Day 1,072 - "The Times They Are a-Changin'...Again"

These past two weeks can forever be known as a season of change in House Holt. While I haven't necessarily done a great job keeping up with the day-to-day developments with two kids running around, I do think it's extremely important to keep track of all the important events for posterity. That and the fact that future Jesse, future Bethany, future Ellie, and future Ethan will all surely appreciate being able to track their lives in some aspect.

The biggest change started last Monday with Ellie starting K2K or "Kickoff 2 Kindergarten" at Fox Hill Elementary. Basically what that means is that Ellie has spent six hours a day at her new elementary school doing various activities. She not only has time in a classroom with an actual kindergarten teacher, but she also spends time in PE class, eats her lunch in the cafeteria, and has recess much as she will in Kindergarten.

While she's ultimately enjoyed it, it was certainly difficult to get her to buy in at first. First of all, she definitely is one that sometimes gets intimidated by change (Don't we all?). Leading up to the first day, Ellie actually asked on multiple occasions why she couldn't just go to her old school (meaning Little Lambs Preschool). She was also worried about not knowing anyone there. Lucky for her, there are two kids from our neighborhood that are actually in her K2K class which is helping her adjust.

Ellie wasn't the only one who had emotions about K2K though. While I wasn't expecting to be affected by her starting K2K, I found myself a little shaken as I dropped her off in the school line for the first time. Even though it's only two week, it's just that reminder that things will soon be changing for good which is requiring some adjustment for all of us.

Of course, there is another massive change afoot in our home that sees us saying goodbye to a cherished piece of furniture. Recently, Ethan has begun experiencing difficulties sleeping in his crib. While it is converted into the toddler bed setup, Ethan is still struggling. For one thing, he's constantly turning sideways and shoving his feet through the bars. For another, it's easy to see that he's quickly getting too big for it as it's not uncommon for him to be hitting both the head and foot of the bed within the span of a few minutes.

With us needing to get Ethan a bed, we decided to go ahead and switch things up for Ellie too by investing in a set of bunk beds. While we had long been discussing buying some bunk beds this summer, it feels like the time came much more quickly than we envisioned. Regardless, we knew we couldn't put it off and finally ordered the beds last Monday and assembled it (with the help of my college friends, Nathan and Brian) on Saturday. 

The aforementioned Brian a.k.a. Teddy

While the first night found Ethan moving back into his crib (mostly due to the fact that he was still sleeping on his crib mattress), night two was much more successful. First of all, Ethan had an actual mattress that fit the bed he was sleeping in. Actually, that's probably the primary reason right there.

When Monday rolled around, I had one mission for the day: deconstructing the crib. While it's not a hard job, it certainly was difficult in its own way. First of all, I was taking the thing apart with Ethan for help. While I love my son, anyone knows that it can be difficult to do anything with a two-year-old helping or in Ethan's case, protesting its removal by frequently laying down on the frame as I took it apart. Secondly, it was just weird and kind of hard emotionally to know I was taking apart our crib for the final time.

Bethany and I are comfortable with the size of our family and really have no desire to expand. However, it's weird knowing that you are saying goodbye to a stage of life. In this case, we know that our season of having babies in the house is over. As I reflected back upon the past five years and thought about all of the hours laying on the floor beside that crib, the never-ending renditions of "The Show", "3 Rounds and a Sound", and "Oceans", and the nightly prayers over our children, it definitely was a mixed bag of emotions. Sadness to say goodbye to that season of life but joy for the exciting adventures ahead.

Lucky for me, having that season end doesn't mean that everything changes. For example, look no further than the fact that I've put Ellie and Ethan to bed the past few nights by sitting on the floor next to their bed and singing, yes, you guessed it, "The Show", "3 Rounds and a Sound", and "Oceans".

Also, I feel like this merits mentioning. While our crib is in good shape and we could definitely sell it, the idea of doing so is hard for us. I think it's due in part of all of the time we spent praying over our kids as they laid inside those bars. I think what we want to do instead is hopefully bless a Godly family with it so that they can share the same experiences praying over their kids in that crib just as we did for the past five years. Therefore, if anyone has a lead, definitely let us know. Just act fast though because it's not going to sit in our basement for years to come. LOL. #DaddyWrite

 

Day 1,065 - Technology is Cool...Especially When It Leads to Impromptu Splash Park Visits

Technology is cool.

Blog post done.

On second thought, I should probably write a little more than that. After all, context as to why "Technology is cool" would probably be helpful. I could be talking about the age of streaming media or the ease in which information is attainable. I could be talking about digital currencies or memes about cats. Memes about cat are cool though, right? In this instance, I'm talking about technology has changed communication.

For the last year, I have taken part in a Marco Polo chain with a group of college friends affectionately known as the "Nubs" (can be pronounced either 'new-b-s' or 'nuh-b-s'). In case anyone is unfamiliar with Marco Polo, it is essentially a video walkie talkie, allowing users to leave short video messages for others that can be watched at people's convenience.

While we've been close since our college years, our volume of communication has definitely ebbed and flowed over the years. After starting our Marco Polo chain last year in the throes of Covid, we've found ourselves talking practically every day either via text or Marco Polo. During that time, we've spent plenty of time joking around and reliving past memories. However, we've also had lots of important conversations based around current events, our families, theological conversations, and yes, cat memes. 

One of my favorite things about our Marco Polo chain though is how much it has changed in the last year. While it was initially just the seven "Nubs" making appearances, it has evolved to the point where it's not unusual to see our wives and kids make short cameo appearances. That's been one of the coolest parts of Marco Polo to me. Despite our distance, we've had the chance to get to know the members of each other's family. That brings me to yesterday's activity.

On somewhat short notice, I decided that it was the perfect time to head to the splash park. However, I found myself wanting to try something new so I searched online and found one in Liberty that the kids and I hadn't actually been to before. It was even firefighter themed! Therefore, I told the kids we would be going somewhere to get wet around 9:30. As I was getting them dressed, I realized that there were two members of the Nubs in the Northland who happened to be on vacation for summer. Therefore, I fired a quick text inviting them and their kids to join us. Lo and behold, I actually got a bite and my friend, Kevin, and his kids would be joining us later in the morning.

Upon our arrival at the splash park, I was slightly bummed out to discover that the park wasn't nearly as good as our favorite, Dagg Park. However, it did have an awesome overhang which protected the kids from the sun as well as giving me a nice, cool place to stand. After a while, I saw Kevin pull into the parking lot with his three kids in tow. I found myself wanting to test Ellie's knowledge. Therefore, I pulled her over and asked her if she recognized the people coming. She thought for a moment and then replied that it was Mr. Kevin, Ainsley, and Weston. For the record, she didn't know the name of Kevin's baby but I figured that was ok since he's only a year old. 

For the rest of the morning, Kevin and I hung out and chatted while the kids covered every inch of the splash pad and adjoining park. For their part, Ellie, Ainsley, and Weston acted like long-lost friends and played together awesomely. It honestly goes to show the power of technology. Here you had two families that have rarely interacted outside of a digital medium. However, the kids still know each other and were excited to play together. Not only that, but they can't wait to do it again! 

So. Very. Cool. #DaddyWrite 

Day 1,059 - On a Whym (Part II)

 

There we were, in the midst of our mystery trip, driving towards Minneapolis with nary a clue of what would await us. While lesser individuals might find themselves going crazy at the prospect of not having any kind of agenda or itinerary, not us. Especially when we knew one would shortly be coming our way courtesy of our friends at Whym. Sure enough, when our phones vibrated in unison at 11:31 am, it could only mean one thing. Our itinerary had come!

First, we would be heading to the Radisson Blu Minneapolis Downtown to check in by 2:30 pm. After that, we had a 3:00 pm "lunch time" reservation at Pizza Luce, home to Minnesota's best pizza. While I can't confirm the validity of their claim, I can say that the Italian Sausage, Onion, and garlic pizza that Bethany and I shared was pretty good. After that, it was time to explore more of downtown Minneapolis before eating dinner at 7:30.

On this evening, we spent our time exploring the Skyway and the Riverfront areas. For those that don't know, Minneapolis is really, really, really, really, really cold in winter. Therefore, an intricate series of above ground tunnels have been constructed linking almost the entire downtown area together. While it's super cool and handy, it's also incredibly easy to get lost in the winding tunnels. On more than one occasion, we found ourselves heading the wrong direction. Unfortunately, the Skyway system is only open on weekdays so it was closed during most of our visit.

Our second highlight of the evening was visiting the Riverfront District. I don't know if this is common knowledge or not, but Minneapolis is actually home to St. Anthony Falls, the only waterfall on the Mississippi River. Nowhere is it more viewable than from the middle of the Stone Arch Bridge, a beautiful, old railroad bridge made out of stone connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul. After finishing up our sightseeing, we hopped in the car and headed over to St. Paul for a casual dinner of fish and chips at The Anchor.

Saturday morning began with a quick breakfast of blueberry muffins from the Radisson Blu's restaurant before walking to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden located at Walker Art Center. After walking the mile from our hotel to the Sculpture Garden, Bethany and I began culturing ourselves by gazing at each and every piece of art while attempting to discern what the artist was communicating. My favorite was honestly the massive cherry in a spoon sitting in a small pond. Apparently it's quite famous and somewhat of a Minnesota landmark. Who knew? 

 

After seeing all that the Sculpture Garden had to offer, we headed to the roof of the Art Center for some rooftop mini golf. Now, this isn't your ordinary mini golf. For one thing, each of the ten holes has a very artistic slant. Also, it's not exactly an easy course. Nowhere is that more visible than the tenth hole titled "Piece of Cake" which took me 27 attempts to complete. Yes, you read that right; 27. After we finished up our round of mini golf, we headed back to the hotel for a short break before enjoying a lunch of boiled shrimp at the Smack Shack. A fun part of our lunch is that we were able to sit in the bar area and watch our hometown Royals play the Twins IN Minneapolis! A nice coincidence if there ever was one.

So NOT a "Piece of Cake"

That afternoon, it was time for us to leave the downtown area behind and enjoy a little nature at the Chain of Lakes. It's no secret that Minnesota is known for its lakes and one of the most famous is undoubtedly Bde Maka Ska. Bethany and I spent a couple of hours wandering around the lake taking in all of the sights. One downside to this time is that all of our walking over the previous two days had taken a toll of my left foot resulting in pain whenever I took a step. Therefore, our travel was slow-moving but still fun. Our final scheduled stop for the day was Barbette, a French bistro. If you know Bethany and I, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that we've never eaten French food. However, we were more than willing to experiment. For the record, my duck was fantastic even if I mainly ordered it as my own little tribute to Minneapolis's own Gordon Bombay and the Mighty Ducks.

Sunday was arguably my favorite day of our trip. We started the morning off by heading to Minnehaha Falls which was honestly one of the coolest things I've ever seen. The eponymous falls is a 53 foot waterfall that was absolutely breathtaking. Despite the continued soreness of my foot, we managed to wander down to the base of the falls and explore some hiking trails running along Minnehaha Creek. After tiring of the falls, Bethany and I went off itinerary to find some letterboxes at Wirth Park. While we only found three of four, that was more than enough to officially count Minnesota as the 24th state we have found a letterbox in.

It was around this time that Whym texted us with the answer to a special surprise on our itinerary. While we had known all along that there was a surprise scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 1, we didn't know for sure what it would be. Low and behold, Whym had gotten us tickets to that afternoon's Twins-Royals game at Target Field! I'd be lying if I said this wasn't my favorite part of the trip. Not only were we getting to see the Royals play in a different city, but we had seats three rows behind their dugout! Honestly these were the best seats I have ever had at any ball game and it's going to take a lot for anything to beat this experience. Don't worry though, Kauffman Stadium is still my favorite MLB stadium.

While we were at the game, Whym treated us to one additional surprise in the form of tickets to the Fly Over America ride at the Mall of America. The downside to the whole thing was that we had to wait in line for close to an hour to ride it but it was definitely worth it. The ride is essentially a motion ride set to an IMAX screen complete with mist hitting riders in the face when flying through a "cloud" and the smell of sunscreen accompanied by images of Hawaii beaches.

After finishing our ride, Bethany and I quickly explored the mall, only taking a little time out to pick out a gift for Ellie and Ethan. After leaving the mall, we traveled back to St. Paul to our dinner reservations at the Handsome Hog. In case you're wondering, this was our best meal of the entire trip! Bethany enjoyed a massive slice of brisket while I gorged myself on a pork chop large enough for two. After that, it was time to head back to the hotel for our last night in Minneapolis.

While Whym had provided us with a laundry list of potential activities for our final morning in Minneapolis, they unfortunately forgot that Monday was Memorial Day. Therefore, most of their suggestions were closed. Instead, we decided to drive over to U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, so that I could get some pictures of the Viking ship outside. After that, we made one final stop at Sebastian Joe's  for some early morning milkshakes before leaving early so that we could surprise the kids by getting home early.

 

If someone was to ask me if our Whym trip was worth the expense, I would wholeheartedly say yes. While we could have certainly done everything on our list on our own, we never would have had the cool experiences that Whym provided. For one thing, we never would have stayed in a downtown hotel within walking distance of everything or paid for third row seats at a Royals game. The whole mystery concept of the trip is also a perk that goes without saying. Honestly, Bethany and I had a good enough experience that we've already discussed doing another Whym trip for our 15th anniversary in a few years. We just want to make sure we see some place new next time...obviously.

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,058 - On a Whym (Part I)

There's a chance that Bethany and I are beginning to embrace the concept of "Go Big or Go Home" when it comes to celebrating milestone anniversaries. 

Our fifth anniversary was spent cruising the Pacific Coast Highway in a rented Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata was a bluish-gray if anyone is interested. Then, after COVID  got in the way of our original plans for ten years of marriage, we saw fit to jump out of a plane instead...with parachutes.

While we had originally hoped to be able to take our preplanned trip to Canada and Maine this year, the continued closure of the borders made that an impossibility. Therefore, we decided that the only thing left to do was go somewhere on a Whym.

Whym, for those that don't know, is a surprise travel agency. After answering a rather intensive 50 question survey, Whym will plan a vacation catered to meet the interests of everyone in your group. The kicker? You have no idea what you will be doing or where you will even be going until about two hours before it's time to leave.

Before this year, Bethany and I had never heard of Whym or the concept of surprise travel agencies. However, after some of our friends shared about their surprise trip to Austin, we were very intrigued. Therefore, after checking out all of the surprise travel agencies out there, we decided that Whym was the best fit for us and our trip was booked.

A week before leaving, we received a seven-day forecast for our destination (no spoilers though) helping us to pack with an updated forecast coming the day before our departure. The crazy thing about these two forecasts is that they changed dramatically over that time frame. Luckily, we had plenty of time to repack our suitcases accordingly to make sure we were prepared for any weather to come. 

Now, one thing to note was that our surprise trip wouldn't include air travel like most companies. Instead, we would be driving AND we would be leaving from Bethany's parents in Nebraska as they were taking care of Ellie and Ethan for a few days. As you can probably imagine, by the time we reached the home of Bethany's parents on the eve of our departure, our anticipation had reached a fever pitch. While we each had ideas of where we might be heading, neither of us really wanted to guess one way or the other.

Finally, it was time to go to bed and try to get some sleep so that we could be awake and alert for the drive the next morning. As you can probably guess, that was easier said than done. I, for one, spent most of the night tossing and turning in anticipation of what would be coming. Finally, 5:30 came and Ellie climbed down from her bunk bed, waking Bethany and I up as she turned on the radio in the room. With that, I turned my phone off airplane mode only to be subjected to a rapid-fire series of texts, courtesy of Whym. We finally had our destination!

In addition to our destination of Minneapolis, we also received driving instructions, two road trip playlists, and various resources teaching us things to know about Minneapolis. So, with that, we quickly got ourselves dressed, packed our bags in the car, said goodbye to the kids, and set out for a 7-hour road trip into mystery.

Mystery that will be revealed next time on #DaddyWrite.

P.S. Minneapolis was my guess all along. Not that I'm keeping track or anything.