Journal

Moments in Life

Posted by Cappy on April 26, 2010
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This is the image I created for the kiddo's Valentine I gave her.

Did you ever have one of those moments in your life that changed your point of view?

Over the past year and a half or so, a couple ladies came into my life. Mother and daughter found a special place in my heart. I first began this adventure after talking to Mom online. I’ve always been concerned, that if I ever dated a woman with kids, the kids may not like me. Not so in this case, the daughter quickly became comfortable around me and I around her. An odd companionship formed that I couldn’t explain until recently.

I’ve never had kids of my own. I have many friends with kids. I get along well with most all of them, so I shouldn’t be surprise that I would get along with this young lady. Right? I went along as the months passed enjoying the company of ‘my two favorite blondes’, as I frequently call them. What I didn’t realize is the place the young lady took in my heart. I’ve been around my friend Vince’s kids. He’s like a brother to me and his kids are very special in my eyes. This was somehow different. It really didn’t dawn on me how until February, when I tagged along to her ice skating competition in New York.

At the competition before New York, she fell and landed hard on her knees. The expression on her face made it instantly clear that she was hurt. My heart sunk. She got up and finished her routine without missing a beat. Tears came down her face as she left the ice. Mom shoved the video camera into my hand with a “Take this…” as she headed down the bleachers to aid her daughter. I moved down so the kiddo didn’t have to climb the bleachers to where we had been sitting. My heart hurt as she sobbed waiting for Grandma to return with the ice bags. It was like a part of me had crashed head-on into the ice with her. She got her skates off and went to sit with her teammates for a while. Soon, she was up running around with the gang and a weight lifted from my soul.

Off to the next competition, a larger one in New York. Mom had told me that I could come up if I wanted but it was probably a waste of my time and money as Kiddo wasn’t skating as many events due to the cost. I wouldn’t be able to spend much time with them because of all the running around involved. I chose to book my own hotel room and go anyway. I couldn’t get in their hotel. It was full because it is directly across the street from the rink. I did get in one that was one block away. No big deal to me. I could actually see their hotel and the rink from my window. The money didn’t matter, nor did the extra block I would have to walk in the cold to meet up with them. I wanted to be there whether it was for four events or twelve.

It was on the way home that I realized something had changed in my life. I spent most of the two hour drive home letting my thoughts wander about the weekend and about other things. What was different was that I now realized I had found something that had been missing my whole life. Something that until I met these two ladies, I never had grasped. I came to the realization that I had just come head on with something that my parents must have experienced when I was a kid. Something that I would have had no way of even guessing would affect me the way it did.

You see, what I realized was that I was feeling was that feeling of being proud of your kids for doing their best. No, there was more to it than that. I had allowed this young lady to take up residence in my heart. I was a part of her life when she was happy, when she was sad, when she dead tired and grumpy or when she was mad at Mom for one reason or another. I wasn’t just there as an outsider who happened to be in the room. I was a part of her life.

I began to see why my parents made such valiant efforts to come to things I was involved in at school. Heck, they still do it. I helped with the sound for a musical over the past two weekends. They made sure they came to it. They didn’t come out of some sense of duty that they had to show up. They came because I was involved in it. They were proud to be there, whether it was something they enjoyed doing or not.

Even though this young lady isn’t my daughter, she and her mom have given me a gift greater than any I could have ever asked for. I’ve learned, even if it’s only a tiny, microscopic smidgen, what it is like to be a parent. They filled a place in my heart that I didn’t even know existed. I know there is a whole lot more to being a parent than this one little part. I wouldn’t dare claim there wasn’t. But it is nice to feel that feeling. I don’t know if I would call it pride. There is pride involved. I can’t describe what it is. It’s a connection, for lack of better explanation. When they hurt, so do you. When they are happy, you are too. I don’t have the right words to do it justice. If you have kids, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, I hope you get the chance to share in the life of a child to the point where you understand.

At my age, I don’t know if I’ll have a child of my own. Only time can answer that. I do know that I have been given an opportunity that I will cherish the rest of my life thanks to a young ice skater that melted her way into my heart.

~Cappy, Big C

Vacation was a ‘Fort’Night too short…

Posted by Cappy on July 26, 2009
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Well… Vacation is over and done with. Tomorrow I go back to work.

I must say that the weekend has been very relaxing. I went out to Perrysburg Ohio to Fort Meigs for this years “Drums Along the Maumee” event. Old friends that I met on Yahoo Chat are involved in a Drum and Fife group that was participating in the event. You may have seen my pictures already. If not, they are posted in my photo album.

I like to take in events that involve music or history. This one had both. The Fort was built during the War of 1812 to stop the British from using the Maumee River to supply their strong holds in what is now Detroit. A museum on site shows many relics that were found during archeological digs on the site. There are many story boards throughout the block houses and museum that depict the tales of daily life in the fort. Most of these boards use the soldiers own words taken from their journals and diaries.

The main reason for going to the fort was to hear the drum and fife corps play and meet up with Cathy and Jerry and their kids. There were four different corps in attendance ranging in size from 4 to around 15 or so musicians. Unlike marching bands you may see at your local highschool or college, these groups adhere to period playing styles and instruments. They also wear period based costumes.

The Voyageurs Ancient Fife and Drum Corps, which Cathy and Jerry’s kids are a part of, was easily the best group of the weekend. Not to take away from the other groups, but a couple of things stood out in the Voyageurs’ performances. The Voyageurs had an Em Cee (Jerry is taking over this post in the near future), who basically introduced the group and gave a short discription of how the group came about and what they represented. The show was then turned over to the Drum Major, who ran the corp through their musical selections. The Voyageurs changed formation several times during their set and also ended with a switch back routine to do an about face and leave the field. Their playing was also more accurate than the other groups.

1st Michigan Drum and Fife Corps provided an equally appealing musical performance, but their director gave too much historical prattle in between selections. These historic tidbits took away from the performance. The musicians broke parade rest and began talking among themselves during these vocal embellishments, which seemed to lengthen as the day went on.

I give all the groups a great deal of credit. They are playing historically accurate music on equally historic instruments. The requirements of being in the crops require memorizing a multitude of songs. So many songs in fact, that after the groups finished their afternoon performances, they assembled as a Mass Band and played several selections like they had been practicing together for years. After they were dismissed, the groups mingled on the field to have a little jam session.

There wasn’t much of a crowd on hand, so there was ample time to hang out with the corps and walk around the fort. I enjoyed not having the hustle and bustle associated with amusement parks or county fairs.

I hung out at the fort with Cathy and Jerry till about 11 pm on Saturday night. The musicians spend alot of time together since they all were either camped in the blockhouses or staying in the conference center of the museum. They continued to have jam sessions on and off throughout the evening. Hearing some of the stories of past events and upcoming prospects for members made for an entertaining evening. This reminded me alot of some of the sound gigs I’ve done throughout the years. There are bonds you build participating in things of this nature. Friendships that last years and span great distances.

All and all, it was a pretty good vacation, definately a great weekend, to be sure. I’ll go back to work in the morning humming little fife ditties in my head.

The Voyageurs Ancient Fife and Drum Corp

What A Weekend!…

Posted by Cappy on December 6, 2008
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… It is the weekend… right?!

Here it is Saturday night.  I feel like it should be Thursday or something.  It has been one of those weekends.  You know the kind.  There has been some good and some “ugh” to it. We’ll start our journey with preparation for Friday, since that’s the day that was fun… sort of.

Friday, we were schedule to attend a Customer Appreciation Cruise on The Gateway Clipper in Pittsburgh.  I went to this dinner last year. I was looking forward to going this year as I would have a date instead of tagging along by myself like last year. 

The arrangements were all made with Ms. S. by Wednesday as to what time I would pick her up.  I realized that the time I had picked was a little late to get going from her place based on directions and times provided by the two major mapping websites.  We couldn’t push that time much earlier because Ms S. had to get Miss C. ready to stay at Grandma and Grampa’s for the evening.  Arrival in Pittsburgh was going to be close.  I hoped there wouldn’t be the kind of traffic I hit last year. 

My plans for Friday included leaving work about 2:30 pm at the latest.  This would allow me ample time to get home, clean up the truck and get ready.  Friday’s are pretty slow at work, usually.  That wasn’t the case with yesterday.  I knew I had a meeting at 11 am that was to be a lunch meeting.  No problem, I should still have plenty of time.  Before going to that meeting, the boss scheduled another meeting for 1:30 to 2:30 pm. Eh!.. Close but I can still make it… or so I thought.  The lunch meeting ran way long.  We didn’t start the second meeting untill about 2:30 ish. 

Great! I’m already worried about being late because I need to pick up Ms. S. and now I’m not going to get to leave when I need to.  I was pretty sure that if I got to Ms. S.’s house on time that we could beat the clock, but now I’m not even sure ‘I’ am going to be on time.  The meeting had turned to basic chit chat by 3:15.  I told my boss that if I were to make it to the cruise, I needed to bolt immediately.  I got home about 3:50 ish.  Cleaned out the truck and then jumped in the shower.  I was able to get to pickup up Ms. S. about 5:10.  Fortunately, Grandma was early and had already picked up Miss C.  The only redeeming thing about all this rushing was that when I turned on the GPS to head for Ms. S.’s house, the trip time was 15 minutes short than the map websites.  The arrival time was showing we would just make it.

Sure enough, we hit downtown Pittsburgh on time.  Traffic was heavy as we approached the bridge but the main route was clear.  I jumped off and took the route through downtown instead of waiting on traffic.  We pulled in with time to spare.  We got on the boat.  I had time to introduce Ms. S. to all my coworkers and find a seat before we left the dock.  The night was nice. We spent time with the gang, then went downstairs to see what was going on at the casino tables.  No, this wasn’t a floating casino.  This was simply ‘for fun’.  We played and did fairly well.  I dropped Ms. S. off about 10:35 ish and made my way home.

I had to be in the office this morning by 9am to babysit the floor cleaning crew while they cleaned the server room.  It wasn’t supposed to be very laborious, just sit there and make sure they don’t screw up anything.  I ended up moving the cabinets where we store the spare harddrives and back up tapes.  I ended up leaving the office at 2 pm with my back being grumpy with me.  Not a big deal really.  My plan was to head home and relax for a bit.  If my back wasn’t bugging me later, I would put up my Christmas tree.  As fate would have it, that didn’t get accomplished either.

I was awakened from a deep slumber (on the couch) by my cell phone.  It was my mom.  Their neighbor, who used to work at the same plant Dad did, had said if he went deer hunting this year and got one, he would give it to my dad.  They don’t like deer meat but they know we do.  Sure enough, he had got one.  Dad wasn’t able to hunt this year due to knee surgery the week of Thanksgiving.  I put on my old clothes and went up to help skin the deer.  Dad’s knee really wasn’t up to the task yet, but we got the deer skinned.  It will hang a day or so now in the garage to let the meat cool.  We’ll butcher it ourselves.

All in all, its been a good weekend so far.  A bit tired from the lifting and pulling I did today between the office and the deer.  I’ll live.  It was snowing pretty decent while we were doing the deer and I expect will have a couple inches of snow on the ground by morning.  That’s ok though.  I plan on sleeping in. HAHA!