5 Things I Want My Daughters to Know

My good friend Pastor Eric tagged me to come up with these:

1. You are four of the greatest gifts I have ever been given (the fifth is your mother).

2. I also suspect that you will be the four best gifts I ever had a part in giving to the world. You make me feel very humble about everything else that I do, and have ever done; nothing else matters as much as being your father.

3. I think that you are here to bring much love, joy, laughter, and good will to the world. You do this already, and there is nothing else as important or as precious as that.

4. Being with you teaches me new things about the world, and how it can be seen and experienced. I think I've learned that this is a central part of love, for being with people you love...and who love you...changes your relationship to the world. It is very exciting, and I thank you for this!

5. More than anything, I wish your Grandpa Roger could have met you, and you him. He would have loved being your grandfather.

First Day of School 2007

Today was Anne's first day in daycare, Emma's first day (of her last year) of preschool, Grace's first day of second grade, and Sarah's first day of fifth grade.

3,560 Miles

Yesterday we returned from a grand summer odyssey: driving 3,560 miles to destinations in Idaho, Washington, and South Dakota. We were gone two weeks, and it was a fabulous vacation. The map above shows the route in most of its detail (click to enlarge).

A photo slideshow from our trip.