I did it again!

I posted a blog entry every day in the Month of June. WooHoo.


So far, I've accomplished February, March, April, and June. So, I'm going to try again during the month of July.





July's theme is ROUTINE. I don't think I can come up with 31 blog entries about ROUTINE. But I'll come up with a few.

Like the picture? I'm going to try to build a routine of daily walking. That goes with the theme pretty well, doesn't it. Wish me luck!

From "The Listener"

People need to know that they’re loved, that there’s hope, that there’s healing, that someone’s in control, that they’re not a product of their past, that they can be forgiven, that they can be useful, that they’re made in the image of God.

The answer, the fulfillment of all needs, is Jesus Christ.

The bottom-line, basic need of every real Christian is to bear fruit like Christ. Every true Christian has that need, whether they want to admit it or not. The Holy Spirit in them, it just yearns for that. And the further they are from fulfilling it, the emptier they are. Jesus cares about filling that emptiness… for a lot of reasons. One of them is our own happiness, but the bigger reason is that… it’s not about us. It’s about advancing God’s kingdom. We’re about advancing God’s kingdom. And if we aren’t acting like Christ, then we’re missing it.

You are who you are. You have the power and the inheritance and all the joy that comes with it. And once you feel that joy… once you have it, you’ll never want to be without it again.

Every lost soul’s need is the same. The answer is Jesus Christ.

From The Listener
(Previously The Heart Reader)
By Terri Blackstock
Copyright 2000 Alive Communications
Pulbished by WestBow Press, a Thomas Nelson Inc. Company
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214

Quality Time with the Boy

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a flat tire. Today, I taught Jeff how to change a tire. So, now the flat is in the trunk and the biddy wheel is in the front left position. Jeff found the whole process somewhat frustrating. I personally liked the lesson. I gave the same tire-changing lesson to his dad 20 years ago. How's that for irony?

After changing the tire, we watched the USA vs. Brazil soccer game. The first half was GREAT. The second half...not so much. But our boys should be proud. After nearly being eliminated completely from the tournament, they beat Egypt handily. THEN they shocked the world #1 team, Spain to make it to the final game for the first time ever in this tournament. Then they were up 2-0 on Brazil...before ultimately losing 2-3. Still, it was a nice afternoon with the boy.

This evening, I've been fighting with Quicken. I've never used it before and didn't realize how long it would take to set up. Needless to say, I didn't finish it. But I will...before the weekend. I figure now that I have college costs to cover, I should be a little more disciplined with my budget. Not to mention, I got our first bill from Jeff's kidney stone trauma. Jasper Memorial, where Jeff only spent 8 hours (though part of that was out-patient surgery) billed me for $3,200. That's AFTER my insurance covered $11,000 AND the bill was adjusted down by $1,200. {sigh} So, add another monthly payment to my budget. And I haven't even gotten the bill from Daviess County, where Jeff had ER services and spent three nights...and had LOTS of drugs. Ugh! Oh, well. Such is life.

Late tonight, I had a serious conversation with an old friend from Colorado. He's never been to a church service before and it struggling with lots of things right now. His sister gave him a bible just a few days ago. He's opened it twice in the last two days and felt like both passages were speaking to him. He doesn't know if he believes in God or not, but I told him to keep reading. Every day. And before he reads, just pray, "God, if You're out there, speak to me." I'm asking my readers to pray for my friend. That God speaks to him and that he listens. Thanks!

One Leg Down

My car has a flat tire. I hate that. Especially on a Saturday night. I don't have any idea where to get a new tire at 10pm on a Saturday night.

So, I put air in it and got it home. It's flat again. I have a biddy wheel, AKA a doughnut. I'll put that on tomorrow... during daylight hours. I could probably drive it to W'ton or Jasper to replace the tire tomorrow. But depending on my mood, I'm thinking about waiting until Monday and getting it done in town.

On a more positive note (I think), I got my hair cut today. Short! Jeff hates it. He didn't say that in so many words. He just scrunched up his face and shook his head 'no'. This evening, I had dinner with a friend and she didn't say anything about it. So, I'm guessing she didn't like it either. Oh, well... I do. But I think I need to get some gel so I can make it look a little funky without a whole lot of effort. Maybe Jeff will like it then.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

***If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?***

According to tristatehomepage.com out of Evansville, this is day 8 of our heat wave (or the 9th in the last 10 days). Every one of those days has had temperatures in the 90s with a heat index as high as 100. Even with the rains early this morning, we've had no respite from the steamy conditions.

But hold onto your hats, folks! We're in luck as this heat wave is supposed to wilt on Sunday...when the high is only 87. Stealing a line from "Good Morning, Vietnam", 'and me without my muff.'

YOU KNOW IT'S HOT WHEN...

* You keep spare bottles of Freon in your car.
* Your electric bill is higher than your house payments.
* You start putting ice cubes in your water bed.
* You cancel your Hotmail account because you didn't like the name of it.
* Your dream house is any house in Alaska.
* You're not even sure how hot it is because your heat thermometer only goes up to 120.
* You learn that it only takes two fingers to drive your car.
* Farmers are feeding the animals ice cubes to keep from getting hard-boiled eggs and evaporated milk.
* You can make instant sun tea.
* You learn the hard way that asphalt has a liquid state.

Death of an Icon... times 3

On Tuesday, Ed McMahon passed away. He was 86. He had been in poor health in recent years and his body was simply done fighting. Between Star Search and "Here's Johnny!" and representing Publisher's Clearing House, he was recognized by so many.





This morning, Farrah Fawcett passed away. She was 62. She had been battling cancer for three long years. She was a Charlie's Angel and a sex symbol and had one of the first sought-after hairstyles.

Tonight, Michael Jackson passed away. He was 50. He had a heart attack or some other cardiac event. The medical teams were unable to resuscitate him. He was the King of Pop, creating unique dance moves that have been copied by so many.



Each of these people was an icon. They were recognized the world over. They spent nearly their entire lives in front of cameras and audiences. And they will be missed.


I realize that we didn't know them personally. And I know that their deaths won't touch us as much as the death of a dear friend or family member. But when a person touches so many people across class, culture, and background, you can't deny the impact their death will have.

Walking Schedules

BEGINNERS WALKING SCHEDULE

EVERY WEEK
- walk at least five days a week
- the goal is to make walking a habit, part of your routine
- track your walking, either in time, miles/kilometers, or steps
- if any week is a struggle to complete, repeat it before moving on to the next week

WEEK 1
- 15 min. walk at an easy pace
- rest on days 3 and 6

WEEK 2
- 20 min. walk at an easy pace
- if you feel up to it, feel free to increase your speed for a portion of the walk
- rest on days 3 and 6

WEEK 3
- 25 min. walk at an easy to comfortable pace
- push yourself to increase your speed for a portion of the walk
- rest on days 3 and 6

WEEK 4
- 30 min. walk at a comfortable pace
- push yourself regularly to increase your pace/distance
- rest on days 3 and 6

WEEKLY WALKING SCHEDULE
- this schedule is a well-rounded, overall workout to challenge your body
- the Economy Workout builds speed and should be done only once per week (unless of course you're a serious athlete)
- the Threshold Workout builds aerobic performance and should be done no more than twice per week (again unless you're a serious athlete)

MONDAY - Rest Day
- no significant walking on this day

TUESDAY - Economy Workout
- 10 min. warm-up at an easy pace
- walk as fast as you can for 30 secs.
- drop down to an easy pace for 2 mins.
- repeat 30 sec. speed walk/2 min. easy pace 8 - 12 times depending on your fitness level
- cool down with a 10 min. easy pace
- stop only when your breathing returns to a normal rate

WEDNESDAY - Recovery Day
- easy 3 mile walk at 65 - 70% of your maximum heart rate (MHR)
- cool down with a 10 min. easy pace until your breathing returns to a normal rate

THURSDAY - Threshold Workout #1
- 10 min. warm-up at an easy pace
- walk at a brisk pace for 8 min. at 85 - 92% of MHR
- slow down to an easy pace for 2 mins.
- repeat 8 min. brisk pace/2 min. easy pace 3-4 times depending on your fitness level
- cool down with a 10 min. easy pace until your breathing returns to a normal rate

FRIDAY - Recovery Day
- easy 3 mile walk at 65 - 70% of your maximum heart rate (MHR)
- cool down with a 10 min. easy pace until your breathing returns to a normal rate

SATURDAY - Threshold Workout #2
- 10 min. warm-up at an easy pace
- 20-30 min. walk at 85% MHR, known as a steady state or tempo workout
- cool down with a 10 min. easy pace until your breathing returns to a normal rate

SUNDAY - Distance Workout
- 10 min. warm-up at an easy pace
- walk 5-7 miles at 70-75% MHR
- cool down with a 10 min. easy pace until your breathing returns to a normal rate

Threshold workouts should be strenuous. You should be breathing very hard and be able to talk only in short phrases.

Recovery and Distance workouts are at a pace where you can easily maintain a conversation, but are breathing a little harder than at rest.

Walking Logs and Trackers
Walk of Life 10 Week Program

*Again, this is from About.com/Walking.

Let's Go for a Walk

I have started walking. I walk the same route every time I walk...from the end of my driveway to St. Mary's Road and back again. It's just barely over two miles. I don't do it every day. I never do it more than once a day. I don't time myself. And I usually go alone. But it's definitely a workout.

Well, I decided to do some research on how many calories I'm burning and how I might be able to maximize my walking workouts.

First, I learned that a pound is equivalent to 3500 calories. So, if you want to drop a pound in a week, you either have to eat 3500 LESS calories in a week or burn 3500 MORE calories in a week, or a combination of the two.

Second, I learned that I burn an average of 117 calories per mile (walking at approximately 3mph for someone of my weight). So pretty much, if I don't change my diet (and my math is correct), I'd have to walk 30 miles to lose a pound. That sounds almost depressing. My round-trip to work is 34 miles. Perhaps I should leave the car at home and start hoofing it to work every day. Then I could lose a pound every day that I went to work! : ) Granted, these numbers will all change as I lose weight, increase my speed (or even lessen my speed), and build muscle.

Third, I learned that there are several different ways to walk for fitness.

Easy Health Walk - 30 minutes daily at 50-60% maximum heart rate (MHR). This is a purposeful, yet comfortable pace for building long-term health and well-being.

Weight-Control or Fat-Burning Walk - 45-60 minutes daily at 60-70% MHR. This is a brisk pace with noticeable increase in breathing, while still able to carry on a conversation.

Distance or Endurance Walk - 5-10 miles once a week or so at 65-80% MHR. This is a steady pace for building endurance.

Aerobic Walk - 20-60 minutes (depending on your current fitness level) every other day at 70-80% MHR. Quick pace with noticeable increase in breathing, but not out of breath. On "off" days, do the Easy Health Walk or the Weight-Control Walk. This walk improves overall fitness level.

Athletic Performance Walk (Threshold) - no more than 50 minutes, 1-3 times per week at 80-92% MHR with rest days between. This workout is strenuous with heavy breathing and the ability to talk only in short phrases. This workout increases strength.

Economy Walk - short bouts of walking as fast as you can for 30 seconds, followed by a slow, easy pace for 2 minutes, repeated 8-12 times. For racewalkers, this builds speed ability and technique. This should only be done once a week.

Speaking of MHR, start here...

Age - Male Female
20 - 200 208
25 - 195 201
30 - 190 196
35 - 185 191
40 - 180 186
45 - 175 181
50 - 170 175
55 - 165 171
60 - 160 166
65 - 155 161
70 - 150 156

Once you find your MHR, memorize the 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% values of it.

Tomorrow, I'm going to type up the Beginner's Walking Schedule, which is a four-week kick start to get you going. Then I'm going to type up the Weekly Walking Workout, if you want an overall workout from your walking. I'll also point you to a couple of resources that I found.

So, let's go for a walk. It's good for us!

*I got much of this information from about.com/walking.

A Lost Day

I woke up this morning not feeling well. My throat hurt. I couldn't breathe through my nose. My head was KILLING me. SO much pressure. My ears were itchy. Have you ever tried to scratch the insides of your ears? I didn't put much time and effort into that little task as the noise only hurt my head even more. So, I took two NyQuil (because I only take them in pill form) and went back to bed...after calling in sick. Five hours later, I woke up again, got something to eat, and decided that it was time for more NyQuil. Another nap. I woke up again in time for a "House" rerun. I've spent the last couple of hours catching up with FB and email...slowly. Now I want to eat a few crackers, just to have something in my stomach, and then go to bed yet again. When I woke up at 8pm, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to sleep a wink tonight after sleeping all day. But I'm no longer worried. My body is exhausted. Sore and slow. I really need to go to work tomorrow. Hopefully this last eight hours of sleep is exactly what I need to feel closer to 100%. Who am I kidding? I'd be thrilled to feel a decent 75%.

Oh, and I have to mention here, I had a nightmare today. I don't know how well others remember their dreams, but I tend to remember quite a bit about mine. Without going into much detail, I'll just say I had a 'romantic' dream about my ex-husband. Again! It's not the first time. Why can't I have these kinds of dreams where George Clooney is in the role of male lead? And WHY am I having these kinds of dreams about my ex?! Maybe it's the meds. Really, a nightmare. Ugh! I'd rather not remember the dream at all.

Happy Fathers' Day, Dad!

Some of my favorite pictures of my dad are when he's hanging out with my son. I know these are old, but they're some of my favorites. In this one, Grandpa is giving J a ride on the Deere. EVERY time we came back to Indiana, J couldn't WAIT until he got his ride on the Deere with Grandpa.

Jeff is only two weeks old on this day. My parents drove 20 hours in a row to get from Southern Indiana to Colorado Springs to see their first grandchild. Jeff was born one week after Desert Storm started...and my dad worked as a blocker/bracer for the Army at Crane...meaning he packed bombs and such. I'm sure it was quite a challenge for them to get five days off work in a row, but he did it.

In this picture, Jeff is around eight months old. I love how it looks like they're having a conversation here.

What's in a name?

In the Project Management course that I was taking online, there were several scenarios. In fact, the whole course was laid out that way. The person taking the course was the newly hired project manager. He/she (in this case me) was hired in to learn the company's way of managing projects, following an industry standard, and then would pass along that knowledge to others.

Needless to say, it takes several people to get a project done. Whereas it take a village to raise a child, it takes a cohesive, hard-working, efficient, driven, knowledgeable, and professionally diverse team to complete a project. This is the team I had...

Company President: Will deWitt (we'll do it)
Assistant Project Manager: Roger Gaines (the yes man trying to get ahead?)
Administrative Assistant: Carrie Ade
Engineering Subject Matter Expert: JD Wiseman
Scheduling: Ima Tasker (I wonder if that's her married name.)
Product Testing: Diana Lemon (the goal in product testing is to see if you can break the product...any way you can. If a tester isn't finding the lemons, they're not doing their job very well.)
Construction: Barry Armstrong (who needs brains when you have brawn)
Heavy Equipment Operator: Dugger Crane
Accounting and Finance Representative: Buck Riches
Legal Representative: Justin Case
Sales: Mary Sellers (I guess it's better than merry maids.)
Marketing: Mark Goodwin
Transportation: Auto VanMeter
Documentation: Paige Turner (I thought that one was kinda cute.)

I think my team was probably disappointed that my name was just Leslie Doyle.

Ephesians 4:32

From June 18th of my "Truth for Today: A Daily Touch of God's Grace" by John MacArthur

God was kind and tender-hearted toward you, forgiving you even when you didn't deserve it. If you base your attitude toward people on what they deserve, you've missed the point. Don't yell at people, slander them, or get angry with them, even if they deserve it. Those who exemplify God's character are loving, kind, tender and forgiving. That's the kind of attitude God expects from those who are His new creations in Christ.

When I first read the bible verse, I did a mental eye roll and said, "I wish." I really do wish I had it in my to always be kind to others (even when they're not very kind to me), to always be tender-hearted (without being taken advantage of), to always be forgiving (even when someone hurts me or someone I love)...and then to do it like Christ forgave me?! Take about a lot to ask for. WAY TOO HUMAN FOR THIS TASK.

Then I read John MacArthur's input on the subject. He has a good way of putting things into perspective. He's right. God did ALL of those things and OH-SO-MANY more for me...and I TOTALLY don't deserve it. I prove every day why I don't deserve it. But he did it anyway. And He's God. He's the King! And he would do that for someone as lowly and undeserving as ME.

The very LEAST I can do is to pay it forward. Whereas there is a HUGE gap between the goodness of God and little-ol'-me, the people that hurt me aren't all that different from me. The stretch for me to forgive my offenders isn't nearly as vast a reach as the one God made to love and forgive me. And the fact is, I'm sure there are times when my offenders didn't intend to hurt me at all. Maybe they were having a bad day and I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or perhaps I was simply too critical or sensitive to something they did or said. Why doesn't it cross my mind to first try to understand, to be kind, to forgive?

If that's the kind of attitude god expects from me, then that's what I'm going to work on.

God, help me to be kind to others, tender-hearted, forgiving others, even as You forgave me. Amen.

Family Pictures

Meet my family. I was going to show them oldest to most recent, but I uploaded them in the wrong order. I'm NOT deleting them to do them again. So, watch us regress.

This is our Skittles picture.

We had this one taken last summer for my parents' 40th Wedding anniversary.

Front row: Leslie, Mom, Dad, Jill

Back row: Alan, Erin, Ian

This picture was taken in early '00.

Starting with my Dad at 12:00 and moving clockwise,

Dad, Mom, Leslie, Erin, Jill, Alan, and Ian in the middle

This one was taken in '93.

Alan, Jill, and I were all active duty and got leave at the same time.

Front row: Erin, Dad, Mom, Ian

Back row: Jill, Alan, Leslie

This was taken in '88.

Front row: Ian, Dad, Mom, Leslie

Back row: Alan, Jill, Erin

This one is either '86 or '87.

This was a church directory picture.

Front row: Dad, Ian, Mom

Back row: Alan, Jill, Erin, Leslie

This was taken in '85.

Front row: Ian, Dad, Mom, Erin

Back row: Alan, Leslie, Jill

It just crossed my mind that there's probably no need for me to keep introducing us.

Just the kids, '83.


Wow, dig those hair-do's.
That grin...means Alan's doing something wrong again.

This one is probably '76.

Ian wasn't born until '79.

Favorite Pictures

I couldn't decide what to blog about today. So, I decided to post some old pictures. I have to apologize first. There are five kids in my family, but most of these don't have all of us. But I love them, so I'm posting them anyway. Tomorrow, I'll post our 'family' pictures.

Jill is the one with the bottle in her mouth.

I'm the one with the thumb in my mouth.

Alan is just grinning...which probably means he's doing something wrong.

Me, Jill, and Alan.
Super sexy wardrobe.
Even sexier couch!



Alan, Jill, and me.
This picture was taken to give to Mom
who was in the hospital having Erin.



The Doyle Clan
Dad, Alan, Mom
Ian
Jill, Erin, and me



Me, Alan, and Jill
in our PJs

Alan, Jill, me, and Erin

in matching outfits!

Me, Alan, Erin, and Jill

...again, with the matching outfits.

WooHoo!

I finished my PM201E course today! (Project Management: Scheduling and Cost Control) That last assignment kicked my butt. And the final ended up being closed book instead of open book. I missed four questions. But I'm okay with an 84%. I'm just glad to have it behind me. But I learned a ton and really enjoyed the process.

The best part, no homework this weekend! WooHoo!