October 2011

Happy Halloween!! This is my favorite time of year and I hope you have all had a wonderful start to the fall season!! I know that for those of you in the Northeast, Fall is very short lived as you have already started to see snow. I can assure you that I certainly do NOT miss that!! However, I am thankful that the temperatures have started to drop out this way as well. The mornings are much cooler, but it still occasionally heats up to the low 90's during the day. I am looking forward to a steady stream of 70-80 degree weather....I am not sure that happens though--it seems that it either feels really hot or really cold. Either way, the dropping temperatures have created a much friendlier training environment for upcoming races...

I traveled to San Diego the first weekend of the month and participated in the Mission Bay Triathlon, which was a Sprint Triathlon (500 meter swim, 10 mile bike, and 3.1 mi run). Unfortunately, Bill was unable to accompany me to this event as WTI was in full force. However, I was was fortunate to have my friend, Heather, travel with me as her husband was also competing in the event. She was of great help as she taught me how to correctly rack my bike and provide me with some good race tips for the following day. While in town, I also got to meet up with my friend Stephanie and her husband, Matt, for a pre-race dinner, just like old times! Side note; they are the duo responsible for fixing Bill and I up back in North Carolina :) It was great to see them as it had been over a year since I saw them last!

 Anyway, compared to last month's Somerton Tri, the Mission Bay Triathlon was a much larger event and held in honor of the first Triathlon ever to take place on Fiesta Island in 1974. The course was nice and flat and perfect for newbies to the sport like myself. I was pretty nervous for this race considering there were alot more people and the transitions can be a little daunting since you definitely don't want to look like an idiot finagling with all of your race gear during each transition or fall over while getting your bike out of the rack since the clips on your shoes make it difficult to run or even walk in. Fortunately, everything turned out great!!


Finishing....

 In fact, my transitions were pretty quick, but there is definitely room for improvement. The largest improvement that I need to make it my speed on the bike. I got absolutely trounced in this portion of the race (ironic because I thought I was going pretty fast haha). On the flip side, I was very strong in my other areas as I was 2nd female out of the water out of 528 women and I was able to maintain my speed in the run. I finished 6th in my age group and 27th overall for women. I was pretty pleased with my results, but I can tell you that just being around all the athletes and seeing some pretty incredible individuals of all ages cross the finish line have only inspired me to want to compete in more events in the future! Events like this definitely get my competive juices going, just ask Bill or my parents :)

On the bike...

The next race that I have scheduled is the Blue Water Triathlon up in Parker, AZ  the first weekend of November. I was scheduled to do the long event, but switched over to the sprint event as the bike portion was quite lengthy (32 miles), which is more time than I would like to devote on the bike during a race! Someday, I will do an Olympic Distance, but felt that it was a still a little premature as I didn't get as much training in as I would have liked after the Mission Beach Tri. Fortunately, I am back swimming pretty regularly with the Yuma Heat in the mornings and have linked back up to the Yuma Bike Club - so I am slowly finding more people to train with who will keep me accountable ;).  I am really looking forward to this race since WTI will finally be over and Bill will be able to travel with me!

In other race news, Bill and I have been notified that the 1/2 Marathon that we had signed up for on New Year's Eve has been postponed until 2012, which was disappointing. Therefore, we will not be spending our New Year's Eve running through Palm Desert, CA. However, we were given the opportunity to switch our entry fees over to the P.F. Chang Rock N Roll Race up in Phoenix on January 15th, which we have done. Therefore, we are going to have to get both of our butts into gear and start picking up our mileage to get prepared for that! We also have an extra FREE entry fee if anyone is interested in running it with us:)

As you have probably figured out while reading this post, October was jam packed with WTI activities for Bill. We didn't get to see too much of each other as he was busy flying most nights and I was busy working during the day. However, I did get a chance to check out an exercise that he participated in one evening. It was a practice mission where they were landing to drop off and pick up people. I enjoyed being a spectator as I always get to hear about all of the stuff that he does, but rarely get to see any of it. Here are the photos I took:

Flying off into the Yuma Sunset :)

Bill and his Helicopter

Coming in for the landing...

Here is also a quick clip on WTI and footage from one of the biggest operations they do during the course:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MCASYuma#p/u/6/iLOMHT_ivxI
Approximately 130 Marines, instructors, and students participated in this noncombatant evacuation operation exercise at Kiwanis Park in Yuma, Ariz., Oct. 21.

WTI has officially wrapped up as of yesterday and all the students have gone home until a new class returns in March 2012. Until then, I will enjoy having Bill around the house as well as finishing out our travel plans for the year. We are getting super excited for our big trip to Hawaii next month! As it turns out, everyone from both sides of our immediate families are going to be able to meet us out there for our family wedding ceremony. This particularly excites us as we will get to meet our niece, Lily, our nephew, Silas, and sister in law, Irish, all for the first time! We are most definitely looking forward to spending time with our families in a tropical paradise!

Hopefully, as we move into the Holiday Season, you will have the opportunity to spend time with friends and family next month as well! Until next time...



September 2011

It feels like it has been forever since I have last updated our blog, which is most likely due to the fact that Bill and I have both been extremely busy this past month! Anyway, here is a brief recap of how our month went:)

First, before everything really got underway, we were able to spend Labor Day weekend relaxing in La Jolla, California with our friends Sean and Allison. During our stay, we managed to indulge in some good food, drinks, cigars, and some good laughs both pool side and out on the town. We were also able to enjoy a day trip to the beach and to the San Diego Zoo to see the famous Pandas!!

 

Bill and Sean 2011



The Pandas!

Bill and the Panda!

Immediately following our Labor Day trip, I started my new job with Vocational Rehabilitation, which has gone very well so far. I really like the job, people, and the building that I will be working with and around. I am about 1,000 times happier here than my last place of employment, which I am sure Bill can attest to! The only concerning factor is that the parking lot is a little hectic, which can be evidenced by the large dent in my bumper that I acquired my first day on the job. I am still trying to find time to get those repairs done...

Over the course of the past month, I have been required to complete mandatory trainings before I actually get to start working with my caseload, which will consist of individuals with mental health/behavioral health conditions who are trying to become employed. This will be challenging, but rewarding since Yuma was ranked # 1 for unemployment in the whole United States! Anyway, I have been fortunate enough to get a good start on these trainings as I have spent two weeks in Phoenix knocking them out. I was sure glad to finish this past Friday!

As for Bill, another WTI course has crept up on us! Students checked in on September 11th and since then Bill has been busy preparing flight schedules and facilitating the courses that he is responsible for. The academic phase is almost complete and he will be moving into the flight phase soon, which means that WTI is almost about halfway done! I am sure he will be busy with night and weekend flights right up until October 31st.

Other exciting events that occurred this month included the big Southwest Blackout. We were affected as everyone else was from Yuma all the way into San Diego. Apparently, it was one individual that tripped something that left the whole Southwest without power or A/C for several hours. Some people were unfortunate and had to go the whole night without power. We were lucky and our power was restored right before we went to bed that night. I couldn't imagine going without it considering temperatures were still well above 100 degrees! Ironically, our A/C unit broke about a week later and Bill  had to go without A/C for a whole week anyway...haha. This happened to coincide with the time that I was in Phoenix:) Sorry, Bill!

Lastly, I completed my first Triathlon on September 24th in Somerton, AZ. It was a very small and local tri, but it was good practice since I was preparing for the Mission Beach Triathlon in San Diego, which will be MUCH bigger. I placed 1st for women, but it was quite a painful race considering the temperature was over 90 degrees by the time I had to run. I seriously thought I was going to die! I sure hope Mission Bay goes better as temperatures should be a balmy 60-70 degrees since it is in San Diego! Hope everyone everyone has enjoyed their summer and is looking forward to the cooling temperatures as much as we are!!:) Happy Fall!

August 2011

This past month was filled with some major changes, tons of family time, and travel, which made for a very exciting month!

For starters, I received a call in early August letting me know that I had been offered a position with the State of Arizona's Department of Economic Security as a Rehabilitation Counselor for Vocational Rehabilitation. This was such a relief as this is what I was doing back in North Carolina and I have been ready to take on a new challenge for a little while now. I will miss all of the kids that I worked with through ACTS, but am very excited to start back with Vocational Rehabilitation right after Labor Day! This opportunity came at the perfect time as I have been able to take some time off in between jobs to travel and visit family.

For instance, Bill and I were able to travel up to Kalispell, Montana for his family reunion earlier this month. Due to Bill's involvement with the military, he has not been able to make a family reunion for the past 10 years, so it was nice for him to have the opportunity to catch up with family and for me to finally meet my new extended family! We both had a great time at the Reunion as we were able to squeeze in quite a few adventurous activities during the few days that we were there.



The Family at Haymoon Ranch 2011



Bill and his Cousins

Flat Head River

The first full day that we were in Montana, we went on a family white water rafting trip, which was awesome! We rafted Flathead River and conquered the well known "Bone Crusher" rapid. Our rafting guide informed us that the movie "The River Wild" with Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep was filmed on this river, which I thought was pretty cool. The river itself was gorgeous and crystal clear, it made you want to go swimming. However, the water was 50 degrees, so that was a pretty big deterrent and motivator to stay in the boat! Even though we all managed to stay in the boat, we did all manage to get pretty wet! I was indoctrinated into the family as they made me sit on the bow of the boat, which was called "Riding the Bull" for the last rapid. I fortunately survived this escapade without hypothermia!

Also during the time that we were in Montana, we were able to visit Glacier National Park, which was breathtaking. We drove up to Logan's Pass, which offered a hiking trail. The trail offered lots of unique elements that included snow, mountain goats, and glacial lakes. Here are some of my favorite views and photos from this hike:



Goat on the Trail





Bill and I

Wallace Photo @ Logan's Pass



Hiker's through the snow





Our horses: Duke and Nick

 On our third and final day in Montana, Bill and I decided that we wanted to go horse back riding since there seemed to be no better or scenic place to try it! Bill and I also got Bill's brother, CJ, and his wife, Amber, to try it out with us. We chose to do the two hour trail, but it really ended up being an all day event by the time it was all said and done. We went through Swan Mountain Outfitters who did an excellent job. They took the time to pair us each up with a horse that seemed appropriate. That being said, I was paired up with Duke who was HUGE! I liked Duke, but he made me nervous, especially since he liked to walk along the edge of every cliff. Amber had a slight scare as her horse took off on a full speed gallop at one point! Either way, we all survived, but I think it is safe to say that we all experienced sore rear ends for a couple of days following our tour of the upper McDonald Creek.

The following day, we said our goodbye's, but we look forward to seeing everyone in 2013 for the next reunion! However, after leaving Haymoon Ranch, we still had one more stop. Bill decided to take the scenic route home and fly over his old stomping grounds. Thus, we flew over Power, Montana, (the town he was born in), his old house, and his Grandmother's Homestead. It was a pretty neat flight and we got some awesome pictures!

The Plains of Montana

Power, Montana

Close up of Power, Montana

Bill's Old House

Bill's Grandmother's Homestead

Once we arrived home from Montana, I had one day to turn around and pack back up to head home to New York for a few days. Unfortunately, due to the Fall WTI course quickly approaching, Bill was unable to make it home with me. My trip home was much like Montana in the way that it was a busy week and I could have used more time there! I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!

During my time home, my mom organized a neighborhood/family group to attend the Kenny Chesney concert since he was in town during the time that I was home. Therefore, we used the concert as an excuse to drink champagne and celebrate my cousin Stef's 21st Birthday and my upcoming Wedding Ceremony in Hawaii! As usual, Kenny put on a great show and we got to enjoy Billy Currington as an opening act who is also a great entertainer! Overall, it was a great time and I got to catch up with my cousins, neighbors, and an old friend from high school!

Some favorite photos from the concert:


On our way!

The cousins with our moms!

I'm not sure what Kristi said, but WOW this picture cracks me up!

Following the Kenny Chesney concert, I got to see much more of my cousins and additional family members as we traveled to Old Forge, NY, which is located right in the Adirondack Mountains for my cousin Rick's wedding. I definitely enjoyed being in the cooler temperature climate and being back around trees! I miss all of the greenery that you definately don't get in the desert as well as the lakes and water!

The wedding guests all stayed in the Northwood Resort, which were comprised of little cabins located right on Fourth Lake. My parents, brother and girlfriend, and I went up on Friday so we could make take advantage of the area before the wedding on Saturday.

Once in Old Forge, we went to lunch at a local spot called Daikers, which was pretty good and overlooked the lake. Then my brother, Cody, and his girlfriend, Kristina, and I decided to hike Bald Mountain. I have to give Kristina credit as she completed the whole hike in sandals and there were some tough parts to get around! Overall, it wasn't too long of a hike, but it did encompass some rock surface to climb over. Fortunately, we were rewarded with gorgeous lake views at the top! We also later rewarded ourself with some karaoke and drinks later that evening!!

Myself, Cody, and Kristina

Saturday was a perfect day for a wedding! I have to say, Rick and Katie couldn't have gotten any luckier considering Hurricane Irene was threatening to make her way up the coast! It was sunny and warm all day and their wedding was beautiful. The ceremony was held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church right on the lake. In fact, we had to take pontoon boats and/or a shuttle to the ceremony since there was such limited parking. It was the cutest church I have ever seen. It kind of reminded me of the Church in a Walk to Remember (I love that movie!).



St. Peter's by the Lake

  

Introducing Mr and Mrs Pappert, Congratulations!

Following the ceremony, we all pontooned it right back over to Northwoods Resort where the reception was held. Again, I can't say enough good things about the wedding as it was a great time and I couldn't be happier for both Rick and Katie!

Like I said previously, Rick and Katie couldn't have gotten any luckier with the weather they had for the day of their wedding as we ended up driving back to Rochester in hurricane conditions early Sunday morning!! Unfortunately, I later heard that their honeymoon had to be cancelled due to flights being cancelled in the major airports so I hope that they can manage to fit a honeymoon in later this year sometime! Best of luck!

It has been a full month for sure! On top of our travel, Bill and I were also able to catch up with Bill's brother, Mike, and his family as they were out here earlier in the month since Mike was out here for military training. We got to help them celebrate our niece, Avery's, 2nd birthday, which was a fun time. She is getting big so fast!

Also, we have continued to try and stay in shape. Actually, I was doing pretty good with working out daily to get ready for the Triathalon I signed up for in November, but have been kind of slacking the past two weeks. I need to get us both back on track since I have also convinced Bill to do the Triathalon with me in November :) Also, we have both signed up for the New Year's Eve Rock N Roll Half Marathon being held in Palm Desert in December (You guessed it, on New Year's Eve!).

Hopefully, since we are done traveling for a little while we can focus on getting back on some sort of routine! I will also be making a point of enjoying my last couple of days off before starting my new job next week!! Until next time...

July 2011

As hoped for, July proved to be a more low key month for Bill and I as we were able to spend a little more time in Yuma. However, we still made sure to take advantage of the long weekend over the Fourth of July holiday and travel to Catalina Island...



Pulling into Catalina

We did encounter a small hiccup in our Catalina plans as we were scheduled to take off early in the morning and arrive by early to mid afternoon. Unfortunately, we had some engine trouble with the airplane and weren't able to take off at all. I have to admit, I was pretty bummed since we had a non-refundable scuba trip scheduled the next day and I had been dying to see what Catalina was all about! Fortunately, Bill and I were both able to keep it positive and did some quick research. Before we knew it, we had two tickets booked for the last ferry of the day leaving Long Beach, CA. At this point, since we had plenty of time to get to Long Beach, CA we decided to officially start our vacation by taking our time and enjoying the 4.5 hour ride to the ferry docks. Despite our previous luck, we made it to Long Beach just in time to catch an even earlier ferry ride over to the Island!

Once in Catalina, we had just enough time to grab a bite to eat at a Mexican Restaurant and settle into the Seaport Village Inn, which was located right in the town of Avalon. The Seaport Village Inn was kind of a dive, but suited our needs perfectly since the whole reason we were going to Catalina was to explore the great outdoors!

The next day, we woke up bright and early and scurried down to the Catalina Dive and Snorkel Shop to make our reservation on time. We were introduced Dan, our SCUBA guide/instructor, who briefly reviewed our gear, the rules, and regulations of SCUBA. This was an interesting experience for sure! Dan was about 80 years old and had been diving longer than both Bill or I have even been around.  While we both admired his ability to be so active, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous at first. If you have any knowledge of SCUBA Diving then you know there are some serious health risks involved! All in all, he was a great guide and we feel fortunate that we were assigned to him as he made sure we had a great underwater experience!

With the Jacque Cousteu Plaque

Dan took us to the Jacque Cousteau Plaque, which was about 35-40 ft down. Jacque Cousteau was a French Naval Officer who is famously known for developing the "Aqua Lung" or more commonly known as the first Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (the SCUBA tank).



Bill feeding the fish...

We also got to explore Catalina's Underwater Dive Park located right in front of the Avalon Casino. This dive park is a large attraction for diver's all over the world and nation. It was full of kelp and sealife! Dan showed us how to feed the fish with a sea urchin. I opted out of this event as fish give me the heeby jeebies, but Bill did great and got swarmed with fish!

Following our dive, Dan took us back to the shop and let us take our snorkels and snorkel around in Lover's Cove for awhile longer. We enjoyed this, but it was not nearly as exciting as the dive! We hope to schedule another dive when we go to Hawaii later this year!

I think the most surprising element of SCUBA diving is how much it physically exhausts you. After any dive I have ever done, I have always felt the need to take a nap (especially if you are in cold water). Therefore, after we wrapped up our morning adventure, Bill and I headed back to the Seaport Village Inn to rest for a bit and then checked out the city of Avalon.



In front of the Avalon Casino


Avalon was a cute little town, but it wasn't nearly as impressive as I thought it might be. Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed our time in Catalina, but I think Catalina's most unique feature is the terrain. It was very desertish, but yet very mountainous. Even more interesting is the fact that there are Buffalo that roam around on the Island, or so I am told.



In the Wrigley Monument

Our second day, Bill and I took a hike, and by that I mean a 12 mile hike! We unfortunately did not see any of these mysterious Buffalo, but I do believe that they are there since there are companies that give tours and all:) The hike was still awesome! We visited the Wrigley Monument (Yes, as in the gum) and the Bontantical Gardens about half way through our hike. The founder of the Wrigley Gum Company played a large part in preserving the Island's plant and animal inhabitants.

The hike was hot, but well worth the views as we hiked along the high ridge line. It was definitely a different perspective from above!

Avalon from afar

Following our long hike, we enjoyed a nice dinner over looking the harbour and then headed to Luau Larry's to celebrate Independence Day with some drinks!! They even gave me a cool hat, which only cost me a hangover the next day:) 

Happy 4th of July!

As with all good things, they must come to an end. Therefore, the next day we had to say goodbye to Catalina! On a positive note, we got to take with us some good memories and a case of posion ivy. Yes, somehow I contracted posion ivy during our hike and it only took 2 weeks to clear up!!

Bill and I both returned to work the next day. For Bill, it was nice for him to be back "in the office" since he had been in Coronado and 29 Palms for the whole month of June. For me, I also had to return to the office, but it was definitely a little different than I had expected. On July 1st, the budget had passed for the State of Arizona in regards to the funding that we receive to keep our company in business. Unfortunately, ACTS was affected significantly by this cut along with several other Mental Health/Behavioral Health Agencies in the area. As a result, lay offs were in order. Fortunately, I was spared my job, but it was difficult to see co-workers leave. Hopefully, this is the last we see for awhile, but rumor has it there could be more in the future. We will just have to wait and see....

Also during this month, Bill and I were able to have some professional photo's taken. We went through Kim Garcia Photography, who did an excellent job!! Kim was great to work with and gave us exactly what we wanted. Here were a couple of our favorites:)

Well, no sooner did Bill get comfortable being home, he had to leave again! This time he was scheduled to do some fleet support in North Carolina for a week and half (but got to come home early). I have to admit, I was a little jealous that he got to go back to NC and I didn't!! However, I do look forward to making it back for a visit eventually and catching up with everyone! Fortunately, during Bill's time out East he was able to find some time to visit with his brother, Mike, who has recently returned from deployment and his family. We look forward to their visit next month :)

During the time that Bill was in NC, I decided to step up my fitness level a bit. I had been kind of slacking since the San Diego Half Marathon, but now it is time to get serious! I have just signed up for the Blue Water Triathalon in Parker, Arizona in November. I have opted to do the long event, which I think is a 1k swim, 53K bike, and an 8k run. In my efforts to get in shape, I have recently joined the Master's swim team and briefly tried out the bike club. The bike club didn't work out so well considering they were all men and left me on the border of Mexico all by myself!  Hopefully, I will rack up the miles on my own or find some girlfriends to ride with...

Other than that, we continue to do well and are enjoying the summer! I think the heat is the worst it'll get and we are getting used to it!! However, we are looking forward to traveling north next month and escaping it for a bit!

June 2011

June has been one CRAZY month!  Both of our jobs required quite a bit of travel, which did not leave a lot of time in Yuma. This was a blessing considering the temperatures are rising very quickly down here in the Southwest. It has already tipped 114 degrees and boy is it a DRY heat! Your face feels like it is going to fall off the second you step out the door. I have been told by many that this isn’t even the worst of it, so we will see (I really don’t know how it can get any hotter…but apparently it can!) I am sure we are both in for it :)

The Start Line
30,000 people participated
in the Half & Full

The first weekend of June, Bill and I traveled to San Diego since I was participating in the San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  I LOVE the Rock N Roll series as they do an awesome job hosting these types of events --they had bands playing at every mile.  It was a great time! Also, we had beautiful weather for the event and I ran a personal best of 1:47.15. This placed me 302^nd out of 11,568 women and 86^th in my female age group division of 2,600. I was extremely happy with my race results considering the run actually felt pretty painful and I thought I might die around mile 10! The highlight of my race was seeing Ali and Roberto from the previous Bachelorette Season as they were the ones who yelled “Go” at the start line.  I am already looking forward to the next race, which I haven’t selected yet, but I am hoping that Bill will be able to find some time in his crazy work schedule to prepare for the next as well!

Also during my half marathon weekend, I got to help Bill settle in over on Coronado Island as he was scheduled to attend TACP school, which went through all of June. Rough place to be stationed for a month, huh?! I can’t complain, because I got to visit him every weekend after that :)




View of San Diego from Cornado





Bill and his New Trek (No, this is NOT our Mini Van!)

During our time in Coronado/San Diego, we got to fit in quite a bit of fun. Bill went ahead and bought a mountain bike as he is getting into the sport of Mountain Biking, which seems to be pretty popular out this way given the terrain. I also brought my road bike up and we were able to tour the city of San Diego by bike as we took a 30 mile ride one day. There was a trail that went from Grand Strand, Coronado all the way around and into downtown San Diego.  Once we got downtown, we decided it would be best to take the Ferry back over to Coronado…our legs were a little tired! Fortunately, it was a great ride and we both felt pretty accomplished after this!

Bill & Flipper 2011

We were also able to visit Sea World for a day. Our timing was impeccable as we got to watch most all of the featured shows with relatively little wait. We watched the whale show, which was incredible and the sea lions that were hilarious. For those of you that know me real well, then you  already know that the dolphins were my favorite! Bill was a real trooper; he waited in line with me for over an hour so we could pet the dolphins for all of 5 minutes.  Let me tell you, he sure was impressed, I mean Look at that smile on his face!!!

Braves vs Padres

Our last weekend in San Diego/Coronado, we were able to stroll along Seaport Village, which is the water front of San Diego. We shopped around for a bit and then took a hiatus on a park bench with some fine cigars. We made small talk with a guy named Al on the bench next to us and eventually the three of us made our way over to the Padres game. Unfortunately, the Padres took a beating from the Braves, but all in all, it was a good time and we made a new friend!

Aside from all of the touristy attractions, Bill and I were able to just enjoy each other’s company and the uniqueness of Coronado during these past few weekends. We hope to make it back sometime in the future, especially since we never actually got a chance to check out the Hotel Del Coronado, -- which is only the most historic and beautiful building on the island! 

Hotel Del Coronado


I feel fortunate to have had a job that was flexible enough to allow me to spend all the time that I did with Bill in Coronado. However, that flexibility did come with a price of course!! During the time that I was not in Coronado this month, I was going on other trips with my kids from work. We took them to the Beach here in San Diego, Ice Skating in Scottsdale, and Roller Skating in Phoenix. Needless to say, my inner child was out in full force!! We have one more trip outing that I am coordinating to an Old Mining Town this coming week....Wish me luck!!

Though we have had a great month, I know that both Bill and I are looking to a more low key July!!

May 2011

I can't believe it is already time for an update! The month of May started out with adventure and it ended with adventure!



Heather and I with some Florence Jailbirds!

 To recap, the first weekend in May, Bill officially wrapped up WTI with the official Graduation for the students. During this time, a girlfriend and I traveled to Florence, Arizona to compete in the Warrior Dash. Florence is among  one of Arizona's oldest founded towns and is nothing spectacular. In fact, it is known as the place where "the residents don't leave" as it's claim to fame are the prisons that are located here. However, outside of the prisons, it also accommodates wide open land, which only fosters the perfect place to hold an obstacle course and mud race!



Post Race

Both Heather and I did very well in our respective age groups. I placed 2nd in my age group out approximately 950 people and 4th overall for female.

Heather placed 13th in her age group out of approximately 670 people and 63rd overall for female.

We were certainly pleased with our results considering there were literally a couple of thousand females competing in the event and approximately 7,000 men and women competing in the event as a whole.

Following our finish, we enjoyed checking out the crazy costumes (my personal favorite was Colonel Sanders, pictured below--he even had a bucket of chicken that he was running with)  and our post race beer!

Colonel Sanders in the Mud Pit



Also, during this month, Bill and I were able to spend one of our weekends in Phoenix, Az visiting Bill's best friend, Sean,  from high school and his wife Alison. It had been seven years since the two had seen each other, so it was a nice reunion as we celebrated the event with margaritas by the pool and a dinner at an upscale seafood restaurant. I sure do miss my crabcakes, and we sure do look forward to our next visit with Sean and Alison!

We would also like to welcome home Bill's brother, Mike, as he has finally returned  from his 9 month deployment aboard the 26th MEU after leaving unexectedly early last August to assist with the Pakistan Earthquake relief efforts.We are glad that he has been reunited with his family and is home safe and sound. We look forward to catching up with him at some point once the dust settles...

Lastly, Bill and I were able to travel to the Grand Canyon over this past holiday weekend. We had an incredible time and there are no words to describe this natural wonder!!

Bill and I at Grand Canyon

We stayed in the small town of Tusayan, which was located just two miles outside of Grand Canyon National Park. It was an interesting little town as you could drive through it in less than a mile and was dedicated soley to the tourism of the Grand Canyon.



Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point

 Bill and I woke up early on Saturday morning and hiked a full 7 miles before we even got to the actual Grand Canyon. We were grateful to learn that once we got our park passes that we would get to utilize the shuttle services that the park offered!! We spent most of Saturday hiking the South Rim and looking out over the numerous scenic overlooks that were available. I was impressed with the fact that even though the Colorado River is responsible for the formation of the Grand Canyon, it was unable to be seen from the top of the Canyon. However, as Bill and I were walking along the South Rim, we learned of the Bright Angel Trail.

The Bright Angel Trail is the most highly trafficked trail of the Grand Canyon as it offers many options to hikers. For instance, it allows for day hikes and it also pushes on to the North Rim with opportunities for camping and restoration along the way. Since Bill and I did not bring camping gear, we chose to hike the longest day hike recommended, which was Plateau Point. Plateau Point hike was 12 miles round trip that reached an overlook facing the Colorado River. Though it sounds like a long hike, it was well worth the views!!



A view from Plateau Point



1/2 way down Bright Angel Trail

 It was recommended that one allow for 8-12 hours to complete this hike, but Bill and I were able to complete this hike in 6 hours and 45 minutes. We will be paying for this over the next few days...haha. This was a much different hike than most as we got to decend first versus climbing first. Therefore, we had to keep in mind that going down was optional and climbing back up was mandatory! Needless to say, the first 6 miles were a breeze, it was when we had to turn around and ascend over 3,000 feet of elevation to get back to the top that was painful! By the time we reached the top, we were ready to be done, but like I said the views were worth it and it was an awesome challenge!! Bill and I have both decided that we would love to go back sometime and bring our camping gear so we could make it to Phantom Ranch and/or do another overnight hike.

Following our long two days of hiking, Bill and I rewarded ourselves with a nice dinner at El  

      Tovar Restaurant overlooking the Canyon. It was the perfect way to end a perfect weekend and month!




El Tovar


Up next is the San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon next weekend.....!