A Year of Change

Today is Father’s Day and while just another day, as a father, or dad, I can say it’s one, if not the most important and rewarding jobs I have. The thing about being a father is even when you’re not parenting or being a dad, your actions, or who you are, and what you do, are being watched by your kids. It’s the old story, if you’re a bad dad or bad parent, chances are your kids will end up the same. We all know the line about, the guy who abused his wife or kids had a dad who did the same. Hence, I know in some sense, I’m always being watched as kids, just like animals, learn from their parents 24 hours a day. Hopefully I’m doing a good job and setting a good example for my boys. Before I had kids, other people with kids would say things like “I’d die for my kids”. Being one who questions almost everything, I always thought about this and wondered if it came down to it, would I really “die” for my kids? Well, the instant each of my sons was born, that became a stupid question as of course I would do anything for my boys, including taking a bullet for them, so to speak. I’m sure every parent here reading this understands what I’m talking about. So, one of my greatest joys in life is being a dad and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the World. Luckily I have a great wife who helps make my job easier and I think, we have two great boys.

Yesterday Lori and I took off for Denver around 9:30 for her mini spa day. I dropped her off at our friends spa after we made a quick stop and then I headed to Neiman Marcus to return two shirts. I then rushed back to pick her up and we headed over to the hair salon where she had her eye lashes tinted. While there, our friend who owns the salon, threw me in the chair and trimmed me up too! Next up it was off to our friends house who own the spa and went to Italy with us last year, Jeff and Tina’s. We hung out for a few hours as we’re pretty close friends. At one point Tina choked up and told us, one of the reasons she loves me so much is for how much I love my wife! This was unexpected and caught me off guard. We think Tina is struggling with a few things in her her life or relationship. Jeff’s a great guy but it sometimes seems like he’s not as supportive of her as he should be. I think he’s threatened by her success as a spa owner and an attractive woman and is worried she might not be totally happy with him so he kind of subconsciously tries to keep her down or “in her place”, if you know what I mean. I’m the opposite as I always try to build Lori up, oh well, every relationship has things to deal with from time to time. We all grow as we age but the great thing about a relationship, or actually what a real relationship is, is the memories you build over time. Every one of us will see things different at some point over a long period of time, but you have to support each other, no matter what. Luckily for us, the good has always outweighed the bad. Tina then said she is heading to Canyon Ranch in Tucson for a week of R&R or basically rehab. We were very happy for her as they flat out are hard core party people. Lori and I are always amazed at how some people our age can still drink and party like they were in their 20’s. Well Tina finally recognized it was time for her to stop too. We’re thrilled for her as you just cannot do things when you’re 50 that you could get away with when you were 20! As I said, we’ve been really close friends for well over 10 years so we’re pretty real and open with each other, and we could tell she was dying to open up and tell us.

Next up we stopped by my Mom’s. The highlight there was she’s had this great old wood box that’s been locked and sitting on a chair in the corner forever that she couldn’t open. I guess they even took it to a locksmith and he couldn’t open it. I told her let’s break it open and see what’s in it but she didn’t want to break the box and then of course, my amazing wife said, “give it to me, I’ll pick the lock”. Well less than 10 minutes later, Lori had it open. Apparently it has been sealed since 1971 as that’s when most things inside were dated, 1971 or earlier. There were anniversary cards from my mom to my dad and vice versa. Also there were letters from my Grandma to my mom, programs from various high school reunions, pictures from when us kids were really young, like under 10, and best of all, a letter to me from my Grandma when I was 14 in 1971. i’m going to try to write the whole thing out one day in the blog as it’s pretty insightful. We left my mom with her time capsule full of stuff from 46 years ago for her to sift through. What fun to find all that stuff.

Today it looks like we’re headed to Aspen for lunch. We’ll head out round 10 and be back around 4 or so. We wanted to get some new outdoor chairs but think we’ll hold off a bit to save the money. Time to get moving so Lori and I can get to the gym. Hope everyone is well, it’s cool up here with the river running strong outside with all the runoff from the winter snow. It’s really nice and therapeutic hearing the sound of rushing water outside your window. One thing though before I go, I would be remiss if I didn’t say, it’s a lot easier to be a better or good father when your kids have a great mother. In other words, it’s a two person full time job to raise kids and I and the boys are lucky Lori is such a good Mom! GB

Today, as a Father’s Day present to myself, I’m taking Lori down to Denver for a microderm facial at our friends spa. You might ask why Denver?  It’s because our close friends give us gift cards (they own the spa) so we don’t pay. You also might ask why get Lori a facial when it’s “Father’s Day”? Well, it’s because, as they say, if Mom’s not happy, nobody’s happy. Ok, that’s not it either, Lori’s always pretty happy. It’s just because I thought she’d enjoy it and I have a couple of shirts to return to Neiman Marcus so we could do both. Right now our tv, internet and phones are out due to a power failure, so it’s pretty quiet around here.

Yesterday I took off for Aspen at 10am and was in town by 11:40. I stopped by our friends house before hooking up with Jody and Eric and heading over to the party. We saw lots of people we do business with and made some new connections as well. I left around 3 and was home by 4:30. I then grabbed Ty and took him to Lori’s office so Eric (the PA) could check him out as he needed a physical for camp coming up in two weeks. We then all came home and hung out before hitting the hay.

Tomorrow I think we’re all going to Aspen for lunch and some fun for Father’s Day. More to come on that. Time to run now so Lori and I can get out the door. It was 87 degrees yesterday but one of the great things about living in the mountains is that it cools off at night. In the mornings, we open the doors and let all the cool fresh air in which then cools down the house for the day. Have a good weekend, GB

Lori and I have both had headaches from what we think is the altitude (from being at sea level for 10 days) and dehydration from going from 80% humidity to about zero! Today we’ll drink lots of water and turn on the humidifier.

This morning she has a mini presentation at 7:20 and I’m off to Aspen to meet Jody and Eric (who work for me) at Aspen Food and Wine. We’re going to the Champagne Party from 1 until 3 that one of our distributors we work with in 16 States, puts on every year. It’s basically a shake hands and kiss babies event meaning just a lot of schmoozing. Nothing gets done business wise but you have to show up to say hi to everyone. I go every year but had Jody from Florida, and Eric from Texas, who both work with these guys closely, come in for the 2 hour event.

Yesterday I went to Lowes and picked up a bunch of cleaning supplies and other household items. I found two great chairs for the deck but they were sold as a pair and $250 each so I don’t know if we’ll spring for $500 for chairs. They sure were nice though.

Lori’s going to try to leave work early and I hope to be home by 4:30 and then we’ll get some much needed rest. We both need a vacation from our vacation! Time to run, GB

We’re still in a fog, a little confused as to what day it is and what’s going on. We both accomplished a lot yesterday but have more to do today. Lori and I did manage to squeeze in workouts to get back on the program, as we call it. Lots of laundry, the boys and I cleaning the house and a dentist appointment along with a trip to Fed Ex, and our day was pretty much gone.

Today we both have lots to do and need to get moving as it’s already 7am. Hope everyone is well, have a good day, GB

Yesterday we were busy, and tired. The time difference to Hawaii is only 4 hours which isn’t a big deal but only 4 hours sleep Monday night was. The boys slept until noon so they were ok. I dropped Lori at work at 9 and was down and back from Denver by about 1. Then I needed to shop for groceries and after that, both boys had dentist appointments. Turns out Ty needs to go back today too for a cavity at 11:30. Jag too has one and will get in next month. After the dentist at 5pm, we picked up Mojo who also had a cracked tooth and a bump inside his mouth removed while we were gone. I joked with our dentist that I should have brought Mojo to him as the vet was much more expensive than he was. He was happy to see us and we were happy to see him. After we picked up Mojo, the boys and I and Mojo then picked up Lori on the way home. She then made some yummy fish tacos for dinner and we all settled in and watched some tv before going to bed.

This morning Lori and I are off to the gym. I have a bunch of work as does Lori and Ty needs a physical for camp. I have to drop off a form in Eagle to get out of jury duty and property taxes are due tomorrow, ugh. It’s nice up here, clean fresh air that has a cool breeze in the mornings. Denver was hot, hazy and smoggy yesterday. it was good to get back up here. Have a good day, GB

At 2am we pulled into home for the second time. First we pulled in at 1:30am but our house key didn’t work as we had to have a locksmith come while we were gone to get an Ipad from Jagger’s job, long story.

Our flight took off 30 minutes late and the plane was about half empty. I was in an exit row and Jag moved back to an empty one in front of me. 6 hours and 23 minutes later, we landed in Denver at 11pm. Then after getting our car, we headed up the hill. Everyone stayed up as it was 7pm Hawaii time when we landed. Nevertheless, it was a long drive, made 30 minutes longer by having to go to Zach’s house to get a key from under their doormat.

This morning, believe it or not, I’m off to Denver. We need to get Mojo today and both boys have dentist appointments. The house was cleaner than we thought as we tried to clean up a bit before we left a week ago last Thursday.

I’ll drop Lori at work in about 30 minutes and both boys will probably sleep until I get back up the hill. More to come tomorrow but I need to run no. Home safe, a little tired, everyone is tan, and had fun. Take care, GB

Last night at 7pm Hawaii time, just minutes before we were supposed to board, our flight was cancelled! Apparently one of the crew members (a flight attendant) didn’t make it to the airport. The announcement said they were rescheduling us for 12 noon today which is 4pm Denver time. Needless to say, 169 passengers were freaking out. They all crowded around the check in counter looking for answers but I sat back and assessed the situation. I began by calling United trying to get on a flight to San Francisco or Los Angeles. Sadly they were all sold out. So without waiting any longer, I hung up, realizing the best I could do flight wise, was taking the rescheduled flight today at noon. I then focused on finding us a place to sleep. I called Marriott right away and found a hotel one mile from the airport. The airlines too were calling and they told the crowd they would give out what hotel rooms they could until they ran out but then the rest of the people would have to stay in the airport overnight. Before they finished with this announcement, I had two room booked waiting for us. Right when I was hanging up, United was calling them. Next up, we all walked to Ticketing and thankfully only had one person ahead of us in the Premier line. I explained to the lady what happened and asked for two hotel vouchers so I didn’t have to pay for our rooms. She gave me two vouchers for $250 each and $80 worth of food vouchers which covered our stay.

30 minutes and a $10 taxi ride later, we were in the Marriott resting comfortably in adjoining rooms. The boys headed down for some food while Lori and I emailed work to handle the delay. Tonight, (if we take-off) we’ll arrive at 10pm due to the time difference. Then it’ll take two hours to drive to Vail putting us home around 12:30. Luckily we didn’t check any bags and just went carry on for our whole trip. It was a great trip and lots of fun. It’ll be good to get home but it is what it is. Here we are in front of the Ritz just before taking off yesterday afternoon. We’re one good looking family if I do say so, ha. (thanks to Lori) Hope everyone is well, take care and GB.

Yesterday after breakfast, it was off to the pool at the Ritz and then the beach before heading into Lahaina to pick up some small gifts for Lori’s girls at work. Then around 5pm, we were back at Merriman’s for a bit as Aleks was a featured winemaker from 6 until 8. The boys left us at our table and went down to the beach to swim and see the turtles. They found about 3 large ones right below us on the deck and hung out with them for a while. Jag put his hand above one and it popped its head out of the water right up into Jag’s hand. Around 7pm we headed home and then Lori and I took a walk to work off some of our dinner. I think we could both go a few weeks without any food.

Today we need to be at the airport around 6pm. Sure hope our flight is on time. We should land in Denver about 6am Monday morning. Then we’ll head up the hill and drop Lori at work and then Jag has an orthodontist appointment at 10:10am. In between, or on the drive up the hill, I have a conference call. From the minute we land, (actually before) , we’re both back at it. It’s been a great trip with everyone having a good time. Lori’s neck has been hurting a bit but she’s had no headache. Lots for both of us to do but that’s life. Here’s a great picture of the boys near sunset with the turtles in the ocean. The turtles are hard to see but they’re there! Have a good Sunday and we’ll be back in Colorado tomorrow, GB.

Aleks, Lori, the boys and I left around 8am for Hana. We had no idea the trip would take us over 3 hours. Coming back was even a bit longer! The road is long and winding with 40 or 50 one lane bridges. Throw in some construction and it made for a long day. Once there it was so so, pretty scenery but not really worth 7 hours in a car. Anyhow we made it and can say we were there, that’s something. Along the way they had tons of great waterfalls and freshwater pools to swim in which was actually more fun that Hana itself. In the photo below you can see an aura around Lori and I which was some Hawaiian spirit from the past.

Today we’re off to another beach and then will hit the pool at the Ritz. Not sure what we’ll do tonight, last night we pretty much crashed as we were all tired from the trip. Tomorrow is our last day and it’s been fun but it’s always good to get home. Hope everyone is well, GB

Today we’re all headed out to Hana as the wine festival starts late this afternoon. Lori found 3 waterfalls she wants to go to, so in an hour, off we go. We had a nice dinner last night with Aleks and were home around 9pm. Other than that, the day was full of some work and more fun in the sun. We have today, tomorrow and all day Sunday before we leave Sunday night for home. Our flight is non-stop which is great as we’ll leave at 8:30 and land in Denver around 6am. It’s 6am now and we hope to be on the road by 7 so time to get moving. Hope all’s well, GB