Some Things To Be Grateful For

Life is a crazy thing. Just when you get set in your ways or life gets a bit predictable, WHAM(!), it hits you right in the kisser and all sorts of excitement follows. Excitement like a broken elbow, falling in love, a 2000 mile bus ride, a new daughter (ready made), a new baby and marriage, all in a faraway land. In a nutshell, that's exactly what happened to me starting six years ago today.

It Started Here.

Some background: I used to hang out in the chat rooms on AOL when I had a little free time. And believe or not, I developed some friendships which endure to this day. One of those "friendships" went a little deeper than the others. Twice as deep as a matter of fact. Their names are Heather and Isabella. Heather and I were friend on AOL for a while before we actually spoke to each other on the telephone. That's where the broken elbow comes in. In November, 2004, a few months after my Dad died,  I moved to Colorado to spend some time with and to help my Mom with some stuff. A few weeks later, on the 21st, I called Heather to talk to her for the first time. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but from that door way on the left, there are twelve steps to the front door of the house. I was at the top of those steps when it happened. I tripped and went assholes and elbows tumbling down them. As I fell, I threw the phone into the street below and I heard it crash. As I'm falling, I am thinking, "Dammit, I just broke Mom's phone!" The fall was in super slow mo, like you see on a football game. After making sure I was still alive, I went inside, my conversation on the phone with Heather obviously over, holding my left elbow and the attendant flood of blood that accompanied it, and my Mom was freaking out when she saw me. Before I go any further, NO I WAS NOT DRUNK!!! Long story short, I broke my elbow in five places. By the way, the phone scattered all over the street below and Mark, my step dad, found all the pieces, re-assembled them and that phone works to this day. Heather later told me that when the phone went dead, she thought that I did not like her much because I hung up on her. Little did she know.

Eighteen months later, in May, I hopped a bus out of Denver and headed east towards Maine. Nobody knew where I was or if I was dead or alive. After a cross country ride, I arrived in Augusta, Maine on Saturday, May 13, 2006. I am still here. Isabella, my ready made little girl, was just shy of four years old. She's now eight years old and I am her Daddy. Bailey was born on February 1, 2007 and Heather and I got married on February 16, 2008. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I got here, but I am grateful to God that things turned out like they did. I never was much for doing things the conventional way.

This story epitomizes that "life thing" I opened this story with. I was a ramblin', gamblin' man (literally...I lived at the casinos in my town in Colorado) one minute, and the next I am 2000 miles away with a new family and a new life and I ain't complainin'.

These last six years have been a blessing that seven years ago seemed impossible. Heather has smoothed some of the "rough edges" that I had before coming here, Isabella has changed my life in ways she won't understand for a few years and Bailey the Three Year Old is Daddy's baby girl.

Thank you Heather for making my life whole again. I love you. Thank you, Issy for being the best first little girl that a Daddy could ever have. I love you. And, Bailey, you have made our little family complete. I love you. And, God, I hope that this story gives another man hope about having a family when life looks like it has passed him by. Let me encourage you, my brothers, I was 49 years old when Heather, Isabella and I became a family, and 50 years old when Bailey completed our little group. Just remember, that God will steer you in the right direction when the time is right, so never lose faith or believe that He has forgotten you. He hasn't, He just does things His way and you have to accept that.

I love all three of my girls and wouldn't trade them for a Kingdom and all it's gold. they are much more precious to me than that. I love you Girls. And, dear God, thank you for such a wonderful gift to celebrate at this time of year.

Maine Minutiae : My Wife Is Beating Me

Where's Mine?

No, ya goofball, not like that. Heather is beating me at my own game - blogging. How in the name of all that is Holy can this be happening? Just minutes ago, as Bailey the Number 2 Daughter walked with me to the mailbox, we were learning all the numbers on the apartment doors, 1-16. So far, so good. I retrieved the mail and we walked back to our place, enjoying a sunny late summer day in Maine. then the roof caved in on me - a devastating blow to my male ego from which I may never recover. I feel like the guy in Indiana Jones who played the part of the human sacrifice. Remember him? He was caged up in some contraption, hoisted above what looked like the crater of an active volcano. Hundreds of people in this big ass cave were chanting in unison something like "ya mama's a white one". Then the head voodoo doctor guy, who was painted up like some truck stop Trixie, goes over to the caged up guy, who's also saying "ya mama's a white one", and rips caged up guy's STILL BEATING HEART RIGHT OUT OF HIS CHEST! I feel like caged up guy. My still beating heart has been ripped from my chest, but I have the added luxury of having mine STOMPED on - by a Yankee Woman no less! Other than that, my day has been lovely. What is causing this almost unbearable trauma? Heather got a notice in the mail today that she is getting a check from Google for the money she made on her blog! OUCH! That's gonna leave a mark. Why haven't I gotten a payment from Google? It's not fair! I am gonna hold my breath until I turn blue! (Insert large inhaling sound)
On the real side : I am very proud of Heather for her accomplishment. She's put a lot of time and effort into her blog and the results speak for themselves. Writing the blog is the easy part. She puts countless hours into cooking the meals she writes about. On top of that, there's the planning, the prepping of the stuff to make a certain meal, the cleaning up afterwards (although I try to help her out as much as possible), etc. Add to that the exercising she does to maintain her new healthy lifestyle, and she's one busy woman. Hell, the steadfast dedication she has shown in sticking to such a demanding lifestyle, in and of itself, is nothing short of amazing - like her. If that's not enough, she also has the toughest job in the world - being a mother to our two kids. Heather also has the second toughest job in the world to deal with - being married to me. That alone is worth a Congressional Medal of Honor. Just ask her. :) I wanted to share this with you because my wife is an inspiration, not only to me and the girls, but to everyone who wants to make a change in their lives, any kind of change. You folks can look to Heather as a role model, if for no other reasons than her rock-solid commitment to her goals and the single minded determination she shows in achieving them. I love you, Heather. I am proud and honored to be your husband. You are one hell of a woman.