Contrasts

Saturday was a day of extreme contrasts.  It started by heading to the local sports store to sign Eli up for tee-ball.  What a crazy thought: a child of mine playing  a sport.  I probably should find an ‘Idiots guide to tee-ball’.  While there the guy asked if we were going to sign Zay up for the four year old league.  So there standing in front of this guy who looks at kids all day was a five and two year old.  He thought my two year old was four.  Contrast #1

We rushed home to push the kids out the door so Holly and I could attend a funeral for a two year old in our church.  He died of brain cancer.  Sitting in a church looking at a casket that is sized to hold the same size age as your own child will rock your world.  Watching a video tribute where you can see your son sit next to a kid that is dead will rock your world.  Contrast #2

After the church ceremony we were waiting on the family to leave.  This family has a seven week old son.  Yes while their son was on chemo and grasping for a miracle, the had another son.  In this sad saga, the family learned of their son’s illness four months before he passed.  Their lives changes through death and birth that quick.  Contrast #3 The odd sound of an infant child crying at the funeral of a two year old is quite an amazing contrast.  Contrast #4

We left the funeral and had about an hour to our self to regain some emotional strength.  We met Holly’s immediate family and her aunt and uncle out for dinner.  In that short time we went from weeping over the loss of a child to seeing pictures of Hawaiian vacations, New York mission trips, and the great joy of listening to grandparent bragging.  Contrast #5

Life, Death, Joy…all in a day of contrasts.

Backwards and Forwards

"Life is understood backwards, but lived forwards." - Unknown

Our vision is to be a family that serves God and is free from as many strings in this world that tie us down and limit our ability to react to his moving.   One of the big ways for that to happen is to be debt free.  If you have been around me long at all you know I have always had a 'pay down debt' plan.  It takes focus and discipline to really be debt free, something Holly and I both lack in the financial realm.  Our 'debt free' goal did not make near the progress it should have in 2012, and in a few ways it went backwards.  But I believe that the last quarter of the year really showed us what debt free can and will do for us.  I sense momentum building, excitement birthing, and discipline sprouting.  I am looking forward to focusing in on our finances in 2013.

Personally, 2012's focus was on 'health and fitness' for me.  With a million genetics not working in my favor, I really need to work on a lifestyle of health and fitness, not just spurts.  And if I am being honest there really have not been any big spurts of it in my life either.  I heard a cadiologist make a statement once that heartattacks that happen in your 50's started with choices made in your 30's.  I am working towards not being apart of that statistic. 

Mostly, I am excited to report that I am considering this 2012 resolution achieved!  Sure my goal was to lose more weight and to be able to run that 5k.  I missed my 'goal' number by a long shot and I can't run 5k either.  But that isn't what is important.  Several major victories were achieved.

1. I joined a gym.  I am super self conscious and never more so than in a gym or in a pool.  I don't know the first thing about free weights and I have to read the instructions on the machines.  The guy next to me on the treadmill is running and I am walking and out of breath.  The idea of a locker room frightens me.  But you know what...it doesn't matter.  That guy running isn't looking at me, and if he is he is probably thinking what I am thinking...at least he is here and not at home eating McDonald's.  They print instructions on those machines for two reasons: legal liability and so you will know how to use them.  And you can come home smelly and avoid the locker room altogether; your wife is just glad you went.

They gym I joined is open 24/7 and has a thirty minute express circuit room.  I got up real early one morning and took my time to read the instructions on what you were suppose to do, read each machine, and figure it all out.  After a week I feel in LOVE with this circuit room.  In a million years if you had told me I would like going to a gym I would have laughed.  I really do enjoy the gym.  I enjoy the days I treadmill and just listen to the news or watch HGTV (they are smart and put it next to ESPN so other guys don't really know which TV I am listening to and watching).  I enjoy the post circuit room feeling of alert and awareness.  I enjoy the hour and a half of alone time (just enough for this 98% extrovert).

Now I am being honest and saying I am currently out of routine at the gym, but starting at 6am in the morning, me and my gym are back at it!

2. I got my diet in focus.  Through a friend I got inspired to try Advocare.  Google it or email me if you want more info.  I have had great results.  In a month I have lost 13 lbs.  Not crazy weight loss, but I am more than happy.  I am a size down in pants.  I have lost inches all over my fat bodied self.  Additionally, I have so much energy, it is amazing.  Besides eating five small meals, I am drinking water. 

Before Thanksgiving if you asked me any given day at bed time how much raw water I had drank, I would have told you 0 ounces.  Since Thanksgiving I have focused on drinking water and I routinely get 40-70 ounces a day of plain water.  Additionally, I gave up all soft drinks and crazy sugar drinks.  After three days of caffeine headaches,  I have had zero cravings for Coke.  Pre change I would easily drink 40-60 ounces of Coke a day; more if we ate out for dinner.  I have maybe had three ounces in the last month and it just tastes weird. 

Like any lifestyle and diet change, it has its challenges.  But I am excited to be out of the holidays and get back into routine of eating well, making smart decisions, drinking my water, and having my small meals.

2013 will be the  year of hitting a goal weight, gaining overall fitness (not just dieting) and having the energy and focus to achieve my personal goals.

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So there you have it.  In addition the the 'normal' resolutions, I would like to get back to my random blogging.  I love doing it and maybe more people would read and comment if I was more regular with my posting. 

I do hope you achieved some of your 2012 resolutions and I hope you set some great goals for 2013!

35 days remaining

by Justin

There are 35 days remaining to make progress on those New Year's resolutions.  How are yours coming along?  I making a last minute charge.  It is never too late!  Come on now, get yourself in gear, it isn't too late!

A New Year Dawns

By Justin

 A new year is unfolding - like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within. -Unknown

 In my persistence that I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist, rarely do I feel the need to look upon the new year as a time to truly make resolutions or changes.  It is, in fact, just a day on the calendar arbitrarily created to document the completely human need to chronicle time.  Should changes be warranted in your life, why should January 1st be any different than any other day. 

However, this year I have been reading Dave Ramsey's EntreLeadership.  His chapter on dreams, visions, missions and goals has pushed me to rethink my plan.  I am giving 'resolutions' a go this year.

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. - Benjamin Franklin

So in line with his thinking, Holly and I have started the dialog about making our dreams for our family realities.  Casting a vision and getting specific on what it is going to take to accomplish it.  To look with anticipation forward into what our life can be as a family.  These have big ramifications on the individual dreams and goals for our family as well and just like a good vision greatly affect the individual goals I am setting for myself.  

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning. - T.S. Elliot

 I am not going to share my specific goals.  I want the changes that are made to be done out of a genuine desire to see the vision to fruition.  My accountability will be with myself and those individuals around me that I know and trust.  I am excited to see what is just around the bend in the tracks ahead.  A new year dawns...and I am excited.

Pinkwashing

by Justin

I must start by saying this: Breast cancer is a terrible, horrible, no good thing.  Like many of our cancers, it devastates lives and families.  We can and should find a cure.

I must also say that the 'pinkwashing' of October makes me want to puke.  I am sick of everything and the world that stands still and can be sold being in that perfect shade of pink.  In Lubbock, Texas this month you could have attended a "Pink Out" - Texas Tech Volleyball Game, the Komen Race, or the "We Think Pink in Lubbock" event, among others. 

Like everywhere else you can buy pink guns, pink pins, pink purses, pink...pink..pink.  All with a 'portion of the proceeds' going toward the cure.  On facebook I have no less than six friends raising vast amounts of cash for their Komen walks.  Walking is great.  Walking is rewarding.  Walking can accomplish great things and fund great research. 

The Komen for the Cure foundation spent 80.5% of their budget on program expenses last year.  That is actually fairly respectable.  Their revenue was some 312 million dollars.  I am just left wondering if their popularization of pink caused a marketing boom, with little real ramification on donations.

I am aware that not all 'pink events' go to fund Komen.  But by far they are the marketing geniuses behind this crazy.  And frankly, I wish that I didn't have to stare at pink everywhere I turned for an entire month.

Roadside Memorial

By Justin

Please, please do me a favor.  If by some stroke of fate I end up dieing in a tragic roadside accident, please don't erect a memorial in my honor.  I figure I have annoyed enough people in my life than to keep on annoying the guys who have to mow around my memorial long after I depart from earth.

This random thought brought to you by 23 hours alone in a car back and forth between El Paso and Lubbock, twice...

Life on the Road

By Justin

Well I am going on the road for work.  It has been a while, and never with two kids at home.  I am headed to El Paso to lend a hand to my coworkers.  I will be gone for two weeks followed by a week at a conference.  Starting Monday I will spend two nights in my bed in eighteen days.  It will be a challenging time for our family, mostly for Holly.  I will be home on labor day weekend, but we are in Friona for the holiday.  The following weekend I get home on Friday and leave Saturday morning for the conference.  Bad timing all around, but necessary.

I have been surprised at the overall lack of response on the previous posts.  The original post is the number one visited post on our blog in the last year.  More interesting than that is the follow up post.  I can see 'referring site' stats and the site that is the number one referrer is quite interesting.  I won't put that out here for everyone to see, cause it really doesn't matter, but it definitely amuses me that I know people are reading, but not commenting.  Maybe I am underestimating how much people care.

Maybe people just want to see pictures of the kids.  Guess I can make that happen and really leave my ranting to my friends.  They love it...no really they do...wait do I have friends..

hmmmmm  Guess i will give you what you really want.