Buckeye Mike

When I was a kid growing up in Southwest Ohio, we moved a lot. From Goshen to Sardinia, then on to Colerain, Lynchburg, Goshen again, and Milford, I was the new kid many times in my youth. I was fortunate to spend all of my high school years in Gahanna, which is why I am trying so hard to keep my guys in that school system. But that is a blog for another day. Every time I moved to a new place, the adjustment was difficult and uncomfortable. But no matter which of these towns I found myself in, I could always look forward to the field trips. From the Cincinnati Zoo to the Taft Theatre, these places were a little piece of familiarity for the awkward newbie every year. And my favorite of these school day get-a-ways were the visits to the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History. Having a standard custody agreement with my ex wife means that I only get to see my guys every other weekend and every Thursday evening. And while I have a good working relationship with their mother and often tak...

I went to the dog park yesterday afternoon here in Columbus. Not really an event in and of itself, but when you consider the date, it was pretty significant to be in a sunny and warm park on January 7, watching the dogs pay in the grass and swim in the pond. A stark contrast to last year, when the snow kept coming in waves from the beginning of December until April, or so it seemed. The mild winter is one of many differences from last year to this. I have to be at work in the morning. Like the dog park, heading into the office on a Monday morning doesn't set me apart from most of the population. But considering the failed experiment of the last few months, and the professional monotony I had found myself in for the last year or so, I expect to enjoy tomorrow as much as I have enjoyed the pleasant weather of this weekend. When I turned the New Year into 2011, I was working on a project with Belfor that involved a major hotel. With 2 of my closest friends in the industry on the j...

As many times as I have tried to honor my mother's legacy on the pages of this blog, I never recall a more perfect sentiment than I saw on my sister's facebook page this morning. She had posted the song which titles this blog, one of my mom's favorites. I can distinctly remember her singing the lyrics to this Patsy Cline classic many times throughout my life, both when I was a child and into adulthood. Her voice was comparable to the late country star's who, like my mother, left this world far too soon for anyone to understand. Seeing those words posted on Angelia's profile this morning instantly brought back those memories, putting a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. Thank you for that Sis, it was a great way to start my day. It has been 3 years since we lost her to cancer. In some ways it seems like it was only yesterday, and in others it feels like a lifetime since I was standing in that hospital in Illinois, all of our hearts breaking as she left us. This...

As we wind down the hours in 2011 and prepare to ring in the new year, I think back to where I was just 12 short months ago. A lot has changed since then, and I find myself once again reflecting on all that happened and where it has led me to today. I have said many time that life is fluid, and the lessons we learn from today will take us to our next stop along the path tomorrow. When the new year dawned, I was working on a large project with Belfor. It was a large hotel renovation that kept me busy 7 days a week. Constantly on the go, I was balancing work with an ever busy social life and spending time with my boys. An evening at the theatre, nights out with the BFFL, and a day at COSI with my guys all highlighted a very busy first two months of the year. In late February a minor fender bender couldn't even slow me down as I had a project to finish and never had a night without plans. But on March 4th, it all changed. I have often recalled the day of the acciden...

Last year, as I was remembering my mother and reliving the last memories I have of her, I wrote a blog entitled "The Pocketwatch". It is my favorite Christmas story, and I have decided to make it an annual tradition on this blog. Please enjoy and I hope you all had as wonderful a holiday as I did! As a kid growing up, Christmas Eve was always the most special day of the year. Aside from the Santa visit, the day was filled with so much tradition and family that is was more like an event than a holiday. Everyone would gather at my grandparents house for Christmas dinner. Cars would fill the drive way, be parked on the hill, and even in the front yard. It was always a feast, with us kids pushing everyone to finish their plates so we could get to the presents. And there were a lot of presents. Whatever car mom was driving, from the Pacer to the Nova, would always be packed full by the end of the evening, and many years required a second trip just to make sure we had it all. Af...

I have been reading recently about Secret Santa's that are showing up at retail stores all over the country and granting holiday wishes to complete strangers they will never meet. They simply walk into a Walmart or Kmart and tell the lay-away department that they want to pay off all the past due or soon to be past due accounts that the store has. One person in Cleveland paid off 23 accounts to the tune of almost nine thousand dollars, and the same thing is being repeated coast to coast. These random acts of kindness embody the Christmas spirit and bring life to Santa Claus for those who benefit from the outpouring of generosity. There is something about Christmas this year that is so special. While I hadn't been able to put my finger on why until now, the last few weeks have had a different feel than I have grown accustomed to recently. In recent years I have had somewhat of a bah-humbug  mentality, dreading going shopping, scanning past all the Christmas music on the radio, ...

When I was a kid in Pleasant Plain Ohio, my grandparents had a dog named Shep. A sheepdog by breed, he was a staple at mamaw's even in my earliest memories. I remember pulling into their driveway and seeing him waiting for me everyday as I was dropped off before school. He was one of many dogs that I had growing up, from the 'beagle" named Max (my dad got him and told us he was a beagle, but he clearly was a much larger breed) to the beer drinking Simon,  who would get drunk and wrestle a basketball in the yard. As I got older and became a father I decided my boys should have similar experiences. I wanted them to learn the responsibility that comes along with having a pet, and I wanted them to have the same experiences I had with Shep growing up. Oliver was really the first animal we had become a true part of the family. A tan cocker spaniel, he immediately took to the boys and became John-Michael's best friend. He is a lazy, stoic guy who at this very moment is layi...