Surprise! Mom secretly bought tickets for us to see a play called, Pete the Cat. Too bad the surprise was on mom when it turned out I didn’t really like the play; the cartoon-y plot line just wasn’t mature enough for my liking (although mom did catch a couple of laughs sneaking out of my mouth). Genesee, on the other hand, was completely captivated. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions from that, but for future reference, if you want to woo me, you gotta remember that I’m a distinguished gentleman with high-class taste. And that’s why I asked to go to Taco Bell afterward.

When winter is met with sledding hills, snow person making, ice fishing mornings, movie theatre trips, icicle sword fights, COVID vaccination approval for my age group, and indoor soccer tournaments, there are no blues to be had. (We could have done without the $11,000 deer collision and rising fuel prices, but otherwise, not bad!)

This winter we tried something new: Ice Fishing!

Dad purchased all sorts of fancy equipment (because mom says he only likes expensive hobbies) to keep us warm, safe, and looking good out on those lakes, and it was worth every penny! Now, our family will be able to survive the rest of winter without going hungry… thanks mostly to grocery stores, but also because of dedicated fisherman, like us, who not only sacrifice hours of sleep, but also trade fuzzy, fleece bedsheets for middle-of-the-lake ice shanties, in order to provide fresh-but-frozen fish for the desolate dinner table.

It wasn’t fun at all. Like, I’m surprised I’m even smiling in the below pictures. Seriously, no fun was had. Not even when we stopped at Kwik Trip afterward for smoothies and delicious breakfast sandwiches. Just hard, physically & mentally challenging, thankless work because that’s the price of entry for manhood.

You’re welcome.