Cotton Bowl

I didn't write this weekend because, well, I was actually on the road. Owen and I took a road trip to the Cotton Bowl. Good trip, long drive down and back, and plenty of time in the car. The main takeaways are that I learned fart humor and references to butt sweat never get old, and I learned the names of many artists that I had not known.

We also went to the Mizzou tailgate party before the game, and Owen got his picture taken with Kim English, former basketball star. The game was exciting, and we managed to avoid getting into any fights. (The latter was more of a concern due to Owen's trash talking than my own). Also, thanks to Travis Crabtree's gold pants and Robb Yagmin's black and gold pants, I learned that I really need to step up my pants game.

I'm a Man, I'm (Almost) Forty

2014 is a big year. Later this year, I will turn forty years old, which is some sort of milestone I suppose in our "random important numbers in life" series. Let's see--you've got the 1st birthday, which I don't remember very well. You've got the 16th birthday, for mobility reasons. You've got the 21st birthday, which I also don't remember very well. Now, there's 40.

One of the things I hope to do with writing is to express emotions about my dad. I have, in many ways, used writing to run from emotions over the last two years. I write every day, and work my butt off with the website. When you keep yourself really busy, you tend to occupy the brain and avoid those quiet moments of reflection that cause the tears to well.

So it is today, at the start of this year, that I am forcing myself to think about my dad.

Resolutions

It has been roughly 19 months since I wrote anything here, and over two years since I really wrote anything here, as I added but one tale (and the hope to write more) in May of 2012.

The best intentions get de-railed by all sorts of real life events. That is what happened with my writing here. When I began writing in May of 2011, we were awaiting the birth of our fourth child. I went on a writing binge until his birth. After he was born, I did not write for a period of time. When he turned six months old, I resolved to get back to writing little stories here. I began to do so.

On The Next Page

Life is a story, and we just move from page to page. So it is with our three year old daughter. Completely unprompted, she has begun referring to increments of time as pages. Usually, it involves her losing one of her favorite toys, particularly "spiky llama". 

"I'm going to get him back on the next page," she'll say to us. "I'm going to be good on the next page." 

So of course, we play along now, and everything in our lives is happening in a page or two. On the next page, I hope to get back to writing more on this little blog.

My Dad and Why I'm Shaving Every Day

My father's death hasn't hit me fully yet, it has been such a whirlwind since December 17th dealing with the funeral plans, helping my mom, and trying to get everything done. I'm sure I will write many things about my dad over time, so I can look back and remember.

Taking The Big Kid

I'm going to brag about my son, Owen, and I apologize in advance. I think it's natural to praise the things that we find remarkable, and I find Owen to be remarkable. He is remarkable for something that I have nothing to do with. We share many traits--left handed, good at math, creative--but he also has a fierce determination that is unusual for an eight-year old. It's a self-assuredness that I don't have. My hope is to merely focus it, and keep it from moving to cockiness and over-competitiveness, but no matter what he does, it should serve him well through life.

Coming Back From the Haze

I'm tired. I don't know when I will be less tired though, so I might as well get back to writing here. I haven't written anything since the days right before the birth of our son, Jameson, in June. Sleep-deprived nights have given way to busy days. However, I have had two of you actually ask that I write again. It's therapeutic for me, plus, my biggest fan doesn't like to read what I say about football, but wants me to write here. So to expand my audience, I will try to occasionally add a post here and there.

Jameson

Okay, so, sometime between now and sometime Tuesday, when the induction is scheduled if it hasn't happened by then, our fourth child, Jameson Carter Lisk, will be joining our household. (and yes, this time, I promise we are done). It would be a more daunting task if he didn't have the best possible big brother and two great sisters waiting for him.

A Hot Dog!

Less than a month ago, I talked about the power of a hot dog in helping to work with my son on fielding. We promised a hot dog to any boy that caught a batted ball in the air. Well, I am proud to report that Owen got his hot dog yesterday, pulling off a minor miracle and being the first on the team to actually record an out by making a catch in the air.

What I've Been Reading

I like to follow several blogs, and often they like to include summaries and book reviews of what they have been reading lately, including Tom Gower at Residual Prolixity and Chris at Smart Football. I too spend a fair amount of my time reading so I thought I would give a review of some of the things I have been finished lately.