Road trip, Day 1

I’m sitting in the backseat of our minivan next to Gracie and her favorite bear, Cula, jamming to Carrie Underwood. I think this is her 2nd album, although I can’t say for sure because I just got into Carrie Underwood. We are dancing because this is good music to dance to. The boys are awake in their car seats right in front of me. The Cearley Express is in full effect.

If you would have told me five years ago that just a short time in the future, I would be riding in a minivan, listening to the winner of a reality-TV talent show who, oh by the way sings country music, sitting in the middle of 3 kids, I would have laughed or rolled my eyes or said ‘yeah right. That won’t be me. I’m not going to be THAT kind of dad.’

I guess the reality is once you’re a dad, there’s only one kind. Full on DAD. It doesn’t matter how many kids you have or what kind of car you own or even what you listen to on the radio. Just by default, you are no longer cool by young peoples’ definition.

However, by parents’ definition, I maintain that we are cool. We’re an old cool. And as far as coolness goes, I have to believe it is like wine. Yes, the older you are, the cooler you are. Because you can choose to have kids and choose to have a minivan and choose to listen to rockin’ country singers. You can choose to have a mortgage payment, 3 college tuition funds, and even though you don’t can’t choose it, you have a gut. Plus, you’ve been cool for all these years.

So, to all those 20-somethings driving down this god-forsaken highway from Dallas to Houston on your way to begin the summer, going to party, party, party, take a look at this. This is a family full of cool. Our ride rocks, our kids rock and as evident by wife, bawling her eyes out as I type due to exhaustion, anticipation and Carrie Underwood lyrics, WE ROCK.

Life is good.