Stay-cation

When things seemed to work out for the better if I didn't try and find a job for the summer until classes start up again in August, I was excited. I didn't view the summer as time off, but rather as an opportunity to dive deeply into something I've been wanting to do for several years now--write a novel.

I mean, I would have all this extra time, and I was sure the words would just roll onto the page for me. I have what I think is a great story, and after a few afternoons spent at Barnes & Noble, I had a pretty airtight outline by chapter laid out.

And then life happened.

It seemed that there was always something else I needed to be doing. On the weekends when my wife was at work and I was on daddy-duty, I tried writing after the kids were in bed. But the kids kept going to bed later and later, and I was too exhausted by the time the house was quiet to even think about being creative. I tried going to bed when the kids went down, and getting up an hour earlier to write. The first time I set my alarm to do so, the kids were up three times in the night, and I finally got to bed about 45 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. Se la vi.

But during the week, when my wife was off work, I was supposed to be spending time writing. But there were breakfasts, and lunches, and dinners to prepare. And things around the house to be fixed. And it really was much easier for my wife if I was here at naptime, and bedtime. I mean, I would appreciate the help on my nights, why wouldn't she? Then we went out of town for a week, and had to clean the house several times for company. Watched some friend's kids, and then... Well, you get the idea.

Life.

Good writers find a way around these obstacles with a variety of tricks. Finding time to write is a part of learning to be a good writer. Good writers write. On a regular basis. Great writers? It's a part of their life, like say, breathing. Or changing diapers.

With my summer quickly circling the drain, I planned for an all out offensive writing campaign. I planned a super low cost trip to visit my sister in Santa Fe. A week away from home. Seven glorious days to sit in coffee shops and just write. I planned meals--complete with cooking instructions for my wife. I got 10 days of groceries so she and the kids would be provided for. I arranged childcare for the weekend while my wife was at work. I arranged transportation for my oldest daughter to church for her New Christians class. I did everything I could possible do to make sure the trip would come off without a hitch.

And then I didn't get to go.

Money was too tight. It wasn't fair that I got a week away by myself and my wife didn't. It was going to be too much to ask my wife to single-handedly take care of all three kids by herself for a week. What ever the reason, I chose not to go.

It was probably the right decision.

My wife promised that I'd be able to write like I wanted, but here instead. Tuesday and Wednesday I spent most of the day at Barnes & Noble writing.

But Tuesday I wasn't in the groove. Words just wouldn't flow--every line was a tooth and nail battle. Wednesday was a much better day. Yesterday morning I got to go also, and made some revisions to my storyline. But then I had to be home to make sure my wife was able to nap during naptime since she was going back to work last night. But no worries, it was only until the babysitter for the weekend showed up.

Except that she never did.

She's coming on Saturday morning, but was too tired to come yesterday. She's got a softball game that she wants to watch tonight. So Saturday it is.

I knew that's what was going to happen.

So much for my Stay-cation.

First

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? Didn't go my junior year, my girlfriend LeAnna was my date to senior prom.

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? Not really sure who I'd call my first love. I guess my wife has been the only one I've been sure about.

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink? Fuzzy Navel Bartles & James wine cooler.

4. What was your FIRST job? Aside from growing up on a farm? Delivery driver for high end restaurants.

5. What was your FIRST car? VW Bug

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? Jared

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? My wife.

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher? Mrs. Beecher. She went to our church. So did every single one of my teachers until I got into 7th grade.

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? Albuquerque to Oklahoma to visit a college I didn't really want to go to, but vowed to to follow my high school girlfriend LeAnna. She dumped me about a month later, a few days before we left.

10. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk? My first best friend was a girl named Jessica that lived down the street from us in San Diego. I was 4. We've lost contact.

11. Where was your FIRST sleep over? At a friend Travis. He had Playboys stashed in his backyard. And sand in his bed.

12. Who was the first person you talked to today? My wife.

13. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? My own FIRST wedding.

14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? Well, it was a good morning.

15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? Petra at the McGee Park County Fairgrounds

16. FIRST tattoo? Volleyball with flames around it on my upper back.

17. FIRST piercing? None.

18. FIRST foreign country you went to? Mexico

19. FIRST movie you remember seeing? ET or Star Trek II Wrath of Kahn, can't remember which.

20. When was your FIRST detention? Never detention, got in lots of trouble though.

22. Who was your FIRST roommate? A guy who called himself Stoner. And promptly got arrested and thrown out of school.

23. If you had one wish, what would it be? More wishes.

24. What is something you would learn if you had the chance? To play the bagpipes.

25. Did you marry the FIRST person to ask for your hand in marriage? No, but I did marry the FIRST girl I asked. Stupid.

26. What was the first sport that you were involved in? Track.

27. What were the first lessons you ever took? I never took any outside of school.

28. What is the first thing you do when you get home? Let the dog out.

Huh?

Sister crashes brother's photo shoot in her pajamas...

6 months

Three

THREE NAMES I GO BY
1. Robert
2. Bobby
3. Daddy

THREE JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE
1. Forest Service Fire Fighter
2. Waiting tables.
3. Pharmacy Tech

THREE PLACES I HAVE LIVED
1. San Diego, CA
2. Farmington, NM
3. Arlington, TX

THREE TV SHOWS THAT I WATCH
1. The Philanthropist
2. Royal Pains
3. Burn Notice

THREE PLACES I HAVE BEEN
1. San Francisco
2. New York City
3. Vancouver BC

THREE PLACES I WANT TO GO
1. Scotland
2. Austria
3. Japan

THREE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS
1. Scallops
2. Venison
3. Field greens

THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO
1. Camping trip
2. Graduation
3. Moving from Texas

THREE PETS THAT YOU HAVE OWNED
1. Dusty the cat.
2. Bo the dog.
3. Goldie the cat. (RIP)

THREE FAVORITE BANDS/SINGERS
1. Coldplay
2. U2
3. Augustana

THREE FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH
1. Volleyball
2. Football
3. Tennis

THREE FAVORITE DRINKS
Alcoholic:
1. Single malt scotch whiskey
2. Microbrewed beer
3. Wine

Non-alcoholic:
1. water
2. Starbucks Green Tea Frappe
3. water

THREE ACTIVITIES YOU ENJOY DOING
1. Photography
2. Shooting
3. Writing

THREE ATTRIBUTES MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU IN A FRIEND
1. Loyalty
2. Kindness
3. Sense of humor

MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE
1. Family
2. Peace
3. Love

Faux Pox

So it turns out the chicken pox were actually ant bites. From the ants that were infesting her bed...for a week...

Waterfall

In La Plata Canyon, CO.

Shicken Spotty

My younger daughter is terribly reactive to bug bites--she gets huge whelps that take a couple of days to go down from mosquito bites--so we weren't surprised when she came in from outside with a couple red spots around her eyes last week. A couple hours later when they had blossomed across her face, shoulders, and back, we knew that something else was up. When the spots came to a head, it was pretty much confirmed: She has the chicken pox.

It is a fairly light case I think. She hasn't slowed down at all--no fever, no malaise, and honestly very little itching. A little calamine lotion and she's been fine. It's a beautiful thing to watch an unaltered immune system working just like it should. We've laid low from most of our group activities this week to minimize the spread of this dreaded varicella virus, and just as much to keep from answering quite so many questions about vaccinations. At this point I'm happy to educate anybody who truly wants to understand our decision not to vaccinate, but at the same time I'm done with all the drama that seems to be inherent with the ensuing conversation. I've been asked a couple of times if she had the varicella vaccine, and I've simply replied, "No." When pressed for more, "Because we chose not to.", and done.

One of the 2 y/o's aunts is a stablehand at a horse barn, and ever since the 2 y/o found out, we've been incessantly hounded to "Go see the horses?" Yesterday the boy nursed really well in the morning, so the wife planned to sleep through the rest of the day before she got up to go to work, meaning we were relatively mobile. After hearing the horse request for the hundredth time in an hour, I finally just packed them into the car for the 95 mile drive to grandma's house. It was more than a visit to see the horses--there were cousins in town and a birthday cake to be eaten. It turned out to be a good visit, even braving the in-laws solo with the kiddos.

The visit to the horse barn was the stuff from which memories are made. The 2 y/o was in heaven. She helped brush and curry the horses, fed them sugar cube treats out of her own hand; she even got to sit up on the back of a horse to finish grooming the mane. But she didn't quit there. She helped Aunty Em feed every one of the horses, lugging the heavy feed scoop down to each stall and emptying them into the feed buckets. Then she helped haul hay flakes, and finished up by helping push the broom to clean up. She worked hard and focused for about 90 minutes and she had a great time. As soon as she hit her carseat for the drive home she sacked out.

And yes, totally forgot my camera to get any pictures of this. No worries though, she woke up this morning asking to "Go see the horses?"

1888 Premium Olive Press

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