Hope Is In The Air
Election day is over. I’ve had a chance to let the results sink in…results that I have been dreaming of for over a year. Now, as I have had time to reflect, I sit here, filled with a great sense of relief that the waiting is over, and optimism that change really is coming. For the first time in my short 29 years, I can honestly say I’m excited about what a leader can do for this country. I sit in the comfort of my home, glued to the news, watching how these results have affected an entire nation. I am not ashamed to admit on several occasions watching post-election coverage, I got choked up when I saw how much it means to people, and let’s face it, how large of a step it is in attempting to make amends for the disgusting history this nation has in terms of how it has treated its African-American people. I hope deeply in my heart that it only leads to similarly large steps in eradicating ignorance among the people of our nation.
Likewise, I am impressed with Obama’s ability to reach people who you might not expect him to reach. Just this evening, I asked Cindy if she was disappointed, and she said “not in the least, I’m fine with the results.” I know those words seem lacking in enthusiasm, but I promise you those words shine a lot brighter than you might expect coming from a generally strong conservative like Cindy.
While it’s way too early to label Obama the savior of our nation, and he is not without his flaws, he has certainly inspired me, and seemingly a nation to be able to look towards a future that in a day’s time seems a lot brighter than it did just a short time ago. I’m so proud that my son gets to start his life off in a history-making period in our nation’s lifetime.
Edit: I also feel it is my obligation to say that while I’m glad he lost, McCain would have been an improvement over the scum that has infested our nation for the past 8 years. He has give so much to this country, and for that we all owe him a debt of gratitude.
Long Time No Blog
Ok, so I know it’s been like, 4 months since I’ve posted anything. But, I’ve upgraded my blog and I’m gonna make a point to start blogging regularly again. I forget how many people actually read this thing until I get yelled at for not posting. It’s not difficult to come up with useful stuff to write these days, as our life has pretty much been consumed with the rapidly growing spawn of my loins. This kid is growing like a weed, and destroying everything of mine he can get his strained-carrot coated hands on. Since I last blogged, he’s popped two teeth, started popping two more, started babbling “mama” or “dada,” learned to crawl, pulls himself up using furniture, your leg, a dangling laptop cable, or whatever is available, can stand on his own, drops solid deuces, waves, and generally isn’t afraid to tell you what he thinks (at least in baby language). Tonight, he took his first step. Woah.
One more thing…I’ve always been in search of a neat tag-line for my blog, and tonight I’ve decided upon “The cool side of the pillow.” It’s in reference to this phenomenon that my dad and I have experienced for years where you constantly flip your pillow over throughout the night so that your head is resting comfortably on the cool side. My mom vehemently denies this phenomenon exists, but I beg to differ. If you practice the simple act of pillow flipping, post in the comments below. My dad and I can’t be the only ones!
It’s crazy to think that Colton is 10 months old already! As requested, there are some recent photos below, and the link to all of our photos is over there to the right. I’ve also uploaded some videos of him. If you want to see them, shoot me an email. Enjoy!
My Three Moms
I know it’s a little late, but we got back late last night, and I didn’t get time to write this until now. So, with that said, here’s a tribute to my three moms.
Deb “The People Pleaser” Jansen has been my mom for the past 29 years. She’s wiped my ass, carted me from one important event in my childhood to another, supplied me with food in my poorer college days, supported me emotionally in some of the most difficult times in my life…in short, she’s always been there for me. I cannot ever remember a time she has deserted me, whether I needed her help or not. I’ve realized over the years that one of the things she’s provided me was never-ending support. If there was ever a time I needed some advice in which I already knew the answer but doubted myself, all I had to do was call her up and she’d nudge me in the right direction. She represents the true epitome of unconditional love. She takes more pride in and gives more dedication to her family than I have ever seen displayed by another person. She loves her new grandson, and seeing her face light up when she sees him gives me total and complete joy. She’s never divulged this to me, but she quit smoking for Colton, I’d bet the farm on that, and to have my mom healthy, happy, and hopefully with us for lot longer, I am grateful. For all these reasons, she is the best mom I could have asked for.
Carol “The Hip Nana” Hillmann has been my mother-in-law for the past 3.5 years. She’s wiped my…plate when I pick the onions out of her amazing food, carted herself to and from her house two days a week to watch her grandson out of the kindness of her heart, supplied me with some pretty awesome meals during my time with Cindy, and has also accepted me 100% for who I am, even though I come from a different place in some of my beliefs. Most people would be satisfied with being able to tolerate their mother-in-law. I simply adore mine. She’s definitely hip, that’s no joke. She’s got a wonderful sense of humor, is a fantastic mother to her children, whom I feel she has also dedicated her life to. She makes the effort to come to TurdFest every year because she knows it’s important to me (plus, let’s face it, she likes to drink and get silly with my friends and family). I owe the best of my wardrobe to her (I can’t blame the “I Have Gas” t-shirt on her) as she has a knack for picking out some pimpin’ work clothes for me. And, even though she’s a registered republican, she can still speak rationally and candidly about politics, and we even agree on some things. For all these things, I’m glad to have her in my life.
Cindy “The Trophy Wife” Jansen has been my wife for the past 3.5 years. She’s dealt with my messy habits, my addiction to all things geeky, put up with my sometimes shocking sense of humor and/or gaseous emissions, and has given me more laughs and good times than I’ve had with anyone. She’s 100% dedicated to our marriage, and works her tail off to do her part to make our marriage work. She’s a wonderful mom to our son, does more than her fair share to keep our house in order, and deserves my utmost appreciation for all that she does. We come from such different family backgrounds politically, spiritually, and otherwise, yet we connect so well. She balances me out, and makes me feel like a king. She’s dealt with my obsession to Tecmo Super Bowl and other video games, and even hopped in on some of the video game action herself. I’d say I married my perfect match, and I’m lucky to have such a great person to spend my life with.
So, I know it’s a little late, but happy mother’s day to my three moms!
Love,
Travis and Colton