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Last night, @dylissia and I put Megan to be around 830pm or so. That’s her usual bed time. Marie and I passed out (or started to) around 11 or so.  Marie was gone within minutes and I couldn’t get comfortable. Having to get up at 345am to catch a flight, I knew I needed to get some sleep.

I heard Megan stir around 1130pm or so. A whimper at first and then she started to call out like she needed something. I walked into her room to find her sitting up in her bed fully alert. She smiled as I came around the corner. I tracked down her pacifier and handed it to her. She smiled even more and popped it into her mouth. Then she looked at me like she wanted something.

Typically, marie and I would pick her up and take her into our room for a bit more of her bottle before she’d pass out but I needed to sleep. I patted her bed next to her and told her that she needed to lay down and go back to sleep. She looked up at me as I said that and I fully expected her to smile and reach for me.

Instead? She rolled over and fell asleep. I covered her up and 6 hours later she woke up again.  If it weren’t for the fact that I did a few other things after that before finally falling asleep, I might have convinced myself I dreamt it. I never, in a million years, expected her to actually go back to sleep on command. I’m willing to bet that it’s the last time that ever happens

Woke up this morning in a funk. Slept a bit later than I have been recently. Wandered down to my office and said good morning to the kids on the way.  Thought I had a mid-morning call which would leave me plenty of time to finish a document I had been working on. Turns out, the call was scheduled for 10 minutes after I woke up.

2 hours later, I emerged from my office. Definitely in a funk.

I’ve spent quite a number of days at home over the past few weeks. Between a local engagement and weather problems causing me to avoid Dallas last week, I’ve been enjoying being a stay-at-home dad. Waking up in the morning when the wife heads off to work to snuggle with the baby. Being home at night to give the baby her bottle while she passes out. Being able to play Wii with the 5 year old from time to time. All of the creature comforts of my office.

Today? I go back to the reality of my job. The car service picks me up in an hour. I’ll spend the afternoon and evening travelling to Austin, TX. (Which according to American Airlines wasn’t part of the U.S. this morning.) Three nights in a hotel before flying home Thursday evening. My job affords me wonderful flexibility, great opportunities to travel and the cash doesn’t hurt bad. Some days, I’d rather stay home and see my little ones learn something new.

For years, Marie has been asking to go to NYC for a weekend. I typically don’t like NYC and have avoided the city like the plague. Earlier this fall, I relented and off to NYC we went. Flew in late on Friday night. Had dinner and went to the top of the Empire State Building. Wandered a bit of Time Square, Macy’s and Battery Park on saturday. Flew home early Sunday afternoon. Had a great few nights in the city and already started planning a return trip.

If you’ve been here over the past few weeks, the following won’t be a surprise. There are pics.
NYC Pictures

The wife and I took a trip to southern Illinois with my SIL and BIL. Went to the Superman museum in Metropolis, IL and spent the night in grand ole Paducah, KY. Had a fun time. Enjoyed getting away from life with Marie for a bit. Of course, there are pics.
Southern Illinois Trip

Over Thanksgiving, the family took a 10 day trip to Florida. 10 days of togetherness was great. We spent three nights on a Disney cruise and a few days at DisneyWorld. Between those days, we took a day or two to relax. Met up with my oldest friend while we were in Florida and met his girlfriend and baby for the first time. Spent some time doing touristy things.  Spent a ton of time in the car.  All in all, we had a blast.

We took a ton of pictures from our travels and the best among them have been posted up to Flickr. Links to follow.

Disney Part 1

Disney Part 2

Way back in July, Marie and I ventured out to San Diego to attend Comic-Con. Turns out, we took tons of pictures and even promised to post some of them for friends. You’d think owning 5 cameras and having 2 computers on my desk would make moving pictures around trivial. You’d be wrong. Between procrastination and laziness, 4 months have elapsed and I’ve finally posted the SDCC pictures to Flickr.  Follow the links below to enjoy the pics.

(SDCC 2010 Part 1) http://www.flickr.com/photos/siraim/sets/72157625365144251/

(SDCC 2010 Part 2)  http://www.flickr.com/photos/siraim/sets/72157625490270652/

Friday morning brought a quick breakfast at the Courtyard and then a day at NAS Pensacola for the Blue Angels Homecoming air show. It was a beautiful day for an air show. 75 degrees and only a few clouds in the sky. It was an amazing day of air show antics topped off by an always amazing Blue Angels performance.

I grew up on Corry Station (which is adjacent to NAS Pensacola) and saw practice sessions, both air shows each year and even had a pilot show up at one of my birthday parties as a kid. (I’d be ok with that happening now as an adult too.. just sayin’) The Blue Angels and this area is part of who i am and I’m having a blast on this trip.

I’ve uploaded some of the better pictures I took today while at the air show. They’re all uploaded to Flickr. Feel free to browse. Airshow Nov 09

We arrived onsite for the air show:

Had our picture taken next to an F/A-18 Hornet flown by the Blue Angels:

The GEICO Skywriters drew 3 American flags in the sky during the National anthem.. it was pretty cool:

But not as cool as the sky diver that flew the Flag as he descended to the flight line. The Skywriters circled him as he descended. This was amazing:

Fat Albert lifted off using JATO. Marie hadn’t seen this before… it’s far more cool in person..

Fat Albert then executed a parade pass:

The Angels passed the flight line in a diamond:

And.. The Angels flew past the flight line mostly upright:

All 6 Angels climb in formation:

Again in formation as they fly toward the flight line:

And then roll out.. this was pretty awesome to see.

Beyond the pictures, the experience was amazing. Seeing the jets again was great. Over NAS Pensacola, they could fly faster than at some air shows at which I’ve seen them. The F-16 fly over at 600 mph was breathtaking.. literally. Seeing the power and grace of the jets can’t really be described by a picture… if you have the chance, find an air show. Spend some time wandering the display areas and check out the planes they have on display. Talk to the pilots and the crew that make themselves available. You won’t be disappointed.

I didn’t make a post on Facebook or Twitter on Veterans’ Day for a reason. I knew I’d be here two days later. My love and respect for veterans’ runs deep and can’t be summed up in 140 character posting. I prefer to show my support in person. I prefer to celebrate as I do everything else, quietly and in my own way.

Marie decided a few months ago to do something nice for my birthday. She’s been trying to surprise me for quite some time and this week, while not surprised, she definitely made a great decision on a birthday gift.

We took a long weekend to fly to Florida, spend a weekend tooling around where I grew up (from time to time) and happened to be here for the Blue Angels homecoming air show at NAS Pensacola.

Things started out a bit poorly. Caitlin didn’t really want us to leave..

We landed safely in Pensacola..

Saw a Blue Angel F/A-18 when we got off the plane.. sort of..

And had dinner at my favorite restaurant when I was a kid..

We got a good night sleep… and got ready for our long day in the sun at the airshow.