Hitting close to home

Earlier this week, a cousin of mine returned home to heaven to be with her mother. My cousin Jennifer was taken from the world way too early, or so it seems. We were never really that close, but she is only a year older than me, she was too young to go. 

God has a plan for all of us, I don't care what others may say about it, I believe it 100%. A close friend of hers put together a FaceBook page for friends and family to share pictures, comments, and support for one another as a tribute to Jennifer. I am amazed at the overwhelming number of people she touched throughout her life. Within a day or two, there was nearly 400 people on the page, commenting, and sharing memories and photos. 

Jennifer's mother passed away several years ago unexpectedly. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer late last year. Situations like this remind you how delicate our lives are. 

When my wife and I adopted our first child, we made a promise to each other. We agreed to look at each day as though it was our last. You will NEVER have this day again, your child will NEVER be this young again. Time passes to quickly, live in the now!

I was talking to my grandma just yesterday about my grandpa. He died over 20 years ago, I was 9 I believe when he died and you'd think I would have lots of memories of him but I don't. The one memory I have of him, is me sitting on his lap, and him rubbing his face on mine with his 5 o'clock stubble scratching my skin. Grandma tells me that she constantly begged him to stop doing that, if he did, what would my memory of him be? 

Over the last few years we have taken multiple vacations. Not because we are "loaded", but because right now, my focus is on making memories with my 3 sweet little boys. Each night before bed, we have rituals that never change. Water and vitamins, story time on Parker's bed, family prayer, and then I take the time to ask each boy what his favorite part of the day was. If I am taken tomorrow, I want to know that my boys remember me for something. What if I don't wake up tomorrow? What if we get in a terrible car accident and one of my boys leaves us? What memories will I have of him? I know this sounds morbid, but what if? 

Too many people get to old age and look back and have numerous regrets. I make a conscious effort every single day to live life to its fullest. I don't want to look back and regret anything. 

Some people don't know that I am a "stay-at-home-dad". Whenever I say that to anyone, they almost cringe! "how could a man take care of kids?" I walked away from two successful businesses to stay home with my boys when our twins came home from their 12 week stint at Intermountain Medical Center. We were not about to have a daycare raise our kids, not to mention the cost of daycare. I am one of the fortunate ones that "gets" to stay home with my kids. Now this does't mean that I sit at home and pick my nose all day. I get more "work" done that I would if I worked two 40hr per week jobs, all while taking care of my boys. 

Getting back on topic; take each day, one day at a time. If today sucks, make the best of it! Laugh! Give your kids a hug and kiss before bedtime. You never know maybe you won't get another tomorrow. 

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, Today is a gift, that's why they call it Present"

www.weddingvideoinsaltlakecity.com

Wheat Cuts Off Blood Flow To Frontal Cortex

As far back as 1954, reports of the full or partial resolution of schizophrenia following a gluten free diet began to surface in the medical literature. We covered this remarkable pattern of associations in a previous article titled, "60 Years of Research Links Gluten Grains to Schizophrenia." While the explanation for this intriguing connection has remained focused on the disruption of the gut-brain axis and the presence in wheat of a wide range of pharmacologically active and mostly opioid receptor modulating polypeptides, a new and possibly more disturbing explanation is beginning to surface: wheat consumption cuts off blood flow to the brain.

Starting with a 1997 case study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine involving a 33-year-old patient, with pre-existing diagnosis of 'schizophrenic' disorder, who first came to medical attention for severe diarrhea and weight loss (classical symptoms of gluten intolerance), brain scan technology determined that cerebral hypoperfusion (decreased blood flow to the brain) was occurring within the patient's frontal cortex.[i] A gluten free diet resulted not only in the normalization of intestinal damage and autoantibodies, but the return of blood flow to the frontal cortex, and the resolution of schizophrenic symptoms.

Then, in 2004, a follow up study was performed to verify if the 1997 case study was just a fluke, or perhaps a widespread effect of untreated celiac disease. Published in the American Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Institute of Internal Medicine, Catholic University, Rome, Italy, compared 15 untreated celiac patients without neurological or psychiatric disorders other than anxiety or depression, with 15 celiac patients who were on a gluten-free diet for almost 1 year, and 24 healthy volunteers of similar sex and age. All subjects underwent cerebral single photon emission computed tomography examination.

The results were remarkable, with dramatically increased incidence of impaired brain blood flow in untreated celiac patients, reported as follows:

"Of the 15 untreated celiac patients, 11 (73%) had at least one hypoperfused brain region, compared with only 1 (7%) of the 15 celiac patients on a gluten-free diet and none of the controls (P = 0.01). Cerebral perfusion was significantly lower (P <0.05) in untreated celiac patients, compared with healthy controls, in 7 of 26 brain regions. No significant differences in cerebral perfusion were found between celiac patients on a gluten-free diet and healthy controls."

They concluded: "There is evidence of regional cerebral blood flow alteration in untreated celiac patients."

www.greenmedinfo.com

Taking the road less traveled

I woke up this morning and thought I would get on the scale, against the suggestion of my trainer. I was surprised to see the number 2 pounds lower than 2 days ago. According to my recent weight loss, if I can keep it up I will be down 100 pounds in just 4 months. Now of course, I don't expect it to happen that way because at some time I expect to plateau.

That being said, I am very excited to be consistently losing weight, and doing it the healthy way!

When I was in high school I was about 180 pounds, with a high percentage of muscle, which only increased with my physically demanding jobs for the years to come. After damaging my back several times, I couldn't take it anymore. 10 years later, one desk job after another, up 100 pounds from where I started. I now sit looking in the mirror watching the changes overcome me, one day at a time.

For years I have watched my weight increase, my food cravings get worse, without any end in sight I put a stop to it.

As a society, we are trained incorrectly about food consumption, or at least I interpreted it wrong. For decades I have eaten when I was hungry, and when I would eat, I would eat quickly, and finish only when I was full. I was brought up to have 3 meals a day. My plate consisted of 50% meat, 25% carbohydrate, and 25% veggies. That was w
hen I was at home, but for most of my adult life, I have worked jobs that require me to travel, so I was always eating fast food. It never affected me until I got a desk job, and didn't think it was necessary to change my food intake.

It wasn't until recently that I realized how terrible food is for you as a whole. In this day and age, it is so much more difficult to find good food than it has ever been in the history of the world. With fast food on every street corner, and us being the "here and now" generation you have to have self control beyond belief to steer clear of the local McDonald's.

Recently, there was a high school teacher in the news.  John Cisna of Ankeny Ohio was inspired to conduct his own experiment after watching the documentary Super Size Me. To his surprise, and everyone else's he lost 37 pounds over a 3 month period eating only food from McDonald's.

The thing is, the overweight population in our country is not entirely our fault. But we can make a difference. When we came to earth, we were given agency. We can choose what we do and don't do, we can choose to eat that Big Mac, or we can choose the fruit cup.

If you are looking to lose weight, and I am sure some of you out there are, you can do it. You can control your future. The time is NOW. Take that first step, one day at a time.

I promise you, there are days that I find it difficult to do the same thing I always do, some days I feel like I NEED a Mountain Dew, or a french fry. Don't let food control you, you are better than that. If you fall off the wagon, get back up. Tomorrow is a new day, start over again.

The key to quitting anything is to always be quitting. You are never safe from temptation, but it does get easier over time.

Cucumber sandwich - what a treat!

My life saving journey continued. For about 12 months now, my wife and I have eaten a very well rounded diet with lots of fruits and veggies in an effort to become more healthy, and to lose a few pounds. On January 14th we walked into the gym for the first time in a long time determined to slim down, and become even more healthy.

In mid 2012 I decided to give up my Mountain Dew addiction for good. It was extremely difficult, but I can say proudly now that I have not taken a single sip of the stuff since I put down the bottle. The sad thing is, most people who drink a soft drink daily, whether it be Mountain Dew, Coke, Pepsi, or Dr Pepper, lots of people have an addiction without knowing about it. Some know they have an addiction, but they can't kick it, or won't.

I hopped on the scale in 2012 and said no more. The scale stared back at me with a number that I simply would not accept as my weight. We went through and systematically threw out everything in our fridge, cupboards, storage, anywhere that we stored food. Anything that was not 100% whole, fresh product got tossed. I didn't want to be a victim anymore. I was taking control of my life.

What do we eat? Fruit and veggie shakes. 24oz per meal, pure fruits and veggies of course we get our proteins from other sources, but for breakfast and lunch, our main course is a delicious shake/smoothie. For about a year, we have been drinking these smoothies religiously, and each have lost some weight, but nothing significant. Until we started going to the gym.

We are both determined to get the weight off, and keep it off for good. This is not a "crash diet" or something that I can see myself "burning out" on.

I never thought that I would love going to the gym so much. I feel invigorated. When I wake up in the morning, I want to go to the gym. I love the feeling that I get when I leave there. I have been working with a trainer so that I get pushed farther than I might push myself, but also to help
keep me from pushing myself too far. I have lost 6.7lbs so far, and I am loving it. I can't see it just yet, but I can feel it. I can feel my muscles tightening, I can feel myself standing taller. I can see my skin getting clearer, and my energy levels increasing. I am able to lift more weight, run farther, and faster than I was even two weeks ago. The other day, someone posted a cucumber sandwich on Facebook, where you use a cucumber cut in half the long way instead of bread. It looked so good that I had to try it, I loved it so much that I went out and got a bunch of cucumbers to make more.

Both of my parents' fathers died of cirrhosis of the liver at an early age. Neither had ever had a drink. There seemed to be no cause. My father was recently diagnosed with the same ailment. I am determined to stick around for my little boys. Each day when I wake up, I know that everything I do today will be for them. As I am sitting there on a machine at the gym struggling through my last two reps, I remember why I am doing this. Why am I putting my body through this burn? Through this pain? I am doing it for the greater good, to be healthy, to minimize my risk of dying from disease.

I have had people look at me and laugh at me when I tell them that I am drinking fruit and veggie shakes for breakfast and lunch. I have been told that I am crazy. I am not dieting, this is for permanent change. Too many of us live to eat. It is time for me to eat to live.

Now that we have added in exercise 6 days a week, I feel much better overall. Today was my 1 day off this week, and I feel guilty for not going. I can't wait to walk through those doors tomorrow.

I appreciate all of you who read my blogs. I will do my best to write more.

When is it appropriate to ask someone for their seat?

Tonight, we were invited out by some good friends for dinner at Chick Fil A in Utah County. I have been to Chick Fil A multiple times in the Salt Lake Valley and it is generally fairly busy during dinner time, but there are always seats available. Tonight in AF, the place was out of control. If they weren't way over capacity I would be very surprised. There was a constant line of people waiting to place their orders, and when you got your order, there was standing room only.

We happened to get there at the perfect moment as a family was leaving, the booth had just enough for our little family of 5, and our friends along with their two little munchkins. The 4 of us adults were sitting there gabbing, like adults do from time to time, while the kids played on the playground with the other 30 kids. As many kids do when they go out to eat at a place like this, they would play for a minute, come back for a bite and a drink, and go back to playing. No harm right? Pretty normal?

In my peripheral, I see an older lady, about my parents' age with a fur coat on, she looked as though someone owed her something. Behind her were two of what seemed to be daughters, her husband, and a couple kids. The older lady reaches down to grab a chair that was sitting vacant for the moment, I looked up at her as "are these seats taken?" come demanding out of her mouth. "Yes, those are our kids' chairs". For the next 15 minutes, they hovered right next to our table, periodically muttering statements like "I guess we could just take our food and go".

They were standing there, waiting for us to gather our things and go so they would have a seat. It's not my fault that the place was packed. I got the memo to get there before 6, I guess she didn't. As


As I write this, it is coming out like I am a huge jerk for not allowing them to have our seats. Comments??

Crash diets actually work!

I thought that would get your attention! Most of us have tried at least one "crash diet" and failed miserably, only to end up packing on a couple more pounds than we started with. The thing about any diet, is that it was designed to work. The thing that doesn't work with crash diets is YOU.

All diets are designed to help you lose weight temporarily. Anyone can lose 10 pounds by changing their eating habits for a few days, or even a month. The trick is maintaining your diet change once you have completed the length of the "diet". The thing that most people don't do when they are dieting is follow through. That is where we all fail.

In order for any weight loss system to work, you have to change your food intake, physical activity, and even your mind set permanently. Crash diets are great tools to give you a kick start to losing weight. Being able to see the scale drop by a few pounds is always motivational! The sad part is when your steam runs out, and you crave that diet coke or snickers candy bar you can't say no.

As humans, we are raised to eat three meals a day. We are trained to eat when we are hungry, and eat enough to hold us over until the next meal in 3-5 hours. The truth is by waiting until you are hungry, your body has already gone into starvation mode, your metabolism slows down so you can store fat. Then when you eat, you eat more than you need to and when you are done, you feel "full" which is usually a sick feeling.

Most health conscious people eat 5+ small meals a day. First thing in the morning is the most important, it sets the pace for the rest of the day. For breakfast I usually have a 24oz smoothie made up of raw pineapple, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and spinach. For snack, about half an hour after my morning smoothie I go with a hard boiled egg, cheese stick, peanut butter with celery, or yogurt, etc. Half way between breakfast and lunch, I have another smoothie, and another snack. Then for lunch, I have another smoothie and another snack. By eating small snack sized meals throughout the day, I am able to keep my stomach satisfied, so I won't binge eat. By the time dinner comes around, I have eaten enough calories throughout the day to keep me going without feeling hungry. For dinner, I can generally eat whatever my heart desires, obviously within reason. Most of the time, we eat chicken breast with veggies. This sort of thing can be prepared in a variety of ways which is nice. No butter necessary, just a little seasoning is all I need.

I know that I am in no way perfect, but I was for so long addicted to Mountain Dew, and McDonalds. I speak from experience, it can be done. My father-in-law has lost 65 pounds over the last year or so, and people ask him all the time what he did to lose weight. His answer, eat right and exercise.

If you take a look at the food guide pyramid, remove the top section, then remove the bottom section. You are left with the "weight loss trapezoid". A friend recently shared this on Facebook, and it really stuck.

I have many people around me who want to lose weight, they all wonder why they are unable to lose weight. The thing is, it's not their fault. We are trained to eat when we are hungry from birth, we are trained to eat 3 meals a day. We are told that we need bread, milk, and starchy foods to survive. The truth is our meals should consist of 80% raw fruits and veggies. Most of us don't get nearly enough fiber in our diets, we don't eat enough fruit or veggies.

I am not preaching because I think I am perfect. I am writing this because I have finally figured out what I have been doing wrong for so long. My wife and I made a conscious choice about a year ago that we needed to eat healthier so we could be around for our kids. We have not added any exercise until just recently. Now, we are going to the gym 6 days a week, with a personal trainer helping us along the way. It is time to lose for life.

If you are serious about losing weight, start somewhere! Take it one day at a time, you CAN do it!

Wipe the seat please

So today I went to the gym for the second time, I am new to the gym scene and thus far, it is quite enjoyable. It is going to take a little getting used to all the "gym etiquette" that to so many is second nature. Yesterday, I went right to the 30 minute workout area to get my full body workout. To those not familiar with the layout of PF, this area has a series of machines that you use in a circuit. There is a light that changes from green to red. Green means start your workout at the machine you are on, stop when the red light goes on and move to the next machine. I really like this setup, I feel like I can get a pretty good workout in 30 minutes.

As I got off the first machine and went to the second, each person in front of me got up and grabbed a paper towel, doused it with cleanser and wiped down their machine before moving on. After each wipe, the paper towels went in the trash. Being new to the gym atmosphere, I wanted to abide by the etiquette so I followed suit, thinking every step of the way "there has to be a better way to do this".

Day 2 at the gym was today, instead of doing the 30 minute workout I opted for some treadmill time to burn some fat for 30 minutes. I didn't mind it, it felt natural. But, when I was all done I noticed that I was the sweatiest one in the place. Note to self, bring a gym bag next time so I can shower when done.

I started using My Fitness Pal again to track my food intake, and exercise. Next on my list is to get a fitness band to bring everything together. Any suggestions?

Do your kids play with YOUR iDevice?

How many of you out there let your kids play with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod? I do! One day a few months back, I went to play a movie on our Apple TV and there was a new movie that I knew I didn't purchase. After a little investigative work, I realized that my 4 year old downloaded Monster's University against my wishes. How did he download it you may ask?

When you download an app, or update one (at least in the recent past) by inputting your password once, the App store allows you to download other apps, games, music, movies and books without having to type your password again. Moments before my son downloaded the new $20 movie, I downloaded a few new educational games that he could play with as a reward for helping around our house.

There have been multiple cases of parents footing the bill for their children's downloads in similar circumstances. Some of them got together and filed a class action suit against Apple to recoup some of their charges. In the wake of the filing, Apple has made some adjustments to their policies about in app purchases and the length of time you are allowed to purchase additional apps before having to type your password back in.

(Reuters) - Apple Inc will refund consumers at least $32.5 million to settle a longstanding complaint that the technology company billed U.S. consumers for charges incurred by children buying mobile apps without their parents' consent.
Under the terms of the settlement, announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Apple also will be required to change its billing practices to ensure it obtains consent from consumers before charging for items sold in mobile apps.
"Whether you're doing business in the mobile arena or the mall down the street, fundamental consumer protections apply," said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. "You cannot charge consumers for purchases they did not authorize."
In an internal memo to employees, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company decided to settle rather than risk a long and distracting legal battle because the FTC's proposals aligned with the company's own intended changes.
Ramirez said the commission had logged "tens of thousands of complaints" from consumers over the unauthorized purchases of apps such as Dragon Story and Tiny Zoo Friends.
The FTC complaint alleges that Apple does not inform account holders that entering their password in the company's App Store opens a 15-minute window in which children can incur unlimited charges with no further action from the account holder
"To be clear, the issue is not that Apple opens a 15-minute window for in-app purchases," Ramirez said. "What we challenge is the fact that Apple does not inform users of the existence of the window. When parents enter a password, they do not know the full scope of charges they could incur."
Apple shares showed little response to the news and in midday trading were up 2.4 percent at $556.69, holding onto gains posted earlier.
"Protecting children has been a top priority for the App Store from the very beginning, and Apple is proud to have set the gold standard for online stores by making the App Store a safe place for customers of all ages," said Apple spokesman Steve Dowling.
The Commission vote to accept the consent agreement package was 3-1, with Commissioner Joshua Wright, a Republican, voting no.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz and Alina Selyukh.; Additional reporting by Poornima Gupta in San Francisco. Writing by Ros Krasny; Editing by Andre Grenon)

Chris Christie in the news again, surprise surprise

Washington (CNN) -- Here's a simple test for Chris Christie. What is more in the headlines six months from now: the New Jersey governor's new push for tax and school reforms, or the petty political vendettas directed by his inner circle?
If it is the former, the Christie policy agenda, then Tuesday's State of the State address will be remembered as a key step in navigating a political crisis and restoring the governor's luster on both the state and national political stage.
To that end, Christie wasted little time making clear he understood the stakes. Just moments into the speech came this: "Mistakes were clearly made. And as a result, we let down the people we are entrusted to serve. I know our citizens deserve better. Much better. I'm the governor, and I am ultimately responsible for all that happens on my watch -- both good and bad".
He went on to add, "Without a doubt we will cooperate with all appropriate inquiries to ensure this breach of trust does not happen again."
Christie's speech: How'd he do?
Greenwald: Kelly didn't make call alone
Christie: I am ultimately responsible
NJ Democrat skeptical of Christie
Now comes the tricky part -- trying to repair any damage to the Christie brand at a time investigations are taking shapeand both state and national Democrats are newly emboldened to challenge and chastise the governor.
"Voters are looking for authenticity, someone who will shoot straight," said the GOP pollster and strategist Kristen Soltis Anderson. "This love for straight-talk has been one major piece of why Christie was viewed as such a frontrunner and as very different from your standard-issue politico. That search for authenticity cuts across party lines. Christie left no wiggle room with his strong remarks last Thursday saying he was lied to, and if he's telling the truth, I think it will come to be seen as the best way to deal with a bad situation."
And the potential flipside?
Half-dozen aides and advisers subpoena targets
"Christie has real talent," said veteran Democratic strategist Paul Begala. "But if it is proven that he used the power of government to hurt innocent people for political payback, he really is through."
That question will be explored by a newly formed New Jersey Assembly investigative committee, and its subpoena power will be directed at a least a half-dozen trusted Christie aides and advisers.
At issue, for starters: the decision to punish the Democratic Fort Lee mayor, ostensibly for declining to endorse the Republican governor's re-election bid last year. The punishment: the now-infamous lane closings at the entrance to the George Washington Bridge.
Begala was a veteran of the Bill Clinton 1992 "war room" and character crises early in the primaries: the-then Arkansas governor faced allegations he dodged the draft, made a shady real estate deal on a rural land parcel known as Whitewater and had an extramarital affair with Gennifer Flowers.
In some ways, closing a few traffic lanes sounds trivial compared to the firestorms Clinton faced, but Begala says there is a fundamental difference that Team Christie ignores at its own peril.
"Christie's alleged wrongdoing is all about using government's power to hurt his own constituents; Clinton's was personal wrongdoing," Begala said. "Christie's alleged 'payback' hurt thousands of innocent people, caused delays in police and paramedic response times, stranded children on school buses. Clinton's conduct hurt his wife and his family, but did not affect the lives of the American people."
There are some similarities that can be drawn between Clinton then and Christie now.
Gingrich: Obama should learn from Christie
NJ GOP defends Chris Christie
Christie taking enough responsibility?
Clinton's trademark was to turn any attack on him into an effort to deny him the chance to help people with their everyday struggles.
Or as Begala put it, "Clinton was always able to say 'I wake up every morning trying to make your life better. Trying to help you get a job, get a raise, get better health care, put your kids through school and retire with dignity.'"
Depth of bipartisanship now an issue
Christie, in his speech Tuesday, made the case that it was critical for New Jersey to address two of its biggest policy challenges: education and property taxes.
Christie takes hit in polls
"Many of our new initiatives recognize a core feature of modern American life: that the quality of education and the quality of life in our communities are inextricably intertwined," the governor told his audience in Trenton.
In the days after Christie's landslide re-election win last November, there was little doubt the legislature's majority Democrats would have no choice but to work closely with the governor.
But the depth of that bipartisan spirit is in question now, as both state and national Democrats sense an opening to permanently tarnish the Christie brand and with it the governor's presidential ambitions.
"Embarrassed," was the theme of a mock State of the State video released by New Jersey Democrats shortly before the governor spoke.
"Christie at a minimum tolerated a climate wherein the power of government was used to punish the innocent," Begala said.
Already, despite his star power, there were questions about Christie's appeal to the most conservative elements of the GOP base.
Clinton, in 1992, was able to win the Democratic nomination despite challenging the party's liberal establishment on several issues. Begala, the Democrat, does not see similar flexibility when he looks at today's GOP.
"The Democrats in 1992 were ready for a Southern moderate," Begala said. "Are the Republicans in 2016 ready for another Northeastern moderate? I don't think so. I think Christie is going to be like Rudy Giuliani was in 2008: great talent, the best debater in the field, great speaker, but no chance."
Christie argues for longer school year
Christie plays up bipartisan record
Chris Christie under fire
Leading Republican strategists don't discount the steepness of the Christie challenge, even before the recent controversies.
Worrying about a second shoe to drop
Now, as one top GOP strategist put it, "What Christie supporters have to worry about is whether there's a second shoe to drop. Whether Bridgegate is simply an aberration or a symptom of a corrupt culture inside the Christie administration."
Republican governors show support for Christie
This strategist, speaking only on condition of anonymity, said the governor remained a formidable force, albeit one with a tough ideological sell to some hardcore conservatives.
"There's no question the governor can survive this one," this GOP source said. "But if it ever emerges that this is a pattern of misbehavior, he's toast."
Another GOP operative, this one a veteran of national party operations and presidential campaigns, said Christie needed to find a way to make progress on his policy agenda -- meaning make progress with state Democrats in the legislature -- even as he is likely to bristle at the tone and direction of the Democrat-led investigation.
"He has to change the subject," this source said in an e-mail exchange. "Find some common ground with state Democrats to get something big accomplished."
Because of the uncertainty, a top Republican fund-raiser described a sense of pause among some GOP bigwigs.

"It has caused a significant number of fund raisers to pull back," said this source. "But they are not shopping for an alternative yet."

Who would go to a school and open fire?

It makes me absolutely sick that someone would go to a school and take innocent lives. There is nothing more cowardly than to kill innocent children. While at school, I remember always feeling safe. Children are the most vulnerable while being at school, it makes me want to throw up for someone to take advantage of that, let alone the growing number of sick individuals that are taking to the streets and unleashing fury on innocent school children.

(CNN) -- The preteen shooter who opened fire inside a crowded middle school gym with a shotgun may have warned some students not to go to school before the attack, police in New Mexico said.

The revelation is part of the many angles police are looking into after Tuesday's shooting that left two students wounded, a New Mexico community stunned and a nation again wondering about the safety of its schoolchildren.

"We have preliminary information that possibly some of the students were warned by the individual prior to the shooting not to go to school," said New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas during a news conference Tuesday night.

He did not elaborate.

Gov.: Two victims shot waiting for class

Witness: I'm afraid to go back to school

Students shot in N.M. school shooting

Police were executing three search warrants, Kassetas said: for the seventh-grade suspect's school locker, the bag he brought to the school and his home.

"We've got the individual we believe is responsible in state police custody," he said.

What police don't yet have is a motive.

Student Jordan Moody, who described himself as "friendly" with the suspected shooter, said he wasn't aware of any bullying or any other reason for the shooting.

"He just ran in there and just shot, really," Jordan said on CNN's "New Day" on Wednesday.

Searching for answers

The shooting occurred early Tuesday morning at Berrendo Middle School in the city of Roswell.

Police said the 12-year-old suspect, whose identity has not been released, entered the middle school gym, pulled a shotgun out of a bag and opened fire on students waiting for school to start. Two were wounded.

"We've confirmed that it is a 20-gauge shotgun," Kassetas said. "That the wood stock was sawed off."

A 13-year-old girl, Kendal Sanders, was in stable condition Tuesday night following surgery, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez said. Kendal suffered injuries to her right shoulder.

A boy, 11, was in critical condition, and underwent two surgeries. He suffered injuries to the side of his face and neck, the governor said.

The attack lasted about 10 seconds. It might have gone on longer, authorities say, were it not for the actions of a social studies teacher.

Hero teacher

The teacher, John Masterson, walked up to the shooter and persuaded him to put the gun down, Martinez said.

"Mr. Masterson ... was a hero ... who stood there and allowed a gun to be pointed right at him," the governor said at a vigil Tuesday evening, "and to talk down that young boy to drop the gun so that there would be no more young kids hurt."

The Berrendo staff directory lists John Masterson as an eighth-grade social studies teacher.

Masterson has taught at the school for a decade, and also coaches track and soccer, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

When contacted by the newspaper, he said police told him not to discuss details of the shooting.

"It was a harrowing experience," he told the paper. "All I can say was the staff there did a great job."

Teachers train to face school shooter

Another school shooting

The attack understandably has rattled residents of Roswell, a city of just under 50,000 people 200 miles southeast of Albuquerque. The shooting puts Roswell on a growing list of places scarred by school shootings.

There will be no school Wednesday as police continue to investigate and the community tries to heal.

"I was in shock when I seen it," said 13-year-old Monique Salcido, who was in the gym during the shooting.

Monique told CNN's Piers Morgan she saw the shooter shoot two of her friends in those terrifying moments.

"I don't want to go to Berrendo again because I'm afraid it's going to happen again," she said.

The road less followed?

Yesterday my wife and I signed up for gym memberships! Who hoo! You may not know how amazing that is, or how difficult it was to finally pull that trigger. If you know us, you'l know that for the last 12-18 months we have made some pretty severe changes in our eating habits. We knew that the gym would be something we would have to incorporate in there some day, that day was yesterday. 

I've never had to use a gym before, when I was younger I was so active that I was always fit, without the need to walk into a gym. Realizing that we NEEDED a gym pass in order to continue our weight loss was hard enough, then you have to pick the gym right? 

We narrowed it down to two choices, Golds Gym or Planet Fitness. They were about equal as far as price and features, so we went to take a tour of each gym. First was Gold's and I'll tell ya from the point of a fat guy who has never felt welcome in a gym, I still didn't feel welcome. We went up to the counter and asked about their packages, the gal at the front desk was mostly helpful, even though she answered what seemed to be a personal phone call and was gone for several minutes. After she was done explaining, we asked about personal training. That was a mistake. This ridiculously ripped dude overheard our question and paddled over to where we were standing. He looked over the shoulder of the girl behind the counter to see where we were at in the signup process. He started giving us his sales speech, "the prices are normally $50 per session, but if you act today I can take that down to $35 per session". I was instantly not impressed by his used car salesman pitch. I have been a used car salesman, and he was the guy that I worked my hardest to not be like. Not to mention, $35 per session, twice a week for two of us is $560 per month. Who can afford that? It was obvious that we were not going to be doing any of that. Feeling defeated, we left. When someone comes into a gym who has obviously never used a gym regularly, why intimidate them? It's hard enough for someone to pull together enough courage to walk through the front door. 

After we were done at Gold's we decided to go to Planet Fitness, who had advertised on their website "unlimited fitness training" which I took to be personal training, which sounds awesome right?! Immediately upon walking into PF I felt at home, it felt so much more welcoming. Maybe it was their choice of colors, purple could have done the trick. Maybe it was the pleasant gal that took us on the tour? Either way, it felt good to the both of us so we asked to be signed up. While filling out the paperwork, we asked about having the monthly fee auto drafted from our savings account, which is where all my wife's paychecks get deposited. The girl had to get special approval, three separate times. Then when it came to taking the first month's dues we pulled out cash, and the gal got really quiet and uncomfortable. Once again she leaves the table to get approval from her manager, who came over with her this time. When they both came back to the table, I felt like I was at a car dealership buying a used car and the "closer" was coming over to see what he could do to close the deal. "We can make an exception for you" and "well if they told you that". I didn't come here to get criticized, so we left, once again feeling defeated. 

No wonder people who have never been to the gym don't go! Do you ever wonder why so many people sign up for gym memberships and use them once but don't come back? It's hard to admit that you "need help" and walk in those doors. Surrounded by pretty people, fit and toned. Let's make them feel welcome by intimidating the hell out of them!

I said at the top of this post that we got memberships, and we did. We were determined to get memberships. Determined to make permanent changes in our lives. So, we went to another PF location and gave that girl the easiest two sales of her life. We have worked out daily schedules to make it easier for each of us to get to the gym. The gym is the last piece to the puzzle for me. I look forward to my transformation over the next year or so. 

What's on my mind?

This morning I woke up feeling invigorated. I feel excited to start a new day, even a new life. For about 15 years I was addicted to Mountain Dew. I tried numerous times but failed miserably. An old friend once told me that she was addicted to both Mountain Dew and Cigarettes, she was able to quit smoking, but the mountain dew she wasn't able to kick. I have never been addicted to smoking myself , but that was a pretty powerful statement.

Most days I had no less than 64 ounces of my drug, some days I drank more. I couldn't function without it, I NEEDED it to be the first thing in my system each day. I worked at a furniture company, moving furniture around the store, loading and unloading trucks, delivering furniture to customers' homes. While on the road I would eat fast food, because we kinda sorta, had to. Or at least that was my excuse. Because of how active I was, I never gained an ounce. I was muscular, very healthy, and happy.

Over the years I damaged by back multiple times, there came a point that I knew I had to get a job that didn't require me to break my back every day for a living. The down side, which I learned many years later is that when you go from a very active lifestyle to a desk job, you absolutely have to adjust your diet! I knew I was "gaining some weight" but I didn't realize how much until I stepped on the scale one day and it was almost 300 pounds. According to most charts, I was obese once I hit 160 pounds. What the charts fail to point out is that every one's muscle mass is different, so my ideal weight is closer to 180-200 pounds. This still means that I need to lose 100 pounds!

Over the last year or so, I have been asked how I've done it. I haven't lost a ton of weight, so I know they're not talking about that, but they're talking about the whole diet change. I have simply balanced my food intake. Before I could do anything, I had to give up my true love. I had to walk away from the one thing that helped me get through the day for 15+ years, my one and only, the one that made me happy all those years,  Mountain Dew. That was the biggest challenge I have ever faced. I quit cold turkey one day. It's one thing to turn something down for one day, the first day is always the easiest. I took it one day at a time. I knew that my body would crave sugar, so whenever I had a sugar craving, I ate skittles. Lots and LOTS of skittles. I would buy them by the big Costco sized bags. I know this sounds bad, but it was absolutely necessary for me. If you don't trade your addiction for something similar, you will FAIL. Miserably! My body also craved a sweet drink, so I chose Powerade, which is not ideal I know, but I knew that I needed to replace the drink aspect of my addiction with another drink that I would enjoy. After a few weeks of successfully staying off the Dew, I switched to Powerade zero, which has no calories. There are ingredients in zero calorie drinks that are harmful to your health, but as a way to ween yourself off of something, it worked very well for me. Now I drink mostly water, I rarely if ever drink anything with carbonation, and if we go out, I stick with the lemonade.

Sometimes I feel like I have so much on my mind, I can't spit it all out. If I did, I would be sitting at the computer 28 hours a day. My wife often asks me "what are you thinking about"? I laugh a little inside. If only she knew what was going through my mind. I run 4 small businesses from home while taking care of our 3 amazing growing boys. I also work as a freelance consultant for several local small businesses. My mind is always being pulled in 130 directions, I ask myself constantly all day long, what is the smartest way to spend my time right now? My "job" is not a 40 hour job where I get to walk away from at the end of a work day, but because I have the benefit of "working from home" it also means that I "work all the time" but it it's my job to figure out how to spend my time wisely, which is much more difficult than anyone thinks.

What's with fitness?

I am proud to say that today, I got a gym membership! When I was in my late teens, and early twenties I worked jobs that kept me in shape, so I never worried about what I ate. After a few years of marriage, I hopped on the scale and the number on the dial made me gasp. I knew that I couldn't stay that heavy forever, so we made some diet changes. After several "crash diets" we made a long term, diet change. No more fast food 2 meals a day, no more treat cupboard, no more soda, and the binging had to stop.

About a year ago, my wife and I finally got to the point where we were eating plenty of fruit and veggies, and lots of water. With the changes to our lifestyle came some natural, slow weight loss. But then we hit a plateau. We've known that at some point we would have to get into a gym in order to shed the 100 pounds that we each needed to lose. Well, that day is today!

Next on my list, fitness monitors. Which one to get? FitBit seems to be nice, but when we walked into Best Buy earlier today, there were like 30 competitors to choose from. Now I need some advice before we sink $100+ per unit. Do you have a fitness monitor? What one do you have? What do you like and dislike about it? Does it interact with any apps that you love? How much did you pay? Seriously, we need some help!

Hi, my name is Rusty.

I am 31, with three amazing boys, their latest word is "idiot" which they choose to use frequently. I am a stay-at-home dad, and no I don't play video games, or sleep all day long.

Our oldest is 4, and his twin brothers are 3, for now. All three boys were born in March, the twins on the 29th, and our oldest was born on the 6th. This means that for 3 weeks out of the year, all three boys will be the same age, every year.

I used to have a "Job" many years ago, which led to business ownership of two Pizza restaurants. If you've ever owned a business you know what I mean when I say that I was Married to my work. The general idea behind business ownership is to work less, and make more money right? I worked 100+ hours a week and made the same, if not less than I did working my 40 hour JOB.

About 18 months into my marriage, my wife and I found out that we couldn't have children of our own. At first, the news was very hard to take in. But, when the dust settled, we decided that we wanted children in our home, no matter what it took. Most couples at this stage of marriage, having just found out they couldn't conceive simply start the adoption process. We knew that we wanted to have a child in our home, but we weren't insistent on a newborn baby. We started doing some research, and found that we could foster children instead, and that by being foster parents, we could reach more children that just the one we would end up adopting.

We finished our classes as necessary for licensing in July of 2009, but we held back turning in our paperwork for some reason. One night in class, the instructor made it clear that children over the age of 5 were the least likely to be wanted by foster parents because most foster parents want to deal with kids that are in school for most of the day. After we found that out, we elected to bring children into our home that were in the age range of least likely desired children.

In the middle of October 2009, we finally turned our papers in. My wife may fight me on this, but I don't think it was a week later that we got a call. There was an unfamiliar voice on the other end of the phone, asking if we would be willing to take in a 7 month old boy temporarily. Of course we had no choice but to say yes. That little boy was so precious, he was a little miracle. Unfortunately when you foster a child, you get to read their file. Reasons for removal from their home, pictures, in depth descriptions of abuse, neglect, abandonment.

At our first court appearance with his parents, his parents relinquished their rights and we adopted him. Just weeks later, we found out that we would be adopting his twin brothers from birth. Being born 10 weeks premature, our little boys were in the NICU for about 3 months, each day being a struggle, sometimes wondering if they would make it through the day.

My father was not there for me as a child, now he had good reasons, he was always working to put food on our table, but I still feel the pain from that so I was not about to put my boys through that.

Working 100+ hours a week was no longer possible. We committed to not putting our kids in daycare, so someone had to stay at home. My wife, with a great job in insurance would be the wrong candidate to stay home so I walked away from my businesses so I could stay at home with my three boys.

Now that they are getting older, life is amazing! The house is full of toys, dirty laundry, and arguing boys. Life is rough, and it certainly doesn't get any easier, but the rewards are great! I look forward to writing more, and sharing some of who I am in future posts. Thanks for reading!