Life Between Naps

Summer, summer, summer! Summer is here and I can’t be happier; I irresponsibly dropped my only summer school class and I am fully prepared for the 10 days of mid-70′s weather that lie ahead. Yay.

Muddy butts ahhhhhh!!!

So much has happened since my last post of excess that I don’t think it would be very interesting to detail just how great this spring was, so I will try to summarize. I realize that doing so usually results in a mini novel about my life, but I promise, this time I will try to keep it short!

Jake Wright got married! I need to type out his full name because nobody that knows Jake would actually believe this is true unless they were present at the wedding. The bachelor party was a huge success, my wallet told me so. And while there are no pictures at all to prove it, we had an amazing time preparing Jake for his inevitable loss of virginity. The wedding was a completely different story, a prototype for what all weddings aspire to be. The bridesmaids, gorgeous and intelligent; the groomsmen, scholarly and handsome; the betrothed, drinking at the altar in love. Seriously, what an amazing union of two people who are clearly head over heels for each other. It was especially nice to see so many old friends together in one place and having such an amazing time.

“What did I say? No one listens, be careful”
-Dad, after I told him I was told not to attempt the peak due to snow and ice on the north face.

This is my happy face

The one other extremely mentionable thing that I have done was the 2011 mud run at Camp Pendelton. Victoria asked me to be her partner so that I could vault her lithe body over the muddy obstacles. Fortunately for her, her friend Devorah ran with her and I was left to crush the course in dum dum fashion with Shawn, Brendan, and Jennie. It was a strange mix of muddy underwear and beer, but we eventually conquered the 10K course just in time for a well deserved lunch and a closing shift at work.

Since then my life has been busy with work, beach, and brunch. I wouldn’t say it has been especially rough, but there are have been a few things on my mind lately. Number one of course is my brother. For some time now I have been worried about him. I think the Army might have laid a structure for him that he is unable to take advantage of in his new found civilian life. I know the training and regiment he became accustomed to while serving made a huge difference in his life. Unfortunately, it seems that he is unable to apply it to life outside of the Army, and I think he needs help. I try to reach out to him every chance that I get, offering him a place to stay for the week to get out of the poison that is Riverside. Unfortunately I think my attempts at help only come off as another source of criticism to an 18 year old thrust into the body of a war veteran who rightly believes that nobody can understand what he has been through.

Monkeys

I can only hope that he will turn the corner and accept our help to get through whatever pain or suffering he might be experiencing. I can only imagine what horrors war has brought upon him; and while I will never understand, I hope that he won’t hold that against us while we are trying to help him through these hard times.

Some people might find it strange that I would segue from the happiest times of Spring, to the grim reminder of the toll that war takes on our youth, and back to monkeys; but I am here to tell you that life isn’t fair… you can’t control what comes your way, but you can always smile.

I’ve got a lot of things to look forward to this summer: the weather is looking is amazing, that means pretty girls and lots of monies for school and traveling; champagne and good company with good friends, especially those willing to share their books; and plenty of growth, in school and with those I love. See you on the other side.