3 posts tagged with "cameron"

Well, my wife has created an expensive, flying monster - actually, three of them.

At the end of 2021, I went flying at iFly Minneapolis for the first time, and loved it so much again I came back for another round two days later. After seeing the pictures and videos from those experiences, my sons Cameron and Atticus expressed interest as well, so this past weekend we headed out to iFly Minneapolis for their maiden flights.

My sons have extremely different interests and hobbies, and honestly, cannot get along for more than five minutes at a time. So as a dad, I was cautiously excited that this might be something the three of us could enjoy together. On our drive to iFly, that excitement quickly turned into concern when I started doing some quick mental math on what it would cost me if they both started wanting to do this on a regular basis.

We got checked in at the front desk, then fitted for our flight gear. I have to say, we looked pretty sharp:

As we waited to be ushered into the training room, the boys were in different places emotionally. My older son, Cameron, had been 100% psyched about this experience from the minute I had told him we were going, but my youngest son Atticus had some reservations. I could tell he was nervous because he was a little bit quiet (he’s never, ever quiet) as he studied the current group of students doing their flights.

Our instructor brought us into a training room to watch the short safety video. Atticus watched with quiet intensity. When it was over, our instructor came into the room to review the hand signals we would use while in the tube. I was so proud of Atticus for shouting out correct answers to all the questions. I could tell he was taking this seriously and wanted to do his best.

We got our earplugs in and helmets on, and were escorted to the room on the side of the tube to line up for our flights. My son Cameron went first and had what my wife would call “a big dumb smile” the whole time. To see him light up like that is one of those moments that, as a parent, you forget about how much a thing costs because there isn’t a dollar value you can place on that level of joy:

I took my turn next, and got lowered to the floor of the tube to resume work on specific skills. Per the video below, I’m trying to gain better control of left and right turns, as well as moving up and down and back and forth. I’m getting the hang of it, but still feeling like I’m an airplane constantly seconds away from a crash landing. It helps having videos like these so I can see where to make small corrections towards better flight control:

Last up was my youngest, Atticus. He actually came with me during my second iFly trip and was pondering joining me for a flight, but ultimately decided to pass. However, once he saw the trainers doing front and back flips, he changed his mind again and wanted to join me, but by that time it was too late. This time, however, he was all in - and judging by his expression, all business:

When he came out of the tube, he was all smiles. He sat down next to me on the bench and gave me a hug while he continued to beam. I had to laugh because even though in the waiting room you can’t hear anything, both sons kept tapping me continuously, wanting desperately to tell me all about their awesome experience.

We lined up a “high flight” for each boy’s second ride, and I loved watching them smile even bigger and wider as they sailed up high in the tube while twirling around in circles, Superman style. As they awaited their third and final ride, Atticus started tapping me on the shoulder and flashing me a peace sign followed by two “zero” signs. I gave him a gesture indicating I was confused. I thought maybe he was asking for a two-minute ride by flashing me “2-0-0.” He leaned forward and shouted loudly with a big grin, “TWO HUNDRED MORE TIMES!”

And while I would’ve loved to be able to take us all on another 200 rides, our adventure for the night had unfortunately come to a close. Suffice to say, I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be back again soon. I was encouraged to setup a Tunnelflight profile, which will allow the iFly instructors to vouch for my progress and help me advance to the next levels of flight. I'm definitely interested in keeping the skills progression going, especially after seeing my final flight of the night below, which I think demonstrates a little improvement!

My wife and I recently celebrated an important "gotcha" day - specifically, the anniversary of adopting our first child, but also the memory of two pillar family members.  Here's a little back story: 

Cameron​

Every time we hit this "gotcha" day we're flooded with memories of traveling to a foreign country, jumping into a rickety old car with a total stranger, and driving through muddy roads for hours to finally unite with the son we'd been hearing, praying and dreaming about for months.  Here's a pic of this handsome fella now:

We couldn't be any more blessed to have him in our lives.  However, our celebration of Cam's homecoming is complicated by the fact that the day is also the birthday of Carole, my wife's mother, who passed away several years ago.

Carole​

Carole was an incredible mother, grandmother and friend.  Personally, she was one of my biggest cheerleaders - always telling me I could be a better person, achieve more in my career, and that some day I'd be a wonderful father.  

She was a source of sanity and strength as my wife and I navigated the rocky and unpredictable adoption process.  She kept her computer's desktop wallpaper set to a picture of Cameron, kissing it every time she walked by.  She unfortunately never got to meet Cam, and although I'm a man of faith, Carole's death is one of those big "WTF GOD?" moments in my life that I'm still not at peace with.

Shawn​

A few years before Carole's passing, our family experienced another tragedy.  My cousin Shawn, a Minnesota police officer, was tragically killed while trying to end a high-speed pursuit. 

Shawn and I were close and loved a lot of the same things - playing guitar, singing, computers and spending time with our families.  His death was a frightening reminder of how dangerous work is every day for those who serve and protect.  I think about Shawn often.

Why share all this?  Well, I think writing a blurb about these three individuals is therapeutic in a way.  It helps me process a feeling that I can't quite put my finger on.  A feeling of wanting to laugh, cry, mourn and celebrate - all at the same time.

This will sound super cheesy, but I don't care because it's worth writing a million times: tell and show the people around you that you love them.  To be honest, I'm not always doing an awesome job of that.  But I'm reminded on "gotcha" day every year that I should try harder.

Lets start by having you take a look at this foam pit we rented for my sons' birthday party:

Doesn't it look like a cavalcade of fun? A birthday party's wet dream? An outdoor utopia of laughs, high-fives and safe, family-friendly fun?

Well, it wasn't any of those things.

Why, you ask? Let me count the ways:

• The foam pit didn't work. Basically the company we rented this from blew up the jumpy portion and then gave us brief instruction on how to get the foam flowing. It looked simple enough: run a hose to a contraption that has another tube thingy on it, and when you're ready for foamy bubbles, stick the tube thingy in a big bucket of soap-like goo.

  Easy enough, right?

  It all sounded fine and dandy except the goo-sucking tube thingy clogged or malfunctioned constantly, meaning we had eight-foot-high bubbles one minute, and nothing but air molecules the next. I babysat this horky contraption for four hours. Needless to say I did not have a smiley face on when the party was over.

• It killed my neighbor's grass. Although labeled as "safe, non-toxic" and totally harmless to anything, the foam-making goo clearly doesn't play nicely with grass:

• It sent a kid to the ER. One of my son's friends spent most of the day playing in the foam pit and had a bad reaction to the foam. His eyes started getting itchy/irritated, and by early evening he had to go to the ER to get treated for something with the word conjunctivitis. He had to have his eyes flushed several times and be on medications for a while as well.

To be fair, we voiced our complaints to the rental company and they were extremely apologetic and accommodating. We were going to use this same foam pit for an upcoming event at our church, but cancelled the reservation after this less-than-pleasant experience. However, the rental company is working with us to make things right by giving us a discount on - or possibly donate entirely - some jumpy equipment to the church gathering.

So for next year's birthday parties, I think I'm gonna get out the good ol' fashion Slip and Slide and lay it over a bed of rocks!