#Work

It's 12:45 a.m., and I'm exhausted.

By the time you're reading this, I will probably be driving again - back at work, back at the grind.

But that's just what I do to pay the bills. For now.

I never imagined after 6 years, I would STILL be trying to start my own business. It has been a growing process, for sure.

But I wouldn't trade it for the world. Everyday I wake up to work a job making someone else money, the more I realize and am certain that I need to be working for myself. It's the only time I truly feel like working.

Most of the early excitement has worn off, and very few still see the vision for what it is. But that's fine, because it's not their vision.

The long hours, the sleepless nights, the thinking, the laboring, the failures, the few successes - all are part of the formula that is slowly becoming a success.

Money is beyond tight, bills need paid, we need working capital, but I wouldn't have it any other way. When the pressure is on, I can think creatively like no other time. And for that, I am thankful.

We're slowly making progress on making a dream reality, but we've still got a long, uphill way to go. So much is happening behind the scenes, but soon you will be able to see exactly what we have been planning so long!

I'm pumped for what lies ahead, even in just a few short weeks! The thought of it finally taking off keeps me up at night as much as work and long hours. It is both exhilarating and totally draining at the same time.

But soon, we can show you what we have been working on. Very soon.

That's all for tonight. Have a great day! Chat at you all very soon.

posted from Bloggeroid

Baby Landon!

Well, he's here! Our little boy (#2!) has finally arrived!

Tonight is our first night home, and it's been an adventure already. Friends and family have stopped by to say hi, as well as all the well-wishes via Facebook and Twitter. Big brother Benjamin may need some time to adjust still, lol, but he has been very gentle with Landon.

I can honestly say it's all a bit surreal at the moment. Not long ago I was making my way across the country to a state I'd never been to before, and seven years later I am a father of two beautiful boys. Say whaaa??

It is an awesome feeling though. Having two of them has forced Allie and I to really re-think our plans for the future, and how we are going to go about our daily lives. You really don't understand all the planning involved just to go grocery shopping until you're forced into it!

But honestly, I can't imagine life any other way. No matter how complicated, no matter how expensive, no matter how hectic it can all seem sometimes, I would despise going back to the bachelor life. We had some good times back then, me and the boys, but that time of life is over, and I am so excited to raise my boys over the next 20 years!

It's funny how kids can really shift everything around, in a moment. Suddenly all the things you thought were so important in life fade away as you hold this new life in your arms, totally and utterly dependent on you. And then you wake up and realize how much more you need to grow up and start taking care of business! Haha!

Anyhoo, things are great. We are all exhausted, but so happy to welcome Baby Landon into our home. Adventure awaits, I can smell it in the air!!

Or is that just another diaper needing changed? :)

Yours truly,
Levi

posted from Bloggeroid

The Secret to Success

If there is one thing that I am learning about being successful, it's that it takes work.

Work and work and more work. That's it, plain and simple.

I used to imagine that if I could create that one magic method of not doing anything and getting paid for it, it would change my life! (Exaggerating the nothing part...)

But, in search of that magic method, I never made a dime. Seems like no one ever wants to pay for somebody to sit around and do nothing. Unless, of course, you're in politics. But that's another post.

The times when I actually make a breakthrough and get to collect a bit of pocket change are the times I actually put in some work. When I really put in the effort, money seems to follow.

I know this is very, very elementary. It really should go without saying. There is no secret to success. You become successful by working hard.

But so often it seems everyone is still looking for that golden egg to financial freedom that they won't have to lift a finger for. Why? Because we all want to be wealthy and pay others to fix or worry about our problems.

But there is another side of all the hard work that no amount of money can ever buy. The satisfaction of a job well done.

If you've never sold anything of your own, whether tangible goods or intangible services, you may not fully relate to that feeling. But for anyone who has ever had to actually produce a product or supply a need, it is both daunting and exhilarating at the same time. To put something out into the world with YOUR name on it... truly amazing.

And that is the part I want to focus more on now.

Sure, it takes work. I've come to accept that fact. There's no getting around it, but if it's all you ever concentrate on, you'll never know the true pride and joy that comes from creating something that is uniquely yours and someone else who decides they have to have your product in their life. It truly is a one of a kind feeling.

So, work and work away, because success truly comes from a little work each and every day.

posted from Bloggeroid

Midnight Musings

I don't often feel too emotional about most things.

When I was younger, my emotions controlled me. I was angry, outloud, happy, full throttle pedal-to-the-metal! More often than not, it got me in more trouble than it did me any good.

Over the years, I learned how to control my emotions. I learned to listen before I spoke. I discovered that not everything is what it seems. I found out that punching things only left me with a sore fist, lol.

But there are some things I am glad I experienced to the max. I look back on those memories and smile, shaking my head at how reckless I was even just a few years ago.

Tonight, my heart is happy again. There are many things that are a contributing factor, but for the first time in a long time, things just seem to be falling into place.

It's not a giddy, high-school feeling of utopia. It's not a silly school-yard fancy, or even that top-of-the-world first semester of college. It just a deep sense of knowing that everything is genuinely going to be alright.

There hasn't been anything particularly wrong. Nothing wrong at all, really.

But when things are right, it just FEELS right, you know?

I don't know, just my thoughts. Life is beautiful guys - get out there and live it!

Levi

posted from Bloggeroid

Bullet-Proof Blankets?!

As my buddy and I have begun writing a series studying and investigating the different angles of War, I am myself noticing more and more all the different aspects of combat that are emerging in our modern society.

While I am a bit Spartan myself in my approach to life, it disturbs me to see that rather than solving the issues at hand, we as a culture seek to answer violence with violence.

Don't get me wrong. I am a proponent of war when it is indeed necessary. No freedoms were ever won by building bigger walls. But when our children and families daily lives begin to look more and more like disaster preparedness commercials than comfortable living, I say it's high time to re-examine our methods.

One of the top articles today in the news was that of a bullet-proof naptime blanket for elementary schools.

Let me repeat that. BULLET-PROOF BLANKETS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

Those two ideas should never go together. EVER.

In a world clamoring for rights, equality, acceptance, and tolerance, our actions couldn't be more contrast with our words.

Everyday, someone claims to have the answer, passes more laws and legislation, spends more money on useless campaigns, writes an article that starts a social media fire storm, and all the while our children are the ones dodging the bullets.

Real bullets. There is nothing proverbial here friends.

Why on God's green Earth are we even considering this to be a good idea? Bullet-proof blankets that double as body armor for our kids?! These are our kids we're talking about!

Oh, but this is nothing new to them. They've been dodging the emotional bullets for years. While our government and education system and now our broken homes have been playing guinea pigs with the kids, they've been ducking for cover for years. Why should real bullets be any different?

Ask the kids, and they're probably glad someone finally thought of them. Bullet-proof blankets? Of course! As a 9, 10, 13 year old, you never know when someone might get there feelings hurt and decide to start killing people. Gotta survive long enough to at least graduate, right? Since that high school diploma means so much nowadays...

Wouldn't it be a proud moment, knowing that those kids walking across the stage are not only educated now, but also combat ready for when the psycho classmate-turned-co-worker opens fire at the office? Glad I learned about that in middle school.

Enough is enough. We need to take back our kids and our country, and we need to do so by being aware to what is happening in the world and instructing our kids to see through the lunacy! Do we really want to raise a generation that considers mass homicide just another crazy thing that happens in life, and good luck if you survive?!

I for one will not stand for it. I will be outspoken, outloud, and upfront to anyone who lends me their ear! I will train my children in the way they should go, and teach them how to THINK, not react. I will encourage this same thinking and training in all I know and associate with, and I will strive to see that they pass this same information on to all they know as well.

We are AT war, ladies and gentlemen. The battle has long since begun, and it is our kids dodging bullets and being suited with armor in the hallways.

Enough is enough.

It is time to stand up. It is time to speak out. It is time to fight for what is right - our family, our faith, and our freedom. We can save our nation yet, and we can start in our homes.

Under God,

Levi

posted from Bloggeroid

Mommy Wars?

So, after a series of random and confusing events which were ultimately fatal to my (dot) com connectivity, my last ONLY blog is no more, and I am reverting back to this one as my main landing page. Call me a hypocrite.

Anyhoo, I hope everyone's weekend was great! I know mine was eventful, to say the least.

I will spare you all the daily details of our family adventures, but there is one thing bugging me from this past Saturday that I wanted to get some feedback on. I just need to know if I am the only one noticing this...

We took our little dude to the park for some playtime to get out of the house, and it was great! He always has fun, and we enjoy watching him run around being a boy. No complaints there.

There were other kids there as well, and they were all having a great time as well. Then I noticed something - disturbing.

It probably doesn't really strike anyone right away - I didn't notice it myself until we were about to leave. But, I did notice it. And it kind of shocked me.

Here I was, at the playground with my 1 1/2 year old son, just out having some fun, when I realized we were surrounded by some stunning young women, all of them dressed up and decked out more than some dates I've been on! Enter the young mommy wars.

Now, in case any of you are wondering at this point, I am not making note of these ladies in a good way.

In fact, it frustrates me to see this growing trend more and more as I have become a young Dad.

Here we are, at a local family park, just out getting some sunshine, and lining the benches are a bunch of starved, polished, decorated fashion dolls all competing with each other for whoever's attention they can get.

Now, let me remind you, these kids are around my son's age - 1 1/2 to 3 or 4 yrs.

This tells me that these gals probably still have a man at home currently, or if they're that bad off then he must have left real recently. I don't think I have to explain my meaning here.

And yet, here they are, dressed to kill at the playground. C'mon, really?

For starters, I am disappointed knowing that these are the type of people raising the kids my son is going to have to grow up around. There are some high standards being set already, let me tell you!

Aother issue I have is why, if women nowadays are so concerned with being treated like nothing more than targets or objects, would you present yourself to the world as exactly that?! You think low-cut tops and skirts that cover nothing when you sit down are gonna have a man thinking about what a great person you are, or that you might have ambitions and dreams beyond the bedroom?

Here's another one: why do these women have to compare themselves among these other women? Aren't you here at the park with your kids? Doesn't that (obviously) mean you've at least impressed someone enough to have a kid or two? Are you planning on having a horrible marriage, filled with lies and unfaithfulness and chaos? Are you so unhappy that you have to "prove" you've still got it? (Whatever IT is.)

How about this: what about your kids? Yeah, them. What about your kids, barbie? You know, the ones who are looking to you as a role model in life. The ones who, depending on gender, will either seek to emulate you in their own life and morals, or learn what sort of woman to look for in a future partner. Oh right, it was never about them. They just come with the real estate now.

I could go on, but I realize I am bringing a hard case here, and I don't totally know quite what to think of all this yet. Maybe I am jumping to conclusions? Perhaps I am not understanding a woman's point of view? Are they not even aware? (Highly doubtful...)

I know that this is obviously a man's opinion, and I welcome any futher discussion on the topic, negative or positive. I am just trying to understand what in the world I am supposed to take this as - as a guy.

Thanks for reading gang, feel free to comment below!

Levi

posted from Bloggeroid

A Good Day to be Alive

Today was a good day to be alive.

Nothing really exceptional happened. I didn't set any world records, or claim any titles or medals, or write a novel or anything of note. I was just glad to enjoy my day.

That's something I haven't felt in a long time.

It's sad, in a way. It's so easy to get caught up in the race of life, you totally forget who you are and what you want to do. Not that it's deadly or anything. But boy, it can sure get boring.

That's what today was not. Boring. I am closing out the day with a smile on my face, just because today was a good day.

I played with my son. I watched movies. I talked with my wife, who will be home tomorrow, thank God! I chilled because I wanted to. I watched Youtube videos, cooked a little, did some laundry, I just enjoyed existing today!

I know that may not mean anythig to anyone else reading this, but it was a nice shift for me. And I know for me, when I experience these shifts, it is generally a new direction I will find myself going. And for the first time in a long time, I am happy about it.

Cheers,

Levi

posted from Bloggeroid

#snapshot

What happenin' gang, yours truly comin' at ya with another quick update. :)

Been a few weeks since last post, work is going well as usual. Busy as ever! We had been running the long haul trip via rental truck and trailer, but just yesterday Hanson's International here in town called and delivered our old rig back in mint condition! Still waiting on a new trailer until May, but at least the tractor will have a much shorter wheel base than the rental (Almost 5 feet shorter!). I get to take the maiden voyage tomorrow at 4:30 am, here's hopin'!

Family is doing well, we are getting a dog!! She is a super sweet black lab/??? mix. Only 2 yrs old, so old enough to be house broken, but young enough to be exited about everything, lol.

Baby Benjamin is growing like a weed, 15 months old and hungry ALL the time! Smarter than his old man already, I swear. Lord, gimme strength! Ha!

Allie is getting much better with the pregnancy, we think the morning sickness is finally gone. Found out the gender at the end of the month!! We are hoping for a baby girl. ;)

Got a new podcast coming out soon, will be sharing the links with that once it goes live on iTunes. For now, Random Talk Radio is still our only show. Failed on and forgot to pay the internet bill last month, so new episode won't be up until next Tuesday. You can still find us on iTunes though, Random Talk Radio under "podcasts."

That about wraps up my lunch hour. Hope everyone is doing well, hit me up on twitter, @levispann, if you want. I will be trying to update this blog once a week now, but we'll see.

Until next post,
Don't forget to be AWESOME!!

Levi

posted from Bloggeroid

Out of Town

It's another Wednesday on the south truck. Staying at the hotel in Ignacio, and I am wondering how much longer I will driving these same routes.

Got a lot of things planned, really. Sometimes it sure is tough to know when to act though.

Weather has been clear all day today, and supposed to continue through the night into tomorrow. Good news with an open bed.

Ugh. I really don't even like having to mention it in my personal life. I would much rather be working for myself.

Been looking into some more equipment, pricing is of course a large issue. I am beginning to understand why loans are so large now. Upfront costs can be daunting.

But not to worry, I am not swayed in my feelings about opening shop in the near future. It just takes so much darn time! Lol

Had dinner tonight listening to "Crazy" by Gnarles Barkley (Cee Lo Green). An odd choice for dining music, I thought. Couldn't help but ponder how that guy got his start in the music industry.

Listening to some smooth jams back in the room, trying to avoid going to sleep. Pretty bad when you avoid sleep just to postpone waking up any sooner than you have to for a new day of work. That's why I need a new job.

Had some podcast ideas today, since I forgot my headphones again. Guess the drive time is good for thinking those kinds of things through. If I can still remember them later, lol. Gotta start writing things down!

Anyhoo, that's about it for tonight. No weather yet, so I think it's safe to crash. Thanking the Lord for at least providing me a good trip, even if I don't want to be here.

Until next post, be excellent to each other!
Levi

#snapshot

Hey gang! Hope everyone is doing well this Saturday! Been a crazy few weeks at work, trying to catch up from the accident and train the new guy. :)

Here are a few photos from driving around Colorado that I have been taken these past few weeks:



Here are a few from Glenwood Canyon

Here are a few from a week ago in Crested Butte. Chained-up all day!

These photos are from yesterday, again headed to Crested Butte. They've had over 48" in the last two weeks!

Here's a shot headed over Blue Mesa Pass:

Just another day in CO:

This one starts out rough - I had to grab some gears to keep from getting stuck! Lol, chained-up all the way, and you can STILL see the truck sliding around ha ha. Oh, and those fence posts are 8 feet tall. The snow drift was as high as the windows - IN A SEMI!! :)

One more from Glenwood Canyon.

Until next time gang,

Levi

F.O.C.U.S.

Today's post is a bit more difficult for me to write than previous posts. 

In the past, I've been told that I am a bit of an extreme individual. A bit hardcore, if you will. You see, I have struggled and always will struggle with a place known as the "middle ground." I've never been able to find a happy medium among all the things I do. I know that it is very difficult for many people to understand, but more and more I am starting to realize that this is simply who I am.

I am an all or nothing individual. I function at my core by giving everything I have to a task/project/relationship/etc. Because of this, however, I am a terrible multi-tasker.

I'll admit it - I cannot DO more than a couple things at once. Not long term, anyways. I've tried. In fact, I've been trying. I've been trying really hard. But I have been failing miserably, and I am getting burnt out. 

So what does this have to do with anything, Levi?

Well, at a distance, it probably won't mean much to anyone really. But for myself personally, I am drastically going to be cutting back on almost everything I have been doing over the past year, and I will be going "hardcore" after one thing: working for myself. 

Let me explain. My brain is hardwired to think in t-shirt slogans. I can't help that. If it's not a one-line philosophy or a four point goal plan that fits on a shirt, forget about it. It will be gone in about a month. 

But the title of this post (F.O.C.U.S.) is what I NEED to do and WILL be doing for the foreseeable future. And, of course, it is broken down into an acronym so my one-track-mind can easily remember it. 

Follow One Course Until Success. 

And that is what I intend to do, friends. 

I have over-committed myself recently, and I can't stand living my own life everyday. I feel as though I am cheating myself and everyone I am supposed to be helping, simply because I cannot perform to the best of my ability because I've spread myself to thin. I know what I am capable of, and as much I absolutely love being involved with so much that's going on around me, in the end it is not moving me toward reaching the goal of working for myself. 

Don't get me wrong. I am more than willing to help out where I can. But long term commitments are just that - commitments. They require time, energy, often money, and other precious commodities that I have simply been throwing around far to carelessly. 

So starting today, I will be taking my life "under the knife" and cutting back what is not moving me in the direction of starting my own business. If I have committed to reaching a certain stage in a project, I will see that through. But by next month, I plan on completely "F.O.C.U.S.ing" my efforts on getting out of the workforce and launching my t-shirt business. 

I hope that it is understood that I do not mean to harm anyone in anyway by making these changes, but I absolutely will not live another day beyond today where I wake up and my first thought is not having enough time to do X, Y, Z. I plan to start living and loving life again. It will genuinely be a journey of a thousand miles, and this is my first step in that direction. 

In closing, one of the things that has personally been dragging me down is Facebook. It consumes far too much of my time and benefits me nothing (at the moment) except for the ability to stay connected with friends. 

"Learn to control your Facebook time, then!" 

Yes, this is a true argument. I recognize I need to grow in this area, and will be working on it diligently. However, for now I will be using Twitter only as my social sharing site of choice. I will continue posting to FBOOK via this blog from time to time, but if you want to keep in touch please follow my twitter @levispann. 

Finally, I want to thank all of you for being an amazing part of my life. I want you all to know that I am who I am today because of each and every one of you. And I want THAT person to be someone all of you can be proud of. Someone you are glad to know. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the incredible experiences I've had up to this point in my journey. I look forward to many, many more. Let's make this year the best year any of us has ever known! 

All the best, 

Levi