Todays been an awesome start to vacation. There was a huge breakfast to kick things off followed by a wonderful long bike ride with Becky, my mom, and the boys. Afterwards Becky and I continued to ride on around the lake for a while and had a great time. We biked further than we’d had in a very long time (pretty sure ever) and it felt amazing.

After a huge and delicious dinner the boys (including Nick & Brad) and I started in on playing poker. The boys learned many life lessons while battling it out with us as we all joked around while having an awesome time. The time at the table together was priceless!

Thanks!!!

I had an awesome memory pop up yesterday in my Facebook feed. Four years ago yesterday my friend Chris Dembiec asked me a very simple and profound question. “What are your dreams?” He’d just read a wonderful book, The Dream Manager, and was inspired to try something with our team. Next thing I knew I’d written a list of over 100 dreams that I wanted to accomplish.

Looking back it was one of those moments that reignited a bit of a fire in me. Back in 2007 I’d spent time creating a list of dreams and life goals that caused me to make some large changes in my life. This conversation four years ago helped to fan the embers back into a blaze.

In the past four years there’s been some pretty sweet progress on my dream list. With it lingering in the back of my head I’ve accomplished more in four years than I’d thought possible. Some of these include things as basic as getting passports for the boys, meeting Jim Collins, and kayaking/swimming in bioluminescent water. There are many that I’ve made progress towards like visiting each National Park.

All totaled I’ve checked off about 20 dreams! That’s an average of five each year which means I’d better add at least another five new ones each year.

Chris, thanks again for helping to rekindle the fire and inspiring some dream greatness! Greatly appreciated dude!

Off to dream lab to create some new ones!

Thanks!!!

With yesterday’s post focused on being physically active something funny happened this morning.  When I woke up early this morning I was exhausted and just wanted to go back to sleep for an extra hour or so.  I hit the snooze and rolled back over.  As I started to close my eyes something hit me…  How could I write about being active if I then skipped the next morning?

The accountability I felt from my post last night and the self imposed peer pressure (not sure that it makes sense, but you know what I mean) prompted me to get out of bed and get my almost lazy butt in gear.  I got dressed and was out for a bike ride.

The ride felt great and it felt wonderful to get my blood pumping first thing in the morning.  To think I’d almost skipped it!  Chalk up one more reason I am thankful for this blog.

Thanks!!!

This morning started with waking up early and heading out the door before 5am for a run.  Sure it was still thick and sticky at that time of the day, but starting the day with a run helps me feel way better throughout the length of the day.  Even being with the dogs adds to the positive attitude throughout the day.  They are bouncing, excited, and smiling as they get their harnesses on for their run.  Their joy of the present moment always reminds me to do the same.  It’s also a great time to spend time with Becky, one of the few short moments of time we have to connect daily.  Getting the endorphins running, a dose of joy from the girls, and time with Becky puts a smile on my face before my day would normally begin.

At work I spent the majority of my time at my stand up desk.  Sitting once in a while for meetings felt good, but the ability to stretch out while I talk felt awesome.

After dinner with the family Becky and I hopped on our bikes and headed out to hot yoga.  Amber did an awesome job of twisting and bending us until the sweat was literally dropping off of me and onto my mat.  Taking an hour to focus on breathing and stretching was a great way to chill for the day.

We biked home and as soon as we got home I went outside with the boys.  Dominic fired up some frisbee in the park and had a great time laughing and joking around as we tried crazy trick throws that we had no right attempting (and failed in amazing style – enjoying every failed attempt!).   We ran around and had fun doing it.

Now as I chill on the couch and type this blog my body’s tired and I’m feeling great.  I know I’ll sleep like a baby tonight…  and then wake up and get moving early again in the morning.  It feels awesome!!!  Thanks Becky for not only supporting, but encouraging this lifestyle!

Thanks!!!

 

Let me start today by saying that everything’s fine, there’s no reason to be nervous or anything.  We’re all healthy, nothing terrible has happened, or anything like that.  All that  said, I’m going to skip the specifics about today’s blog post as the details really don’t matter.  What’s important today is the concept behind the action.

There’s something I’ve been meaning to do for quite a while but I’d just kept putting it off.  It is one of those things that not only isn’t fun, but it’s also a time consuming pain in the butt.  At the root of it there’s much thought about whether or not it’s even worth taking the action.  I’ve kept it at the bottom of my to do list for quite a while and it probably would’ve stayed there if it wasn’t for a little scare today.

Long story short, something happened that caused me to be super paranoid and escalate that task to the top of the list.  It took quite a bit of time to take care of, but I’ve completed it now.  With the task behind me I’m feeling a ton better already!

Had I not had a very healthy dose of paranoia I probably would’ve kept putting this off until it was way too late and then I could’ve run into some serious issues.  Thank you Mr. Paranoia for rearing your head to help spur me onto taking action!

Thanks!!!

Way back in the day when we’d head to Grandma and Grandpa Lamping’s for a couple of weeks in the summer we’d usually end up spending a couple of nights at Aunt Penny’s or Aunt Peggy and Uncle Tom’s house to hang out with our cousins Billy, Chris, and Matt.  These were amongst the best nights on our trip as we stayed up all night (literally) watching horrible late night cable movies and goofing around constantly.

One of the things that took up a lot of our time was when we’d fire up the old NES – that’s right, we were old school before old school was cool.  Between Ninja Gaiden, Contra, and any of the Mario Brothers classics we would have a blast playing video games with each other.  It was pure pre-teen boy heaven, just hanging with my cousins playing games, talking stupid, and having so much fun.

Tonight the tables are completely turned.  I was working on a remodel project and then goofing around a little while Becky is working on her PhD work.  While we’re doing that in the dining room our ears are almost bleeding from the sounds of screaming cousins in our living room.  The games may be different, but it’s essentially the same as I remember as a kid.  We’ll let them stay up way later than they have any right to (sorry Diana & Kenny!) and they’ll hopefully remember how much fun they had together.

For the life of me I can’t remember any of the specific results of the games we played, but I remember how much fun we had as cousins playing around.  I’d bet that they’ll remember the same as they get older…  and that’s something I’m very thankful for!

Thanks!!!

Becky had an awesome for the boys for tonight – the trampoline park!

We all loaded up and headed out for over an hour of absolute craziness. It was my first time participating and it was so much fun! It was nonstop bouncing and jumping while laughing at how horrible I was at it. Dominic tried his best to help me but I was unable to complete a full front flip. As he put it, I just kind of fell. Regardless, it was an awesome time.

My legs are tired, I’m all sweaty, and I’m sure I’ll feel it in the morning. That said, it was so much fun I could care less. Great idea Becky!!!

Thanks!

Whew, talk about a mouthful, right?  As I tried to wrap up the day the funny thing is that these were just the tip of the iceberg!  This has been a day filled with so many blessings that it could easily end up in a huge list.  Thinking through it though there’ve been a couple of moments that have really stuck out, a couple that I’ll keep to myself, and some that may show up again in the not too distant future.

First off, I’m thankful for a gift that I got quite a while ago that I’ve used almost daily since I received it.  Huge thanks to my mom for the large Yeti mug that I almost always have in tow with me!  While I don’t think about it every time I use it today it really hit me how much I appreciate it.  I had a cup full of carbonated water that sat in the car for several hours in the sun and stayed cold the entire time!  Thanks Mom!

On a more serious note one of our past team members lost her father at the young age of 47.  Reading his obituary hit home hard as many of his interests lined up with mine and his age wasn’t that different than mine.  Hearing of his passing today reminded me to enjoy every moment that I have and to not take today for granted.  Big hugs and many prayers to her and her family through this incredibly difficult time.

One of my favorite job duties in staffing is touring client facilities to see where our associates will be working.  This means the kid in me gets to come out and enjoy a tour of a production facility to see how things are made.  In the case of today it was a our of a creamery where I was able to see how several types of cheese are made including muenster (one of my personal favs!).  Not only was it so cool to learn how all this happens it was pretty sweet to walk out with a bag of cheese curds and a bag full of great cheese from their gift shop – it would have been rude to not do some shopping after the tour, right? 😉

Lastly, I had a couple of wonderful conversations with a teammate today that pretty much spanned all aspects of life.  It was awesome getting to know them better and I’m thankful for that time to connect.  One of the things that caught me off guard was when I realized just how judgmental I’ve been towards people with differing political views.  I’ve spent a lot of time being frustrated and angry with “those people.”  Thinking about it from a shifted perspective (thinking back to the thoughts from The Book of Joy and The Shack) I realized how judgmental I’ve been and how differently I should be treating them.  Instead of insulting and hitting them with blanket statements I need to remember to love them as my neighbor (no matter how much I may disagree with their ideas), seek to understand why they feel the way they do, and help them find a better path where possible, one that is focused on inclusion and love as opposed to fear, hate, and separation.  In helping them I’ve also got an opportunity to live more towards that right path myself.

As you can see the day was filled with so much, simple joys, tough lessons, childlike curiosity, companionship, and deep introspection.  How lucky am I to have had such a full day?  It is one I’ve appreciated greatly!

Thanks!!!

Over the past weekend I came across something that was quickly added to my dream list…

Yes, that’s right, a four wheel drive camper van! How sweet will something like this bad boy be for long vacations when driving across the US and Canada? When we eventually take a summer to explore Alaska this is the type of beast that will get us there.

It sleeps two, has a kitchen, bathroom, and shower, and includes pretty much everything you could ever want on a road trip. The interior may not quite be what we’re looking for (check it out here: http://nomadvanz.com/gallery/beautiful-custom-vanz/out-of-the-blue/ )

Yessir, this looks to be the chariot I’d like to ride across the US as we catch up on the last of our National Parks around retirement age. I’m guessing there may be some pretty sweet new options over the next 18 years, can’t wait to see how it looks when it finally becomes a reality. 😁

Thanks!!!