Going on a Trip? See You Next Fall!

Okay, so normally I don't like to post these things because it seems mean to glorify someone's mishap, but as I watched this video over and over again, I thought it would be unfair if I just kept it to myself (plus it's already on youtube and facebook).

This is my good friend Tori apparently in the backroom of her working place.

Stop Feeding Your Fat Face

So a while ago one of my friends had lost a lot of weight. I mean, noticeable weight. In a completely straight kind of way, I would say that he looked pretty darn good (I wouldn't go as far as to say he was handsome, but you know what I mean). So after complimenting him I asked him what the secret to his weight loss was. He simply replied, "It's call the stop-feeding-my-fat-face diet". So simple yet so hard. It kind of reminds me of a sketch that I saw on my friend John Au's blog about not spending more than you have. But I digress.

Six weeks ago I started this fitness program called Boot Camp (I didn't originate it, I started attending it). There was this guy at our church who does fitness training and he approached me with a proposal to start a fitness program at our church. Of course he came to me because I am the fittest pastor at Hope Chapel (or maybe because I'm the sports director) with a plan to get guys into shape. At first I was skeptical because I hear many pitches from people who have ideas and enthusiasm, but based on a recommendation from Rob McWilliams, another pastor on staff who does the program in town, I decided to hear him out and hear his proposal.

I must say, when I met with Marty, I was impressed at his vision and passion. He firmly believes that health should be one of our top priorities (number one is God, number two or three is fitness) because we can't serve God if we're dead. I like the way he thinks.

So with that we started Boot Camp. It's a six-week fitness program designed to help us get in shape. Our first week we took measurements to see what we're starting with. This was my starting fitness reading:

Starting weigh-in

The numbers you really want to look at are the fat weight (mine was 70.8 pounds), the lean weight (149.2 pounds) and the number circled on the top (50). According to Marty you want around 20 pounds of fat on you so if you do the math 70-20=50. That means I could stand to lose 50 pounds of fat. That's a lot of fat that I'm carrying around (it's about half of Ted for goodness sake!). Well that's why I'm in Boot Camp I guess.

So over the six weeks it's been tough. People ask what a typical class is like and here's what we do. We do 40 minutes of calisthenics followed by 20 or so minutes of running (so an hour total) twice a week. We don't use weights but rather just use our own body weight (as Marty is fond of saying, "you brought it in here, you lift it!).

The calisthenics consist of various non-stop exercises. And by "non-stop" I mean there isn't rest time between. It's this, followed by this, followed by that for 40 minutes. He also does that military type counting where they go "one-two-three-ONE, one-two-three-TWO, one-two-three-THREE, etc" so every count is really doubled. So if we do 25 jumping jacks it's really like doing 50 of them.

So last night we did 25 jumping jacks (in reality 50), followed by 25 push-ups (in reality 50), followed by 25 more jumping jacks (you get the idea), then 25 more push-ups (on our knuckles), then 25 more jumping jacks, then 30 crunches, then 20 diamond push-ups and on and on for 40 minutes.

I must say the class is definitely not getting easier, but it is getting more manageable. I mean let's be honest, I wasn't in very good shape to begin with and the first night I couldn't even do the running portion. I literally had to lie down in the wet parking lot because I was so out of breath. I could probably do only 30% of the exercise portion as well. I thought I was going to die and don't get me started on the pain I felt the next morning. And to top it all off, Carl decided he would mention my little mishap to the congregation during his sermon (but God is a good God and the very next week Carl was the one throwing up on the side of the road...hee hee).

But the good news is that I could gradually feel my strength and wind improve. I would say I can almost do 60% of the exercises (I'm still probably a little behind the class average but I'm still trying hard) and I can at least finish the run.

The fun thing is seeing improvements from everyone. Mikey, Carl, Dural, Grant, Clinton and my brother are all in the class so it's really fun and motivating (because no one wants to quit first). I think we're all signing up for the next six weeks as well.

So do you want to see the results of the last six weeks of pain?

After the first session

So after the first six weeks I've lost about 10 pounds (I've gotten as much as 13 pounds down but I figured much of that was water weight) and my fat weight went from 70.8 to 55.7 a loss of about 15 pounds of fat. I gained around 5 pounds of lean weight which is good too. So now I only need to drop another 35 pounds of fat weight. I'll let you know how I do after the next six weeks. If only I could figure out how to "stop-feeding-my-fat-face" I'd be perfect!

So Hard, Praying to Jesus

I'm blessed. So much of the time when I'm complaining for feeling sorry for myself (which isn't often, although Keao may disagree) I remind myself that I'm blessed. I have a job that I love and a wife that I love even more. Who could ask for anything more?

Actually, for all the great parts of my job, there are also parts of my job that aren't too fun. My job requires flexibility and the hours are all over the place. This makes planning "date nights" hard because so many nights are taken up with meetings or other church related outings. So whenever I do complain about my job to Keao, she'll often reply, "so hard, praying to Jesus".

Of course being a pastor is very rewarding as well. In my line of work I get to meet some really great people and I have made some really great friends all over the world. But as you may know, many times, it's the small things that mean the most to people. A phone call here or a kind word there can go a long way.

Last Saturday was Jasen's birthday. Jasen came to our church a few years ago because he saw the big Hope Chapel banner hanging on the fence on the highway and decided to check it out. He came to my MiniChurch on the recommendation of one of his friends and literally just showed up one night. He didn't know anyone, but showed up anyway. He's been my friend ever since.

But back to last Saturday. It was his birthday so I texted him in the morning to wish him a happy birthday and ask him if he had any plans. He replied "no" so I decided to see if I could throw him a little impromptu party. I texted a bunch of his friends and we met up at California Pizza Kitchen ASAP in Kailua.

That's the birthday boy with the balloon

Natalie, Abby and John help celebrate

Even Rachel and Steve made a rare appearance

The great thing about church are all the relationships that are formed. I can honestly say that without church (or more accurately God) I probably wouldn't be friends with 90% of the people that I'm friends with now. Not to say that they're terrible people or that I'm special or anything like that, but realistically we just wouldn't be in the same circles. We wouldn't have too much in common. That's the beauty of it all. Our common link, God, places us together as a family and help foster these relationships.

And relationships are what it's all about. When Jasen got to CPK ASAP, the first thing he said when he saw all of us was "hey, all of my friends are here". Even though it probably wasn't a big deal to us, it was huge for him. Being there with his friends was the gift.

Liz and Haley share in the celebration



Jasen thinking, "gee, I'm so special"



Had to put this in because we're so cute!

When I first agreed to take over Ignite (our singles and couples ministry), one of the conditions I set down was that God would give me a clear mission. After much prayer I really believe that God told me to connect people to him and to connect them to each other. That's what drives me in my ministry. If I can do that, I believe that we'll see growth and we'll see success.

Seeing Jasen light up when he saw his friends gathering to celebrate his birthday showed me that we're what we're supposed to. Here's the text he sent to us later that night, "Thank you all for hanging out with me and making this day special and memorable. I appreciate all of you in my life. Take care and God bless." That's why I'm blessed.

Bathroom Comics III

So with all the bad news in the news lately, I decided it was time for another segments of Bathroom Comics (here are the first and second). For those of you new to the blog, these are simply comics that I found funny on my daily calendar that's in my bathroom. There are actually two daily comic calendars but all of these came from Rubes. I hope they brighten your day.

Sometimes life's lessons suck

I'm not sure how many of you will get this. I think only a true Beatles fan will

So true! That's why I never get any better

How Far is Too Far?

There has been some uproar here lately over HB 444 (the civil unions bill), violence and Saturday Night Live. SNL you ask? That lovable show that brought us Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers and many other comedic stars? Yup. You read that right. Apparently last Saturday SNL did a sketch with Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson that didn't exactly portray Hawaii in the most positive light. If you missed it, you can watch it here.

In the last two days I have read 2 blogs about it (WWD and Quarterlife Cafe) and an article in the newspaper. Now as someone who has worked in the travel industry for the last 13 years I think I may have some insight to this sketch.

I can honestly say that most of the people that I have worked with genuinely enjoy working in that industry. It is important to note though that it is our number one industry and whether you want to admit it or not, we need tourists to come to Hawaii.

Over the last 13 years, I have had the pleasure of working with some outstanding people and some not so outstanding people. I also met some of the nicest visitors and some downright unhappy ones. But overall, I really enjoyed my time with Pleasant Holidays.

So what do I think of the sketch? I think they say what everyone has thought from time to time. Some of their comments are brutally accurate but not all of them. Did they go to far? Maybe but probably not. As one blogger mentioned, it is SNL and that's what they do. It's not like it's CNN. They're trying to poke fun at Hawaii.

I do think though, that in the midst of everything else that's going on in our state, this sketch is the least of our worries. I can't see anyone watching SNL and saying, "gee, based on that sketch, I'm canceling my trip to paradise." Just can't see it.

A Girl's Best Friend

Last year our good friend Tricia, who works for Campus Crusade for Christ, went on a trip to China. She was going to be gone for several weeks and was worried because she needed someone to watch over her dog Jordan. Of course, Keao and I are suckers for dogs, especially one as cute as Jordan so we agreed to dog-sit Jordan for the few weeks. Now, if you know anything about me, dogs are not meant to be indoors so my only rule to dog-sitting was that Jordan could not come inside the house. Well I guess Tricia was getting a little desperate because surprisingly she agreed.

After those few weeks I must admit, I did grow a little attached to Jordan and I was sorry to see her go. I was even more saddened to hear that because she was outdoors the whole time she developed some sort of skin rash.

Fast forward to this year. After my brother moved out, Tricia moved in and became our roommate. This cheered my heart because once again I would be able to see cute Jordan (and Tricia too). Of course, my "no dogs in the house" rule still stood and Jordan quickly made herself at home on my patio.

Now Tricia had Jordan since she was 18 or 19 and Jordan has been all over the country with Tricia. They were tight. Jordan was a constant, loyal, loving companion. But like everything else, Jordan was getting older. She was slowing down. She no longer had the same spring in her step. By the time Tricia and Jordan moved in with us Jordan was already sick with an inoperable tumor and she was slowly bleeding internally. The vet said that it wouldn't necessarily be painful for Jordan, but there wasn't much they could do. The nights were cold and we offered to break our rule and let Jordan sleep indoors at night. Jordan was getting weaker by the day.

You know, Tricia and Jordan moved in just over two weeks ago and in that short while Jordan really took a liking to me. Every time I would go outside she would get up and follow me around. Sometimes I would go to the front yard and she would come to the front and lie down and just watch whatever I was doing. The last few days though were different. Jordan was so weak she wouldn't stand up anymore. Her breathing became labored and even moving seemed like a chore. Instead she would just lie there and follow me around with her eyes.

This morning, when Tricia went outside to check on Jordan, she noticed that Jordan had thrown up again. After much consideration Tricia made one of the hardest decisions of her life. She decided that it was time to let Jordan go. She decided to put Jordan down.

There's a reason that dogs are known as man's best friend. Dogs are loyal. They love unconditionally. They are always there when you're feeling down. They cheer you up. Jordan was no different.

After spending all morning outside with Jordan, Tricia and Keao drove together to the vet. I wasn't there, but Keao told me that everything went about as good as they could. Tricia mentioned how God had his hand in it. You see, the vet didn't have to put Jordan to sleep. Jordan quietly passed away in the vet's office. Tricia got to spend an entire morning with Jordan and she got to be there when she passed away. Of course, I'm sure Tricia would rather have Jordan back, but if she had to go, this was probably the best anyone could have hoped for.

The last time I would get to see Jordan

1997-2009

Maui, Oh Maui

As you may know Keao is from the Big Island but went to school on Oahu. She left Honokaa in the 7th grade and attended Kamehameha Schools until she graduated from High School. This, of course, meant she boarded and live with the other outer island girls. One of her best friends during this time was a sweet Maui girl named Kelii. Kelii has since left the islands and moved to North Carolina but she comes back to visit from time to time. So right after the Great Aloha Run (and I literally mean right after) Keao and I hurried home to shower pack and then head to the airport. We had a 12:44pm flight to catch and we were both exhausted from waking up at 4am, running 8.15 miles and rushing to the airport. We did make our flight pretty easily but by the time we arrived on Maui we were both starving and wanting food badly! Luckily for us there was a Ruby's Diner in Kahului.

The entrance to our heavenly meal

Ruby's Diner is a 40's style diner that specializes in burgers, fries and shakes. They also have the waiters and waitresses dress up like they did back then (or at least what I imagined they wore back then). Because we figured that we ran enough calories off in the morning, we decided to treat ourselves to whatever we wanted to eat.

Keao was so hungry she couldn't even look at the menu (or camera)

She opted for a peanut butter cup shake which was so huge they brought out the extra in another cup!

I opted for the sliders and rings (which were perfect even though there were only five of them)

After lunch we took a nap and met up with Kelii and her family in Wailuku. We hung out with them for a bit and got ready for our big adventure to the Maui Ocean Center the next day.

The Maui Ocean Center is an aquarium that sits right next to Maalaea Harbor. Probably the thing it's most famous for is its shark tunnel. That is, there's a large tunnel in the middle of the tank so you can watch the sharks and rays swim above you. There are also a lot of other fish and mammal displays as well.

The large sign beckons you to come on in

One of the first tanks had a bunch of flounders which was cool because they have both eyes on the same side of their heads

This is what they look like from above

This is me holding the water back (Moses style!)

Although it's not a petting zoo, the shark lagoon is a popular draw

These are called hammerheads for very obvious reasons

Keao and Kelii before the fun began

There is a section at the center completely devoted to Hawaii's official marine mammal the Humpback whale. Lahaina used to be the whaling capital of the Pacific because the whales come to give birth right off the shores of Maui every winter. So because of their importance to our history and our tourism industry when the whales come to town people from all over the world come to look and study them.

One of the interactive displays in the center focuses on whalesongs. Keao, ever the scientist, wanted to see if she could one day communicate with the huge beasts. How'd she do? I'll just let the video explain.

Pretty good eh? After that stunning display of talent, we saw more sharks and a few rays.

These guys had their own special tank

This is a ray swimming away

If you were being eaten by a ray, this would be the last thing you would see

After we left the Maui Ocean Center we were all pretty starving. Of course we looked for some lunch, but dessert called us first and we couldn't resist.

Hula Cookies and Ice Cream makes an ice cream sandwich with what else but their own cookies and ice cream

Keao and I split a scoop of chocolate between two chocolate chip cookies

After dessert we decided to get some real food and we drove over to Kihei to go to Da Kitchen. This is one of Kelii's favorite spots and she highly recommended it.

Notice it's "local and Hawaiian" style food

Who do you think they modeled the wall art after?

Our Hawaiian plate was definitely enough for two

Of course you can't go to Maui without going to the beach can you? So after lunch we headed down toward Wailea to hit the beach. By hit the beach, I mean Keao and the girls all went into the water while I took a nap on the sand. I could only nap for a few minutes because it was so darn cold. I can't imagine how crazy those girls were since I was cold on the beach they must have been colder in the water.

See how cold they look?

After the beach we headed back to Wailuku and played a quick game of Farkle (hot dice). Then it was more eating. As this would be our last meal on Maui and no one wanted to make a decision Nani (Kelii's sister) suggested we eat a food court. Since no one objected we drove down to the food court. Now I'm not saying that Maui doesn't have good food courts, but this one had four eateries. Yup, four. It had an L & L, a Bale Sandwiches, an Aloha Grill (which served up burgers and whatnot) and Fernando's (Mexican). Since I had burgers the day before and we have Bale and L & L's everywhere I opted for the Mexican. I kind of felt like a traitor not eating at La Bamba's but what are you gonna do?

The Kau Kau Four Court

Fernando's from a distance

I had the alpastor sandwich

The food was pretty filling and tasty. I had an alpastor sandwich which is kind of like having a Portuguese sausage sandwich except it's, you know, Mexican. Overall it was really filling considering it came from a fast food Mexican place.

After all that we finished up and headed back to Oahu. It was a short trip, but a fun-filled memorable one nonetheless.