Happy Easter!

Yes, it's been quite a while since I last posted a blog entry, but I can explain...

Okay, I don't really have an excuse. I have been busy writing... Just not in this format. I've been trying to keep tabs on all the ways the federal government has been destroying our nation from within. I tend to post articles and a comment or two on my Facebook page. I've also been taking college classes which have taken time away from the ranting and raving I do here in the blog-o-world. So that's why I haven't posted a new entry since the beginning of the year.

So, how have you been? I'm doing pretty well here. Let's play some catch-up for a few minutes. Where to begin?

Like I said, I'm back in school, much to the delight of my mother and the relief of my wife. I've passed the magic 18 year mark in my Marine Corps career which means I'm down to the last two years of my time in uniform. While it's a bit of a relief to know that I've reached sanctuary, which means I will be allowed to retire at this point, it's also a bit of a jolt. I'm less than two years from being forced to face the cold reality that there are millions of people out of work and millions more working in jobs that are lower than their level of education and experience would qualify them for. So, what am I going to do? I'm studying HR Management at Colorado Christian University. I am using the tuition assistance program offered by the Marines to save my G.I. Bill benefits until after I retire. So far it seems to be going well. I did very well in my introductory class and I think I'm doing well in my current class, ENG 104: research writing. I'm hoping to at least be a senior by the time I finish my stint in the Corps, if I have not graduated by then. After that, we'll see where God takes us. Of course, Jen would like to go back to San Diego as soon as possible. If that is His path for us then I would be more than happy to follow it. If he leads us elsewhere or leaves us here then I hope and pray that we would willingly follow that direction as well.

What else? Oh! I have a thyroid condition. You may recall that I had surgery on my rotator cuff back in September. I had been taking it easy and eating too much fast food over the summer. As a result, I tipped the scales at 228 late last year. That's 20 pounds more than my maximum weight, according to the Marine Corps' standards. Well, as part of the paperwork process I am required to have a blood test to make sure there is no underlying medical condition that would cause me to gain weight. The results came back and it turns out that I have a case of hypothyroidism. I told my mom and she remarked that my father and sister have been taking medicine for that for years. Would've been helpful information a few months ago, but it's still helpful now. So maybe I was destined to come down with this, but since it happened while on active duty this will be another service related medical condition. Who knows? I may end up with enough stuff wrong with me to qualify for compensation in addition to treatment for the rest of my life. It's crazy though. I'm not sure how I feel about being qualified for lifetime "free" health care from the federal government, but on the other hand, it's Uncle Sam taking care of his wounded warriors. It's a dilemna for sure. Anyway, I've been taking a synthetic thyroid medicine and watching what I eat, plus I'm exercising more. As of last week I was down to 214. I'm hoping/trying to get back to an even 200 by our anniversary. We'll see how that goes.

Completely changing the subject: I introduced the kids to the original Star Wars trilogy over the last few weeks. We got a Wii system for Christmas and everyone got a game for themselves. I got Lego Star Wars: the Complete Trilogy as "my" game. I've played it a lot and really enjoy it. It's rated for payers age 10 and up because there's some tricky problem solving and creative battle strategies involved. ANYWAY, I let the kids play it and they had no clue what the whole story was all about. Well, we do a movie night every Friday where the kids take turns picking out a movie and then we all watch with popcorn and what-not. I'd grown tired of watching "Lady and the Tramp" or any of the other Disney movies we have, so I suggested we watch "Star Wars" and they totally went for it. I now feel like my responsibilty to the next generation has been completed. If/When we get the new trilogy, we'll probably watch it as well, but it was the original story line that needed to be experienced.

We've been going to Southeast Christian Church pretty much since we moved here, but we're not members yet. Why not? Well, we're not 100% sure this is where we're supposed to be. Don't get me wrong, we haven't found anything wrong with their teaching and the kids seem to have a good time whenever we go, but it just doesn't feel like "home" for us. We're going to check out a few more churches around the area to see if there's a better fit. Hopefully we figure that out sooner rather than later. Unless we find a church that just screams, "THIS IS IT!" We'll probably stay at Southeast. It would be nice to find a place to serve again.

The kids' school is currently on a year-round schedule but they're converting back to a more traditional schedule for next year. Unfortunately, that means they'll only have about seven or eight weeks for summer break this year. I've already signed up for retirement classes back at Miramar in late July, but we'd also like to try to get to Cincinnati this summer since we haven't been back for a few years. Add our reserve unit's annual drill period in June and we've got a busy summer schedule ahead. It may turn out to be easier if I just take the summer off from school and hit it full force in the fall, but I'd prefer to have classes going at all time. We'll see how that works out and I'll try to keep you posted.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Hope everyone had a good winter. (Did you know it snows up here?) Our spring was a long time coming, but I think it may be here to stay.

Let's go, Reds!
Let's go, Padres!

Play ball!

Seriously?

I haven't posted since before Thanksgiving? Seriously? Well, okay then. Time to change that.

Hope your holidays went well. We drove the truck all the way back to San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with Jen's mom. Her 2 BR apartment is definitely not the ideal place to add a family of four, but she graciously gave up her room and we made it work. After about 20 minutes of driving on our way out of town, I was already glad we had decided to take the Ford. Four words: D... V... D... Player... Anyway, the truck did just fine all the way down and all the way back. We had a good visit and a wonderful Thanksgiving with our friends in Moreno Valley. I've put more time and effort (and money) into that SUV in recent months than I care to recall. Shortly after we got here we got new tires (scheduled and budgeted for) then we needed a new brake booster and yet another new alternator... I've learned a lot about working on cars in the last couple of months. Still, I don't have enough to be able to figure out what's really wrong with it so I took it back to the dealer. I pointed out that the alternator in the vehicle came from their parts shop (replacing one from Autozone that had been in there for less than a month) so I was sure that wasn't the problem. They called back later that day and told me I need a new PCM. That's the computer that controls the cruise control and handles most of the diagnostics for the vehicle. How do I know? Because it's the same thing that went wrong on my Saturn just before we left San Diego back in July. Seriously? What are the odds?

Anyway, on to Christmas break. This time we were the hosts. Jen's mom came to visit the week of Christmas and just after she got here it snowed... Nothing majorly dramatic but enough to give a nice coat of white on the world for the holiday. My parents and sister arrived from Ohio on the 26th. We were able to consolidate the kids for my MIL to stay with us, but we just didn't have the space for all three of my family so they got a hotel in nearby Castle Rock. We went around town during the week between Christmas and New Year's and took in the seasonal sights. It stayed cold enough to keep the snow around, but the weather was clear throughout their visit. They went home on the 2nd of January and we've been in recovery mode since then. It's like we had to get back into a routine just to recover from the "break" for the holidays. At least I was able to take leave so that was nice.

Today it's snowed for most of the day. The temperatures have actually fallen for most of the day. Seriously? A high temp in the teens? That's just not right.

So now that we're all caught up, let's talk about the new year. I've started reading my Bible again and since we're not planning to move this summer I'm very hopeful that I'll be able to keep going this year. I've also started exercising again. I've already run 6 miles this year... Granted, that's not much, but if you consider that I had rotator cuff surgery just back in September then I think I'm doing okay. The down side to having surgery shortly after coming off leave? I'm overweight. Seriously? Yep. I'm currently at 216 and I'm only allowed to be 208. When I was weighed in early November I was at 228. So it's 20 pounds and that led to a lipid test to check to see if I had a medical reason for being overweight (other than my shoulder) and that's when I found that I have a thyroid condition. Seriously? Yes, I have a mild case of hypo-thyroid-ism... That means that my thyroid is not producing as much of whatever chemical it makes as it used to so I've been put on pills and I have a follow up in a couple of weeks. The kicker? When I told my mom about this she said that my dad and sister have been on thyroid medication for "years." Seriously? I probably should've been told about this sooner rather than later, Mom. (love you!)

Anyway, I'll be using this blog and my facebook account to keep tabs on my fitness goals. I figured out that running 3 miles a day, 3 days a week, and taking 2 weeks off for vacation or illness would total 450 miles. Since I want to run a marathon, I have to assume that I'll be running more than that so I've place my goal at 500 miles for the year. Obviously I need to lose about 10 pounds as well, but I'm going to up that to 20 and see if I can get under 200 by the end of the year. If I make my running goal then the weight goal should be almost easy. We'll see what happens. Oh, I'll have to work all of that around my new schedule. I'll be taking classes at Colorado Christian University starting later this month. I'm hoping/planning to get back into the groove of taking classes sooner rather than later. If I can get done with a degree before I retire then great. If not, then there's a possibility that I could apply for a musical scholarship to supplement my retirement pay and GI Bill benefits... Assuming the federal gov't doesn't decide to tax the GI Bill to pay for education for illegal aliens or some crap like that. Sorry, did I say that out loud? I "Hope" I didn't give anyone any ideas on how to "Change" one of the biggest benefits I'm looking forward to when I retire.

So, that's how my 2009 ended and that's what I'm looking forward to in 2010. How's everything in your neck of the woods?