A Weekend Away

Last Friday afternoon we drove to Sayre, PA to check in to the BriMarie Inn for the weekend. The BriMarie is a Victoria bed & breakfast plus a restaurant.  I had stayed there once before but this was Margaret’s first stay.  We were there to attend the American Evangelical Christian Churches (AECC) Annual North East Region Conference in Waverly, NY.  Sayre, PA and Waverly, NY are adjacent to each other on opposite sides of the border.

The conference began Friday night but we were delayed by construction on the drive and arrived too late for that.  It should be about a 4.5 hour drive but took us almost 6 hours. The conference continued through late Saturday afternoon.  We did not want to drive back Saturday night so we stayed through Sunday morning.  After breakfast Sunday we returned to the conference host church to attend Sunday services.

I had Margaret’s camera which is smaller than than mine.  I intended to take a bunch of pictures but the camera batteries died after only two shots and we didn’t have any spare ones with us.

Talking to Margaret is Bonna Brown. Next to her is her husband Jim.  Jim & Bonna are from Hagerstown, MD.
The couple next to Jim made a seven hour drive from New England.

The man on the right, in the red shirt, is a full-time truck driver, Jim, who has visited with me in the chapel at Elkton.

Saturday night we opted to eat in the BriMarie Inn restaurant.  The menu had a couple of appetizers that looked like they would be within our diets (and budget). One was steamed mussels for me, and a vegetable pizza for Margaret. Those plus a salad each sounded like a good plan.  Wrong!  At that restaurant the appetizers portions are what we think of as entrées.  I got 21 mussels and Margaret’s pizza had eight pieces. Of course I forced myself to eat all of mine.  I went way over my goal on Saturday and over again on Sunday.  Even so my daily average is still good and I’m back on target today.  You can see my food diary here.

All in all it was a nice relaxing weekend away with some good friends. As Margaret said, “It is nice to attend an event and not be working on staff!”

The Car Is Back

Yeah!  We got the Toyota back from the body shop Thursday.  They did a great job on the repairs.

You can’t tell that it has been hit. In fact, the passenger side now looks better than the drivers side because of the fresh paint job.

If you missed the “before” pictures they are here.

Exercise Variations

For me, exercising is the most difficult part of my weight loss program. It is just hard for me to get into it.  Most of the time Margaret and I go to the closest mall and walk.  That gets boring after a while.  Today was a nice day weather wise…not oppressive heat and humidity plus there was a nice breeze.  So, we opted to go to Spencer’s Bazaar in Dover.  Spencer’s is a rambling combination flea market and farm market with merchants outside at tables and inside at stalls.  It was a nice change for our exercise.

One of the numerous entrances to the inside offerings

Some of the outside tables

Incase you’re wondering, we did not get anything to eat while we were there

Eating Out While Dieting

Margaret and I spent the weekend in Elkton at the Chapel.  Friday night we went to North East, MD to watch a blues band that included our friend Marty Miller.  Saturday afternoon a couple from York, PA came down and took us out to eat at Old Country Buffet, an all-you-can-eat place.  Sunday afternoon we went out with a driver friend of ours to a local Elkton diner.  All this while I’m on an Very Low Calorie (VLC) diet of 800 calories or less per day.  Quite a challenge.

Since I have been on this kind of diet before, I have some experience with what kinds of foods I can eat when eating out.  Of course anything fried is a no no as are all deserts except Jell-O.  Broiled/grilled fish, shell fish, and chicken are good choices if I stick to small portions.  Most veggies, fruits, and salads are also good if you don’t smother them with something high in fat or sugar.  I avoid most carbs except rice and plain baked potatoes.  Watching portions is the thing I really have to be careful about at most restaurants.  Many times I end up with a “doggie bag” for the remaining serving.

With the Lord’s help, I stayed under 700 calories per day throughout the weekend and now have an average of 672 calories per day since I began keeping my food diary.  You can see what I have been eating here.

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Correcting a Mistake

One of my friends spotted a mistake on my food diary from yesterday.  I had entered 100 calories for a cup of rice when it should have been 160 calories.  That means I actually had 770 calories yesterday.  I have correct the diary.  (Thanks Anna!)

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Off To A Good Start

I spent 45 minutes with the doctor this afternoon.  The previous time I was weighed at his office was in March when I weighed 367 pounds.  That is the most I have ever weighed in my life!  The spike happened when I overate in reaction to the sleep deprivation triggered depression.  At first I didn’t recognize the cause of the depression.  That weight really got my attention and I began cutting back on what and how much I ate then.  Today I weighed 343 pounds.  That is a 24 pound loss in the first two months.

I have lost over 100 pounds twice before.  Each time I put myself on a 600 calorie diet for 18 months without medical supervision.  This time I believe the health complications necessitated my being under a doctor’s care.

I had approximately 710 calories today.  You can see what that looks like by viewing my food diary for today.

Of course there is a lot more than just cutting my food intake. I need to drink lots of water and exercise regularly. I prefer walking for the exercise.  At this time of year that means going to the Dover Mall where it is air conditioned!  The doctor also suggested exercising my arms at least once a week with weights or resistance equipment to maintain muscle tone.

I already had the necessary blood work done following the previous doctor visit.  The cardiac workup from my two knee procedures was recent enough to cover that requirement.  I go back to see the doctor monthly so that he can monitor me.

This weekend will be a challenge.  We head to the chapel tomorrow evening and will be there through both services on Sunday.  We’re covering for a chaplain who is on vacation.  I’ll probably eat a lot of salads!

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Leaving TFC

Yep, Margaret and I are retiring from Transport For Christ (TFC) at the end of July. That will be eight years and one month since our first night on the chapel as volunteers. On August 1, 2009 I will no longer be the Lead Chaplain for the Life-Saver Chapel in Elkton, MD., but I will still be an ordained Chaplain, just not with TFC. And before you ask, we have no idea yet what TFC’s plans are for the Life-Saver.

This will be the third time I have retired.  The last time Margaret put up with me at home for six months and then told me I had to get a job or volunteer someplace.  She had enough of me home underfoot.  It will be different this time because now Margaret is the one working and I’m at home.  Just call me Mr. Mom!  I will still be filling in as a relief preacher when requested plus teaching an adult Bible study every Thursday night at church.  I’m sure the Lord has other things for me to do as well.

My main focus initially will be to get some health issues under control.  Last November I had two sleep studies which confirmed that I have Complex Sleep Apnea which is a combination of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea. From December through May I spent six frustrating months trying to get a V-PAP breathing machine to relieve the apnea.  I tried six different masks and they all failed to work correctly.  My apnea is so severe that it takes a lot of air pressure from the machine to force air into my lungs while I sleep.  At full pressure, all of the masks leaked which defeated the purpose plus the leak was loud enough to wake me.  At one point I had a serious infection in the bridge of my nose caused by a mask.

Life without a breathing machine means Chronic Sleep Deprivation for me.  That is much more serious than just being tired all of the time. When we consistently don’t get adequate sleep lots of health problems develop and the effects are cumulative.  The longer you suffer Sleep Deprivation, the more severe the symptoms get—some of which are irreversible.  The biggest immediate issue for me is that it causes migraine headaches. When I get a migraine I don’t get pain, I get vertigo which puts me completely out of action for hours.  Right now I don’t do mornings!  I need ten to twelve hours in bed at night to not wake up with vertigo.

There is surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea but my pulmonologist did not recommend it for me.  The only other alternative is to lose weight.  My apnea is related to my being over weight  Gee, where did I hear that before?  So, this afternoon I have an appointment with my doctor to begin a 800 calorie per day diet.  I expect that it will be an easy diet to follow—if it tastes good, spit it out!  I also expect to hear my doctor use that awful word “exercise".  Please be in prayer for both of us as I do this.  I will be posting my progress here so you are all my accountability partners!

On a happier note, Lord willing, our goal is to move back to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia after the Lord gives me victory over this health issue. That should be in 1.5 to 2 years.  I would rather not change doctors in mid stream.

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Sporty Rental

This weekend I left our Toyota Camry at the body shop to be repaired.  On the way to the shop we picked up a rental car to use for the estimated eight business days it will take to fix the Toyota.

The rental is a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix.  Is that red or what?
I had a choice of renting another Camry or this one. That was a no brainer!

Fish or Flowers?

Our grandson Jonathan was here for a week a few weeks ago. While he was here he dug two new flowerbeds for Margaret—one along each side of our paved parking spot in front our house. After he returned to Virginia the rains came…and came…and came…

This is the bed on the north side of the parking area

Here is the new bed on the south side of the parking area.
I don’t know if these are for fish or flowers?

Oops

This Monday a neighbor backing out of his driveway hit the side of our passing Toyota. I was driving. The good news is that neither myself or my neighbor were injured (no passengers in either car)—PTL! But we now have a Toyota Camry with a banged up passenger side.

Don’t they say most auto accidents happen close to home? I was less than half-a-block from the house.

Passenger side front & rear doors plus rear quarter panel damage. The rear door will not open and the adjuster said to leave it closed. It is likely if we forced it to open it would not close again.

Since this picture was taken I have taped the rough edges so no one gets cut

I have been on the phone for numerous contacts this week with our car insurance company and the neighbor’s. I think it is now all sorted out. The neighbor’s insurance will pay for all of the damages. That means our insurance will waive our $500 deductable. PTL!

The initial estimate is at least $4,000 in damage and eight days to do the repairs. Now we move on the the actual repair process. Sigh…

Margaret on a Motorcycle

Grandma Margaret in visiting daughter Sheri in Virginia. Today she went riding on a motorcycle with Sheri’s brother-in-law, Chris.  Way to go Grandma!

Margaret and Chris

Fishnet 35 Year Reunion

The first time I moved to Front Royal, VA it was due to a company transfer.  (All together I transferred sixteen times in twenty-four years).  After settling in Front Royal I volunteered a lot of time to what was then a new ministry, Fishnet Ministries, Inc.  Fishnet produces Christian teaching and music festivals at their Front Royal location.  In three years I transferred once more and did not get to work with Fishnet again until after I retired (was paid to leave).

From March through August 1993 I commuted each weekend from my home in Ohio to Front Royal in order to volunteer with the ministry again.  That was when I met Margaret who was working full-time for the ministry as Secretary to the President, Larry Andes.  The Lord put Margaret and me together, with help from our mutual friend Donna Ralls (Larry’s sister-in-law and one of my coworkers when I first lived in Front Royal), and we were married that August.

I “bartered” for Margaret by agreeing to work full-time with the ministry for one year in exchange for her.  Larry agreed.  (I figured one year was a bargain versus the Biblical seven years plus it did not involve any sheep.  I also checked first and found out that Margaret’s older sister was already married.)  Margaret and I continued to work at Fishnet another fourteen months and then the Lord moved us on to other ministries.

Last Saturday Fishnet held a 35 year reunion.  We drove down Friday night and were “adopted” by Donna Ralls and her husband, Bill. They let us stay at their house. (That is where I had stayed during my weekends in 1993).  We had a blessed visit with Bill and Donna.

We were at Fishnet all day Saturday for meals, fellowship, worship and praise.  The day’s activities included watching videos of ministry activities throughout the 35 years.  There were also times for attendees to share favorite ministry stories.  Sunday morning we returned for the morning church service.  Bill and Donna then took us to lunch at Cracker Barrel in Front Royal before we headed home.

All in all it was a great weekend. What a blessing to fellowship and worship with old friends.  Darrell Dement, who led the worship and praise sessions, is an anointed musician.  Saturday night, after the sessions were over, no one wanted to leave and we continued singing and praising for another hour.  The Holy Spirit was ministering to each of us.

The main entrance to the Fishnet Ministries offices and the Fishnet Christian Center church.
The weather was gorgeous Saturday!

Memorabilia from past events

Pastor Larry Andes

Margaret, Jane and Jim “Dad” Stevens (Larry’s in-laws and Donna’s parents)

Darrell Dement, who motorcycled all the way from Florida,
led worship and praise Saturday and Sunday

There were lunch and diner buffets for our meals

We had a “Fishnet” cake for desert after diner.

The restaurant where we had lunch Sunday afternoon.
(Rich Hosea, this picture is for you).

Donna Ralls and Margaret on the restaurant porch.

Bill, Donna, Margaret, and me at lunch Sunday

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Grandson Jonathan

Our grandson, Jonathan, is on the men’s lacrosse team, The Saints, at college (Mercyhurst North East).  The team just won their first game of the season. Below is a news report about the game. I have underlined the reference to him.

Saints Lax Get Their First Win
Mar 16, 2009

Mercyhurst NE 24
Tompkins Cortland C.C. 14

(Dryden, NY) The Mercyhurst North East men's lacrosse team played Tompkins Cortland this past Saturday and came away with their first win this season, defeating the Panthers 24-14. The offense played very unselfish, as nine players tallied a point, and the defense played great individual and team defense.

Leading the team offensively was freshman attackman Jordan Flaman with 9 goals and 2 assists. Fellow freshmen attackman John Hink (3g, 3a) and Scott Workman (4g, 4a) also played great games. The midfield was led by the sophomore trio of Brian Dacunha (2g, 3a, 7gb's), Brad Pendy (1g,2a), and Zach Reiser (2a). The scoring was rounded out by sophomores Chase Sutherland (1g), Jay Rekau (1a), and freshman Andy Shaver (2g).

The defense really stepped up to the challenge, as they limited Tompkins Cortland to seven goals through three quarters. At close defense, sophomore Rob Kramer stripped the opposition time after time, while his freshmen counterparts Dean Branham and Gil Johnson denied the Panthers any room to attack. At LSM, freshman Jimmy Cardinale was a groundball machine until getting injured in the first quarter. Freshman Jon Reynolds took his place the rest of the game and came up with some huge plays. Freshman Donnie Murray played well at close defense and LSM and showed great hustle throughout the game.
In the net, all four goalies split time. Sophomore Donnie Andrews stifled the Panther offense, as he stopped 13 out of 20 shots. Freshman Andrew Ellis took over in the fourth quarter and also limited the Panthers, as he stopped 6 out of 13 shots.

Coach Malone was very proud of the team's effort, as the Saints cleared the ball 20 out of 23 times, came away with 42 groundballs, and went 2-2 on man-up opportunities. The team travels to Broome CC to play on Saturday March 21. This will be a great test for the Saints, as Broome is currently ranked #10 in the latest Coaches Poll.

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Pooh Bear

This past weekend our Daughter, Sheri, and her youngest son, Patrick Sean, came from Virginia to visit.  One of the things they brought with them was a belated Christmas present.

Sheri had put together a Pooh puzzle and then framed it for me.

I can't imagine how she was able to do this. There are so many pieces that look so much alike!  Thank you Sheri for a special gift.

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Margaret's Goose, Part 2

Margaret fixed the goose today.

Here Margaret is removing the apple stuffing from the goose

The carved goose, ready for serving.  It tasted delicious.  We had been told that it would be greasy but that was not the case.  The flavor was quite mild.

The table is set and we're ready for dinner

Margaret invited Jim Tracy (center) to sample the bird he had helped to prepare. On the left is Jim's friend, Teresa. On the right is our daughter Sheri, and her son Patrick Sean

Margaret in the center

(Jim got the goose feathers. He want's to make something with them.)

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Margaret's Goose

Canada Geese are a very common sight where we live.  Margaret has never eaten one and asked a friend if he knew a hunter who would be willing to give her one to cook.  It wasn't many days before she got a phone call that there was a goose waiting for us in a cooler on our front porch.

The bird was almost as long as Margaret is tall!  It weighed 11 lbs 8 oz at this point.

I'm a city boy. My meat comes wrapped on styrofoam trays from the grocery store. When Margaret said she had to dress the goose, I expected her to get her sewing machine out.  Instead, our friend Jim Tracy volunteered to help her get the bird ready.

This is what we ended up with. It should be good eatin' this weekend!

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Busy, Busy, Busy

This past weekend was a particularly busy one.  It began Friday night when we attended the monthly Movie Night at our local church in Smyrna, DE.  Saturday morning I assisted our Pastor in a memorial service for a 97 year-old saint in our church, Thelma Shriver.

That afternoon we drove to Spring Grove, PA to attend the TFC York Chapter's 24th Annual Banquet.  We stayed in York, PA Saturday night and then Sunday morning we visited Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Red Lion, PA. We have been associated with Lighthouse for many years.  From there we drove back to Smyrna, DE to attend evening service at our home church.

Monday morning our Pastor and I drove to Linwood, PA for the interment service for Thelma Shriver followed by lunch with the immediate family.

Monday night Margaret insisted that I sleep with a young lady named Susan. [Did he just say what I thought he said?!] Susan is a sleep technician with Delaware Sleep Disorder Centers here in Smyrna. I spent the night with Susan for a polysomnogram (a sleep test) to confirm that I have Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  My OSA was discovered while I was in recovery following knee surgery back on May 28.

The test involved a video recording of me sleeping with 28 sensors stuck to me.  After confirming my OSA, Susan woke me up and hooked me to a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine.  The test concluded when she awakened me at 5:00 A.M.  I will be given the test results and recommended treatment after the data has been reviewed by a pulmonologist.

OSA could be a factor in my migraine induced vertigo.  OSA is known to cause headaches.  It can also affect short-term memory—mine is sometimes measured in nanoseconds!  Most importantly to Margaret is the potential to eliminate my snoring!

Busy Weekend

We had a wonderful and busy weekend.  Our 10 yr-old grandson, Patrick Sean, was visiting with us.  Friday afternoon the three of us went to the Air Mobility Command Museum located on the Dover Air Force Base.

This is a picture of the tarmac next to the museum which is located in the hanger in the top center.  There are 19 restored aircraft inside and outside the museum.  I got this photo from the museum website.  It is a great museum and the admission is right, free.

Saturday was my 62nd birthday.

Margaret and Patrick Sean had a birthday cake for me, complete with 62 candles!  I am amazed that our smoke detector did not go off!

It is a wonder that the cake survived! (Chocolate Oreo, of course)

 

Patrick Sean shot a video of me opening his present to me, a bar of extra dark chocolate.

Saturday afternoon we drove to Lansdale, PA for the 29th annual TFC Bucks-Montgomery Chapter Pig Roast and concert

As always, the food was great.  You can just see Patrick Sean at the far end of the serving line in the yellow hoodie.  Margaret is just to the right of him.

Here is a closer picture of them.  Next to Margaret is Peg O'Hare, wife of TFC Director of Chaplains, Bunny O'Hare.  That evening there was a great Gospel Concert by the Mark Trammell Trio.  I brought two CDs and a video of them home.

I drove home after the concert.  This was my longest stint driving since my accident.  We were ready for a snack when we got back into Delaware and went to one of my favorite restaurants.

The Charcoal Pit is a 1950's hamburger and ice cream restaurant that I started eating at when I was still in high school.

Patrick Sean was fascinated with the table-side jukebox

"The Pit" still serves milk shakes the old fashion way, in the metal mixing containers.  I had a triple thick, double chocolate shake (chocolate syrup and chocolate ice cream).

Sunday afternoon we went to the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, DE.  Patrick Sean took a bunch of pictures of the animals there.

On the way home we stopped at another restaurant dating from my growing up days, The Dog House.  They specialize in foot-long hot dogs with a big assortment of optional toppings.

That evening we went to another Gospel concert.  This time we heard a great choir from the Smyrna AME church that came to our church to share their music ministry.  Today, Margaret and Patrick Sean drove to Philadelphia to tour the U.S. Mint.

Praise the Lord for a wonderful weekend.  I guess Patrick Sean enjoyed his visit because he was reluctant for Margaret to take him home to Virginia when it was time to leave this evening.  He wanted to stay a little longer.

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins

Roller Coaster Week

Monday was a rough day, especially for Margaret.  She had to have our 16 year-old pet cat, Darn Cat (DC).  He had lost more than half of his body weight and the vet said all of his tests were negative, it was just old age.

Margaret holding DC shortly before he was put to sleep.
(see all of the photos)

On the up side of the week, our youngest grandson, 10 year-old Patrick Sean, is visiting us from VA for a week.  Tonight we went to watch a little league game.  Our church sponsors one of the teams and this was a good opportunity for us to check them out.

Margaret and Patrick Sean sitting in the stands.  The temperature was in the mid sixties with a stiff breeze, quite chilly.

The kids are really young.  The coaches operate a pitching machine to pitch the balls.  If you look closely you can see one of the bright orange balls in the air on the way to home plate.  If the batter doesn't hit a ball before their turn is over then a tee-ball stand is set up and they hit the ball on that. We had a good time.

Patrick Sean spotted this purple car and had to take some pictures for his mom, Sheri.  Purple is her favorite color.

(see all of the photos)

In His name,
Chaplain Sam Houchins