My Pride and Joy

Well, I got this thing started now so let me tell you about my family. As I state in my profile. I am happily married to my wife of 13 years, Mary Ann. We have tried for a really, really long time to create an addition to "US" and Im happy to report that on August 07,2008 we are expecting Ella Claire Fugate to make an appearance. If I were to say we are excited it would be an understatement! We are beyond belief excited and as we count down the weeks we become more and more anxious. I never believed it would happen and honestly were at the point of giving up and considering adopting when she broke the news to me. Mary Ann, at the urging of a coworker, decided to take a pregnanacy test. You have to understand here that we have bought many of these devices only to find one pink line. When she called me and said there were two lines we both thought the test must have been defective. I agreed that she would get another one and "retest" to see if what she was seeing was indeed true. As in Mary Ann fashion, she got not one, but two more and proceeded to complete the experiment. When they both came back positive we were in disbelief, could it be true? Were we finally receiving the blessing that is called life?? It is now her 30th week and it has sunk in that we are going to be parents to a baby girl and life as we know it will totally change. I know I was excited when my two boys were born in 1986 and 1988 respectively, but I was so young then it seems like a world away.

Speaking of my sons, let me tell you about them. Prior to my move to South Carolina in 1993, I lived in my birthplace of Dayton, Tennessee. I was blessed with Ryan at the early age of 21 and Darius soon followed 18 months later before my 23rd birthday. We had good intentions I suppose, but the marriage fizzled and I became a weekend dad. Thats all I will say about that as my new motto(one of them) is the past is the past.

Ryan, now almost 22 years old(I cannot believe it!), is attending the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga where he resides. He will finish in the spring of 2009 with a degree in Marketing. Im so proud of him as he works and goes to school, yet maintains an active "personal Life". He is in the fraternity, Sigma Chi. I remember him calling me prior to joining and saying, "Dad, I can join the Sigma Chi fraternity, which is more of the preppy, professional types or I can join this other party fraternity and probably have more fun". I urged him to join the professional one for what it would lend him later in life, contacts with the right people. He did so and I hope he hasnt regretted it. He always has been a smart guy and since he lives in Tennessee I dont get to see him often and do miss him alot. Thank God for free mobile to mobile so we can keep in touch.

Darius, 20 years old and now a father decided to forgo the traditional college trek and go into the field of plumbing/pipefitting. He works for Jake Marshall, an outfit in Cahttanooga with wonderful credentials. Darius has a work ethic than an employer can only dream about. Working 7 days a week 12 hours a day is a cakewalk for him. He works hard and never complains and this company is sponsering him to get into the apprentice program this year and once finished he will be able to earn top dollar as a journeyman. He is serving under a man who was apprentice of the year several times and it is his goal to attain that himself. I believe he will and it will be quite an accomplishment. It wont top his greatest accomplishment though ,as I said earlier, he is a father. He made me a very young(lol) grandfather on December 22, 2007 when he wasnt quite 19 years old. He created Kyleigh Alexis Fugate with his girlfriend Haleigh Hall. Kyleigh is a beautiful child and makes me wish sometimes I didnt live so far away. Darius allowed me to bring her to South Carolina last November and keep her a week and we had the time of our lives. That visit with Kyleigh may have been the defining moment when God said Mary Ann and I deserve a little girl of our own because we found out soon thereafter we were expecting.

Im very proud of my wife and boys and we are ALL excited to welcome our daughter and their sister in about 10 weeks. Ill keep you posted as to the goings ons with that as we progress....

Til next time, "It is what it is"