I resolve to go back to the Gorge

When I started this site over 10 years ago there wasn't Facebook, texting, Twitter, and really cheap communications. It wasn't quite as bad as my childhood with long distance fees and postage but there still wasn't a cheap way to keep people informed. 

Since 2012, I’ve gotten behind on galleries and general posting because it is so simple to text friends and family and post to Facebook to communicate more broadly with all your social circles. So the site has evolved for the biggest things. It’s also became an obligation that annoys me at times. Anyone who frequents this site knows we went to 30A for Thanksgiving.  Between myself, Jenna, and Melissa everyone interested has seen the sights and sounds in posts, photos, and videos. So why post here?

As social life evolved so has this site. I have a record of the entire history of my little adventure in one place. A place I control. Text messages have to be purged to make space on your phone. Want to leave Facebook-hope you have a whole day to download important memories. I don’t even acknowledge Twitter anymore for personal use. It has become so vitriol I hate myself for even checking it. 

The Sullivan Adventure has evolved to a place for Jenna and I rather than a place for our family to “catch up.” I used to get in trouble with my the grandparents if they missed a birthday party and I didn’t immediately post it here. Today they’ve Facetimed the kid’s within minutes of the conclusion. Then it was to inform, now it’s to enjoy. Jenna and I sit at the computer sometimes and will just look at the posts from a year and shake our heads how fast our little train is speeding out of the station.

Control has starting to become something more important to me as well. I’ve been happy with the control Squarespace gives me. It costs more than Wordpress or Blogger but I’ve never had a DOS attack or any intrusion at all. I’ve never had a minute of downtime. The pages can load slow if I have too many fancy posts (slideshow galleries particularly kill the speed) on the front page but generally it’s solid. Most importantly they give me tools to export out if I so choose.

So this year’s resolution is to catch up on the galleries and the vacations and the excursions and the birthdays and the everything. I also resolve to post big memories here first and link them to other social sites rather than defaulting to group think. I’m starting with a gallery from September of this year. A small little trip Jenna and I took to the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday Noah-Happy Mother's Day!

Noah's birthday fell on Mother's Day this year. Kind of neat they got to celebrate together. Jenna didn't seem to mind sharing her day and Noah was oblivious to anything other than him being 5 years old. He had a pretty big birthday weekend. Hayden spent the night Friday and they slept in a tent in his room. Saturday we went and watched the Miracle League and then Noah had a soccer game. Sunday brought church and singing in the sanctuary for Mother's Day followed, a trip to ToysR'Us, baking a cake and getting a gazillion phone calls from people singing happy birthday.

As people who haven't been parents for too terribly long, we messed up one area. This is the first year Noah's party will be after his actual birthday and although we prepped him, he was upset he didn't have a lot of presents to open. We fixed it by that night and he was never bratty about it. Just one of those things where we forget he's only 5.

Monday morning was hilarious. He woke up and exclaimed "Yes! My first day of kindergarten!" Sometimes all the explaining in the world just can't undo what you previously told a kid. "When you're 5, you'll go to kindergarten," has probably been said a bazillion times to him. He took it with good grace that he was headed back to his preschool that morning, but I'm still not sure he truly understood why. Live and learn I guess :)

His birthday party was actually the next weekend so it was kind of a week long celebration. All his grandparents went out to eat with him the night before and he cheesed up from everyone singing 'Happy Birthday' to him. His party was at FAC and most of his friends were able to make it. Of course we paid for the slides/jungle gym/blow-up/etc. and they spent half the time in the 14X15 foot padded room. His friends enjoyed the Ben-10 theme and he totally loved being the 'expert' they all came running to for the superpowers of their alien party mask. He had another party of a classmate we were going to attend after his but the boy was pretty wired and and was a whiny mess. We went home and let him jump a little on his trampoline (his birthday present) and then bedtime came easy for all of us.

"You're mocking me aren't you..."

Last Thursday was National Beer Day. An old tradition that celebrates the first legal day alcohol was able to be obtained legally after Prohibition. So I was minding my own business at work about 15 til 5 when I started getting texts from my Jenna and Noah showing off their view from the balcony at HogHaus Brewery. 

I will not lie; I thought Noah would be in college when he started sending me mocking pictures of him at a bar while I was at work.  Must be the Irish in him.