Marriage

Hey guys,

I know it has been awhile since I blogged but I only blog when I am inspired by something. Also, I have been working like an animal. I clocked 65.5 hours last week. Trying to make as much money as possible so that we will have enough for Kellie to stop working when we have our next child.

I wanted to talk about Marriage. Last Sat me and Kellie went to Kellie's grandparents 58th wedding anniversary. Yeah you read that right, 58th. That is truly amazing.

I hope to live that long, let alone be married to Kellie that long! In this day and age of cheating and people getting divorced left and right...it was truly refreshing to see them married for that long and so happy together. Her Grandmother is the gentlest, sweetest, woman I have ever met. She welcomed me with open arms into their family and they were one of the few people who came to the hospital to help welcome Madison into this world. I never knew my Grandparents and I am glad Madison got to meet hers and her Great Grandparents.

Me and Kellie have been threw so much I can't imagine not having her as my wife. I hope everyone reading this finds someone they want to spend 58 years together with! I know I did! My parents have been married for over 30 years and I can't wait to be together with Kellie that long! I hope she still loves me when I am older and fat and wrinkly!

So no matter what, if you are having a tough time, just lean on your significant other and show them the love they deserve for being there for you. Don't forget to tell them everyday you love them and are happy to be with them! Being there is most important!

I am glad that I told Maddie everyday I loved her and was there every morning kissing her and always there for her when she needed to be held. You never know what life will throw at you but if you have that special person to lean on, you can't loose!!

What a day!!

Hey everyone,

I thought I would say a little something after my crazy day yesterday. It was very stressful but I was able to get through it.

I had to fire a guy I have worked with for 2 years and it was not very easy. The guy was a hard worker and usually meant well. The main problem was he always made dumb decisions. Sometimes certain people, no matter how hard you try, just can't get their $hit together.

This guy was over 30 years old, no drivers license, 3 kids, not married, in and out of relationships. It is just sad sometimes. I gave him my old cell phone so I could get a hold of him at work. And no matter how much you try and help him, he just kept screwing things up.

So I had to let him go. Time to move on. That was the first time I ever fired anyone. Then yesterday my wife Kellie had a small procedure done that I was worried about. And to top it all off yesterday was our 2 year anniversary as a married couple!! Whew what a whirlwind of a day.

So yeah crazy start to this week!! Hope all is well and lets kick butt this week!!

Hloidays Suck

This is what a Happy Holiday
looks like


It has been awhile since I posted and for good reason. I always try to have a lesson learned or a good spin on something before I post. Today I don't.

First was Fathers Day. Fathers day was the hardest holiday I have ever had to go through because everyone kept telling me that I am such a good father and that Maddie loves me. If I am so good then why don't I have her. What did I do in my life to deserve losing my daughter. On Fathers day I felt like I was a little closer to her so it hurt that much more.

Now it is Fourth of July and once again everyone is getting together and doing things and we don't have our pride and joy. I have been trying to organize going to Splashtown or Schliterbahn waterpark this whole past week and no one was able to go with us. I told Kellie it really sucks now because when we can't get together with friends, I get angry. I like getting together with friends for many reasons but most of all because it helps me forget for a little bit the pain that is in my chest every day.

It didn't matter when we had Maddie with us when we were unable to hang out with friends because she was the only thing that mattered then. I never wanted to be away from Maddie or Kellie and I still don't. That is why it hurts so terribly bad because I can never be close to my daughter again.

So for now I hate holidays. I hate not being busy. I can't just relax anymore. My mind is always racing. I want to scream and cry...I want to understand. Some days are better than others but today sucks.

I want to apologize to my wife Kellie because most of the time when I am feeling down about Maddie I don't talk to her. I am a typical "guy" and I hold it in. I tell myself to man up and move on with the day. I am sorry honey if I have made it tough on you. I love you with all my heart and can not believe that this happened to us. I am glad that god gave me you to help me deal with this situation.

God Bless
~James

Determination

Hey guys!

Today I want to talk about determination. We are so very busy at work that it is crazy. First, to give you a little rundown of the operation, I manage a production shop that produces insulation for commercial businesses. Basically we make giant foam blocks of insulation. We are one of the few companies in the world that produces this type of insulation.

Anyway back to the morale of the day. So my Father in Law has a friend who helps him out on occasion with odd jobs. We are really slammed at work so he called this guy to ask him if he could come help us out. Now I had seen this guy once before when I first started working at the shop but never really talked to him.

So he shows up today and get this, his name is Ozzie Osbourne. Now that alone is funny but all jokes aside, this guy worked hard. He had all these lumps on his face, neck, and arms and he told me he was helping a bee/pest remover the day before and was stung by Africanized bees. Also in the mix, they had to remove poison ivy to get to the bee hive. Now either this guy is a good liar or one hell of a worker.

Our shop is outside, no A/C, and all manual labor. Now this is no problem for a young stud like me...LOL but I asked how old Mr. Ozzie was and he said he will be turning 72 next month. LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN. 72!!!! Now I don't know what has this guy so determined in life but we can all take a lesson.

I am determined to be a great husband, a great father, and all around a good person! We should think about what inspires us and remember to keep those goals in mind! Every now and then we may get off track a little, but don't loose sight of what is most important to you! Take a lesson from Ozzie Osbourne! If he can work in 105 degree heat at 72, we can all push a little harder to accomplish our goals!

Hope all is well!!

~James
Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Jamesstaats125
Just posted a review of Monday Night Raw

You tube

Hey everyone,

So I set up a You Tube channel today and I am thinking about reviewing things online or maybe just talking some trash every now and again. One thing I am really good at is talking trash so it may get interesting.

One of the guys I love to follow on You Tube is Phillip Defranco. He post little 4 min videos every couple of days talking about current events and news. I don't really get into all that but I might talk cars, sports, video games, professional wrestling, all the nerdy things I am into.

So here is a link to my channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Jamesstaats125. Hope to see many followers there! And hope everyone is getting along great!!

~James

Friends

Today one of our good friends Catherine is having her second child! She is having a little boy named Chase and me and Kellie are very excited for her!

She has been such a great friend to us. She was at the hospital when we found out about Maddie. She was by our side through the whole funeral process. She was there to calm me down when I wanted to go burn the babysitters house down. She is 100% a true friend.

Friends like that are very hard to come by. People rarely want to put in the extra effort to be there for somebody. It is one thing to say hi on Facebook or even call someone every now and then, but there are few people that go out of their way to show they care.

Thanks so much Catherine! You have helped me and Kellie more than you know! We will always be there for you if you need anything. We can't wait to meet Chase!

~James

Purpose

Hey Guys,

I know it has been awhile. But today I want to talk about purpose. One of the things I enjoyed most about having Madison was the feeling of purpose in my life. Yeah the getting up early to feed her was hard. But I never once complained.

Every sat morning was my morning to let Kellie sleep in and I would get up, feed Maddie, and play with her until Momma woke up. She would always wake up about 30 minutes after me because she hated to miss anything even if me and Maddie were just watching TV, or playing on the computer, Kellie was right there by our sides.

I find it very hard to find a purpose in my life now that Maddie is gone. I know that I want to be the best Husband and Best father to my future children I can be. But sometimes I just feel like my whole reason for getting up is gone when I wake and realize it is another day without my baby girl.

I used to count the minutes until I got off work so I could get home and see my Maddiebug and spend time with her and Kellie. Most of the time Kellie would meet me in the driveway with Maddie and give me a big hug even though I was sweaty and stinky from work. I loved those moments and will cherish them forever.

Anyway I am at work and some of the guys that work under me walk around here like they have no purpose. Just remember, even if you are tired of your job, try not to show it. When you are walking somewhere, walk with a purpose. Show the people around you the Devil is not winning. Even if he is pulling at your insides, show the people and especially the ones you love that the devil will not win.

When it is time for raises and promotions and all that...they are going to give it to the people that have a purpose. Not someone who walks around waiting for the time to go home. Hope this helps someone out there needing a little pick me up and hope everyone has a good day!

~James

Borrowed Time

So last night Kellie came and told me that she wanted to go to church. Honestly I was dreading this whole weekend. I was planning on staying busy working on flooring our attic and getting things done around the house and trying not to think about not having our baby girl on this Easter weekend. But Kellie insisted we go to church last night so that we would not have to go on Sun with so many people and I can't thank her enough for it.

It is funny how when I am down she picks me up somehow. She didn't know that I was feeling so down because I didn't tell her, but by us going to church from her doing, she and God changed my perspective on this whole weekend.

We got to church and the message our pastor talked about was Borrowed Time. He explained that everything we have, including ourselves and our families is all Gods. It doesn't matter how many cars you have, or how big your house is, when we die it all goes back into the box. The only thing that matters in life is what you do with it to make a difference.

Even our children are Gods and he has a plan for everyone and everything. Just by letting us hold his angel for 4 short months, look at the astounding number of people she has helped through me and Kellie. There are countless numbers of people out there now that appreciate their children more and understand how important life is. We may have lost our 1 child, and it hurts bad, but she saved thousands of lives.

At the end of the service our pastor did something that I have never seen or heard of. They passed the offering bucket back around to everyone and had every person take an envelope out of it. In this envelope there was a five dollar bill. He said with this five dollar bill I want each and everyone of you to go out and make a difference. Now five dollars doesn't sound like a lot but they are giving out 11,000 five dollar bills. 55,000 dollars is going back into the community for God.

I would like to know what you guys think I should do with the money. I have a couple ideas but I would like to hear from you! I will post what I did with it and hope that I make a difference in someones life! Love you guys and remember we are all on borrowed time so make every day count!!

Inspiration

Today I want to talk about Inspiration. We all have something, or someone that inspires us at some point in our lives. When I was younger I always looked up to my Father for how hard he works and how much fun he is to be around. But I think there comes a time in all our lives when you start to feel a change or find your meaning in life.

Before the tragic passing of my Daughter, I was determined to own a 2004 Saleen Mustang. I went to the Houston Auto Show in 2003 with my Dad and saw this amazing car there. I told my Dad, "I promise you one day I will have one of these." So I went through school and started my career as a BMW technician and had a poster taped to my tool box of a 2004 Saleen Mustang so that I knew what my ultimate goal is. Well 7 long years later, I have one sitting in my garage. Guess who drove all the way to pick it up in Albuquerque NM with me? My Dad!

The guy I bought the car from was a nice guy who shared the love for Mustangs that I do and took really good care of it. I could tell right away that he appreciated the nice things in life and didn't take them for granted. I didn't know why because he never told me, but I could tell that he had a positive outlook on life for some reason. Well today, I read on Facebook, that he posted people ask him why he is so positive all the time and you know what he said? Because when he was 16 his leg kept hurting for awhile and eventually he was diagnosed with a tumor in his leg. After months of rehab and learning how to be active again, he learned to never take things for granted. He was inspired to look at every day as a gift and now runs a mile in under 4:30.

I realized that Madison Paige Staats is that cause for me and Kellie to be inspired. I thought all day that I could not wait to get home and write this blog. I never wanted something so bad as that Saleen Mustang, and now I realize that I want to be a Daddy more. I have only had that car for about 2 months now....(got it about 3 weeks before Madison left us) but I would gladly trade it to have her back. She has inspired me to be the Daddy I was ment to be. She has opened my eyes to see what is really important in life. She has inspired Kellie to do Photography and explore her creative side. She has inspired my sister, who moved away from our family 10 years ago to move back to Houston to be with the family. She has brought so much joy and love to our family. She has inspired countless people to contact us and give us support.

I got a text today from a friend named Chris who is in the same club as me. His beautiful baby girl passed away from SIDS and he texted me today just to ask how I was doing. Through our conversation he told me that I inspire him. WOW. What a compliment. If i can inspire him to keep going another day than that is all I could ask for. Chris we have never met but you and me share a bond that I hope no other Father has to endure. I love you man and wish I could give you a big hug brother.

Thanks again for hearing me out today and for all the inspirational comments I have been getting. Thanks to my wonderful wife for encouraging me to do this so that I can help people who are in need of a fathers perspective. I love you all and hope you keep your inspiration close to you. I know I will!!!

Madison Paige Staats

So I made a blog a very very long time ago to try and drum up some business in the Automotive field, particularly BMW. I was working at Adams Automotive and not getting much work so I thought I would make a blog and try to get some people that way. I never followed through with it and so much has changed since then.

Me and my wonderful wife Kellie had the most amazing thing happen to us. We got pregnant. I still remember the day she told me like it was yesterday. We were full of excitement and joy! Then a few months later we found out it was a girl and my heart melted! I was a tuff guy who works out all the time and works on cars all day and now was going to have this wonderful baby girl to come home to!!

She was born on October 14th 2010 and was the most precious thing I have ever laid my eyes on. She had a red tint to her hair. We always joked we would get a red head because my father has red hair. I fell so deeply in love as soon as I met her! We named her Madison Paige!! Everything was set up so perfect for us to have the perfect family!!

On February 17th 2011 I got the worst phone call of my life. My wonderful baby girl wasn't breathing. Immediately I began to pray and beg God to take care of my baby girl. I couldn't breathe. My knees were weak.. As I type this my heart is pounding reliving this horrible moment in my life. I got to the hospital and my wife told me the news. She is gone is all she could manage to say....... My life changed forever.

It has been 9 weeks as of tomorrow since she got her angel wings and we could not miss her more. We hate being in this club. They tell us she died from SIDS which stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. I didn't really know what that was until this happened to us. I don't know why God took her away from us but the only way I can deal with it is telling myself he is saving her from something much worse in the future.

I am glad I got to spend 4 amazing months with one of Gods angels and the only thing I could ever want is to have her back. I wear a dog tag with her on it and am thinking of getting a tattoo of her on my chest on my Heart. She will always be with me and I am glad I kissed her every day before I went to work and told her I loved her!

The title for my blog is "The best is yet to come" and I still believe that, but it is really hard to think of what could top holding that precious angel in my arms again. I want to thank all of the people who have helped me and Kellie through this. Meg, Michelle and Derek, Catherine, My Mom and Dad, Kellie's Mom and Dad, Travis, Brad, Lisa and Chris, there are so many!! There have been numerous people reach out to us through Kellie's blog with encouraging comments!

To all of you thank you so much. The whole can never be filled in our hearts but having friends like you helps it heal a little. I had to get this all out so thank you for reading it. Love you and think about you everyday Maddiebug!!!!

Love,
James

BMW Master Technician Looking For Work

Hey Everyone,
Name Is James and I am a fully trained BMW Technician looking for some work in Houston Texas. If you have a BMW and need some service or have a problem, email me at Jamesstaats125@yahoo.com or come see me at Adams Automotive on I-10 and Blalock. Thanks so much!!