Happy Father's Day!

I spent yesterday with my parents.  They came into town last week, so my cooking requirement disappeared for a few days, but mom always stuffs me silly.  Love it!  And spending Father’s Day with my dad, instead of just calling home, makes it better, too, especially since my dad is my “best man” – literally.

I did get a good run in while with them.  They were camping outside of Gettysburg, PA, so I ran through the battlefields a little bit.  B-U-tiful!!  Although, two days later, I am a bit sore - guess I'm not used to hills yet...

Speaking of food – boy, was it good.  Grilled chicken.  Grilled Walleye (a freshwater fish).  Grilled steaks.  Sweat potatoes.  Squash with brown sugar and butter.  Buckets of fresh fruit.  And of course, burgers and baked beans.  I am sure I gained a few pounds just spending the weekend with them, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.  And no, I didn’t take any pictures of it.

Being with my parents makes me reflective, though.  Eight years ago, a week after I graduated from Grad School, I packed up all of my belongings and moved 800 miles away from my family to live near my then-girlfriend.  Sure, I’ve gained some from the move, we eventually got married (and divorced…), I became a Medic and firefighter, I have new friends that actually seem to care – I’ve discussed my high school and college friends before.  But I also look at all I’ve given up or lost completely.  Some of the people that mean the most to me are now distant email addresses that barely ever get used.  I don’t do the things that I used to love anymore – camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, even my photography has changed and I’m not certain for the better.  Michigan will always be my home, but unfortunately, the economic situation right now pretty much prohibits me from moving back home, but I miss so much about “the Mitten”.

Being with my parents also makes me reevaluate my current situation.  I am not happy with my job, but I’ve become accustomed to the paycheck.  My dreams are going unmet, with no real plans in place to make them reality.  And my self-confidence sits on the fence most days… both a product of and a byproduct from having a heart that opens too quickly, too readily, and too easily.  For instance, I have recently started reading a few new blogs.  One of them is a beautiful young lady.  I love her writing style, I enjoy learning about her daily goings, and I find myself waiting all day long for her daily post.  Simply put, I am enamored with her.  In my head, though, I know that nothing can come of it.  First, we’ve never met.  We live four hours away from each other.  There’s about ten years age difference.  We come from different backgrounds, different economic situations, and different upbringings.  Ultimately, we are nearly opposites.  But even knowing that, I can’t stop myself from reading her blog every day… see, heart fooled.

Ok, I seem to be rambling… I have another post coming soon with my new toy.  I am riding the medic unit tonight, so I don’t know that I will get to cook, but I don’t think I have anything tomorrow, so I am sure to do something…

Have a great day!