I was talking to my sister a couple of days ago and the conversation turned to memories. She asked me what were my favorite funny memories I had with her, and I told her I would get back to her on Friday. Well today's Friday, so here are my thoughts! My sister and I have had lots of laughs over the years. I didn't want to go with just the obvious ones, so I thought deep and hard on this subject. While some of the memories weren't really funny when they happened, I can look back on them now and smile. Given my sister asked me explicitly not to write about what happened in Madison Square Garden back in 1989 at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary Concert, I will leave that story for another day! THAT story holds less chuckles for me nowadays anyway, so I likely won't write about that one anytime soon. I am going to start with a very old memory that always make me crack a smile when I think about it, although admittedly it doesn't come to mind often. I think this one is from 1969 or 1970. That year, we had gotten some type of furniture delivered to the house that had a really huge box. Michelle and I decided that it would make a really cool fort and we cut holes into the box to make windows and doors. We then plopped it into the middle of the living room and watched TV from out of the windows and door. We threw pillows inside it to make it comfy, but as I remember it, it was very hot inside the box. We were too stubborn to admit it though, and continued to use the fort for about a week before it mysteriously disappeared. I remember we watched The Brady Bunch from inside the box. I think it was a new show that year, since we used to get very excited to watch it...unlike when we were older and it seemed to play continuously on channel 5. Another memory that comes to mind from around the save time period...maybe 1972 or '73 is when we were in the wedding party for my Aunt Janet's wedding. I was the ring bearer, and my sister was a flower girl. I remember how excited I was to be in the wedding party and I believe Michelle was too. This laugh isn't about my sister really. It's about the hairstyles that my Mom and Grandmother are sporting. The only other real memory I have from that time is that I think Aunt Janet and Uncle Ray had an apartment across from where Palisades Park used to be. We had gone there when I was very young and I remembered going on the kiddie rides. Then, right around the time of the wedding they had that apartment and I remember that there was a big lot in front of their apartment and across it on the other side was Palisades Park, but that it was closed down. Another memory from around the same time period involves my sister and the broken arm she got when she fell off a horse in Canada. That wasn't a great trip for the Nef family as I remember it. We all had a great time, but the injury toll was high. Michelle fell off a horse and had a really big cast put on her arm. Look at the size of that thing in the picture below! A day or so later, I stepped on an underground bee's nest (likely yellow jackets now that I think about it), and received a number of stings up and down my legs. The hilarity of the situation didn't come until we were back in New Jersey. You see, those big casts were hot and itchy, and Michelle was suffering from the itches and being a bit grumpy in general. At some point, I thought it would be a good idea to throw a chewed piece of gum down into her cast. Well, somehow I did it! Michelle yelled and put up a commotion which got me yelled at. I remember being really upset about it because Michelle "might" catch some kind of infection or something from my gum. A few weeks later, they cut the cast off, and there was my gum stuck to the inside of the cast. Although I have a lot of memories, I don't have pictures for all of them. A big snowball fight at Schuetzen Park comes to mind. We used to go sledding there in the winter. Hanging out during the summer with Donna, Dana and Donald Torrence at their pool. They had an ugly little dog named Bristle as I remember it. An accurate name for that tiny wiry-haired thing. Michelle, remember the hippy that stopped by from down the street who dove into the pool with her clothes on? I remember the back yard at our apartment was all cement except for one part, which Mario used to grow tomatoes. We didn't think that was fair and I remember dumping some stuff on the tomatoes (probably a mixture of water and pepper now that I think of it) hoping they would die to spite him. As we grew up, I remember going to concerts with my sister as well. I think Billy Joel was the first concert we went to together, although I also remember going to see The Police, Joan Jett, and REM at Shea Stadium. REM had been just starting out and I remember they got booed off the stage. It was Michelle, me, her boyfriend Tom and my friend Steve and we had a cooler in the car with us as we drove in. I think we were drinking Molsens or Moosehead on the way in, which means either Tom or Michelle picked up the beer since my tastes and cash flow ran more towards Pabst or Bud. Of course, there was the 1989 Atlantic Records concert where my sister and I saw about 40 bands doing short sets including Led Zeppelin, Yes, Crosby Stills & Nash and the Average White Band among others. Great time as I remember it! There were more, including The Who at the Meadowlands. The last concert we went to together though, was the most memorable to me. Michelle came with us to see Victoria Justice when I was bringing Maddie to her first concert. I remember it rained that day while we were out in the parking lot waiting to get in. We all got soaked while waiting in line. Once we got in, who should we run into, but Mr. Cool-Aid...Hey Cool-Aid!!! I wanted to get a picture of Maddie with Mr. Cool-Aid, but she felt funny about it until Michelle decided to go get her picture taken first. Once she did that, I was able to get Maddie to take a picture with me with Mr.Cool-Aid. Another time that makes me smile is the time my sister got me to wear pink. It was for her wedding. I was part of the wedding party, and Michelle was having her bridesmaids wear fuchsia-colored dresses. Well, the men in the party had to wear matching ties and cummerbunds. I was never partial to wearing the color pink, and I wasn't this time either. Still, she was my sister and I was in the wedding party so I bit the bullet and wore the tux...pink tie and all. In the end, the tux didn't make me look bad at all. That mustache I was sporting at the time...well, that's another story! Once Michelle moved out on her own, we continued to hang out. In fact, we hung out together even more. I remember Michelle's first apartment was in the bottom floor of a house in Port Monmouth. She was very proud of her apartment and she decided to have a house-warming/Christmas party. Well, me and two of my friends stopped over for the party and we were all having a good time. Michelle was very touchy about keeping the place neat and a couple of times she came up to me and said to go throw a plate into the garbage or to pick up my cup. It felt like she was chasing me around the room to make sure that me and my friends didn't make a mess.
At one point, things started to get out of hand, and I decided to take action (keep in mind some of the things she had busted me for were not my messes. If someone put down a plate, she assumed it was me since her friends would never create a mess at her place!). I had accidentally dropped a pretzel on the floor and I was just starting to bend down to pick it up, when out of nowhere Michelle appears at my side and snarls "pick it up!" It was like she was the angel of cleanliness trying to smite me for my transgression. Without missing a beat, I raised my foot high into the air and brought my foot down on the pretzel as if it was a wine glass wrapped in cloth at a bar mitzvah. I looked her in the eye and yelled "Mazel tov!" Essentially, mazel tov is jewish for good luck, so it wasn't too far off the mark. Well, Michelle's jaw dropped open...one of her friends made a disgusted face and started tsk tsking as chicks are wont to do, while my friend Chris literally fell over because he was laughing so hard. Michelle looked at me, said "you're a jerk." and then walked off. I don't remember much of anything else about that party, but I still get a good chuckle when I think of that one! Once we both bought houses, we hung out nearly every week. Michelle's a good cook and I would usually grab one or two meals at her house during the week. Michelle and Rick also had a pool, so we would float around the pool on rafts drinking. Rick and I would drink scotch and Michelle would usually stick to lighter stuff or soda. I smoked cigars back then and Rick and I would smoke stogeys out back while Michelle prepared dinner. Good times! We would oftentimes take our dogs for walks along the trails or at one of the local parks. One funny moment that I remember is when we were walking through Hartshorne Woods. Michelle's dog, Spanky, always needed to stay on a leash since he was a beagle, and when he got on a scent, it was very hard to get him to listen to commands. Barkley was a tad better at listening, so I would let him off his leash to roam a bit. One time, while Barkley was in the woods he flushed a deer from its hiding space. The deer ran out across the path we were on directly between Michelle and I. Now, that doesn't sound like a big deal, but there was literally maybe ten feet between us at the time! The deer ran closer to her than to me, but I remember it was fast and scary. We laughed it off once we realized what happened, but before that, it was a crashing sound in the woods, a blur of brown and then Barkley bolting past us in pursuit! This post is getting a bit lengthy now so I will try to keep it short. Since I have moved to New Hampshire, we do not get to hang out as much anymore. We still speak nearly every day. Michelle is very good at giving me a call. I am really bad at calling since I get caught up in all types of nonsense, and then forget to do the important things, like keep up with my sister. I enjoy our daily chit chats. When we do get together, we usually have fun. When Rick and Michelle come up to visit, we usually have a name-game marathon with Maddie. When we really get going, these games can last for hours! My Mom is getting older now, so it is harder for us to get down to New Jersey. The trips exhaust her and I usually can't stay for long periods due to my work schedule and our karate training. When we do go, I know we are always set to enjoy a number of good meals. Like I said earlier, Michelle is a good cook, and she likes to cook! If there is one picture that always reminds me of home, it is a picture of my Mom giving Michelle a kiss. Michelle is sitting in a chair and my Mom came up behind her and is leaning down to give her a kiss while she is holding her head. Michele's face is all scrunched up and you can only see the top of my Mom's head really. I wanted to find the pic to finish off this post, but unfortunately I couldn't find it. So I will end it with the picture below. It is a recent pic, but I don't know what was going on on the day it was taken. I just know I was happy to be hanging with my sister.
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I feel that this is a quote about perspective and how people choose to view the world. Some people choose to take everything and try to find a little good in it... others simply see it as a nuisance. This is a great metaphor and it's one I've never heard before, so I'd LIKE to try to expand on it. I've got a 30 minute car trip ahead of me, so let's see how I do!
At the same time... I feel like the quote doesn't need much explaining. As long as you know how to actually think and use metaphors.... there's not much to say. It's a view on life; plain and simple. Perhaps I should elaborate; yes? Okay. Some people choose to take a bad situation, and leave it bad. Some people even choose to take GOOD situations and make them shitty! These are the pessimists, the people who would rather take only the negative approach to things and just have completely horrible days. Then, there are the people who can take literally ANY situation and make something good of it. These people are optimists, who try to look on the bright side of everything and find some good in everything. While I find both pessimism and optimism interesting, I myself am more of a realist. I don't see things one way or another, just as they are. However, I do like to think that if I had to choose, I'd be more optimistic... I certainly don't see horrible things as a nuisance, just as another lesson to be learned at a minimum. What's your opinion? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Let me know. - Maddie "In our society leaving baby with Daddy is just one step above leaving the kids to be raised by wolves or apes." That's a quote by Al Roker, the lovable weatherman from numerous television programs. Given that weathermen are wrong just as often as they are right, I am going to go out on a limb and say he was wrong with his above quote...(just like the weather!) I'm sure Al was just trying to be funny with his quote above, but for me, it hits close to home. You see, my wife became ill when she was pregnant with our second child, and never came home. I brought Ashleigh home at 4 days old and raised her and her then seven year old sister since then. After three years, my Mom moved in to help me with the girls. My father died in the interim, and her moving in worked best for the both of us. Six years after bringing her home, Ashleigh is doing great! Maddie is doing well also. Unless you asked them, I don't think anyone would be able to tell that either of my girls did not have a Mom living at home.
My girls are sweet and feminine... although Maddie can likely hit harder than Al (she is a second-degree black belt) and probably takes a punch better too. Ashleigh is a purple belt and the highest rank in her little ninjas class. Part of being a good father is making sure that my girls are protected whether I am there or not. Training both of my girls in the martial arts is one way I am making sure that they at least have a chance to protect themselves if the need ever arises. In Al's defense, there are some men who should not be left home with the children. Indeed, Al or his father could be these very people! Some people, when they see me with my girls, assume that I am watching them because "Mom" is busy. It's even worse on the weekends...some people think that it is my weekend to have the kids. Sigh! I let people think what they want. I know. And my daughters know that I do my best to raise them properly. AND THAT I AM ALWAYS THERE FOR THEM! If others want to think that I am a part-time Dad like their husband or own father...that is up to them. As for Al, he can say what he pleases. I rarely heed his advice about the weather... and that is what he is paid to do. My guess is that the quote above is less accurate than one of his weather reports. He has about a 50% chance of getting the weather right...it is either going to rain or it isn't. I would think that the accuracy of his quote is maybe a direct hit for less than 10% of the population. Way to go Al! The opinions of others are usually irrelevant to me. I know, this probably sounds stupid- but allow me to explain before you jump on the wrong bandwagon and start yelling at me. What I mean to say by this is- the opinions of other that are about me specifically are irrelevant to me. There are few people who I respect enough to take to heart what they think and feel about me. These few people are just a select few in my family; and maybe one or two of my friends... anyone else can think and say whatever they want to and about me and I won't care.
The way I see it, I am who I am. I am nothing more and nothing less. Those who know me well know who I actually am and should be able to tell the difference between a poor opinion and rumors and who I actually am. If one of my friends chooses to see me in a negative light or believe a rumor about me- that is their error, not mine. And I'm not saying that people aren't entitled to opinions of me, because they more than definitely are. I'm just trying to say that if someone feels negatively towards me; they should get out of my life and stop torturing themselves trying to change me... because it won't happen. I don't care for the opinions of most; so unless you are family (who is close to me) or a very close friends... don't bother. You can dismiss yourself. - Maddie Today I am going to write about jungle animals. I started reading a book about them
today. Monkeys have hands just like us. They use them to help them climb trees along with their feet and tails. The monkeys live in trees and eat plants, insects, and fruit. The jaguar is a big, big cat with whiskers and a long tail. They have paws, not hands. He uses his paws to catch fish, and of course, to run. Ashleigh "Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." That's a quote by Terry Pratchett. Pratchett was an English author of fantasy novels. He died in March, 2015. I never read any of his novels, so I am not sure what context was behind this quote. For me, it still holds meaning though.
You see, I, in a sense, have come back full circle to where I have started. In 1991, I started as a research assistant at the Value Line Investment Survey. It was my first job on Wall Street, and I was proud to work there. I moved up through the ranks quickly and left five years later as an editor and the editor in charge of the Supplementary Reports portion of the survey. I left to go to Merrill Lynch in 1996. In September 2014, I rejoined Value Line, and in a sense it felt like a homecoming. I still knew many of the older analysts there and many of the younger analysts were very welcoming. After my wife died, it was very hard to keep my hedge fund consulting business viable, since I was also raising two young girls on my own. There just wasn't enough time to do everything, and the business suffered even further, while I supervised visits for the girls with their Mom, or had to drive Sharon to doctors visits as the courts had decreed. In 2014, I still had clients, but I was writing a lot of proprietary reports that I could not send out to other prospective clients, thus the business was stagnating. In July, a number of old friends came up for a fishing trip, and I was talking shop with one of the analysts that still worked at Value Line. He told me that Value Line was looking for analysts to work from home, and I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Two weeks later, I was hired! I must say that coming back to where I started is not like never leaving. I picked up the Value Line system again very easily, and I am thoroughly enjoying working for Value Line again. I, of course, work from New Hampshire. My New York extension rings in my home office. Some of my old friends ask me if it bothers me going back to where I started. And I must say that it doesn't bother me at all. Sure I miss working with the hedge funds and trying to out think the Street. But the reality of it is that that wasn't what I was doing anymore at my own company. I didn't have the time to do the research AND the marketing AND the client talks that are necessary to keep that type of business going. I had more than enough work to keep me going, but I was just making the bills. And the work was no longer run and gun trading and shorts, but more management critiques and operational synopsis'. I enjoyed doing them, and was happy for the work, but it was just not going to allow me to comfortably increase the rest of my business and home school my daughters. At this point, I am covering about 50 stocks for Value Line. Although the press schedule can be tight, particularly during earnings season, I still have time to teach my daughters, train in the martial arts and do other things that need to be done around the house. Although I miss the camaraderie of being in an office setting, I am older now, and it just wouldn't be what it used to be anyway. In the end, I feel like I have to some extent come home... even though I never really leave my home to work anyway. At least not since 2003. It's funny how life changes, yet still manages to stay the same in so many ways. One final thought: If I never left Value Line, I never would have met my wife, and I never would have then had my daughters that I have now. I also never would have moved to New Hampshire, where I am extremely happy. Thus, although I have come back to where I started, I am also happy that I am never really leaving my happy place in New Hampshire! I have two large pet peeves- and those are people who whine constantly; and people who are hypocrites. Make sure you know the meaning of both before reading this post.
Recently, I've seen a situation with my friends that has been annoying me to the max and has just reached a complete breaking point. My friend loves to say that no one loves them, and nothing is farther from the truth. No one has a lack of love; there is always someone who loves you and thinks you're amazing and I don't think enough people in general realize that... not just my friend. There is ALWAYS someone who loves you. It may be a relative, or a friend, or maybe someone you aren't aware of. Hell, it may even be an animal! But there is always someone, no matter what you believe. There is always someone with enough room in their heart for you. And you should never feel like no one loves you. Now, on the other end of the spectrum. I have heard my friends complain that nobody loves them, and then complain that too many people love them! They actually complain that the wrong people love them and I HATE IT. Like no! Be happy that people DO love you! Accept the love. You don't have to accept it 100%; but don't complain about someone else's feelings for you. It's ridiculous. - Maddie The way is not in the sky, it is in our heart. Above is one of the best pictures I have ever took. I was at the top of Pack Monadnock, looking out over the valley, and feeling very peaceful. I liked the way the clouds were casting shadows on the ground and decided to snap the picture. Usually, I am a horrible photographer, but this time, I think I really caught the peacefulness of the view. I like to look at that pic when I am feeling sad. I used to have it up on my computer as the wallpaper, but somehow it is no longer serving that function. I actually had to go look for it. Sometimes I feel down, and I don't know why. Like tonight, for instance. I had a very productive day and got a lot of work done. I was feeling pretty good most of the day, and shut down my computer with no intentions of working a bit later. It's rare that I do that. Usually, I jump on again after 9:30 and get a little extra work done... either because I wanted to get a little bit done ahead of what I was going to do tomorrow or, to be honest, just because I like to take my time while I work and work my own hours. Tonight I had no plans to do that though. I figured I would just relax. We have a lot of artwork up on our walls around my house. My wife and I used to go to auctions and antique shops on the weekend and to little artsy fartsy towns in rural New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Oftentimes, we would see artists drawing pictures of people in charcoal. On occasion, we would contact the artists and commission them to do charcoals for us. We would even hire artists from their websites to draw pictures for us. They now hang all over our house. Unfortunately, all of them hold memories for me. Sometimes, they are memories that usually don't necessarily attach directly to the picture. That's what happened tonight. I walked past one of the drawings, had a memory about what my wife and I were doing around that time, and boom, suddenly I was in the dumps. The above quote only loosely ties in to my post tonight. The sadness is in my heart, and yet the quiet, peaceful moment I am seeking is epitomized by the picture of the sky. The picture, is peaceful, but where I need peace is in my soul. The way to peace is through my heart, and yet, when I look at that picture, I remember the peacefulness of that moment. Memories are like a double-edged sword. They can cut both ways. At one moment, they can bring amusement or joy. At others, they can remind you of things that can never be again. Life is meant for the living, and yet so many times I look back to the dead. I think I like that picture of the sky so much because it is like looking at the future. Not the future that will be...but the future that can be. Hope rides in the air currents. Today I read a new book called "Which Way, Ben Bunny?" A little white bunny took his carrot. Ben jumped up and said: "Which way did he go, Black Crow?" He went left, said the crow. Ben Bunny continued to chase the other bunny. When he jumped down a hole, Ben followed. He jumped right into his surprise birthday party!
Ashleigh I like dogs. They are cute and cuddly. My favorite is a Chihuahua. They are so tiny and cute!
I have a dog named"Luck". He is an English Retriever. We like to play. I play tug of war with him and chase him. He is a good dog, but he is always hungry! Ashleigh Today, I learned about planets. There are 8 planets in our solar system and a dwarf
planet. The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The one furthest from the sun is Neptune. Pluto, is a dwarf planet out further than Neptune. It also orbits the sun. Our planet is earth. It is third closest to the sun. Ashleigh "If you quarrel every day, you're saying prayers to the devil." That's a quote by Bob Marley. Marley was a strange duck, and a music legend. At first, I was going to pass this quote by, but then I thought about it a little bit, and I think he is right.
Notice he says "every day". That is the key to the quote, in my opinion. We all quarrel sometimes... and then we go back and live our normal lives. We get over it. Those that quarrel every day though, they live in resentment. And THAT is very different. I think we all go through life trying to be satisfied. If you are constantly fighting about things, then it's likely that you are never satisfied. If you were, you wouldn't be quarreling! Remember, it takes two to quarrel. If you are always one of the two quarreling, then it is likely that YOU are part of the problem. The problem can't always lie with someone else. The best thing you can do if you are always quarreling, is to step back and see if you can figure out why. Why do I always fight with this person or that one? Why do I find myself getting into trouble? Why do I start trouble? If you can answer these questions honestly, it should go a long way to stopping the quarreling. Remember, none of us like to argue. All arguments can usually be avoided if you try. We all have buttons that can be pushed to the point where we will lash out and argue. Don't do it. It just isn't worth it. Life is brutally short. Don't waste your time worrying about whether you are right or wrong, or proving someone else a fool, or lazy, or wrong. Live your life to be happy. The only person you have to prove anything to, is yourself. Hello! I just wanted to drop a quick post before I left to go get coffee- a few things to think about; if you will. When was the last time you told the person you care about the most... That you care about them?
I know for me that I try to let those around me know that I love them every day. My dad taught me the valuable lesson of always letting people know how you feel... Because tomorrow isn't promised and may be too late. That's why I always hug everyone and give them a kiss before they go to sleep! Because it's good to end the day on good terms. Can you imagine how horrible it would be if someone you were mad at passed away before you got a chance to REALLY forgive them..? I know how that feels... And having no closure isn't pleasant. I don't know. Moral of this post is let others know how much they mean to you. Peace. - Maddie I play Legos every day. I like to build little farms and cages. There are little cars too.
We build little houses and planes. We have lots of fun playing Legos. Ashleigh "Knowledge is the eye of desire, and can become the pilot of the soul." That gem is by Will Durant. I actually had to look this guy up because I really had no clue about who he was. Turns out he was a writer, historian and philosopher. The combination likely makes for a long-winded read. In fact, his most famous work ran to eleven volumes and was written over four decades. Yikes!
Anyway, back to the quote. When I originally looked at the quote, I was just going to paraphrase it and say "Knowledge is the pilot of the soul." I changed my mind for two reasons. First, I started to think about what he was saying and apply it to my own life, and I noticed that oftentimes does lead the soul about. Anyone who has ever been happily married likely knows what I am talking about here. Secondly, my daughter Maddie usually complains if I write about the soul or say anything that has religious connotations. I must say that I am very interested in the existence (or non-existence) of souls, although I don't necessarily think that my interest is due to any religious fervor on my part. Overall, I suspect that we have souls, although, even after thinking about it, I can't tell you why I actually believe it. Some of it is likely actually the hope that I will one day be able to be with my wife again. She died two years ago and I miss her dearly. Sometimes the hope of being able to see her again when it is my time is all that keeps me from falling into a well of sadness. A second reason for my belief is that I have had a number of personal experiences where things have happened to me that I just can't understand. These things are small, and personal, yet they have had a large impact on my thinking. Clinically, I am sure much of what I have experienced could be called minor hallucinations brought on by stress. And I can accept that answer, for some of them. For other things, though, I find it hard to accept that answer though. And thus, like a moth to a flame I am drawn to studies and articles about souls and psyches, and the impact of memories on our day to day lives. For me, it seems that the desire for knowledge is the pilot of my soul. I truly want to understand what I have experienced, and to do that I need to be able to compare it to other people's experiences. Unfortunately, there are a lot of charlatans out there. Some books and movies that have been produced that many people believed to be true, were later said to be hoaxes by one of the people involved. To sum it up, knowledge for me is not the eye of desire. Instead, the desire for knowledge is the pilot of my soul. It's a little different than the way the quote was actually written, but for me, it is a lot more correct and meaningful. Honestly, this post is going to be short too... Like most of my posts lately. I don't know why; but for some reason I've just run out of good things to talk about... Even when my dad tries to give me help through quotes and other inspiration, I can't seem to come up with anything.
Maybe it's a lack of motivation. Maybe it's a lack of deep thought. I don't know; but I honestly wish it would stop... I do enjoy writing, when I can actually write something meaningful. My dad considers this blog to be a thought journal; something he wants my sister and I to be able to look back on years later. He hopes that it'll give us some insight into how our minds were; and also that we can always have his stories, thoughts, and lessons. I love the idea of it; but I'm afraid that in a few years I will look back and be disappointed with my own lack of effort. I mean... I have a good post every once in awhile, but I truly feel that my calling is more to poetry. Poetry is my favorite thing to write because it allows me to channel deep within myself and pull out raw emotion and thoughts; something that I can't seem to do with normal writing. My mind goes very fast, so to be able to put my thoughts down on paper (or in my case, a screen) can prove quite difficult. Poetry doesn't run based off of thought. It is based entirely off of feeling (at least for me). I think I'd have much more understanding of my own mindset looking back on my poetry... Than j would looking back on any blog post I wrote. So maybe that's what this is. Not just a lack of motivation or a lack of deep thought; but too MUCH thought and no way of getting it out. What's your writers block? What do you do to stop it? Let me know in the comments. ~ Maddie My Daddy works all day. He is always doing work. In the evening, after dinner, he plays
with me. We play Wizard 101. I like playing with Daddy. Ashleigh For all of you regulars, I just wanted to let you know that we all took yesterday off from writing to celebrate my daughter Ashleigh's birthday. She turned six yesterday and she was very excited For those of you who didn't know, I brought Ashleigh home from the hospital alone when she was four days old. She was two weeks premature and underweight. For the first two weeks she had to be fed every half an hour. Amazingly I did it! My wife's illness hit a critical point while she was pregnant with Ashleigh. She spent most of the last two months of her pregnancy in a rehab facility, and wasn't allowed to come home after she gave birth. Let me tell you, I never saw that coming! But, like a good pitcher, every once in a while God will throw you a curve ball! Ashleigh is my little joyful one. Almost every day, you will hear her laughing and talking excitedly. She is always smiling and likes to surprise us with little gifts. She loves to draw, color, take pictures, and make videos. My refrigerator is covered with her pictures. For the past two weeks Ashleigh has been patiently waiting for her birthday. The countdown started in December, but really hit a crescendo in the past ten days. Each day, she would say, "only ten more days to my birthday!" (and counted down each day). To be honest, it was really a celebration weekend for the little one. On Sunday, I took her to a matinee to see "Norm of the North", a movie about a talking polar who goes to New York to save the arctic from an evil condo builder. In the evening, we all bundled into the car to go to Texas Roadhouse for a birthday meal for Ashleigh. It's funny, Ashleigh doesn't like steak, but she wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse anyway because she likes their Mac & Cheese. I really lucked out because I love their steaks...as does Maddie. By Monday, Ashleigh was bursting at the seems for her presents. She got the day off from school as well. Ashleigh spent the day playing games, watching videos, and doing karate. When we left karate, she gave everyone who was still in the sitting area a hug for her birthday. Ashleigh has come a long way in a short time. When she was first born, She was a little over 5 pounds. Now she weighs about 45 pounds. I used to be able to hold her in one hand. Now it takes me both hands just to pick her up. Since she was about a week old she has been coming to the dojo with me. When she turned three, she started her own martial arts training. After three years, she is now a purple belt and is working on her third form, leopard. She is the highest rank in her Little Ninja class. The above is a picture of Ashleigh at her yellow belt test.
Over the past year, Ashleigh has learned to read, and do basic arithmetic. She can both add and subtract up to four-digit numbers. She now writes out by hand most of the posts that she posts on this site. She also types them into the computer herself. I help her with the spelling, and occasionally fix her punctuation. If you would like to wish Ashleigh a belated happy birthday, leave one in the comments. She loves to receive emails and comments on her posts. If you'd like to see some of her schoolwork, go to www.reportsbyashleigh.weebly.com. The day finally arrived- my sister turned 6 years old on the 18th of January. I, to be honest; was in a small state of disbelief- I still remember my sister when she was a newborn and I can't get that image out of my mind... seeing her as the girl she's matured to be is amazing and scary, at the same time. That being said; I'd like to make this a short (yet meaningful) blog post.
The key behind it is that time goes by WAY too fast and we don't take enough time to appreciate it as it is. We don't make enough memories or savor the times as they come and go; and before we know it... our little sister has not only turned 6 but has also grown up and gone through middle school, highschool, a black belt test or two AND gone to college. I honestly don't know how my dad is dealing with me growing... especially with my attitude and everything else. However, I try to savor moments and times spent with my little sister so that when she gets older, I'll have something to look back on and smile about. That's almost the point of this blog; in a way... it's and active time capsule that everyone in my immediate immediate family can contribute to. While it can be a chore at times; I do see the good intent behind it and I DO think that it will be quite beneficial when I get older. Moral of the blog post? Savor the good times and enjoy your memories. Take time to stop and smell the roses. ~ Maddie This week I started to learn science with my Daddy. We started to read about the planets.
The four closest planets to the sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Neptune is the farthest planet in our solar system. Pluto is further out, but it is no longer considered a planet. Finally I learned that a planet's path around the sun is called an orbit. Ashleigh |
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