To Blog or Not to Blog

I was about to update this page with some of what's happening with Jon and Jen, but the more I thought about it, the more I asked myself why?

Why should we blog? Obviously, we have not been good at this. Our last post talked about Eli at a few weeks old...we celebrated his first birthday this week.

Sure our baby is cute(very very cute actually), but is it blogworthy?

I have opinions. Politics, religion, pop-culture, etc. but does anyone really want to know what I think?

My brother Todd has a blog. I stop by about once a week and it is a truly enjoyable read (http://www.regularguylife.blogspot.com/). So blogging is definitely good for some people. I'm just not sure we have the time or the energy to keep up with something like this. We are just your average suburb mormons living an average suburb mormon life. There is nothing incredibly interesting, newsworthy, or earthshaking about our lives. It is a very good life, sure, but who wants to read about it? If I were you (whoever you are) I probably wouldn't.

So...if there is anyone out there in cyberspace who can give me any reason why we shouldn't delete this blog, please comment and I will duly consider. Yours Truly,

Jon

Baby Eli

So as our little countdown notes, Jen is 6 days away from her due date. Too bad Eli was born 25 days ago!! That's right, we have a new addition to the family. Eli Stafford Martin was born May 11, 2010 at 1:02 pm. He weighed in at 6lbs 12 oz, 20 inches long. For being a month early, that is pretty big! We can only assume the kid would've been a monster had he gone full term.

Mom and baby are doing great, although I think Jen might be a little sleep deprived. I wouldn't know since I sleep through the night most days. HAHAHA!

Eli is adorable and has a full head of hair (more than he can say for his Dad). At the risk of jinxing it all, I would like to say, Life is Good. We have been blessed beyond belief and we thank our lucky stars everynight for having found each other in this crazy world. Now to have a living breathing piece of ourselves...it really is a miracle. We get to help this kid navigate the pressures and stresses, the joys and sadnesses, the ups and downs, of a world that is at once increasingly more fascinating and terrifying. I can't speak for Jen, but I can't wait to teach him to throw a baseball, to give him his first taste of ice cream, to post his first A on the refrigerator...

I think it's safe to say our lives have changed dramatically and permanantly over the last month. Pregnancy is kind of like the first part of the roller coaster when the cars are climbing slowly to the top of the steep drop. The anticipation kills... but now comes the fun part!

Update...

So, unfortunately, we have essentially ignored our blog for quite awhile. Life has been crazy busy with remodeling the house, Jen's pregnancy, work and family. We are very happy and are celebrating Jennifer's birthday in a combination of today and tomorrow. No doubt I will soon be out the door to watch a chick flick of her choice. She still owes me several guy movies for that abomination, "She's Just Not That into You"...blech!

For this exercise, I am going to pretend there is someone out there who will actually read this. If you didn't know, we are having a boy!! I was pretty excited to hear this news although I must admit I was ready for a girl. I'm looking forward to little league, bugs, amphibians, probable broken bones and teaching him to be a man.

The house is coming along, we've still got several big projects in the works, but it is finally starting to look like a home. We'll try to get some pics up. Does anyone have any advice about Cement refinishing for kitchen countertops? It looks very promising.

AND...oh yes. How could I forget? For anyone who knew me growing up, you know that I despised Boy Scouts more than I despised Brussel Sprouts, and trust me, I HATE Brussel Sprouts. Big surprise, I get called as Assistant Boy Scout Leader within two weeks of moving to the suburbs. Guess I should stop talking about how much I despise red-heads...

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The Next Chapter

It's been awhile since we've posted on here...we've been extremely busy. We've taken several trips, Jen's next school year has begun, and oh yeah...we bought a house!

We will post pics later, but we've been hard at work painting and building floors, killing bugs, etc etc etc. Thanks to all our wonderful family members for helping out!

Tonight is our last night in our tiny 700 sq ft apt. I've been here for over 2 years and I have to say, Stonewood has been good to me. Thanks to this apt. I have been able to wake up no earlier than 7:40 everyday for the past 2 years. Thanks to this apt, my commute has been 5 to 8 minutes for the past two years. Thanks to this apt. I had my first real taste of city living. Thanks to this apt. I met some people who I am sure will be friends for life. Thanks to this apt. I met and married my wife Jennifer. So thanks for the good times apt 3107 and apt 1104.

Hello mortgage payments, commutes, lawnwork, early to bed early to rise, bills, bills, bills, bills, bills....WHAT HAVE WE DONE!???!!??!

ScHoOl's oUt FOr SUmMeR!

Well, I am starting my summer finally! Well...not really as I am teaching summer school, but it is only 12 days! Some fun things about this school year were having kids cry and say I was their favorite teacher..shock...playing around the last week of school...having some great new coworkers...and being called prejudice. Those have to be some highlights!

Some updates about fun and not-so-fun things:

1. Both Jon and I had to go to court multiple times for our separate tickets from the evil-cop-who-shall-not-be-named. Jon went to turn in the papers, got lost, came back, went again, didn't have all papers, and will go back once missing paper comes in the mail. I went with some evidence that I do in fact have window tint labels on my blacked out standard Corrolla. The ticket got dismissed but I didn't get to have my much anticipated day in court. I sat on the bench with the rest of the felons and waited for them to call my name and hand me a paper. Love it when my time is wasted!

2. We are looking for a house! Much better news! We put a bid on a house that was foreclosed and was a good deal but unfortunatley a few others also found the deal and we got outbid. So we are waiting to hear back on another house now and hope we get it. We keep making plans together like we are going to get it so I hope it comes true! It's close to both of our families and we both like it alot! Anyways, hgtv has quickly become our favorite channel!

3. We got to have a fun Martin reunion thanks to the fabulous graduate and fellow cougar Laurel. It is so fun to visit with everyone and see all the little ones! Shout out to Lizzie and her cast. Just a side effect of all the fun the Martin's have together!

4. Here is a video I like shown to me by my sister Ashley, who has the best taste.

Don't put people in straight jackets

Life Recently

Plane was late
Went to St. George
Natalie got married
It Rained
Flew back home
Worked...and dominated
Plane was late again
Ran through the airport
Decided to get in shape
Went to Sacramento Reception
It Rained...again
Drove 32 hours back to Texas...not fun
Worked...and dominated...again
Set up for Houston reception
Jen made a cake...awesome
It rained...again
Jon over ate...like always
Got put on Activities comittee...again
Jon wants to punch Todd
Rockets win
Sleep...finally

Jennifer Martin

So, Jen is officially my wife. She went and got her name changed today. Now its done. We are old married codgers. Goodbye Single friends, we shan't talk to you again! HAHAHAHA!!! Losers.

Thus begins Jen's lifelong quest to sensor my insensitivity. Good luck with that one lady ;)

Our little lime tree

So about a month ago we had a new addition to our tiny family/apartment. I have been nourishing the lime tree everyday and charting it's growth and find myself strangely fascinated by how it is actually growing. Maybe it has to do with never really getting any other plant to grow but whatever it is I kind of want to take pictures everyday just to see the change.

It starts to flower and form the limes in the middle. I probably should have known that being a science teacher but I was just so excited to see that I was getting fruit growing!

I thought this was a cool shot of the fruit. Man am I really blogging about a tree??

My fruit

Anyways, there is our little tree found on our little patio of our little apartment. Hopefully one day it will grow up to be a nice big tree and make me proud.

Those poor children...

It is late, my wife is sick, and I should be in bed. But I had to take a few minutes to rant. We just got back from one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen, "He's just not that into you". Everything about that movie was immoral. Every character was morally lacking and the entire movie was a giant (extremely long and drawn out) glorification of extra-marital relationships. Two thumbs WAY down!

Which leads me to the point of this blog. What kind of world are we leaving for our kids? Everywhere you turn there is sex, violence, and addiction. People cheat each other and back out of commitments if it is inconvenient. Things that were deplorable 20 years ago have become commonplace, accepted, and embraced. We have become morally bankrupt as a society, and everyday we spiral down even further. It seems like every morning I read something or hear about something else that absolutely disgusts me.

And then there is the financial situation we are leaving for our children. Our government is about to borrow another trillion dollars to "stimulate" the economy. With all of the great financial minds in Washington, the best they could come up with is spend another trillion dollars (on a lot of pork I might add, but we won't get into that here). Mark my words, this will be a colossal mistake and our generation plus the next 3 or 4 will be paying for it!

So what can we do when it seems like there is no hope for our children to lead a decent life? The only answer is to stengthen the home. Fortify the family to create a safehaven from the tempests of the world. Create a place where our kids will take shelter when it just gets to be too much. Family, Family, Family.

End Rant.

The radioactive face scratch!

So when Jon got the ball he was scratched by Scola and we joked about how he was going to wake up 6'10" and have long flowing hair (much like how spiderman got his start) Here are the pictures of him on the court fulfilling his fantasies!

Here he gives us a look and his face is just pure giddiness (if that is not a word it should be)

Here he is waiting to go stand at the end of the line and become a man!

Walking out among the giants!

This picture makes me giggle! A man fulfilled!

Pictures from the Rocket's extravaganza!

So I thought I would post pictures of our experience this weekend with the Rocket's. Through a friend, Lisa, Jon was able to go on court and get a ball from Luis Scola. I have to say that Jon was sooo nervous about this and I could not stop laughing out of pure joy for him! Many of you that know Jon know his obsession with the Rocket's so this was like Christmas for him. Needless to say we had a lot of fun so here are some pictures.

Jon by the Hakeem statue.


Here they took a picture of the group and got their instructions.


Jon calling everyone he knew while watching the team warm up.


Waiting in line...so close to the players!


It is almost his turn!!

Jealous much?

So, last night Jen and I attended a Rockets basketball game. This however, was not just any game. I was randomly (or perhaps not so randomly...Thanks Jen ;) selected to participate in the Rockets ball exchange. Me and 4 others went courtside and watched our boys in Red warm up. Then, as the lights went out and the music started blaring...you know the part that gets every true Rockets fans heart beating just a little bit faster...I got to stand at the end of the line (next to Dikembe Mutumbo) and recieve an autographed ball from Luis Scola as his name was announced. Actually, the ball is signed by Von Wafer, and I was hoping for Yao or Shane Battier, but Luis has been great this year, so I'll take it. He actually scratched my face when he tried to pat me on the back. I think he's got long fingernails. ha.

After that, they rushed us off and I joined my in-laws in a box seat to watch the ensueing blowout. The rockets won by 17 points thanks to a well balanced performance. Al Jefferson for the Timberwolves (he's on my fantasy team) scored 34 points and grabbed 22 boards to go with 3 blocks and 3 steals (that's for you Ben! ha).

After the game, we went down courtside again and heard a little speech from the only guy on the team who doesn't look like a giant, Aaron Brooks. Seriously, those guys look big on TV, but you can't even fathom how enormous they are until you are standing next to them. Then we got to shoot a free throw. I missed mine and Jen sunk hers. All in all, it was a great night, and one I will remember for a long time!

P.S. We saw the Globetrotters on Friday... they are a little overrated.

A Comment about 8th graders

First things first, a personal teacher rant. Why is it that a good majority of my students actually have pictures of the current President of the United States in their binder (making people think they are patriotic, I never carried a presidents picture around everyday) yet they are too cool to say the pledge? End rant.

On a daily basis I wonder what goes on in the minds of 14 year olds today. I think it goes something like this...
"................????.........." ha ha just kidding I will go ahead and use the stereotypes that I see everyday.
Emo girl "Why aren't there any vampires to date here?"
Emo boy "Why aren't there any vampires to date here?" (they also look like the emo girl, really they should just be the same entry)
Ghetto girl "She cain't where dat!" (literally girls of all colors write notes and add letters to make it sound ghetto....)
Ghetto boy "My president is black"
Skater kid "I wonder how many times I can say what?"
Smart kid "What is my grade?"

Now I feel like I need to say, obviously, I don't think that this is the only thing kids think about, however, I know they aren't taking in what I say.

Evidence: Everyday since August my students have warm up work for the first 5 minutes of class...that is about 6 months...yet as of today, even pre-ap kids can be confused about what they are supposed to do during this time and wonder why I am staring at them quizically. 6 months! That's what I should say/yell.

Evidence: For a warmup one day I used the board to explain afterward and left the information on the board, which happened to be on the test we were taken (coincidence...no) yet a good majority of students missed that particular question with the answer written on the board!

Question: Is it ok to tell kids we will begin learning things for those on the McDonalds career path? No?

I have had a very interesting year this go around (my 2nd year of teaching now) with some crazy stories. Hopefully you can find them as entertaining as I am going to try to! :)

A Tribute to Allyson Hope Martin

I need to put my thoughts down on something that has been on my mind throughout the Holiday Season and particularly the month of January...

January 6, 2009, marked the one year anniversary of the passing of my dear sister Allyson Hope Martin. For the first time since the actual funeral, I went to the grave-site. I think subconsciously I had been avoiding the pain and sadness associated with missing a loved one by pushing it to the back of my thoughts and staying away from her grave. Sure enough, uncontrollable emotions and a flood of memories came the second I stepped onto that plot. Tears came...but they were tears of happy memories and of someone I felt especially close to during the Christmas season. Ally was a special spirit that will surely be missed by those she left behind and I thought it appropriate to pay tribute to her memory at this time of year when it is so poignantly present.

Ally's life was one of trial. Hers was a unique situation where she was completely and acutely aware of what earthly blessings she was denied because of her physical state and circumstances far beyond her control. It must have been unimaginably difficult to watch her younger siblings surpass her in physical size, attend college, pursue dreams, find love, bear children, etc. There must have been times when she felt lonely, ignored, and overwhelmed. Yet Ally was a picture of unwavering, perfect faith in our Heavenly Father and the plan for His children. I know that I would not have been able to handle those circumstances with the infectious smile that so often graced her face. She lived and loved to the best of her ability and I think that is more than can be said for many of us.

I fully believe that Ally was sent here to be a blessing and a gift to those she would come in contact with. She is now finished with her time on Earth and is without a doubt enjoying those freedoms she longed for in her limited physical state.

May we all remember fondly the life of our wonderful sister Ally and take with us the lessons she came to teach. My only wish is that my wife and future children could have known her. Someday, they will. In the meantime, I hope they will be able to feel her through the things she taught to me.

In loving memory of Allyson Hope Martin.

6 Random Things

Following the trend of our fellow bloggers, I decided to write 6 random things about myself. This will be difficult since I am anything but random. My life is organized to a fault, but I'll give it the old college try...

1.) I hate Red Heads. I will flush red headed babies down the toilet if I get a chance.

2.) Sometimes at night, I will wake up trembling and crying. I guess this is a result of being the ignored child in a family of 8. Now I'm awesome, but there are some lingering issues there.

3.) I like the taste of my own foot. I say things such as, "Can you please brush your teeth once in awhile?" "Todd, who on this whole wide earth could like Todd?" or "Red hair...OH MAN, THAT'S DISGUSTING!!!"

4.) I love to dominate! Most people will let 5 year old kids win once in awhile. Not me. Forget that. It's win or go home at all times and in all places. I'm pretty sure I've never lost, at anything...ever.

5.) Losing your hair is a sign of the unbridled hormones of a verile dominant male. Basically, I'm a Silverback.

6.) As soon as robo-cop technology comes out, I plan on replacing my left leg with a stainless steel, missile shooting, calculator/GPS with rocket boosters.

There you go. That's my life in a nutshell. Sorry if I offended any redheads, silverbacks, Todds, or 5 year olds. On second thought...Scratch that apology. That's just how I roll suckas!

Thanks and more

Since it has been three weeks since we ties the knot and we have not posted anything, it is definitely time. We both wanted to thank everyone that came to the wedding to celebrate with us and hope you had a good time and good food! It was nice to see people we had not seen in a long time! Also thank you to our families for the major help they were in getting the whole day perfect. It was nice to have so many helping hands. :)

Sorry about the lateness of posting things but once the honeymoon was over we were thrust back into work and deadlines and piles of WORK!

I thought I would share one of the funny stories we had on our honeymoon. We went on a cruise to Jamaica, Cayman Islands, and Cozumel. And had a really great time.

We were coming back from the beach where we snorkled and had jerked food when this Jamaican man forces Jon to take a picture with me and this guy. Jon in his infinite wisdom knows I am getting agitated at this, so he is delighted at the opportunity to take the picture! So he gets out the camera and snaps the picture. And then I return the favor for Jon!






The best part is that apparently when a Jamaican man forces you to to do something(like take a picture) you are then obliged to leave him a tip. As we were not aware of this custom, he politely got close to our faces asking for a tip, mon. I told him we didn't have any cash. Which was true, I didn't have any previously alotted cash for his services as I did not know that was a service.

In the end it provided for a good story and I was just glad to get out of there with our belongings and no drugs. :) Though Jamaica was beautiful, it was interesting to know all the different things the people there come up with to be paid for. So watch out, next time I take a picture with someone because I will be asking for a tip, mon.

Hurrication

Well, thanks to Hurricane Ike I have been abe to help out and do manual labor around my house so the reception looks awesome. Since I am teaching in Baytown and that area was hit pretty hard, I am randomly not working for two weeks. I am very curious to get back to school and see how everyone is doing, in the mean time it has been nice, well as nice as manual labor can be, to get everything ready.

But some nice additions will be the new rock formation and some conrete pathways and lots of flowers. So I am excited to have family and friends in town to celebrate Jon and I getting married! I am getting excited slash ready for it all to be said and done so we can be married already!

One note of non-awesomeness:

Getting chigger bites from moving trees = not awesome!

Jen