Smore Balls

Who doesn't love smore's? I know that I do and my little guy really loves them. The only problem with smore's is that they are so messy. I have been having a lot of fun lately with melting chocolates so I thought I would try to make a less messy version of smore's. One of the wonderful things about smore's is that they are only three ingredients.

First, place 4 graham crackers into food processor and turn on and off quickly until you get small chunky pieces mixed in with the dust. You could also do this in a zip lock bag and the back of a spoon.

I like to melt the chocolate in the Microwave. For these Smore's I will use a little Crisco to thin the chocolate so it is easier to work with.

Using a toothpick dip the marshmallow all the way into the chocolate, tap the toothpick on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. ***Make sure to totally cover the marshmallow or the it will get hard and not last as long.
Immediately sprinkle the marshmallow with the graham cracker, do this over the bowl as to not waste the extra graham crackers. ***Don't roll them in the graham crackers it will get all messy and the chocolate will harden in the graham cracker dust.

Let them rest and then enjoy!!!

The Number of Ledgends

#40 the number of legends or myths, I can't remember, well at least it was my number. Now this number that I have carried with me for so long has been passed down to my little man. He wore it for the first time this morning and he did the number and his daddy proud.
Thomas plays tight-end on offense and tackle on defense for his football team, the Wolverines. His blocking today at his jamboree was impeccable, his man didn't get through the line one time (and most of the time he was knocking the guy over). On defense his head coach calls him the disruptor, I wonder where he gets that from (I think every teacher I ever had said that about me).
I am the proudest dad in the whole world!!!

Progress

How do we measure progress? Sometimes I think it can't be measured. Well I have been going at my backyard now for a couple of days and I am starting to see progress. This is the sort of before picture...all the grass has already been taken out and mostly leveled. I will be posting pics in the next couple of days of the whole project. It is funny how hard it can be to make a peaceful place.

Adventure

Thomas the Trad climber

Most people at my work think that I am crazy when I tell them that I am going to climb up an overhung rock face for the sheer fun of it...maybe I am. I have read several articles lately that feature pro rock climbers, they have all been posed the question "why do you climb?". Most have answers that seem rehearsed and others really sound like it comes from the heart. My answer is ( I know I am not a pro), because it is the only thing that gives me that feeling. I am not sure what that feeling is, but it is there. It is like hitting the first shot in a championship game, or sinking a clutch free-throw when the game is on the line. It answers something deep inside that is asking, can you do this? It is not about the glory or someone thinking that you are great, it is about the felling you have inside. Every time I tie in and start to climb there is a conflict between confidence and doubt, between peace and chaos...I have to overcome the pressure and let peace and confidence rule. It is such an awesome challenge. I know that not everyone gets that nor do they even care to have that challenge in their life, but I love it, it drives me. For so much of my life I have shared those moments with other people on a court. I am so happy that I get to share these moments now with my wife and son, not to mention "the Fam". 

My best bud

IMG_0023, originally uploaded by tmchoops.

Thomas is my best little dude. I vow to embrace the things that make me smile and to do my best to uplift those things. My greatest thing is my family. I have no greater joy than when I am with them. If I could quit my job tomorrow and spend every second with them I would. I mean how could you not love that face with all your heart...I do.

When all I wanted to be was spiderman...

I remember when all I wanted to be was Spiderman or some other great superhero, anyone remember Voltron or He-man, those were the simpler times. I think about my son and how he has it pretty easy, if he only knew what he could get away with if her were a good boy all the time. But really how hard do I have it? I have it pretty easy. I go to work come home to an incredible family and get to see my son grow up right before my eyes. So why then, if I have it so easy, do I make things difficult. Why aren't things perfect all the time? Pride, selfishness, greed, unwillingness to compromise. Why is this part of my nature? I hate these things because they steal my joy, hurt relationships and cause pain. I vowe this year to make things more simple, to take time back to when I wanted to be a superhero. Like my wife would say "to live in the simple purity of the lillies and the sparrows".

Time flies by

Time flies by...I was looking at some old pictures today and it made me realize how fast time goes by. I was looking at all of these pictures of my big guy when he was a little guy, I could only think about how big he is going to be when he is 10 years old (probably bigger than Nikita). I know it sounds cheesy but it makes me think of movies like Dead Poet Society, with sayings like "Seize the Day". This year I am committing to making the most of my opportunities, especially with my family. I don't want to waste a moment that I have with my family. When I think of missed opportunities it makes me crazy. When Thomas is off to college or moving out of the house I want him to know that I valued his childhood and cherished the moments we had. I want him to have great memories.