REI good & used

Have you ever found something so amazing that you wanted to keep it to yourself but you knew you had to share it? This is what I'm talking about with the REI good & used site.

About a year ago I stumbled on this portion of their website. I wish I could remember how because it would make that portion of the story that much more epic... but I have three kids, work full-time, and am constantly tired. I have been an REI member for about 18 years now so I think I'm kinda in the loop on REI.

Let me get to the story. I was prepping to hike Half Dome and needed a new pair of shoes. I was looking all over the REI site and couldn't find a pair I was stoked on. Time was ticking on the trip and I needed to act quickly. I found the good & used portion of the website and it started to click. I found a pair that was my size and in excellent condition. I have to be honest that I was a bit nervous at first but am an avid REI garage sale fan so I knew it would be good.

The shoes arrived and I think they were brand new. Read that sentence again; brand new! So new looking that I put my nose into them and took a huge wiffffff. I was convinced they were brand new. I just got brand new shoes for like 33% off. They were so comfortable and brought me to the top of Half Dome with no issues.

This is where the story continues.

At the beginning of this year I made a commitment to try to buy as much used gear, clothes, bikes, kids toys, and basically anything I could. I want to do my part to make sure the earth is a safe place for my kids to grow up in. I know there are finite resources on our planet and if we keep throwing things in the land fills it's a sad future. This is one reason that I love the REI good & used site. They are giving gear, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, jackets, shoes, trekking poles, and more a second chance in life. Maybe their first owner had a bad hike and didn't want to keep participating. Maybe a family had a bummer camping trip and gave up. This is where we come in. We find that gear and give it a second chance to live it's life in the outdoors.

Just last month we picked up:
REI duffel bag
Brand new chaco shoes
Rash guard for my daughter
40 oz HydroFlask
Patagonia sweater for my daughter

All of this gear was a great deal.
All of this gear was in great shape.
All of this gear will get a second chance.

Now when I buy gear, I've primarily stuck to excellent condition items. That has been a personal choice.

The HydroFlask was basically perfect.
The Patagonia sweater looks brand new.

As a dad, I get it. You buy your kid something and then a week later it doesn't fit. You return it to REI. REI doesn't put it in the landfill!
Now my kid gets to wear it.
Now I get to take those shoes to Half Dome.
Now my daughter has a HydroFlask for when she volunteers at the ranch she rides at.

As bad as I want to keep the REI good & used gear site to myself, I just can't. There are too many great deals on there right now! Maybe you will follow my lead. Maybe you will take it for a test run and find yourself looking to purchase pre-owned before brand new. Imagine the possibilities.

* I get no commission from REI for writing this post. Just trying to help out. 

My 9-11 Memory

It seems that you can ask any American where they were when they found out about 9-11 and they can tell you some definite details. Here is my 9-11 story:

I was living in San Diego. I was living off El Cajon and 63rd in an apartment with my sister. I was attending Mesa Community College and working nights for Dupont. I had learned how to cleaned carpets while living in Truckee and was able to get hired in San Diego doing the same thing. The only difference was for Dupont I worked nights. We would start at anytime between 4pm and 11pm on weeknights. I might get off at work at 11pm or 6am. I would find myself driving home when others were heading to work. 

I'd go home, pull the blanket over my head and fall asleep. On September 11th the phone rang. I hadn't worked too late the night before but it was a longtime friend on the other line. I recognized her voice as she said: "The world is ending..." There was a long pause. I looked out the window and didn't see Jesus in the sky so I figured I was safe... for now.

My friend began telling me about the plane crash and what happened. I remember going downstairs and being glued to the TV. I watched and consumed all the information. Since I was working nights my first class started later in the day. I slowly gathered my stuff for school and drove there. It was an eerie feeling on the freeway. Then when I got to school it was less populated than normal. Classes had recently started so campus should have been bustling, but it wasn't. 

When I think back to this day in history I will always remember where I was when I first learned about the horrible events. I still see the faces of people who lost their loved ones if I can think hard enough. I can vaguely remember the stories. I can see people falling from the Twin Towers to their death. 

Although we should never remember we still need to pray for millions in our country who are affected by this impacting day. 

11 Years of Marriage

On January 7, 2005 I married my best friend!

We met as interns at Eastlake Church in South San Diego
I asked her to marry me on the beach in Carlsbad
We got married in Encinitas
Two days later we immediately moved to Vegas to serve at South Hills
We had two kids
Moved to San Mateo to serve at CPC
Just had another kid
And celebrated 11 years of marriage!

When I look back on our lives there are too many thoughts to write down here but here are a few I'd like to share.

We've traveled

I was trying to do the math on how much we've been blessed to be able to travel together. Here is what I came up with so far:
We've visited 6 different countries (Mexico, Canada, Burkina Faso, Italy, Jamaica, The Bahamas)
Set foot on three continents together (North America, Europe and Africa)
Traveled to 12 states (California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Florida, New York, Atlanta, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Hawaii)

And this year we  celebrated our anniversary in beautiful Half Moon Bay, CA. We stayed at Oceano hotel and had dinner at Flavor. It was a great time to hang out, chat and enjoy our marriage. We took some time to look back on life and thank God for all we've been able to do together.

We've laughed
One of the things we've done most together is to laugh. Sure we have our times where we disagree on things but we'd rather laugh together. Sometimes we laugh at each other for silly things we've done. Sometimes we laugh at movies. Sometimes we laugh at the crazy things our kids say or the silly decisions we've made but we sure do laugh a lot and that has kept us in good spirits!

We've multiplied
We were reminded of this fact again this year because we brought our little Isaiah with us on the trip. For the most part he did really well and is the best third wheel ever. We have been very blessed to have children in our youth. We have friends who have struggled with pregnancy and experienced infertility. We are so thankful for the children God has given us!

Thanks for all the fun times Charity! Looking forward to many more.

Santa Cruz: Day Trip

On Friday we went down to Santa Cruz with my: kids, wife, sister and two nephews!  Charity and I had so much fun down there for our anniversary that we thought it would be a good day trip with the family.

As we drove onto the Wharf I looked to my left and noticed a sea otter swimming near the surf!  The Wharf is teeming with life; something that I missed being in the desert for the last 8 years.  After parking I took my girls over to look at the sea otter.  After that we walked around the entire wharf looking at sea lions, seagulls (nasty) and pelicans.

I think all the kids enjoyed walking around the wharf and seeing the sea life.  There were actually less sea lions there this time than the time before.  All of the kids thought it was great trying to find the sea lions and looking at the birds in the water.

(taken with iPhone 5)

After walking around we found a great place to grab lunch.  Instead of having lunch on the benches we decided to eat on the second floor where we could see the bay.  We had a great lunch and I snuck outside to get a shot of the sunny day we had!  After lunch we headed over to get an ice cream cone before heading home.

As I reflect on the day I think about how much fun I had with my kids, wife and sister.  It was great having my sister in town for the weekend and so much fun that we can do a half-day trip like this.