Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Thanksgiving

So one thing I'm terrible at is showing how thankful I am for the blessings in my life.  I am a moody man, frequently depressed and haunted by my demons.  But nobody has the blessings in their life like I do.   I bitch, I'm sure too much, about the problems and hurdles, but I don't make a big enough deal about the good points.  So, since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I'd try to reconcile that.

First, I'm thankful for Erin.  We have been married almost 6(!) years now.  I can never stress enough what a positive influence and blessing on my life she is.  For those who know me well, you know that I have had some (plenty) of self inflicted obstacles in my journey to a productive adulthood.  I've been a liar, thief, substance abuser, and general cad.  Yet she was able to see through that to the man underneath.  She has been there with and for me, offering support when I needed it, and sympathy when I needed that.  She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I'm constantly amazed and humbled by her.  She truly inspires me to be a better man, and she is my best friend.

Second, little Rivers.  3 years old right now, and a constant source of joy.  She is funny, smart, sweet, and so weird.  She loves Nirvana, Buddy Holly, and Doctor Who.  One of the best people to hang out with you will ever come across.  I don't want her to grow up, but I look forward to seeing the incredible woman I know she will grow into.

Third, the one on the way, Penny.  I look forward to meeting her.  Rivers has informed us that she will be calling her Rose, after the Doctor Who companion.  Awesome.  These two are going to be a handful.

Fourth, Dad, Mom, brothers and sisters.  Dad died this year, February 7th, 2013.  I miss him so much.  He was a truly great man, and I have genuine sympathy for those who never got a chance to meet him.  I am so happy for the chance Riv had to know him (she loves him so much), and I feel sad that Penny (or Rose) will never have a chance to see him.  Mom sells herself short in so many ways, but the truth is, none of us (me, brothers, sisters, grandkids) would be here or be who we are without her.  5 children who have matured and have great lives, 6 grandkids, 2 potential incoming sons-in-law.  Look at what you had a hand in forming, and feel proud.  We all love you Mom.  And my sibs.  Forrest is a veteran with a fun wife (and baby on the way), with one son right now who is a pretty cool little dude.  Crockett is a great provider for his family, his wife Rachel is funny and a fellow sci-fi nerd I can actually talk Doctor Who and Firefly with, and Annnie and Nolan are just plain nuts.  Stuart is a weirdo veterinarian who is dating(!) a nice boy, and I have no worries at all on her abilities to make the right decisions here.  Seguin earned her degree in baking (I have forgotten the actual name of the degree), and is engaged to a Portugeuse fella.  As soon as he figures out how to get over here, I believe the wedding will be shortly forthcoming.

Fifth, in-laws.  I have a great network here, especially father and mother in law, Gary and Penny.  Thanks for all the support you have given Erin and me over the years.

Sixth, everything else.  I have a good job.  I am a Texan.  I'm a proud member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '00.  This should have gone higher in the post, but I'm not going back and editing it now, I am Catholic.  And this one drives everything else I do in life.  I owe Dad, Mom, Erin, and Rivers everything for facilitating and helping me grow and understand my faith.  Thank you, God, for the blessings you have seen fit to bestow on me, a sinner who deserves none of it.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Life is good

Ok, so I'm not very good at this blogging thing. My biggest issue is that I don't really know how to chronicle the little things in my life that, while they bring me happiness, I'm pretty sure would be boring to other people. Then I realized that my wife is the only person following this, and I thought "What the hell, right? Let's not worry about boring people, it's time to rock this blog!"

So here we go. Erin and Rivers are in the rocking chair, and Riv is listening intently to the story her Mommy is telling her. I'm about to go to bed, got a busy work day tomorrow, so I must desert my girls. I am so proud of Erin for being such a good mommy. Our little girl is lucky.

Crockett and Rachel are expecting again, a boy this time, so Riv will have another little cousin to grow up with. So exciting! Forrest and Jenny are married now, and probably working very hard on the next little cousin for Rivers. Mom is doing great right now. Seguin is not, but hopefully things will turn around for her very soon. Dad's kidney's are doing very poorly, and we are praying for a turn around. Please keep him in your prayers too, he is one of the best human beings I have ever known, a good and honorable man.

So that's it. I work hard at Purvis, Erin works hard at home. We have no money, a tiny apartment, and too many bills to pay, but none of that crap matters. We have the best family, and that is more valuable than anything. Life is good.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Nothing new to post today really, just wanted to post a little bit about my girls. I am constantly amazed at how wonderful Erin is. She is such a good and loving wife and mother, and I would not be half the man I am without her. Rivers is growing so fast, this week she weighed in at 15.8 lbs, and measured 26 inches. She is trying so hard to learn to roll over, and actually made it a couple of times (although she is not consistent yet). My life is so blessed, I really have no reason to complain.

Congratulations to Forrest and Jenny, this weekend is their wedding. Heading to Corpus for the big shindig, should be fun.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Time to move

So this weekend we head to Dallas to take a look at some apartments. In just two weeks, I start work, leaving Erin and Rivers here for a bit until we can get everything moved. Hopefully I won't be too long on my own.

It's hard to believe we are finally taking this step, since College Station has been such a huge part of our lives for so long. But at the same time, I think we are excited. I don't think that either one of us feels that we are leaving too much behind. We are enjoying our little family so much, and to be honest, there are many here who I would have thought I would miss that have revealed themselves to be merely "fair-weather" friends at best. For those of you who don't fit into this category, I will miss you. More than anything, however, I feel excitement to be able to begin this new journey with my wife and daughter. Here's to the new chapter!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Today I signed with Purvis Industries, and I start the sales training program in July. Little Rivers will be joining us Monday, if not before. For the first time in a long time, I feel like things are finally paying off. I thank God for looking out for us, even if it wasn't in the time frame we wanted. I am so excited to start this new adventure, both the career and being a parent. And I ask God to give me the graces and blessings to excel at both.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Guys. Really. About half of my friends are so far up Obama's ass that I will never see them until 2012. The other half are firm believers in the "Miss Bush yet?" battlefields. Is there ANYBODY left out there who has the cajones to admit that Democrats and Republicans are equally (genius) and maybe it's time we started thinking for ourselves? I will be eagerly waiting for your responses.