May 9, 2008

A little Mother's Day reflection...

Another "Hallmark Holiday" is upon us, but instead of my typically cynical view, a few articles that have crossed my path in the last few days have softened my views a bit. In my opinion, the best of which, here, reminds me of how much I have to be grateful for with respect to all of the mothers in my life...

To start off, my own mother who sacrificed much for my brother and I when we were young. She provided a completely stable and idyllic life for us growing up sheltering us from most of the hardships we faced while providing a rich, lasting set of memories. These memories form the template for which I strive to raise my own children. I was recently shocked when she asked, in all seriousness, if I had a happy childhood -- I am one of the few people I know who would go back to my youth and do it all again exactly as it was.

In early adulthood, another mother came into my life, my mother-in-law. She welcomed me into her family readily and has never once made me feel like I am anything but blood. Her perpetual smile, caring and humor make our visits to her home always memorable.

Lastly and most important to me at this stage in my life, is the mother of my children. I could not ask for a more caring and understanding partner to weather the storm of raising children in this world. My responsibilities as breadwinner have kept me away from home for much of the last two years. Without so much as a single complaint about my absence, she has provided a loving home and active life for our boys who can be quite a bit to handle for extended periods of time. Beyond my love and gratitude, she deserves far more than I may ever be able to provide.

These mothers have shaped the person I am today and help continue to shape the person I want to be. I am blessed to be a part of their lives. Thanks, moms.

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posted by mgr @ 8:15 PM   1 Comments

Jan 3, 2007

We're still out here

Thank goodness Indiana lifted their ban on Blog updates.... thanks for the motivation L8-10C :)

Doob (Russell Unit #2) was 3 months old yesterday and I figure it's time for a new post. He is starting to move into that toddler phase and RU#1 is becoming a full on little man. #1 LOVES #2 and speaks of him constantly. They also bear a stricking resemblance at the same age.

What can I say, the last few months have been hectic, to say the least. To give you an idea of how hectic, consider the following:
- This post is being written from Texarcana, TX (this being my 4th trip to TX in 6 weeks)
- The fam and I have spent over a month of the last 3 months in Chicago
- I was recently promoted to Systems Engineering Manager for my company's Western Region: Indiana to Hawaii, Canada to Mexico. As part of the promotion, I have to fill the position vacated by my old manager. In the meantime, I have to cover his territory. This brings the territory to 16 states (IN, IL, MI, WI, MO, MN, ND, SD, IA, NE, KS, OK, TX, AR, NM, CO). It's a great opportunity, and I love what I do, but it is cramping my blog posting ability.

I also recently celebrated my birthday. On the downward slope to 40 now. Good times.

I managed to pick up a PSP over the holidays and I must say, for me, it is the perfect mobile device. I have 8 full length movies, 150 MP3s and a number of games to keep me entertained on the plane (see above for frequency) or to keep RU#1 from wigging out if he is force to be away from the Cars movie for too long -- damn you Pixar and your 3 year old crack. TOOO handy. Anybody want to buy a 60GB Video IPod?