Belated Birth Blog

Sometimes it’s hard to put the care and effort into writing a blog that tells the story of a life-changing event like the birth of a child. However, as most of you already know our second child was born unexpectedly while we were vacationing in August. Perhaps not writing as poetic of a blog post and waiting until now reflects a bit of the second-born way of things as parents. It’s not that the event(s) are any less meaningful the second time around, it’s just we’re so busy now we can’t pause to appreciate them as they happen.

Carlow James McDonald is already almost 2-months of age, but it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating his sudden arrival in Alexandria. To make a long story short, we were two days into our stay when Angie’s water broke. The next thing we knew, we couldn’t leave the hospital and active labor was just a few hours away. Everything about the second labor and delivery was different this time around. We were in a different hospital, with different staff and miles from home. At the time, we felt anxious and unprepared, especially considering Calvin didn’t have a clue what was about to happen. Looking back on it now, it really couldn’t have gone much better. Angie was able to labor effectively and have a natural birth, and besides having Carlow spend one night on the light table, we were on the fast track. Now a family of four, everyone was happy, healthy and relaxing at the cabin for one last day of vacation. Pretty amazing, actually. 

Every day since Carlow was born has been busy, to say the least. Calvin gave up his pacifier about two weeks ago, which caused some distress, but everything seems to be going well for him again. Carlow has already grown out of his newborn-sized clothes and seems to get bigger everyday.

Spring It On You Like This

First things first, the big news is that we’re expecting our second child to arrive on September 17th! We’re both very excited and Cal is anxious to have a new baby brother or sister to welcome into the family. We’ve decided to keep the gender a surprise this time, in case you’re wondering. In the meantime, Cal is moving up to the next room at daycare very soon. He’s vocabulary seems to grow by the day and he’s really enjoying being outside more in the warm spring weather.

Now that spring is sprung, we are making final preparations for the new garage construction. Don is coming over this afternoon to disconnect the power running to old garage and move a couple sprinklers backward. I’ve moved most of our things to the basement, save for the lawnmower etc. I’m going to take a few photos tonight to serve as the “before” memories in the album. Except for a few mice, I don’t think anyone is going to miss the old garage.

Wild playoff hockey starts this Thursday at 8:30pm. I have high hopes for us this year, but win or lose, at least we get to watch playoff hockey. A few months ago it looked like this season was in the tank. It’s going to be interesting to see how home ice affects the series, considering this year the Wild have played remarkably better on the road. Goaltending wins playoff games, and in that respect I like our chances. Anyway, regardless of Thursday’s outcome, I’m going to be dragging a bit come Friday morning.

Work has been going well, albeit a bit slow at this time of year. I’ve spent most of my time in Applescript, writing various programs to automate the production process in Adobe InDesign. After many books, hours and testing I’m very happy with my progress. Our busy season should be much smoother and faster, which hopefully means less overtime.

After a 2 year hiatus, I picked up gaming again via a New Nintendo 3DS XL. It’s a fantastic, portable system that works well with my limited free time and provides a huge collection of affordable games to play. Not to mention, it’s an easy way for us to watch Netflix anywhere, without needing to plug the laptop into the TV etc. I’m currently playing Fire Emblem Awakening and Final Fantasy Theater Rhythm.

I’m really looking forward to getting out for the first fishing trip and disc golf game this year. I’m also hoping Cal will enjoy riding in the bike trailer more now that he’s a bit older. It would be fun to take him for rides up to the Wabun picnic area etc. and use the pool. He’s seems to only handle the stroller in small doses these days, as he would much rather run around and explore.

The Aftermath

It's been about 2 months since my last post. Just to recap, I had left my job at M (#1) to take a higher paying job (#2) with better benefits in Eden Prairie, only to have been let go less than one week later. The following is a recap of what's happened since then to the best of my recollection.

Job (#3) pretty much fell into my lap immediately after I lost my job. The gig was supposed to be doing Apple technical support for small, home-based company in Coon Rapids. On paper, it sounded like a great opportunity to make a career change, do something I was already good at and make ends meet. However, after 2 months of driving everywhere, not having consistent work to count on and zero benefits, I decided it just wasn't for me and started applying to jobs again (that was last Friday).

My next plan involved searching for a new, full-time job with benefits ASAP. Ideally, a job that was close to home, provided peace of mind and restored some normalcy to my life. So this week was supposed to spent unemployed, updating my resume and searching for jobs.

Late in the day Monday, I received a call-back from B+B (#4) and proceeded to do a phone interview. On Tuesday, I was interviewed, toured the office, and presented with a job offer. By the end of day yesterday I was officially hired at B+B, with a starting date TBD.

In the last 2 months, I've been an employee at 4 different companies. I've received a final paycheck from #1, a first and last paycheck from #2, a severance check from #2, a freelance check from #1, an unemployment check, and a first/last paycheck from #3. I've obtained two Apple certifications. It's been one hell of a ride but I'm ready to get off now, thank you.

My new job has a lot to be excited about. It's located right in St. Paul, so the "commute" is only 4.5 miles. The hours are 6:30am to 2:30pm M-F, so I'll have plenty of time to stop home, do a few things and still be on-time to pick up Cal. 

Perhaps the best part is it's a union job. I'll be starting as a ranking #2 in seniority (seniority is based on job level, not years of service). The other guy I'll be working with is #1, and he has been working there since 1971. I'll also have a pension for the first time in my career. Then, there are the little things like having a cubicle, air conditioning and a casual dress office environment.

I hope to eventually look back at this time and have a good laugh; maybe while sitting on a boat fishing for crappies, instead of sitting on the computer fishing for jobs.

No Good Rotten Very Bad Day

Since I'm so upset right now I don't even know where to begin, I'll start at the end.

I lost my job today. Or, rather it was pulled out from under me.

For those of you keeping score, I was there less than 5 days. "There" being Fxxx Cxxx Pxxx in Eden Prairie. There, where it now pisses me off even typing their stupid company name. There, being given no warning, no indication that my performance needed improvement, or that I was not meeting some expectation set forth by some person or persons. There being a place I'm already trying to put behind me, despite all the obvious questions that will have no answers, despite how many times I ask them.

I've been doing prepress, production, graphic design, desktop publishing, printing, or whatever other f-ing name you decide to call it for over 10 years now. In that time I've become skilled in every Adobe product every made, ran a Kodak Nexpress, Canon, Konica and done everything between. From creating a design from scratch to running a UV Coating machine. I've basically become a renaissance man in the world of print. Bottom line? I know my shit, and I if don't know something I can figure it out.

Today I figured out something very important. None of who you are or what you can do matters if the people you work for are fucking assholes.

At approximately 3:30 the co-owner's son, Mr. Q asked me "hey, do you have a minute for a conversation?" I said "sure" and walked into Mr. Q Srs (Sam's dad) office. After staring at me for 30 seconds in silence, he finally spoke saying "it's not working out." At this point I was pretty much in shock, so I didn't reply. Mr. Q then proceeded with "I don't want to get into a long debate, but we've been talking all this week about this and decided it's not working out." Again, I'm still in shock. Finally, some part of me decided that I would take the high road and say "I understand. You have a business to run." "Thanks for the opportunity." Mr. Q then asked if M had already filled my position or if they would take me back (Like now he suddenly has a conscious). I told them I didn't know and asked if they wanted me to finish my shift today. They said it was "up to me." So I basically said I didn't feel comfortable being there anymore and that I was going to leave immediately. I grabbed my stuff from my desk, packed it back in the box still sitting under my desk from Monday morning and left without saying another word.

So, just to recap: I left my job at M after 2.5 years with no benefits, no raise, no air conditioning and no sense of security last Friday, then worked exactly 4.75 days at Fxxx Cxxx Pxxx and now I'm unemployed.

I'm frustrated, angry and completely stressed out. I worked 9+ hours every day this week, dealt with a 50 minute commute after work, time that could should have been spent with our son. I gave everything I had to give. My ears are ringing, my head hurts and I have absolutely nothing to show for it. I'm also scared of the uncertainty, and even though I try not to, it's hard not hanging my head.

I'm also hopeful, grateful and excited for what will happen next. I have a great family and great group of friends like you who will support me and help me through this. Needless to say, if you know of any job opportunities let me know. I'm open to pursuing positions outside of my field, "getting a foot in the door" jobs etc.

Unfortunately, I've been in this position before (It was right before I met Angie and took a job at Comcast). Since then, I've worked at BCT, then M and finally took the job at Fxxx Cxxx. I felt like I was finally out from under. I still can't believe this day actually happened, it's all been like a bad dream.

I don't know what else to say.

The Best Laid Plans

I don't know what it is about the Fall, but every year around this time I get really inspired, reflect on my life and think about what changes I can make for the new year. This year I've decided to take the initiative towards adding HTML/CSS to my professional repertoire, possibly resulting in an eventual career change. I've been doing production, printing and graphic design for over 10 years now and I'm running out of real estate to move forward.

My first steps are to learn some of the basics via online courses (Code Academy, Lynda.com) and then plow through a few choice books that have been recommended. After I get my feet wet, I would like to build my own portfolio online, which will serve as both a learning tool for me and example of my capabilities to employers. Plans change and things are bound to come up, but I feel satisfied with my first steps and motivated get started ASAP.

I'm looking forward to a stay-cation next week, since I have Thursday - Monday off of work. The following Tuesday Cal goes in for his 6-month checkup, after which time we should have the green light to start introducing rice cereal and food - very exciting!

I had a great time at the Wild game last night with Kris, they continued their winning ways, beating Winnipeg 2-1. This year has been one of the only times I miss having cable to watch the games, but I just can't justify all that money to watch one channel.

I've still got quite a bit of Xmas shopping to do, I try to have most of it done by the end of November. This year might be the first time I don't have any video games on my wishlist, since I've all but retired from my Xbox and don't have any plans to buy a Xbox One or PS4. However, I still have all my Rock Band stuff and would like to host another party sometime, it's always a fun indoor winter activity. Maybe we can give Cal a tambourine?

One Amazing Gal, One Amazing Cal

It's been over two weeks since our son was born, but the details of our special day have yet to be shared. It's hard to find the time lately to sit down and write, but it's friday, my boss is out of the office and it's almost quitting time, no better time than right now.

I remember being woken up by Angie at about 3am on May 28th. It had been roughly a day since we'd been in for a baby check-up, and we'd both gone to bed that night thinking labor could get serious at any moment. As it turned out, labor was getting serious for about three hours, but Angie was too nice to wake me up until now. She was having regular contractions about every 5-10 minutes, so I decided it was time to call our Doula, Jessica and let her know that things were happening. After laboring at home until about 5am, we both decided that it was time to get to hospital, before it became too uncomfortable.

We drove to hospital just as the sun was coming up, listening to classical radio and watching people go to work like any other day. I remember thinking that I wasn't that nervous, and Angie didn't seem visibly uncomfortable. Strangely, the only thing I was worried about was that Angie wouldn't be far enough along and we would be sent back home.

We arrived at the hospital in less than ten minutes, pulled up to the emergency entrance and slowly made our way to the birthing center (we both assumed the hospital would meet us with a wheelchair and assist us, but that didn't happen. Perhaps we looked like we had everything under control?).  After checking in, Angie was placed on a monitor and told to wait until a midwife could perform a check. Shortly after this, Jessica arrived and made Angie more comfortable while we waited. Good news! Angie was already dilated to 6 cm, the result of her many hours of uncomfortable labor at home. At this point, we moved to the labor room to continue the process.

The labor room consists of a fancy hospital bed, bathroom, and a whole bunch of medical equipment. In our case, it also came complete with a birthing tub, 2 nurses and 1 midwife. It was still early morning and we had just started what was going to be a very long day.

Although most of the labor has become foggy to me at this point, the strength, courage and calm that Angie showed me is impossible to forget. She labored in the birthing tub until the water was no longer hot, more times than I can remember. She walked in the hall, the pain stopping her in her tracks. She labored in the bed, in the bathroom, but no matter how much pain she felt she pushed through it. Throughout 12 hours of pain and uncertainty, without any intervention whatsoever, she pushed through everything. Unfortunately though, our baby just wasn't in the right position and we had explore other options.

The plan was to administer an epidural, in hopes that with the aid of pitocin, her "super-sized" contractions would allow things to move forward. That never happened. Our baby was sending us a message, something just wasn't right. Again, we had to explore other options.

Deciding to move forward with the cesarean was difficult. Angie and I were very emotional, it didn't seem like the ending she deserved, she who worked and fought and pushed through so much pain. Why couldn't she push now, when it mattered most? It's hard to describe the feeling we shared, but it felt like this wasn't what we planned and that somehow we had failed.

All of those feelings faded away the first time I heard our baby cry. He was finally here, and he was so beautiful. I remember I thought he had his mommy's eyes the first time I saw him. I still think that. I still think that in the end, our plans were just plans and we didn't fail. We experienced something we will never forget and were rewarded with a handsome little baby boy that we named Calvin Charles McDonald.

(more photos on my Flickr, which can be found on the right sidebar)

Busy Before Baby

We've finished the kitchen! It looks absolutely amazing and I can't wait to take some final pictures to share. I'm going to wait until we can do our spring cleaning and get everything all cleaned up. Big thanks goes out to Don, Linda and Jeff Amey for all their hard work, we couldn't have done it without you.

Tomorrow marks 5 weeks to go until Angie's due date. Last Sunday we got some great gifts and advice at her baby shower. Tonight we start baby classes, beginning with "Caring For Your Newborn" at Regions at 6:30pm. Friday and Saturday we have birthing classes, and we finish up with breastfeeding after that. It's getting real!

The weather continues to be a downer, hopefully we will be warming past 50 degrees by next week. I'd hate to tell our son "... we had snow on the ground in May the year you were born!" On the bright side, we are saving a lot of money, time and energy on the lawn.

Besides the warm-up, we are looking forward to a nice dinner on Saturday at Forepaugh's. I'm also excited to watch some playoff hockey, assuming the Wild stays the course and gets in. In the meantime, I'm working hard on my mug design entry again this year, which needs to be submitted by May 1st. It will take something pretty special to win two years in a row, but I'm doing my best to beat the odds.

New Year Notes

2012 came and went with a fun night over at Jeremy and Kelly's. It will be the last New Year's we'll spend without the little guy around, as we just found out on Monday that we are having a boy! We weren't actually hoping either way, so the news was bound to be exciting. Everyone on both sides of the family was sure that we were going to have a girl.
We've made some good progress getting the nursery ready. We picked up a crib and dresser from IKEA, as shown here. We were also fortunate to get a Dutalier glider rocker (for free!) from Steve and Jess. For $50 bucks we bought some new cushions off Amazon and it will be as good as new.
Speaking of new, the kitchen remodel project is coming along nicely, too. I'm almost finished sanding the ceiling, I just need to touch up a few final spots. Perhaps this weekend I will be able to wipe it down and do the caulk and primer coat. We'll see, after all it's my birthday this Saturday. We're going out for dinner on Saturday night to Los Ocampo to celebrate. We've never been there before and figure it's worth giving it a try.
There won't be any more Vikings to watch this weekend, but starting next weekend (Jan 19th) we finally get to watch the Wild. It will be a shortened season at only 48 games, but at long last we can see the new, improved team take the ice for the first time. Lets Go Fellas!

November News

In case you hadn't heard the news already, we're expecting our first on May 23rd, 2013! It's a very exciting time for us and we inch closer to the big day. We're currently in week 15 and Angie is doing great, no sickness to speak of. We've decided to find out whether it's a girl or a boy, but that won't be until week 20.
We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend, staying in town as usual and visiting with family. It's back to work again after the long break, kinda hard to get back into the work frame of mind. Before the break it was insanely busy, mostly non-profits getting their last budgeted items done before the end of the year.
I'm about halfway done with the Xmas shopping, despite staying home on black friday. My Dad's birthday is in December, and my Mom's in January, so it's a mad scramble to get gifts for that too. My Amazon wishlist is up now, in case anyone wants to check it out.

Blog Backlog

Wow. Not having blogged in a timely manner seems to have given me blogger's block. I have so many things that I could've written about, but instead I chose to just enjoy the time and reflect on them privately (until now).

A logical place to begin would be with the wedding, which by all accounts, was a success. The weather couldn't have been better, and the park proved to be just as wonderful as we hoped. They say that your wedding day goes by in a blur, but would have to disagree. Having a small, outdoor wedding was the perfect tempo for us, and I can't wait to see the photos that were taken as soon as they are ready. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you played a part in making our day even more special, and for that I want to say THANK YOU.

The 10-day honeymoon we spent in Costa Rica was fantastic. The landscape, wildlife and people we such a refreshing change of pace from Mexico and the Caribbean. We especially enjoyed bird watching in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the day we spent snorkeling in the warm waters of the Pacific. If you haven't seen them already, all 300+ photos have been posted on my flickr page.

We recently celebrated our 1-month anniversary, my how the time has flown. We've spent a good deal of time making arrangements with insurance, social security etc. for Angie's name change. Meanwhile, we also traded in her 2000 Volkswagon Golf for a new 2012 Subaru Forester (and it only took two weeks and three different dealership visits!). It was definitely worth the trouble though, especially since the A/C in the Golf stopped working and it's been so freak'n hot day in and day out.

We also hosted our first murder mystery dinner party, followed by a short reunion and live show of "Random Talent" (the acoustic guitar duo made up of myself and my friend Steve). It's nice to play more social-type games, and look forward to getting together again soon. I would like to get together once a month for "game night" or something similar with friends and/or family. Anyone care to organize that?

I'm excited to get outside again, just as soon as it's not 90+ degrees. Playing disc golf, riding bike and going fishing just doesn't sound that great in the heat. Soon it will be fall, and that of course means cooler temps and big list of fun diversions… Oktoberfest, Ren Fest and the start of what looks to be a very promising season for the Minnesota Wild.

I Got Mugged!

I'm excited to announce that my entry for the Gasthaus 2012 Oktoberfest Mug Design was selected as the winner!

Basically, it means that my design will be featured on the front of the mugs that hold all that delicious Oktoberfest beer, September 14th-16th & 21st-23rd at the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Stillwater.

I will also be honored briefly on the first day of the fest, and receive a $100 certificate. Needless to say, I'm very excited about winning and looking forward to attending the fest for the first time. If you'd like to join the fun on September 14th, let me know, it would be fun to have a group of us go.

[In order to keep the design secret, I can't post any images until the mugs have been printed.]

Feeling Up, Counting Down

I got the job. < fist pump, loud scream goes here >

That simple sentence carries with it a complete change in perspective, schedule and future. While I could easily write five paragraphs on the shit I put up with for the last year and a half, I'm going to immediately put it behind me. Writing about it would only give it more life, and waste more of my time in the process. Instead, I'll take with me a decent amount of experience, whilst forgetting an enormous amount stress, frustration, and... people.

I start my new position on December 19th. My new schedule will be M-F 7:30am - 3:30pm. I'll be working about 9 miles down the road in Bloomington, not far from Angie's office; maybe we can even meet for lunch one day? My official title will be something like "Digital Press Operator" or "Digital Production." It basically means I'll be taking files of all types, performing preflight/edits, setup, printing, bindery and shipping. I'll even have the pleasure of getting 40% of the print work from an in-house design agency, and working in an apple computer-based environment.

• 10 working days left at my current job
• 15 days until I start my new job
• 3 weeks until Christmas
• 5 weeks and 3 days until we leave for Mexico
• 5 weeks and 4 days until my birthday

El Job-O. Por Favor.

I'm tired. It's been a crazy few days, and it's not over yet. I had my first interview today which apparently went well, as they have already called for a 2nd interview Friday morning. My head is still spinning while I try to absorb all the information. I'm excited for the opportunity, however, I'm still in the dark as far as compensation, benefits, time-off, etc. so it's really hard to make any kind of decision. I'll know Friday, that's all I can say at this point.
More big news, we have booked the all-inclusive trip to Mexico! Needless to say, super excited and very much looking forward to the sun, waves, food, drink and spending time with Angie. Tropical paradise style. We'll be staying 7 nights at Riu Palace near Playa Del Carmen.
The washer and dryer is coming tomorrow morning, odds are I'll be spending the time before work making sure everything works. Hopefully they show up closer to the 8am part of the 8am - Noon window.
Whew. Lot's of balls in the air, little anxious, lots of fun.

!*^@#%!

Well, I didn't get the job. Rejection. It takes the wind right out of your sails, no matter how much you say you're prepared for it. I'm officially not a fan of this week, at all. Nothing left to do now but drown my sorrows in the Lefse I plan to make next week. You know, next week. The one that can't possible suck as much as this one.

November News

We've picked a date for the wedding, Saturday, June 9th 2012. That wasn't too hard was it? We've got a few details left to work out with the pastry chef, chair rentals and music (?) but nothing we can't handle. We're happy with the location in the park, with a fall-back plan to do the ceremony in the restaurant if the weather turns.
I've got a job interview tomorrow morning for a state job located in downtown St. Paul. I don't have specific work experience for the position, but they called me anyway and I'm going to check it out. I've been told that the state interview process can be drawn-out, but there really isn't a sense of urgency since I'm not unemployed. I would like must to get back to working normal daytime hours, and I just can't see that happening at my current job (besides the fact that my job is sucking the life out of me).
Can you believe it's November? Just under two weeks until cyber monday, which means I really need to get that xmas shopping taken care of. I like to have it all done by black friday, mostly because I hate going into Target etc. after that day.
In other news, I put my pinball machine up for sale on craigslist today. It's not a must-sell, but I'd love to take the money and use it towards something I can use on a regular basis. It's not cheap, so it might just be destined for the basement anyway.
The Wild are tearing it up lately, winning 4-games in a row (at this point). Ang and I have been watching a few games over at her mom's house since we don't have and don't want cable. I'm looking forward to seeing them take on the Edmonton Oilers the day after Thanksgiving.

Hello Neighbor

If you or anyone you know is serious about looking for a new home, the house right next door to us is for sale and priced to move at $129,000. It doesn't sound like any offers have been made, so you could probably get it even cheaper than that.

 We would love to have "fun" neighbors, friends as neighbors would be even better. We took a walk-through during the open house today just to check it out. Anyway, follow the link below to see the house and spread the word!

House Next Door For Sale! - Property Details

And Then She Said Yes

It's been quite awhile since I've had such big news to share, or been this excited about blogging to tell you about it. On September 24th I asked Angie to marry me and she said yes! I've been reluctant to post on Facebook and thus receive a bunch shallow pleasantries, so instead I thought the blog would be a great way to both make the announcement and launch the new re-design.

For those of you who didn't get the whole story, I'll give you the condensed version. Angie thought we should go out to dinner at Moscow On The Hill for dinner, which happens to be the place where we had our first date. Since I already picked out the ring and just needed a romantic locale, this fit the bill perfectly. We arrived early for dinner, so we took a quiet walk in the park by the restaurant. It was a beautiful fall day. I remember the sun was shining and the first leaves on the ground were gently blowing by feet. I got down on one knee and, well, the rest was history.

We've been together a little over two years now and I'm so excited to be taking the next step. If we haven't gotten together yet to celebrate with you, we should. If you've been reading this blog for awhile now and you have yet to leave a comment, you should.

Here's to the next step, Cheers.