Good Day - 3 yrs...

Today was a good day.  I've been looking forward to today since the beginning of the week.  It was a genuine day off for me, and my folks and Les were coming up for a visit prior to L's 3-year check up.  I was able to get some housework done this morning prior to their arrival and that felt good.  Not only to get a cleaner house, but also knowing that it would be a great way to serve Melissa as well. Mom and Dad were bringing lunch so really the only thing I had to do was make some good coffee.  So I did :-)

Leslie has been wanting a demonstration of my "clever coffee" dripper ever since I told her about it being a french press... but better.  There was a lot of good catching up and just general chatter around the table which is just the kind of family visiting that I've always remembered and usually long for.  Good food + Good conversation = one satisfied soul.

One of the conversation threads turned toward's reminiscing about the memories and the "where were you's?" when Kennedy was killed.  Being of a different generation it was good to soak it up.  The closet things I've encountered that could be comparable in magnitude has to be 9/11 for my generation.

Out of all the visiting we had though, L was surely the star :-)  He has grown up SOOO much!  In fact he has literally grown 2 inches in the past 4 months which is just astounding.  I love his mannerisms.  And honestly a big part of writing this blog post is to capture some of that because I know how quickly things change and I'd like to preserve this memory.

L has taken to calling hummingbirds "honey-birds" and I love how whenever he says "I am!" it always comes out "I 'Mam."  Lately one of his latest catch phrases is "Yeah, I know" and he repeats it often, but the context can frequently be quite amusing.  Just this weekend at our family reunion when Jason was "roping" with L he exclaimed to L, "I don't know about this... it's kind of like the blind leading the blind." Insert> "Yeah, I know!"

I'm proud of him beyond measure and I think he's going to be a great big brother to little Baby-D on the way.  

I hope to instill in both of them a courage for life that is wise and fearless... simultaneously.  I want to share my passion with them... to love deeply, commit fully, cook creatively, and enjoy music masterfully.  Above all I want my legacy for them to be that God comes first and to hold our blessings with an open hand.  

I wish music, writing, cooking, reading and just general creativity had more of a time share in my life at the moment... but it doesn't.  Taking care of my family is the highest priority and responsibility I have right now.  From what I also gather from my father, and from those that have been through these footsteps in their prior years, I understand that these years in my life are some of the most demanding and busy years that I can have.

I am establishing myself in my career, and I am carving a path not only for myself, but for the future of my family.  

I'm thankful to have time with my parents, and I'm realizing today that I am somewhat jealous of how close in proximity my sister and her family are to them.  It's challenging for me to stay connected with them on a day-to-day basis and certainly the physical distance is a road block as well.  As my parents are to my sister and her family, my in-laws are to mine.  My sister and I are both richly blessed to have family so close to help with childcare. I just wish I could see Dad and Mom more often, and I'd love for mine and my sister's family to have more time together as well.

I'm not sure what the next chapter will look like when Baby-D arrives... but I will step forth boldly knowing that I have a strong family behind me - immediate, and extended; and I have an even stronger God that can see beyond these feeble footsteps with a bigger plan and purpose for my life than I could ever imagine.

Proud

I wasn't quite sure what to expect as today began.  I've been crying a lot lately, and knew that there would be more tears to be had in a few short hours as today was the day we would be laying to rest the body of my grandfather.

I'm weary and feel worn, and hollow lately.  This is partially due to my job front and coming off a successful, but albeit exhausting, retail holiday season.  The past few weeks have been to no avail either as we immediately pushed into preparation mode for our store inventory.  We finished the task last night while simultaneously my family was attending a visitation for GrandDaddy at the funeral home.

Before 2012 even began, I had to bid farewell to my uncle as well.  The void that is left from his absence is certainly felt, but for the sake of this entry I will only focus on today.  That being said it is dearly important to know this fact as it certainly influences my current state of being.

---

I managed to make Liam breakfast and get us out the door by 8:15a or so for an appointment to get the oil changed in our family car (a Corolla mind you - because without a doubt, Toyota must be in the gene pool after all the Camrys my grandparents have owned!).  Maybe not the most ideal time to get this accomplished, but it was due for service and we wanted to get this accomplished before taking this vehicle on any major road traveling.

Melissa was taking a half day off of work today so that she could attend the funeral alongside me.  We got on the road as quickly as we could, but there was no doubt about it - it was going to be a tight fit to arrive on time.  I think we ended up squeaking in about 2 or 3 minutes late.

When I was getting ready to leave I decided to shave off the goatee  for the occasion which had grown over the holiday season.  Perhaps for several reasons.  I wanted to dress sharply for my grandfather.  I actually shave with a double-edge safety razor which I feel is homage enough to his generation, but I wanted to have a clean shave to honor his service in the military as well.  My grandmother was always particular about my sister having her hair in a french braid so that grandmother could always see Lisa's radiant face without stray hairs getting in the way.  Perhaps, my shaving was a male version of the like.  Regardless, in my small world it was a way to show respect to him.

My father was dressed "to the 9's" today in a navy suit with a lavender shirt and a matching grey/lavender grid tie.  All of his clothes were from my store.  I thought about this after the fact, but it makes me feel good to think that this was a quiet reflection of accomplishments of mine.  Since beginning the position in November of 2010 I have already been promoted and I may be in line to be promoted again within a few short months. I think GrandDaddy would be proud of me... I know  he is proud of me and all that I have accomplished.  I have a loving wife, a handsome son, a Christian household, a strong work ethic, and a lifestyle that is financially prudent without the load-bearing shackles of debt and strife.  I attribute this to the wisdom imparted through the family tree and I am lucky enough to have grafted a spouse like Melissa into my own bloodline that has the same character pedigree.

My sister, Lisa, is a remarkable, accomplished woman and friend.  She and my dad both spoke today at GrandDaddy's memorial service but being a fellow grandchild I am especially thankful for her speaking.  Lisa, is the eldest of us four grandchildren and whether due partially to that or just her personality, or both she had a very special relationship with Granddaddy.  She could take his guff and give it right back to him.  Furthermore, she had the same poise and reserve in her deliberate choice of words that can deliver such a tenacious bite that it can put someone squarely in their place and she did just that with GrandDaddy on more than one occasion. It is due to this unique ability of hers combined with the close-knit relationship she had with him that allowed her to due some verbal "threshing" to depart the chaff from the wisdom.  I am SO thankful for that wisdom too.  I wish that I could have fielded GrandDaddy's questions with the same clout that my sister had with him, but she and I are different.  As my dad later mentioned about how he and his brother have their different  strengths and weaknesses it is the same for Lisa and I.  Dad sees GrandDaddy in my Uncle Jim.  I see him in my Sister.  And just as much as Jim is my dad's "rock," Lisa is mine.

GrandDaddy knew that I was going to turn out alright.  That as bright, hard-working, and as good as I am with people, that I was going to be successful at whatever I set out to do.  To quote my sister:

"Today, I am clearly a better person for the impact GrandDaddy had on my life. I think we all are. I have no illusions that he was perfect or that he always had the right words, but I know his intentions were pure."

His words weren't always right.  His questions could feel disapproving of my life course, but intentions were ALWAYS pure - the best for me and my future.  His legacy carries on in this way also... through the will of my sister (and no, she doesn't always have the right words for me either, but pure intentions no doubt.  Again how she is like Granddaddy), and my father for me.  GrandDaddy's legacy also carries on in what I wish for Liam and any future children Melissa and I  hope to have some day.

At his grave side what struck me most were the sounds and regalia.  Due to his service in WWII the US military gave him honors and presented the US Flag to my Grandmother.  "Taps" was beautiful on the flugalhorn and unlike any other cemetery that I have been to this one was unique in that there were wind chimes everywhere.  It brought me such peace to listen to them.  Wind chimes always have.

GrandDaddy's love and values are something that we as his grandchildren are working hard to instill into the children of our own so that one day these same love and values may be passed on to their children's children.  You have so much to be proud of, GrandDaddy.  And I am SO proud to be called your Grandson.

Remembrances

Just a few things that make me think of Granddaddy:
Gin Rummy in particular, but cards in general.
Shrimp - as bait, or eaten boiled or fried.
Dominoes
Fishing
Driving a Golf Cart
My Dad's laughter
Chess
The Stock Market
the smell of WD-40

I'm sure there is more... but I wanted to list a few.

What are yours?

Greg

A new chapter

My grandfather passed away yesterday.  I suppose this event has been anticipated for some time, but "expected" just doesn't seem to cut it.  You never really "expect" to lose someone you care about.

I got a text from my dad that read "Call me when you can."  I knew what his text meant even though I didn't know for certain... or maybe I didn't want to realize it for certain.  Denial?  Sure.  So, when I called him, and he bore the news to me the weeping was instantaneous.  I spent a good while crying, and asking questions of "... is Grandmother okay? Are you there now?  Were you with him when he passed?"  Yes to all three.

I'm glad my dad and my uncle were there with him in his final moments with us.  I glad they were there to comfort my Grandmother too.  My dad said his passing was "peaceful" and I'm thankful for that also.

After I got off the phone with my father... I cried some more.  Deep sobbing that brought me to my knees.

The most recent memory I have of my Grandfather was at our extended family "Christmas" gathering after New Year's.  He got to see Liam and all of his amiable personality.  It made Granddaddy laugh a few big chuckles.  I hadn't heard him laugh like that in a very long time due to his health complications.

He lived a full life.  He cared immensely about his family.  I think we all have something to be thankful for in how he impacted each of our lives.

Grieving will take time... I'm not sure it has all sunk in yet.  I will see my Grandmother Thursday at his memorial service and I will wrap my arms around her and kiss her on the cheek.  I'm not exactly sure what this new chapter holds for all of us, but I'm glad that Granddaddy can finally rest.  He hasn't been well for a long while.

Rest in peace.  I will miss you.

Greg

Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!

"Venez m'aider" which means "come help me" is the original french phrase from which the distress signal "MAYDAY!" is derived, according to Wikipedia. I feel like we might as well be saying that right now.

Melissa and I are both working our tails off lately. We're doing our best just to keep up with life, but it feels like life is winning and we are sitting under it's motionless masses. I know that God is in the midst, I know that he hears us, I know that in general... we are okay. There's no need to panic. We have so much to be thankful for and this too shall pass... I just feel like she and I both have to be "on" constantly. There's no room for pause - as individuals or together.

Tonight we had our friend, Kim, over for dinner and to watch a show together. It was a nice reprieve. I only wish that everything else was in order so that after that time passed it still felt truly restful.

We have a partially completely paint job in the kitchen. Dishes are everywhere. Laundry needs to be done. I've got 113 boxes coming in this week at work (33 of which are could be pants and each pant box hold roughly 25-30 pants... I'll let you do the math. No matter how you slice it it's exhausting labor). I'm also not holding my breath about attaining bonus this month either and it honestly hurts - it's hard to describe the feelings that arise from working SO hard towards something only to not achieve it. All I can say is it hurts.

In the meantime...

Our water softener broke (ever since then we've been having MUCH drier, irritated skin).
Our garage door broke.
The hot water heater is acting up....
The last time I mowed the yard (hopefully DONE for the season) the mower started sounding funny
The Christmas tree is only partially decorated which leaves a lot of clutter scattered about in the music room
A Grocery trip still needs to be made this week in addition to a long commute to in search of a Craigslist deal for Liam's Christmas present

Melissa and I need a date... desperately. A vacation would be even better...

The constant mess around here is a constant stress. How do other people do it all? Or is everyone else kind of faking their way through it as well. You know, "Fake it till you make it!"

What's on your plate? Feel free to vent a bit... it'd help us not feel so alone, and it might help you unload in the process.

So... "Venez m'aider!" Which may help you too.

God is near.

~G

YUM!

So, upon my recent late night grocery shopping excursion (it is after all the easiest time given our crazy schedules, having a little one, and an HEB that isn't close at all!) I decided I would surprise my beautiful bride with one of her favorite things... Cinnamon Rolls! This was part of today's Sunday Breakfast fare. Usually, if we do buy cinnamon rolls (which is rare) we get the mondo size ones that have an extra amount of icing and only 5 to a pack.

This time I was smart about it though. You see... just like my family growing up, Melissa and I like to divide and conquer. Which led me to purchase the (albeit smaller variety) package of 8 cinnamon rolls. Easier division and more specificity! So after this morning's breakfast I decided to stake my claim:

I call "Mine!"

Melissa - Devouring her portion :-)

Needless to say... we like our cinnamon rolls!!!

Four years today...

Melissa and I get the honor of celebrating four years of marriage today. Well... I say today, but in actuality our "celebrating" will be coming monetarily and momentarily later. We have a getaway planned in August as a summer vacation/anniversary celebration and we have tickets to see Cirque Du Soleil this October. So for today we will be celebrating simply :-).

Mel and I are really good at that too - working as a team that is (although we are good at living simply as well!) I'm proud of the dynamic team that we are. Sometimes we even see eye-to-eye before we talk about it. God has made us unique individuals. We each have our strengths and weaknesses. For the most part our individual strengths complement our individual weaknesses and when we are both lacking, then we do our best to encourage one another.

Our running comes to mind. Mel and I have each had the opportunity to cheer each other on. Literally. Cheering for her in San Francisco, and she gave me hope when I ran Houston.

So what does simply look like today? (Sorry dear reader for digressing a bit!) Well, this blog for one - and I know that my sweet bride has written one as well; however, we haven't read each other's blog's yet because we are utilizing future posting by blogger. (you see I'm actually writing this on the 27th... not the 28th. Cool, huh?) We're planning on letting someone else do the cooking tonight. Maybe it'll be mexican takeout, or pizza, or we may even just stop into a local deli for a family date with our little one. We'll see. No matter what I can't wait! We're also going to relax and watch a movie as well. This harkens back to our dating days... In my old apartment we'd always eat while sitting on the floor gathered around the coffee table. We still do that sometimes and it makes it special :-)

One of the things I have ALWAYS loved about Melissa is the way that she is creative, spontaneous, and fun. She has this unique way of naming things that just makes me laugh. When we were dating she named the basil plant I was growing "Billy." Billy the Basil. And now there's Gail the Garmin. From my single days apartment - my neighbor upstairs was G.U.S. (Guy UpStairs) and his pet D.U.S (Yep, Dog UpStairs).

So the other day, after buying a toothbrush holder for our new house I found this note:

On the back this was written:

She makes me SO happy! I smile every time I see this note. My jaw still drops whenever I see her. The love of my life, my beautiful Melissa...

At the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco

Aquarium!

Yesterday Melissa and I decided to take Liam to the Downtown Aquarium. It was SO much fun! Liam was smiling a lot and was constantly wanting to touch what was behind the glass. The only downside was having to wait in line to get tickets. (There were a TON of daycare or summer programs for kids there. So, in turn there were many groups to contend with). Below are some pictures of our outing:

Waiting to get inside. It's HOT!

Liam meets an Eel :-)

Child-like Wonder

Liam couldn't take his eyes off this catfish...

... Because it was HUGE!!!!

"Reach for the sky, fishies!"

"Hmmmm... what does a lion fish feel like?"

There weren't just aquatic creatures at the aquarium either. This snake weighed over 300 lbs!

No, No Liam... Stingrays don't need a Paci :-)

The finale of the aquarium was a white tiger exhibit.

Face-to-face with the beast! ROAR!

The official "tourist" shot.

Okay. So the funniest thing about Melissa wearing a white tiger mask? That she still smiled for the camera underneath it! =)

All in all we had a wonderful time. I can't wait to do more things with Liam... he is learning SO much right now. I love getting to share life with my little boy! And, on an aside Mel and I are definitely going to have to go back to visit the aquarium's restaurant some evening. The atmosphere was lovely and the food smelled great!

Goin' Stainless!

You can view Melissa's blog here for some pics of the old ones, but the long and the short of it is that we got some new appliances! I cannot begin to say how excited I am to be cooking on a gas range. Not only is it a gas range but the burner grates are cast iron too! I LOVE cast iron. I actually have a large reversible cast iron griddle that fits perfectally over the middle burner. (It's an oblong burner that is designed for such cookware:-)

Besides the cool new oven, we got a nice over-the-range microwave to match. What do I love best about this microwave? The fact that it's musical. Really. It is. Promise. The beeps and chimes on it are very pleasant to listen too. Don't believe me? Come on over and I'll use it to time how long it actually takes me to cook dinner. After that I'll use it to keep your said dinner warm for up to 99:99 while you're lifting your jaw off the ground from dropping due to all the sheer awesomeness.

The new appliances didn't look right against the previous owners cabinet hardware. I mean... I love Texas. I do. I'm a die-hard born 'n' bred native, but this hardware would be better served for our second house in the country. Maybe at our retirement B & B that we'll run someday. But right... we're certainly not retired and yep, last time I checked no country getaway house either. Darn. Guess the cabinet hardware did have to change. Below is its mugshot:

And here's the new look!

What do ya think???

"Man Bag"

No, I'm not referring to a "man-purse" (or "murse" if you will), "shoulder bag", or any other coined term for a man bag. What I AM referring to is the way that a diaper bag is packed for Liam and myself when I'm headed out with him.

Yesterday was my first day off with Liam at the new house. We had some errands to run so I packed things up for him and me in his diaper bag. Home Depot and Kroger were on the list. We needed stuff for the house in more ways then one! So what I included in the diaper bag was a little more than the usual diapers and wipes....

oh yeah - Speaker cable and makeup accesories. Why do makeup accesories qualify as "man bag" material? Because I'd be lost in the makeup aisle at Kroger trying to figure out what new replacements my wife needs in her collection which is why the loving wife that I have sent me with the "empties" so I'd know exactly what I was looking for :-) Like I said... Man Bag!

I've succesfully set up our home theater sound system with my father-in-law save for the fact for some reason we can't get sound from our DVD player. bummer. MAJOR bummer. Oh well, we'll get there eventually.

In the mean time, I did get new locks installed on all of our doors today. Little by little we're making this place our home.

G

Boxing Match

So, the only bad thing about getting down the basics set for moving in (you know.... clothes, food, and a place to sleep... oh yeah, and internet) is that it TOTALLY strips away the motivation and need to get everything else unpacked.

I'm a guy.

I could probably leave boxes sitting around for weeks as long as I have a working kitchen. (So, I'm not your everyday fella). That being said, we're trying to maintain momentum and keep unpacking things. A co-worker at work (is that redundant?) told me that it takes 2-3 months to get unpacked and settled. I scoffed at the notion. Or choked. No, no... we'll go with scoffed. Because in my head my response was rather flippant.

At any rate, after dealing with stock and inventory in retail (going on almost 2 years experience here...) I can blow through unpacking boxes at a rather quick rate.

What's the challenge then you say? Why the hold up you ask?

Life.

Pure and simple. Life, the every day exactitudes of existence; the eating, sleeping, clothes-washing, bill-paying responsibilities of the norm; is what keeps it all from happening at once.

What I do like about this new place is how we've had the ability to purge a LOT from our old house and there is a lot that we want for this new house in terms of organization and neatness.

It's nice to have a fresh start and a blank pallete :-)

G

Move-In Day!

Tomorrow will be when we officially move in to our new home! We had the movers move our stuff on April 22nd, but we haven't actually begun living there yet... this all changes in less than 24 hrs.

So... our family will be in transition... again. BUT, with this single transition comes a world of promise. No more commuting for an hour both ways to go to work, to check on the house, to move, etc. No more having to live out of boxes (well, eventually!) or suitcases, or closet space - it's been a VERY long time since we've been able to say that.

Melissa, Liam, and I have kinda developed our own sort of "routine" while living with her parents. As irregular as it could be it still had its "usuals," ya know? So, while we are anxious to get into our new house and excited about it too, there's a lot of emotion with "uprooting" again.

Melissa and I have probably taken for granted that there has always been another hand on deck while living with her parents. So although I can speak for Mel, I for one am a little nervous of flying more solo with childcare. But I'm also looking forward to how I'll be able to bond with my son more. For the most part I feel like I've been absent a lot over the past 6 months while having to tend to all this house stuff. Kinda makes my heart break a little, but I realize that its only been for a season and I am not in the least an absentee parent. I make the most of every chance I get with him.

The other day on my "lunch" break I came home and Mel and Liam were sitting outside at her parents place. I made a sandwich and ate out there while enjoying their company. I have to say this was probably one of my highlights for 2011 so far. Its hard to describe, but that instance was very special to me. Maybe because in that moment it was nice to just be a family and nothing else interposing on that. It was cool to see my son be in wonder of all the things around him. It was nice to sit back and laugh with Melissa. One of the biggest highlights of our new home is the extended covered patio. I look forward to many, many more times of just relaxing outside together... as a family in our new home :-)

G

Found one!

So, after the weeks... no months... of doing house stuff we currently are OUT of the option period on the sale of our home AND we've made an offer on a new home. The offer hasn't been signed yet by the sellers (thus making it an official contract) but we are basically 100% certain that they will.

May 7th? Well, hopefully that will be one everything is all said and done and we'll be able to feel a bit more settled. In the meantime we will be living in a whirlwind.

Tonight gave us a bit of much need "pause" however. We went to our old church for a concert of worship. We even took Liam with us for a late evening out. I'm so proud. He did great! The women at the church childcare were all bragging about what a good baby he was too. Mel and I had much needed night of worship. For me personally it gave me a lot of time for reflection. It gave me time to reconnect with God and Melissa that has been a bit lacking with the hectic life that we have been leading.

I'm grateful for our many blessings.

Although the next few weeks are going to be stressful... I don't mind it. "Busy" stress is a WHOLE lot different than "worry" stress :-)

"Family" Date Night!

Tonight Melissa and I had our first "Family Date Night." Read... taking Liam out with us to go shopping followed by eating out together. We figured this would not only allow us to get some things done, but it would provide us some "alone" time while hopefully allowing Pat and Larry to have a much deserved break from kid-watching as well.

On the shopping list? Baby stuff from Target. We had Liam's 4-month pediatric appointment on Thursday. It went great! It also means that we needed to buy some oatmeal "cereal" to start him on solid foods. Hopefully we can give it a go in the morning. Eeek! :-) (J/K not really too nervous about it. More excited than anything! Because the cook in me can't help but get a little bit excited to share REAL food with my son!)

Nothing else too exciting from Target - bottle stuff, and a storage container for clothes that Liam has already outgrown. He's growing up so fast!

So we knew towards the end of the shopping trip that we were approaching cranky Liam time (ballpark 6:15pm) where he starts to express hunger, but is at the same time tired. We also hadn't quite figured out dinner plans. Two words "UH OH!"

What we could normally handle at home seemed to be utter chaos in the midst of driving to the pre-planned restaurant of choice. So, I lied. We HAD dinner planned out we just now had the dilemma of whether or not to go ahead and drive home, or whether to pick up a frozen pizza from Kroger and then go home. We finally decided to just pull into McAllister's Deli and feed him in there. All of which was in the same parking lot... if only things had been spread farther apart decisions would have been MUCH easier for this Davis family! :-)

After the three of us were finally eating everything was right in the world... at least in our world. Mel and I got to have a pretty good date night out too! Because our little one fell right asleep after his dinner. Of course, that just meant he was gonna be up later before his "official" bedtime...

Asleep Liam. Mom and Dad ready for bed. And... once again all is right in our world :-)

"Christmas Time is Here"

So... tonight I'm at our house and doing the best that I can to pack things up.

In the midst of putting together all of my music books and sheet music, I began playing "Christmas Time is Here" on the piano. It's one of my favorite pieces of all time. Perhaps because of the lush sonorities of a major tonality moving downward to an altered dominant (same reason I love "Blue in Green" by the way)... or because of the emotional connection it has to memories for me.

PJs, Snoopy, cold nights, hot chocolate, family cuddle time. All of which I haven't had enough of this season. There's been way too much "busy"-ness to be able to rest and enjoy good times and good company.

Commuting, nomadville, skype conversations, baby time, and work have taken up this year's holiday festivities.

I am thankful for the many blessings I have (of which I have a lot!), but I just wish that things were given more opportunity to slow down. I miss Liam and Mel right now. Eventually we'll get our house sold and find a new home for the three of us, but until we get there I'm not too wild about the pace that life has us in. I feel like I'm missing too much of Liam's growing up right now :-(

That's what makes me saddest of all.

I'm just tired. Going to bed early on New Year's eve actually sounds pretty appealing right now. I think I need another PJ party with my family (Yay for a new tradition!)... that and a cup of hot cocoa wouldn't hurt. :-)

Greg

Dear "Baby-D"

Dear "Baby-D,"

Your time has come. We have waited a good long while for your arrival and the time is here. Currently your mom is trying to get some rest as this is still early on in labor. I will be doing the same shortly. We want our OB to be the one to deliver you since she has been the one tending to yours and your momma's health this whole time. So, they will be administering pitocin around 4am to progress things forward.

I want to let you know that the way your birth has been so far has been a reminder to your mother and me of how God still hears our prayers. We have prayed all along in the pregnancy for several things. More specifically we asked that her water wouldn't break while she was at work teaching, we asked that I would be with her when it was time to go to the hospital, and we asked that it would happen in the evening. All of which has come to pass.

Her water broke at 5:28 pm today, but had it occured yesterday I wouldn't have been here because I was in a training session for work all day and didn't get home until later.

We have been planning and preparing for you to enter our world. We already love you with all of our heart and will do anything to protect you and establish you so that you may grow on your own.

I'm excited to finally get to share with our friends and family what your name is! However, since you haven't officially been born yet... it has to wait... for now :-)

You are beautiful my son, and I love you very much. I can hear your heart beat right now as we listen in on your world to make sure you are okay while nestled in Mommy's tummy. Just know that your heart has been close to mine for a long time now.

Love,

Your Papa "Daddy-D"

Swaddled

Currently, our most relaxing room in the house is the nursery. I'd say this is a great accomplishment save for the fact that it speaks of the other aspects in our life that are not relaxing- a kitchen full of dishes from my cooking adventures today, items in various "staging" areas to pack away and store or donate (all accumulated from cleaning and prepping the nursery), an office that is in dire need of attention.

Ugh...

But... there is peace in the nursery.

The green paint color that we chose for the walls is called "dancing green." It's vivid, yet quiet; much like how the leaves on the Aspen dance in springtime from the slightest breath expelled from the Colorado Rockies. We have a "sleep sheep" on Baby-D's crib which emits noises to lull you to sleep too: Heartbeat, Rain, Ocean... and whale calls. Whale calls? Well, not sure about that one, but it is there nonetheless.

I suppose Mel and I have great anticipation of what's to come. As we should. As I ponder the future, I consider how I desire to offer our little one a place of refuge- not only in this nursery, but in our arms, in our lives... engulfed by our love. I want to keep him safe. I want to keep my family safe. Financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically.

In light of my dad's recent cycling accident, I have come to the realization that I have entered into a new era of adulthood. It's given me pause to not only consider how to provide for Melissa and Baby-D, but that one day (hopefully in the distant future) we'll be considering how to care for our parents as well.

There is much responsibility to be had and I don't always feel like I am up to the task; however, sitting in the nursery this evening, and the security that's felt here, helps me to realize that we're doing a pretty good job and that it's gonna be okay. It's just that even though I know that God is my rock, and I have the most incredible family collective in the world, I still find myself asking sometimes...

.... Who will keep me safe?

Lack of decisions

Tonight, as I was cleaning up the kitchen and doing my best to tidy up after a cooking bonanza (I can sure make a mess when cooking!!!), I realized a key thing to why and how life can be easy or it can be challenging. It seems like many things are based on decisions or indecisions in my life and unfortunately more often than not the latter can usually occur.

A dear friend of mine from college used to always say, "everything has a home." It becomes my mantra while cleaning:

"Everything has a home, everything has a home. Okay this thing clearly doesn't have a home..."

and BOOM! A decision has to be made. It can be left there to be dealt with later (which is a decision within the indecision), or I can be proactive about it - get rid of it, create space, return it to where it belongs, or rather should belong.

I think the same thing could be said about how time needs to be decluttered, and managed a little bit more proactively in my free time- get rid of it, Create S P A C E, return it to where it belongs.

And so... on that note I must close, for this time belongs for sleeping :-)

~Greg

Wokka Wokka!

Recently I have been emailing back and forth with a dear friend of our family, Lefty. He and I share a similar passion... namely - COOKING!

...That, and having things that need a little TLC and seasoning. We've talked a lot about seasoning cast iron and how I was on a quest to find a good wok and lo and behold... He sent us one! Yippee. It's the traditional shape (i.e. not flat bottom) and has the same joys as cast iron. It'll develop a great nonstick coating from seasoning over time due to it being a carbon steel wok.

So, here it is being used on the grill for the first time to obtain some rip-roaring high heat.

This was my first attempt at making beef and broccoli. My mise en place...

The results!

I think I still need to tweak the recipe a bit, or perhaps try another recipe, but this was definitely a great start to my experience in wok cooking. :-)

-Greg

Three

Three years ago today, I was preparing to become a husband to my beautiful bride. In less than three months from now, I will be a father to the newest member of our family... Well, his name will be announced then. I'm officially in my third decade of life. Mel and I were born three months apart.

For many aspects of our life three seems to be quite relevant. Over the next year of our married life we'll be embarking on SO many new and exciting things! We are anxiously awaiting our little one and I know that I am excited to meet him. Surreal seems to hardly cover it.

I think the most difficult thing I face in writing this blog... is whether to focus on my emotions of becoming a father, or to reflect on what it is to be a husband to my precious wife. I don't know how to do both simultaneously AND effectively. I suppose that's an important challenge to realize as we learn about our newly developing roles as parents - how to tend to our own relationship while concurrently tending to the relationship of parent/child, and family unit.

We've decided to take today in stride. Nothing huge. No blowout budget decisions. Perhaps a nice dinner, and a postponed pottery painting date next week.

We have a lot on our plates these days and our focus is trying to organize our life right now so that we can prepare for being disorganized come October :-) I know that things will never be perfect - we are just working as a team to whittle these mountains down to molehills; one stone at a time. The great thing is... we're making progress! The nursery is looking more and more ready to receive things (rather than just store stuff which it has done for 3 yrs). The office is... well... it's still a work in progress, but it IS better! :-) And Salvation Army? Well... let's just say that it is a good thing that they're an army because we're about to give them a lot. :-D

Yay for tax write-offs!

We'll see what the day holds! I'll try to post an update :-) (But, we all know that I'm not the avid blogger right now... so, we'll see).

Greg