Two Daughters -

As one may have noticed from our previous posts, Tammy and Frank have two daughters...Allison and Kendall. Allison, will be 14 in September and is a freshman in high school. A child no more, but not yet an adult.
Kendall is 2, will be 3 in December, and is full of energy and vitality, starting to explore the world, and test the boundaries.
Frank has recently started to try and strengthen the relationship he enjoys with his daughters...he realizes that these two are actually a gift from God that are his and Tammy's responsibility to raise and nurture, to laugh with, to comfort when they're crying, to do the homework with, to tuck in at night, to love.
As you may imagine, the two are vastly different...13 and 2 year olds generally don't share a lot of similarities. Allison is wanting to do more adult-like activities...walking, learning golf, chat on Facebook (R)...but yet, still wants the other things...playing with her DS or mom's blackberry, watching TV, just chillin' with a book.
Kendall, on the other hand, has other activities. Explore everything and anything she can get her hands on; watch TV with a bowl of cereal in her lap and a cup of apple juice in her hand; and sometimes, just fall asleep in the arms of mom or dad.
Frank cherishes the time he gets with both of his daughters. It challenges him, especially when the transition between the two is quick. How do you go from doing Algebra homework to cuddling a two year old in the recliner as she drifts off on her afternoon nap? This is a challenge for the parents of these two on a daily basis.
Frank realizes that all-too-soon, Allison and Kendall will be adults. He remembers the days when Allison, herself only 2 or 3 at the time, would cuddle up in his lap and fall asleep while watching something on TV. He remembers that day, and it seems as though it was yesterday, when Allison started kindergarten. She, eager to go, Frank and Tammy holding back that lump in their throats. Or, the day they put her on a bus to camp...again, another stepping stone to her maturity, only to go shopping for baby items, as they had just discovered they were to begin the adventure again with Kendall in a few short months.
Frank watched the eulogies delivered by the sons of Ted Kennedy yesterday. Frank was struck by the fact there here was a man, a political powerhouse, who found time to be a father to two sons that had challenges of their own...one, lost a limb to bone cancer, the other, struggled with asthma. But, as the two sons spoke, Frank was struck by the compassion and tenderness describing how Kennedy helped the two cope with their limitations. How he coaxed them on, to overcome, to succeed. Even while being arguably one of the most powerful legislators in American history, while seeking the office of president, while assuming the title of patriarch of a family following the deaths of several siblings and family members, this man found time to be a father.
Now, let it be said, Frank is not a fan of the political traditions espoused by Ted Kennedy. But, as he and Tammy watched the first pit-fire of the year last night, they spoke how even though they didn't agree with Kennedy politically, they admired the man for being committed to his convictions. He never waivered from the core values he believed in and fought for.
But, isn't that all that fathers can hope to do? To be true to their own core values? To raise our children with those values, and strength with which to face the challenges put before them? To coax and love, to challenge and be there to pick them up when they fall? To give them as many of the tools as possible to succeed?
Not an easy job to be a parent. But a job Frank wouldn't trade for all the riches in the world.

Mondays - The hated day

Good morning everyone, I'm back from an eventful, but fun weekend. Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as I did. I was fortunate enough to get completely washed, rinsed, steam cleaned and dried in the dishwasher this weekend. Even got all that gunk out of the crevices of my handle.

Frank and I were talking this morning before the kids started rolling out of bed, and we got into this conversation about Mondays. Mondays get a bad reputation, but why?

Now follow us on this one. The weekend is normally a time of good times, family, relaxation, getting caught up on things around the house, etc. As far as Fridays go, those day are filled with anticipation about the coming weekend and the end of a workweek. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday...well they're just kind of there.

But Monday, well if there has to be a black sheep of the week, it would have to be Monday. And its really undeserved if you think about it. Just because it happens to be the day after the weekend...talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time!

There is a thought, however, that Mondays could be celebrated, instead of hated. Think about it. New week, new opportunities, a fresh start, if you will. For example, all those projects and tasks that didn't get done last week (or even before that), they can be completed this week, PLUS the projects to be done this week. Mondays actually signal the chance to excel, show what one can really do when pushed...a chance to strut your stuff!

Mondays also signal the end of the weekend, and that can be a time of remorse. But the weekends sometime serve a necessary function to separate workplace conflicts and give a "cooling down" period. How many times have you had a workplace conflict interrupted by the weekend? On Monday, the conflict, at least in my experiences, didn't seem as bad as it was on Friday. Another reason to celebrate Monday.

And one last reason to celebrate Monday...a lot of federal holidays fall on Monday...thus, three day weekends. So, does that raise the stature of Tuesday among the days of the week? hmmm, something to think about.

So, hate Mondays if you must, but we think Mondays have a lot of potential.

Sunday Morning

Sunday mornings...peaceful, quiet, well...at least for a little while. Frank and Allison did their weekend walk this morning...they added about a 1/10th of a mile or so...and seemed to have enjoyed the unseasonably cool weather in August...Frank calls it "global warming."

They seem to be having some good conversations while walking. For a couple of days there at the first, they were walking the entire route without speaking, but that seems to be changing. I think Frank may be having some thoughts about his "sweetpea" growing into a beautiful young lady. He really wants to try and spend more quality time with her, and try and help her understand that he is there to chat, should the need arise..

Frank and Allison played a 9 hole round of golf with Scott and Jonathan yesterday. It was an "interesting" experience, but exposed the kids to the golf course. No score keeping, just an introduction.

Frank and Tammy attended a wine tasting last night as a fund raiser for their college alumni scholarship fund. Met some new people, had a chance to chat with some friends and colleagues, and enjoy some much needed adult time.

Today is expected to be a fairly quiet day...off to church, then home...maybe stop at the store and pick up a few things for the week...then generally wind down before the week starts over again. Maybe grill out tonight or even light up the new fire pit Frank was given for father's day. Depends on the temp though...Frank doesn't find a lot of pleasure sitting around a fire pit and sweating.

Oh, by the way, I'm the cup Frank generally uses on the weekends. I'm one of those cups that can hold one of those little pots of coffee. Only problem is, I have to keep going in the microwave to keep my contents the preferred drinkable temperature.

August 20, 2009

It's a little after 6 a.m. and Frank and Allison have gone for their "every-other-morning" walk and will be back soon. You see, Allison started taking golf lessons a couple of months ago, and her instructor has strongly suggested that she start an exercise regiment of some sort to start building the muscles up she will need to play golf. So, every other morning, Frank and Allison set out on a morning walk around the block. We'll see how long it lasts.

Last night was kind of rough for Frank, Tammy and Kendall...Kendall woke up about 1 from the brief storms that were blowing through the area, and then again at 3 from the effects of allergies...coughing, congestion and the like. Tammy got her some OTC's and she is still asleep. Hopefully, she'll get to feeling better today.

Looking at Frank's calendar, he has a pretty busy day. Meetings at 8, 10 and 5. He also has to get Kendall to a dance lesson at 5:30, which logistically, is impossible. He is considering calling in family reinforcements to solve the scheduling conflict, but he really hates to impose like that.
Also, have sales tax reports due today...need to have Renay submit as many as possible electronically.

They're back from their walk and have begun to shower and get ready for the day. Frank has poured coffee in me and my contents will be about the right temperature for drinking by the time he's ready to leave.

Tomorrow, I hope to have pics available to introduce you to the others that will be posting in my absence. They're a great bunch of guys and I think you'll really enjoy their insights.

Day 1 - August 19, 2009

Good morning . . . I'm Luther . . . Frank's cup that is. Let me begin by describing myself. Of course, you can see my pic to the side, but I have some features that make me one of Frank's favorite. I am 4 1/2 inches tall, am 3 inches across and have a handle that can accommodate three large fingers. I can easily hold enough coffee to make it worth your while...not being one of those dinky types that you have to refill every few minutes.
I am maroon in color, and have been around for a couple of months.
I mentioned that I am one of Frank's favorites. From time to time, I will share this post with some of my colleagues in Frank's cabinet. You see, I only agreed to take this job based on certain working conditions. . . one of which...I don't work on weekends! To prevent confusion, you can call me Luther.
Frank has many cups and I'm sure he has been in negotiations to try and cover on weekends, so you will probably see others on here.
Let me tell you about Frank. Frank is 46 years old...6 foot 4 in height and weighs about 225 lbs. Frank is married to the lovely Tammy for over 21 years and has two beautiful daughters... Allison and Kendall. The family also has one of those dog things, a black lab/corgy mix...goes by Shay. Frank, Tammy and the girls are involved in their church, place a great deal of importance on family, and Frank is involved in a variety of civic and business organizations.
Frank is an accountant by trade, and operates a CPA firm in his local town. His background is varied, having worked in retail for over 19 years, mostly as retail supervision for large volume grocery stores in the western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee area. In 1995, Frank began the process of changing careers, and returned to the classroom to begin the long process of preparing to be licensed as a CPA. Finally, in February, 2000, he earned his prize, and began his career as an accountant. While working toward his license and for a time afterward, Frank worked for the Tenn. Dept of Transportation and later was appointed as Director of Accounts and Budgets for Cheatham Co. Government.
But, in September, 2005, Frank opened his CPA firm and has been going strong ever since. Today, the firm services business clients on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, and his tax practice grows every year.
So, away we go. I'll keep you informed what is on the mind of and what's going on in the life of Frank and the family as well as in the firm. You'll probably hear how Frank feels about some of those issues that are being bantered around in local, state and federal politics, as he's not terribly shy about expressing his opinions...sometimes to his detriment.