And a good evening to you from the Queen City. So first off, as I type this, I'm 100% unsure what I'm getting into (in so, so, so many ways). I will be honest and say that, for more than a year, I've resisted the temptation (a fleeting one, but still there) to return to blogging. The reasons for this are many - the amount of time involved, the things you have to give up in order to keep it current, the expectations from friends and family about frequency (i.e. C-Web keeping a performance tracker on me :-)) and quality (i.e. "I worked and then ate a pineapple"), and the fact that, once you share certain portions of your life in this forum, perceptions can (and often do) change about you - how you live, how you behave, and what you think. That being said, I can truly say that the first blogging experiment whilst I was overseas did save my life, and I would be errant on a scale of Galcian proportions if I thought of those writings as anything other than a blessing.
 |
| Baby T's first home - the handmade Wilson bassinet. This was my first bed as well, along with my cousin, uncle, mother and even grandfather (handmade by my great grandfather). |
And so here I sit again, typing on a Mac this time instead of a PC (iPhoto, seriously - there has GOT be be an easier way to upload, and don't say "there's an app for that"), contemplating taking the plunge again. It is a choice fraught with trepidation - will I burn out in 3 weeks? Can this blog be as big a success as my previous one? Will what I commit to this server affect how people view me or any member of my family?
The reality is that I don't and can't know the answer to all of the above questions, but I do know this - I am about to embark on the most exciting, terrifying, unique adventure of my life, and regardless of whether anyone else ever reads these words (or critiques them and by extension me), the reality is that I simply feel I must return to the written word to try and capture these moments, the end of one era and the start of something greater. It is with that in mind that I have decided to start writing again, and I hope I can be true to that aim.
We are just under 34 weeks at present, and I am now firmly convinced that if I don't start writing down my emotions, my experiences, and my activities, they (like so many other things) will be lost in the vast ocean of time that we now call the hustle and bustle of daily life. So much is happening EVERY DAY - Jenny is getting bigger, we are adding a new piece of furniture or assembling some new toy, and I am thinking about what fairy tale I will read first to Baby T. Add in the harsh realities that a) life only gets faster from here on out, b) this year is a huge one for so many folks - new houses, new babies, marriages, you name it, and c) try as I may I know that I won't be able to remember all of this without committing it to paper, and you have the set of multipliers that have served as the necessary catalyst to spark my writing again.
The last blog started as a way to connect with my family across the miles, and it was never meant to be more than a weekly 1 paragraph post of what we'd done and where we were headed next. It morphed into more than I could ever have imagined, and the fun I had sparring with all my friends and family for those 600+ posts helped to make my time abroad even richer than I thought possible. I begin this blog with even smaller expectations: all I want is a place where I can go to reflect on how amazing, exciting, and terrifying this process is, and to provide a vessel for memories that, if I cannot always retain, will at least be accessible at the click of a button. Longer term I have grandiose ideas that I'll share this link with Baby T when he/she is 30 and expecting his/her first child, but that's 3 decades down the road, and whether or not I'll have the stamina to continue this writing is very much TBD (at least based on the feeding schedule I just read in Babywise).
 |
| My favorite decoration from the shower - hard to believe this is really happening! |
And so this little experiment and side journey (part of an admittedly much greater journey) begins in earnest. On this day, just over 6 weeks from the due date, I feel as though I am the most blessed man on the planet. I have a wife who is my soul mate, best friend, and still feeling great heading into the home stretch. My parents and in-laws are heathly (knock on wood), and soon I will be fortunate enough to have 4 generations of family together on this earth. I am blessed with some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for - a group of work friends who have grown from colleagues to family, a group of college friends who are constantly in my thoughts, and a best friend from home who truly is a brother to me. I love my job, my city, and my home. Oh, and of course - I'm still in love with Katie the Corolla. :-) And perhaps that's the essence of why I'm writing this - this is without a doubt the best, happiest time of my life, and I want to try and preserve that so I can remember this time always: the expectation, the excitement, the promise of the unknown. I know that having Baby T in our lives will raise my happiness further to even greater heights. But since I have no basis for comparison, I need to at least have this moment for reflection.
I'm not sure if I'll share this link, but if you're reading this I've either made that decision or you've found me some other way. I will make no promises about frequency, quality, or the amount of sappiness you'll have to endure should you take this journey with me. However, I will promise you that, should you walk with me down this path, you'll see Sammy the Bull as you've never seen him before - as a parent, disciplinarian, and role model (please insert the "here's this week's sign the zombie apocalypse is upon us" here).
Love,
Sam (and Jenny) - the former Mr. and Mrs. Assignee 47
No comments:
Post a Comment