Garage's Echo

Katie got home a bit late tonight. She home schools a sweet little girl in her fifth grade class that has a heart problem and can't actually be at school right now.

After she got home we plopped on down to watch tonight's episode of Glee! Katie and Caleb treated themselves to popsicles from the fridge after dinner. Katie's was wonderfully cold and normal. Caleb's ended up exploding bits and pieces all over himself and me when he opened his. It was quite the sight. We both shared a silly little chuckle. Katie finished her snack quickly and Caleb handed me the rest of what he couldn't finish... which was most of it. The kid eats like a bird. Sheesh!

In the middle of "Sweet Caroline" on Glee we heard Caleb shouting that he couldn't throw the garbage away. These were his exact words: "Help! My arms aren't long enough. I can't reach the garbage can." I'm sorry if you don't find that funny but Katie and I were crying by the time I walked out there to help him out and throw my own popsicle stick away. He came in and we just looked at him and laughed again. What a silly kid.

In Caleb's own words I ask, "What's going to happen next?"

Maniacal Laughing in Bed

The adventures of Dude-apotamus continues...

A few weeks ago the three of us were laying in bed talking about all sorts of things. One of the topics that came up was about pregnancy. Katie goofily said to Caleb, "I had one heck of a hard pregnancy and it wasn't easy giving birth to you. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Without much of a pause Caleb retorted, "Excuse me!" I think the house shook with all the roaring laughter that erupted from that.

Katie then said, "You're funny. Do you have anything else to say for yourself about your birth?"

With a glimmer in his eye he chuckled, "Surprise!" I don't think the neighbors could sleep after all the laughing that Caleb was stirring up.

Katie, with tears in her eyes and winded from laughing, said, "I'll give you one more chance. What do you have to say now about it?"

Without any prodding he replied, "Special Delivery!" I'm sure you can all figure out what happened next.

Just so you all know, neither Katie or myself prompted or elicited these answers from Caleb. These all came from our darling three year old. If he keeps this up he's bound to be a very entertaining child. He's got a great start and plenty of time ahead to keep up with his slapstick humor and wonderful sarcasm (that he doesn't quite get yet). He's got a special knack for making others laugh.

Double the Trouble - Messes and Rubble

This past weekend was my "drill" weekend. Its the weekend that really isn't a weekend for me. I was elated to get home and enjoy a little relaxing time with them. Little did I know, or any of us for that matter, what we were up against and the messes that would follow.

I walked in the door to find Caleb fast asleep and burning up with a furious fever under a blanket. He woke for brief periods to talk to us and Aunt Marla who was visiting and over for dinner. Other than that he was out like a light for most of the evening. After he woke again, before heading to bed, his temperature continued to rise and he felt like he came straight from the suana. He was complaining of an upset stomach and didn't feel like eating a whole lot. Out of nowhere I realized that he needed to throw up. We raced from the family room into the kitchen where we managed to make it to the sink so he could take care of his business. After the incident his fever started to break and he was feeling a bit more like his old self again. The only thing that bothered him was the unpleasantness of his stomach's upheaval.

Shortly after that he decided it was bedtime. For one who likes to stay up as late as possible it was great to hear him say it was time to go to sleep much earlier than usual. I ended up changing the little stinker into his pullups downstairs and got him some apple juice for his sippy cup. We both affectionally ran up the stairs chasing and teasing one another. As we reached the top of the stairs I immediately knew something was wrong with Katie. We went into the master bedroom and found her leaning over the bathroom sink having tummy problems of her own. She ended up getting her B6 vitamin lodged in her throat and she had the same sudden disaster that Caleb had just a bit earlier. She was alright and just needed to really catch her breath by the time we arrived.

As the two of them crawled into bed I was left with the task of cleaning up another icky mess. I went downstairs, grabbed a plastic grocery bag and some paper towels and went to work. I was able to soak a lot of the liquid out of the sink but everything else managed to clog the sink. After I returned from a panicky rush down the stairs and out to the garbage can with everything in hand, Katie told me the little conversation that had transpired while I was outside. It went sort of like this:

Caleb: "Where is Daddy going?"

Mommy: "He's going to apply for sainthood."

Caleb: "At the garbage can?"

We couldn't stop laughing for the next little bit after that. Thankfully, in the end, we all slept soundly that night after all the aftermath of those events. Before we went to sleep though I had noticed water in the garbage can in the guest bathroom. I asked Katie what had happened and how it got there. She shrugged her shoulders and pointed at Caleb and laughingly said, "Ask him." I did just that and here's the response that followed...

Daddy: "Caleb, why is there water in the garbage can in the guest bathroom?"

Caleb: "Because Dezi was thirsty and needed a drink of water so I filled it up for her."

Another memory to fall asleep laughing to. Especially knowing that Dezi, the dog, does not have a neck like a giraffe which is what she would've needed to get the water at the bottom of that can.

To top it all off I went and bought Maximum Strength Drano at the store yesterday and cleaned up the leftovers in the sink and unclogged it too. Pretty disgusting things that had to be done by all of us... either throwing up or cleaning up the mess but plenty of memories and laughs had to always remember that Sunday night.

Mr. Clean - Age 3

For anyone that knows our little man, he is a very sweet and kind hearted kid. He has a wonderful trait in him that will be useful, hoping he holds onto it, in the future. He loves going around the house to find things that he can clean all by himself. Yesterday was one of those days...

Earlier in the day I found him in the bathtub with a Clorox wipe trying to clean up after one of his messier/dirtier baths. When I found him he was singing a song to himself with toilet paper in one hand and a Clorox wipe in the other. What worried me is that I saw him playing with some of the chemical sprays/cleaners we use around the house. After we cleaned the bathroom up I told him that he couldn't use those cleaners because it could affect him in negative ways and do him harm. That sunk in... for the next five minutes. *sigh* What do you do with a self-propelled three year old trying to do his best to help clean up around the house?

For the next few hours he was appeased by hanging out with his mom, dad and dingy dog. We watched television and played around finding ways to keep each other constantly entertained. Constant wasn't the right word after a while. Caleb grew tired and went to watch Caillou on the computer and, later, sneakily snuck up the stairs to wreck havoc on the house again... unbeknownst to us.

Suddenly Katie calls from upstairs as I hear a child running down the hall with the loud *thump thump* that his feet make when he's off in a huge hurry. What I found next didn't make me too happy but I still find him the biggest sweetheart for doing his best, with his know how, to clean up. He had opened one of the spray bottles, Carpet Resolve for Pet Stains, and tried cleaning the stairs. Before he used it it was nearly full. When I got hold of it the bottle was completely empty and I felt like I was walking through the best smelling swampland in the world. The stairwell and upstairs smelled great. The only problem was taking the Bissell to the carpet and cleaning up the spilled contents for the next 15 or so minutes while Caleb and mommy had a talk at the top of the stairs. There was a huge puddle of spilled content on every step that I had to clean up. Good times. What made it all memorable is what Caleb said to his mommy before she called me to let me know what had happened.

Katie saw what Caleb was doing when she went up the stairs and said, "Caleb, what are you doing?" Remembering the earlier conversation between himself and daddy his eyes opened wide, he dropped the empty spray bottle and as he ran into the nursery to hide he was heard saying...

"I have to go hide now!"

What a little goober. I hope these cleaning tendencies continue on as he gets older. He'll be a great asset around the house... but he's a great asset even now too. =)

Marchin' Off to School

Today is a new chapter in Mr. Caleb's life. This was his very first day of preschool!

He is/was such a happy camper anxiously awaiting to scoot off with his new pack to make new friends and learn new things. What makes it even better is the fact that his classroom is literally just down the hall from Katie's 5th grade class.

Subject of day one: How to become smarter than your parents.


- I've got a feeling he's already nipped this one in the butt. I'm sure he's just formulating his masterplan of taking over the school, our home and then... THE WORLD!

I can't wait til he gets home with mom to report on his first day and how everything went. He was excited when he went and I believe he'll be just as excited to talk about it tonight. Hopefully friends made will be the #1 topic at the dinner table.

What I love even more about this preschool is that it is set up as a special needs preschool too. Not that Caleb is but he'll begin to understand at a very early age that not everyone is the same. Hopefully he'll have a better understanding as he grows up that everyone offers plenty of strengths and weaknesses no matter who they are, where they come from or what they look like.

I love you kid! Have a great time.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Just the other day Caleb and I went to the store to pick some stuff up for Katie. She got to spend some time at home since she was feeling under the weather and enjoy some quiet time while the boys went out and gathered the dinner materials.

The afternoon was a bit blustery and Caleb was outside with a hooded sweatshirt on. As we were loading into the car I told him to drop the hood so he wouldn't get too hot in the car as we drove away. His response... "No Daddy! Leave it on. I don't want my hair to blow away!" Somehow the concept of hair being rooted to your head hasn't dawned on him yet. What an adorable little guy.

"Kids say the darndest things" - Art Linkletter

Dabbling in Thoughts of Photography

I've been tossing the idea around for quite some time now about getting into photography. Its something that can certainly create a decent income (even starting out) and, more than anything, its really something I enjoy doing. At the moment, all I have is our 5 megapixel point and shoot digital camera. I'd need to invest in some PhotoShop equipment but I think that should be quite doable. I will post pictures of things I've taken both past and present and I would love to hear thoughts about what anyone thinks of it.

The first is a picture of a beautiful waterfall, Shoshone Falls, in Twin Falls, ID. Katie, Caleb and I went to see it while we were visiting her family last summer. Its part of the Snake River and a beautiful part of the country to see some great photography opportunities.

The picture on the right is of Katie and Caleb. It was taken early last summer at my little brother's wedding in Los Angeles, CA. There was a small drizzle coming down and Caleb wasn't liking the idea of getting wet. With that in mind I took off my coat and draped it over Caleb to prevent a lot of the rain from landing on him. I should have thought of a little hat too. As soon as I saw the coat on him I couldn't resist the photo opportunity because it was just so adorable. Caleb, as he always is, turned out to be quite the handsome fellow and happy to have the extra layer of warmth.

This is one of the bigger jumping rocks at Sand Harbor beach. The day was obviously a bit overcast which made for a more beautiful color on the lake. The young man about to jump could be doing many things... checking before jumping, looking at distant horizons, enjoying the beauty of Lake Tahoe or a miriad different things.

My little monster, on the right, with a cute little party hat on his head. He was having a good laugh with it on but the opening was so big that it kept slipping down over his little head. He kept reaching out trying to get some help before he realized he could just reach up and brush the whole thing off. He certainly made for great entertainment for quite a while though.

These are just a few of my wonderful pictures. I would love to find more but I'm running short on time tonight and can't find some of the folders that contain my other pictures of both people, things and places. If you have access to my profile on Facebook you can scroll down and access my photo album of Tahoe shots as well.

I hope you've enjoyed these pictures and a small part of my life as much as I have. I would love to hear any constructive criticism about these pictures and the possibilities of doing this as more than just a hobby. Also, I would love to hear your comments about the name of my future business... Crescent Creek Photography. I'd also like to find an artist who would be willing to help me create an amazing logo too. Anyways, enough babbling and off I go to enjoy some family time...

Really?! Yes, REALLY!!!

No, thats not a Q-tip. Its actually a newer version of the wish making 8-ball but it only answers in YES and NOs. Its exactly what you think it is and its the exciting news we've been anxiously awaiting for! Need I say more?

For those of you reading this I only ask one favor... PLEASE (if you are family) do not reveal this exciting news to anyone. If they choose not to read the blog than they will happily be in the dark until Christmas when we all gather together to throw snowballs at one another, drink hot chocolate and watch all the little ones do silly things! Can't wait to see y'all at Aspen Grove in just a few short months.

Here's the news: Katie was starting to show signs of her previous pregnancy shortly after I got home. Heightened sense of smell (which isn't always great), urge to eat unusual things she normally doesn't get on a normal basis, a ton of body discomfort, thankfully no constant sickness/illness this time (so no morning sickness yet) and many other signs. Last week I went to the store to get lost and constantly call Katie to figure things out but to also buy a store bought test kit. Last Saturday morning around 0630 in the morning I remember waking up to poking in my shoulder. Sure enough, what you see in that picture was no more than mere inches from my nose when I rolled over and looked up. Katie was beaming, as she ought to be, and I was elated. I told her I was excited, congratulated her and rolled my elated body over and knocked out again. Caleb is so excited about being a big brother! I don't think he quite knows what it entails but he'll have a lifetime to figure it out in just under nine months. What an awesome surprise to have after shortly returning home from training for nearly a year. We'll keep you all posted as we start finding more out. The due date is set for Caleb's birthday (April 5) but likely won't happen because of blood pressure issues so we're thinking a March baby sometime.

Also, keep your fingers crossed for us... we are hoping for a girl. We've got names picked out already whether its a boy or a girl. Whoohoo! Family of four here we come!

Toddling Photography

Some of the simpler and more mundane things in life really seem to look different from the perspective of a child. I don't think Caleb realizes it yet but he's a man on a mission waiting to do great things with photography. Half the time I can't even hold on to the camera when I want to take a picture because he's dying to get his hands on it and have fun with the button pushing technology.

Caleb was more interested in Dezi's hair than Dezi herself.

The detail is plain hairy!

Quite the rainbow of colors that happily sat in the sun for quite some time.

I'm thinking he decided to eat little and play photographer more.

Who do those little piggies belong to?

Why aren't they painted pretty colors like they are now?

Can you spot the passing photographer here?

Here's a hint: He's the smallest shadow in the picture!

Caleb made one of many friends while feeding the geese in Idaho.

I think they'll get along just ducky. Just don't goose them.

Adventures in the Aquarium

This little Rogers' clan decided to visit the Aquarium this past Saturday in Sandy. Overall, it entertained Daddy more than anyone as he ran around trying to get pictures of all these crazy sea critters and tiring Katie and Caleb out as they dragged me from the aquarium to lunch.

With all the excitement Mr. Daddy is most anxious to get a newer and better camera. Most of these sea-living creatures don't have enough manners to sit still while a picture is being taken of them so we weren't able to get as many pictures as we (or rather, daddy) wanted. We had plenty of fun seeing what is around in the aquarium plus all the animals/reptiles that were shown in the South America exibit. Next week will be a shark exibit and I hope the family is as excited as me to get back down and see some fresh faces. Smile and show all those pretty teeth! Here are a few of the fun pics I ended up taking before the family had me dragged out at the threat of having no lunch.

The one picture I was not able to capture was the majesty of the anaconda. It was amazing to look at from above the water but the power it carries could not be seen until you looked under the water to see it in its full glory. It was awesome to see it wrapped around itself patiently awaiting the time it decided it wanted to snack again. I'm just happy I'll never have to wrestle something like that. We'll leave that to the family champs... Greg and Scott.

How to Help for Dummies (by a 3 year old)

I wonder if everything Katie and I have ever done wrong (mostly me though) has decided to catch up to us and nip us in the buds. I say this because dear little Caleb has found some very interesting ways of helping around the house. It makes me wonder how the inner workings of a three year old's mind works. Ben might be able to help us on that one. ;) Here are many of the most recent things Caleb has done to make the house a better place.

1. In our guest bathroom there is a toilet paper roll hanging just above the garbage can. He decided that rolling it into an organized mess into the garbage can was a lovely idea. It was quite funny to see actually. Instead of letting that all go to waste I happily dug it out of the can (since the TP was the only thing in there) and placed it on the back of the toilet where it could continue to be used.

2. While the front door was being fixed from a Dezi escape (that happened while Katie was in San Antonio in Feb. '09) Caleb got the brilliant idea that if he saw mommy and daddy painting that he could pitch in and help out too. Thankfully this was noticed with time to easily fix his "helping idea" but in the family room we noticed brown paint on the white baseboards. Problem fixed with the white paint but Caleb felt he had done more ill than good so we had to reassure him that it wasn't the right thing to do but it was definitely a nice gesture.

3. Katie was looking for a quart of paint she thought she had misplaced. When Caleb heard he got very excited and told us where to find it. We looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a wet can of paint sitting on our beautiful leather couches. Once again, caught with time to spare. We wiped down the settling paint with baby wipes and Clorox wipes and saved the day. Some things obviously still need to be kept out of reach. You think we'd have learned that lesson already.

4. Caleb had a friend over yesterday and they were having a great time messing around in the family room. All we knew is that they were playing with a bunch of the cookie cutters. It wasn't until a little bit later that we noticed Play-Dough (which has since been trashed) was involved. They did their best to mash the PD into the carpet and cut out shapes of it with the cookie cutters. Caleb wasn't too thrilled about having to clean up but there was PD deep in the carpet. We think we got it all cleaned up by using excessive amounts of baby wipes and Resolve. So far we haven't seen any blue in the sea of gray/brown carpet.

We certainly love having a helper around. He makes us proud and we love him to pieces. It amazes me how a little mind works and how it processes help with the always prevalent curiousity that runs amuck in an active toddler. I guess its better than having idle hands and hopefully it'll only serve him as he gets older to be a good helper in all that he does.

Whoever Said...

That the old adage "Slow and steady wins the race" needs to be shot! Today is a cleanup day around the house and somehow we all got involved emptying the dishwasher. It was packed with an assortment of dishes and silverware and little Caleb wanted to help out so bad that he would hand one item to me at a time, wait for me to put it away and then find something else to get out of the dishwasher to hand to me so I could happily find its place among our cupboards. The hare definitely won this race... by a mile! It was undeniably fun though and we all had some laughs while putting things away and enjoying one another's company.


There have been plenty of milestones reached in this household (while I've been away and since I've been back) that I'd love to make you all aware of. They follow in no particular order...

• Caleb is frantically trying to potty train himself so he can get the giant "twuck" at Walmart that he has had his eye on for the longest time. Out of 25 stickers he has 21 filled and gets one sticker for tinkling and two for the next step up. When I got home yesterday (Sunday) he was well on his way and informed me that he was "pooping" so he could get two stickers! Its his first time and he was very proud of himself yesterday. We were all very proud of him. At my expense, everyone else happily laughed at me while I wound up with a brand new chore. Moving said "poop" from training toilet to the real toilet to be flushed away. Katie couldn't help but laugh as I turned ghostly pale and saw my gag reflex react as I took care of business. Its an unpleasant chore that I think I'll slowly grow accustomed to but currently having problems holding my meals down when that assignment comes around. All that aside, congrats to Caleb for his new found enthusiasm to get potty trained and his first successful "poop" in his singing toilet.


• In the time that I've been gone little Caleb has grown like a weed (in a good way)! As has already been said he's actually excited about potty training now. He can speaks phenomenally for a three year old and constantly surprises us with the things he knows, points out to us and even says. Maybe I'm biased but this boy is a genius! He knows his numbers, his alphabet, social speaking and saying what he wants to say and being understood. He quotes bits and pieces from movies (or, in his case, he says "boobies") and finds many different ways to keep us entertained, amused and constantly learning from our sweet toddler.

• Katie has successfully completed her fifth continuous year of continued education since she's been a teacher and finally figured out that continued education is great but better done with a break now and again. She's taking this entire year off to just enjoy teaching and return to her family at the end of the day. Her last completed class was a two year long class that brought her to arms reach of her Masters degree. Hopefully in the near future that will be attainable but she's proud of her accomplishments (as she should be) and delighted to sit back and relax and not worry about classes outside of her 5th grade classroom this year. Hooray Katie for all your hard work and the deserved rest coming your way. We love you!


• Katie has always been a very independent woman. Since I've left she's gone through the school of hard knocks and has learned how much more independent she can be now. She understands how single parents feel and feels that she can relate to them now and reach out and help where she can too. She has grown and become as independent as they come (thankfully not independent enough to send me packing once I got home though - *phew*) and has many experiences to draw upon now. She is grateful for my return though and has stepped down from the mother/father role and has allowed a great deal of stress to roll off her shoulders. The more monkeys off her back the better.

• After three months of sitting around and fighting a bout with some depression issues (which have since disappeared) I graduated on Thursday, July 2, 2009! Let me first start by saying that being anchored in the gospel, having my family as my driving force and motivation and having the support of friends and family from all over is what kept me glued together throughout this entire experience. I left for basic just over 200+ pounds and dropped to roughly 170 pounds before I was put on my medical profile for three months. In that time, I nearly gained all my weight back because there was nothing I could do to keep myself in shape because of the parameters of my profile and all the things it wouldn't allow me to do. When I was given my "fit for duty" and allowed to continue on with my training I got back into soldier mode fast! I had no time to think of being away from family (the main thing that brought about my depression in my opinion) and was excited about being able to exercise and lose all my gained poundage again. I weighed in a few days ago (with pants and a shirt on - and shoes but not sure) at 180 pounds exactly. I'm nearly back to 170 pounds again and feel terrific! Now that I'm out of training and on my own again I'm seeing myself falling into my old routine (except being a better father and husband) and not exercising nearly as much as I ought to. Time to kick me into gear and keep up with all that I've been doing for the past eleven months that I've been away.


• I had a very happy, if somewhat emotional (for good reasons), wife pick me up at the airport in the pickup lane. Little did I know that our little monster was sound asleep in his seat and when I threw my stuff in the back I yelled out, "Hey little man! Daddy's home." Katie told me he was sleeping just after that. When I got into the car - I was passenger because Katie was afraid of what I might do after 11 months of not driving - he was awake but groggy. As anyone would be he was quite miffed about being woken up. After a few minutes of casually talking to him and getting his attention he started talking to me and got very excited. We were talking to one another most of the way home and it was a great father/son moment (even if he doesn't know that yet).


• As said in an earlier blog, I have received my EMT-B certification and am enjoying the fact that I have the opportunity to help people. Being at home again and realizing how hard the economy has been hit I am having serious issues with finding a job that will take my credentials (the prison isn't even hiring for med techs). Thankfully my unit is employing me for the next 5 or 6 weeks to work full time while I continue my job hunting. If things go well and they like my hard work and I can show that I'm an asset to them they'll keep me on and provide me work for a good time to come.


• With the above said I believe the next statement will send many of you out of your rockers! I have much more to live for now than I did a few short years ago (when I was single) and have loved learning and growing in the health care field. With that said, Mr. Procrastinator, myself, has decided (as an option at the moment but really leaning towards it) to go back to school and further my education. I have decided to pursue my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and get additional training in helping people that will not only help me but bless my family immensely. Once that is done I believe I'll start considering what specialty in that field I want to pursue but I'll leave that alone until I reach that door and open it. Wish me luck because Nursing is highly competitive and I'll need to stay on top of my studies and my grades in order to pull this off but I know I can do it. I may be asking Aunt Lynne to be my new best friend as she has been through this and will become an awesome confidant as I take this next step in my life.


• I just completed my first drill weekend. Its great being at my unit getting to know all the soldiers who I will be involved with for the next several months to years. We had a military doctor come down from Jackson, WY, and teach us about suturing/stitching. Knowing that no one wants me working on them for a long time pig feet were happily provided for us all to work on. It was better while they were still frozen because they got a touch bloody as they really started to thaw. The afternoon was full of learning about wilderness medicine and how you can prepare yourself for all sorts of situations (just by being properly prepared) when you go anywhere in the outdoors enjoying whatever season you love. It was good to know. If you are even remotely curious the doctor has his own website that you are welcome to visit. http://www.wildernessdoc.com/. On Sunday we were issued all our new gear (TA-50) and had a long day of sitting around and getting to know one another. We had an enormous BBQ on the lawns just outside of Ft. Douglas and enjoyed some beautiful cloud cover and some sprinkling of rain. In the afternoon we were given a class (more having an open discussion though) about suicide and how many of us have had someone close to them try or succeed. It was very educating and emotional learning about other experiences and drawing closer together.

So many things await me in this life and these are but a few of the personal glimpses into my life and what makes me a proud father and a happy husband. I'm happy to be back home, with or without struggles, because I now have my family surrounding me and I am more blessed than I ever realized.

PS - Thank you Emery for your "Liberty" blog. What an awesome perspective to see. It certainly brought me to tears as I have thought about that myself and as it has become closer to my heart than ever this past year (and the years to come). God bless the USA and the soldiers willing to set everything else aside, even their own lives if it comes to it, to protect our country, our communities, our families and our freedoms! Hats off to you.

Captain Moroni comes to mind as I wrote this final paragraph and am grateful to him too for the example he set. May we all live as he did and bless those around us. My love to you all. - Alma 48:17

Second Wind - A New Perspective

(Next blog: I want to watch a [BLOOPER]!)



As you are all very much aware, I've been struggling with some issues that have really been bringing me down as of late. For those that may not know, I'm going to be in San Antonio for an unknown amount of time. The reason for this is because of a medical issue that is holding me back in training and preventing me from going back home to be with the loves of my life.

A man of my age with a wonderful wife and a sweet daughter. I met him when I was going to the Salt Lake Co. Jail academy plus we carpooled all the time too. We got to know each other pretty well and really enjoyed doing things together. It felt like a ton of bricks fell in my lap when I heard the news because I meant to go catch up with him once I got back to Utah (he was a 68W too) but now I can only hope that his wife still lives in the same house so I can wish her my sincerest apologies over her loss. God bless you Mark Greenbaum and may you rest in peace.

I thought I had some serious issues until that moment struck me. Yes, its terribly hard being away from Katie and Caleb right now but I saw things in a whole new light after receiving the news about Mark. I may be gone for some unknown amount of time yet but at least I'll have the chance to get back home and be with my family again in the near future. Its a huge eye opener knowing what I'm blessed with and I can't even begin to feel, understand or even fathom the pain that the Greenbaum family is going through. I love my family dearly. I absolutely want to get back to them in the shortest amount of time possible but I want to make them proud and I want to have something to do job-wise when I get back home that will help us all out financially. I will keep you all posted as I find out more too.

Earlier this week I literally found myself in a pool of my own tears. I don't recall the last time I cried as I hard as I did that night (probably at finding out the news of Katie's grandmothers passing) but it was good to let out all the pent up frustration that had accumulated over the past few weeks (almost two months now) and get it out of my system. I ended up watching a movie with Adam Sandler in it called [i]Reign Over Me[/i]. Its about a man who runs into an old roommate from college. This friend ended up losing his entire family in the attacks of 9/11 and pretty much gives a story of how he copes and makes it through his current state as he tries to forget his past. I believe it was after watching that movie that I broke down. Being away from family, knowing I wouldn't graduate with my class at the end of the week and having the recent news of just losing a friend seemed like it was more than I could possibly handle.

I know now (as I've always known) that I will be back with my family soon and I just have to remain positive. My friends/68W class graduated yesterday and I know they are just starting a life that will give them the chance to save the lives of many others and thats something that drives me as well as knowing that my recently passed friend was a 68W too which gives me yet another motivational factor/drive to complete my course, better myself and prove to myself that I can do this without quitting. Most my friends are gone now while others leave next week for Airborne school but I'll still have a few left with me that are holdovers like myself that should make the passing of time easier to handle while I'm away. It just reminds me that I'm not the only one suffering. In fact, I had a friend come in last night at curfew who was crying like mad too, for the same reason I had been earlier in the week, and it was good to know that others need as much love and consideration as I do while coping through these stressful times.

I just want to thank you all for your love, support and prayers... not only for me but in behalf of Katie and Caleb too. I couldn't ask for a better family and great friends that only want the best of me and my family. May I make you all proud as I struggle through the finishing touches of being so long departed from my family. I love you all and again thank you for all you do for us.

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Note: For those interested in how Valentine's was in San Antonio you'll need to visit Katie's blog because there really isn't anything she missed that I need to add to.

"And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." - Kahlil Gibran

Lately I've felt like taking E.T.'s sage advice and phoning home. Its silly to think that my cell phone and I have a wonderful relationship. Can you believe we even sleep together? Yeah... we're that close! I only say that teasingly because I somehow mention to Katie from time to time that it seems that our relationship hangs in the balance of our phones and the amount of time we spend with those blasted things glued to our ears. If its the only way to keep things alive then I'm more than happy to be the lab rat running those tests. I miss my sweet little family and can't wait for my return home where I can be a visible part of their lives and return to doing what I do best... being the best father and husband I can possibly be! I just wanted to write that so its immortalized and I can always look back and think of days gone by that helped me to grow up (some more) and learn some great things that will help me be more capable of taking care of my darling family in the future!

"Setting the example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means." - Albert Einstein

I think I was paid the biggest compliment today. What makes it great was that it wasn't something I sought after. It was something I did on a daily basis that brought a young man to say something that means the world to me.

At Ft. Jackson I ended up having a bunkmate who, at the very beginning and really only on the first day, was very belligerent towards me. Instead of raging back and making the next few months hard to manage I found it better to thank him for the things he was doing for me when he didn't expect it. After that first day we really got to be good friends and ended up doing a lot of things together. Who would've thought that (outside of my family) I claim my closest friend would be a 20-year old? We talked about all sorts of things ranging from girls, teenage behavior (I was a perfect angel, right?), favorite movies, books, why we joined the military, church and anything else that would come to mind. Its great to claim a friend like that who is more than willing to stand by you through thick and thin. What made the friendship all the better was the fact that, after basic, he would be traveling to Ft. Sam Houston as well to train as a Combat Medic (68W).

Since being here we haven't had the opportunity to spend as much time together because there are so many things we can all do and I usually choose to hangout around the company (so my earned money can be better spent at home) and he chooses to head out with friends and spend money and get away from the company. Can't say I blame him because I'd do the same thing if I were single and had money to spend to go out and do all sorts of things with friends. We do live in the same bay now though and have the great opportunity to talk quite a bit in the evenings when we run into each other. He was actually a great support for me when I first found out that I was being pulled from class because of my medical issues and has since only given me words of encouragement to hang on and drive on.

What I wanted to get to was something he said to me tonight (as I stated earlier) that I never expected but means the world to me now knowing how he feels. As I was sitting on fire guard tonight for my two hour shift (the early shift of 8pm - 10pm) he sat down across from me at the desk and said something I won't forget. He looked at me and (not in the exact words) said, "Neal, I want to tell you something and want to thank you for it too. Ever since we've known each other in basic you've been a big brother to me and have really helped me stay grounded in an environment that really creates negativity. I can't thank you enough for being a good friend and a great example to me and want to thank you for helping me better understand myself as I stay away from things that I may not have otherwise without you around."

I really can't say it as well and in as few words as he did but thats basically the point he got across to me. With my current situation and finally finding the resolve to deal with my medical issues that have taken me from class I find it comforting to hear words that mean more to me than he'll ever know. Just one more thing to fall back on if I start feeling blue.

Private Joshua Peek. I can't thank you enough for our friendship and hope that it will be a lasting and enduring friendship that will remain long after we've gone our separate ways. I wish you the best in your future and that you may touch more lives as you've touched mine. Not only that but that you'll save lives because you chose to do the right thing that will help you make the choices that you'll need to that will bring future friends from the brink of death. God bless you and may He watch over you and your loved ones in your greatest triumphs and darkest hours. I love you man!

Struggling to Understand My Unseen Obstacles

As you all know, I've been away from the family for quite some time now. If I were single this might be easier but its not easy being away for months at a time... as others in the family know all too well already. I just found out yesterday that it might even be longer than the end of March (like I thought) before I get to head home. Here's why...

If you didn't read Katie's blog I'll fill ya in. Last weekend I got really sick (its normal out here with the standard of living). I had just left dinner and went to the store with some friends and when I got there I felt like a sponge that was still balled up tight getting the water wrung out of me. A pretty chilly wind didn't help matters much. I got that deep and dull ache in my bones feeling and decided to hurry home. The rest of that evening had me shivering up a storm. I had a bad case of the chills and slept in my sleeping bag wearing socks, sweat bottom and top, and my PT felt cap. I woke up a bit sweaty, as expected, but felt like I was doing 100 times better than how I felt the night before.

I ended up getting up and getting ready for formation that morning expecting to enjoy another day of my weekend. Not so. About 5-10 minutes into formation I felt my blood pressure shoot through the roof and grabbed hold of my buddy's coat sleeve in front of me. I managed to make it through that syncopal (fainting) episode where my vision went fuzzy and then completely dark for a few seconds but realized that my body wasn't in as good of shape as I had predicted earlier. Here's what I was told happened next... I felt the pressure rise again and I grabbed hold of the coat sleeve in front of me. A friend of mine who was watching said that my eyes just rolled into the back of my head after that, my body just locked up and I passed out. I managed to get caught on the way down (unlike my last episode like this my freshman year of highschool) and came to about 10 or so seconds later. I was told while I was passed out that I started asking questions like "What happened?" and "Where am I?" and "Is everything alright?". When I came to the sergeant on duty was leaning over me and asked if I was alright and if I'd been drinking. I told him I felt pretty sick (you usually do after coming to from a fainting spell) and told him I don't drink. I stood up and thought I'd be fine until I had a couple buddies grab a hold of me and lead me to the back of the formation and sit me down because I looked like I might try pulling that stunt again.

Due to that incident I ended up going to the ER and hanging out there for most of the day while I got checked on. During that time I slept uncomfortably as I tried to find a comfortable sitting position in the bed that wasn't putting all my weight on my lower back. They checked me for influenza and ran a few tests/labs on me. Lets just say some labs were pretty invasive and I hope I don't have to go through that again anytime soon. I got released later Sunday afternoon (I was received early Sunday morning at the ER) after being their guinea pig for about 7 hours or so. Turns out I didn't have influenza but was told I had some nasty virus going around. I was given my medicine and told all I could do was ride it out. Little did I know what kind of affect that would have on me once I got back to the company. Oh yeah... while I was there they noticed the subtle murmur in my heart and some oddities on my EKG too. They got me set up for a cardio appointment that is currently set for Feb. 23.

I went to the clinic the next morning for sick call and was issued a profile that prevented me from doing anything until I was checked out from the cardio appt. I've enjoyed the last few days of not having to do PT and letting my body slowly get better.

So far so good, right? Wrong. Yesterday was my first day of the Whiskey side of training for me. I have only a few short weeks on this side and then I'm done. My instructors asked if anyone had any profiles and I handed mine in. Shortly after lunch I was taken aside to talk to the Senior Instructor of our classes. Due to the stressful environments I'll be introduced to on this side of training I was told that I would now be a medical holdover. What that means is that I currently cannot participate in class and just hang around the company area until I've been seen for my appointment with cardio. Thats currently 3 weeks away and will end up sending me to another company when I'm cleared. That means I'll be away from family for quite a bit longer than we thought I would be and its eating me up inside. I don't want to wait any longer to finish my training and make it back home to my sweet family.

With that said, there is a chance that my sergeant is going to try to up my appointment to as soon as possible... Monday if I'm lucky. Cardio will do the same thing to me that the civilian side did to me before Salt Lake County allowed me to be hired on with them. They are concerned with my health... which I know there is nothing wrong with me since I've had this slight irregular pulse (due to my little murmur) for as long as I can remember. I don't know what to do about it except hope that I can get it taken care of quickly and move on with training. I don't care to be here for who knows how long while the Army takes its sweet time checking me out and deciding on what they want to do with me. I'll keep you posted as to what happens and any changes that take place but all I ask is that you keep me in your thoughts and prayers (Katie and Caleb too) and that things will work out the way that they should and that we'll be able to handle whatever situation arises from this.

Just when I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel I have an obstacle set in front of me. I hope I can deal with it rationally and see it for the obstacle it is and know that I will eventually get back home to be with my family... just not as quickly as I had hoped after these last few long months have kept me away from them. I also hope that Katie will be able to manage that much longer with me gone and we'll get through this intact.

As we've both said to each other before... this time and distance sure has made our hearts grow fonder. Now its time for my heart to grow stronger as I prepare myself to overcome this unforseen obstacle.

Good Things Come to Those Who Don't Think They Know Enough

Yup! I stepped up to the plate and sent the ball flying out of the park. A grand slam on all accounts for me. Let me tell you why...

I joined the Army obviously with the intentions of better providing for my family but had my doubts as to how well I'd do in one of the hardest MOSs in the military (68W has a huge dropout rate). Needless to say I passed every single one of my tests on the first go and am still planning on keeping that up.

A few weeks ago we had our All Skills practical (hands on) to see how well we learned in our classes and to make sure we knew what we were doing. I psyched myself out for some of those but, in the end, shouldn't have been so nervous because I did just fine and passed all six of my assessments easily as well. The one part of the testing routine that really gave me the jitters and kept me entirely too antsy was the NREMT (National Registry for Emergency Medical Technicians). This test basically shows how much you really know and whether or not you end up getting EMT qualified.

I took the test (all 70 questions for me) in about 55 minutes and didn't even care to think about it after I had finished because I knew I'd likely trip out as to whether or not I'd done well. What normally happens after any other test is that our instructor calls the names out of those that failed so they can be counselled and retake the test. Well, my name was the first one called out and I was really nervous. My heart was pounding excessively, noticably out of my chest in my opinion, and I went and took a seat next to my instructor. He told me to relax and congratulated me because I was the very first one with positive results back on my test. I PASSED!!! He had me help him type in the rest of the class info, person by person, to check how everyone else had done. When all was said and done we had about a 68% pass overall in our class and an astounding 74% or so pass rate company-wide.

I felt so much relief and didn't have to worry about studying to retake the test. Its an honest blessing that I've done as well as I have and I only continue to keep this habit up. Now don't go thinking I've grown out of my procrastination phase that I had throughout school and college... I still wait til the end sometimes to get things done and to study. This time though I think I had a greater motivation than I ever have had in the past: Katie and Caleb. They've been my deciding factor and personal drive the entire time I've been gone and they are obviously doing me well. Not only do I have them but I had great instructors too that really made things easy to understand and always went out of their way to help me understand what I wasn't quite grasping.

I'm one happy man and excited to move on and see what else is out there for me. Just a few short weeks left to go and I'll be back home where I belong! Or so I thought... but thats a different story for a different time. Lets just say it all began with the weekend after the NREMT test and I'll fill ya in soon enough...

Home for the Holidays

After four and a half months I finally have the opportunity to return home and spend some much needed time with my sweet little family! Its been a day I've been looking forward to since the day I shipped off for basic training on August 6th. What I hated about that day was the Army's way of going about their busisness... their "hurry up and wait" business. My flight took off at 0730 that morning and I had to be up and downstairs, ready to go, at 0330 that morning. There was plenty of standing around and too much waiting before th bus finally came to take us to the airport. Don't worry... I got plenty of sleep on the way home.

I arrived in SLC right on time and caught up with my recruiter at the baggage claim area. My luggage was one bag but it was pretty darn heavy with everything I had put in it. Luck was on my side and the bag didn't show up. One less thing for me to have to lug around. It showed up later that night though. So that delayed me some to getting home and catching up with my wonderful family. Katie kept calling and asking where I was and I just told her I was on my way and I'd get to the school as quickly as I could. I arrived there around 1300 hours (1pm) and went straight in to go catch Katie but was quickly intercepted by her room mom and another mother helping out with the class on the last day before vacation. All of Katie's kids were excited to see me, at least to my knowledge, and were as anxious as Katie was. After all the introductions in the hallway I walked in while my sweetheart was in the middle of reading a story to her class. She immediately stopped, lips trembling, and walked across the room to give me the greatest hug of my life!

After hanging out in the classroom for a few minutes, my sweet Katie gave me the boot. Not because I had been naughty or anything but because I had to go dress up as St. Nick himself! Katie got me caught up in that a day or two before I came home saying no one else would do it so I told her, if it would make her and the class happy, I'd happily succumb to her wishes and dress up in the great big Santa suit. As you are all well aware I don't have an excessively obese body so fitting in that suit was quite hysterical. I finally got everything fitted on me and was given two not so plump pillows to fold in half and stuff in my pants to look like I had a big belly (that big belly looked pretty square at the bottom of my chest where the corners stuck out like sore thumbs). As I walked down the hall I was delighted to make so many children happy. I waved at some, hugged others, and wished them all a Merry Christmas as they all stared at me (and my fake belly) in awe. What a treat! Once I entered the classroom I was surrounded not by students but by giggles and pointing fingers. Yes, they knew it was me and YES I really looked ridiculous in my outfit but we all had a great time making fun of me. Once we all settled down I sat and began to read The Polar Express and added some of my own commentary to keep the kids smiling and to keep things silly. Once I finished I handed out bells to all the students and retreated to the office where I could change once again. I noticed a dramatic change as I was leaving though... my jolly belly had been reduced by sinking pillows and as I quickly made my way down the hall I ended up with thunder thighs as I was changing back into my uniform that I had arrived in. Fun was had by all... to say the least.

After all that excitement I returned back to the classroom. We hung out for a bit longer before Katie's colleagues told her not to stay another hour (when school would be out) and that they would watch her class for her. With that we went home and just relaxed for a little bit. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it felt to lie in a comfortable bed again and take a shower knowing that I wasn't fighting for hot water every second of the day.

We then went to Caleb's daycare to go pick him up for the day. The little man had no idea that he had a surprise, me, waiting when he came out. Katie went in to go pick him up and handed our video recorder to the owner of the daycare while I hid behind the door. The camera started rolling as soon as we heard Caleb and Katie talking and coming towards the door. As soon as he came through the door and saw me he went absolutely still and quiet and just stared at me. I about broke down but said instead, "Hi, Caleb. Its me. Remember your daddy?" As soon as I had said that he through his arms in my direction, climbed into my arms and gave me the second biggest hug of my life! Man, its good to be home! He then started talking to me about the stuffed dragon behind me hanging from the ceiling and anything else he could point out to me. I'm absolutely thrilled to see how much this boy has learned since I've been gone. He knows his ABCs, can count up to 10, speaks in full sentences (that Katie has to translate for me from time to time) and is more sociable and fun to be around. We all went home after that to enjoy a little bit of time together as a snowstorm was trying to bust down our front door.

To end the evening, we went to Salt Lake and had dinner with a bunch of Katie's colleagues and enjoyed their company and some great food at Johnny Corino's (an Italian restaurant). We enjoyed a wonderful family conversation on the drive home (while Caleb talked and watched his movie on the drop down DVD player) and ended the day by snuggling into bed... knowing full well that I could actually sleep in the following morning which I did.

Most of the days that followed were of all of us just hanging out at home and enjoying one another's company. If it wasn't that we were out eating dinner, enjoying massages (that we both happily needed) and watching movies. The first Tuesday back we left Caleb at our house with three girls that Katie had taught in her class in the past and had ourselves a great date. We went and got an hour long massage... that was absolute heaven. Afterwards, we made it to the theater just in time to catch Twilight. It was good and followed the story well enough but Katie and I talked about it on the way home and thought that the next movie in the series could use a much better director and make the story much more appealing. The movie lacked too much quality that the book had the acting really was subpar. It was a movie we had wanted to see though and we were happy to have watched it all the same. After arriving at home we left Caleb with David (Katie's brother who had flown in to stay with us for a month) and drove the girls back home. When we got back we were tired and ready to hit the sheets. Before I did I decided to check on Caleb and I'm very glad I did. During the time that he'd been sleeping he had turned his bottle over in bed and drenched his bed and himself in apple juice. Needless to say he was somewhat awake and pretty darn cold. I got him out of bed, at his protests, and changed him so he would get warm and took him to our room to sleep. Once comfortable again he settled down and quickly went to sleep again! Before going to bed, I stripped his bed and through everything into the washing machine to have it ready to be made in the morning.

Wednesday came and nearly ended without us having done much except, as usual, enjoy the company of family and make the best of my time at home. We went to the mall later in the afternoon where we bought a new GPS system for David for Christmas and stood in line for far too long so Caleb could see Santa. He was so excited to see him and had to find ways to keep an eye on him while we were in line. As we were about 5 or 10 minutes from getting to Santa, the little man finally crashed. It was nearly 4pm and well past his naptime. We tried waking him but he'd just nod off again. Once we got to Santa we had the video recorder rolling and woke Caleb up. Our excited boy became cranky and just started crying in Santa's lap. Santa was so sweet as he tried to talk with Caleb and settle him down, but to no avail. He also apologized about the super long line (we waited for nearly 2 hours) and we went home so Caleb could get a proper nap before we went out later in the evening. We started a new family tradition on Christmas Eve this year. Not only do we open our gifts of new pajamas on Christmas Eve but we decided that bowling would be another great diversion from Santa and restlessness the day before all the chaos hit home. We paid for two games and had a wonderful time with Caleb nearly beating everyone in his first game since he had gutter bumpers and we did a great job of aiming his ball each turn before he sent it sailing. Once we got home we went to get Caleb's bed made and Katie was very impressed with me when I showed her how to make the bed with hospital corners. It allows the sheets to be a bit snugger and a little harder to pull out from under the mattress during sleep. I'm just so happy to please and make her day any possible way that I can.

Christmas morning brought all of us lots of surprises and fun as we sat around the Christmas tree watching each other open gifts. Caleb received a lot of books and was elated to have gotten Horton Hear's a Who, Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda on DVD. He got some stocking goodies and immediately went to immersing himself in chocolate wrappers and shoving as much chocolate into his belly before breakfast. He was an absolute hoot. Katie received some books and a personalized heart with a message that I had inscribed on it basically telling her what I meant to her and how much she has done for me. I love her to death but thats no secret! ;) David got a stocking full of goodies and was happy with that and was more than happy to see what we all got. He made Katie's Christmas by getting us a combined present (mostly for Katie though) that would allow Katie to not have to worry about doing one of many chores around the house while I'm away. He got us a Roomba (now named Rosie) and she has happily vacuumed every floor in the house that Katie has put her in. Its pure entertainment seeing Katie's eyes sparkle with glee at that gift and to watch Caleb feed it goodies as it swept it all up under the vacuum and Dezi run around in fear trying to avoid another machine that she doesn't fully understand and just being a cute little coward at heart anyway. =) I got some movies, books and a stocking full of goodies too (as well as some other wonderful surprises) but was elated to find out that I had been spoiled by Santa by getting a Nintendo Wii. There was nothing had but fun for the rest of the day since that was the last gift opened. We played Super Mario Party 8, Mario Kart, Wii Sports and eventually went out and splurged a bit more by getting the Wii Fit and an exercise game for Katie and a Zelda game for me. What an awesome day... too bad it all ended all too fast.

The rest of the holiday started flying after that since one week had already passed. We spent all our time with one another making the most of the time we had. Katie's dad came to stay with us for a few days along with his two younger children (one angel and one hellion) and we enjoyed a family get together for the Birch family in Centerville.

The last few days came and we weren't too excited about my departure looming over us. I must say though that I couldn't have been happier enjoying my two weeks at home and enjoying the company of my family that had missed me and I them for way too long. If you want to know more about the departure please read Katie's blog about that final day.

I do want my family to know that I love them with all of my heart and miss them terribly. We all know that what I'm doing will pay off in the long run and be very beneficial to the family once I get back home and find a better job than the one I'd left behind to join the Army. Three months is a very long time but will probably come and go in no time and I will get to rejoin my sweet little family back in Utah and not have to worry about going anywhere in the near future and they won't have to worry about me disappearing on them either. That day will be another sweet reunion that I look forward to but, until then, I remain focused here in San Antonio so I can pass my classes and prepare myself for my future while I eventually return home, provide for my family and prepare for all of our futures in the comfortable and wonderful confines of my own home surrounded by those that I love and that love me in return.