About Jeff

http://our52adventures.com

Posts by Jeff Wright:

Patios and Pergolas

Patios and Pergolas

As our boys get older and our family grows we are constantly looking for more space.  The days of them playing in small spaces is long gone.  They’re big and loud and they have their own amazing personalities.  They need more space to become the young men they are becoming and we need more space to do things as a family and just the two of us. 

We’ve flirted with the idea of moving to a bigger house.  However, we love the schools the kids are in and houses in our school district are tough to find.  So, the next logical step is how can we make the space we have more functional for us.  In our world, that begins outdoors. 

We have spaces in our yard which are not really being used.  In fact, they were almost unusable.  One of those spaces was a grassy area right off our deck.  With two big rescue dogs jumping off the steps and two boys running around the yard the grass had become worn and the resulting bare spots created a muddy mess any time it rained.  Marnae thought it would be a good space for a patio, but my impression of poured concrete patios were that they were either too hot or too cold and the idea really didn’t appeal to me.  So the idea just kind of hung there for a couple of years.  I have a bad habit of just putting off ideas that don’t really appeal to me rather than actually discussing why they don’t. 

This is frustrating for everyone, and I do not recommend it.  (Hey, I’m working on it!) 

Anyway, I eventually told her what the real problem was, and we actually worked together to design a solution.  After pricing materials and comparing to some quotes for a poured patio we realized if we built it ourselves, we could put in a nice patio with pavers we liked and could even add a pergola to shade it for less than it would have cost to have someone come pour a concrete slab in our yard.  As a bonus, we could design it anyway we wanted and do it as a family.  We didn’t have to use a kit or a form or someone else’s idea.  We could make something we wanted and that would work best for us.  We even included the kids in the design process, not just the work part.

We started working on this project on Memorial Day weekend and we made good progress.  We marked and set our four sixteen-foot 6×6 posts by renting a post hole digger and having some help from a neighbor who had used one before.  After that we started building a small retaining wall and leveling out the area.  We built a trench for the drain spout coming off the house, we set all the patio stones (twice), and we put up the frame for the pergola.  If your interested in a how to about building a project like this there are about a thousand YouTube videos from people who can take you through it better than I ever could, but I think you get the idea. 

For most of the summer the project stayed just like this.  There was a completed patio, and about half of a pergola.  Basically, we decided to take a break while we handled summer events, baseball schedules and vacations.  But we enjoyed it anyway.  It was a rare Saturday or Sunday that Marnae and I weren’t sitting on the patio drinking coffee in the morning and we even figured out we could hang our camping hammock from the posts and swing in the summer breeze.  We didn’t worry about rushing to finish.  We wanted to have time to do it right and the way we wanted.  When Labor Day weekend rolled around, we began the finishing touches.  We finished off the pergola with the angled boards we wanted, we put in a path between the patio and our garden and finally we ran electricity to it so we could have heaters for when they were needed and lights for when they were wanted. 

We all worked together and created a space we can enjoy together.  We had help from our neighbor who will undoubtedly join us on it from time to time.  We love it already and we have even used it for one of our outdoor movies.  (Star Wars of course) 

For some people the idea of doing a project like this might seem impossible.  It might seem like too difficult and maybe you’ll just hire someone to do it.  That’s okay, someday we might do that on a different project.  But, on this one, I’m glad we didn’t.  If you’re willing to do a little research, you can figure it out almost any project.  It might not look perfect, but you can know you did it and that’s probably the feature I like most about our project.  We did it ourselves, we did it together and we did it the way we wanted it.

Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame

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Sometimes there are things in this world you think are unattainable.  Things you think you’ll never have the chance to do and then all of the sudden…Boom…there it is.  The first time it ever happened was when I was a fresh college graduate and I saw the Coliseum for the first time.  After that there was a long gap until Marnae and I saw the Eiffel Tower on a trip we took to Paris after planning for way to long.  As I’ve mentioned in previous posts that trip spurred a decision to make sure our boys understood travel was not only possible, but also essential to understanding ourselves and what we as people are capable of. Since we have made our commitment that feeling has become a regular part of our trips.  Maybe someday it will go away.  Maybe someday I’ll start to believe the feeling we want to give our boys, that anything you want to see or do is attainable, is possible for me too.  But, until then I’m going to enjoy the Boom, and I’m definitely going to enjoy seeing it with those I care about the most.

So I guess what I’m saying is, our trip has reached Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  We left our campsite in the morning with plenty of time to make our scheduled entry time of 10:00 a.m.  When we got there I was ready to walk into a whole other world.  However, it isn’t really set up quite like you expect.  When we arrived we walked through the ticketing line and then into another hallway, and then we all just kind of looked at each other like ummm…where do we go next.  There was a statue of Buck O’Neil (who us Royals fans know well), but other than that there wasn’t much there.  Finally, after asking someone where everything was we realized we just needed to turn the corner and walk down the next hall.  Eventually, we found the Plaque Room and our visit to the Hall of Fame was officially under way.  The faces on the wall and the names below them brought memories of my childhood rushing back to my mind.  I had seen those same faces on the hundreds of baseball cards I had collected through the years and had even been lucky enough to watch some of them play in person.  It was a surreal feeling which cannot really be described.

After the Plaque Room we walked toward the library wing where there were sections on broadcasters and baseball movies.  Voices I was familiar with and calls of famous plays right at your fingertips.  I’m pretty sure my family thought I was nuts because I was able to finish most of the lines before they were played on the recordings, but I didn’t care and neither did they.  We then walked upstairs to the real exhibits you expect to see at the Hall of Fame.  Babe Ruth’s bat, Mickey Mantle’s locker, Ricky Henderson’s cleats and even George Brett’s famous Pine Tar Bat.  In fact, the Pine Tar Bat and Wonderboy actually live in the same room separated by a few mere feet.  There were even videos on demand of famous plays from all different eras of baseball.  Sam loved watching Ozzie Smith do backflips on his way to short stop and kept wanting to see more and more.  He and I were relishing the experience and Marnae and Ben were clearly enjoying themselves as well.  We spent about 3 ½ hours walking around soaking it all in.  When we finally left, we made a quick pit stop at the gift shop and then went to go find some much needed food.

When we travel on these road trips we always try to plan meals.  Which means a cooler of food is not far away.   We find it is a much more affordable way to travel and much healthier option as well.  So, we went to the car grabbed the stuff to make a picnic lunch and watched some old timer’s baseball on Doubleday Field nearby.  When we were done, we did some shopping and of course grabbed some coffee and a sweet treat.  Then we played catch by some statues outside the Hall of Fame and then headed back to the campsite.

As we were pulling back into our campsite Marnae asked if I enjoyed my trip to the Hall of Fame.  I looked at her and said it was amazing and I would have spent the entire rest of the day there if I thought they could have tolerated it.  She looked at me and said, “Then go back.”  I was surprised and said no, we were on this trip as a family, and we should settle in at the campsite for a bit.  She looked at me and said “Seriously, Ben and I are fine.  Drop us off and we can have some quiet time and you and Sam can go back.”  (She’s pretty great.)

Sam and I dropped them off at the campsite and headed back along the shore of Otsego Lake to Cooperstown and stayed until the place closed.  We watched every video, read every caption, and soaked in everything baseball for a few more precious hours.  We even got to be alone in the Plaque Room.  It was an amazing experience.

Finally, we headed back and had a delicious camp stove dinner, played a little catch, and headed to bed so we could travel to Vermont in the morning.

A couple of observations about Cooperstown.  First, it really is a small town.  There are things there because of all of the tourism, but at its heart, it is a village in upstate New York.  Second, it is the hometown of the author James Fennimore Cooper.  There is a significant amount of history and references to his books throughout the area.  If you are not into baseball you might want to spend time learning about this history.  It really was well worth the time to get there and a part of the trip I am glad we were able to add.

Week 6: Marnae’s Birthday Surprise

Week 6: Marnae’s Birthday Surprise

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Birthdays are a big deal at our house.  They always have been, and Marnae has always been the leader in that effort.  She loves planning birthday parties, and it seems the boys’ birthday’s have been legendary around our group of friends ever since their very first ones.  From a full-fledged Harry Potter Party for Ben complete with Quidditch and four full classes (divinations, potions, wand making and herbology) to a time period Robin Hood party for Sam complete with bow and arrow lessons and a feast fit for a king for everyone we knew.  Marnae’s creativity when it comes to birthdays is unmatched.

However, this leaves us with one little problem; since she is the one who usually does the planning, her birthdays often leave a little something to be desired.  Let’s put it this way, I am certainly not the brains in the world of birthday party planning.  In fact, the last time I attempted to plan a party for her we ended up with a bunch of people sitting around our living room watching a UFC fight.  I’m not a fan of UFC and I think it’s safe to say Marnae loathes it.  Since then, her birthday has largely consisted of the boys and I making her a “fancy” dinner at home or taking her to one of her favorite restaurants.  She is always gracious and I truly believe she does enjoy it, but it’s certainly not what she deserves.

This year Marnae had a milestone birthday and I was determined to give her one she would always remember.  Luckily for me I had the perfect set up.  We decided to go on a trip overseas (which we are currently on as I’m writing this post) and we both agreed that this year the trip was her present.  It’s an elaborate trip and unlike one we have ever taken before so we planned it together and she was very excited for her birthday this year.  Little did she know I had something else in the works as well.

Planning for the special night began more than two months prior to her actual birthday when I asked her good friend, who recently moved to St. Louis, if there was any possibility she would be willing or able to come back to Iowa to be what I’ll refer to as the icing on the cake of the night.  She wasn’t sure if they could make it work, however because they were actually leaving on a trip to San Diego for her husband’s work a mere five days later, and he was going to be in Kansas City the day before and maybe even the day of the party.  I asked them to talk it over and let me know.  Here’s my tip for planning these parties:  Make sure all of the people you are inviting know it’s a surprise from the get go.  If you do it’s far less likely they will spoil the surprise or feel pressured if they can’t make it.

Anyway, back to the story, a couple of days later I got a text from St. Louis that our friends were in.  After that it was all just logistics.  It was important to me that Marnae be surrounded by some of the people she cared about.  So I began contacting people.  There were a few conflicts and some dear friends we wished could have been there, but ultimately we ended up with five couples, Marnae and myself.  I had a plan and everyone who was able to attend was on board and participated like champs.

My goal was simple, at each stage of the plan I wanted Marnae to be a little surprised and to think each stage was “the” surprise.  That process started weeks before when I told her I had her birthday covered and that we were going to dinner with friends.  Then I informed her I wanted where and who to be a surprise.  The list of people we have been trying to make plan with is so long the door was wide open for her imagination.

Our first stop was a place she frequently wants to go, a fun little Bar in downtown called Hello Margerie.  If you haven’t been there check it out they have great drinks and a quaint atmosphere.  She knew we wouldn’t be getting dinner there so I told her we were just going to grab a drink before dinner and our reservation was for a little later.  So as we walked in Marnae was cheerful.  Enter couple number one.  They were there waiting and had drinks at the table and smiles on their faces.  Marnae was surprised and happy to see them.  We enjoyed conversation for a while then I told her it was time to go.  She was a little disappointed to leave so soon but I told her we had a reservation.  Which we did, but she still didn’t know where.

Our next stop was one of our family’s favorites, Centro in Des Moines though it’s not really a “kid” place.  They are always friendly and serve great food. It works very well for our family.  Plus, it has a vibrant atmosphere so regular kid noises don’t stand out, and we can feel comfortable.   Now for tip number two.  If you’re planning a multi-stage surprise, make sure you give yourself enough time for all of the stages.  I missed on that one a little bit.  We were already behind schedule and only had enough time to walk in and meet couple number two before we moved on to the next place.  Couple number two was great and understanding so before Marnae could even get over the surprise of having seen them we were off to location number three.

We walked down the road to Bubba on 10th Street.  There is a backstory with Bubba and milestone birthdays that made it a must stop for this particular trip, but we’ll touch on that some other time.  Bubba was not the final stop of the night for us so we grabbed a drink and waited for couple number three.  Couple number three was a little late, but they had and excuse.  Marnae’s parents wanted to be involved so I used them as a decoy.  They came early in the day and we had cake and presents, then they were going to watch the kids while we went to dinner.  So needless to say Marnae was very surprised to see them walk in.  Her first question was “Ummm…who’s watching the boys?”  I told her the neighbor had come down to babysit so her parents could come surprise her.  (It was a little lie for some misdirection.)

After a drink at Bubba I told her we had one more place to go.  We hopped in the car and drove to our final stop of the evening, the new Django across from the Sculpture Garden.  We were sad to see it close when it was forced out of its former location and we had been itching to try it again since it reopened.  It did not disappoint.  As we pulled up, I could see the excitement in Marnae’s eyes.  This night had already exceeded her expectations and now she knew she was going to love dinner.  But there were more surprises.  Enter couples four and five.  She was thrilled to see couple four, but was nearly brought to tears by her dear friend driving up from St. Louis.  The remainder of the evening was filled with laughter, great conversation and even a few happy tears.  Finally, Marnae had a birthday party she deserved!

Now, I know this is a long story and I appreciate you sticking with me, but there’s a little bit more.  I needed to have our boys be involved too but unfortunately, am not yet able to trust them with a surprise this complicated.  So instead I gave them a surprise too.  I had written a letter explaining what was going and had Marnae’s mom give it to them after we left.  Our friends from St. Louis are like family to us and have five kids of their own.   They brought them to the house after we left and the seven of them had a night filled with pizza, blanket forts and movies.  I’m not sure they weren’t more excited about their surprise than Marnae was, but however it worked I’m glad it did.

Here’s my final thought:  Marnae drives most of our weekly adventures.  She is constantly finding things for us to do which improve our lives and make us more fulfilled and well-rounded people.  But, every once in a while, it’s okay for someone else to step in and give the family an adventure.  It doesn’t have to be an elaborate ordeal, but make sure you understand that it’s about them and not you and in the end you’ll find yourself enjoying things you wouldn’t have even thought of trying.  Give it a shot you might even surprise yourself.

America Doesn’t Suck

America Doesn’t Suck

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My favorite writer is Aaron Sorkin. Not a typical name when people are listing their favorite writers, but he is mine. In case you’re not familiar with him, he is the writer of shows like “The Westwing” and “Sports Night” and movies like “The American President”, “A Few Good Men” and “Moneyball”. He even wrote a play I thoroughly enjoyed called “The Farnsworth Invention”. I find his writing inspirational and uplifting. It dreams of a world where people fight for right over wrong and are not afraid to take risks when it’s the right thing to do. Whether real or imagined, the world of Aaron Sorkin is a world where doing the right thing can change the world. It’s possible I love his writing so much because in most cases I relate to his ideas. He uses logic and reason to tackle seemingly impossible problems and his approach in most cases mirrors my views. It works out well for me and helps motivate me to continue getting up every morning despite the constant struggle we all face to find our own way to make this world better.

His writing also reflects another principle which likely is the most important foundation of my existence; America is an amazing place and an even more amazing idea. Mr. Sorkin also wrote another show called “The Newsroom”. The opening scene in this series is one of the most striking opening scenes I’ve ever seen; or read for that matter. (If you haven’t seen it, here’s a link to the scene on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zqOYBabXmA Seriously, take the time to watch you won’t be disappointed.)

Now, I realize this scene was a set up for the entire series to come and the idea this network was going to change the way they operated and fix the country. But, the message set forth in it was is a message that has resonated for far too long. It’s a message which has been rampant in every part of our society, from politics, to the press, to Hollywood and that message is that America sucks. In fact, it has almost gotten to the point where if don’t agree, you are ridiculed by people who want to tell you everything that’s wrong with America or point out how much better other countries are doing things. It’s become a part of our culture to forget about how amazing this country really is. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I heard my son say when he got older he didn’t want to live in the United States because other countries were better, and America wasn’t that great. Talk about jarring. I heard those words come out of his mouth and I immediately looked at Marnae. She looked at me and knew what I was thinking…” Ouch!”
We had just gotten back from a trip to Paris. A trip we had been planning to take for 11 years. It was one of those trips where you get home and you say to yourself…” okay, that was amazing, where are we going next.” We had a million ideas for the next great trip we could take the whole family on, but nothing really jumped out at us. Then I had an idea.

Marnae had been planning to write a blog for a long time. She wanted to make sure she got out of the house with the boys and that our family had adventures. She wanted to call it 52 Adventures and make sure there was an adventure every week. Mostly we wanted the boys to understand there is a whole world out there and a lot to do so get out there and do it. So, the night I heard one of my kids tell me America wasn’t so great I proposed an amendment to her plan. I asked her what if we make 52 Adventures mean two things. What if we continue to have at least one adventure each week with them, but what if we also try to take them to all 50 states, Washington D.C. and one foreign country before they graduate high school. I told her I just wanted to make sure our kids really got to see America and come to understand what it is that makes America the greatest country in the world.
So, thanks to Marnae’s willingness to let her thing become our thing, 52 Adventures became Our 52 Adventures and here we are. We started our quest to visit all 50 states in December of 2016 and we’ll be sure to tell you about every one of them. We plan to have an adventure in each state and would even like to do a different service project in as many of them as possible. Mostly I want our kids to learn about different places and to learn about how diverse and free our country really is. I want them to talk to everyone they can and learn everything they desire, and I want them to really experience what this country is all about.

We’re going to do everything in our power to show our kids America doesn’t suck and we hope to have you on board for our journey. We want this to be as interactive as possible so please tell us about trips you’ve taken or things you’ve seen. We’ll do our best to let people know where we’re going and would love to have suggestions of things to see along the way. Words cannot describe how excited we are about this and we’re just getting started. Thanks for coming along for the ride. America is amazing, let’s remember that together.

By the way for those of you who watched the scene and wanted to know my answer to what makes America the greatest country in the world? Two words…The People. The people in this country can accomplish anything. We can create a system where everyone has opportunity to be the best possible versions of themselves. We can build the tallest buildings, save the tallest trees, and feed the world with both food and knowledge. The people in this country are amazing, and along the way of our adventures we’re going to try to meet as many of them as possible.