It is one of those days that you know will be a scorcher. I just walked out to check the koi pond and there is a smell of heat in the air. We are supposed to hit 100 degrees today, although there is some sub-tropical moisture being pumped up from southern California that will cool us down quickly and bring a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow. Not exactly what Jennifer had in mind for her return to California, but you get what you get.

Jennifer arrived yesterday. Typical of my only daughter, she told her mother and I that her plane would arrive at 11:45 in the morning. I had arranged the flight and it seemed to me that she was due in earlier, so I jumped on the web yesterday morning after church and sure enough, her plane was scheduled to arrive at 10:35 and was actually about twenty minutes ahead of schedule. We were meeting her at the airport and then going over to the Chevy's restaurant on the river for brunch as a group. I quickly called Bill and let him know of the snafu. He said that Diane was still at the gym and they would have to meet us at the restaurant. Darla and I were on time and met Jen as she descended the escalator from the terminal. Darla wanted me to hold the end of a banner welcoming her home, but I'm not in to those type of public displays. Darla took pictures and insisted on setting the banner at the table at Chevy's. Jennifer is thrilled to be home and away from Army life for awhile.

We talked about her pending promotion and she feels that she WILL be promoted to the Specialist rank by November. She upset some of the brass by complaining about KP duty and yardwork. The military has regard for only ONE opinion and that is theirs. Jennifer felt that she didn't join the Army to do KP and cut the grass on base. The brass felt that she is to do anything that they tell her to do. Jennifer is learning about life in the military and will get her promotion in due time. With all of the specialized training that she has had and the expense that the Army has gone to in training her, it would be a sham not to promote her to the Specialist rank. I'm proud of her...and we have someone to wash the dishes and mow the lawn while she is home. Just kidding, Jen.

Jennifer is driving the Mustang while she is here and she was thrilled when she saw it. David was nice enough to agree to let her borrow his car while she is in town. David will finally get his license next month, four months after his 16th birthday. He is so involved in sports it took him four months after he was 15 1/2 to get his permit and the law requires new drivers to drive under permit status for six months prior to getting their license. Darla will be relieved when he finally does get his license as she has to drive him to school and pick him up from football practice every day that we have the boys. Once David has his license he will be free to come and go at his own whim.

Darla ran into Daniel's football coach at the gas station the other night and heard some excellent feedback on Daniel and his abilities at the sport. Daniel has always been something of a quick blossomer. He grew so fast, that it took him a long time for his coordination and his brain to catch up to his physical size. The coach will start Dan on both the offensive and defensive lines. He is one of the best linemen on the team and the coach, who has coached Daniel before, is thrilled with Dan's progression as a football player. I suppose you can't teach someone to be 6'1 and 200 pounds at age 13. You are or you aren't. It is kudos to Daniel and we were thrilled to get the feedback. Following in the footsteps of David, the jock, won't be easy, but Daniel is so far holding his own.

Work continues at a crawl. I talked to Nancy about it and she said that it is a typical problem, where business flows drag at the end of August as the worker bees in an insurance agency are also Moms and they are getting their kids ready for back to school and take time off this time of year. I've never experienced a slow down like this before in my career and I'm a bit concerned. I'm ramping up the marketing side of my business right now and working the phones.

Darryl has moved in to his new home outside of Austin, Texas and sent us pictures of his new deck and patio. He mentioned a wedding next weekend, which is news to us. I assume that my niece is getting married next week. I sent him a note chastising him for not keeping us in the loop. I think he needs a blog.

Darla and I celebrated seven years of wedded bliss this weekend. We've been married for twelve years, but seven happily. Just kidding, we married in 1996 and no itch as of yet. I wrote in her card that the only itch I feel is an itch to be even closer to her. That bought me some points, but writing about it here probably just cost me. Darla has been a true blessing in my life and I thank God for such a wonderful and Godly woman in my life. (I might have pulled out of it, I'm not sure.)

Finally, Saturday was also the qualifying tournament for the Rose Cup annual Ryder Cup-style tournament against three other golf clubs here in Roseville. Our qualifying field consisted of 56 determined golfers striving for 11 spots in the field. I started out strong shooting par-bogey-par-bogey-birdie in my first 5 holes to go one over, but stumbled down the stretch and finished the front nine with a double-bogey, double-bogey finish for 42. I then started the back side with par, double-bogey to go eight over after 11 holes. I was stinking up the joint, but pulled my game together with par-birdie-birdie over the next three holes and a solid finish to shoot 38 on the back side and finish with an 80, net 68 to qualify. This is the fourth year out of five that I will be in the Rose Cup (I missed the cut last year) and it is a tournament that I truly enjoy. The tournament will be held on October 10th and 11th at Woodcreek Golf Course and Sun City Roseville.

That's it for this week. The pastor told us the story yesterday of a young man who was proposing marriage to his sweetheart. He took her out on a secluded lake at midnight and held her hand. He said, "Honey, I may not have a yacht, like Steve Williams, all that I have is a small sailboat. And I may not have a Porsche, like Steve Williams, but I do have a Volkswagen and it is in good shape. And, finally, I may not have a mansion like Steve Williams, but my apartment is nice and we have plenty of room. I adore you and I love you. Will you marry me?" His girlfriend looked up at him and said, "Honey, I love you too, but who is this Steve Williams and where can I meet him?"

Here it is Monday again. Jennifer will be home by the time I write again. She is REALLY looking forward to getting away from Army life for a few weeks. I think she enjoys her job, but she is ready to do a little down time at home where she can lay by the pool or just visit with friends and family.

Darla hosted a shower for her brother Steve's fiancee, Kirstin, at Darla's Mom's house yesterday. I guess it was family only and there were aunts and cousins and Kirstin's Mom and Shea, Steve's daughter. Apparently the festivities went very well and Kirstin was very appreciative of the shower. Darla went downstairs to the cellar late in the afternoon and tripped on a step and took a header down the stairs!! She has a scraped nose and some sore bones as she tumbled all the way down. Apparently no one heard her fall and she crawled back up the stairs and everyone was shocked when she came back up bleeding and sputtering. We talked about the age thing in the last blog. (Well, at least she didn't break her hip.) She looks a little worse for wear, but she is a trooper and is back at work today.

I spent the day at the golf course and enjoyed myself. I've somehow managed to come up with a nasty case of tennis elbow in my left arm. Apparently, this is the only place in your body where a muscle attaches directly to the bone and does not utilize a tendon. Somehow, I've managed to pull the muscle fibres loose from the bone and it is inordinately painful. Basically a dull ache that reminds you of the malady everytime you use your arm. I have a tennis elbow strap that I use to clamp down the muscle and keep the muscle from moving away from the bone, so that it can heal. If I don't do this and I continue to pull the fibres loose as they attempt to repair themselves, I will end up with scar tissue and eventually need surgery. All of that to say that the act of golfing is contrary to allowing the muscle to heal. I was in some pain during the round, but managed to pull my round together on the backside and shot a 44-39=83. My arm didn't bother me as much on the back nine, due in part to the arm sufficiently warming and partly due to the 20 ounce Bud Light that my playing partner bought me. I played with Harry Wharrf, our Vice President at the golf club, Steve Parino, my twilight golf partner and Bjorn Andersen, my friend from Rocklin. Harry shot a 33-39=72, Steve shot a 42-40 82 and Bjorn managed a 47-42=89. We had a great time and it was a practice round for the Rose Cup qualifying tournament next Saturday.

I'm struggling a little bit at work. I've hit a slow patch and I need to ramp up my marketing efforts with new agents and contact some of the agents that have yet to send me business. I'm also frustrated with some of the referral underwriters that I have to work with. In my prior life, I was able to depend solely on myself for getting the business completed and now I have to depend on others. I've had two different underwriters promise me a quote by a certain date and then let me down. That is the most difficult thing for me. I've always been one who lived up to promises implicitly and I'm seeing how the other half operates and I'm not enjoying it.

Both of the boys started back to school last week and are hard into football practice. David has all but been pushed out of the competition for quarterback and is putting all of his energies into starting at free safety as a junior for the varsity. There will only be five juniors starting out of 22 positions and I told David he should be proud. His coaches feel that David could be an all conference safety because of his size and feel for the ball. David continues to harbor thoughts of being the starting quarterback and it appears that only injury or poor performance by the other two will allow for that possibility. It's too bad, but the fact that he will be a two year starter for his varsity football team is a good thing. Daniel will play lineman for his freshman team. he had hoped to play a skill position, but his size, 6'1" and 200 pounds, has the coaches mouth's watering. It will be interesting to see how Daniel does this year in the shadow of his brother on the varsity team. Daniel's sheer size has earned him a starting spot on the team.

I had my fantasy football draft this weekend and chose fourth. I dutifully picked Michael Vick for my first round choice and watched in the afternoon as he broke his right leg in a preseason game. I hate pre-season football. At least I have Drew Bledsoe of Buffalo as my backup and Brad Johnson of the Super Bowl champions as my third quarterback.

Well, I'll let you all know how our visit with Jennifer is going by next week. I think we'll plan to take a day up at Lake Almanor and let David teach Jennifer how to wake board. We'll also manage a day at the State Fair which is going on. Jennifer's birthday is the 28th and it was brother Randy's birthday yesterday. Jennifer will turn 23 and she is 20 years older than Randy, although I won't reveal HIS age. Nyuck nyuck.

It is another week and another round of work for those of us who are not retired, yet enslaved to comfort and the novelty of a roof over our heads and food in the refrigerator.

Darla and the boys made it back on Saturday night and it was good to see them. They had a good time up at the lake and enjoyed spending time with their cousins. Darla was able to get up on the wake board and even do some cutting and small jumps. She did take a nasty spill and bought the front end of the wake board. She came up sputtering water and was in some pain. Her neck is still sore. Darla is in her thirties for another year and then she'll realize after her next birthday that she's not a kid anymore. Someone needs to explain that to her heart, though.

I took the opportunity on Friday night to join my mates from the golf club up at Graeagle, a golfing enclave and resort area in Plumas county, about fifty miles north of Truckee on Highway 89. I stayed at a four bedrrom condo with three other couples and had a loft bedroom to myself. We ate barbecued tri tip and chicken for dinner, and then drank some adult beverages and played cards out on the back patio until about midnight. I awoke at seven on Saturday and smelled the fresh aroma of coffee that one of the guys had made when he got up at six-thirty. I rummaged through my room, looking for my duffel bag which had my shorts and golf shirt for the day. I couldn't find it and got up, grabbed a mug of very strong coffee, and headed out to the Mustang. My bag was not there and in fact was sitting disconsolately on my bed back in Roseville alone and forgotten. I'd grabbed my shave kit and my cooler of drinks and my sleeping bag, but forgot my clothes. I'd driven up to the condo in a t-shirt and a pair of Nike swim trunks. Oh boy.

I had breakfast with the gang (eggs, fresh fruit and homemade biscuits and gravy) and then left about eight-thirty for the course. I was going to buy some shorts and a golf shirt for the day. I found a nice shirt in the pro shop for $39, but all of their shorts were $65 or more and I couldn't expel my tight gene long enough to part with that kind of money for a pair of bloody shorts. I ended up buying the shirt and playing golf in my swim trunks. They are black and green and look like shorts and I thought I'd got away with it until one of my cohorts asked me if I planned to swim in one of the water hazards.

I had one of those rounds of golf for the ages, shooting 38-39=77 on a tight golf course that saw my 77, a 79, an 86 and everyone else shot 90 or worse. My drives were splitting the fairways, many of which were narrow with ob on both sides. I played with a 6 handicapper, who shot a ten on a par 5 by hooking his first two drives ob. I ended up winning low gross for the tournament, a first for me and taking the closest to the pin for a total of $60. I also won $40 in the skins competition and walked away with $100. The payout was cash for the skins and a gift certificate in the pro shop for the rest. I paid a third place winner twelve dollars for his $19 certificate and bought a new pair of $90 Etonic golf shoes. They look like white sneakers, but are golf shoes. I had a great time, shooting three birdies, two double-bogeys and a slew of pars for the 77. it was magical and I still give huge props to my chiropractor for my improved golf swing.

Work continues to improve. I'm up to thirty three agents and I wrote my first over $50,000 account this week. It didn't come easily, though. I closed the account on Thursday with a price quote from one of my companies. The underwriter verbally approved the account and said that he'd follow with a written quote. I called my agent and gave him the price and he called back and said to bind the risk. It got late in the day and I called my boss and said that I had a binder, but that the underwriter had not Faxed me with a written price. She said to send him a note and tell him that I was binding based on our phone conversation. I was on cloud nine (the commission on that account is over $2,000 net to me). I talked to Darla on Thursday night from Almanor and told her the good news.

Friday morning I went from my best day at work to my darkest day. I was at my desk by seven-thirty excited to start a new day and what waited for me was a small grenade. Sitting in my fax was a note from the underwriter telling me that he had not approved the risk and that he needed to get reinsurance..I was not bound. My heart sunk to my knees. I called him and asked him what the deal was. He'd approved the risk verbally the day before. He said, that he'd given my a price indication, but not a firm price. I asked him when he could get me an answer. He said by noon. Just before lunch I got a fax from him saying that he could not get reinsurance at a favorable rate and that he was opting off the risk. I'd never heard of anything like this in my twenty-five years in the business. I panicked and talked to my boss. She said to immediately notify the agent and send the risk to two other carriers. I was sunk..I knew that I could not replace the risk at the price quoted and we would likely be on the hook for some compensation to the agent when he was able to replace the risk. I talked to an underwriting manager at one of our companies and he showed some lukewarm interest. I talked up the risk and sent him my proposed pricing and all of my backup for the rate determination. God was faithful as always and the company accepted my proposal and bound the risk Friday night at my price. I got off the roller coaster a little sick to my stomach, but thrilled with the finish. This is the first of many adventures that I'll have as I negotiate and blaze a trail through the unmarked path of surplus lines.

Well, that's all I have time for today. I was able to talk to both of my brothers this weekend as well as talk to Dad and commiserate with him on my work story on Friday night. I have to share a story that our pastor told us on Sunday. An office worker at a church in Dallas answered the phone and the caller said, "Let me speak to the head hog at the trough." The proper lady receptionist asked who he wanted to speak with. The caller said, "You know, the head man, the big cheese, your pastor, the head hog at the trough." The lady was non-plussed and said that if the caller wanted to speak to the senior pastor that he needed to show some respect and ask in a proper manner. The caller said, "No bother, ma'am, I just wanted to donate a million dollars to the church." The secretary quickly responded, "Hold on, I think I see the big fat pig headed to his office right now." Ciao.

It is lunchtime on Monday. It is inordinately quiet around the house as Darla and the boys are up at Lake Almanor enjoying some boating and swimming and wake boarding. We drove up to the lake early on Saturday in a mild drizzle of rain that became a steady downpour. We left early in order to get up to the lake early and spend some time with Darla's brother, Steve, who was at the lake last week and couldn't get the same week off as the rest of the family. We stopped in Oroville and decided to eat breakfast instead of donuts as the rain was incessant and we knew that Almanor would be a soggy situation as well. I let David drive once we got to the top of the Feather River Canyon. The drive is a winding, climbing drive along the river bed and I didn't want him to have to learn curves with a steep drop-off to the river on the right side of the road. The Feather River canyon is a beautiful drive through the trees as we climb from the valley up to 4000 feet.

The rain was just as in evidence in Almanor and we spent the afternoon visiting with family in Earl and Frances' motor home. The boys and their cousins did venture out to the lake and went swimming during the downpour, but the adults sought shelter from the rain as experience would teach you to do.

We got into our cabin just before three and the roof had leaked the night before as they got a good gully washer up at the resort. One of the bed's was drenched with water and we had to dry the mattress with use of a space heater. I told the boys that there was no leak, that the prior tenants had a young child with a bladder problem. They laughed, but looked at me funny.

Sunday. we went to the local church which has become the Westra's home-away-from-home church. The pastor was doing a series on "Get a Grip", the parallels between golf and our relationship with God. I sat up straight and listened as the local golf pro gave some tips on timing and tempo. It was a clever analogy about timing in the golf swing and God's timing and tempo in our lives and I enjoyed it. Sunday was a day with a peekaboo sun and some showers and the rain was a bit of a nuisance. I was able to finish LA Dead, the fourth book in the Stone Barrington murder mystery series by Stuart Woods. I had a very nice visit with the Westra clan, but was in the Mustang by 4:15 and back to the salt mine. Darla fully expects me to continue to bring in money while she is up enjoying her vacation. I don't mind. I have a lot of telephone followups that I need to accomplish and I can get that done this week.

I took the Mustang in to the body shop this morning to have the paint work done. I'm having additional work done that will bring my investment in the repair and paint to about $600. David is paying for half of the repairs as he wanted to have some additional dents taken out. The car's blue book value is $5500 and after all is said and done we'll have less than $5,000 invested in the car. David will pay me $1,000 for the car in addition to his half of the repair bill and buy the car in September. I will then take another leap of faith and buy a replacement vehicle for myself. Salesmen on commission say the best motivator that they have is taking on a new financial commitment. I'll be living that theory in about a month.

Jennifer will be home in three weeks and she is getting excited about the prospect. She called for me the other night and I was out with Jerry Tuel at the new Indian Casino down the road. She talked to Darla for about 45 minutes about everything she hoped to do when she gets home. She is up for promotion in about two months and is nervous about it. I guess she shared her opinion about the lawn mowing duties that she has been given in addition to her regular job and her superior didn't take that well. You aren't entitled to an opinion in the Army.

Well, folks, be well. Keep your eyes on the Lord and He will direct your path.