Happy Valentine's Day, Amy

Valentine's Day will always be special to me because I will always associate the holiday with you giving me the Expectant Father book two years ago. I must admit that on that day I was hesitant in regards to what our future held, but two years later...my life has never been better!

Amy, we have now known each other for almost 10 years (January 2003 was when we first had class together). As most people know, I fell in love with you when I first saw you. My love for you continues to grow each and every day. I don't ever want our marriage and/or relationship to become stale so I should make a point to tell you things like this each and every day, not just when Hallmark tells me to.

Thank you for cooking dinner every night - and often times making the meal extra cheesy and extra spicy, just how you know I like it

Thank you for allowing me to sneak out of the house early in the morning to squeeze in a work-out

Thank you for being in the field of education. You were meant to be an educator/teacher because a) you are unbelievable with children, and b) it is how/why we met

Thank you for taking an interest in sports (both in person and on TV)...you still have room to grow ;-) but you've come a long ways and I realize and appreciate that

Thank you for making me want to be a better Dad. Seeing you be such a good Mom all of the time pushes me to try and be an equally good Dad

You are the most genuinely nice person that I know, Amy.

You are my best friend. I love you.

Books, on books, on books

I wanted to compile this list so that Ryne can refer back to it (later, when he is older, and maybe his children of his own to read to) and remember what his favorite books were during the first two years of his life.

All of the Duck and Goose books

Little Blue Truck (the farm one, not the city one)

Mr. Brown Can Moo

Goodnight Moon

Baby Bear, Baby Bear and Brown Bear, Brown Bear

The Mixed Up Chameleon

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Chica Chica Boom Boom

I love reading. I love to read for my own entertainment. I love to read to gain knowledge. I love ending my day by reading a book. I value reading. As an educator, I know how important reading is. I love that Ryne has taken a liking to books. One of my absolute favorite things is when Ryne brings me one of his favorite books, plops himself down onto my lap, and lets me read him one of his favorite stories.

Ryne and his Dad

Whoa! Haven't written anything since early November...two reasons for that: 1) I don't go on long runs anymore (typically when my mind wonders to think up things to write about) - it is too cold so I use the cold months to let my body recover/rest in preparation of training for another half-marathon (in Chicago!) once it gets warmer. 2) Last year, when I blogged much more regularly, I was not nearly as busy at work. This year I have much more responsibility and many more tasks to occupy my time, which results in my mind not being able to drift and think about much else outside of work. Anyways, I've had this topic in mind for quite sometime so here we go.

Ryne is starting to expand his vocabulary. As his father, I am proud of EVERYTHING that he does/is able to do, but let me share some of his spoken "words" that have me feeling especially proud: "Batman," "ball," "football," "basketball," "baseball," "Bulls," and "touchdown." He is my son. And because he is my son, here are some of my favorite things that we have in common:

1) We share the same middle and last names - Bailey Ewald - it is crazy how you really start to appreciate your last name so much more once you pass it along to someone else

2) We both tend to be "early to rise"

3) We share a liking for sports, iPods/iPhones/iPads, books, and Batman, and MOST IMPORTANTLY...

4) We both LOVE his Mom/my Wife ;-)

It is too early to tell who he is going to take after, looks wise. His appearance is constantly changing ever so slightly. At birth I thought he looked like Kyle, sometimes people say he looks like Me, sometimes people say he looks like Amy, sometimes people say he looks like a combination of his parents. Regardless, he is devilishly handsome!

Venting my disgust

Some of you may remember the name Pierre Pierce. He was a fairly good basketball player for the University of Iowa in the early part of the 21st century. Pierce’s actions off the court, his unrighteous dealings with multiple women, and how his coach, Steve Alford, handled those transgressions did not make them very popular figures in Iowa City. At the time, I was in my early 20s and I was less mature, more foolish, and did not yet have a sense of mortality. I backed Pierce, and his coach’s handling of the situations.

Fast forward to last weekend. It is a Saturday in November. Iowa has just upset Michigan; beating them for the third consecutive year, which has never before happened. Alabama is playing LSU, number one against number two; it is being referred to as the game of the century and it ends up being decided in overtime. These are the things that my Twitter feed should be talking about, but it isn’t. There is a story breaking about a twisted old man (who was a former Penn State assistant football coach), his dealings with young boys, and the enabling allowed by the Penn State football program and university.

I believe that there is only person who is allowed to judge others, and therefore I try not to judge anyone. I do not believe in the mentality of an eye for an eye. That being said the Jerry Sanduskys of the world are some of the most despicable types of people in existence. Very soon, Jerry Sandusky will, deservedly so, never again be a free man. As for those individuals that knew of his actions and did not blow the whistle on him, in my opinion, they are criminals as well.

It is because of stories like these that I do not like watching the local and/or national news. Nonetheless, I have been caught up in listening, reading, and watching the horrible stories that are coming from Penn State University. I was relieved when Joe Paterno was dismissed as Penn State’s football coach; due to his (lack of) actions, he deserves to have his privileges hindered. I just wish that he would come out and blatantly say that he was wrong for not pursuing Sandusky’s wrong doings more than simply notifying his superiors.

The most disturbing story from this mess that I came across was while I drove to work Wednesday morning, and I was listening to Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio. A listener, in his forties, called in to the show to discuss how being a victim of sexual abuse stays with you for the duration of your life. Cowherd had to go away to a commercial break before continuing his show after the caller was done; when he came back his monologue addressed the fact that there are male predators and they usually don’t look any different from any other male. He talked about trying to keep his children safe and other children safe. I drove to work with tears in my eyes.

I am glad that Ryne is too young to comprehend what is happening when the reporters are live from Penn State. This is a blog entry that he should not read until he is MUCH older; I’ve just been thinking about this so much this week, it feels good to write out my thoughts. Ultimately, I guess it comes down to this – how do you keep your children safe from this happening to them? I fear that it is something that you do not have total control over. Not all people are who we think they are. Nonetheless, you have to have faith in people and trust that people are of good nature. You have to have an open line of communication with your child. Though, first and foremost, you have to educate your child about the possibilities, good and bad, the world has to offer.

With the burden of this Penn State situation still fresh in everyone’s minds, if your team wins this weekend it won’t be as satisfying and if your team loses this weekend it won’t be as depressing. I love sports. They are entertaining, and they contain numerous learning experiences. But they are just games. It is unfortunate that it takes situations like these to put everything into proper perspective.

You Want Good Luck? Go Get It!

I often think I’m a lucky guy. I have the perfect wife; a handsome, healthy, and well behaved son; a job that I enjoy going to each morning; I’m as healthy as I’ve ever been; and our family has enough money that allows us to do the things that we want to do. I keep thinking (dreading) that my luck is going to, has to, run out soon. I don’t know why I think this. I don’t even believe in luck. I believe that luck is what you get when hard work meets opportunity (unfortunately, I did not coin that equation).

So, Ryne, if you are ever down on your luck, promise me that you won't let it keep you down. You see, just as easily as we sometimes put ourselves in situations that bring us bad "luck" we can also create opportunites for ourselves to prosper from good "luck." If you exhibit/practice the following four traits, I promise you - your fortune will change.

1. Work hard. This is the easiest of the four. Anyone can work hard. And when you start working hard you are setting yourself up for “luck” or success. However, unfortunately, hard work does not ensure good fortune.


2. Be patient, and don’t quit. This is difficult; being patient can be much more difficult than working hard. Good things don’t always happen overnight. It is frustrating to be working so hard and not see any immediate gains; most people can not sustain the hard work because of this. You not only have to work hard, but you have to give the benefits of your hard work time to bloom. So in the mean time, you have to keep working hard, be patient, and don’t quit.


3. Take advantages of the opportunities that you are presented when they are presented. Opportunities for success don’t come around everyday. They will come, but it is hard telling when or in what form. That is why it is so important to maximize the opportunities that you get. Because who knows when you’ll get another one?


4. Have faith. This goes hand-in-hand with being patient. Believe in yourself. Believe that good things will happen for you/to you. If you keep working hard, remain patient, and take advantage of the opportunities that you get, good things will happen for you/to you.

Choose Your Heroes Wisely, Ryne

It has been very disturbing to me the excerpt from the new biography of Walter Payton that was written by Jeff Pearlman that was published in Sports Illustrated recently (Sept. 29th, 2011). I have been angry with Pearlman for exposing Walter’s less than glorious activities, I have regretted the fact that it was written, I have felt bad for Walter’s children and his widow, and I have spent much time reflecting on what this does to the image that I have of Walter. (Yes, I realize how good my life is when this issue is the number one stressor that I am dealing with.)

Walter Payton has always been a larger than life, almost mythical figure. Physically he looked very human (he stood under 6’ tall), but his accomplishments suggest that he was anything but human. Upon retirement from the National Football League, Walter Payton had rushed for more yards than any other player. However, running the ball was not all that he did. Walter blocked. Walter caught the ball. Walter even threw halfback passes for touchdowns on occasion. He played every Sunday (all but one actually throughout his 13 year career), and he never ran out of bounds - he instead looked to punish his opponent. On top of all of this that Walter did, he did it for BAD Chicago Bears teams throughout most of his career; by the time the Bears were good (early 80s), his best years were behind him. Regardless, even though I was four when Walter played his last season in the NFL, I have always accepted Walter Payton to be the best all around football player that has ever lived.

But Walter’s football talents didn’t even tell his entire story. I have read plenty to know that he was a jokester, the “class clown” of the Chicago Bears, and the one man responsible for ensuring everyone was always in good spirits. He was such a good person that the NFL, each year, names a Walter Payton Man of the Year right before the Super Bowl, an award that honors all of the great work a player has done both on and off the football field. And he died much too young; tragically, cancer took his life when he was 45 years young.

Walter Payton was one of my heroes when I was a child. In the blog entry where I recommended books for you to read, Walter Payton’s autobiography, Never Die Easy, was one of those books. In the Sports Illustrated excerpt from Pearlman’s book, Sweetness, it is accuses Payton of being unfaithful to his wife, suicidal, and abusing pain medication. He was my hero? Let transition into telling you who my other childhood heroes were: Roy Marble (Iowa basketball player), Ryne Sandberg (Chicago Cubs), Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls), and Dennis Rodman (Chicago Bulls). These heroes were all flawed individuals. Marble ruined his career by abusing drugs. Sandberg had a messy divorce that caused him to retire early (he later made a comeback to baseball). Jordan had an addiction to high stakes gambling that caused him problems, he was a jerk to most of his teammates early in his career, and he, too, could not make his marriage last. Rodman? Where do I begin? I don’t have that kind of time; just know that he is a flawed and strange individual.

Is there a message in all of this? I hope so…I think there is. Choose your heroes wisely, Ryne. We only get a small sampling of who these celebrities are as individuals, and that small sampling does not give us the whole picture as to who they are. These people may let you down; we only get a small sampling as to who they really are. Realize that all people are flawed, and that includes famous celebrities. Admire and respect what these people do as athletes, entertainers, politicians, etc. However, keep that admiration and respect in perspective; take it with a grain of salt.

I am going to read Sweetness. It is not going to change how I feel about Walter Payton; I will still think of him as the best football player that has ever lived. I will continue to admire athletes from afar; I will try to pick their best characteristics and qualities that deserve celebrating. At the same time I will remember that all people have flaws, no one is perfect, and at the end of the day there is only one person that is qualified to place judgment on others and that one person is neither you nor me.

Thank you

Mom (Amy) thank you for being a great wife and a great mom. We, as a parenting team, are about the equivalent of Michael and Scottie or Batman and Robin - pretty impressive company. Being a parent with you makes parenting easy, I can't imagine doing this alone. Thanks for ALL that you do. I love you.

Grandma Janlyn and Grandpa Ron thank you for being great parents to me. I did not become who I am by accident. I was blessed to be born into the situation that I was born into. You guys set me up to be successful, and I am trying to maximize the opportunities I am offered. I am thankful for all that you have done, and all that you still do.

Grandma Janlyn thank you for putting this impressive (and long) book together. It looks great, and I hope that it one day becomes one of Ryne's most prized possession. You did the time consuming leg work, and for that I am thankful.

Grandma Gail and Grandpa Scott thank you for being great parents to Amy. She did not become who she is by accident; you two obviously played a huge role in helping her become the person that she is. You molded the person that I will spend the rest of my life with and for that I am both excited and thankful.

Aunt Britney and Uncle Kyle thank you for spoiling Ryne and for future roles that you both will play in Ryne's life. A while back, Kyle, I gave you a cork that read something along the lines of "an Uncle is like a Dad, but gets to have more fun." Don't ever forget that.

Gary and Jay thank you for being great with Ryne. We don't refer to you as Grandpa, but it is without question that you both love Ryne like a grandson. Thank you.

Ryne thank you for being who you are; I am blessed and I am thankful. Your Mom and I could not have asked for a better person to come into our lives; for the gift that we received - you - I am eternally thankful.