Fatherhood Tutelage

On Monday I went to the dentist. If you know me you know that I don't really like going to the dentist (hence the reason this is my first visit in six years). While in the waiting room I pick up a copy of Parenting Magazine. The magazine was filled with many articles and suggestions for parents. Even though not much of the magazine applied to my current parenting situation I found myself contemplating a subscription, not because I think I am a bad parent, or that a magazine could help solve any parenting problem I could face as the dad of a 7 day old, but because my son deserves someone who is great at parenting.

I will be the first to admit to you that I am not entirely sure that I have this whole parenting thing worked out yet. So far I am just trying to do what seems natural and somehow that has consisted of holding him like a football while running in (slowly walking) for a touchdown and doing figure eight basketball moves with him as the basketball. I want to be a fun dad who is never to busy, old, or disinterested to play with my kids. And while I have been given more parenting advice in the past nine months than a lifetime subscription to Parenting Magazine could ever deliver, I am still bound to make mistakes.

My son has peed on me four times (today) and I have to admit that the most recent time I wasn't expecting it. I freaked out a little bit, dropped his legs, and backed away leaving my child more than an arms length away by himself on the changing table. My actions also resulted in pee hitting his face, my arm, the changing pad, his onesie, and part of the wall. This was obviously not my finest moment of parenthood. While I wiped off all of the before mentioned urine targets and comforted my crying child I checked over my shoulder to make sure my wife didn't see my parenting blunder. While I can chalk my pee stained adventure up to experience and make sure I am no longer outwiping my coverage, my most important parenting role came after the pee was cleaned up. I picked up my crying child, held him close, told him I loved him, and rocked him until he stopped crying. I know that there is volumes of parenting information I still have to learn. I am not entirely sure the proper procedure for burping yet, but as long as I can pick him up, hold him close, and do my best to comfort my son, I can learn the rest.




If you have a second and want to read a good dad blog check out Shawn Bean's blog Pop Culture. Sean is an executive editor for Parenting Magazine.

Jackson's Birth

1:00 AM Just as I was about to fall asleep while watching TV my phone rings,

(sigh) "I guess you better come up to the hospital."

"What?! Why?!"

"I think my water broke."

I have spent the last nine months of my life preparing for this moment and all I can remember is that there is suppose to be something that I am remembering.

1:03 AM I fly down the road towards Hendrick Medical Center

1:10 AM While my Ashley explains why it took her two hours to even question the seriousness of her water breaking I pace around a labor and delivery room on the 4th floor of the Hospital thinking of all the things that I still need to do before he is born. Number one on my list call my parents, number two call Geoffrey, number three run home to vacuum the house.

2:07 AM The nurse explains to Ashley that her water has indeed broken and that we will be having a baby. I am not freaking out at this point just very anxious. I have been waiting to be a father for as long as I can remember and today it was going to happen.

2:15 AM I call my parents (and sisters) to let them know there newest Grandchild (nephew) will be arriving soon. Mom and Dad make plans to sleep for a few more hours before getting up and driving to Abilene. My mother would continue to text me throughout the night because she could not contain her excitement.

2:18 AM I call Geoffrey, who is leaving at in less than three hours for Albania. He has been pressuring me to have the baby (like it was up to me) before he left for the country. At one point he was considering not going on the trip because of Jackson's likely due date.

2:19 AM I call Geoffrey again, this time he answers,

"What?!"

"I Just wanted to let you know that we are having a baby today."

"Seriously?....(calculating the time and figuring out he would still miss Jackson's birth) Dang it! I knew this was gonna happen!"

2:40 AM I quickly run home to vacuum house, pick up the rest of the things my wife told me to pick up in anticipation of company, and grab her pillow, my camera, and a change of clothes for myself. At this point I started to remember to get all of those things I forgot to get the first time.

3:55 AM Geoffrey arrives at the hospital to see us before he leaves the country. It's nice that even though my best friend would miss seeing Jack, he was still able to stop by and see us to share the joy of the experience with us.

4:18 AM I walk my best friend out of the hospital, hug him, tell him that I will be praying for him before turning to head back into the hospital.

6:0o AM The nurse pushes the pitocin and Ashley begins to have contractions. At the same time my parents are waking up and leaving Lubbock.

6:14 AM Ashley begins having contractions and I rack my brain trying to remember the breathing techniques we learned in birthing class. It doesn't take long for my wife to wave me away.

6:33 AM Kim our nurse gives Ashley medication to help her pain. The medicine makes her nauseous but she is able to sleep a little in between contractions. I settle into the chair next to her bed where I can hold her hand but get a little rest myself.

7:00 AM Ashley is 3cm dilated and 90% effaced and we are told that Dr. Kroeger will be the one delivering our son.

8:00 AM Dr. Kroeger visits Ashley and has a shocked expression on his because in an hour she has progressed to 8 cm dilated and 100% effaced. I ask to make sure there is enough time for Ashley to get an epidural.

"If the anesthesiologist can get up here quick."

8:04 AM Dr. Hawkins, the anesthesiologist, comes in the room and quickly applies the medicine to ease Ashley's pain. The relief that I had knowing that she would not have to deliver without medication helped calm my nerves a little. I thank the doctor and he is out of the room as fast as he came in.

8:05 AM Ashley falls asleep

8:57 AM I ask our new nurse Brenda how long she thought it would be before Jackson is born.

"Less than an hour."

As I send mass texts out to friends and family letting them know that Jack will be here soon my nerves soar.

9:16 AM A tech comes into the room and begins flipping cabinets, rolling carts, turning things over and our quaint comfortable labor suit turns in the the optimums prime of delivery rooms. I explore the new things on display (while make sure not to touch anything that is sterile).

9:50 AM Our nurse Barbra informs us that it is time to begin push. At this moment I say a quick prayer of thanks that she has progressed quickly and ask for protection for my wife and child.

10:06 AM Dr. Kroeger comes into the room

10:15 AM I hear the cries of my son for the first time and cannot help but let my own eyes well with tears. I make sure to tell my wife again how proud of her I am and what a wonderful job I think she has done.

10:16 AM I cut my son's umbilical cord and watch as he is cleaned measured and weighed. 7 pounds six ounces, 20 inches long.

10:22 AM I get to hold my son for the first time, but only for a moment as I pass him to his mother.

Top 10 Historical Ballparks pt. 2 (5-1)

5. South End Grounds

The first home of the Boston Braves (aka Red Stocking or Beaneaters) was a castlesque stadium built in 1817. Over it’s 97 years of baseball it was torn (or burn) down twice and rebuilt. The most magnificent incarnation of the field was South End Ground II which was nicknamed the Grand Pavillian. In a pre-Fenway Boston, South End Grounds was the Mecca for Boston baseball. The Braves abandoned the South end Grounds at the end of the 1914 regular season because their fans could no longer fit in the one time palace of the National league. The teamed played their home games at Fenway Park until Braves Field opened on August 18th 1915.


4. Forbes Field

The year before Comiskey Park opened 450 miles east Barney Dreyfuss had his concrete and steel ballpark built (the third baseball stadium to be constructed as such). Following the four month construction of Forbes Field, from March to June of 1909, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed residence replacing their previous home, the wood constructed Exposition Park. The stadium helped set the tone for construction of future stadiums with the inclusion a three tier grandstand. In 1958 the stadium was sold to The University of Pittsburgh for $2M. The University leased the Stadium to the Pirates for the remainder of their time there. In total the team played at the stadium for 60 years before moving to the Three Rivers Stadium in 1970. After its closure the abandoned stadium was damaged by 2 fires before it was demolished in 1971. While most of the original site has been built over by the University portions of the brick outfield wall still remain. For the 2006 All-Star Game at PNC Park, the current home of the Pirates, the Forbes Field wall was restored and a new entrance to emulate the former ticket box and players entrance was built close to it.


3. Shibe Park

In the early 1900’s any professional ballparks that were built of the popular concrete and steel can thank Shibe Park. Philadelphia Athletics owner Benjamin Shibe had the park built in 1909 to contain larger crowds than the A’s former home Columbia Park. The most visually stunning part of the stadium was the Beux Arts coupla/tower and French renaissance façade at the main entrance of the grand stand. Nearby residence that lived close to the right filed fence of the park installed wooden bleachers on their roofs and watched the games free of charge. This infuriated partial owner Connie Mack and after loosing his lawsuit against the home owners he erected a higher right field fence to block the view. In midseason 1938 the Phillies left their previous stadium, the Baker bowl, and moved into Shibe Park to share the upkeep and benefits with the A’s. The A’s played at the Shibe until their move to Kansas City in 1954. The Phillies continued to play their home games on the field until their move to Veteran Stadium in 1971. During the final game fans began dismantling parts of Shibe to take home with them, but it was a fire in 1971 that damaged the stadium to the point of demolition which was completed in '76.

2. Ebbets Field

In 1908 Charlie Ebbets, owner of the Brooklyn Dodger began purchasing lots of land in the block of Bedford Avenue, Sullivan Place, McKeever Place, and Montgomery Street and in 1912 construction began on Ebbets Field. Ebbets field celebrated is grand opening on April 9th 1913 between the Dodgers and Phillies; however an exhibition game played between the Dodgers and Yankees was played three days before. The ballpark was historic on multiple levels but most notably it is where Jackie Robinson made his major league debut breaking the color barrier in professional sports. Though the Dodgers saw great success in the stadium it was in a deteriorating neighborhood and after Walter O’Malley acquired the team in 1950 he soon began planning for another ballpark (at one point he planned to build the first domed baseball stadium.) The City Building Commissioner Robert Moses fought O’Malley over the location of the stadium. In retort O’Malley threatened to move the Dodgers to the west coast and take the Giants with them. In 1957 When Moses wouldn’t budge O’Malley and the Dodgers move to LA and the Giants to San Francisco. Ebbets was demolished in 1960 but it park left a profound mark on the game. The cornerstone of the stadium resides in Cooperstown. When the Mets built Citi Field they used Ebetts as inspiration for the grandstand entrance.


1. Yankee StadiumIn 1913 the New York Yankees moved into Polo Grounds, sharing the stadium with the Giants. After acquiring Babe Ruth in 1920 the Yankees began drawing larger crowds than the Giants and even though the Giants won the '21 World Series, franchise owner Charles Stoneham told the Yanks they needed to find another place to play. Yankees owners Tillinghast Huston and Jacob Ruppert decided to built their own stadium, and with Ruth as the main attraction Yankee Stadium was designed twice as large as most ballparks of the era seating 58,000. Yankee Stadium was the first ballpark to actually poses the title stadium. It was also the first to have three tier seating. Constructed out of steel and concert the stadium was finished in 284 days. A 15' copper frieze (though it is more commonly referee to as the facade) was built around the top of the third deck and eventually painted white. Even though Stoneham was hoping to that the Yankees would move further away (to Queens) the land purchase for the stadium was less than a mile away from Polo Grounds. The Yankees opened the stadium on April 18, 1923 to a reported crowd of 73,000 breaking the record for the largest cows to attend a game. With the renovations made to the stadium in 28 and 37 the capacity grew to 80,000. The stadium was home to some of the greatest players to take the field with names like Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, and Mantle. After years of baseball the deteriorating stadium was sold to the city and the Yankees moved out of the stadium following the 1973 season. For two seasons the Yankees took up residence in Shea Stadium while their home park was renovated. They reopened the Stadium on April 15, 1976 with more modern amenities such as plastic seats, elevators, escalators, and remodeled restrooms. The Yankees remained at the stadium through the 2008 season before moving across the street to New Yankee Stadium. Over it's 85 years Yankee Stadium housed 26 Championship teams. The demolition of Yankee stadium was completed in 2010. The land is now being converted into Heritage Park, a public park that will contain baseball and softball fields. The original shape of the stadium will be outlined by 12,000 trees.

Top 10 Historical Ballparks pt. 1 (10-6)

This started off as a simple blog post but it has taken me almost a month to write it and in the process I have become enamored with baseball history. I hope you enjoy my post(s):

I love baseball. I have always loved baseball. There is something about the crack of a bat, the smell of hot dogs, and the roar of the crowd that still leaves me mesmerized. One of the reasons I will always love baseball is that it embraces its rich history. It is my love of baseball and my love of history that lead me to recently spend hours reading and learning about old baseball stadiums. So I have decided to compile a list of the Top 10 historical stadiums I wish I could have gone to. Since Fenway and Wrigley are still in use they are not included on the list, mainly because I do intend to visit them.

10. Wrigley Field

William K. Wrigley Jr., owner of the Chicago Cubs acquired a second team in 1921, the Los Angeles Angels. Not to be confused with the American League Angels of today the team acquired by Wrigley played in the Pacific Coast League. While the PCL is now a Triple-A league at it’s inception it was just as much a competitive league with top talent as the National or American Leagues. To house his new team Wrigley had a stadium built in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles inception of Wrigley was designed similar to its Chicago predecessor but sported red roofs and a white façade to match surrounding California/Spanish architecture. The Stadium was actually the first “Wrigley” field since the Chicago stadium did not change its name to Wrigley Field until the year after the LA stadium opened. The stadium also had an office/bell tower extending skyward to the right of the grandstand entrance. When the Dodgers and Giants moved to the west coast following the 1957 season hopes were high that Wrigley would house a major league team but the ballpark had no takers. The Angels were pushed out by the new pro ball clubs in the are and the stadium was vacated. During that time Wrigley served as a set location in multiple TV shows and movies, including The Pride of the Yankees. While the PCL Angels were the longest tenants in the stadium the American League Los Angeles Angels (Now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) played their inaugural season in the stadium. In the mid 60’s the neighborhood and stadium were decaying and the decision was made to demolish it.


9. Tiger Stadium (Navin Field/Briggs Stadium)

Navin field opened April 20, 1912, the same opening day as Fenway Park in Boston. Named after team owner, Frank Navin, the ballpark, made of concrete and steel, replaced the wooden Bennett Field previously located on the same site. The home of the Detroit Tigers originally held 23,000 but saw extensive renovations (and name changes) from 1912 until the Tigers last game, played on September 17, 1999. The stadium hosted just about every great American League player of the previous century. It is regarded by some as the greatest stadium the game has ever seen and is most assuredly on of the most popularnplaying fields of the past century. The stadium sat empty for eight years and even though historical or preservation groups tried to save a portion of the stadium demolition began in 2007. While the structure was demolished the field itself still stands and is kept up by volunteers who loved their stadium.


8. League Park

League Park was first built in 1891 and housed three different teams from three different leagues during its time. The National League Cleveland Spiders played in the park until their termination in 1899. The following year the American League Cleveland Indians took up residence on the field playing there until 1946 when they moved permanently to Municipal Stadium (Lakefront Stadium), which was dubbed “The Mistake by the Lake,” (Municipal Stadium was built to attract the 1932 Olympics but the event had already been awarded to Los Angeles by the time Cleveland broke ground.) The Third team to play at League Park were the Cleveland Buckeyes, a team in the Negro American League. The Buckeyes shared the field with the Indians beginning in 1943 and played there until 1949 when they moved to Louisville Kentucky. League Field was demolished in 1951 with the exception of the ticket box office and brick facade along the first base line which have been preserved. The League Park Society is currently raising funds for the renovation/rebuilding of the historic facility.

7. Polo Grounds (II & III)New York was once (and some argue still is) the throne room of baseball. Hosting a staggering fourteen different professional teams over the past 140 years the city that never sleeps never stops playing baseball either. Polo Grounds was originally a polo field but became best known as the home of the New York Giants. The original grounds were demolished in 1889 after the city decided to redirect a street through the middle of the field. The new Polo Grounds (II) opened on July 8th of the same year at a new location, a hollow that sat in the shadow of Coogan's Bluff at the cross streets of 155th St and Eighth Ave. In 1890 Brotherhood Park opened right next to Polo Grounds, and was home to the other New York Giants a team in the newly founded Players League. It was said that fans in the upper decks of both stadiums could watch each other’s games. After one season the Player’s League disband and the original Giants moved the Brotherhood Park renaming it…Polo Grounds III. In 1957 the Giants moved to San Francisco abandoning the Grounds which were demolished in 1964. The only remaining remnant of the ballpark is a stairway that bears the name of former owner John T. Brush.

6. Old Comiskey Park

Five years before construction began on Wrigley Field Charles Comiskey purchase land in Chicago that had previously been the city dump. On July 1st 1910 the White Sox played their first game at the location in the newly constructed White Sox Stadium. The stadium was only the fourth professional ball park built of concrete steel and for a brief amount of time it was known as “The Baseball Palace of the World.” In 1913 it was renamed after the team’s owner. Over the years the park was a pioneer in stadium innovation installing one of the first electric scoreboards and the very first exploding scoreboard that featured the famous pinwheels that lit up when a Sox player would hit a homerun. Comiskey was also home to the famous 1919 team and Black Sox Scandal that left eight men banned from baseball including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. The Sox played at Comiskey for eighty years. When the team moved to the New Comiskey Park (now U.S. Cellular Field) in 1990 Comiskey was the oldest stadium in the league.

The New House

I have become a moving connoisseur. As of today I have moved 19 times. If you do the math it will equal out to packing and lifting and carrying my things once every 1.3 years. When Ashley and I found out that she was pregnant one of the first decisions we made was that we would need to move. Not that Hardin-Simmons married student housing isn’t nice, right down the street from crack dens, bullet hole filled apartments, and a halfway house, but we just felt it was time to explore our options.

After quite a bit of searching we found a house that is close to both of our jobs and not too far from Hardin Simmons. The video below offers a short tour of the house, how it is and explains some of the intended repairs.



Before Spring Break I wanted to have the house painted so that while I was on a mission trip to New Orleans Ashley and her parents could begin moving some of our things in. After what turned out to be a disastrous pink first coat, due to mistaken color, I was left needing to finish painting Wednesday night before the carpets were cleaned on Thursday. By finish painting I mean I had to paint two coats on everything in the house (with the exception of the Jack’s room and the kitchen) before sunrise. I taped, dropped, and painted until 4:00 am when I finally finished, sleep deprived and a little high from paint fumes. The house still has quite a way to go but as Ashley begin nesting and our family grows we will do so in a new home.

The Bad News First

Sunday February 20th was an odd day. I am not one who puts much stock in yin yang philosophy, but if there was ever a time that God used opposite situations to sustain me it was that day. After traveling back from a fun weekend celebrating Cohen’s 1st birthday I went over to Geoffrey’s house. We spent an hour or so watching basketball and decided to tap into our inner athletes and drive to HSU for some campus golf. While driving to campus Geoffrey took a phone call from his father…

The Bad News First

Not many people can say that they know all of the names of the people in their senior class, but I can because I graduated with just 40 other people. While I haven’t kept up with my classmates as well as I should have, through social media I am able to find most of them if I so desire.

One of the young men from the class of 2004 was Keith Hayes. I first met Keith in the 7th grade. We were a part of the same small group that included three others: David Huss, Nick Comey, and Paul Sagovia. The fluidity of our class in High School caused some to come while others left, but David, Keith, and I remained. With the addition of several others, we graduated close friends. In college I lost touch with Keith except the occasional Facebook message until 2010 when I found out Keith had been diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Geoffrey – “Hey Pop!...What!...Keith Hayes!?...When?...”

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have to. Shocked and speechless we decided to not play campus golf. I don’t know how to express what I was feeling: sad, nostalgic, lonely,…scared. Keith was 25, married to his high school sweetheart, smart, talented, and full of potential. As Geoffrey and I sat on my front porch looking at old yearbooks mourning the loss of our friend my phone rang.

The Good News Second

When Ashley and I first found out we were having a baby everyone we told would in return ask the same question, “Do you know what it is yet?” March 7th was circled on our calendar as "the day we find out." While I counted down the days, Ashley made lists of favorite beddings, colors, and outfits separated into two columns: boys and girls. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t hope for a boy. Not that I don’t want daughters, but being the only remaining Wood able to have children there has produced a bit of pressure to produce a male heir.

Me – (Audible Depression) “Hey Babe…My friend Keith died today…Yeah I’m okay. I don’t think it has sunk in yet…Yes I would like to hear some good news…What? We can find out the sex of the baby tonight!?...Yes I want to!”

There are a few perks when your wife works at the ER. One of which is that she has an “in” with the night Sono Tech. At 1:00 am, when her shifted ended, I drove to the ER and we watched with excitement as we found out we will be having a son, Jackson “Jack” Andrew Wood. I don’t know how to express how I felt: ecstatic, relieved, proud,…scared. I celebrated with my wife and we made ridiculously late phone calls to our family at 2:00 in the morning. But through the celebration Keith was still on my mind.

Most people aren’t faced with the worst and best news in the same day. I felt like I was on a teeter-totter of emotion, bouncing between tears of pain and tears of joy. While right now February 20th seems like a significant crossroad, life continues.

David drove into Abilene late Wednesday night and the two of us went to Keith’s celebration service on the 24th. We reconnected with old friends, told stories, and remembered our Keith. Ashley and I have begun buy more blue babyphernalia, and are getting use to calling our baby Jack. While I do not wish to accompany all of life’s celebrations with tragedies I do find some comfort in the symmetry that presented me joy in a time of pain.

Three Years

Written 3/11/2011:



I cannot express to you the feelings I had when I saw my bride begin to walk down the aisle. Her hair was beautiful, her dress gorgeous, and her eyes a piercing blue that (and have continued to) memorized me. Standing next to her, with my hands shaking I made one of the most important commitments of my life, second only to my commitment to Christ:

I Joel, take you, Ashley, to be my wife and my friend, my partner and my lover, for as long as we both shall live. I promise to love you with an undivided heart, to forgive you when I am hurt, to be faithful to you and to believe in us regardless of the circumstances. And as for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord.

Since I first spoke those words to my wife three years ago life has happened; some good, some bad but every moment just as real as the one before. We have lived in three different houses, and are getting ready to move into our fourth. Two cities, one that has been home and another that has felt far from it. We have laughed and we have cried. We have celebrated new life, and mourned great losses. And while I would like to write all of the sagely advice I have obtained in my first three years of marriage, I can easily sum it all up in one sentence:

“I’m sorry Babe; you are right.”

As we begin year four Ashley is twenty-one weeks pregnant with our son, Jackson “Jack” Andrew Wood. We are preparing for parenthood and anxiously anticipating the growth of our family. Jack will bring challenges to our marriage that I cannot even begin to understand yet. But I welcome the challenges because there is no one else I would rather face them with than Ashley, my bride, my wife, my best friend, and my partner.

It has been three years since I last sat in this building on a warm March day but I am still every bit in love my bride today as I was then.


Ashley,

I love you with all my heart, and I believe in us regardless the circumstances.

--Joel

I Love Being an Uncle

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. While I have had much to write about I have had little time to put my thoughts down. While I am going to attempt to catch up, life moves at a high speed pace and I can’t make any promises.

Ashley and I arrived in Lubbock on Friday evening; I had Uncle duties to take care of. I think that the best part about having siblings when you are an adult is when they have children. I love being and Uncle. My niece and nephew(s) (Shepherd is not quite born yet but by the time I post this it is a good possibility that he will be) are great practice for when I become a parent (July 21st ish). And I get to be fun Uncle Joel who gives cookies before bedtime and is always fun to be around. The reason for our trip was Cohen’s birthday, his first birthday.

Cohen is my sister Cassie’s son. On Saturday (Feb 18th) several friends and family members gathered for the party. Cohen is the happiest one year old I have ever seen. His smile and laugh are intoxicating and with a green balloon tied around his back belt loop he walked and crawled around his party amongst a sea of family and friends. My sister made an incredible train birthday cake, which Cohen smeared all over his and his Grammy’s face.

It was a week of firsts for Cohen. He celebrated his first birthday and he also got his first haircut. I decided to celebrate the occasion by making two different videos of Cohen’s birthday week. During his haircut he sat in his Papa’s lap. I videoed the even on my iPhone, which just so happen shoots HD video. Double the speed of the event and put a little music to it and here is the result:

I also decided to make a video out of the many pictures that were taken of Cohen throughout the week. After his party and fun afternoon photo shoot (where this time Papa was behind the camera), I compiled Cohen’s birthday week in 150 seconds:


Today while I have been at work I have been recieving a stream of text messages from my mother, my brother-in-law, and even my sisiter...who is in labor. Sheperd Andrew Wiley will soon be born, and while I do not know alot about babies (yet...I do have one on the way so I am learning) I am certain of one thing...Sheperd will have an Uncle who loves being an Uncle.

UPDATED 3-10-11

Shepherd was born 3:50pm on March 9th. He is 7.9 lbs. He and Carrie are both doing great!

Confession: I Am Grumpy.

I really needed a little extra humor today so I wrote the following...

It was suppose to snow last night. But instead of enjoying a nice day indoors, being lazy and watching TV, winter slapped Abilene with its frozen dandruff that was scratched off of its bitter cold scalp, lightly dusting our streets, sidewalks, and front yards (places that should have been the glorious containment receptacles of the reason why I should have been able to sleep in). After realizing that I had to go to work today, and ruining my plans of world couch domination, I made the decision to sleep late anyway. This decision came in spite of the incessant nagging of the female who was next to me…my clock radio Mrs. Clockington. Mrs. Clockington use to be Miss Clockington but one day I found her on the floor next to a my wristwatch…and …well…it was the respectable thing to do, even though she is much older. I got out of bed at 7:14 and had to be at work by 7:30. The only thing worse than a nagging female “clock” is a nagging female “clock” that is always right.

To make my mood so delightfully better (sarcasm…thickly laid) when I woke up, I had a headache; one of those recurring tards that has manifested behind my right eye. Though my wife has repeatedly assured me that I am a paranoid hypochondriac, I am almost positive that my headache is caused by a benign brain tumor that is also the reason I have been smelling so much blue as of late. I think it is pressing on my auditory nerve causing me to randomly hear people calling my name behind me. Surely it won’t be much longer before there is an MRI app for my iPhone. Then I could wave over my head and finally know…that I am right and my wife is wrong (times infinity). “Wwaoown waoown waoown KAK KAK KAK!” – This is the most accurate sound description of an MRI that has ever been articulated in a blog, and possibly the most accurate ever put into sound words (I could have written for the original Batman – BLAZAMOH!)…prove me wrong I dare you!

My wife says I can be grumpy and while I would like to argue and tell all of the reasons why I am a delightful and happy person who enjoys kettle corn, a friendly bumper pool competition, and soaking up sunshine, she is right…I am grumpy. But I am not the Grinch grumpy or Ebenezer Scrooge grumpy (It is a well known fact that Christmas grumpy is the absolute worse kind of grumpy. People who are Christmas grumpy are also the same people who hate puppies, like the taste of English food, and scream at infants). I just like things a certain way (FOR THE LITTLE SANITY REMAINING IN THE WORLD!, will someone please tell me why Jersey Shore is still on the air?!) and I am most certain that most people (there are a few exceptions) are not as intelligent as me (politicians, people who work for or are involved with the news media, Mrs. Clockington, the list goes on). I am more of a Carl Fredricksen kind of grumpy. All Carl needed was to befriend a chubby Asia kid that stowed away on the front porch of his house that had been converted into a flying contraption due to the attachment of thousands of balloons, fly to a magical land filled with mystical creatures and talking dogs that he and his late wife had always dreamed of visiting, and defeat his childhood hero who seemed to be the same age as Carl even though he was already an adult when Carl was a small child. Carl really warmed up by the end of the movie...I just wanted a little extra snow last night.

The Better Life: Roadside Assistance

I don't know much about cars. When something is going wrong with a car, that I happen to be in the same vicinity of, I will look under the hood, nod my head, agree with the closest male (who is also looking under the hood) and say something in agreement, "Yep, I agree. Definitely the alternator." The only time I am of any help to a stranded motorist is in the unfortunate situation that their battery is dead and they need a jump. In most situations I really don't feel like helping but feel obligated because, of course, no one else ever seems to have jumper cables in their car (I should really take those out). While I can change a tire, and once changed my own brakes (I made about 30 phone calls to my father-in-law that day), I use my expertise of having no expertise as an excuse to drive by people I see having car difficulty on the side of the road.

In all honesty, I don't want to be "that guy," the one that drives by a person in need. I don't want to have have my son or daughter sitting in the car with me while I blatantly ignore someone that I could help. I want to stop and offer to change a tire, give a ride, or jump a battery, with a smile on my face. I want to be better. Tuesday was a better day.

With the winter storm apocalypse covering most of the Eastern United States. Tuesday I found making a fifteen minutes to take my wife to work (half a mile away). After dropping her off at the entrance to the hospital I noticed two men standing outside of a Mazda CX-7 attempting to push it out of a parking space, while their friend manned the drivers seat. While it has already been established that I do not possess much knowledge about cars, I do posses a pair of Timberland boots, and the ability to push (an ability I have honed on many occasions after running out of gas, once while on a date) I quickly (but really it was slowly) found a place to park my car and offered my help. None of the men spoken English, they seemed to be of middle eastern descent, but I managed to give them enough guidance and muscle that they were quickly unstuck and on there way.

I got back in my car and started making my way back home when I came across another motorist in need of assistance. With stoic control, I edged my Mitsubishi Eclipse close to stranded Ford F-150 (no, the make and model irony was not lost on me). I put my car in park, turned on my hazard lights, got out, and told the man behind the driver's seat to ease on the gas and I would try to push him to a spot where he could get traction. Two other men soon showed up to help and after a few minutes the truck was free and I was on my way back to my house.

Over the past week, while taking up residence on Hoth, I have had the opportunity to push a few more cars (for those of you who do not get the Star Wars reference Hoth is a snow planet). It hasn't been a grand gesture of my abundant greatness, it has just been a nice thing to do, and I am better for it.

Dog Snow Day Afternoon

My alarm went off at 6:00 am. As I lay in bed listening to the clock radio I heard the news I had been listening for, "Abilene Independent School District will be closed." I flipped off the radio and turn roll over. At 10:00 I kissed my wife on the forehead and finally got out of bed. I spent the remainder of my morning in my bathrobe and house shoes lounging around watching Netflix.

At noon I inspected the pantry to try to determine what a good snow-day-lunch would be. I spotted a single potato (my wife used the others from the bag in pot roast she made the week before) and decided on potato soup. After looking up a recipe online I discovered I didn't have all of the ingredients called for so I made the choice to wing it. I sliced and boiled the potato in salt water then poured in a french onion soup mix, a can of cream of celery soup, and added a bit more water. After a few minutes my lunch was ready. I should have drained the potatoes but instead of used the salt water I boiled them in as the base for the french onion soup. The potato soup was a little salty but good.

Since Abilene only gets snow once a year I decided to take some pictures. I have been trying to learn photography and today seemed like the perfect day to practice. After spending some time searching for my ski pants with no luck, I settled with long-johns and a pair of old jeans. I put on the rest of my snow day gear: 2 thermal shirts, extra thick socks, boots, ski jacket, toboggan, fleece bandana to cover my face, and one glove (I could not find its pair) I grabbed my camera called for Sadie we headed out the back door.

Behind our house there is a half acre of land known as "The U." It is a small patch of land surrounded by the backyards of Hardin-Simmons owned houses. I let Sadie out ans she spent time running, jumping, eating snow, and playing with her soccer ball while I took pictures. After a few minutes I found a place to put my camera and chased Sadie around and then kicked the soccer ball for her to run after. After covering herself in snow Sadie let me know she was tired and trotted back to our yard and up the porch. We went inside and I dried her off before she settled in her favorite spot under the coffee table.

Leaving Sadie to sleep, I defrosted my car and slowing drove to the HSU campus. The campus was eerily deserted, a fact that made my picture taking easier. I walked from one end of campus to the other snapping away at anything I thought would take a good photo. With my feet numb and out of breath I made my way back to my car and drove home. When I walked in the door Sadie was still sound asleep under the coffee table. I took off my wet cloths, made myself a mocha latte and sat down on the couch to upload my pictures. After sitting down, Sadie realized I had returned and crawled onto the couch and settled down next to me. Check out some of the pictures from today on the photo blog. Click Here.

The Better Life: The Windy Mini

While I have previously stated that I am not the type of person who makes New Years resolutions, there are areas in my life that need to be improved. The inspiration for my self improvement comes from two places my sister Cassie's Project Seventh Day and the desire to be a better "me" for my baby when he/she arrives this summer. I don't have a grandiose plan of loosing 50 pounds and becoming wealthy in six months (although healthy living and financial stewardship are both areas I would like to improve). The idea isn't focused specifically on a set number of areas I want to improve. There are no lists or categories, I just want to be better. Some of the things I write about may seem silly and others serious but the goal for everything is improvement.

While I don't exercise in a gym or on a basketball court often (in large due to two reconstructed ankles and a bum knee) I do enjoy the sport of Disc Golf on a regular basis. Disc Golf has similar rules to golf but instead of hitting a ball one throws a disc. For the past year and a half I have played twice a week, on average. Abilene has a respectable number of individuals who play the game and form the Abilene Disc Golf Association (ADGA, of which I am a member). The group host on large professional tournament in the summer known as the Wild Hair but also hosts weekly mini tournaments (Known just as Minis). While over the past year and half I feel that I have gained some knowledge and skill level I am not as good as many of the locals who play in the weekly Minis. The fear of playing poorly and embarrassing myself in front of others has stopped me from participating in the events. I recently made the decision to try to play in at least one tournament a month to challenge myself to improve my game, as well as surround myself with and get to know people who are better than I am, in hopes that some of their skill or knowledge might rub off. My first tournament was Saturday.

Knowing I wanted to play in the Mini at Cal Young Park, (one of three and my least favorite DG course in the area) Geoffrey and I practiced in 17mph winds on Friday. FYI - when you are participating in a sport that involves throwing disc shaped projectiles into the air wind speed will make a difference. By the time we reached the back 9 we stopped counting our scores that were painfully high. On Saturday morning the 17mph winds had been replaced by 25mph winds, a condition that usually keeps me indoors and away from a DG course. But determined to play in my first tournament I drove to Cal Young and signed up.

On the fourth Saturday of the month the Mini is always doubles (two man scramble). Two pools are established consisting of A (good) and B (not so good) players; I am in the B pool. An A player and a B player are selected at random to establish teams. My teammate is a big guy named Brent. Brent is currently ranked #4 in the ADGA and his skill levels greatly exceed mine. His game was good, mine was awful, (due in part to the wind) and there were moments where I threw embarrassing shots, but the guys I was playing with were kind and had suggestions for improvement. Our game ended with our score one up (due in no part to my efforts) and we came in 6th (which isn't as impressive when your realize that there were only 12 teams playing). The day was fun, frustrating at times, but I feel like I am a little better at DG for it.

To Whom It Most Concerns:

To Whom It Most Concerns:

I cannot promise you that I will be the coolest dad in the world. I have never been a star athlete, very popular, or the best at anything. I am not a musician, artist, or talented at much. I am not that good of a cook, hate waking up early, and I’m a little messy. At times I can be OCD, ADD or just I.D.I.O.T. And to be perfectly honest I am not that good looking

I cannot promise you that I’ll never embarrass you. I am goofier than I should be, less serious at time than you’ll want me to be, but really not that funny. I make a fool of myself often and always speak my mind, even when it is not appropriate. I’ll probably end up in the ER because of something I have done, and be forced to use a walking apparatus that will draw gazes and whispers from strangers. I’m overly goofy and too clumsy.

I cannot promise you that I will be a perfect parent. I don’t know how to tell your temperature with my hand, chase the boogeyman away, or fix a bike. I will never be able to afford to buy you everything you want, send you to the best schools, or make you happy all of the time. I’ve never had to take care of a crying baby in the middle of the night, sooth an aching tooth, or tend to a scrapped knee. The truth is I don’t know how to be a parent.

I cannot promise to have all the answers. There will be times when I am annoyed. There will be times when I get angry. And there are times when I am wrong. I still get scared, worry more than I should, and make rash and impulsive decisions. I am overwhelmed by how much I feel I should know and by how much I don’t. When it comes down to it I don’t always know what to do and will make mistakes.

I cannot promise I’ll never disappoint you. I cannot promise never to fail. I cannot promise to live up to my own expectations of a father. I cannot promise that I will always say or do the right things. I cannot promise to be the daddy you deserve.

But I can promise that I will always love you.

Concerning everything else…I will try as hard as I can.

With All My Heart,

Daddy

Good Things Will Intentionally Happen

2010 was awful; a year filled with the pain and frustration, brimming with a continuous bombardment of bad. I was ready for 2011 in March. When midnight rolled around on New Years Eve I waved goodbye to 2010 with one finger waving more predominantly than the others (ok not really but you can garner my sentiment toward oh ten). 2010 was a rebuilding year. For those of you truly unaware what a rebuilding year is let me enlighten you, it is a polite way of say that the year sucked but had the potential to get better (only if for that fact that it couldn’t get any worse). Even before midnight, New Years Eve 2011 had a prophetic sense of excitement, hope, and joy.

The Turn Around

In actuality it was June when my 2010 began to change for the better but it wasn’t until late November that I began to take notice of the turn around. While driving back from a wonderful Thanksgiving with my in-laws I made a phone call that ended in,

Well if the paper work looks good, you are the person we would like to pursue for this position.

They were words I had been longing to hear but for a year and half had continually found myself looking down on we-appreciate-you-interest-in-the-position-but… letters. Three days later I found myself standing in the tiny bathroom in my house with my wife,

Is that a plus sign? That’s a plus sign! Oh my God, we’re going to have a baby!

I have longed to be a father since my own childhood.

The Sign

I don’t remember the exact day that I first saw the sign but I was driving North on Treadway Blvd. On the right side of the road I noticed a billboard that’s message made me turn my car around to drive by it again. The simple phrase read:

In 2011 good things will intentionally happen.

I am not sure if the billboards were a campaign for city enrichment, or simply a warm welcome of the new year but as I read and reread the billboard I found myself not only mesmerized by it but believing it wholeheartedly. Over the past several weeks I have driven the five extra miles on multiple occasions just to pass by and read the billboard and while I have never been one for New Years resolution but I am determined to remind myself of the billboard on Treadway Blvd.

At the beginning of this year I have started a new job and am growing more and more excited as my wife and begin discovering what it means to be parents. I do not write on here as much as I would like but as I begin this new chapter in my life and with so many extraordinary things waiting to happen I would like to share more of them with my friends and family.