I Finally Figured it Out

I've been running this past month and could not figure out why I was so winded after two miles. Depending on how I felt on a particular day, I struggled with even running the two miles. I finally figured it out on Thursday when I went for my morning run.

Since I'm not a runner to begin with, I didn't realize that I was tensing up my shoulders which in turn tenses up the top half of my back. The result was that my lungs were not expanding hence I could not get enough oxygen to my body. That's why I was breathing so heavy and was tiring out so quickly. My run on Thursday was so enlightening. After one mile, I was barely winded. After the second mile, I was still pretty comfortable. I think I'm going to try for three miles my next time out. All I kept thinking during that run was, "Wow! This is what it's suppose to feel like."

Exercise Log
- Monday, July 30, 2007 - Ran 2.2 Miles
- Tuesday, July 31, 2007 - Did not exercise
- Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - Did not exercise
- Thursday, August 2, 2007 - My day of enlightenment - I ran 2.3 Miles.
- Friday, August 3, 2007 - I ran 3.5 Miles. I probably could have run more but I didn't want to push myself too hard.

I'm comfortable running 3 Miles and will probably stick to that as I don't want to put too much pressure on my knees. I need to make sure I switch it up between running and the elliptical as the elliptical is better for my knees. I don't think I have ever run 3 miles in my life.

I'm happy to also report that I started seeing my acupuncturist again. I went over lunch. I could not believe the difference when I came back to the office. I was efficient, my memory was sharp and I was so productive I did more work this afternoon than I did all day yesterday. This may sound unbelievable but I'm telling you, it makes a huge difference. Especially if you feel tired all the time and have no energy. I'm making a commitment to myself that even if I feel good, I'm going to see Dr. Chi every two weeks to maintain good health.

Lastly, Ayden had her 4 year old pictures taken by a friend of Kaosong name Shoua. She does wonderful work. Here are a few of the pictures she took of Ayden.

Minneapolis Bridge Collapse

It's amazing how it takes a catastrphe to remind us of how blessed and fortunate we are. The events of last night really hit home for us as that very same bridge is the one Kong has traveled on for nearly a year when picking up Ayden in the evenings. Kong started taking the 10th street bridge, which if you've been watching the news, is the smaller bridge that is still standing and runs right next to the 35W bridge, because of the road construction. He avoided that area completely yesterday because Ayden stayed home with a stomach ache. God was truly watching out for us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the collapse yesterday.

Start of a New Week

(Blowing bubbles on a warm, sunny day)

So...I got up on Sunday morning and biked 3 miles to the bank to deposit some checks. My goal was to get a little exercise while at the same time saving the earth just a little bit by not starting up the car. I was hoping that wasn't the last exercise of Sunday but sadly, it was.

Due to our summer schedule, we haven't been going to church regularly so we went on Sunday for the first time in nearly two months. The sermon was interesting. They are doing a series on the difference between the different Christian denominations. They started the series with Mormon and last week was Jehovah's Witness. Though it was interesting to learn the differences, I would have liked the information to be presented without bias. So much to say on this topic but I'll save it for an in person conversation.

On a personal note, I've been having a really hard time keeping the "crazy" inside. I'm hoping this week will be better. Thank goodness Kong and the girls love me. Hopefully working out tonight will help calm me. Yikes!

Milwaukee Coincident

Just a few new pictures of the girls.

Taylor will be a flower girl in her Aunt Shaneva's wedding in September

Ayden cheerfully walking down from the park after dropping Taylor off at tennis lesson

I spent two days in Milwaukee for a meeting this past week. It was funny because as my colleague and I exited down to baggage claim to meet our driver at the Milwaukee airport, I heard a voice shout, "Kaohly!" I looked up and saw an old friend of mine from my days managing AEFA Retirement Services Institutional clients. He saw our driver holding up a sign with my name on it and he wanted to see if it was really was me. It turns out he bought a car in Milwaukee and flew down to drive it back to MN. After chatting for a while, our driver brought us out to the car and to our surprise we were lead to a huge, black, stretched limo. We had a good laugh. You should have seen the look on the people at the hotel's face when we came out of this giant limo.

Kong and I took Ayden and Taylor to see Ratatouille today. It was funny but not worth paying $26. The girls enjoyed themselves. Afterwards, we spent the evening watering our plants and blowing bubbles.

Exercise log
- Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - Elliptical: 33 minutes, 331 Calories, 2.61 Miles; Treadmill: 25 minutes, 250 Calories, 1.85 Miles. Total: 58 minutes, 581 Calories, 4.46 miles. Exercise today was a big milestone for me. I've never in my life been able to run a 13 minute mile.
- Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - Did not work out. Was traveling for work.
- Thursday, July 26, 2007 - Ran 2.2 miles.
- Friday, July 27, 2007 - Did not work out.
- Saturday, July 28, 2007 - Elliptical: 33 minutes, 336 Calories, 2.67 Miles; Treadmill: 25 minutes, 261 Calories, 1.89 Miles.

Weekend in Appleton, WI

This past weekend, we visited Pong, Bobbie, Max and Courtney in Appleton. We had such a great time. It was so nice to spend time with everyone. Max and Courtney are such smart and wonderful children and Pong and Bobbie were truly gracious hosts. We spent nights sitting out on the patio by the fire pit and we talked until early in the morning. We also made s'mores, had wonderful food and great company.

On Saturday we spent a good part of the day on the lake. We cruised around the lake on Pong and Bobbie's boat and played on the sand bar for hours. Here are some pictures. It was the most perfect day to be out on the water. Thanks to Uncle Pong, Aunt Bobbie, Max and Courtney for making our trip so fun and relaxing. We were sad to leave and miss everyone already!

Here is a picture of Ayden hanging out on the back of the boat.


Here's Courtney doing an awesome jump! Great fun.



Taylor loved tubing. It was her first time. That's my Taylor, fearless!



And last but not least, here' Max feeling right at home with three of his favorite things in life: beer, bait and girls : )



I can't forget to report that I exercised on Thursday before we left. Did the Elliptical - 40 minutes, 3.2 Miles, 423 Calories during lunch. I did not work out over the weekend but run 2.2 miles on Sunday night. I also played volleyball for 2 hours tonight. It was a good workout.

Attempt to Stay Honest to my Life Changes

With the help of my sister Stephanie, I started regularly excising about three months ago. Now that Steph has moved to Colorado, I have no one to be accountable to so in my attempt to stay honest about this 'life' change, I'm reporting Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's activities.

Monday, July 16, 2007 - Did nothing, was too lazy and tired from a long weekend
Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - Got up at 6:15am and ran 2 miles
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - Worked out over lunch at Bally's. Used the elliptical (the one without arm motion) for 33 minutes, for 2.6 miles and 331.6 calories. Ran 1.5 miles and walked .5 mile. For some reason I couldn't run the full 2 miles tonight.

My Stinker Turns Four

With my consumption in preparing for the weekend I described on July 16, I did not mention that my stinky monkey, Ayden Ntsaag Ab, turned 4 on July 12. We had a big birthday bash at Edenborough Park (a big indoor play area) on July 7. We had a huge turn out, around 50 people attended. The kids had a great time and the adults had a chance to catch up, talk and enjoy adult company.

It's during times like this that we are so thankful to be back near family. There is a sense of comfort knowing that your children are surrounded by people who love and care enough about them to travel long distances just to attend their birthday party. A special thank you for our Wisconsin and Illinois family who made the trip to celebrate with us. We are truly blessed!

For those who could not attend, we missed you and you were in our thoughts. To catch a glimpse of the fun party you missed, see Ayden's 'Thank You' card.