fatherhood

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Jeep Wrangler Road Trip with My Wife Along Lookout Mountain Brow: From Fort Payne, AL to Rising Fawn, GA to Chattanooga, TN

Owning a Jeep Wrangler means that suddenly, any drive immediately becomes an adventurous road trip. That definitely was the case Labor Day Weekend.

My wife and I drove from my parents’ house in Fort Payne, Alabama to downtown, Chattanooga; the while time with the top off the Jeep and the whole time along the brow of Lookout Mountain.

We traveled through 3 states in doing so: Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.

About halfway through, we stopped for a hike along side of the mountain top, at Cloudland Canyon State Park.

From there, we stumbled upon some hang gliders who were flying all around us. This was quite a sight to see!

It was a fun date! I really enjoyed being able to spent time alone with my wife all afternoon, while my parents and sister watched our kids.

At age 38, having fun is still important. Having a cool wife and a cool Jeep helps make that possible!

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Dear Jack: The Crayfish You Caught at the Waterfall

8 years, 9 months.

Dear Jack,

Last Saturday morning, you and I went hiking with Papa at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia; which is only 30 miles from Nana and Papa’s house.

We took a long hike down into the canyon, where we were able to check out some waterfalls.

It was in a puddle formed in conjunction to one of the waterfalls that you had a hunch that there might be a creature to catch.

Unbeknownst to me, you had proactively brought a bug container with you on our hike.

You were so proud of the crayfish you caught.

As we hiked back up to the top of the park, several of the hikers making their way down said to one another, “Look at one that boy caught… some kind of fish?”

That was pretty cool.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: The Cousins’ Homemade Playhouse in the Living Room

3 years, 4 months.

Dear Holly,

This past Labor Day Weekend, I feel that the major theme for you, your brother, and cousins was to make houses in the living room and then hang out in them; like an ongoing slumber party.

Apparently, there was even a farmer’s market where produce and animals were sold.

Granted, within a few hours, the house of pillows and play tents would inevitably get destroyed, only to be rebuilt each time.

The four of you had your own community and culture in which the adults were largely unaware of.

I have a feeling you all will rebuild your house the next time we are in town.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Reuniting with Your Friends from Preschool, 8 Years Later

8 years, 9 months.

You were 6 months old when you started going to preschool, at KinderCare. It was the summer of 2011 when you first met your friends Avery and Madison.

Though you were the oldest, it wasn’t by much, as the girls were both just a couple of months younger than you.

When we moved into our new house in January 2015, you stopped going to their preschool; not only because we moved you to a different preschool, but because Kindergarten would be starting later that year anyway.

Our families have continued to get together a couple of times each year since then.

This past weekend, our families all met together at Burger Up.

I took a picture of the 3 of you; all having recently started 3rd grade. It was 8 years ago that you all met. And you’re still hanging out after all these years!

Dear Jack,

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Your New Alarm Clock, to Ensure You Don’t Wake Up Too Early

3 years, 4 months.

You and I had a deal. It had been working for many months now:

Each night as I put you to bed, I would remind you, “Okay Holly, remember- don’t come downstairs until you see the sunlight start coming through the window.”

It helped ensure you didn’t start the day too early.

But for some reason, you stopped going along with our deal.

This past week, your new default wake-up time was 5 AM.

So I decided to set up a new system. I pulled out an old cell phone and let you decide what song you want to play for the alarm.

It’s less of an alarm to wake you up each morning and more of an alarm to let you know what time you are allowed to come downstairs and start the day.

I sure hope this works…

Dear Holly,

Love,

Daddy