Papa John's founder reunited with cherished Camaro

In 1983, John Schnatter had a gold and black 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. It was one of his most beloved possessions. And then he had to sell it to help pay the bills for his father's tavern. The Camaro was bought for $2,800 and there was some money left over after his dad's business got out of hock.

Schnatter used the leftover dough to start up Papa John's Pizza. Everyone knows how huge a success that turned out to be, how John Schnatter has become a multi-millionaire from that initial investment.

And yet, John Schnatter still needed something to be happy. He wanted to be reunited with his favorite muscle car. So Schnatter went on a nationwide quest to hunt it down.

Last week, with some help from car enthusiast website Jalopnik.com, Schnatter's dream came true. The Camaro was in the ownership of Jeff Robinson of Flatwoods, Kentucky (not far from the headquarters of Papa John's in Louisville). And Robinson is now $250,000 richer after transferring the title of the car over to Schnatter.

Here's John Schnatter with the Camaro in 1983, and Schnatter with it today...

After getting his Camaro back, Schnatter said...

"The Camaro represents what I gave up to start Papa John's. Words cannot capture the emotions I am feeling in getting back that part of my history. I didn't have much back then, but for my business dreams to come true, I had to part with the one true asset I had to my name, and even then, there were no promises of success. I never gave up hope that someday I would get that car back. The foundation of Papa John's was built on my decision to sell the Camaro, and while it may not appear to be a huge sacrifice to some, it represents my roots in this business. And, perhaps it can serve as proof to others that hard decisions today can pay off for you later, if you're willing to believe in what you are doing. I'm extremely grateful for the success of Papa John's, and really wanted this critical piece of our history back."

What an awesome story! And methinks there's a lot of good lesson here about success, having faith in one's self and having hope that no matter how hard the sacrifice, it will be worth it in the end. It certainly did for John Schnatter. So it can be for anybody.

Read More

Chad and Koren: ENGAGED!

As of tonight, this man has no more excuse for not updating his blog.

Back in May I wrote about my quarter-century long friendship with Chad Austin. Two friends see a lot of things in that time. Lots of good times, and bad. You can't avoid the heartbreak... but then there are the moments when you get to rejoice, too. Those rich, beautiful slivers of time that make you glad to be alive and remind you that there is a God who rewards virtue and patience.

Chad Austin is one of the most virtuous people that I have ever known. He has also been one of the most patient. He's always known what it means for him to be happy, and I always knew that he would never settle for second best.

Tonight, he's been rewarded in spades.

As not only his friend but also a brother, it is my supreme honor to be the first to break the news to the world that this evening we get to toast one of those happy moments.

A very short while ago, in Virginia Beach where they ran in the 2008 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon earlier today, Chad proposed to his girlfriend Koren Borchers.

And Koren said "Of course!"

(I've been in the loop for a few days now, so I already had this graphic ready to roll :-)

Word has reached The Knight Shift that Chad popped the question in real style. He took Koren out to dinner, then they went on a romantic walk along the beach. And that's where Chad, on Koren's birthday, dropped to one knee and asked her to be his bride, and she agreed to his suggestion that maybe it's time they start running as one instead of merely as two.

Y'all have no idea how long I've been waiting to make this post. On the list of things that I've wanted to most write about on this blog, Chad and Koren getting engaged easily comes in at #2 (and #1 hasn't happened... yet). And I've been hoping and praying for much longer than that, for literally years, that I'd get to see this day happen for a friend I've known for almost my entire life.

Chad and Koren, you guys have already been a beautiful couple. And you are going to make a wonderful team of husband and wife. May God bless you today, and all the days that are yet to come.

Dunno how else to close this 'cept to say except, again: CONGRATULATIONS! :-)

Read More

CHILDREN OF EDEN: The Third Performance

Are we really halfway through our performance schedule already? Sure doesn't seem like it.

This afternoon was the third performance of Children of Eden, produced by the Theatre Guild of Rockingham County. It was the biggest audience yet! And the show went great again. Today's performance was especially important for me personally because I was finally able to do something that I've been working on all this past week: have some serious tears flowing when I played Seth at the end of Act I. It worked... but man, that was tough! Will try to do it again for the next three times we do this.

My parents got to come and see the show too. One neat moment happened when I got to introduce my real Mom to Rose Cutuli Wray, my "Mom" (she plays Eve) in Children of Eden. Also got to see a lot more friends who came today, and a few who are seeing it for a second time during this production!

(Yeah I'm talkin' 'bout you especially Nell ;-)

You know, this blog has chronicled a lot of... strange and unusual things from my life in the past few years. Everything from running for office to taking on a major corporation to fighting what many have said is evil incarnate, along with everything in between. Doing Children of Eden with the Theatre Guild has been, far and away, the greatest ongoing experience that I've written about here thus far. I have met so many new and wonderful people, have learned so much, and have rediscovered what may be a real passion that I might follow for the rest of my life in some form or another. God has used this experience to make me think about some things, and in ways that I haven't talked about here, He has used it to show me humility and how there are still some matters in my life that need addressing. Through Children of Eden, I have gained not just new friends, but some new family.

And, it's been a heckuva lot of fun!

I'm going to genuinely miss this time when it's over. But until then, we still have three more shows, so we ain't done just yet.

We have off 'til Friday night, although there may be a "brush-up" rehearsal before then. But for now, we've got the next few days to rest and reflect, and figure out how to make the second half of our schedule even better than the first!

Maybe some more pictures soon also. Stay tuned! :-)

Read More

CHILDREN OF EDEN: The Second Performance

Just got back from our second performance of the Theatre Guild of Rockingham County's production of Children of Eden. Somewhat larger crowd tonight than our opener last night. Hopefully word of mouth will bring in bigger audiences tomorrow and next week.

Well, I honestly can't remember what much of the audience reaction was during the show itself last night 'cuz we were all so busy making sure we were in place for our cues and such, but tonight I was able to let myself see how the crowd was taking it. The reaction was incredible! There was lots of laughter and applause, but what really caught my attention was what happened as we were about to head down the aisles toward the stage for "Ain't It Good": people in the audience were bopping their heads and clapping and snapping their fingers right to the beat! And then in the next song "In The Beginning", the final one of the show: I counted at least four or five people in the audience who were crying. Which there's nothing wrong with that: I shed some tears too when I heard that song the first time I saw Children of Eden.

We put it on again tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 (same place, the Rockingham Community College Auditorium) and then we're off a few days before coming back for one more rehearsal, before doing it again next Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and then the last regular performance on Sunday, June 29th at 2:30 p.m.

I might post some more pics of the show soon, along with photos of some of the insanity that's been taking place behind the scenes :-P

Read More

After-Action Report from CHILDREN OF EDEN's Opening Night!

Tonight, the shared sentiment among the cast and crew of Theatre Guild of Rockingham County's production of Children of Eden is TRIUMPHANT!

The show went beautifully! It was the first time that it had ever been performed in Rockingham County. And judging by the applause and the kind words that members of the audience gave us after the show, this was a huge hit! Lots of people said that they loved the uplifting and powerful message of the story and that the music was "wonderful!" Cast members also received a lot of praise for their acting.

We just got back from a very crazy opening night cast party at a Mexican restaurant in Reidsville (which included the strangest rendition of "In Pursuit of Excellence" that I've seen since this production began... and that's saying something). Everyone involved is ecstatic about what happened tonight. Some have said that this might be the best production done in the history of the Theatre Guild.

This was one of the greatest nights of my life! For ten years I've wanted to not just perform in Children of Eden, but especially take part in "Generations", the opening number of Act II and my favorite song of the show. Tonight I got to fulfill that huge goal. And it will happen five more times over the next week or so.

If you missed Children of Eden tonight, you can see it tomorrow night at 7:30 at Rockingham Community College Auditorium, and then again Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and then next Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For ticket information visit the Theatre Guild of Rockingham County's website.

Okay, I'm off for now. Time to recharge. "And the night was perfect..."

Read More

Theatre Guild of Rockingham County's production of CHILDREN OF EDEN opens TONIGHT!

Father (Neil Shepherd) teaches Adam (Stephen Hale) and Eve (Rose Cutuli Wray) how to care for their new charges during "Naming the Animals" as the Storytellers watch in a scene from Theatre Guild of Rockingham County's production of
Children of Eden

Here it is at last: Opening Night for Children of Eden, produced by the Theatre Guild of Rockingham County. The curtain opens at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Rockingham Community College Auditorium. The show runs each Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 and then Sunday afternoon at 2:30 between today and June 29th.

If you are coming, and you have never seen Children of Eden before, then prepare yourself for a treat.

Children of Eden, with music by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell and the music for the motion picture Prince of Egypt) based on a book by John Caird (the musical Les Misérables), is based on the first nine chapters of the Book of Genesis. Throughout the stories of the creation of the world, the Garden of Eden, the fall of mankind and then Noah and the Ark, Children of Eden explores the age-old issues of relationships between parents and children.

Something that we have joked about during the past several weeks: Children of Eden is a show that has three deaths in Act I, billions of deaths in Act II, violence and mildly suggestive lyrics and explosions and Satan himself... and yet it is one of the most family-friendly musicals in production today! It is also one of the most wildly popular. Shows sell out all over the place whenever it's put on.

And I'm in it! Ever since Elon's production of Children of Eden ten years ago, I've wanted to take part in it. It took a decade, but tonight God will answer my prayer as I step into the cloak and sandals of Seth: the third son of Adam and Eve.

There is a place in Eden for children of all ages. It's going to be quite a show no matter who you are. So y'all come if ya can! :-)

Read More

Baby Paige's dedication video

A few weeks ago I wound up helping with the video for a friend's baby dedication ceremony. Well actually she's more of my sister's friend (and my sister's in this video too) and they called here wanting some advice about audio editing, and I offered to do it for them and e-mail it for their project. Or something. Anyhoo, they had the ceremony for baby Paige a few days ago and because she's the cutest lil' thing, and because her parents are really great people and also 'cuz Lord only knows when I'll ever get to use pink as a border color for a YouTube video again, here is their presentation!

Read More

Two people I know are getting married today

First there's Roger Weber, who I've known for literally all my life. He ties the knot today here in Reidsville, North Carolina.

And then there's the lovely and effervescent Abby Prince of WebProNews, who I came to know this past year. According to our sources she's getting hitched somewhere in Kentucky.

Congratulations to Roger and to Abby and their respective spouses-to-be! May God bless you today, and it is our prayer that you and your loved ones have a long and happy life together :-)

Read More

Brittany gets engaged! Reidsville's bachelors weep!

Anytime someone I know gets engaged, it gets celebrated on this blog. Three years ago it was my longtime friend and collaborator "Weird" Ed Woody (and if you want to read up about the alligators and everything else that happened at their wedding mash here). Then a few short months ago it was Jenna Olwin's turn. Now late tonight comes word that a dear friend and fellow freedom-fighter in the cause against school uniforms is the latest to get popped with The Question(tm)...

Congratulations to Brittany Gibson (note: this file photograph of Brittany is not meant to be representative of the moment immediately following becoming a pre-nup) who a few days ago was proposed to by Curtis Wilson and she immediately affirmed the lad's request!

Brittany, yer a fine young lady, and I pray that God will bestow all His blessings upon you and Curtis as you begin the trek toward your new life together.

And if you invite me to the wedding, I promise that I won't arrange for any dancing chimps this time...

Read More

Jenna and Lou are GETTING MARRIED!!!

And now for the best news that this blog has reported in quite a long time...

Word has reached me at this late hour that our dear friend and fellow blogger Jenna Olwin was asked by her boyfriend Lou if she would be his beautiful blushing bride.

And... Jenna said "yes"!

No word yet on when exactly the wedding will take place but Jenna says it will likely be before this coming fall.

Congratulations on your engagement, Jenna and Lou! May God bless you and keep you in His care in these no doubt very crazy months leading to your wedding, and all the days that will follow :-)

UPDATE 12:33 a.m. EST 03/10/2008: Jenna has posted on her blog an account of how Lou popped the question on her, told in her own unique and special way.

Congrats again you guys. Lisa and I are so happy for you! :-)

Read More

Last thing I'm going to say on this blog all weekend

"This part of my life...
this part right here?
This is called 'happyness.'"

-- Christopher Gardner (played by Will Smith)
from the movie The Pursuit of Happyness

God is good. Life is good. And my pursuit of happyness has come a very long way today.

Have a great weekend :-)

Read More