Hello from the beautiful Island Princess.

Dessert with the wife on the pool terrace.

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Hello from a warm Ft. Lauderdale.

Aboard Virgin America with service to Ft. Lauderdale.

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A farewell for now from LAX...

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Random on Purpose -- Part 3

Here again, is a your short and concise gathering of all things Ryan and Emma. And only short and concise because we can't devote enough time to writing dedicated posts on each of the topics. Not yet anyway.

• Eating healthy is expensive, but totally worth it. Between our quest for "food color" and all things organic (which has become easier thanks to Abundant Harvest), going to the market is a bit of a new adventure.
• In related, but hypocritical news, we bought tickets for the "all-you-can-eat" seating section at Dodger Stadium... All the processed hot dogs, high-in-sugar sodas and fattening nachos you could want...
• ...unfortunately, we're 0-for-2 in games we were planning to see but weren't able to actually attend. I guess that's what happens when Southern California is treated with springtime rain.
• We took a day yesterday and went to the Festival of Books at UCLA with the entire Barton clan. Thinking back, I think me and Em have gone every year for the last five years. Each year is a little bit more crowded, and fewer things surprise us. Like the guy with the pocket protector towing a stack of books in a kid-sized Radio Flyer, all while spilling his lemonade on your sandals as he passes... yeah, he's normal. Cole enjoyed the face painting/tattoos, spending time with his Auntie Em and seeing books galore. And Braydon liked running. He always likes running. ..who wouldn't?

• While at the Festival, I again realized what a huge fanboy I am for all things Dave Eggers and McSweeny's. Their publications exude creativity. And I can't get enough of them, even though I can't spot the time to give them the literary justice they deserve. And if you really want to know more about Eggers, watch his TED talk here.
• In 72 hours or so, Em and I take off for our trip to Central America. A little over two weeks of doing absolutely nothing... unless we want to do differently. So far, snorkeling in Aruba, enjoying an aerial view of the rain forest in Costa Rica and taking a trip to Los Arcos in Cabo are on the list. We'll be sailing on Island Princess, just like we did when we vacationed in Alaska. Many thanks to (Emma's) Sara and Ashley for taking care of the kids while we're away. If you'd like to watch us transit the Panama Canal in real time (and are keen on waking up around 3:00 AM), you can watch the ship's bridge cam here.

• When we do get back, we'll be covering each stop along the way with its own blog post. Last year's Alaska trip was a bit overwhelming -- one post covering 7 days with a 20-minute video. Not exactly easy to digest.

That's it for now...more when we return!

Want to See a Scary Photo?

As I mentioned a few weeks ago... and as Emma may have told you, I've been a bit of a fitness/diet freak lately.

The reason? Shortly after Thanksgiving I was slapped with the fact that I had reached an all-time high weight. Don't know how it happened. I didn't really take notice of it; and Emma *says* she didn't notice my weight gain, but it happened. If you saw it..shame on you for not telling me.

Regardless, our Wii Fit confirmed it when it showed me that according to its BMI calculation I was statistically on the 'overweight' border. But now, the almost-always-creepy-little-Wii-voice congratulates me for lowering my BMI and losing 32 pounds. Neat.

So here you go -- its the scary photo. They're both photos of Em and I -- the first, taken at Thanksgiving, and the second, taken recently at Easter.

So! For all you who told me I didn't have weight to lose, you're wrong; evidence is above. And for everybody else who wanted to know what I did, here ya go -- 10 steps, in two broad categories:

>> Exercise

1. Bike - I started by riding my bike in the morning before leaving for work. Partly to wake up so I'm not in a half-sleep when I'm at the office. But biking is also a great way to exercise. It's not a "rough" exercise, and you get to ride through some pretty fantastic scenery. Em joined me from the very beginning and it's turned into an activity we look forward to doing together on the weekends. Now, I finally bought my road bike, and am enjoying the sport even more.


2. Kettlebell - Think of a kettlebell like an all-in-one gym. It's basically a cannonball with a handle on it. And because of it's 'no-center-of-gravity' attributes it's a great fat-burning tool. Em and I each have one and try to use them daily for 20-30 minutes. They work to enhance your core muscles and balance -- all while shedding fat due to the still-active rest periods.


3. Run - I hated running a couple months ago. But since giving myself the "Before 30" goal of completing a triathlon, it's grown into part of my routine. Along with my new Vibram Five Finger shoes, I've been working to build up my distance tolerance rather than bugging myself about intervals. Running is now more of a goal I want to tackle and triumph over, rather than a nagging activity I need to do.


4. Swim - The final component of my triathlon training is new to the routine. Once upon a time, I was a budding smooth-stroke swimmer. And now, I'm still trying to find my stroke. But when I'm able to tap into that smooth cycle, swimming is really fun -- especially now that I have my waterproof iPod case and headphones.


5. Walk - Em and I try to walk around the neighborhood a few times a week. It helps us 'come down' from the day at work without immediately sitting in front of the TV. But we try to walk whenever we can; walk instead of wait for the closest parking spot, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk around the office complex at lunch just to get some sun -- it all adds up...

>> Diet

1. Livestrong.com - Without a doubt, I wouldn't have made any progress if it weren't for Livestrong. Every day, I visit the 'MyPlate' section of the site and log any and all food I have, plus any fitness activities. By telling the site what my height and weight are, coupled with how many pounds I want to lose each week, the site gives me a daily caloric limit. And by logging my day's consumption, I'm able to see what foods are better for me than others. It's free, easy to use, and highly motivational.


2. Paleo - Have you ever seen a picture of a fat caveman? That's basically the entire idea behind the Paleo lifestyle. The Paleo diet asks -- would a caveman been able to eat this? And if not, you don't either. It's a reallllly big extreme, so I've tailored it back for myself so it's more of a "if it wasn't around for my grandparents, I don't eat it" type statement. What you find yourself doing is eating more like a hunter/gather, and less dependent on processed foods.


3. Color - In every meal, I make a point to add color. Fruits and vegetables are a huge part of it. Before, too many times, the meals were a sloppy cream/brown color -- and nutritionally, that's not a good thing. Make a point to add color to it; help your taste buds out and give them some real food.


4. Timing - This was a pretty tough -- my "last meal" cut-off became 8:00 p.m. In doing so, I made sure I aided the digestion of my meals before slowing down my metabolism and hitting the sack. I also made a point to eat something following my morning workout, helping to increase and regulate my metabolism.


5. Keep it Natural - I wanted this to be a long-term lifestyle, not something that I'd lose and suddenly gain back. So you'll note the absence of any over-the-counter pills or anything of the sort. Vitamins are excellent supplements to diet and exercise, but I wanted to stay away from anything that comes with "results not typical" claims.

I'm like everybody else; I went into it thinking that I was already tired enough and I couldn't afford to spend any more energy exercising. But it's true, getting up early and starting out my day doing fitness increased my energy levels and transformed my moods (I'm not nearly as moody anymore...promise).

It may not be for everyone, but it worked/is working for me. It's not always easy or fun, but if you're looking to change your lifestyle -- not a quick fad diet -- some of those points could also be for you.

Any questions, let me know!