Ready for Christmas

Hard to believe it's just a week til Christmas.
I guess with Thanksgiving being late, there's less time in between.
We decorated the house the weekend after Thanksgiving, have all kinds of stuff up that we've compiled over the years. Our tree is kinda top heavy. We tried to keep most of the ornaments above Jett's reach.
We've still got a little shopping left to do. Well, I do at least. Shanda's always done early. I procrastinate quite a bit.
Can't wait until Jett is older. Then I can get him a game system and play it after he goes to bed...

Jett learned how to put on a hat recently. Nice choice, too.



Here's a shot of him getting ready to go to Catherina's (where he stays four days a week) one day. His coat about swallows him whole.

Jett's 1...and a month

Jett turned one about a month ago. In fact, he'll be 13 mos. old Tuesday.
So I figured I better get these birthday shots on here while he's still 'just one.'
Above is Jett with his little cake. He was not interested in it at all. We were there with cameras and video cameras and he just didn't want it.



Here's Jett and his bud Gabriel (they are cousins) playing with the new tractor the Parker grandparents gave him.



Here's the cake the rest of us ate. We went Elmo this year.



And here is us, with a half-eaten birthday cake. This is actually a week after his B-day. We had 20-something people at the house and in all the hoopla, forgot to take a shot of just us three. The old Olympus timer shot did pretty well.....

Back to work....

Man, it stinks going back to work after a holiday. It's not that I don't like my job, just that once you get a few days off, it's a reminder of how little you get to just do whatever you want.
For me right now, that's hang with Shanda and Jett, watch the magic of Russell Wilson and the Pack, and go to the deer woods.
I had last Wednesday and Thursday off and technically, I had Friday, too. But Hibriten reached the third round of the football playoffs at East Henderson and I thought we (meaning the paper where I work) had a chance to "win" some with that. By that I mean, we could've just taken a call-in on the game and got enough. But instead, I drove to Hendersonville, covered the game and wrote it up. Wrote a 1,200 words kind of write up.
Hopefully, someone in Lenoir noticed....even though Hibriten lost and they'd probably rather forget it.
Speaking of work stuff, I watched Wake Forest play hoops late Sunday night against Baylor. I have a few connections to Wake hoops.
The main guy I covered while he was in high school, Deacs forward Jamie Skeen, is being red-shirted this year. But there are a few other connections there. Point guard Ish Smith went to Central Cabarrus and I got to know him well through him playing in the same conference as Skeen (North Meck). Also got to know Skip Prosser some while he was recruiting Jamie.
Quick story on that....
North won the 2005 4A state title, behind Skeen, Ben Stywall (UNC-G) and a few other interesting characters. Anyway, the regional tournament was in the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem and since Skeen was a Wake recruit, Prosser was always around. Given it was in Wake's arena, well, that was easy.
So the regional final was being played on a Saturday night and I was sitting on press row as the lights went down. They were doing the fancy player intros and there was an empty seat beside me. I noticed that someone had moved into it, but didn't notice who until the lights came back up. It was Prosser.
Now, for a lifelong ACC fan, follower, this was almost too much. I love everything ACC. I mean, I joke about hating Carolina, and I do, but I've sat a few seats down from Roy Williams at another tournament without smacking him. That's progress!
Every reporter has a favorite team they put aside when they're working. I could call out the Pack or praise the Heels if I was covering them. No problem. Wouldn't bother me a bit.
Anyway, off on a tangent. So basically I watch a whole game with Prosser, was getting paid to do that. We didn't talk a lot, but joked some about North's really witty student section. He wrote out the ACC standings on a napkin. This was the day before the whole Chris Paul hitting Julius Hodge in the jewels incident.
Given what happened to Prosser, it's a good memory.
Then last year, the Caldwell County Hospice held its annual ACC luncheon and had Dino Gaudio as the speaker. Now this was just six months after Prosser died and about a week before official practice opened. But I got 10 minutes of one-on-one time (interview that is) with Gaudio. Our nutty photographer snapped a shot. Glad he did. (Gaudio looks bored).



At least I made it this far, if I never make it to full-fledged ACC coverage.

Speaking of the Pack, Mr. Wilson (below) is the first freshman ever to be named first team all-ACC quarterback. He led the Pack to four straight wins to become bowl eligible after they were 2-6. Let's see, they beat Duke, Wake, Miami and hmmm? Who was the other one? Oh yeah, 41-10, Carolina......

Catching up

I've been slack updating this, so here are some quick-hits to catch people up on the Parkers.....

-Jett turned one last week. We had 21 people, other than us, at the house last Sunday. That's the most ever. Jett did really well with the crowd, but wasn't interested in his cake. Barely touched it. I'll post some pics soon I promise. Here are two semi-recent ones to do until then.....






-Discovered last week that if I'm going to hunt behind my house, Slider's got to be in her crate. She barked so much last Monday when I went that I got mad, came out of the woods and yanked her inside and into the crate. She knows if I go in the woods (just beyond her fence) that it's for fun. Her favorite thing to do is run through the woods and sniff everything so she feels left out I guess.

-Speaking of hunting, not getting to do it much at all. When I worked in Huntersville, I went probably 20 to 25 times a year. Last year, I went just five times. This year, it may be slightly more than that, but not much.

-I love this time of year, but it also kills me because there's so much I'd rather be doing than working.

-Looking forward to Thanksgiving. I think I'm going to be off about half the week.

-We have one football team left in the playoffs that we're covering. Hibriten's having its best year in a while and could go far. Other than that, I'm spending this week previewing high school hoops.

-Jett did something pretty cool today. He came to me on the couch, grabbed my index finger and led me down the hall. Did it twice.

-Jett ripped our heart out today. We were trying to leave him in the nursery at church, but he was tired and wasn't familiar with the people in there. So he just snatched on to Shanda's leg and wouldn't let go. When we had to leave, he cried his eyes out. Mama came close.

-State's on a roll in football. Well, the Pack beat Duke and Wake. That means they are 3-0 against in-state teams with one to go. It's the big one, too, against Carolina, on Saturday. Win or lose, this year has been one of progress. We're finally getting out of the Amato damage and we have a quarterback in Russell Wilson!

Finally, in the woods

Monday was the first day I’ve had a chance to go deer hunting this year.
With Jett and the job and all, it’s just been tough to find time. Anyway, it’s been really hot until this week so it didn't matter.
I tried out a new spot for the first time. I have access to the 50 or so acres behind my house now, so that cuts out a 15-minute drive and the extra planning of going to Terrell.
I was so anxious to get out there this week. It’s been a long time since I’ve hunted somewhere new and given I hadn’t been this year at all, I was itching to get a chance.
But I didn’t see a thing.
It was a great day to be in the woods though, about 45 degrees, rather cold for October here.
The leaves just started changing.
I had a lot stacked against me. I didn’t have any food out (corn is $9.99 a freaking bag!) and I’ve opted (or been forced, depending on how you look at it) to try the ultimate challenge – taking a deer, with my bow, from the ground.
I don’t have a treestand up and Monday, I was pretty much sitting at the base of a tree. I had cut a few shooting lanes the other day (actually spooked one deer while doing it) and cleared away leaves at the tree, which is next to a fallen log. But after about an hour, really before that, I realized I need to get a little better set up. I found my old hunting bucket and I think I’ll also use my old camo umbrella/blind to shield my right side.
I’ll get it figured out.

Closing in on a year

Pretty hard to believe, but Jett's going to be a year old in less than a month. Here are some updated photos of him......Here's Shanda with him.


Now, here's the two JPs together.....



Here's two of Jett trying to rule the TV.....

A real adult week

One thing I've learned by watching Jett the last 10-plus months is how much I envy his joy and innocence.
I mean, his biggest problem of the day is when we set him down to go get his bottle, he whines...and we're back with it in 10 seconds. Then he guzzles it. Man, tough life.
There's no gas problem, no election crap to watch, no monetary crisis, none of that adult stuff to worry about. For me, the worrying is almost worse than anything. I'm already worried about my upcoming prostate exams and that's like 12 years away!
I had two things, other than that stuff, just nail me this week. First, a good friend of mine called and we talked about some serious problems he's facing. I don't want to elaborate, but it's serious stuff (yeah, I know, good teaser...sorry).
Then, I heard about the death of an old girlfriend from high school, Angela Isenhour. She died in a car wreck this week.
Shanda and I saw her a few months back at Chili's in Mooresville and at Denver Days a few years before that. Other than that, it had been basically since high school since I'd seen her. But that makes two former classmates of mine to die in recent months, the other being Chris Huffman.
I wasn't close to either one in recent years, but both of those kind of hit me hard.
All that stuff sure makes my Cubs losing in the playoffs (after leading the NL almost all year!) pretty easy to take.
Anyway, sorry to be down in the dumps. Had to vent a little.
As for what else is up, since I haven't updated this blog in a while, I just turned 28. The big 2-8. Whatever. They're all the same now anyway.
As usual, I tried to drag my birthday out for a whole week. I did, too! I took my birthday off last Tuesday, then went out to eat with Shanda and Jett that night at Beef O'Brady's in Denver. Shanda's family took us to eat Saturday (Kobe in Cornelius) and my family came over Sunday with Untouchables wings/pizza.
We also have another cool new neighbor. He just moved into a new house across the street and we've chatted a few times. He's a hunter, outdoorsy type and I think we'll hang out some. Shanda thinks I'm stalking him. He does have a four-wheeler, flatscreen TV, a jeep, an awesome house and deck, and a canoe.
So can you blame me?

What a sports day!

Things really couldn't have been much better in the Parker sports world Saturday.
The Pack beat those pesky Pirates, the Cubs clinched the NL Central and the Tar Heels choked against the Hokies.
So things are looking good. State, which is clearly rebuilding its program after hurricane Amato, doesn't stink that much (Big fan of O'Brien and new qb Russell Wilson), the Cubs are in the playoffs, meaning they have a shot to end the century-long skid and the Heels aren't the world beaters people were making them out to be after the Rutgers win (Rutgers lost to Navy Saturday, too).
Who's to say things will stay this good for long, but Saturday sure was fun!

Jett's flying around

Last Tuesday, Jett turned 10 months old. Kinda hard to believe, huh?
The child prodigy is up to all kinds of new tricks. Mainly, he's walking....on his own.
It all happened pretty quickly. He's always been a fast crawler and for that matter, a quick learner, but a while back, he began pulling up to the coffee table or our hands and walking. He couldn't take steps without holding something, but in the last few weeks, he's conquered that. Now, he can walk across the room or down the hall, even turn or squat down to pick something up and continue on his way.



He can also carry something with him, a bottle or toy, whatever. Sometimes, he will even turn into a dog and carry a ball in his mouth.

He's now also noticing when we take something away from him. It used to be that he would get distracted if we took something from him. Now, he starts whining. It's so funny because he doesn't cry much at all so when he does, it's actually kinda neat.
Then I do the mature thing. I just make fun of him.

New neighbors

We have some new neighbors.
Well, sort of.
They're new to our street, not to us.
Nathan, Emily and Madison Stutts are moving in two doors down! They just closed on the house last week and they've been down there working.
I'm excited. I mean, I grew up with Nathan just a few hundred yards away and we hung out a lot in those days. We've both been doing our own thing recently and hadn't spoken in months when he pulled in our driveway the other day and told us they were looking for a house. There were like 8 for sale in our little village.
I'm glad to have someone else we know living close by. Perhaps even more, I'm glad because of who they are replacing. Remember the neighbors that called the cops on us, I mean Slider? Well, their house right beside us is also vacant now (thank God), but the next one (Nate's) was their relatives' house. One of them bothered Shan one day, but my girl went off on her!
Anyway, they all left in one group a few months back and put their houses up. I think they all went to the nuthouse. Needless to say, Nate and them being there is a 180 degree difference for the positive.
Fortunately for them, they only had to deal with the crazies a few times.
I could never figure those people out other than to say they are just different.
In my job dealing with coaches, I deal with all kinds of personalities. There are the ego-maniacs, the morons, the ones who don't understand what you're trying to do, the shovelers (so full of crap), and the arrogant. Many drive me crazy, but I can pretty much get along with anybody, coaches or whoever, from any background if they're just adult about it.
I mean, there are going to be disagreements between people. That's fine. I really don't care. My personality is one that I can totally disagree with what you're doing, but I'll just respect your opinion. Then I'm sure we can find some common ground. Hey, leave me alone. You do what you want.
Those people, though, were a challenge. I would've taken some overweight nudists over them if they would've just waved at us when they drove by. Maybe even some Carolina fans.
We actually got to a point where the people beside us would wave. Whether they meant it or not, who knows.
Anyway, we're happy to have Nate dog and his fam on K-street.
It's the second time something like this has happened to us. When Shan and I were living in the apartment in Matthews right after we got married, my old college roommate Tyson, who is from Rock Hill, needed a place to live in that area. There were four complexes there at that time, but only ours had one-bedroom set-ups. So there we are, the newlyweds, and my old roomie a golf shot away.
Sounds like we're an upgrade for the Stutts family, too. Where they've lived, on the road out behind Rehobeth, their neighbor is a 50-year-old speedo-wearing, sun worshipper, as Harold described him.
I probably would've taken that guy, too.

Go Cubs Go!

I'm not afraid any more.
The most cursed team in baseball, my Cubs, are freakin' good this year. Hex or no hex, billy goat or Bartman or the Babe, whatever. We're saying screw all that this year.
I think they've got a real shot to end their drought of World Series wins. For those of you scoring at home, the Cubs last won the title in 1908...as in 100 years ago. But hey, they won back-to-back titles in '07 and '08 so they were due to hit a rough patch.
Through Friday, they're up 5.5 games on the Brewers in the NL Central. Of course, with all the curses of the past, most Cub fans usually are waiting for something bad to happen. It's there in the back of my mind, but this team is different. It seems, all the pieces of the puzzle are there, including new addition Rich Harden (above).
When the Cubs win, they have a few traditions. They raise a white flag with a blue 'W' on it in center field to mark the win. Then they play this song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrlLmTh32KI

Sure, it's corny. But hey, if they win, who cares?
Here's my favorite Cub/baseball player ever......the now-retired Mark Grace. Glad he at least won a ring with Arizona.

Big props to Shan

Believe it or not, but Shanda and I have been married for five years!
(Our anniversary was last Saturday, Aug. 2).
That's like a college player's whole career, including a red-shirt season. Pretty amazing, huh?
I mean, for her. She's accomplished more in just putting up with me than she ever did in her illustrious softball career. I guess you could say she's done more with the diamond on than she ever did on it.
To celebrate, we took a short getaway to the mountains for two days. We had originally planned to go away for longer, but with money being tight right now, we just decided to make it short. It was also the first time Shanda had left Jett at home overnight, had someone else (her mom) put him to bed and wake him up. But Momma Shan did okay with that.
We went to the movies for just the second time since Jett's arrival and saw Dark Knight. It lived up to the hype in our minds. We also went tubing on the New River, which was a lot of fun except for the storm we were caught in briefly and the sunburn I brought home.
The trip was a good capper to eight days off for me. With football getting cranked up now, I took the chance to burn five of my vacation days and built them around some weekend days. From now on, it'll be hard for me to get away for that kind of time.
While off, I had the chance to catch up with a few guys I haven't seen in a while. I ran around with Tyson on Monday, Earl came up Tuesday and I took in a Cubs game with my old WBT bud Dan Scheneman on Thursday (11-4 Cubs win!). I hadn't seen Earl since the Panthers played in the Super Bowl in early '04.
It was great to catch up with those guys. Had a few other people to see that I didn't have the chance to. But mainly, I just wanted to be able to be at home with the wife and kid, have some normal kind of nights. And we did.
Now, it's back to reality.

The Parkers: Civil War travelers

(Historian Bud Robertson, with Shanda and Jett)

Last month, we took a little getaway trip to Virginia. Nothing big or lengthy, but it turned into one of my favorite-ever trips.
With the addition of Jett to the mix this year, we didn't really know what we wanted to do, but when Shanda told me she'd go anywhere as long as Jett could tag along, I brought up seeing Civil War sites. It's cheap (most places are free) and it's relatively close by. After some thought, we decided to go to the eastern half of Virginia where many key battles took place.
Now, if you've never visited battlefields, you kind of have to have an imagination. Many of the landmarks are no longer around or urban sprawl (i.e. Fredericksburg) has significantly altered the ground so things are much different. But you get to see the lay of the land and stand on the ground on which some monumental things occurred.
We started off with a day in Richmond and stopped at the American Civil War Center at historic Tredegar. That's where most of the Confederate cannons were built. The center is basically a museum and it was the only place we visited that we had to pay to see (not a national park). Honestly, it was probably the disappointment of the trip. We found some misspelled or missing words on displays, etc.
Anyway, the National Park Service has its Richmond park headquarters next door to the ACWC and they can provide you with a tour map of the 11 or 12 battlefields around the city. Jett was getting restless so we only visited Cold Harbor and Gaines Mill (and Taco Bell on the way). The former was the site of U.S. Grant's worst day in command, where the Union lost thousands of men in about 20 minutes. Trench works are still very noticeable on the ground and I would show a photo of them, but our camera died that day.
All that was just a warm-up for the next day, when we were to visit the Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania National Park which includes the Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotsylvania battlefields all in an area of about 20 miles. It's considered the bloodiest ground in the U.S.
We started at Fredericksburg, home of the famous sunken road and stone wall (not Jackson, although he fought there). I'm glad my former boss at The Herald, Tucker Mitchell, gave me a heads up on this one. It would have been really disappointing had I not known that a housing development is encroaching all up on the stone wall. I mean it's a pitching wedge shot from the wall. So basically, there are people walking their dogs where thousands of Union guys died on a significantly improbable charge against the wall. I can only hope that there are ghosts hanging around out there and messing with them.
There is one original section of the wall still remaining. The truck in the background...not so original.




The highlight of the trip (other than the family being together, of course) also came at Fredericksburg. After leaving the main park, we took a short drive down a park road where a few other markers are. At the end of the road, just past Meade's pyramid, we got out of the car at Prospect Hill. There was only one or two other tourists there, but I noticed another man standing by some cannons and talking into a camera. I immediately recognized him as distinguished Civil War historian James (Bud) Robertson (photo at top). He's a professor at Va. Tech and is considered one of the preeminent authorities on all things Civil War, especially Stonewall Jackson. He nearly won a Pulitzer for that book. He's on TV a lot and is easily recognized by his thick Virginia accent. He was also a historical guide for the movie Gods and Generals.
I didn't want to interrupt him, but Jett didn't mind. He let out this loud, almost animal-type shrill that stopped them from taping. Luckily, they all laughed and I had my in. I introduced myself, chatted a bit and we snapped some photos with him. Because it was so unexpected, it was great.
After that, we drove to Chancellorsville, where I immediately bought a Robertson book. Had to, right?
Chancellorsville is known for two things: first, one of the Confederacy's biggest victories as Jackson and Co. flanked and caught off guard a Union corps; and second, Jackson being mortally wounded by his own men (18th NC) as they pushed forward in the dark. Here's the spot where Jackson was shot.


Up next was Spotsylvania, where there was really only one thing I wanted to see: the Bloody Angle. It was a Confederate position on an undulating field. Basically, because of the rolling ground and the messy weather that day, Union troops were undetected as they approached. Once the Rebels noticed them, it was too late. Throw in that many soldiers' guns wouldn't fire because of soaked powder, much of the early fighting was hand-to-hand. Some of the most brutal fighting of the war occurred there, as evidenced by this photo. A 22-inch tree (now in the Smithsonian) was hit by so many bullets that it dropped. Guess the guns started working.



For us, the weather at Spotsylvania was insanely hot. And us new parents made the mistake of walking the ground with Jett. After the first marker, pretty much everything was in the direct sun. And Jett turned the Bloody Angle into the...well, let's just say he filled a diaper.
The following day, we stopped at Pamplin Park/Museum of the Civil War soldier in Petersburg. It was okay, but a little more of a tourist trap/field trip kind of place.
I'm glad we saw what we did and we left some to see on another trip.
If Shanda will go for it.



(Angel of Marye's Heights monument, Fredericksburg)

Sorry so slack

I forewarned you when I started this blog: It's going to be difficult for me to be consistent with posting.
I was right.
Just this last week - and this is really our slow time as far as sports go at the paper - things have just been crazy. Ever have one of those weeks where you're worn out and don't really recall what you did?
Oh, yeah. It's called parenting. Still learning.
For the kid to be just a fraction of my size, Jett sure does garner a lot of attention. He's pulling up to a coffee table one minute, crawling down the hall the next and mowing the grass after that (Well, not the latter yet, but I can't wait for that day. We're going to teach him that yard work is as fun as basketball.).
But I have recently discovered a secret weapon: Slider, the forgotten bluetick beagle (Bio: 4.5 years old; loves scratching, licking and sniffing; would like long walks on the beach, but hasn't been).
Shanda doesn't mess with Slider, usually keeps her outside. However, I have found that Slider snatches Jett's attention better than almost anything. So Jett chases Slider around the house, Slider follows me and I follow Jett. It's this odd triangle of rejection. I want Jett's attention, but he's interested in Slider. Slider wants my attention, but I'm after Jett. Usually, I just sit on the couch and watch Jett chase Slider. Doesn't wear me out very much.
Anyway, that's some bit of an update.....

(Coming next time...a review of our recent vacation to Virginia)

The many faces of Jett

Jett's in a really interesting phase right now. He's stimulated by everything.
You know, if someone opens the door, he perks up. If it thunders, he looks around. If Carolina takes a whipping, he starts humming the State fight song.
Well, maybe not the last thing. Not yet anyway.
Here are some photos showing a couple of the faces he makes.
You've heard of Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame. Well, the top pic is Touchdown Jett.
The second pic is just a funny look he gave us.
I think he looks like a British snob in the third one...and like a disaster eating carrots and rice in the fourth.
He could pass for Chinese in the fifth.

I've turned into a history dork

Maybe it's just me getting older, but now I get really excited about reading.
More specifically, reading about some of the old wars. So not only am I old, but I'm a dork, too.
Oh well. Never was that cool anyway.
I've been on this history tear (usually in spring, summer) in recent years. I mean right now, all my analogies are Civil War related (Man, he's like Longstreet at Gettysburg) which no one gets and all I want to do is study this crap about guys that got shot down 145 years ago. I mean even our vacation this year was bouncing around to different battlefields in Virginia (Thank you Shanda).
It's become a real passion for me, really the Civil War and the Revolutionary War.
It sounds crazy, but because I cover sports for a living, my getaway has to be something else. And I've found the last few years that the history of those wars has been just that.
So on the brink of July 4th, I thought I'd recommend an author if anyone has an interest in the Revolutionary War (For those not in the know, that was when a cobbled-together group of rebels thumped those British dudes pretty good).
Jeff Shaara (his link is to the right) has a two-part, historical fiction set on the revolution that is really good. The first is called Rise to Rebellion, the second The Glorious Cause. It's called historical fiction because all the big stuff is true (Americans still win, for instance), but whether or not some things like conversations or certain meetings unfolded exactly the way it's written or not makes it fiction. And they are novels.
He tells each chapter from the standpoint of a different character (Gage, Washington, Lafayette, etc) and it works. He's researched their personal writings and is able to keep the story moving while telling it from different angles. Pretty interesting and I've learned more by reading his work than I ever would've just reading regular junk.
Shaara's also written a book on the Mexican War (Gone for Soldiers), which is a good read because it includes many Civil War characters like Lee, Hancock and Pickett fighting alongside one another 13 years before many split and suited up in blue or gray.
Shaara has two Civil War books (Gods and Generals; The Last Full Measure) that complete the trilogy started by his late father Michael Shaara (The Killer Angels). Those are next on my list. I'm working in chronological order, here you see. Shaara's even got WWI and WWII books out now that I'll have to get to eventually.
Anyway, if any of you are still reading down to this point, thanks for enduring.

Jett Update

So you've been asking. Now, finally, I deliver.
Below are some updated pics of Jett, the young prodigy. He recently ditched his helmet so he's enjoying life a little more. He's pulling up to the coffee table now, as you'll see in the top two photos. The third pic is Jett with, of course, the lovely Ms. Parker. Both wearing red. Very nice.
In the bottom photo, Jett's manning the cannons on Marye's Heights in Fredericksburg during our recent trip to Virginia. Look closely and you'll notice he's even got a general's glare. Must've gotten that from his mom. ... Seen her version quite a few times.

The helmet is off!

Jett had a big day Thursday.

First, he got good news from the doctor/therapist. His helmet is off!

Jett has completed his time wearing the dynamic orthotic cranioplasty (DOC), better known as the helmet to fix his little misshaped head. He wore it for 8 or 9 weeks. They had originally said 6 to 8. His head's a lot better now and it's great that he's ditching the helmet because the heat has been making him sweat a lot.

So that was a pretty good start to the little prodigy's day, but then he again proved why he's such a phenom. He's already been crawling around like crazy, most of you know that. But recently, he's been trying to pull up to the coffee table. Then today, all of a sudden, he pulled himself all the way up...and stood up! It happened really quickly and Shanda and I just looked at each other in shock. He did it once more before we tracked down the video camera. Then, fittingly, he was too tired to do it again.

All for now. I'm going to be posting more often... I promise. And we'll put some Jett pics on here soon.

Hello all

I've been wanting to do a blog for a while.
Although, I have to admit, I'm not sure why. I write for a living so it's not like I have a shortage of keyboard time. I guess I wanted to be able to write anything I choose, whenever I want.
And we just upgraded our computer/Internet service so I actually can pull it off now.
In this space, I'll do a little bit of everything, probably talk a lot about my wife Shanda and my son Jett. Also, there should be a lot of sports talk and comments on other things that pique my interest. I like keeping up with athletes I've covered so I'll have some of that on here as well. Maybe an occasional deer picture.
The blog is named for my son...and the mighty (at least I wish they were) Wolfpack.