Oh sure I know that most people may think I am referring to the popular phrase “on” holiday, but in the words of that old pharaoh in the movie “The Ten Commandments,” “so it is written, so it shall be done.!”  We were at Holiday!

Ben and I had a choice to make this afternoon.  We had a few choices too.  We could either go with his mom and nanny to a concert of choirs at Butler University (my Alma mater – Go BU!)  or we could stay home and selfishly watch the Bears play on TV.  But I imagined someone asking me this…..”How did the Bears play Sunday?”  To which I would have to answer, “Well I do not know because I decided to attend a show, by my own choice, of a variety of choirs singing.”  I know there is a beer commercial that talks abut turning in one’s “man card,” but there is really no such thing……kind of like seeing me at a choir concert when the words “hostage situation  are not involved.  I will GO SEE SOMEONE in such a show, but it is not on my bucket list for sure.

So the second choice was to drive them to the concert and then go visit my dad who lives about a mile from campus.  No, he is not a Bears fan, and yes he would have loved the choir concert as my brother and sister BOTH sang in some of those choirs (And yes, I WOULD go to see THEM because that would be enjoyable), but we never gave him the option.  Instead I asked if Ben could come and see him which he LOVES.  And Ben, remarkable as it seems, decided that the concert was not for him either as he wanted to go see his grandpa.

And I probably could have caught the game at his house, but grandpa wanted to go someplace…..Holiday Park!  And it was spectacular too.  It had about the largest playground of any I had seen and Ben was a nut on just about every piece of it. I decided to post tonight’s picture rather than any on a swing or slide or anything like that, because Lord knows I have posted tons of that.  Plus, Ben guessed that my dad was 100, so with that information I may not have him around long and need to post all the ones I can of him!

But the bottom line was that it was a lot of fun (for everyone but my sister Anna who was studying all afternoon!!).  It went by far too quick.

And the Bears ended up winning anyway……by 31 points!  Great day!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Sure, the picture is from tonight.  It was taken in the men’s restroom at Meijer and is yet another bacon reference, as if the world needs another.  This one is what someone wrote on the hand dryer over the drawing for people who cannot read.  The drawing indeed does look like you put your hand under it and it dispenses bacon.  But two things made me believe that it was not going to be true.  One, it was the bathroom at the Meijer, and then two, if it really were true I would imagine I might run into Father PT there.  It turned out to be a hand dryer……the crappy kind too.  I used it for just a minute and then wiped my hands on my pants as I left the bathroom.

But why am I posting about the hand dryer in the Meijer bathroom?  Well because tonight it was Amanda and I’s intention to have “date night,” and like an automatic bacon dispenser we found out there was no such thing.  In fact, we were at the Meijer to get some supplies for St. Patrick’s, one of our churches that we were heading over to CLEAN.  (Yep, how romantic is that?)  So date night…..no such thing as well, at least for tonight.  Ben is at a sleepover and you would think we could do better than that.  And the real tragic part is that the vacuum at the church was well past Last Rites too.  So we didn’t even get to finish!

But the truth is, I appreciated the help.  I have been the primary cleaning crew for St. Patrick’s since it came into its own building, and to be honest, she is a bit more talented at such things than I am.  And since it was date night, who am I to deny the girl a good time?

So now we are at home and exhausted.  Daylight Savings Time “falls back” tonight and now I will need to be at Church an hour early to tell people the time changed and to come back in an hour.  AND, I also will need six additional weeks to get used to the time change……I hate it.  But at least we are finished for the day.

I am just thankful for the day…..even if that dang thing only dries hands.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Today was the “Monster Mash”at Lapel Elementary School, and Ben went in a monster costume made with love by his mom and his nanny…..neither one incidentally are monsters themselves.  And the costume, as you can see, was a hit.  It had horns, three eye balls, and sucky octopus thingys all over.  On the back were spikes and spots.  He was a total sight!

But he went to school and joined all the other monsters, as this apparently is a Lapel Elementary tradition.  We love where we live, particularly in that there is often not a lot going on….the big city it ain’t!  But that’s what made it so cool.  Because after our grill caught on fire (yep it did) and I put it out (yep, I did that too) with a fire extinguisher (now I need a new one) we had to go out for dinner.  But we met a young lady there who was picking up some food and when she saw the costume she asked Ben if he was a kindergarten student at Lapel Elementary.  How did she know?  She has had TWO monsters of her own…..and the youngest is now in 3rd grade there!

Ah yes, tradition.  Without it, where would we be?  And that is a big part of why I love living in Indiana, and small town Indiana especially!!  No we are not New York, but we really wouldn’t want to be.  Here people know one another, they chat with each other, and the life is much slower in terms of pace.

Yes, the Monster Mash is about as edgy as it gets here. Yet it is still way over the top for me.  Let’s remember I was born and raised in this great state……..and I am not all city-fied with monsters and things like the currently popular Zombie Apocalypse.  I like my life a lot more laid back.  Let’s remember that where I live rush hour is defined only by how many tractors are out on the road.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Although I hate to admit it, I am just about half way done with all the stuff I had slated for Tuesday, and it is Thursday night as I type.  I really do hate being behind, and even more than that, I hate to admit it.  I informed my wife that I would not be able to help her as a room parent tomorrow for Ben’s “Monster Mash” at school.  Her mom will go along, so it is not really about the help, but I know it was something she and I wanted to do together.

The good news in all of this is that it should free up some time to be together over the weekend.  And I suppose if we think about it, the agenda then can be our own rather than having it be dictated by what the monsters at the Mash need to accomplish.  It does break my heart because I would love it, but you really cannot do it all……and I know because I often try.

On the up-side, Amanda is far better than she was yesterday and although she was very groggy and had a late start to her day from the meds she took for her migraine, the bottom line was that she made it all day!  And even though she has had these forever and been to countless doctors, the close to immediate dosing of her meds seems to be the ticket to a shorter recuperation.  Yes, we are learning!!!

So I will just chalk it up to another day behind me.  And yes I know, “chalk” and “slated” are outdated words, you know, like album, cassette, and 8-track.  But I use them nonetheless.

I may be a dinosaur, but this dinosaur is done for the day.  And no one could be happier about it than me!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Tonight was trick or treat night here in Edgewood, and we went out with Ben, oh wait excuse me……Spiderman.  Oh no it was not Spiderman until game time though.  We THOUGHT it would be a skeleton, and then we were told it would be a ninja.  But when I came down and was ready to leave, suddenly it was Spiderman.

So Spiderman and his Nanny, his mom, and his dog Viper went out for about an hour.  What amazed me more than how even more popular his dog was.  Viper apparently has a lot of fans here in our neighborhood.  He was identified by a lot of the other dog walkers and even people who see him walking by carrying his own leash.  And although he and I stayed at the ends of most of the drives, people often called to him or wanted him to come up and see him.  He is such a schmoozer.

But the whole thing was a lot of fun and we had a great time.  Amanda has been on antibiotics now for two days and was able to work.  She made the whole hour, but now has a migraine here at home.  She just cannot seem to catch a break.  We did however get her medicine in her sooner than we normally do and it seems to be making a difference.  With these headaches we often lose her for days!

So now I am typing and getting ready to post this.  Steph and her friends are waiting in Missouri to see the Spiderman picture and I have an ailing wife to attend to.  No, it’s not exactly all that I dreamed of, but in all honesty I have a pretty great life and a pretty wonderful family.  And at my age I need to be taking care of them as I can.

After all, it may have an impact on the type of facility they put me in, which may be but a heartbeat away!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I have to confess, I really DO WANT to complain, but I won’t.  My life feels very invaded right now, and after committing to daily posts again after a rough patch in my life, it really bothers me to not get my daily posts made.

So here is a picture of the final parts of MONDAY…..a day I was supposed to be taking off.  The first part was taking my wife and son and mother-in-law to Shipshewana for the day in Amish County.  I had actually never been there, as growing up in the north there the Amish were just always around, particularly in Goshen where I spent TONS of time at my grandparents.  But I will say, it was really kind of fun.  We saw plenty of buggies, we were surrounded by lots of good food, and it was good to at least “attempt” to get away.

It was also kind of funny as we have nowhere to go up there any longer now that both my grandma and mom have passed away.  It seems odd to be a tourist in an area you consider home, but I suppose it is just a change I need to live with.  Amanda however seemed very worried about not getting to the cemetery.  I reminded her that we had plenty of time, in that both my grandparents and their stone would be there regardless of the time we arrived (incidentally, I was right).  And we finally did make it.

It was the most important part of my day too.  I have been there 1000 times, and many times with my grandfather when I was younger who would always tell me, “Someday you will be here without me, and it will be okay.”  I can still hear him saying it to me.  He wanted to make sure I came out there and he told me to make sure it was a happy place and to have my kids play there.  So Ben jumped off the stone onto his grave a few times laughing.  I am sure my grandpa was laughing in heaven.  They never met, but it was pretty cool.  Ben went to the other side and then wanted to jump on grandma’s grave too.  And I am sure she laughed at that too.  He remembers her very well.

I know they are not there, but being there is a place to remember…my grandpa made sure it was for me.  He was so very wise.  And in my life right now it was something I desperately needed.  Everything really is okay, and I know it…….I will not complain.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I have traveled over 300 miles today to two churches but I can say it was really wonderful to get home. Amanda is still sick, yet she and her mom said that Ben had been a little angel all day.  And tonight’s picture is of he and his Nanny making Halloween cookies together…pretty cool huh?

So of course, as he was so very proud of them, I tried one (they are not on my diet) and was able to then honestly tell him that it was the greatest cookie I had ever had.  It made him smile.  He wanted me to try one of his “ghost cookies” too, but he seemed well pleased when I declined as I told him I was “just too scared of them.”

But the good part is that I am HOME……did I mention that?  I am sorry for the short post too, but I am really very full from my one cookie, tired, and my back hurts.  It has been a long day….but there is no place like home.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Well the picture is of Friday it is at the Skyzone Indoor Trampoline Park.  And it is of Ben, Amanda, and one of his friends.  I took a bunch of pictures too.  This one however was the one that had the MOST STILLNESS in it.  It will have to do.

And of course it is from yesterday as I did not post yesterday.  But it has been a real challenge her to get anything done.  That picture was the last one I have of my wife upright.  She has been in bed pretty much ever since.  She felt bad earlier this week and then looked as if she was making some progress, but then WHAM….she was down for the count.

This normally does not have a real big impact on our family, other than to her.  I tend to just pick up things and cover both our shares.  Unfortunately I was already underwater with my work!  Thank God my mother in law is here because she is ALWAYS a big help.  Fortunately things are caught up and Amanda is in bed and getting the rest she needs.

I however will be out of town the entire day tomorrow.  I would ask your prayers for a couple of things….one, for my wife to get better.  She is miserable and it is Ben’s Fall Break….she is missing it.  Two, for the Church Father Dan and I will be at tomorrow that is in conflict and making some decisions tomorrow.  It is not one of our churches, but we originally planted it.  Pray for God’s Will to be done there.  Three, please pray for Tree of Life Anglican Fellowship in South Bend, where I will be tomorrow afternoon.  It is a new church and their pastor Heather Ghormley is doing a great job!  It is just a visit for me, but one I know that will give me life.  And lastly, pray for travel mercies for me as I will be traveling alone.  It is going to be a long day, but it hopefully will be a productive one.

You see I just jump around the state, they use trampolines.  Not me…..I am 51 years old and a lot smarter than I look.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

My apologies for missing yesterday, there are some days that you would not want to be me, and yesterday was one of those….in fact yesterday I didn’t even want to be me.  And not that Thursday is all that much better, but it is moving in the right direction, so I thank you for your patience and understanding.

Oh but don’t misunderstand me……I did write a blog post for yesterday, and it is now filed among just three of over 1500 that I do not have up on the site….two of which I never posted, and one of which I posted and pulled down.  I would like to think that I am sharp and wonderful every day, you know like what my wife believes about me.  But the truth is, like anyone, I sometimes just have tough days and am in no real good place to say anything.  It does help to hop back in the saddle, which I am doing, but it often feels like I am forgetting something……like the horse.  So plugging ahead is all I do, but that’s really a good thing as it is also all I know.

I met with Father Moorehead this afternoon to catch up and he shared how he jokes with one of his friends that they could really do it all if they could just figure out how to clone themselves.  I really have to confess that it made me wish I were a better student.  Not that the world would need more of me, but at least I could get most of what I want to do done.  And yes, all this is in jest as I really do not support cloning anyway.

So I suppose I will call this maybe a day.  It is getting better and tomorrow hopefully will continue it on.  So sorry for the miss, but I want to assure you that I am on it….. Friday I am certain, will be awesome!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, this relaxing time at Kohls was right before Ben’s doctor appointment where he not only failed his hearing test (I actually do that all the time) but where we also received the news that his tonsils and his adenoids will be removed, but not to be just takers, they will install some tubes in his ear drums to make us feel better.

Of course this is not unexpected news…..although I was really pretty sure it would just all stop at tubes.  But what can you do?  It ALL really needs to be done, and therefore we will fore go Thanksgiving and have it done on the day before.  He will miss less school then, and Steph will be home as well.  And since we were not having our REAL family Thanksgiving until Scotty is home in December, we felt it will work out just fine.

And Amanda seemed to handle it well.  Of course we are no where near the surgery, but I am guaranteeing everyone that Ben will not be acting like he speaks Japanese after his tonsil surgery like Scotty did after having his wisdom teeth out.  I was not a witness to that, but Amanda said it was pretty dang funny.  My guess is that Amanda will need just as much care as Ben will.  He is kind of a mamma’s boy, and she is his princess (much to my chagrin).  But I am guessing the best way to handle this completely is to medicate BOTH of them!

But that is the story of our day.  I am sure it will all be fine.  But for now I will just look ahead, and I am doing so with a backache.  That’s right, there were only TWO CHAIRS, and I had the camera.  Poor me…….well, pour me something.  The day is done and I need just a little bit of medication!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+