Making A Comback?

You know the drill. Don't believe it 'till you see it. It's hard to convey how your heart isn't into something that it used to be. So I won't. There! Problem solved.

My biggest fan won't even be able to read this comeback for at least a few more days. Mom is still in the hospital recovering from her double knee replacement last week. I can't even put up good pictures of Mom on the blog sometimes, so you certainly aren't getting any of her now. I stumped Noah with this picture. It's the machine which dispenses pain meds at the push of a button. In other words, it's another one of those machines lying around a hospital that makes me feel like I could kill someone if I breathe wrong. Noah, you'll be excited to hear that Mom finally got to see one of those combination thermometers you told the guys about. Thanks.

As of right now Mom is doing great with her therapy. She can walk with a walker, but it takes some effort to get there. The dog will be much relieved to see her around again in a few days I hope. Thanks for working with her on the Ortho floor and checking in Becky!

Before going under the knife, Mom got one of the most helpful birthday gift ideas she's ever had for me. It's not easy these days. When you're kids live and die for a cartoon, like He-man, it's pretty simple to find out far in advance what the top toys on their list will be. But when you're kid is turning 29 and just likes to hang with people and blog about it, what can you do? I don't NEED any more movies and I still don't read as much as I should. One of us realized that my yard needs some work and something's got to get my rear in gear.

Ignore screen door that won't stay shut, the huge weeds in the walkway and the loose bricks because this used to look ALOT worse. And in a year or two, you'll see something like THIS (right) or a version of it. Thank you Mom and Dad for the Hydrangea, for getting me outside and helping me clean up the area. Now who wants to help me get rid of some huge piles of sticks?

Spud Stud

This one's for you Andrew
Skipping around a little bit brings us to a shooting on the north side tonight. Down here in the hood I've heard a record smashing number of fireworks, often times which sound just like gun fire, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm referring to Josh's brother, Aaron, and his potato gun from high school.

Josh got a great shot of the muzzle flash.

And I got a great shot of..Nathan...on my bike.

The Fay's know how to have a good time. Thanks guys.

All Things Food

Lets blog about the diet/exercise tomorrow.

At Bible study I had the pleasure of assisting with Thursday's meal. I forgot I was cooking with a nutritionist. It was the smoothest meal preparation I had ever seen. And we even had a display model to show people how to assemble it!
On the way back from St. Louis I happened to connect with the new roomie in Springfield on his way home from work. Butch knew I was looking for something new for dinner and lead us to D'arcy's Pint. The best Horseshoe and beer I've ever tasted. It was so good that it was gone before a picture could be taken. They're actually pretty popular on Google so stock photos were readily available.

Trey and I think that Mommy's team needs a little more competition. But we're glad for the playground time and not getting soaked by little bro's dinner.













I totally used the credit card soda machine at the hospital today just to try it out. It was time to visit the phlebotomist about a salad and spy on a physical therapist just for the fun of it.

New Rule!

No more races without training. A longer race a couple months before doesn't count. Today's Steamboat Classic 15K was the first race I've been in an regretted it. Look at that hill. Twice? Really? Kinda fun running by the new addition to the zoo. A pacing lion would have helped keep us going.



One important difference in this race is the lack of pace setting friends. I've relied heavily on pace setters in life. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just imitating other people. It's probably true that sometimes I'm only copying something without having a conviction about it. But often enough, the gain is worth it. I have stolen many standards and habits from the strong Christians I have come in contact with over the years. Even if they are not around, it's a pace I like to keep. And most of those paces aren't easy. It's not just the things you pick up from people to make Christian life easier to live. It's the tough standards like sacrifices in time and money and other standards worth keeping. I may have a strong conviction about what safety gear to wear while riding my bike, but it's the fact that guys I respect maintain a standard that helps me value and maintain it. Speaking of...

Josh and I got to enjoy part of this beautiful day ridding and watching Wes evaluate his future biking options. While he's made up his mind already, I'd like to point out cool he looks on the big bad Shadow (left).

Adventure II

Steve and I took another crack at the Bushwhacker Adventure Race this year, but not on opposing teams.

The race was purposely modified a little due to some lengthy times last year. So a finish time just over an hour wasn't just because we're awesome...but that helped too. I going to claim 4th place since the trash pick up bonuses don't count and I like to pretend Mike's team doesn't count either :-)

Josh and I picked a perfect day to pick up our bikes. It was sprinkling when we went to get mine, and it was almost no visibility (not pictured) on the way up to Rockford to get Josh's. Imagine riding shotgun in a car going 45mph on the highway because of weather knowing that you have to ride back.

Cleared up nicely though, and the bike pretty much lived up to it's ebay post. Josh only killed the engine once too. Took me a whole day before I stopped doing that.

Ooooooooo, Mr. tough guy.

Watching Josh push the limits on his first ride after the class wasn't the only bonus of the trip. They had a Red Robin in Rockford. Score!!

Aaaaaand we were total dorks spending most of our time texting friends about the bikes instead of actually talking each other.

Ohhhhh Baby

We are now a two bike household...with a pew. Please don't ask why there is a pew in my garage. I barely know myself.

Best Wedding Ever!

Too late to blog about this? IIIIIIII don't think so.

First wedding in the new church. Pretty good. Cute couple. See?


They got that right!!! Totally forgot to take the seeds home.

Excellent shish-ka-bobs made by some of the finest grill masters I know.

But planing a tornado at the end of the evening to keep people longer and in much closer proximity was priceless. You guys are good!

Most couples have to go from table to table to greet and catch up with each guest. But this time all they had to do was walk down a concrete lined hallway.

Despite the spotted twister, it was a great wedding that was really cool to be invited too. Congratulations! (a week late)

Gonna be sore in the mornin' again

I was graciously invited out to the lake house a couple of weeks ago. For some reason I had this calm and peaceful weekend in mind on my way out there. Chatting with new friends on the porch.

Kickin' it back in the hammock.

Good meals with friends at the kiddie table.

Nice view.

Some simple activity.

Idiot. What was I thinking.



Those guys felt it the next day. But even though they played harder, they were not as sore as I. There were a couple of show-off's too.



This is a man utterly confused. What was I looking for? Is that my camera?

It was definitely great prep for a summer retreat later this year. A good workout and you can't miss all the great food the Clark fam offers every time.

Here's some video goodness of Terry at the helm of pain city last weekend. Good stuff.

Good News!!!

I couldn't get the disappointment with yesterdays lack of good cloud pictures out of my head. It was such a beautiful day and most of it was spent indoors. So I did some exploring and found that the rooftop of my workplace is going to work out quite nicely. Nothing terribly exciting today, but I feel much better now.