Storytelling

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Dear Jack: Your Ridiculous New Slippers!

13 years, 2 months.

Dear Jack,

One of the most American things you can do these days is to order online whatever you can imagine… to be shipped from China.

A few days after we got back from Christmas in Alabama, we decided that a logical family event would be to drive to Opry Mills Mall to possibly spend some of our Christmas gift money.

As we walked out of the doors of the Gap Outlet, you were immediately drawn to one of those vendors in the middle of the walkway. The guy was selling these hilarious and ridiculous house slippers that looked like Nike sneakers.

I stopped you: “No! Don’t go over there! It’s going to be some sort of rip-off. It will probably be like $50 for one pair but then you get the 2nd pair half off.”

Mommy seconded my motion: “Jack, you can look those up online when we get home. I’m sure you can find them a lot cheaper.”

And you did… for less than 10 bucks!

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: You Had No Complaints about the House We Bought!

13 years, 2 months.
Dear Jack,
Over the course of the past five months, our family has driven to Alabama several times to view houses for sale. Through the process, you openly announced your issues with each one we saw.
Fate would have it that the house we ended up buying last Friday was the one house that you and your sister didn’t get a chance to see.
So a few minutes after walking into our family’s new home, as the ink was still drying on the paperwork from us closing on the house, I asked you:
“Jack, what is your favorite part of our new house?”
Your response: “All of it!”
This marked the first time we visited a house that you didn’t even have one complaint about.
What a relief!
Our new house in Alabama is only 50 square feet bigger than our house now in Tennessee. However, our Tennessee house has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a bonus room; whereas our Alabama house has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and no bonus room.
That means that literally every room in our new house in Alabama, including your bedroom, is bigger than our current house; even all the closets!
And your “second bedroom”, the garage, where you are often slipping away to work on your projects, has much more space for you in your Enneagram 5 Batcave/Fortress of Solitude.
So yeah, you’re going to like our new house.
Love,
Daddy
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Dear Holly: Your Special New Bedroom with a Vaulted Ceiling

7 years, 9 months.

Dear Holly,

In our new house in Alabama, there are three rooms that have a vaulted ceiling:

The living room, the dining room… and your bedroom!

I was relieved that your brother didn’t mention it, knowing that your room is technically bigger than his, because it is taller.

Everyone in our family is getting new beds for when we move in to our Alabama house this summer.

You have chosen pink bunk beds… which I did not realize existed.

I keep telling you, “Holly, your bedroom is like its own little house for you because it has its own roof. It’s Little Holly’s Little House!”.

Clearly, I am just as happy as you are about your new bedroom!

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Your New Phone Cover

13 years, 2 months.

Dear Jack,

Exactly a month ago on Christmas Day, I was able to talk you into not going through the annoying/dramatic/stressful ordeal of returning your “not pink” cell phone through the mail and exchanging it for the “off white” one we actually ordered for you.

Now that I have completed writing my book (to be published and released later this year), I can finally appreciate and understand that I am the epitome of an Enneagram 9 Wing 8:

I am a natural negotiator.

And using my negotiation skills on Christmas Day, my “compromise” in the exchange was to agree to buy you whichever cell phone cover you wanted.

By Christmas afternoon, you had made peace with your “not pink” phone, on your own.

But by that point, we had already ordered you the fuzzy green monster of a cell phone cover you wanted.

So… double win?

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Making Pizza with Mommy

7 years, 9 months.

Dear Holly,

When subtle yet special family moments show up, I am always prepared with my actual camera to freeze that moment in time for my collection. (Yes, I still use an actual digital camera instead of my phone.)

Last Saturday, I sent myself on a mission to buy groceries while we were snowed in. Good thing I have my Jeep!

When I got home, I saw that you and Mommy were making homemade pizza for dinner… and having so much fun doing it.

It made me feel so good to see the two of you together in that Mommy/daughter moment. I don’t take these times in life for granted. I celebrate them!

Love,

Daddy