Markus Randel's Blog

Dear Joseph and Lucia,

On Sunday I had every intention to write to you, but just couldn’t bring myself to it. It was a very bitter sweet day. I was reminded by Michele that I’m still a dad no matter what.

Rachael and Michele got me a bar of chocolate and some pistachios.  I even got to sleep in. I took Rachael for a job interview (she got the job) and then I cooked Brats on the grill.

Overall it was a restful day. But it was half empty.  Without you two in my life I only feel like half a father.  I do my best with the girls here. They are both a handful. But I want to know what you guys are going through. Who hurt your feelings? What are your accomplishments? What are you thinking?

That’s the reason it took me this long to write this letter. I miss you, but I’ll wait until you are ready.

Love,
Dad

Dear Joseph and Lucia,

My job search is going slow. I got one lead for Canada that fell through. I’m currently following another lead for New Jersey. It’s for a year.

Things at home seem to be calming down. We got the AC fixed for $100 (thank goodness). The garage is finally all cleaned out from the water damage and Michele can finally park inside again.

Rachael has a job interview on Saturday. I’m going to help her prepare by taking her to the barbershop today.

Other than that, it’s just another day and I’m still waiting.

Love,
Dad

Dear Joseph and Lucia,

I haven’t written in several days. My time on the weekends is taken up with a lot of time with Michele and the girls. On Saturday, Melynda came over with a broken phone. Rachael’s was already broken. So that meant an afternoon at the phone repair shop. We fixed them both up properly and they are both happy with the results. At least it didn’t resort to new phones.

Afterwards, Michele took them to Target for new protective cases. I opted out for this part of the adventure. Mel got some food for her new place and Rach got some candy which was eaten all that night. We also got to Skype with your Nana in Belgium. It was a nice evening. We finished it off with a heated debate about the law and racism in the back garden as the sun set. A good time held by all.

Sunday morning, Michele asked me what we should do for the day. I suggested addressing the garage. Since the water heater went out last week we’ve had a bunch of stuff just piled in the middle of the garage with possible water damage. Well… I should have known better. Not only did we clean everything up, but we reorganized EVERYTHING. (uhg)

We finished the day off with a relaxing swim in the pool in the rain.

So there you have it. A full recap of the weekend. I just dropped Michele off at the airport for a business trip. I have a friend that needs computer help for his mother. My day is filled.

Who knows what’s in the future. I’m still waiting for you to find these letters.

Love,
Dad

Dear Joseph and Lucia,

Today has been a trouble with printers. I needed to print out forms to submit via FAX to get my unemployment benefits. After three years our old printer gave up the ghost. It always happens at the worst times.

So after a short shopping spree, I get to play with the newest printing technology. My only hopes are to cover all the bases so you two aren’t without while I’m without a job.

Michele doesn’t feel well and took the day off. I fed her breakfast and lunch so far. She doesn’t do ill well.

Time to keep looking for new work. I’ll always be waiting.

Love,
Dad

Dear Joseph and Lucia,

We dropped Rachael off for her SAT exam this morning. She is a year advanced and already taking college classes. It made me wonder how close your are Joseph. It won’t be long before you start that trek.

Lucia, you start high school this year. I’m sure you’re excited.  I sure hope your brother didn’t destroy any rep you might be coming in with. I also hope he provides you rides in his car as any good older brother should.

We went to the lake after we dropped of Rachael and walked for a while. It was nice. I Skyped with your grandmother and your cousin.

My neighbor has a very active German Shepherd. They just got it back from training and asked me to come over to see how it worked. My goodness. I’ve never appreciated my dog more. This dog has more energy and size. He is quite the handful. I got the full smell down from Casey Anne when I came back.

I’ve made Michele lunch and plan to go pick up Rachael soon.

I think of you two all the time and miss you both. Still waiting,

Love,
Dad

Dear Joseph and Lucia,

I asked Rachael to write to you today. All I got was a bunch of teenage attitude saying NO!!! She really is a nice girl I’m sure you will get along with when we finally all get together. Until then, she’s going to be 16 and a pain in my butt. I wouldn’t be too surprised to learn the same doesn’t apply to the two of you.

I’m patient.

And I’ll wait.

The hot water is repaired. We have fans blowing all over the house to prevent mold. I finally got my unemployment figured out so I’m only one person. Applying in two states tends to confuse the issue.

Lastly, I miss you both so much. Last night I cried and it confused Michele. There are just times I wish I could put you to bed and rub your cheeks. I miss you so much it makes me cry. So I’ll cry and I hope Michele understands. I’m your daddy and I’ll always wait for you.

Love,
Dad

Dear Joseph and Lucia,

Part of being a grown up is taking care of things around the house. Today our hot water heater decided to start dumping water into the garage.  Not a good thing! I have the plumbers on order and made sure all the water is flowing out of the garage and not into anything important.

I had lunch with a friend of mine yesterday. We talked about a spiritual trek made from France to the coast in Spain. It takes about a month. I’m tempted to join him on it in a few years. It would do my soul good to partake in some nature and exercise.  I’m not sure we could deal with each other’s company for that long.

I’m still looking for a job. I hope things will turn positive this week. The recent plumbing issue has changed my agenda for today, but hey, we do what we can with what we have. It never means I stop waiting to hear from you two. I never will. I go to sleep every night with you on my mind.

Love,
Dad

Dear Joseph and Lucia,

We have tickets to go see Jimmy Buffet tonight. I doubt we’ll go considering the weather. It’s an out door concert.

I’ve spent the majority of the last week unpacking from the last two years of living remotely in Oklahoma. I can’t believe how many socks I’ve bought. I shouldn’t need new socks for several years.

We are going to reorganize the house and put our office back into place. Time to move furniture and make a new dining room.

I’ll let you know how it comes out.  Waiting.

Love,
Dad