Derrick's ongoing journey

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Thanks Cowboy. As soon as my neck and back get feeling better, I'll forget all about this. Well, I'll just remember enough to know my physical limitations.

I have a lot to be happy about right now. My daughter just turned 5 a month ago and my son turns 1 tomorrow. I haven't gained much weight, despite not being able to exercise. And most of all, my wife and I are doing great! A few months ago our relationship seemed hopeless. At some point we just decided to fight all of our problems as a team, instead of fighting against each other. That, combined with the new medications, new vitamins, new diet(s) and new strategies seems to have been enough to get us back on the same wave length.
We still have work to do but things look very optimistic right now.
 
The last couple days have been pretty crazy.

Thursday I had a big let down and found out I didn't even win the weight loss challenge at my own gym. That's not even what bothered me. I don't mind someone else beating me fair and square. What bothered me is once again NO ONE from the gym, not even my personal trainer, even bothered to contact me and tell me I did not win let alone congratulate me for finishing and doing a good job. This is the second time in a row they have done this. I know at least one other guy I talked to was pretty disappointed about it too. I thought I was at least deserving of being contacted.

Friday night (last night) was a breakthrough night for my wife and I. All we did was go to the mall and buy her some clothes and then walk over to a couple bars for a few drinks. What made the night great was the conversations we had. I felt like I was listening to the woman I fell in love with for the first time in years, possibly even a decade. It's really hard to explain, it's just something you feel and sense. It's so obvious that you know its real. I have been waiting for that moment for over 6 years now.

Of course, satan was pretty pissed off about all that so he had to send some trouble our way. When we got home I walked our babysitter out the front door and watched her get to her car. Some teenage boys were driving by and deliberately slowed down and stared at her so I put my hands on my hips and stared them down. They went to the next driveway and turned around to come back. As they came back they slowed down to nearly a stop right in front of us. So I asked them if they had a problem. They continued on to the next house over and parked. The passenger came over to me asking if they could park there because there was a no parking sign on the other side of the street. However, he also asked me several times if "there was a problem." He was literally trying to convince me they were just looking for a parking spot while at the same time trying to stand up to me. His posture was neutral, as well as his tone of voice but some of his words were confrontational. I just have a hard time believing that 16 and 17 year old boys believe they can take out 33 year old men without a weapon. So needless to say I get a little tense in those situations. There were 3 of them and even more in the house they were going to. The household they were going to has been in trouble with the law several times. In my mind, at least someone in the group had a gun. At the same time, I'm not backing down to anyone let alone a bunch of overconfident punks. So when he said, "is there a problem? Because you were just standing there like this (puts his hands on his hips) staring at us when we were just looking for a parking spot, so is there a problem?" My reply was "not anymore, now that I know you were just looking for a parking spot." Then as he walks away he says, "cause we're not sketch walls." I honestly had no idea what that even meant until I thought about it more. I guess it meant they were not something to stare at? So I guess the trouble with that boy across the street and his friends is just going to continue. One on one I have no worries about any of them but I've seen those types of boys before and they make sure they win, by any means necessary. I have a family, they have their egos. I have a lot more to lose. I have to be smart about how I confront their threats.

So typical of my life, a big dose of evil followed by a huge dose of good followed by a huge dose of evil. The challenges just keep coming.
 
Hi Derrick,

That sucks about no one from the gym telling you the results of the weight loss challenge. Sounds like they need to have some people skills infused into the gym managment. If they want to treat members like that it sounds like they will not be around for long. I hope you talked to the management about the oversight so it doesn't happen again.

I am so glad things are working out between you and your wife. It is so nice to see!!

It is funny how things have changed over the years. When i was younger we used to settle our differences with our fists ( if things got that bad). Now they use guns- it is sad- really sad! You did the right thing- you have a lot more to lose than some punk kid.
 
Sorry I haven't posted in so long, Cowboy. Thanks for checking on me. I've been extremely busy the past few weeks. I just spent the whole week driving all over Missouri working on my dad's properties. Had to take advantage of the dry weather. When I haven't been working on the farms, I have been making numerous trips to doctors every week. I've spent what time I have left with my wife and kids.

I have been going to a chiropractor for 3 weeks. So far so good but my left shoulder is still messed up. I tried working out twice and ended up having the pain return both times. I am pretty sure we (doctors and chiropractor) have figured out where the pain is coming from. Most likely it is coming from C6/C7 rupture and not the C3/C4 rupture. I can get cortisone shots or I can give the chiropractor more time. Or do both.

Weight wise I am 203, which is ok I guess, considering I have only worked out twice in 7 weeks!

That's about all. I really hope my neck gets better soon. I also hope I get a chance to visit your journal, as well as others, as soon as possible. For now, it is late and I need to get to sleep.

Sincerely,

Derrick
 
Hi Derrick,

Glad you are okay. I am happy to see the neck/shoulder is improving at least a little. Injuries suck. I understand about being busy. I have been busy myself. This is my busy time as I have lots of outside work to do at home. Cutting grass, weeding, planting, etc. along with family things, work, running, etc. Life can get hectic at times- can't it? Oh well, that is the way it is. Take care of yourself.
 
Hey Derrick! :grouphug: Sending you warm thoughts, buddy!

You had some major things going on, and I admire your strength! Glad everything is working itself out kinda.

It's really commendable. I'm glad you are doing somewhat better. :)

Take care!
 
Hi Derrick,

How are things going? Are you still really busy? Hopefully things are slowing down a little for you and that the injury is healing well.
 
Hi girls! Hi Cowboy! Thank you for checking in on me. That means a lot to me. I'm doing alright I guess. My neck and shoulder are not all that good but I'm working hard to get them feeling and working better. This afternoon I go and see my orthopedic doctor yet again. I am probably going to ask him to get me into physical therapy. I've been seeing a chiropractor for 4 weeks now, with some positive results. However, I still have too much pain in my shoulder to lift heavy, kick box or swim. At the very least I want to swim again.

My wife and I are soon going to Maui, Hawaii for 6 nights. It will be our first vacation for just the two of us in 6 years and only our 2nd since we got married in June of 2002. We went there for our Honeymoon 9 years ago. We were supposed to go back for our 10th anniversary but we can't wait another year. We need a vacation NOW! So our 9th anniversary will have to do. :)

Which, by the way, we just celebrated last Wednesday, June 15th. (See pictures attached)

I've been feeling a little puffy lately so I'm back on the RFL diet until we leave for Hawaii. I just don't want to look like a chubby husband walking on the beach with a hot wife. :toetap05: She's already back down to 125 and she is 5' 6" tall. She recently had here body fat measured and just like in 2008 they came up with 16%. That's insane for a 34 year old woman who doesn't really exercise. I'm not trying to be pompous. She's just a normal girl with apparently good genetics when it comes to aging and body composition. It pisses me off sometimes. I work my ass off for months on end and can't get to the same body fat levels.

My weight this morning was 200.5 pounds. I should be 198 or 197 by the time we leave. When we went to Maui in 2002 for our honeymoon I was 215 pounds. So when I compare my weight today, 9 years later, I feel pretty good.

Other news...
My son turned one last month. He started walking two days ago on Father's Day. Pretty cool present for him to give me. :D
My daughter is 5. She is beautiful, loving, artistic, loud, sassy and defiant. :D
The last month at the farms was the busiest I can ever remember. I had to take 8 to 12 Advil a day to keep my neck from locking up due to being on the tractor so much.
I recently had another photography job, family portraits. It went well but, as usual, I made some minor mistakes. Nothing major but it will serve as a valuable learning experience for the future.

That's all for now. I hope everyone is doing well.

Derrick
 
What a gorgeous family :) Your wife is beautiful! Have fun on holiday, Derrick--You're looking really good and you've earned a break!
 
Derrick my friend- you are a lucky man. Your wife is beautiful and your kids are adorable. I am glad you are starting to recover from your injury. Happy Anniversary by the way. I am glad things are starting to turn around for you. I am heading to Kauii in November. My kids are all grown so my wife and I started to take holidays by ourselves, finally-lol. It is nice to be away ( as much as we love the kids- we still need some alone time-lol) from everything just the two of us. You will have a blast in Mauii. Nice to see the weight staying off even though you have the neck and back problems and not able to do too much exercise. Maybe a rest is what your body needed. Keep up the good work.
 
Derrick!!! Looking great!!!!

Ok, I can see where you get frustrated with your wife's low body fat percentage, because she really is hot!!! You always said it before, but I never had a picture to her. You look like a perfect match!! Those shots of her with your daughters are fabulous too!! They are all amazing.

It sounds like you are both in a really good place right now. :) And Hawaii sounds AMAZING!!! I'm so happy that you are both skipping on the 10th year Hawaii trip and brining it closer. It's going to re ignite the relationship & bring even more spice to the life that you both have created together. If anyone deserves it, it's you!!!

Your girl's sound amazing by the way! Kids are just so adorable.... :) They really shape me!
I've had the pleasure of working with some lately...

Also, I'm so happy for your photography jobs! I absolutely love how you take photos & your passion for it, & actually working in that field. Even if it is only here and there. That's more than most people will ever even get close to their dreams, and I'm happy for you!! I'm sure the room for improvement comes from your perfectionist artist eye! ;)
 
Sunflower, Cowboy, Alta...
Thank you for the kind words. My wife and I are almost back from our vacation, sitting on a plane at LA airport waiting to fly to St. Louis. We had the best vacation of our lives and I will try to post some pictures this week. We miss our little girl and baby boy and we know they miss us too. I am looking forward to seeing them but not looking forward to all the stresses of reality. I may have gained 5 pounds but I'm not sure. It was worth it.

Time to take off now. Talk to you later!
 
Derrick said:
Sunflower, Cowboy, Alta...
Thank you for the kind words. My wife and I are almost back from our vacation, sitting on a plane at LA airport waiting to fly to St. Louis. We had the best vacation of our lives and I will try to post some pictures this week. We miss our little girl and baby boy and we know they miss us too. I am looking forward to seeing them but not looking forward to all the stresses of reality. I may have gained 5 pounds but I'm not sure. It was worth it.

Time to take off now. Talk to you later!
Click to expand...

I am glad you had a great vacation. It is always nice to recharge the battery again. I know what you mean when you say you miss the kids but it is important your you and your wife to get away from them every once in a while for some alone time. I found that out as my marriage went along-lol. It is important for the relationship between your wife and yourself stay strong FOR the kids and getting away from them for a bit strenghtens the bond between the two of you. I am glad you had some alone time!! Don't worry about the weight it will come back off again-lol.
 
Hawaii Photos

This morning Tanita said:
202.5 pounds
23% body fat

I consider myself lucky that the scale numbers are not worse. I haven't exercised in 3 months thanks to my lumbar spine and my cervical spine. My eating has often been poor and sometimes flat out horrible. Somehow I have not gained much weight yet. I got a cortisone shot in my neck 9 days ago and it is helping quite a bit so far. I think I will get back in the gym this week or next week and see what my spine can handle.

Below are some photos from Maui. My wife and I spent 6 nights and 7 days there earlier this month. It was the best vacation we have ever been on, even better than our honeymoon there 9 years ago. It was just what we needed from so many standpoints.

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More Hawaii Photos

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My wife and I watched from a bluff as some locals were surfing in the ocean. The cute, young girl pictured below looked so much like Kate Bosworth in Blue Crush. I can only imagine she hears that a lot. Her and a little boy about 10 years old were the best surfers out there.
I would say there were two dozen surfers. I got about 100 shots in total. I liked this one the best. The full quality photo is very sharp and much larger of course. This is the best I can do given the 100 KB file size requirement.
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Pictured below are two photos from the top of Mount Haleakala. The one on the left is a shot of the sun about 10 minutes before it set. Yes, we are above the clouds. The one on the right is a shot of the craters left over from the last eruption many decades ago, I believe. The colors and landscape look like another planet. Matter of fact, some of the scenes from Total Recall were shot there.
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More Hawaii Photos

The two shots below are at the resort.
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The photo below left was taken on a sunset sail. The photo below right was taken the next evening at the resort's beach. I composed both photos and simply asked a stranger to press the button. Slightly more complicated than that but you get the picture, pun intended. :D
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The photos below were again composed by me. My wife took the shot of me and I took the shot of her "kissing the sun." Honestly it was the first time I had ever attempted that kind of shot but I knew how it was done. If I had been able to scoot back more I could have made the sun appear much larger. Nonetheless I was very happy with how the shot turned out. I thought it was cute and cool at the same time.
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