Being a dad

Earlier this week I found myself in the backyard with my daughter.  We have a toddler slide on the grass that she loves.  She climbs up, slides down, climbs up, slides down and I never get sick of watching.  I picked her up and threw her in the air several times while she screamed and laughed.  It felt like I was in one of those slow-motion, dramatic videos of a father and daughter playing with each other.  Those videos are no longer cheesy to me.

I cannot get enough of watching her discover things, even when that thing is dirt and she is dumping it on her head.

She discovered dancing.  One day I peek over the couch and watch her spin, arms flailing, around and around like no one was watching.  That will brighten my life no matter what else has happened that day.

One of the things I love most about my daughter is her total innocence.  She's not out to impress anyone.  When she smiles I know she's happy.  When she cries I know she's upset.  She'll even stare at me straight in the eyes while she's messing her diaper without feeling ashamed.  I get the whole package: the raw, real personality.  And she's got a personality.  She's one of the loudest babies I've ever heard.

She knows Patty Cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider, what a dog says and what a cat says.  We're working on what a cow says, but she can point one out in a book every time.  She loves the outdoors.  She doesn't hesitate to go downstairs one step per step.  She loves bathes, and loved being naked.  Pictures of herself are among her favorite things.  She can talk, just not in English yet.

Above all, she loves her mom.

Funny how I'm discovering the joy of being a parent while watching my daughter discover life.

There is nothing quite like being a father.

Life's Hardest Decisions

The hardest decisions I have ever had to make were when there was no clear answer.  No right, no wrong.  Just a choice.

We learn that we fought over the freedom to choose before we came to this earth.  Free agency was a huge victory for us, and we rejoiced when it was clear that we would have that blessing.

So it's funny that sometimes we want decisions to be made for us.  Who do I marry?  Where do I work?  When do I have a baby?  What do I order for dinner?  Some decisions are plain and simple.  The choice is obvious.  Others, not so much.

I have been plagued with indecisiveness my entire life.  I enjoy company dinners when there is one, maybe two, options for dinner.  The fewer choices the better.  Opening a menu at a restaurant causes me much unnecessary stress.  My wife is often the same.

What do you get with two indecisive people?  I can't decide.

"Reading" audiobooks

Throughout college I almost exclusively listened to KSL Newsradio, who was my employer at the time.  I couldn't listen to music anymore.  I craved news, and I think that personally knowing the radio hosts made my listening experience even more enjoyable.  I loved everything about the radio world and was sad to leave the industry upon graduating.  If I could make a living as a promotions assistant I probably would (that may be an exaggeration, but I really did love the job).

Now, being a few years removed from that world, my aversion to music radio still lives.  However, my listening preference has transitioned from newsradio to audiobooks.  I peruse through the county library in search of the next interesting book.  I've listened to everything from fantasy (Ender's Game) to classics (Catch-22) to history (1776).  Completing these books gives me something to talk about other than work.  I usually read or watch the news throughout the day anyway, so listening to it on the radio becomes redundant.  Also, the commute to Ogden is always peachy so the constant traffic updates are totally irrelevant to me.

I have some friends who are fully entrenched in the audiobook world.  We often ask each other for recommendations and reviews of the books we currently have.  It was not long after these discussions began that I noticed how we differently we described our experiences, and the difference was how we finished a book.  I listened to audiobooks.  My friends read audiobooks.

Big difference, in my opinion.

Someone saying they read, say, The Count of Monte Cristo, is a huge accomplishment.  It's several hundred pages long.  Can I say I read The Count of Monte Cristo if I watched a movie based on the novel?  No.  Of course, movies rarely follow a book word for word.  But what if a movie does?

Take, for example, Hamlet.  Or Much Ado About Nothing.  I know there are movies out there that have followed the books nearly (if not exactly) word for word.  So can I watch one of these and say that I read the book of the same title?  I don't think so.

I have never been a big reader myself.  But if I can include all the movies and audiobooks I've completed, I've got a pretty lengthy "Books I've Read" list.

Thoughts?

Rededication

My last post was in October 2012.  It was my solicitation for help with my personal statement.  Those darn personal statements.

I was looking through post on this blog and realized the big smile I had on my face.  So many good memories!  Between races, DC, Jordan, Ragnars, and other random things, I have had some great experiences.  I think it's about time I resurrect this blog.

Updates coming.