A lot of things have been going on for me these last 3 weeks, so my updates have been nonexistant. I feel like I finally have some time to play catch-up, so let's begin.
Father's Day Weekend
For Father's Day weekend, I traveled up to New Albany, OH with my parents to visit my sister and her family. Besides it being Father's Day that Sunday, it was also going to be my niece's birthday on Monday so we decided to celebrate her birthday that weekend. My niece, Amanda, was turning 4 years old and I have not seen her in quite a few months. I also had not seen my nephew, Miles, in a long while either so I was really looking forward to this trip.
I won't go into too much detail, but let me say I had a really great time visiting my relatives. Amanda is absolutely adorable, and she loves to talk and run around. She loves her Grandma and Grandpa, and she shows lots of affection for me too. That's incredible to me, because when she was younger she was very shy around me and did not come up to me or give me hugs much. But ever since she turned 3, it's been a different story. But it wasn't just her. Just a few years ago I would not have been comfortable around little kids. I really didn't know how to play with them or relate to them well. But I think I've gotten much better, and I feel more natural when I'm around young-ins. Maybe it just means I'm turning into an old man ... Anyway, I had a lot of fun playing with Amanda all weekend and Miles did not fuss and was generally a happy baby the entire time.
Seeing the way my Mom and Dad interacted with my sister and her family, especially Amanda and Miles, really made me appreciate them. I am very lucky to have two wonderful parents who love and support me no matter what. I remember all the times they have been there for me. Even now, when I am pretty much considered an adult they still support me with my finances and troubles. And they do this all because they want to give their children every opportunity to live a happy life. I can only hope that when I eventually marry and start my own family I can be the type of husband and father I see in my Dad. Unfortunately, I think my future as a father will look something more like this.
