Saturday, December 13, 2008

How I met the love of my life

At about 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 19, 2005, I was called into to the office of Kent Austin, the offensive coordinator of the Toronto Argonauts. He was sitting across his desk and he was looking at some game film from the night before's preseason game of the Hamilton TigerCats and the Toronto Argonauts. He pushed rewind and watched a clip -

"Charlie, how on earth did you make this throw?" - the film clip showed me side-stepping a defensive end and keeping my eyes downfield on one of our fastest receivers - RJ Sowards. RJ was well covered and I threw it in the one place RJ could make the catch away from the defender. It was a magical moment of precision.

I was caught off guard by the question and responded - "Coach - I just got lucky I guess."

With that Coach Austin clicked "off" on the remote control and TV and asked me to have a seat across from his desk.

"Charlie - that wasn't luck. You had an incredible training camp. No one here at the beginning, including myself, expected you to make this football team. You've impressed me with your accuracy, toughness and ability to make plays."

I didn't expect to hear any of those things come from Coach Austin's mouth. He had berated me many times in practice. He got noticeably angry when I made a poor decision or threw the ball to the wrong receiver. It was awkward delight to hear him pay me some hard earned compliments. Then came the highest words of praise:

"Charlie - you made the team."

I was awestruck! I had worked many years and torn myself to shreds asking myself questions like, "Am I good enough?" and "Can I compete?" and "What if I fail?" - all those questions of self doubt - and fear - were gone! Wiped out with 5 simple words. "Charlie - you made the team."

I was so excited! Ecstatic! Who should I tell first? Josh would be really excited for me. So would Paul. Heck - my whole family would. But all I could think about was a beautiful brunette who caught me completely off guard at a team social a few days earlier.

On Wednesday, June 8, 2005, I was at David Cynnamon's house attending a Toronto Argonauts team party. It was weird - I was attending a party for a team that won the CFL Grey Cup (comparable to the USA's Super Bowl) a year earlier. Heck, at that point in time, I was nervous because there was a chance, a very real chance, that I would be packing my bags in a few days and heading home. What was I doing at a party like this?

The house was beautiful. Marble stone and a swimming pool sparkled as the sun was slowly going down. I was walking past a server offering hors dourves with one of the team video managers. Raising my eyes towards the swimming pool - I stopped. There on the other side of the swimming pool was a cherubic blonde haired smiling face, "she seems nice" I thought. Then my eyes drifted to someone standing next to her - and I had a moment of absolute bewilderment.

Slowly, I began to come to my senses and focus more and more on this gorgeous woman. She was wearing a fitting yellow top and a flowing white skirt - perfect for the summer time. Her auburn brown hair dropped just past her shoulders and as I stared further, I felt a small clump of air get caught in my throat.

"Charlie, what are you looking at?"

Then my buddy looked over and immediately understood. We chose to walk over towards them.

As we moved closer to the 2 ladies, my heart rate started to increase. I could feel myself becoming tense and nervous. "What was I going to say to them? Who would I speak to first? How should I introduce myself? What will they be thinking?"

And then there we were. The moment of truth.

I looked at the blonde first. She was cordial and smiled as we introduced ourselves. I said, "Hi, my name's Charlie" and glanced at the mystery woman standing next to her. She glanced back.

Her eyes were sparkling green and vibrant. Her lips were full and tender. She looked like an angel. Or a goddess. Or a temptress. Or a Cosmopolitan magazine model. Oh heck, how can I really describe her? She was different. Beautifully different. Different than anyone I'd ever seen and she instantly, with that glance, made me feel anxious to learn everything about her.

The blonde extended her hand, "Hi, my name's Candace and this is Danielle." My eyes moved from Candace's smiling face immediately to the mystery woman. "Danielle" - I thought. I like the sound of that name. Danielle smiled as we made longer eye contact. I just stood there - gawking.

After a few awkward seconds Candace began to speak and the tension was broken. I looked back at Candace and listened to her make small talk. Then my friend chirped in. Then I chirped in. Then Danielle chirped in. Next thing you know, we're all talking and learning new things about one another. We stood and talked for over 10 minutes.

Socially, I was there and smiling. My mind, however, was in another atmosphere. "Danielle" - I repeated the name over and over. I felt like a kid in a candy store. All the elation and excitement of the moment was overwhelming. Her eyes were mesmerizing. She made me feel like I had to know more of her.

I was Pepe Lepeu!



When the 10 minutes of small talk was over, Danielle and Candace left the scene. They headed over to the dance floor and set their sights on the other 300+ people at the party. The night went on.

It was weird. After that moment and that discussion, Pepe Lepeu never really left me. I found myself wanting to know more and more of the mysterious Danielle.

"What does she like? What's her favorite food? What are her ambitions? Does she work? What keeps her interest? What gives her a sense of feeling vibrant and alive?" - I thought to myself.

Then, the questions switched.....

"Did she think I was attractive? Did she notice me choking up with nervousness when we spoke? Did I look and act like a complete and utter idiot? What was her impression of me?"

7 o'clock went by. More people to mingle with.

8 o'clock gone. Talked with a few players about practice tomorrow.

9 o'clock. Crap! The party is nearing the end.

For those 3 hours, all I wanted to do was get to know Danielle better. I didn't care about the swimsuit girl sitting on the desert table with the chocolate covered strawberries served fresh off her body. LOL. I didn't care about how incredible the Grey Cup rings were. I didn't care about riding in the back of J Fred's hot and humid car on the way back from the party. All I cared about was Danielle.... and more focused... learning about Danielle's thought's and desires.

9:30 - Time to buck up Charlie. Walk over to her and ask her to go for a walk with you. If you don't, you'll regret it the rest of your life.

9:31 p.m. - You chicken crap! Just go ask her to go for a little walk with you! What's the harm in that?

9:34 p.m. - Oh my gosh. That was close. You almost spilled that cranberry juice all over your shirt. What's the matter with you?!

Finally, my chance came. Danielle was standing with friends over at a drink table. She was not focused on a conversation with another person and I had a chance to to touch her on the elbow and say,"Do you want to go for a walk?"

Gratefully, she accepted.

We moved away from the backyard, away from the people at the party, away from the swimming pool and approached the street.

I don't know who was more nervous because when we were about to walk thru the neighborhood, Danielle somehow managed to drop a shining diamond bracelet. After 4 or 5 steps of solitude, she was in a panic. "My diamond bracelet - I lost it!"

Ah heck. Just my luck. She's not interested. She's found the perfect escape.

I did the same thing any natural human being would do at that time, I put my eyes to the ground and looked all over for a bracelet. We retread our footsteps. For 5 minutes we looked for that stinkin' bracelet. Danielle would fidget and whisper, "I can't believe I lost my bracelet."

Those 5 minutes of looking for that bracelet were dreadful to me. All I wanted to do was get Danielle away from all the distractions so I could talk - one on one - with her. When Danielle reached down and said, "Ah, here it is." Instantly, I felt a strong sense of relief.

That night, that walk, that moment in time. I can remember it vividly. It was the best moment of my life.

The rest is history.....


Tuesday, December 2, 2008

100 reasons for a million bucks....

So I’ve been kicking it on Twitter lately and I ran across a beautiful Twitter named “Lourdes” Lourdes from Canada. She has challenged me to write a blog about 100 reasons why I want a million dollars.

I’ve never been one to turn away from a challenge - so here goes!

#100 - Goodbye Student Loan Debt

#99 - See you later Credit Card Debt

#98 - Hasta Luego car payments

#97 - Hello New Home

#96- Sayonara “wishful thinking”

#95- Hello monthly excursions to Lake Powell

#94- Congratulations college fund for kids

#93- Yes sirree to financial security for nervous fiance

#92- Loving the free time to “not worry”

#91- Opportunity to promote Ron Paul education at a higher level

#90 - When little brother asks for $20, I say, “Here, have $100.”

#89 - When I see “Santa” ringing the bell in front of the grocery store I can give $100 rather than a measly $1.

#88 - Car needs oil change? No need to procrastinate - in fact, go buy a new car.

#87 - Surprise sister-in-law with a 3 day “getaway” vacation for her and her hubby - and she doesn’t have to worry about her kids because I’m not working an I can take care of them. :)

#86 - So, you want an extra 12 bags of peanut M&M’s? No problem.

#85 - Tahiti anyone?

#84 - Fiji? Bula Vinaka!

#83- France on a romantic getaway? Bon Appetit.

#82 - Goodbye working for someone else. Set up a $100,000 FOREX trading account and watch me kick all the “professional stockbrokers” butts!

#81 - Want to set up a HALO 1 tournament and play for 3 straight days? Yeah - me too.

#80 - How would you like to fly to the National Championship game for college football?

#79 - Super Bowl for 2?

#78 - Think you could use a 1 month honeymoon?

#77 - Ha! Time to go get that “dream house” - and pay cash? Rock n’ Roll!

#76 - Promote “Freedom is Popular” at a higher level.

#75 - New uniforms for the Wasatch Revolution - I’ll sponsor!

#74 - Want to help Gordon’s Power Wash get off the ground? Here’s $25,000 for a marketing campaign.

#73 - Ever heard of the “chuckypita” scholarship fund?

#72 - How cool would it be to pay off my brother’s mortgages - ANONYMOUSLY. ??

#71 - You saw that Acura TL - what color - white? It’s yours honey.

#70 - So your mom wants to come and visit us more often? How would she like to live with us full time in the guest house?

#69 - Hello 2 year old daughter - you want that barbie doll? Yes. You want that pink dress? Yes. You want that lollipop? Grab 3.

#68 - Ever been on a cruise?

#67 - How cool would it be to say to the beggar on the street - “Hey, you know, I have $100 I can give you. But that won’t take you very far. Why don’t we spend some time together so we can get to the ROOT of the problem?” - Take the necessary time and FIX the problem! That would be AWESOME.

#66 - “Hey boss” - You mean I AM THE BOSS? Sweet.

#65 - Hello Bishop. Oh really? The Jane Doe’s need some help with Christmas this year? Here, let me donate $5,000. Will that help?

#64 - Mary Kay at Make A Wish foundation wants to go where? How can I help? $10,000? No problem!

#63 - Chuckypita University - “Where freedom rings” - Oooooh. I like that!

#62 - Man, those LeBron James sneakers fit nice.

#61 - Well hello Bill Gates Jr. That’s a great business plan! You bet I’ll invest $25,000 to get it off the ground. I have faith in you and your company.

#60 - Hello Christmas tree man. Here’s $300 - get that family right there whatever Christmas tree they want. Make sure it’s anonymous.

#59 - Hey little sister - how much is left on your mortgage? $95,000 - hmmmmmm.

#58 - Trust fund. With a $1,000,000? That will keep $ in my family FOREVER? Where do I sign?

#57 - You mean to tell me that with this $25,000 I can open up 3 orphanages to help educate impoverished children around the world and give them a future of hope and prosperity?

#56 - Tis’ the season to be jolly. Can you spare $100?

#55 - Your fiance’ wants a “dream home” and a “dream car” and a “dream diamond necklace” ? Bling bling cha ching!

#54 - Really? A minority share in a professional football team? Can I help with the personnel and scouting?

#53 - Brigham Young University wants $1,000 for their alumni fund. Pffft - here’s a check.

#52 - That job you don’t want. Yeah, that one. QUIT!!!!

#51 - You want to play pick-up basketball in the middle of a Tuesday work day? Go for it!

#50 - Guitar lessons? Banjo? Really? I never knew you wanted to play an instrument.

#49 - Surprise your fiance. With a “round the world” sailing excursion? Nice.

#48 - Your car needs gas. Yes - you can drive it right now to go get some.

#47 - Remember when you saw your Dad admiring that Winchester shotgun?

#46 - Remember when your Mom asked you, “Hey, when are we going to Fiji?”

#45 - Remember when your brother asked you, “Bro. I’m hurting. Can you help me?”

#44 - Remember when your fiance’ said on the telephone, “Babe. My back is so sore. My feet hurt. My body is tired.” - Now you can get on a plane and be there!

#43 - You want to shoot for a Ph.D. in Education? Really?

#42 - Remember when Dave laughed at you for “botching” that sales position? How would you like to buy his company?

#41 - Give said the little stream. Give o Give. And your ability to give just multiplied by 1,000,000!

#40 - You lost how much money at the craps table in Las Vegas? $10,000? You can bounce back.

#39 - Your nephew loves Star Wars. Hmmmmm - that Yoda costume for Halloween is looking pretty cool.

#38 - Buddy has $18,783 in student loans? He’s feeling overwhelmed? He’s working on his college degree? He can’t find a job? Maybe THIS will help. (Give em’ $50,000) - OH THAT WOULD BE SO SWEET!

#37 - Really? He can’t afford a pair of sneakers for his basketball playing son? Give this $500 to the booster club president and tell them to have a new pair in his locker tomorrow.

#36 - Work? Ha! Never heard of it. :)

#35 - Trying to fit a square peg into the round corporate world hole? BE your own corporation. Heck, you can live off the interest of the $1,000,000!

#34 - How cool would it be to visit Fiji and invest in a self sufficient village?

#33 - This is a token of my appreciation. Thank you for your wonderful dedication and hard work in teaching my child. Hand $1,000 to my child’s public school teacher. How sweet would that be? Surprise surprise!

#32 - That Michael Jordan rookie card is pretty dang cool. Want it?

#31 - Really FATHEAD? You’ll make a custom FATHEAD of me for $5,000 that I can customize and put in my ego filled theater room? Sweet!

#30 - The church wants a donation for the perpetual education fund.

#29 - Girl Scout cookies? Mmmmm…. I love those Samoa kind. Give me 20 boxes!

#28 - Hi princess. You don’t want to go to work today? Don’t go. You don’t HAVE to. We can afford to have you stay home.

#27 - Hey Mom. Remember all those haircuts that you gave me and you said, “One of these days it will all come back.” - It’s back! Let’s go to Fiji!

#26 - Houseboat? Lake Powell? 2 weeks? You already cleared it with ALL our bosses? YES!

#25 - Hey Josh, let’s go watch a Pittsburgh Steelers home game.

#24 - Want to go pick up Jake in Guayaquil, Ecuador? FO’ SHO!

#23 - What do you do for a living? “Oh - I’m an entrepreneurial millionaire that creates jobs for thousands of others.” - OMG. That’s the dream!

#22 - Dreyer’s Rocky Road Ice Cream. At your disposal sir.

#21 - Want to be on an advisory board that is “the fly on the wall” during the hiring process for college football coaches?

#20 - Ever thought of parasailing?

#19 - Really sweetheart? You love the Phantom of the Opera? I heard they’re in Moscow this weekend.

#18 - Fresh Mango. Fresh Strawberries. Fresh Kiwi. Fresh. Fresh. Fresh.

#17 - Really? You think you can turn this into $5,000,000? No way!

#16 - Hello “The Pie” pizzeria with 38 toppings.

#15 - Babe. Hey, we don’t have to worry about money anymore. It’s okay.

#14 - So, you think you can dance like Warren Sapp? Better get some lessons.

#13 - A one week mountain excursion? In God’s country?

#12 - More ponder time? With thoughts of, “How can I give?” rather than “Oh crap, I have to pay for this?” - How can you put a price tag on that?

#11 - That new Porsche Cayenne SUV - it’s mine? “It’s yours sweetheart.”

#10 - You want your home games to be played in the new Salt Lake Real stadium - and you think you can turn a profit? With THAT business model? Put your money where your mouth is. “Will $1,000,000 dollars work?” - I’d love to see the jaw drop!

#9 - Really Golden? That house is $400,000? The down payment is going to be $40,000? The mortgage is going to be $2343 a month? What if I just pay for it in cash?

#8 - No officer. That thief didn’t steal my car. No, I don’t want to press charges. No, I don’t want him behind bars. That car is his. Heck, I don’t know why the window is shattered. Maybe he hit it with a crowbar in a fit of rage. Maybe that rage has subsided. Maybe he’s going to learn from this experience and go on to accomplish wonderful things for others. In fact, there’s no maybe about it. He will - right Robber Bob?

#7 - Yes you can have that. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. YES!

#6 - Babe. Did I tell you how much I love you today? Here - let me show you. (Boss calls the house and demands she take the work day off - you present all day spa excursion.)

#5 - You mean to tell me that I don’t have to eat another snack of Top Ramen noodles… ever?

#4 - Oh wow. This past month of sleeping in until 8:30 a.m. has been wonderful. My body feels so refreshed from the rest.

#3 - C’mon. Get serious. I’m being awarded the “Investor of the Year” award for helping common folk have self sufficient homes that don’t pay utility companies ungodly sums of money? All from that measly $500,000 capital investment that turned a small company into a multi-billion dollar industry? For the love!

#2 - Sweetheart. I love you. No. I really love you. I am at your disposal for 1 month. 24/7. Now, if you can handle me here all that time - great. If you want to kick me out for hours at a time, that’s fine too. But, I’m here. I’m here for you. Right now. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Tend the babies so you can go shop? No problem. Paint the fence? Only for you baby! Mow the lawn? Piece of cake. Dishes? Vacuum? Laundry? I’m happy to oblige. With all the money we have, we can have all the TIME we want! Your wish is my command.

#1 - Breathe. A big deep breath of fresh mountain air with a sense of peace, serenity and calm. All is right in the world. The almighty dollar is conquered. It’s yours. You have it. No one can take it away from you. You don’t have to perform another task or do another duty to put food on the table. You can breathe. In and out. Exhale. Feel the love. Now - go share it.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Trophies, Trophies and more Trophies.....

I had to have a little laugh and post some trophies on my blog - www.goldentouchinsurance.com

Also - I'm starting a new team in the RMFL - www.wasatchrevolution.com

Life is so so so good.

Friday, July 25, 2008

24th of July - Can someone say "WAKEBOARD?"


I love vacations.


Love em'.


Need em'.


Want more of em'.


The best way is to get out on the water and have the time of you life.


Who wants to come next time?

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Dang it - Help me!!!

Okay all you bloggers that sent me messages - Holly Peterson (My Cousin), Don & Susan Brady, Mary, Jennie -

AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

How the heck do I respond back to the comments you put? Isn't there some way to personally send a comment back to the person who commented to you?

This is why BLOGGING is frustrating!

Jennie, congratulations on the most precious newborn ever. Buddy - you are THE MAN! Straight up playa!

Championship Game vs. Cache Valley Bears on Saturday night. You can find the league's leading passer at www.rockymountainfootball.com or www.utahwolverines.org

Ben referred to it as the "prisoner league" - as soon as he said that I thought, "What's more entertaining than Adam Sandler's prison football movie 'The Longest Yard'???" Exactly, nothing, so get your bums in the stands at Juan Diego HS this Saturday night, June 28th at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Me and Eph are working on a new website -

Well Well Well -

Welcome to the crazy internet world. BLOG huh? Where have I been for the past decade?

Me and Ephraim are starting a new website.... www.goldentouchinsurance.com I figure, "Heck, I can get access to any insurance carrier in the world - so why not go with an insurance agent who's not a geek?" (I know what you're saying right now Jennie and Jamie! :) LOL

I've been doing lots of crazy things lately..... I play football in the Rocky Mountain Football League - ahem, league leader. (www.rockymountainfootball.com) for the Utah Wolverines - www.utahwolverines.org

Sam, Josh, Jessica, Mary, Mom & Dad have all been to one of my games, guess they're the only ones that love me? Championship this Saturday until playoffs. 7 p.m. prime time .... lol ... you can see all the games at home on Comcast High Demand by the way.

Okay, so that's where I am... Oh - did I mention that I am going to Toronto for 10 days? June 7th - 17th..... ALL ABOARD!!!

I love and miss you all. Got any suggestions to generate traffic to my website and gain more clients so I don't have to cold call so much?

One of my newest clients is the Bugnappers, and Artisan Landscape..... I love to help clients, so if you need these services use these guys! Ben - Jeremy Lott could do a great job with your landscaping! http://www.artisanlol.com/

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Catching up with the Peterson's....

Howdy Doo Family Poo.....

I figure that Jennie has so much fun with her blogs that I might as well check in to this family "right of passage" and let ya'll know what's going on in Chucky Cheese's life.

Here's basically how my life is working right now.