Sean and his trophy

Sean played his first season of tackle football. He was on the Colorado Buffaloes and they ended up in 4th place overall. He loves his trophy!!

M.O.Y.

For awhile now, I thought about keeping a running blog highlighting random acts of kindness that I experience.  Then I made a phone call yesterday and the ensuing exchange of email brought something total different to mind. 

Please forgive me Jeff Foxworthy, but you know you won't become Mom Of the Year when...

• You instruct your son that if someone should ever tell him that his mother wears combat boots to say, "So does my dad and they both ride Harleys."
• Your daughter is practicing her viola for the first time with a bow and you think there's a horrendous car wreck right outside the door.
• When the nurse states that your child should be home recovering from a tonsillectomy for at least 2 weeks and you reply, "Two weeks?  I was walking the day after foot surgery.  She got to sleep for 3 days."

As more of these gems come to mind, I will update the list.

Camping on Kelly's Island

One of the benefits of being a military kid is going to camp.  Many kids get the opportunity to go to summer camp.  Going to summer camp for a week isn't anything special either.  Heck, camping on Kelly's Island in Lake Erie isn't special.  But...

Getting to play hide and seek on the beach with Navy Seals is definitely something that isn't done every day.  That's the back of Sean's head, talking to one of the Seals. 

 

Here are all the Seals answering questions after their Hide and Seek drill with the kids.

 

Sean, can be seen next to the boy in the blue shirt.

The kids were also visited by the ONGB Adjunct General, who dropped from the sky in a Chinook.

Sarah post op

The happy face is gone. Promises of ice cream and popcicles could not cheer her up.
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Sarah before

Note the happy face
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Sean and the cheerleaders

Sean playing defense

The Buffaloes were ahead by 3 touchdowns so their coach decided to change things up a bit. This allowed Sean (72) to play on the defensive line.

He was a bit disappointed that he didn't make any tackles. I told him that he made some great blocks, to which he replied, "It's defense, I'm suppose to tackle."

Sean, 72 blocking

Sean looking handsome

Sean showing his unending excitement

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Prison Break

The two hour season premier of Prison Break is on now.  I really didn't think anything was notable about someone getting shot every 15 minutes.  The murder attempt during quarter hour number 4 was not successful.  No, I didn't feel that was comment worthy.  However, I was changing the bandage on my sister's shoulder for over two years of laser tattoo removal.

I don't know how much of Michael Scofield's body tattoo he had removed, but to ask me to believe he completed it all in one sitting and that his laser wounds are not seeping well, that's a bit too far fetched for even me.

What's even more amazing about Prison Break - they've been able to make a show that wasn't to last more than one season go for three now?  Go figure!

Today I cleaned

Today I cleaned out my little corner of the basement.  It now represents the "workbench" it once was.

I uncovered quite a few items that I had saved over the years.  These are those items that you want to save forever, so I decided to put them into the electronic format, subject the general public to them and hope that you find the same joy, humor and sorrow that I did.

 

The following is dedicated to my Jake and all those we've loved and those who are yet to find their humans.

 

I AM YOUR DOG

I am your dog, and I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your ear.  I know that you humans lead busy lives.  Some have to work, some have children to raise.  It always seems like you are running here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life.  Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer.  See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours?  They are slightly cloudy now.  That comes with age.  The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle.

You smile at me; I see love in your eyes.  What do you see in mine?  Do you see a spirit?  A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world?  A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for just a simple moment of your time?  That is all I ask.  To slow down, if even for a few minutes to be with me.  So many times you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen, of others of my kind passing.  Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly, sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat.  Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes.  Still the love is always there, even when we must take that long sleep, to run free in a distant land.

I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week.  Someday you will shed the water from your eyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their souls, and you will be angry at yourself that you did not have just "One more day" with me.  Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me.  We have NOW together.  So come, sit down here next to me on the floor, and look deep into my eyes.  What do you see?  If you look hard and deep enough we will talk, you and I, heart to heart.  Come to me not as 'alpha' or as trainer or even Mom or Dad.  Come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur and let us look deep into one another's eyes, and talk.

I may tell you something about the fun of chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you something profound about myself, or even in general.  You decided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to share such things with.  Someone very different from you, and here I am.  I am a dog, but I am alive.  I feel emotion, I fe3el physical senses, and I can revel in the differences of our spirits and souls.  I do not think of you as a "dog on two feet" I know what you are.  You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still.

Now, come sit with me, on the floor.  Enter my world, and loet time slow down if only for 15 minutes.  Look deep into my eyes, and whisper in my ears.  Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know your true self.  We may not have tomorrow, and life is oh so very short.

(on behalf of canines everywhere)

Author unknown

Sean, looking cool

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Sean at his first practice with full pads
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From PlayStation to Playing Field

As many parents of young boys know, sometimes they like to personify the players in their video games. On more than one occasion, my son has told me about the great plays he made, the teams he beat and lord knows what else.

I'll listen to his stories and gently tell him that it's Madden 08, not real life 2008. My husband on the other hand has a lot less sympathy and tells him without any fluff that he's playing a video game and that real life football isn't as easy as selecting a player and maneuvering a controller.

Perhaps I should have been a little less coddling mother and a bit more reality father. This past Monday Sean started practice with his DFL team the Buffalos. Last year Sean played flag football and had one two-hour practice a week. This year is the first tackle year and I'm spending my free time at the middle school football field.

Last year Sean played center. This year he wants to be the QB. He's having a difficult time adjusting to the fact that he'll probably be a lineman. He wants receiver gloves and I'm leaning toward arm pads.

He's completed only two days of practice and promptly fell asleep both nights. Tonight after school we'll work a bit on his footwork, and push ups.

Sean carrying the ball

Pushing his coach around

Getting the lesson on where to be looking

Smiles

My daughter Sarah spent the weekend at Camp Condo with her niece Mia.  After taking a drive on the wild side the girls finished their day on a pachyderm.  One can see from the smiles that Camp Condo beats Camp Cabin any day.

Sean

Sean tries on his first helmet
Sent from the blackberry and posted on the blog! Look Mom - Hands Free

Miley Photos

The thing about writing in a blog that makes it really inconvenient is that you can only publish your ideas at the computer.  So when your mind wanders through all these great things to ponder, one forgets them all because there's no keyboard.

The Miley Cyrus photo story has yet to die.  I saw the pictures on one of the day's morning shows.  The headline that I found particularly amusing is the one asking if Miley is on track to become the next Brittany  Spears.  My answer to that....Nope, never going to happen.

The the other side argues, she's got pictures of her naked.  Now to me naked is more of a OH MY, did you see that.  Not the, damn that's a beautiful photograph thing.

I will say this, if Annie Lebowitz called and wanted to photograph my kids, I would ask her when and where.  If clothes are optional then so be it.  The opportunity for my kids to be published in a book along side Queen Elizabeth II would be top of mind, not if my kid is going to be starring in Spears Train Wreck 2. 

Miley on the cover of Vanity Fair with her dad.  Much better than on the front of the Enquirer because mom can't have her parenting book published anymore.

Suffice to say, if Annie calls, the kids will come running.