Garage Shenanigans and Flashbacks

I walked out to my garage and stepped into 1999.

Way back when Chris and I started dating at the dawn of time, Chris was a theater kid. He performed, built sets, and really enjoyed being one of the only straight guys in predominantly female classes.

We call these Chris’s Glory Days because… well… he made lots of questionable choices. And then we’d fight and I’d forgive him and then he’d make another questionable choice and the cycle repeated itself until he finally grew out of it and became a Decent Human Being. Which took a while. A lonnnnng while. Hence, Glory Days.

But even when Chris was at the height of his shenanigans, I could see glimpses of the person he would one day become. He worked really hard, especially in theater. And while most of the time, he was in those classes to chase girls and skip school, underneath all of those questionable choices was a deep appreciation for building things. He learned how to build things from his dad, who was a maintenance man and knew just a little bit about everything. Mickey taught Chris how to work hard for the sake of doing good work. He taught Chris how to use power tools and how to take things apart in order to learn how they were put together.

Growing up, it was just as likely to find Chris covered in sawdust and paint as it was to find him covered in beach sand and sunscreen. And I really loved that about him - even then. He was wicked smart, fiercely determined (see also: stubborn), and just couldn’t stand now knowing how to do something.

Fast forward 25 years and let me introduce you to his daughter, Gracie.

Gracie looks like me and she’s glued to my side whenever she can be, but what people sometimes overlook is how much like her dad she is.

Wicked smart? Check.

Fiercely determined (stubborn)? Double Check.

Can’t stand not knowing to how to do something herself? BIG CHECK.

So it didn’t really surprise me when she started showing an interest in theater during middle school. She’s not one to be on stage, but instead prefers to be behind the scenes… like her dad.