December 2025

Finished another book to start the month of December. This was about a group of people who have made it their mission to share the gospel, specifically with people in college. It talked about how to slowly walk through the process so that you won't scare people away. 

Our financial advisor has a Christmas event downtown at the Kentucky Theatre every year. This year we watched The Polar Express. This was the first time I ever stayed awake for it, it is a really good movie. Afterwards we stood out in the frigid conditions to watch the Christmas parade. All of the local meteorologists and the mayor pointed at er54me and couldn't believe that I was wearing my shorts and sandals. Landon signaled to the big diesel truck to honk his horn and the guy asked Landon if he wanted to honk it - that's why Landon is standing up in that truck. Pretty funny. The kids were freezing, and I even went out to the car to get them blankets. 

After the Christmas parade we stopped by McDonald's to try out the Grinch meal and I also tried the McRib for the first time ever. Both things were just ok in my opinion, but I don't like pickle flavored things. Now the McRib had my amount of BBQ sauce, but it is nothing that I would actually order again. 

The Christmas season officially begins for me when we do our annual Christmas puzzle. This year we obliterated the previous years' time and completed the 400-piece puzzle in just 24 minutes and 17 seconds. We cut four and a half minutes off from the previous year. This is one of my favorite holiday traditions and it is the one thing I can get everyone to participate in. 

Walked into work during the first snow of the winter season. It was really cold, but beautiful. 

Jennifer and I went to watch the Cats play. It has been a very difficult season thus far. They have lost against every big team that they have played. We have only beaten all the mid-major teams we have played. At least I got to spend the evening with this beautiful lady. 

The SEC Network special that I participated in finally aired. I was surprised how much they used of me and what I had to say. Pretty neat moment seeing myself on TV and actually being the person they are talking to and not just in the background. 

This was the first time we ever signed up to work the event Christmas Joy. This event helps give families gifts for the children and a meal for the holidays. We signed up to help pack and distribute the holiday meal. There were about 150 meals that the kids helped pack up. It contained everything for a Christmas feast. I am so glad that the kids have a heart to serve. Sometimes, even though they are sleep deprived they still show up. We picked Landon up from a friend's house so that he could attend the event. I am sure they stayed up later than they should have. 

This year's gingerbread house. I believe that Brinley did the best work this year. Landon was more interested in what candies he could eat.

One of my patients gave me this little gift and it was the sweetest little poem. 

McKinley and Taylor asked if we could babysit so that they could go out to dinner. Nora kept the kids entertained and Jennifer handled Theo for the most part. The kids are both still a little terrified of holding Theo. 

Cousin crew

Opening gifts and playing with some of the new toys. 

First Christmas event of the year was the Heflin Christmas party. We played some holiday themed games and even had a Majong tournament that was won by Andrea. McKinley won the reindeer pickup. Taylor won the ornament cup game. 

Andrea and I with our new nephew, Theo. 

Family photos.

Brinley got the game Awkward Guests for Christmas from McKinley and Taylor. The kids decided to break it out and play a round. 

Monday of Christmas week and Brinley was not feeling well. She laid on this spot of the couch for two days straight. We finally got her to the doctor to make sure she was ok and didn't need to start on any medications. She tested positive for flu A. Apparently, Fawkes thought she needed Landon's shoe to make her feel better. 

Our men's group got together for dinner and fellowship at Drake's one night. This is a great group of guys, and I am glad to have them a part of my life. 

Landon and I went to watch the Cats play right before Christmas against Bellarmine. We met up with my college friend Ginny and talked at halftime. Then we sat down in the lower level next to a guy who comes in my door at church during the second half. It wasn't pretty, but the Cats won. I guess we will have to take that for this year.

Brinley was sick the week of Christmas and didn't get to attend our Christmas service at church. Last year we went to Crossroads for their candlelight Christmas Eve service, so we did it again this year. Brinley still didn't feel well, but it was good to have the whole family together. Afterwards we were going to have dinner, and the kids didn't want to go. So, Jennifer and I enjoyed a wonderful meal at our new favorite restaurant, Carsons. 

I was off work for a couple of days and when I returned to work, I had a couple of patient's families who had given me some gifts. I never expect or want anything from families, but the messages and notes mean so much to me. 

Landon was the first one up and chomping at the bit to open gifts. We waited until Brinley and Jennifer woke up to open gifts. Brinley got sick on Monday and felt horrible. She was diagnosed with Flu A and started on Tamiflu. She laid on the couch for a few days and looked miserable. Thankfully she felt better on Christmas morning. 

Brinley was excited to work some Lego sets. A friend of mine gave me some Hogwarts sets for her. She really enjoyed putting them together. Landon got virtual reality goggles. He had been asking for these for two years. I had been messing with him leading up to Christmas and asking him if he had a second option if we couldn't get his first choice. When he opened it and he immediately said you lied to me dad. I didn't lie - I used my words wisely to make him thank we couldn't get it. It wouldn't have been exciting if he knew all of his gifts. I had to get some element of surprise. 

Our new ornaments for the year. Jennifer got an art one for all the stones she has painted this year. Brinley with the dog ornament since this was Fawkes first year with us. I got the podcast ornament because I was on two different podcasts this year as well as the SEC Network. Landon with his year of injuries got a broken arm gingerbread. 

Fawkes also had a little pile of gifts for Christmas too!

Landon found the pickle on the Christmas tree. The competitive pickle hunts, were a huge part of my childhood.

We went on Christmas afternoon to watch the new movie, David. It was almost 2 hours, which we thought was a long movie for being animated. 

This tin has brought me a lot of joy over the years. I always look forward to seeing it. This tin just magically appears  every year with some delicious peanut brittle in it.  

The weekend after Christmas we headed down to Scottsville to celebrate with MiMi and PapPap. Brinley was feeling better, but she enjoyed a nap with Fawkes on the road trip down.

We had a good time at MiMi's house. We ate, watched football, played some party games, and even played a game of football in the backyard. Brinley even helped Miles put together his Lego set. 

The drive allowed me time to finish my 16th book for 2025. I had a goal of 10 books and crushed that. Set a goal for 2026 to read 20 new books. 

A friend of mine gave us some passes to Southern Lights at the Horse Park. Since Brinley was sick before Christmas we waited until she felt better. It might have been the coldest night of the year, but we got out and did all the things. 

That popcorn bag is so big! Almost half the size of Landon. It was delicious though. 

Came out of work on New Year's Eve to a flat tire. I got the car all jacked up and then it started to roll down the hill that I was on and I am so thankful that I hadn't pulled the tire out yet. I ended up having to call the roadside service to help me finish changing the tire. It was a pretty quick job because I already had all the lug nuts off when he got there. 

I got home from work on NYE and was exhausted. I fell asleep on the couch at 10:30. Jennifer and the kids woke me up right before the ball dropped. I gave Jennifer a kiss, hugged Brinley and Landon and went to bed. 

November 2025

November started early with getting in the car at 5:30 in the morning and heading to Auburn. My friend Nick had gotten tickets to the UK vs. Auburn game and asked if I wanted to go. Thankfully the timing worked out great because it was a night game, which allowed us both time to trick or treat with our families. It was a seven hour trip down to the town of Auburn. We got there a little after lunch time and spent some time exploring the city and grabbing a bite to eat. My friend Francesca went to school there and gave me all kinds of recommendations. Very nice town and people too. We had at least six different groups of people stop us and thank us for visiting Auburn and said they hoped we enjoyed our time in the city. We made sure to be in our seats early because they have lots of fun things they do before the game. The highlight for me what when the eagle flew around the stadium and landed around mid-field. 

The game was not pretty by any means. Both teams struggled offensively. The media before the game was talking about both coaches being on the hot seat (possibly getting fired). Kentucky narrowly won the game 10-3. We even tried to blow it at the end of the game by throwing a late interception. As we were walking back to our car it was a little sad that we didn't get the full Auburn experience because after every win they go out and throw toilet paper up into the trees at Toomer's Corner. We decided to get on the road back home after the game. I had started feeling sick a few days before the trip and the drive home is where I started to fall apart. Lots of congestion and extremely tired. About one in the morning we stopped to sleep for a bit. After a 3 hour nap, Nick got up and drove the rest of the way home. We were gone a total of 27 hours and 14 of those were driving time. I really felt my age - I am no longer in my 20's as much as I think I am. The next day I saw that Auburn fired their football coach. 

Jennifer and I went to the home opener against Nicholls. This was a picture of the opening tip of the 2025-26 Kentucky Wildcats basketball season from my seats in Rupp Arena. 

Jennifer and I headed out to watch the basketball game against Valparaiso, which was actually our second game of the week. I made sure to send a picture to the kids when Kentucky's score got to 67 because right now there is a crazy young person trend going around 6-7. 

I woke up one morning and my toe hurt. When I looked down I saw this bruise - which is maybe the weirdest bruise I have ever had in my life.

I took Brinley to her orthodontist appointment where they finished putting on all the parts of her braces. She was actually excited about this day. 

Back to back weeks Kentucky had SEC football wins. It had actually been almost two years since we had an SEC win at Kroger Field. Florida has been an absolute dumpster fire, but this was a really fun game to watch. 

Brinley joined the academic team at Hayes. She is getting the hang of it all, but is really worried about buzzing in and getting it wrong. I told her that there is no penalty - that she should give it a shot. I believe that she really just enjoys spending time with her friends at practice and the matches. 

Jennifer is leaving her current job and they don't want to pay her for the vacation time she has accrued, so she decided to take all of it remaining. I took off to spend some time with her on a stay-cation. We took Fawkes out for a sunset walk one night. We made a list of things we wanted to try and do for the week. We studied the book of Ruth together and went on a lot of lunch dates to our favorite places. I even spent my week off joining the gym close to our house, Planet Fitness. 

We don't have cable and I noticed while I was at the gym that the TV's on the cardio equipment had all the ESPN and SEC channels. I took full advantage and watched the UK vs. Louisville game at the gym while I worked out. Kentucky didn't play well at all and got beat. The only good news I could come up with was that I got in two and a half hours of cardio instead of sitting on the couch during that time. 

We never got around to carving pumpkins before Halloween, so we did it afterwards. Landon did the 6-7, Jennifer did the heart with cross in it, Brinley did Derpy from K-pop Demon Hunters, and I did a cross. 

Jennifer and I got out to hike in Raven Run. It was a little chilly out and I completely overdressed with a long sleeved shirt and a winter coat. We went down to the overlook and looked at the river for a bit before heading back to the nature center.  

We went to some of our favorite places on our stay-cation. We went to Big Kahuna, Wild Eggs, Carson's, Dad's Favorites, and Long John Silver's. We tried out a new place, Critchfield's, but I don't think it will make it into a regular food stop for us. 

Jennifer and I ended our stay-cation with another trip to Rupp to see the Wildcats play. This was the rebound game after the loss to Louisville. The Cats easily beat Eastern Illinois.

Last home game of the year and we played an undefeated Tennessee Tech. Kentucky beat them easily 45-10 on Senior Day. I ran into former UK basketball player Todd Svoboda and gave him a ride over to the stadium. Then met Waka Flocka on the sidelines - who is the guy who sings Grove Street Party which is the hype song for the football team. I sat most of the first half with my friend Meiko and her husband, Joe. 

Big Blue Crush week is where we compete against Tennessee in who can have the most blood donations. I had a busy week so I went Monday after work to the blood mobile on campus. I had never been in the very tight quarters, but I was able to donate some blood. Kentucky won the competition, too!

Brinley's academic team had a fundraiser night at Chipotle. We went after youth group and grabbed some burritos. Brinley has struggled with eating every since they put in some bite blocks in the back of her mouth. Her over bite was knocking off some of her brackets. She is slowly adjusting to life with a mouth full of metal. 

One of my patients were chosen to be the kid of the game at UK basketball. The family was allowed to come to practice the day before the game. I was selected to be the hospital employee that was the family's helper throughout their experience. I was able to attend practice with them as well. As much as I was being a big fan myself I was just worried about making this the best experience possible for this little guy. 

After the UK practice I got home and picked up everyone. We dropped the kids off at McKinley's house while Jennifer and I went to a nurse dinner at Tony's downtown. After it was over we picked the kids up and headed to the Hamburg area of town, with the intention o surprising them with Wicked. I joked with the kids and told them that I was accidentally driving to our old house. They couldn't believe it. We moved 3 years ago! Then I pulled up to the Regal Cinema and told them to get out because we were going to watch Wicked For Good. Brinley was pumped - she didn't think it came out until the next day. It might have been a school night, but we made a wonderful experience out of it.

What an amazing experience for my patient selected as the player of the game. We ate in the club before the game, he got announced on the court pre-game, high fived the starters during the line-ups, cheered the Cats to victory, then had seats on the court for the post-game show. It was truly an amazing night for him, his family, and myself. I will never be able to experience all the things that I did that night again. It was so awesome to see him smile, laugh, and have a great time. It was his first experience ever at a UK Basketball game. 

Thanksgiving break started for the kids on Wednesday. Landon and I went to watch the Wildcats play Tennessee Tech. I told them that we would beat them pretty easily. I told Landon we could leave when Kentucky got up by 30 points. Well, we started off play horribly. In fact we were losing at the first two media timeouts. Landon must have thought I was crazy with my 30 point spread prediction. Kentucky finally came to life and got up by 21 at the half. They got up by 30 just a minute and a half into the second half. Well, I told Landon we had to move it to 35 points because he downloaded a game to my phone at halftime I didn't want. It finally got to 35 with a little over 8 minutes left in the game. I doubled down and placed another bet. If UK could get to 100 points, then Landon could get virtual reality goggles.

Landon agreed to the new deal, but we decided to move down to the lower level because a lot of people had left. We were sitting here with about a minute left when UK got to 100. The last 3 points of the game were the most exciting. Walk on Walker Horn came in to play. He has played in 22 games in his career and never scored a single basket. He caught the inbound pass with 0.8 seconds on the shot clock and fired up a fade away 3 pointer. The crowd went nuts when it went in, including myself. I shot out of my seat and threw up the three pointer good sign. I found a video of it online later that night. I spotted my white shirt. I circled Landon and I with a white marker. 

Landon loves going down the escalator the wrong way for a good challenge. Thankfully he has always been successful and he has never gotten yelled at by any of the workers either. We stopped by Graeter's on the way home.

After getting up and putting the turkey in the oven we watched a little of the Macy's thanksgiving day parade. I had a friend that had done a Turkey Trot. Inspired by him I decided to go out and run a 5K in the park. It was extremely cold, but I didn't walk at all. First 5K I had done in quite some time. I would really like to get back in running shape and do another half or full marathon. 

Grandma and Grandpa arrived right as we were getting all the food on the table to eat. The kids helped me with some food prep this year. Brinley with the mashed potatoes and Landon with rolls. After our meal we played some games including Clue and Monopoly. Landon won Clue and Jennifer won Monopoly. 

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving we celebrated again with McKinley, Taylor, Nora, and Theo with a brunch. We again made too much food, but it was all delicious. I think I actually enjoyed the brunch food better than the regular Thanksgiving fare. I had to move him, but Theo did make the family photo.