Day 116 – Thankful for Memories of Hawaii

Today I am thankful for memories of Hawaii…

Three years ago today I woke up to this… 

 It was at that moment that I found the place I’ll eventually call my home.

Crazy to think it was three years ago.  I can picture it as clearly as if it was yesterday and yet it feels like it’s been an eternity since I was there.  

There’s never been a place that has felt so right for me.  While it will be at least a year or two before I go there again the memory of it continues to make me smile and drives me to work hard to get there again.  When work gets stressful and home life gets hectic I can always think of my future home, smile, take a deep breath, and start to relax.  

Sometimes when I take that deep breath I swear I can smell the salty ocean air.  I close my eyes and can hear the rhythmic crashing of waves, feel the slight breeze blowing on my face, and see forever across the ocean while snuggling with Becky.  Ahh…  Heaven…  

Thanks!!!

 

Day 115 – Thankful for Catan

Today I’m thankful for Catan.

This is definitely one of the best Christmas presents ever!  The boys and I (& occasionally Becky) will bust it out at least 4-5 times per week as a fun way to spend time together.  

It’s a great way to chillax and end the day…  while making great resource trades, stealing from each other whenever a 7 is rolled, and taking turns crushing each others’ dreams!  

Thanks!!!

 

Day 114 – Thankful for Pranks

Today I am thankful for pranks…  Kinda fitting after being thankful for boys being boys yesterday, don’t you think?

So my college buddy Ben puts the following video on my Wall early today…

Ben Spider

Talk about a flood of awesome memories!  Anytime I think of Ben I can’t help but smile…  The number of crazy things that we (I’ll use “we” as opposed to “I” or “he” in order to protect the semi-innocent) pulled were fantastic.  At times I think back to my freshman year at Michigan Tech living in Wadsworth Hall and laugh so hard because of the crap we pulled.

Between locking people in rooms using only pennies (and maybe a pry bar), using a borrowed shopping cart for a laundry basket, balloons filled with shaving cream, pulling sleds using a tow rope behind a jeep, taking turns riding in the trunk of a car so we could all fit in one vehicle, and many other fun things which will go unmentioned we had an AWESOME time!  No one was ever hurt (too bad), everyone gave each other a hard time, no one took themselves too seriously, and we had a blast.

Today I am thankful for each and every one of those memories, regardless of how faded some may be.  Anytime one of them pop into my head they all come flooding back and I can’t help but laugh out loud at some of the stupidity and fun.

While I am thankful for pranks, I am eternally grateful for the people that they involved, the ones who pulled them and the ones who had them pulled on them.  I can only hope that my boys grow up with friends like this that they can make some awesome memories with.

Thanks for bringing back some great memories Ben!

Thanks!!!

 

 

Day 113 – Thankful for Boys Being Boys

Today I’m thankful for boys being boys.

Here’s a scene from our house today…    

There was a random Nerf gun fight between these yahoos…  I’m not exactly sure of all the details, but they were giggling and having fun the whole time.

It’s great to see them being boys, having fun with each other, and playing without a care in the world.  That’s exactly what they’re supposed to be doing at this point of their lives, having fun!

Thanks!!!

 

Day 112 – Thankful for a Lesson From My Dad

Today I’m thankful for a lesson from my dad.

  
 Yesterday morning while I was prepping for my run in the cold I had thoughts and happy memories of many people including my mom, my mother in law, and Becky.  While I was cleaning my workshop yesterday I was thinking of my dad.  When Dominic and I were shooting rifles over Christmas I thought of my grandpa.  When I saw my John Elway autographed helmet and my Packers display I thought of my brother and Linda Monk.  When I hung a Brewers poster in my workshop I thought of Dominic.  In all of these cases I smiled and was grateful for each of these people.  Why is that?

My dad taught me a fantastic lesson a long time ago.  We were working on some project and he told me a secret that he used to stay happy.  Every time he grabbed a tool he thought about who gave it to him and where it came from.  He then took a second to be grateful for that person.  

When he first shared that I thought it was a nice gesture, but c’mon dad, seriously?  Regardless I started doing that and I’ve been impressed with how many times there are positive thoughts and memories flowing through my brain.  

It’s truly and incredible way to stay eternally grateful for what we have, but more importantly it reminds me to be grateful for the people I have and have had relationships in my life.  When those thoughts start flowing it is damn near impossible to not smile and be happy.

Who’d have thought that the acts of doing something so minor as using bandsaw, putting on long underwear, or putting on a winter running jacket could put a smile on my face?  Thanks for he lesson Dad, I’m a happier person because of it.

Thanks!!!

 

Day 111 – Thankful for John “I’ll Run In Any Weather” Manier

Today I am thankful for John “I’ll run in any weather” Manier.

My buddy John Manier is temporarily laid up due to a running injury.  With weather like today it would have been very easy to say “screw it,” and hop on the dreadmill instead.  But two things got in the way of a long run to nowhere.

First, I can sometimes be a complete moron and try to test fate and Mother Nature.  Second, John would be out running in this if he could.  If John would do it, why shouldn’t I do it?

I’ve seen John running through all types of weather including extreme heat and extreme cold.  I’ve seen him running in dark, in rain and in fog.  Pretty sure I remember him running in a thunderstorm.  If memory serves, I’m pretty sure it was when he was running through a tornado that he met chuck Norris for the first time, but I may be mistaken.

John is insanely dedicated to running and he is a motivation to all of us who run.  It sucks that he’s out of commission for a little while, but pretty cool that he can continue to help be a motivator.

There’s more to the story that makes it even more interesting.  I still remember a comment that John made that Becky had shared.  When talking about me running a marathon there was a comment along the lines of “if Mike can do it, I can do it.”  It’s pretty neat how that comment has come completely full circle as I was running outside in the freezing cold today.  Several times I keep thinking, “if John can do it, I can do it.”

Thanks!!!

 

Day 110 – Thankful for My Teammates’ Successes

Today I am thankful for my teammates’ successes.

It has been a very good 24 hours, filled with lots of extremely fun moments with my team. At many different times there were random high fives, screams of excitement, smiles of contentment, and praise for other team members.

Between success in sales meetings, success in growing new clients, success in filling new job orders, success in getting new job orders, and success in working with teammates there was a steady stream of positivity!

The past few days have been very busy and stressful, but the smiles of my teammates have made it all worthwhile.  Yes, it has been a very profitable few days, but truly the greatest joy I have had at work over the past week has been sharing the successes of my team.  I can see their confidence growing and it is AWESOME!!!

There’s something about being around so much success that I can’t help but feel motivated and have a renewed sense of responsibility.  Not that I am responsible for their successes, they do that themselves, but it is my responsibility to make sure they have the tools they need to set themselves up for success.  I am so thankful to have each of them in my life, and I am thankful that they share their enthusiasm and successes with me.

Thanks!!!

 

Day 109 – Thankful for Running Outside

Today I am thankful for running outside.

It was cold, but not too cold to knock out a short run this morning.  Nothing quite like breathing fresh air while running.  Chilly, but peaceful and relaxing.

I’m also thankful that I got up early to go for my run.  It would’ve been really easy to roll back over for a snooze, but I would’ve missed out on getting my blood pumping to start my morning.

All that being said I gotta cruise, more work to do tonight and then off to bed to wake up and get outside tomorrow morning for another run!

Thanks!!!

Mike

 

Day 108 – Thankful for Remote Start and Heated Seats

Today I’m thankful for remote start and heated seats.

So this will probably be one of my shorter posts as it is pretty simple and straight forward. Yup, totally superficial on this one, and I’m okay with that today.

It is cold out, very cold.  Getting into a pre-heated car with nice warm seats is freaking awesome.  Ahh…  warmth in the freezing cold.

That makes for one happy Kreiling!

Thanks!!!

 

 

Day 107 – Thankful for Texting My Little Brother During Football Games

Today I’m thankful for texting my little brother during football games.

So here’s the deal in today’s blog.  Nothing sappy, sentimental, or anything that would cause guy’s to give each other hell for.  It just wouldn’t be right and doesn’t fit here.

Last night I stayed up to watch the entire NCAA Championship for pretty much one reason, because I was texting my little brother the whole time.

While Nick and I would agree that something are better off not being repeated, here’s a sample of what we sent back and forth that is actually street legal (you have no idea how tough it was to find something that could be put online):

We had a blast.  Picking on each other.  Ripping on the game.  Shooting the shit.  Sharing the exciting moments and collectively groaning at a horrible injury.  At one point I swear to God we typed the same horrible joke to each other at the same time.  Our matching “LOL”s came out right after.

To be honest, one of my favorite reasons for watching games is to text him back and forth. It’s pretty awesome.  We both get each other, we both get each other’s humor, we both know how to hit each other’s buttons, and best of all, we never talk about anything serious.  Just two guys burping, scratching, laughing, giving each other hell, and watching a game.  That’s just what the doctor ordered sometimes.

Thanks!!!