Christmas time in the city

As the holiday season winds down the yearly reflection period is now upon all of us. Will I write in my journal more? Will I exercise more? What will I do in '09 to make myself better?

'08 is ending pretty well and what a great year end it has been. After some great Christmas parties with the ward and with work I had the chance to settle in and watch my talented kids finish out the year with some spectacular performances. Sam and Ness both were fantastic entertainers not only in their school programs but on the wrestling match and the stage. Sam finished his season and won the award for "Hardest worker", while Nessa tapped and jazzed her way to a wonderful dance performance.

Before Christmas I was able to cruise down to Vegas for a little Vegas Bowl action and male bonding. Despite the poor result on the field it was another successful trip. We even had the chance to see a celebrity or two. As we were walking through the shops at Caesars we saw ol' Pete Rose himself signing autographs at a sports memorabilia store. The sad part was that no one was in line to meet this ones great baseball player. Even sadder that I didn't feel compelled to meet him. The lesson here boys and girls is that Cheaters never prosper. Sorry Pete you had a good run but you dug your own grave.

On a happier note Christmas week was full of great times with the family. We had the chance as a family to see the ultrasound again and yes we are still having a boy. We are taking suggestions on names from now until he's born so if you want to be the one that gets credit for naming our son feel free to contribute.

Christmas Eve was great and Christmas Day was memorable. The kids were of course bouncing off the walls and made the day just so exciting for me. Santa done good this year, thank goodness. What an ordeal he's put through every year to make things go smoothly.

I hope this post finds everyone well. Happy New Year to all and to all best wishes and prayers.

Golf, Wrestling, and Warriors

So I WAS going to use this blog to talk about my brand new slightly-used golf club set that I scored off of Craig's List and how I went out golfing last week and despite being a terrible (we're talking Charles Barkley terrrble) golfer still had a good time. I WAS going to mention how bad I slice the ball and how only one good put made it all worthwhile.
I WAS ALSO going to use this blog to talk about the emotional toll it was to watch my boy wrestle yesterday in a tournament. I WAS going to mention how sad it is to see big kids cry after losing and putting their all in 1 to 2 minutes of excruciating pain, and how despite all this my boy just had a good time (he was sure tired). I WAS ALSO going to mention how sad/funny it was to see screaming parents and coaches. There was the coach that would repeatedly yell "SQUEEZE" at the top of his lungs at his wrestlers, and the "Woohoo" Mom that was so loud out there. I never wrestled as a kid but word up to all those who wrestle and leave it all out there on the mat.
Oh, I WAS ALSO going to discuss in the blog how fun it was to finally for the first time in my life see Saturday's Warriors. I know what you're thinking, really? First time? Why now? Well it was on and despite not ever seeing it I do know almost every word to ever song (thank you older brothers and sis). I'll save my critique of the show and leave it at that. No need to jump on something created over 20 years ago. Let's just say, "Things were different then."
No. This blog is not about golf or wrestling or cheesy roadshow-esque movies. This blog is about giving Thanks. Thanks for all the wonderful gifts and blessings I have. It was all summed up tonight as I lay with my baby trying to calm him down and I felt his heartbeat. Although it sounds like a washing machine, it beats great and he is happy and healthy. Every beat is a miracle. That's a lot of miracles. Multiply that by a few times and I've got quite the miracles right here at home.
Happy Thanksgiving week everyone.

Typical Fall Sunday

As is becoming a sad tradition in the Goodman household Cameron was sick and I had to stay home with him. For some the signs of changing seasons is turning back your clocks, for others it's the changing of the leaves. For us, it's Cameron's colds brought on by his compressed bronchi, an unfortunate result of his heart issues. So for the past two years we have kept him at home each Sunday to recover or avoid being sick. It's about that time of the year where we have to shut him down for the season, just as he was beginning to adjust well to other kids his age. Maybe he can be a little healthier this year, we shall see.

But things weren't all gloomy this late October season. We've had a blast going from movie theaters to farms to Trunk-or-Treats to good times with friends and family. After going with the family to see High School Musical 3 I am anxious to get my testosterone going again in late November with Quantum of Solace and Transporter 3.

As the weather cools down so does my traveling. There is just one more trip to Sunny San Diego in a week or so. I hear we may get a bit of snow around here so it'll be nice to see the sun one last time.
Don't forget to vote everyone..and for you 1 in 7 people that are still undecided, what's taking so long? You have less than two days.

The latest

For the latest on the Goodmans please see pickydoo.blogspot.com.

Have a great day!

Soccer monsters!!

So here she is in action. What a great shot. Not a bad first year for Ness. She improved a lot and ran around a whole lot. The field gets a lot bigger when you jump to the 7 yr old level.

Sam, in the meantime, finished his season off with a bang. Here he is after finishing off one of his many final game goals. He was excited to get his medal and of course his treat.
Not only was October the conclusion of soccer but it's also a birthday month. Big Sam had his big day not once, not twice, but three times! We had a family party, a crazy crazy friend party, and there is another party this week with extended family as well. Whew...we get this party started right!

And through it all I've been enjoying some time at home and in the office. I know I know, enjoying time in the office? Yes. My team and I needed some time away from Delta, Continental, Alaska Air, and all those other airlines to get our sanity and health back.

No Joy in Provo

As an addendum to a relatively happy post I do have to shout out to my poor Cougs who suffered an embarrassing and rather pathetic loss. All the dreams, all the BCS hopes, well maybe next year.

Resting my Luggage

So, for the next few weeks I get to sit back and be a normal nine to fiver for once. After seven straight weeks of meetings, long flights, long road trips, and not enough kid time, I'm back. This is the first blog written from my home computer since July. I have logged enough miles to become a Silver Medallion member with Delta and have earned points with Hertz, Marriott, and Hilton Hotels. All this really means is that I'm obsessed with points hoarding and finding ways to get things free. Now, rather than just sitting in Coach class all the time, Delta dangles the hope of me getting bumped up to First Class and I always get so close but oh so far away. When it does happen, it's usually the short flight and I'm too exhausted to look upon the measly "Coachers" with any sort of haughty disdain.

The family continues to thrive. Ness brought home a phenomenal report card and improved leaps and bounds in her first year of soccer. Like with softball, she had her best game right there at the end. Sam has busted out of his shell and is a soccer stud. His moves are lightening quick but with the grace and artistry of a dancer. OK, so that was a bit much but c'mon, he is wicked good! Ol' Camsen (nickname) is talking about everything, but even I sometimes am not quite sure what he saying. He loves to don the Raiders helmet and give the Redskins helmet to whomever he can find that will play some football with him. Now that he's learned how not to put in on backwards, the games are getting pretty intense.

So for the rest of the blog, and for those who have skipped the "reading" portion of this blog, here are some photos taken with my Palm Centro from various trips as well as some pictures of moments I missed while I was gone. Enjoy.

3rd times the charm

Like Costanza in Seinfeld I’m thinking about switching completely over to books on tape. What a great way to rest your eyes on a plane as you let someone else do the talking, well ok the reading. I’ve got the new Bourne Identity novel going and it’s been quite a good “listen” that passes the time well. It got me through a long flight to Fairbanks, AK and some short flights down the West Coast.

I should rename this blog “The Terminal” since the only time I write is when I sit around waiting for a flight. But as I travel from city to city I can’t help wondering what is going on back home. Is Cam eating his customary Oatmeal (cinnamon flavor only) for breakfast? Is Sam sipping on his Orange Julius that he loves for breakfast? Is Ness playing with her group of friends talking about how much she loves Italian food (today is pasta day)? Is Deb exhausted from making all that cash this past week and keeping up with the kids?
This is my third try at getting this blog entry finished and posted. I thought I’d throw in a brief sports report. Sam got another goal as he continues to dominate the Koala league of Springville soccer. I put this out there in case any scouts are looking for a child protégé…maybe the next Freddy Adu perhaps, but without the disappointment. Ness also had a nice night of soccer (after her ballet class…Wednesdays are crazy). This is her first year and she has improved so much in such a short period of time.
One more day on the road then I get to go home to this (see above). I can’t wait.

On the road again and again

The airport is a great place for reflection as there is absolutely nothing to do but sit and wait for a 40 minute flight from Dallas to Amarillo, TX. I've passed every restaurant in this terminal and they all have every Olympic sport except for the men's basketball game vs Argentina. Go Field Hockey...go Ping Pong...and some other obscure sport. As the Olympics wind down and the US medal count goes up I'm not looking forward to the post-Olympic depression. Gone will be the neverending stories of the Incredible Mr Phelps. Gone will be technical dialogue over what makes a good Floor routine. Beijing you will be missed...but hello London!!
Oh my gate just got changed..I gotta run.

Summer Days

Well I’ma gonna raise a fuss, I’ma going to raise a holla….cause this summer is almost over. The kids are getting ready to go back to school already. This has been quite the All-American Summer. Family Reunions, lemonade stands, water parks, Summer Blockbusters, and picnics. We didn’t quite get to all the things on our list of summer fun ideas but we made good strides and had a fabulous time.
Despite all that it’s nice the kids are actually excited about school and getting back to the books. Of course it helps when you have social butterflies like our kids (ok except for the fact that Lil C is afraid of girls his age).
Since the last blog when I missed my flight to San Francisco I’ve hit a couple of more cities. I’ve found wonders in cities I never expected, and the usual frustrations that come with trying to coordinate flights, car rentals, meetings, accommodations, and of course the occasional fun. Unfortunately the frustrations have far outweighed the fun.
I hope you were one of the billions of people who witnessed the awesome opening ceremonies for the Olympics. Of course being the rabid sports dude that I am I can’t help getting all worked up over a Water Polo match or even a two man rowing competition. Of course the obvious Olympic highlight to date was the men’s 4X100 relay race. Was that not amazing? If you weren’t jumping up and down about ready to rip your shirt off by the end of that race you just aren’t American…ok so maybe you are but you’re just not as insane as me. So maybe I see a swimming match a few times every 4 years but there is little doubt that was one of the greatest moments in American swimming in my time, if not one of the greatest moments in American Olympic history. Whew, I’m all pumped up now, gotta go watch another hundred hours of Olympic coverage.
This entry has gotten long and I haven’t even talked Dark Knight yet. That’ll have to wait till I catch it again, this time on the IMAX.

Missing flights and wrong turns

So what better time to blog then after missing a flight by 4 minutes. Note to world travelers, you must check in 40 minutes before on Alaska Airlines if you are checking luggage...not a second later. I'm here in Portland, OR which really is a cool city but has been quite the jinx for me. It doesn't help that almost every street is one way and hotel receptionists can't give good directions. It does help however to have a nice V-8 engine under the hood of an Impala to get you where you need to go a little faster (but not fast enough for Alaska Air).

I'm heading for stage 3 of my 5 stage trip. Eventually I will make it to San Francisco for another meeting with Young Living. I haven't had a chance to see much, as most of my time is spent in my room or an oversized ballroom. But hey..I can still say I've been there.

While I'm away the kids play. Here they are trying out our neighbors High School Musical game on the WII. Aren't they FABULOUS?

I sure miss all of them, but Deb has kept everyone relatively sane and has been very supportive as I try to find my way in this new job. Thanks Deb.

Fab Father's Day

Happy Dad's Day to all. What a lucky Dad I am and I've had a great day. Here are some of the ways my kids have helped me enjoy this joyous day.
- I got to lick the bowl with the other kids "just because it is Father's Day".
- I had a delicious Breakfast in bed with cereal, pineapple and sweet bread.
- Five extra minutes of sleep...mmmm sleep.
- Wonderful presents including Indiana Jones trading cards and a high powered flashlight.

Here are some notes from questions asked to the kids about me.
V's Interview
So, what do you think of your daddy? He’s nice! He’s funny.
What does he do for his job? Calls and types on the computer.
Does he remind you more of a tiger or a dinosaur? Dinosaur, ‘cause he wrestles us like a dinosaur!
How do you feel about Daddy? He helps me with my homework. He’s nice. I loooove him!
S's Interview
So, what do you think of your daddy? I’m glad that he wrestles with us. I like it when he plays with us. I like it when he eats with us.
If he could travel anywhere in the world, where would he go? Salt Lake.
What’s his favorite thing to do? Throw us on the beanbag.
C's Interview
What’s Daddy’s favorite color? Boo (Blue). Peek (Pink). Boo.
What’s his favorite thing to do? Peek.
Does he remind you more of a tiger or a dinosaur? Raaah! (Dinosaur noises)

DG's ramblings

As promised here is the other stuff.
- My first day of my new job kind of felt like a first day of school. Thankfully this time I didn't lose a contact, miss a train, or get lost on campus (all very true and very traumatic).
- Between Ironman, Indiana Jones and What Happens in Vegas I have to say Ironman was my favorite...go see it! (is anyone looking forward to Batman the way I am?) (anyone?)
- Like Dwight Schrute in the Christmas Party episode of The Office I am now a user of the handy Netti-Pot. My first experience was quite scary (hint...too much salt) and I nearly blew my ears out. But after I got the hang of it I enjoyed the experience thoroughly.
- Nothing better then seeing one kid round the bases in kickball on the same day the other goes 2 for 2 in her first softball game. Oh yeah!
- How did anyone stay motivated to run before the I-Pod? Oh yeah..the Walkman.
- If every week of summer is as crazy as the first I'm not going to make it.
- I should have waited to start watching LOST when it was all over and I could crank out
each season in a couple of weeks. Did that with ALIAS, watched five years worth in a few months..nice.
- Nursery can be frightening for a poor boy who has been couped up all winter.

Birthday Blog

The slideshow to my right is a quick glance through the first two years of our baby's life. What a crazy two years it's been. Over one hundred trips to the doctor, so many prescriptions, sleepless nights, and too many miracles to fathom. After all that, we have a great kid who loves life and has become one of the most courageous little guys I know.
We had a great celebration that began in Disneyland and ended with a great family party at Granddad and Nonna's house a week and a half later. Of course he was spoiled with a wonderful Elmo cake, books and new digs (clothes guys, clothes). We love watching him grow and learn new things. He continues to surprise us each day with his Word of the Day, and makes us laugh as he dances along with Kristy Yamaguchi and Jason Taylor on Dancing with the Stars.
We are so grateful to have this wonderful blessing in our lives. He has helped our entire family draw closer and rely on the Lord in all we do.

Disney Daze

Ok so check this out. It's been almost a week since we returned from Disneyland and I am just now getting to that point where I can sit down and collect my thoughts on the whole experience. Mostly it's because of the Mickey induced braincloud I have had for the past few days. It's the reward for hauling 3 kids down to Cali and spending $3 for an apple just to make it through the morning.

So what did I learn from our trip? I learned the Walmart umbrella strollers are cheap. Ours broke before we even hit the park. I learned that a Veggie burger can sustain you for about nine hours before the IHOP comes to the rescue. I learned that the cars of the future won't go very fast. Oh and I learned that if you really want to bond with your family, cram everyone into one hotel and make that your home for four days.

But the funnest thing I learned is that my kids have a brave streak in them. Yes, they may be afraid of the occasional dog or cat, or even those "Rolly-Polly" bugs, but when it comes to a fast ride in a dark room (a. la. Space Mountain) or a trip down raging rapids, they do not fear the unknown.

So, what was my favorite part? Easy. The best was sitting next to the kids as the ride is about to get good. We had so much fun getting prepared for the exciting unknown ahead of us. Maybe that's an analogy for life.....ok maybe that's just why people like roller coasters. Whatever it is, I like it.

Tips for those thinking of making the trek.

Favorite rides:

Mine- The rapids ride in California Adventure

D's- Space Mountain (a classic for her)

V's- Splash Mountain

S's- Buzz Light-Year Astroblaster ( I rocked this game!!)

The kids were able to earn Disney Dollars for the trip by doing extra jobs and such, which was really good for them. Disney Dollars can be purchased at Disney Stores or online.

A friend gave us a good idea of buying some Disney items before the trip and surprising the kids with them throughout the week. This was nice because they got souvenirs at half the cost.

Brady Bunch Birthday Blog

So we're doing this only a month or so late. Don't forget to stay tuned for the Wrap Up blog, the Summer Movie Preview blog, and the Countdown to Disney blog. But for now we turn our attention to the oldest of the kids. She had a little birthday about a month or so ago that we didn't catalog in our historically accurate family blog.

The above pictures are samples of pictures taken with friends and family. Not everyone dressed up as well as V (the wig did look good in contrast to my dark skin) but they all had a blast playing Brady Bunch themed games like Find Kitty Carry All, and which Brady girl are you. These parties get a little crazy with all the kids but Mom pulled it off like a champ. We love birthdays and we love our kids.

The picture

Here it is sports fans....waiting for your answers.

Country Road......

take me home..to the place...that I wanna beeeee....West Virginia something something..take me home.
I hope you all enjoyed that sweet serenade. I'm here, as sunburned as this Guatemalan skin can be at the Stonewall Resort somewhere South of Clarksburg, WVA. Never in my wildest dreams did I think my business would take me to such an isolated spot. We have some great people here who have treated us well. My boss and I are here doing a series of meetings until tomorrow. We drove down from Pittsburgh where I took a special picture. For a cool prize identify the person in the picture and the "situation" the picture is capturing. Sports fans put on your thinking caps.

Due to technical issues the picture will have to wait until the next post. More prizes and guessing games to come so stay tuned.

A Surprise for Dave!

This is Deb (Dave's esposa) here. I wanted to break into this blog to really quickly thank my incredible husband for being so willing to watch the kids while I spent 50 fun-filled hours with my friends in Las Vegas last weekend. I had such a wonderful time and it was made even more wonderful by knowing that Dave was taking such good care of the kids. He threw a "High School Musical" party, complete with watching the movie, dancing, eating snacks, and making their very own "High School Musical" posters (S.'s had a drawing of Chad with a major 'fro and V.'s said, "We're all watching this together, and we know that we are watching High School Musical"!). Then, on Saturday, he took them to "Horton Hears a Who," which they all loved. And, to top it all off, they had the house very clean when I got home Sunday night. THANK YOU, Dave. You are truly my very best friend. I'm so lucky to have you in my life! I love you. (By the way, this picture is of my hot husband with our sweet little boys last Halloween.)

Brackification

So it's that stressful time of the year again. Harder than Christmas shopping and more confusing than tax season...it's March Madness time. As the line goes "Just when I thought I was out....they pull me back in". I'm in two Yahoo groups, and even my beloved employer has me filling out brackets with the promise of fabulous prizes. Focus, focus!! Everybody has an opinion to confuse me. Whether it's RPI, or winning percentages against top teams, or whether a Jaguar can beat a Bulldog, or if Baby Blue is better than Cougar Blue, everyone will have their say. And as if it's not bad enough, the winner of my pools will most likely win based on which team logo their baby drooled on, or which dog dish Sparky drinks from. Good luck to all.

Kids say the dangdest things

For copyright purposes I went with Dangdest. Is that even a word? Anyway here are a few of the fun things being said in the Goodkids household.

V.- "Is this Summer Water?" Mom " What do you mean?" V "Oh, I mean Spring Water"

S.- In dramatic fashion "Let's run in the BLISTERING wind"

S.- "Women Stink!" (this made his sister cry)

C.- says "Oh boy" when he's nervous or sees something really neat...like snow.

C.- When being sat down for breakfast out of nowhere he says "Do-nut"...we haven't had donuts for months (ok maybe just one).

Midway Getaway

Impressed? Here is the Goodkid on a weekend snowmobiling retreat this past weekend at Daniel's Summit. Not bad eh? Ok ok so it's not me. Actually they called me Credit Card out there cause that's as far off the ground as I got. It wasn't all pleasure mind you. I know you won't believe this but this was serious work. We flew in a bunch of distributors from around the world for a 4 day retreat. Now, through the Rock Band, Karaoke, Snowmobiling, and shopping we had serious discussions about business. The best part was having the family come up Saturday night for a little play time. We made great strides in the swimming pool and the littlest was extremely social, saying "hi" to everyone that passed by.

Rockin Valentine's Evening

Look at all the loot. The kids had a great time sharing Valentine's with friends. V had a very nice message for each of her Valentine cards. On one she had a Roses are Red poem, on another a drawn out heart, and many more creative messages. S's valentines were Pirate themed and very organized.

We ended the night with a Goodman dance party. We rocked to the hits of the 90's and everyone showed off thier sweet moves on the dance floor.

National Pancake Day

So yesterday was the big celebration of National Pancake Day. Not sure what the point of it was but it did give us a chance to get some free flapjacks at the IHOP and raise awareness for a worthy cause. The restaurant was accepting donations for the Childrens Miracle Network which as you may or may not know works with several hospitals around the country including Primary Children's Hospital. So through all the delicious syrup sampled at the IHOP yesterday we had a chance to reflect on our little miracle. Of course, he enjoyed the pancakes so much he decided to wear them....FYI..syrup can really enhance the curls.

Fantastic Voyage

I'm posting this at the request of thousands of fans who want to know more about the Goodkids. We made it across the frozen north into Idaho for three funfilled crazy nights in the great Southeast, where the snow is piled high and the backroads are slick. The locals have created a nice smooth layer of ice on all the roads to make driving an adventure. Boy, I sure wish I knew someone up here that could sell me a good set of tires....
We've already hit a local basketball game, we're heading up to IF for a night on the town tomorrow and then it's back to IF for some wedding festivities. It's gonna be a blast...and I don't just mean the cold air.
A shout out to Indiana as we continue to pray and send our best wishes for a speedy recovery.

This message has been tentatively approved by the local editing firm of Ernst and Deb.

Night on the town

After finding a warden for the kids we hit the town for a typical date night. Typical in the sense that we forgot how busy the night gets (cause we're out so little) and our movie of choice was sold out.

So we took a leisurely drive down to the Macaroni Grill. For those who don't know, this Italian restaurant is located at the Riverwoods in Provo. The lovely picture you see here is just a sampling of the delicious meal we partook of. The service is good (refilling beverages before they dry up) and the ambiance is peaceful. Well, at least until the 6pm rush.

While the big cat's away...

Here are some photos taken while I was gone to Orlando. This is at Jumpin' Jacks. The kids conquered their fears and hit some of the big slides.

Into the cold

I'm back from the heat and humidity of Florida. I think I liked the cold air of Utah for about 5 minutes then I had to throw on a coat and went back to the constant freezing state of being I am in until about March or so.
Our conference was a success, and unlike last year there was no medical emergencies at home. I'm so grateful for that.
It's good to be home. Our prayers and thoughts go out to Indianapolis this week. We love all of you so much.

Happiest Place on earth

This is turning into a travel blog. I'm in sunny Orlando at the regional event for Nu Skin. After braving an early morning snow storm to get to the airport, and an unruly child kicking the back of my chair I arrived to my hotel in Disney World.

Did you know they don't sell gum on Disney property? I didn't, but I guess it's to keep chewed gum from ruining the magic in the Magic Kingdom.

Anyhoo. I'm going to attach a preview of our New Year's Eve card. It rocks!

Party like a Rockstar!!