Today

A friend told me I should keep track of my days by writing down the happenings...I thought I would do that here...then I changed my mind...I'm really going to need that leather, worn journal from Barnes and Noble to get started...so I'll work on getting that, but for now I'll tell you about today. 12 steps to quitting...

1. Wake up in the wee hours to Jonas falling off the bed.
2. He doesn't even blink and I'm up for the next 4 hours.
3. Finally fall asleep and the other two people I live with bound out of bed.
4. Awaken to the sound of glass shattering in the kitchen....Jonas was doing the dishes.
5. Decide to leave the broken glass in the floor and get a shower.
6. Step out of the shower to hear Jonas running out the front door after Sasha.
7. Grab the closest thing to me, which is Patrick's jacket and run out the door after them.
8. Wave to a few friendly drivers and haul Jonas and Sasha back inside...
Finally it's 9 AM....
9. Ride my bike to Story Time at the Library...
10. Don't realize I'll need a LOCK...so I get mad at the librarian who tells me I can't park the bike in the foyer, just this once...and storm off and hide my bike behind the library in between the air conditioners...I know my way around that area...
11. After lunch I let Jonas play outside...He proceeds to drop his pants and poop in the yard...GROSS!
12. I give up...(not really...I actually finish out the day pretty strong, but who really cares at this point...)

Peace
~J

My Macgyver

Patrick installed a push button on our toilet to flush it. It's too hard for Jonas to push...I turn around to see him flushing the toilet his own way...Macgyver style...How did he figure this out? Should I hide my knives?




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Another Sleepless Night

Hello everyone, this is Patrick.

Why do I drink Pepsi before I go to bed? So, I am going to bore whoever is reading this blog with whatever is going through my head.

If you don't already know, I am creating a catching instructional video. I think it is going to be pretty awesome. I have an awesome film crew that I am working with up in ATL. We already shot all the instruction scenes, now we just have to shoot the talking scenes. I am really excited about seeing how it is going to turn out. I have seen some work these guys have done, and they are great.

Also, I am running the Marine Corps Marathon on October 31st in Washington DC. I am super excited about it. I can't believe it is almost time. I have been running, but no where near what I am supposed to be running. I only run about 3 times a week. I started thinking about this the other day. I have lost 30 lbs and have not done any working out, I have only run 3 days a week for about 45 minutes to and hour. That is what the average workout should last, I think. Well, what have I done differently that I never did in the past. The only thing I have changed was getting on the Figure 8 system by Arbonne. I drink the Fizzy Tabs, I drink the protein shakes, and I take fiber. I actually mix the fiber in the protein shake to make it easier. January and I do eat healthier because of Jonas, but we still eat our burgers and pizza a couple times a week. So, really, we are not dieting. I am not saying any of this to be bragging, I just started thinking about how cool it is to know that I lost 30 lbs this year. Two years ago I trained for a sprint triathlon. I could not get below 185 lbs. After I finished the race, I did not exercise any. I got up to exactly 199 lbs. Then, at New Years, I decided to run the Gate River Run, 9.3 miles. I got down to about 185 lbs. I knew that was as low as I was ever going to get. I was in shape and nothing was changing. I mean come on, I am 31 years old. I have heard all the horror stories about what happens after you turn 30. Well, after the race, I decided to run a marathon. I have not done any more training than I did for the Gate River Run. The only thing I have changed was doing the Figure 8 program. I could not stand the Fizzy Tabs for the first 3 days. Starting on the 4th day, I loved them. Now, I am weighing in at 170 lbs and have even touched 168 lbs. So, if anyone is willing to exercise a couple times a week and use the Figure 8 products, you will see a huge change.

Well, I am finally getting tired. I guess I will try this sleep thing one more time.

Day 7 - Goodbye Dear Enchanted Island of Beaches, Rainforests, and Shave Ice

Goodmorning!




Good Afternoonish...kinda still morning...




30 hours awake, 22 hours of travel and we arrived home following day at 9:00 pm. Finally we get to hold Jonas!!! we missed him sooooo much!!!

Thank you God for safe travels, beautiful days, amazing creation and Jonas!


Don't call! We're still sleeping...yawn!!!


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Day 6 - 2 heads are better than 1...right...

So, back on track...Day 6....ahem....

With only one more full day the pressure was on to finish our hiking...We both wanted to hike Diamond Head and Koko Head. Easy enough...we decided to do 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. After packing 2 bottles of water and a granola bar we headed toward Diamond Head on foot. The bus fare was $5 and we were running low on cash...so we walked the 2 miles to the base of the crater.




Through the crater wall




Up the footpath, many many many stairs




To the at famous lookout on Oahu





We hiked back down the mountain, through the crater wall and down to the bus stop. We figured we would splurge on the 8 mile trip to Koko Head.

At this point we have 1/2 bottle of water left, no snacks, and no sunscreen...

The bus drops us off and we walk another mile to the base of Koko Head where, for the first time I realize 2 Heads are NOT better than one...especially when tuis one has over 1,100 "steps" up an incredibly steep incline...

See the specks behind us? Those are people...dumb ones, like us who thought hiking this mountain at mid-afternoon, with no food or water all day would be fun.




That's not me in the picture below....no I am on the edge of the cliff trying, crawling, and crying to make it up the last 100 steps...if you look close you can see my hand grasping over the edge for dear life...


The view from the top is of course incredible...was it worth it? Well, from the top it was...good thing I couldn't speak coming up...


I am smiling in this picture, but it is just to keep from weeping.

Now, just so you don't get the wrong impression...I am not a wimp...I have hiked Delicate Arch, Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Angels Landing, Manoa Falls (the day before) and many other short strenuous hikes...but let me tell you...do this hike early, with fresh legs, plenty of water, and a don't back down attitude...

I thought I would roll down...it would be quicker and probably way less painful...my legs were total jello...noodles...shaking uncontrollably..but thank God I made it down that mountain...

As we neared the bottom I realized we still had to walk to the bus stop...up hill...

We made it to Cheeseburger, where we drank 1 large water and 37 cokes!!!

Would I do it again?


Yeah...


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Day 4 Pearl Harbor

Hello, this is Patrick. We had planned a long day for day 4. First, we signed up for the Pearl Harbor Tour. We rode on a tour bus from our hotel to start off. It was late, so we made some friends. It seemed like any time we had down time we were looking for people to talk to. Oh well, it was cool and we got to meet different people. Finally, the bus came. We rode to Pearl Harbor. When we got there, there was a long line for the video. You start by watching a 20 minute video. So, we took a tour of the city until the line went down. We saw the capital, a temple, the palace of King Kamehameha, and some other cool sites.


The capital of Hawaii




Statue of King Kamehameha at his palace
It is life size. He was around 7' tall.

After our city tour, we headed back to Pearl Harbor. When we arrived there, we watched the video. WOW, January and I learned a lot. It is crazy how every thing that happened on that day just fell into place for the Japanese. If you don't know the history of Pearl Harbor, I would suggest you look it up. Hopefully the search will tell you the same things we learned. After the video, we rode on a boat to the monument of the Arizona. The Arizona was a ship that was sunk, that is directly below the monument.










After that, we rode back on the boat and hopped on the bus to head back to Wiakiki. We had planned to go and hike Diamond Head Crater. But first, we decided to take a quick nap. By the time we got ready to go hiking, Diamond Head was about to close. So, we did the next best thing and walked to a grocery store. When we got back from shopping, we went to eat at a pizza place called Giovanni's. It was GREAT. There were like 12 TV's with baseball games on every one. I loved eating there. January was very nice to me and did not get mad that I was watching the games instead of gazing into her beautiful eyes. When we finished eating we called it a day.



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Location:Oahu, Hawaii