Thursday, November 1, 2012

Happy Anniversary!!







Just wanted to wish my lovely wife a happy 15 year anniversary today! It seems as though time has flown by! We have grown together, experienced so many things together as a couple. I often wonder if all marriages are like the one that I've experienced.

Here's to 100 more years of wedding bliss and happiness

Cheers!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Life Experiences


I realized that on Saturday that my kids have been missing out on one of life's simple pleasures: Going to Krispy Kreame when the 'Hot Now' sign is lit. So Saturday evening, we drove to Marietta and as luck would have it, the sign was lit. Once we entered, their eyes glazed over much like the hot doughnuts in the back. So many choices! I had them each pick out two doughnuts they wanted and we sat there and ate them inside. For the road, we bought a dozen hot, glazed doughnuts which have since been devoured :-)

It's been a good couple of weeks. My desire to write is returning however, my desire to live life is much stronger. Lately, I have had a few disappointments in myself as well as in other people. But you're not living if disappointment never occurs. My goal for the remainder of the year, is to get out and meet more people. I've yet to find anyone who wants to take in the Atlanta live music scene with me. For now, I'm content with going alone and hoping to meet someone at a local live show.

It's the start of yet another workweek. I am wearing my Superman underwear with the objective of saving the world from itself! Until then...

- AJ

Monday, August 6, 2012

One Chapter Closed, Another to Begin



*scratching my head* Guess you gotta walk a mile (or three) in their shoes in order to understand their actions. It's out of my hands and I have no choice but to move on.

Sooo, this week is my hell week. I have them about every 5-6 weeks. I'm on call and my phone buzzes non-stop at all times of the day (and night). I won't have time to sulk since I have to be on point this week.

Hey ya'll!!!! Did you miss me!?!?!?!?!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Driving, Dating, Eating...


So the Memorial Day weekend had it's fair share of highlights, both good and bad. Friday at noon started with me picking up the rugrats from school so that they could finish packing for our roadtrip to North Carolina for a family reunion. Once they were packed, the missus returned home from work so that we could pack their things in the car and get the hell outta Dodge. Well, leaving Dodge wasn't that easy. There was an accident on I85 4 miles north of 285 that had everything at a standstill. Not knowing there was an accident, we got off on I285 at Chamblee-Dunwoody and took backstreets to I85. It was there that we discovered the problem. 1 hour later, (approximately 6 miles total), we got around the accident and were on our way.

The plan was to drive to Charlotte and sleep overnight. Bad idea! There was a NASCAR race in Charlotte this weekend (skip that idea!). So we ate in Charlotte (wonderful Mexican place called Cinco De Mayo near Concord Mills Mall in Concord, NC) and decided to drive to Greensboro to find a hotel and crash. Not only were we able to find a hotel, but we found it cheap (40 bucks!). So we decided to get two rooms, one for the kids, one for us, so that we could have some 'private' time sans kids. We told the kids that the plan was to wake up by 7:30, pack, be dressed, and ready by 8:30. We received a phone call from them at 8:15am indicating they were packed, dressed, and ready to continue on (gotta love my kids!!).

So, we drove to Henrico, NC for the family reunion. It was approximately 2.5 hrs from Greensboro. We got there around 11:30AM just as many were pulling up. Because this is my wife's family, most of these people I don't know. So you do what every member of a family married into it does: SMILE....A LOT! It was great to see some familiar faces as well as learn a few new faces and look to see how big the kids have grown since the last family reunion.

So we left, Henrico, NC around 5:30 PM on our way to Hampton/Newport News, VA to visit wife's aunt and grandfather. Hampton is about 2 hours from Henrico, NC. My wife's aunt (wife's father's sister) is dealing with cancer and rounds of radiation/chemotherapy. She's lost about 50 lbs, but her spirit is really strong and to see that is encouraging. We ate apple pie for dinner (I had a beer as well), visited her grandfather briefly, before we off to sleep for a early morning departure of 6:00 AM Sunday morning.

The 5:00 AM alarm buzzed and I was not ready to budge. Driving that distance takes a lot out of you. But I was really looking forward to my Sunday evening plans :-) So we got up, and were on the road by 6:00 AM. What's funny about all of this, my wife is not a morning person. However, she was up and ready to take on the world. I guess a date with her boyfriend is what it takes to motivate her (lol I'll keep that in mind for future reference). But we arrived in Atlanta at 3:30 PM.

Before I could take our two bags out of the car, she was already in the house showering in preparation to leave again. I fell asleep and never heard her leave (lol). However, I had my own date to prepare for. So I did a little work in preparation for the upcoming week in the office, showered, and even gave myself a homegrown edge. I thought about shaving but didn't see the point because 1) I shaved Friday morning and 2) I don't grow hair all that fast on my face. I did get in a quick workout to get the pheromones pumping through my body.

The date with W could not have gone any better. I picked her up and we went to a coffee house in downtown Decatur. We won't discuss me walking into the yogurt shop next door, but it was entertaining. We discussed everything, her past relationships, my days as a swinging couple, how the missus and I progressed toward polyamory, our needs/wants/desires and all types of scenarios we might encounter. It seems as though we both really like each other and respect our differences enough not to make the other too uncomfortable. I just hope for me, personally, that I can be someone positive to influence and enhance her relationship with her husband. And from the sounds of our discussions on Sunday, I think I have become that positive influence :-)

So why the picture of the soup? One of the many discussions with W was about the fact that she is not a great cook. She'd probably kill me for putting this here, but oh well. She mentioned the fact that she likes to make various types of soups (and the light goes on for everyone). It was at that time I remembered I had a couple of  ham bones in the freezer and wanted to thaw one  . So from the moment she mentioned making soup, I've had ham and bean soup on the brain. So as I type this entry, the smell of ham and bean soup in the crockpot permeate throughout my home. If you're interested, I'll list the base ingredients used to make the soup:

1 Ham bone with some meat on it
1 lb of dry great northern beans (soak the dry beans overnight in a pot for 6-8 hrs)
1 qt of water
1 qt of chicken broth
1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1-2 carrots sliced
1 minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 bay leaves
1 spring of rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon of dry rosemary
1-2 basil leaves or 1/4 teaspoon of dry basil
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cover with lid and turn on high to cook for 4-5 hrs or low for 8-10 hrs.

That's all I have for now. I hope W realizes that the meal my wife and I consume tonight was inspired by her. I see a wonderful future with her and look forward to more great dates and conversations.

- MSS

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Musings of a Suburban Dad

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Welcome back! It's been a great weekend, but I wanted to take the time to discuss someone near and dear to me. My daughter, of course! She is soon to be 11 years old, and she loves her daddy. It seems lately, that we have spent more time together than we have in the past. Part of that is due to the fact that my wife now works Saturdays, so I'm responsible for all of those weekend activities (practices, birthday parties, sleepovers, etc...). It's okay, really. This is just payback for all those business trips in which I wasn't involved and forced her to manage and deal with.

About two weeks ago, our subdivision had a Reopening the Pool Party in which they handed out keycards to gain entry into the pool. Of course, the kids were really excited about the pool reopening and looked forward to some cool fun. We have one problem though; My daughter has grown 5 inches in the past 9 months. As a result, her bathing suit doesn't fit! Arrghhh!! Of course, my wife reminds me of this 'problem' on Friday evening knowing full well, she will be unable to do it. So I sit my daughter down to discuss the 'mission' and what the parameters are. My rules were pretty simple. They went something like the following:
  1. It must cover your entire butt
  2. You will not show cleavage
  3. Your top will not be padded to give you more than you have
  4. Overall, you must still look your age and not 6 years older
So the first stop along the way was Target. We saw several bathing suits we liked (many more I didn't like) and we found 3 that she wanted to try on. About 10 minutes later, she walks out with a silly grin. The conversation with something like:

Me: What's wrong?
Her: Hmmm...They didn't fit
Me: What do you mean, they didn't fit?
Her: The bottom to these were smaller than my underwear.
Me: They were a women's medium. That can't be.
Her: (((shrug)))
Me: (((Blank stare)))
Me: Let's go to the next store

So we went to Justice...Yeah, that was a waste of time (lol). The next store we stopped in was Kohls. The selection at Kohls was satisfying. But of course, she could only wear the swimsuits in the women's department (in case you haven't figured it out, my daughter at almost 11, has curves like a 16 year old). So we find a few bathing suits with both small and medium bottoms, and several different tops. After 5 minutes, she calls for me to come back to see one that she likes. She opens dressing room door...

I'm starting this next paragraph because there are some things a dad should not see/experience. A dad should not have to experience his daughter's first period (check, didn't experience that!). Also, a dad should not experience his soon to be 11 year old daughter's cleavage. Yep! I said it. I walked through the dressing room doors and saw my daughter's boobs. She was embarrassed, I was embarrassed. My first words to her were "That top is not going to work. I will find you another top with less cleavage and one that you will feel comfortable in". And I immediately walked out the door.

So back to the racks of bathing suit talks we go. After 15 minutes of searching, I find one tankini top that just so happens to be in her size (hallelujah!!). By the way, the entire time, all I'm thinking about is purchasing a shotgun (lol). This is my baby girl! I held her like a football when she was days old, she slept on my chest when she wouldn't sleep at night, she puked on me when I would set foot into the house after a long day of work. Her first words as a toddler were "touchdown" (lol). She was truly a girl after her daddy's heart. And now I have to deal with the maturation of her becoming a young lady. I'm soooo not ready for this!

So I take the tankini back to her along with a different style bottom. She tried them both on and asked me to take a look. I opened the door and was happy to see my little girl, in a bathing suit, looking like a 10 year old girl (YES!!). The tankini covers her appropriately and she felt comfortable in it. The bottom covered everything and she liked it. SCORE!! Dad wins by a TKO!

The pool party was a resounding success! My youngest boy and girl were quite happy to see their friends and cool off in the hot Atlanta sun. The only unfortunate thing is that I was stung by a wasp while at the pool on my thigh. A 8 year old kid told me to 'suck it up', so I did (lol). However, the best thing that came from that day was the smile from my daughter's face as she splashed, played in the sun and surf. I think in the end, she figured out that shopping with her old man isn't so bad after all. In fact, something tells me when it's time to shop for a prom dress, daddy will get the call :-)

Friday, May 4, 2012

Cinco de Mayo


Another weekend is here. It seems as though I live to get to Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The other days of the week don't really matter because they are so jam-packed with work, and other responsibilities. Yet another weekend is here, one of which I will find reason to celebrate.

The plan is to hit up a metro Atlanta favorite, the Vortex. Since it's cinco de mayo weekend, we figure all the Mexican restaurants will be jumping, which means patrons will forget about this spot. They have great burgers, wings and they pour quite well. Their signature burgers are the single, double, and tripe coronary bypass. The coronary bypass is plenty of burger for me as it's a half pound burger with 3 slices of cheese, 4 pieces of bacon topped with a fried egg (yum yum!!). It's definitely a heart attack on a platter, but this is why I work out as hard as I can do to afford the calories and fat to eat one of these once a year :-)

My tales of searching for the significant secondary relationship, this week it's on the upswing. I've had a few, positive emails however, there is one in particular that I'm pretty excited about. She's currently not in the state, but will be moving due to a job relocation the end of this month. I'll keep you informed on the outcome.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Tomorrow is my father's birthday. And from his birthday until Memorial Day, I tend to get a bit nostalgic about my dad's mother. She passed away when I was 12 of a form of leukemia. Often, I feel misunderstood by everyone, but she seemed to understand all my quirky ways. Since her passing, the only person that really 'gets' me has been my wife. But even still, she's unable to follow at times.

The last few weeks have been strange, to say the least. I added an OKCupid account (shrug) to see if anyone would be interested in hanging out with a married guy to take in some live music, new restaurants, etc. Needless to say, I'm getting a little weird about things. Call it a "something's not right feeling", but something just isn't right. If I start writing poetic verses and haikus, please check me into the nearest mental facility :-) I hope it's just my nerves and nothing to worry about.

Guess I'll finish watching Ghostbusters II on Netflix. It's a lonely night in Kansas until the missus gets home.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Spring Break


The past two weeks have been a blast! My actual birthday was 2 weeks ago today, but due to time and other commitments, I was unable to really celebrate until much later. There's another friend of mine whose birthday is 6 days after mine. We decided to corral a few folks for a trip to Holeman and Finch. If you have never heard of it, google it. They have the best hamburger in the world (yes, the world!)! We enjoyed 15 dollar hamburgers, great drinks, and awesome conversation among friends.

Since this week is Spring Break, the missus and I have been enjoying quiet evenings at home, without kids. I drove them to my parents home last Friday and came back to town the following Saturday. We love our kids, but the time spent with the missus has been priceless. We've done nothing extravagant, but to come home, have take-home Chinese and watch movies. It's been a great week and unfortunately, will be winding down in a few days :(

My son yesterday, posted a FB status that said the following: "No matter what people say, money can buy happiness". Obviously as a teenager, he hasn't had a chance to experience life broke or with money considering he lives with me. And as his father, we make sure he has the items necessary to grow and learn. We make choices about 'extras' he can have. For example, he doesn't have a cell phone and that is by choice with me and my wife. He has a playstation, but again, that is by choice.

Looking back over my 35+ years of life, the best time I've ever had was when I lived on 80 bucks a month while in college. I was BROKE as a JOKE (LOL)!! But I was happy, I was carefree. I wasn't living the dream however, I wasn't sure what the dream was. And then I started working full-time, got married, purchased home, bought cars, had kids, and BAM!! As quickly as you make the money, it runs through your fingers like sand at the beach. But the key, is that despite all these possessions, I am not happy. It's too much to keep up. The house requires repairs, the subdivision your home is in has a Homeowners Association that fines you when you don't keep up with maintenance of your home and landscape.

I'll be the first to say, I have a wonderful life. But at the moment, I am looking to downsize it. I've begun making short and long term goes to begin downsizing it. Ultimately, I have discovered what my dream is, but will be unable to begin to accomplish it until the kids have graduated from high school. I won't voice what that dream is, but involves being a free spirit and lots of water :-)

Anyway, that's all for now. The missus and I have a few more days of freedom before we have to drive to go get the rugrats. Feel free to comment. I would love to hear your thoughts :)

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Another Year of Celebration


Good evening friends. I am less than 3 hours from celebrating another born day. Happy 21st birthday to me! Okay okay, I'm celebrating an anniversary of my 21st birthday. But more importantly, this is my second blog in less than a week. I really am working hard to be a little more responsible at putting my thoughts in writing, but not so much to stop enjoying life.

I have a few days off to enjoy my birthday. One of the first things I promised myself many moons ago was to take my birthday off to enjoy. The first birthday after I started working full-time, was a disaster and as a result, I vowed to take my birthday off. I haven't been consistent with this practice, but here I am and I'm successful today.

My kids bought me a nerf gun for my birthday. Little did we all know that the house would turn into our private battleground with nerf bullets flying all over the place! The nerf gun they purchased for me has bullets that whistle as it travels to its target! It's been a good day so far and tomorrow promises to be better with chili cheese dogs and onions on the menu for dinner. But more importantly, dessert will be fried apple pie with ice cream (yum!).

I'm not sure what the missus plans for me for my birthday. Maybe it involves something red, see-through and lacy? I'm quite easy to please as most men are.

If you don't hear from me for a while, it's only because I'm taking advantage of being a year older and getting free alcoholic drinks. But I'll check in next week. Holla!

Friday, March 16, 2012

New Beginnings


Yeah, so it's been 2 years since I've written anything here. You know what? I've been out living life, and the last few years have been awesome! I've since earned my black belt, I've coached two season of middle school football as well as 3 seasons of middle school lacrosse. My current season in lacrosse is going well and my team is having a fantastic season. We will continue to work hard and hopefully, we will be in a position to compete for a MAYLA championship in May.

The beauty about having a blog that is unpublished is that I can talk about anything. This week, my 'private manner' discussion would be my wife's obsession with rope. Yeah, i see the raised eyebrow you just made. And yes you heard it correctly. She's become fascinated with rope and the art of bondage. I would imagine most men would probably run for the hills if their wife wanted to tie them up. But remember, we are about 6 months away from celebrated our 15 year anniversary, I love this woman and will support her in all her endeavors, no matter how weird they might be. We've spent the last few days learning several knots that are used in bondage. She's practiced so much, a few of them she can tie in her hoodie pocket without even looking while she ties it.

I'm not sure what will become of it or where this will lead. All I know is that I'm supportive of her and will stand to probably be a beneficiary of her skill and knowledge (cheesy grin).

Hopefully, I will start posting more stuff here. By the way, I have birthday coming up, so I hope to receive lots of things (free trips to the Caribbean, money, a new motorcycle, college tuition for the kids, a rich girlfriend....LOL). Enjoy your weekend friends :-)