The Best Shape of My Life!

I’m running on at most 3 hours of sleep right now, maybe a bit more. Didn’t get to bed till late because my in-laws came up to spend the night so my wife and I could take them to the airport early this morning. Didn’t mind doing it, but I didn’t even get to bed till about 1 am waiting on them to show up, and then had to wake up at 4 am. Well, I kept waking up during those few hours, so I know it wasn’t a full three hours of sleep.

When we got back home this morning a little before 8, I immediately went to the basement couch and slept some more. Woke up about 9:50 am for good, but I had been waking up intermittently all morning. So who knows how much sleep I actually got.

I have a headache, I can’t think straight, and I’m greatly worn out. Not to mention my toe’s problem, though it doesn’t hurt really at all this morning. Just slightly uncomfortable when I put pressure on it. Hopefully, I’ll be able to function today. I need to mow the yard and do some other things, and I’m hoping to go to the lake if my neighbors decide to go. But swimming in this condition is pretty much worthless.

WAKE UP! Or maybe I should be wishing to actually get some good sleep.  ???????????

The local Y made a really good deal for employees of my school district, so needless to say, I took it. My wife and I have been wanting to get back to the Y, but around here, it’s typically pretty expensive. But with the rate we’re getting, we can start enjoying it again. We really like our local Y because it has two indoor pools, a heated one and a lap pool that one of the high schools uses for swimming as well. So it’s pretty neat. And, I like the attitude and the atmosphere at the Y. It’s a very friendly and family-oriented place, and the people are generally very helpful and supportive.

Anyway, this means that I can hopefully get back into a weightlifting routine (though it probably will not be my focus). I’m going to really enjoy getting back into the pool. Though I am no swimmer by any means, I love the workout that swimming provides!

I’m so happy! I can check off two more courses from my master’s plansheet. Of course, I only have about 10 more to go (and that’s just for the masters). But all in good time.

Research Methods was an interesting (uh…..right) course. I loved statistics, though! Good thing for me, because I have to take about 5 more statistical analysis courses before I get my PhD. They’ll be fun, though.

Whew!

The crunch is coming to an end. This week is the last week of my summer session of classes. It’s been pretty hectic. Sixteen weeks of information crammed into four! Whoever says summer courses are easier than regular semester ones is full of it (or at least comparing the courses I’m taking).

This Thursday is my last day of classes, and then I’m done till August something. I need a break! I haven’t had a lot of time to just let the info sink in and be processed in my brain. And I need that for something like statistics.

Have a great week everyone!

No, I did not go to the pool. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t like going to public pools, mostly due to the fact that I would have to take my shirt off, and if I did that, I would blind everyone. Plus, I’m not where I want to be physically yet, so we’ll wait. Hopefully next summer when my daughter is almost 3, we’ll be able to go to the pool and I’ll feel better.

So how did I have fun in the sun today? I worked on the yard! Another landscaping project came up that I’d been wanting to do for a while, so I did it. I landscaped the back side of our house. Planted some bushes, laid some edge boards, and mulched. Took me about two hours. Now, those of you who know what landscaping really is, well, it’s not easy. Especially when it’s hot. It’s on days like this that I’m glad I don’t work in the construction field. But I love being outside, and I love working on yards and gardens. Maybe I should be a professional landscaper. I could probably do a pretty good job. We’ll see.

Anyway, it looks pretty cool. I even put up some solar lights, and the accent is awesome! There were three lights in the pack, so I put one down by the actual place I landscaped, another one that shines down on our patio from the deck, and the third one I put in a corner of the deck that shines there. Pretty neat effect. Yeah, I’m pretty proud of my work. Now, if only I could be proud of my work on my body. Maybe one of these days.

Oh, and I did my first outdoor workout this evening! I worked chest and abs, using my equipment that I had placed outside last week. It was awesome being outside and doing a workout. Sweating, being under the shade of a nearby tree, and having room to move around in and not feel so enclosed. I’m hoping to do back and maybe a bit of legs tomorrow.

Okay, I’m going to put more lotion on to keep my burn from itching and peeling. I hate being so light skinned! Yeah, I know, I should wear a shirt.

KANSAS WON THE NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP!

GO JAYHAWKS!

Okay, I feel better now.

I’m SO EXCITED! And so is every other Kansas fan, student, faculty, etc., I’m sure.

KU is in the NCAA Men’s Basketball FINALS!!!!!!!!!!!
They play Memphis tonight at 7 pm. And you can bet that, immediately after my class tonight, I’m rushing home to watch it.

I honestly didn’t expect Kansas to beat North Carolina, but they did! Ha ha ha ha ha. I wonder how Roy Williams is feeling today. Oh well, to each their own. I’m sure he’s happy at UNC. And that’s okay, because KU has advanced!

GO, FIGHT, WIN JAYHAWKS!

www.ku.edu

Have a great Monday!

This time of the year is always the best and the worst for me. I love the holidays (Christmas and New Year) because it gives me a chance to refocus my energy on the things that are most important in my life. I get to celebrate the reason for life in Jesus Christ, and give him honor, glory, and praise. I’m reminded at Christmas and New Year how special and unique I really am, and that I have a Creator that cares about me and that wants me to live well.

It’s also a wonderful time for me because I get to spend time with family I don’t get to see very often. My wife and I are fortunate to be from the same town, and so every time we go "home" we get to see both sides of the family. This Christmas, we got to see some extended relatives that we hadn’t seen in years (a couple of them, literally, years). So it’s such a great time of the year. Our daughter loves all the family…of course, at 17 months, she loves anyone who will spend time with her. 

Of course, it’s also a great time of the year because my wife and I are on break from work. So for us, it’s a time of relaxation and refocus, and just being with each other.

But, with all the good, there’s also the not-so-good. This time of year is the worst time for me as far as fitness and health are concerned. Most everyone that celebrates Christmas and New Year’s probably has this problem. Though I think I eat fairly well during the holidays (considering what I could eat), my diet pretty much flies out the window. Not only that, but the only workouts I do are usually just short flexibility workouts so that my body doesn’t totally stiffen up. I say this is the not-so-good because I wish I could get in a couple of really intense workouts. But it just doesn’t work out that way. Oh well. If this is the "worst" thing about this time of the year, I think I’m doing okay. I always pick it back up when I return to work in January. A week and a half isn’t going to destroy everything.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I wish the best for everyone in 2008!

They play Mizzou later today. Hope they win.

Go, Fight, Win……Jayhawks!

As usual, my diet wasn’t that great. I was even going to try and make sure my diet was good over Thanksgiving break, but I didn’t. I guess the good thing is that with all the extra calories, I can pretend I’m on a bulk cycle.   

Training….lack thereof more like it. I’ve been working on some deep stretches and relaxation moves, especially since my rough workout on Sunday. I was sore all the way through Friday. Finally, today, I have some mobility and flexibility back. My lower right side of my back still is sore if I try to reach for my toes, though. Makes it difficult to tie a shoe.

But, I got to spend some awesome time with both my family and my wife’s family, and that’s what’s most important to me. If I don’t have a 6-pack, well, so be it. Life goes by too fast and there are too many other more important things to worry about.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.