Tonight’s picture is of the chicken section of our local Hobby Lobby and is a tribute to the lovely and talented Stephanie Tirman, who is not just a great daughter, but who is VERY FOND of chickens…..just ask her…..but I digress.

Today however, I was able to do TWO very significant things….  One was to drive MY TRUCK down to St. Matthew’s in Nashville, Indiana where I was the Celebrant today and also delivered the sermon.  And since I have only driven it a couple of times since we got it because Scotty needs it to work, it sort of felt like a “date” with my truck……a date that ended far too soon!  Scotty leaves on the 21st and then we will grow to be tired of each other I am sure.

The second thing was having the opportunity to have a personal conversation with Scotty about many different things.  He was on leave for 10 days after graduation and is now working for the recruiter here locally.  But he is a US Marine, and his time is not his own.  Yes, I do know that I will be able to drive him to the airport and see him then, but other than that, there are NO guarantees.  He and the other Marines are told what and when to do what they do and they just do it.  So obviously any time I get to talk or see him is valuable to me.  I had a short bit of it today too.

But now that the day is done and Ben is in bed, I can get the opportunity to talk to my wife.  We live busy lives and they often are driven by circumstances beyond our control.  Soon enough it will just be the two of us, and it is often like that after Ben goes to sleep.  But the kids are all important to us, and like many before us, we struggle with them leaving the nest.

It too will pass though and in time new chapters of life will be revealed.  And I am looking forward to it too…….especially that long-term relationship I intend to carry on with my truck.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, tonight we were finally able to go out with both Scotty and Ben together.  We went to the Mexican restaurant in downtown Anderson, which has just recently changed its name.  Our very familiar waiters all looked a lot different now in white shirts and ties, but the food was great, the company was great, and it is ALWAYS great to take an occasional hiatus on the diet…..particularly there.

And Ben and Scott were in rare form.  They are just alike in so many ways and generally harass each other through ANY meal, but always when we are out.  Ben was wearing his glasses, because he is almost blind, but before you believe that remember he is also a pro football player, a scientist, a US Marine, and a variety of superheroes.  Yes, they indeed are just clear glass and when he takes them off, if he remembers, Helen Keller could be his guide.  He is most likely going to win an Oscar someday.  He is constantly in character, although with a plethora of personalities, it is more properly stated that THEY are always in character….meaning Ben.

But together the boys make quite a pair.  Scotty becoming a Marine has done nothing to indicate that perhaps he and Ben are not twins…..and any time together, particularly with an audience, verifies that they indeed are.

For Amanda and I however, it is ALWAYS fun.  We have just 9 more days with Scotty before he leaves, and we will all miss him, especially Ben.  After all, we all know how twins are.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, this is a picture (a few weeks old) of my new truck, which as I shared before is old, a 2006.  I got it when we traded in my little itty bitty 2009 Toyota Matrix the day before we left for San Diego to pick up Scotty.  And since Scotty has been home on leave and now working for the recruiter for 10 more days before heading back, I hardly see my truck……and I hardly see Scotty either.

And this is of course not what I envisioned on either count.  When we drove the truck home I just loved the feel.  I hated driving a car and it all just felt so right.  But without a car for Scott (we sold his car when he left for boot camp) he needed to drive something……my truck. I had and have driven it only a few times, and now I am back to driving (for 10 more days)………a CAR.

Now sure, you can say that my wife’s car is more than a car, after all it is an SUV.  BUT, as a gift to her before Christmas, I bought her a license plate for the front that I promptly put on……it says “Marine Mom.”  Yes I may no longer be driving a little itty bitty car, but apparently either I am showing my feminine side or being pretty dang cocky and edgy…..I will go with the latter.

But a few days back I had to “visit” my truck at the recruiting office in Noblesville.  As I pulled up, three Marines (one was Scotty) started to giggle and made sure they mentioned the plate.  Now I am not their boss, but I am an old dog, and with that comes experience.  So I asked them, but only if they would like, to trade vehicles with me so they could visit high schools and such in their Dress Blues in the Marine Mom Express.  It was almost as if I were their Drill Instructor.  Needless to say, I left with my wife’s car and her girly (but ISMC tough) plate.

So I am getting up at 6:00 am tomorrow to see my truck.  Yes, I will do all I can to see her.  I know it is just 10 more days, but I do miss her.   And with any luck, I may get to see my son Scotty as well.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I just didn’t know it, but in our family I am often the last to know.  But tonight on the way to Amanda’s work in order to pick her up (we are letting Scotty drive my truck as he is working for 11 more days with the recruiter) Ben shared some big news……  tomorrow, and by that I mean tomorrow, he told me we are getting a kitten and a puppy!

Apparently, according to Ben, our almost 9 year old dog and our already 9 year old cat need to experience the joys of parenthood.  Viper will raise the puppy, who we will call Max (it is a boy) and Puddy will raise the kitten, who we will also call Puddy, and the kitten will be a girl.

Of course I found this conversation far more fascinating than last week when he told me he was secretly playing football in Indianapolis for the Colts.  I was pretty sure that one wasn’t true, as we probably would have had to send a note to the school for him missing class for practices.  But this one was pretty good.  It was detailed and passionate.  It was, he reminded me, going to happen….tomorrow.  So I asked the question……..

“So does your mom know about this?”

“Well, no”…..and then the “buts”………

So I pushed it by saying, “you know mommy would not ever let you do that.”  And then asked, “do you want to get rid of her so you can have the puppy and kitten?”  And to my surprise he said a resounding “No.”  (good man!)

But then he said the biggest of all news……..”Daddy, we can send her to jail and get the pets, because at least in jail I can visit her.”

We will see what he does, but I changed the litter box tonight just in case…….

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Perhaps he will be an architect, I do not know, but this is a model of our house in “thistle-blocks” although it is not built to scale.  It was the product of many minutes of work by Ben and his assistant, “Mommy.”  At least he still calls her that…..half the time now he says to me, “Hey DUDE.”

But the house is quite impressive.  It actually shows a great deal of observation from our young architect, and he was really quite proud to show me all its features.

Yet it reminds me of Steph and Scott growing up, and how I always wondered and guessed what they would be.  US Marine wasn’t on my radar at that age for Scott, but I am guessing he will make a career out of it.  Steph, although always quite the egghead, was always a vet in both my mind AND HERS, yet gave that idea up some time ago.  Now she plays lacrosse for Lindenwood all over the country and in her spare time majors in Biochemistry and Mathematics.  I could make some guesses, but I think I will just wait to see where she lands.

In terms of Ben though I can say that the architect idea is really far more palatable than that of superhero, because with the latter, I am not sure where he would apply.

But for now we will just sit back and enjoy the ride.  Our house is nice, but not as personal to us as the model.  But both are home.

We have pretty great kids, and we are ALWAYS thankful for them.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+

Well as a life-long Notre Dame fan, I have to say I was deeply disappointed tonight by our loss in the National Championship game to Alabama.  Alabama is a great team, and the Fighting Irish just didn’t show up at the one point that they had to.

But tomorrow, I will still proudly wear my ND sportswear.  In my life, if you love something you stick with it, and Notre Dame is one of those things.  I love them when we are up, and I love them when we are down.  And this year shouldn’t be seen by the one game in which they played poorly.  It was an amazing year!

I live in Indiana and am alive because of Notre Dame.  My dad came to ND from Brooklyn, NY to go to college.  He got his Bachelor’s and Masters degrees from there and even taught there.  So it was the big local school and I spent a lot of time there.  I learned to play hockey on the rinks of the ACC there and loved it.  Yet when the time came to decide on colleges, it wasn’t even on my list…..a BIG MISTAKE at the time.  For like many young people, I couldn’t wait to get out of town and make my way on my own…..so I did.  Yes, even at that age I was a moron.  Yet ironically, I still consider it my hometown.

But I never stopped loving her!  My eyes well up and I still get goose bumps when the ND Victory March is played and the team takes the field.  AND, even if we would go 0-12 next year (which we won’t….we are going to get revenge next year and a National Championship) I will be rooting them on!

Congrats to my beloved Fighting Irish and to all that love them like I do.  It has been a great year, and like so many others, I am very proud!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, these are the three same people.  In the middle is a great family friend, Marsha Dragoo, who also happened to be Steph and Scott’s (also pictured in both) piano teacher.  Steph was a delightful piano student, learning my favorite song “Canon in D” in order to earn a trip for us to Disneyworld which I promised if she’d learn it (we went).  And Scotty was a total pain in the tail as a piano student, for although he seems happy in the picture, delivered a very reluctant and angry 8 second rendition of “Penguin Blues,” and then went back to his seat.  He HATED lessons, but he LOVED (and still loves) Marsha.  Ironically, Steph rarely ever plays, while Scotty (who dropped out of lessons shortly after the picture was taken) plays often and well…..including for the very church Marsha and her husband Dave attend.  Go figure.

But as you can see, both of the kids have grown a bit.  Marsha is the same nice, kind and wonderful person she always has been.  Scotty, although smiling and goofing off, is a US Marine and could probably kill you many different ways with a piano (or anything else for all that matters).  And Steph is a top NCAA lacrosse player, a defender who you would probably not like seeing come at you (she often plays in what looks like war paint).  But I will mention again……at least Marsha is still nice!!

But it was a fun thing to take the picture.  I think Marsha is the same height, so I am making an educated guess in saying the kids have grown just a wee bit.  Yet, it was cool to take, and perhaps we can trick Marsha out of retirement someday to deal with Mr. Ben…..after all it is tradition for her to deal with hopeless causes like our children.

Yes, Steph as an exclusive Tirman student

Steph is now back in Missouri and we will see her in a few months.  Ben goes back to school tomorrow.  Scotty, I think is still working for the recruiter in Noblesville for two more weeks before heading back to California.  And Amanda and I are just hanging out trying to stay ahead of it all.

But I did want to share the pictures.  Times are a-changin, and they make us smile. We have great kids and great friends…..and today was yet another reminder of the many blessings we have in our lives.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

No, this is not a ghost-post, but it is one that gives me a bit of anxiety.  Scotty is here for two more weeks (and he has my new truck for two more weeks as well) BUT Steph is heading back to Missouri tomorrow.  AND we do not have any idea as to when we will all be together again!  This is to say, LIFE, real life, has started….and as a parent it kind of sucks!!

But it has been a lot of fun.  Steph was home for about a week before we headed to California to see Scotty graduate, and now Scotty will be home a bit before heading back to California and parts unknown.  Ben has enjoyed it ALL, and in all honesty, so have we.  We have GREAT KIDS, and it has been a blast to be with them.  I think we are beginning to understand why God blesses you with grandchildren sometime after this, as the feelings that you have as they leave are proud, but not fun (or ultimately what you want!)

But we had a great time with them all today.  Steph, Amanda, and I had a great chat this afternoon, and we are so very proud of her.  She has 1.5 years left of school (maybe 2 if lacrosse slows her down and maybe 7 if heredity does) but Lord knows what she will become or who she will become.  But we are firmly behind her.

Scotty is back to California in two weeks and then to North Carolina for I do not know how long.  Ben, who is clearly the most bizarre of the bunch seems the one with the most answers.  If we do not sell him to the gypsies (many of whom are just family) we will have under our wings until at least 2025 when he graduates (hopefully) from high school.  And that is roughly 7 years past when I had PLANNED to retire.  (But do not worry…I have messed that up anyhow)

So tonight it is a big BOOOOOO.  Steph is leaving and my life is changing.  Let’s just pray that it all turns out okay!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

The “Original” Stephanie Tirman

Yep, had she not died in 2001, my sister Stephanie (for whom my daughter is named and who had a very close relationship with her before she died) would have been 50!  And although she was truly the toughest and bravest soul I have ever known, she DIED in 2001, most probably to escape my 50th birthday WRATH that I would have dished out TODAY.  And I must share with YOU tonight as she is no doubt cowering (and perhaps laughing) drinking margaritas with my sister Sarah and my mom in heaven (the “home office” as we priests call it).

But in all honesty, I do not just miss my opportunity to harass her or Sarah on their birthdays, I miss the opportunities I had to harass them everyday!  Sure, we were typical siblings, always at each other’s throats, but when it came down to the bottom line, we always had the other’s back.  I would never admit it when I was young, but I loved them both fiercely.

So Happy 50th Birthday Steph! (you old hag!)  I am a bit let down I cannot say it to your face, but I know you would take it in stride.  I miss you, and Sarah, and mom, and our grandparents, but I suppose in time I will see you all soon enough.

Sarah, Mom (Kay), and Steph

As a bit of blog-ending advice…….take the time to pay attention to those you love in your lives and let them know how you feel.  This life is temporal, and there are no guarantees about tomorrow……I know because I live it.  And if I had even an hour more with either sister, I would gladly make the most of it.

But for now I will settle for the memories of two sisters in heaven, and one on this day who has escaped my wrath…..the big chicken!

Happy 50th Birthday Steph.  I love you!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Wow, as the great Bugs Bunny would say, “What a Mar-roon!”  (translated = MORON)  For on just the SECOND day of the new year, I did not SKIP my post for the day, I instead completely forgot to do it!  Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to live into 2013, but in all honesty I am pretty worried about how it will be turning out…..after all, blogging was not one of my New Year’s Resolutions.  So let me try for today, January 3rd instead.

Today was actually sailing right along and going well as I saw it.  I was able to eat lunch with Ben and Steph at Chick-fil-A and then take Ben to his follow up appointment for his tonsils and tubes.  He did fine, and he nailed his hearing test (which he failed last time).

But the doc and I have talked quite a bit over these past few visits about how I failed my hearing test there a few years ago with his former partner, who has since retired.  As regular readers may remember, I passed a test this summer, which both surprised and elated me, but it was here in my house and not in the “booth” like at the doctors.

But I went into the booth, which is soundproof, with Ben and I noticed something I didn’t like.  I had LOUD ringing in BOTH ears the entire time.  Out with the noise, I do not notice it, but in there it was very irritating…..so I nonchalantly asked him about it. 

So in a little over a week I will nonchalantly meander back in and see about figuring things out.  My hearing really does not bother me (other than in that booth) because you cannot be bothered by things you cannot hear unless she hits you.  But it was a real surprise, because I am obviously having that go on ALL the time and in noise I do not hear it.  It doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t mean I need to wear hearing aids, but it did awaken my curiosity.  We will see what he says.

But the upside of the day was clearly the lunch.  And I like to go to Chick-fil-A, whether I can hear them or not.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+