A Summary of Successful Summertime... "Hold On! There is a Pokemon Over There!!!"

As this summer loomed large, my vision of a memorable school break for my kids sparkled in my eyes.  Adding to my giddiness was the fact that I would have all five of my kids for the entire summer with no children sharing (their mother had to return to Oregon in order to renew her Utah visa).  Yet as the days grew longer I noticed a rather strange phenomenon outside.  There were kids about.  Not just normal outdoor kids.  These kids were different.  They were of a paler complexion and seemingly afraid of the sun, like they just emerged from the Bastille.  These were video gamers... outside of all things.  Checking for, but not finding, the four riders of the Apocalypse, I knew there must be a different explanation.  Then I heard the words that would fill my summer... Pokemon Go!  The app that compelled many a Hot Pocket eating, adult diaper wearing video game playing kid to finally venture outside.  

The wheels in my head began turning, This app could be useful.   Could I use this app to drag my kids out on summer conquests willingly?  So let's test this theory. 

"Kids, I hear that there is a rare Pokemon atop the waterfall!"  I'll be... they climbed right up that waterfall.  To bad there was no LTE up here.  Maybe next hike kids.

Learning we could "hatch" a Pokemon by running, the boys and I entered a 5K.  Only after the race did we learn that we had to keep the app open to hatch the little sucker.  Too bad.  That little Squirtle would have to stay in it egg.

I told Chuck and Ro that they could build their own Pokemon. ("No of course this is not a dinosaur.  Total Pokemon bones.").  So Chuck did the skeletal development...

and Ro built a mock-up of what the Pokemon would look like.

Then we sent Locke to Biotech camp at Utah State to genetically engineer this Pokemon...and to cure cancer.  All in days work for genius boy.

"Kids, two fire-type Pokemon will be battling it out the sky tonight.  Let's pack the cooler full of food and go watch."

"No really!  My phone shows that there is a Eggtrio just over here.  Keep driving."

"Kids, watch the parade and there will be Horse-type Pokemon.  Look! This are Fireponyesses.  Let's go throw ball at it!"

We even hit the lake looking for water-type Pokemon...

I threw Char in after a Charmander, seemed rather poetic.

We found some rare rock formations here, just no rare Pokemon.  "Verizon is only so good kids. Sorry."

"Ro. Go catch that blue 'Dontletmefolla' Pokemon on the ice."

And this... well... this had nothing to do with Pokemon.  It was just a shameless selfie to see if I actually looked better with a photo take at 70 degrees up and 15 degrees over.  Yep, I look fraudulently better.

"Hey, I bet there are some Pokemon at the top of Mount Baldy." Well I'll be...there WERE actually Pokemon up there; a gym too.  We took over that bad boy.  See Dad does deliver... at 11,000 feet.

A successful summer is in the book and school is back in session.  Many hikes were take, lots of adventures complete.  Thank you Pokemon for making the real world seem more digital so these digital world kids could see more real life.  I hope there are snow-type Pokemon.