Book Review Bloggers

I read the blog of Michael Hyatt, president and CEO of Thomas Nelson. Today's post is about a new program they are starting called "Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers" (BRB). It is a program where they will mail you a copy of one their new books, free of charge, in exchange for a 200-word review of the book on your blog as well as at Amazon.com. You can go here to get details about the program as well as sign up. I think this is a great idea. According to Mr. Hyatt's post today, as well as comments made on the blog, the cost of doing this could be as little as 10% of a typical marketing campaign for one of their books. I think this is a win/win for Thomas Nelson as well as the reader/reviewers. The reader gets a free book and Thomas Nelson gets advertising as well as great feedback from someone who is, essentially, an unbiased third party. If you are a reader and a blogger I would definitely suggest taking advantage of this program.

Halloweed Party a The Fitzgeralds'

This weekend was the annual Halloween party at Allison's aunt and uncle's house. We always enjoy spending time at their house and we generally get to see people we don't often see. They typically have a hay ride and roast hot dogs and marsh mellows. I am not really a fan of dressing up, but this year I agreed and Allison and I went as Thing 1 and Thing 2. Cooper was a scarecrow and he absolutely loved it. Tonight some friends are coming over and Allison is going to cook gumbo. I can't wait.

Just Me and Coop

Allison had to go out of town for work Monday morning and will get back tonight, so me and Cooper were on our own for a few days. These times are always really fun, but at the same time give me a great appreciation for how hard it must be to be a single parent. Here are some pictures from the past two days of what me and Cooper were up to.

Cooper loves the park near our house, especially the slides

The sprinkler is quickly becoming a favorite

This was taken just before he stood up; I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of that.

These last two are actually from Sunday. I just thought they were funny and want to share.

Something to Ponder

On the way to church this morning we heard something, that frankly bothers me. We heard that Barack Obama has raised over $600 million, more than any other candidate in history. The fact of who raised is not what bothers me. The fact that people donated over half-a-billion dollars to a political campaign to either party is what is bothersome. I agree that people can do what ever they choose with their money, and people may think what I donate my money to is not a worthy cause. But I just couldn't help but think about what amount of good could be done with $600,000,000. I thought about all the homeless people that could help, all the research that could be done for cancer, and the list could go on and on. Does this bother anyone else? What do you think?

Saturday Fun

Today was a really fun day. This morning we got up and met some friends from Sunday school at Gentry's Farm in Franklin. We had never been there and it was really fun. They have tons of stuff for kids and we all had a great time. Unfortunately I had to go to work, but Alli and Cooper stayed at the farm for a while after I left. Check out Alli's blog soon for more pictures from the fun.

Cooper and Alli at Gentry's Farm

Cooper really liked the balance beam

Cooper loved swinging on top of the swing

The had tons of toys to play with in various areas

Tonight we went to eat at Razz' with Allison's family to celebrate her birthday. We had a lot of fun and the food was really awesome. I had crawfish etoufee that was really good. Cooper had a good time and really enjoyed his dinner. I mean he REALLY enjoyed it.

A rare picture of me and Cooper

Cooper's hair was hilarious after he put apples in it

Month 23

I can't believe that tomorrow Cooper will be 23 months old. People always say kids grow up fast, but you don't really realize it until you have your own. Here are some pictures of Cooper from month 23.

Tonight before dinner

Eating cake

Cooper loves to climb things

Cooper's Ninny gave him a car to ride in

Cooper's first golf lesson

Politics and Charitable Giving

We had dinner with some friends the other night. One of them has led me to a few blogs and podcasts that I really enjoy. He asked if I read Tim Stephens blog and because I hadn't, I checked it out. In particular he was directing me here. This post is about the political candidates and their charitable giving. Let me just say, I wanted to puke when I read the statistics. Joe Biden gave less than $1,000 to charity in 2007 and he makes more than $300,000. Barack Obama gave less than 1% prior to 2005 when he began his run for president. Sarah Palin didn't do much better, she gave an average of 2.4% during 2006 and 2007 as told here. John McCain gave in excess of 25% of his income to charity in 2007, which is on the other side of the coin and pretty amazing.

Obama wants to raise taxes on those who make more than $250,000 and redistribute that to the the less fortunate. Why should there be a government mandate on charitable giving when he and Senator Biden give very little of their money away? If they get to choose not to give their money away, why should those who make more than $250,000 essentially be forced to give their money away? Why should the person who has worked hard to get where they are be forced to give their money away?

I certainly believe that we are called to help the poor. I just feel that we should be free to choose who, what, and when we give our money.

Until next time...

What's Not to Love

I love this time of year. As a kid, and up until the last few years, the spring was my favorite time of year. Coming out of the cold and ball season starting was the best for me. Don't get me wrong, I still love the spring. I love when the weather is warming up and the leaves and grass become green and alive again. However, as an adult I have determined that I enjoy the fall even more. There is a whole list of things that are awesome about the fall. We have cooling weather, college and pro football, and playoff baseball. I don't watch as much baseball as I used to, but one thing I don't miss are the playoffs. I also love to sit down at 9:30 Saturday morning to watch College Gameday on ESPN, and not get up until the late game on ABC goes off. Obviously, we don't get to do that anymore, but it is a great thing to do. Another thing that I love about this time of year is the weather. After going through the heat and humidity all summer, I love when the temperature starts to cool down. I love to sit out on the deck, drink coffee, and just rest. The fall is a great time of year. Until next time...

Pictures of the Past - Months 16 - 20

Continuing with pictures from the past.

Month 16

Month 17

Month 18

Month 19

Month 20

A Great Opportunity

We have some friends that have a great opportunity. They adopted a little girl on June 26, 2007. Well, any day now she will be a big sister and they have been chosen by the birth mother to adopt the baby. You can read more about this situation here. Please pray for this family as God works through them and hopefully allows this to happen.