Soakin' Up Life . . . at a 100 MPH!

I may have just adopted another buddy. No I'm not talking about a friend I can go to a movie with or ride motorcycles with. He's not even a two-legged buddy. He's the four-legged kind. While I was running today I came across this new friend who followed me home. I couldn't find anyone who knew where he came from. So. . .he met Mix and they got to know each other as only dogs can do, then they played for a little while. Then he met the girls. Now he's kind of keeping to himself in the back of the yard. He's a blue-heeler, like Mix. But he's younger and has a white band around his neck and chest. His face, ears, back, and legs look just like Mix. I haven't named him yet. I may try to see if I can find a home for him first. He's a great little dog. We'll just have to see. Photos to come.

Oh man, it's a great day here and it's going to be one of those days. The weather is spectacular here in LA (Lower Alabama). There's a slight breeze, the sun is shining, and it's somewhere between 75-80 degrees. The high is only supposed to be 85 today. And you know what? I dont' feel like doing anything, but resting. Been spending some time in God's Word this morning and in prayer. That's always good. Just finished posting a blog on In the Midst of the Valley . Been reading some other blogs - always something strange, funny, or insightful. A few things I MUST do today Wal-Mart - cats like to eat, though Lucy could stand to lose a few pounds Finances - probably ought to figure out how much money I really do have - want to be a good steward Bank - bill collectors like it when there's money in my account Cars - new registration stickers and clean them and the motorcycle Men's Bible Study - go over lesson again, set up and lead study tonight Ru

Yesterday was another milestone in my running life. I ran 2 miles for the first time in, at least, 2 years. And, man, did it feel good!! I did it in 17:11 - that's about an 8:35 mile. Not bad, if I do say so myself. I did push it a bit, but felt great when I finished. The knees feel like they're holding up. I'm looking to run a 10K (6.2 miles) in November as a fund raiser for a local ministry we support and work closely with called Home of Grace. They are a Bible-based, Christ-centered rehab center for women with addictive behaviors - predominantly drug and alcohol. I'll get the details to you in the near future for those who would like to sponsor me and help support this incredible work. It's been a long, long time since I've run this far. I think I ran close to this distance one day with my Jingle Bell Run buddy, Stacey. He was training for the Houston Marathon . But that's been a while. So pray for me. Pray for physical strength, wisdom, and endurance.

Let this serve as a health warning! DO NOT , I repeat, DO NOT listen to AC/DC Live if you are planning on running your easy Saturday run, unless. . . You're already running 3-4 days a week (I've taken about a week and a half off) You have been running and want to push your heart rate up and time down You haven't been running much, but want to see what you're made of You're a masochist and just like pain (I think that's me) You just love AC/DC and don't really care about easy runs I finished my run before Angus and the boys from down under completed their first three songs - Thunderstruck, Shoot to Thrill, & Back in Black . I was fast, but every nerve in my body was screaming when I finished. Alright, I'll admit it, I like the feeling at the end of a run when I've pushed myself. So. . .it's up to you. Heed the warning and enjoy, or don't heed the warning and feel the pain, then smile really big for pushing yourself. Mike

Well, the signs are adding up. The inevitiable will be true soon enough. Went to the eye doctor today. It's time for my usual checkup. Got to make sure the peepers are in good working order. Everything is fine. My contacts' strength hasn't changed. That's good. And my both eyes are the same strength. This helps because it doesn't really matter which contact goes into which eye - their both the same. Buuuttttt. . .now I need glasses for reading. I do have choices. Wear only one contact at a time. Problem: no depth perception at night, everything looks at the same depth. So if you're in front of me, your brake lights look like they are the same distance as the brake lights in front of you - kinda scary, huh? If for some reason I do end up driving at night with only one contact I tend to drive with one eye closed. No it's not the one with the contact in it. Bifocal contacts - that's just too wierd for me. Me? Bifocals? Call me vaine, but t

I started running again this week. I have held off for the last couple of years because of pain in my right knee. Had a doctor check it out. He said it had something to do with my meniscus . It didn't hurt when I ran, but was very painful afterwards. So I stopped. I love to run. It's easy - just put on my running shoes and head out the door. I have always loved to run. Now, I'm trying it again. Slowly. Ran a couple of times this week and have had no after affects. My legs are sore, but that's just getting my running legs back. Hope this continues. So what are you doing you haven't done in a while, or maybe you're doing something for the first time? Runnin' on, Mike

Yeah. . .yeah. . .yeah, I know. It's been a while since I wrote something. Come to think of it I didn't even write something that last time I posted. I just added a video. Cool video by the way. So here's what's been happening since I last posted something. Last Friday night - rode the Harley, went to see Invincible with Mark Wahlberg , went to Starbucks for some juice (no, not like fruit juice, I'm talking the juice of life - what keeps us - ok, me - going). Invincible - great flick. Will definitely add it to the video collection. It's clean and something you can take the kids to see. It will also encourage you!! Last Saturday night - rode the Harley across the bay to Malbis (cool shopping center there if you like to shop - I do. Yes, I'm strange - get over it. You probably know this by now). Headed back to Mobile to watch the Alabama & Auburn games ( Roll Tide!! ) - couldn't get into two restaraunts, so I found a local place to e

Ran across this on youtube.com. This is crazy.