Wow.... it really is 2013... This is a year that I thought would never come and now that its here I'm 100% sure that I am NOT ready for it. As it stands right now 2013 brings the end to my first career after 20+ years, a new baby girl, my oldest graduating high school and heading off to college, and a strong desire to strengthen my relationships with my family, my God, and my friends all while getting and staying in better shape.
- RETIREMENT: I don't consider "military retirement" a retirement, more of a transition, but I am "retiring" from the military and have to find something new to do with myself. I've done everything I know to do. I have enlisted experience, nuclear power experience, leadership experience, a BS in engineering, an MBA and soon a Strategic Communications master's, but this is probably the part of 2013 that scares me the most, more to come.
- BABY: I really thought I/we were done having children after our daughter was born three and a half years ago, but God had other plans. I'm very much looking forward to her arrival, but I am scared to death about being in my 50s when she is a teenager... start praying for me now please.
- OLDEST SON: I can't believe that within a couple of weeks of our daughter's planned arrival, my oldest son will graduate high school. He is such a great kid and young man and has done extremely well in all of his endeavors to this day. He plans to go to my alma mater, which I love, and major in Pharmacy, which is scary to me, because I don't feel I can help him as much as I could if he majored in engineering or business, but we shall see.
- NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS:
- Strengthening my relationship with my God. I have been so focused on the "right" religion and getting myself right before I start going to church again. I've had friends invite me to particular churches and I always find a reason not to attend, wrong denomination, too many obscure beliefs/rules, or what other people will think about my decision to choose and ultimately take my family to a particular church / religion. I think that I know I need to attend a church to build strength in my faith and to set the example for my family. I hope I do the right thing and soon.
- My family is so important to me and I feel a lot of guilt sometimes when I choose to go to a sporting event or motorcycle ride instead of spending time with my family. I know every person needs to have different things in their lives, but I believe I need to focus on putting my family first more often.
- I don't have a lot of friends, nor do I have the personality to be able to treat a large amount of friends appropriately. But I do believe that I have a small group of friends that are more important to me than they know and that is because I don't do a good job of communicating that to them. I really want to improve on this, and possibly add a couple of close friends along the way.
- My physical fitness has been an issue for a few years now. My excuse has been my career and how many times I don't have time to breathe, let alone dedicate time to physical fitness. However, recently I was told to start taking blood pressure meds or make drastic changes. I have stopped drinking "cold turkey"; tomorrow will be day 90. In this time I haven't changed much else, but I have lost 15 pounds and feel like I can start to add a work out regimen to my days. With a child on the way, I want to be around for a very long time to support all of family in the ways they deserve.
Well here's hoping 2013 is a good year for my family and my friends. Happy New Year.
Pray Two Ride
I don't have a creative bone...so to speak. I intend to write about my struggles to strengthen my relationship with my God and be the spiritual role model for my family (Pray). I will talk about current sports and how sports and athletes' stories have shaped who I am today (Ernie Banks "let's play two"). And I anticipate sharing pictures and anecdotes of my travels in the saddle of my Fatboy (Ride). I'll probably even complain here or there, but that doesn't deserve to be in the title.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Being a kid...being a dad
So my childhood was better than some and worse than others. There are only two people who have ever walked the earth that can't say that, s/he who had the best and the worst. I've said a hundred times or more, I just want my children to have it better than I did. What does that even mean?
Well, at 38, I'm facing my oldest heading off to college next fall, Rock Chalk, and a few months before that, I'll get to hold my fourth child in my arms for the first time. So, since I only have a few months left before I have a son in college, I've started thinking about if he has had it "better" than I did.
- He had one step dad, who has been great to him. I also had one step dad who was great to me, and I still call him my dad, God rest his soul. Unfortunately, I also had 2 other step dads who, let's just say, left a lot to be desired. So I guess in that regard, he's had it better.
- I'll ignore material possessions. Quite honestly, for the longest time, these are what I thought mattered when I was trying to make sure he had it better than me. Do I always get him the newest shoes, best 1st car, etc., etc.
- Now I'm at the place in life, where I want him to have it better in a real way, but how do I accomplish this when he's 17? I started going to church when I was a teenager, more of an escape from reality than anything else. I'm honestly not sure if Jacob has ever been to church for a non-Easter/Christmas service. I was never "forced" to go to church, I was never "encouraged" to go to church either. As a matter of fact, a lot of the time religion was insulted in our house and unfortunately, sometimes I would equate that with faith. As I learned later in life, my parents actually demonstrated faith in Jesus and I wished I would have been able to see that when I was younger. Unfortunately, despite being baptized many years ago, I think I have failed Jake in this arena.
- Social Media - gosh I hate even saying the phrase. With my son and niece being 17 and growing into adulthood in a time where every topic, emotion, feeling, thought, etc. is immediately published to Facebook, Twitter, etc. I worry for both of them. I struggled with friendships and trying to meet that special someone and start the relationship that would last forever, but I didn't have to worry about a bad tweet written one moment being retweeted by 500 kids in the school... I keep trying to convince Ami and Jake that everything they post can't be taken back, but I worry neither of them really gets it yet. I'm sure lots of people thought things about me that I wouldn't want to know when I was a teenager, at least I didn't have to see it in all these different media. I don't think there is anyway I can fix this for them, but I worry about it just the same.
I could evaluate this in so many more ways, but I know that him seeing Jesus in me is the most important way I can make sure he has it better than I did and that is what I'm working on now...wish me luck!
Well, at 38, I'm facing my oldest heading off to college next fall, Rock Chalk, and a few months before that, I'll get to hold my fourth child in my arms for the first time. So, since I only have a few months left before I have a son in college, I've started thinking about if he has had it "better" than I did.
- He had one step dad, who has been great to him. I also had one step dad who was great to me, and I still call him my dad, God rest his soul. Unfortunately, I also had 2 other step dads who, let's just say, left a lot to be desired. So I guess in that regard, he's had it better.
- I'll ignore material possessions. Quite honestly, for the longest time, these are what I thought mattered when I was trying to make sure he had it better than me. Do I always get him the newest shoes, best 1st car, etc., etc.
- Now I'm at the place in life, where I want him to have it better in a real way, but how do I accomplish this when he's 17? I started going to church when I was a teenager, more of an escape from reality than anything else. I'm honestly not sure if Jacob has ever been to church for a non-Easter/Christmas service. I was never "forced" to go to church, I was never "encouraged" to go to church either. As a matter of fact, a lot of the time religion was insulted in our house and unfortunately, sometimes I would equate that with faith. As I learned later in life, my parents actually demonstrated faith in Jesus and I wished I would have been able to see that when I was younger. Unfortunately, despite being baptized many years ago, I think I have failed Jake in this arena.
- Social Media - gosh I hate even saying the phrase. With my son and niece being 17 and growing into adulthood in a time where every topic, emotion, feeling, thought, etc. is immediately published to Facebook, Twitter, etc. I worry for both of them. I struggled with friendships and trying to meet that special someone and start the relationship that would last forever, but I didn't have to worry about a bad tweet written one moment being retweeted by 500 kids in the school... I keep trying to convince Ami and Jake that everything they post can't be taken back, but I worry neither of them really gets it yet. I'm sure lots of people thought things about me that I wouldn't want to know when I was a teenager, at least I didn't have to see it in all these different media. I don't think there is anyway I can fix this for them, but I worry about it just the same.
I could evaluate this in so many more ways, but I know that him seeing Jesus in me is the most important way I can make sure he has it better than I did and that is what I'm working on now...wish me luck!
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