When It Rains, It Pours

For those of you who are LDS, you know about Fast Sunday. For those of you who aren't LDS here's how it works: On the first sunday of the month the congregation as a whole will fast for whatever they're individual needs may be. In the actual church service the pulpit is opened to the congregation to come up if they feel so inclined, and to simply bare their testimony to the congregation. It's an opportunity to express gratitude to God and to publicly share what has strengthened them in the previous weeks. Great strength comes by listening to the stories and experiences of others, and the spirit is often (certainly not always) felt really strongly. I don't usually feel so inclined to go up, and if I do feel inclined, I admit that I'll often ignore it. It's a difficult concept for me to take that time away from someone else, especially when I often feel I have much more to learn than share. Today, however, I couldn't resist. I felt so strongly that I needed to go up, and I haven't felt it this powerfully in a long time.

Yesterday I took the GRE. Most, if not all, of the graduate schools I have looked at have the same minimum expectation for GRE scoring. To prepare for this I have taken a couple practice tests, as well as studied various topics that would be seen on the GRE. I also got a priesthood blessing to ease my mind, comfort me, and give me any divine counsel that may help me as I prepared to take the exam. During and after the blessing I knew I would do well. I was confident that I would hit the minimum requirement of the schools I'm looking into. Even during the test I just felt good about it, it was awesome. I finished the test, immediately got my results for 2 of the 3 sections (one of the sections has two essays that take longer to grade), and left with a smile on my face, even though I had no idea what my scores meant. Further investigation showed me that my scores were not what I needed them to be. On the verbal reasoning section, I am a little below the minimum requirement, and on quantitative reasoning, I am far below where I need to be. I went into it hopeful to do well, yet prepared to accept whatever I receive. I didn't actually expect to have to be accepting though; I really just hoped God would pick up the slack and help me answer what I could not. Maybe this did happen, maybe I shouldn't have even gotten the score I did, I'll never know. 

I'm a confident person, and I believe I'm someone who has many skills. Academics though, are absolutely my weakest area, to a degree that most people don't really know. People are often shocked to find that I am consistently a C student. It's not a surprise to me to score the lowest marks on exams in classes within my major. I have accepted that, for the most part. Don't get me wrong, I don't say "oh I'll just aim for a C", by any means. I still try. I'm as diligent and dedicated as I know how to be, but time and time again, it is not enough. After the GRE, I hit a low. I described to a friend that for so many months now I have held my head above water, but that my test results immediately pushed me under. I just felt sad, and confused. I found myself being extremely self critical. The worst part is that when I got home, I didn't even have time to reflect on this. I had to, almost immediately, head to campus to continue studying for my third Biochemistry exam on Tuesday. That was like adding weight to my hands splashing around above this water I'm now under. I have yet to pass one of these exams, and so I'm finding myself asking "why even study?". It took everything I had to stay in the library and outline chapters, and it reached a point where I was having to exert even more energy to hold back the tears that just wanted so badly to fall. Even now, I feel like a ninny writing this, I absolutely hate to admit that this is such a trying experience. I just feel emotionally, spiritually, and physically drained; like I have NOTHING left to give, yet the semester isn't over, and I must keep fighting. 

The reason I felt I needed to go up and bare my testimony is because I was feeling ungrateful. I feel as though I am in a dark cloud with no idea what direction I need to go to get out of it, or as said before, I am under water, and I have no strength to get myself above the water. I have prayed, and pleaded with the Lord, but I don't feel stronger. I do know that I'm where He wants me to be (or at least I hope so), and that in days, months, or years, however long it takes, I will be able to look back and see the purpose behind all of this; but for now, I don't see it; at all. I needed to bare my testimony and say that I am grateful. I'm grateful for my wife, for my son, for worthy priesthood holders around me, for close friends I can rely on, for this university, for my Savior, and for many other things that actually matter. I felt as though I needed to remind everyone that it is in these times, when we are at a complete loss of what to do, that we must call on Him more than ever. We need to call on Him always, but to take these as signs that He is not there is absolutely foolish and a mistake. It's easy to love God when life is good, but to love Him and remain faithful during hard times is the truest manifestation of our faith in Him and devotion to Him. 

I'm still without a clue as to what I need to do next. I'm terrified about my future. The future of this Biochemistry class, the future of next semester (it will easily exceed this semester in difficulty), the future of graduate schools, etc. But I know there is a plan. My only sure move is to remain faithful.

Here's the kicker though. Yes, there's more. Today bishop called me in to speak with him. This is how that conversation went:

Bishop Murdock: "Come in here real quick, it'll take 10 seconds. 6 seconds. Maybe 4 seconds... You're going to be our new Elders Quorum President. Think of who you want as your counselors. Good luck. When it rains, it pours"

Me: "...Ok."

I'm terribly intimidated and humbled, but anyone reading this needs to know how grateful I am for this opportunity. I feel confident that it's what I should be doing, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to get to know the men and their families in our ward; to serve them to the best of my ability. What bishop said about "when it rains, it pours" could not be more true for me right now, but rain is essential. Rain cleanses, purifies, and provides growth and life. Hopefully I'm not a cactus...

The weather today: Storming. Seriously, it's thundering and pouring rain. I have heard it thunder in Hawaii, maybe 4 times in our 2.5 years.

All day yesterday, all day today. Just rain to anyone else, 

symbolic to me.

P.S. Sarah and Sawyer are healthy and well. Sawyer can walk now (though he still chooses to crawl), and looks to be finally plumping up since we have him on 3 cups of whole milk a day. He can climb onto and off of the couch, as well as all kinds of chairs. He's even learned he can climb onto the couch, and then extend the gap to get onto the kitchen table. He can climb up and down stairs. He opens all of our cabinets and loves everything inside. He also loves to climb on top of the toilet (we keep the lid down). He's 13 months today.
Things he can sign:
hat
milk
eat
water
bye/hi
tree

Things he can say:
mama
papa
more
no
thank you ("da do")
texas
ezra (his bff)


UPDATE: All of the above was written 2 weeks ago. Today, Sunday Dec. 15, 2013, everything is official. I am the new Elders Quorum President, and the two men I've chosen as counselors are great examples and dear friends of mine, Chase Buie, and Skyler Chambers. I am so excited to get to work with them, and learn from them, as we rely on inspiration and divine guidance to serve the quorum together. I have a few friends who may find this article of interest; it discusses what the LDS believe on the doctrine of priesthood, priesthood keys (authority), and the responsibilities therein.

Changing Careers

*Sawyer update at the bottom

I’m writing to make a thought on my mind an official proclamation. For the past year, if not more, the task of becoming a dentist transitioned from being an exciting adventure into a daunting weight on my shoulders. I’m not sure what caused it; I haven’t yet pinpointed it (the obvious thing may be that the requirements are hard; but they have been manageable, it’s something more than that). For some reason, it began to feel obligatory, and forced; it was a chore to stay excited about going dental, but I knew it was what my family and I had planned on me doing, so I kept the thought there (secretly hoping I would discover something else).

Granted, I have not yet shadowed, so to say, “I know I won’t like it”, is not true at all. But I had to be truthful with myself, and the truth was, I wasn’t interested in finding out anymore, as I once was; I didn’t care to learn more about it. The sole reasons I wanted to be a dentist had nothing to do with the actual day-to-day work I would be doing, it had more to do with the lifestyle it would create: flexible schedule, opportunity to help and even travel, I could be my own boss, I could be in a position of influence, dentists will always be needed, and of course the pay was great to name a few.

Early on in my decision, I was excited about shadowing; I was excited about learning what the field would look like through the lens of the achieved dentist. Somewhere in the last year though, the idea of shadowing lost its excitement and I was no longer curious about it. I’m left to think it must have been my exposure to different careers, different topics through my coursework, different applications of what I had been learning, and of course mingling with many different students in the same classes, though all aiming toward different careers. My mind, and the possibilities, had been opened.

So what will I be going into now?

As is mentioned in my last blog, I ran a half marathon in March. That must have done me in because since then I have only run 5 times, if that, and most of them were sprints. Although the running kind of trailed off, there was a fresh resolve placed within me that has not yet left. 

On February 25th, I began a new 5-week weight lifting program (read about it here). It’s now June 23^rd, and I have, to my complete surprise, stuck with it. I have created a few more programs ranging from 3-5 weeks, and I have incorporated healthy eating, focusing on protein intake accompanied by many fruits and vegetables (I have learned that healthy eating is far simpler than it’s ever made out to be. Not easy, but simple), and trying to decrease carbs, fats, and simple sugars. I can expound more on my ideals with diet, but I’ll save that for a later entry. The point being, I have stuck with this. I have found it fascinating. I have spent my spare time researching different tips and meals for healthy eating. My classes this summer have begun to touch a bit more on things such as break down and synthesis of amino acids, and metabolism will be heavily covered in upcoming semesters. I recently did research, by assignment, comparing sucralose (splenda) verses sucrose to determine if I personally would take splenda. I have loved these topics. I didn’t realize until about 3 weeks ago, that this topic of diet, fitness, and nutrition have sort of taken over me. It then entered my mind that I might find it beneficial to further expand my knowledge on this topic, and see to making this my career. 

So, there you have it, what has unfolded and evolved from my time at BYU-Hawaii, is that I am now directed my efforts toward becoming a Registered Dietitian. I’m in the process of looking up programs to determine which I will apply to. From what I have seen, they are typically 2 years, and many will include an 8-12 month internship, followed by an exam qualifying me for my RD certification. Along with this, I will be getting my Personal Training certification as to make my skill-sets well rounded on diet and fitness, and I’ll begin to help others reach their goals pertaining to health, either by doctors orders, or simply personal goals to be healthier. This is all new, and I still intend to complete my biochemistry degree here. I have much to learn about what this field includes. I could work at hospitals, schools, nursing homes, gyms, private practice, or practically any business where a cafeteria, or meal plan, needs to be created.

I’ll close this off with a theory of mine, and make the follow up my next entry. Tony Horton, if you know P90X, you know Tony Horton: He is in stellar shape and his enthusiasm and optimism make him an incredible coach to working out, and quite the poster boy for the 90-day workout videos. He is a prime example of someone with dedication who has achieved phenomenal results. My theory though, is that you don’t need professional videos to achieve desired results. Seek professional help to insure proper form, so as to avoid injury, but as far as shaping your body, there is free information out there if you need ideas, and you can do it, it's just a matter of your own will power. If videos are how you like to work out however, then by all means, keep at it!

Because I know the day I started working out this year, and because I document my workouts and record what I did, I can determine my 90^th day. My belief is that, although professional videos present rigorous workouts, with top shape models in them, those videos are not the only way you too can look great. I have about 5 weeks until my 90^th day, but for now I’ll post my before and during picture. I am at about 10% body fat, and am shooting for 6-8%. I have gained almost 10 pounds, and I have felt incredible. I’m obviously not a professional, and I accept advice and tips all the time. But I have been persistent. A friend of mine recently sent me a picture after our having this discussion, the picture had a river, and the words, “Strength: a river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but its persistence”, that is what I have learned first and foremost (second bit of wisdom is how crucial accountability is in creating habits; work out with a friend!). Expect the final picture in a little over a month. Until then, just stay persistent, and results will come!

This is what has consumed me, and what I have thoroughly enjoyed. If you have any bits of advice, or want to share your understanding and tricks in the realm of diet and fitness, please do!

I really debated whether or not to share these, because I, personally, find pictures like this pompous. A friend of mine reminded me that if people are interested enough to click this link, then they are likely interested in my progress and achievements. I hope you receive this progress-share in the right light. In the first picture, taken near the start of the year, I was about 143 lbs. In the 2nd I had been focusing on working out, and just getting as many calories as I could (around 3000/day for a while). In the 3rd, taken a few days ago, I had been focussing more on quality of food. This is where I'm about 10% body fat, and about 151 lbs. I had not done cardio leading to the 3rd picture and was working out about 3 times a week. As of last week I have begun swimming as well as working out for 45 minutes twice a day.

*I don't know what I last updated on. Sawyer is not still; he is all over the place every waking moment. He LOVES other babies, but sometimes that love scares them. He always wants to climb on them, or be right up in their face, and they just think he's a little too cray cray. He's babbling a lot, eating solids, and using sippy cups with our help. He now has two bottom teeth, he pulls up on anything he can reach, and he loves to smile and laugh. He is a very independent baby and does fine entertaining himself amongst his shoes, stuffed animals, and books (and empty water bottles, old pizza boxes, and tupperware).

My Half Marathon

Our neighbors, Brian and Maggie, are leaving the island soon. Several weeks ago Maggie set out to train for a half marathon with the goal of doing it before she left. Each week she would tack on more miles to her runs so that come HM day, she'd be well prepared. Somewhere in the mix she got sick, and although it set her back a bit, it didn't stop her. Her husband, Brian, has also been on a physical journey. He got a calorie counting app, was going to the gym, and was running as well. He ended up gaining, from what I recall, 10-15 lbs in a matter of what seemed like weeks, 3 months tops. Naturally, their endeavors inspired me. I've always gone to the gym and found satisfaction in going, however, I never kept up with it or had it engrained into my lifestyle. I would go, end up seeing results, get kind of lazy and slack off a bit, and stop going for a while. Ultimately, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I made my next workout schedule and began going again. Running, however, is the hardest thing for me. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have hated it my whole life. I always knew it was important, and I always wanted to like it, but it wasn't until my neighbors showed me the "Nike+Running" app, that the motivation set in and I saw a means by which I could achieve my goal. I still won't call myself a runner, and there are days where I'll still say boldly, "I hate running", but with that hate, I can now also say "I love running".
Brian and Maggie invited me to do their HM with them, and at first I said sure, just being optimistic and gung-ho. I then realized (and was reminded by a few friends) that I was not at all training; although my runs were about every other day, they consisted of 1 and 2 miles, 3 miles max. I was not preparing to endure a grueling 13.11 miles, as Maggie and Brian had been doing. I then declined and said I would meet them for their last 3 or 4 and attempt doing that with them. Things changed when they came over the night before to talk about their plans. We were to pick them up at Waimea and we were mapping out when we'd need to leave to get there just before them. They again invited me. My extremely supportive and optimistic wife said to me, "You should just try it. I bet you can do it", and I thought that was a great point. I didn't need to see it as an all-or-nothing kind of thing. I was allowed to just start with them and see how far I could get. There would be no shame in stopping short of Waimea, especially since I had not been training for it.
5:00 AM the next day came. I woke up and started getting ready. I got changed, I got my Camelbak filled up, and I got a bag of honey ready to slurp down if I reached Turtle Bay, the approximated halfway point. We met in front of the Laie Temple at 5:30, waited about 15 minutes for others who were invited to attend, and when no one else showed, we started our music and our feet.
I knew to expect real struggle around 6 miles. Before this moment, my longest two runs were just over 6 miles, and just over 7 miles. Now, imagine the angst I felt when I realized that this 6 mile mark I was afraid of, was not even a halfway point; I'd have to do it twice, plus some.
To jump ahead, I was right. 6 miles hit and I was struggling. My lungs felt great, and my joints felt great. My calves however, were on fire. I recently changed my run. A couple weeks ago I obtained an injury, and a friend of mine said it sounded like I was heel striking according to the pain I described. He was right. I adjusted accordingly by attempting to land only on the balls of my feet, and it has made ALL the difference. No joint pain when running any longer, but man, my calves get worked! At 8 miles, I decided to stop. I contemplated whether or not I would sit and wait it out, or if I would keep running. I contemplated whether or not that meant I was going to call Sarah to come get me. At one point I tried to immediately start running again, and I was unable. I ultimately decided I would walk; I decided even if I had to walk the remainder of the 5 miles, that I would do so, and finish. I hoped I would be able to start running again, but in that moment I knew I just needed to start with walking. I want to talk about the things that motivated me. There was one particular thought I didn't think I would consider.
I thought about the music I was listening to. I don't need fast paced music to run well (though I do use it and like it). What I need is music with a powerful message. If it's a song that makes me contemplate and wonder, I often internalize it and turn that focus into an energy that allows my legs to keep moving. This was my first surprise with distance running. I see it as a very therapeutic thing; a way to think and become better.
I thought about the people driving by. When I see runners, I feel inspired. Even when I admittedly hated running enough not to do it, I would always think to myself "good for you" as I passed runners. I wanted to look strong for those passing me. I want them to think they can do it too, instead of "wow... that guy looks like hell. I won't be doing that any time soon"
I think about the others running on the same path as myself. I think of us as a team, and I want to be an optimistic and strong member of the team, not the one that brings the team down.
I thought about Sarah and Sawyer. I wanted to prove Sarah right when she said "I bet you can do it". I never want to give her any reason to doubt me, and want more than anything to be her greatest hero. That idea is certainly applied to Sawyer too, so I look forward to what I can achieve when I know he's observing my struggles.
I did the whole just-make-it-to-that-bridge thing, and then setting a new short term goal when I arrived.
Lastly, the one that really surprised me. I thought about Jesus Christ. I strongly believe He suffered for my sins. I believe He felt every bit of pain that I will feel in this life; that we all will feel in this life. I don't claim to know how He did it, but I believe that He did. I thought about the pain I felt while running, and thought how that was nothing compared to what He must have had placed on His shoulder (metaphorically and literally). When I thought about that, it made me want to keep running. In a way, I wanted to endure as He did. I never anticipated this thought would cross my mind, but it was probably the most powerful motivation for me.
I walked for 3/4 of a mile. After that I decided I needed to start running again. All of these thoughts accumulated and I couldn't bare to walk any longer. But once running again, I could hardly bare the crash of each step. Each one caused such an awareness of the weight of my body crashing down upon itself; each one took all of my strength I had to push through, and with each one I kept thinking "I will adjust. I will adjust. If I keep pushing through this, I'll find my rhythm again and not notice how heavy I feel". I had no idea if that's really what would happen. No one had told me what it's like to continue running after having stopped. I hadn't talked to anyone about this run and what to expect. Sure enough, I eventually caught my rhythm and wasn't as aware of each crashing step. This persisted for the next 4+ miles. Somehow, I was able to finish.
I got to Waimea and was greeted by Sarah and Sawyer hanging out on the beach. Sarah tossed me an MRE and I had one of the most deserved meals of my life; an understatement considering the MRE still didn't restore the calories I had burned on the run.
A huge thanks to Brian and Maggie for encouraging and motivating me, my wife for believing in me and knowing how to get me to do something, and Richard for giving me the MRE a few weeks back. Actually, I'm also thankful for those who reminded me I hadn't really been training for this. A few times during the run I thought to myself, "man, I was not ready for this... I should finish it anyway."
As a closer, for those of you looking to try this out, here are the details of each run in March leading up to, and including, the HM:
Distance: Pace
4.51 mi: 9'49"/mi
2.45 mi: 10'00"/mi
1.02 mi: 6'50"/mi
1.13 mi: 7'22"/mi
2.01 mi: 7'32"/mi
1.00 mi: 7'38"/mi
0.55 mi: 7'26"/mi
1.00 mi: 7'31"/mi
2.03 mi: 7'56"/mi
13.1 mi: 11'21/mi (including my walking pace. My running pace was mid-to-high 10'/mi).

The beginning of the north shore bike path.

Just a few miles left.

Waimea bridge. Parking lot just on the other side of those trees.

Snapping pictures while running. Here's where I expected my fan club.

...they were on the beach.

My app wasn't calibrated well. It should have said 13.11 miles upon entering

the parking lot, but it made me run beyond it until the trail ended and then back some.

(Family in blue tent).

Post-run, awkward head tilt picture.

My biggest fan and I.

Nike+Running color codes your run based on your fastest

and slowest pace.

SO happy we left this in the car on accident!

 

And lastly, a cute baby eating sand.

Lanikai Adventures

Blog time! Sunday is blog day. Kind of like how Sarah and I watch "Sunday movies". Any movie that airs on Sunday, is technically a Sunday movie, right? We'll work on that justification...
This weekend was awesome! Actually, the whole week was awesome! I just took 3 exams so I had nothing new to study for (well, nothing to cram for). Sarah is home for spring break. I finished the needed lab reports, and even spent Friday afternoon into evening doing 4 pages worth of an extra credit write-up that isn't due until next Wednesday. If you know me, you know how difficult that is. For me, the weekend often starts at noon on Friday when I'm out of my last class. But to work until after 6:00 finishing assignments, that is unheard of. The benefit: It freed up Saturday completely!
Before I get into Saturday, I'll talk about Tuesday. I don't have class Tuesday, so Sarah and I took our free day together as an opportunity to go out to the east side of the island to Lanikai, officially my favorite beach right now. The beaches we usually frequent are on the north shore, and for the past few months it's been firing; tons of surf, a few contest were scheduled, and lots of traffic and people. At Lanikai, the water is calm, the stretch of beach is long, and it was just a nice change of pace from our norm. I could keep describing Lanikai, or, you could just see for yourself.

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I didn't expect the pile of sand this guy made to turn into this.

This is my new favorite picture of Sawyer.

Naturally, I wanted to go back. We planned it all out, and decided Saturday would be a great day to do so. It worked out well that 3-5 other couples around us also wanted to go! Then Friday happened. Friday brought with it, an entire day of rain. The type of rain where it was pretty well accepted that it would be extending into Saturday without fail. (The rain is likely the reason I finished assignments). Sure enough, Saturday morning came and the rain continued. One couple dropped out, then another, then another. Our neighbors were forced out of their big run due to the rain, and it was seeming to be a losing battle for us, with the rain being very victorious in taking its captives! Sarah and I still needed to get out in it though. Our car was (and still is), in Kaneohe getting an oil leak fixed; we needed to go get it. Our neighbors had volunteered and they were still down to taking us. We left flirting with the idea that we would venture to the beach despite the rain. There's a lot of detail and rain between leaving our place and ending up at the beach, but suffice it to say we got Donkey Balls Chocolates, our car is not finished, and we almost just headed back home instead of driving the additional 15-20 to Lanikai. Ultimately, we headed to the beach. Low and behold, when we arrived there was no rain!! It still was not sunny, but there was also not any rain! Apparently it hadn't rained much at all on the beach. We set up our half tent for Sawyer, laid out towels, and got our relax on... kind of. A man, who we later knew as Shawn, looked at us and said with a pointed finger, "Who's paddle boarding next?!" This stranger was awesome; immediately welcomed us and said to let him know when we were ready to paddle out, that we could take his board at any time, and THEN he introduced himself. I like that order of events. Each of us paddled out, each of us stood up, and from what I saw no one fell. Sarah even later whispered to me in such a surprised and excited tone, "that was easy!", and then expressed that she wanted to head to Waikiki and finally rent boards to try longboarding. Why rent, and why Waikiki? I don't know or care, I'd just love to get her out there!

The rains eventually came again, and we headed back home. But the fun didn't stop! Our church family was having a barbecue and movie (The Count of Monte Cristo). A huge screen was erected in the courtyard behind our building, and burgers were grilled. A few of us upstairs pulled our couches out of our apartments and hoisted them up on chairs to see better. It just now occurred to me that there was no rain while the grilling and movie were happening, that's pretty awesome! I'm a man of God, and to him I give credit and say, "thank you".

Brian waiting for burgers and movie to be ready.

This was post-movie. 4 couches out of their apartments is a happy sight!

So, that's the weekend. It is now Sunday morning and it's been raining since I woke. I thought on Friday that the rain would put a damper on the weekend but somehow we worked around it and had a great time. Today we'll go to church, tonight we'll likely play games then tuck into bed, and tomorrow we'll look forward to the inevitable question, "How was your weekend?".

Becoming A Runner

First and foremost, SAWYER IS ROLLING BACK TO FRONT!!
For the past few weeks he's been rocking to fetal position, getting stuck on his shoulder just before going belly side down, then crashing again to his back where he started. He just turned 4 months and we weren't really expecting success for another month or so. However, when we found him on his stomach in his crib, after being certain we left him on his back, we knew we needed to start keeping an eye out.
Small tangent... this got me thinking about all that our children ("our" as a people, not just Sarah and I), will experience without our knowing. They will have moments of success, and moments of failure, many of which will occur unbeknownst to the parents. Sawyer had apparently already rolled from back to his stomach, but in his pre and post nap loneliness the experiences were his own. It reminds me that as a parent I can't get down on him about all the times he'll inevitably fail, nor can I beat myself up for missing any of the times he will succeed. Whether in the gospel, school, his role as a big brother, any jobs he may have, or any other role he takes on in life, he'll be racked with not only the success and failure that we will likely be aware of as caretakers, but he'll also have many that are his, and his alone; it is up to him to take his experiences and to learn from them, not for us to praise or reprimand at the close of every experience. That's a somewhat incoherent thought that I could likely expound much more upon, but I'll stop.
Anyway, Sawyer is 4 months and 6 days old, and can repeatedly roll from back to front (video below).

In fitness news, I have just completed 1 week and 1 day of the program I made. In line with my goal to go to the gym 3 days a week and run the other 3 (resting on Sunday), I started at the gym last Wednesday and have followed the program very well. Last night marked my 4th gym day, and tonight marked my 4th run; a friend and I did sprints on a small soccer field, and it brought my weekly total to 11.07 miles completed. I've attached some of the statistics that show myself stacked up against others in the community (according to "Nike+Running"), and I feel pretty excited about what it's showing! I've never considered myself a runner, but when someone asked me today "are you a runner?" I found myself feeling more confident in saying, "Yeah, I run", (still hesitant to call myself a "runner" though). Keep in mind, I literally ran last year maybe 3 times and it was likely a 1-way run where I wasn't "exercising", but rather getting somewhere faster than walking. And that was a normal year; I can safely call that my trend for the past 5 years. The picture I'm trying to paint is that I HATED running; despised it.
Since January 4th though, I've gone on 13 runs and accomplished 38.28 logged miles. I give full credit to Nike+Running. Sarah can vouch for that. Being able to compete against friends, and to see my runs has made all the difference and I recommend it to anyone who wants to run but isn't quite sure how to get started (Nike+Running seems iOS based, but I know there are several droid running apps; I just don't know them).
As far as the gym days, Monday I do triceps/biceps, Wednesday I do legs, and Friday I do chest and back. Each day consists of about 14 exercises, and takes between 45 min to an hour and 45 min so far. I have been sore for a week straight, and for those of you familiar with Tony Horton, "I hate it, but I love it".
Photo update to come. I anticipate I'll take a new picture on a monthly basis to compare with the 1st day photo. But for your enjoyment, I'll add a picture from the horrendous mid-day run I went on with Sawyer that expresses quite well how we each felt afterward.

5-Week Fitness Plan

*Sawyer update at bottom.

Here's a bit of a back story to today's blog:
A couple months ago I asked Sarah, "what would be your ideal fitness goal for me?". She looked me up and down and said with the inflection that comes with a question or uncertainty, "20 pounds of muscle?". I'm a realist, and I understand that she MUST have said that without actually understanding what that would take. Even an increase of 5-10 pounds of muscle could make for a visible difference (assuming it really is muscle gain, ideally accompanied by fat burning). But I figured, what the heck, let's see what I can do. Has anyone out there tracked a fitness regime and found that they gained 20 pounds of muscle? If so, I'd love to see what that looks like. If I'm right in what I know about exercise, fat burning, and muscle development, 20 lbs of muscle is an incredible feat, and to accomplish that along with completing all of my schooling, fatherly, and husband duties would be a miracle.
Now to the purpose of this blog. It's a sunny Saturday morning, and again I find myself needing to head to the library and lab to finish up some work therein. It could be upwards of 6 hours spent on campus, or as little as 3, we'll see how focused I can be. Next weekend doesn't look too promising either as far as getting out and enjoying the sun, as I'll have exams to be studying for. I don't know why I keep needing to use theses Saturdays. Either my work load has increased, or my weekly devotion to school has lessened; likely a combination of both.
What I have done though, to prevent from feeling like a caged animal, is given myself a nightly reward; something that will give me a release at the end of the day IF I have stuck to my daily schedule and completed the assignments due. Thinking back on the conversation I had with Sarah, as well as having the desire to be very health conscious, I decided that reward would be devoted to fitness. Kind of like courtyard rights to the well behaved inmates (I love watching America's Hardest Prisons and other such prison shows). This week I have done well with sticking to my schedule and have exercised those days, but since I got a little bit behind the previous week there's still a bit that needs to be done (hence lab and library today). I expect after next week I will be caught up, sticking to my study schedule, getting my nightly reward, AND having Saturdays freed up (with the exception of test weeks when I'll likely use Saturdays as extra study days).
I want to post the program I created as a means of tracking progress. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be gym days. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I'll be running. I use the Nike+Running app and it posts to Facebook when I run. When you like or comment, I get applause in my headphones so be sure to encourage me!
I understand that with running, I risk getting leaner muscle, losing weight, and slimming down. So I intend to incorporate sprints, stairs, beaches, and hills into my runs. (I recently outlined all of this in the skeletal muscle portion of my physiology class, and it is all fascinating!) But as I've done more running, I see it as a vital part of fitness and a necessary evil.

Week 1.

143 lbs.

The shirt I'm wearing in this picture is one of 2 rewards, the other being a plain red one. I bought them from Costco, and although they aren't huge on me, they could use some filling in. I'm treating them as my 10 lb treat. When I stick to my schedule, and reach 10 pounds weight gain (ideally muscle), I'll then treat them as an accepted member of the wardrobe. Until then, they only serve the purpose of tracking growth.

*Sawyer update:

We are incorporating rice milk as of today.

Sawyer's nightly changes have helped quite a bit. He is now able to go from 9:00PM-4:00AM without food, and then Sarah has to feed him because she can't physically go that long without nursing or pumping.

He will still flip himself onto his back, wake himself up, and cry. When we first started this Ferberizing, we would do nothing during those cries, he would cry for what felt like hours and eventually fall asleep. Problem was, we noticed his voice getting hoarse and we felt SO bad. We immediately adjusted, and now will flip him back to his stomach and pat him until he goes back to sleep, which is usually within 5 minutes. As he keeps getting older, we'll push more independence gradually, but for now this is where we are. The added nightly rice milk will help hold him over longer during the night, and hopefully he won't wake enough to flip himself over.

Sawyer's Getting Ferberized

I'll start this with a few pictures. For some they will suffice as an update, for others, the bottom adresses recent parenting adventures.

"Milk coma"

About a 10 minutes walk, behind the temple, 

is this hill that overlooks Laie.

The ocean seen in the distance.

Just hanging out.

We finally made it out to the swap meet at the

Aloha Stadium. After making our rounds we were all tuckered out, 

but only Sawyer had someone who could carry him around.

A quick park visit before I had to disappear

into the library and lab for the night.

On campus is a small museum. Sawyer saw some new animals!

Man, as of late, the stars, moon, satellites, planets, and grains of sand in the ocean and on the beaches have all really got to align in order for me to get any writing in. It seems impossible to put any updates here. Kudos to you, Mrs. Nat The Fat Rat, and other well known bloggers. (Sarah recently said, "I want to be like Nat The Fat Rat", and is now looking for opportunities to instagram, insisting, "well you're already our blogger").
It's been 2 weeks since my last post, and a big recent baby update is responsible for what you now read.
To set this up, Sarah has a great routine for Sawyer:
Around 7:00 or 8:00 she get's him stripped down to "naked Sawyer" as we accurately call him, and gives him a nice bath.
She then bundles him up into his towel with a hood that makes him look like a little ewok or frog or something, and takes him to our bed.
There, she whips out some kind of smelly good lotion and gives him a little baby massage, making sure to hit all his growing muscles.
After the massage she sits down in our rocker and reads him a story.
Post story comes a nice feeding with, not one, but two servings of the goods.
Now he's ready for bed, and in his crib he goes; this occurs fairly consistently between 8:00 and 9:00. At this point he has the understanding that his next interaction will follow several more times in the night when Sarah promptly awakes to his shuffling and grunts telling us he's in need of some form of comforting.
You can imagine how at peace he must feel with this maternal pampering, especially considering his paternal care consists of dive bombing couches and beds, exercising in the form of squats, front to back rolls, and holding his own bottle, as well as enduring pokes, prods, growls, and weird noises that all attempt to invoke a smile or laugh.
To his dismay, we are adjusting everything that happens after 9:00; we are officially limiting his nightly feedings to none. We are taking the initiative to help him established nightly independence so we (Sarah) can begin to get better rest as well as whatever benefits there are for baby. This week marks his 4th month, and some as early as 3 months are sleeping through the night. Our 1st night trying this was very rough. From what I remember, he woke up at least 3 times, and cried for 20+ minutes each time until we eventually caved in and fed him early in the morning. Tonight will be our 4th night of enduring his screams and pleads for attention. Yesterday, his last feeding was at 9:00pm and he didn't eat again until 4:00am when Sarah woke up too sore to hold off any longer. She actually had to wake him up to feed him, which is such a change! Between those 7 hours, he only woke up once but he made sure to scream for at least 20 minutes straight. For those of you who have experienced this, you know how incredibly difficult it is to sit through that. By now you are acquainted with your child's cries. You know one another well enough to ease their suffering quickly, and if not right away, then you have quite the bag of tricks to definitely resolve the issue in a matter of 3 minutes. Our nightly trend is relief in seconds; basically just the time it takes for Sarah to get up and to the crib since all he really ever needs is to eat for a few minutes before falling back to sleep. Instead we now lie there both pretending to sleep. For those of you soon to experience this, I'm not out of the woods yet, so I can't tell you it'll all be worth it, though I'm pretty certain it will.
I'll write again soon to give an update on what comes of this. We have read story after story of how parents felt hopeless, thinking their children would never get over the needed night time attention, but in each of these stories it only took 3 or 4 days of agony, and the babes completely changed, sleeping the night away. Tonight is night 4, and we shall see...