Real Estate Blog - The Time Has Come - I Hope You'll Forgive Me for Leaving?!

Home : Blogs : Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager : Active Brads Blog

The Time Has Come - I Hope You'll Forgive Me for Leaving?!

I never thought I'd be saying this, but it's true...I'm leaving. I knew that this time was coming, but now it's actually here. I know that sounds bad, but it's really not. Some of you might remember the post I did back in 2007, the one about taking my son down south, and dropping him off at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. This was one the proudest yet most tear jerking moments in my life. Reading that post again took me right back to that moment, and nearly soaked and ruined my laptop.

Guess I'm just an ol' softy.

Well, my son and I made a deal back then. If he graduated from Cal Poly with a 4.0 GPA, then I would take him to play a round of golf at any course of his choice. This was our deal, so the agreement was made. Here we are, two years later, and the time has come. I can't believe it, he has done it! UNBELIEVABLE!! Sean is getting his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He has studied his a$$ off and chased a career he's very passionate about. He was also blessed to land the ideal job working for the company of his dreams.

Which brings me to the title of this post. I am the proudest father in America right now. (...a short pause and swallow) My son deserves what was promised, and so much more. Since I'm a man of my word, it's time to fulfill that promise. Sean has chosen a Golf Course in Hawaii to celebrate this fine "Life" achievement. 18 holes, each one representing the years of hard work and effort he has put into his education and career. I have a few other surprises up my sleeve that I know he'll enjoy, but those are a secret for now.

So it is with great anticipation and excitement that I announce I'm heading down to watch the BIG CEREMONY, and my son Graduate with honors from Cal Poly. Oh My Gosh~ Then we'll be catching a flight to Hawaii where we'll spend 7 days together, including Father's Day soaking up the rays, playing golf, lounging on the beach, and just reminiscing lifes journey...

Will you be able to reach me? Hmm. I'm not sure how on-line and connected I'll be during this trip. My iPhone will be with me, but I'll probably need it for emergency calls like booking a tee time, where should we snorkel, what luau should we attend, which Island would be best for a day trip, etc. I'm sure you understand and get the picture. This is not an ActiveBrad Vacation, it's an ActiveDAD Celebration. So if you need anything while I'm away, (10 Days) you can always contact Bob or Jeremy.

You will ALL be missed terribly, but I promise I'll be back... I hope you'll forgive me for leaving. Aloha.

Uh Oh.......st..at.i..c.....you're br ea k ing up..... hssssss.....crackle crackle.........click........dial tone.........

"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here and Get New Member Discount

Posted by Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager on 06/11/2009 08:47 PM

Comments (165)

Community in the ActiveRain Channel

no keywords can express my heart and emotions today

Originally posted at: The ActiveRain Stuff You Won't Find Anywhere Else on the Web: The Time Has Come - I Hope You'll Forgive Me for Leaving?!

Post is included in group: The Lounge at Active Rain
Post is included in group: POSITIVE ATTITUDE for the Weary Soul
Post is included in group: It's all about them (ThemThem)
Post is included in group: Family Ties
Post is included in group: Almost Anything Goes

165 Comments on The Time Has Come - I Hope You'll Forgive Me for Leaving?!

JUN

what a wonderful adventure and accomplishment ...for both of you! He may have worked his a$$ off but I am certain he is just a chip off the ole block..Have the times of your life..what a memory maker! PS you deserve the break away from "us" and watch out....WooHoo Sally may hunt you down!!

Have fun, Congratulations and I promise ((wink, wink))) not to call you while you are in Hawaii.

I should of promised my kids this.....(((sigh, sigh))

You have to be bursting woth pride. Congratulations!!

Wow Brad, that is awesome! I can tell without a doubt you are like the most coolest, greatest dad in the world and congratulations for the success your son has had.

I have kids as well and I'll be honest, it'll be emotional for myself as well, when we see Jazmyne (12) and BJ (8) grow up and head out to college, etc and into life.

Also, your headline made it look like you were leaving AR, which would be said as well, but glad to hear, you'll only be gone a week. Have fun in Hawaii, say hi to all my relatives, cousins, etc and enjoy the sun, sand and surf. It'll be a great time, I'm sure.

Best wishes,

Follow me on Twitter @edbisquera

Hi Brad: You will never be replace because there is no replacement for you. I look forward to your return.

Congratulations to you both! Sean for working so hard and diligently to reach such high achievement. You for raising and being there for him. Have a great vacation and enjoy your time with your awesome son!

Not funny!! I thought you were "leaving" us!! Anywho, have a WONDERFUL time on your trip with Sean! What a proud moment for both of you! Don't forget to have an umbrella drink for me! And I'm pretty sure you won't have internet or cell service while you're there!! :)

Congrats to both you and your son, Brad!!!

HUGE Congratulations to you and your son. However, I have to tell you I almost STOPPED BREATHING when I read the title. I thought you were leaving Active Rain and I was ready to go into convulsions. My husband has finally stopped CPR...since he read me the rest of your pulse, and as long as you PROMISE to COME BACK TO US, I may forgo going to the hospital!

Congratulations and have fun!

Absolutely wonderful news about your son....enjoy that "Promise" :) Sean sounds like a fine young man, I wish him all the best in his new job.

Congratulations. What a terrific achievement. Your entire family must be thrilled. When my son graduated from college I fulfilled my promise to take him to Italy. We had a great time and it is a memory I will always cherish.

Wow ~ How proud you must be! What an amazing accomplishment ~ Congratulations to your entire family and have a terrific time golfing in Hawaii.

Congratulations! Have a great trip with your son-you both have earned it!!

Brad = I understand your gulp as my little girl graduated from the University of North Carolina Charlotte this year as well. All grown up and moving on is a wonderful achievement. May the force be with them... congrats to all

You guys all know how much I love AR, and the only way I'm ever leaving permanently would be in a box, with Jon, Bob, Jeff, Jeremy, and Jorgen carrying me.

This is a very special time for our family, especially Sean, so I knew you'd all understand me taking a few (10) days off.

Sorry about the title, I just wanted to get some last minute attention, have some fun, and see who I could trick before I go.... I see it totally worked on Matt. :-O

I'll be back the day after Father's Day, and you'll get to hear all about our fun in the sun. Thanks everyone! Aloha Nui Loa!! :-))

Aloha, enjoy your moments with your son, at graduation, in Hawaii, and on the links. Spending time with our children never gets old. You are very justified for your pride as if a parent ever needs such justification. We'll manage until your return. ENJOY!

Dude, don't worry about us. We will manage somehow until your return. Go make some fun memories with your son. He has earned a little quality time with Dad. Congratulations to both of you for this accomplishment! Forget about us for the next week, it will be easier than you think!

Aloha pardner!

Betina

Brad --- I'm proud of you for going on vacation with your son and very proud of your son. Enjoy--we Active Rainers will be here when you get back. Enjoy

Brad - I must say that title definitely got my attention you little devil! I wasn't on Active Rain when you wrote that post in 2007 so I went back to read it and bust out into tears There is no greater gift than the relationship you have with your son. His accomplishments are a testament to the guidance of his wonderful parents. Congratulations to Sean and here's to the memories you will create from your time together in Hawaii! Happy Father's Day ActiveDAD!!!

You cad, Brad! You made us all think it was curtains so that we are more than glad to let you go for a well-deserved break.

True reasons for you to be the proudest dad too! Hats off to your son and you.

CONGRATULATIONS and ALOHA......HAVE FUN!

You had me going for a minute - WHAT!!??

But now I am OK - have a great trip, you both deserve it, and congrats to the grad.

Wow Brad I am choked up reading this also. What beautiful pictures. I know the pride and love a parent feels when you look at that little guy all grown up, reaching, not for your hand anymore but a world full of dreams. You both have to be so proud of him. I wish you every blessing, every joy, every precious monmet to cherish. What a wonderful vacation...enjoy

we will keep you in thought and prayer..God's choicest blessings

June

Brad,

Have a great trip with your son, and enjoy those surprises!

CONGRATS on your son's graduation! Wow, your buttons must be bustin'! ENJOY your Hawaiian vacation w/your son, and don't you worry about us.....we'll be fine....sure there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, but really, we'll be fine....just as long as you come back with 149,000 t-shirts.....

Aloha!

You had me fooled there too! Couldn't think of any reason anyone would be leaving AR.....nice to find out, it's just for a short time. Congratulations and I know the time will be treasured with your son. Take lots of pictures...how many trips to play golf in Hawaii does one get in life??

Happy for you and your son. You will be so missed. Hpe to re-connect in the future.

Brad - Congratulations to both of you! Have a great trip, Don't worry about anything - you deserve it!

Congratulations! What a great job your son has done! Have fun in Cal Poly and in Hawaii....you deserve it.

Heck, turn OFF the phone for a week - that would be good for you :-)

Brad - I'll be there too!! My daughter is graduating in Psychology this weekend from Cal Poly. We're leaving tomorrow. However, definately don't tell her about your deal with your son. Our gift is she is graduating with no college debt. Zip... zilch.

I'll look for the weepy, drivelling, blubbering papa in the stands..... I'll wave you a high five if you can see through the tears!... yours and mine!

Ha ! ... just for a split second I thought ... nahhhh no way you were leavin us !!!!

What a truly terrific story, and congrats to your son, and to you guys for raising such a great kid !

Enjoy your fabulous trip ...you both deserve it :o)

Sheldon

From the sounds of it, I would say you have every right to be a very proud Father. Have fun soaking up the rays big guy.

Brad, What a great achievement and it seems that no words can describe what your son has accomplished other than...well done, well done! Have a fabulous time and I hopweyou get a hole-in-one or at least make it to the green on most shots! Thank you for sharing one of your proudest moments with us!

My youngest just graduated from pre-K and I almost lost it- I am in big trouble come "big-time graduations". Have fun!

not sure who is getting the best end of the deal home or you being able to spend such great time with your son.. Relax Rejoice and Love every minute

Brad...

You have every right to be VERY proud! Have a great time with your son in Hawaii ... and we'll pester Bob and Jeremy until you get back!

Brad~ Oh Gosh..now I'm tearing up..what an amazing journey for the Andersohn Family. You SO deserve this! Have a great time, and yeah..we'll miss ya, but we'll let you off the hook:) I'm just relieved to have made it through 8th grade this year!

Brad,

I was very upset when I read the headline. I'm glad to see that you will be back. So, I really don't have to go overboard telling you how I profited from reading your posts. I don't want you to get a "swelled head".

This is great achievement in life. You will never regret the time you have taken to spend with Sean. It's an investment which you and Sean will treasure forever!

All the best!

Brian Madigan

OK, now that my heart has resumed a normal rate and I've gotten over my panic attack, I can wish you and your son CONGRATULATIONS!! What a wonderful memory you will both be creating. Have fun and, dare I say, don't even think about anything involving the word RAIN.

Oh my gosh Brad...Definitely you should NOT be around! Enjoy the time with your son...It must be really incredible to know that the ultimate prize was to spend a week with you, with no distractions...So you'd better deliver! :-) PS - Love the mullets!

Brad, what a great graduation gift to your son...and spending this week in Hawaii is perfect. I've been to Hawaii twice and will hopefully return. HAVE FUN...don't worry will we be right here waiting for your return .. we will keep the lights on for you.....

You had me going. Enjoy your vacation, and congratulations to your son and you on that great achievement.!!

I feel you smiling ear to ear. You are a proud dad and deservingly so. Gosh, that's alot of hardwork on your son's part. Tell him - Good choice of golf course.

Now ask him to be the next millionaire so you can retire soon. He might just go do it!

What a Dad some kids have! Have a great trip.

Brad - That is awesome, my friend! Your son richly deserves a great reward like that. Congrats to both of you - have a terrific time with your boy!

Congratulations, Brad - what a wonderful achievement for your son and your family. At first reading your title, I thought the unimaginable - that you were leaving Active Rain. Glad that's not true but I sure hope you enjoy your trip. Thanks for all you do for us!

Gods speed. What a terrific moment. Soak it up and remember it always. we can deal-Dinah Lee

BTW- Thnaks for scaring the - out of me!-Dinah Lee

Brad - congratulations to your son, and to you, Dad. Not sure who you bribed to allow you to take that much time off, though. Hope you have a fabulous time. It will be special in many ways, and one you will cherish for many years. Oh, and we will miss you.

Jeff

Incredible accomplishment, Brad - congrats to your son!

Kick his butt on the golf course, however - he has to learn that you can't win every time, in life.

Great son-dad trip you've got planned - can't wait to hear about it upon your return!

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Congratulations Brad. Sean's journey begins.

Alexander the Great said, "I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well."

Sean has found both in you, Brad: A father, who has given him a wonderful life, and a teacher, demonstrating how well one can live playing golf in Hawaii.

Hi Brad. Congratualtions to your family and especially to Sean. Have a wonderful time together. What a fitting way to celebrate his accomplishment!

Congratulations and have lots of fun and enjoy the time with your son.

Fabulous just fabulous achievement for both of you! This is the only kind of "leaving" that will be allowed for you. Just enjoy it all...it goes by so fast.

Hi Brad...Congrats to Sean and Dad! Enjoy the 7 days as you will treasure the time you spent together in years to come. We will miss you, HAVE A GREAT TIME!

Great joy shared by all for you and your son! Have a great trip, you both have worked real hard and really deserve this memory, take a ton of pics, I expect at least 18 from the golf course:)

Brilliant and Brilliant, Jr., about to have their DAY IN THE SON...rejoicing for you, proud-as-can-be-Brad! What a fine achievment---for you and your son and the family. I'm surprised you're only going for a week! ;-) ikanna wanna bein alohalandi (sorry, that's my best hawaiian yiddish). Biggest blessings and greatest joy to you and your boy!

What a wonderful achievement. Congratulations to your son and to you! Have a wonderful time and please stay away from the computer.

Brad, How cool is that!! Don't even be tempted to take those business calls you just enjoy your bonding time! Our son just got out of the Army and started college on June 1st so in 4 years this should be us.

Whew! I happened to read another post just before this one about people who stopped blogging for one reason or another, so I did read your title as "leaving AR." Having just started to learn from you, I'm glad you're not permanently leaving! Have a WONDERFUL ActiveDad time :)

Brad, I do remember when you wrote that post! How cool is this for an excuse to go play golf, in Hawaii no less. Smart kid. :)

Brad,

I know just how you feel. When my oldest graduated college I was so incredible proud. It was not easy - money was so tight, he was cutting hair for tokens to the domino's pizza to eat. Also working a job to make his car payments. We did not receive help from his father. I tried to scrape money together to send him when ever I could. He would come home and my mother and I would send him back with food in an ice chest.

He graduate with a 3.5 and made the Dean's List. He also made some great friends many of which years later were in his wedding. Just a fine bunch of young men. You know - when he graduated he handed me his diploma and said this is for you Mom. I still treasurer it to this day and I am still very proud of him.

Isn't life sweet...Congrats!! ~ Kim

Brad, definitely worth celebrating. I know SLO-town well, lived there for 6 years.

Enjoy Hawaii!

I'm sorry to inform you that ALL of my vendors need to have bluetooth headsets installed at all times. You ARE allowed to vacation where there is no service... but you can't unhook. Since I am generous you get 1 hour per day of personal time...

But the rules don't apply to me... usually.

Brad,

I have not been with Active Rain very long! I was sad to hear you were leaving. I am glad I finished reading to the end! I am so Happy to know it is just a VACATION!! Congratulations! Have a wonderful time! You will be missed but we will live!

Judy

Congratulations! The trip will wind up being a great gift for your son and for you. What a great way to spend Father's Day!

Aloha Brad! Thanks for sharing the wonderful news!! Glad you will be back in the rain after a much deserved vacation!! Be sure to post some pictures for us so we can envy you!!

Brad - For a while, I thought you are leaving AR for good. Glad you are not. What a great accomplishment your son has done! Congratulations to you and your son. Enjoy your Hawaiian vacation!

Brad, you have earned this trip and time away from your AR family. Enjoy yourself, relax, and we'll look forward to hearing about your trip when you get back!

Sharon

Congrats on raising such a fine young adult (isn't it scary to say that?) My daughter just graduated too and I know how proud you feel. Enjoy this time together.

Wow that is quite an accomplishment Brad. I am sure you are very proud! BTW ~ I am laughing looking at the young Brad in the photo:)

Brad: Congratualtion to you both.. Enjoy Hawaii. Enjoy your father son time away.

Congrats to you Brad, and especially Sean. Have fun in the islands. Sip a cocktail out of a coconut and shank one into the ocean for me.

Hi Brad -- I can only hope I am as fortunate as you someday. You raised one fine son! Enjoy!

Just had to say congratulations from a Cal Poly alum. It's a great school and a great town. I hope you and your son have the trip of your dreams.

Congratulations to your son, and what a great way for you both to celebrate.

I'm glad you not leaving AR permanently, which was my thought when I read the title.

You ....Brad are a wonderul DAD with a wonderful talented son....and you are a BRAT! I was mistakenly lead....down the path... of you being out of AR for good....and that was not a good thing for AR! I was thinking...ok, maybe for him and I could stand behind that. Again...what a brat! love it!

Congrats to your son .........and YOU his Dad. Golf away in Hawaii and be sure to say hi and stop in to see Sally Cheeseman.

Congratulations to you and your son! Have a wonderful trip & enjoy your round of golf, this will be one of those moments you get to treasure forever & I'm glad you shared it with the community.

Cheers

JUN

WTG Sean! I know you all are going to have a great time. What a terrific Dad you are. Best to both of you.

Hi Brad!
It does happen fast, doesn't it? Well, proud papa...congratulations to both you and your son! My vote? Don't answer your phone if you must take it with you. We will all just bug Bob and Jeremy so they know how valuable you are! ;o)

I came back to say more clearly, congratulations to you and your son. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Father - Son time.

You just enjoy that special time Brad...I was wondering when you were going on your trip. Have a good time, spend quality time...and Happy Father's Day!

Rock on man, that is AWESOME

Have a great few days away -- this will be a memory forever. All the best.

Brad,

Congratulations! Your son's accomplishments speak wonders about you as a father and I share the same dreams about my daughter. (Ok... she's only six but I dream of her walking through the same arches I did only available to Graduates.)

If you are going to be in Honolulu... please contact me and I will gladly set you up with a free dinner with one of my fantastic clients who owns a restaurant there.

Hope you have a fantastic time!

Congratulations. I bet your heart is bursting with pride! Why do they have to grow up so fast?

What a great post. You can see how close you both are. Won't it be nice to get out of town without worrying about your cell phone?! Have a great time!

Brad,

Wow! What an accomplishment for your son. You have every right to be the proudest Dad in the world.

Rich

Brad - What a shocking headline ... but ... now you have a whole series of postings you can write about very effective headlines when you get back.

Congratulations to both you and your son. Have a great time on your well deserved vacation and all the best to your son in his future endevours.

We all look forward to your excellent blogging and support when you return.

Brad,

AWESOME! Have a fantastic time.

You're an inspiration to Dads everywhere.

So, who's the better golfer?

That is awesome. Have fun and enjoy your vacation with your son.

Congratulations!!!

You must be one VERY proud Dad! Have a safe and great adventure.

Congratulations to the both of you.

Brad, how exciting! You and your son must be so excited. Do not answer your phone while you are gone. We will survive, but as long as you are back on time and not a day later. ha! ha! My daughter will be a senior in high school next year. I like your idea about taking a trip anywhere of their choice. Congratulations to your son and can't wait to read your post when your return!

I almost fell apart when I read the title - then I read it and breathed a sigh of relief. Congratulations to your son for such a remarkable achievement, and kudos to you for keeping your promise. Oh, btw, you've given me an idea to motivate my own son as he enters high school next year.

Well no one can say "Brad Andershon doesn't know how to write a misleading post title." Have fun in Hawaii.

Sounds like he spent 4 years researching this!!! Congrats to your son. I was thinking you were leaving AR by the title :0

Congrats to you and your son. Enjoy your time away, you both deserve it!!!

Congratulations to your son and have fun in Hawaii and I know you will........ I love the islands and I can't wait to go visit my mother-in-law again on Oahu.

Congratulations and have a great trip. Can't think of a better way to celebrate your son's achievements and Father's Day.

Congratulations! What a great way to celebrate a successful graduation and Father's Day. Enjoy it and don't think too much about the rest of us not on vacation...

Man, you had me going at first, I thought you were really leaving Active Rain. Hey, I have a suggestion, it looks like your a pretty good writer, I think you should blog! Seriously, congratulations. A 4.0 is hard anywhere. You should be proud. Just don't let him beat you at golf, it's that Freudian thing you know.

Congrats to you and YOUR SON for his outstanding achievements. Enjoy your special time together.

You scared me for a minute, I thought you were actually leaving, as in Gone for Good???

Sounds like a great week you have planned, Leave work at home and enjoy!

Looking forward to pictures and lots of them! Well deserved break from the Rain and so glad you're only leaving for a short time! Aloha.

Brad, Now I have tears in my eyes. There is no greater feeling than pride and your son certainly deserves yours. Have a wonderful time with your son. This quite possibly could be a one in a life time opportunity. I think everyone should leave youalone during this time. I think you will find it will be easy to catch up on what you miss in a week. Here is hoping you have a awesome time and that you turn everything off. Phones, computers, etc.

You scared me at first... I thought you meant you were leaving AR and going on to other things. A Title sure can grab someone's attention!

hi Brad, like a few others when I saw the headline I said "what????, Brad is leaving???". Congrats to you and your son. Have a fun/awesome trip and we'll hopefully see you here again soon. Later B...

Well it's Friday morning, we're all packed and the adventure and journey begins.....

I know my "title" was a bit misleading, but it is very much true! "The time has come - I hope you'll forgive me for leaving!"

We have waited and anticpated this day for 21 years now. I am relieved to see that you will in fact forgive me for taking some time off the rain to go celebrate this awesome occasion with my son.

ActiveRain is my home to which I have every intention on returning and never leaving!

Thanks to each and every one of you for your well wishes, love and support. I'll sleep much better now knowing that you'll all be ok till I get back. Feel free to bombard Bob Stewart while I'm away, that'll help me get back at him for that little newsletter stunt he pulled a couple weeks ago where the entire thing was an ActiveBrad "MEME!" ROFL!~

It's time to go now...... Aloha my friends!!

ActiveBrad ActiveDAD initiates laptop shutdown sequence..... :-)

Brad - A truly great moment in your lives! Congrats and hope you have a great time! You both deserve it. Sounds like a great time will be had. Enjoy my friend!

:-)

Congrats to you both! You will be talking about this trip for many years to come! ENJOY!!

Holy cow, Brad. Once I swallowed really hard to get the lump that was my heart out of my throat and securely fastened back in my chest like it should be when I read your title on my FeedBlitz this morning, I can now say "Congratulations, proud papa". Have lots of fun on your trip. You probably won't see this until you're back (you DID say you were coming back). What an achievement. That's awesome! And, don't ever freak us out like that again!

Brad, congratulations to you and to Sean. What a milestone for both of you. Enjoy every minute of your well deserved time together and please don't ( I repeat, DON'T) interrupt it with any business. Hard as it may be, we will survive without you for the 10 days (even if you have to do double time when you get back). And, I'm relieved to hear that you're not LEAVING AR, just leaving for a well deserved vacation.

So glad to hear the fantastic news, Brad! You are so wise to spend this special time with your son. Have a wonderful time reminiscing and making new memories!

Congratulations, you both have been truly blessed.

Brad, congratulations to Sean for graduating and wow, with a 4.0!!

Aloha to both of you and hit them long and hard! May your scores be extremely low!!

Brad, congratulations to your son and to you on this incredible achievement. I knew how I felt last year when my daughter graduated from high school. Have a wonderful vacation, enjoy the fabulous golf and Aloha!

This one got me a little teary as well! How amazing for you and your son! Go have a BLAST!!!!!

That is AWESOME Brad! Great idea. Sounds like he put some thought into it also. Getting to spend the entire 7 days with him. I've got a few years left before my son heads off to college but this certainly gives me some good ideas for graduation day. Have a great time and be sure to take a lot of pictures.

What a wonderful achievement! Congratulations to both of you! I LOVE happy stories like this! You made my day. Aloha! Enjoy! Hawaii is awesome!

You really went for the shock factor on this one, huh? Congratulations on Sean's great accomplishment, and have a blast with him in Hawaii!!

Had me nervous there for a bit - great post...right down to the italics at the end! Enjoy Hawaii and your son...you both should be really proud!

Hi Brad! What a catchy title - it literrally took my breath away, especially since I just had the pleasure of meeting you in Colorado at the REBar camp. Now that I have recovered....CONGRATULATIONS!! Take the week to celebrate with your son and turn off your phone and stay off of the computer! These are priceless memories and while your AR family will miss you terribly, we celebrate in your joy!

You must be very proud. Go with all our blessing. You both deserve the vacation.

Brad, how cool a trip is that?? Have fun and try not to stay too connected back to the real world. You and your son are such lucky dogs!!

You're a little brat with that title and opening paragraph! Geez. But congrats to both of you. It's good to see you have correct deinition for "emergenices"! =D Have fun! I'm sure we'll be readin about it eventually ;-) Oh! Are you gonna vlog it too? Now I'm just too excited!...

I don't know you personally, but I know you well enough to say: GREAT JOB TO BOTH OF YOU! 4.0? OUTSTANDING!

Caution: Wild, colorful CHICKENS run around the Hawaiian golf courses, don't hit one with a golf ball or you'll have to eat it for dinner. Very tough. :)

Brad for a quick second there I thought that you were actually leaving Activerain.com. But thank God that's not true-Whew! Have fun with you son Brad. Congratulations to him on graduating. Much success to him. Great post.

Congrats to Dad and Son. Sometimes guy relationships can be very strained, I applaud you both for staying cool with each other and reaching your goals. Have fun in the sun.

I thought you were leaving ActiveRain!!. Congratulations to your son and I'm glad you are keeping your promise to him. Children need a happy environment, a positive example, and their father's love. And fathers need to set good examples to their children, and you have done that, so congratulations again. Keep up the good work.

Have a most wonderful trip, we will be here when you get back- Mahalo- cw

congratulations! This is a wonderful honor to graduate from Cal Ploy let alone with honors! have fun!

Thats Awesome! Congrats to you both! Have fun!

Congrats Brad,

If you make it to Maui, look me up for some standup paddling or windsurf.

Steve

MAN...I thought with how valuable you are, you had found a new
venture to be a part of and were leaving ActiveRain.....

You had me goin there, Brad!!!!!!

whew!!

How fun! What a great graduation present & well deserved. I love Hawaii but would be @ the beach & not on the golf course. Have fun!

Brad, that's one smart cookie you've got there. Congratulations to both of you. And I'm sure this promise of golf anywhere he wanted to go, must have been a hard one to keep. I feel horrible for you. :)
Have a great time, and happy Father's Day. :)
Say hi to Sally.

Well, I can see you have your priorities in good order.

Okay, I'm serious... a) don't scare me like that and b) this post brought a tear to my eye. You have reason to be so proud. And tell him that a perfect stranger in Atlanta, Georgia, is extremely proud of him.

Kathy

Brad: Congrats Dude, and super congrats to your son, Sean... I know how you feel Mr. I have 3 wonderful daughters and a son, and they're all so talented and smart. Two are in college now.... (one more to go!)... They amaze me, and I never would have grown up without them!

Enjoy Hawaii... have a blast!

Rene'

Brad,

Congrats to you and your son! Have a great week in Hawaii and create some great memories!

JUN

Congrats to you both! Have fun in Hawaii.

Brad,

These types of moments are truly special and soaking a keyboard is so easy to do then. Hope you guys generate plenty of birdies as you navigate that one-and-only golf course.

JUN

Brads, Congrats to you and your son. I like the idea of golf anywhere I just might use that one my self. Class of 2017 is coming.

Ceremony is over now, we're exhausted, we leave in 10 hours for Hawaii. I also found out at the graduation that Sean made the Deans list 3 times which put him on the Presidents list. He really graduated with some awesome honors.

@Sally - We'll call you at some point when we're there.

@Steve - if and when we make it over to Maui, we may take you up on your offer.

@Paul - we'll be in Honolulu for sure and would love to try out your friends place, I'll contact you when we get there and see if your offer is still on, we sure appreciate that. Mahalo. :-)

Bon Voyage... :-)

JUN

Savor every nanosecond Brad

You are gonna have ONE HECK of a good time celebrating with your son, Brad..... and do you wonder who is going to win the game of golf??

Is it gonna be best of three??

May God BLESS IT !!!!!

\O/

JUN

Wow.. with Father's Day coming up, spending time with your pride and joy has got to be the best. So happy for you and so glad you'll have time OFF, which is really time ON if you ask me LOL

JUN

I know you're having an awesome time ActiveDAD! You deserve the special time with your family... away from the Rain.

JUN

Hi Active Brad,

Hope you're not even daring to read these posts as you are in Hawaii with your son and family. Congrats to your son! What a great accomplishment! 4.0 GPA~that was not what my GPA was when I graduated!

Soak some Rays up and enjoy! We will be raining while your gone!

JUN

What an amazing Fathers Day you must be having knowing your son's accomplishments and what is yet to come! Enjoy!

Congratulations to Sean he deserves a minimum of 18 holes! And enjoy being proud of him.

JUN

wow! hope you had a great time in HI with your son! Happy Father's Day!

I know this is the best! Time with your son and sharing his great achievement. Hope you had a great time!!

JUN

WOW! What an awesome time we had!

It's great to be back home now, but I will miss my home away from home in Hawaii.

I have over 1000 photos to sift through, and a ton of stories I could share, but first I need to get through the 1000+ emails I received while away. lol~

Looking forward to catching up as this was the longest I have ever been away from the rain and all my family and friends here. :-)

JUN

Congratulations to you and your son.

I know this is the best! Time with your son and sharing his great achievement. Hope you had a great time!!

Visit for more from Cluj-Napoca!

http://www.apartamente-inchirieri.ro

Brad, I love posts of this sort.. Life goes by so quickly, the only thing that we really take with us are relationships. Have a good tirp and enjoy your son. The world will wait... and if it doesn't, it wasn't something that you needed or wanted in your life.

Brad - Not sure if you are back yet, but you must be one proud father. I know the feeling you get when one of your own succeeds in some way in life. It makes you feel like you did something right in how you raised them. I am hoping to be able to share a similar story on my blog sometime soon in regards to my children. Congratulations to you and your son for a job well done!

Yes, we are back, and I am the proudest and happiest father on earth. I am catching up now and preparing a post to share about our trip. It was a blast to say the very least. Very physically demanding and very emotionally rewarding.

There are no words in the English language that can express my emotions presently. Here's a sample of what we were blessed to share!

JUN

Where did the time go? That is some proud father. Nice job and yes you deserve a break to.

JUL

This is so cool and chokes me up too. Ten years ago I took my 16 year old to Hawaii. It was the best trip ever and I don't think I will ever have another vacation that I loved so much.

If you want to learn to surf, look for Rabbit on Wakiki Beach.....I'm sure he is still there.

JUL

Thanks Ann - we actually took the kids to Waikiki a few summers ago when they came over to visit us (we used to live there) and Rabbit was there surfing instructor, how funny is that. Hope you're having a great fourth of july weekend. :-)

JUL

My Mom took me to the Island of Oahu for three weeks for my sixteenth birthday. These are memories I still cherish to this day! We definitely spent some time in Waikiki! So much fun! Went to a Luau on my birthday. We toured the Island. We checked out Diamond Head crater. We went up the 99 steps to the look out over Pearl Harbor. Wow! I can't believe I still remember all that even without pulling out my photos or scrap book! What wonderful Mother/Daughter bonding time we had! Your son will remember this in vivid details for the rest of his life! What an awesome goal to set before him. And so fantastic he stuck to his end of the bargain and you, too, stuck to your end of the bargain! What a solid foundation you gave him! Thank you for sharing!

Nyssa -that was so sweet of you to share that story, I will treasure our trip and time together forever, and now yours too! :-) Thanks!!!

This blog does not allow anonymous comments