Weekly Update Ya'all!

Everybody! The Flan Challenge is speeding along towards the 206 goal! Today I ran about 5 miles and weighed myself at the gym... you ready for this?...Here it comes... 214 pounds! This is amazing... I really should write a book about the Flan Challenge, the secret is so simple, but I won't tell you guys, you can buy my book.... coming soon.

I was so happy about 214 pounds, that on my way home from the gym, I began thinking about what type of things 214 can represent. Here is a list of some things I found.

• There are 214 bones in the human skeleton (ironic isn't it?)
• If you add up the numbers 2+1+4 you will get 7... the number of legendary Yankee Mickey Mantle. Mantle was always shooting for the stars and he always hit the stars. He once said, "Somebody once asked me if I ever went up to the plate trying to hit a home run. I said 'Sure, every time.'" I view the Flan Challenge as a home run, and I am trying to hit it every time I work out.
  
• 214 is the area code of Dallas, Texas... Hi Devin and Andrea Williams. Hope Dallas is treating you good.
  
• February 14th (2-14) is, of course, Valentines Day, and it should be noted it is also two days before 2-16... Ice T's birthday (Thanks Dad).
  
• Feb. 14th is the birthday of legendary sportscaster Mel Allen... the longtime voice of the New York Yankees and perhaps the best baseball play-by-play voice ever (with the exception of possibly Vin Scully).
  
• In the year 214 b.c., construction began on a famous 4,000 mile stretch of wall... (The Great Wall in China).
  
• Boy Scout Troop 214 of Los Osos, California could possibly have the best (or only) website of a Boy Scout Troop. Honestly, this site is incredible for a boy scout troop, maybe I would have stuck with it if we had something like this... check it out. www.southbayscouts.org.
  
• 214 songs on the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack.... never played the game, but how weird is that... 214 songs.
  
• The winner of "The Biggest Loser 3", Erik, lost a total of 214 pounds to become the winner of that season... he lost me.
  
• Some 61 year old lady in Arizona last year was found with 10 bundles... or 214 pounds... of marijuana in her home... that is a lot of weed.
  
• And most recently... 214 pounds is what I weighed in at today.
  

Thanks to all who support. 8 more pounds to go until the goal is reached!!!

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216 216 216!!!

I hit 216 today!!!! How is that for a weigh in? It was a great feeling to see that on the scale.

Not much time tonight, just wanted to drop in the update. 216!!!

On a serious note

While most things that I write on this blog are lighthearted and in jest, and most of what I write on this blog is fun and hopefully humorous to others, I would like to quickly write something on more of a serious note.

As I was listening to the Jim Rome show today on 1280 AM, he took a few minutes out of his show time to discuss September 11, 2001. He then said that all of us should take the time to reflect on that day, I thought I would use my blog to give somewhat of a small tribute out to the people who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the mine field in Pennsylvania.

If any of you are like me, there was so much going on that day and it was all so shocking, it all seems like a blur looking back. But the one thing I can remember are my feelings.

I had just turned 18 years old less than a month before the attacks and I was away at the College of Eastern Utah, where I was playing baseball. One of my roommates came into my room and woke me up just a little after 7 a.m. Utah time. He explained to me what was going on and I turned on the t.v. to see the sights myself. Just after turning on the t.v. I watched live, with most of America, as the second plane hit the second tower. Upon hearing about the other attacks in D.C. and Pennsylvania, I was shocked and horrified. I remember feeling very scared. I wish I could have been near family and friends at the time because being an hour and a half away from the people I knew and loved brought out even more fear in me. I realized that terrorist were most likely not going to attack Price, Utah, but it wasn't just that type of fear, it was fear for people who lost family members or didn't even know where their family members were.

My life was forever changed, as was everyone's. I remember our baseball games and practices were canceled, our classes were canceled and all we could do was watch the news and read the articles. I bought a notebook that afternoon and wrote down all my feelings, I wish I knew where that notebook was because it would be interesting to read.

I attended a memorial either that night or the next day and those feeling continued to hit home. Annie and I had a chance to go to Ground Zero a few years ago and the solemn and sobering feeling that exists there is unparalleled by anything else I had ever seen. Annie and I were also in London less than 12 hours after the attacks on London in 2005 and many of those same feelings were present during that time as well. But the underlying message that I take from these attacks is to keep going.

One of my favorite quotes is something along the lines of "dream as if you will live forever and live as if you would die tomorrow." I am renewing a conviction in me to take each day as a gift and not take anything for granted.

My hope is that we can all continue, no matter what tough things may come our way.

Update

Wow. It has been a while since I last wrote on my blog. I was in Washington D.C. last week hanging out with my dear sister and her dear husband (both of them are dear to me).
We had so much fun, for a look at our pictures and the things we saw in D.C. visit annieandkyle.blogspot.com. (Annie has posted all our pictures). Thanks to Steph Hedberg (Proc in my mind) for her kind words on my comments of my last blog... it is great to hear the stories of how skinny I am... Joe and Heidi as well, much appreciated. Keep feeding my ego and will continue to not feed my stomach (too much).

I haven't had a chance to go to Gold's to get a weigh in, however; Karissa and Brady's (the people who are dear to me) scale was a great sight, it had me as low as 214 on one day (probably not completely accurate, but a great feeling nonetheless). I will be heading to Gold's in the next couple days and will update with a weight at that point.

On Saturday I did the running part of a triathlon relay. My dad started us off strong with the swim (fourth one out of the water), then he cruised on his bike (eighth or ninth one in from the bike), then I pushed it to bring us home on the 6.2 mile run. I feel like I did pretty good and we think we took first out of the relay teams, but apparently the timing company doesn't quite have things figured out yet and so we are waiting on the results.

My knees are very swollen and hurt when I walk, but all in all, a successful weekend. Thanks and look for the update on the weight.

Peace.