Tag: HIM

  • Twelfth Morning… and no wise (or other) men in sight

    GroupMe mumblechatter Thurs pm: who’s Q at The Uptowner?  Having vowed to avoid diarrhea of the smartphone, YHC figured someone would respond and step up, but it was getting late, so he never checked further.

    Alarm at 5ish Fri am: ggrrr!  To fartsack or not to fartsack, that is the question.  Whether tis nobler in the bod to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous weather and to lift rocks against a sea of troubles and by tossing hurl them.  To die, to dream–no more–and by sleep we say end the bodyache, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to!  Ahh, blue pill bull schmill, I’m posting.

    5:23pm at Pontiff: Brr.  It’s cold and windy.  Where’s the flag?  Where’s another PAX?  I suppose I’ll wait a few more minutes and then ditch it if no one shows up.  YHC has no watch, so he waits for what he thinks is about 5 minutes.  No Rudy making his usual Friday loops.  No Hawg (he’s become a figment of our cyber imagination: hope all’s well!).  No Triple Shift with his labeled rocks.  No Frac Sac.  No Tool.  No Amnesty.  No Marlin (after all it’s not Monday).  No surprise visit from Kimchee or Reluctant Yankee.  After three posts this week, no Shorty.  No Cowbell (I’m forgetting what he looks like).  No Rev Sox.  No tunes from Bogey.  No lithe Walleye.  No nobody.

    What’s a guy to do?  Oh well, might as well be the Q.  Hopefully, the PAX will keep up and keep the mumblechatter to a minimum.  So get to The THANG!

    • SSHs x100
    • Imperial Walkers x50
    • Hillbillies x50
    • Squats x100
    • Sun gods x50 each way

    Select a rock (one that Triple Shift conveniently marked 30) for some 25-20-15-10-5:

    • Overhead shoulder lifts x25
    • Curls x25
    • Tricep behind the head curls x25
    • Deadlifts x25
    • Squats x25
    • Bench press on six x25
    • Russian twists x25

    Pause for some merkins, hindu planks (or, the REAL wife  pleasers: plank where you go at it like you mean it), etc. and then a minute or so on the wall (sometimes with rock, sometimes without) and then rinse and repeat with a 20 count; then R&R again with a 15 count; etc. for 10 and then 5.

    Somewhere in this midst of this routine, where the Q was riding hard on the PAX to keep up great form and precision, out from a distance YHC did espy Stella and her two fair companions.  This ebon maid today had no worry of which PAX to greet: her focus was laserlike and not distracted from a plethora of PAX to abuse.  She came charging at YHC like, well, like Stella.  Kapow: she strikes, she wins.  YHC had been in people’s chair for 40 seconds or so when he went crashing to the ground.  A good distraction, but back to the THANG.

    After the last set of merks after 5 putins, YHC sealed the deal with ten burpees.  The countoff and namorama didn’t take long.  Thanks for this twelfth day of Christmas.  YHC got back to his car: 6:20.  Sorry, Yankee, I went over a few minutes.  If you’d been there, you could have kept me more accountable.  The book of the Bible YHC is most drawn to is Job: it’s tough, it’s cruel and ultimately it’s true and it’s comforting.  Remember: we’re not in it alone, and we’re not in charge of the world.  But we’re each responsible for ourselves, with the Sky Q ever watching our backs (and sides and fronts and hearts and minds and souls).  The toughest critic is your inner voice: keep it talkin’.  See what trouble YHC gets into when he’s a PAX of one: don’t let it happen again!

    Love for the new year, Jingle Vader

  • Double Down

    Well done is better than well said.” – Benjamin Franklin

    It is easy to talk about what you want, but the hard part is putting those words into action.  You may say that this problem could be resolved with stronger self-discipline…but even that is limited. Sometime you may be tired, sometimes you may make excuses….and your actions fall short of what you actual want.  The real key is to have someone hold you accountable for your words, which will lead you to your desired action.  That’s where F3 comes in.  It is a great tool to develop relationships (2nd F) to help you take more action and become a HIM. #lexicon

    Let’s get to it… 5 men of NOLA gathered in the gloom to get stronger.  So let’s begin…but first…

    DISCLAIMER

    The Thang

    COP#1, and only: The beatdown (since we are acting like Uptown)

    20x LS Squats IC
    10x Arm Circles IC (while holding a squat)
    15x Tap Dancers IC
    15x Mountain Climber Stretch IC

    Enough for now, go grab a small rock.

    20x Rock Jacks IC
    20x Rock Marches IC
    30x Squat Reaches IC
    Recover with a Bear Crawl about 30-40 yards

    Repeat that one more time.

    8x Merkin-to-Side Plank (1 rep each side/held Plank for 2-3 sec)
    4 sets of:  5x Skull Crushers / 5x Bench Press

    Repeat that one more time, but do 10 reps this time.

    8x Balance Pistol Squat IC (Right, then Left)
    10x Balance Rock/Leg Curls IC (Right, then Left)

    Repeat that one more time.

    10MOM:
    15x Putins IC
    15x Hello Dolly w/ Leg Lift IC (preparation for the Doctor)
    10x Penguins IC
    15x Heel Taps IC
    10x R. Leg Curl/Lift IC
    10x L. Leg Curl/Lift IC
    8x Dr. Ws IC (there he is!)

    Done. Circle up for the COT, where we held the Countoff, Nameorama, and Prayer (for the injured…get better Josiah!)

    Moleskin

    Great work by the Pax today!  Tclaps to StubHub for posting & pushing through his injury!

    Tclaps to Hawg for keeping me accountable on the Snooze Formula!

  • Turning Pain Into Purpose-The Final Wrap on the First Annual Operation Sweet Tooth Toy Drive

    When my wife and I had the idea to create Operation Sweet Tooth to honor our daughter’s memory, we had no idea of how our initiative would be welcomed.  We are just a simple, mourning family, wanting to honor our daughter’s memory and do some good for other children, and their families while trying to find some healing during the process.  As Pastor Rusty of Camino Church said, “We are turning our pain into a life of purpose.”  When we enlisted the help of our brothers from F3 (f3nation.com) and sisters of FiA (FiAnation.com), the response and support was overwhelming.  Friends, strangers, co-workers and family were eager to help support, honor our daughter and have a positive impact on children within our local communities.  Receiving all the texts, tweets, emails and pictures of all the trunks filled with toys and gifts was just absolutely incredible to see.  Moreover, receiving the numerous thank you letters, hugs and condolences for our loss was equally impactful.  We cannot express our gratitude enough for everyone’s generosity and support and we are truly humbled and blessed that you played a significant role in making a difference.

    During this time, we were invited to Christmas parties, asked to give speeches, guest workouts, helped deliver the donations to many of the institutions we supported and were honored for our strength and vision at a nearby Church.  This experience only fortified the belief that through our grief, we could muster up enough strength to help others in need.

    Together, with all your help, Operation Sweet Tooth was able to collect over 2500 presents, personal items, clothes and gift cards.  In addition, we raised over $3000 dollars in cash donations to be used for future initiatives and projects in the upcoming year and beyond. $205 was graciously donated in the memory of David Lacivita. The foundation has been set and we welcome the opportunity to continue to provide hope and lift the spirits of those children who need it most.

    The institutions we were able to help are listed below.  There may have been some we left out and if so, we do apologize.

    Levine’s Children Hospital

    Camino Church

    The Children’s Attention Home

    Boys and Girls Club

    Birthday Blessings

    Duke Hospital

    UNC Hospital

    Betty H Cameron Women and Children’s Hospital

    Toys for Tots

    McLeod Hospital

    Ada Jenkins Center

    Church of God Orphanage

    Thompson Children Home

    Sojouner Truth House

    Lydia’s Loft

    Alexander Youth Network

    Individual Families

    Nassau County Hospital

    New Hanover Regional Medical Center

    Although 2016 was the worst year imaginable for us personally, losing our precious daughter, we do recognize that Operation Sweet Tooth has provided us with a small amount of comfort and peace.  We are excited to continue with our efforts in 2017.  Please continue to follow our website www.operationsweettooth.org, and social media to learn more about upcoming initiatives beginning in the Spring and how you can help make a difference.

    *This write up is also available on the website under “Blog”.  Please visit and check it out as we have some of the pictures everyone shared with us during their respective toy drives.

     

  • Calling All Pax – Need High Impact Men and Women to Help Make a Difference and Keep a Spirit Alive. Operation Sweet Tooth!

    It was Friday, May 6th and we just finished a beat down at the Foundry.  During the CoT, I asked the Pax to say a prayer for my daughter, Christina, to feel better and to bless her for her Holy Communion which should have been that Saturday.  Sadly, those prayers were not answered.  12 hours later, our precious daughter, our Angel, was now in Heaven.  She died the day before her Holy Communion and two days before Mother’s Day.  Why? Why?!  My wife, son and I were in complete shock; filled with questions, sorrow and anger. We could not imagine how this could happen to her…to us.  To this day, we still feel that way.  We are devastated.  My M and I have endured many losses in our lives, but nothing, NOTHING compares to losing your child.  We question how we can live each day without her.  We question our faith.  Why would God take her when she had so many things to accomplish on this Earth with her family?  None of this makes sense to us…and probably never will.  I did not think we would ever survive a day.  However, as of today, it has been exactly two months.  Two months of Hell on Earth but we are still here, fighting, surviving and trying to live another day.  One of reasons we are here…is all of you.  The Pax of F3 and FiA Nation.

    Your support has been nothing short of amazing.  We have appreciated all the prayers, meals, donations and visits we have received.  But the real support has been through the 2nd F, the fellowship.  216 men inspired me to get out of the fart sack for a supportive convergence the Monday after her passing, many from different AO’s.  53 women helped Jager post to her first ever 5:30am work out to show their support.  Again, numerous AO’s represented.  Numerous Pax were sporting their colors and their shovel flags at my daughter’s wake and funeral in NC.  Mooch traveling from New Hampshire to NY just to show me support and to deliver a shovel flag in her honor.  Jimmy Olsen flew to NY to be there for the wake and funeral. Raffles.  Memory bricks and so on and so forth. And I can sit here and go on and on about each individual’s contribution to my healing or surviving rather but then my message would not get read.  All I can say is that I am truly humbled, and thankful that I/we have F3 and FiA Nation behind us because without you all, we may not be standing.

    Often times, on those rare occasions I make it into the gloom lately I get asked “what else can I do to help other than prayers?” My usual response is there is really nothing anyone can do…well; I am calling an audible today.  And I am calling on the Pax of F3 and FiA Nation countrywide to help us heal, and create a mission to honor our sweet daughter.  The M and I know we need some sort of motivation to continue to “live” but more importantly, have a positive impact in the lives of others.  In other words, take actions of Christ and of a #HIM.  Many of you don’t know our daughter or us for that matter.  But Christina (Sweet Tooth) was an amazing little girl.  Through all the outcries from friends, family, students, teachers, religious educators and strangers, one common theme that was always mentioned was that she had a big heart which is quite ironic since it was her heart that failed her two months ago.  She was the girl that when a new student came into the class, Christina would befriend her.  If a student was sad, she would act her goofy self and cheer them up.  She was everybody’s friend, seemed like everybody’s BFF from all the cards we received from her class mates…and enemies with no one.  She also loved animals, especially cats and often I was influenced to adopt another in need of a good home.  She was bright, sassy and had a smile that could light up a room.  She loved Minecraft, loved playing Star Wars with her Dad, getting mani/pedis with her Mom.  She also loved Spartan racing and F3.  She wore her jersey proudly many times when we would hit the trails.  She enjoyed F3 Kids workouts even though it interfered with her sleep.  She had so much fun at F3 Dads Camp and was so excited to go again this year.  I don’t know if we could ever do her enough justice but we are certainly going to try.

    To keep her memory living for years to come, we are creating an initiative called Operation Sweet Tooth.  Although there will be much bigger and more impactful things to come.  However, to begin this mission, I am calling, asking all the Pax throughout all the regions of F3 to have a toy drive in her honor during their respective Christmas parties.  I want to help support those children that are sick and scared lying in hospital beds not knowing their fate.  I want to provide some sort of peace and or comfort to children, who reside in orphanages without anyone to call Mom or Dad.  I want these children to know that a stranger cares about them and that they know there is an Angel looking down over them.  But I cannot do this alone…I need High Impact Men and Women to help…so I am asking all of you for that help.

    I would need a Q from each region/AO to identify an orphanage, children’s hospital etc that would benefit from our collection and to help coordinate delivery of the items and just share the message of F3, Sweet Tooth and how her parents just want to provide peace or comfort, even if just for a brief moment in time. Below is a link from our local children’s hospital here in Charlotte.  There is usually a donating list of items, toys, blankets, stuffed animals that are accepted.  You can get a sense of what is needed or wanted by looking at the “Donating to Levine’s Childrens Hopsital” Toys and Gifts.

    http://www.carolinashealthcare.org/medical-services/childrens-services/levine-childrens-hospital/give-back

    I have had custom designed shirts available through Mudgear.  The links are below.  I was informed that the board has decided to share the proceeds with the sales to help fund this initiative…again, truly humbled and honored.  I will be working on printed boxes for the collections and hopefully prayer cards to be distributed as well.

     

    http://f3.mudgear.com/products/f3-operation-sweet-tooth-shirt-pre-order

    http://fia.mudgear.com/products/fia-operation-sweet-tooth-shirt-pre-order

     

    This is just one small step, small part my family and I can do to honor our daughter.  Larger plans down the road include creating a non-profit organization, continued toy drives, hospital visits, animal rescue events, scholarships etc.  That will all be in the works sometime in the future, but we still need time to mourn our baby and don’t want to take too much on all at one time.

    “So what can you do to help me and my family other than pray?”  Help us help others is now what I will say.

    Humbly Yours,

    Olive, Jager and Happy Meal

    Aye!