I often feel like Jay Cutler, the quarterback of my beloved Chicago Bears (who were beaten by Detroit tonight in Detroit).  I try to take the snap, drop back in the pocket and make a good throw, but often my protection is just not there.  No, I am not a real quarterback, but it is a pretty good metaphor for my life.

In truth, we all need to be surrounded by people who “have our back,” and sadly for Jay that doesn’t seem to be the case.  In my 50 years, I have never seen a Bear’s quarterback get to beat up.  But even the best teams will have issues, and that’s where it compares to my life.  We just have a lot going on right now, and things seem to “slip between the line” and it becomes harder to make those good choices.  Don’t get me wrong, I want to…..but occasionally you have to “rush a throw.”

So if you are not a football person, I apologize for the metaphor.  It just felt right today (and probably tomorrow and the rest of this week.)  I hope things get a bit easier, I really do.

But for now I will just do what I should and lead the best that I can.  Every minute is a new opportunity, and I am not willing to settle for second best!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I have to confess that I am enjoying the view.  My office is in between Scott/Ben’s room and our room, and as Ben is in his bed, I hear the familiar words, “Mom, I am scared.”  Of course he is not scared, but it serves him as an excuse to head into try and suck up to his mom.

There is good news and bad news in this though.  The bad news is that it never really works……at the start.  The good news is that he keeps at it an he wears her down.  It is a game of cat and mouse at its best.  And sadly for my wife, she is dealing with a four year old professional.

He is actually IN my office now, playing….but at every mention of her name he gets the “deer in the headlights” look and bolts to his room.  Sadly for him we have a signal.  I cough loudly in code and she will appear and he will be removed.

And of course that is just what has happened and now he is back in his room crying.  He doesn’t understand that this is not our first rodeo, but that’s okay.  It is fun to watch.  He is a real stinker and a true Tirman.  Thank God for him too.  He makes me laugh pretty hard.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Being a parent is hard work.  After driving Drew Carey all around Missouri (see yesterday’s blog) I spent as much time as I could with Steph in between her games, and suddenly we were back in the car heading home.  Too little, too fast…..but I wouldn’t trade a moment of it.

And of course now I am home typing, and waiting not just for my alarm to go off at 6, but also for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when she will return home.   I was able to see her play in three games though.  She is an awesome player, and it was fun to watch.  As regular readers know, I have also resigned my position as the Noblesville High School Women’s Lacrosse Coach, so I will, for the remainder of her college career, be able to attend her games.  It felt weird to sit there and watch just as a parent…..but I will get used to it.  It is just so very cool to see her play at this level.

The picture was impromptu as we were walking towards our car to leave.  These young women are amazing lacrosse players, and even more impressive as people.  Two of them saw us taking the picture and stopped their car and ran over to be a part!  It was a lot of fun.

But now it’s back to the grind.  Tomorrow is another day…..and one more to cross out on our way to Thanksgiving break!  Yee Ha!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+ 

Yes, Ben, Amanda, and I are in Missouri visiting Steph and Cassie as Steph has three games tomorrow.  I am excited to see them all.

But one of the interesting dynamics is how Ben acts around all the college girls.  While guys my age desperately try to look and act younger, Ben tries to act older, thus he stole my glasses to act like a big guy.  There may be issues though, especially as he tells everyone that Cassie is his “girlfriend.”  And of course she was the one to get him that Transformers backpack for his birthday, which may indeed be the equivalent of a “promise ring” in the preschool world.  But Cassie didn’t seem to mind.  Ben just flirted with everyone.

And the funny part about my glasses is that they make everyone look like Drew Carey, which I of course take as a great thing, because he is one of my comedic idols.  I actually bought them however, not to look like Drew, but because I have a young son who whips his arms and legs around all the time.  And after he broke a couple of pair, I decided to go with indestructible.  They have been a great investment for me for sure!

But tonight we have enjoyed seeing the girls, having a nice dinner, and driving around a celebrity.  Tomorrow who knows?  The games for sure, but whether it’s Drew, Optimus Prime, Spiderman, or Batman we will not know until we get there.  It doesn’t matter though, he is our son and we will take him regardless of who he is.

Goodnight from Missouri and God Bless! (And keep the house clean Scotty!)

Tommy+  

Among quite a few other things I did today, I was able to head over to Noblesville and bless some dogs in their home……Labrador Retrievers……four of them.  It is always a hoot to be there, and especially now for me as we have taken a break in the dog breeding business, because we usually have four or five Goldens at home ourselves.  We now however, are just down to one…..Viper.

But unlike Viper, these dogs we awake and ready to roll!  It was a blast too.  If I just had a tennis ball and a big field I would swear I was in heaven!  There was a lot of tail wagging, ear scratching, and laughter.  It really did make my day.  And, it was something that I really needed.

Too often in life the details get in the way.  Sure, they are important, but often it is healthy for us to just set them aside, even for a minute, and play.  Simple things, like scratching the ears of a dog and just knowing they are glad to see you, can bring a lot of life and joy back into a day.  I’ve got a lot on my plate, and these past few months have been terrible.  But the dogs didn’t care about that, they were just happy to see me, as I them.  And quite honestly, they didn’t care if I was there to bless them or not.

If only the world would be so gracious and kind!

Yep, I am home, and back to being hard at work.  But tonight I thank God for my four four-legged friends, who gave me a good dose or just exactly what I needed!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, we have been working on the truck.  And although ideally the thing to do would be to have it professionally done, we cannot afford that, so Scott and I have been improvising.  This is a truck we only use to haul sticks and limbs, and get mulch.  There is no daily driving of it.  It just doesn’t need to be an eyesore.

And now of course it is not, that is unless you get up next to it and see the “non-professional” job we did. But the cool part is that you can now not see through the sides of it, it does now STOP, and it is actually pretty fun to drive.  It does not have air conditioning, and I need to fix the fan on the heater (as well as the turn signals) but as soon as I do we will have an all-weather truck.

So yes, at least for now we are back to “drivable,” which means in our family “to drive without embarrassment.”  It will not win a beauty contest, nor is it the kind of thing you would take on a long trip. But at least it is ours, and more importantly, no longer an eyesore to the neighborhood!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I really cannot believe I forgot this story, but on Saturday night Ben snuck into our bed at about 3 or 4 am.  That is not the interesting part of the story.  The interesting part is how I was summoned back to our room by my wife who said she wanted me to see something.  And there in my bed was Ben…….with a big hunk of chewing gum in his hair.

Of course this was not my first rodeo, so I said to him, as he was visibly upset about the gum in his hair, “where did you get that gum, and how did it get into your hair?”  And he looked at me not able to tell as lie just as George Washington when confronted about that cherry tree (yes, I know that is probably not a true story) and said “Scotty put the gum in my hair!”

I do know that this was not true.  Ben probably snuck some of his brother’s gum and had it in his mouth as he went to bed.  Kids often do that, and I am just thankful his emergency haircut wasn’t worse.

But what made me remember this was finding out from Scott that Ben wore his Halloween costume to Cindy’s today.  Scott didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to, but Ben did!  So when I told Amanda about it he did what any other four year old would do……….he blamed it on his brother!  As I have shared these things with Scott he just smiles, but they are brothers.  Ben will feel some revenge sooner or later I am sure.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Amanda is at a conference, but it is local……it’s just that we do not live all that local anymore.  So since she was in Indy till 9 tonight and needing to be back there early, she is staying the night at my dad’s.  They always have a full-house, but there is always room.

But when I told Ben that his mom was staying the night at grandpa’s he got real quiet.  So I asked him why, and he was not happy.  He said, “But that’s MY grandpa!”   Too funny!

Of course I made sure and told my dad, who was clearly touched by the jealousy.  I didn’t have a chance to tell Amanda though, as talking to her when she is at these things is always sporadic, as is my memory.  She will have to learn it from my dad.

But I made sure I let Ben pick where we would go for dinner because I wanted him to be distracted.  He chose Red Robin, not for the food, but he likes it because he always sees the bird (Red) and gets a balloon.  (He chooses most restaurants this way).  The bottom line however was that he, Scott, and I had a marvelous time.  (Scott and I like the food!)

The best part though was that he seems distracted and that is a victory for sure!  He is at the age where he is very attached to his mom, and I know that will be switching soon.

And when it happens I will just need to figure out a good excuse to get to Red Robin.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yep, the weather is getting colder, and Amanda does not like the heat on until there is at least 3 feet of snow outside, so that means for the next six months or so the cat will get very friendly.

Cats of course are finicky, and Puddy is no exception.  She is perhaps the most independent cat we have ever owned, and along with that, the most vocal.  There is no doubt about what she ever wants.

But I cannot get past the possibility that she might just do all of this on purpose.  It sure seems that way.  But regardless, we are going to see a lot of her over these next few months.  It is looking to be a long winter!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Although I think my life is pretty interesting, our dog Viper is often just not all that interested in taking part.  I picked him up at the vet recently (where he got a bath and a haircut from their groomer) only to be told that he had fun and might be a little tired when he got home.  I really couldn’t tell.  He sleeps 23 hours a day.

But your suspected diagnosis of narcolepsy would be errant.  Viper lives this life by choice.  He has interest in the things he wants to and other things he just ignores (he’s like a big cat with personality).  This picture was taken during the Notre Dame game, which doesn’t mean he isn’t a big fan.  He is always aware that a touchdown could mean a trip to the kitchen or an available hand to pat a head.  He in truth is probably just conserving his energy, for if I said “hey, let’s take a ride,” he would beat me to the door.

But he really is a great dog. And no, we do not count on him as a guard dog, we have an alarm….but the cat can be pretty mean.  I do however admire him and his easy-going style with all my heart.  If only all of us could relax in such a way!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+