they really do love us

each has their unique way of showing their love for my wife and i. #dman is the absolute best smuggler in the world with the most sincere, deep love affection. #dman is pure. p is fiesty as hell but shows love in her unique way which is mostly in her actions. #k33 has always had a deep love but now as a teen, communicates it verbally.

the good, the bad and the brilliant 2014

i recently was updating a friend about my year and realized exactly the magnitude of what i endured. there was many definite lows from a house flood a week and half before christmas to a cancer scare. let;s not forget the surgery of one of my children to the re-injury and another surgery scheduled. overall each spoke of my life held low spots; personally, professionally, fatherhood, marriage, physically, emotionally and financially.

but when sharing with my friend i also realized how i have also grown and had positives in each of these areas. professionally, i have grown my skills significantly and have identified the areas i am going to strengthen. fatherhood has taken on a whole new direction with deeper connection with each the kids (thus this blog is mostly devoted to them). 

heading towards the 12 year marriage mark, my feeling of love is bigger than ever in addition to the increased awareness of what a blessing my wife has been. it is also amazing to witness the gifts she has passed on to our children even big boy. my biggest disappointment has to be my health. just no time to fit workouts in but knowing that this needs to be a priority this new year. 

my emotional growth has to be the spoke that has experienced the most development. my confidence was tested throughout the year. as i head strong in to the new year, my confidence in all areas i stronger than ever. financially we continue to position ourselves for various positive returns. personally i will be starting a new passion by launching a blog about music which is a true love of mine. 

i am truly excited about the year ahead. this is definitely a different mentality than past years where the thought was to thank god the year was over. so here's to 2015.

mcn

she amazes me

i almost cried. a rock that is jagged but smooth in the right places. a true beauty both inside and out. was recently voted president of the house by the family (me included).

i almost lost her. not again. her illnesses concern me in so many ways. perspective should not take such against. the kids would not be the same with out her. i would not be the same. she has shown me what it is to be loved and how to give.

i did not deserve this. over a week of tension and illness. it's so hard when she is down with illness. the kids suffer and so do i. my suffering is being an ass  (will be discussed later). but she quickly settled and brought me to love.

photo: michael newhouse
black night with moon

i breath fire in the rain

not the pretend but the truly real. i breath fire in the rain. stand tall and proud. confidence is king. i breath fire in the rain.

adventure brings fun

went for a hike with the kids and wife today. outdoors is so refueling for the mind and body. get out there.

rattle snake warning sign

hiking family pov 

tree

a cooler not a fridge

was told a story about after graduating from college with heavy student loans, my friend used a cooler as his refrigerator till being able to purchase a down on a real refrigerator. the best thing about the cooler was that it had installed on the side handle a bottle opener. perfect comes in many forms.

stress needs stretch

what i am learning is that to help combat my extreme stress is to stretch as part of my daily physical activities. stress bottles up the body constricting various muscles in the body - thus a tension (or stress) headache, neck ache etc. i personally have experienced my back being hunched over from my stress. this has caused numerous symptoms including upper back pain, difficulty breathing, bad posture, headaches and more.

having an arched back is also a sign of lack of confidence. i am consciously aware of this fact and attempt to correct my posture by stretching, sitting on firm surfaces, keeping both my feet on the ground and exercising. stress is extremely damaging to the body and emotional well being. take the time to stretch.


michael