#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