Angry

Just a little while ago I read a bible verse on a page that I follow on Facebook...

James 1:19-21: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

It made me think. It might surprise you to know that I am an angry person. Most of my friends ( both long time and newer ones ) havent seen the angry side of me. Unfortunately the three people who matter the most to me see it far too often. I dont know why that is. Obviously at times dealing with two kids under the age of 9 is very stressful. Pile that on top of the imbalance I have internally, work and money issues and I guess one could see why I get angry alot. Its not fair to Debbie or the kids. While I dont apologize as much as I should to Debbie I seem to be apologizing to the kids after the situation diffuses. I also make a point of it to remind them during better moments that I love them no matter what, even when Im angry with them. That nothing they do could ever change my love for them.

I know I need to work on some things. I know its time to get the next round of HRT too. Id like to work on putting what James talks about in the verse into my daily life. I think It would help out tremendously If I were to think much faster, hear much faster in some situations and not have so many knee-jerk reactions to situations. The only thing that comes out of those is me being a jerk.

Wish me luck and as always thanks for reading.

My How Time Flies

Wow, its December 1st already. Were has the year gone? I was just looking and its been two months since my last blog update. Hard to believe. While on that thought I was looking at the picture of the top of my blog. The footprints in the sand. I took that pic on New Years Eve last year as I stood on the beach at Mission Beach in San Diego. Wasnt sure if I was going to see the ocean this year until I went to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in November to meet up with my friends from Kickrunners to participate in the OBX Marathon and Half Marathon. We had a great time remembering and honoring our friend Joe "Voodoo" Truini who passed away earlier this year. I even took it a step further by dressing in a caveman suit and wearing a dreadlock wig during the half marathon. Joe often wore a caveman suit when running the Akron Marathon and other races close to his home there in Akron. Plus Joe had dreads so it just seemed fitting to honor him that way. After the race in OBX several of us went for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean that afternoon. Well seeing as how I am a life long desert dweller and it was November the water was quite cold. I dont think I ever got used to it, I think I was just numb LOL. I can now say Ive gone swiming in the Atlantic in the fall.

Thats about it for now. Didnt really have a huge entry planned, kinda just moved along.

Thanks for reading

Heres a pic of me in my caveman suit and dreads along the course in OBX

October is Here

Im not sure who sang it but Im going to take from a Christmas song....

Its the most wonderful time of the year!!! As a life long valley of the sun resident there were a few things that we looked foward to annualy. As a kid you couldnt wait for summer as you would be out of school and you would be swimming or playng in a sprinkler everyday. As an adult and having made it through my 38th summer, I look foward to the arrival of October. Its when we start getting a break from the 100+ temps and the night time temp starts dropping. Its great now when you walk out the door in the morning and its in the 60s instead of the high 90s. Given our locale and climate we dont get alot of the color change like other parts of the country but all we have to do is drive 2 hours to northern Arizona to see the colors of fall. Soon Halloween will be here and not too long after that the holiday season will arrive. I cant wait.

Did I mention that October is also the start of the NHL season? Woo Hoo Go Devils, Go Coyotes!!!

Just A Quickie

Wow its been over a month since I logged an entry, guess Facebook seems to have taken all my interent time.

I havent forgotten about my blog, just really havent had much to say. Hockey is going well, we are 4-2 with 4 more games in the regular season to go. Ive finally managed to score a goal. I got 2 assists and three penalties in our loss last night.

Kids are doing well in school. Tyler is really doing well, amazing that he is now able to read small word and sentences. Sarah is doing great. We checked on her grades online last week and she currently has straight As, woo hoo go Sarah!

I have a story that I have meaning to tell but everytime I sit down to blog it, something comes up and I cant seem to get it out. Maybe its not meant to be wrote, maybe im not supposed to tell everybody what im currently thinking. Guess time will tell.

Ill try not to go another month without logging in. Thanks for reading.

Go Giants!!! Go Coyotes!!!! Go Devils!!!!!

Staying True To Myself

Heres that story Ive been trying to write


Its funny how something someone says changes your mindset and how you might approach things. I was reading an email I got from somebody who doesnt care for me at all. I had tried to reach out to this person after a mutual friend of ours had died unexpectedly in July. I wont bore you with the details of said email. It was just something she said in it that stuck out. She had to be true to herself. Since that day that statement has been ringing in my head and reminding me that I havent been being true to myself.


What do I mean? Let me explain


I keep telling myself and my running friends yeah Im going to return to running. Yep its going to happen, yeah as soon as I get over this or that.


I havent run with any regularity in almost 2 years. Between injuries, recovering from said injuries and just life happening I havent run. Ive been thinking alot about that lately. I have some lingering physical issues that are going to be with me the rest of my life. My degenerating disc in my neck and my knees which are slowly but surely going away. Are these two issues caused by my running? Probably not. They are partialy due to just getting older, maybe not taking the utmost care or myself and just everday wear and tear of my job ( lots of walking, bending, squatting, up and down ladders etc )

I dont really miss running. I guess I just never really fell in love it. There have been times I think to myself that I started running for all the wrong reasons. Along those lines Ive probably tried to continue to run for the wrong reasons. I sometimes feel like that if I dont get back to running or make a comeback that the gang over at Kick wont accept me. I mean it is a running message board, whats the sense of being a part of it if I choose not to run anymore. I know they would accept me but it just comes to mind sometimes. Thats probalby why I havent been around the board much if at all. Im not running ( or doing much else latley physicaly ) so why bother checking in.

Bascialy in a nutshell Ive pretty much ruled out going back to running. There are plenty of other things I can do. Lots of things to get me outside that I like much better. Cycling, swimming, hiking are all things I like to do, arent as abusive to my knees and neck and something I look foward to. I can always walk half marathons, which is my favorite long distance event. There is no shame in it. I can still hit my 50 state goal of doing half marathons and enjoy the scenery a bit more. Sure as some of my friends have said thats a much longer time out on the course and they wouldt want to do it. Im good with it though. At least Id still be out there doing some thing.

So thats it. I dont know how itll sit with the 30s but thats were Im at in life right now. Im still the same Frankie you all have gotten to know, Im just not gonna be running at the get togethers ( if Im still welcome at them ) Save a beer for me, Ill get there eventualy =)

See Dawn, my story wasnt going to be too exciting and it would only really pertain to my running freinds

Getting Back To Something I Really Love

So yesterday afteroon I did something spontaneous. I went and signed up for a hockey league that actualy started that afternoon. I had been thinking about if for a while but as usual I procrastinated. I actualy had called the rink earlier in the day to see if they had any open slots but they didnt bother to return my call. So about 430 yesterday afternoon I threw my hockey bag in the trunk of the car and headed to the rink. Sure enough when i got their I was told there was an opening on a team andthat the game was at 650. So I brought my bag in to the rink and watched a couple of hockey game before heading to the locker room and getting suited up.

I was nervous as I didnt know any of the guys I was playing with. Plus add in the fact Im not in shape, havent played in about 5 years and then theirs that little issue with the disc in my neck not being right. I went out and warmed up and then it was time to drop the puck. I wasnt out their for the drop of the puck as I was one of the 3 subs. The game went pretty good for the first two periods. I played well ( its not like I forgot how to play ) wasnt out of position and had some good scoring opportunities. In the end we wound up tied but won the shootout after the game.

I was sore this morning but that was to be expected. My neck doesnt feel any different from other days when I do something strenous so I guess things are ok. Next game is at 745 this Sunday night.

Ah the memories...

Last night was Sky View's annual Back to School/First Skate night at Great Skate. Sarah loves roller skating so we go a couple of times a year to one of the roller rinks here. We made it a family affair as Debbie and Tyler were their too. Tyler decided he didnt want to get out on the rink so Debbie worked with him off the rink. Sarah, Amy, Courtney and I all headed out and joined the masses of grade school kids and parents out on the rink. Sarah found one of her best freinds so I was left to do my out on the floor. Whats funny about Great Skate is thats its been ther for over 25 years and it really hasnt changed much. The rows of multicolored lights on the ceiling, the disco balls and the big glowing bulbs too. Even the paint hasnt changed other than some fresh coats since I went there the first time back in '83. Sure they arent playing Another One Bites The Dust, Whip It and some of the classic 80s tunes but its pretty much still the same expericence. Gotta love it. The kids had a good time as did I. Looking foward to the next time we go skating.

Back to School/A New Beginning

Monday August 10th was the start of school for Sky View Elementary in Peoria, AZ. Sky View is the school which Sarah has been attending the last two years. She started 3 grade and is Mrs. Heintz's class. Many of the kids she has gone to school with the last two years are in her class yet again.

Tyler started kindergarten and is in Mrs. Welling's class. His first week went fairly uneventful until yesterday when he got into trouble for talking too much and not listening to directions in PE. I didnt realize there were that many directions in PE. The jury is still out on how Tyler actualy feels about going to "big boy school" Ive heard from him " it was boring", "I colored alot" and my favorite, " I hate homework!" Dude you have a minimum of 12 years left of school, get used to homework lol.

I think he will be fine. Sarah, as usual, seems to be enjoying school.

Personal Challenge

Over the summer we had a weight loss challenge over on Kickrunners. We had the option of going in money wise or just playing along with no cash incentive. I just played along . THings started off well and I had lost 6-8 lbs from the start of the contest in mid April till about the middle of May when my SIL passed away. After Loris passing I went into a tail spin of not eating right, drinking Coke again =( and not working out. Needless to say I gained the weight back I had lost and managed to tack on a few more pounds. The weight loss challenge eneded Monday and my buddy Lori was the big cash jackpot winnah. Everybody in the contest was a winner in my eyes as they all lost weight ( all except me ).

But was is this challenge you speak of? Here it is

I am traveling to the Outer Banks of North Carolina three months from today for a meetup with about 20 of the folks from Kick. We are doing the OBX Marathon and Half Marathon. When I last saw most of these folks I was at least anywhere from 5-8 lbs lighter than I am now. My challenge to myself is to lose 15 lbs between now and Thursday Nov 5 when I travel back there. I dont think 5 lbs a month is too far out of reach.

How am I going to do that you ask?

To start I need to start making bood food, drink and snack choices. Cut out the pop ( again ), more water, fruits and vegetables and limit the fast food.

Second I am signing up for a Boot Camp class at the Y which starts in a little over a week. I am nervous about that though. Not so much that I cant do it. After emailing Alexis yesterday she mentioned that in her boot camp classes she has some different types of jumping involved. I have found that my herniated disc gives me issues after jumping, we shall see.

Even though I am walkng the half marathon in OBX, I still need to train for it. So 4 days a week of walking will help with the weight loss as will some cross training.

I really hope by following this plan I will reach my goal of dropping the tonnage ( as my recently departed friend Joe used to say ) Only time will tell.

Thanks for reading!

Little Megan is 14

Wow it hardly seems possible that my niece Megan turned 14 yesterday. I have a total of 4 nieces, 3 by marriage ( Megan being one of them ) and one by blood. Two of my nieces are Lori's girls ( Britteny and Sami ), Megan is Heather and Jeff's daughter and Makayla is my bro's daughter I know you arent supposed to pick favorite family members but Megan is my favorite niece out of the 4. Im not sure what it is about her. She was the first infant I ever held ( more like I held my arms straight out and ddi move an inch while holding her ) I guess with her its that Ive spent more time around here then the others. Britteny, my oldest niece, was 7 when I started dating Debbie. Megan came along the year after I started dating Debbie. Sami was born in 98 and Makayla was born in 07. Another reason that comes to mind with Megan is that I have spent more time around Heather and Jeff then I have Lori. No matter, I just seem to have a special bond with Megan. Hard to believe too that she is starting high school a week from today. Were has the time gone.

Happy Birthday Megan!

LIfe Lessons Learned While In Peru

Wow, tis only taken me a little over a month to talk about our trip to Peru. Im not going to go into a huge writeup about it. I dont think I could accurately convey what all I felt and experienced while down there. I will say that it was an eye opening experience.

What things I do want to talk about are some of the differences I have seen. Peru is a pretty impovershed country. Although you couldnt always tell by the peoples attitudes. Granted they werent walking around whistling zippity doo dah, they genuinely seemed happy. The people were friendly and I found myself waving at them and greeting them while driving or walking about. Prior to going to Peru I didnt do much if any of that here. I now find myself saying hello to people more and more when Im out. Wether it be the cashier at the conveince or grocery store or someobdy passing through my office. I mean come on, are we that busy and so self centered we cant take a minute to say hello to somebody or even acknowledge someone, no.

Yesterday while we were at church, Pastor Joe gave us a challenge. We were given a case of bottled water and were asked to go to a park or something and hand the water out to people no strings attached. Debbie, the kids and I were going to a Diamondbacks game after church so we took our water with us and handed it out to folks as we were walking to Chase Field. The first guy I went to hand a bottle of water to, he instinctively asked me how much. I said its free, courtesy of Journey Church. He was shocked. Have we got to the point here in the states that we think that there is a catch wtih something when it is given to us? Must be. Its amazing the difference between Peru and here. Down there the people were grateful when we handed out fruit or water. Here people question your intentions. Kinda sad that the citizens of the greatest country in the world question anything and everything. Dont get me wrong, I love my country and dont plan on living elsewere, Im just amazed at the differences between a 3rd world country and ours.

Thanks for reading

Skydiving

Just a quick post to say a group of us from Journey are heading down to Eloy, AZ ( about 60 miles south of metro Phoenix for you non AZ residents ) to go tandem skydiving at Skydive Arizona. For me itll be my second tandem dive, for the rest of the group itll be there first. Im looking foward to it. Maybe while Im there Ill look into what it costs for skydiving lessons to earn my license =) I hope to have some pics of the day's events posted tomorrow or Sunday.

And with this post, thats number 165. Thanks for reading!

Debbie and I on the pier in Huanchaco, Peru

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Moving dirt at the jobsite in Trujillo, Peru

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Elizabeth ( Ailarie from Kick ) and I in the Atlanta Airport

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Some of the kids and I at the daycare center in Trujillo, Peru

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July Already?

Wow, the 4th of July came and went already. I didnt do much yesterday as I volunteered to work. We get paid double time and a half for some holidays throughout the year and the 4th was one of them. So I got paid a nice chunk of change to sit around and pretty much do nothing all day. Nothing different with today ( July 5th ) either. We get paid time and a half for Sundays and its been quiet thus far today.

I fell off the Coke/Pepsi wagon while in Peru. In one way it was rather easy. Everyday for lunch and dinner, they served us either bottles of Coke or Inca Cola to drink. I always had water with me but Coke just sounded so good after working hard at the jobsite every morning. So both Debbie and I folded liked a cheap tent and gave into the urge. She has since quit drinking Coke since we returned but I havent. I havent been drinking it in moderation either. Most days I have 2 32 oz Cokes. Its just one part of my piss poor eating and drinkng choices. Im not sure what happened but since about the middle of May, my eating and drinking habits have gone to shit and Ive gained back the weight that I had started losing in April =(. I feel like crap.

I read an article recently about when is the best day or time to start something new ( diets, exercise plans, new activities etc ) They say that a specific day of the week is better than a date with Monday being the best day of the week. Well seeing as how tomorrow is Monday, it looks like a good day to get back on the road of better eating habits, no Coke or Pepsi and starting to exercise again. I really need to get the ball rolling with exercising again. It can only help.

Ill try to be better about updating my blog. Just havent had a lot to say latley.

Thanks for reading!

We Are Home

Well actualy we got back to the valley yesterday afternoon around 1 pm ( after leaving Trujillo, Peru the previous day at 830 a.m. ) Yep over 30 hours of traveling to get back home. I plan on posting pics and talking about the trip in the next few days. We thought we wouldve had more time to journal on our blog we setup specificaly for the trip but that didnt happen. We were constantly on the go from the time we got up till nightfall. The little bit of free time we had in the evening we were just to exhausted to check in and blog.

I will say this, it was an eye opening experience for us and one we will never forget. We are already talking about taking part in another mission trip next year. It would be nice to go to another country on a trip but we would go back to Peru too.

Stay tuned for pics in the next few days

Im Pathetic....

Why would I choose to describe myself that way, let me tell you.

In the last few months Ive pretty much done nothing exercise wise. I could probably count on one hand how many times I have been to the Y since about March. No walks, no jaunts on the bike, no swimming, wieghts, nodda!. Oh sure there was the hockey clinic in March, a brief run/walk on the treadmill and a mat Pilates class last Thursday but nothing substantial since the beginning of March. Im not sure what it is. The bottom line is I make a lot of excuse as to why I dont get to the Y either at lunch or after work. Im too tired, Debbie needs me at home, itll bother my neck/back/whatever. Same with getting up earlier than normal during the week to try to exercise. I stayed up too late, hit the snooze one too many times, blah blah, blah.

Its gotten to the point that I dont even like checking in at Kick because I feel like a poser and a failure ( that an just a plain lazy ass who doesnt fit in )

I cant even blame it on the craziness of life around the time Lori passed away cuz I was a slug prior to that. I dont have a legitimate excuse.

I recently read an article in one of my few stops at Kick. It was written by Novia and it was about reassessing. Her quote toward the end really hit me hard.

“There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.”

I think it describes how I do things when it comes to working out, lifting, running etc. Apparently Im just interested in doing these things as I seem to only do them when its convenient to do so. Im not sure if Im afraid Im going to get hurt, reinjure something, I just dont know. I enjoy doing this stuff but something keeps holding me back. There are times especialy when it comes to running in particular that I wonder why I want to return to it. Is it because I really like running or do I just want to feel accepted by the gang on the board? Sure I havent been cleard by the chiro yet to return to running but when I do, whats going to stop me from doing it.

Im not sure how much time I will have to do it but I think while I am gone to Peru Im going to try to take a real hard look at myself and maybe do some of my own reassessing. Id like to turn over a new leaf when I get back, we shall see

The Time Is Drawing Near

Well, here it is, the week that we depart for our mission trip to Trujillo, Peru. Its hard to believe we are just 3 days away. Im excited, nervous, apprehensive all at the same time. I know Im in for a life changing experience and Im trying to go into it with an open mind and heart. I know that there will be challenges both physicaly and mentaly. Im not worried about the challenges though as I figured God led me to do this and he'll see me through everything. Just gotta be strong in my faith in him.

Im also looking foward to seeing Elizabeth again. Its been a little over 2 years sicne I saw her in person in Cinci at the Flying Pig Marathon. She is going to meet us Atlanta's airport as we have a layover of 3 hours there. While I can interact with her on Kick and Facebook on a daily basis, itll be nice to get to actualy "talk" to her again in person.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we embark on this journey.

Thanks for reading!

One Week and Counting and Thinking about Grandpa

Just one week from today at about this time Ill be almost toucing down in Atlanta on my way to Trujillo, Peru for our church mission trip. We are really looking foward to it. I know this weekend we will be really busy trying to tie up last minute details, starting to pack etc. I dont think the kids even know that we are going away and that our friend Kari is watching them. They will soon enough. I think Tyler will have the hardest time with us being gone. He's not quite as independent as Sarah and is like me in the sense that he's pretty sensitive and loves being around his mommy and daddy. We shall see how it goes.

Ive been thinking about my grandfather alot these last few weeks. Since Lori's passing it seems my grandfather has been in my thoughts more latley. Branden and I were talking about going to get tattoos together while he was here. He's going to get something to honro Lori and I am going to get something to honor grandpa. There are times were I want to ask grandpa more questions about his experiences during WWII. There just isnt anybody around anymore that can answer my questions like him. I never met anyone from his unit and am not sure if any of them are alive anymore. The reason that WWII comes to mind in regrads to him is I think I am goign to have his 8th Armored unit patch as part of my tattoo to honor him. Not quite sure what else I am going to do with it. Maybe his name, birth year and year of his death around in. I guess Ill figutre out something.

Wow two blog entries in 3 days, Im on a roll =)

It Must Be In The Air

Ive noticed these last couple of months many of my friends havent been updating their blogs. I havent asked them if its just they are that busy, have nothing to say, life got in the way or just a mixture of things. Im no different. At the beginning of the year I had set out to write x amount of blogs per month to beat my preious years total. Well here it is almost 6 months into the year and I havent entered even half the entries as I had by this time last year. I cant put my finger on it. Im sure some of it has to do with the amount of time I spend on Facebook these days ( I cant remember who I have to thank for turning me on to that addiction. I feel well mentaly and emotionaly for the most part so I cant blame it on that. Physicaly, meh I have my good days and bad. I need to get back to the chiro to finish up the ART work hae has been doing on me. FOr those who dont know, ART stands for Active Release Technique. Its a form of muscle, tendon and fascia release. Hopefully he can get me unwond enough to start running again. Just prior to Loris death the Dr told me I was two weeks away from being cleared to start runnign. Well I havent been back to see him in more than two weeks due to all that was going on at the time. I need to get back to him for a few visits before I leave for Peru next week.

Speaking of Peru, I hope to enter a few blog entries from Trujillo while I am down there to update those few of you who read this thing how things are going down there.

As always, thanks for reading!

The Hardest Part...

Well today was the day that we said our last goodbyes to my sister in law Lori. It was a very nice service done by our pastor from Journey Church Joe Darago. Several members of the family got up and spoke as did some of Loris friends. It was hard at times to hold back the tears. Joe had several good points and some questions for us to ask ourselves as we left the funeral and went about the rest of our day. One of the more interesting questions asked was if you were to die today, would those who you love and are important to you know exactly how you feel about them. I would have to say yes and no to that. I tell Debbie and the kids on a daily basis that I love them. The rest of my family, not so much. My friends? Do I tell them how much I appreciate them and how lucky I am to have them in my life? Every so often but not as much as I should. THats something in these next few weeks I want to try really hard to work on. Because you just never kow when God is going to call you home.

Give those special people in your life and extra hug and tell them what they mean to you!

Lori

We received completley unexpected news late yesterday, Debbie's sister Lori had passed away. At this point we dont know what her cause of death is. She had talked to both Debbie and their step mom on Sunday and had said she wasnt feeling well. Apparently she just went to bed on Sunday and never woke up again. Debbie oldest sister found Lori on Monday after going over to her apartment as noone had heard from her all day and began to worry. When Heather got their and couldnt get Lori to open the door or answer the phone, she called 911. The police got the door openend and thats when Heather found Lori. We wont know for a few days as to what the cause of death was.

We dont have any idea yet when the funeral will be. We have to wait for Loris body to be released to a funeral home and then we can go from their.

Not So Random Cam

Ive been getting quite a few compliments from family and friends about some of the pictures I have been taking over the last year or so. Maybe they are just being nice or maybe they are sincere. Ive always been the type with any thing I do ( especialy the few creative things I do ) that there is always somebody out there better than me. Im quick to shy away any praise I get. I have some friends who take some truly beautiful pictures ( Chris and Stephen from my board come to mind first ) Im not in their league. But I have been giving it some thought and I think I might seek out some kind of local photography contest or maybe an art show of some kind and maybe put a few of my pics in. Maybe not the ones I have here on this blog entry but something. I never really gave it much thought until I captured the image of the wet Hibiscus that I do have on this entry. I thought it was really cool and was actualy quite proud of myself .

Who knows maybe Ill just enter some stuff in the Arizona State Fair later this year. It wouldnt be the first time Ive entered something at the state fair. It high school I entered a drawing I did. While I wasnt as proud of the work as I am some of my photos, I thought ti was pretty good. Well I didnt even get an honorable mention ribbon from the judges. I was kinda crushed and vowed never to have my work judged again. Well I guess time had changed me and now Im thinking about it again.

90 Days

Thats how many days its been since I last had a Coke or Pepsi to drink. If you wouldve told me this time last year that I would have gone this long without my daily drink of choice I woulda said you were high. But here it is 90 days ( actualy 92 now ) since I last had one. I dont crave them anymore, dont really think about it anymore. It seems natural to me now to order an unsweetened ice tea with my food or when I go to a convienence store. Matter of fact I spied two Cokes in my 'fridge last week and didnt even remotely want one. I think I am cured. Now if I could just quit cramming candy bars in my mouth and eating Burger King ill be doing that much better =)

I am having a hard time though deciding if I want to fall off the wagon for one soda when we go to Peru in June on our church mission trip. Everybody thats been to Peru toalks about Inca Cola and how good it is. Part of me wants to try one, part of me says no. We shall se how ti goes.

Ten years already?!

I saw the headling on Yahoo today that it was 10 years ago today that the Columbine HS massacre took place. It was also ten years ago that I started my initial training for the job I am currently doing. It doesnt seem possible that ten years has passed by. At the time, I was hired as a contractor working for what used to be U.S. West. There was no garauntee that I would be hired permanately. I kept my job at Auto Zone but went to part time just in case the telephone company gig didnt pan out. Well luckily for me it did. In December of '99 I was hired permanately. Its amazing how many people that Ive worked with in these ten years. Many have retired, transferred to other offices ( as have I ) and sadly some have passed away. But thats life. Id be willing to bet these next years will probably pass by that much faster.

Facebook Part 2

Bear with me as Im going to ramble and wander here a bit

I cant help but reminisce as time goes on and I find more and more folks that I went to high school with on Facebook. I was by no means very popular in school. Sure I knew a lot of the popular people but its not like I hung out with them. I was part of kind of a hodge podge group of people. Depending on who you asked I was a nerd ( funny as I didnt get great grades ), a dork, a gearhead ( ill take that ) a good friend, a sweet guy etc. Alot of the people I hung out with fit alot of those descriptions too. When it came to fashion I was always a year or so behind. I was ( and still am ) a jeans and t-shirt type of guy.

WIth all that in mind, it blows me away some of the people that have either friended me out of the blue or actualy accepted my friend request on FB. Ive hesitated when it comes to asking some people and others I thought what the hell and pulled the trigger. I havent seen many of these people in more than 15 years. Ill be seeing alot of them next summer at our 20th class reunion. That ought to be interesting.

Some of this discussion brings to mind the fact that even though I wasnt popular in school I actualy had the nerve several times to be a complete asshole to some folks and blow off their attempts at friendship. Yeah me, the unpopular guy thinking I was too good for some people. Shit looking back I shouldve glady accepted these people as friends. They turned out all right and I wouldve been a better person if I had a few of them in my life. Maybe I can make amends with some of those people as time goes on. But it wouldnt surpirse me if some of them told me to pack sand. ALthough like I said some of the popular people have either freinded me out of the blue or accepted me so who knows. Time does things to people.

A long time friend of mine had posted some pics of me in group/party situations from days gone by. I had to be in my late teens or real early 20s in the pics. I had a whole lot more hair, a whole lot less weight and there was alcohol involved in most of the pics. My how somethings have changed and yet some things never do. Im still a dork, Im just older, heavier, have less hair but dont drink nearly as much.

Its kinda funny I guess. Who woulda thought that a website that 6-9 months ago I had never heard of would bring me into contact with folks I havent seen or heard from in more than 15 years. Pretty cool I say.

Kharma, its a good thing ;-)

Ive been a believer in some form or another of kharma. The old saying of what goes around, comes around, yep, firm believer.

Recently my ex-girlfriend Shayla posted on her Facebook page that as of a week ago today her diviorce was final.

She didnt make it public as to why she was getting divorced, she just made the statement. I knew from talking to her best friend several months ago that Shayla was getting divorced because her husband had been cheating on her. I kinda smiled when I heard the news.

Now dont get me wrong I dont wish bad luck on anybodies relationship and no matter how unhappy someone might be in a relationship, that doesnt justify cheating on their SO.

Her getting cheated on is just a classic example of kharma. You see, in the 4 years Shayla and I dated, she cheated on me...twice. Her best friend Jennifer tried to tell me that it was a high school and college relationship, that it was different. Shayla tried really hard in her marriage to make things work. BBzzzzttt wrong answer. Cheating on somebody in any kind of a relationship is wrong, period. Purposely breaking somebodies heart and completely killing their self esteem is wrong. Sure I recovered and eventualy started dating and marrying Debbie and we have now been together 15 years. But it still hurt getting cheated on and having my heart broken.

So I dont feel sorry for Shayla. I know what she's feeling but I dont feel sorry for her. Thats kharma! What goes around, comes around and unfortunatley for Shayla, it hit her right between the eyes.

Sorry for the cynical entry today. Was on my mind and I needed to get it out.

I Ran...If You Want To Call It That

I went to the Y Thursday and decided I was going to try Week 1 Day 1 of the C25k plan as a trial. It went really, really slow. I didnt want to push it and seeing as how I havent done any exercise in a month it made sense to take it slow.

My left knee and foot were bugging me prior to starting so I kept that in mind as I chugged along. Amazing enough nothign bothered me while I ran/walked according to the plan. I made sure after I got done to stretch out really well.

I have mixed emotions after the fact. I already think that if I stick with running, Im probably going to be limited to about 3 days a week. What running I did bothered my protruding disc the next day and my hip too. There are things I can do to strengthen/stretch my hip but there isnt anything to do about my neck perse. So if it bothers me after a mile and a half run the next day what will it be like after a 3, 6, 10 or 13.1 mile run? I guess Ill just have to space out my running to every other day and see how it goes once I complete C25k.

Wow, were did the time go

Just a short entry here. Hard to believe the first quarter of '09 is already in the books. At least the first quarter of this year was much better for me than '08. Im feeling better physicaly, no one close to me died, and I got to go to Philly and New Jersey in February. All in all a good 1st quarter. Hoping the 2nd is even better. Looks like we are going to be busy with soccer practices and games, maybe an inline hockey season for me and gearing up for our mission trip to Peru in June. Lots of things going on with us. Stay tuned!

My Oh My, The Little Guy is 5

Well this is a day late, but my son Tyler turned 5 yesterday. Its hard to believe that its been that long. It just seems like yesterday he he was born. He's gone through quite a bit since those first days. Colic, Exema, dairy allergies and now dealing with asthma. Its a wonder he's made it this far =) But I wouldnt trade him for anything. Hes my little athlete and he's definately at this point momma's boy but so was I. I love you Tyler, Happy Birthday Buddy!

This was Tyler and I last August at cousin Ryans birthday party

And Then There Were None

We lost our last pet sometime today. I really hadnt been in the kitchen much when the kids and I got home so I didnt notice initialy. It wasnt until about 11 pm when I got a txt from Debbie that I noticed that Sarahs hamster Popcorn was dead in his cage. Weve only had him a little over a year. While we never did pick him up and play with him he was entertaining none the less. Im not sure if we will be getting any more pets anytime soon. Debbie keeps hinting about a dog but Im not sure. We shall see.

Two Months and Counting...

On January 25th I last drank a Coke. Two whole months ago. Hard to believe Ive gone that long without one. The first month was probably the hardest. This second month hasnt been so bad. I think one of my hardest challenges was when I would go to a fast food restauraunt and have to decide what to drink and stops at convenience stores. Initialy when I first stopped drinking soda I found myself paying the extra money for a bottle of water when I ate out. Now I just get unsweetened tea. 98% of the time I add nothing to it. When it comes to conveince stores I either get a bottle of water, Gatorade ( either a bottle or from the fountain ) or again tea. I found since I stopped drinking soda I stop far less frequently at stores to and from work. Now if I can just stop eating out so much =)

They say it takes 90 days to break a hbit, well Im 60 days into it. Im not sure what the time frame is for kicking an addiction but Im I think Im well into that time frame too. WIsh me luck as I continue down this road!

Hockey Night In Arizona

Around Christmas time I was poking around the Phoenix Coyotes website and found an adult hokcey clinic offered by the Coyotes. For 50 bucks you got a tour of the locker rooms, training facilities and a 90 minute session out on the Jobbing.Com arena with former NHL players. Plus on top of that you got a jersey and a lower level ticket to a future Coyotes game. Sign me up!

Fast foward to this past Friday the 20th. It was time to suit up, lace 'em up tight and hit the ice. I didnt have huge expectations as its been several years since I played ice hokcey. It was a blast. We did power skating drills, stick handling and passing drills and then 3 on 3 games. I was spent by the end of the time on the ice but it left me thirsting for more hockey playing. I had been thinking about signing up for an inline league at RollerPlex but this solidifies the deal. Nothing hurt out of the orindary after my skate and just a few days later im over the little bit of soreness I had.

A shot from Friday night...

That would be me right in the middle of the pic

Facebook

Ive been thinking about this for some time and while I had a few minutes I thought id jot some facts and figures down.

Ive been a memeber of Facebook for about 6 months or so. SInce I joined I have become friends with 107 people

Out of the 105 actual people ( two of my "friends" listed are groups I belong to )
Ive met 90 of these people in real life.
58 of my friends are from Kickrunners, 15 of which I have never met in person
5 of my Facebook friends are family
32 of my FB friends live in Arizona
Of my 105 FB friends I have only seen 24 of them in the last 6 months ( not counting my family members )
Its been more than 6 months but less than a year since Ive seen 7 of them
Its been more than a year but less than 5 since Ive seen 43 of them
Its been more than 5 but less than 10 since Ive seen 9 of them ( sadly my best friend and his wife are amongst those 9. Theyve never seen Tyler in real life )
And I actualy have 9 friends who I havent seen in more than 10 years ( 6 of them live here in Arizona )

Heres kind of an odd stat. Out of those FB friends who I have met in the last 3 years ( basicaly since joining Kickrunners ) I have only been around 22 of those people more than once.

Im not sure what it all means. I just had it in my mind and had some time today to sit down and run some numbers. I think I need to get out more and do something ( especialy with more of my friends lol ) Some of my friends are just so far away geograpicaly its hard to do anything with them. Others are here in the valley but we just never seem to be able to hook up.

Ill have something more exciting to talk about next time =)

RandomCam

Nope this isnt yet another pic from our new D60, but rather a pic from my new Blackberry Storm cellphone camera. Just some flowers in the front yards of Tyler's babysitter's house. And with this post im up to 140 =)

Not So Random Cam

Well after almost being down two weeks, our pc is back up and running. Therefore we were able to download the almost 500 pics on our new Nikon D60. After seeing the pics downloaded, im that much more impressed with the camera. The color and detial are just amzing. I know there are better ( read more expensive ) cameras out there but for what Debbie and I use it for, this is pretty darn good.

Just a few I have shot over the last few weeks. Hope you enjoy them!

A Return to Running?

I have been in an exercise/workout funk since I came home from Philly. Physicaly I feel fine, I just havent made it to the Y. I made a comment on the board the other day that I needed a kick in the ass, that I had no motivation. I got some support from the gang. Maya made a point to tell me I had till today to put up a return to running plan on the board. The plan wasnt in question, I just needed a little push in that direction. So I put it out there. I plan on starting the C25k plan next week and I have a 5k picked out to run on May 23rd. Maybe now that Debbie FINALLY went back to the podiatrist and got her new orthotics she can return to running and we can do the 5k together. We shall see.

In other news, Im still Coke/Pepsi free. Its been oever a month and a half since I had one. Everyday I go without one is a record for me as Ive never gone this long without one since my pre teen years. I have found that I am beginning to like unsweetened tea, who woulda thunk =)

Happy Birthday Sarah

Hard to believe that 8 years ago today my darling little daughter was born. Shes growing like a weed ( as is Tyler ) It just seems like yesterday that I could put her little head in my hand and her legs were down at my elbow. Now Im lucky to even get a hug out of her =) It wont be too long and she'll be a teenager and wanting the keys to the car. I dont want to her to grow up. I want her to be daddys little girl all the time. I know I cant stop or even slow down time but we can always wish right.

Happy Birthday Sarah, I love you!

Challenges

We face challenges sometimes on a daily basis. With my ongoing battle to not drink Coke or Pepsi, im challenged everyday. Last night and this morning were no different. Debbie's cousin Les and his friend James are staying with us for a week. Last night they came back from the grocery store with an armfull of snacks. One of those snacks was a 20 pack of Coke. It didnt bother me as much last night as we sat at the dining room table shooting the breeze as they sat and drank Coke. No, it was this morning. There sat the open 20 pack. With me being tired, the idea of poppin' open a can and having a Coke for the caffenine rush this morning was really tempting. But alas I stood my ground and stood up to temptation. I just walked away. JUst another one of the little battles I fight from time to time. 1 month and 6 days soda free, woo hoo!

One Year Ago...

One of my biggest heroes in life left this world. It was on this date one year ago that my maternal grandfather passed away. He and I were very close. I felt very fortunate to still have him in my life with me being 36 years old. Im also very glad that he lived long enough to see my two kids born and that he got to spend time with them. Sarah and Tyler were old enough and spent enough time around him that they will remember him.

I thought of him often when Debbie, my parents and I traveled to New Jersey for my aunts birthday a week or so ago. All the trips that I took with him back there in the summer when I was a kid. All the sights and people I wouldnt have experienced if it werent for him. It was hard at times while I was back there. It made me sad at times. Plus seeing some of my older family that I know what be with us much longer. Just reminds me the clock is ticking and I need to try to live life to its fullest while Im still here.

Love you Grandpa!

RandomCam

No folks, dont bother adjusting your set, that thermometer reads correctly, its 20 degrees out. I took this on my aunt's porch in Maywood, NJ on Monday night. That was just the air temp, that didnt include the windchill. The winds were blowing about 20-25 mph per hour that day. For an Arizona desert native, thats cold!

1 Month and Counting

This day on the calendar, Feb 25th, marks a milestone for me. I last had a Coke or Pepsi on the 25th of January. I have never gone a month without drinking a Coke or Pepsi. I guess it took a dear sweet 7 year old to finally convince me that now was the time to stop drinking pop. When Sarah told me a month ago that I couldnt go a month without drinking one. Well here it is a month later and I havent had one. Debbie spouted that whats the point of going a month without one when Ill just drink one the next day. Well thats the next challenge. To continue on without drinking pop. We shall see how it goes.

I got to thinkin', If I order a rum and coke at a bar, does that count as having a soda? Not that ive had a rum and coke in the last month, I was just curious.

A Day of Firsts

Sunday February 15th was an interesting day. It was marked by four first time events.

I completed a half marathon in my home state for the first time. I have previously run 3 half marathons. One in San Jose, CA, the 2nd in Cinncinati, OH and the third in Philly. I wasnt training to run a half ( or walk one for that matter ) but it was the first annual IMS Marathon and HM. I thought it would be cool to take part in it. Plus they had a 2 for 1 registration special. A friend of ours asked me I would be interested in signing up with her so I said sure. She was running the half. Then Debbie got the bright idea that she wanted to sign up. So she and her friend Amy signed up too. We went to the expo on Saturday to pick up our packet. Sunday morning we arrived bright and early at Jobbing.Com arena to take the shuttle bus to the starting line. We got to the starting line about an hour early. We hung out and tried to stay warm as it was a bit on the chilly side. We met up just before the race with Christine and her husband Cornell.

It wasnt long after that the race started ( Christine was still on line for the potties ) Debbie, Amy and I started off together but it wasnt too far into the race that Amy wasnt going to be able to maintain my pace. So she dropped back. It wasnt but 30 seconds later Debbie informed me that she was going to run a few miles with Christine once she caught up. I wished Debbie good luck. Its a good thing I had my ipod, it was going to be a long race by myself.

Debbie wound up running almost 6 miles with Christine. This from someone who hasnt run in months and hasnt run more than 3 miles in her life. Those 6 miles would cost her dearly.

As I always do I manged to find folks to chat with along the course so I wasnt entirely alone. I wound up catching up to Debbie around the 9 mile mark. She was walking and was in pain. It was hard for me to slow down from the slow pace I was already doing to not leave her in the dust. But I hung with her to the finish. We managed to run the last 100 feet or so the the finsih line hand in hand.

We got our finishers medals and some tasty after race snacks. Amy wound up coming n 10 minutes after Debbie and I. Christine finished about 30 minutes before us.

So there were a couple of the firsts that day. Me completing a HM in Arizona and my wife and I do a race together.

The last of the firsts was that evening. When the day ended, it was exactly 3 weeks since my last Coke or Pepsi. The longest I had gone previously was 19 days. It still isnt easy but as the days go on, I keep thinking eventualy I wont have tho try so hard not to drink soda.

Thanks for reading

A different take on RandomCam

Last year I tried every so often to put up a pic that I took with my cellphone camera. Couldve been a pic of one of my kids, scenery etc. This year im going to do something a little bit different. Im still going to have the above mentioned pics, but Im going to toss in some really random ones.

Like this one...

This was my school picture from my junior year of high school. Huge difference from now huh? A lot less weight and more hair =)

Im going to try to throw in stuff like this from time to time

12 Years Ago Today

We were in Las Vegas for the first part of our honeymoon and getting ready to board a plane to So. Cal to spend time at Universal Studios and Disneyland. We spent almost two full days in Vegas and had a great time. We stayed at the Excalibur hotel and casino. Upon checking in we got upgrated to a larger room. Seeing as how we didnt rent a car while were there we were limited as to how much we could see. We did wind up doing a lot of walking and checked out New York New York, The Luxor, MGM Grand, Bally's and Ceasers Palace. We also did the medieval dinner at the Excalibur one of the nights and that was really cool. We only gambled with the money we got from our dollar dance at our reception. After the money ran out, we were done with the gambling. Although I did win 50 bucks as we were walking out of the casino. Debbie stopped to go use the restroom and I waited by the machines. A lady got off a machine and I walked up, put my last 75 cents and and hit max bet. It hit for 50 bucks! THe lady started hollering at me how that was her money. Uh I dont think so you got up and left the machine. He he. Next installement will be the ups and downs of our trip to So. Cal Thanks for reading

Happy Anniversary

It was on this day in 1997 that my wife and I exchanged vows and became husband and wife. It was a beautiful ceremony at All Saint's Espiscopal church in Phoenix, Arizona. We were surrounded by family and friends and had a great time. Well except for that little part of the photographer not showing up =) Lesson learned, dont hire your parent's neighbor as a photographer. After exchanging vows and having pictures taken by friends and family we made our way to the reception at the Wyndham Hotel. We were very fortunate that our d.j. happened to have a photographer friend who was available and agreed to come to the reception and take pictures of the wedding party. They turned out beautiful. The only downfall about it was that we were taken away from the reception for an hour. Some people came and went and we didnt get to visit with those people. Such is life. We did all the traditional reception stuff and then had a little fun on a friend who caught the garter. After we sat Donna down ( she caught the boquet ) we blinfolded Ray gave him the garter to put on Donna's leg. Well while he was getting ready to do that, I was waiting in the wings with my shoe and sock off and my pant leg rolled up. I then swapped places with Donna. Imagine Ray's surprise when we took the blindfold off and there I sat with the garter up around mid thigh =) Good times. All in all everybody had a great time. I wouldnt change the way our wedding turned out one bit.

February already?

Wow Janaury came and went really fast. It just seems like yesterday we were just celebrating the new year and now its February 4th. The Super Bowl came and went. Congrats to the Steelers on winning a record 6th Super Bowl. Congrats to the hometown Arizona Cardinals for making it to their first Super Bowl. Maybe the next time they make it the refs wont decide the game for them.

Debbies and my 12th anniversary is Sunday. Not sure what the plan is. We were talking about waiting until April to go to Vegas for the drag race up there as a way to get some alone time and celebrate our anniversary. Think we will at least go out to dinner Sunday after a meeting at church.

I didnt quite do two things I wouldve liked last month. I was hoping to read a book a month this year. I have about 4 started from last year but havent sat down and finished any of them yet. Guess I need to get 2 books read this month.

I also wanted to write 10 blogs a month. Last year I had 108 entries in my blog. Id like to see that up to 120. Not sure of the signifgance of the number, I just thought 10 blog entries in a 30 day period of time isnt mush. As much as I run my mouth on any given do I should be able to put something down on paper.

I havent had a Coke or Pepsi since January 25th. The first week was a bit rough with a major headache and haivng difficulty making a drink choice when I went to Burger King and McDs last week but I made it. Between Sarah telling me I couldnt make it a month and then Debbie telling me she didnt understand why I was going to quit for a onth and then start back up. I dont plan on starting back up. I want to continue down this road of no soda. I told Debbie im like an alcoholic when it comes to drinking Coke. I cant drink it in moderation. There is just noe 1 Coke a day for me. If I drink one, I have to have several the rest of the day. So we shall see how it goes.

Thats about if for now, thanks for reading!

Strength Training

Since the first of the year Ive been dabbling ever so slightly with strength training. Sure i've been going to the Y off and on for the last several years working out with the machines but I decided to move over to the free weights section of the gym. I found a website through one of the guys on Kick ( Scratch ) and have been reading up on a plan they have there. The plan consists of several compound exercises that work on several muscle groups at a time. Some of the exercises include squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and a few others. You are supposed to do 5 sets of 5 of each exercise 3 days a week. I think initialy I am either going to just do it 2 days a week or cut the amount of reps or sets down. As Matt ( Scratch ) said, at our age strength training is not something to take lightly and to go at it slow and easy. Good advice I think.

Im looking foward to this new challenge and hopng to see results by spring. Plus there are a couple of other things looming in the not too distant future that Id like to look a bit different for. My 20th high school reunion is next year. Not that I want to impress anybody ( as I was a bean pole back in the day ) but it would be nice to be more fit and trim. Plus my 40th birthday is just a couple of years away. I saw a pic of actor Hugh Jackman who recently turned 40. Now granted he is an actor and has to look good ( especialy for those times he playve Wolverine in the X-Men movies ) But I was thinking why with alot of working out in the gym and eatng right couldnt I have a similar build in the next 2 years?

Could I go from this...

To this in a little over 2 years?

I guess only time will tell. I get it that Hugh has a whole lot more free time on his hands than I do to workout and such but hey its worth a shot. Not that I expect to look exactly like his build but something close would be cool right?

Here I Go Again

Yep, its about that time. Im going to try kick the Coke habit again. After getting on the scale these last few weeks and seeing the weekly gain, I need to do something. Sure not all of it is Coke but its a start. Plus Sarah told me last night she didnt think I could make it a month without drinking Coke. Its on little girl! Plus after she poked me in the gut Saturday morning and told me I was squishy and starting to look like her grandpa ( my dad ) that really got the ball rolling telling me I needed to do something about the weight Ive gained back. I dont have a game plan perse but I have an idea of what I need to do so Im going to try it.

In other news I am trying to make the transition to the Pre Dawn Patrol. While Im not running yet, I decided I wanted to start getting up with Debbie at 4 ( instead of my usual 530 or so ) and get in some kind of exercise in addition to what im doing at the Y at lunch.

Wish me luck!

I Just Dont Get It

Yesterday on our board Trevor announced that he wouldnt be running the Boston Marathon in April. He qualified for Boston back in 07 when he ran the New Jersey Marathon. I understand that he's had some injury issues and as he said yesterday to me he isnt the same runner as he was back then and doesnt feel he deserves to run in Boston.

I beg to differ. The guy busted his ass, getting in all the required running and training. He lived and breathed running. He went out and had a great race and qualified. Ok so your not the same runner you were in 07 ( hell neither am I ) but you still earned that shot at Boston. Ive heard so many people on the board tell somebody who had qualified for Boston but isnt having a great year "just go run it as a long training run" or "just run it as a recon race and then go full tilt next year" Not that ive heard Trevor give that advice perse but others have. So why not do it? So you wont go out and PR ( not a whole lot of folks do in Boston as its a really challenging course ) just to say you qualfied for it and ran it is a huge accomplishment. Even if it doesnt turn out to be your best race

I guess I look at running differently than alot of the folks on my board. Its not life or death to me. If I dont PR at a race that I trained really well for, so be it. Yeah ill be a little discouraged but I know in my head theres another race down the road in which to PR at. As for winning, shit I know Ill never win a race nor do I have any ambition to do so. Yes we have some really fast folks on our board but the likelyhood of them winning Boston ( or any marathon ) are slim at best.

If it were me Id just say I earned this shot at Boston and Im running it. I worked too damn hard to blow it off. But thats just me. Trevor is apparently fine with his decision which is good cuz he has to live with it. I know he'll get back to form and BQ again. Its only a matter of time!

A Running Goal

Now that sounds funny coming from somebody who hasnt ran more than across a parking lot or a baseball field in more than a year. Yes next month it will be a year since I ran any kid of distance run at all.

This weekend marks the third anniversary of me finishing my first ( and thus far ) only marathon. Hard to believe that its been 3 years already. Im planning on heading down to watch the race as two of my friends are running it.

What does this have to do with the title of the blog you say?

I have set two goals for myself and I must admit they are lofty for someone who a. isnt really goal orientated 2. hasnt run in a year III doesnt know if he can successfully return to running.

Goal #1 To run next years PF Changs Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon. Whats the signifigance? Ive never run a 1/2 marathon in my home state. Ive run 3 HMs, on in CA, OH, and PA but havent ran one here yet.

Goal #2 This one requires me to achieve goal number 1 and stay healthy afterwards. Run the 2011 PF Changs Rock and Roll Full marathon ( again ) It will be the 5th anniversary of me running my first marathon. I didnt run and finish my first on my terms. Sure I finished it, got the medal and the certificate but it didnt go like I wanted it to. I had a bad case of ITBS flare up on the run and it forced me to stop running after mile 15. Its was a long 11 miles hurting as bad as I did. I know injuires can pop up at anytime but I think if I have a proper base built up and train properly theres no reason why I cant run all 26.2 miles and finish upright and smiling.

So there it is, I put it out there. Now I need to get out and buy some new running shoes and then man the fuck up and start running again. Sure its scary and yes I can get hurt and it probably will hurt when I start back up but theres only one way to find out. Get out and put one foot in front of the other.

Very Powerful

Noise Complaint at Luke AFB, AZ

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were.

A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.

When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.

The complaint: 'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.

The response: Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15,at precisely 9:12 a.m, a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air F orce Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day. At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and service men and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured. A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects. The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning airshow? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.

Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you.....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. USAF

Chokes me up just reading it.

Luke AFB is just south of me here in Surprise. There hasnt been a day in the last 4 and half years since we moved into this house that I havent seen or heard one of Luke's F-16 Falcons. It gives me a huge sense of relief knowing those guys are up there protecting my town, state and country. I cant imagine what somebody in Iraq or Afghanistan must be thinking when they hear or see those same F-16s flying over them. Something like, I sure hope they arent dropping ordinance on me or my neighborhood today comes to mind.

Next time you see an Air Force jet or an Army helicopter in the air, give them a thumbs up. Or if you are out and about and see a US service man or woman buy 'em a cup of coffee or at least shake their hand and say thanks, it means to the world to them.

Son of a ....

I cant believe the Giants, the number one seed in the NFC, choked and lost yesterday. It mightve been alright had they lost to any other team, but the friggen Eagles wtf?!

To top it off, my confident ass bet Lori and Alexis a beer on the outcome. Gee guess who gets to buy the first round when I see them in Philly next month? You guessed it, me. I shoulda learned early in the season. I bet my good friend Kris a beer on the outcome of the Monday Night Football game between her beloved Cleveland Browns and my Giants. Bzzzt nice of you to choke guys. Well at least Im buying three fine ladies a beverage. Maybe I should got back to even with Kris, I should bet her on the outcome of the Ohio State/Texas Fiesta Bol matchup. Nah Id rather buy her a beer =)

No more beer bets for this kid. I bet late in 07 on a Coyotes/Minnesota Wild game with Del Worshams team manager Bob Wilber. Same story, yet another beer ( or 12 pack in that case with the interest I owed him )

Holiday Bowl

Recapping one of the last events I did in '08 here. Ive been a fan of the University of Oregon football team for many years now. Chris "Duckgeek" Butler from Kick took notice of the fact after seeing a pic of me running a marathon with a Ducks hat on. Chris is a staff member at Oreogn. When it was announced that the Ducks would be playing in the Holiday Bowl, Chirs contacted me and asked if I would be interested in attending the game as his guest. Damn straight I would! The game is played in San Diego which while drving 85 mph of the way, its only 5 hours away =) How could I pass this opportunity up. Free tix to the game, alumni association tailgate party and split the cost of a room 4 ways. Count me in.

Welcome to Californina

The game was on Tuesday night, December 30th. I dropped the kids off that morning at school/daycare and hightailed it to SD. I got over there around 1 pm so I had some time to kill prior to meeting Chris, Ben and Vicky at the hotel at 3. I had planned on touring the USS Midway but the traffic to get into it was way too long so I opted to hit the deli across the street from the Midway for a sammich. While relaxing at a table doing some people watching and enjoying the view of the basy, I had a nice lon conversation with a triathelete who happend to be finishing up a long bike ride and was haivng a snack at the table next to me.

The USS Midway

The people know a good thing

Entrance to Qualcomm Stadium

I then proceeded to head to the hotel and meet Chris for the first time. Like a lot of my "imaginary" friends while I "talk" to Chris most everyday, this was my first chance to meet him in person. After a quick round of intros and changing into an Oregon shirt and hat, we headed over to Qualcomm Stadium ( but not before harassing several OSU fnas ) We made our way to the tailgate party and met up with a lot of folks Chris, Ben and Vicky knew. After a so-so 6 dollar beer ( Pyramid Heffenweizen ) some pictures and small talk, we made our way into the stadium for the opening ceremomies.

Me and Chris at the tailgate party

JUst a few minutes after we got there, Marines and Navy sailors unfurled the largest American flag I had ever seen. The flag covered the football field from end zone to end zone and from sideline to sideline. This thing was huge. It definatley gave you the chills and a warm and fuzzy feeling about being an American all at the same time.

Our view

I told you that flag was huge ( come to find out the same flag was used here in Arizona for the Fiest Bowl just a few days later )

Kick off commenced soon after and the game was underway. The first half wasnt too good to teh Ducks. They just couldnt seem to contianin the Oklahoma State offense adn at the half it was 17-7 in favor of the OSU Cowboys. The halftime entertainment was both university bands playing Journey songs plus a awesome fireworks display. Well one of the songs that was played was Journey's Dont Stop Believin' I dont know if the Ducks heard it or what because when the 2nd half started they came out of the locker room a different team. The game was really exciting with some lead changes in the 2nd half and a lot of Oregon offense. In the end the Ducks won in convincing fashion. What a great game. The energy and emotion from the fans was just something I had never witnessed before. I cant imagine what the energy is like for the Civil War ( Oregon vs Oregon State ) the Territory Cup ( ASU vs UofA ) or a heated rivalry like Ohio State vs Michigan. Id love to find out someday.

This wasnt using a zoom, this is how close Chris and I were to the fireworks display while we were out on the concourse at half time. They were LOUD!

End of the game celebration of the players, coaches and the band

After the game the line for the trolley was just way backed up so we opted to walk back ( in the fog ) a mile or so back to the hotel room . It was good for me to stretch out as I was in the car over 5 hours and then sat at the game for 3 or so. We got back to the room and then Chirs and Vicky took a buddy of theirs to his hotel and Ben and I got some Wendys for a late dinner.

The next morning we hit Dennys for breakfast and then bid our farewells. Chris and company were headed back to Long Beach were they had flown into from Eugene and I had to hit my favorite beach in San Diego for a bit prior to heading home. We didnt make it over to Mission Beach asa family in the summer of 08. We had gone the two summers prior but never made it over to SD this past summer =(

A vacant Mission Beach

Gotta have the boBcam picture of myself at Mission Beach

As I expected there werent a whole lot of folks on the bach. Lot of runners, bikers and walkers on the path and a few surfers in full wetsuits catching some waves but thats about it. I waded ankel deep into the chilly Pacific Ocean, took some pics and then haeded for AZ. I had a Phoenix Coyotes hockey game with front row glass seats to make it to by 6 pm. Thats a story for another day.

Weclome back home

A New Year, A New Look...for now

Seeing as how we are entering a new year, I thought i'd try out a new look to the blog. Ive had it in my mind for quite some time that I felt it needed a change. Not quite sure I like the new look but who knows it may grow on me. Feel free to chime in on what you think. The background pic was taken New Years Eve at my favorite beach in Californina, Mission Beach in San Diego.