Running

I am sending this message out to all you runners. Some of you already know Trent Willmon, who is a country singer-songwriter living in Nashville. He is also a runner!

Well, right now he is in a contest being held by Country Weekly, where people can vote for the “sexiest man in Country Music”.

He’s a Heart graduate (for those of you in Klemmer) and also happens to be my stepson.

If you’re into country music, you may have heard Montgomery Gentry’s song “Back When I Knew It All”, which he co-wrote, and which was recently a #1 country hit. But whether or not you like country music, can you please vote for him?

Here is the link:

http://www.countryweekly.com/sexiest_man/vote/survey/494

Thanks for your support, and keep on running!

(BTW, you might enjoy his music — check out trentwillmon.com).

Sam Camp is exciting and is giving us a lot to do. Reaching our goals is challenging but fun!

My goals for Camp are:

1. I have developed a website and newsletter service for beginning runners, and have 100 or more members by Friday 9:00am PST April 18th., 2008.

2. I have run 10 consecutive miles or more by Friday 9:00am PST April 18th., 2008.

3. Team Laser (our small group of five) has selflessly committed 16 hours or more of community service per person, for a total of 96 hours or more by Friday April 16th., 2008 at 9:00am PST.

Working backwards through this list, I have 5 hours of service so far (30%) and have run 8 miles (80%). The first goal is lagging: I have the website and the newsletter service, but so far have only 21 members (21%).

I’m sure I’ll get the other 79 members within the time frame, but I’d like to get at least 200. After all, what’s the point in having a goal if you can’t blow past it?

So, dear reader, if you want to support me, sign up now! The good news is that until April 18th. it doesn’t cost anything. The even better news is that you can drop it anytime (only please hang in there until after April 18th.!) Meanwhile, you can assist me by letting me know all the errors you find or suggestions you may have for improvement. Even if you’re not a runner.

BTW, one of Billie’s goals is to lose weight until she can get into size 12 jeans. She made it already, and is now trying for a 10. Way to go, Billie! She’s lost about 30 lbs., and looks great for it.

We made it back safely to Huntsville after an exciting two weeks in Phoenix, San Diego and Ventura. Billie got some great photos (I think) but they’re all still in her camera. The first weekend of Samurai Camp 14 with Klemmer was amazing. I came back with three goals (including a team goal) — all to be accomplished by April 18:

1. I have developed a website and newsletter service for beginning runners, and have 100 or more members who are receiving my regular newsletters by Friday 9:00am PST April 18th , 2008.
2. I have run 10 consecutive miles or more by Friday 9:00am PST April 18th , 2008.
3. Team Laser has selflessly committed 16 hours or more of community service per person, for a total of 96 hours or more by Friday April 18th, 2008 at 9:00am PST.

The current status for Goal 1 is that the web site is now up and running properly, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please encourage them to look at the site and (hopefully) enroll. I am making it free for the first fifty. If you or anyone you know, would be available to test it for me (by enrolling), that too would be helpful.

For the second goal, I ran 8 miles today, so am well on my way. I’m still v.e.r.y slow, but am working on my speed because I’m running the Capitol 10K in Austin on March 30.

I have not yet started on the third goal.

The following week with Klemmer, staffing Heart of the Samurai 24 was also amazing, but slightly marred by the fact that Billie and I both got allergies. We think it was caused by mold in the room: the weather was pretty damp most of the time. If/when we staff again, we’ll probably stay off site.

We saw Paul, Alisa, Kai and Judy for a brief visit last Monday and Tuesday and flew back to Houston Tuesday.

On Thursday we went to the World Championship Barbecue Cook Off at the Houston Rodeo to see Trent perform a great show. Billie stayed on in Houston at Rusty’s house to work on her Samurai Camp goals, while I’m working on mine in Huntsville. I’ll see her again Monday, when Trent’s label has a Houston Rodeo Kick-Off and CD Release Party. Then, in the evening Trent will be performing at the Hideout (formerly known as the Astrodome).

After that, maybe things will quiet down for a while so we can continue to work on our goals!

It seems a long time since I blogged. I have been very busy getting ready for the first weekend of Samurai Camp with Klemmer in Phoenix. One major task was to get my new web site prepared.

Things were going well until I hit an unexpected hitch. The site that I had developed was unusable with my hosting service due to a software incompatibility — one of the problems with trying to do something new in a limited time. So I was now slipping behind on my goals before I even got started.

I had already contacted the Small Business Development Center at Sam Houston State University here in Huntsville, so Monday I called them with an urgent message that I needed help in developing my web site. After playing telephone tag for a while, we finally got together, and last night they put the site together for me, using my provisional text. So today, one day before the deadline, the site is up!

It needs work still, but at least the hard work is done, and it looks a lot better than it would have done if it had been left to me. The person who put it together has worked for fourteen years on web site development. I had only about fourteen days’ of experience, so the difference showed!

Go look at it — I’m looking for suggstions for improvement. And, if you’re one of the first fifty people to sign up, you’ll get a lifetime free membership. (Unfortunately, the membership form is not working yet, but you have a link on the site you can use. Getting that form working and setting up the e-mail responses are my first two tasks when I return at the end of this month.)

Today, Billie and I are leaving for Phoenix. We shall be there for the weekend, then go to San Diego next Monday. That week we are staffing Heart of the Samurai, where about two hundred people, including Trent, will be taking part. What an incredible two weeks lie before us!

From San Diego, we shall leave for Ventura to have a quick visit with Paul, Alisa and Kai before returning via LAX.

We try not to let the grass grow under our rocking chairs.

To your good health and may you always have as much fun and excitement as we do!

Alan and Billie

We’re off to the Rodeo!

The tickets went on sale today for Tim McGraw at the Rodeo on Monday, March 3. We’ve bought four — Rick is bringing a friend (not the one in the photo!). The main attraction for us is that Trent will be performing at the Hideout after Tim McGraw has been on the main stage.

Before then, we also intend to see Trent play at the World Championship Barbecue Cookoff at the rodeo on February 28. Might even get to taste some of that good Texas barbecue …

In other news, we intend to visit the set of Palo Pinto Gold next week, but have not yet fixed the day.

In case it looks like we’re getting bored, we are also in Samurai Camp with Klemmer and Associates. This is keeping us pretty busy already with homework assignments in advance of the first Sam Camp weekend February 15 in Phoenix. From Phoenix, we leave for San Diego where we will be staffing at Klemmer’s Heart of the Samurai, which Trent will be attending. From San Diego, we’ll drive up to Ventura to visit Paul and Alisa and then return on February 26 from LAX. We then have about eight weeks of Sam Camp at home before the second weekend in Phoenix in April.

We don’t believe in letting the grass grow under our rocking chairs yet.

http://kiosk.alanjenkin.com

If you want to call me click here:
https://me.vonage.com/billiejenkin