Update on my boy!

There is a little tradition we have in our family. Well, it didn't start out as a tradition, it just sort of became a tradition. Because I could never get to Colton's check ups, Jody would always send me a picture of him at his appoint ment accompanied by his stats. However, while I was out there packing them all up, I was able to go to my first scheduled check up with him. I also got to take the check up picture on my phone. I know, it may seem lame that I get so excited about that sort of thing, but if your kid were as awesome as Colton is, you'd feel the same I'm sure. Anyhow, without further adiu, here is his picture from his last appointment:


He weighed in at 20.6 lbs, and measured 82". He's tall and skinny, just like his dad, according to the doctor. He also got his shots that day, and boy was that an experience. He had to sit on daddy's lap while I held his arms so that he couldn't grab the needle. He sat and watched as the nurse came with the needle and he had that look on his face like "Hey, what is that? You're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do, are you?" Then she stuck him and he let out a whimper, not happy. I thought that was it so I picked him up so he could hug me, but the nurse said there was a 2nd shot to go. So we did the same thing again, this time he was not happy. After the nurse was done, he shot her a look that could have killed. I had to laugh, it was such a dirty look. He then hugged daddy, as I told him he did a good job being such a tough boy.

Also, I have to mention this. Mommy had taken off to begin shooting her cousins wedding, so Colton and I were waiting for Grandma to come pick us up to take us to the wedding. We were hanging out in front of the house, when Colton made a break for the neighbours driveway. He just about made it when he stepped in a sunken area and fell forward. He fell partially on their driveway and scraped his little elbow. Funny thing was, he didn't even notice. He just got right back up and ran over to the tree we had on our front lawn; he loves to play with the dirt clods around it. It wasn't until daddy saw blood running down that I noticed the scrape. The next day at church, everyone was asking what happened to him. He had all the ladies giving him attention over it, and we all know how much he loves that. That's my boy!

This was after I cleaned it up. Doesn't look bad at all, but you wouldn't have known that when he had blood running down his elbow. I think my boy may be a bleeder.

A word or two about the King of Pop

Unless you just returned from a trip to Pluto, and even then I don't think it would have been impossible to hear; Michael Jackson passed away yesterday in Los Angeles of cardiac arrest. It capped off a very strange day in entertainment, and a strange week at that.

An event like this is unique unlike any other, as you see someone who truly defines the word iconic in every sense, pass on. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in modern civilization that has not heard the name Michael Jackson. This man has a legacy that will stand the test of time I'm sure. Yet some may ask why is that?

Michael Jackson was a musical phenom. Right from his first appearance as a six year old with his 4 brothers in the Jackson 5, people were drawn to him. His voice, dance moves, and stage presence were golden. How many of you reading this right now, have a Michael Jackson song going through your mind? That is evidence right there of his talent in music. I would go as far to say, he was as revolutionary and instrumental in modern music, and performing as Mozart has been. No other artist in modern history has sold more records. I doubt anyone will even get close.

Alas, with all that, comes also the scandals. The tabloids were relentless, and the many, many people who chased his money, were equally as vicious. There were allegations of child molestation, bad business deals, equally bad business relations, eccentric behavior, and reclusiveness. Add to that his unimaginable altering of his physical appearance, and you can see a man in turmoil. Perhaps that is what makes his death even more sad. We may never really know why he was the way he was, if he really did interfere with children. Want to know my opinion? I think he's the classic victim of child stardom. I think his lack of a real childhood, and being forced to grow up well before he was ready, caused him to revert to childlike tendencies in adulthood. I think maturity wise he was a child mixed up with an adult, struggling to make sense of it all, and hence you have the mess he turned into. It's really sad to see someone who created so much happiness, love, and joy through his music, stuck forever in a constant inner conflict.

However despite all those problems He was able to truly touch the world, and leave a lasting impression. I was a big fan of Michael's in my young years, and even now, I'm still a fan of his music. My first memory of music and entertainment comes from standing by my dad in front of the TV as the Thriller video debuted, I was mesmerized. From then on I've owned every album of his from Off the Wall (my personal favorite) to Dangerous, and the History 2 disc set. Even now I can still sing many of his songs word for word, and that's not because I was some super fan or anything, but I think it's a testament to how good his songs and music were, that it stuck with you. Beyond his song writing, he was also a performer. Probably one of the greatest performers ever! He did everything big, big and grand. Apparently he was an absolute perfectionist, and it showed in his dancing stage show, and singing. He also was notorious for revolutionizing the music video, people would wait for premiers of his video's as if they were the next big blockbuster movie. And rarely did he disappoint, sparing no expense.

All in all, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this event. It truly is one of those times where the old cliche rings true, "you'll remember where you were the day Michael Jackson died." He was revolutionary, he was iconic, he was influential, he was an amazing talent, a gift to the world, he was Michael Jackson. My hope is that although he was very contraversial in his private life; that we all remember him for his gift of music to the world, and how that gift touched each and every one of us in some way. may he now rest, moon walking his way to the pearly gates.

The NHL's worst kept secret

Well, if there are any sports fans out there who were suprised to hear the news yesterday that my beloved Flames announced Brent Sutter as their head coach; I have one question for you. Have you been in a coma for the last 4 months? This was officially the worst kept secret in hockey. This was believed to be the scenario by many sports analysts and yours truly since March, yet the brothers Sutter tried to play coy with the notion. It was inevitable though as the Sutters are the royal family of hockey in Alberta. For those of you who aren't aware of how obvious this was, let me point out a few facts. First off, four of the seven Sutter brothers who played professional hockey already work for the Flames in different capacities (GM, scouts, player development, etc.). Brent has a farm near Red Deer, AB where his family is situated. He also is the owner and GM of the minor league Red Deer Rebels. To top this all off, you are being given an opportunity to coach one of the most stacked teams in the NHL. So Brent's choice was stay in New Jersey with a team just starting to bring itself back into relevance, with a long way to go yet, or coach a contender on the verge of going all the way, in a family business atmosphere. Can you really blame him for ditching out on the Devils for the Flames?

Anyhow, I'm very excited for this move to begin paying off. I think there is no doubt that the Flames are going to be a top tier team this year. I would be shocked if we don't celebrate a cup or two before his time with us is up. GO FLAMES GO!

Happy B-Day to me

How's that for a shameless plug for myself. Yes today I celebrate my 28th Birthday. Its crazy to think I've turned 28. However, its only a number, and I'm going to enjoy it.

For those of you who read my blog, I am very sorry that you've not seen anything new added for the last 2 weeks or so. Life has been a whirlwind for my family and I, so my posting suffered. However, life is starting to come back into focus, so my posting should begin to pick up again.

To update you all, my family and I are now official residents of Alberta. Jody, Colton, and our cat (whom I refer to as Satan) came over by plane Saturday morning. I arrived with the assistance of my co-driver (Amanda) by car Monday evening. It was a long and grinding drive, it hadn't improved much since the last time, however, North Dakota wasn't as flooded this time. It was really sad having to leave Ontario. It hit me once I locked the door on our first home for the last time, and took the key to the Lawyer for transfer to the new owner. It was especially hard to say goodbye to friends and family. Over the past year we made some awesome friends out in Guelph and of course Jody's family is all from the Greater Toronto Area, so saying goodbye to these wonderful people was very sad. However, do not get too depressed, we will be visiting often. We are already coming out in October for Thanksgiving, and then we have another trip planned for January when Jody's brother returns home from missionary service.

Now we find ourselves in a new place ready for new adventures to come our way. When one chapter in life closes, another begins. There will be plenty of new opportunity for Jody to expand her photography business, and of course my opportunity for expansion in business is the whole reason why I am out here. We are excited to meet new friends, and to reconnect with some of my old friends out here that I haven't seen much of since I left for Ontario. All in all, we are looking at this opportunity with eyes wide open, and anticipation of what the future will bring.

By the way, I'd love to plug my wife's blog here. As many of you know, she is a professional photographer. She just finished off a family photo shoot for some friends back in Ontario and the pictures are awesome, go check them out at http://jacphotography.blogspot.com
She does everything from weddings, to portraits, to events, even corporate and business events. She also specializes in new born photography, so if you are looking for any pictures, and want nothing but the best, you know where to look.
Anyhow, I've drawn this post out long enough. There will be a whole lot more posts and pictures etc, as I try to catch up on the last few weeks. So be prepared people.

Half way through the year already?

Can any of you believe its June already? What happened to the time? This year has been flying by me like you wouldn't believe. June is a great month though. I'm very excited as it's known in my family as the kick off to birthday season. My lovely wife Jody has hers on the 9th, my sister Christina is on the 12th, I myself am on the 23rd, my sister Amanda is the 29th. The next month finishes everyone else off with my dad on the 1st of July, my brother Allan on the 4th, and my mom rounding off the order on the 6th. When you think about it, its a nightmare for your wallet. I think summer birthdays are the best. You can get together with bunch of your friends, BBQ, and go out to a park to play Frisbee, and let the kids run around. I'd rather be lounging out in the heat than shoveling snow for my birthday, that's for sure. So does anyone have any favorite birthday gifts? I have had some great birthday gifts. For instance, last year my wife got me tickets to see my favorite band of all time. (10 points for anyone who can guess who that is, shouldn't be too hard)

To finish off this post, I'll give you all a little update on life. This week I'm thinking is going to be the longest week ever! I finally get to go home and get my family! On Friday I'll be flying out to be with Jody and Colton once again. We are going to spend the next 2 weeks packing up the house, and getting it all organized. We also have a wedding for her cousin, and her birthday to celebrate. After all of that she, Colton, and the cat, will board a plane headed for our new home. I then will be packing up her vehicle and preparing for yet another long, and arduous journey across the states and Canada to Calgary. That's not even the best part, once our house sells, I get to go back again, load up the remainder of our stuff that we left there for staging, and do one more final trip across. Lucky me. (For any of you wondering, we are leaving our furniture and non-essential things at the house, because a staged house sells better and faster than one that isn't) All in all though, I don't care much about the drive as long as I know my family will be on the other end waiting for me. Being away from my wife and son, has been the most difficult thing I've done. It is absolutely killer to be so lonely. It breaks my heart every night to have to say goodnight to my son over the phone. That used to be a big thing for me, putting him to bed. I have missed them so much, I could never do this again, that's for sure. Way to hard. I will be a lot happier to have them around me again. That's for sure.