I took last week off of work for the Thanksgiving holiday, to prepare the house our guests (family) and spend time with my wife and kids. It turned out to be a great week. April made a huge Thanksgiving feast in which she cooked a 24lb turkey and all the trimmings. We had 14 people in our house for the occasion and had a blast. One of the things April did was design a game for us in which all the things we were happy for were written on construction paper turkey feathers and taped to a big fat turkey picture on the wall. After we all ate dinner, the children took turns plucking feathers from the turkey and reading someone’s thing that they were grateful for. Then, we all had to guess whose item it was. It was extremely entertaining! It got me thinking about all the things that I was eternally grateful for.
First and foremost, I am grateful for Christ’s unconditional love and atoning sacrifice for me. I know that it is through him and by keeping his commandments that we shall return to live with our Heavenly father some day. I know that, by abiding by the precepts within the gospel, I will stay free from all the things in the world that ensnare the hearts of men and keep them from true happiness.
Second only to the Lord, is my appreciation for my wife, April. I would not be the man I am today had it not been for her patience and persistence when it came to me. As cliché as it sounds, she is what makes me want to be a better man…..cuz if I don’t, shell make my life hell…ha-ha just kidding. She has helped me understand and realize my potential and has always held me to a higher standard than I was at, at any given time. For that, I am eternally indebted to her. I love her un conditionally.
My children are a huuuuuge source of happiness for me. Although they can be a handful at times, their happiness and successes in life bring me great joy.
I love the friends that I’ve made throughout my life, which I am still in contact with. The memories that I have of them are cause for laughter and celebration.
I am also grateful for a steady job and a warm home to reside in. The two are very important to my family’s survival. The quality of which, is very important to my happiness.
Lastly, I am grateful for music and the inspiration I draw from the lyrics and harmonies within.
These are the things I am grateful for in my life at the young age of 32. I wonder how much they will change throughout the next year. We shall see.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Long Time, No Type
I know it’s been a while since my last entry but, for some reason, this has become less of a priority. So, that being said, I am going to try harder to write more frequently.
We have been here in Colorado now for a little over a year and still love it! I have been working for a commercial satellite corporation called DigitalGlobe as an imagery analyst and graphic designer. It truly has been the dream job. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to San Diego California and Colorado Springs for trade shows, where I learned even more about satellite imagery innovation. Anyways, I hope I can stay here at DG for a long time to come.
Family life here in Northern Colorado has been nothing but a dream. The people here are soooo family oriented and make plans with children in mind. April and take the kids swimming at our gym’s pool on the weekends. They spend the entire time we are there jumping on my back, trying to drag me to the bottom of the pool. They have a blast and I get a great neck workout. We had a great harvest corn festival here in Erie and spend loads of time at my brother’s property in the mountains, camping and catching up on lost time.
Joe Joe is going to be 9 yrs old in February and is truly one of my best buds. He has participated in everything from karate and scouts to basketball and coach pitch baseball. He is coming into his own these days. He is starting to find his own style and has a little swagger to his step. I have to admit though; the two of us butt heads quite a bit. I think it’s because we are so much alike. I love him dearly and want him to be happy. At the same time, I am trying to instill a sense of obligation and work ethic in him. Man-oh-man is that a hard act to balance! I think I could calm down a bit and be more patient with him. I guess I’m just so excited about watching him grow that I forget he is “only” 8 yrs old. He has the personality of an older child and so that’s how I treat him. Something for me to work on I suppose.
Little Emma…..She is truly my princess and is growing up way too fast. I can’t believe she is going to 7 yrs old in February. She is becoming such a beautiful girl and embracing the girly girl within. She loves going to her dance classes and putting on mama’s make-up. She spends quite a bit of time playing dress-up with her girlfriends when they come over for play dates. She is a loving girl who has to have a huge hug and kiss before I go anywhere. I really hope she doesn’t ask me for anything expensive or unattainable cuz…..I don’t know how I’m going to say “no’.
Ryan is our little bruiser. He reminds of my little brother Jared, who is the strong opinionated type, who would give you the shirt of his back if you asked him to. Ry Ry is 3 yrs old and has to be included in everything his older siblings are doing. If they are playing video games, he has to be holding a controller and acting like he is playing right along. He is on the verge of being completely potty trained and talks up a storm. Although, he had an accident the other day in which he proceeded to empty his butt on our carpet. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then took one of my video game disks and dipped it into the “baby leavings”. After which, he brought the soiled disk into my office and placed it in our brand new computer!!!!!!!! Ya gotta love him and hug him, cuz if ya didn’t, ya might do something more sinister. Ha, just kidding. He is a great child though.
April has made quite a few girlfriends over the past year. She is part of a cooking club that meets about every other week and shares recipes and taste tests each of them. They have about 20 girls that attend regularly. I love it, because I get to test all the new recipes when she cooks them for dinner. She is an extremely hard worker around the house of which, I am eternally grateful. I come home to a clean house and dinner on the table on a regular basis, which I never imagined would be my reality. She has truly become a dream wife and consistently held me to a higher standard that I am at at any given moment. She is sincerely the reason I have been successful in my life and for that, I owe her dearly.
So that’s what we are up to these days. Life is great. We are filled with happiness and gratitude for all the friends and family that we have. It is nice to finally live near family and get to spend time with them on a regular basis. The kids love there cousins and get along with them so well. They look forward to the weekends when they can hang out with them. Its been fun catching up with my brothers and parents and getting to know my sisters-in-law. I truly feel like this is where we are meant to be. It is truly a wonderful community and will bring us happiness for years to come. Til next time.
Joe
We have been here in Colorado now for a little over a year and still love it! I have been working for a commercial satellite corporation called DigitalGlobe as an imagery analyst and graphic designer. It truly has been the dream job. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to San Diego California and Colorado Springs for trade shows, where I learned even more about satellite imagery innovation. Anyways, I hope I can stay here at DG for a long time to come.
Family life here in Northern Colorado has been nothing but a dream. The people here are soooo family oriented and make plans with children in mind. April and take the kids swimming at our gym’s pool on the weekends. They spend the entire time we are there jumping on my back, trying to drag me to the bottom of the pool. They have a blast and I get a great neck workout. We had a great harvest corn festival here in Erie and spend loads of time at my brother’s property in the mountains, camping and catching up on lost time.
Joe Joe is going to be 9 yrs old in February and is truly one of my best buds. He has participated in everything from karate and scouts to basketball and coach pitch baseball. He is coming into his own these days. He is starting to find his own style and has a little swagger to his step. I have to admit though; the two of us butt heads quite a bit. I think it’s because we are so much alike. I love him dearly and want him to be happy. At the same time, I am trying to instill a sense of obligation and work ethic in him. Man-oh-man is that a hard act to balance! I think I could calm down a bit and be more patient with him. I guess I’m just so excited about watching him grow that I forget he is “only” 8 yrs old. He has the personality of an older child and so that’s how I treat him. Something for me to work on I suppose.
Little Emma…..She is truly my princess and is growing up way too fast. I can’t believe she is going to 7 yrs old in February. She is becoming such a beautiful girl and embracing the girly girl within. She loves going to her dance classes and putting on mama’s make-up. She spends quite a bit of time playing dress-up with her girlfriends when they come over for play dates. She is a loving girl who has to have a huge hug and kiss before I go anywhere. I really hope she doesn’t ask me for anything expensive or unattainable cuz…..I don’t know how I’m going to say “no’.
Ryan is our little bruiser. He reminds of my little brother Jared, who is the strong opinionated type, who would give you the shirt of his back if you asked him to. Ry Ry is 3 yrs old and has to be included in everything his older siblings are doing. If they are playing video games, he has to be holding a controller and acting like he is playing right along. He is on the verge of being completely potty trained and talks up a storm. Although, he had an accident the other day in which he proceeded to empty his butt on our carpet. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then took one of my video game disks and dipped it into the “baby leavings”. After which, he brought the soiled disk into my office and placed it in our brand new computer!!!!!!!! Ya gotta love him and hug him, cuz if ya didn’t, ya might do something more sinister. Ha, just kidding. He is a great child though.
April has made quite a few girlfriends over the past year. She is part of a cooking club that meets about every other week and shares recipes and taste tests each of them. They have about 20 girls that attend regularly. I love it, because I get to test all the new recipes when she cooks them for dinner. She is an extremely hard worker around the house of which, I am eternally grateful. I come home to a clean house and dinner on the table on a regular basis, which I never imagined would be my reality. She has truly become a dream wife and consistently held me to a higher standard that I am at at any given moment. She is sincerely the reason I have been successful in my life and for that, I owe her dearly.So that’s what we are up to these days. Life is great. We are filled with happiness and gratitude for all the friends and family that we have. It is nice to finally live near family and get to spend time with them on a regular basis. The kids love there cousins and get along with them so well. They look forward to the weekends when they can hang out with them. Its been fun catching up with my brothers and parents and getting to know my sisters-in-law. I truly feel like this is where we are meant to be. It is truly a wonderful community and will bring us happiness for years to come. Til next time.
Joe
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Hell must look like a one room hotel!
As much as I love my little rugrats, and as patient as I try to be, it is very hard to maintain sanity when there are five people in a 20 x 20 foot room. Anyways, enough about the negativity.
We finally got word that we will be getting the keys to OUR house on Friday. Yeah! I will own my first house in less than a week. We have a few things we want to do with it initially but, overall its ready to move into as is. I cant wait to wake up next to my wife and just my wife. I dont know that I remember what that feels like. There are other things that I dont remeber but we wont get into that. April has been quite a trooper lately. She has to drive 100 miles a day bringing the kids to and from school. And on top of that, Joe Joe has Scarlet fever and strep throat. Can you believe it?! Scarlet fever! Anyways, I am truly proud of her and pray that she keeps fighting the good fight.
Friday....new house....here I come.
We finally got word that we will be getting the keys to OUR house on Friday. Yeah! I will own my first house in less than a week. We have a few things we want to do with it initially but, overall its ready to move into as is. I cant wait to wake up next to my wife and just my wife. I dont know that I remember what that feels like. There are other things that I dont remeber but we wont get into that. April has been quite a trooper lately. She has to drive 100 miles a day bringing the kids to and from school. And on top of that, Joe Joe has Scarlet fever and strep throat. Can you believe it?! Scarlet fever! Anyways, I am truly proud of her and pray that she keeps fighting the good fight.
Friday....new house....here I come.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
How Do You Measure Success
Alot has happened over the last few months. I quit my job at BAE systems and gained employment for another corporation in Longmont, Colorado. We are currentlty living in a hotel while our house ownership paperwork is finalized. We have been living in this one room hotel for the past two weeks.
Its interesting what type of things occur when you are confined to one room with four other humans, three of which are under the age of eight. AAAGH! To be perfectly honest, I think its harder on my children than it is on me. I can become a little bit irritated rather quickly, and my children get the brunt of it. I know this isnt right, but is the reality of it. So Ive decided, in an effort better control my temper and extend my patience, I would llist some if things in my life that, to me, define success:
1. I have a wife that I absolutely adore. I would have never guessed life could be this good when i was younger. April is truly my reason for becoming the man I am today. If not for her, I wouldnt even be a fraction of "me". She brings me such joy and hapiness. To sum it all up, she puts the passion in my every day.
2. I have three perfectly, disasterously wonderful children who try to make me proud on a daily basis. They do a very good job of it. I am so proud of the people they've become and the children they are becoming. I hope I can give them happy memories of their childhood and raise them in the gospel, all while protecting them from the world.
3. I am a member of the true church of Jesus Christ. The curch has brought me loser to the Lord and helped me to gain a personal testimony of his existance and glory. I am grateful for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and it's infinite healing power and majesty. I hope to become better each day and grow in the gospel. I wish for the opportuntiy to help others on a daily basis in an effort to spread the gospel thoughout the world.
I have so many things to be grateful for that arent material belongings. i am constanly reminded of the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and hope to remind others of His love for them at every opportunity. I love my family and pray that I may give them teh father they need to become extrememly valuable contributors to society.
Amen.
3
2.
Its interesting what type of things occur when you are confined to one room with four other humans, three of which are under the age of eight. AAAGH! To be perfectly honest, I think its harder on my children than it is on me. I can become a little bit irritated rather quickly, and my children get the brunt of it. I know this isnt right, but is the reality of it. So Ive decided, in an effort better control my temper and extend my patience, I would llist some if things in my life that, to me, define success:
1. I have a wife that I absolutely adore. I would have never guessed life could be this good when i was younger. April is truly my reason for becoming the man I am today. If not for her, I wouldnt even be a fraction of "me". She brings me such joy and hapiness. To sum it all up, she puts the passion in my every day.
2. I have three perfectly, disasterously wonderful children who try to make me proud on a daily basis. They do a very good job of it. I am so proud of the people they've become and the children they are becoming. I hope I can give them happy memories of their childhood and raise them in the gospel, all while protecting them from the world.
3. I am a member of the true church of Jesus Christ. The curch has brought me loser to the Lord and helped me to gain a personal testimony of his existance and glory. I am grateful for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and it's infinite healing power and majesty. I hope to become better each day and grow in the gospel. I wish for the opportuntiy to help others on a daily basis in an effort to spread the gospel thoughout the world.
I have so many things to be grateful for that arent material belongings. i am constanly reminded of the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and hope to remind others of His love for them at every opportunity. I love my family and pray that I may give them teh father they need to become extrememly valuable contributors to society.
Amen.
3
2.
Monday, July 14, 2008
New Beginings
I'm thinkin' the winds of change are truly blowing in my direction these days. About two weeks ago, April i got together and determined that our relationship was more important than money and that she would quit her job to stay home with us where she belongs. Her face lit up at the prospect of coming back home. That being said, we also decided it was time for us to move out of our current house (which we are paying way to much for rent) and find something more affordable to help us make ends meet. We have been unable to find a place thats big enough and in a safe neighborhood. We were becoming destraught do to the fact that we couldnt find anything resonable. We were desperate and praying for some kind of divine intervention. About two weeks into our rapid build-up of anxiety, we got a break. I received a call back for a job that I applied for in Colorado. The company is called DigitalGlobe and they are the bigest commercial satelite imagery provider in the world. I applied for a Technical sales Executive position.
It is by far the coolest job on the planet. I get to go to tradeshows and demonstrate their product for up to 12000 people at a time. No, thats not overwhelming. Why do you ask? So I have interviewed with the recruiter and the first sales executive. Now I have to interview in Colorado. hopefully this week some time. I pray that all goes well and we can get out of this money whole of a state that is Virginia. I only wish I could take the fireflies with us. Oh well.
--joe
It is by far the coolest job on the planet. I get to go to tradeshows and demonstrate their product for up to 12000 people at a time. No, thats not overwhelming. Why do you ask? So I have interviewed with the recruiter and the first sales executive. Now I have to interview in Colorado. hopefully this week some time. I pray that all goes well and we can get out of this money whole of a state that is Virginia. I only wish I could take the fireflies with us. Oh well.
--joe
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Am I Truly There For Them
So April went to visit some of her girlfriends in sunny Georgia this weekend and gave me the wonderful opportunity of staying with the children for the weekend. As sarcastic as that my sound, let me reassure you that it is as sincere as the intentions of the rain on a hot July day. My kids and I have grown quite close over the last few months and I am eternally grateful for that. I feel like they teach me something new on a daily basis.
While April is away, the older two children and I are camping out in the living room each evening, watching movies until the wee hours of the morning and sleeping in as long as baby Ryan will allow us. Well, this evening, while we were watching an Indiana Jones movie, Emma informed me that she couldn't keep her eyes open and that she was ready to go to sleep. I think o spent the next 5 minutes or so watching her fight to keep her eyes open. I thought Id help the process along by rubbing her temples and playing with her hair. Once I got that goin', there was no way those eyes could stay open. In her final moments of coherency, she opened her eyes one last time, and said, "Dad, when I get older, will you baptize me?" What a random thing to say on your way into sleepy time. I of course told her I would and she was out...
My children mean the world to me. As they grow, I find myself feeling more and more inadequate for the job of Father. I find myself second guessing my choice of words or the things I require from them on a daily basis. My father once told me, that he as I was learning to be a good son, he was simultaneously learning how to be a good father. That's stuck with me. I think Ive said it to Joe Joe a couple times already and he's only seven. I want to be the best dad I can be. I want my children to look back on their childhood and remember nothing but good times. I want to remain connected to them as they grow through their teenage years. I want to protect them from any and all harm that may possibly befall them. They seem like they are pretty happy. Although, at the same time, it seems like they are always seeing what they didn't get to do rather than what the just got to do. I hope that makes sense. We could be walking out of Chuck E Cheese's, after just spending an hour or so, and there are times when all they do is complain about something. That's frustration to say the least. I sure do love them.
Am I overindulging them? I wonder. Are we spending to much time focusing on fun and not enough on "what's important"? I guess time will tell. I know they are kids but I just cant seem to knock the sense of entitlement out of them. Is this something that We've instilled? That can't be the only answer. So whats the answer to my dilemma? Is there an answer? Well, if spoiling the kids is wrong, I'm guilty. I love seeing their faces light up.
So as I sit here at 3:47 am, trying to fall asleep, I watch my children peacefully sleeping the night away. My heart is full of gratitude for the gifts that are my children. I pray that their lives my be filled with experiences and people that will build strong moral character. I pray that my wife and I can rear our children in the gospel and not place to much focus on worldly needs. This is my prayer...
Joe
While April is away, the older two children and I are camping out in the living room each evening, watching movies until the wee hours of the morning and sleeping in as long as baby Ryan will allow us. Well, this evening, while we were watching an Indiana Jones movie, Emma informed me that she couldn't keep her eyes open and that she was ready to go to sleep. I think o spent the next 5 minutes or so watching her fight to keep her eyes open. I thought Id help the process along by rubbing her temples and playing with her hair. Once I got that goin', there was no way those eyes could stay open. In her final moments of coherency, she opened her eyes one last time, and said, "Dad, when I get older, will you baptize me?" What a random thing to say on your way into sleepy time. I of course told her I would and she was out...
My children mean the world to me. As they grow, I find myself feeling more and more inadequate for the job of Father. I find myself second guessing my choice of words or the things I require from them on a daily basis. My father once told me, that he as I was learning to be a good son, he was simultaneously learning how to be a good father. That's stuck with me. I think Ive said it to Joe Joe a couple times already and he's only seven. I want to be the best dad I can be. I want my children to look back on their childhood and remember nothing but good times. I want to remain connected to them as they grow through their teenage years. I want to protect them from any and all harm that may possibly befall them. They seem like they are pretty happy. Although, at the same time, it seems like they are always seeing what they didn't get to do rather than what the just got to do. I hope that makes sense. We could be walking out of Chuck E Cheese's, after just spending an hour or so, and there are times when all they do is complain about something. That's frustration to say the least. I sure do love them.
Am I overindulging them? I wonder. Are we spending to much time focusing on fun and not enough on "what's important"? I guess time will tell. I know they are kids but I just cant seem to knock the sense of entitlement out of them. Is this something that We've instilled? That can't be the only answer. So whats the answer to my dilemma? Is there an answer? Well, if spoiling the kids is wrong, I'm guilty. I love seeing their faces light up.
So as I sit here at 3:47 am, trying to fall asleep, I watch my children peacefully sleeping the night away. My heart is full of gratitude for the gifts that are my children. I pray that their lives my be filled with experiences and people that will build strong moral character. I pray that my wife and I can rear our children in the gospel and not place to much focus on worldly needs. This is my prayer...
Joe
Monday, June 23, 2008
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