HAPPY NEW YEAR (one day early!)

I will not have internet access again until January 1st as we have loads of flying to do tomorrow and short layovers...so your next message, with an assignment for all, will be on Jan 1st (as long as we don't have any flying chaos that ends up with us stranded anywhere)!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!!

Home one last day

Not a lot to post today.  I am spending my last day at home now before Jordan and I hit the road full tilt tomorrow.  We have flights nearly everyday through Jan 12th; so keep us in your prayers with all of the new airline chaos we may face.  However, through this we will fly to Cleveland, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, back to Cleveland, then to Nashville and back to Cleveland, all before coming home...so we will see lots of members AND get into some warmer weather.

Made it home about 100am from Ripon, WI last night...had great practices in Minneapolis, Eau Claire, and Fox Cities this week...and met some terrific new members (Kaylee and Evan in Eau Claire and Emily, Cody, Aiden, and Sammie in Fox Cities). 

To all Followers so far:  Send them all a big SR hello through here...that is your task of the day :)

WATCH for more tasks, harder challengers, bigger prizes, random questions, all to come as the New Year gets going!

Happy 2010!

FOLLOWERS' TEST

For those of you who have seen me at practice and heard what my goals are with this blog site for SR...it is time for your first test.  I want to make sure that we use this to communicate...back and forth...not just me writing and you reading.  As I develop this, my goal is starting in the 2nd 6-week block of practice to put up little mini-tests, scavenger hunts, goals for you all to meet...all in FUN...but still to work on all members, no matter where they live, to talk to EACH other.  Also, I want you all to get in the habit of checking this blog at least 3-4 times per week...it should take you less than 5 min's most days.

With that said...here is the first pilot test for the current 8 followers (and I am proud of you all for jumping on this!).

The first THREE of you who tells me your favorite candy bar...wins that candy bar from me, next time we meet.

Hop to it...I will check times and dates in your comments.

If you don't know how to comment to this, time to learn...so Take A Chance!

Airline Scare

Last post for today as I need to get to Eau Claire for practice, but since I was not paying attention to the real world over the Christmas holiday, I am just SO excited to find out that a terrorist got a bomb onto a Northwest airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit...not that we fly that route in SR of course, but Delta/Northwest is our airline...SO, now on top of a crazy schedule, I have to go back to wondering about each person on the plane, on every flight AND deal with even longer waits in security which has been so much better in the last year...oh well...this just means LESS sleep on already short nights before flights.

Our world has way too much hate in it.  Plain and simple.

Prayers, since we have MANY flights coming up starting on Thursday.  AND PRAYERS for Kim Rathjen and her family...they are in Australia, where now, they will have to show up 4 hours before the flight home and have very limited carry-ons...from Steve to Kim...my prayers for you all to return home soon and safely!

The first two followers...I am proud!

Kelli from Top of Iowa and Tonia from Minneapolis are the first two followers on here!  Congrats you two!  Special treats for you next time I see you!

Today's blog is about...winter travel.  I really do not like it...really, really do not like it!  Yesterday, my first 100 miles was on all ice-snow covered interstates...it is bad enough to drive on those...if all you have to worry about is you.  But, sadly, that is not the case.  And, the lesson to everyone reading this is...COMPASSION...we need compassion for each other in this world to make things work.  When people have blind disregard for their fellow travelers...either by going 70 miles per hour in the left lane, on SOLID ICE, and risk doing a 360 into the side of someone else's car...OR...you decide to drive 10 miles per hour in the right lane, forcing others onto ice to pass you...both cases you need to find some compassion for others!  Too fast = stay home.  Too slow = find another way to get to where you are going.

That first 100 miles was horrific yesterday, but some Whatever It Takes and a lot of Believe in God got me through it (and some great loud music).  Then, at the end of a stressful trip...I got to see 35 drummers and 50 more of their relatives all gathered for the Minneapolis Christmas party/new music jam session (which was so loud none of us heard the new music, oh well!)...and I got a great reminder just how many connections SR is making between people in the world...what a great, crazy, funny day...and thanks to you all!

We talked about the 2 new special Sheltered Reality mission projects for the first quarter yesterday...PLEASE do NOT post about them on here, as once those sites are reading this, I don't want to blow their surprise!  But anyhow, we had 2 great donations yesterday in Minneapolis...totalling $715.00...which certainly helps one of our special projects a great deal.  BLESSINGS to the 2 wonderful families who did this!

Anyhow, Kelli and Tonia...I am proud you guys got here first. 

Now, I must work...more later :)

THIS IS YOUR BLOG!

To all followers...this Blog is about YOU not just about ME...so post questions about things you don't get to talk with me about at practice, at shows, etc...feel free to ask advice about school, work, life.  Tell me a Step of Success you used to change the world.  The more you all post, the more active this Blog can be.  Looking forward to it!

Hittin' The Road

Tomorrow is the day...first day back on the road after one month off.  It is hard to imagine this each year...saving the real vacation until December, then having many free days in a row with no schedule to follow...then Christmas...and now, back on the road.  It is always 50-50 exciting and scary since I know there will be great times and not-so-great times in the next 327 days.  But you know what?  Great friends are what help us survive all of the times of our lives, and here is to great friends of every age...the SR family!  See you all soon!

Welcome to all

Hey SR'ers!

I have reflected back on the last 3 years of SR growth and expansion and realized that the bigger we get, the faster I have to travel.  This is all fine and dandy, but it leaves me feeling like something is lacking...time to just talk...and share...and be friends with you all.  Not that we don't have fun together...we do!  But, I know there are things you all wonder about (such as, what is it like to be on the road 327 days per year?  What is driving in snow and ice like at 2am?  What was the show in Somewhere, State like?  Who played?)

Additionally, you all need to know you can talk back to me...comment on things...make suggestions...and simply talk to me.  There is a lot of the Fun of Friendship that we are all missing...and we need to find it.  Right here, right now, we all need to get more connected as the world disconnects on every level.  This is something I see in my daily travels that I hardly ever share with you...so that will be here too...my personal views of what is going right and wrong in America as I see it daily.

Who knows what the result of this blog will be?  Who cares as long as it works...to get us all more in tune with each other!

I may NOT be able to blog daily; however the blazingly fast new Alienware Laptop (nicknamed ET) will help!

For now...over the first block of the year, I will invite you all to join my blog...and ask that you comment and share as you see fit.  Additionally, make sure to get on Facebook with me, if you have not.  I will see how other things work for me as well...Whatever It Takes...to make sure we all truly connect in SR America!

Steve

PS. The Crested Caracara, from Florida, is your friend of the day :)