July 2020

July 2020 was when things started to seem more like normal and that quarantine was starting to come to an end. Places were starting to open up and we were even set to start playing some sports. It actually started to feel like summer!

I woke up at 6 am on July 1st to get a head start on my exercise for the month. I hadn't run this fast in quite some time, but I am extremely happy with three miles at an average 8:10 per mile pace.

I had been planning for a while to take the kids to see Cumberland Falls, or Niagara of the South. We made the trip down and had no trouble getting to the lookout point to see the falls. The last time I visited Cumberland Falls as a child I wasn't as lucky. I slipped and fell on the stairs getting down to the lookout. The rest of the day my family referred to it as Jordan Falls! 

I had done a little bit of research before going and found out about another falls that you could go see, Eagle Falls. It was a bit more strenuous of a hike, but we had a lot of fun. The kids didn't complain much about the hike because we kept finding things to keep them distracted. 

It ended up being about a 3.5 mile round trip hike to Eagle Falls. On the way back to the car Brinley and I stopped to take the picture in the bottom right corner. Jennifer and Landon kept hiking and they missed the turn to the parking lot and they got lost. With no cell service we are lucky that they finally figured out that they were going the wrong way and turned back to get on the right path. The most interesting debris that we found that had gotten caught in the rocks was an old VHS cassette tape. You can see it in the bottom middle picture. 

All I have heard people from the Corbin area talk about is the Root Beer Stand. So being this close we had to see what all the rave was about. Everyone in the car was excited to try the root beer. Best news of the day was that they sell it by the gallon! Overall it was a great little roadside burger joint.

After dinner we headed back out to Cumberland Falls to witness one of the very rare moonbows, which is a rainbow created by the light of the moon. Apparently, Cumberland Falls is one of the few places in the world that this can be seen. I have wanted to drive down to try and see it, but the conditions have to be almost perfect for it to happen.

Well, if you want to ever go see a moonbow then I hope you are better prepared for the trip than we were.Online it said the moonbow would be from 9-11. I thought that it would start at 9 and last until about 11. Boy was I wrong!  I should have known something was up when we arrived and other people had chairs, coolers, and lots of snacks. We only brought ourselves along for the adventure which didn't go over so well with the children. Not until about 10:30 did we happen to catch a small glimpse of a moonbow. The kids weren't impressed and honestly I had higher expectations myself. I was told by a couple people that were there it wasn't that great of a moonbow and that it is actually better to see it in the fall or winter. Well, I guess I will have to make a return trip to see it again. The kids said they don't want to return!

To keep up with turning every holiday into a race, I woke up on the 4th of July and ran the traditional Bluegrass 10,000. I was pretty happy with the results considering I was running by myself without any water stations. I don't know about you, but I tend to run better when surrounded by a group of people.  

We spent most of the 4th of July out in the back yard playing with the kids and playing with the sprinkler. We also took a sunset bike ride in the subdivision. We even got to see peoples fireworks as we were heading back home. Our neighbors decided to put on a little fireworks show so we didn't even go downtown for the city's celebration. It turned out to be pretty awesome! The kids loved being so close to them and seeing their friends in the neighborhood too.

With the season pass that we bought from Top Golf we decided to head up to Cincinnati to play a couple hours. The kids have never had as much fun hitting golf balls. We spent about 3 hours hitting balls into the targets. 

Most of our days in July were filled with t-ball practice or games. Landon started out playing pitcher and first base, but then they quickly transitioned him to full-time second baseman. This is because most of the balls get hit right up the middle and they try to get almost all of their outs at second base. Also, Landon refuses to wear his belt for game days. I think he looks so silly, but the little man says he hates it. You can see who wins.

The garden started to have some actual produce with cucumbers, squash, and zucchini. I quickly turned those cucumbers into some bread and butter pickles.

For Landon's 7th birthday, we woke up early and we headed out for a 7K bike ride in the neighborhood. So proud of this little man. I had planned on running this distance on my own, but he said that he wanted to do it with me. I figured the bike would be the better option. 

For the third year in a row Landon has wanted to go to his favorite restaurant, Goodfellas. We headed down to the distillery district and had a nice lunch out on the patio. We then celebrated with cookie cake in our backyard. Landon picked the design of the cake with all the colors and decorations.

Grandma and Grandpa with the birthday boy. Jennifer and I had just given him his birthday gift, a new bike! He had been asking for a bike with a kickstand for a long time. I maybe should have given it to him earlier in the day so that he could have used it on his 7K ride.

Landon's other favorite restaurant is Panda Express. He could eat his weight in orange chicken. We picked up take out and brought it home to have a movie night. We watched Dr. Strange, one of the Avenger movies. During the whole quarantine we have been watching the entire Avengers series in order. The kids have enjoyed this so much!

Another day, another baseball game. Mimi has been able to come to almost every game to see our little man play. 

I started volunteering at church as a greeter for the welcoming committee. They wanted to do a mask competition. Well, if you know me I am going all out for it. The first week I wore my Avengers mask and carried everything that we own that is Avengers. The next week I dressed up in old Halloween costume as Woody from Toy Story. I even carried Bullseye, who was wearing a horse mask to promote social distancing guidelines.

We finally got a chance to take the new bike out for a nice ride in the neighborhood. Landon loved it. It had hand brakes and he said it was much easier to go up hills.

I had heard about Foot Golf a couple of years ago but never really thought about actually doing it until the kids were wanting to play soccer in the backyard. We headed out to Meadowbrook Golf Course to play a full 18 holes. It was hot and I wasn't sure if both the kids would make it through the event. So, I didn't play, I was just the kids helper. The kids could use me to kick once each hole for both of them. In the end I discovered that I can kick the ball fairly far, but not very straight!

Jennifer and I had another day off and we decided to make the trip back up to Cincinnati to hit some more golf balls. The kids were excited and we all had a lot of fun!

On the way back home we stopped by Eden Park. Jennifer and I had run through this park when we ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon a few years ago. We spotted this deer running around the park. It was so weird to see a deer in downtown Cincinnati. We also stopped by Greater's Ice Cream, which is a Cincinnati staple. Then as we started off on the drive back home we got a flat tire, which is the first one of my life. I have never even seen a person actually change a tire. Jennifer pulled up a youtube video and I just started doing what I had seen in movies. I got it changed in about 20 minutes which I was actually proud about.

Brinley has become way more interested in cooking, especially when it involves cracking some eggs. That is her absolute favorite thing to do in the kitchen.

More produce means more homemade goods. The first batches of salsa and zucchini bread are what is being made currently. Also another batch of pickles to add to the cupboard.

Summer nights mean that you should start up a fire and of course you also have to have s'mores!

The kids were asking about doing the mentos and diet coke experiment again. Well, we got it set up for both kids to be the ones to drop in the mentos.

We had a season pass to the Louisville Zoo that expired in April, but the zoo extended the expiration date because it was closed for a while at the start of the pandemic. Since Brinley loves animals and we were stir crazy we figured it would be good to get out of the house. You had to schedule your visit in advance to keep the number of visitors down. Masks weren't required but we chose to wear them. We got to see all the outdoor animals, but all the indoor exhibits were closed. The zoo had an exhibit set up for Chinese Lights but since we were there during the day we didn't get to see them lit up. I bet that it was beautiful.

My favorite part of the day was when the kids saw a cardinal and both of them knew what to do. L's down!

The most active animals were the meercats. Brinley also pictured with some pretty impressive bird wings.

I woke the kids up early to head out on an adventure. In order to get everyone up at 5 AM I had to promise them donuts from Franks. We went to the the one in Winchester because it was on the way to our destination.

Our destination was the Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge. I thought it would be neat to hike to the top of Natural Bridge to see the sunrise. We made it just as the sun was coming up, but unfortunately the sky was full of fog. The kids were not happy that I pushed them to get to the top to not be able to see much at all.

Next we headed over to Princess Arch, Chimney Rock, and Rock Bridge. The kids were troopers and really we didn't have much complaining at all, which is rare when we are hiking.

More pictures from our hikes. The kids were terrified of the suspension bridge. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I jumped up and down on it and it bounced up and down quite a bit.

The last stop of the hiking day was at Creation Falls on the hike to Rock Bridge. The kids loved it! We actually had the whole place to ourselves for about 30 minutes. The only causality of the day was when I was trying to walk over by the falls and I completely fell and busted my tail and scraped up my arm. On the hike back to the car the kids said it was their most favorite hike ever!

Most people tend to get hyped up to go play in a game. Landon chooses to grab a quick nap most days on the trip to the ball park. Occasionally he wakes up in a bad mood which doesn't go well for the first inning or two. 

I got a call from my friends in UK Football Recruiting and they informed me that my Belk Bowl ring had come in. The kids and I quickly made the trip to the facility to pick it up. We even decided to do a little photo shoot right out in front of the stadium. I still can't believe that I got the same ring as the whole team including Lynn Bowden and Kash Daniel. My favorite part of the ring is that it says STAFF, not golf cart driver!

They made a new rule at work that you had to wear eye protection. Jennifer bought some non prescription glasses to wear at work. I am ready for life to go somewhere back to normal, but when do you think that will be? She is beautiful even with her glasses.

My sunflowers in the garden didn't dissapoint again this year. At their peak I think they were about 12-13 foot tall. My neighbor said he really enjoys seeing all the birds come and eat the seeds out of them.

The kids got a game and always ask to play it but we never have whipped cream at the house. However, I picked some up so we could play Pie Face - Minions. It really is a fun game until the whipped cream hits you in your face!

Landon had pictures to commemorate his t-ball season. I missed the deadline to purchase the pictures, but I did grab these screen shots. I thought they turned out great. 

July was actually one of the better months of the crazy 2020 year. I really enjoyed getting out, especially into nature to explore with the family. We celebrated our big 7 year old and played a lot of baseball and golf this month. Thanks for reading and God bless!

June 2020

This June was a different one considering everything that was still going on with COVID-19. June is typically one of my favorite months because it starts off with our anniversary celebration on June 2nd and it is the first month of summer vacation! 

To keep with my theme for the year in turning everything into a race, I woke up on our anniversary and ran a 13k, which equals 8.1 miles. Jennifer didn't want to participate so I got up early to run and see the sunrise. 

Thirteen years later and I am so glad this lady is still by my side. She is truly my best friend and I am so glad we get to experience life together.

I had planned out a socially distanced day for Jennifer and I. The kids got to tag along on the anniversary day date. We started by grabbing lunch at Goodfellas and we took it to have a picnic at Georgetown College where Jennifer and I went to college. We had planned to grab dessert at this little bakery, but it didn't open until the afternoon (which was our real purpose for going to Georgetown). Instead we headed down to Berea to hike the Pinnacles. This was the first time that the kids had hiked on these trails. 

At the top of the Pinnacles in Berea. I just love the technology that allows us to take pictures when nobody is around. We couldn't have asked for any better weather for the day either.

We got done hiking and I was determined to get a milkshake from the place in Georgetown that I had my sights set on before the hike. Everyone else in the car said they would rather have Steak-n-Shake milkshakes. They finished theirs about the time I got in line to order mine. I picked the Turtle milkshake from Sweet Matriarch and it was insane. It was served in a mason jar, the rim was covered with fudge and pecans, whipped cream, a chocolate cupcake, and caramel drizzled over the whole thing. It made a mess in the car, but it was delicious!

Every two months like clock work I head to the blood center to donate blood. It is so simple and only takes a few minutes out of your day. I promise that the patients and their families are so grateful for your donation. I see first hand in the clinic everyday that I work the need. So please if you are able GO DONATE!

More bike rides with my kiddos. On this night I challenged the kids to a race, them on their bike and I running beside them. They destroyed me, but it was also the fastest they had ever peddled those little bikes.

Another day off from work means that we are getting out and trying to do something in nature. It was different because you had to reserve a time to come hike and you were only allowed to stay in the park for 2 hours. Nobody complained on the hike and everyone walked the whole time. Jennifer got a little crazy and asked if I thought we should try to take trip out west to hike at some of the National Parks for our upcoming vacation. I told her that I thought it was maybe a little early for the kids to be doing more strenuous and much longer hikes. Hopefully in a few years we can go get some hiking in out west with the kids.

Landon's top teeth started to get a little loose. After a couple days of wiggling it around we got it out. This was his third tooth that he has lost.

Landon had wrote a note to the tooth fairy because he had some questions as to what she did with the teeth after she collected them. Well, the next morning he got a response. It said:
Dear Landon,
I love to collect to teeth. They are so white and shinny. I use them as bricks in my kingdom. I have built a castle, streets and statues. I am currently building an amusement park with a roller coaster and ferris wheel. Your strong teeth will really help with the rides. Thank you for your help.
                                                Love,
                                                         The Tooth Fairy
I put the penny in there so that you could see how small this little letter really was. I was so surprised to get the response, I actually had no idea what she wanted all those teeth for, but it makes perfect sense!

His front tooth must have been giving some support to its neighbor tooth because as soon as he lost the first one the other one became wiggly. This was the first tooth of both kids that mommy got to pull. It was barely hanging on in there.

Landon had been asking me to go play "big" golf. So, we headed out to our local par 3 for a boys round. He played the whole 18 and had a lot of fun.

I typically don't enjoy reading, but this was a birthday gift from my little brother and it was written by the head of Kentucky Sports Radio, Matt Jones. He went to all 120 counties in Kentucky to see how Mitch McConnell has helped or not helped them during his 4 decades that he has been a Senator. It is a great read and I would highly recommend reading it, especially before you make your decision on election day in November. Every Kentuckian at least has something in the book that they can personally relate to. As soon as I got it I opened it up and read the McLean County part to see about my childhood hometown.

Our neighbors were doing some spring cleaning and they found this Disney themed kid cookbook. They asked Brinley if she would like it and man was it a hit with her. She went through and wrote down all the recipes that she wanted to try out. She even went and tried to figure out all the ingredients that we needed to buy at the store so she could make the stuff she wanted. This was some Princess Pink Popcorn, which was popcorn with some melted marshmallows and strawberry jello all mixed together. The kids said it was too sweet! 

One of the unnecessary Amazon purchases during the quarantine was some silicone donut molds. We tried them out and made some with glaze, some powdered sugar, and some cinnamon sugar. Landon wanted extra powdered sugar on his!

At the beginning of the pandemic a lot of businesses decided to have specials or deals for healthcare workers. Crocs, which is a brand that I have been a supporter of for years was one of these groups. Everyday they gave away 20,000 pairs of their shoes for free to healthcare workers. Only problem was that it was an online lottery of sorts. The back story is that I wear a pair of black crocs to work every single day. I tried for multiple weeks to try and win a pair for myself to no avail. A lot of my co-workers had won a free pair and finally one of them won the lottery again and told me to come put in my information. When you win you put in your size and they send you a random pair. Well, these tye died crocs showed up on my door a few weeks later. Totally not my style, but the kids and my co-workers love them! So, I change it up every once and a while and wear these instead of my plain black pair of Crocs.

The hardest part of this pandemic has been not being able to see family. We have stayed away from each other because we didn't want to risk anyone getting sick. However, with McKinley finishing up his residency at UK and moving we decided it might be one of the last times all of us could get together for some time.Olivia and the kids had a blast playing with each other and Olivia even had her first orange sherbet push pop. I know Grandma and Grandpa were happy to have all their kids and grandkids together at one time.

It had been such a long time since I have gotten to see my little niece Olivia. She is growing up so quickly and is full of energy!

The whole crew all together again after not all being with each other since Christmas. It had been quite a long time!

I had been going on tons of bike rides with the kids during this time. Well, I decided to push them further than I ever had before. I didn't tell them, but we normally do 2.5 miles and I was going to push them to do a 4 to 5 mile ride. Well, three miles into the ride my back tire popped and I didn't have anything to fix it with. I tried to push it, but the inner tube kept coming out and keeping it from rolling properly. That meant I had to walk the other two miles with my bike on my shoulder. 

The kids wanted a summer treat so we went to Dairy Queen for a blizzard and cotton candy dipped ice cream cone.

My little brother is moving again! Since he started college I have helped him move a total of 9 times! This time I am moving him to his own house and he is going to start at his first job. He started working this year as an attending at Vanderbilt University in Internal Medicine. I am very proud of him and I know he will do great things. Not exactly the best time to be starting in medicine, you know during a worldwide pandemic, but you have to start somewhere. 

We made the trip down to Nashville to help him move into the house. We enjoyed some local hot chicken and even had breakfast at a cool little donut shop, Five Daughters Bakery. Most of us got croissant donuts and they were delicious!

Then we tried out Top Golf Nashville. The kids had such a good time that I signed us up for the summer pass which allows you to play all summer long. 

For Father's Day most men would just lay around the house and relax. Not me! I woke the kids up and we headed out for a run with the jogger stroller. Man they have gotten heavy over the years. I ran an 8k, which is five miles. One kilometer for every year that I have been a father. We saw eight bunnies out on our run too which made Brinley really excited. 

Part of my Father's Day celebration leaked over into the following Monday. We headed up to Cincinnati to hike the Bender Mountain Trails. We spotted a buck walking in the woods while we were walking. After that we stopped for lunch at Panda Express, which is one of my favorite fast food restaurants. Lastly we went to play golf at Top Golf since we had our season pass and everything during the week is free before 5 pm. We ended up playing for two and a half hours and the kids loved it.

On the way home from Top Golf we decided to grab dinner at Malone's. This was the first time that we ate in a restaurant since the pandemic started in March. The kids were excited and Jennifer and I were a little anxious about all the necessary precautions. Every thing was great, but maybe we were just really tired of eating at home!

It is a privilege to get to vote in this democratic nation. We exercised our right to vote by absentee ballot this year.

Chef Brinley was at it again with her Disney cook book. This time she made blueberry parfaits. They were really good. 

The city of Lexington decided to start baseball. The league where we normally play decided to cancel t-ball. I was set to be the head coach for both kids and we had a lot of our players returning from last years team. I saw a Facebook post from a friend about their child playing at Southeastern Baseball. I was able to sign Landon up, but Brinley wasn't interested in playing coach pitch. (Northern - where we played last year allows girls to play a year longer) Landon was so excited about getting to play, and so was I. We went out and started getting some practice in at a green space in the neighborhood. 

June 2020 may not have been what we were expecting, but you have to make the best of what you are given. I am so happy that we get to spend more time together and that the kids are officially on summer break. I hope that we are able to do some fun things together over the rest of their time off from school. Thanks for reading and may God bless you and your family!