Had a great time at your birthday party Coop...Happy Birthday! I hope that being 3 is the best year yet.

Your Mom does such a nice job with your party's.

We got you a new bike. It has training wheels, but you jumped right on and starting riding. You are an amazing little boy.

Knox, you are an eater. Everything that you see goes right into your mouth. You are also starting to identify things, and are learning new words everyday.

We also went to Thomas the Train last week. That was a fun day in the sun.

Memorial Day came and went...yard work this past weekend...new swingset.

Over to Aunt Kristen's for a cookout and a swim in the pool.

Lost a member of the Kent Community. Adam Hamilton was killed in Afghanistan. Brings a new meaning to Memorial Day for many around here.

Thanks for our Freedom Adam.


Pictures to follow...

Smile, today could be your last.

The White Boy From St. Croix...



This video was a pain in my ass. I struggled with the audio. Not the initial songs that I chose, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

It was a fun trip...too much rain for a week in the Carribean, but again, that's the way it goes. I was stunned by how much poverty exists on St. Croix. A lot of the locals said that when Hurricane Hugo hit, that much of the businesses and people left and never came back. So, what you are left with is a bunch of boarded up buildings, and houses that look like they are coming down with the next big storm. Sad, really.

What inspires you, should entire you. Live how you want to be loved.

Smile, today could be your last.

We finally made it to St. Croix. That was a long grueling trip which would test the endurance of even Lance Armstrong. A 2:00 AM drive to Columbus, three flights, and layovers...and crappy, overpriced airport food. Traveling sucks. Would have helped if I would have tried to get some sleep instead of playing poker until 2:00. Nah, life is too short.


The view from the condo this morning. It is a bit overcast, but it's only 8:30. Supposed to rain the next couple of days, but the locals keep telling us not to worry about it.

Went last night to the H20 bar, to get a bite to eat, but they were closing...So, we headed down the road over the the Palms. Got a sandwich and a couple of beers. Island Hopping Ale, which is made over on St. John's. Pretty tasty. I love a beer that has bite and kicks you in the teeth.

I'll try to keep the vacation pics coming.

I certainly miss my kids, but not Ohio.

I wonder if Tractor Traylor lived everyday like it was his last. I hope he did. They found him dead in Puerto Rico (funny cause we were just there yesterday). He apparently died of a heart attack. He was 34.

Smile, today could be your last.

Life, and love are fragile.

Smile, today could be your last.

I love you Knox.

I love you Coop.

No matter how hard life gets sometimes, you have each other.

You will always be looked after.

You will always be loved.

Always.

Smile, today could be your last.

I've got a lot to say, but I'm tired. I've had a couple of beers with the old man, and I'm just burned out.

We went to a fundraiser for fragile X syndrome. Here Wendy and Knox walk the kids track.



Happy birthday Bubba...

You have done a fantastic job looking over your nephews.

Smile, today could be your last.

Long weeks lately. School work. Kids. Rentals. Restaurant.

At least I am on spring break this week, so I should be able to get some things done. Although, I have a CT scan tomorrow, and am supposed to get the port out of my chest on Tues. which I am looking forward to.

We took Coop and Knox and Ky and Kade to the zoo today. It was a nice day, but really cold. We did the aquatic and cat building for a long while which is indoors.


Coop waiting for the shuttle.


Knox and Dad.


Knox- Slidin'.


Coop and Dad- Fixin' it.


Coop and "Weinstein".


Knox, you couldn't be any cuter.

I love you boys.

Smile, today could be your last.

Maybe I'm an idiot. Maybe I don't watch enough dateline, or even the local news. I saw on my phone (really my only source of news) that Kate Middleton sold a see-through dress for $125,884.

First off, I had to look up who Kate Middleton was. Ok, so she's engaged to the Prince of Whales. I suppose that is a big deal. Look at this:



I've got two words for the people that bid on this:

Fuck You.

You do not deserve to have money.

There are people in the world that can't pay their bills. Can't find a meal. Can't afford a roof. Again, fuck you.

That makes me feel a pubic hair better than I did a minute ago.



Sandra Bullock donated one million dollars to Japan. I think that's great. But how much money do you have to have to dontate a million? I'm jealous.



There is a dispute right now between the NFL player's union and the owners. Both sides are a bunch of greedy bastards. As if that wasn't enough, now Adrian Peterson is calling the NFL...well...here's the quote:

"It's modern-day slavery, you know? People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too. With all the money," Peterson continued. "The owners are trying to get a different percentage, and bring in more money."

If slavery is making 10.2 million a year to play a game, where to I sign up to be a slave.

Adrian Peterson is a knucklehead who has no idea what he is talking about. Shut your mouth.

I for one am turned off by pro sports. As I type this I am watching the NCAA tournament (just finished off a reuben and a Bass- delicious). Even that is being corrupted, but it is way better than pro sports.



So, good night Adrian. Good night rich pervert who bought a see through dress. Good night Sandra. At least your intentions are good (make sure your accountant writes that off, and oh yeah, make sure you post it everywhere that you donated...gotta make it known, we need the credit).

God help us all.

Smile, today could be your last.

Wendy and Coop and Knox and I went to Clay's hockey game on Sunday. Tom and Virginia are out of town on vacation, so parenting coupled with our everyday responsibilities has pushed us to the limits this week. We take shifts eating, take turns napping, showering, you name it. We let each other sleep in every other day (tomorrow is my day Wendy), so that we can give our kids the utmost attention when we do have them. I stayed up until 4:00 AM playing poker on Tuesday night (morning?) and still was Super Dad this morning at 8:30. That's just how I roll...I have one speed, one gear, "Go". Winning.



Knox is going to start talking any day now. He already says things like, "Whoa" and "Uh-Oh", and his word recognition is becoming advanced. He understands "bath" and "time to get in your chair" and "go bye-bye".

Tonight we took the boys to jump over at Pump it Up. A bounce house full of three different set ups, where kids can throw themselves around and avoid injury. It has to be crawling with infectious disease, and the thought of it makes me want to go take a shower. Also, it really smells like feet. But, the kids don't seem to mind.

We went out to dinner at Friday's, and Knox just didn't want to sit still. Coop is really getting good at behaving in public, and now seems to only throw tantrums at home.

Gotta go shower up, and then get some schoolwork done.

Smile, today could be your last.

I have had the best time with you boys over the last couple of weeks. I work too much, but the time that I do get with you, I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.




Smile, today could be your last.

I don't even know where the last month has gone...

The Day I Worked for ESPN:

Jeff Bentley got me a job working for ESPN. Akron Vs. Central Michigan. I was the Time Out Coordinator. My job essentially was to tell the guy sitting to my right when to sound the buzzer. So, when we go to commercial, I wait until I hear "first horn" and then signal to buzzer guy to ring it.

At one point, I knew we were back on the air and didn't hear anything, so I said, "first horn?" and the producer says, "yeah, thanks Steve".

What would ESPN do without me?

Easy money, and I get to sit on the floor...I would do that again in a heartbeat.

5 Lb. Sandwich

Yeah, that's right...5 lb. sandwich. Actually it was 5 lb. 10 oz. Our dishwasher Joe said he could eat it. He failed. I was quite proud of him though. He finished off 4.125 lbs. of that sucker. Now he says he can eat 5 lbs. of bacon. I did the math. That's 120 slices of our double-cut bacon. I don't think he can do it.

The following week, a guy that Norm knew wanted to try the challenge as well...he ate 4.5 lbs. of it. A little closer, but still over a full lb. of food short. Here is a picture of this behemoth:



If this goes on the next menu change, it will sell for $22. Eat it and it's free, and you are immortalized on the wall of fame. I'm thinking about calling it, "The Bubba". I think that is a great name for a sandwich.

Hmmmmm...perhaps we can sell it for $40 and give a $20 donation to charity...now you're thinking Vince.

Wendy's Birthday

Wendy and I went to Mountaineer for her birthday. Had a great dinner at La Bonne Vie. Spend the night playing slots and poker, and then woke up and played some more. Up and down, up and down.

During dinner I told her that I wanted to take her to St. Croix for her birthday. I could never really afford that right now, but because Rhodes is able to get us a place to stay for free, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity. So, it appears as though we are going to make the trip in May. Something good to look forward to.

The next day we came home, and watched the Packers beat the Steelers...

Is it wrong that a Steeler's loss is just about as good as a Brown's win?

Why and how has it come to this?

And how come Fergie can't have a wardrobe malfunction?

The Long Winter is Almost Over

It has been a long, grueling winter. Can't even get the kids outside to play in the snow, because every friggin' day it's below zero. Today was 45 (felt like 65), and tomorrow is supposed to be similar, so I hope we can get them outside in the next day or two. I thank God that we have the banquet hall for them to run around in.

Virginia and I took Coop and Knox to the libary last week for a children's read in your pajamas sort of thing. There was about 8-10 other kids and their parents there. The librarian reads stories, and plays music and sings songs. We were the rookies of the group. The other kids seemed to know all the words and hand motions, and Coop just stood and watched. That's ok...baby steps. :)

Here is a pic of the week before, when Wendy and I took the boys to the library:



Tonight we went over to Kristen's for dinner. I always have a great time over there because I can play video games with Ky and Kade. Used to sit there for hours and play video games with Bubba. Wastin' time never felt so good.

Knox Drinking and Coop Locking Doors

Knox is starting to say "Mamma" and "Dadda" and certainly knows quite a few words. Some words he understands are "clock, hair, nose, shoes, doggie, and ears", among others. He also likes to dance. You bring so much joy into our lives. Except when you bite...well, that's just mean. You are growing up fast. Perhaps you had one too many Coors Light's:



Coop is into a phase where he likes to hide. In the couch cushins, under blankets. You name it. He also likes to lock doors. That is getting really old and annoying too. After putting Coop to bed, I walked down into the kitchen in the restaurant to turn off some lights and get a snack. When I came back upstairs, the door to our bedroom was locked. Knocked on the door several times...nothing. I had to get a screw-driver to take the handle off. There was Coop, sound asleep in our bed.


The new plan is to duct tape all of the door handles tomorrow.

Gotta Laugh at Everything

Finally, (and for no other reason then it is funny) I was watching TV one night when I saw this commercial for a hair salon in Ravenna. I can't even freaking believe that they are advertising 1/2 off a hair cut and this is the picture that they put on TV. No shit, really? 1/2 off that hair cut, sign me up Sally.

Wendy and I laughed for 20 minutes. Thank God for DVR.



Tina Turner ain't got nothing on me!

Smile, today could be your last.

Funniest thing I've seen in a long time...it was good to wake up to this today.




Smile, today could be your last.

Today was the bridal show in Akron. Here is the slideshow presentation that I made for the Nail...



Coop went to Clay's hockey game today with Aunt Kim.

I just put Knox to bed.

You both are so amazing in different ways. Don't ever stop knowing that your Dad is proud of you, and that he loves you more than you will ever know.

Don't stop smiling...today could be your last.

Happy New Year... Scans came back clean last week. Supposed to get the port out of my chest soon. Let's hope for more of the same this year. 2011 begins with stress...Rusty Nail stress...truck stress...rental stress...job stress...but to hell with all of that. It's good to be alive.

Went to Chuck E. Cheese with Liam and Rhodes after Christmas: Spent New Year's at The Nail. And now we are back into the daily grind. All in all life is good. Gave Coop and Knox a bath tonight. They are in this mode where they like to look at each other and scream. They think that is funny. I need a drink. Coop stayed up with me until 10:00 tonight. We ate a bacon cheeseburger and homefries (healthy, right?)

Coop still wants to mow the grass...Knox likes to dance and clap his hands.

I hope that 2011 is a good one, but more importantly, I hope that I have the opportunity to be a Father for many years to come.



Smile, today could be your last.

I had the best time with Coop and Mr. Knox over the last couple of days. Obviously, Knox doesn't quite get it yet...but he will next year. Cooper was pretty excited this year with the whole Christmas thing. From the movies, to the magic elf, to the milk and cookies for Santa, to the train sets that he got, I think he enjoyed himself. No, it was apparent that he enjoyed himself.

Anyway, Cooper is the sweetest kid. He tells me that he loves me every night, after I hold him up to the ceiling to reach for the stars. He still says, "I want to mow the grass.", even before I tell him that he can do anything that he wants in the world.

Mr. Knox has been practicing his million dollar smile this week. He gets more adorable each day. Kid melts my heart.





We had everyone over on Christmas Eve at our place, and then exchanged some gifts. Wendy made me a video...a collaboration of pictures of Coop and Knox over the last two-plus years. It was certainly hard to watch without getting teary-eyed. Certainly the best Christmas present that I have ever gotten. (To Wendy- I know you read this, so many, many thanks. I love you with all my heart. Remember that you have the keys, so operate it carefully. Thanks Wendy!)

I will try to get the video posted here soon. I tried to upload it earlier, but may have to get the original. ???????????


Cooper peaking over the railing to look down at the presents on Christmas morning...



A few days before Christmas I went down to DB's, and he and I made Coop and Mr. Knox signs for their doors. Coops read, "He-Man Womun Haters Club".
And Knox's read, "Fort Knox".

I can't wait to get them up on their doors. I hope that as they get older that they will look at their signs and think of their Dad (because as long as that sign is on your door-I am there).

Today, we went to Uncle Dave's and Aunt Joyce's house out in Willoughby Hills. Ate too much food again, but hey, it is the holiday's. Coop had fun playing rockband as Wendy and I chased Knox around the house all day.


...Rock N Roll Coop.


Knox...walking with the mouse.

Well, I can't say it enough...I love you boys. You are certainly my inspiration to keep going.




Smile, today could be your last.

Been a busy couple of weeks...what else is new, right?

Had a fun at Brunch with Santa at The Nail on the 5th. Hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner.

Had a good conversation last night with a friend of the family who got shot 11 times in the Korean War. Unreal. He reminded me of what it means to be mentally tough.

Enjoy the pics...I know I do.



















Smile, today could be your last.

Found a good article on colo-rectal cancer survival rates...

http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/features/colorectal-cancer-new-treatments-improved-prognosis


Hard to live day-to-day sometimes, without thougths of what is inevitable jumping to the forefront in your mind.

Keep on Smiling...today could be your last.

Had a great relaxing Thanksgiving at The Nail last week. Everyone brought something to the "pot luck" meal of the year. Food and football...perfect. It was a fun day for everyone, except the turkey. Knox had fun banging the silverware, and Coop had fun "shaking it out" (see video).


Smile, today could be your last.

As you may or may not know, I had my second lung operation last Thursday. With today being Monday, I am only a couple of days out. The surgery was not as horrible as the one that I had done in August, but any way you slice it (no pun intended)it still hurts and leaves you feeling pretty sore. Anyway, I am hoping that this is the last battle in the war for a long time, and that I can comfortably enjoy the time I have left with Cooperman and Mr. Knox.

Things that I learned or re-learned in the hospital:

Health should never be taken for granted.

Foley catheters really, really suck.

The health care system needs a major overhaul.

Don't ask, just bring the pain medicine.

If someone invents a better remote control for hospitals, you will be a millionaire.

Hospital food is the worst.

I know my name and birthday, please don't ask again.

Justin Bieber...who?

There are some hot nurses at The Clinic. (I'm just sayin').

Apparently America is infatuated with a 12 year old boy with a magic wand. I don't get it.

Drain tubes really suck. (Only one "really" here because foley's deserve two "really's").

Two IV's in my hands doing nothing. Is that really necessary?

Don't drop off breakfast at 9:00 and expect me to be done at 11:00 when there are 20 people coming and going during those two hours.

I walked the floor at 2:30 Friday night. Didn't see anyone until lap three. Weird.

Why does it take 1/2 a day to get discharged?

As I said earlier, I would do it all again tomorrow if it meant more time with Coop and Mr. Knox. I love you.



Pics from Halloween:













Smile, today could be your last.

Hard to believe that five years has passed.

The clear sky tonight leads me to believe that everything will be be just fine.

Five years ago tonight, the sky was equally as clear.

You the man Bubba...nothing more to say.

Smile, today could be your last.