Daddy Daughter Bonding - by Ryan

I have been meaning to have a little daddy-daughter bonding time with Ainsley for a while now, so I took advantage of the Veterans Day bank holiday and took her on a hike. I learned about this hike when I took the scouts there. The boy scouts whined and complained the whole time. All I had to do to get Ainsley's competitive juices flowing was to tell her that the big, tough boyscouts complained. She never said a word of complaint the whole day. We hiked for about 4 straight hours, up and back, and the girl never slowed down. We stopped for lunch for a few minutes at the top, and I treated a blister on her foot, but other than that, she was going the whole time.

After we got back, I was pretty sore (and the next day, I still am). I collapsed onto my bed...and she ran across the street to play with her friends. I guess that's what playing soccer three times a week and going to gymnastics will do for you. I learned that this girl is going to be even harder to handle than I thought she was. Heaven help her future husband. Nothing really stands in her way. On the trail, we encountered some desk sized boulders, with the path going around to the left and to the right. She had to make a choice as to which way to go. Her choice was to go straight forward, up and over the top of the boulder. That's the kind of kid she is.

I also learned that I seriously need to get my lazy butt in better shape. It was great to spend so much time with her away from friends, just talking about whatever she wanted to talk about. She really loved having that much undivided attention.