Word Association for March 10th

Well, it looks like all I'm going to get to this week is some word association.

1. Meteor :: Shower
2. Piggy bank :: Save
3. Star Trek :: Sci Fi
4. Nail polish :: Red
5. Theme song :: TV show
6. Bubble :: Head
7. Peeled :: Sun Burn
8. Teal :: Blue
9. Container :: Cookie Jar
10. Survival :: of the Fittest

Wedding on the Mount

The day before Valentine’s Day, I went to the most unusual wedding I’ve been to.  It was up on the top of a mountain.

My friends Luke and Sarah decided to take that day to make it official, and they wound up having access to a shack near the top of a mountain here in So Cal.  Fortunately, we were having warm weather, so snow wasn’t a factor.  I’m not sure I could have made it up with snow.

No, it’s not because I don’t have chains for my car (although I don’t).  It’s because we had to hike 3 miles and a 2000 foot elevation gain to reach the location for the wedding.  And I went up and back in one day, while most everyone else spent at least one night there.  Fortunately, there was very little snow on the trail, although there was a tiny bit around.

Not being a hiker, that part wasn’t my favorite part of the day, but the view once we got up to the top was absolutely beautiful.  Words can’t describe how nice it was, and I’m so glad I was able to go.

Also, it was nice to go for my friends.  With the venue where it was, the guest list was small, and I’m very honored I was included.

The ceremony was short yet nice.  It wound up being a bit later than planned, so I wound up having to leave as soon as we took a group picture so I could make it down before dark.

Definitely a day I will remember for quite some time to come.

Word Association for March 2nd

Here's this week's word association.

1. Hold :: Choke
2. Stubble :: Shave
3. Checking account :: Money
4. Dove :: Peace
5. Hollow :: Tree
6. Shape :: Circle
7. Full :: House
8. Nails :: Trim
9. Masking :: Tape
10. Host :: Party

Fun Weekend with Friends

I've gotten very far behind on this, haven't I?  It's time for some serious catch up.

The first weekend in February (see what I mean?), I hung out with friends all weekend.

Saturday, I spent the day with Joe, Erica, and their kids.  I went for lunch and stayed through dinner.  It was absolutely wonderful catching up with them and playing some with their kids.  It had been entirely too long since I'd seen them.

That Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday (yes, I'm really that far behind), and I accepted a last minute invitation to go watch it with my friend and pastor and his family and another couple we all know from church and ultimate Frisbee.  It was a nice, relaxing afternoon.  I had planned to work on my computer while "watching" the game, and that obviously didn't happen, but I had a great time just relaxing and chatting and paying more attention than I have to any single football game in years.  The game wasn't the greatest, but the company more than made up for it.

Word Association for February 18th

Let's do this week's word association before the week slips away from me.

1. Buff :: Muscles
2. Spiderwebs :: Cave
3. Hostile :: Environment
4. Viewed :: Movie
5. Cross :: to Bear
6. Load :: Program
7. Reboot :: Computer
8. Smell :: Good
9. Sniffle :: Sick
10. Company :: Business

10 Years

I didn’t get the chance to write this post last week, so we are slightly past the 10 year mark at this point, but I still want to commemorate it.

10 years ago, I was recovering from what would turn out to be the first of three surgeries that year.  I never healed right after the first one, and it wasn’t until the third, late in September, that I actually recovered.  It was a long road and one that I am very glad to be looking at in the rear view mirror.  If you want to read about it, you can head back through the archives to 2006.

It is amazing to me just how much I have recovered.  A couple of years later, I spent six months doing Crossfit (and wish I could find an inexpensive way to go back to doing two or three days a week).  Obviously, in 2010, I started running and doing mud runs.  While I wouldn’t say I’m in the best shape of my life, I’m certainly in much better shape than I was that year.

And it was a long year.  When you are constantly sick and not really getting better, it is discouraging.  But God brought me through and now I’m on the other side marking an anniversary.

In some ways, it is very hard to believe it’s been 10 years.  So much of that year is so vivid in my mind.  In other ways, when I think about all that has happened in the previous decade, it’s easy to believe it was 10 years ago.

Here’s to another healthy decade.

Word Association for February 10th

Here's this week's word association.

1. Pleasure :: Enjoyable
2. Emoticon :: :)
3. Race :: Fast
4. Highlight :: Yellow
5. 56 :: 57
6. Error :: Frustration
7. Taken :: Married
8. Street food :: Delicious
9. Common sense :: Lacking
10. Grace :: Free gift of God

One More Game

So I played ultimate Winter League this last week.  It turns out that several of the guys who made the team got sick, so the call was sent out to us second stringers to come and play.  Of the ones I know he contacted, I was the only one who showed up since the others had things going on.  Or I have no life.  Or some such things.

I didn't play very many points at all.  It was way too awkward since I was out there on the field with those who are paying for the privilege.  But I did play a few points.  Only got scored on once, and the only time I got the disk, I successfully moved it up the field for a major gain.

However, I shouldn't have gone.  It just hurt too much.  I want to be out there on a weekly basis, not called in because of a crisis.  I think I will turn down any future cries for help, although there probably won't be that many more since I know several die hards were among the missing for that game.

Word Association for February 5th

Time to do this week's word association.

1. Temper :: Tantrum
2. Late! :: Again
3. Status :: Update
4. Breakfast :: Yummy
5. Hopeless :: Situation
6. 365 :: Year
7. Lottery :: Winner
8. Cancer :: Survivor
9. Facebook :: Status
10. Date :: Romance

Cut

Last week, we had our third Winter League game.  It was against one of the few teams coming back from two years ago and the only team coming back that we’d beaten.  And we lost.  We really aren’t doing too well this year, lots of newer players.  It just takes some time for people to develop confidence in their skills.

Of course, instead of “We” when it comes to Winter League, I should be saying “They.”  In order to cut down on the number of guys on the team this year, we were given a three game try out period and then the number of guys was cut down.  And I was one of those cut.

I’m not surprised.  In fact, I expected it.  I have no delusions of grandeur.  In fact, most days I recognize that I have delusions of adequacy.  From a logical standpoint, if I were cutting people from the team, I’d be the first person cut.  In fact, I’ve been saying that I’d be the first person cut ever since we started talking about doing things this way.

And yet, it hurts.  It hurts big time.  I’ve played Summer League since 1999, and I’ve been trying to get a team together for Winter League ever since.  I’ve only played on a team once before.  And the fact that this is with my friends, people I play with all the time, makes it that much worse.

I’m definitely taking the next 6 weeks or so off of pick up.  Listening to them talking about it will just hurt too much.  I know, I’ve seen that happen in years past.

And I’m debating whether I will pick up the game again after that.  I’ve been thinking for a couple of years that I’m just too slow.  I’m a liability for any team I am on instead of an asset, and maybe it’s time to take to heart the idea that I just can’t run fast enough to play and stop playing.

Or maybe it’s just the depressed me talking.  I need to shake this funk I’ve been under for the last couple of months.