Weekly Check In - July 27 - AKA - Bounce Back Week!!!!

Bounced back in a big way this week!!! Lost 8 pounds baby!  After a tough week last week I hit my calorie goals all but one day this last week, but Frank and Lola's was totally worth the cheat and you need that occasionally!!!  I am also getting very excited about school starting.  I am in a great new school building (well, new to me, the building has been around for over 100 years.) With a great new room.  It's so big I feel like I need to put a couple of goals at each end!

MY NEW SCHOOL BACK IN THE DAY!

 I got some great training this week at our local Great Expectations training from two wonderful trainers (Thank you! Rhonda, Jentri (who is a finalist for Oklahoma State Teacher of the Year) and follow middle school campers for making the week GREAT.)

SOME OF MY FOLLOW GE CAMPERS

And thank you to my wonderful wife for allowing me to still get my workouts in AND time in my classroom.

Milestones:  I swam a mile Saturday with my face in the water all but the 50 meters of back stroke I would do at the end of each 350 meter set, and my last 800 was two minutes faster than my first 800. I also kept up with Renee for the most part in my 3rd 350 m set! Renee swims a lot and is sooooo smooth in the water. I want to be like her when I grow up (as a swimmer that is!) The life guard even commented that I looked much strong at the end! Also walked/ran a 5k on Friday and felt great after.  I starting to dig this exercise stuff more and more!!!

Remember to leave a comment on my SEE'S CANDIES post for the opportunity to win some of their awesome lollipops! Click Here to Read and Enter!


and here's my week folks!!! Hope to have a few more like this along the way!

BECAUSE YOU ARE WITH ME

Today I heard a song that I had not heard before, but was immediately moved by it.  The song was praise chorus called "I Will Exalt You."  The song has one particular line that stuck with me through the rest of the morning:

Because your with me. I will not fear!

I immediately thought of my beauty, smart and strong partner in this world.  My wife is the rock that my foundation is built on.  Her love and my faith has gotten me through many tough times over they past 16 years. Because she is with me, I will not fear. I will not fear life. Whatever comes our way I know I can make it through because she is with me.  I will not fear failure.  Because she is with me a failure is just a learning experience. So often it is my wife that helps me see the new path to take.  

Later in the day I was struck with the implications this phrase has on my current life journey.  I have encountered so many people with words of encouragement and support.  I have also been told by many that my journey has inspired them to start a journey of their own.  To all of you: Because you are with me. I will not fear!  I will not fear that big bowl of pasta. Because you are with (watching) me I have the will to eat to satisfaction. Because you with me binges will be a thing of my past.  I will not fear the miles and miles and miles to go to meet the gargantuan goals I have set.  Because are with me (sending encouragement and watching) I have the will to get in the pool and on the track/road and on the bike, even at times if I don't really feel like working out.  Everyone one of you seeing this today have a hand in me reaching for the top of the Ironman mountain.  Because -  you are with me.

Grateful

I stole this quote from one of my Facebook friends (Thank you Linda!)  It sums up quite well the feeling and thoughts I have had today.  On my walk today I was reflecting on the last seven years and decided that I would/could have not made any decision differently with the information I had at the time.  I think today I finally completely put that tough chapter of my life behind me.  I am grateful I made it through in one piece with the love of my family to keep me propped up.  I don't know that I feel the need to "forgive" myself for anything, but I did need to let it go.  I prayerfully did that today.  Also while on my walk today, I  prayed for Brett Andrews.  Brett is a professor at our local university and will be doing a full Ironman on Sunday (follow Brett's Ironman Journey Here. He is bib # 2146.)  I know I will be drawing on his experience in the future.  I have also watched some very inspiring Ironman videos.  I am truly looking forward to working toward the goal of calling myself an Ironman and hitting all of the mini and not so mini goals to get there.  I know I will need a lot of faith and support to get there, but I must admit knowing you are watching got me on the road today. 

The wisest thing though is to be present in the present, gratefully.  I am extremely gratefully that I was able to play golf with my oldest daughter on Monday and play Apples to Apples with the whole family and hanging out with my girls at the pool and play monkey in the middle and the dunk game.  I am gratefully that I was able to get finger printed at the Sheriff's department and take a drug test (sorry about the poor 1st attempt Raquel), why you ask, because that means I have a new job.  Not only a job but a job with no commute (8 minute from my house, 3 minutes from my gym), which to me is another omen it is time to begin this journey.  Commute time just became training time.  I am grateful to for my  talented and patient wife who loves me no matter what, and makes my life so much easier to live in the present.  

So while I am prayerfully looking to the future, I am so so grateful for my present!!!!!