Dean is one!

Last year at this time we had a one week old baby. Wow! We had no idea what we were doing but we were on top of the world! I remember being so tired but it didn't matter because we were holding our son. I remember not knowing how to swaddle, how to feed him, how to buckle the car seat, how to warm a bottle etc. I remember laughing so hard in the middle of the night when Dean wet all over our comforter. I remember being so quite when trying to sleep because Dean was still sleeping in our room. I remember waking up every 2 hours to feed him and watching all the infomercials at 2 and 3am and thinking several of the products actually sounded pretty good. I remember our first outing: Starbucks of course! I remember how cute Dean looked in his going home outfit and how excited we were to walk through the door as a family of three. What a wonderful year!

Happy Birthday precious Dean! We love you to pieces and we can't wait to see what this year has in store for you.

Goodbye Dear Friend

Yesterday, I was forced to end a relationship that had lasted fifteen years; a relationship that challenged and empowered me for so many years with unwavering dependability; a relationship that now lay in pieces.

I should have seen this coming years ago, but in many ways I chose to ignore the signs that were so apparent of wear and deterioration. We had been though both thick and thin so many times that I took for granted the effort and skill that it took from us both to work together to cut it.

In the end, perhaps it was my lack of nurture and care that led to this point, but I can’t ignore the blood, sweat, and the tears I shed over what has become. I have poured so much energy in to the life of our relationship over the years that was used up so quickly, and now rejected.

With what has transpired, I find it too difficult to repair what is broken and start again. The physical pains are just too unbearable.

Goodbye dear Craftsman Gold 6.0. You were the best lawnmower a boy could ever have.

-Derek