A Quote to Start Things Off

""I'd love to go to Santa Fe at some point, Emmett said, but for the time being, I need to go to New York. The panhandler stopped laughing and adopted a more serious expression. Well. that's life in a nutshell, aint it. Lovin' to go to one place and havin' to go to another. Amor Towles in the Lincoln Highway.

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Pictures of Memories I

Pictures of Memories I
Snow kidding! These "kids" now range from 17 to 23

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Trying New Things

Today I am jumping in feet first to a couple of meme's I have been seeing around recently. Merely click on the buttons to see the fine blogs at Half Past Kissing Time and Ordinary and Awesome.


In the spirit of trying these blogs let me tell you about some things me and mine have tried this summer either for the first time or the first time in a long time. I will also throw in a lucyism for good measure.

I am 44 years old, I'll be 45 in September and for the first time in my life I am doing flips off the diving board. I have always been a diving board guy but was always afraid to put the flip in my repertoire. So I'd do a dive, or cannon ball that sort of thing. Now The diving board is basically a 14 and below area at our pool. But for whatever reason kids treat me like a peer at the pool. Three year olds I have never met, star conversations with me without the slightest encouragement by me. K-2nd graders recruit me to assist on their sand crations and tweeners give me dive suggestions. So earlier this year, after I did an especially wicked can opener this kid said "hey, you should do a flip." I was like no way. But the kid would not relent. So I tried one. A flip is ridiculously easy to do, just bend your head down when exiting the board. My flips are not pretty, but I have only back flopped once. I enjoy doing them, and wonder why I didn't take the plunge long ago.

Speaking of which, our pool has an awesome tube slide. All manner of parents take their toddlers and up on double and triple tubes. Amy and I love tubing but one of us has to be with the kids so we don't ever get to go together. cannot get any of my kids to go with me so I usually just have to ride the single tubes. That is until Yesterday. I decided to just go on the body slide with Emma a few times, since that is something she enjoys. We couldn't go down together but we walked up the stairs together and took turns as to who would go down first. After we went up and down a few times Emma decided she wanted to go down the tubes. We went separately a couple times and then we went together. Emma loved it. She went on about 25 more times before we left. The Mom of a 3 year old even asked her to take her daughter with her. On the way home, she was like "I love going on the tubes" and I was like "I thought you would that's why I've been trying to get you on them the past 6 years." She then said something telling, she said she'd spent most of that time trying to get the courage to go on. It was a happy time at the father daughter bonding society, that's for sure.

Charlie and I discovered at a father child camp out that we both love archery. He tried it a few years ago and didn't fair too well. But was a quick study to it, this time around. It had been 23 years since I had done any archery, and I could have shot arrows all day long.

Lucyism: While Emma, Charlie and I were camping on Saturday, Lucy kept on repeating to Amy that when she was done being home schooled she wanted to be gone schooled.

So that's it for my first foray into Fragmented Free writing on Fridays. To see how it's really done click on the buttons above. You may want to try something new and participate.

Next Time: A weekend of longing.

8 comments:

Mrs4444 said...

OMGosh-You're a hoot! I love the Lucyism--that's one for the baby book, for sure. I also loved reading about your learning to flip; that is a model for all dads. Who needs a new muscle car or a girlfriend, when you can move into mid-life doing flips at the pool with a bunch of fun kids?! heehee You're a great dad. Thanks for linking up this week!

mub said...

Glad you're joining in on the FF fun!

I haven't ever done flips of the diving board either, I think I'd somehow end up knocking myself unconcious if I tried *L*

Sara Elizabeth said...

Welcome to FF!! So nice to 'meet' you. You sound like an awesome Dad. Lucyism is so cute!

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

Gone schooled is hysterical. Love it. And love that at YOUR RIPE OLD AGE (!!) that you are doing flips!! YOU GO GIRL! I mean boy...I mean guy...how about dude??

Hallie :)

Unknown said...

you are tooo funny! OMGosh I have NEVER been on a diving board well except that time my top came off...never again i tell ya

LOVED your FF

MrsSki said...

Great Fragments! I could never do front flips...back flips were no problem but every time I did a front flip I wouldn't ball up enough and smack my butt or back. It's a bummer.

The Lucyism was hilarious. At first I thought I was being introduced to a new word but then I caught on. She's a trip!

Stacy Uncorked said...

Welcome to the FF fun! :) Way to go doing flips off the diving board! I've never been able to do them, unless it's been purely by accident...and that's probably not called a 'flip' then... ;)

LOVED the 'Lucyism'! Hilarious!

Enjoy your weekend! :)

Carma Sez said...

we joined the pool for the first time this year and both "boys" are working on their flips; my husband who is your age and a big kid won the biggest splash contest at the 4th of July pool party. He was soooo proud and couldn't wait to come over and show me his prize - Nerds Rope- so I could take a photo; his face was beaming :D Keep working on those flips!

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