Last days

It's finally here. The day of reckoning. My feet hit the trail in less than 24 hours. The gear is packed. The food is stowed. I've spent my last night in my own bed (well on my couch). No more binge-watching TV. No more running to the fridge for a snack. No more PS4. No more comic books, no more cruising in the warm weather, windows down. It all changes.

I'm on my way to Harper's Ferry, where my journey begins. I'm meeting Jeff there, and we set out north. I'm excited to start my journey, and surprised that it's already here. I think that I'm going to point my life in a new direction with this experience. I'm so happy that I'm using it to not only find myself but to raise money for Extra Life. Extra Life has been such a rewarding experience for me, letting me give something back. I feel like it has filled a void in my life that was bigger than I ever realized.

When I set out, true to my geek nature, I'll be carrying a replica of the One Ring from Lord of the Rings. Frodo's journey to Mt. Doom carrying the ring has always been one of my favorite stories, and I can't imagine a better way to honor the feelings that I got from the series, than to recreate it (well, without all the Ring Wraiths and orcs and such). So I'm attaching the Ring to my backpack. Maybe I'll stash it at the end, and hope some other hiker finds it and takes it on another epic journey.

My next post will be from the trail -

Remember, it's about the journey.

What a whirlwind

Life has been a blur since my return from Extra Life United. I've already shared my experiences and how incredible it was. Since Rob and I have been back, there's been a ton going on for us. You should realize how big a part of my life is gaming. I listen to a lot of gaming podcasts, and I love to talk about gaming. Rob feels much the same as I do, and we've been kicking the idea around of starting our own podcast or streaming channel.

With the friends we made at ELU, especially the amazing Stephanie Straw, we have the chance to do that. We were on a Twitch show called Nerd Nighters last night, talking about Extra Life and gaming in general, and it was awesome. It made us both want more. Tonight, I've been invited on another podcast about role-playing games called NPC Cast. Tomorrow morning, we're recording interviews for two local radio stations here in Portland. The week has been a blur of opportunities that I can't even believe.

So we're going to take the ball and run with it. We're crafting a plan to start broadcasting soon. I'm not sure how this will impact my trip, but I feel like it's an opportunity that I can't pass up.

Our event is rapidly approaching, and that is going incredibly well. We have such a huge prize pool this year for the raffle and we're going to have some special guests this year.

There are other things going- things in my personal life that are changing, in a very positive way. But more on that some other day. Suffice to say, I'm happier than I have been in a long time.

Remember - It's about the journey.

Extra Life United

Just a quick post about my time here at Extra Life United...

I am blown away. I knew this event would be an incredible experience. Being around my fellow Extra Lifers is energizing and incredible but I can't begin to tell how much more powerful it has been than my already high expectations. I have met so many great people here- fellow gamers, CMN champions and their families and the staff that makes Extra Life possible. Every single person here has made Extra Life and the Children's Miracle Network a big part of their lives. Every moment I spend with them, makes all the hard work worth it. 

The tournament has been kind to me so far. I managed to make the finals in all three tournaments yesterday. I placed 4th in Blokus, 3rd in Love Letter and a 1st place win at Liar's Dice. That's over $2,500 of prize money for The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital and I'm pretty sure that I locked a place in the finals. 

Being up on the stage for all 3 finals was surreal. Twitch streamed the whole day, so if you go to twitch.tv/extralife4kids you can watch. I was literally shaking before each game, I was so nervous. That's a lot of pressure, I really wanted to win some money for BBCH. I can't imagine how I'll feel before the finals!

Off to prep for the day. Excited and terrified, but overwhelmingly happy. 

Remember...it's about the journey.