School, Sickness and Stones

What a beginning of the year.  It has definitely started with a bang.  My class is wonderful this year.  A little chatty, but I have yet to see any signs of defiance or any mean students.  But just like every year before, the beginning of the year came crashing down on me.  There's nothing like going from only interacting with a few people a day to having a school full of 600 plus kids that are all sniffling and sneezing.  So it didn't take long before I was feeling ill.  And then on top of that, the first Sunday of the year where I had to play was accompanied with severe back pain.  I honestly thought it was a kidney stone.  I was wondering if I had done something to deserve all of these misfortunes all at the same time.  Luckily, there was no kidney stone, I'm feeling better thanks to the doc, and the year is now sliding into it's groove.  Sheesh! What a beginning of the year.

But every bad thing always has a silver lining.  That silver lining came to me in the form of a song from one of my good friends, Jay McKenney.  It's entitled "Kidney Stone".  You can click here to listen to it.  Enjoy.

My Favorite

Through the summer, there has been a ton of pic of Clark...so many that I have to refrain from putting them all on the blog. But as the summer comes to a close, I have found my favorite. There's nothing like a boy and his dad both looking handsome for the camera at the Oregon Zoo.

An Unexpected Surprise

The zoo is usually the place where you go to see animals. But not this time. As my family and I were taking a break at one of the many benches in the Portland Zoo, I was busy watching people. But as I scanned the crowd, I came across a familiar face. But I had to be sure it was him before I walked up to him. So I waited to hear his accent. As soon as he opened his mouth and his Irish accent became apparent, I was already up and making a move to introduce myself. But as I got closer, I totally blanked on his name. I knew he was Badger on Firefly, Romo Lampkin on Battlestar, Tanaka on Dollhouse, and I even just recently saw him on an old season one X-Files episode as a pyrokinetic assassin named Bob the caretaker. But what do you say to an actor that you remember his characters and not his name? The answer is anything but "Hey, are you that guy from Battlestar?". But before I could stop myself, that was exactly what I said, to which his answer was yes. My inner fanboy was giggling with glee. He politely introduced himself as Mark Sheppard, introduced his family, and we began talking. He said he was in town shooting "Leverage" and that he was taking a break with his family. I explained that I loved his work on BSG and loved all of his characters. He was so friendly and humble. We talked about BSG, how he missed it, his work as a villain on Burn Notice, and his family. He was even kind enough to take a picture with me. What an awesome guy! I just hope he was the kind of actor that is flattered by people knowing his characters instead of his real name. Oops. Oh well.

Clark's New Obsessions

These last few weeks have really begun to show me that Clark is definitely my son.

Example 1: We've been trying to make him laugh by making odd noises and the only thing that will make him laugh is a fart sound. Typical boy.

Example 2: He loves to play. He also loves variety. Whether it be on his play mat, bouncer, swing, or sitting in his Bumbo, he loves to wiggle and giggle his way through the day.

Example 3: The boys already likes watching TV. But not just any TV. He loves cartoons. So this morning the two of us sat in front of the tele and watched Superman. As you can see, he couldn't keep his eyes off it.

Random Road Trip Moments

Lots of things can happen on a road trip. Some good, some bad. Now that we are done with the first half of our trip, I would like to give out a few awards to places and individuals we encountered on the way to California.

The Cheesiest Road Sign Award: This award goes out to the city of Weed, CA. As you enter the city there is a sign that says, "WEED like to welcome you!" This made both Alli and I groan. Clark, on the other hand, was speechless.

The Super Origami-Man Award: While stopping at a BK in Redding, CA, for lunch, we met a man who had the knack for folding paper. When we sat down he was in the process of making a little girl at the table next to us a T-rex. Then, as he was leaving, he gave Clark the gift of a dollar that had been folded into a tiny little collared shirt. It was so cool! I was totally inspired by this man who used his gift of paper folding to bring a little joy to others around him.

The Coolest Invention Award: Everyone has seen those vending machines that you come across in the bathrooms at truck stops. They dispense everything from aspirin to condoms to fake tattoos. But Alli and I saw a new one. Cologne. This machine had five different spray nozzles that will squirt your choice of imitation scents on you for only a few measly coins. The silliest thing was that in order to get your neck up to the nozzles, most people of average height would have to stand on their tippy toes. Sheer genius!

The Most Thoughtful Train Conductor Award: On the final stretch of road on the way to Fresno, we came across a train crossing our path. Not a problem...usually. With only one and a half train cars left to go, the conductor stopped the train. Just when we thought we were almost there, we had to turn around after waiting 15 minutes. Thanks a bunch, inconsiderate train conductor man!

The Ding-dong-McGee Award: This one goes out to yours truly. We made our first stop of the road trip at the Woodburn outlets, which was only about 45 minutes from our home. Alli pulled out a brand new container of formula for Clark. The tab to open the container broke off as she tried to open it. Without even thinking, I said, "Just hand it to me. I can open it." I pulled out my keys. The sharp edge of a key would be more than enough to pop the top of the container. So I took the key and pushed. Good news, the can was open. Bad news, in my rush to open the container, I opened it a little too hard. With a nice firm push, I pushed the key, and my fist, to the bottom of the can. Formula shot everywhere, coating Clark and the entire backseat of the car with a hefty dose of white powder. Clark stared at me in shock. Alli laughed out loud. And I, not wanting to curse in front of my child, began to spurt out the closest thing possible to what I truly wanted to say. "Ef! Ef, ef, ef, ef, ef, ef, ef!" One hour later, after a good vacuuming and a much needed cool-down period, we made our way to California.

It's Over

Finally, the school year is over. It was good to see the kids go, but as always a little tough to let go of all the kiddies as they go to the next grade. As you can see for yourself, they all turned out great by the end of the year. Don't they all look so smart?

Countdown

The end of the year is usually quite hectic.  The kids get wilder with each passing day.  They also keep track of the days that are left in the year.  Today makes it 3 days left of school.  I can remember making the paper chains and tearing a ring every day until I was down to the last day.  Students still do this today.  But the one thing that the students don't know is that teachers count down the days more than they do.  Man, I can't wait for Friday to be over!  Summertime here we come!  

The End of the Season

So many things have or are about to end. Being married with out kids. Over. School. 10 days till it's over (and yes, I'm counting). Premiere League. Manchester United were champs yet again! Our old couches. Passed on to another while new ones are on the way. Cold days. Over. Summer is peaking it's pretty head finally in our neck of the woods. And so many TV shows. The seasons are over while we wait to see what will happen. And since I won't be teaching summer school, I've made a list of things to do to carry me through the summer. Hope I didn't leave anything out.

Books to Read: The Book of Lies - Brad Meltzer, Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind, and finish as many Harry Potter books as I can before the next movie comes out.

Games to Play with people who I want to hang out with: Carcassonne with Alli, WOW Minis with Chris, Zombies with Clint, and Fifa 09 with Sean and Tyler.

Places I want to go to: Visalia for Chris and Mimi's wedding, Forest Park for some hiking, more Timber's games, and the church basement to record music for the church.

Eating Crow

It's quite funny to look back on those times when you spewed out some silly phrase in the past about something in particular and have to eat your own words.  For example, I used to complain to my wife about how I always wanted to see more posts from my friends (who all happen to have kids).  We'll now it's my turn to eat a little crow.  It's been three weeks since my last post.  3 weeks and about 300 diapers later.  Oh, how kids can take up your time.  And it's not that I don't want to share information or posts about things going on with my friends.  It's just that now there is another person that I want to spend more time with than sitting on the computer typing.  Funny how things change.

To My Wife and Mother of My Son

Has it already been almost 9 years since the two of us met at Sugar Pine? It's amazing to think about our journey that we have already had over the last (almost) decade. Dating for 2 and a half years. Engaged for 6 months. And married for almost 6 years. It's also fun to think back about what we said about having kids. Three years was the first agreement. Then three years passed and we both thought that we were having too much fun. But two years later we thought it was time and now look at us. God must have had things all planned out. Not only did he come at a great time, but now you and I will get to spend the summer together with Clark. What a ride! But the one constant thing I have continued to see over the last (almost) 9 years is that I love you just as much as I did when I realized I wanted to marry you. It's probably even more. You continue to help me become a good man and a better husband. And with this day being your first Mother's Day, I have to say that I can't wait to see you help our son become a good man as well. I know you'll love, care, encourage, and nurture him just as much as you do for me. I love you, Alli! And you are, even thought it's only been for 20 days, a great mom. Happy Mother's Day!