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June 27 Three Levels of Ball - June 27, 2007We had a weekend full of baseball. Yes, Lis adored it!
Major Leagues on Friday, Minors on Saturday and the Schmo’s softball league on Sunday. For me it was nearly a weekend in heaven, except for the fact that I had to work late Sunday evening.
We’ll start with Friday and the return of Ken Griffey Jr. to Seattle. But before I go into my commentary, I’ll start by talking about Lis’s favorite part of the weekend.
First I took Friday off to spend with the family. We’re not taking a vacation this year so we’ve decided that I would just take days off and we’d spend the day together with the three of us.
Friday morning we went hiking – just the three of us. Lukas did great! He kept up with us (or maybe we kept up with him) never lagging too far behind despite the trail being primarily up hill.
Even when I raced ahead to hide behind a tree he wasn’t too far behind. It was a nice hike and a good workout for the three of us. Unfortunately for Lis we had a baseball game to go to so we had to stop at the first trail post and then turn around and walk back. By this time Lukas was lagging behind, so Lis and I took turns carrying him down the hill and we made great time getting back to the car.
Now to my commentary on Junior’s return:
He walked onto the field that he helped "build" wearing a Reds uniform. Just watching him gracefully walk to the podium made the entire crowd -- adorned in retro Mariners jerseys – giddy. The prodigal son had arrived. Seven years after shunning the city, expressing his feelings to play closer to home, to his family in … Florida? How easily we all forget, after all it was seven years ago that Junior told the Mariners that he wanted to be traded to Cincinnati. Sure it was closer to home, anything other than Seattle would be.
He told us all in a press conference in February 2000, "I’m finally home," when he was announced as the newest member of the Cincinnati Reds.
But c’mon, you met your wife here. You had two kids here. You had a home here. Why couldn’t Seattle be home?
So Cincinnati he went on and we all tried to move on. So I had thought until this weekend when Junior returned and the Mariners fans came out in droves, booing our players if they struck out Junior or threw to first while Junior was at-bat. Giving him a standing ovation when he hit two home runs on Sunday. Throwing a pre-game ceremony for a guy that hasn’t even retired yet. It was all a little too much.
My only hope, after watching the fans go nuts (most giving him a standing ovation as he walked onto the on deck circle before an at-bat or trotted out to right field), was that Junior would walk to the podium and give a speech that you’d give an ex-lover that can’t get over you, "Get over it! It was seven years ago. It’s time to move on. Sure we shared some great memories but times have changed. I’ve changed and you should all change. Throw away those mixed tapes and move on with your life."
But he didn’t. Instead he teased the Seattle fans saying that its possible he’d return to finish his career. Just what the Mariners need, two years down the line and aging Junior at the end of his game filling us all with hope, as if he’s going to continue to launch balls into the upper deck and make Spider-Man like catches in centerfield.
I had mixed emotions. I wanted to see how the fans treated Junior, and they treated him like royalty. Practically begging him to comeback as if we’d be reminded of the "golden" days of Mariners baseball from 1995-1997. Wait, didn’t we win 116 games in 2001 and get to the ALCS? Didn’t we make the ALCS in 2000? Why are we still reminded of 1995 and 1997 when it was Ichiro that led the charge in ’01 and A-Rod in 2000?
Of course we’ll boo A-Rod and throw fake money at him because he did what 95-percent of us would do. He took the big money that was thrown at him. What if Griffey played out his contract in 2000? Maybe we would’ve made the World Series or more. We’ll never know.
I had mixed emotions coming into Friday’s game. I had wanted to see Junior’s return and be a part of it. But when I saw Safeco Field go overboard with emotion it made me realize that this city doesn’t get over things like it should. Or maybe Seattle’s just not a baseball town.
Saturday we attempted to do some yard work at my parent’s house before going to an Everett AquaSox game. The AquaSox are the single A affiliate of the Mariners, for those that care. We were invited by our friends, Chris and Allison, to attend the AquaSox game and celebrate Allison’s graduation from college. They had reserved an area along the right field side that was used for parties. We got some grub before the game then got to hang out and lean on the fence alongside the visitor’s bullpen. It was a great location and a lot of fun. Lukas got to play with his friend Zach and Lis let me buy a beer for the second night in a row. Ever since we returned from Brazil last year I’ve acquired a taste for the suds and Saturday’s beer was cold and tasty!
Allison was picked to do an on field promotion. She won some AquaSox tickets and the complete 1977 World Series on DVD. Though we laughed about the prize, I secretly thought it was cool and will probably hit them up to borrow it sometime. Not only was it the Series that occurred a week after I was born, but its also best known for turning Reggie Jackson into Mr. October. Well I guess he did that to himself by clubbing three home runs in consecutive at-bats. The DVD series also inspired me to throw a 1977 party. Details are still in the works, but those DVDs along with any Star Wars stuff (also born in ’77) are all part of the master plan.
We and the Schauble’s outlasted the rest of the gang and hung out until the game ended and allowed us to have our kids run around the bases and thus getting them closer and closer to nigh-night time.
Sunday was Opening Day for our softball league. Erik was back on the mound, Josh was back in left and since Chris had to miss the game, I was back in my natural and most favorite position of first base. I loved it! We hit like crap the first game and lost 7-2, though four of those runs were unearned. In the second game our bats came alive and we won 7-1. Erik was great, our defense was superb, Graham hit a 3-run home run and we had a fun time splitting the day. Playing with Graham, Lans and Jake make things loose. They enjoy joking around and every time I took my position at first base I’d yell to the guys, "Zero outs fellas!" Then after every out, or every so often, Lans would yell out my name from left-center and I’d respond with "One!" or "Two outs!" depending on how many were out in the inning. It was a lot of fun and I already look forward to next weekend’s game.
Oh, I thought I would do this also. Using my prep beat writing skills I’ll write a short summary on our games, with box score included. Enjoy!
MONROE – Defense can win you games and it can you lose you games too. (Our team) proved that Sunday splitting a doubleheader on the opening day of the softball season.
(Our team) dropped the first game 7-2, though four of the runs were unearned. With the bases loaded and two outs (some dude) hit a comebacker to the pitcher, Erik Johnson. Johnson fielded the ball cleanly and immediately threw to first base. The ball sailed high over the head of first baseman Kevin Johnson allowing two runners to score. Two batters later (another dude) hit a lazy fly ball to left field the left fielder Josh Middleton played off his chin for another (other team) run.
"It was just a couple minor miscues, I think our loss was more due to our lack of hitting," Kevin Johnson said.
The (our team) struggled to get runners across the plate. Corey Lambert singled in a run for the (our team).
The (again our team) bounced back in the second game winning convincingly 7-1. Graham Bashford hit a 3-run home run. The second baseman raised his average to .571 on the season. Middleton batted 4-for-4 with three runs scored and Erik Johnson pitched another complete game going seven solid innings and pitching out of two jams with runners in scoring position.
"Our defense was solid all around all day. Ross was a Gold Glover at third. Coach Gepner was great at short, Graham was a star at the plate and not too shabby playing out of position at second, Erik bounced back from his game one error and played solidly and our outfielders were solid too. I wasn’t too shabby at first either," Kevin said. June 17 Happy Father's Day 2007 - June 17, 2007
Last year I made a list of the top 10 Father-Son movies of all-time.
This year I couldn’t think of any thing "special" to do for Father’s Day. But an idea popped into my head as I drove into work on Friday morning listening to sports talk radio.
They were asking callers to call in and give one quirk that their dad does.
I immediately thought, "What a great idea for a blog entry! I’ll do the top 10 quirks that my Dad does!"
So I phoned my brothers asking for their help in thinking of 10 quirks. Erik and Randy were both up for the idea and immediately gave me one or two suggestions.
I asked them to think about it for a day and then get back to me.
Sunday roles around and I phone them both. They both gave almost identical answers, "Oh yeah...sort of forgot about that." I had to admit, I did too.
But anyway, here I am late Sunday night making a list of some of the quirks that my Dad does. I couldn’t come up with 10 instead deciding on five.
So here they are...the top five quirks that my Dad has:
5. Up, down, up, down, just pick a volume! Nothing is more annoying then someone fidgeting with the dials of the car stereo. Well, meet my Dad, Captain Fidget. I seriously believe he has Attention Deficit Disorder. He turns up the volume, a second later he turns it down, he turns it up, a second later he turns it down. You get the point. He’s always got to have a hand on some dial and moving it around some way.
4. Sleepy Driver: Maybe the reason Dad fidgets so much with the dial is because he’d be asleep if he didn’t. Yep, Dad’s planned another road-trip. We’re supposed to leave right after school but the clock says 8 PM and we still haven’t attached the trailer to the truck. Once we are on the road we need to switch drivers because Dad’s eyes are rolling back into his head, his knee is shaking and he’s got one hand at 12 o’clock and the other wishing it were in bed. Sure my Mom can continue to shout "Ken! Ken!" but after a few hours of that, Dad’s already ignoring that and he’s ready for the pillow. Makes for some interesting late night drives though.
3. That Darn TiVo: Okay, so I totally agree that TiVo is one of the greatest inventions in the last 30 years. But do you really need to TiVo the friggin’ weather? My Dad does. He uses the excuse that he needs to know what the weather is going to be like because of his job (construction), but c’mon, TiVo-ing the weather. And then Mom comes in and he’s got to stop and play, stop and play, throughout the weather because she’s talking. Oh it’s exciting and one of the few quirks that drive my brothers and I crazy. Personally we’d prefer if Dad used the excuse that he TiVo’s the weather for the weather gal.
2. The Million Dollar Idea: Dad has always said he’d make a million dollars. But as our good friend Dale Griffith, from Planes, Trains & Automobiles, would say, "I’m still a million bucks shy of being a millionaire." He’s always got an idea for making a million dollars - from being a 17-year-old bong salesman to a 48-year-old construction manager - but unfortunately for us, the idea has never worked out. That’s okay Pa, we don’t fault you for trying -- too much.
1. "We’ll figure something out." His trademark saying. We’ve already got his tombstone picked out. Name, date he was born, date he passed and "Here lies Ken. He finally figured it out." Dad’s got a knack for telling us "We’ll figure something out" whenever we need something from him. Even if we don’t need something from him, maybe we just want his opinion on something like my Mom’s upcoming birthday, he’ll still answer "We’ll figure something out." Which translates to, "I don’t want to think about it right now and I’m not going to think about it right now so ask me sometime later."
I hope you enjoyed them and I hope, if my Dad reads them or has my Mom read them for him, that he enjoys them and finds them amusing and not harmful.
Right now they are cruising Idaho and Montana looking to hit up dog shows. Go ahead and laugh - I’m not joking.
Dad, if you didn’t have these five quirks you wouldn’t be unique and you wouldn’t be my father.
Who knows, maybe one day Lukas will be typing in his blog writing 10 wacky quirks that I have. Who knows, maybe Lis has already started a list for him.
Happy Father’s Day! Here is the slideshow I made last year. June 15 Our Upcoming Weekends - June 15, 2007We thought things would settle down a bit after the ACS Relay for Life ended but after one free weekend (June 9-10) we’re back with a full plate of stuff going on for the next month. Now it looks like we might not have a free weekend until July 14.
No problem because everything on our plate involves a lot of having fun. We hope. Here is a look at what the next couple of weekends will bring for Lis, Lukas and myself.
June 15 – 17 Tonight (Friday, June 15) Lis, Lukas and I are headed to Whidbey Island to attend the unveiling of the new baseball field at South Whidbey High School. In March I had written a story about a South Whidbey teenager named Colton Wilson that has cancer and was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Colton’s wish was to redo the baseball field at his high school. The wish was so selfless and amazing that it has brought a lot of attention to Colton, as it should since it’s a remarkable story. You can read my preview story of the event here and read my cover story here. I’m so pleased to say that I was the first one to write about the story and that both his Mom and coach have said that they have enjoyed my story the most. It makes me very happy to be a part of this amazing story.
Anyway, Lis, Lukas and I are going to attend the ceremony and I’ll also be writing about it for the newspaper.
Saturday, Mike has organized the first annual Herald Hoopfest. The guys from the Sports department at the Herald are getting together to play basketball for a few hours on Saturday morning. It will the first time we’ve all gotten together to play sports. I mean Mike and I have played ball together for a few years now and Chris played along with us for a year. We also had a volleyball team for two years at the Herald picnic, but never has the department gotten together to play basketball. It should be fun.
Sunday is Father’s Day. My Dad is with my Mom at a dog show in Idaho and I think I’m scheduled to work that evening so it shouldn’t be an exciting Father’s Day.
June 22-24 Next Friday (June 22) I’ve requested off so that Lis, Lukas and I can spend the day together. We’re going to a Mariners game to watch Ken Griffey Jr’s return to Safeco Field. Should be an exciting evening.
Saturday, June 23, we’re going to another baseball game. This time to the Seattle Mariner’s A-ball team the Everett Aquasox. Our friends Chris and Allison have invited us to attend the game as they are celebrating Allison’s graduation from college.
The 24th is my Grandma’s birthday and again I’m scheduled to work. Lame!
June 29-July 1 We’re celebrating my Mom’s 50th birthday this weekend. She doesn’t turn the big five-oh until July 4, but since her birthday falls on a Wednesday we’ve decided to celebrate it a weekend earlier. We were thinking of throwing a barbecue party but didn’t get a good response back from wannabe guests. Then my Mom mentioned wanting to go dancing or clubbin’. So we’re going clubbin’ for my Mom’s birthday. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
We’re taking the motor home to downtown Seattle with about 15 people and hitting up six dance clubs for the low price of $10. That’s right $10 gets you into six clubs and don’t think we’re not going to try to hit all six of them. Randy is coming up again. My Mom’s brother, Uncle Steve, will be up here. Her Aunt, Aunt June will be here. And Josh, Aaron, and Erik’s friends Nick, Kirstin, Ben and Stacy are all going to join us on the "party bus". What! What!
July 6-8 I actually finish off my vacation days on July 2-5 but don’t have anything planned. July 7 our friends, the Fitzgerald’s are throwing a retirement party for Ed and have invited us to come along. They’ve also asked if my brothers and I could DJ their party. Nervous? A little bit. But it’s an honor that they picked us and I hope that we make them proud. I guess Ed’s wife Carol recommended us to her kids, who were looking for a DJ. Carol had seen us at my Grandparent’s anniversary party last year and thought we did a good job. Now I hope we can repeat our performance for their retirement party and in front of strangers we don’t know.
So as you can see we might be busy but it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’ll be sure to let you know how they all turn out. Peace and happiness forever! June 12 Cancer Strikes Again - June 12, 2007God and Life work in interesting ways. One day you’re going about your business and the next you’re being told you have cancer. The news sends a shock through your body. You’re confused because you don’t understand how you "caught" cancer. You’re sad because hearing the word "cancer" is never a good thing. And you’re scared because you know the next couple of months bring uncertainty. That’s how we felt on April 7, 2005 when Lis was diagnosed with leukemia. That’s what one of my best and closest friends, Dennis, is feeling today after being diagnosed with lymphoma on Monday, June 11, 2007.
Dennis was one of the first people I met when my family migrated from Hawaii to Washington State in May 1992 – yes one month before school ended and definitely not enough time to make friends. We shared the same lunch period and every lunch hour we’d grab our lunches, he of the school-bought kind and me of the sack lunch, and head off to the back of the school where nobody could find us. Unfortunately, we found each other. We talked a couple of times before the school year ended but that was it.
Our "friendship" rekindled later that fall when school resumed. Again, I’d take my sack lunch and head to the picnic bench furthest from everyone else. Unfortunately, I kept running into this Canadian-born kid. We eventually struck up a conversation and a couple weeks later we’d be joined by a mullet-sporting, Hammer-pants wearing, lanky kid by the name of Josh. Yes, the same Josh I continuously mention in my blog.
Dennis, Josh and I had one common interest. Okay, maybe two, besides hiding from everyone else we also loved sports. I’d wear my T-shirts with sports caricatures on the front, Josh would wear his Charlotte Hornets hat and Dennis would wear his USA basketball tee. We were geeks of the biggest kind (see photo below).
Josh and Dennis had already known each other though they weren’t really "friends" but acquaintances. Later that fall Dennis would get the chicken pox and would force me into forming a friendship with Josh.
The three of us eventually became friends and the real icebreaker was when Josh invited us over for his birthday to play some football. There we met Wendell, a short, stocky guy that also had a love of sports. Together we became the self-named "Fab Four". Okay, maybe Josh, Dennis and Wendell didn’t name us that but I did! What! What!
Dennis and I became best friends throughout the remainder of our high school career (sophomore – seniors). We took Driver’s Ed together and always took our drives at the same time. He, however, got his license before me because he wasn’t afraid to drive and his parent’s forced him to.
When everyone else from our class went to a movie on Senior Skip-Day, Dennis and I went golfing and had Burger King. He loved his Whoppers!
Together Josh, Dennis, Wendell and I spent countless Friday and Saturdays together playing basketball until midnight and Mario Kart until 3am.
After high school Josh went into the Army and Dennis and I still hung out. He eventually became my parent’s fourth son, house-sitting for us when we went on family vacations and spending more time than I did at the house.
Every afternoon after I got home from community college Dennis would come over and play Ping-Pong. We’d play for hours straight; I won frequently though the games were always close.
Dennis and I became friends with a couple other guys from high school, Shawnn and Ian. Together we formed the group KIDS (Kevin, Ian, Dennis, Shawnn).
With Josh in the military, Ian became his replacement and the three of us would end up spending a lot of time together. We’d go on weekend trips together and Ian showed us the nightlife. Together the three of us went to our first dance club together and they got me drunk for the first time (believe it or not, I was 21). At right: Dennis enjoying a beer at my parent's house.
Sadly, a girl sort of got in the way of our friendship. Dennis had told me about a girl he liked, that girl ended up liking me, I ended up dating that girl and Dennis, confused about what he wanted to do with his life, joined the Air Force. The day that he left we shared a good hug and a few tears saying goodbye to each other. One of the hardest times of my life - saying goodbye to my best friend.
Dennis would return occasionally and would once again enter my personal record books with one of the funniest moments of my life, though he’d disagree.
Ian, Dennis and I hit up Seattle for a night on the town a couple days before he was to leave for South Korea. We had a couple drinks but felt fine. A couple minutes later we were all out of it. Dennis decided to (and I begin chuckling as I write this) jump and touch a sign that was about 8-feet off the ground. When he landed, he hit the slick sidewalk, stumbled then fell into a parked car. He then bounced off the parked car, landing in a puddle and hitting his face on the sidewalk curb. Seriously it was hilarious (and I begin to laugh louder) until he stood up and smiled at us (and if I find that photo I'll post it here).
It was then that Ian looked at him and said, "Dennis, what’s wrong with your tooth?"
His front tooth was in half, the bottom part dangling from a root.
Dennis became furious, yelling "My tooth!" Of course, that was mixed in with a bunch of obscenities.
He KO’d a newspaper stand and knocked over a few people en route to his way to the closest bathroom. A few people weren’t happy but Ian and I had to tell them to don’t let it bother them. Nobody would be winning a fight with him at that time.
The next day we had to find a dentist open on a Sunday. A couple days later he had part of his tooth removed. It wasn’t until the next time he visited that he showed me he had to wear a retainer with a fake tooth. It actually made for some funny jokes as he’d be talking to people and one minute he had all his teeth and the next one was missing.
Dennis and I would keep in touch. Josh came back and took Dennis’ place and Josh, Ian and I would often call Dennis late at night (or early in the morning England time, where he was stationed) to bother him.
In late January 2005, Josh and I flew down to Las Vegas to spend time with Dennis at his bachelor’s party. Though there were about 10 other guys there Dennis spent most of his time with Josh, me and his buddy from the Air Force. Below: The groom and his best man (Dennis and Kevin). Feb 2004. In February 2005 Dennis married Allie. Being the good friend that he is, Dennis asked me to be his best man. I gave a speech, broke out in tears and did the whole, "I love you man!" thing. My family joined us and we all had a great time at the shortest ceremony in the history of weddings. I’m not kidding!
In April (coincidentally, the 7th) 2006, Dennis and Allie had a baby girl Ellena. I think she looks like Denny, Lis will say she looks like Allie. Either way, he joined the fatherhood world.
We saw him again February 2006 when Lis, Lukas and I went to Disneyland and in November when the whole family went to California for our friend’s wedding.
He’s always been one of my best friends (Lis and Josh being the other two), someone you can always lean on. Ask my parent's to name their "other" kids and Dennis and Josh will be the top two on their list. At right: We're so cool! (Josh, Dennis and Kevin)
And now this. It’s so odd for me because before Lis, I had known just one person close to me, to have cancer. That was my Grandpa who had a cancer in one of his kidneys. They removed it and he didn’t have to go through any real intense treatment procedures.
Then Lis was diagnosed and cancer became a part of our life. I realized that many people are affected by it and too many people have it. In fact, I heard that Tony from our old Goonies team, and a co-worker of Lisy’s, had leukemia, though we haven’t been able to confirm that with him.
But come on! My wife and my longest and closest friend!? It didn’t make sense!
Dennis usually calls me every Monday on his way to school, just so we can keep in touch. Our conversations are mostly about fantasy sports as we play fantasy football, basketball and baseball together. But yesterday’s conversation was a little different, a little somber. Sure we made stupid jokes about the fact that he’ll lose all of his body hair (he’s not disappointed about losing the chest hair he dislikes) but still its cancer and that’s no joke.
Currently, he’s unsure what the next couple of weeks will hold for him. He’s got some blockage in his intestines that he may have to have surgery on. This is what actually put up the red flags because he lost 30 pounds, and had to go to the hospital with stomach illness.
He will have to go through chemotherapy though he doesn’t know how intense or anything. After doing some research last night, Lis and I noticed that a lot of time its outpatient chemotherapy, which means he won’t have to hang out in the hospital for weeks. Though it doesn’t sound as intense as what Lis went through (we unfortunately didn’t notice the red flags waving in front of our eyes) I still have to watch as my friend goes through the same thing that Lis had to go through. After seeing her go through chemo, I don’t wish it on anybody.
What I do wish is that you all add my buddy Dennis to your "thoughts and prayer" list. I know it helped with Lis and I want to the same help for him. Thanks! June 05 Team Force...What! What! - June 4, 2007Our third American Cancer Society Relay for Life event was a complete success and the best one I have participated in.
Not only did it not rain for the first time in three years, but we raised more money ($2,057.53 this year) than we did last year ($1500) and Team Force also won the Team Spirit competition (winning over 35 other teams). Which means that we get our team name engraved on a plaque that lists the teams that have won the team competition, thus entering the Relay for Life history books! What! What! I’ll get back to the "What! What!" in a bit.
As a whole the entire Relay for Life of Monroe raised over an amazing $148,000!
I also made it through the entire night staying awake for over 24 hours. It was the first time in the three years that I have done the Relay that I had remained awake. Erik, Randy, Josh, Mom, Randy’s friend Karsten and I all made it through the entire event (actually just Mom and I made it through the entire event as Randy, Josh and Erik showed up late).
Now to the "What! What!"
According to the Urban Dictionary, "What! What!" is often used as a sort of taunt after a proclamation has been made. This is usually used in the hip-hop genre. For example, whenever the DJ mentioned Team Force we’d all holler "What! What!" By the end of the event the DJ and the team were feeding off each other as he’d say into the mic, "And where’s Team Force at?" and then point the mic out towards the crowd as we’d shout "What! What!"
Once again the DJ rocked! He stayed up the entire night and kept us entertained and awake. At 3am he breaks out dance music and we have a dance party until 6am.
The entire team did a great job participating in the even, despite just five (plus Karsten makes six) team members staying for the entire walk. I believe everyone had a great time and allowed us to be a team to be reckoned with in the Team Spirit competition. Last year we lost out by a point or two, this year it was different. We may have blown everyone out of the water if we had more participants overnight…that’s right I’m calling the rest of you out!
Randy once again participated in the Mr. Relay competition, and though he finished runner-up in last year’s event, he made a promise to comeback this year and better that result. And he made good on that promise blowing everyone out of the water wearing a Marilyn Monroe dress and wig that the Holmers brought for him to use.
Randy outlasted 10 other guys dressed up as women to win the event. He went one-on-one with a high school kid that thought the competition should be decided by a dance off. Randy, being a pretty fly dancer for a white guy, told the kid in his head, "You’re digging your own grave" and then blew the kid out of the water. What! What!
Randy would later win the Relay Idol (yes, a karaoke take on the ever-popular American Idol) with a Sanjaya-esque performance of Donna Summers "Last Dance". I say Sanjaya because like Mr. Malakar, Randy’s voice isn’t the stuff dreams are made of but his dance routine and crowd involvement made him a favorite and the winner. Other special thanks to… Roseanne AKA Josh’s Mom, for doing a great job keeping the track warm all day long. She battled her son for most laps and also did a fine job of getting points for the theme laps. I’m not sure what the final tally was between she and Josh but it’s enough to make my feet sore just thinking about it. Roseanne also raised the most money ($500) besting me ($335), Jessica ($210), and Mike ($155). Marika and Jessica also did a fine job of getting points on the theme laps, thanks for being prepared with costumes. The Holmers for bringing the dress Randy wore while being crowned Mr. Relay 2007 and for hanging out and having a good time with us. Cory had a great time on his birthday square dancing with my Mom and sipping on some Wired X energy drink! Thanks to Chris and Allison, who were there for nearly the entire day on Saturday hanging out, walking and having fun. Thanks to Dad for setting up and taking down camp.
Thanks to Sarah, Fernanda, Lance, Nick, Kirsten, Gepner and Mike for also joining us in the sunshine. Thanks to everyone that participated in a team competition. Jessica for knocking 12-year-old girls out of the way to grab that rubber ducky. Ian for sticking his face into a plate of cool whip (no thanks for wiping it on my sweatshirt). Grandma for doing the cake walk. Grandpa for being an Idol judge. Am I missing someone? And finally big props once again to Mom, Randy, Erik, Josh, Karsten and even me for making it the entire way! The six of us made it through the entire night dancing, walking and dancing some more. Oh and for Lis, the reason I bother you all to raise money then come out and withstand hanging out with the Johnsons for 24-hours. She's our survivor! If I didn't mention you don't think you're not loved.
It was a beautiful weekend and a ton of fun. My family and I always enjoy hanging out for the weekend and participating in the event and though I get frustrated sometimes because we’re not raising a ton of money or there isn’t a lot of team participation, it always comes out great in the end.
And even though we have a lot of fun we’re always reminded of why we do this and why we formed a team in the first place. Not just to raise awareness and money for cancer research but to be reminded of the battle Lis faced and won two years ago with leukemia.
It’s an amazing event with an incredible turnout. The people that put it on do a great job and the DJ does an awesome job of keeping the event in order.
Thanks to everyone that donated to our team and the cause. Thanks to everyone that played a part in Team Force’s success. I couldn’t do it without you all
UPDATE: Photos are above. Video is below. Peace and What! What! |
At left: The Fab Four (Josh, Dennis, Wendell and Kevin) in 1994...nice legs!
At left: The Fab Four (Josh, Dennis, Kevin and Wendell) at my reception in 2003.
At left: Me and My Gang (top row: Josh, Kevin, Lis, Ian D. and Ian B. bottom row: Randy, Dennis and Erik).
At left: The boys (Erik, Randy, Dennis, Dad and Kevin) at Dennis' wedding. Feb '04.
At left: Dennis (with Ellena) and Kevin (with Peyton's No. 18). Nov 2006.
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