An iPhone note with a Dec. 18, 2014 1AM timestamp reads “365 things about dad.” It was this middle-of-the-night thought that inspired Celebrating Jon. This time last year, I hoped that this year’s worth of missed moments would help you learn about how special daddy was. I didn’t realize how much it would help us all. The […]
In 1996, the Tamagotchi Pet came out and it was the thing to have. The level of care you provided for the pixelated creature would determine how it grew (if it even stayed alive). I spent an embarrassingly high number of hours feeding my Chi slices of bread; turning its lights off for bedtime; nursing […]
As you know, I’m not exactly immune to irrational fears. I’m a self-diagnosed hypochondriac after all. As a kid, a reoccurring nightmare fueled my intense phobia of getting kidnapped. One day, I told my friend and next-door neighbor, Kelsey, about this fear. Her response? She wasn’t worried because her home’s security system would deter the would-be kidnappers, meaning they’d […]
I had a lot of nightmares as a kid, so I was relieved when we made dream catchers at school. Carefully draped on the left side of my bed, this sucker was my faithful guardian for years. However, it didn’t always work. Daddy knew how upsetting this was for me and patiently explained that my dream catcher sometimes […]
Around age 10, I fancied myself a detective. Rumors had begun circulating at school that the Tooth Fairy was (gasp) actually your parents. And so began my quest to prove she wasn’t real. Before placing my tooth under my pillow one night, I wrote a note asking if she could provide a picture of herself. The next […]
Years later, this uncomfortable yet hilarious memory came back to me. In the spring of my fourth grade year, I had my first introduction to sex ed via St. Catherine’s “Family Life” class. On the way home from school on day, just as we passed the Midlothian Turnpike exit on Chippenham Parkway, I abruptly asked daddy […]
For the past 365 days, we’ve recounted some wonderful things about daddy. But, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge a few of his “PITA” (Pain In The Ass, as he liked to say) qualities. First things first, dad was occasionally hard to please…particularly at restaurants. He loved a juicy medium-rare steak. If it was not cooked […]
Dane, Happy birthday. It’s 5:05am — the exact moment we welcomed you into the world, 16 years ago today. Where on earth has the time gone? As you know, today also marks the last official day of Celebrating Jon posts. Inspired by mom and dad’s 10 birthday surprises for my 10th birthday, you can look forward to 16 […]
You know the expression “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”? Well, I guess that could be said for you, Dane. You see, Netflix was founded in 1997 and daddy proudly wore the title of “early adopter.” Soon after Netflix’s launch, he subscribed to the DVD delivery service (he didn’t skimp on the package […]
A phrased daddy loved using was “scooped.” Just how do you scoop someone? You tell their story or news to someone else who they planned on telling before they have a chance to share the news themselves. Beating them to the punch, if you will. Daddy would lecture both Joelle and me for scooping each other and ruining […]
Celebrating Jon 