Hey, y’all. It’s Amie.

It was 10 p.m. last Friday. We’d just finished a late dinner and were four packs into opening a six-pack Pokémon booster bundle. Colton, seven and obsessed with the slim chance of getting a rare card, hadn’t gotten a single “good” pull all night—the new Destined Rivals series was feeling more like Destined Trials. Then came the next-to-last pack of the night.

He opened it. Started flipping through the cards. Then his eyes went wide. His mouth, agape. He shouted: “I got the Mewtwo!” For those not versed in the Poké world, Team Rocket’s Mewtwo is the absolute top card in the whole set.

Colton immediately broke into celebration with the kind of unfiltered glee adults tend to reserve. He screamed. He ran laps. He threw his arms around his Daddy and me like the magic of the moment was too big to hold inside.

Experiencing his excitement reminded me that joy doesn’t always come from the big milestones. No, it often shows up in the smallest, most unexpected places—like the fifth pack in a stack of six Pokemon boosters.

This Father’s Day weekend, whether you’re celebrating as a dad, remembering one, or simply soaking in the spirit of togetherness, I hope you find a “Team Rocket’s Mewtwo” moment: A reminder that joy doesn’t need a spotlight to emerge. Sometimes it’s right there in your hands, in a moment you almost overlooked. I’m so glad you’re here.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Here’s what you need to know: Whether your father (or father figure) likes to cook, hike, ride his motorcycle, read a good book, or never misses a football game, the idea of buying him a present seems pretty straightforward. But, as we all know, it never is. 

Our top picks:

• Misen knives, which are relatively inexpensive and approved by the very picky dads on our panel who love fancy knives. Their suggestion? Skip a chef’s knife every time in favor of a well-balanced santoku knife.

• OluKai slippers are known for their support and comfort. And because we know you’re wondering—yeah, he can wear them out of the house and still be respectable.
• For the Papa who’s inspired by, well, Papa, check out this personalized leather journal (it’s also refillable) and this Smart Moleskine writing system.

Sure, the best gift he ever received was you. But if you’d like to go with a present, we’ve got dozens of ideas for you at our link below.

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Question of the Week: It was Kody’s first Father’s Day as a dad, and our first one trying to split the day evenly among three households. To make matters more dire, we were broke. But we’d saved up what we could, when we could, to make it a special day. 

I told my Dad we’d like to take him out for lunch—and that he could pick anywhere. I don’t know what I expected; maybe Western Sizzlin? Or Golden Corral. Somewhere a little richer than our current finances. The man picked Bojangles. Fast food chicken. He got a two-piece, dark, with mashed potatoes and gravy, and a sweet iced tea. That’s back when it was just $5 and some change for the whole meal. And he made over it like we’d booked a table at a Michelin star restaurant.

What’s a special memory you have of your father or father-figure? Write to me at amie@couriernewsroom.com; I’d love to read all about the man who helped make you especially you.

How is Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” connected to housing in Virginia?

Carly Seward Maher, a Dogwood correspondent, breaks down how policies affect everyday aspects of life. 

As written, the bill would give tax breaks to the wealthy, while cutting programs like Medicaid, food assistance, and affordable housing.

• Loving Day (June 12) is a reminder that the right to love is worth fighting for—Virginia is for Lovers, after all. If you missed our write up in Thursday’s newsletter, you can catch up fast with our Loving Day timeline on Instagram (SEE HERE).

  Trump’s birthday military parade is drawing fire from Virginia veterans who say it’s less about honoring the Army and more about indulging the president (READ MORE HERE).

  Winsome Earle-Sears’ PAC took money from a “Nazi cosplayer.” Yes, you read that correctly. A new report by The Forward, a news organization geared toward Jewish Americans, found that a man who dressed up like Nazis and praised Hitler’s military donated $900 (READ MORE HERE). 

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