A Year of Change

Alright, I don’t know where to start so I guess I’ll start at the break of dawn. I woke up around 4:45 and laid there until 5 trying to let Lori get as much sleep as possible. At 5 sharp, I nudged her gently to wake her up. After treating me like the snooze button on an alarm clock, (no she didn’t hit me in the head) she was up 10 minutes later. She had made coffee yesterday and instead of wasting it and making a fresh pot, we agreed the night before to just let it sit overnight and warm it up in the microwave. The only problem was the day before she had made the coffee so strong we could have set Olympic records in the 100 yard dash! I forgot about this and warmed a cup up and 10 minutes later was flying like her plane! Lori had two cups, she must have been really tired. I warmed up the car and made myself a couple eggs and some bacon and some for her.

Around 6am I went upstairs to see if she was coming down as she needed to be at the airport by 6:45 and we live 30 minutes away without morning traffic. To my surprise, she was standing there in front of the bathroom mirror still in her robe doing her hair. I frantically said, “what are you doing? we need to leave in 10 minutes”. She said “what” and then the mad rush was on. She threw on some clothes, I grabbed her bag and put it in the back of the car, and after slugging down some more liquid adrenaline and a handful of vitamins, we were out the door. Luckily traffic was still light and we made it to the airport at 6:47. I dropped her off, gave her a quick kiss and off she went.

Next up was the morning traffic heading back into Denver and I was stuck in the heart of it. I made it home around 7:40 and both boys were still sleeping. I was too late to take Ty to track so I showered and decided to go wash the car. I made it there by 8am and was the first car in line for the 45 minute interior detail wash. I walked across the street to get some stuff for the trip at Walmart. By the time I was through, the car was almost done. 20 minutes later I was headed home. I arrived around 9:20 and to my surprise, Ty was still sleeping! Now I expect this from Jag, but Ty, never. Anyhow I decided to get to work in my office and check on them later. I came up around 10 and they were still both out. I had to check them to see if they were still breathing! I decided enough is enough and woke them up. After a quick bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (kids cereal), we hit the road to run errands.

It seems like we ran errands until around 2 in the afternoon getting ready for the trip. Next up was baseball practice at 4. It was raining on and off and I am the pseudo assistant coach, meaning I do all the stuff an assistant coach does without being an assistant coach. 2 hours later we headed home. I still hand’t packed and now the boys were hungry so back in the car and off to Good Times for burgers and fries for dinner. Finally around 7:30pm I started to pack. An hour later I had two large full suitcases, a duffle bag, two or three hang ups bags and a 2 boxes of boots. Throw in a bag of groceries and a few cases of wine and the car will be full. I can’t believe all the clothes, and shoes ( must be 20 pair between the four of us) that I packed. I still need to pack a backpack for hiking with the necessary gear (first aid, water purifier, survival supplies, rain gear, etc.) as you can’t get caught in the mountains without being prepared. I’ll do that this morning. Oh yea, I need to run to the dry cleaners and ask them to press my pants quickly as they have a line from hanging over the hanger in the closet for so long.

I just called Lori at 5:15 her time to make sure she gets up so she doesn’t miss her flight. The first call received no response but a few minutes later she called back to tell me she was up. Hopefully she won’t be too tired for all the dancing she has to do tonight!

Then after feeding the boys and making sure they shower, I’ll pack the car and then get ready to go get Lori at 11:15 or so. Then we’ll make a pit stop here at home and let Lori change into jeans and boots before heading out to Aspen. That’s about it. More tomorrow on the big party, maybe I can get the misses to write as my fingers are getting sore. Anyhow, take care and God Bless. Here’s a comment from Annette,

I wrote this last night as this morning I have no time. Up at 5am to get Lori to the airport for her 8am flight to Las Vegas. Then it’s home by 7am to get Ty to track, go wash the car and then pick him up at 9. Jagger will sleep through the entire thing. After that I need to go to the distributor to pick up some wine coming in from California and then get going on laundry. A trip to the grocery store for essentials for breakfast and snacks to take is also in order. Next up is packing Lori’s, Jag’s, Ty’s and my clothes. We’ll be hiking, swimming, horseback riding, dining and dancing and just general partying plus a few meetings for me. We might also be taking the boys bikes for them to ride down the ski hills after riding up the gondola with them. All that requires lots of different clothes, shoes, coats and more. On top of it, I’ll be packing it all alone.

Then I need to get some wine ready for the trip, chase down some purchase orders, particularly from Illinois and Michigan, and then wrap up the days work. At 4pm, Jag has baseball practice. Oh yea, I almost forgot, I need to clean up the house as we’re splurging and having the cleaning lady come Thursday morning so we have a clean house when we arrive home.

Meanwhile Lori will be sitting in various conferences all day long before attending a cocktail reception with Dr. R and then going to dinner with her. Thursday am she’ll get up at 5;30 for an 8:30am flight home.

Yesterday was a day full off driving and work along with making dinner until Lori got home. The boys rode the bikes up the Golds Grocery store and bought some chips and ice cream unbeknownst to me. They probably had a pop too knowing them! Meanwhile Lori laid out all the boys clothes as well as her own so it’s easier for me to pack them. Finally a little after 10pm she went to bed.

Here’s a comment,

This morning we slept until about 6:45 so we’re all running late this morning. Ty has track in 45 minutes and needs to get up soon. Meanwhile Lori has another busy day and then is off to Vegas tomorrow. I’m supposed to have a lunch today with a guy but we’ll see as I have a lot to do.

The U.S. Mens soccer team won their first World Cup game yesterday in great fashion. Normally I don’t watch soccer but do watch the World Cup. It was a great game.

I need to run as it’s almost 7am. Have a great day, talk to you tomorrow. God Bless.

That’s what the past few days, or I guess weeks, have been, a big blur. We’re not sure if it’s all the cotton blowing off our cottonwood trees or what, but the wife and I are both foggy and groggy in the mornings feeling like we didn’t get enough sleep. Now normally I’d think it’s alcohol but we don’t really drink much anymore!

Fathers Day was nice. We started off the day by going to see How To Train Your Dragon II. I’d put it right up with with such classics as Lawrence of Arabia! We stopped on the way at Nordstrom Rack (their discount store) to get Mr. Ty a much needed pair of tennis shoes. After the movie we headed home after returning one of Lori’s dresses she bought yesterday. She decided she didn’t like the neck line.

We were going to go to the Harris’s for bbq chicken but they called at the last minute (super) as Carrie was upset as her dad just passed and it was Father’s Day. Now I understand but this put us in a spot to get something for dinner, especially for the boys. We managed with some Orange Chicken which we luckily purchased from Costco the day before. Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful relaxing day. Oh I forgot to tell you, Owen the little 6 year old boy two houses up, took blue chalk and wrote “Happy Fathers Day from Owen” on all the dads driveways in the neighborhood that he knew, too funny.

This morning I need to make it across town to the distributor and back before Lori heads off to work so time to get moving. Lots to do today to keep it all together so time to go.

Here’s a comment from Annette,

Today we celebrate being a dad. Being a father, or any parent for that matter, is right up there with the most important job in the World. The only other “job”, and neither are really a job at all, is being a good husband. Having children is the most glorious gift in the World. While Mom’s have their own special place, being a dad is different as you’re charged with being the supreme protector and provider for your family. In other words, it’s up to you to take care of the family. For me, and I’m sure all other dads, your kids are the best thing about life. My kids are my (and Lori’s) whole life. The good and the bad, although none of it is really bad when you think about it, is the best part of our life, and it goes so so fast. Lori keeps saying they’ll both be driving before we know it, and she’s right. I couldn’t imagine life without the boys and didn’t realize how much better and fullfilling life would be when you have children. It’s all part of God’s plan and we thank him every day for blessing us with two great kids.

If you’re lucky enough to be with your kids, hope you have a great celebration. Spend time with your kids and talk about their dreams and aspirations in life and celebrate their journey as it’s a gift not to be taken for granted. Wish my dad was still here to celebrate the day with him. So to all the dad’s out there, Happy Father’s Day!

Yesterday we had to hit a couple of stores as Lori needed some new clothes for work and one of her favorite stores had their big annual sale. We really only shop these days when things go on sale, but she needed some new dresses as she’s been rotating the same 3 or 4 outfits for four months now. It makes me happy to get her new clothes when we can as it really makes her happy to get them! After that we hit Costco for a few other necessities and then we grilled up a bison tomahawk steak which was unbelievably good. Ty spent the night at Ben’s and Jagger fell asleep with us watching Saturday Night Live.

Today we’re heading up to the mountains for a hike or something and then will hang out around home. Tomorrow and Tuesday we’re all super busy around here and then Wednesday Lori goes to Las Vegas and the boys and I will be packing for Aspen. Thursday around lunch time we’ll pick her up at the airport and head straight to the hills, we can’t wait. Throw in a few baseball practices, some track and work and chores around the house, and we have a few busy days coming up before we get to go play in Aspen. We’re all super excited and it’s only the beginning. The following weekend we have the annual Wild West Show here in Denver (the greatest western collector show of the year in the country), and our baseball end of year party. Then I think we’re back in Aspen for the 4th but will come home the 5th as I think Aunt Robi is coming to town and then we’re back in Aspen again, for the wedding of the century as our friend Diane’s daughter is getting married. More on this in the coming weeks but this is a wedding to rival any wedding anywhere! There’s dinners, receptions, brunches, activities and more, all for a couple hundred people from all over the country. Diane is one of our close friends like Peggy and has included us and the boys in everything. The actual wedding is on top of Aspen Mountain and our boys are part of only a few kids that are invited to the actual ceremony as well. All the festivities start July 10th and end July 12th, the day after the wedding, with a big brunch. It’s going to be fun, fun, fun.

Guess I’ll hit the gym, hope everyone is well and has a great day. As I said earlier, the best thing about today is I get to reflect on the best thing I’ve ever done, and that’s having my two boys, and of course lucking out and marrying my beautiful wife!

Ok, yesterday was one for the books. It started off calm enough with some work errands, pizza for the boys for lunch and managing to pay 5 figures worth of bills, (really need to thank God on that one!).

Then at 4pm Ethan and Evan were dropped off as their parents had a surprise birthday dinner for one of their friends so the boys were here to go to the game with us and then spend the night. Meanwhile Lori was handling all kinds of drama at work. The boys played until 6:15 pm when it was time to go to the game. Lori had made it home around 5:40 so she just had time to change and go with us. The game was the same as all the others. Jagger played great as did the most of the other kids that usually do so and the kids that struggled, well they struggled again. I was proud of Jagger though as he was consistently yelling words of encouragement to his teammates even though they were talking smack in the dugout. It’s clear they’re frustrated and starting to resent the guys like Jag that get a hit or make a play every time. In short, they’re getting defensive, just not on the field, ha ha.

Meanwhile Ty and Evan were playing at the skate park next to the field. They came back around 8:30 or 9 when it was getting dark and Ty, who brought two scooters, said a teenager took one. Lori and I quickly made a mad dash to the skate park but it was too late, the freakin kid stole it and took off. Back at the game we overheard Ty and the other young kids talking and some of it was pretty funny. One girl said, and I quote, “when I grow up, I’m going to have a house made of jello”. Next up we overheard something about french kissing and then Ty said, “oh yea, I know that, that’s where they use their tongue”! The things that kids come up with.

Soon the game was over, Jagger only had two at bats and hit both times. The kids on the team all wanted to go to Sonic (the burger drive in) so we all stopped on the way home. Before we left the field, Evan was complaining of a headache. By the time we arrived at the burger joint, a mile away, he was hurting worse and didn’t want to get out of the car. We got our food and headed to our house for the sleepover now around 10:30pm. When we arrived home, his head was really hurting so Lori put him on the couch and got him a blanket. We texted his parents to see if we could give him an aspirin, they texted back ok. Next thing you know Evan said he felt like he was going to throw up! I texted his Mom again that he wanted to go home but there was no reply. Before you could say baseball, the kid bounded off the couch (thank God again) and rushed out the front door and threw up on the grass! Finally I received a text saying his Mom was on the way. 20 minutes later she arrived and I gave her a plastic bag in case he got sick again on the way home. I received a text this morning thanking us for taking care of the boys and for the bag as apparently he threw up again in the car on the way home! Ty was very concerned about his friend Evan and tried to make him comfortable  the whole time. So there you have it, quite the day, we finally made it to bed around midnight.

Today I think we might drive up to the mountains to Frisco to the BBQ Challenge for something to do. We’ll see though as everyone might be too tired. I’m the only one up and already went to Starbucks as we were out of coffee. Usually I buy 20 pounds at a time from Costco that last us about a year but we finally ran out, maybe a Costco run is in order today.

Here’s a couple of comments,

1. robi says:

   June 13, 2014 at 4:38 pm

   Brownie kabobs, are you kidding, I would go just for that! HAPPY FATHER’S DAY BRO!

   Reply
2. Annette says:

   June 13, 2014 at 5:08 pm

   Isn’t that what summer is all about? Kids day all summer until you are old enough to get a job. You are lucky they went to bed after brownie kabobs. I’m with Robi.

   Yup, summer is about kids, I remember a lot of mine fondly. I’m committed to making the boys summer fun with lots of activities so stay tuned. Jagger hasn’t stopped thanking me for the other day when we went to the baseball game, grilled hot dogs, went to the park and then Dairy Queen. We have about 3  four day weekends coming up in Aspen over the next month so now Mom will get in on the fun! That’s about it, hope you all are well, take care and God Bless.

Ok, today is Friday, I’m 100% sure. Yesterday I accomplished all I was supposed to that was within my power. Today property taxes are due among other large expenditures, it is what it is.

Yesterday I took 4 boys to the Rockies baseball game as I was able to secure some comped (free) tickets from my distributor. They had a blast. I think they ate everything that Coors Field had to offer. Hot dogs, nacho’s, peanuts, chocolate covered banana and brownie kabobs (who knew they had those?), Dippin Dots (ice cream) all washed down with an icy cold pop. After that I took the four of them to the park to play baseball. Jagger hyper-extnded his big toe sliding into home on a home run. I made him ice it when we arrived home but he was limping. Hope he can play in his last game tonight! Then I grilled up some more hot dogs for the boys and that was about it. Quite the day to be a kid.

Today Ethan, from Jag’s baseball team, and his brother Evan, who’s Ty’s age and both went to the game with us, are both getting dropped off here at 4pm. We’ll go to their game at 6:30 and then both boys are spending the night as their parents have a party to go to. So again, a big kid day!

That’s about it, Lori of course is back at it. I hope she doesn’t get burned out before she figures out how to make things work easier. She’s a trooper though with a work ethic second to none. For Father’s Day, I’m going to give her my day so she can rest. Time for me to get to the gym before she goes to work, God Bless.

Nope, it’s Thursday. Today Jag and I are getting haircuts at 10 and then I’ll get back to the computer. I might need to run to the warehouse again but will first need to check to see if my samples arrived. Tomorrow night at 7:30 we have Jag’s last baseball game until Fall Ball which I think starts in September. I’m working on the date for the end of season party at our pool. I’m pretty much an assistant coach at practice these days as our coach needs help. The boys are playing well but we can’t seem to get a couple of the boys to stop being afraid of the ball. You just cannot play baseball if you’re afraid of the baseball!

Lori is working hard as usual and I’m having to do more around the house by default as I’m the one here. It’s fun spending more time with the boys but sometimes it’s difficult with my work too.

Next week will be a busy one, a quick trip to Vegas for Lori (24 hours) and then Food and Wine in Aspen. It should be lots of fun. Peggy arranged for all the kids and a couple of us adults to go horseback riding as her cousin owns the T Lazy 7 Ranch up there. I emailed my distributor today to get us all tickets to the Champagne Party and a few other events. The real action at Food and Wine is at the private events, not the big tent that now costs like $2000 for tickets. For those of you that don’t know, Aspen Food and Wine is every year and is one of the most famous events in food and wine in the World. All the famous chefs on tv show up along with famous winemakers. We were going to stay at the home of Billie and Greg, our friends but the Harris’s and their two kids are coming along so we’re in a 4 bedroom condo at Snowmass, it should be a blast and all costs are covered by my suppliers (estates) as it’s important for me to be there promoting our wines. More on this next week.

Time to run, thankfully tomorrow is Friday, whoo hoo! God Bless.

On Monday we were hoping it was Friday, today we’re not sure what day it is. We’re all screwed up due to too much work and too much pressure. At least we’re not bored!

It’s June something and each day seems to go faster than the last. All you can do is get up and get after it as any other option just won’t work.

Today Ty is at the dentist (Jag was there yesterday) but before that I’ll drive 40 miles to and from the distributor. I was going to try to go to the gym but hit the snooze button at 4:45am. After the dentist it’s another drive, about 50 more miles, up north. Then a bunch of phone and computer work before Jagger’s last baseball practice of the year at 4pm. Ty has track at 7:30 before the dentist so Lori will need to drop him, I’ll pick him up!

I hate it when the 15th falls on a weekend as that screws up my mid month pay day as I don’t get paid until the following Monday. Unfortunately the bills don’t account for pay days falling on weekends!

Time to run, politics suck, some people do too but we try to be glass half full people and look for the good in the World. Hope you do too! God Bless.

After about 5 hours of baseball we made it home around 10pm. Jagger played great, the team has really come a long way. One of the pitchers they faced was 14 and threw a fastball that was almost 70 miles an hour. Jagger was the first and then only guy to hit off him every time he was up. The first blast was almost a home run but their outfielder made a great play and caught the ball. Jag was bummed but I told him to shake it off as the guy just made a great play. Finally our team broke through and scored a ton of runs on the guy which was remarkable in itself. The kid came from Omaha and the coach of the their team somehow convinced the family to move here! All at this age, wow.

Ty played hard with his friends at the field and has track this morning. Jagger was going to make swim team practice but was up too late. Lori had another day from hell but is making progress. I keep telling her to manage the whole office, including Dr R. It’s only been 4 months but things are coming along. Hard to believe it’s the 10th of June. Time sure goes by fast.

I didn’t look to see if anyone commented last night as it’s almost 7. My back is jacked up from weightlifting at the gym, think I pulled a muscle. So have a great day and keep the faith! God Bless.