Buckeye Mike

When I went to see the boys on Saturday morning, I was excited. They had returned from a week long trip to Cape Cod with my Dad and I was anxious to hear what stories they had brought back from "Thanksgiving at the Ocean House." I couldn't wait to hear if any of their new memories were anything close to the ones me and my siblings tell every time we have a family gathering. There were the really early mornings of standing on the beach. In November. Freezing as the sun came up. And the time my mother packed an empty suitcase which she intended to fill with goodies from the Christmas Tree Shop. My Dad found it and gave the bag to my Grandfather, foiling my mothers plan. And who could forget the notorious "The corn is cold" incident at Howard Johnson's in Newburgh, NY (to this day there is a debate on whether Dad actually made the waitress cry)? Those were great days in my youth, and the boys trip in 2011 did not disappoint. When I saw them I was greeted with

It has been a very busy week. For the second weekend in a row, I had the boys with me as their mother had plans and asked me to take an extra weekend. Of course it was my pleasure, as having the guys with me is the greatest joy in my life. We went thrifting yet again, garnering more cool things for them and for the house. An antique wooden sign that says "SALOON" and is battered with BB gun hits was the highlight of our haul, with each of my sons bringing in a treasure or two themselves. Taking them home on Sunday was hard as it always is, but I knew the week I had ahead of me held some great things, so it was just a little easier this time. On Tuesday Tanner performed in his first ever musical. A collaboration of the first and second graders at his school, he was excited for us to see "Go Fish". Dawning fish heads made of construction material, the group sang songs and danced and put on quite a show. It took me back to my own grade school play at Lynchburg-Clay El

Leaving the family reunion yesterday was a bit of a let down. After hours of conversation and fellowship, I was a little sad as we made the 90 minute trek home. I thought about the family and wondered when the next time we might all be together. I even considered returning this morning for breakfast and church in the living room, which is a staple of any family function we have. Instead, though, Tiffany and I decided to try to make it a great day for the boys. And I think we pulled it off just by doing something we would have done whether they were with us or not. The older two boys brought home grade cards that showed marked improvements in several classes. Having promised them cash rewards for raising the grades, we gave them their money and asked what they wanted to do today. There was no thought to going to the mall. Toys R Us was never discussed either. Neither was COSI, The Zoo, or a hundred other fun places we could have gone and let them get those burning bills out of their p

Just a note, for some reason when I go back to edit or revise my post recently, blogger gas been removing big parts of what I have written. I don't know why it is happening, and sometimes don't catch it til later. So if you have read any of my posts recently that had parts that didn't quite make sense, please go back an read them again, as I have fixed a few this morning. Thanks!

I had been looking forward to today for a couple of months. When my sister suggested that the descendants of George and Eula Grace Hodge have a mini family reunion outside of the much larger Gilbert and Hodge get together's that take place every year, we all jumped at the idea. My grandparents instilled the value of a close knit family in us, yet we hadn't been all together since my Mother's funeral. Obviously, this celebration of my grandparents legacy was long overdue. I have written several times about the family functions I had with these folks when I was younger. And the day brought back so many memories of those times. Of course we had a huge, homemade feast complete with everything from pork tenderloin to deviled eggs to banana pudding. We sat and talked and told stories about the good old days and where we are now. Aunts Pam, Debbie, and Bev decided to enlighten Tiffany with tales of  a 4 year old terror named Michael, and explain how they had to use switches and

I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I have made so many mistakes and had terrible lapses in judgement that have altered the course of my life. Moments of weakness and decisions based upon instant gratification mark many chapters of my life and have cost me personal relationships, financial well being, and professional goals. Yet as I sit in front of my computer, re-playing each of these events as if they were a reel-to-reel movie in my head, I cannot express true regret for most of them. They are my mistakes, my indiscretions, and I own them. I wear them like scars, because each became a permanent piece of my life and made me part of who I am today. Sure there are moments that, at the time, I wish I could have taken back. But now I know that each of those moments, in fact every minute of my life so far has led me to right here, right now. And this second in time is leading to and building the next. I am not a preachy person either. How does the expression go- "Th