Thanks For Terrifying Me Bro!

As this amazing journey of mine continues and I keep working towards the healthiest me possible, I had a moment today to sit and reflect on how far I've come.

I guess I've been so focused on the fight to drop the pounds each day for the last year that I never took the time to appreciate fully what I've accomplished. Don't get me wrong, this isn't about me bragging or flaunting my healthy changes. It's about reflecting on what it has taken to reach my current status on this quest.

My frustration has been building over the last month as my weight loss has stalled. I continue to maintain my weight which is certainly a positive but with my original goal so close, the irritation of not progressing further has had me feeling a bit defeated.

Change Can Be A Good Thing

Of course this is completely ridiculous thinking on my part. The fact I've lost 153 pounds so far really can't be considered anything but a success. Sure I would love to drop those last 15 pounds to reach my goal weight of 250 lbs but at this stage it might take a bit more effort and determination. In other words, I have to take my game to another level to overcome my opponent.

When I think back to a little over a year ago when I began this process, I started to ruminate on what lead me to finally start down the road to a healthier me. Not only that but why did I succeed this time after failing countless times in the past?

It all came down to one conversation I had with my brother Scott.

Visiting Scott and his family in Florida in March of 2012 I was pushing at least 420 pounds. The exact maximum weight I was carrying is up for debate. I hadn't weighed myself in almost two years and at that time I came in at 418 pounds. In all likely hood it's plausible I was weighing closer to 430 or more at this time.

I hadn't yet been officially diagnosed as diabetic but I had been taking my blood sugar readings and they had spiked in recent weeks. We all knew the truth, even me, although I was trying to deny it. Diabetes is quite common in my family so deep down I knew the odds were high I would eventually be hit with the disease as well.

Being in denial it took some eye opening, straight, no bullshit confrontation from my brother to wake me up. It just took me another six months of coming to grips with it before I finally wised up and made the effort to change.

Scott pulled no punches. It was almost like an intervention. My parents were there as well as my sister-in-law Erin. I should mention that Erin is a nurse and my brother in a Nurse Practitioner among other things. He has worked in busy hospital Emergency Rooms and currently oversees the training of Nurses, EMT's and Firefighters. To be honest, he has so many fancy letter combinations after his name I don't know what all he is. PhD is one of them. Long story short, they know what they're talking about when it comes to the medical field.

So there I am sitting there when the onslaught of concern, truth and love began. A lot of things were said but the one thing that stuck with me the most was being told I would most likely be dead within a matter of years and not decades. Being told that your feet, legs and more could be amputated as a result of the combination of obesity and diabetes has a way of grabbing one's attention.

I'm sure at the time I probably brushed it off but I knew there was genuine concern there and with good reason. Scott's intent was to scare me and he had succeeded even if he didn't know it at the time. I'm not sure he realized how much his talk hit me. It did sink in and stuck with me. It's still with me to this day and that fear of death really is quite the motivating tool. The fact that it's the truth just makes it even more powerful.

There are no certainties in life. I could be hit by a bus tomorrow but to sit by and eat myself to death and let my health deteriorate to a point that I can no longer look after myself is something I wasn't prepared to let happen.

So today, thanks to having the crap scared out of me, I'm 153 pounds lighter and the healthiest I've been in decades. I've been going to the gym five times a week for the last month. I'm now using the treadmill and even jogging intervals. I'm lifting weights and strengthening my body. I'm not trying to look like Mr. Olympia, I just want to feel more fit overall.

Being open with my emotions isn't something I'm comfortable with. Don't get me wrong, I'm a very emotional person and have been known to shed tears at weddings or watching movies but when it comes to expressing my feelings to others, I could be better at it. I'm sure my family knows I love them even though I don't say it. I would lay down my life for any of them if I had to but speaking the words in person is something I just don't do. I'll have to work on that.

But I needed to say thanks to my brother for caring enough to give it to me straight. Sure I did all the work to reach this point but without his push, my future would have been grim at best. Perhaps the next time I visit him we can talk about the progress I've made and I can thank him in person. Most likely I'll just buy him lunch instead and we can talk about something more interesting.

Hurricane Fay Hunting Florida

It hasn't been an overly active hurricane season so far but as we've seen in the past that can change in a hurry.

I never used to worry too much about them since I live way up here in Canada and only on rare occasions do we see any effect from them. It does happen though as we tend to get mostly rain events from them.

It can get nasty as well, such as Hurricane Hazel in 1954 which re-intensified unexpectedly and rapidly, pounding the Toronto region with winds that reached 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) and 285 millimetres (11.23 inches) of rain in 48 hours. Bridges and streets were washed out, homes and trailers were washed into Lake Ontario. Thousands were left homeless, and 81 people were killed—more than 30 on one street alone.

I have family living in Florida with my brother and his wife and her family calling the Sunshine State home and that keeps me a bit more vigilant.

They've been pretty lucky so far as they've never had a direct hit to my knowledge but Fay could be different. The projected path currently has it hitting right near where they live South of Tampa and that probably has me more concerned than them. My brother doesn't usually get too excited about these things.

Hopefully the path will change prior to landfall on Tuesday night.

So I'll be keeping an eye on the news and weather channels as much as I can and on my cell phone at work. I might even have to give them a call just to make sure everything is OK.

Knowing Scott he'll be upset that I woke him up while his street is flooding and the neighbourhood trees are being snapped off.

UPDATE (7:22AM Aug. 19): Good news...the storm came ashore well below my family and wasn't a hurricane when it made landfall so it looks like they'll be spared once again. Hopefully their luck will continue until the season comes to an end and for many years to come.

When I Win the Lottery. . .

I have an Uncle and I believe his favourite five words are…”When I Win the Lottery.” Every time I chat with him, that’s what he dreams about. Let’s face it; who among us wouldn’t want to or hasn’t at one time had a dream about the big pay day?

Unless you’re one of the lucky one’s either born into wealth, a Prince in an Arab country or have some how managed to become a self-made millionaire, odds are quite high you’ll never truly know what it’s like to be “rich”.

Oh sure, I’m rich in many ways, just not in the pocket. I have a loving and supportive family, a few close friends, many other friendly acquaintances and my health, although not perfect, isn’t as bad as it could be. However, unless some long lost relative leaves me a fortune, I’ll likely have to worry about money my whole life.

So what do those of us without money dream about…winning the lottery of course. Here in Canada we have a couple of good lotteries that can at times get jackpots up to 25 to 40 million. When you compare that to the U.S. where the Power Ball pot can reach over 100 million, it doesn’t sound like much. Of course in Canada, our winnings are tax free which means if you win a 30 million dollar jackpot, you get the whole 30 million.

Since I’m quite sure I’ll never have to worry about it, I’ve never actually taken the time to think about what I’d do with the money if I won it.

For starters, let’s say I won 20 million. That’s a nice round number. The first thing I’d do after picking up the cheque and contacting my bank is disappear for a little while and take some family with me. I wouldn’t be going on a big spending spree; I just want to get away from all of those long lost friends and solicitors who have a tendency to show up at your door.

After a short period of time I’d resurface and make sure any debts are paid off to the bank to get me back to even. Luckily at this point it wouldn’t take too much to do that.

So now the fun begins. I’d probably put 10 million in the bank and leave it there for now and use the other 10 to do a few things, including giving some money to my family. I’d make sure all of my parents bills were taken care of and I’d give them a million to start. I’d do the same for my brother.

So with about seven of the 10 left I’d probably fly to Florida and start looking for a nice house. I figure I can get a very nice home for one million. I could probably furnish it nicely for a couple hundred thousand. And of course I’d need a couple of vehicles to go in my three car garage. Nothing too expensive…maybe an Escalade and something a little less flashy and more fuel efficient as well.

Did I mention I’d never work a job again? I suppose that’s understood.

I’d also make sure I had a new home back in Canada and make sure my parents are looked after. They would be more than welcome to stay at my place in Florida as well. Of course, if they wanted it, I’d get them a home down there. My parents aren’t the flashy type and my mother is not one to spend money frivolously so their money would last a very long time.

Once I’m established and my immediate family are taken care of, next I’d make sure the rest of my family is looked after. My aunts and uncles who I still keep in touch with would probably receive a gift of some kind…most likely in the form of cash.

Boy, it’s kind of fun spending this imaginary money. So where does that leave me? I have 10 million in the bank and I’ll say I have three million of the fun ten left.

Time to go on a trip and I think I’ll take some family members with me if they want to go. I’ve seen only a fraction of the world so far having been down to Panama, Belize, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. So I’d say it will be a month long trip to Europe as I’ve always wanted to see Scotland where my family comes from and see our family castle. I figure that should take care of a good portion of the remaining three million.

After returning I’d have the other 10 million to live off of for the rest of my life. I’m pretty sure I could do that as long as I don’t go crazy spending money. I can’t foresee myself building the “Bundyland Ranch” with a zoo and amusement park.

I think I could live my life quite happily from that point on.

Alas, the reality is I haven’t won the lottery and I have to resign myself to the fact that I’ll likely be working until the day I die and won’t likely see retirement. Even if I live that long I won’t be able to afford to quit working so I’ll just have to enjoy the relaxing times when I can and pretend that my weekends are my retirement.

Yikes…that’s pretty damn depressing. I think I better get to the store and buy some lottery tickets fast.

Vacation's Over

It is with some sadness that I have to report that my two weeks of vacation have come to an end and I'm back to work.

Don't get me wrong...I enjoy my job and the people I work for are great and good friends of many years but there's just something a lot more enjoyable about sleeping in, staying up late, traveling, spending time with family, camping and not having to keep an eye on the clock.

This summer my vacation was spent close to home with plenty of day trips and lots of time spent at the trailer at Presqu'ile with my parents. I have been spent time at Presqu'ile every summer for the last 40 years and I always enjoy sitting by the lake, watching the fire burn and looking at the stars on a warm night.

My vacation was also special because my brother Scott and Sister-In-Law Erin and her sister Ashley made the trip up from Florida to get away from the heat. Unfortunately for them the temperatures were just as hot here if not hotter than they were in the Sunshine State.

Without going into every boring detail of the vacation I will tell you that we were kept busy most days with small trips around Eastern Ontario including Kingston's Fort Henry, the Captain's Table Restaurant in Hastings for fish 'n' chips, Healy Falls, Picton and Toronto. Can someone please explain to me why the Yorkdale Mall doesn't open until 10am on Thursdays?

Aside from the fun and relaxing stuff, the time off also meant we had to get a couple of jobs done as well. My parents have wanted a new kitchen floor so we took one day and were able to get that job completed. Of course things never go as smoothly as you expect so it's safe to say that the language on our job site was certainly rated PG. I have to give added credit to my brother for doing most of the work as he remains the most agile of the Kennedy men. My talents were noticed more when it came to moving heavy furniture and appliances or standing on a recently glued board to help it set in place.

We also spent a morning trimming a tree. No we weren't putting decorations on it for Christmas but instead using the chainsaw to take a few dead limbs off. So now the risk of having a branch come crashing through the front window of my parents place is somewhat diminished. Plus they also have more wood to burn at the campsite.

All in all it was a great vacation that left me well rested and ready to get back to work. The stretch run to the holiday season has begun and I now have four months to get my Christmas shopping done. It won't be enough time as usual.

Holiday Hoopla Over

Congratulations everyone, we made it through another busy holiday season.

Like most of you I'm sure, I made it to another new year with only minor injuries from my assault on the local mall and walking through the family gathering minefield.

I guess I make it sound worse than it really was but I make no secret about my disdain for the season or at least certain aspects of it.

I truly enjoy spending time with family over the joyous season and especially this holiday with my brother Scott and his wife Erin making the trip north from Florida to spend time with us.

The one main aspect of the Christmas season that truly drives me batty is shopping. It's not like I have a lot of people to buy gifts for but I can do numerous laps around the mall and still leave without buying anything for anyone but me. It's easy to shop for myself because I know what I want and I can just run in to the store, purchase the item and then leave.

When I'm shopping for family, the only thing that snaps me out of my trance as I blindly wander with the rest of the herd of shoppers is when I pick up the scent of the pizza in the food court. Time to take a break and regroup with a slice and sit and watch the other lost souls going by.

In the end I did manage to find a couple of gifts for my parents that I think they were happy with. Scott and Erin were the toughest challenge as they have everything they need and anything I thought of had to fit in their suitcases to fly back home. In the end I'll admit I just gave up and went shopping at the bank. Cash isn't the most personal of gift but I know my eyes always light up when someone hands me money. Not to mention I think I got the right size.

The one other hurdle to jump this year was spending time with family members I haven't seen in quite some time. I guess the real problem is that I like sitting at home and just spending quiet times playing cards with my immediate family. The thought of having to dress up (take off my track pants), hop in the car and go visiting isn't normally something that appeals to me and I wasn't too eager to do it this time either.

But I actually didn't mind it in the end. It was nice to talk with some of my cousins I haven't seen in quite some time and a Christmas meal with about 20 people at my cousin Stephen's was very nice. It may be a little selfish, but I was kind of glad that my mom was able to take Christmas off and just enjoy it. She helped out in the kitchen but she certainly didn't have to run the show like she would have at home and I think she appreciated that as well.

In the end the holiday hoopla wasn't too bad this year. Perhaps as I get older I'm learning to appreciate the time I get to spend with my family and extended family more because there will come a day when all we'll have are memories.

Family Values

As I've stated before, my family means a lot to me. I value the time I spend with any family members be it Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents (mine have all passed now) and so on.

There are a certain few relatives that for one reason or another have angered me a great deal over the years and I'm sure they know who they are. I won't get into that but suffice to say they've made it very difficult for me to forgive and forget and I haven't spoken to them in years. I have no plans to change that anytime soon either.

But there are other family members I spend a great deal of time with or I like to whenever possible, especially on my dad's side of the family.

Many of them are similar in a lot of ways but of course they have their own unique personalities that make our visits interesting. And the older I got, the more fun this time has become. Some of my cousins I don't see too often since they are spread out all across the country or lead busy lives but once a year it's good to catch up on things. Christmas isn't always that time but every few years it happens that the family gathers together to eat great food and share a lot of laughs.

Yes, I truly believe the older you get the more you understand the importance of family. Sure friends are great and a lot of fun but you can always count on family to be there when you really need them.

My parents have had the most influence in my life and I can honestly say I fear the day they are no longer with me. They've meant so much and have really been there for everything I've ever done and every up and down. My memories are filled with millions of little things and moments that I've shared with them. It's funny how the smallest thing can provide such a lasting memory.

As an example, I remember my mother helping out at my elementary school with the fluoride days or walking through a blizzard to walk myself and some other kid's home from school. I recall my dad letting me drive around in his transport while he worked and our afternoon break was a stop at the little drugstore downtown where we could get a meal of french fries and a pop. It also meant a great deal when I'd be playing football and even though he couldn't get off work, I'd see him stop the truck on the highway long enough to watch a bit of my game.

And that doesn't even scratch the surface for everything else they've done and sacrificed to feed me, dress me, get me home safely after a night of drinking with the guys. There was always love in our home. Sometimes my brother and I would step out of line and pay a penalty and we'd wonder where the love went, but looking back, even the punishment was a form of love and guidance to keep us on the right path.

And of course my brother Scott means a great deal to me also. He didn't always however. I'm not going to lie, there were times as kids I thought he hated me and I think I might have felt the same towards him. With five years difference between us it made it tough to be close as he didn't want his little brother tagging around after him. Oh boy did we have our confrontations over the years but the bruises healed and the scars faded.

The turning point in our relationship came when I made it clear to him that he could no longer pick on me or push me around. You see, there was that moment in time when my "big brother" was no longer the "biggest brother" and one quick toss of Scott into a pine tree turned the light bulb on in his brain and he realized he'd be better off having me as an ally.

Since that moment, everything changed for us and despite the fact he lives in Florida with his wife Erin (who I haven't had a good chance to torment yet) we get along better now then ever before. We're still very competitive with each other when we play computer games and cards but that's because we both hate losing.

Scott and Erin recently came home for a visit for Labour Day weekend and it was nice to have a big brother around to do things with again. It only lasted a short time but he'll be back for Christmas and I'm sure I'll visit Florida again soon.

Family is important to me. Life is too short as it is and that's why spending time with the people you love shouldn't be taken for granted. Cherish the time you have with your family because it will end all too soon.

17 Days of Bliss!

Well, I've finally found a few moments to tell you about my trip to Florida which I just returned from.

It was 17 days of fantastic weather but more importantly it allowed me to spend some time with my brother Scott prior to his big wedding on November 5th. We hadn't seen each other in over a year and it was great to be able to hang out like brothers are supposed to do. Of couse we didn't get to spend too much time with each other as he was busy preparing for the big day and then spent the honeymoon in Hawaii but the time we spent together was super.

I flew down with mom and dad and we stayed at Scott and Erin's place. I have to say, that first week I ate more awesome food then I have in awhile. I think we ate out almost every night and Steak and Prime Rib was my choice almost every meal. I love cow!

The rehearsal party was held at Michael's on East in the Wine Cellar (beautiful setting) with the wedding party (I was Best Man) and family from both sides. Yes, I ate more cow at this party. After the party, the girls went their way and the boys went to Hooters for a couple pitchers of watered down American beer.

The wedding day itself went very smoothly, although it was damn hot...about 85F. Needless to say I may have lost a few pounds while wearing my monkey suit. The reception was lovely. Did I just use the word "lovely"? Everything looked great but once again it was a tad on the warm side and my hankie's got a work out.

I ate more bovine at this gathering also. Judging by the amount of laughter during my speech, everyone either loved it or my fly was undone. I danced with the bridesmaid's and several of my aunts during the evening. I hadn't danced in quite a while and I think it showed. Overall it was a fantastic and emotional day. The saddest part of the day was knowing that the reception was being held at an amazing golf course and I wasn't allowed to play it.

The final week of my vacation was spent relaxing and shopping. I didn't buy much though...just three pairs of shoes, several shirts and some new shorts I won't get to wear again for another six months. I spent most of the time swimming in the pool, sitting in the spa or laying out by the pool catching some rays and working on the tan.

Overall it was another great trip. If you'd like to see photos of my trip, go to this website http://photobucket.com/albums/b244/Bundy68/ and click on the appropriate page.