This week? It had everything.

Sweat. Tools. Teenager panic. Lawn mowers. Secret tech deals. Oh — and a full-blown existential crisis under the summer sun.

Let’s start with the basics: the bathroom reno is still going. And yes, I still love my wife. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have one or two “HGTV divorce arc” moments this week. See, I visualize everything — that’s literally my job. But Laura? She needs to see it, touch it, stand in it, and maybe sleep in it for a few nights before she decides if she likes the tile. We made it through. Nobody bled. Nobody moved out. Win.

Deck’s set up. Yard looks... well, more on that in a minute.

Shirtless Miles & Running Truths

Had a couple killer runs. Around 45km total. One day, it was so hot I just said screw it — ripped the shirt off mid-run like some budget Rocky Balboa and kept pushing. Not for attention. Not for glory. Just because it felt right.

I used to think people didn’t take my running seriously. Truth is? I don’t think I took it seriously. But I’m out there. I show up. When nobody else does, when no one’s watching, when it’s uncomfortable — I still run.

That’s serious enough.

Grade 10 Anxiety & Aquatic Centre Flashbacks

My daughter’s heading into Grade 10.

Read that again.

That’s not just a school year. That’s a whole damn era of teen drama, first heartbreaks, questionable fashion choices, and social chaos. And while I trust her more than anything, there’s a part of me that just screams “WE’RE NOT READY” every time I remember what I was doing in Grade 10 (and definitely shouldn’t have been).

But I see her, and I remember our Friday Aquatic Centre days — early mornings, just the two of us, stroller loaded, cutting through the trails, and sitting together in a pool filled with sleepy parents and half-splashing toddlers. That version of me? He didn’t know how fast time would fly. I miss those days. I love who she’s becoming. But man… I’d give anything to hit pause sometimes.

The Boy, The Mower, The Dream Machine

Now let’s talk Evan.

My guy has been grinding. Started his own little lawn-mowing business. Technically it's just one customer — but it’s consistent! He’s got me hauling his gear around like I’m his personal landscaping Uber, and I respect it. Kid’s got hustle.

This weekend? His one customer said the grass wasn’t long enough to cut, and Evan’s pacing like a stock trader watching the market dip. So I offered him our yard. It’s a mess. Straight-up botanical disaster after a brutal winter. Mostly weeds with commitment issues.

He mowed it anyway. Crushed it. Weed-whacked, leaf-blowed, left it better than he found it. All in the blazing heat, on hills that make my knees cry. He didn’t complain once.

Why?

Because we made a deal with the devil — aka The Dream PC Build.

Let me paint you the picture: all-white NZXT case. RGB like a freakin' spaceship. He’s got this vision of the perfect rig — it’s like a Mustang GT of computers. The case alone was $300. The white motherboard (also NZXT) was another $400. CPU? We’re talking Ryzen 9 dreams, $700 range. Water cooler? Memory? GPU? We're flirting with a $3,000 Frankenstein of future tech and poor financial decisions.

But I love it. Because when I see him get excited about every part, every cable, every spec sheet — I see me. If my dad had offered to build anything with me when I was Evan’s age, I would’ve dropped everything. Doesn’t matter if it was a bike, a birdhouse, or a PC that lights up like a rave — I would’ve remembered it forever.

So yeah… we’re building this beast. I even ordered the motherboard without telling Laura. Evan knows. We giggle like schoolgirls every time we walk past it.

Marriage tip: shared secrets between father and son = dangerous but bonding.

Something Big Is Coming

And through all this chaos, this week, this life… I keep circling something.

Something big. A goal I haven’t said out loud yet. Not even to Laura.

Because once you speak it — it’s real. And if you fail? It’s out there. It lives in the air. In people’s heads. In your own self-doubt.

But I’m getting close.

Something’s coming.

The Solstice Switch-Up

Oh, and summer solstice? Most people are out here celebrating “Yay! Summer’s here!” Meanwhile, I’m watching the daylight shrink. Two minutes less each day. I know, it’s dramatic. But I love summer. It’s when I feel most alive.

Still — winter will come. That’s the deal.

We just keep running until it does.

Blogcast Brain-Dump Finale

So here we are — end of the week, nearing the end of Season 1 of this weird, sweaty, emotional, chaotic little “blogcast.”

This isn’t about being an expert on anything. It’s just me — sharing the stuff most guys keep buried under bad sleep and busy schedules. It’s about being a dad, a partner, a builder, a runner… and some guy hiding a $400 motherboard in his sock drawer like it’s contraband.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Big things ahead.

See you next week.

T