We are all trying to ride someone else's wave when the ocean is ours.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
This might be true, but occasionally a beautiful red apple falls from a drab and unsightly tree.

You are my shiny red apple, without blemish and ever so sweet!

I LOVE YOU!

I had my sons this weekend, picked them up Friday.  My oldest asked me if he could speak with me in private.

He lloks at me and he says, "Dad, it makes me sad and it upsets me when you yell at me and raise your voice at me when I disrespect you."

I liked to flip out!  I asked my son if he understood that if you disrespected me it is my right to chastise him.  And if you fails to head my warning I would raise my voice if need be.

Our conversation continued, I requested, then ordered him to look me in the eyes when he speaks to me.  This shows respect and demands respect.  He asked me, "What if I'm uncomfortable?"

I replied, "Work past it."

Our talk continued and he informed me that I didn't love him because I raise my voice at him when he disrespects me.

I told him, I did love him and if I didn't I'd not be trying to make sure he becomes a man and learn to deal with people raising their voices and also more importantly, how to respect people.

I asked him, if he told this to his mother he said yes he did.  His mother says that it is wrong for two people to raise their voices when arguing and that if a man raises his voice at his wife he is abusing her.

I ended with me telling my son that it is my duty to teach him to be a man and  to raise him up into a man.  He also would respect me.  I told him that in an earlier time had I said something like that to my parents I'd have been knocked silly by my mother and my father.

We took a trip to Reno to celebrate my mother's 74th birthday on March 29th, 2010.  The people that went on this trip were my mother, aunt, older brother and his wife, my younger brother and his wife, my oldest sister, her daughter, and daughters friend.  My younges sister, her husband, and her daughter.  My two oldest son's, my girlfriend, and myself went.

Our group had significant training that I think all of us took for granted.  Out of the adults, my mother, my oldest brother, my younger brother and his wife, my brother-in-law, my girlfriend, and myself are all CPR certified.  I think everyone of us never concidered this fact while in Reno.

We took the children to Circus Circus, the adults took turns looking after the children as they played in the arcade.  We planed on going to buffet for dinner on Saturday evening to Silver Legacy.  On our way to Silver Legacy we stop in Circus Circus buffet, kids eat for free, so why not.

As we are standing in line a man and his girfriend ask us to let them by, the are attempting to pass between my younger brother, his wife, my girlfriend, and myself, we are all CPR trained.  As I tried to lift the barrier for them to pass the woman passes out and is caught by her boyfriend.  My brother, the man and myself lower her to the ground making sure she does not bump her head.  As we lay her down, I move her hair from her face and see a woman with no color except blue lips!

My brother check for a pulse in the neck, no pulse!

I check for pulse in her wrist, no pulse!

I listen for breath, putting my right ear to her nose, NO BREATH!

This woman done died on us!

My brother started chest compressions and after about 10 seconds the woman's heart starts beating and she starts breathing.

We found out from her man that she had been taking vicadin and drinking alcohol.

When a person's heart stops most of the time they die because there is no one to administer CPR.  This woman arrested in the presence of 6 people that were ready to make sure she didn't die.

That woman took for granted that Vicadin and alcohol can stop your heart.

We took for granted our skill set and the amount of people in one small area with that skill set.

We took for granted kids eating for free at Circus Circus keeping us there.

The onlookers took for granted that the bset place for your heart to stop is in the presence of a mess of CPR trained citizens.

The woman lived, I hope she dosent take forgranted what she received that day.

My fith grade was mostly uneventful, so there's not much I remember.  I do however, remember Mrs. Ellison, she was a dark haired olive skinned black woman.  She was mostly nice but looked mean and she had a paddle named "Killer".  We were still subject to corporal punishment in school at the time.

Well, one day I had a test, normal for the fith grade.  Mrs. Ellison passed out the test and after she sat at her desk.  She told us how many minutes we had and that ther should be no cheating.  The test started.

I started and was doing well until I got to this one word, I was stumped!

I looked and looked again and I couldn't think of a way to make a sentence out of this word.

After about fifteen minutes I was still stumped.  Eventually, I figured it out and wrote out my sentence.

I finished the test and handed it in, I was kinda proud of myself.

Mrs. Ellison graded the tests as we sat doing fith grader stuff.

She called me to her desk, I didn't know what was going on but it had to do with the test I thought.

She asks me, "What word is this?"

I looked and I said the word out load.

Mrs. Ellison says, "Okay, what word is that?"

I said, "Uh oh!"

I stepped away from her desk in a bit of shame I thought about the sentence I wrote,

"The man had to breakfast for the finish line."

Luckily I grew up to realize, kids say the darnedest things!