Nashville

Leave a comment Posted on October 4, 2014 car reviews, Spirituality, Uncategorized

2014 Lexus GX 460 Family Friendly Review/Downtown Nashville

I’m assuming you just finished reading 2014 Lexus GX 460 Family Friendly Review/Grandma’s Great Escape!

So after having a very fun/random/original weekend helping my Grandma “escape” from the nursing home, we hit the road back to Nashville where we live.

On top of an already busy weekend, my wife Jill just happened to win 2 free tickets for Dierks Bentley’s Miles & Music for Kids concert.

We dropped off our son Jack at our friends’ house, where we had a lot of fun playing with their toys, then we drove to Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville.

Sure enough, this made only the 2^nd time Jill and I had actually been to downtown Nashville this year; despite the fact we actually live in the Nashville city limits.

If you haven’t driven down Broadway in Nashville, or more importantly, walked down it, I took a few shots of it with my camera to share its timeless glory.

Granted, be prepared to pay around 10 bucks to park. But visiting downtown Nashville is an event of its own, so that’s how I look at it.

I hinted at it already in 2014 Lexus GX 460 Family Friendly Review/Grandma’s Great Escape! but the Lexus GX 460 was my favorite Lexus vehicle so far.

At the risk of sounding borderline bravado, the Lexus GX 460 is just such a masculine ride. (Though my wife and my mom seemed to like the vehicle as much as I did!) Like I said before, driving it reminded me a lot of the Toyota Tacoma, which is my favorite Toyota vehicle.

It felt like the appropriate vehicle to be driving while in downtown Nashville; which back in 2009 was voted “America’s #1 Manliest City”.

My wife and I got to see Jon Pardi and Randy Houser play right there in front of the Cumberland River, which runs right through the middle of downtown Nashville.

Had we waited around a few more hours, we would have eventually seen Dierks Bentley perform, but we wanted to make sure we got our son Jack to bed at a decent hour.

As we made our way back to the car, we strolled past dozens of “honky-tonks,” all of which have a no-name, trying-it-to-make-it, paying-my-dues singers performing in the window.

I like living in Nashville, even if I’m barely exposed to the true stereotypes the city is known for.

Even though we didn’t actually get to see Dierks Bentley with those free tickets, the important thing is that my wife and I got to hang out “alone together” on a date, which is something we don’t get to do often; not that that makes us unique by any means.

Life is busy and our schedules are overwhelming. It’s nice to take a break and enjoy the back drop.

Car Review Stats:

2014 Lexus 9700A GX 460 5-DR SUV

4.6 liter V8, 301 horsepower

17 mpg average, 15 city, 20 highway

as shown: $55,505.00

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5 Comments Posted on October 4, 2014October 5, 2014 car reviews, funny, Nostalgia, parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

2014 Lexus GX 460 Family Friendly Review/Grandma’s Great Escape!

So last weekend I broke my Grandma out of the nursing home without anyone knowing it, then I pushed her in her wheelchair a mile down the road while she wore a “seatbelt” we made from a rolled up blanket…

Wait, actually, that’s probably not the best way to start this story. Let me try again.

The last time my Grandma had seen her younger brother Bob was back in the summer of 1987, back when I was six years old, when we took a family vacation road trip to Buffalo, New York where my Grandma and my mom are from.

That was 27 years ago…

But then randomly this year, my great-Uncle Bob decided that he wanted to visit my Grandma (his sister) by train with his girlfriend (he’s never been in a plane and he’s only left the state of New York once).

So I decided it would definitely be worth the 2 and a half hour drive from Nashville where we live, to my hometown in Alabama; taking my own family (my wife Jill and my son Jack) to witness this great reunion- 27 years in the making!

And to make things even more fun, we were able to review the 2014 Lexus GX 460 in the process. Which, for the record, was my personal favorite out of all the many Lexus vehicles I have reviewed within the past year.

The way it drove reminded me of the Toyota Tacoma, my favorite Toyota vehicle, which I reviewed on my 33^rd birthday back in April.

My wife Jill appreciated was how spacious the 2014 Lexus GX 460 is. We had to transport some of our son’s toys to my parents’ house; as we are in the process of building a new house (as I recently wrote about when I reviewed the 2014 Lexus GS 450h) and needed a place to store some things.

Meanwhile, my son Jack loved the stadium seating in the back because he could see everything that I could from the driver’s seat. Also, it has a 3^rdrow seat from can fold up from the very back.

He convinced us to let him sit in the very back for the entire round trip! Not to mention, to and from school a few days as well.

I was surprised at how easy it was to hear Jack and Jill all the way back there. (I’m sure many educated people at Lexus have labored countless hours over making sure the sound carries that well!)

The visibility from the driver’s seat also greatly impressed me as well. I can’t remember the last time I drove a vehicle with better visibility than the 2014 Lexus GX 460.

So we arrived at my Grandma’s nursing home and along with my dad’s help, were able to lift my Grandma from her wheelchair to the car.

In the process, I also “re-met” my great-Uncle Bob while there, who of course didn’t recognize me as a grown adult. As we talked, I learned from him that it was nearly 100 years ago, in 1923, that his own parents moved to New York from Michoacán, in southern Mexico; though he nor my Grandma ever really spoke Spanish.

The whole family met as a whole back at my sister’s house, just a mile away from the nursing home.

First, we celebrated by brother-in-law (who apparently happens to look a lot like me) turning 30 years old.

Then we headed outside to the “jumpy castle” as Jack and his cousin Calla burned off extra energy they mysteriously gained from not having to take a nap that day.

And of course, we checked out the storm shelter, which has sort of become the routine when we visit.

Next we had a plant-based (vegan) lunch, prepared by my sister…

Followed by an instantly made-up game of “bean bag bumper cars”…

That’s about the time we got a call from the nursing home. Turns out, none of us even thought to actually sign my grandma out. And coincidentally, no one working there noticed us wheeling her out the front door!

The workers were so glad to hear that we had Grandma with us instead of, I guess, her somehow escaping (?) on her own.

However, by that time she was ready to get back to her home. The thing was, she was afraid to be lifted back up into a vehicle for the 0.925 miles back.

We did what every all-American family would have done in the same situation:

My sister and her husband rolled up a large blanket, then I MacGyvered it into a home-made seatbelt. And now this particular photo collage begins to make more sense…

After all, despite it only being about a mile away, the journey was all hills.

Fortunately, my daily routine of mountain biking during my lunch break had conditioned my body to be able to get my Grandma to her destination in less than 15 minutes. She even got to catch a glimpse of the County Fair a few blocks away.

Before we left the next morning, we made sure to snap a few pictures of our family.

Since my brother-in-law/look-alike turned 30 recently, and until Jack turns 4 next month, it means that we are living in a time when my wife and I are both 33, my sister and her husband are both 30, and their daughter Calla and our son Jack are both 3.

So we figured we should take an official picture of this cool “3-30-33” moment.

And that just goes to show that anytime my family gets together, it’s never “normal.”

But it is fun.

If you were entertained by this story, then be on the look-out what happened after we drove back to Nashville to see a Dierks Bentley concert that my wife won tickets for!

Car Review Stats:

2014 Lexus 9700A GX 460 5-DR SUV

4.6 liter V8, 301 horsepower

17 mpg average, 15 city, 20 highway

as shown: $55,505.00

See all 4 posts on the 2014 Lexus 9700A GX 460 5-DR SUV:

2014 Lexus GX 460 Family Friendly Review/Grandma’s Great Escape!

2014 Lexus GX 460 Family Friendly Review/Downtown Nashville

Folding Down/Up The 3rd Seats Of The 2014 Lexus GX 460

Syncing Up Your Phone/Using Driver Assist In The 2014 Lexus GX 460

Were you interested in what you just read? Was this post a strangely pleasant distraction to other things popping up on your Facebook or Twitter feed? Ya know… you could always like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or even subscribe to Family Friendly Daddy Blog by clicking on the appropriate icon on the left side of this page. No pressure though…

Leave a comment Posted on September 22, 2014September 22, 2014 Nostalgia, parenting, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Playing Catch With Your Kid, Literally

3 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

One of the classic dad things to do is to throw your kid (especially if it’s a boy) up to the air and catch them, repeatedly.

The child laughs, the dad laughs. It’s a classic American scene.

Yeah… I’ve never done that with you.

I officially realized this a few weeks back when I saw an Instragram photo (featured above) from my friend and professional photographer Joe Hendricks.

Seriously, look at that height! It’s about 5 feet up.

I think his ability to throw his 3 year-old son Austin that high into the air is amazing. Not only that Joe can physically do that, but that his son Austin obviously fully trusts his Daddy that much.

Somehow I just never got around to doing that to you; not even a few inches into the air. And at this rate, I can’t imagine being able to physically do it.

You aren’t that little anymore. In fact, everyone keeps saying you’re going to outgrow me by the time you’re 18. By now, you’re actually pretty tall and pretty heavy.

So I guess I won’t be able to check off “throwing my son up in the air and catching him repeatedly” from my list of things to do as a dad. At nearly 4 years old now, I think you’re too big to throw even a fraction of how high Joe can throw his son Austin.

But I’m sure you wish I could do what Joe is able to do to Austin!

Instead, I’ve been throwing you onto your bed every night as Mommy prepares your bath. It’s sort of like WWE Wrestling for us.

You and I have another new tradition now too. Most mornings you wake up about 45 minutes too early. So I come to your bedroom as his Mommy is getting ready for work, then I ask you to “go camping” with me.

What that means is that I lay down on the floor with a blanket, next to your bed. You then jump down, with your own blanket and lay down either in between me and the wall, or on top of me.

We sort of both half-way fall asleep until Mommy enters into the room to get you dressed. That’s a near daily occurrence these days.

I’m always curious about the subtle ways that fathers and sons show physical affection. As for you and me, we now “go camping” next to your bed. Or like this morning, we just sleep together on your bed instead of beside it.

But as for my friend and professional photographer Joe Hendricks, he shares an amazing bonding ritual with his son that I’ve never attempted.

Meanwhile you have to settle for getting tossed onto your bed, AKA Wrestlemania.

Love,

Daddy

P.S. Here is some of Joe Hendricks’ work:

2 Comments Posted on September 21, 2014 food reviews, reviews, Uncategorized

Going To Get Tater Tots Makes My Son Feel Special/The Great Food Truck Festival Of Nashville

3 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

Recently as part of an art activity at school, you were asked to draw a picture that answers the question, “What’s something that makes you feel special?”

I would have thought you would have said playing with Legos, or getting a Hot Wheels car at Kroger, or even simply playing at home with Mommy and me.

Instead, you answered, “Going to get tater tots.” You drew a picture of yourself with 5 tater tots. To you, that apparently equals feeling special.

This weekend turned out to be a “stay in Nashville kind of weekend”. Coincidentally, “The Great Food Truck Festival” just happened to be taking place in the neighborhood next to ours, in the parking lot of the only place you have ever eaten tater tots: the critically acclaimed and award winning Burger Republic.

So Mommy and I decided to officially make you feel special…

In anticipation of the tater tots arriving, I helped distract you by drawing tomatoes on the Burger Republic coloring sheet for you to “run over” with your new acquired Jeep Scrambler. (I would scribble over each tomato after you rolled the car over each one that I had drawn on your race track.)

I could tell, just being there was a big deal to you. I could clearly see you felt special once those tater tots arrived!

Of course, I can’t fail to mention that we were visiting some of our wonderful friends there. (You’ve grown up with them and their dog.) You were fairly oblivious to their presence until after you had consumed the famous tater tots and we were outside on the playground next to Burger Republic.

It made my day to get to see you and their daughter Parker get along so well. Not only did you play perfectly synchronized, but I even think the two of you look a lot a like.

You were lucky. You didn’t have to take a nap because of the fact we met up with them about the time you should have been in the middle of your nap.

Fortunately, you were able to burn off 100% of the extra boost of energy you ironically get from not taking a nap.

I’m so glad to know that the the of you with be attending the same elementary school and be in the same grade once you graduate out of pre-school. I think Parker is going to make a great friend for you!

You were even able to successfully share your Jeep Wrangler with her. Man, that’s saying a lot…

We finished off the afternoon by walking in between all the glorious food trucks there for the festival.

Having already eaten the food that makes you feel very special, your main concern at that point was to find out which color truck was the coolest.

As I would imagine, you chose the pink one.

When you live in a fun city like Nashville, even the “stay at home weekends” end up being pretty interesting… and special.

Love,

Daddy

FYI: Burger Republic was unaware I was writing a “family friendly review” on them at the time. I was simply a paying customer who happened to be taking a lot of pictures of my son. In other words, I did not “work for free tater tots.” I simply have always enjoyed going to Burger Republic and thought they deserve a shout-out. In case you’re wondering, they do serve vegan burgers too.

1 Comment Posted on September 9, 2014December 1, 2014 car reviews, new house, reviews, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: Our 2nd Visit To Our New House/ 2014 Lexus GS 450h Family Friendly Review

3 years, 9 months.

Dear Jack,

Over the weekend I made it “Facebook and Twitter official” that our family bought a new house two weeks ago. To be specific, we’re building a new house in the “bedroom community” of Spring Hill, TN. (Our new home is currently a concrete slab.)

(See Dear Jack: We’re Building A New House In Spring Hill, TN.)

I know this sounds strange, but other than going to our lot on the day we “bought” it (meaning we put down the honest money), that was the only time we saw it. We didn’t even check out the surrounding neighborhoods on that day.

Granted, we had well researched the neighborhood online, making sure it was in the “right county for schools,” which is Williamson if you live in the Nashville area.

Plus, our real estate agent Dave Stanley also verified it was a good neighborhood, too; as did another real estate agent in my office, along with about 4 or 5 other co-workers who live in Spring Hill.

(The picture directly below, looking out the car window, is a shot of our new home.)

So our family decided, now that we’ve signed all the proper paperwork and got all the financial approval and all that fun stuff… that we should officially check out the neighborhood.

Plus, we were able to pick out the color of our house (sort of a sea blue), carpet, and granite countertops. You helped the in-house agent enter the info into the computer.

To keep you entertained, I played “Easter Egg Hunt” with him using balloons in the model home; which is the same floor plan as we will have. We also played “Balloon Basketball” using a shelf on the wall.

Afterwards, our family did a “neighborhood drive-by”, checking out the elementary school and new rec center which you can see from our street.

It’s also convenient that the church we will be attending is right around the corner too.

We were also able to meet our next door neighbor; a really nice lady from Detroit who has a 5 year-old granddaughter who happens to live in the neighborhood too.

This is really exciting stuff!

Of course, the whole time, we were cruising around in the glorious 2014 Lexus GS 450h. (I’ve been regularly reviewing cars for a solid year now, as a daddy blogger.)

I should say right off that I very much appreciated that it averages 31 miles per gallon. (The “h” in its name stands for “hybrid.”) Considering all the driving we did to, around, and from our new home, I never had to think about fueling up.

After having driven the 2014 Lexus GS 450h for an entire week now, it’s still not down to half a tank yet.

Your favorite part about the car was that the windows have sun shades that pull down. I think it made you feel like you’re in your own private limo. You also liked the Sirius XM station, Margaritaville, (Ch. 24).

On the way to school this morning, you begged me, “Turn it to Jimmy Buffet, Daddy!”

(Speaking of the radio, you can control it (along with the air) from a special console that folds down from in between the back seats.)

Needless to say, Mommy thoroughly enjoyed getting to test-drive the car. You and me had as much fun while she did, as we apparently pretended to be pirates, I think…

I also enjoyed one particular safety feature it has where it beeps anytime it senses another vehicle as you’re backing up. That’s really cool- came in handy a time or two.

As always, people’s heads turned the entire week as we drove this Lexus around. It happens every time we review a Lexus.

I just whipped up this for anyone interested as well: Syncing Your Phone To A New Lexus Vehicle.

And obviously, in the months to come, there will be more house updates as well.

Love,

Daddy

2014 Lexus GS 450h

Fuel economy: 31 combined/29 city/34 highway

Price as shown: $70,000.00.

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