Family
Heartfelt updates about family milestones and everyday moments. From taking Mazie to college and annual visits to the Renaissance Festival to Swedish‑pancake breakfasts and VR outings with the kids, this category celebrates togetherness.
Imagine Dragons Mercury Tour
We all went to see Imagine Dragons Mercury Tour at the Target Center. Imagine Dragons is Mazie’s favorite band, and she is a particularly big fan of Dan Reynolds. We got her tickets for the show and let her pick who she wanted to take. Lucky for us, she picked us! The show was great. They played for over two hours and hit a wide array of songs. It was also the most normal event we’ve been to since COVID.
Two minutes on the dogsled trails out with Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge today. We had to stop and start the sled so you hear the “woah” and “hike” commands. Willow and Acorn are the two lead dogs. Tammy and Mazie are in the sled in front of me, and Tyler was on their sled.
Introduction to MrBeast
Tyler is a pretty big fan of a handful of “YouTubers”, and usually at the top of his list is MrBeast. I’ve been more pessimistic about MrBeast and frankly I’m not sure what to think of the whole YouTuber thing. Tyler decided since it was his birthday we would all get a proper introduction to MrBeast.
We started with Curiosity Beyond the Spotlight: MrBeast. I signed up for the free 1-week trial so we could watch the video. Overall, both Tammy and I left with a more positive view of MrBeast than when we started. Jimmy, MrBeast’s actual name, seems like a reasonable person trying to have a positive impact in the world.
We then watched three additional videos from different “channels” of his.
Unbelievable Street Magic! on MrBeast Reacts.
10 vs 1000 Player Manhunt! on MrBeast Gaming.
Hit The Target, Win $300,000 on MrBeast.
After it was all done, we were even inspired to make donations and become part of #TeamTrees and #TeamSeas!
I have to admit, we were actually a bit inspired by his random acts of kindness.
We had Tyler’s birthday dinner at his favorite restaurant, Lion’s Tap! It was our first time dining inside there since the pandemic started. The burgers were extra good tonight. Tammy was really excited! 🍔
We returned to Mess Hall Art Experiences to have some fun with paint! Tyler wanted to go as part of his birthday. We had a great time as always. Tyler got into the the messy part! I did an interpretation of the FC Bayern logo.
The Winter 2022 issue of Reading Things, our family newsletter on books and reading, is out now! 📚
In this issue: My Brigadista Year, We Are Not From Here, Minecraft: The Mountain, Caste, To Shake the Sleeping Self, and Four Thousand Weeks.
My Brigadista Year: This libro really struck home for me because of the overarching themes of family, love, teaching, and farming. Like, literally all of my favorite things. It is a grounding, heartwarming read. — Mazie
We Are Not From Here: It’s not a lighthearted read, but it is a devastatingly honest look at the journey many kids make trying to come to this country from Central America because of the impossibility of where they were born. — Tammy
Minecraft: The Mountain: Will Summer survive? Will Guy come back to the Nether to save Summer? Now come and read this adventure packed book and see what happens to them and their relationship. — Tyler
Caste: But perhaps there is also a fundamental framework, a super-structure, that was created with absolute intent and clarity, that is then justified and allowed to exist on the poison of racism. — Jamie
To Shake the Sleeping Self: I thought it was a great read; a travelogue of a 30 year old guy trying to find himself while on an epic bike journey that spanned two continents and a year and a half. — Tammy
Four Thousand Weeks: We have what we get. It disappears at the same linear rate for all of us. Four Thousand Weeks is filled with ways to contemplate that limited time and what we want to do with it. — Jamie
Blokus is another New Years Eve tradition. Tyler (Blue) won this year with just 4 points left. Tammy (Green) with 8, Jamie (Red) with 11, and Mazie (Yellow) at 21.
Today is Lucky’s 2nd birthday! She is officially no longer a puppy. Mazie and I took her on a nice, cold, snowy walk and she loved it. She got a lot of treats, and much extra attention today.
Today’s board game was Settlers of Catan! We messed up the rules more than a few times, and the game took a long time to wrap up, but still liked it. Tyler’s pick. Mazie won.
Tonight’s board game was Photosynthesis. Mazie’s pick, and she won with a good lead! 🌳
