27 Things I Learned in 27 Years

Ok so I recently had my 27th birthday and well, I didn't appreciate turning 27. There is no way around it, I'm getting old. Instead of sulking over it though and just acting like the birthday never happened, I figured that I would take this opportunity to share some of the wisdom and beliefs that I've accumulated or developed over the years. I'm going to share 27 things that I've learned in my 27 years of existence. You may agree with some of it, you may disagree with some of it, and some of it may even piss you off. But quite frankly I don't really care, this is how I see things!! :)

1. The United States isn't as bad as everyone says. There is crime and bad government all over the world.

2. Women are beautiful creatures, NOT possessions.

3. Being busy should never be confused with being productive.

4. Beauty makes you attractive, however it's your confidence that makes you a "closer".

5. Your life is your own work of art, it is your own decisions that will determine how the masterpiece looks in the end.

6. Being a Kansas City Royals fan is comparable to a high school girlfriend. No matter how hard or long you work on it, it will never bring you happiness. Only heartbreak after heartbreak.

7. It's sad but sometimes it takes a negative happening in your life to make you realize it's time for a change.

8. Promptness shows respect.

9. Procrastination is like masturbation, it feels great at first but in the end you are only screwing yourself!

10. Although I have learned to love a wide array of foods, pizza is still my #1. This is a positive since I live in a society where the pizza boy gets to your house before the police. Also, I have found that pizza is a lot like sex. When it's good, it's really good. When it's bad, it's still pretty good.

11. Nobody really cares if you are a great dancer, so just get up and dance!

12. You can never spend too much time with your friends or family. Cherish the time that you do have with them because these are moments that you will never get back.

13. While some more than others, we have all made mistakes in our lives. It's whether or not you learn from them and the actions you take afterwards that define you as a person.

14. People do notice when you say "please" and "thank you". Somehow in our world it has become normal to disregard being polite.

15. It only takes one negative person to bring down the mood of an entire group...DON"T be that person!!

16. Complaining gets you nowhere. Be a person of action, do what you can to change what's bothering you. Complaining will simply annoy those around you.

17. Everyone needs to jump out of a plane at least once. The feeling of free falling at 120 mph is surreal and cannot be replaced. Like Nike says, "Just Do It!."

18. Being a Kansas City Chiefs fan is like thinking you are dating the best looking girl in town and then walking into a yoga class and realizing that, well, 10th best is more realistic. Not a total letdown, but certainly never coming out on top!

19. Some of the most influential people in our country are coaches. These are the people that instill an attitude and a mindset in you that will last you a lifetime.

20. I used to be indecisive, now I'm not sure.

21. People treat you the way you behave. If you act confidently and carry high expectations, you will be treated with respect and people will strive to meet your standards.

22. Bad things do happen to good people.

23. Motivation comes in short bursts. Act while it's hot.

24. I'm a morning person.

25. Worrying is taking on responsibility that God never intended you to have.

26. Nobody can take away your memories and experiences....so gather as many as you can.

27. I have the best family and friends EVER!!! Oh and the best girlfriend as well!!!

Like I said before, I'm sure you didn't agree with everything I said but now you know more about me and HOPEFULLY I got you thinking about some things in your own life!!!

Turnin' Up the Heat!!

As you are all aware, this past month has been HOT!!! Not only have we had scorching temperatures but it has been really humid as well. This is one summer that I have "lost" my tan because I've just stayed inside in the air conditioning as much as possible. However I have been busy this past month and have done some fun things with a lot of great friends.

I'll start with the last weekend in June. Two of my really good friends, Elliot Enright and Joe Ranum, made their way to Kansas City for the weekend to hangout and attend the Royals/Cubs series. Elliot currently lives in Milwaukee and Joe lives in Chicago. Elliot's brother Mike and his wife Amy also made the trip. On that Friday night we all got together and went to the game and then went out in the Power & Light District that night. We had a blast although all of them were Cubs fans and the Cubs beat the Royals that night so I had to listen to them brag. On Saturday we all eventually got up and we went

to eat at Jack Stack Barbeque (www.jackstackbbq.com). After stuffing ourselves with BBQ, we all headed out to Kauffman stadium where the Royals got revenge and beat the Cubs. Following the game though, everyone was dead tired from the past couple days so Whitney and I decided to head back to Lawrence for the night. This was a great couple of days and it was really good to see Elliot and Joe. I can't wait to go to Wisconsin on October 1st for the Wisconsin/Nebraska football game!

The following weekend was July 4th. I took it easy for the most part this year. We had a

group of six of us that got together at my friend Abe's house for dinner and drinks. It was Abe and his wife Riley, Shawn and his fiance Aubrey and then Whitney and I. Abe and Riley made a great dinner and it ended up being the perfect night to chill outside on the deck and enjoy good conversation with friends.

A few days after the fourth of July, Whitney and I took my brother and her cousin Jess to Worlds of Fun. It was a perfect day to go because the sky was overcast and it was supposed to rain. This was great because it ended up only raining for about 20 minutes total and it kept the park from being crowded. In fact we never had to wait longer than 5-10 minutes to get on a ride. It had been a long time since I had been, probably about 6 or 7 years. My brother and I went on 12 roller coasters, and Whitney was a champ, her stomach wasn't agreeing with her after a few of the rides but she fought her way through the day and still had a good time. :)

The following Friday night was the Advisors Excel annual summer bash. Each year the three owners of our company schedule a big get together for all of the employees and their spouses/significant other. This year they decided to rent out the entire Party Deck at the Royals game for us. The owners rented out three big buses to pick everyone up in Topeka and Lawrence so that no one would be drinking and driving. They had tons of food set up and all you could drink. I think everyone was feeling pretty good by the time the game was over but nobody got too crazy.

However...I cannot say the same thing about the following weekend. The next weekend was Cole Ahlver's bachelor party. We had a party bus pick up twenty of us guys at Harrah's in Kansas City on Friday morning and take us to Omaha. The party bus wasn't bringing us back until Sunday afternoon. Our party bus was pretty sweet and our driver knew how to have a good time as well. If you are going to be renting a party bus anytime soon then I strongly suggest the KC Night Train (www.kcnighttrain.com). After getting to Omaha on Friday night we immediately hit up the casinos and then went to the bars. Saturday we played the longest 18 holes of golf.....EVER!!! It was about 104 degrees out and the course was backed up all day. This just made everyone drink more which was not a good thing because we had a long night ahead of us. That night we had bottle service set up at one of the night clubs downtown, The Capitol Lounge (www.omahacapitol.com). The next morning we all ate breakfast and then hopped on the bus for the long ride home. Now obviously I had to leave out some details of this trip, of course what happens in Omaha stays in Omaha!!! hahaha. I think that everyone was just happy that there were no hospital trips and no arrests. Bachelor party=success

The first part of my July was so jam packed that it was tough to match it in the second half of the month. However it only made sense to try. So for starters, I decided to go skydiving with my brother and one of his friends. Last year I took my brother skydiving for his graduation present and it was his first time being in a plane...and he jumped out. So it wasn't until our vacation to Riviera Maya a few months ago that Colton had actually LANDED in a plane. Well this time, it was Colton's friend, Wacey, that had never been in a plane before but was going to be jumping out of one. It sure makes it a lot more entertaining when one of your friends is freaking out because they've never flown...let alone jumped out of a plane. Anyway, we all did it and everything went smoothly. I swear that the rush that you get from the initial free fall, will never get old. I hope I never have a year go by again without going skydiving at least once.

To end the month I celebrated the greatest day of the year, July 30th...my birthday. On the Friday night before, my parents and friends Travis & Beth VanVleck all came up to Lawrence for dinner. They came to see my new place and then we went down to Mass St. to get some BBQ. It was a fun night and it was good to see their little ones. Creighton is the youngest and his picture is to the right. He is definitely a cute baby and is certain to be a wildcat fan for life!!

On Saturday Whitney and I went with her sister Wendy and her husband Ben to the Kenny Chesney concert at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Zac Brown Band, Uncle Kracker and Billy Currington were also playing. We got to KC around noon and ate at Gordon Biersch (www.gordonbiersch.com) which was really good and then went to the hotel to check in and pre-drink. Since it was really hot outside we thought it was a better idea to stay at the hotel for awhile and have drinks in the air conditioning. We got to the concert later that afternoon and stayed there til about midnight. We had a blast and the atmosphere was amazing, there was about 75,000 people there. I'm not a huge country fan but I had a great time with great people!!

Now this week I'm looking forward to going home each night after work and watching Shark Week on the Discovery Channel!!!

Summertime & the Livin's Easy

Hola friends!! Sooooo...I was hoping that after the spring things would slow down a bit, however the opposite has happened!! Between buying a house, visiting Riviera Maya, Mexico, Royals games, and weddings, the summer is off to a crazy start. Okay so here is the rundown of the past month of my life.

About four weeks ago I went to a Royals game with Whitney, Chad and Kelsey. It was rainy outside all day up until the time that we were about to leave for Kansas City and then the rain stopped. It ended up being a perfect night for a baseball game and we had a blast. We did some tailgating before the game and since it was Friday night they had the firework show afterwards. For anyone who hasn't seen the firework show at the Royals games on Friday nights, you need to. They actually put on a really good show and it's a great atmosphere.

After the Royals game I spent the next couple of days getting ready to go to Riviera Maya for a week. This was a trip planned for pure relaxation and that's exactly what I did for a week straight. I absolutely love my job and the everyday things that I do in my life but sometimes you just need a break from reality and just need to get away and unwind. Well I went to Mexico with my family and we stayed at the Ocean Coral & Turquesa resort. This place was paradise and if you are planning a trip to the Cancun/Riviera Maya/Playa del Carmen area anytime soon then I strongly suggest it. (http://www.h10hotels.com/en/hotel/hotels-riviera-maya/ocean-coral.html) This place has 4 pools that are absolutely amazing, they are all very clean and have great views overlooking the ocean. The staff at the resort was great and they were always doing things to get the party going and keep everyone entertained. The rooms were great as well, very clean and they all had contemporary yet exotic themes. If there is one thing that is keeping this resort from being top of the line though, it is the food. While I thought that the food was good, it wasn't great. A few of the restaurants were really good and provided entertainment but a few of them were a little sub-par. But hey...it's Mexico, I didn't go there for the food!!!

One of the things that we did while down there was go to the Mayan ruins at Tulum. The tour that we got of the ruins was possibly the longest tour of my life. We had a guy that had to be 85 years old as our tour guide and even though it was 100 degrees out, he took his sweet time. He definitely made sure to give us EVERY detail of the Mayan civilization that once existed there!! haha. However, there was definitely a reward after the tour. The Mayan ruins at Tulum lie on the top of a cliff on the oceanside. At the bottom of the cliff is the most beautiful beach I've ever been to and after our tour we got to spend several hours at the beach just swimming and enjoying the view. It was definitely a great day and once again if you are down there I suggest you make the trip to Tulum. Not for the tour necessarily but for the beach!

Although it only seemed like a few days, my week in Mexico eventually came to an end. Upon arrival back in the states I got back to Kansas City at 6:00 where Whitney picked me up and we then went to Bristol for an amazing dinner. Even though Kansas City is about the furthest thing from the ocean, Bristol definitely does it right when it comes to seafood. They are the only seafood restaurant in KC that flies in fresh seafood daily from the east and west coasts. For the quality of food and the great atmosphere, this place is not overpriced and is worth a visit. It is located right in the Power & Light District in downtown KC.(http://www.bristolseafoodgrill.com/home.aspx?location_id=162)

The next day was my first full day back in Kansas but my schedule didn't slow down a bit. One of my really good friends, Eric Hunsicker, was getting married. I got to see a lot of friends at the wedding that I hadn't seen in a long time so that was exciting. It was definitely a younger crowd at the wedding which made for a pretty wild reception. I think I witnessed pretty much every type of dance known to man and even got to watch some arm wrestling. Of course this was after my friends had successfully devoured many beverages each! Overall though it was a beautiful wedding and hopefully was a perfect day for two great people, Eric & Maggie Hunsicker...congratulations you two!!!

After the wedding it was back to work. Since then I have been going through the final steps of buying my house. I finally have it all set up to close on June 29th so I get to move to Lawrence next week! I'm definitely excited to have my own place and to start buying everything for it. However I can honestly say that I had NO IDEA that there was so much work that went into buying a house. I feel like I have signed a million papers and now I'm getting the necessities taken care of, like a lawnmower, washer & dryer, and blinds. Who would have thought that getting blinds was such a process!!!! Anyway, it's almost done with and I can't wait. I will eventually post some pictures of the new place.

Last but not least, I finally went and saw The Hangover Part 2 the other night. I'm not going to say that it was better than the first because the first one caught everyone off guard but it is definitely hilarious and worth seeing in theaters!! There are some turns and twists that will have you dying laughing. So grab your girl and go see it!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great summer!

"A girl in a bikini is like having a loaded pistol on your coffee table--there is nothing wrong with them but it's hard to stop thinking about it."

Spring Fever!!

Hello all! This blog post is long overdue, I feel like I haven't had a free minute since the NCAA Tournament! But every year spring is when things seem the most busy, and it's not always a bad thing. I have certainly been busy over the past month but I have had a lot of fun with some great people in the meantime.

Kicking off my April was a visit to Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami, FL. I made the trip to Florida with my buddy and co-worker of mine Antoine Polite. The purpose of our trip was to visit two of the financial advisors that we work with, see their offices and spend some time with them. We first visited one of the advisors and his office is located in Boca Raton. The beach was literally 2 minutes away from where he does business. Antione and I made a quick trip to the beach to check things out but then it was back to business the rest of the first day. That night we ate at Capital Grille, if you haven't been there then you should go soon. (www.thecapitalgrille.com) I recommend it and there is one located on the Plaza in Kansas City as well.

The second day in Florida we were once again working with the advisor at his office. That evening we decided to hit up a different kind of restaurant. Instead of dressing up in suits and going to a really nice place, we dressed more casual and went to an amazing place in Ft. Lauderdale called Rocco's Tacos. (www.roccostacos.com) This place has a DJ that is playing some good mixes throughout your dinner and it creates a sweet atmosphere. We then made our way to Miami Beach the next day.

Miami is definitely one of my favorite cities. You see all kinds of people and pretty much anything goes. It is absolutely gorgeous with it's white sand beaches and the clear water. We stayed at The Palms Hotel & Spa and this is another place I recommend (www.thepalmshotel.com) It was clean, beautiful views, big pool and was right on the beach. We did however visit another hotel that was next door and I can honestly say it was the nicest hotel I have ever been to. It is called Fountainebleau, it's pricey and you need to make reservations well in advance but it's worth checking out. If you visit Miami and don't stay there then at least go spend a day there. It has 12 pools, several great restaurants, a huge gym, and a couple nightclubs that are rated in the Top 10 Nightclubs in the World by Reuters. (www.fountainebleau.com) This was a great trip and I can't wait to be back in Miami in September for the KSU/Miami football game!!

The next weekend I had another trip, this one to the Windy City. My buddy Eric Hunsicker decided to have his bachelor party in Chicago so ten of us guys made the trip up there for the weekend. There was no doubt that this was going to be a crazy weekend and it certainly lived up to its billing. I think a few of the guys definitely spent a few days recovering once we returned home! We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel on the Magnificent Mile and thank goodness we didn't get kicked out. I believe we were warned at least seven times by the hotel staff for noise. Bless their souls for letting us stay.

The first night in Chicago we hit up a club called Sound Bar. It is a prototypical nightclub, several areas for bottle service, several dance floors and tons of people. (www.sound-bar.com) The next day we all went to a Cubs game and that was a blast. That was my first time to go to a game at Wrigley Field and I definitely would like to go back someday. We sat on the rooftop in right field in a place called Ivy League. It was all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink. They had about every type of food you can imagine, if you go to a Cubs game then you should check it out. On the rooftop you are able to see the downtown skyline, Lake Michigan, and the Cubs game all at once. It was a great atmosphere! It was also cool because the Cubs came from behind to win in the 9th inning.

The second night we went to a place called The Hangge Uppe. I loved this place and I definitely recommend visiting there! Upstairs it is hip hop and then downstairs it is like a huge 80's concert. It was a very diverse crowd and the place was hopping. The next day we all flew back to KC pretty early because it was Easter and we all had family dinners to get back to.

So as you can see I have been pretty busy, and I didn't cover nearly everything. I also went to a Royals game with my friends Kyle and Chad and saw the Royals win in extra innings against Baltimore. I went to the KSU Spring Game with my girlfriend, Whitney and family. The Wildcats looked good, I think they will surprise some people this year. Old Bill Snyder knows what he is doing and he hasn't lost his touch!! The guy even knows how to text now....watch out recruits!!! ahahahaha.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the post and I will tell you about my upcoming trip to Kansas City next week. Whitney and I are going out in KC to see Cirque Du Soleil at the Sprint Center and then maybe Power & Light afterwards....

"To travel is to possess the world"

Put an End to this Madness!!!

Hello everybody! I just want to start by reminding you to hurry and buy the hottest Final Four t-shirt on the market!! (pictured below) These shirts are for a team that actually made the Final Four unlike the ones that were printed by Kansas University sporting goods stores! ahahaha. Ok, enough talking smack on the Jayhawks...they did win the Big 12.

This years NCAA Tournament has definitely lived up to it's label of "March Madness." Who would've thought we would be watching VCU, Butler, UConn, and Kentucky in the Final Four. These teams have a combined total of 37 losses this season which is a record for the Final Four.

Outside of basketball this month has been interesting in other ways. The weather definitely cannot decide what it wants to do. One day it's 78 degrees and everyone is outside, the next day it is snowing!! I am hoping that the snow we had this past Sunday is the last one until next winter.

I did happen to buy a few new suits this month and guys, if you are looking to buy a suit any time soon I strongly suggest you looking into getting a Byron. It is a British Style suit that is extremely comfortable and they come in several different designs. I bought mine at Peters Clothiers which is located at College & Metcalf in Overland Park. If you go and check this place out, make sure to ask for a guy named Spiro and he will get you all set up, he knows his stuff!

So, I had mentioned several months back that one of my goals for 2011 was to buy a house. Well starting Friday night the house hunting has officially began! I probably won't be buying anything until this summer or early fall but I'm definitely open to a great deal before that. The house I'm looking at this Friday has a pool and I'm thinking that if I were to end up buying it then there would definitely be a housewarming pool party in store!! One of the websites that I have been using to find homes for sale in the Lawrence area is http://www.zillow.com/ and there is also a Zillow app. The site utilizes google maps but has the price of the house sitting on it's location on the map so it is easy to navigate an find a house in your price range in the area you are looking.

Now that is has started to warm up I have been able to run outside a few times. I have also been doing the Insanity workout. For those of you that aren't familiar with it and are looking for a good cardio workout, check it out. (www.extremefitnessplans.com/shaun_T/insanity.html) It starts off with 38 minute sessions and works its way to hour-long workouts over an eight week period. There are several different kinds of workouts including plyometrics, pure cardio, cardio abs, core cardio and balance, max interval circuit, and a power and resistance. You have videos to follow but you can definitely go at your own pace until you work you way into better shape.

Well that pretty much sums up what I have been up to the past few weeks. A lot of watching basketball, shopping, working, working out and hanging out with friends. I want to say congratulations to Wichita State for making it to the NIT championship game and good luck to the Shockers and congratulations to Jacob Pullen for being named an All-American. He will definitely go down as the best player in KSU history!

P.S. NEW WARNING on the back of sunflower seeds:

"Warning- too many seeds in your mouth may become a danger to your health; we recommend only 20-30 seeds at a time. However, if you are a Jayhawk, 11 seeds are your choking hazards."

March Madness!!!

There is no doubt that March is one of the most exciting months of the year. First of all, it is finally starting to warm up and feel like spring. Although I don't truly feel like it is spring until Opening Day for the Royals! Second, March features the ever so famous holiday, St. Patrick's Day. Not only is St. Patrick's Day a blast every year but if you live in Kansas then you are also probably familiar with "Fake St. Patty's Day"!! This is when Manhattan, KS (KSU students) celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Aggieville the weekend before the 17th since everyone is gone for spring break on the actual holiday. And third, March is a favorite because of the NCAA basketball tournament...bring on March Madness!!! So, while March tends to be a busy month...it brings plenty of excitement and opportunities to get out and have fun with friends!

One of the nice things about the warm weather coming back is being able to run outside again. I did my half-marathon last October and shortly after that I stopped running outside. I'm not of fan of running outside when it's freezing cold, and unfortunately I'm not a fan of the treadmill either. I consistently run 1-2 miles a day on the treadmill during the week but now that it is warming up I'll be able to start enjoying longer runs outside. Also, Warrior Dash is coming to Kansas City this year and I definitely plan on running in that! For those of you that don't know what Warrior Dash is, you need to look it up!! (http://www.warriordash.com/) It is a 3.1 mile race that includes lots of obstacles (fires, barricades, hay stacks, mud pits, nets), lots of food, lots of beer and live bands. It's organized chaos. I think even Curt Schilling did it, at least that's what I've heard. All I know is that I plan on getting a group of people together to do it this year so if you are interested then let me know!!!

To end this weeks post, I'm going to leave you with a couple new websites that I have recently found and think you might like. The first is www.stumbleupon.com. This site has you choose several different topics that interest you from a large variety. Once you do this you can then click on the "Stumble" button and it will start taking you to random websites that are popular with people that have the same interests as you. I thought it was pretty cool..it's definitely easy to spend an evening on using this real fast! The second one is www.hipmonk.com. My buddy Brady shared this site with me and it is legit. This is a site that allows you to search for flights to pretty much any destination without spending the better half of your life doing it. Most flight search sites are intimidating and have endless pages of flight results. This site makes your search quick and easy...check it out and you will agree, bookmark it! The third site I want to share with you is www.43places.com. For all of you that love to travel then you will enjoy this site. It allows you to develop a checklist of places that you have been to and places that you want to visit. If you travel on a regular basis then this would be a really cool site for you to track your ventures over time!

"I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places." -Henny Youngman

Where Has February Gone???

Ok, so it's been awhile since I last posted. But the reason is because this month has been absolutely crazy!! I've had the chance to spend time with some great friends this month and I've also done a little traveling. I started the month off by visiting one of the financial advisors that I work with very closely and he is located in Wadsworth, OH. So we flew into Wadsworth (suburb of Cleveland) and at the time I visited, I was escaping -3 degree weather for 4 degree weather!! Soooo glad I got some warm weather for a few days. HA! Anyway, I had the chance to see John present his first, second, and third appointments and I also got to see him present a live seminar which was a pretty cool experience.

After returning from Cleveland, I had the chance to try out a new restaurant in KC called J.Alexander's with some great friends. (http://www.jalexanders.com/) I was with the same crew that I went to Jamaica with and we loved the restaurant. It has a great ambiance and excellent food as well. I had the beef tenderloin and while I'm not saying that it's the best beef tenderloin out there...I don't know of any better. The meat was cooked perfectly and its covered in a specialty sauce of theirs that they sell separately. I definitely recommend this place! Following dinner we decided to hit up Ameristar, a casino in North Kansas City. All five of us played for about an hour and a half and lost money. Not a great night of betting but nonetheless we still had a good time! I'm sure I'll dominate the Black Jack tables next time....

Just a few short days later was the beloved holiday that people either love or hate, Valentine's Day. And whether or not you love it or hate it may very well depend on if you have some one to spend it with....or in this year's case, whether or not you are a KSU fan!!!!! The Kansas State/Kansas rematch was on Valentine's Day and the loss that the Wildcats suffered earlier this season in Lawrence was avenged!!! KSU put a pounding on the Kansas Jayhawks and sent the Beakers home with a 84-68 loss. Kansas State has had a rough season but this definitely provided a bright spot and has got them back on track to make the NCAA Tournament! Now obviously the outcome of this game was one of the reasons I loved Valentine's Day this year but I also enjoyed great company for dinner at The Oread, which is a nice hotel in Lawrence. We ate dinner at the steakhouse there, which is called Five 21. (http://www.theoread.com/) This is another great restaurant that I recommend you trying out. Dimly lit atmosphere and the 4-course dinner was great. So I couldn't have asked for anything more...dinner with a great girl and my favorite team crushed their archrival, definitely a Valentine's Day to remember!

The rest of the week was pretty hectic at work and then this past weekend it was time to unwind. I went to Manhattan with four friends from work and we made a day out of going to the KSU-Oklahoma game and then Aggieville (the bar district in Manhattan, KS). This was once again a fun day. Kansas State notched another "W" and all of us guys tore up the town. If you have never been to Manhattan and experienced Aggieville then I strongly suggest you book the trip. Especially on a gameday. It is one of the best college atmospheres in the country for sure! If only I were still in college....HAHA!!

Well folks, for the most part that's what I've been up to the past few weeks. I have also been busy with work lately, but the hard work by Shawn, Kelli and myself is paying off. 2011 is looking to be a successful year full of great experiences!!!!

Remember....tomorrow does NOT equal yesterday!!!

Rockin' in New Orleans

As promised, I am going to dedicate this post to my recent experience in New Orleans. I had been there before but I was in high school at the time and was with my family...let's just say it was a little different this time around. The reason for my trip was the annual World Series of Sales event that is put on by Advisors Excel. It is where we recognize the top financial advisors that we work with for their hard work over the past year. I arrived in New Orleans last Wednesday along with a few others that I work with. The actual event didn't begin until Thursday night but we wanted to go a bit early to relax and also spend some time with a few advisors that we work with locally in New Orleans.

One of the things that New Orleans is known for is its food. Well it didn't take long for me to enjoy the cajun taste of the city. After checking in at the Ritz-Carlton, I joined Shawn Sparks and Brad Johnson for lunch with one of our agents and his staff. We visited a small cafe called New Orleans Food & Spirits. Among the things that we ate were fried eggplant, crawfish cakes, fried shrimp, fried fish, seafood gumbo and jambalaya. Needless to say, I was stuffed. After lunch I went back to the hotel and enjoyed the spa for a bit. It wasn't long after this that Shawn and I saw Luke Wilson at the hotel bar at the Ritz. We thought about asking him for a picture but eventually just said screw it. Later we met up with one of the advisors that we work with for dinner along with his staff. The restaurant we ate at was Mr. B's Bistro (http://www.bistro.com/) and I strongly recommend it if you are ever in New Orleans! It was a great atmosphere with great food. After dinner our whole group decided to hit up the famous Bourbon Street. We went to Pat O'Briens (http://www.patobriens.com/) piano bar and their famous Hurricanes took a toll on the group here as well.

The next day I slept in and when I eventually woke up I felt the need to hit up the spa again. About an hour and a half later I felt refreshed and was ready to begin my day. And by begin my day, I mean it was time to hit up the local favorite place for gumbo...The Gumbo Shop. (http://www.gumboshop.com/w.gumboshop.com/) This was one of my favorite places to eat..we started out with some chicken andouille gumbo, then creole jambalaya platter, and finished with hot bread pudding with whiskey sauce. It was simply amazing! Later that evening the World Series of Sales kicked off with a cocktail reception and then Terry Bradshaw spoke. You can't really tell on TV all that much, but Bradshaw is freakin' hilarious!! That guy literally had a room of 400 people in tears because they were laughing so hard. Unfortunately after he spoke, Terry had to leave immediately for Chicago because he was covering the Bears/Packers game so I wasn't able to get a picture with him either. Following the presentation by Terry Bradshaw was casino night and all of the proceeds were donated to Sean Payton's "Play it Forward" Foundation. I was able to meet Sean Payton and get a picture with him. I also got to hold the Lombardi Trophy from the Saints Super Bowl victory last year. They are still technically the current World Champions...for two more weeks anyway!!

Friday was a lot of business for the most part. We had several people speak including Cody Foster (One of Advisors Excel's Founders), Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints Head Coach), and Randy Schwantz (Author of The Wedge). That night however, was all play and no business! The owners did an amazing job preparing an evening that I will never forget. It started out with a authentic Mardi Gras parade. I'm not sure how much they paid to do this but they had Canal Street (the main street in downtown New Orleans) blocked off for over an hour so that Advisors Excel and all of our agents could have a huge parade. We had over 15 massive floats with amazing paintings and sculptures built on them. This was a surreal experience that I doubt I ever get to do again!! We rode on the floats for over 3 miles while throwing beads to the locals and tourists along the streets the whole way. It was a great start to the party.

The party did continue after we arrived at a place called Mardi Gras World. This is where we dropped off the floats and got to see exactly where and how they build them. We then walked to the Grand Oaks Mansion (http://www.kernstudios.com/) for cocktails and socializing for about an hour. After this everyone worked their way into a massive ballroom and this is where we had the awards ceremony and dinner. Much to everyones surprise, Cirque du Soleil was there to perform during our dinner. (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/) The show was amazing and everybody loved it! I had seen them once before in Las Vegas, but having them at a private party was a whole new experience!

The next day we did have a few more speakers before the conclusion of the event, Joe Calloway and Bob Fugate. The World Series of Sales was definitely a success this year. Everybody had a great time and much deserved credit was given to some of the top financial planners in the country!

I did stay one extra day to do some site seeing and to wind down from the weekend. I visited the St. Louis Cathedral which is breathtaking and also the French Market. However, I flew home on Sunday afternoon at 4:30 and we had some excitement on our return flight. I had a layover in Houston and that is where we were headed. About 30 minutes out, the flight attendant announced that the pilot was starting his descent toward the airport. Then about 5 minutes later the flight attendant came back on the speaker to ask everyone to remain calm and she wanted to inform us that the flaps on the wings of the plane were not working...therefore we couldn't slow down and were going to be landing at an extremely high speed! Well just my luck...of course I'm not sitting between 2 hot chicks that need support and comfort during this scary time...no, I'm sitting between 2 ladies that are in their mid-sixties. One of them is hyperventilating and has her vomit bag out and the other is tearing up and saying her prayers aloud! This....was a nightmare. Anyway, I was slightly worried myself so I buckled my seat belt as tight as it would go and I braced myself. The good news was that the fire department had been notified of the situation and fire trucks were lining the runway in case of emergency...awesome. After all this, I have to give the pilot props. He did a great job and landed the planed safely. I have never been so happy to have a layover and get on a NEW plane in my life!!

So that's what has been going on in my life this past week. Now it is time to root on the Kansas State Wildcats as they take on the Kansas Jayhawks this weekend!!! GO STATE!!!

The Way to See the City

Many times the way to get the best view of something is to position yourself so that you have a view from the top. Well this past Friday I did just that. I went to The Skies restaurant in Kansas City with three friends of mine. (http://www.skieskc.com/) The restaurant sits atop the Hyatt in the Crown Center district of KC and it offers an amazing view of downtown (Power & Light District), the Crown Center, Martini Corner, and the Plaza. You can even see Arrowhead Stadium and Kaufman Stadium. The restaurant also slowly revolves throughout the night, it takes about 90 minutes for one complete revolution. The ambience is second to none and there is a man playing the piano the whole time as well which makes it pretty relaxing. So guys, if you are planning a date soon then I definitely recommend The Skies!

After dinner at The Skies we went to Luna which is a club that was built to be reminiscent of clubs you would find in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami. (http://www.lunakc.com/) We didn't do any crazy dancing like some of the others there but we did get a table and had a blast sharing old stories of the stupid things we have done...some of these were college stories and some were from, well, a few weeks ago (I had no shortage of things to share!).

Saturday I played in a basketball tournament and I have to apologize. Turns out the camera man was at lunch during the game that I had all of my sweet dunks, so no footage is available for you. I know, it upset me too.

Anyway, Saturday night I joined a group of friends for a birthday party in Lawrence at a place called The Cave. (http://www.oreadcave.com/) It was an eventful evening that consisted of a lot of people-watching. I've always been a believer that airports are the best place to people-watch because you ALWAYS see crazy people at the airport, but The Cave is right up there. Although the obvious reason many people are so entertaining there is because they have had one too many! It is definitely a nice place though and is worth checking out. It is located below The Oread which is a hotel right by the Kansas University campus. They turned a three level parking garage into a night club. The top level is a wine bar, the middle level is a shot/martini bar and the bottom level is the main club with a dance floor and VIP bar. The entire building is made of limestone and it has granite countertops all over which gives the place a unique look.

I am now about to leave tomorrow for New Orleans. Advisors Excel hosts an event each year in January called the World Series of Sales. (http://www.theworldseriesofsales.com/) We have all of the top financial advisors that we work with get together for an awards ceremony and also to hear some well-known speakers. One of them is the New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and another is Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw. I'm excited to meet both of them and I will definitely be filling everyone in on the event when I return!

P.S. Congratulations to my best friend Travis VanVleck! Travis and his wife Beth had a baby boy this morning, welcome to the world Creighton!!

Yellow Snow

So it finally happened. We escaped the snow through the months of November and December but it has now caught up with us. We had our first big snow of the year and it was beautiful!! For about 5 hours. Now it would be great if we could get just one day where the temperature gets above freezing so it can melt. Oh and for you Northerners that are reading this, I call 3-6 inches a "big snow"...get over it!! Half of the reason that I'm not a big fan of snow is my fault. I deemed it unecessary to get a 4-Wheel Drive vehicle a few years back and now when we do get snow, my rear-wheel drive Envoy doesn't do so good. I know most of you have seen the movie Bambi, well I would say the part when Bambi is sliding around the frozen pond on his hooves would be a fair comparison to my Envoy on the frozen streets of Topeka...watch out!

Since we have had snow the past week I have spent a lot of time inside learning how to use my new iPad. I have fallen in love with the thing and I would definitely consider myself addicted. Some of the apps that I recommend you getting if you have or are getting an iPad are Flipboard (http://www.flipboard.com/), Fandango (http://www.fandango.com/), VEVO HD (http://www.vevo.com/), and OpenTable (http://www.opentable.com/). The Flipboard app allows you to have one central hub where you can access all of the latest updates from your Twitter connections, Facebook friends, or LinkedIn acquaintances. Another good use for Flipboard is to keep up-to-date with the latest news headlines and fashion trends. Flipboard was actually voted App of the Year in 2010. Fandango uses your current location and tells you exactly what movies are at the local theaters, the times they are showing and also movie reviews. VEVO is a great resource for all of the latest music videos and OpenTable is an app that allows you to set dinner reservations for nearly any nice restaurant.

So this past week I did manage to get out a bit despite the cold weather and visit some cool places. The first stop was at Nara last Friday night in Kansas City. (http://www.narakc.com/) This is a sushi place at 17th & Main St. I do recommend this place for any of you sushi-lovers out there. It has a great ambiance, the service is great and of course the sushi was delightful as well. We decided to stay conservative and ordered Spicy Tuna Rolls, Vegas Rolls and some Edamame. Later that night we met up with some friends at Sol Cantina in Martini Corner, ended up being a great night with great people!!

On Saturday I hung out with the guys and watched the NFL Playoffs and ordered some pizza. Later that night we had "guys night out" in KC. We started out at the 75th Street Brewery to watch the Colts/Jets game and eat dinner. (http://www.75thstreet.com/) Afterwards we decided to go to a new bar that none of us had been to. It's called The Well and is part of the Waldo neighborhood. (http://www.waldowell.com/) The main part of the bar is pretty big and has plenty of room for dancing and also to grab a table if you want. The rooftop part of the bar is still open in the winter, they just have a huge enclosed tent over the top and it's heated. It was definitely a fun place with a lively crowd, also recommended.




Now although this had already been a pretty jam-packed weekend, I wasn't done just yet. Sunday morning I met up with several friends and we headed to Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs/Ravens playoff game. We were stoked because we had tickets on the 50 yard line and had what was an unnecessary confidence that the Chiefs were going to take care of business! Well the Chiefs ended up getting their butts kicked by the Ravens, but it was still a great experience and I hope the Chiefs will be hosting another playoff game a year from now. (The cheerleaders still looked good although the Chiefs didn't)

Well folks, this is what has been going on in my life! If you have any questions regarding any of the things or places that I've mentioned then let me know. In the meantime, don't eat the yellow snow!!