Meet the Cast Monday #42: The Godfather

Today you all get to meet my friend, The Godfather.  Obviously he must be a cool guy to get a blog nickname like that.  Well he is cool, and I remember him being nice to me when he was a senior and I was just a freshman, so I owe him one, hints the awesome name.  He's great--pretty much brilliant, hilarious, and has two of the absolute cutest little boys that you have ever seen.  I'm so glad that Coach A chose us to be Godparents to Gbaby just because it has let me get to know him better.  With that intro...

Meet The Godfather

Your kids are hilarious, pick the funniest thing that each of them has said.

This was a very difficult question, so I narrowed it down by only judging between things I have written on Facebook.  So here are the winning entries.

Liam (5):

So on the way to school one morning, Aidan looked out the window and saw the shadow of our car. He excitedly yelled, "Dad, we are racing our shadow!" Liam turned to him, and with no smile on his face, said, "And His name is Death." I think he wins the profound statement award for the day.

Aidan (7):

Yesterday I asked Aidan what he was learning about in school, and he told me they were discussing civil rights.  He then went on to say, “If Martin Luther King had never been born, I’d hardly ever get to see Grandpa.”  When I asked him what the hell he was talking about, he said, “Well, he is black.”  For those of you who don’t know, my family is very white.

Aidan (consolation winner for making me cry):

My five year old just asked me, "Why don't some kids have dads?" When I replied that bad things happen to some dads, and others just don't want to be dads anymore, he responded back, "When I'm big, I'll be their dad if they want me to." I had to stop the car -- Aidan is awesome.  {I'd say their dad is doing something right with these kids!}

We know that To Kill a Mockingbird is not good dinner date conversation, so what book should a girl bring up?  {Let me give you the background on this.  He went on a date a while back with a girl and she talked a lot about how much she loved literature.  He asked her to talk about a book and she chose To Kill a Mockingbird.  He and I both took this to mean that she probably hadn't actually read anything since she read that in high school.  Needless to say, the relationship never got off the ground. I believe his response to my question about how the date went was as follows, "She's not pretty enough to be that dumb."}

I would recommend The Kama Sutra if you are looking to amaze and impress  {Pretty sure that his mom and my mom both read this blog and I never would have written anything about the Kama Sutra....but when you're The Godfather you just do what you want}; however, if you are looking for more conversation, I say go with something semi-literary that has been recently been made into a movie.  Life of Pi would be a good choice.

What's the best advice you've ever gotten?

I don’t know if my dad remembers it, but when I was very small, I asked him why he said ma’am and sir to people we didn't know.  He said that everyone deserves to be treated with politeness but not everyone deserves respect. I am slightly paraphrasing here, but I never forgot what he said, and it has had a significant influence on how I have treated others throughout my life.  Politeness and respect are not the same thing, but few people recognize the difference when they are spoken to.

Tell us your big news (and how it happened).

So I had this elaborate scenario all planned out where we would go on a hike/picnic to where I carved our initials in a tree with a heart around them.  I was going to carve “Marry me?” under the heart and propose there, but we were having such a nice weekend together, and I had the ring in the next room; I couldn't resist, so I just proposed right there in my house.  I think I get some credit for spontaneity, but really it just proves I have no patience.  {I'm pretty sure when a girl is handed a shiny ring she cares not about patience whatsoever!}

What's the best part of being  a teacher?

I know everyone says all the time off must be great, and it is, but it’s not even close to being the best thing.  I have the opportunity to experience real change in the lives around me. I get to be there when a student realizes his or her worth for the first time.  I get to see understanding happen.  I can sum it better in the words of my older son.  Aidan asked me one day for a toy his friend at school had, and when I said I would have to see how expensive it was, he cut me off and finished my sentence with "because we don't have a lot of money." This made me feel like crap, but before I could respond, he said, "But Dad, you help people." He paused for a few seconds, then he said, "I don't want money; I want to help people," and I couldn't say a thing.  That is the best part of teaching.  {Absolutely love this.}

Five traits you hope your boys end up possessing when they're adults?

(1) I want my boys to be confident in themselves, no matter the situation. (2) I want them to be kind, even when they don’t have any reason to be. (3) I want them believe in the GOOD, no matter what form they choose for it to take. (4) I hope they find that some things are worth hard work. (5) I want them to hold on to the same childish wonder that has kept me happy when everyone around me seems so caught up in worry.  {I seriously think he should write a parenting book.}

If you could go back and relive one day of your life, what day would you choose?

The days that I’d like to relive are beyond number, not because I have regrets, but because I have had so many truly excellent days.  I suppose if I had to pick just one, I would tell you about the time I shot a pigeon out of our neighbor’s barn.  I have idolized my father from a very young age, and I have always felt I lack so many of the qualities I admire in him: one of those qualities is his ease in the outdoors.  When I was six, my dad and mom bought bb guns for my brother and me.  We lived in the country, right by a bird refuge in Alamosa, Colorado.  Just down the street was an old red barn that was inhabited by unbelievably huge pigeons. I asked my dad if I could try and shoot one of those pigeons with my gun.  He laughed and told me there was no way I could kill such a large bird with my little gun.  So one afternoon I took my child size bike and my child size gun and I drove over to the barn.  I took aim at one of the monstrosities, pulled the trigger, and watched the grey behemoth fall to the barn floor.  I have few memories that compare to that bike ride back to the house, holding my gun in one hand and tucking the bird under my other arm.  No gold medal Olympian has returned home with more pride than I had when I showed my father the prize that proved that for once I could do what he said could not be done.

Confirm that we are the coolest Godparents ever.

There can be no doubt that we are the greatest Godparents a child could possibly have.  I say this not just to stroke my own swelling ego, but because I truly believe it.  Beyond just being awesome people {which we obviously are!}, between the two of us, we can present a spectrum of advice on spirituality that few other children will experience in their entire lives. I have great respect for your faith and your open devotion to Christianity.  Taylor will be well served by your stalwart example.  My faith is on the same spectrum, just in a slightly different place.  While I think my services will be required much less often, I hope to tackle the her questions of faith beyond her church experience.  Without getting too much into the details, let me leave you with a poem (that’s right, I teach English).

 Some keep the Sabbath going to Church by Emily Dickinson

     Some keep the Sabbath going to Church –

     I keep it, staying at Home –

     With a Bobolink for a Chorister –

     And an Orchard, for a Dome –

     Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice –

     I, just wear my Wings –

     And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,

     Our little Sexton – sings.

      God preaches, a noted Clergyman –

      And the sermon is never long,

      So instead of getting to Heaven, at last –

      I’m going, all along.

     {I may be a bit biased, but good selecting, Coach A!}

    

What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?

My bucket list is extensive, and I don’t think I’ll accomplish most of them, but here is a sampling.

I want to skydive
 

I want to drink Guinness in Ireland, eat gelato in Italy, and enjoy pierogies in Russia  {Your bucket list has an item that revolves entirely around food and travel.  We're destined to be friends.}

I want to retire (I know everyone thinks this just happens, but I’m not quite so sure)

There are many, many more.