Related Posts Feature

If you like a post and want to read others that discuss the same topic, you can now see a list of the top five most relevant posts. Just click to post title and scroll to the bottom.

Features like this are one reason I keep using WordPress even though it frustrates me sometimes. Someone much better with computers than I am took the time to design this feature and then shared it with us for free! All we have to do is download it and turn it on.

I hope you like the new Related Posts feature. Give it a try!

Back In Service

Sorry about that, folks! As you might have noticed, my site has been down for the last 24 hours or so. I tried to update my blog software using the “easy automatic upgrade” process, and you saw where it got me. By the time I realized the upgrade had failed so miserably that the site was down, I was already at work and couldn’t do anything about it. Now it’s back up (for now!). Happy reading!

Fall Benefit Runs – Mark Your Calendars

I know it’s only April, but since some of you might be interested, I wanted to post dates for two great events this fall that raise money for two excellent causes. You don’t have to be a runner to participate! Most likely, Jenny and the boys will be walking with friends while I run. The point is to get together, exercise a bit with like-minded people, and raise money.

Water is Basic 5K
Saturday, October 9, 2010 – 8:00am
Katy Park, Dallas, TX
This race raises money for Water is Basic, an organization that drills clean water wells in Sudan and saves thousands of lives.

Undy 5000
Saturday, October 30, 2010 – 8:30am
White Rock Lake, Dallas, TX
This race raises money to fight colon cancer, a disease that our pastor is fighting and that has affected both sides of our family.

Love and Logic

Although Jenny and I spend a lot of time with our boys, we aren’t always sure about the best way to parent them. We want to teach them right from wrong, how to obey, how to share, and how to treat people with love. We want to set fair boundaries and clear, effective consequences for crossing those boundaries. We want to teach them how to think for themselves and make their own decisions. However, as you parents already know, taking a baby home from the hospital doesn’t magically give you all of this knowledge and skill.

We’ve signed up for an eight-week course at IBC called Love and Logic. It meets on Wednesday nights starting April 21. Their basic philosophy is simple: love your kids well and teach them how to make good choices. It’s one of many parenting approaches, and it might or might not work for us, but we’ll give it a try. We’re excited to learn their approach and see it in action with the boys.

Parents, where did you look for parenting guidance? What did you like and dislike about what you found?

Rehab Progress

UPDATE: 1.5 miles on Thursday with mostly running and some walking. Minor pain at first but none by the end. I probably could have gone a while longer, but I didn’t want to push it too hard. I got a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline running shoes and tried them out. So far I really like them. They are very comfortable, not super expensive (for running shoes, at least), and look good.

Optimistic after this week’s progress, I signed up for the Skinnydipper Sun Run 5k in Decatur toward the end of this month. Want to run with me? Sign up via the link on the race website! I would LOVE to have someone to run with.

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Yesterday I gingerly went out for a 1-mile walk/run, as I do about once a week just to see what happens. For the first time in a few years, by the end of my planned distance, I was not in pain. I wanted to shout for joy, but I was in my neighborhood and didn’t want to scare anyone.

I’ve had three physical therapy sessions at Restoration Physical Therapy in Grapevine. Their approach is different from the one used by my previous physical therapist. They are focusing on different muscles and using a technique called positional release, which seems to be somewhere in between massage and chiropractic. I can’t really explain how it works, but it “magically” loosens up tight muscles and connective tissue. They are working on my right hip and lower back in person, and I’m strengthening some weak muscles in my hip on my own.

After my run yesterday, I went in for my orthotic fitting. Expecting to dip my feet in plaster, I was surprised when Dr. Crane pulled out some special fiberglass socks instead. After wetting them and putting them on my feet, she waited a few minutes as they heated up and hardened to create a lightweight, flexible mold of my feet. She’ll ship them off to a lab in California for analysis. In a few weeks, I should have my orthotics. Today I get to go shopping for some new shoes. Things are looking up for my leg!

Happy Birthday, Jenny!

Today is my lovely bride’s birthday! Jenny is such an awesome wife and mother, but I’m not the greatest at telling her so. As the Queen Bee of our house, she works so hard taking care of her boys and the castle. Even though she spends much of her time pouring herself out for at least one of us, she keeps a smile on her face and rarely complains. Patiently she puts up with my bizarre work and sleep schedule while juggling two little boys who can be very demanding at times. She runs errands, wipes noses and tears, endures a cranky husband, cooks, cleans, and seldom gets much of a break. On top of all this, she’s planning to go back to school this fall in hopes of becoming a nurse in a few years (more on that in a later post). We all love her very much, as do those of you who know her, and we’re so blessed to bask in her bright light. If you happen to see or talk to her, please wish her a happy birthday.