The reason I remember my answer is due to Calli, my four-year-old-tomorrow. Her eyes shot up, looked deep in to mine and said, “Not ‘yes-and-no’. Just yes. It’s always just yes.”

Since her birth, there has been no shortage of wonderful lessons she has given me, but this one gave me some serious thoughts.

Why do we so often settle for yes-and-no?

• Do you love your job?
• Are you where you want to be in life?
• Does every day end with a sense of fulfillment?

I’m certain I could go on and on. Why shouldn’t we be able to give a definitive yes or no? Why shouldn’t we seek out the yeses?

I related in an earlier post how I feel that I am going through a regeneration. I am changing things about my life and myself that I hope will bring a more fulfilling existence to my family as well as to me. Her statement “Not yes and no!” Echoed in my mind as that’s exactly what I am now trying to accomplish: finding the yeses and avoiding the noes.

And above all else, deciding definitively yes or no and not settling.

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

In messages of 160 characters or less, I’ve learned that she repelled off of cliffs at the Blue Mountains, toured the Sidney Opera House and Parliament, visited aquariums and zoos, held a Koala, swam under a waterfall, and ate kangaroo, crocodile, and (live!!) green ants.

But I can’t wait to hear the stories. She hung out with aborigines and stayed with a family that’s as in to Asian culture as she is.

The drive home should be exciting.

Thanks to all that supported us in getting her to the Land Down Under, I’ll be sure to pass on some stories (and pics!)

Thanks again!

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Messages From The Land Down Under, and Miscellaneous Friday Ramblings… (howefitz.com)

All contents copyright 2008-2009 Justin Howe.

We’ve been communicating through text and the leader has been emailing us, so unfortunately, there are no pictures yet. They are in and out of phone service, and don’t have access to email very often, but here’s what I know so far:

They have repelled off of the Blue Mountains, swam at the Olympic Park, toured the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Aquarium, visited the Opal Museum, took a cruise of Sydney Harbor, visited the Parliament House, swam at Edith Falls, visited Aborigines, and Kat wrestled a sheep.

Let me tell you, I’m uber-jealous. I just texted Kat, and she said she won against the sheep, by the way. I can’t wait to see the pics!

———————————————————————————————-

• Stateside, I’m still working on that regeneration I talked about earlier, with some of the life changes possibly interrupting my launch of the webcomic. Trust me when I say everything will be better for it…
• Speaking of webcomics, I have been surfing around for others that have a family-friendly feel. If you haven’t seen these, check them out:
  • Red’s Planet
  • Dog Eat Doug
  • The Bean
  • My Cardboard Life
• Calli doesn’t seem to be that jazzed about T-Ball… when she’s there. At home, she can’t wait to go again.
• Tristin is really testing out his legs, and has even taken a couple of steps! He’ll be running marathons any day now…

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

That’s all I have for today, be sure to stop by Dad-Blogs for more Fatherhood Friday fun, and have a great weekend!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Announcing the Winner of the Sweet As Sugar Milk Contest, And Other Fatherhood Friday Tidbits (howefitz.com)
• A Walk On the Creative Side (howefitz.com)
• Five Fascinating Walking Tours in Sydney, Australia (australia-travel.suite101.com)

Phone booth, glasses, last of his kind... OMG! The Doctor is Superman!

It truly is amazing how a silly T.V. show can get you to thinking about life.

I am currently in mourning. I’m mourning the loss of a fictional character. What makes this behavior on my part even worse, is that said fictional character has the ability to ‘regenerate’, causing him to live, albeit in varying forms, possibly forever.

Yesterday, I lost the Doctor.

It wasn’t a surprise. I knew it was the end. The rest of the world has already mourned and moved on. They’re enjoying Matt Smith, I’ve seen the tweets.

But the mourning process is very real and very ‘now’ for me. And just as with any other loss, I find myself thinking about things differently.

The great thing about David Tennant‘s entire run was his incredible enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is something the Doctor should have in spades. His enthusiasm for human life and the whole of creation is inspiring. No matter what obstacles, aliens, or seemingly unsolvable problem the Doctor faces, he does so with a smile and a lot of determination (and a wisecrack or two).

Recently I feel that I am in one of those cliffhanger moments in my life where I’m not totally sure where to go next. I wish I could just snap on my glasses and whip out a sonic screwdriver. But since I can’t, it’s great that I do have fantastic companions to help me along…

As you can see from the pictures I’ve chosen so far, the Doctor has had more companions than regenerations of himself.

I have several companions as well. My wife has got to be the closest person to a companion the Doctor would choose that I’ve ever met. Not only is she brilliantly smart and great in a tight spot, she serves as an excellent moral compass as well. She’s not just my moral compass, but a practicality one. Sometimes I get it in my head to go off and do something half cocked, and she brings me back to Earth, with an even better and more effective idea.

The Doctor's daughter, Jenny.

My other companions, of course, are my kids.

My kids are my rocks. There is nothing better than coming home to see Tristin’s smiling face, or Calli asking ‘Daddy, can you play with me?’ They remind me why I do what I do each day. More importantly, they remind me why I want to do it.

I’m not sure what it was about the end of the tenth Doctor that got me to very nearly cry at a science fiction show. (Real men don’t cry at things like that, but I did get a rather large lump in my throat.)

It could have been the writing, which expressed, I’m sure, the sentiment of the audience and the cast and crew as the Doctor said sadly, ‘I don’t want to go.’ It could have simply been David’s amazing acting.

But it was more than likely the thoughts of my own life that struck the deepest chord. It never ceases to amaze me how sci-fi and fantasy can have that effect on me. On the outside, these stories are about amazing aliens, strange new worlds, and epic galactic battles, but the good stories draw from your thoughts, memories, and sometimes nightmares.

The REAL dedication of this post goes to...

As I watched the Doctor regenerate, taking the TARDIS itself out with him, I thought about how life is a lot like that. As we evolve ourselves, it effects those around us. As we evolve and change ourselves, the people that are most dear to us seem to change as well. Sometimes people grow apart, some relationships become tighter than ever. The people in our lives shape who we are as well. Choose your friends wisely.

I have no idea how this next chapter in my life will wind up. It could be not all that different, or I could feel like I’ve been flung to the far reaches of space and time.

But unlike the Doctor, I have family all around me to guide me.

Who needs a TARDIS with a gift like that?

…(OK, I would still love my own TARDIS. )

What Would The Doctor Do?

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

Related articles by Zemanta

• New TARDIS pictures show the real meaning behind the Doctor’s design (scyfilove.com)
• Doctor Who Crack Appears in Space (geeksaresexy.net)
• Who knew? Matt Smith soars as madcap, marvelous new ‘Doctor Who’ (chicagonow.com)

With that, I am pleased to announce that through the generosity of my blog readers, friends, family, and a few impromptu garage sales (not to mention most of my tax return), Kat’s trip to Australia with People to People is now reality! She flies out on the 16th for 17 days in the Land Down Under. I can’t believe that it’s that soon! Incidentally, on the graphic above, I found a font on Artweaver called ‘Australian Sunrise’. What else would I use? Here’s a glance at Kat’s itinerary while she’s down there:

****

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

In the spirit of Fatherhood Friday and Week In Review, here’s what’s happening in the Howefitz world:

At the park yesterday, Calli claimed that I was a strong guy because I ‘pick up small childrens’…

Wednesday was Calli’s first day of Tee-Ball! She learned the ‘alligator’ and how to hold the ball, throw it overhand and catch. And even though practice went in to nap time and somebody got a little cranky, we all had a blast! Here are a couple highlights:

Practicing sccoping up the ball with 'the alligator'.

I could totally do 'the alligator'...

Then Calli got ahold of the camera:

'She's only 3, she's probably not even getting a picture of me. I'll just look crazy to play along...'

'Sissy has the camera. Ready penetrating gaze.'

Yesterday, we went to a park in Dillon, CO that we don’t get to very often. Pics!:

Tristin's working on his 'Superman'...

Attempts at a nearly complete family portrait with small children on a bouncy dock in high winds:

After the park, we went to a bookstore where Tristin saw a Batman book. He started shaking his fists in excitement, and, I swear, whispered an excited ‘Baban!’ It was better than if he had said ‘Daddy!’ At nine months, the fanboy training is paying off…

In other news, (Last, but not least) I bought the domain name for my upcoming webcomic. It will be called ‘Howefitz Sequential’, in honor of my web moniker and the more intellectual way of identifying comics: ‘sequential art’ (the art of telling a story in a sequence of pictures and words). Plus it kind of sounds like one of my favorite movies, ‘LA Confidential’, so I’m pretty proud of myself for coming up with it! Don’t visit the site yet, I’m busy building it and completing at least three weeks worth of material before I launch. I’m shooting for an official launch date of July 5. I’ll keep you posted!

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Fatherhood Friday!

Related articles by Zemanta

• An Idiot’s Guide To Australia (Plus, A Sweet As Sugar Milk Contest) (howefitz.com)
• A Cry For Help, And Other Fatherhood Friday Goodness (howefitz.com)

An Idiot’s Guide To Australia

When I found out that Justin’s step-daughter Kat had earned the chance to visit Australia as part of People to People’s Student Ambassador Program, I thought wow, that’s pretty darn cool. What a wonderful opportunity for a young adult to experience the bigger world and export good will to such a culturally rich country like Australia. Almost makes me kind of jealous.

Australia is, like, one of my most favorite countries in the world, right next to Chad and Turkmenistan (they really don’t get enough credit). In fact, you might even consider me something of an expert on the topic given my Wikipedia-like knowledge of the place. So, for Kat and all you readers who might one day visit, here’s a few tidbits that might prove to be useful during your trip.

Australia lies in the Southern Hemisphere, which is why it’s winter occurs during our summer and vice versa. (It’s also why the toilets spin in the opposite direction after you flush.) It is the smallest of the continents in land mass, and boasts a population of an estimated 22 million people who reside primarily near the mainland state capitols.

The earliest inhabitants of Australia were known as Umpa Lumpas, and they can still be found living in the bush country of the island’s interior. Umpa Lumpas are typically small in stature and enjoy singing, dancing and playing instruments such as the didgeridoo. They are also well known for their mastery in making fine confectionaries. (Their Everlasting Gobstoppers are to die for.)

This wild area, commonly referred to as “the outback,” is also where Danish Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke established a coffee plantation in 1913 which later, using the pen name Isak Dineson, she wrote about in her now famous memoir entitled Out of Africa.

Schwarzenegger was quoted as saying, "Good on ya, extra prisonahs!" as he saluted the early Australian colonists.

Following its discovery by Sir Isaac Newton, Australia was colonized by convicts and felons who had been freed under California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger’s early release initiative aimed at reducing prison over-crowding. Australia remained a colony until 1986 when humble, screen actor Paul Hogan using the alias, “Crocodile Dundee,” led a successful rebellion resulting in Australia’s birth as a Commonwealth. His rallying war cry, “That’s not a knife. This is a knife!” became the country’s official motto.

Crocodile Dundee ruled benevolently until 2001 when his popularity began to wane following an adventurous visit to Los Angeles. Eventually he handed the responsibility over to his charismatic nephew, Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter, who sadly was killed by a mentally unstable stingray with a strange obsession for Jodie Foster. Currently Australia is presided over by the Crocodile Hunter’s daughter, the much beloved Bindi Sue.

Let’s see, what else? Oh, the country’s national anthem is, “I Come From a Land Down Under” written by the patriotic group Men At Work who were inspired by the sight of the Australian flag still flying over the capitol, Sidney, after invading Californians tried to burn the city to the ground.

Economically, Australia is very solid. Their chief exports are shrimp, barbies and an odd-looking shoe known internationally as Crocs which were modeled after the bill of a duck-billed platypus.

Australia’s cultural influence has had a great impact on the world, especially here in the United States. Few realize, for example, that in 1989 an exchange student from Melbourne attending the University of Texas at Nacogdoches taught fellow classmates how to crush over-sized beer cans on their forehead which lead to a national craze in fraternities all across America.

We can also be thankful for Australia’s artistic contributions which includes a long list of unparalleled actors and actresses such as Errol Flynn, Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger, Nicole Kidman, and Tina Turner whose breakout performance in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome has become legendary. Also worth noting is the interpretative dance troupe Thunder From Down Under, now one of Las Vegas’ top shows, and a must see for any family that gets the chance.

I could probably go on, but at this point, I think it would only be seen as bragging. Besides this is more than enough for Kat to use in impressing the great people of the Australian Commonwealth. I hope it serves her well. (*see note)

One more thing. In support of Kat’s trip, I’d like to donate a copy of my book Sugar Milk which is filled with even more fun facts about, not just Australia, but for Chad and Turkmenistan as well. At the end of this post, Justin will explain how you can win a copy of this very handy book by helping Kat with her needs for the trip. I’m thinking she will make a way better ambassador to Australia than I ever would. Your support will be greatly appreciated I’m sure. Thank you.

*Note: This post has been thoroughly denounced by the Australian Department of Tourism.

W O W! Thanks, Ron!

So. How can you get your very own autographed copy of Sugar Milk? How can you win the book that founder of The Good Men Project Tom Matlack said ‘captures the real American Man of 2010, and the American family, with honesty and humor not found in the stick figure portrayals so prevalent in popular culture.’? Keep reading and I’ll tell you!

• Donate to Kat’s trip. Yes, I am asking for money, but you decide the amount. $1, $5, $10, more. It’s all good. Each donation earns you an extra entry in to the contest. Simply use the Chip-In button on your right. If you have already donated, thank you very much, you’re already entered.
• Bonus Points (be sure to let me know in the comments after you complete each entry):
  • Share and share alike: Share the contest on twitter with a tweet that sounds something like ‘I just helped a smart kid get to Australia, and got a chance to win an autographed copy of Sugar Milk! You can too! http://su.pr/1MLwsW‘
  • Blog Australia: Write your own blog entry about Australia and why you support Kat’s ambassadorship. Post the link in the comments here.
  • Give us some sugar: Have you read and reviewed Sugar Milk? Post a link to your review here in the comments and let others know why they NEED to own this book!
  • Stumble and Digg! Stumble or Digg this post and comment here. If you followed the su.pr link, there’s already a like button at the top of your screen! Easy!

I’ll end this giveaway on Thursday, May 27. I’ll use random.org to choose the winner, and announce the winner here next Fatherhood Friday!

I’d like to thank you all for your help. A very special thanks goes to Ron Mattocks for the donation of the book, and the amazing guest post. You’re the best!

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

Calli: Daddy, can’t you tell me a story? (This is how she asks for everything now. ‘Daddy, can’t you…’ As if she’s tired of asking.)

Me: What kind of story?

Calli: I don’t know…

Me: OK. So. Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Calli.

Calli: Was she a Princess?

Me: Yes, she was a beautiful Princess!

Calli: Did she have a brother named Tristin?

Me: Yes she did! And he was a Prince! He was as handsome as Princess Calli was beautiful.

Calli: Yeah!

And so on. It’s kind of cool, actually, she makes my job easy!

=====================================================

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m playing around with trying to create a webcomic based on my family. I posted my first design of Kat as a manga character on DeviantArt last night, but if you missed the tweet, I’m posting it below. I’m taking my time with this, and I want to have three weeks of the comic done before I launch. But I’ll be posting sketches and ideas at DeviantArt and Flickr, and of course, sharing it all through Twitter and Facebook. So feel free to follow, friend, or fan me to see if my excitement will translate to the electronic page!

Speaking of Kat, we’re in serious crunch time for raising money for her Student Ambassadorship to Australia! They need all the money by May 14! We’re having a garage sale this weekend in a last ditch effort. If you would like to contribute, please see the ‘Chip-In’ badge to the right of the blog. Every little bit is appreciated, and we’ll make sure you get a Howe original thank you note from Kat either from the Land Down Under, or as soon as she gets home!

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

We just recently found out that Kat needs to finish raising the money for her People to People delegation to Australia by May 14th! If you are able, please make a donation of any comfortable amount by clicking on the Chip-In button to the right of this page. Kat and my wife are working on hand drawn thank you cards that will be sent to you from Australia, time allowing, or when she gets home. If you’ve already donated, you’re already on our mailing list!

A work in progress by my wife...

One of Kat's Thank You cards

In other news…

Calli, the 3 year old, has become increasingly bossy, despite the constant reminders to say thank you. The establishment of who’s boss seems to be constantly on her mind. A few nights ago, as we were getting ready for bed, Calli pointed at me and said, ‘You can’t boss me, Daddy. Mommy can boss me. That’s her job.’

She must have doubted that fact a couple nights later. ‘Mommy, you’re not the boss of me!’ Only to quickly recant, ‘Oh. Wait. You ARE the boss of me!’

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

I remember my first backpacking trip in the Rocky Mountains. I can’t tell you exactly how old I was, but I was a young teen. What I do remember is that it was a new moon when we set up camp near the summit. I had never seen so many stars! I remember looking up and feeling like the Universe was at my fingertips. It also made me feel so very tiny. Who was I compared to THIS? What difference could I possibly make? I quickly realized that yes, the Universe is very large. But so was this mountain, and I had just conquered it, right? I was a part of this wondrous creation, and whatever The Plan was for my being here, I had faith that I would fulfill that destiny.

That experience changed me forever. It not only imbued me with an undying devotion to the mountains. (A decade later I would pack up my family and move them there.) But also a renewed enthusiasm for the world and my place in it.

It wasn’t just the stars. I had taken that trip with a church group. It was the varied mix of people, the support that we gave one another, emotionally and physically, that would make me realize the difference that I could make in life.

I shared that story because I am excited and thrilled to announce that Kat, the Teenager, will be embarking on an adventure that will surely dwarf the one I had as a teen. She has been accepted in to People to People, and will be going to Australia in June!!!

We’re straining our brains to come up with ideas for fundraising, but my first step is to turn over my PayPal account to her. I’ve had a donation badge on the side of this blog for a while now, but any donations I get from now until June will go to her life-changing experience. She and I were brain-storming last night about what to send as a ‘thank-you’. We haven’t made any final decisions, but she mentioned something about making artwork or baking cookies…

I hope you’ll consider donating to this tremendous opportunity for her. If not, we’ll still be friends. I know how it is out there these days…

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

Last night, Kat had an interview with one of the teachers who is leading her delegation to Australia. I was working, so I wasn’t here to stand over her shoulder and make her even more nervous. She feels that she did very well. She got the impression that the teacher liked her, and she was told that her application is ‘pending approval’. Part of that process is getting letters of recommendation from teachers, which she has already talked to the amount of teachers she needs and is just waiting to get them back and send them off.

I can not relate to you through these words how proud I am of ‘The Teenager’. Too often, I make fun of her here, on twitter and facebook, and at home. It’s all in good fun and easy. After all, she’s a TEENAGER! But truth be told, I am amazed each and every day at the young woman she is becoming. I remember utterly failing at getting in to Honor Society in high school because I couldn’t work up the courage to ask a teacher for the recommendation, something Kat has no problem with. I’m almost jealous of her courage, but also extremely proud.

She is creative and smart and fun, and I am truly proud to be a part of her life. I’m sure she’ll teach those Aussies a thing or two this June!

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!