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This escalated quickly.

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Someday

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Gotta love Tinder!

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Oh my God, if I wasn’t taking so much time off life to campaign in Tassie I would be in WA so fast.

Someone please reelect this man!

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Something we all should think about. 

READ HERE

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Big Announcement:

"Using Our Freedom to Help Others Obtain Theirs"

I get the incredible privilege in my life of being free… free to speak, dance, eat out, act like a… um, jerk, you name it. As a part of this freedom, I get the inordinate privilege of speaking publicly professionally. In that context, I get to encourage others to live life in pursuit of greatness… to set audacious goals and go after pursuits that would carry them far past the “do-able” existence of mediocrity. The thought of inspiring others to do this, while not pursuing my own “dare-to-be-great” type of life is nauseating to say the least. So here is the great thing that I plan to go after in 2014…

I am joining up with my good friend from Cali, Dug Shelby (hiker of the entire pacific west coast from Mexico to Canada, and cyclist of the entire continental US from Cali to Florida) to do the National Three Peaks Challenge in the UK (http://www.thethreepeakschallenge.co.uk/) this October. This challenge involves hiking the highest mountains in Scotland, England, and Wales… all within 24 hours. Here’s the best part about Dug’s adventure journeys and why I am excited to join in: He does them all through the work of his very own Oasis Projekt, a non-profit organization dedicated to aid, (through funds and awareness), victims of human sex trafficking.

Human Trafficking is an issue that has been near to Shaula and I’s hearts for many years, but our fervor to fight on behalf of these victims grew during the years we lived in Las Vegas. But it’s not just an issue in Nevada. Trafficking exists at alarming levels in all 50 states. The average girl taken into sex slavery in the US is between the ages of 12 and 17. These girls are forced to have sex on average anywhere between 20 and 48 times a day. I know, you want to stop reading, but please don’t. I understand that this is so prolifically evil that you would much rather wish you didn’t know. But therein lies the problem. It’s so debased that we can’t stomach it. And so it isn’t discussed… and it isn’t lobbied for near enough.

So I’ve decided to use my freedom to help others obtain theirs. And here’s something else that gets me excited about this… my daughter, Laney, is joining me for the adventure. Laney is 15 (and will turn 16 while we train for the Challenge), right in the heart of the average age range of a girl taken into sexual slavery. I couldn’t be more proud of Laney’s willingness and exuberance to take this challenge and this issue head on.

So, what does this mean? Well, it means that in the coming days, weeks, and months ahead, I will be tracking our journey here on this blog. I will update you, (if you care to follow along), on our progress while giving you data and insights as to what we are fighting for and how we plan to fight for it. In fact, i will attempt to raise your (and anyone else’s that I can) awareness of this great need and, along the way, I will be asking for help. 

I have long lived and believed the great teaching, “to whom much is given, much is required.” And, in 2014, I plan to use the freedom I’ve been given to do something so audaciously free… on behalf of those who are not free to do the same thing. Thanks for reading and, thanks too, in advance, for your support. 

Much more to come in the days ahead…

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Dinner with my best friend

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Faith in God includes faith in His timing.

TheDailyPositive.com (via thedailypozitive)

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So true!

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Love this!

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I had forgotten they worked together.

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Kids are amazing! What happens when his friend gets cancer? He tries to raise money and shaves his head.

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Better than Folgers

Me: Good morning! I feel like the luckiest person in the world ever right now. There are seven billion people in the world. 2.4 billion have internet access. 30 million have OkCupid profiles. 3.5 million of them are active with about a million logging in daily. Somehow you find me on there and decided out of the 700,000 people in Vegas you wanted to be with me after a glass of water. I feel humbled, thankful, and blessed. You're amazing. Have a great day today!

Him: Awww, it's because i truly feel that you have a golden heart. My comfort level is sky high during our conversations, you're wonderful, beautiful and most of all i like you like I've never liked anyone before. I'm luckier than you just knowing you :) thank you lord.

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Woo hoo!

My reaction to my new job

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A few things about the whole Richard Sherman kerfuffle: 

1) He and Michael Crabtree have had an ongoing beef going back at least to last summer

2) Literally less than 20 - 30min before the post game interview, Sherman and Crabtree had just had an on field altercation, and according to Sherman, another one minutes after the game

3) Also, literally less than 10min before the interview, Sherman had just made the winning deflection (in a close game) that ensured his team will go to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl. As in, lifetime achievement realized. So yeah, he was amped up. Remember, while Sherman was speaking to Erin Andrews, he was very specifically addressing Crabtree: “I’m the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that’s the result you gonna get. Don’t you ever talk about me.”

4) Without touching too much on all of the racism set off by “big, scary Black man *terrifying* little blonde White woman,” Richard Sherman is hardly a “thug” (if you simply have to talk smack about Sherman, at least try to use more clever racial code words) Sherman graduated 2nd from his high school, scored 1400/1600 on the S.A.T. and is a Stanford University graduate with a communications degree

note: Sherman never stopped making eye contact with the camera, spoke clearly, never cursed, and answered clearly the questions he was asked. While his bravado was genuine, Sherman knew exactly what he was doing - amping up his Seattle fans, ensuring some guest spots on upcoming talk shows, and perhaps getting a cover deal for the next Sports Illustrated and Madden game (or WWE?). IMHO

The problem here is, America has been deeply conditioned to view Black  people, particularly Black men, in a very narrow spectrum: smiling buffoon (who may also be a criminal) or angry thug (who is definitely a criminal) Or maybe a ‘Will Smith’ or a ‘Barack Obama’…if you’re wealthy enough. "Angry Black man" and "thug" .are such common stereotypes/tropes for BM that they’re almost Hollywood descriptions for castings. A White athlete showing the exact same demeanor would not be called a thug, an ape, and especially not a ni***r. We have a lot of categories we could place a White athlete into in this situation: hyped, exuberant, excited, over-the-top, beast-mode, etc. 

In the end, it’s a game, and—after way too many suggestions to the contrary—even Erin Andrews has said she wasn’t afraid (look at the video again: did she look even remotely sacred?) 

That’s my 2¢, Here’s Sherman in his own words