Cadisms

Forgive my hijacking Brad's blog, but since I'm too lazy to keep up with my own and felt the need to share (I did go so far as to create one but have since forgotten the name of it), I had no choice. I have a serious memory problem and I thought that keeping a blog would be a good idea but I often have what I think are good ideas and don't follow through.

So anyway, lately Cade has been full of surprises with some of the things he says. He's getting so big and seems so grown up. Sometimes when he says certain things, he seems so much older it makes me a bit sad. The latest Cadism came tonight when Cade and I got home from the gym. Brad was on the phone with Grandpa and Grandpa must have asked Cade what he wanted for Christmas, which started him going again. We have been inundated with Christmas list items in the last, oh say, year or so. Every time a commercial comes on about a toy, he wants it for Christmas. "I really, really do" (picture him looking imploringly at you). And to make matters worse, after we checked the mail yesterday which contained tons of catalogs, we gave the toy catalogs to Cade. He has been "reading" them ever since. Last night I walked in to check on him after we put him to bed and he had his bedside light on and was looking through the catalog just like an adult (me looking a little sad again). But back to the point. I was trying to get in the shower and Cade came in to tell me what he wanted for Christmas. "I want paint to use in the backyard so I can play football (don't know where that one came from!), I want the truck, trailer and horses but not the trailer, only the truck and horses (he already has a truck, trailer and horses but apparently these are different), and I want a robot with laser eyes with the guy with laser eye surgery" (yes, he said laser eye surgery). I start giggling as he continued his list. Apparently, he watches way too much tv. I know, bad Mommy, bad Mommy! I am trying to get in the shower at this point and trying to hurry him up to finish the list. He notices me trying to rush him and throws in at the end of his list, "and I want flowers in a pot for you Mommy, pink and purple ones". AWWWWW, my heart melts! This is following another example of his super sweet side last week. We have been discussing listening the first time at home and school. I always tell him I love him no matter what, even if he has gotten a time-out at school. So my smart little man starts telling me when he notices I'm getting upset with him for not listening, "I love you no matter what Mommy. Forever and ever! I will always have hearts for you in my pocket and will always give you kisses". Then he pretends to take a heart out of his pocket, puts it in his mouth and kisses me. Sometimes he throws in "I will throw away the mean words and keep the hearts forever for you!" Oh my gosh, how did I get such a sweet, sweet boy?

Sometimes I don't think I deserve him but then again, other times I think, yep, you always get back 3 times what you gave your parents!! So after last week and tonight, I got to thinking as I so often do, that I need to write down all the cute Cadisms. Tonight I am finally following through.

Around Age 2 1/2 - 3, soon after we moved into the new house, Gracie got excited (as anyone who has visited our house can attest to!) and knocked Cade down. He was crying so I picked him up and was trying to make him feel better. I told him, Gracie says she's sorry for knocking you down and he said, "no she didn't, dogs don't have talking mouths". Well, this is just an example of the brilliant side of our son! Also around this age, one night Cade asked for a bite of Daddy's nectarine (he thought it was an apple, the only fruit he knew and liked). Brad said, "It's not an apple" and Cade said, "Can I have a bite of not an apple?"

On another night of me trying to talk to Cade about behavior, at the dinner table this time, I was asking him not to play with his food and he answered ok or something to that effect and I said, "Yes, ma'am". I then went on to explain how he should say yes ma'am or no ma'am to ladies and yes sir and no sir to men. He looked at me and said, "When I am big like you and you are little like me, you will tell me Yes, Sir". Well, I guess he at least got the point!!

When he turned 4, things got a little more detailed. One morning on the way to school, he started telling me a very detailed story about the doodle bugs that lived in the drain in the bathtub and slept in the toilet. Wow! What an imagination! He also told me one time that he was "so hungry my belly is going to blow out and there will be nothing but a hole!" That would be his dramatic side.

Thanks for allowing me to share some of my favorite Cadisms. I realize I am not nearly the storyteller or writer that Brad and the rest of his family are but nonetheless like to ramble on anyway! I also feel after the last few months, where my extended families have lost so many family members, it has become more important to me to remember the laughs and forget the trials as much as possible. Cade and Brad are definitely good for lots of laughs! I feel very blessed.

I'll leave you with one more: Cade's Nana told me after he spent the night at Nana and Papa's that he told her "Last night I was laying on the moon watching the leaves fall." What a nice thought and I'm hoping that Linda, Aunt Judy, Mike, Raymond and Deb are doing that now.

Freedom.

First off let me say that if any of my family members are planning on leaving the country for political reasons, I hope they reconsider.  Politicians in general are just that... Politicians, and if you were going to leave I would hope it would be for better reasons such as helping people in other countries who are not as lucky as we are in America. Besides, we would miss you dearly, and we would only be losing more great Americans.

With all that is going on in politics these days I wanted to blog a little on Freedom and what it means to me, along with what the candidate that I choose will do to ensure these freedoms. 1) Freedom of Speech. The ability to speak ones mind is a gift from GOD, the freedom to do so without prosecution from others is a right. 2) The Freedom to Keep and Bear Arms. To be able to defend oneself against attack from both foreign and domestic enemies. 3) The Freedom of Religion. To worship what and whomever you please as long as it does not physically harm others in the process (and I say this because if one is offended by what you believe that is not physical harm, it's just their tough luck). 4) Freedom to VOTE. The opportunity to be allowed to actually have a choice. These are all rights given to us by our Constitution. But these are just words on paper, right? If the Consti

tutio

n was burned and gone forever, would our rights also be gone? Would the hundreds of thousands of lives of men and women who died for it just vanish? WRONG. These are deep inside of us, all of us, and as Americans we stand for these in some small way. It's what makes us stand as the flag passes by, it's what holds our hand to our heart. It's the reason we say GOD BLESS AMERICA, and not GOD BLESS some other country. That is the feeling in me and that is the feeling I would hope be in our future President. There are many issues that are going on right now from economy to world peace to border issues. These will always be around in some form or another and have been since the beginning of America and will be dealt with by not just one person, but by many including the Senate and House who are also elected by, and represent the people.

I fear that whomever I vote for will not live up to my hopes and expectations but alas,  I am also positive that America will continue to be America.  That life will continue to be life,  and we all will continue to be happy.  But if not...  if the next President of this great country fails us and America comes to an end...  well then,  I have lived a great life,  I have had the opportunity to be a part of and serve this great country,  and if this "thought" in my head and "feeling" in my heart end, then I guess there is not much point in the physical body living.  But as long as there is hope I will fight!

Post Script

Vote!!!  Exercise your right to Vote.  Vote for whomever you  believe in and whomever you like,  but Vote.  Even if you think their all crap,  still Vote.  And when you cast your ballot,  be thankful you have the right.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!    AMEN

"Pieces of eight! pieces of eight!"

That's what Captain Flint said.  He being the pet parrot of Long John Silver.  I have just recently finished the great high sea's adventure of Treasure Island.  The last time I read it was... was... Guess I have never read it.  I only know of the story from my father.  Every camping trip that I can recall consisted of a hike,  and to pass the time on these many hikes my father would tell me various stories.  These included Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Last of the Mohicans.  I don't know how many times these stories were told to me and how many years it spanned.  What I do know is that these stories stuck with me to some degree or another,  to the point that when I read Treasure Island it seemed that I had read it just last  year.  Then today,  my son walking in to the family room carrying his Lego's,  asked that I build something for him.  Scrapping together the only artistic ability I have (thanks Brent for taking it all) I whipped up a pirate ship.  Not just any pirate ship,  but the greatest pirate ship that ever sailed the seven seas.  I mean it was awesome!  We made an island out of the fireplace hearth and had a water bottle top for the treasure chest.  We loaded the ship with a couple of skiff's to explore the island with and set sail.  For the next half hour I was young again and we played like we were best friends.  The excitement in his eyes was just fuel for my imagination.  By the time supper was ready we were running around yelling ARRGG... and avast mates! (Jen just giggled)  Needless to say the ship was placed and still remains on Caders night stand.  This morning he awoke to say that he wanted "the whole world of pirates and their ships"  for Christmas.  Funny how little sparks of imagination in my youth have spread to my son. 

Post Script:  He has also been working on his pirate smile. 

Vacation?

This weekend Jen had a great idea to take Cader to his Nana and Papa's house and then for us to leave him there.  This is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  We dropped him off at 1:30 in the pm and headed back to town to get something to eat.  At the restaurant I didn't have to ask Jen what she wanted to eat and then watch her not eat it.  I also didn't have to get up and take her to the potty seconds after my food hit the table.  We left the restaurant and headed for home where we let the dogs out and began to relax.  I didn't have to get up and "come see" anything for Jen, I actually got to watch a complete TV program.  We started a movie and watched it from start to finish and not once did I have to tell Jen to be quiet.  This morning I awoke on my own accord at 9:00am.  Jen didn't wake me up at 7:00 saying, "I'm really, really, really thirsty".  Since then I have relaxed fully in front of the TV for a full hour and a half.  The house has been extremely quiet and boring and I'm starting to think that sliced bread isn't all that great.

The Little Outlaw

This whole month has been a Cowboy theme at Caders school.    It began with a Cowboy Breakfast and progressed with days of making vests and bandannas.  They had a Cowboy lunch complete with chili pie (which he ate two helpings) and finished up on Friday with a dress up day and dance.  I believe this to be Caders favorite month of activities since he first started his school.  He has been so excited that every day he asks how much longer until the next event (he wants to know in minutes).  This also brings us to our second point.  This month has been a perfect excuse for Cader to request jeans for everyday wear.  This first began a couple of years ago when he had trouble adjusting from one season's dress to the other.  Once the adjustment was made he was fine but it usually took some time and we would be way into the hot/cold month's before we would no longer have to listen to him cry about not wanting to wear what was laid out for him.  This year was different and when summer came along he decided that Long sleeve shirts and Jeans would be the norm.  I figured that it was part of the original deal and he would soon be in shorts and life would go on.  This is not the case this year and we are in the middle of August and the boy has succeeded in wearing Jeans one to two times a week.  We do lay down the law on the long sleeve shirts and usually this is not argued much due to the Jeans success.  It is 101 degrees, and has been for the past couple of weeks and every day he requests Jeans.  Once Jen told him he would be too hot, he replied "I like being hot".  I guess we have now given up and allow him to have his couple of days a week and pray for cooler weather.  

Busy, Busy, Busy.

I know,  I know.  It's been too long between posts.  It's been a couple of busy weeks and every time I thought about blogging I lost motivation.  We'll take it back to the 14th and go from there.  Monday I had an appointment at the Hospital for another ultrasound.  I arrived on time and checked in.  The lady asking the questions could not read the Doctor's signature so she asked.  I told her the Doctor's name,  was admitted and had an info band placed on my wrist.  I walked down the hall,  found the right room,  checked in and found a seat.  As I waited I looked down and began to read the wrist band.  Everything was right except for the Doctor's name.  It was the right name but the wrong one.  See there are two of them being bound by marriage, one an Orthopedic Surgeon,  and the other a OB-GYN.  I jumped up and went back to the nurse and informed her that there was a mistake made and that there would be no need to check my ovaries.  The next day I had an appointment with my Doc.  He inspected my leg,  sent me for X-Rays and said all looked good.  Blood clot gone and I could remove the brace (just in time for our Port A trip).  Wednesday we packed up and headed out for Port Aransas.  Jen was really excited,  I think more than me and Cader combined.  It was quite a drive and the last leg of the trip is a ferry ride to the island.  This did not sit well with Jen,  being very nervous that the ferry will go down and she will not have enough time to get Cader out of the car.  We arrived at the ferry landing and she was not so nervous once she saw that it wasn't very far to the other side.  It did take us a few minutes to explain to Cader that we were going to put the car on a boat.  This was going to be a travel trailer trip but Jen's boss has a house and offered it up for the week and with the price of gas we couldn't pass it up.  We found the house and located the others in the family.  They had been there since Sunday and were happy to have some new blood. We loaded up and headed for the beach to finish the day and get some not so hot, late afternoon sun.  The seaweed was pretty bad and we had to make paths down to the water but Cader didn't mind and after a while we just got use to it. Cader loved the trip and would ask if he could "go swim in the big lake".  We visited with the family,  ate lots of seafood,  and swam in both the "big lake" and the pool at the RV park that the others were staying at.  The trip was,  for the most part uneventful for my knee and I attempted to exercise it in the water as much as possible.  The only incident was one day I was wading in and a crab got a hold of my toe.  I came down on the bad leg.  All those on the beach saw this and waited to laugh at me when I explained that I had been attacked by the biggest crab in the sea.  We left Sunday and had to go back to work to get some rest.  I started physical therapy on Monday the 21st and have been attempting to bend it more and more (sucks).  Other than that we are good and we plan on a camping trip next weekend since I 'm feeling a lot better and getting that Travel Trailer Itch.  That should catch Y'all up,  I will try not to get so far out next time.  

What's the Deal???

That's what was asked of me in my youth, "What's the Deal". This question proposed by my father as to say, What are you thinking?, Why aren't you thinking?, or "What the heck's wrong with you. Well I don't know what is wrong with me but it could be worse. I am a born again! What I mean is that I have, after many years of rotting my thoughts and mind in front of the almighty TV, I have discovered BOOKS. That is to say rediscovered them, for no longer are they just decoration, or door stops. Let me explain my journey to salvation. Month's ago I decide on a whim that life was to pass me by if I didn't begin to read the classics. (Not unlike my mother who whims at a fancy) I contacted the most literary person I know, my mother. The request a simple one, create a list of books that she/the world considered classics. This list was produced rapidly, and I'm sure with the amount she reads, abridged. I began with a baptism by Hemingway and have since been a loyal convert to the religion of reading. Skipping Television programs to read of Robert Jordan and his fight for the republic of Spain. To envision an old man trying to survive in a fishing boat against a monster of a fish. To be watched 24 hours a day by the government. To live the dust bowl and trek across America to a supposed promised land. To read of future tales of book burners and haters of knowledge. These ideas came from others, not I. I would never have imagined such things. I cannot stop, best way to describe it is from a book recently read, (and I quote, very loudly now that the passion is building) " I eat them like salad, books are my sandwich for lunch, my tiffin and dinner and midnight munch. I tear out the pages, eat them with salt, douse them with relish, gnaw on the bindings, turn the chapters with my tongue! Books by the dozen, the score and the billion." I have begun to acquire at a rate shy of the speed of sound, the very object of this post. Rev. Amazon is my preacher who delivers the goods. The website is tracked by the hour for movement, and delivery is known before the engine of the carrier is restarted. They are placed on the shelf and await to be a meal for my mind. So what ever the deal is I don't really care to know, just wish that this deal came around a lot sooner. Oh, and by the way the quote from above is Ray Bradbury, and the one on the right is from me.

Fishin Hole.

This weekend we traveled to Jen's parents to meet up with Jay.  Cader was so excited to have a playmate he drove us crazy to the point that we were looking forward to Jay getting there more than Cade was.  He wanted nothing to do with Jay's parents, other than a quick hug and a few words.  They first began riding the Gator, doing so until the battery died.  Then the Slip N Slide was pulled from the cardboard box and inflated.  They enjoyed this until dark when they were then called in for a bath and placed in front of the TV for a bedtime movie.  They awoke early Saturday and were eager to help Pa Pa with the feeding of the cows.  Jay's Dad awoke and rustled us up and out to go fishing.  We loaded up and buckled the kids in and headed for Wal-Mart for some worms and fishing hats.  That stop down we headed for a friend's house and the owner of the fishing hole.  The worms were placed on the hooks and cast with around a 90% success rate,  returning small perch and a few mud cats.  The kids enjoyed it as much and as long as kids do.  They still won't touch the fish!!!! 

This, that and the other.

Things here in the Lone Star State remain the same.  My knee is healing fine with every followup the Doc says, "Looks good,  see you in 10 days."  Hoping that next visit he will let me get out of this leg brace.  I can walk around without the crutches (don't know if the doc likes that) and manage to get things done.  He is also wanting me to start bending it here and there,  which is still a little uncomfortable.  Last visit I was set up with a physical therapy appointment and an ultrasound followup to check the status of the clot.  The pain and swelling have gone down so I guess the blood thinner is working.  Other than that everything is the same for me.  Jen has been in a better mood now that I am able to help out more around the house.  She has been going to the gym on a regular basis,  run throughout the neighborhood and even the occasional workout tape.  Cader has gotten in on the action but tends to lose interest rather quickly.  He will usually end up laying on the floor.    Jen seems to be on a schedule and sticks to it.  I keep telling her that after my knee heals up I'll start going to the gym also.(But that could take months, right?).  Her work is going good,  as far as I know,  I don't hear her complaining about the bosses or the coworkers.  Cader is doing well, he is in a real cute stage where I find myself laughing at him more than getting on him.  His summer school/daycare is fun for him and he gets a chance to swim twice a week.  He is really excited about this weekend due to his cousin Jay, from Alabama will be arriving.  This will give him a playmate for the next 72 straight hours,  interrupted only by feeding and sleeping.(not much of these happen).  Happy 4th of July to all!

Friday Nights, Saturday Mornings

No matter what time Cader goes down,  he is always up at 7:00am.  We have experimented for years on weekend sleep ins and have never found a solution for the boy.  Our Friday night is considered our movie night which we have never officially labeled it as such and don't religiously stick to it or plan it,  we just usually find ourselves in the mood for a movie at the end of the week.  Family movie night consists of three different movies, three different TVs in three different rooms.  Occasionally Jen and I will watch the same thing but eventually during the evening we gravitate to our perspective corners of the house where we dive into something that is interesting to us.  Last night was no exception,  and on Jen's way home she stopped by the store and picked up a couple movies for Cader and one for her,  and as I had mentioned earlier that my Amazon shipment came in and it contained some movies that,  when Jen heard the titles to, raised only eyebrows and used the expression "Great".  We were set for the evening and in excited anticipation we scarfed down our purchased chicken tenders and fries (ohhhh,  so healthy)  washed and dressed the boy and turned on his movie.  I talked Jen into watching my movie,  so we settled in with popcorn and drinks and cranked on the classic To Kill a Mockingbird,  with Gregory Peck and  Robert Duvall.  I had recently finished the book and wanted to see the film.  I think it was maybe 5 or 10 minutes into it, Jen was on her way down the hall with her movie in hand,  one by the title of  27 Dresses (glad she never asked me to join her).  Cade with his movie,  me with mine and Jen with hers the house was in total peace.  10:00 pm rolled around and Cader was the only one still ready to go.  We wrestled him into his bed,  locked up the house and hit the sack.  This morning we were awaken at 7:00 am by a little brown haired boy requesting that one of us get him some MILK,  due to the fact that he was almost dying of thirst.  I'll get up and let Jen sleep (it's just better that way,  trust me) and get him his milk and fetch a thousand other things he happens to think of.  Then the funniest thing happens, round about 10 in the morning .

Clots of Fun!!!

Today I find myself in the same position that Jen has found me in for the last week.  Flattening my backside in the same chair in front of the TV,  with the Laptop at my side.  The days following my surgery have been filled with movies, some books and a huge helping of the Internet,  only interrupted by the 4 hour pain pill ritual.  This has began to take a toll and has made me irritable.  I try to keep a positive attitude and smile as often as I can,  but the pain sometimes gets the better of me and I become short with Cader and Jen.  They have been awesome with the whole ordeal and very supportive and helpful.  Saturday I began to try to ween myself off of the medication and made it to about Saturday afternoon.  Sunday I noticed a pain in my calf muscle that increased throughout the day.  It feels like a charlie horse feels at the very beginning.  I started to complain to Jen and she wasn't having it,  so I Googled it and read that I was supposed to be doing rotation exercises with my foot in order to keep from getting a blood clot.  I questioned Jen about the nurse telling me this and she said that I was told.  I guess it was right after I woke up and didn't remember.  I began to do said exercises, but I guess it was too late.  When I awoke this morning at 5:00 I wanted to cry.  The pain was worse than anything I've ever felt.  I managed to crutch myself to the kitchen and get a glass of water and took some pills.  Then I crashed on the couch, only to be woken up by Cader giving me a morning hug.  The pills kicked in and I made it to work.  About 8:30 I called the Doc and left a message for him to call when he got out of surgery.  He called back at 12:30 and I told him of the pain I was having.  He instructed me to go to the hospital and get an ultrasound for blood clots.  Jen came and picked me up and we made it in time to have Sandi punish my leg with her gel and ultrasound machine.  After looking at the pictures she took them to the Radiologist and I went to the waiting room to meet back up with Jen.  Sandi returned and asked if I had a cell phone and gave me the Doc's number and asked that I call him.  He stated that I have a blood clot in my leg and that if left untreated, blah, blah, blah,  "Dead".  So he put me on a blood thinner medication and that should do the trick.  I will have to go in and do a blood test on Friday to see how thin my blood will be,  but other than that everything should be good in a couple of weeks.  Bright side of the day is that my Amazon stuff was on the front porch when Jen brought me home.  SCORE!!!

Under the Knife/Scope!

I'm alive!  That's all I could think about when I awoke yesterday afternoon.  Getting ahead of myself a little bit I will start from the beginning.   I was instructed to be at the Hill Country Surgical Center at 11:00 am Tuesday to in process.  Jen awoke and promptly got ready to go to the gym.  We got Cader up and dressed and Jen split to drop him off and get a quick workout.  I began to kill Germans on the Wii.  At 9:30 I decided to get showered and ready (have to look good for the Nurses).  Jen shows up and began to get ready,  the whole time I'm thinking that we will be late and I will get a chance to give Jen a hard time.  Well,  we leave the house and have to stop to drop off a car seat for Cade to a friend as a backup plan in case surgery ran late.  Then we had to stop at Sonic so Jen could get something to drink and eat (which she rubbed it in because I could not eat or drink since midnight).  Finally, after being in the car for thirty minutes we were on our way.  We arrived at 10:55 am,  in which I was reminded of the time and how good Jen was.  After signing in and paying (first thing was the paying part) we sat in the waiting room and chatted.  I was nervous and Jen ignored me which made me feel better.  The nurse came and got me and led me to the Pre OP room where I was instructed to remove my clothes and place on the Gown.  Not Cool!  However, I complied and was ready  to go.  The nurse came back in and started an IV and left to retrieve Jen.  We were then visited by my Doc, the head Nurse and the Anesthesiologist, all very nice.  Then it was time to go and Jen collected my glasses and wedding ring and left me with a kiss.  Now at this point I was given a sedative, and rolled down the hallway.  I began to not care about much and realized that it was kicking in.  I was elevated to the height of the operating table and scooted over.  Staring up at the ceiling I thought to my self "I hope this goes quick".  Then I woke up with the Doc standing near me holding a cup of my knee in his hand.  He was excited and was saying that there was more than he had thought.  I was still out of it, and my recollection today is that the cup was right in my face.  Then He was gone and Jen was there and life was now good again.  Getting some graham crackers and ginger ale and a couple of Percocet, I began to feel whole.  After an hour they let me get dressed and out the door I went.  Jen drove me to the house via Wendy's (I was starving) and I settled to my chair and have been here most of the time.  Pain pills, the remote control and a book have been my companions and right good ones.  So,  as I began this post, I'm alive and that's a good place to be.

Birds of a different Father!!

Today is Father's Day, my fourth so far and I have yet to receive a tie (guess it would help if I wore ties).  Asking Cade what he was going to get for me this year he stated "that it will probably be some paper".  It is a picture of Cade on a fill in the blank questionnaire where his answers are fabricated beyond belief.  When asked what his favorite thing to do with me was, he answered, play basketball and go hunting.  I guess it's wishful thinking on his part.  He did however state several times that he enjoyed playing with his dad.  After reading this I felt bad,  thinking that I have ignored him to some degree.  I guess it made me feel that I wasn't providing the same childhood for my son that was provided for me.  But then,  is it supposed to be?  I,  like my father have a problem with change.  Don't get me wrong,  I like change when it's something I have initiated.  But when it's out of my control I can do without.   So going off of this principal I strive to keep my little world the same, dragging along my family.  Jen has told me on many occasion that it doesn't have to be the same as when I was a kid, and she's right.  Our little family can be unique, and yet I can still strive to keep it like my own youth.  Christmas time we have breakfast for Christmas Eve dinner,  something new,  but I still have the obligatory Christmas picture with all presents lined up.  These are traditions that will go on and on until they are changed by Cader when he starts his family.  I'm just glad I was given the chance to be a father and start some traditions with my son.

i Kneed you!

Funny how life throws curve balls...(I know how most sappy crap starts out like that).  At least I used to think that until I received my first curve ball. First the news on my knee deal.  I have dislocated my knee cap.  Doesn't sound so bad,  but when it left it's place of origin it took with it a quarter size piece of cartilage and a little chip of knee cap bone with it.  Well,  said piece of knee  decided to stay on the outside of my leg as the knee cap moved back into place.  According to my doctor(who by the way has monogrammed shirt cuffs) says it's not good and requires surgery(good way for him to pay off some form of car, boat or both).  Long and short of it, surgery is required next Tuesday to fix the damage.  This bring us to our second point of the post.  Until now, I can't think of any other time in my adult life that I have ever relied on someone else so much.  Just the simplest thing are hard to do, and require more effort than before.  I have never thought of what life would be like if I couldn't bend my knees.  Well,  Jen has been good to me,  from letting me slide on my chores,  to cooking dinner and driving me to and from the many doctors appointments.  I guess what I'm saying is that it's good to have somebody around to be there for you when you need them,  but to be thankful for them all the time.   So I guess that the curve ball was for a reason(getting a little big for my britches).  

Anyone got a Joint?

Well, I find myself in a very painful position this morning. About a month ago I was invited to play in a softball league. Me, thinking this would be a good idea for some exercise (as much as softball will allow) and that I could get to know the people that Jen works with (it was setup through her company). The first couple of games were uneventful other that the fact that I'm out of shape and getting older. Last night however, was a blowout. No I literally blew out my knee and spent 4 hours in the Emergency Room only to be released with a splint, crutches, prescriptions and an order to report to my local orthopedic surgeon for an MRI. I guess time will tell what the official outcome will be, but by the way it feels I'm thinking Surgery is in my future. So back to my original question. Anyone got a Joint?

Adventures in Childhood Memories

As I grow older I reflect back on my childhood and the memories that still remain. Camping was a big part of my childhood, where as far as I can remember the family was unified in great joy at the outdoor adventures which would ensue in faraway places like Hyrum Reservoir. At least it was such in my young mind. Wanting to give Cader the same opportunity for camp memories, and new ones for me and Jen, I started out to gear us up for camping. I first began by raiding the sporting goods store, filling my two carts with a tent (just under circus size) some cots, sleeping bags, Coleman stove and lantern (same as dad has). The entire time Jen stood faithfully by not saying a word of discouragement or jest. She only stated that she would try camping in a tent once, since Texas has many creatures that Utah does not. I accepted this and pushed forward with thoughts of many father/son outings.

Well the goods were purchased, the plans were made and the goods sat on a shelf in the garage for a month. No words spoken about camping after that. One weekend while preparing to do nothing, Jen suggested that we go shopping for a travel trailer, "Camper" as they're called in Texas. We Loaded up and hit the road in search of mobile paradise. Searching for only two days we located the perfect addition to our home. It is a 29 foot Jay Flight made by the Amish, to what extent I'm not sure but were probably not the installers of the TV and surround sound. None the less it contains a queen size bed and a twin bunk over a full. Along with sleeping arrangements it also has a full bathroom, dinette, full kitchen with freezer/fridge, stove, hot and cold running water. Ahhhhhh! Really roughing it. First trip was taken over Memorial weekend to the Big Chief RV resort (known as the Big Cheese to Cader). As I lay in our queen sized bed that first night of our camping trip, listing to the air conditioner hum and watching the local news I thought...

Just like when I was a kid. Ha!

Camera

Many times have I been shopping with Jennifer and thought to myself, Wow!  that's going to look good in our next Garage Sale.  Easy as it is to point the finger in one direction it always point back.  So I recently purchased a new camera.  Being tired of the old camera as that it was a point and shoot and that I have personally not been allowed to buy anything for myself in some time.  It is a Nikon D60 10 mega pixel SLR with an extra 55-200 mm lens and a accessories bag at no additional charge.  It was, like most purchases made by Jen or myself,  more of an impulse purchase.  I am hopeful that it will motivate me to take more pictures not only of my environment, but my family.  It was a great buy and I'm excited to play and educate myself.  Speaking of great buy I will be selling my old camera cheap.  So those of you in the market for a good used one shot camera let me know.  

New Blog

This is the first post of our new BLOG.  It has taken quite a long time getting here from the initial conception of Blogging.  I find it difficult to begin due to the fact that I cannot set my mind on one thing or another.  So giving up I have decided to go with what I have down and change it as I go.  My hopes are to become a Pro quickly, allowing me to more efficiently distribute our Texas stories to those who care.  I call and check in with Mom and Dad on a regular basis and tend not doing it with the siblings.   This will hopefully fill the gaps of the short visits we make to Utah.  As said before I will try to keep up with new stories and attach pictures often.  Please let me know if there are thing you see that need attention or tips from you Blog Pros