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 […]
travels
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 […]
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, […]
our first family camping experience
One of our family’s favorite weekend activities is visiting estate or moving sales in our neighborhood. Last summer, we got a barely used tent for like $20, and it’s bothered me ever since then that we haven’t used it, so when we loaded up to visit my parents in north […]
Trains, Automobiles, and Planes: our family’s 3 days around Boston
We boarded our train at 7am at Penn Station and began the 4-hour Amtrak ride to the Back Bay Station in Boston, where our Pathfinder was waiting on us. We checked into a Courtyard and then dropped my bride off at a nail salon in Cambridge, so she could see […]
2 adults and 3 children do 2 days in New York City
Our end goal was my sister-in-law’s wedding near Boston, but I wanted the trip to be something to look forward to, and it’s hard to look forward to an in-law’s wedding where the only people you know will be the ones with wedding obligations. So, I cashed in a couple […]
my last weekend as a 30-something
A few months ago, I sent an email to a couple friends from high school about planning a trip together sometime this spring or summer–the year all of us turn 40. We bounced around a few ideas about things to do or places to go, and I thought we’d go […]
4 Days in Denver, Colorado
Until a few days ago, we’d have to tell people we’d never taken our children on a trip west of the Mississippi. That ended on Wednesday, April 29 when we all flew to Denver for my legal marketing conference. Thursday morning while I was in class, the rest of the […]
What I took from the 2015 Dad 2.0 Summit
I’m sure my children wonder why I sometimes fly to different cities for a few days without their mother or them. Most of the time, “it’s for work,” is all they know. Maybe they’ll see a picture their grandmother shows them while I’m away from a silly website called The […]