Imposters at the Civil War

The month of December is and has been nothing short of spectacular. Personally, professionally, socially, and even spiritually, it is one to remember. Planning a month and packing this much entertainment into 31 days is seemingly impossible, but through sleepless nights, double shots of coffee, and Inception (watching it right now for the umpteenth time), feats become manageable. Interesting enough, the month is only half over.

Where, oh where do we begin?

Patrick Riordan and I planned to visit a mutual friend in Oregon the first weekend in December. Timing it up perfectly, the Oregon Ducks football team (#2 in the country) was scheduled to play Oregon State (not ranked) for one of the nation’s oldest and finest rivalries. Heck, a game of this magnitude with Pat and I in the same state, ha, there was no stopping us. Arriving into Portland around 8am the guys (Pat and Tommy) picked me up from the airport. Unfortunately, the last time I saw Mr. Nordling was late September/early October; the weeks and months are starting to blur together as we continue to travel at this incredible rate. And, for more information about the quality of person Tommy is, venture down on the webpage to check out earlier blogs.

The weekend was an important one on several accounts: First, to have a quality weekend, and, of course, see the Civil War (nickname of this in-state rivalry); Second, to meet Tommy’s significant other Kaley (more to come); and Third, to spend time meeting new friends in a city/state that I have grown to love. 12 months ago to date, at this specific time, I find myself staring out over the Pearl District from my apartment in Portland, Oregon, itching anxiously towards a Christmas back in Minnesota. Stress-filled from countless Work Go-Live, my hand reaches for the window. What I find is not the city of Portland staring back at me, but instead, the fruitless, snow filled trees behind our New Brighton condo. It is good to be home.

So where were we? Ah, right, Oregon. About Kaley, what a beautiful person?! A quick note: one of the highlights from the weekend (there were several), was watching Tommy and Kaley interact. Boy are they a well fit match. You know people are a perfect fit by watching the smiles and the looks; Tommy and Kaley have that look. Some people call it a sparkle when they see it, but it’s not, it’s something more. As an observer trying to put my finger on it, it almost seems as if that person, staring at their match, is overcome with so much positive energy from a glance, a gesture, even a brush of the hair that they lose themselves in this moment of purity, the moment of pure happiness. And, oh, what a feeling it is to be lost, right Tommy?

After a hard fought night of tipping back countless beers, jamming out at the local hot spot in WestLinn (sp), and a nap at the bar (pointing fingers at no one but myself), we woke up early Saturday morning with headaches, cotton mouth, and a mission laid out in front of us. Throwing on Oregon Ducks gear (Thanks or “Un” thanks Tommy for the Joey Harrington jersey), we made our way to Corvalis, home of Oregon State; I felt as though we were Frodo and the group venturing into the heart of Mordor. Yes, folks, I am a movie nerd, enjoyed Lord of the Rings, and will admit that I own several versions of the movie. Back to reality.
The town of Corvalis is in the middle of nowhere. We all felt comfortable because Pat and Tommy grew up in Virginia, MN and I grew up in Blooming Prairie, MN (if you have to ask, it is in the middle of nowhere). But, in the middle of Corvalis is an immaculate stadium, perhaps one of the neatest stadiums that I have visited.

Stopping by a bar to get a couple of hangover beers, pick up the tickets, and snag a bite to eat, we were abruptly greeted by a strange comment at a corvalis bar. “Hey what’s up you Joey Harrington looking Mother Trucker” (this is a pg 13 blog). Laughing uncrontollobly, we slowly weaseled ourselves in a booth. By the time we left the bar, the Miller Lite sponsor girls emptied out their entire collection of giveaway materials, Pat had several necklaces on, we owned new shirts, and Tommy managed to set a new record for fastest eating of a burger (2.4s, what a beast?!).
The game itself was entertaining; the sites, the chants, the rivalry, the cold, fall weather in the upper northwest, and of course, the energy of a college football city. Standing up the entire time, three specs of green in a sea of orange, we couldn’t have felt more out of place. But, we used this to our advantage, and by the time the clock struck 0 at the end of the game, we were holding up #1s and chanting like the rest of the small percentage of Duck fans. Oh, there’s more.

Pat wanted to a closer view of the field and after running down the 15 rows to get to field level, he noticed Oregon fans pushing past security and charging the field. Glancing back at Tommy, Pat’s ears wiggled, a grin spread over his entire face, and we knew the next step; Pat hopped the fence. With the field turf beneath our toes, the victory and thrill seemed to energize us. Running around like bubbly cheerleaders, we high-fived players, pointed at the goofy security that surrounded the goal posts, and joined in chants. At one point, buzzing with laughter and excitement (they don’t serve alcohol at the stadium so this is excitement alone), I stopped to look at Pat and screamed, “What do we do now?!”
“I don’t know!!!” he screamed and we continued to run around on the field.

Keeping it short and sweet, this weekend was a blast, an action packed weekend crammed into 36 hours. And, with every positive weekend, there is a lull, the longing to stay, a long reality check walking through security.

The intercom to the airplane chimes in. “We are now making our decent to Honolulu…”

Was this a dream?

…And I’m Leaving, On a Jet Plane, Don’t Know When I’ll Be Back Again

Let me preface this blog by saying that things might get a little sentimental (it could be because I am listening to Brian Adams, sitting on a flight back to Hawaii, and sure enough, Glee is playing on TV. Too much info? Perhaps), please proceed with caution. 

I flew home for a night in the middle of November.  My flight schedule consisted of this: Red eye to Minneapolis Wednesday night, arrived in Minny at Noon, flew down to Chicago around 3pm, training in Chicago Friday morning/afternoon, returned to Minny early evening, taxi to dinner on Friday night (night of the first big snowstorm), spent the evening at my sister’s place in New Brighton, and then flew back to Hawaii on Saturday morning.  What the heck was I thinking?!

During all that travel, training, and experiences, there is one 4 hour span that I want to talk about.  Knowing that I have yet to have the opportunity to connect with as many people as I would like to upon my return, we tried setting up a dinner for a small group of us Friday night.  Arriving back in Minneapolis Friday night, I took a cab directly to a family owned Italian restaurant in St. Paul.  Showing up an hour early, my eyes directed me to the bar where a cozy stool awaited.  The restaurant name evades me as I write this, but it was nice, quaint, and ‘family owned’ is the best way to describe it.  Prices were more than fair, the owners are pleasant, friendly, and proud of their restaurant.  After all, it IS the oldest Italian family owned restaurant in the nation (didn’t realize this was a measurement). 

Slowly, the group began to venture in.  First, Tyler Kramer, part of Hayfield’s finest family.  Shortly, after him, the largest group, Aaron (my brother in law), Kari (my sister), Erin and Jared (two of my best friends), and Patrick Riordan (diddo).  Yarusso Brothers!! Just thought of it, what a breakthrough.  I was fortunate enough to strike a wonderful relationship with the Yarusso owners and they were more than complimentary to me and the entire group. 

After sitting down, our oddly mixed group brought together to have a good time simply lost ourselves in conversation, embarrassing stories, current happenings, silly things, and of course my sister’s big announcement.  Kari, you out there?  Do you care if it is on the blog now? (I guess time will tell).  Just as we were to yell out the ‘congratulations,’ none other than Jon Lien and the beautiful Heidi showed up.  Ah, two more fantastic people.  This was it, they rounded out the group pleasantly: 9 brilliant individuals, good times. 

The rest of the night consisted of drinks, going to a ‘police bar’ in St. Paul, and continuing to catch up with one another.  Enjoying the connection, regaining laughs with the group, jibes and jokes, it was more than I could have asked for.  It wasn’t until boarding the plane, alone in the airplane, that I realized how fortunate one can be to associate with these quality of people (with the exception of my brother in law, ha!)…kidding Aaron.  We live in an age where connection is at our doorstep, the click of a finger, or even the switch of an online camera (almost creepy at times), yet there is still one problem with travelling; you can’t put a price to physical distance.  We take this for granted every day, being physically close to the ones we love and those we cherish.  I don’t have any wise words, but this is my blog and heck, I am reflecting J.  The second reason that this blog took on a reflective nature is because my parents just visited me for 5.5 days in Honolulu. 

I, and hopefully they agree, enjoyed a near perfect vacation.  Site-seeing, time on the beach, introductions and new relationships, peace, quite, and space, what more could you ask for?  Exhausted from the previous week, I again took for granted the distance my parents took to come to visit and the shortness of time.   Sure enough, Sunday evening arrived and we were saying goodbye at the airport, arms in arms, reluctant to let go.  Let’s rewind, what had we done:

1. Pearl Harbor

2. Turkey Trot

3. Thanksgiving in Ko’Olina / Lagoons

4. Pali Lookout / Manoa Falls / Watched Matt Zellmer and Luther play basketball (matt is an awesome blossom, great kid, and it was nice to have another ‘blooming onion’ in Hawaii)

5. Island Tour: Tantalus Road, H3 (beautiful drive), King Kamahamaha Highway (sp), North Shore, Haliewa, Shrimp Shacks, Hard Rock Waikiki

6.Brunch at Dukes, beach time, Airport.  Early Sunday morning as I lay on the couch, staring at my computer, my mom walked over and said, “Kraig, I got teary eyed thinking about leaving.”  Well, Mom, diddo as I write this blog. 

Prior to the airport, we stopped by Barnes and Nobles to grab a couple of books, ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp, and then made our way to the airport.  My parents said good bye to Kristina with heartfelt hugs, a gift exchange (they say thanks Kristina, and I believe my mom hugged the card after she read the message), and ‘see yah in Decembers.’  Each mile to the airport felt as though it were an inch.  Have any of you ever felt this? The more you want to hold onto something, the faster time speeds up and before you know it, time passes.  I even tried driving particular slow, but the brief traffic jam that I caused prompted me to speed up.  Einstein talked about the theory of relativity from a certain perspective, and so did LL Cool J in Deep Blue Sea (Terrible movie, and this is my attempt to bring humor to this discussion).  He simply said, “Put your hands on a hot stove and seconds feel like hours; put your hands on a hot girl and hours feel like seconds.”  Different situation, similar concept. 

Losing myself in conversation with friends and family, connecting with them, laughing, loving, those hours passed by as quickly as it takes to ‘see yah later.’  Losing myself in closeness with family, friends in Hawaii, days passed by as quickly as it takes to unravel ones arms from a hug. 

Pulling up to the curb, we all seemed to operate in slow motion, still disinclined to step out of the car.  Some of you may be blaming this slow motion on old age, but my parents are not that old. 

Popping the trunk and stepping out of the car, it was funny to see my dad unfold himself out of the back of the convertible (just rented for the 4 days, relax guys).  Grabbing the luggage, passing it over, we knew the moment had arrived.  First, my dad, expecting the handshake and a partial hug, I hesitated for a second when he leaned forward with both arms for the real thing, a full hug; for as long as I can remember, I do not recall the last full hug between the two of us, but more important, I will always remember this one.  The feeling of security when your dad wraps his arms around you is overwhelming, an escape from any worry that one might have.  It happened here; I was blown away. 

Next, mom.  Mothers' hugs and are sappy, it is expected, but even though it is expected, there is no denying or even describing a mother’s love and the feelings that are shared when you hug your mom.  It isn’t security or protection; oh no, to me it’s vulnerability, genuine emotion found in an action as simple as a hug. 

Time, relativity, family, friends, connections, distance, tears.  Goodbyes are difficult, but just as the sun continues to set and the plane ascends we must look forward to the last lines, the ‘see you laters’, the phone calls, the blogs, the instant messages and texts…For just around the corner, two weeks, two months away is a plane descending, a “Welcome Home,” giving us the opportunity to lose ourselves in conversation, love, and laughs once again.

A Turkey Trot and a Very Hau’oli La Ho’omakika’I (Happy Thanksgiving)

Before I describe my wonderful Thanksgiving experience out here in Hawai’I, I first want to wish each of you reading this a fabulous Black Friday, and I hope that all of you were able to enjoy the time this weekend with family and friends. 

My Thanksgiving consisted of a 10 mile Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving buffet at Ko’Olina with a dozens of friends and family, and, fittingly enough, beach time with cocktails at the beautiful lagoons. 

On Tuesday my parents bravely ventured out to visit me in Hawaii, and the time spent has been nothing short of spectacular.  After a decent night’s sleep Tuesday night, we set about experiencing HI in typical tourist fashion; Number one on our agenda was Pearl Harbor.  I do not need to justify why we went to Pearl Harbor, but there are several aspects of it that I want to touch upon.  First, the rich history and trying to transport oneself back into that time period is impossible.  The only American’s that I believe can relate to this tragedy would be those in the buildings or even standing outside of the World Trade Centers on 9/11.  This is not downplaying the hard fighting soldiers in Afghanistan and the Middle East, but the point is that, in terms of sheer pandemonium and ‘dastardly attacks’, these two are incomparable. 

The other considerations that need to be addressed are: size, power, respect, and resilience.  Standing atop the Battleship Missouri (yep, THE exact spot where the Second World War II ended), you can’t help but wonder what type of power it would take to bring this type of ship down.  The ship spans roughly 3 football fields, and although I like to think that I can throw a football over those mountains in the distance, it would be difficult to even toss a ball the width of the ship.  As we left the Missouri to test the Arizona memorial, a different feeling consumed me.  When I was about to board the little boat shuttle over to the actual memorial, I felt as though I were going to yet another site seeing opportunity.  It wasn’t until the boat guide refocused my thoughts to the memorial itself, the Arizona Memorial is a tomb, a final resting place for over 1,000 individuals who lost their lives on that morning.  That power, that simple message, reshifted my focus, and regained my perspective.  As oil still bubbles out of the ship, we were given a clear day to see the massive ship.  Sure the battleship is small scale relative to today’s aircraft carriers, but in the 1940’s it was a massive expansion of steal and ingenuity.  Over 1,000 individuals-many prayers and thanks to the family of those individuals. 

After the memorial, we drove back to the watermark for a couple of hours of fun in the sun.  The biggest news (other than the spectacular visit to Pearl Harbor) is that I introduced my parents to an amazing person, Miss Kristina.  Talk about nerve wracking!! Sure my parents had heard about this lovely lady in passing, but to put a face and a personality to my feeble descriptions is an entirely different experience.  To say they were blown away is an understatement; the meeting went smoothly and I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce such a special individual to my parents (a bit much? Nah, not quite). 

Kraig, stop stalling, what is the Turkey Trot?  Well gang, my co-worker Maggie (an incredible person who ran 2 marathons within a month!!) put a gun to my head and forced me to sign up for the Turkey Trot a 10.4 mile run in the Diamond Head area on Thanksgiving morning.  What can you do when life and death is on the line?  Before the run, the most I have ever run was 6 miles, so who on earth knew what was going to happen.  Well, a challenge is a challenge.  Let’s do it. 

Without going into detail, the run was exhilarating!  I am addicted.  We finished the run in roughly in an hour and a half and the entire experience was such a thrill.  Hundreds and hundreds of people participated, individuals donated their time to passing out water at certain mile markers, and people cheered along the way.  Where do we go from here?  Sure 10 miles is something, but I decided to take the giant leap and in 2 weeks I will be running a marathon.  Haha.  If you can run 10 miles, you can run 26.2, right?  If you have room for me in your prayers, please wish that I do not break anything during this spontaneous adventure.  Hip, hup, 26.2.  Let’s do it. 

After the run, the group of us, Kristina, myself, my parents, and Maggie, drove out to Ko Olina for a Thanksgiving potluck next to the pool.  For visual reference, the pool area has a small cascading waterfall, weather temperature beamed a sunny 75, and the wind blew in from the East (not sure about this, but it fits in) at a vicious 15-20mph.  From Minnesotans, Target employees, to my coworkers, family, young and old, this was such a nice experience and I am thankful for the Radtkes (Colleen and Jon) for hosting.  These two are remarkable, caring people who seem to focus all of their efforts on others. 

That’s all I have for now, more to come shortly.  But all in all, I must say, Thanksgiving on O’ahu, not a bad idea!