This Halloween you will know where your candy came from.

Have you ever wondered what it took to create that simple little Hershey kiss or the melting Hershey bar that smothers your marshmallow and graham cracker for the perfect s'more? It took FAILURE. Oh, and then some more FAILURE. It took a man that realized that failure is our best teacher.

Raised in rural central Pennsylvania, hampered by the lack of a formal education and nearly bankrupt by the time he was 30, Milton S. Hershey went on to become not only one of America’s wealthiest individuals, but also a successful entrepreneur whose products are known the world over, a visionary builder of the town which bears his name and a philanthropist whose open-hearted generosity continues to touch the lives of thousands.
A successful entrepreneur...eventually. Following a four-year apprenticeship as a teenager to a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, candy maker, Hershey in 1876 attempted to start his own candy business in Philadelphia. Despite six years of hard work, it failed. So he moved to Denver and found work with a confectioner who taught him how to make caramels using fresh milk. He then started up a second candy business in New York City. It also failed. Undaunted, he returned to Lancaster and once again tried making a go of the caramel business. This time, it worked. Soon, his Lancaster Caramel Company was shipping all over the U.S. and Europe, employing 1400 people and turning him into one of the area’s leading citizens.

But........what about the chocolate?

For years, he worked at perfecting a viable recipe for making milk chocolate -- a process which up to then had been kept a closely guarded secret by the Swiss. Finally, through trial and error, he hit upon the right formula of milk, sugar and cocoa that enabled him to realize his dream of mass producing and distributing milk chocolate candy. What had once been a luxury for the rich, was to become an enjoyment that anyone could afford...the Hershey bar.

This was courtesy of http://www.hersheystory.org/

A Week in the Rockies

We started off our 2010 trip to the Rockies with a journey to Leadville, CO and a historic train ride through one of Colorado's famous mining towns. The trip was really for Liam and his affinity for trains, just like all 2 1/2 yr old boys that have been exposed to the children's blue drug called....Thomas. But, the true source of joy came from Brooke, pictured below in her pink jail ensemble, who clung to the railing on the train car and watched with baby bouncing anticipation as every pine tree riddled with disease by pine beetles wooshed by her little doe eyes.

Liam tries Thomas on the tracks since his parents have held out on providing him with a Thomas train set.

Up to McCulloch Gulch to view a cascading waterfall, we hiked with the kiddos strapped to our backs through a mild shower sprinkled on us by the ever changing cloud formations of white and gray clouds. We saw ponds, single log bridges, burnt out forests, an alpine lake, and the ever looming presence of a large animal that we could smell and hear behind us, but could not see!

If you would like to try it yourself...

http://www.summitcountyexplorer.com/HIKES/McCullough%20Gulch%20-%20Hiking%20Trail.htm

Looking at Brooke makes me want to drink some Swiss Miss Cocoa

Pictured behind me is one of Colorado's 14er's - Quandary Peak. I summited it 2 months before in June with snow still on it's pointed top...picture below.

End of the hike 3 miles later with Brooke asleep and Liam falling asleep minutes after this picture was taken.

Further north we entered Grand Lake on Colorado's west side and stayed at a cabin nestled in the trees complete with a trail leading to its very own fire ring and logs carved to sit on.

We met a friendly sasquatch and he took this picture of us at our remote cabin. I think the pungent smell of "used" diapers took away all of his natural human devouring instincts.

At the suggestion of Liam, we took off hiking one afternoon in Coyote Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park's more unvisted west side. We found beautiful meadows that literally looked golden in color and usually are the best places to spot the elusive moose of RMNP.

Guess what I got for last Christmas...yup, my two front teeth!

A final back breaking 7 mile hike at the end of our trip (Liam weighs over 30 lbs, more than my backpack when I go backpacking) we enjoyed the solitude of one of the most beatiful trails in RMNP we have ever been on in our years of visiting the park...Cascade Falls trail. Again, in the early morning hours, moose had been spotted each day in the golden meadows, however, it was not our day and instead we viewed some rather large horses on some private property that backed up to the beginning of the trail.

The "lake" of Grand Lake. Brooke is making a fashion statement with her bib.

Our last evening at our cabin we roasted ballpark franks, toasted some marshmallows and built the ever coveted s'more. But, before a fire could be made, I had to pose....er, umm chop a few trees down with the axe provided to build my bonfire...er, umm I mean split logs for a campfire. You get the picture...well, yes you do actually!

Beautiful Answer

My wife has been so thankful to sing at her friend's weddings through the years. For an upcoming wedding of her friend Mollie (pictured below with her fiance Matt) she was inspired to write a personal song for them that we are going to perform at their wedding.....and just thought we would share it with y'all.

Matt & Mollie

We recorded this in our in-home studio with our friend Kristen LaBoon singing background vocals, Jill playing a bit of guitar, and yours truly playing guitar and mixing the loops!

Recycle PSA - Environdent

Thought of the day

Just a reminder to always keep in mind how you can set yourself apart in your business. With the metroplex becoming more and more desireable for businesses and dentisits to move to, it is only healthy to watch a video like this and think "how did his yellow sport coat NOT come off?" Actually, it reminds me of a quote by the Cowboys Roger Staubach, "There are no traffic jams along the extra mile." Go the extra mile. Enjoy...keep an eye on the drummer starting at about 1 min.

A suggestion for a fun family weekend

This 1st pic of Brooke is at Granbury's new City Beach complete with white sandy beaches, Tiki huts, and children water features. Check it out at: http://www.granburytx.com/Entertainment.aspx

Then eat at "Grumps" off of 377 for some great burgers that have won numerous awards! I suggest the queso burger, here is their website with a full menu:

http://www.grumpstexas.com/

It is rare to get a family photo all together. Brooke is 8 months and Liam is just over 2 yrs old.

Kerr Off-Road Racing Team

7:00 A.M. Singletrack at Northshore in Grapevine = Mud, sweat, and the nasty taste of Camelback's flavored water.

Kerr Off-Road Racing Team

Eric Swarvar (left) - Dr. Joshua Smith - Scott Boldt (right)

At trails end. Swallowed swarms of gnats and a few cobwebs, built across the trail, in the early morning hours, were then built across our faces. We came across another dentist riding the trail and he thought our Kerr jerseys were so kickin that he swapped out for 25 bucks Dr Smith's jersey for his.

Hey Dentsply! Come challenge us... or where is our Dentsply jersey to throw some back tire mud on!

(Here's some intimidation)