Today on my date with dad for Festibond we went ice skating and we went to lunch. I had a great time.

First we went ice skating at the Portland Ice Arena. They only take cash but dad only had two dollars in cash so we had to find a ATM machine. It was hard finding a ATM machine. We had to walk a long way to find a ATM machine and it was cold. ‘Fun’ can not possibly be the correct word for finding a ATM machine. When we found a ATM machine we went back to the ice skating rink and rented some skates.

Once we got on our skates we went out onto the rink. I held my dad’s hand tightly so I wouldn’t fall. Daddy seemed to just be pulling me around the ice so I was just gliding around. I enjoyed ice skating a lot. I asked dad many questions about hockey, like where they put the net, if he played hockey as a kid, and if he ever saw his friends fall on the ice while they were playing.

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This year Hayley wanted to go ice skating for our Festibond date. Which was great, because I wanted to go, too.

Unfortunately, when we arrived at the Portland Ice Arena we discovered that it’s a cash-only operation and I only had $2. We walked down the hill to a credit union with a drive-up-only ATM. So we walked a bit further and found an ATM that would dispense the cash we needed. It was a chilly walk that took time away from skating, but it was nice being together. I gave Hayley a piggy-back and shoulder ride much of the way, which she enjoyed.

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My date with Dad was splendid. For this date we both went bowling at Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine. It was loud and crowded the whole time we were there, but the funny thing is that I completely forgot all the noise when we were putting on our bowling shoes.

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Skye went skiing! Her school had a “BAM Day,” in which students were able to choose activities to expose them to new and fun physical activities. Although skiing was one of the more expensive of the many choices, I encouraged her to do it because I not-so-secretly want her to be my partner on the slopes. As the day approached she was nervous, but excited. I was, too.

I wasn’t going to go, as I didn’t want to be one of “those dads.” Read the rest of this entry…

It was the 3rd of January. But not just the 3rd of January. Tonight it was date time for me and Dad.

I got dressed and everything. I wore a pink skirt with a belt, white tights, a white collared button down shirt tucked in, leather boots, a ponytail and a rose clip in my hair.

I brought my lyrics book just in case I wanted to sing in the car. But I still suggested I wouldn’t need it, because I would be talking to Dad on the way to the Cinemagic movie theater.

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Hayley and I watched “Gulliver’s Travels” for our Festibond date. It was a fun movie we both enjoyed. It’s always fun to see Hayley laugh out loud. The theater was mostly empty, which was nice. Hayley enjoyed her milk chocolate cookie dough bites, popcorn and lemonade.

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When I first asked Jenna where she wanted to go on our Festibond date she said to the Boston Museum of Science. That was a bit too much. Her next request was sledding, but unfortunately the good snow we got on Festibond had mostly melted by the time we were ready to go on our date. We both settled for the movies even though, as she stated emphatically, it wouldn’t be conducive to us bonding much.

We sat in the middle of a mostly empty theater and shared a medium popcorn while we watched “Little “Fockers.” It was mostly dumb, but Jenna seemed to enjoy it and told me several times how much she enjoyed being on a date with me.

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As part of our Festibond traditions I take each daughter out on a date. Kirsten does the same. It has been a great way for us to strengthen the individual bonds that make our family close. Skye asked me to take her ice skating for our date. I think she got the idea from Kirsten’s date with Hayley. Regardless, I was excited to spend time with Skye. Also, it has been about twenty-five years since I’d last skated and I knew it was going to be fun. I played ice hockey as a kid in Alaska and remember those years with fondness.

The Family Skate Center in Falmouth is a wonderful facility that features both an indoor hockey rink and an outdoor skating pond. After Skye and I had our skates laced up we headed outside where Maine was experiencing unseasonably balmy 40+°F temperatures. Much like my return to snowboarding the week prior, I was a little rusty on skates. I could stay upright, cross-over in the turns and skate backwards, but none of it was pretty. Skye had been only one other time and was quite unsteady. I didn’t mind, and enjoyed holding her hand as we made our turns around the frozen pond.

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The past few months I’ve been going through the process of becoming a member of the Scarborough Fish and Game Association. It’s a 177 acre facility with many ranges across many shooting disciplines. Tuesday evening the membership finally voted me in as the newest member. Wednesday evening I took Skye down to the club and shot a paper target on one of the utility ranges. We both had a lot of fun.

Skye was very safe. She listened intently as I briefed her on safety procedures, range rules and firearm operations. She primarily shot with my Ruger Mark III Hunter .22 pistol. When that got heavy she switched to my Glock G26 9mm, but she didn’t like the harder recoil.

Her shots early were high and to the right. After discussing techniques to improve her accuracy she was able to shoot a loose grouping around the center of the target. I was quite proud.

We had a great time. She says she wants to go again, which I think is terrific. She’s an excellent shooter.

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Yesterday the girls and I spent some time at Fort Williams while we waited for Kirsten to be moved to a proper bed on the sixth floor. We had a great time climbing on the rocks and playing wiffleball.

Supra-Orbital Craniotomy
Kirsten Uhler, Cogitations, August 23, 2009

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