Hit the Pavement

I absolutely hated running.  I thought is was boring, monotonous and you always feel so tired and out of shape.  Well, I no longer feel that way.  It is like a drug.  It is like the road calls to you when you are away, teasing you.  It is there, waiting to be conquered.  My muscles are sore, my body is tired, but I long to be back on the road.  Each run I get more confident and less fatigued.  I feel I can run longer and farther each time.

Today was a great run.  I was up before the sun, the road was wet from rain.  There was a slight spray coming down.  There were hardly any cars out.  It was like I had the whole neighborhood to myself.  I eventually started crossing paths with the school bus.  [It seems way to early to have to go to school.]  I crossed by one other runner that lifted her hand to say "hi."  I felt like I was a part of something.  An elite club of motivated people that have found the same addiction, only, this is a healthy addiction (I hope).  It is a club of lone rangers.  It is a team of one.  You can never lose (and never win) because you are always playing against yourself.  You are only limited by yourself.  You cannot blame anyone else for your failures.

Up until this time, it is all about team sports.  Even golf is different because you are with other people.  I think that is why running never appealed to me because you are so isolated or you are running in one place on the treadmill.  But now I find it therapeutic.  It is a time to spend reflecting on life, God, family, goals.  Today I came to the realization that I need to be completely changed in all three areas: Body, Mind and Soul.  I know I have mentioned it before, but it is more than a New Year's resolution, but rather a revelation.  In order for me to be where I want to be as a person, I have to continually work HARD in all three areas of my life.  I am enthusiastic, motivated and ready for whatever life brings, at least I hope I will be.

http://nikerunning.nike.com/n/r/en_US/268446048/1484044764/

A New Decade, A New Me

I have so many thoughts, ideas and oddities rolling around in my head, that I need to get them down.  I guess the beginning of my new life started when I turned 30.  Karyn and I had been going to a small church for 2 years and never connected there.  We decided to try another church, called Rolling Hills Community Church.  Just about every Sunday we have been there, it is like God has spoken directly to us. One Sunday, I got convicted by the New Testament story, where Jesus told the man to sell everything and give it to the poor and follow HIM.  The man didn't because he had great wealth.  I felt convicted that day to sell my Xbox and give the money to the poor.  Out of obedience I did just that.  Karyn was shocked since Xbox was on almost every day and late into the night at our house.  It was an escape, an isolation, an addiction.  It became my god and consumed my thoughts.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to give it up.  I sold it on eBay and gave the money to Nashville Rescue Mission.  The money would go to serve something like 300+ meals.  It's hard to imagine that while I was playing "games" and wasting my time, that could have gone to something to help someone in need.

In October, Karyn signed up for the Biggest Loser with her mom's group.  I was weighing in at an all-time high of 200 pounds at the time.  I decided that I would do it with her.  We completely changed our diet and our morning routine.  For years I have lived without an alarm clock.  I would wake up whenever the babies did or when the sun did.  Being .5 miles away from work and not having to be on time was a luxury I took advantage of.  Plus, my late night Xbox sessions required me to sleep in.  Since that addiction was out of my life and I now had to get up early with Tegan while Karyn hit the gym, I found I had some time to make Karyn breakfast.  In fact, I have been doing all the grocery shopping and most of the meal prep.  Thanks to Harris Teeter opening up just a mile from home, it is easy to just buy the "daily bread" instead of stocking up.  To date, I have lost 17 pounds with this lifestyle change.  That is about 1.5 pounds a week, in the midst of the holidays even.  I feel better, my pants fit better and I am even back in clothes that I haven't been in for several years.

My body and soul are getting on the right track.  The last is now the mind.  I am a Dave Ramsey fan, but I am also stubborn.  He always says to read 1 non-fiction book a month.  This is a habit of most millionaires by the way.  Well, this is the last piece of advice from DR, that I have been procrastinating on.  I bought two books the other day.  One for my mind: Arguing with Idiots by Glenn Beck and for my soul: Life's Healing Choices by John Baker.  The latter corresponds to a study we are doing through our church community group.  Now that my beloved Chargers are eliminated from the tournament, I can turn off the TV and read every night.  We are also doing the Bible in a year through church.  This week we are going through Job.

2010 also kicked off with Karyn and me agreeing to RUN the Country Music 1/2 Marathon.  This was one of Karyn's bucket list items, so I decided to do it with her.  I am excited about it.  I even bought Nikes with the + chip so I can track all my runs, like a real-life video game.

Franklin, TN Real Estate Opportunity

I have a ground-floor opportunity for the new development, Jamison Station, in Franklin, TN. Located across the street from the Factory and stone's throw from historic downtown Franklin. I have an assignable contract on Unit 203. This unit comes with hardwood floors, Viking appliances, an elevator and a rooftop courtyard with gas hook-up for a barbecue. If you are interested in purchasing the rights to this contract, I will consider all reasonable offers. Please email me at andyljohnson at hotmail dot com for offers or more information.

Blogs Are Here To Stay

As much as I hate to admit it, blogs have completely changed the architecture of the Internet. While this whole Internet thing is in its infancy, we have come a long way from Gopher, CompuServe and AOL of old. The Internet is quickly evolving into a monster of information and corporations quickly scrambling to get "traffic." Not traffic of gasoline guzzling 4x4s, but virtual web traffic. That desire is how Google got to be one of the most powerful corporations in the WORLD. Search engines thrive on new content and consider it bragging rights to be able to say they have the most relevant and up-to-date information. So, frequent bloggers are rewarded by these search engines as well. The formula comes in two parts: how frequently a page updates and how many sites link into that site (minus some penalty for external links). While the exact details of these formulas are top secret, locked under redundant security at the Google Headquarters, we do know the basics. There have been other companies that make a living off of Search Engine Optimization. That is to say that they promise to make your site rise to the top of the FREE search on Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Everything has its cost though.

I am here to help you, to attack the internet with a well-designed website, well-thought-out content, easy to update and search-engine friendly. I am a self-taught programmer (sick of paying developers $85 an hour) and I can help you get the web presence you deserve and targeted to the people who want to find you. Check back for more information or contact me at www.AndyLJohnson.com.