Category Archives: 2022 Reflections

It was an honor serving as the Best Man in Justin & Jessica’s wedding last month in Brentwood, Ca. Here’s an inside look at my toast to Mr. and Mrs. Orton: “…I’ve been best friends with Justin since 7th grade. And I’m confident the same qualities that make him a great friend are the same qualitiesContinue reading “December 2022: “If life were like the movies…””

I can’t claim to be a true Phillies fan. I was all in on the Phils during their golden years from 2007-2011, but admit that I haven’t paid much attention to Baseball since their last playoff run. So I appreciate the Philly Sports faithful for welcoming me back on the bandwagon. Because the ride throughContinue reading “November 2022: Red October”

The Great Blue Heron visits a few days each week. It’s usually brief and relatively uneventful. He just pokes around the pond for a bit, quietly checking up on the scene. He stops for a quick snack and an occasional squawk, and then he takes off back towards the sunset. “Where do you think theContinue reading “October 2022: Pop Pop Bird”

I’m often asked, “Will you make your kids go to Penn State?” My answer is, “Of course, not.” I don’t know what kind of students Charlie and Jack will be in 2038…or what higher education is going to look like…or what it’s going to cost…or if Penn State is still going to be everything itContinue reading “September 2022: Finding Happy Valley”

I love Bachelor Parties. Maybe it’s the temporary freedom from responsibility and opportunity to act like children with my childhood friends that now happen to have children. Or it could be the feeling of having laughter set as my default emotion for 48+ hours. Perhaps it’s the extra gear that everyone seems shift into whenContinue reading “August 2022: Bachelor Parties”

I wouldn’t typically recommend taking a vacation with 35 family members. Especially if you’re all planning to stay in the same house for a week. This could potentially be a recipe for disaster. But with this particular group spanning across 7 different states and ranging in age from 1 to 77 … And on thisContinue reading “July 2022: Seas the Day”

Casey & Mikey, It was one of those weeks that almost doesn’t seem real. The Malibu sunsets looked like paintings. Your day after party was a scene straight from a movie. And the joy I experienced at your wedding felt like a dream. But as I put this together, I recall how real it allContinue reading “June 2022: Marrying the Minutillos”

This month, I wanted to write something fun and light.  I drafted up a few paragraphs about Jordan’s Kentucky Derby themed birthday party. I thought through a few ideas from our family beach trip with the Fuentes. But on Wednesday morning, as I returned to my car in the daycare parking lot, I was overcomeContinue reading “May 2022: Hugging them tighter”

I leaned over to Jordan in the Cescaphe Ballroom and admitted, “I only know a few people here. But I kinda feel compelled to make sure everyone has fun tonight.” She rolled her eyes at what sounded like a vain thought that was unfiltered by an extended cocktail hour. The truth was that the brideContinue reading “April 2022: My Flywheel”

My father-in-law, “Pop,” is fantastic with kids, and approaches each day with boundless energy and a proud set of values. To get a sense of who Pop is, just picture a Disney Channel football coach or Robin William’s characters from Dead Poet’s Society and Patch Adams. But when Pop told us he was going toContinue reading “March 2022: Be a good one”