I traveled to Paris this past weekend to pick up our family Christmas Tree.  Yes, I know, it’s crazy to think that someone would go to Paris for a Tree!!!   Well, for those who don’t know, the Paris I went to is a bit closer than what you may think.  Paris, ID a beautiful area of Southeast Idaho is where the Cache National Forest is located and that is where I went in search of the ‘perfect’ Christmas Tree.

After driving up three canyons in my trusty Toyota FJ Cruiser, some canyons a little more snow packed and muddy than others, and hiking up and down mountainsides, I stumbled upon a tree that was laying on it’s side, already cut, the perfect size, the perfect shape, the perfect Christmas tree!  I thought to myself, ‘this has got to be someone’s tree that was cut earlier in the day and will be picked up by nightfall’.   So I continued on with my search hiking and looking, thinking about the tree I had found earlier in the day… ‘O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, How lovely are thy branches!’

I had not found ‘the perfect tree’ that looked just like the ‘one’ I had found early on in the day, so I thought to myself, it’s not tagged, it’s not marked, what if no one picks it up!?  It would be a waste of a perfectly good looking tree!    So, I told myself, ‘let me give it the weekend, I’ll find a ‘backup’ tree to the ‘perfect’ tree and before I leave back home and if the ‘perfect’ tree is no longer there, then it was as I predicted, the tree of someone else that cut it early on and left to be picked up at a later time in the day.  Yet, if the tree was still there, then it was destiny that the tree found me and I found the tree and meant to be our Christmas Tree!’

So, I continued my 4-wheeling in the mountains, helped a couple of people with trees they were cutting down, found my ‘back-up’ tree to cut down and take home; drove back to where I was staying; went to bed; and started thinking ‘O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, How lovely are thy branches!’

Just before leaving home, I drove back up to the canyon in Paris, ID, hiked in to the spot where the ‘perfect’ tree laid and lo and behold, it was still there!!!   I again checked to see if it had been tagged by someone else, and nothing!  So, I wrapped it up; loaded it up; and brought it home singing to myself, ‘O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, How lovely are thy branches!’

So, if you’re ever in search for the ‘perfect’ tree, or anything perfect for that matter, remember to UnPlug; travel to somewhere fun, like Paris; enjoy the mountains, and who knows, that ‘perfect’ tree or ‘perfect’ anything may just find YOU!

What a memorable weekend at Nellis Air Force Base where the United States Air Force celebrated their 70 years of ‘Breaking Barriers’.   What made it even more memorable was that I was able to celebrate my Dad’s 70th Birthday week at the same time!

This last weekend was Veterans Day weekend and it was an honor to sit side by side with my Dad who in the late 60’s enlisted into the Marines by choice in order to go out to the Vietnam War.   Being an immigrant, he was faced with many challenges at a young age and for him to choose to serve this amazing country of the United States has always been an inspiration to me growing up.   I too enlisted into the Armed Forces, US Air Force, at the age of 17 and served as a reservist working as an avionics systems specials of the F-16 fighter jet.

‘Breaking Barrier’s’ was the theme at this year’s expo.   A barrier that I am passionate about and continue working on breaking is to find ways to UnPlug from the world and PlugIn to life.   There is so much to experience, so many memories to make, so many challenges to overcome, so much to do and if we waste our lives on social media; computer games; television; and all other sorts of technology distractions, I feel we will ‘miss out’ on life’s true journey.

As Peter Gersten, Major General, Commander, US Air Force Warfare Center stated ‘American Airmen have been breaking barriers for 70 years in air, space and cyberspace, resulting in global vigilance, reach and power.’  When I read this today, I recollected of how in awe my dad and I were with all of the airshows performed, the precision of the planes flying high above the sky; the amazing stunts and acrobatic maneuvers; the awe inspiring men and women who dedicated countless hours to be masters in their craft.   We too can break barriers throughout our lives resulting in our own predetermined ‘global vigilance, reach and power’!

So, let us Aim High and be off to to our own Wild Blue Yonder, Flying High into the Sun!  Happy flying all and a big Thank You to the servicemen and women who have served; currently serve; and will serve our country with honor and dedication!