JohnCStark’s posterous

I came across this blog that had the speech Fred Thompson gave a few days following 9/11. Fred speaks from the heart and shows a deep understanding about the issues of those days. His tune hasn't changed over the years since 9/11 regarding this war our country continues to fight. If you haven't seen Fred speak or checked him out then this is a great example of the kind of statesman and leader his is. Thanks JammieWearingFool for sharing this!

QAQNA: Whether you are an anonymous cog in the gears of a giant call center or you are self-employed working in your home office, it's important to answer your phone well. By the time you finish greeting the customer, he or she has already made a judgment about you, what kind of mood you're in, and how easy you'll be to work with.

If you want to up the level and quality of your interactions with people on the telephone then you need to check out what Tom Vamder Well wrote. This simple bit of advice is so full of common since it is easy to forget. Thanks Tom for referencing this post in your blog this week. This kind of advice goes along well with the other simple bit of advice I gained from a friend here at work... always greet people with a smile. Until she took the time to explain why smiling was important (similar to this post about the reason for the same ol' greeting) and encouraging me to do it (since I wasn't), I didn't know any better. Now I do my best to always smile when meeting people (even in stores). It makes a huge difference like the simple things in life typically do. About Tom: I now read all posts from Tom Vander Well's blog QAQNA. Tom is partner and Vice-President of c wenger group, a consulting firm in Des Moines, Iowa that specializes in helping clients measure and improve customer service in their contact centers. I think he is pretty smart.

ABC News' Christine Byun reports: Fighting to stay in the GOP race, Fred Thompson pressed on with his campaign –- but will essentially forgo the next battleground of early voting: New Hampshire.

It makes a lot of sense that Fred Thompson is going to spend his time and resources where he'll be strong instead of where he is weak. All other presidential candidates do the same thing. I find it pretty amazing that most people think any candidate has unlimited funds in which to actively campaign in every state in the country. The dramatic differences in airtime costs between some media markets than others goes understated in many cases. The debates this weekend will be pivotal for all of the candidates. I'm glad Fred will there to give more Americans the chance to see him.

Tonight I emailed over a dozen friends and family members about why I'm for Fred Thompson for President and to invite them to check him out themselves. The first email I sent was simply a form letter. The letter was so well written and said things so much like I would it didn't make sense to rewrite something myself. Instead, I followed up that email with the following. I thought I'd post it here to share it with the world (or those who take a peak at this corner of it).

<Friends & Family> I just sent you a form letter from Fred08’s website. It really does speak well about my opinions about Fred, but I wanted to personally explain why I’m supporting Fred Thompson for President. Last night I caucused for Fred. It wasn’t until Wednesday night (the night before the caucus) that I really took the time to look into Fred Thompson. I was really undecided up until reading all the position papers and principles Fred outlined on his website. I’ve become somewhat of a political junky as I’ve grown older. I listen to talk radio far more than music in my car, and I try to keep up on current events around the world. Over the last year I’ve had a hard time determining which candidate for president I’d be able to support. I frankly haven’t been thrilled about any of the choices, but I also knew that shouldn’t keep me from participating in the process. Someone will be elected as President in 2008 and sitting on the sidelines and just doing nothing doesn’t sit right with me anymore. Fred Thompson may not survive the coming weeks due to the lack of any media attention, but I do feel in the depths of my heart that those who do take the time to check Fred out will be surprised. If anyone the current line up is going to be labeled “like Reagan” then Fred Thompson is the guy. Fred may not be the best communicator in sound bits and those 30 second commercials but when I sat down and listened to his 16+ minute messages to Iowans on Wednesday night (on his website www.fred08.com) I knew Fred was the kind of man I needed to support. I find it somewhat amazing that so much of my life is now spent doing the two most controversial things people can do… religion and politics. I don’t expect any of my friends or family members to be like me or even believe like me, but I do feel obligated to share with you those beliefs. What you do with them is your decision. Well, in case you haven’t read my blog in the last 24 hours, I’d ask that you check it out. www.johncstark.com. I stepped out on caucus night to do a couple things I’ve never dreamed of doing before. I’ve going to get involved more actively in politics on a local level. I’ve been looking for something to do outside of my life at work/church and this might be just the hobby (aside from reading!) that will enable me to interact with a lot of new people. Well, I’ve said enough at this point. If you care to read more you can do so at www.johncstark.com. I just might post more of my thoughts and opinions in the days to come! Feel free to join in the conversation.

If you haven't taken the time to check Fred Thompson out for President I encourage you to do so today.

Tonight I participated in my first Iowa Caucus. It was a pretty interesting experience. The first thing I noticed tonight was that the turn out was far greater than anyone expected. When pulling up to caucus and seeing a long line of head lights I knew something special was going to happen. I ended up having to park about half a mile from the school and others had to park even further. Note to the GOP and Democrats... don't have your caucus in the same location. Most schools don't have adequate parking for a lot of cars. In the future you might try and get many of the larger churches in town to open up their facilities and parking lots to host events like this. But... I'm really new to how the system works so it may not be that easy of a fix. I stood around with over 500 others (only 200 were expected) waiting for the chance to put our name in the hat for our preference in the presidential race. The whole process was fairly informal and the precinct temporary caucus chair did a great job explaining the entire process to everyone. After he explained everything, representatives from each of the candidates were given time to speak. Regretfully, no one from the Fred Thompson campaign was there to speak on his behalf.

I almost stepped forward to say something but didn't know if it would have been proper or not. Following that everyone put their name in the hat and the rest of the evening proceeded accordingly to the agenda. I'd say 80% of those who came left after putting their candidates name in the hat. I decided to hang around to see what the rest of the experience would be like and ended up stepping up to be one of the two people chosen to represent our precinct on the Polk County Republican Central Committee. Members on the committee form the backbone of the GOP volunteer force in Polk County. The term of office is two years. As a central committee member I'll be asked to serve on a subcommittee and to provide service to the party at events and for political projects. For me it will be an interesting experience and another opportunity to serve our community. I'm also going to be one of 22 people participating at the Republican County Convention on March 8! The results from the Iowa Caucus were not entirely surprising to me. I'm grateful that Fred Thompson came in third place so he'll continue his campaign to the White House. It is really amazing how little the press even mentions his name now that I'm paying more attention. The coming days will be interesting. Go Fred Go!

With the Iowa Caucuses less than a day away I finally took some time to look into the GOP candidates for president. Later today I plan on participating in the Iowa Caucuses for the first time by supporting Fred Thompson for president. Up until tonight I didn't have a clear idea of who I've be voting for until reading up on Fred Thompson. I know Fred doesn't show up high in the polls here in Iowa but in my opinion he most represents the kind of leader our country needs in the coming years. His positions on national security, immigration and social security reforms make a lot of sense and reflect the wisdom and experience of a man who knows the issues and how to address them. A big part of me wishes Fred Thompson entered the race sooner in the process. When I first started researching the candidates running for president no official position information from Senator Fred Thompson was available. I regret that I didn't seek this information out when he finally announced his intentions to run. If you happen to be undecided for how you should vote into tonight's Iowa Caucus then may I suggest you take a closer look at Fred Thompson. He posted a special 16+ minute message to Iowans which provides you more than a sound bit about the kind of man he is. After watching the message I really found myself disappointed in how Fred comes across in commercials. Regardless of how Fred Thompson does tonight I hope he perseveres and continues his candidacy.

John, I know you are a busy man, but our new photos need to be posted. I know that you will say I need to learn how to do this, so maybe it's time! Love you, Jayne

This year we became a family of FIVE! John and I are officially outnumbered. Emma Jayne entered our life at 10:49am on October 30th, 2007. After about 5 hours of labor I delivered Emma without any drugs. This is the second birth without drugs and I still can't believe that I am alive. She is a cute little girl and we think that she has daddy's chin and mommy's eyes. This could change, but she has reddish brown hair! I hope this stays! I have always wanted a girl with John's hair. I can't wait for it to grow! The first few weeks with Emma were a transition. She likes to be held and cuddled, so we had to work on getting her to calm herself to sleep. Now at 6 weeks she is sleeping all night long. She will go about 10 hours at night! I hope this lasts. She is still very little, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I had a melt down two weeks ago. John was the recipient! Sorry honey! God must have known that I needed to sleep through the night again. Thank you Lord for putting your hand on Emma. I am a happier mom now! It's so fun to have PINK in the house. I love it! A girl is fun to dress. She has two Christmas dress and has worn them every other week to church this December. She has looked so cute. Ok, I will move on. We are so blessed now to have boys and a girl. We have always wanted to have one of each. God is so good! Ean, our first born, still is in love with all the "Cars" movie diecast cars. He likes going to Wal-mart and Target to look at them. We keep collecting them and thier stocking will be full with them again this year. Physically Ean has become a little boy. He is very lean and slender. All of his baby look is gone and he looks just like his dad. Aunt Jen can't believe the similarities. He also loves his dad to death. The other day he told me that Evan and I could leave and he would stay at home with HIS dad. I am glad that he favors his dad. He needs a male figure to watch and John is a wonderful one. We are still working on being nice to our brother. They are playing better together, but we have our moments. He has become very independent. He likes to do everything for himself. Keep us in your prayers as we raise a strong willed first born. This summer he took off on his bike. We can't keep up when we take walks. He used water wings in the pool this summer. He liked being able to "swim" by himself. Evan is still our boy who loves to be hugged! He carries around his burp rag for comfort and his thumb still makes it into his mouth. Every morning he asks for "chocit juice, mommy?". Thank you dad. Chocolate milk is his favorite food. Yes, food. Physically he still has that baby/toddler look that mommy loves. He is a solid thick boy. He may be our football player! We may have an Uncle Joe in our future! Evan does follow Ean around and plays with what Ean plays with. He has become attached to a couple of "Hot-Wheels" cars, so that is different from his brother. He surprised mom and dad and at the aquatic center this summer by going down the toddler water slide all by himself. He is a little more outgoing than his brother.  As he grows it will be fun to see what he has intrest in. Right now being guided by his brother seems to take up a lot of his time. Both boys were wonderful at welcoming their new baby sister. Hugs and kisses are always being given. We hope that Emma's eyesite comes in good, because they get right in her face all the time! She is a great trooper and most of their poks and pushes don't bother her at all. The first week home Ean said, "I love my new baby sister", "Emma, I love her." Evan calls her "baby" most of the time. "mema" has come out a few times. We are also working on getting him to say "Jen". Aunt Jen has been called Grandma a few times. I don't know if she likes that! As John and I continue to both work and raise three kids, we just talked about how blessed we really are. We are very thankful for the family that the Lord has given us. We want to send everyone a Merry  Chirstmas and Happy New Year! And lets remember the ture meaning of the season. Ean's Bible Buddies verse says is best: "Today... a Savior has been born... He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11.

Our family is growing! Today was full of a lot of fun introducing Emma Jayne to her brothers, great-grandma, and a bunch of friends. She slept through most of the introductions but occasionally opened her eyes to check out the action. Many thanks go to those of you who've reached out via emails, notes, and phone calls over the last couple days. We've really enjoyed sharing these precious moments in our family with you. (I've really enjoyed Judith's comments on various photos on Flickr.) Our friends from Nashville, Josh and Julie Berry, happened to be town this week for a funeral so we were able to have a great visit with them at the hospital today. It was a lot of fun catching up with one another and sharing a lot of laughs. They get the prize for traveling the furtherest to see us at the hospital. Tomorrow will be full of new experiences for us as we'll be taking Emma home for the very first time. (Dad needs to remember to bring the car seat to the hospital!) Checking out of the hospital is always an interesting experience for us. It always takes forever! Jayne is really looking forward to dressing Emma up in PINK for the very first time. It will be first of many new firsts as we take these next steps into the future with our first daughter.

Emma Jayne Stark was born this morning! We praise God for the blessings of this new child.

The stats:

• Born: Tuesday
  October 30, 2007 10:49am
• Weight: 6 lbs 12.8 oz.
• Height: 20 inches

Everyone is heathly and doing great. A big thanks to Jennifer, my sister, who came over early this morning to watch the boys when we went to the hospital this morning. Grandma Mary and Grandma Connie are going to help us out a bunch this week as well (yeah!). We'll keep uploading photos to our Flickr account so be sure to check it out!