Uncle Jon's Crazy Time

Wow, just realized exactly how long it has been since my last post.  Life has been flying by since then.  Currently I'm sitting with lake Chelan right out the window as I'm on my annual family vacation where my parents rent a house on a lake for a week.  Its a great time to get together as family.  This week is a little different than those from past years as I'm laying low preparing to run a marathon on Saturday.  I may be over thinking it, but come on, 26.2 miles would weigh on lots of people's minds :).  As always a week with the niece and nephews is always pure joy.  I sat and talked with Lincoln this morning on a little deck we have down by the lake.  He talked to me about being nervous for kindergarten next year because he just doesn't know what to expect.  Yes, he used those exact words.  Kid if freaking smart.  Adaliah is the most affectionate of the children and loves her uncle Jon.  She likes to sit by me at meals and always has a hand, elbow, foot or leg touching me at all times.  She loves to talk and from what I'm learning, is a fashion queen.  She has a reason for everything she wears.  It's entertaining to see her stand over the suitcase in the morning methodically picking our her outfit for the day.  Gideon is so big and brave.  That kid has hit his head or take a plunge off a couch or chair at least 4 times a day.  He'll scream and yell for about 2 minutes and then he will go and do it again.  He isn't the smartest of the kids, but he is willing to try anything.  Currently he has a pingpong ball size bruise on his forehead and manages to keep hitting the same spot on table corners and railings.  They all seem to be at just the right height for him to hit it.  The last time I saw the kids I put in charge of the older two for a few hours of baby sitting time.  This would be the first time they were left alone with Uncle Jon.  Scary on all fronts.  I decided we were going to have Uncle Jon Crazy Time.  This consisted of running around, jumping up and down and screaming as loud as we could for about 30 minutes straight.  Ever since we have been on this trip, the question that keeps getting asked by both Lincoln and Adaliah is "when are we having Uncle Jon Crazy Time?"  I have a lot to live up to.  Good thing we have a grassy hill to roll and do somersaults down :).  These weeks are always a great reminder about how lucky I am to have such a great family.  We talk every year about how blessed we are do this and take our annual guys golf trip every year.  Its great to be around family and enjoy the love shared by us all.  I'm using this blog to update you on what May and June have been like for me.  From being part of an amazing and historic ride with our baseball team to getting stitches and surgery withing the course of a week.  Read on if you want to know what life has been like for me. 

As some of you know Whitworth Baseball made its first ever trip to the college world series this year.  I don't usually work baseball, but Hudson Mathew was born and that took Cheree away from her normal duties with baseball.  I guess that's a good reason.......  Anyway, it didn't take me long to fit in with the team.  Baseball guys are weird, but hilarious.  The superstition part of baseball will never cease to amaze me and  neither will the entertainment that goes on during the game.  From the pelvic thrust dance moves to rally dicks, these guys have a lot of fun which is only multiplied by winning.  Their goal all season was to have 3 dog piles for the season.  I was there for the two they were able to do.  The first was the last weekend of conference when they edged out Whitman (always love beating Whitman) in the final game to clinch the automatic NCAA birth.  After spending the next two weeks before the regional with the team it was time I became an official part of it.  The term was "bought in" and that exactly what I did.  I bought in to the shenanigans of rally mids even while being in shorts.  I was bought in to the team, what the stood for and the goals they had set.  The second was at the regional in McMinnville.  Loved having "home" games and beating up on two of the nations top 10 teams in Concordia Texas and Trinity (my record against Trinity this year is 4-1).   Being apart of the regional run was awesome.  Unfortunately we drew the defending national champs in game 1 of the world series and whether it was nerves or just one of those games or the monkey tail beard I had, we got beat.  

The ultimate buy in: Monkey tail beard.  It is true, the left
side of my face has no facial hair what so ever....

Cool moment for the seniors.  Not the way they wanted it to
end, but this group help lead the program to where it is now.

However, the team saw what it takes to be national champs and will hopefully take that into account as they prepare for next year.  The team was young and now have valuable experience moving into the next few years.  The best part of this experience for me was to be able to enjoy the success with my friend and the head coach Dan Ramsay.  A lot of things were said when he was hired so young, but he has been the best thing to happen to Whitworth Baseball in a lot of years.  The other great part was the comments we heard from around Appleton.  Whitworth quickly became a crowd favorite as the guys did things the right way and made a great impression during interviews, interactions with fans, giving autographs to eager kids and being appreciative towards our host family.  Its nice to know that these characteristics will continue as part of the new tradition of Whitworth Baseball under Dan.

Some of you heard that I tried to cut my finger off about two weeks ago.  I had used a ladder to climb up into my maple tree to trim out dead and low hanging branches.  I had moved from the spot where I had climbed up on the ladder to a branch on the opposite side.  While cutting one a dead branch the hand saw cut through sooner than expected and cut the inside tip of my middle finger.  The gash  was approx an inch long with .5 inches being so destroyed by the saw you that parts of my finger were missing.  So my dillema became getting out of the tree since I would have to climb to get back to the ladder.  Thankfully, a kid was riding on his bike by my house and moved the ladder so I could get down.  5 stitches and $500 later, my finger is feeling good.  Its a little deformed, but I've been told chicks dig scares.  Maybe I'll finally find a date :)

Only 5 days after trying to cut my finger off I had LASIK.  I was finally fed up with dealing with contacts and glasses (especially having to be in my glasses for two weeks prior to surgery).  I had looked into the possibility of doing it last year, but was unable to afford it.  One of my friends had it done in May and told me how wonderful it was and that I should look into it.  This was at about the same time our benefit packets were getting renewed.  After some research into FSA and a few other things I figured out I could do it pretty cheap.  It only made it better that the latest technology came down in price and I received a discount for working at Whitworth.  I guess that was my bonus for the year :).  The procedure was actually easier than anticipated.  It is weird when they clamp down on your eye to cut the flap in your cornea and then move that flap around.  He told me to stare at an orange light, but as he moved my cornea around a bit, the light kept moving.  I didn't know if I was suppose to follow the light or just stare straight ahead.  It was kind of comical.  The surgeon was amazing.  He was a little awkward during initial appointments, but in the surgical room, he was awesome.  He talked to me the entire time to make sure I knew what was going on and answered any questions I had while the procedure was going on.  Right after the surgery was by far the worst.  Burning, tearing and itchy eyes for 6 hours.  I slept for as much as I could, but it was tough.  The best part, these cool goggles I had to wear to bed for the first week :).

 
Not what I would call conducive to sleeping.....  The actual best part was the fact that I had 20/15 vision in my right eye and 20/20 in my left.  That may change over the next 3 months, but not much.  A week post surgery I was still at 20/15 and 20/20.  I am fighting some dry eye symptoms, but that's it.  Seeing without the use of contacts or glasses is awesome.  I had been wearing contacts for 16 years (I do miss the green eyes) and glasses since I was 8 or 9.  I was in such a bedtime routine that two days after the surgery I filled a contact case with solution one night before going for bed.  Evidently a 16 year routine takes some time to change.  As of now, it was a great investment and I'm excited to do all the outdoor activities I love without the problem of contacts.

I was in Chelan for a few days when got a random phone call from my sister in laws brother.  Some of you know him as Muie, other as Timmy.  I didn't have my phone on me at the time so he left a message stating I should call him soon, as in that night.  I also had a text message from a 910 number about 30 minutes after.  I googled it and found that it came from North Carolina.  The text referred to a name I use to go by at camp.  Hmmm, Timmy calling me and a random text using a camp name...  He must be hanging out with a former staff member or camper from Camp Perkins.  I ran through names in my head of who I may have heard was living back east.  None came to head so I called Timmy ready to ask who he was hanging out with.  Of course he wouldn't answer the phone, but a female's voice answered instead.  That didn't really help narrow it down.  After conversing for a few minutes she had to tell me who she was.  Needless to say its always great to hear from people you remember from camp days.  Its been over a decade since I have talked to this person and I have to admit, that's way to long.  I've said it before, but the days spent at camp and the people I met will always hold a special place in my heart.  Hearing from her was a great way to start my week of vacation, relaxation and fun.  Thanks Timmy and Erin!!!!!

Hope all is well in your lives and look for a few more post soon on my marathon experience and a topic I like to call The Search.

Blessings