Monthly Archives: March 2011

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The Break……

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Since I am no longer a student, I tend to calculate my breaks on the ones we take during lacrosse season. And since there is no school Friday due to Spring Break for the students, and because many families leave for vacation after school on Thursday, tonight was our last practice until April 11th. And although I do not think we are quite ready for such a rest as a team at this point, I will say I will be enjoying the time off.

But of course for me it is pretty hard to just rest. I am plenty busy and often resting puts me behind….an being behind just makes things worse. So I try to stay focused, and keep the ship afloat…..and if were just a sailor I would have a bat’s chance of knowing what that means.
But for now I must just declare that I am on break. No, lacrosse will not disappear. The men’s coach actually scheduled two games during break so I know I will get to them. But I will only have to watch. Scott is fun to watch too. And I HOPE to get to a game of Steph’s too, since they play at least three this week somewhere within 10,000 miles from here, which is far closer than usual.

So break will be……some kind of break, but quite honestly I do not know what. But once again, my life revolves around what is happening with my kids. Go figure!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Family….really.

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Although Ben calls her Cindy, she is really more like her second mom. And oddly enough when I mention her it is almost always as the “sitter.” But Cindy is really family to us, and also above me on the list of people Ben would rather hang with. I used to believe I was in the top five…..but in all honesty, I am probably a lot further down the list.

But kids are shaped by the people around them, and Cindy is a big influence on his life…..and we are so thankful for her. Of course my experience in all this is limited. In all honesty, I am normally just transportation. But Amanda and Cindy are always texting and talking…..and giggling. They share a deep love for the boy and his presence in both their lives seems to make their bond pretty strong. And I am glad they are friends too…..anything to distract Amanda from my faults is a real blessing.
But I thought tonight I might just post this note about Cindy. I am blessed that she is Ben’s second mom! Tonight’s picture is of she and Ben together!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Hot Tub Pool…….

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Sure it is dark, but tonight (my to Stephanie’s chagrin…she wanted to use it when she was home but it was not ready) the boys took the first dip in what Ben identifies as the “hot tub pool.” No, it’s not the hot tub. Nor is it the spa or hot pool. This, like most things in our home, have a “Ben definition,” and this is the Hot Tub Pool.

And although Scotty was tired and really not too enthused about heading out there, he is the model big brother and went out and wrestled around with Ben. They are a hoot together, and tonight was no exception. And I am certain this is only the first of many “dips” in the pool (no that was not a statement of judgement on my children, I’m just using authentic 1970’s lingo to make an observation of what the boys were doing).
But it was fun for them, and fun to watch. Ben’s focus has been on that for days and it was a real blessing to finally get there. Scotty’s departure looms in times like these and I wonder just how Ben will be, because they are very close. But the one sure thing about life is that there will be changes. I am just thankful for the great times in between them…..tonight, of course, being a great example.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Confirming the obvious…….

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There is a lot happening in our churches, and today it was evident as Bishop Loomis confirmed quite a few people in 2 different churches today. (The picture is from St. Patrick’s, the smaller of the two services where there were just four people Confirmed, well actually 3 and one Reaffirmation, but in all honesty we are just as good looking in all of our churches!)

But today reminded me of not so long ago where as a priest I would struggle to see people really step up and out professing their faith. It seems to be a problem we no longer have, but then the leadership I/we are under is different. The expectation of the leadership of my past was focused upon the principles of tolerance and acceptance, which are both great principles…….as long as they are grounded in the Gospel. When they are not, things become diluted, and dilution, by definition, is something that weakens something else. And when that something is the power of Christ to change lives, well then, it really not something anyone should profess.
So gladly I watched the Bishop lay his hands upon people who are getting it and heading in the right direction…..not diluting their lives and asking for God’s blessing upon mediocrity, but humbly confessing who they are and then willingly professing Christ. It’s a powerful way forward and not a stopping point. And I am so blessed to see it happening before me in our midst!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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It starts……..

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Today was the first games of our season, and we won a Varsity and JV game from Concord High School and then lost to a team from Chicago by one goal with just six seconds left on a VERY questionable call. And though this upset our team deeply, in sports things like that invoke demons that become hard to shake. Refs are part of the game, and just like us, sometimes they get it right and sometimes they get it wrong. You always need to correct what you can and look to the next play……that’s what we will do on Monday.

From the games, since they were in the northern part of the state, I travelled to the rehabilitation center my grandma is now in. She was in the hospital last week, and gave us all a scare. She looked great today though and we had a great visit too. She is probably giving up her apartment at the retirement center and moving into assisted living sometime after rehab. But she is as sharp as they come…..she will be 95 next month. And her big line is always that getting old isn’t all that bad, what is bad is having to tell people your oldest grandchild is as old as he is…….after all, I will be 32 in June!
But one delusion I do not have is how well my Butler Bulldogs are doing in the NCAA tourney. We are now in the Final Four for the SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR (Capitalized by State Law in Indiana) and it has been awesome! Of course I was traveling today and had to listen on the radio, but it was worth it. Actually every part of my day was worth it, and I am truly blessed.
And tomorrow the Bishop will be with us at two of our Churches, and I have to pick him up quite early to be there…..so I will not bore you with the more thrilling details of tonight. But I will say I am already thinking of my bed.
No, not for tonight, but for tomorrow as early as I can find it. Yep indeed…..I am making a preemptive plan!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Eskimo Sports……

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Tonight we braved the weather to watch Scotty’s game, and no one was really prepared for how cold it would be. I love Hare Chevrolet Field, but as the sun goes down the home bleachers become shaded, and as the wind kicks up and whips through you get the feeling that you are sitting in front of the blower in your freezer.

Of course I hail from an area that must be the freezer part of God’s very own icebox, Northern Indiana (always capitalized for respect). It is hallowed ground, yet you will have to take my word for it because for about 90% of the year it feels like it is covered with snow. But it is God’s Country, the home of Notre Dame, Polkas (also always capitalized – see above), and the south-side of the Great Barrier Reef (of snow) which ends in Plymouth, Indiana but runs north to the Pole.
My dad came and could not stay through the warm-up, which wasn’t warm at all. And the team we played was from South Bend (the NORTH), so the conditions for them were ideal. And they were in great shape too, since their normal footwear for games are mainly snow boots, so cleats made them faster.
And ironically, our season opener takes place up north tomorrow. We play two in Elkhart (V and JV) and one in South Bend (V only) against a team from Illinois (home of high taxes and government officials they either pass onto the nation too readily or send to trial). So tomorrow will be an interesting day.
At least I know what I am getting into. And I may be the only one from our school wearing the proper cleats.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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TO DANG OLD…..

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Oh sure, I wanted to watch the Butler v. Wisconsin game tonight, but I just did not have it in me. It has been a tremendously stressful day for me, and one so stressful that I absolutely BLEW my diet tonight as I was unsupervised downstairs. It has been a disaster, yet I am hopeful for two things.

First and foremost, I am hopeful that Butler plays well tonight and moves into the Elite Eight. But more than that, I hope I can get a grip on my life tomorrow and get back on the right path. Stress is a killer with my name on it, and lately it has been killing me. I just pray that tomorrow will be a better day and I can move forward. We will see.
But for now I need to head to bed. The game is on, yet I am not going to make it. I will just have to find it all out in the morning.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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I just can’t win……

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Ben and I had a conversation today. I am going to get my haircut either before practice tomorrow or on Friday, but I asked Ben if he wanted to get his cut with me. On no, it would not be his first haircut. He had that done at Cookie Cutters, where he sat in a race car and was treated like a king…..but his hair looked like it was done with a weed whacker and poorly.

But three year olds really do not care how they look, and that was clear by his insistence on heading to Cookie Cutters again. I suppose that a guy who gets haircuts a little shorter than a Marine’s high and tight, probably cannot comment on hairstyles, but it really, at least mine looks awesome!
But I know when I am defeated. He will not go with me and I know it, and when I told Amanda about it tonight, off she went to cut his hair herself….the product you see in the picture. Chuck and Tony, my barbers, are clearly (at least) third. I will break it to them AFTER my haircut tomorrow. At least Scotty still goes there.
Off to bed…shaggy head and all.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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He wins……

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I have attempted in attempted in every way to coax Ben into going to sleep in his own bed tonight and to take Viper for a walk, but Viper is being held captive in Ben’s room, and I have now given up. Three is a tough age, and not because they have trouble with it either……three year olds are stubborn. I am SURE Viper wanted to walk. And although Ben was okay with it, his demand was that he go along….but not at 10 o’clock at night,

So the dog is in bed, along with a toddler who is technically there, yet technically not. Of course Viper never minds sleeping anywhere…..he does so about 23 hours every day. But I really wanted to walk, and although I suppose I could alone, somehow it would feel like betrayal. Of course I probably would need to wake him up to share I had betrayed him, but it’s really all about my conscious and not his.
But the truth is I am in bed, with no dog, no walk, no exercise, and I am not happy about it. Yep, Ben wins…he has out maneuvered me again. I am not sitting at the feet of the master, I am raising him. I will get some rest and hope to keep up with him tomorrow!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless.
Tommy+
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Dreaming of no construction…….

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It doesn’t hardly seem possible, but barring any disaster, I might just be able to have my office finished tomorrow. Of course I am anticipating disaster because this project has had more delays and budget overruns that a government contract…..but I can dream.

And speaking of dreaming, just why is it that I am dreaming about work every night? I like to be productive, but not nearly THAT productive. And when you dream like that you go to bed tired, only to work all night in your dreams, and then wake up tired too….only to really work. It’s like a crazy carnival ride I cannot get off.
But in all honesty it could be worse. Lot’s of people have scary dreams, and those for me are few and far in between. Of course I am hoping to wake up soon and find ALL THIS a dream, so my office never really did need that work and I can just move on with no construction……but stuff like that never happens to me. I am pretty sure I am still going to be at it in between all the stuff I need to do in the morning.
It’s just too bad I know how to do all those things……if I didn’t I could just be watching a contractor.
Off to bed!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+