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Real-life Dad and his two daughters star in Subaru commercial...

February 23, 2012

We all have that one commercial that makes us tear up. We may not admit it, but every time it comes on, we stop what we’re doing and reach for a tissue. A new Suburu commercial falls into this category, and if you’re a parent, it will tug on your heartstrings more than just a little bit.


The TV ad, called “Baby Driver,” features a father handing over the car keys to his daughter as she sets off to drive alone for the first time. If you’ve ever watched your son or daughter pull out of the driveway for their first solo ride, we bet this ad will make you choke up. (Interesting side note: the two girls who star in the ad are real-life sisters and the “dad” is the real-life father to both girls.)


The ad starts with a six-year-old girl behind the wheel of a Subaru Legacy, while her father gives her the “safety talk” through the passenger side window. When he passes her the keys, we see that it’s really been a 16-year-old about to take her first ride alone, even though her Dad still sees her as his “little girl.”


And in a situation where life imitates art, Andy Lyons, who plays the concerned father, is experiencing this moment in his own life. “As father to both the girls, portraying those complex emotions on-screen was not a stretch for me. Having my first daughter, Lanna reach driving age and knowing that my second, Georgie, will be there all too soon, I understand the anxiety of handing over the keys for the first time.”


This ad is meant to spotlight the inherent safety of Subaru vehicles and the time in a teen’s life when they are responsible enough to take the family vehicle out on the road, as it tries to authentically portray that big moment. “When we found this family we threw out the script,” said Kevin Mayer, director of marketing communications, Subaru of America, Inc. “We simply asked the dad, what would you tell your daughter before she pulled away? The dad took it from there and he was perfect.”

AutoGuide.com 8/8/2010 by Amy Tokic

(Check out my Denise Mira Facebook page today to watch the commercial…if you’re like me, you’ll push ‘replay’ at least 4 times...)

 

 

 

It's hard to let go.

February 22, 2012
I'm a very hands-on mom. My passion for parenting has turned into a published book, lots of speaking engagements and growing opportunities to write. But...

There are seasons in the life of a mother. I've shed many tears over changing seasons. With five boys, in the old days when one began to grow into a man and sort of detach from needing me so much, I always had another one coming up behind who still had time to sit on my lap and make me feel like a mommy. I didn't realize how much I depended...
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Some celebrity sense...

February 21, 2012
Hubby sent me several articles to review on a variety of topics and while I was working through the list, I bumped into a partial interview by Harper's Bazaar with award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow. She's married to music sensation Coldplay's frontman, Chris Martin, so she lives a big, busy life.

I found it interesting that her parents, Blythe Danner and Bruce Paltrow, (Blythe is an actress and her late father a director-producer), enjoyed a long marriage. I appreciated her remarks about ...

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Hubbs and my debut...

February 18, 2012
Today hubbs and I will be in downtown Seattle for the screening of the short film about Albert Einstein, entitled, Light and Black, produced and directed in Tacoma, Washington by Brian Parker. 8 directors prepared and filmed movies over the last 3 months that they'll be showcasing this afternoon. It's fun to be the first audience to get the opportunity to view the work of these passionate creators, all together in one place, before they're sent off to the whole wide world.

We were asked...
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I don't sing (out loud when people are listening).

February 17, 2012
So, a couple of weeks ago we were planning to go to a show - a lineup of musical bands that was gonna go late. Hubby thought we should take a taxi so there'd be no worries about parking, late-night traffic, etc. etc. A small group of friends thought that was a great idea and decided to join us as they were planning to attend the show too. The meeting place was one of our favorite local eateries. Taxi's ETD was 6:30. So...as is my husband's style, he suggests we leave a 'little early' like 5:3...
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My cross-fit training self-prescribed work out.

February 16, 2012
You know me and how I like my walks. In the past couple of years, more inspiration and wholehearted prayer has taken place as I've pounded the pavement listening to my Bible on iPod than I could have imagined. It's also a perfect way to get the exercise I need.

I had the bright idea recently to walk all the way to the grocery store and then take the long way home, carrying my bags so that it would be sort of like weightlifting on the move...reminiscent of the cross-fit training classes my kid...
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My perfectly delightful birthday.

February 16, 2012
Two weeks ago today was my birthday. With taxes and writing deadlines and housework and meal planning...it seems the calendar is on fast forward. How could I possibly already be 2 weeks older?!  Everyone asked "what are you doing for your birthday?" then it was, "what did you do for your birthday?" but I didn't have any big plans and I didn't want any, to tell you the truth! It was a simple but perfect day.

I was already planning to babysit my little doll granddaughter-she's the gift that keep...

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My girls, my friends, my advisors...

January 30, 2012
Every time a special event pops up, I'm stumped about what to wear. Come to think of it, just about every time I leave the house for a meet-and-greet, I'm stumped about what to wear. I can get it almost right quite often, but the wrong shoes with the right outfit are just wrong and can mess up the whole thing. I can be really good at wrong belts, wrong shoes, wrong hair....

I'm not obsessed - too many folks can testify to seeing me in my flannel jammies, granny robe with no make-up and hag hai...
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Feeding the multitudes!

January 27, 2012
Every Thanksgiving I buy at least 2 turkeys. Why? You can get them CHEAP, everyone loves them, they feed a crowd, and after we're all burned out on turkey around mid-December, I let a month or so pass, recreate the Pilgrim's feast, and it's like ambrosia for the body and soul once again...

One of my New Year's resolutions as I've mentioned, is to spend less money on groceries this year. That's not easy for me. I love to make lots of good food and feed lots of people lots. :) But I'm being quit...
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Invisible people everywhere.

January 23, 2012
Today I received a card in the mail. It was actually a card thanking me for the card I had sent them a couple of weeks ago when they'd suffered a loss and were on my heart.

When I read her appreciation for the words I'd written to her, my eyes welled up with tears. I had been affirmed and it brightened my whole day - my Whole Wide World.

I was reminded of how many people walk about, right next to us, feeling lost in the crowd, needing affirmation, encouragement, praise, appreciation, whatever y...
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