Tag: Chris Friesen

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Be The Best.

Wat-er u doing?

There is something about the sound of water.

Water is life.

Maybe that’s a part of it.

We were given an amazing gift card for a landscaping centre months and months ago from caring anonymous souls! (thank you!!!)

This week that gift came to life as the seed capital for a water feature and landscape project we’ve added to our home.

To hear the water flowing is amazing.

Tonight Max and I enjoyed a little conversation by the outdoor fireplace with the stream flowing in the background.  Loved it.  We always had great conversations around that fireplace.  In fact, the boys would bug me that ‘let’s go sit by the fire’, would be code for ‘let’s have a little father/son chat’.  We had a great many of those in the past and tonight was good too.

Now…we just need some real summer to go along with it!

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Be The Best.

Ice Cream Cake

Ice cream cake.  Chris loved it.

It was his one food indulgence, but only then it was reserved for birthdays.

I heard the term the other day and it stopped me in my tracks with the clicker frozen on the TV news.

Surrey parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kaulius, were helping out the RCMP on a road check campaign specifically targeting drinking and driving.

Their own daughter was killed in May of 2011 by a drunk driver (suspected and in the courts).

That is a sad enough story and one that should cause us all pause in this summer season.

The fact that these parents were out there trying to raise awareness just months into their journey was amazing enough.

I felt the pain however when the Dad mentioned that they still had their daughter Kassandra’s ice cream birthday cake in the freezer, these months later.  His voice broke as he told how they just couldn’t part with it yet.  They had planned to celebrate but instead had a funeral.

It is something that you must know to know if that makes any sense.

I felt the pain instantly for this family as they are just at the beginning of the journey.  I salute all they are doing in memory of their daughter and the impact of her legacy.

As I reflect on our journey it is now been almost 16 months.

This past June has been one of the toughest so far.

The knowledge of a high-school graduation that didn’t happen.

The knowledge of a college education and lacrosse scholarships that we were not able to see finalized.

All of that was extremely painful.

However…I love the article written in the Langley times about Kassandra Kaulius and her family.  Turning Grief into Action.  THAT is what it’s all about.  Action for your loved one of course.  But I believe, action for yourself as well.  Where are you going to go?  What are you going to do?  How are you going to keep on living a life that will positively affect others?

Giving is a part of Grieving.  Remember that one?

There have been many days where I’ve add to sip some of my own medicine from blogs of the past year and more.

That’s a good tonic.

Have a great week!

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Be The Best.

Father’s Day – the lighter side

Watch as I totally dominate Max in both cycling and then basketball.

(and if you believe that…)

Finally pieced a few bits of vid together from a great afternoon with the kid.

Of course we reminisced and laughed about the times Chris would join us on the bball court at home.  Chris played basketball like he was playing lacrosse, complete with full-on body checks and intense (if not mostly illegal) defence.

After that I showed Max a thing or two about shooting and took him to the hoop a few more times before we biked home.  (cough)

Although not on the vid, I had the chance to play ping pong with my Dad just a few days after Father’s Day itself.

We had a great time.  I’m trying to remember the score, but I just can’t right now….

(When you’re 80 year old Dad beats you in ping pong after recovering from a 2 month hospital stay and 4 surgeries…you’d try to forget the score too…!)

Hey, this sports blog post ain’t going too well for me today.

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Be The Best.

Power of Focus

I have a book in my collection that I’ve lent out and replaced probably 5 times and referred to hundreds of people since I first read it years back.

The core message is that with some concentration on the small things, the big things will take shape.  In other words, small habits make a big difference in long term performance.

From the Amazon book review: At the outset, the book identifies the three most important fundamentals for consistent success: developing unusual clarity; understanding that habits determine your future; and using a “no exceptions policy” approach to focus on what you want.

That book rests beside one of Chris’ provincial lacrosse medals.

The kid was relentless in his positive habits in pursuit of his goal.  Eating right. Push-ups. Cardio. Shooting practice.

It was all part of Being the Best.

I asked him once why at the age of 14 he stopped eating all junk food.  He said that he simply thought about the consequences of eating the food and decided that the payback wasn’t worth it.

That developed into long term positive eating habits that shaped his physique and mental attitude going into competition.

Power of Focus.  If you haven’t read it, put it on your summer reading list!

Have a great week.

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Be The Best.

Father’s Day – y2

Can’t believe it was a year ago today that Max took me to the newly opened Empire Field for a BC Lions preseason game.  What a great day.  Here’s a link to that post.

I talked with my Dad this evening and it’s great to hear his voice strong and stronger.  He wrote a famous list called 70 things to do now that I’m 70.  He’s doing so well I’m expecting an 80 things to do now that I’m 80 very soon.

He inspired a certain Max to write a 20 things to do now that I’m 20 just weeks ago.

Very cool.

Today I had a long talk with one of my sons.  We talked about life now and life in the future.  We shared some laughs about the past…silly stories and stuff that makes our family what it is.  As always we shared how much we care for each other…things that don’t change…NO MATTER WHAT.

I did the same with Max and we were able to share a great bike ride and play some basketball too.

Pretty cool all around.

Rock your week.

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Be The Best.

The bar is set high!

The first Christian Friesen Memorial award went to an outstanding young man, Luke Genereux, just a few months ago in January.  You can see that post here.

Luke has now made the President’s Honour Roll at Simon Fraser University which is an outstanding achievement.

He’s set that bar pretty high!  A huge congratuations are in order for this amazing accomplishment.  You can read the details from the SFU press release below.

SFU Senior Captain Luke Genereux named to President’s Honour Roll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

By William Howard,

 

SFU Lacrosse Media Relations

 

Simon Fraser University Men’s Lacrosse

BURNABY, BC (June 17, 2011) – Andrew Petter, President and Vice Chancellor of Simon

Fraser University has awarded men’s lacrosse graduating senior Luke Genereux (Port

Coquitlam, BC / Terry Fox Secondary) standing on the President’s Honour Roll. This award

is for students who have completed at least 30 units at SFU, and have achieved a term

GPA of 4.0 or above while taking at least 12 units of classes. The prestigious award for

outstanding academic achievement is permanently noted on a student’s transcript.

Genereux, who is expected to be named a MCLA Scholar Athlete later this summer, was

named an MCLA All-American for the second straight year in 2011 after receiving

honorable mention status last season. A senior captain for the Clan, he was also named a

PNCLL First Team All-Conference selection for the third and final time in his collegiate

career, after earning the same honor in both his freshman and junior year.

Genereux played four seasons for Simon Fraser from 2007-2011 at close defense and

LSM, helping to lead the Clan to a PNCLL Conference Championship and an appearance

in the MCLA National Championship Quarterfinals in 2009 and a run to the MCLA National

Championship Semi-Finals in 2010. SFU also finished as PNCLL Conference runners-up in

2007, 2010 and 2011.

Simon Fraser University is an academics first institution and Genereux’s award reflects a strong emphasis placed on

academics by SFU Co-Head Coaches Jeff Cathrea and Brent Hoskins. In seven seasons under Cathrea and Hoskins’

leadership, their players have excelled in the classroom producing the programs first eleven (11) MCLA Scholar Athletes

(Academic All-Americans) and maintaining the programs best academic record.

ABOUT SIMON FRASER MEN’S LACROSSE

Simon Fraser University men’s lacrosse will compete in its seventeenth season in 2012 and competes in the Men’s

Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA). The Clan have captured a record eight PNCLL Conference Titles (1997, 1998,

1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008 and 2009) and rank sixth all-time with ten MCLA National Championship tournament

appearances, placing 2nd in 1999 and playing in the 2010 MCLA Semi-Finals after reaching the Quarterfinals in 2008 and

2009. The Clan proudly wear equipment and apparel by Harrow Sports and Cascade helmets.

For further information on Simon Fraser men’s lacrosse please visit sfulacrosse.com or follow the Clan on Twitter at

twitter.com/fraserlacrosse.

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Be The Best.

Getting the exposure right.

We’re spending more time at Chris’ wall than we thought we might.

We know his spirit is with us every day and everywhere, but there is something about that place.

We love the trees.

Something about these silent, magnificent soldiers that don’t say much, but quietly breathe oxygen into the atmosphere as the wind brushes through.

They stand guard through sun, wind, snow and rain.

I finally brought my decent camera and have a few photos here.

If you ever go, we want you to think about Chris’ amazing life, his passion and commitment to Being the Best and as you reflect…think about how you’ll be the best too.

It’s a never-ending challenge in the best of ways!

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Be The Best.

The ABC’s of Family

Went for breakfast this morning at ABC.

Reasonable food, reasonable service…but I’ll save the eatery critique for my other blog…’Eating Your Way Through the Fraser Valley’, coming in 2014.  Wait for it.

The purpose for the breakfast was to see if my vision of Mom and Dad on Friday night was simply a dream sequence or actually real.

I took a camera along to be sure.

I remember just a couple of months back when Dad was so sick, thinking of our mountain biking experience last summer and simply making the schedule work to make that connection work.

Breakfast today was simply another opportunity to make the schedule work so we could connect, share some stories, have a few laughs and maybe a few sad stories too.

All part of being a family.

I guess the moral of the story is that any time and any experience can be a good one and continue to renew and deepen the bond.  Even a simple breakfast.

Here’s the pictorial evidence.

A respectful pose with Randy, Dad, Mom and sister Val.

The funny thing about this pic is that it looks like Mom is giving Dad the 'rabbit ears'...or maybe she actually is!

Max, Dad and Mom.

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Christian Friesen

June 2011

June 2011 was one of those points in time that I knew was coming.

I didn’t really want it to get here.

But like a train whistle on a quiet night heard from miles away, I knew the train called time was on the track and couldn’t be stopped.

What’s the big deal with June?

It’s another major milestone.

Chris would have graduated from High School this month.  That’s a big deal because it meant the next steps of the bigger plan which included lacrosse, university and of course the doorway to the rest of his life.

We drove by a grad ceremony last week quite by accident.  It wasn’t from his high school…in fact it was in another city.  It did not take long for emotions to be on high alert.

This is just part of the journey and journey we will.

Bri (centre) with friends.

Now, there is a very great side of June that we welcome with huge and open hearts.

Chris’ friends will graduate soon and there will be more on that topic in another post, but Chris had a very close cousin named Brianna who graduated last night.  We were able to meet up with her and get some pictures and talk with her before the big ceremony.  To say we are proud is a complete understatement.

This is a young woman who is beautiful both inside and out.  She is as smart as a whip taking home multiple awards and trophies last night.  As Bri enters her next chapter of life, we would say these profound words….YOU GO GIRL!!

Dream your dreams.  Write down your visions.  Turn them into measurable goals and get to work in making it all come true.

Now as an addendum to this, as we were waiting to connect with Bri, a young couple came walking across the parking lot.  It was sort of like a dream sequence.  This young couple was my Mom and Dad.  The last time I saw them together, I was wheeling Dad in a hospital chair from one floor to another (yes, via elevator!) to see Mom who was also in the hospital.  To see them walking towards us looking as svelte as ever was nothing short of a miracle I would say.  I’ve taken a few pictures so you can judge for yourself.

Have a great and SAFE weekend!

(you can click on images for a larger picture)

Even more pics on Picasa.

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Be The Best.

Have you seen this kid?

I saw this article in the local paper today and my heart skipped a beat or two.  His name is Scott.  Scott Di Vincenzo to be exact.  I don’t know him.  I don’t know his family….but my heart still skipped a few beats.

Here’s the story:

May 12th

A Surrey family is desperate to find their missing 13-year-old son, who was last seen in Nanaimo.

It has been four days since Scott Di Vincenzo was reported missing in Surrey on Saturday.

His parents, who describe their son as friendly and caring but fearless and not street-smart, say they plan to stay in Nanaimo as long as it takes to find him.

“I don’t think he realizes what kind of danger is out there,” said mother Solimar. “We need everyone’s help because we don’t know where to look for him anymore.”

Solimar and father Len say their son has run away in the past but for only a few hours at a time. Di Vincenzo was upset over being grounded and can rebel against authority, say his parents, who do not believe any other factors are behind his disappearance.

Police located the boy as he got off the ferry at Departure Bay with a friend but as he was being returned to Surrey by friends, Di Vincenzo ran off when they stopped at the Wallace Street Tim Hortons, where he was last seen Sunday.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Surrey+family+searches+desperately+missing+Nanaimo/4771138/story.html#ixzz1MOGeEs00
As I was researching a little  more tonight, I read the updated news that Scott had been found and reunited by an amazing youth worker on the Island.  What a Be The Best moment.

Sometimes life makes you want to run away as Scott did.  It’s great to hear he’s reconnected.

Scott, I’m guessing you’re probably not a blog reader, but if you ever see this, remember that no mountain is ever too big to climb, tunnel under or just rent a helicopter and fly over.

May 13

NANAIMO — A chance meeting between a young boy and a Nanaimo youth worker led to a plan that eventually reunited a missing 13-year-old boy with his family.

Scott Di Vincenzo is home in Surrey after being returned to his parents late Wednesday night, four days after he was last seen at a Nanaimo coffee shop.

It was by coincidence, minutes after noticing downtown one of more than 500 flyers on Tuesday, that John Barsby Community School youth worker Ray McDonald ran into a young boy he recognized and told him to call him if he spotted the Surrey ninth grader.

Dozens of phone calls between that boy and another believed to be harbouring the teen, and McDonald (called “a hero” by the Di Vincenzo family), led to the setup that reunited the family.

Di Vincenzo thought he was only getting something to eat when the boys met McDonald on the corner of Rosehill Street and Terminal Avenue around 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Less than 100 metres away sat his parents, Solimar and Len, at a restaurant. The boys were driven to get fast food, with Di Vincenzo having no idea he was about to be dropped off with his parents. Late Tuesday night, Di Vincenzo had taunted McDonald over the phone, saying: “You won’t ever catch me.”

But his defiance over the phone later dissolved into tears.

“I honestly think at the end, he was ready to go home,” said McDonald, who will stay in touch with Di Vincenzo. “I don’t think I’m a hero. All I know is I tried to find a missing kid.”