Family is Forever.

Hello from sunny Arizona! I am both sad and glad to be home after my wonderful trip to San Diego. I am glad to see my wife and kids, but I am saddened to leave my San Diego family. The San Diego trip was full of both laughs and tears. Being in San Diego reminded me of some things I had either forgot, or had taken for granted. First, I was reminded of how great San Diego truly is. Now having gone back, I can not imagine trying to settle anywhere else. Next, I was reminded of the great friends I had left behind when I joined the Air Force. My best friend Randy threw a surprise party in my honor, which had been attended by many of the people I considered to be my closest friends. Finally, I was reminded that there are many people in my life pulling for me.... people I love and care for, yet failed to include in my life following my years in the Air Force.

As a lifelong member of the military community, I spent my entire life moving from one location to another. As a kid of a career Naval officer, I learned to adapt quickly to new surroundings so that I could meet people and make new friends. For most my life, I knew my relationships were temporary, which led me to also become good at forgetting people as a way to deal with my emotions. I've adapted the way I view and treat relationships to compliment my emotional needs. The only exception to my lifelong, protection policy was during a five year stint in San Diego.

When I was in the 8th grade, my family moved to a town within San Diego called Tierrasanta. This was the third San Diego location we resided inside of three years. My parents promised my sister and I this would be the last time we moved. To prove it, they bought a house... although I knew that didn't mean anything considering they had bought a home in the past, where I was again uprooted from after only a year. Tierrasanta is a hidden gem within San Diego. Not far from everything, it is a beautiful residential area nestled within a system of rolling hill and canyons. There are only a few way into the community, and unless you had business there, you wouldn't know it existed. It is the greatest town within the greatest city.

As a struggling teenager, I couldn't have hoped for a better place to live. Within my first few days of school, I met many kids I felt would make ideal candidates to be my new best friends. There were two kids in my P.E. class that took a liking to me: Chet and Risa. They knew each other from church and asked me if I would like to join them at one of their youth group events.

God had never been a huge figure in my life. I had been to church a couple times throughout my life, but religion was not a topic I recall hearing discussed within my home. I knew my mom had a religious past, but I didn't think my dad had ever been exposed to the word of God. When I brought up the idea of attending a church youth group to my mom, she was instantly a supporter.

I remember my first youth group event like it was yesterday. Many of the kids there had familiar faces, as most attended the same middle school as me. There were some unfamiliar faces, but it was hard to distinguish one person from the next due to many of them wearing these blue, Young X tee-shirts. I didn't see Chet or Risa when I first got there. I was approached by a few different kids before being introduced to the youth pastors: Troy, his wife Liz, and Shad. These guys were cool. They were adults, yet filled with energy and enthusiasm. When the event started, we played a game I had never played before. It involved a circle of people trying to eliminated one another by pulling each other into a trashcan in the middle. Afterwards, we all sat in a circle outside a trailer for a bible study. I remember there being some beat-up old furniture and Christmas lights strung around in no particular fashion. To be honest, I don't recall what the message was about, but I do remember thinking to myself that I had a lot of fun and met some pretty cool kids.

I continued going to that church. In fact, my nights at youth group events turned into spending Sunday mornings attending regular church services. Not only had I met a new group of people in a new town, I was introduced to God, his son Jesus, and the holy spirit. In terms of my social wellness, I had never felt so fulfilled in all my life. I now had a second family whom I learned to cherish more than any other group of people or individuals I had ever crossed paths with in the past. Little did I know at the time, but I had worked my way into a bond that would not be easily shaken as I had successfully done in the past.

I joined the Air Force right out of high school. My reasons for doing so are a different story, but I can promise you leaving Tierrasanta was the hardest move I had ever made. In moves prior, I learned to deal with my feelings my simply accepting that chapter in my life as being a closed book. The family I had gained in San Diego was not going down with a fight. I had people in my life who refused to allow me to slip away as a distant memory. Randy, Chrissy, Kjirsten, Troy, Mike, Chet, Jenny and many others continued to reach out to me even when I failed to reach back to them. No matter where I was, or what I was doing, they always found a way to walk back into my life when I needed it the most.

On Saturday night, just before midnight, I picked-up Randy from Tucson International Airport. There, he had the first of many surprises for me. With him, was another of our childhood friends-David. The three of us stopped at In-N-Out before hitting the open roads toward San Diego. We spent the entire drive reminiscing of stories from our past. Our plan was to reach San Diego and get a couple hours of sleep before starting our great comeback tour. The thrill and anticipation of being home was too much for any of us. We ended-up staying awake all day and into the night... visiting old friends and sharing more memories of our past. The next day, we did the same, all awhile visiting some of our most memorable hangout spots. It felt as though we had taken a step back in time.

We had spent much of Monday cruising around San Diego. Randy informed me that we had dinner plans at Jesse and Jenny's house... who also graciously opened their home to us as a place of refuge during our stay. Randy, David, and I stopped at a BBQ restaurant to pick-up some food to bring back for dinner. When we got into Tierrasanta, Randy told me we needed to swing by our childhood church to pick-up our old youth minister Troy, who had planned on joining our crew for some grub. When we pulled up to the church, I saw some other familiar faces I had not yet seen during this trip. I quickly jumped out of my truck to reacquaint myself with old friends. As I approached the front doors of the church, I could see there were people inside setting up what looked like a buffet line for some sort of function. Troy was standing outside talking to another dear friend of mine: Samer. I greeted the two them and asked what was going on inside. Troy informed me that the spread was for me and that I should head inside. My heart immediately began beating fast with anticipation. I was both excited and nervous. I didn't know who all would be here, and I was slightly uncomfortable knowing I was about to be the center of attention.

When I walked through the doors, I was quickly greeted by numerous familiar faces. As I scanned the room, I had locked eyes with many people I would never have thought of seeing during the trip. Randy, with the help of many others had put together an epic reunion. It was great getting to catch-up with old friends. It was even better getting to see others catch-up with each other. I was not the only person that had slipped away. As we entered our adult years, many in our family set-off in their our personal journeys. Here we were, coming together as one... over twenty years from my first youth group experience. Many people had brought pictures to share of our past. Troy even had on display one of those blue, Young X tee shirts. It was a truly surreal event.

Even though I was the guest of honor, I felt as though the event was a homecoming for all of us. Many tears were shed that night. For me, I realized I had a much larger support network than I had previously thought. My San Diego family was very much still alive and well. Even though I had tried my hardest to close that chapter in my life, the people in that church had refused to just let me walk away. I've lived an entirely second life since leaving San Diego. Those five years, with these amazing people, hold more of my heart and my memories than any others in any blimp of time over my life on this Earth. (Aside from my immediate family of course!)

Randy told me that he made the decision that this trip was a must after he read the blog entry, "Dig your trenches and prepare for battle." I knew I had supporters out there, but I didn't realize the impact my story was having on the people who support me most. My trenches are full... full of friends and family that will not allow this cancer to get the best of me. No matter what trials and tribulations I face, I know I have an army standing behind me... ready to pick me up when I fall. They are ready to hold me up when I am weak.

Thank you. Thank you for guarding that switch I tried to turn off. You mean more to me than words can even express. With your support, I will get through this.