Time for a 3 day weekend!  I have a lot planned but it will be nice not to have to roll out of bed to the sound of the alarm clock.  It looks like today and tomorrow will be rain, which is fine by me as my work is inside this weekend and we certainly need it.

College football kicks off this weekend and I'm excited to see Mizzou play in the SEC this year.  Some people think they may not fair very well this season but I think they'll do just fine.  No matter the outcome, Mizzou has done some excellent recruiting and will be getting even stronger in the coming years.  I'm just glad college football is back and it will hold me over until spring baseball.

JD called yesterday to tell us they had to go on a timed, 3 mile run yesterday and if they didn't make the target time, they had to run another mile and a half.  Four guys made time, JD not being one of them.  So, a 10 minute rest and then another mile and a half.  At this point, after running 7 and a half miles in two days, I'm pretty sure he's wishing he would have listened to me about doing a lot of running this summer.  I know that he is sore and tired from all of the conditioning and weight lifting they've been doing but he is also seeing the gains he is already making.  He's said he's up to 187 lbs and getting the workout of his life.

 There have been many reports in the media that Obama has deported many more illegal immigrants during his term than Bush did.  Since the Obama administration spoon feeds the media and they willingly regurgitate it in their papers and on their websites like the good sheep that they are, it is important to actually put some facts out there. 

The Obama administration appears to have artificially inflated its deportation numbers. It includes voluntary removals in the deportation statistics. But this is not removal because an illegal immigrant is not then subject to penalties for returning to the United States. For example, a single illegal immigrant can show up at the border and be voluntarily returned numerous times in one year — and counted each time as a removal.

Even The Washington Post found the Obama administration used questionable methods to achieve its deportation numbers last year. Just like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, the Obama administration’s record is a trick. In reality, President Barack Obama and his administration are giving amnesty to illegal immigrants through inaction. It’s no wonder that the president recently admitted to Hispanic voters that his administration’s deportation numbers are “deceptive.”

Take away the hocus-pocus, and it is clear the Obama administration is neglecting to enforce immigration laws. The administration has all but abandoned worksite enforcement actions. Over the past two years, worksite enforcement has plummeted 70 percent.

Under this administration, there have been fewer arrests of illegal workers, fewer criminal arrests, fewer indictments and fewer convictions. This means illegal workers continue to take jobs away from unemployed Americans.

Without worksite enforcement, we can’t stop employers from hiring illegal workers. And as long as the jobs magnet exists, millions of illegal immigrants most likely will come to the U.S. and take jobs from lawful workers.

13 Rules of Gunfighting Everyone Should Know

1) Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians.
2) It's always better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
3) Cops carry guns to protect themselves, not you.
4) Never let someone or something that threatens you get inside arm's length.
5) Never say "I've got a gun".  If you need to use deadly force, the first sound they hear should be the safety clicking off.
6) The average response time of a 911 call is 23 minutes; the response time of a .357 is 1400 feet per second.
7) The most important rule in a gun fight is: Always win, cheat if necessary.
8) Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets.  You may get killed with your own gun, but he'll have to beat you to death with it, because it will be empty.
9) If you are in a gun fight:
    If you're not shooting, you should be reloading
    If you're not loading, you should be moving
    If you're not shooting, moving or loading, you're probably dead.
10) In a life and death situation, do something.  It may be wrong, but do something!
11) If you carry a gun, people call you paranoid.  Nonsense!  If you have a gun, what do you have to be paranoid about?
12) You can say "stop" or "alto" or any other word, but a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much a universal language.
13) You cannot save the planet, but you may be able to save yourself and your family.

"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading." - Thomas Jefferson

Our St. Louis fireworks shoot is just a mere 5 weeks away and I'm pretty excited about not only my club show that we will be putting on but the other shows and events that are also planned.  We cut our show down to 6 minutes and we have it scripted to some epic music that most won't be familiar with.  Our finale is going to be quite intense and we have some segments that are sure to wow the crowd. 

I'd really like to go do some shooting in the near future.  I have been pondering purchasing a concealed carry weapon as my XD-40 is a full frame gun and I'd like something more compact.  Glock's are pretty popular but I may go with a Sig Sauer.  Eventually, I would like to get a Wilson Combat 1911 .45 ACP to play with and likely replace the XD-40. 

JD called the other night and although he is tired, he is enjoying the college experience.  He's already been lifting and doing conditioning with the baseball team and had some meetings.  He's only had classes a few days so he really doesn't have much of an opinion formed about them yet.  He said his free time has been pretty limited so far but he's been sleeping good and enjoying the food on campus. 

Jodi and I are working on a direct marketing campaign for a back to school special we will be running.  Tonight we will be working on the graphic design of the card we will be including along with some coupons to be used as incentives.  We'd like to fill up our fall schedule from this and possibly book some sessions for spring as well. 

We are back to the new normal here in KC.  After spending four days in the St. Louis area getting JD moved into his dorm and settled in, Jodi and I will be adjusting to a new lifestyle.  We will be devoting much of our new found free time to growing our business.

We drove to SIUE on Thursday morning, the car loaded down with all of the things JD will need to live in the dorm while there.  After purchasing his parking permit, he had to register to get his line number to move in to the residence hall.  Once there, the college had "Move In Teams" that came to our vehicle and carried all of his items up to his room. That made it quick and easy.  While Jodi unpacked things, we went and picked up his text books and got his bike secured to the bike rack outside.  In a matter of an hour or so, he was unpacked and ready to begin life on campus.

Since he had meetings and other activities to go to, Jodi and I left to get dinner and then we did some additional shopping for a few items he still needed and we took those to him the next day.  From there, we went and visited my brother Dennis, who lives 10 minutes or so from campus.  We don't get to see him much due to his work schedule primarily, but since he's retiring in the next couple weeks, hopefully that will change. Later in the evening, we went to dinner with his daughter, Tara, who was in from Chicago and her husband and children.  We went to Ruby Tuesday, which I had never been to, and it was good.  We went to Oberweis afterward for ice cream before heading back to my mom's for the evening.

On Saturday, Jodi spent much of the day hanging out with her mom and sister while I visited with my mom and relaxed a bit.  Later that evening, Jodi and I met up with a couple friends for dinner at Stefanina's and we enjoyed their company.  Both of them also had children go to college for the first time this year so much of our conversation was about that.

Sunday morning came and we met JD for brunch.  We all had Grand Slam's at Denny's in Glen Carbon and enjoyed hearing what he had been up to over the three days he had been at SIUE.  He had a baseball meeting with his team scheduled for 1:30 so after stopping and picking up a couple items for him, we said our goodbyes at the campus.  We'll see him again in 5 weeks or so when we go back to St. Louis for the fireworks shoot I attend every September.

Last night was farewell night for JD and his friends.  Many came by to see him before he leaves.  Here's the scene in front of our house at one point during the evening. Check out that lush lawn too!

Monday Night Fun