A Year in Review

Okay, so the results from the race came back...and I can't lie, I'm just a little disappointed. I clocked in at 1:12, which is cosi cosi, but I still feel I could've done a little better. That's nine minute miles. I thought I was going a little faster than that, but I think maybe since I started so far back, I was passing people the whole time, so it felt like I was hauling the entire race. When in actuality, I was running...nine minute miles. Next year, if I do a little training beforehand, I think I can beat that time pretty easily.

He's Back!

Okay, I'm going to get right to the point. Life is pretty good right now. I've been reliving in great detail the glory days of my 1o-year-old youth: last Friday, I went out to Kailua and boogie boarded with my aunt Becky. The wind was kicking up the waves pretty high, and we caught decent waves together. We used to ride waves every summer at our property out in Tokeland with my dad and brothers. It felt just like that all over again, minus the wetsuits. The next day, I went to the Boyz II Men concert, which was simply amazing. And then, finally, on Wednesday, Griffey returned to Seattle after his nine year break from glory. My phone was going off the hook and I can't even explain how stoked I was when I got the news. I dedicated the last two days of the week in my 8th grade Italian class to showing Griffey highlights and explaining how important he was to sports and society in general. I think they were inspired, because all three of the Wheeler basketball teams won yesterday. I had told my 8th graders on the boys and girls team that this was the most important game of the year because it was against my roommate Greg's school, and he had been talking smack all month. The kids stepped up big time and it was really fun to watch.

Teaching is still tough. My class is like an oversized rubix cube that I just can't figure out. Except that it's not made of plastic- it's made of ADHD. This week we got two more students, bringing the count to 22. In that setting, twelve kids is pushing it. I'm going to do all I can to make sure it doesn't end up like this next year as well.

Anyways, I've been doing some reflecting lately and can't believe how quick a year has flown by and how much things have changed in 12 months. I think we've all come a long way. Almost exactly a year ago, I was sitting in a small hospital room with my mom praying that my older brother would make it. Things were looking pretty grim at that point. I vividly remember the concerned look on the doctor's face as he described all the things that were going on with Pete's lungs. It was one of the few times in my life that I felt like there was no ground beneath me and nothing to hold onto. But my parents, the doctors and nurses, and my brother proved how important faith and resolve are. When everything else falls through and there's nothing to grab onto, you can always, always embrace faith. Faith in anything- faith in God, faith in others, faith in yourself, faith that things will work out for the best. It will pick you up.






I'd like to give a shout to a couple of my other brothers as well, Andrew Engel and Matt Miller. Both are doing service in faraway places- Engel with Peace Corps in Tanzania, and Miller with JVI in Micronesia. I wish you guys were here with me to celebrate Griffey's return. If you are out of Gold Bond, let me know and I will send you some. GIF to GRIFF, per sempre.