Where have you been?

I‘m actually just back from a two and a half week adventure, that was my most nerve-wracking trip yet: traveling across the United States with a five month old baby. Happily, the trip was fantastic, and little Ren was a pro. It’s clear that she has inherited our love of travel, although it probably shouldn’t have been surprising since we trained her from the womb!

So, yes, I’m back. Why, after so long? When inspiration calls, you must answer. Okay, that’s the short, flip answer. Here’s the long, heartfelt one. Now, more than ever, I find myself intent on preserving memories. These days, they are mostly focused on my thirteen pound ball of fire, but I want her to know more about us as well, and I think we did some pretty neat things before she came along. I’ve enjoyed hearing more stories lately from my own parents and grandmother, triggered by the firsts we’re going through with Ren. This urge for documentation would probably have passed unrealized (babies take up much more time and space than you would think, relative to their size!), but then I got the best birthday present ever. It’s not actually my birthday yet, not until mid June, but Dad was gracious and excited enough to share his May birthday with me. 

Some years it’s tough to figure out what to give him for his birthday, but this year we had three slam dunks: Mom gave him a small kinetic sculpture made with a 3D printer, that is really quite clever; Grant and I gave him a heart rate monitor that connects via Bluetooth to his tracking app for bike riding; and Ren gave him a cereal bowl with her handprint on it, so she can wave hello to him each morning. The fourth present on the table was a mystery to me…because it turned out to be for me!

Dad has some unique hobbies, and one that has developed over the past few years is publishing. Castle Knob Publishing has produced five, soon to be six, books. The sixth is a printed copy of this blog, complete with pictures. It’s not unusual for me to receive a book as a gift, but as you can imagine, unwrapping a proof copy of my own work really blew me away. 

With the double motivation of wanting to record my memories, and having a physical solution that is halfway there, I’m picking up my pen (computer, iPad, whatever is within arms reach as Ren naps), and we’ll resume the stories of our adventures!