Spinning is for GIRLS!

So this was my comment when I told my good friend who had started a spinning class in the summer. He and another close friend told me that I needed to get my large rump on a bike and see what I thought. For those who are clueless a spinning class is a class where a group of girls gather in a room and ride bikes. Or so I thought.... My buddy I was speaking has lost over 60 lbs just in this spinning class alone so I was a little inquisitive to what really went on in the room. Recently Ash and her friend Amy joined a spinning class at the gym. She came home the first night and was sore for a week solid before she went back to her next class. After the second class I think she went 3 times that week. She's addicted. Now, I'm out of shape but I'm not dead. I bike once a month whether I need it or not, and periodically I go to the gym and walk around looking at all the cool machines, sometimes I'll hit the punching bag just to make sure I still got it. Then I'll go back to the locker room and head home. So last night we worked out mom picking up the kids so we could go to spinning class together. I got there at 3:45 shot baskets for 15 minutes, then went to the pool and continued my triathlon training (more about that ludicrous thought later). After 20 minutes of nearly drowning in the pool (okay 10 minutes swimming, 5 minutes in spa, and 5 minutes changing clothes), I hit the weights. I thought since I was fixing to do a little bicycling I had better stay away from the lower body. It's important to note that I do the duck approach. I tend to circle the machines checking out how difficult it looks then after I see other ducks on it I will lower and eventually land on the machine. I kept peering over my machines noticing that all the people entering the spinning class were of the opposite gender. Ash showed up changed and I boldly walked into the little bike class. Now, I left out some important details about spinning class that everyone else did too. There is an instructor in the front on a "stage" with her own personal bike. Sure she looks harmless but you might as well give her five stars slapped right on her shoulder because this woman is a General of the biking world. So we hop on our bikes and Drill Sargent cyclist woman hits her ipod and says, "let's warm up!" After about a minute I was sitting on my bike, still peddling, legs throbbing, while she yells from the front "everyone up, everyone up!" Exaggeration stops here. I couldn't...my legs were mush, Ash peers over at me after about 3 minutes and says, "are you serious this is still warm ups!" I was serious. I wanted to quit...no joke. It hurt. After about 15 minutes I look around the room and the only other person sitting as they spun as much as me was a woman who had to been approaching 60! After the class was over I went up to the instructor and thanked her and told her I could have done it but since I'd had such a rigorous work out before hand not knowing what to expect I had obviously over done it. Then I explained to her and the other ladies that those weren't really tears I just sweat from my eyes when I work out.

Every Choice Matters...

What a whirlwind the last few days have been! For those who have not heard Tobias Lyon's name let me share the story in brief. Tobias Lyons, 25 asked a 14 year old girl for sex and another for nude pictures. He worked for Tree of Life Preventative Maintenance Inc. in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They just so happened to have a program called Reality Check that also "taught" abstinence. Tree of Life is a faith based organization which even added great value to the media. Such headlines came out as, "Man who Preached Abstinence Arrested for Sexual Indecency" (italics added by me). Tobias, according to research was just married in June 2009. Now, let's look at the people impacted by one persons decisions. The young girls, their parents, his family, his young wife, the schools, Reality Check Inc. in Lowell that is in no way even tied to them, our schools, the entire river valley community, our community, the church has even taken a hit because of the tie of a faith based incorporation, and not to mention the thousands of students who may now not hear our message because of his stupidity. You tell me every choice doesn't matter? I tell the students in every class that I teach it's not just your future you could be ruining by bad choices but hundreds and maybe even thousands of others. Here is a prime example. I am in no way defending Tree of Life Preventative Maintenance Inc. because this isn't the first bad choice they have made either but I do stand strong in defense of what we here at Reality Check Inc. in Lowell, Arkansas do within our public schools. We teach abstinence as one part of our program along with the ability to set goals, boundaries, that you have worth and value, and know that you have someone that believes in you. Here's the skinny, what we do is changing the lives of hundreds and thousands here in Northwest Arkansas. I fully believe that most people don't have ANY problem with what we teach but merely that we teach abstinence. I feel strong that it's more of a "word association" problem too. It's not that they aren't intelligent (for the large majority) enough to understand that you are not going to get a STD/STI or pregnancy if you aren't having sex or using drugs, it's that they are afraid of a "christian" message. Let's be honest, "christians" or not the truth is the truth. 2+2=4 will always be true, believer or not. Our message isn't do this or burn, or do this and we "guarantee" you this. Our message is about a choice, your choice, and yes, every choice matters because it's your future.

"One of Those Days"

Have you ever asked someone how they are doing and their reply was, "well, it's just been one of those days." What does that mean? I mean, seriously think about just how generic that statement is. There are 365 days on my calendar so which one of "those" days are they referring to? This weekend I took Ash on a date to Olive Garden, seen a couple of really good friends from Clear Water, Kansas along with 60 bikers for Bikes Blues and BBQ. I believe that was the ruffest looking crowd I've seen at Olive Garden. We had a blast. Was it one of those days? Last Sunday when I came home from Orlando Caleb began throwing up, followed by Ashley, then her mom all through the night, was that one of those days? I just get utterly confused that's all I'm saying. What if the next time someone says that to you your response is, "that's awesome I've had a great day too!" That should at LEAST confuse the mess out of them and will probably even make them laugh as you explain. Who knows could even change "one of those days."

Back In Town

Wow, what a crazy past 11 days this has been from 11, 500 feet in Colorado to just above sea level in Orlando. From Central to Mountain to Eastern then back to Central...I'm so messed up! I can barely keep my eyes open right now. I will post in further detail later about my trip perhaps but just wanted to say I made it back safely. Caleb started throwing up last night not 4 hours after I'd been home, then Ashley, then her mom...all night. Madison and I are the only ones who have seemed, at least for now, to have escaped the horrors of whatever was messing them up. They are all at home (minus Madison she went to school) resting up trying to recoup from last night. My yard is 8 feet tall with all the rain we had while I was gone, sure the neighbors love that. I may fall asleep while on the mower tonight! Funny how life happens...

Amazazing

This is crazy...so there I was in my under roos finishing packing for Colorado when I realized that it was approaching 9 pm. I sprinted to my computer and eagerly awaited the moment. It's really hard to fathom but let me try and paint the picture. Bushnell binoculars on the ground along with business tools, and a few great books to read while in the mountains. There is a "lava" lamp that Caleb got from somewhere that plugs into the computer with hundreds of sparkles in it floating about and it periodically switches colors, totally mesmerizing. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes, the clock. The anticipation was so intense I felt like our dog watching me grill a package of hot dogs just praying that one of those little bundles of mystery meat rolls off the grill and into my kingdom. Then it happened, difficult to explain really but within a second I feel my body begin to explode into thousands of little pieces of matter floating around the room. It's as if I was watching it all unfold from the ceiling of my office. Suddenly, I hear footsteps, it was Ashley. What was I going to do, thoughts of my children, my future and my skivvy's lying in the computer chair where I once set so comfortably. She called my name wanting to know if Caleb had brushed his teeth yet and as she came into the room infuriated of my not answering her question she sees me floating in thousands of pieces around the room. She, without hesitation, throws her hands on her hips and shouts, "for crying out loud Jimmy pull yourself together." So here I am.

9.9.09

Okay, so today was 9.9.09 and I received an email from my friend Zac this morning that said if you stare at your watch when it turned 9 am 9 minutes and 09 seconds you "could" explode. So, of course I tried it. However, I didn't explode, thankfully but then I began to think...wait, what if it was 9 PM 9 minutes and 09 seconds? So if this is my last blog post you will know what happened because you can bet I will be staring at my watch tonight starting at straight up 9PM just in case my watch is fast...

The Reason for the Blog

Okay so here goes. I keep being told that I need to get a blog I suppose since I seem to be good at useless rants. So I have now created one. I called it "Allen All In" because I also want this to be a journey to my commitment to personal growth, debt, and time freedom. Robert Fason says, "You'll find me on top of the mountain or dead on the side, but I'm not turning back." I love that definition of commitment. Here is a man who was a broke dairy farmer, no vacations, no breaks, and because of his drive and determination decides he's not going to stay that way. Changes his vehicle and heads down a road that now let's him enjoy he and Donna's seven figure income and the time freedom that goes with it. Zig Zigler says money isn't everything but it ranks right up there next to oxygen. Robert also says that no one wants a million dollars and if you tell yourself that you do you are lying to yourself. What you really want is what the money can do for you. So...to kick things off let me tell you that Ashley and I are heading to the top of the mountain, not because of the money but for what the money can do. It's our burning desire to spend our days together with our kids while they are still "ours". I don't buy into the 40/40/40 plan. Work for 40 years, 40 hours a week and then retire on 40% of what my check was the week before all the while building someone else's business, IF there is retirement then. No, I am a firm believer that I am the one who controls my future and if things are going to change I have to change. I want you to start dreaming...what if money were no option what would you do? They say money doesn't change people it only makes them more of what they already are. I believe it. So, to conclude my first blog understand this, it's not the money I'm chasing it's the ability to do things with and for my family that I had at one time stopped dreaming possible. I know the plans the Lord has for me, plans to succeed and prosper not to fail. I look forward to this spot to just rant and have fun...expect the unexpected while following this craziness!