BourbonDad's Blog

Game On! I've always been a gamer. From as early as I can remember, if there was a game being played, I was interested. Board games, card games, you name it—if it could be played, I liked to play it. I wasn't always playing to win, but I was always having fun. What's better than a night of fun games with friends or family? As a little kid, I absolutely loved Monopoly nights, even though I hadn't the slightest clue what was going on. Backgammon, checkers, chess, Mancala—you name it. After board games, video games were introduced when I was a kid, and much stayed the same. I loved playing Tetris, Zelda , or Mario , but I had no idea that games were meant to be played linearly and towards an end goal (who remembers Duck Hunt ?!). Still, I enjoyed them. Our family always played Gin Rummy at gatherings, and that was my go-to card game growing up as well.   Fast forward to college and young adulthood, when video games took over and board games took a backseat. I remember in...

"Take Me Out to the Ballgame..." Oftentimes in the hustle and bustle of daily life, we sometimes forget the significance of the little moments. For our children, these little moments can be lifelong memories. Last week my daughter and I went to her first professional baseball game. We had a chance to watch the Cincinnati Reds take on the Minnesota Twins on a beautiful (hot) summer day. For my 3 year old, everything, and I mean everything, was interesting. Parking garage - she thought it was the coolest thing ever. Riding the downtown Cincinnati trolley train to the game - Check, coolest thing ever. Getting to clap and cheer on with all the other fans - coolest thing ever. For me though, seeing the excitement in her eyes and she soaked all of these truly monumental things in for the first time was the “coolest” thing ever for me. As a planner, the logistics and lead up to the travel and getting to the game on my own with her had me a little nervous. Arriving at the ballpark I ...