Fathers and Daughters

Dear Mom,

Remember on your last day when we promised you that we'd take care of the children? Look at them now, mom. Grown. Married. Successful. Happy.  Andy and I might not have gotten everything right, but we got a lot of right.  You would be so proud that you would be beaming.  

We miss you every day.  Sometimes, when I look at Samantha and Alyssa is see parts of you; a mannerism, a smile, a look and I realize that you're still here.

I work on that promise every day.
 

What Does a Photo Tell

Look at this photo once and you see a bride being walked down the aisle by her father.  Look closely and you so much more.

First, look at the dad. He is looking towards his daughter. He is speaking to her.  Most likely he is saying how proud he is of her and how far she has come at such a young age. Maybe he is telling her how much he wants her to be happy in this new chapter in her life. The look on his face is not one of sadness or worry. In fact, he looks confident and content with all of his focus on his daughter.

Look at their hands. She is not gripping his elbow, as might be the expectation. They are holding hands.  She is holding the first hand she ever held when she entered the world. A tiny little bundle of life that could just barely grip his pinky, but she did. He is holding her hand just like the first time she ever went to Disney World and squealed with glee upon seeing Cinderella's Castle. They are holding hands like they did on her first day of 4th Grade, or watching fireworks, or walking along the shoreline of the Neuse River.

Now look at the bride. Stunning and elegant, she is looking straight ahead. She hears the words her father is speaking but that's not what is making her smile.  In fact, she is glowing like no other time in her life. She is looking at her future. 

Through all of there years together as father and daughter - all of the hard times, all of the fun time, all of the growing up in two different households - she is about to become someone's wife. "Life isn't always fair", that's what the father has told her. What he didn't tell her is that sometimes, life is fair and wonderful, and that's a good day to get married.

Movin' On Up

Grant had his moment in the sun as he finished Elementary School and is now headed to Middle School!

Without a doubt, Grant is the brain in the family.  We stopped helping him with math a few years ago because we kept getting the work wrong. Grant is amazing because he can see the numbers and equations in his head and then manipulates them to get to the answer.  His method might not be the preferred "new math" way, but there is no denying that he can get results.  He really found his niche this year in Science Olympiad where he worked with other smart kids on a multitude of projects and competed against other Wake County schools.  

Grant is so ready for greater challenges, and having different teachers for different subjects will be good for him.  Of course, some teachers might ask him if he is TJ's brother and then slightly frown as they remember some of the behavior issues they had with TJ.  However, Grant is a rule follower and dedicated learner.  

The parade at South Lake Elementary was fun. Even Lucie got to participate!  Of course, unintentionally, the parade was in June and the only decorations available in the store were for Pride Month. 

We are looking forward to a new chapter for him - this awesome, unique, exceptional kid.

Making it Look So Good

Happy Birthday to the emotional, spiritual, and moral bedrock to the Brown Family; our Lisa, mom, and stepmom. 

Every year she gets older I somehow find another picture of her has makes her look a decade younger than she actually is.  It is something about the twinkle in her eyes and that disarming smile that transcends her actual age - which I will not divulge here. 

She has let my sense of humor wear off on her but is still quietly reserved. She is an explorer with an appetite for extreme or simple thrills. She is a wonderful mom and step mom and a good friend to hang out with when there are no kids around.  

She is rare among human beings - a good person with a good heart - and if you know her then you are a lucky person.

Happy Birthday to you!  

Back in the World of Cable TV

The Brown Family cut our cable years ago in favor of streaming services. The content is better than cable television and there are no commercials.  Eighteen years ago Lisa got her first TIVO device allowing us to record and watch shows and speed through commercials.  Soon, TIVO was replaced with Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+.  Unfortunately, my circumstances this summer are forcing me to watch movies on cable TV and it is debilitatingly frustrating. 

I have not gotten into a lot of serial shows. I watched all of LOST. I enjoyed all of Game of Thrones. I watched Lost in Space. I loved all of Sherlock from the BBC (except for that last season), and, of course, The Mandalorian.  Beyond those few gems, I just cannot name a whole lot of television that I have gotten excited about.  Even most movies are unwatchable. I have watched a bunch of movies on Netflix and Amazon that I can’t even remember the main plot to.  What has happened? Has the quality of movies gone down, distilled across a dozen platforms, or is my attention just that bad?

No matter what my problem is, I am spending the summer (mostly) limited to commercial TV. I forgot about commercials and how monotonous they are.  Cable TV sells medicines I didn’t know I needed. It sells fastfood, cars, insurance, and a laundry (detergent) list of other crap. Fake families in fake situations selling fake stuff.  Each commercial is appropriately timed to break into the action at a point where my attention is fully engaged. Gah!

I realize that this is the definition of a First World Problem and I should be embarrassed.  However, I’ll share the real problem with it all; right after these words from this sponsor...