GAME ON: The Rest of My 'Adopted' List Makers

It’s my pleasure to introduce the other three all-stars who have agreed to help me with my “Live the List” project.

Reminder: I recently decided to give back in a unique way by “adopting” six people and helping them mark something off their life lists.

Before I introduce the final three people, who have graciously embraced this crazy endeavor, I wanted to reiterate my goals for this project:

• Help pull people out of their ruts (before they end up in a ditch);

• Inspire others to live boldly;

• Reinforce the importance of taking the emphasis off yourself and helping others,

• And motivate people to pay it forward.

Actually, the first bullet point is not applicable to the group of individuals that I’m about to introduce. They are nowhere near a rut and/or ditch – all three of these “adoptees” are at exciting places in their lives.

I guess you could say that I want to help them build on the momentum in their lives. (I may need to tweak my goals from my original post.)

Without further ado....

Courtney Foster
Courtney and I met when we worked together at J.O. Design. She’s unaware of it, but I have appointed myself president of her Fan Club. I think she’s an over-the-top talented designer who has a huge heart and a caring soul. (The fact she’s a new runner is wonderfully great, too.)

Confession: I feel a little guilty about Courtney’s involvement in this project. I practically dared her to make a list, and then I double-dog dared her to let me help her mark something off.

She’s on board, though, and understands the potential magnitude of this project.

“I want to take notice of how important the list is, no matter how small the task I want to accomplish,” Courtney said. “It's about creating happiness, not pursuing it.”

Her momentum: Courtney recently got married, started a new job at a fantastic architecture firm in Fort Worth AND she is in the process of buying her first house.

“I’m in the midst of chaos,” she explained with a wink. “There is a lot going on — definitely a growing period.”

But no ruts.

I’m helping Courtney mark something off her simple pleasures list: Go on vacation with her friends. (NOTE: I’m looking for a little creative license on “vacation.”)

I’ve enlisted one of Courtney’s friends to help set-up a girl’s weekend at my mom’s Retreat Center outside Glen Rose. It’s not Cancun or Jackson Hole, but they’ll be able to get away for a couple days and “clear the mechanism” in the country.

“It's so wonderful to actually have a game plan for accomplishing something on the list,” Courtney said.

GAME ON!

Arlene Cloud
Arlene is my next door neighbor and a friend. Along with her husband Kenny, they make everyone else’s neighbors look ridiculously silly and inept.

Nothing against your neighbors, BUT they’ve done a lot of remarkable things for us, like:

• Kenny climbed in our attic once to fetch a nesting varmint, while I sat on top of my car in the driveway squealing like a little girl;

• Arlene and Kenny cleaned our house while Crash was in NICU for a couple days after his birth;

• We have a standing invitation to invade their beer refrigerator in their back yard.

What do YOUR neighbors do for you? Pick up your newspapers when you’re on vacation?

Needless to say, I was THRILLED when Arlene shared her Bucket List with me and agreed to be part of this project.

Her momentum: “There is a fork coming up in my road and when I take the path that I've never taken before, I want there to be a plan. I tend to over embrace life, and I think I've finally accepted that about myself. Instead of apologizing for jumping into everything with both feet, I want to use it to my advantage.”

I’ve agreed to help Arlene cross No. 17 off her Bucket List: “Volunteer; different things, different times, but try to always be giving back.”

Reminder about the “Live the List” project: I want use my skill sets and/or “expertise” to help accomplish these tasks.

No. 17 on Arlene’s list is definitely in my wheelhouse.

I’m going to work with Arlene to set up a volunteer schedule – however much time and energy she wants to dedicate. More importantly, I want to help her find just the right organization and/or cause that tugs at her heart strings.

“My kids say I can't have volunteer on a Bucket List because I already do it,” Arlene said, “but I say it's ok if I'm choosing to make exploring different avenues of volunteering the key.”

GAME ON!

Michael Bloomberg
I met Mike while serving on a volunteer board for Big Brothers Big Sisters. We became fast friends – mainly because we share an entrepreneurial spirit and we love helping others.

Mike is the celebrity of my “adoptees” – positioning himself as the “world's premier Marriage Proposal Consultant.” This distinction has landed him on TV and in some of the most prestigious publications in the World, like the New York Times.

He explained his unique profession: “I help clients create and implement their one-of-a-kind marriage proposals. What I actually am doing is helping them create a memory. A memory the couple will share for the rest of their lives.”

That’s exactly what I want to help Mike do with this project – create a memory that will last forever. I’ve agreed to help him with a business-related task on his Bucket List: Plan an actor or professional athlete’s marriage proposal.

How cool is that task?

I told Mike that I’m going to use my contacts and resources to make this happen. It might take a little longer than the five other “Live the List” tasks that I’m embracing, but it’s going to be a game-changing story when it’s all said and done with.

“My goal when starting this company was to plan these proposals all over the globe with clients all over the world. I have been fortunate to do so,” Mike said. “However, the one thing that has not happened yet is working with a professional athlete or an actor. This would not necessarily make me better at my job, but, it would help me complete a goal I've had for myself and for my business since its inception.”

The momentum in Mike’s life is impressive: His business is flourishing and he's still making time to get his master’s degree in counseling.

“At this point in my life, I am exactly where I am supposed to be,” he said. “But I am also excited about the future and my ability to make a difference in this world.”

Mike said discovering his purpose has become an “exciting part of the journey” – but he also said he needs a little help working through “project paralysis.”

“I tend to come up with great ideas, but, sometimes get stuck in the over-analysis," Mike said. “I've chosen to let Drew help me because he will be the impetus to making a dream come true.”

GAME ON!

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME...er....OFFICE

I’ve written several blog posts about working out of the house. Actually in my first month of blogging, I wrote two:

DATE: May 5, 2008
TITLE: 'WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DID TODAY?'

FOCUS: First day working out of the house

HIGHLIGHTS: 

• Question: "Are you mad about the possibility of bad weather today?"  Answer: "No. Why?"  Question: "Because of your tee time."

• (After missing a phone call) "Were you getting your sweat pants out of the dryer?"

• "What time did you start drinking?"

DATE: May 18, 2008

TITLE: YOU HAVE TO PUT ON YOUR SHOES!

FOCUS: Advice for working out of the house

HIGHLIGHTS:

• I have started my third week as CEO/President of e-Partners in Giving, which means I'm now an expert on working from home.

• Advice: Open the blinds

• Conversation with drive-thru guy at Sonic

These are good reminders why working out of the house is NOT the perfect and/or ideal situation. It’s really good – don’t get me wrong – but I would NEVER use the adjective “perfect” to describe it.

There was actually a wonderfully great incident this weekend that made me utter part of the Dark Side oath: “I wish I had an office.”

PREFACE: 

My wife (TK) and I were driving home from my mom and dad’s on Sunday afternoon. We had a nice breakfast with my folks and my little sister, Allison….stopped by my grandmother’s to say a quick hello….headed back to Fort Worth around 12:30 p.m.

We didn’t have crazy plans for the rest of the day. I was going to pick up my Little Brother Anthony and “just chill” around the house. (His phrasing, not mine.) TK was going to go to yoga.

At 1:03 p.m. my cell phone buzzed and all hell broke loose. (Again…this turns into a fantastic story, but for 107 minutes…I prefer the verbiage “neurotically hellacious.”)

1:03 p.m.
(driving outside of Keene, Texas, approximately 30 minutes from home; phone buzzes…”Private Number”)

ME: “This is Drew.”

WOMAN’S VOICE: “Hi! This is Sana from CBS 11….” (All I really heard was "CBS 11")

ME: (kind of interrupting & praying that Keene, Texas, hadn’t missed the memo about cell phones and specifically cell phone towers) “Yes. How’s it going?”

CBS 11: “Are you in town?”

ME: (slightly pushing on the accelerator a little firmer) “Ummm…kind of. I’m driving back to Fort Worth right now.”

CBS 11: “We were wondering if we could visit with you today about leaving TCU and starting your own company….”

I won’t bore you with the whole back and forth, but Sana Syed was going to be at my office/house – along with a cameraman and a satellite truck – in less than two hours.

ME: “That’s perfect….see you then.”

1:06 p.m.
(right foot VERY heavy on the accelerator…speed limit signs irrelevant….my mind actually going faster than the car.)

ME: “That was Channel 11. 

They’re going to do a story on e-Partners today.”

TK: (pumping her fist in the air) “Yes!”

Then I explained to TK that by the time we made it home, we would have one hour to make the office/house “TV Ready.”

TK: “Yikes!”

1:07 p.m.
TK and I start to put together a game plan to attack the office/house. Here are some snippets over the next 26 minutes:

NOTE: Our house was not dirty or messy, but definitely not ready for CBS 11. Again…if there was only a definite line between home and office. Despite what I tell the IRS...there's really not!

ME: “You start with the kitchen and I’ll work on the office…

TK: “Let’s just throw everything in the back bedroom (our bedroom) and close the door…”

ME: “Do we have any extra laundry baskets? I’ll just shove all my clutter in those.”

TK: “Let’s move that table out of the office…”

ME: (interrupting) “Move furniture? Are you kidding…No, you’re right…let’s throw that in the bedroom, too.”

TK: “What about Anthony?”

ME: (eyes wide, staring at the clock) “Crap...I mean YIKES!”

NOTE: One phone call to his mom, saved me 30 minutes – she agreed to drop him off at the house.

ME: (still driving like a contestant on “The Amazing Race”) At 2: 15, 

I HAVE to stop what I'm doing and get cleaned up and shave…”

TK: “What are you going to wear?”

That topic over-shadowed “Mission: Get the House Ready” for the rest of the drive.

1:33 p.m.
Pull into the driveway

1:34 p.m.
Start throwing anything not nailed down into the bedroom; Tanya started hiding the toaster and other irrelevant appliances that I assume made our counters look cluttered. (When asked about it later, “I didn’t want CBS 11 to know that we eat toast.”)

2:06 p.m.
Office/house starting to take shape (unless you opened our bedroom door…it looked like a PODS storage unit.)

2:07 p.m.
I stood at our bedroom door and mumbled  to myself, “Why do we have so much crap?”

2:08 p.m.
I was mopping the office floor, while Tanya was hiding the blender.

2:10 p.m.
Anthony shows up…I apologize about the chaos and hand him some Windex and a rag.

2:15 p.m.
I start to shave and take a junior high shower (damp wash cloth under the armpits and a couple squirts of cologne).

2:17 p.m.

TK: (sticking her head into the bathroom) “What are you going to wear?”

ME: (wearing a shaving cream Fu Manchu) “Wear? What am I going to say?”

2:33 p.m.
Decide to go casual with my attire – jeans and purple button down (Go Frogs!)

2:40 p.m.
Spray some Febreze and light some candles.

2:42 p.m.
Take a deep breath…sit down and ask Anthony about school.

2:43 p.m.
Doorbell rings

YIKES!

The rest of the story is pretty awesome:

• I feel so blessed and grateful that I got to share my story.

• I love the fact that I got to spread the word about giving back.

• I thought it was cool that they shot footage of me and Anthony working on his new model airplane, which was a birthday present. (photo below)

• I was so proud of Anthony for agreeing to be interviewed and doing such an amazing job.

• I was so appreciative of Sana and John for taking a group shot next to the CBS 11 satellite truck. (photo below)

It was perfect ending to a chaotic day.

At 5:30 p.m. – 4 hours and 7 minutes from the initial phone call – Anthony and I sat in my immaculate living room and watched the newscast on my freshly dusted TV.

ANTHONY: “Did you know they were coming over today?”

ME: “Nope.”

We were both glad they did, though.

Click here to see the video

ME & ANTHONY: A Day at The Farm

Anthony, my Little Brother through BBBS, and I had a great day at my Mom and Dad's house recently. They live out in the country, and there are countless activities to keep a 13-year-old boy occupied.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Anthony got to drive "the Mule" – an all-terrain vehicle (photo below).

• We were charged by a bull.

• Spent quality time splashing around in the river with the dogs. (Anthony tried to dam up the Brazos.)

• We hit golf balls off the hill and into the woods. (The only bad part about that, you had to go out and try and find them.)

• We got got up close and personal with all the animals, including longhorns and donkeys.

It was just a great day. Anthony is a wonderful young man. I pray that I'm making a difference in his life.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PHOTOS

HOLIDAYS CHEERS AND JEERS COMPLETE CHAOS

EDITOR'S NOTE: I've decided to start my first-ever week 

of blogging – small nuggets posted everyday for seven straight days. I will start today, looking back at the Christmas holidays, and finish up next Monday.

Some of the posts will be fun and light-hearted – like today's glimpse at my "Christmas Chaos" – while others have the potential to be a little more poignant. 

I will definitely stick to the theme of my blog, though: My big adventure in life and business.

g g g

cha·os \ káy òss \ n 1: disorder 

2: earliest condition of universe 3: apparent disorder 4: Drew's annual Christmas holidays, usually from Dec. 10th to Jan. 2nd or 3rd

Everybody has their own holiday stories – each one with their own special flavor of chaos. 

These stories usually involve a significant amount of driving, distant relatives you barely know, one or two random gift exchanges, tons of food and beverage, and a lot of snapshots....

Here is my "Christmas Chaos" captured 

through those very photos:

DECEMBER 10th: 

Big Brothers Big Sisters 

event at Great Wolf Lodge

HIGHLIGHTS: Anthony, my little brother, and I were part of the corporate partnership announcement at the Grapevine Resort ... we were first inside the indoor water park (for photo op – Star Telegram photos below) ... had a T-shirt made with a huge picture of us on the back.

DECEMBER 12th: 

"Ugly Christmas Sweater Party" 

(hosted by Chris Stacey)

HIGHLIGHTS: My sister Allison made the photo backdrop (big hit) ... there ended up being A LOT of pictures of me when all was said and done (very weird) ... Tanya's "ugly sweater" actually belongs to my grandmother ... some lady let me wear her velvet red pants towards the end of the night.

DECEMBER 13th: 

Birthday party 

for my buddy Hatton (no pictures)

DECEMBER 20th I: 

Extended family Christmas 

at "Brazos House" (my grandmother's house)

HIGHLIGHTS: This event is ALWAYS a mad house, but love and family ALWAYS win out in the end ... we had an amazing steak dinner 

(I manned the grill) ... theme of gift exchange: "Trash to Treasure" (Instructions from my mom: "Go through your closet, attic, cedar chest and find something that you don't use any more, or it doesn't match your new decor, or you are tired of it, or someone gave it to you and you have never used it, or you used it a lot - but now you are too old, too tired, too fat, etc. I'm not talking "white elephant" gifts, or gag gifts, or old junk... but if you think someone else could use it or would like it - wrap it up.") ... photos by Ted Kieffer.

DECEMBER 25th II:

Cowboys vs. Ravens 

(last game at Texas Stadium)

HIGHLIGHTS: Received tickets through BBBS (thanks Cheryl) ... sat on Row B, which is in front of Row 1 ... even though Anthony was battling strep throat (didn't know it at the time), he pushed through ... temperature dropped to below freezing by the fourth quarter ... sat next to Big Black, star of MTV's "Rob and Big" (I had NO clue) ... Cowboys forgot how to play defense and got whipped.

DECEMBER 22nd:
First Annual Safe Haven 

Christmas Extravaganza (original blog post)

HIGHLIGHTS: Thanks to the help of 20 sponsors – including Rosa's Cafe – e-Partners in Giving made Christmas extremely special for a handful of Fort Worth's homeless ... each Safe Haven client received a stocking ... e-Partners purchased a computer for the entire complex ... "party food" was served.

DECEMBER 23rd I: 

Gift Exchange 

with Anthony (no pictures)

HIGHLIGHTS: Anthony got me a greeting card with his recorded voice, "...I've really had an awesome time hanging out with you the last couple of months. I hope you have a merry Christmas..." ... Tanya gave him a Brett Favre figurine, while I made him a book of every Division I college football logo (example below).

DECEMBER 23rd II:

TCU Bowl Game Watch Party

HIGHLIGHTS: Hosted by friends Mike and DeeDee ... TCU rallied to defeat Boise State, 17-16 ... GO FROGS!

DECEMBER 24th: 

Baptism of Baby Jake (nephew)

HIGHLIGHTS: Tanya and I were proud, honored, and excited to be Jake's God parents and be a part of his initial spiritual journey ... baptism incorporated into Christmas Eve mass at Incarnation in Dallas ... had family dinner afterwards ... only wished it wouldn't have been held the morning after "TCU Bowl Game Watch Party" (see above).

DECEMBER 24th and 25th:

Volunteered at 

Presbyterian Night Shelter (no pictures)

DECEMBER 26th:

Myers Family Christmas

at my Mom and Dad's

HIGHLIGHTS: 10th year to celebrate homemade Christmas gifts 

(blog post) ... other traditions (photo at the top of the stairs, etc.) continued as well ... spent entire day at Mom and Dad's, instead of running 18 different directions ... watched all 3 1/2 hours of "Doctor Zhivago" ... were only missing John and KoKo (brother and sister-in-law) and Karla and Tom (friends).

DECEMBER 27th:

Riley Family Christmas 

(Tanya's extended family)

HIGHLIGHTS: Held in San Antonio at Tanya's aunt Carolyn's house ... typical "Dirty Santa" gift exchange ... Tanya and I made out with a great fire pit for the backyard (thanks to her cousin-in-law Patrick) ... drove to Houston afterwards.

DECEMBER 28th:

Kalinec Family Christmas 

(Tanya's immediate family – no pictures)

HIGHLIGHTS: Held outside Houston at Tanya's brother house ... drew names for gift exchange ... fried a turkey ... played one round of "Rock Band" (I sang "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer and was named "Top Performer" with a score of 97 percent. I ROCK!)

DECEMBER 29th:

Bowling Birthday Celebration 

(for Tanya and my sisters)

HIGHLIGHTS: Bowled at 300 in Addison ... I finished No. 2 and No. 1 in the two matches (I RULE!)

DECEMBER 31st:

New Year's Eve Celebrations

HIGHLIGHTS: Started the evening at neighbors house, enjoying gourmet nachos and playing Taboo ... brought in 2009 with friends Paul and Jessica around their fire pit.

JANUARY 4th:

40th Birthday Celebration 

(for Tanya's brother and sister-in-law)

HIGHLIGHTS: Held in Waller (outside of Houston) at Tanya's Mom and Dad's house ... complete with DJ, dancing, and a lot of good food ... Tanya did the Chicken Dance.

It was ALL wonderfully great, 

but I'm wonderfully thankful it's over.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

GIVING BACK: TIME TO WALK THE WALK

I can't remember when it hit me, but when it did ... it definitely left a mark.

Since the concept of e-Partners in Giving came to me, I've been talking about "giving back." I've been preaching to people that this is their chance to do just that.

I actually wrote this verbiage for our web site:

"At e-Partners in Giving, we believe that the impact of our wake has the potential to be much more significant than the actual splash we make in our lives. That is why it is our privilege to help with this self-sacrificing opportunity. We want to provide you the necessary tools so you can firmly place the emphasis on a person, event, or organization you hold close to your heart."

Wow! That's good stuff.

The only problem ... I wasn't walking the walk. It was just a bunch of talk. I personally wasn't "giving back" like I should.

(Cue a big slap across the face)

Sure, I spent time at a local homeless shelter on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve last year, but I didn't dedicate to being there every Thursday night, serving dinner or passing out toiletry items that most of us take for granted.

(Slap! Slap!)

At church, Tanya and I try to put an offering in the collection plate every Sunday, but that's only when one of us is actually carrying cash. (Which isn't very often.)

(Slap with an Amen!)

If I had a friend running or walking for a cause, I might donate a few bucks, but I wouldn't roll out of bed at 4 o'clock in the morning and help mix-up powdered Gatorade.

(Cue another slap AND add a punch to the gut.)

Even if e-Partners in Giving stumbles and falls (again ... we don't like talking like that, but it helps to make a solid point), I have already received a tremendous wake up call.

It's time for me to start giving back.

Here is a list of things that I have done over the last couple of weeks:

(NOTE: The following items are just the tip of the iceberg. I plan on taking "my giving" to a whole new level.)

• I filled out my application to be a Big Brother for Big Brother Big Sisters. (The next step is the interview process.)

• I decided to be a regular volunteer at the Presbyterian Night Shelter in Fort Worth. Every Tuesday night – starting this week (June 10th) – I will serve dinner at Safe Haven, the mentally ill shelter, for one hour. Then I will volunteer for one hour at the Shelter Dispensary, helping distribute those before-mentioned toiletry items.

• I submitted my application to produce the monthly newsletter for the American Red Cross Southwest Blood Services Region. (I have not heard back from them.)

• I encouraged my staff to choose a charity or charities that "tug at their heart strings." We will list these on our web site with our bios, along with a brief description why they're important to us. (We will focus on these non-profit organizations when we match donations for a designated event, or we market our services by making donations on behalf of e-Partners in Giving.)

NOTE: I'm still working on my charities, but here are the ones I am leaning towards:

– Jonathan's Place (Takes care of the Metroplex's youngest victims of abuse.)

– Finding Grace Homeless Initiative ("An emerging coalition of individuals and organizations aiming to increase awareness and raise money for homeless organizations." Interest raised by the book "Finding Grace: The Face of America's Homeless")

– Marathon Kids (Targets children most vulnerable to sedentary lives and encourages running to combat childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes.)

– One World Running ("An international program promoting an awareness of health, fitness and nutrition by providing running shoes to those in need in the United States and around the world.")

– Run for Congo Women (Giving women in the Congo "hope for life in this country torn by war." The passion of founder Lisa Shannon is contagious and made me aware and intrigued by this "nightmare" in Africa.)

I will probably pick four or five non-profits that "run the gauntlet" – one that focuses on children, one that focuses on the homeless, an environmental cause, and an international effort. Literacy is also important to me, as well as domestic abuse. (As you can tell from my list, I'm kind of drawn towards organizations that focus on running, too.)

If you have a charity that you hold close to your heart. I would love to hear about it. (Why does it tug at your heart strings?) Just like Lisa Shannon, it's the people and their passion for an organization or cause, that really differentiates one charity from another. (EXAMPLE: Tanya is heavily involved with CASA in Tarrant County, which "serves as voice for abused and neglected children when they go to court." This will definitely be one that makes "the list.")

As I continue to research these organizations, it reminds me how many people in this world need EVERYONE to be giving back.

I will probably never say this again, but I'm glad I got slapped across the face. Hopefully this blog has a similar impact on you ... SLAP!