01.24.08
Just around the corner
Today is the 24th of January, which means that Charlie was born 363 days ago. His first birthday will be Sunday and it really doesn’t seem like a year has gone by. What is really weird is to think about when was just a tiny newborn because it is hard to remember. My brain tells me, “No, he was never that small, that is impossible.” and I seem to believe him. Years from now I’ll be dropping Charlie off at his first day of school and I’ll probably have the same mentality; “Charlie was never in diapers was he.”. Perhaps this just exemplifies how I am reluctant to accept that time is marching on. So I better just get used to the fact that my life, and that it is involved with, is moving on. Just another reason to soak up all the memories and reflect on all of the precious moments that zoom by. I leave with some dialogue from one of my classes.As soon as I enter the classroom, a student says “Wow you are dressed up today!” I say, “Not really, it just the math that makes me look like this.” Another student says, “Are you going to a funeral?” I say, “That depends, is your test going to be the funeral?” 
01.22.08
Max Patch Retreat 2008
We just returned from a magnificent weekend adventure in the North Carolina mountains. The past two days have been filled with so much excitement, food, and beverage. Hopefully the wintery mix arrives in the morning because I am still in recovery mode. The entire trip worked out perfectly. It just began snowing, as we turned on to the 5 miles of forest road to the rental home. My car slid around a bit, which caused April to pick off her nail polish even faster, but we made it safe and sound. The hot tub was ready to go as soon as we arrived. We had drinks poured and us sitting in the hot tub within 20 minutes. The weather was chilly the entire time; even reaching below zero temps. Overall, we did the normal vacation home activities; eating and drinking non-stop, hiking, games, movies, more eating and drinking, video games, cards, football, snow angels, etc. I will certainly be day dreaming about this trip all week long. Click here to see some photos.
01.19.08
Stress Relief
Today I felt a bit like the snow storms we have been having because one event after the next kept piling up around me. But now I am in stress relief mode because the extra long weekend is here. It all began when I got a call from a police officer at 9:30 p.m. The voice mail informed me that I was being subpoenaed for court. ”What?” was my response. My brain began thinking of all the stuff that I could be going to court for. Family was a possibility but quickly ruled out. Then I thought about some of my students. Overall, I had no clue. Come to find out that it is about a break in of vehicles dating back to when April and I used to live in these apartments. That was three years ago; I hope the don’t ask me to give details. So, my court date is just in four days. This quick of notice created a bit of havoc for my teaching schedule. Oh well, it is not like I just skip the court appearance. Then again, I am sure that my students would love to see me handcuffed out of the classroom. Now, I a getting ready for my first annual Max Patch Retreat. Us and three other couples have rented a house deep in the mountains. It is close to the NC / TN border and they are expecting 6 inches of snow! This should be a great touch for the outdoor jacuzzi. Check out the house by clicking here. Have a great holiday weekend: be the dream, be your dream.
01.17.08
SNOW!
“Woke up this morning, looked at the rising sun. Three little birds…” wait a second that is what Bob Marley did. I woke up this morning and, to my wonderful delight, I saw a beautiful blanket of snow. Of course this meant no school for both April and I. Yippee! This meant that I lost my over-under bid, which was that I would not see snow in NC till February 2. Oh well, I am glad I miss guessed that one because I love the snow. I took Charlie outside and made a couple of snowballs. Just like everything else that he touches, first it went straight to his mouth. Yummy. Charlie is now pulling up. Maybe he will be walking before his first birthday, January 27th. We are having a birthday party for him on the 26th. Should we make him a carob cake? I leave with a video of Charlie at the Fiddler’s Festival from the summer. You get hear some sweet fiddle playing and see Charlie 6 months old. (Note: For email people, you have visit my blog to see the video or click here
01.16.08
First post of 2008
Last time I posted was December 18, 2007; a lot has happened since then.
- Walsh’s took a road trip to Indiana. I saw some of my friends growing up. I spent Christmas with my family. This was a first since 2002. I camped with my Uncle and the following morning we woke up to 2 inches of snow. My Mom finally accomplished one of her dreams of buying me a sport coat. Charlie and I together polluted three different restaurants; he threw up and doo dooed while I had bloody nose. My sister showed my the joy of remodeling the entire upstairs of a house, one week before Christmas.
- On December 30, we traveled back to NC. April’s new mini-van had just enough for all of our stuff. All three of us had some type of cold. We spent New Years at April’s parents.
- April’s birthday was January 7th. I surprised her with a trip to a Bed & Breakfast and fine dining in Winston Salem. The trip was romantically perfect. You can check out the locations and their webpages by clicking here.
- A new semester of classes has started for me. My goal is to be organized and communicate with all students. So far so good.
There you have it. A quick monthly update. I plan posting more frequently now. Looking back at all of the posts of 2007 has been a great reminder of all the events that took place. Try it out by picking out some post. I am really glad that I took the time to jot down the thoughts in my head. Perhaps Charlie will going through these writings 15 years from now and he will say, “Did you really have to tell the whole world that I pooped on a restaurant floor?” And I will reply, “Oh you just wait, it gets much much better!”
