17 Things NOT To Do At An Event

I wish that I would have written this great post - 17 Things NOT To Do At An Event. 

But alas,  it was written by Michael Broome - a motivational speaker with Premiere Speakers Bureau.  There's a LOT of truth in this humorous, dead-on article.

AEP's Read & Learn!

Halloween Fun

The AEP is finally back in town, back in the saddle and will post some fun stuff over the next few days.

We are getting ready for Halloween at our house, having fun with some costumes.  Here are some of my favorite costume shots.

Where it all began for the AEP

Today is my dad's Birthday.  Eugene Hassell turns 80 years old.  

Born in 1928, he grew up poor in rural Kimbrell, Alabama. His dad (James Cleon) was a WWI verteran.  One of the "Fighting Wildcats" (but I'm not sure of any details other than that.) His mom (Myrtle Iva-lou) was of Irish descent from the clan of McDougal.  His grandpa - my great-grandpa lived to be 107 years old.

My dad worked hard all his life.  He still does today.  He's currently restoring his 1952 Ford Crown Victoria.  It was the first new car he ever bought.  And - he still owns it!

Dad taught me the value of a job done well.  Especially if it was for someone else.  He taught me to stick with it - even when you wanted to quit.  He toughed out 35 years of hard work as a steel worker, AND 35 years working in the National Guard before retiring from both.

Dad was in charge of supplies for the National Guard.  That means organizing and inventory of thousands of items for his unit. He is a natural organizer.  Never loses anything.  I think my organization and attention to detail came genetically thought him. I never asked him to teach me to organize.  I just watched him do it my whole life. It's certainly come in handy and been part of my success in the various jobs I've held.

I've had my moments of not understanding my dad, but I know that he loves me and I love him.

This weekend, the Hassell's are taking a road trip to Noccalula Falls State Park in Gadsden, AL to throw a little party for my dad.  After that, I'm going to spend the week with my parents at their house and do some painting for them.

Happy 80th Birthday Gene Hassell!  May you have many more!

Love from your son, David

A Word 'Bout N'awlins

The AEP is glad to be home from the N'awlins (New Orleans) mission trip.  My church sent about 60 men to help in a variety of projects.  Some helped rebuild a church, some did drywall, some worked in a community food pantry.  

I - the AEP - LAID TILE!  I spent the weekend on my knees laying tan 18" X 18" tiles for our homeowner "Kathy" (shown at the left).  

My team and I really enjoyed watching her reactions as she saw her home take a giant leap toward her living in it. I worked with my teamates: Wade Conway, Alan Pickerell, Troy Jennings, Tyler McNutt and a young dude named "Chase". We all became good buddies as we mortared, grouted, and cleaned.

I had never laid tile before - but now - HEY, if you need some tile laid, the AEP needs some work! :)

It was good to pray with Kathy and help her get a few steps closer to living back in her home. 

Let me ask if you would pray for her too.  She's been taken advantage of by a couple of contractors that owe her work for money she's paid them.  There's alot of scamming going on in New Orleans these days as folks try to hire contractors to help them rebuild.

An Event Idea I picked up while in the "Big Easy" was "SNO-BALLS".  Basically, grown-up snow cones made with shaved ice and a huge variety of flavored syrups.  Some of the more popular flavors were yellow-cake batter, chocolate mint, white chocolate chip and orange dreamscicle.  They even had some custom syrups called "batman" (orange mango), "Joker" (mixed berry), "Robin" (?) and other character-named flavors. You could also get your sno-ball with a scoop of vanilla soft-serve buried inside. It would be great fun to have these at a more informal event.  If you have a local contact for shaved ice, you could easily make this work out.

On The Road with The AEP

I will be on the road the next few days.  I'm going to New Orleans on a work/mission trip. 

I'll be with about 60 of my closest friends from my churches men's ministry.

If I run across something interesting on the trip, I'll do a brief post from my iphone.

Back early next week.

Happy event planning!