@ Home in Omaha

Goals

2012-02-16T14:50:00.000-06:00

I stated in my last post that I intended to stay focused on the goals in front of me. However, what are those goals? In order to be able to stay focused on them, I need to know what they are. Therefore, I decided to take a few minutes to jot down my top short term goals.

Be the best dad I can be - this is a short term goal that has a longer term goal in mind. The longer term goal being to get full custody of my yougest two children.
Get moved and settled into the new house - This is very short term at this point as we are supposed to be taking posession in just over two weeks. So this item definately needs some focus over the next couple of weeks, or we simply won't be ready when moving day comes.
Be the best me I can be - I know, a bit generic. However, if I focus on being the best me I can be, I feel that other things will fall in place and through this other smaller, more specific goals, can be achieved.

By focusing on these simple things, I will accomplish things like getting in better shape, losing some weight, being nice to those around me, and who knows, maybe even get the chance to be a husband again and gain a couple step children in addition to getting full custody of my own.

Forward

2012-02-16T14:25:00.000-06:00

There are many things and people in my past that have led me to where I am today. However, if I I am moving forward and always looking backwards to the past, I will not be able to see where I am going. Worse yet, if I focus too much on the past and concentrate on it, I think my direction might change towards it. Isn't it human nature to move in the direction you're facing?

Therefore, I will keep my focus on the goals that lie in fron of me. Just like Lewis Robinson, I intend to "Keep moving forward".

Custody

2012-02-10T10:10:00.001-06:00

I have heard horror stories when it comes to custody battles, and with my ex-wife, I was positive that if I ever filed to have full custody, she would do everything possible to make all of those horror stories look like a children's fairy tale in comparison. However, do to the events over the last couple of months, I am planning on doing just that. I will be filing for full custody.

There are still several hoops that I will have to jump through in order to even be able to file. However, I am now confident that not only will I be able to file, but I am also confident that I will be able to win without the long drawn out process and huge battles in and out of court. At least I hope and pray that this is the case.

I have had temporary custody of the kids for a little over a month now, and having them back in my life has been amazing. I will admit that there are some difficulties to overcome, but I love being faced with these challenges. I no longer get as much sleep as I used to and the house is messier, but it is not only filled with more clothes on the floor and art projects everywhere, it is also filled with more smiles, laughter and love, and I plan on doing everything I can to make sure it stays that way.

New Hotness

2012-02-10T09:47:00.003-06:00

It may not be the same one we were originally looking at, but he seems to like it and it gets him from A to B. There was another one that we were going to look at that I think would have been a really good deal and probably lasted a bit longer than what I expect this one will. However, when we went to go see it, it was sold litterally five minutes before we got there. Oh well, I guess this little Pontiac Sunfire is now officially part of our family. Hopefully, it will be with us longer than Old and Busted was.

Old and Busted

2012-01-24T11:13:00.001-06:00

Well, that is the name Andrew has given this wonderful little hunk of junk that has stranded him on his way to school at least four times now. The good news is that there is currently no worries that it will die on him while he is on his way to school. The bad news is that this is because of the fact that it won't start.

In the short period of time he has had the car, we have already spent a couple hundred dollars in maintenance, and there are numerous other items that need to be fixed. That is, would need to be fixed if the car actually ran. Being as it does not run, there is not really any immediate need to fix anything.

Due to the amount it would cost to get "old and busted" back into working condition, we are looking to find "new hotness" for Andrew. Sorry for the naming, but it is from a scene from MIB II that Andrew has taken to use as naming for his vehicles. I'm not sure this "new hotness" would ever be the star of any showroom floor, but for the moment, it is the car that Andrew has his eye on and I think we are going to go take it for a test drive tonight. If all goes well, maybe Andrew and the kids will have some reliable transportation to get them to and from school, hotness or not.

A New Year

2012-01-19T14:58:00.000-06:00

Well, the new year has begun, and it is promising to bring with it lots of new things.

At the top of the list of new things has to be the fact that my youngest two little ones are now living with us. Currently, this is only a temporary thing while my ex tries to work out some personal issues. However, we are hoping to make them permanent residents of Omaha, and have already started the initial paperwork to make this happen.

The second item on the list is that it is once again time to move. We had moved into a smaller place in order to save money. However, now that we have a total of seven people living in a two bedroom apartment, I believe a move is definitely in order. We already signed the lease and will be moving in just over a month. I'm not exactly looking forward to the move itself, but I am definitely looking forward to having the extra space once we are there.

Along with the new house and having the kids, we will also be needing some new beds so everyone will have a place to sleep and call their own. These are the ones that we have picked out for the boys, and of course there will be a matching dresser to go with them.

Other new items that 2012 will bring include the fact that Andrew will be leaving us for college. Right now, he is wanting to go to the University of Iowa, so that will be a big adjustment for everyone as we will not get to see him too often with him being that far away. Although I will be sad to see him go, I wish him well and hope that he does well and gains everything he needs while away and hope that once he is done that maybe he will decide to find employment a little closer to home.

The final item on the horizon for 2012 is a change in marital status. Although technically I am pretty sure that I need to have a fiance before this can happen, I am looking forward to everything the new year has to offer, and I am hoping that this item will be among the list of changes.

First Run

2011-06-14T13:26:00.002-05:00

Well, it is summertime once again and with the weather being as it has been, this past Saturday seemed like a good day to die. So... I dug out my running shoes and shorts and headed out to Wehrspann Lake.

I was feeling pretty good happy with myself for deciding to actually go for a run. I did a little light stretching and proceeded to hit the trail.

It didn't take long to realize that it had bee almost two years since the last time I ran. My knees and lungs were both very quick to point out that something wasn't right. However, due to the fact that I was feeling so good about myself for being there, I didn't listen to my body and decided to push through the pain.

This worked for awhile, and I was pleased that I seemed to be doing so well. As time went on, I found that I did need to do some walking and I was okay with this. I mean, after all, it had been two years and it is seven miles around the trail. Although I did end up doing a considerable amount of walking by the time I was done, I still felt pretty positive with my accomplishment.

Or at least I did.

The next day was not pleasent. I woke up with a pair of legs that did not want to do anything that I asked of them, and when they finally did do anything for me (like walking to the living room), they both did their best to make sure I was aware of their protest by sending me sharp pains each step of the way.

It is now Tuesday, and my legs are continuing to remind me that they are not happy with my decision to run again. Although I might not listen completely, I think I will definately keep their relentless remindings in mind the next time I think about heading out. After all, it is hard to feel good about yourself for getting excercise when your unable to move from the chair.

First Fish

2011-05-24T10:46:00.002-05:00

Em seemed quite proud of catching her first fish. I however, had mixed emotions. I was very happy for her and tried to share in her excitement.

The problem was that I was not with her to enjoy this moment. It was supposed to be my weekend with the little ones. However, due to me starting a new job and not being able to make it to the exchange by 5:30 PM, my ex decided that she would not meet me at 7:30 for the exchange (that's too late for the kids) and just keep them. To add to this, Em will be turning five on Monday the 23rd, so we were planning to have a small birthday party for her.

I guess I am supposed to be happy in knowing that she had a good time and we can do something for her birthday next weekend. It's just not always easy.

Updates

2011-05-23T08:47:00.002-05:00

Wow!!! It has been a lllooonnnggg time since my last post. So, let's see... what's new?
The divorce is final. I was given custody of Andrew and he will be coming to live in Omaha in another week or so (finishing out the school year first).

We moved to an apartment to be able to start saving some money. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now that we will have Andrew joining us, this might get re-evaluated soon.

I have a new job. It is quite the commute, but nice to be working again and looking forward to once again having a little extra cash.

Lindsey completed all of the courswork for her MA program and is beginning her externship today.

I think those are all of the major updates. There are lots of other smaller things going on, and I will try to cover at least some of them in later posts. Until then... happy reading.

Parenting Time

2010-04-27T13:13:00.002-05:00

Since the beginning of this blog, I have written about my weekends back in Des Moines with the kids. Well, I am happy to say that at least for the most part, that is now a thing of the past. The judge ordered yesterday that I am now able to take the kids with me to Omaha.

This really is a wonderful thing. The first thing Carter said when he got in my car on Friday was "Are we going to your house?" Carter and Em have both been wanting to see where I live and to meet Lindsey. I know Andrew is also happy with this change. I'm not sure that Johnathan really gives the whole thing much thought. He will be 18 in three more weeks, so he will no longer be governed by anything that has been ordered by the court anyway. I really think he is to the point where he can leave for college and be done with all of it. I know things have been hard for him, and all I can do is to try to be there for him in any way that he might need.

The reason I stated that my weekends in Des Moines were done "for the most part" is the fact that the kids still live there. This means there will be times when they will have activities and such in Des Moines on my weekends. On these occasions, my weekend will more than likely be spent in Des Moines with them. However, it will be from a hotel rather than the house. Again, I think the kids will enjoy this fact and we will make the best of the situation by being able to use the swimming pool, hot tub, and any other amenities that we choose to.

November?

2010-03-31T16:22:00.002-05:00

Well, my atttorney finally got back to me with an actual date for my divorce trial. It's not set until November!

I couldn't believe it when I read that. I still don't know what to say about it. I had to ask him what the reasoning was for it being set that far out in the future. His answer was simply, that is what the current backlog is in the Iowa court system right now. Wow! It really doesn't sound like I am going to be able to do anything about it other than continue to push for a deal so we can get things done without the need to wait for the trial date.

On another note, it sounds like visitation might be changing soon anyway. In fact, I think I won't be needing to make the trips to Des Moines anymore. The kids will be coming to Omaha to see me instead. This is still being discussed and there is nothing finalized yet, but at least tentatively, it sounds like that is what is going to happen. There is one small caveat with this though. In the event Johanathan is busy on any given weekend and can't do the driving, I will need to go to Des Moines to pick them up (tentatively anyway... hopefully, we can get to an agreement where she brings them half way).

Anyway, just thought I would share the bad news / good news. Now get off the computer and go enjoy some of this wonderful weather outside!

Ready for Spring?

2010-03-30T20:24:00.002-05:00

Em was definitely feel a bit of spring fever this past weekend. She was loving the warm weather and wanting to be outside all the time. She picked out her outfit and I loved how she topped it off with the matching sunglasses. I thought it was adorable.

I also noticed something new this past weekend. Em had her pretty little ears pierced. She was so happy with them. She said she cried when it was done, but when I asked the boys, they both said that she did very well and has been great about letting them clean them for her and everything.

I did hear that she lost one of them while playing at the park, but they were actually able to find it and get it back in with no problems.

Anyway, it was a great weekend and I enjoyed being able to spend time with all four of them. Johnathan had to leave for work a little before it was time for me to go, but other than that, we were able to spend the entire weekend with all of us and no interruptions.

Happy Reading

2010-03-26T10:51:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post to let people know that yes, I am smart enough to know that there are ways to read this blog without it being shown in the activity feeds displayed on the blog. I am also smart enough to know of other ways to know who is reading it.

Happy reading!

Even Supergirl gets tired

2010-03-25T16:33:00.003-05:00

Hey, it takes a lot of energy to keep saving the world all the time.

... and after all that work, it's time for a nap!

Quiet, Calm, HAPPY

2010-03-17T15:19:00.001-05:00

Things have been nice and quiet the last couple of weeks. It's been great. I haven't updated on here for awhile, so I thought it was about time.

On the Des Moines side of things, the ball is in her court. My attorney has typed everything up and presented it to her for consideration. Hopefully, I will hear back soon, and that chapter can be over, done with, and closed for good. However, I am not going to hold my breathe. The longer it takes, the more I get the feeling she is trying to come up with additional things to ask for. Oh well, I guess there is no point in worrying about it until I actually hear something.

The kids are all doing well and healthy. Yesterday was the first day back to school after spring break for them. I'm sure they were all sad to see it come to an end. Even Emmy. She loved having the boys home to play with for the week.

Johnathan is loving having his own car. Actually, I think all of them are enjoying it. They all have much more freedom now and no longer need to depend on their mom or their friends to get around. The addition of car also caused another change. With the addition of a car, creates the need to pay for gas money. Johnathan started his new job at KFC over spring break. Not exactly the best way to spend spring break, but he is acutally enjoying it. He is such a great responsible kid. I can only hope that the rest of them will turn out as well as Johnathan is. Not that I don't think they will or anything. I'm just not sure that I will be able to be quite that lucky.

Anyway, on the Omaha side of things, it has been relatively quiet. I have been working to get into the routine of the new job, which is not all that difficult. I just need to get used to the early morning hours. Lot's off coffee is always a help, but I think I need to start getting back into the habbit of regular workouts too. I'm hoping that will bring my energy level back to where it needs to be.

This past weekend was Lindsey's birthday. It was a fun day, ending with dinner and drinks with one of her friends from school. It was great being able to get out for an evening, and forget about all the stresses of every day life, at least for a few hours anyway.

Hopefully, I will be able to keep this updated a little more than I have been recently. Maybe I will have some good news to post about from the Des Moines side soon. One can only hope!

Smile

2010-03-04T09:54:00.003-06:00

Okay. So maybe that's not the greatest smile I've ever seen on her, but she was in quite the silly mood and wanted me to take pictures.

This one is a little better reflection of the mood she was in.

It was a great weekend, and she never left my side. Anytime I would even start walking towards the door to get something out of the car, she would run to me and wrap herself around my leg telling me to stay.

I did manage to get out of the house for about an hour with Johnathan though. We went out to look at a car for him. I'm happy to say that he liked it, and we bought it on the spot. He went downtown the next day to get plates and everything taken care of.

The weekend was over far too quickly, and saying goodbye to everyone was a little difficult. After all, we were in the middle of a Monopoly game and I was doing pretty well!

Oh... and for those of you that have "moved on", it really is amazing how much traffic this site gets.

Back Home

2010-03-01T08:39:00.003-06:00

While I was having a good time with the kids in Des Moines, things weren't quite so quiet and calm back home here in Omaha. Lindsey ended up having to get her things out of storage from what she thought was her friend's house. I'm not sure what happened. Did they do a 180 and change, or were they never the people I thought they were? Either way, I am glad the trailer park grade school drama is over and we don't have to worry about the gossip anymore. Who needs that kind of stuff in their life? I know I don't. I guess some people do though. For some reason, or somehow, I think they use it to make themselves feel better about their own life.

Another item that upset me was the fact that others would attempt to do "first" things with other peoples kids. Are you kidding me? Why on earth would anyone intentionally do things with kids that are not their own knowing that their mother or father wants to do those items with them? It is just wrong! Due to the fact that some people cannot grasp this simple fact, I am going to have to make a few "firsts" myself. I think it's going to be a fun weekend!

Busy Weekend

2010-03-01T08:18:00.003-06:00

This was my weekend to go back to Des Moines and spend some time with the kids. It was a great weekend in that respect. However, just not long enough.

Andrew was gone most of the weekend with show choir and speech competitions, so I only got to spend a few hours with him on Sunday. However, he did quite well in both competitions. Ankeny took first in the show choir competition ending the season a good note, and he received all ones on his speech, which means that he qualified to go to state for speech. So, although he did not get to spend much of his weekend with me, it was still a great weekend for Andrew.

I think it was a pretty good weekend for Johnathan too. He never really says much and keeps to himself quite a bit, but I took him out over the weekend and we got him a car. It's not the greatest thing by any means, but considering what my first car was, I don't think it's half bad. It is older, but has reasonably low miles on it (only 87,000). Being as my car has 132,000 on it, I thought that was pretty good.

Carter and Em just wanted to cuddle and watch some movies. My ex had actually left the xbox this time. However, the power cord for it was nowhere to be found. Good thing I brought a dvd player with me just in case. I also made a trip to Walmart to pick up an antenna so they could watch tv when she decides to do things like that and I'm not there. It's ridiculous what those kids have to put up with.

Overall it was a good weekend though, and we had a lot of fun playing and snuggling. Of course it was too short, and Em really didn't want me to leave. That is the hardest part, knowing you have to go and be out by a certain time, while you have an adorable three year old that is hanging onto you hugging you and telling you to stay.

Stories from Des Moines

2010-02-26T10:26:00.003-06:00

The more I talk with my two older sons, the more I just can't believe what things are like back there. The other night, I called Johnathan at 8:30. I asked him the standard question of what are you up to, and he responded by saying he was just getting home from school. This is not all that unusual for him due to the number of extra curricular activities he is in, so I proceeded to ask what he had been doing after school. This is where things got a little interesting. He had nothing after school that day, but was simply waiting for my ex to pick him up. My next question was why he would wait that long, why not get a ride from someone or find another way home? To this he responded by stating that he does not have a key to the house, and she will not give him one. Is it just me, or is that just completely insane? He is 17, and almost ready to graduate from high school and be off on his own. Yet, he is not even trusted with keys to the house? I did not know how to respond to that. I still don't. I'm at a complete loss... total disbelief.

I have decided one thing I can do to try to alleviate some of it though. I am planning to buy him a car this weekend. Maybe then he can at least go somewhere else to spend his time and wait, a friends house or something. There is no reason for him to be forced to sit at the school for five hours at a time waiting for her to give him a ride.

A quick snack

2010-02-18T15:13:00.003-06:00

Em kept asking for some cake, so I started to look in the cupboards to find out what was available for making some cake. Then Johnathan suggested using some of the carrots in the fridge and making some carrot cake. Since there was a bunny shaped cake pan sitting there, I decided that sounded like a good idea.

They turned out pretty good, and with the carrots and all, I thought they were reasonably healthy, at least as far as cake goes anyway.

They at least looked like little bunnies and were half way healthy, at least until I added the cream cheese icing on top of them...

Oh well, they still tasted great and it was a nice break and fun cooking with the little ones. They are always a great help in the kitchen and an even bigger help when it comes to eating anything sweet.

Tired

2010-02-18T14:52:00.002-06:00

This is what it looks like on the weekends when I have to get both of my older boys to school by 6:00 am for their various activities, and therefore have to dump the little ones in the car to go with us.

I don't think she was even aware that she ever left the house.

New Job

2010-02-16T14:16:00.002-06:00

I'm starting to get used to and settle into my new job. There is a lot of things to learn, and a ton of reading to do. The insurance industry is new to me, so I need to pick up on the lingo and learn as much as I can as quickly as I can.

The project itself does not sound like it is going to be too bad. However, there will of course be a few obstacles to overcome. Everyone within the organization is willing to make whatever changes are needed in order to make the system work. The problem is going to come down to how much will there be that the new system can not do, and therefore, either new manual effort needs to be made, or additional customizations that could effect the timeline and budget.

These are the things that I need to figure out in the next couple of weeks in order to ensure that the scope of the project is nailed down. Without that, there would be no way for me to be able to say at the end that I accomplished what was set out for me to do.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a quick update as to the new job. So far, it looks like it is going to be a lot of fun and yet quite challenging at the same time. I will try to keep this updated and get back to posting more regularly.

A Great Visit with Family

2010-02-02T12:30:00.002-06:00

It was a long drive, but everyone slept most of the way both directions, so it was a good trip. We all had a lot of fun and got to catch up on things a little.

Carter got a helicopter for Christmas and the other boys all got airplanes, so we had to go outside for a bit and have some fun playing with those. Good thing it is considerably warmer down there. Hopefully, some of that warm weather came back with us and we can actually get outside once in awhile here too.

My mom and dad were both very happy to finally be able to get everyone together. It has been awhile since all of our schedules matched up and we could all get together.

My sister brought her puppy, which of course made Emmy very happy.

Although, I think latched onto Nicholas even more than she did the puppy. She would lead him around the house and kept him at her side as much as possible.

One of the first things my sister wanted to do was to do Em's hair for her. Em being the only girl, she was pretty much the center of attention. Of course, she did not have any problems with that.

Anyway, I just wanted to post some pictures from the weekend. Everyone had a blast, and we all agreed that we need to do it again soon.

Back to Work

2010-01-28T23:52:00.002-06:00

Well, I guess the vacation is almost over. One more week of "vacation" time left, and then it's back to work. I'm looking forward to my new job. However, I am a little nervous at the same time. It is the first contract position that I have taken, and with that, I am not sure of what all to expect. Over all, I think it will be the same as other positions, and can't be any worse than the last organization I was working for. The contract term is for 18 months, so at least it will be awhile before I have to start thinking about looking for another position again.

Anyway, I wanted to give everyone a quick update. Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts.

Snow Bunny

2010-01-04T12:36:00.003-06:00

I just thought I would share some pictures of our friendly family bunny that lives out front. He has pretty much successfully eaten the remaining leaves off of our bushes out front.

He just stays there when we go in and out. We even bought some carrots on our last trip to the store just to make sure he had enough to eat.

A Good Christmas

2010-01-04T12:18:00.003-06:00

I think this had to be the biggest hit out of everything. She loved her princess dresses and is still playing with them all the time.

She is such a little princess. She loves to pose and smile for pictures all the time.

Em had to do a little convincing to get Carter to join in the fun and put on the crown.

... but as you can see once he got started, he had a blast too (even with coordinating his shoes). He even asked if he should take his pants off because they didn't look good showing under his dress!

Those two are pretty much inseperable. They were heading back to the castle to play some more at the end of the day.

All in all, they both had a great time, and the older ones and I all had a blast watching them. It was a great Christmas and I am hopeful that it is a sign of what is going to be a great 2010.

Long Time No Post

2009-12-21T15:06:00.003-06:00

It's been a long time, and a lot has happened since my last post. I guess the item at the top of the list is the fact that I finally had my hearing and have visitation back to normal with the kids. Actually, it is a little better than normal. Before I had to put up with Michelle and deal with her everytime I went back to visit them. However, now whenever I go back (which is set at every other weekend just as before), Michelle has to leave the house and can't come back until my visitation is over. The judge took the times I requested verbatim and gave me pretty much everything I was asking. I have no idea where she will go on my weekends, and although it might not be the nicest thing in the world to say... I really don't care where she goes or what she does. I finally get to enjoy quiet time with them without her interuptions or anything else. I had the first of those visits this past weekend, and it was wonderful. I will share some of that in a later post, but wanted to use this as more to catch up with things.

The second major item that has changed since my last post is my dad. Things did not look good for awhile, but he had another PET scan done and things are looking up. They don't think the spots on either of his lungs are cancer at this point. It's been a little bit of a roller coaster, and I know he is getting tired of it (we all are), but we are all happy that for the moment we are on a positive note and plan to enjoy that over the holidays.

Lastly, the other item that has changed since my last post is work. I don't really want to share all the ins and outs regarding that item. However, let's just say that I am thankful the job market is starting to turn around, and there seems to be a few good opportunities out there.

I'll try to get some more posts up soon and include some pictures of the little ones from the holidays. They are always so much fun, and can always bring a smile to your face.

The school play

2009-11-26T09:39:00.003-06:00

The play was pretty funny this year. They tried to fit all of Greek mythology into 99 minutes or less. I actually saw it twice. The first time I saw it, they finished in just over their time limit. However, they were able to finish with a couple minutes to spare the last time.

I think Andrew was having a little fun and getting into his role a little bit. What do you think?

He had been shot and people were behind him talking about him like he was dead. He was sitting there saying "Hey... I'm right here, come on... help me up."

This was his big part. He took center stage with the rest of the cast around him. The picture isn't so great. The first time I saw the play I got a video of this portion, but it is too big to upload to the blog, so the picture will have to do.

It was a great play, and overall a pretty good weekend with the kids. However, I didn't know at the time that it would be my last weekend there for awhile. Hopefully, that will all be resolved soon, and I will be able to share some more time with them and create some new memories.

More bad news

2009-11-23T08:51:00.002-06:00

I found out over the weekend that my dad's cancer is back. I don't have too many details yet, as I am waiting for another call sometime later this week. His doctor wants to review the results with another doctor, and then will get back to us as to what they think.

At this point, it looks like there are at least two masses that have been spotted in his lung, with the larger of the two being about 3/8 of an inch. Chemo has been mentioned, but right now we are waiting to hear what the doctors have to say after getting together to review his file.

I don't know what else to say for now, so I guess this is another item that I will have to try to keep people updated on as I get more information.

From bad to worse

2009-11-20T12:11:00.002-06:00

I have had two separate hearings at this point, and no agreement has been reached in regards to the wonderful little protection order Michelle filed against me. This means that a new date has been set, and this time it is set for three weeks out and will be a half day trial.

I kind of like the fact that it will be a half day trial. It will force her to show what evidence she has (or the lack thereof), and therefore; I fully expect the thing to be thrown out and for me to not have to worry about it anymore. However, in the meantime, Michelle discovered that since they used a standard form for the order, and she listed the kids on the form to be returned to her... there is a nice little clause listed at the bottom of that paragraph that prevents me from having ANY contact with the kids. That's right, it means absolutely no contact with any of my little ones for the next three weeks.

I am currently on day two of that wonderful little time span, and I'm just not sure if I am going to be able to make it a full three weeks without hearing any of their voices, or being able to know what they are up to and how things are going. I can't believe Michelle would do this to the kids. I knew things would not exactly be pretty in filing for divorce, but I did not expect them to be quite this ugly either.

I will try to update periodically as to how things are going, but at this point, I don't know that I will have much to say other than... "I miss my kids!"

And so it begins...

2009-11-04T18:14:00.003-06:00

Today was an exceptionally bad day for me. I know this has been coming for a long time. However, I did not foresee just how ugly things would get when it came down to actually filing.

I was served with papers today. When I first found out that I was being served, my initial reaction was a feeling of relief. I was happy in thinking that she had filed and I was receiving the papers for divorce. However, of course I could not be that lucky. The papers were not related to her filing for divorce, but were instead were restraining order papers preventing me from returning to the house and being able to see the kids. She is afraid that I might just put them in the car with me and bring them back to Omaha (I guess in retrospect, I should not have said there was nothing to prevent me from doing that when she was yelling at me last weekend).

I am certain that it is all just a ploy and a way to position herself in preparation for what is coming. I had told her during the previous weekend to expect her divorce papers to be served to her this week. However, although knowing it is simply posturing for the proceedings to come, it still hurts knowing that for the moment, I cannot return to the house to see my little ones.

I have called my older boys, and they have both stated that they will help me in being able to speak to the other two whenever possible. That helps to an extent. I am sure I will be able to get through this and that everything will turn out in the end. However, I am not looking forward to all the wonderful little things that I just know I get to look forward to before that happens.

Emmy's Haunted House

2009-11-02T09:13:00.002-06:00

Em had a blast decorating her haunted house. It was by no means the neatest creation we have done, but you could definitely tell she had fun with it.

I love the black teeth in her smile. I guess not all of the black icing made it onto the house.

Johnathan's big pumpkin plan

2009-11-02T09:00:00.003-06:00

Johnathan decided to put the big pumpkin from the garden to good use...

Vampires

2009-11-02T08:38:00.004-06:00

The little ones had a blast this Halloween. My little vampire and my vampire princess made a killing collecting candy. They have so much of it, I'm almost glad I won't be there this week as they consume it. I'm sure they will be bouncing off the walls until my next visit.

Marching Band

2009-10-20T08:55:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was the final marching band competition of the season. It is hosted by Ankeny so they did not actually compete, but performed as an exhibition anyway.

It's hard to believe how quickly they grow.

My senior - Johnathan

Andrew - sophomore

Finished!

2009-10-19T15:37:00.002-05:00

I MADE IT!!!

It was a long cold run, but it was a lot of fun. Things were very hectic and packed in at the beginning, but it really thinned out at the two mile point. That is where the half marathon people made a left turn and we got to go forward, right up that fun hill that I was looking at on the maps ahead of time. I was thinking, not only do they only have to run half, but they don't have to run this hill either.

The next few miles felt pretty good, although I wasn't too excited about the fact that I could see my breathe for the first ten miles.

At the half way point I saw another surprise. There were Gatorade and water tables every few miles. However, just past the halfway point, there was a cocktail table. Yes, that's right. It was pretty much a full bar complete with anything you wanted. I didn't stop, and I didn't see anyone else putting in their orders either. Although there was one person that stopped just to see if it was real or not.

At fifteen miles, I thought to myself... "Well, that's two laps around Zorinsky, time to start the third". The funny thing was that about that point, we hit the trails and circled a couple of lakes in the area, so I felt right at home. The sun finally came out and the weather started getting a little nicer. However, being on trails and in the trees, we didn't get to enjoy the sun for too long.

There were people lining the path almost the entire course, bands, and musicians pretty much for the full thing. My favorite sign along the way was one that said "If was easy, I would do it". Bottom line, the spectators were great, and I had a great race.

I was pretty sore by the time I finished, but I finished. I had said I wanted to make 4:30, but would be happy if I came in under 5:00. I finished right in the middle of the two, so I can't complain with that. Having Lindsey there at the finish line was great. It really meant a lot to me that she would come all the way to Des Moines to watch me. It was the perfect ending to a great race.

The Countdown - 48 hours

2009-10-16T08:07:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm starting to get a little nervous at this point. Two days from now, at this time, I will be just getting started on the marathon. I had thought I was ready but I've been sick for about the last week or so, and I haven't ran at all since last Saturday. Hopefully, I will be able to get over being sick, and all of the training that I did prior to that will be enough to get me through it. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

On the plus side, the weather looks like it is actually going to be halfway decent. Dry, partly cloudy, and a high of 58. With the recent weather we have been having, I don't think I could ask for anything better than what's in the forecast. Let's just hope their actually right this time!

Emmy

2009-10-15T08:25:00.002-05:00

I don't normally post much information about Michelle. However, I am feeling quite frustrated at the moment and thought I would share the cause of my frustrations.

Last night I called her at 9:30 and asked if the kids were still up. She said that they were already in bed. However, I heard Em in the background, so I asked if I could talk to her and say goodnight. Michelle absolutely refused to let me talk to her saying how Em had already been told to go to bed and that my calling was a disruption and went against what she had already been told. I tried to say that I just wanted to tell her goodnight, and that I would even tell her she needed to listen to her mom and go to bed. However, she still adamantly refused to allow me to do this.

I also asked if Carter was still awake and if I could tell him goodnight. Of course, she said he was already asleep. Then later, when she called me back to yell at me telling me how I should never call to talk to them that late, I hear Carter in the background asking for a glass of water.

It just gets to me sometimes. What's the big deal with letting me talk to them just to say goodnight. Eventually, with her yelling at me, both kids were aware that I was on the phone. So I think she got a little pressure from that side, and I did end up getting to tell them goodnight.

I just find it utterly ridiculous that she would be so childish about such things. I think overall I have been handling not being able to see them regularly pretty well. However, it is difficult not being allowed to even talk to them when feeling those sentimental moments and just wanting to be able to reach out and at least hear their sweet little voices and say goodnight.

The Countdown - 9 days

2009-10-09T08:16:00.002-05:00

The Des Moines marathon is one week from this Sunday, and there is snow in the forecast for tomorrow!?! What the heck is up with that? I guess the chances of getting to run in ideal conditions are slipping away. Oh well, at this point, I just want to run it and be done. I need to get back to a normal routine, and it's simply getting too cold to be running outside on a regular basis anyway.

Even with the cold weather, I am still excited. I love the fact that Lindsey will be coming to Des Moines to cheer me on. We will go downtown on Saturday to pick up my race packet, and I will get to show her around a little bit. I can't think of a better way to spend the day before the race.

Pictures

2009-10-06T10:20:00.003-05:00

I had some fun taking pictures over the weekend, and thought I would share some of the better ones.

It's hard to get him to stand still and actually give a normal smile instead of his classic grin.

Getting both of them to look at me at the same time is always a challenge. Especially when they are both just wanting to run and play.

Em was more interested in the little baby frog that was sitting on a nearby rock.

She was having fun climbing on the railings and trying to find some ducks.

Carter is always happy to pose and smile for a picture.

It was a beautiful day, and we got some nice pictures, but the best part was being able to spend the time with them and enjoy their smiles while they enjoyed the weather.

First Haircut

2009-10-05T13:07:00.003-05:00

It was time, and she was ready and pretty happy about the whole thing...

It was just a trim, but being as she had never had one, it meant taking a few inches off. She sat and did everything exactly as directed.

Her hair is still pretty long, and now looks much healthier than it did. She is such a little princess.

And of course, we had to finish off with a lollipop.

October

2009-09-30T13:39:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe it's already almost October.

But the pumpkin in the back yard already looks like this...

And this was waiting on my desk this morning...

This year seems to have flown by. So many things going on, it's hard to keep up with everything sometimes. However, I love where things are headed, I love being able to see progress towards my goals, and generally speaking, I feel good about where I am. Sometimes even though you want time to speed up to get through the bad spots, you still have to slow things down in order to enjoy the good things and savor those moments before they too have passed you by.

The Countdown - 19 Days

2009-09-28T08:07:00.002-05:00

It's getting closer. Only 19 days and 52 miles of training left.

I completed my final long training run yesterday, another 20 miles. It was not quite as good as I had hoped, but it was still a significant improvement over my last 20 mile run. Plus, I am now confident that I will be able to reach the goal that I had set.

The other great thing about that run is the fact that it was the last long run before race day. For the next 19 days, I will not have to subject my legs to that kind of distance. My long weekend runs are to be less than 10 miles, so I should be able to handle those and actually let my legs recover a bit before killing them one last time.

I'll keep you posted.

The Course

2009-09-24T10:40:00.006-05:00

Well, there it is. At first glance, the first thing that pops into my head is "Wow, that looks like a long way"! Then, after starting to actually try to get a better understanding of the course, I started to focus on this section:

Wow, if I'm not mistaken, that looks like about a two mile long hill starting just two miles into the course, and it just keeps getting steeper and steeper until you get to the top. This is definitely going to be interesting. On the bright side, it looks like once you get to about mile 14 or so, it is mostly downhill from there.

On another positive note, I found out last night that I will have someone there to cheer me on. Lindsey will be coming to Des Moines to give me some support during this endeavor. It really means a lot to me that she would go so far out of her way in order to support me on this. It's just over three weeks away now, and I am really beginning to get excited and looking forward to it!

Zorinsky

2009-09-22T13:53:00.002-05:00

I am beginning to get way too familiar with this place. However, I have to admit, adding the hot air balloon floating just above the lake was a nice addition to the already scenic view.

My final long run is scheduled for this weekend, and the plan is to do three full laps around the lake. That will be about 21.5 miles. I'm just hoping that the weather holds out and I can complete all three laps like I want to.

This past weekend did not go so well, and I only completed 10 miles of the 20 that I had planned, so it will really help my confidence if I can complete the full 21.5. There were reasons beyond health and physical ability that prevented me from doing all 20 last weekend, so it's not that I don't think I can do it. I just feel that I could really use the confidence boost from making the whole thing as planned.

I'll keep you posted and let you know how it goes.

Blogging

2009-09-22T08:49:00.003-05:00

What's the purpose?

Well, the answer to that question can be many different things. Different people choose to blog for different reasons. Some do it to create awareness for a cause such as a disease, or a company they feel they have been wronged by, or to share their enthusiasm for a particular sporting team. However, the majority of the millions of blogs that are written on a daily basis are simply people (including myself) wanting to share some part of their lives with family and friends.

Anyone that goes and reads blogs on a regular basis should keep this in mind. No matter why the blog was written, chances are, it was written with a specific audience in mind. To that end, the reader needs to be aware of the intended audience.

I am not saying people can not read anything where they are not the intended audience. It is after all, posted on the internet for the world to see, and each and every blogger has the right and ability to limit their readers if they really want to do so. However, most bloggers don't want to do that. The reason for blogging in the first place is to have your opinions heard, and that can't happen too well when you are purposely limiting the number of potential readers.

Knowing and being conscious of the intended audience will help you, the reader, to be able to place the proper perspective on what is being said. For example, if a blogger is wanting to vent frustrations, chances are they will do so without pointing fingers and putting names, companies, or anything else directing specifically towards anyone. To the contrary, bloggers aiming to discredit a specific company, doctor, product, or whatever the case may be, will almost always be very direct and specific about the subject and cause of their frustrations. Please keep in mind, we are talking about the internet here, and there are millions of blogs and posts, so of course there are exceptions.

Anyway, I guess the bottom line is just that. It is the internet, and there is a little of everything out there. The public blogsphere is primarily made up of people simply wanting to share and get things off their chest. It is not a source for news or gossip. There is a reason for the saying "don't believe everything you read online". The blogging world is made up of people's opinions, nothing more.

I apologize for the long post. Have a good day, and happy blogging to all!

Andrew's Birthday

2009-09-21T15:48:00.002-05:00

Okay, I wasn't there for this. It was a few weeks ago, but I just got it off of the camera and thought I would share.

He had a party at the park with a few of his friends.

Andrew with his girlfriend. She is a couple years older than him so she does all the driving. I don't think he minds at all. However, she is a senior this year, so not sure where or how things will go next year.

The Countdown - 26 Days

2009-09-21T14:50:00.003-05:00

Well, it's getting closer, only 92 miles of training left prior to the big day. Fortunately, that only includes one more long run, and I'm supposed to do that this coming weekend. From that point on, its all just shorter runs to maintain. I haven't exactly been doing too well on my training recently though. However, I still think I will do okay when the day finally arrives.

I even got a new headset to take with me on my runs...

I tried it out over the weekend on a ten mile run, and it was kinda nice. No more wires to mess with and yet it is still just as light weight as what I was using before. Now if only I can find my iron-man watch that I seem to have misplaced somewhere, I think I have everything I need.

Running Alone

2009-09-17T14:42:00.002-05:00

Oh well... I guess my friend won't be joining me for the marathon after all. It's probably a good thing anyway. I've done all my training on my own, so I might be better off this way. I can focus on running my race at my pace without thinking about anyone else.

I cut a couple miles off of what I was scheduled to run yesterday, but I don't think it should hurt anything. This Saturday is supposed to be a 20 mile run though, so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully I can stay healthy for the next few weeks and be able to complete everything as planned. I'll keep you posted.

The Countdown

2009-09-14T13:52:00.002-05:00

Only 33 days left to race day, and according to the schedule I have outlined to get ready, 130 miles of running to do.

Blah, I'm not so sure I should have added that up. That is a lot of miles to complete between now and then. Oh well, I'm sure it will go by faster than I want it to. Plus, most of the miles will be in the next couple weeks. After that, I get to start reducing the miles in order be rested and ready for race day.

Another exciting piece is the fact that I might actually have someone to run with (for at least part of it anyway). An old friend of mine from high school is thinking of running this year. She has run the Des Moines marathon in the past, loved the course and the spectators, and said that she might be up for doing it again this year. The only thing is, she has completed several marathons and there is no way I could keep up with her. However, it would still be fun to see her again anyway. I'll keep you posted as it gets closer and the countdown continues.

A Great Weekend

2009-09-13T20:33:00.004-05:00

It was nothing special. However, at the same time I think it was one of the best weekends I've had in awhile.

On Saturday I went for my second long run. I only added one mile to my previous distance, making for a total of 19 miles. However, at the same time I also reduced my time considerably. My leg was really bothering me towards the end, and that concerned my for a bit. It was the same calf muscle that I tore last summer and had to stop running for awhile. Therefore, you can understand why it was a bit concerning when it started hurting at the end of my run. It continued to bother me for the rest of the day, but I was still pleased with my performance that morning. Saturday ended with a nice dinner out at Biaggi's. Dinner was great and so was the company. It was a nice relaxing way to end a quiet but tiring day.

Sunday morning I slept in for awhile, but when I did get up, my leg was feeling pretty good. The day was nothing overly eventful. I did some minor cleaning in the morning, and then worked on some paperwork that I need to finish. After that, there was more of nothing special. Again, although it was not truly eventful, it was relaxing and very enjoyable.

The evening consisted of making dinner and spending some more quiet time at home. Dinner actually turned out pretty good this time and Lindsey and I were able to enjoy a nice quiet meal with just the two of us.

Like I said, nothing special about the weekend overall. However, at the same time it was a great weekend and I hope to have many more like it.

Best Buds

2009-09-10T19:49:00.002-05:00

My little ones at the park today.

They are such a pair. It is so cute when they are actually getting along. Unfortunately, they are the typical siblings and are usually driving each other crazy. However, it is nice to see those moments when they are playing happily together.

Pirates

2009-09-10T19:34:00.002-05:00

Yep, those are my oldest two. Andrew on the left, and Johnathan with his (ex) girlfriend on the right. They all dressed up for pirate day at school one day. It's kinda scary how fast they grow up some times.

Tree House

2009-09-08T08:47:00.004-05:00

I had posted about the tree house before, and even shared some pictures of it. However, I also mentioned at the end of the post that storms had played havoc with it and the solid walls were simply no match for the strong winds that seem to concentrate in the back yard.

So, Johnathan and Andrew helped take down the old walls, used some of those parts to create a rock climbing wall, added a rope ladder to the back, and added four corner support beams set in concrete.

This left me once again with a raised platform on which to build some walls to keep the little ones safe. However, this time we decided on some open railings that would not catch the wind. It looks pretty simple, but it took me about a day and a half (and a nice sunburn) to get everything cut and assembled.

The little ones are pretty happy with the results though, and I don't think any of the storms will be tearing this one down.

A Long Run

2009-09-08T08:13:00.002-05:00

My starting point...

Up to this point, I had been feeling pretty good. However, I still had to make it back to the car, so I decided it was time to turn around and attempt the journey back.

The path runs along the lake, so I got to see everyone having a great time out enjoying the beautiful weather drinking in the sun while I was starting to feel the effects of not having any liquid with me.

Okay... at this point, I decided it was a good day to listen to the proverbial saying "stop and smell the flowers". There was a butterfly garden along the path, so it was the perfect location to stop and do just that.

There were lots of flowers to choose from, but none of them looked quite as good as the water fountain that was there too. After a nice break and some replenishment of bodily fluids, I was able to get back on the path and make it back to the car.

All in all, I am happy that I was able to complete the 18 mile journey. However, I was a bit disappointed with how long it took. This was my first really long run though, and hopefully I will be better prepared for future ones, and things will go a little smoother.

Registered and Ready

2009-09-03T08:28:00.002-05:00

For the Des Moines Marathon that is.

Well, registered anyway, and at a cost of $92 and the fact that they don't allow any refunds, I'm working on the 'ready' part. I have a whole five weeks left to get where I need to be. Actually, now that I am taking a different approach and simply wanting to have fun with it, I don't think it will be too much of a problem. Although, I will feel better about things once I can get a couple of long runs in. I need to get a better idea of what to expect when trying to run a full 26.2. To date, I have never gone past the 10 mile point, so it could be a little interesting. I guess we'll find out though. I plan on trying to get at least 16 in on this Saturday providing the weather is reasonably decent.

That's another thing that has me slightly concerned at this point... the weather. What if it comes down to race day, and it is a morning like today, all rainy and nasty? Will I be prepared and ready to attempt a full marathon in the rain? Hopefully, that is a question that will not need to be answered, and the conditions will be perfect. Hey, one can hope.

Anyway, the commitment has been made. I have my schedule of what I need to do over the next five weeks to be ready for the event. Now, all I have to do is follow through and have some fun on the way.

Stress

2009-08-31T14:21:00.004-05:00

A cause for stress, or a way to release it?

There are many different ways to handle stress, and different people handle stress in different ways. For me, my outlet has been exercise. However, recently I have been toying with the idea of registering for the Des Moines marathon. Somehow, with the thought of the marathon, running became a new stress factor rather than a way to release it. I began to worry about things like, will I be ready, what kind of pace should I shoot for, will I be able to get in enough training time prior to race day.

The thing is, it is something I would like to do, and although I know the amount of time remaining to prepare is dwindling, there is no reason I can't meet this challenge without it causing additional stress. I simply need to keep in mind the reason I am running is for personal satisfaction and as a way to get away from the normal day to day stresses that life presents. In order to ensure that this does not become a source of additional stress, I do need to lighten up on my goals though. I am no longer going to push myself to complete within a specific time, but rather simply enjoy the fact that I am doing it.

I guess in typing this post, I have talked myself into doing this and will be registering to run the Des Moines marathon on October 18th.

Fun Week

2009-08-26T01:01:00.006-05:00

Work is going to dominate my life this week. Not only do I get to spend two nights this week working, but on top of that I also have a ton of new projects and updates I need to make to existing projects and documentation due to my new director that started a couple weeks ago. Luckily, there is not a lot that is really required of me during the night implementations other than monitoring the work. Therefore, I hope to be able to complete the majority of my documentation updates during those times. This should allow me to keep my normal busy schedule during regular business hours.

Hopefully, it will be a nice relaxing weekend at home and I will be able to get some rest and things will return to a normal schedule next week.

Stromboli

2009-08-24T13:48:00.004-05:00

My kids all love it when I make stromboli and I have gotten quite good at it recently. Generally speaking it is actually quite easy to make. However, I guess I got a little over confident, and decided to make some for Lindsey, Haylee, and Bennett the other night. In doing so, I learned a valuable lesson... not all mixers are created equal.

My dough simply did not turn out the way it should, and that makes making stromboli quite the challenge. I did manage to get it rolled out, all the good stuff added, and was able to roll it up and get it onto a pan for baking. However, it was far from my best work. Lindsey was extremely nice and polite about the whole thing and told me how wonderful it turned out, but the reality of it was that it simply was not as good as I had wanted to make for them.

I made some more over the weekend and it turned out like it should.

I had to bring some back for Lindsey to try, just to let her know how it is supposed to taste. Now, I think I might be making some more later this week.

Star Wars

2009-08-24T13:30:00.003-05:00

This is what happens when a seven year old and a three year old play Star Wars and the seven year old gets the higher ground...

The three year old is always doomed to be the one to die.

Okay, it probably doesn't matter if he had the higher ground or not, but she dies so well anyway!

Odd but Nice

2009-08-23T10:14:00.004-05:00

This weekend was a welcomed change from my normal weekend with the kids. At first, I thought I was in for a bad weekend because I was being told I needed to hurry home. Then when I got there, no one was home. That was a little frustrating, but not really all that out of the ordinary for Michelle.

Anyway, about 15 minutes later, Michelle pulls in the drive and drops off the kids and takes off. She never came in, and never returned for the rest of the weekend. She had not told me that she had any plans or anything. I guess that is the part that is so odd about the whole thing. However, without her at the house, I was able to have a really nice quiet relaxing weekend with my little ones. It was a great weekend filled with video games, books, snuggles, and tickles. Hopefully, this is the start of a new trend for my weekends with the kids.

Running

2009-08-20T12:41:00.004-05:00

To give you an idea of how my running is going, I went and picked this up at the store on Monday.

Yeah... I know, it goes along with getting older. Hopefully, it will help me get back to where I can run with just the standard pain and fatigue one normally gets from running. Believe me, that's enough. I don't need any extra discomfort from bad knees. I'm not sure if it will help or not, or how long I will need to take it before I can feel a difference (if I ever will). However, I figured it can't hurt, and if I am going to have a shot at being able to complete a marathon, I needed to do something.

Back to School

2009-08-20T07:54:00.003-05:00

Carter with his Transformers lunch box after his first day back at school...

He seemed very pleased with his first day, and loves his new teacher. I think it is going to be a good year for my little guy.

Emmy spent the day with her mom, but she was sporting her own backpack. She wants to go to school just like everyone else.

There are times when she acts like she is already ready to join them...

They simply grow up too fast!!!

Marching Band

2009-08-19T11:29:00.003-05:00

I love how her little feet keep going while she is fixing her hair. She never loses a beat.

And the drum doubles as part of the uniform too!

Doing her own makeup

2009-08-19T08:49:00.002-05:00

I have to thank Michelle for sending me this one. I think this was the first time she actually sent me a pic of any of the kids during the week.

I'm not sure Em is quite ready to do her own makeup yet, but she sure looks like she had fun in the process.

He's a Senior

2009-08-17T08:38:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that Johnathan will be starting his senior year in just a couple more days. They start on Wednesday. He has quite the course load this year including French 5, Calculus, Chemistry, English II & III, US Government, and Economics (all honors classes, and most of them AP for college credit as well). He is taking all that on top of continuing in band and running both track and cross country. I'm sure he is in for a fun year, but that seems to be the way he likes it.

After this year, he intends to go onto college and get his undergrad in genetic engineering. After that, he has his heart set on Harvard Law. We'll see how that goes though. I think he is considering using Drake Law as a secondary choice if he has to.

The Family

2009-08-16T14:13:00.004-05:00

Well, I said I would put up a new post letting everyone know how things went with meeting the family.

Hmmmm... where to start?

I'm just kidding. It was a good weekend, and I had a great time meeting the family. I was a bit nervous about the whole thing at first, but it was really nice and I felt like everyone welcomed me in.

Thank you for including me, and I hope there will be many more weekends to come just like it.

Meeting the Family

2009-08-14T09:58:00.002-05:00

Hmmmm.... what to say?

I am meeting Lindsey's family tonight for dinner and then a full family reunion tomorrow. I'm not really sure what to say or what to expect for that matter. Lindsey has told me that she thinks I will fit in just fine. However, her sister asked why she would introduce me to everyone at once rather than one crazy family member at a time. Should I read between the lines and come to the conclusion that Lindsey thinks I will fit in because I am just as crazy as everyone else?

I'll post an update after (if) I make it through, and let you know how everything went.

Time for a Haircut?

2009-08-12T16:42:00.003-05:00

It's starting to get a little long, and guess what. She has NEVER had it cut yet. We thought about having it cut on her third birthday, but that didn't happen. I'm not sure if we want to wait for another birthday to cut it though. I don't want it short or anything, but a trim might be in order.

Video Wallpaper

2009-08-12T16:24:00.002-05:00

I just had to share the new wallpaper I have on my phone. I get to see this bubbly little happy dancing face every time I go to use my phone now, and it never fails to make me smile.

Happy Birthday Carter

2009-08-09T19:45:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Carter's 7th birthday over the weekend. It was a little late, but he had a lot of fun, and the party was a success.

Johnathan did some card tricks to help with the entertainment.

Of course Andrew had to join in the fun and do some magic of his own.

It became quite interesting as they both kept trying to out do the other and turned it into a competition as to which one was the better magician, and of course the kids loved the entire show.

I just thought I would throw in a picture of Em after having had her cupcake. As you can see... she loves her cupcakes.

Summer Vacation

2009-08-07T08:46:00.003-05:00

It's almost that time of year. Summer vacation is nearly at an end. Only one more full week remaining before it is time for the kids to be heading back to school and for them to be asked by their teachers... "What did you do over summer vacation?"

Johnathan's answer would more than likely be somewhat simple. Something along the lines of "I worked and hung out with friends." He is always the quiet one and keeps things pretty short and sweet. However, he has been known to get a bit lively now and then amongst his friends.

Andrew's answer would be really difficult to predict. He is quite the creative individual and can be quite a character. He is always fun. So the one thing you can be sure of is that his answer would be amusing and probably in the form of a nice little humorous anecdote.

There is absolutely no predicting what Carter would say. The only thing to be certain is that you will get an earful for an answer. You have to be careful when asking open ended questions of Carter, and be prepared to listen for awhile when you do. Carter loves life, and loves to talk and share everything with anyone that is willing to listen.

Emmy is the only one left that will not have anyone asking this question. She's still only 3, so has a couple more years before she will be off to school with the rest of them. However, if she were to be asked that question, I think her answer would be quite simple. Something along the lines of "I played with my brothers." And then proceed to ask if you wanted to play.

Pierced

2009-08-05T14:03:00.007-05:00

Haylee had her ears pieced today for her birthday!

Getting ready and making sure the marks are even before starting...

Giving Claire Bear a hug before the first one...

One down, and still smiling!...

Time for the second one. Still calm and relaxed...

All done! Still happy and smiling. She did wonderful!

Everyone was surprised at how well she did. Not even a flinch or anything, just all smiles and hug and kiss for her mom when she was done.

Volleyball

2009-08-05T10:56:00.003-05:00

This was a couple of weeks ago, but we had a fun day at the park.

We started off nice and clean and happy about the prospect of playing a little bit of sand volleyball...

Then she started having a little more fun playing in the sand but still had the ball at least...

She was having so much fun, she got me down there to have a little fun too...

It was a great day, but for the rest of the time at the park, I couldn't get rid off all of the sand sticking to me everywhere.

Simple Concepts

2009-08-04T14:15:00.002-05:00

I have been in the process of preparing myself for divorce for some time now. In order to help with this, I have done a great deal of reading on the subject, primarily in order to help ensure my kids are okay and will be able to have a smooth adjustment. In all of the reading I have done, there are several items that are shared and consistent throughout all of the literature I have read.

1. Always be available to listen to your child.
2. Don't argue or fight with your ex-spouse if your child is within listening range.
3. Use consistent discipline. Your child should have the same rules no matter where they are.
4. Don't criticize your ex-spouse in front of your child. Remember, they are the child's parent too, and by criticizing them, you are indirectly criticizing your own child.
5. Don't try to buy your child's love. This only leads to resentment and all the child really wants to know is that you love them. There are much better ways to demonstrate this to them.

To me, these recurring topics seem like pretty simple concepts. However, in witnessing how others handle divorce and handle day to day interactions and activities, I can see why these topics are published by so many different sources. For many years I was hesitant to move forward with my divorce due to my kids. However, by having a complete understanding of these simple concepts, I know that my kids will actually be better off in the long run because of my divorce.

Fighting the battle

2009-07-28T08:25:00.002-05:00

Over the years, I have continued to at least attempt to stay in decent physical condition. However, that seems to be increasingly difficult to do at times, and last night was one of those nights.

I go to the gym regularly to play basketball. I like to think that I am a decent player, at least good enough to where when the place is full, I am still picked to play on one of the teams. However, after my performance last night, I am not so sure that will still be the case. I don't know if it was due to lack of sleep or what my problem was but I played quite poorly. To top things off, I seem to have managed to bruise my heel somehow. Perhaps another sign that I am not doing quite so well with my battle to stay young and fit.

It's nights like last night that make me think I might be crazy for a new goal I have set for myself. I want to be able to run a marathon. I have never ran anything close to that distance. However, I have been doing some running, and think I might actually be up for it. Or let me correct that... thought I was up for it before I managed to bruise my heel. I'll take a day or two off and see how it feels, and will more than likely be able to start running again soon. It just bothers me how easily I seem to get injured lately. I guess injuries are a part of any battle though... and I'm not ready to lose this one... at least not yet.

New Babies

2009-07-27T10:27:00.003-05:00

My son and his girlfirnd are sharing joing custody of two new baby girls.

They always get plenty of love and attention when they are staying at the house with my son...

However, he needs to be careful. They might end up getting more attention than he would like!

I'm sure his girlfriend would not appreciate it if they were left unattended and something were to happen to them.

Miss Incredible

2009-07-23T12:53:00.006-05:00

Some people do so many things and put up with so much they are nothing short of incredible. Between doing everything from running a household, raising kids, going to school, and still finding time to have fun with family and friends, it's hard for me to understand why others would choose to attack someone like this with negative comments. I guess what it comes down to is that unfortunately, there are people out there that need to tear other people down in order to build themselves up. However, it upsets me that the people that need to do this are not even willing to take credit for their actions by signing such comments.

In short, I just wanted to go on record by saying how amazing it is that any one person can do so many things and do them so well, and still find time to do the little things, to still have fun, to still have time to share with others, and to be able to truly enjoy life.

I apologize for the picture, but you are my MISS INCREDIBLE!

PhotoShop Fun

2009-07-20T11:17:00.016-05:00

I used to love playing with photoshop and seeing what I could do or create. I never really had the time to get into the truly advanced stuff but it was a hobby that I enjoyed playing with from time to time.

It was fun letting the boys pose for a picture, and then finding a suitable background and throwing it in behind them...

Or seeing how many years I could take off of someone...

Or removing things from the background that you don't want included in your printed image...

Other things I have had fun with are things such as trying to restore old or damaged photographs. It's also fun to just play with an image, distort it, or do other crazy things with them. However, I am not so sure the subjects of those images would appreciate me posting, so I will have to leave that up to your imagination ;)

Mondays

2009-07-14T19:54:00.003-05:00

Carter and I had a great weekend. We spent the entire three day weekend together just hanging out, playing games and just having fun in general. (I took Friday off to celebrate his birthday with him.) However, inevitably, Monday morning came, and it was time for me to head to work. I leave at 5:00 am, so it was well before he woke up. I did say goodbye and give him a hug and kiss, although I am sure he does not remember it. Anyway, when I was talking with him later on Monday afternoon, he asked why I left. I told him that I had to go back to work.

He was just quiet for a little bit, and then says "Are you sure it's a work day? Maybe your boss forgot to tell you that it's not a work today and you should come home".

I assured him that my boss was there too and that it was a work day, but you just gotta love how their little hearts just come out in their words sometimes.

SummerFest

2009-07-13T09:06:00.008-05:00

It was a fun and busy weekend with SummerFest going on. I didn't get to see much of Andrew since he spent most of the weekend hanging out with his friends and enjoying the festivities. Johnathan had to march in the parade with the band, and then he also chose to hang out with his friends after that. What else do you expect from a couple of teen aged boys?

Anyway, that left the little ones with me to enjoy the cardboard boat ragatta. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time seeing all of the different creations try to make their way across the lake. Here are a few of the more creative entries this year:

I think this was the largest entry. I wasn't sure if those kids would be able to make it anywhere. They had trouble even getting their paddles to touch the water.

I think this one was Em's favorite. She REALLY wanted the ducky to win.

Another pirate ship. This one might have been my favorite this year.

The party barge. These guys had a ton of fun, but it started sinking on them and they couldn't finish.

A very simple yet creative design.

All in all, it was really a lot of fun, and the little ones had a blast watching all the different boats (especially the ones that sank). I think I'm going to try to get my older two boys to build one for Carter next year so he can participate. I'm not sure yet though. We might have to make it big enough that Andrew can go with him. Either way, I'm sure it would turn out to be an experience for them to remember.

Another Three Day Weekend

2009-07-09T09:35:00.002-05:00

Yep, today is my Friday again. I'm taking tomorrow off for Carter's birthday. He will be 7. I'm not too sure what all we will do over the weekend. I don't have any big plans or anything like that, just some nice quality time with my little man.

Originally, we were supposed to be having a birthday party with a "magic" theme for him over the weekend, and I was kinda looking forward to that. However, Michelle decided to reschedule it for next weekend instead. Her explanation as to the reason for rescheduling... because I won't be there. She is such a wonderful person and a joy to be around sometimes... NOT.

However, I am still looking forward to my 3 day weekend with the kids and away from the office. I'm sure we will figure out some fun things we can do and I will try to get a few pictures to post too.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Oh joy... more work!

2009-07-08T14:10:00.003-05:00

I went to a nice staff meeting this morning. The whole team thought it was a little odd that this meeting was scheduled in addition to the standard staff meetings, and we were all instructed to reschedule anything else if we had a conflict. Yeah, all not good signs.

Anyway, the bottom line of the meeting is that we are closing the Chicago office, and all work is to be brought here. It will be interesting trying to absorb all of the work from that office with no additional staff. Some of the developers there were offered relocation packages, but that's all, and who knows how many of them will accept.

As a few people have already told me... job security right? Well, let's hope so. In today's economy one never knows anymore. All we can do is keep doing our jobs to the best of our ability and keep hoping for the best.

A Great Holiday

2009-07-06T14:54:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I stayed home here in Omaha for the weekend, and except for a little light rain, it could not have been better.

I don't really have a lot to report. The fourth was filled with good friends, good food, plenty to drink and lots of fun. Then Sunday was filled with lots of quiet snuggle time watching movies on the couch while someone else slept the day away.

Anyway, for all that were there.... thank you for including me in the fun this year, and I hope we can all do it again next year.

Going Crazy

2009-07-01T16:44:00.002-05:00

I can't believe how incredibly difficult it has become to simply hold a respectable conversation with my soon to be ex-wife. Yes, I did say soon to be... but in reality it will not be soon enough, being as I am just getting started on the whole process. The more I try to talk with her, the more frustrated I become, and it is a continuous reminder of why I am filing.

It would be very easy for me to turn this post into nothing more than a place to vent my frustrations, but there are two reasons not to. One, no one would ever want to read it.... and two, I have people in my life that are absolutely wonderful and I can vent to them saving everyone on here the agony of listening to me rant.

Anyway, I am happy to report that I will be staying in Omaha over the holiday weekend. Originally, my kids were going to be heading down to Missouri for the 4th, and therefore, I chose to make plans to stay in town and enjoy the local festivities. However, I have been informed that they are now planning to stay in Des Moines. Part of me would like to take advantage of that and head back and enjoy the holiday with them. Although, another part knows I already made plans here, and it is time to move forward and begin new traditions that don't always include running back to Des Moines at the drop of a hat. It has been a long week, and I am looking forward to relaxing at home in Omaha for a nice quiet 3 day holiday weekend!

Two Lives

2009-06-22T09:51:00.002-05:00

Life seems strange to me, and I never thought I would ever be in the position I am in. For the longest time, I lived what many thought to be the ideal life. However, that was only when viewed from a distance. As time went on, it became more and more evident that the ideal life I had always wanted simply was not to be.

From that point, I moved into the next stage and started a second life in Omaha. This new stage was not all that different from where I was before. I was simply working in a different city, but the rest of my life remained in Des Moines. My work was always a separate part of my life before, so this was not all that different. I still had a work life and a home life. It was just that my work life was much further away and lasted a full week rather than just the work day. However, being away from the kids was very difficult for me for a long time. Especially when I would get those late calls at night and hear my little girl crying because daddy was not there. As time went on however, this lessened and things became a little easier (for the little ones as well as for myself).

The next stage was for me to actually start a life outside of work here in Omaha. This was a bit of a difficult step for me. I have never been really big on going out and meeting new people. However, I met Lindsey, and things began to change. The more time I spent with Lindsey, the shorter the weeks became. Before, I would always look forward to the weekends, and going back to Des Moines to see the kids. Now, things are not so simple. Part of me still looks forward to seeing my kids on the weekend. However, now I am also torn because I want to be able to stay and spend time with Lindsey as well. I am going to start alternating weekends in order to be able to have a little of both.

A final stage? This part is a little difficult for me to talk about, and I have no idea how far off this will be, and is really just speculation at this point in time. However, I have come to realize that I can not continue the current stage indefinately. Driving back and forth takes a lot out of a person, and eventually, I am going to need to progress to another stage. I could be wrong, but ultimately, I think I will need to get back to having one life, and that life will be here in Omaha. The hard part about this is in order for it to really work, I need my kids to be happy... and for the little ones to be happy, they need someone there. This leaves me in a bit of a predicament. However, as much as I hate to say it... there is a solution to this, and I think eventually, it will come to pass. Michelle needs to meet someone that makes her happy, and that can be there for my little ones. Like I said, this part is difficult for me to talk about. The bottom line is, I can't be in two places at once, and I want them to be happy. However, I deserve to be happy too, and this is the only way I can see that happening.

Anyway, for now I will stick with having two lives and alternate weekends. Sorry for the lengthy post, but I wanted to share where I am at right now, and how I am torn between my two lives, and wanting to be in two places at once. I love spending time with my little ones, but at the same time, I have been happier the last couple of months than I have been in MANY years. I don't want that happiness to ever end.

Father's Day

2009-06-19T13:59:00.003-05:00

Being as I more or less have two lives now, one in Omaha, and one in Des Moines, I am celebrating Father's Day twice this year.

With my sweetie
There was nothing lavish or over the top. Rather, it was a nice, quiet, relaxing evening that included one simple and very touching gift. I have always said that it is the simple little things that I love so much about Lindsey, and her gift reminded me of just how incredible she is with those little things.

Everyone knows that I spend my weeks here in Omaha, and that I am away from my kids during the week. Her gift to me was a card and four silver picture frames for me to keep here. One for each of my children. So I can keep them close, and see them every night. Like I said... not a huge gift, but very special to me and it touched my heart. Sometimes I can't believe how lucky I am to have found someone so thoughtful and caring.

With my kids
Father's Day had a little bit of a rocky start for me. I had a HUGE implementation Saturday night, so I was on a conference call from 10:30 until about 2:30 am Sunday morning. With that, I was hoping to be able to sleep in a little and that didn't happen. Anyway, once the day actually got started it turned out to be a pretty good day. I spent most of it being lazy and playing with Em. She was in a playful mood all day, and of course I had to take advantage of that.

After playing most of the day, I enjoyed a nice spaghetti dinner prepared by the kids. Johnathan always loves to cook, so of course it was good. He had made a nice Chinese dinner for everyone the night before also. Once everyone was stuffed, I went back to being lazy and went down to watch a movie. Em was tired from playing all day and she snuggled in on my lap and crashed in just a few minutes. It was a good ending to a good day.

The Race for the Cure

2009-06-15T09:11:00.004-05:00

It was an amazing day. There were over 66,000 people there and it was incredible.

I can't take credit for some of the pictures, but there is no way I could have gotten this perspective.

Everywhere you turn, there was more PINK.

The sheer number of people was unbelievable. What's even more amazing is somehow my sister managed to get lost in this crowd. So after I finished the run, I went back aound the loop weaving through this sea of people... and actually FOUND her! Can you believe it?

The St. Louis Bread Company donated bagels... free bagels for everyone! The mountain of bagels was huge. The scary part was there was another mountain of boxes that had already been collapsed that was almost just as big.

A Great Birthday!

2009-06-10T10:23:00.004-05:00

I honestly can't remember the last time I had a birthday that was as nice and relaxing as last night. It will definately be one that I will remember for years to come. I'll share some of the things that I recieved...

My cake... I was too full after dinner for this. I'll have to have some tonight.

I can't wait to use this. I'm just debating on if it should be before or after my 5K race this coming weekend.

This was so touching. Lindsey played the song Cinderella for me off of the CD. I had not heard it before. She said every time she sees the picture of me dancing with Em, she thinks of that song. I loved it, and I can only hope that I will eventually share all of those dances with my own little Cinderella.

Dinner was at The Melting Pot. This was my first time there, and it was wonderful. All in all, it was a great evening with great company. I could not have asked for a better birthday!

My first weekend in Omaha

2009-06-08T08:12:00.002-05:00

Well, after having lived and worked here for over a year, I finally spent my first weekend here. To put it simply, it was wonderful. I wish all my weekends could be as nice and relaxing. First of all, it was nice not having to start the weekend with a two and half hour drive back to Des Moines after work on Friday. Instead, I was able to go home and relax with Lindsey and the kiddos.

Saturday morning, it was time to get ready for the zoo. Yes, this was also my first trip to the Omaha zoo. It was a perfect day for the zoo, and that was obvious as soon as we got close. It looked like there were quite a few poeple that had the same idea. Once we got through the lines, it wasn't bad at all. It was a nice relaxing day, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time with Lindsey and the kids. I think it wore everyone out a little though. Everyone ended up crashing on the way home, all but Lindsey of course since she was driving. I think has she not been, she would have joined the rest of us and taken a nap.

The rest of the weekend was just relaxing and enjoyable. I can't remember the last time I have had a weekend quite that nice. I would like to thank Lindsey for helping me to have the best weekend I have had in a LONG time. Hopefully, I will be able to spend more weekends in Omaha in the future.

Busy...

2009-05-28T11:38:00.007-05:00

Wow... things have been busy lately, and I have not had a chance to really keep things up to date on here. I'll try to give some updates as to the recent happenings.

Johnathan's Birthday

Yep... my oldest is now 17! I can't believe how quickly time passes. It seems so recent that we were trying to teach him to walk back in Missouri. He was such a tenacious little bud. We had a surprise birthday party for him and actually pulled it off. It really didn't take much to plan though. One call to his girlfriend one week beforehand and she was on her phone texting to everyone to get everything set up. There were a couple of small slips but he didn't catch on. I think if we had given people any more notice than we did, there is no way we could have kept it from him. As far as the party itself... I think the highlight attributed to one of his gifts. He opened it up and it was..... diet coke. He was confused. You have to remember this is the kid that is in excellent shape and does not even like to drink soda because it's unhealthy. But then he was told to keep digging in the bag... and down further in was the....... mentos. Yep, a little too much Myth Busters for that group. Anyway, the entire group then proceeded outside to determine who could keep their mouth closed the longest after filling it with diet coke and popping in a mentos. It was hilarious and he had a good time, so I think it was a success.

Carter Started T-Ball

Well, not only did Carter start, but guess who was signed up as assistant coach. Yep, so I got to start too. I was a bit concerned at first when I looked at the schedule and found that he had a game scheduled before the team ever had a chance to even meet. Once I saw the other team and the rest of the kids on his team, I knew we were fine though. The game was a little interesting as most of the kids had no clue what the were supposed to do. However, there are no outs, and no score. Everyone gets to bat, and when each has had a turn, the inning is over.

He looks good and is giving the thumbs up, but is completely oblivious to the fact that the next guy is already batting. I don't think any of them were too into paying attention, but they all had fun.

Oh... and we forgot to use the helmets for the first batting order. Oh well, no one was hurt. I don't think anyone really even noticed.

Emmy's Birthday

We got the good china out and had a tea party for Em. She loved it! She is such girly girl. She put on her princess dress and we got her a new tiara and clip on earings. I think she bumped up from princess to queen for the day. She was in charge and made sure to let everyone know what they were supposed to be doing. I'll have to post some pictures of the party later. I'm behind and they are still on the camera and have not been downloaded to the computer yet.

Field Day

This is one of those things that I used to alway love going to. However, being out of town, I missed this one and only got to see it in pictures. It looked like they had a great day for it, and from what I saw... everyone had a lot of fun.

And then a couple of pictures from just around the house. They are so cute and silly sometimes, it's hard not to snap some candid pics just to preserve the memories...

"Home" for the weekend

2009-05-26T13:54:00.002-05:00

I have been living in Omaha for almost 15 months now, and I have not spent a single weekend here... yet. However, that is about to change. I will be staying "home" this weekend. I don't really have any plans other than to spend as much time as I can with my girlfriend, and maybe try to help her get moved into her new place. Whatever we end up doing... I am sure that my first weekend here will be fun. I'll have to add a post later to let you know how it went... well... maybe not all of it!

The Zoo

2009-05-21T15:09:00.003-05:00

Yay... the weather has finally been nice enough to take a trip to the zoo. The little ones love it there.

Feeding the fish... I think this is our favorite spot.

I think she made a new friend.

They make quite the crew don't they? I love how great they all get along (most of the time).

She is such a sweetie... but she wanted to pick all of them!

Everyone was getting a bit tired. It was time to find a place to sit down and relax.

Ouch!

2009-05-19T12:35:00.004-05:00

I was hit from behind yesterday on my way to work. These are the pictures of the accident. Oh, and to make things even more fun, I have been informed there might be a "possible coverage issue" with his insurance. I should have an answer on that one by Friday. Let's hope everything turns out ok and his insurance can cover it.

This is the car that caused the accident by running into the one behind me...

Then this is damage caused to the car behind me when they hit me.

and believe it or not... this is all the damage that was caused to my vehicle!

Old Favorites

2009-05-13T10:43:00.005-05:00

I just thought I would share some of my older favorite photos...

Home

2009-05-12T13:34:00.001-05:00

This will be a short post, but I just wanted to point out that in my first post on this blog I said that I thought I was actually getting where I would be happy to call Omaha my home. Well, in short...

"Home is where the heart is."

... I am happy to say that my heart is here, and I am home.

Dreams...

2009-05-12T10:25:00.000-05:00

Of course, as we are growing up, everyone dreams of a happy life for themselves in the future. For most, these dreams change over time, but typically involve a loving spouse and some specified number of children that the individual has decided upon.

However, I guess they key part in the above statement is the fact that these dreams change over time. Sometimes we have to let go of our dreams in order to make room for new ones, and you never know.... What comes to pass might end up being better than what the original dream was to start with.

For the longest time, I had the dream of that happy family and I did not want to let it go. However, the tighter I held onto it, the worse things seemed to get. I realized this some time ago, and finally decided to let go of that dream. Letting go of that dream was very difficult for me because I had already chased it for so long, and in the process of trying to manufacture that dream, I had four incredible children. The portion I had the most difficulty with, was the realization that letting go of that dream did not mean letting them go. They are still very much a part of my life and a part of who I am. However, I have a new dream for me and my future. A dream where I am happy once again, and I have someone to share with and create new memories. New family moments to enjoy. Tickles, laughs, hugs to savor, and ducks to feed. The incredible part about this is that I am not dreaming. I'm awake and it is real.

Play Time

2009-05-05T13:53:00.001-05:00

Don't you just love this time of year. It's time to let the little ones get outside, get some fresh air, and get some of that pent up energy out they have been driving everyone crazy with all winter. Okay, maybe not that bad... but it is still nice to let them get outside and have some fun in the sun.

Emmy always looks so cute and petite, but don't let her fool you. She is a tomboy all the way.

Carter is always my happy adventurer. He can be quite the little monkey, and can climb about anything.

More Charlie Bucket

2009-05-04T13:21:00.000-05:00

I would tell you how wonderful I think Andrew did playing the part of Charlie...

... but I thought it would be better to show you instead.

I thought he was great, but maybe I am a bit biased. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Sneaking out...

2009-04-30T10:38:00.000-05:00

Intriguing title, but unfortunately not such a good topic. I found out my oldest son has been sneaking out at night to see his girlfriend. She lives about 5 miles away. He would sneak out, run all the way there... spend some time with her, and then run all the way home. If nothing else, the kid is in good shape. He is almost 17, and yes, I am sure of what he has been doing on these little adventures of his. I had to call his girlfriend's dad to let him know what has been going on between his daughter and my son. Although, he was appreciative of my call to let him know, trust me... that was not exactly a fun phone call to make. I knew having teen aged boys was going to bring some interesting times, but I was not expecting this!