It's been a while

A short little update.

Sunset season is officially underway in Bridgeton.

It’s been a while since I last wrote a post. And if I’m being honest, I’m not even quite sure what I want to write about with this one. A lot has been going on the last few months and the idea of taking the time to sit down and write has been something that has not surfaced a lot in my weeks. But I also recognize it’s something that I’ve found a lot of enjoyment in over the last few years … Having a space to spell out the noise that rattles around in my head.

So, what’s new? Well, if I think back to the last post, I had just taken a wrong turn at Grindstone… And in hindsight, that took a pretty big toll on me mentally. The result of putting so much of your effort into something to only come up short. It’s hard to explain in words, but I’m sure this isn’t something uniquely me … The feeling of not meeting the expectation we put on ourselves. It was a humbling experience for me and really reinforced the importance of detail in the pursuit of my goals. Paying attention to the small things.

Shortly after Grindstone, Felicia, Dakota and I went out to San Francisco for a week. The trip was a week after my birthday and a close friend was getting married, so we decided to make it a full week trip. We stayed in Pacifica, right along the pier. For Felicia and me, this was a really special little week as we got to relive a bit of our favorite memories there, this time with Dakota. Watching her take in the ocean. Walking the streets that meant something to us before she was born.

Dakota turned 1 last month and we celebrated with a Wild West theme. Felicia’s family came in town and we also had some local friends join us. For me, this past year with her has been emotional. It’s a period of time I missed when Payton was younger … being deployed to Afghanistan for her first 6 months made this second time around really special for me. Working from home allowed me the ability to see her in between meetings, to eat lunch together, and just see her smile.

But outside of that, most of my days the last few months have been, well, just life. Quiet mornings with coffee before anyone else is awake. The usual work and family rhythm. Nothing that makes for a great story, but all of it adding up to something that feels pretty good when I stop long enough to notice.

A bit of life these last few months.

Looking ahead to this next year, I’m aiming for it to be a big one personally. I turn 40 next October and I’ve got some fun projects I’m planning out. Some big endurance stuff that’s going to challenge me in ways I haven’t been challenged before. I’m not ready to get into the details yet, but I’m looking forward to sharing more soon.

For now though, that’s the update. Nothing super profound but hopefully enough to kick me back into gear with some consistent thoughts here 😎