Here we go again!

     Well after last weeks ordeal I am off this morning for some more fun and festivities in the big city of Bozeman!  As I write this I realize not too long ago this would more likely be the time frame in which I was getting home for the night instead of starting my day!  I have made plenty of other early morning runs for work and will continue to do so with this new job, but they never seem to get any easier.  But with a thermos full of coffee and no one to share the highway with other than a few truckers, I kind of look forward to it.  Some of my best ideas in life have come to me in the wee hours of the morning while behind the wheel.
     My arm has slowly began to feel a little better, the swelling has gone down a little.  I've had it in the sling most of the weekend and hopefully by the time Wednesday rolls around the swelling will be gone so they can get a good picture of it.  
     And with the sound of my backup alarm going off I should probably wrap this up and hit the road!  I'm sure that just woke Kelli up which I know will make her delighted!:)  I hope you all have a great week and I will try to do the same, after last week I got no where to go but up!


Remember, wether you think you can or you think you can't, either way your right!

What a week!

     Raise your hand if you had a whirlwind of a week.....ok, I can't seem to find an icon that resembles a hand but know that mine is raised high!  I haven't posted anything on here for a week because, as those of you who follow this know, I took a job in Bozeman on Monday and spent the week over there without a computer.  That is where my week started, by finally finding a job after nearly two and a half months of unemployment and self loathing!  I got the call Monday morning and was asked to start that afternoon so after an quick lunch with my very happy wife, I headed East.  We were both thrilled about the job, even if it brought with it a weekly commute.
     Once I met the office staff in the afternoon, the project manager gave me the plans to a new office building going up in town.  I couldn't believe that just a few hours after getting hired I was going to be running a job!  I was thrilled!!  Tuesday morning brought with it a brand new attitude from me, once again I felt the gratitude of earning a good wage in each drop of sweat rolling down my brow.  Then, as I was carrying more materials inside the building, my feet went out from underneath me on the slippery snow covered job site!  I attempted to catch myself with my left arm but the fall was too much for it to handle on its own and it bent at the elbow, the wrong direction!  I picked myself up off the ground and as another worker asked if i was ok form across the site, I struggled to keep form passing out.  The initial pain was excruciating but within minutes, as I was examining the damages, the pain went away and I had nearly full range of motion.  The elbow began to swell immediately though and I knew that even though nothing felt broken, something was definitely wrong.  So I made the appropriate phone calls to the office to report the accident and explained to them that I felt ok and I would go into urgent care after work and have it looked at.  I dug into my bag of tricks and improvised an ice pack out of a sandwich bag and a hand full of snow, then duck taped it around my arm.  I'm pretty sure survivor man's got nothing on me!
     They x-rayed the arm at urgent care and decided that it did not appear broken so I was to wear a sling as much as possible and rest the arm, followed with more x-rays next Wednesday.  I "rested" my arm as much as could be expected considering I just started a new job and was working alone all week.  Some of the tasks at work were fairly challenging but I was productive still and while driving home last night for the weekend my arm was starting to feel a little better.
     When I got home the girls, all five of them, were happy to see me!  Even Tula, the cat who hates me with a passion, seemed to be glad to see me.  When I hauled my stuff in through the back yard I must have accidentally left the gate open and about an hour later when I went to put the dogs to bed there was only one, Duchess had slipped out.  The gate had been blown shut by the wind also so I franticly searched all of the yard and tried to wrap my head around just how she would have gotten out.  Kelli was in bed by the time I came in to tell her what had happened and she got out of bed and watched the front porch while I drove around the neighborhood.  Duchess got out one other time last year and she just showed up on the front porch a while later so we were both hoping she would do the same thing this time.  
     When I returned to the house Duchess hadn't shown up so Kelli and i decided to both take separate cars out to look for her.  We drove everywhere!  While driving around my mind continued to race, how was I going to explain to my new boss that I can't make it to work next week cause I can't find my baby!  What if she went up the mountain and ran into another animal who is far hungrier than she is and I never see her again!  What if she wandered the short distance to the interstate and got in the way of the traffic!  I stifled all of these thoughts with a short silent prayer that we would find her.  Not more than two minutes later Kelli called me and told me she had found her!  She was in the alley behind our house and Kelli said as she drove down the alley she noticed a black thing in front of the car and she stopped to look closer at it.  Upon realizing it was nothing more than a shadow, she felt an urge to look to her right and Duchess was standing there right outside her passenger door staring at her!  Thank God Kelli followed her hunch and looked to the right!
     So as I write this, with all dogs present and accounted for and with one and a half good arms, I wonder if anyone else has weeks like this as often as I do.  I'm sure everyone does I just seem to have them on a more frequent basis.  The next time your having a bad week at work or at home though just think about me.  I may have set a new record by filing a workers compensation claim 4 1/2 hours into my first day on the job and then got to cap it all of by nearly loosing my duck commander!  


Remember, life would be boring if we didn't have a few bumps in the road to navigate!  

Back to work!

     After what seems like an eternity of sitting at home searching for any available avenue of employment, I have taken an opportunity with a plumbing company based out of Manhattan.  To Kellis dismay, it's the Manhattan that is situated just West of Bozeman, not the glamorous big city in the East.  We are excited for a chance for me to get some steady income again as everything I have heard or seen about this company appears promising.  Who knows where this will take us, all I know for now is that it will take me to Bozeman for the remainder of the week!  I leave this afternoon and start work tomorrow!  Everything is kind of moving fast but it's out of my hands, this is where God is leading us so it is where we will go.
     If this blog is not updated for a few days it is not because I have given up on it, it is simply because I can't leave my wife stranded at home for a week without Pinterest:)  SO with that, here we go, off to start another chapter in our lives.  Wether this is the right job for me or not will be proven in the next few days, for now I'm just happy to be working again!  All of a sudden Kauai seems possible again!!


Remember, if a door opens step through it, live with no regrets!

Back home!

     Well after a very long week in Spokane, I am back home enjoying a lazy afternoon from my couch!  Action man had a very difficult time coming out of his surgery and finally on Friday evening we finally took him home.  I think anyone who has spent a night or two at the hospital would agree that once your out of a hospital bed and in your own your overall condition seems to improve immediately!  So once he was settled in I came home and left him in GG's hands, she is felling increasingly better from her surgery so she is able to take good care of him.  It might take Dad a while to get used to the fact that she is his personal driver for the next few weeks but I'm sure she'll do great.  He'll just have to set all of the clocks in the house about twenty minutes fast so when she's scrambling to get out the door to his therapy appointment he's got a few extra minutes!
     One thing is for sure, after watching Action fight to get healthy all week, I cannot wait for him to get over this little bump in the road and back on the course!  I know he has set himself up a mental goal of May 14th to get back on the links and he better bank on me being there to tee it up with him!  I'm thinking maybe a return trip to the Coeur D' Alene resort might be a great place to kick off his summer of golf!  I don't care where he wants to go, I just want to be there!  After watching how hard of a struggle it has been so far and knowing how long he's been living in pain with is knee, no one deserves it more than him!  Heres hoping recovery goes even better than expected and we're teeing it up sooner than later!  If anybody can defy the doctors deadline with hard work and determination, it's the Action man!  Good luck Dad, we're all rooting for ya!!


Remember, even if the road you're on is bumpy, the destination will be worth it!

Look out folks, Papas got a brand new knee!

     I took advantage of my current job situation and came over to Spokane to help out with the Action man as he went under the knife for a total knee replacement.  His surgery was yesterday, Valentines day, and it went extremely well!  His Dr. was very happy with the results and now we are anxiously awaiting his release from the hospital.  Even though he has threatened to just "walk right outta this place" many times, he's not going anywhere until he can climb the therapy steps on his own.  If things go as planned we'll be headed home tomorrow by noon.  
     In the meantime, Mother and I continue to hold down the fort from room 424.  These places tend to give me the heebie geebies so I've been spending as little time as possible in the room!  He's been getting plenty of visitors though from his sister Linda to the little miss T-bug, theres definitely no shortage of encouragement!  Who knows, at this rate maybe we can get in a quick nine Friday afternoon before I head back to Missoula!  OK maybe thats not a good idea, either way he's on his way back!

The Deck!

     Recently my Mother commented on her favorite spot to enjoy the AZ sunshine which is the deck.  She elaborated a bit on how much fun she has had on the deck and how many memories have been made on the deck.  Her post got me thinking on how true that statement really is.  For as long as I can remember I have had either a deck, or when the elevated wooden structure wasn't possible, a patio to enjoy.  So many of my fondest memories have taken place on the deck, much like my Mother.

     This deck is an extension off of the dining room at the vacation rental South of Darby that Kelli and I shared a Memorial Day weekend with her parents last year.  Even though it is not very big and we were only there a few days, this deck provided the foundation for some lasting memories as we enjoyed peaceful mountain sunsets while Dan barbecued up a tasty steak dinner.
     Some of my deck memories are sad, while being reprimanded by my Mother for taking some of Curt's baseball cards to trade with the neighbor kid, a railing gave way and she fell about ten feet landing on the rocks below!  I was mortified, thankfully she walked away from the incident with no more than a pounding headache.  Some of my deck memories are funny, like when Kelli and I took advantage of a deal we saw in the paper for a little romantic getaway to the hot springs at Lolo, only to find the worlds smallest porch greeting us for our getaway (the one in this picture below).  There wasn't even enough room for both of us to sit on this one at the same time but we still had a good enough laugh about it to form a lasting memory.

       Every one of my deck memories are lasting, regardless of where they take place.  I have too many to list from my childhood, from barbecues with friends, to smores over the fire pit, almost every time I am on a deck a memory is born.  These memories can come from more than just decks too, it can be a patio, a porch, or even just a bare patch of yard.  The only requirements are a barbecue, a fire pit (sometimes these can be the same thing like they often are in Butte at the Skannons), and a healthy array of seating.  If you can make a spot at your house meeting these three requirements I can all but guarantee that you will have no trouble at all building memories of your own.  
     So when Kelli and I bought a house that had no area like this in place what do you suppose the first order of business was once the boxes were all unpacked, you guessed it, a patio.  I know it's technically not a deck, a deck just wouldn't work with this house layout, but I am certain that since this meets the criteria mentioned above that we will have no trouble at all building more memories, we've only had the patio six months and we already have.  So if you don't have a deck, patio, or porch to build memories from I strongly suggest you get to know someone who does, I promise you won't regret it!

     One more thing, don't forget to grab your snow shovel and use your deck throughout the winter months.  Trust me, your barbecue grill and your family will thank you for it!


Remember, the strongest memories we have are made with those we love!

Don't be that guy!

     Kelli and I decided to take in the Lady Griz game yesterday as they played host to the Northern Colorado Bears.  We saw these two face each other last year also and given the talent on both teams, we knew it would be a good game.  We were not disappointed, the home team fell behind early after shooting only 26% form the field, they trailed at the half by 16 points.  We enjoy watching Griz basketball because of the local connection with our hometown area of Eastern Montana, the Selvig family has been coined "Montana's first family of basketball".  Two members from said family, Carly Selvig, and  her cousin Jordan Sullivan, both get significant playing time, Jordan as a starter and Carly coming off the bench.  On top of this their coach, who happens to be their uncle Robin, is one of the most decorated leaders in the Big Sky conference.  Part of being a great coach is his animation, at times you can hear him screaming to his players over the pep band!
     Coach Selvig must have hit the right chords at the half because the home team came out shooting much better along with playing much better defense and by the end of the second half the game was tied!  They failed to get the offense going in overtime however and fell to the Bears by two points.  The game would have been completely enjoyable, even with the loss, if it wasn't for that guy!
     I don't know why but I have this uncanny ability to find myself sitting directly in front of the most annoying person in the stands at nearly every sporting event I attend.  It never fails, for some reason I attract this person.  Todays guy was somewhere in his mid 60's and I could tell you just from what he was yelling that he arguably never played a single minute of competitive sports.  Now I'm not saying I am the best analyst in the stands by any means, I'm just saying if you're going to yell something in the direction of the referees, make sure that it actually makes sense!  This guy apparently was watching a different game, he claimed the home team never ran an offensive play when in fact I witnessed at least four different offensive sets.  He was also loudly sharing at the half that it was the coaches fualt alone and he should be fired!  It took everything I had not to turn around and give him a piece of my mind.
     This happens at nearly everything we attend.  We've gone to football games and listened to a guy behind us argues an offsides call that Ray Charles could have caught, we've been at rodeo's where the guy behind us not only referred to the first event of the day as bare bronc rather than bareback, he also told the woman next to him that the rider had to stay on for 10 seconds but the last two seconds he could use two hands, and sat at baseball games where the guy behind us yelled at the coach to pull the starting pitcher after giving up just one hit.  
     It seems like everywhere we go theres one of these guys in the stands, it's inevitable that I'm going to sit right in front of him!  Kelli thinks this happens because I'm probably the only guy who will sit there and not start anything with the guy, she's probably right as I have never turned around and corrected the guy when he was wrong.  I think it's simply the GL!  Again, I am not claiming to be some sort of all sports expert, but the more times I sit in front of that guy the more I think maybe I am!
     So if you find yourself in this situation, which you more than likely won't unless you're attending a game with me, do the right thing and let the guy make a fool out of himself to those around you.  Even if he's blatantly wrong in his assessment, he payed the same good money you did to enjoy himself so if he feels the necessity to yell the wrong thing to make himself feel better, so be it.  Just as long as you don't become that guy!!


Remember, some of the best thoughts are the ones we don't put to words:)

Snow snow go away!

     Oh how I wish I was with Action!  We woke up to a skiff of fresh snow this morning and it has slowly piled itself up to a couple of inches.  Meanwhile Action I presume is making the turn at one of the many golf courses at his disposal in the Phoenix valley.  I guess I shouldn't be jealous given all of the crap the two of them have gone through in the past few months they deserve some R&R more than anyone, still I can't help my desire to join him on the links!  I think Mother put it best when she said their trip down south is just what the doctor ordered, I couldn't agree more!  I just hope Action get's all of the cart riding golf out of his system cause after next Tuesday, when he gets a couple new parts, we are going to be knocking off these bucket list courses one at a time!  He told me a while ago that he figures with his new knees he's expecting another good seven years of golf before he'll have to slow down.  I figure in that amount of time, pending I find some steady income again, we should be able to hit up two to three of our "must play" courses each year.  Whatever I find for a job better pay pretty well too cause I'm including dream tracks such as Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, and The Old Course in my list!  
     So as I sit here and watch it snow, I hope Action is honing in that short game in sunny AZ, cause I know I am.  I'm headed to the back yard right now to work on my flop shot with a lob wedge over the corner of the house, onto the sidewalk, returned by Duchess.  You would not believe how good of a shot it takes to get a tennis ball to stop on a sidewalk!  


Remember, nothing is impossible through God!

TAXES!!!

     I woke up this morning earlier than usual, because of a board review today Kelli's boss wanted them all to come in an hour early so they could all get in some last minute studying.  I knew where my day was going last night so I was already fully prepared for the living hell which is our taxes.  Each year it seems like we get less and less back on our return, forcing us to seriously consider moving to Canada, and I don't know if you guys know this or not but it's cold up there!  So as I had some coffee to charge up the old thinkin' cap, I couldn't help but notice the "Eye of the tiger" beat rolling through my thoughts.  Yes this was the year that Kyle found enough deductions to warrant a healthy return, after all of the health issues we went through, I figured this was going to be a cake walk.
     I suppose it was about an hour into the H&R Block program that I have used the last few years now that I realized the number in the return column was inside a parenthesis.  If your unfamiliar with this program you should know that is not a good sign, it means you owe said amount!  I went back through the steps four times trying to nitpick every last dime back that i could.  After three hours I finally conceded that I had exasperated every available option and I must now hope that my state refund will actually exist!  After punching the same numbers into the state program I was happy to see the number not in parenthesis however the amount was barely enough to pay for the federal amount.  
     After calling Kelli's dad and explaining to him how things turned out he said something that slightly eased the pain I was feeling in my backside, he said the "experts" say if you can have them take out the smallest amount from your paycheck and still have a minimal return then you've played the system well.  This may be true but to me playing the system well isn't working out that great for our spring house project fund!
     I think either my Dad or Kelli's Dad will be getting my write in for the upcoming presidential election, both of them have told me of a tax solution that would work for every single person in America.  Every documented transaction at a banking facility gets 10% taken right off the top for taxes!  I think this is a fantastic idea!  Sure a lot of people would handle more cash which would somewhat negate the system, but they've got to get the cash form somewhere right?  Unfortunately the simplicity and brilliance of this idea would completely nullify half of the IRS jobs in the country but who cares, maybe the powers that be would value the dollar a little more if they actually had to earn it!  Nothing like this would ever happen though cause it just makes too much sense. 
     So I hope if you haven't done your taxes yet that they go a little smoother for you than they did for us.  Looks like we're going to have to save for that trip to Kauai after all:(


Remember, taxes....God's way of reminding us that politicians are all talk and no action!

Great weekend!

     Well we are back in reality now, after spending a long weekend over in Spokane with all the family, Kelli went in to work today and I continued searching for work.  Our time over there never seems like enough, this trip was four days that felt like two, but none the less we thoroughly enjoy every second we spend over there.  Friday night involved a dinner with the Skannons and a lesson on the range from the Action man for Curt and I.  We got to have coffee and catch up with the best God-mother in the world, my aunt Linda, and miss Tatum melted our hearts over and over again!  Wether she's begging Kelli to spend one more night, or telling me I'm cool, she knows which buttons to push to tug at our heart strings!  
     We had a low key super bowl party at Mom and Dad's, got to soak in the hot tub a couple times, and the dogs had a blast roaming around the Nagle ranch.  All in all it was a very enjoyable weekend, just what the doctor ordered!
     Of course the weekend had it's moments of GL (Gannon Luck), such as when Kelli and I dropped Jill off at her office so she could prepare for a trial and we went to ride the gondola that goes over the Spokane river falls.  As we searched for a parking spot downtown we watched the gondola moving and were getting excited to ride it, then we walked up to the ticket counter at 4:03, they close at 4:00.  I guess the gondola ride will remain on the list of things to do.
     Regardless of our poor timing with the river ride, we still had a great time and cannot wait till we get to go back again!  Every moment we get to spend with our God-daughter, and all of our family, is special and we cherish them more each time.  Now I suppose I should continue my job search so we can afford to get back over there and visit even more!  


Remember, opening up your heart and loving unconditionally will bring you eternal joy. 

You never know

     I woke up this morning and began preparing for our trip to Spokane to visit family much the same way I do every morning, made a fresh pot of coffee and turned on Sportscenter for my daily intake of events from the sporting world.  I was immediately disturbed as one of the days top stories was that Josh Hamilton, the Texas Rangers center fielder who has become my favorite baseball player because of his life's history similarities to my own, was spotted in a Dallas bar drinking.  Of course the details are few and far but for an addict it doesn't really matter what the details are, a relapse is what it is.  
     I hope that Josh has the courage and strength to rebound from this little misstep in his recovery and continue down the good road he has been on for the past few years.  Having read his book I am fully aware that deep down he is a very good person with exceptional values and I only wish him the best.
     This is but a stark reminder for all of us who are either in recovery or part of someones support group, every addict has struggles, regardless of who they are.  If a professional athlete who makes $12 million a year is going to have bad days, an unemployed plumber who lives paycheck to paycheck is surely going to have bad days as well.  We all just have to take them one at a time!


Remember, don't get in such a rush today, you don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. 

Evening run

     Last night, much to the displeasure of Kelli, I decided to go for a run last night after the sun had gone down.  She expressed great concern over this idea because our roads out here in the ghetto have no street lights and are extremely dark.  I convinced her I would be fine, especially since I had put on the brightest shirt I own.  So I took off and two blocks into my route I already knew this was a terrible idea!  I purposely ran down the road that separates the neighborhood from the mill because these folks along this street almost all have some sort of a yard light, that combined with the fact that the road is the widest here gave me the best chance of survival.  The farther down this road I ran however, the darker it got, almost as though the homeowners had been called by my wife and in an attempt to scare me home had turned off their porch lights.  It worked and less than half a mile into my intended two mile run I turned around to head home.  I have seen too many episodes of 48hr Mystery and I had completely mind screwed myself out of finishing this run.  
     So as I headed towards the house, seemingly out of harms way now, I had one last little hurdle to clear.  The last block before I got home happens to be on the main street leading into our neighborhood and is heavily traveled along with extremely narrow.  I turned onto this block in anticipation of this and dug deep to find one more surge of energy, nearly sprinting to the corner of our street.  Half way down I spotted a car coming towards me and seconds later realized the shadow in front of me was growing, meaning only one thing, there was a car coming behind me too!  This scared the crap out of me, not literally thankfully, as I knew the road only got narrower and neither car was going to give me the right of way.  With Eminem urging me on through the ear buds, I kicked it in high gear and ran at a rate faster than most humans are capable, as I reached the corner of our street I leaped over the corner of a snow bank just as my left foot glanced off the front of the passing car!  At least thats how it happened in my head.
     Having reached my front porch in one piece, thanks to my Bond like athleticism, I was slightly disappointed that my run had been cut short.  My heart rate however had reached a beat that surely would have been deadly to someone who is not in the peak physical conditioning as I.  Naturally when I composed myself and walked through the door just minutes after leaving, Kelli knew something was up, I downplayed it of course so she could not gloat in the satisfaction of being right about running in the dark.  I may not have admitted my defeat to her, but you can bet if I run today it will happen long before sunset!


Remember, our physical limitations are endless with the right mind set!

Dreams

     If you haven't been following my Mothers blog than I will bring you up to speed briefly, she is cancer free as of now!!  A post op with her doctor next week will determine what the next step is but for now we are all very pleased with the results!  All of her kids and grandkids will be celebrating along side of her this weekend as we will be meeting up in the big city.  While over there we will attempt to prepare Mom and Dad's house for their next hurdle, which is Dad's knee surgery on Valentines day.  Somewhere amongst all of the house cleaning and wood splitting we will surely find something fun to do as well!  I know Kel has a little shopping in mind, and I think I might be clearing snow off Action's driving range as my itch to get back on the course is growing by the day!
     I told Kelli if our dreams are truly an indication of the future then she needs to prepare herself for a much wealthier lifestyle.  Last night I dreamt that her and I were flying back from a vacation in Las Vegas and we were dropped off at the airport by an old friend of mine from Great Falls who was now living in Vegas.  Before he left us I asked him if he'd like to caddy for me in a few weeks at the Shriner's, Justin Timberlake's annual tour event held each fall in Vegas.  This might just sound like a normal dream for a man like me, however the same friend has repeatedly told me if I want to give the mini tours a try he would caddy for me, so as I awoke there was such an added sense of realism I nearly went straight to the computer to book a flight!
     Naturally this dream is not much different than any others in the fact that it truly is a dream. However, in the event it does ever come true, you can bet Kelli and I will be vacationing somewhere a tad closer to the ocean than Vegas!  If for no other reason, the last pro golfer to vacation in sin city is still trying to rebuild his personal life, google Tiger Woods if your not certain what I'm talking about.
     One thing is for sure, although this is a dream, I will always have a tiny little portion of my brain which considers it a possibility.  I believe part of this is attributed to the fact that I am a golfer and by nature those who participate in this sport are continually optimistic on the improvement of their abilities.  The other piece keeping that tiny candle flickering in the back of my head is my genetic make up, having always been somewhat of a dreamer, I continue to aspire to be able to do what I love for a living.  I truly believe that if we have no dreams to attempt to live out, life as we know it would be extremely boring!  It doesn't matter what your dream is or how possible it is that it will ever actually happen, you have to continue to strive towards the dream.  And wether or not your dream is ever achieved does not matter, you can always take comfort knowing that you never stopped trying!
     So as we spend this weekend with all of the ones we love, I wonder what my night time thoughts will bring me.  One thing is for sure, I better clear off the range so the Action man can help me work on my swing if I want to be ready for JT's tourney!


Remember, cherish the moments you share with the ones you love the most!