Kickball Dad

 Sports Spotlight: Kickball Dad

The Kickball Dad is Kevin Cronin from New Jersey, a viral sensation filmed by his daughter, Alyssa.  Most of the clips are things Kevin says while just living life.  I follow him on Instagram and love it when there is new content.  He is a sports lover and is skilled in kickball(of course), hockey, tennis, basketball, and most recently pickleball.  

Alyssa was playing on a coed kickball team when their pitcher was injured.  She invited her dad to play and when she filmed him before the game, The Kickball Dad was born and the rest is history.  Watch the video below to learn more about The Kickball Dad, and feel free to follow him on Instagram: @kickballdad.  You can also follow Alyssa: @alyssacronin13.  They also have lots of videos on YouTube! (I will post a few of my favorites below too!)

Caution: the one below does have a little swearing in it.

Favorite Pillow

 Do you have a favorite pillow? Here is mine:

This is one of my Christmas presents from last year. My dog, Rozz, in the shape of a pillow. I use it every night to help keep my arms from going numb. It is the perfect shape to do so. 

Who can resist that face?

This is the picture my dear friend used to make my pillow. He’s just my favorite. I love my dog. 

List of Cars I have Owned

 Cars are really something, aren't they?  I see them just as I see shoes.  Eventually, they will wear out and you will need a new one.  I think we are very attached to our cars, they become part of us...and then one day they aren't anymore.

Cars I have owned:

1. Chevy Cavalier-Early 2000s.  It was brand new.  I drove it from Wisconsin to Utah. My friend's dad was a car salesman and he was very excited that I chose to buy from him!

Not my actual car, but this is what it looked like.

2. Oldsmobile Alero. Late 2000s.  I was so excited that it had power windows.  That was the huge selling point.  Haha.

3. Nissan Versa- First car Reuben and I bought together. We bought it for better gas mileage because Reub was commuting between Salt Lake City and Provo.  Six weeks later, he got a job in town.  Ironic isn't it?

4. Honda Pilot.  Wonderful little family vehicle and one of our favorite cars, so far.  I miss that Pilot.  So nice to have room for 8 passengers, and it took us on some rad camping adventures!

5. Chevy Colorado- We were excited to have a truck.  I loved that little truck.  Reub wasn't as much.  I still love Chevies, he does not.

6. Toyota Sequoia- We loved the concept of this vehicle:  8-passenger seating and it could tow our future camper.  A dishonest salesman(DO NOT BUY FROM FORREST MOTORS IN OREM!) said they had sprayed a special protective coat on the bottom to "keep the rust away."  Later we found the frame had rusted through and we shouldn't tow anything with it. We lost our trade-in (beloved Pilot) and about 7,000 dollars.

Stock photo
I still get mad when I see them on the road
or when I drive past Forrest Motors

7. Toyota Hybrid Camry.  Our current family vehicle.  We love it.  Gets great gas mileage(550 miles per gallon)  and has get up and go.  We hope Ellis will drive it as a teen.

8.  Toyota Tundra.  Sweet truck.  Dream truck.  Matches our new camper.  Hope to drive it 1 million miles, as some Tundra engines from that era have. I just love being so up high and the sound it makes as it accelerates.  I also love to sit next to Teslas at stop lights and think about how much I am canceling out their carbon footprint elimination efforts.

This truck gives me happy feelings!

My absolute dream car is a VW Beach Bus.  One day.  Of course, I tell people I have already purchased my dream car when we bought the truck, though! 

One day!

What is your favorite car you have ever owned/driven? What is your dream car? 

Poetry Wednesday: Old and New...

 Here is a new poem I wrote this morning:

Little Piglets

Three little piglets

Naming our summer delight

Then Christmas dinner

My uncle in Wisconsin raises three little piggies every summer.  My kids have loved visiting and naming them(even if they already have names!).  I love showing my kids around the family farm where my dad grew up.  I found much joy there when I was younger.  

I am submitting some writing again this year to Salt Lake Community College's writing competition.  This year the poetry category is a short collection(no more than ten poems).  I have found about 12 poems about grief and death that I will be editing.  I am having a hard time deciding which ones should stay.  If you are a fan of my writing and would like to help, let me know, and I will share those poems with you.  I also will gladly take any feedback you have for the following poems.  Please comment or contact me with that!  Here is the first and last poem of my little collection:

Cemetery Contemplation by Alice Ficklin

I sit feet away from a baby girl

Who died about three months before I was born.

I wonder what she would have been like today.

         Would we have been friends?

 

I sit yards away from an open pit

Expecting its occupant’s arrival today.

Whose partner has waited nearly thirty-three years

To meet his sweetheart again.

I wonder what that reunion would be like today.

         Would seeing their glorious reunion bring comfort to the broken hearts of those who lost

                     Mom, sister, or grandma?

 

I scan the hundreds of faded, weathered and worn headstones

Each of them representing a person,

Each of them important to somebody.

I wonder if the memories of those departed begin to also fade with time.

         Will I one day be forgotten?

 

I see flowers and trinkets

On or near many of the markers

Only the most recently erected have such tokens

I wonder about those who leave momentos.

         Will their giving hearts ever be mended?

 

I realize that this sanctuary is for us, the living.

Here we come to remember and to reflect.

This spot is not for them; the dead are not present.

I wonder if they ever look down on their own graves.

         Would they find our gatherings and rituals strange and unnecessary?

 

I notice walls surrounding this memorial.

A separation allowing us to leave our world behind for a moment.

A holy site giving solace from problems, worries and cares.

I wonder if everybody feels this same peace within these walls.

  Are these bricks enough of a separation from the distractions of the world for all?

I feel the stillness

As I contemplate my purpose here on this planet,

The fact that I too will one day die

Leaving this world and all my earthly possessions behind.

I wonder what I’ll see as most important on that last day.

Will I be scared?

I reflect on what is truly significant in this life.

The flowers and trinkets mean nothing to the dead,

But the people who visit do matter.

I wonder who will visit my future grave.

         Will they know I loved them enough?

Emerging by Alice Ficklin

Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon,

I’m rising from my deep slumber.

The grip of grief 

The depths of misery

Slowly release their force around my neck.

The journey from deep depression

To the surface has at times seemed like eternal eons

And at other times it seemed to flow quickly like raging seas.

Time really does heal

Yet the length not prescribed or set

In fact, 

Time can lapse differently,

Possessing its own personality.

For one,

Time speeds along

Like a cheetah to its prey.

For another,

Time slowly slacks,

Like a sloth to the next branch.

But time 

Whether quick or slow

Chisels at grief

Changing one’s soul

It never truly leaves

Just makes the griever fortified.

So , I  slowly will fly like a butterfly

Bouncing from flower to flower

Taking my time

Embracing all feelings

Healing at my own pace.

Emerging.

Travel Planning.

 Did you know that planning a trip is good for your mental health?  The actual going on the trip has no impact on your mental health.  Just kidding...it also is good for you, but if you plan a trip and don't actually go on the trip, you still reap mental benefits.  It's true.  Science.  

Dopamine, the brain's feel-good chemical, is produced while you are planning. Anticipation through planning makes the dopamine flow and you feel good.  You should try it sometime.  (Also, check out these articles explaining this phenom: The Transformative Power of Travel on the Brain,  and How Planning a Trip Can Improve Your Mental Health. )

Right now I am in the middle of three trip-planning dopamine flushes.  It can be overwhelming and exhausting but is totally worth it.

Trip one will be to Wisconsin to see the family.  We will make our annual stops at Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drug, and The Corn Palace.  Routine and repetition also help the brain. My son loves this routine, and interestingly enough, he is also one who experiences occasional anxiety. You can also read about how going to familiar places helps bring comfort here: The Comfort of Familiarity: What Happens in Our Minds When We Return to Familiar Places?

The ice cream is always tasty too!

We are also planning an epic road trip adventure with my sister via the shortcut through Oklahoma on our way back to Utah.  E got a National Parks Passport and is looking forward to getting stamps, like this one:

And last but not least, we are headed to Disneyland this summer.  This has been a dream of ours. I didn't realize how much Reub wanted to take the kids.  I think he has fond memories from his childhood going with his family.  I don't remember much of Disneyland.  I was there when 12, and it will be fun to see my own kids experience the magic.

I will keep reaping the dopamine benefits as we plan and experience these fun trips this summer.