Easter

What a busy and exhausting weekend it's been.

Friday night we met my parents in Tulsa for dinner at Hu Hot and they gave the kids their Easter gifts. They're about to start the process of moving out of their house in Bartlesville and into a house in Sand Springs.

It's going to be really great having them closer, even if it's still an hour away - and my step dad will be MUCH closer to his job, so he won't have two hours of driving every day.

To hear him talk about what he'll do with his extra time, he sounds like Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Step Brothers.

"There's so much more time for activities!"

After gorging ourselves on all you can eat Mongolian barbecue, we spent a few minutes at Vintage Stock and then headed back home. We had to be up early the next day.


Bright and early Saturday morning, we took part in the Grand View Bull Run at the kids' school. It was a 5k/fun run put on to help the school's special olympics program.

There were over a hundred people there, and we got some super bright yellow shirts out of the deal.

Jaxon had decided that he would do the 5k (his first), while Jade, Shelly, and I all opted for the fun run.

I still swear that's an oxymoron.

Either way, we jogged/walked a mile while Jade and her friend picked up Easter eggs along the side of the road.

We finished out part quickly and returned to the start to cheer for Jaxon - who finished at 34:10.

Super proud of that kid.

Also, the guy who came in first - he came in at 17:17. Then, he turned around and ran it again while others were still going.

It was like the end of The Incredibles where Dash was trying to compete against regular kids. I'm not saying that guy had super powers, but I'm not saying he didn't, either.







That afternoon I had both Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes back to back. I thought I knew what I was in for.

I didn't.

Half way through, I ended up hurting my leg. I still don't know the name of the muscle. I've just been referring to it as my "butt-thigh junction". Whatever it's called, when I went to throw one of the guys in the class, I held my leg wrong (extended) and dropped his body weight on my leg. It pulled that spot and for like five minutes I couldn't stand up.





Thankfully, my friend who lives at the house I'm taking classes at is a doctor - so I had him looking at it, pushing on the spot trying to diagnose the issue within 2 minutes.

Pain's a funny thing though, isn't it?

I've always had a pretty high tolerance for the stuff (I still brag that I was shot in grad school and didn't miss a single day of class), but it's such a subjective concept that when you act like you're hurt, people never know exactly what you're going through.

While the guys teaching the class acted very sincere and caring, I had to wonder if they thought I was feigning hurt to get a breather. It happened one hour into our two hour session, and while I did continue, I was certainly impeded.

Still, stellar guys - and I have learned so much so far already - which is turning out to be a roller coaster experience for Shelly. On one hand, she's happy for me. On the other hand, she now dreads hearing "Let me show you what I learned tonight!"

Saturday night (while I should have been home resting up), I met a friend for dinner at a restaurant in town and got to catch up, which was really nice.





Today was Easter, and our family is one that really loves their traditions.






Last night, Shelly and I had put together our annual Easter Scavenger Hunt. We hide clues throughout the house written to rhyme, and then the kids hunt their way to their Easter baskets.













It's a blast making the clues, because I really like coming up with silly rhymes - and I think they get a lot of enjoyment out of it.













And if they don't, they don't gripe - because they typically end up with a basket full of candy.






Seriously, they made out like bandits this year.

Between my parents, Shelly's parents, us, and their dad - they have enough candy to ruin every single tooth in their heads. It's going to be quite a chore doling this candy out over the next few weeks so they don't make themselves sick/explode.






This evening, we had Easter dinner with Shelly's dad's family, and then went to Nonna's house so the kids could do their second scavenger hunt of the day.












I'm not going to lie - while I talk about the kids doing so well this year getting a lot of candy - I do have to admit that I got an Easter basket from both Shelly AND her mom.


So, yeah - I do alright.





All in all, it was a very eventful AND fun weekend, but now I'm spent. My body hurts, my butt-thigh junction is achey, and my allergies are acting up. I've prepped my lunches for the week, and I think I'm going to call it an early night.

I had so much more that I wanted to say here, but here we are.










I hope your Easter weekend was a great one, and I'll be back soon.

For now, enjoy your Sunday night and time with those you love.

"One, two, three, Jiu, Jit, Su!"

I've exercised and then not exercised enough in my life that the way my body felt this week shouldn't have come as a surprise.

...but it did.

This week I started both Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes AND Krav Maga classes from the brother of a friend who recently moved to Tahlequah.

One of the doctors that I work with is from Venezuela. His brother, who lived there until just recently, is a black belt in bjj. He asked around work if anyone was interested in taking classes, and I signed up.

I've got two friends who compete in the sport regularly, so I figured I'd take part and then if nothing else, we'd have something to talk about.

What I wasn't prepared for however, is how stiff my joints have gotten in the last year (since Shelly and I quit yoga) - and how big my belly has gotten.

Our first class was an hour and a half, and while I felt like I held my own while there - the next day, I thought my body was going to fall apart.

You know the muscle on the inside of your thigh? I've since been told it's called the "adductor"?

Is that right?

Well, whatever it's called, that muscle was exhausted!

That muscle in my body has never been exhausted.


...That's a strange muscle to have exhausted.





When the dust settled however, the first week of classes went by pretty smoothly. I eventually got over my soreness, and I'm already pretty excited about week two.







On the topic of soreness, Jade hurt her knee while tumbling this week. Or, at least, we assume that's what it was from. She began complaining about her knee being sore for a couple of days, so when Shelly took her to urgent care, we weren't surprised to hear that she needs to take a little time off.



Unfortunately for Jade, she's the one person in the house what "Take some time off" is actually more of a punishment than a reward.











As I type this, she's sitting on the floor in the front room where she typically dances/does gymnastics - playing with play-doh and watching young cheerleaders on Netflix.







Wednesday, I did my interview for the podcast with Misty and Randy of We Are the Revelers. The episode isn't up yet, but the interview itself was a blast. As we both have kids that needed to be in bed for things to run smoothly, we didn't get started until 10:30 at night, and it was such a natural, fun conversation that I'm very excited to see how it all turns out.

Aside from the martial arts classes this week, I've been making an active effort to take better care of myself.

Earlier this week, I went out with the kids to shoot baskets in the driveway - something we haven't done for what seems like ages.







After a game of PIGGY (Initially "PIG", but Jaxon didn't like losing before Jade), Jade got her sidewalk chalk out and we decorated the driveway.









Friday we had a training for work out at Camp Egan (a camp I've only been to before as a camper or camp counselor). It was a gorgeous day out, and nice to have a creek close by for our lunch break. I got to visit with coworkers I don't get to see as often as I'd like - and even won a bluetooth speaker in an afternoon drawing.


(I forgot to take pictures while there, so I had to google this picture of the top of Egan's hill)





I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, but I truly love working for the Cherokee Nation. I pour my heart into my job, and it's so nice working for a Nation and a department where I actually feel taken care of. The job has its headaches, and more than a few times I've found myself flustered at frustrating situations - but at the end of the day, I feel so lucky and so blessed to have ended up where I'm at.



Saturday we had a good friend come into town from Ada, so we took him out to Sam n Ella's for pizza.

It's such an interesting question - Where do you take someone for dinner in your town when they've never been there before, and more than likely won't be back anytime soon?

For us, pizza is always a favorite - and Sam n Ella's has some of the best pizza in the state.


Seriously, I'll fight you if you disagree.



Ignore the first part of this blog, and give me  a few weeks.




Sunday finds us prepping for the upcoming week. I've got the makings of Greek chicken wraps already boxed up in the fridge. Shelly is doing laundry and watching Friends on Netflix for the thousandth time. Jade's binge watching her cheer show. Jaxon has yet again sealed himself in his room to play xbox with his online friends.

They're all kids.

I've checked.

I do however foresee a time in the not-too-distant future where I'll be in the market for a human-sized crowbar.

Honestly, that kid lives in his room right now. I don't see that getting better when we start adding the word "teen" to the end of his age.


Not today, though.

... Until next time.

Hotel Nonna

What a week it's been.

I think every family has their bad years. For ours, it was 2014.

That year, it seemed like everything that could go wrong did go wrong. It was harrowing, exhausting, and ultimately brought us closer together as a family.

Simply put, it was a hellacious 365 days.

Recently, 2017 has started doing short little impressions of 2014. And while the impressions are accurate, they're not as cute as 2017 seems to think.

Appliances have broken, things have gone wrong in the house, family members have taken turns getting sick and recovering - it's been an experience.

(No joke, as I typed that line, Turk hurled on the floor ten feet to my left.)

This week, we had some work done in the house which required us to vacate for 24 hours. And by us, I mean everyone - humans AND cats.

Thankfully, Shelly's parents live in town, and were more than happy to put us up for the night.

The trick was though, that we had to actually get the cats there. Preferably alive.

Wednesday morning, we woke up early, wrangled them into their respective crates, and Shelly ran them out before work after taking the kids to school. I wasn't there for it, but I hear the ride was quite eventful.

Well, eventful and loud.

Apparently the cats meowed/yowled the entire way.


They REALLY hate those crates.





As a happy coincidence though, Wednesday was also the day that my friend Janie from work brought the personalized stress spinners she and her husband had 3D printed for us.

Perfect timing.

The evening was actually quite fun. We rented Hacksaw Ridge and watched it with Shelly's parents. We played "Pit", a card game our family loves. We even got the "Hotel Nonna" treatment, complete with personal packs of candy on everyone's pillows - everyone getting their favorite kinds.





The morning after, however, was a different story.

After the kids went off to school, Shelly and I started the process of shipping the cats home again.

In our infinite wisdom, we thought that maybe the cats didn't enjoy their trip out the first time because of the crates - and that if they were allowed to travel in the back seat that they would be much calmer about the idea.

We were wrong.

I took Turk and Jaxon's cat Batman in my car, while Shelly took Jade's cat Princess in hers.

I'll let you be the judge of how much calmer the non-crate trip was:

After that, the week was pretty easy.

Tahlequah had their yearly free day at the dump, so we loaded up Shelly's dad's truck with a garage full of things we had accumulated and then waited in line for an hour to dump it for free.







Seriously, there were SO many people taking their trash to the dump.








The kids got new bikes this week, so of course we had to take them out for a test ride.

I swear though, I remember riding bikes being much easier when I was a kid - and I'm not entirely referring to the fact that I'm pudgy now.

I think somewhere along the way, I forgot how exactly to shift a bike correctly. I can't ever find the right combination of numbers on the left/right sides of my handlebars, and it really makes the ride quite frustrating.

Going uphill is exhausting, and going downhill ends with my pedals doing nothing. I try to shift down when things get hard, like you would in a car - but damn if that doesn't feel counter-intuitive and make my legs feel like they're going to explode.

Inside, I swear I'm already 60. I find myself thinking "I should have just gone for my usual walk." every time I ride the dang thing.

That said, I do love my walks though.






In addition to a new bike this week, Jaxon also got a new mattress. And Jade (who we often joke exhibits "cat-like" behaviors) was fascinated by the huge empty box that it came in.


Unfortunately, my picture of Jade in-box turned out too blurry, so all I have to document the experience is a picture of Shelly messing with her.





Or, I've made up an elaborate story about Jade being transfixed by the box because secretly my wife is obsessed with box interiors and has to photograph them whenever the opportunity presents itself.

But no, if the two story options are Shelly being strange or Jade being strange - it's always going to be an easy guess.



The weekend ended things quite nicely.

We got a lot of work done in the yard on Saturday before the rain came in this morning, and I prepped my meals for the week - crock pot chicken chili with EXTRA tomatoes (the family doesn't like tomatoes in their chili, so when I make it for myself I get a little carried away).







This week has a couple of exciting events coming up. Monday I have my first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class at a friend's house (his brother is a black belt and just moved here from Venezuela) - and Wednesday I have the podcast with We Are The Revelers.

I'm super eager for both.


The podcast will be a blast to record, because I hear the couple that does them is very funny - and the martial arts class will be awesome, because it's something I've wanted to do for a very long time, having two friends who already to BJJ, but live too far away for me to join them in their classes.

Admittedly, I will need to eat a little bit of humble pie for taking this class, though.

I've referred to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as "karate wrestling" for some time now, trying to frustrate my friends. Now that I'm actually taking part myself, they'll probably have a few well-natured jokes to send back my way.

They better be well-natured jokes. I'm limber and have a low center of gravity.

I expect to take to these lessons like a fish to water.

Getting Salty

Shelly went to Walmart today for groceries.

It's the same thing every couple of weeks.

She goes by herself (because she swears it goes faster), comes home, we all help carry bags in, and she sets to putting groceries away by herself (again, faster...).

She used to take us with her.

I think somewhere along the way, between the kids asking for things they didn't need, bickering amongst themselves, and me walking so slow that I was always 20 paces behind - she decided it was just easier on the family if she didn't spare our feelings, and made it clear that grocery trips were a solo affair.

That being said, we put the things we want on the list, and she makes sure they make it home with her.

She truly does spoil us.

On that topic, while putting groceries away today - Shelly realized that her husband may in fact be a pickle-aholic.

Oh, she's known for some time that I love pickles. She buys them for me regularly, and has on more than one occasion caught me drinking the juice once the pickles are gone.





While I'm not as bad as Hannibal Buress, I'm pretty close.











Today, she counted - and our fridge has three different jars of pickled peppers, and six jars of different types of pickles.

A pickled something for every occasion.





We have hot banana peppers for sandwiches, mild banana peppers for salads, and jalapenos for pizza. We have Claussen spears and minis for my snacking, Vlasic minis for Jade's snacking (though I like those, too - so there are two jars), McClure's habanero spears for variety, and Vlasic slices for burgers.





Seriously, I can quit any time I want.

I just don't want to.

I've said multiple times before that food is my drug. Though, it's never been sweets that tempt me. It's sodium.

I crave it.

If they made one of those after school specials on addiction about me - there would at one point be a guy standing in a dark alley, wearing a trench coat lined with bouillon and soy sauce.

"Hey kid..."

____________________________________

Last night, Shelly and I were laying in bed discussing life and the challenges we weren't ready for that our thirties have presented us - and I commented on the fact that I don't like being 33 and on blood pressure medication.

I have a sometimes stressful job, and I'm *cough* pounds overweight... but the idea of being medicated this young bothers me.

Then 24 hours later, we counted out 9 bottles of pickled snacks in the refrigerator.

Correlation does not equal causation.


...but it's probably a factor.

____________________________________

This week has been pretty good.






Shelly and Jade both had eye doctor appointments where they each found out that they need glasses. Jade was much more excited at the prospect than Shelly was (another 30 something year old lamentation) - but both girls looked absolutely adorable in their new eyewear.

The day of Jade's eye appointment, I asked her to join me on my evening walk. I make a lap around the outside of our neighborhood that takes just at thirty minutes to complete.

As we left the house, she started telling me about what had happened at her optometrist appointment, and we were nearly home when she ended her story.

It was great.


I try and try to find things that Jade and I can do together. Personalty-wise, we are quite similar. We both like weird things and making other people feel uncomfortable. Hobby-wise though, we end up in different parts of the house more often than not. Having 30 minutes of her telling me about her day - completely uninterrupted - was perfect.

Being a step dad makes finding my position in the kids' lives a bit of a challenge sometimes. So, when they are eager for me to be there or eager for me to learn about them, it's exciting.


Towards the end of the walk, we passed a small drainage dip in one of the sidewalks that has bested Jade in the past.

Back when we all used to go on walks together, Jaxon and I jumped it in front of her, and no matter how much we coaxed or cheered - she was too scared to try.

This time, high on the excitement of new glasses and having a story to tell, she wasn't going home defeated.






This weekend, Shelly and I went to see the new Power Rangers movie.




The kids were with their dad, and I was the only one in the house who had at one point been into the tv show, so I dragged my wife along and we sat there with tons of other parents (who had their kids with them) - and as it turns out, actually enjoyed the movie quite a lot.

It was cheesy, but we knew that it would be going in.

What we didn't expect though, was that it had some really endearing characters. Who knew that a movie about teenagers turning into karate fighting super heroes would spend time actually letting the audience get to know and care about the kids on screen?




I think one thing I liked the most about it was that it had two non-traditional types of kids on the team (one somewhere on the autism spectrum, and one who was lgbt)  - and it didn't make a big deal out of the fact.

They were just there. On the team.

I liked that.


Last week, we went to see Beauty and the Beast, and after reading of all the boycots because one character was gay, I have to admit I was feeling a little disheartened. Having seen the movie, seeing what a small part of the movie this issue actually was, it made me frustrated to see how truly upset some people got over it.

Malaysia wanted to ban the movie as a country.

As a country.

Because one character was gay.

Because one character was gay - and save for the (literally) 2 seconds you see him dancing with a man after he dances with a woman, it would be pretty hard to tell.

I don't know. It just seems like there are far worse things to worry about.


As a straight, white male, I've not known many hardships. I honestly can't wrap my head around someone telling me that the way I looked at my wife disgusted them. Reading Leviticus tells me that throughout my daily routine, I sin PLENTY - honestly, I've eaten a lot of pig in my life -  but I've never been told I'm going to burn in hell because Shelly wanted to hold my hand walking into a store.


This blog isn't my soapbox, so I'll keep it brief - but suffice to say, it bummed me out.

I have lgbt friends and family, and it's sad to think that for the two seconds in a new movie that they got to feel represented - people took that much offense.












It reminded me of my cat, Turk. Hear me out.










The other day (see the Sushi blog), he was meowing at me yet again because I was cutting fish and he wanted a bite.

I looked down at his eager face and told him how spoiled he was as I handed him a small bit.


But, then it hit me. He was "spoiled" because he wanted a fraction of the entire part that I had divvied up for myself. 99% of his diet is brown rocks, and he was "spoiled" because he wanted a quarter inch piece of fish off of my heaping plate.


I found myself wondering if that's how gay people feel.

They see straight people talking about their spouses, kissing them in public, going to clubs, eating out at restaurants, as characters on popular shows... but then when they ask for a fraction of the same thing or try to show up and take part, people shout "Jesus, we get it. You're gay. Quit shoving it down our throats!"

It reminds me of the election. My facebook feed was filled with liberals and conservatives absolutely blasting each other. I've got good friends on both sides of the coin and I found myself wishing that they could both see past these lines in the sand - because they're all awesome people.

I think they'd get along on far more topics than they choose to fight about.



All that said, Turk is really spoiled. He's super fat.


... I never said I wasn't spoiled, too.

The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful.


We're still working our way through Iron Fist on Netlix, I'm trying to finish a book a coworker loaned me, and I spent part of Sunday prepping chicken taco soup for my lunches this week.


I found a one-pot recipe for it online, and when it was done, it REALLY reminded me of the chili-chicken soup my grandma made when I was a kid.



It's amazing how smells and tastes can take you back, isn't it? I tasted the first spoonful, and I was there again, eating a bowl of her soup in her old house.

I sure miss her.



Other than that, not much else to report.


Not this week, but next week I have something exciting coming up. I've been asked to take part in a podcast put on by We Are the Revelers. I'll have a lot to say after I've done that.

Apparently it's a couple that does podcasts where they have people on who talk about how they try to do their part to add enjoyment to the lives of others. They're connoisseurs of entertainment, and it's super cool/flattering that I get to be a part of that.

...It probably doesn't hurt that the wife's sister is a friend from work - but whatever, it's still awesome.


I'm going to talk about my books, possibly comics, and definitely about my crazy family .


It's going to be a good time.



That's all for this week, I think. Until next time.

March Madness

I'm not going to lie.

This is pretty much exactly how it went down.

Except, instead of guys at work - it was a random text from Michael, the husband of one of Shelly's friends. He wanted to know if we wanted in on a bracket competition.

...and that's what real guys do, right?

I had five bucks in my wallet, so I had Shelly text back that I was in.


And then I remembered that I know NOTHING about sports.


I drove over to their house to pick up the bracket and called Kevin on the way, explaining my situation. After he got done laughing at me, he agreed to help.

Then I called my friend Nate, because he knows sports too.


I got this idea that if I could take my two most sports savvy friends and compile their two brackets - I might actually have a shot at winning.

And, more importantly - I would look like I knew what the hell I was talking about.


So after they sent me their brackets, I set to work.

I looked at their picks and one by one made my choices, balancing out their decisions into what I figured was one super bracket.


I got back in my car with my now filled-out paper and headed back across town to drop off my lie.


Do you watch The Walking Dead?

If you don't, there was a scene during the first season where the survivors figured out if they could cover themselves in zombie guts and walk around slow enough - the zombies would be none the wiser.


In the show, everything goes fine - the humans are able to move amongst the herd undetected - until misfortune sets in, and it starts to rain.


This liar's bracket was my zombie guts.


I got out of my car, paper in hand and marched up the steps to Michael's house, ready to drop off my bracket - to continue the lie for one more day that I was a "normal" male who knew what he was doing when it came to "normal" male activities.


He let me in the house, we exchanged pleasantries, and I handed him my sheet - beaming.

Only, things in life are never that easy.

He informed me that he was asking everyone who entered to pick a final score for the championship game in case there was a tie.


The rain set in.

My camouflage was running.


I stared at my bracket making my best deep thought face as I panicked internally.

First, I couldn't remember if basketball scores came in even or odd numbers. Thankfully, I remembered that it could be both.

Then, I couldn't remember if basketball was like soccer - and that the really great teams don't often score on each other because their defense is so sound.


So, I decided to play the middle.

I wrote something along the lines of "41-39" under the winning team's name, handed my sheet back - and walked out to my car.



Later that evening I recounted my story to Shelly and Kevin...

...and sat through their laughter as they both explained to me how ridiculously low my final score was.



I don't know if I kept the illusion that I can fit in amongst typical guys alive or not.

...I don't really even know if the illusion exists to anyone other than me.


Truthfully, I think my biggest fear is that I'm a clumsy human hobbling around amongst a group of zombies, blissfully unaware that they all know I'm not like them.


 - and that they all feel so bad for the work that I'm putting in to my zombie act that they've agreed as a whole not to eat me.

Book shows, Balanced Meals, and Birthday Parties

In high school, I got my first job - working the video counter at Price Cutter, a small budget grocery store in Bartlesville. 

I started at $5.55 an hour - which, for me, was a lot of money at the time. 

I worked a few nights a week, and a weekend every once in a while. Before long, my paychecks became quite regular - $190 here, $200 there. It was amazing. 

However, I was always astounded to see how fast my money disappeared. 

Eventually, mom challenged me to start documenting how much money I was spending (and where I was spending it at), saying that the results would probably be quite surprising - as multiple "small" amounts quickly add up to pretty staggering numbers. 

And she was right. 

What I thought were small transactions, sure enough ended up taking the bulk of my paychecks - seven dollars at Blockbuster here, six fifty at the gas station there... 

My giant bank deposits (again, to sixteen year old me, whose only expenses were gas money and taking my girlfriend out on dates) quickly became near-overdraft fees in front of my eyes. 

It was depressing. 

Counting calories these last few weeks reminds me of that period of my life. 

...and I hate it.  

Seriously. 

I'm using Myfitnesspal every day to get a brief idea of how many calories I should eat in order to lose a moderate amount of weight over a minimal amount of time - and then numbers are quite disheartening. 

I start with what looks like this big, workable number (1700), but as I'm meal prepping and plotting out my daily intake, I end up nickel and diming myself into chubby tears. 

Rice in your lunch? Cha-ching. Chicken for dinner? Cha-ching. 

Those were cash register sounds, just FYI. 

Basically, I've established that I have a very toxic relationship with carbs. They sweet talk me into giving in, and then don't call the next day. 

However, I have really enjoyed my Sunday evening meal-preps. It's become somewhat of a meditation on the last evening of the week. I go to the kitchen, turn on my Blues Traveler pandora station, and cook, and grill, and weigh, and box - until I'm left with four tupperware containers of what I'm to eat at noon for the next week. 

Also, I'm using a lot of fresh veggies, and it's been pretty cool cooking with this much color. 

This last week, after I bounced back from the stomach flu, Jaxon and Jade had a literacy fair at their school. 

Basically, it was like a science fair - only, instead of science questions presented on big three-fold boards, it was facts about a book they had each read. They both made their boards, putting a fair amount of work into them, and we milled around the school, looking at them along with their classmates' boards. 

Jaxon chose one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, and Jade chose a book about a time-traveling dog who went back in time to help two slave children. 

Basically a non-fiction. 

We were super proud of each kid though. 

Jade's presentation even had a popsicle stick boat for her little toy dog to sit in as a visual aid. I think it really sent the exhibit over the top, as the boat was so life-like that just looking at it, one couldn't help but imagine the sound of the raging rapids Ranger the dog and the two children careened down as they paddled their way to safety. 

10/10, a masterpiece. 

Ok, I made the boat for her. Check that thing out. Glued it myself, and everything.   

Other than that, we ended the week with a quiet weekend - where I spent a good chunk of Sunday finally sitting down to read The Five People You Meet In Heaven - a book I've been telling my mom I'd read for the past few years. 

I don't know why, but for some reason I've really fell out of the habit of reading. 

I love writing stories. I love drawing children's books. It's just, somewhere along the process (I think shortly after grad school), I fell out of love with sitting down to work on a book. 

I typically end up loving the ones I sit down to read. I just have a hard time getting myself to actually crack one open. 

Truthfully though, the book was as great as every recommendation I have heard. It you haven't read it, it's definitely worth the few hours it will take to finish it. It's the second Mitch Albom book I've read, and again, the second I've really enjoyed. He has a way with words that few authors do. He can tell a very thorough story in a very small amount of pages while still being highly descriptive. 

One of those authors who gives you an opportunity to evaluate how you're living with each story he writes. 

This week started out relatively quiet. We're all still reeling from daylight saving's time, and I'm doubly tired because I donated blood. 

Tonight, we went to the joined birthday party for a pair of twin brothers that we're really close to at a local Chinese restaurant.

Where, in addition to Chinese food - there was a Stranger Things cake AND a Skyrim cake. 

These guys have great taste. Literally. 

I've been trying to walk 5 days a week, the kids' grandma (Nene) is in town to visit, Jaxon got a haircut he hated at Walmart, and Jade hurt her foot while roller skating. 

All in all, another pretty business as usual week. 

Nothing flashy, but still time together. 

Stomach Bugs and Stellar Wives

Blegh. 

Being sick sucks.

This week started like any other.

I got out of bed Monday morning, showered, and headed to work. However, something felt... off.






An hour or so in, I figured out what was going on - I was getting the currently quite popular stomach bug - and I knew that I was going to need to go home in the very near future, or we were going to have a situation.

...Throw an extra 'h' into that last sentence for a crass, but applicable joke. You choose where.








Unfortunately, true to form like most Mondays, urgent care was already starting to back up.

Seriously... if you need to go to urgent care on a Monday, I hurt for you. Everybody and their dog (sometimes literally) goes to urgent care on Monday.

Thankfully, I have the world's best boss who told me that even though she was busy that day, she thought I should go home.

I made it home by 10:15, was in bed by 10:30 - and stayed there until the next morning.

Have you guys had this stomach bug yet? It took me OUT.

My stomach burned, I had a fever, I couldn't find the right temperature to be comfortable, and I was in and out of the bathroom.

At one point I googled "What does salmonella feel like?"

Then I googled "How do you get salmonella?"


I ended up staying home both Monday and Tuesday, though by the end of Tuesday I was out of bed and moving around like a human again.







That evening, Jade had her first dance recital so I pulled myself out of bed, showered off and went to watch. While it was short, she absolutely killed it.

They showed their families both ballet moves and jazz dance moves, and it was clear which Jade enjoyed more.





It was also interesting to now have a name for the type of dance that Jade has been doing in the front room when she puts on her "shows". Though, the one we saw in public might have been a tad less dramatic than her usual routines.


Like so many things in life, being sick this week has yet again reminded me how lucky I am.

What started with my boss sending me home early led to multiple family members and friends checking on me throughout the day (one even bringing snacks to the house), and my amazing wife caring for me - even though I'm sure I made her feel like she had three children.

Admittedly - this is a feeling Shelly is quite used to - though normally it's because I've done something stupid, not because I have an upset stomach.


It's just so nice to not only know that you're cared for - but to know that when you're out of commission, people notice. I'm so very fortunate to have the people in my life that I do, and I hope that none of them ever wonder about my appreciation.

Unsurprisingly this week, I've also been reminded (yet again) at how amazing my wife is.


It hit me earlier this week that this year, we will have been married for four years - and while that number may not be huge when compared to some marriages, it's been the happiest four years of my life. Without a doubt.






Shelly is absolutely my better half. She's my rock, my sounding board, my best friend (again, don't tell Kevin), and more often than not - my filter.

When I'm out for work or down while sick, she doesn't skip a beat. She's clearly the glue that keeps this family together/operating at full capacity - and she's the most humble person I've ever met.

... Though she wouldn't say that. Saying you're the "most humble" person has an oxymoron kind of feel to it.




I tell her daily how much I love her, how beautiful she is, and how my life is better for knowing her, but it never feels like enough.

I'm not a typical "guy" in the sense that I don't know anything about cars or home repair (unless it's something I can look up on youtube), but she makes me feel like the most manly husband in the world.

So, while I was sick this week - with nothing to do but lay in bed and reflect on what a lucky life I have - and daydream about what life-threatening illness I must have - I did for Shelly one of the few things I feel comfortable doing.

I wrote something for her.

While the words I use will never do a good enough job at conveying how much she means to me - I promise to keep saying them for as long as I can.

- Shelly -

Life is short and all too fleeting. 

Full of pain, but worth completing. 

Full of laughs, headaches, surprises, 

losses, wins, and compromises. 

Life is dirty, sticky, stinky – 

Often daunting, sometimes kinky. 

Life’s up and down and thin and thick. 

Couples argue. Kids get sick. 

Flowers wither. Houses crack. 

Achy knees and achy back.

Life's also beauty with you in it.

Every second, every minute. 

Blessings greater, hardships lighter. 

Laughter’s deeper. Hugs are tighter. 

See, you’re the tape and you’re the glue. 

My life’s together, ‘cause of you.

So, sorry if this week's blog took a sappy turn.  

I had a lot of free time to think, and a hot wife taking care of me while I did it. 

*Also, worth mentioning - While writing this blog, a package came in the mail. Speaking of awesome friends and family, my Aunt (or as she puts it - domestic step aunt in law) Cheri sent me Batman lunch bags. 

Seriously, how cool are these?