5
 
 
 
5:10 PM, Sunday, March 25th, 2018:
 
How do you write an entry like this? In 3 clicks on this site you can jump back to August 2012 when Jimmy arrived. 562 entries ago. A pretty quick 5 1/2 years actually. In fact, I'm just about to write my speech so let's just get that out of the way...
 
  
Very surreal moment for me. I wasn't exagerrating that when he came out I felt an almost fatherly connection to him and his journey. I knew "The Journey" influenced him. He watched my 2010 doc and would quote things back to me. He was ready to jump after his father passed unexpectedly and he lived with us for several months. Right as Vienna was born, right as GolfKon was born, right as my entire life changed forever. He soon started working for Disney and the rest is history. He met his Princess, moved on from the company and now runs a MASSIVE LA Fitness in a very affluent part of town nearly two hours from here. It feels like the culmination of a story to a degree. 2 hours might as well be a 5 hour flight when you have a 4 and 5 year old. We're not going to see each other very often. It made that toast feel like a send-off of sorts. It'll always be bittersweet.
 
...that being said, the foundation has been set. There are now 2 Kontras familes rooted in California and simple math tells you there will most likely be more. Jimmy and I will end up being the patirarchs of an entire clan in 30 years and I can imagine a 50th Anniversary of the Kontras Family Reunion in 2050 much like the one our father's put together in 2000. Suddenly that number feels very, very far away.
 
Also a bit strange is that this entry isn't some wildly edited documentary of our time there, but just a short clip. Other people were filming and of course, for a project like "The Journey", you can't wait. It's about capturing the moment and, well, I couldn't record me officiating the wedding. ;-) But part of me likes that. This was their moment and I did everything I could to push that light to them. Contrary to popular belief, I'm far more comfortable in the background and it's only the logical side of my brain that pushes me forward when the moment calls. It was a beautiful two days...
 
...and also wildly stressful as I did indeed drop my car off at the Microsoft Theater on Thursday, caught a train to San Diego and wasn't able to pick it back up until Saturday morning while a crew pushed the car on and off-stage. I've never done that before and honestly cannot believe I did it this time, but 2 day-rates plus a video shoot brought in $5,000. Yeah. Worth the risk. Picked it up yesterday and everything was fine. Drove home and tomorrow is the big Ready Player One red carpet. How is this all happening at once!?!?! Just hanging on.
 
But congrats Jimmy and Kaylyn! Welcome to your new adventure!
 
Adam