...this is just, well, something I should have never done, ever. I think I'll just stick to posting videos of the kids and writing instead. See how I mumble? How I can't talk very well? Yeah...back to writing. No more of this. This is bad. Also, I'm really not this insane in person. Really. Don't be to frightened (like I was after viewing myself.).

Anyway, have a nice weekend everyone!

Growing up in Texas, I'm used to storms on scales so epic as to be biblical in their scope. It's really hard to explain to the up-landers here in the atmospherically calm Inland Northwest, really, and truly, what they were like.

They made you feel small. Tiny, in fact. They made you feel helpless. Like trying to hold back the tide. There was nothing, really, you could do to stop them, and very little you could do to defend yourself against them. People living in Tornado Alley will understand this. People sometime ask me if this is the reason we moved away from our tiny home in tornado alley. I answer, emphatically, "NO" when asked this. We moved for other reasons.

So why do I bring this up on this calm and sunny spring day here in the inland northwest? Simple. I have a niece who lives in Austin Texas. Yeah...Austin, that little spot of blue smack dab in the middle of all that Texas red. That little oasis if "hip" in the middle of all that "hick." Yeah. THAT Austin. Anyway, she got hammered last night by a hailstorm the likes of which would wither and crumple the weather weak of the inland northwest. She endured weather that would have reduced an inland north westerner to tears and have them whimpering and praying in a corner. She's got the pictures and video's to prove it...here: http://wittlemelody.blogspot.com/

Today is my wife's birthday. I won't tell you how old she is today, that would be rude...so, I'll let you guess by looking at her youthful face in the picture above.

I love her so much, but I often falter when I try to tell her. I don't really talk very well...I write. When I try to tell her how much I love her, I fail miserably. I stammer, I stutter, I look down and mumble. I never know what to give her because I don't pay enough attention to detail, I think.

But on this day, above all other days, I want her to know that I love her more than anything in the world. She has made me a happy man, and a complete man. In so many ways, I feel like I am a very lucky man to have her by my side, raising our boys, and sacrificing our lives for theirs.

I love you, my dear. With all my heart and soul. I will love you forever.

Don't tell me God did this because they aren't Christian. I don't want to hear it. Don't tell me it's just the planet erasing a few too many. I don't want to hear that either. Don't tell me that some balance of karma was off and they're paying the price for their human rights violations, their communism, their pollution, their whatever. Humanity is humanity, no matter where they are, who they are, what they believe, or how they live. They are us. Grieve with them like they were your own.

I worked out today. First time in a while. It felt good. I should do that more often.

I went to work today. I almost forgot to go, but in the end, I remembered that I "had somewhere I had to go," so I went.

We had Mother's Day on Sunday. It could have been better, I think. I could have done more, I think. I just hope she knows we love her. We love her a lot.

Saturday we went to Chuck E. Cheese. It was bombastic. The kids, the ones that actually came, liked it, I think. But, I don't think we'll make that a regular birthday place. We'll miss Savage Land.

Friday, our youngest and middle son and I spent time at the coffee shop, allowing my wife to rest. Middle got lost in the park because he couldn't find me when I stopped to change a diaper. Found him at the Elementary School up the hill. The ladies in the office now think I'm a reprobate because he told them I was still "at the coffee shop" while he was at the park...alone. This is ok because it means they'll stop asking me to volunteer.

Last Thursday, was my 38th birthday, and my middle son's 5th. We celebrated in style.

..to say thanks for all the birthday wishes for my son and I today. It's more than I expected, and much more than I'm worth (THANKS PHIL! MAN!! YAY!!! You know what for...).

We're having a good day, and it's about to wind down. I'm glad I took the day off today, it was needed. I've recently been having bouts with painful headaches in the morning and the afternoon...none today though. You think there might be a connection?

The picture above was taken at Manito Park a last weekend. If you click on it you'll see a MUCH larger picture in higher detail. I know the boys both have goofy looks on their faces, but it's pretty indicative of them, so I went ahead and manipulated it on our Flickr using Picnik using a number of tools. It was fun to do, and I like how it turned out.

Also, I wanted to post this, with the quote under it, just for fun...It's kinda for Phil, but I think everyone might like it...

"Are you going to have a haircut while you're in America?" asked a reporter.
"We had one yesterday," John snapped.
"What do you call that hairstyle of yours?"
"I call it 'Arthur'," George quipped.
"How do you like this welcome?"
"So this is America. They all seemed out of their minds," Ringo answered.






If you know when and where those words were spoken, and by whom, you're much cooler than me! I mean, I knew, but...well...I'm just not very cool, that's all.

Love to all!

Bloggers come and go...and sometimes come back again...right before they go for good.

Me? I keep on going, whether you like it or not. Whether you comment, or not. I really don't know why. I just do. Is my mindset different than other bloggers? Probably. I'm probably more selfish than others. I don't write for my readers. I write for me. I've heard some bloggers say they felt obligated to post something...anything. I never do. Probably because my narcissism knows no boundaries.

Many of you might know that my friend A. Scott White, over at Caveat Emptor, has stopped blogging. Some of you may not know this. Some of you might also know that Scott and I have known each other literally since we were in diapers. I don't know why he's stopped. He just has. I'm ok with that. Bloggers come and go, and you can't please everyone, right? I know a person who thinks Scott's writing is the end all and be all of creative writing on the internet. This person feels that there is no equal. I also know another person who thinks Scott is a fraud who's life is a lie and who writes out of angst while hiding his true feelings. Me? I think we all fall somewhere in between, if truth be told. The truth is never simple, or easy, or black and white.

Needless to say, Scott has hung up his pixels, for now. He may or may not be back. Who knows. As for me, I'll still be here, Journaling (DON'T CALL IT A BLOG!) to myself, like some aging mediocre writer who just can't/WON'T (FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!) stop.