Wednesday, May 30, 2012

List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

Ugh of course this would make me go back to high school, the least favorite years of my life. I think a lot of mine are going to be re-affirming myself as that is the age where I really started to make some smart decisions in my life. This is the age where I really figured out what would be important in my life and who would be important in my life so here we go:
  1. You are making the right decision in dumping ALL your friends and investing in the kids at church. These kids are going to be amazingly important in defining who you are and who you will become. Many of them will be people you keep in touch with throughout college and even as an adult through this great invention called Facebook (its on the internet which is this great tool you know very little about but will one day take up a little too much of your time).
  2. Try to find some more challenging jobs. Sure working at Mr. Cinders was an interesting experience but its not going to get you a career as a waiter, Al doesn't like male servers. Just go look for some jobs in the business world that will get you an edge in the future! 
  3. You are right, prom is WAY overrated and not worth your time. I know there were a lot of factors about why you didn't go (not interested in anyone at that time, anti-prom, a little bit afraid of rejection, etc) but honestly as you suspect its not something you will ever regret missing. 
  4. Be more bold. This affects a lot of areas of your life but you were kind of a chicken in high school and it extended into college. Be more bold in asking girls out, rejection isn't THAT bad and its fun getting to know people one on one like that. Share about your faith and the things that are important to you. If you don't open yourself up you are stunting your growth as a person! 
  5. Work on forming good habits now. Start spending time in the Bible every day...it only gets harder when those habits aren't there. 
  6. Find a best friend. I know you just dumped all your friends but you need someone that you can talk to about anything. You didn't really have one of those in high school, so find one and invest heavily! 
  7. Brush off the jerks. Honestly kids in high school are so insecure they are usually picking out the things they are insecure about and projecting it onto you. Don't let their insecurities change who you are! 
  8. Do stuff to make the world a better place. Take advantage of not having responsibilities and get out there and experience the world. Do missions trips with church. Help out those who need help. These are the things that mold you into a great person.
  9. Listen to your parents. Believe it or not, they are pretty smart people and only want to see you succeed in life. One day you will realize this and wish you would have shown them all the love and respect they deserved (though you were pretty good to them compared to others). 
  10. Keep pursuing music. Sure you won't make a career out of it but heck Karaoke is a blast and it makes you feel good about yourself that you are great at something! 
So there we go...my advice to 16 year old Trevor who was actually a pretty well adjusted kid. It was a challenge but a fun exercise to look back at what I would have changed or re-affirmed! 

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Describe your relationship with your parents...

My relationship with my parents has always been great. I've been blessed with wonderful parents who were (and are) amazing...sure not perfect but very very good! When I was young, I never remember them not being there for me and supporting me. I tried the sports thing and realized that I wasn't going to excel as an athlete...not sure if that was disappointing to my dad but I never saw that once. They always encouraged me to pursue music as it was clear that was where I was gifted.

I am very close to my parents. I've always been very close with my mom, your typical mother/son kind of bond. She was my source of unconditional love and a person I could always count on to love me and be there for me. My dad was the provider for our family which unfortunately meant he wasn't around as much. I never once thought it was a reflection on me though. He made it a point to be very involved in my life despite being very busy. He and I got a LOT closer after I left for school though. He was a source of wisdom and advice for me as I pursued my career in business. He's the first person I call when I am struggling with something for work and the first person I call when I have something exciting happening.

My parents are amazing. I can't imagine having anyone else in my life. Seeing them interact with my kids is something I get so much joy from! I wish we didn't have so much distance between us so they could see even more of each other. I am very blessed.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Describe 3 legitimate fears...

Okay so I forgot about the blog thing so we'll try this again. haha Day two a week or so later is about describing three legitimate fears you have and how they became your fears.

  1. Losing Job/Being Unemployed - This is a tough one because I am living through one of my biggest fears. Back in February I got a tough call from my boss that they were letting me go as part of a reduction in workforce. My world began to close in on me. See as a man, the leader of the house, and the primary money maker of the house, I get a lot of my pride and joy out of knowing that I am providing for my family. Right now, my income has taken a dramatic hit, that is hard to adjust to. Its also a pride issue. Being out of a job, even if its of no fault of your own, makes you feel like somewhat of a failure... failure to myself, my family, everything. God has something great in store though and I still have full faith that something great is coming down the line but this has been a tough, learning experience. 
  2. Something Happening to Meghan - This one is kind of obvious. There isn't a more important person in my life. She is my best friend, the person I spend the most time with, and the last person I talk to every night before bed. I can't imagine how my life would change if she got really sick, hurt or died. Not only would it change how I lived but it would affect me emotionally like nothing else.
  3. Something Happening to the Kids - I was watching a preview for a new movie and they said "You haven't truly loved someone until you've wiped someone's butt" and while its funny, its so true! I can't even put into words the depth of love I have for these two kids. If someone harmed them, I would go absolutely crazy on that person. I can't imagine getting up in the morning and not getting hugs from them. I can't imagine not hearing "I love you daddy" from one of them. 
So these were somewhat obvious but I don't have a ton of fears. I worked through my fear of speaking in front of people and now actually enjoy it and seek out jobs that will allow me to be in front of people. I do have a legitimate fear of heights too...it doesn't stop me from things like roller coasters or tall buildings BUT bungee jumping or skydiving are OUT of the question. What are your fears!?!?

Monday, May 7, 2012

List 20 random facts about yourself.

Day one is to list 20 random facts about yourself. I think the hardest thing about this is figuring things that people wouldn't already know about me!

  1. I've lived in four different states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, and Illinois
  2. My first car was a Ford Tempo, maroon interior and maroon exterior...hot stuff! 
  3. When I was a bachelor my roommates and I wouldn't rent an apartment if it didn't have a nice sized hot tub there that we could use! We were down there all the time, it was great.
  4. I can't gain weight. I know ladies hate away but I could eat all day and never gain weight (or so it seems). 
  5. I enjoy painting...my wife hates it. I like seeing things get transformed into something new and exciting.
  6. I lead a small group at my church. Its challenging at times (especially finding child care for all our kids) but I love our group, its my favorite part of the week.
  7. We own THREE homes. I wish I owned only one...so if anyone wants to buy one of them, make me an offer and I'll probably take it! :-)
  8. I make spreadsheets for everything. I am very organized and need to have order for me to get everything accomplished, in fact I used to keep a to do list in my pocket at all times when I was in college.
  9. My first job was at McDonalds.
  10. I hate Old Country Buffet...and really buffets in general.
  11. I am a San Antonio Spurs fan...sounds strange but it dates back to the David Robinson days.
  12. I love Karaoke. I don't get out to do it very often anymore but its something I love to do!
  13. I was a HUGE baseball fan as a child but gave up on the sport in 1994 during the strike and literally didn't watch a game for over decade until I met my wife and she convinced me to give it another shot.
  14. I've only told one woman (that I am not related to) that I love her...and I later married her! 
  15. I hate clutter. I am constantly cleaning things up...that doesn't mean my desk or dresser don't get messy at times but it drives me NUTS!
  16. I love comedies...I'll choose a comedy over any other genre of movie. 
  17. I am President of my home owners association...impressed yet?
  18. I had a cat poop on my bed once! 
  19. I lived with the same person for 8 years and the person wasn't related or married to me.
  20. I never went to prom. I intentionally took on work shifts each year I could have because I had no interest in going...and I don't regret it at all. I never even asked anyone to go with me. :-)

30 days and 30 posts

Recently a friend of mine started doing this and I thought it was a pretty interesting way to get back into blogging and have some interesting things to write about. I don't know if I'll get around to doing one of these every day, but I'll try! The list is down below, the more comments I get, the more fun and motivated I'll have with it!

We've had a lot going on in life lately but I am sure I'll cover a lot of it in the next 30 or so days with all of these posts.:


  1. List 20 random facts about yourself.   
  2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears. 
  3. Describe your relationship with your parents. 
  4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could. 
  5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now? 
  6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced? 
  7. What is your dream job, and why? 
  8. What are 5 passions you have? 
  9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how. 
  10. Describe your most embarrassing moment. 
  11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have. 
  12. Describe a typical day in your current life. 
  13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have. 
  14. Describe 5 strengths you have. 
  15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why? 
  16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments? 
  17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at? 
  18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive? 
  19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? 
  20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood. 
  21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first? 
  22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years? 
  23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
  24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.
  25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
  26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
  27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
  28. What is your love language?
  29. What do you think people misunderstand most about you?
  30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.