HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD (IN HEAVEN)

    
We are running an Adventure Trip in the mountains for 19 families from Calvary Church of Clearwater, but I wanted to pay tribute to THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD (who is now in Heaven). There are so many amazing things about my Dad that I could share. I've shared a little about his incredible journey of overcoming, but today I want to focus on another one of Dad's most definable traits >>> his heart to give! Dad was the most generous person I have ever known. He loved, loved, loved to give. If he found out you liked something or needed something then it would be at your doorstep the next day. Or he would just buy extra things to give gifts to people (tomatoes, pens, flashlights, Battery Daddy's, gift cards, money, fire trucks, fruits, vegetables... you name it and he would do his best to get it for you!). He always had a cooler full of drinks & snacks ready to give out everywhere he went. And it wasn't just things that he gave; he also gave his time & hard work. Dad loved to help people. Giving was never an obligation for my Dad... it was his DNA... it was his love language. He expressed his love for others by giving, giving, giving. As Carson and I are running this trip we are surrounded by things my Dad gave to help this ministry function... we are driving a truck he helped get donated to GTD. We are cooking on a huge griddle he donated to GTD. We are pulling a trailer that he paid to have the axles replaced as a donation to GTD. In fact, the entire ministry would not have ever started if he & Mom didn't give me a small addition on the back of their house so I could live there rent free while I built GTD. I'm sure he would have loved to use that addition for something else, but somehow I think he had even greater joy just giving it away. My Dad wasn't materialistic. He could have had a nicer house, a nicer van, nicer clothes, nicer everything... but his heartbeat was this: LIVE TO GIVE! LIVE TO GIVE! LIVE TO GIVE!! In his last year of life while he was in so much pain and misery he could have withdrawn and rightfully backed off from so much giving,  buy I actually watched him give even more and more. It was like his grand finale. After he sold his house we watched him give tens of thousands of dollars away to people... he didn't want to keep anything for himself, he just want to bless other people to brighten their day and lighten their load. About an hour before he passed away (the first time) he called me into his room and said, "Doug, I just want to make sure you and Traci are taken care of." Even in his last moments of life he was giving it all away. My Dad was a remarkable human being and an incredible example to me & my Sister. We count it as one of the highest honors of our lives to be "One of Jerry's kids" (a 1970's & 80's Jerry Lewis reference). Thank you Dad for every way you impacted, blessed, and changed my life through your selfless acts of giving. You are THE BEST DAD EVER!! Happy Father's Day in Heaven! I love you ❤️ 

 

 

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SUMMER ADVENTURE TRIP BOUND!

   
Carson & I are heading up to run the first Adventure Trip of the summer. Last year we began leaving 1 of the GTD trucks and 1 of our trailers at a storage facility in NC, and I'm loving this decision. The cost to store both is offset by the fuel and wear & tear of driving back-and-forth to Florida plus, according to State Farm, we are able to suspend our vehicle insurance to the absolute minimum while it isn't being driven which saves hundreds of dollars per year. The small town secure storage facility is also less expensive than storage facilities in bigger cities plus low crime rates makes it doubley secure. The truck & trailer are near an airport that flies Allegiant so I keep a set of clothes and necessities in the trailer which allows me to get a very inexpensive flight from Clearwater for around $45 each way as well as get in & out of the airport very quickly since I don't have to check any luggage. Having both pieces of equipment staged in NC also opens up the opportunity to do events year-round instead of only in the summer which has the potential of adding more income into GTD. Have I mentioned yet that the flight is only 90 minutes verses 13 hours of driving (plus an extra hour or two for flat tires lol) which saves a ton of wear & tear on our bodies. It also allows us to get up & back for quick weekend trips to recon new adventure locations or simply get to breathe some fresh mountain air. If all those benefits weren't enough it also reduces the amount of trucks & trailers in my yard. GTD has 3 trucks, 5 trailers, 1 40' shipping container, a pontoon boat, and 2 big racks holding about 20 kayaks... so my yard was getting a bit overwhelmed with equipment to put it lightly. Fuel alone for a round-trip to NC & back driving one of our gas gulping trucks is around $400 which adds up pretty fast over the course of a full summer. So all-in-all it's close to a breakeven monetary yearly cost, but the long-term wear & tear savings on the equipment and the body as well as the increased opportunities for running events outside of the summer months makes this decision feel like a wise investment. Anyways, we are NC, SC, & TN bound aaaaaaaaand I'm so happy to NOT have to haul the trailer up here & back for the first time in 29 years!! It feels like progress to me! We are looking forward to a God-awesome summer of adventures... thank you for your prayers & love! (This is also my first event since my surgery, and physically I'm feeling strong PTL!)

 

 

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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO LEGENDARY PARENTS! ...GTD TO USE GRANT TO START A CAREGIVING SUPPORT GROUP!

    
Today (June 5th) is our parent's wedding anniversary. Traci & I were blessed beyond measure to not just have great parents, but legendary parents!! Mom & Dad were the best of the best! Since they were human they weren't perfect of course, but they were exceptional. My Dad struggled for about 20 years with alcoholism, chain smoking, and some poor decisions. But he has one of the greatest comeback stories of all time. Even in the midst of his struggles he was the most amazing Dad... He served, loved, & gave like no one else I have ever met. And my Mom was a devoted wife & amazing mother who weathered the struggling years with a steadfast reliance on God. God used her long-suffering character & joyful fun-loving spirit to be the glue that held our family together during the hardest of times. Outside of Jesus there is no one I admire & respect more than my parents. My hierarchy of heroes is Jesus then Mom then Dad. We weren't perfect, but we genuinely loved each other more than I could ever express. We were all always there for each other through the thick and the thin. There was never any doubt that we were all greatly loved and cherished by each other. Even in our times of dysfunction I would wish our family dynamics upon everyone. Even in the worst of times it was full of potential for the best of times. In more recent years Mom & Dad had a hard and oftentimes painful grand finale of this thing called life. With a great supporting village of people around us Traci, Dave, Carson, Laurie, and I poured the past 5 years into caregiving of these incredible people. Mom had a 10+ year slow decline from Alzheimer's while Dad had problems with just about every major organ in his body. The journey for our parents was harsh, and caregiving was possibly just as harsh. I can honestly say it almost killed me. That isn't a commentary on the people we were caring for, but rather the process of caregiving. Its demands far outweighed our supply. And we had a fantastic group of friends & family that helped shoulder the load... and it still almost killed us. That blows my mind, especially since most caregivers are doing all the work by themselves. Did you know that most caregivers die before the person they are caring for dies?! The demands & personal neglect literally kill you. We know this from firsthand experience, and because of this we are going to make the adventures of caregiving part of our ministry's outreach. I'm happy to announce that a large portion of a grant GTD received from the great City of Pinellas Park (our Dad loved this great city!) will be used to create GTD's JAG (Jerry & Ann Garner) Caregiving Support Group to help aid, equip, encourage, comfort, & console those caring for loved ones. We greatly benefited from a Caregiving Support Group at First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, and we want to take all that we have learned and help prepare and support others on the caregiving journey. More and more of our staff, volunteers, participants, family, & friends are embarking on this journey and we can help supply vital information and assistance to help them survive what may lie ahead. Our hope is that many on this journey will have a wonderful experience, but we want to be ready to help those who have a harsh challenging journey ahead. I'm still recovering from the past 5 years. I'm nowhere close to being healthy. Like a boxer KO'd in the final round I'm slowly shaking the cobwebs out of my head, and sitting up on the boxing ring floor looking around trying to make sense of what just happened. And while making sense of it all I'm also filled with a desire to help others navigate the heavy weight opponent they are about to face in a boxing ring with potentially brutal outcomes. There are a hundred things I would do differently (or I should say, do better) if I could do it all over again. The beauty of surviving failures is that you can turn those failures into education, better future decisions, & helpful insights for others. That what I aim to do. The hope is to build the support group in 2025, and open it up sometime in 2026 (GTD's 30th anniversary). I'm asking for people to pray that God would build this support group and that it would honor our parents. I know there are many people who have already traveled this journey that may want to be a part of building this support group as well as contributing ideas to its content. I look forward to working with anyone that wants to be involved. God bless. And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY IN HEAVEN MOM & DAD!!!! I love you, and I miss you!!!! Thank you for everything you did for me!!!

 

 

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IT'S BAAAAAAACK!! ...29 YEARS OF SLAMMED!!!

   
One of the most frequent questions I get is, "Are we doing SLAMMED again this summer?!" I'm happy to say, "Yes! We! Are!" Better late than never as the old adage goes.
 
What: SLAMMED Adventure Trip
When: July 16-20, 2025 (Wed-Sun)
Where: Benton, TN
Why: Focus! Freedom! Fun! Fellowship! Faith!
How (Much): $75pp (optional white water rafting for additional $60pp)

DETAILS:

Website: https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/slammed-tn.html?m=1

Registration: https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/registration-slammed-adventure-trip.html?m=1

OBERVIEW:
SLAMMED is GTD's original favorite. This is the Adventure Trip that started it all! SLAMMED is the first trip (and only trip) offered by GTD in 1996 and God used it to give birth to our full time year-round ministry today (ALL glory to God!).

Over the course of 5 days GTD slams you with several heart-pounding adrenaline-pumping adventures that will exhilarate you to the core! In our time together we will travel to Cherokee National Forest in eastern Tennessee to do activities that may include camping, rock climbing, rappelling, whitewater rafting, waterfall sliding, hiking, and/or cliff jumping. Now you see why we call it SLAMMED!

We will set up our base camp in an amazingly beautiful national forest and visit nearby waterfalls!!! We will chase after all of these adventures as we explore the majesty of God's creation. And that's not even the best part, we will also explore the majesty of God's presence through daily devotions, praise & worship, and nightly challenges from the Bible as we hang out around the camp fire.

SLAMMED will challenge you and potentially change your life as you grow closer to God, make new friends, encounter & overcome fears, and engage in some of the most outrageous adventures of your life! Instead of getting so busy that you feel crammed, take 5 days to jump start your life by getting SLAMMED!

Going The Distance Adventure Ministry
God-awesome Adventures Since 1996!

 

 

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HUGE THANKS TO FREDRICK JAMES ACCOUNTING, JANTASTIC, & MATHY KATHY!!

   

I'm happy to report that we beat our May 1st extension deadline by 1 day for getting our 2023 (that's not a typo, yes 2023!!) taxes completed and filed with the IRS. Three hurricanes, multiple hospitalizations of Dad, Dad's passing, hernia surgery, & lots of depression could not stop us from getting all of our 2023 financial entries done in the nick of time! AS ALWAYS, Fredrick James Accounting worked tirelessly to make sure we beat the deadline... they are THE BEST OF THE BEST!! I call them Financial First Responders because they come to the rescue in emergency situations. Fred & Crystal Daus run an exceptional & professional accounting and tax consulting organization. I highly highly highly recommend them for all your business accounting needs ( www.fredrickjames.com ). We could not have gotten this done without FJA and months of hard work by Jan (I call her JANtastic!) learning Quickbooks Online (I call it SLOWbooks) and entering in over 150 bank statements. I've used the Quickbooks Desktop Version for 20 years, but we switched to the Online Version this year and it's completely different... frankly, it's awful in my opinion. But Jan stuck with it and got it done. And huge thanks to my 2nd mom "Mathy Kathy" (I just made that up, lol) who volunteered her time to sort, organize, and file hundreds of receipts. Kathy has been my 2nd mom since I was born. She was my next door neighbor for the first 20 years of my life and gave birth to my lifelong best friend Chuck. As I shared a while ago we are waaaaay behind on everything, but we are eating the elephant one bite at a time ;). I'm thrilled to share that we are almost done with our 2024 financial entries so that should easily be completed way before our extention deadline (PTL!), aaaaaaaaand we are almost up to date with our 2025 entries soooooo, Lord willing, we won't need an extension in 2026. One small step for us; one giant leap for GTD. More updates coming soon =) 

 

 

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LIQUID & SIDEWINDER POSTPONED... NEW DATES TBD!

   
Although my double hernia surgery recovery is going very well my Doctor wants me to wait another month before I start back lifting and carrying kayaks & paddleboards. Unfortunately that means I need to find some new dates for our annual LIQUID & SIDEWINDER Day Trips. My sincere apologies to our faithful paddlers who were looking forward to these events. We will let you know what the rescheduled dates are as soon as we nail it down. All this admin work is getting kinda boring haha... I'm looking forward to returning back to a full schedule of God-awesome adventures very soon... especially our summer Adventure Trips!

 

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HOW FAR BEHIND ARE WE?? >>> ABOUT 2-3 YEARS! (at least)

 
As we are sadly closing the chapter of my parents' AMAZING involvement in GTD I'm so blessed to know their legacy will live on as long as GTD lives on. As I pick up the pieces and begin to sit back up from the knockout blow of losing Dad a few months ago I'm also surveying "the damage" of the things I fell waaaaay behind on. Being available for my parents didn't come easy or without great sacrifices. GTD wouldn't exist without my parents. It wouldn't have grown without my parents. It wouldn't have survived the harsh years without my parents. It wouldn't have thrived without my parents. They were as much a part of this ministry as my Sister and I are. So when I say "survey the damage" from years of Caregiving I don't mean it as a complaint... I'm just trying to articulate that I didn't fall behind because I'm lazy or I was playing video games or I was shirking my responsibilities... I'm simply saying that, along with my Sister and several incredible people, I poured the last 5 years of my life into taking care of my parents and in doing so I fell waaaaay behind on EVERYTHING in my life... everything got less than it needed... it almost killed me and required waaaaay more than I had to give (but it was totally worth it).... so as I look around at my house, my ministry, my life it's all waaaaay behind on everything. It's just a fact... a status report. There isn't a single thing that doesn't need some type of attention STAT. Soooooo we are playing catch-up on everything. One of those things is our corporate finances. Jan has kindly stepped up to replace me as GTD's bookkeeper. The best I could stay on top of the past 5 years was paying the bills, paying the paychecks, & entering in all the donations & income. So we are 2 years behind on entering our expenses & monthly statements. We have until May 3rd to complete the 2023 bookkeeping and have it audited by Fredrick James Accounting (they're AMAZING!!) and then submitted to the IRS. Then we are on to 2024... and then on to 2025. It's an arduous task, but Jan is a quick & brilliant learner and she is doing a JANtastic job!!! A lot of my posts in 2025 will be very similar to this post... things we are waaaaay behind on and catching up on with the goal of RELAUNCHING GTD for our 30th Anniversary!!! TEASER ALERT: I'm EXCITED to share that our spectacular friend Jason Lazzaro ( jasonlaz.com ) is currently working on rebranding GTD with an entirely new logo, new colors, new website, new graphics, new everything!!! He specializes in building "HECK-YA!" brands and I'm thrilled he is a part of the GTD family!! The new logo & rebranding will be unveiled at this year's banquet in November!! Thank you for your continued prayers & encouragements... I'm forever indebted with the debt of love.

 

 

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HAPPY ST. ANNIE'S DAY 2025!!

 
Today, St Patrick's Day, was Mom's birthday ("Bird Day")... we loved getting dressed up in green every year to celebrate this phenomenal woman!! My Mom taught me so much and inspired me so much through her daily acts of selfLESSness... she sacrificed so many of her wants in order to care for all of our needs. As I was thanking God in prayer today for blessing me with an extraordinary Mom I started thinking about how many times when we chase our wants (I'm talking about selfish wants, not healthy wants) it results in hurting ourselves or others, but when we refuse the selfish wants in order to make ourselves take care of the selfLESS needs of others & ourselves it leads to enriched lives. My Mom is my 2nd biggest hero in my life (2nd only to Jesus), and I followed her example of picking needs over wants by staying here in Florida for the past 30 years to be here for my parents' needs as they aged when in my heart of hearts, in my deepest desires, & perhaps in my most selfish wants I wanted to live in the mountains of TN, north GA, or NC... today I watched a highlight video from my Mom's Celebration of Life Service 2 years ago and saw picture after picture of cherished moments & sacred memories I would have missed if I moved away. I didn't stay because I wanted to. I stayed because I needed to (and they needed me to). Like George Bailey in "A Wonderful Life" I just wanted so deeply to go chase this inner want to leave where I grew up and go explore other places, but the need to stay and help my parents, and be here for them like they were always there for me, and to not leave my Sister here alone to be the sole Caregiver all kept me from going and doing what I really deeply wanted to do. As I watched that video today and saw cherished moment after cherished moment with my parents, with my family, with my friends I experienced that George Bailey "Wonderful Life" moment, and tears of joy rolled down my cheeks. I didn't want to stay, but I'm so glad I did! Thank you Mom for living out that example in front of me... you are one of my greatest heroes!! I miss you and I love you!! Happy BIRD DAY in Heaven BIRDDOG!! Give Dad a big DUG HUG from me! I know he picked flowers for you today ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 

 

 

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A CRAPPY UPDATE!

   

I took an ambulance ride, and was in the hospital for 24 hours (Sun afternoon thru Mon afternoon) with some complications related to my post hernia surgery (TMI >>> unable to have a bowel movement for nearly a week). I'll spare you all the details lol. While in the ER I received a CT Scan, and the Dr walked over to me with his diagnosis: "Well, you're F.O.S." It took me a minute to figure out what that meant haha. The whole process to resolve the problem was one of the most painful experiences of my life. Around 9pm on Sunday night I gave birth to a 3 lbs "baby". All I can say is that the entire event was a huge pain in the butt hahaha >>> oh, too soon, too soon lol 😆. I'm back home recovering from the original hernia surgery and now the "post surgery complication"... pretty worn out, but a little better & better day by day PTL =). Many thanks to Laurie, Traci, & all the medical workers that do what they do to respond to every type of emergency... even the crappy emergencies.

 

 

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FORGOT TO POST SURGERY UPDATE FROM LAST WEEK:

FORGOT TO POST SURGERY UPDATE FROM LAST WEEK:

Robotic assisted bilateral inguinal hernia surgery (say that 10x real fast) was a success PTL. I took 3 to the gut (3 incisions). I feel like I tried to catch a cannon with my stomach, but they fired it before I was ready hahaha. Special thanks to Laurie for helping me from start to finish. Thank you friends & family for the prayers. Thank you to the wonderful medical staff at HCA Northside Hospital. I'm going to cancel my belly dancing lessons scheduled for tomorrow just to be on the safe side.

 

 

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Hernia Surgery Tomorrow

 

Double hernia surgery tmw (Tue) morning... thanks for the prayers =) 

 

 

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Yes, 6 more weeks of winter :) .... Happy GHD (Groundhog Day) everyone :)

  
Originally we were headed to Punxsutawney, PA this weekend to celebrate Groundhog Day. I love the movie and I love the goofiness of such a silly holiday. So 8 months ago I reserved flights, rental car, & accommodations to head off for our first trip to Punxsutawney, PA to join in the frigid festivities, but I wasn't really feeling it after Dad passed so I cancelled the trip. Lord willing, I'm kicking it to 2027 and will celebrate it in person then. But we are enjoying GHD today with a walk at the park, some decorations, yummy food, and of course - the movie. Happy GHD people... a silly "holiday" originally made to break up the monotony of long dark winters back in 1886/87... which serves as a reminder that breaking up monotony & starting new traditions can only be one silly idea away & the will to just do it. Whatever it is, I love GHD :)
 
UPDATE: According to The Weather Channel news: "Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Sunday morning in central Pennsylvania. That means we could see six more weeks of winter, at least according to Groundhog Day lore."

 

YOU GUYS DID IT AGAIN :) ...$103,670 RAISED :)

  
I have so many people to still thank... from the bottom of my heart >>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO SO SO SO MUCH to all of our One-Time & Monthly Donors that made it possible for us to hit & exceed our Annual $100,000 Fundraising Goal for the 6th year in a row. You have launched us into our 29th year of ministry. From a humble & grateful heart, I so so so so appreciate your magnificent generosity & loving support (especially over the past 2 months). All glory to God :) 

 

 

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DONE!

 

With all that's gone on over the past 7 weeks this feels like a major accomplishment... all our end-of-the-year / beginning-of-the-year deadlines completed. Thank you to all of our amazing donors, supporters, volunteers, and staff... couldn't do anything without all of you!! Mom used to help me with this every year... Missing Dad & Remembering BIRDDOG ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

  

 

JUST A REMINDER THAT DAD'S SERVICE IS TODAY AT 4PM...

  
JOIN US THIS SATURDAY TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF JERRY GARNER!!

Dad's Celebration of Life Service is this Saturday January 18th at 4pm at Park Place Wesleyan Church in Dad's favorite city >>> Pinellas Park! (4400 70th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781). There will be an open mic time for anyone who would like to share a 3-ish minute "Jerry Story"... we would LOVE to hear it!! Also, if you want to, you can wear suspenders, patriotic colors, military uniforms, or Alabama themed clothing in honor of Jerry.
 
The service will also be live-streamed for those unable to attend in-person.

LIVE-STREAM LINK:
Jerry Garner Celebration of Life Service:
https://youtube.com/live/LQFIQbqGOq4
 
Following the service there will be a time of fellowship on-site with food, refreshments, & snacks.

Thank you to everyone who has helped, encouraged, & prayed for our family ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
  
LIVE TO GIVE! DARE TO CARE!
HAVE THE NERVE TO SERVE!

 

 

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JOIN US THIS SATURDAY TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF JERRY GARNER!!

   
Dad's Celebration of Life Service is this Saturday January 18th at 4pm at Park Place Wesleyan Church in Dad's favorite city >>> Pinellas Park! (4400 70th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781). There will be an open mic time for anyone who would like to share a 3-ish minute "Jerry Story"... we would LOVE to hear it!! Also, if you want to, you can wear suspenders, patriotic colors, military uniforms, or Alabama themed clothing in honor of Jerry.
 
The service will also be live-streamed for those unable to attend in-person.

LIVE-STREAM LINK:
Jerry Garner Celebration of Life Service:
https://youtube.com/live/LQFIQbqGOq4
 
Following the service there will be a time of fellowship on-site with food, refreshments, & snacks.

Thank you to everyone who has helped, encouraged, & prayed for our family ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
  
LIVE TO GIVE! DARE TO CARE!
HAVE THE NERVE TO SERVE!

 

 

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Two Antiques And A Young Man!

 

   

Growing up one of my dreams was to take my parents on road trips and fun adventures when I got old enough to do that. After getting a good paying job I took them on our first road trip in the mid 1990's. They were "Two Antiques" and I was a "Young Man", and we were looking for adventure so we headed out on the highway... they had never gone white water rafting before, and Mom loved train rides while Dad was up for anything, especially if it included picking tomatoes! We set out for north Georgia, South Carolina, & North Carolina on our own little adventure. They were such good sports! I had a new video camera and they put up with all my goofy ideas for video footage... my Dad seemed to revel in each video appearance hahaha! Check out this 5 minute highlight video from our trip called "Two Antiques And A Young Man Head Out On The Highway", and see Dad's pure joy when he is picking tomatoes LOL!

 

 

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A MONTH OF DEPRESSION... SAYING GOODBYE TO DAD!!

  

The past month has been full of lots & lots of depression and sadness with little (& sometimes big) glimmers of joy each day... but mostly heavy doses of depression. It's hard to get out of bed each morning and I tend to want to go back to bed all day long. As weird as it sounds it feels very healthy to have this amount of grief. It feels like the very definition of what it means to mourn. It's all a part of this journey of grieving. I'm not suppressing anything and talking about everything. Laurie has stayed with me everyday since the initial incident... she sleeps on the sofa every night and we talk and workout every day. I had two & a half days last week with only mild depression so I do see little glimpses of what the future looks like, but I feel like I have a long road of healing ahead of me... not just for the loss of my Dad which is huge, but for the loss of both my parents as well as the toll of intense caregiving over the past 5 years as well as all the little & big regrets I have over the past 5 years plus this awful reality that it's all over... I mean that since I was 12 years old I planned to always be here to take care of my parents so it has always been a part of my identity... now it's all over and it feels very awkward and frankly sad, especially with the moments that were unbearably hard or the moments I failed to have a loving bedside manner... caregiving is a mirror that shows you the best inside of you as well as the most rotten selfish parts of you... and both God & I have seen the absolute ugliest parts of me over the past 5 years even if I was able to hide it from my parents 90% of the time. But that 10% that did reveal itself are part of my grieving process. I plan to seek some professional counseling after we bury my Dad. But right now we have so much to celebrate about this truly extraordinary man who was one of my heroes and whom I loved dearly as well as probably the person who frustrated me the most in my life too LOL. Buuuuuut, way more to love than to be frustrated by 😊😊😊 .... so come out and celebrate the life of our Dad next Saturday if you can!!
 
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF JERRY GARNER
JANUARY 18, 2025 (4pm - 6:30pm)
(This service will also be live-streamed)
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Park Place Wesleyan Church
4400 70th Ave N
Pinellas Park, FL  33781
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Come celebrate the life of our beloved "Tomato Man" at the Celebration of Life Service for Jearld Douglass Garner on Saturday January 18, 2025 at 4pm. (This service will also be live-streamed for those unable to attend in-person). A reception with food & refreshments will follow in the dining hall. A variety of family & friends will speak on stage, and an open mic time will be available for all who would like to share a short 3-4 minute "Jerry Story".

My new mottos inspired by Dad's life of generosity are "DARE TO CARE" & "LIVE TO GIVE"... everywhere he went he cared, cared, cared & gave, gave, gave... he loved to give... he lived to give! It wasn't something he did; it was who he was... it was part of his DNA.
 
On behalf of our entire family, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the outpouring of love over the past month. Dad is sooooooo loved by so many ❤️ . We deeply miss his presence in our daily lives, yet we find comfort in knowing he is now pain-free, reunited with Mom, and in the presence of God.

 

 

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CHANGES TO UPCOMING EVENTS!

   

Due to recent events as well as the impending need for hernia surgery the following changes were made to the upcoming GTD Public Event Calendar:
  
1) SWAMP THING IS CANCELLED, BUT WILL RETURN IN 2026
 
2) IGNITE HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO OCT 10-12, 2025
  
I apologize for any inconvenience!!

 

 

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HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

  

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

We had a really nice day :)

 

 

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MERRY FITmas EVE from the GTD misFITS!!

   
We got our cardio & weight training workout in this morning in the "garage gym" so we can pig out tomorrow!! We wish you all a very healthy as well as deliciously indulgent CHRISTmas Day (which is just a few hours away)! As Dad would say, "Tastes like 'Moore's Behind!'" Huh??? To which he would say, "Like there's MORE good food coming BEHIND this!" LOL!

 

 

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SALVAGING CHRISTMAS... I'M ISSUING A NEW DECREE FOR CHRISTMAS 2024 =)

  
As you may recall the Christmas story in Luke chapter 2 starts out with a decree:

"Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth." Luke 2:1 (NIV)

Just over a week ago we said goodbye to Dad (actually, "See you later alligator!"). After a very emotional week at the hospital with Dad on life support none of us felt like doing anything for Christmas and it looked like Christmas was going to pass us by with nothing more than a time to grieve. I love Christmas and I wanted to savor the entire Christmas season this year and make this a wonderful Christmas for Dad. So back in October I actually started decorating for Christmas as well as set up the Christmas tree. I actually wanted to set the tree up on October 1st and celebrate 4 months of Christmas time, but Hurricanes Helene & Milton had something to say about that. Despite my best efforts all the hurricane prep & clean up along with numerous Dr's appointments seemed to be making my quest for "4 months of Christmas" an impossible feat to pull off. But still I was doing my best to make it happen this year... Outdoor Christmas movies, make your own pizza nights, Birddog Cinema, nightly Hallmark movies with Dad & Laurie, indoor decorations, outdoor decorations, gifts, and making memories during my favorite time of the year... but with the hurricanes and all the rescheduled Dr's appointments because of the hurricanes and the momentum of life it was looking like 4 months would turn into 2 months... then 1 month... then with the loss of Dad we contemplated canceling Christmas this year, and Lord willing hopefully do it up big in 2025. The thought of waiting a year to celebrate Christmas was frankly depressing in itself. But over the past week there has been a Christmas miracle of sorts >>> a resiliency has returned!! Each day I (we) get a little better... a little more healing takes place... and all of a sudden I had a thought: "Let's SALVAGE this year's Christmas!" Let's TAKE BACK Christmas from the jaws of defeat!! Let's modify and adapt and adjust, and let's make the most of Christmas! It's within our God given decision making capacity to CHOOSE LIFE in the midst of death... to CHOOSE CELEBRATION in the midst of grief... to CHOOSE TO EMBRACE THE ULTIMATE BIRTH in the midst of planning a funeral. And so I rise to the occasion to make a new decree in the spirit of the original Christmas decree!
 
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NEW DECREE:
Now on this day a new decree has gone out from the mouth of an ordinary man who serves an extraordinary God. We shall SALVAGE CHRISTMAS! No hurricanes, no obstructions, no interuptions, no crushing deaths, and no "foggy Christmas eve" are going to cancel Christmas this year!! We will celebrate Christmas even while mourning our loss! Furthermore, I decree that because of the difficulties of the past 5 months - especially 3 hurricanes & deaths of loved ones - Christmas shall be extended for 1 week! Everyday from December 25th thru December 31st shall now be called December 25th... Christmas Day will last 168 hours this year (24 hrs x 7 days = 168 hours)... there will be 7 sunrises and 7 sunsets in this 2024 Christmas Day!!

Drop the mic! End of decree! Peace out! Lord willing, see you in 2025!!! We have a lot of Christmas movies to watch & Christmas to celebrate!!!
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Laurie & I are prepping to host the first official Christmas at my house with Traci, Dave, & Carson. Crepes in the morning and crab legs in the afternoon with funtivities throughout! This will be mine & Traci's first Christmas without parents, but we know they would be all for this! The joy of Christmas shall overshadow the sorrows of life! Merry Christmas everyone!!!

PS: Dad really loved the decorations in the livingroom!!

 

 

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CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF JERRY GARNER - JANUARY 18, 2025 (4pm - 6:30pm)

  

CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF JERRY GARNER - JANUARY 18, 2025 (4pm - 6:30pm)
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Park Place Wesleyan Church
4400 70th Ave N
Pinellas Park, FL  33781
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Come celebrate the life of our beloved "Tomato Man" at the Celebration of Life Service for Jearld Douglass Garner on Saturday January 18, 2025 at 4pm. A reception will follow in the dining hall. More details to come after the holidays. As Dad would say, "See you on the flip flop!"
  
My new motto inspired by Dad's life of generosity is "LIVE TO GIVE"... everywhere he went he gave, gave, gave... he loved to give... he lived to give! It wasn't something he did; it was who he was... it was part of his DNA.
   
On behalf of our entire family, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the outpouring of love over the past 2 weeks. Dad is sooooooo loved by so many ❤️ . We deeply miss his presence in our daily lives, yet we find comfort in knowing he is now pain-free, reunited with Mom, and in the presence of God.
  
We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
  
(Pictured here is a very young Jerry Garner during his 20 years of military service in the US Air Force... Thank you for your service Dad!!)

 

 

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

   
We were looking forward to one more birthday with you Dad, but I guess you really wanted to take that stairway to Heaven and spend this day with Mom. We already miss you, but we are comforted knowing you have no more pain, no more misery, no more inability, AAAAAAAAAND (best of all) you are reunited with Mom. Thank you for all that you did for me!! You are, without a doubt, one of a kind Tomato Man!! Happy 83rd Birthday in Heaven Dad =) 

 

 

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THANK YOU!!

   
Thank you for all the love with the loss of Dad!! I'm sorry I haven't been able to read any of the loving words on any of the posts I made since taking Dad to the ER 10 days ago. We had so much going on each day and wanted to spend time with him while we had him. The challenging (almost cruel) aspect of losing a loved one is that the world doesn't slow down... we have to go straight into all of the funeral / Celebration of Life arrangements, notifications of death, Dr appointment cancelations, bills & services cancelations, will, life insurance, last wishes, cancel pension checks & social security, meet with each military department for notification of death. There is so much involved in every aspect, but Team Sis-Bro (that's what my Sister and I call our Caregiving partnership) along with Mom & Dad's adopted third child (Laurie), Carson, & Dave are rocking it!! Monday we met with the different departments at the VA, yesterday we tackled Dad's last wishes & met with the funeral director (and selected Dad's casket... here's a pic... his casket will be in Air Force blue!!), today we meet with the church to plan out his service (sometime in mid January) and later today we meet with an end-of-life attorney to make sure we aren't missing anything. Oh, and tomorrow is Dad's birthday... and in a week is something called Christmas lol. Everyday is an emotional rollercoaster, but who doesn't love rollercoasters (grin)!! We are all doing good overall with moments of great grief. We are comforted knowing that Dad is reunited with Mom and has no more pain or misery... just endless joy in the presence of God. I'm looking forward to reading all the Facebook comments over the next few days. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE!!!

 

 

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A WONDERFUL NIGHT OF LEVITY!

  
Our family was asked to attend The Holiday Family Dinner at Seasons Memory Care of Belleair where my Mom was for nearly 5 months when she passed away (2 years ago yesterday). Actually I was asked to MC tonight's event, and even though our Dad passed away yesterday there was no way that we were going to miss this special night after all the love and care Seasons has poured out on our family. The show must go on... that's what Mom & Dad would do (and want)! Soooooo I put on my silver sequin Christmas jacket while Laurie, Traci, & Carson got all dressed up and we had a wonderful night of celebration and fun!! Our dear friend Alan Tripp was there too supplying musical entertainment along with his father. Our Dad was supposed to attend tonight too. He had already written a donation check for $1000 to give to Seasons of Belleair... that guy was the most generous person you've ever met!! It was an honor to present that donation on behalf of Jerry Garner. Being a part of tonight was a tribute to Seasons and our Dad 😊 😊

PS: The food was AMAZING!!!!! Seasons treats everyday and every event as a wonderful gift & celebration!! They love the residents and their families soooo much!!!

 

 

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HEAVEN BOUND!

HEAVEN BOUND!

Dad officially departed on The Ultimate Trip at 2:47pm. Laurie said she can picture him showing up to Heaven with roses for Mom. We're pretty sure he has a box of tomatoes too.

The past week has been Dad's final gift to us... his 1 last comeback of being resuscitated and being on life support allowed us to say our final goodbyes and spend so much quality time with so many friends & family (as well as texts & phone calls & messages) that Dad impacted. It was so beautiful. We also talked about and talked through everything related to Dad's care and the last 24 hours leading to his passing away on the way to the hospital. It has been a very healthy and helpful week.
 
Dad loved EVERYONE!! Thank you to EVERYONE!! You have halved our grief and doubled our joy! Let the dancing & celebrating begin in Heaven!!

MOVIE NITES CANCELLED

Due to the current circumstances we will be canceling our Outdoor Movie Nites this weekend. Dad bought all kinds of goodies for the kids attending the movies this weekend and had Traci & Laurie make goodie bags... he was going to dress up as Santa Claus and hand them out. Instead he is now preparing for the greatest trip & date nite ever >>> a trip to Heaven to be with Mom 😀

 

 

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UPDATE ON DAD (Dec 11, 2024)

UPDATE ON DAD:

I'm sorry to share that unfortunately there have been no meaningful signs of brain function in our Dad and the prognosis is that Dad would likely be in an ongoing vegetative state on long-term life support which he would never want. He has stated several times over the past few months that he has enjoyed his life and he is living in constant pain, misery, & inability, and he would like to pass away and go be with Mom in Heaven. We are going to honor Dad's wishes by removing his life support on Sunday Dec 15th 2 years to the day that Mom went to be with Jesus.

IF YOU WANT TO VISIT DAD/JERRY/THE TOMATO MAN BEFORE HE PASSES:

We will be opening up a bedside hospital visitation of Dad for Thursday, Friday, & Saturday 9a-9p for anyone who would like to visit Dad and say one last goodbye. Dad is unconscious, unresponsive, and on a ventilator so he isn't able to communicate, but his ears probably still work if you want to love on him and say goodbye. 

 

ADDRESS & ROOM NUMBER:

Dad is in Building 100 (big building next to the parking garage and across from the main large parking lot) on the 2nd Floor in SICU in Room 2 at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center (10000 Bay Pines Blvd, Bay Pines, FL 33744). There is a phone next the SICU doors. Use that phone to dial 14498 and let them know you're here to visit Jerry Garner in Room 2. Traci, Laurie, & I will be here most of the time.

THANK YOU'S!!!

I haven't had a chance to read the comments on my original post about Dad, but I hope to tonight. On behalf of our family, thank you all so so so so very much for the outpouring of love, prayers, support, and kindness!! We are touched very deeply. There has been so much love and healing happening here over the past few days... it's like Dad's one last COMEBACK of coming back to life was for us, and not for him... the past few days have been so beautiful, healthy, and difficult... we are working through everything, talking through everything, praying through everything, healing through everything. So many friends & family have been carrying us through this with their love and prayers!! Aaaaaaaaand the VA >>> WOWWWW, THEY HAVE BEEN BEYOND AMAZING!!! THIS IS HOW A HOSPITAL SHOULD BE RUN!!! THEY CARE SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! THEY DISPLAY SO MUCH LOVE & DIGNITY & RESPECT!!!! Soooooo much respect and appreciation for them and all that they are doing!!!

 

LIFE CELEBRATION SERVICE:

Like we did with Mom 2 years ago we are going to plan a Celebration of Life Service for Dad for after the holidays probably during the 2nd half of January. We will update everyone once we nail down the date & location.

 

From the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! ♥️ ❤️ ♥️ 

 

 

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I have some awful news. My Dad is on life support...

  

I have some awful news. My Dad is on life support at the VA hospital and it's unlikely he is going to make it. We are here now. We have tried to call as many people as we can, but it's still an active situation and spending time with Dad.

 

What Happened?

Dad thought he was coming down with a cold Saturday night. All day yesterday he still felt like he was coming down with something, but was doing fine. We watched the Bucs game together. And eventually he decided to go to bed early around 6pm. He started getting the chills with flu like symptoms, but no fever. We increased the heat and doubled up his blankets. Then all of a sudden he started getting worse around 8pm last night and he wanted to go to the hospital. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary of any other time we went to the hospital. But then he asked Laurie to pray for him. She did, and as Laurie and I were wheeling him down the ramp he was unable to lift his legs. As we were helping him into the car he lost all his strength and passed out. We got him into the seat. I sped off. Dad was breathing heavier & heavier and was unconscious leaning on my right shoulder. I kept pushing on him trying to wake him up while rushing to the ER. (Laurie was driving separately). I was yelling, "Dad! Dad! Wake up!!". Somewhere during the 5 mile drive my Dad got very quiet and stopped breathing... he literally passed away leaning against me while I was driving him to the Emergency Room. I pulled up to the VA ER and ran in for help. The ER staff jumped right into action with chest compressions while Dad was still in the passenger seat... they got him on the stretcher and continued. Laurie had called Traci and she raced to the hospital. When Laurie saw them on top of Dad doing chest compressions she lost it. Just a few hours ago we were just hanging out and thinking maybe he was coming down with a cold... now he was not alive... What in the world just happened?!?! The ER doctor was leveling with us that it didn't look like Dad was going to make it. Traci was still on the way devastated as she was driving to the hospital wondering how bad he was, but knowing they were doing CPR. The staff came in to tell update us. We knew it was going to be the worst, but amazingly they were actually able to bring Dad back to life after 15 minutes of life saving measures. The Comeback Kid had 1 more comeback in him! Traci arrived in time for the good news. But our immediate grief that turned to short-lived joy turned back to great sadness when it became evident that his brain went without oxygen for several minutes and wasn't showing any positive signs of brain activity. They asked how come I didn't call 911. My simple honest answer is that I didn't know he was dying. I would have called in a heartbeat like I have before if I thought for a second he was dying. By the time it became dire I was already enroute to the ER... it didn't seem like they could get to me faster than I could get to them at this point. Carson and Dave rushed from his shark charter to be by Dad. Now we are like, "What in the world just happened?!?!?!" Dad was doing the best he has done in years!! We are in shock and I'm kinda of a mess to be honest from the drive to the ER... it was quite possibly the worst experience of my life, Laurie's life, & my Sister's life... but more importantly it was the probable end of my Dad's life. The first time he passed away (in the car) he went peacefully. He is now on a ventilator and all kinds of machines. His heart is working properly, but there are many indicators that he has significant brain damage. We have no idea what exactly happened last night, but it looks like he may have had a rapid onset of pneumonia and he went downhill quickly and it stopped his heart??? We were up all night. Crushed in many ways as you can imagine. But also happy Dad's suffering is almost over, and his reunion with Mom along with his ultimate healing in the presence of Jesus is about to begin. Laurie prayed with my Dad the salvation prayer a few months ago. We are forever indebted to her!! Traci & I have decided to list Dad as a DNR so barring an absolute miracle and supernatural comeback our Dad - The Tomato Man - will be starting a new tomato garden in heaven very very soon.

 

He knows so many of the medical staff here... they are doing a fantastic job and they love our Dad!! We brought his special Christmas pens and Traci & Laurie are giving them out to the hospital staff.

We tried calling people to inform them, but have run out of time as we spend time in ICU with Dad.

 

He is at the Bay Pines VA in SICU Floor #2, Room #2 

 

 

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OUTDOOR MOVIE NITES DEC 13 & 14 !! ... MAKE UR OWN PIZZAS!!! CAMPFIRE!! GAMES!! S'MORES!! GOOD TIMES!

Wow, we have been going nonstop since the Annual Banquet (and before!)... Our Outdoor Movie Nites at BIRDDOG CINEMA are next week!! Aaaaaaaaand it includes MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA(S) toooooooo!!!!! Click on the link below for all the details and to RSVP 😃

(Click pics to enlarge and see details for each night)

GTD OUTDOOR MOVIE NITE link:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/birddog-cinema-outdoor-movie-nite.html?m=1

 

 

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