Author: Family Friendly Daddy Blog

1 Comment Posted on August 2, 2014August 2, 2014 parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: I Feel Like I’m Getting My Life Back, Part 1

3 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

It’s been a month now since I revealed to you that for the past 3 years of your life, I had been the daddy blogger of Parents.com, known as The Dadabase. I will always be grateful for those years; for the experience and credibility I received as a writer.

I also can’t deny that the supplemental income that came with the job was quite helpful. It helped get our family out of debt and has helped us start saving our down payment on our next house.

Not to mention, would I be gaining any notoreity in the car review world if it weren’t for the platform that writing for a major magazine gave me? Nope.

Just a few days ago, I was invited as one of America’s car review bloggers to cover the big Lexus NX reveal. And ultimately, I have Parents.com to thank for elevating my career and giving me the kind of visibility and connections that live on even after the contract ended.

I thank God for Parents.com seeking me out. I have always considered that a miracle; especially because it happened at a dark time in my life. I am eternally grateful for my 3 years writing for Parents.com and will always think the world of them. I still can’t believe they picked me and kept me all that time.

They indirectly taught me to write and think more professionally. I totally see that now.

Granted, I was never famous. (I was, however, a candidate for both Katie Couric’s show and Steve Harvey’s show. They had their people calling me, halfway trying to recruit me to come on their shows. Ultimately, I don’t think I was “shticky” enough for the character I needed to play for their segments.)

Now that I no longer have a major publication attached to my name, I’m finding myself as a regular guy now; a normal dad who happens to have his own daddy blog.

To Be Continued…

Dear Jack: I Feel Like I’m Getting My Life Back, Part 2.

Love,

Daddy

6 Comments Posted on July 30, 2014August 10, 2014 car reviews, reviews, Uncategorized

2015 Lexus NX Review/Preview Across The Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge

Despite living in Nashville since September 11, 2005, I had never been to the iconic Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge.

Fortunately, I was invited by Lexus to test drive their upcoming NX to it; serving as a perfect, and not to mention, beautiful, test drive.

Seeing the bridge in person somehow made me think of the setting of The Hunger Games…

I enjoyed walking the trail leading underneath the bridge. My co-driver Jason Muxlow of Automotive Trends thought he lost me there for a minute after I disappeared while he was taking pictures of the NX as we were stopped at the scenic view parking lot.

As far as driving the Lexus NX for the test drive, the very first word that came to mind was “effortless”. I had nearly driven all the way back to the Union Station Hotel before thinking to myself, “Oh yeah, I’m driving a Lexus NX right now, and I have been for the past 30 minutes. Soak this in right now; this is a big deal.”

I mean that as a good thing. It’s like when I hear a good classic song, like “1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins, for example. It takes me to a different place for a few minutes and it’s not until the song ends that I realize that escape itself is proof that I love it.

In case you’re wondering, the NX is a small sport-utilility vehicle, but it looks and feels like a sports-car.

Obviously, the folks at Lexus make sure their vehicles provide a certain kind of experience. For me, and I have reviewed many Lexus vehicles by now, there’s this quiet, subtle power that comes with the experience of driving one.

I’m not the kind of guy who likes huge, loud, obnoxious, attention-stealing vehicles. Granted, every time I review a Lexus, I see people turning their heads and then trying to pretend they’re not once they see me catching them.

Something that I particularly appreciated about the Lexus NX is its size. I like that it feels lower to the ground, handles perfectly, and has the right amount of power.

Usually I would close with some official stats on the car, but since the NX is still just a prototype, I can only give estimates.

According my notes taken during the “True Grit, Pure Grace” Lexus NX Press Premiere, the estimated cost of the vehicle will be “less than $40K.”

The targeted demographic is “men and women in their 30s and 40s who are single or married with young kids, having a combined household income of $130K.”

Estimated gas milage will be 22 city, 28 highway, and 24 average.

For the hybrid version, it will be 31 city, 35 highway, and 33 average.

Some other features of the 2015 Lexus NX include the following:

-All new 2.0-liter, 235 horsepower turbocharged gasoline engine with a combination water-cooled cylinder head, integrated exhaust manifold and twin scroll turbocharger.

-All new six-speed automatic transmission networks with turbo engine and torque to demand ideal level of boost pressure for quick response for quick-response performance and fuel economy.

-G-Force Artificial Intelligence (G-AI) system automatically selects optimum gear and downshift pattern in response to G-Force.

-Pre-loaded front differential (and yaw rate feedback control on proactive all-weather AWD versions) to ensure optimum grip, control, and agility.

-Wireless Charging Tray for compatible phones and devices.

-Lexus Remote Touch Interface (RTI) with a touch pad and comprehensive Multi-information Display that features a G-Force meter and boost gauge.

I would also normally tell what my 3 year-old Jack said about the vehicle, but since he was at daycare while I did the test drive, he was unavailable for an interview.

All I know is that he’s looking forward to me officially reviewing it once it’s available to the general public sometime around November 2014.

That’s it for today! Thanks for reading my review/preview.

If you’ve enjoyed reading about the Lexus NX today…

And there’s plenty more where those came from…

I now invite you to view the Lexus NX Press Release Flickr page, as well as the completely library of posts I’ve published on the 2015 Lexus RX:

The “True Grit, Pure Grace” Lexus NX Press Preview In Nashville, TN

2015 Lexus NX Review/Preview Across The Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge

Vegan Review Of The Farm House In Downtown Nashville

2015 Lexus NX 200t: 10 Professional Photos

2015 Lexus NX 300h: 11 Professional Photos

2015 Lexus NX 200t F Sport: 13 Professional Photos

Luxury Package of 2015 Lexus NX 200t F Sport: 7 Professional Photos

2015 Lexus NX: A Flickr Link To Professional Photos

Thanks for stopping by. Be on the look-out for more of my reviews on the Lexus/Toyota/Scion family!

6 Comments Posted on July 30, 2014August 10, 2014 car reviews, reviews, Uncategorized

The “True Grit, Pure Grace” Lexus NX Press Preview In Nashville, TN

This week I had the honor and privilege of being invited by Lexus to the official reveal of their upcoming NX, which will not officially hit the showrooms until at least this November.

The Lexus crew from Atlanta drove up to Nashville in eleven prototypes of their upcoming NX for their “True Grit, Pure Grace” press preview.

I personally only had to drive 12 miles to get to the classic Union Station Hotel from my house in Nashville. It seemed everyone else I met was from somewhere else on the eastern side of the United States; particularly the Detroit area or Florida.

I admit, it was pretty awesome to get to drive a luxury vehicle that technically doesn’t exist yet.

Out of the dozens of vehicles I’ve reviewed in the course of the past 3 years, largely the past 9 months, I’ve mentioned that the Toyota Rav4 was one of my favorites.

Simply put, it was a vehicle that would be extremely practical for me to own, as a dad with one small child- and that’s perhaps the highest compliment I can gave in a review.

With that being said, the upcoming Lexus NX is actually loosely modelled after the Toyota Rav4. Actually, my initial thought when seeing the picture of the NX in the invitation for the reveal was, “That looks like an edgier, more luxurious version of the Rav4.”

However, according to the presentation, I learned the Lexus NX has “20% more rigidity than the Rav4” and “90% new parts than the Rav4.”

(If the Rav4 is the cousin of the NX, then the Lexus RX would be the older brother; which I recently reviewed.)

After the presentation, we each immediately got paired up with another fellow journalist for one of three different driving routes.

I chose the longest route; to the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge and back. So did Jason Muxlow of Automotive Trends. He was a really cool Midwestern guy and we had a lot in common.

Continue this story by clicking on “2015 Lexus NX Review/Preview Across The Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge,” which is the title of next part of my 2015 Lexus NX review/preview.

You will get to see plenty of cool shots of the vehicle alongside the trek of the iconic Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge.

And there’s plenty more where those came from…

I now invite you to view the Lexus NX Press Release Flickr page, as well as the completely library of posts I’ve published on the 2015 Lexus RX:

The “True Grit, Pure Grace” Lexus NX Press Preview In Nashville, TN

2015 Lexus NX Review/Preview Across The Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge

Vegan Review Of The Farm House In Downtown Nashville

2015 Lexus NX 200t: 10 Professional Photos

2015 Lexus NX 300h: 11 Professional Photos

2015 Lexus NX 200t F Sport: 13 Professional Photos

Luxury Package of 2015 Lexus NX 200t F Sport: 7 Professional Photos

2015 Lexus NX: A Flickr Link To Professional Photos

Thanks for stopping by. Be on the look-out for more of my reviews on the Lexus/Toyota/Scion family!

Leave a comment Posted on July 27, 2014July 27, 2014 Nostalgia, parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Do You Remember The Times Of Your Life?

3 years, 8 months.

*Please play “Times Of Your Life” by Paul Anka while reading this one. I feel it perfectly captures the equal combination of sadness and goodness that illustrate what I am saying today:

Dear Jack,

Towards the end of my high school years, I remember suddenly becoming aware of those first couple of years of my life when things just seemed the sweetest and most innocent.

I had looked back though old photo albums, seeing the sincere look of joy on my parents’ faces as they lived in those moments, circa 1984.

My parents had made sacrifices for me, by default, simply because they became parents. But they cherished me for the sweet little boy I was.

It’s not something I had really thought much about until my later teenage years. Here we are, 30 years later. You’re now the sweet little boy in those pictures. Mommy and I are the parents in those pictures who cherish their son.

As long as I’ve been a parent, I’ve always been mindful of the cliche warnings: “Don’t rush these years. Kids grow up so fast!”

With that being said, the older you get, the more I love being your Daddy.

So while I’m not trying to rush these years, I admit I’m always curious to see how much cooler being your Daddy will get. You become more of “a real boy” each day.

As for now, these are the days when your stuffed animals still serve as the important equivalent of imaginary friends. It’s like they have souls. We don’t go anywhere without at least one of them, like your purple elephant, Ellie, for example.

I realize that a few years from now, those main characters in your life will fade to the background. What a strange thought!

Right now, these are the sweetest, most innocent years. It’s sadly ironic that I will most likely remember more about this time in your life than you will.

Good thing your Daddy is obsessed with documenting the whole thing for you! Granted, that “obsession” stems from my own wishes to revisit my past.

I enjoy you watching your world and I being a part of it. Perhaps being a parent is the most legitimate way to return to those nostalgic years of life I miss.

Love,

Daddy

P.S. The middle picture is an entry we submitted for a “selfie photo contest” for Joe Hendricks Photography!

Leave a comment Posted on July 24, 2014July 24, 2014 funny, Nostalgia, parenting, Uncategorized

Nashville Man Mysteriously Rescued By Monster Trucks

This past Sunday afternoon as a Nashville man, Nick Shell, 33, was rounding the turn at Old Hickory Boulevard and Nolensville Pike in his newly restored 1985 Toyota 4Runner, he slid into a giant mud-filled ditch.

“I had never seen mud that deep and thick before. It was all the way up to the windows. But then I looked up and saw a monster school bus and a big black monster truck with the phrase Crusader written across it. It was such perfect timing. How the monster trucks appeared immediately after my moment of need, I’ll never know,” Shell explained.

The giant monster trucks were able to nudge the 4Runner back up to the main road to safety. Perhaps miraculously, after all the mud was washed off, both the driver and Toyota 4Runner escaped the crash without even a scratch.

However, the monster trucks mysteriously drove away shortly after the 4Runner was saved from the mud pit. One anonymous eyewitness who happened to be driving behind the monster trucks stated that the two vehicles had directly left from seeing Disney’s Planes: Fire And Rescue.

Did the new Planes movie help inspire the monster trucks to be on the look-out for smaller vehicles they could rescue? It’s possible.

Some wonder if, in the likeness of the anonymous kindness of comic book super heroes, there will be more stories to come which tell of other monster trucks helping out drivers in need out there on the road.

It is also uncertain what exactly caused such a large area of deep mud so close to the main road. Large, asteroid-like clumps of rocky mud were also discovered near the site of the rescue.

We can only hope that where people are in despair, heroes continue to mysteriously appear to save them.

As for now, to the monster school bus and Crusader… whoever and wherever you are, your good works have not gone unnoticed.

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