I haven't forgotten you, Blog

It’s hard to believe, I know, but I swear I haven’t forgotten you, blog. Got a little off track after (and before) vacation, which is really no excuse, but regardless I am back and fully intend on getting back in the rhythm of posting on a regular basis. Does that mean you won’t see another blog post like this? Probably not. But at least I’m willing to admit it.

Now, on to the show!

We had a wonderful time at the beach in Cape San Blas at the beginning of July. It was great to be with family and just hang out and relax. We enjoyed some pool time, some beach time, some fishing and boating, some great meals and just all around good times. We did get some pretty heavy rain several days, which bummed us out at the time, but I think that it was actually good since it let us just hang out together in the house playing board games and reading or whatnot. Seems like so many times on vacation you feel like you HAVE to go and do something down at the beach or whatever since you’re there, but the rain made us take it easy on those days. We’re already thinking about going back next year, and it’ll be so much more of a trip since we’ll have our little one with us. Which brings me to our other news…

We let everyone know last week that we found out that we will be having a GIRL! Say hello to the still-in-progress Olivia Marie:


It’s still pretty unreal, and I’ve half convinced myself that they got it wrong since I said from the beginning it was a girl, but now it’s really starting to sink in! We went to Babies R Us and got our registry filled out this past Friday. We had been in there a couple times before, but let me just say that that place is overwhelming! It’s hard to believe that babies have been born and raised without ever experiencing a forehead thermometer or a spoon that turns white if the food is too hot. It’s hard to comprehend how parents did it without all of these technological wonders, but I’m just glad we’re where we are now so Toni and I can benefit from them! But even with these great gadgets, it’s still quite overwhelming to think that in just a few short months, we’ll be solely responsible for the life of another human being during it’s most fragile and malleable state. Crazy! I know we’ll be great parents, giving our daughter the love, interaction and direction she needs to become a wonderful, caring woman. There’s no rush though! We’ll enjoy and cherish (and record in some fashion) every moment of her life as she grows so we don’t have to look back and wish we’d paid more attention, but even then I know we’ll do it still since Time seems to always one-up us right before our eyes. We’re sure gonna try though. :)

Belated updates

It's been too long since my last post. The whole weight-loss endeavor didn’t go as well as planned. I think lost some inches (wow that sounds really girly…) but no real weight, which kinda sucks but I guess it's better than nothing. I didn’t feel like The Blob at the beach this past weekend, so that counts for something as well.

Speaking of the beach, Toni and I will be heading to Cape San Blas this Thursday after work. Actually, we’ll hit Jacksonville Thursday evening, then head to Apalachicola Friday, then head to Cape San Blas Saturday and will be there through the following Saturday with Toni’s brother and sister and their families, and Toni’s parents. It’s gonna be AWESOME! There will be lots of relaxing, a couple of boat trips, some tubing and other various water sports and whatever else strikes our fancy. We are REALLY looking forward to it! I’m sure we’ll be posting lots of pics on Facebook, etc.

In other news, the pregnancy is trucking along. Unfortunately Toni is still nauseated most every day, which really sucks. We keep hoping that it’ll go away any day now. Other than that everything is good. I love seeing her belly get bigger, and can’t wait till it’s huge! :) She’s not quite so keen on that though, but it’s such a joyous thing to behold. We’ll find out the gender on July 22nd which we’re both really excited about. We’ll finally be able to move forward with the nursery, registry and so many other things, which will be nice. Lots to do before the arrival! :)

It’s such an amazing experience, and I can’t wait to meet our child in December.

battle of the bulge: the beginning

Ok, so like many Americans these days, I need to lose some weight, I’d say about 15 or 20 pounds, though I’d be happy with 10 to start. I’ve been kinda sorta half-heartedly “dieting” for a few months now, surprisingly with little success. That’s a joke. I know I haven’t been committed to the effort, so I’ve really only maintained my current weight, which isn’t a bad thing, just not what I was going for. Now with our beach vacation coming up at the end of June, I realize it’s time to get serious if I’m going to take my shirt off in front of people other than my wife (I can’t do anything about my albino-like skin tone, but if I can look more like a slightly flubby vampire instead of a bloated nightmare creature from the deep, I’ll be happy). Don’t get me wrong – I’m not obese by any means, but like many men my age, I have an ever-growing problem in the gut area.

I’ve always relied on Weight Watchers (not the meetings, etc., just the tools and methodology) for my dieting phases (my typical modus operandi is lose the weight then do ok on my own until I realize that the previously shed pounds have insidiously crept back onto my torso, rinse and repeat). What I realized from this past “effort” (I use that term in the loosest possible way – I’m not trying to kid myself) is that dieting alone, which worked well for me in the past (towards the end of college I lost 25 pounds doing WW with no real exercise) no longer holds up against the ever-increasing inefficiency of my body (i.e. I’m getting old). So now I have to diet and get serious about exercising on a regular basis as well, which I know I need to do anyway, which I am, you don’t have to tell me, so get off my back!

Sorry. Anyway, I will be posting my progress (no pics though, I will spare you that much at least) as we go. Again, my bottom-rung goal is to lose 10 pounds, which should be feasible in a month (I honestly don’t know what the potential weight-loss cap during a month is, but I can tell you that I won’t be wearing one of those shiny sweat suits or sleeping in a sauna, so 10 pounds sounds ok). If I can lose more than that without going to extreme measures, that’s cool. Hopefully knowing that I will be posting the info here will keep my focused, though I can tell you that I can already feel that I am truly determined this time. Of course, my wife will say “that’s what you said last time” which is true, but I mean it this time, just like I did last time. But it really is for real this time. But I said that last time too, so you’ll just have to take my word for it I guess. Either way, I’m gonna do it, so look for the Battle of the Bulge update next week!