What I would do with One Million Dollars

Have you ever had a song get stuck in your head?  Sometimes you’ll hear it on the radio, or perhaps you can overhear someone nearby singing it out loud.  Then for some reason it just sticks in your head and won’t leave for the longest time.

Today, I got the song “If I had a million dollars” by Barenaked Ladies stuck in my head.  I’d find myself humming it without even realizing what I was doing.

Nevertheless, it got me thinking.  What would I do if I had a million dollars?  If you listen to the song lyrics, it gives plenty of suggestions (a house, furniture, Reliant automobile, tree fort, fur coat, exotic pet, John Merrick’s remains, a limousine, a green dress, some art, and a monkey (Haven’t you always wanted a monkey?)).

With the exception of a few suggestions from the Barenaked Ladies (I don’t need a green dress or John Merrick’s remains…ewww); I didn’t need any of those things.  If I had a million dollars to spend, I wanted to make sure those purchases were special.

Below you will find a list of 10 things I would buy “If I had a Million Dollars” (Is the song stuck in your head yet?J)

1.      Condo in Traverse City, MI – My family and I have enjoyed vacationing here for years.  It would be great if we had a place up there already where we could just head up at the drop of a hat. 

2.       Home Improvements – We’d love to have our kitchen remodeled, as well as a new addition to the house to give our growing family more room. 

3.       Season Tickets – I love attending sporting events…my family kind of likes it.  But the song is “If I had a million dollars” and season tickets would certainly be one of the items.  The real question is what team I should buy season tickets for.  WMU Footballl, Basketball, Hockey?  Or do I stick to baseball and our hometown Kalamazoo Growlers?  Hmmm…

4.       College fund for my kids – My wife and I have already started saving for both of our kid’s future college expenses.  If I had a million dollars we could make sure both of their college expenses were taken care of.

5.       Vacation...anywhere – My vote would be for somewhere in the United States, but if the rest of my family wants to travel abroad, I’d go along with it.  Personally, I think Alaska would be fun.  Or maybe we take a month and visit multiple places.

6.       Man Cave – I’ve got a lot of sports memorabilia.  I used to have it displayed in our then laundry room.  When my wife became pregnant with our son, the laundry room was then transformed into his room.  The washer and dryer had to be relocated as well as all my sports memorabilia.  Currently, it is stored in an airtight box in our basement.  I’d love to have a place of my own to display it all.

7.       Jersey Allowance – I love sports jerseys…they are just expensive.  If I had a million dollars I would allow myself a sports jersey allowance.  They would go great with my Man Cave.

8.       Charitable Donations – Growing up, my family was heavily involved in charities like “Loaves and Fishes” which provides food to people without a lot of money.  We’ve also supported a Christian therapeutic riding center in the past and would like to give them some financial support.  Our kids’ education is very important to us so we’d gift some money to their school as well.

9.       Parents – My parents have talked about downsizing their home in the past, but don’t feel like they can because of the projects that are still needed to be completed at their current home.  I’d like to pay to get the house ready to sell and then also buy them a new home.

10.   New Cars – My wife and I both drive reliable vehicles.  We’re also currently saving money for when the times comes for us to purchase new vehicles.  If I had a million dollars I would put enough money to fully stock the car fund for both of us. 

There it is…the 10 things I would buy “If I had a Million Dollars”.  Some fun things…some practical.  It’s a good balance.    

10 Reasons Why Devin Hester Isn't a Hall of Famer

Longtime Chicago Bear Devin Hester was released from the Atlanta Falcons today.  Some in the media are now questioning whether or not Hester will continue playing (should another team sign him).  Given his age (he turns 34 this November), and the fact that he missed a majority of the 2015 season with a turf toe injury, he may just decide to “hang up his cleats”.  

If he does decide to retire, the speculation will now shift as to whether or not Hester is a Hall of Famer.  It’s a valid argument to say “yes”, especially with all of the NFL records he currently owns.

Combined special teams return touchdowns, career: 20 (14 punts, 5 kickoffs, 1 missed field goal)

• Most non-offensive touchdowns, career:20
• Most kickoff and punt return touchdowns, career: 19
• Punt return touchdowns, career: 14
• Punt return touchdowns, season: 4 (2007)
• Kickoff return touchdowns, game: 2 (Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams, December 11, 2006)
• tied with many other players
• Combined return touchdowns, season: 6 (2007) (4 punts, 2 kickoffs)
• Combined return touchdowns, rookie, season: 5 (2006) (3 punts, 2 kickoffs)
• Combined return touchdowns, game: 2, twice
• 2, Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams, December 11, 2006 (2 kickoffs)
• 2, Chicago Bears vs. Denver Broncos, November 25, 2007 (1 punt, 1 kickoff)
• Non-offensive touchdowns, season: 6, twice
• 6, 2006 (3 punts, 2 kickoffs, 1 missed field goal)
• 6, 2007 (4 punts, 2 kickoffs)

However, and my brother who is a Bears fan will probably rip me for this, I am saying no.  Hester was a great player, but I do not believe he is Hall of Fame worthy.  Below are 10 reasons why I do not believe he is.

1.      He’s a Kick Returner – Hester was a fantastic kick returner and I loved watching him play, but he was only on the field a handful of times each game.  He wasn’t a game changer in my mind. 

2.       There’s nobody else – The NFL Hall of Fame selection committee must not view kick/punt returning in a very positive light because as of right now, there are no kick/punt returners in the Hall of Fame.  Sure, there are some players who returned kicks and punts, but they also played other positions.  Deion Sanders for example, was a Hall of Fame cornerback who also returned kicks.  Hester is a kick returner who also plays wide receiver from time to time.

3.       No defining moment – Hall of Fame members have at least one defining moment in their careers where it is apparent they are Hall of Fame worthy.  Hester doesn’t have one of those moments.

4.       5 year waiting period – Players aren’t eligible for the Hall of Fame until 5 years after they have retired.  Will the Hester supporters still feel the same way about him in 5 years?  I think not.

5.       Hall of Fame Class of 2021 – Hester will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021.  There are at least 4 members in each voting class, with a maximum of 8 every year.  Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, Jared Allen, and Marshawn Lynch are all better than Hester who will also be eligible for the Hall of Fame that year.  Enough said.

6.       Not the best – Hester was great, but I believe guys like Deion Sanders, Mel Gray, Desmond Howard, and Brian Mitchell were better kick/punt returners than Hester.

7.       Voting Procedure – He’ll have to first make it past a couple rounds of selection committee voting.  If he makes it to the final list of 15, then he’ll still need to get at least 80 percent support from the Hall of Fame Board.  Not even Hester can out run these requirements.

8.       Bears History – Quick, name me the top 5 all-time Chicago Bears…is Hester on that list?  How about the top 10?  Still no Hester, huh?

9.       Not Consistent- Take a look at Hester’s career stats, there are definitely some gaps in production there.  To be a Hall of Famer there has to be consistent greatness.

10.   Question – An easy way to decipher this is to simply ask a question…Is Devin Hester a Hall of Famer?  If he is there shouldn’t be any hesitation.  If we feel the need to debate it, then I would say no.

The Wolf of Wall Street - Movie Review

A few months ago my wife and I made the agonizing decision to cut cable television from our lives.  We did this for many reasons.  Primarily we cut it out because of the cost factor.  For as few channels we watched on a regular basis, it was costing way WAY too much.  We also cut it out because we found ourselves spending way too much time staring at it and not enough time talking to each other. 

We are a few months in and have survived without cable television.  And yes, we have found ourselves talking and spending more time with each other.  It’s certainly been a blessing.

In addition to spending more time with each other, not having cable television has turned us into movie buffs.  In the past, we would go to the movie theater one, maybe two times a year.  We’d rent movies only a handful of times. 

Now though, we’re able to catch up on a lot of movies that we’ve wanted to see in the past.  It’s great because our local library carries a wide selection of movies that we can rent for no cost at all. 

This past week I rented “The Wolf of Wall Street” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill.  It’s the story of New York stockbroker, Jordan Belfort, and his journey from the American dream to corporate greed. He starts out selling penny stocks and honesty to IPOs but excess achievement and wealth in his early twenties as founder of the brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont warranted Belfort the title "The Wolf of Wall Street." Temptations were for the taking and the threat of authority was irrelevant. For Jordan and his team, modesty was quickly deemed overrated and more was never enough.

I knew going into this movie that there would be an insane amount of cursing in this film, and that didn’t bother me at all.  I was surprised at the overabundance of drug use and excessive sex scenes though.  I understand that it’s all part of the story but I could’ve done without a lot of it. 

The storyline was enjoyable to follow.  To see Belfort go from an eager, young stockbroker just wanting to be able to provide for his family to a millionaire, playboy, drug addict is fascinating to say the least.

My favorite part of the movie is the lunch scene between DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey (playing stockbroker Mark Hanna). 

Mark Hanna: The name of the game, moving the money from the client's pocket to your pocket.

Jordan Belfort: But if you can make your clients money at the same time it's advantageous to everyone, correct?

Mark Hanna: No.

Hanna seemed to take Belfort under his wing and introduce him to a side of stock brokering he never knew existed.  This was where “The Wolf of Wall Street” was actually born in my opinion.  I would have loved to see how the Jordan Belfort character evolved while working with Mark Hanna.

Overall, I enjoyed “The Wolf of Wall Street”.  It was a captivating storyline that held my attention throughout.  On a scale of 1 – 5 I give it a 3. If there was less cursing/drug use/sex scenes it would have been a 4 for sure.  

Pickle Power!

Back when Food Network actually aired cooking programs, the hosts would always tell a story about they related to the food they were cooking.  It could be that they watched their mother or grandparent make this food when they were younger, or perhaps it was a dish that they made for a longtime love.

The point is that the food they were making had  a personal meaning to them.  Well, these sweet pickles that I made have a personal meaning to me.

My grandparents lived in Muskegon, MI and we would go and visit them at least once every couple months (more if there was a holiday).  I can't speak for my brothers, but I hated the car ride up to visit them.  It was only a couple hours but for a young boy sitting in the back of a Ford Taurus with his two bothers it seemed like an eternity.

When we would finally arrive, the first thing we would see as we walked in the door was my Grandma greeting us with open arms.  After the mandatory hug, the next thing we saw were homemade dinner rolls and sweet pickles.

I had always considered myself a dill pickle guy and, at least when I was younger, wasn't too keen on trying new things.  The first time I remember trying sweet pickles was actually an accident...I had assumed they were dill.

When I tried them though, I immediately loved them.  They were sweet, but still crunchy.  It was a perfect snack alternative.

When we decided to plant pickling cucumbers in our garden this year, I knew that I had to try and make sweet pickles.

Since I didn't have my grandma's recipe, I decided to call upon my good friend Pinter Rest (pinterest).  I found many recipes for bread and butter pickles, but not any for sweet pickles.  After doing some more research, I found that bread and butter pickles are a type of sweet pickle.  Bread and butter pickles are sweet, thinly sliced pickles made from cucumbers, onions, and chopped green or red peppers.  They have a distinct, slightly tangy taste.

One thing I've never been afraid to do when cooking or baking is changing the recipes I am working with and the recipe I found for these pickles is no different.  I took out the onion and peppers (because I didn't have any).  Instead of celery seeds I used celery salt, and took tumeric out of the recipe altogether.

What I ended up with were pickles that were slightly sweet and tasted very close to the pickles I remember at my Grandmas house.

The recipe for making these pickles is as follows...

• After cleaning the cucumbers, cut them into "chips" using either a knife or mandolin.  A mandolin will aid in keeping the pickle chips uniform.  If you have a knife (like I did), you're just going to have to eyeball it.  
• Sprinkle 1.5 tbsp of kosher salt onto the cucumbers, coating as evenly as possible and place in a bowl.  Cover and chill in a refrigerator for 1.5 hours.  This will draw out any excess moisture.
• After 1.5 hours, drain the excess water from the cucumbers and place the chips in a colander.  Rinse any leftover salt off of cucumbers and set aside.  
• Begin to make pickling brine by combining 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, and 1/2 tsp celery salt in a sauce pan.  
• Bring this to a simmer, stirring only until the sugars have been dissolved.  
• Pour mixture over the pickle chips and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.  
• Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.  
• Store these pickles in an airtight container, refrigerated.  They will be good for up to two weeks (if they last that long...we've been eating them very quickly).

These pickles are so good, they even converted my wife (a self proclaimed dill pickle fan) into a sweet pickle lover.  We've even decided to make the rest of the pickles from our garden into sweet pickles.  

My Workout Struggle

Everyone has their story…we finally get enough courage built up to start an exercise program or diet.  In the beginning its great…we feel terrific and start picturing how good our new fit and trim bodies will look.  We imagine how impressed everyone is going to be when they see the new and improved you.  “This is going to work…I’m a changed person” we tell ourselves.  “Never again will I be that person”.

And for a few days (or weeks) we are right.  We stick to our exercise program and healthy eating religiously.  We are moving more and even starting to see small changes in our body.  We make better choices at restaurants.  Our energy levels begin to rise.

Then we hit a hiccup.  It could be a vacation that comes up where we don’t exercise and let our eating fall by the wayside (“I’ll start back up again when vacation is over”) or perhaps we fall ill and never get back to working out after we’re healthy again.  Or, and this is where I was guilty, we are just too tired one day and decide to rest.  The problem with that is one day turns into two days, and then three days…and then the snowball starts rolling.

I wanted to make working out and eating right a habit for me.  I’m 40 years old now and figure that I can’t start and stop working out anymore.  It’s time to make a permanent change and be an example for my kids.

I had been previously working out a little at home by myself.  I first started out very basic.  It was just pushups and crunches in the beginning.  I then bought a kettlebell and have been doing curls on an almost daily basis.  We also have an indoor exercise bike that helps me get on an average of 10 – 20 miles 4-5 times a week.  My Fitbit was helping me track my daily calories as well.

This was great, but I wanted more. 

As most parents of young children know, time is of the essence.  From the time they get up in the morning to the time they go to bed at night, there is no free time for parents. 

With that in mind, I decided to implement a small change into my working out.  I had read about how kettlebell swings are a great (and simple) way to get a total body workout.  If I could find 15 – 20 minutes each day I figured that I could get in 100 kettlebell swings.  This could be done either early in the morning or later on at night (after the kiddos were in bed).

People say that it takes 21 days to make a habit stick.  With that in mind I decided to set a goal for myself of 100 kettlebell swings each day for 30 days.  After the 30 days were up, then perhaps I would increase the reps to 150 or 200…who knows. 

I’m now on day 22 of my 30 day kettlebell swing challenge and feeling great.  I do have days where that little voice in my head says “you’re tired…take today off” and “one day off won’t hurt you”. 

The old me would have listened to that voice in my head and more than likely taken a day (or two) off.  The new me tells that voice in my head that I’m going to tackle my workout head on and nothing is going to stop me.  

Adventures with Dot

Dot is our 12 week old collie puppy.  We adopted her because our golden retriever (Ollie) is 12 years old and we expect to only have 2-3 more years with him.  Our goal was to have Dot "learn the ropes" from Ollie and to also be a new playmate for him.

We had no idea that Dot would come in and quickly become the Alpha dog in our household.  She barks, nips, and pushes Ollie out of the way on a constant basis.  Unfortunately, Ollie doesn't fight back.

Both my wife and I felt bad for Ollie.  If we had known that Dot would be like this, we never would have gotten her.  We would have waited until Ollie passed away.

I'm not saying Dot is a bad dog by any means...she's just a puppy and is learning things every day.

I was probably Dot's smallest supporter in the beginning.  She nipped my wife and kids, had "accidents" in the house, and couldn't seem to sleep through the night without having to go outside and empty her bladder.

However, as each day goes by, I've noticed her learning more and more.  She is finally learning her name, we can unhook her leash (it's still attached to her collar) and let her walk around our yard on her own, and she's becoming more and more comfortable with new people and sounds.

The first few days of having Dot in our family, I thought for sure we had made a big mistake.  I'm still not 100% on board with her, but there is definitely hope.

To be continued...

Pickles, Pickles, and more Pickles

Pickles are like hot dogs that got pissed and turned into the Hulk

My wife and I have had a garden in our back yard for the past few years.  We typically grow pumpkins, onions, carrots, and green peppers and most of the time, they all turn out great.  

I never really had any interest in helping out with our garden...it was more my wife's hobby.  I would help rota-til the garden, turn off the sprinkler at night, and then put my muscles to good use and carry our pumpkins up to our house in the fall.  

Last year, as we were harvesting the final vegetables from our garden, I got the idea to plant cucumbers in our next garden and make them into pickles. I'm no stranger to the kitchen and am comfortable making any type of cuisine, but have never attempted to make pickles before. 

Over the winter, my pickle idea kind of floated away like a fluffy snow flake in January.  However, on a sunny (but chilly) March day, I was shopping with my family and came across the gardening section of the grocery store and noticed their enormous display of seeds.   

I scanned their wide array of seeds looking for cucumbers, thinking that was what I needed.  Little did I know that there was actually a cucumber specifically for pickling.  

Fast forward a few months later...the sun is shining, it's a heckuva lot warmer, and our pickling cucumbers are producing faster than we can pickle them.   

My first batch of dill pickles is currently on day 3 of the fermentation process (the recipe I found says it will take between 3 and 7 days to complete).  I tried one today and it isn't quite "pickly" yet.  

I plan to use this summer as a testing phase to see what works and doesn't work.  My goal is to have more pickles next summer and hopefully sell them at our local farmers market.  

My Fitness Journey

Even if you can't see the results in front of you, every single effort is changing your body from the inside...Never get discouraged!

Fitness.  It’s been something that, despite how I’ve looked in the past (I was 272 lbs. on my wedding day); I’ve always been interested in.

I would get the motivation to begin a workout regimen every now and then.  I joined a gym a couple of times, I’d start a running program every now and then, and sometimes I would work out with weights that we had at home.  My wife and I even did a Weight Watchers program a few years ago.

Sometimes these programs would work (I lost a total of 63 lbs with Weight Watchers…but then stopped doing it and gained most of it back), and some didn’t.  The problem with all of these though is that I didn’t keep them up.  Either I would become ill and stopped for an extended period of time, frustrated at the lack of weight loss, or I just woke up one day and didn’t feel like working out so I made up an excuse in my mind.

The point is that I lacked discipline and vision.  I lacked the discipline to continue with my workouts and healthy eating.  I also lacked the vision to see that, even if I couldn’t see my body changing physically, I was changing mentally.  I was paying too much attention to the number on the bathroom scale and not enough to how much better I was feeling.

All of that changed on Friday August 21^st, 2015.  That was the day I decided to give up drinking pop.  I was drinking at least one a day for who know how long, so I decided to set an easily attainable goal…do not drink any pop that weekend (2 days).

Happily, I made it through the weekend without any pop and accomplished my goal.  For a short time, I thought about rewarding myself for achieving my goal with a pop.  It got me thinking though…If I made it all weekend without drinking a pop…can I make it all week?

Well, one week turned into a month.  One month turned into two months.  Before I knew it, I had made it to Christmas without drinking a single drop of pop.  By this time there was no way I was going break my streak.

Christmas is when I also got my Fitbit as a gift.  My Fitbit is like those WWJD bracelets.  It isn’t going to make me get healthy or watch what I eat for me.  It will give me the tools to help me get fit.  And wearing it on my wrist will help remind me daily to keep on track.

Over the course of the next months, I was working out with weights 4-6 times a week, using the stationary bike we had sitting in our living room at least 5 times a week, and eating nutritious food.  By the time we left for vacation at the end of March I was down 26 lbs and feeling great.

I’m proud to say that working out and eating right has become a habit for me now.  I’ll still have the occasional cookie or slice of cake.  When we go out to eat I’ll have a burger if I want.  As long as I’m honest with myself though and accounting for the food I put into my body I’m happy.

And that is what’s most important.

Blueberry Greek Yogurt Bread

 Keep Calm and Bake On

I love to bake.  Assembling multiple ingredients into one delicious finished product is very relaxing to me.  The sights, sounds, and especially smell puts me in a holiday spirit…even when it isn’t a holiday.

Late last year I made bread that had Greek yogurt in it (an ingredient I had never used while making bread).  I didn’t have enough yogurt at the time so I supplemented it with a pouch of my son’s fruit baby food.   It worked well and gave the bread a moist texture and distinct fruit flavor.

I’ve had that bread on my mind recently.  When my wife came home with blueberry Greek yogurt and a carton of blueberries I got an idea which could make that bread even better.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the recipe I used the last time I made this bread, so I searched Pinterest and found one that was close which I could modify to my liking.

To make this recipe you’ll need the following…

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour + 1 tbsp (set aside the 1 tbsp)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup blueberry greek yogurt
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup blueberries

And the directions…

• Spray a 9x5 pan with non-stick spray
• Pre heat oven to 350
• Toss blueberries with 1 tbsp flour until coated (set aside)
• Mix flour/baking powder/salt in bowl and set aside
• In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thoroughly mixed together.
• Beat in vanilla, Greek yogurt, coconut oil, lemon juice to egg/sugar mixture (warning…it will look disgusting but don’t be alarmed)
• Combine wet & dry ingredients and mix (with a spatula) until smooth.
• Fold in blueberries
• Pour batter into 9x5 pan and bake for 50 – 55 minutes (it’s done when you can insert a toothpick into the middle and it comes out clean)
• Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing loaf from pan.
• Slice and serve!

Puppy Power!

 A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than they love themselves – Josh Billings

Have you ever been really excited about something (vacation, holiday, first date, etc.)?  And then when it finally happened, it went in the complete opposite direction?  Think Clark Griswold in National Lampoons Vacation.  That’s how it’s been since we got our puppy.

We thought we were prepared to get a puppy.  My wife and I had prior experience as we each grew up with dogs.  We had a kennel for the new puppy to be in when we were away; we had chew toys galore, and had even watched “The Dog Whisperer” many, many times to help educate ourselves.

Picking up the new dog (whom we affectionately named “Dot” because of the single brown dot on her side) went as we expected.  She whined for a bit, gnawed on her chew toy, and then fell asleep.  She repeated this process a few times the entire trip home.

When we arrived home, we kept Dot in the kennel as we brought her into the house so our older dog (Ollie) and two cats could check her out before we opened the kennel gate.  The animals all seemed to be okay with the new addition so we opened the gate to let Dot explore her new surroundings.  We expected Dot to cautiously walk around the house, or perhaps just lay down up against a wall until she felt more comfortable.

We were wrong.

Dot burst out of the kennel and started enthusiastically tearing around the house, chasing cats, jumping and nipping all over Ollie, and then proceeded to take a massive poop on our kitchen rug.  We were waiting for Ollie to snap at her and settle her down, but it never happened.  Unfortunately, Ollie was so laid back around Dot that he let her jump and nip all over him.  My wife and I even had to encourage Ollie to snap back and put Dot in her place.  We wanted him to get upset with her.  Sadly though, he would only stare at us each time Dot would go after him.

So now we are in a situation where our 11 week old collie puppy is bossing our 12 year old golden retriever around.  She pulls on his tail with her teeth, tries to drink water while our golden is drinking, and also jumps all over him.  He’ll get after her every now and then, but it doesn’t seem nearly enough.

It’s still very early in the process, but my wife and I are now wondering if it was a bad idea to get the new puppy.  We don’t want our 12 year old golden retriever to live the last few years of his life being tormented by a puppy.

To be continued…