As promised, more ingredients for a great fall recipe. When deciding which picture to post on this early, crisp fall morning, many ideas began to unfold. So many pictures, so many thoughts. Then I ran across the one posted above. When thinking of fall and the autumn season, our tendency is to think of the changing colors of the leaves and their journey from the safe embrace of their host tree to their whimsical journey through the crisp autumn to their final resting place on the ground below. After the leaves have fallen, the curtain to nature's "hidden" living rooms are drawn back for the winter and we are allowed the opportunity to gaze upon the homes of God's creatures. There, in the distance, through the haze, we see a nest. This nest has been the home of some beautiful bird, or squirrel, since the beginning of spring. Now that winter is approaching, these beings have sensed the change in seasons and have "moved out" for the winter. Do you ever wonder where they have gone? Where did they move to for the winter? What does their new home look like? What do their new surroundings look like? All we are left with is a constant reminder that they were there. Even though there were days we did not see them, they were there. Going about their daily routine of life. Making plans for the future for themselves and their young. Then, when the time was right, and only they know when that is, they leave the comfortable surroundings of a space that has been home to them for so long, and begin a new journey.

You see, this birds nest is a symbol of the home that I once occupied with my partner. It was a warm, cozy, familiar space. Great memories. Great friends. Great families. Comfort. Then, the winds of change brushed our face, telling us that fall was coming and it was time to abandon the nest and move on. That, we did. With this move, we left behind a constant reminder that we were once there. A nest, nestled among the tree tops, carefully and beautifully decorated. But no sign of life. And as with all nest, those that we surrounded ourselves with on a daily basis, were left with a sense of loneliness. They sit back, admire the nest and all of the hard work that went into making it a beautiful home. But they remember what was, the hustle and bustle of a busy life. A time of joy. A time of peace. A time never to be forgotten.

Well, the autumn has arrived and my partner and I are in our new nest. Yes, we left behind a beautiful nest. A comfortable nest. A familiar nest. As with the empty nest outside the window, we too have left a nest for others to look at and remember what was. This nest, like those of our feathered friends, are not necessarily doomed to be empty for ever. There is that lingering hope that the bird shall return. Return to a place of familiarity. A place of comfort. A place called home. Until then, enjoy the simplistic beauty of the nest and the memory of the beautiful lives that filled it during the spring.....The empty nest, the first, hidden ingredient of autumns recipe.

No, these are not pictures from any of our "Ceremony" parties. These are photos that were captured a few years back while at a party at a friends house. For those who do not know us, AJ is on the left and I, Rob, am on the right. This just happens to be one of my favorite pictures of my love, AJ. Damn, how much more handsome could he be........So, we are celebrating our official one year anniversary together. You see, this time a year ago, my love and I took the "jump" into a new life together. We vowed our love and support for each other. We vowed to share life's most magical moments together. We vowed to share life's disappointments together. We vowed to live our live's together without the outside influence of others. We vowed to be one, yet independent. Our love is definitely more special and pure than I think either of us ever dreamed it would be. I can only imagine how empty and incomplete my life would be without this beautiful soul in it, walking beside me through this journey. What more can one ask for in life? Thank you, AJ, for not only a wonderful year, but a wonderful existence........

I know, you are probably asking yourself, "Why does he have a picture of Carrie Underwood in this blog?" Well, as we all know, the gumbo dish consist of many ingredients, that is what gives it all of that fantastic flavour. So, my blogs shall be no different. Lots of ingredients into the pot. Now, back to the picture. As I was driving my usually route to work this last week, I flipped through the radio stations as I flip through magazines. A song by Carried Underwood was playing, so I decided to listen. Afterall, she IS an American Idol winner. The title of the song was "Jesus, take the wheel". If you have not heard it, please by the CD and listen. Or may not because it is a song that definately sticks with you, as I am about to attest to. Here is the story line:

The song tells the story of a young mother who lives a hectic life. On her late-night drive on a snow-covered road in Cincinnati, Ohio, the woman begins sorting out her emotions and bemoans not having enough time to do the things that really matter. Then, her car hits a patch of black ice, causing the woman to lose control of her car. She panics and cries out the title line of the song; shortly thereafter, she is able to regain control of the car and bring it to a stop. After taking stock of the situation (and seeing that her baby has remained fast asleep in the rear seat), the woman vows to give her life to Christ.(taken from a Carrie Underwood website)

Now, that song has been "playing" in my head every day since I listened to it. When I awake to walk the pup, it is playing. When I am going about my daily routine at work, it is playing. When I am, well, doing anything, it is playing in my head. Playing, playing, playing...........................

So, the question is: "Why?", Why is this song, or the lyrics, stuck in my head? Is the subconscience trying to tell me something about my life? Or, is someone upstairs watching over me, sending me a message about my secret doubts?

Often, in life, we put too much food on our plates. But damn, it looks so goooooood. Once the plate is full, we sit to eat and half way through the meal we say, "Man, I can't possibly finish all of this, I quess my eyes were bigger than my stomach". Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Or, am I letting self doubt be the conquerer? You that know me, know that I am a work-a-holic. I love my "job" and the company that I work for and the people that I work with. With this promotion/relocation, the ante has been up'd. There is more pressure from me to perform at a much higher level than ever before in my career. I "have" to succeed and show my self worth. I "have" to show all of those that have the faith in me that I am worthy of this position that I am in. I must be the best at what I do. The bar has been set and I must maintain that or raise it. These are all feelings that go through my "overloaded" brain on a daily basis. It just never stops. A constant flow of "stuff", if you will, that bombards me daily.

Do I have way too many ingredients for my gumbo? Are there just too many flavours working against each other? Was the roux not properly seasoned and cooked before the subsequential ingredients were added?

Maybe that is why "Jesus, take the wheel" is stuck in my head.............

What a magnificient scene. I stumbled upon this photo a couple of days ago on the web and thought, "Maybe I'll save this to be painted or just to look at every now and then." Nothing makes a statement about fall better that the changing of the leaves on trees and the crisp, cool air in the out-of-doors. As I slipped on my shoes this morning, leashed up our beloved pet, Abbey, and stepped outside for a morning walk, I was greated by a pleasant cool breeze. "AHHHH, what a welcoming sign" I exclaimed. Let me set the scene for everyone. We recently moved to Nashville and will be experiencing our first fall and winter in this glorious setting. Our apartment in situated on a hillside, surrounded by nothing more than trees, trees, trees. Whenever the drapes or blinds are drawn, all we see are trees. No apartments, cars in the parking lots, residence walking or passing traffic. Our quaint setting overlooks a modest hillside. Now, can you see why we anxiously awaiting the changing seasons? We can only imagine what beautiful suprises nature holds for us. An added bonus is the fact that we have a screeened in porch on the third floor(by-the-way, we are on the third floor, in the tree tops, like a tree house if you will) that we can sit on and enjoy the fabulous breezes and scenery. So, I welcome fall with open arms and anticipation. I look forward to the quiet moments on the porch, walking our pet and snuggling infront of the fireplace(wood burning of course) and savouring each ingredient of nature's gumbo. Stay tuned for "Nature's Gumbo" recipe...................

Today, among all others, I remember. I remember the moment it happened and where I was standing. Five short years have passed, rather quickly I might add. How have we changed as a nation? That is the question most people will ask. I pose this question to you, How have we changed as individuals? Our tendency is ask questions regarding the broader scope of things. We focus on what has changed, or not, in the whole instead of focusing on how we can change the parts that make up the whole. It goes back to the famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, instead, as what you can do for your country. You see, we all complain that our government is complacent. But is it really them? We were amazingly united the day of, and those that followed the day of the attacks. No black or white or hispanic or chinese. No baptists or catholics or buddist or monks or athiests. No republicans or democrats or independants. We were one. What has happened since then. Did our government seperate us or did we, as individuals decide to draw the lines again? Sure, our government that WE have put into office and power probably are not pulling their weight in this never ending tug of war. I leave you with this: What if WE actually held them accountable for their actions, or lack there of? WE, the people of this mighty country, are the ones who actually put them in the positions that they hold. WE, the people of the wealthiest country on earth, continue to pay them large salaries to hold those positions. WE, the people, therefore run this country. We must speak up. No more, "My one little vote or voice won't count". Too many people think that way....Think what we, the people could accomplish if we all felt that each and everyone of our voices and votes counted. I REMEMBER.

Truth Gumbo Ya-Ya...

Truth be told, I have been forced to start a new blog. The reason you might ask, well, I forgot vital sign-on information to the last one I started. So, after too many attempts to remember passwords and usernames and a few more gray hairs added to my growing collection, the artist has been kind enough to start a new one for me. The title, "Truth Gumbo", stems from my childhood as a Louisiana boy...So, I started with the truth behind this new blog. May the posts to come bring all of the flavorful ingredients that are so vital to preparing an amazing gumbo.......