Ragamuffin Soul » Family

Bad Christmas casserole Vs. really talking to Uncle Joe

loswhit — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:12:39 +0000

It’s Christmas Eve.
This means a few things.
Some of you are the happiest that you have been all year.
Some of you are the most miserable that you have been all year.
Some of you are right in the middle.
Me?
I’m good.
I am laying in bed right now next to the most beautiful 8 year old on the planet.
It is warm. It is quiet. It is perfect.
In a few minutes I will get up and begin the chaos of today.
The chaos involves 3 trips to 3 different family homes.
It involves lots of “Hey!” “Great!” “How about you?!” “Fantastic!” “Actually no. I live in Nashville now. Yea. Tennessee. Yea. The country music place.” “Yea. I actually DO like it.”
And we have a choice.
Actually I have a choice.
I can make today about survival.
About getting from one conversation to the next with the least amount of thought possible…
Or…
I could make today about authenticity.
And surprise everyone I talk to with an authenticity that they probably are not ready for this Christmas Eve.
Asking them the one question that no one else on the planet would ask them but you know they want to be asked…
I don’t know what that question is…but you do.
It will make for even more awkward conversations but it will also make for more people knowing that someone actually cares more about them than the traditions that surround them.
Make today about the peoples lives you never get to share and not about the horrible casserole and 15 dollar gift exchange.
It’s better that way.
Merry Christmas.
C

5 Years Ago Today #Thankful

loswhit — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:22:06 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving!
Los

Three Kids. Three Fingers. Three Words.

loswhit — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:42:00 +0000

The first 2 were easy.

Losiah is favored.
He just is. Not favorite. Just favored. The kid touches things and it turns to gold. The kid walks by 23 year old women and they immediately get weak in the knees. He cries and everyone wants to watch. He screams and everyone wants to watch.

Seanna is my anchor.
She is unchanging in her focus. She does not give her love away easily. You must earn it. And once you earn it she will overwhelm you with it. She is steady. She is always. She is Constant.

Sohaila was the hard one to figure out. I wanted to use the word compassion but truthfully, she is only compassionate for the downtrodden. And the word just didn’t feel right. She cried at the thought of someone being alone. She cries at the thought of someone hurting. She always finds the least of them and holds their hand. She is full of a grace that I’ll never understand. And she graced me into fatherhood as my firstborn. She is a picture of grace. God graced her with grace. Graced.

When we adopt our next two, they get the smallest and the fattest of digits. Here’s hoping we get a chunky and a tiny baby.

What word would you use to describe the character or blessing of those closest to you?
Los

Oh. And lets be honest. Seanna will probably give me the middle finger the most out of the three.

Halloween 2011

loswhit — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:52:11 +0000

We had Angelica from the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. A salsa dancer. A little monster. A clown. A sexy Mexican. I mean a wrestler. And lots of fun with friends. And I’m locking Sohaila in the house until she is 44.
Dear Lord protect the boys that enter her life from my wrath.

What did you do for Halloween?
Did you dress up?
Los

Your 8 Year Old Will Not Remember Your Problems

loswhit — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:33:34 +0000

She bought it with her own money.
She asked me to help her put it together.
I made it 2 hours and only had 1/4 of it done.
I had to go run my 7 mile marathon training run.
I got back home.
She whispered to her mommy…”I think daddy might be too tired to finish it after his run”
She said it disappointed, yet with the understanding of a 30 year old.
I was across the table.
I was too tired.
I was exhausted.
But as I wrote when she was 6…
I knew that she would not remember my 7 mile run in a few years…
She would simply remember having to go to bed with her new dollhouse unfinished.
So…
4 hours later…
We finished…
And she is glowing and alive…
Remember…
You’re 8 year old will not remember your problems…they will just remember that dad was tired and said next time.
So Build…
Los

The MEAN Birthday Party

loswhit — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:34:12 +0000

My girls love Barbies, donuts, pizza, and Taylor Swift.
So it wasn’t a suprise when my then 7 year old Seanna told us she wanted a Taylor Swift birthday party.
But if you know the Whittakers, you know that did not mean Taylor Swift cups and plates from Walmart.
Our friend Jenny Acuff, the better half of Jon, told Heather…”You should do a Taylor Swift video shoot with the girls”
With that sentence all sorts of responsibilities transfered from my wife to me.
Thanks Jenny.
And it was fabulous.
The whole party was them getting dressed up, hair done, makeup done, and singing MEAN by Taylor Swift about 12 times for me.
Oh. And lots of cake.
They did AMAZING.
14 little girls living their dream and one balding, slightly overweight dad trying to give it to them.
So armed with my Nikon D7000, really bad dad camera work, and 2 new iPhone 4s cameras, we went to work.

Seanna.
I hope you love it baby.
I can’t wait to see you under the lights of Bridgestone Arena one day.
Until then…
I’ll have to be your Big ‘Ol City…
Love…
Dad

Fall, Camping, and a Pocket Full Of Nuts

loswhit — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:09:33 +0000

It’s fall. In California you camp in the summer. The mountains are higher and the weather is cooler. You can’t pull this off in the south. I took Sohaila camping a few weeks ago and literally felt as if my face was going to melt off my head at 2am. We were 5 minutes away from me calling it a night and getting back in the car when Sohaila rolled over and put her arm around me. I wasn’t going to let that go so I stayed.

But now that the weather is cooler the Whittakers are about to start sleeping outside. Even on months we are able to still pay our rent… We headed to a little unknown spot 25 minutes north west of our house called the Harpeth Bridge Recreation Area. Camped right on the river and had a blast.

I’ve been leaving the camera at home lately, bored with my shots, but realized that missing memory for artistic boredom is stupid. I’m glad I took it.

Losiah found an acorn tree. His pockets looked like this for 24 hours.

Not one bite…

It’s the smiles I catch when I don’t ask them to smile that move me.

Run little bandito. And i’m not quite sure how muhc bigger those holes can get.

This is what I do when I camp…

Love.

How do you like your marshmallows?

Picnic table, lantern, and cards. All night.

So this is where you will find us many of these fall weekends in and around middle Tennessee. Camping.
Are you guys campers? Did you camp as a kid?

And for the love of all things memories… Take pictures. Lots of them!
Los

Now Playing #SaveRiggins The Movie

loswhit — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:51:24 +0000

Last week on Twitter I documented the horrific and terrifying experience of my kitten, Riggins, getting his head stuck in a toy.
Here is what happened…

Yes. You just watched 3:33 seconds of that.
Riggins Thanks You.
#SaveRiggins…
Los

I Hate Your Cat

loswhit — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:23:49 +0000

I don’t like cats.
This is our cat.

Well I guess it is a kitten.
I love this cat.

My wife named our cat Riggins.
Not because she loves out cat, but because she loves this guy…

But I love that guy too. So it’s ok.

Our kitten is possessed by something not heavenly.
It sprints around the house and leaps at my ankles like they are meat on a stick.
This is why I hate cats.
But I love this one.
If you have a cat. I hate it.
If my cat was your cat, I’d hate it.

I really don’t like cats.
But I love mine.

What about you?
Are you a cat person?
Are you a dog person?
Are you an iguana person?

Los

Pimp Your Better Half

loswhit — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:22:08 +0000

The time is now.
This internet is filled with nothing but memememememememememe.
Time to talk about themthemthemthemthemthemthemthem.
I want to know who your better half is.
Husband. Wife. Boyfriend. Girlfriend. Dog.
Answer this.
1. Who are you “together” with?
2. What do they do?
3. Why are they better than you?

Ready…Set…Go…
Los