The Beginning

I've created this space as a way to write down some thoughts, track my health journey and inevitably be abandoned as my multiple other attempts at blogging have been. 

 I'll start with a little background and move to present day... 

 So, the last few years of my journey has been one of great struggle, nothing ground breaking or overly serious, but frustrating nonethelesss. I've seen God move, experienced staggering bouts of depression and everything in between. 

 While at Denver Seminary in 2016 I was doing really well. I was thriving in almost every area that I could accurately track. I was being challenged intellectually, my faith was at an all-time high, my marriage was great, my kids were awesome and my physical health was on track. My bride suggested that I get into CrossFit. Say what you will about the workout format, I saw results quickly and felt amazing. My weight was coming down and I was getting stronger and stronger. Eventually, I had to stop going because it became a financial strain (seminary students are notoriously broke, I was no exception). 

It was shortly after stopping that I had my first health set back. The first one was a massive pain in my foot. To the point it was extremely difficult to walk. I was unable to figure out a cause as there was no fracture or any notible trauma. Eventually it worked itself out and I was ok. The next was a similar pain, this time in my neck. I had to leave work and was unable to turn my head without extreme pain for almost two days. I got a new pillow and everything seemed to work itself out. The neck pain never came back (thankfully), but the foot pain would be something I would have to deal with for many years after. 

Then, in 2017, things started to fall apart... We knew my father-in-law was having some health struggles, and had received updates periodically, but near the end of 2017 it appeared things were coming to a head and we felt strongly that we needed to move back home so we could be better positioned to help if the need arose. I was one semester shy of graduating. After multiple discussions, the seminary said they would work with me so that I could continue my education while back at home and I'll forever be grateful for their wililngness to help me achieve that goal. To top all this off, we had found out we were pregnant with our fourth child and were very near the end of the pregnancy. This move would not be an easy one, but was one that was met with awesome God moves to help us get back quickly. In one whirlwind weekend, I flew my family back home and flew back to Denver the very next day. I then spent the next two weeks packing our life, finishing a semester, and saying the hardest goodbyes I have ever had to say. My dad flew out to help me pack up the truck, and we drove back home. A bittersweet ending to my time at seminary as just 3 1/2 years earlier, my dad helped me pack a truck and drove out to Denver. 

 I think that's enough for now, I'm tired just reliving this period of time. Thankfully it eventually gets better.