We have a little joke in our family about Father’s Day weekend always being a bust. One way or another it seems like someone has always been down and out or we’ve had projects we had to do or just reasons why it always falls a little flat. It’s nothing we’ve been upset about but just kind of an ongoing inside joke that makes us giggle. Well, giggle no more, as the joke is up now that we had a really nice weekend celebrating the rock of our family, David!

Friday night Kaitlyn had a TKD progression test, as she is on the way to earning her black belt. It’s so neat to watch her do her thing with such pride, and she even broke a board on her first try with a side kick. Afterwards we met friends for Mexican food and then came home for an evening walk and decent bedtime.

Saturday morning we packed up the car, picked up Jimmy John sandwiches and headed to try out a new to us hike, The Boone Fork Trail, located near the Boone/Blowing Rock area. It’s about a 2 hour drive from us, but it’s always worth it to spend time in that area, as it is just gorgeous.

We had never hiked that trail but before but let me go ahead and highly recommend it! It’s 5 miles in length, a loop, with only slight elevation gain, perhaps around 500 ft. It kept the kids engaged the whole time with it’s beautiful creek views. There are several places where you walk across shallow parts of the creek or climb up short ladders and stairs; we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Afterwards we drove the 10 minutes into downtown Blowing Rock, which was bustling. We’ve only ever visited in the fall, so it was fun to see what a low humidity, 75-degree mountain day felt like and the answer was superb.

We let the kids play on the giant playground in the middle of town then snagged an outdoor table at Blowing Rock Brewing Co. David and I split a flight and we hungrily devoured olives, tomato soup, grilled cheese, hamburger, wing, and house chips. We played around town a bit longer before making the drive back home, thoroughly satisfied by our outdoor mountain day.

Sunday morning we went to church, followed by a quick Costco trip. We got in a workout, then packed up the lake bag and cooler for our first boat of the season! We’ve had other boat reservations, as part of our boat club, but it’s been an unusually cool and rainy start to the summer season, so they’ve all cancelled. Yesterday, though, was ideal boat weather- 85 degrees and sunny!

We had a surf boat for the afternoon and though it was crowded when we first got out there, it began to thin out as the day stretched on, creating ideal surf practice conditions. Both kids were eager to give it a go to see what they remembered from last year. Turns out, quite a bit! Hailey was able to get up completely on her own and even dropped the rope a few times, getting so close to legit wake surfing. Kaitlyn got up quickly when Hailey helped her hold the board and I have no doubt she’ll have it on her own by the end of summer.

We ate a boat picnic of watermelon and chicken salad, swam off the back, and finally had to drag exhausted kids that didn’t want to stop all the way home. They got tucked into bed by 10:00 I think… eeks! But that’s summer mode I suppose and we are here for it.

The weekend made me so happy. Not only for all the outdoor activity we got to enjoy, but because it was exactly what David wanted, and the man doesn’t want for a lot. Outdoor adventures, a weekend that leaves you feeling rejuvenated, and plenty of sunshine made for an excellent Father’s Day weekend.

I did have a moment of tears when thinking about Father’s Days growing up when all my dad wanted was for us to be together on the water, too. But Hailey and David captured me in a sandwich hug and the ache faded. I sure do miss my dad, but am grateful to have got to spend the day celebrating the dad to our girls, a man that pours into his family, is present and engaged, and somehow makes this whole parenthood thing look easy.

I’m glad David finally got a Father’s Day weekend he deserves. I hope all the amazing dads out there felt loved and celebrated; their presence is so important and appreciated! Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads, dad figures, and strong male role models out there <3