that brokenness does not have to define you. I've learned that if you ask for ways to help-you will get answers.

I am excited and thankful. Thankful that I work for a company that allows me this opportunity to seek out organizations and partner with them. Excited that I get to watch a group of ladies claim their victory over what ever bondage brought them there. I am blessed. If you have time visit the site.

Thanks,

Just in case you forgot

2009-05-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

I know with all the Kobe-LeBron hoopla that has started over the last few weeks I just had to send out a reminder.

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This pic is a description of my wife's day.....

2009-05-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Liz and I were joking about this earlier today about how her day normally goes. This morning we woke up and saw 3 glasses staged exactly like this. I think that this sums her up completely. They usually start out with a cup of coffee, followed by water or green tea to stay hydrated, and some sort of Merlot to finish off the day! Gotta love it. It keeps her going thats for sure. Love you hun.

Cool Football Commercial

2009-05-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Some of you all may have seen this before. I hadn't and my friend showed it to me the other day. Enjoy

What a last few weeks!

2009-05-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Where do I began......? The last time I blogged I was talking about my little girls visit ti town. It was fabulous! I picked her up Friday at 4pm sharp at her home in Mizzou and I got her back home Sunday at 6. We had a ton of fun and so much of it was covered on Liz's blog that I am sure most of you have seen. She loved her room and thought that our house was cool! It was great to hold my girl in my arms for the first time in my home and let her know that she was safe with me as well.

Great feeling. See more here.

I have really been on cloud nine since. Liz's new venture has been going great. She just started her own site Elizabeth Wiggs Photography and it is awesome. Overall life is good. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers over the past few months with everything. It has been very helpful.

Thanks!!!!

Syd's First Weekend in Memphis

2009-04-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend has so many different meanings for me. It would almost be too hard for me to explain. My little girl gets to come down to visit me and I am so happy about this. Ever since I held this girl in my arms, for the first time, when she was born, she has had a special place in my heart. Over the last six years of her precious life, that feeling has done nothing but grow. We are just so so so......excited about Sydney Carlene coming to Memphis and seeing a side of her dad that she has not really ever been able to fully see or maybe even understand. This will be her first visit here and I hope that we can make it a great one. Thanks to everyone who has had to listen to me talk about this little one but has never gotten to meet her. You will soon. She is a special person and we are excited about her getting to form relationships with the people who are special to us.

This is going to be a great weekend. I am excited about this. It will be just another weekend with daddy to Syd, and that is alright with me!

Weekend with Sydney

2009-03-28T09:33:00.001-07:00

We had a really great time with Sydney over the last weekend. Besides the pool, the fondue, and the hid-n-seek that went on this weekend, there was a ton of junk food eating and silliness that made this weekend great. Sydney is a wonderful little kid with a great personality. It has been a honor watching her grow. She is only 6 now and sometimes I wish I could just hit pause here for a while, but the show much go on. You can see lots more pictures on my wife's blog. The last one I will post is a pic of Syd scoring two goals in her soccer game. Her first of the year and we were there to see them!!!! That was a blessing.....

We love you Syd!!!!

Man vs. Food

2009-03-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of the T.V. show Man vs. Food? Well I hadn't until last night. My best friend from back home A.B. called me and told me to turn the tube to the Travel Channel. The show last night was based on a guy named Adam who travels to all the large US cities and grubs out at the most famous resturants in town. Last week he was in Memphis and hit up the hot spots which included Rendevous, Big Foot, and Gus's.

Here are a few clips from his Memphis Trip and some of his toughts of our City. Check him out on the Travel Channel weekdays Wednesdays at 8pm.

Go to his AdamVClips on the right hand side of the home page above titled "VIDEO." Scroll down to the Memphis clip called, "The Sasquatch Hamburger challenge!" IT is so funny!

Enjoy!

So far on our Istanbul Trip......

2009-02-16T22:07:00.000-08:00

So far this trip has been great. The first three days of out trip have been covered on Liz's page. We spent pretty much all of yesterday out on the town visiting a ton of really cool places. Today I think that we are going to do the same. This is the first time that I have been on a vacation where it has not had to take place on a beach for it to be a true vacaton. Getting to see family and traveling across the world to do it has been awesome! Just wanted to also post some pics on my page of some of the sights we saw on this trip so far.

Upcoming Weekends

2009-02-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend Liz and I are going up to spend the day with the sweetest little girl in the world! We will be heading out early Saturday morning to visit my little one. We always get so excited about getting to see her. It is so fun being around her personality and seeing how much she has grown since our last visit. It is so remarkable how bright a kid she is for being only six. Though she can get "wild" as she likes to call it, I would not rather be anywhere else in the world than spending the weekend with her and my bride.

The following weekend, Liz and I will be on a plane headed for Turkey!! We will be meeting up with my brother-in-law, Dan, his wife Tami, and my niece and nephew, Kaiyah and Zeke in Istanbul. Personally, I have never really been outside of the states before (if you don't count the Carribbeans) so it is going to be so neat to be in a different culture for a full week. It will also be neat to do it with family who have been gone for more than a year now. I am so excited to see them.

Rubbing it in!

2009-01-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

Ok so my wife is in California with some girlfriends for the weekend. She is there to train and learn even more cool photo ideas to bring back to you guys in Memphis! I am really excited about her journey as a photographer. What I am not so excited about is the fact that she is rubbing it in about her time there sending cool picks of her at the beach watching the sun rise. See below:

That is just wrong to do! (I am so kidding by the way.) I am just really excited to see someone take a talent like she has been blessed with and do something so beautiful with it. This post is to you hunny! Keep up the good work! Have a great time in Cali and get home to me safely.

Love ya!

I AM BACK!!!!

2009-01-24T06:57:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I have been able to find time to post on here. My wife does such a great job of capturing our lives on her blog that I sometimes can get lazy! Well today I wanted to post about history being made in our country. I know that so much has been much said of Barack Obama and his historic week. I thought that it was really cool that I was able to see this history take place. All other things aside whether you are a democrat or republican I think that it is safe to say that our country has come a long way as a culture. Overall I was very excited about it. To think of my grandfather who had a grandmother who did not have the rights that I have today. To think about the fact that he sat and watch a African American man take the oath to lead this country for the next four years excites me. See I never could fathom what his eyes have seen, I never could anticipate the pure joy that is running through his soul, I never could imagine how impossible this week could have seemed to him. That is what makes this weekend so beautiful to me. Our country is in a tough place right now. I just hope that everyone is in prayer during this time. One for our President, that he makes good sound decisions that will shape us not only for the next four years, but for many. And two that we can better hold ourselves accountable for our actions. To sum it all up this week made me once again proud to be an American!

Great meal. Great Time.

2009-01-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

Last night, just before watching a great game (Florida vs. OU), Liz and I cooked steak and potatoes for dinner. While cooking, I thought that we should put some music on, have some wine, and just dance around the kitchen a little (cheezy, I know). During this time, Liz made a comment about the kind of music we listen to and wanted to see if we could mix it up a little. She really wanted us to go back to her high school/college days and listen to music that she really enjoyed then. Among some of her classics were Bob Dylan and The Steve Miller Band. There was also a burned CD that apparently her and her roomates created called "The Make Out CD". I won't unpack this CD too much since I obviously was not the one she was making out to it with in college (but I must say that there was some really good songs on it)! After listening to all of the cds, my favorite was The Steve Miller Band. Overall, it was nice getting to cook and dance in the kitchen with my wife while listening to some great music. We definitely need to do this more often.

The meal was awesome. Below is a picture of my plate...... Good stuff!

Christmas Season

2008-12-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-20T17:40:00.001-08:00

Eventful

2008-12-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-12-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-11-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

1st time Since 92'

2008-11-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-10-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2008-10-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-09T04:52:00.001-07:00

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.

2008-10-02T21:21:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-30T05:05:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-09-30T05:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T05:00:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-09-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

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.