Another spring has sprung into full swing and I've had some time lately to relax and reflect on the current state of things. It's these posts about my life updates that are the best to read years from now on the blog. And so here it is, my life update during this spring of 2018.
Danny and Lisa's Wedding
The highlight of this spring was no doubt our family trip to Sacramento for cousin Danny and Lisa's wedding. While the event occurred on the weekend of the Mini Marathon and finances were already low from the Europe Trip, I knew I couldn't miss my cousin's wedding. Danny was instrumental in our first sci-fi movies we made as kids in San Francisco (Voyages of the Infinitor and The War for Ikarium). He also partook in several races here in Indy as well as winning our triathlon in 2013. So of course I knew I couldn't miss this family member's big celebration.
I went ahead and booked the tickets several months in advance for myself, my parents, Philip, Shawnna, and the kids. Our flight was on Thursday, 7 am out of Chicago, which meant we had to leave Indy by around 2am. To further complicate matters we had a connection flight in Dallas. I was somewhat disappointed with the booking I had done on this, but remember options were limited. Our flight to Dallas went thru 3 delays and was also one of the bumpiest rides I've ever been on due to storms. When we landed in Dallas, we missed our connecting flight, however they gave us vouchers. Luckily we didn't have anything to do that night and were able to catch a later flight to Sacramento. We finally arrived to the Sacramento airport by 9, and then picked up our car rentals to drive an hour away to Sutter Creek, where our rented house was.
The house I booked us was very nice and quite close to the hotel and the wine valley where the wedding would be at. On Friday we relaxed all day by the pool and were later visited by Uncle Mark, Cindy, Uncle Carl, Devon, and cousin John. That evening we went to the rehearsal dinner at the Hotel and I chatted it up with Laurie and Jennifer all night. The next day on Saturday we explored the town of Jackson, and later I joined Philip and Shawnna to check out the Kennedy Gold Mine. This was an interesting experience of a historical site that opened in the 1850s, and was one of the deepest mines in the west. It later closed in 1946 and has been a historical landmark ever sense.
Later that evening we went to the Avio Vineyards in Sutter Creek, where the wedding took place. The site was incredible emerge in rolling hills of vineyards. There was a very nice folk/fiddle music playing during the ceremony. I had my fair share of wine and had a good time talking with Jennifer and dancing on the dance floor with Philip, Shawnna, and my other cousins. After the wedding we went to a bar where there was live karaoke and lots of people. Dad and Jeff Bell both sang a song. We got home by around 2am, and left early on Sunday to the airport. Luckily our flight back was a direct flight and we arrived to Chicago by 5pm. I drove with Philip and Shawnna that evening back to Indy. It was a successful and memorable trip and a great celebration for Danny and Lisa.
Financial Situation
Just like last spring after my big trip to Europe, I am once again in financial debt due to these recent two trips I just went on. However luckily I have another season with the Indy Indians to help supplement some extra income flow. This is my 7th season working at Victory Field, and 2nd season as the video board operator. I already like it this year much better than last year since I have cut back on some days and am more familiar with the process. The two other big purchases on my forecast include fixing the Air Conditioner and buying a new bed. I hope to be mostly caught up with my debt by midway thru the fall.
Fitness
Due to Danny's wedding, I missed the Mini Marathon for the first time in nearly 10 years. Since I knew I would be missing the big race, I did not run much at all in the months of Feb, March, and April. This was quite a seasonal change of routine and as a result I feel somewhat behind on the fitness track. I could definitely afford to shed 15 to 20 lbs this season. I have gotten back into weightlifting once again with reps of bench press and arm curls. I hope to cut back on the junk food this summer and get serious about running later in the fall.
Sports Updates (NBA Playoffs and World Cup)
I still tune into professional sports on a regular basis as a means of escape and entertainment. Lately I have been quite encapsulated by the NBA playoffs. I went to game 4 of the Cavaliers-Pacers playoff series with Chris Miller at the Banker's Life Fieldhouse (This was my 5th or 6th time catching a game there in the past 3 years now) The Pacers were eventually eliminated in 7 games by the dominant performance of Lebron James. While I support the Pacers as my NBA team of choice, I have grown to become a major fan of Lebron James and see him as one of the greatest basketball players of all time (coming close behind Michael Jordan). I hope he can lead the Cavaliers to another championship to further open the debate, yet it seems like a long-shot.
The main event this summer will of course be the World Cup, my favorite tournament in all of sports. It goes on for a month, starting on June 14th and ending on July 15. While it is quite disappointing that the USA did not qualify, I still have many teams and players I will be looking forward to following. Colombia is my first team of choice, but I will also be following other teams and players (I will make a separate post on this topic to come). I intend to watch every game I can at work, at the bars, at home, and with friends, and family. The cultural spirit of the World Cup is a very inspiring time for me.
Other Phases
To be quite honest there isn't any other big events on the agenda this spring or summer. I hope to stay the course here in Indy with both my jobs and make a steady flow of income to pay off my debt. I've already planted my garden with tomatoes, peppers, and basil and hope to good a decent yield in a month or so. I've been playing a lot of FIFA lately, listening to music from the Greatest Showman, drinking Keystone lights, and watching all sorts of TV and movies. So far the most part things are what they are. Could be better, could be worse, but always grateful for what I have. And that is the Spring Life Update of 2018.
Danny and Lisa's Wedding
The highlight of this spring was no doubt our family trip to Sacramento for cousin Danny and Lisa's wedding. While the event occurred on the weekend of the Mini Marathon and finances were already low from the Europe Trip, I knew I couldn't miss my cousin's wedding. Danny was instrumental in our first sci-fi movies we made as kids in San Francisco (Voyages of the Infinitor and The War for Ikarium). He also partook in several races here in Indy as well as winning our triathlon in 2013. So of course I knew I couldn't miss this family member's big celebration.I went ahead and booked the tickets several months in advance for myself, my parents, Philip, Shawnna, and the kids. Our flight was on Thursday, 7 am out of Chicago, which meant we had to leave Indy by around 2am. To further complicate matters we had a connection flight in Dallas. I was somewhat disappointed with the booking I had done on this, but remember options were limited. Our flight to Dallas went thru 3 delays and was also one of the bumpiest rides I've ever been on due to storms. When we landed in Dallas, we missed our connecting flight, however they gave us vouchers. Luckily we didn't have anything to do that night and were able to catch a later flight to Sacramento. We finally arrived to the Sacramento airport by 9, and then picked up our car rentals to drive an hour away to Sutter Creek, where our rented house was.
Later that evening we went to the Avio Vineyards in Sutter Creek, where the wedding took place. The site was incredible emerge in rolling hills of vineyards. There was a very nice folk/fiddle music playing during the ceremony. I had my fair share of wine and had a good time talking with Jennifer and dancing on the dance floor with Philip, Shawnna, and my other cousins. After the wedding we went to a bar where there was live karaoke and lots of people. Dad and Jeff Bell both sang a song. We got home by around 2am, and left early on Sunday to the airport. Luckily our flight back was a direct flight and we arrived to Chicago by 5pm. I drove with Philip and Shawnna that evening back to Indy. It was a successful and memorable trip and a great celebration for Danny and Lisa.
Financial Situation
Just like last spring after my big trip to Europe, I am once again in financial debt due to these recent two trips I just went on. However luckily I have another season with the Indy Indians to help supplement some extra income flow. This is my 7th season working at Victory Field, and 2nd season as the video board operator. I already like it this year much better than last year since I have cut back on some days and am more familiar with the process. The two other big purchases on my forecast include fixing the Air Conditioner and buying a new bed. I hope to be mostly caught up with my debt by midway thru the fall.
Fitness
Due to Danny's wedding, I missed the Mini Marathon for the first time in nearly 10 years. Since I knew I would be missing the big race, I did not run much at all in the months of Feb, March, and April. This was quite a seasonal change of routine and as a result I feel somewhat behind on the fitness track. I could definitely afford to shed 15 to 20 lbs this season. I have gotten back into weightlifting once again with reps of bench press and arm curls. I hope to cut back on the junk food this summer and get serious about running later in the fall.
Sports Updates (NBA Playoffs and World Cup)
The main event this summer will of course be the World Cup, my favorite tournament in all of sports. It goes on for a month, starting on June 14th and ending on July 15. While it is quite disappointing that the USA did not qualify, I still have many teams and players I will be looking forward to following. Colombia is my first team of choice, but I will also be following other teams and players (I will make a separate post on this topic to come). I intend to watch every game I can at work, at the bars, at home, and with friends, and family. The cultural spirit of the World Cup is a very inspiring time for me.
Other Phases
To be quite honest there isn't any other big events on the agenda this spring or summer. I hope to stay the course here in Indy with both my jobs and make a steady flow of income to pay off my debt. I've already planted my garden with tomatoes, peppers, and basil and hope to good a decent yield in a month or so. I've been playing a lot of FIFA lately, listening to music from the Greatest Showman, drinking Keystone lights, and watching all sorts of TV and movies. So far the most part things are what they are. Could be better, could be worse, but always grateful for what I have. And that is the Spring Life Update of 2018.
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