A Good Life

I remember having to type one of these emails about 7 years ago.  It was just as hard then as it is now.

Today we lost the best cat I have ever seen.  18 years young, and a slice of furry happiness.  He was always purring and just craved attention.  He always found a way to make me feel better about things, and I am truly going to miss him. 

Somewhere up in animal heaven, he and Dante are getting reacquainted, and soon they will be frolicking like old times. 

I am so very sad to lose such a wonderful friend.  Rest In Peace Lancelot.

 William

Erudition And Smiles

.....continued from yesterday.

On Thursday morning, I decided that I would take the boys to the Perot Museum on Nature and Science on Friday.  This museum opened to the public in December of 2012, and it is nothing short of amazing.

As I was ordering tickets online, I wondered if Lori would want to join us.  I knew she was working a half a day at the hospital on Friday morning, but I thought it would be nice if she went along.  I called and asked her what she thought, and I was happy when she said yes.  I ordered our tickets, and downloaded them on my phone.

After Lori got home from work around 12:45pm on Friday, we left for the museum.  Traffic was good, and we got to the museum just in time for our scheduled 1:30pm IMAX 3D movie.

The short movie was made by National Geographic, and it was called Waking the T-Rex.  We took our seats, and prepared to be deposited into a world that existed 65 million years ago.  The 30 minute movie was really educational and just downright cool.  The boys love it.

Next up was the exhibits.

The museum exhibits cover 4 different floors.  In other words, it is BIG!  So much to see and read.  You could really stay there an entire day and not take in all it's wonder.  It's a visual candy store for inquisitive boys.

I can't begin to tell you about everything you can explore, but lets just say, the sights are amazing.  Everything from dinosaur fossils to 2 ton geodes.   Lots and lots of hands on experiments and puzzles for the kids.  Well, see for yourself..........

Yep, it was fascinating.  Lori and I both had a great time with the boys, and the boys and I were both happy she came with us.  I can't wait to go back.

What an absolutely fantastic week. 

William

World of Wonder

Last week was fun.  Good old fashioned fun.

Monday started off on the wrong foot.  There was a mix up in Christopher's camp plans, and somehow Lori and I forget to get him registered for the week.  Luckily I found out before I tried to drop him off.  Oh well, not being registered for camp meant only one thing..........more time for fun during the week!  If Christopher was staying out, so was Aidan.  Woo Hoo!!!!!

After getting the boys fed Monday morning, I decided to take them to the Dallas World Aquarium.  This place is in the center of downtown Dallas, and I had never been there before.  I did not know what to expect.  I had heard from friends that it was a really cool place, so I hoped the boys would have a good time.

We got there about 10:30 in the morning, and "Oh Wow" it was neat.  There is just so many things to see and read about, and it is beautiful.

We had such a good time seeing all of the fish and animals.  As I stopped at this exhibit, I was wondering what I was supposed to be looking for.  Suddenly, I noticed directly below me a very large crocodile.  I stuck my camera over the railing to take a picture.  Christopher, being the ever inquisitive little boy he is, decided he needed to see what daddy was doing.  Unbeknownst to me, he proceeded to climb the rail all the way past his waist and lean over to see what was happening.  I almost had a heart attack when I looked over and saw him there.  Here's why....

10 feet below was big daddy just waiting for a succulent, tender, 60 lb boy to fall.   Needless to say, he was back on solid ground within seconds, and in the middle of a solid scolding.  Kids....

We left there and went to look at some of the underwater exhibits.  Here both boys are in the middle of the shark tank.

How about the uneasy look on Christopher's face?

The exhibits were amazing, and boys really had a good time.

They even got to see Dory and Nemo......

We spent a few hours there, and we all had a blast.  As we were leaving, we stopped by the last few exhibits.  Wow.

It was a great place to visit, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Tuesday and Wednesday, we stayed around the house.  The boys had friends over, and played and played.  I promised Lori that I would refinish the front door on the house before I moved out.  It was a heck of a lot of work, but after 15 hours of removing the old varnish, sanding, re-staining twice and then sealing, it turned out nice.

Our 18 year old cat enjoyed the view through the front door.

He pawed at that plastic for hours trying to find it's weakness.  Determined, but fruitless.

Thursday, I took the kids to Outdoor World in Grapevine.  We walked around that store for hours looking at everything.  It is such a cool place.  The boys always love the fish tank.

After we left Outdoor world, it was hot.....like Africa Hot!!  What better way to cool down than with Snow Cones from Bahama Bucks!

Super sour green apple for Aidan, and birthday cake (yep you read that right...birthday cake) for Christopher.  I of course had to partake too, so it was Peach for me.  MmmmmMmmmm...they were good.

Friday was a special day, but it will have to wait for my next post tomorrow.  Lots of fun, and lots of pictures.

to be continued..........

Cresting

Well, it looks like I'm going to survive.  It was "iffy there for a while, but in a couple of hours, I'll go to the airport and pick up Lori and the boys after their being gone for 7 full days. 

Talk about tough.  That is the longest time I have ever been away from the boys, and it's also the longest that I've ever gone without seeing Lori since we met 17 1/2 years ago.

You know, I hope I'm never away from the boys for that long in one stretch again.  The peace and quiet is challenging.  "The noise" is just something, after hearing the kids screaming voices for so long, you just get used to and crave.

I know that Lori and my time will come to an end in 17 days.  Our divorce won't be final yet, but I am moving out of the house at that time.  It's certainly going to be strange not seeing my best friend any longer.  Old habits die hard, but I'm heading over that crest.  It is getting easier.  Day by day my friends, day by day.

Well, I guess I need to get the house in order.  Haven't had visitors in a week.  Living like a bachelor might not go over too well when everyone gets home.  Clean, clean, clean!

William
 

Never Forget The Price

Freedom by Ambrose Bierce

Freedom, as every schoolboy knows,
Once shrieked as Kosciusko fell;
On every wind, indeed, that blows
I hear her yell.

She screams whenever monarchs meet,
And parliaments as well,
To bind the chains about her feet
And toll her knell.

And when the sovereign people cast
The votes they cannot spell,
Upon the pestilential blast
Her clamors swell.

For all to whom the power's given
To sway or to compel,
Among themselves apportion Heaven
And give her Hell. 

God bless each and every one of you on this day of Independence. Please say a prayer for all the people who made the ultimate sacrifice to allow you and me the freedoms that we so readily enjoy each and every day.  

William

I Do

....continued

It's absolutely amazing how three simple letters can change someone's life in such a positive and rapturous way.  Y...E...S.....

I was now engaged to my best friend, and the absolute love of my life.  Every morning and evening I was strolling along Cloud 9.  What a feeling.  I almost felt guilty about my good fortune.  Did I really deserve Lori?  I mean let's face it......it sports terms.....I really out kicked the coverage.  I was in the happiest place I had ever been in my life.

Lori handled most of the wedding plans, and everybody was better off for that.  I was there for support, and the occasional "yeah, that looks or sounds perfect".  In what seemed like an instant, it was already March of 1998 and our wedding was just around the corner.  "Please God, please let this happen" was all I could think about, and before I knew it, it was already the 14th of the month. 

We planned an outdoor wedding at the Dallas Arboretum.  It was such a beautiful place.  The flowers were in bloom, the grass was green and immaculate, and everything looked amazing.  Everything was perfect........so perfect in fact, Mother Nature decided to shed some tears.  Yep, rain.  As I look back on it now, maybe that was some kind of omen.  A little foreshadowing maybe....Who knows.  At the time, we just gathered all the chairs, and moved the ceremony to an inside area.

As the final minutes ticked away, I was overcome with emotion.  As a beautiful rendition of Mozart's String Quartet #4 in C major was playing in the background I watched all of our friends and family, all of the people I loved most in this world, file into the room.   It was, at that time, the best feeling I had ever experienced. How could things get any better?

You would have thought that I would have been really nervous, but strangely, I was not.  I knew that this was the best decision that I would ever make in my life, and a warm calmness filled my soul.  It was now getting close.

Just as the last guest was seated, Wagner's Treulich Geführt (Here comes the bride) began to play.  Now, I've been fortunate to travel to many different places in my life.  I have seen some absolutely wondrous and beautiful places and things.  To this day, I kid you not, seeing Lori walking down the isle in her wedding dress, with her long curly brown hair rolling off her shoulders, is the most breathtaking thing I have ever seen.  I was mesmerized as Steve walked her up and gave me her hand.

As we stood up front, I had only one regret.  I wished my dad was still alive to see the man that I had become, and to witness for himself the journey I was about to take.  He would have been proud.

I turned to face Lori and melted into the moment.  All of my fears, insecurities, and tribulations gone in two simple words............

I DO

William