Quick Hits
It’s Feburary! It’s been so busy (I hate that word) since mid-November I need a few unscheduled days/nights to do NOTHING. I have really zero on my schedule for 3 weeks…
Ellory dropped basketball this semester for skateboarding - none of her friends do it, but she is curious and wants to try - I love it!
The Midwest was so cold. Give me the Mediterranean climate, baby!
Cheers to Ashley for getting her Spanish driver’s license! It is NOT easy … I’m proud she did it within the timeframe she did … (now a giant ‘L’ on the car for 2 years or so (for ‘Learner’ - LOL)….
The healthcare system in the US needs help - my father’s back/sciatica flares up, and he has to wait weeks for ‘approval’ from the insurance company and then wait a week or more for an appointment. Get ‘approval’ for your MRI? This is your health - your quality of life - healthcare should not be so complicated, expensive, or challenging to navigate. Reverse of this in Spain - if you don’t feel good, you go to the doctor, get seen today, get the test today or tomorrow, and it’s all free. There may be a wait, depending on the severity - but it’s an amazing system with the right incentives in place.
Hayes applied and was accepted to Math Quest - a math competition! He didn’t make the top 4 but loves math - I’m looking at resources with him so he can do more math!
We ate at Disfrutar with friends in Barcelona (look it up!) - one of the top restaurants in the world. It was a 4.5-hour meal - 17+ courses and an amazing experience (with amazing friends). There are 46 workers there for 48 diners - and reservations are a half year out or more.
Having live sports on is awesome. The NFL playoffs, NBA games, etc. We only have one TV in Barcelona, and it’s clear across the house in the ‘kids’ area. Plus, the timezone isn’t easy to have a game on (we are 7 hours ahead of central time). I had sports on in the background at the cabin and it was amazing.
‘The Gentleman movie’ is awesome - watch it
‘A Beautiful Day’ song is awesome - listen to it (this recco from Hayes!)
USA USA USA!
I landed in Detroit and turned my old phone line on - I had 6 screeching fax messages. wtf? The plane from Detroit to Kansas City was delayed - delayed - then delayed again (cold, snow, ice, wind) - and then moved to 8am the next day . I got to sleep in the airport! First time in maybe 20-25 years. I woke up on the Chic-Fil-A airport bench after 4 hours of terrible sleep to see my 8am flight had been canceled, and I had been moved to a new flight at 530pm. 13 more hours at the Detroit airport. No f’n way man …. I worked out a trip to Omaha and rented a car, but my father was so gracious he offered to come to pick me up - so 3-hour ride in the car with my pops was glorious. I made it to KC but lost about 20 hours of time for various things I was supposed to do (meet with friends, hit the storage unit, buy the kids some American items, etc). I still did the important things - hit the gym to do my annual weigh-in and photo check-in for Marcus (my old nutritionist) at Zone 6 (best gym!), spend time with Dad/Vickie and a few good friends, and meet with Jan for a few hours.
I drove to the cabin and spent 3 days there thinking, reflecting, getting a bit of skiing done, and doing more work than I wanted. This is our ‘busy season’ at work, but I’m trying my best to keep my 2 days per week 1p-7p schedule (of course, a few emails every day). I get to work with some really great people and have hired a few more consultants for a new division I am building. I was able to dig into a few work projects while there in the cabin - I think 2024 is really going to be a transformative year for the company (I guess the 2nd year in a row transforming - I think I said that last year - LOL). The boys arrived for the 2nd annual Cabin Extravaganza (we made it to 18 years I think for the Kansas City Extravaganzas) Thursday - Sunday. Just one of the best highlights of my year, I know it. We have all changed a ton in the past 30 years but we really haven’t. It’s interesting for me to think about. I’ve known these guys for 30 years and really nothing has changed. We listen to the same music, act like the same 17-year-old idiots, tell the same dumb ass stories, and laugh just as much. We do chat a little about work, kids and wives, and life in general, of course…. but it’s really interesting to think how the world has changed but how it/we really haven’t….at least not at the core. We still get together to hang out, drink some drinks, and just enjoy each other. We are all a little more grey and have a few more scars (physical and emotional), but it’s really the same - and that makes me very happy and joyful. Thank you, Jack, Jesse, and Toby, for your time and friendship. It means the world to me.
To that end, I have been thinking a lot lately about friends. Unfortunately, many friends are transient here in Barcelona (many people come in for a year to ‘have the experience’ and return to the States. Others are on corporate assignment for 2-3 years and leave). It’s an interesting thought exercise on ‘who are my really close friends no matter what?’ - If I move - if they move - will we still connect? Chat? Lose touch? Will they travel to see me? Will I invest time and money to see them? Hayes lost one of his good friends last year after a year; Ellory lost one last year and will lose one this year and one next year as well (this means we lose friends, too, as the parents transition). I do think more about who I invest my time and experiences in, where I put my free nights and extra few bucks for a meal, etc. I’ll tell you what - no matter where I live or what my life looks like, connecting with Toby, Jack, Jesse is something I hope never ends. Silly childish text messages, shit-talking about sports, or just sitting around with a few beers and laughing our asses off, it’s always going to be amazing. Even if we are old fat and grey. I Love you guys.
Quick hits on this last USA trip …
Candybars - I don’t recall the last full-size candy bar I had, but full-size bars are 2$ each now? Holy hell - what happened to 45 cents each or 3 for a dollar? Am I getting old?
I love the USA apple game - Honey Crisp - Jazz - Pink Lady - Opal - the hybrid apples in the US are amazing…Spain’s apples are so boring!
There are so many options in the stores- awesome yet overwhelming. I’m used to the small stores by my house, with just a few options for each staple. It took me four minutes to choose which type of tortillas to buy for a taco bar I made!
Sugar is in everything - and reading labels (always have - always will), I see all the HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and trans fats (hydrogenated) in the foods - not good. Stay away from that crap folks. Plenty of crap sugar food in Europe, believe me - but at least the chemicals are missing.
It’s so strange being able to ‘listen in’ on someone’s conversation (I can’t understand most of them in Spanish here!). It was pretty ‘weird’ for a bit in the States!
I always enjoy my time in the US - but I am always ready to return to Barcelona after a week or 10 days. I love it here in Barcelona but oftentimes feel conflicted about living in Spain or the United States. Sometimes, the power of choice is a burden. I had a good conversation with Jack at the cabin - ‘you said two years and you will move back or decide to stay - what you doing?’ was what he said. It’s funny, I feel I moved to Europe because I wanted to - because it was the right timing - but that frame has changed. Now I look for what is in the kid’s best interest - how does their future change if we are here or back in the USA? What gives them the best opportunity to find a path to whatever they feel is success and/or fulfillment in the game of life? To be honest, at least at this moment, it’s in Spain. The kids have an amazing school, are getting pretty damn good at Spanish, are safer here in Europe than anywhere in the States, have more individual autonomy, can eat more fresh quality foods, become more worldly and rounded, and on and on. I’m not going to lie, I miss the life we had in the USA - but we have really built an amazing life here. There is a lot of work to do, as always, with friends and relationships, and I really got to get better at Spanish. With great friends, great travels, amazing weather, healthy food, mountains and beach so close, and It’s really magical for us but the KIDS as well. At the end of the day, I guess I don’t know if I’m doing it right or not …. but I’m not too stressed about it. Life is grand - and I’m trying my hardest to enjoy each day….regardless of where I am or what is put in front of me. ok well …. enough of that stuff ….. on to SKIING!!!!
3rd Annual Dads Ski Trip!
I landed in Barcelona for about 48 hours from the US and took Hayes and Ellory to my 3rd in a row ASB Dad ski trip. TONS of dudes - TONS of kids - ZERO wives….(the girls usually travel - Ashley was with a great crew of gals in Costa Brava)! It’s pretty fun. Skiing, dinners, drinks, and nothing but smiles. It was awesome introducing Hayes to two friends of mine - 2 former professional cyclists - they gave him tips and encouraged him on the bike, and he had a blast talking with them. Ellory then was chatting with a former pro volleyball player (she loves vball!) - we have such a great crew here …. one of my friends was just nominated for the MLB Hall of Fame! (first ballot, we don’t think he is going to get in). I’m more likely to get hurt playing a sport than to be awesome at it … but I still have a smile on and enjoy sports!
All in we just had fun fun fun. I was exhausted there and am ready to be back …. so nothing is going on now until the 18th of February… and I’m glad about that! One other thing - I felt when we lived in the US, we would rush our road trips - rush through a drive-through fast food joint, hurry at the gas station fill up, etc. Here we stop for a NA beer on the way to sit in the sun and let the kids run, stop for a 1.5-2 hour quality lunch on the way home - and it’s not even a 4-hour drive. Again, just another difference - the pace is slower here. It definitely takes some time to get used to but once you do, it’s so nice not to ‘rush’ …..
Quote I’m thinking through this month:
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well-preserved body - but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘WOW - what a ride!’
It’s similar to my ‘Wear out, don’t rust out’ quote posted in my office.
Next up we have literally NOTHING planed for 3 weeks …. I may run to Zurich to get some wine Alex and I had shipped from Argentina (they won’t allow it shipped inside spain) and hit a few lunches/dinners out - then Ski week with the kids….I’m off to hit the bike park with Hayes and read a new book on how to get better at changing your mind …. hmmmmmmm????? ……
Thanks for keeping us all up-to-date. I love reading about your family’s adventures. You all are living life right!