Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Love & Marriage, Love and Marriage...

We don't always live life on top of the mountain. All of us experience days, sometimes much longer, where we travel through the valley. As a believer, I know this is where God helps to refine me, build my faith, and where I learn to persevere. Guess what? It doesn't make trudging through "the valley" suck any less. To be completely honest, as of late, I've struggled to maintain balance in just about every area of my life - particularly at home and in my relationship with my amazing wife and ride-or-die chick, Jenny. Anyone who has ever been married would be lying to you and to themselves if they told you they didn't experience "the valley" in their marriage from time to time. I certainly don't have every answer and I also understand that every marriage and circumstance is unique, but I do want to share a couple of fundamental concepts I have personally come to embrace throughout my marriage of 9 years. I'll cut to the chase and try to be concise:

1. Prayer is POWERFUL. This will forever be my battle cry. Over the years, and especially here more recently, I've discovered the importance of understanding not only HOW I should pray but also the importance of praying with PURPOSE. Here's what I mean: Today, I read Colossians 1: 9-14 (NIV)...

"9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified yout to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

...This 2,000 year-old passage was nothing more to me than a bunch of eloquently written words to some peeps called Colossians until I REFLECTED on them, MEDITATED on them, and then APPLIED them directly to ME and MY marriage. This was and is my prayer:

"Jenny,

I will not stop praying for you, for our relationship, and for our family. I will continually ask God to fill us with his wisdom and understanding through God's Spirit, so we may both live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work. I pray, Jenny, for you to continue growing in the knowledge of God. I pray for you to be strengthened and for you to be given great power, great endurance, and great patience (particularly with me). For God has rescued us from darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption and forgiveness."

2. In every aspect of life, you will at some point be faced with the decision to FIGHT or to ROLL OVER and throw in the towel. This is not a THEORY. It is a LAW. If you want to get your marriage out of the valley, you'd better start quick marching both of your stubborn hindquarters to the base of the mountain and start climbing.

Love & Cheers,

 ~ COCHISE

Sunday, June 24, 2012

WE GOTZ HOT BEATZ!!!



This Mhire family video has it all in just 50 seconds: Emille dancing, Vin barking orders at everyone to leave at once, Emille walking, laughing, and falling in to mom's arms where she is greeted with a kiss, me imploring Vin to "play a HOT beat" and laying down a phat beatbox rhythm, Vin headphoning up to play said "HOT beat, and at 30 seconds - we get not from Vincent a hot beat, but a super hot bunghole blast. Stay HOT, Vincent Lee Mhire. Stay hot.

Monday, June 4, 2012

BaLaNcE.

Regionals has concluded and I've been trying to relax more, spend more time focusing on my family, and I've been gearing up for the opening of our second crossfit affiliate: CrossFit Springfield East! I'm also excited about getting back to blogging a bit. It seems to help me during the CrossFit Games season to back off the amount of personal blogging I do, mainly because it usually ends up being done during the wee hours of the night. If it's not done then, it cuts into spending time with the family. Which seg-ways me perfectly...

It's been a great relief to finally drop down on my training hours and intensity. I've been trying to pump more of that TLC into Jenny and the kiddos. We've had some good times as of late...Exhibit A:

My post-regional approach to training has been all about having some fun. I've tried to decrease the loads on my met-cons and chippers and I've dropped the relative intensity and volume of my training way down as well. For me, it's been mainly all about letting my body reset and recover from the onslaught of abuse it has taken over the past 4 months of prepping for the TNT competition, the Open, and Regionals. Today, I went to the park and did an untimed BW workout of: 150 Air Squats, Run 400m, 100 Sit Ups, Run 400m, 100 Push Ups, Run 400m, 50 Pull Ups. Last Friday I worked up to a 1RM snatch (current PR is 250lb). I hit 245lb and missed on 255lb but came super close:


Bummer, eh? Not to worry...I shall make it float soon :) After the snatch work I did "Amanda" which is 9-7-5 rds of Muscle Ups & Squat Snatch @ 135lb. My time at the 2011 CFG North Central Regional was 5:56 and Friday I managed 5:30; Not bad considering my recent lack of legit WOD-ing all the garbage I've consumed in the past two weeks since the 2012 CrossFit Games North Central Regional concluded. I've done "Amanda" in 4:59 so I know I'll have to eventually pick back up my game to beat my best score. 

For now, I'd like to get back to finding some balance in all aspects of life. This morning, the pastor at our church (Tommy Sparger, North Point) spoke about how if many of us were asked to list our order of priorities in life, we'd say "God first, family second, career third." His challenge to everyone was to think more holistically by using Matthew 6:33 as a guide: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." If GOD really is our first priority and we were to truly and sincerely seek His will in each of our lives, He will begin to permeate and transform everything else we pursue; peace within our families and in all our relationships, success within our workplace, stability in the area of our finances, etc. It is when I remember and meditate on this truth that I begin to feel my life course move toward a more clearly desired objective. Here's to finding balance and to the ongoing journey of life!

~COCHISE