A Lovely Life

A year ago I asked a friend if it really does get better after a year. He assured me it would. I remember, as I so often do, wondering where I'd be once I hit the year mark post divorce. So today when I realized what day it was, I sent my little brother a text letting him know I had made it a year and he asked me how I felt. My response was this: I feel like I made it. Like I survived when there were (and sometimes still are) days when I surely didn't think I would. I'm damn proud of myself because even though it's still messy, I've proven I'm much stronger than I ever realized. My little brother told me that I needed to celebrate and I agree! I love finding reasons to celebrate, after all....even on the tough dates, like divorce anniversaries. I've been told all too often not to remember the bad dates...to let them go, but I like to remember them. Especially today. Because a year ago I had no idea where I'd be or who I'd be or if I could co...

At this point, everyone has heard of Tinder and swiping right. I've used Tinder on more than one occasion to meet people. Some of you who are NOT in the dating world consider this a hook-up app and while that can be said for every single online dating site, I've actually had some decent dates come from Tinder. I won't go into those, though. They aren't nearly as entertaining.  Tinder, like other sites, is full of some of the world's most disgusting and entertaining people you will ever come across. If you can sift through enough profiles and find someone to start an actual conversation with then, congratulations! You have pretty much just conquered the Mount Everest of dating. Seriously. The shit people put on these profiles to woo women is nuts...great for drinking games though! Even after getting to the communication stage, things can go south quickly. And when I say "south" I mean dick pics . One of the best parts about said dick pics is not the dic...

In the spirit of ripping band aids off, jumping into the unknown and proving to myself that I can do things I never thought I could, I have some BIG news. As of January 2017, Brucey and I will be residents of Denver-ish, Colorado.  I say "ish" because I'm still working out those details. A few months ago, I got a random text from a friend who I used to work with telling me that he recommended me to his boss as a potential manager for a shop out there. I took exactly 0% of that text conversation seriously. I also took the next few months of back and forth communication with a grain of salt. The internal thought process went a bit like this (bonus points if you can read it REALLY fast because that's how it would roll through my head): "There's no way I'd move. That's just too much. I can't leave. I know I said I would, but let's get real...I'm a baby. Why in the hell would a bike shop owner want me to help him run his shop? I...

I don't think divorce is talked about enough...not in a way that promotes healing and moving on at least. Sure, there are those endless "How To" lists, but let's get real: they aren't worth shit. Divorce is intensely personal and every situation is unique. My divorce is no different. I feel a need to let some of what I'm feeling out and, honestly, I'm a little scared to do it. I don't want to dwell and I don't want pity...I just want to put it out there. As with everything else I've done in the last year, I'm just gonna go for it. If you're offended by my openness or need to express an opinion, I invite you to leave right now 'cause I have exactly ZERO time for that shit. So here we go... 4 years ago today was one of the best days of my life. It was the day I got married.  Today, as I write this, I'm sad. And I'm trying to give myself permission to be sad as I think back on where I was 4 years ago.  I was so...

They did it! 10 teams of Kyle Pease Foundation athletes successfully crossed the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC on Sunday.  With zero incidents to boot! This year was so much different from last. Mostly in the stress of trying to make sure everyone was where they needed to be, with the info they needed, when they needed to be there. I didn't always succeed in that, but I'm OK with it. As with every event, I left with a full and happy heart. So many people played huge parts in this weekend...from athlete transport, to athlete care in the hotels (& around DC), to big hugs for me when I really needed them and incredible crowd support. It takes a solid team of people to keep things from falling apart, which it surely would have had they not been there. Was the weekend perfect? NOPE. Did I learn some valuable lessons? YOU BET. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY. At the end of the day, the goal is to get people to the start line and back across t...

The path of life does funny things and the last year has taken me on quite the journey! There's all those old sayings aren't there? "When one door closes, another opens" "If it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger" "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things" And my favorite: "Everything happens for a reason" I believe that last one and here's why: A year ago this time, I had just filed for divorce. My world was imploding. My heart was hurting and my head...well I can't remember where it was. When I heard a friend of mine was going to be doing a marathon with The Kyle Pease Foundation in one of my favorite cities, Washington, DC, I saw an opportunity to get out of my house and away from the pain. That weekend, where my only plan was to hold up a poster board with something like, "Don't Shit Yourself, Mike!", ended up being one...

Divorce changes you. It challenges you.  Divorce flips your world upside down and takes from you everything you've grown to know. For me, it was a home and a little family. That little family was 50% furry, four-legged pups whom I miss dearly. Walking away crushed me, but it was for the best for those sweet ones...and I knew that there was some special dog waiting for me. When I finally felt settled into my new place in January, I decided that I needed to find that special one. I didn't look for him. He came to me. He popped up on a Facebook post and that face...oh, that face. I just had to meet him. The picture that started it all. On a cold Tuesday afternoon in January, I drove to Lifeline Animal Rescue where a sweet white and black dog was walked out to me. "HERE HE IS!", I thought. Well, he could have given 2 shits that I was there. Barely acknowledged me.  "He's a little...humpy", the girl said. She explained that she didn'...

Well, hello, there...it's been a couple of years and MY how times have changed! Life is different. I am different. And this blog, as it's been so many times before, is going to be different. I've wanted to reopen this little corner of the internet for awhile, but had no idea where to start. I seem to find myself in that situation many times over...I want to be somewhere I'm not and have no idea how to get there. One thing I've learned over the last year and half, is that there's only one way to get where you want to be and that's by taking a step. There's beauty in moving forward. In stepping into the unknown....even if you're scared shitless. As usual, I have no idea where this blog will go or what shape it will take or even how long I'll write my words down for the world to see. Even though all of that is uncertain, I'm happy to be back here...in this little space that I love. So. Here we are again, friends. Welcome back.