Headed In

The day has finally come and am ready to get on with it. Yesterday was spent working a few hours at the club and spending the rest of the day laying around on my futon with my wife watching movies, snacking, and laughing. I woke up a little earlier then planned this morning with a lot on my mind and figured I would share a bit of it.

By no means do I mean the following as a good bye or to make this situation dramatic; however when ever you have a surgery performed on your body you can't help but think that something might happen. I know I'm in good hands and I'm sure I'll be fine, but I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the special people in my life. If you are reading this blog then you are included in what I'm about to say.

I am not a organized religious man. I believe in a higher spirit (the creator). My faith in a higher spirit allows me to recognize a blessing when I feel it and over the last 10 years of my life I have felt it. Some of my friends have told me that "I've been delt a shitty hand" but the way I see it is at least I'm still playing the game. I have been surrounded by some of the kindest and warm hearted individuals over the last 10 years that referring to my relationships with them as "shitty" couldn't be farther from the truth.

All of this started with my parents (Richard and Tina) by raising me a special way. They always let me decide, they never told me what I was going to do. They presented the information and allowed me to make my own decisions, to me by own man. Through this style of teaching I learned never to follow the group, to stand and think on my own, and to commit when I felt it was right. Their teaching is my greatest blessing. What my parents have taught me transfers to my decisions in life buy allow in my decisions of who to surround myself with. As many of my clients know, I'm very open about this, that if I feel like I can't work with someone I'll tell them. I want my relationships with my clients to become friendships (not just a business transaction).

After 6 years of working my way from training who ever and when ever just to get by I'm now blessed enough to select exactly who I want to work with, who I want to be surrounded by, and when I want to work till. I'm 29 years old and I have 70 individuals that I work with on a weekly basis that I truly value for their commitment, friendship, and warm heartiness toward me. Thank you for being there when I need you.

Five years ago I had a decision to make of either joining the army or accepting a job coaching a junior college track team at Sacramento City College. Its funny how little decisions echo greatly in life. If the University of Nevada had a men's track team I would never had come to California and if Keagan had decided to go to Long Beach she would never had thrown the Javelin and would never had meet me. All the decisions of my life since I graduated high school in 99' has brought me to where I am today and I can honestly say that I' don't regret one of them. Our choices brought Keagan and I together and I couldn't have selected a better individual for myself. Sometimes the cards fall just right, the peg fits, the timing is right, or what ever you want to call it...that's what Keagan and I have. We just fit...and I love her with all my body and all my heart.

In 98' our families financial situation was not the best leaving me with a decision to make. Did I want to move away from Tahoe for my senior year of school or would I want to live with my brother and finish where I started? I choose to stay with my brother and it was one of the best decisions of my life. Chris and I were always close, but this quality time together brought us even closer. I don't know if I ever really thanked him the appropriate way for letting me stay with him and its never too late to say it. Thank you Chris and Buffy for loving me and letting me live with you two for that time. Things would not have been the same in my life if I had not had that opportunity. Over my high school career my brother came to every football, basketball, and track meet I had. How many brothers can say that? Like I said, I feel blessed.

In 99' I graduated and had to make a choice on where to go to school. Would I forget about track and move to Reno or would I go out of state and find a school with a track team? Off to Arizona I went to live with my sister Amanda. To be very honest we did not have a great relationship, so I was very nervous about living with her. It started off a little bumpy but turned into, as I like to call it, "the greatest mistake of my life." Greatest meaning that without it Amanda and I would never had developed the beautiful relationship we have now. I can call her and talk to her about anything at any time of the day and not think twice. Mistake meaning that I hated every second of living in Arizona. I lived in Tahoe one day (75 degrees with a breeze) and showed up in Tempe the next day (104 degrees at 1030 at night -no wind...ever!). Plus, for the first 12 weeks I did not have a car and had to ride my bike everywhere I went. It was awful, but I would change a second of it. Amanda helped mold me into a much better person and I'm grateful for her and for her husband Rene. During my last surgery my sister took the entire week off to stay and cook for me, clean my home, help me move when I need it, and provided me with encouragement and faith during some well needed and always remember conversation. I love you Amanda. Again, blessed.

I know this is a long blog and if you have read this far know that I truly appreciate you hearing me out. Keagan just woke up and I need to get my things together. I'm nervous but I feel much better knowing that I got a few things out in the open that maybe some or many of you didn't know about me. Thank you all again for the support and for thinking of me. I appreciate it and I'll see you soon.

Robert