When I was a kid, one of the coolest sets of lyrics to be put to a dope beat was “jump up, jump up, and get down.” The song “Jump Around” by House of Pain included the word “jump” approximately 94 times which, coincidentally, is about how many jumps I have to do to get a full workout. Working up a sweat as an adult is SO much easier than it was when I was a kid, so our son’s trampoline birthday party recently doubled as my gym visit for the day and his celebration. Score!

When I went off to college at UCLA, I knew that it would be the start of a whole new world of experiences. Sports were a big deal at school. Coming from a decidedly non-sports family, my first games were in the Rose Bowl where I cheered on this dude named Nate who lived on my dorm floor. Back in those days, my football tailgating bags were built from the ground up out of sheer necessity. Through trial and error, I learned what items I needed to get through a long day. Now that most stadium events have implemented a mandatory “see through” bag policy to speed up security lines, it’s more important than ever that items in that bag be compact and useful.

Getting out and exploring the world is definitely something we identify with. We live for wide open spaces, trees, mountains and streams. It’s all part of our life plan. So much so, in fact, that Chelsea and I recently invested in something to keep us out in the wilds for longer than normal. After a few years of sleeping in a tent, then in the back of the truck, then in a tent on top of the truck (which is still fun), we gave each other permission and bought a 37-foot trailer RV. Specifically, we bought a “toy hauler,” so we have extra space in the back to make the boys a room and to tote toys around. First on our list of upgrades was a new RV mattress – and here’s why.