Towie's blog: "Starter."

O.k, Not that I expect anyone to really care, BUT I'm a proud mommy today, My Lil Man learned to ride a bike today!!!! He did an awesome job!!! But now I need to know how to get him to learn to start off on his own without someone pushing him first! LOL.

Words are more important than deeds right now, especially when you're discussing the future. Go ahead and build castles in the air. After all, that type of real estate is easy on the wallet -- and easy to redecorate.

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home. I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep. I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes. I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart. But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them. Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too. Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less. We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do. She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head Then, life was really tough! Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16. Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime It was all her fault. Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was. I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean moms!

Have a kleenex handy while reading this! This is so touching..... Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest act's of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camo's, as they began heading to their gate everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families. Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal. Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said "hi," the little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier, he didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek. The mother of the little girl, who said her daughters name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it. After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, "I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you." He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying "your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon." The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event unfolded. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek. We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American. Red Friday, Just keeping you "in the loop" so you'll know what's going on in case this takes off. RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority". We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is...We need your support and your prayers. Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday. WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE. THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO WEAR RED! --- MAY GOD HELP AMERICA TO BECOME ONE NATION, UNDER GOD. HAVE A GREAT DAY

Darrell Waltrip: Broadcast Analyst, FOX Sports Birthdate: February 5, 1947 Birthplace: Owensboro, Ky. Residence: Franklin, Tenn. Wife: Stevie Daughter: Jessica, 9/17/87 Daughter: Sarah, 8/25/92 Carrer Highlights Bill France Award of Excellence - 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion - 1981, 1982, 1985 Most Popular Driver Award - 1989, 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated Person of the Year - 1997 American Driver of the Year - 1979, 1981, 1982 NASCAR Driver of the Decade - 1980s National Motorsports Press Ass'n Driver of the Year - 1977, 1981, 1982 Auto Racing Digest Driver of the Year - 1981, 1981, 1982 Tennessee Professional Athlete of the Year - 1979 Career Brief: Starting his driving career in go-karts at age 12, Darrell Waltrip entered his first stock car race just four short years later. Waltrip and his father built a 1936 Chevrolet coupe and headed to a local dirt track near their Owensboro, Ky., home. The first night out was far from a success as the youngster, barely old enough to drive on the street, slammed the wall and heavily damaged the coupe. Waltrip soon left the dirt and found his niche on pavement where the smoothness he learned in the karts proved a valuable asset. His racing activities continued to increase and by the late 1960s Waltrip had become a regular at the fairgrounds track in Nashville, Tenn. Waltrip quickly developed into one of the nation's top short-track drivers and made his first NASCAR Winston Cup start in 1972 at Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway. He continued to make sporadic NASCAR starts while earning a living as a barnstorming short-track racer. Finally in 1975, Waltrip decided it was time to become a full-time NASCAR Winston Cup competitor. He recalled: "Wherever I would go, I was almost assured I was going to win one or two races a week and I made a good living doing that. It was difficult to step to the big leagues and be just another fish in a big pond. So it took some time for me to make up my mind that I needed to get in there, give it 100 percent and make my mark." And the rest is history. Miscellaneous Records and Statistics: 84 NASCAR Winston Cup victories: tied for third with Bobby Allison on all-time list. 37 Superspeedway victories: seventh on all-time list. 59 Winston Cup poles: fourth on all-time list. 23 Superspeedway poles: tied for sixth with Bobby Allison on all-time list. Only driver to win $500,000 or more in a season 18 times. Only 5-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 (1978, 1979, 1985, 1988 and 1989) at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Won inaugural The Winston at Charlotte in 1985. Won modern era record of 8 races from pole in 1981; tied all-time record of 4 straight. Won 7 of 10 short track races in 1982; shares record. Won 1981 Busch Clash. First Winston Cup driver to earn $10 million (Feb. 18, 1990). In addition to his activities on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit, Darrell Waltrip has competed, and won, in a number of other series. They include: NASCAR Busch Grand National Series 13 wins American Speed Association 7 International Race of Champions 3 Automobile Racing Club of America 2 NASCAR All-American Challenge Series 2 All Pro Racing Association 2 United States Auto Club 1 ARTGO Challenge Series 1 Included among Waltrip's victories is the 1987 All-American 400 at the fairgrounds oval in Nashville, Tenn. The All-American 400 is recognized as one of the nation's premier short-track races.

Red Rose: Love Deep Passion, Ever Lasting. White Rose:symbolize purity and brightness. A man who gives white roses is telling his love that he thinks she's an angel! Red and White Rose Mixed:A mixed bouquet of red and white roses symbolizes unity. The man giving this kind of bouquet is saying "I stand united with you!" Pink Rose:have several messages, depending on the shade. Deep pink roses symbolize gratitude and respect, while light pink roses show sympathy Orange Rose:new beginnings, Burgundy Rose:someone is telling you they think you more beautiful than you realize. My Personal Favorite: YELLOW ROSE:friendship and caring

The Princess Bride - Story Boook Love Come my love I'll tell you a tale Of a boy and girl and their love story And how he loved her oh so much And all the charms she did poses Now this did happen once upon a time When things were not so complex And how he worshiped the ground she walked And when he looked in her eyes he became obsessed My love is like a story book story But its as real as the feelings I feel My love is like a story book story but its as real as the feelings I feel but its as real as the feelings I feel His love was stonger than the powers so dark A prince could have within his kingdom His spells to weak and steal her heart Within her breast would only see him My love is like a story book story But its as real as the feelings I feel My love is like a story book story but its as real as the feelings I feel but its as real as the feelings I feel He said, "Don't you know I love you oh so much, and lay my heart at the foot of your dress" Hhe said, "Don't you know that story book love, always have a happy ending" Then he swooped her up just like in the books And on his stallion they rode away My love is like a story book story But its as real as the feelings I feel My love is like a story book story but its as real as the feelings I feel but its as real as the feelings I feel

A mother is special. She's as soft and graceful as a butterfly, yet as strong and courageous as a grizzly bear. Her heart is large enough to hold everyone's pain and joy. Her hands are always gentle and soothing. Her arms are always warm and tender. She works hard to make a home feel like home, and she strives to make life pleasant and comfortable for those she loves. She never fails to go that extra mile to make the holidays happy and memorable. Her job is the most difficult and demanding ever known to any human being, yet she's fully dedicated to the task. She's always there for her family, guiding them and keeping them safe from harm. She owns a magical way to raise spirits and make everything feel better. And her sympathy, unselfishness and forgiveness are unending. All that anyone is or could ever hope to be can be attributed to a mother. She instills the teachings that will last a lifetime. She sows the seeds of virtue and morality, and in the process, she opens up love and vast horizons. She's always watching and hoping that her children's goals will have meaning. She always listens and tries to understand even when it's difficult to do so. She's a true friend in every sense of the word. She's noble and sublime, and holds all the beauty of a golden day, yet even during the storms, she always shines bright like an evening star. Her name should be honored well, for she's the closest thing to God on earth.

Trouble arrives in measures, and we stack it up real high, until we're convinced, we have no reason to try. If you feel defeated, you're absolutely wrong, for if you follow your dream, you could never lose for long. Ignore the minor set-backs that pile up and trouble you, or you will build a mountain, out of the stones hurled at you. The future holds great promise, your destiny unknown, but God is always helping, and you're never alone. Soar bravely toward your goal. Let nothing darken the way. You can change your tomorrow, if you seek your dream today.

Just taking the time to say hello