Super Dad

Greetings and salutations everyone! I always wanted to use the word "salutations" in a sentence--Yes! So first things first, a little house cleaning to take care of. Apparently, there was some confusion with our blog last week, so let's address some key points.

1) We really do not drink that much coke, nor is the picture of the coke room really our basement, nor do we stack cans of
coke after we drink them.
2) The box of our current coke consumption wasn't really our box. I was too lazy to take a picture of our box and upload it
on here, so I uploaded a picture of an empty box from the internet.
3) No, the deer in the back yard was not mechanical.
4) Yes, Mesia really does sing and invite the wildlife into our home.
5) That really was me doing the river dance with my band of merry men. Ha, just kidding. The fancy footed 80's dream boy
wasNOT me, BUT the story was true. I was indeed recruited to do a river dance with the men in the ward for the talent
show. A tv was set up in front of the stage with a clip of men doing a river dance and we all clogged along happily until
the 2 agonizing minutes were over and we could get the heck off the stage. So in response to the overwhelmingly
numerous 3 requests for the REAL video, here it is. The video is a little dark because of the lighting, but you'll see me
(the best looking guy) center right. Enjoy!
6) Our blogs are filled with sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek humor. I try to make this as entertaining as possible for our
readers. So, take the stretches of truth and exaggerations with a grain of salt. :0)



Now, since we all are in agreement to never speak of that video clip ever again, let's bring you up to date on the week.

Starting off as we always do with Monday evening, our family home evening. Mesia was assigned to teach the lesson, but got a little overwhelmed with working overtime, and talking to me after work. So, she didn't get much time to prepare a lesson, so it was pawned off on me. Yes, I agree with what you are thinking--I also think she is making excuses not to teach, don't worry, I'll pin her down sooner or later.
The lesson this week was on the parable of the ten talents, count 'em ten. We read the story from the book of Matthew and then discussed and analyzed the meaning. Naturally a few different meanings could be extracted from the tale, but I wanted to focus solely on the individual talents (abilities) God gave us at birth. As you know, the point of the story is that we must multiply our talents and not let them atrophy. This can be cross referenced to the scripture Matthew 5:16 which says, "let your light so shine before men." We talked about the reason God gives us talents and abilities, it is for us to use them, strengthen them, and multiply them, specifically to help others and make God proud. Once we understood and internalized this concept we all took a piece of paper and wrote down 3 talents we want to improve on over the next 30 days. Then we signed our name to the deadline. We then retired to Alex's room to watch the story of the Brother of Jared.
Speaking of Monday, that glorious day was the day that Mesia FINALLY gave in to my ever continuous and constant requests to be together and get married. Yes, that's right, 4 years together last Monday!!! I had this great plan to surprise her at work and bring her a card and a small gift (a gift under $10.00 because the VA ethics rules say that you can not give any VA employee a gift that exceeds $10.00), but my plan was derailed when I had to run Sam into the doctor to check out a rash that developed on her tummy and chest. Don't worry, she is fine. Doctor concluded that it was either the laundry detergent that was irritating her skin or some heat rash because her sweat glands aren't fully developed yet. We put some cortizone on it and it cleared right up. Same old Sam now, but no anniversary surprise. So Sam and I stopped in on Tuesday.
The next stop on Dad's to-do-list for the week was a stop at Alex's school on Thursday at 10:15 for the "portfolio showcase." This was where the kids put together a cardboard display (portfolio) showcasing major projects they did during the year. Naturally, Alex only had a few things on her board since we just moved in, either that or she's been really slacking in class! On her board was a cartoon and a booklet of the body systems she made. Here she is posing with each body system (muscular, respiratory, immune, etc.). She takes great pride in her work. I was surprised with how nice her penmanship is and her presentation of her work.

Alex and I have also been throwing the softball a little more. She is improving and considering signing up for a team next season. She is still trying to find her social niche out here, so we are allowing her to explore different sports and interests to see what sticks. Stay posted for further developments.
Mesia has worked extra hours for extra money all week again. She sacrifices and works so hard for our family, we are so grateful for her efforts. Personally, I think she does it because she is really liking her job. Get this, she (as a normal employee) has been integrated into the management team for any and all meetings, even the monthly meeting with the Under Secretary of the United States! Her supervisor, Todd, has been shocked and impressed with her work ethic and knowledge of updated policies and regulations from Washington. Consequently, Todd does not move forward in the area of claim development until he gets Mesia's opinion on the best course to take. She has been assigned to train the team on a new policy that came out of Washington next Tuesday. Also, she is the go-to girl for all special assignments needed for Todd as he reports to the Under Secretary. Just today, she was given another "special assignment" to be completed by next week. Each month she prepares a report and must present her findings to the Under Secretary himself. And yes, she has to go through retinal scans, voice recognition, handprint identification AND full body metal scanners, just to get into her office! And you don't even want to know what she has to do to get to the restroom! Needless to say, she is making her mark on the VA's Tiger Team. Each day she tells me of her preferential treatment during meetings and day to day course of action, her new assignments, projects and the consultations she's asked to give. I told her my opinion is that Todd is grooming her for a high position within a few years. Who knows, maybe our next stop will be Washington D.C. as Mesia may be moving into Central Office. It could work, I mean, I will be a United States Senator by that time. :0)
The new assignments and weighted favor has caused a little disturbance in the force at Mesia's work. A little power struggle ensued yesterday between her and a co-worker. Security cameras snapped a picture of the event:


Yep, smack. I watched with some popcorn and a coke (I put the can in our box after). Anyway, this lady was really rude to Mesia and started cursing all because Mesia was needing a report status on a file which the lady neglected to do. Some people just have attitudes no matter what you do, so all you are left to do is sweep their leg. Good job Meesh!

Oh and it's all resolved now, Todd met with the woman and "took care of it."

The next stop for super-dad for the week was today. Sam and I visited the Avon Lake public library. Each day at 10:30-12:00 & 2:30-4:00 they have "Discovery Works," a play area for kids with little stations set up for the kids to go crazy. We started out at the blocks.

Then moved to some toy where you put the the rolling wheels on the top ramp and they roll down all the way to the bottom. Look at her eyes in the picture watching the wheel!


Then it was on to some wooden blocks that had things inside them. When you shake them they rattle different sounds! How cool is that?!?

After that, there were some interconnected wheels on the wall which when you turn one, they all react in unison. She found that crazy and exciting!


After that she met Grace, a 3 year old regular who came with her Grandma today. Grace and Sam started playing peek-a-boo over a wall.


Grace got boring after a while and Sam became interested in the intellectual qualities of life rather than the social. She was curious what happens when you mix red and yellow together, so she lifted the flap to see...



After exercising her creative juices, it was time to tickle her ear. She walked to the music station and began pounding on the keys...





Then we found a silly mirror...



and in honor of Grandma Swan, we decided to plant and water some flowers...



and some other fun stuff...



Okay, I'm tired of uploading pictures, it takes forever and we are 2 hours ahead of you all. So take what you get with Sam! :0)

As for me, after a busy week of running Sam to the doctor, anniversary lunch with mesia, Alex's school, and the library, I was feeling a little tired. So to reward my efforts Mesia asked me to fix the dishwasher.



Ha ha, just kidding. She didn't ask me to do that, I willingly volunteered. I love working when I'm tired :0)

Quick update on me though, I received another financial award that will take care of my first year of school. In total, I was awarded $43,000 for my first year. This is more than enough to cover everything and we most likely won't even come close to using it all. But it's nice to know that school is taken care of.

Also, I began working on a project which I will reveal next week. Let's just say I got jealous of Dad having all the creative juices so I decided to start my own little creation. My dad is so creative in his sculpturing and his new creation at www.doccygmund.com (you're welcome) that I began scratching my head as to what creative venture I could do. The only real talent I have is writing, and no this blog is no reflection on my true ability. I got through college with A's and B's without ever cracking a book because of my writing assignments and of course my speeches took me to new heights. So I decided I would start a writing project. My first creation will be ready to unveil next Friday night. I will post it on this blog for all to see. I really think you all will enjoy it.

Oh, and I did over 1000 reps at the gym this morning. (sarcasm of course)


We love you all and miss you. Don't worry about us we are doing A-OK.

Until next time,