Somalia’s runners provide inspiration - Olympics - Yahoo! Sports.

Unless you have been in a coma or an underground bomb shelter you’ve heard and seen the amazing feat that Michael Phelps has accomplished the past 8 days.

I have seen some amazing things in my life in the athletic arena.  I’ve seen Michael Jordon win six NBA titles and become the greatest player in basketball history.  I’ve seen Tiger Woods revolutionize the game of golf and dominate some of the most talented golfers of all time.  I’ve seen Lance Armstrong win seven straight Tour de France titles and dominate in some of the most brutal circumstances any athlete has ever faced.  I have seen a lot in my 27 years of life but I have never seen anything like Michael Phelps going 8 for 8 at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

He won in every way possible.  He blew away the competition, he came from behind to win in the last milisecond, he led off a relay with a strong performance and cheered on a teammate when he made a late charge to beat the favored French.  Tonight he swam the third leg of the medley relay (my favorite swimming event of the Olympics) and put the race out of reach.  He was more than incredible.  Mark Spitz called it “epic” but that word is too small to describe what Phelps did.  What he did was super-human.  What he did was Herculean.  He could not have dominated more if he had gills and fins.  He was absolute perfection.

I grew up hearing the story of my parents watching the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team defeating the Soviet Union in one of the greatest Olympic moments ever.  This week has been a time that I will tell my children about.  This is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.  It has been my pleasure and privilege to share in this moment.

I know that I’m being overly sappy and that many people do not feel the same way that I do.  I’ve always been a sucker for the Olympics and I have a special place in my heart for Olympic champions.  I know that the Olympics isn’t what it used to be now that professionals have taken over the games, but there is something special and maybe even magical about these events.  Maybe I am too sentimental, but I don’t care.  What we all saw this week was total domination.  The craziest part is that he could have added at least two more events (the 400 freestyle and the 200 backstroke) and contended for gold in both.

We may see someone win 9 gold medals in a single Olympics someday.  After watching Phelps I can’t honestly say it’s impossible, but I doubt I will see it in my lifetime.  Way to go Michael!

Healer Song Story - Hillsong This Is Our God.

We arrived at our seats after a visit to the merchandise booth (where Angela bought a Police t-shirt) just in time for Elvis Costello to start.  He played for a little over an hour and was a big ball of energy.  He did not mess around at all, he just came out and played song after song.  We were treated to all of his big hits like “Radio,” “Every Day I Write the Book,” “Pump It Up,” and “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love & Understanding” as well as songs from his new album.  The highlight of his set was a duet with Sting on “Allison.”  Both guys cracked up in the middle of the song after each tried to sing the harmony and neither sang the melody.  It was a great set and he is a great performer.

We took a quick trip to the concession stand to get something to drink before The Police started playing which ended up taking a long time because the place was packed.

The Police began a little before 9:00 pm and when they came out and started with “Message In A Bottle” my skin was tingling.  It was amazing to watch these master craftsmen at work.  Each member of the band is spectacular at their instrument, and together they were mind-blowing.  They added extended jam sessions in many of their songs which was amazing to see.  They played all of their hits (with the notable exception of Syncronicity II and Spirits In The Material World) and some other songs that are great but lesser known like “Demolition Man” and “So Lonely.”  They played two encores and by the end I was sad it was over.  I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to see them again so I wanted them to keep going.

One of the most amazing parts of the concert was how unbelievably charasmatic Sting is.  I twittered that he was “commanding the audience like a rock god” which is absolutely the truth.  People just went crazy every time he opened his mouth.  His voice was as great as ever and he was ablt to hit the high notes like it was 1978 again.  His vocal power was incredible.  Several times he would hold a note 45-60 seconds which I don’t think I could do as a man almost 30 years younger than he is.

It was one of the best nights I’ve ever had, even though it took us over two and a half hours to get home.  I’m going to be paying the price today because I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep.  It was totally worth it.

We are going to see The Police live in concert.

I do not have the words to express how excited I am to get a chance to see one of the greatest and most influential musical groups in modern history.  And to make the night even better, Elvis Costello (who I also love and who is also incredibly influential) is the opening act.

I have always been a music lover.  My dad is a music lover and he passed on his love for great and talented musicians on to me.  Some of my earliest memories of listening to music are of the great musical acts of the late 60s and 70s.  My dad was a huge fan of Chicago, Kansas, Three Dog Night, Steely Dan, and many more.  I learned from an early age what was good music and what was not.

The Police always made incredible music that was years ahead of any of their contemporaries.  I can listen to songs like “Invisible Sun” or “Spirits In The Material World” still sound cutting edge decades after they were first recorded.  I also believe that “Message In A Bottle” is one of the greatest songs ever written.  The worst part for someone like me who grew up after The Police had called it quits was that we would never have the chance to see them perform live.  When they reunited last year, I was excited to see them live but I knew it was virtually impossible for us to afford tickets.

Luckily for me, my sister was able to get us tickets for the show and I am unbelievably excited.  I’ll be updating my Twitter page as much as I can during the concert, so you can follow it there.

Part of the problem was that I became obsessed.  I spent at least 10 hours a week on fantasy football and worked harder at that then I did with my job or any of my college classes that I was in at the time.  The other problem was my schedule was crazy.  I was working full time and carrying a full time course load in college.  Add to that the fact that I was getting married on January 3rd and there wasn’t a spare minute to devote to fantasy football.

Since then I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to get involved with fantasy football a couple of times.  It’s not something that I really miss all that much, so I haven’t made a big deal out of it.

Well today I joined a fantasy football league for this upcoming season and the juices have already started flowing.  I’ve spent a good chunk of the afternoon doing prep for a draft that’s over a month away.  I’ve researched software I can load on my computer during the draft to track player movement.  I’ve started ranking all of the top players at each position and where the players rank overall.  I’ve been in the league for just a few hours and I’m already beginning to get obsessed.  I’ve even looked into a program I can load on my phone to get fantasy information when I’m not near a computer.  Someone please stop me.

I have to start by sharing the good news that I am getting another promotion!  Just a few months after getting promoted for the first time, I’ve been offered another position as a Site Supervisor.  It’s my first job in management and I’m very excited.  There are many things that I love about this new job, and many of them have to do with the fact that it’s not my old job.  It hasn’t been the smoothest 9 months of my life, but this is what they promised me when I took the first promotion so in the end I’m happy.  It will be some more money too, which is always nice when you have a car payment every month.

We did get a new car a few weeks ago.  We got a 2005 Chrysler Sebring and it’s very nice.  As I said in my post a few weeks ago, we decided that it was not in our best interest to lease a new car.  It all worked out well and we’re very happy with the car we have.  It’s a very cool color which I haven’t seen before.  I guess the best way to describe it is that it’s a graphite/metallic black color.  My favorite part is that it has green and purple flecks in the paint that sparkle in the sun and make the car look maroon.  It’s pretty awesome.  I’ve attached a few pictures of the car for your enjoyment.

We also got a really great deal on a Nintendo Wii off of Craigslist.  I’ve wanted one since it was known as the Nintendo Revolution long before it was announced to the public.  Now we have one and it’s awesome.  Cassie and I play against each other all the time and she’s getting way too good at some games.  I still kick her butt on Wii Sports.

Lily is still growing and developing at breakneck speed.  She’s talking so much now and she’s also got a new love of singing.  Watch for yourself.

Things are good in this Hull house, but the rest of my family is struggling right now.  Both my dad and my sister need new jobs and my mom is having knee replacement surgery soon.  Please pray that my dad finds work before she goes in for her surgery.  They are terrified of being without an income for six weeks or more.  God will provide, but it won’t hurt if everyone prays to remind him.  Angela also needs to hear about a job at her church that she’s been waiting on for years.

It’s 4th of July weekend and I’m going to go have some fun now.  (I take that back, it looks like I’m going to go clear out the closet in our bedroom.)  I am ready for some fireworks tomorrow though.  I love me some fireworks.

Lily is growing and developing at an amazing rate.  There are so many things that she can do now that she couldn’t do just a few short weeks ago.  She’s finally starting to make strides towards being potty trained which will be a huge step for her (and for us because no more diapers until the next kid).  She has so much personality now it’s amazing.  She’s started to imitate us all the time and it’s very funny.  The hardest part is that she does stuff that she shouldn’t, but we’re laughing too hard to tell her no.

We went to the annual Salvation Army Central Territory congress this past weekend which is the first big SA event that we have been to since we left over 4 years ago.  It was good to see some old friends and to be reminded of the rich history that the Salvation Army has.  It’s amazing to see so many of the people I grew up with stepping into significant leadership roles in the Army, and it makes me wonder if it could have been me if circumstances were different.

Well it’s taken me an hour to write this whole deal which just goes to show how little is going on right now that I can share with the whole world.  I’ve got a sore throat so I’m going to go take it easy.

What helped us make up our minds?  Two things made the decision really easy.  First, the Microsoft Sync system that is available on new Ford models.  It’s amazing technology and we both were impressed with the hands free phone and iPod control features.  Second, the price was in the range of what we can afford which is really the biggest factor.  We were able to get a Ford “X” plan discount from a friend which knocked the price down quite a bit.  Thanks to Uncle Sam and the tax rebate we just recieved, we have a pretty good down payment.

In other news, I’ve now lost 64 pounds since the beginning of the year.  I just bought a bunch of new clothes today and it feels really good to buy smaller sizes.  As I’ve said before, my goal is to lose 100 pounds by the end of the year and I think I’m going to get there.  I’m hoping to get to 75 pounds by Cassie’s birthday in the middle of June.  Cassie’s lost about 45 pounds (I’m not sure her exact number) and she’s working out like a maniac.  She’s doing a Biggest Loser challenge at her gym and she needs to work out 6 days a week to stay in the competition.  When you combine our weight loss, we’ve lost an entire supermodel!

That’s the news for now.