Category: Love

  • Pop Pop

    Pop Pop

    [vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Pop Pop was my grandfather, and he was one of the biggest influences in my life.

    He was always there for me. He spent a lot of time with me. He always advised me and helped as much as he could. And he always believed in me.

    I have so many stories about him that I’m not sure where to start:

    • Always shook my hand and squeezed HARD! He could aways out-squeeze me until I got to college…
    • He was quite a lucky man. He always seemed to be the guy to win the raffle or catch the foul ball. One time he took me on a road trip to Corpus Cristi for a deep sea fishing trip. I was motion sick for most of the trip, and he caught the biggest fish and won something like $1000 along with it. I still have the foul ball he caught at a Phillies game signed by Chico Ruiz.
    • Laughing was his super power. He was always laughing and telling great jokes. He could literally entertain a party for the better part of 45 minutes with one joke after another. He did this with my new in-laws when Lily and I first got married. He was on fire, entertaining everyone with the best jokes.
    • I was struggling with baseball and he was the first person to realize that my eyes were bad. We went to the optometrist and sure enough – I needed glasses.
    • When I was 8 or 9 playing basketball, he signed me up for a basketball camp. Then he showed me how to get inside and throw elbows at the opposing players!
    • He was always changing things up in his life. He would get a new car every few years. He would grow his hair out, grow his beard out, etc.
    • He went skydiving when he turned 80 years old!
    • Dogs always had an extraordinary amount of affection for him.
    • We had a great COVID road trip back to ABQ from FL.

    Interviews:[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/oZpnQjPYU9o”][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/YvHwgVyFbPs”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • “Don’t worry Mommy, everyone makes mistakes.”

    Layla, cheering up Mommy after she made a mistake…

  • Relationships Take Work

    Relationships Take Work

    Even the deepest love takes a lot of work. Don’t expect you’ll fall in love and it’s “happily ever after.” It is an ongoing, ever-present challenge to make sure your relationship engine is fully oiled and hitting on all cylinders. Go into any relationship–business, friendship, or significant other–with this expectation.

  • Heartbreak

    Heartbreak is a fact of life. There’s no way around it, and there’s no way to avoid it. Later in life, when you look back, it might actually be a good thing. You get to know yourself better, you learn from any mistakes you may have made, and you better learn/understand what you are looking for in a life partner.

    You are going to live a long, LONG time. And the person you choose as your partner will either pull you down or push you higher than you ever thought possible. So the best move is to wait for the right person and never rush the process.