Well you would think that there would be no way at all that a guy like me would miss posting on such an important international holiday like Ground Hog Day, but indeed I did.  Despite the ridiculous concept of a groundhog predicting weather set aside (although they fare far better than the weathermen) I kind of am attracted to these big furry rodents.  No, I am not attracted to them in the sense that I would want to own one, but if you have read this blog long enough you know about the hefty one that lives across the street and comes over to feed in my wife’s garden every year.  She hates it, I love it, and he (or she) loves melons.

Anyway, the bottom line is that I missed posting.  I was not watching the Superbowl, nor did I intend to.  I instead just found myself in bed and hadn’t done it.  And my clear lack of commitment to rodent commentary means you will need to wait 364 more days to see if I can get it right.  I am guessing I will.

I will say however that the big news for me today is that the Lindenwood Lions Women’s Lacrosse Team, for which my daughter Stephanie plays, is ranked #14 in the country in NCAA Division II in the preseason coaches poll.  This is BIG.  And as she is a senior it is even bigger.  (This picture is of Senior Night 4 years ago in high school and I must be slouching as bot my wife Amanda and Steph seem taller….but I am 6’4″)  But she plays in Noblesville no more, so just in case you would like to read upher team now or follow them, here is the Lindenwood University Women’s Lacrosse team site Lindenwood Women’s Lacrosse Site

If you want to see my daughter she is of course Stephanie (named after my sister) Tirman (named after me).  I suppose this should go without saying, but as some of my high school and college buddies read this I want to help them like they would help me.  (And yes, she is a chemistry major and I suppose many of them will ask, “Just how the hell did that happen?” And I understand…..sometimes genes just mutate in a good direction….I’ll take it)

But I am really proud of her and her teammates.   I have watched them move this direction for three years and this is pretty real.  They are not just exceptional players, but they have exceptional coaches.  I was Steph’s high school coach and I sent a lot of girls off to play in college.  The last of those girls leave for college this year.  But the Lindenwood coaches have a unique and brilliant style and as my retirement from coaching comes to an end this year (as I just wanted to be available to see her play when I could but couldn’t if I was coaching) I hope to come back somewhere into the high school or college ranks and bring these observations too.  These guys know how to get it done and it is impressive.

I will miss the first game in two weeks which is being held in Missouri, but hope to make the rest.  I am very proud of all of what she has accomplished, from top to bottom.  She is an athlete, she is a top notch student, an exceptional daughter (my very favorite) and a team player in the best sense of the word.

Just a few months left of all this hard work, and it is all coming together!  Enjoy it Steph, and enjoy it ladies.  We are proud of you all and are excited to get to this point with you!  Congratulations Lions!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, yes indeed.  This is a picture of current Lance Corporal Scotty Tirman USMC, although I do confess that it is a pre-Marine one.  And clearly he has come a long way from this debonair and alluring character that a woman could just not resist.  I mean, come on girls, a lot of you want that “man in a uniform,” but perhaps it is just because you never considered the attraction of a diluted child of mine dressed up like Luigi.  This one however, is spoken for (my deepest and sincerest apologies to our soon to be daughter-in-law Kenzie – but we are keeping YOU!).  I do however have the newer model available, who is undeniably just like this prototype, but as I said available.

But tonight neither prototype or our “spare boy” (definitely twins born 14 years apart) are here tonight. One is still stationed in California at Camp Pendleton defending our freedom, the other is here in Indiana, but has put aside defending our freedom tonight (he ALWAYS professes to be some type of good-guy superhero) as he is at a birthday slumber party.  And of course I do not remember when those end, because they are different for boys and girls.  Boys give those up sometime a few years down the line, whereas girls could do slumber parties well into their 50’s.  We men do not question why, we just say okay.  But when Steph is home she and her friends who are also home seem to travel in a “group” (older groups of women are often known as “packs”) and they are all almost always staying somewhere, sometimes here.  All the parents of her friends are used to it and all seem to serve as surrogate parents, or “hosts” as it is most likely uncool to say parents when describing this.  But boys just dont’ do this.  Oh sure, we will hang out all night and maybe get in trouble, but there is never sleep involved.  We just do not get the concept.

But that’s why we can wear things like tonight’s picture and live in the world of delusion (like super-heroey things). We never get enough sleep or proper socialization, REM sleep evades us, and our brains do not rejuvenate.  But we are MEN and it actually helps.

It’s what makes us comfortable in our own skin, able to wear what we want (which OFTEN baffles and irritates our mates) and live in the world of heroes and that of which the sane, well-rested women only dare to dream.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Today was not the 100th day of school for Ben, (ask him….he is quite literal about everything) but it was the day Lapel Elementary celebrated it.  Each class year has a different theme.  Last year, for regular readers, you may remember his gumball machine filled with 100 gumballs.  They had to make something with 100 of anything.

But first grade is quite a bit cooler, because everyone in first grade gets to dress up like my dad, I mean a 100 year old, and it is a stitch to see (using 100 year old terminology).  Ben worked on his costume hard, and was able to put together quite an outfit.  The cane is mine from when I hurt my back, but the top was cracked so I cut it to size.  Amanda’s friend Vashti provided the cool hat, although I am sure she is missing it tonight.  And Ben went to school looking to me just like a cleaned up version of Gabby Johnson from “Blazing Saddles.”

Now as his dad, (not Gabby Johnson’s, but Ben’s) I thought he might ask me for some pointers about being old.  Of course I admit I was exceptionally young when we had him, so when he didn’t ask I told him to call my dad……which he wouldn’t.  I swore to him that he could ask my dad how to yell, “Get off my porch you young whippersnappers,” while shaking the cane and that he would be a hit.  But even though Ben thinks Grandpa is actually 103, his lack of beard and cane apparently disqualified him from such an appointment.

But needless to say, he looked pretty marvelous heading to school.  When he takes off his glasses the eyebrows come with them, which is a little creepy at first, but you get used to it.  He has now passed a first grade marker he will always remember, and plus as a bonus he has yet another disguise for his costume truck.  It is impressive.

It is pretty cool to see all the kids at 100 too.  Of course if it were real I would long be gone.  Which today is kind of thankful that it was just all pretend.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+