My 2019 Year in Review: 5 Things That Defined My Life in the Final Year of the 2010s

My 2019 Year in Review: 5 Things That Defined My Life in the Final Year of the 2010s

I only recently realized that we are actually coming to the end of another decade. This decade itself has presented several major milestones for me:

2010: I became a parent for the first time when my son Jack was born.

2011: I turned 30 years old. Parents Magazine chose me as their official daddy blogger- a side gig that was last the next 4 years.

2012: I became the manager of the retention department at my employer at the time, which triggered my fascination with emotional intelligence.

2013: My wife and I became debt-free, other than our mortgage.

2014: We started building our new house.

2015: We moved into our brand-new house; having previously owned a town home. I also started my first YouTube channel, which currently has over 8K subscribers and earns me an average of $500 per month.

2016: Four days after my 35th birthday, my daughter was born.

2017: The company I had been working for the past 11 years closed down my branch, starting a 6 month stretch of me being a stay-at-home dad.

2018: I made by television debut on the Lifetime Network show, This Time Next Year. I also got a new job, at a Fortune 500 Company, where I have now worked a year and a half.

As for 2019, there are 5 particular pinpoints that come to mind…

Existential crisis: Having reached all my major life goals before the age 40, I came to a point where I had to re-evaluate my goals and ambitions.

Jeep Wrangler: After owning my Honda Element since 2006, I finally got a new” vehicle- a 2010 Jeep Wrangler JK 6 Speed.

20 Year High School Reunion: My wife and I had a great time with the people I grew up with and graduated with in 1999.

Releasing Original Songs: So far, my wife and I have released 4 new original songs together on my YouTube channel. Despite both moving to Nashville to start music careers, we had never publically performed together.

1st Family Pet: Despite our “no pet” policy in our home, my son wanted a teddy bear hamster for his 9th birthday. Ultimately, the hamster quickly became my pet- or at best, the “family” pet.

Now, with the 2020s ahead of me, I shall enter the decade in which I turn 40 and became of the parent of two teenagers. That ought to be fun.

Dear Jack: Your Reptile-Themed 9th Birthday Party

9 years.

Dear Jack,

This year for your birthday party, I feel like it’s safe to say that both Mommy and I were feeling a bit ambitious, as we hosted ten of your 9 year-old friends at our home. Notably, there were all boys.

You were very involved in the planning process, though. The theme: Reptiles.

It was your idea to start out by having all your friends paint a wooden snake at our kitchen table.

Next up on the agenda was to play “Pin the Tongue on the Cobra”… of course!

Then, I took you and your friends out on a scavenger hunt hike around the walking trail in our neighborhood:

Jack’s 9th Birthday Scavenger Hunt Hike

As a group, the following items must be discovered and tasks must be completed.

If not, no one gets pizza or cake- and Jack can’t open his presents- he has to give the presents back.

-Corn cob

-American flag

-Poisonous berries

-7 dog poop signs

-P on door

-Owl on door

-4 painted metal signs of flowers- blue, red, green, yellow

-Predators’ flag

-3 signs of a man with a floating head

-Everyone throws a black walnut into the woods from the top of the stairs

-Everyone runs backwards across a wooden bridge

-Everyone sits on a bench at the same time

-Everyone yells “Happy Birthday Jack!” on the same side of a tunnel, while he’s on the other side

(I helped you all out by pointing to the big letter “P” on our neighbors’ door, as that’s the letter that their last name begins with.)

It was perfect timing- because by the time we all returned to our house, the pizza had just been delivered.

I can not remember the last time I had Domino’s pizza, but I was thoroughly impressed!

And of course, the finale of the party was letting you all have a massive swordfight with inflatable snakes out in the cul-de-sac.

Your birthday party went so well that I suppose we could get away with hosting it at our house again next year!

Love,

Daddy

Dear Holly: Treating Your Babysitter Like She’s a Disney Princess

3 years, 7 months.

Dear Holly,

Last month when Mommy and I went out to the Jason Isbell concert in Nashville, I hired of one of my coworkers to babysit you; since it was on a Tuesday night.

In the days leading up to her coming over, she kept asking me for confirmation, “I get to have a babysitter on my house?”

When that evening finally arrived, I loved your reaction to officially seeing her.

You looked up at her and said, “It’s my babysitter!”

The way you said it though, was with the same fascination had you being saying instead, “It’s (insert name of any Disney princess here)!”

Things went so well, she even came to your brother’s birthday party a few weeks ago.

It’s great knowing we have a solid babysitter now!

Love,

Daddy

Types of Home Windows You Must Know About 

When constructing a home, windows are a significant thought. An unusual atmosphere requests specific regard for window determination. Truth be told, construction regulation requires all new development to have sway windows introduced when working inside one mile of the coast.

All windows let in light and most give ventilation, yet while choosing windows, property holders have a wide range of sorts of windows to choose from.

A few windows are simpler to open, others offer perfect wind stream, still, others are perfect for taking in beautiful perspectives. Various windows additionally have various hopes to coordinate distinctive building styles or stylistic theme. These windows require window Panes to complete their look. Here are a couple of various kinds of windows and what makes them unique.

Double-Hung windows

These types of windows can open from either the top or bottom, yet they stay inside the edge without projecting in or out. Double-hung windows are the most well-known style of windows accessible today for two basic reasons: they offer preferable ventilation over single-hung windows and are simpler to clean. Be that as it may, they are more inclined to spilling than single-hung windows in light of the fact that the band just opens one way.

Single-Hung windows

Like a double-hung window, a solitary hung window is a tall aluminum window with two separate outlines; in any case, dissimilar to double-hung windows, just the base window opens. Single-hung and double-hung windows are the most widely recognized window types. They are a famous effect window decision in light of the fact that their aluminum outlines won’t twist in the tropical atmosphere.

They have an exemplary enhancing glance and fit in well with most stylistic layout styles. Single-hung windows are a well-known decision in home redesigns in light of the fact that they will, in general, be increasingly reasonable. In any case, they generally offer less open region than casement or slider windows and can be increasingly inclined to air spillage.

Cottage Window

The Cottage sort of window is a variety of the double-hung window where the upper reserve is shorter than the lower one. Besides the littler upper reserve, the highlights and qualities of the bungalow window are fundamentally the same as the previously mentioned double-hung window. It is additionally regularly called the “front window type”.

Transom Windows

This thin window can be either working or stationary and is frequently mounted over a window or entryway to let in progressively light. They are customarily fan-molded and regularly carefully enhancing. Nonetheless, in present-day design, ventilating transoms are frequently rectangular.

Picture Windows

Picture windows also called stationary or fixed windows, picture windows are best in regions where ventilation isn’t required on the grounds that they don’t open. Fixed windows are perfect in the focal point of enormous dividers since they give adequate lighting and expansive perspectives. Picture windows are less inclined to air spillage since they don’t open, however, they are regularly less vitality productive because of their size.

Dear Jack: Your New Pet Teddy Bear Hamster Named Alpha

9 years old.

Dear Jack,

Well, it happened. We did it.

Mommy and I let you get our family’s first ever pet.

You decided on a Teddy Bear Hamster who you named Alpha.

With this being our first week into it, as the nice helpful lady at Petco explained, it’s going to take several days for your hamster to get accustomed to our family.

So each day after school, as a family, we have been letting him out of his cage and so he can get used to us petting his back.

Hopefully soon, we’ll be at the point where you can easily pick him up and hold him.

I think this is a good thing for you!

Love,

Daddy