Reflections of Christ

So yesterday while reading a few blog posts I came across this short video. The story behind this group of artists is quite amazing. To me it doesn't matter what faith you are, this should touch your heart. You can find out more about the artists and their project here.

Friends

Just had to take a second and give a shout (more like a sincere heartfelt thank you) to friends and family today. You cannot make it alone in this world. You just cannot. That is why we are all here together. That point was reinforced for me this week. I also wanted to include a link to Shelly's post to remind us all to "bring our own weather".

Great day

So what do YOU do to have a great Saturday? You ride the bike course of your next tri with your buddy. We were just over 21 mph for the course and about 47 mph max speed coming down the final hill. It was a warm summer day so getting in a nice open water swim afterwords was VERY refreshing. You should have been there.

My sister, the pleasant girl

Nice shirt, eh? I would like to publicly announce that my OTHER sister has NEVER worn her BYU shirt that she got for Christmas. Look how happy Kath and I are. I bet SHE'D wear the Y shirt. Do you know how I know this? Because she's a pleasant girl.

Happy Birthday, JJ

Even though it was a few days ago, I must take a few minutes to celebrate and pay tribute to the newest 16 year old. JJ turned the sweet 16 on July 17th. I cannot believe 16 years have passed. JJ is truly an amazing person. I am grateful for the chance to be his father and not only to teach him what I know but also to learn from him as well. If you get a chance, give him a shout.

My heart goes Bang Bang Bang Bang!

Little bit of check up last night - 105 over 54 with a pulse of 52. Not bad for this kimchi eating fool.

Cars and Models

Okay, so as part of our adventures a couple of days ago, we had a couple of hours to spare and thought that this "Cars and Models" show would be interesting. It definitely was interesting. I can't remember when (if ever) I have attended a car show and I thought we might see some new concept cars or technology here in Korea that we probably wouldn't see for a couple more years in the US. The first thing I noticed is that there were TONS of people with VERY nice cameras. Huh? Well, it quickly became obvious why people were there at the show. Take special note of the slides showing the people taking pictures. It was pretty funny. Enjoy.

Do you ever go back?

Was looking for my posts on my first trip to Korea (a number of posts) and I came across this post that I wrote about stress management. I think this goes hand in hand with my previous post on starting your day with a few minutes of meditation.

Bongeunsa (Temple) in downtown Seoul

We spent some time walking around the grounds of this Korean Buddhist temple. Lots of temples actually, and a fair number of people praying and meditating. Hanging throughout the grounds were these prayer lanterns. I should have hung a few for people that I know.

Say cheese!

One of the most popular stores at the mall was this Quickfoto shop (for lack of a better name). Basically wall to wall little kiosks that takes pictures of you and your friends. You can add borders to your pictures and all sorts of stuff. Interesting. Who's the Indian? My terrorist friend, Prabhakar Clement, the preeminent modeler of bioremediation.

Going for a run

In a city that boasts 10 million plus people, there aren't too many places to run outside. A couple of days ago I thought I'd try my luck. I did find a nice trail down next to the Han river but the trick was getting to it. I jumped over a couple of walls and crossed two streets but got stuck playing Frogger across a 4 lane highway. Although you see no cars in the picture, crossing the street just wasn't possible. So I gave up and turned around. Not a good idea to have a stupid American with no ID killed while crossing a freeway.

Can you do this?

This week I thought I'd try something. If you're like me (maybe you're not) you have a bazillion things on your mind. Each morning, before I get out of bed, I lie on my back, get comfortable and meditate for a few minutes. Here's the catch. Try not to move at all. Count to 100 in your mind one for each time you exhale. And mostly importantly, try to focus on a place where you would really like to be. The first couple of times, I pictured myself in a mountain meadow, with lots of mountain flowers. I seem to do better picturing myself on a beautiful, warm beach. It is difficult for me to "keep" myself there at my relaxing place. About a half of dozen times, I find my mind wondering to something else. Sometimes I even forget what number I'm on. But it is getting easier. I think it is a good thing. I'm going to keep doing it. Try it. It's hard. Can you free your mind?

Get your one-a-day vitamins

A couple of months, I mentioned that I started taking the Nutriex Sport supplements and I promised you an update. Now, since then I don't think I've competed in any specific races. A few long bike rides and some good training but how do I tell if it is making a difference. First off a few details. I take (if I remember) 4 pills in the morning and another 4 in the evening. Seems pretty excessive especially if you're not a pill taker. The cost is about $55/month. The product is co-developed by Dr. Rosenberg, Tiger Wood's orthopedic doc. So naturally, he has Tiger on these supplements. I also found a good article about suppliments from a back issue of Cycling Utah. Search for the article "Rocket Fuel or Rubbish". So the real question is - Can I tell a difference? Well, I can't fly, stop trains, nor do I have X-ray vision but I do feel better. I believe that a couple of months ago I had some serious pain in my right leg which after talking to people, being the doctor that they, and I are, diagnosed it as an issue with my IBT band. Now, I do realize that I was recently properly fitted on my bike but more importantly, I have NOT had any issues with it since May. And I've had some pretty decent bike climbs and hard running sessions. I am SO glad that this hasn't given me any fits. Now, any coincidence? Maybe not. I do believe that even as well as I eat (no junky food) at my age I need extra vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Dr. Rosenberg claims that there is up to a 25% reduction in time required for safe return to sports compared to athletes experiencing nutritional deficiencies. Hmm. I'll take that. Anyhow, read the page, and see if it makes sense to you. Now, I strongly beleive that it just wasn't the supplments that had the positive results. I also paid MUCH more attention the past few months in good, solid stretching, and working on both IBT bands. I have found that a lacrosse ball works just fine although it is often recommended to use a slightly larger ball (from softball to basketball).

Additionaly, I recently started taking Glutamine after my workouts that last more than an hour. Not sure about this but it makes sense so we'll see how this goes. Here is a good (fairly short) read if you're not up on the benefits of taking L-Glutamine.

I welcome any and all comments and suggestions.

...that they might have Joy

Long day of traveling to Seoul today (okay, mostly yesterday). On the flight from SLC to LAX I sat next to Joy. She was going to Kona for 6 days of relaxing and a chance to rediscover herself. Wonderful lady and a wonderful opportunity to share, learn, and be heard. I wish her all the best in her life (although it is likely I'll never hear from her again).

So how do you fill 12+ hours of flying? Well, you discover Bibimbap and you watch lots of movies. I often tell people that I'm really not much of a movie goer however, I think I end up watching most movies. This week I saw Hancock (decent movie) and the week before was Wall-E (even better movie). On the flight there were 20+ movies to choose from. I watched 21 (pretty entertaining), Snow Angels (depressing), and Be Kind Rewind (dumb, and didn't finish it). I watched Definitely, Maybe and would recommend that to any dad that has a daughter and is going through or has gone through a divorce. Even so, if you have a daughter I still recommend it. The BEST movie that I watched was The Bucket List. I CANNOT believe I haven't seen that one. It was fantastic! If you ever wonder, if you are thinking about life, if you need help, if you want to help, see this movie. Here are my two favorite parts:

“You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions. Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. ‘Have you found joy in your life?’ 'Has your life brought joy to others?’” - Morgan Freeman

"I believe that you measure yourself by the people that measure themselves by you." - Morgan Freeman

Something to think about. I'll have pictures but won't be able to post anything until I return. It is Seoul and certainly not Costa Rica.

Stadium of Fire

Okay, after putting the little montage together last week, I finally have a few moments to post a bit about SofF. I think this is the maybe the second time I've been and maybe the first time Olive has been. If you live in Utah and you have a daughter then unless you live under a rock you were well aware that Miley Cyrus was the main attraction to this year's event. I was able to get tickets and surprised the kids. They were sad to leave their cousins but were happy once they found out where they were going. JJ was excited to hear Glenn Beck and we were also excited to see Blue Man Group. To my surprise, my favorite part was the dancing by the 1300+ girls from 3 difference states. I really liked that part. So what about Miley? Well, I'd have to say that it was somewhat of a disappointment. The biggest reason was because the sound simply sucked. You couldn't hear her. But that doesn't matter really. Watching Olivia in awe of seeing "Hanna Montana" live and in concert and singing along was worth the ticket of admission. Of course the firework display is one of the best (if not the best) in the country. They do NOT disappoint (ever). If you like fireworks, this is the show. Well, there you have it. Long day for sure. Freedom race, followed by the parade, then on to the Andersons, and finally the Stadium of Fire. Happy 4th of July!

Olive's endless pool

Ever since Oceanside, my buddy has been dreaming about those Endless Pools. Well, wait no more, here is one just as good. I could simply tie a rope on one or both of your legs and pull you back when you reach the other side. Pure and simple. As I've said before, Olivia LOVES the pool. On the 4th we were at the Andersons, and I timed her going from one side to the other. Her best time - 1.16 seconds. Look out, Kona (in about 15 more years).

Cougar Fans!

Hanging out at the Honey Bucket we find the cutest girls in Provo. Notice the Y stickers supporting the mighty Cougars.

Who doesn't like a parade?

When I was little, I used to watch the high school band practice near our house. I would often exclaim, "Look, Mom, a big banner!" I love parades. I love the floats, the military machines, the horses, but mostly the bands. We are lucky to have one of the best high school marching bands in the US here (American Fork High). The parade was a bit shorter than usual, and the skies were a bit overcast, and that means happy people (okay happy kids). The non-runners staked out a spot while the runners did their thing. We had a great time.

Freedom Run 2008

It is hard to believe that a whole year has passed since we ran in Provo's Freedom Run. Last year Rich and I ran the 10 K. That was Rich's VERY first race and it was the start of everything else. That led to more road races, getting a bike, riding the ULCER, doing the Jordanelle triathlon, and here we are a year later. Well, this year we wanted to get more people involved. Rich succeed in getting all of his family to race. My boys were excited to do it again. For JJ this would be his first race of the new season. He is really looking forward to cross country this year. Jake wanted to beat not only his 5K time from last year but also time at MRJH Fun run. I also tried (and failed) to get some of the Andersonian clan to run. Maybe next year. There were thousands of runners this year. My favorite is all of the strollers! The race was fun. I'm not telling my time because it wasn't as good as I thought it should be. What a fantastic way to start out the 4th of July!

Earl McCormick Davis

Okay, so the Davis name continues on. Up until this Thursday, the only boys to carry on the Davis name were JJ and Jake. Welcome, McCormick. Born Thursday morning to Josh and Jessica (by brother and his wife). The kids and I went to see the baby and present him with his first blanket/stuffed animal/rattle gift. Congratulations. Grantsville just increased in population by one. Jessica delivered at the new IHC Mega-complex. That place is HUGE. My sister, Kath works there in the Women's Center (on one of the lower floors).

Lagoon! It's what fun is

Okay, here in Utah your best option for amusement parks is Lagoon. I can't remember when the last time I went but it's been at least a few years. It is by no means anything like Disneyland but it is pretty decent place. I surprised the kids last week by taking them there. My sister and her family went a few weeks ago and sharing all of their adventures with my kids made them even more excited to go. Olivia was awesome and went on ALL of the big rides. We pretty much stuck together (the 4 of us) but I let the boys do their own thing a couple of times. JJ had a good friend (Bri) there and we all hung out for a few hours. Going during the week was MUCH better. We had little wait on any of the rides. Temps weren't too hot. As I mentioned, Lagoon doesn't really do much for me personally, but being with my kids and seeing how much fun they were having is what it's all about for me. If they are having a good time, so am I. A couple of comments on the slideshow: Olive did NOT like Terroride. Olive also was pretty nervous getting ON or OFF the big rides. If I tried snapping a picture before the ride, she was always strongly urging me to hurry and get on the ride. After the ride, she was VERY quick to get off just in case the ride operators decided to have us go for another go around.

A few nice photos

Here are my favorite shots from last weekend's ride. It is cool that we have the opportunity to have our picture taken and then we can order the pictures. My position and form looks pretty darn fast. Again, I'm so glad I went and for all of those that contributed to such a great cause.