The time off from work- good
Christmas with the family- good
Learning that my sister in law is moving home- good
white christmas - good
Hearing my docter say- The cancer is gone! good
Hearing my foot docter say- lets go non weight baring for a couple of weeks- bad
Learning that while your wife is away for a bit and you are supposed to be watching the kids your daughter gives herself a haircut- bad
Realizing you got nothing in defense- UGLY
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
I am a baby...I admit it.
Last week my superintendant announced that he was leaving the district. This news has hit everyone in the administration very emotional. It's not often that a large group of people feel this way toward their boss. I am going to admit this. I have cried on more than one occassion over this. Each time I think to myself .... GET OVER THIS.....it's just this man went out of his way to take care of me during my illness. I also have learned SO MUCH from him over the past years.
Today I met with him privately for probably the last time. I gave him an envelope with a letter and a family portrai enclosed. Here is my letter. AND YES I TEARED UP JUST HANDING IT TO HIM
Mr. Murray,
I wanted to take an opportunity to thank you for everything you have done for me and my family. I struggle writing this letter because as I think about everything you have done for me I have to stop and take a break because I start to tear up. I have truly been blessed to be here in Little Elm working under your guidance. Please understand that I speak for my whole family in thanking you for taking care of me during my serious illness. You always wanted to take care of me and lift any fears I may have had in making sure that my teachers and students were being taken care of at all times.
I still remember when I was first diagnosed and was in stable condition in the hospital. You took time out of your day to drive all the way to Zale Lipshey just to see me and spend about 30 minutes just to talk with me. Any time I wanted to talk about work you would shut it down and want to talk about my family and what you could do for them. How is Tracey? Are Jack and Caroline doing okay? My favorite visit and most memorable took place about 3 weeks later. School was out and everyone was gone. I was feeling better and was actually up and moving around. I was sitting in the family visitation room and the door opens and here comes someone who looks at me. He is wearing flip flops, shorts, sun glasses, and a baseball cap. He looks at me and says, “for someone so sick you sure are hard as hell to find.” I looked up and I realized it was you! I just started laughing. You spent over an hour talking with me just to check up on me. At the end of the visit you mentioned you needed to get going because your wife and daughter were down stairs waiting for you. I was shocked! You took time out of your summer to come down to see me with your family and I knew the hospital was NOT on your way to anything.
I want you to know Mr. Murray that the impact you have had on my life cannot be expressed in words. I will be grateful for the rest of my life. I know in my heart that part of the reason I am alive today is in direct relation to what you and this district have done to take care of me and my family. On behalf of my whole family I wish you nothing but the best. I will always cherish the time I spent under your guidance. You will be missed but never forgotten.
Sincerely,
Jason Huffman
Today I met with him privately for probably the last time. I gave him an envelope with a letter and a family portrai enclosed. Here is my letter. AND YES I TEARED UP JUST HANDING IT TO HIM
Mr. Murray,
I wanted to take an opportunity to thank you for everything you have done for me and my family. I struggle writing this letter because as I think about everything you have done for me I have to stop and take a break because I start to tear up. I have truly been blessed to be here in Little Elm working under your guidance. Please understand that I speak for my whole family in thanking you for taking care of me during my serious illness. You always wanted to take care of me and lift any fears I may have had in making sure that my teachers and students were being taken care of at all times.
I still remember when I was first diagnosed and was in stable condition in the hospital. You took time out of your day to drive all the way to Zale Lipshey just to see me and spend about 30 minutes just to talk with me. Any time I wanted to talk about work you would shut it down and want to talk about my family and what you could do for them. How is Tracey? Are Jack and Caroline doing okay? My favorite visit and most memorable took place about 3 weeks later. School was out and everyone was gone. I was feeling better and was actually up and moving around. I was sitting in the family visitation room and the door opens and here comes someone who looks at me. He is wearing flip flops, shorts, sun glasses, and a baseball cap. He looks at me and says, “for someone so sick you sure are hard as hell to find.” I looked up and I realized it was you! I just started laughing. You spent over an hour talking with me just to check up on me. At the end of the visit you mentioned you needed to get going because your wife and daughter were down stairs waiting for you. I was shocked! You took time out of your summer to come down to see me with your family and I knew the hospital was NOT on your way to anything.
I want you to know Mr. Murray that the impact you have had on my life cannot be expressed in words. I will be grateful for the rest of my life. I know in my heart that part of the reason I am alive today is in direct relation to what you and this district have done to take care of me and my family. On behalf of my whole family I wish you nothing but the best. I will always cherish the time I spent under your guidance. You will be missed but never forgotten.
Sincerely,
Jason Huffman
Friday, December 11, 2009
Fire!
A fire starts inside a chemical plant and the alarm goes out to fire departments miles around.
After crews have been fighting the fire for over an hour, the chemical company president approached the fire chief and said, "All of our secret formulas are in the vault in the center of the plant. They must be saved! I will give $100,000 to the engine company that brings them out safely!"
The crews try, but no one can get through. Then another fire truck, filled with a volunteer fire company of men over 65, comes roaring down the road and drives straight into the middle of the inferno. The other men watch unbelieving as the old timers hop off of their rig and heroically extinguish the fire, saving the secret formulas.
The company president walks over to reward the volunteers.
"What do you guys plan to do with the money?" the president asks the group.
The firetruck driver looks him right in the eye and answers, "Well, the first thing we're going to do is fix the darn brakes on that truck."
After crews have been fighting the fire for over an hour, the chemical company president approached the fire chief and said, "All of our secret formulas are in the vault in the center of the plant. They must be saved! I will give $100,000 to the engine company that brings them out safely!"
The crews try, but no one can get through. Then another fire truck, filled with a volunteer fire company of men over 65, comes roaring down the road and drives straight into the middle of the inferno. The other men watch unbelieving as the old timers hop off of their rig and heroically extinguish the fire, saving the secret formulas.
The company president walks over to reward the volunteers.
"What do you guys plan to do with the money?" the president asks the group.
The firetruck driver looks him right in the eye and answers, "Well, the first thing we're going to do is fix the darn brakes on that truck."
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
I'm Just Sayin'
If you could go back and talk to yourself at the age of say 15 for 30 minutes. Would your conversation deal with financial advice or relationships. Mine would be financial. Relationship wise I would not trade anything. I learned from each one. And when I met Tracey I knew after the first date she was it!
The past few evenings I have made an effort to help more with Tracey. The evenings have been much nicer. Must keep it up no matter what. Tracey deserves it.
Funny thing happened this morning- My dad installed a new shower head in our shower last week. It’s one of those that you can take in your hand and move around. This morning Tracey was in the shower and I hear a loud CLANK and Tracey says…What the hell? Then she starts laughing. She opens the door with the shower head in her hand and says….I AM GOING TO GET ONTO MY PLUMBER!!
Jack is doing so good on his multiplication tables. Jack has a big Math test today and he probably is not going to do very well on it and he is worried. But ya know….he knows the processes. He just makes mental math mistakes. We can work on that. He is not failing so we are going to be okay.
I have an appointment with a foot doctor on the 17th. Hopefully relief is on the horizon.
The past few evenings I have made an effort to help more with Tracey. The evenings have been much nicer. Must keep it up no matter what. Tracey deserves it.
Funny thing happened this morning- My dad installed a new shower head in our shower last week. It’s one of those that you can take in your hand and move around. This morning Tracey was in the shower and I hear a loud CLANK and Tracey says…What the hell? Then she starts laughing. She opens the door with the shower head in her hand and says….I AM GOING TO GET ONTO MY PLUMBER!!
Jack is doing so good on his multiplication tables. Jack has a big Math test today and he probably is not going to do very well on it and he is worried. But ya know….he knows the processes. He just makes mental math mistakes. We can work on that. He is not failing so we are going to be okay.
I have an appointment with a foot doctor on the 17th. Hopefully relief is on the horizon.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A letter to God
There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses.
One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about. The letter read:
Dear God,
I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension.
Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension payment.
Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with, have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?
Sincerely, Edna
The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars.
By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman.
The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.
Christmas came and went.
A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God.
All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened. It read:
Dear God,
How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me?
Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.
By the way, there was $4 missing.
I think it might have been those bastards at the post office.
Sincerely, Edna
One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about. The letter read:
Dear God,
I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension.
Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension payment.
Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with, have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?
Sincerely, Edna
The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars.
By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman.
The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.
Christmas came and went.
A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God.
All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened. It read:
Dear God,
How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me?
Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.
By the way, there was $4 missing.
I think it might have been those bastards at the post office.
Sincerely, Edna
Monday, December 7, 2009
And Boom Goes The Dynamite
And Boom! Goes the dynamite! That is what happened last night. There is plenty of blame to go around. I have more than my share to stand up and accept. The kids had their share to take as well.
Issue #1- is that neither I nor Tracey like for our house to be messy. We don’t expect party clean but we want things to be picked up. There are two problems. It is extremely painful for me to walk on my feet. More this topic in a moment. The kids are old enough to pick up after themselves. The problem is they have yet to do it without us getting on to them. Every night it seems it is an issue. When we tell them it is time to clean up both of the kids start giving Tracey and I lip. More so Jack than Caroline.
Issue #2- My Feet- The heels of my feet are so sensitive that when I walk on them it is like knives stabbing into my foot. This has been going on since September but this past month has been the worst. It takes everything I got to make it through the day. Some days are better than others. Some days by the end of the day I am basically limited to walking with a cane and even that is labored. I wear tennis shoes to work because dress shoes are not an option. Weekends- I spend most of my time in my recliner only getting up if I have to so that my feet will be improved enough for walking by Monday.
Issue #3- Cataract Surgery- For three more days I can’t pick up anything more than 5 lbs or bend over. BUT I CAN SEE VERY WELL!!!
Issue #4- My hands- These hurt like hell as well. The tips of my fingers are very sensitive. There are many things I struggle to do. The list is long.
Because of these issues I am about as useful around the house as broken lamp. This means that too many things fall on Tracey to do and she (as anyone would) gets overwhelmed and short with me…the kids…..even the dogs at times must tread lightly. I could not do what she does.
At times I get down on myself. My whole physical situation is a beating to deal with on a daily basis. That is no lie. What I must work on is not letting this affect my mental state of mind. I get down on myself and then when the kids or Tracey snip at me for something I roar back. It goes downhill from that point as you can imagine.
Example:
Yesterday I wanted to be productive and fix lunch for the family and perhaps make some brownies for everyone to snack on the next few days. My feet were hurting but not as much as they had so I was going to make a go of it. The problem was I knew I had limited steps that I could take before my feet were done. Every time I tried to put something somewhere to work in the kitchen I found that something was already there and needed to either be put up or loaded into the dishwasher. I became more and more frustrated as I was trying work and I started banging some things as I was working in the kitchen. Tracey comes in to see what the problem is and asks me if anything is the problem? I said, “Yes, I am trying to make lunch for everyone but I can’t work in here because there is crap everywhere in here.” COULD HAVE HANDLED THAT ONE BETTER I ADMIT THAT! Tracey said, “I am only one person and I am not getting any help.” We refocused and Tracey helped me get the kitchen in order.
Last night Tracey was working with Jack on multiplication tables and Jack started getting a little difficult because he wanted to do something else. I chimed in with my thoughts and Jack yelled at me. Big mistake on his part and boom went the dynamite. Tracey got on to me for getting on to Jack and snapped back at Tracey.
So here is my vow!
Vow #1= I have got to get help on my feet. I am going to talk to my doctors today.
Vow #2- Pain or Not- I have got to get up and help Tracey with the kids more.
Cortizone Shot?
Issue #1- is that neither I nor Tracey like for our house to be messy. We don’t expect party clean but we want things to be picked up. There are two problems. It is extremely painful for me to walk on my feet. More this topic in a moment. The kids are old enough to pick up after themselves. The problem is they have yet to do it without us getting on to them. Every night it seems it is an issue. When we tell them it is time to clean up both of the kids start giving Tracey and I lip. More so Jack than Caroline.
Issue #2- My Feet- The heels of my feet are so sensitive that when I walk on them it is like knives stabbing into my foot. This has been going on since September but this past month has been the worst. It takes everything I got to make it through the day. Some days are better than others. Some days by the end of the day I am basically limited to walking with a cane and even that is labored. I wear tennis shoes to work because dress shoes are not an option. Weekends- I spend most of my time in my recliner only getting up if I have to so that my feet will be improved enough for walking by Monday.
Issue #3- Cataract Surgery- For three more days I can’t pick up anything more than 5 lbs or bend over. BUT I CAN SEE VERY WELL!!!
Issue #4- My hands- These hurt like hell as well. The tips of my fingers are very sensitive. There are many things I struggle to do. The list is long.
Because of these issues I am about as useful around the house as broken lamp. This means that too many things fall on Tracey to do and she (as anyone would) gets overwhelmed and short with me…the kids…..even the dogs at times must tread lightly. I could not do what she does.
At times I get down on myself. My whole physical situation is a beating to deal with on a daily basis. That is no lie. What I must work on is not letting this affect my mental state of mind. I get down on myself and then when the kids or Tracey snip at me for something I roar back. It goes downhill from that point as you can imagine.
Example:
Yesterday I wanted to be productive and fix lunch for the family and perhaps make some brownies for everyone to snack on the next few days. My feet were hurting but not as much as they had so I was going to make a go of it. The problem was I knew I had limited steps that I could take before my feet were done. Every time I tried to put something somewhere to work in the kitchen I found that something was already there and needed to either be put up or loaded into the dishwasher. I became more and more frustrated as I was trying work and I started banging some things as I was working in the kitchen. Tracey comes in to see what the problem is and asks me if anything is the problem? I said, “Yes, I am trying to make lunch for everyone but I can’t work in here because there is crap everywhere in here.” COULD HAVE HANDLED THAT ONE BETTER I ADMIT THAT! Tracey said, “I am only one person and I am not getting any help.” We refocused and Tracey helped me get the kitchen in order.
Last night Tracey was working with Jack on multiplication tables and Jack started getting a little difficult because he wanted to do something else. I chimed in with my thoughts and Jack yelled at me. Big mistake on his part and boom went the dynamite. Tracey got on to me for getting on to Jack and snapped back at Tracey.
So here is my vow!
Vow #1= I have got to get help on my feet. I am going to talk to my doctors today.
Vow #2- Pain or Not- I have got to get up and help Tracey with the kids more.
Cortizone Shot?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
To Believe Or Not To Believe
That is the question that keeps going through Jack’s head. He desperately wants to believe that Santa Clause is real. The problem is he has some friends (two of which I am not fond of to begin with that live down the street) that are telling him there is no Santa Clause and his parents do everything. They even eat the cookies!
I am ready when the time comes to talk to Jack about the “Spirit of Santa Clause” and the joy of giving. But as long as he wants to believe in the “The Man” I am not going to crush his world of innocence. I know others are out there who think that Tracey and I should just come clean and tell him. But why do it until we have too? You don’t keep this view of the world very long so why shorten it? Also, his sister is only 6 and I don’t want him ruining it for her.
The conflict in Jacks world right now was never more evident than this past Sunday. As has become tradition my mother takes the kids for their Christmas picture then they go see Santa. On the way to see Santa Jack told Grammy that he did not need to go sit on Santa’s lap because he was going to write Santa a letter of what he wanted for Christmas.
My mother handled it beautifully. She said that was okay with her but that he needed to stay where she could see him while she went through the line with Caroline. This was a great relief to Jack. He stood back by the elevators with his head on a constant look out for anyone who might know him. He hung out looking cool.
The next morning Jack crawled into bed with me for a few moments of Daddy Time and he asked if it was okay that he chose not to sit in Santa’s lap. I told him sure! What if Santa misses my letter…there are thousands of them for him to read you know. True, but that is why Santa has all of the helpers. They keep Santa “In the know.”
I hope you’re right dad!
Now I ask you….WHY would you want to end this prematurely?
I am ready when the time comes to talk to Jack about the “Spirit of Santa Clause” and the joy of giving. But as long as he wants to believe in the “The Man” I am not going to crush his world of innocence. I know others are out there who think that Tracey and I should just come clean and tell him. But why do it until we have too? You don’t keep this view of the world very long so why shorten it? Also, his sister is only 6 and I don’t want him ruining it for her.
The conflict in Jacks world right now was never more evident than this past Sunday. As has become tradition my mother takes the kids for their Christmas picture then they go see Santa. On the way to see Santa Jack told Grammy that he did not need to go sit on Santa’s lap because he was going to write Santa a letter of what he wanted for Christmas.
My mother handled it beautifully. She said that was okay with her but that he needed to stay where she could see him while she went through the line with Caroline. This was a great relief to Jack. He stood back by the elevators with his head on a constant look out for anyone who might know him. He hung out looking cool.
The next morning Jack crawled into bed with me for a few moments of Daddy Time and he asked if it was okay that he chose not to sit in Santa’s lap. I told him sure! What if Santa misses my letter…there are thousands of them for him to read you know. True, but that is why Santa has all of the helpers. They keep Santa “In the know.”
I hope you’re right dad!
Now I ask you….WHY would you want to end this prematurely?
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