Yeah, yeah...
I am going to dedicate a couple days and evenings to assembling something fun, interesting, compelling, and probably partially revealing. We'll see how many of the thoughts, feelings, and experiences will string together eloquently enough to keep you reading and interested.
I most always use nickname references--unless expressly ok'ed by said person so I can protect the innocent and less innocent. You're welcome, friends.
Ok! Most of my friends already know this, but I am currently on sabbatical from work. Its been a marvelous time so far. I still have about 5 weeks left (took a total of 11 weeks off). I know... most of my non-coworker friends usually shoot playful daggers at me and tell me I suck.
I am going to do my best to give you some kind of narrative of events in my life. And to catch up to present moment, I am going to have to go Tarrantino on you--minus corpses in cars and such. What I mean is I am not going to maintain a chronological timeline type of a story. I am going to select times and elaborate on them. I will promise to mostly tag a date to such stories.
So let's at least give a quick update on what's happened so far on my sabbatical. I will start with Day 0 and go from there in montage style (background music pending). I will have more sabbatical detail (maybe) in a subsequent post.
Here is the montage:
- Day 0: Indoor Kart Racing and Beers with great coworkers
- Week 1: SoCal with Squirt. Went to Legoland and stayed with my Fav fam! Also got to Disneyland, Newport/Balboa, and some other stuff. 1000 miles logged on the Suby!
- Week 2: Christmas. (AND NO SNOW) Holiday with the fam in the No and my fam in Roseville. Spent an amazing week at home recovering from the road trip. New Years! Happy New Year!
- Week 3: Starting things with a bang and a twist. Had to do a New Years Redo! Thanks! Home on dad duty. Exercise like crazy. Crossfit, Riding, but NO SNOW. Okay Mother Nature, I am going to where you are snowing. Plans for Week 4--Oregon, Washington, and maybe BC.
- Week 4: UHM......mother nature shut the tap off up north. Flummoxed! The wind takes me where? My best friend, J, says to me, "I'm going to Pismo for some business, wanna go?" Hell yes! Roll to Pismo by way of Santa Cruz to see my boy Skip. (good times, bro!) Pismo was fantastic. Climbed a mountain, surfed, did Crossfit, met some interesting new people, hung with J's fam, and even got some wine tasting in.
- Week 4a: I am not done with week 4. It continued past the Pismo road trip. We rolled home on Friday. I proceeded to turn back around after Squirt's first basketball game (what fun experience that was...more later) and drove all the way to San Diego to see a friend from high school. 4a can summed up with 2 words: SUNDAY FUNDAY! **JP, damn fine host you are! Can't wait til the next trip.** Week 4 total Miles -- 1900 miles!
- Week 5: Home with Squirt. Poor guy is sick. We can both use this time to rest and recover. We had an amazing dad/son week. MOTHER NATURE FINALLY DECIDES TO SNOW!!!
- Week 6: Best dad, ever! To reward Squirt for doing well in school and having great behavior, I take him out of school to go boarding. Epic! Exhausting! More to come. Snowboarded Tuesday, Snowshoed and Wine Tasted Wednesday, Ran Thursday, Rode Friday, Wine Tasted Sat and Sun. Every single moment from this week was fantastic and significant. I can't wait to elaborate more.
- Week 7: TBD--already got a great ride in.
So how is my life right now?
Short answer: Blessed.
This has been one fun, but challenging journey. Some great ups. Some difficult lows. I do feel fortunate to have harnessed a lot of love and good energy from all the experiences I have had in the past couple years (and several prior to those).
This last month has been one of great reflection, great connection, and amazing doors opening. On my way back and forth to/from San Diego, I had all this time to think through so many threads dangling in my mind. Thanks to great driving conditions and some fantastic music courtesy of Pandora and Amazon, I came home feeling wonderful. Many questions answered. Many feelings resolved. I had a great walkabout; this is how I can best put it.
So, what did I learn? I will let you know that in my next post or ten, I suppose.
I can say this--what I have learned, and what new doors have opened since that trip have been nothing short of amazing and significant. I am full of joy. I am full of love and surrounded by good people.
This whole thing is just getting better and better.
Until next time, kiddies!
