Crazy Fun

Lagoon! It’s where fun is!

We went to Stake Lagoon Day yesterday. I took my son to Lagoon for the first time last year. We just went in for free without ride passes and got him a pass and let him ride what he could. This time we went all out. I got a pass too, took the day off and he and I arrived at opening time.

My son and I rode

Dracula’s Castle – nothing scares this kid, The Space Scrambler (twice) – a classic and lots of fun for both of us, Tilt-a-whirl – didn’t get as may good spins as I usually can, this ride took a while to get on because some little girl waiting in line got her knee stuck in the fence and they had us all wait while they resolved the problem, Paratroopers (twice) – deceivingly simple, we had great fun on this one, I think it gives more of the sensation of flying than even The Bat, The Sky Scraper – great view, kind of boring, Flying Aces – this has always been one of my favorites, again deceivingly simple, but if you do it right you get quite a ride, Dinosaur Drop & Lady Bug Bop – two fun smaller versions of the Rocket: Re Entry, OdySea (twice) – good if you want to get wet, pretty busy since it’s new, The log flume (twice) – no line, we went twice in a row, as far as I know it’s the only one that my son got enough of a rush out of to have to close his eyes, if you’re not aware, he’s only 3, Rattlesnake Rapids (twice) – very wet and very fun, The Musik Express – again one of the classics, my son loved it, Tidal Wave – this is one I’ve historically avoided because it freaks me out, we tried nearer the middle and I found I can handle that much better, the boy older than mine straight across from us screamed, “I’m going to die!”, The Rock-O-Plane – I’ve generally avoided this one as well and was surprised we could ride it together, my son loved it when I locked us upside down, we did it over and over, some teenage girl commented about my son as we left the ride, “Oh look he’s so cute” which I assume was just her expression of surprise at such a little guy doing that ride, Puff the Little Fire Dragon – after some of the stuff I took him on, this was nothing, I realized how boring the little kid rides are, but he loved big and small alike, Kontiki – little version of the Tidal Wave, it was ok, The Sky Ride – nice calm ride over the park, my son has no fear, he tried to lean out and look around, The Terror Ride – I think I was freaked out by the two scary rides when I was young, my son likes them, they are much less scary as an adult, The Dragon Fly – little swing set, I barely fit in, I told my wife, “I think I strained something putting that seatbelt on,” I think all the parents standing around the ride were laughing at me.

My son rode

Bulgy, The Red Barron, Scamper – I think these little bumper cars lend a little too much control of the ride to such little tikes, my son was stuck spinning around and around until he burst into tears (funny it’s the only ride that made him cry) We kept yelling, “Turn the wheel all the way around” but to no avail, Sky Fighter, The Speedway Jr. – this ride was fun for him, my wife and I got a little tired of the woman ahead of us with the unruly kids, Moonraker.

My wife and son rode

The Carousel – I hear he rode on the frog. I was waiting in line for Wicked.

We all rode

The Wild Kingdom Train – poor animals in cement cages, but my son loves trains, so what can you do?

I rode

Wicked – wild and fun, definitely the one of the best in the park, The Wild Mouse – ho hum, The Bat - yawn, The Rocket: Blast Off – caught me off guard and took my breath away, I never even had a chance to scream.

Weight Loss Methods

I thought I'd list some of the things I'm trying to do in order to lose weight. Either it will give you some ideas or you can offer me some more suggestions.

Eating Breakfast - For a long time I felt like I was getting up too early for breakfast and it was too complicated anyway. I finally found some oatmeal packs that I could make with hot water and in the microwave and it really helped me get into the habit of eating breakfast. Now I just make breakfast using regular oatmeal and skip buying the individual packets. Also, since I heard the explanation on Biggest Loser about your metabolism being slowed by your "fast" through the night not getting going again until you eat some breakfast, I am trying to eat a little something before I leave for the bus in the morning in the hopes that it will start my metabolism going then, rather than wait until I have my breakfast at 8 or 9. I usually just have a quick spoonful of cottage cheese or a handful on nuts.

Walking - I walk to the bus stop in the morning. It's about a mile and takes between 15 and 20 minutes. I usually have this walk home too unless we have something going on and I need to be home sooner.

Taking the Stairs - I try to avoid the elevator at work. That's three flights.

Playing Basketball - I try to play twice a week with some friends from work.

Chewing gum – This is another trick I learned originally from the Biggest Loser. I am a habitual overeater, but I find that a stick of gum after a meal gets my mind off eating more and also serves as dessert. I find that with all the flavors of gum, I’m still a fan of plain old spearmint.

Avoiding Dessert, Sweets and Soda – I just don’t eat or drink them anymore. If I try to have just a little, I end up in a big will power struggle. Instead I drink water and have a stick of gum.

Drinking Water – I’m drinking it not only as a substitute to soda and juices, but I’m drinking more in general. I have heard that sometimes when you think you are hungry; it is really just mild thirst that you mistake for hunger.

Supplements – I am taking Relacore, not because I’m really thinking it will be a solution for me, but because I bought a big bottle at Costco a while back and haven’t used it. I can’t stand letting things go to waste that I spent good money on.

Letting things go to waste – Okay, so not letting things go to waste has been one of my problems too. Whether it’s cookies, candies, all that extra food at family gatherings, my son’s uneaten dinner, or whatever else, I’m learning that I don’t have to eat it and it’s fine if it just gets thrown out.

Eating less and eating healthier – For now, these are kind of still just goals. It’s expensive sometimes and just harder… well, I’ve got a lot of excuses for this one.

Crazy Plans – This serves as motivation. I signed up for the Bair Gutsman. It is a 14 mile race that goes straight up the mountain in Farmington and then down the dirt road. I’ve gotten out jogging a few times and it is good motivation to get out and jog a few more times before August 2nd.

Competition – I’ve challenged some of my family to a weight loss competition. Not much has come of this yet except that I have been posting my results, had it on my mind, had a reason to turn down things I shouldn’t eat, and well, I guess quite a bit has come from it so far.

Any suggestions?

Moving On

A wise person once said, "If you are having a hard time getting rid of something, take a picture and throw it out anyway. Then, in a year, take out the picture and thow it away too."

So, here are some pictures of my T-shirts that I was having a hard time throwing out.

The Animal T-shirt was an awesome find at the DI when I went there with a bunch of friends not long after graduating high school. So it was used when I got it and let's see... how long ago did I graduate? Yikes!

The Official Water Detective T-shirt was a prize I won at work or was given to be for helping out with something, I can't remember really. I always liked it because if people didn't look close they thought I was an off-duty police officer or fireman or something. Ya I'm cool, you know I am.

Run Fat Boy Run or Big Loser

"Before"

I would say biggest loser, but so far no one has really taken my challenge for a biggest loser contest. I challenged my brother, but he says he's too busy. You all better get in on this because I'm only going to be able to do this once. I'm not going to put the weight back on just so we can have another competition later. So for now I'm just trying to be a big loser. I'm doing pretty good huh? (Wait, I haven't told you how I'm doing, so why were you nodding your head? Hey you aren't calling me a ... naw, you wouldn't) I'm on week 4. I first weighed in at 269.6 lbs. At the start of this week, I was at 258.6 lbs. So far so good.

The "Run Fat Boy Run" comes from the title of a movie for which I have seen previews. I don't think I'll ever watch the movie, but some of the preview is funny. What it refers to with me though is that I have entered the Bair Gutsman. Apparently you run straight up the mountain in Farmington and then run down the dirt road that goes up the canyon. I go back and forth from thinking, "I can do that" to "That might kill me" But at the very least, it is a motivator. I have done some jogging which I haven't done since... lets see... ya, I don't think I've ever gone jogging before.

So here's to losing lots of weight and not dying on the mountain.

"Hey, I lost some weight last week, you didn't find it did you?"

Water Ballon Fun

My son got some water ballons today and we had fun playing with them in the parking lot. The first batch I filled were all popped by the time I made it from the back yard to the front. So I kept a closer watch on the second batch. I scared the cat, we played catch, he threw some at me, I tossed some high in the air and tossed some for distance. I thought the pattern it made was cool so I had to take a picture. It would only last for a short time after impact before just becoming an indistinct puddle, so I had to hurry.

I wanted to do something fun and unique with each ballon and I kept asking my son what we should do with the next one. Without fail, his response was, "Throw it on the ground!"