Emma Jo

This is my precious little Spaz.  I love how grown up she is starting to look.  She turns 5 next month, and told me today that when she turns 8 that she won't have to use a car seat.  I love looking at her hands and fingers.  Those are my Dad's, so really it is 4th generation fingers.  My Dad, then me, and then my other daughter Jackie got them, and now Emma Jo does too.

I had the pleasure of entertaining her this morning as part of my 'take back my life' campaign.  I've not had a life for 2 months now, which is why I only posted one blog in March, one in April, and this is my first one in May.

For the past 2 months, my life has been consumed with work.  Period.  Not much time for me, or my wife, my family, friends; just work for 6, 6.5, or 7 days a week, week after week, month after month.  A very good week is 55 hours squeezed into 5.5 days.  Bad weeks are those that hit triple digits.

It's spring, and spring means giving up your life with our line of hardscaping work.  Kind of like a CPA gives up his life every Jan.1st to April 15th during their peak tax filing season.

So, my 'take back my life' campaign began in earnest 3 weeks ago with a commitment to take off Thursday afternoons; and I have.

Today though, not a Thursday, but a Friday, I picked up my little gurl and headed for the hills (as in Stone Wood Hills), as she had Target in her sights.  She loves Target, and we spent well over an hour there.  Her haul filled the U-Haul trailer at the loading dock that we had delivered for the occasion.

The only thing left to fit in my truck was a princess swimsuit, a princess puzzle, a princess pencil, and sandals for a princess since she couldn't find one with an actual princess emblem on them...

Lunch was at Panda, where she inhaled Orange Chicken, and wanted to sit by me, where she snuggled up next to me to stay warrmee, and it also made it closer for her to hug and kiss me; which melted my heart about 1/2 way through the lunch.  Oh, that's so sweet Emma, I should have brought in a 2nd U-Haul just for you. 

Her Daddy gets home in the morning from being deployed in Berzerkistan for the last 9 months, and Emma is so exited, she told me about it 3 times today.  She was headed for a pedicure with flags on her toes when I took her back home.

I love you Emma Jo; see you in the morning at the airport.  I too am quite excited to see your Dad.

- Pappy