I won the lottery! My wife is equal to those powerball winning stats. She is without question 1 in 175 million!
I decided last January that in 12 months, I was going to complete my first Ironman. I don’t think the time commitment sunk in until October as I started focusing on longer training sessions. During the 12 weeks prior to the race I have and will be swimming, biking, and running more than I ever have before. I say that, not to brag but to set the stage. Linds and I have always shared the parenting and household workload. As my morning swims are getting longer, I am not able to get home before Linds and the monkey leave for school. I was cutting my swim short a few weeks to get home on time, before Linds told me “finish your workout, its ok”. This might seem small to some, but it is huge for me. I get R up, make her breakfast, and make sure she brushes her teeth each morning while Linds gets ready. We have this done to a science. The alarm would go off (for the 15th time) at 6am. By 6:35am Linds and R are out the door, dressed, showered, and fed. Now 3 mornings a weeks Linds is getting herself and R ready and still having to leave at the same time.
On Wednesday nights, Linds teaches a running group at church which does not get us home until around 8pm. Last night, like so many before, Linds started cooking a great meal at 8pm after working a full day and leading the group! On Tuesday night, Linds was cleaning tables at McDonald’s for the PTA, and a few Saturday’s ago she volunteered to sit in a chair for 15 minutes and get pied in the face to help her school raise money. I have never done a load of laundry in 16 years because of Linds!
Linds is both my anchor as well as the wind in my sails. She always knows exactly when to push and went to reel me back in. There is no way I would be where I am without her.
When I cross the finish line in January, it will be because of her support and encouragement.
I love you Linds!
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ---e. e. cummings
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Thursday, November 14, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Cleaning out, not up
If your house was on fire and you had less than 5 minutes, what would you take? Would you be able to deal with losing everything else?
“The things you used to own, now they own you.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
This is a great quote. Over the last month Linds and I have been cleaning out. We are on the verge of the biggest yard sale in history. What happens after the sale? Everything that is left goes to Goodwill. Nothing goes back into the house.
I started asking the question of; “why do we hold on to stuff?” For example, how many cups do you have in your kitchen cabinets? Now ask yourself, have you ever had that many people at your house at one time when you did not use disposable cups? If your answer is no, then why are you keeping them? It is easy to get overwhelmed and stressed with always having to clean the house. But, in reality we are mostly “organizing” not scrubbing. I read on a blog that “organizing is nothing more than managed hoarding”. Since we cleaned out, it takes far less time to really clean, which means less time and stress.
Too often we hold on to things as a way to have a tangible memory. I have a lot of great memories. I remember helping my grandpa build a tree house in our back yard. I remember learning to ride a bike and getting my drivers license. I remember boarding up a house on Sunset Beach during a hurricane and sitting with Linds after surgery watching 90210. When the memories fade as I know they will, I will still know I had a great life. I don’t need a program from my Eagle ceremony to remind me of my scouting days. I have the memory of Dad and I taking turns pumping up an air mattress for what seemed like forever.
Now, I am not saying that you should sell everything you own and go live in the woods (although the thought has crossed my mind). I am simply saying that letting go of stuff does not mean that you are letting go of the memories too. Let your possessions add value to your life, not define and control you.
“The things you used to own, now they own you.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
This is a great quote. Over the last month Linds and I have been cleaning out. We are on the verge of the biggest yard sale in history. What happens after the sale? Everything that is left goes to Goodwill. Nothing goes back into the house.
I started asking the question of; “why do we hold on to stuff?” For example, how many cups do you have in your kitchen cabinets? Now ask yourself, have you ever had that many people at your house at one time when you did not use disposable cups? If your answer is no, then why are you keeping them? It is easy to get overwhelmed and stressed with always having to clean the house. But, in reality we are mostly “organizing” not scrubbing. I read on a blog that “organizing is nothing more than managed hoarding”. Since we cleaned out, it takes far less time to really clean, which means less time and stress.
Too often we hold on to things as a way to have a tangible memory. I have a lot of great memories. I remember helping my grandpa build a tree house in our back yard. I remember learning to ride a bike and getting my drivers license. I remember boarding up a house on Sunset Beach during a hurricane and sitting with Linds after surgery watching 90210. When the memories fade as I know they will, I will still know I had a great life. I don’t need a program from my Eagle ceremony to remind me of my scouting days. I have the memory of Dad and I taking turns pumping up an air mattress for what seemed like forever.
Now, I am not saying that you should sell everything you own and go live in the woods (although the thought has crossed my mind). I am simply saying that letting go of stuff does not mean that you are letting go of the memories too. Let your possessions add value to your life, not define and control you.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Being thorough is fine, but I was talking about Thoreau
It has been exactly 6 months since my last real post. A lot has happened during that time.
Most recently Linds and I have started to embrace the ideas of minimalists. We are not planning on moving into the woods and living with the wildlife, so no need to worry. I look around the house and see all of the “stuff” and think “Why do I need this?”. I can admit that many purchases I have made over the years have not been out of need or function, but simply out of the desire to impress myself or others. When I started to take stock of a lot of this “stuff”, I was surprised at the emotion that is attached to some of these things. Why should getting rid of a movie, a game, or whatever be so hard? Too often we attach value to something because it reminds us of a good memory. I have wonderful memories and pictures of the trip Linds and I went on to Europe after high school. But why does that make me hold on to a half used bottle of cologne from France (that does not smell that good anyway)? I am learning and accepting that the value added to my life is not the stuff but the experiences.
The plan is to reduce the clutter down to the “stuff” that we use, value, and/or serves a purpose. The second and more challenging part will be to keep the “stuff” to a minimum.
I am hoping that with the house simplified, the other parts of our lives will be easier to manage. It always seems to be easier to stick to a budget, a workout/training plan, or a meal plan when you come home and it is clean and neat.
This weekend will be a yard sale, trip to the dump and goodwill, and then hopefully some re-focusing on the budget, training, and cooking plans.
With focus being the goal, I think that ……………..Oh look a squirrel!
Most recently Linds and I have started to embrace the ideas of minimalists. We are not planning on moving into the woods and living with the wildlife, so no need to worry. I look around the house and see all of the “stuff” and think “Why do I need this?”. I can admit that many purchases I have made over the years have not been out of need or function, but simply out of the desire to impress myself or others. When I started to take stock of a lot of this “stuff”, I was surprised at the emotion that is attached to some of these things. Why should getting rid of a movie, a game, or whatever be so hard? Too often we attach value to something because it reminds us of a good memory. I have wonderful memories and pictures of the trip Linds and I went on to Europe after high school. But why does that make me hold on to a half used bottle of cologne from France (that does not smell that good anyway)? I am learning and accepting that the value added to my life is not the stuff but the experiences.
The plan is to reduce the clutter down to the “stuff” that we use, value, and/or serves a purpose. The second and more challenging part will be to keep the “stuff” to a minimum.
I am hoping that with the house simplified, the other parts of our lives will be easier to manage. It always seems to be easier to stick to a budget, a workout/training plan, or a meal plan when you come home and it is clean and neat.
This weekend will be a yard sale, trip to the dump and goodwill, and then hopefully some re-focusing on the budget, training, and cooking plans.
With focus being the goal, I think that ……………..Oh look a squirrel!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
My Truck kept my key and my wife took my money....No wait, reverse that!
“Sometimes grace comes as a punch in the face”-Mary Elder
This past week has been full of excitement for Lindsey’s marathon and our upcoming Disney trip. I let R watch the Disney promo DVD that we got in the mail last year. R must have watched it 10 times on Sunday! She is pumped. The last few days have also been filled with getting back into some routines that were let go during the holiday season. Workouts, grocery shopping, and meal planning have are getting back on track. I still have not made it back in the pool, but I know that will be coming.
Yesterday, R stated that she was big enough to ride all of the rides at Disney so we decided to test her theory. She is not quite tall enough to make it on all the rides, but she has grown about 2 inches since August! Linds had to get her some new pants to make sure she was not sporting high waters.
In the prep for our trip, I dropped the truck off for scheduled maintenance on Monday Morning. Little did I know that based on my mileage and wear, I needed not only an oil change and tire rotation, but a timing belt, water pump, brake pads, routers, and a battery! $1,675 later I am contemplating selling a kidney on e-bay. This morning got going with another speed bump. I got in my truck this morning to realize that my key was on Lindsey’s key ring since she picked up the truck yesterday! Oh Joy. So, Lindsey being very sweet, drove all the way across town after the school day for her had started to return my key.
Now, this is certainly a test in patience and resilience. It would be very easy to become depressed, but as a VanWilder says: “its like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it does not get you anywhere.” So I am taking this as a wakeup call that I need to tweek my organization and budgeting.
This past week has been full of excitement for Lindsey’s marathon and our upcoming Disney trip. I let R watch the Disney promo DVD that we got in the mail last year. R must have watched it 10 times on Sunday! She is pumped. The last few days have also been filled with getting back into some routines that were let go during the holiday season. Workouts, grocery shopping, and meal planning have are getting back on track. I still have not made it back in the pool, but I know that will be coming.
Yesterday, R stated that she was big enough to ride all of the rides at Disney so we decided to test her theory. She is not quite tall enough to make it on all the rides, but she has grown about 2 inches since August! Linds had to get her some new pants to make sure she was not sporting high waters.
In the prep for our trip, I dropped the truck off for scheduled maintenance on Monday Morning. Little did I know that based on my mileage and wear, I needed not only an oil change and tire rotation, but a timing belt, water pump, brake pads, routers, and a battery! $1,675 later I am contemplating selling a kidney on e-bay. This morning got going with another speed bump. I got in my truck this morning to realize that my key was on Lindsey’s key ring since she picked up the truck yesterday! Oh Joy. So, Lindsey being very sweet, drove all the way across town after the school day for her had started to return my key.
Now, this is certainly a test in patience and resilience. It would be very easy to become depressed, but as a VanWilder says: “its like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it does not get you anywhere.” So I am taking this as a wakeup call that I need to tweek my organization and budgeting.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
I have a feeling that this is going to be my best year! 13 has always been a good number for me. The year has already started out very exciting. I signed up this morning for the Bone Island ironman distance triathlon on January 4th 2014. This will be my first ironman distance triathlon, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile marathon.
While Bone Island taking my training into the end of the year for 2013, Linds is kicking off 2013 with her own huge goal. In 12 days Linds will be running the Disney Marathon! This will be her first full marathon and I am so incredibly proud and excited.
As many people do on New Year's Day we did a lot up cleaning up and refreshing around the house to start the year off on the best foot. As part of this, we took apart R's toddler bed and set up her first double bed! The monitor is gone, as is the diaper genie. In a way it is sad that she is growing up so fast, but it is also very exciting. R is so happy. I will also be getting back on the training wagon this evening with an easy paced run. I have been slack for the last two months since Beach-2-Battleship, but it is time to get moving again. For one, the spring will be here before I know it. Second, my pants are starting to get a little too tight!
So, for 2013 my goals are to keep life simple, be more consistent with my workouts, and enjoy everyday. 2013 will be better that good!
I have a feeling that this is going to be my best year! 13 has always been a good number for me. The year has already started out very exciting. I signed up this morning for the Bone Island ironman distance triathlon on January 4th 2014. This will be my first ironman distance triathlon, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile marathon.
While Bone Island taking my training into the end of the year for 2013, Linds is kicking off 2013 with her own huge goal. In 12 days Linds will be running the Disney Marathon! This will be her first full marathon and I am so incredibly proud and excited.
As many people do on New Year's Day we did a lot up cleaning up and refreshing around the house to start the year off on the best foot. As part of this, we took apart R's toddler bed and set up her first double bed! The monitor is gone, as is the diaper genie. In a way it is sad that she is growing up so fast, but it is also very exciting. R is so happy. I will also be getting back on the training wagon this evening with an easy paced run. I have been slack for the last two months since Beach-2-Battleship, but it is time to get moving again. For one, the spring will be here before I know it. Second, my pants are starting to get a little too tight!
So, for 2013 my goals are to keep life simple, be more consistent with my workouts, and enjoy everyday. 2013 will be better that good!
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