And It Begins

The cold weather kind of snuck up on me this year. I have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to "smell the roses". As I look out the window today I see the end of another growing season. In a two day period the beautiful trees that were just outside my school windows have been reduced to barren land-like trees. We have been so lucky with the weather so far that when the November-like weather did hit I think it took us all by suprise. The November clouds have rolled in and have covered us in that familiar early holiday feel. I can practically smell the pumpkin pie when I look out at the leafless trees and dying grass. I hope that you are not getting the wrong impression. I love this time of year. Walks outside are one of my favorite things to do this time of year. The smell of decaying leaves is heavenly to me. It reminds me of growing up and playing outside in the fall. In a couple of weeks Thanksgiving will be here and the holiday season will be in full swing. Don't get so busy that you forget to enjoy the small things like watching a holiday show with your kids, cooking with your kids, reading a book with your kids, having a good talk with your wife with a cup of coffee, and laughing as silly things with your family. These are the things that make life worth living.

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a great Halloween!

Don't get into trouble (at least not too much!).
Don't eat too much candy!

Do be safe!
Do be smart!
Do have fun!

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Be safe and enjoy your day (and night)!

Holidays

I love holidays...most of the time. At Christmas I love the excitement in my kids, and myself. I love the food, the conversations, and the time to get reacquainted with family and friends. I enjoy having the time to do things with my kids, like see a movie, go to the mall, have a snowball fight, go sledding, etc. I have always loved Christmas but I guess I am growing up because the same things that excited me even ten years ago don't even get a second thought from me now. Instead of me worrying about how much fun I am going to have over Christmas break I find myself worrying about how much the rest of my family is going to enjoy the holidays. I guess that is part of being a dad.

Of course with the good comes the bad. I find myself a little more stressed around the holidays. The house has to be clean for company. We have to move people around to get the proper sleeping arrangements. We have to attend all the Christmas programs and festivities. We have to feed family, usually with some extravagant meal, and disrupt our daily routines so that we can get together with our extended family and make sure they are taken care of. Sometimes we have to travel long distances to family's homes with large amounts of Christmas gifts and extra luggage. Loading and unloading...that's fun! I guess what I am saying is that I am getting old and set in my ways. My wife and I love to be home and spend time with our kids, living our own routine. I still love holiday time but have realized that there is a lot of work to enjoying the holidays. I guess in the end all the work is worth it, although sometimes we seem to be so busy that we don't have time stop and enjoy what the holidays are about.

Sincerely,
Ebeneezer Scrooge... :)

In Between Holidays

Thanksgiving is over and I am glad to be back writing. I had a good Thanksgiving over at my parents house and I didn't over eat...amazing! My wife and I braved "Black Friday" and I have to say that it was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Of course, we did not do the the whole 5 a.m. psycho shopping, but we still went. We went to Walmart in Pekin, IL and Best Buy and a mall in Peoria, IL. We got most of our Christmas shopping done! We were at my parents Thursday, Friday, and part of Saturday. It was nice to get home on Saturday. Today was a lazy Sunday and I didn't get much accomplished, but isn't that what Sunday's are for? Good news and bad news from the sports front: The Packers won-BAD, The Chiefs lost- WORSE, LSU was upset-GREAT GAME!, Missouri crushed Kansas-BAD, my Fightin' Irish football season is over- GOOD, my Dukies are 6-0-GREAT!

Christmas is now in the air and I am getting primed for the Christmas season. Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year and enjoy pretty much everything about it. Seeing the kid's eyes light up on Christmas morning is just too exciting to explain. I hope it snows on Christmas, or around Christmas. It seems to make the season a little more magical. My belief in snowfall is that it can snow as much as it wants up until Christmas and then I don't want it to snow anymore after that. It doesn't happen that way but that is the way I would like it.

Due to some health issues I will be missing some time at school. I will also be attending a workshop on Tuesday. It is on podcast training. It should be a great tool to teach with. I just wanted to let you know in case I don't stay up to date on my blog. I will try though!

Veteran's Day

I am going to turn 40 this month which means I have not been directly involved in any war or conflict. I am grateful for that and look upon our servicemen with the highest regard. I am of the opinion that many people, especially young people, have no idea what Veteran's Day is designed for. I would even go as far as to say that many young people don't care. I do think that there are more that care presently than say 10-15 years ago when we, the United States, were not involved in a large conflict or war. I hope I am wrong, but I do not see the kind of respect during the Pledge of Allegiance that would indicate a deep caring for servicemen involved in a life or death conflict. To me, the Pledge is a daily reminder of all our ancestors that have stood up, fought, died, and killed for this country.

Would everyone please do me a favor this year and remember all the veterans that have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country? Go see a veteran you know (grandpa, father, uncle, brothers, cousins, etc.) and say "Thank you!".

Halloween in Full Force

My family and I went to a Halloween party this weekend in rural Missouri. The temperature was great, especially with a roaring fire. The moon was bright, which added to the atmosphere. I bet there were 30 or so kids there and they were all cranked up on sugar and the party atmosphere. The food was excellent and included hot dogs (of course), made-rights, chips, cookies, pies, cakes, etc. This was the first time my kids got to experience a "country" Halloween party with all the trimmings. The hay-rack ride was the highlight of the night! They had a "not-scary" one for the little ones and a "scary" one for the older kids. My son would have ridden it over and over. I got a chance to talk to some "old-timers" and thoroughly enjoyed their conversation. To me, this is what holidays are all about...friends, good conversation, and the chance to see your kids enjoy themselves on a new level.

Have a great Halloween and be safe!