My two cents...

Dawn is absolutely correct in saying that this has been a challenging week for us.  She is extremely busy attending her TESOL classes and the kids have been excellent in helping us around the house.  To say this week has been challenging would be a vast understatement.
Since Sunday, I have found myself in a deep depression.  It doesn't happen often and I can usually get myself out of this rut within a day or two.  Unfortunately, this time I haven't been able to jump out of it...

So.....I've been doing a lot of praying this week for some clarity and for God to take this anger out of my heart and depression out of my mind.  Yesterday, I got my answer...


Steve West is one of my best friends from high school and on Facebook.  Every once in awhile he'll send me a note to see what I'm up to.  He's in St. Louis with his wife and three daughters and is just a great guy.  If we lived closer to one another, I could almost call him a best friend as we have several things in common and can just tell it like it is.

Monica and Steve West....and me.

Anyway, in his email yesterday, he told me about the Tough Mudder event taking place back home in Poplar Bluff.  I had heard of the TM events, so I looked up the website and video.  After some emails back and forth, I knew I had found the motivation I needed to kill four birds with one stone.

1. Training for the Tough Mudder would help me quit smoking
2. Training for the Tough Mudder gives me a goal to train with Dawn to help her attain her weight loss goal.
3. We get to go home and see my family...which I love doing!
4. This physical and mental test will strengthen my relationship with God.

For those of you who don't know, a Tough Mudder event is a 10 to 12 mile obstacle course with 28 obstacles designed by the British Special Forces.   Here's a short video:  

Steve and I are going to do this with two more of our former classmates:  Brian Allen and Scott Kennedy.  We are team Adventure Freaks 2 and we're just looking to finish...a nice slow pace with teamwork involved.

I don't know if it's the barbwire, the mud, the electric wires, or the ice cold water...but I'm excited.

I've already downloaded the training program for the event and was up at 5 am to get started with Dawn...she was still exhausted from her busy week, so we'll start our workout together next week.  I did finish my first training day though about 30 minutes...and I'm whupped.  

By the way...my last cigarette was about two hours ago...

I'm gonna go take a shower, get dressed, give thanks to God for leading me out of this darkness and having Dawn in my life, and finally go to work.

God is good...