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Allan is 16!

Not only are we that much closer to Autumn, but we’ve also arrived at Allan’s 16th Birthday! We’re stopping at Dunkin for a batch of special birthday donuts to celebrate.

Happy Birthday, Allan

When you wake up every day, it’s like a new birthday: it’s a new chance to be great again and make great decisions. ~PooBear

Allan is growing so fast it makes people’s heads spin. He’s earned his Second Degree Black Belt and is well on his way to attaining Eagle Scout rank. He’ll be working on his Eagle project in the not too distant future. He’s not sure what he wants to be when he grows up but what sixteen year old does?


Allan likes rap music, so I found a PooBear song about his kids.	But I’ve got to find an oldie but goodie to express my feelings

No Escape

Our big family birthday bash is going to be at the Escape Room at the Country Junction in Lehighton. Kelly booked the Hideout as a family adventure to celebrate Allan’s big day. Will we escape the Robber’s Hideout in an hour? Hopefully, the tips below will help us get out in plenty of time.

10 tips to dominate any Escape room

Unconditional Love

The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance. ~Brian Tracy

Allan has a bit of a melancholy personality. It’s his nature to think the worst of things. He lives a bit too much in his head.

Honestly, I can identify with that. I’m definitely one for living in my head but my internal world is a wonderful playground. I create imaginary worlds and generally pursue pleasurable notions. Allan, on the other hand, tends to ruminate and focus on the flaws of everything and everyone, including himself.

That makes me sad. I don’t want him to be so unhappy all the time.

I’ve tried to point out that his ability to see what’s wrong with EVERYTHING, while annoying and somewhat depressing, is potentially pointing toward a career option. He can be an auditor or quality assurance guy of some sort.

If he can determine what field he’d like to move toward, his natural intellect will allow him to excel at it. His somewhat jaundiced eye will also allow him to detect the flaws in the state of things.

Whether it’s finding the errors in a contract or a set of blueprints, having the ability to prevent errors from propagating through a project of any kind is exceptionally valuable. Whatever it is he chooses to do, I really want him to realize that his best success will come from being genuinely Allan.

If he can be authentic, if he can be genuinely who he is, perhaps he will find a way to be happy and successful. I sure hope so.

In many ways a trip or a journey is a metaphor for life.
Throughout the way, you encounter hardships, obstacles, and naysayers.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to overcome them to reach your ultimate goal.