Happy Birthday Ava!

It’s hard to imagine what might be in store for this coming year for my lovely daughter. 7 has been such a great age for her and she is growing so fast that it is hard for me to keep up with her. She’s very much an analytical, open-minded, caring and wonderful young lady and I love her so much. There are so many things about her that I love dearly but here is a short list of the things I love most about her…

She loves to sing her favorite songs.
She is a great friend to everyone.
She likes to get involved.
She loves animals (especially horses, kittens and dogs!)
She has a very creative mind and is a great writer.
She is not afraid to be her own person.
She is extremely strong-willed.
She is a great artist!
She is a great sister & an awesome daughter!

Today, I break one of “The 50 Rules Of Having A Daughter.” I can’t be with her on her birthday today. But I hope she understands and knows that I love her with all my heart. Here are some pictures of Ava that I’ve taken this past year. She is my grandest achievement and as she grows, I can’t wait to see where her life will take her. It will continue to be a glorious journey, I’m sure!

Double Digits!

Of ALL the birthdays my kids will be having, this is the first of the big ones for Christopher. Turning 10 is like reaching a milestone that you’ll never reach again. You go from 1-9 and have single digits and then…you have to wait another 90 years before you go triple and you’re back to where you were at the age of 1 (you know…wearing diapers and such). So hitting double digits is a big thing! When asked if he felt any different turning 10, Christopher’s response?

“Yeah…I feel A LOT older!”

So we have been celebrating this historical moment for a little over a week. He had a birthday party with his buddies (who are all turning 10) a week prior to his birthday date, he managed to weasel an expensive pair of headphones out of his mom & I (you don’t wanna know how much we dropped for these bad boys…), pitched in a double header ON his birthday, had sushi for his birthday dinner and got a lot of money from friends and neighbors so that he can buy a pair of shoes that he’s been eyeing that are the “hot new thing!” Here are some photos of this week-long celebration that ends today with doughnuts for his entire classroom…

Hope the teacher doesn’t hate us for jacking up the entire 4th grade with sugar!

Yahoo! We’re OLD now!

Birthday dinner

Birthday Cake Pops!!!

This Crazy, Wonderful Life

Today I am 42 years old. Every year, as my birthdays come and go, I think of my mortality. I think about how I won’t be here forever and who will remember me when I’m gone. I think some people are consumed by the need to live forever, to fight Father Time and hang on to this life that we know. But not me. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I were to live forever. Instead I wonder about what happens next. Is it really over? Apparently there’s only one way to find out and I’m not ready for that just yet! But still…it’s there. And I think about it.

I’m not one to sit and think about the future. As I’ve mentioned many times, I am an extremely lucky person. When I die, I want everyone to know that I have had more experiences in my life than I ever thought I would. Life has been very good to me. I have 2 wonderful children and an amazing family that I love very much. I have great parents and I’m blessed that they adopted me, raised me and shaped me to be the man I am today. The friends I have known through my years have come and gone but every one of them has changed my life in some way. I think I’ve been a good person. I think I have tried to be the best I can be. Sometimes I have failed and at times I feel extremely lost, but I always approach life with as positive an attitude as I can. At times the tide has taken me and dropped me in places that I didn’t think I would go and I have wandered, watching in amazement, as things have fallen into place.

Life really is an amazing thing. When my son came along, my life changed for the better. Because of he and my daughter, I have become a different person. I think it’s for the better but there are times when I don’t know what is next for me. But that’s okay. Not everything can be planned. That’s the beauty of it. No one knows their final destination. No one can change the course of their future. All I can do is watch the time go by, the hands never stop, and hope that my good fortune and wonderment that I have for my life continues forward in a positive way.

I’m not perfect. Never claimed to be. But I do hope that in the end my life will be remembered by someone and they will think of me fondly. Today I turned 42. It’s not the end of my life nor is it the beginning. It’s just another round of the clock ticking, another turn of a page, another year to find new adventures. I have no idea what is in store for me…

And I’m okay with that.

This is MY crazy and wonderful life. It is what it has always been…exciting and unknown. And I am a very lucky man.

41

So now I’m officially IN my 40′s. I’m not 40 anymore. I’m IN my 40′s. And I’m not sure how I feel about that. I guess I’m fine with it. There’s nothing I can do about it really. I mean…time keeps on tickin’ and I keep getting older. Seems like that’s the way it goes so there’s no use in harping on it. I’m just getting older. And that I’m okay with…I think.

I wish I had some clue to what the future might bring. Like that tv show “FlashForward”. Just a 2 minute & 17 second glimpse to know that I’ll live to see 42. But no one ever really knows. We just keep waking up and living our lives and eventually we find out. We find out what our future brings. What I have learned in my 41 years is that life happens. There’s nothing you can do about it but get to it and face the issues and hope for all the best.

I am a very lucky man. I have all the things many people want. I have a good family, a good home, a good job, good friends. I got it pretty good! And at 41 years old, I couldn’t ask for much more than that. I have plenty of questions that have gone unanswered, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. It’s nice not knowing every little detail about everything…right? Just let it happen and keep the ball rolling.

Anyway…today I’m 41 years old. I’m feeling pretty good about it. And for this year, I hope that I can learn more about myself and pay more attention to the little things. It’s in the little things that we learn who & what we are. I need to pay more attention to those things. And learn to appreciate them as I go.

Aaaaaaand…that’s pretty much it…

Happy Birthday Christopher!

All this talk about what a good dad I am, but today I am working on my son’s 7th birthday. Oddly enough, it was 7 years ago when I was concerned that I would have to work when my wife gave birth to him. We should have planned better! The Derby happens the weekend following his birthday every year, so that always clogs up my schedule.

This year, Christopher has had a great time in 1st grade. He is a stellar little athlete, playing football, basketball and throwing the baseball with me in the backyard. He has also learned to ride his bike and has become quite the ladies man! (Ok…I threw that in there. But he does have a crush!) And he has done amazing work in reading & math! He is one of the best in his class as far as reading is concerned. And that is awesome!

Happy Birthday Christopher! I love you and I can’t wait to celebrate your birthday with all your friends in a couple of weeks!

Love,

Your Dad

And Finally…It Ends

Continuing my series of blogs that have “…” in them, this should pretty much wrap them up. At least I can’t think of anymore “…” that I want to use…so hopefully this will be all.

Dunno if you guys all know this….but I turned 40 in December. 40. Not 40-ish. Not almost 40. I actually hit the big 4-0 in December. Don’t remember if I mentioned it. Anyway, yesterday I joined my 2 best friends for the final celebration of that landmark birthday for a little frivolous conversation, a good meal and a slice of cheesecake at “Cheesecake Factory”. I don’t know how often YOU eat at CF…but if I ate there more than once a year I would gain 150 pounds! The have a fantastic menu and the amount of food (even in the lunch portions) is pretty large. Throw in the cheesecake and a drink and you have enough calories to fit into your whole week! Did you know, that in one day, a good diet is supposed to be 2,000 calories. That’s it. How do I know this? Because it says so on the back of the Special K cereal box that I am looking at right this second…

Anyway…at CF yesterday I am pretty sure I surpassed that mark in one sitting by 4,389 calories. It wasn’t pretty. They had to roll me to my car…

Every year I do this lunch thing with my 2 friends Newman & Janet. Every year I feel HUGE leaving that restaurant. I have no idea why we keep going back there…but we do. And so ends my birthday. Considering my Mom threw a birthday bash for my Dad, my brother and myself back in June. Then my wife threw me a party in December with all my friends (including Newman & Janet). And my wife and kids got me gifts and a cake. And now this little get-together…it’s now 8 months and I’m over it.

Happy Birthday to me folks! Again. And now…I am moving on with my life! However…I ALWAYS love me some Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake…

Birthday Surprises

My family humors me

So yesterday was my 40th birthday (REALLY?!? Noooo…you don’t say?), and my wife and kids and my bestests friends made sure that is was a day to remember! First off, my son and my wife BOTH caught the stomach flu that my daughter had this past weekend, so that was lingering. Other than that though…I made out pretty good with some cool gifts and a great dinner at Brio’s with all my friends (Steph had to leave early though. Couldn’t stomach even looking at the food! Poor woman…). Here are some pics of the day and of my cool gifts that I received!

The kids decorated the cake. Can you tell?

Opening the birthday cards

Blowin’ Out The Candles

Not the most flattering pose

My BIG gift

Framed credentials from events that I have worked! Kinda cool!

Rich & Lynne (and the one on the way) enjoyed the dinner

Newman thinks I’m crazy

My friends know me well…an ITunes card, an AMC theatre giftcard, vintage 1968 t-shirt and an 80′s giftpack with a Ferris Bueller DVD, a Rubics cube and a 3-disk 80′s music CD pack!

A Pirate Looks At 40

Guess who is turning 40? One clue…he’s not on the left. And he’s wearing an eyepatch.
And…OH C’MON ALREADY!!!

40 years. I’m 40 years old. Well…not yet officially…but almost. Really…that’s ”getting up there” if you think about it. Think of all the things that have happened in my lifetime. Looking back, I am trying to think of some defining moments that I remember with absolute clarity. Me being the forgetful person that I am, I have come up with a short list. So I’m gonna put on my eyepatch one more time while I’m 39, stare at the receding sealine (not hairline) and put it out there…

1. The day Christopher was born. I remember him, all bloody and really PISSED OFF! He was not happy to be leaving his happy place. But all good things must come to an end and here he is, 6 years later, reading, writing and doing arithmatic. Amazing what life can do.
2. My wedding day and honeymoon in St. Lucia. The greatest week of my life. Who knew what kind of journey we were in for? And the one person who has my number has kept me in check ever since. I love her for everything that she allows me to be. As irritating as I can be, and as complicated as our relationship is, she is a standup woman who knows that I would be one bitter pirate without her and she puts up with me…even when I’m being an assbag.
3. The day my Mom had an anuerysm. We are all faced with that time when the ones you love are in life and death situations. But the image of her lying in that hospital bed was one of the saddest days of my life. Oddly enough, I didn’t believe then that it was to be her last day. And you know what…she didn’t let me down. She came roaring back and has been going strong for well over 10 years now! Love you Mom!
4. Don’t know what year it was, but coming downstairs on Christmas morning and there was literally a SEA of gifts under the tree. With 6 kids, there was a lot to go around!
5. Hanging out with my best friend at his house. Sitting in front of the television and pouring out my soul about a lost love. I must have rambled on for too long because when I turned around…he was sound asleep. I will never forget that JT!!! And I will never forget “The Haircut” either! LOL
6. Taking my daughter to physical therapy classes. She hadn’t learned to crawl (she was a “scooter”) and was having trouble learning to walk. So I took her to her classes and she HATED it! She was soooo mad at me. And she refused to do anything that the instructor asked (or begged) her to do. She is STILL hard-headed…and I see no end in sight.
7. The day my first love broke up with me in high school. Who DOESN’T remember that feeling?
8. My first kiss on vacation in Florida. Her name was Skye. I couldn’t stop thinking about her for months. And Bryan Adams’ “Reckless” was the album of that summer and I played it nonstop.
9. Playing basketball at Ohio University and going up for a layup and getting bumped just enough that my back gave out. It was the worst pain I have ever felt and I had to literally crawl back to my car, drive home, and then have my best friend drive me home to go see my doctor. That totally sucked.
10. Buying my first cassette with my own money. What was it? Supertramp’s double live album “Paris”. Don’t laugh…you know you love “Take The Long Way Home”.
11. Taking my family to Walt Disney World and my parents joined us. So many vacations spent at the Mouse House when I was younger and so many good memories and now I get to start some new memories with MY kids. What an awesome event. And taking my kids to see “Country Bear Jamboree” with Grandma was a highlight!

Some historical moments that I remember? How about the Challenger exploding right after liftoff. Ronald Reagan getting shot. OJ Simpson in his white Ford Bronco cruising through Los Angeles with a parade of cop cars behind him. Michael Jackson’s hair catching on fire during that Pepsi commercial. Oliver North’s hand raised in the courtroom during the Iran-Contra hearings.  President-elect Barack Obama accepting his Presidential nomination.

So many other memories are now flooding in and I could go on, but I won’t. Some are good, some are bad, but it’s a life, MY life…and there will hopefully be many more great things to come. Okay…so I’m gonna be 40. It’s not gonna be so bad. People turn 40 every day and have lived to tell about it. So I imagine I’ll be fine. Although I do have to wonder…when does my midlife crisis start? ‘Cause I want that red convertible!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

So my Mom is in Florida looking at rental properties (much to the chagrin of my Dad), and so I was gonna try to do something creative and write a really nice long blog about how much I love her and how much she means to me and that would have been all well and good if I hadn’t woken up to a torrential downpour in my brand new bathroom yesterday!

I woke up yesterday morning to the sound of “drip, drip, drip” and went to see why the water was on and LO & BEHOLD! Water was coming from the ceiling fan! HOLY CRAP! So I ran upstairs (this is at 6am) and there is water flooding our upstairs bathroom! I thought maybe the toilet had overflowed, but it was actually the sink had a busted valve and water was pouring out of the cabinet underneath the sink. So I tried shutting off the water there, but the damn thing wouldn’t shut completely so I yelled down to my wife (who was sleeping peacefully) as I tried plugging the leaky valve with my hand only to have it completely come apart and water starts GUSHING everywhere! I hear her yelling and then both kids woke up and they were scared and we finally got the water off and had flooding upstairs, downstairs and a little in the basement!

Once we got all the water cleaned up, I tried to get the valve thingee free, but didn’t have the right tool to get it (the bolt was stripped), so Steph called a plumber to come over and the guys who were working on our downstairs bathroom came over and put giant blowers all over the place (just like when the toilet line busted just last week!) and now I think we’re fine.

After that I had to get Ava lunch, get her to school, go to work for 2 hours, pick up Christopher from school, get Ava from school, take Ava to dance class, take Christopher to the park to play football, pick Ava up from class, get them both fed, get them both to bed and then I should have written you a really nice blog. But I am still jet-lagged and went to bed around 9:35.

Needless to say, in all the confusion and the really long day, not only did I not blog a Happy Birthday to the one woman who means so much to me, but I didn’t call her either! So now I feel really guilty and somewhat pathetic.

So this is a Happy Birthday to my Mother. The greatest, most loving, most caring, most UNDERSTANDING woman in the whole world…I love you and I hope you are having fun house-shopping in the Sunshine State! Come home safely and I will see you on Thanksgiving!

-Your son

P.S. Did you know that it’s less than a week until Election Day? Just wanted to make sure you know…