I have decided to post this early.  Although I can write it and schedule the posting of it on the blog site, I have to do that in “real time” on Facebook, so I might as well do it now.

I am still at the hotel and I have gotten a TON of work done, but I need to now admit that I am quite lonely.  Amanda stopped by on her lunch hour and as she had a presentation to make this afternoon, she asked me to head out to the parking garage and get her “make-up bag.”  I did a couple of hours ago, and here we still sit together.

No, it is certainly not the first (or the last) embarrassing thing I have carried through a public place for her.  And yes, I am certain that no one looked at me and wondered, “do you think that is HIS make-up bag?”  In fact I am sure they thought, “this guy must be in big trouble with his wife to walk through a busy hotel with her make-up.”  But I really don’t care.  I am kind of fond of her and I like to help, so I did it anyway.

But it is just sitting here and with the time (it is about 4pm here), I am sure she is not coming to get it.  And that is too bad too, because her here at lunch was a great surprise and seeing her again would have been awesome.  I did let her know it was here and it was just a quick elevator ride away, but it appears to have not been enough.  The next time I will have it with a hot fudge sundae with extra hot fudge and it will be sure to merit a visit.

So now I just wait.  I think there’s just about an hour left for her, and I am pretty sure time, as it often does in times like these, it will stand still.

But as for me….I am just thankful it is not 2!

God Bless you my friends!

Tommy+

Well I would post the picture of Amanda I just took at our hotel room if I didn’t think she would have an objection to it.  We have our computers back to back like a game of Battleship, and I took a picture of her working.  It was just too intense, so I have decided to post this one of her at dinner with me instead.  It was a great meal and we had a great time.

Oddly enough, we have come to realize that in all the madness of raising children and being two VERY busy people with out careers, that we have neglected being able to spend time with each other.  I even confessed to her tonight how sorry I was that I have not “dated her” more over the course of our marriage.  We actually have always had a great one on one relationship.  It has always been invaded by life though.  It was great to just have her to myself tonight.  We shared a great dinner (and yes we do share what we order as we are able to try TWO things) and we just laughed and talked.

In all honesty, I would not be who I am today if it were not for her, and I would hope she would feel the same.  Sometimes however, life (the good parts and the bad) gets in the way, and relationships get placed in places they do not belong.  That kind of neglect lead to nowhere good, and I am blessed that we have identified that and are committed to moving in the right direction.  I can be successful in a lot of things in my life, but ultimately I want to be successful here.  Before God Himself we vowed ourselves to each other and we honor that, but we know we are called to do better.

And the truth is that we are…..and it is renewing us as we go along, which is an unexpected blessing.  I however will take it.  Amanda is my wife and I love her.  I am just so very happy we are having this unexpected renewal of our commitment.  It is a blessing to me…..and so is she.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!


Tommy+

Okay, let’s not.  I am actually in Indianapolis tonight with Amanda where she has a conference and a hotel room, and where my drive to Nashville in the morning will be cut in half and hers will be non-existent!  It is a pretty sweet deal, but let’s make sure we do not tell Ben.  He would be ticked he is not coming along.

But tonight’s picture is from the Pork Festival and it is of Ben and his brother riding the dragon roller coaster together.  It was a hoot and something we still cannot stop laughing about.  And on the second ride, Ben kicked out his USMC brother for taking up too much of the car and rode alone!  It was just great to spend the day with them both.

Of course I believe that both of them will be devastated to be away from each other.  I mean Scotty is going in for a 5 year tour.  They are extremely close too, as brothers often are, and it will be an adjustment for sure.

That’s why I am thankful for these last few weeks they can be together.  Scotty’s last day of work was today, and now he has 2 weeks to do all he needs to do.  And I know that Ben is a big part of that.

Distance may separate them for a bit……but we will always be thankful that they both have the pork and the dragon to invoke those fond memories.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

What makes this picture great, other than the fact that I am not in it, is that it is of Scotty playing his last service as the music leader at St. Patrick’s.  He leaves for boot camp in just 15 days and although we are proud of him, it will be difficult to not see him sitting there and listening to him play.  He is a fine musician, and it has been both a blessing and delight to be able to work with him.  Ironically, as late as just a couple of years ago, music was his career of choice…..now it is defending our country.

He even played a song he wrote after Communion.  It was great.  He then came to St. Anne’s to say farewell there too, and played it again.  And next Sunday he will play with George Blair at St. Matthew’s Nashville for a farewell there, hosted by the great people done there who are served by a fine priest…..the Reverend Fr. Dan Conley (Sgt. Conley USMC Vietnam Vet).  He and Scotty are pretty tight, and Danny has helped Scotty with look at this with eyes wide open.

So the times are changing….yet again.  We are so blessed to be living in them, especially me…I have a really great son who I both love and am proud of.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, this is a picture of my wife Amanda and I, and it was taken at the Tipton Pork Festival this afternoon, because as always, 1) I know how to show a girl a good time, and 2) this is Indiana.  (Don’t be jealous Aunt Rhonda!) And I will be posting a few pictures of the Pork Festival over the next week on this blog.

But I thought tonight I would post one of Amanda and me, as I realized I do not post pictures of us together that often.  In fact, what I discovered was that, other than our wedding pictures, I have very few of us together at all.  One of the other of us, mostly me, is always taking one of the other with the kids.

But this is my wife and I love her.  She is the very one who brought me out of the abyss and after my stroke, she is the one who nurtured me to recovery, which was a great task indeed.  I not only was difficult through my recovery, but I am also different.  Yet she has stood by me and I want to let you know how much I appreciate that.

You know, I am good at what I do, and most people seem at least to like me.  Yet what I want to confess is that I would not be able to even be close to the man I am without her in my life.  Sure, it is and has not been perfect.  Our marriage has had its struggles and some of them major, including issues over these past few weeks, but in the end they have revealed the deepest and most honest parts of our souls……..two people in love who commit and recommit themselves to a Godly life and marriage.

So take a look at our picture….it is us, and we are committed to it.  And I believe it can give hope and and be a blessing to anyone!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I am home, and I am in bed.  Tired is not an accurate word for how I feel as tired would imply a lot more energy than I have now.  I have gone from early to late without a break, and to be honest, when I do this, I just do not have a lot to give at this point in the day…..but let me try.

Yes, this picture has nothing at all to do with my post, but is instead a gratuitous offering to my Uncle Phil who may truly believe that Scotty and I might let Ben be a Colts’s fan!  No way!!  Go Bears!  But I digress……

I had my next to last session of bootcamp today, and I overheard someone ask our instructor why things seemed to be getting harder for her, and he just smiled as he confessed that he “kicks things up” as we go along.  I guess I should have known better, because I too indeed thought that things were getting harder.  My body is totally killing me.

On the “upside,” if there is one in times of this much physical pain, I have list just shy of 30 pounds in less than 30 days.  I will keep it up too, although I need to skip this next set of 30 day classes……..after all, work is important too.

I have one more session to attend on Monday.  It is a make-up for a session I missed.  But since it is technically a first session for a “new” class, I am actually looking forward to it!  My belief is that it may be a tad bit easier.  Or at least I can pray for that!

The coolest part however is that I will definitely be under 30 pounds by Monday, and that will be a great way for me to finish up the session!

Keep praying…….I need to be thin again!!

Goodnight and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, I know it has been awhile since a Ben picture, so here is one taken a few days ago after we arranged our room.  Ben is using his mom’s IPad, which all the kids use, but I have not ever used.  They all seem to enjoy it, but in all honesty I have trouble with just the stuff I am responsible for.  And if you have read this blog for more than a few days, I am sure you have heard me complain about it too.

But I thought this picture would be a fine one to use for tonight, as I have been reflecting these past few days upon my future.  No, I do not want to make any great career changes, nor am I experiencing any type of mid-life crisis.  But I do want to be better at all I do.  I want to be a better husband to my wife.  I want to be a better father to my children.  I want to be a better priest to the people I serve and serve with.  It seems I just want to be………better.

How that is to be accomplished is exactly what I am pondering, and what I can say is that I honestly am encouraged by the possibilities.  Yeah I know, I am often funny or sarcastic in my writings, and some readers may even be waiting for the punchline or zinger.  But in truth, my heart has taken a big turn, and I need to pay attention to it and honor it in my life.

Perhaps tomorrow I will say something funny, but not today.  I am thinking, and I feel awake with my eyes wide open.  These are important times for me.  I intend not to miss them.  Wading in the water can be fun sometimes, but I think I indeed may be being called to swim.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, I have to confess, I indeed have a “Pinterest” account.  It really is a pretty cool thing to add to my list of things I have but I do not understand, like computers, cell phones, Facebook, this blog, my wife, my daughter, and my sons.  Yes, I THINK I sometimes understand them, but in the end I realize I am fighting a losing battle.

But the cool part about Pinterest that I seem to be good at is just re “pinning” stuff that other people already find.  It is truly mindless and for me, particularly lately, that is just what I need…..the ability to look in touch with something modern while not understanding the first thing about it.  It’s kind of like being a double agent for the technology-challenged.

In truth though, it does sometimes feel a little too “girly” for me.  I like to look at food that I could make to eat on it though because I am always dieting.  It seems pretty good for that, and there seems to be a lot of funny stuff too.  So the concept is that I mooch off other people’s great ideas and pins and collect them for my own.  It makes me feel pretty cutting edge if you know what I mean….

And then others follow you on there too….repinning the things that you repin.  They follow you!  It’s too bad that they do not know what I know……I am a complete Pinterest fraud.

But who cares?  I am off to find a few more good diet ideas!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes it is true, tonight is my 1500th blog post for “Tales of a Faithful Dragonslayer.”  I have enjoyed sharing our lives with you, and even more than that, I have gotten a lot out of it.  I have heard from people all across the globe, and have been blessed by your comments, criticisms, and insights.  It has been a blast.

Tonight I want to share about our son Scotty who as regular readers know, wants to be a United States Marine……and no, because people have been asking, this story is not the genesis of my break…..so I will move on here.

To bring new readers up to speed, and to refresh others, Scotty graduated high school in 2011 and was scheduled to arrive at college in St. Louis later that year to study music.  He is a talented musician, and was excited about the prospects of this opportunity.  He however came to me just a couple of months before he was to leave and told me, thinking I would be mad, that he wanted to become a Marine.

It of course flashed me back to being 17 and sitting in a Marine recruiter’s office.  I was a pretty undisciplined kid, okay VERY undisciplined, and I was also probably as they say in today’s language “at risk.”  (You can fill in your own blanks if you want)  At 17 I had no real supervision and had managed to screw up my life royally on a variety of fronts.  I knew I needed to change, and considered nothing other the the Marines.

And like any kid like me, I had dreams of making a real life for myself.  The Sargent had me already, I had just not signed my name.  But when he asked me what I wanted to do when I got out of the Corps I shared that I thought I would like to go to college and maybe become a doctor.  Sure, it was a lofty dream, but I was looking forward in hope.  But he apparently did not believe he had me so he said, “You sign with the Marines young man and we will make you a doctor within 2 years.”

In retrospect I am surprised I survived that encounter in light of the things I said to him.  They were vulgar and cutting, and the language of my youth, not the language of my life now.  But I left and did not sign.  I knew better, he was lying to me.  And it was one of the biggest mistakes I made in my life.

Oddly enough at the end of seminary I had a chance to go in again…….as a chaplain.  It was appealing to think I could fulfill a dream and call myself a Marine, but as I remember you had to go in through the Navy….but the big kicker was that chaplains did not carry guns.  It just didn’t fit my MO.

So needless to say, I was deeply honored when Scotty shared his intentions with me.  I will be the father of a US Marine, and to me that is a great honor.  I will spare you the details, but the gist is that Scotty was scheduled to leave in December of this year for bootcamp and would be away about 9 months and return to serve in the Reserves while finishing college.  This weekend however, that all changed.

On SEPTEMBER 24th, Scotty will be flown to San Diego, California where he will begin bootcamp.  We will not hear from him for 13 weeks.  He will graduate on December 21st becoming a US Marine during bootcamp.  He will no longer be serving in the Reserves to finish college….he will have to do that wherever he is stationed.  That’s right, Scott is now going active duty and will fulfill his dream AND serve his country.  And in my mind, I cannot think of a better subject to post for my 1500th.

These next three weeks I am sure will be a blur, but we are thankful to have them.  We are so very proud of him.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+