Saturday Shout Outs!

Greetings and salutations, friends and neighbors! The middle month of summer is in full swing, so it's time to do July's Saturday Shout Outs! There's a lot going on in the coming days and lots of people who are on my mind. The next few weeks will bring visits with old friends and family, some Myrtle Beach time for Marilyn, her mom & sisters and I, and big doings in Will's life. Plus there lots more of my Beach Boys countdown still to come here on the blog. Exciting times for sure! So let's get on with the shouting!!!

• We need to continue to be in prayer for Leigh Ann Everhart Venable and Lisa Ramos Moran as they deal with treatments for cancer. I would ask for prayers for my mother-in-law Marie Steele as she deals with some of the hardships of advancing age and mobility issues. Marie Allen Duke continues on with her pregnancy and that is always a reason to pray. If you know folks who should be on my prayer list, please shoot me an e-mail at youthguy07@aol.com and let me know.
• Brook Teoli Phelps and her crew are going to be around Tampa on the 18th and we look forward to seeing her! If you know Brook and would like to piggyback on our visit gie me a holler and we'll see what we can do!
• Will turns 20 on July 16th. That should make some of you feel old. It makes me feel very old. He also graduates from St. Pete College with his AA on the 23rd and heads to the University of Central Florida in late August. We are sending him to Orlando to help Melissa Hanbery deal with Jerry.  :)
• I walk our dog Conner several times a day. He's 12 now, so it is often at a leisurely pace. On occasion he gets some pep in his step and breaks into a trot, and when he does I often called him Trotsky, as in "Slow down, Trotsky." One of our new neighbors overheard me say that the other day and looked confused, asking if that was really his name. I fully expect to be featured soon a a Fox News segments about the influx of communist dog walkers in our nation. (If you don't get the joke, see a history teacher- PRONTO!) 
• On July 27, Marilyn and I will head north to NC to visit her family and some old friends for a few days. We will be in Greensboro early in the week and Elkin for the weekend. Let me know if you'd like to try and catch up in this very small window of time. Then on August 3rd Marilyn, her mom, her sisters and I will head to Myrtle Beach for 5 days. Yay beach!!!
• While in NC it is also my plan to venture over to Durham and visit with Jason Huffman, my brother from another mother on Twitter whom I have never met in person. The Texan is at Duke taking some seminary classes in July. I'm so excited to finally get to meet Jason!
• FYI, I tried to burn down a parking garage in downtown Tampa yesterday, and in the process nearly electrocuted myself. But that's a story for another day. In the business we call that a TEASE...
• Traffic here on the blog continues to be crazy (over 1000 hits again yesterday!), with the first 2 posts in my series on The Beach Boys still setting records! If you enjoyed the first day of my countdown this past Thursday but were frustrated because you didn't know a lot of the songs, try it again by clicking HERE. Every song title is now a link to the song on YouTube, and the rest of countdown will feature that as well. Always glad to cater to the lazy people among us- I am your king!
• We're less than 2 months away from a second beach trip, this one to Ocean Isle with some of our favorite old (and OLD!) friends! I cannot wait to reunited with Steve, Carl, Beth, Denise, Tammy, Lisa, Rob, Tim and their spouses, as well as (hopefully) a few others we are still waiting to hear from. Sharks be damned- we're coming for you, Atlantic Ocean! 
• Is it just me, or is the Pizza Hot Dog thing seriously disturbing?
• Sometimes it is hard to tell a person how much you care about them. But sometimes it can be just as hard to restrain yourself from saying the very same things. Occasionally both are required of us.
• Is anyone else watching Under the Dome or Zoo this summer? I'm loving both shows. And while we're at it, I am thrilled that TBS is showing Rules of Engagement reruns early (6-7 am) weekday mornings. One of the most underrated sitcoms of the last decade.
• And finally...Marilyn, Lisa Jewett and I are off to see Minions this morning as our Big Movie Summer continues! I haven't seen anything I didn't like yet, so here's hoping the streak continues. And for those of you who have been wondering...I saw Love & Mercy 3 times before it left theaters here in Tampa this week. Once alone, once with Will and once with Marilyn. Be sure and catch it when it comes out on Blu-Ray.

So that's it for today. Have a great Saturday and remember to enjoy every moment you are given with the ones you love. Peace, my friends!

Because of Jesus,