And so it goes

So your life is all nice and cozy? Good for you! I must say after the Inauguration I have had many new thoughts. Now for you that know me well enough I am not thinking of any thing evil or illegal. I am in support of my President. Yes you heard me say I am in support of my President. Wow! After hearing someone say at Church that they thought our President was the Anti-Christ and that they felt someone would do something really bad about it I had to chime in. Our new President was elected according to the laws of the land. I could go on about how things should have been different but Rush and Sean Hannity can yak about that. (I do not agree with the tactics of Rush and Sean) The democratic process has worked and we have a new President. Some of the things he wants to do are admirable. Some are not. I wish I could say that there was a President who did everything right. One of the things I see today is that we are so quick to judge and hate. We tend to be mistrustful. I see that many things are played out on the internet (which of course if it is on the internet then it must be true) or on the news or even in the mighty newspaper.
I do not want to see our country abandon many of the values that have guided us for so many years. But in reality it is not the government. It is we the people. Many will say we do not have a say anymore. I say we are really in charge. We say when we will spend money and how much. We say when we will travel and how far. We say when we will watch TV and buy the shamwow. We say when we will not buy the latest Brittany news garbage. You get my drift. We the people are in charge of what we do. Now the government is in charge of many things like if we can buy a car that gets better milege. Or if we can buy a house at a better rate since they are buying up all the banks. But they are not in charge of our happiness.
I am in the middle of putting together thoughts then words to an idea about a book. Who in the past has been an inspiration and why? Here is a list of people so far. Jesus Christ, (Duh) Martin Luther, John Wesley, Gahndi, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Newton, Plato, Socrates. My idea is that 200 years from now is that Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Ted Kennedy, J.P. Morgan and the like will not be so influencial. Why? Because they were about money. (OK Ted is about...who knows but I just like putting his name on the list). What are people best remebered for? What do we want to be remebered for? My tombstone or cardboard box will hopefully say that people loved me and I loved them. I had integrity and would not compromise it for money. I had respect because I gave it. I gave of my soul because another needed it. So all in all you get my drift. Now drift is appropriate because I do drift in and out of this process of thinking.
So all is well in our world. The world of my mind where I support my President in that we are subject to our rulers. I will not bad mouth him just because he does not think 100% the way I do. I hope and pray that he is led by integrity and by the Sprit of God as do I wish for all man kind. (except for the guy who keeps calling me and hanging up) Be good humans and go have an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate.

Tim

1 year later

So as I sat reading a friends blog it reminded me that dreams are freaky. Jen's dream was vivid. Mine was real. Many of you know I was a foster child. Well here goes the dream. A Wednesday evening Thursday morning, I had a strange yet realistic dream. I was being notified by mail (do letters still get sent?) That my Mother (died 1963) and Father were having a medical procedure done and I needed to be there. Since I have never met my Father it would be strange. The letter shows a map of roads and almost a google map page near a bay of water. I then see him in the dream wearing chaps riding a horse and then he and I go surfing. The procedure goes fine. I see him with a truck and then poof it is over. I woke up and said I need to go on ancestry.com to check him out again. Funny thing though. I had searched him out earlier about 3 months previous with a few tidbits. This time I found again he got married right around whenI was born to a woman in San Diego. Well I thought I would search her out. Her name was not the standard type name so I figured she would be easy. Through searches I found her through a post she filed on someones blog. I thought how can I find her now?
As my mouse went over her name her email address popped up. I emailed her right away. As I asked her the questions only a wife of my father would know she emailed me back and asked for some information from me. Within 2 hours she emailed me back and asked for my phone number. That evening she called me. She asked one question to verify who I was. She then knew it was truly me. Now it gets interesting.
It turns out that my father fought apaternity suit against my mother in 1963. Which we cannot find in the records in San Diego yet. I then find out many things about him that I never knew. It turns out that while I was in the midwest with another foster family he was 40 miles away from me. His then wife whom I found him through was working for an attorney whose family I knew. She would visit the restaurant I worked in every so often since it was the only steak house in town. This gets even stranger. His daughter by her sends me a picture of him at age 68. Just picture me with really gray hair and it is the spitting image. Now for the weird. That evening I had the dream, He was in a city by a bay which I cant mention, having his pacemaker looked at. Now tell me that our Heavenly Father doesnt have an influence on our dreams from time to time. Now there are more particulars but I have given our blog to them to let them read. He doesnt want to have any contact at this time for which I am befuddled but understand. I can say that I wondered why did I have this dream only to not have contact with someone for whom I have been looking for my entire life? Oh well it is what it is. So next time you have a dream be careful it might mean something.

Tim

New Year...New Fun

So the New Year is finally here. With holidays and just the plain day to day duties sometimes the actual message of a new year gets lost. New ideas, new resolutions, new laws, new bills. So as I sit here thinking ( a new concept), I wonder if this year will bring something different to our lives. Well that was the understatement of my life. How often do we think that this year will be the year to do... Or this will be the year that the Chargers win the Super Bowl. It doesn't matter. It is the journey that matters. I know it sounds cliche but it really the journey. I was talking with my fellow students on break the other day about how great it would be to just lie down in a park and take a nap. There were the things oh not here, the grass is itchy, homeless people, you know the drill. When I was younger wondering in Las Vegas trying to get my life on track I walked and walked and walked. I would get to a park and just lay down and take a nap. I would sit and think. Just me with no other distractions. I would see other people and their interactions with their families. By myself I had so much time to contemplate so many things. But now I look at those times as WOW was I ever the bum. Now is the time of my life. Instead of getting to sit and contemplate I get to pickup toys, watch my children, clean faces, pickup toys, make lunch, feed the gecko, pickup toys, you get my drift. Is this great or what? I truly see purpose in life with my family. Life may go by more quickly with less things accomplished but I get to see the things that matter most. I could be snowboarding right now. I could be surfing now. I could be golfing now. I could be on a week long trip on a motorcycle right now. I could be hiking in Yosemite right now. But I am not. I am at home with my family full of love. I am in the place that is most secure. I am with the ones I love. So is it a New Year? No it is just another day full of adventure, diapers, toys, music, tears, laughter, bills and so much more.

Tim

Conga at the Reeds

So Christmas has come and gone. What an event. Besides the obvious we enjoyed this glorious day. As we have small children who enjoy the gifts and shredding of wrapping paper we reflect in our hearts what it really means. Many have put aside their differences to enjoy the Christmas cheer. While some others have gone off deep ends to destroy all that is good. We are really blessed to have wonderful children who remind us daily to do all we can to provide a healthy and loving home. Cousin Mike showed us that we too can make light of the absurd. Grandma Phyllis gave 3 42" tall dolls to Jill, Macy and Bridget. It was really creepy. These dolls fit right in to our family. I thought I was sitting nest to Jill a couple of times. Then it got really silly. We sat around as usual feasting and snacking. Then Lori turned on the Movie we all anticipated and were excited to see. Mama Mia. Funny thing happened, all but 4 people disappeared. I guess ABBA wasn't as popular as she thought. Then Lori proceeded to work on her puzzle. I for some reason have given up on puzzels as of late. I live in a family of puzzles. Then the next morning Bridget decided to help mommy. The puzzle is well it has been relegated to the back burner for now. The kids did enjoy the entire day. I must say that each year we have some great fun with the kids and their comments. I never knew Jillian could get so excited over roller blades. Since it was raining they all bladed and skated around the house for hours. They are never dull. Well for now we can relax and bask in another year of toiling to get gifts that get destroyed quickly. I hope your day was as fun as ours.

Twas the night before...For Real This Time

So it is late, (Funny how 10:00 pm is late) We sprinkled Reindeer dust on the lawn to attract the reindeer sooner than later. The kids are amped up on Santa juice. We don't need caffeine here with Christmas a mere 2 hours away. We are busy making sure that all is well so that Santa can somehow find our California Chimmney. We were at the movies earlier to see the action packed Bolt. Since Jillian is the dog kookoo head it was a no brainer. Actually all the kids are dog crazy. I have notice how much the oldest sibling sets the tone for the other kids. It amazes me how important that is. Jillian has been so good as a role model or greeat example. So we trekked over to Claim Jumper to see hordes of people wanting plates fit for a platoon. Luckily we had reservations for 16. With everyone intow we sat and enjoyed what everyone knew would be a weeklong meal.
I sat and pondered about the year. What things were good and bad. What could I do better? Ok so I don't have a terabyte of space for that. Lets just say I need to be reincarnated several times just to catch up to my wifes worst day.

She sets a great tone for our family. I can see qualities of her through each of the kids. I know that this being an interesting year that she has made this Christmas better by her attitude.
Roxana knows it is Ho Ho's day tomorrow. She is stoked at 2 years old for boots to be in her presents. Yes we are the one thing keeping the economy afloat. We have bought into the Dora saves the World idea. At least they all know the numbers and colors in Spanish. They are picking Lor's brain for French. They also watch Cailau for Chinese.

So back to Dinner. I realize that in my many years of foster homes and single life this was a time to be thankful for family. I can tell you that there is no better place that being with the family that is eternal. I only can pray that the rest of the world can grasp a little of what it means to be together forever. Through the good and the bad. The prosperity and the rough times. Through political turmoil and instability. We have each other and the knowledge of Salvation. So goodnight all and may God bless us all.

Tim

Twas the night before...

Ok it is the night before the night before the night before Christmas. As I bundled up to fend off the bitter cold and take a trip to the pet store for crickets. ( Geico the Leopard Gecko) It was a site for all to see. Cars everywhere lined up for last minute spending. What in this economy? Don't people know that the end is near? Oh well. I guess we can spend the last of our money before someone takes it all.

I saw actual holiday cheer. Not a bottle of laundry soap with holiday markings. But actual people in a good mood. People saying thank you and please. Even at Temeku theater watching Beverly Hills Chiuahua. I was amazed. Could we have made a change in our society? Well who knows. All I can say for now is that it was refreshing to see people in a good mood on a wet and cold night while they spend till their cash runs out since credit cards have limited their spending. (All ours are in a hole in the frozen tundra in a lock box frozen over). Like the double security of frozen?

So to all a wonderful new year and a Merry Merry Christmas.

I always was a little backwards.

Jan 5th I am back at clinicals for a CNA course then on to RN program in May hopefully. Pray really hard I can figure out math to get accepted into the program.

Tim