30 and counting
I like most have not been looking forward to turning 30. Sure, it is just another age and they say all the best stuff happens in your 30s. But it is hard to say goodbye to an entire decade worth of living. But now that it is here and is not going anywhere, I welcome you with open arms all years between 30-39. I look forward to them being the culmination of seeds planted in my twenties. But before I close the door on my 20's I thought it best to take an account of the important things that happened each year.
20: College at WSU, the Cougs went to the Rose Bowl. What a great year to be in a college town!
21: Graduated from college and moved to Bangkok, Thailand for an internship. Worked for an oil refinery and learned a new language completely out of necessity. It was the year that I learned that a person is capable, if willing, of accomplishing, Hard things.
22: First real job as a manager at a FedEx facility in Burlington, WA. Learned what hard physical work is all about!!! In the spring of this year I found a lump on my left testicle that was diagnosed as cancer. Had a successful surgery followed by 3 months of daily radiation on my abdomen. It was miserable to be all alone during this time. But I learned a valuable lesson that life is best lived, one day at a time! This experience slowed me down to this reality.
23: Bought my first house, it was from 1941 and was a true fixer. I worked really hard on updating this house back to its vintage. Sold the house for a significant profit that year, got promoted at work, baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and moved back to Portland, OR and bought a commercial building in Brush Prairie with my brother.
24: Met the woman of my dreams, I still can remember exactly what she was wearing on that moment that I saw her. Two weeks later we were dating and about a year later on December 2nd, 2006 we were married. This was the single best decision that I have ever made.
25: Traveling a lot for FedEx I decided to take a job traveling like crazy with a company called UTi. This year was a blur...But it was highlighted by finding out that we were pregnant, which to a survivor of testicular cancer is akin to an answered prayer.
26: Welcome Owen Nicholas Campos 7lbs 8 ounces, 100% adorable and I have never been more proud. I still to this day cannot explain why, at the very moment that he arrived I could not stop crying. And it seems impossible to me that the little 4 year old that runs around our house was once that little baby. Missing too much of my little families life, I decided to take a job in Medford, OR at one our corporate offices that involved far less travel. This was a stressfull period of time for me as the economy was really effecting our company in a bad way.
27: Lost my Job and started my own business. I remember feeling like such a loser, failure and bad father. We had savings but were living with my inlaws to conserve it, Erin was working full time. Follow it up with finding out two months later that I had another testicular tumor. We actually found out that I had it because I passed a pregnancy test, a testicular tumor sereats HCG which is the same hormone produced during pregnancy for fetal development. This was a miserable time for me health wise, but I worked every day regardless of how bad the Chemo made me feel. I went for 4 months with week long daily sessions of 8 hour days of Chemo. It absolutely was torture Chemo, because it hit hard and it hit every day. So many tough days, but my business grew every month this year and Erin surprised me with a post cancer trip to Hawaii, just the two of us. To me it was like a silver linning or rainbow after a tough year.
28: Out of the ashes we came. I banked sperm and Erin and I were able to use that to have Nolan Michael Campos, 8lbs 7 ounces on September 16th, 2010. This was a great year, I regained my health and was actually able to deliver Nolan which was a truly special experience.
29: Purchased and remodeled a 14 unit apartment complex with my Dad, Brother and Mom. Took our first family camping trip to Lake Simtustus, OR and made some steps forward in life.
Lots of great events in my 20's, some expected, some wanted, some good, some challenging but all were life altering. I am thankful for being able to live the life that I live. To love a wife unconditionally and to be able to trust her without reservation to the core of me. To have two boys that are all boy, they play, wrestle, get on their moms nerves and smile with their entire face.
You know to be honest I don't hink 20 year old Nick would recognize 30 year old Nick, but I feel like both would be proud of the decisions made, the hurdles jumped and the memories made. It has been a hard push at times, but I wouldn't trade my blessings recieved for anything.
"The best I have ever been, but not the best that I ever will be."
Smile, adversity is watching.
20: College at WSU, the Cougs went to the Rose Bowl. What a great year to be in a college town!
21: Graduated from college and moved to Bangkok, Thailand for an internship. Worked for an oil refinery and learned a new language completely out of necessity. It was the year that I learned that a person is capable, if willing, of accomplishing, Hard things.
22: First real job as a manager at a FedEx facility in Burlington, WA. Learned what hard physical work is all about!!! In the spring of this year I found a lump on my left testicle that was diagnosed as cancer. Had a successful surgery followed by 3 months of daily radiation on my abdomen. It was miserable to be all alone during this time. But I learned a valuable lesson that life is best lived, one day at a time! This experience slowed me down to this reality.
23: Bought my first house, it was from 1941 and was a true fixer. I worked really hard on updating this house back to its vintage. Sold the house for a significant profit that year, got promoted at work, baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and moved back to Portland, OR and bought a commercial building in Brush Prairie with my brother.
24: Met the woman of my dreams, I still can remember exactly what she was wearing on that moment that I saw her. Two weeks later we were dating and about a year later on December 2nd, 2006 we were married. This was the single best decision that I have ever made.
25: Traveling a lot for FedEx I decided to take a job traveling like crazy with a company called UTi. This year was a blur...But it was highlighted by finding out that we were pregnant, which to a survivor of testicular cancer is akin to an answered prayer.
26: Welcome Owen Nicholas Campos 7lbs 8 ounces, 100% adorable and I have never been more proud. I still to this day cannot explain why, at the very moment that he arrived I could not stop crying. And it seems impossible to me that the little 4 year old that runs around our house was once that little baby. Missing too much of my little families life, I decided to take a job in Medford, OR at one our corporate offices that involved far less travel. This was a stressfull period of time for me as the economy was really effecting our company in a bad way.
27: Lost my Job and started my own business. I remember feeling like such a loser, failure and bad father. We had savings but were living with my inlaws to conserve it, Erin was working full time. Follow it up with finding out two months later that I had another testicular tumor. We actually found out that I had it because I passed a pregnancy test, a testicular tumor sereats HCG which is the same hormone produced during pregnancy for fetal development. This was a miserable time for me health wise, but I worked every day regardless of how bad the Chemo made me feel. I went for 4 months with week long daily sessions of 8 hour days of Chemo. It absolutely was torture Chemo, because it hit hard and it hit every day. So many tough days, but my business grew every month this year and Erin surprised me with a post cancer trip to Hawaii, just the two of us. To me it was like a silver linning or rainbow after a tough year.
28: Out of the ashes we came. I banked sperm and Erin and I were able to use that to have Nolan Michael Campos, 8lbs 7 ounces on September 16th, 2010. This was a great year, I regained my health and was actually able to deliver Nolan which was a truly special experience.
29: Purchased and remodeled a 14 unit apartment complex with my Dad, Brother and Mom. Took our first family camping trip to Lake Simtustus, OR and made some steps forward in life.
Lots of great events in my 20's, some expected, some wanted, some good, some challenging but all were life altering. I am thankful for being able to live the life that I live. To love a wife unconditionally and to be able to trust her without reservation to the core of me. To have two boys that are all boy, they play, wrestle, get on their moms nerves and smile with their entire face.
You know to be honest I don't hink 20 year old Nick would recognize 30 year old Nick, but I feel like both would be proud of the decisions made, the hurdles jumped and the memories made. It has been a hard push at times, but I wouldn't trade my blessings recieved for anything.
"The best I have ever been, but not the best that I ever will be."
Smile, adversity is watching.
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