Goodbye 2008... (and good riddance)
I'm up early. The house is quiet, the coffee is hot, and on the other side of my living room wall it is pretty chilly (thank goodness for insulation). My trusty kitchen thermometer reads -23 degrees this morning. Yes, it's cold enough fer me.
This is the last day of 2008 and I am just sitting here thinking about the year in review. For the most part, pardon my frankness, it's been a pretty shitty year, at least for my family.
My cousin Corey was shot in the head early in 2008; incredibly, he escaped with his life. Soon after that, my cousin Dennis (Corey's father) was diagnosed with cancer.
In the early part of the year, my great-nephew was found overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning. This summer my great-niece fell from a deck over ten feet in the air and fractured her skull. Thankfully, they both recovered and are doing well.
This fall another great-niece had all of her personal belongings destroyed in an apartment fire.
Worst of all, my cousin Dennis lost his battle with cancer late this summer. He is sadly missed by all of us.
You see, this is why I call it shitty year.
This was also the year my poor dog was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy. While her body is slowly deteriorating, she still has her same old spirit and wants to play and rough house just like she always has, even though it is very difficult for her. She has never asked for pity. She goes outside in -20 temperatures even though she can barely walk through the snow and stay upright on the ice, and she doesn't even know she should complain.
As I watched her struggle through the snow this morning, I decided that you can learn a lot from your dog. Laugh if you want to, but it is true.
But even dark years have silver linings. I will also remember 2008 as the year Beth conceived our second child. I just hope God sees fit to grant us another healthy little one. I have had several people ask me if I wanted a boy this time and the question almost makes me angry. All that matters to me is that my child is healthy. I think "wishing" for a boy or girl is not only selfish, it's also pretty stupid. There's a 50% chance you are going to be disappointed.
Besides, my fatherly instinct is telling me I am going to be blessed with two beautiful daughters. That would make me the happiest man in the world. (By the way, let me clarify: we haven't even had an ultrasound yet... this is just my gut feeling).
So how are we going to ring in the New Year tonight? Hmmm... I'll probably watch a college football game while Beth naps on the couch. Then Ava will watch Blue's Clues just before bedtime, right after she brushes her teeth.
As John Lennon once sang, "Now my life has changed in oh-so many ways."
Here's wishing 2009 to be a hell of a lot better than 2008.
I will definitely drink to that.
This is the last day of 2008 and I am just sitting here thinking about the year in review. For the most part, pardon my frankness, it's been a pretty shitty year, at least for my family.
My cousin Corey was shot in the head early in 2008; incredibly, he escaped with his life. Soon after that, my cousin Dennis (Corey's father) was diagnosed with cancer.
In the early part of the year, my great-nephew was found overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning. This summer my great-niece fell from a deck over ten feet in the air and fractured her skull. Thankfully, they both recovered and are doing well.
This fall another great-niece had all of her personal belongings destroyed in an apartment fire.
Worst of all, my cousin Dennis lost his battle with cancer late this summer. He is sadly missed by all of us.
You see, this is why I call it shitty year.
This was also the year my poor dog was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy. While her body is slowly deteriorating, she still has her same old spirit and wants to play and rough house just like she always has, even though it is very difficult for her. She has never asked for pity. She goes outside in -20 temperatures even though she can barely walk through the snow and stay upright on the ice, and she doesn't even know she should complain.
As I watched her struggle through the snow this morning, I decided that you can learn a lot from your dog. Laugh if you want to, but it is true.
But even dark years have silver linings. I will also remember 2008 as the year Beth conceived our second child. I just hope God sees fit to grant us another healthy little one. I have had several people ask me if I wanted a boy this time and the question almost makes me angry. All that matters to me is that my child is healthy. I think "wishing" for a boy or girl is not only selfish, it's also pretty stupid. There's a 50% chance you are going to be disappointed.
Besides, my fatherly instinct is telling me I am going to be blessed with two beautiful daughters. That would make me the happiest man in the world. (By the way, let me clarify: we haven't even had an ultrasound yet... this is just my gut feeling).
So how are we going to ring in the New Year tonight? Hmmm... I'll probably watch a college football game while Beth naps on the couch. Then Ava will watch Blue's Clues just before bedtime, right after she brushes her teeth.
As John Lennon once sang, "Now my life has changed in oh-so many ways."
Here's wishing 2009 to be a hell of a lot better than 2008.
I will definitely drink to that.
