Husband, Father, Athlete, Runner, Marathoner, Mental Health Warrior

Dear God, Thank You for waking me up and giving me another day. I am most certainly aware I am not owed today, just because I made it through yesterday. I also want to thank You for waking Damary, Ayanna, and Annabelle up, so we could enjoy one more day as a complete family. Thank You, because you have carried me through the darkest of times in my life. Those times I both physically and mentally gave up, and had nothing left. Those times I didn't care to live, because I thought I was too lowly for Your love. You carried me, and gave me purpose and vision. You held me up until I had the strength to get up. You knew better things, beyond my hopes and dreams awaited me, and still do. Thank You for reconnecting with so many people I thought lost to me. People from when I was a kid like Don S; Rhonda C; Tammy; Demond (Andre). People from High School days like Leroy (Roy) H; Becky S; Dawn J; Joe G; Chris H; Chris G; Rebecca S; Becky W; Chris S; Eric C; Hell, my entire St. X Brothers; ...

So my wife and I have noticed a recent change in our youngest personality. Annabelle has been more vocal and defiant lately. But not defiant like the “terrible two’s”, more defiant in a subtle way. I have noticed that my wife has been losing her patience more with her lately as well, which leaves Annabelle just standing there screaming and crying. So this past Sunday, the day after my birthday, I tried something different. Ayanna and Damary were napping downstairs when Annabelle woke up from her nap. She came downstairs and asked me to put “Robin Hood” on in her room. I asked her if she wanted to watch it down here, and she looked at big sister and Mami sleeping, and said “No”. I asked her if I could come up and play with her in her room. She lit up and said “Yes”. So we went upstairs, and I put “Robin Hood” on and then sat down on the floor. She got out her big sister’s Hannah Montana Uno Cards and proceeded to give me the Blue and Green cards and she kept the Red and Yello...

So our daughters are closing in on the end of the first cycle of Cheer Class for them. And I am in utter amazement every week. For Annabelle, since she is still young, it is a time to run, play, and flip her way right to a nap. And please don't let me sarcasm take away from the fact she has improved leaps and bounds since the first class, and the smile on her face for a personal job well done is well worth any amount of money being paid for the classes. But Ayanna is the one, who after the first class the teacher made a point of stopping me to ask how long Damary and I have had her doing gymnastics. I told her not at all, and that this was her first class, formal or otherwise. She kept telling me how much of a natural she is and how talented she is. We tried telling Ayanna, but she's just happy to have fun. Now here we are 9 weeks later and Ayanna is well ahead of the curve. I will admit, as a proud, but grounded Father, I am skeptical when people give the girls compliments. Si...

Happy Friday Everyone!! So my birthday is in little over a week, and I find myself sorely missing my Dad, like I have every year for the past 14 years (he passed away on my 22nd birthday…this year marks the 15th anniversary of that). But as the girls are getting older, and on the verge of the beginning of self discovery/testing independence, I feel like I am in the, proverbial, eye of the storm as far as the dichotomy of emotions. I am happy that I have been blessed to see another year. Another year as a Husband, and a Father. I am also sad, because Even though I will be turning 37, I am still new in the Parent Arena, and my Father’s wisdom and anecdotes would have been GREATLY appreciated. If nothing else, to have a senior member of this Fraternity to share stories with. Plus, my heart aches for the fact I never saw him as a Grandfather (wow….that was a lot harder to type/put out in the universe….wiping eyes now). I know he would have absolutely ADORED Ayanna’s thirst ...

I do feel like I should give a disclaimer on this: Anyone in a single parent household; or a military household where one parent gets deployed (by the way, please tell them I said Thank You for defending our freedom); or households where one parent does a lot of traveling; this blog probably won’t include you. I think this past weekend’s birthday party for our oldest, at Chuck E. Cheese is the catalyst behind this blog. So as ½ of a WONDERFUL Parent team, I go to bed thanking God for being blessed to have such a wonderful (if not stubborn at times) teammate in this journey called Parenthood. And we have been blessed to have kids that, for the most part, are very good (as good as a 3 and 5 year old can be), and love us and each other (things I don’t take for granted, as well). I notice, more and more, in 2 parent households, that usually one parent is the scapegoat. I am just wanting to bring some of this to light, because if you read this, and find that you fall...

This time of year, I have so much going through my mind, having this blog to write in is so helpful to me. I hope it can be helpful to others as well. Earlier in my Facebook status, I mentioned that I need to find my “Mental North”. It is my own term I have used, but it comes from some valuable life lessons my Dad gave me (God rest his soul). I hope I am able to pass them along to my girls to help them in stressful times. I was never in the “In-Crowd” (I knew plenty of people who were, I just wasn’t/never have been, that cool…and I’m okay with that). I have always sort of been an outsider…I believe the term my teachers used on Report Cards, was “Unique” (kind of like that ash tray we all made for our parents in pottery class in 3rd grade). So often, as a kid, I was stressed. Daily life stressed me, and facets of home life weren’t any easier for me at all. We all have our crosses to bear. When I ran to my Dad (who seemed to never falter under any circumsta...