It's time to be a big boy and start telling the truth.....

Yesterday I had a conversation with someone, who I will just call Pat for this blog entry. During this conversation I learned just how self centered Pat was. It just bewilders me as to how some people can sleep at night, knowing that the words flowing from their lips are generally just a bunch of BS.

All I ask from people is to just be honest with me and resist the urge to blow smoke up my rear because you don't want to man up and just tell the truth. I don't believe I was asking that much of Pat, but apparently that's not the case. Ok, it would benefit me in big way and have an impact on my home life, but I wasn't asking Pat to be crucified or anything like that.

Instead of just owning up to the ultimate truth, Pat decided to hide behind someone else. Seriously? It's time to be a big boy and start telling the truth; isn't that what you would expect? Well at least I know where I sit with Pat. It didn't feel really good during or after our conversation, but I will get over it eventually. I do feel a sense of relief knowing I have one less person to help out if need be.

Did you see it? Yeah, that was the weight being lifted off my shoulders.....

Thanks for listening to my rant....

@markbolin

Remember what the season is about....

I've doing some thinking and no it didn't hurt! I try to get through tough days with humor and sarcasm and think I may have gotten a bit of a reputation for being a smarta$$; I'll take that! If I can bring a smile or make you laugh, I've done my job.

One thing I have found is that there are some people that cannot handle sarcasm and are far from understanding humor. Is life that crappy for you that you can't crack a smile occasionally? It seems like you notice these people more during the holidays, especially Christmas, the one holiday that is supposed to be fun and a celebration of the birth of Jesus! I get a bit of a chuckle reading the stories of people that were Black Friday shopping, cutting in line, stealing doorbuster items from other peoples shopping carts and running, and in some cases just all out fighting! Honestly, I wish I would have been there, that's entertainment at its finest!

I believe Santa in pretty much done shopping for our house, my bank account agrees! If we stop now, we can buy a smaller tree! I really like that we have gone back to getting a real tree. What a great time going to the tree farm and picking out that perfect tree. I have found that each one of us has a different opinion of what is the perfect tree. Maybe it has to do with the height of the individual looking at the tree...hehe, they all look bigger to Ethan! For me, the perfect tree is the one that we all agree on, but most importantly, a tree that will hold all the ornaments! This year I will turn over the saw to Brandon and let him do the ceremonial cutting, a task that the boys always want to do, but I was a little selfish. Maybe getting the tree will put me in the Christmas spirit!

One question I do have: What is the perfect age to break the news of Santa myth to your kids? Ok, I know you're wondering, no, Brandon knows the truth! I do remember when we told him though, it kinda broke my heart, but made me laugh at the same time. Brandon found an unlocked door to the room we were storing the gifts in, so we decided it was time to tell him. I can't remember what age he was, but when we told him, he just broke down crying! Holy crap Batman, did we just destroy our kid? He recovered nicely and has done a great job of keeping the secret for his little brother...but...I think Ethan may be on the bubble. Why do I think this? Well, most of his friends are a year older than him or more and I can't believe someone hasn't told him yet. He did make reference to Santa having EVERYTHING that he wants, but I can't help but think there is that doubt.

So what's the perfect age? Do we let him figure it out on his own? Will his buddies tell him? Help me out people, I don't want to have the same reaction as we did the first go around! It does leave a great story though....:)

Remember what the season is about and share some humor with the Grinches that are out there!

@markbolin

I have a lot to be thankful for....

Thanksgiving always brings the "I'm Thankful For.." words out of people. That's great, but you know what, I have a lot to be thankful for every day.

I have a great family that I'm thankful for. You may think your spouse is the best, but I would argue with that because I'm confident that my wife is the best. Live with me for one week and you will understand why I say that! I am also thankful for my two boys God has blessed us with,  because they keep me on my toes. I am also thankful that they look a lot like me because then I didn't have to spend any money on a paternity test!

I could go on forever with all the things I'm thankful for, but I will avoid sounding cliche'. What I will say is that I am thankful for the life I have with my family; everyday.

Have a great Thanksgiving and don't stop being thankful everyday, because today could be your last.

@markbolin

Boy Do I Remember The Excitement....

I was first exposed to a Wisconsin tradition when I was 9 years old and boy do I remember the excitement I felt as we prepared to hunt for the almighty Whitetail Deer! Many of my best memories began back then, as I observed, tried to be "one of the guys" and earn my place in the hunting party. You see, this hunt only comes once a year and lasts 9 days. That's not a lot of time to earn that respect from the seasoned hunters, so as a "hunter in training", you have to work extra hard.

Many people have had an impact on my growth as a hunter. My cousin Mike being the biggest contributer in my hunting education; he taught me pretty much everything I know today. Mike taught me how to walk the land, find my way and scout for the right spot to harvest my deer. He not only taught me how to hunt, he also instilled in me the need to take care of this great natural resource so that I can share it with my boys and generations to come. Mike sports a great bumper sticker that reads "Take a Kid Hunting...So You Don't Have To Hunt For Them". This says it all about Mikes love for the hunt and sharing it with our children.

I have also had the opportunity to watch Mikes daughter grow from the little girl that called me her "boyfriend" and waited for her yearly stuffed animal from me, evolve into quite the hunter herself. In recent years, I got to share in her success with a hat trick of Bucks; and beauty's they were. I was proud of her because she earned that success, it was Mother Nature paying her back. She is a mother now and I bet that little girl will experience the family tradition as she grows up. I know I'm looking forward to seeing that as well.

I started taking my oldest son with me to the woods when he was 9 and he has had to earn his spot in our hunting party. Although he still has some badges to earn, I enjoy seeing the excitement he has as the days near to the big opening day. Last year I had the opportunity to be with him when he harvested his first deer. I'm pretty sure I was just as excited as he was. I will never forget the look on his face when that deer took off running after the shot. I guess I would have run too if I saw a 12 year old kid running full steam at me as I lay on the ground...LOL!

There are so many memories that I would like to share, but this blog wouldn't be able to handle it! One thing I'm certain, we will and already have continued to make more of those great memories of the big hunt. Both my boys will get the opportunity to experience the excitement and it's my hope that they will pass it on to their children.

If you are heading out for the hunt this year, good luck, be safe and make sure you share the excitement with a kid. It will be a memory they will never forget; I didn't.

@markbolin

It's been a while...

It's been a while since I blogged. Not a whole lot going on the last week, just hanging out, getting my knee back into shape. Gives a person too much time to think, especially once you are sick with watching TV. I'm not a very patient person, especially when it comes to waiting for an injury to heal. One look on the internet and I'm right on track, unfortuneately it's a 2-3 month track. Those that know me, know that I'm by no means a skinny guy, quite opposite as a matter of fact, but my butt is really getting sore! I was thinking about picking up one of the horseshoe pillows...LOL!

It's been a while since I've been able to take the boys to the woods for a little hunting and bonding. I never thought this recovery was going to be this long or I would have waited until after the hunting season. You know, that time when hunting ends and ice fishing begins. What? You don't ice fish? There is not much more exciting than driving your truck onto the ice, to your ice shanty and spending the day out on the water..err..ice. My mom always refer to my ice shanty as my ice condo. So what if it has heat, an oven, stove top! By the way, it has 3 lights and outlet to plug the TV into...LOL! If I forget my fishing gear, who cares!

It's been a while since....forget it. This weekend Brandon will have the opportunity to hopefully harvest a trophy during the Wisconsin Deer Hunt. If he does get lucky, he will learn that turning 13 comes with many privilages, like gutting his own deer and dragging that sucker out of the woods. I can't do it, so now is is time! Maybe he will harvest two! Maybe he won't want to after the work of the first one!

That's all folks....TTYL!

@markbolin

Laughter is the best medicine...but eating is a close second!

Wow! That about sums up the whirlwind weekend that I just experienced. I never imagined this would ever happen, at least not to the extent that it did. Just locating my family through Facebook seemed to be overwhelming, but to actually meet them in person (some of them), was completely off the hook.

Just when I thought meeting one Aunt for the first time in person was exciting, another showed up. Seriously? Wow! The weekend just kept getting better and words cannot describe it. I will sit back and absorb it all and wait for the pictures to get posted on Facebook; we took a LOT! We all found that we shared many similaritys, with the biggest being in the sense of humor department. They say laughter is the best medicine and I must agree with that, but eating is a close second!

This weekend wasn't just about meeting family for the first time, it was about learning, sharing, laughing, crying and eating. I think we did a little bit of each, some things more than others, like eating. Although the time spent together was short, we maximized that time to the fullest. What a great way to learn about someone but to let them take you down memory lane. Memory lane doesn't always bring back all good memories, but it allows closure on the bad to some extent and I believe that also happened this weekend. It is natural in life to not want to close the book on some things, but I believe it is the healthiest thing to do; we must get on with our life and enjoy the years we have left together.

I met 4 cousins this weekend as well and WOW, what great people. It was amazing to see just how similar we were even though we had never met. My cousin Tim and I actually have similar looks, but I'm pretty sure that I'm better looking than him! LOL! Sorry Tim. I can honestly say that we all connected just as if time never got by us to begin with; it was like we'd known each other forever and I'm very excited for the future.

I know it was a bit overwhelming  for everyone, but hands down, it was the best weekend I had in a long time, even if I was gimping around! I can only hope that we can do it again, but with the rest of those that couldn't make the trip this time around.

Life is good.....

In the days to come....

In the days to come, there could be some major changes happening. The first change might be my kids underwear as we attend a Haunted Halloween party tonight at a friends house. My boys act pretty tough, but a haunted house is not their forte. If given the opportunity, I will take pictures of their unfortunate circumstance to share with the world on Facebook and include in their photo albums for future laughs.

The second big change should come on Tuesday next week, election day. I prefer to not get political on my blog, but I will say that I do not believe our Country is on the right track right now and big changes need to be made. Whatever your polical preference, I encourage you to get out and vote on Tuesday; unless your a liberal, you may want to vote on Wednesday.

Number three is happening next week as well! This is the most exciting of them all as my family and I will meet some relatives for the first time. How cool is that? This could be, single handedly the best day of their lives! Those of you who know me, know this to be true, it's quite an honor to sit in my presence! I had to add that line in there because I haven't recieved one freakin' comment on my blogspot yet! C'mon people, throw me a bone! Based on the stats for my blog, someone is reading this sucker!

That's it for now, have a safe weekend and if given the chance, scare the crap out of some trick or treaters at your door this weekend!

18 years ago I became a Hick!

18 years ago this past June, I was in a motorcycle accident on the way to Elkhart Lake to watch superbike races with some friends. The accident was not with another vehicle, but the result of an inexperienced rider, trying to keep up while driving through the hills by Holy Hill. This particular trip I decided to wear the helmet that I recieved for my birthday; thank you Sisters! Prior rides I did not wear one, it wasn't really cool, but I'm sure glad I had it on that day! I also had on a jacket that I borrowed from my sister because it matched my helmet and custom paint job on the bike! Maybe I should have left that part out because I never did replace it after it was cut off of me...shhhhh! (she does however remind me of that on occasion)

Where am I going with this? Well, this was the year that I also decided to move away from the big city and become a "hick". My hobbies at the time where just as they are today, hunting and fishing. I spent mostly every weekend running up North to spend time on the water or in the woods, so why not move up there? I didn't have anything holding me down in Milwaukee, as a matter of fact, I couldn't even work because of a broken shoulder and I couldn't afford rent! So, like a bum, I packed up my stuff and moved in with some "hick" friends until I was able to get back on my feet and find a job.

During this time I was dating my wife. She continued to live in Milwaukee and catch a ride up North every weekend to see me, with my cousin who worked down there but whose wife lived up North. I'm still not sure what she saw in me at that time, but whatever it was it worked! Now picture this, my wife grew up in West Allis, on a busline, 2 blocks from work and never had a drivers license. She then tells me that she wants to move up North with me and be a "hick" ....hahaha, wow! Our first apartment was in a town of 1296 people and I'm pretty sure there were more people in her High School! Just an FYI, towns that small do not have fast food restaurants, Wal-Marts or Pick N Save stores and they pretty much roll up the carpets at 5pm; unless it's the tavern!

One thing I've found really funny over the years is that people think we live in Canada or something. "Come up and visit!" we tell them, "But it's so far away" is usually the response. The positive to that is, we don't have to do that extra cleaning because company is coming up!

October 31st, Halloween, will mark that 18th year of being a "hick". That's what most people call me that still live in the Milwaukee area. I'm ok with that, this "hick" is pretty happy up here. Our crime level is low, the school system is great and we've even met some great "hicks", that we call friends, since we moved up here.

This is now home to us and I'm glad we made that decision back then to get out of the "Big City" and become "hicks"!! 

If what you do, doesn't make you happy, then figure out what will and do it!

Someone recently said this to me, "If what you do, doesn't make you happy, then figure out what will and do it! " I've been thinking about this for the last 8 days and can't get it out of my mind.


My time sitting around recovering from my surgery has opened my eyes to a couple of things in my life. First, just how much my wife does AFTER a full day at work, where she does physical labor. Second, the amount of stress that my job creates in my life; it's not healthy. I've decided to take both into my hands and weigh my options.

I'm going to start with the first one. I CAN impact how much work my wife does at home after a long day at her job and I will. I do enjoy helping out and I know she appreciates it and I believe it will be a good example for my boys. These last couple of weeks I've been able to do some things around the house to help out and it feels pretty good. I do dishes, cook meals, take the kids to school and hey, I even swept the floor a couple of times and made the bed.

Second, the work stress thing, well, I cannot let it get to me and I have to manage it better. This might mean making big changes, changes that will impact more than just me. I believe that I owe this much to my family and I will find a way to work it out.

I challenge you to ask yourself if what you do makes you happy and change it if it doesn't. I'm going to try it, how can I go wrong? I owe it to my family.

@MarkBolin

Remembering Green Bay Packer Sundays.....

Those of you who know me, know that I am a Packer fan to the bone. Like most Packer fans, I was raised a Packers fan and it is part of my life. Yes, we all have a choice of who we will root for, but being a Packer fan is really something that is in your blood.

Growing up, Sundays were meant for just a few things; Church, Family and Green Bay Packer football. Mom would wake us up early so all 5 of us kids could get ready for church. Church always seemed to go really slow because of the anticipation of what came afterwards. Ok, it wasn't the anticipation of watching football, it was the anticipation of going over to our Grandparents house.

When church let out, we waited for Mom to finish "talking" to her friends; impatiently I might add. C'mon Mom, don't you remember that Grandma most likely went to the grocery store and bought hot ham and hard rolls for our lunch!!?? Of course, we had to stop at home and change out of our church clothes, so we didn't ruin them at Grandma's house during half time playing football!

Generally, the Packer game was underway by the time we got to Granny's house. The smell of hard rolls warming in the oven filled the air and you could bet for sure that Grandpa was in his favorite recliner watching the game. Gramps would wear his favorite white Packers ball cap, smoke his cigarettes and drink his coffee. These were not the "Glory Days" of Packer football, these were the rough years and Gramps voiced his opinion quite often. Cursing was not a regular occurence at home or at Granny's house; except on Sundays.

I can still remember the first time Brett Favre played. Gramps was a bit more vocal than normal, because he just knew this kid was gonna screw it up. There was plenty of cursing going on that Sunday and I can still picture Gramps sitting on the edge of his recliner waving his hands at the tv in disgust. Gramps wouldn't get to see this "kid" Brett take the Packers to the Super Bowl and win, but I bet you a dollar he would have still stuck to his guns on his thoughts about Brett screwing up...LOL.

My hope is that my boys share the same passion with me on Packer football and look forward to Sundays at my house when they have families of thier own. Yeah, those years are a ways away, but I can't stop remembering Green Bay Packer Sundays and what they meant to me.

@MarkBolin

My Journey and How Social Media Helped Me.....

For most of my life there have been unanswered questions. Many times I wondered how things would have been had life made a different turn. I know you can spend a lot of time and energy on things you have no control over, but it is human nature to ask questions like this.

Things changed about a year ago, but my journey really started about 12 years ago. What happened 12 years ago? 12 years ago I purchased my first computer after visiting a friends house for dinner. My first experience with the internet was on Internet Relay Chat. WOW! You could talk to someone in Florida, or at least that's where they said they were! LOL!

Back to the journey. Growing up I knew I had like 5 or 6 Aunts, but I only remember meeting one of them and I was very young at the time. Some time back I was able to acquire an address for this particular Aunt, but unfortunately, the address was no longer hers and sadly I gave up hope once again.

My journey only hit a speed bump back then and about a year ago social media gave me the jump start I needed. Remember, I still knew the full name of one Aunt and one day out of the blue, I did a Facebook search on her name. Guess what? That name came with a face, a face I didn't remember too well, but I believed that this was the right person based on age. (I am thankful that some people do not have their security settings set very high, but I don't recommend that.) Anyway, I requested friends and clicked to view her wall. On the wall I saw a post from a young lady referring to who I believed to be my Aunt, as Aunty. I sent that young lady a message, "the message", that started what turned out to be the best thing to happen to me in a long time.

I now have a new family and that message has turned into a family reunion. To date I have only met one of my Aunts in person, but two weeks from now, I will be meeting another. Did I mention this whole deal also comes with 5 new cousins? I'm meeting 4 of them in two weeks as well. I have a new perspective in life since that first message and know this is only the beginning of something pretty damn cool. To date the score is 4 Aunts, 5 Cousins and lots of anticipation!

I really don't know how I'm gonna handle all of this on that day, so if you see me tweetin' at a ridiculous rate on November 4-7th, it's just social media helping me out once again.

@MarkBolin

First try at this blogging thing......

I keep reading about blogging and always thought, "I like to talk, why not put it on paper?" Well I guess this isn't paper, but who really likes to write with a pen anymore anyway?

The last 4 weeks would have been a great time to start my blog as I sit at home recovering from knee surgery. Blogging would have filled some of the "time" I had on my hands, time when I was really bored! Yeah, I have Facebook and Twitter to keep me busy, but realistically most people work during the day so that was an empty nest most middays.

I know I will not have any problem writing in a blog, so keep your eyes open for my next post which will most likely be soon!