Life gets busy

Happy Holidays everyone! 

I have to say that sadly this blog gets neglected when life gets busy.  I was looking back at my previous posts and my last one was in May of 2016.  Since that time though my son has turned 6, my daughter has turned 4, both of them started school (My son is in kindergarten, my daughter is now in preschool), I started a new job as a quality assurance manager (this has taken up a ton of my time), we went to Disneyland with both sets of grandparents, and Jamaica with my amazing wife Censie!

It has been an amazing time but I often times find myself sitting down at night and starting to fall asleep around 9 or not having motivation.  It sucks because I have enjoyed my time blogging but sometimes lack that internal motivation to just write and share what is going on.  I am going to work on trying to get this up and running again, hopefully with my new love of computer coding I can share my interests with everyone.  

As I am sitting here writing this right now my son is sick and I am eyeball deep in his new found passion: Pokemon!  I had no knowledge of Pokemon until recently but he has found a love for it and a shared passion with his classmates.  As I type I am watching a small yellow creature named Pikachu shock Team Rocket from the sky.  I know that with Christmas coming up this next week that I am going to have to learn more and more about Pokemon.  

I have learned as a father that it is not up to me to determine their interests and passions but to embrace theirs and share mine with them. If we have the same interests that is AWESOME but if not I need to take the time to learn about theirs and not pigeon hole them into only learning one thing.  I have learned a lot about dance, gymnastics, and princess from my daughter, and now Pokemon from my son!  It is fun, but I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be watching Pokemon!  It goes to show you that you will do anything for your children!

I hope that everyone has a great Holiday season and Merry Christmas!  I hope to be back here many times in the upcoming year!  If you have any suggestions for posts I would appreciate any thoughts!

Listen to This Now: The Haunted Windchimes.

Earlier this year when I started to pick up writing on this blog again I wanted to be able to share my love of music with everyone.  One of the big things that I wanted to do was to share with you the reader some awesome bands that you may or may not know of.  In return I want you to share bands with me so I can expand my musical horizon as well.  I love it when someone tells me to go listen to a band and I immediately get hooked on them.  This next band was just that.  An instant favorite of mine.

Before I wrote this post I reached out to Inaiah Lujan to ask if they would be okay with my promoting their band and sharing my review.  I wasn't sure if I would ever hear back but almost immediately I did and even got an awesome opportunity, but I am not going to share it all on this post you will have to come back and read the next post.  

The band I want to highlight today is: The Haunted Windchimes.  After this post I hope you will go out and but their album and support these amazing artists.  

Back in December I went to a SoFar Sounds concert here in Denver.  I got the privilege of seeing several bands in a very small venue, I mean probably 30 people.  I heard Inaiah and his wife Desirae perform and this is the first time I had ever heard of The Haunted Windchimes.  I came home that night and found them on iTunes and downloaded all of their albums.

This band has an extremely unique sound.  When I listen to them I feel like I am taken to a different world.  I do not know how you would classify them, are they folk, or are the bluegrass or old time Americana?  I don't know if you can put a label on them besides FREAKING AMAZING!!  This band not only includes a brother and sister playing together but a husband and wife,  They hail from Pueblo, Colorado, what you do not know where that is?  Its in southern Colorado and the population of Pueblo is just a little over 108,000 people.  

The Haunted Windchimes are a band that you would expect to hear on an old vintage radio during the dust bowl.  Their sound is honest and pure.  Inaiah's guitar playing is so fluid and precise.  He makes the guitar sing each note with ease while setting the mood, immediately my mind compared him to Arlo Guthrie.  The band together is what makes The Haunted Windchimes a perfect combination.  Inaiah has his guitar playing and a very soulful voice coming from him that when I saw him I didn't expect.  Desirae and Chela harmonize their voices to the point that it gives me chills, all while they are playing the banjo and ukulele.  They bring a soul and peace to the music that I wasn't expecting.  Its deep and meaningful.  

This is not music that you can listen to if you do not want to feel anything, they have a way of transporting you to a different world with the lyrics and sound.  Just take a look at these lyrics:  

When I come around
I'd really like to see you
Kiss you on the lips before I go
Wrap my arms around your little body
Squeeze you 'till the moonlight takes our soul

I'm leaving here, I'll see you when I see you
Leaving this ghost town, this time for good
Meet me by a train just after midnight
Meet me just like you said you would

When I am listening to them in my car people probably think I am nuts because I am tapping my hands and signing along.  You cant help but become completely engrossed in their sounds and the music.  They have been featured on Prairie Home Companion in 2011 and 2012 and won the Indy Music Award for Americana in 2012.  If  you are looking at buying any music spend your money on The Haunted Windchimes you will not regret it.  Please check back within the next couple of days for an interview I completed with Inaiah and The Haunted Windchimes. 

Here is the bands website complete with bios and videos:  http://inaiahlujan.com/

National Teacher's Day!

Today is National Teacher's Day so I would like to send a huge THANK YOU to all the amazing teacher's out there.  I have never been a great student.  I did not enjoy doing school work and I struggled in school.  People find it amazing that I had a better GPA in college, especially after I got married, but I had someone (Censie) pushing me to do the best that I was capable of.  

I was thinking today on who one of my favorite teachers was and it was an easy decision for me.  David Nykirk at Rangeview High School was probably the most influential teacher in my life.  Sadly I saw that he just passed away after a long battle with cancer this year.

Mr. Nykirk made me laugh and made learning fun.  I had him as a teacher for several classes and his sense of humor was amazing.  He always made a rule at the beginning of his class that if he had a heart attack to pick him up and carry him out of the building before trying to resuscitate him because he said that he didn't want to die in the school.  He also was my teacher for Greek Mythology and he would not let us say sex because we were in school so we had to say that the gods were holding hands.

Not only was his humor amazing but also his ability to push me to succeed.  I remember I turned in a paper to him and he read it and then gave it back to me laughing.  He told me that I had no reason to turn in a piece of shit like that because I was capable of much more.  For some reason that struck me because he didn't sugar coat it he just had higher expectations for me and wanted me to meet those.  

So again today to all my friends and family who have been teachers I say thank you and please continue to push our kids to do the best that they can.  I cannot wait to see how teachers are going to handle our kiddos!  Be prepared!!!  

Another Secret Subject Swap!

Welcome to Take Two of August’s Secret Subject Swaps. This week, 13 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts.  Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

 

 

http://BakingInATornado.com                            Baking In A Tornado

http://dawnsdisaster.blogspot.com                    Dawn’s Disaster

http://www.theblacksheepmom.blogspot.com      Black Sheep Mom

http://indianamericanmom.com                         Indian American Mom

http://www.homeonderanged.com                      Home on Deranged

http://coachdaddyblog.wordpress.com                  Coach Daddy

http://www.justalittlenutty.com/                           Just A Little Nutty (Guest Post)            http://www.itsyummi.com                                   It’s Yummilicious

http://dates2diapers2.blogspot.com                       Dates 2 Diapers

http://www.rocksnosaltmommy.com/                     Rocks, No Salt Mommy

http://crazyasnormal.com                                     Crazy As Normal

http://ibddaddyandme.blogspot.com/                    IBD, Daddy and Me!

www.thatsuburbanmomma.com                           That Suburban Momma

 

                   

My subject is "The first time I met my significant other, I thought... " It was submitted by http://dawnsdisaster.blogspot.com.  Here goes: 

 

It's probably a more of a fun story to hear about what Censie's parents thought of me when they first saw me, but that is not the question.  I met my wife Censie at College in Seward, Nebraska.  It is funny we grew up about 30 minutes away from each other but in Colorado it was about a world apart and it took us going to Seward, Nebraska to meet. 

 

We were both in the DCE (Director of Christian Education) program at Concordia University which is a private Lutheran college.  We had gone on a retreat to a camp to do a service project.  It was fun because I instantly thought that she was HOT and really was attracted to her.  Then I found out that she was from Colorado so I got to use that to get to know her.  She was a grade younger than me so I had a car and a way to get home to Colorado so I got to use that to hit on her. 

 

It was funny because I had to wear a sleeveless shirt at the time you know I had to show off my tattoos.  She started talking to me about them and it came up that she had a tattoo and wow that was it for me I was hooked I have a thing for tattooed women.   It just added to her hotness.  Then from there the flirting started which I suck at, just ask her.  She had to explain to me how to spell her name because it is spelled differently Censie.  She had to write it on my shirt in paint and from that point on I had a huge crush on her.

When I met her though I was dating someone else but I always had a huge crush on her and also I was in a bad point in my life.  I had been going through a lot of issues but I was able to have her as a great friend at first and then I was lucky enough to call her my girlfriend, then my wife.  She has been a rock to me and I am so lucky to have her. 

This past year has been so hard on us, I am writing this post from the hospital and thinking back this is actually the second secret subject swap that I am posting from the hospital.  She has stood by me as I have dealt with my Ulcerative Colitis, my ileostomy surgery, anxiety, depression and everything in-between.  It is funny that this journey that has now taken us throughout ten years started at a service project retreat where we were painting a house.

Sometimes you never know why people are put in front of you but I am glad that we were put together on that day.  She has been an amazing wife and best friend and I am thankful for her everyday.  So yes it was love at first sight but it just took me a while to be able to act on that love!  Thank you for this subject and I hope that everyone enjoyed hearing our story.

Now when Censie's dad saw me I was running in front of him with blue hair, smoking, and loud music blaring and he turned to his brother in law and told him that he didn't think that I was going to make it very long there at school.  And now that person is his son in law so again don't judge a book by it's cover.  Thank you for reading!

Trying to Get Back in a Routine!

How is it April already?

 This month was supposed to be my first month back to work after my surgery!  I had all these grandiose plans of getting back into a routine and just moving forward, we all know how well that has been working! 

 

I went back to work for two weeks and then ended up in the hospital for another week which mentally set me back and we had to keep moving forward at this point.  I went in for another surgery for them to clean the wound and then was discharged thankfully and able to return home.

 

So I decided to start again this week and we were going to get back to a routine.  Luckily I survived this week despite some saddening news at this point in my recovery.  So I have been meeting with my regular surgeon every week and he told me that at this point he is seeing limited healing in the wound, the wound looks good but it is not healing as well as it should be.  Last week he talked to me about meeting with a plastic surgeon.  He said that they were talking about removing muscle from my leg and then filling the wound with that muscle.  This is how it has been described to me thus far.  I am meeting with the plastic surgeon Thursday of this week.  My doctor told me that I would be looking at another 3-4 day hospital say.  As Censie says we all know how my body responds so we will plan a week.  I have mixed emotions about this on one hand it would heal the wound then the other hand it is another surgery and another hospital stay.  You know what is another hospital stay when you have spent 26 days in the hospital over the past four months!!!

 

Luckily this week I got to be home and was able to go to Jude's first soccer practice.  He had a great time and did so well for one of the youngest kids out there.  Now he is not the smallest kid out there but is one of the youngest.  It was nice to be able to get out and play with him, however running for the first time with my ileostomy was a little weird and is going to take some getting used to. 

 

 

Then on Saturday after my daily visit to the nurse, yes those are still going on I have no idea when it is going to ever end!  We went and did Easter Egg Scramble.  Jude had fun even though we only came home with one Twizzler and one empty egg.  He did really good being patient.  This is one of my favorite pictures!

 

 

Then on Sunday we went to church and then hunted for more Easter Eggs.  We had a great time playing and eating candy throughout the day, whoops daddy has a sweet tooth.  Then later in the evening he crashed, I got to cuddle with my little boy, not something that happens very often any more.  It was nice being able to have a day where I didn't have to worry about my ileostomy or having to go the doctor.

 

I am really hoping that I will be able to have more days like this but I will know more on Thursday.  I will make sure to keep everyone up to date on what is going on and if I am going to have to have another surgery.  Thank you all!



2013 Where to Go From Here?

Goals for 2013?!?!?

 

I have never been one to do New Year's Resolutions because I have never fully completed them so I am hoping that I can just complete these goals for this year.  I have had a lot of time these last couple of days sitting here to think about them :)

 

1. My goal is to be healthier this year.  I have had a lot of health issues over the past several years but with surgery happening on January 9th I am hoping to be able to move forward.  I put on 70lbs since being on prednisone and with this surgery I will be able to get off this drug.  I am also hoping that I will be able to work out more and be more active without having to worry about my illness. 

 

2. I am hoping to be a more present and active father and husband.  This also goes along with number one but when I am sick I am not able to do the things with my family that I want because of fear of being sick.  I want to be outside playing with my children and family as much as possible and make sure that they have a good time spending time with me.  I want my children and wife to know every day that I love them and how lucky I am to have them in my life.

 

3. I want to be more of an advocate for Ulcerative Colitis and now having an Ostomy.  I have told my close friends and family about this illness and how it affects me but I would like to be able to help others who are going through this illness.  It can have a huge impact on the individual but also the family, just ask Censie, I know she is done with this illness as well.  I think that we often times do not talk about this illness because of what we have to talk about but we have to spread the awareness of it so that is more accepted and understood.

 

4.  I want to read more.  I have a Kindle and have started reading again while in the hospital and I really want to keep reading more.  I want my children to share in the love of reading, Jude already loves books but this was something that I didn't do enough as a child.  I want them to see that it is important and enjoy a good book!

 

5.  I want to gain control of my anxiety and depression.  This has been something that has been a challenge for me.  I am seeing a therapist about it but I need to be able to gain person control of it.  I continue to worry about everything and beat myself up about things.  Also when this happens I shut down, right Censie?  I need to be better about understanding it and managing it so that I control it and it does not control me. 

 

6. I want to try and do more things that I want to do.  I want to start playing my guitar more, it takes practice but I never play it but really want to be able to play the guitar more.  I also want to start cooking more. This is something that I enjoy and I do have a interest in I just never do it or never try anything.  I want to try and commit to doing these things more often

Well this is my start to what I want go accomplish in 2013 and I hope to continue to add more and cross some things off as well.  Most importantly I want this year to be about my family and enjoying spending time with each other every day and knowing that we love each other fully each and every day as well.  Good luck to everyone else in 2013.

 

 

 

 



Time for an Update

Time for an Update!

 

I was sitting her looking back at my blog and was thinking that it has been a while since I had written a blog post.  I know that this has been tough for those of you that are following my blog.

 

The last blog post that I wrote was a difficult one for me because it was about my grandfather's passing which still hits me hard every day.  I will find myself thinking about him and getting teary eyed because of the flow of emotions. 

 

Three days after my grandfather passed away I was blessed to welcome our daughter Teagan Evelyn into the world, I love the feeling of being a father.  It is something that I cannot put down into words that feeling of holding her for the first time.  I am so blessed to have two wonderful children in my life and one amazing wife! 

 

The week after Teagan was born my parents came out for the funeral, it was another wave of emotions going from being so happy about my daughter to having to deal with death again.  It was amazing hearing all the great stories about my Papa he was a quiet man but he had a profound impact on my life an who I am today. 

 

My parents then left and the next week Censie went into the emergency room because she wasn't feeling well and it was discovered that she had gall stones and that she was going to have to have her gall bladder out.  This was a shock to us as she had an attack a year ago but we were not told at that point about the gall stones.  We scheduled her surgery for after Thanksgiving so that she could enjoy the holidays, oh and a baptism, and then my parents coming out again.

We were blessed enough to have my parents and my grandma come out for Thanksgiving and the Baptism, Teagan's middle name is Evelyn from my grandma.  We were so thankful that they could come out for this time of celebration. 

While my parents were out here my body decided that we didn't have enough stress in life so a Ulcerative Colitis flair was in store.  I will be going into this into more detail later.  Censie had her surgery and it went well, I was a nervous nelly the entire time I am only used to being the sick one.  I now know what Censie has to go though every time I am sick.  I was able to help her as much as I could but then had to return back to work and then my body decided we were going to increase our flair. 

Needless to say this first six weeks of having Teagan at home has been a whirlwind but I am so thankful that I have a wonderful family to share this with.  I will be trying to blog a lot more and I appreciate any support from anyone.  I hope I can get this blog going and share my story with how I am doing at this point.  Thank you for sharing some time reading this.