April 2021

This April actually felt "normal" again. Whatever that means any more. Jennifer and I are now working full time during daylight hours and the kids are in school. The only downfall was that Jennifer and I were working completely opposite schedules. Everyday one of us was working the other was off. We had to do this whenever Jennifer went to dayshift because there was not any after school care options. So, we only had family time every night after we got off work. It was much better that having us on opposite schedules so I will take it! 

Jennifer took the kids to the arboretum. They had a blast playing on some huge cut up tree logs. The kids didn't remember it, but they played on these same logs when they were younger. It is nice to have some good weather to be playing outside. 

With Easter being the first weekend in April it was time to start doing some traditional things. We started off with dying some eggs with Grandma and Grandpa.

Brinley's mostly revolved around bunnies if you can imagine that. Her funny writing on the egg was "you crake me up", but she meant to say crack.

Jennifer did the bunny face. I wrote that I heart Pepper. Then on the back of the egg I wrote April Fools! We also went to get the kid's picture made with the Easter bunny and of course Brinley wanted to take her real bunny, Pepper. 

Landon came up with some pretty random things to write on his eggs before dying them. Jennifer has rubbed off on both kids with her hatred of spiders. The top left one doesn't actually say Shamrocks, but instead Samrocks. 

We also decorated some cookies. Landon's were the top left, Jennifer's were in the middle, mine top right, the Grandparents were on the bottom left, and Brinley's were the bottom right. I wrote Samrocks on my rabbit and I even made a blue carrot for Pepper. 

Easter morning the kids woke up and I fixed them their bunny pancakes. Pepper even enjoyed the treat that the Easter bunny left for her. The kids even hunted some eggs with their bunny ears on. Not sure how many more years I will be able to talk them both into wearing the bunny ears. Brinley would happily wear them for the rest of her life.

Jennifer had to work because it was a weekend, but the kids and I went to church at Southland. It has been so nice to finally be back in person and bringing the kids with me. They have really enjoyed being back in children's church. 

I was so excited to have baseball season finally arrive. This would be the last time that the kids would both be able to be on the same team. Brinley would be too old and we had decided that we would move her over to softball too! The kids both picked out their own numbers. Brinley with 23 and Landon with 25. 

With both kids in school we were finally able to get out and hike after dropping the kids off. We headed out to Raven's Run to enjoy a cold April hike.

On our hike we even spotted a little turkey walking around on the trails.

The kids and I discovered frisbee golf while out hiking around Veterans park. I picked up some frisbees and we decided to try our hands at it. As you can tell from the bottom pictures we had some end up in the creek that I had to go in and retrieve. 

The UK students were able to still do their DanceBlue Marathon with some modifications and of course it had to be virtual. I know that it wasn't what the kids had wanted to do, but they made the best of it. I am constantly amazed at what they do. During a pandemic they still raised over a million dollars for the patients of the DanceBlue Clinic. They had a virtual dance party and since I don't have any dance moves I dressed up like Woody from Toy Story and just acted silly. Sort of like a normal day at work if you ask my co-workers. I was also a part of the final countdown and I was number 3 so I had to throw up some 3 goggles.

The kids even participated in the DanceBlue bingo competition. It just made me happy seeing them all play such a simple game online and having so much fun. 

I have been having a blast watching these two kids play. They have been trying so hard to get better. After a couple of loses to start the season the Mets got their first win of the season. 

This soccer season took a very interesting turn this year when I decided that I was going to help out with Brinley's soccer team. I signed up to be an assistant. Well, the only problem was that nobody signed up to be the head coach. They just turned me into the head coach. Problem is that I have zero soccer experience. I decided that I would try my best and see what happened. I had twelve girls who didn't have much experience, but they were ready to give it their all. I just asked three things of them: have a good attitude, give me all your effort, and have fun. Landon played with the same team that he has been with for the last 3 soccer seasons. It was awesome to see how much they have grown since they started. playing together.

Landon had an "accident" and he threw the remote from where he was sitting on the couch. He said that he was just scooting it off the couch and it just happened to fly across the room about 10 feet. He cracked and broke the TV. It just so happens that it is the second TV that he has broken. The first one was hit with a stray nerf bullet. In order to pay for the TV Landon was going to have to do jobs around the house to earn money to pay for the cost of the TV.

One of my patients at work had a fundraisers and I was happy to come out and run. I asked the kids if they wanted to do it with me. I sold Brinley on it because it was a unicorn themed race and they gave cupcakes after you finished. I told both the kids that we were all going to run separately so that we could all run at our own pace. I had to get a picture with the star of the day, Miss Molly (bottom right picture).

Turns out that all three of us were running our best on the day. All three of us came in 1st place in our age groups. They handed out these unicorn shoes as prizes for age group top three places. This was Brinley's first race ever and Landon's second overall. 

To get a little extra help on our soccer skills we went out and played a round of foot golf. It is a really neat experience. It was something that we all weren't very good at it, but we got a little better by the end of the 18 holes.

Brinley and Landon made a trip to Lowes with me to help me pick up some new soil and some plants for the garden. We decided to plant some lettuce in the garden for Brinley's rabbit.

The kids were so excited after one of their baseball games when we stopped and got some Rally's ice cream. They love themselves some ice cream.

Landon scored his first goal. It was so awesome to finally see him score. He has been so close so many times. All of his hard work finally paid off. 

Another 56 days had passed which meant that it was time to donate blood again. I take blood donation very seriously because I see everyday at work how beneficial the blood is for my patients.

This little girl was so cold at soccer practice one night that she asked for my little toboggan. She is such a beautiful little lady and she is growing up too quick!

I have been trying to do a puzzle every month this year. I have been doing puzzles with all of my spare time and especially while I have been watching sports. On this night I was watching history being made while the UK Women's Volleyball team won the National Championship.

We spent around 3-4 nights a week out at the ballpark. Between games and practice it felt like we should maybe just get an apartment over by the park because we were there more than we were at home. The kids started to get more confident in their abilities. Landon has become the best outfielder on the team and for sure has the best hustle of anybody. He chases every ball even when it is hit to the other side of the outfield. Brinley was really struggling batting in the first couple of games. It looked like she wasn't even trying to hit the ball. Even in the batting cages before the game she had two buckets of balls thrown to her and she didn't make contact with a single ball. I took her out the next day to work with her and threw her six buckets of balls. It wasn't until the sixth bucket that something clicked with her. Ever since that day Brinley turned into a force at the plate. She began to crush the ball. She even got the game ball one night because of her production at the plate. The downfall of baseball for Landon is his own head. He gets so upset with himself over any time he thinks he makes a mistake. That is currently our biggest area we need to improve.

After school one day I picked up the kids and we went for a scooter ride on the trail close to our house. The kids absolutely love the electric scooters that they got for Christmas last year. 

I also make the kids get some actual exercise in with some bike rides in the neighborhood. As you can see not everyone is as happy with me.

Grandma and Grandpa came up to visit us and we decided to celebrate Grandma's birthday. The kids played some board games with them and we celebrated with some angel food cake and strawberries.

Also for Grandma's celebration I got the smoker out that I got for Christmas and fixed a couple racks of ribs. The smoker is still a work in progress because I haven't completely figured it out. 

After visiting with us Grandma made her way up to Columbus to visit with Andrea and Olivia. All of us kids were able to Facetime with Grandma. She was really happy to see all of us. 

Brinley working in the goal of her soccer game. She hasn't been to excited about playing goalie, but she also says she doesn't like running all over the field. I also don't have any girls on the team that really want to play goalie either. 

I was so happy even though we had just sat through both kids soccer games in the rain because Brinley won her first soccer game! Her team didn't win at all last season and we didn't win the first couple of games this season either. I told the girls on the team that I wanted it to rain every game day because that must have been our good luck charm. The girls did not agree!

The kids and I spent as much time outside as possible during this month. They have mostly enjoyed spending time outside with me. We even found some hiking trails very close to our house. We also tried out the frisbee golf course at Jacobson park. 

Brinley had been begging for a friend for Pepper. Well, Jennifer did some research and found out that the humane society had a little boy rabbit and we thought that would be a good possibility. Jennifer and the kids went to check out the little guy, who was named Boom Boom Bunny. Unfortunately only 2 people were allowed in to the see the bunny at a time. Jennifer couldn't leave one of them outside by themselves so she called me at work and I came to sit with Landon while the girls went inside. Brinley loved him instantly and he seemed to be very friendly. It was going to work out perfect because Boom Boom Bunny was already fixed so we wouldn't have little baby bunnies running around the house. I headed on to soccer practice with Landon and the girls were going to leave soon after to get to her practice in time.

The girls rolled up to soccer practice with a box with a bunny inside. She was so excited to have another little bunny to call her own.

One of the things that the kids really looked forward to in baseball games was trying to earn cupcakes. Every time the team got a double play the team would get cupcakes the next practice. Well, the team finally got their first double play and you would have thought the kids had won the world series by how excited they became. Looks like cupcakes are a pretty good reward!

Rabbits have to be introduced slowly so that you can find out if they are aggressive towards one another. Well, Brinley was super excited to let these two meet. Brinley also decided on a new name for Boom Boom. She named him Salt, which is the perfect counterpart to Pepper.

April was a really good month. We stayed really busy with both soccer and baseball. It seemed like every day we either had a practice or game. Then we ended the month with adding to our family with our new bunny Salt. This was also the first month in over a year that the kids were in school for the whole month. Like I said earlier it felt normal. Thanks for reading and God bless!

March 2021

 March is my favorite month of the year and it starts with a bang with my birthday on the first. Just under a year ago the world was turned upside down due to the pandemic. In fact just a year ago on March 1st we were celebrating with the students of DanceBlue as they were finishing up their 24 hour dance marathon. Just 14 days later the world began closing down and widespread panic began across the world. The past year has changed us all. It has truly made us appreciate the small things.

Last year I started a new tradition on my birthday by running half my age in miles. I woke up early and decided to do it again. Only problem was that my watch decided to act up during the run. I had to restart it three different times so I didn't get the 18 mile tracked all in one run. I found a penny on the run, which I stopped and picked up. Ever since my Mamaw died my dad has picked up every heads up penny that he finds because it reminded him of his mother. I just couldn't let this one go on that morning. I wish so much that my Mamaw could have met my kids. She would have loved them. A lot of people don't apprecitate their grandparents, but I am so thankful for the 17 years that I had with the only grandparent that I can remember. I also included my daily devotion which really hit home with me. I want to love the Lord with all my heart, soul and strength.

After my 18 mile run Jennifer and I went out for breakfast at my favorite spot, Wild Eggs. For lunch we took Brinley and my parents out to KSBar. This is becoming my new birthday spot. I think 2 out of the last 3 years I have come here on my birthday. 

The kids took a scooter ride around the neighborhood and Grandma took Pepper for a stroll. After we got home we also took Grandma and Grandpa out to the backyard to see how good of a shot they were with a BB gun. 

They got me a cookie cake for dessert and they knew exactly how I like it, with as much icing as possible. I also finished a puzzle that one of the kids at work had given me. For dinner I had my absolute favorite food in the whole world, Giordano's pizza! It was delicious.

Since my parents hadn't been fully vaccinated we continued to wear masks around them while we were in the house. We didn't want to risk getting them sick. The kids taught Grandma and Grandpa how to play chess. Which was really funny because at one point in Grandpa's teaching career he was actually the chess coach. He said there were a couple of really good kids who helped him out. 

I have been completely blessed during my 36 years on this Earth. These are three of my biggest blessings.

Since I was off on my birthday I was welcomed back with my computer area all decorated. They know me so well because they put UK stuff on my birthday sign. I even had a family bring me a birthday cookie in the shape of 36. It was delicious. I also got to show off one of my birthday gifts, the jibbitz that I got to put into my crocs. They were of course a huge hit with my little patients. 

I also received another gift from a family at work. They actually included something inside for the whole family. Brinley got a bunny night light. Landon got a soccer ball belt that returns the ball after you kick it. Jennifer got a candle and I got some awesome slice of pizza socks. It was a very thoughtful gift from a very special family. 

March 3rd was the first day of school for Brinley. At this point Landon had been in school for about 2 weeks. You can tell who was excited about getting up in the morning. Landon was trying to catch any extra sleep that he could and Brinley was up and getting some bunny snuggles in before leaving for school.

Brinley's first day of in person 3rd grade. She was so excited to finally go and meet her teacher in person for the first time. She did not do well at all with virtual school. 

One of my little patients asked me for some of my jibbitz. I was very happy to share them with him. I only had one rule and that was that he couldn't have the little dog. That was a gift from one of my patients. I even named it Buddy after her dog. 

Jennifer and I finally got to get out and do something with just the two of us. After dropping off the kids at school. We went to the Pinnacles in Berea to hike. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun. Not once did we have to hear "Are we there yet? or Can we go home?". I did kind of miss having them hike with us though.

More pictures of our hike together. We can't wait until the kids actually start to like hiking with us. Then we are planning to take them out west and hike all kinds of places. 

One of Brinley's teachers told her that she makes dandelion jam every year. Well Brinley really wanted to try it out. So she started collecting every one that she could find. Turns out that it has tons of sugar and of course Brinley loved it. Not sure that it is something that I ever want to try. I would actually be happy if I never saw another dandelion, especially in my yard.

We took the kids out for a mini golf night at Malibu Jacks. I got the only hole in one of the day. We had a lot of fun getting out and doing something normal in Lexington. 

Brinley loves her little Pepper. She is such a sweet little girl. Except when she picks my flowers to make Pepper's walking stroller prettier. 

The kids helped me put together some of my birthday puzzles. I got a set of four 500 piece puzzles that were all Disney themed. They took a little over a week to do all 4 of them. Jigsaw puzzles are one of my favorite things to do. It might actually be the only thing that keeps me still and keeps my mind from wandering. I just keep focused on finding the next piece.

This lovely lady took a lot of convincing, but I finally talked her to going to dayshift. I would say that 12 years on nights was enough. I am proud of her for jumping in and doing it. It will be so much nicer when we are all on a "normal" schedule.

Pi day! One of my favorite made up holidays. March 14th or 3.14. Everyone should enjoy a slice of pie on this day. Brinley has been enjoying it her entire life.

March 15th will also hold a special place in my heart because back in the year 2005 while on Spring Break in New Orleans I asked Jennifer to marry me. It was after we had Cafe du Monde beignets. So every year on that day I get up and make these for Jennifer and the kids. Landon enjoys as much powdered sugar as possible. Last year our little fryer stopped working and we decided that we didn't need to replace it. I just cooked the beignets on the stove with a pot of oil. Well, a small grease fire later and I was thinking that not getting a new fryer was a mistake. Two days later I came home to a new fryer on the porch from my parents.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The kids not only wore green, but they also ate it too! 

Jennifer and I also got to go out to dinner to celebrate our engagement anniversary. The server was mighty confused that we were celebrating the day we got engaged, but I can find a way to celebrate anything. Jeff Ruby's was delicious as always. 

Not exactly the March Madness that Kentucky fans were wanting this year, Nothing like watching the opening round upsets of the tournament with a little lunch to make it a little more enjoyable.

For the past 3 years we have participated in Southland's Meal Packing. This year was no different any other except we had to wear masks. I have committed my life to serving others. I want my children to know that there is always an opportunity to help others. You never really know how much a small gesture can affect someone's day.

Cancer sucks! Childhood cancer really SUCKS! A young patient that I took care of for three years finally became pain free and was able to play a round of golf up in heaven. The kids and I went to his memorial service that was held out on the baseball field where he played. I had a lot of great memories with this young man and his family. I will be happy to see him again one day. Until then I still think about and pray for his family who have to live without him here.

Brinley has such a love for her little rabbit. She was trying to teach it to jump up on her bed. This is not something that I would ever want an animal to do, but Brinley wants the rabbit to do everything with her. 

The kids and I made a little trip out to the little par 3 course for a round of golf. Brinley said she didn't want to play with us, but on hole 10 she changed her mind (just like a woman). So she played the back nine with us. I really hope these two learn to love sports as much as me.

March was a great month and we did lots of fun stuff. Both kids actually returned to school for the first time in 355 days! Everyone was excited to be back in person and getting to see their friends. We also found many things to celebrate, which might be the only way that we have made it through the past year. You have to celebrate the small victories. I have been so blessed to spend 36 years on this Earth and plan on spending the rest of my days, months, and years living my life to the fullest and living a  life that God would be proud of me. Thanks for reading and God bless!