Last Tuesday, Dawn and I went to our daughter's choral concert at her school. We were both excited to watch her sing, but not all that excited about sitting through the entire program. This was our 4th time going to the "Spring Sing", and although it has always been fun, it's also always been muggy and hard to find a seat. Another issue is dinner. We get home from work fairly late and unless we grab something fast, there just isn't time. This year was no exception. We walked into the tiny, packed, not quite sweltering auditorium right at the time the program was to start. Anyone who knows us well will realize that being right on time for something means we were early. Punctuality has never been our strongest asset to put it mildly, although we are getting better.
Anyway, we said hello to a couple of people and found a nice place to lean since there were no seats available. My feet were already killing me from standing all day at work; my body tired since the day after a holiday is always very busy and because we have an air conditioner that is going on the fritz, and to be truthful, I was not all that interested in being there. But I had to be there. The Christmas concert was canceled this school year due to snow, and this was the only chance we would have to see Rachel sing. She is one of 12 kids in the entire school to make it to Choralaires, which is the top singing group in the school. Truly, even though I was not excited to be there at that moment, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
The kids were wonderful. Of the 4 times we have seen them perform, this was easily the best. It obviously helped that Rachel was in the top group for the first time, but they did an amazing job. The Choralaires did an acapella version of Bohemian Rhapsody that was so good it actually choked us up. It also cracked us up on a couple of occasions when the kids were doing guitar solos with their voices; you had to hear it to believe it. There were a few other songs that were excellent as well, but this was easily the highlight of the evening as far as Dawn and I were concerned. Another good thing, although not quite as good, was that after the middle school kids performed their 3 songs, several chairs opened up and we got to sit in the 2nd row. My feet found this to be THE highlight.
But that's not what I wanted to tell you about. What kept popping into my head while I was sitting there was the multiple times my parents came to things like this for me, how nervous and uncomfortable I was singing in front of everyone, and how much nicer it was from my standpoint to just observe and be proud of our child. When my father was the age I am now, I was around 8 years old and he was an old man in my eyes. I expect that he just felt like a young guy in a middle-aged body like I do now. I still don't feel like it's possible that I am a grandfather and that my kids are all nearly full grown. I wonder where the time has gone. But at the concert, I put on his shoes for a couple of hours and I kind of liked it. My dad recently turned 80 years old. Now, when I think of him as an old man, I'm actually right. But if I think back to all the wonderful and awful and mundane things that I've been through since I was that 8 year old boy... and if I think of what can happen in my life between now and my 80th birthday if I'm lucky enough to stick around that long, then I'm not an old man at all. I'm a young man who is very excited about what the next 36 years of his life could bring.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
A Goal Reached!
We've certainly fallen off the wagon from our goal reaching over the past month or so! Why is it that we can get so worked up over plans and goals for about 15 minutes, and then they just fall by the roadside? For me it's because I'm so used to my usual routine, and it's difficult to break out of it. Even if it means life will not only be better, but allow me more time to do those things I love. The comfort zone is easily slipped back in to. That is why we call it "comfort". Who wants to be in the "DIScomfort zone"? Certainly not I. Making changes, whether big or small can illicit a certain amount of discomfort, at least in my life.
The GOOD news is, even though we have been too busy with our regular routine to workout, follow a budget, make multiple trips to the dump, spend more time together, eat right and in general just better ourselves, we DID make time to get our website up and running. Well, as best we could for now.
Our ultimate goal is to have a REAL website that isn't just a blog. Something that gives us the freedom to create pages exactly the way we want them. Something more interactive that allows a forum. But for now, we have at least taken the first step to that ultimate goal.
Because we have both been drawn in to Mafia Wars on facebook, the next logical step for us was to create a website that offers ideas and tips for people like us. TADA!!!! Behold http://mafiamaniac.blogspot.com. Our infant. Since posting the site last night, we've received around 100 hits. That is pretty amazing and encouraging! We are on the right track. It's a start and a general push in the right direction. Hopefully it's the push we need to get us back on the wagon with our goal reaching.
Thanks for reading! ~ Dawn
The GOOD news is, even though we have been too busy with our regular routine to workout, follow a budget, make multiple trips to the dump, spend more time together, eat right and in general just better ourselves, we DID make time to get our website up and running. Well, as best we could for now.
Our ultimate goal is to have a REAL website that isn't just a blog. Something that gives us the freedom to create pages exactly the way we want them. Something more interactive that allows a forum. But for now, we have at least taken the first step to that ultimate goal.
Because we have both been drawn in to Mafia Wars on facebook, the next logical step for us was to create a website that offers ideas and tips for people like us. TADA!!!! Behold http://mafiamaniac.blogspot.com. Our infant. Since posting the site last night, we've received around 100 hits. That is pretty amazing and encouraging! We are on the right track. It's a start and a general push in the right direction. Hopefully it's the push we need to get us back on the wagon with our goal reaching.
Thanks for reading! ~ Dawn
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Lawns
I said I'd post at least twice a week. I guess I lied. The thing is, when you start a blog, it's easy. You have all these stories inside just ready to tell and you blast them out day after day. And then, nothing. You sit in front of the keyboard and have nothing to say. I'm going to do my best to be slow and steady for a while. To my friends who read this, feel free to remind me if I'm not posting. Please. It will help. Thanks.
I will never have the nicest lawn on the block. Not even close, especially if we stay here and the guy who lives next door doesn't move. I swear, the dude mows his lawn a minimum of twice a week, even if we are in a rainy stretch. I don't understand. When I get home from work, the absolute last thing I want to do is push a mower around the yard. What's so great about having a nice lawn anyway?
Last year was much better. Dawn's son Matt (the one who had the baby almost two months ago) lived with us, had a nice mower, and was eager to help. The lawn looked decent all summer long. He has since moved out. We had no mower as it broke down two summers ago. I mowed the lawn for the first time all year on Saturday. Those of you who live near me know it was a rainy weekend. Saturday morning was nice, so I called Dawn's ex husband to see if I could borrow their mower. This might sound a little weird to those of you who don't know us, but we have a really good relationship with her ex and his wife. So there I was, attempting to push the mower through knee high, somewhat wet grass when the rain started up again. Mower dies, pull the cord, try to go a little slower, rain comes down a little harder, mower dies... you get the picture. The best part was when this grungy guy on a bike (I'm not sure if he's homeless, but he looks like he might be) comes pedaling up and kind of laughs at me and says, "it don't work too well in the wet grass you know." I mumbled that it was my only chance to get it done, but I really wanted to say "No !@# Sherlock."
Anyway, I get the front and the side done, and the back looks WAY too tall. I decided we'd need a weed eater and then hit it with the mower, and I'm not getting it done today. The rain had stopped at this point and the sun was shining, so I wasn't too concerned about getting the mower put away. Big mistake. After sitting in the bedroom playing on the computer for around 1/2 an hour, it started pouring. Not your typical Oregon drizzle, but a good old-fashioned downpour. I run outside and push the mower out of the rain as fast as I can to get it under our little shelter thingie out in the back and ran into a post. They don't make mower's wheels like they used to. The rim on this one was made out of plastic, probably in China or Taiwan. Now, it's bound for the landfill, and I have to get it fixed. So I have decided that it's time to pave the entire yard. I can paint it green. Won't that look nice?
John
I will never have the nicest lawn on the block. Not even close, especially if we stay here and the guy who lives next door doesn't move. I swear, the dude mows his lawn a minimum of twice a week, even if we are in a rainy stretch. I don't understand. When I get home from work, the absolute last thing I want to do is push a mower around the yard. What's so great about having a nice lawn anyway?
Last year was much better. Dawn's son Matt (the one who had the baby almost two months ago) lived with us, had a nice mower, and was eager to help. The lawn looked decent all summer long. He has since moved out. We had no mower as it broke down two summers ago. I mowed the lawn for the first time all year on Saturday. Those of you who live near me know it was a rainy weekend. Saturday morning was nice, so I called Dawn's ex husband to see if I could borrow their mower. This might sound a little weird to those of you who don't know us, but we have a really good relationship with her ex and his wife. So there I was, attempting to push the mower through knee high, somewhat wet grass when the rain started up again. Mower dies, pull the cord, try to go a little slower, rain comes down a little harder, mower dies... you get the picture. The best part was when this grungy guy on a bike (I'm not sure if he's homeless, but he looks like he might be) comes pedaling up and kind of laughs at me and says, "it don't work too well in the wet grass you know." I mumbled that it was my only chance to get it done, but I really wanted to say "No !@# Sherlock."
Anyway, I get the front and the side done, and the back looks WAY too tall. I decided we'd need a weed eater and then hit it with the mower, and I'm not getting it done today. The rain had stopped at this point and the sun was shining, so I wasn't too concerned about getting the mower put away. Big mistake. After sitting in the bedroom playing on the computer for around 1/2 an hour, it started pouring. Not your typical Oregon drizzle, but a good old-fashioned downpour. I run outside and push the mower out of the rain as fast as I can to get it under our little shelter thingie out in the back and ran into a post. They don't make mower's wheels like they used to. The rim on this one was made out of plastic, probably in China or Taiwan. Now, it's bound for the landfill, and I have to get it fixed. So I have decided that it's time to pave the entire yard. I can paint it green. Won't that look nice?
John
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