Why I’ll Never Let Trees Touch My Roof Again…

Hey guys, what a crazy week this has been!

One thing that really stood out to me this week was the weather. It just amazes me how unpredictable it can be. But this week, we lucked out with some beautiful, warm weather—which I absolutely love. I’ve never been a fan of the cold, so for me, anything above freezing is always better. It’s funny how something as simple as the temperature can affect your mood. When it's cold, I just don’t feel as motivated to do much outside, but with the warmer weather, everything just feels a little easier, a little brighter.

Of course, life isn’t without its little problems. The downside to this week? Somehow, squirrels managed to get into my attic, and let me tell you, that has been a huge pain to deal with. I knew we had a few too many trees near the house, but I never really thought much about it until now. Those squirrels had a field day up there—building nests, making a mess, and probably throwing a little party. Now I’ve got to deal with the cleanup, and I had to get someone scheduled to come out and make sure they’re gone for good. It really makes me rethink how close I want trees to my house. I love the shade and the look of them, but if they’re touching the roof, it just makes it way too easy for these little guys to sneak in and cause havoc. Lesson learned!

On a much more positive note, we celebrated my dad’s birthday this week! His actual birthday was on Thursday, but we waited until Sunday to celebrate when the whole family could get together. It was great seeing everyone and spending time together, but I have to admit, celebrating my dad’s birthday also makes me realize how fast time is flying. Every year that passes just reminds me that I’m getting older too! It’s a weird feeling, but I guess that’s just part of life.

This year has been a little tough when it comes to getting into a routine. With all the snow days we’ve had—two so far—it’s been a lot of stop and start. And now, they’re predicting even more snow next week, which is a bit of a headache for me because I’ll be traveling to Charlotte. Snow and travel never mix well, especially since I won’t have my big Raptor truck with me. Instead, I’ll be driving my old BMW, which is definitely not built for snowy conditions. I’ve had that car for about 20 years, and while I love it, I wouldn’t exactly call it "winter-ready." So fingers crossed that the forecast is wrong and the roads stay clear.

One of the biggest highlights of my week was the UFC pay-per-view event on Saturday! I was really excited for this one because one of my favorite fighters, Sean Strickland, was fighting Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland is always entertaining—he’s got a way of saying things that riles people up, but when I met him in person, he was actually a really nice guy. It’s been fun watching his career grow from just another ranked fighter to a champion for a brief moment, and now trying to climb his way back up.

The fight was a five-round battle, and it was brutal. Strickland broke his nose early on—maybe in round four, or even earlier—and you could see how much that affected him. There was blood everywhere, and it definitely slowed him down. Meanwhile, Du Plessis was an absolute beast. He’s a big guy for his weight class—strong, aggressive, and relentless. He dominated the fight, and while Strickland might have won one round, that’s up for debate. In the end, Du Plessis showed exactly why he’s the champ.

The co-main event was also a great fight—Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez for the title. And wow, talk about a dominant performance! Zhang completely controlled the fight from start to finish. It was one of the most one-sided fights I’ve seen in a long time. She’s just on another level.

I have to admit, I was rooting for Strickland not just because I like him as a fighter, but because he had this mustache that reminded me of my son, Noah. So after the fight, I texted Noah and told him, "I hope your mustache never ends up as bloody as Strickland’s was." Because man, it was bad!

Sunday was a little more low-key. Holly and I spent most of the day at home, except for when we went over to my parents’ house for my dad’s birthday dinner. We had steak and potatoes, which was perfect, and then finished it off with a caramel cake—one of my favorites. My dad is a simple guy when it comes to gifts—he just wanted some bumper plates for his deadlift bar and a Yellowstone hoodie, so that’s exactly what we got him. He was happy, and that’s what matters.

Outside of all that, I’ve been dealing with little things around the house. One of my boys’ dogs has been sick, so we took him to the vet. We’re hoping for good news, but in the meantime, just keeping a close eye on him.

I also decided to move my desk into the library to get a quieter space while working from home. My previous setup was a little too disconnected from the main house, so this feels like a better balance. I also did some video recording this week, which was frustrating because I forgot to charge my wireless mic. There’s nothing worse than getting all set up, ready to record, and then realizing the mic is dead. So I had to pause everything and wait for it to charge before I could get started. One of those little things that just slows everything down!

On the business side, our YouTube channel has been growing like crazy! We’ve been posting all kinds of content—case results, personal injury tips, and of course, Shane Spins for Car Crashes (dashcam videos). We’ve also been adding Know Your Rights videos (mostly in the criminal defense category) and car chase footage, which has been a huge hit. We just hit 22,000 subscribers, which is amazing! It’s great to see how much people are engaging with our content.

And as we head into summer, we’re once again a contender for the Inc. 5000 list! It’s always a long process to find out if we made the cut and where we rank, but just being in the mix again is exciting.

That’s about it for this week! Next week, I’ll be up in Charlotte, and I’m really hoping the snow doesn’t hit while I’m there. Fingers crossed for good weather!

And of course, always remember, if you’re in pain, call Shane!