Life’s Little Moments

I’ve said this numerous times, but it is so special when I can get all of my kids together. My oldest had called and asked if we could go to dinner on Father’s Day. I told him that I would like that and suggested we go somewhere cheap. My thoughts were to go to a place that had one of those indoor playscapes in it for the little ones. That was the plan, anyway.

About an hour and a half before we were supposed to meet, he texted and asked if we could go to Applebee’s instead. I told him we could, but I wasn’t sure how the little ones would behave. I shouldn’t have worried as they did well. They truly love seeing their big brothers. They always seem to rush them for hugs when they see them.

The lighting was not so great for the above picture, but I love that they are all together. Before we left the restaurant, I was able to grab a waitress to take a picture of me with them.

After dinner, we went to Dairy Queen (after seeing how packed the other ice cream place was) and grabbed dessert. It was a very good way to wrap up Father’s Day.

I did have one “sad” moment. Both older boys were like, “Wow, they are getting so big,” and such. All I could think of was how much I wish they’d get together with them more often. I do understand, however, that I cannot force them to do anything.

It’s been raining pretty good the last couple days, so the kids have been cooped up in the house. On Monday, the kids wanted to take a walk, which I loved. I need to get out and walk more, but all too often, they just want to stay home. Our walk, or should I say, MY walk, was me playing “catch up.”

Ella had her evaluation for kindergarten this week. She is way above what is expected. Her reading is at like a 2nd grade level, math is about 1st grade, and there was one more thing that they tested where she is at a 2nd-3rd grade level. They asked if we wanted her placed in 1st grade. We said no, as we feel that kindergarten “interaction” is something that she really needs (the social stuff).

It’s gonna be a big school year!

Popsicles and Ice Cream

I apologize for not giving an update sooner. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes for our daughter. Ella’s surgery went well and she came home Thursday evening.

They wound up not taking the tonsils out completely. They basically shave them down, which leads to an easier recovery. I’m not sure it’s been easy for her though.

It’s important for her to keep drinking throughout the day. She is allowed to eat popsicles and ice cream and other soft, cold things. The hard part is getting her to drink or eat.

Obviously, it hurts to swallow anything, so she’s being very stubborn about eating and drinking. What makes it even more difficult is that she doesn’t want to take Tylenol or Motrin when she has to. It’s a fight to make that happen.

Over all, she has been resting. She did want to go outside yesterday because it was nice. She wound up sitting on the porch most of the time. She did ride the Big Wheel for a little bit, probably because she doesn’t like to sit still.

They say days 3-5 are the most painful. That’s today, tomorrow and Monday. I’m hoping that it isn’t too bad for her. I hate seeing her hurt.

Sam signed her up for summer dance classes. I know she wants to feel better ASAP because she is excited to dance.

Thank you again for thinking about and praying for her. I will keep you posted on her progress.

Life’s Little Moments

On Friday of last week, we had temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s. On Saturday, they were in the upper 30’s and low 40’s. There was also a lot of wind, so it felt colder than that. This was the first day of soccer for Andrew and me.

He was so excited that I was going to be coaching his team. There was another dad who volunteered, too. Neither of us know what we’re doing but we tried to keep it fun. We played red light green light (they kick the ball around fast/slow/stop), Simon says (Put your knee on the ball, kick a goal, etc…), soccer bowling (the have to knock down the cones with the ball), and “Ouch” (The kids job was to kick the ball at the coaches and when we got hit, we had to say “Ouch”).

It was so cold out, but the kids did a good job. We held their attention for almost the entire hour. Some kids were too cold and left, but that’s ok. Completely understandable.

Ella was there with us and she played all the games, too. She actually played more games than Andrew. Why? Because at some point he decided he was done.

When we got home, we had hot chocolate and relaxed. I made myself some coffee and Ella came up behind me and said, “Dad, look.”

She is such a sweetheart.

Saturday night was the Senior Prom for my second oldest. At one point he wasn’t going to go, but later decided to go. I asked him to send me a picture of him all dressed up. He looked great!

The first thing I noticed was the watch chain. He confirmed that it was indeed a pocket watch. I always wanted one to wear when I dressed up, but never got one.

Hard to believe he is in the final weeks of high school.

Sunday morning, I made some muffins for breakfast. I mixed up the muffins and placed them in the muffin tin to bake. After the timer went off, I pulled them out of the oven. When I looked in the oven, there was something melted on the rack.

It took me a second, but I realized what it was. My kids love playing with these magnatiles. If you look at the photo, you can see the magnets. They use them to build things.

Thank goodness the magnets, when it melted, stuck to the rack of the oven. Apparently, Andrew put the tiles in the drawer and when we put the tin away, didn’t see them. They were stuck to the bottom of the tin.

Monday it was beautiful. On the way home from school, I took the kids to get ice cream. We were the only ones there at 12 noon. It was nice to just hang out with them enjoying a treat.

To wrap up the week, I was able to get out and mow the lawn for the first time. There is always something about that first cut that makes me feel good.

Bring on Summer!!!

Angry at the Queen – Dairy Queen!

A lot of people are angry after hearing that Dairy Queen has discontinued their Cherry Dip Cone! The item has disappeared and reappeared from the DQ menu for a few years now, but it seems that it had officially been discontinued according to an MSN article.

A Michigan Dairy Queen shared the news on their TikTok page. “Unfortunately, today I have some bad news, and I feel like a lot of people will be upset about this. I don’t know when or if it’s returning, but Dairy Queen is discontinuing their cherry cone dip,” the narrator of the video says. “It’s already sold out in our warehouse, so once we deplete the inventory in the store, we’ll be sold out until further notice.”

When a local news agency reached out to DQ for some answers, they issued a statement:

“At this time, the Cherry Dipped Cone at Dairy Queen is being discontinued,” DQ confirmed in a statement that seems to allude to the possibility of the item returning in the future. “Fans should check with their local DQ restaurant to learn which flavors are available,” concludes the statement.

For me, the Cherry Dip allowed me to enjoy the best three flavors. I loved getting the chocolate vanilla twist cone dipped in Cherry. I truly hope that it is not gone for good.

Much Needed Time

Yesterday I was supposed to work. When I woke up, I saw a text from work saying that we were down patients and it was my turn to stay home. There was a staff meeting that I had to call in and be a part of, but after that, it was all family time! The downside is that I lose hours. The upside is that I got some MUCH NEEDED time with the entire family.

The minute I hung up from our meeting, we piled the kids in the car and drove to the local ice cream place. It’s a few miles further than Dairy Queen, but worth it! On the way, Ella told us she wanted “pink” ice cream with sprinkles. We asked Andrew is he wanted blue ice cream and he said yes. When we asked about sprinkles, he said no.

We got there just before a bunch of people lined up behind us. Sam took the kids and grabbed a table for us to sit at. One by one, the worker passed me each of our items. Ella was happy as a clam eating her sprinkles. Andrew ate some of his Blue Moon ice cream, but eventually wanted to eat from mommy’s cone. This led to Ella wanting to “try” mine, and by the end of the visit, Sam and I lost our ice cream!

“I like mint ice cream, Daddy!” I do, too, kiddo!

I just love this picture of Sam and Andrew. He is a real “mama’s boy!” They have such a special bond.

After we were done, we went home and started the bedtime routine. It was already long after their normal bed time, and because they were outside a lot earlier in the day, they both fell asleep almost immediately.

Sam and I actually got to have some time to ourselves last night. Because of our work schedules, we don’t get much quality time with just the two of us. It was so nice to have that last night. As we sat in bed talking, Sam said she could go for Taco Bell. This made me chuckle, but it also reminded me of those nights before our kids arrived where this would be a very common thing to say. Without hesitation, I got out of pajamas, back into my clothes and drove to Taco Bell to grab us each a Nacho Bell Grande!

The two of us sat in bed for a while, each with our late night snack, laughing and talking. It was something that both of us really needed.

Our plans for today were altered a bit, but in a good way. Sam had a bunch of clothes she wanted to take to the resale shop. She was going to take the kids to her mom’s house so that I could paint the nook we build recently. At the last minute, I decided that I wanted to go with her. We dropped the kids off, and we drove up the resale shop about 30 minutes from us.

We had decided to have lunch together while they sorted through all the clothes. We were going to grab Panera, but Sam noticed a steakhouse across the street, so we went there instead. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch together and then went and walked around Target. We didn’t intend on buying anything, but we saw some cute stuff for the kids and ended up buying more than we needed to.

Once the resale shop called to tell us they were ready for us, we stopped there and loaded up the items that they didn’t take, and drove home. Sam dropped me off so I could nap before work and went to get the kids.

I was awakened by my daughter who was very excited to show me all the “prizes” we bought for her at the store. I could have used a few more minutes of sleep, but waking up to her smile was worth losing a few winks.

I may have to start scheduling days off. The last 24 hours really refilled my tank. It reminded me of what life should be like. It reminded me of just how important it is to share that special time with family. It reminded me of how important one on one time is with my wife. Those moments are few and far between and that needs to change!

Time Well Spent

Sometimes, you have to MAKE time. That is what I did the last time my boss asked for all of our “time off requests.” I chose one day a month and took it off to be sure that my wife and I get some “us” time. Last Friday, was the first of those days.

By the end of Wednesday night, I was ready to have that day off! Wednesday was a real mess. Everybody had really difficult patients. It was like someone deliberately put all of them on the same night to create the “Perfect Crapstorm!” I could hear Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock’s fantastic line, “What is your contingency plan for a crapstorm of this magnitude?” running through my head all night.

Thursday, I came home and was able to get some sleep. I was up at my normal time, and about to get ready for work when I received a text message that there were patients who cancelled and it was my turn to stay home. I cannot even begin to tell you how overjoyed I was to have a bonus night off!

I told my wife that after dinner, we were going to get ice cream! It certainly was not on my diet, but all that mattered was that I was going to have the night with the family. We all packed into the car and went to a local ice cream place about 8 miles from us. I tried to get a family picture while we were there, but neither of the kids knew we were taking the picture …

It was a perfect night. It wasn’t too hot, but there was plenty of sunshine. One of the best moments of the evening was watching Ella willingly share her ice cream with Andrew. It was so sweet to watch.

Then came Friday. Knowing that we were planning on having dinner out somewhere, Sam and I began to discuss where to go to eat. Why is trying to decide where to eat such a chore for couples? It’s crazy. Sam said she’d be happy going to Applebee’s, which I really didn’t want to do. So we looked at the internet and our “lists.” We have a list of places that we would love to try and a list of places that we like. We decided to stay close to home and go to one of our favorite Mexican places.

Prior to us dating, we used to go to this place with one of our teachers. The food is excellent. Once we began dating, we’d go there often. Now, there is one close to our house and we eat there frequently. We dropped the kids off at Sam’s sister’s house and we went to the restaurant that was close to the college.

They brought us their homemade chips and salsa, which is something I should have avoided because of how many points the chips are on Weight Watchers, but I didn’t. Instead, I made the healthy choice of avoiding the chimichangas I usually order, and opted for the chicken fajita, which is basically all free. I ate loads of veggies and chicken. I avoided the tortilla shells and the sour cream. It was delicious.

I also did something I hadn’t done in some time – I had a beer. I made sure to get a light beer and I counted the points for it. While I enjoyed it, I realized that I really have not missed it. There was a time where I was drinking beer almost every night. It was emotionally driven and brought on by stress. Today, I don’t feel the need to drink at all. I’m happy with my coffee or water.

After dinner, Sam and I drove to Target and walked through the store. We were looking for a couple things, but mostly just browsing. We got a few ideas for the kids for Christmas and enjoyed just walking – with no real hurry to get stuff done. It was wonderful.

The time together was much needed. It was a perfect evening. Driving home to get the kids, we talked, held hands and just enjoyed “us.” I am already looking forward to next month’s date day!!

Her Name Up In Lights – Sort Of

There is never a dull moment at our house! It was a weekend full of some really memorable moments.

Saturday was a laid back kind of day. After dinner, I took the kids for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a bit warm and I was sweating pretty good afterwards. I knew that if I was hot, the kids were probably hot, so I grabbed the hose and let them play with their water table.

Normally, I’d put them in their bathing suits, but I just let them get wet. They had so much fun. The only bad thing is that at that hour of the day, the sun is blocked by the trees, so they were in the shade. Combine that with the fact that the hose water is ice cold, and it didn’t take long before they were shivering!

We have hardwood floors in the house, so I had to mop up the puddles after I stripped them down. By the time it was bed time, they were both pretty tuckered out.

One of the most “exciting” moments of the weekend was provided by Andrew. Ever since he started walking, Sam and I are always chasing him. He get’s into everything. He is so fast, too. You take something away, turn your back, and when you see him 2 seconds later, he has something else he isn’t supposed to have.

We actually started calling him Bamm Bamm because he is forever banging stuff. He’s our little strong man. It’s hilarious to hear Ella yell, “Here comes Bamm Bamm” when ever he walks into the room.

Walking and exploring comes with bumps and bruises. When he was wearing his helmet, it took most of the bumps. Now that he is walking and helmetless, the potential to get hurt is much greater. Case in point (and the “exciting” moment I mentioned a bit ago), He was in our bedroom as Sam was getting ready for work. We’re not sure exactly what he tripped on, but he fell against the bed.

He hit so close to his eye and actually got a nice scrape which was bleeding. We couldn’t really tell how bad he cut was, but it led to a trip to the Urgent Care/ER. I swear, we have been there more times with him in 8 months than with Ella in her lifetime! Thank goodness the cut didn’t reach his eyeball.

The picture doesn’t do it justice. It looked much worse when I left the house to go. By the time we actually saw the doctor, I felt stupid being there. It started to look much better and he was acting normal.

Monday, Andrew turned 9 months old. I don’t remember picture taking being as difficult with Ella. Sure when she was like 11 months, she wanted to movie around a lot, but we always got more than one or two good pictures. I feel like we are lucky to get 1 good picture of him when we try to pose him.

We had taken about 7 pictures of him in his crib with the sign, and later I tried to get a few of him sitting on a living room chair. I had more luck here.

You probably remember my story about the stroller’s front wheel coming off our double stroller a week or so ago. Sam has been on the hunt for this wagon/stroller and decided to just get it. Let me tell you, I absolutely love it. It is so easy to push and it handles all terrains pretty well.

There is an ice cream place by us that does the coolest thing. Every day, a new name gets put up on the board out front. If you have that name, you get a free ice cream cone. Sam and I both follow their Facebook page, and she actually saw it first – Ella’s name was up there on Monday!

After our walk, I took her, Andrew and Dimitri out so she could get her free ice cream. She told me that she wanted chocolate, and I told her that I would make sure she got some! Upon arriving, we did what all the other Ella’s did – got her picture in front of the sign!

The funniest thing was that there were probably 3-4 other parents sitting outside calling their own “Ella’s” for various reasons. Every time she heard her name, she’d look at whoever called it. I had to keep telling her “she wants HER Ella, baby, not you.” When I called her name, another mom had to tell HER Ella the same thing.

Of course, Andrew loved every bit of his vanilla ice cream. I think I wound up wearing a little less than he ate,

I treasure each moment with my kids. I am so grateful to be their dad.

My Father’s Day Weekend

Father’s Day began for me on Saturday morning. We celebrated Saturday because Sam had to work on Sunday.

When I returned home from work, my kids were already up and waiting. Sam had texted me that Ella was anxious for me to come home to get my present. Ella was excited because she had seen something in the store and wanted to get it for me weeks ago. Same ordered it online so it would be here for Father’s Day.

Ella and Andrew got to play with markers (which only happens on special occasions) and decorate the gift bag my gifts would be in. She was so happy to hand me the bag.

She waited for me to reach into the bag and could hardly contain herself. When I pulled out her gift to me, she shrieked with excitement! It was really the perfect gift.

We watch Bluey together all the time. It is probably my favorite cartoon that she watches. Bandit, the dad on the show, is what ALL dad’s should be! He’s awesome. This book is just wonderful. We read it before bed last night. I don’t know who was happier about this book – Ella or me!

Andrew got some help from mommy with his gift. As I have mentioned, I’m an older dad. One of the reasons I started this blog was to write my memories and such so that in the event something happens, the memories are here. Sam took it a step further for Andrews’s gift to me.

I’m not sure who came up with the idea for books like this, but they are great. I had originally gotten one of these for my mom to fill out before she passed. She was just too sick and too tired to ever really do it. I wish she’d been able to do that.

At any rate, there are a lot of thought provoking questions in this book and Sam thought I could take it with me to work and fill it in when I was on breaks and such. I love the idea!

After nap time, the family drove up the road to look for some new pajamas for Ella. She’s starting to not fit in her current ones. We went to the Carter’s store and looked around. She was forever handing Sam and I things for Andrew or herself that she found on a rack somewhere. The funniest thing of the trip was a foreshadowing of Ella in her teen and adult years. She kept asking for shoes and even began to make a pile of ones she wanted!

After our shopping trip we came home and made dinner. I didn’t want Sam to have to take me out anywhere, so we made chicken on the grill. We also made corn on the cob and other sides. It was the perfect way to wrap up the day.

I was out grilling the chicken and I was using a brush to put BBQ sauce on a few of the pieces of chicken.

As I am doing this, Ella is standing there watching me. She see’s me dipping the brush into the BBQ sauce and putting it on the chicken. She then says, “Daddy! You’re painting!” Priceless!

Sam kept telling Ella to say, “Happy Father’s Day” to me and it kept coming out “Happy Mother’s Day” which just made me laugh even more.

On Sunday, or “Father’s Day in real life,” as Bluey might say, we had a wonderful breakfast. I made everyone eggs, sausage, and fruit. Ella stated that it was “Deeee-lish-ous!”

We called my dad to wish him Happy Father’s Day. My oldest son called me to wish me the same. Sadly, I never heard from my second oldest son. That’s a whole blog in itself and I will spare you those details for now.

After Andrew’s nap, I decided to take the kids to the Barnes and Noble. I wasn’t sure that there was anything I wanted for myself, but I though we could pick up some new books for them.

While we were walking Ella and I were just talking. Andrew was in the stroller and Ella was walking next to me. I don’t remember what we were saying, but a woman stopped me and said that she wished she had videoed the exchange we were having. She said she was very impressed with how we were interacting. She reminded me of a teacher or something. Ella then said hello, grabbed a puzzle with dogs on the box and showed the lady.

The lady, without skipping a beat, got down on the ground and they counted dogs together, asked about the colors of the dogs, and talked about what “doggies say.” It was so cool to see. She thanked Ella for showing her and Ella put the puzzle back. The lady was so impressed with how polite Ella was. Proud parent moment.

After we got home, we had lunch. Sam took Andrew into our room when it was his nap time. Sam suggested that since one of the local ice cream places had free cones for dads on Father’s day, we should go. We wound up going somewhere a bit closer, but it still worked out because dads got a free scoop of ice cream there, too!

Ice cream is not exactly on Weight Watchers, but I had some anyway and ate carefully the rest of the day. Ella asked for “white ice cream with sprinkles” and that is what she got!

Dad may or may not have had to help her on occasion because it was melting faster than she could eat it!

She talked to everyone who came to the ice cream place! She recommended getting banana ice cream to many, even though she was eating vanilla. She was a real hoot. The owner came out and asked how her ice cream was and she said it was the “best ice cream ever!”

After the ice cream, dad decided to walk the neighborhood. Sunday, she didn’t want to ride in the stroller. So we walked together. The workout was a bit less intense than I had hoped.

About half way through the walk she tripped and skinned her knee pretty bad. So I wound up picking her up and finishing the walk with her on my shoulders. That brought the heart rate up a bit and I probably burned off about half of the ice cream calories!

When Sam left for work, it was just me and the kids. We were playing on the “nugget” and having a blast. Andrew was climbing up like nobody’s business. Once he was on the top, he would start to walk off it. Most of the time, I was there to catch him. There were a couple times where he’d do this little stuntman fall. He is fearless!

Thank you to my wife and my kids for making the weekend such a special one for me!

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Pet Peeve

I have a few pet peeves. One of those is people who say “Happy Memorial Day.” To me, this is an example of someone who just doesn’t get what the day signifies. Memorial Day is not like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or a birthday. Memorial Day is a day for remembrance and honor! I saw “Happy Memorial Day” countless times on Facebook, on TV, and heard it on the radio. Please stop. For those who need a refresher – this is for you:

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties. Please remember that when you are having your back yard BBQ next year.

A Busy Weekend

As most of you know, Sam is 5 months pregnant. We decided to stay close to home for the holiday weekend. There were a lot of things to do around the house and some shopping that needed to be done. We took a trip to Sam’s Club and picked up a bunch of stuff there, and then ventured up to Birch Run so I could get a few pairs of scrub pants for work.

The weather was just beautiful. Ella got plenty of time to play in the sandbox and on the trampoline this weekend. We also got to go out and walk the neighborhood a few times. One walk had a purpose.

Our neighborhood has a “group” on Facebook. A neighbor posted a picture of his daughter in front of her Melissa and Doug Lemonade Stand with the request to “make her day” by purchasing a glass for just fifty cents!

We grabbed the stroller and walked a few streets over and grabbed three glasses of lemonade. I made sure to give her an extra fifty cents as a tip! Ella loved it!! So did we. As we started to walk away, another neighbor drove up to purchase some. We were certainly glad to help make her day.

Cool Treat

I think ice cream and summer holiday weekends go together. We decided that we wanted to grab ice cream on Monday. It was about 6pm, and I knew that the local Dairy Queen was gonna have a line of cars out to the road. I remembered that about 7 miles down the road, there was a little ice cream shop. They serve regular ice cream and soft serve, and since Sam was craving Moose Trax, we drove there.

The line was not long at all and we were at the window in less than 5 minutes. This place gives you plenty of ice cream! Their scoops are huge! Sam got her Moose Trax, I got mint chocolate chip, and we got Ella a scoop of chocolate (with sprinkles). She started to eat it at one of the picnic tables, and then they started to get busier, so we drove home to finish. Ella loved her ice cream. After she got toward the end, she actually picked up the bowl and started to drink it like soup or something!

Another First

We cooked out for the first time on Monday. I grilled up some burgers and hot dogs. I also cooked up some potatoes on the grill. Sam cooked up some corn on the cob. We decided to let Ella try some. She put the holders on the ends of the corn, Sam showed her how to hold it and she was off! She pretty much ate two cobs of corn. I wish I knew how to post a video on here. I took some video and asked if she liked her corn (as she was munching away on it). She shook her head “no” and kept eating, only to put it down and say “mmmmmm!” Love this girl!!

Bonus Vacation Day

Because the holiday falls on a day that I don’t normally work, those of us who work on Tuesday were given Tuesday off. Sadly, Sam still had to work, but I took advantage of the day with Ella. We went for a walk around the neighborhood, and then spent all morning at the park. She got to swing on the swings, play by the slide, walk by the creek, talk to the dogs that were out being walked, and run around like crazy!

We always start at the swings, and when I said it was time to go, she signed “more” and pointed to the swings. I took her back over to the swings and she got to swing a little bit more. She LOVES swinging! I was able to snap a picture that I feel sums up what summer should feel like:

Back to Work

I have to be back at work tonight, but I got to spend some extra daddy/daughter time with Ella as mommy slept. We usually play on the floor with her toys. Today, she wanted to go down the little slide we have in the house. She must have done that about 35 times. Then she grabbed the stuffed Curious George my dad gave her and sat him on the couch next to me. She climbed down, grabbed a book and started “reading” to George. It was so sweet.

Listen up, George! I’m a Pout Pout Fish …

It has been a while, since we had a nice family weekend together. What a blessing to spend it with my wife and daughter.

Reflecting on 2019 …

innovation-summer-reading-ripple-effect-payments

As the year draws to a close, I have pondered about what I wanted to write about. Some of the blogs I follow have posted “Year End” Top Ten lists featuring their 10 most read blogs of the year. Others have written rants about the old year, and posted resolutions for the new year. Yet another blogger posted a 50 question “Year End Reflection” post, where he answered questions about the old year and the new year.

It is often very easy to diss on the year as it draws to a close. I do it often. In the last week or so I have heard so many people talk about how awful 2019 was and how they cannot wait for the new year, so they can start fresh. I used to do that, too. Granted, I know many people who truly have endured a very bad year. I know too many people whose parents have passed away, gone through a divorce, survived terrible accidents, lost their jobs, and many other things. I can totally understand how looking back can be difficult.

I think it is often easier to focus on the bad things, because those are the things that tend to stay with you. Personally, I made a list of some things that I recalled from the past year that could go onto the “bad things” list. I then decided to make a list of all the good things. Jotting down things from memory, it was no surprise that the good list outnumbered the bad. To further the point, I grabbed my phone and went back through a year’s worth of pictures and was reminded of many other things that happened, which all ended up on the “good things” list.

Quick Review of My Year

In January, Sam and I went to the Detroit Opera House with my dad, Rose, and my cousin Dianne to see The Phantom of the Opera. I had never seen it before and I loved it. Since Sam talked me into seeing Wicked last year, I have come to appreciate some of these wonderful productions.

DetroitOperaHouse2

In March, Sam and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary with a trip to Cleveland. Many joked about the fact that we went to Ohio, and I can see how that might be funny. We really had a great time at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a visit to The Christmas Story House. As a bonus, we got to grab dinner with my brother while we were down there.

53831202_10161795223795195_7413545351728070656_n

April brought about a couple celebrations. My son, Dante’ turned 17 and we had a small get together with his friends at our house. It was quite a loud party with all of his friends there! Then we celebrated Sam’s graduation on the west side of the state. I still beam with pride at all she has accomplished!

DeadlinesDatesAndTimes

May was a busy month. My nieces and nephew ran us ragged at Peppa Pig World, Dimitri was in good voice at his choir concert, and the boys and I went with my father-in-law, and brothers-in-law to the Three Stooges Festival in Redford. I also celebrated another birthday, and Sam bought me the most amazing gift – a record player. I have since enjoyed looking at used record stores for more vinyl to play on it. That gift also led to Sam and I sharing our first dance together.

RP2

Summer was very busy! I got the chance to golf with my friends Matt and Shawn, went to the zoo and the beach with the boys, went to carnivals, visited many ice cream places, played mini-golf, and had many bonfires! In June, I spoke at a Sleep Conference in Detroit, we celebrated Dimitri’s Birthday, Sam’s birthday, and she shared the news that we were expecting. This is one of many favorite memories of the year!

shoes

In July, we went to our OB/GYN and got the first glimpse of our baby. At this point, we did not know the gender, and were calling her “Baby P”. On August 30, we decided to go to a place near us that would be able to tell us the gender a bit earlier than our OB/GYN. It was at this appointment that we found out we were having a girl. This would be another of my favorite memories of the year. In August, we also took Dante’ around town on the hottest day of the year to try to get some Senior pictures taken, and shared with my dad that he would soon be holding a granddaughter. It was also fun to have the boys go on a scavenger hunt to find out they were getting a sister!

IMG_20190831_225823028_2

In September, I spent the day at a work conference called “The Power to Choose”, which was a truly wonderful experience. There were many great speakers and I was so glad to be able to attend. I walked away from this day with some great tools to use with patients and in life in general. On September 25, we got “official” confirmation from our OB/GYN, that Baby P was indeed a girl!

choice

My brother visited us in October, and Sam allowed me to take Baby Bump Picture #1. Baby Bump Picture #2 came in November in front of the Christmas tree – a picture that I will treasure forever! November was very busy as we were showered with love from family and friends at the baby shower. We took our annual trip to Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland and bought our yearly ornament for the Christmas tree. We enjoyed the Christmas light display at the Detroit Zoo, and construction began on the baby’s bedroom/nursery.

FB_IMG_1574139646473

December brought my staff Christmas party, which was full of hearty laughter! Sam and I attended our birthing classes, and I learned how to breathe (and hopefully not pass out). We celebrated Christmas with the boys on Christmas Eve, spent time with Sam’s family Christmas Day, and celebrated with my dad and Rose over the weekend. I have spent way too much time at work, due to where the holidays fell. I have also been working some extra shifts at one radio station, and doing my normal shift at the other radio station. In between all of that, we’ve been sanding and painting the new hallway and the baby’s room (only adding to the excitement of her arrival!).

IMG_20191224_163620908

As I look back, I am inclined to quote Frank Sinatra and say “It was a VERY good year!” Have you taken the time to really look back at the things that happened over the last year? One thing that I noticed about the “bad things” on my list was that I was surrounded by good friends, and family who helped me through those “bad” times. That, in itself, takes a bad and makes it sort of good, right?

Frank Sinatra also sang, “Regrets? I’ve had a few…” One of the daily writing prompts for December asked “What is biggest regret of the past year?” I would say stopping Weight Watchers. I am in no way, shape, or form blaming Sam, but I gotta tell you…it’s hard to diet when you live with a pregnant person. Yeah, I know, I should be able to control myself, but all too often, when I went out to get her something she was craving…I got something, too! LOL. I have already resolved to get “back on the wagon” after the first of the year!

exps25337_BEC1115483D29B

In closing, I hope that each one of my readers can look back over 2019, and find some really good times! I hope you can recall happy memories. I hope you can find the good that accompanied the bad. I hope you can find the positives, and focus on those things. 2020 brings a new year, a new “book” if you will. That “book” contains 365 pages and YOU are the author of each page. I am looking forward to writing our books together. Feel free to reach out if you ever need a friend – I am here!

May 2020 be a happy and healthy year! May it be full of joy and happiness! May it be full of friends and family! May it be positively the best yet!

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

happy-new-year-wallpaper-pc-free-download