What's new?

What's new? It is something we say to our friends and family when we have not seen them for a while. Sometimes it is simply a pleasant way of saying hello. Sometimes we truly want to know what is new in the other person's life. So what is new with me? Lots!

Last May I mentioned that we were moving. Well, that all happened. We sold our house in Henrico County and moved into a condo in the city of Richmond. We went from a big tri-level house to an 8th floor smaller 3 bedroom condo. We truly downsized. It was a big endeavor and added quite a bit of stress to my life. Buying and selling a house is itself a bit stressful. Add in the actual physical work of packing and moving and all the time that takes out of your day, and you get a fair amount of unwanted stress. In my case, I started a new job at VCU on June 25th so that was another new thing in my life. New routines, new schedules. Sometimes new things can be a pleasant change, sometimes they just add to the stress.

In addition to moving, my father deteriorated and passed away at the beginning of August. This all happened in the midst of the most trying times of our move. There were so many different entities to deal with during our sale/purchase/move that I was beginning to get quite aggravated with anyone who did not communicate succinctly and clearly. Certain entities who will go unmentioned here really made my blood boil. All my wheels were squeaking at one point so I could get people to do their jobs properly. It was quite annoying.

Luckily for me, I have a great support system. Melissa was so supportive and helpful during all of this. She traveled on her own up to NOVA (never a fun drive) to spend time with my mother while my brother John had a malignant tumor removed from his kidney. Yeah, that was another thing that happened. While my Dad's physical health was on a steep downward trajectory, John had to have surgery to remove a cancerous growth. Of course John knows what HTFU is all about. In fact, John is the epitome of HTFU. After his surgery, he was in his room and the nurse asked him what his pain level was. Four he says. I think at one point he said it got up to a 5 or 6. Most of us would have probably said 8 or higher. Not John. He soldiered on like the trooper that he is.

And Melissa continued to be supportive as always. She took a few turns sitting with my dad on his death bed. She showed her own resolve at what was a difficult time for all of us. My dad seemed to enjoy hearing her soothing voice. I am so lucky to have Melissa as my number one supporter, my wife, my partner in crime. She keeps me on the right path and our bond grows daily.

My friends were also supportive. I can't imagine trying to move without them. I had help from all my various circles. DGIF connections-Carman and Logan, our friend Phil, MK otherwise known as Ballet Mike, Ironmen and good friends Jon and Meredith who spent the entire weekend of our move helping, HCPC connections-JW, Zack, and Margaret. Also, another HCPS former coworker John was instrumental in helping me clear out all the junk someone had left in our storage unit at the condo. Plus, my realtor Stephen Smith was a huge help in the whole buying and selling process. Also, there were other friends who were supportive. Although they might have thought their efforts were nothing, the emails and text messages really helped. My friend Jill seemed to know just what to say at the right time. Her support was behind the scenes, almost covert which I really appreciated. Between her and Meredith's friendly messages, I felt well liked among my friends.

All of these people had different roles in our various phases of moving and I am so thankful that they could all step up to the plate and hit it out of the park. And to those who helped me move, stand by for a future invite for a payback dinner.

After my dad passed away, we had a couple of weeks before the memorial service. That gave me plenty of time to write my tribute. I had actually been writing it in my mind for some time. At least a year. I was honored to be able to deliver my speech at the end of August in front of a packed church. I am thankful to everyone who attended the service. My good friend Chris drove of from Richmond to attend which meant a lot to me. It was great to see all of you even if we did not get to talk much. I am so proud to be the son of a man who could garner such a big crowd for a  memorial service. On a holiday weekend nonetheless. Thank you all for coming. It meant so much to me and my family.

So let me quickly summarize. What is new? New job. New House. Brother's surgery. Father passed away. All of this happened in a short amount of time. And while I have not mentioned much about it, I continued my Ironman training which entailed approximately 13 hours of training each week. My race is in about 9 days. I am hoping it is going to be a good day. I think my coach has prepared me well and I have had lots of help from my Jedi Master mentor Jon. I am ready. I will be thinking about my brother John and my dear old dad during the race.

There you have it. A quick summary of the last several months. Despite the difficulties and challenges, I am truly blessed. There are many in the world who wish they could have similar challenges.  Let's get er done! Full speed ahead. Carpe Diem!

Thanks for reading. Comments appreciated.