So, a little context? Yeah, I’ll give you some. Whatever happens, don’t change your amazing + epic plans for the year. Don’t settle. People will do all they can to stop you, mock you, belittle things that you love or do. Don’t let them, and don’t let them waste space in your head. Let them be and do your thing where you kick ass and live your best life. No matter how close to perfection you play, you still gotta finish strong. While this is such a great metaphor for so much in life and I’d love to expound on some philosophical lesson I learned in 2023 but what this…

“…when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad…” ~From My Favorite Things Best Dog to Ever Dog We lost our Liberty girl last week. Boy, that sentence was hard to type, especially through tears. She had to undergo emergency surgery on Tuesday morning that was scheduled the night before and she didn’t make it. While we’re so sad that she’s gone, we’re oh, so happy and grateful that she lived. Many of you have loved Liberty too and so I’ll share a handful of probably the thousand or so photos I have of her. It also makes me feel better to…

“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.” Quote from the movie Shawshank Redemption Choosing to Not Be Afraid Fear. I’ve always despised it. As a kid, I always thought one of the worst things you could be in our family was a sissy. It’s not politically correct anymore to talk about being a sissy, but growing up in the 70’s and 80’s with Jose and Pat as parents, it was nonetheless real.  No Whining or Victims Allowed Neither one of my parents tolerated being afraid, whining or victimhood of any kind. Afraid to taste a new food? Stop acting like…

“Be present for all things and thankful for all things.” ~Maya Angelou I am thankful for much, including the following 30: •my parents (without them, there aren’t the following 29) •being a Texan, extra thankful that Cristobal Ramirez received a land grant in oh, about 1767 or so…that’s a lot of generations of Texans •a big family and getting to grow up with my cousins •my brother, Tony – all the fighting, adventures, dirty clothes, bad haircuts and our childhood spent barefoot, learning to fall, scraping our knees, and getting up without crying •football (almost tied with my parents as first on the list) •my brother, Evaristo – all the…