That's Incredible!

Incredible - inˈkredəb(ə)l

adjective

1. 1.

   impossible to believe.

   "an almost incredible tale of triumph and tragedy"

   synonyms:

   unbelievable, beyond belief, hard to believe, unconvincing, far-fetched,implausible, improbable, highly unlikely, dubious, doubtful

Remember the old show from the 80's That's Incredible?  It was one of the first reality tv shows and

featured John Davidson, Cathy Lee Crosby and Fran Tarkenton.  I loved it.  You'd get to see people doing incredible things in incredible ways in incredible places.  As a little kid I'd often respond to such episodes with awe and wonderment, "whoa!"

The last year has been pretty incredible for me.

Found out I would be teaching middle school for the first time, got married - with a step-son, got a new truck as a result because my old one got too small real fast, am finishing the basement now too for the same reason, went on a teacher strike, and now have a baby... incredible.  And that's all in less than a calendar year. Any one of those things happening in a year would have given me plenty to do (and think about) but holy smokes.  I also would have considered myself lucky to have gone through just one of those (except the strike - that wasn't fun but I did learn a lot) but I got to experience them all!  It's beyond belief.

A couple years ago I had resigned myself to the notion that I wasn't going to have any more kids.  This was kind of sad, not because I had been disappointed in my only kid (hardly), but because I had always envisioned myself as dad of a few.  Being around Kaeden (Leah's oldest) for 8 years and then suddenly not being around him was a painful experience as well, and I went through times where I was ok with not taking that risk again too.  In all honesty, a couple of years ago, dating was going not well (I'm a terrible dater) so the idea of just Dash and I would be fine moving forward.  I knew that it was going to take a lot, and someone incredible, for me to reach for "completeness" again.  Thinking about that was overwhelming.  Mind you, Cortney and I first started being around each other a couple years ago but I was far from a sure thing.  (I'm surprised she hung around. Thank God she did though.)

Fast forward to now: I come home from a busy day of 13 year olds to Zain squeezing my knees, "Hi Daddy Andy!"  Dash is reading or playing video games  but comes and sits by me when I plop onto the couch.  Cortney kisses me and gives me Tov.  There's no place I'd rather be. I am a happy man.

Can I tell you about Tova for a minute?  She's been a great baby.  I don't mind the diapers or the sweet little crying.  I enjoy the ridiculous little girl clothes and accessories.  Her hair is brownish/redish for now and I think her eyes will be brown or green eventually.  She is beautiful and I'm so lucky to have her.  I get asked about her a lot - especially her name.  We heard it from my Aunt Paula.  Tova is a Hebrew word for good, but it's a Scandinavian name. Good.  A short name that is easily spelled and easily pronounced - a teacher's dream.  And good.  She's good.  My family is good.  My life is good.  I think what Cortney - and Tova - have done for me has been so good for me.  They have put a peace on my life that I didn't know I was missing/needed.  A calmness.  A good-ness.  It's not by accident that I am where I am today, and it's not necessarily because of me.  I have a wife that sees what kind of man I can be and pushes me to get there.  Anyone who would have met me for the first time 2,3,4 years ago would not have gotten real excited about who I was.  I know this.  But a good woman does strange things to a man, and I have "found a good thing".  She is incredible.

So why do I teach anyway?

Why do I teach?

I always knew I was going to teach. Even in grade school.  There was a brief moment where I took a left turn and wanted to train Killer Whales, but I guess I’d still be teaching...sort of.  I’m 3rd generation on my dad’s side: Oscar Lemiere, Randy Lemiere, and me.  Those that know my dad (he’s the principal at Three Rivers Christian now) and knew my gramps know that I have an impossible job of filling their shoes.  Talk about setting the bar high!  There’s actually a lot of teachers in my family.  I can count ten easily.  It’s in my blood.

My family is local.  Both sets of grandparents graduated from RALong, dad from MM, mom from Kelso.  I’m a Butler Acres Bulldog (when I rule the world my first order of business is to bring the Bulldogs back), Coweeman Cougar, and Kelso Hilander just like her!  I was one of those students who loved school.  The interactions, the ideas, and the people.  All of it.  I loved KHS.  I hated math though....surprised?  Let me backtrack and say that I had great math teachers: Dot Joslin, Russ Rambo, Mark Olson, Russ again, and Mary Beth Babbit/Tack.  I began to love math in college when I began....tutoring math students.  Teaching made me love what I disliked - just like some of my students (I’m joking, kind of...)

I left for college all the way down in Portland, but immediately got hired by my old math teacher (Tack) at KHS and became the new Jim Perkins (retired) in 2000.  Kelso is the only place i’ve worked and it’s the only place I want to work.  My loyalty is deep to Kelso.  I get to work, and make a difference in young people’s lives in the place where it happened for me.  I love that.  I love that I get to teach young people what it means to be a Hilander - because it really does mean something.  I love that I get to, and have gotten to teach with the teachers that made a difference in my life: Wingate, Hymes, Hippi, Carpenters, Cooper, Clark, Wheeler, Tack, Stewart, Ames, Clawson, DeLong, Demming, Lovingfoss, Lauzis, Sargent, and on and on and on.  And finally, I get to work with all of you fine people - a fine mix of my former teachers, people I went to school with, and even some of my former students!  God Bless you guys.

#3 is a BOY or GIRL

Are going 3 for 3 in boys, or if we get to throw a little girl in the mix....but first, I have to say a few things about my 20th class reunion.  

It was great! Yes, more people needed to come - especially the nerds that were in town. I had so much fun catching up with old friends, and it was great to see the ones I didn’t know well too.  Everyone looked good, and going ten or twenty years between visits is much too long.  Class of 95’ has always gotten along well overall and is a good group of Hilanders. I encourage you to go to your reunions, whenever they may be.  Two quick things:

1. Cortney was a trooper hanging out with the “old” folks. She knows a few of my classmates (and likes them), but she set the bar pretty high for being a good sport.  She’ll have lofty expectations for me when I attend her 20th reunion in 2045.
2. Backhanded compliment of the reunion goes to my friend Lisa, who said this to Cortney, “I know Andy is a good enough looking guy.... but how did he get YOU?!”  Thanks Lisa....I think.  Great question though.  The best answer I can give is that if you ever find yourself having to get through a maze (i.e. corn maze, David Bowie Labyrinth, of just feel like slaying a Minotaur) all you need to do is keep a hand on the right (or left) wall and never lose touch.  You’ll eventually get through. Yes, you’ll go down some dead ends.  Yes, it might take a really long time.  Yes, there may be some faster ways.  But in the end, you’ll be guaranteed to get where you want.  The analogy here isn’t that Cortney is a perilous, tedious, or dangerous series of pitfalls and snares that I had to traverse to get her heart.  Nor is she a Minotaur.  I think she sees me for what I can be (which can be fair to middling) , and not, at times, what I am - which is a man who trips and stumbles around life’s obstacles, a man who sometimes insists on banging his head on a dead end instead of backing up and trying a new route, a man who needs help, and a man who needs Help.  So I guess I didn’t answer Lisa’s question at all.  There’s no logical reason why she’s with me.  I “got” her because God looked down and had mercy on me.  He saw that I needed help with my life so He sent me her.  And I am grateful.  (We all know she got the short end of this deal so my life’s goal is to lessen the gap between her awesomeness and my tom-foolery so that it’s not so bad for her.)

And that brings us to why we are here on this blog post.  We have a baby coming somewhere around January 18.  Those that know me know that I’ve always wanted a big family.  I was blessed to help raise Kaeden for 8-ish years and continue to love that young man.  Then Dashal came along and changed everything forever for better.  Then life changed a bit and I had reserved myself to thinking that Dash was going to be my only child - which was more than ok with me!  I mean, if you’re going to have one kid, it might as well be Dash right?  But now I get more! 

ZAIN!

And baby ________!

We don’t have a name yet.  And while we would love to hear your opinions on what to name it, we reserve the right to laugh if it’s ridiculous.  To be fair, I am good at ridiculous, as Cortney learns more and more...

Here’s why I wanted to have a boy:  I am one.  I have one.  Cortney has one.  We are familiar and semi-prepared for one.  It is the more convenient choice between the two, if that counts for anything.  Boys are awesome.  There are 3 boys in my family (2 of which turned out very well). I would love a third.

Here’s why I wanted to have a girl:  Well, to be honest, I always would have rather had a boy.  What I know vs what I don’t know.  And I don’t know crap about females.  I love my niece Lily to pieces though so that has softened some of my pre-conceived ideas of fathering a daughter.  I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever changed the diaper of a girl before.  I’ve never had to talk to a girl about getting her period (I laugh at the visual i get in my head).  I don’t know how to braid. Picking out an outfit for a boy is a non issue.  The colors often don’t even need to match.  But for a girl...?  Accessories!  Ugh.  I could go on...  But there is a considerable part of me that openly embraces the notion of a daughter.  I don’t back down from challenges.  A daddy’s girl sounds nice.  I have guns already.

When we found out at the ultra-sound, it was pretty quiet/business-as-usual. We hugged and kissed and left in separate cars.  Little did I know that she cried (happy tears) all the way home.  Little did she know that I cried all the way to Safeway.  Shoot.  Then I had to go in.  And to be honest, I wandered around the aisles a while just thinking about #3.

By the way, God willing, this is the last one.  WE are getting fixed.  I’ve had my Roy Hobbs moment (where the old guy comes back after being counted out and hits one last  ball out of the park. A home run in a couple of ways I suppose. The Natural.).  Three kids makes our hearts full.  Our house too. 

I doubt if it's still a surprise at this point, but we are, in fact, having a baby girl!  Little secret: it's what we both wanted!  January can't come fast enough!