Day 7

Ok, so I am a slacker...mostly because I lose track of days sometimes. Josh just asked me if I had written our blog for yesterday and I replied, "I thought you did." Yeah, that was the day before! Yesterday Josh made it to school! (YAY!!!) I had to go run errands and decided to ride the bus home because it was so cold and my back was hurting. Turns out, Josh came and got on the bus I was taking home. I had debated if I should walk or take the bus but I am glad that after changing my mind five times I finally decided that I would take the bus! Made my day to see him! We went home, relaxed for a little bit, had some lunch and decided we needed to go back to the store for a few things I hadn't gotten when I was out before. So we made up for the not walking home earlier. As far as my goals have been going...yeah, not so good. Usually after I have gone to work, come home and cooked dinner at like 7, I'm tired and don't want to deal with dishes and end up just going to bed. I really need to get on top of keeping the kitchen clean the way I like it. I did get some Holiday decorations up. I took some blocks my sister gave us to decorate with and wrapped them with 3 different wrapping papers and put ribbons and bows on them and hung them up. We decided that they didn't take up enough of the wall to feel balanced so I made a couple of wreaths and hung one on the wall and the other on the front door. Then I hung our stockings on the other side of the blocks. Looks pretty good if you ask me!

Day 6

Today was an interesting day. With my disability it makes it hard if not impossible for me to wake at what a normal person refers to as a normal time. At one point in time I told Christina, "that I was busy smoking a cigar with this fine gentleman next to me." Needless to say I need a lot of help in that area. But because of this I missed school. I HATE missing school. I woke up at 245 PM. my day was shot. did I get to work out? No. keeping my goal today was easy though. We did make up for it by going on a walk tonight and did some holiday shopping for my 3 kids. Gift Cards are awesome. ok all I am off to roll one. Heres to hoping that tomorrow is a better day

Day 5

Today was our first workout. We got up at about 4:30 to start the day off bright and early and get a workout in before Josh had to leave for school. After 20 minutes of DDP Yoga (yeah, we didn't even get through the entire thing, the last 2-3 minutes we couldn't move and we had to modify some things throughout the workout) we were both dripping in sweat and feeling the oxygen working throughout our bodies. We had to help each other up off the floor but before we got up DDP said, "Don't forget to do it again tomorrow!" Our reply was, "See you again tomorrow, DDP! Same time, same place!" I must say, regardless of how hard it was, I feel awesome and can't wait to do another workout in the morning, even at 4:30 am! We still need to get yoga mats which should help with a few of the moves we struggled with, but that will have to wait until payday. Hope you all have a fabulous day!

Day 4

At the writing of this piece we have completed our first workout on day 5. What I am here to write about is December 4th 2012.

Being master of my domain is harder than I thought. Not only is there the "Seinfeld," aspect to it but there is the personal hygene portion to it. When the depression hits I don't do anything, No shower no, tooth hygiene no nothing, it sucks. Being Bipolar sucks..... I Love it. It has made me who I am. But like our guru has constantly told us, "If you fall get back up and do it again." Christina has been working hard too. she has gone to work today and kicked ass at that. she ops to walk to and from work instead of taking the bus so that she has that time to be with herself and loose herself in her thoughts but also to exercise in the form of walking. We both look forward to the workout ahead of us.

Namste!

Day 3: Balance

So, today I feel that balance is so important. All aspects of life need balance. When we have proper balance we are less likely to fall. This goes for all types of balance. There is physical balance which helps us accomplish the day to day activities and then, there is balance in life. When we balance our lives it helps us become more successful. We need to have a balance with work, learning, family, friends, and religion. I know we all need to work, to make a living for ourselves but when we don't make time for the other things, our work will suffer. I am a teacher by trade therefore I have a strong belief in the importance of continuing to gain knowledge throughout life. Even if you have a doctorate degree, you can still learn something new. I feel family is very important in everyone's life. I know not everyone has a family or a blood family anyway. If you don't have a traditional family, that's ok, adopt your own family. I have friends who are closer to me than my blood relatives. These people are my network of support when I have no one else to turn to. Having a group of friends to spend time with and enjoy life with is also very important. Now, I know not everyone believes the same things I do, or the same things Josh does however, this doesn't mean we don't believe in a higher power of some sort. Even those who claim to have no religion have some sort of religious beliefs. Making sure that you balance all of these things in your life helps to keep things in perspective and also helps us to keep from falling in life. Does this mean we will never fall? Absolutely not! When we do fall, it will be much easier to get up if we have a proper balance in life. Something else I think is really important is finding opportunities to serve others. Again, all needs to be balanced, but finding time to forget about yourself and your problems and recognize that other people are suffering as well will help us maintain proper balance in the other areas of our lives. Just as during this Holiday Season is more about the giving than the receiving, that really should continue throughout the year, not just during this time. Think about how it makes you feel when you spend a lot of time and energy in finding the perfect gift (or making it) for someone special. Then, you watch them open the gift and you feel just as much, if not more, joy as the person receiving that gift. My best memories are the ones when I did something that made someone else smile.

Day 2

So this is my second time writing this and the first one was humorless and made me out to be a Badass killing machine. when there is more to me. I hope this writing is more light hearted. Cause when you get right down to it I am an entertainer.

Today is December 2nd. Only 19 days until the end of the world. Today we are calling it a rest day / cheat day. On today I will explain where my belief lays in all of this. I am a Heathen. When your mom says you acting like heathens. she is saying that your unruly. Well for me and many others we would be Vikings. I am a viking. The basic belief is that you live so as to make your ancestors proud. I have family that served in the US Army and (cough) Navy. I also have family that served in the German Army in WWI and WWII. We have a proud warrior spirit to our family. I served in the US Army and worked as a Pro Wrestler. Baron Von Fox is my name. I am not the best but i am working at getting better. I have started changing my life many times and have not had a big support or help. I was always doing it by myself. Now I have Christina who is going to help me through this. She has things she wants to change about her life and where it is headed. She is of LDS faith and has a lot she wants to do still. Together we have promised that we will support the other one when it is too tough. we have promised that over the next 39 days we will not fail. We are instituting a "Meatless Monday,  Mean Salad"  day. I will also work on getting back on stage doing Stand Up comedy in these 39 days. These are the things that mean a lot to me, they are my foundation. Make the world laugh. Like the famous Red Skelton used to say, "My job on Earth is to be a clown and make people laugh. Thank you for letting me do my job tonight."

Day 1: Pictures and Goals

Today Josh and I sat down and set goals for the next 40 days. The dates listed next to the goal are the days we are focusing specifically on that goal. After the 10 day focus period we will continue working on that goal but shift the focus to the next goal.

Christina Day 1

My Goals

1. Only go to bed when the house is in order, dishes are done, and clutter is cleaned. (December 1-10)
2. Only positive thoughts toward myself and others. (December 11-21)
3. Only eat healthy meals and snacks (December 22-January 1)
4. Only focus on what is important, don't sweat the small stuff! (January 2-12)

Josh Day 1

My Goals

1. Master of My Domain (December 1-10)
2. Take care of myself physically and emotionally (December 11-21)
3. No spending money (December 22- January 1)
4. No caffeine Jan (2-12)

In the Beginning

As we begin on our journey we feel the importance of sharing our individual and collective histories. We would like to share with everyone the paths that have brought us to where we are today.

How do I begin such a personal story? My first real recollection of my shift from being a healthy, slender, and happy child was when I was 8 years old. My great uncle was visiting from Tennessee and decided to teach me how to "play cards" only he wasn't playing cards, he was putting his hand up my shirt. His visit was brief and I was silent as to what had happened. I began to seclude myself from everyone and quit participating in the activities I loved. When I graduated from high school I went away to college and started coming out of my shell I had created. I started exercising and trying to be healthier. My mom had a stroke a year later and I was forced to return home to care for her for a couple of years before returning to school. I cycled through seclusion and attempts to overcome my past. After returning to school for a short time I moved to Utah to live with my dad and my stepmom. I met a young man who betrayed my trust as he raped me on our first date. Life again became a jumbled up mess and once again I started gaining weight. A few years later I was in a roll over car accident. I was partially ejected out of the back passenger's side window and the car tipped over and landed on my back. I was able to walk out of the hospital that night but have had problems with my back ever since. In August of 2011 I graduated with my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and moved to Pinon, Arizona where I taught 4th grade. While there I became friends with an amazing family who later introduced me to their son who was going through a divorce. I was dating someone at the time so wasn't entirely sure about the situation. One day I received a phone call asking me to contact Josh because he needed a friend to talk to. That conversation changed my life. Over the next few weeks I fell in love more deeply than I thought possible in such a short amount of time. I left Utah to visit Josh and while I was there things got even more complicated. Josh ended up in the hospital and I felt very strongly that I needed to be there to see him every day. A few weeks after he got out of the hospital we ended up moving to Lakewood, WA. We are now planning our wedding for July 20, 2013. (Yes, this is the fast forward version of our relationship.)

Performing has always been in my blood. When I was 12 I started working in a radio station in Utah. When I was 17 I was founding the PTV Club in Pinon, Arizona. This I feel is an important place, dear reader, that I began to suspect I was special, years later I would be diagnosed with "Bi-Polar Disorder." I began in college to investigate radio further but also stand up comedy. I worked in the well known Trolley Square live. I performed several times at, "Wiseguys" comedy club in West Valley, Utah. On 9-11 I joined the Army and was deployed to Korea, where I continued to do stand up. This did not last long as I was often pulled off stage or met silent crowds. I thought I was not good, so I quit. Instead, I served in the ARMY and worked as a Wrestler on the weekends. Unfortunately, I injured my back falling off a truck. I was discharged and I quit taking care of myself. I wouldn't shower or brush my teeth. I shaved my head because it was easier. I ended up getting a divorce, my wife couldn't take it anymore. I left and went to Arizona. In Arizona I met my soon to be wife but we didn't know it. I moved from Pinon to Mesa to go to Film school, and had a break in reality. I went to the VA hospital. I paced the floors, watched the Olympics, and everyday, to meet me for my 4:20 break was, Christina. She should have been in Salt Lake but she was there. I got out of the hospital and felt a change in the wind. Shortly thereafter we moved to Lakewood, WA together. I weigh 260, all in my stomach, which has hurt an already injured back. With 3 days till we start the DDP yoga program. I look forward to making my life better with my 40 day goals. And I look forward to getting back up on stage.