Looking Back
Confession: I broke my streak on Duolingo.
Not on purpose, not because I wanted to.
But because I didn't plan…
15k in 3 Days
Yesterday a good friend of mine told me I was crazy.
“I wouldn’t do that for $5,000 a day!”
I told him that he absolutely would do it, as would most anybody.
Just about anyone given a chance to run three 5K races over three days at $5,000 a pop would jump at the opportunity…
Clean Up In Car Number Three
We'd been standing in line for the Wild Eagle ride at Dollywood last Wednesday for about 15 minutes, and it hadn't moved at all.
There were only maybe 100 people ahead of us, but the line was getting longer by the minute behind us, and the kids were getting impatient. "Lily, run up there and ask that lady what's going on," I said, pointing to an attendant standing upfront.
The way she looked at me, you would have thought I'd asked her to strip down to her underwear and do cartwheels in front of everyone while singing the national anthem and stuffing marshmallows in her ears at the same time…
Gracias Para Su Paciencia
Julia and I had the best waiter at lunch on Sunday at Monterrey here in Monroe. When he arrived, we asked if it would be OK for us to practice our Spanish while we there.
“Si, amigo, yes,” he said with a genuine smile…
My Shower is Trying to Kill Me
I will never forget the day, back in my 20's, when I jumped into the water at Harper Creek Falls.
My friend Cory and I had spent several days backpacking in the Wilson Creek area and passed this popular swimming hole the last day on our way back to the car.
It was warm out.
Sunny.
Clear skies.
Perfect day for a swim…
$35 Stress Relief And A T-Shirt
Somebody asked me today how I deal with stress in my life.
I said, “What stress?”
Because, honestly, I tend to deal with it by just pretending that I don’t have any stress. But, if you know me, then you know that's not exactly true…
Tonawanda Terror
Slowly, I'm coming to understand that achieving optimal fitness requires sustained maximum effort.
Intensity…
El Tarro Mexicano
In 347 more days, Julia and I are booking a trip to Mexico.
IF, that is, we meet our goal.
A while back, on a whim, I got the Duolingo app and started learning Spanish. Like a lot of folks, I took Spanish in high school. And, like most of those folks, I’d forgotten most of it. “Hola” and “uno, dos, tres. . .” was about as far as I could get…
Up Front
Here recently, I’ve begun to consider myself in reasonably good shape. It’s been a little over a year since I put together a small gym down in the basement and got myself back in the habit of regular workouts.
I’ve lost a bunch of fat, gained a bunch of muscle.
Last fall, I started running again, and I’ve run a handful of 5k’s this year.
In April, I finished my first Spartan Race…
Riding
With school starting back soon, I was thinking about when I first started having to drive Lily and Sam from Monroe to Ballantyne for school. There’s been a couple of different routes I’ve taken over the years but, no matter how you slice it, it’s somewhere between 90 and 120 minutes, round trip.
At first, I hated it.
I mean really, really, really, freakin’ hated.
I’d make that drive every Wednesday and Thursday and then every other Friday. And every Tuesday and Wednesday night, and then every other Thursday night, I’d start dreading it…
Saying Thank You vs. Just Moving On
I’ve known Mark for ten years or so during which time we’ve done a good bit of business. Everything from single-family home sales to more complicated transactions where we’ve acquired land for development and have had to deal with planning boards, zoning approvals, and other complexities.
Recently we wrapped up a land deal that had started smoothly enough - just a couple of acres already developed for townhomes. We went under contract back in January with plans to close in February, both of us thinking it would be a reasonably quick and easy transaction.
We were dead wrong…
It’s So Easy
Falling off the wagon, that is.
I’m not sure exactly when it started, in the time between the Spartan Race back in April and the beginning of summer I slacked off of my fitness program…
Broken
The Teenager called last night.
It’s been about a month since he drove himself to Greeley, CO for a summer internship with the United Way.
“How’s it going, Walt? What are you working on?”
“Good! Besides working the charity bike race they are teaching me how to write grants, so that’s mostly what I’ve been doing. Not only that but two different people with Americorps have called, and they want me to interview for leadership positions, so I’ll be talking to them next week.”
“Well, damn, Walt, that sounds pretty cool,” I said.
And it is…
Chicken Wings
Six friends, a couple of twelve packs, and Scattergories.
What could possibly be better?
Good question.
The answer is friends, beers, Scattergories. . . and chicken wings…
Black and White
Julia thinks I have mono.
Maybe I do.
Lately, I’ve had a lot of days where I’m lethargic. Zero energy and abnormally fatigued.
Today is one of those days. Walking up from the basement this morning - just 16 steps - my muscles felt tired like it had been 160 steps.
Later I went down for my workout and totally struggled. After a 90 second plank and 20 burpees, I quit.
Walked out and shut the door…
The Sky Is The Limit
The truth is, I feel like I’m just waking up.
For most of my adult life, I have merely existed. I’ve gone through the motions, so to speak, doing the things you’re supposed to do.
College, job, marriage, babies. . .
But in 2017 it occurred to me that I wasn’t so much playing the game of life as I was floating through it…
The Double Wide Workout
Tucked into the foothills of North Carolina, somewhere in Rutherford County, there is a double wide trailer. If you’ve ever been to Rutherford County this, of course, comes as no surprise because they are everywhere.
Which is fine, there’s nothing wrong with a double wide trailer and besides this isn’t about the trailer, it’s about what’s inside…
I’ve Strayed
Confession: I have been forgetting a lot of things lately.
Like returning a phone call.
Changing the MLS status on a property that sold.
Two weeks ago, I’m not kidding, I totally forgot to go look at a house someone wanted me to list. I had it on my calendar and I’d thought about it earlier in the day. Still, laying in bed that night, I awoke with a start, suddenly realizing that I didn’t go…
Under Contract
I’ve renovated a couple of homes before, but always for myself - for a home that I bought to live in. This morning, for the first time, I signed a contract on a house that I bought solely for the purpose of renovating and reselling.
“Flipping” as most people call it, although this project was more of a total renovation than a quick flip, and it was a totally different ballgame than renovating your own house…
Measure Twice, Cut Once
This past weekend I built my son, Samson, a loft bed so that he could sleep above his drum kit, freeing up floor space in his tiny bedroom. The smell of a freshly cut board always takes me back to my PawPaw’s cabinet shop in Hemby Bridge and to the construction sites where, growing up, I’d work with my dad.
Coming up in an environment like that, the old advice about measuring and cutting gets pounded into your head, and with good reason. If you’ve ever built anything from raw wood, you know the misery that can come with a bad cut…