Well that was quite the February

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Matt Todd

Wow.

Even though February is the shortest month on the calendar, a lot happened in February 2018. A whole lot. Of course, we got to watch the Winter Olympics. Well…some of us didn’t, apparently. But we’re big fans of both the Summer and Winter Games around here. So we were definitely watching.

And too many horrific things happened in national, international, and local news. Even with the heartbreaking news we saw throughout most of February, I have to say that a lot of good things happened in our family during February of this year.

Night to Shine

I’d heard about Night to Shine before. I’ve had friends volunteer for this amazing event. Our Employment Team at work signed up to help run the karaoke feature at the event.

It’s not hyperbole to say that this night might have changed my life. It was definitely memorable. I’m doing it again next year, and I’m bringing my family in tow (except Mihret. She won’t be old enough). But I’m sure she’ll be an Honored Guest in a few years. And I’m so excited about that.

I had the honor of volunteering with my colleagues from work in the Karaoke Room at last night’s Night to Shine. While our Honored Guests were eating dinner, the volunteers had a chance to play around a little bit and sing a few songs. Having never sung karaoke before, I jumped at the chance to sing in front of an almost empty room. I can definitely see the appeal. Even for someone like me, who likes to stay out of the spotlight, there’s something inside that lights up when you’re on stage like this. I remember this feeling from every performance I ever had while playing the tuba. It awakens something deep within. Of course last night wasn’t about me. It wasn’t about my coworkers. It was all about our Honored Guests. And they OWNED the stage. I am blessed to have been able to clap and shout and sing and dance and party all night long with them. They grabbed hold of that spotlight and soaked in every moment. It was an amazing night and I’m already counting down the days to Night to Shine 2019. Oh, and thanks to Betsy for this fun picture. #karaoke #NightToShine #blessed

A post shared by Matt Todd (@mattdantodd) on Feb 10, 2018 at 8:01am PST

Meet Shiloh!

Just a few days after Night to Shine, we introduced a new member to the Todd crew. We fell in love with a cute puppy with a heart-shaped nose. And, conveniently enough, we brought her home on Valentine’s Day.

We’re still quite solidly in the Puppy Phase, so whatever free time we might have had is now fully occupied with visits to the back yard to go potty and keeping puppy teeth off of couches, wall corners, and Mihret’s hair. But we also get lots and lots of puppy snuggles.

On most days, that almost makes up for everything else.

It’s a good thing puppies are so doggone cute. No pun intended.

A new driver!

It was bound to happen sooner or later…

After canceling his first driver’s test because he was home with a fever, and then some scheduling drama at the BMV*, I was beginning to wonder if Aiden was ever going to have a chance to earn his driver’s license. But he did! And we’re quite proud of him.

A February to remember…

That’s a lot of good stuff in just a short amount of time. Right? We had quite the February, indeed.

I think it’s safe to say that we probably won’t have another February like this, with so many life-changing events, in a long, long time. Shoot. We might not ever have another February like February 2018 was.

I know. That’s quite a bold statement. All I have to say is that February 2019 is on the clock. We’ll see what it has in store for us next year.

*There was no record of his test getting rescheduled, so the time we thought he was scheduled to take the test was already claimed by someone else. Of course, we didn’t find this out until just a few hours before the test, but the good ladies at the BMV in Martinsville, IN, found a way to squeeze him in…that was some fabulous customer service!

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Matt Todd

Howdy. I'm Matt. My wife, Christy, and I have four kids and two dogs, I'm passionate about orphan care. I'm a die-hard fan of the Evansville Aces, the Indiana Hoosiers, and Star Wars. I'm trying to live life by the Todd family motto: "It behooves us to live!"