A Whole New Ballgame

The other day, at school, there was a substitute teacher in our kindergarten classroom. I happened to be in the classroom when a little kindergarten girl asked me if I could put a hair clip into her hair. I had no idea how to do this. I’d never done this before. I balked. I passed the job along to the classroom’s associate.

I am about to be in unchartered territory. Growing up, the house was always dominated by males. My Mom accommodated us, it wasn’t the other way around. Our house is going to be a 50-50 split. I can’t imagine that the living room and the play room remain filled with strictly sports equipment and superheroes. Change is on the horizon.

That being said, I am excited about having a little girl. I’m really excited, actually, and as I think about this more in-depth while I am writing, I get even more excited…goosebumps. Having a little girl will bring a whole different set of experiences that I will be able to have with her that a father and son are not able to share.

Some of the experiences that I am looking forward to more than others include:

• Showing her an expectation for how men should treat women
• Once she finds a man to marry that loves her and treats her how she deserves to be treated, walking her down the aisle and giving her hand away to marriage
• Believe it or not, I can’t wait to take her to a father-daughter dance
• Taking her to downtown Chicago to buy her her own American Girl doll
• Learning about new sports such as volleyball, women’s basketball, softball, etc. (I think my next post will be dedicated to sharing my passion for sports with my daughter)

I wanted our first child to be a boy. I was indifferent in regards to the gender of our second child. Since we found out that we'd be having a girl, I've had several people tell me how having both a daughter and a son is the perfect combination. The more that I think about that concept and the different experiences that a parent will be able to have with both his/her daughter and son, the more in-line my thinking becomes. 

Come June I'll have a little girl. For the rest of my life I'll have a little girl.

Team Gleason - No White Flags

"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day."

The above quote is from Jimmy V's infamous ESPY's speech given just months before cancer took his life. I could listen to that speech every morning, and it would fire me up every time.

I was moved to tears last fall. Not just teary eyed, but actual crying. I was watching ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown when they previewed a segment featuring my all-time favorite band, Pearl Jam, that caught my attention.

The beauty of this post is that I don't have to write much. Watch the clip. It speaks volumes.

Nothing is promised to anyone. Someone is going to tell your story. I want to be the narrator of my story.

This blog is for my children. I love them so much.

Time is Running Out

I've been putting this off for a long time now. The new baby is less than five months from being here!

It was last fall. Amy had told me that she was...we were pregnant. I was training for my half-marathon, and therefore going on long runs where I have nothing but time to reflect and think. It was during a run that went into double digit miles where I had almost an epiphany of all of these briliant ideas worth writing about. As soon as I got home, I grabbed some paper and a pen and started to get my thoughts onto paper. I'm working "late" tonight...translate to I have a meeting later, and I don't want to spend the gas money and/or time to drive home only to turn around to come back...and we just found out the new baby's gender (it's a girl!)...so now seems like an opportune time to begin crafting some of these thoughts into writing worth publishing.

Throughout Ryne's arrival into our world I devoted the time to write about it. I don't think that it is justifiable for our second child not to get that same treatment. Yeah, I'm busier now than I was while Amy was pregnant with Ryne, but busy is a horrible excuse. I was busy then. Everyone is busy. We make time for what we value. I value this baby's arrival. I'm still no good at telling people how I feel so I'm going to write about it. I think that it is important. I'm making time.

I just mentioned that I'm still not very good at telling people how I feel. Expressing myself through this avenue is much more comfortable for me. Up until yesterday, prior to finding out the new baby's gender, the pregnancy still didn't feel very real to me. Nothing had changed for me. That feels different now that we know that we are expecting a girl. All of a sudden it feels real. Let me spell this out for you, I am excited about this addition to our family!

Earlier today I sent Amy a Tweet talking about a father/daughter dance that was being advertised in the corridor. She mentioned that she was excited to see 'a whole new me.' This is unchartered territory for me; nonetheless, I'm excited. I have no idea what to expect; however, I can't wait to experience all of it.

There are a couple of things that I can say with certainty at this point in time upon the new baby's arrival: this baby will be perfect, she will be loved, and I'm going to need more coffee.

Amy and Eric's Relationship Timeline

I've been thinking about blogging again; I've been wanting to start blogging again. Amy isn't home, and Ryne is asleep. Today is our five-year wedding anniversary. This seems like a great opportunity to resume blogging!

I'm really good at remembering things. I'm even better when it comes to remembering things that include numbers (think dates). In honor of our five-year wedding anniversary, I'd like to give a brief timeline of some major dates/events in our relationship while I still remember these things to make sure that this information gets recorded.

January 1, 2004 - The first time that I ever saw Amy. It was in an Orientation to Elementary Education (it seemed far fetched at the time, but I made an excellent decision when I decided to become an elementary education major) class on campus at the Lindquist Center. She was blonde, very tan, wearing a white columbia coat, and I was immediately attracted to her.

March 4, 2004 - It was Thursday night and I was at the Sports Column for $1 you-call-it (this was referenced in my rather lengthy wedding speech) when I ran into Amy and mustered the courage to ask her for her phone number.

March 7, 2004 - Vince Vaughn, in his role in Swingers, taught me that you have to wait a little bit before you can call a girl. So on a Sunday night, while I was "studying" at the library, I made a call to Amy and asked her out on a date.

March 23, 2004 - Our first date was interrupted by spring break, and Amy being out-of-town, but we eventually got together. I had borrowed my Mom's car and I either had a new Usher cd or Michael Jackson's #1s cd playing in the background. I thought (why am I using past tense?) that I was so cool. We went to Los Portales for dinner, and then went to go see Starsky and Hutch the movie (our second choice for movies was Club Dread, which we later watched and Amy hated).

August 12, 2007 - I proposed to Amy on a Sunday morning after we'd had a date at the Button Factory in Muscatine the night before. She was still sleeping in bed; I made her heart shaped muffins for breakfast, and brought them to her along along with the question/ring. I wish that I would have put more thought into how I went about proposing so that there was a GREAT story to go with it...

July 12, 2008 - 11 months after we got engaged, we got married on what was probably the most fun day I've ever had.

February 14, 2010 - Right before we were about to leave to head to Galena, Illinois to celebrate Valentine's Day, Amy gave me a pregnancy manual for me. She was pregnant. I was...um...surprised. Knowing what I know now, I wish I'd been more unconditionally excited.

October 21, 2010 - Amy gave birth to Ryne. If our wedding day was the most fun day I've ever had, this was the best day that I've ever had (as, if you follow me on Twitter, I've made public when #bestmomentofmylife took over everyone's Twitter feed/timeline on Monday night).

It's been a great eight and a half years knowing Amy, and it's been a great five years of marriage. She is the most beautiful person (inside and out) that I've ever met. She is strong in areas where I am weak, and therefore I think that we compliment each other well. I know that she makes me a better person. Thank you for being you, Amy. Thank you for everything that you do. I love you more today than ever before. And I look forward to our future, together!

Holy Spectrum of Emotions, Batman!

I was discouraged as could be. I’d interviewed for jobs eight times in a one year’s span, and not been offered any of the eight positions. I was frustrated as could be.

I don’t know why I thought of this Japanese proverb/Dwayne Wade commercial, “Fall down seven times, get up eight,” but I did.  I knew that with persistence I would eventually be told that, ‘Mr. Ewald, we would like to offer you the job.’ And then it happened. On the evening of my ninth interview, I got a phone call offering me a job. Holy spectrum of emotions, Batman!

I was proud of myself. I was proud that I never quit looking for jobs. I was proud that I will be signing my first principal contract before I turn 29 years old.

I was happy. This is what I’d wanted since I was an undergraduate at the University of Iowa, to be an elementary principal. I wanted to be east of Des Moines, check. I wanted to be along a major highway, check. I wanted to be in a bigger city (Iowa standards) or right next to one, check. This position fits the criteria that I was looking for.

I was relieved. I don’t have to look for jobs anymore. Looking for jobs is an exciting process and there are lots of highs involved, but there are a lot of lows and there is a lot of waiting. It is an exhausting, grueling process.

I am nervous. Now is when the work actually begins. Ultimately, I am responsible for the almost 300 students that my school is responsible for educating. I will have to lead my entire staff to make sure that student learning is maximized on a daily basis.

I am scared to death for my family’s sake. What have I done to Amy and Ryne? Amy has been absolutely wonderful throughout this whole process, but I have not made her life any easier in the present. Now I am putting her through the job seeking process; fortunately, she has experience in the jobs she will seek. I am committed to doing whatever I can to assist her in finding employment. On top of that, it is because of me that we will have to take Ryne away from our daycare provider, Sharon – someone whom we love and trust entirely, to find some place brand new.

I am sad. I wanted the administrative openings that I interviewed for in Davenport this spring more than anyone will ever now. For whatever reasons that did not work out. Everything happens for a reason. Nonetheless, this is sad. The Quad Cities has been home to me for six years, it has been home to Amy for much longer than that, and it has been Ryne’s only home. I was nervous about Sharon’s reaction when I had to break her the news, I should have been worried about my own reaction – my eyes were definitely watering. It will not be easy to leave all of our family, friends, and memories in the Quad Cities.

I am excited. Along with the two people that I love the most, we are starting a brand new adventure for our family. This will bring a lot of new and exciting possibilities. Plus, we will only be a little over an hour from the Quad Cities. We will be only 10 to 20 (depending on where you are going) minutes from Iowa City.

And I even feel pressure. Pressure that is entirely put on myself by myself. That isn’t a bad thing, though; it holds me accountable. It ensures that I will be successful at/with this. I have no other option. I’m asking too much of my wife and son for this not to work. I know it will work. I took this job after considering my family’s best interest. I would have never taken this job if I did not think that it would benefit my family.

The journey continues…to Riverside, Iowa!

The Grueling Process that is Searching for a Job

I’ve been searching for a new job now, as a principal, for over one year. I have applied for a countless amount of jobs all over the state of Iowa, east of Des Moines. I have been reached out to by District’s such as Sigourney and Gooselake. I have interviewed in Columbus Junction, Davenport, Des Moines, and Mt. Vernon. I have turned down an opportunity in Mt. Pleasant. Searching for a new job is an exciting, exhausting, depressing, and gratifying process; it is like riding a roller coaster with the climbs to the highs and the drops to the lows. I want it to be over. I hate it. I hate not being the successful candidate. I hate not knowing where I (and my family) will be six months from now. I hate not being in control of the process. It is so stressful. I just want to be offered a job, a job that I want to accept.

This process has reinforced a lot characteristics that I think I possess (patience, persistence, and optimism), and even introduced me to a new, valuable characteristic (humility). I want to use this blog entry to talk to Ryne about the three things that I am most familiar with: patience, persistence, and optimism.

1) Patience – be prepared to wait. A job will become open that is of interest to you, but you have to wait for it to become posted as available. Once it is available to apply for, and you have applied for it, you have to then wait for it to close. After the posting has closed, you have to wait for the employers to sort through the applicants. If you are lucky enough to get a call for an interview, you have to wait for that opportunity. And then finally, if you were interviewed, after the interview, you wait to see if you are the chosen candidate.

2) Persistence – don’t ever give up. When you don’t get selected for an interview, don’t give up on yourself. After your interview, when you discover that the employer has hired a candidate who goes by a name different than yours, don’t give up on yourself. Consider yourself fortunate enough to have made it as far as you did as a candidate, and then determine what you can do to improve yourself. Ultimately, there are certain things that are out of your control so no need to waste energy dwelling on those things; focus your efforts on what you can control. Get Better, Not Bitter.

3) Optimism – always believe in yourself. Never have I thought that I wasn’t the most qualified person for a job, and never have I thought that I would not be offered a job until the job was actually not offered to me. Staying optimistic is hard. I am usually discouraged for about a day after I find-out that I was an unsuccessful candidate. However, a new job opens and, again, I think that I will be the successful candidate for that job.

I keep waiting for the perfect opportunity. I keep waiting for a District that wants me, as much as I (with my family in the front of my mind) want that District/job/town to call home.

Florida Vacation/Spring Break '12

Oops! I forgot to publish this post...

Recently, we took a vacation to Florida to see Britney and Cadence. Now this was not Ryne’s first vacation, but it was his first vacation since he was nine months old and a lot has changed between months nine and 17. So I apologize if this blog entry is redundant in any way, but this seemed like our first vacation with this “version” of Ryne.

Highlights/Memories:
How Ryne screamed during his first up-close encounter with Atticus (Britney’s dog) and practically jumped up my leg. However, it is safe to say that Atticus was Ryne’s best friend by the next day and for the remainder of our visit. Most of you have seen (if not, check Facebook) the great photo of Ryne pushing Atticus around in the baby stroller.

Ryne not liking the beach, Gulf of Mexico, sand, etc. He didn’t want his feet in/on the sand, and he didn’t want to go into/near the water. This is fine with me because I don’t want much to do with the beach (other than looking at it from afar) either.

Ryne loved swimming in Scott’s hotel pool. He wanted to get into this water whenever he had the chance. I loved, when he would be swimming in the pool, and he would dip his little face into the water.

Ryne hasn’t napped much with Mom and/or Dad since he was just a little baby. Ryne fell asleep on me for a nap not once, but twice. Not only did he fall asleep on me twice, the first time was on the beach and the second time was at a baseball game! Needless to say those two moments were enjoyable.

Ryne going nuts on John’s Pass after dinner on Tuesday. It was liked he morphed into someone else. The amount of energy that he possessed after a day in the sun was quite odd (although funny). He wouldn’t stop moving, err running, through the boardwalk…this then led to him not calming down/going to be until somewhere around 11pm!

Scott and I took Ryne to a spring training baseball game (Phillies/Twins in Clearwater). I will admit that I am over-ambitious when exposing Ryne to these types of things at such a young age. He is much too young to sit through them/appreciate any of it, but I love it. I love the idea of going to a game with my son. Ryne was restless, he was tired, and his incoming teeth hurt. It was a beautiful day, and what better way to enjoy a beautiful day than at a baseball game? I didn’t really get to watch much of the game until Ryne fell asleep in my lap during the sixth inning, and we left after the seventh inning stretch to beat the traffic (that was so bad coming into the game). This was fun, it was work, but it was fun. Unfortunately, Ryne will have no recollection of this day, but I always will.

“Sleeping” with Ryne in the hotel the night before we returned home. Ryne is a bed bully. He tosses, he turns, he hits, he kicks…it is impossible to get much sleep while in the same bed as him (I am reaffirming what Amy already knew ☺). I did enjoy it, though. Because of his constant movement in the bed (that cost me my sleep), I know/remember that he did sleep cuddled up next to me. I would not want this sleeping arrangement to happen on a regular basis, but once in a great while is okay.

The vacation was exhausting. We could never get Ryne to nap on his normal nap schedule. We could never get Ryne to go to bed at his normal bed time. He would sleep instantaneously whenever he became so exhausted that he could not remain awake any longer. Nonetheless, it was fun; a lot of fun. Like I said previously, Ryne won’t remember any of these vacations, but Amy and I always will.