Semper Fi....Y'all

Taking pictures wherever I go...you never know when you might need them.

Well, it has been a busy week! I'm behind on my blogging. Never fear, though....this will probably do it.

A few years ago, before daddy died, he wanted a pair of combat boots like he wore when he was in the Army. So, I made it my business to try to find him a pair for Christmas that year.  I thought what better place to find them than on a military base. Whitney was at USC at the time, so I stopped by to pick her up and off to Ft. Jackson we went. I got as far as the guard house and was stopped by a strapping young soldier who informed me that I couldn't pass because I didn't have a sticker on my vehicle. "What's the sticker for", I asked. It was family day on the base and they were allowing family to come visit, BUT you had to have a sticker on your vehicle.

For some reason, I love military bases. I wish I could work on one. I wish I could live on one. And I really wish I could shop on one. But, it was not happening that day. The soldier Would.Not.Let me pass. I begged and pleaded, saying, "But, I just want to go to the PX. It's right there. I can see it."

Well, I almost thought he was gonna pull a gun on me. He made me turn around. I carry that failure with me to this day.....

I still love military bases, though.

Cliff participated in the Parris Island sprint Triathlon last weekend. So, as you can imagine, I was so danged excited to go to Parris Island! If you are not familiar with it, Parris Island is the home of the Marine Corp Base here. It is just outside of Beaufort, SC. And as the name indicates it is on a small island. I was amazed by it's Southern beauty and charm. But more amazed that they actually let us civilians on the base. I took lots of pictures, but for the sake of time, I am going to stick to the story of Cliff's Tri and just give you a few highlights.

We arrived to beautiful Parris Island....

To the place where they make Marines.

Some of the surrounding waters

and scenes of downtown Beaufort.

The wind was really blowing. How that would factor into Cliff's Tri would remain to be seen.

***Just a side note here.....if you watch American Idol, then you know that Candice Glover is from St. Helena's Island. Just a stone's throw from here. As we walked downtown Beaufort, there were signs in all the windows showing their support for Candice. And I might add, she is one terrific singer. I don't vote anymore, but if I did, I would surely vote for her.

Now, back to Parris Island......

The swim start. Cliff is number 150 in line.

The bike start. That's Cliff. I was hooting and hollering for him.

OK, I had a few minutes before Cliff got back on the bike.

So, I did what any redblood American would do. I took advantage of some of the local sights. Lovely!

Cliff starting his run. Yes, that's his bike helmet.

He was concentrating so hard during transition that he forgot to take it off.

Some very nice people on the route let him know. Ha!

Good thing that he had to pass by our vehicle, he was able to just hoop it on top.

Here he is at the finish. He was freezing.

Sweat mixed with the cold winds that day didn't do it for him.

After discovering that he didn't get an award this day,

he bundled up and we ended this portion of the Parris Island trip.

Before leaving, though, I could not let this opportunity pass

without taking a few pictures of our soldiers in training. I was so in awe of these young men.

 I teared up thinking about how very soon, they could find themselves knee deep in a war somewhere. They are so young, yet so very brave! I am so proud of each and every one of them. I pray for them and their families. And, I thank each of them from the bottom of my heart for the sacrifices they lay on the line for me and my country, every single day.

My Wish? World Peace!!

Not sure if this soldier was sick or if he has allergies to the pollen that was flying around,

but I thought it unusual to see him in a mask.

"Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue"

The few, the proud, the Marines!!

*****

Oh wait, in case you were wondering what else I've been up to.....

Monday - Swam 3 laps in the pool, worked out with weights and ran 3 miles

Wednesday - Ran 4 miles

Saturday - 3 miles on the elliptical.....it was too danged cold to get out and do any running Thursday or Friday. Cliff also had a 5K today and placed 2nd in his age group.

Sunday - Today, if it stops raining long enough, I have a 3 mile (I think) training run this afternoon. with a local group of runners.

Spring is here. And although the rain puts a damper on outdoor activity, at least it's washing some of this killer pollen away. Hope you all have a great week!

Semper Fi, y'all!

Laurie

Slip Sliding Away....An Upstate Adventure

I'm from the south and when we get weather other than thunderstorms, it's a big deal. Winter weather? Even bigger. Sleet? Well...that just begs for us to come out and play.

So Friday....we head upstate. Straight in to the sleet and rain. Good thing Cliff's jeep is a 4-wheel drive with nice grippy tires.

Sleet didn't start to accumulate on the road until we got to Spartanburg. We took I-85 for a short route over to Sista's.

You know, I'm sure one way to weed out the folks that text and drive is to throw 'em on a sleet covered interstate. No lie, we saw 7 accidents within a 3 mile span. All single car accidents. It looked like they had spun out of control.

Experiment: Cliff wanted to see how easy it would be to spin out. He slowed down and waited until no traffic was coming and then hit the brakes. Nothing. His tires grabbed. They did spin very slightly, though, when he hit the gas to speed back up.

Conclusion: I'm going to be a little presumptuous and say that clearly these accidents were the result of someone not paying attention. Don't text and drive, people!

Finally, we made it to Sista's. Let's call her Terri. Now, she's not a biological sister. She is a cousin, but has been adopted into my clan as a bonafide "Sista". And we sistas love an adventure (weather permitting).

Now, if you read my blog about "Cracking Up", you'll know it was over some chili. I hope my laughing at Terri the other night over the chili didn't hurt her feelings. Terri was planning to make it for dinner Friday, but when we got there....No Chili!

I was silent. Thought to myself, let's not stir this pot. Ha! No pun intended. We had pasta instead. Turns out she was accommodating my athletic husband who had a Triathlon the next morning. Gah, she's so sweet?

So, Terri informs me to eat hearty. We are going to slide into an adventure after dinner. Huh? It's 27 degrees F outside. No matter! We are going sledding in the sleet covered hills that she lives in. Oh joy! Oh boy! Wait, this could get dangerous.

Scott, Terri's boss husband, has this thang about wives submitting to their husbands. Well, let's just say, "ain't happening". He just does what Terri says. And Terri said, "Honey, go get the sled." OMG!


Disclaimer: Cliff has videos coming out the ying yang. But for space and time's sake, I've only attached one.

"Said Video"

Jan 25, 2013 Sledding at Terri's.

Yep, that's me. And nope, I didn't die.

Good thing Scott told me how to turn the thing or I would have ended up in the bushes like Terri. Ha!Ha!

Cliff had his Triathlon Saturday. It was one of those that take place inside the YMCA. Lap pool, treadmill, and stationary bikes. Kind of a bummer. This dude likes the outdoors, but he'll take what he can get. He's in training for yet another Ironman. Tri results - Cliff took 3rd place in the 40+ age group. Pretty darn good, considering he hasn't been in his 40's for some 7 years now.

I'm so proud!

Now we had to go feed this man. He needed some major calories. So off to Ryan's we go. Everything went smoothly here, until.....

Terri walked off with a serving utensil.

I don't think she has Alzheimer's. In fact, I'm pretty sure of it. She has what my mama calls half-heimer's.

Hey Scott......maybe drawing up some papers might not be a bad idea, right about now.

I'm thinking of purchasing my own metal detector.

Like I said, weather affects our adventures. You do the best you can with what you have. Spring adventures....coming soon.

Til next time,

Laurie

Oh, wait......in case you were wondering:

I ran 2 miles last week. That's it.

This week's plan (knee permitting): Run 2 to 3 miles every other day. I've got a 10K to train for, people.





In 2012, I Learned That........

Dawn of a New Year

January 1, 2013

Today is a new day, the beginning of a new year.....and oh what promises lie ahead. Everything is fresh and new. 

Someone asked me, recently, if I had made any New Year's resolutions and I answered, no. Mostly, because I believe that resolutions, if broken, tends to seem like a failure opposed to not meeting a goal you set for yourself. Not meeting a goal doesn't mess with your psyche as much as a failed resolution. Goals, if not met, can be reassessed. You learn from them and you get a do-over.  I set quite a few goals for myself in 2012 and can honestly say that I met most of them. And since this time of year typically causes one to fall into a full blown case of "retrospection", I would like to share a few of the things I learned in 2012.

1.    In addition to taking care of yourself physically, you must take care of yourself mentally and spiritually.

2.   Nothing is ever as it seems. (This can be especially good to know for someone with an overactive imagination....I'm just saying...)

3.    You make time for and even crave the things you are passionate about.

4.    Hiking is more than a walk.....it's an adventure.

5.    Just when you least expect it, your husband of 32 years can still surprise the heck out of you. (Best Valentine's Day eva!)

6.    Kayaking is one of my many passions. Kayaking is more than a boat ride....it's an all-out, alligator fretting, thunder and lightening, monster waving adventure!

7.    Although seeking great adventures can result in being in the middle of the Murrell's Inlet creeks during a thunder and lightening storm, you are so glad you had the experience and wouldn't trade it for the world.

8.    Nuts (use your own imagination) are sensitive by nature. See item #2.

9.    I love running!

10.  Nothing is more powerful than running your first 5K race. The feeling of accomplishment you get from that will blow your mind.

11.  Dramamine works! Depending on how many you take....they may work too good, causing you to fall asleep in places you never intended.

12.  Writing a blog (baring one's soul to the entire World Wide Web) is very soul cleansing.

13.  72-73 degrees Fahrenheit with a light breeze is my perfect weather.

14.  Laughing to the point of snorting over the funny things your grandchildren say is the best medicine ever.

15.  You must listen to the experts. If not, this thing you've been trying to avoid the most will happen. (Slight injury....major bummer.)

16.  There are people out there who genuinely want to be your friend. You HAVE to let your guard down and accept it.

17.  Everyone needs alone time.

18.  Green juice is healthy, healing, energizing and tastes AWESOME!

19.  People are sent into your life, when needed most.

20.  Last, but not in the least.....as a matter of fact, probably the most important.....There is no problem that can't be solved through prayer! My favorite verse of all times....."When a believing person prays, great things happen". James 5:16

I'm going to wrap it up by giving you a few of my goals for 2013. These goals may be added to during the year or reassessed and tweaked, but for now they are:

• Begin a swimming regimen
• Learn to speak Spanish, fluently and maybe French
• Continue to lose weight
• Run a few 10Ks
• Run a half marathon
• Begin working on my scrapbooks again
• Continue to research my family history
• Finish my first quilt completely by hand (I have actually made several quilts with a sewing machine....just haven't finished the one I'm making by hand, yet.)

Did you set any goals for yourself in 2013? Come on, tell me a few. Accountability is everything!

Oh wait, in case you were wondering...........

How I spent this first day of the new year:  Watching Cliff and friends compete in a mini triathlon

Miles run today:  Maybe 1/2 (still nursing my knee, but had to get somewhere fast)

First meal of 2013:  Eggs Benedict

Number of friends sharing in this first meal of 2013:  4 plus the hubs = 5

Talk soon,

Laurie