Thanksgiving

I have written and then re-written this blog numerous times, as I am finding it quite difficult to construct. I want to write a blog that speaks of all that I am thankful for with this being Ryne’s first Thanksgiving, but this is complicated because I have so much to be thankful for…where do I begin?!

I started to think of all of the things that I am thankful for, and the list looks something like this: my wife, my son, my family, my in-laws, my friends, my good health, the good health of those that I care about, my education, my intelligence, my employment situation, the shelter over my family’s heads, the clothes on my family’s backs, the food in my family’s mouths, the opportunities that I’ve had to travel throughout the United States and even some abroad travels, and even though they don’t matter – all of the material things that I own and enjoy. The list is pretty long, and I’m sure that it could be longer if I continued to think about it. I’m not going to ramble on telling you about how/why I’m thankful for all of these things, but I do want to go into detail on a few of them. As the holidays approach, and the year begins to come to a close, this (2010) really has been one of the most accomplished, enjoyable, monumental, successful, insert other adjective here years of my life!

My wife – I am thankful for everything about her. I am thankful that we shared a class together during the second semester in 2004 at the University of Iowa. I am thankful that she was raised to be such a wonderful person by such wonderful parents. I am thankful that she is beautiful on the inside and out. I am thankful that she is such a nice person to everyone even when she doesn’t want to be. I am thankful that she is an educator/teacher because I believe that is such a meaningful vocation. I am thankful that she, sometimes, thinks my, strange, sense of humor is funny. I am thankful that she has taken an interest in my number one interest – sports. I am thankful that she is such a wonderful mother to our son.

My son – I am thankful for Ryne. I am thankful that he is healthy. I am thankful that he eats plenty and eats well. I am thankful that he is pretty good sleeper. I am thankful that he appears to be content with life at this point in time. I am thankful that he never gets uncontrollably upset. I am thankful that he is so handsome. I am thankful that he is made-up from half of my wife and half of me. I am thankful that I get to come home from work to him (and my wife) each day. I am thankful that he was born into a situation where he has many people that love him, and will probably never have to go without anything that he really needs.

My family – I am thankful that I never had to question whether or not I was loved. I am thankful that I never had to go without anything that I really needed (or wanted, actually). I am thankful that I was raised to become who I am (because I like me a whole lot!).

My education – I am thankful for being born into a family that placed a value on education. I am thankful that (for the most part) I got something out of my educational opportunities (minus maybe the four years from my senior year of high school through the first three years of my undergraduate degree). I am thankful that I undertook the work necessary to complete my master’s degree when I did; even though it was not easy, and I could have easily found more enjoyable things to do with my money and time.

My employment situation – I am thankful for having a job. I am thankful for having a job that allows me to make a difference. I am thankful for enjoying my job. I am thankful for having a boss that I admire and enjoy working for. I am thankful for enjoying the school’s vacation schedule.

My new job has really made me more thankful than ever before for everything that I have in my life. A lot of the students in the building that I work in don’t have (on the surface) nearly the amount of things to be thankful for that I have. These students wear the same dirty, old, oversized or undersized clothes day-in and day-out. These students don’t get regular dental, health, or vision care. These students lack positive role models in their lives. These students rely on the unappetizing free breakfasts and free lunches that the school provides them with. These students don’t have their own space to go home to. Most of these students don’t have the traditional family structure in their lives. Many of these students have never traveled outside of the Quad Cities. These students come from homes where education is not valued, which will make school very difficult for them, which will make accomplishing things later in life nearly impossible for them. Going to work everyday and seeing these students everyday can be quite depressing. But that is one of the main reasons why it is so rewarding to work in education, and specifically to work in school like the one that I work in because you are able to help those in need.

And that is why I am so thankful this Thanksgiving. I can truly appreciate ALL that I have and be THANKFUL for ALL of it.

Baby's First Word and More!

Sorry this has taken me so long to write as it happened Sunday night…it is amazing how busy life has become with my new job, my family, and the heart of football season!

Sunday night, while laying in bed with my wife and my son, something miraculous happened! Ryne said his first word! (Okay, he probably didn’t actually say anything, but it was crystal clear to both Amy and myself as to what Ryne said). Without ever telling Amy what I heard, she told me what she heard, and what she told me was the exact same thing that I had heard. The word that we heard (sounding like Dr. Seuss) was…

…wait for it…wait for it…

…”Eric”

Yes, Ryne’s first (unofficial) spoken word on Sunday , November 14th at about 10:00pm was Eric (the name of his father). It made my night!

Speaking of making my night, do you want to know what one of my new favorite sounds is? It is when Ryne is put down on his little jungle mat for a moment by himself and you can hear him playing with/pushing/rolling his little ball that his a rattle inside of it. I love that he is taking the early initiative to play with the ball.

One final thing, for now, I love how much weight Ryne is gaining. As he approaches his one-month anniversary for entering the world, he has gained a pound and a half to total ten. He is a growing young boy (and that is going to cost his mom and dad), but you can’t coach/teach size! (I’m kidding about that, mostly kidding…) J