family.
recently, i discovered that i truly value family time.

this was not always the case...
the majority of my adolescence and high school experience was spent within the family homes of my friends. this was a time in my life when my family suffered through the hardships of separation and divorce, so i sought refuge in my friends and their families.

8 years later, i'm still dealing with the ripple of my parents' messy divorce. my father has distanced himself from his siblings and his oldest three children, which has been challenging over the years; however, my relationship with my mother has drastically improved. 

my mother loves family time. i realize this more, now than ever. 

it was a week before easter sunday when i began comtemplating making a trip home for a holiday visit. i made a couple of phone calls and found out that my sister, allyssa was spending the weekend with her boyfriend, my sister, taylor was at her mom's house, the younger three children were spending easter with my dad, and my brother, jesse was likely going to be the lone child for the weekend. i thought about trying to set up a carpool, then i decided just to stick around la crosse for the weekend.

i had coffee with my camp friend, cassie on the friday before easter and she offered me a saturday - sunday ride to madison. i took advantage of the offer and made the spontaneous trip home for easter.

i walked into the house and found only ryan, my mom's fiance, sitting in the living room. he and i chatted for a bit as the 5 children (except for taylor) and my mom entered the house with armfuls of groceries. to my surprise, the entire family was home. allyssa opted to spend the holiday in madison and the younger children were at my mom's for another hour before leaving to spend easter with my dad. 

once the kiddies departed, the 21 and over crowd and grabbed dinner and drinks at the great dane pub, in fitchburg. it was a fun meal with outstanding and memorable conversation. the time i spent at home was wonderful and it was sad to leave. 

i arrived back in la crosse and received a phone call from ryan on monday. he basically thanked me for making the secret easter trip home and revealed something very special about my mom. he told me that there is nothing more fulfilling to my mother than having all of her children under one roof. i held back tears as i realized that my mother lives for her children and that family time is more important to her than anything else. 


surfwise is unbelievable.
it's the most unique family upbringing that i've ever seen... i don't want to spoil it for you, so please check it out on netflix instant queue.

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this is the final quotation from the movie surfwise... 
what are your thoughts on doc's perspective?

It is easier to die when you have lived than it is to die when you haven't. so, i say to all young people, 'go make memories, beautiful memories, and when time comes for you to go, you will not go alone.' 
- dorian "doc" paskowitz

when life gives you lemons...
your work, your income, your stability is unexpectedly pulled out from under you. 

what now?

your day-to-day life is drastically changed and your "free." free to initiate self exploration and free to do whatever you want. this short documentary looks into the lives of the people who took advantage of the liberation from the "normal" 9 to 5. 

their pursuits are their passions and they love their new path. 

here's a link to watch it online:
www.hulu.com/lemonade

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how would your life change if you woke up tomorrow and you had nothing but a blank page?

the things that inspire.
i was sitting in my office doing some random camp work on the computer when a new e-mail appeared in my inbox. 

the subject line read, "be the dancing guy."

i opened it up and clicked on the attached youtube link and waited. as the video was loading, i realized that this message was sent from nancy, one of our office managers at camp. she and her office manager counterpart have worked for camp before i started in 2003, and will likely be there after i leave. so, it's fair to say that they're rooted in our camp's history. 

on a number of occasions i've received inspirational websites, links, and videos from nancy. in the heat of the summer, she always finds ways to brighten our days and the original "dancing guy" video did just that (fyi - the original was the video's raw footage, without the voice over). 

this youtube video hit the internet after the 2009 sasquatch music festival, in washington. i remember sitting and analyzing the 3 minute clip over and over. i guess i was surprised that it was actually captured on film, because 99 out of 100 times, this experience doesn't get documented... but, to my enjoyment, this sequence was captured from the beginning to the end. it incorporates everything from group dynamics, leadership, followers, support, trust, passion, to love.

it made me rethink the importance of leaders, ideas, and followers.
without an idea, nothing will happen.  
without leaders, nothing will happen.
most importantly, without followers/supporters ideas will never become reality.


i recently came across a remix to the original "dancing guy" video that i viewed last summer (i've posted it below). derek sivers, author and inventor, spent time dissecting the video and he turns the raw footage into a lesson on leadership. 

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take a moment to experience the power of one, some, and then many more...
has your passion ever started a movement?

leaving a mark.
I was first introduced to banksy, the internationally renowned british street artist, back in september. his work is powerful and is produced for the masses to see. he takes the things we see everyday and modifies the norm into something spectacular. 

I recommend visiting his website and exploring banksy's works (http://www.banksy.co.uk/).

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how are you leaving your mark?

words to sentences.
sentences to stories.
i recently read a blog entry by acclaimed author, seth godin about books.

he writes:
if you read a book that tries to change you for the better and it fails or doesn't resonate, then it's a self-help book.

if you read a book that actually succeeds in changing you for the better, then the label changes from self-help book to great book.

i'm not an avid reader... i spend more time watching documentaries and listening to music. although, i value a good book recommendation from a friend.

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so, what are you book recos?