I almost got myself in trouble for taking this picture, but really not for this one…..rather the one before that included her sleeping.  But Ben has snuck int our bed once again tonight and they were TWINS as they slept, so being a guy who thinks that kind of thing is funny, I decided to take a picture.  The general interpretation, and when I say that I mean the interpretation from the General, was that it was neither funny or acceptable……thus this picture.

But Ben’s illness has made him seem to believe that his room is now our room.  Not that he doesn’t think that all the time, but we had made such progress with him.  He actually told me today that he was never going to move out and that he and Scott were going to live with us forever because they are “best friends.”  Somehow I wonder if that may be true!

But the bottom line is that I am keeping the picture I didn’t post, and will show it to her in a few years when she misses stuff like that.  I really am not trying to embarrass anyone, and it really is a great picture. I just have to respect the fact that she has no clue as to what a great “impact picture” that picture is.  I probably could have won a Pulitzer.  Sadly, I will just stay here in the minor leagues.

I do not want to complain though, for no one loves to see the two of them sleep more than me.  For when they do, I do not have to keep an eye on the little one, and I also am not given anything to do.  Bliss bliss bliss!

So with all this bliss I will call it a day.  They obviously already have.  I will not be too far behind for sure.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I had the unbelievably great blessing of being able to attend the ordination to the priesthood today of my long-time friend Tony Bender.  And when I say “long-time,” I mean a LONG time.  Tony and I have been friends since 1981.

But it was a glorious day!  Tony was priested by Bishop Ames at St. Paul’s, a church we planted some years ago of which Tony went to serve.  Tony actually went there to serve as a favor to Father Chuck Conover, who took St. Paul’s as it first went out on its own.  Chuck had done a great job, and the church was doing well, but he fell ill with leukemia and that’s when Tony, his long-time friend as well, asked to go help him out.  Chuck never did recover, but mentored Tony as Tony helped him out.  And Chuck was blessed in his last days to have his friend at his side.

Tony however is like that.  He is not just a good man, but a great one.  Solid and steady, he is just the kind of guy you would want by your side.  We have been friends for 30 years, long before his hair was gray and we both become reluctant members of the AARP.  But I cannot express how grateful I am for his friendship……nor how proud I am for his fulfilling his call.

God Bless you my brother!  Welcome to the Order of Priests!

Goodnight to all of you my friends……and God Bless!

Tommy+

Well after lunch at IHOP (at his request), a nap (at mine), Ben finished the day off by eating Amanda’s special ice cream from the fridge for dessert.   The last part was her fault too as I told her in advance that I was giving him the ice cream container because he wanted to eat ice cream with her.  She didn’t make it in time.  RIP Amanda’s ice cream.

But the day was harder than I thought.  I had a lot of opportunities to work, but I set them aside to goof off with Ben.  It was a great time too.  We played and ate and played some more.  I am “Robin” when Scott is not around, and Ben is always “Batman.”  When his mask is up though he is just Ben.  He really doesn’t grasp that whole Bruce Wayne thing…..yet.

We are now up in our room with the Batman movie on starring Adam West.  It is awesome too.  Adam West is a brilliant actor, overacting so much that I am convinced he is a comic genius.  Every time I see him drinking warm milk at a fancy restaurant out of that wine glass I about lose it!  I would love to know how many takes it took to do those scenes without laughing.

So I will enjoy this end of the day movie and look forward to tomorrow.  It has been a great one and not quite over yet either.  So it’s off to watch some more of the movie.  I have seen it many times with Ben, but with my brain there is always the possibility I may be able to forget the end!  I think however, Batman wins.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

As hard as I find this to believe, I actually may be able to take the day off tomorrow.  Generally I SAY that Friday is the day I take off, but it is not often that everything clears.  And although I could be wrong (please do not tell my wife) I believe I actually may be looking at a full day off!

Of course I will have a still sick little 4 year old all day, but that should be fun.  He was much better today, as was Batman, and hopefully that is a precursor to an even better day tomorrow.  I also have the possibility of an 18 year old for part of the day as well.  We should have a good time.  I am looking forward to it too.

With that I suppose I should just call it a day and head to bed.  No sense in spoiling a potential victory by staying up late enough to figure out why it may not happen.  As they say, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man a lot less tired than if he had stayed up all night typing.”  Or something like that.

Okay, off to bed.  Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+

Tommy+

As if life couldn’t get an more difficult.   Ben was sick last night and today, and had a fever that would not break as well as some pretty severe abdominal pain.  It was pretty scary.

The doctor worried that it might be his appendix, which meant a CT scan with contrast, something I am deathly allergic to.  He was a brave little guy, and fortunately getting the IV was harder for him than the dye.  Amanda held his hand through it, and I stayed in the hall and prayed for him not to have my messed up allergy.  Kids at that age need their mommies, and if I were in there he would cry for her I was certain. And they both did great….really she was more a mess than he was.

But in the end the CT showed the appendix was in the clear.  He was not to eat or drink till then to be ready for a possible surgery, so that was good news.  The bad news was he still had a pretty fair fever, and he really didn’t want to eat or drink anyway.

But it is now 10pm and he is in bed with a temperature that is going DOWN and much less pain.  It may turn out to be a medical mystery, but I do not care.  He is feeling a little better and hopefully a lot better by morning.  The picture is from a few minutes ago.  The title is a quote.  And the prognosis is looking up.

Thanks so much for your prayers.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yep, the title is exactly how I feel.  My truck, my beloved but STUPID truck, was repaired last night (by me) so that the alternator was actually CONNECTED to the battery, and that was a good thing.  But on my way back down to Greenfield this morning my gauges AND my radio died.  No problem, fuse, right? Nope wrong.  There are only 10 of them and all of them were good.  So I stopped by the Autozone and replaced them ALL anyway……and BAM, it all worked.

Of course that was up until I filled up, then it was back to nothing.  But then I knew I had a full tank so no worries.  It came back a little later in the day and is still on, but it will need some looking to, and I just didn’t have the time today.

But it reminded me of my cars in the 70’s.  I had three of them, but not all at once.  I had TWO Ford Pintos, that were really awesome (even though the people who died in them were from our community, mine were fixed in the recall), and a Chevy Nova (Spanish for “no go”).  They all were great cars, that was when they were working.  But in the days before computers in cars you opened up the hood and had only about 10 options….all of which you could fix.  That’s the case with my truck too.  I will rewire it SOON because there are not that many wires AND no computer.  But I felt just like I did in the 70’s as I was pulling over to fix my truck.

But that’s not all.  In the 70’s air conditioning and power locks and windows were an OPTION.  And my cars, as well as my truck, have none of them.  And it normally isn’t so bad, but it is the harvest around here and the crops are all dry, and every farmer in the state is collecting their crop and kicking up dust.  In my cars I have air, and power windows (that have good seals).  In my truck I have no air, crappy (the cleaner term) windows, and the propensity to suck in dust.  And what else reminds me of the 70’s???  The fact that I have very BAD allergies……..that have been not so bad in my modern cars.

So the bottom line is that I am miserable.  I love my truck, but I would gladly trade it for a modern one if I could just afford it.  In truth, I am more of a truck guy anyway.  And despite the misery, I feel better driving it than anything.  (Of course I try to do it alone….it’s pre-air bag and safety such)  But I am a truck guy at heart.

So today I relived the 70’s, and although I am miserable, I am clearly the better for it.  If only I was not reliving it with a 50 year old body!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

It has been a LONG day, and everyone is gone, but he tries to make me feel like I am his number one.  Viper is such a great dog, but even though I appreciate it, it is all an act….if Scotty would walk in he’d drop me quicker than a rock star’s girlfriend.  But I let him do his thing, mostly because his heart is in the right place.  He is a pretty great friend even when I am not his first choice.

After doing two services, (equal to the amazing Father PT Morgan today) I got in my truck to help some parishioners move.  We are actually moving most of their stuff tomorrow, but I am Deacon Steve (and his wife Aracelly) were available, so we met them in Greenfield and loaded up for the trip to Greenwood (apparently they are attached to the cities with the partial name “green”).    But my truck kept acting up.  It started fine here, but in GreenFIELD it would not start.  And then in GreenWOOD it would not start either.  Deacon Steve “jumped” me, and I want to be clear that is was helping me to get my battery started, as we are clergy.

But upon my arrival at home, I realized that my wipers were SLOW.  So at the house I opened up the hood.  Sure enough, after a thorough inspection, I discovered the wire from the alternator (it CHARGES the battery) was frayed.  I repaired it, and am charging the battery now as I type.  Hopefully I will see some changes in the morning!  It is a $600 truck for God’s sake!  It should run like a top!  (And no, I do not know what that means.)

But for now I am still alone, with an actor dog, and awaiting my family.  The morning will come soon enough, but in between the Bears come on in 15 minutes!

Life is good!  And the day, overall, was not bad either!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+ 

Well, here I sit once again at home alone.  And what makes it all the more pathetic is that I got my weeks confused thinking a dinner party for the parish of St. Matthew’s was next Friday when it turns out it was last night!  And now I will sit for TWO nights with nothing to do.

Of course I COULD go out and get into trouble.  I was actually an expert at such things as a kid, but I have decided against it.  Scott will be home from band practice sooner or later (probably later) and the dog and cat need to be fed.  (Please do not get all caught up in the excitement)  Amanda is with Steph and Cassie seeing some Chinese acrobats in Missouri, and even Ben is hanging out with some friends on a play date.

So I will sit here and work on my sermon.  I have started it about 5 times, and have always ended it.  I am seeing a clear change in how I write these days, as I have moved from a complete manuscript to doing this back and forth nonsense and then just talking off the cuff.  It really isn’t off the cuff at all though, as I have been working on it all week.  BUT I find that I now tend to deviate from what I have written anyway, and  it gets all jumbled then.  Perhaps God is calling me to something new…..

But for now I will hang out in this empty house and contemplate what to do next.  Yes, I have seen “Risky Business,” and doing that dance would not only probably injure me, but traumatize my animals.  Instead I think I will get in my workout clothes and get onto the treadmill.  I was heading there anyway when our power went out earlier.  It will kill an hour and be good for me…….at least a lot better for me than dancing.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yep, I have been here all night alone, except for the dog and cat.  Amanda and Ben have headed back to Missouri for “Parent’s Weekend,” and although Scott has stayed behind for a job interview tomorrow, he is 18 and therefore NEVER around.  He is rehearsing with his band tonight.  I imagine he will be doing the same tomorrow and Sunday as well.  And although I am clearly not the dog or cat’s first choice, I am all they have, so they amuse me.

But in truth, I am bored.  I have accomplished quite a lot today, as well as hit the YMCA and did some time on the treadmill.  I was contacted by our insurance company today as I apparently qualify for a special program which includes nurses and a nutritionist, but that was secondary to my motivation to work out.  I will say, my interview with them was disturbing though.  I know that I struggle with my weight, but I am in pretty good shape despite that.  What I discovered is that this does not matter.  I have been upset all day.  I hope it helps too!

But now it it almost 11.  Amanda, Steph, Ben and Cassie were heading to a museum. Scotty is still at rehearsal.  The dog and cat want me to go to bed….and I am in bed typing…….and bored!  I hope tomorrow will be a better day.  My gym clothes are washed and I will hit the Y again.  THAT however does nothing for the boredom.  I am praying to find a constructive way to address that!

Until tomorrow….goodnight and God Bless!

Tommy+