5
 
 
  
1:30 PM, Saturday, June 11th, 2022:
 
I love packing a bunch of shit in on the last day of a vacation. You always feel like ya squeezed everything out of it...
 
 
And just like that Hawaii is over.

Biggest takeaway? THANK GOD WE DID THIS WHEN THEY WERE THIS AGE. We're definitely in that phase of parenting. Trying to pack shit in before they're teens. I will say, I'm more hopeful than most dads I know about the teen years, but even if they're good? They're different. Shit, this trip was so different than trips a few years ago. They're really their own persons and you can see where this is all heading... but in 2022? That was the time to do this trip. Everyone had the most fun. The best reactions - it's like peek childhood memory season, ya know? 8 and 9? Especially with the videos. I don't mean to wax poetic about how much these videos mean to the family (because that's quite the humblebrag, no?) but...
 
...GODDAMN THESE VIDEOS MEAN EVERYTHING.
 
I cannot stress it enough. They're currency to our family. They're watched so often. The kids ADORE having their lives at their fingertips and they cement memories SO, FREAKING, HARD. I don't rememeber much before I was 5, but these kids THINK they remember EVERYTHING. LOL. It's pretty cute.
 
It's also my way of thanking Karen for the bulk of this trip that I wouldn't have attempted without her help. Hopefully the work I did editing everything means something to her as well. She's on her way here to see a big hour-long cut of everything. Seems silly since we haven't even been back for 48 hours, but I wanted to knock it out right away while it was fresh. Also kept my mind off the fasting I'm doing to prepare for the new routine.
 
May I never, ever get to where I was in these videos... but I'll say this - I still love the dude in 'em. Not sure I could say that before when I looked like this. I think it's 'cause I know how happy I am and that it really is just a "look" and "health" thing. Before I was soooooooooo miserable if I was that overweight. I would look at videos and remember the pain. Now? I see a very happy dad having a very happy time... one that I just need to compartmentalize a bit more so I'm not adding SEVENTY FUCKING extra pounds to my heart.
 
And knees.
 
And hips.
 
And fuck pushing 50 'cause that shit is REAL dawg. GotDAMN.
 
Anyway - Hawaii was amazing... next up? WEIRD AL next SATURDAY!!!!!!
 
Adam