being beck

On Friday, I took the morning off to hang out with my peeps and go to Music Class at the Gymboree place in Southlake. It was highly entertaining. If nothing else, you can see that GK is <ahem>.. strong willed.

In this video, you’ll briefly see her favorite part of the class…which is the beating of the drum when they “sing hello”. The second part is her soloing the “sit on mommy’s lap and go up and down” part. It wasn’t that no one offered their lap for her to sit on;  She simply wanted to do it herself. She’ll be leading the class soon.

Gaby Kate enjoyed reading and playing with stickers at Mamsie’s and Popsie’s house yesterday! I wish we could convince them to pay some attention to her. 

Our great friend, Caitlin Neese, has just graduated high school and will be leaving for college soon on a volleyball scholarship. We will miss her very much and know she will do amazing things in life! We are so proud of you, Cato and love you lots! We have loved being part of your extended family for all of these years.

Here is a picture from 2001 and a pic from her graduation party a couple of weeks ago.   Gaby Kate has also added a short video message. Enjoy!

Stay in touch, sweet Cato. You grew up way too fast.

Much love,

Jed, Poo Poo, GK, and Johnson the Cat

Thanks for being the best daddy a girl could ask for! I love you so much!

Gaby Kate

I have the greatest dad in the whole wide world.  Seriously.  My dad could take your dad in anything and win.  Well, except maybe singing, where he’d place a respectable 3rd or 4th.

I’ve always admired my father.  Ever since I can remember, he’s been a quiet,giant of a man who squeezes more pleasure out of the little things than I can possibly fathom.  I like that about him.  Whether it is staking tomato plants, or raising chickens, or working on old trucks, I love how he makes so much out of so little. I think I was possibly born with much of his technical skill, but with none of his patience.  You’ll never find someone more patient than my father.  That is a testament to his resourcefulness.  To this day, I can take him a broken “toy” and he’ll fix it with the tools in his pocket or his ever cluttered, but completely organized workbench. As much as I’ve tried to emulate him over the years, he continues to amaze me with the things he can do.  He keeps setting the bar higher and higher for me.

One of the things he put on his wish list for Father’s Day was to be able and available to help his kids with anything they needed done.  He has always been that selfless.  Growing up, even as I was immature and selfish for many of those years, I think I unconsciously knew that my father sacrificed many things for his family and particularly for his kids.  Looking  back over the years, I can’t remember one time ever feeling that dad missed out because if he did, he never said a word.  When we moved to Texas in the summer of 1986, I didn’t realize then, as a teenager, that my parents were putting it all on the line for our family.  We had no money, a tiny place to live, and Dad had just barely been hired at Bell Helicopter.  The Lord really blessed us, even during those years, and I firmly believe much of it came from my father’s willingness to do whatever it takes. There is not a job he wouldn’t do to provide for his family, and to this day we have all benefited from his sacrifice.

I never understood that sacrifice until the night of our daughter’s birth.  Many of you know that Gaby was born with PPHN, a cardiopulmonary disorder which kept her in the NICU for 7 days.  The picture below is the first one taken of Gaby, and the first image I had of her when I walked in the NICU that night.  My wife was 3 floors above us, in pain and recovering from a C-section.  In the suddenness and blackness of that night, as I clung to my mother and sobbed, I finally understood the sacrifices my father made year after year after year. The love deep within me that I never knew existed that cried out to God to please have me take her place, to please release her from the pain and suffering, and have me own that burden, not her.

I never knew I had it in me, and for the first time, Dad, I got it.  I get it.  There is nothing I wouldn’t do for my daughter.  Nothing.

So here’s to you, Dad.  You are the greatest man I know, and I will continue to emulate you and strive to be more like you every day of my life.  I love watching you with Gaby because even as you both grow older, I see the cords of your hearts binding together tighter and tighter as she learns all about her Papa and what makes him tick. As she learns and grows, I get the bonus of re-discovering and relishing all of the things I love about who you are.  Your fingerprints will be all over her, and generations behind her, because of your selfless love and dedication to your family.

I love you, Dad.  Happy Father’s Day.

Jarrod

GK’s first catch~ Touching a fish and getting tired of sweating in a lifejacket. Welcome to the Texas summer!

I was shocked and saddened to find out about the death  of Tim Russert today at the age of 58. I cannot turn on the television right now to watch coverage of the story. Not yet. He has been a consistent  part of my life through Meet the Press for years and my sense of loss is quite tangible. I feel like if I avoid the news about his death, I can hold on to the last chapter a little bit longer.

Tim was the best political journalist/interviewer/moderator in the business. Period. He had a way of making political issues understandable and entertaining at the same time. Not an easy task.  He persistently asked tough questions without showing bias or preference, a rarity these days.

I am honestly surprised by how much this is affecting me. I feel silly being so sad about someone I never met. Jarrod knew, though, because he called me on my cell phone before I had a chance to find out from the radio or TV. He knew that I needed to hear it from him first and I love him for that – he so often seems to know me better than I know myself.

I just told Jarrod last week that Tim was to political journalism what Bob Costas is to sports journalism. The best. It was obvious that he was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing in life and loving every minute of it. He would have done his job for free. And we wouldn’t have known the difference.

National Review online:

“The tributes by those who knew him will acknowledge his work ethic, love of politics, and good humor. He was modest, generous, and kind. He was an institution in Washington, but behaved as though he were unaware of his exalted position.”

Statement from President Bush:

“Laura and I are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Tim Russert. Those of us who knew and worked with Tim, his many friends, and the millions of Americans who loyally followed his career on the air will all miss him.

As the longest-serving host of the longest-running program in the history of television, he was an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades. Tim was a tough and hardworking newsman. He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews. And he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it.

Most important, Tim was a proud son and father, and Laura and I offer our deepest sympathies to his wife Maureen, his son Luke, and the entire Russert family. We will keep them in our prayers.”

GK and I visited with my good friends Tina and Jill and their beautiful girls today (total of 5 girls and 3 mommies) and enjoyed some time swimming, playing, and drawing with chalk on the back patio….Here are the girls in action, along with some of their artistic creations. Thanks for the invite and yummy lunch, Tina~

Gaby Kate put on her new bikini today (many thanks to Mamsie and Popsie for the swimwear) and splashed around in the backyard for a while. She also performed another inspection of our sprinkler system.

After her post-swim bath, she ran into the living room while wearing nothing but her chenille robe. When I told her it was “time to go and get dressed”, her selective hearing only picked up the phrase “TIME TO GO”. Hearing this, she instinctively grabbed her yellow duck purse and took my keys out of my purse and headed for the door, yelling “bye bye” while waving and trying to open the front door. I think we’re in for quite a summer!

We attended the memorial service for my Aunt Mary this afternoon.  She was greatly loved and is greatly missed. I will remember her sharp wit and quick sense of humor and style (when Jarrod and I told Aunt Mary in 2006 that I was pregnant, she jokingly asked us who the  father was). I can picture her square dancing right now in heaven with my Uncle G (in matching outfits, of course), both healthy and happy to be together again.

I am grateful for the example she set  as she gracefully balanced the roles of  wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. I am blessed to have known her here for 34 years and look forward to seeing her again one day.

    Aunt Mary, Gary (looking skyward), Mamsie, and Popsie – Easter 2003