Am I Missing Out On Something ?

Yesterday (4/5) was my buddy Greg's Bachelor Party.  That is the reason for this post being a day late.  We did not get back into town until around 1:30am.  The afternoon into the evening into the early morning was spent traveling to, hanging out in, and traveling home from Black Hawk and the casinos on that strip of land.

Myra holding Spencer
(this is her "cheese" look for pictures)

Being a good Christian man, Greg did NOT want anything like strippers or excessive drunkenness or crazy, stupid stuff like that.  I was (and am) very grateful for that because it meant I could still participate
(I am one of his groomsmen so I want to be part of the whole wedding experience).  Greg DID however want to go to Black Hawk for some gambling and fun ... "because I've never been there."  We groomsmen (and brothers of the bride) obliged his request.

Amid all the fun and silly spending of money, I found myself in a sort of daydream about what my life could have been like had I not met my wife, gotten married, had kids, and/or practiced the religious beliefs that I do.  No one can say how things would be different nor can you fairly judge how much joy and happiness you would have had in those different circumstances ... but ... I can safely say for myself that I do NOT feel like I am missing out on anything this life has to offer.  In those moments of daydream, I felt grateful for the way my life has gone and felt a little bad for people who were not as fortunate (not in a prideful "I'm better than you" way, but a "I wish you could experience the joy that I have in my life" kind of way).

All in all, it was a great bachelor party ... but I'm tired so it's off to bed (for a few hours anyway ... after all, there's a rehearsal in about 7 hours).  :)

Song Of The Day:
I actually do not believe there are ever "Unanswered Prayers" as Garth Brooks sings about in his popular song from years ago.  I believe ALL our prayers are answered ... just not with a "yes" or in the way we want them to be.  That said, I thought of this song on the long drive home last night ... 'and then and there I thanked the good Lord for the gifts in my life.'

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Guys, Is It A Party Upstairs ?

While finishing dinner at the table this evening with my beautiful wife Karen, our youngest daughter Myra was watching some show on Karen's iPad.  She was mesmerized with the show.  So we decided to conduct an experiment.

I offered her some candy.  I offered to take her to the store.  I asked her if she wanted to go get ice cream.  I told her I was going to have to throw away all her toys.  I made up a short story about an elephant trying to teach a monkey to fly.

No reaction from her whatsoever.

Then Catalina came upstairs to get a drink of water.  She saw Myra watching a show on the iPad and stopped next to her for a minute.  Then two minutes.  Then five minutes.  And then ten minutes had passed.  She got caught in the same gravitational pull of Netflix (I think that's what they were watching).

So I conducted the same experiment with her as I had with Myra.  Not so oddly, the results were exactly the same.  I even offered her money and to go bowling (which is something she always asks to do).

Nothing!

Another 5 minutes passed and then her older brother Ben and older sister Brooklyn came up the stairs.  They both eventually made their way to the iPad and got sucked into the same black hole.  After another minute, Cat was finally able to step away from the screen.  I pulled her in for a hug and told her all the "offers" I had made to get her away from the screen.  The shocked look on her face was priceless.

And then, as she headed downstairs to watch a movie, she shouted back toward her brother and sisters (who were still huddled around the iPad) ... "Guys!  Is it a party upstairs?!" ... like she hadn't just been captivated for half an hour!

Karen and I did not stop laughing for a long, long time!

Song Of The Day:
The words of the song might not be related to the post, but "Look Away" by Chicago came to mind as I struggled to get ANY of my children to look away from the iPad.  It's a great song regardless of the seemingly random use in this post!

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How Do You Know When You're "Caught Up" ?

Today was my first day back to full-time work after 10 days of "vacation" time with my awesome family.  I was NOT prepared for the amount of work that would be waiting for me.

Sigh.

Under normal circumstances, I simply make a list of the things I need to do ... and then, after time and lots of effort, the list is eventually completed.  All boxes have been checked.  All line items have been crossed out.  All tasks have been reassigned or filed away.  All paperwork has been recycled and the in-box is empty.  The work is done.

Returning from an extended period of time out of the office does NOT fall in the "under normal circumstances" scenario for me.  There is no "DONE."  There is no "CAUGHT UP."  There is not even a list I could create and follow because the needs of those I 'owe' are not only varied, but also are often unspoken in my absence.

I did the best I could.  I cleared my emails (logging on from home last night sure helped with that).  I rescheduled meetings for appropriate times.  I responded to all my voicemails.  I sent out reports and provided updates to everyone who needed information from me.  But I'm not sure if I'll ever be "caught up" because there always seems to be something else that needs my attention.

The woes of an "exempt" or "salaried" employee ... :)

Song Of The Day:
"The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones is my odd choice for today's song.  For me, this song represents appreciation for having a pretty good life (which I do), while also speaking about angst over that same life.  I get the impression that I'll never be caught up, but that's actually not too bad.

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What Do You Name Your Car(s)?

I know that I am NOT the only person who names his vehicles.

The great Archie Andrews had "Betsy."

Michael Knight a.k.a. Knight Rider had "KITT."

So don't get all judgy and think I'm weird when I ask for your help on this.

What should we call our new 12-passenger van ?!

Here are some possible suggestions, but please comment below (or on the Facebook link) with your ideas:
 - The Stay Puft Marshmallow Van
 - Van Damme ... (hee hee)
 - Great White
 - The Beast
 - The Abominable SnowVAN
 - Cloud 9 ... (since it's a big, white cloud and we have 9 people in our family)

This is going to stress me out until we find the right name.  How are the kids going to know what car to 'go get in' if I can't refer to it properly?!

Song Of The Day:
I am fairly certain our big van will begin acting like Herbie if we don't pick the right name.  In that vein, "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings will remain here until a suitable name is found!  :)

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Um ... What Happened To My iPad ?

I considered NOT posting this, but I realize that I need to share my frustration to be able to move past it and truly let go.

This evening, while unloading the van from our 10-day cross country trip, someone dropped my iPad on the concrete and ... of course ... the glass cracked all across the screen.

This is the SECOND iPad in the Case household (out of 2 total) that has now been broken ... all in the past month!

I am specifically not mentioning who dropped it, because I know they already feel terrible about it.  They apologized profusely to me and I have frankly forgiven them.  It was an accident.  They have learned (I sure hope so) their lesson.  And it is just a material thing that can be fixed, replaced, or just lived without.

But I'm still very angry about it.

In our rush to do things in this life (especially this day and age of instant everything), we often overlook the cost behind our choices.  We get complacent with thoughts of "Well that could never happen to ME" and the like.  But it does happen.  And it can or will happen to you.  So perhaps we should slow down, not feel guilty about accomplishing less than we think we can, and take precautions when handling things that are of value to other people.  I think that is a worthy lesson to learn from this experience.  It will be the silver lining on my very dark anger cloud, which hopefully soon will give way to sunny skies and maybe a beautiful rainbow.

Song Of The Day:
I'm thinking "I Just Wanna Be Mad (for a while)" by Terri Clark is a good song for today's post.  I know the hope is that the anger disappears, but I think it is okay to just be mad for a little while.  There is no connection between the lyrics in the song and my need to be mad about the damaged iPad so don't look for some hidden meaning or anything.  :)

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Why Is Leaving Always So Hard ?

It is never easy to say goodbye when you love someone, even when you know the day is coming and you know you'll see them again (perhaps very soon).  There is just something troubling when you and they must separate for a time.  It never feels good.

For some people, this is evident even before the departure.  It manifests itself in anger, tears, or what I like to call 'trial separation' where you just subconsciously distance yourself from the other person for short periods of time.

Just some random photos of the kids from Fort Morgan

For others, it comes as a wave of emotion right as the separation begins to happen, like uncontrolled tears as you drive away or a pain deep in your gut when you realize someone is 'gone.'

And then there are people like me.  I do not experience either of the first two styles of dealing with separation, but it still affects me greatly in time.  Usually it comes just a little bit at a time as I begin to see things that remind me of the missing loved one.  A certain song on the radio makes me miss a friend.  Driving by someone's old house makes me long for them to be close once again.  I'll think of something funny to say and realize the person who would appreciate my humor the most isn't 'right there' any more to hear me say it.

No matter how you deal with saying goodbye, may I recommend that you remember to tell those you love that you love them.  Make it clear.  Make it known.  Leave no doubt about your concern for them.  And then look ahead to brighter days where you will be reunited once again.  I know I am looking forward to many happy reunions (in this life and in the eternities).

Song Of The Day:
It was many months ago when I heard the song "Daylight" by Maroon 5 on one of my many iPad radio apps.  I knew immediately that I would one day use it in a blog post, and this is the perfect post to use it in.  Although we left our dear friends the Amsdens in the afternevening today, I still knew the night before that in the next day we would "have to go" ... and I think we all tried to "hold each other so close" knowing our time together was drawing short.  Soon.  Together again soon.

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Could We Finally Get ONE Good Sunset Picture ?!

One of the things Karen and I have struggled with, in all of our many vacations, is getting a good picture of the two of us with a nice sunset in the background.

We tried on our cruise last February.  Each night got more cloudy.

We tried on our cruise in September.  A variety of circumstances kept us from being on the right deck with a view of the sunset on each night (other people, late dinner time, exhaustion, good movies / entertainment, etc.)

Our trip, as a family, to Thermopolis, WY, also ended without a sunset photo.

And that's just in 2012!

This has become more of a quest than just a punch line or inside joke.

But last night we actually got a few very good photos with an amazing sunset over the ocean in the Gulf of Mexico.  It took a near miracle and some aggressive driving by my buddy Kevin, but we got it done!  Finally!



Our faces might not be as clear as I'd like ...
but this is still a very good picture I think!

Amy & Kevin (and Ethan)
plus
Josh & Karen (and Spencer)

Song of the Day:
An apropos song if there ever was one, "At Last" by Etta James is THE song for today!  Just a perfect title for 'the wait finally being over'.

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