New Year, New You, New Life

so the New Year is upon us. It is time to leave the past behind and look to the future. You can't change the past anyway - right, so why dwell on it. I know it is easier said than done especially when you have been hurt, whether by someone, whether you lost a job, a friend, whether you feel like you are in a deep black hole that you can't get out of. Life is what you make of it. As hard as it is to see the light at the end of the tunnel, there is light there. Take one day at a time, breathe in and breathe out, God throws at you what you can handle, so put your faith into him - there is a reason you go through what you go through - you may not know what it is at the time but there is a reason.

Life difficulties only make you stronger, it gives you that drive to fight, to prove people wrong, to change what has happened, it will strengthen your faith in God, it will strenthen your faith in your family and friends. You may feel alone, but you are NEVER alone.

2012 - a new year. A year for me to let go of the past, a year to forget old friendships that have died, a year to strengthen new found friendships, a year to move past negative people and their vibes, a year of optimisism, a year of kindness and helping others, a year of not wishing ill harm to ones that have hurt you, a year to just forget them, they aren't worth the negative or any thought in my head, a year to wish nothing but the best for my friends who have been through hell this year and hoping they will find the strength and the jobs that they so desperately need, a year to be blessed and thankful for what I have and not what I don't have, a year to love my boys 24/7 and to have patience, a year to continue to become closer to my family, if that is even possible, a year of not putting off lunches with dear friends and dear cousins, because we may not have tomorrow, a year of health, before I am 40 I will be fit. I wish I could do the Pig marathon, but my knees will not allow me, instead, my goal is to be fit and firm by the end of 2012, let's see how well that goes :) LOL....

2012 is going to a GREAT year, it is my attitude that will make it a great year. It is my faith in God that will make it a great year!!!

To all of my friends and family, I wish you a great end to 2011 and a great beginning to 2012. And maybe, just maybe, this will be the year for child #3 (No, I am not, but maybe with a lot of convincing, I will be ) LOL :)............

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love and happiness to all!!

Happy, Happy Birthday

to my sweet little Logan. Today you turn 4! Yikes, where did the time go. You are my non-sleeper, you love to eat and you love to give hugs and kisses. You love to wrestle with your big brother, your classmates and whoever else you can. You try so hard to be like Brayden, you cried on Christmas because you said it wasn't fair that Brayden got a "music thing" (i-pod) and you didn't. You don't understand that he is older and sometimes life just isn't fair. You love to sleep with Brayden in his big bed, you love Legos and Star Wars just like daddy and Brayden. You will try anything once and that scares me. You have no fear! You twirl my hair into knots at night to get to sleep. Even though I hate it because I have to cut that knot out, I know some day soon you will not be doing that and I will be begging you to put a knot in my hair :).... You try our patience on some days and some days you make us laugh until it hurts. You are such a good boy and we are so very proud of you.

I love you so much and I want to wish you a Happy, Happy Birthday. Today it is you and Brayden spending the day with daddy and then we are headed off to McDonald's. We let you pick where you wanted to eat for your birthday and that is where you picked - oh boy!

I told you last night, after today, no more birthdays. I don't want you to grow up, I want you to be this age forever - but you told me not to worry mom I will always be your baby.... Oh Logan, I hope so!!!

My sweet, loving little boy - have a GREAT DAY..... you are my joy and happiness!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I know I am a bit early but as I sit here at work and realize how much I still have to do, I thought it would be best to post something now. I wanted to wish everyone of my family and friends a very Merry Christmas, and that is right, I said Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays. I am so tired of our country trying to be politically correct all of the time when they are so afraid to allow the real reason for us here on earth to be proclaimed. Christmas, is a celebration of Christ - and I am sorry if saying Merry Christmas offends anyone, but it is my belief and it is what I am celebrating and will continue to celebrate.

Before I go off on a tangent.... missing dad terribly this week. I miss him everyday, but especially this holiday - he loved Christmas, he loved having everyone together, and all of the sweet gifts the kids would give him, he loved the laughter and all of the drinking and eating that we did. Don't get me wrong we still always have a great Christmas and the laughing and drinking continue, but it is NOT the same without him here, it makes my heart ache.......

Miss him so much!!!

Here are some pictures of the boys from when we had them done this past Fall - Logan is such a ham, and I apologize if I have put them on here before, but this picture of him and Brayden sum up their personality perfectly. Brayden the nice one who will smile and take a picture, and then Logan, the clown who has to act goofy - I love them to pieces :)

They are my life - such sweet boys, well some of the time :)

I hope everyone has a GREAT CHRISTMAS... enjoy your time with your family and friends. Remember tomorrow is not guaranteed so make sure you tell everyone you love them and hug them tightly....

Miss and love you dad ~ so, so, so, much!

Much love to all

Scrooge

we all know a scrooge this time of year. Someone for some reason who doesn't like the season, who isn't happy, who hates everything about the holiday, but what about the scrooge who fires someone two weeks before Christmas - that my friend is what heck of a scrooge. I don't care how bad business is or how bad you want to get rid of a person, have a little heart and wait until after the holidays. We have a policy at where I work No Firing in December - it is a good policy, but I guess those only with hearts can have that policy. Just venting - again. A former co-worker of mine was let go right before Christmas, even though she is fine and in hindsight it is great for her because who wants to work for someone like that - it still stinks!

Karma - a bitch!

Any who - CASEY IS HOME, only until Saturday morning. He will not be here for Christmas - Boo Hoo :(.... First time the whole family will not be together -ever. We are always together on the holidays, it is hard enough not having dad here, but now Casey - BOO HOO, BOO HOO!! He has to go to Orlando because Notre Dame is playing in the bowl on December 29th, but since he is a manager now he has to go down with the team and help with everything. I know Jen is upset that her family will not be together on Christmas. Casey does come back after the game and will be home for two weeks. But Christmas will not be the same. But we all completely understand - Casey is involved in a once in a lifetime deal - he is doing something great and we are so proud of him!!!!

I hope everyone is ready for the holiday - coming up fast. Today is the boys last day of school and they are so ready for break, so hyped up - I am sure the teachers are ready too :)

Now if this rain will only turn to snow so we can have a white Christmas and then melt away so spring can be here, what a great Christmas present that would be LOL

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

It Takes A Village

it takes a village to raise our children, to raise a family. We rely on others to help us out and to tell us if they know something about our child, whether we like it or not. Jen said it best the other day in that she loves going to mom's on Sunday because even if it can get loud and crazy it is important to let all of the kids know that they can come to anyone of us and feel safe and talk to. I tell my kids that every day that if they don't feel like they can tell me or Steve, that they need to talk to any of their Aunts or Uncles or even Grandma - even though she can't hear :)... I just want them to know that safe environment that we have.

Can you believe Christmas is less than 10 days away - so much to do in such little time. Okay on the gift front, now it is just everything else. On top of it all is Logan's birthday and my neighbor talked me into having a Neighborhood Christmas Party since she always does the Halloween one, so it looks like we will be throwing a party - woo hoo!

Another busy weekend of soccer games, making cookies and spending time with the family. Lydia and Olivia are in a Christmas dance recital tomorrow, along with Brooke - it should be a great time.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys this unseasonably warm week!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

BE - who you are!

isn't it aggravating when you know people whether in your life now or in the past and they do everything that others tell them, that they truly are not who they are. You know that person who lives a life that is truly not authentic to who they are. They do everything what everyone else says but doesn't do what their heart tells them to do, what they believe in. I know people influence us and our decisions, I know are family and friends help us become who we are, and most of the time they are there to help us to become the "best us" - you know. They help us and guide us and love us and support us.

When people are living a big lie - how happy do you think they really truly are? Do you think they could be happy not living true to themselves, do you think they are happy enforcing decisions that others have made, why is it so hard for us to live who we are, who we are suppose to be. All of us at one time or another do whatever we can to make others happy, we worry too much about what others think of us, worry too much about having that "perfect life" - here is a secret, life isn't perfect, nothing is. So why do we try so hard to be perfect! Instead of striving to be perfect can't we strive to live the life we are suppose to be living, can't we strive to live the life that God has planned for us.

Be who you are!

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Another great busy weekend. We had the Timmerding Christmas party this weekend - it was so much fun and so crowded. It seems like it doubles in size every year. I didn't get to talk to many which is sad but I was so happy to see everyone there. It is almost like we should set up speed dating tables to where we have to talk to everyone even if it is only for 5 minutes :)

Christmas is coming soon - the excitement is in the air, the songs are being sung, the moods are lifting, the stress is there, the cookies are being baked, and pies are being eaten. The weight is coming on instead of off and the colds are in the air. But let us not forget what this season is truly about and what we are really celebrating!!!!!

I hope everyone is doing well and is ready for this nice warm up coming this week - woo hoo!!! But I hope this means we will still have a White Christmas!!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

The Know It Alls

okay, so we all know that person that thinks they know it all, whether you work with them, whether it is a friend or family member. There is at least one person in your life likes this or one who is no longer in your life. You know the type of person that has had everything in the world happened to them and in such a dramatic fashion, and the person who thinks they are the best of everything whether it is baking, cooking, working or gardening. Or the type of person who thinks it has ONLY happened to them and no one else so they make a huge deal about it.

Sometimes you let these people bother you and get to you but I was quickly reminded yesterdcay that good things come to those who wait, that even though those people are having their glory and rewards now here on earth, I will have my reward, my eternal reward.

I just finished a book, it took me two years to read it, but I finally finished it. "Same Kind of Different As Me" - what an awesome book. It made me think, that what if we were all to get along, what if we all treated each other the same, what if there were no class differences, what if it really didn't matter how much money you had, what if it really didn't matter who had the biggest car, the biggest house, what if it really didn't matter how we looked, or how we dressed, what if all of us would just see each other as who we truly are. What if all of us, treated each other no matter of any things mentioned above as a child of God. What if all of us,stopped being selfish and truly lived the way God wanted us to. We are all selfish, if you say you aren't, you are, at least in a little way. We all want what is best for ourselves and our family and friends. We do selfish things all of the time, some way more than others.

The book just really opened my eyes to what is really important in life, what really matters. None of the pettiness of our pasts, none of the pettiness of the wrong doings from others, none of the pettiness of being hurt by so called friends, none of the pettiness of living amongst selfish people - it doesn't really matter.

Everything can change with a phone call or a doctor's appointment. One minute you can worry about these pettinesses and the next day you are fighting for your life. (No, I am not sick).. Just someone I work with is and with that and reading the book it is putting life in perspective all over again. We are just here for a short time - let the pettiness go (as best as you can).

~~~~~
Here is another picture of Cary - it was on nky.com - what a great picture. Olivia is so jealous because Cary hasn't been in school all week. Different free lunches, trips to the TV stations, a free day off of school. Jen said Olivia keeps saying "It was just a game they won" :)



I hope everyone is having a great week and is staying warm!

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,

Big Weekend!

WOW!!!, what a weekend it was, especially for Jen's family. She got a call on Thursday night from Casey saying he made has made the cut of the top 3 of the student athlete managers. What does this mean? It means - he is going to Notre Dame's Bowl Game, it means he is now considered an employee and will be paid, it means 75% of his tuition will be paid next year, it means he will go to Ireland next year when the team goes, it means he is top dog :) - How exciting and awesome is that.

So okay, like that isn't enough. Cary played in the KY State 2A Championship on Friday afternoon. Mom and I trucked down with Jen and Bill and about 4,000 of our closest friends... It was a beautiful afternoon for the game, and Cary not only got to experience the whole state championship, but he started and he played. He plays on Special Teams and he did a great job. And unless you are living under a rock, you know THEY WON, THEY WON!! Here is a picture of him holding the trophy - it is a big trophy.

And to top it all off, Olivia went to a dance camp this weekend in Chicago taught by choreographers of the show "So You Think You Can Dance" .....

I told Jen she needed to play the lottery - this is her week :)... So Proud of her kids and their accomplishments!!!

We ended the weekend at a pep rally for Cary and the Indians and then headed to mom's for all of the birthdays. It was GREAT weekend with a lot of tears and laughter... So blessed.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and maybe was able to have some excitement.

Here is to another Monday - Boo!!! LOL

Miss and love you dad ~ so much.

Much love to all,