Today is a new day

I have some things I need to do today: set up my own bank account, go talk to some people about a job (a rain soaked buckle), talk to my folks some more.  It'll all work out.  It just sucks that I will not be in a family.  But there are worse things...

Storm At Sea

     Frantically I stuff my head through the neckhole of the life jacket.  I hook my elbow over the hand railing and fumble for the buckles.  They slip through my rain soaked fingers and the ship lurches again.  Angry streaks of lightning tear across the sky and illuminate the pitching deck.  This is not the first storm I have endured since I signed onboard seven months ago, but it is the worst.  Then the thunder follows and I involuntarily shut my eyes against the audial onslaught.  And I am back in the dark again.  I can feel the sea rushing over my feet as it travels across the deck, we are taking on water.  I move forward holding on to the handrail, feeling blindly in the dark for the lifeboat.  The life jacket blows horizontally in the wind and I snatch at it before it flies away.  White arcs tear across the sky and show me the lifeboat swinging violently in the storm.  Smashing against the ship's cabin, and then back against the handrail.  The thunder comes quicker than I expected and I jump.  The ship moves underneath me while I am airborne and I fall further to the deck than I expect.  I stumble in panic and almost lose my life jacket.  Raindrops run down the curve of my face as I struggle to gain my feet.  I stagger upright as the deck teeters and only my elbow hooked through the railing keeps me from falling into the sea.  In the dark I move forward again towards the life boat.  I have a deathgrip on the handrail.  The lightning stikes close and blinds me.  The thunder is instantaneous and deafens my ears.  Lurching forward with my elbow hooked over the handrail I struggle to snap the life jacket buckles.  A lightning strike far overhead shows me I am close to where the life boat has bent the handrailing.  The thunder rumbles across the storm tossed sea and I move forward.  Sliding my elbow along the handrail I concentrate on the life jacket buckles again, I have to snap them close or I will lose it in the storm.  I slide my elbow along and the railing disappears.  I pinwheel my arms where the railing should be and the ship rocks violently.  I am thrown high into the storm and rain and I have the clearest thought.  "At least I'm not on that ship any more".  For six months I have struggled through storm after storm and it has wore me down.  The uncertainity of the open ocean during a storm is a better option.  I plunge into the sea and the cold takes my breath away.  I am alone in the vast dark ocean.  I sink a bit further into the dark and I am tempted to just let go and allow the crushing weight of the sea to take all my worries away.  The life jacket is caught underneath my chin and it reminds me of hope.  I cling to it and kick for the surface.  It seems to take forever.  I don't think I will make it.  I punch through the surface and exhale a fountain of salt water into the dark air.  I feel it splatter back onto my face and the sea tastes just like tears on my tongue.  Gasping for breath I try again to fasten the buckles on my life jacket.  Lightning shows me that I am at the bottom of a huge trough of water.  The wave crashes over me before I hear the thunder.  The life jacket pops me back upright and I cling to it for dear life.  In a split second I get one of the buckles to clasp and I am relieved at the small victory.  During a lightning flash I race down the face of a storm wave as I embrace my life jacket.   All night long the sea tries to make me give up and quit.  I endure.  In the morning I am bobbing alone on the surface of the ocean.  The ship is nowhere in sight.  It's ok.  I made it through another night.  I can do it again.  I find the morning sun, turn towards home, and begin swimming...

Good News - Bad News

Good News: 

We have baby foxes living underneath the barn in the farmyard behind our house!

 

 

 

 

 

Bad News:

My marriage is falling apart...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My April Fool's Day prank on my step-son

 

That is the door into my step-son's room,

he is still inside...

 

 

Pieces of me

Pieces of me

Pieces of me

are pinched away

Pieces of me

are cut away

Pieces of me

are torn away

Pieces of me

are snatched away

Pieces of me

are thrown away

Pieces of me

crumble away

Pieces of me

fall away

Pieces of me

are

gone

"How are you doing"

"I'm fine"

while Pieces of me

drift

away

My life as a dog...

me Mum and me Da

St. Patrick's Day

 

 

DAVID<-----Irish Wannabe

 

 

My Pap-pa taught this to me...

 

 

Of all the fishes in the sea

I'd wish to be a Bass

I'd climb up on the slimey rocks

and slide down on my...

 

hands and knees!

 

 

Spent the day with my stepkids at the City Museum

A Poem For Trish

 

We had a big snowstorm yesterday and it inspired me to take some pictures

Trish inspires me every day...

 

 

Whimsy

The time has come
my job is done
the bird has flown
our crops are sown
the ice will melt
my hand is delt
My day is done
let's have some fun!

Some of our Wedding Pics...

I got the Wedding pictures back...

Guess What?

 

 

::looks left, looks right, winks::

 

DAVID <~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Married!

 

 

(heheheheheeheheheheheheheeh)

 

I just got back from my National Meeting

phweeeeeeeew!  I am so tired.  My day started at 5am and we had functions till 10:15 each evening for 3 days.  I just got back on Saturday evening.  Lots of information.  We had excellent artists that performed for us (a definite benefit for working in the music biz)!  Here is a list of the performers I saw this last week:

The Jones Gang, Ryan Caberra, Chris Botti, Pauly Shore, Hulk Hogan, Brooke Hogan, Glen Lewis, Randy Jackson, Rich Vos, Jerrery Steele, Tamirah Grey, Van Hunt, Jeff Timmons, Jonathan Cain, Boyz II Men, Black Eyed Peas, and Collective Soul. 

 

(I missed a few, I was very tired each evening and I didn't write everyone's name down like I should have)

 

 

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

 

Just got back from my week of training in Florida...

 

 

Trish getting her Wedding Dress altered...

 

Trish and I went to David's Bridal last Thursday to get measured for her wedding dress...

 

 

 

Beamer!

I leave Sunday for a week of training in FLA!

 

I fly out Sunday to Jacksonville FL. on Sunday.  I'll be training with the DM there until the following Fri when I travel back home.  It'll be an exciting week.

 

 

I worked the autograph tent at OzzFest...

I spent twelve hrs working the autograph tent at OzzFest yesterday, I am wore out!

 

 

I finished my first full week of work at my new job...

Last Wednesday was my first week of employment and last Friday was my first full week of employment!  I am still in training and it is going great.  This Friday I work the OZfest here in St. Louis.  I am NOT looking forward to spending ALL day in the hot sun with the Heavy Metal Dudes.  Say La Vee!  I travel with the outgoing DM next week, and the week following that I travel with a DM in Florida for a week.  BusyBusyBusy...

 

 

I start my new JOB tomorrow!

I spoke with my home office today to let them know that I completed the pre-employment drug screening this morning.  And "Yes", it is as weird as it looks on the TV shows.  I am waiting for them to call back and let me know where to meet the outgoing DSM tomorrow so I can begin my training. 

                                            Yipee!  David<~~~has a JOB!

 

 

Folded, cut, addressed, stuffed and stamped

 

I mail the Wedding Invitations today!

 

 

I finished designing our Wedding invitations

 

 

 

                                                (whew!)