Merry Day After Christmas

Funniest story told during the Holiday and its Eve... Kourtney's family was singing Christmas songs the other day. This exchange took place between five-year-old Kennedy and her dad, Kris. Kennedy: Daddy, you are singing the wrong words! Kris: Kennedy, I've been singing these songs since I was a kid. Kennedy, in a sympathetic tone: Have you always sung the wrong words? If you know that kid, you'll know why we laughed so dang hard at that one. ----- Haley was the perfect picture of a six-year-old at Christmas. It started first thing when she awakened, realized it was Christmas morning and almost hyperventilated: "It's Christmas! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!". It even went as far as breakfast, where she downed our traditional sausage balls and informed Kelsee that they were "brilliant"! Have I mentioned I love that kid?

Pictures for the Masses

Just trying to increase readership of our blog... Picture time! We went out to Roscoe Village on Saturday when we went to Columbus for Hannah's baptism. It happened to be their Christmas celebration, so Santa made a stop to color with the kids. Awesome! He even drew a picture for Haley. Here she is showing her gratitude: And of course, Haley and colored pencils can't be in the same room for 20 seconds with the little artist making use of the drawing implements... OK. So this next picture has some motion blur, but the story is so sweet, I just had to share it. Kelsee had wrapped the presents for me, Cameron and Haley and placed them into some big sacks (like Santa would carry), each with our names embroidered on them, and placed them under the tree. I had not yet wrapped any of Kelsee's (I know I procrastinate; leave me alone), and Haley commented on the absence of presents for her mother. Even though we explained, Haley was still concerned. She disappeared for a short while we went about our normal activities. When she returned, she handed Kelsee a a brown paper bag tied closed with a ribbon. She told Kelsee that it was present for her with all her favorite things. Inside the back were indeed many of Kelsee's favorite things. Without our knowing, she had gone outside and gathered leaves, sticks, rocks, walnuts, and pinecones, then grabbed a few things inside pencil, candy, picture of Haley. This picture says it all: Here's Haley at her class Christmas party. The freaking looking blurry kid is Blaine. He's not really freaking looking or blurry. It's just the picture. Honestly. BTW, all the kids are wearing jammies because the received an "in school snow day" for filling their compliment jar. And last but not least, one of the coolest buildings in existance: the Longeberger Basket Company's home office. Seven above ground stories complete with easy to grip carrying handles, located in the middle of nowhere several miles from Columbus. Amazing...

Can't Tease Haley...

On Wednesday night, we went caroling with our ward youth. As we drove from one house the next, Kelsee and Haley were reliving last year's caroling--Haley and JT, one of our older young men slipped down a muddy hill and had to spend the rest of the caroling covered in mud. (As an aside, Haley's always kind of had a little crush on JT. We tease her from time to time about it.) Anyway, when the talk on Wednesday turned to JT, Cameron leaned over and started teasing Haley: Cameron, in a sing-song voice: Haley and J.T, sitting in a tree... Haley, without missing a beat: One fell off and bumped his knee! Kind of took the wind out of Cameron's sails, it did. Later that evening, after we finished at one widow's apartment, we were climbing back into the van. A dog in a neighboring apartment was going nuts, barking and howling non-stop. Haley shook her head and said: "That dog is throwing quite the fit." Gotta love that kid.

Sometimes it Sucks...

We're now facing some of the true agonies of raising a child, especially a multiracial child. Seems there are a few kids on the bus who like to poke fun at Haley, for one reason or another. First it was the kids who told her she was dumb. I wasn't aware of it until one night when we were working on sight words (words you recognize just by seeing them; you don't need to sound them out). She has been having a hard time with those, and that night was no different. Finally, she started crying in frustration and said "Those kids on the bus were right. I am dumb." I absolutely wanted to throttle those kids. Kelsee and I, of course, had to remind Haley that she is just in kindergarten and is still learning. I told her that just because someone says something doesn't make it true. We reminded her that she has a vocabulary twice that of most kids her age and more than many kids older than her. We also took her through her addition table, which she does well at. When we were done, she was feeling much better. I still want to throttle those kids. Then yesterday she tells me about some second or third grader on the bus who calls her "Brownie". I asked her why she called her that, and Haley says it's because she has brown hair and brown eyes. I asked Haley if this girl calls other brown hair, brown eye kids that, and Haley says she doesn't, that it's Haley's "special name". By the way, Haley is likely one of the only multiracial children on the bus. I'm POSITIVE she's not the only brown-hair, brown-eye kid... Anyway, she told me that sometimes she's being nice when she calls Haley that, but other times she's being mean. Uh, what the...??? OK. I'm so glad my daughter has help working on her self-esteem every afternoon on her way home from school. Did I mention I want to throttle those kids?

Random Stuff for Mid-December

First, a Haley-ism. You know, because that always draws people in... Last night we were singing some Christmas carols after FHE. Haley was in form, singing at the top of her lungs. (As an aside, Cameron was also in form, feigning ignorance regarding the words of the songs.) We sang "Away in a Manger" and then "Silent Night". Kelsee kind of lost Haley and I on the second and third verses. When Kelsee started in on "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", Haley jumped back in with gusto. Kelsee and I sang along until we came to one part of the song, and then we lost it. Haley's version: Good tithings we bring, to you and your kids... Good tithings for Christmas and a Happy New Year! ------ By the way, here is the effect on a Microsuede couch when you've been sitting for too long: Butt imprints immortalized in time!!! ----- Speaking of pictures immortalized in time, here's Haley outside before school during our first day of snow flurries... She doesn't always walk this way. Honest. She was spinning circles trying to catch the flakes on her tongue. And here's one... Who decided to teach Haley to take pictures with my cell phone? Huh? HUH?

14 And Counting...

Yesterday, Kelsee and I "celebrated" our 14th Wedding Anniversary. I put the verb above in quotes because here's how we celebrated: 1. We had a fight the evening before. Yes, we made up before we went to bed. (Everybody, get your minds out of the gutter. It wasn't like that, and even if it was, I wouldn't tell you here.) 2. I slept through the alarm and was awakened by Kirk (my friend and the guy I carpool with) calling my cell wondering where I was. I showered and was out the door after a hasty kiss for my wife. 3. I forgot that I had a gift for Kelsee that I wanted to have waiting for her when she woke up, so I called her while I was on the road and told her where she could find it. (I'll explain why I didn't just wait until I got home in a moment.) 4. I worked all day. 5. I went and administered a final exam for one of my classes. 6. Several students ended up staying after the final exam to received last minute help completing some assignments. I didn't leave until 9:40. Mind you, I mentioned it was my anniversary, and we even talked about it for a while. The students kept saying things like "your wife is going to hate us" or "I'm almost done". 7. I arrived home about 10:30, exhausted. 8. Kelsee was tired and also not feeling well. We chatted until about midnight about this and that, then ventured to the land of nod. 9. That's it. 10. Seriously. Kelsee made a good point last night, though. We don't need to wait for a specific day to commemorate our marriage and love. Hopefully, we're commemorating every day. We're even commemorating during a three-day romantic excursion to the mountains of West Virginia starting tomorrow. The thing is, I think we are both most looking forward to sleeping in each morning. That and the absence of anyone who speaks Whinese. (If I walk into a restaurant and hear a whiny kid, I'm going to dump my entire bowl of salsa/bottle of A1/plate of linguine over his or her head. I'm guessing his or her parents will hug me with tears of gratitude in their eyes, and everyone else will be jealous because they didn't think of it first.) I really don't care what we do on our trip, as long as I'm with my sweetie. (Sure, you can use words like "cheesy", "suck-up", or just roll your eyes, but that doesn't make the above sentence any less true. So snicker all you want. If everybody had as good a marriage as we do, the world would be a heck of a lot better place.)

Haley, Haley, and More Haley

Did I mention this post is all about Haley? We had some snow a couple of Sundays ago. Not much, but enough to just barely dust the ground. As we drove past the rolling hills and farmland on our way to church, Haley gasped. We looked at her. She was wide eyed and pointing at the big round hay bales, their tops covered in white snow. "Those look just like that cereal!" she exclaimed. "You mean Frosted Mini-wheats?" Kelsee clarified. "Yeah, just like those!" What an imagination! She often points out clouds as we drive, telling us what object or animal they look like to her. Or she'll see scribbles on a piece of paper or a blanket piled up on the bed and tell us that it looks like something to her. As soon as she points it out, of course, it's obvious. Pretty amazing. ------ Cameron and I rented The Incredible Hulk last week, which meant Haley wanted to rent a movie, too. She chose the original cartoon "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". I told her she could watch it the next day. Needless to say, when we got home from church, she bounded into the house exclaiming, "Let's watch The Grunch! Let's watch The Grunch RIGHT NOW!" ------ A while back Haley was snuggling with Kelsee while they flipped through a magazine. They came to an advertisement that prompted Haley to blurt out: "Hey that looks like Grandma Kappes!" Kelsee and I ROARED with laughter after we scanned the picture: ------ The other day, Haley had just finished making some very astute observation. Kelsee responded by telling the curly-haired imp how smart she was. Haley smiled sweetly at Kelsee and said "I save all my good thinking for you, Mommy." Don't you just love kids?

Rise and Shine!

Haley is not a morning person. (OK. It's relative. After 7:30, all bets are off, but before then...) Anyway, when we wake her on weekdays, usually around 6:00 or 6:15, she grumbles and complains about being tired or sick. She came up with a new one the other day. Me: Haaaleeeey...time to get up. Haley: *grumble* Me (shaking Haley): Come on, Noodle. Get up. Haley (stretching): *grumble* Me: Got to get up so you can get ready for school, sweetie. Haley (sitting up): I didn't tell you but I had to go the doctor at school yesterday. (She calls the school nurse the doctor.) Kelsee: Really? Haley: Yeah. She said I was sick and that I should stay home today. Yes, it was a lie, a fib, a fabrication. We still busted a gut. She didn't stay home, however, much to her chagrin.

Birthday party at Kappes grandparents' home

We had lots of fun with our family at Haley's birthday dinner. We had Haley's favorite dinner - taco salad! Yum!

Lots of birthday cuteness!

Haley had a great birthday and had tons of fun at the circus! She loved getting an art easel and some new Groovy Girl items and lots of other fun things. We've been overrun with presents!

Phobia...

Haley has a lot of anxieties and fears. She has never been a good sleeper and has genuinely been awakened by fear several times in her short little life. This last week at school there's been lots of talk about Halloween, and of course, the various monsters that go with it. Two nights ago she started back into her "I'm afraid of monsters so I can't fall asleep in my own room" routine, which we've not seen for a while. I was able to placate her, however. Last night, though her phobia was in full vengence. Kelsee was the one putting her to bed, and when "I won't be able to fall asleep because I'm afraid of monsters" didn't look like it was going to work getting her into our room, Haley became desperate. H: *wailing* Mommy, I'm afraid! K: Of what, Haley? H: I'm afraid of heights! K: Heights? Haley, do you even know what that means? H: *sheepish look* K: Afraid of heights means you are afraid of going up in high places. H: Oh...*resumes wailing* Well, I'm still afraid of it! Oh, that kid... --------- I'm down a half-century from my March 2008 weight. Holding off on the new wardrobe, though. I like the "kid wearing his daddy's clothes" look.

A Moment of Self-indulgence

This post is total self-indulgence, for me, of course. Read at your own risk. I don't know if this ever happens to anyone else, but sometimes I just get these collection of things in my head, and I can't get them out until I write them down. This is one of those times. There is probably nothing in this post of any value for anyone else, but just consider this a brain purge so I can actually accomplish things next week. I started running a 2 3/4 mile route yesterday morning. My muscles were screaming at me when I was done. I did more walking than I wanted, but whatever. Today I ran it again and did much better. I think I probably walk less than a quarter mile during the whole route, though I have no way of knowing for sure. Again, whatever. It feels good, and it's not a competition against anyone but myself. I'm proud of myself, considering I started walking a 1 1/4 mile route in mid July and began running it a week later. I'm down three pants sizes and my business casual attire that I wear to work are pretty baggy. I even bought a new pair of jeans and gave a perfectly good pair in my old size to goodwill. Usually I get rid of clothes because they wear out or I outgrow them. I can't remember the last time I "outshrunk" something. I don't know how much weight I've lost since I don't own a scale and I'm not about to pay my nurse practitioner for weekly visits to help monitor my weight, especially since it was never about the weight for me. It was about my family. We'll be back to our program after this brief break... -------- If it wasn't for music, I don't think I could survive running. MP3 players were made for runners, I'm sure of it. Anyway, if I could only have 10 songs on my jogging list, right now it would be these, in no particular order (only one per artist): 1. Timebomb - Godsmack 2. Gettting Away with Murder - Papa Roach 3. Qwerty - Linkin Park 4. Grind - Alice in Chains 5. Pure Trauma - downset. 6. The Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson 7. Psycho - Puddle of Mudd 8. Head Like a Hole - Nine Inch Nails 9. Sabotage - Beastie Boys 10. Down With the Sickness - Disturbed (Most of these are Alternative Rock, with lots of guitar and bass. I mix in bunches of other songs: rap, rock ballads, classic rock, some R&B. But these are fixtures.) Now, back to our program. -------- After years of staying fairly stable in weight (I was still way overweight, but I wasn't really gaining anything new), I suddenly began putting on the pounds again. I wasn't any more sedintary than before, though I think I was eating more. Regardless, I found myself with considerably less energy. I couldn't keep up with Haley for long, I didn't have the energy to give to Kelsee in the evening, and I was really starting to feel it in my joints. When Cameron came to live with us in spring, things in our lives obviously went topsy turvy. Because of the stress, I was more tired then ever. I needed a boost, so I began cutting back on the food I ate. I didn't stop eating what I liked, I just ate less of it. If I wanted a greasy burger, I ate it. Knowing me, there was now way I was going to move to some diet. So portion control was my goal. I don't think I consciously began doing that, but when I had a series of five or six doctors appointments over the spring and summer, I began to notice a trend. After about the third visit, I realized my weight had gone down 3-5 pounds each time. Now when you are as heavy as I am, weight fluctuation isn't strange, but I decided to make a conscious effort to watch my food intake. By my last visit in late July or early August, shortly after I began running, I'd lost 35 pounds. I started running because I could tell that I would start to stabilize in my weight loss if all I did was portion control. At first running was excrutiating. My cardiovascular system sucked. I couldn't run very far without getting very winded. I think if I hadn't been playing basketball once a week, it would have been worse. Anyway, my muscles ached and my joints throbbed. I did a lot of walk-running, trying to increase the running distance and decrease the walking. I also realized that I was killing myself on this 1 1/4 mile route (which I'd actually bumped up to 1.6 miles). I had a big hill at the beginning, which meant that I was pretty wasted after I got to the top. I decided to choose a new route and increase the distance. Bingo! I was now running 2 miles without killing myself as much. I mean I still had bad running days and good running days, but my new route only had little hills, so I didn't have to expend as much energy at the beginning. Last week, I extended that route to 2 1/4 miles, but that didn't really test me more than the 2 miles. So I extended it to 2 3/4 miles yesterday. Yesterday, I hurt. Today I feel good. I'm shooting to get up to 3 miles, and then decrease my walking distances to as little as possible. Who knows? Maybe I'll run one of those 5K charity runs or something one day. The best part? I'm able to hang with Haley when we play (at least for longer; kids have boundless energy). I'm get less sleep (since I'm teaching three classes this semester), but I have more energy throughout the day. Which means I'm better company in the evening (I guess we'll let Kelsee be the judge of that). I think I'm happier, too. And physically I feel better. Now if only I can get rid of the other stressors in my life...Oh, well. C'est la vie.

A Blissful State of Random...

Haley has expanded the Purdy Lexicon by leaps and bounds. Her latest can be explained with this story: Haley needed to go to the restroom. Sometimes she takes forever (she is nothing if not my child). This particular time was one of those. After what seemed to be an eternity, she emerged and announced to anyone in earshot: "I had a melty poop." So now, in our home, a possible symptom of the flu is melty poop. ------------- During my sister's nearly three week stay at the hospital, I became intimately acquainted with the idiosyncrasies of the parking garage, most especially the painfully slow elevator. While I was often in a less than alert state of mind during my elevator wait, I did happen to once take stock of my surroundings. I discovered the most interesting set-up. Either someone had a great sense of humor or they just wanted to tempt people. ------------- We took Haley to see Ringling Bro/Barnum & Bailey Circus. Wo, talk about sensory overload. I didn't know where to focus my eyes or ears at times. Anyway, it was awesome. Well done, funny, exciting, and not horribly expensive. Haley had a blast. For the first time she really seemed to get into something like this without having to be coaxed. When she went with Kelsee, Austin and my mom to see High School Musical on Ice, she just sat kind of in a trance, though she says she had fun. At the circus, however, she would clap enthusiastically at the right times, laugh at the jokes (even the more subtle ones) and just responded exactly as appropriate. Very nice investment, indeed. Here she is at the circus, with that award winning grin: ------------------ Speaking of the circus, Haley's favorite parts were the clowns. And their were bunches of them. She loved them, laughing and clapping at their antics. Needless to say, we had to do a clown cake for her birthday party the next day. Kudos to my Honey for another awesome cake. --------------- Just another couple of random pics of Haley in an effort to increase our blog traffic and number of comments. ------------------ So all the humor aside, let me wrap up with what I feel is a sweet though heart wrenching picture. This tender moment of Cameron and his mother was taken a couple of days after she was admitted to the hospital and placed in the ICU. I miss you, Tanya.

Race for the Cure

My good friend, Heidi, recently walked in the Portland, Oregon Susan G Komen Race for the Cure walk. She walked in memory of two very special breast cancer victims in my life: my paternal grandma, Geneva Kappes and one of my best friends, Lori Clay. She also walked in celebration of my friend, Deana Steppe. I was so touched by Heidi (she's a young breast cancer survivor) and her willingness to let my friends and family be honored and remembered while she walked.

Thanks Heidi!!

Funeral Information and Obituary

Tanya's funeral information is below. The link to her online obituary is also below. Viewing: 5:00-8:00 pm, Thursday, September 18, 2008 Kerr Brothers Funeral Home, 3421 Harrodsburg Rd, Lexington, KY Funeral: 1:00 pm, Friday, September 19, 2008 LDS Church, 1789 Tates Creek Dr, Lexington, KY Graveside service and dedication: Immediately following funeral service Bluegrass Memorial Gardens, 4915 Harrodsburg Road, Nicholasville, KY (just across the Fayette-Jessamine County line) Obituary: http://www.legacy.com/kentucky/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=117592756

And then there were two...

1:50 pm. September 16, 2008. That date is now etched into my mental and emotional record, placed right below November 5, 1995. Tanya is gone. Just as I hoped, she passed peacefully. One moment she took a breath, and the next moment there was no more. Mom and Mike were standing on either side of her bed, holding her hand and her head, respectively, when it happened. I'm sure as time passes I understand why this moment was so long in coming, when it seemed as though everyone was prepared for this at least a week and a half ago. At least I feel in my heart as though she is in a better place, released from this mortal prison we call a body, and placed into the arms of my father and grandfather and other loved ones. I'll post additional details of viewing and funeral, etc as I get them. In the interim, those who wish to send flowers, please donate to the Huntingtons Disease Society of America instead. Because I'm such an accomodating guy, I've placed a link to their online donation page. Click below and help the cause. Please. For me, for my mom, and for my sister's kids. Thanks for all those who have loved and supported us through this process. https://www.hdsa.org/donations.html

Tanya

We're still waiting for Tanya, Jason's sister, to complete her journey here on earth. It looks like it will be today but we've thought that off and on for most of the week so we really just don't know what to expect. Jason has had some very tender moments with her and I know that those mean so much to him. I've said my goodbyes and expressed my love for her and I feel as much peace as I can considering the circumstances. Cameron is very private in his grief - he's said his goodbyes to his mama but he's struggling. Haley doesn't understand what's happening. Our hearts are hurting so much. There's just no getting around it. This hurts. Last night I was thinking about Tanya before she got so sick and I was distressed when I had a hard time remembering details of things we used to love to do together. I realized (again) that she's been sick for a very long time and I was reminded of how very much we've already lost. I decided to share a few thoughts about her here (I can't get my pictures to load but I will post some of her later). Tanya has two truly outstanding qualities that I automatically think of when I think of her: her kind, gentle nature and her positive, "keep-plugging-along" attitude. Those two things make her easy to love and be with. Everyone that truly knows Tanya knows how sweet-natured she is and how determined she is to just keep moving forward. Tanya loves music; before she got so sick she was a talented pianist and vocalist. She even attended BYU on a music scholarship. Tanya loves tv and movies (I have so many fond memories of her curled up on the couch with her kids cuddled all around her). She loves to read. She is a girly-girl. She likes pretty things and being pampered and doted on. More than anything else, Tanya loves being a mom to her five children. They are her life and they bring her so much joy. Tanya has a gorgeous smile. It stretches from ear to ear. When I think of her smile, I smile. It reminds of good times we've shared and happy memories she's made. She loves her kids so much and she delights in their silly antics, their artwork and schoolwork and their affection for her. She always smiles when Jason and Mike and I tease her or someone tells her a corny joke. Her happy countenance often brings peace and happiness to her family and friends and it's something I've grown to count on in my life. The tragedy of Huntington's Disease is that it steals your loved one little by little and much, much, much too soon. I'll never forget Tanya's sorrow when she wasn't able to play the piano any longer, drive her car or to physically take care of her children anymore. But Tanya impresses us with her acceptance of the situation - not that she likes it but that she is able to still find joy in what she is able to do and that she is able to keep her faith in her Heavenly Father and His plan strong. Tanya is a special person: a gentle spirit, a loving wife and mother, a wonderful sister and daughter and a special friend. I'm so grateful that she is my sister-in-law and my friend. In some ways I've grieved for her for a long time but this dying thing - it's so hard, so painful. Yet we know it's time. And we are letting go because it's the only thing we can do for her now - lovingly let her go, wrapped in our love, so that she can shed her crippled and ill earthly body and let her spirit fly free. I love you Tan-O. I'm going to miss you so much. But I know I'll see you again and I know your dad is waiting to hold you in his arms again. Goodbye my sweet, loving friend. You changed our lives by being you and we'll always hold you close in our hearts.

First day of school Haleyisms

I need to write these down so that I don't forget them... As Haley came in from her first day of school, she let out a huge sigh and said, "I'm woooo-oooorn out" and collapsed on the couch. She told me that she had a great day but then gave me her list of complaints: - '1,2, 3 eyes on me' - that's all my teacher said today. I can't stand it anymore! - We didn't learn any math OR science! - We ran out of time for the library! *grumble, grumble* - All I did today was wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, waaaaaaiiiiiit. But she had a great time. If she says so! :)

Remember That One Time...

For those of you who tune into this blog and casually peruse my light-hearted prose, I'm shifting gears today. If you don't want to read a lot of emotional reflection, you need to just wait until the posts return to their humorous slant. It's been a week now since my only sibling went into the hospital with severe pneumonia. The lack of oxygen apparently led to a minor heart attack and what looked to be partial renal failure. Her body temperature spiked at 104 before she stabilized. In this week, Tanya has gotten worse, then improved, then gotten worse, then improved until Sunday afternoon, she really took a tumble. Her CO2 levels hit more than twice the normal level, which mean that her body was refusing to expel all that gaseous waste. Nothing seemed to work. Tanya's husband, Mike, signed a DNR Sunday night. Yesterday morning, early, a doctor mentioned that he didn't think she'd last the day. So we sent Haley to school, and Kelsee and I loaded Cameron into the van to go say his last goodbyes to his mother, thinking we could just wait it out. Sometime in late morning, they decided to remove all her various life-sustaining devices and move her to a private room outside of ICU so all her family could be with her as she passed on. However, she took another upswing once the feeding tube was taken out, so the little fighter decided to hang on for at least one more night. As I write this, I wonder how she is since I've not yet heard from anyone at the hospital. I just can't go spend another day at the hospital today. I prepared myself, and had a very tender moment with her yesterday when she was lucid and responding to my words. It was my special goodbye. On one hand I hope they call me if she takes a turn for the worse so I can make an effort to be there for the end, if not for myself then for my family. On the other hand, I'm at peace if she passes before I see her again. Grief is a very interesting thing. Everybody does it in their own way. There is no right or wrong. There were nearly 40 family members and friends at the hospital yesterday, many of whom stayed for hours waiting. Dozens of other friends and family called in. It was a remarkable outpouring of support, and one my sister would have loved to see had she been more aware. My mom really benefited I think from all of TC's family around her. I, on the other hand, am a very private person when it comes to my emotions. Just ask Kelsee how hard it is to get me to express my feelings, and she's my best friend and lover. I write my emotions here because writing is therapeutic to me and it's easier to bold or honest in cyberspace. Anyway, I tried to keep a stoic presence in public, but when it was just me and Kelsee, I was often in my own state of emotional catatonia. This is harder than when my dad died. Kelsee said it could be because I'm older and have more life experience. That's part of it, I'm sure. I'm sure I'm also feeling this more because Tanya is a peer, just two years older. We experienced life together as siblings, dealing with our childhoods in a way parents couldn't. She's been sick for a long time, but I still feel a new pang knowing that I can't turn to someone when I have a childhood memory and say "Remember that one time..." Even as recently as six months ago I could still share the memory with Tanya and she'd smile or laugh. That's gone. Sometime in the near future, it'll just be me talking to the air, and no one else will have that knowing nod as they join me in reverie. Does this sound like a heaping tablespoonful of woe-is-me? I guess it does. C'est la vie. I'm prone to bouts of self-pity, but they are usually fleeting. I'm sure more will occur as I sit around waiting for my sister to die, whether that be days or weeks. On a more positive note, when my emotional state is heightened as it was yesterday, I tend to be all touchy-feely. Anyway, during the dozen or so elevator trips yesterday, I had the opportunity to travel with several new mothers and fathers. I saw at least a half dozen tiny bambinos on their way home with their dazed parents. I don't know what their lives will be like, but at that moment all seemed right in their worlds. With death comes sadness and mourning. With birth comes joy and hope. I count myself blessed that I know that after death we will have that same joy and hope again. Don't tell me there is no God. I've seen and felt too much to believe otherwise.

It's All About the Presentation...

Most people who know us know that we are rabid Olympics fans. We attended events in Atlanta in '96 and Salt Lake in '02. We each have our favorites. For instance, I love volleyball (the indoor variety, both mens and womens), while Kelsee tolerates it at best. She has been really into the cycling road races, which just isn't my thing. We both enjoy glimpses of the "Olympic" sports. You know those sports that you only really ever watch during the Olympics: fencing, wrestling, weightlifting, various field events, whitewater, rowing, etc. We do watch the swimming, gymnastics and diving enthusiastically, as well. Anyway, normally we aren't too much into the running events. We watch and enjoy, but really not to the same level as the other stuff above. Well, that changed this year, at least for Kelsee, and for one primary reason. Ato Boldon. She sighs when she hears his voice, drools when she sees him. We've been watching most of the Olympics on TiVo, and every time they flash to the NBC Broadcast team, the remote flies up and points to the television, the image of The Man paused. Then slowly, oh so slowly, she advances the recording. Sheesh. I decided to take a pic of the image she was most fascinated with the other night... This particular picture elicited air kisses from my dear wife. That's OK. I got back at her by swooning over the US womens volleyball team. I was going to take a picture of the scene we paused for Cameron. He found excitement in the Olympics only during womens gymnastics, and most particularly the little firecracker Shawn Johnson. I wasn't going to take a picture of her flashing that million dollar smile or shaking her tush at him. I was going to take a picture of him mesmerized, his chin resting on the floor and his eyes bugging out. He said he doesn't have a problem marrying a woman who makes millions of dollars more than him. Kelsee said she wouldn't have had a problem marrying a man who made millions more than her, either. Gee, thanks.

A Week of Firsts

It's official. Haley is a student. She started kindergarten last week, and the event brought a range of emotions into our home, especially with her mother. I leave her to share that if she chooses. Anyway, she was so excited, but then I think the stress caught up to her on the first day. She was so anxious, she wouldn't even give us a real Haley smile for the pictures. Cameron gave us a real smile, which was pretty monumental in and of itself that early in the morning. Anyway, here are some pics... Best we can do of the new student for the official "backpack on and posing on the front porch" picture. Just a minute before she's grinning the biggest grin and practically bouncing. As soon as the camera comes out she looks like she is trying to fake a smile after losing her favorite pet. Now, Cameron, on the other hand, is totally genuine. I'm not sure if this is because he's glad to be out of the boredom of our house for the bulk of the day, or if it's because he had no less than four girls call him up that week saying they couldn't wait to see him and give him the biggest hugs. Every guy reading this is nodding their heads to that second option. Kelsee tries to get a smile again from the anxiety riddled five year old. Really, Haley. You can do better than that. Fine. We give up. Anyway, school seems to be going well for both our students. My class starts this week. Wonder if Kelsee will take a picture of me on my first day, or do we not do that with teachers? ----- Another first... On Monday, as I was waiting for my carpool while Kelsee was helping Haley get ready for school, I hear a shreik from the munchkin's room. I dart into the room to see her mother practically bouncing on the bed and Haley beaming. Seems Haley wanted Kelsee to feel how sharp Haley's teeth were (why, I have no idea). When Kelsee felt one of the lower front teeth, it really wiggled. Sure enough. Haley's first loose tooth, and it is REALLY loose. Kelsee is spending the day making a tooth fairy pillow. I never got one of those. I feel robbed. ----- This morning Haley decided to play family photographer for the first time. This series is entitled "Morning in the House..." Me, waiting on my carpool... Cameron, refusing to look at the camera. However, this shows just how heavy his backpack is. Man, I don't miss school... Now, right here should be a picture of Kelsee standing in the bathroom blowing her hair dry making a funny face. However, I've learned a valuable lesson in my short 13+ years of marriage. Don't post pictures of the wife without prior written approval. (Must be written, mind you, or you open up a Pandora's Box...) If I receive the necessary legal documentation, I'll post it. Otherwise, just use your imagination.

More in Our 'OK. That was Random...' Series (plus bonus Haley-ism!)

You know what? I have the awesomest wife in the world. When I woke up bright and early--or dark and early--I was treated with a lovely note from Kelsee. She'd obviously written it some point during the night. Love you, too, baby. ----- Last thought on jog-walking. Endorphins are amazing things. I hurt when I run, yet I find myself looking forward to it each morning. It's just wrong. Endorphins should be outlawed. ----- Haley-ism We were downstairs watching TV. Haley was scratching some spot on her arm, a little white bump had formed there. She scratched some more, then looked at Kelsee. "I have beehives on my arm!" ----- We went to the Kentucky Horse Park yesterday. We only had a few hours as I had to work in the morning and Haley had a OT appointment late in the afternoon. For those who don't know, the KHP is a huge place, site of the annual Rolex Three Day equestrian event and the first non-European site of the World Equestrian Games (in 2010). It's also the burial location of Man-O-War and the home of several other famous retired horses. They hold any number of equestrian activities there and have many stables, barns, and museums. Anyway, some pictures, with my comments below each. Ladies and Gentlemen! Cigar! (No, really. Cigar. I know it looks like a horse...) Anyway, Cigar was a big name in horse racing during the middle Nineties. Horse of the year in 95 and 96, won 16 straight races (obliterating the competition). He didn't really start racing until he was a four-year-old or something, but he's a big name in the racing world. I was giddy to see him. An interesting note. This picture of Cigar I took at the Hall of Champions, where they bring in a few really big name horses to show the crowd. Most of the horses really liked to SHOW the crowd, if you know what I mean. Everything on display. I don't have any pictures of that, but it was a fascinating example of Classical Conditioning. The handler would just smack her leg with her hand, or turn the horse in a circle, and he'd just, well, retract. Sometimes. Amazing. Haley didn't comment on it, so I breathed a sigh of relief. (As an aside: Did I ever mention I had a roommate in college who competed in rodeo. He had a walking stick made of a horse, ummm, appendage. Yet I digress...) Part of the activities at KHP is the Parade of Breeds. They bring out five or six different breeds and show you all about them. Really neat to see how different they all are. This guy in the picture was huge, and so was the horse (a Shire, used by Medieval knights). Haley has become really fascinated with horses over the last year or two. She had a ball at the horse park. Oh, and imagine that! We can see her chewing her gum. Some things never change. This is just about the biggest horse I've ever seen. There were actually two of them. Percherons, one of a breed of draft horses. They were each about 18 hands high (a hand is 4 inches) and weighed a total of 4300 pounds. Amazing. Here's Haley petting the head and neck of this tiny Percheron. Did I mention that he weighed nearly 2200 pounds? Like that handler would be able to stop him if he decided to bolt over the top of those little kids. Yikes. Time to find another horse... Ah, here we go. Some miniature pony. It's not a Shetland, but it's similar. Here's putting that pony's size in perspective. It would need to be concerned if I decided to bolt, not the other way around. (By the way, I hate the camera. See how big it makes me look? I'm sure it has nothing to do with the uncontrolled eating and sedentary lifestyle I used to live.) Hey, Kona Gold thinks our blog is funny! Thanks, big guy! (Kona Gold: set the fastest time ever at Churchill Downs during the 2000 Breeders Cup Sprint. It seemed like he made this face every time he, uh, extended. Pervert...)

Oh, My! Now the Peaches!

We've reaped quite a harvest on from our peach tree. Maybe five dozen peaches. Mind you, this is a dwarf peach tree that we got for free from someone; we new it had pretty flowers, but never knew we'd get this reward! Our first two summers were pretty anemic. Anyway, recall my post about our tomatoes? (My Tomatoes Are Horny!) Looks like they aren't the only virile produce, and now I think I know the source of our peach population explosion... Who knew my blog would end up pornographic? Playfruit Magazine Online. (Ugh, that was an awful attempt at humor. Oh, well. You can't win 'em all.)

Running without a Basketball? Blasphemy!!!

Life got pretty busy in early March when Cameron came to live with us. An unintended yet pleasant consequence of that was I forgot to eat. I mean, I still eat meals, but I forgot to have that second helping or the late night snack. I've had a couple of medical issues that involved me going to the doctor five or six times since March, and I realized after the first visit (where I weighed in at a hefty... you'd like to know, wouldn't you? Tough...) that I needed to get serious about losing weight, but I didn't put much thought into it, as usual. Anyway, I discovered at the second visit that I'd lost like five pounds and hadn't really done anything. So I began to be more aware of it. Each subsequent visit to the doctor showed more weight loss, such that I was 25 pounds less of a man at my last visit about a week and a half ago than I was at my first in March. And you know what? It really wasn't hard. I decided a couple of things. First, if I wanted a double cheeseburger or any other decadent food, I'd eat it. I wasn't going to go on some weird freaky menu diet. I'm just going to do portion control and cut out most of my snacking. I had a nutritionist who once told me losing weight is about attitude change more than anything. I also know that cutting back food intake can only take you so far. Now, I need to interject that I'm trying to lose weight for a few reasons: 1. Haley is a typical five-year-old in the sense that her energy far exceeds mine. I need to be able to keep up. 2. Big guy clothes are more expensive then little guy clothes. 3. Airplane seats are really small, and the seatbelts are really short. 4. Genetically, I'm probably going to have major problems with my knees. They don't need any more help getting trashed. 5. Other health reasons, which I'm sure nobody really cares about, so I'll leave them alone. 6. I want my wife to think I'm kinda cute, but I'm not sure losing weight can help all that much in the ugly department. Anyway, I decided about two weeks ago to add to my exercise regimin, which right then consisted of one night of basketball a week and lots of walking from my desk to the bathroom to unload my Mountain Dew. I have started jog-walking. I call it jog-walking because part of the time I'm walking, and the rest of the time I'm "jogging", which actually resembles my walking except I move my arms faster and bounce higher with each step. I definitely don't go any faster. I've learned a few things about jogging... 1. People who do it for fun are gluttons for punishment. When I'm done, my knees hurt, my ankles hurt, I can't catch my breath and I stink. I don't mind any of these things if I'm dribbling a basketball, but just for the sake of running? 2. Running in the late evenings really interrupts the evening, and takes away from my couple time with my better half. So I decided two days ago to begin running in the morning. However, running in the morning hurts worse than running in the evening. 3. Running in Kentucky in August sucks for two main reasons: humidity and hills. Yuck. 4. Running is an individual thing. Cameron tried running with me last Friday night. I told him to run at his own pace, to push himself a little, but not to wait for me to catch up or try to keep up with me. He seemed perplexed, but I soon left him behind and finished probably five minutes ahead of him. 5. Thank goodness for MP3 players and metal music. Makes this running thing tolerable. 6. Completing my circuit each day comes with some feeling that is surprisingly and disturbingly satifying. I'm not saying I like it, but I guess I can see how someone might become addicted to it, in a completely morbid way.

More on the Reunion

Friday night at the reunion. We're walking down the little road from the dining hall to our cabin. It's almost dusk. As we pass people walking our direction, we catch wind that we have a visitor near our cabin, and not a visitor we were anxious to meet. He roamed around our cabins for a while, and we actually decided it wasn't so bad. As a matter of fact, we almost became oblivious to him, and he never even seemed to acknowledge our presence.

As it began to get darker, he disappeared. We didn't see him again until the next evening, practically at the same time. While a few people were a little on edge to see him again, most of us just looked at him with mild fascination. Some even decided to get him to pose for a picture, but he wasn't very cooperative. We snapped a few anyway, then just turned our attention to other things. He milled about the outside of our cabins for a little while, and then just faded off into the night. We didn't even get his name, but he definitely added interest to the reunion.

Here's a picture I was able to get:

Family Reunion Spawns More Haley-isms

First a note on my last post: For those who were offended by my horny tomato reference, let me just say: get your mind out of the gutter! I was referring to the fact it looked like it had grown a horn. I can't imagine what else you thought I might be referring to. Sheesh. ------------ New Playlist stuff: Psycho by Puddle of Mudd Du Hast and Ich Will by Rammstein (they're German Metal) The Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson (he gives me the creeps, but this is a good song) Temperature by Sean Paul ------------ Here's stuff from the weekend: We had my Hensley Family Reunion this weekend. It's an extravaganza. Starts Friday afternoon, ends Sunday morning, with a Saturday sandwiched in between (information for those who are using something other than the Julian or Gregorian calendars). This event is an annual tradition of swimming, eating, talking, hiking and sweating. It's held at a 4-H camp complete with air-conditioningless cabins. It is fun in the oppressive summer sun. Haley's favorite part, next to the endless swimming, is seeing her cousins. All of them came on Friday night, except Alex, who came with my sister and her husband on Saturday. Haley asked me at one point on Friday night: "When is Alex going to join us?" Every year we have an auction to help offset the costs of the event, and every year we have our eyes set on one particular item. Last year it was a nice pair of binoculars. This year Kelsee and I had a conflict. I had my eyes set a dancing Santa. Kelsee had her eyes set on a soup tureen (fancy name for soup serving bowl with a big spoon). We are now proud owners of a ceramic bowl. Anyway, Haley has become somewhat enamored with the bowl. Yesterday evening, Kelsee made a killer creamy chicken corn chowder thing, and Haley asked if Kelsee was going to serve it in the new bowl. Kelsee told Haley that we would use that for special occasions. Haley nods her understanding, mentioning a few special occasions (first on the list was Daddy's birthday, much to my delight.) She then looks over to kitchen cupboard with the special China we inherited from Kelsee's grandmother and says: "And we can serve it with the Chinese plates." Speaking of yesterday evening, we had a short thunderstorm that rolled through, which prompted Haley to make a similar comment to one that I don't recall ever mentioning on here. So let me go back about a year and a half. It was a time when Haley was becoming afraid of thunderstorms. We were talking about safety, and we told Haley about tornadoes and how to be safe from them. For family home evening, we made a tornado plan, and took Haley to the basement to show her where we should go in the case of a tornado. A few days later, we were beset with a typical spring thunderstorm: lots of wind, thunder, lightening and rain. Haley was becoming more and more alarmed. At one point she says: "Shouldn't we go downstairs so we can be safe from the tomato." We start this post with tomatoes, we end with tomatoes. Fitting...

My Tomatoes Are Horny!

It all started with my former neighbor's dog. Sure, he may have been tied to one of the big maple trees in their half of our shared back yard, but that didn't stop him from being a gigolo. He had a steady parade of much larger female canine visitors. Well, he and his owner moved away last summer. Yet, he must have left his power behind. I went out to the garden a few days ago to check for any ripe vegetables. I saw one ripe Rutger tomato among a cluster of tomatoes. So, of course, I picked the normal looking fruit. Imagine my surprise when I turned him (yes, it is most definitely a him) over and saw...well...an appendage! I'm sure we now have a cluster of disappointed feminine tomatoes.