1984

Like a lot of dads, I wasn’t always a dad.  There was a time when I was a living, breathing, non-yelling person.  And as hard as it is for me or my sons or my wife to believe, I was once a kid. 

There’s a big part of me who wants Elijah and Luca to know what life was like when I was a kid.  It’s hard to put into words what growing up in Central Illinois was like in the 1980’s. 

Luckily, there is current day Wisconsin. 

Last week, we took the boys up to a cabin in Wisconsin for a little non-blogging R&R.  It was just outside a little town called Mt Horeb.  There really isn’t much to tell beyond the fact that Mt Horeb’s official motto is “Trollway of Wisconsin.”  Yes.  Trolls.  The kind you put on the end of your pencil.

But what really stood out to me was the fact that time seemed to have stopped in 1984.  The cars.  The clothes.  The music.  We heard the Van Halen song “Panama,” three times within the first 48 hours.

This is not meant to be mocking.  I was in heaven.  Twelve year old heaven.  We drove through the corn-lined countryside with our windows wide open, shout/singing to Bryan Adams and Guns and Roses.

The boys loved it.  Elijah made his kick ass guitar face and Luca sat with his eyes closed, letting the pollen filled wind flow through his hair.

The only way it would have been more 1980’s is if I had reincarnated my Flock of Seagulls hair and cried because Jenny Bernstein dumped me.  But that would have been weird with Diana there.

I’ll update you more on our vacation in the next couple of days.  Complete with Skinny Dipping. 

p.s.  Today's photo isn't from vacation.  Diana just started a Winegoddess page on Facebook.  Go see it and "Like" it.  Shameless plug!