Storytelling

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Dear Holly: Treasuring Your Brothers Hand-Me-Downs

7 years, 10 months.

Dear Holly,

With our family’s upcoming move in a couple of months, the living room has become the official holding space for boxes needing to be hauled for each next trip to Alabama. This strategy has at this point already prevented us from eventually having to rent the largest U-Haul truck for our final moving trip.

As we are constantly in the process of packing up for the move, we are also determining which of our belongings won’t be making the move with us.

Last week I was on my way out the door for the gym one morning and I saw you hugging a stuffed animal I had never seen you with before.

“Holly, is that a new stuffed animal? Where did you get that?”

You were so proud to tell me, “Jack gave it to me!”

Your brother’s hand-me-downs are your treasures.

Love,

Daddy

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Starting to Say Goodbye to Our Friends in Tennessee

I believe that the meaning of life is found in the people who keep showing up. And when I think of someone who has continued to show up in my life here in Tennessee, my good friend Mohamad immediately comes to mind.

Mohamad and I became friends ten years ago when our wives worked together at Vanderbilt University.

What started out as a “we should get together on Saturday for brunch and bring our husbands along so we can all meet” evolved into a tradition of meeting for brunch on a monthly basis; as we take turns hosting at our homes.

His wife Lena thoughtfully accompanied my wife Jill to doctor’s appointments when I couldn’t be there.

Our families went on a Fourth of July Staycation together. We’ve met each other’s parents and siblings multiple times.

I will never forget the day my wife’s car got a flat tire on the unimaginably busy I-65 in Nashville post-work traffic. I called Mohamad. Not only did he pick up, but he showed up.

After I swapped vehicles so my wife could drive home in mine, Mohamad stayed with me on the side of the Interstate as we got my wife’s car back in drivable condition. That included driving me to the parts store to buy a universal 4 way lug wrench and a hydraulic jack, as it wasn’t until my wife got a flat tire that I realized her car we would just bought didn’t come the basic versions in the trunk of the car like I assumed it always does.

(Since that day, years ago, I now always carry those tools with me carry in my Jeep; as well as jumper cables, a blanket, a couple cans of Kroger brand seltzer water, and a protein bar.)

It was Mohamad who inspired me to start weight training at the gym a few years ago. It was Mohamad who took my official headshot for my upcoming book.

I would be sad, but we are moving less than 3 hours away. So I know that while our families won’t be seeing each other at least once each month, as we’ve been doing for the past several years, we will continue to make the mutual effort as we’ve always done.

 

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Dear Jack: Your Pink Temporary Face Tattoo

13 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

This past weekend our family went to a yoga-themed birthday party for our friend Mohamad and Lena’s daughter Hanna, who turned eight years old.

Though you knew going into it that there would be no one your age, I could tell you were excited to be a part of it.

As soon as we walked into the party, which was at a rec center, you immediately accepted an offer to receive a temporary tattoo. You chose for it to be placed on your face. And it was pink.

Now here we are, nearly a week later, and the pink tattoo is still on your face, in full unfaded glory.

That means that everyone at your school, specifically your 7th grade classmates, have no choice but to A) look at you with a pink face tattoo and B) accept that you are confident enough to go around all week with a pink face tattoo.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Your Pink Glasses

7 years, 10 months.

Dear Holly,

Back when you were in pre-K, you chose a pair of pink L.O.L. Surprise sunglasses as a prize. Amazingly, you still wear them now, as a 2nd grader.

Your pink sunglasses gained a new life when the lenses broke out of the frames one day while we were buying groceries.

That’s when you realized you could have fun pink glasses to wear… everywhere you go!

Sometimes you wear them to school. Sometimes you wear them around the house. I’ve even caught you sleeping while wearing them.

If you ever actually need glasses to see better, I have a feeling you are going to choose pink frames!

Love,

Daddy

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Our Final 90 Days Living in Tennessee

We are now at the point where this is pretty much our family’s final 90 days remaining of our time here in Tennessee, before we make the move to Alabama.

This week served as a milestone, as the deconstruction process began for some of the renovations that we are hiring contractors for.

Throughout this nesting process, my wife is basically Joanna Gaines… while I am basically Paul Rudd.

By the time we move in around Memorial Day, we will hopefully have brand-new bathrooms, kitchen cabinets, and floors throughout the entire house.

I was dreading having to drive a huge U-Haul for 3 hours across Monteagle for the official moving day.

Fortunately, it shouldn’t be that bad now, as we are microdosing the move each time we visit Fort Payne and when my parents come to Tennessee to visit us.

Last weekend, we fully loaded my dad’s huge F-150 for my parents’ trip back to Alabama. Every little bit helps.

I’m sure there will be a U-Haul involved for the final move, but I am confident the truck we rent will not have to be one of the bigger ones they rent.

Another milestone this week was that this made the first “double payment”: One for the house we bought in Alabama and the other for our house in Tennessee, which will be going on the market next month!