My Crazy Life

2 weeks ago

I had finished a half marathon......still kind of an unreal statement for me.....especially since I have NEVER been a runner or a jogger for that matter.....I can remember playing softball as a kid....I was pretty darn good at it except for one part....running the bases.....I always had to hit a "home run" or way into the outfield to be able to get to base......so finishing a half marathon is a pretty great accomplishment for me.  What I learned along the way is......................

1.  Cover my feet in moleskin socks...anyone know where I can find these??  By mile 8 my feet were covered with blisters...the bottom of them.....

2.  Take your own water....for me the water stops weren't close enough together

3.  Might want to eat something other than just a banana before you start

4.  Energy beans seemed to help some

5.  No matter how much you train in the GYM - you need to get your butt outside and train as well

6.  No matter how much Glide you use....running socks.....and running shoes.....my feet will always need something extra so I won't have the blisters

7.  Make sure that I wear my iPod somewhere that it won't get covered in sweat....so it keeps working the entire race (it is fine now)

8.  That in the end I really wished that John would have been at the finish line when I crossed

9.  That running/walking a half marathon with Disney being the start and finish is pretty damn cool!  Especially when you can wear your medal around in the park afterwards....cuz they really do make a big deal out of it.

10.  That before I think about doing another half marathon....I think I will work on doing a few 5K's first.....and work up to another half marathon.....and that as far as a full marathon goes.....I'm thinking at this point that it is a big FAT NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

9-19-10

When we are no longer able to change a situation...we are challenged to change ourselves." ~Viktor Frankl

9-18-10

     “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“Friendship is like a glass ornament, once it is broken it can rarely be put back together exactly the same way.”

"The friendship that can cease has never been real."

"Friendship is like a garden. It is beautiful when it is watered and tended to with love and care of prayers, hugs, tears and cheers, but it will be withered up if, dry up and die if left untouched."

"The knife from the enemy leaves only a scar while the knife of a friend can be mortal.

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown

 




Ever had......

those things that you spend months planning...anticipating....and just waiting for the day to get here and it shows up and it just seems so extremely FLAT!  That "WOW" feeling never comes....the excitement that you were expecting to have never happens.....that you sit and ponder why you were so excited in the first place.......

I've had this happen several times lately......don't know if my expectations are just too HIGH or what it is but it has really affected my outlook and my mood....I'm wondering if there is something that I can do to not get so excited about things that are coming up.......maybe I'm just looking for that "perfect" thing and we all know that NOTHING is ever perfect......

I think that I will be spending some time re-evaluating what is important and what I need to spend my time doing.....maybe that will make the difference.....we will see!

Wow 2 months

It has been two months since my last post....goodness where has the time gone...and what in the world have I been doing that I couldn't find a minute or two that I could post about my life in general.....well let us see what I have been up to.......

On July 8th I started a new job.....after being unemployed for almost a year I had three interviews in one week with two different companies that were actually within walking distance of each other....and I received the call from both companies that they wanted to hire me....I ended up at Oakwood International and have really enjoyed working there so far....they are a temporary housing company......so you would stay with us if you were relocating, had long term business to take care of, something happened to your house, etc.  They have been in business for 50 years - which is a good sign and the other VERY positive side of this is that it ISN'T in the construction industry, which is what I have been in for my entire career....as most of you know the construction industry has hit an all time low especially here in AZ so I was very thankful to make my way out of that.  Most of the employees at Oakwood have been long term employees which is another plus and they have AWESOME benefits and do some great things for their employees - you actually feel like they care about you as a person and appreciate your work.

On July 22nd my girlfriend Karen and I went to the ball game and ended the game with a meet and greet with Luis "Gonzo" Gonzales.  We were surprised with the fact that it just wasn't Gonzo but also Parra and Montero as well.  I had only bought two balls so I had to have Parra and Montero sign on one ball and then gave Gonzo his own ball.  Karen actually got her Gonzo jersey signed....they were all extremely nice!

 

We are still attending D-Back games and we keep hoping that the team will gel....it seems to have started since the old crew has been replaced....we will see what will happen next year!

August wasn't an easy month for us......we lost our sweet Lola cat.....she had been a part of our family since August, 1996 and I know that everyone says this but she was just a "different" cat.  Can't imagine ever having another cat like her.......she was a Bombay which was a cat that was created to resemble a black panther and boy did she!  She is missed greatly each and every day.  Her and Bubba were great friends and now they are together again.

As many of you know I have been training for the last several months for a half marathon....well the day finally came.....it had seemed like it would never get here and then all of a sudden BAM here we were....I flew into my "Happy Place" on Friday and met up with Timi and Tanya who had come from Texas and Colorado to do the race with me.....and the next day Ann and Christa showed up!  We spent Saturday enjoying Downtown Disney, the Health and Fitness Expo....and later we went to the "Pasta in the Park" at Disney's California Adventure.

For the Pasta in the Park we wore these wonderful tutu's that Timi made for all of us.....we had a blast!

Sunday was RACE DAY....none of us slept very well the night before - I think that we were nervous but also afraid that we wouldn't wake up in time....so at 4:30 a.m. we were up and getting our gear on....and by 5 we were out with 14,000 of our closest friends...... and at 6:26 we were off.....I can't say that this was the best experience of my life but I am glad that I did it....I don't even have a picture of me at the end with my medal.....will I do it again.....right now that is up in the air....my feet took a pretty good beating and at points in the race I was really thinking of throwing in the towel especially the last 5 miles but I did complete and I guess that is the most important part.

 
 
 
 
 
 

D-Back Game

Went to the D-Back game the other night.....they have started something new called the "Legends Race" which includes Matt Williams, Randy Johnson, Mark Grace and Gonzo.....here is what they look like running down the first base line....

 In this race Randy Johnson won the race....which is hilarious if you ever saw him run the bases for real.  Last nights game.....Gonzo came in on top....Gracie was actually ahead by a long shot but stopped to give Manny Ramirez some grief because at this race Manny had thrown a towel at Gracie.....Manny was interesting absent when he stopped.....and then today Matt Williams won the race while Gracie stopped to silly string Manny Ramirez....hmm could of thought of something better than that to get even with him......but then that wouldn't be a friendly way to deal with Manny now would it.

We were at the game last night...a complete blow-out....but on a high note...I did get a Mark Reynolds signed baseball.....so that makes 3 that I have now.....Randy Johnson, Brandon Webb and Mark Reynolds.  Going to Gonzo's charity fund raiser next weekend...hoping to get his autograph on a ball as well.....

Thinking in this new group of players that this guy will have to be my favorite

this would be Chris Synder.....one of our great catchers!

Hopefully with new management this team can start producing a little bit - no a lot better than they have been in the last year and a half.
 

 

Too Funny

We needed to clean out the filter for the pool yesterday....well the best way to clean the filters is to spray them off......we have two cockers who believe that it is there job to ATTACK the hose....so instead of leaving them in the house and listening to them try to come thru the arcadia door we decided that they could just stay out there with us....I mean seriously it was hot enough that they would dry in a matter of minutes.......before......

AFTER

and this one...decided to take a swim in the pool....we didn't even hear her go in but turned around about the time she was climbing out, so at least she is able to get herself out which is good to know

 
 
 
 

Grand Canyon

A few weeks ago we made a trip up to the Grand Canyon........I know that a lot of people think that this is just a big hole but all I see is gorgeous every time we go!  We went into the East entrance and worked our way to the Village - which was packed.....

Desert View Tower....I actually went up to the top inside.......it is really spectacular......

we could see the Colorado River from almost every point we stopped at....it was a gorgeous blue-green color.....had never seen it that color before

And then just driving to the next point....these guys were hanging out having some lunch.....I could of stayed there all day watching them.....

These animals are so majestic....can't imagine doing anything but shooting them with a camera......

We headed back home and encountered this as we got closer to Flagstaff....unfortunately one of many fires to happen in that area in the next few weeks.....

This was the Eagle Rock Fire which was just north of Williams and by the time they got it contained it had burned over 1,000 miles of forest....over 60 houses were evacuated but thankfully none burned due to the awesome firefighters we have here.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Can you see Her?

If you remember we adopted a sweet little Shih Tzu mix about a month ago.....Maggie May.......she has become quite at home and is mostly a joy to have around......she is very playful....looks at you with those sweet little eyes.....gives little kisses and cuddles.......lately though she has taken to bringing things in the house......full branches of rosebushes.....rocks......etc.  We are working diligiently to break her of this....not only could it be dangerous for her....but it makes quite the mess in the house.....well look where I found her today

so can you see her in there.......what about in this picture

it is so hard to get mad at her....I mean how cute is she right here.......this is another thing that she is big at doing right now as well

yes she collects the food bowls....no she isn't hungry...doesn't matter if she has just eaten or whatever....she will collect them and bring them into us in the family room....now Sassy was doing this for a while.....but Mags has taken over this task....as you can tell she thinks that she is actually helping us know that these bowls need to be filled....just in case one of them wants to eat sometime soon...even though we have 3 bowls.....

She has definitely brought a lot of laughs and joy into our lives.....Toby may not agree since she seems to think that he is her own little squeak toy.....but he is so extremely gentle with her and never seems to tire of her grabbing his ears and biting on him......

 
  

Amazing Yellowstone

We have been in Yellowstone the last week.....it is beyond amazing......if you have never been there....you really need to make a trip......this park was the first National Park......it has geysers....animals.....gorgeous mountains......lakes.....rivers....streams......waterfalls - of course, if you aren't in to any of that then go ahead and stay home.  We encountered bison, baby bison, elk, bull elk, black bears with cubs, grizzly bears with cubs, moutain goats, rams, deer, bald eagles, osprey, whooping crane, moose with a baby......

All of it was just amazing and it even made it more so since we shared it with Shari, Scott and Madison (their black lab)....they both have an eye for seeing animals.....I'm sure that he got some incredible pictures....can't wait to see them!  Here are a few that I snapped off.....

this is Madison....

Artist Paint Pot

 Baby Bison...

 Flicker Woodpecker