Day 11: What a Whopper!

PC: Nathaniel Watkins 

I love to fish. Some people have told me I'm pretty good at it. When I'm fishing, I'm usually in a very happy place. I have plenty of pictures of fish I've caught, so why did this one make the top of that list? Well to answer that question, I have to take you back in time.

When I was around the age of nine, we were spending three weeks in Wisconsin with our family out there. At one of the evening cookouts, my uncle brought walleye that he had freshly caught. I remember the reaction on my mom's face after she took a bite. She looked like she had eaten something divine. From that point on, I associated walleye with deliciousness.

Fast forward to 2015 . My brother Nathaniel, who's much better at this than I, said it was the perfect time to go walleye fishing off the shores of lake Erie. I'd never caught one before so of course I was down. We got there and began flinging husky jerks into the surprisingly calm waters. We ended up continuing to do so well after the sun set because that's when the fish feed.

Hours passed and we still hadn't caught a single thing. At one point, I laid down on the rock, cast the lure into the night, and as I laid there staring up at the stars, I said "Please Lord, just one?" A few minutes later I felt a small tug. I lurched, but paused, thinking I had been fooled. I started reeling again and felt a bit harder of a pull. I snapped the rod backward and began reeling like mad. At one point, I thought I had lost it because it felt too easy, but once I reeled most of the line in, the fish surfaced and splashed like crazy. We grabbed the net and hauled him in. My first walleye and he was a 28 inch monster. 

What makes this picture more unique is that  I asked Nathaniel to take a picture, but I was so excited, I had to call my mom and tell her I caught a walleye and was bringing home. He snapped the picture mid-conversation and it's a photo my mom talks about on and off to this day. I think I may have to get back to the lake soon and see if I can top this one.

Day 10: What a Day at Manly Bay

    PC: Tracy Lin

I warned you that more pictures from my Australia trip were going to be coming. Since we were on a mission trip, our sightseeing adventures were few and far between. This was one of them. After the Sunday services that day, we were joined by a good number of the Sydney youth and chaperoned by Raymond Young (the guy in the middle throwing up the peace sign) to spend the afternoon at Manly Bay. To get there, it took over an hour total travel time between train and ferry, but it was so worth it.

Once off the ferry, we made our way through the large outdoor shopping mall. In my mind, I compared it to Crocker Park here in Ohio, except this one was way bigger and ended at a beach by the Pacific. It was incredibly cool just to wander. Before long however, we needed to make an ice cream stop. Imagine almost 30 people at once entering the line for the tiny ice cream shack.

The ice cream was just a small joy on this endeavor. We eventually made our way to the beach. And while there were a good number of people there, it was winter time in Australia so the beach wasn't packed. Ray Jiang saw an opportunity. He had brought his frisbee with him and since there was enough open beach, he got an ultimate frisbee game going. I've played ultimate frisbee in many places in my day, but never on an Australian beach, in the winter, with the sun setting over the Pacific. What made the game the most fun was that there was a stone wall that separated the beach from the mall area. There were a lot of people sitting on that wall. As we were playing, a good number became interested in our game. So much so that there were cheers at great plays and "oooo's" at missed plays. Having random local Aussies enjoy our game made me feel a bit like a pro. Now take a look at the guy on the far right of the picture in the blue shirt. That's Ray. As you can see he's in full dress garb and sweaty. That's because he was the only one who didn't think to bring a change of clothes to the church services as he thought we'd have time to go back to hospitality later. So he played the entire game in dress clothes.

The last highlight of the outing was actually the ferry ride back to Sydney. As mentioned before, it was winter time so it got dark before 6PM, which was about the time we got on the ferry. So it was completely dark by the time we were reaching the city. What's so cool about that? Being able to see the entire city lit up at night (including the Opera House), from a boat, as it reflected off the ocean. To really understand the awe of it you'd have to be there.

This picture embodies that memory. All those young people who welcomed us into their houses and into their lives for two weeks, spending the day enjoying each other's company and time together. And I kinda like that everyone's not focused on the photo as they're lost in the people and conversations around them. So yeah, if you ever visit Sydney, Australia, be sure to check out Manly Bay.

Day 9: Soaring Through the Clouds

Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of flying a fighter jet. Or at least be a passenger in one. But I knew that would never happen unless I knew somebody or joined the air force in hopes I would be good enough to fly. Part of it is the adrenaline rush, but the other part is that for a few moments, you are where not many can go...above the clouds. It's a whole new perspective, a rare place, a world unknown.

In the summer of 2018, I bought a plane ticket to visit Jesse Desai in his native Chicago. I hopped on a flight not long after work so I didn't have to take any hours off. I had never flown at that hour before and was in for a major treat.

By the time the plane broke through the cotton candy clouds, the sun was beginning its daily descent. And while the plane flew, my eyes couldn't peel themselves away and my mind was taking it all in. Never before had I witnessed a sunset above the clouds. My delighted haze cleared enough to give my senses an opening to tell me to capture the moment. And while it was fleeting, it was powerful enough that not even the waves of Poseidon or the lightning of Zeus could not disrupt it. If I could've frozen time and just gazed at the masterpiece before me for a time too long to tell, you better believe I would've.

Day 8: Mia Famiglia

    PC: Sarah Watkins

Since 2008, my family has taken a week long vacation each summer to visit either my Mom's side or my Dad's side. This photo is from my Dad's side taken in Pennsylvania. It's not hard to see why I love this photo. But what makes it unique from the many others we have taken are a handful of things.

First, if you look at the guy in the brown and orange shirt right next to me, that's my youngest brother Stephen. With me being the oldest and him the youngest boy, it doesn't take much for him to find an opportunity to try and one-up me. If you look closely, you may notice his feet aren't flat on the ground. He was standing on his tip-toes to try to look taller than me. The extremely goofy grin on his face is because even though it looks like I have a loving hand on his shoulder, I'm actually trying to push him back down to size and it's taking all his effort to prevent that while still trying to take a nice picture.

Second, there are three things in the background that remind me of where I grew up. The first is that little red shed behind us. That's my grandfather's workshop. He spent many many hours in their perfecting his hobby which was wood carving. And if you've read my previous stuff, you'll know he carved an entire life-size carousel horse. I too spent many hours in there watching him work, helping him make things, and the most fun part, burning the scraps in a barrel out back. Any scent of fresh cut wood or sawdust sends me back to those days.

Third, although you really can't see them because of the tree line, the Pigeon Hills are back there. These massive mounds were what I saw every day growing up and they were a natural backdrop. We had to go deep into them once to buy furniture from someone and we did get briefly lost and stuck in a ditch, but the kind folks that lived there helped us out  and everything turned out okay. That's one thing I really miss about PA, which is waking up to those hills every day.

And finally, I'm pretty sure this was the last family photo where all of us were in it while my grandfather was still alive. So you could definitely say it means a lot on that alone.

If you're reading this, I hope you are doing well and finding ways to combat the boredom. Until next time.

Day 7: Ain't Afraid to Get Dirty

    PC: Sarah-Grace Carbrey

From the end of my jr. high years all the way past the end of college, Ultimate Frisbee was the sport I loved to play the most. And even though I usually only played pick-up games, I was always highly competitive. I can still recall many amazing moments from all the games I played, but never had any proof other than the memories...until this photo.

Summer of 2012 rolled around and I was finishing the year long Christian training I was taking part in. We had one final week at our retreat center (the one mentioned in a previous post) with the other trainees from Buffalo, NY and Ann Arbor, MI. There were a good number of us who loved playing frisbee and decided to have a competitive final game. Cleveland vs Buffalo/Ann Arbor.

The hype leading up to it was intense. People on both sides were training to perfect their game. Neither side wanted to lose. So when the day finally came, the weather was beautiful as well as hot. The game started and no one was giving an inch. People tried to throw passes into tight windows where some incredible catches were made and some crazy blocks were thrown.

The score was constantly close. I don't think either side went up by more than 2 points. A little over halfway through the game, Buffalo/Ann Arbor had the disc. They were driving quickly down the field. I decided to hang back a bit off the person I was covering. The handler saw an opportunity and hurled a beeline pass to a mostly open receiver in the middle of the field. If that pass connected, they were almost certainly going to have a direct shot to the endzone. I peeled off my guy and went full speed towards the disc. I knew I wasn't going to make it in time so I left my feet and made a diving attempt. Right as it was mere inches from being caught, my extended hand connected and swatted it harmlessly away. I took a long slide through the muddy grass beneath me.

We managed to score off that turnover and it was my turn to sub out. As I was trotting off the field, Sarah snapped this photo. I had no idea she took it at the time, but I'm glad she did. We ended up winning that game as I threw a tight pass to Julian Taylor in the endzone for the game winning score. This photo reminds me of that day and how much fun it was. Grace made a comment on the photo when it came out. She said "How to tell you've been playing hard: when 80% of your clothes aren't white anymore."

The more effort you put in, the greater the reward. How I miss those days.

Day 6: Australia, A Dream Come True

    PC: Anthony Lazzeroni

Warning, there will be a handful of pictures from Australia in this series and for good reason. If you don't know it by now, I have an unquenchable travel lust. And up until this point, I had never left North America. When I heard there was a gospel trip to Australia happening, I was one of the first to sign up. Yet, it almost didn't happen for me. I had just graduated college and figured I'd have a job well established by then.

Months went by, interviews were few and far between, the deadline to fully commit to the trip was approaching, things looked bleak. As the deadline neared, I was asked by my family if I was going at dinner one night. In frustration I replied most likely not as I couldn't pay for it. My dad approached me later and told me something I will forever be grateful for. My parents weren't well off enough to fund the trip, but my Dad told me he saw this as an incredible and meaningful opportunity. He said I would greatly benefit from going. So he offered to put the cost on a credit card and pay the interest on it until I could pay everything back in full. I accepted that offer in a heartbeat.

Two months after that interaction, I had secured a job, which by God's grace, allowed me to take a two week vacation after only being there for two weeks to fly halfway around the world. Everything fell into place and I knew it was God's doing.

This photo was taken merely two hours after we had landed in Sydney which was nearly 24 hours in total travel time. I had barely slept in about 26 hours and had a full day ahead. But that didn't matter. What mattered is that I was there, in Australia, in front of the world famous Opera House, with some of the many wonderful people that were there with us on that journey. This photo solidifies a dream come true.

Day 5: The Battle of the Birds

I always loved taking pictures of animals. I was also always on the hunt for that "action" shot. During my senior year of high school, I was assigned the task of making a photo story for my journalism class. I chose to go to Lakewood Park and just shoot pictures. At one point, I noticed a flock of gulls squawking loudly. They were bickering over a half-eaten burger king burger.  It wasn't too exciting, but I patiently waited until I thought the moment was right. Then I snapped the photo hoping I got a good shot. When I saw how this puppy turned out, for a moment, I felt like a professional photographer. Ultimately, my career in pictures never took off, but this shot makes me feel like I could've done it.

Day 4: The Models

I don't recall whose phone this picture was taken from, but the person behind it did an awesome job. This was taken at Dan & Ana's wedding nearly six years ago. There'll be a handful of wedding photos that sneak in these 30 days because 1) I love weddings and 2) They create a lot of memorable moments.

Fun fact: This photo almost didn't happen. Why? Because originally I wasn't going to be there. I was a last minute invite. So last minute that it was the day of. But I didn't have anything else going on that day and Columbus wasn't a far drive, so was I going to pass this wedding up? Not a chance.

The wedding was awesome. I at one point was coaxed onto the dance floor (not my comfort zone) and ended up busting out some amateur break dancing moves. But how did this photo come to fruition? As you can see the lighting was pretty impressive and a handful of us bros were just hanging out in that area and someone suggested we take a pic. And if I can recall correctly, we didn't coordinate to try to make a model shot, it just sort of happened. Looking at this pic reminds me of that special day and how awesome it is that I call these people friends. 

Day 3: An Autumn Night

    PC: Caitlin Ciulla

Back in the early 2000s, the church group I attend decided it would be a grand idea to build a retreat center out in the middle of nowhere for use outside of normal church settings. By late 2006, early 2007, the project was completed in Sullivan, OH. It included a large manor, a log cabin, a nice sized pond, plenty of open land, and a woods. And to top it all off, the property and all it's natural features are stunning.

One of the first events held here was a bi-annual college retreat conference. One would occur in the fall and the other would occur in the spring. They took place over a single weekend mid-semester. College students from all over the Great Lakes area would come together here for a break from classes, a time to bond with other college students, and most importantly a time to pursue Christ together.

Over the years, this event evolved into a time for both college and young working. I am no longer in college, but still regularly attend this time as I have not missed one yet. So why this photo? Just take a look and what do you see? It's the last night of the fall event. The scenery is beautiful, the stars are out in full glimmer, there's a toasty bonfire going, and there's all those wonderful people enjoying it all. This photo captures the beauty of that place both in nature and in human essence. And while I did not take this photo, I'm sure glad Caitlin did as it's one of the first ones that comes to mind when I think of these conferences. And that fire you see there...I built that. Just seeing the looks and enjoyment on people's faces from something I created is a reward in itself. I can't wait for another one of these nights.

Day 2: Summer's Last Ride

Without the meaning behind this photo, the sheer brilliance of it could stand alone. I was sitting on this beach July of 2017, suspecting it might be my last time ever doing so. All I had was my cell phone and I couldn't really see if it would come out well with the sun glare. But I new i wanted the fire, the beach, the lake, and the sun all in one shot.

Two of my closest friends, Mark Greenwood and Jeremiah Johnson, and myself would spend countless summers at this place. Mark's family owned a cabin in Vermillion, OH, right off Lake Erie. Vermillion is a sleepy lakeside town about 45 minutes west of Cleveland. In 2007, he called me up and asked me if I wanted to spend a weekend there and go jetskiing. Well the rest was history. for the next 10 summers, Mark, Jer, myself, and sometimes a few other friends would spend anywhere from a few days to a week here. We had our own private beach, a small boat we could go fishing in, the aforementioned jetski, and a nice deck with a grill we could use. This place was always my little summer escape. I could write a mini novel of our adventures here. And maybe I just might. But a few of the highlights include riding huge waves on the jetski while nearly flipping it midair, sitting in the back of a pick-up bed as we cruised into town, fireworks on the beach and all the stupidity that came with it, charging into Lake Erie at 12:30am as it started storming to get the jetski out, steak and potatoes on the beach, fishing and all it's failures and glories, etc etc. But the thing that mattered too me the most was the time I spent with all those guys, making memories to last a lifetime. The Greenwoods sold the cabin later that year and so that view in the photo was a fitting end to 10 years of memories.

Thirty Days of My Favorite Pictures: Day 1

Awhile back, I made a post about 10 or so of my favorite pictures and gave a brief description of their history and why they were among my favorites. Well with all this time on my hands and knowing how warming a picture can be, I've decided that once a day, for thirty days, I'm going to post a picture that means a lot to me (whether I or someone else took it) with the story behind it. They will not have an order or a theme. They will stand alone. I hope this adds a little more positivity to your day.

    PC: Sam Chen

The year was 2018 and this folks was in December. But as you probably guessed, we weren't in Cleveland. This was taken in New Orleans, LA. Everyone you see in this picture (except the older gentleman in neon yellow), I've known since I was 12 years old. Well, I didn't meet Jesse until I was around 19, but I've still known him for years. Basically I grew up with these guys here in the 216. Now that we're all out of college, some of us married, some of us in different cities and states, we don't ride together like we used too. And that's part of life. So when David (guy to my lower right) and John (Guy second from right in top back row) planned a reunion for us near Christmas time to hang out together in New Orleans for four days, you better believe I wasn't passing this up. The thing quite notorious with us is that even when we lived near each other, it was incredibly hard to get us all together and decide on something to do. So this was a feat in its own right. 

For those four days, we explored N'awlins, ate a lot of excellent food, saw the sites, and spent a lot of time hanging out together. This particular moment was at the end of our swamp tour. Beautiful weather, we saw (and held) alligators, and it was an experience to remember. The guy in the neon yellow was our boat captain. Not only was he hilarious, but entertaining as well. Just looking at this photo brings back a ton of memories and makes me long for the day when this pandemic is over.

That's all I got for this one. Short and sweet as most will probably be, allowing the picture to do most of the talking. Stay well my friends.

Riding The Storm Known As COVID-19

Starting this post is hard. I've tried multiple times. Each time I picked it up, I stopped. Because I wasn't sure if I wanted to say the things I was saying or it wasn't coming out the way I wanted it. And each time I tried again, things changed to where I didn't feel what I wrote was entirely relevant anymore. But I'm now at the point where I've gotta get it out. Not in a facebook post. Not in a video or vlog. But through writing. This one may be long so please bear with me.

As this year progresses my mind constantly reels back to a facebook post I issued forth on new years day 2020. I stated "2020. I love the ring that comes with saying it. I feel good things are gonna happen this year." And at the time I truly believed that. But right now I cringe just thinking about it. Now I know it's only April and there's still another full 8 months left, but this year is doing its best to end up on my top 3 bad years list. And sure, you could say that this may be the worst year for many people because we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic that many have not experienced in their lifetime, me included. But for me, that's only a part and here's why. 

I decided in October of 2019 to get new tires on my car. I was not driving another Cleveland winter slipping and sliding. Now tires are not cheap, but my car hand no other major issues so I decided it was worthwhile to drop the money to replace them. Then when 2019 gave way to 2020, the problems started pouring in. Within two months I had to replace a ball joint, an actuator, four rims, and the timing system in my engine. Now for perspective, my car is a 2008 Chevy Malibu with 165,XXX miles. For a 12 year old car, the amount of money I put into it to keep it functional was nowhere close to being worth it. So why do it? Because I had just put a lot into the tires, I wasn't planning on getting a new car anytime soon, and I needed a functional vehicle. Essentially my hand was forced. And it sucked.

This next part I have not discussed with many people. I did not write about it when it happened because I needed time and didn't feel that sharing it then would be beneficial. In January of 2020, I lost a friend. This person I had only known a year. But I felt like that year was equal to 10 at least. I was someone he could talk to freely. We'd frequently meet at Lakewood Park and watch the sunset while discussing life. There are two things he told me that will stay with me until the day I die. The first is when he told me what he said to his brother after really meeting me for the first time. The conversation went like this: (Him): "You know what I told my brother when he asked me what I thought of you? (Me): No, what? (Him): I said "he's a stupid idiot who talks too much." But now that I know you, you're definitely not a stupid idiot. But you still talk too much." I laughed pretty hard when he told me that. It still puts a smile on my face thinking about it. The second thing is a poem he really liked that he read to me called Reason, Season, or Lifetime. It's an incredible piece (google it) and he expressed how much it meant to him. He shared that with me because I meant something to him as a friend. And that meant a lot. I never thought that in a year's time, he'd fall into the reason category. What that reason is, I still haven't figured out. But in January of 2020, he unexpectedly passed away. He was only in his twenties. 

There were other minor frustrations that added to the mix, but it's now time I discussed this evil virus. I'll be the first to admit that when news of this broke that this virus was plaguing China, I didn't give it too much thought. Why? Because up until this point, I had lived through SARS, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, West Nile Virus, Ebola, Zika Virus, etc. And when I say "lived through" I mean I was alive while they were a big problem, but I didn't experience them/get sick from them. While they are all terrible diseases and they affected many people, they were mostly big problems elsewhere in the world, but they didn't affect my life the way COVID-19 has. And most of these happened while I was a carefree and slightly ignorant teenager. For the most part, life continued on as normal. So when this new virus reached America's shores, I again, thought this was something that would too quickly pass, even though I saw what it had done to China. Then the NBA suspended it's season. The state of Ohio also immediately took action and began shutting things down. Pretty soon I found myself working from home, only going out to get fresh air, food, and necessities. My world, like many others, had drastically change.

I'm an extrovert. A creative soul with a voracious hunger for travel. One who's social life is a big part of who I am. So this whole social distancing thing really hurts. But I get why it needs to be done. And sure, I've connected with people with zoom video and phone, but it's not the same. I've been told many times in my life not to take the simple things for granted. And by the time I was in college, that's what I did. Those late weekend nights hanging out with friends, getting late night food, watching sporting events, and just hanging out, those meant the world to me. I can recall many of those nights from memory. But in reality, everything that's taken away from me during this pandemic is not my major concern. What concerns me the most are those more affected by this than I am. My friends and family who works in jobs that are completely shuttered. The ones who work in fields dealing with the disease or have to interact with people in person on a daily basis. Those people who can't work from home, can't hug their children, cancelled weddings, graduations, the list goes on. And I see it all. We live in a social media age where people like to share nearly everything. So my heart is heavy for them. 

The world changed after 9/11/01. The way we travel was drastically affected. The fear people lived in for so long changed the way we live. When this pandemic comes to an end, things will not be the same. How different are they going to look? I don't know. No one does.  And that's something else weighing on my mind. 

I'm not going to try to force an encouraging ending here as that's not needed for every downer entry. This is simply to get this stuff off my chest. I'm not fine, but I'm still breathing and I'm okay. Okay is better than not. Stay well. Stay safe. And I'm praying that this pandemic is over soon.