End of an Era

What Now?

On Monday, March 22, I turn in my part time stay-at-home Dad status for full time employee. I've been working toward this change for the better part of three years, and to finally have it has made life that much sweeter!

While I look forward with great excitement and anticipation I am grateful for the time I did get to spend as a part time SAHD. Those are days I will always treasure and look back with great fondness. So many dads feel lucky if they get to spend just a couple hours a week with their kids. I was truly blessed to get to spend so much time with mine, and I hope they felt the same way. I know that when I am sitting in my office I will look back and greatly miss those days.

This blog will always remind me of those days and how I got to share my experience, feelings and thoughts with the rest of the world (or at least the two to three dozen folks who stopped by to read my drivel). But, like all good things this too must come to an end. Since I will now be spending a great amount of my day at work, I want to make sure that when I am home I am HOME and spending my time with the people that mean the most too me, my always supportive wife and my wonderful kids. I don't want to sit in front of my computer writing things for strangers to read when I could be living in real time with my real family. Now please don't take these words as some kind of rant, they are not meant to be. After keeping this blog and reading so many others I do feel they serve a great purpose, both for the reader and writer. I have learned a lot from my fellow bloggers and I hope I have helped my readers a little too. It's just time for me to hang it up for a while and get back to reality.

I would never say never, and maybe after I get into a groove and find I do have some time to come back I will, so maybe you should check for whatnowdad every six months or so, just in case.

It has been fun, and I have enjoyed it. I wish you all the very best in life, and urge you to enjoy every second of it. We only go around this rock once so make it count.

For the last time (for now), peace out everybody!

GAME CHANGER

WHAT NOW?

Yesterday it happened.

Three weeks after my interview.

I thought the worst when I got the call.

I didn't know what to think when she offered me the job.

We spent all last night talking it over.

I woke up one hour before I needed to get out of bed thinking about it.

We talked more about it this morning.

I called her back to trying to raise the salary.

I then accepted the job.

Again, I didn't know what to think.

I called my parents to give them the good news.

B called her family to do the same.

By mid morning it hit me.....

And I have been smiling ever since.

Today is a happy day!

More later.............

Training Tuesday - The agony of da-feet

What Now?

If you are old like me and loved watching the Wide World of Sports you remember the opening of the show with "the thrill of victory" and "the agony of defeat" lines. I remember clearly the ski jumper taking a huge digger and crashing hard for defeat. Funny how I can't remember what the clip was for victory. Anyway, while watching some Olympic ski jumping my daughter asked me if the jumpers ever crash? I took her to the computer right away and youtubed that clip. Man, did that dude "F" himself up or what. Well, my post is not about that, but more my own agony.

Last year, just before I was set to run my first ever half marathon I got a bad case of plantar fasciitis in my left foot. I pulled out of the race and stopped running for a couple of months. When I started up again in December the foot felt great and I was back on track. I set out my goals for 2010 and number one on my list was to run another half marathon set for March 6. Everything has been going great until my long run 8 days ago. The next day I felt something in my right foot that sure felt like the beginning of plantar fasciitis. So, I started the healing routine again: ice, stretch, rolling my foot over a tennis ball, ibuprofen and no running all week.

Sunday, feeling great, I took off for my 10 mile long run. About mile 7 my foot starts to hurt, but not enough to get me to stop. I make it through the run OK, but that night my foot really started to hurt. For the past couple of days I have been in real pain. This sucks. I am 11 days away from finally running my first half marathon and I’m looking another DNS in the face. I really don’t want to pull out of it, but I also don’t want to make things worse and threaten the rest of my racing year.

B suggested I see the LMP-C IMT (integrated manual therapy) she sees for some intense sports therapy massage. This guy puts her through the ringer, but if he can get me to run on the 6th I’ll take the pain. The only real issue I have is HE IS A GUY and I have a long standing rule against having a male massage therapist…but I want to run that damn half, so I am breaking my rule this once. I just hope "it does not move" like it did for George on Seinfeld.

Here's to my journey into a new frontier.

Peace out!

Media Monday - 9, not a bad movie...even with dolls

What Now?

I am a sci fi geek. If it's in this genre you can bet I will watch it, and most likely enjoy it. When I saw the trailer for Tim Burton's "9" I thought I had found the exception. It looked more like a Saturday morning cartoon on some teeny bopper cable channel than a movie that I would enjoy. But, it went on the Netflix queue, somewhere near the button of the list, with little hope of making it to the mail slot.

Sometime I forget about the queue and am surprised when a movie comes that I was not expecting. And if it's a movie I'm not thrilled about to begin with there is a good chance it's opened, put back, re-sealed and put in the send slot. I decided to give this movie a try instead, and what I saw was not too bad at all, not great, but not bad.

The premise is the old "man vs. machine" storyline but it takes place after machines have won. What is left from man are these robot dolls, each with their own personality and feelings. The movie opens with the main robodoll, 9, trying to figure out what he is, where he is, and what else is around him. What he finds is a tribe of robodolls all hiding away from the last remaining machines, trying to survive, but not much else. 9 challenges their belief system when one of their own gets taken alive by one of the machines. He recruits some others to help him save their stolen friend, and in the process they learn a great deal about themselves and each other. When the "master" machine is awaken to cause more chaos, this band of friends join together to stop it, and save themselves in the process. It's not really until the end of the movie that their purpose on earth is reveled to the movie watcher, and because of that you could find yourself wondering what the hell this movie is all about anyway.

There are some nice action scenes and the story is pretty well told, but if you are on the fence when it comes to science fiction movies this won't do much for ya. It's not my favorite Tim Burton movie, but I would give it a 2.75 out of 5 whatnows....not good enough for a full 3, but better than average.

That's all I got, take care and peace out!

Priorities, priorities

What Now?

I am a sucky blogger, not all the time, just lately really. I do have excuses, plenty of them. First off, my flat lining career has shown signs of life in the past couple of weeks. It's not enough for me to think things will go back to "Shangri-La" like my family had it a few years back, but it's nice to see things picking up again and the income is a welcome surprise.

Another item keeping me away from the blogosphere is the morning long interview I had last week for a new job, and new career path. While the actual interview only took a couple of hours, it has occupied a great deal of space inside my head. If I am offered this job there are so many things to think about. If I take this job the entire structure of my family life will change. The thing my wife I need to figure out is does this change life for the better or not? Every career change I have taken has forced my wife to change, either her job, or our location, or both. At this stage of the game it's really important we make the right decision for our family. The toughest part is just waiting to find out if we even have a decision to make. Until then it continues rent space in my head, of which there is not much room to spare.

Besides these two big events, it just seems life is getting busier and busier. Basketball for our 8-year old has started and I'm coaching again. There seem to be more school activities than ever and my wife and I are always trying to volunteer for them. It also seems like more than ever the members of our immediate family have their own mini-crisis going on, which we hear about daily and bear some of the stress that goes along with them.

So, in the grand scheme of things this little old blog of mine has taken a back seat, but I think that is OK. Life will continue to move, and most of the time if you don't move with it you get left behind and struggling to catch back up. I do like writing my blog posts, and hearing from some of the nice folks that read what I write, but until I start getting paid for this little hobby it will remain a low priority for me.

OK, let's do a quick rundown for the time I've missed:

Media Monday - I haven't seen any movies lately, but do have Four Christmases and 9 at home from Netflix waiting to be watched. when I finally get to them I'll let you know what I think.

Training Tuesday - My first ever half-marathon is less than a month away and I feel very ready. I will never run these races fast, but I should finish with a respectable time and feel good doing it. You can't really ask for more than that.

Wisdom Wednesday - "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I have been thinking about this quote a lot lately, and it really does help.

Random Thoughts Thursday - The last two winters here where I live have been brutal with the snow and cold. This winter is a mild as ever, and I see the storms the East Coast is getting and I kinda miss it.

Friday Family - Like I mentioned above our 8-year old has started basketball again. Last year was her first time playing organized basketball and she was OK individually but we had a stellar team that went undefeated. This year our team is struggling, but our girl is the star (she dropped 20 points last night). It's hard for me as the coach not to get overly excited for her without showing favoritism...but inside I am loving watching her kick ass!

That's all folks...take care and peace out!

Tuesday Training - When life gets in the way

What Now?

Today was a crazy, crazy day. At the crack ass of dawn my wife left for a work trip. She doesn't travel all that much, but when she does I become Dad and Mom (not to mention I miss her like crazy!).

So, at 6:15 I get out of bed, into the shower and down the stairs to prepare for the day. The girls came down shortly after and the morning ritual was on. Eat, dress, brush (teeth and hair), make lunches, pack backpacks, put the dog away and hit the road for school drop off. After I drop off the kids I drive over to the home office of my new part time job to drop off my time slip. I then head to my office and work both my "full-time" job and part-time job until 3pm. At 3pm I pick-up the girls from school and we head home to do homework and practice piano.

We then head back out the door for my daughter's basketball game at 5pm. After the game my parents wanted to treat us to dinner at the new restaurant in town, but after hearing the wait was going to be an hour we head over to Arby's (god, fast food...my body just can't take that stuff anymore). We get home a little after 7pm and start up the nighttime routine. Bath time, put on jammies, brush (again teeth and hair), read a book and lights off. Whoa, I made it and nobody got hurt!

So, my grand plan was to workout after the kids fall asleep. After a non-stop day, a belly full of fast food, and my training partner out of town my motivation is just not there. It's funny that just a couple of years ago I could justify not working out on a lot less excuses than that, but these days I feel like a total lazy ass if I miss a day of training. I feel heavier, less energetic, moody, and just a little part of me feels disappointed. But, like every other parent trying to keep all their dogs on the leash, I have to remind myself that sometimes life just gets in the way of working out. Sure I could have gotten up with my wife this morning and got it done. I could have left my office early and got it done. I could have sat my kids in front of the TV when we got home from school and got it done. I could get off this computer right now and get it done. But I'm not going to, and that is OK, and I have to remind myself of that.

I am so happy that at this point of my life I get a little disappointed when I don't workout, instead of overjoyed when I do. I am as healthy as I have every been, and doing things I never thought possible. If a day or two goes by without a workout getting down it won't be my downfall, it won't be my end game, it will just be life getting in the way. Until I start drawing a paycheck for my athletic pursuits it will always be that way, and I am OK with that! I do know one thing...I'm getting up early tomorrow to get my run in, and I'm looking forward to that!

Take care and peace out!

Media Monday - The Hangover left me floored

What Now?

Up until this weekend I am pretty sure that my wife and I were the only people left in the world who had not seen The Hangover. We both heard from countless friends and family that not only was The Hangover a must see movie, but it was one of the funniest in the history of film.

Well, finally after weeks of waiting the Netflix gods answered our prayers and sent us this movie. After we tucked the kids in bed, waiting the necessary 15 minuets until they stopped coming into our room complaining of a belly ache or other ailment that was keeping them awake, we snuck downstairs, grabbed a glass of wine, popped in the movie and waited for the hilarity to come.

And come it did. Now, I don't know if I'm ready to put this movie in the class of Old School and Wedding Crashers, but I will say this was one damn funny movie. How can you go wrong with this storyline...four guys in Vegas to celebrate a friends upcoming wedding. I mean come on, this movie could do no wrong. Throw in a Mike Tyson cameo and you have comedy gold I tell ya.

What was great about this movie is you never actually see the night of male stupidity in action, but the next day when the boys, all a little "hungover" try to piece the evening together in order to find their missing friend, the groom. Each new piece of the puzzle is revealed, and as the story builds so does the funny. I just about peed myself when the "lucky charm" jumps out of the trunk of the car and beats the shit out of all the guys with a tire iron (if you've seen the movie you know the scene, if not just know there is full frontal nudity involved, and not the good kind!)

The cast is equal to the story as well. You have the good looking trouble maker played by Bradley Cooper, who I have to admit is a very handsome fella..if you like that kinda thing. The poor sap friend with the bitch-from-hell girlfriend played by Ed Helms (also know as the Nard Dog from The Office). The misfit soon-t0-be brother-in-law invited as a friendly family gesture played by Zack Galifanakis (I have never heard of this guy before, but he steals the show in my opinion) and of course the reluctant and missing groom played by Justin Bartha. It's great to see a comedy with relatively fresh faces. Don't get me wrong, I can watch Vince Vaughn, either Olson brother and Seth Rogan until the cows come home, but it's nice to see some other actors shine.

The one thing my wife and I could not stop talking about is how "rough" they made these guys look the day after. I mean really, if this movie wins any awards it should be for make-up, because it was spot on. We've all been there, and you can just feel their pain when they wake up the next morning. It made me stop drinking my glass of wine about half way through.

So, overall I gotta give this movie 4 out of 5 what nows. If you like comedy and are not too easily offended you must see this movie, oh...I almost forgot, you already did see it. Well now you can talk about it in front of me without giving anything away. And always remember "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Except for herpes. That shit'll come back with you."

Take care and peace out!

Family Friday - The eternal battle

What Now?

This is the story of The Constant Baker vs. The Clean Kitchen Maker;

For as long as I can remember
and even a little before then
There has been a battle in my house
between the two of us, now and again

You see when we got married
We made a deal to ease our stress
She would do the cooking
And I would clean up her mess

For the first several years of marriage
We did our part at each meal
While all the time thinking
"Sucker, I got the best of this deal"

But what we did not notice
What we failed to see
Was the battle that was brewing
Between her and between me

Now I have to admit
That my wife's a great cook
She can whip out any dish
Either from her head or from a book

But with her great cooking
Comes a price to be paid
As I look in our kitchen
To see the terrible mess that was made

But, we had a deal
So I'll go it alone
Straight into the kitchen
Enter the disaster zone

Every plate gets washed
Every surface gets scrubbed
And when I finally finish
I feel like I was just drubbed

But when I am done
I can't help but think
How fucking great it all looks
From the range to the sink

As I sit my ass down
After a job well done
I hear the faint sound
Of her on the run

She is back in the kitchen
And ready to bake
Making a mess again
Oh, for fuck sake!!!

And so it continues
For the clean kitchen maker
This ongoing battle
With his constant baker

Enjoy your weekend everyone...and peace out!

Thursday Random Thoughts - No subject needed

So I forgot my Wednesday Wisdom post yesterday...so sue me, I was busy, forgot, had better things to do. What do you expect from someone who is used to blogging whenever the mood struck. This trying to post 5 days a week thing is tough, but today is a new day and time for some random thoughts.

What Now?

No real subject today, so let's get real random:

The sun is out today, and I can't tell you how happy that makes me feel. The last few days have been cloudy, foggy, cold and down right depressing. Just give me a little sunlight and you can bet my mood will be cheery.

Am I the only one sick of hearing about the Olympics and they haven't even started yet? The US Figure Skating Championships were held in Spokane last week, and because I get their television channels I have heard about the damn things for over a year solid. Now you can't watch 3o seconds of any NBC show without them telling you to tune into the Olympics. Enough already..I get it! The Olympics are coming soon, you are going to broadcast 10 million freaking hours of coverage, the only place to see the action is on your station....FRACK! Just get the damn things over with so my brain doesn't implode.

What is the deal with members of congress sitting down and standing up like a Catholic mass during the President's State of the Union address? Is it really necessary? Can't they just clap? And if they insist on standing why do the members of the opposite party just sit there like a pile of monkey shit? For some reason I just can't believe either political party is very interested in working with the other, even if it means making our country better.

I would shoot myself if I was Heidi Montag's father. How messed up can a person be? I feel like shooting myself right now because I actually have an opinion on Heidi "freaking" !Montag!

What does making a boat load of money for their athletic ability do to the brains of professional athletes? Do you really need to bring a gun and point it at a teammate after practice, or take naked photos of yourself and your HUGE friend, and does being the best at your sport give you reason to do whatever it is you feel like, regardless of how it will affect the people closest to you? The bigger question is why do we all still pay our hard earned money and cheer for these losers?

So far this post has been a little negative, so let me end on a positive. After work I am going to the store and buying a 6-pack of my favorite beer. I know what I said at New Years, but damn it I love the taste of beer...and I'm not ashamed to admit that. So, if you feel the same way...grab a cold one and let's have a toast...to beer, and to life, and to trying to enjoy each and every second we have of it!

Take care and peace out!

Training Tuesday - Shout Out Time

What Now?

I am a big, big fan of keeping records of things. I guess is the organizational (some call anal) side of me that loves to know what I did, when I did it and how it went. When my wife and I decided a few years back that we were going to kick start our exercise programs and start actually training for races we came across (actually my wife came across, but I love to share credit) a nifty little training blog that has since become as much a part of our training programs as the actually running, biking and swimming.

The blog site is sweat 365 and they are dedicated to "supporting your every-day fitness, no matter what your level and no matter what your goals are. They'll deliver you inspiration to move more - every day. At Sweat 365 you can easily keep track of your workouts, blog about fitness and life, and connect with other athletes. You'll find training guides for races of all distances, disciplines, and levels of competition."

I love seeing how many hours I have trained, how fast I have run/biked and reading other bloggers talk about their fitness, races and overall training experience. The support from the other bloggers is amazing as well. You can easily find several other bloggers at your same level trying to accomplish the same goals you are. When I was training for my first marathon last year I can't tell you how many great stories I read and how many folks comments on my training blog posts wishing me well as I embarked on that amazing journey. I am also a user of their specialized training programs for races of all distances and disciplines, and will report that it worked great.

If you get a chance to check it out for yourself and maybe you'll be able to figure out who I am (of course I have a different name on that blog, for goodness sake I put a damn cartoon face on my blog, do you think I would risk being outed on another site?!?!)

Train hard and peace out!

Media Monday - Inglorious Bastards, I Love Ya!

What Now?

This weeks Media Monday will be my little review of the film "Inglorious Bastards" by Quentin Tarantino (something I was supposed to get to last week, but ran out of day...with both kids home sick today I could probably write review of the last 10 movies I saw, but I'm also using my time to deep clean our kitchen...ok, back to the review).

When I first saw the previews for this movie I had three thoughts 1) Finally a new movie from Tarantino 2) That Brad Pitt is so filled with awesome and 3) Tarantino and Pitt..together...in the same movie,.,.,.,That fracking rocks! I was so excited about this moving coming out it was going on the "will see in the theater list.," A very exclusive list for all parents. As it turned out I missed it in the theater due to time, money, laziness, easily distracted issues. But, the day it hit the Netflix cue I was ready...and it didn't take long for my baby to come home.

Now, for those of you reading this post who dislike or don't care about the movies made by Quinton Tarantino I doubt I'll be making you a fan..but for those of you who, like me, love everything that the man every directed then this movie will not disappoint. Sure, there is a lot of violence. Hard core and sometimes gory violence. But in my view his movies are so much more than that. The characters he creates and the words that come out of their mouths are so damn entertaining that you sometimes forget that a man's head was just beating in with a baseball bat. OK, I love the violence too, but it's almost so over the top that it's a parody of itself. If you like a good story with good charterers then you will like this movie, unless you hate the violence, then you may want to check into a good Julia Roberts flick.

While I did not love this movie as much as "Kill Bill" (One of my top five movies of all time) it was still great to watch, and Brad Pitt delivers another great performance (like he could ever lay an egg...oh, is my man crush showing???).

Inglorious Bastards gets 4 out of 5 What Nows in this reviews 0pinion. Go forth and watch!

Take care and peace out!

Family Friday - The sleepover party

What Now?

My girls have never really gone to a friend's sleepover party before, at least not a friend that we don't know the parents of very well. So, when both our 6 year old and 8 year old were invited to their school friend's birthday party (also, both 6 and 8 and sharing the same birthday, crazy right?) that included a full day of activities and a sleep over that night you could cut the nervous tension around my wife with a chainsaw. Not only do we not know the parents of these kids, but we have never even formally met in person. There have been emails, but you can hardly judge the parenting skills of a person by that. This might cause some issues at our house.

My wife asked if it would be normal to sleep in the car parked outside of their house? Then she wondered if showing up a the other daily activities for the party unannounced would be OK. For some reason I think my Saturday is going to involve me "talking her down" off that anxious parent ledge all day.

While my wife dreams up scenarios in which our children are in mortal danger, I am thinking about the free time I'll have on a Saturday, something that I have not enjoyed in a very, very long time. The weather is nice enough we could start to clean up the yard and garden areas in preparation for spring. We have a lot of de-cluttering to do around the house as well. Plus there are the training workouts that can be done with no interruption, and of course with an empty house there is always a chance for the adult play date. So many options for a free Saturday, it almost makes my head spin.

I do know that I will be taking my wife out for a nice dinner, again...something we have not done alone in a long time. Maybe if I get enough wine in her it will dull her senses enough to enjoy the peace and quiet. If not, I'll just park our car in front of their house, cover her up with a blanket and walk home.

Have a great weekend everyone. Peace out!

Thursdays random thoughts - Politics

What Now?

There are certain subjects I rarely discuss with family and friends such as sex, religion and politics. I have carried that credo over to my blog posts as well, except for the occasional post on sex but since you people don't know me personally I feel pretty safe on that topic. Well, today I am going to talk a little about politics, which I realize could ruffle a few feathers...but then again, you don't know me personally so we should be just fine.

The reason I even bring up this subject is because it's gotten a lot of play in my own house recently. My wife and I are pretty much on the same thought pattern when it comes to politics. We would not call ourselves Republican or Democrat, because we don't blindly follow just one belief system (like my grandparents used too. My Mom would often say "If Mickey Mouse was running as a republican my parents would vote for him"). We try to vote for the candidate that we believe will do the best possible job for the people he/she represents, and not the party they belong too.

Last November we both voted for Obama because between the two candidates we had to choose from we felt he would so better job for our country than McCain would (and honestly, Sarah Palin for VP...what where they thinking?) I can honestly admit now that during the campaign I believed the hype. I drank the Kool-Aid. I honestly thought that what I was hearing would come to pass and the greatest country in the world would become even greater. And, I'm still waiting for that. I didn't expect all the problems that faced this administration to be solved within weeks of Obama taking office, but I did expect to see at least an thought or idea as to how those problems would be solved, right? I know it can't be an easy job for Obama, and the mess he was left with was pretty huge...but I feel like nothing has changed since this time last year, and for my wife and I that is very frustrating. I was reading a comment from a Democrat on some political blog and he said "if I wanted a Republican as President I would have voted for McCain."

Well, I think after the special election in Massachusetts I am not the only one that feels this way. While I didn't have a dog in that fight, I am very happy that the voters made their voices heard and let those people in Washington know that they should be listening to their constituents more and their party leaders less. And, hopefully now, there will be more work between both parties to help the American people and those people around the world to count on our help as well, instead of pushing one agenda no matter who it helps and/or hurts.

I now step off my soapbox and return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

PEACE OUT!

Wednesday Wisdom

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

- Mohandas Gandhi

This is a quote I found for my wife to help her training for Ironman this summer. I tend to like quotes that inspire people to move outside their comfort zone and try new things. As we tell our kids all the time, it's better to try something and fail then to never try it at all. That's tough lesson for kids and adults. It's so easy to just do what is comfortable, never trying things we think we can't achieve. It all starts in the head, and once your head thinks you can do something, your body will follow.

Take care and peace out!

Tuesday Training

OK, so I already missed my first theme day for my new blog resolution...damn. Mondays are going to be devoted to media (movies, music, TV, games..etc) and I was ready to do a little review of Inglorious Bastards, but it just didn't happen so I'll catch up on that next Monday. But today is Tuesday so......

WHAT NOW?

I am going to dedicate my Tuesday blog posts to training, working out, exercise and all things devoted to healthy living. My wife and I are a couple of years into our endurance racing journey, and boy what a ride it's been so far. If you are really interested check out my tags for this post and go back in time and see what we've been up too.

I am currently a month into my new training routine for my next marathon (with a couple of half marathons thrown in). It is amazing how different this time around is compared to last time. One of my new favorite bloggers CAUTION: Redhead Running is also training for her second marathon and she talks about training "in the know." What a perfect way to describe it! Last year while training for my first ever marathon every day was a new challenge. Each weekend's long run was the longest I had ever run to that point. Every workout I put in between those runs was more working out than I had done ever. And every pain, ache and soreness was something I didn't know if I could push through until I did. Hell, I was training for something that I didn't even know for sure I could finish. It was all so new and with every step I felt a strange combination of excitement and trepidation.

This time around is so different in that I know I can finish what I am starting. I know what my body can take and actually can try to prevent those things that may slow me down. I feel faster, stronger and more in control this time around. It's no longer will I finish, it's how much faster can I finish and how much better can I feel during the process. Training "in the know" has been a wonderful experience so far and I can honestly say I am really looking forward to these upcoming races, all of which I will talk about in more detail down the road.

Thanks for stopping by and giving me a quick read. Take care and peace out!

Changes, they are a coming!

WHAT NOW?

My blog posts have been like a rednecks teeth, few and far between. I think part of it is my new part time gig, that I can do at the office of my barley part time career and still not interrupt my status of a part time stay at home dad (what?). It is really eating up the time I used have for blogging, checking my fantasy football stats, playing bubble shooter, watching YouTube videos and wondering around fac book, something I am done with by the way, but that's a different blog.

Now I work, come home with the kids, train for my next race, spend time with my better half, spend time with some of my favorite media (TV, Movies and Music) and try and keep those damn resolutions I made on New Year's. Where is the time to blog? Well, here is my just a couple of weeks past new year's resolution...blog 5 days a week (who blogs on the weekends, right?). How will I do this when in the past I can go two weeks without a creative post. Simple, give each day of the week a theme and make those themes something I actually have an interest in writing about. Simple enough, right...hmmmmm? Well, it's worth a shot I guess. I'll also be changing up the look and feel of my blog just like you move around furniture to freshen up a room.

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend.

PEACE OUT!

Things I learned in 2009

What Now?

In the past 12 months I have learned the following things:

1. My wife is an athlete! I always new she had athletic ability, but after she crossed the line of her first 70.3 half Ironman triathlon, I knew she had realized her athletic potential. I am so proud of her, and the best is yet to come.

2. My oldest child is one of the sweetest people I know. I think it's kind of rare to find a 7-year old that puts the needs and feelings of everyone else before her own, I and Love her so much for that.

3. My youngest, while being extremely challenging at times, will go on to do great things when she is older. The challenging, stubborn child of today will turn into an independent woman tomorrow, willing to try anything and succeed at most.

4. While the nation's economic trouble was very hard for a lot of folks, I believe it was one of the best things that could have happened to our family.

4a. My family can do more with less. Excess is not our thing, and it never will be.

5. There is way too much reality tv, social media, and methods to contact people in the world today. For all the advances we have in communication I think these things are very unnecessary (yes, I would give up blogging too if that meant ridding the world of all the other social media outlets).

6. I can accomplish just about anything if I put my mind to it and give it my best shot. Last year it was finishing a marathon. This year..........

7. Sex gets better with age.

8. There are different levels of success. I had my worst career year ever, and yet I would call 2009 one of my most successful years. It all comes down to priorities.

9. Blogging can be fun, entertaining and educational. And you can meet some great people along the way.

10. You just can't beat experiences with your kids when you think of what is truly important to you. This year was incredible for my family in regards to the places we got to visit, events we got to attend, and time we spent with each other and members of our family and friends. I am the richest man on earth thanks to the special people I share my home with. I love you all and look forward to having a great 2010 with you!

Peace out!

Bring on 2010

What Now?

So, the reaction I got from my blogging friends and family members suggest that going without beer for a whole year might be a bit extreme. I am starting to think that way as well. I guess what I really want to accomplish is a better diet overall and doing everything in moderation. I am by no means a binge drinker, but I can't just have one beer, or one sweet treat...it always ends up being 2, 3...or more. And I pay for it that night. I guess for me a better goal would be to limit my vices to one per day, be that a beer, glass of wine or sweet treat. So, I guess that is my goal/resolution for my health.

For my mind I decided that I was going to read the entire Harry Potter series in 2010. My wife is a bit crazy for the books, and we own all the movies too, which I like very much. When she tells me all the stuff they leave out it makes me want to read the books, but I have never been much of a reader. Well, that is going to change in 2010.

I can already report that I have stared off this year, this new decade with something I have never done...a polar bear plunge! We are visiting my in-laws and my father-in-law convinced my wife and I to join him. I hate being cold, but what the hell right. I will turn 40 this year and I am going to leave my 30's with a bang. What an awesome experience it was. There were several hundred folks out there braving the cold with us. I think next year I go all out with the speedo! My wife will love that.

Oh, another quick think I want to mention is the overwhelming joy I am still enjoying thanks to my Alma Mater's big bowl win. While the bowl game they played in is not on many major sports fans DVR list, it will certainly go down as one of the most entertaining college bowl games ever. I still get goose bumps thinking about it!

Well, that is a lot of random stuff for my first post of the year. I can look back at 2009 and say it was the best year of my life, for a lot of reasons. Here's to making 2010 even better!

Peace out!