Little Known Facts about me (Until Now)

To celebrate turning 50 on February 20, 2010, I thought I’d share some things about me.

10.  I once played a 165 holes of golf in one day for a fund raiser. Started in the dark. I had 9 birdies and averaged 89 for nine and half rounds of golf. Still pretty much my average.

9.  When I was 34 years old, I played in a basketball game against the Cambodian National Team and lit them up for 23 points. Even though we lost the game, they, the Cambodian National Team, was pointing at me after the game and yelling, “MVP. MVP.”  My best athletic performance to date. Maybe my last best athletic performance.

8.  When I was a young kid, I used to run into things a lot. One day after we had a convolescent service at the Gerantology Center in downtown Clarkston, I walked out the front door and started down the street and ran smack into a lamp post. It hurt so bad and now my wife knows why I always have that “I must be dumb because I can’t find my car keys, again,” look on my face. 

7.  I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was 30.   It all started when I was working at the Bellevue Fred Meyer and they put a Seattle’s Best Coffee kiosk in there and I finally got up enough nerve to ask if they made banana mochas. I’ve been hooked ever since. And yes I have a banana mocha every day. I make my own now.

6.  I am so afraid of falling that one time in 1991 during the Senior Breakaway for the seniors at Shoreline Community Church, at the indoor water park in the West Edmonton Mall, the guys decided I should go down the large slide. They carried me, kicking and screaming, all the way to the top and if it wasn’t for the “she saved my life from falling,” lifeguard who gave them all a mean snear and a loud command, “Put him down! Now!” that prevented me from actually going down the slide. To this day, I’ve never gone down one of those things.

5.  I am almost certain I still hold the “average yards per carry” record at Clarkston High School. I carried the football one time and gained 11 yards and a first down. It was a reverse to the wingback. I took the ball and went around the end and no one saw me until I had cleared the line, by then, only one guy stood between me and the endzone. Since I had very little game experience, I just tried to run over him. He tackled me and then 20 other guys jumped on top, or so it seemed. I never carried the ball again.  When you were 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed a hefty 98 pounds, conventional wisdom said, “Quit now young man if you ever want to grow up and be a dad.” So I turned to managing football teams instead.

4.  I’ve never drank a beer.  Here’s why: When I was a kid I picked up a beer bottle to throw it and what came out landed on my shirt and stunk so bad, it made a lasting impression on me all my life. It helped that in 8th grade the science teacher showed us a picture of “This is your Brain.”  “This is your brain after a few beers.” Sealed the deal.

3.  I’ve been able to do a lot of traveling and I’ve been to about as many states in the U.S. as I’ve been to foreign countries.  About 16 each. I’ve been as far as Miami, Florida, in the States, and as far East as Singapore and Manila, Philippines.  But I’ve never been to South Dakota. 

2. I, like a lot of my friends have sang the National Anthem with Contemporary Christian singer, Natalie Grant. At a couple of Sonics games. Very proud of Natalie and her amazing singing career.

1. I always thought I would like to meet my wife in a strange, or exotic, or cool place. Meaning, not at church, or a camp, or at school, or work. I thought like maybe at a library, or on a vacation, or coffee shop, or just bumping into her.  Well I did meet my wife, Myleen, in a strange, exotic, and eventually cool place.  We met in Cambodia. Of all places.  She was teaching school to missionary children in the provinces. I was teaching English to medical students in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. Real missionary dating. How cool is that?

Turning 50

Not exactly as I dreamed it would be.  Turning 50? Other people turn 50. Not me.  When I think of 50, I think of my dad turning 50. But since he is now 71, well it’s time for me to turn 50.  I remember working as a cashier at Fred Meyer when I was in my late 20’s and early 30’s I would be checking the ID of men coming through line and when I saw those that were in their 50’s, I would think, “Hey, they look great at 50. I hope I look good at 50.” Well not sure other people would say I look good turning 50. That’s their own opinion and it’s not been expressed to me that much. I do know that some of those I work with today, seem to be surprised that I am “that old.” 

I was born February 20, 1960 at 1:17 p.m. at St. Joseph Hospital in Lewiston, Idaho.  Since I don’t remember being born, I talked to my parents about my “birth” day. Two months after I was born I was back in the hospital with bronchial pneumonia.  Thanks for the prayers of the people at my church, I survived and a year later became a brother. I would eventually be the oldest of four boys and a girl.

 I didn’t get married until I was almost 37 and I became a dad just five weeks before turning 40.  Other than being overweight, I have been pretty healthy the past several years.  Now comes the yearly check ups. The AARP registration in the mail. And on Saturday I qualify to be a substitute bowler in my dad’s “seniors” league.  Wow! Pretty excited about that! 

Maybe you can tell me what I qualify for in turning 50.  I know I am 5 years away from a discount at Arby’s and a few other restaurants in town. 

50 years. Half a century.   Best picture for 1960 was Ben Hur. Charlton Heston won best actor for his role in Ben Hur. Two days before I was born the Winter Olympics opened in Squaw Valley, California. 

The cost of some things in 1960 were:  The price of a car was about $2,600.00.  A brand new house would have cost you $12,700.00.  A gallon of gas was at $0.25.  The average income was $5,315.00.  Flour cost 49 cents in 1960; Fresh eggs were also 49 cents. Del Monte peaches were 29 cents a can.  Pork chops were 59 cents a pound and sirloin steaks were 89 cents a pound. 

Number one song in February 1960?  Teen Angel by Mark Dinning.

I was reading in the Bible this morning in Leviticus that 50 is the year of Jubilee.  Really? Be jubulant at turning 50?  Uh, I think I will just be satisfied that I can be jubulant at crawling  out of bed at 50 years old. 

50? I feel like I am 30.  Well, until I get on the basketball court or the 16th, 17th, and 18th greens on a golf course.  Water? Anyone got any water?