This past weekend was pretty amazing! Spending time in the wilderness with the boys. Hiking with Becky. The creation of many memories and the spark of many new ideas and dreams. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Normally I’d jump right back into the normal life afterwards and run into a re-curring obstacle… exhaustion. Funny how the weekend full of adventures leaves me feeling a little worn down, it’s almost like I was moving all weekend long… hmm…

By about 7pm last night I was feeling it. I didn’t sleep well on Saturday night as I kept worrying about Gavin being warm enough. My over active imagination isn’t always the most conducive to getting deep sleep in less than ideal conditions. There were many times when I woke up and worried because Gavin made a weird sound, when Gavin didn’t make a sound, or if I heard something other than Gavin. I chuckled when I saw my sleep monitor report for that night saw less than 45 minutes of Deep and REM sleep. By comparison, most nights I average between three and four hours of similar sleep. Throw in all the fresh air and the hike iwht Becky and I was EXHAUSTED by 7pm last night.

Usually I would stay up until my normal 9-9:30pm-ish bed time on Sundays, wake up at 4:45am the next morning, and go for a run with Becky. I’d then stumble through the day with a fog in my brain and feel like I’m dragging all day long.

Last night I remembered to yield to my desire to go to bed and was in bed before 7:45pm. I was snoring long before 8:30. I skipped the morning run and slept in. When all was said and done I’d racked up over 10 hours of sleep… and I felt AMAZING!!! Sure, I felt bad about skipping the run, but I could also tell my body really wanted some sleep. Throughout the day I kept thanking myself for using my brain and getting a great night of sleep. One more full night of 8+ hours of sleep tonight and I’ll be well over 100% again.

This old dog is slowly learning. I’m thankful for listening to my body today and getting the extra rest I needed. It really made all the difference in making it a very productive day today. I can always make up the workout over the rest of the week and I wouldn’t trade the experiences of this weekend for anything.

Thanks!!!

I’m struggling to find the words for my blog tonight. The core of the message itself is so very simple, but each stab I take at typing out my blog seems to miss the mark slightly. Sometimes I just type as my brain thinks rather than think through the entire post first, let’s try it and see if that does the trick tonight.

Yesterday morning the boys and I headed south of La Crosse almost to Hillsboro. We met up with my buddy, Steve, at some family land. We grabbed our gear out of the car and proceeded to walk into the wild, our home for the next 24+ hours.

Earlier in the summer we did the “Dollar Store Challenge” at the same location. This time we wanted to practice our winter camping skills and test out some equipment and techniques before winter really hits. We slept in hammocks and set up tarps over top of us (Dominic was the only exception as he used his little one person backpacking tent). We all had various levels of clothing and sleeping gear. After setting up our sites we tried different strategies for warmth including under quilts on hammocks (very successful) and rocks from the fire ring to radiate heat (fail). We lashed chairs, Dominic made a swing, we ate dehydrated food, we gathered fire wood, and the boys and I tried squirrel for the first time in our lives. While exploring we found what appeared to be a couple of badger holes. Sitting around the fire and shooting the bull while staring at the coals was as wonderful as it always is. While laying in our sleeping bags the owls continued to hoot. The coyotes called in the distance. The moonlight lit up our camp area to the point we really didn’t need a headlamp when getting up. In the morning we broke camp and headed back home. So many awesome memories made in a short period of time.

At home we unpacked, started laundry, opened up the new sleeping hammock I got in the mail exactly two hours after we left the house, and then Becky and I headed out for a five mile hike in the bluffs in La Crosse. We enjoyed talking as we hoofed up and down the bluffs on the trails. The entire time we were surrounded by the beauty of nature. The sounds of a hawk in the distance. The woodpecker working on a hole in a tree just off the trail. The squirrels running everywhere. So peaceful.

To say the time outdoors was awesome wouldn’t even being to describe it with the level of depth it deserves. What I am the absolute most thankful for today is the ability to escape to nature and experience wit with those I love. There’s a magic to the wilderness, a music the outdoors and nature play for my soul. There is no news, no social media, no distraction. There is only the present. When in the wild I am able to be 100% present in so many more moments than almost anywhere else. To be able to share that with those I love enhances my experience even more. We create memories together. We deepen each of our own passions for the wild while helping cultivate other appreciations of nature for each other.

Maybe that’s the distilled answer to what I am thankful for today…

I’m grateful for the passion I have for spending time in nature and for sharing those moments of presence and serenity with those I love, while learning to appreciate the wild more deeply, more completely, and from their viewpoints as we create lifelong memories.

I’ve got to give a shout out to one of my favorite bands, Hollow Coves, for writing a song that really hits the core of how my soul feels when being out in the woods like this in their song The Woods. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/Ejdvyf_wXl8 Enjoy!

Thanks!!!

Huh, whoever would’ve thought that being in the middle of the woods would cause there to be a lack in cell coverage? I wrote this at about 9:30am yesterday- enjoy!

This morning we were on the road relatively early. With the sun popping up over the bluffs the frost glittered brilliantly. The fields in the coulees looked like they were littered with diamonds as we drove by. Most houses tucked along the woods had slowly rising plumes of smoke. Talk about a scene right out of a painting!

Once again I’m reminded of how grateful I am for the natural beauty of this land. Throughout all the seasons there are so many subtle changes that create seemingly different views of the same vistas. I can’t imagine living anywhere else and having such splendor (except for New Zealand and Hawai’i 😉).

On our drive we had the radio tuned in to some ‘80s & ‘90s music. When the song Better Man by Pearl Jam came on I chuckled to myself. The crystal clear memory of the very first time I heard that song popped into my head.

My friend James and I went on a road trip on a Saturday. While we headed west the station 93.7 The Edge our of The Cities started coming in loud and clear. As luck would have it they were playing the songs from the new Pearl Jam album Vitalogy for the first time – before the album dropped. The song Better Man came on and we both loved it – it was such a great sounding song! When we got back to Phillips and were gaming later that night in James’ mom’s attic we were telling the guys about the song we’d heard and how great it was.

How awesome that one song while driving can bring back great memories with friends of road trips gone by.

Thanks!!!

Wow, where do I start today? There’s a ton that I’m grateful for and I’m kind of struggling to figure out a theme… hmm… I guess it’s another “List Day”! Without further ado, here’s a bunch of things I’m grateful for today, but please note that it is certainly not all encompassing. I am thankful for:

• how quickly my body is adapting to the cold
• talking with Becky on our run
• not getting frustrated at myself for not having a good breathing practice today – this was a time to grow and learn to better quiet my mind
• hot coffee
• an awesome email that kicked off my work day with a huge smile
• knocking off several tasks rapid fire well before 8am
• seeing all of the smiles of my teammates
• having the opportunity to help someone out
• Becky’s excitement over a successful work meeting
• a sunny walk over lunch
• productive and enlightening conversation with a business partner
• progress towards a project I’ve been working on for a while
• time to think and reflect
• running through a practice run of setting up a hammock and tarp for camping
• packing for a mini-adventure
• supper at the dinner table with my family
• the smell of pine needles from the dining room as Becky makes a wreath
• typing my blog and struggling in writing it due to too many ideas and gratitudes
• thankful that there’s more time to be thankful for more today
• more Australia memories including this gem of a sunrise one year ago

What an awesome day!

Thanks!!!

Sometimes The Big Dude Upstairs seems to have a little extra patience with me, something I’m eternally grateful for. There are often times when I see something and feel a pull to it, but I disregard it and figure I will get back to it some other time. When I don’t get back to it or kind of forget about it The Big Dude takes pity on me and puts it in front of me again… and again… and again… until I finally get it.

I saw this for the first time on a newsfeed talking about what a powerful statement it was. One of the people I respect greatly and look up to for many reasons, my friend Reid from Express Leadership Academy, posted the video and then started sharing his seven days of gratitude using the hashtag #GiveThanks. This past week one of my teammates sent out the video as the learning session topic for today.

After seeing all of those times I finally paused, shut everything else down, and focused on watching the video. To say I was touched greatly would be a huge understatement.

Regardless of your religious and spiritual leanings I am sure everyone would appreciate this message: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/inspiration/the-story-behind-my-global-prayer-of-gratitude?lang=eng. This was the first time I’ve heard President Russell Nelson speak and I was greatly impressed.

Enjoy!!! I hope it warms your heart as it did mine today.

Thanks!!!

Life really is about what we choose to make of it, isn’t it? Things happen, neither good nor bad, rather, they just are. The events happen and they are devoid of positive or negative connotation. They are the event and that’s it. Once it has happened it is up to us to individually apply our mindset and viewpoint to it.

This morning was very much imperfect. Several things did not go according to plan. Systems issues, twists and turns, unexpected things. At one point I caught myself getting frustrated and just about screamed to myself. Instead I laughed.

How foolish to let the imperfection of life frustrate me? I am alive, would I rather spend time enjoying it and being grateful for the opportunity to exist in it or would I prefer to get frustrated, nervous, and worked up over something that has already happened?

To be sure, in either case there is the action of correcting the situation as best as possible, that doesn’t change. What I’ve learned about myself is that I will take more time and be more drained if I focus on the negative. If I pause, find a way to be grateful, and view the imperfection as an opportunity to learn and grow I can accomplish so much more and more quickly.

Many things have not gone as planned in 2020. How’s that for the understatement of the year? 😉 That said, I am thankful for the opportunity to live through it. In choosing to see the perfect imperfection of it I’ve learned more about myself than I would’ve learned through an easy year. Last year we travelled a lot and had so many experiences away from home. This year has been completely opposite. It would be easy to get frustrated and angry and to view this as a bad year, but it’s actually been a beautiful year in so many unexpected ways. The imperfection of the year has been perfect. It has been life and I’ve been here to experience it – what could be more perfect?

When things don’t go as planned I need to remember to take a deep breath and find the beauty in the perfect imperfection of life. The twists and turns may not necessarily be the most comfortable, but they lead me to being a better version of me if I choose to appreciate them as such.

Thanks!

Today was totally a first for me. I got a text from Becky that a package had arrived for me. Someone shot me a couple of surprise kringles fresh from Racine, WI! I’d help out with something and she thought it’d be fitting to re-pay me in insanely delicious flaky layers of almond and apple goodness. Kringles are some of my favorite dessert foods as it is, but today I learned they’re even sweeter when they’re a surprise.

Tonight we fired up the movie that really sets the mood for the holidays in our house, Christmas Vacation. As luck would have it today is the 31st anniversary of the movie’s theatrical release. I can’t believe it’s only 31 years old, I’d swear I’ve watched it every year since I was 5 or so. After all these years this is the movie that gets me officially into the Christmas spirit.

One year ago today the world was a very different place, wasn’t it? Last year on this day we knocked off one of the dreams on my list when we saw a live platypus swimming in the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. We spent much of the rest of the day wandering around Sydney looking at all of the Christmas decorations while we were wearing shorts. We caught a show at the Sydney Opera House that night before heading back to our AirBNB.

In some ways it is crazy to think that was a year ago already and it also seems wild that it was only one year ago. What an odd twelve months it’s been since then. I’m even more grateful for all of the traveling we did last year, all of these memories keep filling my heart on an almost daily basis.

Surprise kringle, Christmas Vacation, and vacation memories… what a full day!

Thanks!!!

When we headed out for our run this morning it was about 23 degrees (23F is -5C for my friends from other parts of the world) and the The wind chill dropped it to 16F (-9C). There were steady blasts of 12+ mph coolness in our faces as we ran north. What’s crazy was that the cold didn’t get to me at all. The only discomfort was the feeling of trying to breathe while running into the stiff wind. The temperature itself was very much acceptable to me, heck, I was even sweating by the halfway point!

My attire this morning on our run? A t-shirt, a very light jacket, hat, gloves, socks, shoes, and shorts. Yup, I was wearing shorts. Last year in this type of weather I would have most likely have been wearing a long sleeve Under Armor shirt, the light jacket, and a windbreaker or sweatshirt over top the rest. My legs would have been totally hidden underneath wind pants and possibly (likely) a base layer of Under Armor. I would have been very sweaty by the end, and I still started the run cold.

Why the change? I’ve been reading more and more of the benefits of cold exposure for my cardiovascular system, joints, and a few others positive health impacts. Over the past couple of months I’ve been taking cold showers (with only the occasional hot shower). I’ve only been wearing shorts on our runs, sometimes losing my jacket and finishing in my t-shirt. This past Saturday on our hike I wore only shorts and a t-shirt. The more and more I’ve been practicing adapting to the cold the more and more my body is showing me that it is okay with it. Not only is it okay with it, but my resting heart rate has even dropped a few beats!

A few months ago I never would have thought I’d be running in the cold weather with as little clothing as I have been. My mental paradigm was that I needed to bundle up and stay warm, cold was to be avoided. After practicing and pushing myself slowly I’m seeing that cold could actually be my friend (probably never my best friend, but that one that you enjoy hanging out with once in a while but wouldn’t really want to ever go on vacation with – that friend). Through minimal suffering I’m finding ways to feel better that I would never have thought possible.

How true is that to so many things in life? When am I living into my self created paradigms and finding comfort there instead of continuing to push the boundaries to find what really brings me the most joy? When I am comfortable I should remind myself to find the edge.

Running in the cold in shorts today actually felt quite amazing. It was refreshing and my legs felt more fresh at the end of the run than normal. I wouldn’t have imagined that just a few months ago.

Thanks!!!

My blog post last night was focused on being thankful for days when things don’t go as planned in the workshop. There were several things that didn’t work out as I would’ve like yesterday. When I wrote my post I took time to think through each of my errors and write notes to myself.

Today I re-read my post prior to starting to wood work again. I reviewed my mistakes from yesterday. Before doing anything else I walked through my plan modifications to salvage one of my projects. I drew it out and then proceeded to craft.

The notes from yesterday helped a ton! Instead of getting frustrated and seeing things not work out everything seemed to fall into place. In a couple of spots I paused for just a second, thought about yesterday, and then realized I needed to do something just a little different. Each time I paused I was able to figure out the right solution.

At one point I was about to glue up my project so I paused and took my time. I practiced my clamping technique one more time prior to gluing. I carefully pre-adjusted the clamps to be approximately the right size and had them lined up on an empty bench in order of application. Once I started gluing I moved slowly and methodically, double checking each piece prior to adding glue. When a piece stuck and didn’t quite fit for a second I took a deep breath, relaxed, and then fit it together. Where I felt rushed and stressed yesterday I felt totally calm and chill today.

The results were awesome – if I do say so myself. Everything worked out very well. Even when things didn’t quite go to plan I paused and figured out a way to make it work. I’d bet that no one would ever guess the issue once it is completed.

So why did today go so well? I paused to soak in the results of yesterday. I took time to assess my mistakes and determine how I could improve. I wrote notes to myself to remind myself how to improve. I didn’t get frustrated, I remembered that I am still learning and yesterday was a day full of lessons. In soaking all of that up yesterday everything flowed so much better today.

What a valuable lesson for me to remember. Take time to learn from failures and successes. Think on them. Write them down. Review prior to starting the next project.

Thanks!!!

Yes, you read that correctly. I am truly grateful for days in the workshop when things don’t go perfectly.

Do be sure, I am also thankful for days when everything goes smoothly and according to plan. Those mythical days are kind of like unicorns and are deeply appreciated in the moment but also cause me to keep looking over my shoulder to see what impending disaster is trying to sneak up on me. 😉

So what’s my crazy logic for today’s gratitude? Maybe we should start with what happened first.

There were a couple of small things that went as planned. These were projects in the tail end of production and all there was to accomplish on them today was a clear coat. All good there, I didn’t suddenly forget how to use finish or kick up a cloud of dust as the lacquer dried. That all went well.

There was a new design for a box I was trying out. It was going to be more of a throw away attempt at something new, but last night it started to go much better than expected. With that in mind I’d gotten excited about having an unexpected gift to give someone. And then today happened. I was so nervous about trying a couple of new joints and clamping everything up correctly that I missed something important… I put the bottom in upside down and didn’t notice it until after everything was glued, clamped, and dried. Did I mention that I was also using dowels for decoration and stability? Those were also glued, inserted, and dried before I noticed my error. Instead of a great looking gift I have a semi-useless piece of hickory.

Later in the day I thought I would redeem myself and try something new. I’d already battled through a handful of learning opportunities before I mis-cut a piece that really wasn’t supposed to be mis-cut. Who’d a thunk it, right? Instead of getting angry I just let out a sigh…

I set everything down, and then paused to see what I could learn from the day.

• First off, when trying something new remember to idiot proof the set up. I’m working with wood, it’s very easy to sand off any pencil marks. Next time I’ll write something like “this side up” to remind myself which way it should go.
• I’ll remember to take my time and slow down. An extra 30 seconds won’t ruin the project. Yes, I have to work quickly when using glue, but remember to slow down, take a deep breath, and get it right.
• When using wood try to use pieces at least 1/2″ thick. When I’ve ripped boards down to 1/4″ they are so much more prone to cupping. Go a little heavy.
• Remember to use more pencil marks to show what needs to be cut out versus just using lines as normal. It’s very easy to forget which side of the line to stay tight to.
• Pause and think about which side of the board should go through the saw first. I sometimes think it will all look the same, but there are times when it really matters. Get used to thinking through the cut on all pieces.

And that’s why I am thankful for days in the workshop when things don’t go perfectly. Each mistake may sting, but if I keep my cool each mistake is also a lesson to help me improve. If I pause to think about the mistake and how it could have been prevented I will prevent future mistakes from happening. Also, mistakes usually mean I’m trying something new and I’m growing. Yes, it sucked making mistakes today, but I was also trying new skills. Of course I’m not going to be perfect each time. If I choose the right attitude I’ll find ways to improve the next time.

Yes, I feel like the scoreboard wasn’t quite in my favor today. It’s okay. It was practice and I’m learning and growing. Tomorrow will be better and the projects I make in the future will be improved as a result of what I learned today.

Thanks!!!