About me

Howdy ya'll! I got the idea for posting this blogspot from seeing the blogspot my wife has been posting for our family.... and I had no idea our family had one. =) Anyway, it gave me an idea for doing one for myself because I live out here on the road working most of the year and I have had a history with being online, and I enjoy it. It does allow me to have something to do on those days when I quit work "early". (BTW..... for the job I am doing now, and early day is at 5 in the afternoon.... so don't get to thinking I'm TOO much of a slacker.....) I have a job that allows me to make a decent living working on the road. I grew up and my dad worked on the road most of the time. I didn't get to see him all that often, so this idea of having a family and being gone from them making a living wasn't as hard for me to get used to as I'm sure it seems to everyone else who has a "normal" life. I am currently on my third marriage, and I hope that she keeps me around. She is a wonderful lady who has had to learn how to cope with a bullheaded and slow-thinking man. I may not have the mind of Albert Einstein, but I do have a big heart. I get that from my dad. He is a man whom I have grown to love more and more as I have gotten older. I have a FIRM belief in religion, certainly in mine. I spent 2 years doing missionary work in Texas and have learned to LOVE talking to GENUINE people about their religious beliefs. Anyway, just a brief history of me. I grew up the third child of nine kids. I have a twin sister, and the last two kids were twin boys. All together, we had 5 boys and 4 girls growing up in my family. (I later learned that I had 2 step-sisters that I'd never had the opportunity to know growing up, but more on that later.) Mine was a blessed youth. My parents, it seemed were two TOTALLY different individuals. My dad was a STRICT, disciplined man. My mother was a softy and I used to think I got my soft heart solely from her until later on in my life when I had a chance to spend some quality time around my dad. That's when I found out it was from both of them. They were, and are, two folks who have my ultimate love and respect. I have never met two finer individuals in my life. Anyway..... I had a wonderful and blessed youth. At 19, I spent 2 years doing missionary work in Texas as I mentioned earlier. After those two years, I arrived back home and got involved in a relationship that went entirely too fast. We met, dated, and got married within a 3 month time frame. Unfortunately, that relationship didn't last. (It lasted about 7 years.) I won't go into all the reasons why it didn't last, but during that time, we had a little girl, Aubrey, and a boy, Gavin. The intent of this blog isn't to dig up "old bones" and re-hash events of the past. Suffice to say, after the first marriage failed, she took off with my two kids and has denied me any way to keep in touch with them. It has been hard. It hasn't just been her either. Her family has denied help to me in getting in contact with them. I have been able to take a lot of strength in dealing with this from my dad's life. His first wife took off with his two little girls, (my step-sisters that I mentioned earlier) in much the same fashion. As I have had to learn how to cope with the loss of not being able to keep in touch with my own kids, I have a great example of enduring this same loss from my dad. He will never be able to understand the strength I derive from him since the same thing happened to him, and through it all, him still being the great man that he was and is. I wish I was a learned enough man to be able to adequately express my gratitude to him for being my pillar of strength in this matter. Anyway, after my first marriage, I went through another relationship/marriage that lasted a short 2 years that also ended in divorce. It was after that relationship that I met my current wife. She is younger than me by quite a bit. I was able to meet her after a failed relationship with her first husband. Her mom and I karaoke'd at the same place and it was her mom that lined us up on a blind date. Shanna is what I would call a "hottie". I found out later that her mom had no idea that I was almost 9 years older than Shanna. (Let alone the fact that I was twice divorced as well.) I'm not sure she would have lined me up with Shanna if she would have known that. (Lucky for me.....) Anyway, we met and got married within a very short time. (Second time that has happened.....) Shanna already had 2 kids: a boy (Austin) and a girl (Katie). They are BOTH wonderful and beautiful kids whom I love with all my heart. That brings me to the present date. I am currently working in Houston, Texas with Parkway Construction as a superintendent. They are a great company to be associated with and I am building what I love to build more than anything else, Mormon churches. It is VERY rewarding to be a member of that same church and to build their churches as well. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction and brings meaning to my job. I love construction. I have no shame telling anyone I'm a blue-collar worker. I do enjoy working on the road. I have seen many beautiful places all across this great nation and have met many wonderful folks. I am an optomist. I get that from my mom and I am extremely grateful for that. I love the country western lifestyle. I'm not sure how that happened since my dad pretty much hated anything country. He wouldn't even let us wear cowboy boots growing up. (I think it's plain to see where I get my stubborness from.... LOL.) I am a patriot and love this great American nation. I have Swedish roots, but I am a true American. I never had the opportunity to serve in the military. (I went to look into it when I was 18 or 19, but when they found out I had one leg significantly longer than the other one, they told me to not call them, they'd call me.) I have total respect and love for those who currently serve and sacrifice for this great country, as well as for their families that allow them to do it. I pray God's blessings on them all. Anyway, I've rambled on for a while now. The bottom line is, I love my wife, Shanna, and all 4 of my kids. I love my family I was raised in. I'm not the kind of man that carries around much hate since it doesn't hurt anyone except for myself. (I do no harm to the person I would be hating, only to my own soul for having it.) I carry no malice for my ex-wife who took and is currently keeping my kids from me. I only have pity for the hate that she carries for me. I pray that my kids from that marriage are spared the hate that she must feel for me as well as from her family that supports her in her decision. I look forward with hope to the day that I will meet them again and be able to let them know that I did and DO love them and miss them with all of my heart. That is the pains of divorce, it doesn't just affect the husband and wife getting divorced, it affects MANY folks all around it. Thank you for spending the time reading this blog. There is actually much more about me and my dreams, but those will be for another time.