Minnesota State Fair

My daughter really wanted to go to the state fair this year, so yesterday we went. I had not gone to the state fair in over a decade, and I really wouldn't have bothered if my little girl didn't want to go so badly.

On the way home from our camping trip we had talked about maybe taking one of her friends, or letting her get together with one of her friends after we got back from the fair. After she thought about it for a bit, though, she said, "Nah. Let's just make it a daddy-daughter day. I can see my friends anytime, but we can't do daddy-daughter days whenever we want."

That just made the fair that much more worthwhile for me. She had a blast, and I had a wonderful time watching her have so much fun. And it was just the two of us having a great time together for nearly the entire day.

I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful little girl.

USMC 9971 OUT

Getting Back To Basics

My daughter and I went camping this past weekend. It was her first camping trip (outside of pitching the tent in someone's backyard), and it was our only family vacation this year. I am happy to report that she loved it!

It's been a rough year on her. Her mom (now my ex-wife) left us about 13 months ago, and it has not been an easy transition. She is a trooper, though, and just seems to get stronger by the day.

We had many ideas for a summer vacation this year, but most ended up being out of reach because money is tight (daycare - who knew?). The camping trip was sitting on the back-burner, and it is not that spendy to get a place to pitch a tent, so we went with it.

Swimming, campfires, s'mores, reading, staring at the stars, and just relaxing. No internet, no phones, no work, no rushing. It was just a simple few days of literally getting away from it all.

I noticed her smiling more than she has in a long time. She even commented, "It's good to see you smile, dad." There is no doubt that we both really needed this break.

USMC 9971 OUT