Jeff Blogs

I am not exactly sure why but April Fool’s Day is a national holiday in our house. I blame Trina really. I mean she is always joking around despite how serious the occasion is.

I remember one time when she was a youngster that she stood up in church and yelled, “If there is a God, show me a sign!” then fell to the floor gyrating on the ground. The old people in the congregation freaked out. I think one of the little old ladies may have had a heart attack. It was pretty funny though. Oh wait, that might have been me that did that. It was still funny though.

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Growing up, one of my favorite animated shows was the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. There was just something special about Christopher Robin and his stuffed animals that came to life. The personalities of each character seemed so genuine. Of all of them the one that I related to the most was Eeyore.

There is just something about that stuffed donkey who always seemed to be looking for his lost tail. His depressing persona was always grateful whenever one of his friends recognized him. Despite his melancholy attitude, he was always willing to help anyone whenever they asked.

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I learned very quickly when I became a parent that it didn’t come with any kind of owner’s manual. It’s just as well, like most other guys I rarely read the instructions anyway so I probably would have just thrown the manual in the parent’s glove box and then complain because I didn’t know what I was doing. There are times though that I wish I did have a manual, it would make things a whole lot easier.

My wife Trina and I have five children; four daughters and a son. We hadn’t planned on having a large family but powers much higher than our own felt we needed to be blessed raising these kids. Throughout their lives Trina and I have attempted to teach them right from wrong and prepare them for the inevitable time when they would go out on their own.

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The holiday season is filled with all kinds of activities. There is of course the outside decorations, the Christmas tree, and of course the Nativity display. Each of these build towards the magic of the season.

Shortly after finishing the decorating, Trina will make a batch of her wonderful hot chocolate and we will stand back and observe all of the work. It is a wonderful time that fills your heart with joy and happiness.

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Christmas has always been special. From the giant stocking I gave Trina when we began dating to getting engaged, this time of year holds a special place in our hearts. Shortly after we began having children I decided our decorations were missing something.

The first Christmas after our second daughter was born I decided what we really needed was a train to go around the Christmas tree. I had always wanted a model train and this seemed to give me the perfect excuse.

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