Month: January 2025

People ask me “What does it feel like to turn 40?”. The answer is that I threw away all of my white socks, and went to Costco and bought 36 new pairs of identical white socks. That was a few weeks ago, and I cannot explain how helpful that decision has been. Also:

Taylor threw me a “surprise” family birthday dinner- I knew that some friends were invited to the party as well, but didn’t quite know who so it was a really, really fun surprise to see friends- new and old- show up.

Looking through things, I didnt get any pictures of some of our “new friends” (meaning, less than 10 years, hahaha), but Clint Swaringen, Mark and Margaret, and several others showed up too. Thank you all for coming- it was great to see you!

These people have been around for every important milestone since I was 16 years old- and that is something absolutely significant in my life (also, we missed you Cores, hope you get over the strep throat quickly, we will make it up some other time!).

My 18th birthday, 21st birthday, 30th birthday, 40th birthday- not to mention weddings, graduations, kids birthdays, Halloweens, Memorial Days, New Years Eve’s, etc. I digress.

Ok ok, the pictures from above aren’t EXACTLY from my 18th birthday, 21st birthday, or 30th birthday- but they are all AROUND those times. It turns out I don’t have many pics from those events because digital pictures weren’t exactly big, nor was there an awesome blog to record such moments in my life.

But the pictures from above are around those times- and the very last image with me and Charlie Hiser and Houston and Taylor Symons WAS from my 30th birthday- that was a wild night just over a month after Rosie was born, and we didn’t take many pictures that evening, and for good reason.

It really was an honor to have so many important people show up- life throws lots of curve balls, but I feel like a rich man to have the company of such good friends for all of the important moments.

Taylor gave a speech. Here is evidence, that I am still “fun” despite feeling like a boring old dad sometimes:

In the old days, Taylor would put her speech on a cake, in the form of a poem. We have come a long ways together since then 🙂

Somehow I got away without being roasted- over the years these people had plenty of ammunition for a moment like this. It was probably because children were around, but the Lynam’s gave a special speech as well:

Thank you Taylor for putting this together- it meant more than I thought it would. You make it look easy to put together such fun events.

Back in high school, it was widely believed that if you ran around the house the night before it was supposed to snow, screaming a special word, that it would summon more snow here in Greensboro. We did it many, many times and it worked about every time.

This is not that. This weekend it snowed. And Rosie had a dance recital.

On Friday evening, we went to see Lila do her dance, and she did great. It was clear to everyone- including the judges- that she was excellent, as she got 2nd place. The special part was how, due to some technical errors, the music stopped just 20 seconds in- and played a terrible, terrible noise due to some interference. What did Lila do? She just kept dancing her solo routine- full of grace, and unphased. It was really, really touching to see her strength in that.

Earlier that day, it snowed- and we did all the snowy things. Rosie and mercy were about to jump out of their skin with excitement- we havent had a good snow in a while.

Mercy was getting a bit restless watching the dancers, so we slipped outside for an excellent trespassing opportunity at the Greensboro Coliseum (300 yards away from the dance routines). At that point the snow was turning to sleet, but Mercy actually smiled for the camera without prompting: a solid win in my book.

Rosie did a trio to a song called “Girls”. It turned out great- she looked so grown up, and the song was beautiful. My allergies started acting up during her routine.

Mercy and I left early for more sledding, and Rosie and our neighbor Hunter. There is a sweet hill a few blocks away that neighborhood kids flock to when it snows. If your sled was headed the wrong direction at the bottom of the hill, there is a chance you might run into the parked El Camino- this is the ultimate sign of sledding in the south.

Now, the snow is almost all gone except for a few places in the shade. The local school system is doing a “remote learning” day, and Mercy’s daycare is closed, so the stay-at-home siblings trend continues.

Happy New Year!

Its gonna be a big year for us, and we started off in a big way so far- for some of us anyways.

New Year’s Eve was about as wild as it could be for the parents of a 10 year old and 4 year old. We were in deep sleep by 9:45.

However, we got to spend a few days at the beach with our small family, and then were joined by some friends for a few days. The weather was solid, and no matter how many times I tell these kids “only get your feet wet”, they always end up soaked. You know what? as long as a change of clothes is available (and it was), who cares?

There is a place that does an annual “dropping of the shark” for new year’s eve. It used to be pretty popular, but slowed down quite a bit during covid. They used to do a “shark drop” at 9pm for kids, and midnight for everyone else. Now, they only do the 9pm for kids, and this was the most crowded it has been in a while- it was great. Rosie loved being able to “stay up late” with some friends:

It was a great couple days to just hang out and relax. Almost all the kids are out of diapers (except for Millie, and we love Millie), and the kids are a lot easier now then they were just 2-3 years ago.

As soon as we got back from the beach, Taylor went to Miami. It was part of her turning 40 with some of her best friends since- forever.

So for three days with the kids, who were sick of each other after a never-ending Christmas break, the best I could come up with was to take them to an ACC basketball game, and watch Wake Forest play against NC State, in Winston Salem. I got some cheap tickets, but the fees are nuts.

The game was great, and the girls fell asleep HARD on the way home- maybe the first time Rosie fell asleep in the car in 5 years.

What else is there to do with two kids that have spent too much time together over a never-ending Christmas break?

Go to church. The service was great, over too early, and way, wayy before going home, at least one of the two girls asked, “What else are we doing today?”.
The answer to that question was, “A whole lot of nothing. It will be a very, very boring day.”

It snowed. We played. We painted pictures and got creative. My mom came over to visit and played a game of memory with Mercy. The day slowly moved by. And then there was a snow day after that so both Mercy and Rosie were out of school for yet another day…

On top of everything else, I have been working through some new year’s resolutions since Rosie pointed out how big my belly was in a picture during our trip to New York. She wasn’t wrong, so I have been working out a bit, and trying to eat no carbs, dairy, or sugar (basically, eat only meats, vegetables, and fruit). Not following a specific diet, but cutting out all carby/starchy foods and alcohol to see what happens:

I started doing intermittent fasting too, which is basically limiting eating to only 8 hours a day. For me that means after dinner, wait 16 hours to eat. So far, I lost 6 pounds in 8 days. I think I would rather be happy and full though…

Meanwhile Taylor was in Miami and it looked like they were having fun:

These four have been friends since the beginning, and they all have a big 4-0 birthday, and combined it all to do a short trip to Miami Beach together.

It looks like they had a blast-paddle boarding, pool, and…not children.

Im kidding of course- I am glad they got a chance to get away. Taylor does an endless amount around the house keeping us going, so it is great she got to get away with some of her besties- they are an awesome group, and it is good for the soul to reconnect.

Even though I pictured Miami Beach to be something wild, it sounded like there is a lot to do around the area.

Anyways, the year is off to a roaring start, and Taylor and I both have big birthdays and an anniversary to look forward to this year. Buckle up!