Running update

Yesterday was 10 miles. I'm feeling good about the race next Saturday. I'm not sure if I'll get the time I want but I think I'll have fun. Since I got the Nike + thingy I've run most of my runs with it. I have a few runs that I didn't have it so those don't count towards my totals. I got the Nike + in January but only got to use it once. January and February were a combined 14 miles. My total for the year so far is 327 miles. That sure sounds like a long ways. That's like running from my house to Cleveland.

Bleacher butt!

For a few years now I've wanted to try and accomplish a college football double header. I've heard of guys attending two div. 1 games the same day before. But they always leave the one game early and arrive at the other game late. I wanted to be the first I know that attended all of 2 div. 1 games the same day. Dan was pumped about it as well and so we found a day that had Michigan playing at noon and Michigan State playing at 7. Interesting to probably only me was that Michigan was playing Purdue and State was playing Indiana. Friday night we had a Capture the Flag event at church and after that I headed down to meet Dan in Dexter. I got there about 1 in the morning and slept hard. We woke up and ran 3 miles and then headed to the stadium. The following pictures are proof that we were there before kickoff and stayed until the game was over. By the way, staying for the end of that game may have been the hardest part of the day. Michigan had the game well in hand but Purdue kept playing. Scoring a touchdown and even recovering an onside kick. I thought it would never end.

After the game we ran to the car and headed back to Dan's house to change into warmer clothes and get my car. We then headed up to Lansing thinking we had plenty of time. Steph and I have friends that live in Lansing so we met up with Lindy at a coffee shop. We didn't get to spend much time with her but it was neat to see her and to see her doing well. We headed towards the stadium after that. I inherited the lead and couldn't find a place to park. I was starting to get worried about time when we finally found a lot forever away that had shuttle buses. We got to our seats with 16 minutes to spare. Below is the proof.

I got home around 1 again so a nap Sunday was very important. It was very fun. As you can see from the pictures the onions and peppers were a great addition in Ann Arbor. East Lansing didn't have those but their buns were superior.

A Win!

Notre Dame won! The offense didn't do anything but it's still a win. I had to go old school for the game because it wasn't on t.v. here. When I was in high school I'd listen to some of the games on the radio with my headphones on in bed. Saturday I listened to the game on the radio with the headphones on in bed. It was great. The only bad thing was that the play by play guy kept interrupting the game to let me know that the greatest upset ever occurred when 44 point underdog Stanford beat USC. He even missed plays to tell me this. I seriously lost count of how many times he reminded me. I wonder if he's either a Stanford grad or if he had money on the game.

Migraine

My headache was so bad yesterday that I vomited twice and had to put my hands over my eyes because the light coming from around the blinds and through my eyelids was too bright. Excedrin migraine helped some and I'm feeling some better today but not 100% yet.

Cedarville's Mt. Rushmore

This year I celebrate 10 years from when I was supposed to graduate from Cedarville College. Some people will head down to Cedarville and have a reunion but I doubt I'll do that. Instead I'd like to acknowledge the guys who lived in my unit my freshman year. Almost all of us were freshmen and we didn't have an RA in our unit. So pretty much we had a great year. I want to thank each of these guys for the impact they had on my life. I'm convinced that my life has been influenced for the better by each of these men. So I've hunted down e-mail addresses for each of them and told them that this tribute is here.

Tom was a guy that loved God, his family, turkey hunting, and having fun with the rest of us. I remember Tom as participating in some of our better water fights in the bathroom and as being able to have serious talks as well. Tom goofs when it's time to goof and is serious at the right time as well. I'm still trying to learn that.

Here is where I found Tom

Dan and Tom were roommates. He invited me to his house during Christmas break of our freshman year and I fell in love with New York City at that time. I've been back a bunch of times since then and even got engaged in Central Park. I remember Dan as a guy who wanted to learn more about God and about how to teach others about Him. Dan also introduced me to the game of Canasta. He taught me the importance of taking time to spend with the guys even if it's only time enough for one hand.

Here is where I found Dan

Stew was my roommate freshman year. Matt was a guy who always knew he was going to succeed. He was a guy who was fit and made me want to be that way as well. Matt was a guy who loved friends and loved hanging out with them. I won't be surprised when Matt is governor of Indiana. I learned from Matt to set my sights high.

Here is where I found Stew



Mattman opened my eyes to many new forms of music. I actually listened to They Might Be Giants as I wrote this about Mattman. Really what Mattman taught me was the value of things that are different. People, music, art... things that are different aren't to be looked on with disdain but are to be appreciated and enjoyed.

Here is Mattman

Tobin and Mattman were roommates. Two guys that were totally different than anything I knew before then. They were a ton of fun. Tobin is a guy who helped me learn the value of traditions. Tobin is a fiercely loyal guy. He taught me the value of hanging on to family and friends. I haven't been the best with that lesson, but I'm trying. Tobin was the constant through college. He was always there for me and with me and I truly enjoyed every minute of it.

Here is Tobin

Here is where I found Josh

Josh is a guy I should've tried to get to know more. He had a love for music and especially worship music. I grow to appreciate worship music more each year and I really appreciate the people that can lead us into worship. Josh always seemed to want to lead people into worship.

Here is where I found Dave

Dave and Josh were roommates. Dave taught me a lot about trust. Dave trusted us and I took advantage of that far too many times. Sorry Dave. Dave was the only one of us that wasn't a freshman but he goofed with us all the same. He was a lot of fun.

Forget the echoes...Wake up the offense

I went to the Michigan Notre Dame game Saturday. I wore my jersey. I knew it was going to end up like that. Seriously, I was predicting an outcome that was close to what happened. At one point in the game Notre Dame had more than -50 yards rushing. They just cannot seem to block. A blitz absolutely confuses them. I don't see it getting any better soon. So I'll endure a rebuilding year. For some reason I'm not ready to give up on Charlie. I'm not ready to give up on Jimmy. I'll keep wearing my jersey and watching the games. I'm a fan. Maybe a dumb one, but I'm a fan.

Anticipation

I think you can find last Sunday's sermon here. I've been listening to Saddleback's Daily Drivetime and he had a great one on the rapture so this wasn't an original thought. I wonder if I've had an all the way original thought...

Football!

My running schedule has been messed up lately. I knew I was supposed to run 8 miles yesterday but I hadn't run in a while and I wasn't sure how that would go. But I did it. I was pretty sore last night but it felt good to get back on schedule. The iPod said I burnt 1200 calories. As I laid on the couch being sore I watched the first football games that meant anything. Preseason NFL doesn't count. But college football started last night. Two blowouts but I loved them anyways. Bring on the Notre Dame game Saturday!

Tornado

We had a tornado warning yesterday. It turns out that the tornado was about 15-20 miles away. I went running after the sun came out at our house and could hear the tornado sirens in the distance. That was a little weird. Oh and mom I ran East. Towards the storm.

Ron Paul?

I've not been interested in politics for years. I haven't had t.v. for the entire summer. So when I saw multiple bumper stickers promoting Ron Paul for president, I was confused. I'd never heard of the guy before. I then heard him on NPR's show "Wait wait...Don't tell me!". I was impressed immediately by his introduction. The guy turned down the congressional pension! So I got on the internet and read more. Here's what I've found from his site. www.ronpaul2008.com

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

Plus he's Pro-Life.

Talk me out of it. What's not to like about this guy? I'll give you a week to talk me out of it and if you don't I'll probably buy one of his t-shirts.

Back from Iowa

We just got back from our mission trip to Iowa. It was hot. We did a lot of work. But it was a good trip. The kids enjoyed it and learned. I'm glad to have my bed back. And...Directv is turned back on! I watched the Colts last night.

I'm getting closer

Last night was a pretty good run for me. I was supposed to do a warmup mile a cooldown mile and 4 miles in between at a 9:50 pace. I ran with James. We started out a little fast and James started to slow down. Usually I would slow down with him but I pushed harder when he slowed down. So the first faster mile that I ran with James was 9:33. The second mile when I left him was 9:25. The third mile was 9:16. The fourth mile there was a big hill that killed me and I did it in 9:30. I felt pretty good. I cramped up a couple of times last night in bed but I'm getting faster. Now if only I can get through the fall without an injury. I could be doing decent come October. Man it still seems so slow compared to real athletes.

Huge news

This news may affect me more than anyone else in the world. It affects me more than President Bush. I'm affected more than Putin, Bin Laden, and Martha Stewart(or however you spell her name. I haven't been conquered by her kingdom yet.) Here's the big news.

Notre Dame and Michigan have extended their contract through 2031.

I think this even affects me more than the athletic directors that signed the contract. I am a Notre Dame fan surrounded by Michigan fans. All of Steph's family loves Michigan. All of my friends up here love Michigan. The whole stinking Strong family loves Michigan. I love the rivalry. This is one of those college football games that should be played every year. Number 1 and Number 2 in wins and winning percentage must play. So kudos to a couple of ADs that did something right. And quit whining about Notre Dame joining the Big Ten.

Laura is allergic to you

Laura went to the allergist yesterday. They did the scratch test on her again. She is still violently allergic to peanuts. She was upgraded to a regular epipen. They decided she was also allergic to ragweed, grass, cats, and anything else. The good news is she is allergic to cats! Woohoooo! Another reason to avoid pets.

Ahhh Crudola

Word on the street is that the FBI is about to arrest a NBA referee for fixing games. Apparently the ref had a gambling problem and ended up owing some mobsters more money than he could pay and this was his way out. 10 bucks says he ends up swimming with the fishes. The problem will be figuring if it was Stern's guys that did it or the mobsters. People are ruining the game that I loved. Sheesh I feel like a hockey fan.

A double full rainbow

Oh and Burrill, I'm not cool enough to use photoshop. These are all natural! Well, if digital can be called natural.

"I do have a day job"

I'm not a huge baseball fan. But I'm a huge sports fan. So sometimes it's spills over into baseball. I've not been a fan of Bud Selig, MLB commissioner, for a while. I think he's made some bonehead decisions. This quote is one of his more boneheaded quotes. He was asked if he would be there to see Barry Bonds break the record for home runs hit in a career and he said, "All of this will have to be played by ear. I do have a day job". What? This is the guy that's supposed to be talking me into watching baseball and he's too busy to do it? You know what Bud? I have a day job too. Thanks for reminding me that watching baseball isn't that important and that I need to have my priorities straight. I'll skip the game too.

Thank you may I have another?

Oh man. I hurt still today. Last night one of my youth group kids called me up and talked me into trying to make the wall at Pixie. Pixie is a little restaurant in Mt. Pleasant that serves burgers, coney dogs, fries, shakes, that sort of thing. They put your name on the wall if you eat 10 burgers or 6 coneys. The burgers are smaller than your normal burger. But 10 is a lot. And the problem is that I'm already on the wall. I did it a few years ago with other youth group kids. I went. I ate. I ate. I felt sick. I gave up after 7. In my defense I ate a couple of pieces of pizza right before the kid called. And there's not as much motivation if you're already on the wall. So yes, I wimped out.

nangi namaj perez

Oh man I finally found a cd that I've been looking for forever. The 77s cds are pretty rare for some reason. I found this one used for about $20 with shipping on Amazon. That's the best price I've seen it for on there before. The only one that Amazon has that's new costs $50. One of the 77s cds listed on Amazon is listed at $219.99. It's outrageous. I wish they'd either reprint these cds or sell through itunes. But I'm loving it as I listen to it. The cd is commonly known as Pray Naked. But when the album came out in 1992 they wouldn't let them name the album that. In fact that song's title is blanked out on the back of the cd! Good stuff though. I'll be spin doctoring it in the near future.

A rolling stone gathers no moss

Sorry it's been a while since I posted but it's been busy. This last weekend I was sick. A nice fever. I missed a wedding and an open house. But I've made up for it. I don't work an hourly thing but I've put in 25 hours in the last two days. Yesterday supper was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the church van. So I may be right back in the sick house. I get a couple of days off in a row though because of the holiday. I did get to stop and watch a bald eagle chase a hawk for about 5 minutes. The hawk had a fish or small animal in it's talons. The eagle wanted whatever the hawk had. For as long as I was able to watch the hawk evaded the eagle. I love creation.