Who Knows Anything? » Family

I Can’t Believe This Was Five Years Ago – Today!

Chip — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:46:55 +0000

Happy Birthday to my little buddy.

I had no idea how life would change - but more importantly, how fast it would go.

In this picture he is about 15 minutes old. And, these last five years have been filled with so much. As much as I try and be the best Dad I can - this little guy has given back so much. His capacity for empathy, compassion and joy are WAY more than me.

It's really amazing what he teaches me about being a better person and how he has grown into that without my influence. He was just born that way.

I'm thankful everyday that he is with us and part of our family. And, I can't wait for many, many more birthdays with him.

“Parenthood” (the movie) Revisited

Chip — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:36:41 +0000

I remember seeing the movie "Parenthood" when it came out. At that time, I thought that some of the antics and plot-lines were crazy and far fetched.

Boy, was I wrong.

This movie is a perfect two hour summation of life with a spouse, kids, in-laws and relatives. It's almost too true at times. Ron Howard did an amazing job directing this movie and imparting that truth. And, Grand-ma's observation about life being a roller-coaster is so true.

Most of all it reminded me how perfect we want the world to see us and our families. And, how that facade can be a burden at times. I know I need to relax a little more and let things just be - otherwise I'll end up crazy. Well, more crazy than I am or will be in the future.

GuitarHero Can Save Your Family

Chip — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:32:26 +0000

My soon-to-be 11 year old step-son is getting to that "too cool for parents" stage. So anything we can do to help bridge the gap helps with the attitude. Well, I got GuitarHero III for Christmas and have been working my way through the different levels. I made it all the way through medium and now I'm over half way through hard - but I had to wuss out on both battles.

Anyway, remember that scene in the movie "City Slickers" - when they're sitting around the fire talking about how they used to fight with their dads all the time. But, the only thing they had in common was baseball - going to games, talking stats, stuff like that. I was reminded of this when Tommy and I were playing GuitarHero the other day. It's common ground and a heck of a lot of fun.

I think I even get some cool points with his buddies when I go up and smoke them on the songs they're working through. One day I heard them playing a song and fired up my amp and Strat and started playing the song for real - they got a kick out of that.

Who knew we'd be united in ROCK!

Do You Have a Team-in-Law?

Chip — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:52:24 +0000

I was listening to Mike Tirico on the radio today and he was talking about teams he likes and such. He then dropped, "well Michigan is my team-in-law." I've never heard the term - but I love it. I looked around the 'net for a definition and couldn't find anything - so here's a stab at it.

team-in-law - noun

An obligated devotee, follower, or admirer of a sports team due to marital influence.

My team-in-law is the University of Tennessee. My wife's an alumni and loves "The Big Orange".