Summer 2024. It was one for the ages. Emily went to Utah for 2 months and I stayed in Oklahoma. In July, I went on a road trip. First stop, Durango where I met up with my parents, Shauni and Jordan, Megan and Todd, and their respective families. We did Durango things. Rafting, ruins, ice cream, dinner and a show, mountain biking. That sorta thang.

I stayed by myself in a basement in someone’s house that takes a long time driving on a dirt road to get to. This was the view. See? No people. It was perfect.

And you gots to do the rafting in Durango. You just gots to.

And you really gots to get ice cream.

We went to Mesa Verde to see what the great engineers of the past got up to.

Food and a show. You gots to.

Utah

I made my way to Utah to visit Calvin and Emily. For a couple of days it was just me and Calvin while Emily was in Italy, doing Italy things. I took Calvin to Chuck-o-Rama and he started his meal with the healthy stuff. Eventually he got actual healthy stuff. We don’t try and dictate which order he eats things (ie dessert last), and it generally works out very well. He ate way more cherry tomatoes than ice cream and marshmallows. Funny side story, we went to Chick-Fil-A where we usually get Calvin a cup of fruit, but on a recent visit he suggested we should stick to the “healthy stuff, like fries”.

While Calvin was in Utah, he had direct access to his grandpa who knows a lot about his favorite thing in the world, and he was able to frequently help out in the garage.

And also go on jeep rides, build hot wheels tracks, and get doughnuts!

I’m just throwing this one in here because it’s cute.

Emily and Calvin visited the beach. They crashed a step-in-law family reunion at Bear Lake.

And for old time sake they went and visited Rexburg, Idaho, which was Calvins first home and where he discovered his love for all things with wheels. We visited this place roughly once a week and even got in trouble a couple times for being on private property. He used to call these “big cars” and he would walk back and forth through the rows, admiring each one.

Here’s Calvin’s possible first exposure to the world of cars (although we called him Kev at the time).

Arizona

After I visited Utah, I roadtripped down to my favorite state, Arizona, to go to my brother’s wedding. It was a Mormon wedding and I wouldn’t have been able to go inside the temple to see the actual ceremony. But seeing people and being supportive is the most important thing.

There was a reception afterward, and as far as receptions go it was a reception. Nathan played a song (Taylor Swift??) on ye olde cello.

Kansas

After we all arrived back to Oklahoma safe and sound, we made a trip out to Kansas to see some sunflowers. I just want to state publicly that Kansas is beautiful, I don’t even care what the reputation may be (at least the part of Kansas we visited, near Wichita). There were so many colors and textures despite the lack of variations in elevation. Of course there were patches of brilliant yellow everywhere where wild sunflowers spontoneusly burst out of the ground. I have a newfound appreciation for the state.

We visited a farm that grows sunflowers. Calvin didn’t last long looking at the sunflowers, but there was a fun play area that he spent some quality time with.

We stayed at a hotel in Wichita. We had a difficult time getting Calvin to go to sleep - he is not used to sleeping in the same room as us and would not stay in his bed. He was being his alter ego, the “Calvin Kitty”. Here’s the next morning’s breakfast time:

Back Home

I got a vasectomy. It was no biggie. Every dude who doesn’t want kids anymore should do it. Really - just do it. I was prescribed Valium but I didn’t need it and I didn’t use it.

A couple weeks after the vasectomy, I got a new piercing.

Calvin has been “pranking” me by putting random stuff where I’ll stumble on them, like under the blanket on my bed. I recently found this at my work desk.

Calvin has been interested in legos for a while, but has never had the dexterity to actually use them. Very recently he’s gained the motor skills to put them together, albeit with some occasional help. He’s spent entire days following instructions to put together various lego structures.

Ok bye.