When my boy turned 7 a month ago, the only toy he requested was “Rescue Bots,” and he specifically wanted an Optimus Prime. Lucky for him, the Birthday Fairy brought him just that, and after some assembly, all was right with the world (the Grandparent Fairies gave him Legos, but […]
Author: dadcation
4 days with 3 children in Chicago
The impetus for a trip to Chicago was the National Organization of Veterans Advocates semi-annual conference, but really I wanted to bring my family to see one of my favorite cities and to return to where my bride and I went more than ten years ago to my friend Jesse’s […]
a week in Munich during Oktoberfest
Sometimes a man needs to hop on a plane to attend a party with over 6 million people. Science and psychology tell us this is the best way to spend our discretionary funds, but I’d do it even if they didn’t. The idea for last week’s trip was actually hatched […]
Clone Wars can tide us over until the next Star Wars
Know what that is? It’s a portion of the approved leave of absence I filed with the court in which I spend the bulk of my time; I requested it in mid-August. And the dates I picked? My bride’s birthday (9/11) and opening day of the next “Star Wars” film. […]
The Boy is 7
I surprised him and picked him up from “Legos club” after school; he’s never seen my car waiting in the carpool lane at his school before, so I had to get out and wave at him before he’d walk my way. He talked all about something he built that spun […]
Netflix sent me another package, and my 9-year-old thinks it was her birthday present
It had a doll in it from Netflix’s new show, Project MC2, which is about smart girls who use their science skills to save the world (or their city…or something), but included in the box were little science experiments and a miniature lava lamp, which excited her greatly, because she […]
Pork and Persecution (with a side of Bourbon)
When I posted something about wanting folks to join me at the Atlanta BBQ festival on Facebook a couple months ago, and Doug (who lives in Ann Arbor) expressed interest in coming down, I thought for sure he was kidding. Turns out, he wasn’t, because a few hours before the […]
You should totally shoot the ‘hooch
Nearly 20 years ago when I first moved here, I was talking to a girl named Lori who worked with me at IBM, and she asked, “Have you had a chance to ‘shoot the hooch‘ yet?” and I had no idea what that meant. But, a few days ago, when […]
the Emerald Coast, Florida
“The Emerald Coast” is how self-proclaimed sophisticated people (or local travel agents) refer to the area of land in the Florida panhandle that touches the Gulf of Mexico. Part of it–Panama City–is often labeled the “Redneck Riviera,” but really all of the area could pretty much earn this moniker. It’s […]
What she misses while at the beach
The oldest child living in our house turned 9 on July 16th. She got to get a manicure and have a sushi lunch with her mom before coming home to bake cupcakes and open a wrapped Taylor Swift CD that she has not stopped listening to ever since. Right now, […]