Dad Of The Month!

Chris Livingston

Where do you live?
The business un-friendly state of Oregon in the city of Tigard.

What is your profession?
I own a home inspection business with two employees. Had three but the downturn in the market forced me to lay one off.

What are your hobbies/interests?
Woodworking from designing each piece and literally building it in AutoCAD piece by piece to completing it in my garage, carpentry, gaming (when I have a chance which is never anymore), reading, writing, but definitely not arithmetic, computers, skiing, hiking, weightlifting and cardio.

What do you drive?
2004 Chevy Silverado SS body dark grey with blue flames and 22’ rims and big brakes.

What are you reading?
I’m sure guys will laugh but I just finished reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer for the second time and the partially completed “Midnight Sun’ which is the first book from Edward’s perspective.

Stephenie is a friend of my Uncle in Phoenix, AZ and my nephew babysat her three boys. She calls them her “Chimpanzees on Crack” which I can relate to since I was the oldest of four boys and have two of my own.

My mom read the books and then kept badgering me and my wife to read them telling us we’d love them. Since she was also the one that got us reading Harry Potter when only the first book had come out I figured I’d trust her and we did love them.

What music are you listening to?
As I’m filling this out I’ve got iTunes running. With over 9000 songs in there I get everything from Debussy to Nine Inch Nails which is what is on right now. At this time I really like Muse, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Gomez, Armor for Sleep, Three Days Grace, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, The Killers. I’ve even got some Luciano Pavarotti & Andrea Bocelli in there. There are too many to list. One type of music I’m really into now are Mash-Ups. “The compounding (“mashing”) of two or more pieces of complementing songs to create a more powerful song”

What's the last movie you saw?
Do I have to count movies my kids make me watch? I watched ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshal’ recently. A bit crude but it had some really good parts and it actually made me think. I loved the Dracula Rock Opera and it’s pretty cool that Jason Segel wrote and performed a lot of the music in the movie. I’d give it a 4 out of 5. Before that I watched ‘Iron Man’ on Blu-Ray and man that movie rocks! I’ve liked Robert Downy Jr for a long time even when his life began to imitate his character in "Less Than Zero".

How long have you been married?
For over 11 years.

Kids names and ages?
Gillian is almost 7, Ethan is 4 & Jack is 1.

Describe your favorite family vacation?
My parents have a place over in Central Oregon, Eagle Crest, that we can use any time one of my 4 other siblings and their families aren’t using it. We go there as much as we can at all times of the year.

During the summer we are at the pool from 9am till 8pm leaving only for food and nap time for Jack. In the winter its snow and skiing if my parents come to and take the kids so Janet & I can go. We haven’t started the kids skiing yet but will soon.

Your thoughts on being a Dad?
It is the greatest challenge I’ve ever taken on and the greatest thrill in the world.

How do you juggle family and work?
That is a tough one. Since I run my own business and my office is in my house work can easily take over everything else. In a tough market like we are in now my tendency is to work as much as possible to make sure things keep moving. To balance things out I try to leave my office at 5pm during the week and not at all on the weekends except to answer the phone. We also go away every couple of months to Eagle Crest for a week.

What's your favorite thing to do with your kids?
We love to go for hikes and bike rides. I have to run to keep up with my 4-year-old as he goes up a bluff behind my parent’s place in Eagle Crest. We also like to work out. I’ll do the elliptical and the kids will take turns running on the treadmill. Then as I lift weights they get the light ones my wife has and copy me. It’s very fun to watch them. We don’t push them to do it and we definitely don’t let them overdo it but we want them to see exercise as a fun thing to do. I spent too long being fat after I got married and I don’t want them to ever have to deal with that. Being in good shape makes so many things easier and more fun to do as a family.

What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be dads?
Spend as much time with them when they are small as you can. They grow up even faster than you can possibly imagine and they start getting very independent very early on. Also be careful, it’s amazing what they pickup from watching you. Work on your patients because they will try it on a daily basis and it is easy to lose your cool.

Although not my favorite movie in the world there was one part in "Evan Almightily" that really hit me hard. It was when God is talking to Evan and says. "Let me ask you something... If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?".

To me that sums up how we become better dads. We take those challenges and use them to better ourselves.

What lessons have you learned from your own dad?
My favorite line from my dad is "It is easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission." This was said when he did something my mom did not approve of. It of course never worked when we used it. His other favorite quote is "The quality remains long after the price is forgotten." He got that one from his grandfather and I used to only think of it in the monetary sense of the word "price." Now I think of it when it comes to my family. Sure sometimes making sacrifices for your family can be painful or going on a vacation can be trying but afterward when you look back at it you know the quality of the time you spent with them and the memories you made we more valuable than what it took to accomplish them.

What is your website address?
www.pillartopost.com/portlandwestside/


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