Ricky Bobby

Ricky Bobby
If you ain't first you're last

Monday, May 17, 2010

Stinky



These days I feel like I've been pulled into a whirlpool and sucked down into the sea....days are clicking by and years streaking past. Just five days ago I posted on Christy's birthday, and today we have Nick turning 19....what the heck happened? Where did it go? I bent over to change a 3 month old's diaper, and when I got done he was a 19 year old man. And he still don't smell much better. As Christy left home it just seemed a natural process we didn't think about too often. But here now, our baby is ready to fly. I'm NOT ready for this.

Nick was not so different from Christy growing up. He was every bit as challenging, every bit as mule headed and every bit as ornery. As a matter of fact, I could just go back to the last post and exchange Nick's name for Christy's to this point in his life and have a reasonable expose' on him....we just don't yet know where he'll go from here or what person he's going to become. Of course Christy has given us hope for both of these boys....but the jury's still out on both of the guys. Nick's tree will just have to bear it's own fruit. There's not much more wisdom a Mom and Dad can impart from here; that hay is already in the barn. He's not so young that we can't leave him home and know he'll take care of himself....but he's not so old that we don't come home and find Tilena's car parked sideways in the garage either (a good story for another day).

We just continue to pray and hope. Nick's remained faithful to Christ so far. Always in Church and regular in Dad's sunday school. Jesus is an anchor that will always hold fast....if Nick just doesn't let go of the rope. Happy birthday Nick-Nick. We love our baby.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Yeah, But



My Christy.....Happy Birthday Love.

One hard nut to crack that girl was. It was a challenging road; there were days I even wondered silently if I had driven off the cliff. There were days I would literally bang my head against the wall with pure frustration with that child. Her Mother taught her well how to push buttons...(that's a story for another day). I'll never forget day one with her....my shins still feel the bark of that little wooden bat. At times she could be the most obnoxious, ornery, mule headed, belligerent, cantankerous, impertinent, malicious, argumentative(X2) and devious brat created under Heaven....But somewhere between then and today, she would take that bat and stand between me and the world.

It was nothing I ever did to deserve it mind you. I just didn't know how to go about it. She just grew in heart and mind....eventually teaching Daddy Don a lesson about love on the way. She became the daughter she didn't have to be...and taught me to be the Dad I didn't know how to be. I wish I had appreciated her as much in the earlier years as I do today. The impertinence has given way to loyalty, obnoxious settled into unequaled devotion. The mule headedness and argumentativeness may never have completely subsided....but a gal's gotta be who a gal's gotta be. Otherwise she just wouldn't be my gal now would she?

Christy, I love you dearly....thanks for the lessons. Happy Birthday...