May 2026

The EJ Hayes DanceBlue Mini Marathon was rescheduled to May 1st. The kids were both excited to participate. This one was going to be easy for Brinley compared to the full marathon she did a couple weeks prior to this one. I went to the last hour so that I could see the kids dance and reveal how much money they had raised. The total amount raised was $6,720.65. Our yearly tradition continued and I took the kids out for ice cream afterwards. 

Finished another puzzle. Number 32 for the year. 

Why so serious? One of Landon's baseball pictures, apparently the one where they told him not to smile. 

Happy 14th birthday Brinley! I had started this puzzle the night before and I left Brinley 14 pieces so she could do them and complete it on her birthday. She appeased her crazy dad and did it. 

I had asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she said Chick-fil-A for breakfast. I waited until closer to her time to get up and then picked her up 14 chicken minis. She was nice and shared with her mom and brother. 

Her birthday was filled to the brim with things to do. She went to school and then changed and headed to her softball game in Winchester. Afterwards we picked up Cane's and came home to celebrate with cake and presents. Pretty memorable too because she got her first varsity start on her birthday as the designated hitter. Went 1-2 at the plate with an RBI single. She played in the JV game and went 2-3 and played lock down defense at second base. 

Brinley was very excited about all of her birthday gifts. She got a record player and some records, a Polaroid camera, and some cash. I think from these pictures you can tell that she liked her gifts.

Grandma and Grandpa came up for the birthday festivities. They also spent two nights at the ballpark with us watching the kids. They got to see Brinley's first varsity start, then the next night got to watch Landon walk 3 times and steal multiple bases. He is still having pain in his shoulder, so he has not been throwing at all. 

I happened to be at Landon's game one night when Jennifer told me that Brinley got her first Varsity start in the field at second base. In my personal opinion she should have been there the whole season, but I don't make the decisions. I know I am her dad, but I honestly think she is one of the best middle infielders on the team, as an 8th grader.  

The first week of May usually is also Nurses week. I was nominated by a patient to receive a Daisy Award. Another family brought the nursing staff a cookie cake. The win for the week was that Dairy Queen gave out free blizzards. The kids were happy to take advantage of this deal. I showed my badge every day this week and the kids got it every time. Brinley and Landon both love themselves some ice cream. 

Senior Night for the Henry Clay Softball team. They had two girls that were graduating that have been really nice to Brinley over the past two seasons. I can't believe the season is almost over. They had a photographer that came to the game and got some good action shots of Brinley during the JV game. 

It was a beautiful weekend and we didn't have anything one night so I got a fire going in the back yard and we had some s'mores. I tried a Reese's s'more for the first time - it was ok, but not like the classic. The kids enjoyed poking around in the fire and then playing with the ash. They started drawing on the rocks in the back yard. They looked like cave drawings. 

These two made Jennifer a mother and they helped her pick lunch to celebrate Mother's Day. She and the kids all love some Culver's. 

Landon played his last regular season game at Southeastern. We have spent the better part of the last 7 years at this park every spring and summer. The mom's had a photographer come out and take pictures of the boys so they can have these to remember their time at Southeastern. Half of our team will age out this year as 12 year olds. 

He played on 4 different teams during this period - Red Sox - Tee Ball, Mets - Coach pitch, White Sox - Minors, and Angels - Majors. It has been a lot of fun watching him play. Had to get a picture with Landon. I am proud of the baseball player he has worked to become, but even more proud of the young man he is becoming. 

I got this Sleeping Beauty puzzle for Christmas and finally had a chance to put it together. 

Brinley's 8th grade class trip to King's Island. It was a pretty miserable day because it rained almost the entire time. She said that she had a lot of fun though. 

A co-worker let me borrow a puzzle of Dogs with Jobs. This was a 500-piece puzzle that went together pretty quickly. Both kids helped me with it. 

The same co-worker also let me borrow a puzzle made by the Magic Puzzle Company. Brinley and I finished it and then you open another package and it has you move some of the puzzle around and it creates a new space to put a tiny puzzle together. It was pretty neat. It also came with a list of things to try and find - like in a Waldo book.  

Landon definately showed that he belonged at Southeastern. He is a really good ballplayer, but he doesn't give himself enough credit. These statistics put him in the top of all the kids in the majors at SE. They didn't update the official stats on the website, but I believe that he might have finished with the most steals in the league. 

On Sunday I played a game with the kids. They had $25 to spend at Kroger - but they had to work together to figure out what to buy. If they went over - even by a penny then they had to put it all back. They ended up at $23.48. So, they got to keep all that they had picked out. On Memorial Day I had them help me with some of the outdoor work. Landon and Brinley both helped with the pressure washing of the back porch. Then the girls went out front and planted the flowers we had picked out while Landon and I finished the back yard. 

On Memorial Day I worked this country scene. It was a fun puzzle that Brinley came and helped me on. 

My puzzle friend from work gave me this beer puzzle - it was a fairly easy 500 piece one that I did in about an hour and a half.   

This 200 piece puzzle she let me borrow proved to be much more difficult. The pieces were crazy and very tiny. If you look closely you can see all kinds of animals. 

Landon played in his first tournament with the Canes. He had a heck of a weekend at the plate. He went 12 for 13 and got his clothes absolutely disgusting. Jennifer had quite the time getting them clean Saturday night because they only have the one uniform. I just hope that he can get his arm to feeling better so that he can play in the field again. 

April 2026

He is Risen! Thankful for Jesus who died on the cross and rose three days later. We went to the Saturday night service as a family. The kids and I were going to serve on Sunday and we wanted to hear the message together. 

We died eggs and made a bunny cake. The kids had a lot of fun making the eggs, but the next day we took them out and smashed them with a baseball bat.

Brinley with her bunny pancake and goodie basket.

Landon with his goodie basket and bunny pancake too. 

I wear this cross necklace everyday - it is a reminder of what Jesus did on the cross for me. I had a three year old kid at work ask me why I wore it. It was a great way for me to tell them that I love Jesus. It was a cute little interaction, but a simple reminder that not everyone knows Jesus - we need to tell everyone we can about our Savior. 

The NCAA Championship had a dunk in the game. If that happened then Wendy's gave everyone in America a free frosty and fries. Landon and I picked ours up on the way home.

Finished another puzzle - a 1,000 piece Captain America. 

They had a guy come take pictures of Brinley's team. Some good pictures of Brinley playing in  a JV game. She has become well known for her batting glove that never comes off her hand. It has actually made a couple people sick from how awful it smells. 

Brinley had a visitor come watch her play - little Nora!

The kids had off for Spring Break but we couldn't go anywhere because Jennifer didn't have enough time saved at her new job. The kids spent one day with Nora and Theo. Both kids were brave enough to hold little Theo. Won't be too much longer until Theo is as big as Landon. 

We all drove up to Columbus to surprise Grandma for her birthday. She had no idea. We had a little party at the local library. Aunt Angelina, Bob, and Crystal were able to come down and celebrate with us. 

Out in the parking lot the kids found three 4-leafed clovers. I'm not sure I have ever found one. 

Another game against a former teammate - Isla. Isla pitched against Brinley and struck her out once, but Brinley got a hit to center-field her next time up. 

A new restaurant opened up near us. I have a friend who is one of the managers. They had a soft opening that you could sign up to come try them out. Crazy part is that everything was free. You could order anything you wanted. It was pretty good food. I think we will be back. 

We headed downtown to see the start of DanceBlue. I did not have intentions of staying the night, but Brinley had other plans. She wanted to redeem herself from stopping after 12 hours last year. Staying awake, not sitting for 24 hours was rough. Brinley and I had a lot of fun getting to know and hang out with the DanceBlue committee members. They raised a record breaking $2,463,650.24. I am always impressed with what these kids do.

Brinley with the check from her school. This was actually the previous years donation because they had to reschedule their actual mini marathon this year until after the main one. 

Brinley and I sitting down on the floor of Rupp Arena after 24 hours. All I really wanted to do was go to bed. We got home and ate dinner. Brinley fell asleep on the drive home and then again in her floor after getting out of the shower. She went to school the next day for a presentation and then called her mother to come home. I was the first one in the clinic after my co-workers questioned if I was coming to work.

One last picture of us before getting in the car to go home. Jennifer made Landon ride with me so that he could keep me awake.

I came home to a construction site in my living room. Jennifer had a saw out and was cutting up some old wood frame for a bunk bed. I finally decided to help out, but I wasn't too happy about it. 

This book was a good one. I read through this one quick. Would recommend it. It talks about how we fail to remember the third part of the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit. 

March 2026

Happy birthday to me. I got up early and it just so happened to be 41 degrees outside for my 41st birthday. I couldn't do a 41 mile run, but I opted for a 4.1 mile run. It was the longest I had run in a long time. I got done before the kids and Jennifer even got up. I got ready and went to church. No place I would rather have been than worshiping God. 

Last year Brinley got my free Starbucks birthday drink, so this year it was Landon's choice. He got a big vanilla bean frapaccino. I also took Brinley and got her a drink too. 

The year of 41 puzzles wouldn't be complete without finishing one on my birthday. I knocked out this 300 piece puzzle with Jennifer and Landon. I had another 2,000 piece puzzle that I was working on too. I love puzzles and they keep me calm. 

Got a happy birthday wish from Olivia. She made me this little card/drawing. 

My friend sent me this picture. His son passed away last year and wanted to send me a birthday wish. Little William wishing me a happy birthday from Heaven. 

I walked into work and the ceilings were full of messages from DanceBlue students and patients. The messages were so inspiring and thoughtful. I walked around trying to find all the ones that had been written to me. I wanted to make sure and see what everyone wrote to me. I love my job and believe that I am right where I need to be - these messages conveyed that message.

Senior day for the UK basketball team. Landon and I stopped at Graeter's before the game and Goodfella's on the way home. It was our last home game of the year. The wildcats got beat by the defending National Champions - Florida Gators. This season had been difficult with lots more losses than we had all planned for. Hopefully they make a run in the tournament. 

JK took the kids and McKinley to the movies. They could pick out anything they wanted from the concessions and this is what they all chose. They went to see Scream 7. They all said it was good. 

Landon lost another tooth. This might be one of his last ones to lose. 

Pie Day 3.14 - this is the pie that the kids picked out.

Every year on March 15th I get up and make beignets for Jennifer and the kids. This is the day that I proposed and we had beignets at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans right before I asked her. The kids both look forward to beignets. 

Brinley's team pictures, the top group picture is the JV team and the bottom one is Varisty. She has a beautiful smile. Not sure why I can't get the same smile for pictures when I take them. 

We had started watching a show where Ryan Trahan and his wife traveled around to all 50 states in 50 days. It was a gimmicky type of show where they had certain tasks to do in every state. They also stayed in a different Air B&B every night. He has a candy line called Joyride. I took both Landon and Jennifer out on Joyride runs. They are pretty good candies. They also contain less sugar than most candy. 

Free cone day at Dairy Queen - they do this every year on the first day of Spring.

I got some free tickets from the UK Alumni Association for baseball. We were asked to watch Nora and Theo so we took Nora to watch her first UK baseball game. We only made it through 2 innings and all the snacks we brought before it was time to walk back to their house. In the two innings we were there we got to see 3 home runs. Nora had fun playing with Landon at the ballpark. 

After the ball game we played with Nora until her parents got home. Here the kids were building a big magnetic castle. 

We volunteered at church to help pack a million meals for children around the world that don't have food everyday. The kids have done this for as many years they have been able. Brinley hates to take pictures and these are proof.

Brinley and Landon both had games on the same Saturday. Brinley's were an hour away in Corbin. I couldn't get to both kids games, but I was so happy to see Brinley get her first varsity action. She played 3rd base and got to bat 3 times. She got on base safely every time and made a couple of outs in the field. I was very proud of her. I'm so glad that she took advantage of her opportunity.

Landon had his first game of the year. They had a good game. This kid was playing with the confidence that had been missing all last year. Proud of him. Excited to see what the season holds. 

I know that I am bald and I just turned 41, but do I really look old enough for the senior discount? Well, the guy at Long John Silvers thought so. 

I finished 2 more books in the month of March. Totally ahead of schedule for the year. The first book I would highly recommend. The second book was one that Jennifer was reading for her women's group. It is about getting rid of the electronics so that you can take back your life and be present with your family instead of being attached to your phone. 

Brinley had a JV double header against her former teammate, Ellie. It was good to see these girls out there playing, but it would have been nice to be on the same team again. 

Finished another puzzle for the year. This was a 2,000 piece one, the yard sale. Unfortunately the dog chewed up one of these pieces. That is twice it has done it this year. 

It was time to donate again. The kids always know when I go donate because I bring them both a Little Debbie snack cake. I am up to 75 donations. 

Another game for Brinley and another former teammate, Zoe. Kennedy plays for Douglass but she rushed out after the game and we didn't get a picture together.