Perseverance Pays Off

After 3 1/2 years, countless late nights, hundreds of miles of driving, and more money than I can count, I officially graduated from Tarleton State University Friday night December 15th.

There are too many people to thank personally, but I'll take a decent stab at it!

1. My wife Jill: No way I make it through all this without her love and support. Not to mention all the nights that she handled the kid(s) by herself so I could be at class or study or finish a paper.

Dr. Sharon Shields: She encouraged me to hurry up and get started on this degree. She has been a constant sounding board and has been a great help in the career decisions that I've made. (She also made sure that I got on the ball and finished out my paperwork and final project...)

Deanna and Bruce Lovesmith: Couldn't have made it through several of these classes with out them. Bruce and I beamed messages throughout one entire semester. The sanity saved alone is priceless!

Dr. Higham, Dr. Beach, Dr. Monk, and Dr. Littleton: Wouldn't have made it through the final semesters (or comps) without their willingness to go the extra mile and make sure I met my deadlines.

Dr. Monte Geren: It's amazing how much of what we covered in our Leading Edge sessions actually comes in handy!

Bonnie McRae: Thanks for helping me survive the internship and allowing me the freedom to learn on the fly!

Kelly Bray: Thanks for the notebook, the support and being a great listener when I needed to vent!

Michelle Jolliff and Jodie Fields: Troy's finest! Only down part of no more classes, is no more classes with the two of you!

My Mom and Dad: You two are the greatest ever. Thanks for the support (emotionally and financially), and thanks for not going absolutely ballistic when you found out I was riding the motorcycle back and forth to Killeen! Knowing that I can always count on you makes everything I attempt in life that much easier! Thanks for making the drive down for Graduation it meant so much to have you there!

Zeke and Zane: You two fellas make it all worthwhile. You are both fantastic!

John, Joyce, Randy and Julie: Thanks for the support that you provide by keeping my wife sane. Childcare isn't easy to find at short notice and Joyce and Julie, you have saved our bacon more times than we can count or repay!

There are hundreds of others, but that's what I have room, time, and patience to recount. I'll take my certification test in the new year and be prepared to be a "real principal" as soon as I pass the test. After that, anything can happen.

Thanks to all. Now it's just a matter of surviving this last week until Christmas break and then we'll see what happens after that.

Chris

Beginning Family Life Anew!

Well, here we go again! Our little family has expanded with the addition of Christopher Zane.

Zane was born this morning at 8:12 and weighed in at a hefty 8 pounds 10 ounces.

He looks remarkably like his older brother, but his hair is darker (without the red that Zeke had, but with some blond highlights...).

So far (6 1/2 hours into things) he does have Ezekiel's mellow temperament. He has cried little, yawned much and suckled well. (Does that qualify as TMI?)

In the TMI department, as the doctors were concluding the tubal ligation (tying the tubes for you medically non-inclined) they discovered that Jill had only one ovary. Just another testament to the blessings that Jill and I have enjoyed with our family. It's amazing that we got pregnant as easily as we did since she was only outputting eggs from one side.

She is progressing well. Still only having ice chips (which makes me a horses patoot for eating my candy and drinking my coke, but hey no sense in BOTH of us starving, right?) and hopefully will be able to get up and around some time this evening. Lord willing and no creeks rising (although the creek rising is much more possible since it started raining....) we should all be home some time Thursday. That is optimistic, but that's just the kind of people we are.

Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes. Cards and visits have been great too! Love you all!

Chris, Jill, Zeke and Zane

Changes on the Horizon

Well, the date is set. Lord willing and no creeks a rising....Christopher Zane should arrive October 10th. Jill's C-section has been scheduled for Tuesday the 10th at 7:30.

We sincerely appreciate all the love and support (as well as all the "are you guys crazy" comments) that we've received. We are about as ready as we can be, with the exception of Zeke being prepared to move just a little bit to the left of center in the universe. Zeke has discovered belly buttons, so we hope it proves a novel enough distraction to keep him from really noticing there is another baby in the house.

My mother will be in for about a week to help around the home as well has Jill's mom hanging close to visit with my mom and help out as well. Jill and I's work schedule is still being determined. I can't take the solid block of time off that I did with Zeke, and Jill will see how she feels in deciding how much time to spend at the Center.

In other news:
I'm not doing well at fantasy football.
I have found out who my university internship supervisor is. I now have A LOT to do this semester.
Zeke is still cutting teeth and getting really close to using several real words.
Jill has her license and is methodically working her way through all her Medicaid and insurance applications for her private practice.
I've lost 7 lbs.
Jill has lost 3.
I've not played golf in a while...which means I could probably qualify for the US Ryder Cup team...

More later.

When the other shoe drops (on your head)

School has started for thousands of children across the state of Texas, but not for us. My district is completing some building projects and therefore pushed back our start date. So this has been the longest summer of my professional career. Granted, it was filled with graduate school and other "fun" activities, but it was long.

I was really looking forward to the beginning of the school year this year. I was a year older, smarter and more experienced. I was within a semester of graduating and receiving my principal's certificate. I had survived scheduling, text books, and discipline referrals (along with parent, teacher, and student complaints...) and so this year was going to go much smoother.

Wrong.

Well, mostly wrong.

I am more prepared to deal with any of the contingencies mentioned above. What I wasn't prepared for was the fact that I would be placed in the same sink or swim situations...In many respects I am actually behind where I was at this time last year. So much for more prepared, right? Books aren't ready, the schedule is problematic, and great ideas about student management went over like a lead balloon...

Luckily, I have a few more days of school, plus some time on the weekend (sigh) to get things put together as much as possible. I'm really subscribing to the old phrase of "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry".

So I'll struggle once again to get things ready for my teachers so they don't have to struggle to get things ready for their kids. So forgive an extended absence from posting...I'll probably be scanning textbooks.

A Little Perspective

I love golf. I love to play and I've even developed a taste for watching it on TV.

I think Tiger Woods is the transcendent athlete of our time. I'm giving him the nod even over Michael Jordan.

The reason for the posting is the coverage given to the braveness of Tiger and also of Chris DiMarco in being able to perform after the loss of a parent.

I sincerely do not doubt the emotional distress that either of these gentlemen have experienced and will continue to experience. What I want to express is the importance of realizing that there are many others that experience this daily, yet since they aren't famous, or world class athletes, they don't receive the outpouring of love and sympathy that famous folk do.

I've been extremely blessed in that my family has remained almost intact. I lost my grandfather several years ago, but my parents are hale and hearty (other than some minor blood pressure stuff). I have friends that have experienced this loss, and rarely (never that I know of) are they congratulated on their mental toughness and celebrated on their return to work and "life as normal".

I'm as guilty as the next at deifying athletes and entertainers, but in this case I think the wealth needs to be spread a bit. There are many out there hurting that need some encouragement.

Time Flies

Ezekiel Ryan is now one year old.

It's truly amazing how much has happened in the world in his short time in it. It's also amazing what has happened just in our lives since he changed them forever.

1. I became an assistant principal.
2. I got serious about finishing my masters degree.
3. Jill completed her 3000+ intern hours.
4. We became pregnant (again).
5. Jill passed her LPC exam.
6. Chris sold his red motorcycle... (solitary tear)
7. I became a deacon at our church.
8. Jill and I both started teaching Sunday school.
9. We acquired approximately 30 new neighbors...(our subdivision is growing by leaps and bounds)
10. Jill and I have learned tons about what it takes to be a mommy and a daddy.

I want to let everyone know how much we appreciate all the help, love and (some of the) advice that we have been given. It truly takes a village.

Chris

Summer Time

Let me start by stating the obvious. Summer is GREAT.

This is the first summer "off" that I've had in the last four years. When I was the technology facilitator, I worked year round. So this summer I have not had to work all summer. Instead I have:

1. Taken (or in the process of taking) 12 summer school hours (two for two on A's so far...)

2. Watched my son eschew crawling and begin walking at 11 and 1/2 months.

3. Watched Jill continue to juggle a home, two jobs and raising two boys (all while being pregnant).

4. Managed to sneak away to Lubbock for a few days of rest and relaxation that made me much more tired than when I left to go there.

5. Got to spend some quality time with nieces and nephews that are growing up WAY too fast.

6. Got to play some golf with my brother. We aren't any good but we sure have a good time.

7. Got to eat most of my favorites that my mom cooked for me. Added a new favorite, my sisters homemade salsa...TASTY!

8. Jill and I will go to Arlington Friday to watch my beloved Rangers (I'm still in Maverick induced shock and withdrawal). The Ballpark in Arlington (I refuse to all it Ameriquest Field, no matter how much they paid for the naming rights) is my all time favorite sporting venue. We are celebrating Jill's passing her LPC test and my survival of my first full year of campus administration.

9. Trying to get plans set for my brother's family and my sister's brood to trek south and stay with us a while. Hopefully we can all survive...

Looks like I may have to go back to work to get some rest.....

Summer Vacation?

I am officially too busy.

School is out (hum your Alice Cooper here..) and yet I'm still working.

Kids aren't in school, yet I am. (a total of 12 graduate hours in the next two months)

Jill has been studying feverishly for her LPC exam and she's not in school either.

Work plus grad school equals not enough time with Jill and Zeke.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that at the conclusion of this madcap summer I will lack only my comprehensive exams and an internship class to graduate. I should be able to graduate in December.

I'm just hoping that the light at the the end of the tunnel isn't a freight train coming the other way....

Mavs Win, Mavs Win

Wow.

I was a Mavericks fan when being a Mavericks fan wasn't cool.

I (at one point and not for long) was extremely excited about the acquisition of freakin' Shawn Bradley. And the Mavs Lost.

I watched and cheered as Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn, and Jim Jackson all came, went and played better elsewhere (Kidd will be a hall of famer someday...) and they lost.

I watched and cheered for such hall of shame coaches as McLeod and freakin' Quinn Buckner. And they lost (badly).

I endured Steve Nash's first injury plagued season and thought, Man he might be good someday. And they started to win. (some)

I always cheered for Michael Finley. He's a class act that carried the Mavericks franchise for years until Dirk developed into a one man Blitzkrieg. (sorry for the obligatory German reference...) It's a shame that a (kind of) joke by Dirk got him booed in Dallas. He deserved better. (Glad he lost since he plays for the other team, but he deserved better.) And they won some more.

I remember watching Dirk in his first season and thinking, what a goofy dorky player. (He's grown on me some.)

I then watched and cheered the Big Three as they lit up the league and outscored almost everyone. I cheered and smiled when they scored. I winced and cried as they gave up layup after layup and were labeled "soft". They won, but they couldn't win the big game. They always started throwing up jumpers and threes and acting like the rim was radioactive.

I've never seen a Mavericks team (granted I didn't watch the Aguirre, Blackmon, Harper and Tarpley Mavs much except for the playoff run of '88) with this type of guts and gumption. They actually have a mean streak. (Not a Detroit, Laimbeer punch you in the face tough...more like a sneaky punch you in the nads tough...but tough nonetheless). I love the Mavs and have for years, but this game tonight is a game that in years past, they would always find a way to lose.

This wasn't for the championship, but it sure felt like it. This was the most fun I've had watching pro basketball in years. Every game (except game 2) felt like a NCAA tourney game. Heartbreak and elation...all wrapped up in this one.

PS. Gana Diop and Eric Dampier = finally putting the ghost of Roy Tarpley to rest.

As of this posting (I'm exhausted) looks like the Suns in the Western Conf finals. Wow.

Wonder how that will turn out. You know there is no D in Phoenix.

Life Keeps on a Changin'

Latest updates from the Borland Household.

1. It's a boy! Yes our newest addition will be a male. No we have not decided on any names yet other than ruling out Zachary. (We have both taught too many Zachs that drove us nuts.) Everything seems to be just fine with the baby and mom. Dad evidently has already begun gaining weight...

2. Zeke is motoring on towards becoming a year old. He's just shy of 10 months and weighs right at 22 pounds. New pics will be posted on the family website (www.theborlands.net) sometime this weekend. He is the master of the commando crawl (on the belly, not sans diaper...) and is pulling himself up on anything close enough (and stable enough) to grab. He wants to walk, but has the balance of a drunk on a ship.

3. I have a two week break from grad school before summer session starts. I did manage to pull an A in my leadership class this past semester. Whoo-hoo! Afraid that the 4.0 is in serious danger with the class load I will be attempting this summer.

4. Jill is studying in earnest for her LPC test. She is planning to take it in mid June. She's not a test taker and as such is EXTREMELY stressed about this test. Please keep her on your prayer lists.

5. Just two weeks of school left to complete my first year as an assistant principal. Woof. The learning curve has been unbelievably steep but I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel (and for the first time this year, I don't think it's a freight train coming the other way...).

6. My campus has kicked off it's Academically Unacceptable label! We are classified as Academically Acceptable for the coming year and with just minor adjustments and another year of hard work like this one, we should be able to move on to Recognized.

7. My swing is just horrible. Got to play in a charity tournament and had a blast, but played like hammered poo. (I did get the day off work though. A bad day golfing will always beat a good day at the office...) I'm hoping to get on the links a bit more this summer, but with Zeke and school...well, I guess we'll just have to see.

Will be posting some other items as I have a bit more time to think and write. Hope all is well and talk to you soon.

Chris

Posting for the Sake of Posting

I consistently learn more about myself as I try to share selected tidbits of my life with those of you checking in from time to time. So here are a few insights I've come across in the last few months.

1. I'm much more family oriented that I thought previously. I sincerely enjoy an evening with the wife and child hanging around the house...

2. I still love my motorcycle, but for the first time in years, I've about decided that I don't need it anymore. (We still will not sell Jill's, so Mimi and Grammy don't get your hopes up...) Since I've yet to come up with a legal way to connect Zeke's car seat to the back of my bike, (I looked it up and bungee cords aren't exactly up to code...) and I pick him up routinely from daycare, riding to work isn't the draw that it used to be.

3. I'm reasonably political, but not very vocal about it. I suppose that someday I'll develop a more strident voice about my opinions, but now is not that day.

4. Family life has replaced the theatre as my creative outlet...I still love the theatre and enjoy dedicating time to projects (just ask Jill about the hours I'm putting in on the Fiddler set...), but at this point in my life I can pick and choose projects as opposed to doing every show that comes along as I used to. I really miss being on stage, but being Dad is the role of a lifetime.

5. I'm becoming increasingly tacky to people that I feel were "tacky to me first". I used to be much better at letting things roll off my back. I'm developing an extremely smart mouth. I'm working on curbing the habit...any help would be appreciated.

6. I miss golf. I used to play a lot. I rarely play now. I was hoping to play a lot this summer. 4 summer school courses have ended that dream...

7. My former laziness is biting me in the kiester currently. I took several semesters of graduate school "easy". By easy I mean taking only one class at a time because I was "busy." So now in order to finish my degree by December, I'm choosing to double up in each summer session. Two classes in the first session, two in the second, with my internship and comprehensive exams coming in the fall. It's going to be extremely tough, but I need to be done with this masters.

8. I don't have time to update the blog and the website consistently....it's one or the other....I'll keep working on it.

9. I'm not doing a good job of prioritizing...more on that later.

Chris

Significance of Milestones

Every day I'm reminded a bit more of how precious life is and how lucky I am to be surrounded by the friends and family that I've been blessed with. A great wife and a fantastic kid (mellow to the max) allow me to "do my thing." My parents and my brother and sister goaded me to work hard, but never let me forget to have some fun along the way.

Just want to take the time to say thank you to all those that have helped me be me. My family and friends are fantastic and I love you all.

Random Thoughts for Comment

Haven't posted in a while (my apologies). Have several things to talk about, but not one large enough to dedicate the entire space to. So here are some random items for general discussion...

1. 9 weeks until summer.

2. Is the George Mason run through the NCAA B-Ball Tournament one of the greatest upsets of all time? (Not just the UConn game which is impressive, but not on parr with Villanova vs. Georgetown or NC State vs. Phi Slamma Jamma.) The entire run has been super impressive. I'm hopeful that this will start the end of the term "Mid-major Conference."

3. Had to (got the opportunity) to preach again Sunday. Scott was sick so I got the call. Didn't do badly, but two hours is definitely not enough time for me to prepare something coherent. Was much more confident about the process, but still know that it's not my profession in waiting.

4. Grad school is clicking along. Couple of major projects left. Wish me luck.

That's it for now!
Chris

Table for FOUR Please

I've spent considerable time in this space discussing my wife, child and family.

I've posted pictures of my son and parents and even admitted my shortcomings as a father to Zeke and a husband to Jill. Overall, I feel that Jill and I work well as a team in this parenthood marathon. We know we are blessed in that Zeke is a mellow child that is healthy, happy, (and for now) very well adjusted. We know that the odds of another kid that is this easy to take care of is a million to one.

We'll, we are rolling the dice again.

It's official, we are pregnant again. (Well, Jill is pregnant, but I helped...)

When the next Baby Borland arrives, Zeke and his sibling will be approximately 15 months apart. (That's a year and 3 months for those of you in Rio Linda.) Close enough together that we should be able to singlehandedly keep the Pampers Corperation afloat for a while.

We'll have to wait and see how it all plays out. Prayers are appreciated. Jill is planning to provide us both with counseling as time goes by.

Yes, we are hoping for a girl. No, there are no immediate plans to try again if I managed to provide two Y chromosomes in a row...

Yes, we are working on names. No, there are no definite choices yet.

Yes , we are excited. No, Jill is not making it through this without massive bouts of nausea.

Man I'm glad I'm a boy.

Being the Best at Something

I spend a lot of time watching sports. It's a flaw I freely admit and adamantly refuse to do anything about (as long as it doesn't interfere with life in general).

That said, I spend a good deal of time watching men and women who are considered to be the best in their profession. Basketball players, golfers, tennis players are all individuals who spend their lifetimes attempting to be the very best at what they do. Pages in magazines and hours on television are dedicated to the stories of how they struggled to become what they are today.

I'm long past seriously dreaming of becoming a professional athlete (though I've not totally given up on the Champions Tour just yet...I've got about 20 years or so left to learn how to hit a 4 iron...). I've even tempered my daydreams of being discovered on the Waco Civic Theatre stage. I know that I'll never gain world wide notoriety as a teacher and principal.

So that means just one thing. I'm going to have to become a world class Dad and Husband. Jill and Zeke deserve at least that much. If I was once willing to make sacrifices to play a sport, surely I can do the same to support my wife and prepare my child for his future.

That's it. I may never recover my formerly flat abdominal region (though some progress in that area would be welcome...), I may never be better than a low 90's golfer (I'd love to break 80 some day...), I'll never come close to dunking a basketball (unless Mitch drops the goal back down to 9 feet in the FAC and I have a REALLY good day), so I'm dedicating myself to one of the most extreme sports of all. Raising a family.

I think I can hang with Tiger...

Baby Milestones

I've not always been kind to others that spend time bragging on thier children. I love kids, but I'm not always as fond of their parents. I've always thought that I had better things to do than to sit and listen about first rolls, first crawls, first steps and first poops in the potty.

I was wrong.

Not just because I have my own son to brag about now (more on him later...), but because I look a little closer at all little ones now. I know that kids need reinforcement, but I am now convinced that parents need that reinforcement even more. Raising kids is a huge responsibility (I know, news flash...) so parents are estatic when those milestones happen because it means, "We didn't mess the kid up!"

That said, Zeke has (finally) sprouted his first tooth. No fever, but he has been a bit fussy for him. (That means he actually kind of whined a little...man we're blessed with a mellow kid.)

So we have a tooth. Now we will start working on crawling...Not sure why I'm in a rush for that one to happen, the house isn't Zeke-proofed yet.

The Information Superhighway

This internet thing is cool. I know that "you can find anything on the internet", but the sheer magnitude of it's reach is astounding.

This blog is example #1. I've had lots of different people read this blog. Some comment publicly, others send email, but nevertheless I do get some feedback. (Thank you for that, by the way.)

The most intriguing thing to come about from this blog is the ability of long lost friends to track me down. Not that I'm trying to hide, but the passage of years effectively covers your tracks to some extent. My family (and some of my friends) have long ridiculed me becuase of the number of people that I know. It's a blessing and a curse. I do know lots of people, but I do have difficulty keeping up with all of them. Not that I don't love them all, I just don't have time (and I'm lazy).

All of this to say, keep the comments and emails coming. I'm getting better at staying in touch.

Super Bowl and its Commercials

Realize that this is a bit behind, but I've had ample time to reflect on the game and it's commercials.

Didn't really enjoy the game (although I was rooting for the Steelers {but only because Terry Bradshaw no longer plays for them}) so I was hoping that other aspects of the experience would help. Nope.

Didn't even enjoy the National Anthem, which is usually a high point for me. Question for all and the NFL especially. Why wouldn't you (since the game is based in MOTOWN for Pete's sake) not have a half-time show based on AMERICAN music presented by AMERICAN musicians since the Super Bowl is supposed to be the QUINTESSENTIAL AMERICAN EVENT? Throwing Aaron Neville and the Queen of Soul half of the Anthem each was a slap in the face. I was sorely disappointed.

Having to watch Mick, Ron, Charlie, and Keith was even worse. In a sports league where players at 35 are considered to have lost a step and are no longer considered viable why would you hire a British band that has an average age of 307? It's not that I don't' appreciate the Stone's contributions to the music scene, it's just that I felt it was out of place. To be succinct, I didn't receive any satisfaction from the performance.

I wasn't happy with the commercials either. No real buzz generators this year. The Ameriquest commercials were funny, but that enjoyment is tempered by the fact that they ruined the one of my most favorite sporting venues' name. The Ballpark in Arlington will ever be so for me...

When the commercials I enjoyed most were based on a female getting slam tackled and a cellphone being used as "crime deterrent", then I'm going to say I was definitely disappointed.

Luckily Jill and I were blessed with good friends and family that we could share the experience with, because left on it's own, I'd rather be watching the Mavericks.

Becoming Your Parents

I spent years of my young life promising that I would NEVER be anything like my parents. They were too mean, they weren't cool, they did things just to embarrass me...You know the drill.

Don't know when it happened, but I do know it did. My parents are cool.

Witness the pictures above. My parents pretending to be FoxNews correspondents delivering news from the Western White House (Crawford, TX for those of you with liberal leanings...). This or any other feat of a funny nature was something I thought them incapable of in years past.

I've often told my father that I wish he had been this funny when I was younger. He simply replies, "I was, you weren't smart enough to appreciate it." Sad part is, I'm beginning to think he's right. As the old adage goes, the older I get, the smarter he gets. We have reached a point that we speak our own "funny" language comprised of his sayings and movie quotes from such classics as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, The Princess Bride, and Waterhole #3.

The tough love approach to parenting has definitely proven it's benefits. (The fact that I'm a semi-productive citizen and not in permanent residence in a 4 by 8 Huntsville apartment is proof enough.) With my experience in dealing with students of all types of backgrounds, I see it's benefits even more. As frustrated as I was with him growing up, I strive to match his example now. His work ethic is unmatched. His ingenuity second to none. His commitment to God, his family and his work I admire greatly.

My mother has always been my confidant. I could whine to her about anything and almost everything. She never let me doubt that I was her favorite. (Still am by the way...) She works to be as great a mother in law as she is a mother. She's the greatest Mimi there has ever been.

I've heard many times, "I becoming my Mother (or my Father)." I simply pray I'm that lucky.

Chris