Not because she gave me a wooden lei to celebrate a degree that took me 10 years to get. Not because she taught the screaming two year old how to blow raspberries with her tongue but because she was kind and always had a good story to tell.

I wore it a year and a half later as I crossed the stage at Golden 1 Center with her watching a couple thousand miles away in just outside of Knoxville, TN, where my wife’s family now resides. She may never now it but she has had a profound impact in my life in the approx 5 years that I knew her.

At the end of the summer of 2020, I received my AA-T degree and started my BA degree. I got that first degree in the mail the week before Christmas. This woman, who only knew me as her niece’s new spouse, gave me a lei as a graduation present.

I sat there tears forming for a woman I barely knew go home to where her husband was laid to rest over a decade ago, as she went home. A place that she and I bonded over with her residence in Hawaii as an adult and my father’s residence as kid. Shared memories that we experienced individually.

My wife, unfortunately had to work, she’s our breadwinner and honestly one of the strongest people I know. I sat at home on FaceTime with a few of her family members I knew, some that I didn’t. It didn’t matter to me. I muted my mic because my two year old doesn’t have volume control yet.

Worried about Kersh starting because his season debut was 😬

I usually support a player (and I guess ultimately there team) outside of baseball because of very personal reasons.

Dodger sweep the Rockies
Clean sheet for Sac Republic
Kings lose to an injured-prone Mavs team but hey, at least McNair was fired so I’ll take the win someone.

2/3 of the teams I root for won, so I’ll take it.

It’s a good day to be a sports fan and I’m rooting for all my favorite teams tonight.

If the Kings beat the Mavs, they’ll go on and play Memphis to compete for the 8th seed in the Western Conference playoffs. If the Republic beat El Farolito, they’ll go onto the round of 32 for the US Open Cup. If the Dodgers beat the Rockies, they’ll sweep the series.

It’s 2am for me. Like bro. Go to sleep.

I am also sick (common cold) and delirious googling weird things about how my cold and fibromyalgia are going together.

Hopefully they can figure it out and do well in the tourney. I don’t have a specific team to root for, just watching just to watch.

“You should save that seat for someone who needs it” I can’t stand for more than 5 to MAYBE 10 mins at a time. Shut up bruh.