it only works if you talk back.

So, this week I am seeing my relatives a lot more than I typically do. In Edmonton it’s mostly my parents, myself, my aunt, her (soon to be) husband and my two cousins. This Saturday they are getting married in Canmore, and so my grandfather, my uncle, and his common law spouse are here for the week. I don’t know if it would be possible to point to a time when we were all in the same room… I haven’t seen my uncle in close to a decade, and it’s been nearly as long that I haven’t seen my grandfather.

So this week is a different one for me, seeing them so frequently is nice on one hand, but boring as hell in some ways. After a few hours spent with these old folks, it’s boring even for a 23 year old. The adults just talk about people I’ve never heard of, places I’ve never been, things I’ve never seen. I’ve made the mistake twice now of showing up way too early for family dinner. I hope to not do it again.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love having them here, and it’s great to spend some time with them. At the same time though, there is only so much to talk about. We lead different, separate lives, so it’s normal to not have those points of connection.

I just hope lunch today goes really well…

Well, I have been absent from the blogosphere for quite some time now. Last time I was here I was telling tales of weight loss… Pounds which I have likely gained back. I don’t even recall if I spoke of romance much, but now I find myself betrothed to the love of my life. School was coming to a close, now I am struggling through an online course. Work was on the horizon, and now I’m struggling to make ends meet with a low-ish paying job. I’m looking forward to the end of July, mostly because of this past week and the week coming. August seems like greener pastures right now, with paychecks not being claimed by large deposits or purchases to be made. Yet August still means I’m doing my course… I can’t wait for that to end…

So, going for my second time for this analysis, I was hoping for good results… and they sure were!

Weight: 209lb (down 14lbs from 223)

Total Body Fat %: 25.5 (down 5.8% from 31.3%)

My goal weight is up (3lbs) to 181lbs with 14% body fat.

Some other interesting things:

- my lean body mass is up around 2.5lbs (this is why my goal weight went up)

- my lean body mass to fat ratio is up to 2.9 to 1 (from 2.2 to 1)

So there have been some awesome improvements in my physical shape!

So a few weeks ago I heard about this idea that TOMS shoes had, to have a day where people went without shoes. I have a pair of TOMS, love ‘em, dig their business, and I thought it was a good & cool idea to go sans shoes for a day.

The hardest part I’ve found about going barefoot all day is the looks I would get from people. I mean, I don’t really care what they think but so many people have given me a look like “why the hell aren’t you wearing shoes?”…

A question that TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie likely wondered. After all, shoes are a fairly basic thing (I’ve realized this from all the looks I get) yet there are so many children in this world who do not have any.

It’s sometimes harder to walk in someone’s shoes when they have never owned a pair. If only I’ve engrained that more in my head today then it’s been worth it. Once I can afford it I’ll likely buy another pair of TOMS, and a child will get a pair. I hope others will do the same. do it here.

Resurrection: Rob Bell from The Work of Rob Bell on Vimeo.