Sunday, January 12th 2014

Namaste,

Well it has been a very busy week! I made it to the YMCA almost everyday. I continued to work on cardio and then met my friend Kim Van Sickle at the MWC YMCA yesterday morning for a swim lesson. I needed some help with my form. She changed my kick and HOLY COW!!!!! It worked my core super hard. I was essentially bent over for the rest of the day. It was my week with Trey so we did some running around, including going to his mom's to try and see what it's going to take to get his truck running. We also stopped by the card store to let him spend his allowance. He does a very good job of spending money! This week I am going to try and work cardio and core before work and try and catch a swim at least four days. Tuesday night I am going to work-over my buddy Jenna! I love training with Jenna.... She is a tough cookie! :-)

The new job is going very well.... It is very different from what I was doing; although I see many of the same people. My partner just retired from the Navy, so I set up a meeting with the VA on Friday to discuss doing a significant amount of business with them. I think the meeting went very well! I hope that will really impact us for the long term growth of our business. This week we are doing a marketing blitz in a couple different areas of the city.

I had the opportunity to hangout with some really great people this weekend. I entertained my little neighbor for a while on Saturday. I bought about 100 canvas' a couple weeks ago, so we painted for quite a while. It inspired me to turn my music room into an art studio. Saturday night I went to Picasso's restaurant to see Issei Aoyama and his 4.tet. He has a little jazz band and they have a blast playing. He is playing again in a couple of weeks at Rococo North Park. Sunday Trey and I worked at church and then I attended a second service. I did a little running around after that. I went by Red Coyote Running to look for some new Blue Tooth head phones. No luck!  Oh well... I'll keep looking!

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, January 6th, 2014

Namaste,

So, I have had a lot of feedback about the last blog post. Yeah.... Kinda a big bummer, but I needed to explain where I have been. I guess, since we have several new followers I will explain "Namaste!" Namaste is a greeting used in the Asian sub-contenint with the meaning of "Peace be with you!" What have I done over the last several days?? Well, I rode, ran and did core Thursday & Friday.

Friday night one of my dearest friends and her husband took me to dinner at my favorite restaurant. Stella is my go to spot. Great food, and great ambiance! We had a great time, and I am thankful that Jodi and Alan are such a big part of my life! Jodi was one of the most supportive people who helped me through my weight loss journey.

Saturday was a crazy day. It was my birthday and I wanted to do something big! I was at the YMCA at 6:45, so I could get a lane in the pool. I transitioned onto the bike for 10 miles and then did a 5K on the treadmill. When I get that done there is such an endorphin rush that I am on cloud nine! I had breakfast with Sherrie and Trey and then I came home. Friday was my little friend Caroline's birthday, so I took her a small gift and hung out with her for a bit before heading to meet my friend Nathan Tull in Jones for my next adventure. Nathan is a professional bull rider, and I have always wanted to get on a bull! We met at a little restaurant and then headed to the arena. The hardest part was getting the bulls in the chutes! My first bull's name was Spartacus! He was a huge white beast. I don't think he like me very much! I stayed on for a couple seconds before being thrown a mile in the air! I landed rather softly and jumped right up! My second bulls name was baby.... He was anything but a baby. He tried to throw me in the chute. When the gate opened he went verticle. We landed and he spun on me. I went off the left shoulder and landed on my head and surgically repaired shoulder. I was dazed and confused, until Baby came back and hooked me on the ground. He rolled me pretty good, I was pretty much still trying to get my bearings! The guys got me up and out of the arena. I have to tell you that was exhillirating! Once my head had cleared I loaded up and came to the house. I had dinner plans with one of my best friends. I didn't know what the plans were but knew it would be fun. We ended up at KD's and reservations were behind by 45 minutes. We sat at the bar and watched the game before getting our table. Dinner was wonderful. I had crab stuffed catfish. It was too dang cold to do much else, so I headed home. Sunday morning was church and nursing my VERY sore body. I took a very long nap, before hitting the store and cooking dinner. There was no exercise due to my agony; However, I knocked bull riding off the bucket list. This is going to be a very busy week, but there will be exercise everyday! I was invited to hike the Incan Trail to Machu Picu.... Still waiting on details but I am extremly interested in making this a fundraiser for Mat's Quest!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, January 1st 2014

 

Namaste,


Well.... Hello there! It has been almost eight months since I have written, so hang on and let me catch up! I guess I will put everything out there and then maybe highlight some of the important parts. As many of you who know me personally know, Sherrie and I have been having problems for a couple years. We made the decision early in the year that when she graduated from Radiology school, and when we got Jordan moved to Seattle we would split. I never in a million years thought it would actually happen, but at the end of the day, we both made mistakes and we had grown apart. Now... I will tell you that after almost 30 years together that I will always love her, and help her in any way I can. I moved out of the house around May and sub-leased a flat in Mid-Town, Oklahoma City. It was a totally different lifestyle for me. There were good things and bad things to living in the Mid-Town area. The hardest part was that it was a 30 minute drive to see Trey. The other things were the fact that I love working in the lawn, and tinkering in the garage. I had neither! What I did have was some of the coolest, most trendy night spots in the whole area. It lead to a lot of late nights, and poor eating. Late in the summer, I was at a friends house and noticed the guy next door was moving out. I ask if he was going to rent the house and we eventually made a deal. The ironic thing is I am currently living directly across the street from my childhood home, that we sold just a couple years ago after mom passed. The good thing is one of my best friends is my next door neighbor, so I have company quite a bit, which is awesome for me. Sherrie and I share custody of Trey every other week. When he is at his mom's I try not to be here a lot, that gives me a great opportunity to be in the gym.


 Back in September, my good friend, mentor and boss Chad Lovett took a great job in Georgia. The chain of events that happened when he left our facility was mind boggling, but I believe everything happens for a reason. The business model and philosophy changed to the point that I started looking for other opportunities. I met a gentleman that made an awesome impression on me, but I was a little nervous about jumping into something I had not done before. I left Midwest Specialty on Halloween, and started at Comfort Living/LifeSpring In-Home Care Network on November 11th. I am the Community Relations/Marketing/Education Manager. Essentially.... I get to drive around the city and visit my friends in the health care field and tell them about our Home Health/Hospice/Personal Care Services. It took a minute to get the ball rolling, but we had 30 new starts last month, we are waiting on Medicare to give us permission to move from South OKC, to Edmond.


What  about "The Quest?" Well honestly after my mom passing as a result of a botched procedure, I had lost my passion. I don't know anyone who would blame me, but it is time to get back to the business of helping people. I continue to practice MMA; However, after a broken foot and a broken finger, I don't know how much more I can take. A couple weeks ago I joined the YMCA and started hardcore cardio training. I competed in two triathlons last summer and I am determined to compete in at least six this summer. As a matter of fact, the first Sprint-Tri is February 21st in Tulsa. Sometime in the spring I plan on doing another 24 hour challenge at Lake Hefner.... I have been very blessed to have the support of my true friends through this last couple years. Time to pay it forward.


I love you all, and I am happy to be back!

Mat



 Picture 1: The Mid-Town Flat
 Picture 2: El Reno Tri
Picture 3: Guthrie Tri
Picture 4: Broken Foot
Picture 5: Broken Finger