Frankies Rambling, Ranting, Riding, etc

An update on the road to losing 39

2010-08-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well here it is the 8th of August and Im almost two months into my 4 month journey on trying to lose 39 lbs by my 39th birthday in December. Initialy this jounrey started off well, I was down about 6 lbs from my staritn weight just a few weeks ago. I since put those back on and a couple of more. I didnt really think I was doing that bad with my choices but then when I sit down and take a serious look, im still piling the empty calories ( and sugar and fat ) into me. I havent cut back on the soda like I had set out to. Candy bars seem to still get counsumd a few times a week and the list goes on.

I know there is still time and I can make the changes needed. I decided though last night that I am going to go back and sign up for Weight Watchers. I figure that if I am paying for WW, ill be more motivated to do the right thing. Debbie had mentioned that she wanted to go back so we will go together. I think itll be good that we are both doing it at the same time. We can provide one another motiviation, keep each other in check and eat much better at home.

We shall see how it goes

Getting Started On The Road To Losing 39

2010-06-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

What does the title mean you ask? Ive known for quite some time that I need to get serious about losing weight. Im not happy or comfortable with were I am weight wise. A few weeks ago I thought about my 39th birthday which will be here December 18th. I decided that starting June 18th, I wanted to set out to lose 39 lbs by my birthday. That gives me 6 months to lose a ittle over 6 lbs a month. Ive lost 40 lbs in 4 months before so I know it can be done. I also know that if I accomplsih my goal, Ill be down to 168 lbs. Its been at least 15 years or more since I was at that weight.

How do I plan on accomplish my goals you ask?

Lots of little things that hopefully will add up to alot of weight loss

Some of those things are...

Cutting way back on fast food
Kick the Coca-Cola habit ( or at least cut that way back )
Eating healthier and cleaner ( read lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, more whole grains )
Exercise and working out

While its barely a week into my 6 month journey, some of these things Ive started implementing already. Im playing hockey two nights a week, along with helping with the kids Learn to Love hockey program at the Castle. Im also pakcing my lunch and healthy snacks to take to work every day. Plus I signed up for a 12 week weight loss challenge on Kickrunners. Every little bit helps. Im hoping to start seeing some results soon.

Wish me luck!

Is This Thing On?

2010-05-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, I havent entered a blog entry in over a month. Competely skipped an entry in April. Do people even do these things anymore? I checked in on several friends blgs. Its either been months since they last did an entry, a year or more in some cases or now their blog is private ( obviously I dont get to those much or I woulda known that ) Im thinking of making mine private. Most of the time when I have comments, I have no idea who these people are.

If your interested in being on the invited list, either leave a comment, email me or msg me on Facebook

20 Year Reunion

2010-03-10T19:10:00.001-08:00

Wow not only has the 2 months flwon by since I last updated this but 20 years has passed since I graduated Apollo High School. Im planning on going to the reunion but not sure what to expect. I ahvent seen many of my fellow class of 90 graduates since that long ago May night. Im not sure how many folks I know will even be at the reunion. Its being held at Dave and Busters in Scottsdale a week from Saturday. I have heard alot of folks talking about not going to he actual reunion but hanging out at the bar at D&Bs instead and/or going to a keg party. Guess we shall see how it goes.

Grand Canyon

2010-01-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

Let me start this by saying its pretty sad when you are a life long resident of the home of the Grand Canyon and you have only been there once in your 38 years of living in said state.

With that in mind, I went on a day trip up to the Grand Canyon last week. We have had Debbie's nephew Branden staying with us for 3 weeks as he was on leave from the Army. During that time his girlfriend Sina, who is from Germany, was also staying with us. It was suggested that we should take Sina to see the Grand Canyon while she's here. So Wednesday night after I got off work, Branden, Sina, my father in law and I drove up to Flagstaff for the night. Its only a 2 hour drive up to Flag and another 2 to the Canyon ( sure beats driving 4 hours at night after work ) We got up there with no issues, found a hotel and got some sleep ( well at least some of us did ) Bright and early the next morning my FIL infomrs us he has a splitting headache and isnt feeling well. Great, just what you dont want to have happen. We contemplated going home but he said no he would just rest in the truck while the 3 of us checked out the GC. So we made the two hour drive, getting up to the visitors center around 10 am. We then spent the next 3.5 hours walking about a mile and a half walking the rim trail taking in all the sights. Between the three of us, we took about 500 pics. WHile it was overcast, windy and cold the sights were amazing. THe canyon had a alyer of snow in some parts and was just breath taking. We his a gift shop at Yavapai Point and did a bit of shopping. I picked up the Offical Guid To Hiking The Grand Canyon as Debbie and I are planning on hiking the Canyon later this year. We then took the shuttle bus back to the VC and checked in on my FIL. He was feeling better so we then drove over to Bright Angel Point and got a different view. The sun had come out and the weather was warming up so it made for a nice afternoon. We then headed back to Flag, got a bite to eat and then headed back to the valley.

So now I can say Ive been to the Grand Canyon twice in 38 years of living here. I guess it wont be 24 years between visits as Sarah and my niece Megan want to go see it, plus Debbie and I will be hiking it this year or next.

Final Week of 2009 ( albeit a little late )

2010-01-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

I saw this meme over on Kris's blog and liked it, so I decided to answer the questions for myself. ( Im glad your writing more often again Kris )

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? The first thing that sticks out is my ministry trip to Peru. 2009 was probably the year that I felt the most direction from God in my life. From not understanding why my church would send a mission team to Peru in 07 and 08 to jumping in and going to Peru in 09 and getting more involved with the childrens ministry on Sundays, 09 was a big step for me in my journey with the Lord.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? As with any new year, '09 started out fairly well with better food choices, cutting back on
my Coke intake and exercising more consistently. But like they say all good things must come to an end. Around May with the passing of my sister in law, the wheels started falling off. I wasnt making good eating choices, the exercising went to crap and around the time my Peru trip started in June I was back to drinking soda. I never really got back on track and I still havent found my yet. I dont really have any goals for this new year other than to continuing my strengthen my relationship with God.

3. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? We went to a party at our friend's the Tipperys. This was the third year in a row for us although Debbie wound up staying home cuz Tyler wasnt feeling so well.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My sister in law Lori passed away unexpectedly in May and my running friend Joe passed away also unexpectedly in July.

5. What countries did you visit? Peru ( oh and I flew over Cuba, which was pretty cool )

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? The winning 100 million dollar Powerball ticket lol

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June 10th, the day we landed in Peru. First time I had been south of the equator, first time to South America.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? It might sound kind of silly, but walking the OBX Half Marathon in a caveman suit and dreadlock wig in honor of my fallen friend Joe Truini

9. What was your biggest failure? Im not sure I had a failure but If I had to pick something it would be not being the parent, husband and friend I know Im capable of.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Just my lower back and hip for a time. Not so much now knock on wood

11. What was the best thing you bought? Nothing really stands out

12. Where did most of your money go? Bills and fast food =(

13. What song will always remind you of 2009? Not sure if there is a song that comes to mind

14. What do you wish you’d done more of? Think before I react when it comes to responding to what the kids are doing, that and pray more often.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of? Yell and scream at my kids ( kinda goes along with number 14

16. What was your favorite TV program? Deadliest Catch or anything on Discovery Channel

17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No

18. What was the best book you read? I started several last year but have yet to finish them. I think the one that stands out is The Shack

19. What was your greatest musical discovery? Air 1 Radio, and the bands Skillet and Third Day

20. What was your favorite film of this year? I didnt see a movie in the theaters in 09 that I recall.

21. What did you do on your birthday? Went to Red Lobster and had my favorite Alaskan King Crab legs

22. What kept you sane? Spending time with friends and family

23. Who did you miss? My grandpa and I missed seeing my running friends Kris, Beth and Joe.

24. Who was the best new person you met? While they werent new ( I "talk" to them most every day on Kickrunners ), I finally got to meet in person Kelly, Diane, Dan, Dave and Myron. I was so glad to make the trip to OBX and meet them ( along with seeing so many who I have met previously )

25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: That no matter how bad we think we might have things. it can always be worse. After spending a week in poverty stricken Peru, we as Americans dont realize how truly good we have it even in these trying times.

Angry

2009-12-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-01T08:19:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-06T08:38:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-03T13:48:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-07T09:19:00.001-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Moving dirt at the jobsite in Trujillo, Peru

2009-07-07T09:17:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-07T09:13:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-07T09:10:00.001-07:00

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July Already?

2009-07-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-06-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-29T09:46:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

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?!

2009-04-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

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 ;-)

2009-04-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-30T10:33:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-27T00:23:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-03-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-19T12:22:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-03-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-03T08:43:00.001-08:00

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...

2009-03-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-27T10:43:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-17T08:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-02-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-29T10:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-16T22:22:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

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 ....

2009-01-12T11:48:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-07T19:28:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-02T23:08:00.000-08:00

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.

So That Was Christmas

2008-12-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

Well another Christmas has come and gone. I have to admit, this was probalby my least favorite Christmas yet. Dont get me wrong I enjoyed watching the faces of Tyler and Sarah as they opened all their presents. Debbie enjoyed her gifts as well. I must say I made out like a bandit.

So whats my problem you ask?

Having to leave Debbie and the kids to get to work by 830 for starters. Then having to actualy work while I was there instead of collecting my double time and a half 8 hours for doing nothing. These were petty things. The real truth of the matter was, for 9 hours I was by myself and had a lot fo time to think about things, namely my grandfather passing away and not being here for this Christmas. This was my first Christmas without him. I had 36 with him and this first time without him hurt. Ive been in a funk the last 3 months due to my HRT starting to wear off and now Christmas came and went without grandpa.

Ill be ok. I have some fun things to look foward to in the next week or so. Im traveling to San Diego next Tuesday to meetup with Chris "DuckGeek" Butler from our board to attend the Holiday Bowl as his guest. Theres a possibility that Kristi "kjboston" will come down from Irvine to meet the two of us. Then I come home and attend the Coyotes vs. Avalanche NHL on New Years Eve. The bitchin thing about that is that I got front row, on the glass seats for the game. Way cool! Then after the game itll be off to the Tippery's for their annual NYE block party. I can drink and not worry about driving that night as my dad is loaning us his motorhome and we are going to park it by Doug and Beths house so we can go and crash after the party.

So life isnt so bad, just hit another one of its potholes. Ill pick myself up, dust myself off and press on.

Thanks for reading

RandomCam

2008-12-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

Me and My Guy

2008-12-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Dec 6th, Sarah and I traveled to Lake Pleasant for a Girl Scout Me and My Guy fishing trip. The activities for the morning lncluded a pancake breakfast, a short hike, arts and crafts and of course fishing. Sarah and I were the first father/daughter combo to arrive dark and early that morning.

The weather that morning wasnt all the pleaseant as it was cold and windy. With that in mind I was beginning to wonder who schedules a fishing trip in December. We started the morning with a turn at the nail art booth were Sarah and I took a piece of square plywood, some nails, hammer and some multicolored twine and made a heart for mommy. After that it was time for some fishing. No luck catching anything but the bottom of the lake and me losing a brand new lure. We then headed to our pancake and hot chocolate breakfast. After that it was bracelt art and the short little hike on a trial just above the shorline. After that we retunred to fishing were our luck hadnt changed but at least this time I didnt lose any tackle.

Kylie, Maya and Sarah

Sarah doing her nail art

The three girls on the hiking trail

After having no luck with fishing, Keith, Kylie's dad, suggested we head to a small municipal park were the fishing was alot better. Pretty much like shooting fish in a barrel. So off we went. I wasnt able to fish at the park as I didnt have an urban fishing license but I had more fun watching Sarah and Kylie fishing. After 30-46 minutes Sarah caught her fish ever fish, a ssmall sunfish/bluegill. Not to long after that we decided to call it a day, headed over to Subway and had lunch.

Sarah fishing at Rio Vista

Sarah and Kylie with the catch of the day

Keith and I cleaning up

The early morning start mustve got to Sarah as she passed out on the way home. I kinda wish she stayed asleep longer. It wasnt 20 minutes after we got home from our very special morning when she crashed on her bike. But thats a story for tomorrow

Surprise Party

2008-12-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

Going back in time once again with this blog entry. On Friday the 5th Debbie, Sarah, Tyler, Megan, Ryan and I went to the annual city of Surprise Party at the Surprise Recreation Campus. Its the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The party takes place on Friday night and most of the day Saturday.

We went up there around 7 ish to take part of the festivities. Basicaly they have a stage with bnads playing, arts and crafts booths, rides for the kids etc. We justn kinda hung and and waited for the hot air balloons to do their lightup acty and then the actual ligthing of the tree. They did it a little bit different this year. Initialy they didnt have the baloons out. THey just had the baskets of the balloons scattered about and when the lighting of the tree took place, the balloons hit their burners. It was pretty cool looking to see those big ol flames coming out the top with out the balloon.

After a while they started filling up the balloons with air and gave the whole party a unique glow show. There musvte been 12-15 balloons there. It was pretty neat. Definately will go back next year.

Sarah, Debbie, Ryan and Tyler

Dude, your head is on fire! Lol. Kinda interesting how I got this guy directly in between me and the hot air balloon basket as the balloon crew hit the burner.

The official City of Surprise Christmas tree. Probably the most photographed thing in Surprise this time of year.

One of the balloons a glow

A few more of them lit up for everybodies viewing pleasure

Just a little bit of useless trivia for you folks that I learned when we went on our hot air balloon ride. There are two parts to a hot air balloon, the basket and the envelope. The basket is what the pilot and passengers rides in, the envelope is the material in which the hot air fills and allows the balloon to rise. So in actuality the term hot air balloon is the sum of two parts, the basket and the envelope. SO there you go you leanred something new today. That knowledge and 6 bucks will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks =)

So Many Ideas, So Little Time

2008-12-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot going on in the last week or so that Id like to share but just havent had the time or the ambition to do so. Ill start off with the hike we took as a family this past Saturday.

Debbie and I have been part of a small group through church for the last two months. We meet with other couples and discuss the book Have A New Kid by Friday. It is written by Dr Kevin Leman. Its a pretty interesting way of changing your childs attitude, behavior and character in 5 days.

During one of the meetings we decided as a group that we would get together and do something as a group with our families. It was decided we would hike a nearby mountain. There were some concerns as a few of us had small children but would were reassured that they would be able to do it wasnt that challenging.

So we show up Saturday afternoon with our two kids and Megan and Ryan ( Deb's sister Heather's kids ) There are like 6-8 couples in the group normaly. Well only 3 of us couples showed up. Heather and Jeff are in the group too but were in Vegas ) Oh well, I guess its not such a big deal, it wont be as crowded on the trail ( as it was there were 16 of us )

I probably shouldve paid more attention to how long it took us to climb up and down but I didnt. We took our Garmin GPS with us as there was a Geocache at the top of the mountian. After much searching by most everybody in the party we never did find the cache. Jason said that when he cant find caches he tells Joe Darago ( our lead pastor ) and Joe usualy finds them. SO it sounds like Joe might be doing some hiking soon =) Never the less a good time was had by all. After we made it back down the mountain we went to a nearbdy park were we had some Gatorade, water and snacks and the kids played on the palayground and a few of us played a real short game of football.

One bit of irony. As Debbie and I got to the top and start looking west from the mountain, we realized this was the same mountain we flew by when we went on our hot air balloon ride a month ago. Whats the odds in that?

On the trail up

About halfway up, looking south towards Peoria

Ryan, Debbie, Sarah, Tyler, Me and Megan at the halfway point

Almost there, looking north towards the next mountian

At the top

A little post hike football in the park

A good time was had by all, nobody fell off the mountain or biffed it down the trail in a major way so life was good. My kids really enjoyed it and I think hiking will be something we will continue to do as a family.

Holiday Meme

2008-12-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

I saw this on Kris's blog and decided to play along

If you want to play along, copy the questions onto your blog, post the answers, and leave a comment here so I know to go read yours.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? As bad as I am at wrapping things I prefer wrapping paper, it gives a present a more personal touch

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, real ones die here too fast

3. When do you put up the tree? Usualy the day after Thanksgiving, this year Ill do it over this weekend

4. When do you take the tree down? Day after New Years

5. Do you like eggnog? I dont recall what it even tastes like its been so long

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmm probably my Star Wars Snowspeeder or my Spider-Man action figure

5. Hardest person to buy for? Debbie

6. Easiest person to buy for? Myself ( what? dont tell me you dont buy things for yourself while out shopping =) )

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I plan on buying one this year

8. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail them, kinda goes along with the wrapping paper theory

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Drawing a blank here.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

11. When Do You Start Shopping For Christmas? Up until a few years ago, I'd do my shopping ( like most men ) on Christmas Eve. Now its usual the week of Chirstmas

12. Have you Ever Recycled a Christmas present? No

13. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Danish Butter Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Tamales

14. Lights on the tree? Yeppers, our tree is pre-lit with 1,000 clear lights

15. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night, Christmas Sarajevo and Gene Autry's Silver Bells

16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usualy travel to one of the inlaws houses

17. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes but only by singing that bit at the beginning of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. ( again, gotta go with Gene Autrys version =) )

18. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel that Sarah made in preschool

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Day.

20. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Christmas decorations and music in the stores before Thanksgiving

21. Favorite ornament theme or color? no theme really, just a mix of old and new

22. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Honey baked ham

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? My two front teeth =)

Whoa Nellie! Were has the year gone?!

2008-12-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

I cant believe its December 1st already. Sheesh is seems like the first of the year was just a few days ago. Time to get the Christmas decorations down. Actualy Ill be doing that Thursday and Friday as I have the days off.

I weighed in this morning, boy that wasnt good. I guess Thanksgiving finally caught up with me . I gained from last week. Sucks as on Thursday morning I was down 1.4 lbs from that Monday. Ooops. Im still down but that number is dwindling fast. Need to keep focused.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T22:19:00.000-08:00

Well another Thanksgiving has come and gone. We went to Debbie's sister Heather's house for dinner. It was quite the crowded house. There was about 20 people there. All in all we had a good time. There were a few firsts that went on that day. I weighed myself first thing Thursday morning before I even ate breakfast and then I weighed myself Friday morning pror to eating anything. I gained exactly 1 lb from the eating I did Thursday. Not sure if thats good or bad as I had never weighed myself like that. THe good thing though was that I was down 1.4 lbs Thursday from were I was Monday. So even with the eating I did Thursday, Im down almost a half lb for the week, woo hoo! The other first that happened was Sarah rode her bike for the first time without training wheels. Being she is 7 we were wondering when she was going to have us take them off. As high up and bent as they were though she basicaly was riding without them, now they are physicaly off the bike. I was proud and a bit apprehensive at the same time. I didnt want any ER visits on Thanksgiving Day.

Numbers, they keep a changing

2008-11-24T08:02:00.001-08:00

Well I got on the scale this morning, and for the 3rd week in a row I gained weight. I just cant seem to get a handle on what Im putting in my mouth. Dont get me wrong Im not plopping down on the couch and eating a quart of ice cream. I know my soda consumption is back up to were it doesnt need to be. Along with that comes the Hersey or Snickers bar that gets purchased along with the soda instead of a NutriGrain or Trail Mix bar. Im not sure if its stress or depression eating. I dont feel either stressed or depressed but I cant figure out whats wrong.

Im still 11 lbs down from the beginning of the year but nowere near the 30 lbs I wanted to drop. Maybe that was too lofty or maybe an unrealistic goal for me. Maybe 20 lbs woulda been a better goal. Im not giving up but with Thanksgiving on Thusrday and the holidays coming up it makes it that much harder.

Only time will tell

Alone in the Woods

2008-11-18T12:37:00.001-08:00

I borrowed this next entry from the pastor of my church, Joe Darago, from his blog. Thought it was pretty cool

Somebody once told me this story or legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage. I have no idea if it is true, but I like it enough to share it with you.

"A father takes his son into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a man.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm.

The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the ground next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

"We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Joe Darago
Lead Pastor

Branden and Tyler

2008-11-15T09:13:00.001-08:00

For those of you who dont know Debbie's oldest nephew, Branden, serves our country in the Army and is currently deployed in Iraq. We got word Thursday afternoon that he was wounded by shrapnel from a bomb explosion. He is in a hopsital. Not sure if its a hospital in Iraq or if they flew him back to Germany ( were he is normaly stationed ) Hoping to here an update on him soon.

Tyler was having trouble breathing yesterday when I dropped him off at Amy's in the morning. It got worse as the morning progressed. It got to the point were Debbie called me letting me know I was going to have to take time off of work to take him to urgetn care. She then called me back a few minutes later and let me know that urgent care wouldnt see him I had to take him to the hospital.

So I left work, picked him up and headed to the e.r. It was just a short wait in the lobby and then we went to a room. They proceeded to take his vitals and start him on breathing treatments. He had several of those by the time Debbie got off work and met me at the hospital. It was decided they were going to keep him over nigth for observation and to coninute with his breathing treatments overnight. Debbie txted me this morning to let me know while he was showing signs of improvement, they are going to keep him overnight again.

Thanks for reading and wehn I have more info about Branden, Ill post it.

Up, Up and Away

2008-11-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday night Debbie and I went for our first hot air balloon ride. The balloon ride was my birthday present to Debbie. It was quite the experience. We had to be at Deer Valley Airport ( a small city of Phoenix owned airport in the NE valley ) at 3:15 pm. Once we all gathered there ( 10 of us would be going up in the same balloon ) we piled into a 15 passenger van and head for the takeoff sight. After a 15-20 minute drive we arrived at that take off sight along with the 3 other groups who would also be flying in other balloons.

We were introduced to the pilot of the balloon. Mike then went over the basic rules, 1. dont get out and 2. dont get out unless instructed by Mike to do so. We then signed the required wavers and proceeded to hop in the basket and off we went.

Debbie was the first one into the basket

One of the ground crew snapped this of Debbie and I right before we lifted off

Looking into the envelope of the balloon

One of those noisy propane burns giving us lift

Once off the ground it was a nice quiet ride ( well except for when he hit the burners to heat the insed of the balloon ) . Its quite different from an airliner as you really have no sensation of pressure or actualy rising. We went as high as a mile up and it didnt feel any different than when we were 500 feet of the ground. Out of the 10 of us on the ride, 6 were from out of state, we even had a lady fron Calgary, Alberta, Canada with us. Mike proceeded to give us all a little lecture on the sights, the different plants, trees and animals we might see. Being the natives we are, Debbie and I knew most of what Mike was mentioning and were familiar witht he sights but it gave us a unique perspective on our hometown.

Subdivision in Peoria, AZ

Lake Pleasant in the distance

It was a great time. Kinda funny side note. Ive lived in Arizona all my life and the only time I had previously seen Javelina were in teh zoo. As our balloon flight was nearly over we flew over a family of four javelina. Kinda cool even if we did scare the hell out of the little baby javelinas. The balloon ride was just part of the experience. This was a sunset flight. Im pretty biased but IMHO there arent many places that have comparable sunsets to ours.

Self portrait of Debbie and I with the sunset

After we landed ( in the middle of a dry wash ) in the middle of the dessert, the support truck and van were waiting for us. Just when you might think our experience wouldve been over, you were wrong. Waiting for us were two tables with table cloths, fine china and linens, champagne flutes and hour derves. Yes, we cracked open champagne, gave a toast had a drink and sat down to some great food and conversation. It was nice and dark by then but the candlelight allowed us to see. After a while ( and 4 glasses of champagne ) it was time to head back to Deer Valley Airport and call it a night. We definatley had a blast and might someday do another balloon ride.

Captain Mike breaking open the first bottle of bubbly

Our food

Debbie hording the bubbly =)

The end of a wonderful experience fading with the sun

RandomCam

2008-11-06T08:46:00.001-08:00

Wow, I went a whole month without a RandomCam entry. I dont know the reason why, but I dont have many pics of Sarah on my phone. Here's one I shot a few weeks ago when we were at Burger King for dinner.

A Historic Election

2008-11-05T13:45:00.001-08:00

Well unless you live under a rock, you are well aware that Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States yesterday. Im glad I took the time out of my day yesterday to cast my ballot in this historic election. Only God knows whats going to happen next with thie nation of ours. It will be an interesting time in our lives.

Its A Special Day

2008-11-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

Today is November 4th, 2008. Election Day here in the USA. History will be made in one way or another tonight as we will either have our first African-American president or our first female vice president.

But thats not whats special about today.

Today is my grandfather's birthday. Had he not left us earlier this year, we would be celebrating his 84th birthday. Even though he is no longer with us, this date on the calendar will always be special. I love and miss my grandfather. I have many wonderful memories of him that I will always cherish. Im glad he lived long enough to see me grow up, marry and have two wonderful children. Im glad they got to spend time around him. They might not have had the chance to build as many memories with him but they are old enough that they will remember him for years to come.

This is a pic of me, the San Diego Padres Padre and grandpa just after he threw the first pitch of a San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs spring training game in Peoria, AZ a couple of years ago. I entered grandpa in a contest through my work and he was selected to throw out the first pitch. He really loved it and I was glad he was able to do it.

Another one bites the dust

2008-11-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

We came home night from small church group to find our parakeet Kylie dead in the bottom of the cage. When our other parakeet died in September the kids didnt see it dead so we just disposed of it and told the kids the bird flew away. There was none of that this time as Tyler heard Debbie tell me the seconnd bird died. So there was no hiding anything this time as the kids both saw the bird dead. Now we are down to just Popcorn, Sarah's hamster. Pretty amazing how a month and a half ago we had 4 pets, now we are down to one, Weve kicked the idea of getting another dog around but havent acted on it. I dont think Im ready for another one just yet. Maybe we can get a turtle =)

A Possible Source of Speechlessness

2008-10-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in an entry a couple of days ago that I for once was speechless and wasnt sure of the reason. Deep down I know one of the reasons, I was just denying it or surpressing it as best as I could.

Earlier this year I was diagnosed with Andropause. To keep the definition short and sweet, basicaly my testosterone is on the decline. With the decline in testosterone level comes many different symptoms. Some of those symptoms can be depression, mood swings, non injury aches and pains, loss of sexual desire, fatigue just to name a few. I suffer from several of them. To combat this, I started a hormone replacement therapy in late spring. Basicaly I was given an injection of testosterone in pellet form that slowly over time released into my system and brought my level up higher. Im not sure what the numbers mean but before I started the therapy my level was less than 300. A male my age should be at a minimum of 750. About midway through the summer my level was checked again and I was in the mid 500s. Better but not were it needs to be. With the therapy I have to get injections twice a year. Well I can see that its time as some of my symptoms have come back in full force. I would assume my level has dropped again. Not sure if on this next go around my Dr. will increase the amount of pellets I get or what. I guess its something I need to discuss with him.

Needless to say I know I need to do something. Its not such a great feeling when your wife tells you, "I wish you'd get your next shot". Heh, easy for her to say. She doesnt have to go in, get a local injection, have an incision made and a small load of pellets ( which I cant feel ) inserted into my upper glute area. Its a bit humbling and painful but in the end its worth it. Its also nice to know theres a reason why for the last year or more I have been moody, depressed and so short tempered at times. Not to mention the aches and pains I was feeling. Some of them were from the low testosterone level. Ive learned a bit of the last 4-6 months about some of this stuff.

If youve made it through all of this entry, thank you. If your still gonna check in back in after finding out a bit more about me than you had planned, awesome. Some of you might have heard a bit about this before on Kick but obviously without as much detail. Thanks for reading and being patient with me

More cowbell and the Transfomer's song

2008-10-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

With the amount of time we spend in the car a day ( a minimum of 2 hours ) music is very important to my family. Actualy its always beem important to Debbie but its taking on a new or different meaning for the kids and I. Im resistant to change when it comes to my choice in music so Im pretty much stuck in the 80s with a splash of the 90s and today thrown in. Its not unusual for my kids to sing along to and enjoy Styx, Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson, Nickelback etc. Today as a matter of fact Tyler was singing along to Joan Jett and The Blackheart's I Love Rock and Roll.

Lately, once a song is over, Tyler will ask the name of the song and the artist. Sometimes he gives me the reponse of "correct Daddy" or there are times when we get to Amy's house ( T's baby sitter ) he will inform her of what he was listening to.

On our way to T-ball practice we were listening to Blue Oyster Cult's Dont Fear The Reaper. I guess I never really paid attention to how much cowbell is played in that song. I mean ive always heard the joke about "more cowbell" but never paid it much attention. The sound of the cowbell brought me back to near the finish line in Philly when Lori was banging away on Colleen's cowbell at last years Marathon/Half Marathon. Hard to believe its been a year since I was back there and saw all those people.

The next song that was played was Linkin Park's "What Ive Done" Good song as most are from Linkin Park. When the song was over Tyler asked me, daddy what was that song. When I told him he told me "no, thats the Transformers song. At first I was a bit puzzled and then I remembered he had seen the Transformer's movie at Amy's house and it mustve been in the movie. Sure enough after some Google searching I found the soundtrack and the songs and artists and there it was. Smart little shit =)

Well this entry was a much better one compared to yesterdays. Guess I just needed more cowbell =+D

Wow, for once im speechless

2008-10-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

I dont have alot to say lately. Not sure why that is. I noticed I havent written an entry in a week or more. I could talk about my stupid human trick but nah, thats old news already. I could talk about my weight loss. I am back down below 190 again. I dropped 2 lbs since a week ago Monday. Just dont have much to say. Hopefully that changes soon

T Minus 2 months and counting

2008-10-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well I jumped on the scale Saturday morning as it was the 18th and two months till my birthday. I had lost .6 from when I was on the scale Monday. Its a step in the right direction.

At this point I am 15 lbs from my goal. That means I have to lose 7.5 lbs a month in the next two months. This is were my half empty nature gets going. Im trying to remain positive but its getting harder. In the grand scheme of things, even if I dont make my goal, I wont consider this journey a failure. Since the 1st of the year Ive lost 14 lbs ( had dopped 18 at one point but hit a rough spell ) Ive dropped at least two inches in my waist and ive had people actualy comment on my weight loss. All good things. So even if I dont make the goal of losing 30 lbs, there are still plenty of positives to outweigh the one negative.

Dont get me wrong, im not throwing in the towel. Im going to continue the fight. Ive still got pounds to lose and time to do it =)

I need to quit betting beers =)

2008-10-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Im not much of a betting man usualy but yesterday I entered into a little wager with Kris. Her Cleveland Browns were playing my New York Giants on Monday night football. I shot her a txt msg yesterday afternoon and asked it she wanted to bet a beer on the outcome of the game payable at the next 30s meetup we are at together. She said sure and that she'd pick out a good beer for me when It came time to collect. I thought to myself, the Browns just might beat the GIants as they dont have anything to lose going into the game. Well sure enough the Browns kicked the crap out of the Giants. I will happily pay up my debt when I see Kris sometime next year.

This is the second time in a year ive lost a beer involving beer. I bet Bob Wilber, who is my favorite FunnyCar driver Del Worsham's team manager, a beer on the outcome of a Minnesota WIld vs. Phoenix Coyotes NHL hockey game last season. I lost that one too. Ill be paying up on that beer next month in Pomona, CA at the NHRA Finals.

It would be easier to bet money =) I do better at that

Another Saturday, another Tyler T-ball game

2008-10-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

This week's game was a little different in that head coach Brenda wasnt there. She was partying in Rocky Point Mexico for her birthday. So two other dads and myself took to running the team. It was fun. As Debbie said in her blog recently we will probalby be spending alot of time at baseball fields with Tyler. I think he'd play everyday if given the chance.

Whats amazing to me is, when it comes to baseball personaly, I can take it or leave it. I only played one season of Little League growing up and I hated it. Tyler seems to have a gift for it. He can hit the ball pretty well, has a strong throwing arm ( and he's a lefty ) and fields the ball pretty well. And he's 4! Who knows with him.

Speaking of sports and ones I do like. I might go play open hockey at the inline rink I used to play at. Its been over a year since I played last. If my back is up to it, I may just go lace up the skates, put the pads on and see how it goes. We shall see.

I told Deb the other day that I may sign up for a league here shortly. Guess it all depends on how the open hockey sessions go.

Thanks for reading!

San Antonio, TX

2008-10-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Have never been to San Antonio but I hear its a great city. Being I'm an American history buff, Id love to visit the city especialy to see the Alamo and to take a cruise down the river walk. I apparently have a reader of my blog from the San Antonion area but yet I dont know anybody that lives in San Antonio. Vedy, vedy interesting.. ;) Would be interesting to know who my mystery reader is.

Positives and Negatives with my weight loss

2008-10-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I got on the scale on Monday. I definately didnt like what I saw. I could very easily blame my shitty ( yes I skipped bad and poor ) eating and drinking choices on being depressed over the loss of Shiver the week before. No, thats not fair to my dog, I was just an idiot last week. Why am I so harsh on myself, I gained 3 lbs in a week's time. Ugh.

I know my good friend Kris will say it was just one moment in time and it will pass. This I know, Im just mad at myself.

Moving on to better things. I got paid a compliment today. While I was at the Peoria central office today, an equipment installer that I havent seen in more than a year noticed I had lost weight. He struck up a brief conversation asking me what I was doing differently, was I exercising, etc. I just told him I was trying to make better choice in what I was cramming in my pie hole and yes, I was exercising more. He told me he had quit smoking but had gained weight once he did. I said yeah, the food actualy tasted good now that you werent smoking, he laughed.

While Im thinking about it, I took a piece of info that Kris shared on Kick about a website she uses through about.com thats a calorie counting website. Just in the two days I have entered my caloric intake I can see why losing weight can be a challenge for me. According to the website, Im supposed to be consuming 2100 calories a day. Yesterday I took in 3200. Today, ill be lucky if I took in 1600. I nneed to get more consistent in my intake.

Thats about it for now. Only about 2 1/4 months to go, wish me luck on my remaining journey.

Coach Frankie Pt 2, or what I did Saturday

2008-10-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

Well Tylers first t-ball came and went. It went pretty well. At this age and skill level they dont count wins, losses, runs or anything like that. Its all about learning the game in a non pressure, fun sort of way. I wound up helping out at second base when our kids were in the field and I helped the kids with batting. Each team had two turns batting and two tunrns fielding. The umpire told me after the game was over that before the end of the season the kids will get 3 and 3 as they get a bit faster with things. Im glad my mom, dad and neice Makayla were able to make Tylers game. Here are some pics...

Tyler prior to the game

Taking a swing...

Me keeping an eye on the kids

Tyler and I post game

After lunch, we headed to the Solid Rock indoor rock climbing gym to celebrate nephew Ryans 7 th birthday. We had a pretty good time. Even Tyler got into the rock climbing a bit. He went about 2/3rd the way the wall and then he got a bit scared

All in all a really busy day for us. After the rock gym ( were I saw Kris's twin =) ) We went back to Deb's sister's house for pizza and birthday cake and ice cream ( and to watch the 'Huskers get the crapped kicked out of them =) )

We had two tired kids on are hands after all that. Gotta love fun time spent with the wife and kids.

This coming weekend wont be quite as much fun, we have another t-ball game and then im cleaning out the garage, its a huge mess.

Thanks for reading!

Coach Frankie?

2008-10-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Before anybody from Kick gets any ideas, Im not taking Trevors place as a running coach. Tyler started t-ball last week. His coach, Brenda, is new to coaching. She let us parents know that we can have 4 coaches on the field during game play to help the kids. She asked if any of us parents would be interested in helping with the kids during practice and during games. Several of us volunteered.

Last night after about 10 minutes of the kids playing catch ( or attempting to, they are 4-6 year olds ) we broke up into 4 smaller groups and each group practiced some thing different for 5-10 minutes. Then we rotated the kids. I got to show the kids how to run the bases. Brenda wants the kids to learn to just touch the inside corner of the bases as they run and what the go ahead and stop signs are. Uh yeah. We practiced it, some kids got it, some kids not so much. I thought Tyler had alot of energy, a few of his teamates have him beat. After the little exercises we then had the kids take turns batting and fielding. Tylers favorite part is batting and he didnt quite get the fact that he had to take turns.

I think its kinda fun being an assistant coach. Debbie has mentioned to me several times in the past about volunteering to coach inline or ice hockey ( as I have so many years of playing it under my decreasing belt ) I havent gotten around to doing that yet but I am enjoying helping with Tylers t-ball thus far. Who knows, maybe in the next season or two Ill step up and be a head coach.

Tyler's first game is Saturday morning. Hopefully Ill have some pictures I can share of it.

Thanks for reading

Weight loss update

2008-09-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

Last weigh in for the month of September came and went yesterday. I was glad to have lost 1.2 lbs from last week but upset at myself for being up .4 from the beginning of the month. Definately not the way I was hoping the month would end. I had hoped to be somewere around 182-183 lbs by this time. As it stands im sitting at 187.0. There is a positive side though. At one point this month I was back up to 189.2 so it could always be worse.

I did manage to finish off the month with the trips to the Y at least 3-4 times a week the last two weeks of the month. Im starting to see some results as I have a bit of definition in my arms and my legs. Plus I dont have DOMS after every visit to the gym thankfully.

I have to put some thought into my goals for October and ill be posting those tomorrow

RandomCam

2008-09-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Been a few weeks since we had a RandomCam entry. Took this Saturday morning up at Shadow Rim camp.

Shiver

2008-09-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

Our beloved Siberian Husky Shiver, who we adoted at the age of 2, had to be put to sleep tonight. We came home from Tyler's t-ball practice Wednesday night and I immediatley noticed SHiver was noticeably draggin her right rear foot. I no sooner noticed that, and the next thing I know she's crashing into furniture and the walls. Something was definatley wrong. Then she started falling over and when she was donw, couldnt get back up off the ground. She has had slightly similar episodes like this befroe but not quite this bad. We decided to see how she was today before we made a decision. Debbie got home before I did and saw no improvement with her. So she called Shiver's normal vet, they werent able to see her, Shiver's prior vet's office was closed. So once I got home I wound up taking her the Emergency Animal Clinic. There upon carrying her into the waiting room, she was taken back into the exam room. I was watching a bit of Survivor on the tv when I was brought into a separate exam room. Huh? Shortly thereafter Dr Landry came in an gave me the news. Shiver had developed neurological deficits and was having heart issues. There really werent many options. I was told there were no gaurantees and even if Shiver got over the neurological deficits, her suddenly developed heart condition could possibly be the death of her. After calling and talking to Debbie we decided to have Shiver euthanized.

I was with her when she was put to sleep. It was a very peaceful for her but still very very sad. Once again that overly sensitive side came out in me and I cried my eyes out. I know in my heart I made the right decision. Shiver was almost 13 years old, lived a full life and I didnt want to have her suffeirng and/or pass away at home. Been there done that with Nanook, our original husky.

When it rains it pours around this place. While I was at the animal hospital with SHiver, Debbie found one of our parakeets dead in the bottom of the birdcage. Pretty amazing how in the span of a few hours, we lost half of our family pets.

We havent discussed getting another dog. As little as we our home, it doesnt really seem fair to have a dog at this point. But then again Debbie and I have always had dogs in our life so who knows, maybe down the road, we might get another.

Here's a picture of our beloved Shiver from a couple of years ago

Somethings I just dont get

2008-09-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Debbie and I were watching a program on tv last night ( think it was on Discovery Health or something ) about a paralyzed lady who gave birth to a little boy. Now the lady wasnt a quadraplegic but she did have limited ues of her upper extremities. My question is, why would somebody in that position want to have a child? If you are dependent on others ( her husband, caretakers ) to take care of you a good part of the time, why have a child? Now I grant you this woman can love her son with all of her heart, but she cant feed him, change diapers, hold him etc. I just dont get it.

Maybe its just me and maybe I need to expand my horizons or think outside of the box, feel free to chime in on this.

Thanks for reading!

Score!!

2008-09-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

After many weeks of trying, I finally scored a Wii Fit. Went over to Best Buy at break, and waited for the store to open. I was the third customer in. I asked the girl at the front if they had an Fits left, she had another girl go and check, sure enough at least one in stock. Ill take it.

This is the first Wii game I got excited about. Something Debbie and I can do to improve our fitness as its hard at times to get to the gym ( for Deb anyways ) Heck between that bitchin' new Reebok treadmill, the Wii Fit and the new stability ball I bought yesterday, we should be set.

Cant wait to try it out when we get home.

The Start

2008-09-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well Its been almost 48 hours since Ive had a Coke or Pepsi. I had thought about getting a Coke yesterday morning as I didnt want the last soda I drank to be the Pepsi I had at dinner Thursday night. But I didnt give in to temptation. Ive had a headache this afternoon but not sure if its from the lack of caffeine, my disc or a migraine. I took two 500mg of Tylenol and it seems to be helping. Im hoping I can finally kick the Coke habit. It sure would help on the wight loss.

T Minus 3 Months And Counting

2008-09-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

As the calendar to my right tells me, today is September 18th, three months till my 37th birthday and my goal of losing 30 lbs this year.

I hopped on the scale this a.m to see exactly were I am at weight wise thus determining how far I have to go. First I want to say Kris was right. My weigh in Monday was just one moment in time. I got on the scale today and had dropped 1 lb from Monday, so maybe it was just hig sodium foods and good beer last week. Im currently at 188 lbs, down 16 lbs from January 1st. 14 more lbs to go, so slightly over 4 lbs a month for the next 3 months. Ive lost more than that in the past.

This week was the first week were I met my September goal of hitting the Y at least 3-4 times a week. I feel pretty good though about it. Im even begining to notice some definition in places that I didnt before. Maybe I should take some pics now and then maybe 6 months from now to see how much ( if any ) difference there is.

Oh, today I am quitting soda ( again ). Like many folks have told me, the weight will drop off even faster once I quit drinking Coke and Pepsi.

Wish me luck and thanks for reading!

That was teh suck

2008-09-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

I didnt want to write this entry. Then I thought with the good comes the bad. I got on the scale this a.m. and about shit when I saw the readout. I let it run it's course and then tried it again. Same thing. In one week's time I managed to gain 2.5 lbs! How in the hell did I manage that. Its not like I sat down and ate a quart of Ben and Jerrys, chugged a keg of beer and and downed 15 cheeseburgers, wtf? I guess I just made enough poor eating and drinking decisions last week that I gained a bunch of weight back. Damn it! Although I must say the 6 pack of beer over the week tasted good =)

I guess I just needed a reality check and that I need to refocus on the goal at hand and that is to lose 3-4 lbs in the remaining days of this month. It can be done, I just nned to get it done.

Wish me luck!

Random Observation

2008-09-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

As I was driving today to get my hair cut, I couldnt help but notice the signs in the ( ever present ) road construction areas. The warned the operator of tractors of the danger of overhead power lines. They listed the voltage of each of the power lines. I thought to myself, why does it matter if its 7500 volts or 10,000, either way you are going to get smoked if you make contact with those lines or at the least get seriously hurt and or burnt. Not sure what to think about that.

I had some others but between fatigue and this good beer, they seemed to have slipped my mind =)

Patriot Day

2008-09-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe its been 7 years since the 9/11 attacks. Time flies wether you are having fun or not. Sarah was just 6 months old at the time of the attacks and she's now a month into 2nd grade. Wow!

While I dont recall any of the prior day's activities I do remember very clearly how I found out about the attacks.

My mother is a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines and was one at the time of the attacks. I was working 4 to midnight at the time and caring for Sarah during the day. Due to the time difference between the east coast and AZ the attacks were very early in the morning for us. The phone woke me up at around 630 that morning. My mother informed me that she was safe and on the ground. I said to her "that's nice, did you have to call me, wake me up, and tell me that?" She had never once called me in the prior 3 years to tell me she was on the ground. She asked me if I had any idea what had happened that morning. I told her no. that I was sleeping. It was then that she told me that we had been bombed. She was lucky, she was halfway between Oklahoma City and Phoenix when all aircraft were grounded. The FAA allowed her plane to continue on to Phoenix as there wasnt anywere nearby the plane couldve landed safely.

So I like so many millions of people jumped out of bed and stayed glued to the tv for minutes, hours, days it seemed like. I can remember looking at Sarah bouncing in her little bouncer oblivious to everything, tears welling up in my eyes wondering what kind of world I brought her into.

Obviously many things have changed since that Tuesday morning. Some good, some bad. It was so strange going to NYC after the attacks and not seeing the towers in the Manhattan skyline anymore. Im just thankful that there havent been anymore attacks on US soil and that we have the brave men and women of our armed forces protecting our way of life. God bless the soliders, law enforcement and firefighters!

Ok, the next entry will be more upbeat. Its not like im down in the dumps, just seemed like the thign to write about.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2008-09-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

Obviously we were all kids once ( actualy most days I refuse to grow up ) and we said things in that were humdingers im sure. I have 6 nieces and nephews by marriage and blood and Ive heard some good ones out of them. My two kids are no exception.

Ill be the first to admit for a guy Im pretty sensitive. Sarah said something that hurt. Most guys wouldve blown it off and I shouldve too. But I didnt. She was mad at me about something this mornign while she as the dining room table. She turned to me and said "I didnt choose you to be my daddy" I repsonded to her " she didnt have a choice" Ive heard out of her before "your mean", "your dumb" and even an "I hate you" every once in a while. Kinda harsh out of a 7 year old but shes says what she feels at the time.

This time though her comment hurt. I dont know what it was but it stuck. It bothered me the rest of the time at home and while we were driving this morning. Obviously here it is 3 hours later and its still on my mind. It doesnt sting like it did before thankfully. Ill get over it. Im sure there will be another time or two ( or lots ) down the road and they might hurt to. Im just not looking foward to it.

Sorry for downer post Ill have something more cheerful next time