Weekend Cornucopia

After enjoying the RUSH concert on Friday night, Christopher and Aidan woke up bright and early Saturday morning and made sure that mommy and daddy did not "waste" anymore time sleeping. We piddled around the house for a few hours, and then left to attend Aidan's Tball game about 9:25 am. Aidan's game went well, and he hit the ball better than he ever has. He actually hit two balls past all of the outfielders, and if you do that in this league, you get to take two bases. He was pretty excited about that.

After his Tball game, we headed home for a little rest and relaxation before Aidan's soccer game. We have found that Aidan plays much better during his second game if he has a nap between games. Aidan was able to nap for almost two hours, so we knew before we left that he was plenty rested and we hoped it would show on the field. We were not disappointed.

We left for his soccer game at 3:20 and he played phenomenally. Aidan scored 10 goals in the two quarters that he played, and his team won 10-7. The other team scored 1 goal while Aidan was in the game. Counting this game, Aidan has scored 28 goals on the year, and the opposing teams have scored 4 goals while he has been in. Pretty stinking remarkable.

Although Aidan has one soccer game remaining in the season, all of the parents decided to have the team's end of the season party after the game last week. It just fit everyone's schedule better than having it next Saturday. All of the parents and families went to Double Daves pizza after the game, and had a great time. All of the boys received their end of the season Trophies, and all were very excited. Here is a picture of his first sports trophy.After we got home from eating pizza Saturday evening, we decided to take a trip to see my mother and brother. My mother purchased a new car and last week I picked it up for her in Denton. While Lori and the boys (and Mystic) piled in the CX-9 to follow me to my mom's house, I got in her car and started to enjoy the 160 mile drive. Here is a picture of her new car.As you might have guessed, I had a blast driving it down to her house, and I am insanely jealous about her having this car. It is an absolutely fantastic car. We all had a great time visiting on Sunday, and got back home last night a little before 10:00 pm. All in all it was a great weekend.

William

Feeling RUSHed

As I sit down to type this, the faint ringing in my ears gently reminds me of the good times experienced last night. It's not very often that one gets to relive a little bit of their past, and gets to have so much fun in the process. Yesterday evening was the exception, and I am still smiling from my good fortune.

You see, last month Lori and I celebrated our 10th anniversary, and much to my surprise and elation, as part of my gift from Lori, she presented me with 2 tickets to the RUSH concert. For those of you who do not know me, RUSH is my all time favorite rock group, and I have loved their music for almost 30 years. It was a wonderful gift, and I had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of April 25th for quite some time.

Lori and I were able to hire a baby sitter, and after she arrived at 6:00pm last night, we left the house for our first official "date night" in months. The concert was held at the large amphitheater in Dallas, and the weather could not have been more cooperative. It was an absolutely beautiful night with just a little wind, and temperatures in the upper 60's.

When you have been playing music since 1968 you develop quite a following, and as one would guess, quite an eclectic crowd. Ages varied from 6 years old to people in their mid 60s, from bikers to businessmen, all with one thing in common.....their love of great music. As you might have guessed, none left disappointed.

RUSH has been playing so long, and have so many great songs, that they are not like other bands. While most bands have a need for a warm up band to play before they come on stage, RUSH simply starts their own concerts and plays hit after hit for next 3 hours. It is absolutely amazing to watch 3 virtuosos on the stage at the same time. I have been to 4 RUSH concerts now, and each and every time I am still amazed at the wall of sound that is presented by this group of musicians. It's simply hard to believe that just 3 people can create such a deep rich sound.

From the first note of "Limelight" (their opening song) to the last note of "YYZ" (their closing song) they were fantastic. Each song eliciting many great memories from years gone by. I do not know if this will be there last tour.....I sure hope not, but if it is, I am glad I had a chance to see them one last time.

A big thanks to my wife Lori for getting the tickets. It was a great gift and I had a blast. Thanks for going with me, and Happy Anniversary.

William.

PS. For those of you that like RUSH and for those of you that want to know who they are, here is their closing encore number YYZ. This is an animated Windows Media Video featuring their incredible drummer Neil Peart.
http://www.bobbysbrane.com/animation-fun/animations/YYZ-Rush-BobbysBrane.wmv

Little Miss Sunshine

Remember way back.....when I was blogging about things you just don't do? I have a new addition to the list. Here it is:

When you are riding in a convertible with the top down, and you are wearing your seatbelt but no sunscreen, you might want to wear a different type shirt than this.

Whoa Nelly that looks painful! It seems that Lori has learned another valuable lesson about life.

William

A Rub-A-Dub

.........just relaxing in my tub.

Yes, I was a-splishing and a splashing

I was a-rolling and a-strolling

Yeah, I was a-moving and a-grooving

I was a-reeling with the feeling

I was a-rolling and a-strolling

Moving with the grooving

Splish splash, yeah!

I'm out of here ya'll...peace out...

Christopher

Zoo Bet It Was Fun

"Real Stinking Early" is the way I would describe the beginning of the day on Saturday. It seems every day is an early day when you have a 5 year old and a 8 month old in the family, but Saturday was particularly early. Lori and Christopher were participating in the Ft. Worth Zoo Run, and they had to be on the West side of Ft. Worth by 7:30 in the morning. For those of you who are not familiar with the geography of the area, West Ft. Worth is approx 60 miles from our house, so now you know why the alarms sounded "Real Stinking Early" and our day began at the crack of dawn.

We had so many things going on Saturday that the misses and I had to split up the shorties to accommodate all of the days festivities. While Christopher and Lori made their way to the Ft. Worth Zoo Run, Aidan and I prepared for another Saturday filled with Tball and soccer. Lori actually made really good time driving to Ft. Worth, and had plenty of time to met up with her co-workers before the race. Here are a couple of pictures of Lori and her friends before the race.

Christopher in his jog stroller....wind blown hair and all....ready to roll

Lori with all of her friends from Children's Medical Center

Aidan and I on the other hand had plenty of time to get ready for his 10:00 am Tball game. We watched some Sports Center, we watched some Sponge Bob, and even went out back and practiced his hitting a bit. As a matter of fact, we had so much time to get ready for his Tball game, we ended up leaving 15 minutes late. Grrrrrrrr....don't you hate it when that happens. Oh well, the best laid plans......

Once we arrived at the ball field, it was an absolutely beautiful morning....just perfect for playing ball. The sun was shining, the wind was calm, and it was 68 degrees. Perfect. The baseball Gods were smiling. Aidan had lots and lots of fun, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself too. The sights and sounds of a ball game combined with the laughs and cheers of the boys certainly provide a joyous backdrop. Good times.

After Aidan's Tball game, Lori had just finished her run, and all of us met at the house for a 1 hour rest before we set out for Aidan's 2:00 pm soccer game. Aidan's soccer game went well and he scored two goals. Aidan had a good game, but it is easy to see that he is not as aggressive at the soccer games that follow his Tball games. Can you blame him, that's a bunch of running for those small legs. After the game he was tired and hot, so we treated him to an ice cream from the Stone Cold Creamery. After we finished our delicious treats, we headed home for a well deserved rest.

The remainder of the weekend involved normal things like mowing the lawn and getting groceries. Mundane, but necessary. No pictures of that stuff, I promise.

William

Pequod's Prey

As I peered at the calendar a cold chill covered my body. "That can't be right" I said, "surely I've got more than 6 weeks". As I feverishly counted the weeks again, a sobering reality suddenly slapped me across the face. "I've got to wear a bathing suit on the beach......IN FRONT OF PEOPLE....IN FRONT OF MY GOOD FRIENDS.....in just 6 short weeks"! AHhhhhhhhhhh!

Well, that was me a week ago last Friday, and here I sit today, writhing in pain and soreness, wishing once again that someone would just come along and shoot me. End my misery. Why do I do this to myself? I tell myself at the beginning of the year, that this year will be different....mmmmmm jelly donuts, this year I will work out all year around.....mmmmmm bacon cheeseburgers, and I will stay in shape. Yeah right, didn't happen, and now once again I face the cold reality that a harpooning might be in my near future if I show up at the beach in my current state. So, it's "yummy" protein shakes for me, and elliptical training and speed bag training, and sit-ups and all that other painful stuff twice a day for the next 40 days.

If I play my cards right, I might be able to go from gargantuan to huge by Memorial weekend. WoooHooo! Hey, it's a start. After gorging myself Memorial weekend on fresh shrimp and other fine delectables (just being honest), I vow to get back on a regiment and not fall into the same abyss. Don't believe me you say? Well, after my track record, I can't say that I blame you. Wait and see......wait and see.

William

PS. If you hold stock in the maker of Advil....expect a significant upswing in stock price over the next few weeks.

Competitive Fire

The weekend came and went, and like always, lots of fun was had by all. Aidan had two games on Saturday (more on that below) and Lori and Aidan, along with some of Lori's co-workers went to the Frisco RoughRiders minor league baseball game on Sunday. Although the Roughriders lost, everybody had a real good time at the game. I stayed home with Christopher, and we both enjoyed watching THE MASTERS on TV.

I am sure the most of you reading this are familiar with the term "Competitive Fire". You have probably heard the term overused by numerous announcers during sporting events, and to be honest most people probably just tune it out as "announcer cliché speak". Most people never really give the actual meaning behind the term much thought. Micheal Clarkson, author of the book titled "Competitive Fire" defines it like this:

""It" is the special inner drive that allows an athlete to thrive in competition. At times it manifests itself in anger, at other times as a great burst of energy or power, and sometimes even as an almost surreal experience commonly called "the zone."

I think the above definition is spot on, and captures the essence of the intense emotions associated with the burning desire to win.

I have always considered myself to be a competitive person, and ever since I can remember I have always wanted to/needed to win at whatever I was doing. I have always thought my "competitive fire" burned as hot or hotter than most, and in the past, it has only been on rare occasions that I have met or played against someone with a stronger will to win. All of that has now changed since Aidan has been old enough to participate in competition. I have never in my life been around a more competitive person.....period. With Aidan, it borders on obsession.....and to be quite frank it sometimes can be downright scary. 5 year old boys are not supposed to care about "winning" this much. Soccer, Tball, Pop-a-shot, running, eating, drinking, putting together a puzzle, playing video games.....etc.....you name it, and he wants to do it better than anyone around. He literally gets upset when I (a 42 year old man) can do something better than him, and he can barely stand it.

Believe me when I tell you this is not just a case of a father seeing more in his son than others see. On numerous occasions, I have had random parents come to me and ask or comment about Aidan's will to win and succeed. At this point I am hoping his unwavering desire to win is a blessing and not a curse. With his early success in Tball and Soccer, humility is a trait that will have to be force fed to Aidan on a regular basis just to keep him in-line. Lori and I do not want to extinguish Aidan's "Competitive Fire", for that is a trait that most are not blessed with, and to do so would be a travesty. At the same time, we are both going to have to work overtime to keep his adrenaline rush of competition in order.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph, Aidan had two more games this weekend. First was his soccer game, and it was his best effort to date. Aidan is playing unbelievable. There is no other way to say it.

Aidan is currently playing in a league that does not allow goalies, so some might opine that scoring does not mean very much. Well, considering that each and every player is playing under the same rules and has the same chance and opportunities, you would think that scores would be astronomical. Well, they are not, and that is what makes Aidan's season so jaw dropping.

Aidan scored another 6 goals on Saturday and hit the sidebar on a 7th try. His team won the game 6-4. Aidan has scored in every game, and he has been in the game 12 out of the 20 quarters his team has played this season. During the time he has been in the game, Aidan has outscored the other teams 16-3. It really is a lot of fun to watch, although sometimes it makes both Lori and me a little uncomfortable around the other parents. Soccer must come naturally to Aidan, for neither me nor his mother know very much about the game. I do not know if he will stick with soccer very long for he likes baseball much better, but if he does I have no doubt that he will be a very special player.

During his Tball game Aidan hit the ball much better, and has really done a good job of getting a rhythm with his swing. He got to play pitcher and first base, and had numerous opportunities in the field. He made all of the plays that came his way and looked really good doing it. He has another game tonight, and we are all looking forward to it.

William

Unabated

Today Christopher was allowed his first foray into the evil world of temptation. You see, up until now he has only been allowed formula and baby food, and while both those things do wonders for his ever growing body, it is not what I or any other sane person would consider appealing. Today all that changed when Christopher got his grubby little fingers on his first teething biscuit, and.......OH MOMMA.....he attacked it with a voracity seldom seen in the hominal world. It was quite comical and scary at the same time, and we were very fortunate that no digits were lost in the making of the following picture.



I hope and pray that we have not created a monster.

William

Status Quo

Well, another fun filled weekend in the books. Lori and I got to attend her company work party on Friday night and we had a lot of fun. It was a coat and tie affair held on the 48th floor of Thanksgiving Tower in Downtown Dallas. Lots of good food and drinks were had by all.

Aidan had two games, one Tball one Soccer, on Saturday plus his baseball team pictures. Needless to say, Aidan and his parental units were very tired (and dad was really sun burned) by the end of the day. Here is a picture that I took of his baseball team.
You know how I am always saying how big Aidan is compared to most of the other kids on his teams? Well, let me tell you, that kid in the middle standing next to Aidan is 5 years old and he makes Aidan look small. That kid's name is Colton is he is about 53inches tall and wears a size 4 shoe. He is going to be a very large boy when he grows up. Hopefully as he gets a bit older, some nice person will explain to him how to wear a belt. Geesh.

Here is a picture of Aidan that I took of his new haircut. I told him to give me his serious face. I think he did pretty good.
Here is a new one of Christopher showing off those baby blues, and that curly hair. He is growing up each and every day.

William

Mirthful Innocence

No matter how bad your day has been, there is nothing, and I mean nothing that can wash your blues away quicker than a child's laughter. It is so innocent and genuine, so intoxicating and infectious, your sprit is instantly lifted and your troubles are suddenly distant memories. I am very fortunate to live in a household filled with joy, and I get to bathe in a refreshing pool of children's laughter each and every day. So for those of you reading this who might like or need a little pick me up, a little infectious innocence, step right up and don't be shy....dive in...the water is fine.



William