Double Feature

Hello everyone! hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and the gorgeous weather. This week, Mia got to hang out at the park with a couple of her crazy friends, Irianna and Nate at the always busy; Malone Park. I swear, it is super easy to lose a kid at this place. There had to be at least 50+ kids running around. They chased each other around, climbed the monkey bars and swung from a large saucer swing. All three of them needed my assistance getting them off upside down from the monkey for most of the time we were there. I'm sincerely glad she's got such great friends and hope they can all hang out during the school year (when possible). It's going to be tricky with all of the kids doing different activities during the school year, but we'll just have to try.

Wednesday was Tattoo Day, but first a quick photo session for the Torrent at Jill's studio. Her boss took a few photos of me in jersey/scarf and as well as some with my mask/drum for their social media sites. Basically, it was to announce I'll be continuing to work for them in 2017. Later, it was tattooing time. It was my very last session of my gorgeous Hawaiian half-sleeve that I've been working on all Summer, and I couldn't have been more excited to finish it. My amazing tattoo artist, Marcus put about 4 hours into coloring the shark, finishing the blue around the bicep and above the turtle and tightening any lines that needed it. The painful areas were defiantly "the ditch" or the hinge of the forearm and upper arm, but that wasn't nearly as rough as the last 15-20 minutes of coloring up my arm. He was going to stop where the shark tail ended but I insisted he kept going and finish it. "Are you sure? I figured I would do you a favor and stop." No, let's do this right and finish it. So, he did. It was real rough and sorta reminded me of my 1st tattoo (2nd session) when my artist was pulling from the inner arm. I'm proud of myself for sticking it out and couldn't have been more happier with the final results. This tattoo captures my sincere love of Hawaii, the marine animals and my beautiful family. I've had a slew of people asking me about his work and where to find him and I've happily given them all his info. He gave me a product called tegrederm that he's never used before in any session. It's mainly used for burn victims, but tattoo artists are starting to take advantage of this wrap that apparently helps with the healing process. You can leave it on up to 5 days at a time. Friday, I took off the first wrap and boy did it hurt. I put a new wrap on it and tomorrow, will be removing it. I'm excited to clean this arm, get all the adhesive off and let it heal.

Thursday, Jill and I had a biometrics test. My results were great and we'll have a better cheaper insurance for another year. Saturday, I finally got to watch Chelsea play a match in the 16/17 season. They beat Burnley 3-0 comfortably. Hazard got the first goal, Willian put away the 2nd and Victor Moses completed the day with the final goal. It's great to see them playing well again and on top of the league. There's an international break so no games for a little while. Later, we went to Mod Pizza and went to the movies. Jill's parent's met us and took Mia to see the highly anticipated animated movie called Kubo and the 2 Strings. Mia said it was really good, dark with some scary parts. We went and saw Florence Foster Jenkins. It's a true story about a woman who is awful at singing, with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. I It's pretty rare that we get to enjoy some time like this, just the two of us and the movie was actually pretty good. It was fun that Mia got to see a movie while we saw one for us. When we got out, she was waiting eating Gelato.

Today, we went to the zoo briefly to enjoy the gorgeous weather before I had to work. This week is a busy one. Mia's got her orientation day on Tuesday, which she'll bring in her supplies, meet her teacher again and see the classroom. I'm trying to get some of her friends together to hang before they all go off to Kindergarten. Thursday will be her first full day of Kindergarten. Jill's taking part of the day off and I have to work so I won't hear how it went till the next day :/.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Yoga, Soccer and Ink

WOW. What a week it was! Good evening everyone. So I had my 33rd Birthday on Tuesday and of course worked. I don't get that excited about birthdays (as far as getting off) but it wasn't too bad. Mia was mostly good and my shift was a normal Tuesday. What I was more excited for was Wednesday.
In the morning, Mia and I went to her art class. More kids this time, and she even was a bit more social with the instructor. We did this cute square cat that turned out really well.

Later was my tattoo session. It was supposed to be my last one but after 4 1/2 hours of some intense background work, detail on the beautiful turtle and Diamond Head, that he wanted to wait on the shark and detail to the waves for another time. As much as I really wanted to finish it, he knows what he's talking about and we decided to hold off on it. This was a more intense session with some awkward posses to get my arm the way he wanted it to be to do some back-arm stuff. That area is super sensitive and was no fun filling in with blue but I toughed it out and it looks solid. The dark blue that gradients to light blue looks really beautiful and makes the animals pop. I have never been given so many compliments in my life on a tattoo as I have with this. A woman at my work wanted to take a picture of it, despite the fact that it isn't complete.

Mia had a successful dance class and is already looking forward to her next one. Saturday morning, Mia started her art and movement class with Jill at the same venue. It's yoga first with art projects after. More kids in this one and I guess she really liked it. Later was the Torrent/Muskegon game. LAST game of the season and this was considered a "friendly" for the Wichigan trophy that I helped design. My parents, Mia and myself attended this amazing match. The weather was perfect and the crowd was the biggest they have had. 947 people! I joined my Flood members on the hill while Jill and my parents with Mia headed to the bleachers. I did my best to get the crowd chanting with every thing I had. at half, it went 2-1 with things getting a bit heated up. Both coaches were kicked out of the game! Oops. 2nd half, the battle commenced. The Torrent went on to win 4-2 and keep the trophy in Milwaukee. The crowd was incredibly amped and the kids had a blast. Something I didn't know they did, was after every Torrent goal, they get to kick or toss the ball out to the kids at the hill. Its fun and gets the kids all fired up. I got to use two player-chants during the game, which was a lot of fun. It was pretty neat to see some away fans at the game too. That means fans traveled from Michigan for this friendly, and that's amazing. Supporting your local team is great for those organizations. On our way to the game, someone at the stoplight looked over at our car, and says through the window "You guys going to the Torrent game?" During the week leading up to this game, I designed probably my very best game day image for this match. Something I'm quite proud of and will use in my portfolio when the right job comes knocking. After the game, they announced they'll be playing in an indoor league throughout Jan into March, and 11 players signed new deals for next season. Great news to hear as well as they'll be extending their season into August for 2017. I was stoked Mia could enjoy her very first professional soccer game even if I was chanting in the back. She even wore her Chelsea kit too and badly wanted to play soccer on the pitch after the game. It would have been fun and we totally could have, but we were all hungry and ready to get home

Sunday, we did a little cleaning before I went to work. This week, Mia's got her last day of Art Class with me, hopefully get to hang with some friends during the week. We're considering opening her Mia's Sweets & Treats this Weekend, but we don't know yet for sure.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Boys, Park and Pizza

Afternoon people. It was a gorgeously delightful week in Wisconsin, with plenty going on. Jill's birthday was Tuesday so my parent's took her out for Pizza. Mia and I made her a sweet little card. I felt bad that we didn't do much, but Jill preferred it that way. Wednesday, Mia hung out with a handful of her friends from school and the kids had an amazing time. She found out her friend's sister has a crush on her "boyfriend" so she wasn't too happy about that. In fact, it distracted her throughout the day. "Daddy, HOW can she like him? I am the one who is in LOVE with TREY!!" It was cute, but also sad she was putting herself through this silly turmoil over a 3 year old's crush. She found out later that day that the boyfriend actually does like Mia so all is good :) It was cute when she went to sit next to Trey while the "other girl" was there too. It looked like the Bachelor at the park. Her good friend Alexa is moving to Texas in July, so the girls wanna hang and play whenever they can before the big move. Alexa has always been real sweet with Mia and I love watching the two play together. Mia's super stoked for her "Goodbye" party she's having at the park because "Olivia, Alexa and myself will be TOGETHER DADDY!!"

Later after the park, we took Remi to the vet for a few shots and a new rabies tag. He wore his sunglasses into the building and the vets were like "OH MY WHO IS THIS DOG!!??" Mia responded "Rockstar Remi".  Friday, Mia and I made some chalk art in the driveway. Something we love to do, but haven't done much of lately. I love listening to her sing as she draws. Saturday, we did some yard work, per the usual, and Mia decided that it would be day she would start learning how to ride her bike without training wheels. A very difficult task to learn for a 5 year old, but alas, my father in law took the wheels off and she made her attempt. I held the bar firmly as she made her best effort to balance herself. After hitting her ankle on the pedal, she got mad and took a break. 5-6 minutes later, she said "YOU KNOW WHAT? LETS TRY THAT AGAIN, OKAY??" So we did. A little better this time around and we'll give it a go again soon. I was concerned the bike would be too small for her to learn on since her knees come close to the bar, but she said she's fine.

We had plans to paint the sunroom, but ended up going to the newly built Malone Park. This place is gorgeous. An all-inclusive park where children of all walks of life could enjoy it. It was during the New Berlin holiday fest whatever, going on so we had to pay to park at the event. Looking forward to going to it when there isn'y 60+ people in there. Later, we went to MOD pizza down the road to try out their build-your-own pizza. Similar to Blaze, the pizza quality is really solid. The customer service was a bit off-putting at first, but they're new so they're getting used to things. Jill loved her balsamic vinegar topping she had glazed on her little pizza.

After dinner, we went to my parents to help them build a glider for their back porch. Mia played with the neighbor girl Ava. She's such a sweetheart with Mia. I love watching how comfortable Mia is with her. Thursday, the girls swam when I was at work and Mia really adores her. They played soccer for quite a while last night and Mia didn't even care who was "winning" it was just fun. Last night, she tried to make it through Princess and the Frog but was way too tired from the day. I got through about two episodes of Orange before turning in. I found out when we got home from my parent's house that the Torrent DESTROYED LC Aris 9-1! AMAZING!!!

Today I finished yard work before the girls went over to Trader Joe's. This week is going to be VERY busy. Tomorrow we're heading to a cookout at my in laws with my family before I work. Tattoo session Wednesday while Mia goes to dance class. Friday afternoon, we leave for our good friend Whitney's wedding in Chicago so I'm off for the whole weekend. Hopefully Mia can squeeze in some play time with her friends while the weather is good. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Strawberry Fields Forever

Good afternoon. Warm weekend in good ol' Wisconsin and I couldn't be happier. Summer has always been my favorite time of the year so we've been trying to enjoy the most of our days outside. Wednesday, Mia, her BFF Olivia and her bro Gavin went snap pea and strawberry picking in Mequon. Mia had an absolute blast and ate so many snap peas as she was tossing a few in her bag. After about 30 minutes in the snap pea area, we moved over to the strawberries. Same thing, she'd eat and eat and put a few in our basket. The kids really enjoyed the nice warm weather and ate snap peas on the ride home. She hadn't seen Olivia in a few weeks so the girls were super stoked to get to hang out.

She's been patiently waiting for my parent's neighbor kid to be home so they can swim on a warm day in their little pool. Hopefully soon. Saturday, we went to the farmers market near us for some muffins and veggies. Off in the near distance, we could see the new Malone Park that will be open this coming weekend. She's very excited to get to play there. Later, we went over to her grandparents house for dinner for Jill's birthday. They made BBQ chicken, baked beans and corn on the cob. Very tasty (minus the baked beans. never been a fan) Their new sun porch is incredible and I know they'll enjoy many meals to come out there.

Today, we didn't do much. Last night Myself plus Jill and the animals didn't get a lot of sleep due to the storms rolling through. Going to be a zombie at work today. I finally started the most recent season of OITNB and two episodes in, I'm already excited for the 3rd. It's always been a really good show with a lot of intense moments.

This week is Jill's actual birthday so Mia and I will have to give her something come Tuesday. Wednesday, she's hanging out with friends. The tattoo has been healing slowly and I can't wait for the color session. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

The Year 2015: A Reflection

Good evening. It was quite a busy week for the holidays. Mia and I spent some off-time with her old BFFs Hannah and Gracie at The Big Back Yard. It was a lot of fun watching the kids chase each other  around as I caught up with their Mom. Thursday, I was also off and we went over to my brother's house for dinner. It was a lot of fun, and Mia played very nicely with the boys running all over the kitchen. The food was tasty and the gifts were great. Mia fell fast asleep on our way out. Long day for the kiddo.

Friday morning was Christmas. She opened up all of the gifts including the custom bag Jill got from a HS friend, just for Mia. I got some tattoo money towards my half-sleeve as well as some cool little hockey shirts/hoody for Mia to wear. Yeah, strange but they're cute and Mia is excited to wear them. It was very sweet before Mia started to open gifts, she immediately gave the necklace we picked out for Jill first. Mia really is giving and it shows. My in-laws plus family came over for a brunch and it was very tasty. It's always nice when the two sides can hang (missing my brothers and their family) Friday night at work was an awful evening, but I survived and came home to two very sleepy ladies. Long day for them I guess :P

Saturday morning, my brother and I got up nice and early and drove down to Bayview to the Highbury Pub to catch the Chelsea vs Watford game. It was really fun and super crowded. They had every Boxing Day game on, and there were a LOT of games. 4 TV's at the bar level and our game was in the back. Thankfully, the CFC game was near the free food, so that was nice. Getting a beer was difficult though. The game ended in a draw at 2-2 but we had the best time. The atmosphere was intense, and I look forward to going again sometime. Chelsea plays Man U Monday morning. I'm looking forward to that one, but will watch at home.

So here's a quick end of 2015 review. It was a very busy year for the family and a lot of positives and some negatives. I'm going to bounce around a bit on the year so bare with me. Here are some of the highlights for Mia the Diva. She completed 3-K and moved on to 4-K that she's currently in. It was a big step from one day a week school to 3 days a week 4-K. She's doing really well, and enjoys seeing her former teacher in the halls from time to time. It's a new challenge, and at times it's difficult for her, but I think she's doing really well. For some reason, she's really exciting for kindergarten. Anyways, Mia took a few extra curricular classes over the summer including soccer and a swim course. Soccer was tough (since they made the kids play indoors for some reason) but she liked it most of the time. Swim, she also enjoyed. I wasn't allowed to watch except the last day. She seemed to know what she was doing.

We took an amazing family trip to Florida to Disneyworld for a day, as well as visiting Mia's only living Great Grandparent. She had the most fun of her life at Disney despite the on-again-off-again rain. She met every princess and really took a shine to her Great Grandpa. It looks like we may be going next year now in 2016. She's getting way more into asking questions about things (which is great) and can write her name, letters and numbers pretty well. She's great with scissors and glue too. She's got more friends then ever and has been invited to several birthday parties over the year. Her stories about her friends are always entertaining.

Now onto myself. It's been a busy year for me. I somehow, picked up a 2nd job working as the Graphic Designer for Milwaukee's new professional soccer team, The Milwaukee Torrent. It went from a quick little design in Photoshop to see if the fans liked it, to a surreal moment that they (owner) liked the kit and are using and selling them right now. I can't wait to get my custom one in when the team orders their gear. I've been doing their graphic as well as photographed their tryouts as well. The job, (despite the no pay) has been a fantastic distraction from my usual mind-numbing and exhausting shifts at the gas station. I'm constantly thinking of new ideas to share with the owner, as well as The Flood, their supporters group. I've been active with those guys as well, designing the decals, scarf and even will be the mascot in 2016 at the games. Once again, both jobs keep my mind off the other one.

Did some art this year. Jill and I went to Paint-Bar in Delafield and completed some nice pieces (along with my bro and his wifey) Other than that, I've been doing some little traditional art here and there for Mia to pack in her school lunch. Maybe a Monster High character here or a Shopkins there. Whatever surprises her and makes the kid happy. With Mia gone 3 days a week, I've fortunately been able to concentrate on some drumming and some soccer skills at the park. At least once a week (weather permitting) I'd hit up the park and work on bending the ball. Same thing with drumming. Once or twice a week, I'd get to pound on the drums and try to keep whatever skills I have, sharp.

In other exciting news, in 2015 we adopted a kitten. Marie. She's a big ball of sass, but we love her. She was sort of a surprise pick up for us  after Mia's successful couple days raising money for the HAWS shelter. This did so well. Lemonade, cookies and dog treats. The kid raised over 200 dollars and with the power of social media and a very proud Grandma, she got into the local paper. We couldn't have been more proud of the Mia's Sweets & Treats founder. So we've got a kitten and Mia loves her to death. She sort of gets along with Remi. They tend to compete for treats/attention from time to time. Remi likes to remind Marie that he's number one!

I got to watch Chelsea take the EPL title. What an exciting season it was for the Blues. Stayed in 1st place the entire season. Can't say the same about them now, as we fight to get out of 15th place. JM got sacked and we've got a new manager. So much needs to be done so we can climb back up again.

I got to attend a concert this year. Maritime's record release show. Amazing night and it was fantastic getting to talk Davey and Dan like I always would do when I'd see them live. The new record is great as well.

For some reason, we went to a boat load of movies this year. Inside Out, Cinderella, Good Dinosaur, Minions just to name a few. Mia loves going to the movies and it's a special time when Jill and I can take her.

Goals for 2016
Get in better shape (my endurance has improved)
More drumming
Complete more traditional art pieces
Can't wait for the ladies to get back from Ohio. Missing them both like crazy. The house is far too quiet. That's all for now. Thank you for reading this year :)

Thirty Two

Good morning. Another birthday has come and gone, but before we get into that, let's look at the week. Wednesday, Mia and I hung out with her BFF from Smarty Pants Olivia. They played soccer, did some chalk drawings and overall, had a lot of fun. Her brother plays real nice with Mia as well. Early in the week, the local paper, the Waukesha Freeman would interview her for contributions from her Sweets & Treats sale. She didn't really want to talk much, so I did most of the interview. Later they called Jill in hopes to get more from Mia. Thursday, she was published on the front cover! We were so proud and the woman who did the article and interview was quite impressed that this little 4-year old wanted to raise money for HAWS humane society. They even contacted HAWS to ask about the day she went in to donate. The HAWS employees raved about how sweet she was, and amazing that she was able to raise that much money selling treats. We sent out a few to some out-of-state family to share her article.

While taking our new kitten Marie, Remi and Mia to the vet solo, I got a call from the Milwaukee Torrent owner, Andi Davi. Any time I hear from him, it's always some good news. He wanted me to come up with a quick ad for a Spring 2016 friendly game Marquette vs Torrent. He also went on to tell me all the fun things that are coming soon for the team. He's a big optimist which is absolutely great. Friday,  Mia FaceTimed with her friend Olivia. They had plans to hang out, but her bro got real sick so they did the best they could talking over FaceTime. It was pretty cute. Friday, Jill's parents were in the area looking at some houses. They found some real nice houses and hopefully they can find one to get an offer in. Saturday, Jill and her Mom went to the Farmer's Market while Mia and I hung out. For some reason, she woke up at 5:30AM! I haven't a clue why, but she played with the kitty before laying on the couch watching Full House. I attended the first meeting with The Flood members. The Flood is the Milwaukee Torrent's supporters group. We discussed merchandise and putting together packs and kits for fans to purchase for a good price. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to the next time we meet. It looks like we'll be quite busy getting things put together. While I was gone, Jill did a photo shoot with Mia and her kitty. The pictures turned out real nice. Later, Jill made a delicious fresh stir fry for my birthday and blonde brownies. SO good :) My parent's came over later with my sister. My sister got me a pirate Minion and my parents gave me a gift card to Stefan's. Jill's parents, her aunt as well as Jill gave me some cash to contribute towards a 1/2 sleeve tattoo. I had hopes of starting it this year, but after going over the cost of what it'll be, I'm going to wait till next year to save up the money for it. I'm nearly at $200, so I've got a good start. I watched the Chelsea vs PSG game on Youtube before my family came in. It was a tough game, but we took them down in PK's. Courtois, our Belgian keeper got the final goal defeating the Paris team. Sunday, we went to the zoo with some friends before I worked 2-10 (actual birthday) Wednesday, we'll get to hang with my best pal Jay and his little guy Caleb. I haven't seen either of them in so long, so I'm truly looking forward to it. Later, Mia will have her last day of swim and the other parents are allowed IN to the pool area to watch. Very excited about it.  Not sure what are the plans for the weekend yet. That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Donde Esta Santa Claus?

Hey friends. Hope all of my readers are surviving the holiday craziness. Including the "snowmegeddon" that could be coming our way. Depends on where you live. It's finally starting to look Christmas-y around good ol' Wisconsin which has put me in a semi better mood. I've still got a few things souring me on a daily basis, but I try not to let it get in the way of the holiday spirit. that my darling wife carries through our humble household.

I don't want to harp on this in an intense and lengthy way, but I do need to address it. The shooting in CT was absolutely heart breaking. Especially that because these were kids. Small children. AND two faculty members that gave their life to save some kids. If ANYONE ever tells me that all teachers are lazy and money-hungry, really need to shut up. I couldn't imagine being one of the parents impatiently waiting the news at the fire house down the road from that school for their child to check in. My heart could barely take this tragedy when I first saw it on the news last Friday. I had to put Barney on for Mia  and get this off the news. The fact is, guns are absolutely horrible. I'm sorry gun supporters but it scares me how many shootings have happened over the last 4 years. I do not think arming teachers and faculty members with weapons is the answer. Perhaps sticking unemployed serviceman in schools may do the trick. Who knows. Another major problem is that this guy had a serious mental issue and it was never addressed. His Mom needed to get him the help he deserved and there was some sort of issue there. I hugged Mia so tight that night after work. I am incredibly lucky to have her in my life and I don't know what I'd do without her and Jill.

On a positive note, I completed Mandi's tattoo for her kids. She dug it, which made me happy. I ended up restarting and resizing it last weekend at some point and was pretty content with the complete project. All I need to do is finish a gift and I'm good for a short while. Still need to start a Lil Wayne picture for Mandi's daughter. Hopefully she's patient.

Chelsea FC won today. Didn't get to watch the game but just now watched the highlights. Great goals. Too bad they lost in the Club World Cup to a Brazilian team. BOO!

Leaving this weekend for the holiday and will be back come Christmas Eve. Hopefully the weather is somewhat decent and we don't have any issues. I'll never forget the time I drove home from a crappy night at work in the crappiest driving conditions. I arrived at our (then) apartment and Jill wanted to head down to Illinois a day earlier then we played.I told Jill "we really should go to Illinois tomorrow. The roads are absolutely horrible". She said "No way, nothings stopping me from driving down tonight!" and then she slipped on our stairs and messed her ankle up pretty good. Needless to say, we didn't make the drive. The next day we went down and the roads were wonderful. I took Mia out in the show the other day when it was lightly coming down. She wasn't super impressed. Maybe we'll try sledding this year. Who knows.

That's all for now. Have a good holiday weekend folks. Drive safe and thanks for reading.

Three Little Birds

Hey friends. Another quick update on things before calling it a night. Haven't been getting the best sleep lately. I think Saturday night I slept like 3 or so hours before my 6am-2pm shift. Because of the severe lack of sleep, I didn't even make the effort to go attempt to play indoor soccer that night. Ended up watching a movie with Jill & Mia. Speaking of indoor soccer, I'm pretty frustrated as of lately with the place. I read on their website that if you submit your info (if you're a sub like me with no team) to the people who run the leagues, they can forward it out to the teams in case someone could use a sub or another player for the future. Sounds cool. Drove out there today with Mia and the guy in the office flat out told me "no we don't do that for the adult teams, you just have to keep showing up". BS. As much as I love dragging myself and my family to watch me get turned down week after week because every team tells me "we're good, don't need any subs", it starts to wear you down. I'm sure Jill's getting frustrated that we drive out for NOTHING. Yes, this is the only way to go about do this, but it's pretty crappy. Every team that plays is formed prior to seasons starting. Totally sucks for ones like me who have zero contact with any of these adult teams. There's no community board, or section of the website for players in search of a team. I'm either A-going to try AGAIN in January to play or B-wait till spring time and try to get on a team and play the season. Either way, it's frustrating.

Mia napped for 3 hours today, which gave me time to work on a coworker's tattoo. 3 hours were pretty wasted in the end because I drew the scorpion too big and the numbers and zodiac signs that circle around it don't fit well SO while watching the 121212 Sandy Relief concert tonight after the familia went to sleep, I drew it AGAIN. Got the scorpion part done. The numbers and symbols shouldn't take too much effort. Phew. I'm getting behind.

Getting more and more amped for the holiday. Mostly because I know Mia's going to have SO much fun. She already mastered the fine craft of opening presents whether they're for  her or someone else. I love her so much and couldn't imagine my life without this kid. She can get irritating at times, but my heart lights up when she gives me those big big hugs. Being a Dad is an amazing experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. The other day, her and I had the most fun drumming on my kit. She's honestly getting quite good with the snare. She totally concentrates on what she's doing, which is awesome :)

Okay, gotta call it quits for now. Thanks for reading friends.

6 Months In a Leaky Boat

Hello friends. Getting late over here so I'll make this one quick and to the point. Over the weekend, Jill, my Mom and I went to my old High School for Breakfast with Santa. We arrived late and skipped the breakfast part. It was weird strolling through the school I haven't attended in nearly 10 years. Ran into an old 7th grade band director that still remembered me as well as some other alumni's and such. Mia enjoyed watching Santa from a good safe distance. Or as I call it "stranger danger distance". We didn't want to ruin her morning/afternoon by sticking her on his lap. My buddy Mandi and her kids met us there. They too had a fun time, especially with Mia. Later Jill and I hit up a holiday party. First party we've been to since Mia was born. It was a great time seeing old friends that we sadly don't get to socialize with anymore. Always fun catching up.

Later Sunday after work, I attempted to play some indoor soccer. Mia fell asleep on the way and when I walked in the arena, I once again was turned down by both teams. They didn't need subs that day. Goddammit. I just want to play. I understand the goofiness of the process that if you are a SINGLE player, you have to show up and hope to play. These teams are formed by paying players who all know each other. If there was any way for me to contact a "coach" or whomever runs any of the Men's Open Soccer teams, I would have done that a month ago. But, they keep telling me they can't give out any contact info so I just have to keep trying even when I get the frustrating "no thanks, we're good tonight". I'm debating about waiting till the new season starts to try to find a team. This weekend, there are TWO 9pm games, which means I would have the opportunity to try to persuade one of the 4 teams to let me play. If it ends up snowing a bunch, I'll probably skip it.

Working very hard on Mandi's tattoo design. It's more of a concept for her to take into a good tattoo place and show them the direction she'd like to go with the tattoo. Eyes are bugging out sketching this one out.

Mia and I had a great day off. Got my oil changed and we were able to catch the majority of the Chelsea FC game. It was wonderful to see my team FINALLY win, despite being knocked out of the Champions League. There's always the Europa League right? Lately, Mia's been grabbing both Jill and I by the necks and saying "momma, daddy and Mia" over and over, followed by family kisses. It's incredibly adorable. Especially when she says "I'm gonna kiss you Dadda!!" Love this kid and her Mom more then anything in the entire world. Alright, that's all for now. Sleep time for this tired father. Adios and thanks for reading :)

Rabbit Heart (Raise it up)

Hello friends. Another quick one. It's getting late, and I've gotta fold some laundry before heading off to bed. Mia had some gnarly molar teething and went to sleep a little while ago. Not fun. Anyways, here's a quick run down on how the Thanksgiving festivus went. After working a very busy day, I met up with my family for dinner. Before hand, my oldest brother, my nephew, my sister and my Dad kicked the ball around. It was a lot of fun, and good practice for ME for the next game I can get in. (HOPEFULLY THIS SUNDAY) Dinner was amazing, desserts were super tasty. Mia thought her cousin Alex was the coolest kid and would give him a hug every once in a while. The next day we headed off to Illinois for round two, Jill's familia. Once again, awesome dinner but this time, Mia slept straight through the meal. Right on the floor. Poor kid was tuckered out from running around during the day. It was quite weird not having her next to either Jill or myself eating. Mia got really into taking pictures with our Nikon. She'd say "picture Grandpa, cheeeeese Grandpa" and do that with everyone in the room, including Remi the dog. She just may be showing signs on what she wants to do after high school.

Today, Mia and I watched my lil bro play some pick up hockey. Of course she had a blast. We soon headed by Jill for a quick visit, then Grandma, THEN my Dad just in time to watch a very frustrating game between my Chelsea FC and Fulham. Way too many chances blown by the Blues. They've got to get their act together and win this Sunday against West Ham.  Now that the Stamkos picture is complete and in my Dad's possession (he surprisingly loved it) I continued work on Mandi's family-inspired tattoo. Did some good work yesterday and a little today on it. Once I get the scorpion done and the rest of the zodiac signs, I'm going to take my sweet time on the lettering and numbers to make sure everything looks real tight and smooth.

This weekend-Breakfast with Santa at my old high school and a Christmas party later. We're both stoked for the party because it's with a group of friends we haven't talked to or seen since Mia was born. Sad,  I know but a kid really consumes your life. We don't have a lot of time to spend with friends  unfortunately. We barely see each other, but hopefully things will change some day. Like I said, hopefully I'm playing Sunday night. Keep the fingers crossed. Thanks for reading :)

Plastic Cup Politics

Greetings people. Well, it was a long long campaign but it's FINALLY over with. Some are thrilled with the outcome of President Obama getting re-elected, others are very upset. The House went to the Republicans, the Senate went to the Democrats, which means not a lot will get accomplished. Every election, the people want both to work together so lets see what happens. Didn't work so well last term. No one can compromise on anything. Guess we'll have to see what unfolds.
Back to the rock.

Rainy today on my Wednesday off. Not cool, but we made the most of it. After a nap, we drove around, stopped by Jill for a quick "hi", and had lunch over by my Dad. Mia was in such a good mood with him. It was great. We shared a bowl of pasta. She gobbled it up like a hungry little monster. Later, hit up over at Grandma's for a quick visit. Always a fun time. Got some banana's and we soon headed home. All the playing, running around and jumping around tuckered her out and she was soon asleep. Love it when she's passed out on the drive. It's quite relaxing, and when I glance every once in a while to see her adorable face, a smile grows on my face :)

Last Sunday on my drive home, I couldn't decide if I wanted to play some indoor soccer at 9pm. When I walked in the door, I found Mia sleeping on Jill's lap. She was hungry so I ended up making her dinner and we had some apple pie. I decided that family time (when Mia woke up) would be a better option. And, ladies and gents, it totally was. This Sunday, I plan to play and hopefully will get on a team. Totally stoked and hopefully will play better. If the weather was better, I could work on my ball control with my brother. Rats.

As I was printing out some reference art for a tattoo design for my buddy and co-worker Mandi, I couldn't help but think how incredibly lucky Jill & I are to have such an amazingly smart, beautiful, loving and always funny kid. She's just amazing in every way. She counts, knows her ABC's, sings songs, plays instruments, loves soccer and hockey, gives great great hugs etc etc. Her earlier months up to a year were some of the hardest times we've experienced but if you can ride out the waves, you can make it to the next steps. I'm not excited for when she's a teenager dealing with heart aches and pain, but as a parent the best thing Jill and I can do is be there for her no matter what. Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for reading

Luciferian Blues

Hey friends. Man, today flew by. Mia and I headed out to Eble Ice Arena to watch Uncle Andy play some pick up hockey. Now, she's been there a few times, but I swear, today she REALLY loved watching today. She saw the rink when we got in the arena and said "HOCCCKKKKEYYY!" She pounded on the glass, waved to the goalie, cheered on the few goals that were made. It was awesome. Best part is that she even wore one of my toques winter hat) on her head. She hates wearing hats these days. Every one of them. But I told her today "you have to wear the hat if you want to watch hockey" so she put up with it. After the pick up game, and Andy came out of the locker room, she gave him a big ol' hug. Awww...

We drove around visiting Jill, Auntie Ashley, had some lunch with Grandpa and stopped by Grandma. On the way to Grandpa's, she napped for about 15 minutes. When I brought her into the house, she didn't wanna sleep anymore, and just played with us. Later, Jill and I were able to watch both episodes of Modern Family. The one had the oldest daughter going off to college. It was pretty sad sorta too. Jill and I both don't know how we'll be able to contain ourselves when Mia goes off to college many years down the road. I don't know what I'll do...

The other day we had a great time on a rather windy bike ride, followed by some soccer training. Mia would say "go get the ball Daddy" when I'd boot it across our large back yard. Super fun. Can't wait to boot it into a goal on a team some day hopefully sooner then later..

Been tough feeding Riley (the last guinea pig) and not seeing Devany. We really miss her. Mia even too!

Last but certainly not least, I've been putting in some late hours trying to knock out three solid soccer logo concepts for my MLS Milwaukee FC project. Posted today the three to see which one would be the logo my friends would like the most and make it on the jersey. Now that it's figured out, I can work on the 2nd part in the near future. PLUS I need to start my Dad's birthday gift PLUS a tattoo for a coworker PLUS PLUS that Lil Wayne portrait for a girl too. SUPER busy here. I will prevail and pull it off.

That's it for now. Can barely keep my eyes open. Thanks for reading!

Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts

Let's talk about tattoos. I LOVE tattoos. I love the whole process of the consultation to getting the work inked on you forever. I even thought about becoming an apprentice and learning the fine art of tattooing, but currently, I don't have the time or energy needed to learn as much as possible. No big deal, I'll design some concepts for friends. It's fun actually.Tattoos are one of those things that if you don't have one, you either A-not into tattoos or B-afraid of needles or what could be painful. When I was 17, I really wanted to get an Alkaline Trio heart tattooed on my forearm. But because KT doesn't like exposed tattoos, I shrugged the idea off for a while. Still in the back of my mind, I really wanted to get tattooed. Jill asked me a few weeks ago "why are you and your brothers so into tattoos...?" Hard to explain at times. My 1/4 was well thought out for a good year. The most important part of getting tattooed is picking the RIGHT guy/girl to do it. I turned to my older brother's wife for anyone she recommended. She sent me a good list of some great artist in and around southeastern WI and Chicago. I really liked John Reiter's work at Solid State in Bay View. His 1/2 sleeve of surreal-inspired clocks sold me that he'd be the guy for my tattoo. The first session felt great. Like a nice massage. It's funny how you think "damn this is gonna hurt" but it really wasn't that bad. It was great having my lil brother and dad along too.

A month later, I went in for my 2nd session, super excited for the finished product. This time Jill came along. First hour, felt great. He was working on the green bushes on the coast part of the skyline. When he started working on the bone, it started to hurt some, and when he added some colour shading on the inside of my arm, that's when some pain was really felt. There was never a moment where I said "I can't do this anymore" because the tattoo meant way too much to me. Getting the Milwaukee skyline with the Chicago skyline in the water reflection (with sunset) turned out amazing. But like most people, it just made me want more.

In time, maybe 4-5 years from now, I'd like to get a Mia-inspired tattoo on my right arm. Not a portrait however. I'm not a fan of portraits. I want something creative and very colourful. So, I'm thinking of getting a shark with various fish and aquatic animals. I've loved sharks for quite a while, and to me, Mia sort of acts like one. She scared the crap out of us when they said her cord was wrapped around her neck, but when all was said in done, she was perfect. Even though I thought about some penguin-inspired tattoos, I think it'd probably be too predictable if it was penguin-related.

Like I said, I've got 4-5 years to think about it. Could the idea change again? Maybe. That's the point of THINKING the tattoo through. I respect those who go and get some ink on a whim, but I'd prefer to think about it real hard. Currently, I'm digging the idea of getting my tattoos family-themed. In the end, they're the most important part of your life. I knew immediately when we had Mia, that I had to get something. Why 4-5 years you say? I want Mia to be able to watch and see me get tattooed for her. She may not get the reason why I'm doing it, but it'll be a special moment. I remember when Jill came for my second session. It meant so much to me that she could see how much I love her. When I get my Mia tattoo, she'll also see just how much I love her.