Wishes

I shared a story on my Facebook wall yesterday, if any of you saw it, I am sorry for the duplication here.  For those of you that did not see it, it was about a couple in Iowa that had been married for 72 years.  They were in a car accident, and were both placed in ICU, together.  The gentleman died holding the hand of the one he loved more than anything in the world.  With their family surrounding them, they noticed that although he had stopped breathing, his heart rate monitor was still registering a heartbeat.  The medical staff said it was the wife’s heartbeat pulsing through her husband’s body.  One hour after the man died, she crossed over to be with him.  The story said they continued to hold hands through the funeral service.

This story touched me at many different levels, to my core.  I am blessed to have a partner that I want to live the rest of my life with, and can’t be without.  After reading the story I was reminded of the movie “The Notebook”.  If you haven’t seen the movie, the closing scene is one which the husband curls up in his wife’s bed in the nursing home, and both of them pass away in their sleep holding one another.

Kim and I have only been married for a little over a year, but we have had many discussions about what we want the end of our lives to be like, and given the choice, we would like to cross over to heaven together.  Although that would seem tragic and would create quite a loss for our family, it is the ending we would prefer.

I look at my parents, and as cruel and heartless as it may sound, I would ask God to take both of them at the same time.  I hope when my Mother reads this she understands what I mean.  They have been together over 50 years, and it is plain to see how much they love and care for one another.  I worry about either one of them being without the other.  I would like them both to know I would be okay while they waited for me in Heaven.

I wish everyone could feel the way I do about Kim, the way my parents feel about each other.  The way Elsa felt about Nick, Mary about Bob, the list goes on and on.  The world would be a much better place.

So if our kids ask, Kim and I want to go together, donate our bodies to science, when they are done poking and prodding, cremate us, mix our ashes together, and sprinkle them on the beach at Chatfield where we were married.  Keep track of everything that day, if it is windy, raining, snowing whatever.  Remember how the day smells, yes, how it smells.  If it is the smell of a crisp winter day or the smell of the leaves in fall, remember it…..  That way, in the years that follow, when you are outside and the wind blows the leaves around and your nose catches that aroma, you will know it is us letting you know we got where we were going and want to say hello.

Just Checking In

Dear Followers,

I know that I haven't posted in a long time.  Sorry, I promise to post more in the future.

I was going to leave it at that, but thought I should write a bit more.  Not sure why I haven't posted in so long, it isn't that I have been super busy or anything,  just haven't had much to share.

As far as good anecdotes, my life seems to be full of them, and I will continue to document them as I see fit....  It could be the loss of another loved one has kept me from being here, it is hard to be humorous when you lose someone, I never want to half-ass it you know. 

Maybe the reason I haven't posted is it is football season and I have been watching the Broncos half-ass it.  Yea that could be it....

Just know I am still here, and will try to post more frequently in the future..

Peace,
Woody

Heroes

Welcome back followers and others who stumble upon this blog.  Today I would like to talk about heroes.


Of course, when talking about heroes, a man has to point to his father.  My Dad is one of my hero's hands down.  He is always the voice of reason, even when his voice is less than reasonable.  He is a man who has shown me the way from as long as I was mobile.  His work ethic was, and continues to be, at a level I will never achieve.  He worked for the same company for 42 years, took maybe 1 or 2 sick days in that time, completed many a project on the weekend, and still had time to mix in a little R&R on the way.  But as far as heroes, it is the way he has taken care of my Mom that lifts him above all others in my eyes.  As I discussed in a previous entry, my Mom has cancer.  The way she has fought that makes her another one of my heroes, but that is for another time, as I am focusing on Dad this time around.  In addition, Mom lost a leg a while back.  Not really lost, we know where it went, but I digress.  So there he is, facing challenges head on, had the house accessible by the time Mom came home from the hospital, and he waits on her hand and foot.  (notice I didn't say feet?  see what I did there?)  If you are offended by my amputation humor, sorry, it is a coping skill I use, and as long as my Mom understands that, you can too.  Thanks Dad for all you do, I love you more than you know, and you are my hero.

My Son's are my heroes.  It is okay to have heroes that are younger than you, especially as you get older and the age pool below you gets larger. My son's have grown into great men, I love them and respect them more than they will know until they have children.  And I am not just saying this so they put me in a good home when that time comes.

My Wife is my hero.  Kim is an incredible best friend, and she is an amazing mother to boot.  She makes me realize how unappreciated being a Mom can be.  I hope My Mom reads this and understands that I see now that children never express the gratitude a Mother deserves.  Again I could talk about Kim forever...

Next on the hero list are those that serve.  Military, Police, Fire, Doctors, Nurses, and TEACHERS!!!!!  Not enough can be said about these groups, and at different times of my life I wanted to serve, teach, protect and serve, and heal those in need.  Unsung is a word that is used over and over, and it just doesn't seem to be enough, thank all that served in these professions, and those that continue to do so.

I have had many sports heroes.  John Elway, Bo Jackson, Keith Bishop, Gary Zimmerman, Howie Long to name a few football guys.  I would like to meet any of them, but I bet I wouldn't know how to act around them.

Entertainment heroes is a big list.  One of the reasons I chose this topic was after reading an interview with Paul "Pee Wee Herman" Reubens from Comic-Con 2011.  He said he has had people come to him and say he is the reason they perform.  PeeWee was a ground breaker, a funny show, full of physical humor and implied jokes.  I liked it.  Another one was Fred Rogers.  I remember that Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was my favorite show when I was a little guy.  I once decided I wanted to watch his show later on in the day, so I turned the TV off.  This is how I learned that when you turn the TV back on 3 hours later it isn't showing what it was when you turned it off.  Guess I should have invented TIVO way back in the 70's huh?
Musically, I have too many to list:  Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Kid Rock, Edwin McCain is up there, Darius Rucker and the rest of Hootie and the Blowfish, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld too.  But locally, and someone I would really like to meet is Todd Park Mohr from Big Head Todd and the Monsters.  Todd is such a gifted musician and singer, but you can tell how much he cares about his art when you listen to the songs he writes.  AMAZING!!  Again, I would love to meet any of them.

Actors are another bunch, and I have some that probably wouldn't make other peoples lists.  Like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Gibson.  The list is long and probably like others so I won't bore you.

So what makes a hero?  I think the quickest definition would be someone that by their influence encourage you to be a better person.

Thank You, to all my heroes.

Peace,
Woody

Parents and Children

Okay, here's the deal.

I like to think that I am a good parent.  I try to do all the things I can to be a Dad that my kids like being around.  Sure I complain that the only time I hear from my son's is when they need something like gas money or food, but we all know that isn't entirely true.
Corey lives with us now, and it has been great, I really enjoy having him there, and actually I wish he was actually around more, he is busy with school, work, and GTL (minus the tanning, and I haven't really witnessed him do any laundry yet).  The time that he is around is awesome, I hope he feels the same way.
I still miss Joey like crazy, he is just about done with baseball, and college for that matter, he student teaches this fall, which on a tangent, why do I have to pay a college for 12 credit hours while my son is nowhere near the campus, teaching at a high school?  I would think DCSD should pay him for teaching, and the college would not get anymore of my cash, but I digress.
Keara still really pays attention when she needs help with something like the computer, which is funny, because her lack of patience, and my apparent slowness when it comes to fixing whatever she feels is broken, usually leads to her developing her own workaround.
So back to me being a Dad, I want the kids to look up to me as a parent and learn from all the things I have done, be them good or bad, and reflect on those lessons when I am lucky enough to be a Grandparent.  I want my parents to know that I learned from them in this way, and there are many times when I ask myself "How would Mom handle this?", or "What would Dad do?", and then do the opposite....  HA HA, just kidding Mom and Dad, you did a great job, and you are still on the clock, so keep it up.

Now, let's flip the coin, I hope that I have done all that I could do to be a good kid.  Yes I said kid, I refuse to grow up.  This shows in many, MANY ways.  I am and will always be a kid at heart.  Logic states things like, you shouldn't wear shorts in the winter, but if you look closely, there is some nut-bag standing outside in the snow, barbequeing in shorts and a hoody.  Yea, that's me.  Don't blame yourself Mom or Dad, I came up with that all by myself.

We look ready for a Curly from the 3 Stooges Look alike contest.

I guess the best lesson I have learned and wish to share with anyone who cares to listen, is to love deeply and consistently.  There is plenty of room to be a parent, (i.e. bad guy), when it comes to making someone clean their room, (Yea I know Mom, my room was always a mess and Karma is paying me back!  I get it), but parent with love and understanding.  This is something I can illustrate through the love I have for my Mom.  Quite a while ago, she was diagnosed with cancer.  Through everything she has been great.  I am somewhat of a sounding board for her, and listen to what she has to say on bad and good days, she does the same for me.  My point is, this was in place long before any diagnosis, treatment, remission, etc.  I remember one time my Mom saying something to the effect of  "Everyone is making such a fuss over me now", and I told her, not me, I have fussed over her for as long as I could fuss.  I am proud to say that I love the people in my life the same every day, not just when something good or bad happens. Living and loving this way leads to having a reduced amout of regret down the road.  Not that I live life regret free, cause that surely is not the case, but I have learned that I can control some of those things and do my best to show that as a kid, and a parent.

So I will take the opportunity to say Happy Mothers Day to My Mom Charlene, My amazing Wife Kim, Elsa, Mary, and my ex-wife Laurie who gave me a reason to celebrate Fathers Day.

Which leads me to the fact that around Mother's day the ad's from the store are as thick as a Christmas catalog filled with jewelry, clothes, flowers, etc., and at Fathers day it like a flyer with stupid ties, t-shirts, and BBQ tools. 

Just Sayin.

Peace,
Woody

Gettin Old

I realized, finally, that I am getting old.  No, it wasn't the fact that I have thinning hair (thanks for pointing that out at Easter dinner Mom), or that I have trouble walking up and down stairs, or even that I have a child about to graduate from college.  No, what finally provided the proof was something as simple as an office chair.

I was at work late last week, and was working at a bench that is just a tad higher than a desk.  We have some stools that are okay to sit in, but I was longing for a chair that had arms, and that I could lean my old, weary body back into.  I grabbed an extra chair from the conference room and sat down.  It was set too high to give me the level of comfort I so desperately longed for, so I used the release on the side to lower it.

Now comes the old part.  The feeling I got in the pit of my stomach, was like when I was a kid, and my Dad drove us to my Aunt and Uncles house.  We drove on County Line Road, because they were building C-470 across a new suburb named Highlands Ranch.  I know, another indicator of being old.  Who else remembers watching the C-470 highway being built?

Anyway, my Dad would drive just fast enough, that when we would crest the many steep hills that used to be County Line Road (they flattened out all the good ones), I would "lose my stomach".  Not sure if you know the feeling I am talking about, but it was awesome when I was a kid.  I experienced it on that drive, and riding the Twister at Elitches, or the Cyclone at Lakeside.  So hopefully you get it now.

Yea,  I felt that LOWERING AN OFFICE CHAIR!!!!!

I am old.

Peace,
Woody

Sleep and Dreams

Okay, here's the deal, I have recurring dreams from time to time, and I have been having this one lately:

I am either back in high school, or back in college, both of which I finished, so I don't know why I am "back".  Anywho, I am faced with the fact that I know I haven't been keeping up with my homework, and actually I don't even know what or where my classes are.  I can't determine the level of knowledge I am trying to gain because it seems like they are college classes, but I am headed to the administration office of my high school.  Where it used to be, the office next to the auditorium, on the Newark Street side, those of you from ACHS back in the day will understand.

So off to the admin office I go, when I somehow wander down the hall, which if I remember correctly has a ramp down, passes by the counselors office, the nurses office, and ends up near the band and choir rooms.  Yes I know where the band room was, I was not only the captain of the football team, but also lettered in band!

Anyway, I just wander around the school until I eventually wake up.  Some night I hope I sleep long enough to make it to a class to see if I actually BS my way through not being prepared for class.

Not sure what this dream means, but I have had it a few times......

Peace,
Woody

Back Again

Not really our boxes..

Hello everyone, I am back yet again from another blogging hiatus.  Since last we spoke, Kim and I closed on our first owned home together, and moved all of the stuff from our apartment to the house.  What a long couple of weeks it was.  In between work, Joeys baseball, and all the other parts of life, we managed to get almost everything moved by ourselves. 

Joey Pitching

The only things we needed help with were 2 dressers, a couch, a loveseat, and an old 65 inch rear projection TV that weighs more than the earth itself.  I think we actually slowed the rotation of the earth as Mike drove his truck with the TV in the bed.

Now comes the fun parts, unpacking everything, and cleaning the apartment to get our deposit back.  Now I am sure some of you may have stories of trying to get your deposit back, the stories that include me go like this:  "This _____ is _____  therefore we are deducting $___.__ from your deposit."  Repeat until there is no deposit left.  This time needs to be different, and Kim is ready for a fight.

I will let you know how it goes.

The other thing that will I am sure be fodder for this blog, is that Corey is moving in with us.  We are very excited to have him there, I really miss having him around, but he has been used to living by himself for a while, and 12 year old, only-child, Keara is about to share a Jack-and-Jill bathroom with Corey.  This along with the fact that they share a similar level of stubborn-ism should make for some amusing anecdotes.

Well, I will try to post more often when thing slow down, I know how the 3 followers I have wait with baited breath for my next post.  Until then........

Peace,
Woody