Experiencing the Trials and Tribulations of being a Single Father One Day at a Time
On our last full day at Walt Disney World this year, based on hours and expected crowd sizes, we chose to spend it at EPCOT. We were not expecting thrill rides on our way out, but a relaxed setting which to enjoy each other’s company, and some great food along the way. After an amazing day at Universal Studios Orlando, including a great dinner and full night’s sleep, we were more than ready for the last park on this year’s vacation.
We are a Disney family, and as you could tell from this blog, we are right at home when going to Walt Disney World; this was not the case for today’s adventure. I have only been to Universal Studios Hollywood once and the girls have never been to any Universal park. But we had to go, as Universal Studios Orlando is home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. With two of us being Potterheads (Note to Self: Get Gabriella into Harry Potter) and one just enjoying the chance to dress up, we were all very excited about what awaited us at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.
After an amazing first day at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios, we were set to spend day two at Magic Kingdom, which thankfully was right across from our resort. This park has usually been the highlight of our trips, but with Universal Studios Orlando coming up on day three, we were under much less pressure to make our visit to this park perfect. It did not matter in the end, as this park never seems to disappoint. So join us on our stress-free, relaxing, and extremely eventful trip through Magic Kingdom.
We are finally here. After safely arriving at the Shades of Green Resort the previous day, we were well-rested and ready to get the main event of our vacation underway by visiting Walt Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks. Based on multiple factors, Hollywood Studios was the first park in the chute, which included Toy Story Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and several other areas we were set to enjoy. Grab your ears, themed t-shirts, and Republic credits, because we were excited to jump to lightspeed for the next level in our vacation!
It has been far too long since we have made this series of posts. Yep, the Calkins Family is headed back to Walt Disney World, but this time we are taking a day to head over to Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. After years of hype, months of planning, and a week of packing, we were so ready to enjoy the next Calkins Family Vacation!
It is that time of year again! While the girls celebrate Christmas with their Mom in Texas, I stayed at home to ensure Santa visited our house (spoilers: he did!). The girls and I will be going to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando (and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!) at the end of January, so we are still going to get in a vacation together after the holidays. As is now the tradition, I wanted to post our Christmas card and Year in Review for our loyal readers.
Even though we are apart for the holidays, the girls were excited to spend time with their mom’s side of the family (The Familia) and it gave me a little time to recharge before our vacation in January and my last field exercise at Fort Campbell in February. Absolutely cannot wait for them to get back though, as well as to spend the holiday season with them next year.
Thanks for checking in on us. From our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Cheers!
As the girls get older, the likelihood of a themed birthday party, or even a birthday party at all, seems to get less and less with every passing year. Elaina has recently gotten really into the Harry Potter books, so when she asked me to throw her a Harry Potter-themed party, I was not about to let this one pass me by. And although I may have gone a little overboard on planning for this one, I took full advantage of the fact that the girls are growing up and these opportunities are fleeting.
Aside from the usual parenting duties of keeping your kids happy, educated, and simply alive until adulthood, it is equally important to teach them other useful life skills along the way. As I have written about before, one of these necessary skills is personal finance. While I do not expect them to be financial wizards by the time they hit high school (still plenty of years before that, thank God!), I have at least been trying to teach them the basics of spending, savings, and even some limited information about investing. This week’s lesson was about how to use their new debit cards. And yes, you read that right: I willingly taught my daughters how to spend money using plastic… what on Earth have I done?!?
For long-time followers of this blog, it has been pretty apparent I have not been writing as of late. This is due to several factors, which I will touch on below, but it is possible it may have outlived its usefulness, as per its original purpose at least. The site has helped me better reflect upon my role as a father, as well as help other single parents along the way. It also made me a much better writer, which led to some other interesting endeavors. While I am not closing down the site anytime soon, I wanted to at least acknowledge to my faithful readers that situations arise, priorities are reevaluated, and goals change, which has caused me to spend far less time writing in the last year than I would have preferred. As the girls and I determine the next steps for Adventures in Single Dadding, let us take a look back at how far we have come since this site’s inception, why I am taking a step back, and what the future holds for us.
If you are a fan of this blog, you know that our family is a huge supporter of fundraisers, especially if they are for a great cause. When the Barkley Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) hosted a fundraiser at our local roller rink, Magic Wheels Fun Center, you could absolutely bet that we were going to show our support. I mean, who in their right mind is going to turn down old-school roller skating, supporting your daughters’ school, AND seeing tough Army coworkers fall flat on their face while trying to skate? Well, should be no one, because as always, we had a blast at this event while supporting an amazing cause.
Adventures in Single Dadding 