Enjoying vacation

I can't believe how quickly my vacation is passing! It seems like we just got finished opening gifts and it's already time for me to start packing for the return to San Diego. I can't really complain though, the weather has been amazing (70s and 80s!), lots of time with my family, and of course a lot of good eatin!

I enjoyed playing with Julia and Gavin's presents as much as they did! Julia got a trampoline for Christmas which we of course had to promptly break in. As you all know, I have no coordination whatsoever so I mainly just tried to get as much air as I could. Julia however, could do 3 back flippies in a row!

Gavin got a larger 4-wheeler to replace the one he has outgrown. His feet are still a little small to be able to shift properly, but he had no problems handling his new ATV through the overgrown fields near their house. I had a hard time keeping up on Julia's smaller four-wheeler as I trailed behind him through the fields. Hmm, maybe it wasn't meant for a full-grown adult?!

Friday I drove out to Mobile, AL to visit with Dave while they were in port. He's working offshore for the holidays, but they pulled in to Mobile for a few days. It was a quick visit, but it was nice to have dinner and catch up a bit. Our lives are all so busy we have to fit in little visits whenever we can.

I'm writing this post this morning with a fuzzy head and just slightly off kilter. After having a great time with Nicole & Tim while they were in San Diego for a conference a few months ago, we decided to replicate the shenanigans here in Louisiana while I was in town. It just so happens that they have a limo at their disposal, so the two of them picked up Monica & I and we all headed north to New Orleans for the evening.

We started off with dinner at Drago's Seafood Restaurant (the charbroiled oysters are AMAZING), then cruised over to one of the casinos to dance the night away to the sounds of a Houma band. I thoroughly enjoyed cutting up with my sister and friends; I don't think the laughter stopped all night!

Today's my last day on the bayou, I fly back to San Diego in the morning. I'm trying to remain relaxed for this last little bit of vacation since life will be a whirlwind once I'm back on the west coast. Over the next 5 days, I have to pack out my house, ship my motorcycle :-( , finish up projects at work and move out of my office, get commissioned and get to San Antonio for training. So if you don't hear from me for a little while, know that I'm getting it done!

Stay tuned, the next great adventure is just beginning. . .

A family of foodies

What can we say. . . we're Cajun! And Cajuns live to eat! It makes my heart take flight to see the next generation picking up traditional cooking. I'm especially pleased to see my two nephews learning to fend for themselves in the kitchen. The men in our families down here on the bayou can hold their own when it comes to cooking, but it's usually in the seafood and wild game departments. My Papa Babin made a mean turtle sauce piquante (pronounced PEE-con) and my Pyran Wayne ("Pyran" is Cajun for "Godfather") can cook up deer so tender it would make a vegetarian think twice about their choice!

So when my nephew Philip announced he was making crab cakes for the whole family for dinner, we were happy to be his dining guinea pigs! The basis of his concoction was from a recipe that won a contest a few years ago and was printed in the local newspaper. From the basic recipe, he modified and tweaked it until it had his own signature on it. The end product was so tasty that he's pretty much deemed the official crab cake maker of the family from here on out! I saved a left over one and scrambled it into some eggs for an awesome breakfast the next morning!

Staying on the food theme, my dad and I picked up a sack of raw oysters from the local oyster fisherman in town. My mom committed a cardinal sin of buying some already shucked at the grocery store to make the oyster dressing at Thanksgiving. The general consensus was that they were so washed down there was no taste left. So to avoid a similar disaster at Christmas, we got some fresh from Louisiana waters still in the shell.

It's only later in life that I've acquired a taste for these mollusks raw. I've always enjoyed them fried on a po-boy sandwich or in traditional dirty rice, but somewhere in my twenties I started to appreciate the intensely salty flavor and uniquely fleshy texture. As with most things that Cajuns eat, I often look at it and wonder who gazed upon this mucus-like blob in a relatively ugly shell and deduced that it might make a good meal! Thank goodness for that first intrepid soul!

This last picture is of a beautiful sight. . . what I opened my eyes to after a leisurely nap on the swing in my parents' yard!!! Although it turned cold for a couple of days, we are now back in the upper 70s with a lush humidity level in the 60s. Once again, I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt for the day.

This is pretty much a synopsis of my time back at home so far. I've gone back to the gym with my mom and sister and went to my nephew Philip's basketball game last night. I'm really enjoying being part of their everyday lives, even if it's just for a little while.

Whit & Kathie's family

OK, I'm going to stream line this call tree for a bit! Everyone contacts me for updates on Caldwell (AKA Cal) and Naomi ever since they were born prematurely on Dec 8, so I decided to do a post with pics of them! This picture of Cal was taken shortly after the twins were born at his birth weight of 1 pound 15 ounces. Look closely and you'll see Whit's wedding band as a bracelet around his wrist. He's had a rough go of it since birth, but Kathie confirmed on the phone today that he's making progress and seems to be a little fighter.

Kathie is holding Naomi in this picture wrapped in the blanket Suzanne hand knitted for them! Naomi has been making great progress since being born at 3 pounds 9 ounces. She's apparently developing quite a personality which sounds like it's bordering on rebellious! I think me and this girl are going to get along great!!!

Back here in Louisiana, the weather has turned chilly and it actually feels cold enough for Christmas (relative to south Louisiana anyway!). I love being back home around the holidays and am enjoying a slower pace for a little while. I'm looking forward to my niece and nephews being around the house for Christmas!

After passing through Atlanta. . .

After an early start to my Wednesday, my day was quite productive. Major progress in apartment and office packing, phone calls and informing utilities of my upcoming move culminated into settling myself into the flight from Los Angeles to New Orleans with continued productivity on my laptop. Amazing that a 3.5 hour flight would deposit me in south Louisiana and in a car to my parents' house for a late night supper of my mom's cooking! Nice thought, but not so fast!

After circling over New Orleans airport waiting for the dense fog to break long enough for us to land, fuel quantity finally dictated that we divert to the nearest open, unfoggy airport. . . Atlanta, GA! So, at 3:30 am, I found myself in a cab with a lost driver looking for the hotel United Airlines had given me a voucher to for the "night". With 2 hours of sleep under my belt for close to 36 hours, I made it to my parents' house yesterday around noon! Amazingly unphased by the extended journey home, I arrived happy and less stressed than I have been in a long time.

It felt so good to sleep in til 8:30 am today!!! I wanted to get a workout in this morning so my mom suggested I go to the gym with her for her "Silver Sneakers" exercise class. Sure, I was in the mode of organized exercise classes, so why not?! It sounds so innocent and easy doesn't it. . . Silver Sneakers? Yep, it's an exercise class for senior citizens, but after an hour with my mom and a bunch of spry coeds, I had actually worked up a sweat! I have to admit, I couldn't help but smile with good humor as I got my heart rate up with a group of AARP members to the sounds of Neil Diamond and Elvis!!! FUN! After the class was over, I finished off my workout with running a few miles on the treadmill.

Today was a beautiful day that flirted with temperatures between 78-82 degrees! I was in shorts all day!! My dad returned from the camp on Grand Isle with a few dozen crabs that he boiled up for us to eat. Man were they good!!! I realize that I post similar pictures to these every time I come home, but I just can't get enough of boiled seafood!!! For those of you who aren't lovers of these tasty little crustaceans, this close-up picture of the meat in a blue-crab claw will probably gross you out. But for the rest of us initiated boiled seafood addicts, this is tasty treasure from the bayous!!!

Hope everyone is getting to their holiday destinations in spite of the weather and that you end up with folks you really want to spend the season with. I'm looking forward to some down time with my family, and of course lots of great eating and conversation!

Keeping fit

In the never-ending quest to broaden my horizons, I decided to shake up my workouts a bit and go to an organized class. Now, I'm not one for organized fitness classes but after hearing that the clientele that I will be working with in my new career field were really into a program called Crossfit, I figured I'd better check it out.

I had a very enlightened professor in my undergraduate nutrition program named Dr. O'Neil. One of the classes I took with her was a seminar on fad diets. The first week of class, she had us each pull a slip of paper out of a bowl. Each slip of paper contained the title of one of the various popular diet books out at the time. For the remainder of the semester, we had to read the book, pull up any research sited by the authors and check out the validity of any claims made by the book. The clincher was that for one week, we had to actually do the diet. At the end of the semester, we each had to present on our diet book, pros and cons and what it was like to try to follow it. You want to know what your clients/patients are experiencing? Walk in their shoes for a while. Very enlightening! Through this experience, I learned that there are very few absolute truths in this world, especially when it comes to diet and exercise. There are some pretty solidly validated theories out there, many of which are the foundations of evidence-based nutrition and exercise. But there are also lots of shades of gray that merge with what works for each individual; something those of us working in these fields must constantly be aware of.

And so it was with this background that I showed up to my first class of a Crossfit boot camp program. Having been through boot camp once for real, I usually shun any fitness class with "boot camp" in the title, but there are a lot of basic moves and principles to learn with this particular fitness program. I figured this was the easiest way to get an introduction. So for four weeks in November-December, I attended classes 3 nights a week taught by JP at Crossfit San Diego.

This is not an infomerical for the program, so if you want to learn more about it, you can click on the link above. I'm posting this really just to make a point that sometimes it's a good thing to break out of our own "truths" and see what else is out there. Do I agree with every tenant of the program? Not really. Do I agree with all the principles of the nutrition program. No, I don't. But did I learn a few things and have fun for the four weeks I went there? Yep! Did I meet some fun & interesting folks while enjoying some challenging workouts outside my normal realm? Yeah, I sure did!

The reason I'm posting this tonight is because I had one last workout session with JP and Lauren earlier this evening. I've had a sinus infection and haven't been able to workout much for over a week now, so the session tonight was just what I needed to jump back into it. JP worked us pretty hard during the boot camp classes, but also did a great job of emphasizing proper form and keeping us motivated. Thanks to JP for shaking up my routine a bit and giving me a few more tools to add to my professional and personal tool boxes! And thanks to Lauren for keeping the class (and especially me) motivated! In the pic are the members of the boot camp class- Adam, Van, Lauren, Nicole, Maggie & baby Kelsey and me.

I fly out tomorrow for two weeks back home in Louisiana. So much packing left to do, but I'm really looking forward to this last break before I leave for training. Stay tuned, I'm sure I'll have lots of food reports coming up!

Colorado Springs USOC good-byes

If you every need an ego boost and want to hear good things said about you, just announce that you're leaving!!! As word of my impending departure from the USOC spreads, I have been humbled by the number of emails and phone calls I've received telling me how much I will be missed! Of course the ones who are happy to see you go don't usually email or call, but the sheer number of positive ones I've received gives me hope that I've made more friends than enemies and done more good than harm during my time here!!!

I'm often credited with developing the nutrition program at the USOC. As with any broad-reaching endeavor however, it can hardly be attributed to just one person. I may have initiated the program, but the two Dietitians posing with me in the first pic deserve as much credit as I do. Susie and Adam, along with Terri and Lance have been instrumental in growing the program and ensuring that it's roots were planted firmly enough to weather the current turn-over of personnel. Although Susie & Adam are the only two RDs left, I'm confident that with Terri's continued influence on the program, performance-based nutrition at the USOC with flourish.

After a full day of meetings, Performance Services headed downtown for our annual Christmas party. Kicking off the celebration was the newest naturalized citizen of the U.S. in Performance Services, Susie. In a thickly accented and Aussie-slang-laden speech, Susie lamented my departure but wished me success in my new career. I was presented a US Olympic flag signed by all my coworkers and toasted on to my next adventure. The conversation was lively during the dinner which was quickly followed by the White Elephant exchange. The gift choosing, stealing and bartering was so much fun we often laughed too hard to form complete sentences!

From the Christmas Party, a few of us headed south to the Golden Bee at the Broadmoor to meet up with Lance and Paul (in the pic with me and my yard of beer!). This pub was assembled in the 1960s next to the Broodmoor hotel using panels and fixtures shipped over from a 19th century English pub. I don't know where the name Golden Bee came from, but the waitresses throw embroidered bee patches that stick to you!

Another fun feature of the pub is the ragtime piano player. It reminded me a lot of the dueling piano bar at Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans. The enthusiastic piano player will crank out whatever song you want to sing along to; everything from Margarittaville to New York, New York which Zach and Steve happen to be dancing to in this pic! We sang, laughed, relived Olympic experiences, drank and ate oysters on the half shell as the night slipped by.

Even though the meetings continued for the rest of the week, I headed back to San Diego yesterday to continue wrapping things up here. Before leaving for the airport, the T&T team had a final lunch together with me off complex. As I turned to walk away from my team for the last 2 years, April commented "and then there were four." With the departure of Vinny and myself, the T&T team is down to just Peter, John, April & Zach (in the pic on the Olympic pathway).

I'm typing this post from my apt. on Coronado awaiting my doctor's appt. I started to catch a cold or something prior to leaving for the Springs and all the festivities pushed me over the edge. With so much to get done before I go home for the holidays, I need to be 100% as I wrap up my life in California. Wish me luck that I shake this thing quick and am productive for the rest of the weekend! Hmm, probably could've done without the yards of beer. . .

Quick update from Colorado

After a snow-delayed late night landing in Colorado Springs on Monday, my week has been pretty hectic. I'm here for meetings at the USOC; lots of paperwork to be done, projects to be handed over and people to meet with.

After an absolutely depressing visit to my house here in the Springs, David & Suzanne took me to Mirch Masala for some of my favorite Indian food!!! I won't go into details about my house but suffice it to say that I am extremely disappointed at the former tenants' lack of respect for other people's property and the seeming inability of my property manager to do anything about it. The world would be so much better off if people would just do the right thing. On a happier note, we had a wonderful dinner and really enjoyed catching up. These little snippets of time with Suzanne & David make my trips back to the Springs so much more enjoyable!

As I was flying out of San Diego, Whit & Kathie became parents! The monitoring that Kathie was undergoing revealed that an early delivery would be best for the babies, so at 8:00 pm Monday night Caldwell (spelling?) and Naomi entered this world at 1 lb 15 oz and 3 lb 9 oz respectively. Yes, they are tiny but doing fine. I spoke with Kathie on the phone last night and she sounded great! She didn't know how long she and the babies would be in the hospital, but that all was well. Their long-awaited parenthood journey has begun. . .

I'm here until tomorrow afternoon for more meetings then I head back to the San Diego. So much to get done both professionally and personally before I embark on my next adventure!

Joining the Army!

Now that work & family know my career plans, I can share them here on my blog. After 5 years with the USOC, I have decided to move on to the next adventure. Ten years after being discharged from active duty in the U.S. Navy, I have the opportunity to put my nutrition skills to use for active duty Soldiers. In a couple of weeks, I will be commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Army and will start Officer Basic Leadership training in San Antonio, TX on January 4. As our troops are enduring long tours in arduous conditions, I feel an obligation to do my part to make sure that they are provided with every possible edge for optimal performance. Though a small contribution, I feel that what I've learned in the athletic arena can be of great use to our men and women in uniform. I didn't make this decision lightly; I've mulled this choice over quite a bit for the last couple of years and feel very comfortable that this is the right move for me at this point in my life. Obviously, the opinions of my family & friends weigh heavily in my decision process, so it was an easy choice once I realized EVERYONE supported this career move.

For those of you who know me well, it's no secret that I've missed my military days. Not just "missed" in a nostalgic kind of way, but more of a feeling that I wasn't quite done yet. I attempted to go back into the Navy as an Aerospace Physiologist after finishing my advanced degrees, but I was promptly informed that at the age of 35, I was too old for the program. Unenthused by the thought of working strictly as an RD in a hospital, I didn't think there were any other options for me until I met Ann, an Army COL at a nutrition conference a couple of years ago. It was then that I realized that my expertise could be put to use while wearing a uniform.

And so, at the ripe old age of 40, I knew it was now or never to confront the lingering feeling that my time serving in the military was unfinished business. One of my only fears in life is to get into my 80s and look back and regret that I didn't do something; that I didn't take advantage of an opportunity that presented itself. Granted, some of the things I've done I certainly have no desire to ever do again, but I am the person I am right now because I had those experiences. I can only hope that I will be happy with the person I become after this new experience!

Long story short (kind of), forgive me for lapses in correspondances as I scramble to fulfill commitments and tie up loose ends at work, pack up my life here in San Diego and get this body ready for military physical fitness standards! Good thing standards are age and gender adjusted! Stay tuned, I'm sure there are some great stories coming up. . .

Snackage & Nappage!

I'm a Dietitian. That's a fancy word for a Nutritionist with a college degree and credentials! I state this fact only to illustrate how strong traditions are. You see this picture of my nephew Philip's girlfriend Jessica plopping chocolate icing on a piece of cake? Well, she's following the lead of this Dietitian!

My family loves to joke that if I ever get too full of myself, they'll invite the athletes I counsel to Louisiana to see the "other" side of their Nutritionist! I was raised on southern fried and gravies. My grandma cooked with lard and I've blown out pig intestines with a straw to make sausage. It's where I came from. But after 5 years of higher learning and another 5 years in the performance nutrition field, I'm constantly at odds with my upbringing. Both of my grandmothers lived well into their 80s and had diets that I would advise clients/athletes against. It's only fair to say, however, that they both did physical labor their whole lives which played a huge part in counteracting those diets! Nevertheless, most of my Cajun comfort foods are at odds with the way I eat outside of Louisiana.

Pretty much everyone in my family is a chocoholic. I'm not sure exactly when it started, but my nephews and I used to sneak buckets of chocolate icing from my mom's pantry for a snack! As time went on and my parents let the grandkids get away with all kinds of things their own children were never allowed to do, my mom started buying an extra tub of icing to leave next to the cakes she made so that extra could be added. There's only one rule. . . no double dipping! As you can imagine, this prompts us all to seek out the largest serving spoon that is able to fit into the tub of icing for the coveted first-and-only dip into the tub! It gets more and more ridiculous every year!!

The blog title today is compliments of my niece Julia. The couple of days after Thanksgiving was rainy, so we spent a lot of time inside snacking and taking naps! I'd be big as a house if I did this everyday, but for 2 or 3 days at home for the holidays, it sure is fun! My sister thought that this picture of Julia and I in the recliner was the perfect illustration of two generations of "Deg Legs"!

Our family would never be described as boring. I'm always amused to see how new guests respond to all our rough-housing and bantering. My maternal grandparents were the epitome of jokesters. They set a tradition of cutting-up that endures within our family to this day. Teasing, story-telling and physical antics were, and still are in the repertoire of prompting laughter. This pic of my brother with his son and step-son rough-housing and tickling confirms our belief that a family that plays together stays together!

Another form of great family-bonding is games. If the weather's nice, that means horseshoes, volleyball or football (or shooting guns in the pasture). If it's night or we're confined to the indoors due to inclement weather like we were this holiday, that means board games. With such a wide age range, games like Pictionary or Cranium are perfect for our gang. For the last several years, a highly competitive game of Pictionary between the boys and girls has ruled supreme! Much to the dismay of the males in our family, the girls have once again outwitted (or out-drawn) the guys. Not to be deterred by years of losing, the boys have demanded a rematch over Christmas vacation!

Although this post may seem quite mundane and low-keyed compared to previous posts from far-away lands, this is the stuff I love! It's such a cliche', but there really is no place like home. After a canceled flight from LAX to San Diego and an enjoyable couple of hours hanging out with a WWII vet full of great stories at the airport while waiting stand-by, I'm back on Coronado preparing for the work week ahead. Stay tuned for some new twists in the road. . .

Happy Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving come and gone! I ushered in the day by landing in New Orleans just around midnight. My mom has been cooking up a storm for days, so I went to bed with smells of the feast to come. After a cup of coffee and a quick run, I was surrounded by family and food for the rest of the day!

As you can see in this picture, the "kids" are all getting big. I have 3 nephews and a niece ranging in ages from 20 to 5 years old. In the dark and white striped shirt on the left of the photo is Andy who is 20 and somewhere around 6 feet tall and the tall lanky guy on the right is his brother Philip who is 16 and about to 6'3". I'm not sure how tall Julia is (at the end of the table) at 10 years old, but she definitely has the family trademark long lean legs. Although I've taken to pronouncing my last name as "day-gull" over the years for ease of understanding, here in Louisiana it's pronounced "deg". Folks always comment when they see an offspring of the Daigle clan that it's obvious that the kid belongs to our family because they have "deg legs"!!!

And it takes a lot of food to feed this tall family! Although I had moved up to the adult table at some point in my life (probably back when I was married), it's been quite some time now that I've been assigned back to the kids' table. From the smiles on our faces, you can see that I don't mind one bit sitting at the kids' table with Julia! Our family is filled with story-tellers and jokesters, so meals are always a lively event. I don't know if it's the jovial energy expended while dining that makes us all so tired or the overindulgence prompted by the day, but we always end up reclining in some capacity shortly thereafter! Usually everyone is sprawled across sofas and on the floor in the living room, but the weather was so beautiful today (mid-70s!) that we moved the rest-fest under the carport to enjoy the breeze and visit.

It seemed like we were just finished digesting when it was time to move on to the next house on the itinerary for Thanksgiving supper. After more visiting and eating at Dean's house with his family, we're back at my parents' house and hanging out for the evening. What a great, leisurely day filled with love & laughter!

I hope that everyone's day was as peaceful and filled with family as mine was and that it's not hard to think of things for which to be thankful. My brother returns tomorrow from Texas with the rest of his family so I'm sure I'll have more to post about over the next few days before I return to the West Coast on Sunday.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

A non-traditional baby shower

I sincerely believe that people come in and out of our lives for a reason. With some, it's a short-term reason and are only meant to fill a specific need for a specific time. Impactful, but not meant to last. With others, the reason is long-term and you watch each other mature and grow and fulfill needs as they present themselves. Those life-long friendships come with responsibility. So you can imagine that after witnessing Whit & Kathie's emotional roller-coaster attempts to start a family over all these years that the future Aunt Karen knew she had to throw a baby shower. Thank goodness that Kathie & Whit also have other girlfriends in the area to join forces with this non-domestic oriented friend to successfully pull off a shower!

At first I cringed. . . the thought of an afternoon of pastel colors, cutesy baby-themed stuff, cool-aid punch, cheesy games and the mother-to-be sitting in a sheet covered chair opening gifts one by one to "ohs" and "ahs" over baby diapers was more than I could bear. Then in dawned on me; Kathie isn't that kind of girl either! A quick consultation with her and the other three women throwing the shower confirmed that we wouldn't be throwing a typical baby shower!

The first pic of the funny napkins (click on the pic for the full size version) pretty much sets the stage for the party! We held a coed, adult-beverage shindig in a park by their house. There were kids too so we had bubbles and juice boxes for them, but the grown-ups in attendance loved the catered Mexican food, margaritas & sangria! It was very informal with folks from different areas of Whit & Kathie's lives all mingling together.

We never got a solid count, but there must've been about 30 adults and a half dozen kids at one point. The day started out a bit overcast and chilly, but the sky cleared and the sun shone through. It seemed as though everyone had a good time and were thrilled that Whit & Kathie's family will be doubled in size in only a matter of weeks. This last pic is of the three of us who threw the party with Whit & Kathie (Shannon, Kathie, Whit, me and Karen). Laura also helped with shower preparations but was in Rhode Island and couldn't attend.

With the nursery ready and gifts being put away, there's nothing for them to do but wait patiently for their long-awaited babies to arrive! Positive, healthy baby thoughts sent their way would be greatly appreciated!!

It's a great day to be alive!

There's a great country song by Travis Tritt with the same title as my post today. The reason I mention it is because I was humming it all day today while riding! There's one line that goes "I might take my old Harley for a three day cruise" that I was absolutely feeling today. Like a cowboy (or cowgirl) I could've rode off into the sunset on my Harley and been perfectly content!

My friend Dave works with me at the OTC and rides a sport bike. I usually get to work first and pick a spot and leave room for him to park in with me when he gets to work a little later in the day. It's a seemingly insignificant courtesy, but for bikers it's a huge camaraderie thing!

We've been working together and talking bikes for a year now but have never been able to ride together due to our conflicting schedules. His wife had other plans for the day, so we took advantage of a little down time and took to two wheels.

We took a route that I've ridden many times before with Whit, Bridie and Fred- Hwy 94 along the U.S/Mexico border to S1 that straddles Borrego Desert National Park and Cleveland National Forest. I started the day in a long sleeve fleece shirt as we rode the twisty desert Hwy 94 to Campo. At the foot Mt. Leguna, we stopped and I put on my jacket and gloves.

As we ascended in altitude to 6000 ft, the temp dropped but our speed certainly did not! As you can see from this picture of the stock pipe I removed from my bike after the ride today in order to put my after-market Rush pipes back on, I was leaning pretty heavily into the turns! I let Dave take the lead knowing that he was much more maneuverable in the turns on his Honda sport bike than I would be on my Sporty. Without a single car ahead of us, we pressed our handlebars into every turn of the twisty mountain road like it was made to be leaned into by riders on two wheels. I can't even describe the euphoria we felt as we pulled over half way into the 25 mile mountain road to high five and gloat over our good fortune of perfect weather, minimal traffic and great roads! Due to my incompetence of the day and forgetting my purse at the diner in Julian, we road the S1 mountain road three times today! The motorcycle Gods were smiling down on us!

I've had a lot on my mind lately and have felt weighted down by the responsibilities of a working grown-up, but today reminded me that the raw sensory experiences that comprise everyday are the things that make my spirit light. Today was a great day to be alive!

Happy Veterans Day

OK, so Veterans Day isn't officially until tomorrow, but I have today off from work so I'm celebrating the holiday today! I love the symbology of the date (eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month) that marks the armistice (temporary cessation of hostilities) between the Allied Nations and Germany of World War I. Although the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 marked the official end to "The Great War" Armistice Day on November 11, 1918 is generally considered the end of the "war to end all wars." Over the years, what was once known as Armistice Day is now known as Veterans Day here in the U.S. I also really like this holiday because it's one day apart from my dad's birthday who also happens to be a veteran! For some great old pics of my dad & I and a few of the USS Midway, check out my previous Veterans Days posts from 2006 and 2007.

The 3-day weekend started off with some bayou entertainment in downtown San Diego. For the third year in a row, I saw Tab Benoit perform out West! If you're not familiar with his music, click on these links for a little taste of Cajun Blues. The fun, rhythmic guitar on Night Train and up-beat tune of Fever for the Bayou makes my body move no matter what mood I'm in while When a Cajun Man Gets the Blues tugs at my soul when I'm aching for the bayou. Not only has this Houma native been nominated for a Grammy, he's also president of Voice of the Wetlands, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the coastal erosion problem in south Louisiana. Go to the website and learn that the flooding isn't just the wrath of Mother Nature directed at the residents of the Louisiana Gulf Coast, it's a predominately man-made problem that will affect the whole country if allowed to continue. The unique hospitality, culture, customs, language, food and music of Cajun country are in real danger of extinction so please take a moment to learn how the loss of this land impacts the rest of the nation.

The rest of the weekend has involved visiting the beach, riding my Harley around and hanging out with Whit & Kathie. With only weeks left to go before the twins arrive, our days of hanging out on the sofa eating, drinking and watching movies are numbered! Looking forward to the arrival of Cal (Caldwell) and Naomi!!

To all my active duty and veteran friends. . . Happy Veterans Day!

Go out and VOTE!!!!

I'll start off this post with saying that I'm not a huge fan of politics. Politics involves playing games, and anyone who has seen me trying to play a ball sport or attempting to be PC knows that I'm good at neither kind of game!!! Upon reading this joke email in my inbox this morning though, I just had to post it. It's nonpartisan and for the most part politically correct and oh so timely for today. . . enjoy!

While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven" says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in" says the senator.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where you want to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven" says the senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down. . .to hell

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne. Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator goes up, up up . . . to heaven.

The door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.

"Now it's time to visit heaven"

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The senator reflects for a minute, then answers, "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down. . . to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.

"I don't understand" stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

"Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted!"

Now get out there and vote!!!

You never know who you're gonna meet...

Two years ago, I made a trip to Hawaii with my sister for a vacation/professional conference. I'm always amused with the civilian perspective of the military community. Upon hearing that I had spent some time in the Navy, a nutrition colleague at the conference stated "Oh, you must know Ann then. She's in the Army too." In the non-military affiliated mind, all branch's of the military (Army, Navy, Air Force, etc) as well as all divisions (aviation, infantry, medical, etc) are all the same and everyone must know everyone! It was no use trying to explain that I probably didn't know her since I was Navy, enlisted and aviation while Ann was Army, officer and medical! Later during the day, the same colleague introduced us and Ann & I ended up hitting it off instantly. Our paths have continually crossed as colleagues and good friends in the two years since.

A few months ago when Ann invited me to her retirement down in San Antonio, I instantly said "yes" and booked a ticket. If her friends and family were anywhere near as full of life and had as much as a flare for finding adventure as Ann, I knew this was going to be a great celebration! I was certainly not disappointed!

It didn't take long for me to remember why I loved the Navy community so much; Ann's group of friends at AMEDD (Army Medical Dept) were tight knit and obviously respected and enjoyed each other's company. In the first picture is Ann with one of her friends who retired at the same time as her. Both Colonels, Maria closed the chapter on over 24 years in the Army while Ann finished up with nearly 26 years. They ended their Army Dietitian careers right where they started them with internships over two decades ago- at Ft Sam Houston. In a tremendous testament to the bond of military friendships and to Ann's sincere spirit, one of her classmates from her internship, Stephanie flew from Seattle with her husband Keith to help her close this chapter of her life.

Watching the faces of the 11 patriots lined up that morning to close the Army chapters of their lives, I marveled at the spectrum of emotions. At one end of the spectrum were the somber-faced and downright looking scared witless to the other end who could hardly suppress their smiles and readiness to move on to the next phases of their lives. Ann certainly fell into the jubilant category! At the "beret burning" later that evening though, she explained that it wasn't because she disliked the Army that she was happy to be moving on, but rather it was the excitement of the next adventure that was making her giddy about stepping out of the uniform for the last time. As you can tell from this picture of Ann with her sister Pat, civilian attire suits her just as well as Army green!!

The days leading up to the retirement ceremony on Thursday were filled with both local and out-of-town friends and family. On Wednesday, I was informed that I may want to wear comfortable shoes since we were "walking for food." Five miles of walking later, we arrived at a great little bakery for breakfast! The next 48 hours were filled with visiting, eating, drinking and celebration. The ceremony was succinct and professional whereas the private reception for Ann that followed was lively and informal. It was clear from the number of people who attended as well as from the words that were spoken that Ann was not only well-liked by those with which she served, but she also made a significant impact on the lives she touched. The festivities culminated in a get together at her friend Lise's house (also my gracious B&B hostess!). In the last pic is Ann (standing in black), her internship friend Stephanie, her sister-ish from Oregon Mary Lynn with her husband Sigfreid and Lise.

I arrived back into San Diego in time to catch a cab from the airport to Whit & Kathie's house for a Halloween get-together. I think I'll be in town for the next 2-3 weeks, so I'll keep ya'll posted on any local adventures. . .

Taking a little break. . .

Well, I'm back in Southern California, but not for long. The week in Colorado Springs ended up being quite productive. As much as I like to get things accomplished professionally, I'm always excited to slip a little personal time into these trips. I ended up scooting out of my Saturday meeting early enough in the afternoon to get together with Suzanne again. As I was walking out the door, I called her up and asked if she was up for a little ride. Her excited and familiar response was "I'll be right there"! Not 20 minutes later, she was rolling into the OTC parking lot on her Softtail to get me.

We rode back up to their house where we asked David to join us for a spin, but he bowed out so we could get some girl time in. I don't know many people who have no problems handing over a one year old Screamin Eagle Road King to out of town guests, even knowing how much I love to roll out miles with his wife!! I'm sure the knowledge that I ride 50 miles a day on crazy California interstate roads also reinforces his faith in my riding ability!!

For the next few hours, we spun around Colorado Springs until it got too chilly to be enjoyable. I'm always stunned by how quickly the temp drops at altitude whenever the sun isn't shining down on you. I was glad that I had packed my chaps in anticipation for a little adventure on this trip! It's kind of like a pocket knife, you never know when you'll need it! Just before dark, we rolled up to their house where we spent the evening eating and hanging out with the family.

So I am now unpacking my suitcase from my arrival yesterday and packing it in anticipation for my departure tomorrow. I fly out to San Antonio to help a friend celebrate the end to a 25 year career in the military. I'm sure I'll have some pics and stories to post from the outing!

Snow and coffee

We all knew it was gonna happen. . . the first snow of the season while I am here in the Springs! It's been absolutely frigid the last couple of days, but today the sun came out and it wasn't too bad. I've been inside in meetings most of the days for the last week anyway, so it's only when I'm walking between buildings or going out to dinner at night that I really feel it. I've been fortunate this trip to be able to get together for dinner with David & Suzanne quite a few times. It's nice to leave complex and talk about something other than work!

Just as getting together with Suzanne & David is at the top of my list of things to do every time I roll into the Springs, a trek down to Raven's Nest Coffee is a must. Although the picture is blurry, that's Paul whipping up another amazing espresso behind the counter. I've been gone a year now and he still knows my "usual"! I don't mind Starbucks when I'm traveling because I know what I'm gonna get, but the worldwide franchise giant doesn't hold a candle to the service and java at the corner of Institute and Boulder streets! Paul and his wife Heather own and operate this great little establishment that roasts its own coffee beans. Go there once and you'll become a regular!!

I've got meetings straight through Saturday and will fly south back to San Diego on Sunday. Have a great weekend!!!

You're still here?!

With such a quick turn-around between trips out here to the Springs, a lot of the folks that work out here didn't realize I had gone back to San Diego! I've been continually greeted with "you're still here?" as I walk around complex! Actually no, I left and came back! Just as well, I like to keep people guessing as to where I am!

Now, I won't bore ya'll with my work life and the drama that sometimes goes with it, but let's just say that the last 4-5 days have been draining. I try hard not to take myself too seriously, but I work really hard and do tend to take my work quite seriously. Sometimes I let work get to me too much, but I'm fortunate to have people in my life that don't let me get too wound up in it! Being the true friends that Suzanne and David are, the mere mention of a stressful day of work prompted them to come pick me up from the training center to take me out to dinner! I jumped into the vehicle and was greeted with a glass of wine from Suzanne and David acting as chauffeur for us for the evening. David, you are a good man!!!

We ALWAYS go to my favorite Indian restaurant (Mirch Masala) when I'm in town, but they were determined to force me from habit and drove me to their favorite new Thai restaurant. What a great deviation from routine!!! We ordered family style and enjoyed a little taste of everything. Drunken noodles, spicy garlic shrimp and spicy eggplant. . . it all made my forehead sweat and my nose run, but tasted great! I didn't think I'd want to eat with chopsticks again for a while so soon after returning from Asia, but this meal was definitely worth it!

In a cruel twist of fate, the weather warmed up as soon as I left on Wednesday only to turn frigid again upon my arrival here last night. Besides sharing dinner, we usually all go out for a spin on the Harleys when I'm in town. Unfortunately, the 48 degree temp this afternoon kept us bound to four wheels instead of two on our quest for dinner. It looks like our two-wheeled excursions are on hold until next spring now.

The evening ended with us having dessert at Montegut's on Tejon and laughing over endless stories. It's amazing how different our lives are but how much we still seem to have in common. There's a link to Suzanne's blog on the right side bar of this blog, so if you're curious about the lives of the parents of eight, check out the link to her blog.

That's all for now. I've got some reports to read before tomorrow's meetings. Enjoy your evening and check in again when you get a chance!

Back in the Rockies

Sorry for taking so long to post again. Of course, I have every excuse in the book for slacking, but I'll use the old stand-by of "I've been so busy"!

I flew out to Colorado Springs on Monday and turned around back to San Diego on Wednesday. Today I returned to the Springs and will be here all week for meetings.

I don't have a whole lot to add right now other than to update everyone on my whereabouts. I'm pretty much on the road for the next two weeks but I'm sure some random adventure will present itself for me to post about, so stay tuned. . .

A charmed life. . .

I think that most of us just go through the motions of our lives the majority of days. We have routines that we run through every day of our lives without thinking. Wake up, have coffee, brush your teeth, get dressed, dress the kids, walk the dog, go to work, whatever may be particular to you.

I've been lucky in that the amount of time I've spent in a "routine" life is pretty minimal. I might grumble about not sleeping in my own bed for more than 2 weeks in a row, but the truth is I like that variability in my life. By nature, I'm a creature of habit, but over the years I've come to need a disruption of my routine in order to still feel alive. Today reminded me of what a great balance of stability and variability I have in my life right now.

At work, I am part of a team. I am a member of a Sportfolio which is essentially a "team around the team." Our Sportfolio team consists of professionals from various disciplines that are required to help a sport team perform optimally. We have a psychologist (Peter), a strength & conditioning coach (Zach), a dietitian (me), an athletic trainer (Vinny), a biomechanist (John) and a team leader (April) who guides us all. Our team is split between the training centers in Colorado Springs and Chula Vista. Periodically, we come together physically for meetings or to work with teams, but it's not very often that we are all geographically together. This week was one of those rare occasions in which we found ourselves converged into the same location for a whole week of meetings. We decided to take advantage of it. . .

A year ago this month, we climbed Pikes Peak with one of the sports we serve. We've done various other activities in the year and a half that we've been together in the name of team-building, so it was only natural that we would use the backdrop of sunny California for a team-building experience while we were all here together. One of our team members, Zach is an avid surfer and suggested we spend the morning bonding out on the ocean. Although the two cold-challenged members of the group cringed ever so slightly at the thought of spending a morning in 62 degree water, April and I decided it would be worth the sacrifice to learn how to surf and to be together as a team. Bright and early this morning, we all met at Mission Beach here in San Diego for our adventure.

We arrived at the beach to coffee, bagels and surfboards. After what Zach described as the quickest brief on how to surf he's ever given, we carried our boards down to the chilly water and waded in. The waves were a good size for learning. I had tried to surf back in Hawaii, but I was never able to actually stand up and ride a wave in. After a couple of hours and lots of coaching by Zach & Vinny, we were all able to at least get our feet on the board as the waves pushed us towards the shore. I could never seem to find my balance and would topple over as soon as I got semi-upright on the board. Finally, I popped up as my board caught a wave and felt like I was actually riding the surf and not just in a transient state of tumbling off my board. It was tiring to continually fight the ocean far enough out to try to catch another wave, but it was fun enough to make me forget how cold I was for a while! To take a break, I paddled out past where the waves were breaking and just sat on the board allowing myself to bob in the rolling waves. Given my love of the water, it was an amazing morning spent in the midst of sensory sources that stir my soul. As you can see in the pic, we all had ear-to-ear grins at the end of our surf experience. In the pic from left to right are Zach, Peter, April, John, Vinny and me.

Unwilling to end our surfing experience, we headed down to Ocean Beach (OB) to the place that serves my favorite fish tacos in all of San Diego- Southbeach Grill! We devoured tacos, beans & rice and chips & salsa before making our way back to the training center. Even with a leisurely ride home via Sunset Cliffs, I made it back to my office in time for a 1:30 pm conference call! On my ride home from work tonight, I couldn't help but feel immensely satisfied with a productive day of work and leisure!

Not sure what the weekend has in store for me, but I fly out to Colorado Springs on Monday and will return on Wednesday evening. Just a little more variability in my routine to keep me on my toes and make me feel alive.

A Marine Corp Base Day

I was in the San Francisco airport on my way to Japan last month when I got an email for an upcoming race called the Boot Camp Challenge. Three miles filled with obstacles and Marine Corp drill instructors offering encouragement along the way- sounds like fun right?! So I go ahead and sign up for the event. Fast forward to Wednesday of this week when I get an email reminder that it's this Saturday! Oh yeah, I forgot I signed up for that. . .

So I get up bright and early this morning and ride off towards MCRD (Marine Corp Recruit Depot) for the race only to be turned away at the gate for not wearing the proper safety gear needed to get my bike on base. Hmmm. . . plan B, ride a few miles up the road to Whit & Kathie's and they'll take me there in the car. I get there in time to hear the safety brief and to catch up with Zach before the start (he's the Strength & Conditioning coach on my team at work). Zach had gone to boot camp on this base 20 years earlier so I think he just wanted to prove to himself that he could still do it!

The event wasn't really a race since there were so many people you couldn't move faster than a jog. The obstacles were mostly hay bales until we got to the permanent obstacle course structures (which had hay bales around them to make them easier). A few low crawl and push up stations were sprinkled along the way to keep it interesting and to give the drill instructors extra chances to use their voices (which were virtually gone already after having graduated a class of 600 new Marines this week). Even though everyone bunched up at the obstacles rendering them not as much of a challenge, it was still a fun morning outside. Whit captured some great video on the course but I can't get it to work on my computer. You can get a feel for the event though from the first pic that Whit took of some random kid being "encouraged" over an obstacle. Even pregnant with twins, Kathie still made a great cheerleader (that's her in the pic with me in front of the blow-up Marine).

Not believing the weatherman's prediction of rain this evening, Whit, Kathie and I headed out to MCAS (Marine Corp Air Station) Miramar for the air show. There were a ton of people there and the carnival-like atmosphere overshadowed the storm rolling in. We didn't get there early enough to check out the static displays, but we managed to get some kettle corn and drinks before making our way to our seats. As we hung out watching the primer aircraft stunts while waiting for the main event to begin, it became clear that we were going to get wet at some point during the evening.


We went to the twilight show so we could experience the great pyrotechnics that would accompany the air demonstrations. Fortunately we got to see the HV-8B Harrier demo, the Patriots Team program (the four L-39 jets in the pic with the red, white & blue smoke trails), and the Blue Angels "Fat Albert" C-130T Hercules before the weather set in. Much to my disappointment, the Army Golden Knights Parachute Team jump had to be cancelled because of the 1200 foot ceiling that had moved in. The Shockley's Jet Truck was pretty cool though, especially after darkness set in. This jacked up truck had 1000 hp and shot down the runway at almost 400 mph leaving a trail of fire shooting out behind it!

Although not aviation related, the Patriot Chopper made by Orange County Choppers was on display and drew quite a crowd. Built in 2007, the bike was designed incorporating winning ideas from soldiers around the country. The finished product has a front wheel with 7 spears representing the 7 Army values, an ammunition belt lining the handlebars, chromed M-4 magazines for struts, and an M-4 rifle mounted near the rear wheel. I'm fascinated with choppers, especially those with so much symbolism and detail but I don't think I'd own and ride one. I guess I'm spoiled with my windshield and backrest!!

The night ended with a wet ride for me through the rain back to Coronado on my own, old-ladied out Sportster! What can I say, I'm a simple girl. . .