Captain_Oblivious
DIS Dad #257, Galactic Salad Dodger
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
- Messages
- 13,440
The Final Frontier
Twelve years ago, I won the lottery.
I don’t generally win lotteries. For one thing, you typically have to buy a ticket to win, and I generally prefer spending my money on actual goods and services rather than flushing it down the toilet, so I don’t usually buy lottery tickets. Thus, I’ve only won two lotteries in my lifetime. The first was the lottery for admission to our local charter school, in which my daughter’s name was drawn as one of the lucky ones. You probably don’t care about that one.
The other one was pretty special. In summer 2009, I was selected as one of the “winners” who would be given the opportunity to attend a practice round of the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
A cynic would point out that even when I win the lottery, I still end up paying money.
This was back in the days when you had to write an actual letter to submit an entry, as opposed to now when it’s all online (and I’m sure the odds of winning are much, much worse). Nevertheless, it was an exciting time and probably the last lottery I’ll ever win.
We ended up turning that opportunity into a week-long trip through Shenandoah National Park, the Carolinas, a day at the Masters, a visit to Congaree National Park, and capped it off with a stay at the Outer Banks in North Carolina, getting the kids their very first Junior Ranger badges at Kitty Hawk National Monument. That was in April of 2010. My daughter, Sarah, was 8 years old. My son, David, was 6. At the time, my youngest son, Scott, was 4. And Andrew was stillan accident waiting to happen a few years away from taking his first breaths.
That week-long adventure was when we began exploring this country as a family (and keeping track of our travels). In the 11 years that followed, we’ve been through several jobs, a fourth kid, a global pandemic, several minivans, and all sorts of trials and tribulations. Perhaps most notably, we’d been to 49 states as a family (except for Andrew, who had missed out on Hawaii and had 48 to his credit—hey, you snooze, you lose).
In the summer of 2020, we were finally ready to cross the last state off our list. The timing was perfect, as Sarah was just graduating from high school and we’d finish the 50-State Quest just before she left for college.
Then they closed down the world for a year.
In the summer of 2021, we were finally ready to cross the last state off our list. The timing was less perfect, and there was still a great deal of uncertainty regarding COVID travel restrictions, but those who were able had received our vaccinations and were ready to get back to traveling.
This bunch of goofballs was finally going to visit Alaska.
Me: Mark, age 46, highway engineer, meat-and-potatoes guy, movie nerd, perpetually disappointed Philadelphia sports fan.
Julie: 4th-grade teacher, brownies-and-ice cream girl, football fan, book nerd, demonstrates incredible tolerance for idiots in her household.
Sarah: Age 19, graphic design major, artist, former field hockey captain, spicy food connoisseur.
David: Age 17, high school senior, into car design, Formula One racing, and baseball.
Scott: Age 15, high school sophomore, loves statistics and data analysis, F1 racing, and football.
Andrew: Age 7, 2nd-grade student, loves using family members as human jungle gyms, asking questions, not listening to your answers and repeating the questions, leaving messes for others to clean up, and getting away with murder as the spoiled youngest child.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading about our latest adventure!
Coming Up Next: There are remote locations, and then there’s Gustavus, Alaska.
Twelve years ago, I won the lottery.
I don’t generally win lotteries. For one thing, you typically have to buy a ticket to win, and I generally prefer spending my money on actual goods and services rather than flushing it down the toilet, so I don’t usually buy lottery tickets. Thus, I’ve only won two lotteries in my lifetime. The first was the lottery for admission to our local charter school, in which my daughter’s name was drawn as one of the lucky ones. You probably don’t care about that one.
The other one was pretty special. In summer 2009, I was selected as one of the “winners” who would be given the opportunity to attend a practice round of the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
A cynic would point out that even when I win the lottery, I still end up paying money.
This was back in the days when you had to write an actual letter to submit an entry, as opposed to now when it’s all online (and I’m sure the odds of winning are much, much worse). Nevertheless, it was an exciting time and probably the last lottery I’ll ever win.
We ended up turning that opportunity into a week-long trip through Shenandoah National Park, the Carolinas, a day at the Masters, a visit to Congaree National Park, and capped it off with a stay at the Outer Banks in North Carolina, getting the kids their very first Junior Ranger badges at Kitty Hawk National Monument. That was in April of 2010. My daughter, Sarah, was 8 years old. My son, David, was 6. At the time, my youngest son, Scott, was 4. And Andrew was still
That week-long adventure was when we began exploring this country as a family (and keeping track of our travels). In the 11 years that followed, we’ve been through several jobs, a fourth kid, a global pandemic, several minivans, and all sorts of trials and tribulations. Perhaps most notably, we’d been to 49 states as a family (except for Andrew, who had missed out on Hawaii and had 48 to his credit—hey, you snooze, you lose).
In the summer of 2020, we were finally ready to cross the last state off our list. The timing was perfect, as Sarah was just graduating from high school and we’d finish the 50-State Quest just before she left for college.
Then they closed down the world for a year.
In the summer of 2021, we were finally ready to cross the last state off our list. The timing was less perfect, and there was still a great deal of uncertainty regarding COVID travel restrictions, but those who were able had received our vaccinations and were ready to get back to traveling.
This bunch of goofballs was finally going to visit Alaska.
Me: Mark, age 46, highway engineer, meat-and-potatoes guy, movie nerd, perpetually disappointed Philadelphia sports fan.
Julie: 4th-grade teacher, brownies-and-ice cream girl, football fan, book nerd, demonstrates incredible tolerance for idiots in her household.
Sarah: Age 19, graphic design major, artist, former field hockey captain, spicy food connoisseur.
David: Age 17, high school senior, into car design, Formula One racing, and baseball.
Scott: Age 15, high school sophomore, loves statistics and data analysis, F1 racing, and football.
Andrew: Age 7, 2nd-grade student, loves using family members as human jungle gyms, asking questions, not listening to your answers and repeating the questions, leaving messes for others to clean up, and getting away with murder as the spoiled youngest child.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading about our latest adventure!
Coming Up Next: There are remote locations, and then there’s Gustavus, Alaska.
I like this idea!
