Catching up

It seems like the new year is flying by.  It's hard to believe January is almost gone.  I think the main reason it is going so fast for me, is the addition of Thunder to my life.

It's no secret that I have had a hard time adjusting to the loneliness of my current life.  Like I've always said, I am a family man.  I am most at ease surrounded by my children and a loving and caring wife.  With that being nothing more than a fading distant memory, I needed something to help me feel wanted and needed.  I am happy to say that I have found a wonderful companion to help me in these tough times.  Yes, he is an absolute menace right now at 11 weeks old, requiring constant attention, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I need him just as much as he needs me.  When you have a partnership like that, nothing but good happens.  I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for us.  It's going to be fun.

As I have told you in the past, Aidan is playing YMCA winter REC basketball.  It is the first time he has ever played basketball, and I've got to tell you, it's been fun.  I have enjoyed watching him play almost as much as he has enjoyed being on the court.  The team is 3-1 with 3 games remaining.  I don't think basketball will take the place of baseball in Aidan's heart, but I know he is having fun, and that's a wonderful thing for a dad to see.

Christopher is growing bigger and smarter each and every day.  I love helping him with his homework on the days that I have him, and as a parent, there is nothing better than to hear your kids read out loud to you.  Christopher's reading has really taken off, and on the nights that I have him, he reads to me for a minimum of 20 minutes before he goes to bed.  I wouldn't trade those 20 minutes for anything.

Aidan has been enjoying his classes this year.  He has some challenging subjects, but he like I have said in the past, he is exceptionally smart.  I am so very proud of the young man he is becoming.  I see great things in his future.  Creative and smart is a good combination.  The sky is the limit.

I am surviving.  I am no where near the point where I want to be right now, but each day I'm better than the last.  Eventually, I will find my place, and forget about the mistakes I made in the past.  I have wonderful, smart, polite,  beautiful children, that I adore.  They are my reason for living, and proof that the last 17 years of my life weren't wasted.  Beauty abounds.  You just have to find it.

God Bless

William

Life Finds A Way

While I was watching Jurassic Park earlier today, and cringing at the flakiness that is Jeff Goldblum, his character actually said something that caught my attention.  "Life finds a way"  Now, what he was referring to in the movie has absolutely nothing to do with the nerve it tweaked in me, but it got me thinking about my current life.

Eight months ago, when Lori decided to change our lives forever, I truly thought I would not survive.  The will was gone, and I was lower than any man deserves to be.  Will is a funny thing.  With it, your strength is immeasurable, but lose it and weakness abounds. I focused on the love of my children to pull me out of the darkness, and it provided me with a reason to care.

Here we are at the beginning of 2014, and our divorce should become official in the next week or so.  Don't get me wrong, I am still immensely sad about the demise of our declared life long bond, but "life finds a way".  It does, and it will.

This year will bring new challenges, and I am certainly happy to have the absolute worst year of my life fading in the distance. I will use the love of my children as the motivation to keep pressing forward, and hopefully I will become a better father and a better man.

Now on to some better things.

For Christmas, I spent the week in Temple visiting my mother and brother.  It was very strange not having the kids around at Christmas.  While I really enjoyed my visit, nothing can take the place of my children's laughter and wonder as they explore the remnants of Santa's visit.  No matter how many years and Christmas days flow by, I will never get used to their absence. Jim and Mom did their best to help me feel welcome and wanted during my visit, and I am eternally grateful for their love.  I am blessed to have both of them in my life.

I left Temple on the Friday morning after Christmas bound for La Grange, TX.  Why La Grange?  Well, my house gets pretty lonely when the kids are gone, and I really wanted a dog to fill that void.  I did a bunch of research over a few months, and finally found the type and color Labrador Retriever I wanted at a breeder in La Grange.  I made arrangements to pick the dog up on my way home from Temple, and I could not be any more satisfied with my decision.

I was scheduled to get the boys the next day, and I kept the puppy a secret.  I wanted it to surprise the boys.  Lori dropped the boys off on Saturday afternoon, and I introduced them to their new dog.  They both loved him. 

His official AKC name is:  Christopher's Chaotic Thunder, but he goes by "Thunder".  I figured that Christopher needed a dog named after him, since Aidan has Mystic.  Mystic's official AKC name is:  Aidan's Mystic Valkyrie.  Now they both have beautiful loving dogs named after them.

Thunder is a handful, as all puppies are.  He turned 9 weeks old last Friday.  He is going to be special, and I can't wait to fill his life with love and wonder.  The adventures that we are going to share will fill the years to come with joy and happiness.

The boys and I did our Christmas together on the 28th.  We had a ball opening our gifts, and we all got more than we needed.  It was satisfying seeing the beautiful smiles on their faces, and feeling the love in their hearts.

I kept the boys through the remainder of Christmas break, which included New Years eve and day.  We stay up on New Year's eve, and shared sparkling apple cider at midnight.  Cheers boys, I will do my very best to make 2014 special.

I have some pictures to post, but I need to get them transferred to my computer from my phone.  I will have an update very soon with pictures.  In the mean time, I hope each of you reading this blog has a fantastic 2014, and you continue to come back to the blog to share in our adventures.

William

Happy New Year!!!!

I have been busy watching the kids for the second half of Christmas break, and unfortunately have not had time to update.  I will, very soon.  Sorry for the delay.

William

PS. One of the reasons for my delay can be seen below.

 Say hello to 8 week old "Thunder".  Yes he is cute...and yes he is an absolute handful!