A Great Man

I wasn't sure how to title this blog, or even how to really start it. My blogs are typically upbeat and about happy adventures and such. But this one... not as much, though there are good parts. So I guess I'll just start.

Just before Christmas, Eric and I found out a good friend and mentor we used to work with down in Naples, FL passed away. He had been battling cancer for about two years. His name was Reed Jarvi and, in my opinion, he was an amazing man. My own experience from the time meeting him was always looked upon fondly - I always looked forward to that after work happy hour, or dinner with he and his wife, Darlene. He was just one of those guys that always had a great outlook on life, and always had a story to tell. Which from his robust life, was not surprising. He was a Navy Academy alumni, a civil engineer, and a rugby enthusiast, so his circles of friends reached far and wide.

This was very apparent when we attended his Celebration of Life 'party' this past weekend. It was standing room only, until the staff and the club opened a partition wall to completely fill an adjoining room. It was amazing to see, yet not so surprising that he impacted this many people. They expect about 150 people or so, and it was easily double that. We learned that Reed was planning to do this celebration as a sort of roast of himself before he died, giving him a chance to say goodbye to everyone in person. Unfortunately, he fell just short of being able to attend his own party. I'm thankful Darlene continued with the plan, though, and allowed everyone to gather to celebrate him for the man he was. Even his oncology doctor was there to speak - he made an impact on his own doctor enough for his to attend this event. Have you ever seen a doctor speak a eulogy, so to speak, on one of his own patients? I haven't.

Both Eric and I walked away with thoughts of our own lives - where we've been and what we can still do. You can't help but wonder if you'd have a turn out even close to that if you passed. I think it just made both of us want to do more with our love, both in making an impact on others, and just living the moment you have now to the fullest extent.

After the luncheon (I really can't call it a 'service' because is was so not that), Eric and I drove across Alligator Alley, back to our hotel. That night, we decided to get out and enjoy life. Reed would've wanted that - don't sulk, live. We found the Winwood Walls in Miami, which we've heard about. Eric knew more about it than I do, and I'll admit, it was pretty cool. If you're down there, find them and go. Even after sunset, the amount of people exploring the area was amazing. From there, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Miami Beach, SushiSAMBA. We enjoys a great dinner and reflected on things we learned from Reed.

Reed will be greatly missed. I feel honored that I was able to know him, even if is was just a blip compared to his Navy buddies. I can only hope to make an impact like that.

RIP Reed.

New Year's Celebration

So Eric and I did a little something different this year for New Year's Eve... Eric wanted to get out of town, and he received and email from Eataly in Chicago (yes, that Italian market/grocery store we discovers) and they were doing a 4-course dinner and champagne toast celebration. It seemed a little odd to me, at first, but the price was right and we figure 'why not?' and gave it a try.

We drove up kind of late yesterday afternoon, and got to the hotel with about an hour or so to relax and freshen-up for the big night. The dinner didn't start until after 9pm (after the store closed, basically). It was just a block from our hotel, so despite the frigid temps, it was an easy walk, even all dressed up. We weren't quite sure what to expect, and I'm thinkng this was the first year they did this. Not to say it wasn't organized... but you could tell they were still trying to figure some things out.

The dinner was absolutely awesome! We enjoys every bite we could, and they timed things great so that everyone wrapped up dinner around 11:30pm or so. Which gave people enough time to shuffle over to where the champagne and desserts were set up for the big countdown. They even had horns and hats for everyone to don, if desired. The only thing missing... the actual countdown! about 5 minutes before, they announced to make sure to have your champagne if you wanted it, but then there was no actual countdown. On of the guests was watching their phone and counted down the last 5 seconds or so, and that was it! It was kind of funny, but also disappointing. Like I said, I think they were still figuring things out, a bit.

But here we are in the new year. 2016, already! Here's hoping for a great year ahead!