Pure

We interrupt this BLOG entry to apologize to anyone who has stumbled (or returned) upon this BLOG in the hopes that there would be something new to read. This BLOG is officially done. Archived, but no longer serving up fresh content. I created top of the pop type lists for anyone who wants to read (or revisit) posts that I feel are the best of each year this BLOG was open for business. Click hard for: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

If you want to see what I'm up to now visit aboynamedstu.

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Sunday. Morning. Came. Down. To. This. The 272nd post on this here BLOG. My last.

Six years have passed since I wrote that first tentative post. I was thirty six at the time. My Lovely Bride thirty three. The Elder Boy nearly two. And The Little Warrior was just two weeks old.

Life was different then. Simpler. Only I didn't realize it. You never do.

When I started this BLOG, it was intended to be a way to keep our growing family, that I had only recently dubbed Team Tinsley, connected with family and friends. A few months in, I had an a-ha moment and realized that what I was writing could serve a greater purpose. It could be saved for posterity. That my goofy ass BLOG could be a chronicle for you Boy(s), who short of some serious therapy, wouldn't be able to remember these stories. Because you were so little. I also knew that your Mom and I would forget some of it too. And like Neil Gaiman said, "You forget the things you were certain you would always remember, especially the tiny things, and all too often they're the things that matter." That quote in many ways beget this BLOG which is simply: my remember when, for then, then being the Buck Rogers future.

From the beginning I knew this BLOG would have an end date. That there would come a time when I'd stop because I didn't want to
embarrass you in such a public forum. And probably more importantly, I don't want my stories to overwrite your memories. Memory is a funny thing. What you remember. What you forget.

Still, ending is hard, because I feel like there's so much more I want or need to say. Which is goofy. If I haven't said it by now, I probably never will. And the reality of it is that ending this BLOG is tangible proof that you both are growing up faster than I care to admit.

Blink your eyes Dear Reader.

It's 2004 and I'm sitting in front of the computer writing that first tentative post. Blink them again and I'm sitting in front of the computer, with tears in said eyes, writing this final post.

It happened so fast.

So here you have it. Sunday morning coming down to 272 entries that comprise this BLOG which is a living memoir — my attempt to document little snapshots of our lives from 2004 until 2010. It's an account of our journey, my thoughts, my lessons learned, my uncertainties. Even so, know that My Lovely Bride, your Mom, played an equal part in it all. Your Mom is the glue Boy(s). Never forget that. It's important.

The only thing to add beyond that is this.

I love you Ethan.
I love you Wyatt.
I love you Carter.

And that's it.


Pure and simple just for you.


Team Tinsley Retrospective Slide Show Action for those feeling wistful. All photos used are from 2004 until the present.