This morning we headed up to see Grandma Nancy for a short visit while we were up north for Easter. She had some goodies for the boys including a nerf gun (that Dominic and I shot each other with… a lot…) and an assortment of candy. One of the boxes that each boy received was a box of Nerds.

When Nick and I were kids Nerds were one of our favorite candies and we’d eat them all the time while lying on our stomachs in the living room as we watched cable TV (a rare treat for us back in the day!). Being kids we weren’t always the most concerned about cleanliness and there were many, many times in which the Nerds would spill and seemingly disappear into Grandma Lamping’s incredible thick carpet.

She would often share how she would find random Nerds in the carpet as she vacuumed, even months afterwards. Sometimes we’d even find a little treat when we were back on the floor many months later, Nerds from one of our last visits. It became a running joke that continues to this day. Whoever bought her house is probably still finding those little fruity flavored bits of sugar and wondering how the hell they got there.

Fast forward back to today. As the boys were eating candy at the counter they started goofing off. It wasn’t long before I heard a similar yet different sound… I swear I could hear the Nerds falling through the air like I’d heard before, but they landed on tile, a very different sound than when they hit the carpet. Gavin immediately dropped to his knees and started cleaning up the Nerds that went everywhere. Shortly after they had been cleaned up they were goofing around again and that same sound signaled the fall of more Nerds. This time it was Dominic’s turn to clean up his Nerds.

I’m thinking it will be a lot more difficult for the Nerds to hide with the tile, but I’m pretty sure a few escapees found their way into little nooks and crannies and will magically reappear many months from now. Regardless, I kept smiling when they both dropped the Nerds, it just seemed right that they would spill Nerds on a grandma’s floor. I thought back to the times Nick and I spent at my Grandma’s and my heart was full of childlike joy. Seeing history repeat itself is something that I’m very thankful for today!

Thanks!!!

With the combination of the Brewers’ Opening Day and Easter season my mind went back to a memory from three decades ago while I talked with my little brother over the phone today.

Thirty one years ago my little brother, my mom, and I were huddled around our kitchen countertop on Easter Sunday listening to Bob Uecker call the Brewers game (I can’t remember for sure, but I’m thinking Dad was working in the basement?).  By some act of God the Brewers started the season 11-0 that season.

As we listened to the radio the game wasn’t looking so hot.  At the end of eight and a half the Brewers were down by three.  It seemed like the Easter Bunny was going to have to work some magic for us…  and he did!

After all these years I still remember cheering and hooting and hollering when they tied up the game.  When we won on a walk off home run we were even louder!

It’s funny, one game, not that big of a deal.  But it was one of those magic moments that got burned into both of our brains.  Now as we’re a couple of middle aged dudes waiting to see how the Brewers find another way to disappoint us this year we still look back to that game and smile.  How awesome is that?

Thanks!!!

Over the past few days there’ve been some pretty awesome points in which my business life has crossed into my personal life.

A couple of friends of mine have reached out to me for advice in a difficult situations (hence the lack of details). The advice and support I was able to provide came from past business trainings I’ve either attended or presented as well as from experiences I’ve had at work. One situation already went very well and the other should be worked out soon. Being able to help them out has felt awesome, it’s a great joy to be able to help people out who’ve helped me out many times in the past on other things.

What this also has me thankful for is just how different aspects of my career can apply back to personal life as well. From coaching and tough conversations to planning and strategizing it’s pretty cool to see how some of these skills can cross into other aspects of life.

A huge thank you to my friends who’ve reached out for advice recently, please know that being able to offer a couple of nuggets of advice has put a huge smile on my face.

Thanks!!!

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ll already know that I have a fixation on rocks.  Ever since a young age I’ve found joy in looking at all types of crazy rock formations.  As I was in between a few tasks at work today the three rocks I have at my desk caught my eye a few times and caused me to pause for just a moment.

The rock on the right is a labradorite I got from a rock store while we were on vacation in Whistler.  The way it shines and reflects naturally takes care of my shiny syndrome throughout the day.  It’s pretty crazy how it’s inner layers are cracked and seem to glow from the inside.  In addition to catching my attention it also reminds me of family vacations like the one we were on when I got it.

The rock on the left is from New Zealand.  I can’t remember exactly what type of rock it is, but we found it in a rock store near Cathedral Cove.  It’s a piece of one of my favorite lands, a place I’d be happy to move to one day (or at least live for a few months from January through March).  When that rock catches my eye it reminds me to dream big and to find a way to make that dream come true.

The rock in the middle is my favorite of all the rocks I have.  I found it in Dad’s gravel pit after he passed.  It reminds me of the many times we had so much fun going through the pit in search of beautiful and unusual rocks.  When I look at that rock it reminds me of time with him and time with my boys.  It’s also pretty sweet!  While it’s tough to see from this picture it obviously cracked at one point and was filled in with some type of crystal that sealed the cracks.  There are times when I catch myself just looking at it with wonder.

They aren’t the most exciting things in my office by a long shot, but they are all there for a reason.  The memories they bring back fills my heart with joy, and I’m thankful for that.

Thanks!!!

Another Pinewood Derby is now behind us and there’s only one more to go.  After next year both boys will be in Boy Scouts and this event will be just a memory.  When I think of it from that perspective I’m a mix of being a little sad that we’re only one race away from being done and the man happy memories of over half a dozen years of racing with the boys.

This year’s event lived right up to the previous years.  Just as I’d done in past year’s I pulled further back in the car building process with Gavin.  Each year he’s taken on more and more of the actual work on the car and this year he did everything except putting the lead in for the weight (which I did for obvious safety reasons).  All the cutting, sanding, painting, axle polishing, and everything was done by Gavin.  While he may have done the work himself it was always both of us together up in the workshop creating memories I’ll hold dear for the rest of my life.  Many times Dominic was up there with us doing his own thing and it was awesome having all three of us working in the shop at the same time.

The event was a great success, fun was had by all the kids.  Each of the boys raced their car at least eight times and they all had fun.  Smiles were everywhere and the there wasn’t a single tear in the room.  The cars they made were pretty awesome!  Even Dominic got in on the action as he worked as one of the race judges.

Gavin may not have won this year, but his smile says otherwise.  He had a lot of fun and enjoyed getting his car put together on his own this year.  Seven years of racing down, only one to go!  I’m thankful it was another successful event for Gavin and all the scouts.

Thanks!!!

Sometimes I can be a little slow on the uptake.  Occasionally I’ve been known to skip books just because so many people told me to read it.  I know, I’m kinda weird like that sometimes!

My Audible.com account will quickly show that I’m a big fan of biographies, business, and philosophy books.  Those are pretty much my bread and butter.  There are about a dozen that I have in my next listens list.  With that being the case I usually hold off on adding fiction to the list.

For at least four years my buddy Brian has been on me about reading the book Ready Player One.  He’s repeatedly told me how much I’d like the book and I’ve pretty much kept saying no just to be a pain in the butt.  After a while a few other friends started telling me about it.

This past week I wanted something as a change of pace for my reading.  I’d just wrapped up a couple of books for the next month’s trainings so I figured I’d give it a whirl and listen while I drive and walk.

I’m about a third of the way through and it’s AWESOME!!!  Full of ’80s trivia and loaded with geek factoids galore, it’s amazing!  It’s been non-stop entertaining and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have it done very quickly.

So today I’m thankful that I FINALLY took all of my friends’ advice and picked this book up.  Guys, I won’t question your book choices again…  probably 😉

Thanks!!!