God Is Faithful !!!

So, it's been a long time since I have posted anything. We have been very busy with our growing kids and growing our family. If you are at all familiar with our family or in any contact with us , you know we recently accepted a referral for a two year old boy from Ethiopia. We can't share photos until we pass court on our first trip, but trust me, he is the cutest kiddo and sure to melt your heart the way he has ours. I will try to post more often to keep people updated on our upcoming trips. For now feel free to share this blog, and encourage people to donate. We have about $10,000 in air fare coming soon.Thank You!!

Trusting Him.

I'm sitting at work. I was reading a book that has really affected me and I'm only on the third chapter. It's called " Kisses from Katie." It's about a 22 yr old women who went to Uganda on a mission trip when she was sixteen. She fell in love with the country and returned when she turned eighteen. She has since adopted thirteen children, and often has ill or injured adults and children living with her. She only has electricity sometimes and is surrounded by poverty and disease. Her mission work is incredible, but not because of her. She does it only to glorify God. To show so much love to the people of Uganda, that they see Jesus in her. She writes: " He(God)blinded me to the filth and disease, and I saw only children hungery for love that I was eager to share with them. I adored them, not because of who I was, but because of who He is. I just sat right down on the cold, hard floor and snuggled my nose into their dirty necks and kissed their fungus-covered heads and didn't even see it. I was in love."
I am humbled by her faith. She glorifies God. It's that simple. She spends many days working from sunrise till she climbs into her bed covered with netting to keep out the bugs. All this because God has called her to love. The children there are covered in filth. The red dust blows in the wind and it's impossible to stay clean.Yet she loves them because Christ loves them. We were covered in the filth of our sin. Dirty and not worthy of Gods mercy and grace. He washes away the dirt and filth of our sin and forgives us, making us worthy to someday live with Him. Thank you Lord.

Reading about the children in the orphanages of Uganda, makes me excited to finish with our process and bring home a little one who needs a forever family. We counted up the total cost of the adoption and found that it will come to roughly $25,000. Our fund raising is not going as well as I had planned. We have had our puzzle for two weeks and have only sold one piece. I still believe God will provide. He has not called us to do this only to fail. He will provide and be glorified in the sight of the nay sayers and people who don't believe this to be God's will. If you feel led to donate, please contact me and help us bring our little one home.Praise the Lord!

Paper Quicksand

Hi All,
I know it's been awhile since the last blog. We are done with our autobiography though, so that is a big step that is completed! We made contact with our agency coordinator Aneata. She has been really great! I guess we got so busy with our homestudy paperwork, we forgot to do our IAN policy agreement...oops!No problem right? It turned out to be thirty one pages long. The hardest part is getting a paper notorized in the doctors office. We are going to have to find a notary who will travel.Once we get that paperwork turned in, we will simultanously finish our homestudy, and begin our dossier. You guess right...more paperwork. I don't want to sound like I am complaining. We truly believe God has orchestrated this adoption from the beginning. Christians through out history have overcome more with less lipservice.

The garage sale was a great success!!! It was Labor Day weekend if you didn't have a chance to come. We made just over a thousand dollars in two days of sales. We still had lots of stuff left over, and our awesome christian friends(family really) came thru again and donated more stuff. We are praying for another successful sale since this will be the last garage sale. After this, everything goes to Goodwill.I hope to buy the puzzle this week.Your prayers are welcome.

The family is doing well. Emily is back in soccer. I'm so glad she is interested in sports and physical fitness. She exercises with us all the time. She joined running club at school, so we went running together the other day. She ran 1 3/4 miles with some walk breaks. What can I say? She's a Ramey. Becca is doing well too. She is beginning to drive. Yikes! Caden is well. Loving school and making us laugh.
I wanted to recommend a movie to everyone. Katy and I actually had a date last week and went to see the movie Courageous.

It is a call for men to step up and be the kind of man a wife and children need. I lack in many areas believe me. I'm a work in progress, but I thank God for the conviction to change and the grace when I don't measure up.I won't go on. I said plenty on this in my last blog. Will you meet the challenge? If you see the movie let me know. See ya soon.

Lend Me Your Ear

Here I sit at work, having a cup of coffee, missing my family desperately. There is a clipboard sitting next to me with my half done autobiography on it. And only a rough draft at that. Writing this blog is actually a stall tactic if truth be told.I still have the parenting, religion, reasons to adopt, and the last section called "general" which is really the section that's about me to do. I mean the real me. My personality,strengths,weaknesses,my fears, likes,dislikes, etc.Self examination is a really strange thing. Most people don't enjoy looking inside and examining the bits and pieces that make us who we are. Isn't it easier to look at others and their shortcomings instead of ours?You can look at just about any sitcom and see people doing foolish things and looking like an idiot.Why is that funny? Because it makes us feel better about ourselves.And while I'm on the subject men, lend me your ear. There is something seriously wrong with television today and the way people perceive men. Look at all the popular sitcoms today. Family guy, Everybody loves Raymond, King of Queens,the list goes on. The men in those shows look like morons and like they are completely inept.What happen to the days of men being strong leaders in our homes?Being respected by their children instead of the kids making snide comments and walking away only to ignore what their parents say?Most kids that grow up to be disfunctional adults are that way because their dads were not present. You can live in the house and still not be present in your childrens lives. It takes more than just DNA to be a dad. Pray AND play with your family.Respect your wife and treat her as an equal. She is a child of God the same as you. Look your children in the eyes when they are talking to you. Why should they listen to you when you talk, if they feel like you're not listening to them? Respect is a two way street. Think about it.So I got off the subject...sorry. I'm down off my soap box now.The whole point was that this homestudy is tough. It's our first big hurdle.

So yes...homestudy...big hurdle...got it! But God gave me a scripture this week. A promise to claim when the frustration comes or the fear of the unknown. This adoption is a very big deal in our lives, but we serve a very big God. I was driving in the car with Caden and heard this scripture in a childrens song on one of his cd's.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him
And He will make your paths straght.

Proverbs 3:5-6


The alarms went off in my head. God was telling us to trust Him. We have had alot of anxiety over the fund raising and the travel we'll have to do. Two trips to Ethiopia is way out of our comfort zone. Let me tell you something. God has put some amazing people in our lives. We have a group of people that are some of the most generous, loving,and selfless friends anyone could ask for. We are gathering alot of things for our garage sale fundraiser and much of it has come from our friends. I got another fundraising idea from a blog written by a woman who has adopted from Ethiopia.

We are going to sell pieces of this puzzle and whoever buys a piece can sign there name on the back. We can show our new little all the people who helped bring them home to their forever family. Praise God for His promises. His Word is truth. Watch and see the amazing things God is going to do in our home. Thank you Lord.

Our Own Personal Nightmare!!

So I told myself I was going to blog regularly so I could keep all those who care up to date on what's going on in the adoption process Right now we are faced with writing an autobiography.Not just any autobiography mind you...but eight to ten pages of our life and everything personal or important to us, put down on paper. Not an easy task. It is very overwelming to say the least. We of course have nothing to hide, but it is awkward giving all that info to people we don't even know. And as luck would have it, we are trying to get all the homestudy stuff done with all our day to day stuff still to do at the same time. The kids are back in school so that might help us find extra hours during the day.

I feel alittle guilty complaining about the homestudy,(but I still do of course). I was reading a blog today from someone who has already adopted from Ethiopia.She had some heart wrenching and humbling stats.

*Only 24% of households have access to clean
drinking water.

*82% of the populaton survives on less than
a dollar per day.

* One in ten children die before their first
birthday.

* One in six will die before age five.

I want so badly to go and rescue all of the children in danger.They are in danger!
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the father, is this:to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27

This is what God has called us to do.So I will claim this when I start to feel sorry for myself and complain.There is no other way I will make it thru this process without claiming God's promises. I cringe and sometimes feel like I can't do what's required of us in this adoption.But, God tells us we are "more than conquerors"Rom 8:37, against the things of this world.So please pray for us. That God would be present and give us the strength and patience to do what needs done.

We know there is a little one waiting. They are so far away.

God, please keep our little one safe until you bring them home to us.Amen.

The New Adventure!

Man it's been a long time since I blogged. Not alot has changed, but the things that have changed are pretty important. For awhile I felt like crap all the time. I was tired and my body ached all the time.I knew it couldn't be just because I just turned 39 yo.So, I finally went to the doctor and ended up on thyroid medication. It took about 3 wks to feel better, but I got rid of some of the weight gain, and I don't feel as sluggish.Hopefully this doesn't seem ridiculous. I don't know the TMI rules for blogging.
Anyway, I'll get to the good stuff.We have been certified to adopt in Arizona since October 2010. We have't been matched yet, which in and of itself is not a surprise, but we were feeling impatient.I felt like we were really limiting ourselves by sticking only to Arizona. Of course we were always in prayer and giving God complete control over all that happens with the adoption.I don't understand God's ways nor am I expected to, so I don't know what God's plan has been for us over the last year. I may only know in looking back. I was looking for something unrelated when I came across a link for adoptions from Ethiopia and started to surfe around alittle. The more I looked, the more interested I became. I came across a site for International Adoption Net.I read that Ethiopia is less restrictive, and this agency is considerably less expensive than others.The total fee is $14,000. (That doesn't include the visas and air fare.)I talked to Katy about the site and we prayed over it for several days. We really were very nervous about it, but really felt God pulling us to this country. It is sooo outside of our comfort zone. God is good!!! He gave us a peace about it at the same time. One way to judge if something is from God is to ask yourself if it furthers His kingdom. I always pray that God will be glorified in all He does in my life and this is no exception. So how will this glorify Him? God tells us to care for orphans and widows in His word. Teaching a child we bring into our home about the gift of salvation, and Jesus love for us. And last, teaching our children through it all how blessed they are, and teaching them to care for others. My prayer is that God would prepare the child he has for us, and prepare our hearts to witness his grace and glory first hand. Glory to God!!!

So, that being said, we are also preparing ourselves for the enormous cost. We are trusting God to provide in one way or another. We will be setting up a paypal account on a website we will create. We will be asking for donations in the weeks to come. Please pray and ask God to place an amount on your heart to help us bring our little one home. We are beginning the home study process this week. Thank you for your prayers and generosity.

Brian

Mighty Men !

I had an interesting few days.At church Sunday morning, our pastor challenged men to be mighty men for God. Our pastor spoke about David, and how he was chosen by God. 1 Samuel 16:1" ....I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite,for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons."God chose the smallest and the least likely of the eight sons.Isn't that just like God? Jump ahead to 1 Samuel 17:4.The Philistines and Israel were in battle.The Philistines sent out Goliath to challenge them.He was 9 ft tall and just his breast plate alone weighed 125 lbs.He wanted to defeat Israels mightiest warrior and then the men of Isreal would become their servants.David convinced Saul to let him fight Goliath.He went to Goliath and said,"You come to me with a sword,a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have taunted.This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you..."
David slung a stone at Goliath in v49 and struck him in the head and killed him and removed his head like he said he would.What a mighty worrior for God he was. Our pastor was calling the men of our church to be like David. Pray to God and experience the power that comes from prayer.To not be afraid to worship God or speak His name in public for fear of making people uncomfortable.To stand strong in the name of Jesus when times are tough.To pray daily for his wife and children and be a spiritual leader in his home.I accept the challenge and commit to pray every day for 30 days for myself and the men in my church.How awesome would it be to see a movement from God like we have never seen. I have seen God do some incredible things in my church in the short time we have been there.I know He can now.
On Sunday evening I went to our small group study. I am certain that God not only led us to this church, but to the living room full of people who love God and seek after Him.We consider these people our friends and I have a great deal of respect for them.I look forward to seeing them every week.Sunday was one of the best times I've had there.They are good people.Love you guys!!!
We are studying end times right now.I won't get into alot of detail because I admit, I don't really understand much of it.There are many different takes on the subject.This is what I believe.Someday soon,God will call the christians who love and follow Him to heaven and we will leave this sad planet.There is the seven year tribulation,and a thousand years of peace.Sorry Satan, God wins in the end.That is the condensed version, but the point is, God is coming soon and in the end all of us will go to be with Him or spend eternity in Hell.
If you are not sure you are saved, find a way to be sure.Jesus died to free us from our sin so we could be with Him.Contact me and I will pray with you if you want. Edmoneyfan@yahoo.com. I hadn't planned to put that in there, but felt I needed to.Well enough for now.

Deadline!

Well, tomorrow is the deadline the maricopa county court set for our adoption agency to turn in our paperwork.We haven't heard from her so I can only assume it will come to pass.I hope the judge will hurry and approve us to be certified.I think we are still looking at quite a wait to find a match for our family.We are still telling people we are almost certified so if they happen to know anyone who knows someone, who knows someone that needs to give a baby for adoption, we are there.

I was thinking today about how much I love my kids and how them knowing they are loved shapes who they are.There are so many children in the world who grow up without knowing the love of parents. Many don't get regular hugs or any affection for that matter.It makes me sad to think that these injustices exist in the world. We can't adopt them all, I know.I also know that God will give us the child that needs us and Him the most. We are going to contact and look into ShohannasHope.Mabe God will lead us from there.We're not counting anything out.

I'm at work tonight which is a real drag.I am going to sit here,drink some tea and read my book before bed.I'm reading a book from John McCain's daughter called "Dirty Sexy Politics." I don't really post anything political on FB anymore because there are only a handful of people that agree with me.I think most peolpe,regardless of how they voted in the election,would agree that Obama is not only not truthful but has done the opposite in many cases than what he promised. I voted for McCain, but have been less than impressed with his run for senate.He has done a 180 on things like immigration.I don't trust politcians.I don't trust our government.I think they will tell people whatever they think people want to hear for their own political gain.Anyway, maybe since I'm not welcome to post politics on FB, I might use my blog as a platform to get things off my chest.That way if you don't agree.....don't click the button.

Tozer

So....we got a dog.That's who Tozer is.I'm told Tozer is the name of a christian author. I have never heard of him.We got the dog from the youth pastor and his wife from our church.They got him from Craig's list from a family in Phoenix.I don't know why they named him Tozer. I'm going to google him to see so I can at least tell people I know who he is. The dog is an American bulldog. When we first considered getting him, I thought he was a boxer because that's what their other dog is.When I found out I wasn't so sure I wanted him.Well maybe I was just disappointed.I decided to keep an open mind.I'm glad I did.So far he is a fantastic dog.We had some reservations at first because we are hopefully adopting soon.What if we get a child that is allergic to dogs? What if a birth mother doesn't want a family with dogs?We did pray about it and had peace about it.I think it will be fine.And man is he a cool lookin' dog.He is a little over a year old and everything a puppy is suppose to be.Lots of energy,curious,playful, and a total lap dog. He is muscular and looks like he could kick some serious tail.Everything I've read said they are easy to train and need plenty of exercise. I can't wait to take him running. I watched Cesar Millan(The Dog Whisperer).His philosophy is exercise,discipline,and affection in that order.Bulldogs have strong personality so it's important to establish the pack leader right away.Our last dog was a good dog for the kids, but barked himself into wearing a shock collar, and dug our yard until I was at the edge of insanity.I finally came to terms with it and put making the yard look nice on hold.I don't want to have that same experience with Tozer. Well I'm certain he will give me plenty of stories to post.At some point I will post a picture here too.BFN

Brian

I want to be like Him cause he wants to be like me.

Well the blog isn't called "Adventures in waiting" for no reason. We still haven't heard from Ollos about being officially certified to adopt. People have told us that waiting is the hardest part. So since I don't have any news about the adoption, I'll write about other things I'm excited about.If you know me at all you already know I love my family.We are very blessed to have such great kids. All three of our children are growing to be awesome people. It's my prayer that our kids would grow to be adults that love God and do awesome things to further His kingdom. There is a song that is a man speaking to God saying, " I want to be like you, because he wants to be like me."The father is saying he wants to be Christlike because his son wants to grow to be like him. There are alot of things I may not be able to do for my kids, but I cannot fail them in that area. God has called me to raise my/His children for Him. If you are a father reading this, I challenge you to think of the song lyrics and live that way. It is a daily challenge for me to do it.God please show me the areas where I'm failing you and convict me to change.

I did Insanity this morning. If you don't know what that is, you should check it out. It's torture. It is a great workout that while doing it, one wonders," Why am I doing this to myself? I could feel the same pain by catching my thighs on fire, and save myself 40 minutes." I'm gonna wake up unable to walk tomorrow. I know poor me right? Well anyway, I'm telling you that so I can say that I am having some coffee which is really awesome.I wish Katy was here to share it with me.

Anyway I'm beginning to ramble.It's a slow day at work today. In my line of work, that's a good thing.I'll be back.

Brian

Getting Closer!

We finally got both of our home studies finished. She came to the house and talked awhile with Katy and me. Mostly about the same stuff as before.She must see so many people she probably forgets what she's talked about with each family. She said she would write a report based on info we gave her about ourselves.Ha! Not much to go on there.We are a pretty average family.We sure have alot of love to give a child though. She talked with each one of the kids and asked what things they like to do or places they like to eat. Of course they were shy, well that is until Caden went to the bathroom and came streaking into the room, junk hangin' out,doin' a crazy dance. It was pretty funny,and par for the course with Caden.So, she said her report needed to be finished before October 10th and then it would end up on a judges desk for approval.He'll look at the details of our lives and determine whether we will be fit parents, and he has to make sure it won't put us in financial hardship to take on another mouth to feed. We just explained that we would just feed our other children less...problem solved! So here I sit at work in Apache Junction.I'm working today because Katy was canceled from her shift.She is quite a lady. I'm very lucky to have her. It's not easy dealing with the children on my work schedule. She does an awesome job!

I plan to start running again. No sooner had I decided to try it again, I got some stupid infection my right eye and can't wear my contacts. The eye drops three times a day must have some sort of acid as the main ingredient because they burn like nobody's business every time I put them in. If you aren't a slave to contacts or glasses, consider yourself lucky. There is no way I can run in glasses. I ran once last week before the infection started and my legs were pretty sore the next day.5 miles doesn't normally do that. My body has aged much faster than my brain. How does that happen? Hopefully my children will help keep me young. That and the pharmacy of medications I take everyday. : )

Keep us in your prayers.We know we will have a new kiddo soon! I'll keep ya posted.

Brian

Adventures in waiting!

So,I changed the theme of my blog. I did it because I haven't been running(the previous theme), and I think it was boring for people to read.If you don't enjoy running, then chances are you won't enjoy reading about it. A lesson I learned by slowly realizing that nobody ever visited my blog. I'm hoping that will all change. I really want people to visit and share our adventure in waiting.What are we waiting for? Hmm..I'm glad you asked. We are nearly certified to adopt, something that Katy and I have wanted to do for a long time. We believe God brought us to the church we are in now.Many people there are adopting and there is alot of support. God has gifted us with many good friends recently. We prayed about it and felt God was telling us it was time. I will talk on the next post about what we've done so far, but the point is, it is a long process. Even when we are certified in about 5 wks, only God knows when He will be ready to gift us with the child He's chosen. That's where the title comes from. We are waiting patiently on God. His timing is perfect.Check in every so often to see how we're doing. See you then!

Still Insane.

       Well we are about a week into Insanity Workout. It is as tough as I thought it would be. Maybe I should say it's as tough as everyone said it was. The fit test was crazy and made me sore the next day. I was nervous about starting day 1 if I could barely make it through the fit test.
    

     I know..this box is innocent looking enough,but don't be fooled. Inside is alot of pain and sweat.It came in a nice looking package,neatly packed,brightly colored to make you feel positive about all the pain you're
 

  
 about to endure. The first day was plyometric cardio circuit. They weren't lying. I lived through it then but when I did it at 4:00 am this morning I just about puked,which actually, I heard many people say happens. At least I wouldn't be the only one.My legs and back were very sore,but I pushed thru,and was feeling pretty good about how I was doing...until...the "rest" say.It's really just a break from cardio.I know my legs are small and weak, but after slow squats and lunges, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to walk the next day.My legs have been sore for four days now,At some point I have to become accustomed to it.There were people in worse shape than me that have made it all sixty days.We took before pictures. I can't wait to see the after pics.I hope there is a big difference.There has to be.I have never worked out this hard.I have changed my diet,and I'm careful to eat the right amount of calories to fuel my body.After seeing the before pics, I'm not so sure I want to share them We'll see.

                      Emily's birthday is Sunday.We got her a new bed that we'll give to her on Friday.She is really going to like it.We all have had a cold this week.Caden got the worst of it.Praise God we have not had H1N1 symptoms.God is good.We are still waiting to hear if the church wants us to teach CPR.They said they thought it was a great idea and seemed positive about it.We'll see.I'm working today.I am trying to keep in mind that I am blessed to have a job.God has been good to us.And off I go...

Insanity !!!

     I've been going to the YMCA lately.Katy and I both have.I have been lifting heavier weight trying to get ready for the  workout dvd we ordered.It's called Insanity Workout, from the same folks who make P90X.I think the website is Beachbody.com under Insanity on the right side.It's a 60 day workout program that is super intense.There are no weights, but plenty of plyometrics.Seeing the results of lots of people convinced us to try it.We are not normally suckers for buying stuff on tv.They talk about the people exercising on the video even need to stop and rest because it's so tough.People have mentioned losing weight,but most talk about losing body fat.I guess you don't lose a lot of weight because of all the muscle you gain. I'm not overweight by any means.I'm 5' 11" and weigh160 lbs.I hope to get some muscle definition and lose some body fat. At some point, I will post some "before" pictures and eventually the AWESOME  "after" pictures. It will be difficult to distinguish between me and Superman, but side by side you'll be able to tell us apart.I hope I have the "berries" to finish the 60 days.It will mean changing my diet too.No more Cheetos( I really love Cheetos). We are also going to cut out what little dessert we have at night.It isn't really about calorie restriction,more about healthy eating or cutting out empty calories.It will be more difficult for me than Katy.We eat very healthy any way, it's just those few things I don't "need".I'll keep ya posted.

        Our church will be opening the new building soon.We have only been going there about three months, but are very excited about it.This is the new sanctuary.God's hand is really on this church.A group just came back from Africa and the missions are a big concern for the church.We are blessed that God brought us to this church.The worship is awesome and the messages are convicting, and humbling.We hope to do our part soon by teaching CPR classes at the church.We may not have a lot to offer, but we can use what God has given us.

    I have been convicted to memorize scripture lately.Scripture that applies to my life, or the lives of people around me so I can share the news of Jesus and His gift.In light of the events and headlines lately,I see end times events happening and am convicted to tell people what I know.Here's my latest verse:
 

     

Random thoughts,driven by fatigue.

   - I worked out yesterday and today.Holy crap I'm in worse shape than I thought.

   -We're having pizza for dinner.Pizza is God's gift to those of us who will never be vegetarian.Sorry little helpless animals,but sausage is so yummy.

   -My kids are costing me a fortune in clothes.

    -I don't like people dying at work.Why am I powerless to help so many people ?

    -My wife is a hottie.

    -I FREAKIN' LOVE COFFEE !!!

    -I am very frustrated with the new facebook.

    -God is good...All the time.

    -Obama is the worst president this country has ever known.

    -This country is being weakened by the politicians in office who think they know what is best for us.

    -I can't wait for Jesus' return.He is coming soon.If you're not so sure...ask me how I know.

Reality check

         HEY,I FEEL OLD!!!!!!!!! Yes I feel old.I am determined ,now that I'm feeling better, to begin getting serious about training for a race.I'm hoping that race will be a half marathon.I'm taking inventory of all my aches and pains. I know, it really sounds like I'm feeling sorry for myself.Maybe I am, but there will be positive posts in the future,I promise. I have decided that it is my lot in life to be sore all the time.It is something I am going to just have to live with. I have arthiritis that I have suffered with since I was a kid, but even though I don't get actual arthiritic pain all that often, I wonder if that is why I feel stiff ALL the time.

             I am considering testing for a fire dept again.I am praying about it and asking God to open or close that door.I am starting to change the way I workout now, and go back to how I was doing it before.Hard intense exercise for about an hour each time.I try to do a modified crossfit type workout.When I was doing it before,I felt great.I lost some weight, I wasn't stiff all the time, and I felt stronger.My wife enjoyed the benefits too ; ).When I was in high school, I could bench press 200 lbs.I could now...ok not really,but the point is that I'm going to work toward that.Maybe it won't take that long to get there.After all, I am older and wiser. Ok ...just older but it will help me....maybe.

          I got results back for my cholesterol screening yesterday. My total was 200. HDL was a 2.6 ratio which I guess is really good. Trig are supposed to be under 150 and mine was 47.I've been taking fish oil for some time now. It has helped with both my cholesterol and my joints since it is a natural antinflammatory.My fasting glucose was 84 mg/dl so I think I am still beating my genetics when it comes to diabetes.My family is a train wreck of health.So far I have beat most of it despite al my complaining.

          Emily has played two soccer games so far.I'm proud of her.She gets a little better each time she plays, but more importantly, she is having fun and being active.So far we have all avoided being ill for the most part.That's pretty good considering we are all around sick kids all the time.Katy and me at work, and the girls at school.We all got our H1N1 vaccine. Thank you Lord for helping us to get it.I'm at work today.Haven't transported any flu patients so far.I'll keep my fingers crossed.Happy running. And off I go...

Frustrated

    So here I sit at work feeling terrible.I've had this sore throat for three days now.I have had the same kind of sore throat before.It's very strange.It starts  scratchy and really hurts during the night,almost like strep.The next day,it's scratchy again.I have felt kinda icky today but I don't really feel sick.Anyway, I worry because I was a smoker for 12 years.I quit before Katy and I were married,so I guess it's been since 2001 since I smoked.I was a pack a day smoker.Sometimes I still crave them...weird.The point is ,and I do have one, is that I worry about getting cancer.Anytime I have atypical symptoms for anything,I worry.I don't want my children to watch me go through that. I need to be here to protect them.So I'll call tomorrow to see the doctor, since I have had two similar episodes.Katy won't let me forget.If you're the praying type,pray for me.

     When I'm feeling better, I'm determined to start putting in some miles.Even if the miles are treadmill miles.We're afraid of swine flu so we decided to not take our kids to child care at the gym.Maybe we know too much being in the medical field.Most people are misinformed by the stupid media.I'm afraid for my children.Perfectly healthy people are dying from the H1N1.So running is not only healthy, but a great stress relief still.I want to get back to 25 miles a week.Last week I did 5 miles at 1900 hrs at work and then 6 miles with Katy the next day.My legs were really sore while I was running,but I pushed through it.My quads hurt like crazy for three days.That's never happened before.I really am set on running a marathon someday.I looked for a 10k I could run, but there aren't any on this side of town.It's a matter of convenience really.No child care,and even if we could find someone,they would have to be at our house early.

      The YMCA is opening near my house soon.I would like to use that to get back to XT and do some  strength training too.I have finally come to terms with never being even a hint of the muscular physique I have always hoped for.At this point in my life, I'll be happy with looking fit.So thus begins a new quest.When I'm feeling better,I am going to give myself three months.For three months I'm going to be strict about what food I eat.(translation :no junk food),and be diligent about running,increasing miles and strength training.We'll see how it goes.I'll try to blog about my progress.And off I go...

The mind is willing,but.....

         I ran five miles this evening.It felt awesome.I have not been running as much and I can really tell the difference mentally and physically.I think if I could get more sleep, I would run more.That's the excuse I'm using this week.I've gone from 20-25 miles a week to 8 miles/week. Man I suck.I will look today for a race to train for,and blog about it next time.That will hold me accountable.Well, I'm not sure any one even reads this blog.I think Katy does.{hello sweetheart}It is cooler now so I don't have to contend with the heat.I thought asking the church if they would sponsor me to run the PF Changs half. We could get a whole team from the church and raise money and awareness for Vision Abolition.For those not familiar,it gives a place of refuge for women in Africa escaping the sex trade industry.The church is big enough I think we could raise a lot of money.I feel like I want to be involved some how.We can't go on a mission trip because of our children,so I want to help in some way.I'll pray about it and see where God leads me.

           Emily is enjoying soccer.I really need to get out and practice with her.I don't want her to get discouraged before she has a chance to enjoy it.Soccer goes right along with her little personality.She is so full of life.I know,most parents say that about there kids.Cade has started sticking his feet in the toilet when he goes potty.Need less to say, he doesn't get "privacy" any more when he goes.Becca...well we're praying for patients.

          We took a six year old to Maricopa County Hosp tonight for level 1 injuries.I hate kid calls.It makes me want to go home and hug my children.We needed to start an IV on her.Kids don't understand.All they know is that I'm sticking them with a needle.I think she's going to be fine.It's Fall now so the drowning season is just about over. Those are the worst calls.Some medics go home afterward because it can be hard to handle.That's one reason why there is a high turn over rate in EMS.I'm surprised there aren't more alcoholics.People say we have a strange sense of humor.That is true, but I think it's a survival mechanism more than anything because it's universal.EMS is like no other job for sure.Where else can you take care of some one who just took off a greater portion of there face with a bullet, then go eat lunch 10 minutes later? Man I love being a medic.Anyway,it's late.I'm heading to bed.I hope to sleep tonight.Running calls all night is one thing that sucks about being a medic.The other is the firefighters, but that's another blog.Run in the morning...WooHoo!!!And off I go.....