Favorite Dad Stuff

Since this is my first “Dad” related post, I thought I’d post a brief list of all the things I love the most about being a Dad to my girls. I’m still waiting for the day I actually feel like a father, but for now, here are my favorite parts.

1. Those hugs and smiles when I walk in the door after I come home from work.
2. The softness of a little voice saying “Da-da.”
3. When they actually ask to wear the Islanders jersey I bought them before they were born.
4. Hearing the same excitement I feel when we go to their favorite store, Best Buy.
5. Reading the bedtime story of the day. (Thanks Disney book!)
6. When they fall asleep in your arms.
7. The look in their eye when they smile at you.
8. Bath time
9. Asking them for a beer and they fight over who gets to bring it to you from the fridge.
10. Teaching them to hit a ball and seeing them do it y themselves.

Obviously the above list is just a few of my favorite things, and there are many many others. Some of these may be some obvious “dad” choices,  but I don’t care. I spend as much time as I possibly can with my girls and love every second of it. I do everything for them, including diapers, and I think less of any parent who doesn’t do the same. Your child will be your child for all eternity and as long as you accept the job of being that parent, you will forever also be their hero.

As a huge music fan, I will also include a list of songs that have touched me in a special way in regards to my girls. Enjoy.

1. Gracie, Ben Folds
2. Baby Girl, Wil Hoge
3. Little Miss Magic, Jimmy Buffett
4. Annabella’s Song, Everclear
5. Heaven, Live
6. Father and Son, Cat Stevens (Yes, it’s for his son, but the theories still apply)
7. Father and Daughter, Paul Simon
8. Daddy’s Little Girl, Michael Buble(the link goes to another artist, but I have the Buble version)
9. Dance with my Father, Kellie Coffey (especially relevant to my sister and our late father)
10. Daddy’s Little Girl, Vanessa Campagna

If you read this and know of others, please share your songs!

What a Show!

Mutemath + Alanis Morisette + matchbox twenty = 4.5 hours of a rocking show! Yes, I said 4.5 hours.

First, mutemath. If you don’t know who they are and you like good rock music, you should check them out. They are an incredibly talented group of musicians who love to perform live and their comfort level on stage shows it. Although the set was short, the impression was enough to hear people all around me asking who that was.

Alanis came on next and made a lasting impression on me I will not soon forget. It is odd to me that she would be an opening act in the first place, let’s not forget she opened the door for all female rock songwriters in the early 90’s. She played all our favorites and mixed in some new stuff that was quite up to par with her sound and my expectations. What I did not expect was the passion and emotion she puts into her performances. She completely gives her soul to every song she sings on stage and you see it in her sometimes erratic body movements. We all knew she has talent, but somehow she connects with you on a different level when you watch her perform.

Matchbox Twenty was the headline of the show and did they ever perform a monster set. 22 songs filled out their set list and everyone in the place sang along with all of them over the 2 hours it took to perform them. This band gives everything they have every time they perform and this show was no different. Rob Thomas belts out the songs you love with all the passion and emotion you hear in the studio version and he never disappoints. He truly is one of the greatest songwriters of this generation as well as performer. The stage setup was amazing with 4 screens that could become transparent and move all around the stage.

How I know the set contained 22 songs was due to the best souvenir you could ever ask for at a concert. The concert itself. I pre-purchased mine online but you could naturally also buy one at the show. What it is is a wristband that contains a USB drive loaded with the MP3 version of the concert you just saw. For about the same price of a shirt, you get to hear the actual performance you just saw forever. What a great idea!