I was once an avid runner. Not so much anymore. After multiple knee surgeries on both knees and arthritis to go with it, I had to hang up the running shoes many years ago.

But the other day, when asked what it feels like to know that we’re going to host the 2021 NASGW Expo, I surprised myself a bit by saying it reminded me of running a grueling race. Now that I’ve thought about it a bit more, I want to amend that reply. Because I don’t think it’s been like just a plain 3, 5, or 10K race. Rather, I think it’s more like one of those crazy 100-mile “ultra race” events where people run for 24-36 hours straight on some of the harshest terrain you can imagine.

“Are we there yet?” “Are we there yet?” “Are we there yet?”

It’s a saying as old as time itself, because ever since people started traveling places, be it on horseback, in a wagon, a train, plane or cars, our children have this uncanny ability to get under our skin by asking the question repeatedly, and usually in a grating and annoying voice.

I’m certain I was guilty of this when I was a child, and I know my kids were as well. I still tease my wife by asking her the question on some of our travels. No… she doesn’t think it’s funny.

It’s official, I’m an empty nester. Took the youngest of our five sons to college at Wichita State University late last week. That was a surreal experience.

I suffered from a case of “eye sweating,” as my wife calls it. I mean, it was 104 degrees on the thermometer when we unloaded his stuff just outside his dorm, so it makes sense my eyes were sweating, right?

My wife and I, as parents who’ve had children living with us for the past 27 years, have had an interesting year with a lot of “last time for this” moments. And now we’ve got the “first time for this” moment of living in a home without loud boys to keep us company (or sometimes drive us crazy). I am certain this is going to take some getting used to for both me and the missus. We did bring home a couple of new dogs over the summer though, so we’ve got plenty to keep us busy and keep the house active.

We have a new puppy.

If you are a dog owner, I almost don’t even need to say anything more, because you know how crazy life just got at my house.

I can tell already; he’s going to be a good dog. He’s smart, and because of this, he brings a unique set of challenges and opportunities. But for now, he’s just a puppy so of course he needs a lot of love, training, and constant attention.

He’s a French pointing breed called Braque D’Auvergne. I’d never heard of it. My wife discovered the breed through a gun dog magazine we get delivered to the house. It’s supposed to be a good hunting breed, so hopefully he’ll learn how to hunt for pheasants. He did already rip the wing off a stuffed duck toy, so maybe that’s a good sign? My wife is excited about his potential. She’s been working very hard with him already and if she can tame his inner beast, this guy is going to be amazing.

I played a lot of baseball when I was a kid. When we weren’t on the actual ball diamond, you could often find me and my brothers in the backyard playing whiffle ball. We had the diamond laid out so that if you were able to hit the ball over the house to right or center field, you were pretty much guaranteed a homerun and an easy trip around the bases.

That is unless you got extra “cocky” and took your time strutting and showing off your baseball prowess, bragging about your power swing. Meanwhile, one of my very determined brothers would hustle to get the ball, then sneak back around the corner of the house and make a beeline for home plate. If you were too busy showing off, they’d get to home just ahead of you and tag you out.

I’m not a workout fanatic. Not even close. But around 2-years ago I made it a point to spend a little more time on a stationary bike. And believe it or not, I’ve been faithful to the pledge, and the results over time have been decent. Not great, decent.

I’ve had a number of people in the past few months tell me they thought I looked healthier. Well, it’s true. And I feel healthier, so it’s a good thing. Plus, the thing isn’t just a giant dust receptacle in the corner of the bedroom anymore. Nor is it a place where I hang clothes (Pro tip… it’s exceptional for hanging clothes.)

Slowly, but surely, the world is coming back to normal. As much as normal can be called normal I guess. But at the NASGW, we’re very excited that the Annual Expo is in fact going to take place this year. So it is indeed… GO TIME!

As you’ll read later in this InSight, registration for the 2021 NASGW Expo and Annual Meeting is going live any day. Our team is just buttoning up the final details. We’re excited to see you all in Columbus, OH, on October 26-29. It’s going to be a great reunion for many of us and I absolutely can’t wait.

Our show floor is filling up fast, in fact, we’re very close to sold out. If you don’t have a space, or you’ve been thinking about getting one, I’d encourage you to act fast. Folks are eager to get back to business and I’m certain we will run out of booth space. In that same vein, it’s never too early to start talking to your distributor partners and getting time on their calendar during that week. The week is literally back-to-back meetings with very little room for breaks. Spend a little extra time now planning so you can hit the ground running onsite in Columbus.

As I’m writing this, I’ve just returned from the first ever Shooting Sports Showcase held in Talladega, Alabama on March 8. The event was sponsored by the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) and the NASGW. We began talking about this venture before Christmas. All of us were weary and concerned about the impacts COVID was having on the industry because of our inability to get together, network and review products.

Clarity.