No Training, but still Competing.

Gale is still in Canada, and we miss her so much. We know she is enjoying some peace and quiet for once. To make things a little more interesting I had forgotten that I signed up for the Tie-Dy Triathlon in Norman Oklahoma. So I left this morning at 4:30 a.m. (YAWN!) and headed down with Chris Garrett to Norman for my first triathlon of the year. (I haven't done any training this year and haven't competed at all because I have been focusing on my dissertation--or at least I'm telling myself that!)

I was worried right before the race began, thinking what have I got myself into? I should have been training the last few weeks. This is a picture of me before the race. I don't think that I had quite woken up yet. Plus it was freezing cold!



The race started and the water was warm in the Norman YMCA pool. So that was a good start. The swim went pretty well and I felt good, I actually wished I would have put a faster swim time so that I wouldn't have to keep on passing people in the pool.

Then to the Bike--it hurt, that's what I get for not training this summer. I gave it my all but had a few people pass me. During the last two miles the wind was hitting me straight on and I wanted to push harder, but my need for air seemed more important and I couldn't push myself any harder. I did wonder to myself through the bike how the girls were doing at home without me. I figured they were eating cereal in front of the T.V. knowing full well they should not be! They might spill.

Then it was to the run. It hurt---real bad, yes real bad. I think that is the worst I have felt in a triathlon. For the last mile and a half I chased an 18 year old--now how did I know he was 18? It was written on his leg. It also made me feel good that he was number 76 and I was number 62 so he started quite a bit before me. I chased him down and passed him with about 1/2 a mile to go. It felt so good to pass the teenage turd head. He did make a go for it at the finish line, but I pushed him back. So overall I did pretty good. My times were:

500 Yard Swim 7:46
12 Mile Bike 38:49 (ouch! that's bad)
3.2 Mile Run 23:38

Total time including my transitions was 1:12:59 I placed 5th out of 28th in the male 35-39 age group and 20th overall out of 143 men. So pretty good considering that I didn't train.

After laying on the ground for a few minutes I had to race home so Chloe could try out for City Choir and I could get the girls started on their chores! After finishing cleaning things up (Mom is coming home tomorrow and we were determined to have the house clean for her when she returned.) We decided to go to Cheeseburger Paradise. Chloe brought along her friend Jessica and off we went! Myself and five girls. We had a great time. We ate cheeseburgers, dessert nachos (YUM--wish I would have taken a picture!) and then had a visitor on stilts. (check out the picture-think he will give the small girls nightmares.)



All of the girls got fun ballons:


We then went home and just crashed for the evening. I am so happy that Gale is coming home tomorrow.

Gale just left this morning to go to Canada for business, as well as to visit her family and get some dental work done. Have to love having a dentist in the family. I have to laugh that we fly her to Canada to get some dental work done, but it saves us so much money (and she gets to visit family) that it is well worth it.

So I have the girls all to myself for the rest of the week. It is going to be busy as I am getting ready for mipcomJr. , trying to finish up on Pfizer work and close out the 8 week block at UCO. It will be interesting to see how much I actually finish. I can't wait to spend the days with Ava and have time with Chloe, Olivia and Elle in the evenings with just dad. I cherish these times I get to spend with them.

Chloe was still sick today. She got up, got dressed at 6:30 a.m. and then went right back to bed. I also think the math test she was to take today played a small role in helping her to stay home. So she spent most of the day in bed, but then decided she had better start a blog. You can read it at http://www.chloe411.blogspot.com/ It is a crack up. Here is the picture welcoming you to her blog.


Tonight was the premiere of "Dancing with the Stars" But we had the missionaries over for dinner so we couldn't watch it. We Tivo'd it and tomorrow we are going to pop some popcorn and have a party. You haven't experienced watching this show unless you have watched it with five women. Ohhhh--the lessons I have learned. Check the blog tomorrow and I will give you some high points. As a religious side note there are three Mormons on the show. Two pros and Marie Osmond. Where was Donny? It just isn't the same when those two aren't together.

Low of the day--I was hoping to spend some good time with the girls tonight, but we got a rather sad email from someone in our company. So Gale and I spent quite a bit of the night discussing the email. I learned some good lessons from that experience tonight. It was all a bit stressing so I went and worked out at 10:30 p.m. I am feeling much better now.

It is so nice to have someone like Gale to discuss things when moments like this arise. She is wise in so many ways. I am constantly amazed by her. I think it is so cool to see the growth of your spouse--especially when it happens in such a short time. I am trying to keep up.

High of the day--I received an email from the bishop today concerning my patriarchal blessing. I have waited twenty years for this moment and feel so at peace with what is ahead. We are going to meet when I get back from Europe on the 10th. I am constantly amazed at how the Lord works in my life. I remind myself to always keeps watching for the "tender mercy's" of the Lord in my life.

Chloe is still sick with the stomach flu today. Gale stayed home from the first part of church to give her some love. I feel so bad for her. She has a big math test tomorrow. She is stressing about it, which makes it worse! I didn't dare take a picture of her sick. She is 12 now and such things are not allowed.

Tonight for Family Home Evening I could tell the crew was not up for a lesson. So we played Win, Lose or Draw. We were laughing so hard. During one of the first rounds Gale was drawing while Elle and Ava were trying to guess what she was drawing. Chloe and Olivia were on their own team with me being the game show host. Elle kept on guessing "dress, dress" and finally Ava popped up with "that's not a dress, that is a chair!" Chair was correct and she even beat Chloe and Olivia to it. We died laughing. Of course she loved it!! Olivia sang a solo for us tonight, which blew us away with how good it was, which made up for her slightly bad drawings. Just ask Chloe who was trying to guess what in the world Olivia was drawing.

And thus it begins....

I am excited to begin a new way of chronicling my life, as well as the life of the five greatest ladies I know. I have always been a pretty good journal writer, but this just seems much more my style, complete with pictures! So today I begin my new journey, knowing few in the world will ever read it, but hoping that those five women find meaning, laughter, joy, and tears in the posts that will come. It is you who give my life meaning, laughter, joy and yes tears too! So---here it goes.

I think that I need to explain the relentless pursuit blog title. In the last year I have made some pretty significant changes. I left my corporate job as a District Manager for a Pharmaceutical company where I had worked for 13 years. 13 Years--wow--I can hardly type it. I think that quitting was way overdue. As great as everyone kept telling me the job was, for me it was torture. I knew that I should be doing something else with my life. So I decided (with Gales permission) to take the leap off the cliff. Actually it was a leap off a hill. I stayed on part-time so that I could keep some money coming in and insure those 4 blonde girls could still get braces, and their school vaccinations. So much went into that decision, you would have thought that I was choosing between life and death. Funny how a year later it seems so insignificant. And how much happier I am as I begin to pursue a dream that I have had since college. This is where the relentless pursuit comes into play.

Three years ago Gale and I were sitting in our living room talking about children's television. When Gale sat up in the chair and announced she had "had a revelation!" It was about a children's television program that went around the U.S. and the World explaining how things were done. Giving children an inside peak into the making of everyday products, different types of jobs, as well as how things work. I thought it was a great idea and so we went to work developing a childrens show. And who better to host than our two oldest daughters Chloe and Olivia. Fast forward three years (a whole lot of work, money, joy, and pain) and here we are; two full 30 minute episodes complete, two pilot episodes and a couple of networks starting to notice us. "How in the World..?" is now an official television show. Well, a show that hasn't yet been televised, but one I would still consider a television show. This is me living my dream.

But relentless pursuit means so much more than that to me. I think that it will show in blogs that will come later. But to make it brief I am on the relentless pursuit of a life full of family, spirituality and making a difference! The children's television show lets me do all three at one time. How lucky is that? Ok--so maybe a bit luckier if I could provide a little more financial stability from the show. But, hey--that's to come! Can't miss the fun of the journey getting there.

So my blog will be a mixture of my relentless pursuit, everday events in the life of me and my family and a whole plethora of other "stuff".

What a fantastic day it was! I agreed to meet Chris Garrett and the Barrus's for a mock sprint triathlon at Lake Arcadia. Their meeting time? 6:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning. When the alarm went off I was so mad at myself! Who agreed to such lunacy? What an idiot I was...but once we got there and got going (swim 500 meters, bike 12 miles and run 3.2 miles) I had such a good time. The water was warm and the weather was fantastic. I was back at the house by 10:00 a.m. and ready for the day.

We then headed to Elle's soccer game. She scored two goals, yes such a fine player. All I have to do is scream from the sidelines exactly what she needs to do at every moment in the game. Why aren't the other parents doing this? I had better scream at their children too--I don't want them to feel left out or unloved. Olivia told me she was going to go sit in the car because she was to hot, but I think she may have been a tad bit embarrassed about my enthusiasm.



It was so hot that after the game we decided to take all the kids to "POPS" for lunch. A great new little gas station/restaurant on famous route 66. They have all sorts of bottled pop in the old glass containers. The line was to long to eat so we just got a pop and sat down and enjoyed. I can't explain it but there is something about drinking pop from a glass bottle. It just tastes so much better.

It was then to Lake Hefner to cheer on Bro. Carson and the other triathletes who were competing in the Ironman length "Redman Triathlon". When we got there I soooo badly wished I had trained for it and competed. It killed me to watch them. I just know that right now I don't have 2 hours a day to train. When I got home I looked up all the Ironmen races in the next 6 months. Could I sneak in a bit of training while teaching full time at UCO, working part-time at the pharmaceutical company, finishing my dissertation and getting the company off of the ground? Don't forget the girls and all their activities and spending time with them. I may just figure a way to wing it. One important event happened at the Redman. Elle and Ava were given a black gym bag and inside was a red rubber wristband. It said "Relentless" It was meant to be for me. So I put it on and decided to keep it on as a constant reminder to have faith in what I am doing and to not give up.

It was then to Red Robin and the best new hamburger I have discovered there. The teriyaki pineapple burger. YUM!!! Although the picture is of a chicken teriyaki burger you get the idea. You even get bottomless fries. Add a rootbeer and you have found another reason to live. How much longer before the Sabbath is over? Need one of those right now!





During all this fun poor chloe is at home sick with a stomach virus. We missed having her around. She is so much fun. After Red Robin we headed home with some soup to see how Chloe was and for Gale and I to get ready for our big date night. Every Saturday night I have a hot date!

Last night we decided to go see Sydney White which is a retelling of the Snow White story with Amanda Bynes as Snow White. We also went so we could preview it for the girls. Bad--just bad. Still have a bad taste in my mouth from last night. Dumb humor and it just had to many inappropriate elements for a 12 and 10 year old.