Where has all the summer gone?
The flip-flops, suntan oil, shorts and pool gear will soon be packed away for another year, if you haven't done so already.
Fortunately, my wife and I will have a bit of a lease on the summer during the month of October.
We spend a week at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina each year, courtesy of my in-laws, who own a condo on the island.
Over the past few years, we've chosen to take the trip during mid-September, around the time of our anniversary. Not being fond of crowded beaches peopled with a thousand or more screaming kids in near triple-digit temperatures, we enjoy September and the nearly-deserted beaches the post-tourist season brings.
But since we had a half-decade marker this year, we opted to stay closer to home and take the trek down south a month later.
One of the beauties of Hilton Head is the fairly consistent mild weather, and the ability to enjoy summertime activities after the kiddos return to class.
This will be our third trip down there with our now-two-year-old daughter, and what we've enjoyed are the changes we've seen in her ability to travel since she was a baby.
It's still hit or miss, but lately we've had success with a portable DVD player set-up in the back seat. She enjoys that while Margie and I indulge in a Jeff Foxworthy or Bill Engvall CD or a game of Mad Libs.
Since Savannah's vocabulary has all but exploded since the Fourth of July, it's going to make me wonder if she's learned that well-known phrase that's all but music to every parent's ears:
"Are we there yet?"
I'll find out for sure this trip.
And if she has learned it, I'm sure I'll yearn for the days when she was two months old, screaming her head off, and my wife and I unable to find our hotel because the GPS doesn't recognize the address.
Because "Are we there yet" will be heard every hour on the hour (if I'm lucky) for all 13 hours of the trip.
Happy Motoring.
NEXT WEEK: Walk the Plank
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Keep on Keepin' On...
...Keep on Truckin', Keep the faith, Stand by your man, etc.
It's all about resilience.
The ability to withstand adversity to overcome the curveballs life throws at you.
We did that just last week. For that reason, there was no column.
We observed the ten-year anniversary of a deliberate and unprovoked planned attack on the United States, and how forty people on board a hijacked jet airliner, in a display of unswerving patriotism, turned the tables on their captors and gave their lives so that others may be saved.
We now call it Patriot Day.
We don't close school. It's not a national holiday. To even request it to be designated as such would be just plain tacky.
Our forefathers put it on paper in Philadelphia. It would be paid for in blood in many places over the years. Especially in Pennsylvania. Valley Forge, Brandywine, Germantown. A couple centuries later, Shanksville would be added to the list.
Despite the root word, it's never been 'free'. Nor will it ever be.
Americans have been called many things...fat, lazy, entitled, pick your own adjective.
Threaten our freedom and our way of life, and we'll show you just how fat, lazy and entitled we are...as we pick up our guns and fire a couple rounds of lead, tin and antimony into your sorry backside.
And despite how much we complain about the younger generation, many women and men still answer the call of our country. They take the oath to 'preserve, protect and defend' the constitution of the United States.
Those who are willing to fight for those who can't.
Usually when I hear about a young person's desire to enter into the armed forces, I often have a sit-down with them to find out why.
And I usually leave with a smile on my face.
Because while the benefits they offer these young people nowadays, it's more of an afterthought to them.
It's about a cause greater than they ever imagined. One that requires discipline, duty, honor and courage to be successful. The willingness to lay down one's life for someone you may not even care for.
Remember what Patriot Day is.
It celebrates the American Patriot. Not just the ones who led the Revolutionary War, but countered the so-called 'revolutionaries' in 2001 who believed that their acts would bring America to its knees.
To paraphrase an Elton John song from the early 80s, "we're still standing".
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
NEXT WEEK: Ain't it the Fall
It's all about resilience.
The ability to withstand adversity to overcome the curveballs life throws at you.
We did that just last week. For that reason, there was no column.
We observed the ten-year anniversary of a deliberate and unprovoked planned attack on the United States, and how forty people on board a hijacked jet airliner, in a display of unswerving patriotism, turned the tables on their captors and gave their lives so that others may be saved.
We now call it Patriot Day.
We don't close school. It's not a national holiday. To even request it to be designated as such would be just plain tacky.
Our forefathers put it on paper in Philadelphia. It would be paid for in blood in many places over the years. Especially in Pennsylvania. Valley Forge, Brandywine, Germantown. A couple centuries later, Shanksville would be added to the list.
Despite the root word, it's never been 'free'. Nor will it ever be.
Americans have been called many things...fat, lazy, entitled, pick your own adjective.
Threaten our freedom and our way of life, and we'll show you just how fat, lazy and entitled we are...as we pick up our guns and fire a couple rounds of lead, tin and antimony into your sorry backside.
And despite how much we complain about the younger generation, many women and men still answer the call of our country. They take the oath to 'preserve, protect and defend' the constitution of the United States.
Those who are willing to fight for those who can't.
Usually when I hear about a young person's desire to enter into the armed forces, I often have a sit-down with them to find out why.
And I usually leave with a smile on my face.
Because while the benefits they offer these young people nowadays, it's more of an afterthought to them.
It's about a cause greater than they ever imagined. One that requires discipline, duty, honor and courage to be successful. The willingness to lay down one's life for someone you may not even care for.
Remember what Patriot Day is.
It celebrates the American Patriot. Not just the ones who led the Revolutionary War, but countered the so-called 'revolutionaries' in 2001 who believed that their acts would bring America to its knees.
To paraphrase an Elton John song from the early 80s, "we're still standing".
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
NEXT WEEK: Ain't it the Fall
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Class Reunion
Man, I love Facebook.
It makes me wonder how we lived without it.
Especially when it comes to reconnecting with those whom we haven't seen in years.
My 20-year high school reunion is a great example. I got the invite, sent in the money, then waited for the date.
During that time the anxiety set in...did I do enough with my life to really serve any purpose there? Would anyone remember me? Would it be like "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion"? Would an old adversary from 'back then' want to finish some unfinished business?
So I went. To my surprise, it was different than what I expected, not having any idea of what to expect in the first place. Oh well.
Then I heard talk of a 25th reunion. I would have liked to see that happen, but doubted it would, only five years from the last one and with busy lives and family, who has time to plan it.
Apparently, I hadn't reckoned with two women from my graduating class, with a more determined work ethic that I had ever imagined, putting out an invite to attend a planning meeting on Facebook.
They weren't part of the 'popular preppy' cliques in school. But they weren't the outcasts, either. They were the girl-next-door types who cherished their high school years, despite the 'hardships' of being a teenager, and were willing to find the time to do the work that few were able or willing to carry on.
Once I learned who was leading the planning, I decided to try and do my part to help.
We all met at a popular tavern near the high school where our parents likely frequented then as well as now. There were six of us. We came from a graduating class of more than 400.
We spent about two hours over drinks and appetizers, trying to come up with ideas for a venue, a printer, name tags, and gifts.
"The girls", were way ahead of me, in terms of planning. So I offered to help by getting prices on a couple of things the next day, which was my day off.
We made arrangements to meet again in another month, and kept in touch over the weekend as to how we were progressing.
Since I had attended my 20-year, I had attended two more reunions. What we did with our twenty year clearly outclassed the next two, which looked and felt 'thrown together'. While better than nothing at all, I thought more could have been done.
It made me all the more determined to do my part to make sure our 'silver anniversary' reunion reached a 'gold-standard'.
It reminded me of an old Beach Boys tune:
"Be True to Your School"
I would come to see those years as some of the best in my life. While they won't come back, we can gather together to revere all the crazy things we did.
And how far we've come since then.
Love ya, Kiski.
NEXT WEEK: Keep on Truckin'
It makes me wonder how we lived without it.
Especially when it comes to reconnecting with those whom we haven't seen in years.
My 20-year high school reunion is a great example. I got the invite, sent in the money, then waited for the date.
During that time the anxiety set in...did I do enough with my life to really serve any purpose there? Would anyone remember me? Would it be like "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion"? Would an old adversary from 'back then' want to finish some unfinished business?
So I went. To my surprise, it was different than what I expected, not having any idea of what to expect in the first place. Oh well.
Then I heard talk of a 25th reunion. I would have liked to see that happen, but doubted it would, only five years from the last one and with busy lives and family, who has time to plan it.
Apparently, I hadn't reckoned with two women from my graduating class, with a more determined work ethic that I had ever imagined, putting out an invite to attend a planning meeting on Facebook.
They weren't part of the 'popular preppy' cliques in school. But they weren't the outcasts, either. They were the girl-next-door types who cherished their high school years, despite the 'hardships' of being a teenager, and were willing to find the time to do the work that few were able or willing to carry on.
Once I learned who was leading the planning, I decided to try and do my part to help.
We all met at a popular tavern near the high school where our parents likely frequented then as well as now. There were six of us. We came from a graduating class of more than 400.
We spent about two hours over drinks and appetizers, trying to come up with ideas for a venue, a printer, name tags, and gifts.
"The girls", were way ahead of me, in terms of planning. So I offered to help by getting prices on a couple of things the next day, which was my day off.
We made arrangements to meet again in another month, and kept in touch over the weekend as to how we were progressing.
Since I had attended my 20-year, I had attended two more reunions. What we did with our twenty year clearly outclassed the next two, which looked and felt 'thrown together'. While better than nothing at all, I thought more could have been done.
It made me all the more determined to do my part to make sure our 'silver anniversary' reunion reached a 'gold-standard'.
It reminded me of an old Beach Boys tune:
"Be True to Your School"
I would come to see those years as some of the best in my life. While they won't come back, we can gather together to revere all the crazy things we did.
And how far we've come since then.
Love ya, Kiski.
NEXT WEEK: Keep on Truckin'
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