No its not a standard, Gluten filled, cake. My Lovely wife went out of her way to keep it gluten free.  Thanks Hun!

We are back in paradise.  Our time on the mainland was well spent.  Most notably yours truly turned 30 and couldn’t have been happier to spend some quality time with friends and family.  Many of whom we haven’t visited with in over a year.  A crew of Yankees came on down.  My little brothers, sisters, cousins and nieces packed into an SUV and made the trip from North Jersey just to see little ole me.  It was the best gift I could have asked for but I will also make sure to enjoy the Patron.  Lindsay, Mike, Rob, Sam, Jen, Danielle, and Haley thanks for making my 30^th a special day.  Another thanks for a great trip has to go out to Eliza’s mother, father and sister.  To say the least our visit turned their quiet life in Sanford, NC upside down.  The fun had wouldn’t have been possible without the meeting place you provided.  Check out Eliza-Joe Szymanek at facebook for pictures of the weekend.  As always the wife did a sweet job of taking pictures while I did my best not to screw them up. 

The trip home was not just about visiting family, friends, and confronting the fact that I am slowly becoming one of the old people.  I was also fortunate enough to check out two quality CrossFit Boxes in NC (Fort Bragg Crossfit and Ultimate Crossfit in Charlotte).  It is always cool to see how different folks run their classes.  Plus, visiting other boxes is the best way I know to beef up your T-Shirt collection.  Give it a shot if you haven’t.  Aside from being the best looking community it their underwear, Crossfitters (in my experience) are always welcoming to visitors.  If it wasn’t for adjusting to a wicked time difference and a still frustratingly present pain in my lower back I would have visited a few more spots.      

All that being said, now that Szymanek Hawaii is back in paradise it’s time to get back to work.  There is a mountain of topics to tackle on the blog.  Mason is growing fast (not sure if you saw the tweet about the tooth but now he already has two), daddy has to start thinking about the marathon he signed up for, and of course there is the beard, the maternity mop, and Eliza’s task to vanquish them both.   

However, first and foremost there is the possibility that this blog may adopt a new name.  I believe that part of my journey into the 30’s is wrapping my head about the fact that being a parent is my A number 1 priority and job.  With that in mind, rather than make reference to running a Daddy Day Care (DDC) I believe its time operate in all things with the best interests of the DDC in mind.  The content of the blog won’t change, however the spin on topics will always revolve around improving some part of the DDC; making mommy happy, making baby happy, and keeping daddy sane (which would of course revolve around lifting heavy things).  Currently this is just an idea and not something that is written in stone.  I thought before doing something drastic I’d put it out there to you, the three people who read the chaos that is my attempt at blogging.  What are your thoughts?  Do you care?  Does it matter?  Is this my “you’re so vain moment” to even think you care?  In any case, if you have a thought let me know.  Those of you who know me best understand that I am influenced greatly by peer pressure, wanting to make people happy, and whatever the masses damand (especially after a few NorCal Margaritas).                     

In case you were wondering how I look after one to many Nor Cal Margaritas.