Friday, July 31, 2015

Isabella's Day 2015

August 1, 2015

Dear Isabella,

Another year has passed but that does not make your birthday any easier.  I wish it did. I wish I could say I were stronger and no tears were shed at the silence as I awake each year on your birthday.  I’m not that guy. I’m not that strong. Happy 12th sweet stuff.  I don’t know what Heaven is like but I hope…… despite the wings..... you get to experience the joys of childhood as if you were here.  For selfish reasons, I hope that your childhood starts over again when my time here is done. I want a do over.  I want to hear your first words, help hide your first tooth and see the wonder in your eyes as you experience new things. Until then, thank you for being my inspiration. Thank you for the motivation to be the best person I can be in the hopes you are watching and in the hopes of leading a life worthy of spending an eternity with you. I know I am far from perfect. I know I have a lot of improvements to make.  I know, however, I have accomplished great things and met great people and gone beyond myself because of you. I miss you baby and look forward to our first dance. Happy Birthday!


Love Dad

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Super Bowl 2015 Grids

Below you will find the grids for our 7th Annual Super Bowl Pool. As always, we are extremely grateful for the support that helped raise $3,000 to fight cancer.  Another $3,000 will be distributed to some lucky winners.  Consistent with prior years, we prepare the grids as random as humanly possible.  We begin by using a program to randomize the 100 names that are placed in the grid.  The upper left box is considered #1.  We then move left to right ending in the lower right hand corner with box #100.  After the names are entered into the grids, we place small pieces of paper with numbers 0 through 9 in a bowl and pull each out one by one. It is a painstakingly slow process but assures everything is by chance.  The result of the process is below. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  Enjoy the Super Bowl and best of luck to all!!  PLEASE CLICK ON EACH GRID FOR A BETTER VIEW.  WE WILL EMAIL THESE OUT AS WELL AND WILL POST ON FACEBOOK.


Monday, January 12, 2015

7th Annual Super Bowl Pool

Wow, it has been a long time since I wrote a post here at this blog.  I really do have a lot to say but I have struggled to find the time to write.  I still have not posted my entry from Ironman CDA.....2013!!!  I have not chronicled all of my struggles to come back from a biking accident while training for Ironman #5..........a result of someone simply not checking their side mirror before opening their car door.  That transpired in September 2013 and as I sit here typing, I am far from recovered.  2014 was spent more in rehab or on rehab runs than actually training.  Truth be told, I did not complete one run or bike trainer ride that was a means to an end that included a start or finish line.  I am just trying to fight my way back. Despite trying to rehab my way around knee surgery, I ended up surgically repairing a torn meniscus in April of 2014 which led to..........as you may guess....more rehab.  My knee is not close to 100%.  If I keep on a flat straight line........I can run.  If I have to move laterally, my knee does not work.  This makes running around a corner a challenge. This makes running off a curb a challenge. This makes playing baseball with my children a challenge.  This makes playing soccer with my children a challenge.  All of this results in a frustrated me. Another aspect to all of this is that I always train to raise money to fight cancer.  I do not train for myself.  I train for others.  Taking this away from me has been painful but I am blessed to be alive and I am blessed to have enough within me to continue coaching for Team in Training where I can live vicariously through others.  A week ago I was actually blessed enough to get in a run....albeit very slow....while my daughter rode her bike beside me down the Santa Ana River Trail.  My son met me at the end of our journey and ran us in. All they have ever know, is their Dad swimming, riding or running so I think they know how important it is for me to return to action.


Cancer could care less about any of this.  Cancer is glad I am hurt or at least this is how I like to think about it.  I picture cancer with a personality and it fuels my fire to make a comeback. In the interim, raising money to fight cancer remains a critical part of my composition and, as such, we are back hosting our 7th Annual Super Bowl Pool.  Today is an appropriate day to post this news because today marks the 11th anniversary of my father losing his battle to cancer.  I made promises to him that you have all helped me live up to over the years. I think if I died tomorrow, I could look my Dad in the eye knowing I did what I could while I could.  A cure has not been found though.  Cancer still is looming and, having a wife who has survived cancer twice, I still sleep with one eye open.  So...........why not have a little fun spicing up the Super Bowl while helping get the world closer to the end of cancer.

In case you have never participated in a Super Bowl Pool..........it is very easy.  Each pool has 100 boxes that are assigned a number for each team in the Super Bowl.  For each $20 box you buy, you will be randomly assigned two numbers........one for the AFC team and one for the NFC team.  Using last year as an example, you may have been assigned a 4 for Seattle and a 0 for Denver.  If this were the case you are rooting for any score that has Seattle ending in a 4 and the Broncos ending with a zero (Seattle 4 - Denver 10, Seattle 24 - Denver 0, Seattle 14 - Denver - 30, etc, etc, etc).

The pool is a great way to spice up game day. As always, half of the pool will be distributed to the winners and half will go towards finding a cure for cancer via a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Based off the $20 per box entry fee, $1,000 will be donated to charity and $1,000 will be split as follows:
  • 1st Quarter = $125
  • Halftime = $250
  • 3rd Quarter = $125
  • Final Score = $500 
The Super Bowl will be held on February 1, 2015.  Last year we sold out 3 pools and this year we are working on our 2nd one as I write this post.  It would be amazing to match last year but we are grateful for everything whether we do or do not.

To recap the rules:
* 100 Boxes per pool
* $20 per box to play
* We randomly place you in a box on a 10x10 grid. Each box contains two numbers - one for the AFC champion and one for the NFC champion. If the numbers match the score at the end of each quarter you win! Just to be clear, we literally randomly place your name in the grid and then randomly pull numbers for the grid.  It takes a while but assures every aspect of each grid is by chance.

How to pay:
1) Email Lori Jomsky or myelf (we can DM you our email addresses if need be) how many boxes you would like. The more you buy the more chances to win and fight cancer. You can also reach out via FB or Twitter @lj3000 and @run2savelives (me)
2) Give Money directly to Chris or Lori if you happen to know us IRL
3) Mail a check payable to Lori Jomsky (so we can divide the money for charity/winners): 4211 Via Entrada, Newbury Park, CA 91320

Thank You!!!! Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!