Off and running

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 10:33:50 -0600

Wow, I cannot believe it is almost February! We have been blowing and going like crazy. I knew we would be busy this year with Young Life, the Marathon and Ironman, but I did not know just how busy... That was until we sat down with our coach (Chris Phelan) to plan out the year’s training and race schedule. It is really daunting to see just how much training goes into these endurance events.

Today, we are in Austin, TX. Rebecca and I just completed the Austin 3M half marathon. We both smashed our personal records for the half. I ran it in 1:57.48, a full five minutes faster than Chicago. Rebecca ran it in 2:17ish, which is ten minutes faster than her PR! So I guess all the training is worth it.

Anyway, we had a really nice time down here in Austin. It was nice to see some friends we have not seen in a while and I always like to Austin scene. Everyone is so active down here. I am really jealous of the soul that Austin seems to have. Dallas just seems so manufactured, everything is new and not yet seasoned with the time and tradition that generates soul. In Austin, the communities fight to preserve old buildings and in Dallas, they fight to tear them down to build new shiney and upscale plastic lofts and froo froo establishments to be attended by the popped collar generation. Man, if I lived here, I would ride my bike to the movies! You just cannot get that in Dallas. Oh well. I don’t think I will ever move here, but it is nice to visit. Maybe I’ll look for some close community that will allow me to ride my bike to the coffee shop without getting honked at. I think there are some places in Lakewood or something. All in all, I like the life, friends, ministry etc. in Dallas, I guess it is easy to get caught up in what you don’t or can’t have. BLAH. Enough about that... It’s time to go get some lunch and make our way home. I hope I can stay awake... I am so stiff and sore!

Oh, and please don’t try to call me. My phone is currently under tire somewhere on Mopac. I left it in the tray of my bike rack and Rebecca forgot before pulling onto the highway. Last seen, it was sailing through the air somewhere around the Enfield exit. At any rate, email me or call Becca if you need to get in touch with me. I don’t know when I will be able to replace it. Maybe its a good excuse to get rid of the blackberry!

Slow Start to New Year’s Resolutions

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 07:30:44 -0600

I guess New Year’s Resolutions are like rules... they are meant to be broken. I started a liver cleanse process earlier this year (last Tuesday) and by Saturday, I found myself stuffing my face with chicken fingers, quesedillas, nachos and whatever else I could find at the Stars Hockey game. They were playing my favorite team (the Redwings) and I was entertaining clients, so I thought: “what the heck.” Oh well. It is hard to eat raw fruits and vegetables only. Oh well, I have actually been eating very well since then, just don’t think I want to do that cleanse.

Training is in full swing for both Rebecca and I both. We have a race coming up at the end of January in Austin called the 3M Half Marathon. I am not sure I am going to be ready for that one but we’ll see. The main race we are training for is the Nashville Marathon at the end of April. This will be our first marathon. Rebecca is allot further along in her run training than I am. She is addicted to running half marathons and has been doing so pretty constantly. I really need to get focussed. I missed my long run last weekend, which my coach said was an absolute non-negotiable. So I have a new resolution to not miss anymore long runs. Ironman is only 8 months away and at this point, I really don’t have time to get ready. I just hope I stay injury free!

Last night we joined Lifetime FItness. Wow! What an upgrade from the dump that is 24 hour fitness. It is more money and a longer drive, but I think it will be well worth it. The pool is very nice and clean and they have the most intense steam room I have ever been in. The other good thing is that there seem to be some serious swimmers training there and I hope that will elevate my game. At 24 hour, you could pretty much count on being the only person in the pool making a recognizable swimming stroke. There were even people in there swimming burkhas (traditional Indian dress, not sure of the spelling). Oh and no more used band-aids, hair clumps and skin rashes from that cesspool over there... Yuck.

Happy 2008

Tue, 1 Jan 2008 15:58:59 -0600

Well, its another year gone and I can’t believe it. It seems like they go faster and faster. Last year was so busy... Enough about last year... let’s talk about this year! GOSH, just listen to this entry, so corny. I wonder how many blog entries are being launched at this moment with the exact same intro. Oh, who cares?

The last couple of weeks have been great with some family time, relaxation, and yes, duck hunting! I am feeling really good about this year. It will be a year of faith, changes and hopefully babies! So stay tuned for all of that.

Anyway, so I am still working on my resolutions and goals but I am sure they are going to be something like: eat better, do an Ironman, lose 20lbs, etc. I’ll work on that, but for now, it is time to go make some black eyed peas! So, anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Day 3

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:44:11 -0600

Well, it is day three here for us in the Dominican Republic. Yesterday seems like a blur. We all met up at 10:30 AM to make the trek to camp. The taxi van would not hold all of us and all of our stuff, so David, The Bishop and I got to drive Steph’s car up the mountain. The car ride was awesome... I can’t believe I even thought that David’s driving was an embarrassment... in that he was not driving crazy enough. Driving in the DR is really funny, there are no rules and everyone just does what ever they want, honking all the while. In the car, we had a serious spanish lesson from Dave. It was really awesome... the bad news is that I forgot all of it already.

Once we got out of Santiago, we started seeing some really wild stuff. It is amazing what people can carry on a moped here. We say all kinds of crazy stuff. David even said that they once saw someone carrying a washing machine on a moped. Dominicans also have a good sense of team work and will sometimes carry things in unison on several mopeds. For instance, two dudes carrying a ladder with two mopeds... I will have my camera ready at all times, I hope not to disappoint.

(((((UPDATE - Sorry, I ran short of time and internet connection to keep this thread going.... Hopefully I will have time to back fill. I will tell you though, it was an incredible and life changing trip for me!)))))

Oh Yeah!

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 05:51:23 -0600

Well, it is our third Dominiday... Yesterday was a truly memorable one. David and I woke up yesterday morning and went exploring around the neighborhood. We were looking for coffee because the guys we are staying with are not coffee drinkers (totally unamerican... oh wait...). We exchanges some pesos at the farmacia and went walking. We stick out like sore thumbs here, but it is really no big deal. Walking through the streets that morning was the first time I really felt humbled by the language barrier. It happened as a guy walked directly up to me with his hand out, eyebrows raised with a “AYYYYYY (“in a haven’t seen you for a while”). I froze and David just started laughing at me. He shook the dude’s hand and jabber mumbled with him for a while. Apparently, the dude was just being goofy. Oh well.

Dave and I could not find anything for coffee and settled for a street corner empanada with some mystery meat. On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at a little fruit stand. It was here that I had total emersion language experience. I walked into this tiny little space of a store and found myself toe to toe locked in eye contact with this Dominican lady. Her eyes widened and she began speaking... I mean speaking some spanish. She was tearing off the words, ducking an weaving and arms goin’ and everything. I just wanted some grapes and a coke, I was wondering what in the heck was going on. I kept waiting for Dave to save me but he just tilted his head back, laughed and shot knowing and winking glances to the other bystanders, who were all having fun at my expense. Upon further review and debriefing, the lady was apparently upset at the produce prices and went on a political rant about the local and national government and their impact on produce. It was weird... but, I survived and can now speak 4 languages.

After that, Steph Post (one of the local YL staffers here, who is really really cool, by the way) picked us up and we went to the grocery store to buy coffee and program items. The grocery store is really nice and pretty much what you would expect in the states. The only difference is that food here is very cheap. I bought four pounds of coffee for like 6 bucks or something.

After the store, we all met at Santiago Christian School to meet some of the kids. It was really cool. One of the things that is remarkably different here is that everything is pretty much open air. I don’t know why that is weird, but I kinda like it. Anyway, right away, David somehow got us into a 2 on 2 basketball game. You all know me and know that I do a lot of things, but I don’t do basketball. Well, I guess now I do... it was a riot. I tore my shoe five minutes in, but it was worth it. A ton of kids gathered around and enjoyed seeing an oversized white dude try to dribble a ball. The kids were great. I will try to post some pictures later.

After hanging out at the school, we went to grab some lunch and check out Vida Joven. There we met Aldo. Aldo is the leader for the Vida Joven group, I can’t remember the name of the area at the moment, but it is basically the hood. They have a little street corner space where they have club. The pictures are on Steph’s camera, but for now, you can check out Beck’s pictures at http://web.mac.com/beck.marlar/iWeb/Site/Dominican.html

We all grabbed lunch which was basically chicken rice, beans and plantains, all prepared different ways. It was delicious, and once again, cheap. I don’t know why I am enamored with the price of things, I guess it just fascinates me. We fed 9 of us for under 25 bucks. We also had our first experience with Dominican coffee. Oh, and all drinks here are served in tiny little shot-glass-esque dixie cups. Yes even the coffee. The coffee is interesting... you cannot get it black. It is turbo sweet, kinda like my East Texas granny’s sweet tea. I am sure the recipe is something like 3 parts sugar and 1 part coffee. WOW!

After lunch, we all went to the cultural center to the cigar factory. This was really cool, and yes, I am brining back some cigars. After that, we all went back to Scott’s house and worked on program stuff. This was also really fun and you can see the pictures on my photos page. My personal favorite is Wickie Wickie as the spoonanator.

For dinner, we ate pizza. It was from Pizza Hut, but I think the guy that made our coffee also worked at Pizza Hut because the pizza is like triple cheese, a tiny bit of sauce and a few pepperonis.

But wait, there’s more... after dinner, we took a taxi back to where Vida Joven is and went to spanish speaking club. The experience is one I will not forget. It was just like out club only different... more chanting and yelling and energy. Aldo is amazing. Beck got suckered into being in one of the games. It was hilarious. I could try to describe club to you but I would need more time and some more dominicoffee. After club, we hung out with some of the local kids. They were all eager to practice their english. The best was these two little boys, Mike and Mike (I really regret not getting a picture) who were trying to convince Clark and I that they had no arms (Brazos). I loved it.

After Vida Joven, we all came back to the apartment and watched the Office. Well, actually, I didn’t, instead I chatted with Josh, the dude we are staying with. He has a great story. It is really neat to see how God works to get people here. After that, Dave and I sat and chatted and the hit the sack. It was a really remarkable day.

This morning, I awoke, once again with a chuckle. The Dominiclamor was in full effect. As if all on cue at about 7:00 AM, cue the dog, motorcycle, yelling, loudspeaker advertisement, trucks, horns, and I think Josh’s neighbor may have a monkey... or maybe a bird that sounds like a monkey.... I am not sure.

I cannot wait for today to unfold. Pray for us as we make our way to camp. It all starts tonight.

Pictures are on the Photos page...

We’re here

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 06:11:59 -0600

Sorry for the lack of updates... I will skip to the “now” real time. Call me if you want to hear about the craziness of the last few months. Anyway, NOW, I am in the Dominican Republic. David, Beck (aka the Bishop), Clark and Noel (WickyWicky) are here safely. We are here to put on program for Young Life’s camp Pico Esondido.

Yesterday was a full day of travel from DFW to Miami to the Capitol of the DR. We had about a 3 hour car ride to get to Santiago, which is where I am now. We rolled in about 9:00 PM local time, which is two hours ahead of most of you in Texas. We got here at the end of a Young Life club and got to meet some of the kids that will be at the camp. The folks here (Young Life Staff) are so nice and from the first moment you meet them, the passion for this ministry and the Lord was front, center and very much apparent.

Last night we stayed with a couple of guys in their apartment. It was a great night sleep but an early morning... This place burst to life with roosters crowing, motorcycles revving, car horns honking and people shouting. It was the first time I woke up laughing in a while. Not sure why it tickled me, it just did... Business and stress seems to find people across cultures, demographics, and all that. I knew I would walk away from this experience with perspective, I just did not know it would slap me in the face. David says it is just typical latin american clamor and that it is something you get used to. I really like it. I am not sure why, maybe it is the experience, but I could see myself falling in love with this place, this picture of foreign missions... I am finally able to put a tangible though to what I have always thought and heard about this kind of place and living. I love the simplicity. I guess I love it so far and I have only been here for a minute... I am trying to figure out the coffee situation, so if that goes bad, I may come back saying I hate it! Just kidding.

Today we will begin getting things ready for camp. We had a short planning session last night, but will get into the meat of it today. We will also get to see international Wyldlife, which I am very excited about.   Pray for us and especially pray for the kids that we will meet. Pray that they will be there... we are getting reports that attendance may be down.

That’s all I got for now!