Rest in peace, Grandpa. I love you.

Yesterday, I received a call from my dad that my grandpa had passed away. He was 91.

I can't say that any of us were too surprised. Over the past four years or so his health had been steadily declining. He suffered from Alzheimer's for a number of years and it slowly started to impact his memory. For a while, it wasn't even all that noticeable, but eventually he no longer could live alone. It really began to impact his quality of life in the final year. In his last month, he didn't recognize any family.

While it got to the point where he didn't recognize us anymore, he was always the same Grandpa to me. I have nothing but amazing memories with him. He was quick to laugh and joke around with me and my brother. As a kid, he called me “Bozo” for the longest time because of a donkey that I rode when they came with my family on vacation. He cracked up at that joke, and it became our little thing.

He lived in the countryside in Ohio, and during these formative years I would run around, explore the creek, and ride along with him on golf carts around the fields. He would tell me stories about his neighbors, his family, what life used to be like when he was younger and just show me how he lived life in their little town.

Speaking of, Grandpa loved his hometown of Wellington, Ohio. He was a star athlete (something he never let us forget, haha) and knew almost everyone. He and my grandma were both very social. I remember that he had a box full of basketball and baseball trophies in his attic from his glory days as a high school athlete. As a kid I would take them home, proudly putting them on display in my room. I think he liked that I was so into them because being an athlete was a big part of his identity.

When I grew older, in my early 20s, I lived in Cleveland, which was only about 45 minutes away from my grandparent's house. Every now and again, I would drive over to see my grandparents on a Sunday. We'd cook up some burgers, throw a side of potato chips on our plate, and sit on their porch drinking a cold Coors Light. Everytime I think about that, I can feel the sticky heat of the summer and the cold beer can in my hand. It's etched into my memory, and I'm so grateful for it.

When my grandma passed away, my grandpa was a little out of sorts. He cared for her for many years. Truth is, he really depended upon her, even when she wasn't at the same mental capacity as she once was after a health incident. He stuck by her side through it all. Even when she had to move to a home for additional assistance, he visited every day. He brought her chips and little gifts too. He walked the halls with her, and they watched The Price Is Right together, holding hands.

But when Grandma was no longer around, Grandpa needed a change. His house was too much for him, so my parents helped to sell his home, and he moved to an apartment in his hometown. About a year later, it became clear that his Alzheimer's was at a point where he would need more daily assistance, so he moved down to Cincinnati to be by my aunt.

He had three or so years down in Cincinnati, and from our family's perspective, it was quite enjoyable for him. He made friends quickly, enjoyed the prepared meals (he raved about them), and got to be his social self. Something in him changed. He was softer. He was appreciative and kind to everyone.

Grandpa was proud of the fact that he was the longest living male in our family history. And I'm grateful for that. I had him in my life into my 40s, something that is very rare today.

He passed away with my aunt by his side. No pain. No big fanfare. Just quietly his body finally went to rest.

Love you, Grandpa. Give Grandma a hug for me.

#personal

Justin Ferriman

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We hit the four-month milestone, and we are starting to see some of the developmental expectations at this time. Specifically, a change in sleep patterns.

This started probably two weeks ago, so I'm a little worried where it will go from here. Our little one is a little harder to put to sleep, and when she wakes up in the middle of the night for a feed (we still aren't getting a full night's rest), she is a lot more vocal and aware.

But with this also comes a lot more hilarious moments. She's smiling, interacting, and almost laughing (I can't wait for that to happen). She also has a preference for her parents now over anyone else, which is a delicate balance because we don't want the attachment to be too strong.

Four months in, and I'm still learning. I have a feeling that will be the case for the rest of my life!

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Justin Ferriman

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As I've often said, entrepreneurship is my art. It's about the only creative thing I'm good at. Last year I took a bit of a sabbatical (which was perfect timing given the birth of our little girl), but I'm ready to start coming out of it.

I need to get used to expressing my creativity again, as I'm sort of out of practice, and I'm still wrapped up in my new life as a dad. That in itself has forced me to give creativity time and space and not to force anything. But that changes today. I'm giving myself permission to lightly explore some creative ideas as a way to warm up that part of my mind.

It feels good. Weird, as it has been a while, but pretty damn good.

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Justin Ferriman

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Welp, we made it. The “fourth trimester” has come to a close. Those who have had children understand that the first real milestone (after regaining the lost birth weight) is getting through the first three months.

I feel like we've lived so much life in just 90 days. Our entire worlds have been flipped upsidedown, but in a good way. Physical and emotional challenges have been accompanied by laughter and joy.

Our baby girl's personality is starting to grow. She's smiling now, and it absolutely melts me every time. She's also starting to “talk” (babble) and does so with so much volume it's almost like she's trying to join Lorena and me in our conversations. It cracks me up.

She's an absolute joy and brings an entirely new meaning to my life.

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Justin Ferriman

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It's said that good things come with age, and I agree for the most part. But one thing that I've yet to get used to is the random aches and pains that seem to pop up.

In my youth I was always participating in athletic endeavors. Whether for sports teams or just for fun, hard exercise has always been an integral part of my life experience. But when I hit my mid-30s, I started to get little nagging injuries that always took some time to shake. So much so that I ultimately have had to make tough decisions for my health, like ending BJJ training.

Those injuries have largely gotten better. Not completely gone, but pretty much unnoticeable in my day-to-day life. However, I can't say the same for this new hurdle.

Getting Sciatica

If you're not familiar with sciatica, it refers to the pain that can come from impingement of the sciatic nerve. In simple terms, this runs down the back of the leg and all the way to the foot. The pain is almost like a tightening or cramping of the muscles. It feels like you want to stretch it but stretching does nothing for it.

I'm not even sure how I started to aggravate the nerve, but I first noticed symptoms after Lorena and I went to the beach in the fall of 2025. I remember running in the sand that day. The next day, I had that tight feeling. I had no idea what it was, so I asked my physical therapist to work on it a bit. After a few sessions, it went away.

In 2026, it got worse.

Looking back, I didn't realize what exactly was causing my pain, so I just kept living my life as usual. This put extra stress on my sciatic nerve and the impingement area (my lower back around the SI joint and right hip).

It got so bad that I needed to stop all extra activities (including my daily walks) to focus on rehab. I strengthened my hamstrings and glutes which helped a ton. After six weeks or so, I was pain-free.

Flare Up At The Worst Time

I was doing good up until our daughter was born. It was literally the worst it had ever been. I was in so much pain that I needed to sit down after only a few minutes of standing. However, I couldn't because I was helping Lorena during and after labor.

Our baby girl arrived and my focus was purely on her and Lorena's health. I put aside my needs because I, quite frankly, didn't have an opportunity to address it. This just added stress to an already stressful situation trying to adjust to life with a newborn.

I took a lot of Advil during that time. I also had my physical therapist do a few house calls to work on the impingement. My focus was on my family, and as a result, I didn't go for my walks or workout at all. Time, it appears, is quite helpful in healing.

The Plan Moving Forward

I feel a lot better now in that I don't have the sciatic pain. That's what two months of rest will do. However, I know that it wouldn't take much to aggravate it again, so I've been just being extremely cautious in my daily activites.

I need to start strengthening exercises again. This past week, I've started to do this on my own, but I think soon I'll begin to start up PT again on a regular two or three-times-a-week basis. This helped me immensely earlier in the year.

Quite frankly, it sucks to feel like my body is “breaking down” in certain ways that I never could imagine. But, at the end of the day, I'm fortunate that this is completely manageable with lifestyle changes. Not everyone is so lucky.

For now, my goal is to feel strong and to be doing a bit more in terms of exercise by the end of the year.

#personal

Justin Ferriman

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The past couple of months have somehow been both the longest and shortest of my life. There is literally zero adjustment period going from life without a child to with. Thankfully, we've had the help of family as we got more acclimated to our new reality.

Our little one is sleeping a little more at night, but we still are on a three-hour cycle during the day, more or less. Meaning, every three hours we are giving her food again. This makes the days blend into one another, which makes it all a blur. We do a lot of the same stuff every day.

But little changes are starting to happen which is encouraging. I mentioned the sleep, but also her interaction during play is entertaining. Lorena and I find ourselves laughing often.

Getting More Personal Time

I know that I'll never have my own time like I used to, and that's perfectly fine. I do, however, look forward to when I can start doing a little more for myself to pursue my interests. I need those things to recharge. So does Lorena.

To be fair, I'm getting a little more of that now compared to a month ago. I've even started to work out a bit at home during naps and feeding time. It's not much, and not the kind of workouts I used to have, but it's something.

We're still only two months in, and I know that these things take time. The progress so far has been encouraging. I look forward to month three and four!

#personal

Justin Ferriman

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I've been studying Spanish since 2020. Those first three years were tough, but now I'm fluent. Not perfect, but fluent. Honestly, I feel like I reached my ultimate goal and it feels great.

I don't study anymore, but I just try to use the language when possible. This primarily means reading books in Spanish, having conversations (mostly with family), and watching Spanish shows on Netflix. I also make a point to have one to two “lessons” with a tutor from Mexico each week, but it's just us chatting about life.

My progression is a lot slower now in the language. I have my habits now, and I'm not trying to study industry-specific vocab. Everyday language is more useful for me living in California.

But I'm still improving nonetheless. Ways I know:

• I catch sarcasm. This is a big one because sarcasm is difficult to detect when you're learning a language. I don't get it all the time, but more than before.
• I use new words. When I learn a new word, I make a point to use it as soon as possible in conversation and commit it to memory. I get this opportunity when I'm with family.
• I've lost the fear. I don't have any fear when meeting someone new and having a conversation in Spanish. Sometimes accents can be tough, but I manage and it's not a biggie. I'm confident that we'll be able to communicate.
• Phone conversations are easy. Talking to someone in Spanish on the phone used to be the most intimidating part of the language. Now, I can have normal conversations without needing the visual cues.
• Passive listening is easier. I'm able to “half listen” to conversations in Spanish and then fill in the gaps. Not as well as English, but still an improvement from when I had to focus intently to understand everything.
• Lorena asks me for the correct word. Sometimes Lorena will forget a word in Spanish and ask me mid-conversation (and I'll know the word she's searching for). That's pretty cool!

My continued improvement in Spanish isn't like it was before with very obvious leaps, but the incremental changes I'm making now are far more exciting and motivating to me because they represent the language becoming more intrinsic to me as a person.

#personal

Justin Ferriman

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Since becoming a dad, I've had no time for anything other than baby stuff. You know, the usual diapers, feeding, napping cycle. It's weird, because while it does get draining, in a weird way I also enjoy not having time for extracurricular stuff. It keeps life small.

Everything is intentional right now. Tiring, but intentional. We are trying to make sure our daughter has everything she needs to grow strong and healthy. The first couple of weeks are a little stressful as we try to make sure that she regains her birthweight. That actually taught us something as new parents.

Trusting Our Instincts

At our first pediatrician appointment a few days after birth, the doctor was concerned at our daughter's weight loss (which was at 8.4%). She wanted us to take up an aggressive feeding schedule supplemented by formula.

Typically, 10% is where it's a serious concern, so we were still within the acceptable range. Still, this brought upon undue stress. We spoke with some other medical professionals, including our midwife, who were less concerned.

In the end, we avoided formula and augmented our feeding schedule accordingly to turn things around. And turn around they did as our little one met and then exceeded her birthweight.

Staying the Course

We still have to maintain the regular 2-3 hour feeding schedule so that she eats roughly eight times per day. There are also more doctor appointments in our future.

Becoming a dad is a shift that I'm still getting used to. I'm learning that newborns require a lot of constant attention and effort. The interactions are one-dimensional at this point, which is to be expected. I look forward to the days when she starts to smile at us intentionally. Something tells me that'll be the best.

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Justin Ferriman

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Recently, Lorena and I welcomed our beautiful daughter to the world.

I'm not even sure how to put my feelings into words. “Happy” doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling. I'm overwhelmed by joy and gratitude, with a sprinkle of nervousness as well. I'm so in love with this baby girl. She is everything.

I'm a dad. I never thought I'd get to say that. It feels so good.

#personal

Justin Ferriman

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A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to guest lecture at the college I went to for undergrad. It was actually the second time I had the privilege, and this time it was on my favorite subject: marketing & advertising.

I get so energized when talking about this kind of stuff. I guess there is no better way to describe it other than just plain old fun for me.

Admittedly, something is kind of lost when you're having the class virtually on Google Meet, but I think I managed well nonetheless. Even got some laughs out of the notoriously difficult-to-entertain Gen Z.

In the future, maybe when I'm in my 50s, I could see myself teaching in higher education to pass on the insights and skills that have helped me in my life.

But not yet. I still have things I want to do!

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Justin Ferriman

Amateur blogger for over 20 years. I write about life, happiness, entrepreneurship, and politics. Full bio.

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