So here we are, post number 2 of this little adventure. Before being told that I have cancer, I was just like you. Plodding along in life, trying to do the right things, taking care of my health, eating mostly the right foods, while exercising and just trying to live this wonderful life that Colorado gives us. It was an amazing existence, finally I felt that the fruits of my labor were coming home to roost and in a very good way. My kids are teenagers, and good ones at that, my wife is a complete saint, I have friends that are more like family and a job that I am so damn proud of it hurts.
For those of you that don't know me that well, my life has been a terrific ride. I grew up mainly in North Dakota in a small and wonderful town. A town that taught the value of hard work, if you were willing to learn it, and a town, that like so many others that dot the American landscape, showed young men and women what it meant to be part of a community. Those of you that grew up in small towns know exactly what I am talking about, you can't be a faceless number in a small town, everyone knows you and your family's business. This can be a motivating force in your life and in mine it certainly was.
I turned 21 in Army Flight School down at good ol' Ft. Rucker, Alabama. I had already been in the National Guard for 4 years, going to basic training between my junior and senior year of high school. Newly married to the love of my life, soon to be an Army pilot and Warrant Officer things were good, damn good. The Army sent me to Ft. Carson, Colorado and thank God it did. I was sent to the most beautiful state in the country, with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop to my everyday, I knew this was it, this was home.
My stint in the Army over, and unfortunately after losing too many friends to the dangers that is Army flying, I got out and was accepted into the Colroado State Patrol. I know every LEO and fire fighter is proud of their organization, but I actually have a reason to be :] Like all Troopers, I've faced blinding snow storms and the carnage they bring, arrested some of the worst that society has to offer, been called to quell riots, investigated death and helped save lives. I've flown governors all over the country, looked for snipers and cop killers, tracked beetle kill, forest fires, helped with homicide investigations, taken life saving medicine to rural communities and so much more, it is hard to list it all. Yep, after 20 years, 3 moves and 3 promotions I had arrived, firmly seated on top of the multi-sparkled beast called my life, I was riding a unicorn and farting cotton candy.
Then in December I went to the doctors office for what I thought was a hernia.......boy was I wrong.
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