Those moments help make us who we are, and forge the character traits that shape the rest of our lives.

In August of 2016, the greater Baton Rouge area suffered on of the worst floods in the history of the nation. It was labeled a catastrophic 1,000 year flood. Nearly 30 inches of rain fell in a 36 hour time period. The sheer volume of water turbulently churning up the urban and rural landscapes around Louisiana’s capital city was astounding, and we found ourselves right in the middle of it.

With me stuck at work and my wife and kids retreating to higher grounds, it was 72 hours before the water receded enough to make it home and assess the damage. We had roughly two feet of muddy river water running through our house, on a piece of property that had never had standing water on it in the history of record keeping. And we were some of the lucky ones. Eighty percent of all residential and commercial structures in East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes had catastrophic flood damage. 

Fast forward eighteen months to the spring of 2018.

I remember being so burned out on working long hours at work, only to come home and spend more hours and precious energy trying to repair my home from the interminable flood damage. We didn’t have flood insurance and the cost to pay a contractor was enormous, and that was if you could even get a bid from one. We were stuck between a rock and a hard place, elbow grease and fortitude were the only tools we had to put our lives back together.  

I said to my wife one night, “When this remodel is done, lets get out of here. Sell the house, quit my job, pack the car with camping gear and lets just go!”

The direction this conversation and our marriage was going to go, depended on how she reacted in that moment. I half expected her to look at me as if I was crazy and shoot down my dream before it even formalized into a coherent plan. I was pretty relieved when she got the biggest smile on her face and simply said, “Lets do it!” I think that was the first time since the flood either of us had genuinely smiled. I am incredibly thankful that I married someone as adventurous and likeminded as I was. 

We sold the house right before school let out for the summer. I quit my six-figure job with a major oil producing company and we put whatever belongings we had left in a small storage unit. We packed the van full of camping gear and set off on what would be the biggest adventures of our lives (and that’s saying a lot from an Afghan vet).

We had a loose plan of the route we wanted to take, but had made no reservations and had no idea where we would end up when it was over. We were simply living in the moment and figured when it was over with, we’d pick a place and put down roots. Our travels took us to 17 national parks in 12 different states. 

Towards the end of summer we found ourselves in Glacier National Park, hiking the Grinnell glacier trail with a friend from college. We were completely blown away with the beauty and the wildlife. So much so, that when my friends asked us to house sit while on a family vacation, we happily agreed! By the time they returned, we had jobs lined up and were ready to start our new lives in the great state of Montana! 

Looking back, I’m grateful for the tough times in my life.

I am a firm believer that a test of mind over flesh always produces positive results in one’s character and outlook on life. Its one of the reasons I love adventure racing so much. A certain level of suffering can unlock in your mind the joys that make life worth living, and make you realize just how blessed we are. Once that realization hits you, your priorities have no choice but to change. When life gets tough, get determined! And remember, its all a part of the JOURNEY.