After a long and solid week of work it was nice to go back to an old Friday tradition that Becky and I used to have. When the boys were much younger we’d get pretty wild and crazy on Friday nights… and go grocery shopping! That’s right, we’d load up in the car, drive to Festival, drop the boys off at the child care area, and enjoy slowly wandering the aisles taking in the quiet time together. Ahh… it was magical! When we checked out from Woodman’s tonight it brought back many memories.

Becky had a fantastic idea for supper tonight, sushi! It’s been a while and with getting back to watching my calories this week it was nice to plan for this. Holding back on eating too much early in the day was well worth every single delicious bite.

As we’re wrapping up supper there was a knock at our door and our friends showed up out of the blue! The entire Compton clan hung out for a while and it was so much fun getting caught up with them and their kids. There were a lot of laughs and it brought even more joy to an already excellent evening. What great surprise!

Now we’re off to Family Game night and then sleep… ahh… time for the weekend.

Thanks!!!

Being on the shore of the ocean is a special place to me.  The sound of the waves slowly rolling in lulls me into a deep state of relaxation.  It’s like listening to the heartbeat of the world.  Walking barefoot on the beach feels wonderful and I love looking in the tidepools to see what treasures the ocean has brought forth for the moment.  Later in the day the tidepool is filled up, the contents set adrift, and new gifts of the ocean appear to be left for discovery when the tide rolls out again.

When I think of memories I envision the same scenario.  The tide changes (time) and the ocean (my collection of memories) leave a treasure or two behind for me to rediscover (a specific memory).  The memory has been there since its inception, but it comes and goes with the tide and swirls of the ocean.  All it takes is something specific to act as the tide to pull it out to be re-discovered.  Even though it’s the same memory it’s always a little different.  The grit in the ocean has maybe changed its shape.  Maybe the experiences I’ve had since the last time have changed my perception of it.  Regardless, my curiosity causes me to examine it, be grateful for it, and then toss it back into the ocean to be pulled back up some other time.

Today the tide took the form of an old CD.  Way back in late 2000 my parents bought me a flight to Washington DC to see my new niece (still can’t believe she’s almost 18!).  It was my first time flying in a large commercial jet and I still remember way more of the experience than I probably should.  With it being pre-9/11 security wasn’t too crazy, but learning how to do everything the first time was pretty wild.  While in the airport I bought a paperback for myself, The Walking by Bentley Little.  On both flights I read that while listening to the No Name Face album by Lifehouse.

Hearing that album today brought me back in time to that trip.  It started with hearing the songs one after another and remembering what was happening in the book during certain songs.  I then thought about all of the firsts of that trip and how it was my first long distance trip via plane.  From there I remembered seeing my niece for the first time and thinking how crazy it was that Nick was a dad (and I was an uncle).  I remember spending time with my mom and dad while Nick worked and then spending time together in their living room.  When my dad took me back to the airport there was a slight rain and he said, “uh oh, it looks like there’s going to be an accident.”  A few seconds afterwards we saw a pickup truck lose traction as it changed lanes and it shot right across the busy freeway.  By some act of God it missed everyone and went right into the ditch.  Funny how that memory sticks out…  I still remember the flight home and arriving in Minneapolis and then driving back to La Crosse, finally getting home late in the evening.  All those memories, all brought forth from one album.

That’s kind of the core of what I’m thankful for today.  On almost every vacation or trip I’ve gone on there’s a specific album or song that takes me back to memories of that trip.   Wilder Mind by Mumford and Sons makes me think of Australia.  Bad World by Kodaline will be held close in my heart when I think of Isle Royale.  When the song “Cough Syrup” by Young the Giant comes on I am mentally in the Canadian Rockies.  “Home” by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros leads me back to Hawaii…  How excellent is it that music can return so many memories in just a moment?

Today I’m thankful for my mental vacation soundtracks.  Washington DC was where it took me back to today, who knows where it will be tomorrow…  What I do know is that I’m thankful for music being the tide that’s brought back some excellent memories today!

Thanks!!!

Tonight is the first night of Wednesday night church classes for Dominic so Gavin and I decided to go back to our normal Wednesday tradition… coffee & other goodies at Java Vino!

Tonight we had a special project that we needed to work on as we drank our decaf and cookies and cream frosty (guess who had which? 😂). With the scouting year rapidly approaching it is go time! We busted out the Den Leader Guide, a calendar, and a couple of spreadsheets and hit it hard. There was maybe a short snack break… but before we left we had the entire year’s worth of meetings all mapped out so we can get the boys through as much as possible while still having a great time.

What made it especially awesome tonight was Gavin’s help. He was focused and helping the entire way through and took on parts of the planning process. Whenever there was a decision to be made I got his feedback first and we ran with it. It was pretty sweet to have a great helper!

The scouting year will be fun (& our last year of Cub Scouts), but I’m also sure to remember this night of planning with my buddy. Having this time and activity together was a great way to spend the evening!

Thanks!!!

Do yourself a favor and play this song while reading the post tonight, it will greatly enhance the mood! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqPVZgALpPc

While driving back from Rice Lake today I had to take a little mental break so I grabbed an old binder of CDs out of the trunk and found something to get me geared up in the afternoon (s you can tell, I was still under the influence of Rick’s playlist!).  As if the disc couldn’t help but be noticed it seemingly jumped out of the page at me.  Without a second thought I popped it in the slot and knew I’d made the right choice.  By the time the first few chords had played I felt an unbelievable sense of freedom.

The song Dim by Dada holds a special place in my heart.  I bought the album used the night before I headed to La Crosse on my first date with Becky.  At the time I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, or who I really wanted to be.  I had great friends, but I could tell that something was off or missing.  It was time for a change, something different.

When I’d headed down to La Crosse I’d had high hopes of what could happen with Becky and I, but I tempered them with somewhat realistic expectations so I wouldn’t get too disappointed.  Imagine my surprise when not only did the sparks fly between the two of us, but the Coulee Region really struck a chord for me.  Between the beautiful drive (minus the flat tire), the bluffs, the river, and all the woods I fell hopelessly in love with La Crosse.  It felt right.  When I got back to my place in the Cities I started counting down the days until I’d move to La Crosse, and within 90 days I was here.

On that drive down I was crazy nervous for the date with Becky.  I knew she was the one for me, but I wasn’t so sure she’d felt the same.  When I’d get a little too nervous I’d roll down the windows in that ’79 Chevy pickup (by hand), throw that CD in the radio I’d installed myself, and sing at the top of my lungs.

From those few frantic chords I could feel a freedom in me that I hadn’t felt.  It was my way of knowing that I was in control, I could choose my dream, and only I could pursue it.  There would be no following of anyone else’s path, just my own.  If I hit a dead end I’d recover and blaze a new trail.  I felt unstoppable, even though I wasn’t sure where I was headed.  The song would build and build until it got to these lines which were so right in the moment…

Can’t this car go any faster
Can’t this car go any faster
Can’t this car go any faster
Faster, faster
Can’t this car go cause I can still see where I am

And as we all know, the date went incredibly well, La Crosse won my heart, and the rest is history.

Driving with the windows down today while playing this song reminded me of that awesome sense of freedom, freedom to dream, freedom to be me.  It was just as amazing and left chills on the back of my neck just as it did almost 19 years ago.  That is a feeling I am so incredibly grateful for!

Thanks!!!

 

 

Last night involved staying up until after 3:15am playing cards with some of my closest friends in a backyard. We shot the bull, goofed around, and had an amazing time doing the same types of things we’ve done for the past 35+ years. It was awesome!

Today included more of the same. Sleeping in, hanging out all day, and chillaxin’ with my friends. No real agenda, just hanging out. Later tonight I’d be surprised if we don’t end up hanging out in the backyard again.

I’m going to cut this one short so I can get back to spending time with them, but don’t let the length of this post detract from how thankful I am for time with my friends. It’s because of how much I appreciate this time with them that I’m going to cut out and jump back into the time with them.

Thanks!!!

How quickly I take certain aspects of life for granted…  It never ceases to amaze me when I think of how many wondrous things there are all around me to be thankful for when I really stop and think about it.

Today was one of the moments that caused me to pause and think.  The boys had their annual doctor appointments and everything went great!  No health concerns, clean bills of health, zero issues.  Everything is where it should be, on track, and in great shape.  How excellent is that?  Their diets are pretty much right on, they exercise often, and they get almost 10 hours of sleep each night.  What an advantage they have just off of those simple habits!

The funny thing is that I don’t often stop to appreciate how great it is that the boys are healthy.  It seems like an everyday thing that I have learned to take for granted.  Today was a perfect moment to pause and be grateful for this wonderful gift, I’m so happy that I had today to help with my perspective.

Thanks!!!

This is kind of a strange one, isn’t it?  Today I’m thankful for a scarcity of one resource that has caused hyper focus on what must be done and achieved.  Most every day I stop and think about how nice it would be to have more time.  “If I had more time I’d…”  “If there were an extra couple of hours I could…” Often times I’m feeling this way when I’m slightly out of focus.  I’m seeing everything all over the place around me as opposed to seeing a direct line from one thing to the next to the next leading me precisely through the most time effective way to accomplish the most important things first.  Looking back, this is often when I start to side track a little, feel overwhelmed, and drift a bit.  I don’t take time to think through what needs to happen first and why and that leads to me being reactive instead of strategizing the best way to accomplish everything.

Over the past couple of days I’ve been forced to have a laser like focus on what needs to be accomplished.  In many cases things I have things that are both urgent and important and trying to find a way to get them all in has been difficult.  That said, I’m getting more done due to the high level of focus and discipline I need to get it all done in a short period of time.  The forced constraint has helped me push further ahead in a short week than I’d ever have expected and has me feeling very solid about the next week in front of me.

Yes, I’d still really like to have more time, no question.  But while that thought lingers in my head I know my time is limited so I am going to make the most of it.  As that sinks in it reminds me to think not just of the day (like I am currently), but to remember that lesson for my life as a whole.  I only have so much time to accomplish all that I dream of.  Stay focused Kreiling, you’re making excellent progress!

Thanks!!!

Over the past five hours I’ve been able to crank through a large number of tasks that needed to be done.  Some were work related and others were personal.  The list was long when I started on them after work tonight, but now they’re almost all done.  There’s a couple to go, but they’ll have to wait until Friday.  As I look at the long list of everything that’s been crossed out I can’t help but smile with a sense of accomplishment.

I am not a fan of nights away, but sometimes they are necessary.  Tonight I was so thankful for taking advantage of the time in a hotel room, it allowed me to focus on what needed to get done and I’m already feeling less stress.

While working tonight there was a thought that kept crossing my mind and making me smile.  How excellent is it to work with teammates with huge dreams?  Through a conversation today it hit me how fortunate I am to be able to work with people who dream huge, so huge that it pushes me to dream bigger.  Their dreams drive me to be better, to accomplish more, and to do everything I can to help them reach their dreams.  To be able to help them on their journey is extremely gratifying, to see how their dreams drive me is an awesome feeling…  one that I am very thankful for.

Thanks!!!