Memories

Today I am grateful for memories in all their forms.

I am looking at new pictures of Sarah at 9 months and she is too cute. I also have a picture of Nicole in one of them.

I love pictures. They remind me of happy times in my life and the lives of others. Pictures of my sister hanging me upside down when I was about 5. Pictures of Nicole and I on our honeymoon with a Klingon in Vegas. Pictures of Nicole, Thom, Jana, and I when we were "baking" and then remembering eating the raw cookie dough afterwards. A picture on my desk of Craig, Michelle, Nicole, and I camping in Shades. All the pictures.. all the memories.

I want to capture the same memories for Sarah and the twins, so they can look back when they are older and remember fondly.

I am grateful for the memories in my mind. The way I reacted when Nicole told me she was pregnant with Katie, the way Nicole looked in her wedding dress.

I am grateful for the memories that are jogged because of life. Being reminded of all the memories of camping when I think that I want to go camping again. Being reminded of my last work trip with Seva and Craig to Austin, TX when I think of my trip to China.

And now I would like to break out into song....

Mem’ries light the corners of my mind. Misty water color mem’ries of the way we were. Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind. Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were.

Thanks Babs

Being Busy

Today I am grateful for being busy. Sometimes it is overwhelming, but having a list longer than my arm of things to do is refreshing. I may choose not to glog as much, but I know that is a choice that I am making.

I am running my life, it is not running me.

I am also grateful for easy, breezy days too. Being busy allows me to appreciate the slow times as well.

I am grateful for my trip to China. 4 days in Shanghai, and 4 days in Singapore. I can't wait.

I am also grateful for Nicole. I know that she is scared for me and in a perfect world, she would be going too. And she will. She allows me to talk about it and does not voice her concern and feelings about me being half way around the world. I recognize that and love her more for it because she wants me to have fun and not worry about her even though I always do.

I am grateful for Sarah. She is coming into her own little person with attitude and feelings. She is starting to make noises. First was Mama, then Dada, but I don't believe she knew what she was saying. The first word that she knows is Kitty. Say it and she will look for the cat. She sees the cat and says Kitty.

I am grateful for the "Hot and Sour" twins. That is what Nicole and I are calling them because of how they affect Nicole. They make her hot at night and she is craving sour (SweetTarts) foods. Two traits that I possess.

Friday

Today I am grateful for Nicole. For allowing me to go out with the "Guys" and welcoming me home with a warm embrace.

I am grateful for Sarah. The way her face lights up when she sees Daddy. It warms my heart.

I am grateful for audio books. The excitement and the enjoyment I get from driving to and from work.

I am grateful for Craig and First Thursdays. What a wonderful idea.

I am grateful for Christian. His friendly demeanor and curiosity of what is new in my life.

New ways of doing the same things

Today I am grateful for change. Change in my financial life, change in my dietary life, and change in my entertainment life.

Over the past month, Nicole and I have changed and are no longer living off of credit. Given that, money is tight, but we are not digging a hole anymore and that feels great. For too long we have been living beyond are means and small changes have made a great impact. We can still go out, eat, play, and enjoy life, but now we need to make a conscious decision and realize if we do one thing, we may be able to do another and that is OK.

In the past week, I have been listening to a new show on TLC called "I can make you thin." I figured what the hell and what I have heard has had an impact. Currently I am a conscious eater. I focus on what I am eating and enjoy it immensely. I eat what I want and stop when I am full. Being a conscious eater actually made me realize that some foods I enjoyed are no longer tasty. For example, I used to love McDonald's French Fries. However, when I eat them consciously, chewing the food thoroughly and absorbing all of the tastes, it was gross and I threw most of them away. Before, I would not focus on the food and shovel it in and did not take the time to taste it. It is neat.

Finally, I have added a new form of entertainment that I am grateful for. Thom has turned me on to audio books. I have never been a reader, but enjoy the audio books greatly. I haven't listened to the radio in 6 months and could not be happier. Currently I am listening to the Golden Compass by Philip Pullman and am picking up the next audio book tonight at the library. It's like a play but I have to imagine the pictures in my head while listening to the voices. I am actually thinking about some improvement books like "The Secret".

I love change... and spellcheck.

Birthdays

Today I am grateful for Thom's 12th annual 29th birthday. I am also grateful for my brother Tim's 40th birthday today. They were born one day apart. It is funny that I used to think that Tim and I were so far apart in age, that we came from different worlds. But I have one of my best friends who is one day older. I have also become friends with my brother which I do cherish. I guess as you get older, spaces in between ages matter less. If you are 6 and your brother is 13, then you are worlds apart, but not at 33 and 40.

I am grateful for seeing old "work" friends Mike and Mark. They work and worked at IHETS and it was nice to catch up. It's funny how close you can become to another person at work and then watch it fade as you no longer work there. You just have to make a commitment to stay close and try. Because when you worked together, you were naturally together often feeding that closeness.

I am grateful for my friends who have tried to keep me close as I have tried to keep them close too.

I am grateful for a new thought about eating. Listening to Paul McKenna, he gives good steps to eating better. I believe this will help me to achieve a healthier size. For more info visit http://www.tlc.com/thin.

Friends and Family

Today I am grateful for my friends. Friends that need my ear. Friends that are astonished and so happy about our twin news. Friends that are playfully upset that they had to hear from a third party. Friends are so important in your life and are more precious than people realize.

I am also grateful for my Family. Offering support and reminding Nicole and I of a GREAT meal that we made last night. Thanks Mom.

I am grateful for my old car. 1991, over 200,000 miles, and still kicking. No car payment. That is cool. However, I will be trading it in for the Mini-Van.

I am grateful for sunny days. Especially after rainy ones. So happy the Spring is here.

Happy Spring!!

Twins Basil... Twins!!!

Today I am grateful for my fertility doctor Dr. Cline. Nicole is pregnant with twins. We don't know what the sexes are, but there are two.

I am excited and scared at the same time.

I am grateful for Nicole for what she is about to go through. You are stronger than I by far.

I am also grateful for Family and Friends with their words of encouragement and offers to help.

Been Missing This

First and foremost, I have missed this. An outlet for my thoughts and for reinforcing the good things in my life.

Another thing... Nicole is pregnant again. I think fatherhood suits me so let's give it another go. Sarah is wonderful. I am so grateful for her in my life. She turned 9mos. yesterday. Started crawling the same day. I am grateful for mobility, and already grateful for the times she was not mobile.

I am grateful for my job. Thanks to Mama Gena. I am going to Hong Kong and Singapore in May for my job which is a well paid version of teaching, which I have always loved.

I am grateful for Nicole. She has taken on the extremely tough and rewarding job of full-time mother. I am grateful that we can give that gift to Sarah and future little one(s). We will know on Tuesday how many little ones.

I am grateful for Shelly. Without knowing it, she inspired me to glog again with her consistent glogging.

I am grateful for Craig and First Thursdays. A chance for the guys to get together and keep in touch is wonderful.

Reaching for My Dreams Again

Today I am grateful for my friends and family pushing me towards my dreams. Eventhough I am sometimes unwilling.

My next comedy routine will be Tuesday October 16th. I will have 6 minutes to make people laugh. I think I can do it. Below is some information if anyone is interested in joining me. You can go for free if you make a reservation. Hope to see you all.

Finally, I am grateful for glogging again. I have missed it and will get back into it. I need someplace to write down my comedy ideas.

http://www.crackerscomedy.com/indexa.html

http://www.crackerscomedy.com/openmic.html

http://www.crackerscomedy.com/open_mic_coupon_print.html

Grandma

Today I am grateful for Grandma. She passed on this morning and while sad, she has brought so much happiness in my life that I wanted to list what I was grateful for.

I am grateful for her craftiness. She made everything from dolls, to quilts and I am glad to have so many of her items in my home.

I am grateful for her playfulness. I played so many games with Grandma like Old Maid or Go Fish and those are some of the happiest memories I have.

I am grateful for her iron will. This was the toughest old bird you would ever want to meet. She mowed her own yard (2 acres) until she was 92. She did not need Air Conditioning, Central Heat, or any modern conveniences.

I am grateful that she met Sarah. Although Sarah will not remember, I have pictures and I will remember.

I am grateful for her "garden". Nearly 1 acre of corn, squash, tomatoes, and all sorts of vegetables that she grew every year.

I am grateful for her being my Grandma. I will always love her and never forget her.

Football

Today I am grateful for football. While some may not be into the sport, it has brought joy into my life in many ways. It makes me feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself when rooting for my favorite team (Colts).

Football has also kept me in touch with many friends from old jobs and start friendships at my current job. I play fantasy football, where you pick football players and they get points for the things that they do. After the week is over, if your football players have more points than the person you are playing against, you win.

It's also makes the football games more interesting in the same way that gambling does. Except no broken legs when you don't pay Vinny.

This year Nicole has joined me in fantasy football. I am proud of her for trying something new. Also we get to do something together that is not baby related and hopefully that will bring us even closer together.

But not too close as if we get much closer together, we will merge into one super-human couple able to give people cavities with our sweetness.

Safe Journeys

And no, I don't mean Steve Perry with a seat belt.

Today I am grateful for old friends coming home from a wonderful, exciting journey and planning a few journeys of my own.

I am grateful for smiles, farts, and spit-ups. When Nicole does these things, it is sooo cute. (Just Kidding)

I am grateful for Nicole branching out and joining me in Fantasy Football. Looking forward to doing something new together.

I am grateful for Life. I personally like the older version, and paydays are the best.

I am grateful for Shelly. She has encouraged (ahem... pushed, threatened, forced) me to set another comedy date. I will let y'all know shortly but it will be a Tuesday in October. Thanks Shelly ;)

I was thinking of an old game I used to play at work... Grab Ass. It goes off of the concept that normally you are not supposed to grab someone's butt at work as that may be Sexual Harassment. But oddly enough, football players do that all the time. The only difference is that they say "Good Game!". Thus Grab Ass is born. You can grab all the butt you want at work as long as you say "Good Game". Then it is not Sexual Harassment... it's a game.

To all my friends out there... Game On!!

Old friends... and new ones

Today I am grateful for friends. I spent the weekend with some old friends from college. We went out to the Neon Cactus in West Lafayette (apparently no longer country bar). We hung out, we drank, and we had a great time. Then we went to a hole in the wall bar in Lafayette called Cox's. When I heard we were going to Cox's and did not know the spelling, I was nervous. Apparently it is a Karaoke Bar. When I found out it was a Karaoke bar, I was really scared then. I sang Baby Got Back and WKRP in Cincinnati. I also ran into another friend, Michelle Bryant, and made a new friend Mary. These two lovely ladies made our night. If you have never done Karaoke in a small town bar, you are missing out.

Friends are such an important part of my life. Old ones, new ones, just friends makes life enjoyable. I am already looking forward to seeing different friends on Friday and welcoming a friend home from a long journey.

Getting used to life

Today I am grateful for a return or at least devoloping a new normal. Currently sitting on the couch watching TV, watching Nicole, and watching Sarah. We are getting into a routine. Nicole is feeling human again. Sarah is starting to smile.

Life is good.

I am also grateful for my job. I am currently working on my new position in the organization as a Technical Trainer for the Tech Support department. It is very exciting as I will be paid for doing what I love to do which is to teach.

I am also grateful for friends returning home. See ya soon Shelly.

Finally, I am grateful for planning. Nicole and I are planning a trip to Florida in late October to see family and a good friend we did not get a chance to see in Muncie. I love that ironman of mine.

Quick Thought

I was listening to Devil Went Down to Georgia the other day and according to the song Johnny won, but I think the Devil won. He had the good bass groove and that 70's sound. I think the Devil gave up too easily. The only thing Johnny had was chicken in the bread pan and Granny's dog that doesn't bite. I guess southerners didn't appreciate a good 70's sound back then.

Just a thought.

I love it when a plan comes together

Man I miss the A-Team. Never in my life a group of guys that could do anything except shoot a gun and hit the person they were aiming for.

Today I am grateful for life coming together and watching it unfold perfectly. A friend of mine got a job offer and took it. It also worked out that he made a change to his retirement plan at the same time which will help him considerably.

Also, this same job offer, helped another friend stay employed long enough to find the job he has been wanting without fear of being unemployed.

I am also grateful for Shelly. She, and Mama Gena, have taught me to ask for what I want. I did that and may be creating my dream job.

I am grateful for coming home. There's no place like it especially when the weather's nice. I remember saying in High School "When I graduate, I am moving from this stupid state and never coming back."

I never left, and my life is great.

Call it Karma, Fate, Destiny, or just plain life, but it has unfolded perfectly.

Family

Today I am grateful for family. Over the weekend, Nicole and I went to Kentucky to see my family. We were able to introduce Sarah to whole bunch of people. I mean a large number of people as there is nothing to do in that town but to have sex (family members optional).

Everyone was excited to see her. We were excited to introduce her. My greatest moment was introducing her to my 94 year old Grandma. Grandma is not doing too well and I am elated that they got a chance to meet. I know it hurt Grandma when Katie died, and I am happy to see her smile.

We spent the night at Papaw and Mimi's house (aka Dad and Step-Mom). I never saw my Dad so loving. It made me happy.

Finally, we went to my Mom's family reunion. She is one of 11 kids and there are a ton of people there. It was nice to have everyone come up and comment as I always felt left out being so far away from most of them. I felt like I was with family.

Now the driving to and from sucked. My sister told me that the best time to travel is with babies as they sleep most the time. She is wrong. A 3.5 hour car ride took 5 hours each way as we had to stop and feed the baby. It's not like I can throw a bottle back there and have her go at it. Maybe when she gets older, it will get better, but for now my ass is home.

Back in the saddle again

Greetings,
Trying to get back in the habit so bare with me.

Today I am grateful for so many things.

• Sleep
• Family
• Mental Breaks (Movies)
• Sarah
• Nicole
• My Job
• My life
• You

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. It has been tiring and rewarding. I am grateful for every minute of it. Little people are so cool. It is funny though. Throughout the pregnancy, Nicole and I could not see past it to imagine or prepare for the aftermath. Everyone told us "Get your sleep now!!" I dismissed them as I knew what to expect.

They were right.

My previous experience has been taking care of my niece. While this trained me for the physical aspect of feeding, diapers, etc. it did not train me for the mental aspect. I am responsible for this person.

Basically, caring for a child is not the hard part. The hard part is being a parent. That scares (and excites) me.

Looking into her blue eyes, makes me realize that I need to do more, be more, give more, and love more. I will be everything to that little girl. I am her father.

Now enough with the mushy stuff.

The best perk so far... Nicole's boobs. Damn. Now the Michelles know I am a Scorpio so they understand. By the way... I am a happy Scorpio.

To see more of Sarah, visit http://paynesite.homedns.org/sarah

Happy 4th of July

I'm still here. I'm tired. I just wanted to say happy 4th of July to everyone. I will be posting again, so don't forget about me.

Hugs to you all. Big hugs to the sexy ones (wink).

Sarah Is Here

Holy Crap... it happened. Sarah arrived on Thursday June 14th at 10:16am. She weighed 9lbs. 11oz. She is 20 3/4 inches long with a 14 3/4 in. head.

Big Baby...

Sarah had a little bit of a rough start. Her blood sugar levels were low so the nurses tried to feed her. Apparently they fed her too much and she had some tummy issues. Because of that, she was admitted to the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit). She was give an IV of dextrose (sugar water) to keep her blood sugar normal so they did not have to feed her as often. In the last 24 hours she has been on the IV. Now they have taken her off and are just watching her. If everything goes well, and it will, Mom, Sarah, and I will be going home on Father's Day. It's the best present ever.

FYI... the NICU is not necessarily a bad place. They have two places for babies, 1. In the room with parents or the nursery if they are completely healthy and 2. the NICU. NICU babies range from a little something to very sick babies. Sarah was a little something. Everytime I tell someone that she is in the NICU, people think the worst and that is not the case. We are all doing well. Just wanted to send this out so that everyone knows. Below are pictures.

Eric