When last we left our heroes, the year had just started, and I had just proposed to Lisa. This was by far the biggest change in my life this year, and one of the best ever. Even though Lisa and I had only met in September, we both were quite sure of where we wanted to be with each other, and so January 1st, just after midnight, was the time I asked her to marry me. This set in motion a whole series of events in 2013 as we prepared our wedding. Some of the highlights:
- Trying to decide on a reception venue. We looked at a beautiful venue at Metro State University, but with all the costs for catering, and decorating, involved we ended up choosing Claddagh Irish Pub, which was the site of our first date. In the end it was a perfect location, just the right size for our group, and the food and service was amazing. Everyone seemed to have a great time.
- Getting to see all of our friends on our wedding day, including our out-of-town guests who came long distances, to see us get married.
- Shedding tears as we worked through the process to have a church wedding. Since both Lisa and I were divorced there was a process with the church to work through to allow us to marry in the Catholic church. At a couple points it seemed like it wasn't going to work, and there were moments of frustration and pain, but in the end everything came together.
- Getting married twice! For insurance reasons we got married legally in July. We met a judge on a beautiful Wednesday evening and got hitched.
- Finding an amazing cellist to play our music during the ceremony.
- Having our children be a part of the ceremony. Lisa's son Alex walked Lisa's mom to her seat, and Sam and Noah walked with me down the aisle.
- Deciding on a honeymoon location. Our original thought was to take a train to Seattle, but when Lisa decided to go back to school, and I changed jobs, that just didn't seem very feasible. So we opted for a couple of nights in Duluth, which ended up being beautiful and amazing.
Those are just a few of the thoughts that come to mind. Our wedding capped off a year of a lot of changes for both of us. But even more so for Lisa. In 2013 she:
- Moved to Fridley.
- Went back to school.
- Got ACL knee surgery.
- Got Lasik eye surgery
- Got her personal trainer certification and started a career in the fitness industry.
In my life, beyond getting married, one of the big changes is that I changed jobs. The job I had at Thomson Reuters ended up not being a very good fit. I took the job thinking I'd be doing one thing, but it turned out that portions of management weren't interested in having me do what I thought I was there to do. So most of my time there was a struggle trying to convince people of the need to do things a bit differently for long term sustainability.
So in July I took a job with the National Marrow Donor Program, a.k.a. Be The Match, as an Infrastructure Architect. It's been a MUCH better fit for me, and the role I have here is work that I enjoy doing. I'm also in an organization that wants to see long term sustainability in their IT architecture, and is open to working with me to design how that will get done. Additionally, Be The Match is a great organization, doing life saving work. The mission to save lives is embedded in the culture of the organization from day one.
Also, in solidarity with many friends and family who are going back to school, I decided to start up a graduate certificate in leadership at Capella University myself. It's four classes that I should hopefully have done by the end of 2014. I'm hoping it helps give me some academic credibility as I look towards other leadership jobs in my future.
My beer brewing hobby also continued to grow this year. I bought a small chest freezer and started kegging my beer. The project for this Christmas, and start of the new year, is building a collar for the freezer, and adding in real beer taps to make dispensing easier. I also took 1st place in a local beer competition for my Blonde ale, so that was a nice pat on the back.
In addition to brewing beer, I've gotten the chance to visit a lot of the local taprooms. Being close to NE Minneapolis has benefits, as there are at least 5 taprooms within a mile or two from each other. Giving us lots of options for a spur of the moment night out to have a quick pint. Lisa and I have also done some beer related travel. Heading to Mankato to visit the Schell's Brewery, and to Chippewa Falls to visit Leinenkugel's. Both of which were fun quick trips as an excuse to get a night away.
On the fitness front, my running took a bit of a back seat this year. My total distance for the year dropped to only 308 miles which is the lowest since I started running in 2010. I did manage a lot more diversity though, with over 100 miles of elliptical and close to 450 miles on bikes (both indoor and stationary). I also added in some weight training, with Lisa using me as practice for her personal training. I also only ran a few races this year. Lisa and I did some 5K's together, as well as a 10K. But the highlight was running a half-marathon relay with Lisa where I ran the first half, and she finished it out on the second half. That was a great time and might end up being a yearly tradition.
I do have some fitness goals for the new year. My weight has fluctuated between 160-170 this whole year, and I'd like to get it into the solid 150's by next Christmas. I'm also going to try a 'streak', running at least 1 mile every day of 2014. I'd also like to make sure I add in a little bit of weight training to help tone some of my upper body. Lisa and I are also heading to Grand Rapids, MI in May to run the River Bank 25K race, so I need to make sure I'm trained up for that.
The boys are doing well this year. They've adjusted to me being married, and seem to really enjoy spending time with Lisa. Noah is finished up 6th grade, and we'll be considering education options for him next year, including, but not limited to, online school. Sam is finishing 8th grade, and next year will be starting High School. We're looking at a Project Based Learning charter school in Coon Rapids as a possibility for him. As an old Open School grad, I have a soft spot for alternative education options.
Sam is really into horses, and this past year he has been taking riding lessons, and we went to the State Fair a couple times to see horse shows. He still loves computers, video games and movies, but it's nice to get him outside from time to time. He's even had the opportunity to volunteer a bit at the stable where he takes lessons.
Noah really got into the Warriors book series this past Fall, and has been devouring all the different books in the series like crazy. He's even started a blog where he's been writing little reviews of the books. He's also continued to run with me from time to time, and did both the Monster Dash 5K and the Turkey Day 5K with Lisa and I. Noah also really likes tabletop games and can often be found playing Forbidden Island or Castle Panic with me on cold evenings.
As I look back on all the photos from this past year, I'm sure I could write twice as much as I've written here, but I think this is where I'll end. It's been a good year. A year of change and transition, but a year where I am feeling very grounded and stable for the future. I'm excited about the possibilities for Lisa and I in the new year. The future feels very wide open, and we often talk about plans for our lives. Thanks for reading about my journey this past year, and I look forward to blogging (hopefully a bit more frequently) in 2014.
