One of the coolest parts about tonight’s blog is that the picture is a graphic for a beverage company!  I love it, and just possibly will visit!!  Too cool for sure!!

BUT…….I do sincerely hope that my last Saturday with all my family here is better than my last Friday.  Scotty has been gone all day.  Amanda worked late.  And as I was mowing, Steph, Amanda and Ben (who had turned down a dinner invitation from me) all went to the Target (or Tar-gggjjay as my mom would say) without me.

Oh, not that I do not think that mowing is more fun with possibly the last few days I have EVERYBODY around and can do things.  Steph will head back to school, and then Scotty’s ship date is now November 5th.  Getting everybody together is going to be hard form now on and dang it, I WAS HUNGRY TOO!  I re-heated some soup I had made on Monday, and it was good, but I really am a bit focused upon my family suddenly scattering.

Sure, my lawn looks good, and I look good (mostly in my diluted mind) but this next week to me does not look good, because I always hate it!!!  I will say that I have been blessed this year to have Steph come home and everyone together, but she is a JUNIOR now and the clock is ticking.  I just need to focus upon enjoying this time that I supposedly DO HAVE IF IT WERE NOT FOR TARGET.

No, I am not bitter, really. My family just chose to shop there over dinner with me.  So tomorrow I will ask again……..but this time in a red polo and tan pants.  It just has to work!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

As a pretty serious fellow, I often find myself pondering the deep questions in life……..”Why am I here?”  “What’s my purpose in life?”  “Is this all there is to my life?”

But today I was out with Steph and Ben, who were fresh back from their trip to the Indiana State Fair (voted by Indiana residents as the “Best State Fair in Indiana” the last 23 years straight).  We were getting Steph’s oil changed (in her car) and had some time to kill, so we stopped at a couple of stores.

So imagine my surprise as I came upon a car, or what I believed to BE a car, being held together (no doubt) by a bumper sticker asking one of the most alluring questions in life.  Here it is below…….

In all honesty, I never really pondered it before.  Sure, I have heard and seen the “used to be popular” “What Would Jesus Do?” But as soon as people began attacking Christians (sans lions this time) that gave way to the recently popular “What Would Tim Tebow Do?”

In truth, people never really agreed on what Jesus would do, and I do honestly believe that Tim Tebow would probably just ask Jesus.  But in terms of something of which people would not and could not argue about, this one was clearly a winner.

And as we toured the Kohls, looking at stuff we could not afford to buy, Ben and I came upon this hat (which incidentally, we did not buy).  I took it as a sign that I ought to blog about this tonight.  I am sure Scooby would.  And I made sure it was okay…….as I called Tebow and asked him as well!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Well, I THOUGHT I might have some pictures to post today of Stephanie and Ben’s excursion to the State Fair (ALWAYS capitalized in Indiana!!) but apparently I was not send a one.  So tonight’s picture is of Ben and Steph on vacation eating a smore together at a campfire.  (yes, she is wearing Ben’s Spiderman hat)  It is now also Steph’s profile picture on Facebook.

Steph has just about a week and a half here before she heads back to school.  But over the this break, she has been not just Ben’s big sister, but also “her brother’s keeper.”  Yep, it has been her summer job to take care of Ben.

And, it has been something they have both truly enjoyed.  All the kids are pretty tight, but each has a special relationship with the other.  Ben was devastated when Steph left for school last year, and this year we anticipate it being worse.  (And Steph gets pretty broken up about her littlest brother as well).

So today Ben and Steph (and Kara and Molly) took on the State Fair (it will even be capitalized when it is not going on…..this is Indiana!)  Ben said he saw a lot of animals and had a lot of fun.  But Steph’s junior year is looming as well as kindergarten for Ben.  Just a few more days left.

But in Indiana, there is no better way to enjoy them than hanging out at the State Fair…….

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I must confess, I have NO INTENTION of offending anyone, but I have had an extremely bad, or as they say “challenging” day.  I will not put you to sleep with all the details, but I will say that the “low-light” of my day is when I rubbed my eye and the stint I had put in in March CAME OUT!

Oh this would not be a problem had I known a way to get it back in place.  I did try, but at some point (see the picture) I decided that I could NOT get it back in, but I might be able to get it ALL OUT.  So I did what any other capable and smart guy would do…..I PULLED.

In retrospect, that was not such a good idea, since as my FACE seemed to follow the tugs, I discovered that the stint was LOOPED.  But since in a conversation with my doctor two months ago I discovered if it was not working it would be removed, I weighed my options.  1) I have two weeks left to the 3 month mark where it might be removed.  2) I had an appointment in two hours.  3) A trip to the ER to fix this or cut it out would be pricey, OR 4) I could cut it and pull it out for free and make my appointment and NO HARM NO FOUL.

So I chose option 4.  I cut it, pulled it out, called my doc (who will call me tomorrow) and ended the whole affair.  My eye, in time, will heal from me tugging on that stupid stint, and hopefully it will drain.  My doc will call me tomorrow and probably give me the prednisone drops he would have in two more weeks to keep the hole open…..we will see.

But as for now, I am “stint-less” and still a bit amazed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Tonight’s picture is one that returned with the crew from Kansas.  Yes, it is probably staged……I am sure they were miserable without me…..at least that is what they told me. But I suspect that they just may be patronizing me.  I will pretend however that I was constantly in their thoughts.

That is hard to do though, particularly considering that I was told that Ben woke up crying this morning knowing he was going to have to leave his grandparents and come home.  I seriously doubt that this was for show, yet I must confess I have not ever seen it before…..particularly as it relates to me.  Me: “Daddy is going on a trip.”  Ben: “Okay Daddy, bring me something.”  Me: “Okay”

I did however have some fun upon his arrival.  I asked him where he had been.  He said in Kansas visiting Nanny and Grandpa, and I said “Well that explains it…..we have been looking for you for days.”  He was absolutely fascinated that I didn’t know, and that was despite talking to him on the phone a few times too.  As you can tell he is “center of the target” focused on me.  It is good to have him back.

Well at least it is good to have him back part of the time.  He brought back all his multiple superhero and evil villain personalities too. Quite a few of them made appearances in the couple of hours before bed.

So things are well on their way back to normal.  And for it, I am quite thankful.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Tonight I was hoping to get over to my dad’s to a celebration for my brother Mike, who leaves for law school in just a few days in Minnesota.  That’s right, he too will enter into a profession like mine that was once considered noble before all the dirt balls ruined it for all of us.  Unlike me, however, Mike will probably improve the reputation of lawyers!! (As some of my cousins have over the years as well.)

He follows our grandfather, my dad’s dad, who died before Mike was born, but who was an attorney.  I have no memory of him, but I do have a picture of me sitting on his lap as a baby.  Rumor has it that I peed in my diaper and he threatened to take me to court.  Yes, I just made that up, but I do understand that much of the twisted Tirman sense of humor you see in my blog, and in my children, and in most of those who bear his DNA can really be traced to him.  It was a shame he died so young.  I imagine I would be much further along had I grown up with him.

But regardless of all the warning signs, Mike will become an attorney, and I am certain a good one too. I will catch him before he goes and my family will too.  Time are a-changing as they say.  I am just glad that I am keeping up.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Communication, I hear at least, is essential in a marriage.  And that is why tonight I must confess that this is on my mind as I asked my wife what time she would be home from Kansas tomorrow.  Her answer?  “We are coming home Monday, remember?”  Oh yeah, sure I do, because as a husband, and like all husbands, I am committed to the theory, excuse me I mean concept, of listening.

But as a person who serves in a vocation where listening is so very important, this intrigued me.  For instance, how is it that I hear every bit of detail in my clergy meeting this morning, but miss something like this?  And more importantly…..1) does she know this, 2) is she irritated by this, and 3) how can I blame this on my stroke or old age?

But tonight I had an unlikely ally, and that was my son Ben.  Amanda and everyone was out at the lodge where they had all been staying together, but Ben went home with his Nanny to spend the night saying, “Don’t worry mommy, I will be back in the morning.”  A true natural distraction and gift!!

But she was a bit wounded by it and I understand why.  Ben is TOTALLY dedicated to her, and only has interest in the rest of us when he needs a new nemesis, or like the older kids needs money.  He chooses NOT ME ALL THE TIME……but this was a first for her.  What she failed to see however in the woman who raised her was the “grandma factor,” which children almost always gravitate to in time.

But as for me, I will rejoice, not in the distraction from my mistakes and shortcomings in listening, but in the reality.

That’s right…….Scotty and I now have 24 extra hours to clean the house, and of course wash Amanda’s blanket.  Viper misses her and pulled it off our bed to sleep on!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Talk about being torn.  I have had a marvelous and productive day and was looking at an early bedtime when on the TV I ran into AMC and a John Wayne Marathon!  And with an early start in the morning tomorrow the tension was really getting high.

So I thought about it for………okay, I really didn’t think about it at all.  The movie was “El Dorado,” with James Caan and Robert Mitchum, and it went an hour later than I thought it would.  And of course the first few minutes of “Cahill, US Marshal” made me consider if sleep was even needed at all.

But alas, I am in bed and wondering how many bad guys the Duke is reigning in while I am typing and pondering sleep. But in all honesty, I know the answer……..ALL OF THEM.

All I can say is that I hope and pray I dream about some of this stuff tonight.  Sure I will be tired in the morning from riding the range with the Duke.  But it would be worth it!  John Wayne was not just a great American hero, he was one of my personal heroes as well.

What a gift to get to watch him tonight!  Rest in peace Duke!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I got an email this morning from a reader who was a bit disappointed in my post.  The station wagon from “National Lampoon’s Vacation” was the picture, but my post was more of a reporting than a writing, and he said that I was really more on my game when I was wry (which I had to look up)…….but in all honesty, he was right.

For regular readers, you know that my primary reason for writing this blog is discipline and daily therapy from the stroke I suffered in 2008 (my daughter and wife will let me know if that is right because I have screwed the 2008 date up before).  But in all honesty, although I DO USE as daily THERAPY, is often has become a chore rather for me rather than a therapy session.  I do it because I feel the need to have to, BUT I also need to confess that when I am being actually WRY (see above) I feel far more satisfied.  In other words, the reporting has little to no therapeutic value for me…..it is h=just doing for the sake of doing.

So as I have processed this ALL DAY, I have come to understand that this blog is more than therapy for me.  I originally wanted to blog about the injustice and immorality that I was attempting to battle in this world……but in the end, I have come to the conclusion that I can post anything at this stage of my recovery, but it would be no more than obligatory fulfillment of the minimum agreement I have made for myself.  It an easy task, not challenging in the least, and only pressured by the restraints of my time. And I will share that I have thought about this most of the day!!

So yes, yesterday’s post COULD HAVE BEEN FUNNY……after all, Clark Griswald and I live truly parallel lives, other than the fact that in real life Chevy Chase is a lunatic liberal.  But yesterday’s post was not funny, yet if there were ever an award in blogdom for mediocrity, I may have been a contender!  It was just a picture to go along with the word “vacation,” of which I was, and am still not, on.

In the future however, I want to change my blog.  It started as a blog about the injustice of the Episcopal Church, which I still think is VERY unjust….that’s a lie….they are like honor’s students for immorality, but beyond that, I just want to be relevant!

It is just too bad that I do not know what relevant means…..

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Well my wife, Steph, and Ben (along with Steph’s friend Celeste) are in Kansas visiting the people who I USED to call Amanda’s parents, but we will now call for the sake of honesty, Ben’s grandparents.  Scotty, who I swore was staying home with me over the next few days is not home, but he is not home and it is 20 minutes until tomorrow.  Viper and Puddy are my constant friends, but beggars cannot be choosers…..they are all that I have!

And I spoke with all the Tirmans in Kansas just a few hours ago.  It is never a good conversation.  When you are on vacation you really never want to remember that old boring place you will need to return to.  Only my niece Kayla, who is rooming out there with Ben, seemed interested in talking with me….at least for a few minutes.

But in all honesty, I really do not mind being alone anywhere.  I know most people who know me would define me as an extrovert, but in all honesty, I am more of an introvert.  I enjoy the solitude, and tonight I have it, or at least I have it as much as you can when you are rooming with a dog with a stuffed squirrel.  It will be a good night’s sleep with no wake up time scheduled, although I am sure it will be early.

AND, I stayed IN TOWN today for the most part and got some things done around here.  It has been “sort of” a restful day.  And I hope that tomorrow may be as restful as well!!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+