Easy night

Well, tonight I did a ride along with a relatively new Constable in town. What an AWESOME night it was. Went in a little early and filled in paperwork and such, met the officer that I would be riding with, got a tour of the detachment and such then went out to the car...6B16. That was cool. I have, believe it or not, been in the back of a police car before, but never in the front. lol.
He showed me how the radio worked in case I needed to use it, then the lights and the sirens. Man, I don't care who you are or how old you are, that has to do something for you. What a blast. It is very different from the front of a car when you are on a ride a long.
Right out of the gate we pulled a car. It was only a headlight, but it was cool. We had a good time. I yakked his ear off, I am sure. I asked him any question I could think of and he answered me.
At first I knew that he was young, didn't think as young as he was though. lol. I must admit that I did judge a little bit. He came across as nothing less than absolute professional and good at what he does. He has a lot of pride for the RCMP and all that that stands for and what it means and it was quite evident in how he carried himself. He was pretty laid back until the lights went on or a call came in...then it was all business. He is definitely a credit to the RCMP
I ended up getting dropped of early due to the nature of a call that came over the radio but I would go back out with them in an instant.
What an experience and I want to be a part of it!!!
Of to bed for now.
ttyl
Me

Been a while.lol

Hey gang. I know that it has been a while but what the hey. I semi voluntarily took most of the week of and am now panicing greatly. I think I let you know that my son bruised or cracked my rib at a football game. Well, I backed off of the workouts and running to let it rest up a bit.
Anyways, I developed a slight panic attack and am kicking myself in the butt for not sucking up a little pain and at least running. lol
I got a registered letter yesterday that congratulated me for doing well on the RCMP aptitude test and said that they want me to continue with the selection process. I also got a link to a webpage where the application package is located and printed off about 200 pages of stuff that they require to have filled out and in their hands 21 days after the date of the letter, which gives me a week to figure out the last 10 years of my life and answer the polygraph questionaire and get it in the mail.
I also have to take my PARE, the physical test, on June 23rd. AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH. That is where the panic comes from. lol. OMG, I have a mountain of hardwork that I have to do in the next little bit and my trainer will turn up the intensity when I call her and let her know.
I am very stoked and nervous right now.
I am off to do yardwork and get ready for my ride along tonight.
ttyl
Me

Just a quickie again

Good morning to all my loyal readers...I think I am up to my mom now. lol. Not sure who is reading this. Let me know if you are.
Anyways, I am sore today. I went to the gym and pushed it last night. My back was stiff and sore yesterday and it still is. My ribs are still sore and were more sore yesterday and this morning that they have been later in the day.
Oh yeah......good news......lol......I can now do 7 push-ups in a row, if I push myself. hehehehe. I will get to where I need to be. lol
Anyways, that is it for right now. Gotta run tonight....yay!!! I think that is my weakest link, so I have to work on that on hard.
ttyl
Me

Fun weekend

Hey there, it's me again. lol. Had a good weekend. I went to my 12 year old's first official football game ever on Saturday. That was fun. I was showing off and I bruised a couple ribs. lol. At least no one there knew or I wouldn't here the end of it. Anyways, I went to the gym and had a good go at a workout and my ribs didn't hurt at all. I drastically increased my weight, however, I think I still need to add more and push more. I still have very little strength in my shoulders and chest. I really have to build on those. The requirement for those muscle groups is going to be really important at Depot. I have to be able to do push-ups till I puke(which is about 6 right now, lol) and overhand pull-ups which is currently at the whopping zero mark. lol. My running is still tough and not where I would like it to be. I am gonna need to go full blast for about 4+ minutes to get past the physical test. If I push, I can do a good clip for almost 2 minutes. I have to get some sandbags and tape them together to see how I can do the "carry" portion of the test. I don't think I will have a problem with that.
On the family front. Lol. Jodi and I are very stressed still. Things keep piling up on top of us and we are having a real tough time keeping on top of the stuff on top of us. Most of the stuff dealing directly with the kids, especially Ricky, has slowed down and is letting us breathe, but the cost of living is giving us a big boot in the backside. I have always believed that we are never given more than we can handle. If that is the case, Jodi and I should have capes and super powers. We are getting so far behind that we think we are winning the race. We have had to live from pay cheque to about a week and a half or so to payday. I am having troubles with the fact that I am making a very good wage and can't get us through yet another rough patch. We need to figure out a one time infusion to get us caught up with everything. Jodi has to start her dayhome again, and we are screwed until that adds in to the budget. We really don't know what we are going to do in the mean time.
I am telling all of this so that you will know what we have gone through to get to where we are going. This is a diary and my story of the voyage to become a regular member of the RCMP.
We have had a tough time since we decided to get married. Do we regret that? NO WAY. Jodi and I are more in love with each other today than we were yesterday. She will back that up. Even with the financial stress and kid stress, we both know, and will say, that we will be together for life. There is no doubt in our minds about that. Our life,"behind closed doors", is extremely intense and extremely emotional in an awesome way.
We just really hope that we don't actually sink financially before we can claw our way to shore and get out of this jam that we are in.
I also hope that the RCMP will here our circumstance and still select me when they get wind of our position. They look for healthy finances too. We shall see.
I am off to work
ttyl,
Me

I hate schedules. lol

Grrrrrrrrrr. And just like that I am back off track. I was supposed to run yesterday and was unable too. We had a meeting and it took way longer than I thought that it would and before I knew it, the day was done and gone. I have done no cardio yet this week and will be sore as heck when I finally get around to it. There is a perfect flight of stairs at work that I could get a great short workout from, but I can't wear my runners at work, I have to wear my boots. I will have to think about out here what there is, or maybe start to get up earlier and get a reflective vest and hit the road. We will see. I am worried that I won't be in good enough shape to get in.
ttyl
Me

Back on track

Well, so far anyways, I worked out at the gym yesterday and today and did a 10 minute run on the treadmill yesterday. Did a hard work out tonight and am exhausted and off to bed. Hopefully I can get caught up on a little sleep in the next little while too.
Ttyl
Me

Guilty, guilty, guilty

Lol. So much for taking the weekend off. Lol. I didn't work out or run at all this weekend and I am feeling a little guilty. I was going to start yesterday and get back into the swing of things. Guess what happened? Life. Jodi wound up being late getting back into Calgary and when all was said and done, we were late getting back home. Her kids got home shortly after that and we had to get them settled down as it was a school night.
I will have to go to the gym tonight and tomorrow. To make up for some of the cardio missed, I will start biking to and from the gym as well. I will take the direct route there and the longer way home. That should help out a lot. I will hit the bricks and run again on Thursday and get back on track with that. I hope I haven't lost a lot of ground. I want to increase my weight again every time. I also want to pick 3 exercises from my last round and add one to each day.
Anyways, I am off to work.
ttyl
Me

Hiya

Hey gang, just thought I would tell you all that I want it so bad that I have taken the whole long weekend off. lol. With permission. My trainer told me that she was thinking about giving me some time off between stuff so that I could heal and recuperate from my workouts and stuff. She said that every athlete needs a break. I decided that I would take this weekend off to spend some time with my family. It is good that I did because this has been yet again another challenging weekend for the Sutton/Donnett Clan. lol. The GREAT part of the weekend is that my 16 year old daughter came out to visit with her 14 year old monster brother. That has been awesome. One weird part that made me feel a little old though. Lol. My daughter has her learners license and I let her drive our minivan. That is quite a feeling being driven by your daughter. lol.
Another good thing is that Jodi's kids are with their father. Now the reason that that is good is it gave me some more time with my daughter almost alone. My sons are here too. I have had a challenge bridging the parenting gap with her as we have been almost estranged for many years. It has only been a couple years now where I have been making an honest effort to reconnect with her and it is tough to say the least.
Anyways, another good reason that I didn't go to the gym and that her kids aren't here this long weekend is that Jodi had to fly to Saskatchewan. Her sister just had a complicated birth and just when everything was looking good and healing up, she had to be rushed back to the hospital...and I do mean rushed.
Jodi had missed the birth of Brooke Tyler and wanted to REALLY be there for her sister. Especially after the birth was so trying and difficult. Jodi was feeling down about that and this time HAD to go. I was upset, but I do understand why she had to go. The biggest upset was that it was a long weekend and my daughter was here and I wasn't going to the gym and we could have some rare time together. lol. How foolish of us to believe that.
The positive is that this we good practice for when I go to Depot and we are apart for 6 months. lol.
Anyways, I am actually going to go to bed I think...after I call Jodi and...........................................................................................................
;-)
ttyl
Me

I want it baby!!!!!!

I absolutely want to be a member of the RCMP. It is becoming a dream the more I look at it and the more I think about it. My trainer Rose gave me a nice compliment. I did a couple killer exersises that she gave me and went pretty hard. She was very impressed with my effort, said most of her clients would have quit then and I think she was a little proud too. I have no clue if I will make it through the application process or not. Lol. I don't know how they will view our current situation and all, but we shall see.
I have been reading fact sheets on the RCMP website and looking at different detachments around, mostly BC and AB, and love what I see.
The RCMP would allow me to have a dream job, I think. They interact with society. All of it, not just a certain part or area. They are charged with protecting all of society and letting people feel safe.
I have always wanted a job where I work with people. Thought maybe a teacher and working with kids, but that is such a different scope. I would be dealing with a certain age group only, always. I don't know how I would handle that. I am at an age where I have to decide NOW what I want to do and get it done. I would be looking at 5 to 7 years of university, which I was prepared to do, but I would be close to mid 40's when I get out. Cutting it close. lol
The more I have investigated and checked out the RCMP, the more I like it.
It would be a difficult adjustment to make. There is more than likely a lot of shift work, holidays, overtime and so on. Some detachments are 6 on 4 off, 10 to 12 hours. Court dates, graveyard shifts, day shifts. We will see. Jodi is excited too. The kids don't know that they are yet. lol
Anyways, I am gonna stop for now
ttyl
Me

Hey there

Guess who. lol. Me again. Just got back from the gym. My trainer likes pain. lol. She had me doing some workouts that are painful. Lol. She changed a couple to put a more advanced level on it and my legs should be screaming by morning. lol. On top of that I had to bike to the gym because I thought that Jodi was going to get her nails done. I did a long bike home too just to make sure that my legs don't want to get up with me in the morning. Anyways, got home and saw Jodi upstairs doing something with the rabbit. lol. Oh well. The ride was good and I think I will continue to bike to the gym on gym nights and run the other nights. Well, that's it for now.
ttyl
Me

Just a quickie

Hey there. Been a couple days, thought I would update a little bit now that my feet are back on the ground. lol.
Well, now that I have passed the aptitude test, now it is on to the physical test. I am going to hazard a guess that I will be doing that within 5 or 6 weeks. I have no clue if I am supposed to book it somewhere or if they call me and tell me when and where. I am going to give it about a week and then I will call Cst. Tsui(the recruiter) and see who what where and when. I will go from there.
The nice thing is that, now, I am not just going to the gym and showing up getting into shape. Now I have a total purpose to be there. It is no longer a question of if I get to this stage. I am there. lol.
I will have to push myself more now. Originally, I thought that I would have at least 3 months and my training program has been set with that in mind. Now I may have no more than a month to get ready.
I will have to go to the lumber store now and get to 50 lb. bags of sand and tape them together. That will be similar to the "torso bag" carry that is part of the test. I have to pick it up from the ground and walk it 15m. I will also have to see what I can make for a couple of small (knee high) hurdles as well as a 3 foot vault. Should be easy and I will just need some wood and screws for the most part. There is a park here with some picnic tables that I can use as stairs.
The biggest push will be the running and the gym. I will also have to be VERY careful at the gym too. My second 4 weeks has some exercises that can really hurt my back too. One is a sit-up thing with a 6kg med ball on a decline bench and another is leaning over to each side in turn with a larger weight and coming back up. I can feel them both in my back and will have to be very careful.
I went for my first "really" tough run last night. I did my regular route and then the street in my house. I still did intervals but instead of a walk/jog thing I did more of a sprint session instead of a slow jog. I walked for between 2 light poles and sprinted between 3. I did that most of the way and it felt really good. Couldn't breathe after the sprint, but that came back.
Did my first workout at the gym on Monday and am a little stiff today in the back. lol. Wasn't to to bad yesterday and today I can feel my whole back is stiff. I will have to really stretch that today as I am in the gym tonight and tomorrow instead of Friday. My trainer thinks that she can have a date night with her husband or something on Friday. lol. Of all the nerve.
Anyways, I must go to work now. YAY
My chances of being a Mountie are looking a lot better now
ttyl
Me

YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAW

Just got a letter in the mail today and I found out that I passed the RCMP Aptitude Battery (test) with flying colours. We are SO EXCITED here!!!!!!!!

Second 4 week set

Well, I talked to Rose, my trainer, briefly last night and we are getting together this evening at 7 pm at the gym to get me started on my second 4 weeks. I am currently at 3 sets of 12 and she has said that she is dropping it to 3 sets of 8, which means a big weight change I think. lol. We shall see. Should I be nervous? We shall see. :-0

Oh yeah. A couple of days ago, my cockatiel buddy, passed onto the great aviary in the sky. My wife said that she was squawking and flapping all day. I couldn't see her in the cage at dinner time and asked where she was. My son Zach thought he saw her bent over on the bottom pecking at the stuff there. I went to check and she wasn't pecking. She was curled up in a corner. :-(. We don't know what happened. Maybe the cats got to her finally. They used to all like playing. Buddy would tease the cats and play with them through the bars. Who knows.

Made up for the bad

Hey, I can be lazy when I want to, but I made up for my last miss. I ran on Friday and went to the gym and did a hard work out too. lol. I also ran yesterday and am taking today off. I do have to call my trainer and get ready to start my next 4 weeks and see what happens. Anyways, of to do what little I can for my wife on this Mother's Day.
ttyl

Im very bad. ;-(

Shoulda, coulda, didn't. I got lazy last night and let the laziness win out. :-(. We have yet another snow front move through yesterday, my wife had an appointment that went late, I was grumpy and the kids were grumpy and I wimped out and ended up not running yesterday. Well, ya know, it was snowing.....running on the streets is better than the treadmill.......streets were slippery and dangerous......gym is on the other side of town. Still managed to drive to the store on those roads and go shopping though.
BAD SEAN!!!!!!!

Can't let that habit develop. I am off to the gym tonight for sure. This is the last of my first 4 weeks. Things should step up next week a little more than they are now. Yay. I am excited for Rose. She gets to inflict more pain
ttyl

Stiff and tired today

Hey, to all my loyal readers. lol. I did a workout last night and now my back and legs are stiff today. I have also been doing some OT at work for some extra money and have been running no more than 4 hours sleep a night. lol. I am tired and stiff and want to go back to bed to cuddle Jodi.
Off to work I go.
ttyl

Above is just some snaps of my work out last night. Including a couple shots of 2 0f the 7 kids. lol. My son Zach who is 12 and just signed up for football and my wife's daughter Jenni who recently turned 11 physically and thinks she is about 22 or so mentally. lol

At it yet again

Hey there again. Just a quick message as I slept in a little bit and the tooth fairy is on the desk infront of me too. lol. Jenni lost a tooth at the gym last night. Yes it happened naturally. lol. Anyways, I had a great work out. This morning I am stiff as a bugger. I really pushed myself last night, although, other than muscle fatigue, I don't feel any "burn" that you hear associated with people working out. I am getting muscle though and do see my trainer next week to start the 2nd cycle.
Anyways, Jenni took some awesome pictures and I will post some more soon. It will be perfect when my Jenny can be here to take some pics too.
ttyl

Hey again

Hey there gang,
Lol. I know that you have all missed me. Again, lol. Anyways, things have been going good. I had a great workout on Friday and jacked all my weights up a lot. As a result, however, I have been a little stiff.
I ended up having to take Saturday off and was going to run instead on Sunday. Well, instead of running, we had a pair of roller blades and I did that instead. I guess I need lots of practice. I had a stiff back as a result of Friday, I think, and rollerblading wasn't the ticket for that. Posture was partly to blame and also the fact that my balance appears to be that of a plate atop a stick. lol. I will stick to running as that hurts the most and will have the most benefit.
We shall see.
I am still very nervous as to my marks for the exam and may find out today. I also have to get a pardon and haven't heard anything back from Ottawa regarding my finger prints and such yet.
On top of that, we are having an incredible amount of challenges with kids, cars, and life in general. lol. My son drove his bike into the door of my car when my younger son decided to get out of the car. No one was hurt, thank God, however, my door now has a nice crease in it. Our van had died about a month ago now, maybe more. Anyways, we were given another one that was a Plymouth. Our previous one was a Dodge. Voyageur vs. Caravan. NOT THE SAME. lol. Our new van has a bad power steering pump and it has a slightly different engine et al. configuration than the old van. The old van has nice stock aluminium rims on it and they wont fit on the new van etc. lol
So far it seems that the cards are way stacked against us this year and we have yet to hit bottom. On top of that, I also have to take some training on my own and pay for that, as well as some medical checks and so on. Jodi is really feeling the effects of it all and is more stressed than I have ever seen her. I just wish there was magic and I could just wave a wand and make it all better, especially for her. I am very concerned about being accepted into the RCMP and having to leave for 6 months straight. I am sure that her kids would like the break from me......lol. My main concern is for Jodi however. I know that if she can handle the stress and crap now, that we will get through this next year of uncertainty with me and what I am trying to do, that we can handle it all.
On top of that, if I go through training, we are GUARANTEED to be moving after I am out. I don't think there is any chance of us staying where we are or even going where we want to. lol.
The RCMP does have "compassionate" postings where they look at you and your circumstances and will, at times, consider that and work with it as best they can. Oh well, I guess we shall see.
I am just hoping that, is we ever hit the bottom, I can keep us on our feet so that we can climb back out of this hole that we seem to be in.
BLAHHHHH
ttyl

More weights.......surprise

lol. Yep. Yet again, I was at the gym. Surprise. I had a good workout last night though. I did increase all the weight for what I did last night. A couple, I didn't know if I would finish or not and even, inadvertantly, of course started to cheat on a couple and bent a joint more that I should have. hehehe. Would have been a good day for anyone to be a fly on the wall. My face was red as a tomato at times and veins were popping out a bit too. lol. Along with the gutteral grunts and stuff, it was quite entertaining. I really have to work on my shoulders, chest, and abs more too. I am still not all that sore so I will have to ask my trainer if I am doing it right or not. I also have to hit my cardio WAY harder as well. She said that I would be dragging my but and really tired. I thought that I would ache a lot more and drop at night. Hasn't happened yet. Maybe I just need to work harder. lol. We shall see.
Till next time
ttyl