Welcome Max Plante

It must be the year of babies! I was told of some very happy news this afternoon my good friends Bridget and Dan welcomed into the world their new baby boy Max Plante! He was a little whopper at 8 lbs 6 oz. and 21 inches. Already got to see a picture of the happy family and let me tell you big brother Will is just as cute as his little brother! And Bridget well looks nothing like she just gave birth to a baby the size of a watermelon out of a hole to size of a lemon. What a rockstar! She was looking like she was meeting up for drinks drop dead beautiful- like always. I will be looking forward to seeing you all very soon! Til then congrats and know that I am sending my very best as well as happiness and love to you all!

if she's anything like...

Its funny how fast life can change how it can begin and end in one single moment. How one day someone enters or leaves your life and you find yourself wondering what life before that moment was like. The Goldmann family grew by one this weekend as you know, and I think we are all trying to remember what life was like before this bundle of pink arrived. We all sit in aww with smiles plastered across our faces and our hearts bursting with happiness pride and love. Life will truly never be the same again for us. These are the moments that make living life so great these are the moments that make being a part of a family so special. I have no clue what life has in store for Taylor but I do know she will be surrounded by many who will always think she's a blessing. She will be spoiled with love and prolli just a few (only a few- or at least that's what we will tell ourselves) items.

If Taylor is anything like her Daddy she will be competitive, caring and a perfectionist. If she's anything like her Mommy she will be simply at ease in her own skin, thoughtful, and accepting. If she's anything like her aunt michelle she will be a little crazy wild and free spirited. If she's anything like her uncle jac she will be focused, funny and quiet. If she's anything like her Gramps she will be hard working, a little out there and the life of the party. If she's anything like her Granny she will be loving patience and book smart. No matter who she's like or if she's just completely all Taylor in her own way we will think your pretty neat and we will love you just for simply being you.

Taylor Jean Goldmann

The Goldmann clan is proud to say that on Friday, May 20, 2011 at 7:19 PM we welcomed into the world the newest member in a family of crazies, Taylor Jean Goldmann. For the first hours of her new life her eyes were open and moving around - very alert for just being hours old. She was spoiled with love right off the bat and greeted by both sets of grandparents with huge smiles on their faces, Grandpa and Grandma Mollman and Gramps & Granny Goldmann. Also seeing her just hours old were Uncle Jacorian, Aunt Michelle, Aunt Margo & Uncle Ryan, Uncle Mason, Cousins Brittaney & Madysen and two special people Nicole & Ross Ford. It was a room filled with love, excitement, pride and happiness. Taylor I have you know I have never seen your mommy and daddy with such a big smile on their faces, they already love you soo much.

Taylor, my little 'crack baby' niece - I have you know that I am as well as many are completely addicted to YOU... I am in search of a 12 step program already but hoping I never find one to be honest - I mean how could you not be head over heels for such a cutie.... Welcome to the family, in know its a bit crazy and wild being a Goldmann but I promise you its always an adventure. You will never need a reason to smile and laugh when you belong to such yahoos. You will be spoiled by all who know and love you. Esp your uncle Jacorian and aunt Michelle, I promise to show you the ropes on how to be a true GoldWOMANN. It will be quite a ride this journey we call life but thru the princess dresses and scraped knees it will all be worth it. And that Gramps and Granny of yours are pretty special - and will surely fill your childhood with love and laughter. Lastly I hope you someday know and realize how blessed you are to have such a great Mommy and Daddy. They are two of the greatest people I have ever known. They have waited so long to have you here and they are over the moon in love with you. We are so excited to love you and watch you grow and become Taylor.

Life with Clark, I mean MARK: Secretary Fun

Its no secret that Mark Goldmann likes to have a good time. He enjoys telling jokes and well playing jokes on people as well. In short the man just like to laugh and make others laugh.

One normal work day at Basin the main secretary of the plant buzzed Clark to let him know Paula was on line one. Without skipping a beat Clark goes "Paula who? I don't know a Paula?" The secretary replied with "just hold on and I will see." She then clicked back over to the line and said "excuse me but can I ask Paula Who?" My mother realizing just what Clark was up to says.... "Paula HIS WIFE". You can imagine what the lady said to Clark after finding out the practical joke he played on her. To this day she still is fuming when she recalls that day at the office when she found out who Paula was. She of course couldn't apologize enough to my mother, who simply replied that's just Mark.

Life with Clark, I mean MARK: Deer Cams

My father is an avid outdoorsman. He loves to be outside hunting and fishing. He just may have a slight problem. Clark loves to go to Scheels and buy anything and everything for turkey hunting, fishing, deer hunting...(the list goes on)... well actually he just loves to go to Scheels. He often tells my mother that they are only making one stop at the mall, thankful Scheels as a great women's section or my mother might not have the best clothing section to shop from.

Well Clark found some Deer Cameras in Scheels one day and well life was never quite the same for anyone in the Goldmann household. You would think having just one would be enough, well not for Clark. He informed my mother, "Paula there's more than one place the deer will gather to eat, I need to be able to see all the spots we can hunt from." So Clark, once again got his way and now is the proud owner of many deer cameras. This would have been perfectly fine IF IT STOPPED THERE... But this is life with Clark so of course it didn't. He would then bring home the memory cards and have the entire family sit down and watch the still photos taken from the deer cams as if we were gathering around the television for a friday night movie. Mind you that these deer cams are set to go off when it senses any sort of motion, so often we were looking at pictures of nothing and sometimes all you could see were the eyes of some animal reflecting the flash in its eyes at night. When a deer was in the photo, Clark would keep the image on the screen as if he was trying to get us to memorize every detail of the deer so when we got out hunting we knew just what deer we were after. Let's just say after one sitting of the deer camera show I had my fill for life.

However; Clark did find a way to get his money's worth & use his deer camera during the off season of hunting. One morning my mother got out of the bathtube and opened up the linen closet for a towel, you can imagine her surprise when she was scared half to death by the deer cam flash going off. After she got done screaming she could hear Clark chuckling from the living room, she however was not impressed.

Life with Clark, I mean MARK: Puala's Coffin

Puala's Coffin

When my mother reached the over the hill gang of 40, my father decided to throw her a surprise birthday party out at the lake. It was a pretty big party - the grim reaper made an appearance which happen to be her boss and the elementary school principal Mr. Schilke. Clark had lots of ideas that he turned into actions. His biggest surprise was in the making of something to house the keg he bought.

To make it a complete surprise he decide to make his creation up at the Swegardens' house (Jay and Janelle were both teachers for the Beulah Public School -Janelle taught second grade with my mother & Jay a high school english teacher). So off Clark went early one morning to the Swegardens'. He and Mr. Swegarden were busy in the back yard early in the morning. They were causing all sorts of racket, like a nosey neighbor would be, the lady next door peeked over the fence to see just what the commotion was all about... I believe what she found going on was utterly stunning & disturbing. It appeared they were building a coffin. The curiosity over came her and she just had to ask "What are you two making?" Without missing a beat Clark yells over "A coffin for my wife, however she's a bit taller so I will have to cut her just below the knees to make her fit." He then continued his work giving her no other explanation. A little while later just as he finished spray painting the last a in Paula onto the coffin under the already R.I.P. , he and Mr. Swegarden stood up the coffin and took a step back to admire their creation a coffin with a hole to house the keg. Clark was beaming with pride and a huge smile on his face... Until Mr. Swegarden (the english teacher mind you) said "isn't Paula spelt au... not ua??" Yup, Clark wrote Puala instead of Paula. He left it saying R.I.P. Puala... To this day my mother still is often called Puala.

Life with Clark, I mean MARK: Who broke that & the Clue Lamps

Today is the start of a new series that will be featured on my blog called: Life with Clark, I mean MARK. Mark is my father, I say Clark because there are some traits that link him worthy to Clark Grizwold... Whenever I post these blogs it will always be called the above title and they will all be linked together for your reading enjoyment. What you read is in fact THE COMPLETE TRUTH. These are things that my father has actually said, thought and done. Its always an adventure (usually filled with laughter) with my father, Mark.

Life with Clark, I mean MARK (Who broke that & the Clue Lamps)

My father believes he has somewhat of a prized memory or maybe the correct wording appears to, I have never seen someone that can find something so fast in a huge mess. Anytime I or any other family member has given up and/or about to go out to the store and buy a whatever that is lost in the chaotic organizational system my father calls his basement and garage Clark walks causually over and in a matter of seconds finds whatever we have been looking for - for the past hour. And of course always makes some comment like "you weren't even looking - its laying right here." Now with such a great memory the following shouldn't apply to him. But I will let you be the judge on that. While growing up in an active household where we played football and any other sport with a ball not only outside but often times in doors as well, you can about imagine the things that got broke. Of course whenever such happened we did tell at least our mother right away, and often my father at the same time. However he was told he was in fact ALWAYS TOLD, what was broke - how it broke and what needed to be fixed. Most of the things broke involved him being the one that fixed it... The following are things he would often say and to this day still says... While walking by something that has been broken for years Clark will casually say "when did that break or who broke that" in a maner that would make him think it was broken yesterday or today. These sayings are usually followed by "why didn't someone tell me???"

Case in point, the lamps we have had in our living room since well it seems like the dawn of forever, are these heavy brass lamps that you imagine could be featured in a game of clue Col. Mustard in the study with the brass lamp... Well for years these lamps seemed to have had a mind of their own... Turing off sometimes when someone would just walk by other times as if we had the clap on clap off installed and someone was clapping down the street. If they weren't turning off and on by themselves they were flickering. After battling with them for years we finally convinced my mother to replace them (she had somewhat of an attachement issue with these Game of Clue Lamps). So we finally go out and buy two new lamps & set the old ones by the trash. In walks Clark and his casual comments of "who broke these, when did these break.??" WHAT are you kidding me the man with a memory of finding anything in a mess can't remember all of the issues we had with the Clue Lamps?? So what does he do... informs my mother "well, Paula these are perfectly fine lamps that can be fixed." Really Bob Villa...yeah right... A few nights later my mother calls me and says guess who fixed the lamps. The new lamps have been replaced with the once again Clue Lamps that now ACTUALLY WORK.

A mother's love

Today we honor all those mothers out there... Whether you have been a mother for years, months, weeks, soon to be or have lost that child too soon. We honor YOU. We thank YOU. For all you do that we see, feel & know and better yet all the things you do without us ever even knowing. We are who we are simply because we call you MOM.

After the past year in the Goldmann household we know more so now just what a gift we have been given to have someone so special to call our, Mom. She is one special lady in the eyes of Mark, Paul, Shonna, Michelle and Jacorian. Our lives would be so empty without her special touch, words, and love. She goes out of her way to make sure we feel loved, to make sure we know that we matter. In her eyes our needs and wants seem to comes always before hers. She is the true meaning of strength, courage and hope. She is a teacher. She is a wife. She is a friend. She is a chef. She is a reader. She is a listener. She is a healer. She is a smile & a laugh. She is the reasonable one. She is the one that makes us make sense. She is a fighter. She is a survivor. She is a hero. She is a mother's love that changes us all for the better by being apart of our lives. We love you, Mom.

Live for the moment

Came across this simple four word saying. "Live for the moment." Ponder that and try to live your life in a way to make that statement reflect your actions. your words. your thoughts. your life. So stay out a little later to chat and catch up with that old friend. Why not put of a to do list and spend sometime with those important people around you. Turn off the tv and tune in to the lives that make living your life so great. Make time to enjoy your life instead of rushing thru it to get things done. Take a breath and relax. Firgure out what is truly important and make an effort to devote more of your time to that, to those people. "Live for the moment." Life is made up of millions of them, but the tricky thing about moments are - you never get them back. You always think you have more than you truly have... There are no do -overs, no repeats, no pause... just now. If your lucky you just may get another and trust me in this moment right now someone lost a chance to have another simple life moment.

Wake Up Call

"Everyday is a wake up call to live your life."

Its something we tend to take for granted. Its something we tend to get into the routine of things. We let dreams get higher out of our reach, we pass by doors that remain unopen, we take the paved road instead of carving a path, we stay in the comfort zone because we are afraid of the change, we stay silent because its easier than to speak our mind, we put off - cross off and somethings we just talk ourselves out of it completely. LIFE... how many of us - how many of you are living your best life NOW? How many are shaking things up, chasing and grasping dreams, opening doors, cutting down the forest of life & leaving a path and embracing change?? How many... Everyday you awake you are given the gift, its yours to do with it as you please but I sure hope you are using the gift wisely. Don't waste it. Life is about change, so don't fight the flow of change go with the flow of change. You just never know where it will lead you and take you. So tomorrow when you awake say to yourself I am going to chase down that dream, I am going to take my own way, I am going to speak for what is right, I am going to make a difference - the difference can be big or small there are no rules on how to make a difference. Tomorrow promise yourself - you will hear the wake up call and listen to the wake up call. For we only have so many tomorrows, our life will not last forever. So stop putting off and crossing off - start checking off.