The Optimist Creed
-Promise Yourself-
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel that there is something great in all of them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only the best, work only the best, and expect nothing but the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of othes as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong to fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
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On July 31st, 2008, Katie's birthday, we decided to take it easy for the first few hours of the day. Nothing can go too terribly wrong when you don't plan on doing anything and that is exactly what happened. Around mid to late morning we took off to go spend a fun filled day up in Park City, UT. We knew with all that we planned on doing Caleb was likely not going to get an opportunity to have a nap which only meant he'd fall asleep much faster in the evening and he'd sleep longer too.
As soon as we arrived we decided that lunch was the highest priority. We stopped in at the local Arby's and thought we'd be smarter if we avoided the drive-thru area. We got smoked with that idea. We ended up waiting a good 20 or so minutes in the line inside before we even got around to ordering our food. It paid off though because we enjoyed the AC and not being stuck in the car forever. Once we finished eating we debated as to whether we should go shopping first or go do something exciting. "Exciting" won out and we fought with traffic to pull out of the Arby's parking lot and drive clear into Park City to go enjoy the concrete sleds. Nothing beats the Alpine Slides except for the price maybe. If it wasn't so darn expensive we probably would've gone a few more times but one time was enough to make some lasting memories.
We bought our tickets (2 drivers @ $11 each and 1 passenger @ $3) and got in line to ride the chairlift to the top. Caleb was thrilled to take his seat and get a ride to the top. He couldn't stop moving around. He kept looking around at all the other adventures on the mountain and couldn't get enough of shouting out "Hiiiiiiiii" to all the passengers (I think it was a total of 3 chairs) that were coming down the hill via the chairlift. All those folks got a kick out of saying "Hi" back and a chuckle at Caleb's little baby antics. For a child just a few months over two years you'd think he'd be squeamish and uncomfortable on that chair... our little Caleb certainly proved us wrong on that one. I think he just remembers the last time we went sliding there was when he was about 3 or so months old and he wouldn't have the opportunity to go until 2 more years. He must've remembered that day driving home when Katie and I plotted to return to that very hill and include him in the excitement once he was old enough to ride.
Well, we got to the end of our ride and I picked Caleb up and made a short, mad dash away from the chair as it continued to go up the hill so it wouldn't bonk us. As we did so Caleb shouted his infamous "Woohoo!" to everyone's amusement and we went and picked up our sleds and then started our quarter-mile trek to the concrete jungle. When we arrived there were two tracks that were very long and we found out that those tracks were the faster two of the four tracks and we decided to take the more adventurous (safer) choice for Caleb and gathered on the tracks that had absolutely no line. I was planning on taking Caleb with me but after I got my sled set up he decided he wanted to help Katie get hers set up too. After that he was attached to mama and down the hill we went! Katie and Caleb were faster than I was and were usually ahead of me. So I'd push on my fast/slow stick and speed up to catch up to them all the time. Each time I evened up with them I slowed down and constantly glanced over at Caleb and hooted and hollered at him. He returned the favor. He was giggling most of the way down and shouting in excited glee at the fun he was having. I passed them up once or twice but always slowed down so I could share in Caleb's experience and enjoy his new found passion for fast tracks!
Once we reached the bottom of the slides Caleb and I tried pestering dear Katie into going again but her decision was the final say. It ended up paying off in the long run considering how long our day was anyway. So with our adrenaline slowly subsiding we hopped in the car and raced (at legal highway speeds) to the outlet malls just off of I-80 coming into Park City.
We arrived there and immediately went into Osh Kosh B'Gosh where we found a plethera of fall clothes for Caleb to enjoy. We then shot from one store to another trying to find more clothes for Caleb and some birthday clothes for Katie. Overall, we spent nearly two hours out there and came home with clothes from Osh Kosh for Caleb, some dresses for Katie and some other things I'm forgetting plus memories of plodding along under the hot sun while I held Caleb in my arms until he fell asleep in Old Navy all the way back to Salt Lake City.
We stopped off to get a drink on our way down the hill and couldn't have been happier. Since Caleb was asleep we assumed he didn't want anything so we both got drinks and two small waters to keep us sane.
We ended up pulling into Murray, UT, about an hour later. Usually it doesn't take that long to travel back but we figured since Caleb was napping we'd try and make it last as long as we could and savor the time we had to ourselves. We ended up shopping in the mall where I used to work nearly six years ago and realized how terrible the place had become. There were signs all over stating "New Look coming in 2008" but after having to use the bathrooms and seeing how run down it was we decided that the new look had already arrived and we wouldn't be returning for a long time (if ever) to that mall. We ended up getting Caleb a few more birthday clothes at The Children's Place in that mall and called it a day. To top it all off we decided to go have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.
We got in line and found out it would be a 30 minute wait if we wanted to eat inside. All I can say is that I wish we had. We decided to get a seat out on the patio and as the sun dropped over the mountains it only seemed to get hotter and hotter outside. Needless to say we were sopping wet by the time dinner was over but we enjoyed a feast that few other restaurants that I know of could top. Katie had a delicious chicken breast and some awesome mashed potatoes (we wish we knew their secret) and I had their fish 'n' chips while Caleb slowly worked through some mac and cheese. When all was said and done we saved enough room in our bellies to wolf down some cheesecake and that was pure heaven. What a day...
Sadly our day didn't end on the high note we had hoped for. On our way home my recruiter called to tell me that I should celebrate my anniversary early. When I had gone to MEPS I was told that even though my contract stated 08/06/2008 as my ship off date that they could extend it a few days and allow Katie and I to enjoy our anniversary before I split. He told me that he'd gotten word from higher authority that contracts could no longer be delayed from the date on the contract. As my luck would have it, they received this notice just about three days before they were to submit their proposal for me to extend an additional five days. So I'm thinking by the time our anniversary is celebrated I'll have lost a good five pounds already and working myself into the best shape of my life since high school. At least while we're apart we'll have our love for one another and know, even though six months seems like an awful long time, that in the end that small sacrifice will pay out in plenty of blessings.
I'll certainly miss my family while I'm away but know that I have plenty of friends and family that will be keeping watch over them and doing what they can to take care of them in my absence... my infinite thanks goes out to you for all that you'll do for Katie and Caleb while I'm away providing myself an opportunity to be able to provide for them once again.
The day following Katie's birthday (August 1, 2008) we were back to our normal schedule and didn't think anything out of the ordinary would happen. Well one thing did and we had nothing to do with what happened. Normally when one checks his email those titled "You've won..." or "You're the winner!" or something silly like that would be tossed into the garbage the one I received that day was just a touch different.
When I saw the title of the email I nearly threw it away without second thoughts but saw who it was from. My dad?!?! That tipped my curiousity enough that I opened it to see what little game my dad was playing on me. Come to find out that a Tahoe magazine had created a contest (Tahoe World Photo Contest) to send in the best looking boat (at least for this category) to represent Tahoe (the area I grew up in and where my parents still live). Well, about three years ago Katie and I were up there just enjoying time away from real life for about two weeks and one of the opportunities we'd had was to tour the Whittell mansion that sits just off the side of the lake. For living there all my life I hate to admit that that was my first time touring the mansion. I can't wait for another opportunity to do it again. One of many things that makes this place famous is the boat that was owned by the man who owned the land decades before still kept in tip-top shape. The name of the boat is the Thunderbird. I got a frontal photo of it while it was docked in the boathouse and enjoyed the picture for the sake of just taking it. Little did I know that that picture, submitted by my father, would be the first ever picture of mine to be published in a local paper/magazine. I'm thrilled to see it and am thrilled to add it to my portfolio that I'll start some day. That "some day" is when I take it upon myself to start my own business of photography of both scenic shots and people.
My dad submitted that under both our names (since John belongs to both of us) not thinking he would win. Once he told me the great news he told me that he would make the correction of telling the editor that his winning picture was actually that of his oldest son, me. He gets to enjoy the grand prize since I can't make use of it since I'll be nowhere near Tahoe during the boating event and I hope that he and his beautiful wife (yes, my mother) have a great time at the event if they are able to attend.
That wraps up this blog but before I close up shop I wanted to share with you my winning picture, soon to be published, thanks to my dear ol' dad. Hopefully it can be found online somewhere but if you are interested in seeing it yourself it is called Tahoe World. If nothing else I will scan it and post it when I get home from training and have access to posting it then.
This picture is not my own but I don't have time to save mine to a site and then post it. Mine is a frontal shot of this very area in the boathouse and very upclose. Its beautiful but you'll get the idea from seeing this... enjoy and I'll get mine up as soon as I'm able (which likely won't be for quite some time).
Thunderbird - http://www.boattahoe.com/images/tbirdboathouse.jpg
