I survived.

Another school year down. All of the crazy running I do is finally over until September. This year was extra crazy since I had a lot to do in preparation of Kevin's graduation. Yesterday was that big day. The ceremony was at 10 AM out on the football field. It was sunny and quite warm. In fact, too warm! But, we made it through it.

From there it was back home for his party. We had a number of relatives there and a group of Kevin's friends came over as well. Plus his friend Julie came down from Rhode Island to see him graduate. They met last Summer while he was working in the Summer Camp. She worked there as well. Since she was one of the very few girls in camp (It's a Boy Scout camp) she was the fantasy of many teen boys that Summer. She and Kevin bonded and have remained close ever since. Much to the envy of the rest of Kevin's scout troop. Even his brother was on Cloud 9 since "OMG! Julie is going to be sleeping in the room next to mine?".....Simmer down Tyler, she is 9 years older than you. I have to say it was wonderful having her here. She is a sweetheart and truly cares about Kevin. My wife and I commented about how we wished he would date a girl like her. She is welcome back anytime.


With everything done, I can pretty much relax this week. The only pressing thing I have to do is pack for a week long camping trip. Tyler and I are headed to Rhode Island next Sunday to spend a week in that Summer Camp. Sadly for him, Julie is not working there this year. LOL Just like Kevin, she got a real job.

It's Official!

Kevin and Julie    

She ran over and gave him a big hug afterward.

I can only guess that when she drinks, she gets beer muscles.

This is a little bit more normal.

It amazes me what they can create these days. 

Yes the picture is edible.

Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. This cake weighed a ton!

Busy, busy, busy

The last week or so has been really busy. All leading up to tomorrow. My oldest son, Kevin graduates High School. Since we are having a party there was a ton of things to do in the house and the yard. Normally I can get by with worrying about just the first floor. However, Kevin has a friend here from Rhode Island. He met Julie while he was working in RI last summer. She came down to spend the weekend with us. that meant I also had to take care of the second floor.

Last night was Kevin's Senior Prom. Seeing him in his tux started me thinking back to my own prom. It doesnt seem all that long ago. I have to confess that it is not easy admitting my son has become a man. It goes way too fast.

For those of you that are new to my blog, Kevin is the tall one on the right.

Can you see me blushing now?

Ok, so as you may or may not know, this Saturday is the long awaited dance recital. Several of us have agreed to slip into a tutu and dance swan lake. All for the sake of giving our daughters something to remember later in life. Probably in therapy or in dreams that wake them up screaming in the night. As you can tell, I really don't mind doing it. (If I did, I would not be posting this picture). We have had the best time laughing and joking as we rehearsed for our performance on stage.

So, as promised, here is my recital picture:

I am in the back on the far left. Two of the group are missing from the picture, but you certainly get the idea.

It's all about Bug

Yesterday was a day all about Bug. (My daughter for those of you new to my blog). It started off with her getting her very first job in modeling. In August she will be doing a runway fashion show for Lord & Taylor. She is excited because they give her a cash allowance and let her buy clothes in the store to model. After the show she gets to keep the clothes! She may also end up in the catalog and in the on-line catalog.

From the interview she was then off to her dance school for pictures. She spent the next few hours changing in and out of costumes and posing. She absolutely LOVES being in front of a camera. I had my ballet picture done as well but, you will have to wait to see that one. This is all about Bug.

And finally, it was off to the local school board meeting. It is the final one of the year and they give out the special awards to select student. Bug received an award for being involved in a program called Open Space Stewardship Program. It involves various projects involving wildlife conservation. She was actually chosen to participate in a project being done by several High School seniors.

It was a lot of running around but, we managed to fit it all in. I still don't know how.

Bug gets her award. She is the one in front not holding up her certificate.

Believe it or not, the girl and 2 boys to the right of her are in her grade.

Bug is tall for her age.

Bug in her Acro costume.

This is her tap dance costume.

This is the costume for her Jazz class. 

They are supposed to be models so Bug loves this number!

And finally, this is their ballet costume. 

They are dancing with the dolls so of course the doll had to have the same costumes. 

Bug is on the right. That is her cousin on the left.

Unplug the Toaster!

Sunday evening I was upstairs installing new trim in the bathroom when I heard my wife call. Since it was close to dinnertime I assumed dinner was ready. I did not answer her right away since her hearing sucks and she would not have heard me anyway. Plus I wanted to finish the one piece I was working on. About a minute later my son called out, "Dad? Mom wants you."  So I figured this had nothing to do with dinner. I called down the stairs to see what she wanted. She yelled something about seeing smoke and not knowing where it came from. This is never good since twice in the past she almost burned down the house. So I went downstairs to see what she was talking about. Since she had just turned on the oven I figured perhaps something inside spilled. I was expecting a small amount of smoke. When I walked into the kitchen I saw smoke drifting across the counter and out the open window. There was also a lot of smoke in the air. I quickly realized this was not simply something in the oven.

I looked at the trail of smoke and followed it around and noticed it coming from the toaster in the corner. A toaster that she had decided to pile things on top of. A Styrofoam egg carton, a bag of pretzels, and something in a shopping bag that I could not identify. I immediately yanked the plug out of the wall. That is always the first step in an electrical fire. Cut the power to it. That is when the toaster and the stuff on it burst into flames. Flames were licking at the wall and the cabinets above. There was a towel on the counter so I grabbed  that and saturated it in the sink and tossed it on top of the flames to smother the fire. It cut the flames down enough for me to grab the toaster. I yelled to "Open the front door and get out of my way!" I then carried the toaster out onto the lawn. No sooner had I put it down and the towel started flaming. I was able to put out the fire with the garden hose. While the wall and cabinet now has scorch marks, they never actually caught fire. Thank God!

Now if you are like me, you are assuming someone made toast and she put the stuff on top of a hot toaster. That was not the case. What had happened was she had pushed some things aside on the counter and up against the toaster. This pushed down the lever on it just enough to make it heat up. As a result it ignited the stuff on top. I am just thankful that I was home when it happened. She was panicking and freaking out and didn't know what to do. If I was not home I would be living in a trailer right now while trying to salvage what I could from the ashes of my home!

So let this be your lesson of the day: Never ever put things on or near the toaster. And always unplug the thing when it is not in use!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

About 10 minutes ago I decided to grab a snack. I got up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen. On the rug I spotted what I assumed was a black show off one of my daughters Barbie dolls. Since it was in front of the dog I assumed he had been chewing on it so I bent over and picked it up. It fell out of my fingers and I picked it up again and rolled it into my palm to see if it was worth saving. That is when the legs popped out and it started moving! I may be a man but I despise bugs. I definitely do not like touching them. I grabbed the vaccumm and sucked it right up. Despite washing my hands I can still feel it in my fingers! I am freaked out.

This is what I picked up!

Waiting for the punch

I am having one of those moments where my stomach is in knots. There is no particular reason for it either. Nothing bad has happened today and I am not really expecting anything to either. Yet for some reason I have that sick feeling in my stomach and my blood pressure is way up. And that is even after I took my morning pills to control it. My hands are shaking and I am feeling a bit paranoid. It is the type of feeling you get right before someone punches you in the stomach. You sense that it is coming and you know it is going to hurt.

I have never thought that I suffered from anxiety. I am typically pretty laid back about a lot of things. Life has a way of working itself out so I rarely stress about things. However, looking back I have had this feeling before. Typically it turns out to be nothing. My mind can rationalize it all but, I just can't get the rest of my body to follow. I know a few people that do suffer from anxiety and this is pretty much how they describe it.

If it is something that you have never experienced, you just can not comprehend what it does to you. There is no way to just "snap out of it!" Without some sort of chemical help, you are forced to endure it and wait for it to pass. And it always does pass. I just wish it would pass quicker!

Defending your child -vs- crossing the line

I was sitting on the couch tonight. Finally relaxing after a long week. My wife's phone rang and when she answered it, it was my younger son Tyler. He had just been in a fight. That a boy had walked up and punched him in the head. This is when all rationale leaves and protective instinct takes over. I flew out the door and jumped in the car to find my son.

I found him standing on the side of the road. I could tell he was worked up but, there was no sign of any injuries. I asked him what had happened and he said he and 2 friends were walking down the street and they had exchanged words with another group of kids. One of those kids walked up to Tyler and punched him. I asked him which way the kid went and it took no time at all to find the kid. He was with a group of other kids at this point. I got out of my car and I admit that I was not exactly calm when I asked this kid what his problem was. I was downright pissed that he punched my kid. While I admit I may have been a bit abrupt, I was very careful not to threaten this kid in any way. I must have still scared him though because this kid got right in my face and told me if I touch him, he will own my house, my car, and everything else. What ever happened to respecting adults? This kid had me pissed. However I just looked him straight in the eye and told him I had no intention of laying a finger on him. I told him instead I was going to call the police. He decided that was the time he should be heading home. I demanded his name but of course he refused. So I told him that I can give a complete description of him and that his friends would roll over on him when the cops showed. That didnt phase him and he left.

Now I know my son. He can be a bit of a wise ass at times. I questioned him about what lead up to this fight. Both parties seem to agree that tyler and his group had said something first. Tyler insists that all he said was "Hi people across the street that I don't know!" The other group said that someone from my son's group had called them "faggots." I am sure the truth lies someplace in between. That still does not give this boy the right to punch my son. And both parties agree that it was not my son that took the first swing.

I got tyler back in the car and I got back in myself. I thought about it and decided to skip the police. I had already scared the other kid enough that I am sure he is still waiting for the police to show up. And Tyler said that after the kid punched him, he punched the kid back in the face and the kid walked away. Neither was seriously hurt physically. Let it be a lesson to both. My son needs to learn to not shoot off his mouth and the other boy needs to learn that he can not just punch people over words.....and I need to learn to take a deep breath before reacting next time!

Sometimes it is obvious that God listens

I have fallen on a bit of a difficult economic situation this past week. I will not get into details of blame, but lets just say, my wife's idea of budgeting and lack of disclosure has left us in a situation where the mortgage has almost tripled for the next 3 years. I suppose I should be happy because before I called the bank in a panic, it was over 4 times as much. I told them the keys would be on the counter for them when they came to take the house back. But, after a bit of negotiating I got them down to the triple amount and while it is going to be really tough, it is at least doable.

For the first few days after I learned of this situation, I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't eat or sleep. I had no idea what I was going to do. So, I offered it up to God. I didn't pray to suddenly win the lottery and I didn't ask for money to suddenly grow on trees. I simply asked for the strength and the wisdom to get through this hard time. Well, He heard me.

Not more than 3 hours after offering up my prayer I was driving down the highway and a young girl swerved into the side of my car. My car is damaged but thankfully no one was hurt. Since this was the first day this girl was driving with a license I knew reporting an accident would cost her big. She agreed to pay for the damages. I got an estimate and asked her for only 1/4 of it. I knew the estimate was high. Her dad is going to be sending out the check. When I took my car to the body shop for repairs, the owner of the shop fixed what had to be done and refused to take a dime from me since I had helped him in the past. I still have a small dent but I dont care. I now have several hundred dollars to help me out.

The next day my wife ran to the grocery store for a few things. She spent $18. When she came out of the store, laying on the ground next to her car was a $20 bill. We had dinner for for free that night. 

Last year my wife was forced to close down her business. We owned a gymnastics school. The economic times took a toll and we could no longer operate. (This is part of how we ended up in our mess). We still had all of the equipment. It ended up in my basement. We have slowly been selling it off. There is not a very big market for gymnastics equipment at the moment. Last Friday a woman called to ask about a couple things. Yesterday, she came all the way from NJ with cash in hand and bought $1470 worth of stuff.

While I was not expecting this type of help, I really owe God a big thank you. He has made it a little easier this month and has given me a new sense of peace that everything will be alright. Thank you God!

Random Pic of the Day

This guy was big enough to make my wife scream like she was being murdered. 
While to many of you, this is not very big, here on the island we typically do not get them this large.

Roller Coaster Tuesday

My Tuesday was a definite roller coaster ride. I was off from work because my son Tyler was making his Confirmation. It should have been a relaxing day from the start. However after receiving a notice from my mortgage company that more than doubles my payments, I was not starting off in a happy mood. Still I tried hard to not let the stress ruin what is supposed to be a happy day.

Tyler looked awesome all dressed in his suit and tie. Despite the pouring rain, it was a very nice celebration at the church. After the service we took his sponsor and all the grandparents, and of course Tyler, to a local restaurant for an early dinner. It was nice just sitting around talking to everyone over a good meal.

After the meal I headed home to take Kevin to his therapy appointment. It was still raining heavily so rather than letting him drive for practice, I decided to do the driving. That turned out to be a very wise choice. On the way home, a young girl driving in the right lane decided that she needed to be in the left lane. However, I was already there. I was treated to the sight of her car approaching fast in my direction and a nice loud bang as her car bounced off of mine. I pulled over of course to survey the damage. At first it did not look too bad. I had a small dent and my mirror was hanging off. I also had scuff marks on the side of my car where her tire hit. She called her mom because this was her first day on the new insurance and she only got her license a couple days ago. Her mom showed up and has agreed to pay for the damages rather than have this poor kid lose her license and have her insurance go sky high, I agreed to handle it between us.




I took the car to the body shop today. $1800 in damage! It sure didnt seem that bad until they showed me all the stuff I over looked. I know the owner of the body shop and I am sure he is being fair. I also know he will not charge me that much. So, to be fair, I will call the woman later and ask her to cover only 1/3 of the repairs. As long as the mirror is fixed, the scuff marks are removed and the dent can be minimized, I will be nice about it all. If she decides we should do the insurance instead, I guess I will just let them repair every little thing caused in the accident and not worry about the repercussions this new driver will have. I would really hate to see her lose her license already though. We shall see.

Yeah, yeah. I know I am a slacker

Things have been quite busy in life these days and I know I have been neglecting my blog. Please know however that I do still read all of your blogs on a daily basis. Even if I don't always comment. (Shhh...don't tell my bosses since I am typically at work while I read them).

When I tell you that I have so much to do between now and July, I am probably understating it. My son Tyler makes his confirmation next Tuesday. He also graduates from middle school in June and has his 8th grade formal in there some place. I also have to take him on an OA camp out at the beginning of June. (Scouters will know what OA means).

Kevin graduates high school this year and we will be having a party for that. He also has prom. While that is a big deal as it is, his date lives in Rhode Island which means I need to make time to pick her up at the Ferry on the east end of the island. She will probably be staying a day or two with us. Of course that means I need to paint my daughters room. I am also in the middle of wall papering the upstairs bathroom so she doesnt think we live in a cave. Add in all the stuff we are doing to get him into college.

Kaitlyn has her dance recital in June and there are a couple dress rehearsals for that. As some of you know, I also have two dance numbers in that recital. And because the dads and I are just so awesome at dancing in a tutu, we are doing our dances in a recital for another studio earlier the same day.

Once we get through all of the above, Tyler and I leave for a week of camping in Rhode Island. It will seem strange without Kevin this year. He finally found a job. He works in a restaurant as a bus boy. I am going to need that week in the woods to regain my sanity!

Now, on a side note: I am constantly finding funny things that I would love to share with my blogging buddies. Some of them are rather adult in nature so I have refrained from actually posting them here. Especially since I have readers that are younger. So I keep this blog on a family friendly level for the most part. What I have decided to do is create another blog that will have an adult rating and I will post stuff that crosses the line there instead. So check out After Dark

Hope you all have a terrific weekend!!

Random (Perverted) Pic of the Day

So now be honest, would you actually allow your child to wrap their lips around Wolverine's .....ummm....to blow him...up? What the hell was this toy designer thinking?

Schools are scary places these days.

My wife works as a teacher aide. She works in the 9th grade. In this particular district they have a separate building used exclusively for the 9th grade. Since it is located in what is considered a "low income" area it can be considered almost hazardous on some days. Today was one of those days. The following is a text message exchange from this morning:

C: "I was not in the pic. That's the good news"
(I was a bit confused since she had not sent any messages before this)

Me: "I am confused. What pic?"

C: "The pic that drew of himself shooting up the class"

What the heck is wrong when 14 year olds are expressing this kind of violent thoughts?

Thought 4 My Thursday

People will follow you only so far in life. If you become so focused on your destination that you no longer see the ones that helped you get there, don't be surprised when you turn around to look for them and they are no where to be seen. Perhaps they stumbled some where along the way and reached out for a hand from you. Only you never took a minute to see if they were still by your side.

Random Pic of the Day

So now my question for you ladies is this: Thinking about what happens to pasta when you boil it, would you bother to even cook it first?

Random Pic of the Day (I'm scared!)

The picture below is of a recent school project done by my daughter. Click on it to make it larger and read what she wrote under her drawing. I was laughing so hard my sides hurt. She doesn't know what is so funny about it and I think I will wait until she is older before I explain it. LOL

I thank my kids for a uplifting weekend

As most of you know from my last posting, things at home have been extremely stressful. It takes a toll on everyone when there is turmoil in the house. This past weekend was the exception. It was an awesome weekend. Each of the kids found some joy and happiness and were literally giddy with excitement.

It started Saturday morning with Tyler. He is my middle child. He is 14 and a real ladies man. Most of his friends are female and every time I turn around there is another one that he is hanging out with. However, he is very adamant about them being strictly friends. .......till now that is. Apparently he asked out a girl named Kaitlyn. She said yes so, he has his first "official girlfriend" The smile on his face and his practically giggling all day was just so nice to see. Kaitlyn came over that afternoon. I was a little surprised by the dyed jet black hair with purple highlights, the lip ring, and the skulls on her purse, but she seems to be a sweet girl. As long as he is happy.....

Kevin, my oldest son, has bee trying for awhile to find a job. He is now 18 and striving for his independence. Saturday night while I was at work, he called me and sounded all excited. He had been out and looking to hook up with some friends. They didnt get back to him so as he was out wandering, he decided to stop into a local restaurant. When he inquired about a job, they asked him if he could start on the spot. So he spent the next 5 hours bussing tables. Since he spent last summer working in a camp kitchen, he had no trouble here. They told him he was a very hard worker and that they would be calling him to set up a schedule.

And finally, my daughter Kaity. Sunday my wife, Kaity and I went into New York City. My wife had homework to do that involved heading to the Hayden Planetarium. We took the train in and walked from 34th street to 79th street. We walked through Central Park. It was an awesome day weather wise. Kaity wasn't too interested in the museums but, perked right up when we agreed to take her to the American Girl Doll store at 49th & 5th. We told her we were simply going to look around. Seeing her that excited when we were there was the little push I needed and I agreed to buy some clothes for her doll. She is still bouncing off the walls with joy.

The wife and I are talking at least. It sure beats the way it was, but things are still up in the air. None of it mattered this weekend though. I was just happy my kids found something to each rejoice in.

Kaity and I in Bryant Park behind the New York Public Library

Kaity seeing how much she would weigh on the moon.

On the train heading to NYC

Across the street from the Ed Sullivan Theater where David Letterman tapes his show.

I need to grow hair so I can pull it out!

When I first started blogging I vowed to keep it fun and upbeat. Life as of late has sort of kept me from living up to that. It is why I have not been posting as much. I wish I had some funny stroy to share about the kids but I just don't. I am really starting to seriously look at divorce as my only hope of not having a heart attack and dropping dead. Let me give you the shortened version for a change.

This past Saturday what started as a minor dispute took a nasty turn later in the day. After several hours of trying very hard not to get into a full blown argument, I finally said, "I quit!" I was simply referring to being badgered. I decided to take my son out to practice driving and calm down. I returned in time to shower and get ready for work Saturday night. After I was ready I decided to check my email. This is what I had waiting for me from my wife. (Yes she has this nasty habit of writing me nasty emails).

April 3 at 3:11pm
go be with who ever it is your looking for I am totally done living on egg shells. I do not love you anymore and you said again that you were done. I have been cheating on you for months so now you have every reason to blame me and let everyone know it is all my fault.

I sat there in disbelief. Since she has cheated before, it was not a total shock. However, something in me didn't believe her. Either way I am mad. If she is cheating that is wrong. If she is not cheating, I am hurt that she could be so cruel as to say such a thing to get to me. She totally succeeded in pissing me off. She has since said she is not cheating and that she lied. My reaction is simply "WTF?!" I am still pissed and not ready to accept an apology yet. If I felt like typing an entire novel you would see all the other childish crap she is pulling lately that has me and the kids at wits end. Now she is mad at me because I believed her when she said it.

Now, before you all try thinking of all sorts of reasons why she would do this, let me point out that she suffers from depression. She was diagnosed with it and is supposed to be taking meds. She went off of them on her own about 8 months ago. The problem is this is the same stuff she has been pulling for many many years. Basically everything she has been accusing me of, is things she has been doing. Including cheating on me with 3 different men over the years.

Every time she is mad she threatens me with divorce. Again last night she said she is going to pick up the papers at the end of the week. She has done it before but then throws them at me to fill out. I never do. I am not so sure that this time around I wont. I had a long talk with her mom tonight. I asked her for help in trying to get her daughter back on her meds. Even she has realized there is a mental health issue going on here. I am hoping that my wife listens. If not, I will be forced to get out of this marriage. Otherwise "Till death do us part" will be here far too soon for my liking. Sigh......

Happy 18th Kevin

My oldest son Kevin has reached one of the major milestones in his life. Today is his 18th birthday. I know he is excited by it. Part of me is too. The other part of me is being a parent and wondering just where all those years have gone. Today has been filled with many moments of daydreaming. Remembering back to so many happy memories.

I just can not help but smile when I think back to things like the day you were born. I was scared to death. Would I be a good dad? Would you grow up healthy and happy? You were not an easy delivery either. At 8 lbs 10 oz and 21" you gave us a scare when you got stuck. Obviously you turned out just fine.

I find myself laughing about some of your crazy statements. Like when your slot car flew off it's track and you threw your hands up and yelled, "Crazy woman drivers!" I have no idea where you got that one. Or the night you were in the bath and called out to us about the water being too cold. We heard you say, "My nipples are getting hard!"

I smile when I think back to how you could not say the word shishkabob ( I am sure I spelled it wrong) and you called them "Squish-a-bobs" Or how amazing it was that we could mix peas into your mashed potatos and spoon feed them to you and yet somehow you would swallow all the potato and spit out the peas. You thought grapes were evil and would put them on the tray of your high-chair and smash them with your fist. Oh and how can I forget the time you scared a baby sitter so bad that we never heard from her again because you shot your imaginary family for being too noisy. You were about 4 at the time. Or how you and I would lay on your bed at bedtime and make up our own story. It was the only way I could get you to tell me what was going on your life. You always would have the characters do the things that you had experienced and I would always smile because you had no idea that you were revealing the secrets we needed to hear. I am still not sure why you chose the name "Ear-butt" for our little alien main character. lol

You still amaze me with your sense of wonder. Even back in kindergarten you wanted to learn languages. Here you are today and you speak English, French, Japanese, some Spanish, and you have taught yourself some limited German and Russian. While other kids were reading Curious George in 5th grade, you were reading "Alexander the Great" and the "Biography of Lucille Ball" When you set your mind to doing things you do everything you possibly can to accomplish them.

And I find myself looking back and getting teary over things like the time you dropped your Oreo cookie and it broke. You looked at me and said, "Fix it daddy" and I knew I couldn't. You cried and cried even though I gave you another one. Or the day Michelle passed away. That dog was your best friend. You picked her out and named her yourself. Again, no matter what I did, I knew I could not fix it. That was the first time I watched you hold in your pain and to this day you do it far too much...and I can't fix it. Or when the other kids would distance you because they just had no idea what you were talking about much of the time. (You even stunned your teachers with your knowledge levels). As a result you became a loner for many years...and I couldn't fix it. I know that you have many more obstacles to overcome in your life...and I can't fix it no matter how badly my heart wants to. Sadly, they are lessons you must experience to learn. Just know I am here for you to lean on.

Today you are out with your friends instead of home with us on your birthday. I know soon you will be home and we will have that cake you wanted, but I also know this is just a part of your growing up. There will come a day when you move out on your own. Please just remember this: No matter where you go in your life, you are forever going to be my son. I love you more than life itself and always will. Happy Birthday Buddy.

Music 4 My Monday

This is one of those songs I just can't help but love....

It's not my problem....

Somehow over the years I have turned into the "go to" guy. No matter if I am at work or at home, somehow I became the one that is expected to fix everything for everyone else. I am flattered that others believe in me but, I have reached the breaking point. I have learned to say "No" but that is not always acceptable to the other person. Last night was a prime example.

My wife decided to go back to college last year after her business went belly up. I am proud of her for making that choice and succeeding at it. However, whenever she undertakes a new project, she expects everyone else to assist in it. Last night she was once again sitting on the couch dealing with her homework. What always ends up happening is she will reach a point where she gets stuck on something and rather than working to figure it out she will expect others to solve the problem. Typically she will anyone within earshot. And sadly she relies far too much on my oldest son to rush to her rescue with anything computer related. Never mind the fact that it is usally with software he has never used or seen. It is typically a program that she is using for a class and the professor had explained it in her class time. We are expected to be able to figure it all out. If we can't we are subjected to nastiness and a sarcastic "Gee thanks."

Last night was the same scenario. She was asking questions left and right and my son had to keep stopping what he was doing and try and explain for the 100th time how to import and export files. At one point she actually asked him to get up and cross the living room so that he could put paper in a printer that was at her feet. That had me annoyed but I kept my mouth shut.

A little while later she came to me with some sort of project she has been working on. She was unable to use a hole punch to make two perfect round holes because it would not reach far enough. Rather than ask me if I had any ideas she could try, she handed it to me and said, "I can't do this. I need you to make two round holes." I resented that. Once again her problem suddenly became mine. It is not my project. I didn't choose to do it. So yes I was annoyed and made it obvious. Well, that just pissed her off. I was treated to hearing about how I never want to help her and I don't support her. I didn't refuse to help. In fact I stopped what I was doing and got up to do it. Yes I grumbled but, I happen to think I was entitled to being upset. This escalated into a major battle.

She had gone upstairs which was fine but then came back down. SHe wanted to talk. Her idea of talking involves me listening and then her stomping off when it is my turn to talk. I was still mad and didnt want to talk at that moment. I really try not to talk when I am mad. I end up saying things I later regret and it solves nothing. When I was in therapy, I learned that I should just explain that I need time. I tried it and was met with a lovely sarcastic "So you just want to sweep it under the rug!" That is not what I was attempting to do at all. I just wanted time to cool off. Well, it turned into push push push until Tom cant take anymore. We ended up in a major argument. Complete with yelling and screaming and as an added bonus, major chest pains for me. To the point where I was doubled over.

My son heard me as I went into the bathroom and hit my knees. He came down to make sure I was ok. I knew it was just muscular but was in too much pain to talk. I could hear my wife saying, "He is fine" but my son wasnt so sure and demanded to be able to check on me. I was able to let him know that I was not having a heart attack but I felt even worse that he was scared.

This morning I over slept. So did my son. After last night I decided to stay home. I offered to let him do the same. He didnt want to but then he realized his backpack with his books was in his mother's car and she had left for work. So he stayed home too. We went for coffee and just sat and talked. I wanted to alleviate his stress over last night. I know he sees what is happening and sadly I am not the only one that resents having everyone else dumping their crap on them. He actually said to me, "Dad, she just pushes and pushes at you." I don't like that he sees it. I know it has taken a toll on him. I just don't know how to fix it. I hate that he is losing his relationship with his mom but, that is not my problem. My problem is it is also pushing him away from this house which pushes him away from me........

I like to torment my GPS

I have GPS on my cell phone. I always use it on long trips, even if I know where I am going. Because it is on my Verizon phone, it has up to the minute traffic reports and it gives me a pretty good idea of how long it is before I will reach my destination. It is pretty accurate too and if I pull into a rest area or off the highway it alwys self corrects and gives me the voice saying, "Recalculating route." Sometimes I do it just for fun. The kids like to hear it get mad at me.

This past weekend I used it on my way back from our camping trip. As I got closer to home I took a different route and of course the GPS made adjustments. My son commented about the female voice almost sounding annoyed at me for making up my own route. Of course I am not about to give into a female telling me what to do, even if she is nothing more than an electronic device. You ladies have your BOB, us guys have our GPS girlfriends. I somehow think your pleasure is better but hey, it's what I've got. So anyway, I made another non-approved detour and again the GPS yelled at me. It reached a point that it was telling me to turn onto streets that I had already passed. I think I may have really pissed her off. Either that or she has blond electrons. Because when I pulled up in front of my house, instead of getting the normal "You have reached your destination" my nagging electronic copilot decided to tell me to "Make the next legal U-turn" (I live on a dead end street so she knew I had to turn around). Of course I wanted to see what she had in mind so I started to scroll through the directions. This is what she was asking me to do: (I am abbreviating street names to thwart the paparazzi).

GPS: Make Next legal U-Turn (Note: we did not actually do this since we had just been driving for 4 hours to get here).

Me: Uhm I am already home here on O Avenue

GPS: Make a right onto O Street and prepare to turn right.

Me: That is the way I just came from.

GPS: Make a right onto L Ave. and proceed .2 miles to H street.

GPS: Make a right onto H Street and prepare to turn right on M Avenue.

Me: Why?

GPS: Make a right onto M Avenue and proceed .3 miles to O Street.

GPS: Make a right onto O Street and prepare to turn right onto O Avenue. Your destination will be on the right.

Me: Yes I am aware of that because I am already here.

My boys and I sat there hysterical laughing. I sure hope she forgets our laughing at her directions or next time she may direct me into a lake. LOL

Sad songs make me.......

Every once in awhile a song from my past comes on the radio and it just takes me back to the emotions I felt at the time I first heard it. I think I will start posting such songs from time to time. Tonight I am at work, just as I always am on Thursday nights. This song came on and I had to pull over and just listen. Ok so yeah, it was cause it is hard to drive with tears in your eyes. When this song fist came out it was at a time where one of my relationships had just ended. I never let on just how sad I was over it all. To this day I don't think she realizes just how I felt. That was in 1984...here I sit 26 years later and I am thinking back......In a few hours I am sure I will be just fine and life will go on. In the meantime I am going to just sit back and enjoy this video the same way I enjoyed it way back then. By playing it over and over and over again. lol

This past weekend the boys and I went camping in CT. We left Friday morning to head to Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken NJ. Kevin had an admissions interview. From there we headed up to the CT / RI border for the weekend. It worked out very well that we were using a cabin instead of tents for this trip.

While we were away The north-east was hit with a major storm. It rained for a couple days. We got close to 4 inches. Living on an island means we don't get the same magnitude of flooding that many see on the mainland, but we do have some. Primarily along the coastal areas when the tides are extra high and back up through the storm drains.

The big problem was the wind. We were having gusts of 60 MPH. With all of the rain, the ground was soft. Add those two together and it leads to a lot of downed trees. My last couple days have been spent inspecting damage from the storm. Some very large trees fell on homes. Roofs were ripped off. Awnings were torn from walls of stores. The municipal gazebo collapsed. I even saw a portable carport hanging from the electric and phone wires. Many areas are still without power. Luckily the sun is out today and it is near 60 since no electric also means no heat.

My house sustained some damage. I lost roof shingles. I also had the hood ripped off one of my cars and it hit the sunroom. Fortunately it only dented one of the walls instead of going through it. We never lost power. Compared to many of the houses I have seen, I consider myself lucky.

The area we were camping also got hit pretty bad, but not as bad as what we saw when we got home. So now that the sun has returned, I will be spending tomorrow afternoon up on my roof fixing the mess that Mother Nature decided to leave me with.

Tyler and some friends played Monoply to pass some time.

While Kevin and friends opted for what turned out to be an 8 hour game of Risk

This was the cabin we stayed in

This is the type of destruction I came home to deal with at work.

Well, the do call them "portable!"

It helps to know some people still maintain a sense of humor! LOL

Thought 4 My Thursday

If you put things in your life off until "life slows down",
you better pray that there is life after death...

Random Pic of the Day

What you are looking at is a lamp chain decoration. They used to be really popular on floor lamps and the old ceiling fixtures before light switches became popular.

About a year ago I was inspecting a house. The owner had passed away and her daughter was trying to legalize everything. When I stepped into the house it was like being thrown back in time. Everything was from an era long ago. Including the appliances and cabinetry. When I stepped into one of the back rooms I saw an old lamp in the corner. Hanging from it was the decoration you see in the picture. I suddenly had all sorts of images in my head of being at my grandma's house when I was a kid. She had a floor lamp with this very same pull chain decoration hanging on it.

I could not help but remember things like summer days in grandma's garden. PB&J sandwiches and chocolate milk. Sleeping over her house for days at a time. Playing outside with kids from that area. Looking at pictures of my mom when she was little. Visiting my great-grandmother in her upstairs bedroom where she spent pretty much all of her time. Home made cookies. Sorting pennies for a coin collection that became mine when my grandparents both passed. Reading stories and watching cartoons. Even more than all that, it was time away from my home where my dad drank too much and my mom stressed too much. That combo meant constant fighting.

I did not get into the details with the lady I was meeting at this house. I simply commented on the stop light decoration and how it reminded me of my childhood. I was shocked when she said, "Would you like to have it?" Normally I would refuse but, I just could not let this chance pass. Today it sits hanging from the shelf above my desk in my office. Every time I look at it I can not help but flashback to grandma's house. I do it with a smile and just a hint of sadness that it is only a memory.....

Favorite 4 My Friday - Pay attention Dena

This was the scene last Sunday in Las Vegas. After not finishing in Daytona, Jimmie came back to win race #2 and #3 of the season. I am liking the way NASCAR 2010 is starting. Sorry Dena...lol

N@ked co-workers

Last night I went to bed early. I have been really tired the last few weeks. Maybe the exhaustion will explain the dream I had. I have a coworker I will just call D. In my dream last night D was standing by her desk and as I walked by she looked at me and slowly lifted her shirt to reveal her right breast. Today I am at work and as usual D is at her desk. Only when I have to talk to her I have to force myself to look directly into her eyes. She has noticed something different and asked, but I certainly am not about to tell her.

This is not the first time either. Several years ago I had a dream about another coworker. She was standing totally naked in a bathtub in my basement while a giant pipe poured water and fish into the tub. Don't ask cause I don't understand it either.

I don't spend my days at work fantasizing about these women. They are both attractive but, have never in any way ever said anything suggestive of being interested in me. Nor have I to them. I can not be the only one that has ever had this happen. So my question is, have you ever dreamt about naked coworkers? Or do I need to start going back to therapy?

Letter to my son

My oldest son Kevin is a senior in High School this year. His English class is studying Hamlet. His teacher sent home a letter to the parents asking that we write a letter to our child. One scene in Hamlet involves his father offering him advice before heading out into life. That was the basis of the letters to our children. The teacher is going to present the students with their letters in an upcoming class. What you are about to read is the one I wrote tonight.

Dear Kevin,

Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that you were getting on the bus for your very first day of Kindergarten. You entered school with a curiosity and ambition to learn as many things as you possibly could. At the very top of that list was the desire to learn to speak French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese, and a few other languages. We never doubted you would succeed. Little did we realize just how well you would do it though. On top of bringing home consistently excellent grades, you have met your goal, albeit slightly modified. You have learned to speak French, Japanese, some German and even a little Russian. All I can say is, "Wow!"

In the last few years you have matured so much that it is scary. Not that you were immature before. You have always been slightly ahead of your time. But, you have done things that many people will never do in their lifetime. You have spent 10 weeks working in another state and being responsible for yourself. You have earned a place in the National Honor Society. You have achieved the rank of Life Scout. You even spent a month living in Japan with your tutor and her family and friends. You have accomplished things that many would be envious of.

In a few months you will be graduating High School and embarking on a new journey. You will head to college where you will meet many new friends and experience many new things. It will be a whole new world for you. As you prepare for this next step there are some things we would like you to keep in mind.

College is nothing like High School. I know you think it will be easy, but I assure you that is not the case. The courses are harder. The professors tougher. Accept the criticism for what it is. Don't get offended when it happens. There is a reason for it. The goal is to make you work for your degree. It insures that when you graduate, you are the best you can be in your chosen field. We have seen you strive when you need to. Continue to do so and you will be fine.

You are going to meet a lot of new people. They will come from many places and may see life differently than you do. They will do things in ways that maybe you don't understand. Be accepting of the fact that people need to do what they feel is right for them. Even if it is what is not right for you. People will approach things with several different ideas. Listen to what they have to say and don't be afraid to express your own thoughts. Often times you may find that combining ideas will get you further. You don't always have to be right. Life would be boring if we all thought the same way.

This next one is a big one. Perfection is over rated and is never expected. You will not always have the answers. You will not always fully understand things. There is nothing wrong with that. If you had all the answers going in, you would be wasting time and money by even being in college. You are there to learn. Open your mind to what they try to teach. And no one there will expect you to know everything.

There are also going to be things that you experience socially. All we ask is that you use your best judgment. Think about what you are doing and what the consequences could be. Wasn't it Einstein that said, "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction" ? That holds true with things we do in our lives.

We know that as long as you hold onto your beliefs and enter into this part of your life with that same sense of wonder that you had 12 years ago, you will succeed in all that you dream of. We love you very much Kevin. We are so very proud of who you have become and of who you are destined to be!

We love you always,

Mom and Dad

Kevin on his first day of Kindergarten

Kevin on his first day of his senior year

Self Love. (No not THAT kind!)

I saw this video today and just have to share it. This is just too funny.

What vacation?

Yes, I realize I have been pretty scarce these days. Been a busy couple weeks. I had been hoping to catch up when I was on vacation 2 weeks ago but that just didn't happen. Monday and tuesday were great. I relaxed and enjoyed my time off in an empty house. Kids in school and wife at work. Hell, I even got out of the shower and walked through the house naked, just because I could! lol

Wednesday morning greeted me with a stomach virus. No, I don't think it was from being naked the day before. I spent the day pretty much horizontal and sleeping. Thursday was my annual physical. That meant nothing to eat or drink from the night before. No biggie right? I can just have coffee and food afterward. My appointement was for 11:30. I get there and as usual my blood pressure was high. No surprise there. What did come as a surprise was when my EKG came out bad. I have been having some chest pressure lately and it was bad the night before but, I assumed it was only from being sick and doing ballet anyway. (See previous blogs for more on that).

Well I guess my chest discomfort was enough of a concern for the doc. She told me I needed to see a cardiologist. I agreed to make an appointment. She looked at me and said, "No you don't get it. I am calling and you are going to see them right now. Go straight there!" Uh oh....time to worry a bit. So I go. I spent the next 5 hours dealing with tests and a doctor poking at me. Based on my family history and the symptoms I described, she is thinking hospital time. She decides to have me run on a treadmill first. It is now about 4 PM and I still have not eaten. I tell her I will run but be prepared to pick me up. I am diabetic and my sugar was getting low. She tells me they will feed me first. I was like wow, how much is the co-pay gonna be now? So, the nurse brings me a dry bagel and some water. I finish that and off to run while hooked up to so many wires it looked like I was growing ivy. I did well. Well enough to not have to go to the hospital that day. But not well enough to not have to go back to see her the next day. Grrr.....

Now here it is friday and again I can't eat. My test is for 12:30. I go and get injected with some sort or radioactive stuff that is strong enough to set off radiation detectors in police cars so I was given a letter to carry on me. I then get to eat. Then it is off to the MRI machine for the first round of pictures. Then it is back to a tread mill. They make you walk and eventually run to get your heart rate high enough. Well, they had increased my meds the day before and for the first time in many years my BP is normal. only now we can't get the heart rate up high enough. Increase the speed and incline on the treadmill. ....huff....puff...huff some more.....Finally we get it close enough. I am about ready to drop. The nurse injects more dye while I am running and tells me "Ok 2 more minutes" Easy for her to say! Then rest and more MRI pictures. The whole thing took about 4 hours. So much for vacation......

The results have come back normal...for the most part. But, she still is talking about putting me in the hospital for a cathodization in a month. Just to rule out the last little chance of heart disease. We are waiting a month to let the meds even out and I have to keep track of my pains. If I feel anything I need to go straight to the hospital. I just hope I dont have to run there!

I think next year I want to go to Disney on my vacation. I don't like how I spent this one!

Random Video of the Day

I recently had a hard drive crash that took years worth of pictures with it. After weeks of stressing out and beating myself up over not backing things up, I finally am well on my way to actually getting them back. It involved buying a new HD and reformatting the old one so the recovery software could do it's thing, but the money and countless hours are worth it totally. I have almost all of it back! Yay me!

As I am sitting here restoring videos I thought I lost tonight I came across this one. It was a dress rehearsal for my daughter's dance recital in 2008. I can not help but smile watching it. These are the types of memories I feared I had lost forever.

Random Pic of the Day

We got hit with another blizzard yesterday here on Long Island. It was not as bad as they had hyped it up to be but, it was still a decent amount of snow. As I do on most days, I spent my lunch hour at the dock. When I pulled in I found the gentleman above sprawled out on a lawn chair soaking up the sunshine. He had climbed over the snowbank and out onto the dock. I guess it is true. "Life really is what you make it." While the rest of the island is looking at today as a cold messy winter day, this man is looking at it as one day closer to Spring!

What About Me 4 My Wednesday

Ok so I am a day late with this one, but I am on vacation this week so I am taking it easy.

I do my best to be the type of dad that is always involved in what my kids are doing. I know they grow up too fast and I want to enjoy those special moments when I can. And as at least one of you knows, I will do pretty much anything for a laugh. I have found a way to combine the two in my latest project.

My daughter Katie dances. She is in 4 different dance groups and she loves being on stage. My favorite being the ballet. Well, this year I have the chance to participate. Yep you guessed it. I am doing ballet. Not just in a class, but 4 other dads, 2 grandads, and one brother, and I are going to be dancing Swan Lake in June's recital. I will give you a moment to stop laughing...............Better now?

Yes, our group of 8 is learning how to turn and point our toes and do all sorts of other leaps and steps I can not pronounce. We will do our number in a tutu. Since it is a bit see thru we will be wearing white boxers underneath. Add in the white tee, pink slippers, and a hair piece, (Katie says we will have to glue mine on) and you will have the oddest looking group of guys ever assembled in a dance recital.

I am actually having fun in the class. It is great exercise and we laugh at each other a lot. The teacher was so impressed that we learned so quickly, that she has us also learning a second number. It is a soft shoe tap number by Fred Astaire. I have suggested with our ages and lack of dance skills we should call ourselves the "Afraid of Stairs" instead of the Fred Astaires. The second number is a surprise. We are not telling anyone we are going to be doing it.

So, wish me luck. Pray I don't have a heart attack mid leap or that I don't trip on my skirt and break a hip. And before any of you ask, (Yes Dena I know you will) I plan to get a copy of the video from the recital and will be posting this to YouTube.

Favorite 4 My Friday

One of my favorite things in life is going to see my kids in any type of activity they do. I have yet to miss a single one. It kinda ties in with my Thought 4 My Thursday post from yesterday.
Today, the third graders at Katie's school were doing a "Wax Museum." Each child was dressed up as someone who has had an influence on America. When we walked into the classroom the children were all standing behind their desks. I walked over to Katie and she was looking down. I thought she was upset. So after asking what was wrong a few times and her not responding, she motioned with her finger to her desk. There was a cut out marked "Activate" I got it now. We need to push the button on the desk to activate the wax statue. Once I pushed it Katie looked up and smiled and began to talk about her person. She was Carrie Underwood. It was fun walking around and looking at the different children and they just loved when someone pushed their button. It was obvious that the children had learned to do research. They each had some fun facts about the person they were portraying.

Katie dressed as Carrie Underwood

Katie's cousin Joey as Abraham Lincoln

Thought 4 My Thursday

"Children will not remember you for the things that you give them,
but for the love that you shared with them"

Which type are you?

I was in 7-11 yesterday buying a cup of coffee. There was several people at the counter. Including one gentleman that was just standing there. He was blocking the counter. I noticed that he had an empty cup sitting on the counter and it became evident that he was waiting for one pot to stop brewing. This was despite the several pots that were already done. I realize it should not bother me but, it does. This is 7-11. Coffee does not sit in the pot for long. People are constantly buying it and a new pot is brewed. How much fresher could this new pot be? 5 minutes? Maybe 15 minutes tops?

Normally I would just give the guy a courteous nod, buy my coffee and leave. This was not one of those times. He was laughing and joking with one of the guys that works there and he stepped away from the counter for a minute. I saw my opportunity. While he was distracted I noticed the pot he was waiting for was pretty much done. So, I switched that pot out with the one sitting next to it. I poured my cup from the fresh pot and put it on the back burner. The guy came back and grabbed the pot of older coffee and poured his cup. He sipped it to make sure it tasted ok, put a lid on it and went to pay.

Was this childish of me? Probably. But, it sure was funny!

This brings me to the next part. I have noticed that there are several different types of people that frequent the 7-11 coffee counter each day:

Mr. Fresh- This is the type of guy I described above. They insist on waiting for that new pot. The only way to get fresher would be to go pick the beans with Juan Valdez

The Sniffer- This person insists on picking up each pot and smelling them. They are like the guy above. They just have to have the freshest coffee but, they just don't have the time to sit and wait for that fresh pot.

Heat Mizer- Similar to Mr. Fresh & The Sniffer in that they want that fresh pot. Only they attempt to find it by touching the coffee basket on the machine to see if it is still hot from having the water run through it. They can be identified by the burn scars in their palms. This method is not accurate since you never know when some smart ass may switch out the pots.

Sweet Stuff- This is the person that stands there pouring sugar into the cup until there is about an inch deep pile in the cup. There is so much sugar in the coffee that they probably don't even taste the coffee. There is less sugar in 5 Red Bull Energy drinks.

The Sipper - This unique person takes forever to make one cup of coffee. They put in a little sugar and / or milk and then stir it. Then they sip it to test the taste. They go back and add more sugar and stir and sip it again. This process is repeated several times until they have it perfected.

The Chemist- This is the person that will mix and match the various types of coffee. Maybe 1 part Brazilian Bold mixed with 1 part Decaf and a splash of Vanilla. I wonder if there is any combo that will burst into flames?

And finally, the type that I am, Mr. Pour and Go- I have made so many cups of coffee over the years that I know how I like it. I pour in a roughly measured amount of half & half. I then grab the closest pot of coffee and pour it. I don't care if it was just brewed or was something they found in a corner and reheated in the microwave. I like the taste of coffee but it is the caffeine fix I am after.

Which type are you?

Random Pic of the Day

Today's random pic was taken this past Saturday in New York City. The kids had an appointment and while we were there we got to walk around a little bit. This is the 3 of them in Times Square. If you enlarge the pic you can see the New Year's Eve ball and the 2010 sign lit up above them.

Toon 4 My Tuesday

Pine scented butt...ouch

Today was the day to finally take down the Christmas tree. My wife wanted it down last weekend but, we convinced her it should stay until Little Christmas on Jan 6th. We took all the decorations off of it and I unwrapped the lights. As she packed up the ornaments I crawled under the tree to unscrew the base. As I got down on the floor it became apparent that the tree was getting dry. I guess when I asked each day if the tree was watered and the kids said yes, they had not really done it. As the pine needles fell I thought I was going to end up with a number of them on my head. I pulled up the hood on my sweatshirt in an attempt to avoid it.As I unscrewed the final screw, the tree decided to tip over. Since I was concerned about any water spilling on the rug I grabbed the base. The tree landed on top of me. It was actually kinda funny and I laughed along with the kids. My wife came over and saved me from the man eating tree. Good thing I had put up my hood right? Well....not so much. What I did not take into account was that my sweatshirt rode up my back. And of course being a typical male, I had a bit of a plumber's crack happening. I discovered as I stood up that I had filled that crack with a bunch of dry pine needles. And of course they had to migrate further south as I reached back to grab what I could.

The next few minutes were spent trying hard not to move too much while at the same time digging out the pine needles. There was no way in hell I was going to climb the stairs to the shower until I was sure I had at least the ones that were threatening to poke me in the really tender spots. Next year I think I will tuck in my shirt better!

Follow up to my last post

I appreciate the kind words you each left for me. I do need to clarify one part. Yes I mentioned I felt almost suicidal. I also said that it is something I would never do. I meant that. Suicide is not an option for me. I have way too much to live for. That doesn't mean that I have not thought of it though. A person I have known for years (like 25 of them) happened to read my post and shared a song with me. It is the exact point I was trying to make in my writing. All it takes is a simple call to make that difference in someone's life.

So, sit back and watch this video. You may want to grab a tissue or two first.

Matt Kennon   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

Thought 4 My Thursday

How many times have you sat there and thought that you make absolutely no difference in this world? Well, I assure you that you do.

I have been going through some really rough times lately. As a result I have been in a major depression. It usually happens in February each year but, since the cold came early maybe the mood did too? I hit a major low this morning. To the point of almost feeling suicidal. I would never do it since it is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Yet, just feeling that low is scary. I have been feeling extremely alone. The people I count on most seemed to be just so distant. I really figured if I were gone, no one would even notice. I offered up a prayer for some sort of glimmer of hope. Hope that I am thought about. Hope that I do make a difference to even just one person. The answer to my prayers came in the form of a simple phone call. Someone that I have missed dearly in my life. We talked for awhile. I didn't get into all of the drama that has surrounded my life these days. Instead I found a reason to just laugh and enjoy listening to them. My salvation came in the form of one simple sentence they said to me. "I was thinking about you" That is all I needed to hear. Those few words made me smile and cry at the same time.

My wish is that each of you stop for just one minute and reach out to someone. It can be a phone call or an email or even just a simple text message. Just let that person know you are thinking about them. It can be the difference in their life. The answer to a prayer they have hit their knees and offered up.

And to that one person that reached out to me today, thank you so very much. Today you made that difference in my world. I love you my friend. Hugz........