The Hidden Mickey

One of the things that our family likes to do when visiting Disneyland is to search for Hidden Mickeys around the park. Hidden Mickeys are subtle silhouettes of Mickey Mouse' head that can be found in the intricate details of the finishes throughout the theme parks. Our 4 year old has now caught on and thinks that she finds Hidden Mickeys all over the place. The other afternoon after disappearing to the bathroom, she called out "Mommy! I found a Hidden Mickey in the toilet!" after looking at each other and smirking, my wife and I went to check out this Hidden Mickey and sure enough our 4 year old was right. She had managed to squeeze out a little round head with two round ears! Gross I know, but very impressive. I thought about taking a photo but I didn't. My 2 year old wanted to check out the Mickey Mouse in the toilet because he too has caught the Disney bug and though he can't say many words he can say Mouse when referring to Mickey. And so it was he waved and said "bye mouse" as Mickey's head swirled away.

1/2 Way to New Years Day

Soooo how are those New Years Resolutions coming along? Luckily for me I set the bar pretty low this year. I did have big intentions of losing some weight but well.

Hamburgers are the best food in the whole world! They are so tasty and good. The textures, the blends of flavour oh I love hamburgers.

Terrible

My 1.9726 year old is getting a jump start on the terrible twos. He just spilled red Slurpee on the living room rug, which is not red. He also turned the electric fireplace on full heat. I knew our house gets hot in the summer but it was really hot in the living room tonight!

His sisters never did anything like that.

SAHD But Not Sad

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stay-at-home_dad
It's been just over two weeks since I was unexpectedely laid off from my job. My good wife acted quickly and was able to start taking more shifts from her On Call job. I am waiting for my employment insurance benefits to kick in and actively looking for another career. But in the mean time I have taken on the role of the House Parent. I would be lying if I were to say that it hasn't been challenging. There has been a fair bit of pride for me to swallow. I want to be the provider, the hunter, the "man". But it has some good things about it too. I am connecting more with my kids. I am getting more done around the yard and in the house. But most importantly I have given everything up to God. He is in control of what happens from day to day. I am not the one at the wheel. He may let me try to steer sometimes but he takes over when I head towards the ditch.

Feline Supremacy

I don't hate cats, I actually respect them. But I don't really connect with them. Maybe it's because they make me feel like this is their world and they are just tolerating me a mere human. With dogs I feel more masterful. I get respect from my dog.
There is a cat at the neighborhood video store who is the perfect example of a "Feline Supremist". He is this big Orange Tabby named Martin after the infamous Filmmaker Martin Scorsese. When I say big I mean he must be a 30 pounder and you can't miss him. His basket is set up in the front window so that he can keep an I on the patrons as they enter and leave the premises. When Martin walks around the video store you know that he knows it is his territory. He has this heir about him that is so convincing, so powerful that if you for some reason couldn't see that he is a cat, You would have no doubt in your mind that he was the owner of the store.
There was a kitten at the same store for a time. He was grey and his name was Kirk. He is no longer there. I assume that perhaps he was hired on as a personal assistant to Martin and he was either let go or he just couldn't take the pressure of working for the big guy.
I often walk my dog to the video store. I have to tie her up to a pole outside the front door. She whines, whimpers and yelps the entire time I am in the store until I return. I am Master.

The Blind Side

Have you ever been blindsided? I was yesterday when I lost my job. I didn't see that one coming. It was a good job too. My coworkers were great, I wasn't confined to my desk, I met a lot of unique people, I had a company car, laptop and cell phone. But even just last week I confided in my wife that there have only been two places that I have worked at in the last 20 years where I felt confident that I was using my gifts and truly making a difference. Those places were Wagner Hills Farm Society, a recovery center for men with addictions and MCC SCS now Communitas Supportive Care, a NPO dedicated to supporting people with disabilities. Everything else has ultimately given me no fulfillment or purpose. I have learned a lot though. Especially in this last job. I have been mentored by a great visionary and entrepreneur and my imediate superior taught me the importance of good communication and attention to detail. I have picked up some very valuable tools to use in any future endevor. I have also learned that I have been trying for too long to put a square in a round hole (as my good friend James put it). I know where my gifts lay and that God wants me to use them for him. Thanks y'all for the supportive encouragement that I have been receiving. I am unusually at peace knowing that God has something just right in store for me and that my family will be supported.

What's Your Normal?

I meet a lot of strangers throughout my work week and because of the nature of my job I get to enter their homes and I get to see their "Normal". Guess what, there are a lot of crazy people out there. At least that is what I thought at first, but as time goes on and I visit more and more people in their homes I realize that there can't possibly be that many crazies roaming about freely. I accept people the way they are now.
We all have quirks that make us different from one another. Our families and friends all adjust to our quirks and we adjust to theirs and soon the quirks are forgotten altogether. That is what normal is. So the muslim woman who insisted on feeding me a meal after I measured her bathroom was normal. The man who could only afford to live in a small condo with his family yet spent thousands of dollars on fixing  his cat's broken leg 4 times only to finally have it amputate was normal. The lesbian couple who couldn't decide on products and called me at 10PM on a Sunday to tell me that they were coming to the stoe the next morning and spent 8 hours looking before deciding were a bit neurotic certainly, but completely normal. I wonder what strangers think of me when they catch a glimpse of my normal.