Friday

Hello there, good morning! Friday. Another beautiful, perfect in the eyes of several, day awaits us. It is going to a busy one for me, but that's quite alright. I still have a lot of Sunday stuff to finish up, a lot of Honduras stuff to finish up, ribs to smoke, a yard to mow, and a bunch of other stuff. It's all good.

Luke and Lydia surprised us by coming in last night, instead of today. It was a very nice surprise. I thought it odd that Lester texted and wanted to come over last night. He came over for popcorn. I thought maybe he wanted to talk about his marathon on Saturday. While we were chatting with him, Luke and Lydia walked in. Everyone but Kedra and I knew about the surprise. Good stuff.

Well, the big trip starts Sunday. I think I have all the needed documents in place to cross 3 borders. They are getting notarized today. We are also taking a limited amount of supplies down with us, including a bunch of soccer balls and cleats.

Ryan R has been busy organizing a collection of soccer equipment. Yesterday he reported having more than 60 balls already plus lots of cleats! It is going to be great to take these things down. They will be a blessing to lots and lots of children in Central America. Marc and I are thinking some of these may be good incentives (could read bribes) for border agents to let us through (ha ha). If we have to give up a little as we go, then they would still be put to good use.

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year. The Persimmon 5K is always fun and festive, and then the parade in the afternoon is always enjoyable. Tomorrow's weather will enhance the enjoyment. Having all my children around will take it to an even greater level.

I doubt I will be able to post next week on my trip, but if I can, I will try. We appreciate your prayers for our safety and for the ambulance to make the trip trouble free. My portion is right at 3000 miles. Thanks!

Thursday

Good morning! While we have not yet seen a boat pulled by a buggy, we have seen some pretty interesting things out in Amish country. One evening we saw a woman standing on a big wagon pulled by a big horse. Hitched to the big wagon was a tiny little wagon, the size of a Radio Flyer, and in that wagon was another woman. We passed them on our bikes. It would have been an interesting picture.

This weather, in my opinion, is just about perfect. Cool mornings and warm afternoons are hard to beat. Sounds like we have a few more days of it. This is perfect for the Persimmon Festival. I went to the festival last night for a little while. I confess that it's just not my thing. Oh well, I hope that doesn't make me a lesser person. ha ha

The big trip to Honduras starts Sunday. I took the ambulance for a good trip to Bloomington yesterday. It drives very well and is quite comfortable. I have in the back a box spring and mattress, which will be a nice place to sleep while we are driving straight through to Mexico. According to Google Maps, that is about a 22-23 hour trip without stops. I doubt we will stop for very long, so I'm thinking we cross into Mexico about midday on Monday. Marc is talking crossing at McAllen, Texas in Reynosa.

Today is Sunday prep day. First, I need to crank out another 5 miler this morning. It will be the 4th one this week. I'm just taking it easy, hoping for fresher legs for the Persimmon 5K. I will just run it hard and see what happens. I would love to get everything done in time for a little bike ride sometime tomorrow afternoon. I need to take advantage of this weather. Once I get back from the trip to Honduras, marathon training kicks in pretty hard.

Lester is running a marathon Saturday in Columbus. He is trying to break 3 hours. He has had some niggling injuries, so his training has not been totally according to plan. I really wish I could be there to watch/help him, but we need to stay around here for all the Persimmon Festival activities. Luke, Rebecca, and Lydia all did a couch to 5K program and are going to run the 5K Saturday morning. That will be fun.

OK, I need to get going. My mind is racing -- all good, exciting stuff.

Wednesday a.m.

Luke & Lydia

Good morning! Wednesday! It will take me a long time to not associate this day with the talking camel in the Geico commercial. One of our rides through Amish country goes right by a farm that has a couple of camels. Really, I'm not making this up. Of course as we go by we all re-enact the commercial. It's not that creative, but it makes me laugh every time.

Yesterday I spent considerable time getting things ready for the big road trip to Honduras. The biggest challenge in some ways is getting the documents in order. Coached by Marc Tindall, I created documents for crossing into Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

I wrote the documents in English, and then, using Google Translate, translated them into Spanish. Then I sent them to Marc to see if they made sense. He gave me thumbs up on all of them .

Google Translate is pretty cool. I have a fair amount of confidence in it. I have Facebook messaged with one of my friends in Honduras who speaks very little English. The other day we carried on a conversation that lasted probably 45 minutes. I would translate his words into English, and then I would type mine in English, translate, cut and paste. He never asked me to repeat anything, so I guess it was all good. Of course he could think I am totally nuts and engaged me purely for entertainment value.

I wonder if we could use Google Translate around here with some people who speak extreme forms of hick? ha ha. Just kidding. It does crack me up, however, that some of the reality shows from the south and other places have subtitles. Hmmm. Now, I don't watch such shows. A friend told me all this.

Today is another gift from God and I want to live it the best I can. That means driving the ambulance around. I will take it to Bloomington today. I want to get it out on the road and run it for a while. If it is going to have a problem, it is better that it happen here rather than in Mexico.

By the way, I am not worried or scared about driving through Central America. For me it is an adventure, for sure, but it is also a matter of faith. I believe God will protect us. We are doing something in the name of Jesus to help the poorest of the poor. This is not some crazy thing, you know, like jumping out of an airplane. It actually has a purpose.

I need to go. I have a lot to do today. I hope your day goes really well.

Tuesday a.m.

Good morning! Another beautiful day awaits, another gift from God. Rejoice and be glad in it.

I am thinking about how I am going to end my day today. Knowing how it (likely, probably) ends helps me to back up in my mind to see what I need to do before I get to the day-ending activity. Beginning with the end in mind is a good approach for just about everything. Right? Probably a sermon in there somewhere. I will spare you.

OK, so how does my day end? I know everything could change, but I am planning on driving a bus to Paoli for a cross country meet. It's a big one and a good one. It's going to be a perfect night for it. While I am waiting for it to get going, I will take some things to study, which will help move me toward being prepared for Sunday.

Before I drive today, I have several things I need to get done. Some of them involve driving an ambulance to Honduras. I need to get some documents together for border crossings. I also need to continue working on a detailed list of things to get together and to purchase. Yesterday I bought my airplane ticket. I fly out of San Pedro Sula at 12:29 on Thursday and get back to Indy at 9:30. Not bad.

I really  wish, in some ways, I was going all the way to Ojojona, but that would mean missing Ben's football game. While I would love to see my friends, I do not want to miss any of Ben's football games. Life is full of choices.

The Persimmon 5K is Saturday. I can't say that I am super looking forward to it. I have not trained very well for a 5K, so I will just run it and see what happens. The 80 mile challenge was really good for me, but it left me a little tired. I'm taking it a bit easier this week.

Due to the bus trip I am going to miss the bike ride tonight. That's a shame, because there is going to be a ESE wind, which is perfect for the time trial course. The diminishing daylight is going to be a challenge for further Tuesday night rides. I will miss next week too. I should be somewhere in Mexico next Tuesday.

Hey, I hope your day goes really well! Try to enjoy it.

Monday, Monday

Monday, Monday, be so good to me! Please. Hey, I had a busy, busy weekend, so I need a good day today. The first line is a reference to an old song. I'm sure Tim the elder got it. So how are you on this Monday morning? Looks like a wonderful day is ahead of us. Fall has arrived, and it is my favorite time of the year.

I did have a crazy busy weekend, but it was all good. Friday morning I finished up the Mizuno challenge, running 80 miles in 14 days. Due to scheduling issues I did in 2 days less than I had to. It was a good little boost to my marathon training.

Friday around midday I left to go to Terre Haute for the wedding rehearsal. It started at 3 and finished around 4:30. Now I had the challenge of getting to Crawford County for Ben's football game at 7 p.m. I knew it was about a 3 hour drive. I only missed a couple of minutes, but I was able to listen to those on the radio. I knew it was going to be a good night when I walked in. Right as I could see the game, Ben put a big hit on a kid. He went on to have a good game. The highlight was probably an interception that he returned about 30 yard. Mitchell won, which made the soaking rain tolerable.

It was nice driving home with Kedra, instead of driving the bus like I usually do. We got home and waited for Ben. Then, for me anyway, it was off to bed. I knew I had a short night of sleep followed by a longish bike ride.

We got up and registered for the 62 mile ride. Rand, Scott, James and I took off around 7:40. We had a very enjoyable ride in cool and windy conditions. The ride was well-organized and the course was really good. It was a good time with good guys. Yesterday between church and the Vesper Service, Jim, Bill, Scott, Dan, and I rode another nice 21 miler. Beautiful day!

After the ride and a little time at home, it was time to go to Terre Haute for the wedding. All that went well, and Kedra and I made it back home a little after 9. While at the wedding, we both had missed calls from our second son, Luke. Luke had some news to share. He asked Lydia to marry him, and she said Yes. We are very happy about this! So 2014 we see us add 2 more females to our family. Lester and Maddie will bring us Cora Jane, and Luke will bring us Lydia. I am so very happy about both.

This week I will be working hard to get ready to drive the ambulance to Honduras. We plan to leave right after church on Sunday, returning late Thursday p.m. Keep praying!

Friday

Well, hello there! Friday. Wow, I think that picture is starting to annoy me. Oh well, I'm going to stick with it. Friday is football day for us. It has been since Lester was a freshman in high school, which was quite a while ago. We took a bit of a break between his graduation and Ben getting to high school. From mid-August until late October, football is the Friday focus.

The weather may be a factor in tonight's game. I just hope they don't cancel or postpone. Ben said it would be at 4 p.m. tomorrow, if that happens, which means I could not attend. It seems we as a culture have become so "soft" about weather. I know the fears about lightning, but sometimes .  .  . Oh well, we'll see.

This morning is going to be busy. I need to finish up my
Sunday stuff, do a few others things, and then head to Terre Haute about midday. The rehearsal is at 3 p.m., which still amazes me. The drive from TH to Crawford County seems to be about 3 hours no matter what route you take. I will go south and hit I 64, heading east. It is more miles but less time. I hope to get there during the first quarter.

After a short night, I hope to ride a metric century in the morning. That's 62 miles for you non-metric types - ha ha. It is a ride that benefits Nick Mullis' work and should be fun. It's nice to have support out on the course. Scott B and I plan to be in saddle moving at 7.30. Come join us! It starts at Mitchell High School. We will register a little after 7 a.m.

After the ride, I will get home and change clothes and take off for the wedding. I hope Kedra can drive so I can take a nap and do my final prep. The wedding is at 5, with a reception following immediately. It is still going to be a fairly late night. Sunday morning will come quickly. I am speaking at Spring Mill Park at 8:30 on Sunday, followed by my normal activities. Poor planning, I know.

OK, I hope you have a great weekend! I should see you Monday.

Thursday morning

Good morning! Looks like some rain is on the way. I hope I can get my run in this morning before it arrives. After that I hope it rains. We need it. And I need 13 miles today and tomorrow to meet the Mizuno Mt. Fuji Challenge.  I got my new shoes yesterday and am hoping they help with my right leg problems. It's nothing serious, so it should clear up quickly.

Yesterday was a good, varied, busy day. Normal, I guess. We picked up the ambulance from B & L Auto. It is completely serviced and completely inspected. I am going to drive it around some for the next few days to get a feel for it. I also want to see what kind of mileage it is going to get. I am estimating that we will need to buy about 300 gallons of fuel to get there. I hope it is less, but. . .

Today is prep for Sunday day. It is also prep for wedding day. Yes, it is going to be a fairly active, busy one. As I said earlier, I hope to knock out some more running miles soon. I am needed again this evening for bus driving. Tonight's assignment is more enjoyable. I am taking the junior high cross country team to Salem. I love the coaches, the kids, and the sport. Plus we get home at a decent hour. What's there not to like?

OK, here we go. Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday a.m.

Uh oh! Guess what day it is?

Well, there you are again! Here is Wednesday again. My favorite TV commercial right now is the Geico camel commercial. Not sure why? It always makes me laugh.

Yesterday was wall to wall activity. It started early and finished late. It was productive, no matter what measurement category you use. I saw several people and hopefully provided some help and encouragement along the way. Plus I got some reading and writing completed.

I ended the day in Paoli, driving the junior high football team there for a game. Once there, I found a table, a chair, and an electric outlet. It was go time! For the next 2.5 hours, while enduring some curious looks from passerbys, I was able to get a lot of work done on my sermon for Sunday. This will be helpful since I also have to prepare a wedding ceremony, which I hope to get started today. Plus I am speaking at Spring Mill Park on Sunday morning. Bad scheduling on my part.

My arrival time at home last night was a little before 10. Kedra was busy grading papers when I got home. Her student teaching is going really well. It's hard to believe but she is half way through. She is going to be a great math teacher and hopefully soon. We are hoping she can find a job at the start of the second semester. It will be good for her to have a job again!

Nineteen miles to go for the Mizuno Challenge. Nineteen miles to do today, Thursday, and Friday. That's doable, if my hamstring stays OK. It was OK yesterday morning. I'm hoping my new shoes arrive today.

Ben goes back to the doctor today to see how his thumb is. He's played two games with it taped up. I know it hurts when it gets hit, but Ben doesn't complain about it. I think he will probably have to wear the splint 2 more weeks.

Sounds like I missed a good ride last night! Riding is going to get more challenging as the daylight diminishes and the weather cools. One of my goals for the year was to ride outside in every month. So far so good! October, November, and December are still to come.

OK, let's go do this!

Tuesday a.m.

Good morning! How you on this new day, another gift from God? Looks another really nice day ahead, so don't complain! ha ha. I have another busy one, and I'm not complaining about it. I need to crank a few more miles this morning for the Mizuno Mt. Fuji Challenge. I have 56 out of 80 miles completed. Since Saturday is a long bike ride, I have to get those 24 miles done before then.

I'm going to miss the ride this evening. One of the bus drivers had a death in his family and cannot drive tonight, so I will be driving the junior high football team to Paoli. I would rather be riding than driving, but. . . I will take advantage of this rather long evening (2 games) to study and work on my sermon, knowing I have a very busy weekend coming.

Yesterday was good! I got 7 miles in, and they went well. My hamstring let me know it was there, but didn't squawk too much. Today will be a little more of a test. I think it is going to be fine.

I discovered over the weekend that I have nearly 500 miles on my current shoes, which is the outer limits. New shoes should arrive today. I think new shoes may fix the hamstring problem. Shoes tend to break down. That's when I start noticing little niggling pains, etc. Another pair of Mizuno Inspires to the rescue.

OK, I better get going! Thanks for stopping by.

Monday a.m.

Monday Funday, I like it. I'm one of the rare birds who actually like Mondays. It probably has to do with the fact that Monday is as far from Sunday as you can get. Don't take me wrong, I enjoy my work, but as Sunday approaches I feel increasing pressure to have a quality product to offer (sorry about using those terms). Monday is a little more relaxed than most days. I used to try to take Mondays as a day off, but it seemed like something always came up. Now I try to take Fridays off, but that is always a challenge too. I'm not complaining, in case you are wondering.

 

It was a good weekend. Friday football was pretty disappointing. Ben played really well, but we lost. Hopefully this week will be the week we see a victory. Saturday I ran 15, but the last few miles I was fighting a tight hamstring that was creeping up into my glute. It was a real pain in the rear. I finished but it got ugly. I decided not to ride Saturday afternoon.

 

Yesterday was beautiful! Seven of us took off on a bike ride mid-afternoon. It was a very relaxed ride for the most part. On the way back we had a nice southerly wind. That coupled with Strava segments, meant we came back a lot faster than we went out. It was very enjoyable.

 

This week and next are going to be very busy. Two weeks from yesterday, Lester and I plan to take off in the ambulance, right after church. We will drive to Oklahoma City and pick up Marc T. We will drive straight through to Mexico, dropping Lester in Dallas to fly back home. I hope to return late Thursday night on October 3rd, flying out of San Pedro Sula, which is in northern Honduras. I would like to go all the way to Ojojona, but that would mean missing Ben's football game on Friday.

 

Between now and the ambulance trip there is a lot to do. There is some prep for the trip of course, but there are other activities as well. I have a wedding in Terra Haute this weekend, so I will go over there on Friday for the rehearsal. Fortunately (and almost unbelievably) the rehearsal is at 3 in the afternoon. This means I can drive from the rehearsal to Crawford County for Ben's football game. According to Google Maps it is nearly a 3 hour drive. I should make it at least early in the game. I hate to miss any of Ben's senior year but am thankful that I am not missing the whole game.

 

Also in the next 2 weeks we have all the Persimmon Festival activities. I am doing the 62 mile bike ride Saturday morning, along with at least Scott B. Rebecca and Luke are coming home for the parade weekend and bringing a bunch of friends. It's going to be a busy but fun couple of weeks. I am looking forward to it.

 

Also on the schedule is to finish the Mizuno Mt. Fuji Challenge. I need 32 miles to finish. With the bike ride on Saturday, I am going to need to get those 32 in before then. I hope my hamstring is ok with this.

 

I hope you are doing well! Thanks for coming by.

It's Friday!

Good morning! I hope you have a great Friday and a great weekend. It sure is going to be nice outside. In fact, this evening's football game will require quite a few more clothes to keep warm. That will be a refreshing change.

I'm almost ready for Sunday. I got the hardest part done yesterday, so a little more work today and tomorrow and I'll have it. I'm going to try to advantage of this weather to do a few things around here at some point today.

I'm driving one of the football busses to Eastern Greene this evening. I am really hoping for a good win tonight. It's going to be great football weather. Ben is getting along really well with his thumb.

Tomorrow is a 15 mile run. Since it is going to be cool in the morning, I'm not going to start until 8. The last few weeks I have started at 7, which is a little more challenging, due to the late nights, due to football. Running in the 40s/50s will be a nice, refreshing change.

Thanks for stopping by.

This year's Vesper Speaker

This year's Vesper speaker for the Persimmon Festival should be really interesting. The Vesper Service is Sunday evening, September 22nd, 7 p.m. at the Mitchell High School auditorium. The speaker will be Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Gade. Here is some information:

Daniel Gade is an instructor at the United States Military Academy.  He holds a PhD from the University of Georgia.  He has served as a platoon leader and a company commander, leading over 200 men in battle in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, where he was wounded in action twice and decorated for valor.  The second time he was wounded cost him his entire right leg.  Despite his disability, he remains on active duty in the US Army.  He has served as an Associate Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, as the Vice President of the West Point Class of 1997, and on several different governmental and non-profit boards and commissions.

Dan has not let his injuries slow him down: since 2007, he has competed in triathlons and cycling events, and was the second-place finisher in his category at the 2009 ParaTriathlon National Championships in New York City.  In 2010, he won his category at Ironman Arizona, completing the 2.4-mile swim, the 112-mile bike, and the 26.2 mile run with just one leg.  Parts of his inspirational story appear in three different books, and he has been interviewed on national television several times. 

Dan loves using his personal tragedies and triumphs to motivate, inspire, and challenge young men and women, business leaders, and audiences of all types to a life of living for others, doing the hard right over the easy wrong, and developing character now so that triumph in life’s inevitable hardships is possible.

Dan is the proud husband of an incredible wife and the dad of three amazing kids.  

Thursday a.m.

Good morning! Thursday. Prep for Sunday day. We'll see how that goes. I have a good feeling that it is going to go well. Why do I feel this way? Because late yesterday afternoon I got started on it and have a fairly clear direction. Then last night in my class things got even clearer for me. We'll see how it goes.

I am ready for the heat and humidity to ease some, and it looks like it is going to ease a lot. This will certainly make running easier. I am doing some speed work this morning, and I know it will be a challenge. I did have a good run yesterday morning, in spite of the conditions.

After yesterday's run, I am 32% complete with the Mizuno Mt. Fuji Challenge. It is simply to run 80 miles in 16 days. I have 26 miles in after 3 runs. Today I will add another 7 or so. Since it encompasses 3 Saturdays, I shouldn't have any trouble. Saturdays are long run days. I plan to do another 14 (at least) on Saturday. I am finding Strava to be a good training friend. This little challenge is helpful. The segments in biking are good too. They tend to make me want to go a little faster and work a little harder.

Yesterday was a varied day, as usual. I had a morning meeting, which forced me to run a little earlier than usual, starting before 7. I ran by the football field a couple of times. Why? Because Ben and the team had a 6:30 practice yesterday morning, to beat the heat. I am hoping for a good win tomorrow night. They need the encouragement.

The trip to Honduras is taking shape. We have new tires, a good alignment job, and a mechanic going from bumper to bumper. Now I need to work on all kinds of documentation. I am also calculating fuel costs for a 3200 mile trip. Soon I will start looking at airline schedules out of San Pedro Sula. I'm excited about the trip. Kedra is not, but she is ok with it. ha ha

Here we go!

Wednesday a.m.

Good morning! Wow, I thought I was mixed up last week. With the holiday and all, I was one day off. This week I am really off, since we were in TN Sunday, Monday, and part of yesterday. So, it's Wednesday? That's OK. And did I see that 40s and 70s are on the way? Wow!

We left for Chattanooga, TN Sunday afternoon. Kedra's cousin died of cancer, and his memorial service was Monday afternoon. It's about a 6 hour drive. We got there Sunday evening, saw Kedra's family, and headed to bed.

Monday a.m. I got up and ran 7 miles in parking lots and on busy roads. It was a bit of a crazy run, but it got done. After that it was breakfast and then to the funeral home. Everything went well. Charles was a really good man. He served in the military for a few years when he was younger. He was buried in the National Cemetery, which is really a neat place.

The poem IF, in the post before this one, was on the paper they pass out at the funeral home. I thought that was an interesting choice. I did not ask why it was chosen. Chrissie Wellington, the great Ironman woman (that sounds funny), loves and lives by this poem when she competes.

Wow, I am a little behind, so I will get going for now. Thanks for stopping by.

If

IF you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!' If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!   --Rudyard Kipling

Monday in TN

Good morning from Chattanooga, TN! We are here for a funeral this afternoon. Kedra's cousin died of cancer at 67 years of age. Too young. He was a very good man, which makes it all a little easier. We drove down yesterday afternoon. It took most of 6 hours to get here. We only stopped 1 time.

Since the funeral and the meal following it are not until later in the afternoon, we are going to drive to Nashville this evening and spend the night there with our good friends, the Lavenders. We hope to see Luke and Rebecca for a little while also.

The weekend was good and seemed to go fast. Friday's football game went much better. We were still on the losing end but a win is just around the corner, I think. Ben played well with his taped up thumb. It was a very pleasant evening for football.

Saturday started off with a 14 mile run. A few of us started at 7 and did 6 miles and then looped back around to pick up the 8 o clock group, which consisted of Iron Bill. We then did another 8 with him. It was not particularly fast and I didn't feel great. Everything was just ok, adequate. I'll take it and be thankful.

After doing a few things around the house, I loaded up the bike for a noon ride. Iron Bill, Lester, and I headed out from the Lighthoue to Huck's. There was a pretty decent SW wind, which made going out a little more challenging. We took our time. We came back on the newly renovated highway from Orleans to Mitchell. The super smooth pavement is very nice.

While at Huck's, a woman engaged us in conversation, asking if those bikes outside were ours. I think it might have been the spandex that tipped her off and then lead to this commentary, which had a tone of admiration, "You fancy athletic people!" Finally, someone gets me, gets us!

Alrighty then, it's time to go grab a few miles in the Chattanooga dawn. This could be interesting and it could be multiple laps around the parking lot. I will have to see, once I get out there.

Thanks for stopping by. I may have to skip tomorrow's post. I just wanted you to know that, in case you need to call your counselor or if you need to have the suicide hotline number ready. Yes, I'm that considerate.

Friday

Yep, it's Friday. And it's going to be a fairly active one for me. I need to get ready for Sunday, attend a funeral, and then try get caught up on some things around the house/yard. Then it will be football time! Tonight is homecoming, and Ben is one of the nominees for King or whatever they call it. He is not particularly thrilled by it, since he does not like the public spotlight much.

Yesterday was another busy one. I had several different things going on that kept me hopping most of the day. I got a good start on my sermon, but I didn't get it finished. Hopefully it will all come together this morning.

Speed work was on the schedule yesterday morning. It went pretty well. Training for a 5K and a marathon at the same time is not the best thing. My priority is the marathon, but I am doing some things that will help me have a decent  Persimmon run, hopefully. Today will be a day off. Tomorrow is a 14 miler, followed by a 30 mile ride. Next week I begin a Strava/Mizuno challenge of running 80 miles in 16 days. That will be pushing it just a bit but not too much. It will be a challenge but a doable one. It will give me a nice boost into good marathon training.

I've been working toward a trip to Honduras with the ambulance. Yesterday Warren got new tires and an alignment. Soon the mechanic gets his shot at it. I secured a bed to put in the back for sleeping while not driving. Marc has proposed a rough schedule that includes driving straight from Mitchell to Mexico, via Oklahoma City, crossing into Mexico on a Monday. Tuesday will be Mexico, Wednesday Guatemala, entering into Honduras, and then Thursday we make our way through Honduras.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday a.m.

Isn't she beautiful?

Good morning! What do you think of my little granddaughter? Isn't she beautiful? ha ha Yesterday Lester and Maddie found out that they are having a girl. I knew it would be a boy or a girl. I'm good at figuring out things like that, but somehow knowing which one increases my anticipation and excitement. Around January 15 we will get to see what she looks like. I have suggested Allenenia as a name, but so far there has been no confirmation that's what she'll be called.

I got the news about the gender while I was sitting with Ben in a doctor's office. That visit went really well! They took his cast off, removed the 4 week ban on playing, and generally made Ben (and others) very happy. He has to wear a heavy duty splint for practice and general living, but for games, he gets a game-legal splint that has to be taped in place by a trainer. It was all good news.

There were lots of things going on yesterday. It was a Honduras themed day. Coincidentally, I think, I heard from 2 Hondurans via Facebook. Thank goodness for Google Translate. I also corresponded with Marc a few times, and I communicated with a team member or two. All of it enhanced my excitement about getting to go there in a few weeks. I was thinking of flying back out of San Pedro Sula, but I may go all the way to Ojojona so I can see friends there.

Today is going to be a busy one. I've got a good workout planned, here in a little while. Counseling and prep for Sunday will follow. Later I am driving a cross country bus to Pekin. Should be a good day! I hope yours goes well. Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday

Good morning! It's Wednesday. Wednesday, not Tuesday. I was confused a couple times yesterday. So how are you?

It is nice to wake up to temps in the 50s! Yesterday was so nice, and today is going to be super-pleasant also. I got an early morning 5 miler in yesterday and will likely do the same this morning.

Yesterday was fairly productively, even if measured in different ways. It was a good mixture of things. Can you believe this? I had a good experience at the BMV, getting the paperwork for the ambulance all completed. Actually, I have had pretty good experiences there for a long time. They have made some good and significant changes. Change is possible.

Last night we rode. It was a nice, pleasant ride. We had 6-7 riders, which is less than usual. We are moving toward the end, I think. Hopefully we can squeeze a few more weeks out of the daylight. Last night there were lots of buggies. We theorized they were heading to support the family of the young man killed on Monday.

There was lots of horse exhaust on the road last night. It was fresh. And it was challenge to navigate in a paceline. Also, our line passed two buggies last night. I'm not sure what the buggy riders thought about that. I was mostly concerned about the horses. They behaved well, at least while we passed. Big city riders have no idea what it's like to ride here. It's great!

I'm taking Ben to the doctor today. We hope we can get a different view that will allow him to play football. That's his passion. Today will require quite a bit of patience, I think. I'm hoping and praying for a good outcome.

Guess I should go. I'm a day behind and have an extra thing or two to do this week. Thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday a.m.

Good morning! OK, we're going to be off a day all week, aren't we? Today is Tuesday, not Monday. It's going to be a short week!

How was your weekend, besides hot? We sure had an active one. It was all good stuff, but I am looking forward to a fairly quiet week and weekend ahead.

Friday was a fun day. St. Vincent Dunn Hospital gave us an old but good ambulance. Warren Crawford and I picked it up and drove it to church. I then went to the BMV and started the process of getting it plated and titled. That's going to be easy this time.  Yes, we do plan to drive it to Honduras in about a month or so. No, I'm not afraid and you shouldn't be either. We can talk more about that later.

Friday night was Ben's football game. There was a neat pre-game ceremony, where they honored the team of 1963 that went undefeated. It's best known for having Terry Cole. It was a very nice ceremony. During warm-ups (we found out after the game), Ben tore ligaments in his thumb. He taped it down and played a great game. The team played much better but got beat. Ben now is in a cast and is possibly out for a few games. We are getting a second opinion, hopefully today.

Saturday I ran 10 miles with several. It was very humid, if you recall. I came home and did some work around here, and then I took off to ride 30 miles in the heat of the day. Yes, I know. Smart. It was fine, but I did get a bit tired before it was over. It was a good day of endurance training.

Sunday was a fun day. We had a really good whiffle ball tournament, organized by some of our younger families. It was a great time. Kedra and I left the tournament early, because we were headed to see two of our beloved children who live in Nashville. We got there in time to spend some good time with Rebecca, Luke, and Lydia. The Lavenders, as usual, were gracious and great hosts.

Yesterday I got up and ran in Nashville, and then we spent a little more time with the Lavenders, Luke, and Lydia, before making our way back north. We got home around 6 p.m. Now we are ready to get going on a new week. I guess I'm ready? Ready or not, it's coming!