It's Because of Her....

I need to dedicate this blog to my wife Crystal. You see, this past Saturday, September 13th, was our anniversary of 22 years. How did we celebrate, well...we didn't but let me explain.

I got up Sat morning at 5:00 AM and started to get ready for the Trek ride of 85 miles up the coast. I made a card using a scanned copy of our marriage certificate and a picture from our wedding day. I kissed her good bye as she said happy anniversary. I left the card on the kitchen counter next to two roses, one red one orange, I had cut from the garden. I would be home a bit later in the day and she had volunteered to help out at the evening service for church. With that in mind we had agreed that we wouldn't have time to sip champagne that day.

Sunday I again got up at 5:00 AM to get ready for the CAF recovery ride up the coast for 40 miles. Crystal volunteers on Sunday as well for church so we wouldn't see each other until later in the morning. After cleaning up some things around the house, a shower, and taking items to the recycling center it would then be time to go to the The Six fund raising event being put on by Carl, Brent, Nina, who are part of and still in the radio contest, and Helen, Kimberly, and Romina.

See, that's' what I love about this woman who decided to give me a chance. She is always supportive, flexible, and understanding. We have a wonderful relationship which we attribute to communication.

Before I start any program, like the one I'm in now, we sit down and talk about what it will entail and how I/we plan to raise the funds. The Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge has been the biggest challenge to date and I/we are almost to the $10,000. I owe a great deal of that to Crystal.

We met in Germany while trying out for a talent show that was being coordinated for the local Army personnel. She was dancing solo and I was playing guitar and singing. I decide to ask her out even though she was an officer and I was enlisted. Her birthday was coming up and Crystal wasn't going to do anything special. In my family birthdays are an important day of the year so I took her out for a birthday dinner. As I leaned over in the car after our date for a kiss I received...a hand shake. OK, now I have to ask her out again. Eight months later, we we're married.

Crystal is unique in many ways but something that really stands out in her past is that she is a West Point grad. I was stationed at West Point while she was there but we never met in that setting. I saw some of what those cadets experience and it's not easy as a man. As a women...you don't even want to know. I have a huge amount of respect for her just for that.

When I had cancer I think that was the hardest part of our marriage but mostly for Crystal. She was frustrated and unsure of the outcome or how to help me battle with it. That was 15 years ago.

So today we plan to celebrate our anniversary at one of the many events being put on to raise funds for The Challenged Athletes Foundation. Is it appropriate...in our case yes. Our lives are about supporting each other and this is just one of many days in which it happens.

It started with a hand shake, went to a kiss and 22 years later we are in a deep, powerful, loving relationship. I love you Crystal and thank you for your support and understanding.