Update

A few weeks ago I wrote about how frustrated I was after a doctor's visit because I had to wait up to 3 weeks for results on some blood work to find out what was going on with my body.
I got the results back.
No auto immune deficiency.
No geographic tongue.
No mutant genes running rampant.
But there were some food allergies.
Cranberries.
Mushrooms.
Coffee Beans.
Barley.
Brewer's Yeast.
No biggie about the cranberries, mushrooms, or coffee because I don't eat cranberries, mushrooms or drink coffee.
However we do have a big problem with the brewer's yeast and barley.
One of my favorite things in the world is beer, and beer is made from water, brewer's yeast, barley, and awesome sauce.
I have a long and distinguished relationship with beer.
This blog would be pretty boring without that relationship because a lot of my funny stories involve doing stupid things under the influence of beer.
The doctor asked me to abstain from beer for 2 months to see if my tongue inflammation and irritation subsides.
Mr. Shife abides.
After a day of mourning I was okay with it and look forward to having a beer on April 24.
It should be a good day to have a cold one because that's also my birthday.
I told Mrs. Shife a keg might be in order.
How was your week?
Thanks for stopping by.

Kyle and Hayden did their best to try and cheer me up after I got the news.

I will persevere. I will keep moving forward. I will be the stream.

SAHD

SAHD is an acronym for stay-at-home-dad, which is what I have been doing for nearly 5 years.
It could also be an acronym for stay away hairy dingleberries but that story will have to be a different day.
So I've been a stay-at-home daddy for a long time.
Well not anymore.
I would love to know your initial reaction to that last sentence.
If I was reader of this blog, I would assume that Mrs. Shife had finally kicked me out of the house because she got sick of having 3 children at home.
But fortunately that's not the case.
I got a job.
Besides staying at home with the kids, I also have freelanced for a few companies.
One of of those clients presented me with an opportunity that I could not pass up.
They asked me to come interview to see if I would be interested in working with them on a more permanent basis and if it would be a good fit.
I did.
And I liked it.
It's a great company with a casual working environment, and they offered good pay, a flexible schedule, and I get to work with a lot of cool, creative people.
Also, with the flexible schedule, Mrs. Shife and I have been able to work it out so that at least one of us will be home with the kids while the other is working.
I feel extremely grateful and fortunate for the opportunity, and that we're able to still be there for Kyle and Hayden. Oh and Tank too.
My first day was this week, and it was rough leaving the kids at home because I have been at home with them their entire lives but I knew they were in great hands and in the end it will benefit them just as much.
Yep that was my week.
How was your's?

My babies. 

I will persevere. I will keep moving forward. I will be the stream.

Game Changers

The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, 

but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust

There are moments in your life that you will never forgot and absolutely change your perspective on the world, a game changer. I didn't include some of the obvious ones like getting married to Mrs. Shife or parenthood because if you're a regular reader of this blog then you already know how much those things have changed me.  Below are a few of my game changers that made me see this great, big, beautiful world of ours in a new light:

• My dad was stationed in Japan for the Air Force, and one weekend we took a trip to the coast. I got to see the ocean up close for the first time. I was just amazed at how vast and powerful it was. 
• Seeing Star Wars when I was a kid. Maybe 8 or 9, but seeing the fantasy world that George Lucas created was amazing. 
• Puberty. I don't think I need to go into too many details about this one. 
• 9/11. Another one that doesn't need any explanation. 
• Having my article published in a newspaper. It was a preview story about the a college women's volleyball team's upcoming season and it was a cool feeling seeing my name in print for the first time. 
• Hearing Nirvana for the first time. I will never forget it. A buddy of mine popped in the CD my freshman year of college and it just rocked my world. 
• There's a place called George, Washington, and in my humble opinion, the greatest venue for a concert ever. It's called the Gorge at George and I was fortunate enough to see some amazing shows there. The combo of music and nature is a beautiful thing. 
• Seeing my first Playboy. I was about 12-13 and playing in the woods with some friends when we ran across it buried underneath some branches. My friends and I just stared at those pictures with our jaws dropped. 
• Realizing at a Chinese restaurant in Moscow, Idaho that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Mrs. Shife. We were having dinner with some friends and it dawned on me that she was the one and I wanted to marry her. 
• Holy cannoli. What an eye-opener it was going away to college. I just couldn't believe all the freedom I had, and ultimately the responsibility that comes with that freedom. I didn't handle it well which led me to the Navy … 
• … and my first night at boot camp. Probably the most scared I've ever been. I thought I had made the biggest mistake in my life because I had been yelled at all day by grown men and women. Just felt like I bit off more than I could chew. It all turned out fine but that first night trying to sleep in the barracks when other guys were crying made me question my decision-making skills.
• Losing my mom. She was my everything since the day I was born and her passing away suddenly was absolutely devastating. I think of her often and miss her daily. 
• One thing that helped me deal with my mom's death was messages that I got from her after she passed away. Some might write it off as coincidence but things just happened to me that I can't explain any other way than she was letting me know that she was okay. It was very comforting to know she was looking down on us. 
• The Northern Lights in Alaska. Again another moment where Mother Nature showed me how awesome she is and I was just in awe of the world I was living in. 
• Going to my first St. Louis Cardinals game when I was a boy with m grandad. It was great day at the ballpark as I got to see the team that I'll love to the day I die with one of my favorite people. It was also awesome that my favorite player at the time - Darrell Porter - hit a home run. 
• The Arizona Cardinals going to the Super Bowl. Another one of my favorite teams that has a history of being absolute garbage. Seriously they have sucked for most of their existence but somehow and someway the stars aligned just right and they made it to the big game. It was a moment that I had literally been waiting my whole life for. 
• Casablanca the movie. In my early 20s, I didn't fully appreciate such classics as Casablanca, and I certainly didn't appreciate black-and-white movies. Then I took some film classes in college and I was enlightened. I think it's the best movie ever made. 
• As a teenager I was certain that my parents were dumb. Realized after I went away to college and the Navy that they were a lot smarter than I thought. 
• Learning that I was going to be a dad. I think I was walking on clouds for about a month after Mrs. Shife's pregnancy test came back positive. So very, very glad that we decided to have kids. 

And Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. Mrs. Shife and I aren't big into the Hallmark-manufactured holiday but Kyle and Hayden really get into it. 

I will persevere. I will keep moving forward. I will be the stream. 

Frustration

Today began with high expectations.
Which was my first mistake.
Should just approach life the Danish way: low expectations.
Didn't get the news I wanted when I saw the doctor today.
Was hoping they could help my condition that I've been trying to solve for the past 2 years.
Is it food allergies? Geographic tongue? Auto-immune deficiency? Or am I just a mutant?
Still don't know.
More blood work.
Results in 2-3 weeks.
Annoyed.
Disappointed.
Depressed.
And frustrated.
Not as frustrated as these folks in the infomercials commercial below.
But close.
Will return next week with a much more uplifting blog post.
I promise.
Have a good weekend.



 I will persevere. I will keep moving forward. I will be the stream.