I’ve been pretty blessed throughout this Operation Jack journey. I’ve met a lot of great, interesting people. I’ve met a lot of people who inspire me and really, I frequently think about how amazing it’s been to go down this path.

Well, the toughest person I’ve ever met in my life is a guy named Jared Hamman. Jared is a professional UFC fighter and is somebody I really admire. He’s extremely tough, and I’ll get to that in a minute, but he has amazing character. He found me on Twitter and we started talking and we’ve chatted periodically for the past 18 months or so. He’s a very strong Christian and living a life that would be pleasing to God is hugely important to him. He’s one of a small group of people who really inspire me. Just like everybody else in this world, I’m an imperfect person and sometimes, when I know I’m thinking about going down the wrong path, I think of people like Jared, or some other friends of mine with great character, and I think, “What would these friends of me think of me right now?” He’s one of those kinds of people, someone I’m grateful to have crossed paths with.

I met him in January out in California. He was making an appearance at a church about 30 minutes from where I lived, so I went out to the service. The pastor was interviewing him, talking about when he played college football, his days fighting in the 205-pound class and then in the 185-pound class. It was interesting hearing him talk about his life as a fighter and the pastor asked a simple question: What’s your goal? [Read more…]

Over the weekend, my wife Tiffany was talking to the woman who was Jack’s special ed teacher for close to two years back in California until we moved out here to Colorado. Real quick, if you don’t know who Jack is or why this site is called Operation Jack, click here. In a nutshell, he’s my son, six weeks shy of turning 9, and still in diapers and not talking due to the severe autism he struggles with.

Anywayws, Tiff was talking to the teacher and catching up on a whole host of things. To know Jack is to love him — he’s one of the sweetest kids you’ll ever meet. He struggles a lot, which is pretty painful from a parent’s perspective. It can be pretty frustrating, too — he has constant meltdowns and as much as you want to help him, you don’t necessarily know what’s bothering him. When you can’t solve it or get him to understand that you’re trying to help him, his frustration grows and his only way to express himself often becomes self-injuring behavior. We never go anywhere without his padded helmet.

Back to the original point, though — he’s a very, very sweet and lovable little boy. Everybody who gets to know him falls in love. He’s the most pure 8-year-old I’ve ever met and just about everybody who meets him feels the same. So Tiff and the teacher were catching up, talking about Jack’s progress and how he’s adjusting to Colorado. Like everybody who had a part in his life in California, she really misses him. [Read more…]

If you’ve been along for the ride here lately, you know I’ve been home alone for close to two weeks and I’m LOSING MY MIND! I’m so bored and lonely and pretty much miserable. My wife and kids are in California visiting our family and having a bit of a summer vacation. I have that “work” think, so I’m here in Colorado. But tonight! I’m going to the airport! I’m getting my chaos back! Oh, and I have an update on Jack and a running update. Jack ended up having a good week. I did too and I’m surprised my legs didn’t fall off.

Bachelor No More!

So tonight at 8:25, my wife and two of my kids, Jack and Ava, are getting back to Colorado! (Benjamin is hanging out with my parents and in-laws for another week) But I guess I’m still kind of a bachelor until tonight. Yesterday I had to make my lunch for today. I had to make the coffee and my breakfast this morning. I don’t have to ask for permission to go to the gym after work tonight. I didn’t need to tiptoe around while getting ready for my run this morning. I set out the last of the 12 frozen meals Tiff made for me before going to California so that it would thaw by dinner time tonight.

It kind of sounds like a dream for a guy — no wife nagging, no kids fighting, nobody preventing a nap. But I hate being alone and I get lonely and depressed so I’m looking forward to getting back into my chaotic routine. If I didn’t want all the commotion and surprises that come with getting married and having kids, I wouldn’t have gotten married or had kids! [Read more…]

I think I can safely say that this is the first time I’ve ever done what I’m doing now. I’m writing my blog while behind the wheel of my car on a highway. I got stuck in the worst traffic jam I’ve ever been in on my way home yesterday, so I decided to start writing my blog from the car. Don’t worry, I was in park. And it’s pretty ironic to be doing this, considering I went to court Wednesday for a moving violation!

Boom, smooth transition!

Kangaroo Court?

I got a ticket in Boulder on June 8 for 61 in a 45, but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t doing that. I won’t get into all the details and bore you, but I’m going to fight this. In this country, you (sort of) have a right to a trial. I at least want to tell my side of the story to the judge. But the court doesn’t want me to. Why do I say that?

First, it’s $25 in court fees if I lose or plead guilty before trial.

I wanted to know the evidence against me, because it wasn’t clear to me how the officer got my speed. The fine on the ticket said $125, but if I go to court and lose, I have to pay $25 in court fees. There was something on the ticket that said bond was $300 so I called and asked if that’s what my fine was going to be if I lost in court. Was I really looking at $325?

— note: I’m not behind the wheel any more … I stopped writing when I took my car out of park — [Read more…]

Today, I have a guest post from a friend of mine, Jonathan Gunderson. I wrote about him last week because he inspires the heck out of me. Today, he’s running the Badwater Ultramarathon for the 5th time. He’s an incredibly tough runner and a great, great person. I’m pretty honored to have a guest post from him today.

He has a site, seegundyrun.com, and he raises money through World Harvest Mission to build wells in Uganda, bringing clean water to villages desperately in need. The next time you’re thirsty and you get yourself a glass of water, be grateful you’re not having to get it from a muddy river! [Read more…]