so long 2010...bring it on, 2011

dude...can you believe 2010 is almost history? in some ways it feels like 2010 started yesterday. in most other ways though, it feels as if 2010 has been going on for well over a year. obviously impossible so that's good it's just in my head.


my favorite thing about ringing in a new year? setting new goals.

my least favorite thing about ringing in a new year? remembering to write 2011, not 2010, on checks and other forms/documents.

most interesting thing that happened to me in 2010? emily and i made a big move away from amazing friends and a nice town/area/routine...into unfamiliar territory and new things all around.

least interesting thing that happened to me in 2010? i only got my hair cut five times.

one thing i'm looking forward to the most in 2011? running the marathon in april.

one thing i'm dreading already in 2011? running the marathon in april. (see what i did there?)


one thing is for certain...2011 is going to rock. i hope it rocks for you as well. i know a ton of people have a New Year's resolution. i am way too cool for that though...ok, not really...i have one, or two. possibly three:

     1. emily and i have a "couples resolution" and it's basically to start living the lives we want to live. no matter what. we're going to stop making these lame excuses of why we're not doing what we want to be doing!

     2. my second resolution is to start eating real food. it's very simple...i'm going to eat real food. like...really 'real' food. we (meaning, myself and most people i know) live in a place where food is way too accessible/processed and people (including me) take advantage of it. in 2011...i won't!

     3. lastly, i'm making it a resolution to achieve my goals from my "goals for 2011" list (which i'll be blogging about soon). i almost feel like i'm tricking my mind on this one, by making this a New Year's resolution...it's almost like i'm setting almost twenty more resolutions. 

jokes aside...i really hope you have an amazing 2011, set some awesome goals, and achieve them! you can do it. and besides...if you don't....who cares!? you still went for it!!



HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

happy birthday to my dad

my dad is the man. that is the only way i can start this post. ever since i can remember (which i found out it is back to the age of 3) i've known my dad to be totally awesome! today is his 54th birthday. one of the coolest things about him being 54? answer, he runs about 20-25 miles every week and just ran a half marathon back in august (and i'm making him do another in april). so, when i say my dad is the man...you now know what i mean.

rather than just getting him a funny card and a present (which of course we did) i thought it'd be cool to just do a fun list (go figure) of some things he's taught me in life, a few funny quirks, and maybe a few things in between.

• he taught me how to eat an ice cream cone. that's right...there's a science to it. and my dad knows it.
• he taught me how to shoot a plastic pop bottle cap across the room by snapping your fingers. i used to climb up in between the doorway in our living room and he'd shoot bottle caps at me from his chair. oh, the good ole' days. (honestly...it wasn't child abuse...it was actually a blast!)
• when i was real young and he'd mow the lawn with a rider (then when i got old enough he made me use a push mower) sometimes my mom would take me out there to sit on his lap while he mowed.

• i used to be a "worker man" with him when he'd have to fix something in our house. apparently i'd put a rag in my back pocket just like him, too.

• he showed me how to stack coins near your elbow, palm facing up back by your ear, and then swing your hand down catching the whole stack without losing any. i can probably do more than him, but whatever.
• on that note...you can put a quarter in the palm of your hand, he'll put his hand under yours and he'll be able to snatch the quarter from your hand before you can pull it away. i'd put money on it. a quarter probably.
• he taught me how to play baseball. he was also my little league coach. which was cool.
• he can whistle so loud that when i was a kid playing all the way down the block, he'd whistle before dinner and i'd hear it. ridiculous. i used to/just tried to learn how to do that...and cannot.
• i brought him to show and tell in the second grade because he was an E.M.T.
• sometimes when we'd be in church, he'd squeeze my knee and if i laughed because it tickled (happened everytime) he'd say it was because i was girl crazy.
• he helped me make awesome pinewood dirby cars for cub scouts...and i'm sure my mom still has them in the attic.
• he taught me how to fly a kite.

• i used to help him do the chains for the high school football games. i was in charge of the clip (which is where the ball is on the field) and my mom claims it taught me responsibility. :)
• i used to get a lot of r/c cars for Christmas and sometimes we'd go out to his work and i'd get to drive them all over the place. it was super awesome. especially the ramps we built.
• he taught me how to fish when we used to go camping as a family every weekend.
• he was always at my school functions or anything i had going on. he always has and always will support me in anything i do.
• when i turned 16 and got my license, he told me good job and gave me twenty bucks to fill up my gas tank. maybe that's why he was so upset when i got those two speeding tickets in two weeks. nah.
• he also taught me how to drive a stick shift. even though i suck at it...i don't blame him.
• he basically taught me how to be a runner. with his little tips here and there and helping me get my first pair of running shoes...that was a big help with what has made me, me.
• he has this hilarious quirk that has somehow been passed down to me. when a bag of chips or pretzels gets a little low, he HAS to cut off some of the top of the bag. i think it's so his hand/arm doesn't touch any of the bag? easier access? i don't know...i don't really care...all i know...is I DO IT, TOO!
• he has clearly passed down his sarcasm and quick humor to me. that i'm thankful for. i mean, come on...it's awesome always having something funny to say.
• apparently we walk and run the same. of course i look cooler but that's besides the point.
• something i've realized as i've continued to grow up is how much i charish our friendship. he's not just a dad anymore...he's a best friend to me...and that is super rad and something i pray i never take for granted.
• the most important thing my dad has taught me/showed me/passed down to me is how to be a gentleman. he's set an amazing example for what it takes to be a man of God and how to love. whether it be how he loves my mom, or how he has shown love to me and my sister, or shown love to others.

what can i say? my dad is the freakin' man. he's honestly the best dad in the world. the only way your dad is better is if he bought you a riding lawn mower when you were younger so you didn't have to use a push mower for the ENTIRE lawn. i'm not bitter about that though. it obviously taught me something in life.

anway...here's to you, dad. happy birthday!

marathon training (pregame)

there it is, folks. my marathon training plan i got off of hal higdon's website. i've heard of quite a few runners using a higdon training plan, so i figured what the heck. i'll give it a whirl. something like 1-4% of people have done a marathon...in the world. that's pretty sweet.

the marathon i'm doing (as of right now) is the christie clinic illinois marathon. it's april 30th, so in order for me to utilize the 18 week plan above...day 1 will be the day after Christmas. what a good Christmas present to myself, right? i'm actually really pumped. until quite recently...i haven't been running much due to a slight knee injury. i like to blame it on my job...not overuse or over-training (because i never overdo it...nerrrvver!!).

another cool thing about this is that i think i've got emily and my dad roped into running that day, too. i think they're both up for doing the half-marathon. they also have a 5K, 10K, wheelchair half, marathon relay, and even a youth run available. 

but anyway...the point of this whole post. i'm thinking about doing a "marathon training blogular updatish type of post" either daily or weekly. something like that. would that be cool at all...to anyone? it would basically be a way for my readers to be able to follow my journey of training for my first marathon and all that goes along with it. the ups, the downs, aches, pains, nutrition, dieting, all that good stuff! i'm going to just tag them all as 'marathon training' so if you become a fan of just those updates...you can hop on my site and easily filter out all of the "other" updates. so, it wouldn't take place of my regular blog (don't worry). it'll be more of a supplemental feature to boost the enjoyment of reading my blog...if you're a fan of running of course. and if you're not...then you'll have the "other" posts to read/enjoy. it sounds like my blog is a bit segregated now, but i think it can be cool. 

three* things you gotta do to rock at life

that's correct...there are only three things. no more, no less. now you're glad you read my blog aren't you?

before i list off the three things you gotta do to rock at life...you should know a little background to how i came up with writing this post. well, i've had a little time free up for the next few weeks because i found out last friday that i was getting laid off. fortunately, i'm going to be back to work on the fourth of january, so it's not really life or death. it did come as a shock and i was a bit upset at first, but i understand/am trying to understand that some things in life just don't make sense. like when people say "i could care less" when they really mean to say, "i couldn't care less." doesn't make sense to me...but that's for another post.

the three* things you gotta do to rock at life...in this order:

1. be productive hopefully everyone knows what it feels like to be productive. the feeling you get when you realize you are getting SO much done throughout the day...that it almost feels like it should be tomorrow. that's what i'm talking about.
2. find/give love so, finding love is sometimes hard. some would argue that it could be impossible. well i disagree. although i'm not sure if "there is someone out there for everyone," i'm pretty sure i think that everyone is capable of giving love. and as far as finding love...well, you never really have to go too far if you think about it.
3. exercise i know, i know. exercise sucks. but does it really? most people who know me/used to know me definitely would say i was never much for exercising. in fact...i probably would've done just about anything to get out of exercising. nowadays...i love it! you've heard this from me before (probably), when we exercise...chemicals are released in our bodies that make us feel good. you can't beat that. i mean...you're human, right? because most humans i know continue to do things that make them feel good. we're creatures of habit.

good luck rocking at life!




*most likely there are a few more than just three, but today...when i'm feeling productive, ran 4 miles outside in 10 degree weather, and miss my wife really bad...it feels like three pretty much covers it.

remember when tv was cool?

i was on good ole facebook this morning and saw that people are changing their profile pictures to a cartoon character from their childhood. i chose darkwing duck...you can check it out here. i think it's for child abuse awareness? i actually think april is national child abuse awareness month, but i could be wrong. i'm not trying to be a snot, i was just confused. either way...it was really fun to find websites about old tv shows i used to watch as a kid. took me waaaaaaay back.

i came across this awesome website called retro junk. you can search movies, shows, commercials, even people from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. seeing all of the stuff on there from my childhood was insane. i'm fortunate enough to have amazing childhood memories. the ones that when you think about...it literally makes you wish you were a kid again. then i think about what it'll be like when i'm 40..and then 50...and then 60...and then..well, i think that's far enough into the future for now.

some of my favorites were cartoons like, darkwing duck, tale spin, chip n dale rescue rangers, duck tales, teenage mutant ninja turtles, bobby's world, inspector gadget was pretty much the man, too. oh, and of course ghostbusters. i'm pretty sure i could keep going for quite sometime with this.

probably one of my favorite shows growing up was CHiPs. i remember my best friend back in the day would come over in the morning before school for breakfast (most times we'd devour a dozen blueberry muffins) and we'd watch that show. of course macgyver was top on the list, too. and who can ever forget full house?

it's completely crazy how watching something or hearing about something from your childhood can just ignite all of the memories and flood your brain. i love the feeling i get from watching all of these intro's to shows i used to watch. for some of them i can literally remember a particular time of watching the show. a saturday morning...after school...late at night...and even where i was sitting in our living room and how my mom had the room set up (she rearranges the living room a lot.) it's a little bittersweet sometimes because there are people who are close to me that aren't as fortunate to have such positive childhood memories. to be honest, it feels a little unfair. i mean, every child deserves to have an awesome childhood. luckily, i have the best parents in the world (no, seriously...mine are better than yours) and they are great teachers. they set/still set a good example of what it takes to be amazing parents. it gives me hope that i might make a good dad someday and give a kid a great childhood! one worth remembering and reminiscing about for their whole life.

there's no 'X' in Christmas

Christmas feels different this year. i'm not exactly sure why. most years i have that, "i'm getting old...really wish i was a kid again because Christmas felt so much cooler back then" feeling, but this year...not so much. this year i'm feeling all sentimental, which really isn't abnormal for me, but it's packaged nicely with a feeling of a feeling i can't put into words. confusing, i know! most dudes don't even like to talk about their feelings and here i am talking about the feeling of a feeling. if i figure out how to describe it i'll come back to this thought.

this Christmas season i'm determined to watch every Christmas movie i used to love, or currently love. here's a working list i've come up with so far, in no particular order:

-national lampoon's Christmas vacation
-home alone
-elf
-white Christmas
-scrooged
-it's a wonderful life
-a Christmas story
-a charlie brown Christmas
-how the grinch stole Christmas
-frosty the snowman
-rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
-a very brady Christmas...just kidding