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Grandma Kui – On June 22nd I got a call from my little brother that the following day would be the day that they were going to remove my grandmother from the breathing machine. I instantly broke down and my little brother asked me if I was sad. I simply replied to him “Fuck yeah I’m sad.” I cried for a little bit. I apologized to Big D that I wasn’t there for him. He told me that he was ok and that he was fine with the decision because he knew Grandma Kui wouldn’t be suffering any more. She was like a mother to Big D and I was so proud of him and the way he handled the situation. I couldn’t get a flight out until Friday the 24th and wouldn’t arrive until midnight. I called my family who told me that though it wasn’t their intention to wait until I got there, the circumstances allowed for me to arrive in time to say good bye. I got there Friday night, went to sleep and the next morning we went to the hospital. I will keep this next part simple, as it was a rough day for me. I walked in, told her I loved her, said goodbye, and waited. A few hours later, she left us and as a family, we were satisfied. We hurt, but we knew that she didn’t. That was good enough for us. For those that know me on a personal level, things haven’t been the same for our family, but it’s not my first rodeo. I’ve seen dissention amongst family members caused by death multiple times. We’ll get through it. To Grandma Kui, I love you and I appreciate all you did for our family. You will never be forgotten and will forever be missed.
Bells Palsy – What is that you ask? Hell if I know. But I got it. How? No one knows. How does it go away? You wait. So, July 16th rolls around. Me and my girl go out for lunch and I notice that the chips taste funny. Then I notice that everything taste off. I just chalk it up as another Jacksonville failed attempt at Mexican food. I get home and I decide to chill out before I go to a friend’s birthday dinner. I’m jazzed up. We’re going to Crabcake Factory where the food is AMAZING! We celebrated my girl’s birthday there and we were 100% satisfied with our meal. Anyhow, I’m laying on the couch watching something and I start to tear up uncontrollably. Not crying, just my right eye dropping liquid. I’m confused because Forrest Gump isn’t on. I then realize that I can’t blink my eye. I figure my eye is swollen and go take a look in the mirror. I confirm that it is swollen, and I go to crack a smile because I thought it was so stupid I could laugh about it. Then I realize I have half a smile. Then it dawns on me that I lost control over the right side of my face. That’s when the panic begins to set in. I fucking thought I was having a stroke. I worried the shit out of my girl and jumped in the car to head to the ER. On the way to Mayo, I realize that my co-pay is $300 for emergencies and $500 for non-emergencies. I quickly went to my Droid and Googled “Stroke Symptoms” and “Stroke Tests”. I diagnosed myself with one of two things. I either had a swollen salivary gland or Bells Palsy. I was right. Bells Palsy is a condition where your facial nerve becomes inflamed and you lose control of the muscles on that side of your face. I couldn’t smoke properly. I couldn’t eat anything without biting my lips. I could drink out of a can or bottle. So in other words, life sucked. The worst part of it all was that there is no time table to when you get better or if you get better at all. However, within a couple weeks, I have about 90% control of my face. The other 10% is pending. Thanks to all who offered words of encouragement and really helped me through a tough time. It was a lot harder on everyone else than it was me, but we made it through, God willing.
Crossfit Games – Ok, where to start with this. A couple of months ago I get a call at home from my boss. He asks me if I was willing to be loaned out to another department for the summer. I really didn’t want to, but he promised a 9-530 schedule and I thought it would be nice. So I accepted. I found out later that day I would be helping with Crossfit. A few days later I was told I would be going to the Crossfit Games…IN LOS ANGELES. So, naturally, I was excited. I get a free trip home. Fast forward a couple months and I arrive in L.A., with Bells Palsy, but excited to see my family again. The event starts, and boy was it hard work. A ton of walking. I walked so much the first day that I developed these big ass blisters on the bottom of my feet. Tuesday was 12 hours of pain and suffering. Tuesday night I had to take a razor blade to the bottom of my feet. I could barely walk. Wednesday morning came and I was in some serious pain. Two hours into work I had to make a decision. I was close to telling my PM that he had to send me home and have someone else come out. Luckily, a friend of mine showed me to the trainer’s room for the Chivas USA football team. I talked to one of the trainers who agreed to look at my feet. He gave me the superstar treatment. He drew out the remaining fluid, shot up my feet with Hydrocortisone, and padded my feet so well, I was able to work that day. The next day came and I could run and jump like nothing had happened. This man saved my life. I will forever be in debt to him. Fast forward a couple days and 9 trillion setbacks later and the games started. I was amazed and inspired by not only the athletes, but the entire Crossfit community. I have never been to an event with a more beautiful crowd, nor have I seen such an uplifting crowd. Everyone cheered for everyone, and the athletes were so “fi” that I felt like I needed to go to the gym immediately. The event and venue were beautiful, the weather impeccable and the attendees were absolutely amazing. If you have a chance, look up Crossfit on Youtube, and see just how challenging it really is. I met some good people and look forward to remaining friends with some of them. I can’t wait to see how much better the event is next year.
Anyhow, that was the last couple months of my life. I will include some pictures below to briefly show you what went on. As for baseball, I came to grips that I will always bleed Dodger Blue, but I still can’t wait for that jackass to get the fuck outta Dodge. So, for the time being, I will still cheer for another team. Remember, I am part of the solution, not the problem. As sad as it is, I just cannot support this guy and his soon to be ex-wife. And no matter what you do, supporting the team means lining his pockets. I apologize to the team as I would love nothing more than to offer support, but until he goes, I stay away.
Here are some pics from my "Goodbye to Grandma Kui" trip - FOOD!
Lee's Sandwiches - Vietnamese sandwiches. I met a cool dude and we talked gamblin'. So the wait was quick.
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