We are gonna have soooooooooooo much FUN!!!

Hey Bud,

I found this cool map of the ship we will be on.

Where do you think we should go first?  What will be your favorite part of the ship?

My love for you is bigger than a cruise ship,

Dad

Love to play soccer

Hi Bud,

I've found a lot of guys here who like to play soccer.  The only problem is we have NO field to play on.  So we have to play on the basketball court, like these guys:

I guess it's fun, but we'd rather play on a real field.  They say that we are going to get an astroturf field like at indoor soccer, but who knows when that will happen.

Love you more than soccer,
Dad

There might be a present on the way

Hi Bud,

I love that you love to read.  I loved to read when I was your age too and I still do!  It's really fun when you find books that you like and keep you interested.  I know the "Wimpy Kid" books are really fun.  Anyway, something that looks like this:

Might be in the mail soon.  I hope you like it.  Maybe we can read it together when I get home.

Love you more than the best book ever,

Dad

It's really fun!

Hi Buddy,

I'm so glad your mom suggested that we write a story together.  I love it!  It is so much

I can't wait to see what happens next to Chilly, the Secret Agent Polar Bear.

Love you more than a good spy story,
Dad.

Chilly, the Secret Agent

Hi Bud,

I had fun talking to you last night.  It was too bad I couldn't see you, but I will see you very soon.

I am very excited about our new story.  It has all the elements of a great story: secret agent bears, evil penguins, and lots of ice.

I wonder if this polar bear is a secret agent.  Maybe that fish made him mad!!!

Love you like a polar bear loves a fish,
Dad

The Perfect Grilled Cheese

Hi Buddy,

I was arguing with a friend of mine about how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.  He had NO idea.  I told him that you liked my grilled cheese sandwiches better than anyone else's in the whole wide world.  It made him think for a minute.

Is this what you look like when I give you a grilled cheese sandwich?

No way!  She looks scared of the sandwich.  And a little creepy.  Plus, I never wear nail polish.

Love you more than the perfect grilled cheese sandwich,
Dad

Just wondering ....

Who do you think will be steering our cruise ship?  Hopefully, someone who knows what they are doing!  It's a big ship and I'd hate for something to go wrong.

Do you think it will be this guy?

Or this guy?

They both look like fun to me!

Love you more than all the old cartoons,

Dad

Martin Luther King on Faith

Hi Bud,

Monday is Martin Luther King's Day.  He was a great man who helped the whole United States remember that we are all created equal.  When he lived, there were some people that didn't believe that and some of our laws were really unfair.

Remember when we went to Washington DC, we stood on the spot where he gave his most famous speech.

This is part of what he said there:  "From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring.  From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring.  From the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, let freedom ring.  ... Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill."

Love you more than freedom,
Dad

A whole week!!! Really?

Hello my man,

Just realized that it has been a week since I posted here.  That stinks!

This week has been really busy.  I've been working hard to keep up with stuff at the Embassy.

Anyway, I've been thinking about you a lot and loving you all the time.

Love you more than the seconds in a week,
Dad.

It really isn't all THAT long ...

Hey Buddy,

It feels like it will be a long time before I see you again, but it really isn't that long.  We've already gotten through a whole month away from each other again, and we've got less than eight weeks to go now.

Still, it feels like we are waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  This is me at work.  Not really!!!

Love you more than my skeleton!
Dad.

Hello my man!

Hi Bud,

I don't have much witty or important to say, so I will just say what is on my heart.

You are my guy, my man.  The most important person in the world to me.  I miss you like crazy when I am away, and I can't wait to see you again.

I love you so much and I am very very very proud of you.

We are going to have so much fun together in March on the cruise, I can hardly wait.

Love you more than the oceans we will sail together,
Dad