Do Me a Favor, Will You?

September 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I haven’t been blogging here lately – and not for a lack of interest, I promise. I know you’ve all been chomping at the bit to catch up with all the goings-on in the Romack household, so I’ll lay a few of the highlights on you:

  • Angela’s been a stay-at-home mom for about four months now. It’s been a huge thing for us, and while we’re still trying to find the right balance of family versus work times throughout the day, our family is much happier across the board.
  • Business has been super crazy the past few weeks. We’ve had a ton of projects to ship out, which is always a blessing, but it keeps us steadily busy. I don’t expect the trend to slow down anytime soon.
  • Tyson is getting to be quite the giant – or as “giant-like” as a 17 and 1/2 pound, two foot tall kiddo can be. He has three teeth now, can crawl, pull up, babble your ear off and loves his Mommy and Daddy. Seriously – having kids is easily one of the best things we’ve ever done.
  • I’ve been playing drums and percussion a lot more lately. I’ve been serving the team at Grace Bible Church here in College Station – and let me tell you, these guys are ridiculously talented. Always humbled to serve alongside Tim and the crew each Sunday.
  • We’re closing in on the October playoff season for baseball. I’ve been a little agitated lately, as you might have noticed here and here. Also: Just secured my tickets for the second game in the first round of the playoffs. Super excited!
  • We’re addicted to “Breaking Bad” now. That’s all I’m going to say about that…
  • And, last but not least, I’m launching a new website, which I’d really like your help in promoting.

Let me tell you a bit more about Ontempo.

Ontempo Ideas is the name of my business, and it’s more than a little obvious that I’m going with a bit of a musical vibe with this project. I’ve seen a lot of the digital marketing industry the past couple of years, and while I claim to be no expert, I do understand a few things well. I get that tons of businesses royally screw up email marketing, not many folks understand how to tie social media back to business goals, too many get caught on the “warm” and fuzzy” aspects of being digital with customers, and there’s a ton of really poor copywriting to accompany all of these avenues. Enter Ontempo.

Our business wants to be a marketing metronome for brands who are either burnt out, don’t get it or just need a little help. If there’s one thing I understand about clicks it’s that they provide a terrific foundation upon which a drummer can lay down the fat grooves that drive a track. While Ontempo probably won’t (literally) be making any sweet melodies with clients, I see our team being a guide, a steady beat and a firm foundation for businesses to propel their digital marketing efforts to infinity and beyond.

How can you help Ontempo?

That’s an easy one. If you know of someone who owns a business, is confused about social media, hasn’t the foggiest idea about digital marketing, runs an email list, has a website or blog they’re wanting to make money with, or even someone who uses digital media for their job – please, please, please pass this link their way and check out the launch of the Ontempo website in the next couple of days.

The website will showcase a few of the ways Ontempo is looking to partner with businesses, including email marketing, social media management, copywriting, and content creation and marketing. There will, eventually, be a public speaking and team development aspect to the business, as well, but I’m not sure how quickly we’ll move that direction. There’s, of course, a blog and an email list, too, so we’re truly committed to sharing valuable tidbits with companies that aren’t sure whether they’re ready for our services just yet. Ontempo is also on Facebook and Twitter, so make sure to give us a follow if you’re feeling generous.

It’s tough work getting a business off the ground, but it’s even more challenging to create the public face of said business. I’m especially grateful for the patience and understanding of my beautiful wife, Angela, as I’ve clocked tons of late hours the past few weeks in an tempt to nail down what I wanted this website to be. Without her, none of this really floats anyway. There’s a landing page online now, but check out the site this Tuesday and let me know what you think here in the comments section. Your feedback is insanely valuable, so believe me when I say how important your words of wisdom are to me.

Filed Under: Day Job

What’s the Must-Have for a Stay-at-Home Daddy?

May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Next to his mom - this is the best co-worker you could ever ask for.

A stay-at-home mommy – duh. It’s been something Angela and I have discussed for years and years and years, but we never thought it’d be a reality. But alas, Angela comes home from work for good next week, aside from a few hours a week at our church nursery.

I’ll be completely honest with you – I never imagined we’d be a single income family, especially with my name on the paychecks. It’s not a bragging point because truthfully, we’re blessed to be in the position we are right now.

My business, Ontempo Ideas, has gained tons of steam since January, serving the digital marketing and communication needs of a handful of local and regional clients, and there’s enough work that a five-month-old just won’t accommodate during the day. Plus: I’m in need of some help in the visual media department, so my lovely wife is headed home to aide in the matter.

What does that all mean? It means more family time, more ministry, more hugs and kisses, more out-of-town trips to see friends and family, more lunch and coffee get-togethers with local friends and colleagues, more productivity, more business ventures, more side-projects, more stories, more laughs and, of course, more blog posts to catalog it all. And maybe the witty and talented @angelaromack will share her viewpoint, as well?

Buckle up, friends. The Romacks are about to become a stay-at-home family. We’re those people now.

Filed Under: family news

Is This 91 or 92? Oh, Good Grief – I’ve Lost Count

March 22, 2012 By 4 Comments

It’s been, to the surprise of no one, a whirlwind since I arrived back in College Station a week and a half ago, which is why I’ve completely forgotten to share the fact that I had a surgery scheduled this morning. I still have journal entries coming for the Daily Wag, but I did want to fill you in on what my doctors did today and what we’re hoping as the outcome.

If you remember, I had a corneal transplant last September that restored a pretty significant amount of vision. We were all certain that seeing my son Tyson’s face was all but a done deal, but sadly, a couple of days before he was born, I started noticing a drastic shift in my eyesight, and within a matter of three weeks I was back to unusable vision. There were a couple theories as to why this was the case, but ultimately none of the noninvasive treatment options touched it, and my corneal transplant ended up rejecting in January.

The problem isn’t so much that the corneal transplant rejected, but really the cause of this rejection. A few years ago, I had a string of retinal detachments and, at the time, the only way to remedy the issue was to inject silicone oil into the eye in order to help it hold its shape. Scar tissue in my eye continued pulling the retina loose, so this was a solution to help the eye retain its structure amidst all the chaos within. That’s fine and dandy, except that the silicone oil bares the risk of forcing rejection with transplanted corneal tissue – and therein lies our problem. My retina specialist really didn’t want to pull the oil unless absolutely necessary, but I’d say repeating the transplant every three or four months isn’t exactly the most functional solution – and luckily my doctors agree.

Every surgery I have offers a glimmer of hope that eyesight can be restored – but that all comes with a price. If the silicone oil is imperative to keeping the retina attached, there might not be any other option. The biggest question  here is – will enough scar tissue form as a result of this surgery, thereby pulling the struggling retina loose? The answer seems pretty fuzzy to all parties involved, so we’re just going to have to play the waiting game to see how it all pans out.

I’m not in too much pain, which is a good thing. I’m not a huge fan of the eye being patched, mainly because it’s just terribly uncomfortable, but they’ll remove it first thing in the morning. We should know fairly quickly whether any sight was gained from the repeated transplant. Then it’s another month or two as the swelling dies down from the surgery. It took exactly 30 days from the last surgery for me to start reading the clock on my iPhone, so I’m coming into this with pretty steep expectations. But, all that being said, I’m trying to remain patient and hopeful that something grand lies around the corner.

Of course – I’ll keep you up-to-date with the progress. If you’re a subscriber of the Daily Wag, maybe consider subscribing to my main blog, too. I also keep my Facebook and Twitter accounts filled with status updates from the doctor and such, so you should definitely head there and give me a follow, as well. Thanks so much for the support, encouragement, positive thoughts and well wishes. You all are just too kind. More soon.

Filed Under: blindness, family news, the Daily Wag: the Chronicles of a Boy and His Pup During Guide Dog Training
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