We’re headed to the gym in 30 minutes to workout. Then home for a busy Thursday. Tomorrow we’re meeting a lady who is picking up all our antiques that are left in storage. We’ve had them in storage since 2017. Tomorrow my truck also gets detailed inside and out from 8am until noon. That means I need to clean it out today.
I’m finally back to my fighting weight of 200 pounds. It took me this long to recover from my poor food choices at graduation, ha. The kids are having a blast. We’re thinking of taking the whole family back there for Christmas. Even though it’s in the 90’s down there, it is their winter. That just means a few more warm rain showers. Yesterday was some pool time and surfing. Check it out. I told them, so far life after college doesn’t suck, right?
It was a little cool last night, but our flowers didn’t freeze, thank God. James is back a few days early so we’ll get together for cigars and fellowship tonight. I’m lucky that I have such a good group of men to hang with up here. Wish they had a group like that for Lori. She should start one!
My new showerhead arrived yesterday. It’s called Eskiin and I have to tell you, it’s a game changer! It has a a filter in it that must soften the water as my skin and hair have never felt so good. I can’t explain it and it took me a while to figure out why my fingers felt so smooth. I can’t wait for Lori to shower this morning to see if it’s just me.
Time to go. Have a great day, be well, stay safe and God Bless.
I made it to Tom’s around 9:30 or so. He and Holly were there along with a bunch of ladies from the estate sale company. Man, does he have a lot of shit! Hard to believe all the crap one can accumulate in 20 years or more, probably closer to 30. It almost looked like hoarders lived there, and I think it was worse than mom and dad’s house. Holly was working away, and I helped Tom load a few things into his truck.
I took off, went to wash my truck, and then headed downtown to meet Shultz for a sandwich and a cigar. It was his 61st birthday yesterday. By noon I was done and headed up the hill.
I made it home and then cleaned the house before Lori made it home. Today she’s in Frisco. I have a call at 8:30 for a few minutes and might grab breakfast with Ty before then.
I need to FedEx some more stuff today. I’ve been liquidating a few things I’ve accumulated over the years for big bucks. I’ve collected probably a couple dozen high quality knives from cult knife makers. On Monday, in 90 seconds, I had over 30 people wanting the four I posted on a knife forum for about $4K. I ended up selling them all to one guy in Ohio who paid me via Venmo in less than a minute. When I got home yesterday, I texted him a picture of a couple more and he instantly grabbed those too. So off they’ll go today as well. Funny that I still have a bunch. I have so much stuff, all really cool and high end, that I should move. Think I’ll post an expedition tepee from Finland today that should go in a few minutes for another $3K or so. We haven’t used it for a good five years.
That’s it for today, have a good Wednesday, be well, stay safe and God Bless.
The kids arrived safely in Bali. We’re talking to them right now on What’s App. Their room is amazing. I’ll see if I can upload the video. They have a two-bedroom suite and there were gifts, cakes and treat waiting for them upon their arrival. The hotel even had a welcome message on their tv. The flights were not bad according to the kids. The plane from LA to Taipei was easy, in Jagger’s words. Not sure how a 14- or 15-hour flight is easy, ha. They were also on the Hello Kitty plane which is a famous 777 that Eva Air has. Taipei airport was amazing. They sent us pictures. We just got off the phone with them and their a little tired, (8:15pm in Bali, 6:15am here) but will hit it hard tomorrow morning which will be dinner time here. More to come over the next 10 days.
I’m off to Denver today as it’s Shultz’s birthday and we’re having lunch. I need to stop by Tommy’s old house and get a trunk of Jagger’s. Lori is working in Vail today. Ty golfed yesterday after work and is off today, which probably means more golfing. Good for him.
Looks nice outside. Think it’ll be in the 90’s in Denver and mid 80’s up here. Might cool down a but the next few days. 90 in Denver in mid-May is hot. 6:18am now so time to go. Have a great day and God Bless.
The kids are in the air on their way to Taipei Taiwan. They have a 4-hour layover there before their next flight, which is about 5 hours to Bali. This first leg is about a 13- or 14-hour flight. Makes going to Europe seem like a commuter flight. Jag texted that the plane is nice with lots of room. Asian airlines tend to be better than U.S. carriers in general. We would have put them on a different flight and had them upgraded, but that wasn’t our job. We took care of the hotel, while Ava’s parents handled the flights.
81 degrees up here in Eagle today. I have a call at 9 and Lori will go into the office for a while. Dr. B is in South Dakota as his wife’s uncle passed away and he was like a second father to her. He’ll be back around noon tomorrow.
James and I texted back and forth yesterday. He said he misses home and us and has three days off next week so is coming home the 19th through the 21st for a mini break to reenergize. We’re going to Denver next Tuesday or Wednesday to get some of our hunting stuff in order.
Marty is a grandpa! His son and wife had a baby in Vancouver Canada yesterday morning at 3am. They’re only a couple years older than Jagger. Seems way too young if you ask me. But congrats to them.
The trees are blooming and it’s getting green outside. We still might have some overnight freezes this week which is normal for the month of May.
We’re headed to the gym early so we can both get to work, so time to go. Have a great day, God Bless.
HMD, to those moms here and those that are gone. Mom’s never get enough credit. Without them, there would be no family. Children always run to Mom first. There’s a special bond between a child and their mother, which is natural. So Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms!
Yesterday Ty made it home around 4. They had a rough night in Boulder the night before. Sounds like the name of a movie, Rough Night in Boulder. Ty said he’s never dinking like that again and was amazed at how Jagger can hold his liquor, ha. We’re glad they had the night together, with a bunch of other friends, to celebrate Jagger’s graduation.
At 3 this afternoon, Jag and Ava are off on their first flight of three to get to Bali. Going to be an epic trip for them.
We’re headed to the gym and then to Costco for flowers. Nuggets are on at 1:30. Hope we win.
What a day, or should I say, what a journey. We were only gone 57 hours from the time we left the house until when we pulled in last night at 11:45pm, but it seemed like a week!
Yesterday we were up early, hit the hotel gym, (they’re never good) and then went for a walk. Around noon we checked out and went to Ava’s where we parked the truck for the rest of the day. Jag, Lori and I then went to the mall and walked around and grabbed a quick bite to eat. We didn’t want to eat too much as we had dinner 3 hours later. Pearl Street Mall is closed to traffic and is full of restaurants, bars, shops, street musicians and lots of people. Below you’ll see a pic of Jag holding a white boa constrictor!
Ty golfed in the morning and showed up at 3:30, just in time for us to go to dinner.
Dinner was great at Japengo. It’s a sushi restaurant that has other stuff too and 12 of us were there. One of Ava’s grandmas couldn’t stop raving about the boys. She said they’re such good kids and she can see their hearts in who they are. She told me we’re probably used to it, but the way they both treat people and even when walking by Lori, stop to give her a hug, is just precious. They are good boys.
We grabbed an Uber back to Ava’s and then walked over to the events center where CU plays basketball. This ceremony was only 90 minutes which was nice. All the kids walked up and were presented diplomas. Super cool moment. We all met outside after it was over and Jag, Ava, Lori, Ty and I then walked back to Ava’s. After grabbing a diet coke to keep me awake for the drive, Lori and I headed out for home. Ty, Jag and Ava, along with some other friends were headed out to hit the bars. Ava said they were going to hit every bar in town, and then she said, just kidding. She is so sweet, thoughtful, kind and loves Jagger. It’s like they’re already a married couple in the way they treat each other. We love her.
Lots to do today, need to clean up from Ty being here for a couple of days, get our laundry done, go to the gym and get back on clean food. We’ll probably get some flowers too and do some yard work.
Jag and Ava need to pack today as they leave tomorrow afternoon for Los Angeles and then have a flight to Taipei at 12:50am Monday morning and land in Bali on Tuesday. Ty will head up sometime today. I’m sure they’re all sleeping right now.
Here’s some more pics, have a great day and God Bless.
Our album cover photo
The back cover, ha
The kids at dinner getting ready to do sake bombs. Those are shots of sake sitting on chop sticks on top of beers. You slam your fist on the table, the sake drops into the beer, and then you slam the beers! oh to be 20 again!
What a day. It was a long day, since we had little sleep, but one to be remembered forever. As a parent, you always want more for your kids than you had. We, (Tom, Robi and I) had a great childhood and all the opportunities one could ask for, including college, but frankly didn’t take full advantage, for various reasons, of getting a degree. And that’s ok, college isn’t for everyone, and many people do fine without it. It is special though to see your child put in the hard work and dedication and finish the job. We’re super happy and proud of Jagger, as everyone, including him, should be.
We left around 7:30 in the morning and decided to walk to Folsom Field which is where they play the football games. We made it there in 15 minutes or so, which is much faster than if we drove or even took an Uber. We ended up sitting pretty close, row 8, to where we thought the kids would be. They ended up a bit further up towards the stage, but we were on the right side and could see them. The ceremony lasted about 3 and a half hours, and the sun soon came out and we all ended up with a little color.
We all met up afterwards, Jag, Ava, her parents and grandparents, and brother, and walked over to her apartment for some snacks and drinks. Ava’s mom is super nice and so is her brother. Her stepdad, Andre, is too. The kids made a poster of all the people no longer with, so they too could be there and be remembered. The poster included Mom and Dad, Dixie and Don, Bob, Tommy’s wife Alison, and Ava’s grandparents. Not sure who the girl in the upper right corner is. You’ll see the poster below in picture number 3. They also had a little framed picture of Ava’s dad holding her. It was very thoughtful and a nice touch.
Jag, Lori and I headed out and went back to our hotel for a bit to change and then went to lunch. After lunch we headed to Target to buy a helium tank so Lori could blow up her balloons for the dinner later in the day. We rented out Pizza Albergo which is owned by my longtime friend who also owns Frasca, the Michelin Star restaurant that’s been in Boulder for 20 years now. I ordered up a bottle of Miani, a famous wine we used to import that they had to go next door to get from Frasca. Bobby, my friend and the owner, must have seem them getting it and came over to say hi. He walked in and said, “I heard someone over here was ordering Miani and I knew it had to be Doug”, ha. It was super nice of him to come over as next door at Frasca he was sold out at $50,000 a reservation for the night!
Dinner was great and we all had fun telling stories. We made it home around 10:30. I think the kids then went out for a bit. Tonight, Ty is joining us for an early dinner at 4 and then going to the Business School graduation at 7:30 with all of us. Afterwards Lori and I will head up the hill and Ty will stay with Ava and Jag and go out on the town.
The 5 Star resort we booked the kids in Bali, which is a Marriott, emailed me, and with our Platinum status, upgraded the kids to a suite on the lagoon! What fun for them. They both worked so hard and deserve the break.
Time to get moving. We’re working out in the hotel gym and then going for a walk. We’ll do something with Jagger today and then check out of the hotel around 2 to go to dinner and the next graduation. Have a great day, more to come as the kids enter the next chapter of their lives. God Bless.
Here’s some pics to enjoy. Robi asked what all the tassels mean and I asked Jag, and they’re all for different achievements in school. Too many to explain, ha. Overachiever!
It’s here, Graduation Day. 5:17 am now and it’ll be over at 10. We made it to Boulder around 5:30 or 6pm. Our hotel is fine, but the rooms are small and the beds are super hard and so are the pillows. We might need to go buy some pillows today, as neither of us slept well.
After the ceremony, we’re all going over to Ava’s apartment for a toast. Then Lori, Jag and I will go do something for the day and we’ll all meet up around 8 for dinner.
Bad loss by the Nuggets. We weren’t in it from the get-go. That’s ok, we won one and now are playing at home. Hope we show up for game 3.
Ty stayed home with Harley and works at 7. He’ll head down tomorrow. Weather looks fine for today, which is good news. That’s it for today, time to get moving. Congrats to Jagger and Ava, we love them both and are so proud of them. God Bless.
This afternoon we’re headed down to Boulder for a couple days for graduation and fun. The weather should clear up by then. We’re dry up here, but Denver and the front range had slushy snow and rain yesterday.
Last night, our neighbor, who is a top orthopedic surgeon and former employee of Lori’s practice, came over with his wife and offered Lori a job at about $50K more than she’s making now. This would mean she goes back to Steadman where she was before moving to VSO. She loves working for Dr. B and doesn’t want to abandon him, but if you count the increase in salary, the health care and benefits package, it would be more like a $75K raise. We’ll see, she needs to talk to Dr. B. She’d prefer to stay and just get the raise they promised her 5 years ago when she took the job.
I took Harley to the doggie daycare yesterday for a trial and that didn’t go well. She was shaking and freaking out and we left a few minutes after we arrived. Luckily, Ty is here tonight and tomorrow night and then we’ll make it home late Friday night, probably around midnight. He’ll stay down with Jagger Friday night and get to go to some graduation parties with him. With Harley, something has to give as we’re not letting any dog dictate our life. Lori called our vet for some new trainer recommendations.
6:20am now. Time to get moving. Jag is all done with college around 5 this afternoon. Hard to believe it’s finally here. Be well, stay safe and God Bless.
WOW! Nuggets were down by I think 17 points and won in the last 3 seconds. No one picked us. But I did! So did my teller at our bank who’s a big fan. We both had them winning when we talked about it yesterday morning. I just had a feeling Oklahoma would come out too confident as they did win 68 regular season games, swept their first series 4 games in a row, and had 8 days rest. Everything and everybody said we should or would lose, and we could have. But we didn’t give up and kept fighting and shocked OKC and the Basketball World. Fun time.
Yesterday I had a bunch of phone calls. I’m trying to keep the two people I spent all week figuring out how to let go. Our cash position changed a bit allowing us to do so. Lots going on. I was in Denver at the warehouse by 8:30 and at the bank a few minutes after 9 and on the way home by 9:10. I stopped at Marty’s as he wanted some wine for closing gifts that he gives to buyers after he sells them a house.
We’re taking Harley to the doggie day care at 11 this morning to see how she reacts. Ty is now staying here Wednesday and Thursday nights and coming down Friday. We’ll drive back late Friday night, so we have her covered. Ty will stay with Jagger and party Friday night.
Yesterday the Marriott called me and had a cancellation for Wednesday night, so we’re going down tomorrow afternoon. We’ll stay Wednesday and Thursday nights in Boulder meaning we don’t have to get up at 4 am Thursday morning, sweet. We still need to come up with a long-term solution for Harley for when we go out of town.
Lori is working in Edwards today and I’m headed to the gym. Two more days of finals for the kids. I think Jag is done around 5 tomorrow night. Been a long road for him. He deserves a lot of credit. Can’t wait to see what the next chapter of his life brings for him and Ava.
