Bucket List

I am a forty-six year old man and I have given up on my dream of ever playing in the major leagues. However, there are still a few things I want to do before my time on Earth is through. I guess you can call this a "bucket list."
In reality I did do the most important thing on my list when I accepted a free gist from my best friend, a Jewish carpenter named Jesus. If you would like to meet him let me know and I can introduce you to Him.
Also, I have recently accomplished a few more of my "bucket list" events during my last trip to Illinois. My family and I took a trip to Busch Memorial Stadium and I actually got a ball. I got to sit in the dugout of a major league stadium and saw the view that the announcers see from the press-box at Busch. I got goose bumps all over when I walked through the "tunnel" and onto the field at Busch Stadium. In the distance you could see the Arch and the retired numbers of Cardinal greats plus the ten pennants flying representing the ten World Series championships of the Cardinals from 1926 to 2006.
Other "bucket list" moments are going on while I type. My son, Wyatt, is loving the cat and looking at me with his blue eyes. It is funny that ever since I became a father how many of those moments became things I am glad I got the opportunity to see. I get excited seeing the world through the eyes of my children. Disney World was much better seeing the expressions on the faces of Wyatt, Corri, and Nick. Hearing the excitement in the voice of Wyatt when we go get ice cream or just to Sam's.

Fisherman or Photographer?

I recently purchased a new lens (Canon 50mm f1.8) which is referred by many as the "nifty fifty." I received the lens on Saturday and since then I have tinkered with it, taking pictures of mainly my children. This is nothing new. If you know me you know I like to photograph stuff. Interesting enough I no longer look at things the same way as I did before. I am always looking for the good shot. When I coached basketball that had a different meaning. However, now it means I might be driving down the road and notice the perspective of the road leading to the horizon or an old barn, old tractor, or almost anything and try to figure out what would be the best way to capture that feeling I have with my camera. My wife is picking up on it and I think it frustrates her a little and amuses her a lot. I noticed it a few years ago while I was fishing at a small pond catching a few bass and wham the big bite happened, I was using a plastic worm had cast it under a bush, let it sink naturally (no added weight) and the big boy grabbed it and I set the hook. The fun had just begun, the fish didn't want to give up and I... I was wondering how I could get a shot of this. Huh, not was I thinking how I was going to land this fish but how was I while reeling in going to be able to aim my camera and shoot. Well to make a long story short I caught the bass (not as big as I thought it was) and I got the shot. I wish I still had that picture file. The camera was around my neck and I just held onto the rod and kept tension on the line and with my other hand aimed and shot with a burst of photos. It was then I Knew I had went from a fisherman who liked to take pictures to a photographer who liked to fish.
My family and I are going to be in St. Louis in a couple of weeks and I am already planning on which photos I want to take. In the meantime above are some photos I have taken with my new lens.. Thanks for reading my ramblings:)

Fatherhood...

I have done some reflecting this past week because there have been some couples who have welcomed children into this world and it has made me sentimental to the days of my children being born.
Nick, my oldest, came into the world in December of 1998. He had to spend his first Christmas in the hospital. He actually had a rough go the first six months of his life. He came down with the flu and spent Valentines Day in a hospital room, he ended up coughing up a hernia and having surgery to do whatever you do with a hernia.
Corri, she was born a little less than a month after 9-11 and I was in the middle of student teaching. She was born with sparse red hair and an attitude to match. She was also the first girl born into our family in a long while. My dad had a brother, I was the youngest of three boys, and John my brother had four boys (my oldest brother Dave never had children). SO when I called my mother around 1:10 am and told her we had a girl it was call for a real celebration in the Dragstrem household.
Wyatt is my only "tarheel" he was born on July 27, 2004. I was about to sit down to lunch at work when I got a call from my sister-in-law, Lois, who told me they were taking Jule to the hospital. Needless to say I left early from work that day. (I actually missed a staff meeting that day THANK YOU WYATT) through the years I have experienced heartache and joy through each of these precious gifts God has blessed Jule and I with.
From broken bones to ballgames. From seizures to Disney World trips. From thunderstorms that scared to hugs and kisses that heal. Thank you God for being the ultimate father to each of us and for your Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words!

Wyatt Update II

Wyatt has spent the last couple of days at Carolina Medical Center (Jeff Gordan Children's Hospital) being prodded and probed. He has been a trooper throughout the whole ordeal. The doctor has said we probably should go home tomorrow (then again we thought we'd be home today). The worst part of this is the waiting. Poor Wyatt cannot evenget out of the room because he is wired up so they can monitor his brain waves. He has a long cord that connects his probes with a monitor and the results are sent to a computer. He also is being videoed (which makes one a little conscience).

Update on Wyatt!

For those of you who do not know I have a son named Wyatt who has a seizure disorder. He will turn seven this July while we are in Illinois. This week (Thursday and Friday) Wyatt is undergoing tests to help determine the causes and how to best medicate the seizures. This morning he woke up with a seizure and Jule and I brought him in our bed to lie down and wait out the seizure. After a dose of his "favorite" medicine he was off to "ZZZZZ" land and slept for about another hour and a half.

Summer Time!

We have spent the first few days of our summer vacation doing your typical summer fun. Swimming, going to the park, and of course fishing filled our family's days. Plans have been made for our annual trip to Illinois to see family. This year there will be an added detour to our trip, St. Louis, we will watch a Cardinal game and also get a tour of the new ball park (well it is new to us it was built in time for the 2006 season). When we arrive home from Illinois school will be right around the corner. Next school year will be my first since the early 1990's in where I will not be coaching anything. I have ever since the birth of our last child, Wyatt, asked for a possibility of giving up my coaching responsibilities, if possible, and this year my principal informed me that my wish was granted. Just to prove that God works in His time not ours. I have mixed emotions as of now about not coaching but I do know it is the best thing right now for our family.