I missed you...

As I was out on tour, I realized there are a few things that I missed from home that I don’t always consider. Of course, I missed my wife, family, friends, and things like that, but the following list is not so predictable.

My Bed – When Amber and I got married, we slept in her full size bed with a mattress that sunk to the middle like a hammock. We are not the largest people in the world, but the full size was still pretty small for us. Early on in our marriage, we decided to fork out some money on a nice mattress, so we bought ourselves a Sleep Number bed and it has certainly been worth it. I often forget how nice it is until I sleep in a different bed and wake up with a sore back. Needless to say, the bus bunk and hotel beds were not what I was used to sleeping on, so when I was reunited with my mattress after 7 weeks, I sunk right in.

Water – I’ve always said the northwest has the best water (which is why the coffee is best here), and I was again reminded of this very convenient truth out on the road. There were numerous times when I would turn on the shower and smell sulfur, or I wouldn’t be able to rinse the soap off. Our water is good.

Toilet Paper – Most hotels and music venues buy pretty cheap toilet paper. This one doesn’t need any explanation. Just imagine notebook paper… but thinner… and without the lines.

Weather – I love the feeling of cold rain, so when it is hot and rainy, I get upset. I also don’t like feeling sweaty as soon as I dry off from a shower. That’s why I enjoy the northwest.

Towels – Our towels are nothing special, but when you compare them to the hotel towels or the venue towels, they are a dream. Again, hotels and venues want to save money, so they buy cheap towels. These towels are almost as thin as the toilet paper and only slightly more absorbent.

So that is my list of the little things I missed about home. Don’t take what you have for granted. Your towels and toilet paper are a luxury.

Ups and Downs

When my brother, Andy, did his best man toast at my wedding, he said a bunch of nice things. His closing line of the toast was something to the effect of:

“May all of your ups and downs be in private.”

This has certainly been a week of ups and downs, but most of them have been quite public. For starters, I got home from the tour. I quite enjoyed the whole thing, but also missed Amber and home terribly, so I’ve had mixed emotions upon re-entering normal life. I must say, however, that there has been nothing normal about this week.

Like I said, the tour was a lot of fun. I met a lot of great people and had many a fun time. It has been a number of years since I played guitar on a stage like that, so it was a good reminder of what I love. Thankfully, this tour rekindled some of the once glowing embers in my musical mind and has me excited about music again. Some of you may be aware that I used to be in a band that didn’t end well, and that whole experience really took the wind out of my sails for a long time. Now, though, I am reminded of my love for hunting for guitar pedals, and I am excited to make some of my own music again. I’ve been on an extended recording hiatus for different reasons, but mostly because I was simply burnt out. Not anymore. Now my only enemy is time and money.

Back to the rollercoaster week… On Monday night, Amber’s brother Josh and his wife Becky welcomed a little 6lbs 10oz nugget of joy into the world. Becky gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Jaxyn, on Labor Day. Labor Day! Ha! Apparently Jaxyn got the memo. She’s a good-looking, healthy little girl, and maybe, just maybe, Josh will start his own blog someday.

As soon as they were sent home from the hospital though, littlest brother Jordan decided he wanted to have his turn. Early Thursday morning, him and a couple friends decided to take a break from their World of Warcraft and head to the gas station for some energy drinks. On their way home, one of those terrorist deer jumped in the road forcing the driver to swerve, and the boys went off-roading in a Honda Civic. The car rolled down an embankment and somehow landed on top of Jordan, who was thrown from the vehicle. Miraculously, after being pinned under the car for about an hour and being life-flighted to the hospital in Vancouver, it appears that Jordan escaped with only a big gash in his head (which has been stapled shut) and a pretty nasty concussion. His body is pretty darn sore too. The other boys are fine; one of them getting some stitches in his arm. I’d say, all in all, they were all extremely lucky. Feel free to thank the Lord for His hand in it.

Our friends Judah and Becca Kirkwood also added a baby to the world this week. His name is Noah and he is destined to be a great ship builder someday… if he chooses. Amber and I also added to our family, which can be read about in the blog below. Harvard is growing up very fast and we can see the changes in his body and mind. He is learning the house rules and getting bigger every day. We just realized that when he is a mere four months old, he will be as big or bigger than my parents’ boxers. Wow.

Harvard meets his cousin Zoe:

Sleeping Harvard:

Harvard:

It's A Boy!!!

That’s right. Amber and I have finally added to our little family. We just adopted a Great Dane yesterday, and he is awesome. His name is Harvard, but you can call him Harvey. Now, I know what some of you are probably thinking. You are thinking, “Why a Great Dane?” Well, Amber and I love big dogs, and we wanted something with a really good temperament, so all signs pointed to the “gentle giant” that is snoring at my feet at this very moment. We have been looking for a puppy for a while now, but we wanted a specific color and we wanted to do it right, so we waited until we found the right breeder. We actually went to see a different puppy a while back, but the breeder was sketchy and the puppy was not Harvey.

We actually came across this breeder while we were at the hospital for Jordan (Amber’s little brother). He was in a car accident (more on that in a blog to come) and his ICU nurse happened to have a blue Dane, and also happened to know that the breeder she got hers from had one male puppy left. It was fate. We contacted the breeder that day, and the next day we had Harvey. I would just like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Jordan for getting in a car accident, taking a helicopter ride to a hospital in Vancouver, suffering a major concussion, getting staples in his head, and freaking the entire family out all for the sake of Harvey joining the Lemiere family. What a great little brother. (he is doing well, by the way)

One concern we had about the puppy was that he was the last one picked, but that concern quickly dissipated like a dog fart in a windstorm. Most people choose their Danes from pictures over the Internet without meeting the puppy until it is delivered to their house, and they usually pick by the dogs markings. Even though Harvey was the last one to find a home, he is still the one we would have picked out of the litter. We got to see him with 3 of the other puppies who were shipping out on Tuesday, and he was our favorite. He is almost completely solid blue, he was the biggest of the litter, and he has the mildest temperament. In fact, as I was crouching down to meet the dogs, the other 3 puppies were biting at my jeans and my shoe laces and Harvey was sitting between my legs with his head resting on my thigh. Temperament was our biggest concern, so his physical qualities are just icing on the cake.

On our way home, we stopped at the hospital so the Evald family could meet their new grandson/nephew. The hospital allowed us to bring him into Jordan’s room, but as we were waiting outside, we were given a glimpse as to what our lives will be like when we take Harvey into public. Everyone that walked by commented on him and couldn’t resist petting him. Many asked if he was a Weimaraner because of his blue coat, and everyone was thrilled to find out he was a Great Dane. “I’ve never seen one so small,” was the typical comment. Don’t worry folks, he will get bigger. Much bigger. Here is a picture of Amber with Harvey’s 170 lbs dad, Apoc:

After one night of having our new son in the house, I still like him. As soon as we took him home, I instantly felt that love that only a parent can feel and finally knew what Amber’s mom is always talking about (that was for you, Sheri). So feel free to come visit our son and us. My brother, Nick, recently had a son and I know that lots of people brought him and Tiff meals since they are new parents, so feel free to do the same for us. :) Just let us know when you want to meet Harvard!!!