I know I have missed a few days...I was on a campout with my 6 year old.

We got to sleep on an aircraft carrier. It was awesome & more than a few times I thought, "Who would have brought him if Nov. 22 had ended differently?"

My dad is in no shape for it. Ashley would have been watching all 3 kids. Thanks, God, for giving ME this weekend with my son.

Tomorrow,  I hope to tell you about the food situation...it wasn't good.

BUT...on Sunday, I took over 25,000 steps. :)

Good night & God bless.

I am home...
First...the scale in Phoenix was off.

I AM gaining weight, but not nearly as much as that scale said.


My head tells me i am wide awake, but my body says I am exhausted. I can't tell you a)l (or you both depending on how many people actually still REAL this) how happy I am to be home. I can't wait to see my kids tomorrow.

They are sound asleep. See?....

Looking at that you must see why I hate to be away.

Well, gotta be up in 5 hours.
Good night & God bless

God I hope the scale here is wrong.

I have ben in Phoenix since Monday night & if the scale is right, I have been gaining weight since I got here.

I have been weighing in at rehab below 145. Tonight I was about 150 on the scale here. I am getting nervous...

Now, most folks would not think much of 5 pounds, but when you have worked as hard as I have to eat right, maintain a regular exercise routine and successfully lost 30 pounds in order to prevent another heart attack, 5 pounds is a bunch of bad.

It is further proof that travelling and weight management are not good bedfellows. I have been trying to be good, look at every label, look at every nutrition guide, and get a workout in when I can (I did just over 2.5 miles in my 30 minutes today).

And yet...it STILL seems like I am packing on weight at an alarming rate.

I can't wait to get home to my comfort zones; MY food, my rehab workouts, my family, my HOME....all of which are my support mechanisms for keeping healthier than I was.

If anyone is actually still reading this, a word of support and a friendly reminder to get back to my healthy lifestyle would be greatly appreciated.

I would also appreciate some more prayers and good thoughts for my parents. Neither is feeling all that great right now & they could use some help form all of us.

I am going to bed now...this 3 hour time difference is still kicking my but.

Good night & God bless.

...and after dinner last night, I got to my room, started my laptop, navigated to this blog, and...




ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ




I woke up 3 times with laptop in my lap (yep my laptop IN  my LAP, whoda thunk)
So, today SHOULD be a two-fer; assuming I don't fall asleep again.


I actually put in a real workout for the first time since my stress test.


I hit 3.1 miles JUUUUUUST as the timer was hitting 30 minutes.
That made me feel pretty good. Although, I have to tell you, it was harder than it should have been.


I had a good learning experience last night....I can NOT take a couple of week off from my workouts and expect to jump right back into it. I learned that running, and lifting and whatever cardio exercises I do tot help my heart recover HAVE TO be done every day. I can not take more than a few day off at any one time and expect that I won't be hurt by it later.


Not a lesson I wanted, but one I needed.


Have a great day & I hope to talk to you all again later tonight.


Good day & God bless.

It is about 10:45 and I am exhausted.
I am exhausted because it is 10:45 and I am in PHOENIX, AZ.


Yep, had to come here for work for three days. Since AZ doesn't follow daylight savings, it is like it is 2 am for me. After a long plane flight & most of the day at work, I am tired.


..and, honestly, I am not feeling great right now. I feel..."heavy"...I was starting to feel really , really good last week, and now I feel like I am slipping. It is amazing how quickly you can lose your fitness edge when you have not been able to work out for a few days.




I can't wait to get back home to my family, and to my routine which includes my rehab workouts.


Thanks for listening.


Good night & God bless.

Well, well, well...don't look now, but I have been alive for SIX WHOLE MONTHS after my nearly fatal (or more accurately, my temporarily fatal) heart attack. IT ahs been quite the six months too:


I survived a heart attack.
I have moved (well, I live in a new house now...we are slow moving out of the old one).


That's the good news.


The rest of the notable items are not so great....
I lost  Cub Scout from our pack.
I lost a close DEAR friend who was a wonderful man...love you Fr. Angelo.
I have had to watch my mother deteriorate to the point where she can not always recognize me as her son.


Not long before my heart attack, I severed a nerve in my finger, and just about 1 year ago, I was diagnosed with a cataract.


and...in a story that will have to wait for it's own post, I almost lost my father to pancreatitis, and have had to go to Pennsylvania twice because he has been taken to the hospital.


Not the best of years, I gotta tell ya.


Of course, as I have been reminded so many times...I should be glad I was here to experience this last half-year, even if it stunk.


It is hard to believe six months has passed, until I really start to think about it, I can't imagine that I have been dealing with this that long. But then I think about all of the progress physically; I have moved from walking for 10 minutes on my street, to running the equivalent of a 5k race (3.1 miles) 3 times a week. I think about the yearly events; Thanksgiving (my first day home), Christmas, birthday number 47 (or number 1 depending on how you look at it), Easter, and now the beginning of summer...wow.


Maybe it ISN'T so hard to believe six months is gone.


Today also marks the halfway point of the life of this blog.
I hope you have found good things in my messages, I hope you have found value in spending your time with me, and most of all, I hope that I have used my "2nd life" to give more to this word than I have taken away. I hope God is satisfied with what I have done with his gift of SIX MORE MONTHS.


As for the story about my dad, if you want to read it, you'll have to come back tomorrow.


Good night & God bless.

Wow, it HAS been a week, hasn't it?


Folks I am sorry that I have not been back for so long. Let's just say this week has not gone as planned in any way. I'll tell you more about it in my next post.


For tonight suffice to say that I have been away from my exercise regimen longer than I have been away from this blog....and BOY can I tell.


I finally hit a treadmill today & I had all I cold do to hit 2.5 miles in my 30 minute workout. I almost didn't go again, but I knew I NEEDED to. And now I am glad I did. Not only did I get my workout, but I learned how quickly one loses a step if you quit your workouts. I also learned how much I do not like that feeling.


That's it tonight. I will try to be back tomorrow, but I may be off till Sunday.
Anyone know what is special about Sunday?


Think abut it...


Good night & God blass