Day 2 - I guess I missed this?!?

(Subtitled - Josh's Manifesto)

Sorry sweetie - I think I missed a day.

I really thought of you when I saw this...wait, I forgot. First, go into my bottom drawer of my dresser and pull out the piece of paper you find there. It was supposed to be wrapped and have a nice frame but I ran out of time. I will still owe you that stuff or else I'll buy the print when it is available online from the place I found it.

So here goes:
1) I want you to climb all of those mountains and run and hike all of those trails in the world that you yearn to see. I want to be by your side 99.9% of the time. The other 0.1% is important for you to do with other friends so you can miss me for just a little bit and maybe take it all in even more because you will think in your head that you need to do a good job of describing it to me. I say "other friends" because you are my best friend and I am glad I can finally say that about my partner. Not just because I'm supposed to, but because it's true.
2) I want to bicycle across some part of the country with you. Maybe the whole thing, maybe not. We'll see what happens. Life is truly better when you are making it happen from the seat of a bicycle.
3) I want to sing you songs and play you silly tunes and know that it doesn't matter what I sound like, it just matters that I do it. I'll get there.
4) I want to make things with my hands. Maybe artsy things, maybe nerdy computer things, maybe build a bicycle from the drawing on the piece of paper all the way to painting the frame, maybe bento lunches, maybe drawings, maybe a yurt, maybe a one room square house. Things. Things that I make. I want to quit thinking about it and start doing it.
5) I want to run and run and run and run some more. 100miles. 24hrs. 18 min 5ks. Trails in CA in the winter. Not at any time in my life do I feel more like I am good at something and confident with myself than when I am running. I can picture your legs as they run in front of me. God, I've stared at those calves 1 millions times. Ummmmm.
6) I want to backpack a long long trail. I want to be out there so long that I forget all other things and only think about walking and seeing things and setting up camp. I want to smell and have a 13 year old's trail beard.
7) I want you to do something for work that you like. I'm a nerd and like my dorky engineering job so it's probably better that I stick with that kind of thing.
8) I want to get better at documenting things I do and telling my family about it. I want them to know that I think about them often and miss them daily.
9) I want to do more things with your family.
10) I want to do more things with our friends...we are getting better at that.
11) For numbers 9 and 10, I want people to see how in love with each other we are. I want to be cutesy.
12) I want to still like techno music and have you ok with that.
13) I want to go to music festivals and dance and tell people how fun that is.
14) I want to really do something with Guy and Jenny. I think they are good people and I don't want us to just always say we should hang out.
15) I want to go on a trip with Brad and make him tell me what it's like to be a dad.
16) I want to do well at work and drive to be the best worker that I can. Not because I want the money...which I do...but because I am a smart person and I shouldn't be lazy. I'm not bare minimum. I think I was bare minimum in college and I am better than that.
17) I want to make an app on my iphone. I don't care what it does. Just something that I did.
18) I want to be able to give you my full attention whenever I see you. There is truly nothing more important than what we have. I don't want to just blindly go along and not be totally immersed in what you are telling me.
19) I want to rub your sore butt in your work pants while you stand at the sink.
20) I want to live in Claudia's house again...wait, I made that one up just to see if you were paying attention. I really don't want to do that.
21) I want us to play games...often.
22) Drinking beer is ok...for some reason, some times, I feel guilty about drinking.
23) I want to volunteer for more things and make myself a better leader.
24) I want to practice my outdoor survival skills.
25) I want you to know, EVERY DAY, how important you are to me.