Urgent

Well, this Foreigner song puts this post into perspective...

From my previous blog, you are aware that I have set a goal to run through the HealthRally website. The goal was to run 14 times for more than 40 miles. Currently I am at 11 runs and over 34 miles, with a 6 mile run to be completed today. I thought to myself that I was going to crush that goal of 40 miles and easily complete my 14 runs by September 30. But events transpired on Monday this past week which changed the course of future events.

I started getting a very uneasy feeling in my upper abdomen late Sunday evening. Of course, I took some Pepto-Bismol and went to bed thinking I just had an upset stomach. I woke up for my Monday morning run still having this bizarre feeling. Nevertheless, I completed my 5K (3.1mi) run and went to work. Strangely, the feeling was a little worse, so I purchased some other anti-acid liquid that I thought would work better. Unfortunately, I did not get any relief. Tuesday morning, a 4mi run, work, and home with the family, the uneasiness in my stomach with me for the day. I picked up a bottle of Prilosec to help with the pain. Wednesday: a stationary bike ride and a gym workout, work, play drums for church worship, and bed. Again, pain came along for the ride. Thursday: another 5K run, work and home with the kids and hung out with the pain all day. Friday: a full rested morning. On my way to get a water refill at work and I felt a pain along the right side that felt like I threw my back out. It took my breath and almost sent me to the floor. It was such a piercing and intense pain, all I could do was laugh about it. I sat in a chair and tried to push the back of my chair into the location of the pain in order to allow the muscle to release and did not get any relief. After consideration, Jen and I went to the ER to figure out what was happening. The doctor confirmed Jen's diagnosis all along: gallbladder. I was sent home with the gallbladder surgery set to take place on Monday morning.

After discussing the diagnosis with the doctor, he confirmed my thoughts about the cause for the gallbladder issue. In August, I drastically changed my diet. I no longer eat ANY fast food or drink anything but water or milk. I stopped eating anything that is fried, fatty, or any sweets. Whenever I need to eat something on the go, I find a Subway or Jersey Mike's and eat a turkey sandwich. After about 8 weeks on an extreme diet/lifestyle change, my body no longer knew what to do with all of the fluids that are located within the gallbladder. Therefore, it began to cause a problem for the bile duct into my stomach.

All of this to say that I am not happy about this right now. I have been running faithfully 4 times per week for 3 weeks and worked my way up to 15 miles per week. Of course after the surgery, I will have to take some time off my training regimen. At my age, my main concern is my ability to bounce back without having to completely restart my program. I guess only time will tell. I hope to be back out on the road by Saturday next week. More to follow in the coming days. I am hoping to write another blog post-surgery to review the day's events. Until then...

Run, Run, Run - Week 1

A song by The Who will describe this and future new blog posts...

I have really slacked off in writing. Although there are many excuses for not doing so, there is no excuse for my hiatus. With as many great things that has happened in our family over the past several months, I simply never felt inspired to write. For anyone who reads (or cares to read) this blog, I commit to writing more often. Even if there are shorter ones here and there, at least I am putting something out for consumption. Here goes:

For the first few months of 2011, I was in great shape. I was down to around 200lbs and was feeling my leanest in several years. Working out before work gave me the ability to drop and keep the weight off. In May, I started another position in my company, which replaced my gym mornings for overtime. Of course that also lead to not eating so well and the body started hoarding the sugar, fat, and empty carbs. I ended up right back at 225lbs. I had to do something. First, I decided to give up all sodas an only drink water. I also gave up sweets once again. After a few runs, I decided on a quest: to run a half-marathon by Spring 2012.

I started running again in late August- a couple of miles on the so-called "dreadmill" at the gym, a short body workout starting at 6am. It was about a week before finally taking my treks outside in the elements. I knew running on treadmills wasn't the same as outdoors, but I was not expecting such a pounding on my legs. They hurt for 3 days after the first run on pavement.

Starting September 2, I set a goal of running 14 times by September 30 (4 weeks). So far, I have 4 runs under my belt- all outdoors. Three runs in my neighborhood, and one run at the Barfield Park trail. That trail is a monster. The initial hill is at least a 12 degree incline. Overall the run was 2.75mi- not bad for the 3rd run. Tomorrow will be my 5th and I'm planning for a morning on the Greenway in Murfreesboro.

I have also set up a challenge located at HealthRally which allows for people to help me donate $50 to the Blanca's Friends Charity if I meet my initial goal of 14 runs in 4 weeks. Some additional motivation for a good cause. I encourage you to check it out!

I will post more in the coming weeks about my initial run challenge and more about the other great things that have been happening in our lives in the near future.

God Bless-

Eat It!

Who would have ever thought that "Weird Al" Yankovic would ever play a part in my blog?

Most of you already know that this family loves "Man Vs. Food" on the Travel Channel. We DVR the show and watch every week, and even watch reruns then they run them as well. Gabriel often plays "Man Vs. Food" most evenings when we are eating dinner. Over the past several months, I have been able to converse with him through Twitter (he follows ME now!) and Gabriel thinks its awesome that I have a direct line to him. We have even had the opportunity to meet him at a book signing and we talked as if we had been friends for years. He's such a humble and gracious person and is a great role model for Gabriel as a human being.

We also watch several shows on Food Network: "Iron Chef America," "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," and "Chopped" to name a few. Gabe loves watching the chefs compete using the same ingredients, yet coming up with different results. His favorite parts are the epic failures of some contestants and when the judges talk about what they like, dislike and why. He also likes trying to figure out who is going to win the shows.

Tonight's dinner morphed from a nice meal into a fantastic event. As we were eating dinner, Gabriel began to create his own version of "Chopped," mimicking every nuance of Ted Allen's hosting style, judges comments about our meal, screen graphics and sound effects in and out of commercial breaks, and even provided a few commercials for us. It was incredible. The kid is really good at it. He made Jen and I laugh to the point of hysteria while eating dinner.

Our dinner entertainment quickly turned into dessert talk and we decided to have a dessert-only version of "Iron Chef America." Gabriel, of course, was "The Chairman" and also played the role of Alton Brown, the moderator as our small kitchen turned into our own cramped "Kitchen Stadium." He was unbelievable from the start: from the reveal of our secret ingredient (marshmallows), to starting the battle declaring, "I say to you- in the words of my uncle, Allez Cuisine!" As Jen and I prepared our desserts, Gabriel became Alton Brown, filming parts on his new Spycam watch, and moderating the actions of the "Chefs."

I (dubbed "Bobby Flay" by Gabriel) made Marshmallows Three Ways:

1. Chocolate-Covered Marshmallows and Banana, skewered on a toothpick, rolled in crumbled graham cracker crumbs
2. Marshmallow Orange Dreamcicle- marshmallows skewered on a toothpick, with frozen Cool Whip, dipped in orange juice
3. Marsmallow and Banana on a graham cracker with caramel drizzle

Jennifer (dubbed "Cat Cora" by Gabriel) made a Marshmallow/Banana Pudding:

-Vanilla pudding with sliced bananas on a bed of graham cracker crumbs with marshmallows and a chocolate sauce topping

After the desserts were eaten, the nod went to Jen "Cat Cora" Rogerson, by the slimmest of margins.

It was a big night in the Rogerson house tonight.

As I Lay Me Down To Sleep

A perfect song provided by Sophie B. Hawkins...

It has been a long 5 months since last posting a blog and I am embarrassed that time has escaped my grasp. There is so much to tell about the transformation of the Rogerson family (Tennessee Chapter), but not enough time to thoroughly put it into words. I have made a decision to write more often, however briefly it may be. On to today's topic...

Gabriel is of the Rogerson mold- he loves music. He received an iPod from us on his 4th birthday and has loved listening to the Beatles as I drive him home on Tuesday and Thursday nights since he was in a infant carseat. About 3 years ago, he decided that he wanted to listen to music as he went to bed. With the breadth of my musical catalog, I created several playlists entitled, "Sleep Time 1-6" for variety. Each having about 8 songs, he enjoys them as he drifts into his dream world. A night does not go by when he doesn't hear a song from Mat Kearney and Jason Mraz.

As for Jacob, he is starting his own bedtime traditions. Initially, he would only want to go to sleep in his crib- he did not want someone to rock him to sleep. Because I only got a couple of hours with him before he went to bed, I began to rock him in his chair a few minutes and sing my favorite songs as lullabies. I wanted to be sure he had a solid foundation of music, so I began to sing a litany of Beatles songs as I rocked him to sleep. At first, his "playlist" only consisted of "Blackbird." After a few days, I added an additional song such as "Across The Universe," "Let It Be," and "The Long And Winding Road." After a couple of weeks, it became apparent that this was no longer a phase. Jennifer had attempted to lay him in bed like we always had before and he would start whining after 5 minutes in bed. I would pick him up and sing a couple of songs and he would sleep all night.

Jake tells me the songs he likes by resting quietly without tossing and turning. We have added "Octopus' Garden," "Yesterday," and "Good Night" into our Beatle repertoire. With his approval, I have added other artists such as Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Brett Dennen, but we always end on a Beatles tune as I lay him in his crib. I am not sure who enjoys this ritual more: him or me, but its the bond we share together at the end of his day. It seems to be a necessity for him, and a pleasure for me.

TNT

The opening song to one of Gabriel's favorite video games: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2-

So this year Gabriel has turned 7 years old. The years are flying by and he has grown up so much. This year, Gabriel wanted a skateboard, so he got one from Nana and Pop (my parents). His gift came disassembled with two skate decks that can be interchanged, a set of trucks and wheels, and a full set of pads. We built the board and I got the video camera in order to film history- his venture into Skateboarding 101. Thanks to my Macbook and iMovie, this is what we turned out. Gabriel looks like one bad dude...



More videos will be uploaded to YouTube in the future. Hope you enjoy!

Vacation

The original girls of rock, The Go-Go's provide the classic title to this post.

Last week, the Tennessee sect of the Rogerson Family made their annual pilgrimage to the land of my fathers, Virginia. We decided to drive through North Carolina in order to stop in Kill Devil Hills to first visit my sister in her new home.

North Carolina treated us quite well- the days were long, hot and enjoyable. The ocean was not so accommodating. I had been waiting since I was pulled out to the water to go to the hospital regarding Jennifer's abdominal pains to make a return to the ocean to surf. For the last 12 months, I had been waiting for the moment I could take a longboard into the ocean and ride the waves. As I gazed upon the coast, there was something lacking- waves. It was as flat as the Florida Gulf Coast. My heart was completely ripped out of my chest and rested alongside the locker of Davy Jones. Every day was more of the same. I would have no surfing this trip either.

The best source of fun in North Carolina came by way of my sister's boyfriend, David. We decided to spend the evening on the beach hunting ghost crabs. I was the spotter, Michelle held the bucket, David was the catcher and Gabriel was leading the charge to get that next crab. Once I spotted the crab with the flashlight, David would take off like Michelle's border collie in a crab frenzy. He would pounce on the crab like a cat, locate and close the claws, and toss them into the bucket.

We caught several little crabs early as the daylight waned. As the night progressed we were catching numerous crabs with ease. David had continued to try to get Gabriel to pick up the crab himself, telling him that they wouldn't hurt him. After several attempts, he simply could not bring himself to do it. Just as Gabe backed down, the crab clamped down on David's thumb and he wimpered like a school girl. It was the funniest moment of the trip by far. David didn't think it was as funny, but he was able to laugh about it after a few moments.


Once we made it to Virginia, we were able to visit with cousins and newphews, enjoy the waterpark nearby, and eat at some of my favorite locations. The best moment came when Gabriel, Dad & I went to a Norfolk Tides game- one of Gabriel's vacation priorities. It was 50 cent hotdogs, drinks, and popcorn at the ball park. Our seats were about 8 rows behind home plate- behind the protective screen. We ordered a ridiculous amount of food and drink on the cheap and watched the Tides boat race the Iron Pigs. During the top of the 9th inning, a foul ball went staight back behind us and hit the luxury suite wall. As it returned to earth, I noticed the ball was coming right toward me. I didn't even have to move my feet: It was on a collision course with my head. I raised my hands in the air and caught the ball as if I was an outfielder catching the final out of a game. I looked toward Dad and Gabriel to celebrate and hand the ball to my son, in a moment of pride. Gabe was not there. As I look down, I noticed Gabriel in a ball under the our seats! Dad and I finally coax him out and as I place the ball in his hands, the fans cheer as he lifts it triumphantly in the air. Best moment of the vacation, no question.

We had a great time and both North Carolina and Virginia treated us well. Can't wait to get back soon. Hopefully, next year the ocean will be more forthcoming of its bounty. We may not plan a vacation next year. We'll just come with the waves are 4-5 feet. Mayble we should plan using a Farmers' Almanac...

Wild Wild Life

A Talking Heads song lifted from one of the best animation films in the last 20 years, "Open Season."

This weekend was quite strange. As I begin the drive home for a relaxing weekend with the family, I get a call from Gabriel telling me that there is a deer close to the road by our house. As I pull up to the front of the neighborhood, I see this small deer that looks confused and disoriented and without a mother. After a few minutes, I was able to corral her and bring her home. The intention was to contact Tennessee Wildlife to have them intervene. I had not planned for the events to come.

She looked as if she had the eyes of an old toy poodle- a thick bluish-white haze covering each iris. A lady working the animal rehab center said the deer was blind or so young, her vision had not come into focus. It looked like cataracts After finally getting in touch with TWRA, I was advised to attempt to introduce fluids with a baby bottle and wake up at 4am to place her in the area we found her in order to allow the mother to acquire her and move her to a more private location. After about 8am, see if she is still in the same place where I left her. I did as TWRA advised and woke up before dawn to place her in a den area. When I went to see if she had been moved, I found her in the exact location I left her: mother never showed. I picked her back up and my objective turned to delivering the fawn for rehabilitation.

The woman at TWRA called and advised me that she had an emergency in her family and she was unable to receive the deer. She gave me a few pointers for feeding her while I waited to deliver her to a rehabilitation center. It was up to me to provide the nourishment needed to sustain her life. We went to the Co-Op to buy some animal milk and a goat's nipple to feed her. I spent all weekend taking care of her.

Over the weekend, we noticed that when I set her down in the grass, she would follow me around no matter where I went in the back yard. I was being recognized as her mother! As Tuesday came, we were set to deliver her to the rehabilitation. Slowly, there was less following me and more running from me. I had to catch her several times in the back yard when I set her down to stretch in the grass.

We finally delivered the fawn to the rehabilitation center and she commented that the cataracts was due to malnutrition. She must have not eaten anything in days before we found her and we had done the right thing to intervene. This evens the score with killing the deer that jumped in from of my car while in Virginia Beach several years ago.