Last updated on November 5th, 2020 at 12:15 pm
And then in January 2018, I went and hit a wall.
I looked good on paper. I’d just finished my best year yet as a blogger, already looking to take things a step farther with a retooled Live from the 3.5. And adulting was alright, too—I had the routine down with the morning drop-offs, the house was kept relatively clean, and there wasn’t anyone clawing at the door for money. Life was good, and as my friends would point out, many would kill to be in my shoes—but don’t get any ideas. However, all that didn’t make for great storytelling, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t get my words quite right. The volume was there, but the tank was empty—it was time to look for some new inspiration.
And with that in mind, enter Dad 2.0 2018.
Dad 2.0—Why I NEEDED to Visit the Big Easy
The decision to go to Dad 2.0 wasn’t one made lightly. Fellow Canadian Dad Bloggers Buzz Bishop and Chris Read had been at me to check it out for years, but the timing never felt quite… right.
In 2014, my first was just a few months old, plus I’d just been to the North American International Auto Show the month before. In 2015, we’d just returned from a trip to Cuba with all of Sarah’s family, and I was sure leaving again so soon wasn’t that favourable an option. January 2016 brought my second son and the promise I’d stay put for a year, no matter what the #BloggerLife gave me. And with everyone else home all day as Sarah took extra time away from the office, so we didn’t need to pay $3000 a month for daycare, being away in 2017 was not an option—who’d want to fly solo with two kids when you didn’t have to?
Enter Dad 2.018.
But 2018. 2018 brought 2018’s Dad 2.0 Summit—otherwise known as Dad 2.0 2018 or “Dad 2.018” for short—and it felt like I was finally ready. The kids were in all-day programs, the conference’s costs within my means. I could work remotely and go somewhere I’d never been before—it felt like the pieces had finally come together to make this trip my own.