Christmas Magic and Miracles

It has been a long time since I posted to the blog. Sorry about that.

So lets get some updates out of the way:

- Ryan is still working hard with the crossfit training. He plans to run more races in the new year.
- Logan is still planning to move with us to VA. He is hoping to attend a community college in VA.
- Tyler is still planning on staying in Cleveland when we move. It's hard for her to think of completing her high schooling in a different school/city. This makes us sad to think about the next two years without her but it is ultimately her decision and she has some time to decide still.
- Me, well my busy baking time is done. Everyone got their cookie grams in time for Christmas and I got all the cookies and pie's made in time for Christmas day. I am thinking about our move more and more and trying to figure out what I want to do when we move.

This post is supposed to be about Christmas magic and miracles. My husband and some friends laugh when I tell them that I believe in the magic of this time of year. I believed in it as a young child, it was the idea of Santa and flying reindeer, and the bunch of gifts under the tree when we woke up. As an adult it's in the faces of small children when they talk about what Santa brought them, it's in the hugs and kisses between family, and that warm feeling you get by doing for others.

This year my parents needed our help but they would never admit it. My brothers and sisters all came together to give them a very special gift. That warm feeling of everyone coming together and just celebrating being a family is what Christmas is for me. We may disagree, fight, or bicker throughout the year but for whatever reason this one day in the year helps us all come together like we were kids again.

After the emotional gift opening and announcements a few of us sat around the table and played Apples to Apples. Towards the end of the first game those that weren't playing surrounded the table to see what all the commotion was about. It was rather entertaining and you learn so much about people playing this game!

We ate way to much and drank a bunch too. This Christmas felt like the best ever. There is Christmas magic and miracles, you just have to know where to look.

Into the semi-wild

Words cannot even express how today went. Tyler and I had the most amazing experience at the zoo. Ryan has a customer who works at the zoo and we were able to go behind the scenes with his wife. Tyler wants to be a Zoologist so this was all about her today. We toured different parts of the zoo with Sheena, she is a vet tech and works with ALL the animals. We started at the clinic where we were able to interact with a baby red panda, 100 year old tortoises, a screaming hairy armadillo, and a grey wallaby. The baby red panda is about 3 months old and just the cutest damn thing. He was running around, showing off, trying to climb up Tyler's pant leg. We found that his species is severely endangered. The tortoises were HUGE. They scared the crap out of me. The one tried to make a break for it when Sheena opened the pen. He's 400 pounds, once he's out there isn't much you can do to get him back in. That was funny.

We then went over to the fennec foxes. Tyler has been in love with foxes for as long as I have known her. I thought she was gonna burst when she saw them. The two we saw are used in educational shows so we also saw a bunch of birds and a two toes sloth. We got to feed the sloth and she was super cool. So chill, and laid back, just hangin out. We got to feed the sloth which again was COOL.

The best part was the Rhino's. Once we got the rules of being up close with these LARGE animals we were able to pet them and Tyler hand fed them. They were so gentle and just wanted to be rubbed. The 'sisters' were very friendly. They stuck their heads up against the bars and we were able to rub their cheeks and around their nose, horns. Their faces are much smoother than I expected.

Just a wonderful day and I am so glad I got to spend it with Tyler. I wish we could go back and see the other animals.

A parade and Tim Burton

So the season of Marching Band is upon us. It's Logan's last year so this is bitter sweet in so many ways. Unfortunately due to his accident he will not be in the drum line this year. You can tell this is really bothering him. They had their pre-show this past Friday and you could see the "It should be me" look on his face as he walked the field with the drummer who took his place on the line. Also, this being his last year means in 10 short months, who's counting, he will be graduating high school. How did we get here so quickly?

The up side to all this is they were able to rewrite some parts and Logan will be competing with the band in the 'pit' playing the rack. Still not sure what that means but I will hopefully find out at this Friday's football game!

The first public performance of the season was today at the Willoughby 'Last Stop' parade. I have no idea what it was for. As an adult you realize that parades are just one big commercial. One advertisement after the other. The kids did well. Logan carried the banner since he couldn't play. I am glad he got to participate. It's the little things that will get him through this.



That's him on the right with the white thing on his arm.

This is his new brace for his arm. It looks like something Tim Burton created. He's hooked up to rubber bands and has a hook super glued to his pinky and ring finger. This is to help the tendon heal. He also has to strap down these fingers when he goes to bed to avoid moving them at night.




Overall, Logan is looking at 2 years for full recovery with the nerve. He will get a little back each week but if he does everything right and follows the Doc's orders he will be back to everyday life in 3 months. He has his good days and bad but as long as the band keeps him involved he will get thru.

Here is a short video of the band playing their fight song... it is REALLY slow, (and after having compressed the video I see the quality isn't that great either) as the season continues they always sound better... they are the Marching Rebels, any guesses on the name of the song they are playing? (never mind the chatter between Ryan and I, you can see Tyler, last row of the trumpets. I say her name and another girls name and then they come into frame) Much more to come...

A stabbing and kittens... The last 24 hours

Yesterday was supposed to be a pretty normal day. I picked the kids up at the school after they returned from band camp and we went to Red Robin for lunch like we had done the past few years. The kids had a great time, it's always fun to hear them talk about the past week away and all the shenanigans. I missed them a lot and I found myself not even really hearing what they said but just looking at them and realizing how much they grew this summer.


After lunch I dropped Logan off at his Mom's house and Tyler and I went home. As I got comfortable and was settling in to take a short nap Logan comes bursting through the door yelling "I have to go to the hospital". He is wearing jeans, no shoes, no shirt and has a towel wrapped around his forearm with what looked like dried up water downed ketchup. I thought he was pulling my chain and I said "Oh get out of here" and was smiling at him. His eyes were so wide and he was really frantic and said "No seriously" and he lifted the towel just a enough for me to see and for blood to come pouring out. I quickly grabbed another towel wrapped it around his arm and told him to squeeze, hard. I had him put Ryan's house shoes on and we were walking out the door. All the while I am trying to make sure Tyler is OK and not freaked out. I get in the car and Logan is trying to put his belt on and as he moves his wounded arm away from his chest/stomach I see blood where he had his arm resting... he has already bled through another towel in less than 2 minutes. I thought through the best route to the hospital. My choices were major construction in one direction and Friday afternoon boating traffic at the marina in the other direction (one lane road each direction). I was not about to try and fight traffic and Logan's breathing is getting faster and more panicked. I decided I am calling for an ambulance. They arrived within a few minutes, it seemed longer but I am sure it wasn't. We arrived at the hospital,didn't have to wait long and they stitched him up, He received 2 or so stitches in the muscle tissue and 6 on top. Logan had mentioned that he had some numbness in his pinky and part of his ring finger. After they wrapped him up they called a hand surgeon who drove from Mentor to evaluate Logan before we left. We figured we were gonna go home and call it a day after the surgeon evaluated him. We were told that he may need surgery down the road but not immediately. Well as we were waiting Logan was told to apply pressure to his wound as he was developing a hematoma. (Blood pooling underneath the skin) About an hour or so goes by and Logan notices that he is now bleeding through the new bandage. Don't forget he has already been stitched up. Now this is where everything happened pretty quickly. The hand surgeon arrived and based on the amount of blood he saw on the bed and bandage, the area he sliced, and the numbness in the fingers he wanted to get in and check things out. We drove Logan over to Lake East hospital as Lake West's OR had a back log. Logan was in surgery for about 2 hours or so. Lost track of time. The Dr. had to repair the ulnar nerve, an artery, tendon, and muscle tissue. Logan is looking at 4-6 weeks minimum recovery. He's in good spirits today and we feel so blessed to have had such a great nurse that noticed that his injury was more severe than just a deep cut. He could have been sent home and just continued to bleed. His artery was 10/12th's severed. Here is a picture of him on the bed just after we arrived at the hospital from the ambulance ride.



Logan was in recovery for about another 2 hours and was discharged shortly after 11:00 PM



As if we didn't have enough excitement our phone rang early this afternoon and it was our neighbor calling. He wanted to know if we knew who owned the little orange and brown cat that comes around our two houses. I didn't know, but Ryan and I were feeding her when she came around. In a previous post you will see that we named her River and kind of adopted her as our outdoor kitty. We hadn't seen River for a few weeks following the fourth of July but when she did return her belly was getting bigger and bigger. The little hussy went out and got knocked up. We wanted to get her fixed but she never showed up on a regular basis for us to get her to a vet. Needless to say River gave birth just recently and picked a nice safe spot right under our neighbors shed that they are in the process of building. We went over and put the kittens in a box, got River some food and they are hanging out in Logan's room until Ryan can build them a shelter for outside. I would like you to meet Oliver, Harlow, Leeluu, and Corbin. We think there are two girls and two boys. It's hard to tell when they are this young. They are so cute!!!

Through the Good Times and the Bad...

Two weeks ago Logan decided to move out and live with his mother full time. It's been a very emotional and difficult few weeks and I haven't really known how to talk about it (or blog).

I find as I am trying to explain how we got to this point it's not that easy to explain.

Over the past 5 years I have learned a lot about split families. I am fortunate enough to have parents that are still married and I have never had to experience 1st hand two households growing up. Ryan, the same thing.

In joining this ready made family I have learned that there are two very different households. This has proved to be challenging for us as parents, so I have to imagine it's extremely difficult on the kids.

In every decision we make, mostly what battles to fight, we consider how it impacts the kids. Ryan and I ask ourselves, what are we teaching them, what are we showing them, are we being good role models, is this how we would want them to act in a similar situation. Essentially, as parents, we molding little members of society that will eventually be out on their own and the goal is to make sure we mold them into contributing members of society.

We encourage the kids to reach for the stars. If they want it, they can achieve it. The key word though is "they". We expect that they will put in the work necessary to achieve the goal/dream. Ryan and I will support and help the kids achieve their goals but we wont do it for them. We assist and support. They are both at the age where life after high school is fast approaching. Logan will be graduating next June. Repeat conversations have taken place regarding, "what are your plans"? If not college, then what?

Instead of making this entry about Logan and his decisions, I thought it best to ask for advice.

You can't force someone to want more for themselves so when they choose to be lazy, take the easy path, or not apply themselves or their skills, what do you do?

The new backyard

Here are the initial pictures... for those that have seen the backyard in it's before stages you aren't gonna believe your eyes. When it stops raining I will take better pictures.

One year of marital bliss

Last Tuesday 6/23 Ryan and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary. While the year hasn't been complete bliss it was pretty awesome! As cleche as this sounds we really grew a lot as a couple. We had a lot come up that really tested us and our ability to work together but with communication and learning what is worth fighting over we made it through.

I made Ryan the breakfast we had and the lunch he had on our wedding day. I didn't take any pictures of the lunch but I made him Fish Taco's for dinner Monday night. They were dee damn licious!!! Not to brag or anything. Ryan had a little surprise up his sleeve as well. I came home from work that day and found a bowl of cheese snacks and candy with flowers and a bottle of my favorite wine. He then took me to dinner at Five Guys because their burgers remind of the ones we get at the beach. He thinks of everything.

Introducing the newest Cleveland Speed

Nope, no babies but a little critter found us and made us her family. This is River. She came up to Ryan a couple weeks ago as he was firing up the grill. She was so so hungry but we had no food so we gave her some tuna. She is very friendly but still a little skiddish with fast movement and loud noises. She comes by throughout the day but more specifically she comes by in the morning and at dinner time. She will even call out to you if she knows you are in the kitchen. She will remain and outdoor kitty since Logan and I are allergic to cats. Ryan will build her a little house out back to protect her from the elements. So Dad Speed you have to give him some pointers since you made one for Tia.

Let's catch everyone up...

Father's Day has come and gone. I got up early to make Ryan breakfast and Tyler assisted me. This was a combo father's day gift and anniversary gift. Since I had to work on our 1st wedding anniversary, I decided to make him the breakfast we had on the morning of our wedding. We made a big pancake, eggs, and bacon feast! We even had mimosa's. After that we went to a friends wedding and then out to my parents where we had beef stroganoff and played a new lawn game... beersbie. I don't have pics of that but will after this weekend. So here's to all the father's I know and love.

Two Blogs

I know most of you who visit this blog do so to see what's going on with kids, and family life so I created a new blog for all the other stuff. Both will be updated as often as I can. I am hoping to do more 'blogging'.


If you haven't marked my blog to follow please follow this one and the other one... If any one knows how I can link the two please let me know.

http://jspeed-sowhat.blogspot.com/

Thanks everyone...

What color is your grass... Green????

The saying "The grass isn't always greener" is said time and again but when do you just take the leap to find out for yourself? As you can see the grass in my real backyard is just starting to grow. I owe that to my husband, this is his 1st lawn. Nicely done. The figurative lawn on the other hand is burning up in this drought of stimulation.

Work has been rough. I come home after being beat down most days and wonder why do I put up with it. I am to smart, creative, special, hard working, etc etc to be feeling this way. I have a strong desire to achieve greatness so what is holding me back. Then I look at the kids, the house, the dogs, and husband and I realize I have a lot of people relying on my stable job. At the end of the month I will be celebrating 10 years at my current company. 5 years ago I would have told you that I would be happy and proud of the work I do. Today, going on 10 years, I am struggling to make it in each day. I think it's time for a change, don't you?

A common phrase here in NE OH is "I feel stuck"... When I am at work I want to scream "SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO GET UNSTUCK"? I follow some very smart and influential people on line, at least I think so, and I try to incorporate their teachings into my day at work. It's hard to do because on most days people roll their eyes or snicker as if it's a waste of their time. None the less I push forward instead of pushing back... At home though, I challenge my family, especially the kids, to think about what is it that they want to achieve in life and how will THEY achieve it.

I think it's time I start living up to those words. I am keeping an open mind and open heart and am willing to take what ever the universe brings my way. I will leap, I will stay, I will forge ahead and no longer feel stuck in my own life. So follow me and my family and learn how we UNSTUCK ourselves!

VA and DC

So we traveled to see Rik, Christina, and the kids this past weekend. We had such a GREAT time. Lets see, a quick run down... Talking until 3 am, Marine Corps Silent Drill Team, riding the metro, grape vodka, standing outside the liqoure store with 4 kids, trip to old town, tour of a tall ship, hang overs, the zoo, museums, monuments, mother's day breakfast, feeling like we have hung out every weekend for the past 3 years, sun burn because we forgot the sun screen, and a busted foot (a stress fracture)... this will probably take a few posts because we have pictures all over the place. Here are a few from the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team...

Tyler's Birthday

A week late but I found my card reader and here are the cakes. The white cake was her cake for her actual birthday. With all the Disney hoopla we didn't plan our time very well so I only had time to make a cake, no fancy decorations. The chocolate cake was her birthday party cake. She loves the movie 'Across the Universe' so this was the best I could do on short notice. She told me last Monday that she was having a party at her Mom's on Friday... Enjoy... Oh and for those waiting to see the pics from Disney, so are Ryan and I. If I ever get any I will post them. Casey got Tyler a nice digital camera for her b-day and gave it to her early so she could use it Disney however the batteries died their second day there and she didn't want to spend her money on new batteries... ?????? Oh to be a teenager....

Disney here they come!

So Ryan and I are getting the kids ready for Disney. How do you stop thinking about the things that could go wrong. What if they lose their money, what if they get separated from the group, what if they get hurt and we aren't there. We know things will happen and we can't protect them from everything but it's hard not to worry. Tyler went to snow camp in February and survived just fine but this is different. They are flying and staying for a whole week.
Tyler got a digital camera for her birthday from her Mom so hopefully there will be plenty of pictures to post when they get back.
The kids have to be at the school by 2:30 am Monday morning and arrive home Saturday morning. They come just as early.

Then we are off to see the VA Speed clan! We can't wait! Spending a few days in DC, haven't been there since I was a kid, it will be fun to see Boris, spike, Hella, and the newest Speed Royal... oh and their cool parents Rik and Xina! The kids have never been there so this will be fun for me because there aren't a lot of "first" that I get to experience with the kids.

So with that, I will go check luggage, and homework. Adios for now.

SOUND OFF

OK, every now and again I use my blog to 'sound off"... this is one of those posts. Feel free to continue to read or you can choose to ignore it just as your right as a free citizen allows you to do.

A few times this week, at work and in my personal life, the question of ones 'rights' has come up. The one instance that pushed me over the edge was a post by a friend on facebook regarding a parent who was smoking at the playground today. "I don't care if you smoke but not around my kid" was the statement... I have a really big problem with this statement. The kids are at a PUBLIC playground, the parents are in a PUBLIC setting and each can choose to stay and play or leave. Other friends commented in agreement and even went as far as saying they would have approached the parent and pitched a fit... who are we to tell others what habits they can continue in our presence?

I am not a fan of smoking around children however, if parents choose to do so, as mine did, it is their choice. Being that this friend was not required to attend that playground and was free to go whenever she chose, wouldn't just leaving be the more tolerable, socially responsible thing to do.

I have a really hard time hearing people talk about what others should say or do, or how others should act based on their person preferences. Before we know it we will wake up in a country where we are required to wear the government approved wardrobe, because some people find the sight of fat people in spandex offensive, and the wardrobe will be in government approved colors because some people find the color purple offensive. We will have to drive the government approved cars, and will only be allowed to say the words in the government approved dictionary because GOD FORBID we say something that offends someone. We have become an ultra sensitive society with entitlement issues. (Everyone gets a trophy society, that issue is another blog waiting to happen)

The President is called on the carpet because of some comment he made about his bowling ability being worthy of the special olympics. Do I agree with his comments no, but is the man human? GOD YES!!! Why do we expect this man to be perfect all the time!? Talk about an expectation he will never live up to. I give the man credit, hopefully he wont loss himself in this job.

I think I am done, but who knows. I am going out to dinner so who knows what i will observe.

Logan: Live and Plugged In

He's a Rock Star... well almost

Logan and his band, Black Sun, played at Peabodys last night. I didn't know this band was a screaming/yelling band (not my kind of music) but none the less they still did very well. They played their full set and had great energy. Logan is a really good front man, he has personality and a good stage presence. He's at home on stage. I have a small video of the performance and will post it as soon as I remember how to compress the file. Stay tuned... hopefully, when he makes it big one day he will remember us little people. : )

pics to go with last post

Ruby was worried too. Caesar hates when she touches him while he's laying down... he was so out of it Ruby walked on him, laid on him, and even curled up with us to help try and warm him up.