Hollywood Sign Hike and Lunch

Those of you close to me know that I spend countless hours inside a dispatch center every week. My coworkers and I like to refer to it as the "cave." Many days we keep the blinds closed and the lights dim. When I walk outside it takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the brightness. I love being outdoors, so on my days off my family and I are always on the go exploring new places. Our adventures range from simple hikes locally, to exciting vacations. A good friend of mine said I should start blogging about them. I thought it was a great idea. There are so many undiscovered adventures. Maybe we can learn from one another and get some great ideas for family outings.


The first trip I will share is our recent hike to The Hollywood Sign. This was a very easy hike. We completed it with our kids ages 4 and 7. They needed to take a few breaks but made it to the top no problem. The trail is about 1 1/4 miles each way. On the way up the trail you will be on the north side of the Hollywood Hills. The view of the San Fernando Valley is incredible. On a clear day you can see from Glendale to the West Valley. As you crest the summit you will make a sharp left turn on the trail. Now you will be on the south side of the Hollywood Hills. As you approach the end of the trail head you will be directly behind the Hollywood Sign. Unfortunately the sign is fenced off and is difficult to see from this vantage point, however the views of the Los Angeles basin are spectacular.


Directions to Hollywood Sign trail head. From 101 freeway exit Gower and go north. Make first right on to Franklin then first left onto Beachwood Drive. Continue north approximately 2 miles to the end of Beachwood. Please use caution as Beachwood Dr. becomes very narrow. There is a small dirt parking lot that fills up quickly at the very northern end of Beachwood. If it is full there is parking on the surrounding streets. Once parked walk north to the end of Beachwood Dr. and look for the "Hollyridge" trail sign and begin your hike.



After our hike we were hungry, so we headed a few miles east to the original King Taco at 1118 Cypress Ave Los Angeles. I recommend the steak quesadilla with a horchata. King Taco has several restaurants in the Los Angeles area.

This was a great way to get some exercise and see some awesome views. If you give it a try I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.


If you have any questions please let me know.

Mark Sackenreuter
Marksacker@gmail.com

Set Goals and Follow your Dreams

As a child I can remember watching the Iron Man Triathlon on NBC every year. I remember it was on after my cartoons on Saturday mornings. I would sit down in front of our television to watch these amazing athletes compete. The race starts with an open ocean 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, and finally a 26.2 mile run. I am pretty sure I was sitting their with a couple regular cokes, cookies, and other sugary snacks. I always admired these athletes and hoped one day I would have the strength that they had.

I knew I would never be an "Iron Man." Growing up as a child I had asthma. I was also overweight and basically told not to do any strenuous activity. Every time I tried to do cardiovascular activity I would have difficulty breathing. I can still remember some of my attacks. It was such a struggle to breath that it hurt. I was breathing but my body was not receiving oxygen. Thanks dad for rushing me to the ER all those times. I know you spent hundreds of hours in the ER at all hours of the day and night. I know it was hard because you worked so many hours. I was admitted to the hospital several times because of my asthma. What a scary feeling to wake up in the hospital with doctors and nurses surrounding me. One time I was so fed up with them poking me with IV needles, that I refused to get a new IV. The doctor tried to calm me down but it did not work. As the nurse tried to start the IV, I punched and kicked until they gave up.

Today I have grown out of my asthma. I no longer get those scary attacks. I try to stay active and eat healthy but it is a struggle. I have never been at my ideal weight. I stay active by jogging, lifting weights, and riding my road bike. I dream of getting 8 hours sleep every night but think that is impossible.

Three years ago I learned about the Ventura Triathlon. I found the web site and learned that a race was quickly approaching. I knew I was not physically ready to attempt this race, but decided to go to the race to check it out. I was amazed at how much fun everybody was having. There were men and woman, young and old, and athletes and non-athletes competing in the race. When I saw how exciting this race was, I knew I had to run it someday. The race was on to get into shape and run the race.

My wife and I bought a treadmill and a road bike. I tried to get into a consistent routine, but struggled. My wife kicked it into high gear. She woke up every morning at 4:30 a.m. and ran mile after mile. She quickly lost 30 pounds. In October 2010 she entered the Rock N Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon 13.1 miles. She finished that race no problem. She wanted a bigger challenge so she ran the San Diego Marathon. She ran that race with no problem. Our son Mark even ran the one mile race prior to the marathon. They both showed no fear and proved that they can do whatever they put their mind to.

Finally my race day came. I did not feel ready for a triathlon but told myself I needed to attempt the race. My only goal was to complete the entire race. This was not an iron man race. It was a sprint triathlon. It was a half mile swim, 13 mile bike ride, and 5K run. It is a fraction of the iron man but a challenge for my fitness level. I did not care about my time I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. My family was at the race to root me on. My sister and brother-in-law were also racing as a team. I had plenty of support.

As I made my way down to the beach prior to the race, I felt confident rather than nervous. I knew this race would be a struggle, but the thought of not completing it was not an option. The race started and I made my way into the ocean. As I predicted the swim was difficult. My competition quickly swam away as I tried to keep afloat. I could not keep up with my group but I never stopped swimming. As I approached the swim exit I was out of breath and tired. Then I saw my wife and kids cheering me on from the beach. What an exhilarating feeling! I put my head back in the water and finished strong. I exited the water then went over and kissed each of them as I ran to the transition area.

Next came the 13 mile bike ride. I quickly stripped off my wet suit and grabbed my bike. Now that I was out of the ocean I knew I would complete this race. I began my ride through Oxnard. During my ride I felt a sense of peace and had plenty of time to reflect. I realized just how lucky I am. I have a beautiful, supportive, loving family, that would do anything for me. Their love and support can get me through anything. They are happy and healthy and always their when I need them. What more can a man ask for?

Finally I began my run. At this point my legs felt like jello. All I needed to do now was run 3.1 miles. Even though I was tired and wanted to stop I keep running. I told my mind,"just keep jogging and do not stop." As the race went on I actually felt stronger. After two plus hours of strenuous exercise the finish line was in sight. I finished strong to the cheers of my supportive family. I did not finish with a fast time, but I finished. They were at the finish line to hug and greet me. At last I accomplished something I have dreamt about doing for 39 years, and it felt great. I plan to run several races a year from now on. For years my mind told me I could not run a triathlon. Why is human nature always so negative? Next time you are feeling skeptical about a goal, do not be negative about it. Remain positive and find ways to be successful. Set goals and strive to achieve them. Stop making excuses or telling yourself "I Can't, instead tell yourself I Can!"

Think about what is important..

A friend of mine posted this on his facebook page last night.

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Pray for the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. God never said life would be fair or easy, He just promised it would be worth it....this pretty much sums it up! ENOUGH SAID.

Oftentimes we get caught up in all the days events and feel overwhelmed. There is no doubt that the days can be stressful. Matty and I are working a ton of overtime and it seems like we are on the go 24/7. The bills need to be paid and the checkbook balanced. We spend time with the kids and run errands. There is not much time for ourselves, or to spend with one another. Matty always reminds me that there is always time and we need to make some for ourselves. She also reminds me that there is a reason for everything. She reminds me that our family is healthy and happy. I am greatful for such a beautiful, happy family.

Sometimes I wonder why things happen the way they do? Why does God take away special people and cause such tragedy? I wish I had the answer. When I think about this I remeber the pain of losing people that are close to me. I lost my grandmother when I was 15. That was very difficult for me. She was in her sixties when she died. I can look back and say she lived a good life and also had a beautiful family. About six years ago I lost a close friend by the name of Matt Moore. This was the first time I have ever lost a close personal friend. Unlike my Grandmother, Matt had not lived a full life.

I had only known Matt for about a year but I knew we would be life long friends. He was a hard worker and his smile brightened up every room he walked into. We were managers together at Albertsons at Tropicana/Boulder in Las Vegas. It was a difficult store and we had our challenges. Most days were an uphill battle. Matt and I were up for the challenge and did the best we could. Matt was married to Debbie. Matt and Debbie were very much in love and were ready to start a family. I pictured our families having BBQ's poolside all summer long.

I will never forget the day Matt passed away. When I walked into work I was informed that Debbie had called and said that Matt was ill and would not be at work. Later that morning I learened that Matt had been taken to the hospital. I hoped that it was nothing serious and knew Debbie would soon call to let me know what was happening. About 30 minutes later an Albertsons employee that was visiting a family member at the hospital, informed me that she saw Matt wheeled into the emergency room. She said that Matt was brought in by paramedics and appeared to be in full cardiac arrest. The paramedics were attempting to revive Matt by performing CPR. Shortly after recieving this information I learned that Matt had passed away. Matt was only his late 30's. He had so much more to experience and accomplish. It was a tragic loss.

I think about Matt often. I kept in touch with Debbie for some time after her loss. Unfortunatley I lost touch with Debbie when I moved back to California. I think about her often. She was devastated when she lost her love. I hope she has been able to move on and enjoy life to the fullest. Why did God take away such a great man? A man that so many loved. Was it for some reason? What possible explanation is there?

Could the loss of Matt be a reminder from God that we need to live life to its fullest? While we are on this journey we need to live each day like it is our last. We need to love the ones that treat us right. Whether we like what happens or not, everything does happen for a reason. Do not dwell on past failures. Look ahead to bright futures. Love your friends and your family. Life might not always seem fair, but it is WORTH every second.


MES

The Family

I am new to this blogging thing. I have a lot of stuff that I want to say, but oftentimes keep it inside. I am going to begin posting some of my thoughts. Hopefully this will help people in my life understand me a little better. What better place to start than with my family.

The first thing I need to say is that my family is awesome. I have a wonderful wife and three children. Matty, Melissa, Mark, and Monica you all mean the world to me. Matty you came into my life by accident. I never should have been workig at that store in Oxnard. I had so much going on in my life when I met you. It was such a long shot that we even met. It is miracle we ended up together. It has almost been ten years since we met. Where has the time gone? It has been an exciting decade. I love you with all my heart. We are the "Dream Team."

Melissa you came into my life when you were about 7 years old. I have had the pleasure of raising you since that time. There is no way to describe how awesome it is to watch a young girl grow up into a beautiful woman. Everyday you amaze me with your intelligence and dedication to your school activities. It is not easy to get up early and stay late after school everyday. You do it and never complain. You have near perfect attendance and great grades. Tomorrow is Feb 10, 2010 and you are going for your driving test. I wish you the best of luck. This begins another chapter in our journey. I love you.

Mark you are my little man. You are full of energy and always ready for an adventure. I am so proud of your accomplishments in Kindergarten. Today was your
102nd day of school. You are begining to read. You impress me everyday with all the skills you are learning at Cypress Elementary. The most impressive part about this school year is that you have not complained about school one time. Even when you are tired you get up, get dressed, and get to school without a complaint! I am looking forward to a long summer with you. I see lots of train and camping trips in our furure. I love you

Monica you are our little chatter box. Each day you are learning more words. I love it when I am working and I call the house. You can almost hold a conversation with me now. I love talking to you on the phone. I love it when you come to me and want my attention. You are so beautiful with your curly hair. You are an angel. You love to be outside playing. I see lots of camping and hiking in our furture. Mom and I wish we could figure out why you are so upset at night. It is fustrating not being able to get you comfortable. Whatever it is I hope we figure it out soon.

I love you so much Sack Family. When I am at work I think about all of you constantly. I dream about taking great vacations, and spending quality time with you. We have had our challenges, our ups and downs, our disagreements, but we have proven that nothing will ever bring us down. We are a strong family and we have one another. I always knew I wanted a family. I knew that a family would bring me joy and happiness. I just want you all to know that our family is perfect and we all have so much to be thankful for.

I love you all.