Road Trip

 Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! 

 

Last weekend I had an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. My oldest Tender Warrior, Payton, is getting married a week from tomorrow. With this, all 3 of my boys and I loaded up in the truck, headed to Atlanta, and had a Bachelor Weekend. It truly could not have gone better…it was all we had planned, hoped, and imagined.

 

We all had to work until a little after 1:00 p.m. last Friday. By the time we got home, packed, and got on the road, it was about 2:30 p.m. The trip was good – we stopped at Buc-ees in Leeds, AL and had a really good time talking. With the time change and stops, we arrived at our hotel at about 7:30 p.m.

 

We unpacked at the hotel and headed to Longhorn Steakhouse. Each of us enjoyed a great steak – the youngest, Landry, ate a 22 oz. ribeye! – and sat and visited for more than an hour. It was awesome!

 

After a great night of sleep, we headed to Mercedes Benz Stadium to watch the U.S. Women’s National Team play Japan in the SheBelieves Cup. We were blessed by one of Payton’s former co-workers with seats in the premium seating area. This included all you could eat and drink as well as field access. It was amazing! Japan scored within the first minute of the game and the stadium fell awkwardly quiet. If you want to ever watch some amazing athletes, watch the U.S. Women’s National Team! The United States came back to win 2 – 1.

 

Since we had all inclusive tickets and time until our next adventure, we stayed and watched the first half of the Brazil vs. Canada game.

 

We all then hopped in the truck and headed over to Truist Park to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Atlanta Braves. This experience would not disappoint.

 

The Diamondbacks jumped out to a 6 – 0 lead in the first inning – sound familiar? By the time it was over we had seen 27 hits and the Braves had won 9 – 8.

 

We had left the hotel at 10:00 a.m. to begin this great day and we got back at 11:30 p.m. According to Payton’s watch we had walked 6 miles. We were all exhausted and it did not take long to get to sleep.

 

Sunday morning we all got ready, packed the truck, and headed to Summer Grove Golf Club. We had breakfast at the clubhouse, bought Summer Grove gear, and then headed out to the driving range before our round began. We golfed 9 holes with Landry & Gehrig beating Payton & I in a best ball scramble.

 

After golf we swung by Jersey Mike’s, had lunch, and then headed for home. We arrived back home right about 5:30 p.m. We had done an awful lot in 53 hours.

 

So, there is a snapshot of what we did. Now I want to share lessons learned and the things I will forever cherish.

 

This was the first time in a very long time that just the 4 guys had gotten away together. We all recognized this and, I believe, we all cherished this great blessing.

 

I absolutely loved the talks on the drive – there and back – as well as at dinner. Some of the talks were serious, some were ribbing each other, and some were just silly…I will cherish them all.

 

Payton has always loved the U.S. Women’s National Team…to see how excited he was getting to see them in person was awesome!

 

Just hanging out with my boys, eating and drinking as we watched the U.S. Women’s National team play was just special. I recognize, value, and appreciate it.

 

Look, it might be cool to chant, “SEC!,” “SEC!” or “We Are! Penn State!” or whatever it is you yell when you go to games, but  NOTHING compares to sitting in a stadium and chanting “USA!,” “USA!” While the SEC might mean more, cheering for your country hits at a whole different level!!!

 

One of the coolest moments to me was when the U.S. Women’s National team walked around the stadium after the match waving to the fans and thanking them for their support. Might sound silly or maybe I am just getting older, I got kind of emotional. It was a very kind and thoughtful gesture. And I would be remiss if I did not mention the Japanese players. They all lined up, bowed to one side of the stadium and waved, turned, and did the same to the other side of the stadium. Both were the epitome of class.

 

At the baseball game I felt just this great sense of peace. My heart was happy, completely content. I was sitting with my Tender Warriors, we were watching a baseball game, and life was good!

 

The golf course was pretty. We all hit at least one phenomenal shot and some that…well, never mind. It was competitive, it was fun, and as was said more than once, “We are playing golf on a Sunday morning. How bad can it be?”

 

I do have to tell you this; as we were driving back we noted that we had not encountered one rude or obnoxious fan. Everyone was kind, respectful, and just enjoyed the game. As I pointed out to the boys, does that mean we were the rude and obnoxious ones?!?! 

 

So, a few thoughts and I will wrap this up:

• It is the people that we have in our lives that makes life worth living.
• Yes, going to games and playing golf is fun. Real connection happens in the hours of conversation when everyone is fully present.
• If you ever get a chance to take a road trip with your kids, take it. Better yet, don’t leave it to chance…YOU plan it.
• Show up every day in the lives of your kids – the good ones and the bad ones. The days you feel like it and the days you don’t. The reward is they actually want to spend time with you and their siblings when they are older.
• Being a parent is an unspeakable honor, privilege, and responsibility. Though we all grow older, the honor, privilege, and responsibility never ends.
• It is not about the number of hours, it is what we choose to do with them!

To Payton, Gehrig, and Landry – Thank you for blessing me with a weekend I will cherish for the rest of my life. It is truly an honor and privilege to be your Dad. I love you, I am proud of each one of you, and I believe in you with all my heart.

 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well! 

 

Kev