This came up in my Facebook memories this week and I thought it would be cool to share. In my Bible classes, the pastor/teacher always talks about how amazing the Bible is. The fact that it was preserved throughout history and we can hold it in our hands today and read those words in itself boggles my mind.
I’m a visual person. I am well aware of the various cross references throughout the whole of Scripture, but this image/chart really allows you to see just how many there are!
The Facebook post reads:
“This might be the most amazing data picture you see in a lifetime! It shows the 63,779 cross-references in the Bible. The white bars along the bottom represent each Bible chapter, Gen. 1 – Rev. 22. The line’s color shows the reference’s distance from the other. A cross-reference is a scripture that references another scripture. Had the Bible been written by one person or at one time this would still be amazing; however, the Bible was written by 40 authors over the span of 1500 years on 3 different continents.”
It’s lunch time at work. In just a few hours I will punch out and head home for the holiday weekend. I am truly looking forward to four days with my family. It’s been a very busy year for all of us.
I was ready to write that my son had his last appointment for the year today, but I remembered he still has one more. Today we saw his neurologist. We discussed the results of his sleep study, the MRI, and his EEG. It was a long appointment and we have some direction and a plan of action.
I left the appointment and went right to work. I’m only a mile or so from the doctor, so I punched in early knowing I will be able to leave early. I was able to get most of my work done before lunch, so I thought I’d blog.
The other appointment, incidentally, will be to pick up his AFO leg braces. This is something that will help eliminate the toe-walking. Hopefully, he won’t need to be in them too long.
I recently blogged about our family tradition of getting a new Christmas ornament at Bronner’s. We had yet to go this year, but someone (maybe someone who read my blog) did the work for us. We received a Bronner’s box in the mail and the message inside said, “It looks like Daisy needs an ornament for that tree of yours!”
This week, I found out that McDonald’s has adult Happy Meals. Sam took the kids to get lunch and they brought me back one. Ella apparently said that mom and dad needed a toy, too!
How silly is that?!
Money has been a bit tighter this year than in the past. Normally, I would try to get something small for my boss and co-workers for the holiday, but I just couldn’t swing it. One of my coworkers got bags for everyone. There was a small gift and some chocolates. My gift was socks! Go figure, right!? Well, they are actually pretty cool.
If they only made socks with the Miser Brothers on them …
I’m looking forward to Christmas for many reasons. One of them is that the Elf on the Shelf goes back to the North Pole! It becomes work to do something with it each day. Some people really go all out! It’s crazy. My favorite one from this week ties into the last bit of news to share …
I don’t care if I use this one every year! Here is Twinkles, the elf, reading from the Bible. I said that it ties in with my last bit of news.
This week, I finished my 1st semester of the second year of my Bible classes. I will have three tests to do over the next week or so. Then I will move on to the second semester. I feel like I have really accomplished something. Actually having a lunch hour (which we really never got when I was on midnights) allows me to watch an entire class and take notes without any real interruptions. I’m hoping to keep it up and press toward the mark.
I know many of my blogger friends are taking a break over the holidays. I’ve got plenty of things lined up over the weekend, I don’t know that I will not blog, but just in case I don’t, I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. As we get ready to wrap up another year, I find myself grateful for you. Your own personal blogs, the comments you share here on my blog, and your friendship has brought me much happiness.
I look forward to a year of sharing experiences with each other.
“It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree that’s important, but rather who is around it.”
“The best Christmas gift is to realize how much you already have.”
“The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.”
“From home to home and heart to heart, from one place to another, the warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other.”
I’m forcing myself to write today. I have some funny things to share, and these are the type of things that have kept me going the last couple weeks.
Feeling … not right
When I got the diagnosis of ADHD recently and began the new medication, I had hoped that I would start to feel some things change. They did, but not in the way I expected. Now, I’m told that it takes 4-6 weeks for this new med to really do what it is supposed to do, and I have only been on half of the dose for a month. They are supposed to up the dose the next time I see them. I have an appointment with the place where I got my diagnosis this week, so I hope to get things sorted out.
I should not be feeling more depressed than I was before the medication, but I am. I am supposed to have my yearly physical next week and I am embarrassed to go in. All the weight I lost is back. Bad choices and emotional eating are to blame (ok, I am to blame, too!). There is no motivation. I have tried to psyche myself up to no avail. There is a program through work that I just stopped doing because I wasn’t feeling like myself and didn’t think it was helping. I have to go get bloodwork tomorrow and I always fret about what that is going to show.
I’m not saying meds are the answer, but something isn’t right. Here’s hoping that we figure it out.
Vet Visit
Daisy had a vet appointment today. She is 21 pounds already. The vet seems to think she will be bigger than we anticipated. “At least 100 pounds” Sam said.
She is totally puppy and chewing everything in sight. Housebreaking remains a challenge, but she starts her “Puppy Obedience” classes after Thanksgiving.
Ella went to the vet with Sam. When they got home, Sam says, “Hey Ella, tell daddy how they had to take Daisy’s temperature.” Without skipping a beat, she yells, “They used a butt thermometer!”
She’s still giggling about it.
Holiday Decor
While Sam and Ella were at the vet, Andrew and I put together the 8 foot arch that we got for out front. It wasn’t as difficult as I anticipated and I was able to get it up in about 30 minutes. Each bulb and the Merry Christmas sign have LED lights, so I cannot wait to see how this looks at night.
With the construction finally done, and our yard being semi-put back together, I need to get out and get some of the leaves out of the way. They have that hay with the netting all over the lawn so the grass will grow back, so I’m not sure just how much I can actually rake.
The majority of the holiday decorating is done, however, there are still a couple small things I need to do. I have those light nets for a couple of the bushes I need to get up and some lighted garland that I will put around the front door. Normally, when that is done, I am done. Not this year.
Sam wants to put an artificial tree out on the side porch this year. We didn’t want to buy a new one, so we kept an eye on Facebook marketplace for one. I asked a coworker if she knew anyone who was getting rid of a tree and she actually said she had one that had been sitting in the garage since they got one from her parents. At some point this weekend, there will be another tree to decorate.
Grades
Over the past two weeks, I finished up three tests for my Bible classes. This semester, we are in the books of Romans and Matthew. We are also in an Old Testament Survey class and a Preparation and Delivery of Sermons class.
I aced all three tests. They were tough. I plan on using my lunch break at work daily to watch the classes and take tests. It’s a nice, because usually no one is in the building, so it is uninterrupted.
Brotherly Q & A
My brother, who has written a couple times for this blog in a “guest” role contacted me and said he really enjoyed it. So he thought it would be cool to think of some holiday themed questions to ask each other. He sent me his, and I was surprised that I had a lot of the same questions on my list. I combined the two lists into one and we’re going to share with each other. Some of the questions are more personal or family oriented, but I may share those answers here. We’ll see.
My last blog was a “throwaway.” I’ve had a lot going on, yet I was struggling to find something to write about. I stepped away for a couple days and now I have a few things worth sharing.
We Have a Street!
They finally blacktopped the street this weekend! They finished the driveways and sidewalks a couple weeks ago. They were out yesterday laying the final coat.
Of course, every one of us now has that “hay” on our lawns in hopes that it will grow into grass by next spring. They better be back to lay our walkway bricks back down. They took them out to dig up our yard and they are still stacked next to our porch.
Puppy VS Table
Those who have been following this blog know that before Ella was born, we turned our dining room into her room. The huge dining room table was moved to the basement for a bit. We brought it up for a short time, but with all of the toys and such in the living room, we took it back downstairs.
The kids have a little picnic table they eat at. Well, the puppy can jump up and grab all their food, so I mentioned that the old table should come back upstairs so the pup couldn’t jump up there. Sam reminded me of how big that table was and how we hardly have room, so we went out and bought a smaller table, which works fine and doesn’t take as much room.
Putting that table together was project #1 this weekend. Naturally, it is all put together with those Allen wrenches. The instructions said not to use power tools to put the table and chairs together, but I did anyway! I cannot stand what those wrenches do to my hand!
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like ….
My wife decided that since Halloween was over, it was time to put up the Christmas tree. So I dug through the boxes and such in the basement and found the tree. I drug it upstairs and put it together. No ornaments yet, but I did string the lights.
With the puppy, the cats, and the kids, I had to find a way to keep them away from and out of the tree. Sam reminded me that her dad bought us this play pen type thing that is meant to keep babies in when you’re outside. The tree fits perfectly!
Book Ordered
Finally, Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges gets a book! My pal, Geoff Dale has completed it and it is now available. Larry, Moe, and Curly all have books, and I cannot wait to read this one. He was, as the title proclaims, much more than a stooge! He starred in many solo shorts and appeared in many Abbott and Costello movies. This should be a very interesting read!
Testing, Testing
I haven’t talked much about it because I’d been so busy with other things (a poor excuse), but I have been back in my Bible classes. Over the past week and a half, I worked on tests for two classes. I was so glad to see that I passed both of them. Just started a third test today, and will chip away at it over the next day or two. Praying for similar results. I won’t be but a couple more weeks and I move on to the next semester.
Upcoming
The next Turntable Talk topic has been selected and I will be participating in it again. I’m not quite sure what angle I am going to take, but hope to know soon.
I subscribe to some daily writing prompts that will occasionally wind up as a good blog idea. I’d say I use about less than 5% of them, as most of them don’t really strike a chord with me. Every single one of these prompts said to write about my New Year’s Resolutions or Goals for the New Year. My buddy believes that resolutions and goals are the same, but they really are not.
A “resolution” is a firm decision by a person to do or not do something. A “goal” is the object of a person’s ambitions or effort; an aim or desired result. See, a goal is the final product, if you will. With a goal, you prepare, you plan, you set forth your intentions to achieve this final result (the goal) by taking specific actions. A resolution is a “promise” to yourself to do something, while a goal has a specific target.
Do I have resolutions? I guess so. They are probably the same resolutions that many people have: eat more veggies, drink more water, lose weight, be more active, etc. I just need to not do what I do every year and fall of the wagon on these.
I want to make some specific resolutions regarding my role as a husband:
I will say “I love you” every day.
I will spend more time together – monthly date night.
I will pray together.
Show more appreciation for all she does.
Listen more.
I also have some specific resolutions regarding my role as a father:
More one on one time with each of my children.
More play time
Be more mindful of the words I speak.
Read more books and the Bible together.
More outside time – walks, catch, etc.
Be an example!
There is one thing that I would like to accomplish that I am ashamed to admit I have never done. I have never actually read the bible in it’s entirety in a year’s time. In one of my classes, the teacher actually said that as students, we should strive to read it through at least once or twice a year. It always seemed like a very big task.
Recently, a Facebook friend posted a plan with specific passages to read every day, and by doing it, you’d read through the entire Bible in one year. I printed out the “plan” and I intend to do just that. I know with the classes, I’m going to have to make some extra time, but it needs to be done! My goal is to have each week’s worth of passages with me and to read whenever I get the chance.
Do you set goals for yourself in the new year? Do you make resolutions? What things help you to keep on track?
Thanksgiving 2020 is now a memory. It was very different from Thanksgivings of the past, to be sure. It was, however, a very wonderful day!
Thursday – Turkey Day
Ella was up bright and early! I had to put the turkey in water to finish thawing it. We got her dressed and ready for her “First Thanksgiving” pictures, which came out great!
Once the turkey was thawed, prepped and in the oven, I realized our meat thermometer was broken. The last thing I wanted to do was head to the store. I didn’t even know if there were stores open! I lucked out and the little grocery store down the road was open. I walked over to the aisle with the kitchen stuff, only to find that all the meat thermometers were gone. Someone had even stolen some from the packaging and left the open package on the hook.
I went to the deli and asked if there would be any other place in the store that there might be a meat thermometer. She said no. I began to walk out of the store when a guy tapped me on the shoulder. He asked if I was looking for a meat thermometer, and I said yes! He had one in his hand and told me to follow him. He explained that they had just moved to the area and they actually had one, but they couldn’t find it because it was still packed in a box. He said it was his only reason for being in the store! He took me over to the candy aisle, where there was a small rotating rack with a few kitchen utensils on it – and two meat thermometers! I was so grateful! He wished me a happy Thanksgiving and we parted ways.
While I let the turkey cool, Sam finished up the mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. Ella sat in her high chair and anxiously awaited her first feast!
By the time she finished, she was wearing her meal! She had mashed potatoes in her ears, her nose, and her eyes!! She really enjoyed her dinner!!
Thanksgiving was typical in that the Detroit Lions lost miserably! This led to the GM and head coach being fired. One can only hope that someone will finally hire the right people. I would love to see them reach the Super Bowl (and hopefully win one) in my lifetime!
Friday – Black Friday
I am not a Black Friday shopper! However, I was this year – not by choice! I needed to get tires for our car. I shopped around getting prices and found that Belle Tire had some Black Friday rebates, and had the best deal. I used to go to this mom and pop tire place who did great work, and had great prices, but sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has put them permanently out of business.
I was shocked at the line of people waiting to get in at 7am! I was lucky to be fourth in line and I was in and out in just over an hour! Kudo to those folks!
When I returned home Friday, I checked off another project I had on my list. We bought some canvas pictures to hang in the baby’s room months ago. They have been sitting in the box, awaiting me to hang them. Before I went to pick up my son, I measured it all out and got them hung up on the wall. I just love these pictures!
We spent the evening last night watching Christmas movies. My son and my wife had both mentioned that the sequel to The Christmas Chronicles was now on Netflix. We had all enjoyed the first one (Kurt Russell stars in it) and we decided to watch the first one again before watching the second. I found that I still enjoyed the first one very much. I can see it easily becoming a Christmas tradition.
Recurring Dream With a Twist
I am closing in on test time for my Bible classes. I have a week’s worth of classes to finish and then four tests to take! I mentioned this to my wife, so it must have been on my mind when I went to bed. At any rate, I often have a recurring dream where I am at school and I sit down to take a test and my mind goes completely blank! I panic! I freak! I usually wake up with my heart racing.
So I had a dream last night that was similar. Sure enough, I am sitting in a classroom (which is odd because my classes are on DVD and I take them at home) and the teacher passes out the tests. The first thing I notice is that the tests are about 45 pages stapled together! I open the test and I can’t even read the thing. I turn the page and there are some words I can make out, but nothing makes sense. With each page turn, I feel more and more scared. I have no idea what I am looking at! I begin to pull my notes out and try to cheat!! The teacher comes over and obviously has caught me . Needless to say, I wake up at this point with heart racing and glad it was just a dream!
Now I’m wondering how hard these tests are going to be!!
I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday!!
When I called the Bible school to ask if I could pick up where I left off, they told me that would be fine. They had all the graded tests from the first year on record, so I could do one of two things. (1) I could just jump right in where I left off or (2) I could review the entire year’s worth of classes I already took. I decided it was probably best to review.
I had all my notes from the classes I had taken. The only thing I did not have was the graded tests from that year. (I do have each of the tests, and can probably go through those classes and re-take them, and may still do that.) When I first gathered all my notes together, I’m not going to lie, I was a bit overwhelmed. I wondered if I should just not review and just start where I left off. I probably could have done that, but reviewing actually was very beneficial.
At any rate, today, I reviewed the final class that I had already taken. From here on out, everything is new information to me. I was 4 weeks into the first semester of the second year, so I’ll have two more weeks of classes and then 4 tests! Moving forward, there will be lots of note taking and plenty of studying in the future.
As the graphic above says, I had to post this to “celebrate” this accomplishment.
Am I the only one that starts to freak out if I get one of the symptoms related to Covid-19?!! Monday, I got one of the symptoms (I will refrain from saying which one, but I visited the bathroom often), and my first thought was “Please don’t let this be Covid!” I called in to work on Tuesday, and around the time we normally punch in, a co-worker texted me with one word: “Covid??” I told her I was freaking out about it, and she told me when she had a cough recently, she was doing the same thing! Needless to say, I didn’t have a fever, I was able to taste and smell coffee, and have recovered.
Recently, a co-worker from another lab, a former co-worker, and a co-worker from one of the radio stations I work at were all diagnosed with Covid. One of them works from home, so how she got it is anybody’s guess. My neighbor (who had asked earlier in the week if he could borrow my lawnmower – but never did) texted this morning to say he just got a positive Covid test. I hope he keeps it down at his house!
Looks like this is gonna be around for a while longer ….
Classes
Over the past few months, I have been reviewing an entire year of Bible classes that I took years ago. I am finally in the finally weeks of the last semester of that year. Once I finish reviewing those, I will enter the first semester of the second year, which is where I left off. I am beyond excited to continue these classes. I have found the time in God’s Word to be exactly what I needed. Reviewing the classes is taking time, and I am glad that I chose to review instead of jumping right back into the classes where I left off. There was so much information that I had forgotten, yet so much information that I remembered.
I’ve also found myself watching live streams of church services on Sundays when the baby naps. I am lucky to have met many pastors through Bible conferences, and other believers through mutual friends on Facebook. Many of their messages have been applicable to my daily life and have been helpful to me. It’s been a while, but I am glad to see some growth in my spiritual life.
9 Months!
Ella turned 9 months old on Tuesday. It’s hard to put into words just how much we adore her. With each new day, it seems she’s doing something new! She’s got 6 teeth, crawling, standing, and will be walking in no time. It’s already a challenge keeping up with her! LOL. If you look at her and pucker up like you are going to kiss her, she will lean in and give you a kiss. It’s my new favorite thing that she does!!
Every year, we head to Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth and get a new ornament for the Christmas tree. We got one when we got engaged, we got one when we got married, we got one last year when we were expecting, and this year it was “Baby’s First Christmas.” I think that we’ll be putting up the tree this weekend. I can’t wait to tell her the story of her first visit to the store.
Incidentally, for those of you who don’t live in Michigan, this week was a great example of how we experience more than one season in a short time. We had great weather last week and right up to Tuesday (it was almost 80!). This morning, it was about 45 degrees and windy (which made it feel a whole lot colder). You’ll notice Ella wearing her warm sweats this morning in the picture below!
She was a bit tired as we walked through the store. We knew exactly what we needed, so we were in and out. The place was a zoo! We were thinking, “Who goes to Frankenmuth at 10am on a Wednesday?!” Obviously, a lot of people! Anyway, we had to document her first visit there…
Veteran’s Day
Lastly, I wanted to say thank you to all of my readers who have served in the armed forces! Whenever I am out anywhere and see someone wearing a hat that says “Veteran” or a branch of the military, I always say “Thank you.” I know that the freedoms we love in this country came at a cost. I thank every man and woman who have proudly wore the uniform and served out country. I am especially grateful to my dad (on the left) who served in the army , and my Uncle Tom (on the right) who served in the navy. They both served during the Vietnam War.
It’s hard to believe that is has been over a month since I have written a blog, but then again, it isn’t. I feel like I have been busier than ever, and I have been.
I’m hoping this blog looks ok, as I see WordPress has changed a few things ….
6 Months already??!!
On August 10th, Ella turned 6 months old! She is growing up so fast! There are times I look at her and wonder, “When did she get so big?”
She is rolling all over the place now. She rolls from back to front and front to back. She will be crawling before we know it. She is primarily moving backwards. What I mean is, when she is in her walker, she tends to push it backwards. When she is on the floor playing, she will often slide backwards on the floor. She is semi-scooting if a toy in just out of reach in front of her, so I know she will be crawling soon.
One of the biggest changes, has been the switch to real food. She has had carrots (which she wasn’t too keen on), bananas, apples, squash, peas, and sweet potatoes. She’s having sweet potatoes the past couple days, and we’ll keep introducing new foods for three days at a time to be sure there are no allergies. When she eats all her food, she gets to chow on puffs.
She loves these things! She’s getting into the habit of grabbing them from her tray and putting them in her mouth. I remember when my boys ate these. They are actually good and I would steal one or two from them to make them laugh.
Sam and I are each saying “Momma” and “Dada” to her (she says “momma” and I say “dada”) to see which one she will say first! Personally, I think her first word will be “kitty” because the cat is always right by her. They have daily staring contests with each other.
One of the highlights of my time with her has been morning walks around the neighborhood. She loves getting in the stroller and walking with me. She loves to see the dogs, cats, rabbits, and squirrels along the way.
One day we were walking and I was stopped by an older woman. She told me her grandchildren had outgrown a wagon she had and she wanted to give it to us, if we wanted it. It was a nice plastic wagon, like the one I had for both of my boys. I asked her how much she wanted for it, and she told me she didn’t want anything for it. She just wanted to give it to someone who would use it. It had been out in her backyard, and she told me she wanted to wash it before I took it. I came back the next day and it was washed and ready to go. I sent the couple a thank you note in the mail and told them the world needed more people like them. I can’t wait until we can start walking the neighborhood in the wagon.
Ella is at the age where “peek-a-boo” makes her laugh. I can’t even tell you how much I love this! I usually take her burp rag and cover her face and say “peek-a-boo” pulling the burp rag off her face when I say “boo!” She cracks up. Sometimes I lay with my arms in front of my face on the floor and say “Peek-a-boo” and lift my head up at “boo,” which makes her laugh too. Today, she pulled the burp rag over her face and pulled it down on her own and laughed every time her face was not covered. I swear, she was playing “peek-a-boo” with me!
I used to wear hats all the time (probably why I am bald!), and recently grabbed a ball cap to go on our walk. She was fascinated by it. When we came home and we were playing on the floor, she kept grabbing for it. I eventually put it on her and caught the cutest picture!
She is still teething (doc says there should be 4 teeth coming in VERY soon).
The Boys
My oldest son is working like crazy. He found a job delivering pizzas, and he loves it! It makes sense, he was always my road map! He always knew which way to turn and such. He loves driving and he’s making decent money in tips. He calls me often when he is on his way home from work. He is working like 6 days a week, so I don’t get to see him too much.
My youngest son will be doing school all online till further notice. Not sure how that will work for him (or others for that matter). I can see some subjects not being too bad, but I don’t think that math works well online. I need someone explaining things to me (not a computer). I had a very hard time when my pre-algebra class in college was all on computer. Thank goodness I had a teacher who would walk me through problems. I don’t know how much he will have.
When he comes over, we usually play catch, cribbage, or chess. Last time he was over, he creamed me in chess! Wow, I made some silly moves! I enjoy that time with him though. We had good talks the last couple times he was over. It was nice that he asked me some bible questions. I enjoy talking to him about it.
One day, I got to go to lunch with both of them. There is a little outdoor hot dog stand by their house. We sat and ate coneys and drank home made root beer. It was nice to be outside and enjoy the day and just talking.
My Days on Furlough
Thankfully, I was called back to work and did not have to be on furlough more than a couple weeks. My list of things to do while I was off really didn’t get done. I was able to finally get family pictures (from when Ella was born) hung on the walls! I did get a chance to read a book or two, but that “to read” stack is still huge (including a new book by John Byner).
On nights that Sam worked, and I was home, I would put the baby to bed and review my bible classes. I was able to get one of the three semesters I had already finished reviewed. I am glad I chose to go back and review, because there were things I had forgotten. These classes have really helped me a lot and I am excited to get through them. When I get to the classes I haven’t already taken, things will slow down a bit as I will be taking detailed notes.
I rediscovered Calvin and Hobbes while I was off. I forgot how much I loved to read about the boy and his tiger that came to life when they were together. (Toys that came alive before Toy Story!) I posted this on my Facebook, because I just loved it.
I always love sitting outside and star gazing. My co-worker told me about an app called SkyView which you can point at the sky and it will show you planets and constellations. It’s very cool.
Speaking of the sky, I found myself doing something I hadn’t done in forever while I was off. Ella loves to be outside. So we’ve been putting a blanket down on the grass where the shade is. We bring out a few toys, and she will just lay there and play. I laid down next to her on my back on day and noticed the clear blue sky loaded with white clouds. As I watched them move across the sky, I remembered sitting out in my front or back yard and looking at the clouds with my friends. We’d look at the clouds to see what they looked like. Was it a castle? A wolf? Snoopy? We’d spend hours watching the clouds. What a peaceful way to spend time on a summer day! Did you ever do that?
So much more has happened in the last month, but I will close for now. Life is moving fast and sometimes we forget to enjoy things that are right in front of us. Remember the old saying “Take time to smell the roses?” Since I have started to really notice things, I find myself more grateful and more at peace than I have been for a long time.
On my first day back to work, I was feeling so much anxiety when getting ready to go in. While driving in, I was simply amazed at the beautiful sunrise. What an amazing sight! All anxiety faded away and I found myself smiling at God’s artwork.
Until next time – look around and enjoy those things that normally wouldn’t catch your attention.
Thanks for dropping by! I hope all is well you you and yours!
This is my first blog since May 18th. I guess this is the longest I have gone between blogs and many have sent private messages wondering if I am doing okay. My good buddy, Max, sent an email asking about me and it took me a while to write him back. Knowing I work in the medical field, and knowing how often I blog, he feared the worst. Needless to say, he was relieved to hear back from me. I figured if folks were worried if I was still around, I’d take some time to write.
It is not that I haven’t had stuff to write about, because I certainly have. I guess I was just having a hard time motivating myself to do so. It has been a very emotional month. So where do I even begin?
When I last wrote, I had just celebrated my 50th birthday. It seems that every time I hit a mile stone birthday, something happens to remind me I am getting older. This birthday, I found myself trying to read and really having difficulty seeing the words. I had Lasik surgery done years ago and I have had no real issues with my vision. I was told that the only thing that they couldn’t correct was if I needed reading glasses. I need to make an appointment to have my eyes checked, but until then, I am reading with these ridiculous readers on!
Speaking of birthdays, I feel bad because two very important ones came and went since I last blogged and they certainly both deserved a full blog. My wife celebrated at the beginning of the month and my youngest son officially became a teenager just a few days ago. Birthdays in quarantine suck. I didn’t get to really do anything for either of them! It will be a week or two before I see my son, so I am planning on doing something for him when he is back here with me.
I got Amazon gift cards from my mother and father-in-law, and from my dad. I decided I’d get some vinyl to play. One for laughs and one for music.
You can’t go wrong with Frank Sinatra. They remixed his Nice and Easy album and I picked that up.
Next, I found an album I had years ago that is loaded with laughs from the great Soupy Sales.
Graduation on the Internet
My oldest son graduated this year. You may have seen something about his school, as it made national news. They rented the Drive-in theater in town and showed all of the commencement speeches, staff speeches, and called out every graduate’s name (while showing their pictures) on the three big screens. Sadly, only one car per student was allowed, so Sam and I watched the live stream from home. It was certainly not the way I thought I would see my son graduate.
I emailed the principal and voiced how disappointed I was that only one car was allowed per student. Certainly there were more divorced parents than just me! I had hoped that he would return my email, but that didn’t happen. So, I cheered and cried when they read his name from my living room. He wore his cap and gown to the ceremony, but I haven’t gotten any pictures of him in them. I am hoping that he will come by with them so I can at least get one.
Back to Work
I returned to work two weeks ago. I really wasn’t sure I was ready to return, but the doc thought I’d be okay. The lab where I work is open, but only a few of the staff is back there. The rest are still working in a labor pool at jobs that they are assigned to. When I returned to work, that was where I went. The only bad thing is, the labor pool is going away and that means I will have to take a temporary lay off.
The thing that scares me is wondering if they will ever call me back. I know of many people in radio who were told they were being laid off temporarily, only to have the companies eliminate those positions and terminate them. This is happening all over as many companies are doing whatever is necessary to keep their business alive. In the weekly trade magazine that comes our for just country radio stations, there is almost three pages of people LOOKING for jobs, while there is just a half page of stations looking to hire people.
Father’s Day
Father’s Day I was up early to meet my sons for breakfast. It was the first time we’d eaten in a restaurant since things opened back up. It was nice to see both of them together. Lately, I have only been seeing Dimitri, as Dante’ is now working and usually hanging with his friends. We had a nice breakfast and I enjoyed my time with them.
When I came home, Sam had Ella all dressed for Father’s Day.
I received my Father’s Day/Birthday gift from Sam between my birthday and Father’s Day. She ordered me something that was made special for me. She had hoped it would be here by my birthday, but it took a few weeks to make. I was floored by this when it arrived. It was a book –
She got to design how I looked, and how Ella looked. She said it was hard because her hair was still looking red some days and blonde on others. There were various stories to put in the book. She had Ella point and those were the ones that ended up in the book. She asked me to read it and I could barely make it through. It made me so emotional. It was the perfect gift and I will treasure it forever!!
My Baby Girl
The one thing that has been a plus though all of this is the time that I have gotten to spend with Ella. She brings me so much happiness. On nice days, we always try to take a walk around the neighborhood. She loves it! We look at the squirrels, listen to the birds, say hello to neighbors, and just enjoy the nice weather.
We like to play with her toys on the floor, she likes to bounce in her jumpy seat, we nap together, and occasionally, we’ll watch Bubble Guppies together (she likes the music on that show).
Sometimes, I will put on my Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra albums and we’ll sway and dance in the living room. Having this precious time with her has been a blessing. With the layoff, I will have more time with her and that will be the positive in a negative situation.
Classes
My DVD’s arrived for my Bible classes. I am currently re-watching the first year (the stuff that I had already done) and will continue with the new classes when I am finished. Just revisiting these classes has been very beneficial for me. I am glad that I decided to return.
I certainly feel like my spiritual life is moving in the right direction. I have a lot of peace right now, despite the uncertainty that lies ahead. I have faith that no matter what is ahead of me …. Every thing will be okay.
With that being said, I guess that brings you up to date. I hope to not be so long between blogs. Thanks for reading!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 