Got the whole thing down by numbers... all those numbers.

This post had been in DRAFT since January 2021.  After I wrote it, I decided not to post it for a few reasons.  1) I didn't want to jinx it; 2) It just seemed a bit self-serving.  Then, after my 10th birthday came and went, I felt the moment had passed. But I'm publishing it today -- Sep 14, 2021 -- unedited from 8 months ago, for reasons that will become obvious... more soon.  

 Blogging Tunes: Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

It's been more than 5 years since I posted here.  Honestly, I never thought I'd post again, but as I approach my "10th" birthday -- that's right, in a few short months, I'll be 10 years out from my live saving stem-cell marrow transplant -- as we enter into what surely is going to be a better year than 2020, and based on my blood brother Martin's incredible Hanukkah present, I figured it was time.

So let's start there... Martin is a lifelong Borussia Mönchengladbach fan... and for the last 7 years, I root for them just like they were from Philly.  They made the Champions League this year and are advancing in Group B.

So when these arrived in December, we were thrilled:

So what's up with the numbers?  It's our birth years: Floyd 2008; Orion 2010; and me... 2011 (the year of my transplant.)  Leave it to Martin to come up with the best present ever.  Where's Heather's?  Sports jerseys aren't really her thing, so Martin got her a warm fuzzy Mönchengladbach blankee (sorry, no pics.)

When I was diagnosed, Floyd and Orion were both in diapers.  Now look at them!  Back then, my medical team gave me about a 40% chance to live three years.  While there have been many challenges and injustices -- especially of late -- so many amazing things have happened as well, and this post is focusing squarely on them.

Here's some more BMGB stuff Martin brought when he visited us a couple years back.

We even got to watch a match on TV together.  Gladbach won!

And we got to see some sites.  Not gonna post a ton here, but here are a couple:

Martin even did the Light the Night walk with us!

What an incredible visit.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I had an incredible journey at Salesforce and made dozens of lifelong friends.  You can read about that -- and my transition to Vineti -- here.

The Eagles won the Super Bowl!  Who'da thunkit?

Heather and I traveled to Mexico to see Phish, not once, twice, or even thrice, but FOUR times.  We even took the boys for the 3rd and 4th ones!

My band has played a dozen shows at Terrapin Crossroads including a show (and a song) with Phil Lesh!  Lots of audio here and some video here.  Here's a pic from TXR Grate Room.

We've also been very fortunate to find our dream house in the Loch Lomond area of San Rafael.  There's incredible hiking practically in our backyard.

So as we approach my 10th birthday, I am striving to live the healthiest, kindest, and most grateful life I can.  And I -- we -- couldn't have done it without the love and support of so many family and friends, many of whom actually read this post til the end.  :)