Well I'm unable to sleep and thought I should take a break from Skyrim to say hello as Renae and I haven't done so in a while. Christmas post is yet to come btw. Will update some pic's for those of you who aren't sick of them from Facebook. Really wish I could go to sleep right now...alas. I believe some reading might do the trick and as the library book is overdue it will be killing two birds with 1 bazooka.
Here's to some Costa Rican Tarrazu tomorrow...alot of Tarrazu. Available for 2lbs for $10 at Bridgepoint upon request
Our thoughts contained within are our own little perception of reality. We invite you to share in our triumphs, enjoy our witty banter (average at best), and maybe even learn from our missteps.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Parenting=Hard
Hello Again and I know you'll forgive my absence from posting because let's face it...i inspire low expectations. Speaking of which parenting is hard. Turns out that babies tend to do what they want and that generally interferes with life, sleep, and occasionally a marriage. Those of you who have had children longer than i've had mine (10 months) are laughing into your hands about now because you are all really excited to see what this post might look like should we end up having more children.
Either way it's interesting. Jaden is convinced the only way to go to sleep, or return to that state when woken up, is through cuddling and bottle time (bottle being necessary and cuddling only when he's passed out again). Nae and I see things otherwise and thus the battle of sleep deprivation begins.
Low battery on my computer and brain is low on those hormones that replenish during sleep so until next time...pray :)
Either way it's interesting. Jaden is convinced the only way to go to sleep, or return to that state when woken up, is through cuddling and bottle time (bottle being necessary and cuddling only when he's passed out again). Nae and I see things otherwise and thus the battle of sleep deprivation begins.
Low battery on my computer and brain is low on those hormones that replenish during sleep so until next time...pray :)
Friday, October 7, 2011
Life
My friend Kels asked about Jaden's heart murmur, so let me clarify. The doctor could barely hear it and was not at all concerned. She said we will simply monitor at his next appointment. Both Jared and I had a heart murmur as a child, so we weren't really surprised. Sorry to leave you hanging Kels!
I have to say that I recently passed the third of my tests to become an Enrolled Agent, licensed to practice before the IRS. It's been a long year of studying, and I'm glad to be done with it all. Now I'm just waiting for the paperwork back from the IRS so I can add the initials behind my name on my business card :)
Biggest thing going on in our lives is still our niece Eiley. To make a long story short, she has had several struggles since being born with her intestines outside of her body. Now we are 4 surgeries later, and she has a colostomy bag for the next few months and hoping to get things moving. She can hopefully go home if things continue to do better. It's been 2 1/2 months in the NICU and is wearing on everyone, particularly her parents. Please continue to pray for Eiley's healing and learning how to eat and digest as she should. And for her parents and family as they continue to deal with having to be separated from each other and traveling back and forth from the hospital, etc.
Our basement is nearing completion at this point. The trim is up but some pieces and touch-ups still need to be done. Hopefully will be finalized by the end of the month.
Packers are back! For those who don't know, sports, especially football, is extremely important to us and our families. We literally plan our lives around the Packers and fantasy football. Gotta love it! Just thought I'd share.
Jaden is literally into EVERYTHING lately. Garbage cans, toilets, toilet paper, Dori's food and water dishes, kleenex, and anything that can be spilled or smeared all over are his favorites. He is getting extremely close to walking and I expect it any day now. He walks very efficiently along furniture and sometimes stands by himself before he forgets what he is doing.
Our computer is pretty well toast and we're looking to extract everything off of it. I've heard that you can pay to have this done. Anyone have any suggestions about the best way to go about this? I think I have pictures, etc. saved elsewhere, but just want to verify.
We're in Richland Center currently for a wedding tomorrow of Jared's co-worker. He went to hang out with the rest of the guys tonight, and Jaden is fast asleep, so I'm just hanging in the hotel room. Jaden never sleeps well away from home, plus with his cold currently - should be a long night. They do have a pool here so we're going to go swimming in the morning. Taking my son swimming is one of my favorite things so I can't wait!
I have to say that I recently passed the third of my tests to become an Enrolled Agent, licensed to practice before the IRS. It's been a long year of studying, and I'm glad to be done with it all. Now I'm just waiting for the paperwork back from the IRS so I can add the initials behind my name on my business card :)
Biggest thing going on in our lives is still our niece Eiley. To make a long story short, she has had several struggles since being born with her intestines outside of her body. Now we are 4 surgeries later, and she has a colostomy bag for the next few months and hoping to get things moving. She can hopefully go home if things continue to do better. It's been 2 1/2 months in the NICU and is wearing on everyone, particularly her parents. Please continue to pray for Eiley's healing and learning how to eat and digest as she should. And for her parents and family as they continue to deal with having to be separated from each other and traveling back and forth from the hospital, etc.
Our basement is nearing completion at this point. The trim is up but some pieces and touch-ups still need to be done. Hopefully will be finalized by the end of the month.
Packers are back! For those who don't know, sports, especially football, is extremely important to us and our families. We literally plan our lives around the Packers and fantasy football. Gotta love it! Just thought I'd share.
Jaden is literally into EVERYTHING lately. Garbage cans, toilets, toilet paper, Dori's food and water dishes, kleenex, and anything that can be spilled or smeared all over are his favorites. He is getting extremely close to walking and I expect it any day now. He walks very efficiently along furniture and sometimes stands by himself before he forgets what he is doing.
Our computer is pretty well toast and we're looking to extract everything off of it. I've heard that you can pay to have this done. Anyone have any suggestions about the best way to go about this? I think I have pictures, etc. saved elsewhere, but just want to verify.
We're in Richland Center currently for a wedding tomorrow of Jared's co-worker. He went to hang out with the rest of the guys tonight, and Jaden is fast asleep, so I'm just hanging in the hotel room. Jaden never sleeps well away from home, plus with his cold currently - should be a long night. They do have a pool here so we're going to go swimming in the morning. Taking my son swimming is one of my favorite things so I can't wait!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Jaden Update
Oh, and I forgot to mention that Jaden had his 9 month check-up today. He weighed in at 26 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 30.75 inches tall. He continues to be in the 98% of height and weight. The doctors always say 98, but in reality, his little check mark is above the normal chart. Don't really understand that, but whatever. The doctor did hear a slight heart murmer, so they will continue to monitor that in future appointments to make sure it is normal. He is very normal in all other stages of development. He continues to explore the house and try new things each day. Currently, he can walk along furniture and can hold one with one hand and balance pretty well. He'll be walking before we know it! The blue eyes are here to stay (who would have thought?). His hair is still very light in color, but will darken as he ages. And he needs a haircut soon! Starting to get quite shaggy. We will let you know when he gets his first trim :)
Happy Birthday!
I would like to wish my father a Happy 50th Birthday today. My mom turned 50 about a month ago and my father-in-law turns 50 in about two months. And Momma Heesch - you're just the lucky young one :)
Anyway, the fact that our parents are all turning 50 has made me stop to realize what wonderful people that they are. The older I get the more I realize the impact that my parents have had on my life. I would absolutely not be the same person without them. The way they taught me has shaped how I look at the world, how I treat others, how I respond to crisis situations, how I handle everything in a day, the way I cook, the way I talk, my interactions at work, the life I live all really comes back to my parents. I can't ever truly understand or even express how much I love them and how much I appreciate all that they did and continue to do in my life.
Makes me scared, too. What will 25 year old Jaden be saying when I'm 50? Will we all still be here? What will the world be like? Will I be able to be the parent that I aspire to be, like my parents were? Or will I fall dreadfully short and live a life of regrets?
Here's to great parents! And the hope that my son will one day say the same thing...
Anyway, the fact that our parents are all turning 50 has made me stop to realize what wonderful people that they are. The older I get the more I realize the impact that my parents have had on my life. I would absolutely not be the same person without them. The way they taught me has shaped how I look at the world, how I treat others, how I respond to crisis situations, how I handle everything in a day, the way I cook, the way I talk, my interactions at work, the life I live all really comes back to my parents. I can't ever truly understand or even express how much I love them and how much I appreciate all that they did and continue to do in my life.
Makes me scared, too. What will 25 year old Jaden be saying when I'm 50? Will we all still be here? What will the world be like? Will I be able to be the parent that I aspire to be, like my parents were? Or will I fall dreadfully short and live a life of regrets?
Here's to great parents! And the hope that my son will one day say the same thing...
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
9/11 Hope, Love, and Hate
Hello again...and yes I know it's the 13th but it's taken me a while to put my thoughts in order. So this is what has been in my brain about 9/11 and it's greater impact on me.
Everyone remembers what they were doing when they found out. Some of you heard on the news and probably thought there was some mistake or that the media had blown it out of proportion. Some of you may have heard someone mention something about it and were sure it was blown out of proportion. Some of you, like me, witnessed the horror live. I was in class. It was a normal morning until Mr Karney pushed open the door and said simply "Channel ##". I don't remember the channel number but I won't forget the look on his face. My teacher didn't either so naturally the first thing we did was turn towards the TV. To this point in time Tomah didn't really have TVs hooked up to cable in the rooms so even that was a bit weird but even the relatively new feeling of the situation didn't take away from the gravity in Mr K's voice. As a unit we all turned and watched. It just so happened we tuned in early enough that even those broadcasting were still trying to figure out what happened. There was much conjecture and just a repeat image of smoke poring out of the side of the tower. Occasionally, mixed in with different feeds of the billowing smoke, were commentaries about the amount of people that worked in the building or possibly could be affected. There was still no notion of why.
For some reason, why seemed so important. Why would someone do this? What motivation could someone possibly have? Then they showed to crash from a different angle. It was this point in time that my brain quirked for a moment. Something wasn't right because we had been seeing reruns of the limited coverage and this didn't look real...and then it dawned on us all. We had just witnessed the second crash. I was numb. At this moment, in front of my computer, I still remember the screen shot and heads I was peering over to watch. I remember my heart pounding because I wasn't sure and I wanted so badly to be wrong. Someone in the class had just said "that can't be another one...it had to be the first one" in such a way that it sounded like a prayer.
All of you have your own story of how/when/where you heard of the tragedy and we've all heard of many stories of heartbreak and heroism. Lately I haven't been thinking so much of these stories because I have been so focused on WHY.
You know that quote that every History teacher has said at least once and regrets to this day..."Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" or something to that effect anyway. I believe there is a nugget of truth there. But the reality is that I hated what happened that day and I couldn't rectify it in my brain. Why was there so much hate? How could that have been condoned by religion? Who could have done such a thing? In my mind I hated them. I thought of scenarios in which I was the hero saving the day by smashing those responsible into oblivion. In my mind my hate was justified. It was through my hate that we would be saved.
As a country we then became distracted by tales of heroism. We heard of old firemen who snuck their way into "ground zero" to fight tooth and nail to save those that could be saved. We heard of men and women working for hours and hours on end with no regard for their own safety to dig through rubble and mess just to search for survivors. And as a country we hoped. As a country we clung to these stories in hopes there was a brighter tomorrow. We watched our TV for inspiration and we longed to see stories of the human condition we could rejoice about in light of this terrible attack. Immediately after this horrible experience America was glued to the hope of making tomorrow better. But in order to make tomorrow better we had to remember those and the sacrifice they made.
I had a coach in college that spoke of the opportunity that current players had of playing football and how we built our program on the backs of those gone before us. America regained some of it's identity on the backs of the firemen, servicemen, and all of the volunteers, supporters, and contributors to the efforts of moving past this monstrosity. But throughout this process one thing remained if only on the surface. One simmering emotion that spawned backlash across the country. There was still one part of our American experience underpinning the emotional status of the culture...hate.
I hated...We Hated. We hated those responsible. We hated those who thought this kind of thing was okay. We hated those who might have had a chance to stop this and did nothing. We were outraged that someone would slaughter all of those innocents to get back at the US. And we were JUSTIFIED.
Now to be clear. To lose a loved one in the way that 9/11 happened is something I will never comprehend because I didn't live it. I have no judgement for those people who haven't been able to forgive nor do I expect that they do so. My thoughts centered only around how we can prevent ourselves from becoming perpetrators of similar tragedy in the future.
The common theme here is hate. If we allow hate to dominate the way we see a given situation we have already become someone who sees somebody else as a roadblock to be averted in order to reach our goal. When we define our world with hate we devalue those we share this world with to the point that they become secondary to our passion regardless of what is right. It is my prayer that we, as a nation and culture, can find a way not to hate but to love. Love doesn't mean free passes and forgiveness to all those as long as we hear the words "sorry". Love demands accountability but the questions is accountability to what.
I hope that future generations can say that love defined them and not hate...am I now a hippie?
my thoughts such as they are
Everyone remembers what they were doing when they found out. Some of you heard on the news and probably thought there was some mistake or that the media had blown it out of proportion. Some of you may have heard someone mention something about it and were sure it was blown out of proportion. Some of you, like me, witnessed the horror live. I was in class. It was a normal morning until Mr Karney pushed open the door and said simply "Channel ##". I don't remember the channel number but I won't forget the look on his face. My teacher didn't either so naturally the first thing we did was turn towards the TV. To this point in time Tomah didn't really have TVs hooked up to cable in the rooms so even that was a bit weird but even the relatively new feeling of the situation didn't take away from the gravity in Mr K's voice. As a unit we all turned and watched. It just so happened we tuned in early enough that even those broadcasting were still trying to figure out what happened. There was much conjecture and just a repeat image of smoke poring out of the side of the tower. Occasionally, mixed in with different feeds of the billowing smoke, were commentaries about the amount of people that worked in the building or possibly could be affected. There was still no notion of why.
For some reason, why seemed so important. Why would someone do this? What motivation could someone possibly have? Then they showed to crash from a different angle. It was this point in time that my brain quirked for a moment. Something wasn't right because we had been seeing reruns of the limited coverage and this didn't look real...and then it dawned on us all. We had just witnessed the second crash. I was numb. At this moment, in front of my computer, I still remember the screen shot and heads I was peering over to watch. I remember my heart pounding because I wasn't sure and I wanted so badly to be wrong. Someone in the class had just said "that can't be another one...it had to be the first one" in such a way that it sounded like a prayer.
All of you have your own story of how/when/where you heard of the tragedy and we've all heard of many stories of heartbreak and heroism. Lately I haven't been thinking so much of these stories because I have been so focused on WHY.
You know that quote that every History teacher has said at least once and regrets to this day..."Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it" or something to that effect anyway. I believe there is a nugget of truth there. But the reality is that I hated what happened that day and I couldn't rectify it in my brain. Why was there so much hate? How could that have been condoned by religion? Who could have done such a thing? In my mind I hated them. I thought of scenarios in which I was the hero saving the day by smashing those responsible into oblivion. In my mind my hate was justified. It was through my hate that we would be saved.
As a country we then became distracted by tales of heroism. We heard of old firemen who snuck their way into "ground zero" to fight tooth and nail to save those that could be saved. We heard of men and women working for hours and hours on end with no regard for their own safety to dig through rubble and mess just to search for survivors. And as a country we hoped. As a country we clung to these stories in hopes there was a brighter tomorrow. We watched our TV for inspiration and we longed to see stories of the human condition we could rejoice about in light of this terrible attack. Immediately after this horrible experience America was glued to the hope of making tomorrow better. But in order to make tomorrow better we had to remember those and the sacrifice they made.
I had a coach in college that spoke of the opportunity that current players had of playing football and how we built our program on the backs of those gone before us. America regained some of it's identity on the backs of the firemen, servicemen, and all of the volunteers, supporters, and contributors to the efforts of moving past this monstrosity. But throughout this process one thing remained if only on the surface. One simmering emotion that spawned backlash across the country. There was still one part of our American experience underpinning the emotional status of the culture...hate.
I hated...We Hated. We hated those responsible. We hated those who thought this kind of thing was okay. We hated those who might have had a chance to stop this and did nothing. We were outraged that someone would slaughter all of those innocents to get back at the US. And we were JUSTIFIED.
Now to be clear. To lose a loved one in the way that 9/11 happened is something I will never comprehend because I didn't live it. I have no judgement for those people who haven't been able to forgive nor do I expect that they do so. My thoughts centered only around how we can prevent ourselves from becoming perpetrators of similar tragedy in the future.
The common theme here is hate. If we allow hate to dominate the way we see a given situation we have already become someone who sees somebody else as a roadblock to be averted in order to reach our goal. When we define our world with hate we devalue those we share this world with to the point that they become secondary to our passion regardless of what is right. It is my prayer that we, as a nation and culture, can find a way not to hate but to love. Love doesn't mean free passes and forgiveness to all those as long as we hear the words "sorry". Love demands accountability but the questions is accountability to what.
I hope that future generations can say that love defined them and not hate...am I now a hippie?
my thoughts such as they are
Monday, September 12, 2011
Pictures
Took Jaden to get pictures taken at Walmart tonight. We really just ordered a family one since I got a free print. Turned out ok. But really I like the ones we took in our own backyard better. Why do I always pay so much to have his pictures taken? I got some of our home photos printed bigger - we'll see how they turn out. Maybe I'll be doing more home versions in the future.
Hard to believe that Jaden is already nine months old tomorrow. Time really does fly. Seems like just yesterday that we were waiting for the little guy last winter. Now I can't imagine life as just us two instead of three. I am already dreading the day that he will be going off to college and he's only 9 months old! Jared always laughs at me. But I think every mother feels that way, right?
Anyway, thought you may want to enjoy our pictures in the backyard as well :)http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=546669154579&set=a.546669039809.2033582.110800395&type=1&theater
Hard to believe that Jaden is already nine months old tomorrow. Time really does fly. Seems like just yesterday that we were waiting for the little guy last winter. Now I can't imagine life as just us two instead of three. I am already dreading the day that he will be going off to college and he's only 9 months old! Jared always laughs at me. But I think every mother feels that way, right?
Anyway, thought you may want to enjoy our pictures in the backyard as well :)http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=546669154579&set=a.546669039809.2033582.110800395&type=1&theater
Monday, August 29, 2011
Time for the honesty...
Hello again,
As Nae said it's been some time. For me this time has been one of interesting reflection. Most of you who know me well understand that I am pretty idealistic and introspective about they way I process life. I don't claim to be uber intelligent though I always aim to be eloquent.
Sorry, that last bit was a rhyme for my friend Bruce...he loves puns and the like so I figured I'd add it in there for him ;)
But to be direct I often process my experiences with a mixture of self examination and talking with those that I trust and value. Many of you are such people. My buddy Cole who is really me but born on a farm in Iowa. I can tell Cole anything and he sees through my BS even before I do. Similar story with Nick and Dan. Always calling me on my crap. Nae obviously is my sounding board for everything. Jordan, my bro and bestie for my entire life, offers great advice combined with understanding and love. My Mom and Dad offer love and like-mindedness respectively. The aforementioned Bruce from work along with Tyson from work as well. There are so many who's opinions I value because they show me different parts of the whole picture.
Since the last time I've posted I have had a chance to speak with most of those listed above and it is truly amazing how AMAZING they are. But I digress (pretty sure any educator out there is going crazy right now);
1. I did not meet my goal of running every day for 30 days. I did well and then experienced a road bump with vacation/injury. Understandable I suppose but I have not run since so...epic fail.
A. (for those of you who don't know A=what we do about fixing 1)
I am recommitting to the next 30 days of running. I am formulating this a little differently tho. I will be mailing a copy of a contract to 7 lucky individuals. This contract will be for their keeping. It is a contract that requires they call me or txt me on a specified day of each week concerning the accountability portion of my commitment. Don't worry, for those of you who don't get a contract feel free to call or txt at any time.
I will be posting a copy of the Contract I am sending out for your perusal. With each contract will be a personalized letter outlining the reasons for why I chose that person...those will not be posted ;)
Thank you for visiting today. More to come regardless of whether or not you want or plan on reading because in the immortal words of the Wedding Singer "one more outburst from you sir and i will strangle you with my microphone cord." Obviously I can't strangle you, and most likely wouldn't, but the point is it's my blog and I do what I want...just ask Nae
As Nae said it's been some time. For me this time has been one of interesting reflection. Most of you who know me well understand that I am pretty idealistic and introspective about they way I process life. I don't claim to be uber intelligent though I always aim to be eloquent.
Sorry, that last bit was a rhyme for my friend Bruce...he loves puns and the like so I figured I'd add it in there for him ;)
But to be direct I often process my experiences with a mixture of self examination and talking with those that I trust and value. Many of you are such people. My buddy Cole who is really me but born on a farm in Iowa. I can tell Cole anything and he sees through my BS even before I do. Similar story with Nick and Dan. Always calling me on my crap. Nae obviously is my sounding board for everything. Jordan, my bro and bestie for my entire life, offers great advice combined with understanding and love. My Mom and Dad offer love and like-mindedness respectively. The aforementioned Bruce from work along with Tyson from work as well. There are so many who's opinions I value because they show me different parts of the whole picture.
Since the last time I've posted I have had a chance to speak with most of those listed above and it is truly amazing how AMAZING they are. But I digress (pretty sure any educator out there is going crazy right now);
1. I did not meet my goal of running every day for 30 days. I did well and then experienced a road bump with vacation/injury. Understandable I suppose but I have not run since so...epic fail.
A. (for those of you who don't know A=what we do about fixing 1)
I am recommitting to the next 30 days of running. I am formulating this a little differently tho. I will be mailing a copy of a contract to 7 lucky individuals. This contract will be for their keeping. It is a contract that requires they call me or txt me on a specified day of each week concerning the accountability portion of my commitment. Don't worry, for those of you who don't get a contract feel free to call or txt at any time.
I will be posting a copy of the Contract I am sending out for your perusal. With each contract will be a personalized letter outlining the reasons for why I chose that person...those will not be posted ;)
Thank you for visiting today. More to come regardless of whether or not you want or plan on reading because in the immortal words of the Wedding Singer "one more outburst from you sir and i will strangle you with my microphone cord." Obviously I can't strangle you, and most likely wouldn't, but the point is it's my blog and I do what I want...just ask Nae
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Oops!
So Jared and I realized today that we're really bad at this blogging thing. It's been about 2 weeks since we wrote anything.
Couple of notes regarding recent events in the Heesch life:
Couple of notes regarding recent events in the Heesch life:
- Dori (our dog) is not pregnant. We tried to breed her with our uncle's dog, but apparently it didn't take. We'll planning to try again in a few months. Anyone have any good suggestions for how to get a dog pregnant?
- Jilleen is back. Jared's cousin lives with us for the school year. This year she'll have a nice new bedroom and bathroom in the basement all to herself. We actually love having her around and are glad she's come back home to us!
- Had our girls for respite again this week. Generally we do respite foster care for twin 15 month old girls once a month. They are always fun, but it's gets a little crazy having three babies around! Had plenty of adventures with them including a group bath with Jaden after a spaghetti fiasco and a family reunion that we dragged them to.
- Jaden is now our "White Trash Baby". Jared's grandmother bought him some wife beaters at a garage sale, so now he's really living it up.
- We started giving plasma at the suggestion of my dear brother. Just an easy way to earn a little extra cash. And not too painful.
- Last weekend we were on a houseboat with my family. Had a great time, and found out that we're not seamen by nature. We actually had a slight mishap and lost one of our anchors. Really bothered Dad, but didn't really affect anything. It was a great time, but we're glad to be home for a little while. Seems like we've been gone every weekend this summer!
- Joel and Mark (my brothers) are now all gone. Mark went back to college in MN and Joel moved to Sheboygan permanently. It's kind of sad without them. They really are my best friends and I miss them dearly.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. This week I am going to try and post some more insightful things other than boring news. But right now my brain is complete mush after caring for three small children all weekend. I think I'm going to head to bed. Yep, that's right 9:00 and bed. Man, I'm getting old!
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Competition
For those of you who know us well, Jared and I are both fairly competitive. Throughout our dating and early marriage days we have always been competing with each other. We have had several "decathlons" (playing a series of board games and keeping track of the winner) and bet on nearly everything. I must admit that I generally lose at both, much to my annoyance. This week, we are trying something new. We are currently holding a "love dare" - but not the kind in the book/movie. We are competing to see who can show love to the other best this week.
The end game of this competition is not really to declare a winner, but just to challenge ourselves to find new ways to show love to each other on a daily basis. Today I had to work, but had several wonderful surprises by my honey tonight. He arranged for a sitter and took me out to eat at one or our favorite local places. Plus he had stopped at the mall earlier to buy me a pair of cute shoes and some smelly good stuff from Bath & Body Works. Tonight, he spent the evening helping me clean up the basement - something I know he hates! What a guy!
So after Day 1 - I declare Jared to be the front-runner of this competition. Day 2? We shall see...
The end game of this competition is not really to declare a winner, but just to challenge ourselves to find new ways to show love to each other on a daily basis. Today I had to work, but had several wonderful surprises by my honey tonight. He arranged for a sitter and took me out to eat at one or our favorite local places. Plus he had stopped at the mall earlier to buy me a pair of cute shoes and some smelly good stuff from Bath & Body Works. Tonight, he spent the evening helping me clean up the basement - something I know he hates! What a guy!
So after Day 1 - I declare Jared to be the front-runner of this competition. Day 2? We shall see...
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Accountability
I have a friend at work, Bruce by name, who does a great job at keeping me accountable. He may not know it but his faith and the fact that he is bold in it is such a great inspiration to me at work. We have spoken in depth about the value of accountability and the value/necessity of accountability in the workplace. It was Bruce who reaffirmed to me the value of public commitment. It is for these reasons that I am taking the following steps;
1. I am committing to running every day for the next 3 weeks. This is a rain/shine, tired, sick, don't feel like it pity me commitment. I know that I tend to provide excuses for myself and I feel a public commitment is the best way to provide accountability :)
2. I am committing to reading my Bible every day for the next 3 weeks. The same as #1 but obviously much more important.
3. I will answer honestly anyone who asks me. Honesty is not the problem. I hope those of you who know me realize that if you were to ask me I would definitely answer you honestly.
4. I will encourage those who ask me to publicly acknowledge my answer. Simply put I encourage all who have read this to publicly acknowledge my answer. Put it on your facebook status that I either did or didn't fulfill my commitment. The reason for this is this is not just a commitment for myself, it is a commitment to all those who I hope to represent/defend.
WHY??
For those of you who don't know I am planning to enter the Marines as an Officer. This is something that is hard to express with clarity the reasons for doing so but at the same time I am without reservation, 100% committed to becoming. I feel that God has gifted me in ways that I don't fully comprehend but I feel like I am the one getting in the way. I know that I lack discipline and this is just one of many reasons that I am joining. Obviously my choice of the Marines speaks for itself but you may ask what this has to do with accountability. The plain and simple fact is this...I NEED to prove to myself and to those I will serve in the future that I can do this. I need to be able to look back at this time in my life and speak freely about my transition to the man I will be. I asked a dear friend of mine, currently a Marine on active duty/deployment, if he thought it would be a good idea, or if he felt like it would be a good fit. His response was simple and profound, "I would follow you into combat." Imagine that kind of responsibility...imagine that kind of faith? To this day I am blown away by the implications of those 6 words. The responsibility is not limited to that individual either. I happen to know that Marines family...it is to them that I must prove that I can do this. I know people who happen to love that Marine...it is to them that I will be held liable. I know that my heavenly father cares for that Marine like no-one here on Earth is capable of...and it is to Him that I will ultimately answer to. The reality of my current situation was revealed to me by my father, though I am sure he didn't realize it at the time. He was in the Air Force and he had said that never in his life before that time, or since, has he ever been better prepared to accomplish his required expectations.
So the reality is as follows;
I need to prove to myself and those I love/one day will serve that I understand that I may not always have the answers but that the USMC and more importantly my Father in heaven have prepared me to accomplish a task.
I will demonstrate servant leadership in all I do and expect those who I serve to follow the example I set.
I will be a life-long learner in the attempts to maximize my understanding and thereby increase my efficacy as a leader.
I will promise to serve faithfully my faith, my family, and my country.
This is my commitment. It is up to the ones that I love, the ones that I have entrusted my heart to, and the ones who know what I can be to hold me accountable to my commitment.
1. I am committing to running every day for the next 3 weeks. This is a rain/shine, tired, sick, don't feel like it pity me commitment. I know that I tend to provide excuses for myself and I feel a public commitment is the best way to provide accountability :)
2. I am committing to reading my Bible every day for the next 3 weeks. The same as #1 but obviously much more important.
3. I will answer honestly anyone who asks me. Honesty is not the problem. I hope those of you who know me realize that if you were to ask me I would definitely answer you honestly.
4. I will encourage those who ask me to publicly acknowledge my answer. Simply put I encourage all who have read this to publicly acknowledge my answer. Put it on your facebook status that I either did or didn't fulfill my commitment. The reason for this is this is not just a commitment for myself, it is a commitment to all those who I hope to represent/defend.
WHY??
For those of you who don't know I am planning to enter the Marines as an Officer. This is something that is hard to express with clarity the reasons for doing so but at the same time I am without reservation, 100% committed to becoming. I feel that God has gifted me in ways that I don't fully comprehend but I feel like I am the one getting in the way. I know that I lack discipline and this is just one of many reasons that I am joining. Obviously my choice of the Marines speaks for itself but you may ask what this has to do with accountability. The plain and simple fact is this...I NEED to prove to myself and to those I will serve in the future that I can do this. I need to be able to look back at this time in my life and speak freely about my transition to the man I will be. I asked a dear friend of mine, currently a Marine on active duty/deployment, if he thought it would be a good idea, or if he felt like it would be a good fit. His response was simple and profound, "I would follow you into combat." Imagine that kind of responsibility...imagine that kind of faith? To this day I am blown away by the implications of those 6 words. The responsibility is not limited to that individual either. I happen to know that Marines family...it is to them that I must prove that I can do this. I know people who happen to love that Marine...it is to them that I will be held liable. I know that my heavenly father cares for that Marine like no-one here on Earth is capable of...and it is to Him that I will ultimately answer to. The reality of my current situation was revealed to me by my father, though I am sure he didn't realize it at the time. He was in the Air Force and he had said that never in his life before that time, or since, has he ever been better prepared to accomplish his required expectations.
So the reality is as follows;
I need to prove to myself and those I love/one day will serve that I understand that I may not always have the answers but that the USMC and more importantly my Father in heaven have prepared me to accomplish a task.
I will demonstrate servant leadership in all I do and expect those who I serve to follow the example I set.
I will be a life-long learner in the attempts to maximize my understanding and thereby increase my efficacy as a leader.
I will promise to serve faithfully my faith, my family, and my country.
This is my commitment. It is up to the ones that I love, the ones that I have entrusted my heart to, and the ones who know what I can be to hold me accountable to my commitment.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Recent News
So... we were going to be so good at this! And now it's been over a week and we haven't posted anything. Guess I better catch you all up.
Here is what's been happening with us lately:
Best Friends!
Here is what's been happening with us lately:
- Bathroom is nearly finished in our basement. Just need to put in vanity and lights - thanks Dad for all your work.
- Eiley (our niece) had surgery on Thursday and is doing very well. We are planning on going to the Dells this weekend to visit her again. Now we can even hold her :)
- Jaden was sick all week last week. Sick babies are good for cuddle time, but makes parents sad.
- Today is my mother's 50th birthday - Happy Birthday Mom! We all went out to a local Mexican joint last night to celebrate - food was very good.
- Jaden is now crawling all over the house. It is extrememly entertaining. He has also started "kissing" people. This involves an open mouth, slobbering attack to the head.
- We exposed Dori to her male counterpart in an attempt to create lab puppies. Not sure how to tell if it worked. Anyone know how to tell if a dog is pregnant?
- This weekend Jaden and I went to Oostburg and spent great time with family. Made me realize how much fun I have with my grandma. And how very dear to my little brother Joel is. I miss him a lot.
- Being gone from my dear husband for 2 nights makes me wonder how we ever survived 5 years of separation during college. I miss that big ole bear after just one night! Crazy how marriage makes you so much closer!
- I have off of work tomorrow and am wondering what to do with the day. The logical me says stay home and clean my house. The desire for fun me says try to hook up the bike seat and take Jaden for a bike ride. Or maybe head to the pool and take the little guy swimming.
- Jared is gone tonight to hang out with Jordan (his brother). See other post for his feelings on his brother. I hope they have a great time together tonight, but it is a bit lonely around here.
- Jaden spent the day today with Papa and Nana (Jared's parents). They take great care of him, but don't always do so well with good nap-times. So he was sleeping by 7:00!
That's about it for now! Tomorrow night I have Bible study, Thursday night we have a meeting with social worker, and Friday heading out of town. Where did the summer go!
Best Friends!Sunday, July 31, 2011
Welcome Eiley Jordan Heesch
This weekend we welcomed another member to the Heesch family - our new niece, Eiley Jordan Heesch. She arrived on Saturday weighing in at 6 lbs, 14 oz. Quite a far cry from our own massive Jaden! So that's what a newborn is supposed to look like! She is very beautiful and we are so happy to be an aunt and uncle again!
Eiley was born with her intestines and stomach outside of her body and will have to spend a few weeks in the NICU. She is responding splendidly to medical interventions thus far. We will be praying for Jordan and Alison and Eiley on the long recovery road and that everything continues to progress. Please join us in saying a prayer for her!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
I used to judge...
To begin, let me say that Jared's story about his crocheted pants is not exactly accurate. I actually made a blanket first and had extra yarn so decided to do what he wanted. It was my sophomore year, and his junior year. But regardless, I made him shorts. They turned into pants over the years of the yarn stretching. Somewhere I am supposed to get the time and motivation to make a vest and a hat??? Seriously, who does he think I am?
But I digress. It struck me as I was putting Jaden to bed tonight how my views on parenting have changed since becoming a parent. I used to judge people that walked through Walmart late at night with their children who should be in bed - until we did it. I used to judge kids that walked around with food dried on their faces and hair all messy. Until my son started wearing his food all over his body and clothes. I used to judge kids whose clothes obviously didn't match and were dirty, until Jared started dressing Jaden.
So moral of the story, I understand now that life is not always what it seems on the outside.
But I digress. It struck me as I was putting Jaden to bed tonight how my views on parenting have changed since becoming a parent. I used to judge people that walked through Walmart late at night with their children who should be in bed - until we did it. I used to judge kids that walked around with food dried on their faces and hair all messy. Until my son started wearing his food all over his body and clothes. I used to judge kids whose clothes obviously didn't match and were dirty, until Jared started dressing Jaden.
So moral of the story, I understand now that life is not always what it seems on the outside.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
True Love...or Crochet'd Pants
For those of you who know me well this is no surprise. For those of you who know true love, again no surprise. What surprising is how how True Love (TL) = Crochet'd Pants (CP).
In summation if TL=CP then CS (Crochet'd Suit)=???
It all began when I was in college. It was my 2nd year (notice I didn't say sophomore year because one might argue that I had a couple) in school and Nae's first. We spoke on the room phones quite a bit with calling cards as I did not have a cell phone. Shut up all of you who grew up with one ;) Over the course of these long years of dialing for 5-8 minutes before actually speaking to my darling Nae and I had to keep busy. I often played Halo on my xbox, much to her shagrin, and she kept busy with crochet. Naturally I told Nae that I needed crochet'd pants. This is where things get interesting. Renae absolutely thought that the idea was ridiculous which naturally means that I want them even more. The long and short is that she spend hours and hours making them and I love them.
To be clear...
I am not allowed to wear them in public around or near Renae
I am not allowed to wear them in Nae's presence
They are not to be seen generally speaking
These rules are inviolate but often broken none-the-less but so is marriage. The thing that floors me to this day is the fact that Nae has agreed to make a whole suit of crochet'd. Suit = Vest and Hat minimum.
The answer to my original quandry is;
CS = Happiness
Enjoy my pants :)
In summation if TL=CP then CS (Crochet'd Suit)=???
It all began when I was in college. It was my 2nd year (notice I didn't say sophomore year because one might argue that I had a couple) in school and Nae's first. We spoke on the room phones quite a bit with calling cards as I did not have a cell phone. Shut up all of you who grew up with one ;) Over the course of these long years of dialing for 5-8 minutes before actually speaking to my darling Nae and I had to keep busy. I often played Halo on my xbox, much to her shagrin, and she kept busy with crochet. Naturally I told Nae that I needed crochet'd pants. This is where things get interesting. Renae absolutely thought that the idea was ridiculous which naturally means that I want them even more. The long and short is that she spend hours and hours making them and I love them.
To be clear...
I am not allowed to wear them in public around or near Renae
I am not allowed to wear them in Nae's presence
They are not to be seen generally speaking
These rules are inviolate but often broken none-the-less but so is marriage. The thing that floors me to this day is the fact that Nae has agreed to make a whole suit of crochet'd. Suit = Vest and Hat minimum.
The answer to my original quandry is;
CS = Happiness
Enjoy my pants :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Whirlwind times
This weekend was crazy busy and fun for our family. Nae mentioned a little bit of it so no need to go there again.
I feel like there is alot that I want to say...but not the will to divine it within myself so I will not
I feel like there is alot that I want to say...but not the will to divine it within myself so I will not
Sunday, July 24, 2011
What does sleep really do?
So I'm sitting here in our basement watching friends and trying to cool down. Our A/C broke earlier this week - so it's incredibly hot and humid in our house. Everybody is feeling - especially poor Dori. Not exactly looking forward to another night of sleeping in the guest bed with Jaden in his portacrib down here. But such is life. I'm hoping we can get the A/C fixed or that the weather will break soon!
But on to other things. We had a bit of a crazy weekend. Jared worked all day on Friday and then went to a ministry event on Friday night. Didn't get home until 11. Dad came over Friday night and we worked in the bathroom. Saturday morning Jaden and I drove to SD for Crystal & Jon's wedding (my friend from college). Jared worked all day and then went on a fishing trip with the boys. Dad finished the bathroom. We got home this afternoon after spending 12 hours in the car in the past two days. Jaden was such a trooper - he didn't get crabby until the last hour. He was such a great traveler and behaved quite well at the wedding and reception. Which was very nice by the way. Great to see old college friends and reconnect.
However, all of our traveling really screwed up my son's sleep schedule. He's not on a regimented schedule by any means, but generally naps twice during the day and goes to bed around 8:00. Usually wakes up around 7:00 - 7:30 every morning. Staying up until 11:00, getting up later, and napping too much in the car doesn't do much for an infant. Now he is trying to go sleep tonight and having troubles.
If sleep is so important to babies, why do we as adults think it doesn't matter? Anyone that has been around kids can attest to the fact that without sleep, a child simply cannot function. Makes me wonder - what is it about sleep that totally controls our life? Without my 8 hours, I really struggle to make it through a day. Why did God create us to need sleep so much? People always say, "I can sleep when I'm dead" as an excuse for not getting sufficient sleep now. But are they really destroying themselves? Just some thoughts for the evening. Myself, I'm a little screwed up with my schedule too. I'm hoping to go to bed early tonight and try and gets some extra zzz's to make up for lost time.
One other note - we are thinking about breeding our chocolate lab soon. Anyone interested in a puppy? Think on it...
But on to other things. We had a bit of a crazy weekend. Jared worked all day on Friday and then went to a ministry event on Friday night. Didn't get home until 11. Dad came over Friday night and we worked in the bathroom. Saturday morning Jaden and I drove to SD for Crystal & Jon's wedding (my friend from college). Jared worked all day and then went on a fishing trip with the boys. Dad finished the bathroom. We got home this afternoon after spending 12 hours in the car in the past two days. Jaden was such a trooper - he didn't get crabby until the last hour. He was such a great traveler and behaved quite well at the wedding and reception. Which was very nice by the way. Great to see old college friends and reconnect.
However, all of our traveling really screwed up my son's sleep schedule. He's not on a regimented schedule by any means, but generally naps twice during the day and goes to bed around 8:00. Usually wakes up around 7:00 - 7:30 every morning. Staying up until 11:00, getting up later, and napping too much in the car doesn't do much for an infant. Now he is trying to go sleep tonight and having troubles.
If sleep is so important to babies, why do we as adults think it doesn't matter? Anyone that has been around kids can attest to the fact that without sleep, a child simply cannot function. Makes me wonder - what is it about sleep that totally controls our life? Without my 8 hours, I really struggle to make it through a day. Why did God create us to need sleep so much? People always say, "I can sleep when I'm dead" as an excuse for not getting sufficient sleep now. But are they really destroying themselves? Just some thoughts for the evening. Myself, I'm a little screwed up with my schedule too. I'm hoping to go to bed early tonight and try and gets some extra zzz's to make up for lost time.
One other note - we are thinking about breeding our chocolate lab soon. Anyone interested in a puppy? Think on it...
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Flasses/The Kari Haun Initiative
My new accouterments include chin beard and Flasses. Flasses are real frames with fake lenses. This is my new social experiment. For those of you who know me this will come as no surprise. The real interesting bit lies within the fact that people who don't know me all that well are convinced I look more studious and take me more serious. I know it's funny but the fact is when someone doesn't know you they are more sensitive to how you appear. I know this isn't mind blowing but realizing that people that you work with every day often can't see past your spectacles or a style of shirt kind of makes you evaluate everything you say and do. Knowing that people can't see past certain things really makes you wonder what they do pick out about you...your hair, those words you say in awkward pauses in conversations, even down to how well you treat those with whom you aren't friendly.
Thought for the day...though people who you work with don't know even the most basic things about your personality they are bound to pick up some things. What if the only thing they pick up is that you are selfish and a Christian. Or that you sometimes take pens home with you from work and you are a Christian. The sad truth is that being a Christian is great lip service but if you can't confirm that claim with the things you do every day there is a really good chance that you become the reason that people can't stand Christianity.
Of these things I am sure I am the worst offender...
New font means Nae's turn to speak;
For the record, Jared's "flasses" look completely ridiculous. I think they actually look quite nice on him in a serious sense. But the fact that he actually wears them makes them ridiculous.
Big news in the Heesch house today - Jaden is now crawling. It's not very smooth yet, but he gets across the room.
Other notes of the day: our air conditioner stopped working, had a nice dinner tonight with Mom & Chey at Culvers, Dori (our chocolate lab) is getting ready to go into heat again, and we mowed the lawn. We are sleeping in the basement tonight because it's so hot upstairs. Up next tomorrow: cleaning the mess that is called our kitchen, and hopefully laying tile in the bathroom. For those who don't know, we are nearly finished with our basement remodeling project - just the bathroom to go! Wish us luck :)
So long.
Thought for the day...though people who you work with don't know even the most basic things about your personality they are bound to pick up some things. What if the only thing they pick up is that you are selfish and a Christian. Or that you sometimes take pens home with you from work and you are a Christian. The sad truth is that being a Christian is great lip service but if you can't confirm that claim with the things you do every day there is a really good chance that you become the reason that people can't stand Christianity.
Of these things I am sure I am the worst offender...
New font means Nae's turn to speak;
For the record, Jared's "flasses" look completely ridiculous. I think they actually look quite nice on him in a serious sense. But the fact that he actually wears them makes them ridiculous.
Big news in the Heesch house today - Jaden is now crawling. It's not very smooth yet, but he gets across the room.
Other notes of the day: our air conditioner stopped working, had a nice dinner tonight with Mom & Chey at Culvers, Dori (our chocolate lab) is getting ready to go into heat again, and we mowed the lawn. We are sleeping in the basement tonight because it's so hot upstairs. Up next tomorrow: cleaning the mess that is called our kitchen, and hopefully laying tile in the bathroom. For those who don't know, we are nearly finished with our basement remodeling project - just the bathroom to go! Wish us luck :)
So long.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Quotes
I have noticed that at work I tend to use quotes alot. There is a chat forum that make communication across the call center a bit easier and I find my brain is automatically picking up bits of conversation and converting those bits to irrelevant snippets of movies.
All of these things from one harmless Princess Bride quote...you can imagine what would happen after a movie like Inception :)
Latest example;
a colleague made a rhyme about taking calls I obviously replied with "no more rhymes now. I mean it"..."Anybody want a peanut?"
a colleague made a rhyme about taking calls I obviously replied with "no more rhymes now. I mean it"..."Anybody want a peanut?"
Does anyone ever wonder why our mind works the way that it does? I seem to find myself using these quotes as reference points throughout the day. The reason I find this interesting is this;
What were to happen if those quotes didn't spring forth unbidden?
I just wonder what would come out if I never watched movies, listened to music, read books or the like. What would be coming out of my brain if I never put in any new information. The relevance of this question is completely non-existent because there is always new information coming into our brains. This is really where my query led me because then I look to my son. I see that today he has begun crawling and so that opens a whole new world of "what the crap will he get into now" but the real important thought in my brain was "what will his brain get into now".
I had a smart person once tell me "Garbage in, Garbage out" and I wonder how I can shield my child from garbage until he can make his own choices. This brings up a whole new argument of whether or not I should be shielding him.
All of these things from one harmless Princess Bride quote...you can imagine what would happen after a movie like Inception :)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Jaden Laughing
Well, I just tried to upload a video of Jaden laughing. But it didn't work. Anyone have any ideas? It just said there was an error... Guess we'll have to settle for more pictures. Took these recently.
Renae's Assigned Duty
Ok, so I was told I was supposed to write "expectations" for the blog. So here goes -
The main reason I wanted to do this was because of my roommate Kelsey. She has been blogging for years. I must confess that I don't check it all that often. But every time I wonder what she's been up to or miss her friendship, I know that I can just go to the blog and get connected back to her instantly. I'm super jealous of how good a writer she is too. I wanted to have a blog so that maybe some that don't live near us can also share with us in the joys and struggles of daily life. Maybe if someday you're wondering - What's going on with the Heesch's? You can come here and find out!
Oh, and also I think my life is kinda entertaining - especially my dear sweet son. I now wonder what Jared and I used to do every night since all we do now is play with Jaden and laugh at him all evening!
The main reason I wanted to do this was because of my roommate Kelsey. She has been blogging for years. I must confess that I don't check it all that often. But every time I wonder what she's been up to or miss her friendship, I know that I can just go to the blog and get connected back to her instantly. I'm super jealous of how good a writer she is too. I wanted to have a blog so that maybe some that don't live near us can also share with us in the joys and struggles of daily life. Maybe if someday you're wondering - What's going on with the Heesch's? You can come here and find out!
Oh, and also I think my life is kinda entertaining - especially my dear sweet son. I now wonder what Jared and I used to do every night since all we do now is play with Jaden and laugh at him all evening!
Monday, July 18, 2011
A quick Hello
I got to watch HP7 with little brother last night. Every time I try and quantify or categorize my relationship with Jordan I feel at a loss. It's easy to say he's my best friend. It's easy to say that I can tell him anything and he won't judge me or love me any less. The hardest part about our relationship is the fact that we can't be together more often. Please don't misunderstand me in this. This is not a complaint. Jordan is with his wife and child and they are the priority for him. In the same situation I am committed to my immediate family as well. This is not a source of sorrow but of pride. I am proud of him for the man he is and the accountability he provides as well.
The issue I have has to do with the fact that I want what I know isn't best for us. I want to drive down to his house and hang out in his basement for hours playing COD and just talking. I want him to drive to my house so we can have a cigar and hang out. I am constantly finding things for us to get together and do, which isn't hard because anything would be wicked awesome just hanging out. All of these things flash through my mind and I realize that all of those childhood memories that I wish I could recapture are what makes our current relationship great. I could not ask for a more beautiful and complimentary partner for my brother that Ali nor a cuter niece that my SLN Jadie.
On the same level I couldn't imagine life without my Nae. So all of these thoughts lead in one direction...God is sooo good and He is waaay smarter than me :)
The issue I have has to do with the fact that I want what I know isn't best for us. I want to drive down to his house and hang out in his basement for hours playing COD and just talking. I want him to drive to my house so we can have a cigar and hang out. I am constantly finding things for us to get together and do, which isn't hard because anything would be wicked awesome just hanging out. All of these things flash through my mind and I realize that all of those childhood memories that I wish I could recapture are what makes our current relationship great. I could not ask for a more beautiful and complimentary partner for my brother that Ali nor a cuter niece that my SLN Jadie.
On the same level I couldn't imagine life without my Nae. So all of these thoughts lead in one direction...God is sooo good and He is waaay smarter than me :)
"Nagging Works"... by Monica Geller
For those of you who don't know, I love Friends. And constantly find ways that Friends quotes fit into my life. Unfortunately there are only a few others that I know of who "get" most of these Friends references. Wonderful people who have spent countless hours in front of the TV watching the greatest show on earth with me. You know who you are.
Anyway, I found in the past two weeks that nagging apparently does work! My wonderful husband has surprised me on each of the past Mondays with a clean house, dinner on the table, wonderful gifts, and even flowers. For years I have been asking for him to help out more around the house, blah, blah, blah. And I guess it finally stuck! Don't know how or why, but I'm loving it!
So here's to Jared - thanks for everything you do for me and for Jaden around here. Thanks for making supper, buying me flowers, your special gifts that only I would appreciate, and for just loving crazy old me. No one else could do it - that's for sure! You're an amazing husband and I'm so blessed to have you :)
Anyway, I found in the past two weeks that nagging apparently does work! My wonderful husband has surprised me on each of the past Mondays with a clean house, dinner on the table, wonderful gifts, and even flowers. For years I have been asking for him to help out more around the house, blah, blah, blah. And I guess it finally stuck! Don't know how or why, but I'm loving it!
So here's to Jared - thanks for everything you do for me and for Jaden around here. Thanks for making supper, buying me flowers, your special gifts that only I would appreciate, and for just loving crazy old me. No one else could do it - that's for sure! You're an amazing husband and I'm so blessed to have you :)
Pictures of Jaden
Jared recently commented on how special and precious it is to walk into Jaden's room. He can sit up on his own now. When he gets up in the morning, there he is in his crib sitting up with a giant grin on his face, arms reaching up, just waiting for me to pick him up and cuddle him. Nothing better!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Cousins Bathtime
For those of you new to the blog, that would be all, I will try and keep my posts in courier (Jared).
So one of my favorite memories as a child were weekends with my grandparents. They would take "the four boys" JJ, Jon, Jordan, and myself to a hotel for the weekend. I remember that we thought it was the most amazing thing ever. The weekend was generally consisting of travel on friday night. Saturday we would wake up and swim all day with some sort of big tadoo about dinner later on. Papa (Bob, my dad's dad who is no longer with us) would always give us the talk. The talk included instruction on how to behave. After dinner obviously bed. Sunday always included a search for a suitable church. It was the inability of finding a suitable church that led to the bedside Baptist session that I actually accepted Christ, but more on that later.
It was these weekends that always stuck with me. Us boys would often get some quarters for the arcade but even in the absence of an arcade a good time was had by all. Throughout my childhood the overwhelming memories of these weekends was practically flawless. The evening we beat the Ninja Turtles arcade game will live on in my mind as one of the crowning achievements of my childhood.
There is a picture we have that, in my mind, symbolizes these bonding experiences and the quality relationships built there. It is a picture that will also live on in infamy as it is relatively risque. The picture is the four boys in a bathtub. JJ was probably about 5 with the rest of us following at 4, 3, and 2 ish. Jon was standing up so the picture usually has a little piece of sticky note to maintain modesty. This picture has brought laughs and fond memories countless times.
Tonight my "Sweet little Niece" as I call her and Jaden had cousin bath time. My wonderful wife was thoughtful enough to capture this moment in a photo (Jordan and I were getting some groceries and diapers, allstars I know). The moment I saw the picture I was blasted back in time. Moved to the point that is just shy of tears I was so thankful for those weekends and was hoping that by the grace of God my dear son and SLN Jadie might have a similar relationship. Obviously the baths won't continue forever but with God's blessing they might be able to share the love that I have for my fantastic brother and wonderful cousins. Ali and Jordy's #2 Eiley will obviously be a part of that experience and hopefully more to come at some point in time but for now the cousins bathtime picture is enough to bring joy to this guy.
Thanks for taking the time to share with my memory and I hope that you can show how thankful you are to someone you care for.
So one of my favorite memories as a child were weekends with my grandparents. They would take "the four boys" JJ, Jon, Jordan, and myself to a hotel for the weekend. I remember that we thought it was the most amazing thing ever. The weekend was generally consisting of travel on friday night. Saturday we would wake up and swim all day with some sort of big tadoo about dinner later on. Papa (Bob, my dad's dad who is no longer with us) would always give us the talk. The talk included instruction on how to behave. After dinner obviously bed. Sunday always included a search for a suitable church. It was the inability of finding a suitable church that led to the bedside Baptist session that I actually accepted Christ, but more on that later.
It was these weekends that always stuck with me. Us boys would often get some quarters for the arcade but even in the absence of an arcade a good time was had by all. Throughout my childhood the overwhelming memories of these weekends was practically flawless. The evening we beat the Ninja Turtles arcade game will live on in my mind as one of the crowning achievements of my childhood.
There is a picture we have that, in my mind, symbolizes these bonding experiences and the quality relationships built there. It is a picture that will also live on in infamy as it is relatively risque. The picture is the four boys in a bathtub. JJ was probably about 5 with the rest of us following at 4, 3, and 2 ish. Jon was standing up so the picture usually has a little piece of sticky note to maintain modesty. This picture has brought laughs and fond memories countless times.
Tonight my "Sweet little Niece" as I call her and Jaden had cousin bath time. My wonderful wife was thoughtful enough to capture this moment in a photo (Jordan and I were getting some groceries and diapers, allstars I know). The moment I saw the picture I was blasted back in time. Moved to the point that is just shy of tears I was so thankful for those weekends and was hoping that by the grace of God my dear son and SLN Jadie might have a similar relationship. Obviously the baths won't continue forever but with God's blessing they might be able to share the love that I have for my fantastic brother and wonderful cousins. Ali and Jordy's #2 Eiley will obviously be a part of that experience and hopefully more to come at some point in time but for now the cousins bathtime picture is enough to bring joy to this guy.
Thanks for taking the time to share with my memory and I hope that you can show how thankful you are to someone you care for.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Expectations-Jared
1. No one will read this blog...
2. Renae and I will probably learn alot about each other when we read what the other posts
3. Self discovery and Introspection...blah blah blah
4. Trials in the form of being diligent about writing
5. Clarity about the direction my book will take
6. Additional insight into our mundane for those who are interested :)
7. Accountability
to be continued...
Greetings from the Interior
Renae: "we should start a blog"
Jared: "who would want to read it...?"
Renae: "does it matter"
Jared: "never has before...no one's is going to read it"
Renae: "our moms will"
Jared: "my mom also wanted to come to my men's league games too..."
Renae: "...point taken"
So this is approximately how this whole thing started. For a while now Nae and I have been talking about how we need to branch out. We have dreamed of having a cooking show, running a group home, and even of traveling the world. From a financial perspective the blog was the most feasible.
When beginning new adventures (the Dominican team from Coulee can attest) I have always found it most entertaining (and very often enlightening) to write down a list of expectations. I will mandate that Nae does the same so there is a pretty good chance that it won't happen but who's to say.
So for those of you who like short reads I appreciate your ADHD and empathize.
For those of you looking for wisdom and insight you obviously stumbled here by accident and stopped reading when Nae said "we should..."
And finally for our mothers who will read this regardless of the ineptitude of its authors we love you both deeply and appreciate your blind appraisal.
Jared: "who would want to read it...?"
Renae: "does it matter"
Jared: "never has before...no one's is going to read it"
Renae: "our moms will"
Jared: "my mom also wanted to come to my men's league games too..."
Renae: "...point taken"
So this is approximately how this whole thing started. For a while now Nae and I have been talking about how we need to branch out. We have dreamed of having a cooking show, running a group home, and even of traveling the world. From a financial perspective the blog was the most feasible.
When beginning new adventures (the Dominican team from Coulee can attest) I have always found it most entertaining (and very often enlightening) to write down a list of expectations. I will mandate that Nae does the same so there is a pretty good chance that it won't happen but who's to say.
So for those of you who like short reads I appreciate your ADHD and empathize.
For those of you looking for wisdom and insight you obviously stumbled here by accident and stopped reading when Nae said "we should..."
And finally for our mothers who will read this regardless of the ineptitude of its authors we love you both deeply and appreciate your blind appraisal.
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