Five Years of Treasured Map!

I have been writing on this blog (on and off) for exactly 5 years!  I can not believe it's been that long.  It seems like just yesterday I started this blog and not long ago was writing a similar post about having this blog for one year!  There have been some lapses when life has gotten in the way and I've been unable to find the time to work on this, but that just happens sometimes.  All in all I'm proud of what I'm putting forward here for my kids.  I hope that they'll truly appreciate this one day when I give it to them.  

If you are new to this blog, it started out as a simple idea and has evolved into now having over 600 posts total, and at this time 564 posts directed towards my kids relating to basic things I want them to know about life, God, sports, quotes, How to, etc, etc, etc.   

Check out these links to see how it all got started and how it's evolved:

Let the Journey Begin

Yeah Like When They Turn 30

By The Way

One Year of Treasured Map!

It's About Time

I hope that you'll start, and continue, to follow this blog.  Feel free to comment, send me a message, or share your ideas of something you'd like to see on here.  Share this blog with your own kids, there's already a treasure trove of posts on here that you could read through with them, and there is certainly more to come as I have a ton of ideas in my head and on paper.  I started, and I'm maintaining this blog for my own children, but I'm also sharing it with you so that you might think about passing on this, or your own, ideas to your children as well.  

Here's to 5 years of Treasured Map.

It's About Time

My sweet baby Hailey turned 2 a little over a month ago.  Up until now she has not been a focus of this blog whatsoever.  The reason being, when the idea for this blog was hatched in my mind we didn't have Hailey in our lives yet, only the two boys.  The original idea for this blog was to pass on fatherly advise, words of wisdom, how to be a gentleman, and basic life skills that I wanted my boys to know in the event that something tragically ever happened to me and I wasn't around to pass this stuff on.  I don't know why it never occurred to me to include Hailey in this blog, perhaps it's because I haven't regularly posted here since she was born with the added demands of the hours in my day.  But I see no reason why I can't start to focus on her in these posts as well.  So from here on out not only will this blog be directed, with the content listed above, towards my two sons but my daughter as well.  There are numerous things I can teach her about men, life, how to be a better wife, sports, etc.

Sorry boys...you'll just have to endure from now on reading posts about what to keep and not to keep in your purse (that is if I can figure it out myself....seriously that thing is a bottomless pit.)  Lord help me find the right words to guide my little girl.

-Love Dad

Busy...Busy...Busy

I've been so busy...moving jobs, moving houses, moving cities, new trucks, changing jobs again...and on, and on, and on.

It's no excuse but this is why I've not been able to post here in over a year.  I'm going to make a conscious effort to do a better job, to set aside time for this blog because of how important it is to me to pass this information on.  I apologize for letting life get in the way and I'm preparing to get this back on track.

-Love Dad

What do the Lakers get...?

What do the Lakers Get...?
CHAMPIONSHIPS!



Congratulations Lakers. 2010 NBA Champions. Back 2 Back.

One Year of Treasured Map!!

Wow!

It's been a full year of this blog. I can't believe it. That went way too fast. I've officially gotten 365 of my thoughts entered into this blog for my boys. And amazingly there is more to come.

If you've forgotten what this blog is all about, or if you are new to treasured map, go back and check out the first blog entry "Let the Journey Begin."

Thanks for looking, and thanks to T & J for being such an inspiration.

#148 - TEA Party

Recently all across the country Americans who were sick and tired of excessive taxes and the direction President Obama is leading this country decided to take a stand. They wanted their voices heard, loud and clear. So they gathered in cities all over the US to protest. They called it "Tea Parties," Tea standing for Taxed Enough Already.

I'll be quite honest. I did not vote for Mr. Obama. I do not believe in his policies, his agenda, or him. I do not agree with much of anything he has done as President in his first 100 days in office, and I am tired of him blaming all of our problems on his predecessor instead of taking ownership of what he is responsible for. I do believe that we are now less safe then we were before he arrived, and for the first time in my life that I can remember, I am afraid for America's future.

Most of all I am angry about the enormous amount of debt that this President (and a Democratic run Congress) is piling on this country. I am angry because my kids, Turner and Jaxson, are now saddled with this incomprehensible number of dollars. My kids deserve a better America than I had, I think we owe that to all our children.

I really wanted to be out there with all the other protesters on the Tea Party day. I too wanted my representatives to hear my voice of displeasure with the job we have entrusted to them. I wanted to be out there for my kids. Unfortunately I could not be out there on the front lines, I had to work when the protests were happening during the day.

So because I could not participate on the actual day, I decided to change up my blog format for the next month. This is my own personal Tea Party. This is for Turner and Jaxson.

If you follow my blog at all you know that this is all geared towards my sons. These are my words of wisdom for them, so they can grow up to be strong, wise, Godly men. I had a recent post that said: "Pay attention to the teachable moments in life." Well boys, the times we are living in right now are a teachable moment for you.

The American people voted for "Change" in the 2008 Presidential election, and change is what they are getting. Although after the first 100 days in office for this President many voters have buyers remorse. This is a mistake that I don't want you to repeat.

The next month will be dedicated to teaching Turner and Jaxson about America, Freedom, Taxes, Government, War, Rights, Liberty, Patriotism, and much more. This is our Tea Party.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday
Turner and Jaxson!

You guys are awesome and I love you!

Check it out

You may have noticed the little bookshelf to the right of my blog. Vanessa found this new website and shared it with me. It's called shelfari.com and it is a great place for book reviews and to scope out new books you may want to read. All the books currently on my shelf are books that I own that I've either read or plan to read in the future. Additionally, a lot of the books on my shelf are books that I've used for ideas for my blog. Check them out to see if we like some of the same books or maybe you'll find one that interests you too.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Thanks for continuing to visit the blog. I hope that you all have a healthy, prosperous, and blessed new year.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone who views this blog. Thanks for checking it out and I hope you'll keep on coming back. I hope you have a fun and safe Christmas.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

By the Way

I will be numbering the posts just to keep track of how many there are. But like I said in an earlier post, I am not going to limit myself to a certain number and then stop. They are in no particular order, they are just entered as they pop into my head. There are lots of things I want the boys to know and I have no idea how long it will take me to get them all out. I am sure that the things I want to tell them will evolve as they grow and as I continue to learn along with them. It should be interesting and fun and I hope you'll stick around, or at least stop in every once in a while to see what's new.

Yeah. Like when they turn 30!

My boys are only 8 months old. I obviously do not expect them to understand what I am trying to do for them by writing this blog. They won't get it when they turn 10, they probably won't like it when they are in their teens, and they will have more important things to worry about when they turn 21. I know that is how it will go and it doesn't hurt my feelings.

I am not writing this for now, but rather for later down the line. One day they will want to read it on their own - that's the day I am writing this for. One day they will come to appreciate it on their own - that's the day I am writing this for. One day they will apply what I have taught them to their own lives - that is the day I am writing this for.

That will be one hell of a rewarding day for me as a father, and as I continue to write this blog, it will be one I look forward to with great anticipation.

So like it says at 1001 Rules for my Unborn Son, "Let's get some things straight before I get old and uncool."

Let the Journey Begin

Welcome to the Treasured Map Blog. Let me introduce you to myself and what this blog will be all about. I am a Dad of two amazing twin boys that have completely enriched my life in ways that were previously unimaginable. As of the writing of this initial post my sons are 8 months old. It's a crazy time in our house right now with two little guys who are learning to become mobile.

I've always had this desire that when I finally became a Dad, I wanted to give it my all, and jump in to fatherhood wholeheartedly and headfirst. I want to be the best Dad ever to my boys. I want to be their Superman, their hero, their friend, their playmate, their confidante, and so much more. But what I really want to do more than anything is teach my boys how to become real men. Men who love their God, their wives, their children, their families. Men who are honest, loyal, trustworthy, compassionate, hard-working, responsible, and driven. I'll stop here with the descriptions because I think you get the point and I could go on and on with verbiage to describe what I want for them. Let's just say a real Man's Man.

I understand that the best way for my sons to learn all these traits is for me, their father, to be a good model and example. It does nothing for them if I tell them something but do not live it myself. So I am doing my part trying to talk the talk and walk the walk. Hopefully my boys will one day find themselves thinking "I remember how my Dad used to do this or that" and will remember the model I set for them.

But, what happens if, God forbid, I am not around to be that example for them? What then? I know its a horrible thought, and one that I do not even like putting down into words. But nevertheless that thought does go through my head. It would pain me for all eternity if something happened to me and I were unable enrich these boys lives and were not there to help mold them into the great men that I know they can become.

I planned on just putting some thoughts that I have in my daddy brain on to paper and leaving it for the boys to read one day. I thought that was a fine idea. Then I ran across 1001 Rules For My Unborn Son, a blog with a similar concept and I was inspired to write this blog. I contacted the author of that blog to ask a few questions and asked his permission if I could borrow some of his concepts, he graciously agreed. Thank you.

So where does this leave us? Well, I guess I am a blogger now, which is something I never thought I'd be. But I think it will be a lot of fun now that I have something worth writing for - my two amazing sons. I promise not all of the entries to this blog will be long like this one. In fact what you will find here will mostly be thoughts I have that I want my boys to know. Some will be my own words, some will be quotes from other people, some will be instructions for them, others will be things not to do; they may be biblical, inspirational, serious, or funny. I won't know until I am actually writing it and you'll just have to stick around to find out. I've decided I am not going to limit myself to 101, 1001, 2001, or any number of entries. I will just keep going until I feel like I am done telling my boys what I want them to know.

I hope you will come back daily, weekly, or monthly to check out what has been written. Keep up with the blog, who knows you may be inspired like I was. Please leave comments, let me know what you think, or even send me your own ideas for what you would say.

And now...let the journey begin.