SUCH an Honor

Best Man

My brother, Carlos and his fiance, Lisa, are getting married soon. And... I remember the day he called me up last summer and asked me to be his best man.

I couldn't help but cry.

I cried...

A year has almost passed.

And since that day, much has happened in our world.

Yet, I never forgot the way I felt when my baby brother asked me.

So, in the midst all I have going on in my life, there is no priority higher than doing him proud.

I promise to always do you proud, my brother.

The one who I grew UP with. Standing next to you on the playground so no one would pick on you. Fighting kids with my Halls of Justice Super Hero lunch pail as they tried to blow cigarette smoke in your face and telling you to run like crazy! Sitting next to you on our CHiPs fuel-injected, dual-carb motorcycles (well... we WERE only 2 and 3 so I suppose the pedals will suffice for trips down memory lane). ;)

Tonight, I get an e-mail from my brother.

Addressed to the Groomsmen.

(gulp)

Now, I feel Nervous. Queazy. Anxious... "D" (all of the above)

I wonder if he feels the same way?

Nah... "I'm there for you bro. As always, taking your pain for you."

Relax. Enjoy your moment. Live it up. Dream of your bride to be.

And, considering how you work so far away...

And when times get tough from being away from your bride, remember this...

"A part of you has grown in me and so you see...

It's you and me together forever and never apart.

Maybe in distance but never in heart." ~ author unknown

Camarillo, Cali

This morning, my brother, Carlos and I woke up at 5 a.m.
I had stayed at his hotel in Camarillo, California on my way back from a business conference in San Diego.
We decided to go for a run.
Went downstairs and there were two treadmills but one was taken so I lifted weights instead.
He ran about 5 miles.
I ended up running about 2.5.
He, then, got ready for work and I had breakfast.
It was SO good.
Probably since I was hungry from my run, but STILL!
Then, he left for the office but he had a flat tire! Ugh.
So, he calls me up, I go downstairs and we fix it together.
I didn't want him to get all dirty since he was suited up (looked so sharp)!
And off he went.

I, on the other hand, go back to the room.
Get online for awhile.
Then, take a nap.
I was SO tired from the night before.
We had stayed up talking. Nice conversation, too. :)
Woke up a few hours later and it was late morning by this point.
My plan was to get on the road by 10ish but when I opened the window, the weather was PERFECT!
So, I decided to go for a run.
Ran about 11 miles but probably could have ran more had I not run out of water!
It was SO scenic in Camarillo.
The area we were in was very quiet, peaceful and clean.
Reminded me of a modern-day "Leave it to Beaver"-ville. ;)
(what WAS the name of his town? I remember Wally, Beaver, Eddie Hascal, June, Ward...)

So, I finally get packed, load the car and hit the road around 4.
This was after I took my time, showered, ate, etc.
But, of course I hit rush hour traffic!
What was I thinking?!... I WASN'T.
So, here I am... 6 hours later (should have only taken 3)!

Tired. No... exhausted.
Physically AND mentally.
2011 thus far has been exhausting - ALREADY.

Tomorrow, I go back to work.
Then, work half a day on Friday and drive BACK down to L.A. to catch our flight to Phoenix for our half marathon on Sunday.
Carlos and I will fly there and back on the same flight.
His fiance Lisa will be meeting us there.
Should be a great time!

I have friends who invited us to their post-marathon party but I don't drink.
Carlos and Lisa, I'm sure will want to party as well but I'll just want my banana, computer and Powerade drink.
THAT won't fly over very well!
I'll just roll with it.
Maybe be designated driver??

Well, anyway... it was a great trip and I have NO regrets about ANY of it.
Just hard at times, to deal with reality (traffic, long drives...  ...).

There will be so many more trips to come...
Until next time...

~ Patiently Waiting.

Brothers 'til the End...

Today, as I was driving from a conference in San Diego to see my brother, Carlos, near Los Angeles, I was trying to figure out how long it had been since he and I had "us" time. Goodness. It must have been... what? a year... two?  No... keep going... to my surprise... how about NEVER. Well, since we were young kids. Considering I left home for the Navy nearly 18 years ago, it has been TOO long.

So although we didn't have but only a few short hours... we ended up...

1. catching up in his hotel (he is working here for a few months)

2. talking about anything really... running, health and fitness, work, family, hobbies, food, the list goes on and on!

3. having sushi at a killer place near his hotel

4. stopping by a nice little coffee shop and realizing we had walked in on a church bible study gathering and it was FULL of ladies chit chatting in great Christian fellowship... but it was SO loud!

5. coming back to his place and bouncing back and forth between things on my computer, his... our phones, papers on miscellaneous things we wanted to share... SO much!

At one point, he had me ingest a glass full of water and with some tiny seeds that resembled a cross between sesame and poppy seeds (chia seeds). We were on the subject of running since he and I are both running a half marathon on Sunday (in Phoenix). He handed me a 287-page book called Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. The cover reads "A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race The World Has Ever Seen" I asked him if it's a good book. He says... "Jose, I have read it FOUR times since November.

I said. "SOLD." Gimme, gimme, gimme! So, I NOW have two days to read it and return it to him by this Friday when I return to catch our flight. I'll keep you posted on my thoughts.

But, the best part... we S H A R E D.

. . .

1. Books.

2. Seeds that I PRAY don't get me to pop on my next whiz quiz at work! Ha!

3. Knowledge.

4. Experiences.

5. Laughter.

6. Plans on the future (he's getting married in the fall and I am his Best Man! SUCH an honor, upcoming marathons, my business trips, etc.).

7. Thoughts.

8. Advice.

and... the best part?

9. Love.

I gave him a part of my heart tonight.
He gave me a part of his.

I love my brother.

Wish I had our old picture to post on here. It was of the two of us on our "cHiPs" motorcycles (with pedals... I think I was Paunch and he was Jon).  I was around the age of 3 and he was around 2.

Anyway... we've sure come a long way from those days.

Who would have guessed we would be where we are today.

W h o  w o u l d  h a v e  g u e s s e d . . .

I could go on and on and tell you about some HILARIOUS times we spent growing up together but...

Saving that for another day! ;)

I'll leave you with this...

All for one and one for all

My brother and my friend

What fun we have

The time we share

Brothers 'til the end

~ Author Unknown