Have you ever had one of those special moments where you are literally lost in time? The kind of moment where your present surroundings are moot, and familiar faces, voices, and smells long absent from your life, attack your senses with potent illusions. A few nights ago I had just that feeling, and though brief, it was exhilarating almost beyond words.
As many of you already know, Aidan will have his first official Tball practice this weekend. In preparation for this joyous event, I decided to get out both our gloves and give each a good conditioning. I sat at the table, got out my "Dr. Glove" foam, and squirted a little it into Aidan's glove. As soon as the creamy foam hit the leather and I started to gently work it in to the pocket, a wonderful smell sent me into olfactory bliss and a surreal euphoria engulfed my body. WHOOOOOSH!
Suddenly I was a young kid again, and my father was sitting at our kitchen table, my glove in his hand, slowly working the oils into the pocket with the precision of a surgeon. I was standing next to him with a look of eager anticipation on my face. "Is it almost done dad" I asked. "Not yet son, we still have to do the outside, but it won't be long now" he answered. "Can we play catch when you're finished dad" I asked. "You bet tiger, just give me a second to finish up" he said, and just like that, the serendipitous moment faded back to reality.
Wow. I cannot begin to put into words how wonderful I felt at that moment. It was so vivid, so clear, it was like I actually got to visit with my dad again. Ever so brief, it was to me, a perfect moment. It was at that moment that I had an epiphany. The look I had on my face when I was waiting for my dad to finish with my glove, I see everyday in Aidan. The look and sound of pride that I saw in my father's face and heard in his voice, can be seen and heard every day in my reflection. We are truly created and formed in our parent's mold, and hopefully one day my children will gaze upon me with same type of reverence that I have for my mother and father. If that happens, I will consider my life a success.
Time is a constant, unwavering to any demands. For Time, our lives are merely dots upon it's line. Sometimes however we get a chance to fool time....to trick it...to actually pilfer from it. It is those moments, however fleeting, for which we should feel most fortunate.
William
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Pink Eye Blues
Well lately it just doesn't feel like a normal day around Camelot if someone isn't sick. Somehow Christopher decided he would like to try out the latest trend going around and he went and found himself an ugly case of pink eye. Lori liked that particular shade of red so much that she decided to hop aboard the Conjunctivitis Express herself. ALL ABOARD!
Me, well I am laying low, and I am certainly, unequivocally, and under no circumstances, making fun of either of them. I repeat, I am not making fun of them, teasing them, or in any way, shape or form being the least bit humorous towards their present condition. (See, I'm no dummy.....I learned my lesson the last time. Nothing but the straight an narrow for me from now on.)
I just hope that I have scared Aidan enough with the "if you get pink eye, you won't get to play in your soccer game this weekend, or attend Tball practice" that he will stays away from the contagions. I figured it finally sunk in after I saw him wash his hands for no apparent reason. Five year olds(especially Aidan), just don't do that. Hmmm....the thought of missing games and practice provides incentive for Aidan to listen and mind me.....Hmmm....must remember that for future use.
Got to go....Stay healthy,
William
Me, well I am laying low, and I am certainly, unequivocally, and under no circumstances, making fun of either of them. I repeat, I am not making fun of them, teasing them, or in any way, shape or form being the least bit humorous towards their present condition. (See, I'm no dummy.....I learned my lesson the last time. Nothing but the straight an narrow for me from now on.)
I just hope that I have scared Aidan enough with the "if you get pink eye, you won't get to play in your soccer game this weekend, or attend Tball practice" that he will stays away from the contagions. I figured it finally sunk in after I saw him wash his hands for no apparent reason. Five year olds(especially Aidan), just don't do that. Hmmm....the thought of missing games and practice provides incentive for Aidan to listen and mind me.....Hmmm....must remember that for future use.
Got to go....Stay healthy,
William
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Mighty Proud Momma and Papa....and lil bro
Today marked the start of a whole new chapter in the ongoing trial and tribulations of life in the Thornton family. You see, today was Aidan's first soccer game, and it marked the first of many organized sporting events that Momma and Papa will now be attending. Both us and Christopher, could not have been any more proud of how Aidan conducted himself on the field. Wait, I know that is the proper way to say it, but let me put it in laymen terms. AIDAN KICKED ASS AND TOOK NAMES!!!!!
Here he is at the start of the game. As I have told you in the past, he is a giant compared to the other players, and these next couple of pictures back up my statement.
(Please take notice of the Gig'em sign.....that's my boy!)
Aidan played two... of the four...10 minute quarters, and his team won 6-3. Aidan had three goals by himself, including one full length of the field breakaway, and he also had one assist on another goal. It was very cool. Here he is after scoring one of his goals. Notice that he is rubbing his head. See, most of the time, the players in this age group are small enough to fit in the goal. Not Aidan, he scored and then followed his shot into the goal, and proceeded to bonk his head on the top crossbar. OUCH!
Here is one more action shot of Aidan running towards the ball, while his teammate was more worried about his snotty nose.
Like I said in a previous post, Aidan looked like a monster compared to the other players. It was so obvious, that two different parents from the other team came over to ask us about Aidan and commented about his size. They also commented about his ability and about how fast he was, and that made us beam with pride. What a great afternoon.
PS. Here are a couple of new shots of Christopher. I wanted to show everyone how curly his hair is getting. I believe he gets that from his mother ;-)
Here he is at the start of the game. As I have told you in the past, he is a giant compared to the other players, and these next couple of pictures back up my statement.
(Please take notice of the Gig'em sign.....that's my boy!)
Aidan played two... of the four...10 minute quarters, and his team won 6-3. Aidan had three goals by himself, including one full length of the field breakaway, and he also had one assist on another goal. It was very cool. Here he is after scoring one of his goals. Notice that he is rubbing his head. See, most of the time, the players in this age group are small enough to fit in the goal. Not Aidan, he scored and then followed his shot into the goal, and proceeded to bonk his head on the top crossbar. OUCH!
Here is one more action shot of Aidan running towards the ball, while his teammate was more worried about his snotty nose.
Like I said in a previous post, Aidan looked like a monster compared to the other players. It was so obvious, that two different parents from the other team came over to ask us about Aidan and commented about his size. They also commented about his ability and about how fast he was, and that made us beam with pride. What a great afternoon.
PS. Here are a couple of new shots of Christopher. I wanted to show everyone how curly his hair is getting. I believe he gets that from his mother ;-)
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Survival...Success...and Smiles
Wow, what a weekend! First off....SHE DID IT!!!!!!! Lori finished her very first marathon in a very respectable 4 hours and 33 minutes. We could not be any more proud of her. Here is a not so brief synopsis of the festivities.
We arrived in Sipville (Austin) after a rain drenched drive about 3:00pm Saturday afternoon. Our friends Shellye and James, who drove down earlier, met us at the hotel and we all got checked into our rooms. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Town Lake, and our rooms were on the 5th floor and overlooked the water. After we got to our rooms, Lori and Shellye went to the convention center to pick up Lori's race packet while Nana, James, Christopher, Aidan and I got a little bit of welcomed rest. During our down time, Aidan and Nana found time to play a challanging game of "I Spy" using the field glasses that I brought with me.
After Lori and Shellye got back to the hotel, and after calling about every Pasta restaurant in town, we finally found one who could accommodate a reservation for 11 on a Saturday night on a race weekend. (Word to the wise: It is a common fact that every long distance racer wants to "carb load" on the night before a big race, so if you plan on eating Pasta somewhere, please make your reservations early.) Before departing, I got a picture of Lori and Shellye at the hotel. For those of you who might night be familiar with Shellye or have not visited Lori's marathon blog page, Shellye is Lori's friend, and her courageous battle with breast cancer was the inspiration behind Lori's insane commitment to run 26.2 miles. Here is their picture:
We went to dinner and ate like kings. We met up with Lori's friend Tiffany, her husband Patrick and their two beautiful kids Abbey and Shea, and after having a wonderful time visiting and stuffing our faces, we decided to call it an early night. Most of us sleep pretty well, except Lori, who was understandably nervous, as she tossed and turned quite a bit.
As a beautiful and serene 5:00am rolled upon us, the silence was then broken by not one, but three different alarms. Yep 3 DIFFERENT ALARMS @ 5:00am........AHHHHHHH!!!!! After putting my heart back into my chest, I flopped out of bed with anxious anticipation of the days events. Aidan, Lori and I all got showered and dressed, and we were out of the door at 5:45am. Because it was so cold, Nana decided to keep Christopher in the room for the start of the race, and I believe each of them were able to catch a few more ZZZZZZZZ's. Shelleye and James meet us in the lobby, and off we went headed downtown for the start of the race. Oh by the way, when I say "off we headed" I mean "off we headed on foot for a very long cold walk." It was a 20 minute brisk walk to the start, and we were there plenty early. Here are a couple of pictures that were taken downtown about an hour before the race. First, here is Monkey boy Aidan looking pretty darn good for it being so early and him not having any breakfeast yet:
Next is a picture of Shellye and Lori about 30 minutes before the start:
Now we were at defcon 1 and Lori was behind the fence with all of the other mental patients. I believe it was at this time, after stretching a bit, she suddenly got the "Oh crap, am I really doing this" look on her face. Luckily for all of us, I was there to capture it in all it's glory:
Finally, the cannon sounded, the fireworks were ignited, and Lori shot out of there in a puff of smoke. Ok...I am exageratering...since there were 11,000 other racers around her, Lori puttered out of there like a snail on valium. While she set into her rhythmic pace, Aidan and I set out to travel to the 5 mile mark, and meet up with Shellye and James. (They had set off 15 minutes before the race to get there). Lucky for us, the way the course was designed, we only had to walk a little over a mile more to reach the 5 mile mark which was the first water stop. During the walk there, Aidan and I had a lot of fun, and got to see many new things. Here is a shot of a rowing crew passing under the bridge that Aidan and I were crossing:
We reached our destination, and after daddy caught what little breath he had left, (remember just two days earlier the flu had me feeling like the Grim Reaper would show up at any minute to discuss travel plans) we met up with James and Shellye. Marathon for the Cure, the foundation that Lori was raising money for, was the sponsor for the first water stop. Sunshine, the coordinator for Marathon for the Cure, and the contact that Lori has been in constant correspondence with, greeted us with a warm smile and just oozed friendliness. Aidan and I really liked her, and she gave both Aidan and me "Marathon for The Cure" shirts to wear. Here is a picture of Aidan and Sunshine:
Here is another of Aidan and James, both showing off their new shirts:
It was very interesting being at that first water stop. When the first group of elite runners came into view, it was really a site to behold. Watching the fluidly of their running is like witnessing moving art. It is that impressive. They run at what is essentially a full out sprint for 26.2 miles. The funny thing is, the 5 mile mark for them is nothing. Even though they had been sprinting the entire 5 miles, not one of them was breathing hard, and none of them took on water. They just glided by, and after a few moments, drifted out of sight.
Lori was in a group that hit the 5 mile mark a little over 40 minutes into the race. This group was setting a very good pace, and I was able to snap a couple of pictures of her brief appearance. Here she is arriving:
With a quick drink on the run, and an inspiring kiss from Aidan, she is off:
After Lori went on her way, Aidan and I stayed with James and Shellye and helped pass out tasty beverages to the remaining 7000 runners. We were there for about an hour, and needless to say, Aidan was a big hit. He was definitely the youngest person there handing out water and Power Aid, and he was also the cutest. He was a big help, and everybody got a real kick out of him. Here he is helping out the runners:
After we left the water stop, we started on our arduous journey back to the hotel. We wanted to meet up with Nana and Christopher, and get a little rest before we had to head back to the course to meet Lori at the finish line. After what seemed at the time like our own personal marathon, we finally got back to the hotel about 9:30am. My breath on the other hand, decided to take it's time getting back, and after site seeing a bit, it finally made it's appearance at the hotel about 10:00am. I was thankful.
James and Shellye met up with us at the hotel about 10:30am, and Nana, Christopher, Aidan, and me started our long walk towards the finish line. After 30 grueling minutes, we arrived at our destination. (I am quite sure that you guys reading this blog are feeling real sorry for us by now considering Lori had run about 25 miles by this time) We waited at the finish line with bated breath eager for them to announce Lori's name. A tremendous sense of pride engulfed our bodies as if we had actually run the race when we heard her name being called. What a great feeling. Even though she was tired and hurting a bit, I can only imagine the unbelievable euphoric feeling she must have been experiencing. Wow, 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 33 minutes. How great is that? Here are a few pictures of Lori right after she finished the race, with her finishing medal worn proudly around her neck:
Here she is walking towards us after the race:
And a well deserved hug from her proud mother:
The rest of the trip, which included a trip to our state's Capital building was rather mundane compared to the excitement of the Sunday morning race. We are all so very proud of Lori. Her focus has been inspirational. We were all very lucky to be a part of this milestone in her life, and happy she allowed us along for the ride. None of us will ever forget this weekend.
William
We arrived in Sipville (Austin) after a rain drenched drive about 3:00pm Saturday afternoon. Our friends Shellye and James, who drove down earlier, met us at the hotel and we all got checked into our rooms. We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Town Lake, and our rooms were on the 5th floor and overlooked the water. After we got to our rooms, Lori and Shellye went to the convention center to pick up Lori's race packet while Nana, James, Christopher, Aidan and I got a little bit of welcomed rest. During our down time, Aidan and Nana found time to play a challanging game of "I Spy" using the field glasses that I brought with me.
After Lori and Shellye got back to the hotel, and after calling about every Pasta restaurant in town, we finally found one who could accommodate a reservation for 11 on a Saturday night on a race weekend. (Word to the wise: It is a common fact that every long distance racer wants to "carb load" on the night before a big race, so if you plan on eating Pasta somewhere, please make your reservations early.) Before departing, I got a picture of Lori and Shellye at the hotel. For those of you who might night be familiar with Shellye or have not visited Lori's marathon blog page, Shellye is Lori's friend, and her courageous battle with breast cancer was the inspiration behind Lori's insane commitment to run 26.2 miles. Here is their picture:
We went to dinner and ate like kings. We met up with Lori's friend Tiffany, her husband Patrick and their two beautiful kids Abbey and Shea, and after having a wonderful time visiting and stuffing our faces, we decided to call it an early night. Most of us sleep pretty well, except Lori, who was understandably nervous, as she tossed and turned quite a bit.
As a beautiful and serene 5:00am rolled upon us, the silence was then broken by not one, but three different alarms. Yep 3 DIFFERENT ALARMS @ 5:00am........AHHHHHHH!!!!! After putting my heart back into my chest, I flopped out of bed with anxious anticipation of the days events. Aidan, Lori and I all got showered and dressed, and we were out of the door at 5:45am. Because it was so cold, Nana decided to keep Christopher in the room for the start of the race, and I believe each of them were able to catch a few more ZZZZZZZZ's. Shelleye and James meet us in the lobby, and off we went headed downtown for the start of the race. Oh by the way, when I say "off we headed" I mean "off we headed on foot for a very long cold walk." It was a 20 minute brisk walk to the start, and we were there plenty early. Here are a couple of pictures that were taken downtown about an hour before the race. First, here is Monkey boy Aidan looking pretty darn good for it being so early and him not having any breakfeast yet:
Next is a picture of Shellye and Lori about 30 minutes before the start:
Now we were at defcon 1 and Lori was behind the fence with all of the other mental patients. I believe it was at this time, after stretching a bit, she suddenly got the "Oh crap, am I really doing this" look on her face. Luckily for all of us, I was there to capture it in all it's glory:
Finally, the cannon sounded, the fireworks were ignited, and Lori shot out of there in a puff of smoke. Ok...I am exageratering...since there were 11,000 other racers around her, Lori puttered out of there like a snail on valium. While she set into her rhythmic pace, Aidan and I set out to travel to the 5 mile mark, and meet up with Shellye and James. (They had set off 15 minutes before the race to get there). Lucky for us, the way the course was designed, we only had to walk a little over a mile more to reach the 5 mile mark which was the first water stop. During the walk there, Aidan and I had a lot of fun, and got to see many new things. Here is a shot of a rowing crew passing under the bridge that Aidan and I were crossing:
We reached our destination, and after daddy caught what little breath he had left, (remember just two days earlier the flu had me feeling like the Grim Reaper would show up at any minute to discuss travel plans) we met up with James and Shellye. Marathon for the Cure, the foundation that Lori was raising money for, was the sponsor for the first water stop. Sunshine, the coordinator for Marathon for the Cure, and the contact that Lori has been in constant correspondence with, greeted us with a warm smile and just oozed friendliness. Aidan and I really liked her, and she gave both Aidan and me "Marathon for The Cure" shirts to wear. Here is a picture of Aidan and Sunshine:
Here is another of Aidan and James, both showing off their new shirts:
It was very interesting being at that first water stop. When the first group of elite runners came into view, it was really a site to behold. Watching the fluidly of their running is like witnessing moving art. It is that impressive. They run at what is essentially a full out sprint for 26.2 miles. The funny thing is, the 5 mile mark for them is nothing. Even though they had been sprinting the entire 5 miles, not one of them was breathing hard, and none of them took on water. They just glided by, and after a few moments, drifted out of sight.
Lori was in a group that hit the 5 mile mark a little over 40 minutes into the race. This group was setting a very good pace, and I was able to snap a couple of pictures of her brief appearance. Here she is arriving:
With a quick drink on the run, and an inspiring kiss from Aidan, she is off:
After Lori went on her way, Aidan and I stayed with James and Shellye and helped pass out tasty beverages to the remaining 7000 runners. We were there for about an hour, and needless to say, Aidan was a big hit. He was definitely the youngest person there handing out water and Power Aid, and he was also the cutest. He was a big help, and everybody got a real kick out of him. Here he is helping out the runners:
After we left the water stop, we started on our arduous journey back to the hotel. We wanted to meet up with Nana and Christopher, and get a little rest before we had to head back to the course to meet Lori at the finish line. After what seemed at the time like our own personal marathon, we finally got back to the hotel about 9:30am. My breath on the other hand, decided to take it's time getting back, and after site seeing a bit, it finally made it's appearance at the hotel about 10:00am. I was thankful.
James and Shellye met up with us at the hotel about 10:30am, and Nana, Christopher, Aidan, and me started our long walk towards the finish line. After 30 grueling minutes, we arrived at our destination. (I am quite sure that you guys reading this blog are feeling real sorry for us by now considering Lori had run about 25 miles by this time) We waited at the finish line with bated breath eager for them to announce Lori's name. A tremendous sense of pride engulfed our bodies as if we had actually run the race when we heard her name being called. What a great feeling. Even though she was tired and hurting a bit, I can only imagine the unbelievable euphoric feeling she must have been experiencing. Wow, 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 33 minutes. How great is that? Here are a few pictures of Lori right after she finished the race, with her finishing medal worn proudly around her neck:
Here she is walking towards us after the race:
And a well deserved hug from her proud mother:
The rest of the trip, which included a trip to our state's Capital building was rather mundane compared to the excitement of the Sunday morning race. We are all so very proud of Lori. Her focus has been inspirational. We were all very lucky to be a part of this milestone in her life, and happy she allowed us along for the ride. None of us will ever forget this weekend.
William
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Sacrifice...Commitment...Pride
Today is the day that we leave for sip town (Austin for non Aggies). As most of you know, Lori will suspend logical thinking and participate in her first marathon tomorrow. I seems like only yesterday (even though it was 5 months ago) that she was telling me about her plans, and it also seems like only yesterday (even though it was 5 months ago) I was telling her that she had lost her mind. "Honey, you just had a baby, and the hormonal imbalances in your body are affecting your judgment" (As a sidenote: do not ever use the words hormonal imbalance or even think about the words hormonal imbalance around a woman who has just given birth unless you enjoy seething retribution) Anyway, after I was told of the reasons behind her wanting to run (cancer awareness) I of course told her that made all the difference in the world for now she had at least lost her mind for a cause.
Well, here we are 4 months later, and Lori has accomplished everything she wanted to, except the very last step. She has raised awareness for Breast Cancer, and she raised $2515.00 (so far) for the cause. She has gotten herself in phenomenal shape and still had time to be a wonderful mother and wife to her family. She is a positive influence on everyone she meets, and her determination has been contagious. I am so very proud of her, and I cannot wait to meet her at the finish line on Sunday and give her a great big hug.
I could never run a marathon, not even on the moon. The thought of running 26.2 miles at a constant pace for 4+ hours is incomprehensible. Lori on the other hand, took to it like a real pro, and once she got on a training program she really (ok excuse the cheesy pun) made great strides. Let's all wish her luck, an say a little prayer for her continued good health.
If you have the opportunity to raise a glass and make a toast on Sunday night, do so, for Lori will be tired and sore, but she will also be sucking down a Margarita at some restaurant in Austin and toasting her VICTORY!
William
PS. If any of you would still like to make a donation to help Lori and her cause, you can do so at her blog page. Thank you in advance, and here is the address: http://www.active.com/donate/m4cure/lthornton
Well, here we are 4 months later, and Lori has accomplished everything she wanted to, except the very last step. She has raised awareness for Breast Cancer, and she raised $2515.00 (so far) for the cause. She has gotten herself in phenomenal shape and still had time to be a wonderful mother and wife to her family. She is a positive influence on everyone she meets, and her determination has been contagious. I am so very proud of her, and I cannot wait to meet her at the finish line on Sunday and give her a great big hug.
I could never run a marathon, not even on the moon. The thought of running 26.2 miles at a constant pace for 4+ hours is incomprehensible. Lori on the other hand, took to it like a real pro, and once she got on a training program she really (ok excuse the cheesy pun) made great strides. Let's all wish her luck, an say a little prayer for her continued good health.
If you have the opportunity to raise a glass and make a toast on Sunday night, do so, for Lori will be tired and sore, but she will also be sucking down a Margarita at some restaurant in Austin and toasting her VICTORY!
William
PS. If any of you would still like to make a donation to help Lori and her cause, you can do so at her blog page. Thank you in advance, and here is the address: http://www.active.com/donate/m4cure/lthornton
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Words to Live By.
I made one of those classic blunders three weeks ago that you inevitably live to regret. See, there are many words to live by, and while most of them are well known, some are not. Unfortunately for me, mine was one of the former, and I damn sure should have known better. Here is an example of some well known words to live by:
1. Never get involved in a land war in Asia.
2. You don't spit into the wind.
3. Never eat yellow snow.
4. And for you Princess Bride fans, "never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line"!
Well here are a couple more:
5. Never make fun of any one on Crutches or use someone's crutch in jest
And lastly, and the one that pertains to my ignorance
6. Never, ever, make fun of others for being sick. (Jan 24th blog)
Uh oh, it seems that William forgot good ol' number 6. What the hell was I thinking? Nothing like getting cocky and tempting fate. Making fun of sick people....are you kidding me.....well guess what? Fate just took a big ol' bite out of my rump, and I now have the ##$$**#( FLU. INCONCEIVABLE! Yep, that's right, Mr. "I never get sick" feels like he fell down 10 flights of stairs, and landed in on his head,. If you would have asked me a week ago if I thought it was possible to be shivering and sweating at the same time, I would have thought you a fool. Well not anymore. For those of you who have never been "lucky" enough to experience this, consider your life blessed. It is without a doubt the sickest I have ever felt in my entire 42 years on this earth. This is one hell of a penance.
So, I would like anyone who is reading this to make note of these words to live by, and take them to heart. They will serve you well if you let them. If not, prepare to suffer immensely. You have been warned.
Bye for now,......feeling like dirt.
William
1. Never get involved in a land war in Asia.
2. You don't spit into the wind.
3. Never eat yellow snow.
4. And for you Princess Bride fans, "never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line"!
Well here are a couple more:
5. Never make fun of any one on Crutches or use someone's crutch in jest
And lastly, and the one that pertains to my ignorance
6. Never, ever, make fun of others for being sick. (Jan 24th blog)
Uh oh, it seems that William forgot good ol' number 6. What the hell was I thinking? Nothing like getting cocky and tempting fate. Making fun of sick people....are you kidding me.....well guess what? Fate just took a big ol' bite out of my rump, and I now have the ##$$**#( FLU. INCONCEIVABLE! Yep, that's right, Mr. "I never get sick" feels like he fell down 10 flights of stairs, and landed in on his head,. If you would have asked me a week ago if I thought it was possible to be shivering and sweating at the same time, I would have thought you a fool. Well not anymore. For those of you who have never been "lucky" enough to experience this, consider your life blessed. It is without a doubt the sickest I have ever felt in my entire 42 years on this earth. This is one hell of a penance.
So, I would like anyone who is reading this to make note of these words to live by, and take them to heart. They will serve you well if you let them. If not, prepare to suffer immensely. You have been warned.
Bye for now,......feeling like dirt.
William
Happy Valentines Day
I do not need a special day in the year to remind me how blessed I am to have Lori. I wake up every single morning knowing that I am the luckiest man alive, and my profound reverence toward her is deeply deserved. She is the love of my life, and everyday she makes me a better person. I wish everyone could be so lucky.
William
One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strand
by Edmund Spenser
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away;
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide and made my pains his prey.
"Vain man," said she "thou dost in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eke my name be wiped out likewise."
"Not so," quoth I "let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name;
Where, whenas death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew."
William
One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strand
by Edmund Spenser
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away;
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide and made my pains his prey.
"Vain man," said she "thou dost in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eke my name be wiped out likewise."
"Not so," quoth I "let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name;
Where, whenas death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew."
Sunday, February 10, 2008
O to be young again
Well, in honor of Aidan's new soccer team, Christopher has adapted a new look courtesy of our Soccer hooligan friends across the pond.
Aidan on the other hand, is just goofy no matter what hairdoo he has.
When he is not being goofy (which is rare), he is a pretty handsome devil.
Yep, a couple of strange monkeys, but we love them anyway.
Goodnight all.
William
Aidan on the other hand, is just goofy no matter what hairdoo he has.
When he is not being goofy (which is rare), he is a pretty handsome devil.
Yep, a couple of strange monkeys, but we love them anyway.
Goodnight all.
William
Sunday, sticky Sunday
Is there anything better than a big warm stack of hot buttered pancakes smothered in syrup and an ice cold glass of milk to wash them down? If you said no, then you should have been at Camelot central this morning. I decided to make flapjacks for breakfast this morning and they turned out GOOOOOOOOOOD! Mmmmmmm....pancakes...
Just to show you how committed to a healthy lifestyle I am, I topped off my mountain-o-pancakes with a 1 hour nap afterwards. Oh yea baby, I will be ripped in no time!
Well, got to go. Lots and lots on the to do list today. I should have some pictures to post later tonight.
William
Just to show you how committed to a healthy lifestyle I am, I topped off my mountain-o-pancakes with a 1 hour nap afterwards. Oh yea baby, I will be ripped in no time!Well, got to go. Lots and lots on the to do list today. I should have some pictures to post later tonight.
William
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
This...That...And the Other
Well it's been a while since the last update. Sorry about that, but we have been pretty busy around here. As you saw on the last blog, Lori's CX-9 was assaulted by a big steel pipe. Ohhhh wait a minute, that doesn't sound right, how about Lori's CX-9 was damaged by a big steel pipe. Yeah that's better. Anyway, we were able to get in touch with the insurance company, and everything is going to be covered under comprehensive. Whew! We did not need another accident to be counted against our insurance. State Farm, as usual, was very professional about the whole thing, and once again, we feel very fortunate to have them as our insurer.
We dropped off Lori's vehicle on Monday morning, and we got her into a rental. We have rental reimbursement through State Farm, but it only covers up to $20.00 a day. Well, needless to say, Lori was not going to get into the Lincoln Navigator that we wanted, so she settled for a .......ready for this....PT Cruiser. Wow, you never realize how spoiled you have become until you "get" to drive around in a PT Cruiser for a while. But, we here in the Thornton family like to look at things on the bright side, and in this case, the "blinding" side. See, our choices were, the PT Cruiser or a Kia. Yeah baby! See how bright and shiny the Cruiser choice looks now. Perspective is a funny thing.
Monday afternoon brought special joy to the family in the form of Aidan's first Soccer practice. Now I might have been known in the past to exaggerate a bit, but what I am about to tell you is the absolute truth. It seems that the rest of Aidan's team has been imported from Lilliput. No, I am not kidding. Aidan looks like Paul Bunyan running around the field with all of these Lilliputians. It would be quite comical to watch really if I did not have a genuine fear for the others. Lori and I thought that we might have enrolled him in the wrong league, and even asked if that was the case, but we were told he was in the right place. Wow, we are going to go broke purchasing all of the tongue depressors Aidan is going to need during the games in order to clean the Lilliputians out of his cleats. I kid you not, one of the kids on his team has feet the size of small dinner rolls. If Christopher could walk, I believe he could borrow this kids cleats. Scary. It is certainly going to make for an interesting season.
Aidan is scheduled to start Tball practice in the very near future. Hopefully, he will not be on a team full of Oompah Luumpahs for baseball. I will let you know.
William
We dropped off Lori's vehicle on Monday morning, and we got her into a rental. We have rental reimbursement through State Farm, but it only covers up to $20.00 a day. Well, needless to say, Lori was not going to get into the Lincoln Navigator that we wanted, so she settled for a .......ready for this....PT Cruiser. Wow, you never realize how spoiled you have become until you "get" to drive around in a PT Cruiser for a while. But, we here in the Thornton family like to look at things on the bright side, and in this case, the "blinding" side. See, our choices were, the PT Cruiser or a Kia. Yeah baby! See how bright and shiny the Cruiser choice looks now. Perspective is a funny thing.
Monday afternoon brought special joy to the family in the form of Aidan's first Soccer practice. Now I might have been known in the past to exaggerate a bit, but what I am about to tell you is the absolute truth. It seems that the rest of Aidan's team has been imported from Lilliput. No, I am not kidding. Aidan looks like Paul Bunyan running around the field with all of these Lilliputians. It would be quite comical to watch really if I did not have a genuine fear for the others. Lori and I thought that we might have enrolled him in the wrong league, and even asked if that was the case, but we were told he was in the right place. Wow, we are going to go broke purchasing all of the tongue depressors Aidan is going to need during the games in order to clean the Lilliputians out of his cleats. I kid you not, one of the kids on his team has feet the size of small dinner rolls. If Christopher could walk, I believe he could borrow this kids cleats. Scary. It is certainly going to make for an interesting season.
Aidan is scheduled to start Tball practice in the very near future. Hopefully, he will not be on a team full of Oompah Luumpahs for baseball. I will let you know.
William
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