Went Fishing…

WHAT AN AWESOME TRIP!  Check it out. Left Thursday at 8:15am.  Got to Pensacola, Fl at 9:30pm.  Ate some dinner and hit the hay.  Got up EARLY to be on the boat by 6am.  Fished all day and got off the boat around 5:30pm.  Our first mate had the fish all cut up for us in an hour and off to the local eatery to have our fresh catch prepared for us.  After and incredible dinner, we got back into our vehicles and got on the road home at 9:30pm on Friday.  Got home at 10:30am on Saturday.  Whew…

Yes, it was incredible.  We had a great time.  We caught many fish.  The weather was perfect.  The sea was cooperative (only about four foot swells).  I did have the honor of catching the biggest fish of the trip.  After a hard five minute or so fight, the 32 inch, almost 20 pound amberjack gave in.  We caught our limit on red snapper.  We caught a bunch of white snapper as well.  We each brought home about nine pounds of fish.  Sweet!!  Below is a pic of my catch and a link to many other pics!

Click HERE for some pics of our trip!

Gone Fishin’…

Yep, checking out for a few days to go to Florida for a deep sea fishing trip. Check out this crazy itinerary. Fourteen or so guys from my church are leaving for Pensacola, Fl on Thursday, early morning. Get up early on Friday for 10 hours of deep sea fishing. Having dinner that night at a local eatery that will prepare our fresh catch. If we get skunked, there is always a Fish-Fillet at McDonald’s. After dinner, back in the cars to drive home. Getting home about noon on Saturday. Just nuts! I am so psyched for this. I am sure I will have some great stories and pics, so look for an update in a few days. This is on my Bucket List. Well sort of. I cannot take my boys, but one year, I will. Outta here!!!

Still Learning To Receive…

Still a very hard lesson to learn. Again, this is not a self serving post, but rather another friend who is making a difference in our lives out of the goodness of their hearts. Here is an e-mail excerpt from a dear friend of mine and her husband and what they are doing. They have asked me to post this…

Hi all!

I loved reading the post by Russ on Stef’s blog March 26^th about raising money for Stef to take a trip to Fenway – one of his “bucket list” items. My husband Dave and I have been wanting to challenge all of Stef’s friends, family and acquaintances to join us in trying to cross off ALL of the items on Stef’s “bucket list” and we were very excited that someone else has the same idea! We have decided to match the first $1,000 (dollar for dollar) given towards the goal of seeing Stef and his family enjoy EVERYTHING on that list! The check is already in the mail to them. Some other ways to contribute would be with air miles for the trips to Greece or California, or wave runners for summer fun – just take a look at the list and be creative! I’ve copied Stef’s list below.

From Stef’s blog (Jan 23, 2008):

“I really would like to see the movie “The Bucket List”. Maybe that will motivate me to get some things done that I would like to do. Such as (in no particular order):

1. Go to Greece and visit some of my family that I have never met.

2. Take Sandi to California, rent a convertible and travel up the coast of California and stay at some Bed & Breakfast places along the way.

3. Take the boys to a baseball game at Wrigley Field and Fenway Park.

4. Take the boys deep sea fishing.

5. Take Sandi and my daughter to Chicago for a weekend and go on a shopping spree.

6. Go big game hunting out west.

7. Buy some wave runners and take the kids out on weekends this summer and have some fun.

These are just a few things, as random as they are. The problem with this list is that we need to watch our funds due to the medical bills. Some of this may get done, but I know some will never get crossed off the list. Am I ok with that, I think so… I guess the most important thing is to just make sure that I spend as much time with my family as possible. That is what really matters to me. Yes, it would be great to do any one of the things on my list, but if I give up these opportunities to spend time with my wife and kids, I am ok with that. I am getting used to making sacrifices, if it means more time with the family and friends.”

Come on everybody, let’s bless the (red) socks off of our friend Stef!

Thanks ahead of time for this great gift to the Tarapchak family!

Laurel and David Pinson

Movie Review – The Bucket List

OK, this was a hard one to get through. From anyone else’s perspective, it would be a fantastic movie. From my perspective, it was an incredible movie, but hard to watch at times. If you are a cancer patient person who happens to have cancer, it is a moving experience. So, here is my take on The Bucket List. I promise to try not to spoil any plot lines, but I just might, so read on at your own risk.

Rob Reiner clearly hits one out of the ballpark on this one. Jack Nicholson (Edward) and Morgan Freeman (Carter) give top shelf performances and play off one another so well in this movie. I laughed so hard, my stomach hurt. I also cried three times during this journey of two strangers that become fast friends. They come from two very different lives and the only thing they have in common is they both have a year, at best, to live before their cancer takes them. They leave the cancer ward of this hospital, owned by Edward, and begin their journey of crossing items off of their bucket list. This adventure leads them around the world doing and seeing various things. This adventure also allows them to come to terms with who they were and past decisions they had made.

It is very, very funny at times. It was also very sobering at times. It did a great job of depicting a person with cancer and what they go through. It also let you see that life events, such as a cancer diagnosis with a poor prognosis, should not get you in gear to enjoy life and “cross things off your list”.

Anyway, I give this movie a five out of five stars!! Clearly an entertaining and to-the-point movie. A must see for everyone.