Write, and write often.

I've been trying to get myself into a routine of posting nearly every day. I'd like to one day be able to post for more prestigious weblogs like the Houstonist.

Right now I have TheSmithViewpoint, on which I can post my own more serious discussion, and I'm relatively proud of what it's become. If you look back to the "articles" I posted when I first started that one, you can see over time how much it has changed.

The reason for wanting to post almost daily is because of the English Composition class I took during the Spring semester at Houston Community College. My professor, Ms. Daily, had us start of many classes with freewriting, where the students are to write about anything without stopping for a short period of time.

She taught us this so that when we were given assignments, we would use that exercise to sort of spill out our ideas regarding the topic of the assignment.

I once complimented a fellow blogger on his admirable writing skills. I asked this gentleman to give me a piece of advice on how I might become as talented a writer as he. He replied that the best thing for me to do is "write, and write often." So this is what I'm doing.

The Windy City

I'm going to be flying to Chicago on the first of September to run my company's office up there for two weeks. I'm excited about the trip and I'll be flying Dayna up there for a couple of nights so that we can both be together and away from the babies. I have to confess though, I'm going to miss my family terribly.

However, my purpose for being in Chicago is two-fold -- one, of course, is to run the office. The other purpose is to scout out potential place to live. That's right, there's a very, very good chance that I'll be moving up there.

Our company is currently debating the future of our Chicago office. If it is decided to keep the office there running -- which, as I'm told, is what most of the influential people want -- then I've been informed that the position of running Chicago will be offered to me.

This is an unprecedented break in my life. It would include a substantial salary increase as well as other perks. More importantly, it will turn my family's financial situation around for the better. Dayna and I are very anxious as to what's going to occur in the next few weeks. We're spending a lot of time trying to learn as much about Chicago as we can.

If anyone would like to advise me on anything regarding Chicago, I'm all ears.

Super Twins

The Arrival
Alright, I finally have a chance to sit down and make the official announcement: the twins have finally arrived! Aden & Ashton were born last Friday, July 28, at West Houston Medical Center. They are perfectly healthy, no complications. Also, they're not identical. In fact, they look very much different; although they are both "white", Aden has more of my complexion, whild Ashton has more of Dayna's, with jet-black hair.

I'm really happy that they're here, and that they're beautiful and healthy. I couldn't ask for more. I told Dayna that she definitely makes beautiful babies. But these will be the absolute last that we have -- Dayna's been "tied up".

Bye-bye Freedom
One thing that I've considered is that when Hudson was born I thought that I had said goodbye to whatever "freedom" that I previously took for granted. My life was, at that point, permanently tied to both my wife (still my girlfriend, or "baby momma", at the time) and my son.

Yet, even though I didn't consider it so at the time, I still enjoyed a relatively free lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I had definitely made adjustments from when I had been completely free of responsibilities.

Now, however, I have my wife, my son, who's nearly two years old now, and two infant sons who require extra care and attention. It's going to be a busy, bumpy road ahead. But it will be absolutely worth while.