Say you can't...I DARE you!!!!

When time allows, watch this video.  Pay attention...pay close attention.  When you gasp, choke up, or even cry, think hard about what you have accomplished so far in life and then, think harder about what more you are capable of.

When I watched this, I road the emotional roller-coaster a few times (and for those that don't know, I am not a coaster fan of any kind).  In the beginning I was proud of this man, his father, and their acceptance of reality.  As the video progressed, I became sad for all those in similar situations who lack hope & drive. Towards the end, I found myself angry.  Not angry at others, these challenging situations, but at myself.

In our house "can't" has always been a bad word.  My kids will both tell you that "can't" isn't a nice word and they know that if it's used, the response from Sandra or I isn't favorable.  My kids and nieces will also tell you that they are Mexi-CANS, not Mexi-CAN'Ts.  Sure we joke, but this video makes that phrase less funny, and all the more real.

Why anger?  Well, because if you think long and hard enough (as I just did), you know for a fact that you haven't tried hard enough, pushed yourself, given 110%, or left something inside when asked or tasked with giving your all.  We've all been guilty of this at some point, each and every person out there (maybe even Richie here).  The difference is, Richie has already overachieved by leaps and bounds, defied the odds, and made believers out of every doubter.  Many of us "normal" folks (to steal Richie's comment - "Whatever normal is") have not.  We settle...we give in, we give up, and we all too often simply don't try.

Next time you're challenged, next time you think you "can't"...hell, next time you do anything, do your damn best. And, remember, if you don't, there's always someone out there that will.  Richie proves that...and he proves it with little or no doubt at all.

Be well, laugh often, do your best & make good decisions!

PS - Thanks Rob for sending me this!

Sundays - Football and Family

If you've participated in athletics at some point in life, you've likely been in a huddle.  Sundays at our house are football days...but ironically, the best part of my Sunday is rarely a Packer victory, a well placed wager, or a fantasy football win.  Yesterday the best part of the day was working in the yard and playing catch with the kids.  We trimmed trees, bushes, and weeded for an hour or two.  I trimmed, cut, and shaped some of the trees/plants and the kids took the branches, weeds, etc and used the wagon to transfer them to a trailer. When we finished, we huddled up and created some football plays in the driveway.

The kids were already pretty well versed on these plays (even the hook & latter) based on our reading of "The Family Huddle" - a book by the Manning family about Eli, Peyton & Cooper growing up.  Apparently there is a TV show that will showcase the family videos of the book's premise - watch it, it's worth it.  The kids have loved this book because it (while focusing on football), talks to the importance of family, teamwork, and working together.  Sure, football cliche's are abundant and over used, but they sure do apply well to family, teamwork, etc.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and you're all off to a great start to the week.  If you need to regroup, huddle up for a second, communicate, and break with a positive focus on moving forward.

Work hard, laugh often, and make good decisions.

Back in the Saddle Again!!!!!

Whoooaaa...it's been almost six years since my last post!  Obviously time flies like a Sopwith Camel, but today I was inspired but a blog post by Adrian Foster of the Houston Texans, who wrote about having a daughter, the challenges that poses, how he matured as a father, and how he expects her to be treated.  My boss sent me the link and as I started to read further and further down the page, I had many thoughts.  One, I'm glad I am not alone in this fatherly area.  Two, I also like shotguns as a means to ensure proper treatment of my child, and three, I need to use my blog again.  Reading others' thoughts often times helps me sort my own.  And amazingly, for someone not all that bright, I think a lot.  Writing things down helps me a great deal.  So, with that being said (written), here's an update on where the Skogen's are and what's going on ---

My last post was March 5th of 2008 and it's where I introduce Sofia to readers (all 5 of them).  Amazing right?  She's now 5, started kindergarten last Wednesday, and can cross the monkey bars without a hiccup (how could I possible be prouder)?  She's beautiful, smart, and tough as nails.  She's also VERY into fashion, nails, Barbie, and starting her own "beauty shop" some day.  With any luck, that will be a reality and she can help us retire earlier than we plan.

Andrew is 7, started second grade last Tuesday and is growing up quickly.  He's using big words, reading books, smashing baseballs, and scoring goals in soccer.  He loves his LEGOS, his penguin wenguin, and his family.  At back to school night he made me extra proud with a note on his bio page that read, "someday I want to be smart like my Dad."  Ideally he's a whole lot smarter than I am, but I like where his goals are.  He should be surpassing my intelligence level at some point in 5th or 6th grade!

We sold our home in CA, and moved to an amazing little harbor town just west of Seattle (across the sound).  We couldn't be happier in our new home/surroundings.  Here's a view of the new place from the bank of the sound waters out back --

Everything is green, trees flourish, the summer weather is unbeatable (that's right San Diego, UNBEATABLE), and everyone is really nice (midwestern-like that way).  I even have my own "man cave" where my beautiful green & yellow lawn mower is.  Clearly my Cheesehead roots are still intact!  The schools are great, the kids are happy, and we have so much to do & explore on the new property.  Our first week we pulled clams and oysters from the waters out back and ate them by the fire pit with friends.  Hard to beat that level of freshness.  Apparently we can go crabbing in the waters not far from our inlet and we've got invites for when the season opens again (Andrew is REALLY excited).  So much to learn yet!!

Our great friends the Miller's also moved to the area making the transition for all of us a bit easier to manage. We see them weekly, chase the kids, grab a growler of beer from the store down the road, and really are enjoying things together.  Their kids are in sports, dance, etc just like ours, so we get to experience a lot of new things together!  We also met some amazing new friends north of here in Silverdale, WA.  Rene and his family/friends have accepted us as their own and we've been able to hang out a lot.  Rene invited me to an amazing fishing trip on Vancouver Island back in July.  We caught fish (see below), we had tons of fun, and most importantly we laughed enough to last a lifetime.  Better yet, I think we all made some new friends.

Sandy has been settling in and making our new house a home.  She's made a few small changes, added some cool decor, painted, and did an incredible job of completely revamping a piece of oak furniture I purchased with the house.  The before and after pics are amazing.  Along with her extraordinary photography skills, I am 100% certain she could use the winter months to explore creating some really cool furniture pieces.  All of this while keeping the kids clean, smart, and helping at school.  Foxy and efficient...what more could a guy ask for?

With school in session, work busy, coaching soccer, and aiming to find time to explore our new hood, I am still hoping I can post regularly.  And, I'll do my best to share anything and everything that might be interesting to any new/potential readers down the path.

While I often times say too much...it's scary to think that I never get close to saying everything that I think.  If I am able to write things down that I have pondered, I won't forget them and folks will have a chance to tell me when to STFU :).  Until next post....

Be well, work hard, laugh often, and make good decisions.