Happy Happy Happy. Or else. =)

A happy Monday!

Going backwards,

• I was under on my calorie intake, and I'm not starving in any way.
• I'm enjoying getting hooked on "America's Got Talent" new season, which I'm probably going to regret. (But we all need an addiction, and this has less calories than donuts.)
• I had a good laugh watching one of my favorite comedians on his "podcast", which helped me with my "laughter is the best medicine" dosage.
• I got a good brisk walk in while shopping without getting winded.
• Had a nice and informative meeting with my District Superintendent.
• I weighed myself and found that I had lost roughly four pounds in the last week. (which I'm most happy about!)

In between these things,

• I've also been working on planning my vacation time to see my granddaughter, whether she comes down here or I go up there (or both, who knows) for her 2nd birthday.
• Thinking of how I'll be graduating from Course of Study this Summer.
• Considering the possibilities that lie ahead of me and anything in my path.

Now, the birthday vacation and the Course of Study requires that I get healthy, because what kind of grandpa would I be if I didn't help my Liberty dive into a cake? And at Course of Study, between the classrooms building and the dorm & cafeteria building, there is a serious hill, and if I'm huffing and puffing, I'll be a dead man by day 3.

But as I said earlier, laughter is the best medicine, and laughing is what I'm going to do. I'm going to remember some things in my past, some people who have given my great joy, and push forward with that attitude. Those who wish to stand in my way, go watch "The Avengers" and look for the line "puny god", and imagine yourself as Loki, and me as Hulk.

Yeah, I'm chuckling right now. Have a great day!

"Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"

Where were you in 83? I remember one time very well - I was babysitting three kids, watching the final episode of M*A*S*H. At the time, I remember it brought great sorrow, because it reminded me that in about four months, I'd be graduating high school and leaving everything I know to head off for the Air Force. That meant leaving my high school sweetheart, my friends, my family, to learn a whole new way of life...of playing with bombs (I loaded weapons on the F-111D Fighter jet)
Boy, was I in an emotional tailspin!
But that was soon suppressed by my Sociology class the next day as we discussed the implications of the show in the fact that character of Hawkeye used the term "son of a bitch". Wonder what would happen if that same class was to get together now and compare notes on the language used on television shows, especially given cable channels. Hmm.

And as I watch everyone in the two cities I serve graduate high school (85 students between the two), plus the college graduates in various cities around the area and country, I worry about what their future holds. What possibilities are there for them? What opportunities will there be for each of them?
And what are they leaving behind? I was in a class of over 200. These high school youth are in a class of 20 and 65. A tighter-knit family. And even the class of 65 is a very tight-knit family, given the injury of one of their classmates this past Fall, and how everyone rallied together for him. How will they feel in a year or two, or five or ten?
And how will the underclassmen feel at times like the 5th Quarter and such, with the class of 2012 not being there with them? Sure, there is always the next class that will move up to fill in the slot, but this was a unique year, and year that I hope won't have to be relived in some ways.

But with computer and social media being what it is now versus back then (In 83, I had to type in my own programs into the operating system to play a computer game, and save it on a cassette tape... 5 inch floppy disks were just coming into use at the time), out of the 200+, I'm still in contact with quite a few people, so out of these classes here, it should be a lot easier to stay in contact with each other.

In my Yearbook, there was a section where we would "Will" something to others, so to the Class of 2012, I Will the opportunities to use social media for the goodwill of staying in contact with one another, sharing your joys and concerns, and may the blessings always be recognized among you all. Never despair, always find the good, and never forget the fun.
Amen.

no, it's NOT about you. And yeah, I'm talking about YOU.

(Let me preface this by saying that if you read this and think that it is in no way about you, read it again. If you read this and it upsets you, then good, it made a point. If it makes you stop and take a breath and rethink a moment in your life, then great. If you're totally confused by it, don't call me to ask me about it - it won't do you any good)
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What a weekend, and it's only Saturday evening! Maybe I feel that way from the different receptions that I was invited to, which can be mind-numbing for me because I don't always like "crowds", especially when I don't know anyone, or only one or two people. Also, I attended the Commencement Exercises for one of the High Schools in my Parish. Again, I only knew a few people, and of course, they were there for their graduating Seniors, so again, I'll just be the nervous wall flower.
Actually, 3 of my Youth graduated from that school, and so it was nice to see them walk, as well as a young man who could have died from an injury sustained in a football game last fall, and his strength and faith, as well as the school's, community's, and OTHER schools', showed what fellowship, unity, and prayer could do. It was an awesome day there.

Another thing that might make this weekend a little mind-altering is my diet. Thinking about receptions I've been to, I'm thinking that I'm starving myself. I only eat one little sandwich, or or don't have a bun with the pulled pork, or I don't have cake at the 2nd and 3rd stop I go to... And then when I enter the information into the "My Fitness Pal" phone app or website, I see that I'm staying below my calories for the day, and I'm not really starving myself. But something is working - I'm fitting into my slacks better, and I'm feeling better and not huffing and puffing as much.

Recently, I receiving a phone call from a United Methodist District Lay Leader, asking me if I would accept a new Committee position. I had already been considering something of the sort, so it didn't take long for me to decide on the answer. Within the same time frame, I got a copy of a letter that will have to be read in my churches tomorrow.

Needless to say, the four or five days have been a whirlwind of excitement and tension in my head.

But through everything, it seems like I'm running into people who have a negative opinion on someone or something, and that's fine - people are entitled to their opinions. But why is it that when faced with options, possibilities, or facts, they'd deny anything they hear, based on the fact that it doesn't add up to a more juicy rumor to their story, or because there is jealousy in someones ability to do or not do something, or because they get caught with their foot in their mouth and don't know how to pull it out, and will try everything to deny that they said or did something, even when faced with the cold-hard facts?

All of this is to point out that in everything we do, it's not about us. It's about what God gives us. We are stewards of everything given to us on this earth.
So stop whining, moaning, complaining, griping, crying, gossiping, and lying when things aren't quite right. It's one thing to "vent", it's another thing to slander.

Get over it. Stop assuming. Move on. Let people live their lives. Go live your life.
Remember, as much dirt as you try to dig up on people, more can always be dug up on you.

WHY do I want to lose weight, and how does it feel?

I recently completed the profile page on the My Fitness Pal website. One of the questions, probably for motivation, was something like "why I wanted to lose weight". All sorts of reason came to mind, and what I could do once I got the weight off popped in my head. One thing was a news report of how lots of people had lost weight through body building, and these particular people were having a special show or competition or something. That would be great, but I'd be nervous wearing those little speedos. My brother lost a lot of weight, and he now runs different types of marathons. He gets nervous for one reason or another, which I won't try to explain... it's just too funny, and it's a "you had to be there" thing.
But seriously, as I posted the other day, to be able to do things just like everyone else - that would be awesome!

So how long is this going to take?

According to my weight loss site/app, at the rate I'm going now, which is the suggested healthy pace, I'll be down to the weight that I was at BEFORE I did a binge-round of a couple of pizzas and a box or two of donuts in a time that I "thought" was a month or two (but was only a weekend if I believe), will take me just 3 or 4 more WEEKS.
Now, if I do the math, somewhere in this equation, I'm figuring that I really messed up!

Now that I've learned my lesson, like sticking a paperclip in a light socket, I turn back to my weight loss site, and see that through the past few days since I started this app, I've managed to stay UNDER the number of daily calories. I've also NOT had any junk food, other than when I first started it, and was having jello during a dinner-meeting (jello has sugar in it, and so it's not as good as I thought for dessert).
And I must admit, I'm happy with myself. For those who don't know my habits, when I drink coffee, I would usually MUST have a donut or roll or something with it. Or in the evening, I've developed a habit of having a bowl of ice cream, and for the last couple of nights, I've not had any "bedtime snacks".

So onward with the fight, winning the battle, conquering the fat!

About that Weight thing...

Here's another update about my weightloss work.

I was using a free smartphone app called "Noom", but was having some issues with them always having a pop-up of wanting me to upgrade to the "pro" version. But then I got a call from my brother today, and he reminded me that I hadn't gone onto the "My Fitness Pal" site that he invited me onto about a week ago, yet here I was trying to lose weight. So after some more looking, I found that My Fitness Pal did have a smartphone app, as well as the website. What makes this easier is that it also has a feature where instead of me trying to type in a particular kind of baked beans (for example, this evening, I had Bush's Grilled Smokehouse flavored, and the nutritional values on that would be different than ShurFine brand regular baked beans), all I have to do, if I'm using my smartphone, is "scan" the barcode on the can. As a disclaimer, the can of baked beans didn't scan, but when I did a search, I was able to locate it. But I was able to scan my cereal box.

Also, another feature is that the Noom would remind you to do your workout, which would be ok, but of course, isn't convenient when on a Rescue call or in a meeting. It would also only allow you to do the workout that you pre-programmed it that you wanted to do. My Fitness Pal only has the spot for me to put in what activities I've done for exercising, and then calculates that into my caloric figures for the day. With all of the numbers, it does help me see that if I want that ice cream, I'm going to have to walk to and from the mini-mart to get it and leave the truck in the garage.

One other feature that I like is that I can leave comments for myself or for a friend on the site, or my brother could leave a comment for me. This can help me to leave reminders on why something did or didn't work, or of course, the ideas that my brother can give...

One of which was that he pointed out that this site also will allow me to put in a recipe, and then it will figure out the nutritional value for the food I prepared per serving. Also, people can share those recipes, and they can be saved so if I make a particular dish, I can come back to it later on if I make it again.

In closing, all of the new ideas, changes in my lifestyles, and remembering to drink water and watch what I'm eating IS somewhat frustrating, but I DO appriciate everyone's support and encouragement!
And thanks be to God that I've kept up with technology!

Getting the hail out of here!

After a meeting tonight at my Pierce office, the forecasted storm arrived. I'm glad that I was about to leave, seeing how the windows to my truck were down because of the earlier heat. No worries, so I was pretty happy and relaxed heading out of town.

So as I was driving down the highway, I was watching the storm (as best as I could with watching the road of course, and only seeing some clouds from lightning flashes), I came up to a group of motorcycles heading into Pierce. One of the bikes were close to the center line, which concerned me a bit with all of the traffic that was behind them, but about a quarter of a mile down the road, I ran into some hail that was near golfball-size. I decided to power on, seeing how ahead of me was a clear sky (so I must have been driving out of the storm, I was hoping), and it was a couple of miles before I was clear of the hail.

So what was it like for those motorcycles to drive through that hail? After all, this wasn't like the pea-size hail that rained down on Norfolk NE a few weeks ago... this was larger stuff, big enough to bounce off the road.
Granted, it looked like this wasn't "higher elevation" hail that is more solid. What didn't bounce would "explode" when it hit the ground or the truck. So maybe it wasn't near as bad as it could have been for these guys, but still - hail is hail, and a golf ball is bigger than a pea.

So now that I'm sitting in the comforts of my lazy-boy, watching the start of Leno, getting ready to head off to bed, I have  to hope that these riders didn't have far to go, because looking at the weather radar, the only routes that they would of had to drive on will lead them into a worse storm cell.

So do you give thanks for what you have, or pray for those who are suffering?
Think about it.

Weight Loss Update

As many of you have read on Facebook, I'm working on losing weight. I'm going about this in a variety of ways. One way is an app on my phone so that I can track what I'm eating and to make sure that I'm drinking enough water. Another is that I got my pedometer reset so that I can log it into a website (Virgin Healthmiles, through my Conference.)

So far, I think I'm doing better with my meals. I may not be eat the "best, most healthiest", but I'm not running down to the corner market for a package of donuts for breakfast, as opposed to the bowl of raisin bran each morning.
I'm also noticing that I'm drinking more water. This must be a good thing, because if I "was" drinking anything, it was a 20oz bottle of rootbeer on my way to my Pierce Office, or a mug of draft rootbeer at the local diner. Water is also a lot cheaper of course.

I've run into a problem, especially today, as it's very hot outside... for whatever reason, I was feeling ill or faint earlier. When I noticed it, I started drinking some water, as well as eating an apple. I did start to feel a little better, and was doing even better when I switched t-shirts (the first one was a "winter-knit", and now I've got one that's a bit lighter),

Some of my issue could be because of a medicine I'm taking. I also know that it could be because I'm lessening my carb and caloric intake. But whatever it is, it is bugging me. I so want to grab a big pizza or bag of chips or oversized candy bar.

Well, pushing forward, pushing on.
One pound at a time.