Dad of Divas...Dads in the Limelight!

There is a really great dude I follow on Twitter names Chris Lewis.  Chris and his wife are the parents of two girls and he keeps a blog called Dad of Divas! 

One of the features of Chris's blog is a series called "Dad's in the Limelight."  A few months ago, Chris pinged me on Twitter and asked if I would like to be a part of this series.  I was like, "Heck yeah!!!" 

The post went up this weekend!  Go check it out here: http://www.dadofdivas.com/dads-in-the-limelight/dads-limelight-limelightdads-jason-pankow-jpankow-dadchat

Now, it was written a few months ago, so obviously some things have changed.  Like, you know...me getting married and stuff.  Not to mention that Desmond starts the 1st grade next week.  Can you believe it????  First Freakin' Grade!!!

Seahawks Training Camp

Last week, Desmond and I went to Seahawks Training Camp to watch the Hawks practice!  We went with our buddies Duncan and Duncan's dad, Kevin. 

 

 

Big blow up helmet thing. 

So...there is a story with this pic.  At some point, when we were talking about training camp, Kim made a joke about how Des was supposed to make sure I didn't run off with a cheerleader, or something like that.  I don't totally remember.  I just remember Kim saying something about keeping me away from cheerleaders.  So...when I tried to get Desmond to take a picture with me and the SeaGals, he refused.  "Kim said No!"  Later, he was like, "Why did you want to have your picture taken with the SeaGals so badly?" 


No reluctance to have his picture taken with Blitz.

Here, they are trying to make a "12."  Duncan is the 2.  I think. 

Autograph time sucked.  So much pushing and shoving.  Desmond doesn't like crowds to begin with. 

 

Then...it got worse when Russell Wilson came over.  See that arrow?  That Desmond.  He didn't get any autographs.  And, in the process, he got smashed into the other kids. 

 

I didn't want him to leave without any autographs, so I made sure he got at least 1.  You can see just how impressed he is by it.  In case you can't tell, this is his, "Seriously, Dad?" face. 

Ok, Ok!!! Here are some wedding photos!

I know it's taken me forever.  These are only some of the many many photos we have.

Keep in mind, we spent almost 2 weeks in Hawaii.  So, there are photos on top of those photos, as well.  Here are a select few of my favorite from the day of the wedding. 

Chatting it up with my boy before he officially gets a step-mom

With said step-mom.  He got to see her before I did.

 Said step-mom knows our little man. She made him his own special boutonniere. (also...bewbs!) 

Dad...check out the boutonniere Kim made me!

 Chicks dig this part where they get to surprise the groom. I promised I wasn't going to cry. I cried.

Needed a picture of that boutonniere.

 Pankows

With the newest Pankow

Romines

One of my favorite pics of the day. 

With the new in-laws.  I couldn't have asked for a more amazing pair!

Smooching on the bench, overlooking the Pacific.

 I love this one.  It might be my favorite.

Most of the pre-wedding pics involve some form of smooching. 

This is what the guests had to look out. I apologize for blocking the view during the ceremony.

Walking down the aisle with my best-little-man. Who is still checking out the boutonniere.

This is Kale (Kah-Lay).  He plays the conch.  He also officiated.

Kim and Clark walking down the aisle unsuccessfully trying not to cry.

Desmond gets a lei, too!

I think she likes me. :-)

More smooching.

 The wedding coordinator photo bombed this shot!  But, I liked it too much not to post.

Signed, sealed and delivered about a week later!

Cool dude in his cool wedding shades.  Desmond was in charge of handing out the bags for the kids.  Bags came with shades, bubbles, a beach ball and a mini lego set, of course!

 Our guests!!!

My #1 favorite picture of the day!

These chairs were totally rad!  I don't think these 4 moved from them the whole time. 

This is totally my favorite picture from the day!

And, I close with my favorite! 

I don't know how the wedding could have been more perfect!  It's not in the pictures I have yet (I think Kim's dad got some, but I don't have his photos, yet), but instead of a cake, we had a Shave Ice truck!  What a hit!!!

Now, Kim and I are trying to figure out how to renew our vows every year at the same place. 

Wanna see our early eHarmony coms?

I just finished sending eHarmony our "story."  When I was done, they sent a little info graphic of our communications with one another.  Thought people might be interested.  It's kind of adorable.

A few notes:

1. Kim found me. 
2. She decided to skip over the regular eHarmony process and jump right into email.
3. There was a gap of about 3 weeks in communication.  This was right after Satchmo died (but, I didn't tell Kim that).  I wasn't really thinking about dating.
4. Once we exchanged emails, eHarmony was done for us.  You don't get to see the non eHarmony coms.  Too steamy! 

Here you go!

Kim:
Hey Jason, I'm kicking it on my couch with a cup of coffee scrolling through my "what ifs"....great Saturday a.m. entertainment! I came across your profile and was struck by the first line of what you are looking for. Simply put "someone awesome". I have a wall hanging next to my bed that reads "Wake Up And Be Awesome". If more people would abide by that simple rule, the world would be a better place. I'll stop rambling now. Just wanted to say hello. What plans do you have for your weekend, besides being generally awesome? Kim

Jason:
Hi Kim, I need a wall hanging like that! I would have to agree with that statement. I chuckle a little at online dating because you are supposed to define your perfect partner. That's a lot of pressure! Our individualities are what make us great...or rather, awesome! Why cross anything off the list without seeing the whole picture? My weekend was loaded, but fun! I coach 4-5 year olds in soccer and we had our first game. The kids picked our team name before the game. We are the Unicorns! I should mention that my team is made up of 80% girls. The boys groaned a little at the name, but majority rules! Today I joined a buddy at the Seahawks game. Those are always fun. And, you. What kind of awesomeness did you partake in? Happy Monday (likely by the time you read this), Jason

Kim:
STOP IT! My soccer team when I was 5 was the Unicorns and we were anything but magical. My dad was our coach and I was just in it for the orange slices, capri suns & stickers. I don't think we ever won a single game but I was none the wiser. I had a pretty low key weekend. Dinner with some girlfriends on Friday night. Did laundry, ran errands and paid bills on Saturday. Then spent yesterday watching the Hawks crush the Jags, followed by the Emmy's. I've been SO awesome the last several weekends in a row that it was a much needed a break. I've been traveling a ton - Portland, Eastern Washington, Delaware, the beach at Westport and getting ready to leave on Thursday to visit some friends in Minneapolis. I don't usually travel this much but 4th Quarter is going to be crazy for me at work so I'm trying to pack in as much fun right now as possible. I actually laughed out loud when I read your profile about your dog that is allergic to humans. Amazing! What kind of dog? Hope you have an awesome Monday, looking forward to getting to know you! Kim P.S. I'll eat your olives....

Jason:
Hi Kim, I have to apologize...work and life have kept me a wee bit busy and eHarmony has taken a bit of a backseat. :-) It sounds like your Unicorns and my Unicorns have a lot in common. We've had 3 games so far and we've scored 1 goal. I think everyone's still having fun, so it's all good. But, I can tell they're getting a bit frustrated. The snacks are indeed the favorite part, though. My dog is indeed allergic to humans. I had never heard of such a thing before. Since we diagnosed Quincy here, I have met 2 other dogs with the same allergy. WTF? I'm thinking about opening a doggie commune somewhere where they can all run free without being all itchy. I'm off to Las Vegas next week! Attending the LinkedIn Conference. It's really just a reason for a bunch of recruiters to get together and party. Still...I'll make sure to learn one or two things to keep my boss happy. Happy Saturday! How's your weekend looking this week? Anything exciting? Jason

Kim:
Hi Jason! No need to apologize. Life should take priority over online dating...just means you're being awesome. I wish I were jet-setting to Vegas right now! Instead I'm in my office gearing up for what will probably be the most challenging 3-months of my career. I work in the Health Insurance Industry and needless to say, everyone hates us right now :) Do you work for LinkedIn? Maybe when my Insurance career falls apart you can hook a sister up with new JOB. Kidding. In all seriousness I love my job and have total faith that we will come out of this on top. I've been with this company for 8 years and they've been good to me. I may just have to amp up my Happy Hours to get through it. If you'd like, you can email me at xxxxx@gmail.com - and now you know my last name so let the internet stalking begin. Have fun in Vegas and put $5 on black for me. I won $500 at pull tabs this weekend so I'm on a bit of a hot streak. Kim

Jason
Your last name is gmail? That's totally rad! I will definitely shoot you a mail. Connection is spotty where I am, so it will likely be later. I am xxxxx@yahoo.com. Whatever...I set it up in college. This, too, gives you insight into my last name. I assure you, I am NOT the Jason Pankow from Atlanta with the creepy mugshot. We are not related...that I know of. I do not work for LinkedIn...better. I work for Microsoft in the newly formed Devices and Studios Group. This is essentially the business that builds all of Microsoft's hardware (Xbox, Surface, etc) and the game studios. I too love my job. And, I am in Staffing, so I am the right person to talk to about a job. :-) My business rarely comes up in political circles, however. I don't envy what you guys are dealing with, right now. I put $5 on black at your request. It landed on Zero. Go figure. First coffee is on you. ;-) Happy Wednesday! Jason Pankow (but not the creeper from Atlanta)

Things That Make Me Smile - Derek Hough

I don't watch Dancing With the Stars.  My folks watch it religiously.  Kim watches it occasionally, but she doesn't watch a ton of TV in general.  I was more of a So You Think You Can Dance, guy.  But, I just can't really commit to any more shows what with my ongoing relationship with The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Agents of Shield.  

But, when I do see DWTS with Kim or my folks, I am always amazed at the talent of Derek Hough.  It's clear to me that he has a ton of talent.  I enjoy watching him every time he's on.  He makes those lame ass D-list celebrity women look amazing!!!

Anyway, here is a routine my dad sent to me a while back.  I still go back and watch it here and there because I so enjoy the way they pull it off.  It's not the first time this trick has been done (See Fred Astaire), but it is one of the best.  The way they move seamlessly from one wall to another.  The way one is on the floor while the other is on the ceiling.  It truly well done.

Enjoy!

I am Literally Sick of the Word Literally...wait...no I'm not!

Have you noticed an uptick in the use of the word literally?

I feel like literally 2/3s of the population of the world has added the word to their routine vocabulary. I hear this word used literally 5000 times per day. So, if you use it and you think you see me literally roll my eyes at you, you're literally correct...I did roll my eyes at you.

The thing is, literally 99% of the time, the word is misused. But, actually, no it's not. Because, the world "literally" literally means "exactly."

I am kind of a grammar nerd (Note...I said grammar, not spelling...so, if I misspell something, that's because spell check didn't work properly). I poke fun when people use the incorrect form of they're, there or their. Or, when someone says, "I could care less," when really they mean they "couldn't care less." But, my new pet peeve is the word literally.

THERE! Just now...outside my office, I heard someone say the word! I LITERALLY just heard the word used 30 seconds ago!!!

Yesterday, met with a financial advisor.  Kim looked at me as I rolled my eyes after he incorrectly used the word. 

The other day...was at a work meeting and heard it used at least 4 times by the same person.

Here's the thing. As I mentioned, "literally" means "exact." It means that something happened EXACTLY the way described. So, if you say "I have seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail literally a thousand times!" you are saying that you, without exaggeration, have seen that movie 1000 times. That would be about 1,516 hours and 67 minutes of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Over 63 days of your life. More than 2 months straight of African vs European swallows and the Knights Who Say NI! Come to think of it...I think I literally have seen that movie 1000 times.

Why? Why is it being used so much? Is it just an easier emphasis than saying something like, "I laughed so hard that I figuratively peed my pants?" I mean, if you only figuratively peed your pants, maybe the joke wasn't actually that funny, so you decide to tell people that you, a grown adult who has been potty trained the majority of your life actually pee-peed while dressed? I mean, if you didn't, the joke obviously would be worth telling.

Anyway, it's time for a friendly reminder. Please stop incorrectly using the word "literally!" In fact, just stop using it so much all together. Even those who are using it correctly are overusing it. Seriously...it's not like the word "is." We couldn't get very far in life not saying "Is."

I once saw a comedian do a stand up routine about the word literally, but now I can't find it. If you know where it is, post it in the comments section. In the meantime, here is a video of politicians literally misusing the word "literally."





I am literally getting back to work, now.