Austin, Texas

I wanted to get this posted a while ago, but was joyously derailed by the arrival of our daughter, so the timeline may seem a bit out of sync.

With Madison's arrival impending, it dawned on us that we would have few childless weekends ahead (this turned out to be so, so very true) and we decided to haul ass down to Austin Texas to visit our beloved friends, Chris and Sandy and their son Jason. Chris and I met on the golf course (Diablo Creek) and quickly became close friends; I'm proud to say I think of Chris as a brother and I know for a fact that my life is enriched by his presence. About five and a half years ago, Chris relocated to Austin from the Bay Area when he and Sandy, a remarkable and wonderful woman, decided to get hitched and have a family. Michelle and I had always talked of going to visit, but the timing was never quite right. Finally, we kicked ourselves in the butt and got down there.

The trip was great - Chris and I played some terrible golf (I played terribly, anyway), we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Jason, who is growing up into a remarkable young man, Sandy showed Michelle around town, we had some great meals (Eddie V's, Rudy's, and HEB breakfast tacos), but most importantly, we got to spend a couple of days with people we love and cherish.

Michelle took this picture on the Sunday of that trip at one of the local driving ranges. The range was enormous with about 1/8 of a mile between the shack where you pay and the actual teeing area. The narrative of this shot, to me, is men making their way to the field of battle, although "battle" in this case is hitting balls on the driving range. I'm not sure how, but it works in my mind. I'm also tickled that the picture captures the symmetry in movement between Chris and Jason.

Almost home

We're almost home. Rights have been officially terminated in Michigan, our hearts are officially lost to Madison the Great. My Dad is coming out to meet her tomorrow and is staying through Sunday. If all goes to plan, we'll all be going home on Sunday. After all this time, our family is complete and it feels amazing. I'm overflowing with gratitude and oozing joy from every pore.

First Family Photo

From Madison Day S...

Big changes

It's not that a lot of things happened this week, really, just one very, very big thing that has sent ripples through all our routines, ruts, and grooves. Remember that whole thing about adopting a baby? Well, she's here! She came on Monday night at 11:33 Eastern time. We got the call from Sara at about 10 Eastern that she was in labor and we should haul ass to Detroit. Before I could get the flights booked, Madison had landed safely at St Joseph's in Pontiac. We've been here since Tuesday and will be here about another week or so. Here are some highlights from Week One in the life of Madison Grace Carmin Cravens.

No Pressure

Just a thought here, no pressure or anything. These will be in the garage, just in case.

Back in the Gym

Well, at the risk of jinxing myself, my back's feeling marginally better and I'm ramping the workouts back up gradually. I did 30 minutes on the bike this morning and have started back with weights again, albeit without squats for now. I've been doing some abdominal work with light weights, mostly situps on the stability ball, some woodchoppers with about 60 pounds, etc. I've been bookending my workouts with stretching and a little yoga, so hopefully I'm on the road to recovery.

You Say You Want a Resolution...

It's that time of year again - pronouncement of plans for self improvement. In the spirit of setting my personal short term agenda, here are some resolutions:

• Be thinner. I lost a bit of weight last year, but I'd like to lose another 25-30 pounds. I don't need six pack abs, nor will I get them as long as I enjoy six pack beers while working on the house, barbecuing, and so forth, but I would like to flatten out the gut and send the love handles packing. I'm declaring a fire sale on flab - more to come on that one, fo sho.
• Be nicer. I'm nice, but I could be nicer, especially to people I don't know (most of whom are in their cars driving like morons). Instead of loudly professing their shortcomings, I will take a breath and try to focus on what I'm meant to learn from the experience. Usually, no doubt, I will be meant to learn that the person going 40 in the fast lane is a damn moron, but it's not my fault if that's what the Universe wants to teach me today...
• Be a better gardener. The weeds aren't really winning, but they're not losing either. Moreover, there are structural changes I'd like to make to the yard this year including new, improved irrigation, raised beds, roses, retaining walls. If possible, I'd like to find a way to either make the dogshit disappear or turn it into gold. More on that one later, I'm sure.
• Be greener. I drive a car with a big V8 engine and I'm not getting rid of it any time soon (unless the Sierra Club would like to float me a couple grand to square away the bank so I can get a Hybrid). To offset this, and just on general principle, I got a compost bin and am starting to compost our green waste. This should play nicely with my gardening goals in a couple of months. I'm looking for other ways to reduce my carbon footprint as well, if for no other reason than to balance out the carbon I release by smoking meat every weekend in the summer.
  
• Be a better husband. See thinner, nicer, and better gardener - they all tie in here. No matter how good you are to your spouse or partner, you can always improve; no matter how much you improve, they can always find new areas of improvement for next year.
  
• Be a better golfer. Being a better husband will be my bargaining chip to get the time I need to improve my golf game. I'm an 11.4 handicap today and would like to be a 7 or lower by the end of the year. This will require commitment, dedication, and focus, not to mention a healthy back and some lessons. I've reached the point where I'm tired of being on the cusp of being good at golf. I feel as though I went through that once with music - I was the guy who was really good amongst his peers at Junior College but couldn't get work when I tried to do it for real in LA.
• Be a better communicator. I've never been one for correspondence; it's easy for me to let long distance relationships lapse. I feel very lucky that I have friends and loved ones in my life, even if they're scattered across the country and I should make more of an effort to keep in touch with them. Not just email, but on the phone as well, and, hopefully in person.
• Be a Dad. Which really means that I probably won't have time or energy to call, send emails, go to the range or play golf, work in the garden, go to the gym, or be nice to people. But hey, it'll be worth it.