Keeping things going....

Looks like last week was a good week for me to start up somethings that I have let slip away.  It felt good too!  Work was kind to me which gave me time, and no real excuse, to put things off.

A little exercise in, a little stretching in, a couple of posts here, and even a little guitar practice in.  I literally knocked a little dust of my acoustic...well...probably more than a little dust.  I even kept that rolling into this week already.  I feel my hands loosening up quite nicely.  I definitely need to keep on going on that.

There are a couple of things that I found that I need to adjust.  My exercises fell off as the week drew to a close, but I did see that there are some effective and easy things that I can do at and around the house.  I just have to commit a little bit more.  Now, if I can only adjust to eating a little bit **cough, cough, a lot*** better, I will be on quite the roll..

I was even slow enough at work that I was able to drive around Houston (the East End) and scout a couple of things that I would love to take some snapshots of.  Boy, oh boy has it been way too long for me to do that.  Work has gained so much stream for me here in Houston, that a lot of that freedom that I once had to sneak off and take pictures really don't exist anymore.  I felt great to be able to do that, even it was just to site see.  I know blow that dust off of my camera and have it ready for the next time I get to disappear during a slow work day.  I hope to have one of those days soon.

Ok, well.  That is all that I have for today.  Here is to continuing on these things that I have already started, and maybe starting up a few more!

I did something today that I haven't done in a long time.....

....and that was typed up a blog post..no, no...well, yeah that, but that's not why I came here.  I actually worked out.  Yes, I did a little exercising.  It wasn't anything super special, but it definitely was a start.  Oh yes, I felt it afterward. 

I actually stretched (need to get prepped for running), tried out some jump rope exercises, and started some push up and sit up challenges that will train you for 100 and 200 respectively.  I can't believe that I actually started it.  I was lazy about it and really almost put it off, but I forced myself to.  I guess that is something to be happy about. 

Tomorrow is another day, and these exercises are ones that I can do everyday.  I hope to try it out again.  The ol' saying, "One day at a time..."  We will see.  Wish me luck. 

39

39....

There it is. I am 39 years old now. I have never been one that made a big deal about age before, but that there is starting to sound like I am getting old. The few times I had said that out loud, it hit me. I mean, it just sounded weird. I was like, wow...is that right? I guess it is.

I don't think that I feel that old, or old at all. Every once in a while, when getting out of bed, but body may be telling me that I feel like it, but beyond that I feel ok. I know that I need to take better care of myself now. I need to take that more seriously now more than ever. The older you get, the harder it is. I do want to hang around the kids as long as I can, you know. I am currently mapping out my plan on working out. Sigh, it's gonna be tough. It always is getting started from square one, but that is what I get.

I have some other thoughts that I was originally going to type up here, but then this grabbed my attention first for whatever reason. I guess that is a good thing, it gives me something to type up tomorrow, right?! Or next year?! I hope the sooner the better...I will be better at this...I promise....

Raymond is sentimental....

Raymond is a certainly a great kid. He just is. He is happy, smart, loving, and more than all of that, Raymond is sentimental. Oh my god, is he ever. It's so awesome to see and experience it, but sad too.

Today, we obtained tickets to the Disney on Ice at NRG Stadium. So the whole Tribe made the trip out to see it. The kiddos loved it. Even Raymond for it being so Disney Princess heavy, hey...he is kid still. We watched the show and decided to have a family dinner at Barnaby's Café in River Oaks. His first time there since he always spends the weekend at Little Grandma's and never wants to leave, even when she wants to go out to eat, he simply refuses. A nice dinner and it was time for him to go back to Grandma's house because he wanted to and he needs to keep her warm when it is cold outside he always says.

Ruby dropped off me and the girls and then went to take him to Little Grandma's house. When she came back home, Ruby told me that Raymond started to cry because he didn't want to ever forget today. They tried to assure him that if he always thought about it, that he never would forget. He is just like that. It's what he does.

A while back when talk of possibly moving started heating up, Raymond didn't want to move and started to cry because Elke (the family cat) was buried in the backyard. He couldn't think of us leaving her. Now, I have to figure something out on that front, but there are countless other instances of this kind of events.

Anyway, since I had sometime, I wanted to type this up since it was fresh on my mind...this just happened about an hour or so ago.

...and I was running...

Wow....another three months passed,huh?! Whoops. Anyway, there is a lot going on in the Gamboa Clan so there may or may not be updates...hell, even if there is just a sentence, I will update something...

Well, I went running tonight. Yep. Running. In 40 degree temperatures ("felt like" 30-something), and the wind was howling. I did not enjoy it. I felt uncomfortable. I dressed for the occasion but I didn't like it. Although, I am glad I did. Just hit the 1.5 mile mark today. I am following a training schedule, and I know it is going to be challenging to keep on it, but I am going to try.

I also didn't like the fact that I went running after 8:00 p.m. Dark, alone, a little bit creepy. I went though. I didn't like it, but I went. I will have to go late again I am sure. I would like to keep it no later than 7:00 p.m. but there are going to be "late night" runs. Hopefully work will calm down, and I will get to go in the mornings again. That is the ideal run for me, but work sometimes gets in the way.

So, there is a plan to my running. If I can go three times a week, for about 12 weeks or so, I will be running 6 miles. I would like to hit that. It's just a little goal to keep me going. I do hope I can stick to it. That's the plan anyway.

A New Week, a fresh beginning...

...has it really been 8 months? Wow, sorry. I knew that some time had past since my last post, but I did not realize that it had been 8 months. Damn it. It's funny that two different people asked me about blog posts and/or photography in a short span. Made me actually feel like I should continue to do it. I struggle with it sometimes, because I know that only like one or two people actually tune in, but I do enjoy it. I also run out of topics to type up about and don't want to bore the person or two that read. I have to do a better job of finding interesting, relevant topics....

Anyway, as one could imagine, a lot has happened in 8 months time. The loss of the family pet, end of school years, family trips, and a birthday...that's right, I am 38 now. 38? How did that happen? Doesn't seem right, or logical. I mean, I don't seem like I should be 38 years old. I'm still good ol' Nick, aren't I? (Boy do I have thoughts on that topic, more on that in future postings) I certainly don't feel like I am 38. Sure, I am not as spry as I used to me, every once and awhile I feel like I am wearing down a bit. I certainly don't bounce back from long nights of drinking like I used to...sometimes, but I don't feel like I am a 38 year old father of 3. But I am. Nothing wrong with that, just saying.

That being said, I have always thought on Sunday Nights that the dawn of the new work week is like a fresh start. Tiny fresh starts that happen every week. Kind of a mental thing I suppose. I always say, "That's it!! I am getting back on track this week!" But Alas, things never pan out like I envisioned them, they never do. I always look at the beginning of the week for the chance for me to start eating right, working out, reading, and other things that I want to get into. Somewhere down the line (like on Monday Morning) something goes horribly wrong. I hope to change that this week, this being a tiny hint of proof of that.

Being that I am 38 now, I do need to start taking better care of myself. I do go through periods where I work out consistently, eat well, and feel good, but always seem to get derailed somewhere. My goal is to keep it up and just change the lazy lifestyle. I might be at the heaviest weight that I have ever been. No joke. So tomorrow, I start fresh. Going to start by eating right. There is a payoff there, so I figure that's a great place to start. I want to stick around for a while. I want to see Raymond, Lylah, and Zoe grow up some, you know? Can't do that eating fast food, and just being plain unhealthy. See?? The motivation is there, I just have to get up and do it. I hope to tomorrow....

With that, maybe my goal of the "Social Media Monday" makes a bit of a come back. Photo ops for me have been few and far between since work has really skyrocketed this calendar year. I've got to figure out how to squeeze picture time somewhere. For now, maybe the update on photography and blog posting will be slow and steady, once a month??! Every two weeks?? Something like that.

Whew! Looks like I came out swinging, right?!?! I hope so! Maybe this is a good sign for my tiny fresh beginning this time around. Let's just hope that it sticks and a trends accidentally forms. I really do need it. Here's to a great week!

Life

With these updates, I have quite a bit of things that I do want to touch up on this blog, but with some things going on in the last week, I would be remissed if I didn't write about this funny and unexpected thing called life.

Over the last week or so there have been life changing, tragic events that have happened to people around me. It hadn't really directly affected me, so to speak, but I have felt bad about the events. It makes you stop and relect on life around you. I always love to soak in moments, and I do realize that life is a wonderful thing. I appreciate everyday life. I am able to not let work, or business, or stress weigh me down. I have been lucky about that. Receiving news before a football game, even a Texans game (which is a big deal around these parts), made me realize just how trival and small a game is in the game of life (sorry for that phrase).

Yet it is in some trivial things that can make life that much better. Now a football game might not be the greatest example, but different strokes for different folks, right?! If someone can get a little relief, even if for a brief moment during a football game, then it did its job. For that, some might not realize that a football game can be comforting to someone, no matter what the outcome.

At the time, I didn't know if I was going to be able to enjoy the game, or even if I should, but I watched the game of course. A little ironic that during said game, a coach had to be taken to a hospital via ambulance, again making the game seem small. He now going through tests and will no doubt think about life.

I may be going in circles here, because I am having a hard time getting my thoughts down. I hope that this is coherent.

I say sometime that I am getting soft in my old age. I think that is true, or maybe I have always been a big ol' softy?! I am not sure which it is. One thing is that with the arrival of our kids, I have become much more of a homebody. I never really was the clubbing, going out all of the time, but now I choose to be home. There are times that I would like to go to different events, meet people for drink, what have you, but instead I think I would much rather be home. It's funny to say, or even weird to think, but it is fun being home. Oh sure, the occasional night out if very nice, but while the kiddos are small I want to spend as much time as I can with them because I know one day....the ain't wanna hang out with ol' Mom and Dad...maybe. I am of the opinion that we are building strong bonds and values now, that way when they are older, we have done our jobs. Does this make sense? I feel like I am rambling for some reason....

Anyway I can go on and on, but I may break it for there. I really hope that my thoughts came out a little clear and you can see a little into what I think and feel about life. Until next week....