Looking forward to your driver's ed days

Late last week I edited a parents' guide to teaching one's teen how to drive a car and started thinking about the years ahead when you'll get your driver's license. That's a few years off - about eight years -but you've already lived nearly seven years and that has gone by in a flash!

I look forward to being able to each you how to drive, and to seeing that excited, joyous look on your face when you finally receive your license! And then, of course, there's that moment when you get your first car! I can vividly recall each of those moments in my life!

I must admit that there's a little trepedation about you driving - it's a lot more complicated than it looks (at first anyways), and teens tend to get in more accidents (including more fatal ones) than other drivers. Still, I'm confident that with enough practice hours on the road, you'll do fine!

My email/letter to you for Sept. 28, 2013

Here is my email/letter that I sent Sept. 28, 2013, in case you do not receive it.

Dear Kieran,

How are you doing today? I’m doing fine, though I miss you like crazy! I sure wish we could get together this weekend. The good news is that we will be getting together next weekend – either Friday, Oct. 4 or Saturday, Oct. 5.

Are you enjoying first grade? I bet you are. You always have been very curious about the world and are very intelligent, so I’m sure you enjoy school. What are you learning about in reading, math and music class (That was three questions in one, wasn’t it?). My favorite classes in school were reading and social studies. I liked reading stories and learning about different places in the world. Interestingly, that’s what I do for a living today – I read and edit other people’s stories and write about neat places that I hike.

September is almost over, and that means we’re into football season! Have you watched many of the NFL games on TV? They last a long time, don’t they? I usually read a book during commercials and between plays because the games last so long! Unfortunately, my favorite teams, the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers, are not doing so well so far – they each have 1-2 records, meaning they won a game but lost two. But the games they lost were very close.

My old high school’s football team has been having a really good season, though – they’ve won six straight games, and no one has scored any points against them. That’s unheard of! Does your school have a high school football team? If they do, have you gone to their games yet? I always enjoyed going to high school football and basketball games with my father when I was your age.

Halloween will be here in just four or so weeks! What kind of costume do you want to wear this year for Halloween?

Do you remember all of the Halloween costumes you've worn through the years? I've made a list of them for you:

 >2007 (8 months old) - Pumpkin

 >2008 (1 year old) - Elmo

 >2009 (2 years old) - Doctor

 >2010 (3 years old) - Luke Skywalker

 >2011 (4 years old) - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

 >2012 (5 years old) - Fireman

 >2013 (6 years old) - ?

Sometimes you wore different costumes in a year as we attended different Halloween celebrations during October. What's listed above is what you wore on Halloween itself while going trick or treating.

I’m sure where we’ll meet next weekend – either at the family center on Friday or somewhere else on Saturday. If we can meet on Saturday and the weather is good, we’ll go to Como Park Zoo like you had asked.

Well, that is all for now. I love and miss you very much. You have a great week at school, and I’ll see you in just a few days!

Love,

Dad

No. 1 songs on your birthdays

Have you wondered what was the No. 1 song when you were born? How about on each of your birthdays? Well here's the list!

>>2007 - "Irreplacable" (Beyonce)
>>2008 - "Low" (Flo Rida)
>>2009 - "Crack a Bottle" (Eminem)
>>2010 - "Tik Tok" (Kesha)
>>2011 - "Black and Yellow" (Wiz Khalifa)
>>2012 - "Stronger" (Kelly Clarkson)
>>2013 - "Thrift Shop" (Macklemore)

The No. 1 song when I was born was "Turn, Turn, Turn" (Byrds) and the No. 1 album was "Rubber Soul" (Beatles).

The list comes from the Billboard Top 100.

Recall your space shuttle plush toy?

Do you remember your space shuttle plush toy? I got it for you when you were an infant, and it ended up in your tote of space toys, so you still played with it when a preschooler.

When pressed, it made the sound of an engine starting up, as if the space shuttle were revving up to take off. I don't remember exactly where I got it, but I believe it was at an airport.

I always liked getting you space toys because as a kid I loved all things that had to to do with space (In fact, I still do!). I hoped to share that love with you via some of the toys I purchased.

Believe it or not, I think I still have that plush toy in a tote!

Collecting Topps pro football cards

One of my favorite things to collect when I was in first grade were football cards!

That year, the Miami Dolphins were the best team in the NFL, and along with the Packers my favorite team. So I always wanted to get Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers players whenever I bought football cards. My favorite football card was of Dolphins player Nick Buoniconti!

I started buying football cards for you the year before you went into first grade. They were the Topps cards with New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez on the package.

The current football cards I'm purchasing for you also are from Topps but have Adrian Peterson on the package. You told me Saturday that you wanted to collect cards from California teams! I hope you get lots of them in your packages!

Recall Johnny Rockets in Santa Clarita?

Johnny Rockets in Santa Clarita, Calif.

After enjoying Johnny Rockets with you on Saturday at the Mall of America, I began to think about all of the times we've been to one. I think the one you probably remember most is in Santa Clarita, Calif., though we've both been to the one in Rancho Mirage, Calif., too.

The Santa Clarita restaurant was near the Borders bookstore in the Valencia Town Center. We'd go there every couple of months to enjoy a hamburger, fries and a malt.

You always liked that they made a smiling face with the ketchup in a little cardboard container. Sometimes the staff also would break out into song and a small dance when certain songs came on; the one that I remember that the Santa Clarita staff did that to was Donna Summer's "Last Dance."

Hiking Rainbow Basin in 2009

Four years ago today we hiked through Rainbow National Natural Landmark near Barstow, Calif.

I remember the trip being a long drive for you - we probably spent an hour and 15 minutes in the Jeep before arriving. But arrive we did - and what an impressive site!

Wind and rain over a virtually plant-less terrain carved Rainbow Basin's mudstone and other sediment layers into a variety of odd and fantastic shapes. It's a little known national park unit.

I also remember that you brought your little yellow sand shovels along. Perhaps because I had brought a geological hammer, you felt like you should have some tools as well!

Here are a collection of pictures from our adventure!