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

 

 

 

 

Saturday, April 13th, 2013

Namaste,


It's been a very busy week. We had several patients discharge so we had to refill the building. It has been quite difficult to maintain our momentum due to the fact that we have had to deny several patients in the past couple of months secondary to our building being full. I have been eating right and taking my supplements everyday. In addition to that I have been getting plenty of exercise, either running, doing ab work, spending hours at the gym and getting good sleep. I have assembled an awesome team for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. There are five members to our team. We may not win the race, but we are going to look awesome running. I have all of my chores done for the weekend already. Grocery store done, laundry done, floors done, dishes done..... I'm takin the weekend off!!!!! Other than getting a couple good work outs! Tonight there is the Rumble at Remington. I have a guy from my new gym, fighting a kid that Giroux and I started in combat sports about five years ago. Most everyone from Western Ave Boxing will be there. If you want to go, let me know. I can get tickets at the advance purchase price of $25.00.

Love you all!

Mat

Monday, April 8th, 2013

Namaste,

Well it has been well over a month since I have written. I have been quite busy with work, and getting my act together. I made a conscience decision about three weeks ago to go hardcore and get my butt back in shape! I started eating right with no exceptions, and getting some sort of exercise EVERYDAY! I don't care what it is but getting active is the key to success. In addition to getting active you MUST find an accountability partner. I am Thai boxing/Jui Jit Su on Tuesdays and Thursdays and running at least twice a week. In the last three weeks I am down 35 pounds and I am wearing clothes that have not been out of the closet in well over a year. I have a little swagger back. In addition to that I have been taking supplements and I have more definition and lean muscle mass than ever. I have been contemplating another trip to Nepal, but I am afraid that if I go again, I may never come back! Work has been crazy. We have had record census and revenue for five straight months. I have two new admission coordinators and two new liaisons. Training is on-going and I can't wait until everyone is well versed and able to handle the show on their own. A couple weeks ago I took a couple days off and spent one day shopping in Tulsa and one day at the lake. It was nice to get away for a couple days and I am looking at doing something this weekend. Either Dallas, Tulsa, or Mount Scott. I ran in the Redbud Classic yesterday with a good friend of mine. We did not set any records, but we had a blast! I was playing air drums the whole way! The Memorial Marathon is just a couple weeks away! Gonna continue training!

Love you all!

Mat

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

Namaste,


How's everybody doing? I've been well, for the most part. Feeling a little beat up this morning, but love the pain. I am now helping my buddy Mike Giroux teach MMA twice a week. Last night we had one of our ex-pro fighters come in and teach some ground game... He tore me up! I loved every minute of it. Work has been good. I promoted my assistant, and have been looking at bringing someone in. I interviewed one young lady so far, but I have 25 more resumes to go through. Jordan came up for dinner Sunday night... I guess she is moving to Seattle in May. Everyone I tell, ask me how I feel about that??? Frankly I think it's gonna suck, but I am excited for her, and now I have somewhere to stay in the northwest! It will be a good spot to go into Alaska or up into Canada for some big boy play! (McKinley, Rainier and Hood) Trey has been busy with school. He has hours, and hours of homework every night. When he complains about it I tell him it was his choice to take FOUR AP classes, Spanish two and Orchestra! Sherrie only has a couple more months of school. She just finished rotations at Children's Hospital, and is at Deaconess again in the Cardiac Cath Lab. It looks like her final rotation will be at Spine Hospital. That is where she would really like to work, and that would be the best for our family. It is just a couple miles away, and they have a very liberal schedule. I have been ask to participate in the Edmond Fine Arts Spring Sampler again this year.... I feel honored when I am ask. I will print and frame two images and they will go in the show and auction to raise funds for the arts here in Edmond. I sent four images for them to choose from... I will post them above.


Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, February 17th, 2013

Namaste,

Well it has been a couple busy weeks. Work, work, and more work. I know.... Blah, Blah, Blah! I have done several shoots, and working really hard in the gym. I have a goal to get back in my skinny jeans by summer! Muay Thai is going great. Our classes are getting bigger every week. I usually work on the basics with the new students, and let Mike do the technical teaching. I did spar him a couple times in the last couple of weeks. I feel good about it! One night he knocked me out, and the next I busted his mouth open! Tit for tat!!! I bought some new equipment for the house as well! I bought a new heavy bag for the garage. So a big bag for punches and kicks and a small bag for knees and elbows. I also got a mag trainer for my bike, so I can ride in the comfort of my living room. For those of you who don't know what a mag trainer is.... It is a device that my road bike sits in. The rear tire is elevated and has a magnetic resistance wheel on the back, so it's just like riding outside, only not! I also got a body rack. I can do standing crunches, pull-ups, upside down crunches and anything else I invent! For Valentines Day.... Sherrie got a new exercise bike too... We're all getting our act together! This last weekend, Sherrie and I had our 23rd anniversary. My good friend Clark let me have the run of his estate at Lake Tenkiller. It is by far the most beautiful lake in the state. Just about 20 miles south of the lake is Sequoya Wildlife Reserve. This time of year there are four Bald Eagles that winter there. Well.... We found them! They are truly beautiful! We went back to the house for a bit before heading up to Tahlequah for lunch and a movie. We saw the new Die Hard movie and it was awesome. We drove around the lake for a couple of hours before grabbing dinner and going back to the house. I was really under the weather so no big hikes or climbing cliffs. That's OK.... There's always next time! This week is going to be busy! The images I am posting are from the Baylor University Women's Alumni Association Dinner at Vast in the Devon Building, and pictures from the Lake this weekend.

Love you all!

Mat

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

Namaste,

Good morning..... It's been about three weeks since I've been here. Life sometimes gets really busy! I generally get up at 5:10 and get cleaned up, before opening email and responding. Between getting that started, fixing Trey's lunch and taking care of the dog...... It's already time for work. I take a different way to work everyday... I usually don't take my camera this time of year, because everything is just kinda blah. I have been helping my buddy Mike Giroux teach Muay Thai on Tuesday nights. I have really enjoyed getting back in the gym, and getting kicked in the head. It makes me smile. I can tell you that in all of the different exercise programs I have done, fighting is by far the best workout. I don't know what endorphins are released while fighting, but what I do know, is if you want to get your cardio up in a short period call me and I will help with that. I started riding my bike again. Saturday when I rode it was 22 degrees..... Yeah.... My fingernails were navy blue when I got back. I was wearing gloves but they didn't help much. Good thing was there was no wind! I ran Sunday evening.... It sucked!!!!! I hate running! I don't know how anyone derives pleasure out of it, and it always causes great pain in my low back. I may find a gym to join so I would have access to an elliptical trainer. I have been shopping for a spin bike. I have found a couple that I really like, but I just haven't pulled the trigger.

Work has been GREAT! My building is full, and has been for three months. Does it have anything to do with me????? NOPE! It's the team we have put together! We are small but awesome! Two record months of revenue, and January will be the third!

I will start writing more often! Love you all!

Mat 

Saturday, January 5th, 2013

Namaste,

Well.... I'm home and rested. I did leave Durango at the buttcrack of dawn on the 31st of December. Overnight it had snowed almost a foot and although I knew the roads were going to be challenging I wanted to get over the pass before it was closed. I started out and it was a little more stressful than I expected. Once the sun came up and I made it to Cortez I felt a lot better. As you head north through Dove Creek, things started getting a little better. I crossed into Utah and the sun started to poke out. I turned into Canyonlands Needles district. I was the first person to take that exit.... I knew this because no one had driven on the fresh snow. I stopped at Newspaper rock, and then on into the Needles. Most of the roads were closed; As well as, the visitors center.I took a few pictures but nothing spectacular. I was starving and one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Moab was for Miguel's fish tacos. Well..... Miguel's was closed! So I went to the Moab Brewery..... And dang if it wasn't closed too! I found a little Mexican restaurant and had a burrito. I headed up to Arches and climbed Delicate. I have done it in winter before, but never on a 4" sheet of ice. It was beautiful. I came down and worked my way over to Turret Arch... The sun was starting to set and it was amazing.... The biggest problem was the park was filled with people who had no idea that they were on sacred, living soil. There were people going off trail, people standing inside the arches, kids banging rocks on the arches...I was livid!!!!!! I made sure people knew that they were off trail, but it didn't matter. I went to the hotel and checked in and then cleaned up for dinner. I went to Zax.... It is a landmark in Moab! I sat there for a long time editing pictures and just being there. It was packed out for New Years eve. About 10:00, I went back to my room and crashed out! I woke up at 4:00am when some drunk butt pulled the fire alarm! I didn't go back to sleep, so I got up and dressed and headed for Island in the Sky. The roads were frozen and the truck said it was -7! I went to Grand View Overlook and watched the sun come up. There were not any clouds in the sky so there was no contrast. I headed over to Mesa and though I would have a peaceful hike but when I was 1/2 a mile away I could hear people. Once I got to Mesa I was PISSED! There were 30 people standing inside the arch. How in the heck can you shoot the arch if you are standing inside. No one cared that I was standing back waiting for them to clear. I got a few shots and then headed back to the truck. I contemplated what to do next. There was not much I could get to in the conditions. The LaSal pass was closed, so I couldn't get to Peal..... I went to the hotel and got my stuff, and headed south. I though I may make it back to Albuquerque or even Santa Fe, but once I got on the road, I knew I was headed home. It was 918 miles and according to my Google Maps 15 hours and 46 minutes. I made it to Farmington, New Mexico and got on 550. The roads were solid ice, so I had to really slow it down. Once into Albuquerque I was able to kick it up and it was a straight shot into OKC. I made it in just under 13 hours. Wednesday I just kinda hung out playing with pictures and sleeping on and off. Thursday my girls from work wanted to go to lunch so I met them.... We had a good laugh at my expense and then I came back home to chill with Trey. I was going to rent a stump grinder for the three trees I need to remove from the yard, but it wouldn't fit in the Yukon. Trey and I went and got a new game, and he tried to teach me how to play. Not a big gamer!!!!! We ended up going to Louie's and grabbing some wings. Friday was my birthday and Jordan was going to come for dinner, but she got called into work so we went to Norman and met her for lunch. She had to go after lunch, but Sherrie, Trey and I went to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. We walked around for a couple of hours before going by Jordan's salon to get Trey's hair cut. We came back to Edmond and went to the store. I wanted home made chicken salad for dinner. It came out really great, and we just kinda chilled for the rest of the evening. It is freezing cold outside. 28 degrees and windy. I am suppose to spar Mike Giroux at noon today. I wanted to go for a jog this morning, but it's not gonna happen! I may just have to relax for a minute! :-)


Love you all!

Mat

Sunday, December 30th, 2012

Namaste,

Well I left Edmond at 5:30am Friday morning and by 6:00am, I realized I had left my wallet at home.... I was back on the highway by 6:15 and things were going great until I hit a snow storm outside of Clinton. It was slow going until I reached the Texas line. I went the speed limit all the way through the Texas panhandle to prove to my buddy Mike, and my ex-boss Tony Fernandez that it is possible to drive I-40 through Texas and not get pulled over. I should have stopped for gas in Amarillo, but I push on to New Mexico... I headed north on 104 through Tucumcari... It was the scenic route and I'm all about scenic!!! I rolled into Las Vegas, New Mexico around 1:00 and then on into Taos. I went to the Taos Ski Valley to scout out my climb, and when I went to talk to the park rangers, they told me Wheeler was closed due to avalanche danger. They suggested I try Williams Lake.... I drove back to Taos and found a little restaurant for dinner and then looked for a hotel room. I had every intention of camping at Bull of the woods, but without a snow plow I wasn't getting there. I found a room and loaded for a hike to Williams lake. I got up at 5:30 and headed out about 6:45. My truck said it was -14 outside and it felt like it. I found some coffee and then headed to the Ski Valley. I parked and headed two miles straight uphill to the Williams Lake Trail head.... I continued up another two mikes to the lake... Well I think there was a lake under the snow and ice. I hustled back down and went into a restaurant at the ski village to grab some nutrition. I got in the truck and headed out.... I took the Chama Pass to Colorado, and then Pagosa Springs to Durango. I checked into the hotel and then went north over the Silverton Pass to the quaint town of Silverton. I love this little mining town. The pass was very icy and I kept thinking if anyone was with me I would have turned back! I spent about an hour and a half in Silverton before the sun started to go down and I figured I better head back. I took it very slow and deliberate getting back. I came to the room and changed clothes before trying to find somewhere for dinner. I found a spot at the bar at Carvers Brew House. I met some very friendly folks from all around the country. I came back to the room, and booked a ride on the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Train for this morning. I got up and headed south to Starbucks before boarding the train. I sat in the open air car all day. I knew I wanted to do that so I wore my climbing clothes.... I took 500 pictures and really enjoyed most of the trip. The thing that drove me crazy were people hanging off the train and getting in my shots. We call the photobombs or idiots! When the train rolled back into town I jumped in the truck and headed up to Vallencia Lake. It was frozen over and really kinda blah.... I came back to town, changed into a nice sweater and headed back to Carvers for dinner. I met another group of great people (You probably know I never met a stranger!) and then back to the room to down load pictures. I am headed out for Moab in the morning... I would like to leave at the buttcrack of dawn, but we are expecting a foot of snow here. I will just have to see what it's like when I wake up.

I love you all!

Mat

Thursday, December 27th, 2012

Namaste,

Been swamped busy! Work has really been pretty good! We are full, have been full, and will continue to be full, so we have been pretty lucky. We have just been maintaining our numbers and setting records for census, and gross revenue! I have been doing quite a few shoots in-between Christmas shopping, Christmas parties, having dinner with family and friends etc...

We were suppose to have a giant blizzard Christmas Eve... So Jordan and Josh came up and we opened up presents. I got a new back-pack and some new snow shoes! (I bought them myself!) Well the giant blizzard turned into some snow flurries. So I ended up going into work Christmas morning and serving breakfast. I also went and picked up some employees who were afraid to drive to work. I came home and we had a big breakfast. Trey talked me into playing some video games with him..... We went out to Chad and Shannon Lovett's for Christmas dinner. That was really nice.

I am leaving at 5:00am tomorrow morning and heading to Taos, New Mexico to do some climbing. When I come down from There I will head over to Durango, Colorado and Climb Windom Peak, before heading over to Moab, Utah and doing some climbing and hiking around the La Sal Mountains. I am excited to get away for a while. I have the truck loaded and will be camping in sub-zero temperatures several nights. This will be the biggest trip I have done in the last year.

I love you all!

Mat