The Loan is Finally Closed
Four long years. It’s been over four years since we bought our property out in Volente. We weren’t in a rush at first, but eventually it became something that we were ready to d...
Money & Decisions
40 posts about money & decisions.
Stories and ideas
Summer Sailing in Michigan
Sailboat minus sail One of my favorite things to do while we’re spending time in Michigan is to go sailing. We didn’t get the boat rigged up for nearly the first week because I...
Five Reasons Why We Bought a Timeshare
Korey and I have gone to more than our fair share of timeshare presentations. I’d imagine that we’re somewhere in the neighborhood of ten different pitches. Most of the recent o...
Hawaiian Booking Adventures
It’s been almost 20 years since I was last in Hawaii. As you might imagine, I’ve changed quite a bit in that timeframe, but the biggest difference between this trip and those pr...
An Unexpected Surprise at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
As I mentioned in our booking adventure, we had an early flight out of Houston, so we drove over Monday night to stay with Stephanie Thanks Stephanie! , so that we could just ge...
The Exception: Fifteen Years and Four Jobs at IBM Later
I was fortunate enough to have breakfast with an IBM executive last week, and while he and I were talking about our careers and career progression, he mentioned that he had rece...
How Did This Five Year Chapter End?
How Did This Five Year Chapter End? People always say that time goes by faster as you get older, and I’ve certainly come to understand that it’s true. The best reason I’ve heard...
Sunday Sunday Funday at the Roller Rink and More
If you haven’t figured it out by now, we’re not the sort of family that likes to just sit at home and watch TV all day. This Sunday was no exception. I started off the day with...
Yard Games Galore at the Cottage
The fact that the weather in the UP during July is usually beautiful means that we spend a lot of time outside. And if you know or have read anything about my kids, you know tha...
Oh Boat, How I Love Thee
It was a long and hard fought battle, but about two years ago, we finally convinced Dad to buy a boat for Michigan. They planned to spend more time up there, now that they were...
Shallow Water Makes for a Lot of Fun
The fun on the boat earns it’s own post, but there’s certainly more to hanging out at the lake than just tubing. The lake itself was down a bit this year which likely made the t...
Closing out the Cruise
It wasn’t too long after got back on the boat from Progresso that it was time to go for dinner. Doing the early option was the right decision, but it did mean that we had to hus...
Rainy Disney Round 2
For our second day at Disney first day recap here , the weatherman was unfortunately right for once and we woke up to more rain. We had debated between going back to the Magic K...
Moviepass Is Awesome, but Doomed
It’s been about a month and a half since my MoviePass arrived in the mail, and I’ve seen more movies in the last 6 weeks than I have in the last 15 years. And I love it! Despite...
A Dolphin Discovery
Wednesday was the first of our two days in port in Mexico, and Korey had done her research in advance to make sure that we were well taken care of while there. We had bought Gro...
Sleep was Hard to Come By in Spain
It has become relatively rare that I get to scratch a new country off my list for work, but the 2018 Fast Starts presented one of these opportunities. I started off with a very...
Cruisin’ for Christmas
I love a lot of things about Texas, but being away from the rest of my side of the family is certainly not one of them. However, that does make me cherish those times that we do...
A Vacation in Atlanta?
A Vacation in Atlanta? A few months ago, when Korey asked if I wanted to go to Atlanta, I was a bit unsure what to say. My best guess is that I said, “Why? What’s in Atlanta?” I...
Michigan Vacation, Part 1: Getting There is a Trip Itself
What sane person would take their two kids 4 and 2 on a cross country plane trip only to then later cover over 600 more miles with them by car? Hopefully this one. You tell me w...
Erik the Trucker?
Erik the Trucker? It took nearly 14 years of home ownership and living in Texas, but I finally drive a truck. Well sort of. Perhaps more accurate would be that I bought a truck...
Did WannaCrypt Wreck My Demo Infrastructure?
Did WannaCrypt Wreck My Demo Infrastructure? For those of you that follow me professionally, you know I own the demo strategy for IBM’s Cloud business unit. That leaves me respo...
Hiking in the Smoky (more like charred) Mountains with Crosby
Hiking in the Smoky more like charred Mountains with Crosby To me, spending time with family tops just about any other activity that I can be doing. Add in something fun and a f...
The 5 Things You Can’t Forget to Pack for IBM InterConnect
I’ve lost track of how many conferences I’ve been to in Las Vegas by now, and in all those visits I’ve picked up a few tips that I wanted to pass along. Here they are in ballpar...
Every Penny Counts: Saving Money with Ibotta
If you’ve ever met Korey or me, you know that we’re what most people would describe as frugal. We aren’t cheap, though. Neither of us mind spending money on good quality items i...
Oh no! My kiddos are growing up
While I would not say I’m an overly emotional guy, I’m definitely sentimental — if that makes sense. I wouldn’t typically cry during a sad movie, but I would struggle to get rid...
Four Long Flights Worth of Movie Reviews
When you’re stuck on a plane for hours on end, eventually you can’t sleep, you put down the magazine or book, and just zone out and turn on the entertainment system. And in all...
Whirlwind of a Time in Singapore
I took a very short flight to Singapore Monday evening after my client meeting in KL. After checking into the hotel, I caught up with Brian for a bit to grab a bite to eat. I wa...
KL is KooL
Not often to I get to check a new country off the travel list these days, but I did these past few days during a quick trip to Asia. And it is a Quick trip with a capital Q. I’l...
Three Week Reflection on My Time in Qingdao (Part 3 – Personal Reflections)
Three Week Reflection on My Time in Qingdao Part 3 – Personal Reflections This again is a continuation… I’ve already gone through some broad comments in Part 1, and some of the...
Looking for a Little Extra Incentive to Get Fit? Like Cold Hard Cash?
Looking for a Little Extra Incentive to Get Fit? Like Cold Hard Cash? As I’m sure some of you know, I started using the BeachBody workouts and their Shakeology drinks earlier th...
Small Wins Keep the Saving Train Moving Forward
For those of you that know me well, you know that I’ve always been on the cautious side of spending money. I’m a firm believer of spending less than you earn and saving for a ra...
Wrapping Up What We Started in Style
I never would have guessed that today was the last full day of my assignment. I guess as the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun and when you’re busy . The main activ...
Our Final Day at Hante
Today was the day we had been pushing towards for the last 4 weeks. Though truth be told, there had been so much that we delivered throughout the engagement that wrapping things...
Can the A-Team Overcome a Natural Disaster?
Can the A-Team Overcome a Natural Disaster? I’ve really been enjoying the yogurt and cereal in the morning, as has the rest of the breakfast club Rafael, Payel, and Suanne early...
Beijing Adventures: The Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Tiennemen Square
Today was our big scheduled tour day in Beijing. I woke up a few minutes before the alarm, and set out to find a quick breakfast. There was a 7-11 next to the hotel, so I found...
As Bon Jovi Says, “We’re Halfway There”
It’s really hard to believe, but today is already the halfway point of my assignment in China. The time has really flown by. I’ve been working long days and having a lot of fun...
Be flexible – Things will Change
That was the statement that Brandon shared with us on Saturday as a general rule for while we’re here in China. If we only knew how true that would be today. Our local host Kare...
The Hardest Trip to the Airport Yet
This post is not meant to be a pity party. I actively sought out this trip. In fact, I applied four or five times before getting accepted into the program – now granted, when I...
Adult Only Getaway to Cancun
I love spending time with my kiddos, but a few weeks ago, Korey and I were fortunate enough to get some time to spend together without them at our side 24 x 7. We’re also really...
Wait –You Drive a What?
Wait –You Drive a What? While at a bar after work with some coworkers, the conversation turned to the cars that everyone drives. Most were Audis, Porsches, Mercedes, etc., and t...