I may need camp counseling

Adam is going to camp in less then two weeks from now. When we first signed him up a few months back it didn't seem as large and impending as it does now. Kind of like a mountain from a distance that can be seen through your thumb and forefinger. Now that the time has come, from my point of view at the base of this mountain it looks like a terrifying climb.

I guess every parent wishes they could freeze time. We wish we could keep our children deep inside the cocoon we've made of our homes and never let them out, less the worst should happen. I guess if I had to think of all my flaws I'd list keeping up with current events as up near the top. Knowing what's taking place in the world around you is important, but it's also very scary. As the days pass to their inevitable conclusion (the car ride to camp), its my job to constantly remind him how strong he is, to reassure him that he will make new friends and memories that will last a lifetime. He needs to know there's nothing to worry about and nothing he can't handle while away...no matter how much my inner fears struggle to find a voice. Camp is going to be tough on all of us. 

I have something to say

I'm not entirely sure what I want to rant about today, but there is this overwhelming urge to get something off my chest whatever it may be. I think I'll land on Mandy's almost cave woman idea that the man should provide the food. I know she fully believes this because she expresses it to me (I'm walking a marital tight rope here) whenever the subject of who is going to go get fast food comes up, which is about 2-3 times a week. I completely understand this belief and today I'm thinking I've unfairly given her a hard time about it. Call it laziness, call it stubbornness, maybe I'm being cheap, but I think it's most likely related to my need to get from point A to point B in every situation as quickly as possible. For example recently I've discovered pre-cooked bacon. Not that fake turkey cardboard mess that claims to be bacon, but specifically Hormel pre-cooked bacon. In literally 45 seconds I've learned I can have pretty good tasting bacon. Sometimes I don't even warm it up. After all it's pre-cooked! All the work has been done for you!!! Yes it's not 100% the same as regular bacon, but it does eliminate 99% of the clean up so I've gone from point A "I need to eat bacon" to point B "I've got bacon" in 45 seconds and only messed up one plate. That's awesome! Now apply this character trait to fast food and here's what causes conflict; instead of driving all over town, trying to remember elaborate menu combinations (no ketchup, cheese only, no lettuce) for every member of the house, I'm more inclined to jump straight to point B "tonight we are eating chip crumbs and lunch meat (just meat we are out of bread)". Obviously this goes completely against Mandy's belief that man is the hunter and gatherer....and up until today I've given her grief about this. But today is a new day! And with this new day come change! Starting today I will always go get fast food whenever my wife asks me to and I'll do it with a smile! Why? Because I love her and I respect her and she's quit washing my undershirts and I can't have Spider-Man peeking out the collar of my pollo shirt during a meeting with my CFO! 

39 And Counting

Whenever I'm away from my blog for a bit I always feel the need to do a recap. As if I need to explain to my blog why I've ignored it for so long. It's kinda like going a couple weeks without talking to your mother, in that almost the exact same phrases are said "I know I should have called. I miss you too. I've just been busy. Yes I'm wearing clean underwear". The conversation is then followed by a Cliff Notes version of what's been happening. With that in mind here's the quick recap of April and May....

Baseball started, baseball ended, Baron came, Baron left, Adam passed the 3rd grade, Alex graduated preschool, for the 1st time in 10 years we are not paying daycare costs, we hired an awesome teenager to watch the kids during the summer, and I'm obsessed with trucks and grills. Maybe I'll go into more detail later on, then again maybe not (I've fallen in love with Netflix and she's taking some of my time).

I'm turning 40 this year which is depressing enough on its own, but once you also add in the fact that I've got two very energetic boys (9 and 5) it's understandable why some mornings I wake up more discouraged by this sad fact of life than others. Kids will keep you feeling young, but they can also remind you that you are no longer the spring chicken you used to be. Take this past weekend for example...

Things kicked off Friday night with a lap around downtown Florence's First Fridays craft fair. Alex insisted on practically running the 8 blocks. Turns out he remembered there was a guy that gave out free children's books somewhere along the route. Of course it was the last booth along the route (next month we will start there first). This was followed by a trip to Lowes for two laps around the store looking for air filters. 

The older I get the more I love Cypress creek. It's perfect for swimming, fishing, canoeing....the more I'm around it the more I wish I'd discovered it when I was in my teen years. That's one mistake I'm trying not to pass on to my kids so every chance I get I try to take them. That's where we ended up Saturday, fishing the creek from 1:30 to 4:00 (after another lap around Lowes looking for a mailbox). Lex got bored so I dropped him off at Gigi's and then headed to the river for more fishing. This was followed two hours later by the only meal of the day (a mushroom and swiss burger from McD's). Now at this point you'd think I'd have had my fill of activity, but when you are trying to keep up with a 9 yr old boy of course tennis is the next logical thing to do. I mean who wants to sit around watching movies and eating popcorn all night (Me!! I want to do that!!!). 

The thing about tennis with a kid that's only had one lesson is that it's more chasing the ball and not so much hitting it back n' forth. In fact it's more related to sit-ups then any sort of sport (or more like playing fetch with an old basset hound now that I really think about it). Imagine an overweight 39 year old body doing sit-ups for the first time in years and then throw the knowledge that he'd just consumed a Sun-Drop, two orange sodas, two Gatorades, a large fry, and a greasy onion covered steak sauce soaked mushroom swiss burger. As my face began to turn green, Adam actually looked up and asked "Do you not like exercise Daddy?" to which I was barely able to respond "I like it...*burp*..*pant*..*fight off nausea*...I just don't think it likes me!"  Which leads to the end of tonight's train of thought, where I can't help but wonder if these kids will remember days like this past Saturday and will complain a little less as they wheel my 80 yr old carcass down the nursing home hall.