Life and Love and Why

update.

2010-03-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

been a while since the last post. Things are picking up a little. I finally had my loss.... but then had a bit of a rough week last week (out to dinner twice, dinner at friends house, and skipped two days of working out) so i went back up.

however, i evened out today around 227. So i'm still feeling good about things. Keeping my routine pretty consistent as well:

Monday: Lift Bicepts/Back
Tuesday: cardio of some sort
Wednesday: Lift Legs
Thursday: more cardio
Friday: Lift Chest/Shoulders/Tris
weekend: any exercise i can fit in, bike, run, swim, or whatever we can fit in.

The next challenge now is going to be learning how to better balance my time between work, exercise and getting quality time with my wifey. I'm taking on some new duties at work that will be adding 8 hours of OT/week at least on top of my current work load so it makes things a lot harder. Its hard to get to bed when you have such long days, but thats gonna be the key I think.

on a fun note, the weather has been giving me glimpses of spring and summer and i'm getting really excited for the biking season. there's lots of races in the NW this year and i'm hoping i'll be able participate in a few. I'm really looking forward to planning out some fun trips with anna to bike and camp too. i wish summer in the NW would last longer!

oh and also, i wish i still had 3 months off a year instead of 2 weeks

off to community group for now!

frust.

2010-02-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

3 weeks is a long time to not have a loss.

especially when you've been working out 6-7 days a week.

i'll be honest, its hard not to get discouraged when you've been trying so hard in the gym, getting in daily cardio, on what you're eating, and just everything... and to have 3 weeks in a row with no loss.

and yes, i fully understand the whole "muscle is heavier than fat" concept... but 3 weeks? COME ON!

okay rant over. On the positive side, i've definitely been feeling a gain in performance. Though the scale doesn't seem to be dropping, i can clearly feel my endurance increasing when i'm biking, my jeans seem to fitting more loosely and i just feel overall healthier, which is the most important thing anyway.

on a lighter note, i've been meaning to post about a funny story from a few weeks back. i went up to galbraith with a few guys from work and had a great ride. Pretty rainy and wet, but still a ton of fun. about 9 or 10 miles into our ride, we started up a run called cedar something, which is a line full of a ton a fun ladders and skinnies. After clearing a skinny i've never done before on the first try, we came up to a set of bridges and i was thinking about how the last 2 times i'd been up there i'd had some sort of mechanical failure on that trail. I take 2 pedals into a bridge and "SNAP!" my deraileur hanger busted off and destroyed my der. pully at the same time.

lets just say i was a bit ticked. second time in a week that i had broken that darn hanger. I realized later it was due to my chain being too short from a two other runs in which i snapped the chain and had to repair it on the trail...

anyway, i was makin' a scene, all ticked off i'd be hiking back to the truck when not 30 seconds later, a guy comes riding up on a nomad as well. i hollered at him "any chance you have a derailuer hanger?"

"actually, i might"

i couldn't believe it. he pulled off his pack, and after digging around for a few - he pulls out a spare hanger. I couldn't believe it! the odds of finding another guy up on that hill with the same bike, let alone a guy that had that spare part!

i gave him a hug:)

his wife took a picture of us to remember the occasion:

definitely not a great picture, but a great moment either way:)

swimming is hard.

2010-02-05T00:02:00.001-08:00

Wow, so i swam laps tonight. who coulda guessed. I decided to join LA fitness instead of staying at the Boeing Rec center. only 5$ more and they have a pool, racquetball courts, and some guys from the community group are going so more people to workout with. I'm encouraged so far...

It was definitely hard to get myself to walk out into a pool area, put some goggles on and pretend to swim laps. I could barely breath after like 2 lengths of the pool. Its really fun though, almost relaxing in a way and I can tell its going to be a great addition to the workout plan.

anyway, i'm up far too late for a work night. darn modern warfare... haven't played in a week and it got the best of me tonight:)

happy friday everyone!

week #5

2010-02-01T19:32:00.000-08:00

Weighed in this morning: 233.2

Total loss this week: 3.8 lbs.

I'll take it!

Last week was a big motivator i think. Went to the gym mon/wed/fri, biked/hiked or Jogged tuesday/thursday, then did a long mountain bike ride at Mt. Galbraith in Bellingham.

It felt really good to have a good week. I was definitely worn out, as on top of work and all the workouts we got in some really good time with new and old friends. Poker night on friday with the thomposon's and loveless's, then galbraith ride on Saturday, and dinner with two new friends from the community group we started.

so, another week begins today. I hate mondays. Why is it that they just seem so freakin' hard? Something about coming off a weekend where you don't HAVE to do anything, then going into sitting at a desk for 9 hours is just hard for my brain to handle. Its been a good change to start looking forward to exercise after work. I actually find my self getting excited to workout. I know that sounds freakish, but its true... So I hit the gym after work. Took things at a little slower pace as i was pretty tired, but still managed the guts to do a 2.5 mile run when i got home with grom. Its been cool to actually feel some physical improvement too. I'm still not seeing it so much in the mirror yet, but that will come with time (hopefully).

anyways, I'm out for now. Here's to another good week of good food, good portions, and kick ass workouts.

getting myself back

2010-01-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

So I've been meaning to do this for the last 3 weeks, but just now as I should be going to bed am I writing this very quickly.

Since high school i've gained over 50 pounds. First it was classes and homework, then it turned into busy work schedules and sitting in front of a computer for 9-11 hours a day. Somehow I let my health just slip. Yet in my minds eye, i was still the 171 pound wrestler - only the scale and mirror didn't quite tell the same story.

When we moved over here in September of 2007, we had a good run at it. I lost 35 pounds and was starting to get back in shape. Then again, between a nasty foot injury and another brutal class I took on, I managed to gain it all back.

well i tell you what world, I'm getting myself back.

I know I'll never be that 171 pound wrestler again, but I'm setting a goal and I'm going to get it. So here it is:

190 pounds.

Sometimes it helps I think to just get it out there. If more people know it sucks even worse to not follow through.

3 weeks ago Anna and I started weight watchers again. Along with that, i've set myself up a workout schedule for the week. I plan on posting it here eventually. Its not a crazy get ripped in 20 seconds kind of thing. I'm focusing on what i can do right now, and looking to improve on that.

so here's my status so far:

week 1, Jan 4: 243 pounds (ouch.)
week 2, Jan 11: 239
week 3, Jan 18: 236.6
week 4, Jan 25, today: 237 pounds.

damn it.

yah so i gained .5 pound this week, but that also included portland trip with my lack of self control getting the better of me. But here's whats different this time:

1 week is not a big deal.

I came home from work, hit the gym and lifted for the first time in over a year, then came home and took the pup for a run. if you lose a round, get back up and keep going because the rounds will be endless.

that's enough for tonight, and i'm sure it's a bit of mindless drivel, but I had to get my goals stated and in the open. I hope to keep my progress updated as a means of accountability for myself. and for the 2 people that read this, i could use the prayers and accountability to continue to get my health back.

Life and love and why

2009-11-09T23:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know why that title just came to me, but it's a fantastic song by switchfoot... those not familiar with it should take a listen:

Life And Love And Why Aka 3/4 ...

However, the title came to me i guess as i'm sitting here at my computer having a vaguely reflective moment. Life is good. Love - the reason life is good. Why? because Christ made it possible.

In a few weeks i'll be 26 years old... no it's not 30, or over the hill 40, but in the past few weeks, 26 has had the affect of a 30 or a 40 year b-day. Nursing a broken heal, trying to figure out how long it'll take me to get rid of the spare tire i've managed to pack around my waist since high school, and all together feeling somewhat frustrated with where 5 years of college has landed me, when i stop and reallllly look at where i am i realize - I have life, i have love and the why will always be a act of grace and love from above. I don't love my job, but i thank the Lord i have it. I hate that i have a busted up foot that could potentially plague me for the rest of my life, but i'm thankful that i can still be active somehow and that really, there are still plenty of options out there for me to be able to get back in shape.

I need to come to grips with the fact i'll never be a pro-anything and the idea that THAT is perfectly okay. I might be past my physical prime, but that i now is when i should be focusing on all the years that lie ahead and how i can learn to love my wife better, be a better husband, learn skills that will make me a good father someday and get off my butt and get involved in the community around me.

I've spent most of my life striving to be SOMETHING - Wrestler, biker, Judo player, Engineer, the smart guy, the funny guy, insert "that guy" stereo type here______. I need to learn to take God's word for what it says, he's created me in his likeness and for good. I still don't know what it is, but i know that he's been more than gracious and willing to reach down and pick me up and keep me going. He's given me a wife to encourage me, love me, and keep my eyes set on the things that are truly important, and not everyone has that in life. I have a comfy home, and a plan to move forward.

life and love and why.... man, who really knows. But i'm thankful i have HIM, and thankful for his grace. I just know i need to be more thankful in knowing i have been given a good life, true love and that the why will always be outside of my realm of comprehension.

and ya know what... i think i like it that way.

some comforting, true words.

2009-04-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

The last week has been rather horrible, with a rediculous mixup with a class i've been taking. Needless to say i haven't got much sleep and been struggling to keep the anxiety welling up inside me calmed.

We went to a Good Friday service at Mars Hill last week and one of the songs really struck me. I've been listening to it on repeat for a big part of the day and thought i'd share the words. Sometimes just reading and listening to what Christ did for us helps calm the soul and keep perspective. My chest is still stirring with anxiety, but my heart can be calmed by Him.

One Righteous Man - By "Red Letter", Based on Isaiah 53

All we like sheep have gone our own way
And distanced ourselves from our only help
One righteous man, God’s perfect plan
To pay for our guilt, tear down what we’ve built
Seeing His face, nothing would catch you at all
The world that He loved, despised him, this man of sorrows

First He’s betrayed, then taken away
His friends turn their backs and hang by their necks
Silent He goes, as one one who knows
Despite any plea, the verdict will be:
‘Guilty as charged! Now, beat him till no one can tell...
Who He once was, then hang up His body with nails!’

Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
so shall he sprinkle many nations...

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely up there, our sorrow He bears
See how He shakes, life slowly escapes
The King is crushed, collapsing His lungs
Showering the...nations in blood
Yet this is the way His Father has chosen to pay
One righteous Man has many more righteous men made

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

A New Blogz

2008-09-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hello there world wide web... It's been a while, but don't worry, I'm still here.

I'm sitting in the hallway at virginia mason, debating about what to do with the day. My wonderfully efficient laptop that I'm writing on has a battery life of bout 2 milliseconds, so my time on the webz is going to be limited unless I can find a plug in. Some of you may be wondering "why are you at the hospital matt?" well, i'll inform you.

About 4 months ago I bust my foot.

Good enough explanation? no? okay, fine.... We were biking down at seatac and I took a pretty bad fall. I have no idea how, but somehow I managed to slam my heel into something solid enough to bruise the bone. And after walking on it for two months and favoring my heel, I managed to get a bone bruise in the front of my foot too. So I finally decided to go see the doc. I was in a walking cast for about 3 weeks without much improvement, so today, I'm the lucky winner of a bonescan! I had an injection and an initial scan this morning at 8, then i need to come back later this afternoon to finish the process and see the doc again. So, hopefully things go well.

Pretty sad it takes a doctors visit for me to blog, but hey, it's better then nothin' right?

So, whats new in the life of the feve's.... it's felt like a short, but incredibly busy summer. Between the multiple trips back to the burg for great stuff like the Prichard Family Olympics, the Rodeo, seein' friends, a trip to whistler and who knows what else, it seems like we've hardly had anytime to just be at home and relax. But it's been a lot of fun. I've been a bit bumbed to have had a stupid boot (walking cast) on my foot for the only month of sun we get on the west side, but hopefully i'll get that worked out and i can keep biking with anna rain or shine through the winter.

There is definitely a lot to be thankful for. My marriage is wonderful and my wife is amazing. We seem to enjoy eachothers company more everyday. My father-in-law had a clear scan this month after his last cancer treatment, God's blessed both my wife and I with good jobs, Tim made it back safely from the first majoy portion of his PhotoGenex trip with YWAM, my mom is returning to the high school to teach, my dad's back is continuing to get better (as much as it still hurts).... lets see what else....my sis and brother-in-law have 2 BEAUTIFUL little healthy girls that I love dearly and have loved getting to see lots of lately, mitch just turned 16 and is driving (everyone watch out!);... i dunno i guess lately i've just been struck with gratitude that I've been blessed pretty big time in my life. I'm not in need and I have a wonderful family.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of humor. I just felt it was time to let the world know how thankful I am for my life, and all of the people in it.

Thank you, God, for what you do. I don't always understand your ways, but I feel I'm learning to understand your heart. Thank you for my wife, my family, my job, and all that you provide. Help remind me each day that all that i have is from you, not from my own abilities. Help me to understand that i need to trust in you and rely on you on a daily basis.

And with that, I need to sign out. My battery is about dead:) hopefully it won't be another 9 months until my next post...

Fun weekend on the bike

2008-01-20T21:18:00.000-08:00

Soooo, I know its been ages since I last blogggggged, but it seems I like to have an event to write about. Since winter has set in, I've been sitting at my desk at work daydreaming about going riding and ACTUALLY doing a jump, drop or something that was out of my comfort zone. Our friends Collins and Kayla Mason were over here on the wet-side this weekend and we were able to not only ride, but have a couple fun dinners and catch up a little bit... i won't go into the topic of our dinner discussion at Ivar's on Saturday night, besides to say it mainly consisted of discussing what happens to our bodies when we get sick.... and how bodies decide to react by unleashing every ounce of liquid inside....it was quite entertaining.

We just got back from a few hours at the Sea-Tac flow park, and it was some of the most fun I've had on my bike in a long time. I was FINALLY able to do some drops and jumps that I've been wanting to try for a long time. It's a lot of fun to ride with people that can help you push yourself to overcome your boundaries. In biking, I have a mental block when I come to the edge of a drop. I have a hard time getting the guts to just DO IT. But today, Collins helped me get the guts to hit some new things and it was a blast. Anna and Kayla were nice enough to tough the cold weather and numb toes to take a little video. the movie clip is a little bit of what we did. Sorry the pics are so crappy, i took snapshots from the video....

Sorry to not write more, but i felt like it was worth a good blog post. I've had a big grin on my face all evening just thinking about how much fun i had this weekend.

gettin' back in shape...

2007-11-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

it's been a long time comin' but i'm finally gettin' back on the bandwagon and losing all the weight i've put on in school. Anna and i have started weight watchers and have been doing great, i'm down 13.5 lbs and anna is down 8.5. It's felt really good finally sticking with something and seeing effects pay off.

As i've been getting back into shape, my old neck injury was flarin' up. I was able to get it checked out down in Seattle and the doc gave me a clean bill of health. The MRI showed that my neck is healthy structurally. given that new info, i started doing jiu jitsu again in Seattle at the Gracie Barra school and man it was really fun. It feels great to mix it up a little bit, even though i'm gettin' whooped up on. I think the combination of eating better, working out at the gym, and jiu jitsu, should help me get back into healthy form once again.

thats all for now, time to go hang with my lovely wife.

Some better fish pics:)

2007-10-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

big fish, sunny skies, and a good new friend

2007-10-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

Eric on our way home after an 11 hour day of fishing...

My Fish!

Just before it was turned into filets:)

As you can see it was a good day on Saturday. Eric took me out for my first day salmon fishing in the rivers in the NW and holy cow did we pick a good one! The morning started off a bit frustrating, the exits i was supposed to take to get to Eric's house were blocked for construction which got me a there a little late. We got on the road and headed out to the first spot, a cool little place in Monroe, under the bridge highway 2 runs over. After watching some brilliant other fisherman run his $20,000 aluminum boat across across 30 feet of rocks in about 4 inches of water, we decided to change spots to a smaller creek Eric new about. Half an hour later we were wading through the Wallace river on a beautiful foggy morning watching the sunrise. After watching the guy next to us reel in a rather large silver, we decided to head off up river to find another spot. As we walked down off the main path, I could tell it would be a good day in our new "fishin' hole" that we happened upon. There was a large tree laying along the edge of the river and right as i walked down i could see the silhouette of a salmon tail beckoning me...

we waded out into the water and cast away... and as i was cursing the horrid hole in the borrowed waders i was in, causing my right leg to be numb for 90% of the day, Eric landed a fish. as i was smiling like a 5 year old in a theme park at watching him start to real it in he yells "Matt, get over here!" and hands me the rod. pretty cool i'd say. I got it about halfway in and tightened the drag due to my impatience and then, snap, he was gone. I've only ever fought a fish in a lake or out in puget sound, this river thing was new for me. Even though i didn't get it in, it was enough to make me want to stay. We kept casting and found this perfect little pocket that a school of silvers had settled into and after about an hour they were jumping out of the water just mocking us. I have to say that we got the best of em though. By the end of the day, i had landed the biggest fish i'd ever caught, had several on the line that got off, Eric brought 3 in and let two go, and later on, Eric's dad showed up and caught the grandady of the bunch.

All in all it was a great day. I have to say that i might be seeing a little more fishing in my near future. Even if there weren't a stack of frozen salmon in my freezer right now, the day would have been a success in my book. Good time with new friends, sunshine, jumping fish, and an answer to prayer in that i've met a pretty cool guy at work that makes the day a lot more fun. Not to mention that it feels really good to meet some new people in our new town.

thats all for now, it's bed time. Another long week at the big B lies waiting....

Life on the Wet-side

2007-10-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I know I haven't been continuing to write as I had hoped to upon starting this blog, but it just never felt quite right. And as I'm sitting here waiting for a CD to burn, I figured I might as well give the world wide webz a piece of my fantastical mind.

Anna and I have settled in here in our comfy home in Mukilteo. I'm so thankful to be able to come home to a warm house, candles burning and a wife to welcome me in with a hug and smile. Meanwhile, Gromit jumping around like the crazy little dog that he is. While things weren't what I had initially expected, our new move has turned out to be a wonderful thing. It feels good to spend quality time with my wife. To enjoy time together like best friends should - thats what it's all about right?

So I'm getting up at 5:00 tomorrow to go fishing... on my day off. I'm looking forward to it. After I saw on several occasions the fisherman down on the beach, in their waders, just enjoying the view and hoping for a bite, I knew that it was something I might enjoy. Eric, a fellow new-hire at Boeing, invited me to come along. I bought a pair of those cool wooly half-fingered gloves with the pull over mitten and my fishing license...I think I'm ready to catch some fish:)

It's bed time for now... hopefully there will be a picture of a large salmon here tomorrow:)

me.... blogging...

2007-07-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

well hello all you BLOGGERS... i've given in. Mainly because i need something to do at my incredibly EXCITING job (more to come on that i'm sure). For now, its off to finish the resume (hence the disgust for my current employment).

I SAID GOOD DAY!