A Year of Change

Not really necessary to tell you, but I will anyhow. Jag passed his final SEC test and is now a trader. There’s one more test but he doesn’t need it to actually trade securities. Congrats to him! Text him if you get a chance. It’s a big deal for anyone to get through all these tests, and of course Jagger did it in record time.

Big win for CU on the road Thursday night. Teams like Georgia Tech pay schools like CU millions of dollars to play them in their opener so they can get a win and start the season off right. Well, things didn’t go as planned for them this year as in what was a pretty ugly game, we controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and when it counted, at the end, drove down the field and scored with 42 seconds left. Georgia could have won as they then drove down the field for a field goal, but we blocked it! First time in 70 years, since 1957, that CU beat an ACC team! In two weeks we play Northwestern in Chicago and a few of Jagger’s buddies from school are flying out and they’re all going to the game, fun.

Yesterday I was in Denver at the Chevy dealer by 6:50am. 90 minutes later, after my 30,000 mile service, I was headed home and back a little after 10. I was tired from getting little sleep the night before. Lori worked until probably 6 last night and Ty did too. He then went to see friends and was home sometime after midnight as he doesn’t work until 4 this afternoon. Must have a private party.

Right after we get back from Chicago, I need to get Lori some snow tires for her Porsche. Ty needs tires too, ugh. We’ll probably end up buying them as all his money is going towards his sailing trip. We should get more snow this year than we did last year.

The leaves are changing. Yesterday was the day. You could see it up above 11,000 feet on top of the pass. Bring it on. Time to get moving, have a great day, be well, stay safe and God Bless.

I’ll be in Denver by 7am and hopefully out by 8. Big weekend coming up with the concert Sunday and then we have Labor Day. Not sure what we’re doing Saturday and Monday, but today we’re working. Lori has to be at the hospital for a research patients surgery at 7:30am and Ty works at 7.

Jag is taking his SEC exam today. Think it’s his 4th or 5th one. I’m sure he’ll crush it. Then Monday he can start officially trading. Here’s his headshot. He sure looks like a young successful executive. Check it out.

Super proud of him, he’s crushing it. We’re excited to see him next Thursday. Time to get moving, have a great Friday and God Bless.

Remember last week when I said I had some big news to share, but needed to wait a few days? Well, yesterday we, or should I say Ty, got the good news. On January 21st of next year, Ty will be heading out on a 3-month sailing expedition from Cape Town South Africa to Antiqua!

This is part of the Seamester program, and he’ll actually earn 12 college credits for the voyage. They’ve been around over 20 years and it’s a world renowned, fully accredited program. Besides everything he’ll learn from sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, he’ll also be taking classes while on board. He’ll learn to sail, navigate, scuba dive, cook for 30 people or so, and more. It’s physically, mentally and socially challenging. There are numerous stops on various islands and countries. Lori, Jagger, probably Ava, (depending on her job) and I will fly down to meet him when his trip ends in Antiqua on April 21st. It’s not cheap, but Ty is pitching in and paying a fair amount of the cost, which is a must, so he’s personally invested. He’ll be on a 112-foot expedition schooner named Argo.

We learned of this as Marty’s youngest son Max, went on this a few years ago. We’re super excited for him. Of course, this means moving to L.A. is off and he’ll be here this fall working away saving money and preparing for the trip. What an experience it’ll be, and we’re so excited for him. He does have one more video interview but I’m 99.9% sure he’ll be fine. They just want to make sure all kids are mentally ready for being on a boat for 90 days and can fit in with others from different backgrounds, countries and cultures. If there’s anyone who can get along with anybody, it’s Ty!

With this happening, we’re going to have to bag out on our Scotland, Open trip to St. Andrews as we just can’t do both. It was an easy decision for us as giving your children experiences like this far outweighs a trip to watch some guys play golf. I do think we’ll all still go to the south of France and San Sebastian Spain at the end of July next year.

We’re excited for him and all in as a family. Who knows what’ll come next after this. He might end up back in college, or he might end up living in Florida and being around the ocean, or he might move back to the mountains, nobody knows.

Here’s the voyage, 5700 nautical miles.

And a couple pictures of his boat, Argo

That’s it for the day, huge right? How cool to do something like this, it’ll be life changing. He’ll need sailing gear for Christmas and his birthday! I’ll share his gear list. Lots to do before January. He was almost going to leave on September 14th, like 11 days from now, but chose this trip instead. More to come, have a great day and God Bless.

Everybody is working. Lots going on. Big weekend with Garth Brooks and Labor Day, and then we’re off to Chicago next Thursday. I’m off to Glenwood this morning for a 9 o’clock appointment, Ty works at 7 and Lori will be at the hospital by 8. Jagger beats us all arriving at work at 5:30am MST.

There you have it, the whole family is working! God Bless.

Here we go, let the games begin. Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, a bunch of birthdays and Christmas, all over the next 120 days. Then it’ll be January 1st 2028. Hold on tight.

Tom should be putting his Christmas stuff up soon, ha ha. Just kidding, Halloween is up first. I’m sure Lori will be getting hers out soon.

Ty works today and I have an appointment with the audiologist which is a fancy name for the hearing aid girl. I’m on day 4 of making sure I get in at least six or seven miles a day in meaning 12,000 steps. Lori will be back at work today too. Our new juicer arrives today and I’m really excited about it. I sent back the Ninja Juicer as it was too cheap and missing some parts. Serves me right as I know better than not buying the best the first time.

Grabbed some more gold from Costco yesterday. Analysts say it can, or should, hit $20,000 an ounce in 3 or 4 years. Even if it hits $10,000, that’s a huge upside. You buy gold to store wealth, so when the dollar drops, gold goes up, when measuring against the dollar. Truth is gold didn’t go up, the dollar just fell. That’s how gold holds wealth. Everyone should have a little if they can afford it. Of course, buy things like food and staples you use on a regular basis first, and of course, don’t carry debt.

More shootings in good old Denver, nice. It’s pretty much a daily occurrence down there though. The Mayor and Dems would tell you, nothing to see here, move on to something important, like Trump. Not sure when, if ever, people will focus on things happening at the local level where they live. That’s what’s important to us. I could really care less about all the brew ha ha in D.C. I care about what’s happening where I live.

Jag is studying away. Right now we have flights to go to Chicago a week from next Thursday until Sunday. Still waiting on a couple details to see if we’re going. More to come on that as soon as we know.

Time to get moving, have a great first day of September and God Bless.

This morning as we look outside the clouds are low. There’s a layer of fog that set in that must be no more than 100 feet off the ground. Funny how when September rolls around every year, the first signs of Fall show up.

Yesterday we went to the gym and then waited for Ty to get home from camping. He said it wasn’t much fun as his buddies are drinkers and messed around doing stupid stuff. It’s like he’s an adult now and a lot of his friends are still teenagers. They did stupid stuff like letting some air out of his tires (really pissed him off!) and wanted to go get margarita’s and Mexican food for breakfast. Not Ty’s groove these days. Oh well, people grow and they don’t always grow in the same direction. Ty is on an upwardly mobile path and a lot of his contemporaries are stuck in 2019. Good for him.

Jag studied most of the day. Lori ordered him a new couch online. My new juicer arrives tomorrow. Yesterday I made celery, apple and ginger juice, topped off with the juice from half a lemon. This is supposed to clean out your kidney, liver, pancreas and be really good for your skin, all in one glass. The combination was really tasty.

Lori works today but Dr. B and Molly are at the U.S. Open, I think in New York, (tennis) until tomorrow so she’s going in late. We’re walking the two mile loop before the gym. Time to go. Have a great last day of August! God Bless.

Yesterday Ty took off mid-morning to head out camping. He took three big pillows off the couch in case it rained hard, as then he’d have a makeshift bed in the back seat of his truck. I think today they’re floating the river, but we’ll see as it might rain hard.

We made it to the movies to see The Dog Stars. It’s as good as a view of what the future brings as any. Of course, no one knows for sure. It’s set in Denver and Colorado and tells a story after a flu or some pandemic wipes out most of humanity. It’s not centered around that or the event that caused everyone to die, but rather life after that. Some was a little farfetched but for the most part, a pretty realistic scenario of what life could be when everything as we know it is gone and you’re basically on your own. Go see it, or better yet, read the book first. It’s a quick read.

Nice and cool up here. I did 4 miles on the treadmill yesterday morning at a 3.5% incline, so my hips are a little sore. It took a little over an hour, so it was a good workout. Weights today.

Time to get going, enjoy your day, GB.

Think we’re going to see the movie Dog Stars today. The book was amazing. The author wrote in short, direct, and what you’ve been trained to think, incomplete thoughts or sentences. On top of the great story, I remember that about the book vividly. Marty went to see it last night and said it was great.

It’s been in the 70’s up here which is nice. Looks like Denver is still getting hit with the heat. Fall will be here soon. The Broncos backups looked good last night. I didn’t watch the whole game, but the score and highlights this morning tell the story.

Ty’s going down the river today and then camping out at Radium, which is a campground on the Colorado River. One of his buddy’s parents secured a spot. He’s known him since school and his parents are nice. I told him not to forget his bear spray.

Still working on the potentially big announcement, I mentioned yesterday. We’re hoping to know more by next week sometime. That’s all I can say right now. Could be a September surprise!

Hard to believe Tuesday is September. Time just flies by these days. This Fall we’re doing a lot of bird and coyote hunting. Costco now has the Christmas stuff out with the Halloween stuff! Labor Day is the official kick off of the holiday season.

Have a great day! Take care and God Bless.

Missing my mom extra hard today. ❤️ It’s hard to believe it’s been three years.

I find myself thinking so much about the years we were lucky enough to have her here in Eagle. We were so fortunate to be able to see her often, spend time with her, and have those everyday moments together. At the time, we probably didn’t realize just how precious those moments would become.

She may not have remembered all of them, but we remember. We remember the laughter, the conversations, the little moments, and simply having her with us. Most of all, I’m grateful that my boys had those years with their grandma. They got to know her, love her, and make memories with her that they will carry with them forever.

I miss her happy. I miss her presence. I miss being able to call her and know she was there.

Three years later, I’m still so grateful for every moment we had…and I’ll hold those memories close forever. 

Marty and I were sitting on the back porch yesterday when we spotted a small plume of smoke about a mile away up on the mountain. I called the Sheriff on his cell and he let dispatch and the fire department know. It wasn’t much, but fires never are in the beginning. I haven’t looked this morning but I’m sure it’s still there. No danger to us as it’d have to travel down the mountain and over a few gulches where it’d be easy to get to. Luckily we don’t have strong winds like we did a month ago.

Broncos play tonight. Then two weeks from Monday the season starts for us. Tom called yesterday and now can’t go to Garth Brooks with us. He totally forgot they have a big party with their friends and have a band and stuff coming. Too bad as my buddy Mark who managed the 4 Seasons in Dallas, and has known Garth for years, texted him on his cell phone last night and if we have time, we’ll go down early before the show to hang out with him.

We had the brisket yesterday that arrived from Texas the day before. It was really good. Ty’s off to work. We might have some exciting news regarding him but we’re waiting to see if things come together. Jag is doing well, and he’s busy. I thought I was going to need to go to Italy in October but now it’ll be January. That’s good news as I wasn’t excited about going then.

Time to go, have a great day, last Friday of August! God Bless.

We lost another one. Tim Curry was also 80 years old. He’ll be best remembered for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. We’ve probably seen it 50 times! I guess he had a stroke a ways back and was in poor health, RIP.

Yesterday a bunch of BBQ arrived from Texas. We have a huge brisket to warm up today, along with a rack of ribs and some sausage, yum.

Denver is a mess. I was in and out by 9:30am. This put me home around noon. There’s not much worth going down there for anymore. Hard to believe how screwed up the city and State have become in just 8 years. Denver almost looks like a third world country. Trash is everywhere along with endless homeless encampments. The Mayor and city government blame Trump (of course) but you don’t see this in Florida, Texas or Tennessee. Hmm, wonder what the difference is. It’s not hard to figure out.

I have a call with Slovenia today at 10. I’ve been having some direct, sometimes hard conversations, as I transform the Company. Change is usually difficult, especially in the beginning as people in general are resistant to it and set in their ways and thinking. It’s hard to get anyone to think differently when they’ve been doing something the same way for years, even if it’s not working. It’s my job to make things work, no matter what. Oh well, just another day in the life of Doug.

Ty works at 9. We can’t get over his transformation. The kid could literally enter a body building contest. He’s all in and nothing so far has been able to knock him off track.

That’s it, time to move and groove. Have a great day, be well, and again, stay safe, lots of crazies out there, and God Bless.