From the Inside Out

Some people say that life is series of adventures. You finish one and then move on to the next. At least I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be. The problem is that I can’t seem to do it. I have a serious problem saying no to any fun opportunity that comes my way. I try to absorb all of the fun adventures at once–sometimes, to my detriment. I promised myself that would take a brief hiatus from the “adventures” in life after (1) my Dad’s stroke, (2) my unexpected increase in responsibility at work, and (3) my last directing gig at ALC. I needed a break, so I took one–for a short time anyway.

Only two months later, I find myself gearing up for the next Saturday Night Life show, getting ready for a huge launch at work, AND I just decided to audition for another play. What was I thinking? It’s no wonder I’m always busy. It’s my own fault. Maybe I need therapy.

Oh, I may have also forgotten to mention that I still want to compete in the corporate challenge, and I’m trying to keep up with a demanding Taekwondo regiment each night. Argh, I just can’t seem to turn down a cool opportunity.

I’ll find out on Saturday if I received a part in the play. If it doesn’t happen, it may be a blessing. If it does, then I’ll be extremely busy again, but I think it’ll be worth it. It could be the start of a really fun adventure with a new theater company. The play is called “Leaving Iowa” and performances start in September at the Courtyard Theatre in Plano.

I just completed my 32-mile Tour de Cure cycling journey so what’s next? Well, I’m seriously considering participation in the annual City of Richardson Corporate Challenge. It’s an 8-week Olympic style competition involving 22 athletic and non-athletic events. Participants are comprised of employees, spouses, managers, retirees and volunteers from the Richardson-area business community. The Corporate Challenge kicks-off with an opening ceremony and then continues with competitions in physical events ranging from softball, cycling, basketball and flag football, to the more sedentary events including darts, billiards and miniature golf. The Challenge wraps up with a closing ceremony in October.

I’m thinking about participating in the 9-mile bike race in September. This would be unlike anything I’ve ever done before. Instead of focusing on distance, this competition focuses on speed. The cycling teams work together to help their lead riders get the fastest course times, and then the top two male and female riders combine their times for ranking among companies. In past years, the Cisco team has medaled in this event. It would be really fun to participate.

Gary and I are going to try the qualifying route this weekend to see if our speeds are up to par. The good news for me is that they desperately need female riders, especially competitive ones. I’m not sure how fast I am, but I think I might be able to do it. Besides, I still have a few weeks to train and get faster. It’ll be fun to try, and if I can’t do it, I can still participate in the recreational ride to help support the team and give them more points.

I’ll keep everyone posted and let you know how it goes. In the mean time, here are a few more pictures from our Tour de Cure ride this weekend.

The “early” riders from the Cisco Team. I’m the short one in the back waving.

The 32, 15, and 5-milers from the Cisco team posing with our banner.

Now for the crazy fun shot!

Me and Gary with a couple of Team Cisco riders at the first rest stop.

Tags: Richardson Corporate Challenge, tour de cure

After work on Friday, Gary and I traveled to Ft. Worth to begin our “Tour de Cure” weekend. Tour de Cure is a series of cycling events held in 43 states nationwide to benefit the American Diabetes Association. The North Texas cycling event was being held this year at the Texas Motor Speedway. We decided to spend the night nearby at the Marriott Hotel & Golf Club at Champions Circle so we wouldn’t have a long drive early in the morning. Tour de Cure registration started at 6 am, and our ride was scheduled to begin at 7 am.

After getting a few hours of sleep, we got up around 5:30 am and made our way to the track a few minutes after 6:00. Riders were already there getting prepped for their journey. We joined them and met up with the rest of our group in the “Team Cisco” tent near the starting line. Team Cisco was comprised of 18 riders — each riding various distances. Routes ranged from a minimum of 5 miles and a maximum of 100 miles. I rode the 32-mile course, and Gary rode the 64-mile course.

At 7 am, our team lined up at the start of the course. All riders began with a lap on the Texas Motor Speedway track with a pace car leading the way. It was a blast being able to ride on the actual Speedway track. Below is a picture of the starting line.

Ready for the ride to start!

The first rest stop was at the 10-mile mark. It’s a great place to take a quick break and stock up on snacks or water/gatorade.

A look back at the route we traveled to arrive at the first rest stop. After leaving the speedway, most of the course was comprised of small country roads.

A quick picture of me and Gary before starting the next leg of the course.

We came across the second rest stop about six miles later. It was a nice, shady area with more water, healthy snacks, and mechanics (in case you needed assistance with your bike). This was the turn around point for riders following the 32-mile route.

Gary got ready to depart for the 60-mile course as I turned back to follow the 32-mile path.

I finished the 32-mile course a little after 10 am. Volunteers were cheering for everyone at the finish line. It felt great to be done! At the end of the ride, I joined back up with other Team Cisco riders at the tent to share ride stories and get some much needed rest. Also, because Cisco raised over 13K, we were eligible for free massages. After resting, I journeyed over to the massage tent and took advantage of a nice chair massage — just what my aching muscles needed after a long ride!

The Tour de Cure event also had a number of other fun activities at the finish line — live band, free pizza, sponsor tents with give aways, free GMC test drives, Humane Society exhibit, and various snacks/drinks. It was a fun, festive atmosphere. It also provided some good entertainment while I was waiting for Gary to finish his long ride.

The Cisco team hung out together, cheered riders crossing the finish line and took some group pictures towards the end of the event. I’ll share those later when I get copies. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera. I was using my iPhone so I didn’t take a large number of pics today.

All in all, it was a fantastic day! I had a great time at the event. It was well organized and benefited a fantastic cause. I hope to be able to do it again next year. For now though, I’m recuperating — and resting my sore, tired body!

Tags: cycling, tour de cure

It’s been four months since my dad experienced a massive stroke. I’d like to say that things are back to normal, but real life isn’t a fairytale. Sometimes you have to walk through hell before you can reach heaven. Right now, we’re in the “hell” part of the journey. I’m still hoping for a happy ending, but we’re not quite there yet.

I feel like a broken record every time someone asks about my father. I reply that progress is slow. It’s the truth. Honestly, I think most people really want to hear some type of quick-fix miracle recovery story. They aren’t too interested in hearing the hard truth, the stressful, heart-breaking saga that continues to drag on for months or sometimes years. The reality is that you can’t just bounce back from a massive brain injury, no matter how much you want it to happen. My father is fighting with every fiber in his body to recover, but his life–and my mom’s life–are on pause right now. It’s a weird state of limbo, not knowing when or if it will end. I know it’s terribly frustrating not only for us, but also for him — most of all for him.

The good news is that he has been making progress in outpatient therapy. Recently, I reminded my Dad that he couldn’t move his right leg. It’s been paralyzed since the stroke. He grabbed his right leg immediately with his left hand –to show me that he could use his hand to lift it. I acknowledged that he could move it using his left arm, but he couldn’t lift it unaided. I placed his left hand to the side and asked him to raise his right leg. He looked at me and promptly lifted it two inches off the floor! I was flabbergasted. With a look of shock on my face, I glanced at my Mom and asked if she’d ever seen him do that before. The look on her face displayed her answer before she gave an audible reply. It was the first time since the stroke that he had moved his leg on command. In the midst of all of the dark moments of the last few months, it was a small triumph.

We’ve also experienced a few small victories in speech and cognition over the last couple of weeks. My dad can’t speak or write yet, but sometimes words (and even phrases) will just pop out randomly. It may not seem like a big deal to those of you who are reading this, but trust me, it is. For four months, it’s been like trying to communicate with someone who is speaking a foreign language. I can’t fully articulate how sweet it is to comprehend even one word. Small victories, indeed.

My family’s journey through hell is full of bad days intermingled with some good ones. I hope that as we move forward, the mix will change, and we’ll see more good days in our future. Each baby step of progress is a victory, and my hope for recovery rests in a continuous series of small victories.

I believe that everything you face in life is supposed to teach you something. Sometimes you have the clarity of mind to understand the lesson you are learning while going through the experience. At other times, you don’t have a clue. I think I’ll look back someday on this situation and understand it more fully, but for now, I’ll just say that it’s taught me to appreciate life (and those who are important in my life) more. Don’t ever take your loved ones for granted:

…Savor each moment with them; it’s special.

…Don’t let the challenges in your life drag you down or tear you apart.

…Life is fleeting; take time to enjoy it.

…Don’t ever forget to tell people you love them; find a way to show them they are special.

Tags: recovery, stroke

We held our first writer’s meeting for Saturday Night Life this evening. Each year, we gather a small team of brilliant writers that make the magic (and the laughs) happen. This year is no exception.

Kick-off meetings always start with the writers pitching out sketch ideas, which in turn spawns other ideas, and eventually we find ourselves with a good number of potential sketches for the show. The most popular ideas are assigned to writers who work them into fully developed outlines. The outlines are then presented during the next meeting, and that’s when the fun really begins. We have to select the sketch outlines that are good enough to make it into the show. Narrowing down all of the options into a list of 12-13 sketches and 4-5 videos is not an easy process!

Once we have a final schedule, the script writing process begins. Our writers have about two weeks to finish their scripts before going into casting and rehearsals. It’s an aggressive schedule, but it works flawlessly.

I won’t give away any of the ideas at this early stage, but I will share the dates/times of when you can see the results of our efforts. This year’s Saturday Night Life show will be held on Friday and Saturday, October 8-9 at 7:30 pm at Abundant Life Church. Mark your calendar now, so you don’t miss the fun!