Guytown

Friday morning, after she dropped J.P. off at school, Jude flew to Charlotte, NC, to meet her new niece for the first time.  That left the boys with me for the weekend in, as we like to call it, "GUYTOWN." 


It's a running joke, especially between J.P. and me, that in "Guytown" we do things quite a bit differently than normal.  For the past couple of weeks, at breakfast and dinner, J.P. and I talked about all of the things we were going to do in "Guytown."  Watch Monday Night Raw ("wrestling"), eat cold pizza for breakfast, not brush our teeth, crank up the music and rip the knobs off, stay up late and wear short outside no matter how cold it is.  You know, "Guytown" things.


Friday afternoon, I left work early and picked up Joe at school (West End Methodist Church) at 2:15 p.m.  Joe and I stopped by the house to change his diaper, then went to pick up J.P. at school (University School of Nashville).  We drove to REI in Brentwood, so I could buy a backpack (men don't carry diaper bags in "Guytown").  Next, it was off to Centennial High School, so we could watch my niece, Kaitlyn, play a JV basketball game.


J.P. and Joe had a great time at Kaitlyn's game, as they always do.  Actually, attending a JV game was nice, because the varsity games we attend are more crowded, and the boys were able to interact with Kaitlyn during the game a bit when she was resting on the bench.  After the game (an Independence victory), Matthew (Hearn), J.P., Joe and I grabbed a couple of basketballs, walked on to the court and played a little basketball while we waited for Kaitlyn.  It was fun watching Matthew rebound for J.P. while J.P. took some shots.


J.P., Joe and I drove home, but not before stopping by Brown's Diner to pick up takeout.  The big news was that J.P. and talked Joe into trying a grilled cheese from Brown's Diner and he liked it.  Shortly thereafter, it was off to bed.  Well, sort of.  As we had previously agreed, J.P. waited 10 minutes or so until Joe was asleep, then sneaked downstairs with me to watch television.  In what may have been the highlight of the weekend for me, J.P. and I stayed up until almost 10:30 p.m. watching the Golden State - Cleveland NBA basketball game.  It was a real father-son moment.


Saturday morning, the three of us went to breakfast at Sylvan Park, one of J.P.'s favorite breakfast and a place we haven't been to in a while.  We had a "Guytown" breakfast, for sure, as J.P. had toast, bacon, pancakes and orange juice.  He even tried my sausage, which he liked.  Joe tried "real" pancakes and liked them, which was cool. 


After breakfast, I surprised the boys with a trip to the Boat & RV Show at the Convention Center downtown.  J.P. (more so than Joe) loved climbing into and out of the RV's, as he has in years past when we've attended the show.  Joe was a little tired by the time we headed home for lunch. 


Next, it as off to J.P.'s first basketball game (WNSL) at Eachin Elementary School.  J.P. played his best game yet.  I was pleased because he played aggressively, which is something I've encouraged him to do.  He had a couple of steals and mixed it up with the other boys under the goal as he tried to rebound the basketball.  Best of all, though, was when he brought the ball up court one time, then drove the lane all the way to basket.  I didn't care that he missed the layup because he took the ball to the rim.  It was awesome!


From basketball, I drove J.P. to Bounce U for a birthday party.  We arrived a little late, but J.P. was able to get some playtime in with some of his classmates, not to mention pizza and birthday cake.  We arrived home, packed up and drove to Cool Springs (with Jude's parents following us) to go to Sportsmen's Grill to celebrate my mom's 75th birthday party.  The boys were great and we had fun at dinner with my family.


Back home for the night, I got the boys to bed.  J.P. was so tired, he fell asleep and didn't sneak out of his bedroom for some more late night television watching.  Sunday morning, we all slept in, then had a leisurely breakfast at Bongo Java.  We picked up donuts, then went to church, where Jude met us, having driven straight from the airport.  The boys were glad to see her, which was sweet.


Even better for me, though, was when J.P. told Jude later Sunday afternoon that he was sad "Guytown" was over.  I don't get much time alone with the boys, so I treasure the time that I do get with them.  It's nice to know that the three of us can make it on our own, when Jude is gone for a few days.  It's good for her to get away every now and then, I think, and it's good for me to get some alone time with J.P. and Joe. 


Like Christmas (or so J.P. and I joke), "Guytown" is a place in your heart.