My Weight Loss Contest

A bunch of guys at work started up a weight loss contest.  I'm not sure what prompted it, but i decided to get in on it.  There are 10-15 of us, all pledging $20 to a prize pool, to be divided among the person who loses the most weight (raw pounds lost), and the person who loses the most, percentage-wise.  It started 3 weeks ago, and will run for 3 months, into September. 

We weighed in together, on a scale at work.  And we weigh in every 2 weeks, on the honor system (at least until the end), although i encourage bluffing.  Not sure if there is an advantage in bluffing too high, or too low. 

Anyhow, i think i'm the early leader, having dropped 7 pounds in the first 2 weeks.  All just by portion control, and better food choices.  Just wait until i start exercising!

Greatest Film Sequence Ever

The first half-hour of Saving Private Ryan is the most outstanding segment of film i've ever seen.  I'm sure you've seen it, the assault on Omaha Beach on D-Day, marked by incredible realism, utter chaos, unspeakable horrors, and gallantry beyond comprehension.  It's on tonight, and the scene never fails to, at once, amaze, inspire, and sicken me.

I told Emily about the cemetery in Normandy, and how i'd like to go there someday.  As Spielberg zooms out, showing the expanse of white crosses, Emily remarked, "wow, that's a lot!".  Yes, sweetheart, it is.

'Cause Freedom Don't Come Free

A collection of quotes for this Independence Day, starting with a modern president recently tabbed as the Greatest American in history (my vote went to the first president), to inspiration from the founders, and ending with lyrics from an outstanding song...

"We must not hesitate to declare our ultimate objectives and to take concrete actions to move toward them. We must be staunch in our conviction that freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings."  Ronald Reagan, 6/8/82, presaging the Bush Doctrine  

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -- The Declaration of Independence  

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." -- Thomas Paine  

American Soldier
I'm just trying to be a father,
Raise a daughter and a son,
Be a lover to their mother,
Everything to everyone.
Up and at 'em bright and early,
I'm all business in my suit,
Yeah, I'm dressed for success from my head down to my boots,
I don't do it for money, there's still bills that I can't pay,
I don't do it for the glory, I just do it anyway,
Providing for our future's my responsibility,
Yeah I'm real good under pressure, being all that I can be,
And I can't call in sick on Mondays when the weekends been to strong,
I just work straight through the holidays,
And sometimes all night long.
You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door,
Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, hey I'm true down to the core,
And I will always do my duty, no matter what the price,
I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrafice,
Oh, and I don't want to die for you,
But if dyin's asked of me,
I'll bear that cross with an honor,
'Cause freedom don't come free.
I'm an american soldier, an american,
Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand,
When liberty's in jeopardy I will always do what's right,
I'm out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight.
American soldier, I'm an American,
An American,
An American Soldier

Happy 14th!

Happy 14th birthday to my oldest (and getting older) daughter, Caroline!  She spent the day celebrating at Wet&Wild.  Then, we surprised her when she came home with a party, with a few of her close friends, banners & balloons, cake and all the works.

Caroline is such a special girl, and a treasure as a daughter.  Her kind heart teaches me a lot.  She is a true friend to her friends, full of playful spirit.  She is beautiful.  She is full of talents, such as drawing.  She is adored by her brother & sister.  And, most importantly, she is a child of God, having given her heart to Jesus a few years ago.

A Book You May Have Overlooked

While recently on vacation, i read Boy's Life, by Robert McCammon, published in the early 90s.  I had never heard of this author before, but someone had recommended him to me.  I picked up this particular title in the library, since it sounded the most interesting of his available books.

I think i have a new Hall of Fame candidate.

Like many of my favorite books, it features a young boy in a coming-of-age tale, set in a Southern town (Zephyr, Alabama in this case) at some point in the past (1964).  The plot is framed by a murder-mystery (Cory and his dad witness a car careen into the town lake, with the driver handcuffed to the steering wheel), but the book really is about the wonder and magic of a boy's life, told in a series of (tall?) tales, as Cory awakens to some of life's harsh realities, holding onto his imagination, and his hope.

Strongly recommended for kids and grown-up kids alike.

Mountain Man

We took off for a last-chance vacation last weekend, a rather last-minute decision to spend a few days in the Smoky Mountains.  With Julie just a few weeks away from her due date, this was probably our last opportunity to drive anywhere and do anything resembling a vacation.

I was lucky to find a very nice, brand-new cabin on short notice during this busy season in the Gatlinburg area.  Complete with pool table and hot tub, and jacuzzi tubs in the bedrooms.  The kids had a blast, taking at least 2 dips a day in the hot tub (Jackson:  "ah, this is the life!), and somehow managing not to rip a hole in the felt of the pool table.  The kids got their own basement level of the cabin, which had a nice home theater set-up, an xbox, and a game table.

We left Saturday morning and drove to the southern end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, then drove up through the middle of the park to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge.  Had a great lupper (lunch/supper) at Applewood restaurant, where they bring you complimentary fritters with powdered sugar and apple butter.  So much for the weight loss contest (more on that in another entry).

On Sunday, we hung out at the cabin until late afternoon, then took in a minor-league baseball game between the Tennessee Smokies and the Mississippi Braves (AA affiliates of Arizona and Atlanta, respectively).  Even though i bought the tickets online the Friday before, we had great seats, 6th row right by the 1st base dugout.  And got to enjoy a Jimmy Buffet tribute band that played after the game.

Monday, we got up early and headed to Cades Cove, where we saw several deer grazing in the pastures, wild turkey and pheasants, old churches and mills, and our very own deer while out on a nature walk.  Then, we drove further into the park to Chimneys for a river-side picnic.  At Chimneys, you can trapse out into the river on large boulders and dip your feet into the very-cold water. 

Then, we kept going to Clingmans Dome, the highest point in TN, where the walk up to the observation tower was a brutal climb on pavement.  The only thing that kept me going was that i saw people fatter than me -- much fatter -- making their way back down after a successful ascent.  I'm not sure how they don't need a full-time ambulance out there.  Turned out that the view from the tiptop was obscured by clouds, so the best views were actually from the parking lot.  Oh well, i guess i needed the exercise.

On Tuesday, we visited the Ripley's Aquarium.  It was a pretty neat place, though it didn't take very long to go through, probably because we got there right when it opened and there was little crowd.  The highlights:  holding a live horseshoe crab (what an interesting animal - check out the link), the shark tube (where you walk under the water with sharks and rays swimming above you), and petting the rays (well, not so much petting, but getting splashed by).

There are seemingly a million fun things for kids to do in that area, so i'm sure we'll make a few trips there over the years.  Emily wants to know why we can't live there; she says i can play poker ("like those guys on TV") for a living.  Jackson wants to go to the "place that looks like Disneyworld" -- it's just a go-kart / putt-putt place.  Caroline wants to go horseback riding and play laser tag.  They all want to go to Dollywood.  Julie and me just want to relax, and avoid the traffic on that horrific main artery.