Well at 10:15am PST, the convention has begun. We now have 5 guys here so far, with 3 more on the way to start Thursday night. We've called Bob Noonan, and lifted a glass to him, and will be shortly on our way to go-kart racing.
Stay tuned. more to come.......
PS. I'd like to thank those who have offered their support despite their absence. You'll be missed, and we'll raise a glass to ya'll.
dayv
Sounds like a lot of fun. I'll just be sitting here with a beer watching This Old House though.
Rich C. : Novice baby wrangler and cat herder.
http://one-sahd-dude.blogspot.com/
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Go-karting was a blast...although we all lamented that our driving skills have been impacted - negatively - by the minivans and trucks we mostly drive. I wasn't sure what to expect (other than to suck at it), but had a blast. Only got one black flag :-). My kids will find it very funny that I got given a "time out". Fun 2 hours of bowling (which I do suck at...spares followed by gutter balls are my specialty). Finished the evening on the pool deck with some beverages, a few of the guys enjoyed stogies. Sleeping in this morning without the usual morning panic/rush to make breakfast, pack lunches, and remember to get homework back into the backpack totally, completely ROCKED! Denny's breakfast now sitting like a rock... Not sure what the rest of the day holds. Al and Hogan have just arrived. Phil is in town with family. IA Bill arriving sometime today. Local Bill, Chris, and Lux joining us this evening. Davy, Liam, Bri, Kirk already here. We're going to walk around old downtown Sac (cool, well rehabbed old western downtown), might go ice-skating, Hogan has a plan to go to a famous (?) hole-in-the-wall burger join (Squeeze Inn), might head south to Lodi to do some wine tasting before the hockey game in Stockton tonight. We're planning to have a few informal sessions tomorrow - we've had requests for Fathers and Sons, What about me, and Next Steps, so we'll break out into our own rooms for those, probably late morning. Great conversations happening spontaneously already at every get-together - as expected, topics range from potty training to 21" heavy tread truck tires...
More later...
Watch this thread for a link to photos...
- Andy
We'll get them posted to the official Flickr site and RebelDad will get them posted at his place too, but what I've got so far from last night's event's, and they were fun (!) , can be found at:
http://gallery.me.com/homedaddy#100090
The GoKart racing was much more fun than a lot of us expected. I can say for myself that it was apparent that I've been behind the wheel of my Toyota Sienna for too long and could not handle the sheer speed and drivability of these mini machines.
Then came the bowling where I knew that my game would get better with every beer I drank. To a point.
Friday started with a Grand Slam and then coming up a stroll around Old SacTown with a camera and some of the old (Saloons? Taverns?) bars for a few cold ones before heading to the Squeeze Inn, which is a legendary burger joint here in town. Tonight's hockey game in Stockton should provide some good fun too. Hogan, Philip Andrew, Bill Ekhardt, Al and others will be joining us. I've just been informed by my roomie, Andy that he just posted an update, so not to get too repetitive here, enjoy the pics!
See ya!
Missing you guys while visiting the grandparents in South Florida. See you all next year!
Someone shout nice and lound "Let's Go Pens! Flyers Stink!" in the direction of Dayv for me please... Next year we'll hit a good old fashioned Patrick Division game for some 'real' hockey :-)
PittCaleb
The discussion sessions have begun, mainly it as a going around the room introductions, which have led to two solid hours of questioning and sharing, and we still have two more dads to go through. It's amazing to watch the pens flying as guys are taking notes, and sharing what they know. It's pretty impressive given the size of the group.
And so far, the quote of the day is.....
"My name is Liam...one of my sons is 5 now....Hey Bill, *Bill is a Presbyterian Minister*, do you do exorcisms???"
More to come....
Here are some pics from our Friday events.
After our morning breakfast, we hung out for a bit and waited for a few folks to make it in. We greeted Hogan and Bill and all piled in Andy's car And carted off to the Squeeze Inn for some Cheesy Burgers. Then it was off to Old Sac Town for some souvenir shops and beers and back to the hotel for some more beers. We then hauled off to Stockton for a Stockton Thunder game. (Thunder won!)
Here are some photos from yesterday's event...
http://gallery.me.com/homedaddy#100098
Enjoy!
Brian
Just left Sac Town and what a blast! The hockey game totally rocked (except $7 a beer - YIKES!). Great goals, couple of good fights, a shootout win, awesome fans. Saturday after breakfast we had awesome discussions that made coming this year really worth the travel and expense of coming out west. It is so awesome to be able to share ideas and make more friends to gain more support for doing this job that I love. Thanks to all of you who make me a better father and husband by listening and sharing how you do it.
Saturday!
As reported, the convention was unconventionally the best convention for being done in such an unconventional format. Given the circumstance we faced, we dads once again proved that improvisation and thinking on your feet in the key to all situations when they take an unexpected turn like they have here. Talk about making the best of the situation.
I can echo the statement made previously by Al (KCHomedad). By the time the introductions made it around to me, so much of what I wanted to say had been said by many of the other guys. I had little to add except for my gratitude for my wife and family and for all of these guys and other dads I know who are the inspiration for me. Fellow trailblazers.
We shared some pretty good laughs on Saturday. After the discussions we headed over to the River City Brewing Company for some tasty micro-brew and a Mexican feast!
Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure! Enjoy!
http://gallery.me.com/homedaddy#100129
Hey Guys,
Brian, Thanks for the pictures,,,, They made me wish even more that I had been able to be there,,, but yet I kind of felt a part of it,, with so many familiar faces from years past.
Glad you guys did it,,,, and looking forward to next year.
You were missed!
Phil filled me on on all (well, not all but...) what's going on in your world. You are one busy guy. This year I could've really used your session on hair-braiding! I'm counting on you for some tips and tricks next year!
I wish you all the successes in your endeavors with your church. It sounds like things are going well for you!
Glad you enjoyed the pics.
Brian
I want to thank the convention committee. I had a great time. It was really nice to see people again and to meet new ones. I really liked the "going out and do fun" stuff. I would like to thank all the attendees for sharing their insight and stories. I learned a lot. Thanks
Bill (CA)
One 4 year old and 2, 3 year olds.
Yes it was a blast. One more notch in the belt of great weekends. To any of you who have not made it to one of these conventions yet; start planning now! Although the turnout was smaller than in recent years, it was still and incredibly valuable time. In fact, with less structure, there was a much more natural flow to the conversations. If you haven't been, you can't imagine what your missing. If you have, you should be wanting to return, because you know what you are missing.
Thanks again Andy and Dayv, and all the others that kicked in to make it happen this year. Looking forward to Omaha.
Jim
Boulder, CO
Dad to Cole, Luke & Trev
Joined: 2006-11-03
Dad Points: 657