Oregon 2015

What an amazing trip. We crammed in as much of the Pacific Northwest as we could but still left feeling like we missed a lot.  I'll document the different adventures we had one by one. The trip started on a high note with Campbell flying for the first time that she can remember. The look on her face as we took off was awesome.  Then we landed at Amanda and Sue's resort.  It needs a name like Shangri La or something.  Then we hit the coast, we hit the woods, we hit Nike, we hit the waterfalls, we went to the kid's first concert, we brewed beer with an airshow flying overhead, and mostly we recharged our batteries.  Our hosts were amazing and for the second time in as many trips, Jenna was checking job openings in case we decided to stay :)  

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Happy Father's Day OR Channeling my inner Ice Cube

Can't really quote any of the lyrics here, but "It Was A Good Day" comes to mind thinking of this year's Fathers Day. The kids are at that perfect age where: 

1. They can do things for me.  

2. I'm still a big deal to them.  

The day started pretty early and went so late it felt like 3 days in one. My card was sweet like only homemade cards can be. Then my gift was a rose bush picked out from each kid. My favorite thing about our first house was the rose garden. We tried transplanting the one I planted when Noah was born but some things just don't move well. I have one failed attempt at roses at our new house but it failed. After 8 years though I'm ready for another go. 

We sat outside under the willow until we were hungry then went to breakfast. The kids helped me fix my Jeep hoist and we took the top off. Topless Jeep ride to go visit Ann and Pops. Back home to FaceTime Dad, who had the good grace to say my tomatoes looked good before showing me his drool worthy plants. Early evening Magga and Jana showed up for a visit this week. The day ended with my new favorite thing. The U.S. Open in the Pacific Northwest. I mean, watching golf while the kids get themselves ready for bed? Yes please. 

Highlight of the day was the kids playing baseball in the backyard. Jenna and I watched through the window for awhile before I had to capture some on video.  

I really will have to up my Mothers Day game next year for Jenna. 

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Cam's preschool graduation

She was pretty excited. The day was a logistics nightmare with (mandatory) dress rehearsal for her ballet scheduled 30 minutes before!  With a little elbow grease and changing in the car we made it on time. Very proud of her cooperation. We'll miss all the classmates that are going to different schools but a new adventure awaits our little girl. We've had a kid at Children's World for 6 straight years. Jenna and I are so thankful for the teachers and staff there.  Not sure what we'll do without Mr. Robert in our daily life. 

Noah's surprise birthday party by the Titans

Last Friday was our little boy's ninth birthday. Crazy right? It was going to be a rough weekend though between a baseball tournament and Mother's Day.  Each year we give the kids the option of either a big party/small present or a small party/big present. Well this year he wasn't given a choice, we had no time for a party.

Then the tournament brackets come out on Wednesday. For the first time in forever, we not only don't have a Friday night game; we don't have a game on Saturday until 3:30! So last minute we start calling places and seeing if we could have a party. Of course being last second, everything was a no.  So we reached out to the Titan's baseball team to see if any boys could sleep over. We got resounding yes' with every teammate being able to make it. 

Then we realized Noah had no idea yet, so could we pull off the surprise party? Absolutely.  Annie and Pops took him to see the Age of Ultron right after school but they had an extra 20-30 minutes to stall until all the boys could get to the house.  He was suspecting something with them but he had no idea it would be all his teammates. 

Noah's turn to bat

My favorite thing about baseball is the randomness of the sport. In any other sport, when the game is on the line, the ball or play goes through the best player. Need a last second jump shot? Design a play for your best shooter. Need a yard with no time on the clock? Either your quarterback or your running back are having their number called. Baseball is different.  Bottom of the last inning with your team down a run? Who do you send to the plate? Whoever's turn it is to bat. I love that.

Well, Saturday night the Titans went into the bottom of the last inning down a run.  We tied the game and the winning run was on third. Then it was the next guys turn to bat. Noah Sullivan's turn.


A Little Non-holiday Surprise

It's always nice to have visitors. Last week we were lucky to have Amanda visit from Oregon. We see her every Christmas generally but we were able to score a visit in April. Noah had a fundraiser for Odysey of the Kind and south Arkansas came through in a big way. For delivery Magga and Amanda came up for one quick night.  

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Can't Wait for April

Usually  April is a tough month on the Sullivan's.  Work paperwork piles up on both of us and it ends with the Race for the Cure so it is a lot of time I'm away from home.

This year we will make an exception though.  Cam cracked her head open and got 4 staples in her first visit ever to the ER.  Noah had a mystery ailment that sent us from missed school, to the doctors office, to parents trying to stay calm when the scary words like thyroid disease, liver failure, and leukemia are put on the table, to an eventual joyous diagnosis of mono after having 3 vials of blood taken from his arm.  Then back to the ER to remove staples on the girl. An enlarged spleen and restricted activities for the boy. Now Jenna is home with Campbell who proceeded to redecorate our bathroom floor at 2:30AM with her partially digested dinner. Jenna realized today between the kids various ailments and a smattering of snow days she has not worked 4 Wednesdays in a row. Last year I took 2 sick days the entire year to take care of kids.  This year I've used 6.

Ugh.

Coffee and Why We Need It

This morning I stumbled into the kitchen to make breakfast for the kids. First though, I needed coffee. I got a mug, selected my K-cup, put it in, hit the large button, and started making breakfast. I'm not a super hot coffee drinker so I usually let the mug sit for 5-10 minutes to cool off.

Eventually I made my way back to the Keurig but no coffee was waiting on me. The cup was set to the side, empty. I knew I had pushed the button so I panicked but there wasn't a mess anywhere. I chalked it up to a pre-coffee brain. I put the cup under and pressed the button again.  It started pouring out an opaque liquid that resembled tea way more than coffee. So I went and got the coffee expert.  

Jenna had me track down a paper clip so she could "clean the needle." Then she took the Keurig apart and noticed the drip tray was full of coffee.  I mean full.  Sherlock Holmes was not needed to deduce I had run the Keuring without a mug underneath it and the drip tray shockingly holds an entire cup of coffee. Something tells me the clever engineer's focus groups said this was necessary for people like me. 

Jenna, of course, had a huge laugh at my pre-coffee brain and decided to go ahead with "cleaning the needle" since it was already disassembled.  She wrapped it up and (laughingly) told me she started a new cup for me.  I went back to the kitchen a few minutes later to a cup of water.  Not tea this time, but just plain, clear water.  I returned to the expert.

"Run another cup" was all the expert could say through her confused face. The confused face was there because she couldn't figure out how I screwed this cup up when I wasn't even in the room. So I returned to the scene of my morning confusion-still in my pre-coffee brain. At this point we were all almost ready to leave and I still had not had any caffeine. 

I went to the kitchen, opened the Keurig to confirm a pod was in the machine, and pressed large. Hot water started running out of the sides of the maker, pouring down the sides to the bottom, and falling like a wide waterfall into the cup instead of the usual drip. Crystal clear mind you.  95% of the water was making it into the cup so the mess was somewhat contained.   I reopened the top and realized there was no hole in the K-cup. Then I noticed a large plastic piece in the sink.  Mrs. Smarty Pants had forgotten to put the piece of plastic, that actually holds the Kcup, back into the maker before she started my coffee.  Water was just pouring over the closed cup, filling the area with water until it could hold no more, and then letting it all pour out of the Keurig's seams.

I informed the expert of her mistake and we shared a mutual laugh this time at the Thursday Morning Coffee Saga. So finally, I am able to press large and the dark brewed caffeine was pouring into my cup.  Sigh. Life was good. Now it was time to go.  I got the kids corralled and out the door with jackets and backpacks. We told mom goodbye and off we went to start our Thursday.

In the drop off line at 720AM I was feeling pretty good.  I love laughing at myself as much as anything in this world.  All I could think was that together, Jenna and I make a whole; UNLESS we haven't had coffee and then we might make one half.  I reached down for my cup to have my first drink of caffeine of the day.  I forgot the cup at home.

Black Belt

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
— Robert Kennedy

Words can't begin to express how proud we are of Noah for achieving his black belt. When he first started we realized he had an aptitude for it but to stick with it for 3+ years was all on him. I remember when he made the jump from the little kid class to the junior class and the trepidation he showed. I really thought he may give up on it, but I remember the third time he went to the class with mostly teenagers and suddenly his confidence came through and he fit right in.

During his training as a recommended black belt the past 6 months he had to master all 9 lower belt forms but the biggest anxiety was he had to demonstrate 2 successful board breaks. At one midterm, a boy 2 years older than Noah was testing for his black belt and failed to break his second board.  I remember Jenna and I watching in horror as the boy sat on the mat with tears pouring down his face.  Our anxiety grew as we got closer and closer, but not Noah's. He was unflappable. 

When I picked Noah up from school the day of black belt testing he was fired up. At school that day he earned a show and tell the following Monday. He was excited because he'd be able to show off his black belt.  We did our best to present him with possibility he may fail the test without hurting his confidence going into it.  He just shrugged it off and had decided he was passing no matter what.

True to form, he rocked his form demonstration. He has always had excellent technique in his forms at every graduation and midterm he's ever taken.  I don't say that as his father, but as the adult standing next to him after instructor after instructor and parent after parent came to him after graduations and told him how much fun he was to watch. Then came sparring, which is probably his weakest area.  He doesn't win many matches because he doesn't counter well, but he also never loses because he is a defensive machine.  He's like trying to hit a fly with a chopstick. 

Then the moment of the board breaks came.  The students testing for black belt were given their boards and sat away from the students mid-terming. Then my most proud moment came.  I was going to be proud no matter what and I wasn't proud for the reasons you assume.  I was proud because up to this point in his 8+ years on this earth, this was probably Noah's biggest moment in the spotlight.  3 years of work was coming down to this moment and he had 10 family members, 7 of whom drove a long way, there holding their collective breath. I was proud because when the spotlight shone on him, he did what Noah always does.  He volunteered to go first.  If he has one trait now that I pray sticks with him for his entire life it's his willingness to do whatever he's asked, in front of whoever is there, whenever you ask him. 

Of course, going first was great for us because we didn't have any more time to worry.  It was go time.  He lined the boards where he wanted them held, asked permission to be a badass, and then snapped both boards like they weren't there. 

Noah breaking boards at his black belt test

Joy. Relief. Pride. It was a flood as Jenna and I looked at each other and could finally breath. The last of the story was when he was actually belted.  The passing students were asked to say a few words.  Like always he didn't hesitate and stepped forward.  

Noah receiving his black belt