38 = 251

Today is my birthday, so I slept in. Work was hectic with all that has happened this week, and it has brought many changes in just a few days. I enjoyed a few moments of serenity with Deb, Jana, Amy and Terry while we discussed our future leaders and ate cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. My co-workers know me well. What they didn't know is that I have written in my Journal everyday for the last 18 years. They gave me a huge Sponge Bob birthday card, and I told them that it would still fit in my Journal. I quickly retrieved my Journal from my desk and showed them how I record my life. I worked late so I could catch up and fill the time until X-Men Origins: Wolverine started at 7:20 pm. I sat at my desk reflecting on the things that had happened today, and I truly felt blessed. I have a wonderful family and great co-workers. Being with my co-workers is the best part of my workday. Today I really felt like people cared about me. And lest I forget, Patricia sent me an e-mail from Manila wishing me a happy birthday. Wolverine was fun, and I came home to find this poster and "treat" courtesy of Lori, Hannah and Andrea. I love it.

Anyhow, today I'm 38 and I bench pressed the 45 pound bar 251 times. I got tired and slowed down at the end, so I want to be able to do it more smoothly, but 38 still equals 251. Chuck Norris is proud of me.

Moon landing was fake!

The moon landing was fake, and I have irrefutable proof. I don't believe for one minute that we can put a man on the moon when we can't keep my bright yellow highlighter from turning an ugly yellow color in two days. Case closed.

Skinny jump

Mike, Mike.com, Ben and I am rode the bike park and the Flintstone Trail. This is me on the skinny.


Mike Both.


Mike Engberson, aka Mike.com.


Ben Schmalz.

Bike Park action

I hit the Eagle Mountain Bike Park after work today. The teeter totter.


The three steps.


The 220 Trail table top.


My pride and joy- the 220 Trail drop in.

Goodbye, my friend

Today we sold the Corvette. I took #4 with me to drop it off. I thought he would cry like he has when we talked about selling it before. We owned it for just over two years, and it was a great summer ride. T-Tops rule. I hated to part with it, but it was the right thing to do. Hopefully it won't be our last Corvette. It was fun while it lasted, and it fulfilled a dream I held since I was in high school.

Hiatus

Tonight was my last night of teaching Karate for a while. My kids and I will be taking the summer off for financial reasons, but we hope to be back shortly. I'm not sure if I will be teaching at that point. I usually don't do the warm ups with the students, but tonight I wanted to fully participate. We did shoulder rolls and my shoulder wasn't a concern.














I will miss the experience of passing on the knowledge and applications that I have learned, but I will continue to teach it to my kids. Tonight was bittersweet because I really enjoy working with Jeremy and Tiffany, and I don't want to lose that association.

A sad farewell

Shawn Clark moved to Louisiana today. He and I worked together doing collections at Wilkinson & Sood in 1995. When DeLana moved here we all started to hang out. Shawn and I quickly connected and spent most of that summer roller blading and trying to pick up chicks. We grew closer through the years, and were able to pick up where we left off during his deployments. We often talked about the things that we thought were cool, like fountain pens, cufflinks and hats. We often read his gentleman’s book to learn how to tie new knots for our neckties, or dress professionally according to London standards. We wished we could fly to Italy and England to get custom-made suits. We really connected on that issue, and it was Shawn showing me the way. I’ve always admired his style and fashion sense, and I got what he already understood. I’ve never had that connection with anyone else, and I hope we can keep that going. He definitely influenced the way I dress at work, trying to be the professional example to those I lead. They will be greatly missed, but I know we will do all we can to keep the friendship going.

Sweet Saturday

I played softball with the ward this morning. I haven't played for years, and I haven't thrown a ball or swung a bat since before my surgery. It was so fun. The weather was perfect and it was nice to hang out with those guys. My shoulder is sore, but I think it's muscle and not cartilage.

I went to the Eagle Mountain bike park with Mike Both, Tim Shaw and Shawn Peck. We rode the jump sections, pump track and the new wood sections. Then we headed up and rode the single track. I hit the jump at the north exit of the trail and it felt great. Perfect line and perfect landing. Then I went and hit this ramp five times.

This is a good jump because the trail takes a hard right, so I have to land the jump and make the turn immediately, which freaks me out.

This table top is up near the top of the jump section. I had to hit it a few times to be able to launch it.

Today was a great jumping day. I felt so good with everything I did. I love mountain biking.

One year later

Today is the one year anniversary of my shoulder surgery. My doctor told me I would be back to 100% at one year if I avoided injury. I'm still a little nervous about grappling, but I sparred at Karate tonight. I felt good, and I didn't think about my shoulder while I was avoiding attacks and dishing it out. Grappling would still be higher risk because of the torque in a key lock or chicken wing. I went old school with my original white Gi top and heavy weight black pants, and my back didn't bother me very much.

Since it was a special day I wanted to do something to overcome myself, so I did a set of 3000 body weight squats. My goal was 2000, so I'm pleased with that. That's two things completed on my 2k9 List.

I also finished reading Leadership and Self-Deception. That is a great book, and I thank Patricia for pushing me to read it.

2k9 List update

I completed my first task on my 2k9 List tonight. I read Revelation 1-22 to complete the New Testament. It's been years since I read it cover to cover. That was a good choice.

So far I've been able to do 1500 squats and 150 push ups. I haven't tried ab bridges yet this year. It's time to start.

I love my bike

St. George was a great mountain bike road trip, but I couldn't use my middle chainring at all. The gears kept slipping, and it was obvious that I needed to get a new drivetrain. I thought a new chainring set, chain and cassette would do it, but the set was wobbling last night. I elected to replace it with a new set that included the cranks and bottom bracket.

My bike.














New cassette.














New Race Face chainrings, cranks and bottom bracket.














We are going to the Eagle Mountain bike park in an hour. I can't wait to hit the trail. Then it's off to St. George on Sunday for Spring Break.

Change is good

These are the murals from our old dojo in Saratoga Springs. This is Jeremy Sanderson- 3rd Dan.














Steve Smith- 2nd Dan.














Sidnee Smith- Red belt


Tonight was our first night in the new dojo. We spent a little more than three years in the first building. Everyone was excited to be in the new building. It's a wood floor and the room is much bigger. We have mirrors again, and a great view of the valley. This is a great change. I was so glad to be there tonight.

St. George bike trip- Day 2

Shawn Peck joined us Friday night for a huge ride on Saturday. We started the JEM Trail outside La Verkin. This is me and Agent Peck standing over the Virgin River.














This is me and Tim Shaw riding the cliff over the Virgin River.














Mike and Tim at the beginning of the ride.














Our beautiful scenery.














Scenery.














More scenery.














Overlooking La Verkin. This wasn't even halfway on our 27 mile ride.















We took the Hurrican Rim cutoff and rode passed this La Verkin lookout to the parking lot where Shawn, Bevan, Evan, Kevin and I stopped last year. It was a challenging climb, but the downhill to the parking lot was worth it. We crossed Highway 59 and climbed the fireroad for qyite a while before taking the cutoff to Gould's Rim. We rode that part for several miles on Gould's Rim when Shawn got a flat tire. We fixed that and stopped to rest at Highway 59 when we noticed he had torn the sidewall on his tire. My friend Rob Brown told me you can stick a dollar bill over a tire hole until you get off the trail. We were about to do that when Mike suggested we try using the Cliff Gel wrappers. We didn't have any other problems with the tires. We flew down from Highway 59 passed the Hurrican Rim cutoff and continued to the car. The trail was in great shape and I let go of the apprehension I had from Friday. That section is probably my favorite section of trail. It was a great trip and we put down some good miles. No one got hurt and the mechanical problems were minimal. And we learned a lot about Tim and Mike's moms.

St. George bike trip- Day 1

Mike Both, Tim Shaw and I went to St. George on Friday for a mountain bike road trip. We rode for several hours on the Bearclaw Poppy trail, then rode part of the Zen trail. This is Tim and Mike on Bearclaw Poppy.














Tim on a double jump on Bearclaw Poppy.


This is me on the Bearclaw double. I was really nervous about crashing and hurting my shoulder. It's been 10 months, but I have to get passed one year for it to be totally healed.


Mike on the third Finger of Death. I missed his landing. I suck.


We followed the riverbed to try and get out to the Zen Trail. That sucked. We had to bike/hike quite a bit, but we caught the trail and started our climb above Bearclaw Poppy. This picture is the Three Fingers of Death from the Zen Trail.














Close up of the Three Fingers of Death from the Zen Trail.














The riverbed approaching the Three Fingers of Death.














This is me and Mike overlooking the Three Fingers of Death from the Zen Trail. We lost the trail and come down too soon, so we went to our Trendwest timeshare to get more water. We hit several jumps on the way back to the car and felt pleased with what we had done.

Defensive Handgun

Today I did the Defensive Handgun class with the Counterterrorism Institute of America. We practiced speed reloading, tactical reloading, clearing jams, advancing and retreating, shooting from cover, and shooting from three prone positions. We had a shooting contest on steel targets from about 20-25 yards. I won. It was well worth the time and money, and was a great way to learn and practice new skills.

Chuck Norris

Today is Chuck Norris' birthday. It should be a world holiday. I saw him a few years ago in Las Vegas and he is in great shape. Most people in their 30's are not in shape like him, and he is 69 today. Say what you will about Walker, Texas Ranger, but he is a great martial artist, and he counted to infinity twice. And he can believe it's not butter.

Jack Bauer approves of my new phone

I renewed my Verizon contract and received the Jack Bauer approved Casio Boulder phone today. It is built to military specifications to be shock, dust and water resistant, allowing for car crashes, drops and brawls. The flashlight can be used during a power outage. The digital compass can be used to track enemy movements. The speaker phone and Blue Tooth capabilities allow constant communication with home base. Standby mode is 67 hours, allowing for multiple seasons. Pretty much this phone rules.

Journal #56

I just finished Journal #56. I rule.

We took Jill to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate her twinage. Fish tacos are great. I can't wait to go back there with Shawn in a few weeks.

The Best Inventions of All-time

In no particular order, except the first one:
Chuck Norris
Color
Casio G-Shock watches
Mint chocolate chip ice cream
Martial arts
Guns
E-Bay
Italian
Cufflinks
National Parks
Bicycles
Leatherman multi-tools
Camelbak hydration packs
Tin foil dinners
UFC
Cheese
BBQ
Bacon
Journals
Knives
Crepes
Fireworks
Fountain pens
Olympics
Motorcycles
Loofa
Gun shows
Magnets
Ice
Flashlights

The Worst Inventions of All-time

In no particular order:
McDonald's
Snakes
Coffee
Gum
Hyphenated names
Japanese animation
Hippies
Emos
Rap
Carrot cake
Candy corns
Gravy
Mimes
Clowns
Marching bands
Dallas Cowboys
LA Lakers
Mushrooms
Mullets
Trailer parks