2014 A Year in Review.

2014 turned out to be a big year for me.  A lot of things happened, both good and bad.  In the end it was a pretty great year.  At the end of 2013 the wife and I had just put in an offer on a house and just found out we were going to have our first child.  We started the year in West Virginia celebrating my in-laws wedding anniversary and my mother in-laws birthday.  It was a lot of fun, but as usual when we visit West Virginia at that time of the year there was snow and lots of it.  My wife and I both still love the snow very much, so for you complainers of the great white flakes you will get no sympathy for us.  It could snow every day from now until March and I would be happy.  As usually I am hoping for a White Christmas.  Although this year it looks like it will be wet, but not cold enough for the white stuff.  Here’s to hoping the temperature drops some.  Maybe we could get one of the Artic Blasts on Wednesday night.

Anyways the hardest part while traveling to celebrate the New Year, a wedding anniversary, and a birthday is hiding the fact you can’t drink.  At this time only my wife and I knew about the pregnancy.  Luckily we showed up early enough to get the waitress in on it and just bring out virgin drinks while we were there.  But it seemed like all of January and most of February we were coming up with new and fun ways to hide her not drinking.  Mostly I just drank enough for her to justify being the DD.  Ashley’s Birthday was probably the hardest day to get through.

In January, my brother, mom, and I drove out to Michigan to visit with my Grandfather.  We had just received some bad news about his health and a couple of weeks later my mom went back out to stay with him in his final days.  The trip in January was bitter sweet.  It was great spending time with family and my grandfather, catching up and telling stories.  It was sad knowing that it would likely not happen with him around again.  I was truly lucky to get to spend the time with him the last few years.  In February my grandfather passed and the family reunited for a weekend in Muskegon, MI.  Once again enjoying the time we had with each other.  It was also the weekend we decided to announce to our family that Ashley was pregnant.  If we didn’t I’m sure people would have started to notice the bump.  Another fun part of this trip was all of the snow in Muskegon.  It literally came up to my shoulders.

Upon our return to VA we also started to tell all of our friends.  This was one of the hardest secrets I’ve had to keep from people.  But it was a lot of fun to share the news with everyone.  In March we finally moved from Burke into our new home in Stafford.  Although we didn’t start living there yet, there was no heat.  Ashley, Bouncer, Rollins, Tabby, and I moved in to my parent’s house for the next month. 

I also attended the California State University – Northridge (CSUN) conference in San Diego.  After months of bitter cold, sunny San Diego was quite the change in pace.  CSUN is a conference that focuses on Accessibility and technology that helps provide access to things for people with disabilities.  At the conference a colleague and I presented on our Trusted Tester process that our office created.  My hotel was right on the San Diego Bay.  One of the highlights of the trip was on Wednesday night when I went our looking for a cigar cutter at the nearby Cigar shop.  The owner invited me to join their cigar club for the evening.  I sat around and met some cool guys while enjoying a nice smoke.  Due to the cold weather back home I had not had a chance to smoke a cigar in a few months.  On my last day in San Diego I was sitting in my room when a bus pulled up outside.  The bus was carrying the VCU Rams pep band.  I think I forgot to mention that the University of Arizona Wildcats were staying at our hotel for their first round matchup in the NCAA tournament.  The VCU band showed up as the Arizona fans and pep squad were getting ready to load the buses.  All the way out in California there was a little bit of Virginia with me.  I went downstairs to watch the bands “battle” each other.  I got a picture with the Ram’s mascot before they headed out as well.  One other very touristy thing I do when I attend this conference is eat at the bar where Goose played Great Balls of Fire in Top Gun.  They have pretty good bbq for California.

In April we finally moved in and started staying at the new house.  April is also the month that Spencer and I travel down to Myrtle Beach with his dad and we play golf for 4 days.  We left a day early and stopped in Raleigh to play a round with the Chandlers who were also joining us this year.  Spencer and I started going on this trip in 2013 and we knew right away it would be a trip we would mark on the calendars each year.  When you play on courses that look as nice as the ones in Myrtle Beach do, it doesn’t matter that your golf game is terrible.  At the end of the month we made our annual trek to Richmond International Raceway for the Busch Series race with my fraternity brothers.  This year was a little wet but it didn’t keep us from having a good time.  Ashley was in WV for the weekend so on Saturday my dad and I returned to Richmond for the Sprint Cup series race.  Since Friday nights race didn’t end until around Midnight it was close to 2 or 3am when I got home.  My dad and I did not get an early start back down to Richmond on Saturday, but the good news is it did not rain.

It felt like every month in 2014 was busy, each time I start a new month I want to say it was really busy.  May was no exception.  My brother and sister turned 30 so we had a party at my brother’s house.  At the end of the month we flew to Fort Worth, TX (Aledo) to visit my cousin Kevin and his family.  We had a packed 3 days with them.  We didn’t waste time getting some good Texas BBQ.  We stopped on our way to their house.  The next day we went to a brewery called Revolver.  We enjoyed some beer and live music.  After that we headed to the stock yards.  I didn’t get a chance to see these when we were there for their wedding so I’m glad we did this time.  We say them drive the long horns through the streets.  We also went to a rodeo that evening, which was a lot of fun.  It was my first time at a rodeo.  For dinner that evening we had Mexican, it was another culinary item we needed to check off the list.  We also had more Mexican for breakfast the next morning.  Sunday we mostly spent swimming in the pool.  Our last day was Memorial Day, we stopped and toured the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas.  I was finishing up reading Decision Points so it was really cool to see a lot of things I had just finished reading.  We grabbed lunch before heading to the airport at Gas Monkey Bar and Grill.  If you are familiar with the show Fast n’ Loud the name of the garage is Gas Monkey Garage.

June started with a trip to a Phillies game on Father’s Day weekend.  A trip that I intend to make a tradition with my daughter starting in 2015.  The Phillies lost, which they did a lot of last year, but it was a lot of fun.  We also had two baby showers on back to back weekends.  The first was in West Virginia.  I spent the morning playing golf at the local course.  The second one was at our house the following weekend.  The wives all brought their husbands and we went to a local brewery (Adventure Brewing).  Afterwards we had our house warming party.  It was great getting together with everyone and just sitting around and enjoying each other’s company. 

With the babies due date being at the beginning of August you would think our lives might start to settle down, it did not.  We made our annual trip the Chandler’s 4^th of July party.  The following day we went to Richmond to celebrate Bolt’s 30^th.  His girlfriend was throwing him a Beer Olympics party.  Our team won Silver.  It also happened to be the last party before the baby came.  The next weekend we took our baby moon at Rocky Gap Casino and Resort.  It is located just outside of Cumberland, MD on a nice lake nestled in the mountains.  We enjoyed some really great food.  On Friday night I had maybe the best crab cake of my life.  On Saturday while Ashley got a message I played a round of golf. Since I was playing solo I was paired with 3 guys from the DC suburbs in Maryland.  We had a really great time.  The course was awesome too.  I’d enjoy going back and playing.  Each night we sat outside on the patio at the bar and listened to live music.  The band on Saturday was better than the one Friday night.  Saturday night while looking for a seat an older couple invited us to sit down.  We enjoyed listening to the band and talking to the couple.  They shared stories about their children and the guy talked to me about how awesome it was to have a daughter.   

The next weekend we toured the hospital where the baby would be born.  What a way to spend our second anniversary?  We stopped to get lunch afterwards and went to the restaurant where we had our reception.  Little did we know that would be the last weekend we would be able to do anything for a while?  The next weekend Ashley was sent to the hospital on Friday night.  I was halfway up there when they sent her home.  We took it easy that weekend.  On Monday I went to work, Ashley wad an appointment with her doctor again.  Her doctor sent her back to the hospital and said it was going to happen.  I wrapped up what I was working on and called a friend to pick me up at the metro.  Spencer dropped me off and the waiting began.  That evening Spencer and Nicole came over to hang out with us until my mom and brother got there.   They also brought me dinner.  We had a lot of fun and it helped to take our minds off of what was about to happen.  The next morning, Ashley’s parents and my dad showed up.  At 10am the nurse told me to go get food so I didn’t pass out during the birth.  By 11:55 am Savannah Ray had joined out family.  It is something I will never forget.  The look on Ashley’s face as the doctor passed Savannah to her was amazing.  The rest of the day moved by pretty quickly after that. 

Two days later they sent us home.  Ashley’s mom stayed with us for a couple of weeks helping out.  Then my mom came over a few nights the following week to help out.  After that we were “on our own,” there were some learning curves to get past, but 5 months later she is still the greatest gift I’ve ever received.  I love playing with her and teaching her to do things.  A few weeks ago I taught her how to stick her tongue out and make noises.  Then one night Ashley picked her up and she looked her right in the face and did it to her.  We were both on the floor laughing.  Last week she went to see Santa and gave him the biggest smile. 

As you may have guessed our August was learning to be parents, which really means learning how to live with another person in the house.  September came and we headed back to the Chandler’s for their Labor Day party.  It was one of the first times many of our friends got to meet Savannah.  September was also when our family lost another member of the family.  Sammy was our family dog since the summer of 2000.  Her presense is still missed whenever we are back at my parents house.  I honestly don’t remember much else about September. 

In October things picked up again.  We went to WVU’s homecoming one weekend.  WVU beat Kansas.  The next weekend was O’Gradyfest.  The pig was amazing.  It was also a chance to introduce Savannah to some more friends.  Later in the month we attended CNU’s homecoming.  Spencer and I hosted the SigEp alumni tailgate.  It was a great success.  The following weekend we returned to CNU for SigEp’s 10 year charter anniversary.  In 2003 I decided to join Sigma Phi Epsilon.  The fraternity was just starting on campus.  In 2004 the fraternity received their charter.  It has been awesome to watch our chapter grow.  The young men I have had a chance to meet at homecomings, alumni picnics, and golf tournaments have more than impressed me over the years.  The chapter is in great hands and I look forward to what the next 10 years have in store for us.

November slowed down a little bit.  I celebrated another year of birth.  We traveled back to Morgantown for my nephews first birthday.  Then it seemed like Ashley, Savannah and I took turns getting sick the rest of the month.  Just before Thanksgiving we were in the ER with Savannah because she had pneumonia.  We had to cancel our plans last minute.  Luckily Giant had everything we needed for a last minute Thanksgiving feast.  

December is not quite over yet, but we have already attended my companies Christmas party.  It was a lot of fun as usual.  It was a reminder to Ashley and I that just days after the 2013 party is when we found out she was pregnant with Savannah.  My mom joined us at the Ritz this year to watch Savannah and our friend’s newborn while we were at the party.  Grandma does not miss a chance to spend time with her grandkids.  I was able to meet up with one of my cousins who was in town for a conference for work.  It was nice to catch up and we both decided that our extended family needs to do a better job getting together outside of weddings. 

We just returned from another trip to WV to celebrate Christmas with the in-laws.  It was a lot of fun.  It was great to see how much Savannah enjoyed spending time with them.  She has so much love in her life.  This week we prepare to celebrate Christmas at my family’s house.  I have always loved Christmas, it is by far one of my favorite holidays.  However, this year seems to be more fun.  Have a kid to buy for brings Christmas cheer to a new level.  We are starting new traditions this year at our house that we look forward to being a part of Savannah’s and any future children’s lives.

I hope that all of you also had a great year.  I’m eagerly waiting to see what 2015 has in store for us.  Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.

God Bless you all.

 

The Heart of The Phillies

 

 

I’ve been a Phillies fan as long as I can remember.  I remember going to the Vet with my father as a kid to see guys like Mike Schmidt, Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk, Darren Daulton, Curt Schilling, and Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams.  Most of those guys all played on the same team.  Mike Schmidt is still one of my favorite Phillies of all time, but the rest of that list is the first team I fell in love with as a kid.  Schmidt retired a Phillie, he spent his whole career in Philadelphia.  Dykstra retired with the Phillies, but started with the Mets.  Kruk only spent a short time in Philadelphia, he came up with the Padres and played for the White Sox for a year or two after leaving Philly.  His time with the White Sox was not memorable.  Dutch left a few years after the World Series run in 94 to go to the Marlins.  Schilling was probably the best player on the team in 93.  He started with the Orioles.  He left Philly after some bad seasons for the team.  He was still the only bright spot during those years.  Other than him Mike Lieberthal was our best player.  Schilling left to go to the Diamondbacks.  He won a World Series with them in 01.  After that he went on to the Red Sox and played for a few more years where he was part of two World Series teams.  I always cheered for him and was happy for his success.  Wild Thing left right after the World Series.  He was run out of town by the fans after giving up that (this still hurts to think about) home run to Joe effing Carter.

Around the year 2000 some new players were playing for the Phillies.  Scott Rolen was at 3^rd and he was supposed to be the new Mike Schmidt and Jimmy Rollins was at short stop.  We had guys like Bobby Abreu and Jim Thome playing in the field as well.  It should have been a great time to be a Phillies fan but we sucked still.  Rolen left, we traded Thome, and eventually traded Abreu.  The one that stuck around was J-Roll.  In 2007 Rollins won the MVP.  The first MVP won by a Phillies player since Mike Schmidt.  2007 was also the first year the Phillies made the playoffs and won their division since 1993.  At the beginning of that season Jimmy said the Phillies would win the division.  All of a sudden all the years of being a Phillies fan were about to pay off.  The team in 2007 came from 9 games back in September to pass the Mets for the division lead.   We had guys coming into their zone.  A new era of Phillies greats, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Shane Victorino, Pat Burrel, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz, and Jayson Werth.  The Phillies were swept that year in the first round by the Colorado Rockies.  It was hard to watch, but it was the first time I could remember having hope for the next season.

The next season happened and Jimmy Rollins predicted the Phillies would win 100 games.  At the end of the season the Phillies once again won the division.  However the only way they would win 100 games would be to make to the World Series.  The record at the end of the season was 92-70.  Heading into the World Series that season they had 99 wins.  4 wins later and they had lifted the trophy and were World Champions for the first time in my life.  Jimmy did more to get the team to the playoffs than predict wins.  He had key hits along the way to lift the team when they needed it most.  In game 5 of the NLCS he led off the game with a home run.  The Phillies never looked back. 

The Phillies never reached the peak again after 2008.  In 2009 they lost to the Yankees in the World Series.  In 2010 they lost to the Giants in the NLCS.  In 2011 they lost to the Cardinals in the NLDS.  It was all disappointing.  The core never changed during those 5 years of playoff appearances.  Victorino, Hamels, Howard, Utley, Werth, Chooch, and most of all Rollins were keys to our success.  Sure the Phillies added pieces.  We brought in Cliff Lee, Doc Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Jonathan Papelbon, Hunter Pence, and Raul Ibanez to help get the team back.  In 2011 the Phillies won 102 games.  None of that mattered.  Life as a Phillies fan changed.  We went from the fans of a team that lost 10,000 games as an organization to a team that has won the World Series and competed with the top teams in the league.  Our expectations changed.  We were no longer happy with winning a few games a year.  Now we expected playoff runs.  Then making the playoffs wasn’t enough we needed deep October runs in the playoffs. 

 Now in 2014 I would be happy to make the playoffs, but I’m just happy winning a few games here and there too.  As long as we win against the Nationals, Braves, and Mets, I am usually a happy person.  But in 2012 Werth left the Phillies.  That stung a lot.  He was a key guy in our 2008 run through the playoffs.   He was one of my favorite players.  Now I have to watch him do the things he did for Philly for the Nationals in the playoffs.   Maybe after he retires I’ll be able to be happy for his accomplishments since he left Philly, but now it hurts too much.  Then Victorino left a couple of years ago.  He won a World Series with the Red Sox.  Cliff Lee left and came back.  Doc lost his speed and shut it down.  Oswalt was dealt away.  Papelbon seems to be willing to tear this team apart from inside the clubhouse.  Pence was traded to the Giants and has won two World Series.  Burrel went to the Giants and won the World Series in 10.  Ibanez left and had a good year or two with the Yankees.  Meanwhile we have kept the core together or Hamels, Chooch, Howard, Utley, and Rollins.  Even after the last 3 years of losing we could still look forward to seeing these guys put on the Red Pinstripes and play ball.

After yesterday the one player that was there through the bad and then the good and then the bad again was traded.  Jimmy Rollins not wearing a Phillies uniform in 2015 might be the hardest thing I will have ever been asked to do as a fan.  Regardless of all the locker room drama that you may hear about Jimmy Rollins he is a Philly guy.  This has been his team and he gave all for them for 14 seasons.  I wanted him to go out the way guys like Jeter, Ripken, and Schmidt did, with the teams that gave them a chance.  I knew and was willing to accept that Howard, Hamels, Chooch, and even Utley were on the trading block this season.  I know the Phillies need to rebuild if they want to compete again in the near future.  I guess deep down I knew it was a possibility that Rollins would be traded too.  I really just didn’t want to believe it.

If the others are sent away in the off season it will certainly be the beginning of a new era in Philly.  I hope that we might find the next Jimmy Rollins or the next Mike Schmidt in that group of youngsters.  Maybe they don’t even play in the Phillies system yet.  Maybe they will be acquired through one of these trades.  Win or Lose I will always be a Phillies fan.  There are just too many memories to walk away from for me.  Too many visits to the Vet with my dad.  Too many trips to Wrigley with my grandparents to see the Cubs play the Phillies.  Too many trips to Citizens Bank park with my wife.  I don’t know who we will cheer on in 2015 but it will be the guys wearing Phillies uniforms.  At least I know they will never trade the Philly Phanatic.  Man I love that guy.