Well, It's been months since I last posted. The last time I posted it we were just getting into spring and now we are into fall.
Alot has happened since I was on here last, I've completed my 2nd season of Highland Games competition ans it went pretty well. I didn't reach all the goals I set for myself but I did hit several of them so overall I'm pretty happy with the way the year went. The most important thing about the season was that we got to spend many weekends with some great people. The big news on the Highland Games front is that they have announced that the 2014 Masters World Championships will be held in Inverness Scotland in September. Vicki and I are already making plans to go both so I can compete but also to fulfill a lifelong dream of both of ours to visit where so many of our family came from. The big question is whether or not we should just do Scotland on this trip or combine it with time spent in Ireland also, fortunately we have about 18 months before we have to really start nailing down plans.
On the home front our son Sean has started his senior year of high school so we have started the college visit thing along with all of the regular senior year things. I can't believe he's almost ready to graduate and get on with the next phase of his life which also means Vicki and I will also be moving onto the next phase too. We are getting ready to make the last college visit for the fall next Friday and Grand Valley State University near Grand Rapids. Then it is time for alot of talking with Sean about his goals and help him navigate through all the things he has to consider. He is a really good kid with a good head on his shoulders and he has a pretty good idea of what he wants. I think our role will be more of encouragement as he makes his decision.
It's been almost 2 years since I completed my weight loss journey of 100 lbs and I have done pretty well keeping it off but recently I have allowed a few pounds to creep back on so it's back to the program of really watching what I eat and continued workouts. I have really been exploring eating alot more natural foods and staying away from the processed stuff. I'm struggling a little bit as far as really trying to maintain my weight but still eating enough of the right things to be able to continue to gain strength to improve my performance in the Highland Games. I think it probably of combination of refocusing and realizing that as long as the weight I carry is lean (muscle) versus fat it is OK to weight 235- 240 lbs vs 210 to 220 lbs. You definitely eat differently when you are just trying to lose weight vs trying to gain the strength needed to compete on a high level. That's it for now I'll try to be a little more regular about posting.
Jay
