20 years....

It's 2008. I just turned 38. I remember turning 28. It meant I was closer to 30 than 25. That's why that was significant. I won't tell you what I am closer to now. I don't want to say it out loud.

It was 20 years ago that I graduated high-school. The only reason I remembered this is because a week ago I tripped over a web-site solely dedicated to the 20 year class reunion of Eisenhower High School, class of 1988. Apparently, I was on their "missing" list. Having run away from Lawton, Oklahoma all those years ago, I was quite proud to be on that list. When I graduated, all I wanted was escape - and escape I did. I think I've been back once in 20 years.

That being said, this time I was intrigued. Maybe it was time to not be "missing" any longer. So I signed up. I began to look for a few classmates and see if I could catch up.

In high school, I was a not-so-fast runner on a very fast track team. One of my friends actually went on to win a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. With the Olympics going on now, I was thinking of him, and sure enough, he had signed up on the site as well. I dropped him an email and hoped somehow we could reconnect. I heard from him today, and I have to say I couldn't be happier.

It's a long way from Lawton to London, in more ways than just geography. I was a scared and lonely and insecure kid from a rough town. I often wonder if I'm still that same scared, lonely, insecure kid trying to survive and change a rough world. 20 years seems like enough time to evaluate, to take stock, to come to terms with what I've become, what I've done, what I've not done, and most importantly, who I am and will be.

What I seem to recognize most about where I find myself in life is the fact that I have the most amazing family. Melia. What can I say about her? My boys, Tanner & Konner are everything. These three are my gold medal, if you will. This family represents everything that can be represented in the long journey from Lawton to London.

This move overseas has been difficult for me. Stepping down from the organization I scratched out to start and moving from Colorado has been harder than I imagined. But I've made a decision that our time here in England will be about family. We honestly don't know if we'll be here forever, or something else, but we've decided to reclaim the most important part of our lives. Tanner is 12. We have 6 more years with him at home. Konner is 8, and not getting younger. This time is short, and we are going to be selfish with it. We miss our friends, but so far we're having a good time together.

I don't know why hearing a voice from the distant past brought these feelings to the surface, but they have. 20 years. I've failed a lot during that time. But my wife and kids love me, and I'm learning to live satisfied with that success.