Amanda and Ben and I SNUCK over to Missouri yesterday to surprise Stephanie at a gathering of about 30 of her friends at a restaurant to celebrate her 21st birthday.  It was Amanda’s idea and crafted by her and her partner in crime Mel Podry, one of Steph’s good friends in Missouri.  And the two of them couldn’t have done it any better.  It was a complete success and we all had a great time!

But there were just a few problems for me to deal with…..one, it was about 10 hours of driving (there and back so Ben would not miss school or Amanda work) and I would be doing most of it (in fact I drove all the way); two, I had tripped over a cooler in the dark int he kitchen the night before and wrenched my already injured back, and then of course three, I am the DAD, and I was just not interested in letting my little girl turn 21.

Now my wife has a lot of problems, and I certainly qualify as one of them and perhaps even the biggest one, but she is good at handling me in situations like these.  She just very patiently feeds me the truth.  So in truth I must confess that Stephanie has turned out pretty dang well.  She is beautiful she is smart, she is funny, and she really has exceeded my expectations of what a daughter could and should be.  Seeing her at any time is a blessing to me, and now she will be taking tests (she has one in the morning) and then will head home for break.  Her friends are all amazing, and we love seeing them.  It was a pretty great time.

So Happy Birthday Steph!  It was great to be with you at the Trailhead Brewing Company on your 21st birthday, and being a college student, to get to see you have what I am sure is the first beer you have ever had……..bwhahahahahaha!!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Had my mom not passed away last year, today would have been her 73rd birthday.   Yet although she entered into her great reward then, we had lost who she really was to Alzheimer’s quite some time before that.  She was sometimes in (although never filly in) and often out, but through it all she was always able to read her books and still gave small glimpses to her sharp sense of humor.

And of course, much of mine came from her.  She was “quick witted” as they say, and when you combine that DNA with the demented Tirman line, it makes a pretty great mix.  I feel sorry for my kids, as all that has now fermented and is pretty refined…..but if they have any complaints, they can wait and tell her themselves when they get to heaven.  I am enjoying myself and am thankful for it.

But tonight I miss my mom.  We had an often rocky relationship, but then again, I did with just about everyone.  I will say she did dedicate her life to her children, and I am sure it was hard for her to not be able to enjoy all her grandchildren.  That was really all she aspired to do when she retired….the Alzheimer’s just accelerated all that up and she never really fulfilled what she wanted to.

But I am thankful for all she did for me.  And if heaven is a perfect place she is up there listening to my two snake-sisters who are already there talking trash about me and drinking top-shelf margaritas.  At least that’s what I hope.  (yes, I love my sisters too….we are all comedians)

But here’s to you mom!  Happy Birthday and I love you.  And I will save all the Inspector Clouseau references for when I arrive for my drinks….but hopefully not any time too soon.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+ 

Yep, I ran his bath for him tonight, and to him, everything is an opportunity for a joke.  And fortunately for him and for me, I needed a good joke.  I am still well under the weather, although not contagious at all (yes, I have seen the doctor) and I am probably going to be a bit low for the better part of the next few days.

But Ben did make me laugh.  He is sometimes a little beacon of comedy in a sea of seriousness.  And although I lean the to the comedic side more often than not, not feeling well had docked my ship in the port of pathetic-ness….I needed a guide out……and I saw it laughing from the tub.

Sure, he’s now heading to bed, so it was a short voyage from port (not quite a three hour tour…a three hour tour).  But it WAS helpful.  When you don’t feel well goofballs like Ben do you some good.  In fact, some say that laughter is the best medicine…..if that were true however, I am sure I would never feel poorly.  All our kids crack me up (which is great as my wife is NOT FUNNY at all….just ask her)

But a little dose was all  I needed to get me to bed, and tonight I am thankful for it.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, I am back to the land of the living, although I have spent the majority of the day in bed.  I got up to post this blog and write Scotty a letter, and in that short period of time I also became embroiled in a conflict between Ben and my wife.  Apparently Ben has developed a sudden allergy to baths, even though he takes one every day.

And what was odd was that he argued with her as if he believed it and that she would too, yet his argument had no basis in the truth….he was just being an obstinate 5 year old.  And this is good too, as he is still 5.

But I waited until I heard the familiar line, “you will not talk back to me” and “do you want your father to get involved in this?”  The second one is always my cue, as I have found that my “I appreciate you” quotient always seems to be higher when I interject myself into these times over the times that I do not…..so I did.

But I had JUST got back to the land of the living, and really an obstinate 5 year old can be quite a challenge to a tired, worn-out dad…..so I brought in the reinforcement (not reinforcements)……I grabbed my phone and hit the speaker so he could hear the dial tone and said “that’s okay, I will just call SANTA.”

Now had I not known that he was alone in the hallway with his mom I would have been certain someone was out there stabbing him.  Suddenly he was wailing and begging and apologizing, and apologizing for crimes he had not even committed.  He was a changed man….and one for the good.

So as I sit hear in my office next to the bathroom with the tub, I can here him all reconciled and happy.  Apparently his allergy is cured and his problems are solved….at least for now.  I am just happy I didn’t need to call the big man.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

As it would have it, I am still WELL under the weather, and have spent the majority of the day in bed.  I missed the social last night at St. Pat’s and am hoping to heck I am recovered by morning for services there.

So after running some stuff up to St. George’s tonight with Viper, I decided to take a picture at night from the front of our house.  You can see the flags and Amanda’s trees in the windows.

I wish it were more today, but it is really the best I can do.  I am totally wiped out.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I saw this picture earlier…..before the crash.  And it reminded me of Scott and the US Marines, although I am fairly certain there are currently no squirrels serving, and that is regardless of their sexuality.  But I had great plans to use it.  I was going to post after Amanda, Ben and I returned from the social tonight at St. Patrick’s.

Unfortunately I did not make it.  I began to feel sick again about 4 and by the time to leave AND NOW, I am fighting the chills and pain.  But I did make them leave without me.  They should have fun.

But in all honesty, this is all I can write.  I am already on the right meds, and this is a pretty hard setback for me.  I feel MISERABLE.  Fortunately I am not contagious, nor was it able to interfere with a very busy day….except for the social.

Please however enjoy the squirrel.  If he really does exist it would be in our yard….we have 10 thousand of them.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I sent both my wife and daughter into a rant…..as I picked Ben up from school today I could see him walking, and walking with a GIRL.  They were HOLDING HANDS, and I will not confess to anything more.  But Ben has been given clear direction from both Amanda and Steph that he is in KINDERGARTEN and that he is NOT to have any girlfriends.

But of course regular readers know that Ben has TONS of girlfriends. He considers most of the girls that grew up with Steph his girlfriends, and ALL the girls at college as well.  he clearly is showing a propensity for dating the “older women,” yet in all reality, he doesn’t have any money, no car, nor a driver’s license.  AND, he lives with his parents…..but at least not in our basement.  He is not really what you would consider dating material, but he is cute and I suppose that must count for something.

So Steph gave the first lecture from Missouri (I had given the first) and Amanda gave the third.  They are apparently “just friends,” and their smiles seemed mutual, but I do understand that we really need to nip this in the bud.

But some guys just have it, and he is one of them.  So many girls and really so much time…..really he has A LOT of time….after all, he is just 5!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Oh sure, I expect that when regular readers read this title they will figure that Ben is still struggling with his tonsil surgery and that this is about him being miserable.  And although it is true that he is still struggling, this post is actually not about him at all.  This post is about my meeting today with Father PT and our time together at the Golden Corral.

And no, our meal was not bad, nor was the company.  But I was there in a Chicago Bears’ jersey and PT was wearing a Notre Dame hat.  We are like twins in that regard….life long fans of Notre Dame, the Chicago Bears, AND the Chicago Cubs.

But there was an old man at the Golden Corral and when I say old, I mean he was in his 90’s.  And he was wearing a Notre Dame hat AND he kept looking at my Bears’ jersey.  And as we were leaving, we finally talked…..first about my jersey, then about PT and his hats, and then about the teams.  He too was a big fan and I realized that PT and I were not twins at all…..we were triplets!

But the big surprise came in his sharing that he had been a Cubs fan for OVER 90 YEARS, and I was suddenly filled with remorse.  I have struggled just a little over half that and I act like a big martyr about it.  But my brother, we will call him Moses or Abraham or something, now HE HAS REALLY SUFFERED.

When I am in my 90’s and he is long gone, I wonder if I too will be as disappointed as he was….perhaps so.  But in the end, it was pretty cool to get to meet him and I hope we run into him again.  Misery does love company, and our misery is of the best kind.  I was blessed to meet him, and I hope he is at home tonight feeling the very same way!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

If life were only easier.  We were hoping that Ben would be able to return to school tomorrow, but he is still struggling with his throat.  It is hard on him, and it is also in my mind completely unnecessary.  Healthcare has changed so much and the sad part is that there are often innocent victims of these changes…..and currently one of them is our son.

In the “old days” he would have staying in the hospital getting hydration and pain meds.  In these modern times, they just send you home.  Little kid’s throats HURT.  They struggle to take the meds, they struggle to drink, and in the end they suffer.  And in my mind there is no more logic in taking out tonsils and adenoids and sending a kid home who can’t really understand it all in just a few hours, than to send a newborn and its mother home just around 24 hours after giving birth.  Sure, it saves SOMEONE some money, but when in the world are we going to start to care about people before money?  It is more than just putting the cart before the horse….it in all honesty is just plain nonsense.

And no, I am not asking for someone else to pay for our child.  What I am saying is that care decisions need to be made by doctors and their concern for patients……not bureaucrats.  What’s going to be next? Are we heading to “code rooms” where if you code we wheel you there as moving all that equipment to the person who is coding is not as efficient?  I know, it seems ridiculous, but then again so does making people suffer unnecessarily 

So 5 days in and he is now miserable again…..and what is worse is that he doesn’t understand.  It’s not our doctor’s fault, or the surgery center’s fault…..they have all been great.  But the system is a mess.  And the sad part is that these are just tonsils and a little kid.  What about the big things?  God help us!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+