• Things I Should Warn You About

shenrydafrankmann

~ Hopeful honesty from simple sentences

shenrydafrankmann

Monthly Archives: December 2015

Sobbing Sleigh Ride

28 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by shenrydafrankmann in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

fatherhood, relationships

Saturday morning was a morning of contrasts, comfortable risks taken with planned confidence.  Christmas with my side of our family was scheduled to happen at my parents’ a few hours south of Chicagoland, a casual lunch followed by the annual gift exchange to start at 1 PM.  We needed to have the car loaded up and on the road by 10 AM (or close to it), my challenge usually getting my wife and children on the road somewhat on time.  We’re always late.  So instead of sweating it, I decided to just let it happen, met my friend Jon at the mountain bike trails before dawn for two hour BCD ride (Butt Crack of Dawn ride).  My stuff was packed for the trip on Friday night.  I cruised home by 9:15, showered, and began to help my family load the car.

Nate had stayed up far too late playing video games, as is his habit when he gets a break from school, and he was fighting getting out of bed.  Experience has taught me to expect him to do that, so it wasn’t a surprise.  I was ready for him.

“Get out of bed, showered, and in the car by 10”, I instructed him as I turned on his bedroom light, “and you can drive us to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.”

Boom.  Nate was out of bed, outside and in the car in less than 10 minutes.  At this point in his 16 year old life, driving a car has taken the pole position.  Not only was he ready to drive, but he helped me load the suitcases and presents into the trunk of the car.

I did not prepare the female members of my family that the boy was going to be their chauffeur.  They would never go for it if they knew ahead of time.  So I let them get in the back seat of the car, then Nate and I took the driver’s and passenger seats.

“Why are you getting in the passenger seat?” a shocked Miriam inquired.

“Nate is driving.  It’s part of the deal I made with him to get ready for this trip on time.”  Nate smirked at his mother and sister as I delivered the news.

“No, he’s not.”

“Yes, he is.”  It was obvious that I meant business.

There are many differences in the way my wife and I approach life.  She is late to bed, late to rise when she has the choice.  I am early to bed, early to rise.  She is back row.  I am front row.  She is painfully shy.  I know few strangers.  She is a fretter and worrier, full of anxiety.  I choose to worry less, let things happen as they will.

So it is when it comes to our son driving, I am very easy going, deliver suggestions when the opportunity is there, let the boy relax and drive otherwise.  That is not what Miriam does.  She lets her fear be known, hounds the boy and hovers.

When we left the driveway Saturday morning, the rain began to fall and not just from the sky.  My wife sat in the back seat with anxious tears.  Nate laughed and sneered at her, my advice immediately was to leave his mother alone if he wanted to continue to drive.  I tried not to laugh, tried not to let her anxiety wash over me, willed myself to stay calm.

I enjoyed the ride, the break that I had planned.  The boy drove quite well, eventually gave up the wheel to me about 90 minutes into our trip.

In order to survive in a relationship, I have had to learn to deal with the differences and live with them.  In order to do that, it’s necessary to accept them.  Some people can’t ever do that, no matter how hard they try, and the relationship fails.  Tolerance is a choice, especially if it becomes obvious that you can’t or shouldn’t expect the other person to change.

I expect that I will be working on that for the rest of my life.

 

Forcing My Eyes Open

19 Saturday Dec 2015

Posted by shenrydafrankmann in Uncategorized

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

family, fatherhood, nerds, Star Wars

Star Wars

Emperor Palpatine wasn’t quite sure he was ready for the selfie, but the redhead was strong with the force.

Last night, the force was with me, although I was feeling the dark side.  Good thing I ate my Palpatine.

Don’t worry, there is not plenty more where that came from.

My lovely little redhead arrived home from college last evening, armed with smiles and hugs and two huge suitcases stuffed with lead.  I swear, she must have packed her clothes sopping wet.  After dragging her suitcases up the stairs from the car to her bedroom, my knuckles are dragging the ground.  The reward was as sweet as my pretty child, though.  She arrived bearing gift —

Tickets to the midnight showing of Star Wars – The Force Awakens.  YES!!!!

Not much will convince me to keep my eyes open past ten at night, much less leave the house.  My daughter is well practiced at the art of playing her father, although this one was an easy sell.  I wanted to see the movie and no one else in my household, besides my dear daughter, saw the urgency of viewing the much anticipated event of the year.

Alyssa also brought along her good friend, Cameron, a young man who is becoming a regular companion to my daughter.  Last year he came back to Chicago with her for Christmas and stayed overnight with us.  They are comfortable with each other, although not an item, and they chat away like the good friends that they are.  He also was the one who accompanied us to Cedar Point amusement park a few months ago.  Cameron is a resident of Anchorage, so he needs to fly home from O’Hare in Chicago.  As I did last year, I drove him to the airport early this morning.. after three hours of sleep.  Alyssa was feeding me strong coffee through a straw as I drove them to the airport this morning.

Alyssa, Cameron, and Emporer Palpitations (yours truly) arrived at the theater last night about an hour early, focused on getting good seats in the theater.  My enthusiastic daughter was clad in R2D2 socks and a “Come To The Dork Side” tshirt.  A smirking gentleman in line behind us, an individual who managed to shut down my friendly nature in two comments, a rare occurrence that my daughter observed with much amusement, commented first on the irony of her tshirt as she was flanked by two dorks.  He followed that endearing comment by adding

“It’s nice to see that I am not the only one here old enough to have seen the first Star Wars at the theater.”

What is it about me standing in lines with my daughter that causes people to admire my senior gentility?  As the two or three people who read this blog may recall, earlier this year a young lady in line behind us as a concert last January commented on what a nice thing it was for someone my age to take his daughter to a rock concert.  Ummmm… er… dang.

I did not dress up in a costume, as it may appear from the selfie.  I was wearing a black hoodie (from the Uni B clothing line) and the hood just screamed Emperor P.  Nice effect, eh?

Alyssa punched me after the tenth time or more I breathed “I am your faaaaathaaaaaaa.. don’t resist the dork side”.

Any

Who

The movie lives up to the hype, much worth pushing the limits of my consciousness.  I yawned once or twice, but never had opportunity to nod off.  This movie is too good.

So  I can say that I was one of the crowd who bought the hype.. proudly.  I would do it again.

Yes, I really do say these things

  • My Father is Yacky
  • Image Bearer
  • Evening Ramble
  • Exposure of the Indecent Kind
  • Just Say Gnome

Yes, I really did

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
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  • December 2021
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  • December 2019
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  • December 2016
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  • December 2015
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  • December 2014
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  • December 2013
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  • December 2012
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Categories

My brain hurts with you

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • September 2022
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  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
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  • May 2021
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  • January 2021
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  • December 2019
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  • September 2019
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  • February 2019
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  • December 2018
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  • April 2018
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  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
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  • July 2017
  • June 2017
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  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
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  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
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  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
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  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • April 2014
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  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
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  • June 2013
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  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012

Blogs I Follow (and maybe even read)

  • glennkaiser.com
  • There and Bach Again
  • Dean
  • Southern Georgia Bunny
  • The Rambling Biker
  • Storyshucker
  • Ah dad...
  • Squeeze the Space Man's Taco
  • I didn't have my glasses on....
  • kidscrumbsandcrackers
  • longawkwardpause.wordpress.com/
  • Cycling Dutch Girl
  • The Shameful Sheep
  • Blog Woman!!! - Life Uncategorized
  • Life in Lucie's Shoes
  • Fit Recovery
  • lifebeyondexaggeration
  • Globe Drifting
  • I AM TOM NARDONE
  • Cathy's Voice Now

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glennkaiser.com

There and Bach Again

a teacher's journey

Dean

Marketing major. Outdoor sports lover. San Diego living.

Southern Georgia Bunny

Adventures of an Southern Bunny everything from dating, sex, life and shake your head moments.

The Rambling Biker

Roaming & Rambling in search of MTB Stoke

Storyshucker

A blog full of humorous and poignant observations.

Ah dad...

I need the funny because they're teenagers now

Squeeze the Space Man's Taco

A journey into Cade's world

I didn't have my glasses on....

A trip through life with fingers crossed and eternal optimism.

kidscrumbsandcrackers

Kids - I`m like the old woman who lived in a shoe - Crumbs, my house is full of them - Crackers, Im slowly going

longawkwardpause.wordpress.com/

Cycling Dutch Girl

the only certainty is change

The Shameful Sheep

Blog Woman!!! - Life Uncategorized

Mother, Nehiyaw, Metis, & Itisahwâkan - career communicator. This is my collection of opinions, stories, and the occasional rise to, or fall from, challenge. In other words, it's my party, I can fun if I want to. Artwork by aaronpaquette.net

Life in Lucie's Shoes

Life in a bubble: a dose of New York humor with an Italian twist!

Fit Recovery

Stay Clean Get Fit

lifebeyondexaggeration

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stranger

Globe Drifting

Global issues, travel, photography & fashion. Drifting across the globe; the world is my oyster, my oyster through a lens.

I AM TOM NARDONE

Cathy's Voice Now

Sharing my "voice"

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