Cue Joni Mitchell, Amy Grant, Counting Crows, whoever … Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone …
I picked up my oldest son Benjamin from the airport last night. I can’t believe how much I missed him! I hadn’t seen him in 20 days, since I came back from California after a quick trip out there last month. My wife Tiffany stayed out there with the kids for a couple of weeks after I returned to Colorado (I had to work) and Ben stayed back an extra week to hang out with his grandparents and go to camp at our old church.
I don’t talk about him a whole lot here. I talk more about Jack, because he’s really the only reason I’m public about anything. But I do have two other children besides Jack. Benjamin is a really good kid with a huge heart. I’m really proud of the little guy he’s turning into. He’s a really good person, and that’s going to get him a long ways. We can get along really well and I really enjoy it when we do. However, we have a tendency to butt heads and argue. It’s just the way our personalities are and working with him better is always one of my biggest goals as a parent.
I really missed the good and the bad from him, though. Raising three kids (including one with special needs) and going through the daily grind in this difficult economy is exhausting, to say the least. But it’s what I wanted, it’s what I signed up for and it’s the whole “life” thing I’m grateful for every day. I missed having him around, and I’ll probably roll my eyes if (when?) he misbehaves during dinner tonight, but I wouldn’t trade the chaos for anything. And I really hope I don’t have to go 20 days without seeing him again while he’s young. I really missed him.
It’s making me smile just knowing he’s upstairs asleep in our house right now. I love that little guy and I’m so glad he’s back! For the first time in close to four weeks, my family of five is together again under the same roof. That’s pretty much all I need.
Quick Week/Weekend Recap:
Season passes to the zoo were the best $130 we ever spent. On Saturday, around lunch time, we were thinking of things to do with Jack and Ava. So we loaded up a bag with waters and snacks and drove all of 20 minutes down to the Denver Zoo. Jack only lasted a little less than two hours, but it was nice. It’s pretty chill to just head down, walk around and look at animals for a little while, then head back. We spent a grand total of $3 on popcorn and basically went to a really cool park. Can’t beat that!
Kind of unrelated to the zoo, but it was on our way there, and man do I wish I was quick enough to get a picture. I saw a bumper sticker on a beat-up car in front of me that said “NO METH” … I don’t know what in the world prompts somebody to put a bumper sticker like that on the car, but it has to be the most random bumper sticker I’ve ever seen. It gave me a flashback to the two most random license plate frames I’ve ever seen (I saw them both in California about 6-8 years ago — one that said “Life’s a bitch and so is my sister” and another that said “My other car is up my nose” … out of all the things to put on a license plate frame, two people came up with those?
I don’t hide the fact that I listen to a lot of country music. But I also like a wide variety of things. On Sunday, when I mowed the lawn, my phone shuffled to artists including Johnny Cash, Emerson Drive, George Strait, Tim McGraw, Barry Manilow, ‘N Sync, Duran Duran, Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Gloria Estefan … I’m sure there were others, but those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. Pretty sure most people don’t mix it up like that.
I saw some cookies on the island in the kitchen this morning that said “maple pumpkin” and I was pretty excited to snag one, and then I realized it was a candle. I don’t want to say that’s losing, but it’s pretty much the opposite of winning.
I had kind of a down week running last week. Only 59 miles, down 40 from the 99 I’d been averaging the previous six weeks. Life got in the way, but as tough and frustrating as it might get sometimes to not train the way I’d draw it up, I never want to prioritize running ahead of life. I did have a nice (albeit short) tempo run on the treadmill, but my long run was only 20 and it wasn’t very good. I knew by about two miles in that I was completely underfueled so it was pretty much a bonk from start to finish. Oh well, no big deal. 20 miles on my legs to the good, life goes on. Still feeling like I’m on track to be in very good shape when I attempt to BQ and maybe PR in Pocatello, ID on Sept. 1. Wow, that’s coming up quick.
I think that’s all. What’s the longest you’ve ever been away from one of your kids (if you have kids)? Do you mix up your music or do you limit the genres you listen to? If you run, how are your legs treating you during this hot summer?
Have a great Tuesday!
Vivian says
hello, I am a mom of two one of who has autism. I am also an avid walker. I walk to maintain my sanity, and I understand completely when you express disappointment about not veing able to run the distance and the way you like too. I need to walk for a certain amount of time for my body to respond the way I want it too. But I know what you mean when you say that your life has to assume priority. I have now taken the decision to make my daughter walk everyday to help with her aggression. she hates it, so I spend the 45 min coaxing her along. by the time I am done with her, there is little time for me to do my thing. I have seen the benfits of exercise with her, so I don’t want to give it up. But it is a tremendous sacrifice for me. By the way do you often feel that your other children who do not have autism may not be getting the attention they deserve. I harbour that guilt everyday with my five year old who was forced to mature very quickly.