Our Journey

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

New bike!

Well basically. Same frame, new everything else. A lot of guys get one or two new things a year. Not me, I buy the necessary things each year, like clothes, nutrition, tires, tubes, but not usually bike parts. I tend to use things until they no longer work or function properly. Such was the state of everything that was previously on my bike. Matt at Wheel Fast in Chatham took care if everything, and as always, he was great!

New wheels, pedals, complete drivetrain, bars, tape, saddle, computer, power meter. Thanks to my wife for being so supportive!

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Dr. Niles Thomason

Blogging kind of fell apart the last several weeks. We got busy with the Holidays, maybe lacked some blogging motivation, and then this happened. We lost a close friend. Christmas morning 2013, Niles Thomason, left this world for the next. It was such a shock to everyone that knew him. It really hit Natalie and I hard and close to home because we had just spent a couple days before with his family and in-laws in Carbondale, IL. Niles was supposed to be there with us to go to the Saluki's game, but his flight out of Denver had gotten canceled, and he arrived after we had departed for the night.

We were at Natalie's parents when we got the news. Natalie was browsing Facebook and said to me, kind of out of the blue, "Niles died." I of course couldn't comprehend the news, and didn't really want to believe her. Shortly after that, after texting some friends, it was confirmed. It really was true. He was 31. Had a young child that I had spent a school year caring for, and a wife who is close friends with mine. We shared a few common interests, namely a love for good beer and the mountains of Colorado. He and his family were part of our Colorado family. I kind of suppressed my emotions for a couple of hours, but soon had to let go. I was just so sad. Sad for him not getting to go to more concerts, taste more beers, go on more camping and hiking adventures. Sad for his wife, who had just become a single mother. Who would have to go back to Colorado and try to figure out life without her husband. Sad for Carter. So sad that Carter would not know his daddy. Everything hits home so much harder once you have kids.

Natalie and I have discussed many things since getting this terrible news. (That's what happens when you spend 17 hours in the car together...) We drove down to Tulsa to attend the memorial service. It was so beautiful too! In a worship center up on a hill over looking a lake surrounded by woods. It was very pretty and peaceful. Capped off perfectly by a song by Yonder Mountain String Band (Niles Fave) Most notably we have just agreed that you have to be appreciative of what you have and not take anything for granted. You never know when God will call you to join him. I will do a better job of letting those around me know how much I love and appreciate them. Live life to the fullest, you only get one chance.

I am the one who always says that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes we don't know what that reason is, and we may never know what that reason is. I will never understand why it was time for Niles to go. It's not for me to understand. But I can learn from it and make the most of what I have!

We will all miss you Niles. You were a good man!
To paraphrase one of Niles best friends who gave a short speech at his memorial...
It's life. It goes on. Make the most of it!

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Words are not enough

Words cannot begin to describe the flood of emotions I have felt since finding out Niles passed away on Christmas morning. I am heartbroken, sad, and physically ill when I think of the journey that lies ahead for Tiffany, Carter, and their families. I can never begin to understand why a 31-year-old man would be taken from the Earth so young, why his wife is without her partner, and why his son will never know what an outstanding human his dad was.

My favorite memory of Niles is from a few years ago, when my first-born pup Wrigley was ill. His back went out and he had a herniated disk. His back legs did not work, and we had to make a decision to put him down or try an expensive surgery. As I talked with Niles on the phone, we discussed all of the options. I then asked Niles, "If he were your dog, what would you do?" Tiffany told me afterward that Niles never answers this question, but he actually did in this instance for me. His thoughts were Wrigley was still young and had lots of life left in him. Although the surgery was expensive, he would have it done. I so appreciated Niles' understanding that I needed that direction, not from a doctor's view, but from a friend's view. Niles arranged for Wrigley to be seen by a neurosurgeon, and he regained full use of his legs and back, and is still doing very well today.

I appreciated Niles for his dry sense of humor and witty responses. I also appreciated him for enjoying good beer and time in the mountains of Colorado. :)

Oktoberfest 2010

Although things don't always make sense, I know God is in control and I have to remember everything happens for a reason. All I can do to try and make sense of things is use this experience as a reminder of how we are not guaranteed anything in life - not tonight, or tomorrow, or next year year. To live life to its fullest and take every opportunity you are given. This is my New Year's Resolution: to remember Niles every day, to pray for Tiffany and Carter every day, and to appreciate all this life has to offer - every single moment of every single day.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Final Advent Update

Here's how our activities ended...
Dec 18 - make Christmas cards for friends
Nick loved me for this one :) Cayle made some snowflake cards and wrote on them and then sent them in some of the Christmas cards we sent out to people.

Dec 19 - take food to the food bank
Cayle packed up a bag of cans and boxes of food to take over to Catholic Charities. I explained to him that some families don't have as much food as we do, and they could really use some extra food. He was very sad for these families and was so cheerful about delivering the food. So proud of his sweet heart :)

Dec 20 - red and green breakfast
Yikes, almost messed this one up majorly! I had forgotten to look ahead to see if there was anything to plan for in the upcoming days. So this day happened to be my final day of work before the break, and I was super late in even getting out of bed, let alone having time to make a fancy red and green breakfast like I had initially planned. So as I scrambled around just trying to get to work in time, Cayle picked his number and informed me today was the red and green breakfast. Some quick thinking really paid off - I quickly poured the kids some milk in sippy cups, colored Cayle's green and Lindy's red, and Nick headed off to Daylight Donuts in search of red and green donuts. Thankfully, they delivered :)

Dec 21 - read and watch The Polar Express
Another near-fail on this one. It actually was supposed to be earlier in the week, but I just so happened to check the TV guide that morning and found the schedule had changed, and our movie would be on from 8-10 pm that night, instead of my intended 6-8 pm. So, that morning, I quickly rearranged things and taped the movie so it would be ready for this day. Whew!

Dec 22 - family game/puzzle night
This was lots of fun. We each picked a game to play, and Lindy picked a puzzle for us to do together. We continue to spend time reminding Cayle it's "not all about winning...sometimes we just play for fun...".

Dec 23 - get a picture taken with Santa
This was pretty exciting since the Santa we planned to see was located in Carbondale and we would be going with Tiffany and Carter. It was a great day seeing them! PS - Lindy was nit a big Santa fan, so I joined the pic :)

Dec 24 - read the nativity story and sleep in Christmas jammies
We read the story before bed, and then had a little lesson around the manger set we have by the fireplace. The kids had their Christmas jammies on, then we got them up and dressed for church at 11 pm, then they came back home and put their jammies back on. And wore them all day on Christmas.

Dec 25 - have a sleepover under the Christmas tree
Cayle was pretty tired by the time this activity rolled around. He seemed pretty excited about his sleepover :)

Cayle was sad that today was our last number on our chart. I am really sad too. He has loved all of the activities, and I've loved using the Advent activities as a way to teach him what Christmas is about. I can't wait until next year :)

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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Saluki's!

Monday we got the opportunity to go visit friends (Tiffany, Niles, and Carter) from Colorado in Carbondale, IL. It's a 2 hour drive south for us. The day included pictures with Santa, time to chill and let Cayle play with his best bud Carter, and the Saluki basketball game of which Tiffany's dad is the head coach. It was a super fun day!