Mom Raps About Foreclosure

Unfortunately, this mom has the experience to explain the crisis some of us are in perfectly. Hopefully, this will go viral and she will be able to make back triple what the bank stole from her, mostly her dreams.

Friends shouldn't let friends dream and drive.

I had way too much to dream last night.

Seems odd, huh?

In light of all the recent bank robberies, murders and assaults happening in the South Florida area, Judith has been having extremely disturbing and unsettling violent dreams as of late. 

Aside from giving her comfort, there is really nothing I can do.  It’s a result of the place and times that we live in.  I myself stopped going into banks, I used to go in and stand in line facing the front entrance, now I just won’t go in.  I do all my banking via the ATM drive-through with the engine running, truck in gear and my 38 by my side.

When shopping, if Judith sees that the store is getting a Brink’s pick up or delivery see waits from a distance for them to drive off before going in or leaving the store.  It’s a shame but things are really out of control in good ole sunny South Florida.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and that goes for both sides.  Stay alert! Be safe!

On a lighter note, Elise woke up last night crying because she was having a bad dream about how “the boys” didn’t give her gum in her dream. When she woke up this morning she was still upset and asking for some gum.

The problems of a two year old, how envious I am.

Look Back Friday

Judith and I with Echo, Hank and Baby Josiah

Sorry it's such a lite post, I have to get to work early today and oh, what a long day it will be.

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

My wife asked me why I chose such an old photo of myself for my profile, which made me think.  I guess I miss the concept of who I was when that was taken.  By concept I mean I was a rebel without a clue.  I had a chiseled body; I didn’t moan when I got out of bed in the morning or pick up something heavy, I didn’t have a care in the world and most of all I was ignorant to the way things went.

I didn’t think much about death or growing old, I didn’t worry about my children’s future because they weren’t born yet, I lived for the day.  I spent most of my days at the beach or at the gym and many nights at high-end restaurants and trendy bars. Every day was a new adventure and I set my life to Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes by Jimmy Buffett among others tunes.  I was a free spirit void of spiritually.  I was dumb as a rock like most boy-men, I thought I knew it all and I had the attitude that went with the territory.

Somewhere along the line my life changed and it wasn’t easy.  In fact it was quite painful; it was like a butterfly struggling to get out of his cocoon or a baby chick braking free from its egg.

About 21 years ago, my first transformation was my skill and business sense, almost overnight I woke up one day and I had a plan, a vision and things have never stopped moving forward.  I honed my craft and set a high standard for myself and my work that I re-evaluated daily.  I pride myself on customer satisfaction and doing the right job.

A thirst for knowledge came after I meet my wife some 16 years ago.  I always had a willingness to learn but it was on the trivial side, nothing of great importance.  When I meet my wife, I was introduced to many different ideas and one thing lead to another and we both begin to study law, America History, the inner workings of our government, religion, health, and food production among other things. 

My thirst for knowledge grew daily along with my dishearten feeling that every aspect of our lives is a lie.  Just about everything I studied is in one way or another, an avenue for someone or something to control and manipulate the masses with financial gain being in their best interest.

The hardest transformation came about after Judith and I broke up for three years when Echo was about 3 years old, my world came to a crashing end.  I was forced to examine my way of life when it came to my relationship with Judith and our son, Echo and my womanizing. I needed to change my ways but not knowing any other way of life, how would I do it.

In desperation, I started questioning my life and my motives; I started studying the Bible to get a Biblical perspective on what it is to truly be a man and not play one, I began attending church regularly, and  I read a book that changed the course of my life. 

I read Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart by Stu Weber.  It gave me the answers I needed and it showed me what my purpose was at being a Man, a Husband and a Father.  It gave me a clear understanding of who I should be and what my job is.

Now my life is very different, last Friday I turned 48 years old and I would be liar if I said being a working husband to a stay at home mom and a father to six children along with all my other responsibilities wasn’t hard and sometimes depressingly stressful.

My burden is great but the rewards are plenty and as I ponder my long journey to the present I realize the past is the past and I am committed to see my journey through to the end.  I signed up for the long haul and that means a lot to my wife and my children but somewhere in my heart I long for those simpler days, those carefree days of my youth when I was dumb as a rock and not much mattered but I know they are just a memory and I can’t go back. 

And thinking about it, why would I want to go back? I have so much to lose.

Our second Lights out Tuesday

Judith took Hank and Emerson to the Home School Meeting tonight so I got to read Dr. Seuss stories to the kids by flashlight.  I read Yertle the Turtle, Gertrude McFuzz and the Big Brag.  Dr. Seuss is a very interesting character, I realized Yertle the Turtle is about greed, Gertrude McFuzz is about vanity and the Big Brag is about pride.  The kids really enjoyed the story lines and the strange illustrations and I got to give them a lesson on three of the seven deadly sins.

Maybe next week we’ll watch Pulp Fiction so I can teach them about the sin of murder.  Its great being a Homeschool family, there are no limits to what can be taught.

Best kinda kisses

The best kinda kisses are the unexpected, unplanned ones.

The one that just come naturally, like in the middle of a sentence.

(Source: via untemporale)

Girly gets a job

In light of the recent economic down turn we have decided to go to great lengths to assure our survival during these hard times.  One thing we have touched on is child labor.  Small child can do a great many jobs due to their size.  Because of her waif like characteristics, Elise has acquired a job as a Chimney Sweep in the south side of London.  We would like to thank our daughter for her selfless desire to help the family.   

Hopefully, the younger boys will be ready by next week in their pick pocket endeavor.

Ten - Ten - Ten

Wow, that doesn't happen very often.

Hank turns nine on the nine

Hank - 9 months old

Hank's first Birthday

Camping Trip with the family

Hank tooling around

SCUBA Bath Time

Getting dirty is a boy's job

Hugging in the park

New Jersey visit

The Family Tree

Commando Hank

Having cake with my family

Happy 9th Hank!

Feeling quite unsettled

I have been feeling quite unsettled these past few weeks.  Life has also become busy so my intended writing is suffering.  For some, the photos of the family may be worth more than my writing, either way; it’s nice to be able to see how we are coming along in our everyday life.

Here is a photo of my birthday celebration this past Friday night.

More of my Journey

83 street 1966

Me 83Street 1967

Me and Joseph 83 Street 1968

Atlantis Water Park, Dania Florida 1985

Pompano Beach, Florida 1985

Hard Rock Cafe, New York City 1989

Bar in Hollywood, Florida 1988

Easter Sunday with Dad, Brooklyn 1971

My family Hollywood, Florida 2008

Look Back Friday - Today's my birthday!

48 years ago tonight, at 10:30 pm, I was born in a small Brooklyn hospital to my parents Joey and Barbara.  That day marked the beginning of my life's journey and what a journey it was.  It’s no small wonder how I became the man I am today.

My Parents, Joey and Barbara on their wedding day. Oct. 1955

Me, Nov. 4 1962

Me and my mom, Barbara at my Aunt Antoinette house

Me and my dog, Doddi

Upstate New York

Me, 83rd Street

School photo

Mom and I, 37st Street

Judith and I on our wedding day, Nov. 9th 2002

Judith, Echo and I

Soar like an eagle

"One can never consent to crawl when one feels an impulse to soar." - Helen Keller

Lights out Tuesday was enjoyable

Lights out Tuesday was very enjoyable and fun. I came home from work and with the help of the children, started the camp fire in the back yard fire pit. Once the wood burned down to coals I put up some turkey sausage and had a good meal and a good time with the wife and kids. 

Bird on bread

50 Yard Hatchet Dash

Martha Stewart would be proud

The Master Cook

Cooking sausage over an open flame

Relaxing by the grill

Dinner Time

Hungry by the light

We never did get to the games but we did tell stories to the kids about how we grew up in Brooklyn and Michigan while we sat around the camp fire.  The biggest problem was that I kept falling asleep once the sun went down, which seems like a no brainer, cool breeze, raging camp fire … old guy in the dark. 

All in all, it was nice; I would recommend it to anyone. We waste so much time buried in electronics and life that we tend to lose focus on what’s really important; each other.

After Judith put the kids to bed we slowly eased out of no lights but we did sit together in the dark and talk basically about the lack of light.  Only kidding, we did have some alone time just discussing things.

In closing I would like to know how come when you watch Little House on the Prairie and they are eating dinner with their one lantern it gives off enough light to perform a small operation but even with our two lanterns dark was dark. 

Lights out Tuesday

Sometime back I read about a family that would turn off their electricity once a week for one evening and try to connect as a family without the trappings of today’s modern society. That means no computer, no TV, no video games and most of all … no lights.  Our plans are to tell stories, play games and read to the kids.

Mind you, living in Florida we will maintain electricity for the A/C and the fridge.  We could cook on the stove because its gas or I could make a fire in our fire pit and use the grill top.  No matter what it should be fun esp. towards the end of the night, candles can be so romantic.  I guess we can hum Johnny Mathis songs.

Above is a photo of us in the dark

Highlights of yesterday's evening in the park

Beautiful Elise

Never ending smiles from Silas

Mama's little ones

Pink scary stuff and ice cream on Girly's face

Nursing in the park

My little brother, Emerson

Riding in the dark with an ice cream cone

Hank on his cool red bike 

In motion Josiah

Waiting for the ride home