This year marks a decent milestone for my wife and I, we have now been married for two entire decades. Thankfully, it’s as enjoyable as ever though I know that she puts up with me far more than she should have to. To reward ourselves (as if being married 20-years to me isn’t rewarding enough) for our successful run so far, we decided that we wanted to take a trip across the great Atlantic and see some areas that we’ve only ever seen in pictures or through the eyes of Rick Steves.
Early this year, I started the process of mapping out an itinerary of some things we wanted to see and the lovely Mrs started looking at flights and accommodations. (If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re an unstoppable team. Like Sherlock & Holmes. Like garlic & bread. Like Roger Federer and his tennis racket.) We were making some sweet headway and getting kind of excited and then 2020 failed. Epic failure. Windows blue-screen-of-death failure.
No surprises here, we didn’t want Covid so we didn’t go anywhere. Except to dinner, we did go to a nice, socially-distanced dinner.
Of course I wanted to go to Italy. It would have been nicer than dinner. But I think my lady-friend was even more bummed about it canceling than I was so I went ahead and took her on a trip. We saw the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Florence, Venice, and even a stop in Paris for good measure. Every 30 minutes on the day of her anniversary celebration, she was rewarded with a fond memory of our trip. I had a few minutes tonight so I thought I’d share our trip with you as well.
Happy travels!
1. 6:00AM – Airplane’s are fun
Ciao Bella! Happy Coronavirus-versary!
20 years strong and we’re just getting warmed up.
The (Co)Vid gave its best punches this year but I decided it wasn’t going to cancel our European vacation… thankfully I took some photos of our trip for us to remember it all by.
Here we are on the plane, I’m quite surprised that the pilots actually let us in the cockpit; I thought they did away with all of that after 9/11 but apparently all’s legal in Italy!
It was a bumpy flight but we made it safely. I do feel bad for that lady in 32D who had a couple too many drinky-drinks, I feel like she might regret that whole marriage proposal to the old man in 14E once she sobers up.
Posting here for posterity; reminders for us all that there are good things in this world to celebrate. Target (and their Cat & Jack brand) did a bang-up job on this ad campaign.
The picture tells most of the story but you can read mom’s words here if you want: https://d.pr/s3T0nh
This past Saturday, the boys and I did a little re-arranging of their playroom. Adding a second bookshelf and a larger TV. While it took a little longer than if I had tackled on my own, I encouraged and appreciated their help with the project. Hopefully it gives them a little more ownership of it. Ended up taking about 3.5 hours, here it is (in its’ non-level glory) in :25 seconds.
Hey Internet, let’s play a game. No, not toilet golf, that would be ridiculous.
I received this gag as a gift for Christmas. I tried to give it to my avid-golfing-business-partner but he wants nothing to do with it and though we’ve tried, neither one of us has come up with a compelling reason as to why this game (or its’ related friend: Toilet Fishing) would have ever been green-lighted as products.
Long story short, I want to give you this game. I’ll even pay the shipping (US and maybe Canada addresses depending on how much I’ve gotta be out of pocket).
The catch: to be the lucky recipient of this fine Chinese craftsmanship, you gotta enlighten me on how this thing actually ever went from conference room spitball-session to production. Have fun with it. Help me solve the mystery of, “who in their right capitalist mind thought the world needed this?”
Bring it. Deadline for your entries are Wednesday, January 15th.
I started coaching baseball to introduce my boys to the greatness that is America’s pastime and to be able to connect to them through something that we could participate in together. Little did I know how much other good could come from it. Through baseball we’ve been able to minister to others, form new/lasting relationships, test our own faith, learn (more) patience, hone our parenting skills, learn to communicate better, and to navigate the murky waters of organizational politics; I’m sure there’s plenty more.
I’ve also had the ability to connect with a bunch of boys who at 4-8 years old may or may not be sure about themselves, their abilities, their desire for playing a team sport, or even have much confidence in general. We’ve won titles and had seasons where we came in somewhere close to last place and yet every season we walk off with our heads held high and smiles on our faces.
I’ve coached with some great guys – guys who I’d go to battle for every day. I’ve coached with some crazies as well; they’ve all taught me something.
Seasons Change
Many times you don’t realize what you’ve learned until you take a moment to step away and examine; while I’m not ready to step away from baseball yet, our situation will probably change a little going forward. This fall will most likely be the first time our baseball family we call the Grapevine Horn Frogs will not field a team in something like 6 or 7 seasons. Most of us already new it but I hadn’t really taken the time to process it properly yet. It’s very bittersweet.
My goal has always been to teach respect, good character, and integrity to some young folks (and sometimes their parents) through the game of baseball. Little did I know what all I might learn from them.
This weekend I was rewarded with a gift much more fulfilling than a gift card or a night out on the town. My Frog family got together without my knowledge and put together a small token of their appreciation for me, they did a great job. Feel free to take 5 minutes and enjoy a few of the knuckleheads I’ve had the pleasure of being around the last 4 years.
