Moments to Remember

This past Friday I was up early and off to the state capitol. One of the bigger sleep conferences was being held at the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University. I had no idea how bad traffic was going to be so I was on the road by 5:30am. I arrived about 6:45am and had plenty of time to check in.

The conference was one of the best I have been to. There were some great sessions that talked about dreams and their connection with trauma, another one about “sleepwalking’ crimes, and a discussion about later school start times. The speakers were good, so it was easy to stay engaged.

The highlight for me was running into one of the gals who was in the sleep program with me. She has moved up in the world and is now working for one of the companies that does home sleep studies. She noticed me first and called my name. When I turned to see who it was, there were hugs all around.

We had to do presentations in class on a certain sleep disorder. She totally went out and bought one of the “old man” hats I always wore, got some felt and made herself a mustache and goatee and presented as me. It was hilarious! There was so much to catch up on. We’re hoping to get the families together to catch up more soon.

On Saturday, the kids had a birthday party that they were invited to. It was held at a bowling alley. Ella has only been bowling once and this was Andrew’s first time. They started out using the ramps to roll the ball…

It didn’t take long for them to just start throwing them without the ramp. Andrew somehow managed to throw the ball and get it stuck between the gutter and the bumpers. Ella was just happy to get the ball to knock down pins. Andrew decided to relax as the ball rolled down the alley.

My brother came up from Ohio this weekend. He had asked me if we were going to be around and that was before I knew about the birthday party. So after the birthday party we went to Frankenmuth where the Scarecrow Festival was going on.

They had pumpkin bowling, bounce houses, pumpkin launching and more. Many of the little shops had their own pumpkin scarecrows outside. Guests could vote for the best one on their phones. The kids liked seeing many of them.

The weather was mild, so it was nice enough to walk around without jackets. We walked around the Riverplace shops and also went to the Castle Shops and visited the bakery. Cookies all around!

Whether we were just too busy catching up or chasing the kids, my brother and I only got to grab one picture while we were there.

Around 6 all the fun stuff outdoors shut down. We were all hungry, so we decided to go to this little Italian place just outside of town. Neither of us had ever been there. It was delicious. I had lasagna which reminded me of a place my folks use to eat at all the time. Ella opted for spaghetti (which is noodles with butter and no sauce for her.) I usually cut it up for her, but she decided to eat it right from the bowl. I love this picture of her …

Andrew, who loves spaghetti, threw me for a loop when he asked for a grilled cheese and French fries. How do you make that Italian? If you look closely at his plate, you will see that he has put parmesan cheese all over his food.

When we left to go home, it poured rain. It was monsoon rain. There was thunder and lightening, which Andrew thought was really cool to see at night.

My brother and Stacey stopped over Sunday and hung out most of the day. They brought the kids Happy Meals and some gifts. Ella got a Barbie and Ken doll – both were decked out for soccer. Andrew got some monster trucks and this cool thing that you toss up in the air and it floats around. You control it with your hands. It was pretty cool.

Our visit was cut short because I had to give the kids baths and get them in bed for school the next day. They are always glad to see them. One day I hope to be able to make the drive down to Ohio with the kids to see them.

I’ll wrap up with something I just thought was cool. I love high school football. One thing I’ve noticed as years have gone by is the increase of the presence of law enforcement at games. At one high school the policemen really got into things. They were cheering for the home team and telling folks they had better, too.

Check out these two law officers being held up by the cheerleaders. I love the sign: Cheer or go to jail!

I love seeing stuff like this! Kudos to these officers – and the cheer team!

Another year passes …

Today I finished my 53rd trip around the sun. Birthdays stopped being special to me a long time ago. They are just another day. However, I will tell you that today was a birthday I won’t soon forget. Let me tell you why …

Ella has been talking about my birthday for months. She’s known that mine was coming up and eventually the “next” one. So she told Sam that she was going to get all the stuff for my “party.”

So her and Sam went to the store to order my cake. She told the woman that she was positive that I loved princesses, so this was the cake they brought home:

Ella sang Happy Birthday loud and proud and both kids helped me blow out my candles.

Yes, I did wear the tiara and hold the scepter after cutting the cake.

Sam and the kids got me the coolest card and a book I have had on my Amazon wishlist for some time. Once I get through the library books I have, I will be diving into this one.

They also got me an amazing shirt. The card and shirt go together as they are both from Bluey, the cartoon I just love! Perhaps mom was trying for a Bluey theme, but the princess won out!

We even had princess plates!!

If you are wondering about the tiara and scepter – don’t worry, there is a princess at our house making good use of them!

I also heard from my dad first thing this morning. He got a chuckle out of my cake. My oldest son called me this morning too. My middle son texted on his way home from the bus stop to send birthday wishes. There were countless text messages and birthday wishes on Facebook, too.

As much as I hate counting the years (and still claim to be 39 every year like Jack Benny) it is nice to know that so many folks will take a brief moment out of their day to send a birthday greeting. It’s almost overwhelming, but it is a reminder of just how blessed I am.

Where Am I Going?!

Yesterday I took the kids to a birthday party for a co-worker’s daughter. She lives about 40-45 minutes from me. I punched the address into the GPS and it told me where to go.

My co-worker sent me a text saying to look for the pink and purple balloons on the mailbox on the side of the road. As we got closer, I saw a sign with “Summer’s Birthday” at the side of the road. This was not my co-worker’s daughters name, so I ignored it.

Immediately after the sign, I saw a mailbox with pink and purple balloons. I looked at the GPS and it said I still had a 1/4 mile before I’d reach her house. I kept driving. When I got to where the GPS said the house was….there were no balloons and the address was way off.

I turned around and sure enough the pink and purple balloons were her house. And the other party? It was next door. My co-worker and I laughed about the GPS and she said in some cases, when you get to the wrong destination, the GPS shows a picture of an ATM!

Ella and AJ had a blast at the party and made new friends. Sam had asked to for us to be home before she left for work so she could see them. As I walked to the car, it started to pour rain. I rushed the kids to the car and strapped them in their car seats as the rain soaked me to the bone.

Once inside, I wiped the rain off my face and punched in the home address into the GPS. As I drove, the rain was so hard I had the wipers on high. I could barely see where I was going.

I called Sam, who had texted to see how things were, and told her we’d be there before she left because of the ETA on the GPS. I hung up and tried to see the on ramp to the expressway.

I followed the GPS instructions and when I got on the expressway the GPS lost signal. Bad area, obviously. So I kept driving. When the GPS kicked back in it kept telling me it was rerouting. The ETA also changed. I figured maybe an accident was causing us to get home later.

I texted Sam and said that’s a GPS was now saying I would be home much later than it did originally and for her not to wait for us. I continued driving and the GPS continued to reroute.

Finally, about 30 minutes later I was looking at the exit signs and thought, “What road is this?!” “Where am I?!” It was then that I noticed the Interstate sign said I was going East instead of West!

I had literally driven 40-50 miles in the wrong direction! What an idiot!!!

I should have been home by 5:30, but didn’t pull in the driveway until 6:40! Every time that GPS told me to turn around, I should have listened. I was sure it was wrong…

That’s what I get for being so stubborn.

Halfway to 100 …

I received my invitation to join the AARP early last week. A week earlier the letter from the Secretary of State telling me my plates were about to expire came in the mail. Both served as a reminder that I was about to get older. Three days ago, I completed my 50th trip around the sun. I celebrated the 11th anniversary of my 39th birthday, as I like to say. My milestone birthday was celebrated in quarantine.

All over Facebook there are “quarantine items” you can have made. You can have things like: “Our first anniversary – in quarantine,” “Class of 2020 – the one spent in quarantine,” or “I turned 50 in quarantine and all I got was social distancing,” put on T-shirts, coffee mugs, or just about anything. I’m thankful that I didn’t get any of that stuff for my birthday. As a matter of fact, I am glad it happened while in quarantine!

Why would I be glad about that? Well, I know my wife. She would have found a way to throw me some sort of party. Don’t get my wrong, I would love to see all my friends and family. I just wouldn’t want all the hoopla surrounding my age. I can see all the black “Over the Hill” balloons, “Look who’s 50!” banners, and I’d receive gifts like a cane with a bicycle bell and rear view mirror on it! No, I don’t need that. Besides, most of my close friends are all turning 50 this year, too. I’m sure there will be some sort of birthday party down the road for one of them. I can go to that and celebrate with them! Hell, maybe a joint party is needed?

We had some errands to run early in the day, so I was out when my oldest son called me. I felt bad, because he drove to my house to surprise me with a card. He left it in the door for me and he had me video chat him when I got home. He told me he couldn’t find a Tim Horton’s card, so he opted for Burger King, because he knows I drink their coffee, too!

Another friend texted me and said “Yo! What is your favorite beer?” This made me chuckle. I told her that was the weird text of the day and told her two of my favorites. On the drive home, I received another text from her that simply read: “Yo! Check your porch!” When I got home there was a six pack of each of my favorite beers and a wonderful heartfelt note.

One of the errands we had to run was for my wife. She had me stop at this local bakery and sent me in to pick up her order. She had asked me earlier in the week what my favorite ice cream was. I told her it was probably Mint Chocolate Chip. This little bakery made me a Mint Chocolate Chip birthday cake. It was simply delicious! It tasted just like the ice cream!

She and Ella made me a very special birthday gift. I cannot even begin to tell you how special it is. She took Ella’s footprints and made a heart. I cried when she gave it to me. I always hope that she will see me as her first love and her hero! I can’t wait to hang it up.

Ella’s feet were busy this week. 10 days earlier, for Mother’s Day, I had also used her feet for an art project. Funny how my wife and I think alike … I heard Sam singing “You are My Sunshine” to Ella one day and then found this idea, and made it for her.

Throughout the day, there were countless Facebook messages, calls from my son, brother and father, and text messages from friends and family. Getting to spend my birthday at home with my wife and daughter meant the world to me. As a matter of fact, it was the perfect way to spend the day.

Her smile just melts my heart!

So what will 50 bring? I don’t know. What do I wish for? Good health. Weight loss. A growing family. Less stress. Job security. More family time. To be a better husband and father. Less debt. Better time management. A deeper and stronger faith. To be more forgiving. To be less angry. The ability to let go of the things that hold me back. To be more positive. To make amends for wrongs I have done. To look at each day as a gift. To listen more. To smile more. To love and cherish those who are important to me.

Cheers to another year!