Christmas Letter 2018!

Downing’s 2018 Christmas Letter

Is it seriously the end of 2018 already? Sheesh! The end of 2017 is still fresh on my mind, but yet reflecting on the past 12 months makes me realize we went through a lot! New jobs, an unforgettable ride in an ambulance, a cruise, performing minor surgery on my forearm (unsuccessfully, I might add), and walls filled with water are just the beginning of the stories that you’ll read about in the 2018 Downing Christmas letter!

“Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.”

-          Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

“The school of hard knocks is an accelerated curriculum.”

-          Menander (342 BC - 292 BC)

Career Shift: A New Beginning

At the end of 2017 I accepted a position with a large global construction company named Skanska, which is headquartered in Sweden with major operations across the U.S. and northern Europe. Depending on who you talk to, it’s pronounced with a long “a” like Skaun-Skaw or the more familiar way us Americans like to twist other languages and sharpen that silly “a” to get Skan-Skah, which I’m sure sounds nasally to the Scandinavian founders.

So, what did I get myself into? My title is the NW Diversity and Outreach Manager for the Building division in the United States. What does that even mean!? Well, one of the four divisions of Skanska build massive, complex, challenging, and sometimes secretive projects like hospitals, schools, entire airports, and high-tech or military facilities. Essentially, I’m an internal consultant to make sure the subcontractors we use include minority, woman and small businesses across Oregon and Washington.

Not-so-fabulous silence

Cheryl is my personal benefits adviser with Aflac. Well, she’s actually a benefits adviser to a lot of people, but I can call her my own, very personal benefits adviser. She’s doing an amazing job and having a lot of fun, even after losing her voice for the last 4 months. That’s right! She’s challenged by a long-term loss of voice, but that’s not all. She loses her breath, too. In fact, she lost her breath to such a degree at the start of December that an ambulance carted her off to the nearest ER! Pretty scary, really. Fortunately, she remembers only bits and pieces. What she does remember though, is when the emergency dispatcher asked Joe (our friend who called 911) how she looked. While gasping for breath, Cheryl said to tell them she looked “fabulous!” Apparently being starved of oxygen and going into shock doesn’t suppress this woman’s wit! The doctors are still trying to figure everything out, but right now they can’t seem to find out what’s up.

Academic Adventures

At the end of 2017 I finished my coursework in my Masters of Business Administration (MBA), and in May of this year I walked across the stage in full cap, gown and even a cape! The graduation marked a significant point for me personally, but also for my family. No longer would Cheryl and Sophia be homework widows as I locked myself into the office every night and on most weekends. To celebrate, we booked a family cruise to Mexico!

Trip’n with the Fam

Cheryl, Sophia, Carole (Cheryl’s mom), and my parents embarked on a four-day cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada on Carnival Cruise lines. Some highlights include Sophia joining a conga line around the pool, winning the hearts of everyone around the tequila bar as they cheered her on. I joined a hairy chest contest and fortunately did NOT win, although I unquestionably had the most, I did not pander to the crowd’s desire to get in touch with my feminine side. I did get a participation medal and the honor of being called “Wolfman” by some of our fellow inebriated shipmates.

 

Cheryl: Sport Mode

2018 also brought new cars into our lives, surrendering the inefficient full-sized Ford I enjoyed for years and Cheryl’s pickup truck from when she had a painting company. My company gives me a vehicle allowance with an additional incentive for certain vehicles. I went for a Kia gas-electric hybrid and Cheryl got the cutest Mini ever! Mine is surprisingly roomy for me as a driver, even at 6’4”. The Mini, however, isn’t a good fit for me, but Cheryl and Sophia absolutely love it! I told the sales guy to NOT tell Cheryl about the “sport” mode cuz she might actually use it, and when we went on the test drive, that’s the first thing he told her about! Yes, I reprimanded him the very moment she shifted it into sport mode and darted around corners and curves. The intense look in her eye made it clear she was enjoying herself but I suspect she’d forgotten that I was squeezed in the back seat with Sophia. After a couple swift, slingshot style corners better suited for the go-cart track, I reminded her of the precious cargo in the back seat, and to keep the high-risk driving to her solo adventures. There’s no question that this is the perfect car for her.

Back in the Saddle Again!

Late summer, Cheryl started encouraging me to ride again. Riding motorcycle, that is, not bicycle. Yes, having my wife light the spark of getting me on a motorcycle again is a cosmic display that life is good and God loves me. So, I began searching for good Harley’s within a reasonable price range, which is quite difficult. A friend of mine had a Harley sitting in a warm, sheltered barn waiting for someone to take it on the road. I had a chance to ride it, and I realized I was too big for it. Well, that’s an understatement. I looked like a gorilla on a bicycle, and I felt like it too! As you can imagine, I passed on the potential purchase and kept looking for the elusive well-priced, appropriately sized Harley.

In the end I found a 2008 Yamaha Roadliner S “Midnight”, which is a large touring motorcycle designed for long distances and comfortable rides. It’s nimble and powerful with some cool features that make it one of the best rated touring bikes for years. Unfortunately, being used, it wasn’t set up for my long legs. On my ride home from the dealer, Cheryl pointed out that the freeway pegs were positioning my body in a way that made it look like I was getting a gynecological exam rather than being that leather-clad cool dude out for a ride. I fixed the positioning that night, and I am unapologetically NOT a Harley biker, and I rest with confidence that I don’t look like I’m getting a girly check-up when I’m riding.

Gurgling Walls

Our home suffered a serious issue this year, and we finally answered a mystery we questioned all winter: Why do our walls gurgle? Answer: because they were filled with water! Yes, this is a sad reality that was discovered when a contractor poked his small screwdriver into some window trim on our back upper deck. The water didn’t just pour out, though. No, that would be too simple. The water actually jetted out from the hole, launching out no less than five feet, over the railing to the lower deck! Well, homeowner’s insurance helped a little, but the burden on having half of the entire south side of our house removed and replaced due to dry rot and water damage was on our shoulders and wallets. The story is that the flashing was installed backwards on the vinyl windows from 1996, and acted like a conduit to fill our walls with water, causing the gurgling noise.

Flying Deck: Self-Surgery

After most of the south side of the house was replaced, I found part of the upper deck was rotten. It was so rotten that I thrust my hand through one of the deck boards! Yes, I gasped out loud as I rushed back into the house, and I set out to replace deck boards on the upper and lower deck, which was no small feat, as it turns out. The removal and replacement of the entire deck system turned into a family and friends adventure. Sophia helped haul boards, pickup old screws and hand deliver new screws to me and Cheryl for weeks on end.

When I tossed the last rotten board off the upper deck, sending it flying gracefully through the air to land on the pile below, a large chunk caught my left forearm, breaking off as it buried itself into my muscle. The shard broke into one larger piece and a scattering of shrapnel in a localized area of my arm. I couldn’t simply stop working, though. While I didn’t know the severity of the injury at the time, I figured I could keep working for a few hours to get the new boards installed before I dig into the splinter over a dirty martini, three olives, shaken, not stirred.

Believe it or not, I’ve done this before. I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV, but I’ve dug large slivers and splinters from my body before, so I thought this would be no different. When I began cutting into my forearm with a sterilized razor blade and tweezers, I came to realize this was a bit more serious than simply a chunk of wood beneath the flesh. I cut, I pulled, I bled, and I dabbed with alcohol and hydrogen peroxide… while I wet my whistle with a tasty martini, of course. I managed to remove a few pieces, but when Cheryl came home from her outing with a friend, she expressed a distinct dissatisfaction at my surgical savvy. Her grimacing features and paled complexion told me more of her dissatisfaction than anything she could say. I thought for a moment she might get sick, which is when I finally agreed that a doctor should get involved. Begrudgingly, I acquiesced to her request and committed to going to urgent care the next day, which was Sunday.

I told the doctor the tale, and how my wife’s loving wisdom overcame my drive to perform self-surgery. The doctor apparently admired my determination and allowed me to assist in the minor surgery. The doctor had to cut deeper than we originally planned, and we’re pretty sure most of the shards were removed. While I didn’t get stitches, I do have a pretty cool scar.

The Traveling Fam

Aside from the cruise mentioned earlier, we did travel a little bit, although separately. Cheryl and Sophia flew the friendly skies to visit Cheryl’s sister and mom in northern California, and her brother in Orange County. My job sent me to Cleveland, OH for a conference, where I toured the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a fantastic museum free to the public. The final night at the conference finished at roof-top bar where the waiter decided I needed to pay for food and drink for 15 people I never met before. I suddenly found myself in a position to meet new people and ask them to pay a tab I was being charged for! Sure, I was a bit frustrated, but in the end, I made new friends, and my nickname began spreading throughout the conference…. “The Governor” is how I’m known.

Hi-Yah!

Sophia is excelling at swimming and just started taking taekwondo lessons, which are helping her with “black belt respect”. For a petite six-year-old, she’s got a serious side-chop strike! The girl can put the hurt on! We’ve enrolled her into 2x/week classes, so she’ll find her stride just like swimming, and she’ll advance quickly without a doubt.

Overgrown Christmas Tree

The final weeks of 2018 brought the biggest Christmas tree we’ve had yet. The monster took three strapping men to move it into the house and tether it to the wall with heavy eye-bolts. In preparation for our annual tree trimming party, I had to place ornaments to the top third because it was too high for anyone without a tall step ladder, and we thought it would be wise to eliminate any potential for fall injuries during a Christmas party.

The coming year is going to be exciting, without a doubt! We’ve made plans for a few adventures I’m excited to write about, and I’m confident our future is looking up!

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year!

Cheers from the Downing’s!