Tonight started the craziness of a week filled with soccer, soccer, and more soccer.  In spite of the seemingly nonstop soccer was a delicious and healthy hot homemade meal.  As I savored the flavor of the chili I realized how thankful I am for Becky’s planning skills.

While we were grocery shopping I was so proud of myself for having the idea to pick up something for the dinner with the boys when Becky is out of town this Saturday night.  I was smiling and happy thinking about how on the ball I was; so happy that I totally forgot about what to grab for dinner on Friday night with the boys when Becky is out of town.  D’oh!

Becky was doing something entirely different when I was walking with my chin held high in foolish pride.  She researched our calendar for the week and came up with a game plan of meals for the entire week.  Not only that, but she made a few of the meals on Sunday during the day so we’d only have to make one meal in the middle of the week, the one night we don’t have quite as much going on.  How incredible is that?

Left to my own devices the boys would’ve had fast food with a smattering of Kwik Trip!  With Becky’s planning skills we ended up eating delicious home cooked meals that are way more healthy.

One more reason to be thankful for Becky!

Thanks!!!

Yes, you read that correctly.  Of course it would’ve been great to get out on the water today.  As luck would have it our plans of going out on the boat were pretty much crushed by the horrible boating weather.  Heading out on the water for some fun in the sun doesn’t sound quite as appealing when it’s just over 60 degrees and sprinkling.  Seeing as there is nothing we can do to change the weather we opted to do the next best thing, find something positive to do in it.

We quickly changed up plans and knocked out some errands like getting groceries.  After a couple of texts we switched up plans and met up with Steve & Kathy at Hixon for some hiking.  Instead of chilling on the boat we got some nice physical activity in.  We spent a good chunk of time hiking through forest and shooting the bull.

While we walked we got some wilderness survival skills training from Steve.  Gavin was especially pumped to learn about the types of edible plants and mushrooms.  Before the hike was over he’d collected a huge pocket full of “salad” that he ate with dinner.  We also talked about the show Gavin and I used to enjoy watching together, Alone, and Steve let us know that it is on Hulu right now (and it’s what we’re watching as I type this).  When all was said and done we had a great hike, put in some miles, worked out the dogs, and had fun hanging out with friends.

Sure, it would’ve been nice to get on the boat today and get some extra sun time in.  With that said, today turned out even better than I’d expected when we planned it to be on the water.  There were tremendous amounts of additional family time, extra memories made, and we all got significantly more done.  Whoever would’ve thought horrible boating weather would lead to such an awesome day?  I’m so thankful for the changed plans, it led to an excellent Sunday!

Thanks!!!

Over the past week or so I’ve had several reminders of how hectic live can be when we take an active role in the life of our kids. There’s an extra level of chaos, running and planning needed to get them to and from everything while also enjoying their activities with them. Case in point, today we drove over two and a half hours one way to Dominic’s soccer game.

That said, I can’t imagine not going to their games, not spending time with them and their friends, and not helping them participate in almost everything they’d like.  To be able to spend quality time with them and supporting them is amongst the greatest joys in the world.

As I was driving us back today I kept thinking about why being actively involved in the lives of our boys is so important to me.  My parents were incredibly involved in my life and I am so thankful for all of the support they’ve given me.  It seems like they were at every single game and event I ever had.  They were always finding a way to get me home from practice and off to games and events.  When Nick and I had things at the same time there was always one of them there cheering me on while the other was at Nick’s.

While I probably didn’t appreciate it in the moment nearly as much as I should have my gratitude for what they did has increased each and every day of my life.  I still remember a conversation I had in college with friends about parents and their support and I thought I was an alien at one point.  There didn’t seem to be anyone else who’d had the same level of involvement.  Even as I talk with people now I see just how blessed I am to have such supportive and involved parents.

When thinking of the boys I can’t even imagine not being actively involved in their lives. The concept of not being there for them doesn’t make any sense and leaves me at a loss, kind of like when I’m trying to grasp the concept of infinity.  The reason this is so foreign to me is because of how awesomely and actively involved my parents have bene in my life.

While I’ll never be able to perfectly re-pay them for what they’ve done – unless my mom joins an adult soccer league or something 😉 – I would imagine they’re pretty happy with how the way they raised Nick and I has continued on to their grandkids.  According to Gavin, he’ll be doing the same when he has his two boys (the youngest will have the middle name Mike because the youngest brothers are always cooler according to him) he’ll be doing the same.

Mom and Dad – thank you for all the sacrifices you made, the tough decisions you made, all the support you gave, and the awesomely active involvement you’ve had in my life.  I’m doing my best to pass your legacy along through the boys.  Love you!

Thanks!!!

Holy cow it’s been a crazy week – and it’s not even over yet! On our drive to Fort Atkinson for soccer tomorrow we’ve already divided up the driving duties so we can both spend time wrapping up our work weeks. The week has been filled with starting school, catching up at work after being on vacation, Über-ing kids to and from soccer practices, watching soccer games, and so on. Tonight even included catching the marching band before the HS football game, walking a mile to Menards to pick up some stuff, walking back, and then catching the halftime show before heading home. Tomorrow morning includes an early wake up, and early drop off, a walk, and then driving to another soccer game. Whew!

You know what? I’m thankful for every busy moment of it! It’s been a blast! When my head hits the pillow tonight I’ll be out cold due to all the fun and excitement throughout the week.

What’s been even more enriching in this craziness has been the way Becky and I have been able to sneak some date time in even with the chaos. This morning we got an awesome walk / run in to start the day. This evening’s walk to Menards was an opportunity for us to spend time alone with each other. A large part of the reason I can keep this pace is because of this time with Becky. As we talk it reminds me of our common goals and values. She inspires me with her work ethic and focus. I’m able to see my world differently as she shares what she has going on at work. Most importantly – we have fun and joke around together. This added play keeps me smiling and full of joy.

Tonight was a wonderful reminder of just how much I appreciate those awesome little moments of us being us in amongst all the other awesomeness in our lives.

Thanks!!!

Way back in the day Park Falls used to the be the enemy at pretty much any possible sport. They were our arch-nemesis when I was in middle and high school. The funny thing was that I didn’t know anyone from Park Falls (that I remember offhand). When we had school and sports events we were always separate and weren’t ever teamed up together.

Raising boys in La Crosse has been a huge eye opener for me. Between the YMCA programs, RUSH soccer, Scouts, church, and several other activities the boys have had the opportunity to build friendships with many kids in the area who go to a wide mix of the various middle and high schools in the La Crosse area. Tonight was one of the first times Dominic played against a couple of his former RUSH teammates. It was cool to see them on the same field again even though they were wearing opposing colors. One of the highlights was at the end of the game when they went out of their way to give each other a high five. Heck, they were both even open to having a picture taken of them together – both even smiling without being provoked.

I’m so thankful for the opportunities the boys have had to get to know and build relationships with so many other kids in the area. It is so awesome seeing how all of the friendships they built continue to grow even though they may be on opposing teams.

Thanks!!!

At our recent Express Employment Professionals Leadership Academy retreat we had a concept thrown our way.  In order to grow into our vision we must continue to stay focused on gathering, processing, and sharing the right information on a regular basis.  The process basically focuses on what topics we should be staying informed about, utilizing tools to harvest and process related information, and then sharing it with others.  The name of this is Rivers of Information.

As I build my “river” I found several resources that I’d never heard of and several that I enjoyed but never quite made time for.  After loading them into a nifty app (Inoreader) I get approximately 50 short summaries of news articles shot my way day.  When I have a moment of down time I reach for my phone, open the app, and then quickly scan the articles.  If one’s not of interest I swipe left and don’t see it again.  If it is interesting and I want more info I swipe down and get to read the full article.  If it’s worth saving I can email it from the app.  If it’s something I want to save I can transfer it right to EverNote.  Pretty awesome!  Throw in a folder of a few daily emails I receive and I’m finding myself processing more information than ever.

Some of the info and news are focused on what’s going on in the economy and in the workforce while there’s also much focused on self improvement and stoicism.  And that’s what leads me to today’s blog topic.

Over the past few days it’s really hit me just how much differently I’m processing information and living my life based on what I’m taking in each day.  If I’m focused on goofing off and games I feel happy, but when I’m sticking to a diet of business information and self improvement I am more confident and more joyful.  Over the past few days I’ve found the concepts presented are floating into my head more and more often and I’m more cognizant of the choices I’m making with my time and focus.  Thanks to the rivers of information I’ve started a habit that’s keeping me more focused on what I should be focused on and more joyful as a result.  How awesome is that?

Thanks!!!

PS:  Below are some of my favorite rivers.  If you have other ideas that I should check out I’d appreciate you shooting them my way.  Thanks!!!

• • WSJ Real Time Economics:   https://blogs.wsj.com/economics/
  •  Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank:   https://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications/fedgazette/
• • Daily Stoic:   https://dailystoic.com/
  • Granted (Adam Grant):  https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=a63d6b9b98ca61bee8d6e4953&id=584ac8ada7
  • James Clear (Atomic Habits):   https://jamesclear.com/newsletter
  • Harvard Business Review:   https://hbr.org/
  • Designing Your Life:   http://designingyour.life/articles/
  • Daniel Pink:   https://www.danpink.com/pinkcast/  Online, Bi-weekly email
  • MIT Technology Review:   https://www.technologyreview.com/ 
  • National Parks Traveler

Sometimes there’s not much need for a bunch of words to explain what I’m thankful for. After not seeing LuLu for a week and our first night of back to school chaos a little snuggle time on the couch in between kid Uber trips was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Thanks!!!

Once we got home this afternoon we hit the jets and focused on getting everything done and ready for the week. Becky and I were just saying that while it was exhausting it is a good exhausting. I’ve also caught myself getting a little giddy and excited to go back to work. How fortunate to have such a wonderful work family that I get excited to see them!

To wrap up the night’s activity before we all take a little chill time before bed we had to do what is kind of becoming a cool family travel tradition. We take the National Park map off the wall, remove it from the frame, and scratch off the parks we’ve hit. Tonight we not only scratched off the Grand Canyon, but we also added a marker for Indiana Sand Dunes.

In the surface it seems like a pretty simple and unexceptional thing, but both the boys and Becky get so pumped up to do it that it puts a huge smile on my face. How awesome to see them get so excited to track our progress towards our goal. I also love how it usually starts a discussion about where to go next.

I’m thankful for a wonderful trip, great experiences with my family, safe travels, and for being home. The map is a little extra icing on the cake tonight.

Thanks!!!

Today we left the Grand Canyon to start making our drive back to Vegas. While on the drive back Becky and I started to plan out some future vacations and adventures. A few years ago we’d agreed to always have at least one more vacation planned before the current one came to an end.

Today we mapped out well over two dozen places we’d like to check off. I’m so thankful for taking the time to do that. It reminded us of which we’re most important to us and was a pretty awesome way to bond. Travel is a huge part of what makes us “us.” Taking time to think through and talk about what we’d like to experience was fantastic.

I’m also thankful for the way it helped re-center my focus on what I appreciate doing most. There are many times when I more or less go with the flow, this planning helped remind me of how I really need to be intentional in my actions to help me accomplish what I want.

Thanks!!!