Lots of pics for all the good girls and boys. And cat.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
What up
So TheStepDude.com is on hold. I have nary the time for this little blog/journal/column as it is, much less one with much deeper contrivances. I'm giving myself 10- no, 12 sentences to summarize the past month.
1. Our family vacation to greater San Diego with my parents was filled with memorable moments like swimming, sailing, Sea World, a wife's 30-ish birthday, boardwalking, pizza, bad college hoops, an uncle and aunt, 2 cousins, one traumatic kid injury, 3 nights of hacking coughs keeping me awake, fantastic downtown Del Mar restaurants, adjoining rooms with said parents (which we survived...and had fun!), Coronado Island, and a recommended Double Tree in Del Mar.
2. Zoey has recently transformed into a mega-diva thanks to an upcoming dance recital, the recital's costume, the recital's makeup, glitter and hair requirements, the rehearsals, the theme park locale of recital #1, and her natural self confidence.
3. A new fun thing we do is put this hair net, required by Zoey's dance troupe for the uncomfortably tight bun-style hairdo, on Disco Kitty's head while singing, "sloppy joe, slop-sloppy joe".
4. A certain someone who pursues athletic endeavors to combat aging has played two (co-ed lower-tier rec league) softball games, producing several hits and catches and throws and very few trick hamstring developments.
5. A certain Preston in my house has played three soccer games, resulting in many shouts to "run!" and "kick it" and "no really, run!" whilst congratulating him on his new coordinatingaccessories gear, which includes fancy shin guards and new cleats, which he'll grow out of by Thursday.
1. Our family vacation to greater San Diego with my parents was filled with memorable moments like swimming, sailing, Sea World, a wife's 30-ish birthday, boardwalking, pizza, bad college hoops, an uncle and aunt, 2 cousins, one traumatic kid injury, 3 nights of hacking coughs keeping me awake, fantastic downtown Del Mar restaurants, adjoining rooms with said parents (which we survived...and had fun!), Coronado Island, and a recommended Double Tree in Del Mar.
2. Zoey has recently transformed into a mega-diva thanks to an upcoming dance recital, the recital's costume, the recital's makeup, glitter and hair requirements, the rehearsals, the theme park locale of recital #1, and her natural self confidence.
3. A new fun thing we do is put this hair net, required by Zoey's dance troupe for the uncomfortably tight bun-style hairdo, on Disco Kitty's head while singing, "sloppy joe, slop-sloppy joe".
4. A certain someone who pursues athletic endeavors to combat aging has played two (co-ed lower-tier rec league) softball games, producing several hits and catches and throws and very few trick hamstring developments.
5. A certain Preston in my house has played three soccer games, resulting in many shouts to "run!" and "kick it" and "no really, run!" whilst congratulating him on his new coordinating
6. A certain wife of mine deftly stayed out of my way while I attempted to install the new, "easy self installation" bathroom flooring we purchased from the Home (Cash) Depot-sitory in order to avoid me taking out all my defeatist frustration on her.
7. The floor looks amateurish and less than perfectly square, but constitutes a huge improvement over the state of the floor immediately prior featuring remnant paper backing from the ripped out linoleum.
8. Was that "Home (Cash) Depot-sitory" line a reach?
9. I purchased the MLB subscription from Comcast for $199, justifying, "$25 per sports bar visit to catch out of market game times anything over 8 visits over a 162 game season equals 'it pays for itself!'"
10. If the Tigers don't have a successful season to redeem my dreadful home-team sports year, then I will be forced to pretend I love hockey.
12. I want to full-fist punch that bathroom right in the throat.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
CORRECTION:
Alas, the famous Wendy will not be accompanying my parents on the vacation. For those of you who know her well, you'll appreciate that the primary reason for her remaining in Michigan is her routine. Clearly, hotel-based vacations don't rightly lend themselves to daily viewing of The Price is Right, a microwaved hot dog lunch, and mid-afternoon naps followed by cheering the winners and booing the losers of Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy!. At least not this vacation, sadly.
She would also hate the taste of the water in the hotel.
She would also think the zoo smells funny and they wouldn't have good foods to eat.
She would also find the water waaay too cold.
She would also think P & Z should never take things from people, it's rude.
I think I quite miss having her around.
That being said, we can turn our focus to my parents actually spending time with me, my wife, and my stepkids. It's strange to have my own family here in SLC and consider that my parents can measure their time spent with them in hours.
Goal for Mom & Dad: help me teach Annie to play Euchre! Seriously, I haven't met a soul in this town who really knows the game yet. I wonder if I can actually play still...
She would also hate the taste of the water in the hotel.
She would also think the zoo smells funny and they wouldn't have good foods to eat.
She would also find the water waaay too cold.
She would also think P & Z should never take things from people, it's rude.
I think I quite miss having her around.
That being said, we can turn our focus to my parents actually spending time with me, my wife, and my stepkids. It's strange to have my own family here in SLC and consider that my parents can measure their time spent with them in hours.
Goal for Mom & Dad: help me teach Annie to play Euchre! Seriously, I haven't met a soul in this town who really knows the game yet. I wonder if I can actually play still...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Agree to disagree
It's getaway week, and I'm counting down the hours, minutes, and pre-trip tasks before our departure to sunny San Diego on Friday! We are taking the kids on our first family destination vacation. We've traveled together with the kids to Chicago and Michigan before, and a road trip to planet Moab, but nothing fully vacationy like this one.
The bonus is that my parents and sister, Wendy, are flying out to meet us there! I haven't seen them since Thanksgiving, and they haven't seen the kids since the wedding back in August. So it's an extended family destination vacation. We also may get to see some of my Mom's-side California cousins and aunts and uncles, which would be sweet. Last time I got together with them, we caught some fish. Let's see... what type of fish were they again... oh, that's it: BARRACUDA!
As you know, San Diego means lots of things to lots of people. Some people point out the name is simply the Spanish translation of Saint Diego. Others believe it to be a German translation, meaning...something else. Hey, we're staying classy here in Stizl's blog. Still, so many memorable names and places! Like Tony Gwynn, Dan Fouts, and LaDainian Tomlinson in sports; that one season of the Real World with all those intellectual, fascinating characters; Shamu (the predecessor to their latest killer whale show, Sham-Wow); and of course, Ron Burgundy, the greatest San Diego-an (San Diegan?) of them all. What I wouldn't give to pop into Tino's night club and hear some jazz flute! We'll also be celebrating Annie's b-day on 4/7. Her new age will be Twenty-Eleven, or Tweleventy. I only wish I had that sort of depth and endurance in my life.
Been a restful few days, that's for sure--what, with all the primer and paint and adhesive fumes floating around the master suite, one kid's coughing, the other kid's ralphing. P's been hacking his lungs out since Sat. night, with nighttime sleep-yelling occasionally thrown in for good measure. Seriously, we couldn't tell if he was having nightmares or practicing to be a hog caller. Z put on an impressive show early Mon. morning, from bedroom to bathroom, and Mom had to stay home with both of them that day. Thank goodness I had all those "meetings" and "important cookie-related briefings" to attend.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and you stay classy, San Diego.
The bonus is that my parents and sister, Wendy, are flying out to meet us there! I haven't seen them since Thanksgiving, and they haven't seen the kids since the wedding back in August. So it's an extended family destination vacation. We also may get to see some of my Mom's-side California cousins and aunts and uncles, which would be sweet. Last time I got together with them, we caught some fish. Let's see... what type of fish were they again... oh, that's it: BARRACUDA!
As you know, San Diego means lots of things to lots of people. Some people point out the name is simply the Spanish translation of Saint Diego. Others believe it to be a German translation, meaning...something else. Hey, we're staying classy here in Stizl's blog. Still, so many memorable names and places! Like Tony Gwynn, Dan Fouts, and LaDainian Tomlinson in sports; that one season of the Real World with all those intellectual, fascinating characters; Shamu (the predecessor to their latest killer whale show, Sham-Wow); and of course, Ron Burgundy, the greatest San Diego-an (San Diegan?) of them all. What I wouldn't give to pop into Tino's night club and hear some jazz flute! We'll also be celebrating Annie's b-day on 4/7. Her new age will be Twenty-Eleven, or Tweleventy. I only wish I had that sort of depth and endurance in my life.
Been a restful few days, that's for sure--what, with all the primer and paint and adhesive fumes floating around the master suite, one kid's coughing, the other kid's ralphing. P's been hacking his lungs out since Sat. night, with nighttime sleep-yelling occasionally thrown in for good measure. Seriously, we couldn't tell if he was having nightmares or practicing to be a hog caller. Z put on an impressive show early Mon. morning, from bedroom to bathroom, and Mom had to stay home with both of them that day. Thank goodness I had all those "meetings" and "important cookie-related briefings" to attend.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and you stay classy, San Diego.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Waiting, Wondering, Watching
I'm waiting to get out of here, basically. The Thanksgiving traditions are calling me, competing: "OVEREAT!", "TAKE A NAP!". Annie and I are flying to Grand Rapids on turkey day, but the kids are staying back in SLC with their Grandma. I'm starting to regret not getting them to MI with us. But they'll have fun. We will too.
I'm wondering, however, what air travel will be like on Thursday. Hopefully the weather cooperates, for one. But holidays generally mean Family Travel, and I'm much more fond of Business Travel. Business Travel days usually include a few obnoxious bluetooth wearing loud-talkers, but mostly quiet laptop tapping and USA Today "reading" (looking at the colorful graphs), along with fairly efficient movement through the airport. Now, I have a family and I enjoy travelling with them, but I don't necessarily like travelling with other families on Family Travel days. No offense to you, other families - I've heard you have a fantastic game night - but the chaos of many, many children and inexperienced airport security victims frazzles my nerves and tests my patience. Hopefully, I'll be too tired to notice since we'll be leaving the house at about 4:30 am.
What I won't be watching this Thursday is the Lions game. I know, I read the Free Press and it is not blacked out. Mercifully, I will still be on the plane until about the 3rd quarter, and by the time I make it to the parents' house it'll be all over but the Turducken eating. Maybe it's because I've been in central Illinois on most Thanksgivings in my life, but I'm not that excited about the whole Lions game tradition this year. Sure, in the past I'd find the TV to catch a bit of Barry Sanders or Herman Moore or... uh... that other Lions player who scored so many touchgoals. Or maybe it's because my Michigan Wolverines are done before Thanksgiving for the first time in my life and the football buzz is gone. Wait, Grand Valley is still undefeated and playing on Saturday - that may be just the ticket for me. Or maybe it's an event of an entirely different sort that will make the weekend memorable. But now I'm just rambling. Either way, I'm happy to be heading home to Michigan.
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving and don't skimp on the mashed potatoes.
I'm wondering, however, what air travel will be like on Thursday. Hopefully the weather cooperates, for one. But holidays generally mean Family Travel, and I'm much more fond of Business Travel. Business Travel days usually include a few obnoxious bluetooth wearing loud-talkers, but mostly quiet laptop tapping and USA Today "reading" (looking at the colorful graphs), along with fairly efficient movement through the airport. Now, I have a family and I enjoy travelling with them, but I don't necessarily like travelling with other families on Family Travel days. No offense to you, other families - I've heard you have a fantastic game night - but the chaos of many, many children and inexperienced airport security victims frazzles my nerves and tests my patience. Hopefully, I'll be too tired to notice since we'll be leaving the house at about 4:30 am.
What I won't be watching this Thursday is the Lions game. I know, I read the Free Press and it is not blacked out. Mercifully, I will still be on the plane until about the 3rd quarter, and by the time I make it to the parents' house it'll be all over but the Turducken eating. Maybe it's because I've been in central Illinois on most Thanksgivings in my life, but I'm not that excited about the whole Lions game tradition this year. Sure, in the past I'd find the TV to catch a bit of Barry Sanders or Herman Moore or... uh... that other Lions player who scored so many touchgoals. Or maybe it's because my Michigan Wolverines are done before Thanksgiving for the first time in my life and the football buzz is gone. Wait, Grand Valley is still undefeated and playing on Saturday - that may be just the ticket for me. Or maybe it's an event of an entirely different sort that will make the weekend memorable. But now I'm just rambling. Either way, I'm happy to be heading home to Michigan.
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving and don't skimp on the mashed potatoes.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
The Kids
Annie and I have had a longer than normal stretch of days with the kids. Based on a somewhat informal custody arrangement, the kids are normally with their paternal grandmother every other weekend, and most Friday nights in between. The past several weeks, grandma has been away or busy, and had actually taken the kids more often the weeks prior due to my travel schedule, so we were basically catching up.
It shouldn't be a big deal, because we're the parents and this is our house and this is where the kids live. But wow, it feels exhausting lately. Two other factors: one, the weather turned, and it is no longer normal for the kids to be outside with friends in our complex all afternoon - so that means indoors, and needing structure and attention (and snacks); and two, Annie was out of town Mon-Fri last week. So I got the Mr. Mom treatment pretty good. My nerves were frayed a bit last weekend, and I snapped at Preston Sunday night - by Tuesday, I flipped out on Zoey, too. Not surprisingly, the kids were better behaved the rest of the week.
So yesterday came as a relief. I got to watch Michigan WIN (yes WIN!), relaxing in my room while the kids cleaned rooms and Annie caught up on laundry. I joined in the organizational fray once the Wolverines were wrapping it up, putting up a new shelf in Preston's room. For a sort of fun family day, and as an early birthday present for Pres, we planned a lunch at his choice of restaurant, swimming and diving at the rec center pool, trip to Dairy Queen, and we'd let the kids "make" dinner at home later that night. Training Table was the restaurant of choice. For the non-Utahans, it's a sit down burger joint, where you order from a telephone at the table. It reminds me of Russ' as a kid, or Mr. Burger in terms of food. So we had big sloppy burgers and some great cheese fries.
The pool we go to has a diving board and high dive, so we had fun challenging each other to jump, twist, and dive. I burned some of those fries off swimming laps and chasing the kids around the shallow play pool. A few minutes in the hot tub and sauna completed the therapy, and it was off to DQ for treats.
Dinner was stir fry, with the kids acting as wait staff and serving us plates and drinks. Pretty funny. They did a good job. We were then treated to a "concert" - the kids trying their best to sing or lip sync High School Musical songs - or worse, this "Naked Brothers Band" that Preston likes - and faking the keyboard and drums. An entertaining half hour show, and we captured it on video. Miraculously, the kids were in their beds by 7:30 and Annie and I finally got some peace and quiet. But the busy day and pool exertion had bested me, and I was dozing on the couch myself by 8:30.
Today, everyone was up early. I woke up to the sound of Preston running the bath, and seemingly making as much noise as possible. Zoey followed by entering our room to tell us that Preston was splashing water all over the bathroom. Half of Zoey's life is spent asking to have what Preston has, or do what Preston's doing, or telling on Preston if he's doing something naughty or which she wishes she could be doing - which are generally the same things.
I'm hoping to catch a little NFL and hit the gym today, and this afternoon we're off to Annie's Mom's for dinner and celebrating Preston's birthday with the fam.
This is the end of a full couple of weeks, filled with last minute dinners, multi-leg trips from work to daycare to gym to Z's dance class to picking up our truck from the shop, frequent tears (Preston tripped me on the stairs!) and protests (No I didn't!), one episode of puking, homework and reading help, play-wrestling that starts with giggles and always, always, always ends with Zoey's tears and Preston's protests (I didn't do anything!).
But I always remember that Annie's been doing this on her own for years, and I compare my responsibilities to those of my last few years as a bachelor in Michigan, and I realize this is right where I want to be. It's family life and it's challenging and fulfilling and we learn something new every day. So that's a snapshot of life as a Stepdad in my house.
Did I mention Michigan actually won?!
It shouldn't be a big deal, because we're the parents and this is our house and this is where the kids live. But wow, it feels exhausting lately. Two other factors: one, the weather turned, and it is no longer normal for the kids to be outside with friends in our complex all afternoon - so that means indoors, and needing structure and attention (and snacks); and two, Annie was out of town Mon-Fri last week. So I got the Mr. Mom treatment pretty good. My nerves were frayed a bit last weekend, and I snapped at Preston Sunday night - by Tuesday, I flipped out on Zoey, too. Not surprisingly, the kids were better behaved the rest of the week.
So yesterday came as a relief. I got to watch Michigan WIN (yes WIN!), relaxing in my room while the kids cleaned rooms and Annie caught up on laundry. I joined in the organizational fray once the Wolverines were wrapping it up, putting up a new shelf in Preston's room. For a sort of fun family day, and as an early birthday present for Pres, we planned a lunch at his choice of restaurant, swimming and diving at the rec center pool, trip to Dairy Queen, and we'd let the kids "make" dinner at home later that night. Training Table was the restaurant of choice. For the non-Utahans, it's a sit down burger joint, where you order from a telephone at the table. It reminds me of Russ' as a kid, or Mr. Burger in terms of food. So we had big sloppy burgers and some great cheese fries.
The pool we go to has a diving board and high dive, so we had fun challenging each other to jump, twist, and dive. I burned some of those fries off swimming laps and chasing the kids around the shallow play pool. A few minutes in the hot tub and sauna completed the therapy, and it was off to DQ for treats.
Dinner was stir fry, with the kids acting as wait staff and serving us plates and drinks. Pretty funny. They did a good job. We were then treated to a "concert" - the kids trying their best to sing or lip sync High School Musical songs - or worse, this "Naked Brothers Band" that Preston likes - and faking the keyboard and drums. An entertaining half hour show, and we captured it on video. Miraculously, the kids were in their beds by 7:30 and Annie and I finally got some peace and quiet. But the busy day and pool exertion had bested me, and I was dozing on the couch myself by 8:30.
Today, everyone was up early. I woke up to the sound of Preston running the bath, and seemingly making as much noise as possible. Zoey followed by entering our room to tell us that Preston was splashing water all over the bathroom. Half of Zoey's life is spent asking to have what Preston has, or do what Preston's doing, or telling on Preston if he's doing something naughty or which she wishes she could be doing - which are generally the same things.
I'm hoping to catch a little NFL and hit the gym today, and this afternoon we're off to Annie's Mom's for dinner and celebrating Preston's birthday with the fam.
This is the end of a full couple of weeks, filled with last minute dinners, multi-leg trips from work to daycare to gym to Z's dance class to picking up our truck from the shop, frequent tears (Preston tripped me on the stairs!) and protests (No I didn't!), one episode of puking, homework and reading help, play-wrestling that starts with giggles and always, always, always ends with Zoey's tears and Preston's protests (I didn't do anything!).
But I always remember that Annie's been doing this on her own for years, and I compare my responsibilities to those of my last few years as a bachelor in Michigan, and I realize this is right where I want to be. It's family life and it's challenging and fulfilling and we learn something new every day. So that's a snapshot of life as a Stepdad in my house.
Did I mention Michigan actually won?!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Converging on Chicago
I'm getting married this summer, so you'd think I would have a whole bunch of stuff to write about. Plans, logistics, worries, anticipation, costs, honeymoon... Thing is, Annie has done 94% of the planning and coordinating and decision making, so my thoughts are: She's doing great! Also, both her and my parents are being super generous with their time, money, and help in this deal that I don't want to step on their toes. Yeah, that's it! My jobs have been to work on the website (haven't touched it in a month or so), get a pastor/minister (none yet), and work on Men's apparel (I don't dress like a grown up so this is much harder for me than she realizes). And I secured the park contract for our site - after she chose the site - and it appears I did not secure the ability to play music through speakers, so I need to work on that too.
But this morning, just now, I did look up information on Cook County marriage licenses and figured out how and when we should get one. Bet she hadn't thought about that, huh! Plus her Dad is giving me tickets to the Tigers-White Sox game in Chicago the Thursday before our date, and I've told a few people about that. Let's see, what else... We're going on a cruise for our honeymoon - leaving from San Juan P.R. - so that's going to be sweet. I did buy a new swimsuit and have been doing some sit-ups so she's not embarrassed to be seen with me...
Yeah that's about it. We have a lot to do. Thankfully she is very good at this planning stuff since she used to do it for a living. And she is organized and thoughtful and good at schedules and stuff. Did I mention how beautiful and sweet she is, too? You're doing great, babe! It'll be worth it I swear!
Next weekend we're going to Chicago to do some on-site planning, hang out with her dad & stepmom & brothers, and my parents are coming down from G.R. to hang out, too! Any reason to party in Chicago is a good reason. Weddings especially. Even the planning part.
But this morning, just now, I did look up information on Cook County marriage licenses and figured out how and when we should get one. Bet she hadn't thought about that, huh! Plus her Dad is giving me tickets to the Tigers-White Sox game in Chicago the Thursday before our date, and I've told a few people about that. Let's see, what else... We're going on a cruise for our honeymoon - leaving from San Juan P.R. - so that's going to be sweet. I did buy a new swimsuit and have been doing some sit-ups so she's not embarrassed to be seen with me...
Yeah that's about it. We have a lot to do. Thankfully she is very good at this planning stuff since she used to do it for a living. And she is organized and thoughtful and good at schedules and stuff. Did I mention how beautiful and sweet she is, too? You're doing great, babe! It'll be worth it I swear!
Next weekend we're going to Chicago to do some on-site planning, hang out with her dad & stepmom & brothers, and my parents are coming down from G.R. to hang out, too! Any reason to party in Chicago is a good reason. Weddings especially. Even the planning part.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Being all growed up
Life is swarming all around right now. It hasn't stung me directly, but it's constantly shifting shapes and actually seems to be taking little stabs at family and friends in a lot of ways. At the same time, I'm finding lots of opportunities for change and new challenges amid the chaos.
First the fun. Let's see, I joined a softball team with some co-workers. We lost both games I played in, while they won the first game I missed. So I'm obviously having a huge impact. It's a co-ed team, and my friend Kimberly is playing with us since Annie finds softball about as interesting as she finds, well, sport. The first grounder I got at shortstop was hit by a dude, and kid was getting up the line quick. I thought I had a chance so I whizzed one over to first - to Kimberly - but the throw was low and somehow eluded her glove. It did manage to find her tibia, however, and made a thud the left fielder could hear. Kimberly bravely shook it off, but I saw her a couple days later and the bruise was pretty much from foot to knee. Glad she's my fiance's bff, because otherwise I'd probably have to pay her medical bills or something. I followed that up with 2 more fielding errors, while making maybe 2 putouts. In a related story, I played left field in the next game.
Preston is in soccer this summer, and the improvement from last fall is amazing. He's scored two goals already - in the two games I missed - and is quite the goalie as well. Zoey decided to call it a career, since last fall her involvement in soccer was a mix of chasing a boy named Noah and asking out of the game so she could snuggle with Mom on the sideline. At least she knew to walk away while she was at the top of her game.
At work, on the same day I found out my marketing coordinator was not returning from maternity leave, I found out my boss was leaving. She is a super dynamic businesswoman, a great leader, and I learned a lot from her. She's taking a job with a company that sells skincare products - a brand Annie happens to love, too, so she's on the list for free samples already. The question most people have is "do you get her job?", to which I respond "they wouldn't offer it to me, and who needs that kind of pain anyway?" It will leave a gap for a while, but I'm excited to work directly under our President, who has major marketing savvy developed under some big name brands.
Annie has an exciting potential opportunity that would involve us moving across the country if they offer her the job (they will) and if we accept (we'll see). My initial reaction to a change like that was my standard hemming and hawing and general skepticism. But the more we talk about it in realistic terms, the more used to the idea I become. I mean, I did pick up and move across the country once, it should be that much easier if we do it as a family, right? Yikes. Speaking of family, I'll be excited to finally see them in about a month when I head back to G.R. for Jr. P's wedding. I miss my nephews! I heard them on the phone a few days ago, and they sound like they're growing so fast. I think the oldest has a beard now.
As a new (almost) stepdad to school age kids, I have a bond with them that grows and grows, but obviously lacks the depth that must come from your own blood and the experiences of having a newborn. A number of friends and my sister have at least given me a vicarious glimpse of that bond. It saddens me then that I've received news in the past month from no less than 4 friends or family involving struggles with newborns. From miscarriage to genetic disorder to infant trauma and pregnancy risk - it's just a flood of reality checks for one who still imagines having his own children someday. My own family had unique experiences with my autistic sister and some of her complications as a newborn. It's amazing how frequently families face these types of situations. Does anything have a greater risk/reward dichotomy than pending childbirth? The comfort is found in witnessing these families rally around each other, as they face their challenges with love and selflessness. I need reminders at times that life is not only delicate, but precious - something to be enjoyed as much as possible while we are lucky enough to breathe.
Sorry for the dramatic tone! I do funny better than reflective, but it's what's on my mind. Quickly, then, I switch to sports: Go Pistons! Those of us who have followed the NBA for the past 20+ years think Detroit-Boston playoffs and drool. The chowder eaters have an abundance of championships lately between the Pats and Sawx (plus I heard they got a no hitter tonight - from a dude who beat cancer, no less!). Motown has a lot of almosts and inflated expectations lately (not to mention a thug-mayor scandal), but no "'Ships", as 'Sheed would say. If the Pistons and Wings both make their leagues' finals, I may have to fly to Michigan just to sit in a BW's on one of those nights they both play and get my fanhood on. Where have those days gone, boys? Oh well, at least I have a little thing called "DVR". Soccer game? Softball? Neighborhood kid scooter drama? No problem. Just don't text me and spoil the ending, Parents. That's right - my folks are texting like pros, LOL.
First the fun. Let's see, I joined a softball team with some co-workers. We lost both games I played in, while they won the first game I missed. So I'm obviously having a huge impact. It's a co-ed team, and my friend Kimberly is playing with us since Annie finds softball about as interesting as she finds, well, sport. The first grounder I got at shortstop was hit by a dude, and kid was getting up the line quick. I thought I had a chance so I whizzed one over to first - to Kimberly - but the throw was low and somehow eluded her glove. It did manage to find her tibia, however, and made a thud the left fielder could hear. Kimberly bravely shook it off, but I saw her a couple days later and the bruise was pretty much from foot to knee. Glad she's my fiance's bff, because otherwise I'd probably have to pay her medical bills or something. I followed that up with 2 more fielding errors, while making maybe 2 putouts. In a related story, I played left field in the next game.
Preston is in soccer this summer, and the improvement from last fall is amazing. He's scored two goals already - in the two games I missed - and is quite the goalie as well. Zoey decided to call it a career, since last fall her involvement in soccer was a mix of chasing a boy named Noah and asking out of the game so she could snuggle with Mom on the sideline. At least she knew to walk away while she was at the top of her game.
At work, on the same day I found out my marketing coordinator was not returning from maternity leave, I found out my boss was leaving. She is a super dynamic businesswoman, a great leader, and I learned a lot from her. She's taking a job with a company that sells skincare products - a brand Annie happens to love, too, so she's on the list for free samples already. The question most people have is "do you get her job?", to which I respond "they wouldn't offer it to me, and who needs that kind of pain anyway?" It will leave a gap for a while, but I'm excited to work directly under our President, who has major marketing savvy developed under some big name brands.
Annie has an exciting potential opportunity that would involve us moving across the country if they offer her the job (they will) and if we accept (we'll see). My initial reaction to a change like that was my standard hemming and hawing and general skepticism. But the more we talk about it in realistic terms, the more used to the idea I become. I mean, I did pick up and move across the country once, it should be that much easier if we do it as a family, right? Yikes. Speaking of family, I'll be excited to finally see them in about a month when I head back to G.R. for Jr. P's wedding. I miss my nephews! I heard them on the phone a few days ago, and they sound like they're growing so fast. I think the oldest has a beard now.
As a new (almost) stepdad to school age kids, I have a bond with them that grows and grows, but obviously lacks the depth that must come from your own blood and the experiences of having a newborn. A number of friends and my sister have at least given me a vicarious glimpse of that bond. It saddens me then that I've received news in the past month from no less than 4 friends or family involving struggles with newborns. From miscarriage to genetic disorder to infant trauma and pregnancy risk - it's just a flood of reality checks for one who still imagines having his own children someday. My own family had unique experiences with my autistic sister and some of her complications as a newborn. It's amazing how frequently families face these types of situations. Does anything have a greater risk/reward dichotomy than pending childbirth? The comfort is found in witnessing these families rally around each other, as they face their challenges with love and selflessness. I need reminders at times that life is not only delicate, but precious - something to be enjoyed as much as possible while we are lucky enough to breathe.
Sorry for the dramatic tone! I do funny better than reflective, but it's what's on my mind. Quickly, then, I switch to sports: Go Pistons! Those of us who have followed the NBA for the past 20+ years think Detroit-Boston playoffs and drool. The chowder eaters have an abundance of championships lately between the Pats and Sawx (plus I heard they got a no hitter tonight - from a dude who beat cancer, no less!). Motown has a lot of almosts and inflated expectations lately (not to mention a thug-mayor scandal), but no "'Ships", as 'Sheed would say. If the Pistons and Wings both make their leagues' finals, I may have to fly to Michigan just to sit in a BW's on one of those nights they both play and get my fanhood on. Where have those days gone, boys? Oh well, at least I have a little thing called "DVR". Soccer game? Softball? Neighborhood kid scooter drama? No problem. Just don't text me and spoil the ending, Parents. That's right - my folks are texting like pros, LOL.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Adjective Subject
Well, Mom & Dad made it back to the mitten state from the rectangle-with-corner-missing state, having survived 4 nights at elevation. I'll evaluate their enjoyment of the trip by comparing impressions. These are my opinions and have nothing to do with what they told me about their stay: "It was very nice."
Mountains: Very impressed. Our neighborhood: Mildly impressed. Our house: Mildly relieved. Our cars: Frivolous, but slightly impressive. Smoggy air quality in the valley: Not impressed. My parenting skills: Incomplete (the kids were only here for one night and I can't take responsibility for their behavior after a weekend at Nascar in Vegas with their grandmother. No offense Grandma K.)
Annie's hostess skillz: Mui impresivo. Disco Kitty: Impressed as you can be with a feline, and now they understand why I actually like a cat. Rock Band: Entirely unimpressed with the song selection (they're old-ish), but reluctantly impressed with my fake drum & guitar skills and "Welcome to the Family"-impressed with Annie's vocal stylings. Dinner at Annie's Mom's house: Impressed by both company and food, but slightly jealous that her family spends more time with The Steven now than they do. Mountains again: Hugely impressed (I use that word purposefully - people 'round here use the adjective (adverb?) 'hugely' too much, it's kind of a sloppy word, isn't it? No offense, Utah.)
Why am I thankful my buddy Matt is getting married? For one thing, I can finally stop worrying about his penchant for wearing short shorts and shaving his body. Aside from the fact that he's a pro-level triathlete, I couldn't think of one good reason for doing either of those things on a regular basis. Weekends only for me. But more importantly, it means I get to fly to the great state of Massachusetts at the end of this month to celebrate his wedding! I can't wait to pahk my cah in Hahvad Yahd! Actually, I won't be anywhere near Boston, but who cahes, you gawtta problem widdat? And most importantly, it means me and a bunch of dudes are meeting up in Las Vegas this weekend, ostensibly for a bachelor party celebrating Muzza's pending nuptials. But let's be honest dudes: this is the culmination of years of adolescence + young adulthood where we've been told that a dudes' weekend in Vegas is the capstone of our reckless manhood! So naturally, let's take it easy and not all go broke at once - we've got wives, kids, and almost those to consider - oh, and someone's gotta buy our bus passes home. In the immortal words of Butthead: "This will be the coolest thing we have ever done."
This Blog Post: They were more impressed with my 2nd grade Young Author's book, entitled "The Black Corvette." Or was 2nd grade "The Big Blizzard"?
Mountains: Very impressed. Our neighborhood: Mildly impressed. Our house: Mildly relieved. Our cars: Frivolous, but slightly impressive. Smoggy air quality in the valley: Not impressed. My parenting skills: Incomplete (the kids were only here for one night and I can't take responsibility for their behavior after a weekend at Nascar in Vegas with their grandmother. No offense Grandma K.)
Annie's hostess skillz: Mui impresivo. Disco Kitty: Impressed as you can be with a feline, and now they understand why I actually like a cat. Rock Band: Entirely unimpressed with the song selection (they're old-ish), but reluctantly impressed with my fake drum & guitar skills and "Welcome to the Family"-impressed with Annie's vocal stylings. Dinner at Annie's Mom's house: Impressed by both company and food, but slightly jealous that her family spends more time with The Steven now than they do. Mountains again: Hugely impressed (I use that word purposefully - people 'round here use the adjective (adverb?) 'hugely' too much, it's kind of a sloppy word, isn't it? No offense, Utah.)
Why am I thankful my buddy Matt is getting married? For one thing, I can finally stop worrying about his penchant for wearing short shorts and shaving his body. Aside from the fact that he's a pro-level triathlete, I couldn't think of one good reason for doing either of those things on a regular basis. Weekends only for me. But more importantly, it means I get to fly to the great state of Massachusetts at the end of this month to celebrate his wedding! I can't wait to pahk my cah in Hahvad Yahd! Actually, I won't be anywhere near Boston, but who cahes, you gawtta problem widdat? And most importantly, it means me and a bunch of dudes are meeting up in Las Vegas this weekend, ostensibly for a bachelor party celebrating Muzza's pending nuptials. But let's be honest dudes: this is the culmination of years of adolescence + young adulthood where we've been told that a dudes' weekend in Vegas is the capstone of our reckless manhood! So naturally, let's take it easy and not all go broke at once - we've got wives, kids, and almost those to consider - oh, and someone's gotta buy our bus passes home. In the immortal words of Butthead: "This will be the coolest thing we have ever done."
This Blog Post: They were more impressed with my 2nd grade Young Author's book, entitled "The Black Corvette." Or was 2nd grade "The Big Blizzard"?
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Freeze Frame
Wow - so much has happened! Most of it normal, everyday stuff that isn't particularly noteworthy, but I have some time to kill. One item: I passed my 1-year anniversary of living in Utah about a week ago. It came and went without fanfare, but it was interesting to reflect on how different my life is.
My parents are here this weekend! It's great to have them in my home, around my normal life, and - for my Mom - seeing Salt Lake for the first time. We went to Park City yesterday, walked Main St., and ate lunch at Zoom - Robbie Redford's restaurant. How chic! Then Mom & Annie cooked an awesome dinner back home. They picked up some fresh fish and clam chowder from one of our favorite restaurants, and cooked it up - I daresay better than restaurant quality.
In the meantime, I gave my Dad a quick tutorial on the guitar on Rock Band, and we jammed a little. Then Annie & I showed them how we roll as a band, crushing When You Were Young with a 5 star show on vocals & drums. After dinner, we played a mean game of Scrabble while enjoying some dessert and coffee. All 4 of us love word games, so it didn't even matter who won (mebyalot), we had fun all around.
Today we're heading downtown for some shopping and site seeing, then to my future in-laws' house for a family dinner. Tomorrow, the kids get back from a weekend with Grandma, so then the REAL real-life will be on display in our house. :) Can't wait.
I'll leave you with this cool social experiment. Thanks to Heidi for the link:
http://www.maniacworld.com/frozen-in-grand-central-station.html
My parents are here this weekend! It's great to have them in my home, around my normal life, and - for my Mom - seeing Salt Lake for the first time. We went to Park City yesterday, walked Main St., and ate lunch at Zoom - Robbie Redford's restaurant. How chic! Then Mom & Annie cooked an awesome dinner back home. They picked up some fresh fish and clam chowder from one of our favorite restaurants, and cooked it up - I daresay better than restaurant quality.
In the meantime, I gave my Dad a quick tutorial on the guitar on Rock Band, and we jammed a little. Then Annie & I showed them how we roll as a band, crushing When You Were Young with a 5 star show on vocals & drums. After dinner, we played a mean game of Scrabble while enjoying some dessert and coffee. All 4 of us love word games, so it didn't even matter who won (mebyalot), we had fun all around.
Today we're heading downtown for some shopping and site seeing, then to my future in-laws' house for a family dinner. Tomorrow, the kids get back from a weekend with Grandma, so then the REAL real-life will be on display in our house. :) Can't wait.
I'll leave you with this cool social experiment. Thanks to Heidi for the link:
http://www.maniacworld.com/frozen-in-grand-central-station.html
Sunday, June 3, 2007
BARRACUDA! Killers
I was going to write this post chronologically, but then I realized a review of The Killers concert would be anti-climactic after my Memorial Day stories. To Thursday's concert then: There's a warehouse-like building on the shore of the Great Salt Lake, with faux-Arabian domes and windows all around called the Great Saltair. The setting is mysterious, with the expansive but empty lake, salty dry flats, and mountains on the fringes. Anyway, the concert was great - Annie even enjoyed the few songs she recognized, but couldn't hang in the midst of the crowd with me except for the openers and the finale. But it was memorable. I hadn't been to a good rock concert in quite a while, and it felt good to leave with that 'my head's in a tin can' feeling and scratchy voice.
Memorial Day weekend, I flew to LAX, met up with my family, and headed south on the 405 to lovely Dana Point for a family reunion / 60th Anniversary Party for my grandparents, Gene and Mary Carter. Friday was a catch up day with all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and we had a sweet game of Family Jeopardy in our reserved conference room (about 35 people in the room). Saturday, a group of us congregated at 5:45 am, and boarded a charter fishing boat. After an hour of luckless giant squid fishing (seriously), the captain caught wind of a BARRACUDA! school down the coast a bit. The next several hours were spent frantically grabbing 5" sardines out of the bait holds, jamming hooks thru their snouts, and casting out to land one of these sharp-toothed fish. Once you hook one, you reel it in toward the side of the boat, and then a crew member grabs a huge hook called a 'gaff', stabs the fish through the belly and pulls it on board. AWESOME!!! The three BARRACUDA! I landed were the three largest fish I've ever caught. What made this more interesting was the constant presence of sea lions, seagulls and pelicans. The sea lions (or seals, I still don't know the difference) would chase your bait and bite its body off, leaving the fish-head on your hook. Or worse, you'd hook a BARRACUDA! and they would chase that, grabbing hold and snapping your line. To better express the excitement of our first encounter with this school of starving fish, here is a sequence of things you'd see and hear:
(12 of the 18 people on board hook a fish)
"Fish on! Fish on! Fish on!"
(Barracuda move quick, so people constantly switch places and get lines tangled)
"Ah, I lost him." "Stay with it!" "Move with your fish people!"
(Sea lion steals bait)
"Crap! A Sea lion stole my bait!" "Get more bait!" "I think an egret pooped on me!"
(Someone gets a BARRACUDA! close to the side)
"GAFF! GAFF!"
(Crew member runs behind you with a giant hook and stabs fish)
"HOORAY!"
I highly recommend ocean fishing to all of us Michiganders who are used to hauling in 1/4 pound bass and blue gill all our lives. It is so fun to say BARRACUDA! that I felt compelled to spell it that way each time, as you may have noticed. Saturday night, as we were prepping to see a slide show of the pictures my Uncle Dan took (he's a professional photog., so they're nice); we started humming the riff to Barracuda by Heart. My cousin Mark's girlfriend Debin suddenly says, "I think I have that CD in my car!" Sure enough, 5 mins. later we were watching the slideshow to the rockin' sounds of the Wilson sisters. Here it is:
BARRACUDA It helps if you play this in the background: VIDEO
On Sunday, we had a church service in our conference room hosted by my Aunt Becky, who is an accomplished music minister, which featured a recording of one of my Grandfather's sermons from about 1989. He mentioned both my mother and my sister Wendy in the sermon. I have a unique family, where 4 generations of us (probably 40 people total) were gathered in a room for a Christian church service in a hotel on the beach, and we were all cool with it. We all think we can sing too, so we sang old hymns in 4-part harmony. The oldest grandchild from each family also participated in some way. My Grandpa recently wrote a book called "My Life - As I Remember It", had it published via Amazon's self-publishing service, and gave each of us a hard cover copy. Each of his children's copies had a unique note written in it; and each of us grandkids had the same words of wisdom: "Remember who you are", signed by Grandpa. He has certainly left a legacy that has reached well beyond our own family. Congrats to Gramps and Grandma on 60 years!
Memorial Day weekend, I flew to LAX, met up with my family, and headed south on the 405 to lovely Dana Point for a family reunion / 60th Anniversary Party for my grandparents, Gene and Mary Carter. Friday was a catch up day with all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and we had a sweet game of Family Jeopardy in our reserved conference room (about 35 people in the room). Saturday, a group of us congregated at 5:45 am, and boarded a charter fishing boat. After an hour of luckless giant squid fishing (seriously), the captain caught wind of a BARRACUDA! school down the coast a bit. The next several hours were spent frantically grabbing 5" sardines out of the bait holds, jamming hooks thru their snouts, and casting out to land one of these sharp-toothed fish. Once you hook one, you reel it in toward the side of the boat, and then a crew member grabs a huge hook called a 'gaff', stabs the fish through the belly and pulls it on board. AWESOME!!! The three BARRACUDA! I landed were the three largest fish I've ever caught. What made this more interesting was the constant presence of sea lions, seagulls and pelicans. The sea lions (or seals, I still don't know the difference) would chase your bait and bite its body off, leaving the fish-head on your hook. Or worse, you'd hook a BARRACUDA! and they would chase that, grabbing hold and snapping your line. To better express the excitement of our first encounter with this school of starving fish, here is a sequence of things you'd see and hear:
(12 of the 18 people on board hook a fish)
"Fish on! Fish on! Fish on!"
(Barracuda move quick, so people constantly switch places and get lines tangled)
"Ah, I lost him." "Stay with it!" "Move with your fish people!"
(Sea lion steals bait)
"Crap! A Sea lion stole my bait!" "Get more bait!" "I think an egret pooped on me!"
(Someone gets a BARRACUDA! close to the side)
"GAFF! GAFF!"
(Crew member runs behind you with a giant hook and stabs fish)
"HOORAY!"
I highly recommend ocean fishing to all of us Michiganders who are used to hauling in 1/4 pound bass and blue gill all our lives. It is so fun to say BARRACUDA! that I felt compelled to spell it that way each time, as you may have noticed. Saturday night, as we were prepping to see a slide show of the pictures my Uncle Dan took (he's a professional photog., so they're nice); we started humming the riff to Barracuda by Heart. My cousin Mark's girlfriend Debin suddenly says, "I think I have that CD in my car!" Sure enough, 5 mins. later we were watching the slideshow to the rockin' sounds of the Wilson sisters. Here it is:
BARRACUDA It helps if you play this in the background: VIDEO
On Sunday, we had a church service in our conference room hosted by my Aunt Becky, who is an accomplished music minister, which featured a recording of one of my Grandfather's sermons from about 1989. He mentioned both my mother and my sister Wendy in the sermon. I have a unique family, where 4 generations of us (probably 40 people total) were gathered in a room for a Christian church service in a hotel on the beach, and we were all cool with it. We all think we can sing too, so we sang old hymns in 4-part harmony. The oldest grandchild from each family also participated in some way. My Grandpa recently wrote a book called "My Life - As I Remember It", had it published via Amazon's self-publishing service, and gave each of us a hard cover copy. Each of his children's copies had a unique note written in it; and each of us grandkids had the same words of wisdom: "Remember who you are", signed by Grandpa. He has certainly left a legacy that has reached well beyond our own family. Congrats to Gramps and Grandma on 60 years!
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