I Still Can't Believe It

Obviously, I'm a complete cliché. How can I seriously sit here and tell you "I can't believe an entire year has gone by!" when every SINGLE person says how fast time goes watching your children grow. I knew full well that first year was going to be a blur and because of that, I tried to be in the moment and choose to spend time with The Biscuit every chance I got. I guess what still managed to surprise me was that even with that knowledge, it still seems like there were things I missed and shouldn't have. Dude is still knocking down one or two firsts a day and it's not like I'm spending a lot of time worrying about what I missed, but damn it if I don't wish I could go back to that day I wasn't patient with his fussing and let him sit there crying while I went in the other room and cried too. I'd tell myself to breathe, let it go, I love you, don't be too hard on yourself and I'd tell Biscuit that he's allowed to be grumpy and I love

Corn Dog 11/25/2003 - 5/18/2017

So after a 5 year hiatus, something spurred me to post here on February 8th.  It was a short post and didn't really say much.  It was kind of like dipping my toe into a pond I hadn't visited in a long time.  Who knew that in three short days, my life would forever change.  It kind of makes me regret that I let this blog languish for so long without updating as I would have liked to have some record of the previous five years before The News that would usher in the next chapter of my life - a chapter I had mostly given up being able to ever write. Backstory: I hadn't been feeling well at the beginning of 2016.  Just felt off a bit.  I went to Orlando to work a conference and when I got backed, I was rocked by something flu-like.  I'm not sure I've ever had the flu but from the symptoms, I supposed that's what it was.  Of course I didn't go to the doctor or anything, pshaw.  I just suffered through it.  I had a fever for a few days and then the illness set

You get a wild hair to see if your old blog is still around and find it is, albeit severely neglected and woefully out of date.   You now get paid to write blog posts for companies and the experience gained from your little ol' personal blog is the reason you are comfortable even saying you can do that? The mean ol' black dog is still around as inspiration? She's much grayer and arguably more distinguished looking, but put a strange dog in her yard and she'll act like she's spry and angry that you dare be a dog in HER yard. You remember how much you enjoyed writing "Don't You Love it When" posts? Yes, I know it's a pittance of a post, but what's that saying about beggars and choosers?  Yeah, you'll get over it.  Especially since I give no guarantees that this won't be the last post for another five years.  No promises!  I like to keep my options open.  

I found this post in a drafts folder. So, I wrote it in 2008...sue me. Not sure why I didn't post it when I wrote it (and why didn't I capitalize anything?), but here you go: In the first three months of 2008, I've been to six different countries, flying out of a city that doesn't offer direct international flights (save Mexico), so I think I can safely give my perspective on the pros and cons of traveling with the masses in the cattle car world of coach air travel. Pros: - sunrise and sunset at 30,000 feet, especially when there's a low cloud ceiling. - a clear day when flying over mountains or the north pole. i've never been to the Alps, but I've seen them from 35,000 feet and they're spectacular. same goes for Greenland and the glaciers. - there's an odd solitude to flying that I find peaceful. surrounded by strangers, you can live inside your head quite peacefully for a few hours. - in-seat entertainment (when you can get it) is really pretty

...you get gifted the last batch of homegrown tomatoes? More specifically, Illinois award-winning tomatoes? I'll be making guacamole, salsa and hopefully a batch of tomato sauce I can share with my grandparents. Thanks Paul & Sally! ...you score a goal from just shy of midfield? I even managed a short bit of what's known as dribbling - a concept I just can't perform very well. But I keep trying and when it goes right, it's oh so gratifying. ...the Corn Dog lays her super soft head on your lap? Or when you just look her way and she wags her tail? She loves me, in spite of all of my shortcomings as a dog owner. We're a package deal: Two Chubby Beasts For One Low Price! ...you think the water heater has gone tits up only to find a simple push of the little red reset button fixes all? That lukewarm shower was nerve-wracking - how long since the last heating of the water? how much longer before it's straight up cold? how much will a new water heater cos