Sunday, May 30, 2004

Its been awhile since I called you...

Well its been about a week. And we have moved to Florida and are getting on our feet. I had to cancel an upcoming race due to work. I am self-employed now and I already have two houses or rather two yeses and I am waiting for the deeds. So I drive a lot now and I like what I do. I don't have a boss except Dohnnie but he doesn't really count. And I am in control of my destiny. But that that can be a problem since it makes you care about what you are doing so you have the highs and the lows. But I like it that way really.

I like the house we are in. I really would like to stay in it for awhile but you never know if we can get someone to buy with the lease agreement in place. I installed a network as well through our phone lines and it is nice to have shared printer and stuff.

I haven't worked out consistently since before we started moving so I have gained almost all of my weight back. But never fear tomorrow I getting started again back on a regimen of swim,bike,run twice a week. An hour each workout. That way the pounds will melt off again. And I thinks its important since I am sitting in a car so much these days. Way too much fast food.

I am excited about the two houses. One is in Ormond Beach a really nice house that can be discounted and one house that has tenants and is really run down. So we'll see. For one thing, I still don't have the deeds so until can't really say anything. But I am gonna try to stay optimistic and not get paranoid. But Summer and I feel good about the move...We need to get the kiddies in day care though. She starts FBAH in a week so she'll need that time until then. Later.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Alright the move is complete. And it only took a couple of days to get it done. Summer and I drove straight through to Melbourne tonight. We both took NoDoz to keep us awake. Of course she is asleep now and I am still wide awake at four in the morning. But its all good because I got to play with my cool laptop that was waiting for me here. The house rocks. I just hope that we can keep it. Summer is in absolute love with it. It is so big. I mean it is huge. We don't have nearly enough stuff to fill it with. There are no curtains or anything. In fact earlier tonight, some random dude walked by outside like he was exercising or something. Weird. Kind of freaked us out. Sammy was up too for a while (I gave him too much Diet Coke in the truck). But whatever. We are actually here. We have a lot to do tomorrow. We have to unload the truck, go buy a refrigerator at Lowe's, I have to install the DSL service on all the computers, And call the Water people to make sure its turned on. The water is kind of on but we cant tell for sure. I really feel positive about this move. It seems we are moving on with our lives which is great. I think Dad will like this house it is just so big. How many times can I say that? Probably a few more. Anyway enough rambling. Later.

Thursday, May 13, 2004

Are we moving yet?

I hate to beat a dead horse here but I am so ready to move. I did an internet search on my awaited cell phone and I cannot get it until we move. So that is gonna be some wrangling. Whatever.

I just saw probably the best basketball game of the year. Lakers Spurs Game 5. Duncan hits fade away with .4 seconds left. The Spurs go crazy, the crowd goes crazy, even Doc Rivers the announcer proclaims that the Spurs are now 3-2. Then the Laker advance the ball with a full timeout. Then after a strategic timeout. They look for Kobe and end up passing it Derek Fisher who hit a flying the wrong way jumpshot to win it. Unbelievable. What a circus shot!!! I screamed so loud I woke my kids up. Wow. I found it hard to root for the Lakers but I have to due to Karl Malone. He deserves a championship even though he choked against the Bulls...Twice.

Well I got my new cell phone number which is good. I also did some research into workout gyms in Florida. And man since when can they charge an enrollment fee? Unbelievable. Its gonna cost twice as much to workout there. And I have to workout. What can I do? We'll see what Dad says.

Summer has her last final tomorrow then we are done. And we pick up the truck on Sunday and head out for sunny Florida. YES.

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

I don't know but I wonder why anyone would want to have more then one blog...I mean how much free time can a person have?

Well I swam a mile today. Man that felt good too, I have that tired feeling in my body that you can only get swimming Its not the exhausted feeling like running or the dizzy feeling like you get when you run. Its just different. But its feels good.

My next tri is a longer swim 550 yards so I have to prepare for it. Then I am also running more to help with last transition to run at this one. I wonder how the weather is going to effect me. We'll see.

Erin and Sasha might come down to Melbourne for Memorial Day. But hey whatever. We are so ready to move. We are already there in spirit. Summy's business with family books at home is going good, she had a conference call with the Field Development Manager and Sales VP.

Tomorrow I lift and run. Maybe bike if it gets done. I really want some new aero bars the ones I have are clunkers. But we can't really afford it. But whatever. Maybe things will work out.
Am I going to sleep yet?

Man I got so mad today when I heard about that poor civilian getting beheaded in Iraq. I was running and I felt like I could run all day with all that emotion. I got a good workout in though. An hour running, then weights. And I swam with Summer and the kiddies. They had fun. And I had fun too.

It is really late like twenty-five minutes after midnight and I can't get to sleep cuz I got the munchies and went to Hardees for a thickburger. Now I am waking Summer up so I'll get out of here. I am itching to move and get out of here.

Monday, May 10, 2004

Today was my first day of no school. Yep thats right no more college for me at least not for a while. I made a bunch of phone calls and did some research for Dohnnie. And I didn't do a bit of schoolwork. We paid some bills and continue to prepare for the move. So we're are pumped.

I went for ride this afternoon and my bike spoke broke. I had to call Summer to come pick me up. We got to try out the bike rack though and it worked like a charm. I took right to Route 66 Bike Shop and Dan-o there is gonna order a new wheel. So that'll be nice cuz thats two spokes now and counting. Good thing its under warranty.

Not much else going on today. Its all good. So anyway. Later.
Well Life Goes On

Yep we're moving. And I am done with College at least for now. I just have one more essay to write and then I am finally done. Seven years after I graduated from High School and I have finally done it. And I didn't even go on a mission to give me the excuse for the time.

Training is great. I have incorporated weights back into my schedule. I am doing a Base week next week. Around 8 hours scheduled for the whole week. An hour and half of that is weights. Lots of swimming. If I am gonna do 550 on the swim I gotta get more efficient.

We bought two laptops, One for Summer and One for me. She got hers for Mother's day. So we are giving Dad's puter to Hannah for college. She had a really bad car accident yesterday but she walked away with a big gash in her head. Summer was with her at the ER and said she could see the skull. Pretty trippy.

We are excited to move to Florida. We got pictures of the house and it looks so sweet. It would be nice if we could reinstate it or just live in it. That would be so cool. But we'll just have to see. I have ordered a cell phone for that area, and we have our laptops coming along with some software so we're psyched.

My next race is the first Orlando Summer Sprint at Belle Isle. Its a spring fed lake so I don't know if I will need a wetsuit or not. I certainly can't afford one. But come on, June 6 in Orlando Florida? Its gonna be a scorcher.

Dad's gonna fly from Nashville to Orlando...So that's nice. Wonder if we can leave his stuff too... Well we can dream can't we.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

RACE REPORT

So I went up to Columbia for my goal for 2004. To compete in a triathlon. Well I borrowed a sleeping pill from Dad and off we all went to the Super 8. Summer and I got separate rooms cuz there was no way I was gonna get any sleep with the kiddies and a five in the morning wake up time. I took like three immodium just to be sure and my other pills.

Off to the course. Got my time chip and set my transition area up. Not much really. Since I was using toe clips didn't really need that much stuff. Attended the pre-race meeting with all kinds of threats of dqs if rules weren't followed. With it being a pool swim I thought I would be the slowest swimmer. But I wasn't there were a lot of swimmers slower then me. That made me feel good. In the swim everybody bunched up. So it took a little longer then the planned six minutes. But I was quick out of T1 And off on the bike I was. I felt good on the bike till the first big hill and it kicked my butt cuz I wasn't warm. But I recovered and made a good go of it. My chain fell off twice and I had to walk one super hill. But I did the 17.5 miles in 1:15 which with two chains incidents wasn't that bad. Then on T2 I drank a lot and swallowed more gel boy those gels are really cool they help so much. The run was not easy. I ran for two miles then I walked about a half of mile then I ran the rest. Summer got some good footage of me on the Camcorder while I was running. I looked like a real triathlete. And that is because I am a triathlete. I won the middle of the pack award cuz my time was the exact average of all the men in the pack. Pretty cool I won an free entry in next years race.

I still can't believe I did it and did so relatively easy. I am not really that sore today the day after. The only thing I can work on physically is my calves cuz they hurt on the run. So I will add calf raises. I am quite proud of myself. So now I am a triathlete.

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

You know it just occurred to me that I am running a race in less then a week. Boy that is pretty exciting. I am still troubled over whether I should buy some speedplay pedals and shoes. I am really weak about buying stuff. Its a really bad habit of mine. I guess that comes from not having much as a kid. Who knows.

Today I actually worked for Dohnnie all afternoon except for the hour over at Dad's watching the Sopranos. Man that is a good show. We had another talk about what he is concerned about with moving. He said once that he even thought we were abandoning him. Unbelievable. We want him to live with us. Whatever.

We find out if we can move into that three bedroom two bath house in Melbourne tomorrow. Dohnnie has an appointment with the homeowners at 4:00 pm if he gets the deed then we will live in there till the house is sold. So that could all Summer.

Summer is packing like a crazy women. She is a whirlwind when she gets her mind on something. I still have to do the counties tonight. So I'll be up late. My kids are so cute. Sam is parroting everything we say. He is just learning and learning. I really hope we can make enough money to get him in Montessori down there in Florida. It would be so good for him.

Well I better stop procrastinating and get to work. Tomorrow I have my brief swim to prep for the race.

Sunday, April 25, 2004

WORRY WORRY

We talked with Dad today about the move to Florida. He is very skeptical. We don't for sure have a three bedroom two bath in Brevard county yet so he's concerned about where we are going to stay. Dad has to stay with us. He is just in too bad of shape. But he wants his privacy and doesn't want to live with us in the two bed two bath we have right now. So whatever. Dad basically is worried that the whole thing is a sham. He is scared about the change I think. Especially since he is going blind in one eye. It is supposedly getting better but he had to have surgery last time.

We went to Church today and had fun with the rugrat. Summer is so good. She kept feeding them crackers and oranges. Then they played with Play-doh (homemade kind) and colored a picture. They were very entertained. Plus I had the pleasure of taking three sunbeams to the bathroom at one time. Boy they can sure pee when they want to.

We are so excited about the move. I might even decide not to walk for graduation and get down to Florida right away. I have a lot to do tomorrow. I have to submit at least four deals. So I am going to be busy.

On the Triathlon tip, I ran 2.7 miles and walked 3.3 more with Summer. So six miles in one day isn't bad. Burned around 1000 cals. I am going back on Atkins tomorrow. I am going to do induction until Friday night then Carb load and eat normally on Saturday. Then Sunday is race day. I am worried that Dohnnie wont pay us before the race on Sunday. If I don't get paid then I don't think I can do the race. We'll have to scrounge for the opportunity to get up there. Plus I gotta get my bike fixed. All this could bode bad for the race.

Oh but I almost forgot. Turns out that the really nice house in Melbourne has a second mortgage so its a good prospect for reinstatement so that we could live in it. Its real close to a park and the Community College...And the BEACH!!! But Dohnnie does not have the deed yet so its still in play.
You know really its really interesting the way people approach blogs. I guess they represent the individuality of all of us as the human race. It's amazing that people can do that now. People used to write journals in notebooks... Welcome to the 21st Century.

I rode 14 miles today. I did an out and back to Doolittle a town west of us here in Rolla MO. I got honked at by a mullet with his girlfriend sitting Cowboy style in his Ford Ranger. I was totally at the side of the road and he had nothing better to do then honk at me and scare the you-know-what outta me. Whatever.

But I tried some gel for fuel and it went down fine if you like a honey like paste oozing down your throat. But I washed it down with water and all was well.

You know I am thinking about not even walking for graduation. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I could care less about the cap and gown and all that crap. Who cares. Not like UMR meant that much to me anyway. Just a degree. I had good times here I spose, my first two kids were born here and my marriage became a loving one here so there is there is some sentimentality in that. but I will be glad when we are gone.

We cleaned Dad's place for him today. It was nasty. I did his dishes and Summer did the rest. She is amazing at that amount she can accomplish if she puts her mind to it.

We did some Shopping and Summer got an overdraft fee taken off our bank statement with her charm. Last time I did that I had to threaten to stop my account with them. Whatever.

We had dinner over at Tom's and Rebecca's. They are nice people. They seem to be softening up a little bit after three years of sporadic dinners with them. Summer discovered an old school Super Nintendo and played Zelda for like thirty minutes straight. Man I forgot how boring those games can get. I remember why they used to annoy me. Once Super Mario Bros became passe` I was done with video games.

Not much else going on Rebecca is interested in doing Family Books At Home which is great. We'll see how that works out. I'm out.

Friday, April 23, 2004

Its Supposed to rain on race day!!!

Yeah I just checked the forecast and its supposed to rain tomorrow and rain on the Second which is my race day. I guess I understand why they canceled the bike portion of the race last year due to torrential rain. Man if I dont get to do my triathlon I will be pissed off. Whatever.

Well I got my mighty Jackson Hewitt bonus and it was 118 bucks. Yeah that's right 118 bucks. Whatever. I hate that place. What a joke. I am glad I am done with them. Man are we moving yet?

I took Dad to St. Louis for his doc appointment today. It went pretty well. I also went by a couple of bike shops and I finally learned how pedals work. Pretty neat how they do work. They are spring loaded so your cleats which are attached to your shoes lock in with a snap and then if you want to get out you just wiggle your heels to get out. Pretty neat if you think about it. I was impressed. At least I finally get how they work now.

We cannot wait to get down to Florida. Just cannot wait. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow so I can get my ride in. We'll see. Later

Thursday, April 22, 2004

BRICKS BRICKS AND MORE BRICKS

I did another brick today. This time I simulated T1. I had my lovely wife Summer wait for me with the bike. It took 6:19 for the swim. Then it took me around two minutes for the transition. And I was off for the bike ride. I did around thirty four minutes. Around 8 miles. Tomorrow I will do a long ride maybe an hour and half. I wish I could get up to Columbia to test ride the Race for Sight course. Oh well.

Didn't do much work today just email and stuff. Not much to do except wait for people and banks to get back at us. So what are you gonna do? Tomorrow I also have to take Dad to the Doctor's office. So I plan to cruise by the bike shops in St. Louis.

I also have a take home test due in Russian tomorrow. I am starting to feel more confident about what is going on with Triathlon, Family Books At Home, and the Preforeclosures. More to come.
Wow I am signed up for gmail

Yeah that's pretty cool I am excited to try it out. You know I noticed that the Google Adsense ads for blog have morphed from Triathlon websites to McDonalds. Why did that happen? Do the computers know that I have a problem with Double Quarter Pounders? I smell a conspiracy here. But seriously folks...I did a good run/walk with Summer we went around the block and did 3.2 miles in 43 minutes. Its funny I sprinted the last 100 yds and I noticed that my heart rate stayed at 175 the whole time but my breathing went through the roof. Weird.

I missed class this morning I overslept. Oh well. Am I graduated yet? I got my De Soto short finally from UPS (they screwed up the address). So I tried them out on the run and they felt great. I feel like I am really starting to get my fitness back. My HR was pretty low for most of the run. Except for the hills when I pushed the stroller...Man those kids are a load! Sixty pounds worth.

I watched Timeline and Master and Commander today. Both pretty good movies. Timeline seemed kind of campy and farfetched but hey its a time machine movie. Russell Crowe was up to his old tricks in Master. Very good movie well done. Very deserving of all those Oscar Nominations.

Not much going on with the foreclosures, just waiting to here back from clients or lenders. I cannot wait for payday on Friday, even though I know that it won't be much. But hey anything is better then nothing. We have bills to pay. That's it really. Later.

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Starting to Exercise again

Yeah I did a brick today. And boy it was hard when I started to run after the bike. I couldn't get my heart rate down. It was redlining, I had to walk to get it down. I did nine miles on the bike then I ran a 1.2 miles. In thirteen minutes and I walked a lot of the way. Not so bad really.

We got a couple of BPOs back today. Actually just one. The Barr property. It came back really high so we are just going to try and sell it. You know its crazy how so many things changed with that property. Just goes to show you not to get your hopes up about something until it is done. We'll see how things go.

The Family Learning aka Family Books At Home is doing great. Bill wants Summer to come and be in the booth at a huge Convention for Mothers of Pre-Schoolers. MOPS. So we are excited about that opportunity.

Summer paid her speeding ticket today. It took her like four hours to get it done so I had to miss class to watch the boys. So that sucked. But I was pleased with my performance in the brick today. Tomorrow I just have a run session. Probably do a long run. We'll see how the day shakes out. Have some phone calls to make and counties to do for Dohnnie in the morning. Other then that not much else going on. So later.

Monday, April 19, 2004

I LOVE MY NEW JOB

Yeah I love my new job. I was doing short sales and only short sales today. And boy I really liked it alot. I got a lot done too. I mean we could possibly get four deals submitted this week. We made an offer to one and to another so we'll see. I have to follow up with them tomorrow.

It was really nice to be home with the kiddies and be able not to clock in and stuff. I may never want to be anybody's employee again. Summer pitched a DK book to a mom at the playground and she totally went for it. Pretty cool. I am really excited.

I did my swim tonight. Only finished five minutes sooner then planned. It felt good to exercise. I did the whole one arm swim thing and that was really hard. But it was fun. I had to pee the whole time too and I couldn't pee because they had some scuba students in there that would see me pee in the pool. Gotta hate scuba students.

But anyway its feel good somewhat like we have turned over a new leaf. Glad we did it. Cannot wait to move. Later.
Okay this is not a its a diary

Yeah I know its a diary. But I feel so much more cool now that I can do my journal on the net so everyone can read it. Even though no one reads it. It has a slight private/anti-private feel to it. I was cruising through some of blogs on the host page and I came across , its a page about baseball and the economics of it. Pretty interesting if you think about. I have always loved baseball. I wish the Cardinals would spend some money and get some real pitching. But I guess there wasn't much out there unless you wanted an old overpriced Greg Maddux. Wondering if the Cubbies are feeling that deal yet. Anyway I digress.

Went to church today. We missed most of Sacrament but we helped out with the Combined Primary. Those kids can drive you nuts!!! Especially the little four year olds. Man what a deal. I was sweating the whole time.

I finally got the rough draft done for Religion and Witchcraft today. I wrote about six pages and I'll turn that in. It's not very polished at all but I really don't care at this point. I just want the grade and my diploma and I'll be on my way.

Tomorrow is the first day of full time working for Dohnnie. He sent three more deeds and I think I am going to be busy the whole day. Got lots of things on my to do list.

I planned my week for Triathlon training. It might be a little ambitious but I need to get some hours in so I can make some sort of fight at the Race for Sight which is two weeks from today.

Summy is complaining about the light so I'm outty.

Sunday, April 18, 2004

FEELING BETTER

I must say I am feeling better. I don't want to jinx myself but I really do feel as if I am coming out of this flu funk that has plagued me for the last two weeks. Summer and I ran around the park today with our snazzy new double jogging stroller that we got for a steal on eBay. I couldn't keep my HR down under 160. A few weeks ago I couldn't get it up past 140 on that course unless I sprinted. So there you go. Two weeks and I will be running my butt off. And cycling and a little bit of swimming but just 300 yds.

We just kicked it today. We watched some TV, bought groceries, barbecued, played with the kids, and watched Band of Brothers. Man I love that show, its so cool. I can see why it won an Emmy. Right now I am watching the Lake Show through my mirror. I have become a closet Lakers fan since Karl Malone signed with them. I want him to win a championship. I have my doubts though, the Spurs look tough with their defense and of course Duncan.

Found out recently that I won't get my bonus check until May 1st. May freaking first. What a crock. I am beginning to see how much a waste of time Jackson Hewitt was. Stupido. All it was was an excuse to sit at Wal-Mart do nothing for 6.50 an hour and eat Reese's Bites and gain weight. Frick it.

I called Bill Wardell today with DK. Did I mention this in my last post? Anyway, he is cool with us moving to Orlando and doing the business. He is a really nice guy. So maybe with two income streams, Family Learning and Real Estate, we can make a nice little nest egg for ourselves. Man I hope so.

Dad and I were talking about what he would do if he won a million dollars. He said he would pay off the bill for Mom's funeral services. That surprised me a little bit. He never talks about it or her. But sometimes when you least expect it he mentions it. I get the feeling that there is so much about my father that I will never know about. Seems like he tells Summer more stuff then he tells me. I think he likes her a lot. Plus he has a crush on her sister Sarah which is nasty. But whatever.

I was surprised when Erin said she and Sasha wanted to be investors for Summer and I. I don't think she meant Dohnnie but I didn't push it. I have to write my rough draft for Religion and Witchcraft tomorrow. Nine pages or so. Should be fun. Should've done it today but I was stalling and procrastinating as usual. You know its funny, this time four years ago I was finishing up at UVSC and moving out of Dad's place into my little whole on the hill headed toward Orem in Utah. I was getting ready to move to South Dakota and play Quarterback for the Wolves of Northern University in Aberdeen. Never heard of them? Well that's because they are a small Division II school that doesn't play anybody. I made a mistake deciding to go sight unseen. Their head coach was a nut. Thought he was Bear Bryant or something. Long story short I came back to Provo and Summer. We were married three months later. Man things change so quick in life. April of that year I never thought I would be married in six months. Now I have two kids. NUTS. I am starting to ramble so I will cut this short.

Friday, April 16, 2004

Back in the Saddle Again

Been a couple of days since I posted last. I have busy getting Tax Season over with and getting a paper of mine done and turned in. One paper down, two to go. I have to do a rough draft of the Cotton Mather paper by Monday.

I worked out today. I got my Triathlon shoes for racing today. They are the last years Air Kukini and they rock. They are so light. Summer also got her stroller and it rocks. We went for a run. We pumped up the tires with the hand pump then with the car tire pump at Delano...well that was a big mistake. The innertube on the front tire exploded. We thought we were under attack or something it was so loud. I was pretty winded but it felt good to sweat and workout.

We didn't get a Bonus check at the party either which pissed me off. I think I will still get one but who knows when. I also filed for Unemployment too. Things are going to get tough here in the last few weeks before we move to Florida.

I am kind of starting to worry that Dohnnie will not be able to front this move of ours. And I am worrying that we are not going to have any money for the next few weeks not that Jackson Hewitt is gone. I dunno.

But tomorrow just school, short sales, and I have to call Bill Wardell. I keep forgetting. That might be a nice little income stream too. Later.

Monday, April 12, 2004

MONEY THAT'S WHAT I WANT

Broke down and bought Summer's stroller on line. So now one of the Credit Cards is mixed out. But she said she needed it. We'll see. Hope that the bonus with Jackson Hewitt is more then fifty bucks because we need it bad. Somehow I don't think it will be. I am starting to wonder if Dohnnie can get us in a place down there. He had to give three grand back to the title company from his last deal because they forgot a tax lien on the title of 6K. So that's gotta hurt.

One of the banks I am working with finally called me back and they want an offer submitted. So I got Dohnnie and Pat working on it. Hopefully I'll submit it tomorrow. Be nice if the Camacho, Barr and Kriston deals all closed before we left. That would help quite a bit. But hey who knows.

Met with Dr. Gragg and it was fine. He is such a cool guy he just gets a charge out of helping his students. He was very helpful with focusing my thesis and my outline. I have the rough draft of that paper due on Monday and I have a Poli Sci paper due on Thursday but its just five pages no biggie. Still didn't work out, I was coughing a lot today. I have lost so much fitness. Only nineteen days left until the race and I am so not ready to compete. I just hope I can get like a whole weeks worth of training in before I even run in the race because other wise I am sort of screwed. I don't even know if we can afford to go up there to race! Whatever. All I can say is are we moving yet? I found some apartments in Titusville that are pretty cheap considering. Only 700 for a 3 bed 2 bath. But hey why rent when you can sort of own. I made really good headway with the short sales today. A lot of progress indeed.

Sam puked all over me today. I came home from work and he wasn't feeling good. He lay on the couch with me and then all of sudden there is just puke everywhere. Grapes and French fries....Needless to say he is pretty sick. I have an appointment to take him to the Docs tomorrow morning. I have to work at Eleven so I am pretty much out of luck for short sales tomorrow. Hopefully Pat sends me that HUD Homecomings wanted for the Kriston deal so I can get it to them quick so we can get things moving. We need the money. Oh well.