Two years ago today, I was at home watching Ben and on the telephone with Amanda, when I had a stroke. I have no recollection of the event, I had no pain, and in my mind (which was what was damaged) I even had no discernible symptoms. Ben and I were just hanging out as neighbors began banging on the door and a bunch of firemen showed up.

It is funny to me how something I do not remember has changed my life so much. Sure I remember the days in the hospital, the “mystical camel of healing” that Steph and Scott got me as a joke that I still have, and of course the “stroke patient” key chain they got me that I still use, but on which the words have been long worn off. I also remember the blessings of my staff, family, friends and other coaches who really stepped up and were there for us.

What I do not want to focus on are the things I do not remember, the effects on my memory or the things that pop up from time to time. I worked hard to get by things, and often still do. This blog in fact was a big part of my rehab. I had started it a few month prior to the stroke, and it was to be about something completely different…but since I was struggling with reading and writing at the time, it became a daily therapy which I obviously still practice to this day.

The real blessing of this day is that now when I act crazy or forget something I can blame it on a medical excuse…..a blessing indeed! But in truth, I am thankful it actually happened, and I really mean that. It changed me, and though I sometimes still struggle, it has all been for the better.

So happy anniversary to me! I am blessed that we can all be a part of it too. Every day is a gift from God, and I know that today, perhaps more than anyone.

God Bless you!

Tommy+

My daughter Stephanie has a group of friends, many of whom play lacrosse, who Amanda and I have had the pleasure to get to know. They are over a lot, they never knock or are expected to, and they are some of the finest young women I have ever known. BUT in all honesty, all of them need to be in rehab, not for anything like drinking or drugs, but for the bizarre addiction they all have for making cakes.

I really do not know why it started, nor do I understand it. I know initially Amanda was involved, but they have really worked hard to muscle her out. The cakes they make are quite creative AND TASTY, but it is funny that it doesn’t matter if there are five of them or two of them, they seem to love it. Another year from now they will all be in different places, but I expect when they are home to see them here, even if Steph is not home, baking cakes so I can screw up my diet.

Tonight it is Steph and Katie. They are both remarkable lacrosse players, and are doing homework in between cooking (also quite normal FOR THEM). I will miss this weirdness next year I am sure. But for now I am loving it. Amanda, if she were here, would be loving it too. Lord knows what kind of cake is on its way…..I only know it will be good!

Goodnight and God Bless from the home of the Cake Bosses!
Tommy+

Well, the four of us have survived school, work, lacrosse practices, a babysitter, and two girls lacrosse games, which I am happy to report we won. The odd part is that from the sidelines I could not hear her yelling (she calls it cheering), but that is probably because she is in England for work till late Wednesday night.

Now that I am thinking about the day, I am realizing how very I tired I am and should be! I went to bed after midnight and was up at 3:30. I had her delivered to the airport and was home before the kids had to go to school. I have been going ever since too…….suddenly I am feeling tired!

At least I have the satisfaction of knowing it is later there….five hours later to be exact! Of course knowing Amanda she probably slept on the plane and anywhere else she could. AND, I am sure she has been asleep in her hotel for hours.

So for now we will just celebrate her arrival in England and the the survival of a busy day. I just hope we can have a lot less to do….beginning with tomorrow morning!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+

Just as we were getting into the swing of things, as quick as she arrived she was packing to leave. Yep, Amanda and Stephanie got home, played with Ben, and then Stephanie was off to work this afternoon and evening at CVS, and Amanda is packed and ready to leave for the airport at 4am to fly to England for work. It seems as if we have all hardly even talked, and now it will be just like next week, except of course for Steph, who we actually suspect is being left to rat us out if we do anything bad. But for 24 hours at least we were all in one place, and all under one roof. It was good while it lasted!

Tomorrow I will have Amanda dropped off and will have returned home before the kids even leave for school. And we (the kids and I) will have a whirlwind couple of days before picking her up again at midnight on Wednesday night. Our life is often like that, and I suppose we might not know how to handle it if it were sedentary.

But for now I need to call it a night. Tomorrow morning is getting closer with every minute, and I want to make sure I have the energy to make it through the entire day.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yep, Amanda and Stephanie arrived home this afternoon to the awaiting arms of a very happy Ben. I am sure, not as a reflection of what he sees in our character, but from them being away so long, that we had probably sold them to gypsies. But alas, they walked in the door and his world was right once again.

I will say it has been a long week and will be a long day tomorrow, so this is as long as this post will be tonight. Tomorrow will be shortened too with Amanda’s flight to England leaving at 6 in the morning.

So goodnight my friends and God Bless. I hope you had a great day!

Tommy+

Tonight, for our last “boy’s night out” before the girls get home, we decided to either go ice skating again or take Ben to his first real movie……..we decided upon the latter. Not much for kids was playing, so our best bet was the new picture called “How to Train Your Dragon.”

I RARELY go to movies, and only a couple of times before with a toddler, because toddlers in my experience are often like Notre Dame football…..you never know what you are going to get on any given day. What made Scott and I quite pleased that out of the roughly 90 or so people in the theater, about a third were young kids. This really did look to be a win for both of us!

And if you read this blog at all, you know that I am not just a coach and former athlete, but that I have a highly competitive spirit……I like to come in #1. But coming in #1 for the most disruptive toddler was a trophy neither Scott or I intended to, or was trying to, win. Ben however apparently was….and did, not in a real bad way, it was just stressful to me. In the end though it was a success, and the dragon AND Ben all fared well.

Tomorrow will be filled with lacrosse and the preparation of the arrival of the ladies. Not that it will matter that Scott and I are here. Women still apparently like the bad boys, the James Dean types, the rebels…..you know, the ones that fight you for your soda and popcorn in the crowded movie theater.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+

I do not know what it is about today, but I am exhausted and with no help tonight either. Ben and I came to bed at about 8pm because I could not see straight, and he was clearly not ready to go. So, as a compromise as we lay here in bed, we had to watch the worst show for children ever….”Little Einsteins.”

Little Einsteins is about four children, who without any parental supervision, solve the world’s problems with art, music, diversity, and liberal naivety that drives me up a wall. A military jet is often the villain, and it is always played opposite the children’s “rocket” that is fueled by children clapping, patting their laps, or shaking their hands.

Of course in my limited mind, I wonder where they got a rocket in the first place, and why it would be good for a child to fly one…….even Scott had to wait till 15 to get his permit for a CAR. Lord know what he would do with a rocket. And what kinds of kids know all the classical composers and art and get all excited about the word “adagio.” I guess parents must think that their kids will be smarter, geniuses in fact, from watching cartoons of such amazing classical content. After all, as I am typing this, Leo “the conductor” just helped a group of cows moo to the tune of Beethoven’s 9th symphony……watch out Julliard……there are a lot of kids coming your way!

But I am just trying to endure the night. My head hurts and I am tired. Ben apparently has neither problem. Of course just a few more of these cartoons and he will probably be able to fix me up without even an MRI. I suppose it was a good investment (that I incidentally did not make). I just wish it had more of a sedating effect….for him that is….I am wiped out already.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

The problem about Ben when his schedule changes is that everything around him needs to change as well. So at 7:30 tonight he and I are now up in my room, in MY bed, trying to get him to bed. It is WAY too early for me, and quite frankly it may be too early for him as well, but it seemed to make sense at the time.

And though he is a bright boy, and amazing every day in his own way, a few minutes ago as we were here and I was typing away I heard thunder. I quickly clicked on the weather icon of my computer and looked at the approaching storm and said out loud, “it looks like we are going to get hammered.”

It was one sentence with many meanings, although I meant we are going to get hit hard by the approaching storm. But Ben was suddenly convinced we would be building something, and apparently building something right now. At just two years old, I was glad to see he wasn’t suddenly excited about drinking till we couldn’t see straight, so for now I will enjoy his innocence. I however was not enjoying his delay tactics. He was in his pajamas, he was under the covers, and this was not his first rodeo. He KNEW he was going to bed, and just took the construction road because he thought he could. Too bad for him! I hope he is asleep before the storm.

But he and I are probably more alike than I would care to admit. Tonight I just want him to be different, and not a screw-off like every Tirman male that has ever lived. I suppose I do not have much of a chance, because the Lord gives us just what we deserve. He is here in the dark, laughing, and trying to stand on his head. I probably do not have a chance!

Goodnight my friends (from this apparent circus) and God Bless!
Tommy+

Generally we boys behave here at home unsupervised, but Ben is proving himself to be more of a rebel than any of us previously. He pushes the limits and then laughs. You want to dole out some punishment for it, and he makes you laugh. We decided at a boy’s family meeting today that we will just all move out before Amanda and Steph return from Florida on Saturday. It will be a lot easier than taking blame for all the destruction here.

But we all will readily admit that we are having fun. Sure it’s not Florida, but it is 80 and sunny and we have been able to get outside a couple of times to play. Holy Week and Easter Day are now passed, as well as my trip up to Fort Wayne yesterday and today, so after a catch-up workday tomorrow at home, I should be able to get some fun time with the boys. It will be a great opportunity to rejuvenate for me!

But for now I will re-adopt my current role of “Border Collie” at my house and work to keep Ben “penned in.” It is only Tuesday, so thank God we still have some time to hire contractors to fix all the damage!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+

Tonight I watched my beloved Butler Bulldogs in the National Championship Game from the comfort of my aunt and uncle’s living room here in Fort Wayne. It was a great game, and was really like stepping back in time with me considering the company….it was that we were just watching the Bulldogs play basketball, rather than the Chicago Bears play football.

But what made it even more special was to watch my Alma Mater (BA, Religion 1984) play in such an important game. It really made me proud, not just because we accomplished so much in basketball this year, but because it is such a great school and I am blessed to be a part of the Butler Family. My dad was an administrator there for 20 years and my brother and sister actually go there…..Mike is a junior and Anna is a freshman. It is an amazing place, and far more than just for basketball.

When I used to live in Ohio I would help recruit students in NE Ohio by calling them and telling them about Butler and answering their questions. Now that I live right by the university that type of thing is no longer needed, though I certainly would if they asked. I am a fan when they are in the tourney and when they are not, I have plenty of Butler t-shirts, jackets and polos, and I proudly display a shiny Butler plate on the front of my car.

But like most alumni of Butler, I am not just this way when we do well in basketball, it is because Butler is a place I believe in. And I didn’t put much thought into going there, I just did because my dad worked there. That was a big sign that God was looking after me.

But if there is anything I could get across in tonight’s blog it is this…..Butler is a great place to attend university. I was blessed by the experience and it made the whole NCAA tourney a lot of fun.

Never underestimate a Bulldog…..heart means a lot and all of us have a big one!

Goodnight from Fort Wayne (thanks Aunt Barb and Uncle Dave) and God Bless you all!

Way To Go Bulldogs!

Tommy+