What do I do?

Earlier this week someone asked me where I work, and I actually didn't have a short & perfect answer to share. (How weird is that?) I glanced over at another friend sitting next to me and said with a chuckle, "What do I do?" He answered with a quick and obvious answer, "You sell books!" I liked that simple explanation. So I looked at the person who asked me where I worked, and without hesitation I answered with "I sell books."

Since that day I've been thinking about how ridiculous I must have looked with my answer. So I decided to write a blog about what I actually do. In hopes that next time I will just refer inquries to this blog! Hopefully this will eliminate the confusion that even some of my close friends still have to this day.

"I work as a District Manager for HDA Merchandising."

Does this answer the question? I didn't think so!!!

HDA Merchandising is a division of Home Design Alternatives INC. The company is a publisher, distributor, and merchandising service provider based out of St. Louis, MO. Want more? Visit http://www.hdainc.com
In my division we service retail accounts all over the United States (even some in Canada) such as Lowes Home Improvement, Dollar General, Michaels, Menards, and others. In my job I manage 55 merchandisers and I am responsible for around 600 stores. My district that covers parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Indiana. DEEP BREATH....

Take a look:

ANOTHER DEEP BREATH.....

My merchandisers service books & magazines in the accounts within my district. I spend most of my time on administrative work, hiring new merchandisers, monitoring & developing staff, and auditing the stores we service. The best part of the job is that my office is based out of my home. I am also fortunate to work for a great boss! I am really grateful for this company which I am a part of. One thing I always tell folks, is that even though our company is nationwide and pretty large, for me it actually has the feeling of a small company.

Okay so that's primarily "what I do." But in addition to my work with HDA Merchandising, I also do a few other things. As a musician I am often playing or teaching music somewhere. I am a free-lance percussionist and perform on the marimba at church worship services, weddings, or whatever comes along. I also play percussion in a band named 'Corduroy Sedan'. Look us up on Facebook! You'll also find me in various places working with high school marching bands or indoor drumlines. I've taught at several programs in KY, and right now I am searching for a position as a Percussion Consultant with a high school band. Additionally, I am busy at my church (Central Christian Church-Disciples of Christ) as Director of the Handbell Choir & Praise Band, orgaziner of a worship service that just started in 2011, a sound engineer for weddings, and a host for events.

I absolutely love everything I am doing, and when you throw in the wonderful life of being a father, husband, and son...it's all "what I do."

Now you know the answer! I bet you never thought I would have so much to say.



MUSICAL SUGGESTION: "So Much To Say" by Dave Matthews Band

Children: Part Deux

In about three months, Teri & I will be welcoming a baby boy into the world. It goes without saying, but we are so excited & eagerly awaiting his arrival. Just in case, you've missed the "Facebook Offical" announcements, our son's name will be Ellis Hartzell. The name 'Ellis' was our favorite boys name when we were pregnant with Lorelei. So it was an easy choice this time around. The name 'Hartzell' is actually my middle name, and there was never any chance of going with something else. 'Hartzell' was my grandfather's middle name (George Hartzell Teesdale), and that name was given to him in honor of the doctor (his last name) who delivered him in 1917. I take great pride in my name, and every single day I keep my grandfather in the back of my mind, in hopes that I can touch as many people's lives as he did. Now I look forward to witnessing Ellis do the same.

Over the weekend we made some major adjustments inside our home. The room that has been my office for the past 2 1/2 years is going to be Ellis' room. So I moved the office into mine & Teri's bedroom. CHECK, IT'S DONE!! Now the focus will shift to getting Ellis' room ready. Over the next few weeks I'll be putting the rocking chair & crib back together (both of which have been in pieces for a couple of years). In fact, we made sure to hunt down the owner's manual for both today, just in case I decide to use them!

The other major baby activity for the week was completing some registering. We took two evening this past week are now registered at both BUY BUY BABY and BABIES R US. Holy Cow! This is MUCH easier the second time around!! We know what we need, we know what we like, and we know what we will get no use out of! 4 1/2 years ago it was like Christmas for us. This time it was focused and efficient, even with our 4-year old, Lorelei, acting like it was her Christmas. She led us around asking for us to scan EVERYTHING that caught her eye. HA! Toys, sippie-cups, and stuffed animals for her. Spoons, gas drops, and boppy covers for Teri. I thoroughly enjoyed watching both of my girls in action!

As I felt some of Ellis' kicks tonight from Teri's stomach, I noticed that the 'Proud Dad' moments have already doubled. "Children: Part Deux" is in full swing at the Teesdale house! Precious moments, endless stories, and probably a few blogs here & there. I'm going to be making sure I enjoy every moment of it, while having faith, just like a child.


MUSICAL SUGGESTION: "Faith Like A Child" by Jars of Clay

Blessings

Yesterday was absolutely one of those days that I will remember for a long, long time. I don't plan to often blog with a run down of my day, but this one was too good to pass up! So without getting into all the minute-by-minute details, I'll share the highlights, in case you missed it on "TeesdaleCenter/Facebook" tonight.

It was a day of firsts..

I had the honor of playing marimba for an event with a local organization called "Mother-to-Mother." It was a unique experience for me, playing for a room full of women/mothers. There was laughter as we talked about Social Networking, and there was even a few tears as we remembered moms & others who are no longer with us. I had some friends in the room, and I made new ones. And of course the lunch was delicious!

In the middle of the event, my wife Teri, starting calling me a bunch on my cell. She actually called me 22 times (remember that number - it's going to be important later) within a 55 minute span. Now, Teri & I have an agreement that if there are consecutive calls from the other, it's an emergency and no matter what the other person needs to pick up the phone. I guess I blew that agreement, and thankfully Teri eventually left me voicemail to fill me in.

Her and Lorelei attended the annual St. Joseph East Hospital Maternity Fair. And it turns out that we won the GRAND PRIZE raffle drawing of the day! 22 businesses made a donation to this prize, that still leaves Teri & I both in awe. What a shock this was for us! Just a few days ago we were finalizing lists of the things we need before our newest addition to the family comes in August. And now POOF!, we have what we need & more. So unexpected! So appreciated! So much joy and relief! Ellis is already one blessed little boy.

Next came a very big part of the day. Our 4 yr old daughter, Lorelei, had her very first Dance Recital. I'm going to be brutually honest with you..... she was a ROCK STAR!!!! It was a proud moment for us and my parents who witnessed Lorelei share this God-given talent with us and everyone else in Transy's Haggin Auditorium. Lorelei knew the entire routine, and was super-cute while executing the dance routine. I defintely had the proud-daddy grin on all evening, despite that fact that I somehow managed to lock my parents keys in their car & in the ignition. WHO DOES THAT ANYWAY?

What a day this was. In the evening, despite being exhausted - I honestly didn't want it to end. So what did we do? On our way home we decided to buy a Powerball Lottery Ticket. (MY FIRST!) And guess what.... WE WON! A mind-boggling SEVEN DOLLARS!!!!

"How do you like them apples?" ~ line from my favorite movie, Good Will Hunting.

A day that began with me playing marimba for a room of loving mothers and Teri winning a bunch of baby/pregnancy gear, ended with a day of proud parents deciding to play the lottery for the first time. AWESOME! What a day of blessings...


MUSICAL SUGGESTION - "Blessings" by Laura Story

"The Fridays"

Have you ever had a case of "The Fridays"?  I'm going to go out-on-a-limb and say that my Fridays tend to be a little different than most people who work a Mon-Fri job.  Fridays for me are long & stressful!  Now don't assume where I'm going with this - I love my job!  I work for a great company and I am fortunate to have a wonderful boss.  Fridays are just the one day of the week where things get really crazy. Weekly deadlines to meet. Preparations for the next week. Conference Calls. And keeping 50+ part-time employees in the loop & on task by composing a weekly email newsletter. Sometimes I'll even use Thursday night as a way to get a head-start on Friday, which is unfortunately why I missed a bunch of church choir rehearsals this year. I never seem to get everything on my To-Do List completed on Fridays.

Tonight, on this Friday evening, I've seriously starting to ponder how I might make next Friday better. Maybe I need to prepare earlier in the week? Or should I find something to do mid-day to ease the stress of a typical Friday workload? Who knows what I'll come up with! It's on my To-Do list for Monday. There is no doubt that Friday has worn me down recently. And today you won't hear me saying TGIF because its a Friday. Instead, I will use the acronym (that reminds many of us of Steve Urkel) because tomorrow will be Saturday! And everything will be fine!



MUSICAL SUGGESTION: "Details in the Fabric" by Jason Mraz

(I just discovered this song a couple of weeks ago on what was a stressful Friday where I decided to enjoy some music on the ole' Ipod most of the day. It's defintely a song that can touch everyone in some way or another. I listened to it a handful of times today to get through this Friday, and am better for it. It's quickly moved me in multiple ways, and I hope it reaches you as well. Enjoy and "go your own way!")

I Woke Up This Morning...

I Woke Up This Morning a few minutes after 7:00am and made the short 10 foot walk to my home office.  Typically on Monday mornings, I will fire up the computer and before I start working, I'll take a quick glance at Facebook to see what's new with my "799" friends.  Then I quickly checkout the Kentucky Sports Radio blog (which I'm addicted to!) and make sure there isn't any crazy news from overnight with my beloved Kentucky Wildcats basketball & football teams.

Well...today was a little different. I'm not quite sure what inspired it, but I decided today was the day I needed to start writing a blog on a regular basis.  Did you know that there are websites that tell you the Do's & Don'ts of naming (let alone writing!) a blog?  I eagerly waited for this work day to end so I could start designing & writing on this crazy new adventure.

Life is busy. But my goal to start things out is to make a post 2 days a week.  If you are reading this right now, do you think you can handle that?  Lately, I've felt like I have a lot to say. And for those of you who know me well, probably know I don't keep things inside much.  I usually tell my closest friends WAY more than they probably want to know.  I like sharing stories about my life & usually won't think twice about sharing various thoughts I have on things. So I think this blog is going to be perfect for me.  I can not quite put my finger on what pushed me to take this leap today, but I'm really looking forward to it.

You'll probably ready a bunch of stories about my family.  With Teri & I having a 4 year old daughter & a newborn son coming this August, my family is obviously at the center of my life.  You can also count on seeing posts down the road that talk about my faith, my beliefs, and my wonderful church.  There is no doubt that family & the church define who I am today.  The third item I plan to include on a regular basis is a frequent tidbit about music. God put me on earth to share my faith & my talents through music, and so I am thinking about expressing that God-given gift within just about every post.  You might read some lyrics to a song that touched my heart.  Or hear a song via YouTube that I think is worth your time to check out. You should also know that I've always got a song in my head, and I may just post a link on the bottom of something I've written to make you suffer through a day of it instilled in your head also.  We'll see.....

To all you crazy people still reading this rant - I feel blessed to know it's worth your time.


MUSICAL SUGGESTION:  "I WOKE UP THIS MORNIN'"
This was the best recording I could find online!