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Project 365, Tim

Counting My Blessings

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When I was a few weeks out of Basic Training, I weighed 163 pounds. The rest of my time in the Army, I weighed about 185 pounds (the limit for my height). When I graduated from college, I weighed 215 pounds. About two years ago, when I was discharged from the hospital after appendicitis and kidney surgery, I weighed 209 pounds.

Other than that, I’ve pretty much spent my adult life between 230 and 250, overweight by at least 50 pounds by any reasonable measure. I’ve tried lots of diets and exercise plans, with limited success. Before Christmas, I had worked my way down to 228, but I gained almost ten pounds by the time January rolled around.

Lately, I’ve been doing this crazy thing, ‘counting calories’, they call it. I use My Fitness Pal to accomplish this — it is a pretty decent (and free) app with some really nice features.

A great app for calorie counting

A great app for calorie counting

My favorite thing about it is that, as you complete each day, it gives you a projection, based on your calorie consumption for that day. For example, today I consumed about 100 calories less than my allotment, so they are fairly hopeful:

If every day were like today… You’d weigh 224.1 lbs in 5 weeks

I actually sort of like this calorie counting thing, although I can see how it will get old, quickly. I am just now finished with my second week of following this plan, and I like the freedom it gives me to eat the things I really enjoy.

For example, a cup of cookies and cream ice cream 'costs' me about 260 calories, worth it every time.

For example, a cup of cookies and cream ice cream ‘costs’ me about 260 calories, worth it every time.

Kathy and I have also been using RunKeeper on our phones — we linked it to My Fitness Pal so it carries the calories from our exercise over and adds it to our allotment. So if you eat too much for supper, and you don’t have enough calories for ice cream, you can go for a quick walk and earn the calories you need. I speak hypothetically, of course.

runkeeper_logo

So far, I’ve lost about 6 pounds — not bad for two weeks of being mostly careful (except for the donuts and deep-fried seafood I had with David during our weekend away).

Somehow, I don’t mind being hungry during the day if there is ice cream waiting for me in the evening. I’ll do nearly anything to get ice cream. Let’s have another look at tonight’s treat, which is waiting for me, as soon as I finish this blog post:

I've gotten pretty adept at packing it into the metal measuring cup with my hydraulic press.

I’ve gotten pretty adept at packing it into the metal measuring cup with my hydraulic press.

On the left side of our blog, we continue to track our weight loss challenge for this summer. Sarah is right behind me … I’d better watch my step, or I’ll fall to last place again.

Project 365, Day 131
Tim

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David, Parenting, Project 365

I’m Glad That’s Over!

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Well, David and I finished the Passport 2 Purity material, and managed to have a great time together.

Several times in the course of the more difficult sessions, Dennis Rainey pauses and tells the father and son: “OK. Pause the CD and look at your Dad, and say, “I’m glad that’s over!”

David Triumphant

David Triumphant

It was a light-hearted way to break the serious mood, giving us permission to laugh and to take a break from the intensity of subjects which (for many families) are pretty hard to talk about.

We camped near Ocean Shores, within about a quarter mile of the Pacific. We had lovely weather, but it was much cooler on the coast (and in the wind) than it was here at home. Neither of us are particularly experienced campers, but we managed to pitch our tent and build a fire with hardly any serious injuries.

There's nothing quite like a fire-toasted blueberry bagel for breakfast.

There’s nothing quite like a fire-toasted blueberry bagel for breakfast.

I really enjoyed the updated Passport 2 Purity material. It is frank, engaging, and steeped in a Christian worldview, which I deeply appreciate. I strongly recommend the five sessions (and the weekend getaway that frames it) to any parent of an 11-14 year old child.

Some of the topics were hard to address, but I think we were both glad to get them out ‘on the table’ and to open a dialog that I hope will continue for years to come.

Some of the projects didn't quite work out as intended, but we persevered.

Some of the projects didn’t quite work out as intended, but we persevered.

We waited too long to do this with David, and yet we are also glad that we have done such a good job of protecting his innocence and purity until now — in some sense it is very sobering (and a little scary) to usher him into a knowledge of sexuality that cannot be rolled back.

We spent a lot of time driving around, since it was easier to listen to the sessions when sitting ‘shoulder to shoulder’ rather than facing each other across a CD player. I never seem to tire of driving on the beach — there is something inherently fun about speeding along at 25 mph on the hard sand.

Why yes, this IS my car.

Why yes, this IS my car.

I was so focused on getting the Passport 2 Purity sessions ‘done’ that I was surprised at how fun it was for me to hang out with David for the weekend. He is really excellent company, and we have a lot in common — we laugh at the same silly things, and we think in some of the same ways. We both really relished the experience of camping and the Go Kart racing that we enjoyed on Saturday afternoon. We both like sitting around a campfire and making stuff burn, and playing frisbee in the dark. We are both in awe of the Pacific, while a little afraid of it. Neither of us is very skilled at flying kites.

David had Charlie Brown's kite, but we managed to get it in the sky, nevertheless.

David had Charlie Brown’s kite, but we managed to get it in the sky, nevertheless.

As I look back at the weekend, I’m so glad that I made the time to do this with my youngest son. It was an experience I expect to remember as one of the highlights of my life.

I think David and I really bonded over the weekend.

I think David and I really bonded over the weekend.

At the conclusion of the fifth session, your son or daughter is presented with an opportunity to ‘Make Up Your Mind’ about how they will think about dating and their sexuality for the next several years. I’m excited to see how God will strengthen David and give him the power he will need to keep himself pure until he can offer that purity to his wife, on their wedding day.

We celebrated by eating fish 'n chips and deep-fried clam strips.

We celebrated by eating fish ‘n chips and deep-fried clam strips.

Thank you, David, for sharing this weekend with me, and for keeping your heart open to my teaching and my love.

Project 365, Day 130
Tim

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Daily Life

Awkwardness

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There is one topic that most parents fear discussing with their children. Coincidentally, it is also one topic that is dreaded by many children. People have even invented an idiomatic alias so they don’t have to speak about it directly.

Yes, I’m referring to the ‘Birds and the Bees’, or human reproductive sexuality.

Nobody wants to talk about this. It is awkward, daunting, and fraught with potential disaster.

An excellent resource ...

Well, nobody except maybe Dennis and Barbara Rainey…

Happily, there is an excellent resource for beleaguered parents, published by Family Life, entitled Passport 2 Purity.

We’ve used this curriculum with our older three kids, but Kathy and I dragged our feet in applying it to our younger two. Finally, Sarah started pressuring her Mom.

“When are we going away for our special weekend, Mom?”

“Well, Dad needs to go through the Passport 2 Purity with David, first,” Kathy reminded her.

Sarah was unsympathetic. “David’s fourteen. What’s Dad waiting for? Maybe he should take David away for the weekend before he is married and has children. Wouldn’t that be more appropriate?”

I may have paraphrased this a tiny bit.

In any case, David and I went camping, bringing the Passport 2 Purity CDs with us, both a little nervous.

The program is divided into five sessions, each containing a lecture and several illustrations, along with a project that the parent and child do together. The sessions take about 90 minutes each, and are designed to be completed in sequence, starting on a Friday night and extending through the day on Saturday.

I planned the weekend, and David and I set off in our little red ‘chariot’, heading for the Pacific shore to camp and to be awkward together.

Heading off on our father-son weekend ...

Heading off on our father-son weekend …

Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion to our weekend!

Project 365, Day 129
Tim

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Kathy, Project 365, Sarah

May the Fourth … Be With You

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For Christmas, Sarah and Rachel bought me a Star Wars themed “Vader’s Little Princess” calendar. As most Star Wars fans know, Princess Leia turns out to be the sister of Luke, and the daughter of the evil (most of the time) Darth Vader.

Not my actual daughter.

Not my actual daughter.

The calendar’s premise explores the question: What if Darth Vader actually had to raise Leia as a princess? Each month, there is a new silly scene as the artist develops this idea — Leia cutting hearts out of his cape, or having to write a report for school on his job, and so forth.

In honor of Star Wars day, I’ll post this month’s calendar page. When I flipped it last weekend, it made me laugh out loud to think of Vader’s wrath against the rebels being actually a front to intimidate his daughter’s roguish suitor.

I'm really looking forward to helping Rachel and Sarah with their young admirers.

I’m really looking forward to ‘helping’ my little princesses to manage their young admirers.

Most young girls think of themselves as princesses in one way or another, but it is rather telling that my daughters cast me as Darth Vader. I only wish I was that intimidating. Thank you, Rachel and Sarah, for such a fun, silly present.

Project 365, Day 125
Tim

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Daily Life

When Kathy’s Away

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Every now and again, Kathy abandons us. We try not to take it personally. We know that she needs time away, and we really don’t begrudge it. After all, we don’t want to wake up one day and find that she’s checked herself into the Whispering Pines Home for Deranged Homeschool Moms.

So whenever she goes away, we try to make her glad when she comes home. Positive reinforcement is a very powerful motivator, I’m told. Sometimes we try to come up with a surprise for her by completing a project that she has wanted done, but didn’t have time to complete.

We decided to improve the beauty of our back yard, to please and encourage Kathy.

We decided to improve the beauty of our back yard, to please and encourage Kathy.

This weekend, Kathy attended a Women’s Retreat with about 85 other ladies from our church. We had glorious weather, and so we thought it would be a perfect time to surprise her. But there is a problem. Kathy is very curious, and she is constantly connected to the entire internet through her phone. So if we try to keep our activities a secret, we soon find ourselves subjected to an inquisition.

“What are you up to? What did you do, all day?” Innocent-sounding questions, but designed to penetrate to the very core of our secretive project.

“What should I tell her,” wails David. “Tell her we burned some boards. That’s true, it just isn’t ALL of the truth,” I advise. I’ve become wily, over the years, having dealt with Kathy’s insatiable curiosity before.

We had decided to remove several of my defunct raised gardening beds which dot our back yard. Kathy hates them, because I haven’t grown tomatoes the past two years, and I let them grow wild with grass; they do look pretty ugly. She’d like our yard to be a place she could use to host her girl friends for tea.

David and Sarah, victorious over one of the gardening beds.

David and Sarah, victorious over one of the gardening beds.

I tried inviting a few of the ladies from our church over to our house for tea while Kathy was off at her Women’s Retreat, and sure enough, the yard wasn’t inviting enough, because they all declined. Come to think of it, it was a little awkward to invite them while Kathy was away. Also, they were all away at the Women’s Retreat, too, so there were some logistical issues. I tried not to take it personally.

In any case, we managed to clear away two of the garden beds. I was so proud of David and Sarah, who worked tirelessly to demolish the frames and to cart away the dirt. We all spent almost seven hours working to make our yard a little prettier.

Now we just need a little grass seed, and no one will remember the ugly, overgrown monstrosity that once stood here.

Now we just need a little grass seed, and no one will remember the ugly, overgrown monstrosity that once stood here.

It may not yet be tea-worthy, but we made a good start.

Project 365, Day 122
Tim

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