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"Taking
a Swing at Weight Loss - Update #7"
22 July 2001
Dearly
Beloved Family, Friends and those who for some reason care,
Long time no communicate! The last few weeks have been a tiny reminder
of our dependence on the conveniences of modern technology. I apologize
for the delay in getting out this update and have actually been blessed by all
those hounding me for one cause I know you give a darn! There was a tiny
problem with the server which was out of our control and prevented us from
being able to post full updates. Sorry about that but sit back and relax if
you have the time cause here comes a big daddy update from the depths of my
heart to yours.
Having snuck back into Escondido for a couple days I type this while lying on
my washboard tummy (I wish) from the comfort of my own bed which feels
curiously large. My expedition, the couch, the toilet, bathtub,
everything seems bigger....go figure! In case you care only for the
bottom line here are the stats: Since April 1, I have lost 120 pounds
with 117 more to go for the goal weight I press on towards. The graph my
buddy Mark Searle created for me is starting to look like a nice ski slope.
In percentage, I finally crossed the half way point and am 51% complete with
the loss goal. Maintenance life starts when I hit 230 pounds.
Having had days where I was so hungry that BBQ carpet sounded yummy I find
myself craving carrots and celery...go figure! Its quite funny meeting
people who weigh 120 pounds or less and watching them go into shock when I say
"yeah I have lost one of you already!" I have visited 38
states while driving about 25,000 miles and have attended 60 major league
games and seen 599 runs scored including some very memorable fan delights like
the All-Star game.
Since there will be a bit more to share than usual I am going to try a new
format of titled paragraphs so here goes.
MINNESOTA AND THE MONSTER DRIVE.
Many commented of the testimony of God's love as evidenced in the story I
shared in the last update about my dad and the Danielsons. I wrote that
update just before leaving for their anniversary celebration. Well both
my dad and I had the wonderful opportunity to declare publicly before all
their many family and friends our heartfelt appreciation for their generosity
toward my dad and for the faith seeds in our lives. I was so touched to
see my dad so emotionally moved publicly and so eager to give glory to them
and to our Heavenly Father. In the Twin Cities I also got to enjoy some
fun baseball especially since the Twins are one of the real stories of the
year as a solid team with good chemistry comprised of a group of non-marqui
type names many of whom are having career years. Karen Kirchoff pulled off
some fun surprises including things like billboard greetings and arranging for
me to meet some of the '91 Twin World Series Championship Team. After a
great time there, my dad and I faced a little dilemma. We left on a
Sunday morning and I had a flight out of Seattle to Alaska. We drove 30
hours straight through Minnesota, South and North Dakota, Wisconsin, Montana,
Idaho and Washington before experiencing the ecstasy of spotting the Emerald
City in the distance. We did take a 3 hour break admiring MT. Rushmore which
is must see for any American. As is true with many of the national
monuments they have done such a wonderful job with the presentation allowing
for a great mix of entertainment and learning. The scenery was amazing
so again and again I am struck with how nature is like a grand symphony of
beauty conducted by the Lord God creator.
ALASKA
Sometime during the last 3 months I added to the agenda of this trip to cover
all 50 states of this great land. Right around the same time my brother
John started talking about a fishing trip to Alaska. I did some schedule
toying and decided to meet him, our friend Dwayne and Don (Dwayne's wife's
brother-in-law) in Sitka Alaska over the July 4th holiday. I arrived on
July 3rd and was stunned by the raw and sharp beauty of Alaska's landscape and
intense colors. That night was the Independence day celebration and the
fireworks started at Midnight as darkness took that long to arrive. My
hotel being right "downtown" I had no choice but to take them in.
At 5 am July 4th after weighing myself and logging my 103 pound weight loss to
that point, I took a shower while singing a dreary version of happy birthday
to America. We then headed out to do battle with the ocean for a
10 hour fishing day. The weather was dreadful which of course translated
to the dreaded choppy seas. The fishing was great which made up for all
the over the edge moments of contributing some nutrients back to the sea.
Don't think the fish much enjoyed my diet powder but oh well maybe some fat
salmon needed to be on a diet! After about 8 hours of catching king
salmon and decent sized 30-40 pound halibut we were all on the deck worn out
and sapped of energy having struggled bringing up fish and upchucking over the
rails. It was at that late afternoon moment that one of the miracles of
my trip occurred. Almost falling asleep and so blah with having slept 4
hours, no food, seasick and cold (trying to make it like the Old man and the
sea for ya) my pole smacked off the rail. - this was no ordinary bite! I
could not even stand up as I was so exhausted and just stayed seated on a
cooler ready for the fight.
I began the long process of bringing up my monster from the depth of 400 plus
feet of water. The others offered to help but I declined as in my heart
I knew this was my fish! When it was finally landed I just wanted to
praise God! You only get one guess on how much it weighed....you got it!
103 pounds! I was so emotional about it and so blessed to have received
that confirmation. Boy was I humbled and amazed trying to lift up that
fish off the deck thinking this is how much weight I have been lugging around
all this time and now its gone! You should of seen the filets off that
puppy! We went out as a group again on the 5th and had a more pleasant
less sea sick experience. By now I had 2 patches of scopolamine behind
my ears and as a side effect had a bone dry mouth to contend with. I
decided that 2 days satisfied my need so on the 6th I stayed back and did some
reading, writing and praying while the others went out a third day. That
was the best day of fishing and my brother John crushed all our records
catching a 180 pound halibut that took a collective effort to land. All
in all we caught over 1000 pounds of halibut and salmon and came home with 450
pound of filets that the charter group packaged frozen in one pound vacuum
sealed packages. We are already planning a "TAKE 2!" trip next summer
perhaps with a larger group of family and friends.
SEATTLE AND THE ALL STAR GAME
After returning to Seattle it was time for baseball again! With the
generosity of an old friend from Palomar Pomerado, Mike Bernstein who now lives
and works in Seattle, I joined him for the celebrity softball game, the
futures game and the All-Star Game itself. Through new friends I made
through our hosts the Mathias, was able to also get tickets to the Homerun
Derby. What fun I had feeling "in the midst of it all" going
to Fanfest, taking lots of pics and taking in some memorable baseball moments
during All-Star Week. Between seeing Lasorda tumbling around, Ripken's
impressive homerun, and Gwynn's recognition ceremony, I was in baseball la la
land. My mask and flashy hat drew lots of media attention landing
me several interviews with Japanese TV stations and poses for about thirty
photographers landing my "baseball head character" on the full front
page of the SF Chronicle and the front page of the Seattle Times Sport Section
on July 11th the day after the midsummer classic game. With press
interest from the AP, Sports Illustrated and such, who knows where else my
pictures showed up. Its silly fun and all serves as a convenient
distraction from my foodless existence. Though media attention is not
something I am actively pursuing in an organized fashion, I remain very open
and willing to be used by God to encourage and challenge others struggling
with obesity and weight issues. After the All-Star celebration my dad and I
took a day long trip to Canada visiting the very lovely City of Vancouver.
From 1959-1962 my dad attended The University of British Columbia and so he
had quite a few sites to show me including his old dorm where pictures of his
group of residents still hang in the lobby. Back in Washington State we
spent some time visiting some dear retired missionaries from Greece, Mark and
Josephine Diavastes and did some touring of the islands north west of Seattle.
Then it was time for some Mariner baseball. What a supportive and
enthusiastic baseball town but who would not be excited about a team plowing
through their opponents and having by far the best record in baseball.
Night after night the games were sold out and I enjoyed both the baseball and
some new friendships with several Christian brothers I met there. While
the games and excitement of sport are awesome I cherish even more the
fellowship and chance to interact with others in a non-pressured carefree
approach. Still don't know how I ever had time to work!!!
The Trip Through SF Back to San
Diego
While heading south on our way to Sonoma County I made a miscalculation on gas
station availability and after enthusiastic prayer and coasting down hills,
barely made it to a station where our RV took 29.7 gallons of gas in a 30
gallon tank. The closest I have ever come by far to the embarrassment of
running out of gas. My dad dropped me off at the mansion/estate of
one of my medical school classmates and his wife Steve and Susan Vargas.
Though gone on vacation they were generous enough to let me relax in their
home for a day with their amazing views of rolling hills of vineyards and
skies packed with endless twinkling stars. My good buddy Jon Petersen
(JP) drove up from San Diego and we spent a day being tourists around San
Francisco and attending a Giants game where we got to witness Barry Bonds
crush a couple homeruns. Then we drove to San Juan Capistrano on
Thursday 7/19 where I was so excited to see my loved ones gathered for the
wedding rehearsal of my Cousin Michelle and her hubby to be, Fred. It
was a bit traumatic having my youngest niece Sophia and nephew Joey both act
like I was a stranger screaming in terror at this hairy giant trying to
squeeze and hug them intensely. At least my niece Nicole and all
the others were so excited to see me. I was especially relieved to see
my grandfather there in good spirits and health. The last couple of days
have been a blur of activity with the celebration of Michelle's and Fred's
wedding, my brother Phil's big 30th birthday bash, stacks of mail, wardrobe
turnover, a Padre game, van repairs, and loving on all the family
visiting from New Jersey and Virginia. I am ready to hit the road!
The coming weeks I am blessed to be joined by some new companions including my
pastor and dear friend Pat Kenney, my buddy Mike Grant, colleague Dr.
Don Miller, and my Grandpa who will hopefully be joining me for the visit to
Toronto and Montreal, Canada.
So there you have it! The last month of my life summarized the best I
know how. I find it necessary to again acknowledge the appreciation I
have for the warm and sincere support so many of you are generously sharing
with me. Thank you all so very very much. I know that through this
adventure God is actively at work in me so in the future He can actively work
through me.
"Whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men."
Colossians 3:23
Striving to be half the man I once was,
dr. Nick
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Taking a Swing at Weight Loss! 