Tom Lester's Ramblings

New Home

2009-08-04T21:06:00.002-04:00

Hi all, if you were wondering why I haven't updated this blog in a while, it's because I've moved my blog and site to a new location. Please visit me here:

Thomas Lester Photography

and my new blog:

Thomas Lester Photography Blog

To Share With

2009-02-23T12:25:00.001-05:00

I was recently watching a DVD called "At Close Range". It's the story of internationally acclaimed National Geographic magazine photographer Joel Sartore. It's a fantastic DVD that I highly recommend. Joel is a great photographer with a neat personality, but he's also a father and husband. Much of this story details the struggle he has with balancing work and family. He spends weeks and occasionally months on location, sometimes without any way to communicate.

Joel said something in the movie. It was not featured, in fact it was in a non important thought to the subject at hand, but it caught my mind. He said, "Everyone needs someone to share with". When I heard that and it settled into my head, I had to pause the movie just to think about it a bit. I couldn't agree more.

Not having someone to share your dreams, hopes, experiences, ideas, frustrations, joys, triumphs, and failures with is like being the only one on the golf course when you sink a hole-in-one. Yes.. you still got a hole-in-one. It still counts, but it doesn't have the same satisfaction of having someone next to you screaming, hi-fiving, and jumping up and down.

My wonderful wife allows me to share with her. If I didn't have that in my life, I don't know if I could survive. Just yesterday, she sat there and let me rant to her about how frustrated I've been with my own performance at work. I'm talking about 2 hours of this. She was my sounding board. She allowed me to share and she help me guide my thoughts. I felt better after. But, I'm not talking about just someone to "vent" to. I'm talking about truly sharing with.

I say, "Hey Heather, come listen to this". She doesn't have to say a word. She just sits next to me while I play a song I found on iTunes that I like a lot. She doesn't have to do anything, but allow me to share that experience with her. I love to take pictures. I love to look at great pictures. She can sit down next to me and browse photos from a photog that I really like on Flickr. It's wonderful.

The joy of doing something.... anything... is far richer when it can be shared with someone. Heather is my someone.

My Peeps

2009-02-16T20:29:00.001-05:00

These are my peeps. My people. My blood. My my most favorite human beings to ever walk this planet. I thought I'd dedicate this blog entry to them, my family. I just love them to death. We just got through celebrating a rather strange valentines weekend. Friday night, we celebrated Heather's grandmother's 90th birthday. It was a great celebration. Granny's daughters, Ann and Carol, did a fantastic job putting on the event. Then, Saturday... Valentines day, I went to say goodnight to my grandmother, Cassie. My Dad, my uncle, my sister, and various extended family members gathered in Dade City, Florida for a graveside service.

It was bitter sweet. My Grandmother was a Christian. I know I'll see her again, but it was still sad to know I won't see her here on earth again. However, it was nice to have all my family together, not to mention it being Valentines day.

Later that night, we gathered at Heather's folk's house with all her extended family and had a huge dinner and just hung out.

The bottom line, I got to do one of my most favorite things... take a road trip with the three people in the photo above. I just have so much fun spending time with them. They are the coolest people in the whole world. I have the smartest, funniest, most creative kids ever. And the best part... they put up with me. They let me do stuff like take crazy pictures in Target!!! They pose for me. They listen to me rant about politics, music, business, etc.

Together At Last

2009-02-16T18:45:00.001-05:00

My Grandparents - Project365:40, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

I can only imagine Papa waiting for her at the gates with a big loving smile on his face. Together at last.

Goodnight

2009-02-12T10:21:00.001-05:00

Life is all about influence. Everyone around us influences who we are. Some may disagree with me. They may say, "I'm not influenced by that person". I say, yes you are... You are are influenced to be like a person or your are influenced to NOT be like a person. Everyone that we have contact with influences one way or another. Often times, it's not until we take stock in a persons life do we realize how that person influenced our lives.

Catherine (Cassie) Lester was one of these influencers in my life. When I was young, I didn't get it. I sometimes even regretted her influence. As I take stock, I realize that she has influenced a great many aspects of my life in a very positive way. Manners, grammar, my music, parenting, learning, goal setting, investing, and just living life. I'm talking about my Grandmother. God called her home Saturday February 7, 2009.

I know one thing more than almost anything. My Grandmother loved me dearly. She loved me unconditionally. She was strict, but I never doubted her love. I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by love like hers. These are the influences that allow me to love my wife and family the way I do. She may not be here in the flesh, but she lives on through us. I think of her regularly as I find myself teaching my kids the things that she taught me. I don't even think about until after I hear myself say it. Just last week my son said, "Me and Harrison are going to the circle" and without even thinking I said, "What's so 'mean' about Harrison". I smirked to myself after hearing those words come from my mouth. That's exactly what Cassie would have said.

I will miss her, but I will see her again one day in Heaven. So, for now, I will just say "Goodnight".

I never thought it'd come so soon
I'd be with you inside this room
Heaven's taking you from me
Your hand grows weak, it's telling me it's time to leave

Help me say goodnight
I won't say goodbye
Leave the light on, I'll be home in time

How can a granite
stone symbolize
The kaleidoscope
that was your life?
Your words will stay alive in me
My knees grow weak, the tears I leave, are healing me.

"Say Goodnight" - This Beautiful Republic

How can they hear hear about Him?

2009-02-05T13:37:00.001-05:00

Brian was playing at Fuel last night, and I usually head over to the main sanctuary after they get done with the worship set. Something made me stay last night to hear the message. I'm glad I stayed because Pastor Josh Turner was so in their face... he was in my face, too!

Josh spoke about evangelism. Specifically, he taught from Romans 10:14-15. It goes like this:

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

That's a pretty powerful set of verses. "How can they?" I kept hearing that. "How can they?" Well... they can't. That's our job. It's our job to tell them. Josh pointed out, it's not our job to have all the answers. We end up not telling our friends about our relationship with Jesus because we are afraid we won't have the answers to their questions. THAT'S OK! We don't have to have all the answers. If that was the case, their would be even less Christians on this planet. We just need to share what God has done in our lives. That's the one thing that we know and we know well. We use that as our foundation to share Jesus with others.

What if we don't share Jesus? It's easy, and maybe even comforting for us to think, "Someone else will tell them about Jesus". But, what if we get to Heaven and we find out that we were it? That there wasn't anyone else?

If we love our friends, we need to make sure they are aware that there know that there is another path than just "down". We need to share with them Jesus with loving words. We need to be their for them when they need us. We don't have to have the answers. If we do our part and share with them Jesus, then God can do the rest.

They can not believe, if they have not heard...

I Grieve

2009-01-15T11:11:00.002-05:00

I Grieve, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Last night, instead of having our normal Wednesday night youth service (called "Element"), we had a memorial service for two of our teens that died in a car wreck. It was a sobering experience for sure. This photo was taken at the table where kids wrote notes, prayers, and memories for their friends and left it at the table.

Those who know me well know that I'm not big "griever". However, those who know me well also know that I do get deeply saddened by events like this. My son asked me last night if I was sad for the two kids who died. I told him "no... but I am sad about the pain that their friends and family are going through". I didn't know them well. I didn't really even know them at all, but I know they were loved by many who will miss them dearly. For me, dying isn't the sad part. It's the void in the lives left behind that is sad.

Last night, I found myself thinking of lyrics to a song by Peter Gabriel as I watched the tears flow down many kids faces. Peter writes, "There's nothing yet has really sunk in, Looks like it always did". When I showed up last night, it was like any other night. Even with with photos of the kids, candles, and cards it was hard to "get it" that two of our teens were gone. I don't even think their friends were getting it. I saw some walk around the place with a smile on their face, laughing with friends and then it would hit them and their face would change. Tears would roll down their face. Even if it was just for a moment.

I grieve for those left behind that have to deal with the new huge void in their lives.

I Grieve
It was only one hour ago
It was all so different then
Theres nothing yet has really sunk in
Looks like it always did
This flesh and bone
Its just the way that you would tied in
Now theres no-one home

I grieve for you
You leave me
so hard to move on
Still loving whats gone
They say life carries on
Carries on and on and on and on

The news that truly shocks is the empty empty page
While the final rattle rocks its empty empty cage
And I cant handle this

I grieve for you
You leave me
Let it out and move on
Missing whats gone
They say life carries on
They say life carries on and on and on

Life carries on
In the people I meet
In everyone thats out on the street
In all the dogs and cats
In the flies and rats
In the rot and the rust
In the ashes and the dust
Life carries on and on and on and on
Life carries on and on and on

Its just the car that we ride in
A home we reside in
The face that we hide in
The way we are tied in
And life carries on and on and on and on
Life carries on and on and on

Did I dream this belief?
Or did I believe this dream?
Now I can find relief
I grieve

I Grieve - Peter Gabriel

The 21 Day Fast Has Begun

2009-01-12T17:23:00.006-05:00

Our Bounty, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Sunday was the first day of our 21 day fast. I was originally planning on doing a liquids only fast. However, the rest of my family is doing the "Daniel Fast", which is fruits and veggies. So, I've decided to join them. The picture above is our "bounty" from the farmers market Saturday morning. We got a LOT of food. It's not too hard... last night we had potatoes, salad, and corn for dinner. I had apple and steel cut oatmeal w/ raisins for breakfast. Home made lintel soup for lunch. I think we are having veggie stir fry tonight. Yum!

Today's Bible readings...

Wow... I'm starting to think if you just modernized the old testament, you could make it a hit prime time television series. Imagine the television announcer guy's voice, "In tonight's episode... Esau marries two women that drive his parents to the brink of insanity. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Isaac gets duped by his no good spoiled son into giving Jacob his brother inheritance. Tune in tonight at 10 Eastern, 9 Central to find out how Esau plans to get his revenge!"

I also read from Proverbs (which is my favorite book of the Bible, btw). I like this one a lot. Proverbs 3:9-10: "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce". As Christians I think we need to do things BETTER than what the world expects. There are so many Christians that miss this. I've seen way too many times people doing a poor job at their profession or ministry and profiting by the fact that they are "Christian". Take the music biz. I've heard the phrase, "not bad for a Christian artist". I hate that phrase. It should be, "That guy's a Christian artist, so you know it's going to be great!"

Everything we do should be done the best we can. It is to honor God. What better reason is there than that?

Learn more about the fast at awake21.org

Good tree == Good Fruit

2009-01-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

TEL_3482, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Today's quiet time readings.

Jesus tells us we can tell a good tree by it's good fruits. He teaches that in the same way that people should be able to tell that we are Christians by our fruit or works. This is scripture that is easily mistaken. This DOES NOT mean that our works get us into heaven. The Bible is very clear that declaring Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour is the ONLY way to heaven. But, once we have made that declaration, we should be at least a little big recognizable by our behavior, the fruits of the spirit, and are desire to cary out God's instructions.

I love how Jesus never says that we have to see the fruit to become a Christian. You can't have fruit before the tree. Let me say that again.... you can't have fruit before the tree. What does this mean? This means that Jesus wants us to come to him as we are. Then, he will begin to transform us into a tree that bares good fruit. Jesus does NOT expect us to get our act together before coming to him. He want's us right where we are. Then, He'll position us in fertile soil, feed us with living water, and grow us into beautiful trees that grown beautiful and very recognizable fruit.

Yes... I took that picture this morning specifically for this scripture. See... the lamp is kind of like a tree and the apple is the fruit. Get it? The blurry (that's called "bokkeh", for the non-photography crowd) black pot in the background was where I made spaghetti and meatballs last night. I made some tasty meatballs!!!

I'm starting to get better at waking up early. Tomorrow, we are going to the farmers market to stock up on fruits and veggies for our 21 day fast. Heather is doing the "Daniel fast" of just fruits and veggies. I'm either going to do all fresh juice or only water. I haven't decided, yet. I may do all water and see if I pass out! Ha! If I do, then I'll start doing just juice. I did just juice last year for 9 days. That was a good start. I hope to go all 21 days this year.

Angel Sodomy, Virgin Daughters, and Sulfur Rain

2009-01-08T07:28:00.003-05:00

TEL_0439, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Woah! People say that our society is getting more and more corrupt. This may be true, but I don't think we hold a candle to Sodom. I think Hollywood would even have a tough time putting this film together! So, God sends Angels to destroy Sodom because the city has become so depraved. They Angels meet Lot (Abraham's son) at the entrance to the city and Lot invites them to his house as his guests and feeds them and washes their feet. When the Angels are at Lot's house, men from Sodom show up and surround Lot's house demanding that Lot sends out the "men" visiting Lot so they can all have sex with them.

What? I guess that's how they rolled before the invention of the gay bar...

Lot says... "don't do my guests... instead do my two virgin daughters". What the heck! He offers up his daughters to a crowd of horny men? What kind of father logic is that? I would have been offering up a Louisville Slugger by this point. So, the men refused. They wanted the men (actually angels) instead. The angels were like, "ok, we've heard enough.... let's torch this joint!" Lot and his family got out of Dodge and the angels poured down a rain of fiery sulfur.

I guess the moral logic doesn't fall far from the tree... later the daughters decide to get Lot drunk and have sex with him. Both of them get pregnant with "dad's" child. Ewe... that's just wrong.

If this were made into a movie, it would have to be on Cinamax or "Pay Per View" only!

What did I learn from that? I learned that... Hmmm... I guess I'm not as screwed up as I thought. Ha!

My new testament reading (Matthew 6:25 - 7:14) this morning is one of my favorites. This is Jesus teaching them not to worry that God is our provider and He loves us more than anything. I should read this passage every day. I used to not worry about anything. In the last year or so, I worry a lot more. I get anxious about deadlines at work and such. I know I shouldn't. When I read these passages, I instantly feel calm.

The scripture talks about how beautiful God dresses the flowers that will be destroyed. If he takes care of them so well, then how much MORE will he take care of us. I think the picture above demonstrates this. I took that picture at Hilton Head over summer when we visited there for a vacation.

Today's Reading.

Hello, my name is Abraham, God told me to cut you!

2009-01-07T07:05:00.002-05:00

Sunset over the St. Johns. Proj365:2, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Can you imagine that? You are hanging out in your tent, minding your own business when the person you know as "Abram" comes crashing in with a sharp knife, "Good afternoon. God gave me a new name. I am now Abraham and God told me to cut your penis." How do you reconcile that? I'd have been like, "back the truck up... God told you to do what???". That was God's deal with Abraham. God's end of the deal was to give Abraham the land and Abraham's descendants will rule the land. Abraham's part of the deal was to circumcise his boy children and the men of the nation as a symbol of the covenant. Ouch!

God can do ANYTHING and He can follow through with His plans for you even when you screw them up. Sarai, Abram's Wife, couldn't have kids. God revealed to Abram that he WOULD give him a son and that he'd have a nation of descendants. Sarai got impatient and offered up her hand maiden for Abram to sleep with and get pregnant.

Now... first of all, every man out there should understand that this is a ridiculous idea. As much as we all would be tempted by a hot young assistant and no matter how much the wife say she's cool with it, SHE's NOT. This is true of today as it was true in ancient times. As soon as Hagar (Sarai's servant) got pregnant, which was the plan, Sarai began to hate her. Sarai got mad at Abram and blamed him for the situation (duh... who couldn't see that coming) .

Here's the point... line up with God's plan for your life and you will have less headaches. Try to execute God's plan on your own power in your own timing and life will be rough. However, God is gracious enough to follow through on his plan for your life even when you blow it. Abram and Sarai blew it. The rushed God's plan and didn't trust him. They though, because of their earthly circumstances, God couldn't get them pregnant naturally. However, God proved to them he could do anything and is not bound by their early situation. God also proved, that even when they screwed up, he still followed through on His promise. That's pretty cool!

Do you dig today's picture? I took that yesterday evening on the way to band practice. That's the sunset as seen from the Julington Creek bridge. That is the picture I picked for my day 2 of my 365 project.

I have a question/rant I wanted to talk about, but this post is getting kind of long. I'll save it for later.

Today's quiet time reading here.

A Whole Other Level

2009-01-06T07:02:00.002-05:00

TEL_0447, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Ok... so this picture doesn't really have anything to do with today's quiet time. It's also an old picture (not part of the 365 project). I took this picture back in Summer when we were on vacation in Hilton Head, SC. This was a really nice jazz club that we went to and Brian sat in on drums for one song. I just think my blog entries look better with photos. I thought of this photo this morning because I can barely get my eyes to focus and I had to get some coffee before I started reading.

I found The One Year Bible online and they have links to Bible Gateway that have each day's scriptures grouped together. Here is January 6.

In the New Testament read this morning (Matthew 5:27-48), Jesus takes things to a whole new level. He really sets up how much we need Grace. Jesus tells us that it's more than actually committing the sin... but if you THINK about committing the sin, then you have already sinned in you heart and that it's just as bad. Kind of makes you think twice about the old thought, "I'm a good person... I haven't murdered, I'm faithful to my wife... surely I'll go to Heaven". Jesus tells us in this passage that if you've ever thought, "wow... she's hot... I'd like to [censored]". Then we've committed adultery.

We must truly understand this "next level", this sinning of our heart and mind for us to truly understand grace. Then THAT takes our relationship to the next level with our Lord and Saviour.

Resolutions Begin

2009-01-05T07:20:00.002-05:00

Resolutions begin - 1/365, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

This photo is photo #1 of a Flickr 365 project that I'm starting today. What's a 365 project you ask? A 365 project is where a person commits to taking one photo a day for 365 days. Of course, you can take more than one photo per day, but you have to take at least one photo each day and choose only one as your photo for the day. The motivator for me to do this is to force myself to take more photos. More photos means I have more opportunity to improve my photography skills.

Taking more photos is part of my new years resolutions. Also, I'm resolving to get up before the kids wake up and have quiet time with God and read the Bible. I'm trying to do a one year read through of the Bible. This photo depicts this part of my resolutions. Note the time on the iPhone.

I also resolve to blog more. Hence this post.

About my quiet time this morning. A great friend of mine, Joe Bassett, has agreed to be my accountability partner (his idea actually) on keeping to my quiet time in the morning. Part of the "deal" is that we report to each other what "spoke" to us in our quiet time each morning. So, here's mine for today:

I read the following:

What jumped out at me? Well... I've been anxious a bit lately. In fact, enough to make me have trouble sleeping at night. I haven't been doing what I feel is my best work at my job. Not that I've been doing poorly, but I think I can do better. I also have a lot of internal "what should I do" type of questions that mainly stem from a lot of uncertainty in the world today. Psalm 5:8 really spoke to me this morning and I made in my prayer.

"Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow."

Can't get much simpler than that. Show me the way, God! I can't figure it out on my own. Help me make your way, my way too.

2009 New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-02T20:17:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since my last blog entry. Sorry for that. I've been busy, lazy, etc... It's 2009! I survived another year. You know what that means? Time for my New Year's Resolutions. I didn't do so well with my resolutions from last year, but I'm willing to refine and give it another try. So, here goes.

Work harder, but play more: I went back to work for Sun Microsystems in 2008. With this move, I've been working a lot. However, I haven't been focused as well as I can be so therefore I haven't been as efficient. This causes me to have to work more to keep up. This year I resolve to work harder 9 to 5, but learn to put away work at the end of the day and wind down... play hard.
Relax: This kind of goes hand and hand with "Worker harder, but play more". I have a hard time just sitting and relaxing. When I'm not working, I'm working. I'm researching, trying to learn new things, etc. This keeps my blood pressure pretty high. The Dr. wants me to bring it down. This means, in part, that I need to "chill".
Get Healthy: I purposely didn't put the good ol' new years stand by, "lose weight". Yes... I need to lose weight and that's part of this, but it's more than that. I need to get healthy. This means not just east less, but eat better. Cut out some salt. Exercise. Get my blood pressure lower (see points above).
Spend more one on one time with my daughter, Rachel.: She's growing up fast and I don't feel like I know her as well as I'd like. She's an amazing little girl! Every time I look at her I'm amazed that she came from my DNA.
Take and print more photographs: Photography is a creative outlet for me. I love doing it and it's "de-stresses" me. I resolve to get out more and take more photos. I'm going to start a 365 project of some sort and follow through with it. I also want to print more of my photos and put them up in the house as art. I haven't framed any of my photos in many years. Even family photos. I need to do this. I want to have at least one large "art" photo that I took on my wall by the end of 2009!
Blog more!: Again... I need to stop working and relax. Blogging is a good way to get my ideas and thoughts out of my head.
Be a nicer person: I came to the realization recently that I'm an $%@ Hole. I guess I've always been one and I just didn't realize it. Not everyone feels this way, but some important people in my life seem to think so. So, I need to figure out a way to make myself a "nicer" person. I don't exactly know how to approach this, but I'm going to humble myself and reach out to people to figure out how to improve on this.
Live "Greener" and more natural: Heather and I have been migrating to a greener lifestyle over the last two years. We will continue to do so in 2009. We shop at the farmers market and use reusable bags. Use more glass containers, instead of plastic. Drink less bottled water and more from our own filter into reusable glass or metal containers. Cook more from scratch. Make our own bread, cookies, snacks, juice, etc. Avoid preservatives. Eat more fruit and veggies. Start a garden. I want to raise chickens for eggs... but I'm not going to commit to that until I read through my neighborhood bi-laws. Ha!
Get on a healthier, more family friendly routine: I tend to sleep in. Some mornings, I'm not up before Brian leaves for school. I'm usually up before Rachel. I stay up later than everyone else in the house. I resolve to wake up early. Before Brian wakes up. I want to fix Breakfast for the kids. Have my quiet time with God and read the Bible. Get in some exercise. All BEFORE I start work for the day. I want to go to sleep when Heather goes to sleep. Which can be quite early.
Go to the beach more, swim more in the ocean, and spend more time in the sun: Yeah... I look like a corpse. I live by the ocean and don't visit very often. Heather loves it. She loves to go as often as possible. It would do me good to get some more daylight exposure!
Get Organized: I started using the "Getting Things Done" methodology last year and it's fantastic. I just need to apply the ideas across everything in my life and be consistent with it. I need to organize my routine. Do thins more consistently.

Whew! That's a big list. I'm sure I'll blow some of them, but I'm sure going to try to achieve them all. We'll see!

Vacation Day!

2008-11-07T09:10:00.002-05:00

Home Made Whole Wheat sandwich loaf., originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Life has become very busy. I haven't had time to blog much lately. I need to find time to blog more. It does my soul good. I have the day off today, so I'm going to write a personal "catch up" entry.

Being back at Sun Microsystems has been great. It feels like home. I have a lot on my plate, which is good. I'm the tools lead and architect for change and release management tools. I love it. Now, if the economy can just get out of the crapper, we'll be good to go.

On another note, Joe Stupp - CEO of Chipotle has appointed me and my good friend Jonathan the official "Master Burrito Ambassadors" for Jacksonville, FL. Ha! Jonathan also won a year of free Chipotle Burritos. He's one of the luckiest people I know. He's always winning stuff.

So, what's up with the sandwich. I'm learning how to make home made bread. This was my first successful whole wheat sandwich loaf. Looks pretty yummy, eh? It was! Actually... it was as good as any bread you can find in the store. I was impressed. All natural, too. And no.... there were no "bread machines" used. This was all from scratch and by hand (it was kneaded in my stand mixer, though). The chicken was leftover from a whole chicken that i grilled. We are trying to cook more from scratch. We want our kids to know how to cook. We want them to understand that good food doesn't have to come from a box or can! I think cooking from scratch is becoming a lost art.

Speaking of cooking... inspired by Jonathan, I got an electric smoker for my birthday. Looks like a small mini-refrigerator. So, I'm learning how to smoke food. So far I've done spare ribs, and last night did some chicken. The ribs were a learning experience. The rub was less than desirable and kind of messed up the taste. The chicken that I did last night was very good. This weekend, I'm either going to do a pork shoulder roast or a brisket.

There... I forced myself to make a blog entry. Now, maybe I'll start posting regularly again.

Equal Pay

2008-10-23T13:49:00.006-04:00

This is in response to someone posting this link on Facebook.

Here's my thoughts on the subject. This goes for gender, race, cultural background, geography, etc... You get paid based on a combination of your skill level, what is competitive in the market (market demand), and your ability to negotiate. If you have a highly in demand skill, you can get paid more... but not more than what the market is willing to pay. If your skills are NOT in demand, they don't expect to get paid equal to someone who has skills that ARE in demand. And now... to take this to a different level... agree to work for a rate and then shut up about it. When being hired, if you are uncomfortable with the rate, then don't accept it. Hold out for more. If you DO accept the rate, then live with it. It was YOUR DECISION to accept the job at the rate. Don't come back later and say, but my male counter part is getting paid more. He's getting paid exactly the same the female... and that is WHAT HE AGREED TO!!! A female worker doesn't agree to work for one rate and then only receive 83% of that pay when her paycheck is cut. If Obama's plan is to pay everyone equal pay for a certain job type, then that's a different ball game. That's flat out socialism and we should fight that tooth and nail. Obama has already established himself as a socialist, which is just another reason why he will be a horrible leader of our great country.

Now... to take "equal pay" to a spiritual level. Please read Matthew 20:1-15. This tells the story of the Vineyard owner hiring workers to work the vineyard throughout the day. He agreed to pay each worker one denarius. Each worker agreed to the pay. At the end of the day, the worker that started first thing in the morning complained that he didn't get more than they guy that only worked one hour in the evening. The vineyard owner replied (paraphrased)... I'm paying you what we agreed you'd do the work for... what are you complaining for???? Here's the response in the Bible:

9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'

13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

Bottom line. If you agree to work for a rate, then don't complain. If you feel that over time you deserve more, then petition to your boss for more. If he/she says no, then you have a decision to make. Quit or keep working for the rate that you agreed to. If you truly think that the market will bare your rate, then quit and negotiate a new rate with a new employer... HOWEVER....

DO NOT ask for legislation because you are a bad negotiator or you agree to one thing and change your mind later!

Last thought... WE ARE NOT A SOCIALIST COUNTRY! WE DO NOT WANT TO BECOME ONE!!!

Serious Power Nap

2008-09-06T23:18:00.002-04:00

Duncan McFerret asleep on the blanket., originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Who couldn't benefit from a good afternoon power nap? I know I sure could. Of course I rarely have the time and when I do, my mind is usually racing and I can't manage to drift off, despite being exhausted. Well this little guy could teach us a thing or two about the power nap. He plays HARD, and he sleeps more than 12 hours a day. When he's out, he's out! He fell asleep on a blanket in the family room. He was so oblivious, that I was able to set up my tripod and macro lens without him even moving. That... Is a power nap.

Bath Time For Duncan

2008-09-06T17:17:00.002-04:00

TEL_1499, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

We are still working out "cage dynamics" with Mr. Duncan McFerret. Until today, Duncan has had a fairly basic cage set up. 3 levels. litter box on the bottom (which he hasn't been using and instead just goes in the bottom of the cage), and hammock hanging from the top, which he likes. But that's about it. Well.... today, we've tried some new things. One, I put an old sweatshirt on the top level and slid the arms through the cage to tie it into place. On the bottom floor, we've added a loosely piled towel, a bed from "Build a Bear", and one of Heather's old sweaters. The idea is to fill the bottom of the cage with sleeping areas and he'll have no choice but to use his litter box for the potty. So far, so good! He also LOVES the build a bear bed.

So... with him walking on the bottom of the cage where he's used the restroom... he was due for a bath. You normally only bath ferrets once every month or so or they get stinky (I know.... counter intuitive isn't it? Wash away their oils from their skin, their glands go into overtime to make more... then they stink more. Wash them less... less oil production... less stinky). The kids filled the bottom of our garden tub with water, just deep enough for him to play in, but still get his feet on the bottom. I'm not sure if he liked it or not. I think he needs a few more times in the water for him to remember that he's cousin with the otter!

Duncan's Chase

2008-08-29T22:35:00.002-04:00

Duncan loves to play chase. He's one cool ferret! Poor Murphy (our border collie)... he wants to play, too.

Meet Duncan McFerret

2008-08-28T21:45:00.002-04:00

TEL_1470, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Please welcome the newest addition to our family, "Duncan McFerret". He came home with us today and he's supper sweet and super cute. He has a really neat personality, is very social, and LOVES to play. Of course... as with most ferrets (Heather and I have had four, Duncan is the fifth), they play hard and the crash hard. Right now, it's 9:34 PM and he is OUT! I mean, like pet him and move him around and he doesn't even open his eyes kind of out (sleeping in his hammock hanging from the roof of his three level "ferret condo".

Here a handful of picture (crappy photos, sorry... he was bouncing around excited to explore... it was hard to even keep him in my view finder!): http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomaslester/sets/72157607004357323/

I'll add some more photos later.

-Tom

Farmers' Market Shopping Tips

2008-08-27T14:27:00.006-04:00

TEL_1230, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

I promised that I would write a follow up giving some guidance to those of you that have never shopped at a Farmers' Market. I was a little intimidated before I made my first visit, so I did some research. So, here's my thoughts on getting the most out of your farmers market.

Rule of thumb... go in the morning for the best quality, go in the afternoon for the best deals. The farmers don't like to take their goods back home with them. It's a hassle. So, later in the afternoon, they are likely to make some really good deals. However, heat sensitive produce may not be all that great. So, if you have to pickup greens, leafy veggies, etc... do it in the morning. If you are picking up corn, peppers, potatoes, etc.. you can get some good deals in the afternoon.
Make the rounds before you purchase. Take some time and visit each of the vendors. Some may have obviously better quality than others that day. Some may have some unique items that you weren't expecting.
Be flexible. This is farming... weather, time of the year, etc. will effect the quality of the produce. Also, the vendors may have a deal on one item that they have a lot of. So, you may have zucchini on your list, but the quality or price of yellow squash may be better that day. See the picture above... 15 pieces of squash is a lot of squash! I made a huge squash casserole for our church picnic and I still have enough left over for 2 meals (at least).
Bring your own bags. This is important, not only because the vendors may not have them (or they may run out), but it's also important for living green. Get yourself a couple of large reusable produce bags. If you need plastic grocery style bags, bring some with you that you have from your regular grocery shopping. Recycle them by using them at the farmers market. If you have left overs, don't throw them away, give them to the farmers!
Bring dollars and quarters. Yeah... you are going to think this is highway robbery when I tell you that you need to bring quarters. Some purchases literally don't add up to even a full dollar! Aside from the price, the farmers run low on quarters very quickly. Go to the bank and get $5-10 worth of quarters and pay with quarters. The farmers will love you and they may even give you a deal for paying with quarters. Bring dollars, too. Many purchase are in the one to three dollars range. Most everything I purchased was for one dollar.
No Credit Cards! This is a cash only biz. No big bills either. Try to bring nothing larger than a five-spot, if possible.
ASK QUESTIONS. This is a huge tip. Most of the time the people that you buying from are the same people that are farming the land. These are the owner/operators of the farm. They are very proud of their product and love to talk about it. If you don't recognize a particular item, ask them what it is. Often time they'll offer you a sample. If you like it, but are not sure how you'd prepare it, ask them. They'll know. They may share a secret family recipe with you. Last... if you buy some and you (or your family) liked it, then tell them next time you are there. The vendors want to develop a relationship with you. They like regular customers!
You are shopping at the farmers market because you want a good deal, a better product, or both. I like both, especially the good deal. However, you are not their to take the farmers shirt. Trust me... you are going to get a great deal, but don't feel like you need to haggle every little purchase. Like I mentioned above, the vendor what's to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with you. If you become a regular, you are likely to not only get a great deal, but you may often get pointed to that "special" bushel that is extremely high quality that the vendor is saving for his/her regulars.
Experiment. Don't be a fuddy duddy, try some new things. There will be produce that you've likely never seen before. Get some. It may become your new favorite.
Last, but definitely not least, protect your purchase. If you don't live close by, bring a cooler with some freeze packs inside to cary your goods home. This is especially important if you get some fish or seafood (several vendors at the Jacksonville Farmers Market have fresh seafood).

I hope that helps ease some anxiety about going to the farmers market for the first time. If you have any questions, please post a comment and I'll try to answer ASAP.

Back To School

2008-08-25T09:33:00.001-04:00

TEL_1393, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Where did summer go? I can't believe it's over already. However, I'm excited for the kids to go back to school. I can't really say summer was boring, we had some some pretty exciting times. Heather got certified by the Professional Tennis Registry. We went on a nice vacation and got "relaxed up". Band and Jazz camp, tennis lessons, Rush Week, Flex, and Element. It's been a fun summer, indeed!

Today is a monumental "back to school" as Brian, Brook (both of them), Morgan, Chris, and Jeff all leave behind elementary school and move forward to middle school. Exciting times with band, lockers, six periods, and sitting where you want to at lunch (hey this is a big deal). This is also significant because Brian and Rachel will not be in the same school again until Brian is a senior in high school.

The image above is most of the kids from our street gathered up to ride to school together. We have a great bunch of friends in our neighborhood!

Farmers Market Saturday

2008-08-23T16:17:00.001-04:00

Farmers Market on Saturday, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Well... we are starting a bit of a new tradition. Going to the Jacksonville Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. We love going. The people are so friendly, the sights and sounds are really wonderful, the produce is great and it's DIRT CHEAP. Our family is trying to live "greener" and more organic. We are also trying to cook more from scratch. Americans have become a fast food nation, and I'm not talking about just at the drive through. I'm talking about cooking at home from a box or can. That's NOT cooking. I have a feeling that the teens and twenty-somethings of today are going to have no idea how to cook from scratch. Well... not our kids, they are going to learn to cook with good, raw ingredients and to eat without preservatives and funky chemicals. Besides that... it just tastes better.

At the farmers market it isn't your average Publix produce. The quality is MUCH higher and it's right out of the ground, so it doesn't get much fresher. Also there is a huge variety of fruits and vegetables. The most common phrase out of my mouth each time we go is, "What is this one called". Did you know that there is a water melon that's yellow inside and it's even sweeter than the normal water mellon? There is!!! The guy at the farmers market gave me a sample.

If you were unaware that Jacksonville had a farmers market or you just haven't made it down there, you own yourself a visit. If you are like me and live a good ways away from down town (I live in Saint Johns... I.e. Julington Creek area) and you are wondering if it's worth the drive, then let me recap our purchases for today.....

We are a family of four... I got 6 baking potatoes, a dozen bananas, a big bag of carrots (a dozen or so), a huge bushel of green beans (enough for 2 meals at least), a basket of green tomatoes (6 or so), a basket of Roma Tomatoes (about 8), a big bunch of some kind of salad lettuce (not iceberg), some sort of Chinese spinach (about a pound worth), a basket of peaches (6 I think), a couple of onions and some garlic, a huge basket of mushrooms, 4 ears of corn, a bunch of cilantro, and 15 pieces of squash (which will give my family probably two meals worth of squash plus a casserole for our church picnic tomorrow). How much did I spend? $21.00 even. Try to do that at Publix!

Stay tuned... I'll post some tips for shopping at the farmers market in a near future blog.

Fay Is On Her Way

2008-08-20T16:04:00.001-04:00

TEL_1211, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

What do you do as a kid when it's storming, but you want to be outside. Well... if you are boy, you usually just go for it and get soaked. However, I looked out the window this afternoon and saw that Rachel and Morgan had set up a art workshop under the covering of the front porch. Two creative girls enjoying the cooler weather that the storm brought us.

Flex '08

2008-08-17T20:54:00.001-04:00

TEL_0824, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Wow! It's hard to put this experience into words. Celebration Church of Jacksonville's annual mens conference, called FLEX was held this weekend in Jacksonville, FL. Over a thousand men (a guess... uh... a guess on the number... not a guess that they were men) worshiping, having fun, hanging out, and learning about how to Godly men.

TEL_1063, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

A look around the place and you quickly realize that in attendance there are strong men of God, new Christians, sons and dads, lost friends that were dragged their by a loving friend, Grand Fathers, and best friends. There was no denying that God met us in His house as he promises in Matthew 18:20. Lives were changed. Thanks Celebration for doing this every year with excellence!

Starting A Car With Jumper Cables Attached To Your Nipples

2008-08-16T01:00:00.001-04:00

Don't Ask, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Are you manly enough to jumpstart a car by attaching jumper cables to your nipples? Check out these super many guys with all their manly chest hair (and nipple rings).

Tonight was the first night of the 2008 Celebration Men's conference, "FLEX". Brian and I arrived at Celebration Church Midtown at around 5:30 PM. We checked in and made the rounds seeing who was there. Brian signed up football, paint ball, and video games for during the after party. We got some barbeque for dinner and hung out with friends.

I ran into Erik, a friend from Bank of America. I had invited him to visit Celebration Church when he first moved to Jax from San Diego. That was about a year ago. It was good to see him still going to church. I got all caught up on my old team at BoA.

After dinner and socializing, we had some seriously great worship (I'll post some pictures on Flickr later). Pastor Joe Champion taught from 2 Kings (the book to the right of 1st Kings) 5:1-14. This was awesome and really spoke to me. Naaman was a man of great stature, he had much power, he was revered among men... BUT... he had leprosy. Despite all those great things, and how admired he was on the outside... when Naaman came home, he knew he was still a Leper. Naaman was able to get past his "but". Check out the scripture to find out how.

Rush Week Is Over

2008-08-15T00:26:00.001-04:00

TEL_0782, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Tonight was the last night of Celebration's "Rush Week". I mixed tonight. It was nice and loud with lots of guitars! There was a big turn out. Brian, Chris, Harrison, and Jeff were all their from my street. It was a great way to kick off the school year. Pastor John Wyatt spoke and did a great job (as usual).

As you can see by this photo, the music was off the hook. They got an encore and did three additional songs at the end of the night. The kids were so loud, I was having to crank the mix more and more to be able to keep the music over the kids. It was great.

Dinner By Computer Light

2008-08-13T21:23:00.001-04:00

TEL_0750, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Yes... this is my sad, pathetic existence tonight. Dinner alone. Heather (my wife) and Rachel (my daughter) are visiting Heather's folks in Lakeland, FL. Brian (my Son, is attending the third night of Celebration's "Rush Week". This is a scary glimpse of what my life would be like if I were single. Dinner at the kitchen bar, while surfing the Internet (probably stalking people on eHarmony).

On the positive side... my dinner was fantastic. I fixed baked Mac'n Cheese from scratch (even shredded my own cheese), sliced up a fresh squash, and grilled a rib eye (it was a typically pathetic Publix ribeye, but I didn't have time to go to Tilman's or Costco). It was very good.

Tower of Doom

2008-08-12T23:35:00.001-04:00

Tower of Doom, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Tonight was night two of Celebration Church of Jacksonville's "Rush Week". Tonight was held at Cunningham Creek Elementary School in St. Johns County. We had a huge water slide out and the kids had a blast. It was a night of great worship, excellent message on not letting your emotions get the best of you, by the amazing Sean Kelly. I know many lives were changed tonight.

This event is for High School and Middle School youth. There are two more nights to go. Wednesday and Thursday nights are being held at Celebration's Midtown campus. See more info here:

www.element633.com

Rush Week!

2008-08-11T18:57:00.001-04:00

St. Johns Ready For Rush Week, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Tonight is the first of a four nigh youth event for Celebration Church of Jacksonville called "Rush Week". Just like in College, this happens just before the school starts to kick off the school year with some intense worship, study, and fun. This is also the event to "promote" the kids to their new grade. New sixth graders join "Fuel". New ninth graders join Element. Brian, Harrison (who's already in Fuel), and Chris are all going from our neighborhood.

Check out more: http://www.element633.com/

All the kids from each of the three Jacksonville Celebration campuses are together for each night. Tonight is in Orange Park and the St. Johns and Midtown youth are being bussed to the OP campus. This photo was of Chris, Harrison, and Brian checking in to get on the bus. Tomorrow is at St. Johns campus, and the last two nights are both at midtown.

Back In Jacksonville

2008-08-10T12:04:00.001-04:00

TEL_0384, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

We are back in Jacksonville. Rachel woke up with a temperature, so I wasn't able to go to Church and play guitar this morning. Bummer. Rachel seems to be doing fine though. Her temp has gone back to normal now. Now, she's just saying, "I'm bored". It's good to be home, though. I'm not looking forward to my work inbox, though. There's over one thousand unread e-mails in there right now.

I had someone say, "Hey... there's no pictures of you on this trip". So, I thought I'd include a self portrait.

Our Last Sunrise on Hilton Head

2008-08-09T07:51:00.001-04:00

TEL_0643, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

It's time for us to depart Hilton Head Island. We had a great time. I feel rested (I hope Heather does, too). I loved having extra time with just me and the kids. Don't get me wrong. I missed Heather during the day, but it was good to hang with just Rachel and Brian.

Sunrise was at 6:44 this morning. I got out there at about 6:15, set up my tripod, and just enjoyed the morning air. It was very peaceful. There was a strip of clouds right at the horizon, so it hid the sun for a while, but I still enjoyed it. I have many more photos, but I liked this one for my blog entry. Enjoy.

The Frozen Moo

2008-08-08T22:54:00.001-04:00

TEL_0566, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Who doesn't like ice cream? We sure love it, so we went across to Coligny Circle, which is near the Shipyard area on Hilton Head Island. There are a lot of cool shops and venders (surf shops, coffee shops, restaurants, necklace vendors, etc). I got a T-Shirt! Amongst all the vendors is a great little ice cream shop called, "The Frozen Moo". A lot of different flavors, including several candy bar flavors. We got some scoops and wandered around there different shops. It was a very nice night. There was a cool breeze, a nice crescent moon, and a clear sky. To hang with my most favorite three people in the whole world makes it a fantastic night!

The Smokehouse

2008-08-08T22:36:00.001-04:00

TEL_0563, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

After a relaxing and fun day at the pool and on bikes, we went out for some local South Carolina Barbeque. It was quite good. We had a late afternoon thunderstorm, which helped cool things down a bit, so we sat outside and enjoyed the early evening. The kids were making "menu hats" and I convinced Heather into joining in the fun. Don't they look cute?

TEL_0564, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

If you find yourself on Hilton Head Island, and you like Barbeque, you should definitely try out The Smokehouse.

Chill'n Poolside

2008-08-08T16:58:00.001-04:00

TEL_0546, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Heather is finally relaxing. After breakfast this morning, we rented bikes and went for a stroll down the beach, then through town, and back around to our hotel (we made a big circle). It was good time, the tide was low, so plenty of hard packed sand to ride on. After that, we were hot and sweaty so, we all jumped in the pool to cool down.

After swimming for an hour or so, we ate lunch at the poolside grill. It hit the spot. Then, back in the pool! Heather is laying out enjoying doing nothing. Which is exactly what she deserves.

I also think she's wicked hot!

Finally... Breakfast Together

2008-08-08T11:25:00.001-04:00

TEL_0538, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Believe it or not, this was the first breakfast that we've had as a family on this vacation. Each morning Heather has been getting up very early and getting breakfast on her own because she's had to be at Van Der Meer early. Today, is her day off. It was really nice to have breakfast with her. I've missed her. She doesn't look at that thrilled in this picture... I think I embarrass her when I take pictures in public. Ha!

Meet Norman

2008-08-08T11:16:00.001-04:00

TEL_0540, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

This is Norman. He fixed us Omelets and Waffles almost every morning while we were here. Norman is very friendly and makes a mean omelet. We'll miss Norman when we are gone.

Snack Time In Hilton Head

2008-08-07T22:39:00.001-04:00

TEL_0536, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Another night is over here in Hilton Head. We went out to another restaurant, this time we thought we'd play it safe and go to a very popular mexican place. The place is called "Aunt Chilada's". Another massive Hilton Head dining disappointment. If to you a great vacation also includes good food, Hilton Head isn't the place for you. I'd recommend finding a good rental home or condo instead of a hotel so that you can cook for yourself. I'm beginning to believe that cooking for yourself is the only way to get a decent dinner. The Jazz Corner, however, was very good. Breakfast in our hotel has been very good as well.

As you can see in this picture, we had a very tired crew tonight. We got some snacks and some milk and had snack time in bed in the hotel room.

More Studying

2008-08-07T13:44:00.001-04:00

TEL_0534, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Heather is down to the final stretch. This is it! Just like every lunch break, dinner break, breakfast, lying in bed before going to sleep break; Heather is studying. After returning from lunch today, she will take the final three of her five tests. Pass or fail, she's my hero. She has amazing focus and resolve. I couldn't spend this much time in focused studying. She rocks!

A side note... Heather has worked her fanny off and has not had a single chance to rest and just enjoy herself. So, I booked an extra day so that she can just relax and do nothing. I'm going to make sure we do whatever she want or get out of her way if she just wants to sleep all day.

A New Motto For Hilton Head

2008-08-06T23:19:00.001-04:00

TEL_0505, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

I've got a new slogan for the marketing folks at Hilton Head Island. It would go something like this: "Hilton Head Island... like one of those free, extremely high pressure time share sales vacations, only at Hilton Head it's definitely not free, it's expensive AND we'll charge you twice what we should for all our expensive, but not so great restaurants."

How does that sound?

Don't get me wrong. It's very pretty, but in a very neutral way. All the buildings are the same color, there are barely any street signs, you have to be slightly mental to find your way around. I'm having a good time, but I really do feel like I'm on a free time share vacation sale pitch thing. They are EVERYWHERE! We go to a restaurant and the have sales people at every entrance and exit. We went to Wal-Mart and they have a team out front selling. I almost went to a dinner for Breakfast, but when I saw the "red shirts" (all these sales people where a red polo) surrounding the parking lot I just kept going. You can't do anything without getting accosted by these people. What's also weird is that everyone that owns property here or a timeshare is from Ohio. Very strange...

Time For Bed

2008-08-06T22:37:00.001-04:00

TEL_0531, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

After tennis today, we cleaned up and went out to dinner at Marley's Island Grill. It was average at best. I'm finding that most of the places to eat around Hilton Head are very average to below average, despite the $25-35 per entree price tag. We are talking about local seafood restaurants with 2+ hour waits that aren't even as good as a Red Lobster. It was OK, but worth $15 for entree, tops!

Back at the hotel, we are all bushed. Of course, the energizer bunny (Rachel) is still raring to go, despite the bags under her eyes. What do kids like to do in a hotel room? Jump on the beds, of course!

Guinea Pigs

2008-08-06T19:08:00.001-04:00

TEL_0502, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

The PTR training needs guinea pigs for the potential pros to "teach" as part of their evaluations. Yesterday and today Brian and Rachel participated and got free tennis lessons. It was a lot of fun and they did great. Rachel is a natural... Brian... well... needs a few more lessons. To his defense, Rachel has been taking lessons all summer and Brian has only stepped onto the courts like twice before this week.

They had fun and I had a blast watching them.

What Happens When...?

2008-08-05T23:06:00.001-04:00

TEL_0520, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

What happens when it's almost 11 PM, the rest of the family have gone to sleep, all the lights are off in the hotel room, and you have nothing to do? Well, for me, I have a computer and a camera. The computer is the only light in the room. So... I take a picture of the computer. It turned out a bit soft. I should have used a smaller aperture. Maybe tomorrow night! Visit my blog tomorrow night to see if I can do better.

A Night Stroll On The Beach

2008-08-05T22:36:00.001-04:00

TEL_0511, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

I took a little stroll on the beach tonight and took the camera and tripod with me. It was really dark, only a small crescent moon. it looks bigger in the photograph, but that's just because it was a long exposure. These are the homes along the beach.

Heather In Action

2008-08-05T21:17:00.001-04:00

TEL_0494, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

Today they needed "guinea pigs" for the PTR Certification Training. So, there was a free clinic from 5 to 6 PM. The kids joined up with about 15 other kids and adults for a free clinic while Heather and the other trainees worked on their teaching skills. Heather is a great teacher. I know she'll do excellent on her tests.

Who's That On Drums?

2008-08-05T09:25:00.001-04:00

TEL_0452, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

We are sitting there enjoying our dinner when the singer, Bobby, starts asking where people are from. Then he asks if there are any musicians in the house. Brian blurts our, "I play the drums". Next thing you know, Brian is invited to sit in on stage. Of course, the band jokes around with what he might know how to play. The guitar player is playing recognizable rock song licks. Bobby asks Brian what he wants to play. Brian says, "maybe something in a mid-tempo swing". For the life of me, I can't remember what song he chose. My mind was more focused on, "Oh God, please let him not screw this up". This is a very nice place. I was really hoping he'd remember his "jazz sensibilities".

He did great. Not only was his dynamics great and his time solid, but he also put in some really tasty fills. He swung really well. Despite being so nervous that he almost had to go throw up after, he read his "band mates" really well. Popped some good accents on the snare and toms, and finished with a big ending. It was really great!

I was SO PROUD! We had everyone in the place coming around to our table to shake Brian's hand. Someone even offered to buy him a shot... Ha!

The Jazz Corner

2008-08-05T08:59:00.001-04:00

TEL_0441, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

This was a place I found on the Internet before we even left Jacksonville that I knew I wanted to visit. They have live Jazz every night of the week, and I don't mean a guy playing sloppy standards on the piano. I mean, they bring in talent from all over the country. Last night was a local quartet, "The Bobby Ryder Quartet". Big bad style songs, but in a quartet. Great singer sax player that sounded a lot like Tony Bennett.

This place was pretty pricey, but the food was fantastic, the atmosphere was great, and the jazz was swing'n! Oh... if you visit, call ahead for directions. It's not a big place, but every table is a "good seat".

Check out The Bobby Ryder Quartet:

The Jazz Corner

Late Afternoon Swim

2008-08-05T00:03:00.001-04:00

TEL_0433, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

The kids went for one more late afternoon swim before we had to go pick up Heather from camp for the day. The kids posed for me and allowed me to play around with my camera. I'm learning to use my flash off camera. In this shot, the flash was about 3 feet away from me on my right (camera right). This was triggered wirelessly from my camera.

They make good models.

Right after this shot, we retrieved Heather, and got cleaned up to go to "The Jazz Corner". A very cool jazz club and restaurant in town. They had a fantastic quartet playing tonight. More to come on that in my next post.

Dinner On The Docks

2008-08-04T23:41:00.001-04:00

TEL_0412, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

I'm trying to play catch up now that I've got everything working correctly. I'v configured flickr and blogger.com to work together so I can just blog directly from flickr. Much easier now.

We had dinner last night at "South Beach". Our intention was to go to "The Salty Dog", however... there was a 2.5 hour wait and we were hungry. So, we went to another restaurant owned by the came company. It was pretty good. Heather had crab legs (a lot of them). I had stuffed grouper, and the kids both had shrimp.

Brian and I decided to go trespassing in the marina. While we waited for our table.

I'm So Proud Of My Wife

2008-08-04T23:27:00.001-04:00

TEL_0365, originally uploaded by Thomas Lester.

As I mentioned in my first post, we are visiting Hilton Head Island, because my wife is training at the world renown Van Der Mere tennis camp. She is training and studying to become a Tennis Pro. She love tennis... always has (not as much as she loves me, though!).

This picture was actually taken on our way to Hilton Head when we stopped for lunch in Savannah. We strolled around the historic area of town along the river. We stopped in a park where people would gather for town announcements and such (probably public trials as well). In this park is where the Declaration of Independence was read to the townspeople of Savannah.

My wife is the most gorgeous woman in the world. I'm so lucky! I'm very proud of her.

For the photo geeks out there, this was a strobist shot. I have a SB-800 on a voice activated stand, camera left using CLS. Triggered via on-camera flash in commander mode and remote SB-800 in TTL.

In Hilton Head This Week

2008-08-04T10:26:00.000-04:00

I've started a new blog. To start things off, I'm going to be journalling our vacation to Hilton Head Island. What brings us to Hilton Head, you ask? Well... my wonderful wife is training and studying to become a Professional Tennis Registry "Pro" (teaching pro). She's amazing and she's dreamed of doing something like this and now she's doing it. I'm very proud of her. She's been teaching since a little before summer and she's great. Her students (adults and kids) love her. Of course.... what's not to love, right?

So, we are in Hilton Head Island. We traveled up yesterday morning. On the way, we stopped in Savannah for lunch and to walk around the city. I'll post some pictures later (we have Heather's seven year old powerbook, that doesn't handle 13 MB RAW camera files very well... so it's slow). We are having a good time. We went and had some great sea food for dinner last night. After, Heather was really tired, so she rested in the room while me and the kids went for a late night swim. The kids loved it, of course, since they don't get to swim at night very often.

This morning we dropped Heather off at Van Der Mere Tennis Academy. Then, the kids and I had breakfast at "Brellas", one of the restaurants in the hotel. Now, we are about to head to the beach and/or pool.