Sunset to Sunset

The first official weekend of summer was a testament to the season. The exuberance of youth was matched by the power of parenting. The shine of the sun was followed by the glow of the moon. My youngest daughter peed her swim diaper. When I took it off, there was no shine, no glow.

Here is a weekend recap, and AWAY, WE, GO!

Friday night was the Stackhouse Park Summer Solstice party. We parked in Westmont and journeyed down to the main pavilion for an assortment of adventure. Our children wore swimsuits as creek crossing and exploring was a guarantee. Our 2-year-old was all but diving into the Stackhouse waterway before we had to warn her of the dangers of hypothermia. She was treated by teenage facepaint artists.

There was an informative and creative Leave No Trace lecture designed for kiddos; a book reading by a local author; live music, featuring my 4-year-old's teacher strumming a guitar. The park also has newly installed tree identification posts that my daughters find captivating. Climbing the path back to our Subaru, they charged hills to pretend to identify trees. At one point, our 2-year-old fell down one of the hills she charged. She was reminded of her body paint artwork and quickly recovered.

When we got home, a miracle occurred. Under the light of the moon on our balcony, both kids fell asleep. My wife and I talked for a good hour and enjoyed this crisp Friday night in June. Historically, once 9PM hits, we, the parents, start to get sleepy, especially me. This is about the time when one or both of our daughters tries to prevent sleep through a series of loony behavior. On the first night of summer, we, the parents, won. Twas only a battle, but we reveled in this wartime victory. Bring on Saturday.

The Westmont Presbyterian Church hosted a 5K, aka the Deacon Dash, on Saturday morning. I ran while my children cheered. I was awarded a hot pink Deacon Dash T-shirt that I will proudly wear. At one point, I dashed too far and had to turn around. At the end, I did not dash far enough. This was one of those 5K where no one cares about finish times. It was all for a good cause and a hot pink T-shirt. As the T-shirt reads, "and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1). All proceeds benefited the Westmont Family Counseling Ministries. My family benefited from the Farmer's Market going on in the parking lot. We got a farmer's favorite - zucchini bread - for the ride home. Zucchini bread provided a jolt to mow the lawn.

Grass cut and next up - Thunder in the Valley parade. Now, this was a new conquest. My wife and I got on our motorcycles, blasted Def Leppard, strapped our children in the sidecar, and made our way to Main Street. 

The reality - we boarded our Outback. The parents in black T-shirts. The girls in tie-dye numbers. We might have looked more Woodstock, less Thunder, but ultimately, we were parade bound. From my wife's office, we could get a bird's eye view of the parade with a censored ear of the bikes. To our joy, there was a variety of characters on wheels - Batman, Spiderman, Snow White, Grover, and even Merida. Merida is the courageous archer from the Disney movie Brave. Every hard core Thunder in the Valley biker would know that. 

We went swimming after this expedition. My youngest daughter crushed three Freeze Pops after getting her water exercise and then passed out. Sleeping in the sun, it was clear to see that her last Freeze Pop was green. I scooped her - to protect her from the sun's might - and we found refuge in TV golf. It was glorious. 

Then, I had to change that aqua diaper. It reminded me of a couple weeks ago when there was a tornado warning and water rushed into our front yard. It was astonishing. Even Merida would have been shook. We had to recover quickly. The countdown was on for Toy Story 4 in the Great Outdoors.  

As the sun set over Johnstown, a herd of vehicles stormed the Silver Drive-Ins. Arriving an hour early, we were 20 cars deep in a line to see Woody and Buzz once more. I was first introduced to this cowboy and space ranger when I was 11. 24 years later, "To Infinity and Beyond" is as powerfully as ever. The Toy Story franchise is what magic in the movies is all about. To see hundreds of cars on that grassy knoll is something I will never forget. My daughters playing with my 6-month-old niece on a blanket. My 6-month-old niece sitting up and scaring herself when she rolled from a seated position to a blanket face plant. The magic of the drive-ins. 

That 6-month-old was asleep in no time. Our kids watched the entire movie on pure adrenaline and fruit snacks. I was proud of my squad. We had to be one of the few and proud families who pulled off the Thunder parade to Toy Story 4 sequence. 

On Sunday, we decided that Dad and the women of the house needed time away from each other. Not because we were sick of each other; because it was the right thing to do. When I went upstairs to pick up my first born on Sunday morning, she looked at my attire and the first words she spoke to me were these: "Let me guess, you're golfing?"

"18 holes, precious. 18 holes."

When we reunited on the balcony on Sunday night, another brilliant summer day was coming to a close. From Stackhouse adventuring to 5K running to Thunder parading to family swimming to movie going to leaving my family behind to golf - it was a seasonal sensation. 

Blessed with good health, the sun brought out the best in us. I hope that sun continues to shine over Johnstown. I hope we have to continue using the highest powered sunscreen on the market.

Get out in the sun. Get out in your community. 

As Woody says, "Reach for the Sky!"