Helms Family Blog

Facebook is a Bad Long-Term Investment

2012-02-04T11:52:00.001-06:00

This week Facebook registered for their IPO. An IPO stands for initial public offering and means that, for the first time, Facebook stock (piece of ownership of the company) will be offered for sale to the public. Facebook will raise about $5 Billion selling only 1/20th of the company. That makes the Facebook IPO (by far) the largest IPO by an Internet company. (The Google 2004 IPO was just over $1.5B). The $5B IPO will value Facebook at $100 Billion. At that value, Facebook will be one of the most valuable companies in the world.

It is easy to make an argument why Facebook would have that value. It is an elite Internet property drawing in users and huge advertising dollars. Today, it has more than 800 million active users.

Compare that the population of the United States at 300 million. Impressive.

Facebook also makes a lot of money. It revealed in its IPO filing that in 2011 it had profits of $1 billion on sales of $3.7 billion. Despite these strong numbers, I believe that Facebook is a bad long term investment.

Several months ago my daughter Brittany and I were having a discussion about the long term viability of Facebook. She was talking about her kids using Facebook. I (half jokingly) said that Facebook will not even be around when she has kids (she is 16). She shot back that she never uses email (even though she has had an email account for years) because she either sends a text or uses Facebook to message. She said that everyone her age uses Facebook to communicate. I know Brittany and her friends spend an amazing amount of time on Facebook. They post their status, pictures and generally keep up with their friends and the community on Facebook. It is truly a primary form of communication for teens and many adults. I have been told on many occasions that I should use Facebook instead of blogging on this site because everyone is on Facebook and it is just easier to track.

So why am I saying Facebook is not a good long-term investment? First, and most obvious, it already has an extremely high value. Not unreasonable, but high. Second, we are not exactly in a down market. Technology stocks and the market as a whole has been doing great for some time. Because of the bull market, there are few bargains to be had. Third, because Facebook has been an unmitigated success attracting millions of users every year, its growth with undoubtedly and substantially slow over the next few years. It already has 800 million users. The United State is saturated. Finally, I think Facebook is not a communication medium that people will be using to any substantial degree in 8 years. It is not a flash in the pan - but it might just be the flavor of the month (or maybe decade).

Back to my conversation with Brittany about her kids using Facebook. After Brittany made the point about the dominance of Facebook, I tried to give her some perspective.

I asked, "Have you ever heard of Netscape?" No.

"Have you ever heard of Prodigy?" Never.

"Have you ever heard of CompuServe?" Nope.

"How about AOL?" Maybe but I don't know what it is.

These were all absolutely dominate companies in the early days of the Internet. AOL was so successful that it purchased Time Warner.

"How many people that you know use MySpace.com." Almost none.

MySpace was Facebook before Facebook.

Internet companies come and go because competition is high, barriers to entry are low and users can switch to the next best thing with almost no cost. Twitter could kill Facebook.

Google+ could do it.

Noelle was telling me about a small but increasingly popular iPhone app called Instagram that lets users friend each other and post pictures.

A company or technology that we have never heard of today could kill Facebook in 3 years.

Facebook is not Google. Google is more Microsoft Windows - a base technology and system for the Internet. Facebook is My Space - the flavor of the month.

Do I think Facebook will around when Brittany has kids? Yes. It will like AOL. It will be around - but irrelevant.

Bill Lindeen 1924 - 2012

2012-01-27T19:18:00.001-06:00

My grandfather, Bill Lindeen, passed away last week. He was a great man with a zest for life. My son, Joshua William, is named after him.

Today our family gathered at Shelter Island on San Diego Bay to watch a boat sail off with his ashes. It was a nice moment to remember a great man!

This is my Grandpa Bill holding me when I am just a few days old in September 1974.

Noelle's MadFrog Team

2012-01-15T18:21:00.001-06:00

Noelle plays select volleyball and has been playing with a team called MadFrog.

Noelle made the top MadFrog team again this year - 12s National Team - Lew. The team is composed of 5 people from Noelle's team last year and 5 new people. They are really strong. This weekend they played in the MLK Tournament - which was the first ranking tournament of the year in the North Dallas Region. They dominated - winning the Gold division without really being challenged.

They have won their first 3 tournaments with ease. They have not lost a game yet this season. I am sure it will get harder as they play up in the 13s division.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T16:55:00.001-06:00

Shawn Jr. and his new laser pointer

Noelle with her Justin Beiber earrings

Josh playing baseball in the rock lot down town Windsor, Missouri

Christmas at IOOP building in Windsor

Brittany and Bailey posing in front of the First Christian Church in Windsor

The action in down town Windsor

Sky "driving" with Harvey and Heather

Lake Pointe Christmas setup

Brittany and Shawn at First Baptist Windsor candle light service on Christmas Eve

Sky in Ellie's cage

Noelle and Brittany in front of Jewell Hall at William Jewell College

Packed for the trip back

I have no explanation for this

Harvey and Josh

YouTube Video

Some of the crew roller skating.

Pandora Bible Ad

2011-12-24T02:19:00.001-06:00

Of all the Christmas advertisements I have seen this year - I was most surprised by the one that came up on Pandora.

This showed up on a Pandora Christmas station. Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer is playing in the background and there is a click-through ad for the Bible. How about that for Christian marketing?

Can You Find Tiger Woods?

2011-12-17T12:43:00.002-06:00

Oh how the mighty have fallen. In years past, the cover of Tiger Woods Golf had a huge picture of Tiger. See 2011 version below:

In the 2012 version you can barley see the guy or his name.

Cowboys vs. Giants Game

2011-12-14T00:27:00.001-06:00

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go to the Cowboys game. K&L Gates has incredible seats - 12 row on the 47th yard line. They lost a heartbreaker to the NY Giants.

A picture of my ticket - with a face value of $340. Not bad - except for the fact that to have the pleasure of buying this seat you have to pay $50,000 for the seat license. That gives you the right to buy this seat for 30 years.

Before the game we hung out at lounge / bar that was at field level. The Giants walked right through the bar.

This was the view from the bar.

YouTube Video

A video giving you some perspective.

YouTube Video

These are the Giants walking back into the locker room. You can see Brandon Jacobs in the video. That guy is huge.

The view from my seat at kickoff.

These 2 kids slept through the entire game. You know what that is - $680 wasted.

Brittany in the Rockwall Paper

2011-12-11T11:23:00.001-06:00

Brittany was in the paper this week.

Snow in Dallas in Early December

2011-12-06T11:48:00.001-06:00

We had a tiny bit of snow last night. This morning I found a few specks on my car window seal.

Brittany Basketball Pictures

2011-11-29T00:24:00.001-06:00

Today Brittany got in her basketball pictures.

iPhones Cameras Comparison

2011-11-27T20:38:00.010-06:00

We decorated our house with Christmas lights this weekend. After we got done I had the kids do a little experiment. Below are pictures from 3 different iPhones.

This is a picture with an iPhone 3GS.

This is a picture with an iPhone 4. This is a quality picture.

This is a picture with an iPhone 4S. Noticably better than the iPhone 4 - which was good.

The clarity on this photo is really amazing. The iPhone 4S claims to have an 8 megapixel camera. I believe it after looking at these pictures. For futher proof - compare the picture from the 4S to the picture below.

This picture is from my Nikon D90 - a 12.3 megapixel digital SLR with a with a Nikon 18-200 DX lens. This picture was taken on the Automatic setting and was the only picture I took. None of these pictures have any modification (of color, clarity or otherwise). I think the picture from the 4S looks just as good.

This is really an amazing accomplishment for a camera phone. I don't know why anyone would ever buy a point and shoot digital camera.

Below is a comparison of the pictures from the 4S to the Nikon D90 zoomed in on our front door. The darker one on the left is the Nikon D90, the one on the right is the iPhone 4S. The Nikon picture is better - but it is certainly close.

Outsourcing Law and Business

2011-11-24T23:19:00.001-06:00

We got in our copies of the treatise Jason Krieser and I authored. It is fun to finally see it in person.

Basketball Accomplishments

2011-11-17T22:31:00.002-06:00

All of my kids are good basketball players. My kids have generally started playing basketball when they were very young. Some have enjoyed the sport more than others, but they are all strong basketball players.

For many years, Brittany was better than almost all other girls her age. Her diverse skills and in-game IQ, made her a very strong player. Brittany was the starting point guard on her school teams in middle school and won the award for best basketball player at Cain Middle School in the 7th grade and 8th grade. But, when she got to high school, it got much harder. Her general lack of speed and athleticism caught up with her as better athletes learned how to play the game. The game no longer came easy to her. However, Brittany continued to work hard. This year she made the Heath High School varsity team. A great accomplishment for a sophomore. We are proud of her.

On a related point - Brittany loves her coach. He is a great guy named Devin Gabbard. Coach Gabbard is a classy individual who genuinely cares about his players. On several occasions he has impressed me with his dedication and commitment. While it may take some time, the Heath girls basketball program is in good hands.

Compared to others his age, Shawn Jr. has always been an exceptional athlete. His combination of coordination, speed, competitiveness and decision making has allowed him to succeed in several different sports. Baseball and basketball are his best sports and the ones he most enjoys. Years ago, basketball was his favorite sport. However, he got a little burned out on basketball and for the last 3 years, baseball has been his favorite. In fact, for a long time he did not play much basketball and seemed to not enjoy it at all. Therefore, when he started school this year we were not sure how things would go for basketball. Shawn is an 8th grader at Cain Middle School. Last year, as 7th graders, the Cain A Team went undefeated - winning districts with ease. The team is loaded with talent and Shawn has not been playing much basketball. Therefore, when tryouts started, Shawn was a little nervous. However, tryouts went well. Shawn likes his coach and was motivated by the new challenge of school basketball. Shawn made the A Team and was a starter in their first game tonight. They played McMillan Middle School and won by 40 points. This team should dominate again this year.

Shawn even had his own cheering section - oh boy . . .

In all seriousness - good work Brittany and Shawn. But always remember that, ultimately, success in sports is not important. It is important to work hard and do your best at everything in life. Twenty years from now, making varsity basketball or starting on the A team in middle school will not matter. But the work ethic, desire, attitude, and Christian character that are being developed through sports will make a huge difference in your life. Continue to be a positive representative for Christ and our family.

AT&T

2011-11-16T12:04:00.001-06:00

I am currently working with AT&T on a deal.

When people think of AT&T, they likely think of AT&T Wireless and maybe even the iPhone. AT&T was the first US carrier to have the iPhone and had exclusivity on offering the popular device for a number of years.

However, roaming through the AT&T building today, I was reminded of the companies roots and rich history. They were the sole US telephone and communications system for many years. They invented, marketed and delivered the telephone to the world.

Did you know that AT&T stands for American Telephone & Telegraph? I am certain my kids don't even know what a telegraph is.

Below are some AT&T devices that were offered in years past.

Some very cool old telephones.

11:11 on 11/11/11

2011-11-11T23:14:00.001-06:00

Triniti Wins 2nd at Texas North State Gymnastics Meet

2011-11-05T21:43:00.001-05:00

Triniti finished her Level 4 season with a 2nd place finish at the Texas North State gymnastics meet. She had a very solid meet. She got 2nd on Bars (with a 9.625), Beam (with a 9.55) and Floor (with a 9.6). She got 3rd on Vault (with a 9.75). She got 2nd in All Around (with a 38.525).

It was a very good year for Triniti.

Location:Frisco, Texas

Shawn's Move to K&L Gates

2011-11-02T00:05:00.005-05:00

Last week I moved from Jones Day to another large international law firm - K&L Gates. I joined K&L Gates as a Partner in their Outsourcing and Technology Transaction practice. My good friend, Jason Krieser and I both made the jump.

This was a hard decision for me. In my 7 years at Jones Day I gained tremendous respect for Jones Day as a legal institution and admire the many outstanding lawyers that make up the firm.

However, K&L Gates has a very strong platform for my practice. K&L Gates has nearly 2,000 lawyers, in 38 offices located on three continents. K&L Gates had revenue last year in excess of $1 Billion and is the Global 100's fastest growing law firm. The "Gates" in K&L Gates is William H. Gates, Sr. - the father of Bill Gates (of Microsoft fame). William H. Gates, Sr. was an attorney at Preston Gates & Ellis and later merged with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart to form K&L Gates. K&L Gates is a fast growing, high energy, law firm with historical technology roots.

My practice at K&L Gates will continue to focus on information technology, outsourcing, telecommunications and intellectual property matters. I am excited about the future.

Below is some press coverage on the move:

http://www.klgates.com/kl-gates-boosts-outsourcing-practice-with-team-of-dallas-partners-11-08-2011/

http://www.law360.com/texas/articles/284429/k-l-gates-nabs-jones-day-pair-for-outsourcing-group

Train Video

2011-10-25T00:34:00.001-05:00

I took the following video with my iPhone from the front of a train at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC.

YouTube Video

Location:Washington, DC

Shawn's First Book - Outsourcing: Law and Business

2011-10-16T00:09:00.006-05:00

I have always wanted to write a book. Several years ago I undertook a process to write a legal treatise on outsourcing. After 2 years of hard work, my legal treatise on outsourcing law was released on Friday. The book is titled "Outsourcing: Law and Business" and is published by Law Journal Press, the treatise publishing arm of American Lawyer Media. ALM is one of the largest and most respected legal publishers in the world. ALM publications and media outlets in the legal services industry include The American Lawyer Magazine, The National Law Journal, Legal Times, law.com and The New York Law Journal. These brands will provide marketing channels for the treatise. This is not your typical “Barnes and Noble” book but is a comprehensive legal treatise that is over 800 pages and will be updated at least one time per year. Jason Krieser and I are the primary authors of the treatise.

In an attempt to meet demand and educate the corporate community on outsourcing transactions, there have been many books written on the subject. Some of these books, like The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, were written by social commentators, to inform a general readership about social, political and economic impacts of outsourcing. Other books (written by consultants) discuss various business aspects of outsourcing transactions and governance. There have also been books written by lawyers covering the legal aspects of outsourcing transactions and agreements. In addition to these books, there are literally hundreds of articles written every year discussing various aspects of outsourcing transactions. Despite all of this information, no single resource has emerged as an authoritative and comprehensive source on outsourcing. One of the primary goals of this treatise is to become that source – a single comprehensive text on outsourcing transactions.

The treatise is written for both lawyers and business people. It offers in-depth treatment of documentation and legal issues as well as practical guidance on all the material “business” issues — fee structures, service levels and governance models — to help lawyers and outsourcing professionals implement transactions effectively. Click here to see the table of contents. Much of the book’s analysis is oriented toward the needs of outsourcing customers, but it also incorporates the perspective of outsourcing service providers.

While the bulk of this treatise is a survey and detailed review of the legal and business issues in outsourcing, Chapter 15 is special. In this chapter we discuss and advocate a new approach to performing outsourcing transactions that we call the “Modern Approach.” This chapter is the only innovative portion of the treatise. While all other chapters attempt to identify, crystallize and analyze the issues and challenges one encounters when entering into an outsourcing transaction, Chapter 15 recommends a new approach to performing these transactions given the changing outsourcing market. The issues addressed in this chapter drive our view and recommendations in rest of the treatise. Most form outsourcing contracts and the processes to negotiate those agreements were built over 25 years ago. Many of the historical form outsourcing contracts are unreasonably long, having many “bells and whistles” that are not necessary or helpful. For years the outsourcing industry has talked about streamlining the outsourcing engagement lifecycle – including the outsourcing agreements and the contracting process. However, little has actually been done. Now more than ever the outsourcing market needs a new approach to reduce transaction cost. Jason and I have developed some ideas regarding the contract process as well as an even-handed, much shorter form of agreement that has great appeal to service providers and customers. A shorter lifecycle gets deals done quicker and allows clients to start enjoying the savings and other benefits of the outsourcing sooner. This approach is detailed in Chapter 15 of the treatise.

Producing a legal treatise takes an extraordinary amount of time and effort. Jason and I want to thank several individuals who were instrumental in the process. First, four individuals were chapter authors, taking responsibility for an entire subject matter area – Mauricio Paez (Chapter 3 - Services), Pat Toher (Chapter 3 - Services and Chapter 9 - Intellectual Property), Alfred Cheng (Chapter 10 - Privacy and Data Security) and Heather Bethancourt (Chapter 6 - Personnel and Human Resource Matters). We are very grateful for their extraordinary efforts and commitment to this project. In addition, we had considerable support from Wade Glover who contributed on a number of different chapters and did some heavy research and writing early in the process. There were also numerous other Jones Day lawyers and staff who graciously contributed by researching, writing and reviewing different portions of the treatise. These individuals include Sandra Dielman, Laura Jane Durfee, Alexandra Hanson, Stephen Harris, Isaac Hass, Kevin Lyles, Michelle Morgan, Anand Pathak, Elizabeth Robertson, Jonathon Spiller and others. In addition, several others contributed important ideas to this work including Frank Casale (Founder & CEO of the Outsourcing Institute) Carlos Hernandez (consultant at Gartner) and Joe Frampus (consultant at Sourcing Board). None of these individuals have their name on the spine – but were invested in the project as if it was their book. We understand that the time spent by these individuals working on this project was time that could have been spent with family, friend or on other important priorities. We thankful that they chose to invest their valuable time, effort, attention to detail, expertise and thought leadership to this treatise. We also want to thank the leadership of Jones Day for allowing us to write this book. Finally, we want to thank Patricia Rainsford, of Law Journal Press, for her attention to detail and editorial support.

Outsourcing: Law and Business (Print and Online) can be ordered at www.outsourcingtreatise.com

Rockwall Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-15T14:27:00.001-05:00

Today we took the kids to the pumpkin patch in Rockwall. They had pumpkins, face painting, a maze, crafts and other fun activities.

Pumpkins!

Skylin getting her face painted.

Done. Ocean girl.

Then we heard the ice-cream truck.

Josh and Sky had never seen a real ice-cream truck.

They also got to make a spider web.

Brittany and Ryan Jones helping decorate pumpkins.

Josh had fun decorating.

Location:Rockwall Pumpkin Patch

RHHS Homecoming 2011

2011-10-09T00:51:00.001-05:00

Brittany and her friends had a great time at Heath Highschool Homecoming 2011. Below are some pictures from the night.

Triniti District Gymnastics Meet

2011-10-08T23:44:00.004-05:00

Triniti had another solid gymnastics meet coming in 4th in All Around at Districts with a combined score of 38.125. She got 3rd on Bars (9.425), 3rd on Floor (9.6), 6th on Vault (9.525) and 6th on Beam (9.575). Below are some pics from the meet.

During her floor routine.

On bars.

Split hand stand on floor.

Triniti with Coach John.

Handstand on beam.

Triniti with her teammates.

Triniti on floor.

Back handspring.

Brittany Wins Homecoming Princess

2011-10-03T23:41:00.000-05:00

Brittany won Heath High School homecoming Princess. Reese won homecoming Prince.

And the winners are . . .

Brit on the Sophomore Class float in the homecoming parade.

Brittany and several of her friends before the pep rally.

Brit and Reese being announced.

Waiting.

They win!

Brittany receiving her crown and flowers.

The Sophomore class nominees.

The Freshman, Sophomore and Junior class winners. One of these things is not like the other.

Brittany and Reese.

Brittany with her friends Kailey and Emily.

Emily bowing down to the newly crowned royalty.

Brittany and her Dad.

Brittany receiving congratulations from her friends.

Emily, Brittany and Maddie.

Brittany and Skylin. Skylin was so loving all the princess trappings.

Future princess.

The Helms Family and the newly crowned Prince and Princess.

Noelle, Brittany and Shawn Jr.

Announcing Brittany and Reese at the football game.

Brittany and Reese at the football game.

Crazy Hair Night at Lake Pointe

2011-09-27T17:26:00.001-05:00

The girls had a good time with crazy hair night at Awanas.

Back of Triniti's hair

Name This Movie

2011-09-17T12:37:00.001-05:00

After having a shot at winning and reaching the goal a rookie athlete has been striving for on the circuit, he falls just short due to a costly mistake at the last second. He has a fight with his right-hand man saying he does not need him anymore. After this devastating failure he takes out across the country and after crashing through a fence he unexpectedly gets stranded in a little “hic” town just off a road rarely traveled anymore. He feels defeated.

While in the town he meets a older citizen who automatically notices the rookie’s driving skill. In a surprising twist, the older citizen was once an athlete in the same sport as the rookie. The retired citizen agrees to help him in his attempt to reach greatness in the sport they both love. The citizen tells the rookie that he needs to stay in town and gain some perspective before continuing the pursuit of his dream. The older citizen teaches the rookie, with unusual methods, how to become even better in his sport as well as teaching him some life lessons on how to become a better person.

While in the town, the rookie also meets a particularly beautiful girl who doesn’t quite fit in with the stetting of the old, abandoned, dusty town. He is instantly attracted to her, and is determined to spend time with her before leaving. They end up going for a ride together and looking over a cliff that shows the beautiful landscape of the town from a new perspective. The rookie and girl end up falling in love.

Spending 7 days in a small forgotten town with its sincere and simple citizens has changed him forever. The athlete has become better at his sport and, more significantly, now realizes the importance of his relationships with others.

Can you name this movie?

It's the famous Disney-Pixar movie Cars right?

Well yes and no. The narative actually describes the new movie Seven Days in Utopia.

Watch the trailer and see what you think. Amazing!

Brittany is Nominated for Homecoming Princess

2011-09-14T21:36:00.001-05:00

Each year students at Rockwall Heath High School nominate 3 girls in each class for Homecoming Princess. This year Brittany was one of the 3 girls nominated for the Sophomore class. Her boyfriend Reese was nominated for Prince.

Vote for Brittany & Reese!

Triniti Wins All Around and Scores a 9.9 on Beam!

2011-09-10T09:34:00.001-05:00

Triniti won first in the All Around competition out of 67 girls in Level 4 with a combined score of 38.90 at the District Qualifier gymnastics meet. Triniti also scored an incredible 9.9 on her beam exercise!

She got first on beam (9.9), first on vault (9.8), tied for first on floor (9.65) and got second on bars (9.55).

Champion!

YouTube Video

Announcing Triniti winner in All Around.

YouTube Video

Her beam routine.

Her beam score - 9.9!

YouTube Video

Her floor routine.

YouTube Video

Her vault.

Her scores!

Team photo. United Elite got second place in large team.

Triniti tied with a girl named Haley Phillips for first on floor. Haley finished second in all around. I hear from Triniti's coach that Haley is going to be Triniti's competition all year.

RHHS Homecoming 2011

2011-09-06T22:36:00.001-05:00

Reese just asked Brittany to Homecoming with a combination of glowsticks, clothes hangers and duct tape outside her window.

This is a picture outside.

This is a picture of the apparatus hanging up in Brittany's room.

By the way - she said yes.

OMG - No Texting Language

2011-09-05T12:16:00.001-05:00

Have you ever received a text from someone and could not figure out what they were saying? Abbreviations every third word. Abbreviations for no reason. "k" for "ok". Saving one letter? Really. Even "ok" is an abbreviation for "okay."

In our family everyone uses full words when they text another person. This started out as an education initiative. Misty thought it would be good if the kids could get practice on their spelling while texting. However, this has turned into something that all of our kids have adopted as a matter of principle. Brittany made the point early on (when she got her phone years ago) that using "texting language" sends the message to the person that you are texting that you don't have time or don't care to make the time to text real words. It is like saying - "I want to make this easy on me and hard on you because my time is more important than your time." It is just a matter of respect.

Below is a text between Brittany and I recently:

I know this view may seem a little over the top, but I think there is something to it.

Shawn's Comments on Outsourcing Disputes

2011-09-01T14:39:00.002-05:00

Part of my concentration is on outsourcing law. I was recently asked to comment on disputes with outsourcing providers. Some of my thoughts appear in this recent article at CIO.com.

http://www.cio.com/article/688640/Should_You_Sue_Your_Offshore_Outsourcing_Provider_?taxonomyId=3195

Skylin in Dance

2011-08-31T20:32:00.001-05:00

Skylin tried out a dance class today. She loved it.

Pawn Stars - Gold & Silver Pawn Shop

2011-08-26T16:25:00.002-05:00

In Las Vegas for the weekend and stopped by the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop - as seen on the History Channel's #1 show - Pawn Stars. It was a fun place. Business is certainly booming for these guys. I bet they make more off merchandizing than they do the transitional pawn shop items.

Outside.

Line to get in.

Sign outside.

Inside.

Me and the guys.

Chumlee poster.

Olympic medals.

Receipt.

My purchase - a Rick Harrison bobble-head doll.

Cowgirl Skylin

2011-08-24T00:06:00.001-05:00

Skylin with her cowgirl look.

Winner!

2011-08-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

I got lunch today at Chick-fil-a and was the 100th customer! That's right baby - free food!

Shawn Jr.'s First Day of School

2011-08-22T15:09:00.005-05:00

Today was Shawn Jr.'s first day of school - ever! I dropped him off at Cain Middle School this morning. It felt very odd. As you know, we homeschool our children so Shawn has never been to school. For all you parents out there that remember sending your child to kindergarten on the first day, this was our first day of school with Shawn. Now obviously it is not the same. Shawn is a very capable 13 year old young man and is certainly ready to take on this experience. But it is still hard for Mom and Dad.

Shawn was a little nervous, for sure. However, he was really taking it in stride. He even sucked it up and took a picture with his sister this morning. He certainly had a better attitude than Brittany did on her first day. As you may remember she was furious. If you don't remember, read the blog entry - Brittany's first day of school.

Shawn has been homeschooled for the first 13 years of his life. He also just enjoys being at home, hanging out. Going to school every day and managing that schedule will be tough. But I know he is ready. Shawn is really smart, he is competitive and takes pride in everything he does. This year will be an adjustment, but I am sure he will do great.

Shawn Jr and his big sister!

The crazy traffic lined up for the first day of school.

Shawn headed into school.

Walking into school.

Please pray for Shawn Jr and our family. This is a big change. School has many trials that he will need to overcome.

Good luck son - we are here for you.

Some Like it Hot

2011-08-21T15:22:00.002-05:00

We have had 50 days over 100 degrees in Dallas this summer. The picture above is from the 10 day forecast. Every day is over 100 degrees! Down right painful.

Attached is a readout from my car a few days ago - 113 degrees!

The Rise of the iPad - the Death of the PC

2011-08-21T00:51:00.002-05:00

For about a year now have been telling all of my friends in technology that the PC will soon become irrelevant. We will all move to personal devices like a smartphone or tablet. We will all have "thin" devices and all the real application processing will happen in the "cloud" (the fancy new hosting/Internet buzzword). In fact, some would say - that time is now.

I am writing this blog from my iPad. The picture above was taken from my iPhone, edited with PhotoShop Express on my iPhone and emailed to my iPad. Taken with a personal device, edited on a personal device and posted from a personal device.

Just look at the Dell laptop in the picture above - it looks so bulky and old. Amazing that this type of device was the cutting edge for portable computers just a few years ago. By comparison, the form factor and speed of the iPad is just incredible. Even compared to my new and very speedy Apple MacBook Pro, the iPad makes for a much better experiance. In fact, we almost never use a laptop. When I need to get on the web, I reach for my iPad 95% of the time. I cannot remember the last time I used a laptop in bed to brows the Internet. I am convinced that 5 years from now tablets will overtake laptops as the preferred device for personal use and business use will not be far behind.

The iPad is really an amazing story. The iPad is a device that Apple made to fill a market that, at the time, did not exist. For years hardware and software makers tried to make different table/touchscreen computers. In fact, I was reminded this week that Microsoft and HP had designed a number of touchscreen computer/devices years ago. The idea of a personal, touchscreen, interactive, lightweight tablet computer has been around for years but no device had any meaure of commercial success. In fact, even when the iPad was released, most reviewer questioned if it would be adopted. Boy has it! It has been a game changer.

This week HP gave credence to this view. Just a few days ago, HP (the world's leading PC maker) said they are considering selling off their PC division because of decreasing profit margins and the "tablet effect." Basically the Apple iPad is disrupting HP's (and all other PC makers') entire business model. Furthermore, HP announced that it was killing off its much hyped TouchPad. This is the tablet device running iOS - the successor to the Palm OS. As you may remember, HP purchased Palm for over $1B several years ago. (You remember Palm - the company the basically invented the PDA with the Palm Pilot.) HP used its hardware expertise and the PDA touchscreen software talents and intellectual property of Palm to create a tablet that could compete with the iPad. The result was the TouchPad. It seems logical that HP and Palm could come up with a tablet that is capable and appealing. For the most part - they did. The TouchPad is a solid, workable first generation device. The kind of device that would have been GREAT before the iPad. The problem is, no one wants to buy a tablet that is not made by Apple. Apple is casting such a dominate shadow over the industry that nothing in the tablet market can compete.

I hope that changes. I hope Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Dell or a combination of those companies can make the next great tablet device. The market needs an iPad competitor. The market needs real competition.

Until that time, I will keep reaching for my iPad.

Josh's 3rd Birthday

2011-08-13T23:31:00.006-05:00

Today was Josh's 3rd birthday. It started out a little rough. We were telling him Happy Birthday this morning and he kept saying "It's not my birthday - I am playing the Wii." Then he said, "You have to be old to have a birthday." Eventually he got into the celebration mood. We went to his favorite place on the planet - that's right - Chuck-E-Cheese!!

Josh and Chuck

Happy Birthday

We ended up just getting a cake at Chuck-E-Cheese. However, yesterday he was debating between 2 different cakes - a Cars cake or a Josh Hamilton Yankees cake. I know - a very confused young man.

Riding the big truck with Skylin

Opening his first gift

Chilling out in the back yard by the pool at his new Cars table and chairs

Crashing hard at 9:30 pm (very early for him)

Triniti Is Baptized

2011-08-04T00:33:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago Triniti accepted Christ and became a Christian (4 down and 2 to go). Tonight she was baptized at Lake Pointe Church.

Her certificate of completion for Young Christians Camp.

Triniti and I just before she gets baptized.

John Helms Turns 60 and The Pedestrians Reunite

2011-08-03T22:49:00.009-05:00

Over this past weekend my parents came down to Texas to celebrate my father's 60th birthday and watch my brother's band, The Pedestrians, play a reunion concert at Theater 166 in Carrollton, TX. It was a great weekend.

Happy Birthday

Birthday Cake.

Dad and Uncle Steve taking a break.

The gang celebrating.

The Peds put on a great show at Theater 166. My brother is the drummer.

The Peds playing a new song - "Rain"

The Peds playing "When the City is Quite." This song was played at my grandmother's funeral. Appropriate because she shared a birthday with my Dad.

Shawn Professional / Personal Profile

2011-07-29T13:38:00.009-05:00

I was recently asked to write a few bullets for a professional / personal profile in connection with a possible magazine article. This exercise was a challenge. Your job is to "brag" on your accomplishments without sounding like a arrogant jerk. It can be a fine line. For what it is worth, here it is:

Current Position: Shawn Helms is an experienced transactional lawyer in the Technology & Outsourcing practices of Jones Day. In his current position, Shawn independently negotiates complex and business critical technology, outsourcing and intellectual property related transactions.

Background: Shawn grew up in Windsor, Missouri - a small, rural town with no stoplight that features eight churches, one bar, and one combined junior / senior high school. As a child and into his high school years, Shawn stuttered so severely he could barely communicate. He recalls being terrified to read in class or meeting new people. In high school Shawn took out a loan at the local bank to buy his first computer. He mowed lawns around Windsor to make payments on that computer. That computer was the start of his career in technology.

Education: Shawn was the first in his family to go to college. Upon graduation from Windsor High School, Shawn attended William Jewell College, a small liberal arts school just outside of Kansas City. Shawn received three Bachelor of Science degrees (Computer Information Systems, Economics and Business Administration) from William Jewell College and graduated magna cum laude, with leadership honors. Shawn went on to law school at Georgetown University Law Center and received his J.D. (cum laude) in 2000.

Professional History: While attending law school at night, Shawn was the Director of Information Technology at the law firm of Williams & Connolly in Washington, DC. During this time, Shawn also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia in its technology department. Shawn started his legal career at the law firm of Cooley Godward in California. During his time at Cooley, Shawn represented many Internet startups and wireless telecommunications companies. After leaving Cooley, Shawn became in-house counsel at Sprint. In 2004, Shawn left Sprint to join the Dallas office of Jones Day in 2004.

Outsourcing Law Treatise – Shawn recently co-authored a legal treatise on outsourcing law. The treatise, titled "Outsourcing: Law and Business" will be published by Law Journal Press (the treatise publishing arm of American Lawyer Media) in September 2011. This will be one of the few treatises on outsourcing law. The publisher expects that this treatise will become the foremost legal text on the topic.
Awards and Recognition – Shawn was one of only two Jones Day associates (out of the 168 Jones Day lawyers) recognized by Chambers USA in 2011. Shawn was recognized by Chambers as a leader in the field of technology and outsourcing in both 2010 and 2011. Shawn was also selected as a Texas SuperLawyers Rising Stars in the area of IT and outsourcing in 2010 and 2011.

Articles, Publications and Interviews – Over the past several years, Shawn has written numerous articles on technology law, outsourcing and IP licensing issues. His articles have been published in the Boston University Journal of Science & Technology Law, The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, CIO.com, Oxford International Journal of Law and Information Technology, The American Health Lawyers Association quarterly newsletter, Dallas Bar Association Headnotes newspaper, State Bar of Texas Intellectual Property Law Section Newsletter and Outsourcing Leadership News. Shawn has also been interviewed and quoted in several issues of Business Week, providing guidance and perspective on legal technology issues.

Family: In junior high, Shawn started dating Misty Madole - who would become Misty Helms after they married in college. Shawn and Misty now live in Heath, Texas with their 6 children. Shawn and Misty homeschool 5 of their 6 children.

Dallas Area Community Involvement – Shawn is an active member of the Dallas Regional Chamber - Technology Business Counsel and the Dallas chapter of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals. For the past four years, Shawn has been a speaker at The Presidents’ Forum of Dallas speaking on outsourcing and legal technology issues. Shawn is also a frequent volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, is active in the United Way Young Leaders Society of Dallas, frequently assists the board of directors of the Home Educators Associational Resources Organization (a homeschool education cooperative) and is a member of Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas.

Notable Recent Technology Transactions:

Sprint 4G Upgrade - Shawn recently represented Sprint Nextel Corporation in its acquisition of next generation wireless infrastructure equipment to be used to upgrade Sprint’s nationwide wireless network. The deal is thought to be the largest single purchase of telecommunications equipment and services ever. The transaction involved the purchase of equipment and implementation services from Samsung, Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson. The project includes the purchase of multi-modal base stations capable of supporting advanced 4G wireless technologies (i.e., LTE and WiMax). The implementation of the equipment will take several years and upon completion, will result in Sprint having one of the most advanced wireless networks in the United States. Sprint’s projection of the total deal value is confidential. The total estimated incremental cost of the transaction during the deployment period is between $4 billion and $5 billion. Sprint estimates that the upgrade will save Sprint $11 billion over the next seven years in operating expenses by allowing Sprint to cut its roaming costs and eliminate cell towers that support Sprint’s iDEN network.

Texas Instruments Acquisition of National Semiconductor - Several month ago Shawn was on the Jones Day team that represented Texas Instruments Incorporated in its $6.5 billion acquisition of National Semiconductor Corporation. The acquisition combines two industry leaders in analog semiconductors.

Diversey IT Outsourcing - Shawn represented Diversey in its full scale outsourcing of the company's information technology functions to Wipro (a large India outsourcing provider). The scope of the transaction included infrastructure, server support, desktop support, applications and help desk in all Diversey’s corporate and operational office worldwide (over 60 countries).

Attachmate Acquisition of Novell - Shawn played an important role in Jones Day’s representation of Attachmate Corporation in its $2.2 billion acquisition of Novell, Inc. and a related $450 million sale of patents to a consortium led by Microsoft Corporation (which included Apple, Oracle and EMC). Shawn worked with the M&A team in the negotiation of various licenses and services agreements with Microsoft in connection with the transaction. In addition, Shawn was in charge of certain IP due diligence matters and analyzed various open source and other intellectual property issues that were critical to the transaction.

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

2011-07-29T13:36:00.002-05:00

After many years for dilligently updating this blog, I have totally fallen down on the job. Friends and family are certainly on me to update it more often. I will do that.

Helms Family Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T10:42:00.008-06:00

Christmas in Texas

2010-12-19T21:01:00.000-06:00

Triniti Wins 1st in All Around and Scores a 9.9 on Floor

2010-12-06T22:50:00.004-06:00

Triniti was in the Carol Hillenburg Texas State Invitational Gymnastics Meet this past weekend. Triniti competed Level 3 and had her best meet ever - scoring a 9.8 on vault, 9.7 on bars, 9.75 on beam (which was really a 9.85 but she went over on time - a .1 deduction) and an unbelievable 9.9 on floor. We were told that her 9.9 on floor would have been a perfect 10 if she would have been exactly insync with the music. She won the all around title and won first in 3 out of the 4 individual events. Her combined score of 39.15 (out of a possible 40) was the highest ever for a gymnast at United Elite.

World Series 2010

2010-11-02T00:06:00.003-05:00

Misty and I just got home from the World Series. Good game - even though the Rangers lost. It was a fantastic experiance!

Banner outside Rangers Ballpark

Misty and I after the game

The Giants on the field after their first World Series win in 55 years

Noelle Makes MadFrog's Top 11s Team

2010-10-30T22:42:00.008-05:00

Today Noelle tried out and made a top select/club volleyball team located in Plano called MadFrog. MadFrog has three 11 year old teams National (A Team), Elite (B Team), and Select (C Team). All 3 teams at the 11 year old level at MadFrog are good. Noelle played great and made their top team - the National team. We signed the contract today and Noelle is now officially a MadFrog!

If you don't know anything about club volleyball - you would be amazed at how intense it is. Volleyball is huge in North Texas. Although Texas is famous for its high school football- all youth sports in Texas are hyper-competitive. Our kids play select basketball, baseball, gymnastics and volleyball. Every one of those sports is crazy good in the Dallas area. I say that only to give you a sense of this accomplishment. As you will read below, MadFrog is maybe the top club for younger teams in the entire state and Noelle just made their top team at her age - which should be one of the top teams in the DFW region at the 11 year old level. They have been the top 11 year old team in DFW 4 years in a row.

Below is the card they gave her after tryouts.

Noelle after tryouts

A group called LoneStar Volleyball ranks all the club teams in Texas. As you will see below, MadFrog was ranked as the 4th best club in the state of Texas last year. How many clubs are in Texas? Well there are almost 100 youth girls clubs in just the DFW area! So, yeah, 4th is good. Furthermore, MadFrog has the best program for younger girl teams. Notice in the chart below how many younger teams MadFrog had qualify for Nationals. In fact, last year MadFrog had three 12 year old teams qualify for Nationals. That is crazy good.

The following chart is impossible to read unless you click on it to enlarge it. But, when you click on it you will see this is a chart of last year's standings of 12 year old clubs in the Dallas & Fort Worth area in the final tournament. You will notice that MadFrog has 3 of the top 4 spots. In fact one of those spots was last year's MadFrog 11 year old National team (Noelle's team this year)! It is crazy how well that 11 year old team was able to do in the 12 year old division.

This is MadFrog's new facility in Plano. It just opened a few month ago.

Triniti Wins 1st in All Around at Kurt Thomas Meet

2010-10-17T21:01:00.014-05:00

Triniti had a great gymnastics meet today. She won 1st in All Around in Level 3 out of 21 girls!! She did that by winning 1st Place on Beam, 2nd Place on Floor, 2nd Place on Bars and 5th Place on Vault. Her combined all around score was considerably higher than the second place girl.

Below are a few pictures from the competition:

Triniti on the stand in All Around

Her team before the competition

Triniti on Bars

Split Jump

On balance beam

Handstand dismount

Getting ready for floor

Happy girl

Final score and places

Triniti and her 5 metals!!

Announcing 1st place and All Around

Triniti's Vault

Triniti's Beam

Triniti's Floor

Pumpkin Patch Photos

2010-10-11T10:37:00.004-05:00

Misty took 5 of our 6 kids to Mainstay Farms - a large pumpkin patch here in the DFW area.

10/10/10 at 10:10

2010-10-10T22:12:00.003-05:00

October 10, 2010 at 10:10.

RHHS Homecoming 2010

2010-10-08T16:48:00.005-05:00

Brittany attended her freshman Homecoming on September 25th. Before the dance she met up with a group of 30 of her good friends from school, where they took pictures and had dinner.

Brittany and her date Reese Wilson.

The exchanging of mum and garter.

Maddie & Justin with Brittany & Reese

Brittany and 3 of her best friends.

Kailey P, Kailey L. and Emily.

The group before dinner

Brittany and Kailey Litherland

Triniti Helms Winning Beam Routine

2010-09-12T20:35:00.004-05:00

Triniti competed in her second gymnastics meet today and did great! She had the top score (out of 36 girls) on beam with a 9.55. She also won the handstand contest at the end of the meet. The prize for the handstand contest - a Snuggie!!

Great job Triniti. We are very proud of you. Keep up the good work.

Josh's Second Birthday

2010-08-14T11:49:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Josh turned 2 years old! Crazy how time flies.

He is really into Toy Story - particularly Buzz. His Mom put together a great birthday party!

Shawn Jr. Batting Average

2010-08-11T21:14:00.003-05:00

Shawn Jr. plays baseball for an organization called the Dallas Patriots. His team was really strong this year. They were a "Majors" team - meaning they played in the top select youth division. Shawn has traditionally played shortstop, but played mostly 3rd base with this team. He played well in the field but struggled at the plate batting sub .200 for much of the year. However, after changing hitting coaches, he really came on strong at the end, batting .379 in the last 20 games. Fourth best on a team with a ton of strong hitters. In fact, he had the highest batting average on the team (.500) in the last 10 games.

The Decision

2010-08-10T18:46:00.003-05:00

Shawn Jr. will stay homeschooled for another year.

If you read this blog you know that Misty and I homeschool all of our children - except for Brittany. Brittany was homeschooled until 2 years ago. Brittany started public school in the 7th grade and will be a Freshman at Rockwall-Heath High School this year. Given that we started Brittany in 7th grade we had considered having Shawn Jr. start public school in the 7th grade as well. After careful consideration, prayer and much debate, we have decided that Shawn Jr. will stay homeschooled this year and we will plan on him entering public school next year - in the 8th grade.

I have had many people ask me why we homeschool. Some people have a preconceived (negative) notions about homeschooled kids. Many people question if our children get enough "socialization" or are too sheltered. All reasonable questions. Others have a more informed view, because they know us or our kids, but are simply curious how we came to the point of deciding to homeschool. Misty and I have many reasons why we believe homeschooling has many serious advantages over any other type of education. But we also know that homeschooling is certainly not an option for every family. To confuse the matter even more, I believe that it is best to only homeschool in the early years. (Let me make a caveat here - this blog is from my (Shawn Sr.'s) perspective. Most of the time, when it involves our children, I feel like I can speak for both Misty and I. Maybe not on this point . . . ) Why is homeschooling good early and not in the high school years. Let me explain.

First, my goal for my children's education is to (1) learn information and, more importantly, (2) learn to understand that information given a certain worldview. School is a means to the ends of getting a good education and living a full life. This is, of course, different from spiritual and moral development. Spiritual development is a goal that is more important than getting a "good education." It is ultimately and immediately more important.

I believe that good homeschooling allows parents to do both of these things - great education and spiritual development. In my view homeschooling is certainly better at spiritual development - particularly at an early age. It allows children to spend more time with their parents and keeps them away from the negative influences of children (and adults) that do not share the same worldview.

However, a some point children need two additional things, from an educational perspective, that homeschooling can not provide:

1. A competitive academic environment where a student is challenged by those other students around them.
2. A real GPA.

Why do they need these? A person is in a better position to achieve whatever their desired occupation or goal in life is if they go to a top university. I now understand the huge power-curve in academia and life. Getting into the "right" school can have huge advantages. This is a lesson I did not learn until applying to top law schools. If a goal for our children from an educational perspective is to get into the best university possible, then this requires three things (in order of priority) - (1) top SAT/ACT scores, (2) high GPA and (3) extracurricular activities.

A private or public school is the only way to get a GPA that schools will accept. Assuming that the other 2 factors are equal (SAT score and extracurricular activities) then GPA is the only advantage. Another aspect of this is, in the state of Texas, a top GPA/class rank will get you automatically admitted into a state school (Like UT or Texas A&M). However, unless you are particularly dedicated, traditional school may also help a student get a better SAT score - because schools have SAT prep classes. In addition, because the SAT is scored on a curve, if a student is pushed by those around them and know where they are at academically, it can help the student understand what they need to do to improve. All that being said, I think the only real advantage for getting into college, is the GPA. But this is a big advantage (likely more than 1/3 of the equation).

So what about top schools that hold spots for homeschool kids? It is like the lottery. You would need to get an outrageous SAT score and then beat out all the other homeschool kids for that spot. Very hard.

If public or private schools provide some advantage for getting into college, then parents (that believe my line of thinking) should have their kids in school from the very beginning unless there are offsetting considerations. Well, there are. First, and foremost, spiritual development. As I said above, I believe that homeschooling is a better platform for spiritual development. Therefore, why sacrifice this for educational goals? The answer is, there is no need to sacrifice if parents are in a position to homeschool. Fundamental spiritual development is (often) formed at a fairly early age - prior to high school. Homeschooling while you are building that spiritual foundation is a terrific advantage. Certainly spiritual development does not stop at a certain age but that foundation is basically established early on. Furthermore, parents can continue to have a substantial influence on that spiritual development throughout the school age years. In fact, it is also good to let children experience temptation and the challenges of the "real world" while still living at home with the positive parental influence.

Therefore, the best of both worlds is to homeschool in the more formative years and have children attend school when they can gain an advantage. Now, this is really only in high school. The GPA and other "advantages" only kick in at the high school level. However, there is an important adjustment period. Brittany and others will tell you it is hard to make the switch from homeschooling to tranditional public/private school. The schedule is different, the distractions are different, everything is different. So is this necessarily a 2 year adjustment period (entering in the 7th grade)? I don’t think so. Based on Brittany’s experience, I think it can be done in 1 year (entering in 8th grade) – but that needs to be evaluated with each child.

While this analysis and philosophy could certainly apply to all of our children. We, of course, consider each of our kids individually.

So will Noelle go to public school? That is a discussion for a different day.

iPad & Color Splash

2010-07-27T23:24:00.004-05:00

Because I am a total geek - I purchased the iPad the very first day it came out. The genius of the iPad is not really the speed, power, form factor or software interface of the device (all of which are great), but the really incredible thing is the multitude third party software applications available through the App Store. Apple has tapped into the creative energy of developers around the world who are now creating some really useful and creative applications for the iPad.

One such application is Color Splash. The application allows you to take a picture, convert it to black and white and add color back in to selected areas of the picture by simply dragging your finger over those areas. The application was under $5 and creates some incredible pictures. The pictures below were created with Color Splash.

July 4th in Windsor, Missouri

2010-07-04T22:24:00.008-05:00

Misty and I grew up in a small town in rural Missouri named Windsor - population of around 3,000 people. Each year Misty and I take the kids back to Windsor for the 4th of July celebration at Farrington Park put on by the Lion's Club of Windsor. This is a fun all-day event filled with games, food, music and fireworks. The events include:

Frog Race
Turtle Race
Egg Race
Sack Race
Egg Toss
Water Balloon Toss
Softball Throw
Cardboard Boat Race
Local Music
Fireworks Extravaganza (so to speak)

Our family enjoys participating in the various contests throughout the day. The kids generally do really well. This year we won 10 ribbons! Maybe our best year ever. Our results were as follows:

Brittany - Third Place in Softball Throw (124 feet)
Brittany - Third Place in 3 Legged Race
Shawn Jr. - First Place in Softball Throw (156 feet)
Shawn Jr. - First Place in Egg Race
Shawn Jr. - Second Place in Egg Toss
Noelle - Third Place in Softball Throw (92 feet)
Noelle - First Place in Water Balloon Toss
Noelle - Third Place in Egg Toss
Triniti - Third Place in Softball Throw (36 feet)
Triniti - Third Place in Water Balloon Toss

Triniti before the Egg Race.

Shawn Jr. before the Egg Race.

Triniti during the Sack Race.

Brittany and Bailey during the 3 Legged Race.

Triniti before the Water Balloon Toss.

Skylin having fun on the swing.

Noelle making another great catch of the water balloon.

Shawn throwing the water balloon.

Triniti throwing for distance in the softball throw.

Brittany sporting the "RHHS Freshman" t-shirt.

Skylin trying her best.

Shawn Jr.'s winning softball throw.

Josh played with his t-ball set for hours.

Triniti had a great time.

Josh eating a Starkiss.

Skylin playing in the sun.

The group after the shaving cream fight.

Crazy.

Bailey, Brittany and Noelle.

Brittany and Dad after the battle.

Brittany, Noelle and Sky

Skylin waving the flag

Sky and Coralynn

Big finally.

William Jewell McDonalds Commercial

2010-06-17T14:02:00.007-05:00

This is a great commercial that was shot at William Jewell College - where Misty and I went to school. Watching this, I am reminded of what a beautiful place WJC is.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-09T10:53:00.005-05:00

It is May 9, 2010 - Mother's Day.

Moms are incredible people. They are expected to do everything important in raising a family and never seem to be appreciated. In fact, mothers are more often criticized for not doing everything perfectly then they are praised for the things they do. With a big family and a crazy schedule, I certainly understand and appreciate the work that mothers do. In many ways, it is too bad that only one day a year is set aside to celebrate the work and influence of the mothers in our lives.

I have some incredible moms in my life - but let me tell you a little bit about my mother Sherry Helms. When I was growing up, I did not realize how great my mom was. She would read to me when I was young, she spent time playing games and always had food on the table for the family. These were (and still are) activities that moms are expected to do - but I now fully appreciate how hard it can be to do what is "expected." This means my mother (like most others) sacrificially took time away from herself to care for me, my brother and my father. I also now understand that what my Mom did was not normal but extraordinary. The fact is there are mother out there that are lazy, selfish or are simply not strong enough to dedicate the time and energy it takes to be a good mother. So for those that do make this sacrifice - thank you!

Growing up, my brother and I knew we were the most important thing to our mom. I can remember having a conversation with her when I was very young (maybe 5 or 6) asking her how much someone would have to pay her to give me up. I asked if $100 would do it? She said no. I said $1000? Again she said no. After several more guesses she finally said no amount of money would be enough because she loved me more than all the money in the world.

My mom was not only loving but she was also appropriately tough. She would discipline when we needed discipline. She gave me space to make mistakes but never too much leash to get into real trouble. She tried to influence my choice of friend, steering me toward the right crowd and keeping me in church. She knew how important these things were. Even though I did not always listen to her, I eventually gravitated toward friends and adult influences who were good people. Therefore, while I certainly made mistakes, I had a good support group helping me set goals and make right decisions.

Another thing about my mom - she is very smart. Despite not having a formal eduction past high school she knows a lot about a lot. I am not taking about just common sense or street smarts, my mom is a really smart person. Even as a kid I knew she had a skill for judging character, but as I got older I really appreciated her intellect. She even tries to hide it at times - which is kind of funny.

I know that I would not be the person I am today if it was not for my mom. She never pushed me too hard academically, but was always proud when I would achieve success. In addition, she and Dad were always my biggest fans. Telling me (and others) I could achieve anything I put my mind to. This gave me the confidence I needed to set my goals high.

So on this Mothers Day 2010 - I say "Thank You" Mom for all that you have done for me and my family!

My Mom with our youngest Josh

Speaking of Moms - in case you have not seen this - the "Mom Song" is a must watch.

iPhone vs. Lawn Mower - Winner Lawn Mower

2010-04-22T22:40:00.000-05:00

Shawn Jr.'s former iPhone did not stand a chance.

Colorado Trip

2010-04-04T20:44:00.004-05:00

We took a trip to Winter Park over spring break. It was a great time. You can view all our pictures by clicking HERE.

The entire crew before our trip to the slopes.

Shawn getting some air before he heads down the tubing hill.

Shawn, Noelle and Clifton getting ready to go down the hill together.

Misty and Brittany looking good in their ski gear.

The kids handing with the Coke Polar Bear.

Brittany on the ski lift.

Sky in the snow.

Triniti making a snow angle.

Great views.

Easter 2009

2010-04-04T18:26:00.014-05:00

Below are some pictures from Easter morning.

The entire Helms family

Sky watching TV before we head out.

Triniti getting ready.

Josh wondering around the yard.

The Helms kids.

Brittany and her soul sister Taryn.

Shawn and his friend Jared.

Brittany and her boys.

Triniti and Sky in front of the church.

Skylin's First Haircut

2010-03-05T19:47:00.005-06:00

This is a before and after picture showing Skylin's new haircut.

Skylin has never had a hair cut. Several weeks ago she got her hair stuck in a bad knot. We were able to get almost all of it out. However, the last little bit needed to be cut out. Skylin was very nervous. I told her not to worry about it and cut a very small portion of her hair. She was so relieved and said "So when you cut you hurt, it does not hurt!" I assured her that no honey it does not hurt to cut your hair. She was happy.

A week later she decided to give herself a haircut. Above is the outcome. We have no idea what to do with that mess. But she thinks she looks beautiful because she got her haircut.

A Dallas Snow!

2010-02-11T08:00:00.001-06:00

This is the view in my backyard yesterday. I thought this was crazy.

Then I woke up this morning was amazed by my new view.

Crazy. I thought we lived in Texas. Getting around a foot of snow in mid-February is not what you would expect in Rockwall, Texas.

Our neighbor Joseph's snowmen. He has an odd imagination.

Heads or Tails

2010-02-02T23:22:00.002-06:00

Just before we went to bed tonight Triniti and I were flipping a quarter and calling heads or tails. We were doing this for about 5 minutes before Skylin came up and asked what we were doing. I explained that we were flipping the quarter up and guessing which side it was going to land on - either heads or tails. I told her that one of the rules of the game is that you have to say heads or tails while the coin is in the air. She was very excited and wanted to try. So I got ready to flip and asked, "Are you ready?" She said "Yes!" I flipped the quarter and while it was still in the air Skylin, in a very confident voice, yells -- "Heads or Tails."

Kids are great.

Thanksgiving Pictures

2009-11-27T10:57:00.004-06:00

Go Yankees!

2009-10-31T08:16:00.004-05:00

The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2000 - Josh was age negative 8. He has been waiting his entire life for the Yankees to win a world championship.

Noelle on Floor

2009-10-31T08:15:00.003-05:00

Here is Noelle doing her floor routine. You can hear her little bother cheering her on - or is that crying?

Noelle on Bars

2009-09-15T21:14:00.002-05:00

Noelle recently participated in a gymnastics meet at United Elite. Below is her bar routine.

Josh is Walking!

2009-08-25T10:46:00.003-05:00

Josh turned 1 on August 13th and just started really walking over the last week. This is a video from last night.

Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture . . .

2009-08-03T19:02:00.004-05:00

Below is a picture of a recent Polaroid. Notice the thumbprint in the upper right hand corner.

Lindeen Wedding Pictures

2009-07-31T01:05:00.003-05:00

On July 25th my cousin Scott Lindeen married a lovely girl named Adrian. Triniti and Skylin were the flower girls. You can find pictures of the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner HERE.

You can find pictures of the wedding HERE.

California Trip

2009-07-31T00:55:00.010-05:00

Last week we traveled to LA and San Diego California for my cousin Scott's wedding. He married a lovely girl named Adrian. The wedding was July 25, but we went a couple of days earlier in order to hit Disneyland and spend a little time with family.

Our flight was scheduled to leave at around 10:30 pm. Believe it or not, we were almost at the airport at 8:30 when I got a call from American Airlines telling me our flight had been delayed until just after midnight. Because we were plenty early we decided to pull off and eat dinner. We took our time and ended up at the airport at around 11:00. When we walked in with our 6 kids and piles of luggage, we were disturbed to find the airport nearly empty.

Helms family kids and gear ready for lift off.

Empty airport. No American Airlines agents in site and no way to get our luggage checked.

There were a few other people standing around including an older gentleman in a uniform. I asked him what was going on and he told me that because the TSA was not getting paid overtime, they left when the last flight was originally scheduled to leave. That was before 11:00. With the security check-point closed, all the American Airlines agents apparently went home as well. I told him I was confirmed on a flight to LA for just after 12:00. He said - "Me too - I am the pilot of the flight!" Therefore, not even the pilot could get through without TSA security. Eventually the pilot had a special escort drive him directly to the plane. The flight ended up taking off at around 12:30 am. Unfortunately, we had no way to get our luggage checked or get on the flight. After talking to American Airlines for almost an hour, they told me that they could get me on the next flight to LA, but the only option was a 6:15 am flight. By this time it was almost 1:00 am. That meant we had about 4 hours until we needed to be back at the airport. After contemplating what to do with our piles of gear and 6 kids, we decided to just sleep at the airport. I know - crazy!

As we settled into a corner of the airport, Shawn Jr. asks "Where is my Colts bag?" We all look at each other. Shawn Jr. then says "I think I left it at home." Unbelievable! Shawn Jr. left his bag containing everything at home. He had no clothes, no tooth brush - nothing. What a start to the trip.

Morning came fast. I actually stayed up and got some work done.

Sleeping at the airport

The kids sleeping on the floor at the airport.

We were originally schedule to be at Disneyland the next day. After catching the flight early the next morning we arrived in California at around 9:30 am. The decision was - do we try to do Disneyland on a few hours of bad sleep with all the kids. Disneyland is a hard trip even if everyone is plenty rested. However, because of our schedule, we decided to do it.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be a wonderful trip. The kids were in good spirits. The older kids really helped out and the younger kids slept or were in a good mood. We did not do too much, but we ended up staying until after 11:00 - through the fireworks show.

The family at Disneyland

Misty, Sky and Triniti on Dumbo.

Brittany took the younger girls to see Mickey.

Skylin with her glowing Mickey balloon that she had to have. She was totally beat by this point.

A couple days later we were in Santee, CA (near San Diego) for my cousin's wedding. It was a nice ceremony.

The "I do"s

Sky with the ring barrier in the background.

Triniti and Sky playing in the fountain.

Josh liking the grass.

Triniti and Sky with Scott and Adrian.

The Helms crew with the bride and groom.

Sky looking cute.

The wedding party.

Another family picture. I think we have taken more this month than at all times in the past year.

Grandma Sherry (my mom) with her newest grandchild.

This is Josh William with his namesake - William (Bill) Lindeen.

The next day Misty, Brittany, Shawn Jr. and I went to a Dodgers game. The Dodgers lost, but it was a good game. It was fun to see Joe Torre and Don Mattingly in the dugout. It was odd to see Mattingly with Manny - talk about 2 people that could not be more different.

Shawn and Misty at Dodger's Stadium.

That night we stayed at a great Hilton hotel right on Mission Bay.

We went to Mission beach the next day.

Another family picture. Man - I feel old.

These are the name tags from the wedding on the beach. Neat picture opportunity.

All and all it was a great trip. It is always hard to travel when you have a big family. But I am thankful we had the opportunity to go. We created some great memories.

USSSA World Series Results

2009-07-19T20:20:00.003-05:00

The Dallas Colts (Shawn Jr.s baseball team) ended up finishing #4 in the 11 and under USSSA World Series! It was a great result. They finished with 7 wins and 2 losses for the tournament. Their two loses were by a combined total of 3 runs. If the ball would have bounced a little differently, they had a chance to win it all. Maybe next year.

Great job guys.

This is a picture of Shawn and Evan with their 4th place trophy.

USSSA World Series

2009-07-09T12:06:00.010-05:00

Our family is heading up to Kansas City for the USSSA World Series next week (July 12-18). Shawn's team, the Dallas Colts, is playing in this tournament. It should be a good time. You can keep up with results by clicking HERE.

* Update - The Dallas Colts have won their first 3 games and will be seeded as one of the top 5 teams in bracket play, which starts tomorrow.

July 4th in Windsor Missouri

2009-07-05T12:15:00.013-05:00

Frog Race
Turtle Race
Egg Race
Sack Race
Egg Toss
Water Balloon Toss
Softball Throw
Watermelon Eating Contest
Nail Driving Contest
Cardboard Boat Race
Local Music
Fireworks Extravaganza (so to speak)

Our family enjoys participating in the various costests throughout the day. The egg toss, waterballoon toss and the softball throw are a few of our favorites. The kids generally do really well. This year our results were as follows:

Noelle - First Place in the Egg Toss
Noelle - First Place in the Softball Throw (65 feet)
Noelle - Second Place in the Water Balloon Toss
Brittany - Second Place in the Softball Throw (120 feet)
Shawn Jr. - First Place in the Softball Throw (132 feet)
Shawn Sr. - Second Place in the Egg Race
Shawn Sr. - Second Place in the Egg Toss
Misty - Second Place in the Egg Toss

Click HERE to see pictures from the day.

iScore

2009-06-09T17:31:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I filed a lawsuit in Dallas, Texas. The lawsuit is related to a software application that I designed which allows a person to keep score at a baseball game on an iPhone or iTouch. My application was designed in October 2008. An application with the same name and functionality was released in early 2009 by a California company named FasterThanMonkeys. The lawsuit alleges that FasterThanMonkeys misappropriated my application design. The complaint was filed yesterday and was picked up today by Courthouse News. See the story at http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/06/09/New_Complaints.htm#iPhone_Apps

You can read the entire complaint at http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/06/09/iPhoneApps.pdf

Hawks Win and Helms is MVP

2009-06-07T17:41:00.004-05:00

Brittany is a member of a basketball team that plays in various AAU tournaments around the Dallas / Fort Worth area. The team is a collection of girls from her middle school. Her team struggled a little at the beginning of the season but has really started to improve.

This weekend her team went 4 and 0 and won their first tournament! The girls played well. Brittany won the MVP of the tournament. Brittany is now tied with her brother at one MVP trophy a piece.

Last Day of School

2009-06-03T17:35:00.006-05:00

As many of you know we homeschool our children – except for Brittany. Brittany started the 7th grade this year at Cain Middle School. Cain is a large middle school in Rockwall, Texas. Over 700 students started Cain in Brittany's 7th grade class. She was a little apprehensive about the new experience. See my blog entry about her first day of school.

Today is Brittany's last day of school. I believe this year was a (nearly) unqualified success. Brittany did great academically, athletically and socially. Below are some of her more noteworthy accomplishments:

Received straight As in every class, on every report card
Was "commended" for her TAKS score in all subjects (math, reading, and writing)
Her lowest final grade was a 95
Her average final grade for all classes was a 97
Recognized as a "Cain Scholar"
Had the highest grade in her class on numerous tests throughout the year
Was selected for A-team in volleyball
Was selected to the A-team in basketball
Was the starting point guard on the basketball team
Was the starting middle on the volleyball team
Received the award for "Most Outstanding Basketball Player" (7th grade girls)
One of 16 students selected for PALS
One of 3 students to be awarded the Loan Star Leadership Award

I also think Brittany challenged some of her teachers' views of homeschooled students.

Here is Brittany with a group of her closet friends on the last day of school.

Great work Brittany! One year down.

Participating in Stuttering Study

2009-05-23T10:48:00.006-05:00

I have stuttered since I was a little kid. As long as I can remember, I have struggled to carry on basic conversations in public, at work and even (at times) at home. Stuttering is somewhat unpredictable. This week I had a client ask me if I had a hard time with only "t", "s" and "f"s. Those are certainly some of the more difficulty consonant sounds, but others are hard as well. For example, my legal practice is outsourcing and technology transactions. I often have a hard time with the word "outsourcing." Sometimes I even have a hard time saying my own name. Names that start with a "t" - like "Triniti" - are particularly difficult. Annoying.

When I was a little kid it was much worse than it is today. However, given the nature of my job (corporate attorney), I talk all the time and my ability to communicate is key to my effectiveness and career development. Therefore, the importance of effective verbal communication is more important at this stage of my life than ever before.

Last year I signed up to participate in a clinical research study to evaluate the safety and treatment effects of a drug called pagoclone on stuttering. In March I was selected to participate in the study. I have been participating for a little over a month. I take several pills a day. Because the study is a double-blind randomized study, I don't know if I am getting the actual drug or just a placebo. Because my stuttering is not really bad and it changes based on various factors, it is difficult to evaluate if the drug (assuming I am taking it) is effective.

I will let you know later in the study.

Dallas Thunder Videos

2009-04-20T17:25:00.001-05:00

I have created a few highlight videos for all 2009 Dallas Thunder teams. You can find them by clicking here.

NCHBC Results

2009-04-04T11:34:00.010-05:00

March 16th - March 21st our family attended the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships. It is an amazing event. This year it was held in Springfield, Missouri. Over 340 teams from all over the country participated.

Scouts from the following division 1 schools were in attendance: Georgetown, Tennessee, South Florida, Miami, Oral Roberts, Missouri State, Arkansas Little Rock and Alabama. Plus there were dozens of scouts and college coaches form other schools like Mid-America University, SE Missouri State, Crown Christian College, Barclay College, Pensacola, North Dakota, Pittsburg State, Drury College and SW LA.

Pictures from the week long tournament are posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/shawnhelms/NCHBC2009

As you know, Shawn plays for the Dallas Thunder. His 12 and under team went into the tournament ranked #1 in the country. They did not play great, but played well enough to get to the championship game. In that game, they played the Oklahoma Storm. The OK Storm is historically the strongest homeschool basketball organization in the country. They have won a ton of national championships and have had some great players over the years. For example, Blake Griffin, a player for the Oklahoma Sooners, was homeschooled. Blake and his brother Taylor both played for the OK Storm. Blake Griffin is projected to be the first pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Not bad . . .

Shawn's team got killed in the championship game. The OK Storm was just too big and talented. Four (or maybe all five) of their starting 5 were actually 13 years old, but qualified for 12 and under because of their birthday was after the cutoff. Shawn's team is a smaller, jump shot team that beats other teams with their quickness and defense. In this game, the OK Storm was able to put pressure on our guards and just killed us down low. In one possession the Storm had something like 7 offensive rebounds. There is no beating that kind of dominance down low.

Shawn's team ended up getting second place. The boys were disappointed but understood that it would have been a very tall order to beat that team.

Shawn was one of 3 kids on the Thunder chosen for the 12U All American team.

Shawn also played for a 10 and under USA team. USA teams are made up of players that simply show up at Nationals and play together. Often these are younger siblings of players on other teams. Shawn still qualifies to play 10 and under because is birthday is late in the year. Shawn had a conflict in the first game and was not able to get there until the 3rd period. By that time, his team was down by 20 points to, none other than, the OK Storm. (I know, it is crazy that our family played them in every age division). His team lost that game. The OK Storm went on to win the national championship.

Shawn's team went into the lower bracket (5A). Shawn was able to make every other game, leading his team to the championship in the lower, 5A bracket. Shawn totally dominated the 10 and under division. It was funny to see him in that age group. He was one of the tallest and clearly the best player on the court. Shawn was selected as an All American in the 10 and under division.

Noelle played on a 10 and under USA girls team. Noelle's team was made up of girls from Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kansas and Texas. They had a low ranking and had to play the Oklahoma Storm in the first round.

Noelle's team played great and took out the OK Storm in the first game. That knocked the Storm into the lower bracket and Noelle's team moved into the championship bracket (6A bracket). When the week was done, her team, with one loss, ended up getting 3rd place in the highest bracket. An amazing accomplishment for 7 girls that have never played together. Noelle and her friend Brittany made All American in girls 10 and under.

The Next Rembrandt?

2009-03-12T11:52:00.004-05:00

We have a new problem in the Helms family. Skylin now loves to draw with markers. The real problem is that she likes to color on things other than paper. For example . . .

our kitchen wall

Her hand

the pier in our entryway

our bathroom cabinets

our living room couch

and on her baby brother's head . . .

National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championship

2009-03-11T12:08:00.009-05:00

Shawn Jr. plays for a homeschool basketball team through an organization called Dallas Thunder. Thunder is a competitive Christian basketball organization made up of homeschooled students in the D/FW metroplex. Next week, we travel to Springfield, Missouri for the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships. This is the national tournament for competitive homeschool basketball teams. The tournament is a week long event that will have about 350 teams from all over the United States.

Out of 30 teams, Shawn's team is seeded #1 in their age division (12U) and is expected to do well. They will certainly have a lot of pressure on them. This is the biggest stage for a homeschool basketball team. Just think of Shawn's team as North Carolina in the "big dance" of homeschool basketball teams. We are looking forward to watching them compete.

Noelle is also playing. She will be on a team that they call Team USA. These are teams of players that simply show up at Nationals and play together. Obviously they will have an uphill battle, but she is looking forward to participating.

We are also looking forward to watching Taber Spani play. Taber is a player from Lee's Summit Missouri who was recently named a McDonald's High School All American and late last year accepted a full-ride scholarship to play at Tennessee. She is an amazing player and the first homeschool student to be named a McDonald's All American.

I will keep you updated as the tournament progresses.

Deep Thoughts

2009-03-09T22:45:00.003-05:00

Triniti asked Misty and I the following question - "Why does God watch over us if he knows what is going to happen in the future."

Impact Volleyball Pictures

2009-03-06T21:42:00.004-06:00

This link will take you to all the pictures from Brittany's Impact volleyball tournament in Shreveport, LA.

Boston Celtics Game

2009-02-27T22:36:00.016-06:00

I traveled to Boston this week to visit one of my favorite clients, Linedata Services, Inc. They are a great mid-sized financial services software company. Linedata is headquartered in Paris, but the North American operations, and all of my contacts, are in Boston. Linedata has been on me for years to spend some time in Boston. Last month, I got approval from Jones Day to take Linedata's 3 top North American executives out to a Boston Celtics game.

(On a side note, this is a small example of why Jones Day is such great law firm. Even in these tough economic times, Jones Day is willing to invest in client relationships. When other law firms are laying off attorneys, Jones Day is allowing a non-partner-level attorney invest time and money into a mid-sized, current, client. Jones Day is very conservative, but is also very supportive of attorneys continuing to develop deeper client relationships. The firm takes a "long term" view of everything. This is only one aspect of a great Jones Day culture. It is a privilege to work for such a terrific law firm. I hope to be at Jones Day 20 years from now.)

Anyway, I spent the day with a few Linedata executives and we went to the game on Friday night. It was an exciting pre-game show.

The Celtics are the reigning NBA champs. They have won 17 championships - more than any other team in the NBA. The rafters are stocked with championship banners.

The Celtics were playing the Pacers - a team that is not great, but can be fun to watch. Roy Hibbert (ex-Georgetown boy) got the game started with the tipoff. We had great seats just off the floor. They were, by far, the best seats I have ever had for an NBA game. The Linedata guys loved it.

This was the first game for Stephon Marbury in a Boston Celtics uniform. He was released by the Knicks just a couple of days ago. Starbury received a warm reception in Boston and played great. If he continues to play like he did tonight, Boston just got even better.

Ray Allen was on fire. He ended up with 30 points in the game. During one stretch - he could not miss.

Rondo had a great game as well. He had 17 assists by the 3rd quarter. I thought he was going to get 25. He did not play much in the 4th quarter and ended the game with 17.

Paul Pierce is HUGE. I never realized how big that guy is until I saw him in person. I thought of him as a smallish guard. I was very wrong. That guy is tall and built like a football player. No wonder he can shoot over people and power through a foul to make the shot. He is an animal.

The Pacers played a good game but the Celtics just had too much fire power. The Celtics ended up winning the game 104 to 99.

Texas Homeschool State Champions

2009-02-22T10:47:00.008-06:00

Shawn's homeschool basketball team won the Texas Homeschool State Championship this weekend. They played great. Shawn had several really solid games and was selected for the all tournament team.

Josh at 6 Months

2009-02-21T23:04:00.006-06:00

Josh is getting so big. We went in for his 6 month check-up and he is doing great. He weighs 17 pounds 14 ounces and is 26 3/4 inches long.

This past week he started to crawl and said his first word.