Now Go Have an Adventure!

The day is finally here. Honestly, I never really thought it would come. For almost 5 years, pretty much 5 days of every week, for 8 hours every day, it was just me and the Tornado.

I know how blessed I was to have that time. As my friend told me, most Dads don't get to spend that much time with their kids their entire life. And that's true; to be at home with him, see all of his firsts, be there for so many ups and downs was a gift.

But mostly it was just the time together, actually just BEING together, that I treasure the most. I kept trying to think of something to do with our final day before school started, something really really special. As I thought more about it, I realized it was just the togetherness that is what I wanted to celebrate. So we woke up and had breakfast together. Then we watched a couple episodes of Phineas and Ferb while cuddling on the couch. We had a little snack, then we built some train tracks, as we did pretty much every day. We played for a while on the playstation, and had some lunch (SpongeBob mac & cheese!). We played football catch, hit some baseballs, then came in and read some books. Then it was time to pick up the girls from school, and our time as just Daddy and the Tornado was over.

At bed time I went to tuck him in, and read Zen Shorts to him. After the book, I laid down for a minute and told him how much fun he would have at school. How he was going to make some great friends, and learn lots of fantastic things. He looked at me and started to cry. I tired not to cry too, it was really tough. Then he said,"I'm gonna miss you when I'm in school." I lost it. I gave him a big hug, and told him how much I loved him, and left the room. Mommy went in and talked with him for a little. I went back in after regaining some composure, and told him we could still build tracks and play baseball and all that good stuff every day. He said OK, and smiled, and rolled over.

Mommy and I dropped him off this morning (after saying his shoes didn't feel right - ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!), and he ran to see his good friend Gray. He dropped his stuff in his cubby, and hustled to the ring toss game. Then to the cars and blocks. He was trying to get Gray to play with him, but Gray was having a tough moment leaving his Mom. After a few minutes, they were doing their thing together, big smiles and wide eyes. The teacher told them all to sit as school was ready to begin, and time for us to leave. One last hug and off we went.

I am so happy for him! He hasn't had his own friends for so long, and I know he's gonna love it. That doesn't make it any easier for me unfortunately. When I walked back into the empty house, and didn't hear "can I watch my show", or "can I have a snack", or "wanna play football catch", I felt sad. I know it will pass, and I'll find something to fill the time. But nothing will fill the light of joy I've had every day spending time with my son. I love you buddy, now go have an adventure!!

The Riverfront

The gang hit the road around 9am on Saturday, ready to roll to Cincinnati. It was a 450 mile drive through the rolling hills of Tennessee and Kentucky. There wasn't a whole lot of traffic, but it wasn't desolate either.

As the drive kicked off, I had my first and last blow up of the trip. The Tornado was whining and complaining about the portable DVD player - it's too high, it's too low, the earphones won't stay on, I can't hear, blah blah blah. Of course the movie player is supposed to make the drive easier, not harder for the driver. I let the kids know that, and they assured me we wouldn't have any more issues the rest of the trip. You always feel bad when you have to yell. They don't mean any harm, but sometimes a firm voice is needed. It still doesn't feel good though. So we got going again, and was smooth sailing the rest of the way.

We arrived in Florence, Kentucky around 2pm, just a couple minutes before the CEO. We went into the hotel room, and the kids loved it! It was a big, nice, new Homewood suites, and our room was huge. It's always funny to watch them react to the room, good or bad.

After settling in a little, we watched the US soccer team lose to Ghana and end their run, then headed over to Newport on the Levee for dinner. It was a nice shopping and dining area right on the river across from Cincinnati. We had some dinner and the kids looked around at the stores. The Bear was intent on shopping, and she was weighing her options here vs saving for the Mall of America. She ended up getting a little something, but saving most of her cash for stops further down the road. We watched a magician do some tricks, the Tornado loved when he pulled a coconut out from under his hat! It started to rain and we headed back to the hotel for the night. Some late night swimming in the indoor pool which the kids thought was pretty cool, then down for the night with a big day the next day ahead.

Sunday we woke up, packed up and headed back to Newport to go to the Reds game. It was super hot again, but there was a big storm looming over the area. We parked (after some problems with a self-pay lot), and started walking over the bridge to the game. The Bear was struggling (it's so hot, this is so long, ha), and the CEO wasn't loving it. For me though, it was another walk down memory lane. I remember going to Cincinnati as a kid with Mom and Dad, and walking the bridge to the Reds game. I always have great memories of the trips we took as kids, and it's things like walking the bridge that stick out in my memory. Not that it was the most fun moment of the trip or anything, just that it was something different.

The game was delayed for a while because of the storm, so we sat in the top row to stay covered until they told us we had to go into the walkway. The ballpark was pretty cool, and they had a ton of fun stuff for the kids to do. The Reds were playing their in-state rival Cleveland Indians. The storm cooled everyone off, and we really enjoyed the game. The Indians won the game 5-3, but it was close and the crowd was pretty into the game. Afterwards, they let us down on the field to run the bases, and that's always really cool.

We left the stadium, and headed back over the bridge to the car. A brief stop for a picture (The Bear and the CEO didn't stop :), then to the car. 360 miles to St Louis, it was looking like a midnight arrival. We stopped for dinner on the road, yay for Subway! As it got dark, we drove into a crazy rain storm, and the CEO was doing her best work behind the wheel. Between the rain, the high winds, and an already full day, it was pretty tense. As we approached St. Louis we could see the Arch, the ballpark, and with everything lit up it was really beautiful.

We parked in the lot and checked into the Westin, right across the street from the stadium. We got into the room, it was pretty tight, and convinced the Tornado he would love sleeping on the over sized chair!! By the time we all got to sleep it was about 2am, everyone was beat. A full day in St Louis the next day was waiting. One of the things that I was really enjoying about the trip so far was going from place to place, doing different things each day. It was exciting and interesting and I was loving every minute of it.

Away We Go!!

Tornado and I picked the girls up at basketball camp on the 24th, and headed out on the road at about 2pm. The plan was to drive the 500 miles to Alpharetta and arrive around 10pm. The girls fell asleep almost instantly once we got going, after playing so much hoop and so little sleep during camp.

We stopped in a very small town in Georgia for dinner at Subway, and got back on the road. The gas station where we refueled didn't have digital gas pumps, which was kind of wierd. The kids hadn't seen one of those before, the pennies scrolling along. I wondered if this would be a little foreshadowing into the types of places we would see throughout the trip.

We rolled into the hotel at about 11pm, checked in, and settled down for the night. We stayed in a nice Homewood Suites, the kids were so excited. Friday morning I told the kids that I needed to do some laundry, so they would be watching TV in the morning, then we would go swimming. I sorted the laundry (looked for a lost wrm up jersey from camp, no luck), and the kids settled in to a mini Phineas and Ferb marathon.

After the laundry, we went down to the pool, and did some races in the water. Boy, the town really earned the name Hotlanta! It was smoking!! The water felt great, and was a nice boost after a long day Thursday.

After showers, we drove down to downtown Atlanta, stopping for dinner first. We went to the legendary Varsity for dogs and fries. It's the largest drive-in in America, and the inside is huge too. There must be 50 cash registers, and employees all over the place. As you approach the counter they yell "What'll ya have!!" It's less a question and more of a demand of sorts. We had our dogs and fries and onion rings, all tasty, but we all mostly enjoyed the FO, or Frosted Orange. It was like an Orange Julius, but better, and given the heat, very refreshing.

After that, we jumped back in the car and drove down to the game, Tigers at Braves. Our seats were so far up you could barely see the field. And the sun, MY GOD THE SUN!!! It was right in

our eyes for the first 4 innings or so. But the kids were great, no complaints about the heat or sun. It was alumni weekend, and some old Braves were signing and taking pictures. I got to see Dale Murphy, one of my favorites growing up, so that was pretty cool.

The Bear almost snagged a batting practice homer, and the Tornado did snag a tshirt from one of the Braves "cheerleaders". The game got going, and it was a close one. The Braves won 3-1, powered by the 100th career homer for Brian McCann. Billy Wagner sealed the game with his 400th save, so it was a night of milestones.

After the game there was a fantastic fireworks display, which the Tornado absolutely loved. Some other things of note were the giant Chick Fil A cow, maybe 50 feet tall, and a Coke bottle the same size. The kids really enjoyed those, who wouldn't??

After the game, we endured a hot and crowded walk back to the car, followed by a maddening drive just to find the appropriate highway. As O put it, the map looks like someone threw a bunch of spaghetti on it. The CEO also managed to call right as I was trying to find the right interstate, making this challenging task even more fun. Eventually we made it to the right road, O flashed back to a lost night in Wilkes Barre "Stinkin' Mundy!!", and we finally made it back. Everyone was beat, so it was quick to sleep. A short but exciting stay in one of the big cities of the South! On to Cincinnati early in the morning.

Oh wait - I forgot to talk about my feelings! It was both strange and interesting to embark on a vacation without the CEO. Of course we all wanted her with us, it's not the same without her. But there was a special challenge in doing the first couple days without her. She keeps us all organized and focused, would I be able to do that? I think I was able to do so, and I think the kids enjoyed the day. But I was looking forward to seeing the CEO when we got to Cinci.

The Great American Road Trip

Grandpop and I had the idea ot make it to as many ballparks as we could when I was younger. We hit most of them, and made great memories as we went from place to place.

About a year ago, with the girls really enjoying baseball, and the boy understanding it a little more each day, that maybe we could embark on a similar quest.

After talking to the CEO, we decided we would break it up into four separate trips, each a few weeks long, and do it over a couple summers. We decided that the Midwest would be tackled this year. I promised we would do and see other things, it wasn't just about baseball. So we agreed, and the planning began.

I'd pick the girls up from basketball camp, drive to Atlanta, then up to Cincinnati. The CEO would fly and meet us there, and we'd continue on. St. Louis would be next, then Kansas City, followed by Minnesota. A natural break in the schedule would allow a long weekend over the 4th of July in Mt. Rushmore. From there we would head to Denver, swing through New Mexico, head to Arlington, then Houston and on our way home.

I'm a little worried about how the kids will behave over the course of 100 hours or more in the car. How will we all do spending almost 3 weeks, shoulder to shoulder, without a break? What happens if our car breaks down? What will the weather be like?

I've got a lot of concerns, but a lot of excitement too. I'm seeing places I've never seen, going places I've never been, and of course that's exciting. I'm also interested to see how we do together - like a little social experiment.

Anyway, I've got over 5000 miles ahead, so time to get started!

High Hoops goes camping!

As summer approached and the travel hoop season was ending, some parents asked Frank and I if we were sending the girls to camp. I

found a camp in Clearwater, a couple hours away, that was reasonably priced, was Sunday - Thursday, and I had heard good things about.

I mentioned it to Frank, he thought it sounded good too, so we told everyone about it. After talking to the coach in charge, and trying to relieve some parents of their worries, we had 12 girls decide to go.

As you can see from the picture, they all had a ton of fun. They were going bananas when we left on Sunday afternoon, so excited to be on their own. We told our girls to call each night before bedtime, have fun, be safe.

The first night, we talked to both O and the Bear, they sounded good. Then later, at 3:30 AM, the phone rang. I didn't think either of our girls would be nervous or scared, so I immediately thought something had happened.

"Hi, Mom - it's Bear." Yeah Bear, what's up? "I can't fall asleep, what should I do?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! Go to bed Bear!!!

When I got up to the camp on Thursday, I couldn't believe how much fun they were having with each other. 5 days with 12 girls in a tiny dorm for the first time, I thought there would be some issues. But no, they were hugging, high fiving each other, enjoying being together.

There was a little awards ceremony after, and I had asked O how she played. Pretty good she said. They announced the sportsmanship award, not O; they announced the hustle award, not O; they announced the defense award, not O. I look at O, with Frank next to me and, with a smile, say "So you didn't play defense, hustle, or act like a good sport?" She dismissively waved at me, "yeah yeah Dad, just wait". Then they announce the Coaches Award, for leadership, play and attitude. They gave out 3 in the whole camp - 120 girls. And O gets called up. Nice work kid!!

So they all made it through the camp safely. They had fun, learned some ball, met some new people, and were able to exercise a little independence. A great experience for them all.

High Hopes for High Hoops

Last summer a coach at an opposing school asked if I would be interested in coaching a travel hoops team with him. I initially said probably not, I wasn't interested in travelling every weekend, yelling and screaming at kids all the time, basically doing the things you needed to do to coach a travel sports team.

He insisted it wouldn't be that way, and he needed help. We talked about his plans for the team, and I decided to do it.

We thought we were going to have a team made up of 5th and 6th graders. As it turned out we had 20 girls, and split the two teams up. The season has now ended, and there were special moments with each team. Our 5th graders, overwhelmed by having to play mostly 6th grade teams all season, never quit and never backed down from a challenge. We went 2-2 against teams in our own division, and a coach couldn't be prouder. The Big O started for the 5th grade team, and had some good games and some not so good games. But she grew alot in terms of her play, and had a lot of fun doing it.

Another great aspect of the team has been the closeness of the girls. They all have enjoyed each other, and they made some great new friends. It was a joy getting to coach these girls, and I'm thankful to have been asked to be a part of it.

VEGAS!!

7 years ago some buddies and I headed out to Vegas for the first weekend of March Madness. The kids were little, the Tornado not even here yet, and the CEO went with us. We stayed in a crappy hotel, had to get up at 6am to get a seat at the Venetian Sportsbook, and it was all fantastic.

This year, the kids are older, the CEO had no interest in going, 10 other guys were out there, the Spiders made the tournament, and we stayed in a suite on the 54th floor of the Wynn. And yeah, it was all fantastic.

A decade of perfecting CKK, folding in 1st half CKK, getting to shoot free throws for vodka-red bulls in the Wynn ballroom, all made for a great weekend. Of course the best part though, was getting to spend time with the guys, as we either just passed or just approached 40, catching up on our lives. It was a memorable weekend and a special time with friends.