This is the first step in my Phoenix year. Burn to Rise is more than a phrase to me. It is a commitment to change what I have allowed to erode for far too long. Over the next twelve months, I will share my progress openly, including both the victories and the setbacks, so that this story is not hidden in a notebook but lived in the light.

On October 5, 2025, I will cast my old life into the flames. For one year, I will commit to a personal program of renewal, a deliberate burning away of what has held me back. I call this my Burn to Rise: My Phoenix Year, and its purpose is transformation.

The day started like most Tuesdays, with Sundae snoring on her back in the hallway, her paws twitching as if she were chasing rabbits in her sleep. But this Tuesday, the day after Labor Day, was different. I held up her leash and announced, “Sundae, we’re going to doggie school today!”

According to astronomy, the 2025 autumnal equinox arrives on Monday, September 22, 2025, 1:19 p.m. CT. This marks the start of Fall, but...

That experience left me with a deep sense of closure, but it also stirred a new and unexpected question. What was I supposed to do after finishing something that had long been left undone?

For many people, Shark Week is something fun for TV. For me, Shark Week is a measure of time, a signpost in my life's journey.

Imagine warm summer nights spent chasing these luminous beings through meadows and gardens, their twinkling lights guiding the way...

The spring rain had just ended, leaving behind a backyard that looked less like a lawn and more like a squishy, shimmering marshland. Raindrops clung to every blade of grass, glittering like diamonds in the early sun. Birds chirped, the air smelled like fresh earth, and puddles the size of small lakes had appeared like magic.

The doughnuts sizzled as June lowered them into the grease. This was her favorite time of day: the making. The quiet before the door started opening with faces and voices. She was up before the sun...

The day started like most Sundays, with Sundae snoring upside down on the living room rug, her legs pointed to the ceiling like furry antennae. But this Sunday was different. I jingled the car keys and announced, “Sundae, we’re going cherry picking today!”

The dog heard him coming before I did. She woke out of a deep sleep on the rug and was completely alert and whining at the door. I knew this day was coming, but I hoped...

It looked like a half-buried shell, but as she dug through the sand around its edges, she found it was something completely different, something she'd never seen before and only existed in stories. She had to be imagining—it simply could not be...

It was that fleeting hour of day when the moon and sun were high and bright at the same time.

“Into the Darkness” is a first-person shooter action-adventure RPG game with interactive cut scenes.  You play as the character...

A cutscene script for a side mission to save a fisherman from a crocodile attack while playing the game Into the Darkness.

Gruff with coarse language but philosophical and thoughtful when comfortable with someone.

The game player plays as Jordan Parker, a former Army Ranger who now works as a Team Leader for Markum Consultants

Into the Darkness is a game based on the war against child trafficking.  The game player plays as Jordan Parker, a former Army Ranger who...

This groundbreaking genre didn't just redefine music; it became a defining aspect of Generation X's identity...

Thank you, Dad, for your love, your laughter, and your barn full of treasures—both literal and metaphorical.