Final Day of Snorkeling, finally made it to Mauna Kea (Day 6)

Amazing snorkeling with tropical fish and sea turtles. Then we went to Mona Kea which was closed due to the 3 feet of snow they got overnight. Hawaii is an amazing place. Can Surf in the morning and ski at night.

Almost to Mauna Kea, Married Men Live Longer. (Day 5)

I read one time that married men live longer than unmarried ones do. Best to turn around when there is a flash flood even if your just 5 miles away from the turn off to the destination. Today, X-mas, is a rest day as it turns out. Santa even found his way here despite no chimney or tree! Isobel said we can try to go to Mona Kea again tomorrow after snorkeling. Nap time.

Winter Carpe Diem - The Turning Point

The solstice reminds us that after a time of darkness comes a turning point. Just when light appears to have completely vanished, it shows forth again. Still soft and weak at first, it begins to renew itself. And so, in similar situations in our lives, we must nurture the forces of recovery and renewal with tenderness in the beginning, so that the return may lead to a flowering.

This winter I will recover my brain. I am reading Dr Amen's new book, change your brain, change your life. Summer and Fall were very stressful and anxiety provoking. The hospitalization, the merger, the economy. This winter I will:

• Walk or otherwise be active daily.
  
• Eat every 3 hours.
• Sleep 8 hours a night.
• Think positive thoughts, meditate if I have to.
• Be productive and save. Measure with KPIs
  

Fall Bucket List (Sept 3rd - XMas) AN UPDATE

In Bold are things I ended up doing. It was a hell of a fall. Finished the merger, Isobel in the hospital for 14 days.

• People Not Stuff
• Help Dad with SpecialDSales.com and S-Wine and Mac Purchase
  
• Work on the Remodel
• Lose Weight, Walk, Lift Weights
• Soccer
• Skiing with Ben
• Sleding
• Ride Bike
• Read
• Blog
• Zen Garden
• Drive M @ PIR?
• Storm Watching
• Facebook
• Shanghai Tunnels
• China Garden
• Zoo Lights (we heard they sucked so we did not go)
  
• Shoot Baskets
• Burn Stuff in Fire Pit
• Kiva.org, Oregon Right To Life, Food Bank Donation
• Elect John McCain
• Date my Wife
• Play Pool one night without drinking
• CoHo
• Watch Less than 1 Hour of TV / Cancel Comcast
  
• See Em and use her Kayak
• Take Grandma on a Drive
• Go to Lincoln City, Pay Aaron Hansomly to Clean the M
• Install Wireless Router at CEOs Beach House
• Do a Hike with Ben and Sri
• Recruit Sumit
• Hit the Personal KPIs
• Follow the Children's progress on the Odyssey Website
• Play Soccer with Malvern
• Have Brad Jackson, Tim, Marc, Russ, The Anders, Markus and Bill over for dinner (NOT ALL AT THE SAME TIME!)
• Visit Mark Nylund
• Learn to play golf (at least hit bucket of balls) With Ben / With Jen P?
  
• See Live Footbal game
• Shop at Freeman Motor Co with Ben / Sumit
• Upload Ava Loves Daddy to AFHV
• Take Pictures of Alex with Marilyn
• Love and Logic
• Uwajimaya and World Market Shopping
• Memorize the Cremation of Sam McGee
  
• Take Ava / Helayna Rock Climbing
• Buy or at least investigate a farm share
• Helayna & Dad Salmon Fishing

Coral Reef and Jungle (Day 4)

Today we went on a submarine and explored the coral reef! AMAZING. Next we drove the east coast of the big island exploring extreme vista's and even more extreme waterfalls and plants. In the rain forest there are plants with leaves bigger than me. Most relaxing X-mas eve of my life.

Sleep In and Snorkel (Day 3)

Today we slept in and snorkeled. Just think, on those days when life is stressful, these beautiful tropical fish are just floating around in warm water and eating. So peaceful. Were going snorkeling again on X-mas!

Everything is so easy here (Day 2)

Woke up, 5 mile walk on Kona coffee. (Lost a pound on this trip so far....after 16 miles of walking.) If I lived in Hawaii and did not have a job I could lose a pound every 2 days. It's easy. I plan on exporting this easy life back home. I only took 1 picture today. I spent last night charging up all 4 other digital cameras we brought except MY camera. 1 picture, 1 good shot. The Volcano was hiding today anyway as the lava flow has headed east OUT of the National Park. Amazing place. Tomorrow we snorkel. Drove 270 miles today. Tired. Night Night.

A Perfect Day in Kona (Day 1)

Today was a perfect day (except for the Walmart Trip with the kids....that was hell)
I woke up at 7 AM (9 AM Portland time) and walked down to the ocean to find some breakfast. I shared some local fruit with some pretty little tropical birds while sipping on Kona coffee. Sitting 2 feet from crashing waves, sipping the most amazing coffee in my life, I got inspired. Yesterday we arrived and found out the 1) Taxi's are expensive and 2) You need a car to get around Kona, not to mention the BIG island. We were going to get one on Monday but we needed one now. It's 40 bucks back to the Airport, but I have 2 cups of Kona coffee in me and I feel GREAT. Why not just walk? 11 miles later (thank you Jen for the Techno music), I arrived at Kona International and picked up my Chrysler 300. Big Powerful engine, Beautiful....but what a piece of crap inside (20K miles and the door already makes noise, etc.) American car manufacturers have A LOT to learn, but I guess we all knew that. Anyway....I guess everyone in PDX is under a foot of snow because I got about 10 responses to my Facebook status post telling them I was enjoying the 77 degrees and cool breeze, but their responses were either I am so happy for you or F off. After I picked up the girls we went to the local farmers market. Like the rest of the country Hawaii is trying out this buy local thing. Picked up some fruit for tomorrow's breakfast and got a beautiful dress for Isobel and a Hawaiian shirt for me plus some trinkets. Next we went to Walmart to buy stuff from China (nearly everything is from China...Hawaiian shirts for 1/2 the price I bought from the local.) Anyway....couple hours in Walmart with kids is hell and everyone got frustrated and tired...funny thing is when we first got to Walmart Isobel noted how miserable everyone looked. Buy local. Tomorrow we go see the Volcano.

A Day in the Gorge

I have been "Merging" all summer and finally had a day to get outdoors. Unfortunately it does not appear to be summer any longer. Fortunately Fall is my next favorite season. The Fall Color is here and so were the fish. Spawn and die.

I AM GOING TO RACE MY M!!!!!

http://www.cascadesportscarclub.org/training.asp?page=home

AND JOINED THE BMW CAR CLUB OF AMERICA!!!
Member #: 410814 Abram Erickson
Puget Sound Chapter.

Best Eyes of the Weekend

First Stock Photo

Not a lot of time these days so I write you when I have time....in this case 4:06 AM.

Thanks for asking what type of camera it is!
It's a Canon Rebel XTi 10.1 MP Digital SLR with a Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS Image Stabilizer USM Autofocus Lens

Lara....Thanks for getting it published @ the zoo (or trying)

It's my very first stock photo as well.
http://www.dreamstime.com/american-kestrel-apollo-image6189039

I went to the Art Wolfe Studio (http://www.artwolfe.com/) this weekend in Seattle so I definately know what I want to do when I grow up.
My other favorite photographer is Galen Rowell (unfortunately he died in 2002) @ http://www.mountainlight.com/rowellg.html

-Abram

List Maker - Things I Want to Do When I Have Time

Books I want to Read:
Art Wolfe Adventure Photography
Buddhism for Beginners
Buddhist Mediation for Beginners
Crash Proof
Free to Choose
Liberal Fascism
The Audacity of Hope

Movies / Shows I want to See
There Will Be Blood
Sunday Night Football
Lost (09)
The Office
How I met your Mother
Arrested Development

Games I want to Play
Wii
Halo?
Backgammon

Articles / Websites to fully visit:
Having it All Work/Life Balance
http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-widgets
Lonely Planet
http://www.bmwcca.org/

Places I want to go first (Alone or with Adventure Seeking Individuals)

• Take Ferry to Alaska, Catch a Salmon, Ride the Train to Denali and / or Dawson. (09)
  
• Beijing (Great Wall, Food Vendors, Forbidden City) / Japan
  
• Visit Everest Base Camp
• Go to Machu Picchu
• Scandanavia (i.e. the "home land")
• Italy and the Alps
• Thailand
• India
  

Long Term Bucket List

• Drive a BMW on the Autoban

Things to Write About

• Power of social networking and why relevant to business
• Why apple won
• Investment ideas for fall
• Traffic results and SEO
• Brands Bmw Xyience Deschutes etc
• Distributor consolidation mind share
• Cultural exchange widget for facebook linked in for economist maxim nat CEO
• Gphone
• Software games movies songsare green
• Open source bi

Cousins Weekend

Favorite shot from this weekend. And yes....my brother Aaron Inclan is single, so stop asking.
Aaron's MySpace page



Amazing weekend: Saturday morning could not sleep anymore (6 am) so googled Seattle Barber Shop near me and had the most amazing head and beard shave of my life. I think I am the only white man to walk into that Barber Shop for a few years. I spent two hours there. I want to live in Seattle some day or maybe just visit here a lot. Art Wolfe (favorite photographer) lives here and I went to his gallery, went to the public market, had some great sushi and sun tanned my newly shaved head.

Fall Bucket List (Sept 3rd - XMas)

• People Not Stuff
• Help Dad with SpecialDSales.com and S-Wine and Mac Purchase
  
• Work on the Remodel
• Lose Weight, Walk, Lift Weights
• Soccer
• Skiing with Ben
• Sleding
• Ride Bike
• Read
• Blog
• Zen Garden
• Drive M @ PIR?
• Storm Watching
• Facebook
• Shanghai Tunnels
• China Garden
• Zoo Lights
• Shoot Baskets
• Burn Stuff in Fire Pit
• Kiva.org, Oregon Right To Life, Food Bank Donation
• Elect John McCain
• Date my Wife
• Play Pool one night without drinking
• CoHo
• Watch Less than 1 Hour of TV / Cancel Comcast
  
• See Em and use her Kayak
• Take Grandma on a Drive
• Go to Lincoln City, Pay Aaron Hansomly to Clean the M
• Install Wireless Router at CEOs Beach House
• Do a Hike with Ben and Sri
• Recruit Sumit
• Hit the Personal KPIs
• Follow the Children's progress on the Odyssey Website
• Play Soccer with Malvern
• Have Brad Jackson, Tim, Marc, Russ, The Anders, Markus and Bill over for dinner (NOT ALL AT THE SAME TIME!)
• Visit Mark Nylund
• Learn to play golf (at least hit bucket of balls) With Ben / With Jen P?
  
• See Live Footbal game
• Shop at Freeman Motor Co with Ben / Sumit
• Upload Ava Loves Daddy to AFHV
• Take Pictures of Alex with Marilyn
• Love and Logic
• Uwajimaya and World Market Shopping
• Memorize the Cremation of Sam McGee
  
• Take Ava / Helayna Rock Climbing
• Buy or at least investigate a farm share
• Helayna & Dad Salmon Fishing
  

Favorite Picture from Last Weekend

Mid Summer Nights Dream(s)

7/26 South Sister Hike with Ben and Kids
http://www.oregon.com/hiking/south_sister.cfm
8/2 Grandpa's Funeral
8/9 Remodel Almost Complete BBQ
8/16 Ava Grace Birthday weekend (Zoo and Oaks Park)
8/23 Abram Hood to Coast
8/30 Labor Day weekend with Girls to Olympics National Park
SCHOOL STARTS AGAIN!!!!

I owe this blog trip reports from Trip to Lincoln City & Weekend at Em's.
Adam's climb cancelled due to Cold Springs Fire.

Schedule Update

Our Weekend Schedule
7/12 Trip to Lincoln City (Garage Electrical, Setup Wireless, Sail)
7/19 Climb with Mom (No Kids)
7/26 Camp / Hike with Ben and Kids
8/2 Remodel almost complete party
8/9 Abram goes climbing?
8/16 Ava Grace Birthday weekend (Zoo and Oaks Park)
8/23 Abram Hood to Coast
8/30 Labor Day weekend with Girls to Olympics National Park
SCHOOL STARTS AGAIN!!!!

Summer 2008 Bucket List (Final)

In BOLD = Complete

Weekend
Backpack with the girls into Sisters Wilderness.
Help Ernie build a garage in Lincoln City.
Sail with my mom.
Take Grandma on a wine tour.
Kayak on the 4th of July with Emily (and the girls)
Buy a family kayak and kayak in a central Oregon Lake
Fix up (or buy new) Bikes and find bike paths.
Go Fishing with Helayna
Go Roller Skating @ Oaks Park.
Go back to the Zoo
See OMSI's Dinosaurs.
Plant flowers with Isobel.
Attend 10 Year College Reunion.
Go to Glory Days (bring Ben)
Drive up the Clackamas and sit in a hot spring.
Donate time to the food bank (again)
Drive down to the Wild Life Safari / See Crater lake.
Have a Birthday party for Ava
Go to the beach. (Olympics)
See Michael, Jordan, Aaron, Ana and Alex and Jen.
Sharpen my Skis

Whenever but soon.
Play Soccer with Ava
Shoot baskets and place catch with the girls.
Burn stuff in fire pit.
BBQ and drink 3 really good bottles of wine at my house, with my friends or family (June, July & Aug)
2 Business Trips to Seattle
Continue to Lose weight.
Read
Watch movie with the sound turned all the way up.
Buy garage plans
Invest @ Kiva.org
Take Pictures / Hike
Finish the Remodel
Donate time to the McCain Campaign
Take Isobel on a few dates
Learn to cook Thai food
Find my next investment property. (or other leveraged asset) so I can retire when Ava goes to college.
Investigate Solar Panels
Talk to Helayna about boys in middle school. Show her how to get "high" on a mountain.
Learn to play pool again (without all the drinking this time)
Upgrade to SQL05 and bring inventory into the data mart
Tweak the margin by .01%
Lead
Finish Donating and Taking things to the dump to simplify life.
Buy Tickets to Hawaii and Plan X-mas trip.
Take Isobel shopping for her 10 Year Diamond
Get up @ 5 am.
Pick out 2008 stocks to buy / Watch CNBC instead of CNN.

Had the mask for 3 days now.

Had the CPAP mask for 3 days now and have NEVER felt better. Went to the gym Monday morning at 6 am and just got back from a quick two mile run after work. (Actually still at the office, but atleast I got out to run) Down 35 lbs from my peak. Updated Schedule:
Weekend of...
6/28 Work on the remodel.
7/4 4th of July at Em's
7/12 Mt Adams Climb (too snowy this weekend)
7/19 Sailing with Mom and Garage Building in Lincoln City
7/26 Backpacking to Jefferson Park or Three Finger Jack
8/2 Remodel finally almost done BBQ Party (formally known as remodel done party)
8/9 Climb South Sister
8/16 Ava Grace Birthday weekend (Zoo and Oaks Park)
8/23 Hood to Coast
8/30 Labor Day Trip to Beach Olympics

Quick Trip to the Holy Land

So I took my family to Metolius River last weekend. Ava did her first 5 mile hike, Isobel found the simple joy of an afternoon spent in a hammock and Helayna figured out why it's always important to be nice to animals.

Best of Everything

Best Band Ever: Tie: Smashing Pumpkins and Beatles
Hottest Woman: My Wife, followed closely by Angelina Jolie
Hottest Guy: Brad Pitt (weird)
My chances with Brad: Zero
Coolest Car in the World: M5
Best Job: Retired
2nd Best Job: Business Intelligence Manager
Most Important Job: Dad
Most Fun I have had in a weekend: Climbing up the side of Middle Sister un-roped.
Most Fun I have had in a summer: Road Trip
My Retirement Job: Art Wolfe re-incarnate (assuming he is dead by then)
Fun activity I don't do often enough: Skiing and Riding Bike
Best way to lose weight: Eat less than you need.
Biggest Fear: Radical Islam
Best president I have lived through: Regan
Best presidential candidate: McCain
Best way to get rich: Spend less than you make and educate yourself continuously.
Most important "thing": Your Spirit, then you body, then your relationships.
Thing I hate the most: Tie: Mosquitoes and Traffic Jams
Biggest regret: Drinking excessively
Biggest success: Marriage / Family
Something I have to do that I hate: Turn down the stereo, mow the lawn even though it always makes me sneeze.
Strangest secret: Love gangster rap.
Best Movie ever: E.T.
Favorite Food: Pizza and Snow Cones
Another thing I hate: The fact that humans have to sleep.
Biggest Surprise: Psychedelic Mushrooms
Favorite Game: Backgammon
Why I like my wife: She gets me and loves me for who I am, she is smart, she loves our children, tries her best and I still get excited to see her.
Stupidest thing I ever did: Not understand fully.
Religion I most admire: Buddhism
Biggest Projects ever: WMS at Wine.com, Quiktrak inventory auditing system, Senior Capstone project (Compiler), Remodeling my house, Business Intelligence Turn around at Columbia

Explore

The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

Atisha
(11th century Tibetan Buddhist master)

Getting a mask.

Soooooo tired. Some days I just go to my car and sleep at lunch. But I am hopefull as tommorrow night I get my CPAP machine and may finally have enough energy to workout and get to where I need to be. Got down to 274 for a while a few weeks back but find myself back at 278 after my b-day cake, a few BBQs, etc and NO working out. My goal is that on Thursday morning I find myself at Ballys after my first night with the alien on my face.

Schedule Update

• 6/14 Ava's Ballet Recital
• 6/21 Pacific University 10 Year Reunion Weekend
• 6/28 Climb Mt Adams? Snow Conditions?
• 7/4 Weekend @ Em's (with Kayak)
• 7/12 Camp near Hot Springs
• 7/19 Trip to Lincoln City (Sailing, Garage Building, Buy Shoes)
• 7/26 Mt Jefferson Backpacking
• 8/2 South Sister Climb / Backpacking
• 8/9 Middle Sister Climb / Backpacking
• (OR GOAT ROCKS, ENCHANTMENTS instead of 3 weekends of backpacking?)
• 8/16 Ava Grace Birthday Weekend (Zoo and Oaks Park)
• 8/23 Hood to Coast
• 8/30 Labor Day Trip to Olympics

I have figured out what I want to do when I grow up.

I have decided that I am going to become Art Wolfe in 12 years when Ava goes off to college. (I will probably still have to "work" to support the travel habit.) To get me started I created a photography site at acumen.smugmug.com. I have been blown away by the fact that I have recieved over 7500 hits to the site since publishing it in late May. Group and Landscape Photography is the goal.

Bucket list has not gone as well as the weeks prior. Did NOT fix up the bikes and could not afford a kayak although Em has told me I can borrow her's whenever I like. Nice....except its several hundred miles away. ZEN garden still needs a lot of work, but that's ok, It's a ZEN garden after all and I have time.

Why no bike fixing up? Probably something to do with the fact that I (re)-started the remodeling project on my house (bathrooms, stuff elimination, light dimmers, doors and locsk, security, fireplace painting, Shinto Shrine, etc.)

However....next week is Ava's Ballet recital and atleast one day after to do a hike. The week after that is the Pacific University 10 year re-union backpacking trip. Then my mom has agreed to go climb Adams with me (despite how damn slow I climb and the fact that I am still overweight) And for sure I am going kayaking at Em's for the 4th! Should be a great next four weeks!

Mindful of your food.

I have been studying Buddism lately and one of the keys it to be "mindful" or in the moment as much as you can. Ding! moment. That is what I have been doing. Really enjoying savouring the precious food that I am allowed to eat and lose weight. This morning I ate strawberries for breakfast, really ate them, enjoyed every moment. Compare that to woofing down an Egg McMuffin.

30 Lbs! - Slow and Steady wins the race.

As of today I have lost 30 lbs. The key this time has been to eat very well. For example I ate a bowl of strawberries for dinner. No quick stop of McDonalds as it quickly adds up. I eat 4-5 meals per day every 3 hours starting at 9 PM. Because I am a geek, my phone actually dings when it is time to eat and that works for me. Other key ingredient is that I am allowing myself to cheat every once in a while (at most weekly.) Telling myself I will never eat an ice cream cone on a hot day or a fine Pinot Noir with fresh grilled salmon is just too damn oppressive. The very interesting thing is that I have NOT been working out. I went to the Dr to ask why my energy = 0 on some days. We did a sleep study and it turns out I have sleep apnea....Isobel calls me the snore monster. Guess how you fix it? Weight loss. I look forward to the yawns going away and for me to get into the gym to accelerate this turn around. I loved the body I was in when I was a wrestler and liked it even more in 1999 when I was a hard core outdoors man. On my way back and feel very very good....yawn (except for the yawns)

What you calling a bucket list?

So I make lists. I am linear and organized. How then did I get fat? Unorganized Eating? Nope, anxiety.

So recently I created a list. The response I got was that it was my bucket list? This ain't my bucket list as I ain't going to kick the bucket this fall. It's just things to do between now and labor day so I can explore, spend time with loved ones and enjoy.

• 4/26 Plant Flowers with Bee - Done
• 5/3 Donate time @ Food Bank -Done
• 5/10 Take G-Ma Wine Tasting / Mom take me up St Helens - Done
• 5/17 Wildlife Safari, Camp in the snow, see Crater Lake - Done
• 5/24 Memorial Day Weekend (no Hood Climb), Build out ZEN Garden
• 5/31 Fix up Bike and Find Trails
• 6/7 Take Kayak Fishing (afford a kayak by then?)
• 6/14 Ava's Ballet Recital
• 6/21 Pacific University 10 Year Reunion Weekend
• 6/28 Climb Mt Adams
• 7/4 Weekend @ Em's (with Kayak)
• 7/12 Camp near Hot Springs
• 7/19 Trip to Lincoln City (Sailing, Garage Building, Buy Shoes)
• 7/26 Mt Jefferson Backpacking
• 8/2 South Sister Climb / Backpacking
• 8/9 Middle Sister Climb / Backpacking
• 8/16 Ava Grace Birthday Weekend (Zoo and Oaks Park)
• 8/23 Hood to Coast
• 8/30 Labor Day Trip to Olympics

Day 105 - 29 lbs lost.

Day 105 of the Biggest Loser contest. Opportunity wasted this weekend as I was very active but ate on the road (Dairy Queen, Road Side Deli, etc.) But the good news is that I weighed in at 278 this morning (29 lbs) lost thus far. This week should go better as I work for only two days and then spend 3 days on my daughters field trip and then the 3 day weekend working in my Japanese garden. With a little under 4 weeks to go my goal is to get into the 60s.

Camping in May

One week before Memorial Day weekend and Diamond Lake is frozen solid. Saw the wildlife safari, camped (without the crowds) at Diamond Lake and then took in Crater Lake. Saw gas for sale for $4.49. We live in a beautiful state.

Day 99

Today is the 99th Day of my "Biggest Loser" Program and I feel great. I started at a remarkable 307 lbs and now am back down to 283 a loss of 24 lbs. Still a ways to go, but last weekend I for the first time in atleast 10 years went snow shoeing. Mt St Helens was the spot and we hiked for 8 hours total! I recently bought a new camera's and intend on restarting my outdoor blog (I have been focused on my politcal blog abramsright.blogspot.com as of late.

14 Mile Snow Shoe on St Helen's For Mom's Day.

The REALLY crazy thing was that my legs did not hurt the next day. Snowing and sun at the same time. Reminds me what it is like to be alive. Oh wait.

Training Program Update.

Been at it for 6 weeks now and have lost 16 lbs. As it is Spring now, I am going to start hiking in the hills

Flexall day.

Isobel did not get home from work until 7:30 and by the time I had the kids down for the night I could feel each fiber of my right leg quad. Applied liberal amounts of Flexall (used to be called Flexall 454, don't know what happened) and tried to go to bed. Moral of the story is that I ate right yesterday, but failed to work out and only got 3 hours sleep for the 2nd night in a row. Trying to limit each meal to 400 calories per meal. Had 4 of those yesterday. Going to catch back up on rest tonight and back on the intense workoutouts Thursday AM. Weight 294.

Break the Cycle.

Each year I start out Fat, get motivated to Climb Mt Hood around my birthday and ultimately get back into a completely healthy life cycle. Every year I get started, get about half way there and then quit unexpectedly. This year my #1 focus in life is my health. I will be 32 years old this year and I have not been "fit" since 2000, the year I got married and briefly in 2005 after working out solid for 5 months (lost 35 lbs that time). In 1997 I decided to end my wrestling career (225 wrestling weight) and start my beer drinking one. By the time I graduated from college in 1998 I weighed in at 265. On Jan 1st 1999 I decided to make some changes and over the course of the next year I got into the best shape of my life working out daily, climbing mountains (14 that summer) and ultimately finding a perfect weight for my frame of 235. In January of 2000 I met my future wife and got married that summer. From 2000 - to Sept of 04 I focused on my career and new family and gained approx 10 lbs a year until ultimately I weighed 285 lbs. In September of 2004 I decided I had had enough and joined a gym. Between Sept and February I dropped 35 lbs and felt pretty good at 250. Life and marriage would be difficult that spring and instead of using exercise to eliminate stress, I went back to food. In 06 and 07 I started each year by hiking on New Years day and committing to climbing Mt Hood by my birthday. Each year I lost 10 to 15 lbs and then suddenly ran out off steam as my focus went elsewhere. This past summer I remodeled a house and midway through it despite being tired I was forced to continue as I had obligations to meet to get the project done. I focused on something very physical for several months and its through this experience that I believe I can focus on myself in this 2008. I always judge how things are going by my relationships, my career and $$$ and how well I am doing physically. I truly believe that my career, marriage, family and friends are doing so well that I can have a singular focus on getting back into that wrestler / climber body that I knew and miss so desperately. 1/1/08 I stepped on the scale and was amazed that I was 300 lbs. My goal over the next 20 weeks is to lose 3 lbs per week and arrive at 240 lbs in time for my 32nd B-day. It's 1/8/08 and I have been to the gym 5 times already, been eating right and intend on going back tonight. This morning I weighed in at 292....a good start but this year.....I am breaking the cycle.