WITFV27: Life

I know.

It sounds corny. It's a corny thing to be thankful for. But this evening, I'm very thankful for it.

Tonight, we went to see RENT. I've been looking forward to this movie since I first saw the trailer, but as it approached the release date, I became more and more skeptical. Would a film be able to capture the incredible lyrics and music of the late Jonathan Larson?

Alli and I first saw the musical in 1998 (or was it '97?) in Des Moines at the Civic Center. The musical was touring and we had seen lots of advertisements for it in our small Iowa town where we were attending college. We had a couple of friends who had seen it and highly recommended it, so I got us tickets and we went to "the theater".

I was so taken by the story and the musical that I went out and bought the soundtrack. Alli got sick of me listening to it over and over again.

It's weird. I can't figure out what it is that makes me identify with this story so much. I've never been a starving artist like the characters in the movie and I've never been diagnosed, nor have I known anyone who was diagnosed with HIV. But this story rings true to me because the characters in it are real and they are dealing with real issues and real life. RENT captures the early '90s extremely well (as I remember them) even though the musical did not reach the stage until 1996.

What makes this story resonate so much is that the main characters create a family that is non-traditional, but functions as a support group and I think that everyone looks for something like that in their life. I'm fortunate enough to have that familial support in my life. Not only that, but I'm so thankful to have a life as blessed as mine is.

RENT is about finding life and love amidst the chaos of life and love. It's about struggling to find the one thing that makes everything worthwhile through it all. That thing may be different for others, but for me, it's love. And I am truly thankful for that.

WITFV26: My Camera

A couple of years back, I got a digital camera for my birthday. It's an amazing camera, a Canon EOS Digital Rebel, and I love using it.

I haven't been using it very much in the past couple months, but we've gotten a lot of use out of it recently. We have some great Thanksgiving photos, like this one of my brother doing a spinning jumping kick for no reason:


Or this one of two of my cousins, Hunter and Carly:


Or this one of everyone who was at my parents' house:


But what is especially great about digital cameras is that you can take random strange pictures, like the one below and you can keep them as long as you have room on your computer.


I took my family on a tour of my new building at work today and we brought the camera along to remember some of the best moments. Like this great picture of Alli and Ashley coming down the slide:


I love my camera and I really enjoy taking pictures. I wish I had more time to spend with photography because I think if I wasn't a graphic designer, I would like to probably do that for a living. I always thought that being an Associated Press photojournalist would be a totally sweet job.

For now, I will just be thankful that I have a nice camera to take day-to-day photos with.

WITFV25: Lazy Days

Today, I'm thankful for lazy days. Lazy days are the days in the fall when you can snuggle up on the couch, cover up with a blanket and watch as much TV as your eyes can handle. Alli and I did that this afternoon.

Her family is in town for the holiday weekend, but they were off at the car dealership all day with my sister-in-law picking up her new car (congratulations Ashley!). Since they were there much longer than they expected, Alli and I got to chill out and relax longer than we had planned.

And that was fine by me.

We caught up on The Apprentice episodes (bye bye Adam) that we missed last night, as well as Joey (Thanksgiving episode just not as funny without the rest of the Friends) and My Name is Earl (getting better as the season goes on, but still needs some work). Later, we watched 2 rented movies, Kingdom of Heaven (terrific flick) and Millions (odd British film that wasn't bad, it just wasn't great).

Overall...it was a great day of being lazy. That's what the day after Thanksgiving is all about...laziness.

WITFV24: Thanksgiving

It's not just about the food today.



Okay, that's a big part of it, but it really isn't why I'm thankful for this day. I'm thankful today because I get to spend the day with my family, including my dad, who has been overseas for the past 6 weeks on business.

I'm also looking forward to the after-meal time of fellowship, games, and laziness that always seems to accompany this holiday.

But I'm thankful for turkey, too.

WITFV23: My Church

When I was about 5 years old, our family began attending church in Olathe, KS, switching from the congregation we were going to in Mission. Being 5 years old, I don't remember it all that much, but I do know thatI still attend the same congregation today that I did 23 years ago.

When I was young, I forged friendships and relationships in that congregation that are still strong today and my family has been warmly accepted as a member of that church.

Alli and I had the opportunity to plan the Thanksgiving Eve service this evening and we were so thankful for the turnout and support that we received. It was a great experience for us in planning the service, but I really believe that the service was a good experience for all. I'm so thankful that we have a place where we can worship and that, in this country, we are free to worship as we feel best.

WITFV22: Freedom

OK, before this sounds like a complete cliche, I want to say that I am so thankful that I live in a country where views and opinions can be expressed so freely and that there is not outright persecution for beliefs (although it may seem that way sometimes).

Today, I'm thankful not only for the freedom that we are provided in this country, but those who fight for that freedom every day overseas. Turmoil surrounds us and we oftentimes forget that there are people all over the world that are in the center of that turmoil, struggling to make sure that our interests and our freedom is protected.

I'm also thankful that we have been so blessed as to allow Alli the freedom to pursue her dream as an artist. It's not always easy, but I have to say that it has been a blessing on both of us for her to be able to pursue her dream full time.

I'm thankful that we have that freedom and that she can do that.

WITFV21: The Chiefs

The game yesterday was a big relief. The Chiefs did exactly what they were supposed to do and spanked the terrible Houston Texans. Larry Johnson was huge and I expect to see him restructure his contract in the off-season when Priest decides to retire.

Trent Green looked good. Tony Gonzalez had almost 100 yards receiving. Even so, my home team has a really tough schedule until the end of the year. (Nothing like the Colts, which is almost a complete cakewalk except for the Seahawks and the Chargers... It's funny how the NFL makes schedules.)

I've been a Chiefs fan ever since I understood football. I remember the great Chiefs teams of the 1990's with Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith and the like. It's been a rough last few years and this might not even be the year for them, but they do have some great young players (Jared Allen, Larry Johnson) and I love watching them.

I tend to get pretty into the games, but that's only because I love them.

WITFV20: Friends

Not my friends, but the TV show, Friends. I don't care if that makes me sentimental, but I loved that show and I still love it. I just purchased Season 10, completing our set of all of the seasons. Here's a list of my top 5 episodes:

• The One with the Rumor (Brad Pitt Episode)
• The One with the Prom Video (I'm a softie for Ross and Rachel)
• The One Where No One is Ready
• The One Where Ross Says Rachel
• The One with the Embryos (Lightning Round)

Such a great show. I think that by the end, I was one of the only people who always wanted Ross and Rachel to be together. That whole thing with Joey...that was just lame.

But Friends represented a time of life to me. Alli and I always watched the show together (once we started dating) and it became a point of conversation. It was a cultural phenomenon, much like Seinfeld, except it was on TV longer and it had a point.

Great show. Good laughs. Good times.

WITFV19: My Family

I have a great family.

It's a rarity to have a fully-functioning family like I do, but I have been blessed and for that I am thankful. I have a hard-working father who has always strived to do nothing but provide the best for his family. I have an understanding and caring mother who really raised us well and has always been a great friend to me. And I have an awesome brother who would lie down in traffic for me or any of his friends, he's THAT LOYAL.

For a lot of people, this would be plenty to be thankful for, but not only do I have all this, but I also have incredible in-laws. And not only are they great, but Alli's family and mine GET ALONG, which is even more incredible.

During this time of year, there's nothing that I'm more thankful for than my family.

WITFV18: My Friends

I have been blessed with incredible friends throughout my life. Some of them I was born into because our parents were friends. Others I found along the way.

Oftentimes, men find it difficult to have really good friends. We all have "buddies", but sometimes true "friends" are a rarity because male-to-male relationships are so difficult. I don't know what it is about those that make them so difficult, but I have been blessed with great friendships.

When I was 3, we moved from Iowa back to Kansas and we shortly started attending church in Olathe, KS. One of the things that I loved about going to church back in the day was the friends that I had there. When we started attending, I had a bunch of built-in friends, a group of guys who were either my age or within one year of my age and that group was probably about 8 strong at the time. Over time, amazingly NO ONE moved away.

Our friendship grew and we became closer friends. It helped that our friendship was based in a church relationship and all of our parents became friends as well (if they weren't already). Almost none of us went to the same schools. But as we got older, our friendships got closer because we began to play on a club volleyball team together. While our team probably could have been better with other players outside of our group, the way we had it was the way we wanted it and what happened was remarkable. Almost all of us went off to the same college that all of our parents had attended and continued to play volleyball competitively.

After graduation (at different times), things seemed weird. We all still kept in close touch (some more than others), but our lives were changing as we made the adjustment into adulthood. One-by-one, we began getting married (standing in each other's weddings was fun) and settling down, not surprisingly in the same areas where we had all grown up.

As we have all gotten settled, our friendships have changed, but not for the worse, more for the better. All of us have spouses and they have been added to the mix. Our conversation subjects have gotten more grown up (sometimes) and we all seem much more responsible (at least most of the time).

The one thing that hasn't changed over time is that we can count on each other. Our friendship will last even if there are those of us that move away. I'm glad for that. These aren't really my friends, they are my extended family, and I'm thankful for all of them. You know who you are.