7/28/2007
Last night I was invited to go boating with Kent and Elizabeth, Evan and Vienna. Katie and Joshua also came along for the fun. It was a balmy 35° C and we got things off to a fun start with some tubing. Joshua and Katie both screamed in pure gleeful terror. I made the often done blunder of taunting the driver on my tube ride with Katie. What followed was a bone crushing sequence of waves, bumps and splashes that my back is still recovering from. I had a interesting moment where my fight or flight instinct kicked in and my body decided that flight was the best option as an impending sequence of pain loomed ahead on the lake and I found my hands releasing their firm grip allowing my escape into the watery abyss.
Thankfully wakeboarding was far kinder to me later on in the evening with only mild exits. I was also able to finally switch feet back and forth a few times on each run. Now I need to learn how to catch more air so I can start doing some more tricks.
Kent was his usually awesome self on the board and ski and also an excellent driver. I was really impressed to see Liz out there on the tube, with only a few more weeks left in her pregnancy she has a built in flotation device. Evan and Josh weren’t too excited to swim but Vienna took every chance she could get. Katie did very well outlasting me on the tube and did some nice wakeboarding too.
Hope I can get my own boat someday so I can get my kids skiing at a young age too.
7/14/2007
As previously mentioned I wanted to begin running again in preparation for a marathon in my future. Well the running began today with a whopping 2.3 km. I smirked as on about my 10th stride I felt something “different” in my left knee. This went away in short order but I had to laugh at my relatively young body feeling old for about 30 seconds. I had a invigorating time and think I could have done about 4 or 5 comfortably. We’ll see if I can stretch it out next week. I had flashbacks of Forrest Gump in the stretch home.
A big thanks to Tonya my new running partner.
7/8/2007
This past week we spent an amazing 3 days at Echo Lake, Montana. Activities included: Swimming, Kayaking, Jet-Skiing, Wakeboarding, Tubing, Quadding on the ATV’s, putting together a playground and watching movies. Jam packed fun! Everyone got a ton of sunshine and the water was 80°F. Absolutely amazing.This is exactly what our family needed as I transition to the new job and the trip really got our summer off to an incredible start. Dylan learned how to wakeboard and it was a real treat to watch him. I even managed to get in some solid reading time on my Jack Canfield book and the New Testament and the Book of Mormon.
We also went to the Calgary Stampede: The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. My In-Laws graciously got us tickets to the grandstand show which was a singing, dancing, fireworking, gymnastic, comedian, motorcross spectacular absolutely amazing production. We also hit the rides and had this amazing lemonade with the must-have mini-donuts. Dylan and I got on just about every ride and I was impressed with how daring he was this year.
I finally got to start learning about Rich Dad, Poor Dad the money book which I started listening to on my iPod. A definite eye-opener that I’m really greatful to have come across. I also spent the greater part of the day organizing our entire basement spurred on by the purchase of three Billy shelves from Ikea. Managed to put in a couple of hours of dentistry while I was at it too.
All in all a most satisfying week.
10/28/2006
I’ve set some goals as alluded to in my previous post. One is very simple: Exercise for 15 minutes a day. That may sound so piddly, however I know it is easily achievable and realistic given my other competing aspirations. I’ve also realized that 15 minutes can easily turn into 30 minutes. So far so good and it feels rewarding to be doing something physically. To that end, I’m grateful for the treadmill Daria asked and received for her birthday, as well as the free weight set and bench bestowed on Dylan at a garage sale “clearance.” Everytime I see that weight bench (and use it) I think of my thoughtful siblings. Back in grade 11 they all chipped in and bought me a weight bench with a bar and weights. I’m still quietly overwhelmed at their thoughtfulness and generosity, and feel their love and adoration then and now like only younger siblings can give. What a privilege to be their older brother.
4/28/2005
Dylan has now played in two basketball games this season with about 6 practices and seems to be enjoying his teammates and coaches. I like the coaches right now too. They play balanced lines and the league seems structured to change lines every 5 minutes or so by the referrees whistle. Dylan is learning and his court movement is improving each game. He’s got defense down pretty good and covers his man well. We are working on building Dylan’s killer instinct to rush the boards for rebounds. He is also a pretty good dribbler, though he plays forward so doesn’t handle the ball too much in games. He knows how to protect the ball and makes wise passes.
It is incredibly weird to be sitting on the sidelines of your son’s basketball games instead of playing in them. I remember my Dad watching me play basketball! I’m loving it. Watching your son play the game you love is fun. I’m trying to be really cautious and patient in watching his development-I realize it takes experience and many hours of playing to excel in basketball. Dylan and I go shoot at the church and practice layups, rebounds, dribbling, passing and boxing out about once a week. It is a good thing to play and spend time with your son. Our family has a bunch of cheers for Dylan and his team, but our family favourite is “Go Dylan Go!”
