10/31/11

Caption This!

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Prince Jordan & Lady Camille Halloween 1995 or 96.

I laugh every time I look at this picture. The relationship dynamics are the same at any age. LOVE THIS!

 

What do you say?

10/30/11

Just For Me

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I am asked all the time…”Why do you do all of this? Are you crazy or something?” Well, I may be a tad crazy, but there is a method to my madness. The reason that comes to mind every time is I do if JUST FOR ME. Every medal, every accomplishment, every mile is MINE. I did that.

 

I do it for me.

 

You see, a long time ago I married a man who had (still does) ambition, vision & dreams. He had a plan for our family and we agreed that he would lead us there – his career/business ventures would be put first and I would support him and do what what necessary to keep us True North. The FireMarshall Empire is doing pretty good – despite the challenges, risks, hills & valleys. To sum it up, I am to The FireMarshall what Pepper Potts is to Tony Starks…and that’s fine – it works for us. Sometimes, though, I want to be the star. I want something – to do something – that is my very own.

 

I don’t know if that make any sense to ya’ll, but after I finished my first triathlon (even though I swore I’d never do that again) I felt exhilarated, POWERFUL, a sense of accomplishment & success that was indescribable…and it was MINE.

 

I do it JUST FOR ME.

 

This year has been a wonderful year of challenges, growth & personal success. It has kept me sane though one of the most trying year(s) of our lives. 12 months. 10 races.

2 – 10 Milers, 1-10k, 1- Triathlon Relay(Bike), 5-Triathlons, 1-Century ride. Whew, Chile. I put together a little slide show of the journey --

 

A Year in The Wide World of TravelDiva Sports

 

 

Is there anything you do JUST FOR YOU?

10/26/11

Is Anybody There?

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I blog cause I want to. It is my virtual diary of my life and sometimes what I think about the surrounding drama. I live my (or rather our) life out loud as the FireMarshall is always saying.

 

At first, I didn’t care that I didn’t get very many comments…and then, as I started writing more and more….I did care. Every blogger wants comments – we want to interact with our audience. How do I know I even have an audience? Well, there are the stats (page views, time on site, etc.) and then there are all the people I run into that tell me they read along. We not only want to write it down but we want to discuss it too.

 

I started to get some comments and things were growing and we were having a good ole time. Then I went and got all damn fancy and tried to “upgrade” my commenting features to Haloscan from the blogger commenting. That worked all fine and dandy…until Haloscan switched to JS-Kit which promptly got ate up by Echo…and then it went all to hell. Echo got all uppity and decided that the commenting features were no longer going to be free – even basic, little ole me free commenting – yeah, fork over $10/month for the service period and we might just let you keep all your past comments. HUMPH.

 

I stuck with the Haloscan/Echo Free commenting for a LONG ASS while before I realized that because I wasn’t paying up, free wasn’t really free. Free meant commenting features were sporadic if they worked AT ALL. In other words, nobody could comment – EVER. I started hearing from friends that they couldn’t comment so they just left a message on FB or something. I started to investigate. Now, I don’t know nuttin about how this shyat works really. Just give me the damn code, tell me where to cut and past and wham. Done. I went to every computer in the house – I wasn’t able to comment. DAG NABIT. Then I went on a mission “just switch back on Blogger commenting”.

 

Not so damn easy. Not so damn fast. Whoa partner.

 

I spent the better part of the afternoon using Mr. Google to figure out how to remove the JSKit/Haloscan code and how to restore Blogger. After crashing my template XML code (I don’t know what I just said, but crash my blog it did – thank God I backed my template up) I simply reverted “widget templates to default” and it was DONE. I had to put back in the code for my signature & for the label cloud, but everything else stayed the same.

 

While I lost ALL of my old comments…FUGG YOU ECHO…it was worth it. You suck. Your overpriced service with no service SUCKS. Goodbye.

 

If you have been following along all this time and haven’t been commenting cause ECHO SUCKS BIG TIME, I hope you will come back by and talk with me.

 

Welcome. Let the normal crazy recommence.

Testing

Had to change some things back. SIGH. JS-Kit/Echo Commenting SUCKED

10/24/11

The Great Pumpkin

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This past weekend, the Royal Court took Princess Cara out in search of The Great Pumpkin. We went off to Sharps Farm, petting some animals, looked at the corn maze from the outside (I wasn’t walking out there in that mess…it was HUGE), went on a hayride out to the acres of pumpkins and then searched for the perfect one(s).

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                    hayride CaraPumpkin

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After selecting our pumpkins, we had to load them back onto the hay ride tractor and then load them into a cart for weighing. Yeah those suckers were .49/lb. The 3 I paid for were each $13+. Heavy suckers.

 

After the farm, we rode over the river & through the woods back to civilization and went to a “Fall Festival” where we promptly got Princess Cara & her friend Lady Nichcelle zooted on sugary sweets and whatnot. Yeah, so. We brushed our teeth later.

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Tonight, we commenced on The Great Pumpkin Carving Project which required two sets of pumpkin cutting tools – one that was like a mini motorized saw – a butcher knife, a couple of serrated blades and big scooping spoons.

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…AND this was the final results of tonight’s efforts….

 

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THE GREAT PUMPKIN LIVES!

Do you carve up your pumpkins all elaborate like?

10/19/11

Wordless Wednesday: This Way For 100 Miles

10/16/11

Sea Gull Century Wind Tunnel Experience

Saturday, several thousand people met up to do the Sea Gull Century Ride in Salisbury, MD including me and a few other people that temporarily lost their damn minds…although being crazy together made the cycling of 100 miles madness all the better.

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This had to be one of the most challenging rides I have EVER done. The wind was BEASTLY! We went from ranging 15-20mph over the first 40 miles to being blown down to 6-8 mph at times over the rest of the course. The last 40 had to be the ABSOLUTE WORST. It felt like we were going uphill for 40 miles. PERIOD. Simply put…

 

We got Byotch Slapped by the Wind. HARD.

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The scenery was beautiful. The camaraderie was fantastic. I would have not made it if it was for the hugs, the encouragement, and Maddy’s back wheel pulling me along those last few miles…I was feeling mighty low…I was feeling real bad…and then I saw Maddy…and I KNOWED DER WAS A GAWD!!!

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Key Learnings:

  • Booty Butter IS your friend. Apply often.
  • So isn’t Motrin & Biofreeze
  • More Padding. MORE
  • Figure out how to keep up with a pace line.
  • Strength training. STAT
  • There is a huge difference between racing in a Triathlon & riding with large groups of people.
  • The orange slices…manna from heaven. Fig Newtons too!
  • Oh, and that chick that thought it was cute to be snarky about my motivational sign on my bike…BITE ME!

I mounted a camera on my bike and was able to get some video during the ride. Enjoy!

10/12/11

Army 10 Miler–After Action Report

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Despite the fact that I felt TOTALLY unprepared to make a respectable showing at this race – I WILL NEVER QUIT! I over committed myself this season and in a hail mary effort to improve my swim ability (not drown from fear & panic) and to learn to ride Diva Dawes in clips without busting my ass, I sacrificed my running. The most distance I put in was 6 miles during my last tri. Shame on me and this was the result.

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The very idea that I was running for 2 damn hours and that the winners were done for over an hour already is just demoralizing…but I WILL NEVER QUIT!

 

The best part…suffering running with my TOP MAFIA – Ms.Pattey. Adding to the awesome was having my Tri buddy (TriBecca) with me to run in that last 2 miles from hell – WAS IT EVER GOING TO END - and seeing GBaby, Pier and Cassandra out there cheering us on. Ya’ll don’t know how much it means to hear your name called, to hear personal encouragement from your friends/family out on the course. It is one of the only things that can make the difference between giving up and pushing on. THANK YOU!

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I love this race, but this year they changed the Finish/Start and it was the biggest Charlie Foxtrot ON THE PLANET. Who thought it was brilliant to make the finish area a 1/2mile long narrow chute and make everyone walk that far to get some water? Who came up with the azz backward plan to make it so that spectators could barely get near a damn thing with all those damn barriers up? Who thought that nobody would start climbing the concrete barriers so that they didn’t have to walk 5 miles back to the Pentagon Metro or the Mall to get to their transportation? Who was the smart organizer that made it damn near impossible to find a medic/medic tent…what? there was only ONE in the entire South parking lot BACK near the finish line.

 

For real doh?

 

At the end of the race, everything was spread out so damn far, too difficult to find that we just gave up trying to find the HOOAAH tent, the good food, the good goodies. We grabbed our Finishers Coin and hobbled a gazillion miles & over 2 concrete dividers to get to the metro.

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We came – We Ran – We got the Bling. BOOYAH!!!

 

Beautiful course. Great Race. Fugged up Finish Area. (MOVE THAT ISH BACK INTO NORTH PARKING – Y’ALL SUCKED THIS YEAR). I had a great time.

 

After seeing the FANTABULOUS SPARKLY DIVAISH BLING that the Disney races give out, MsPattey and I are looking at doing the Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon at Disney Orlando next year…I want that bling baby.

 

Watch out for me. I might just whip out my coin on you – BAAM! You got one of these? No. What you do this past weekend?

 

RUN ARMY HOOAH!!!!!!

Your Man Reminder

 

If this can’t get you to give your breasts some TLC then I don’t know what can! Hilarious. Enjoy and Rethink Breast Cancer…download the app and choose your man to remind you to get some breast TLC.

10/10/11

Grown Women Gone Wild–Part 2

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Remember the first Top Mafia, BFF Weekend? Check it out…I’ll wait.

 

Okay…Well, one of my TOP MAFIA – my HandyHOTness partner in crime – came in to town to run the Army 10 Miler with me. Another weekend with my friend and I feel like I need a kidney transplant from laughing so damn hard –CONSTANTLY!

 

Another weekend of hilarious moments…

  • Yes, you CAN be run over by your own Segway.
  • “OPG” does NOT stand for “Old People Grovin’”…it stands for Original Pretty Girls. Seriously!
  • Friends don’t let friends take pictures with a cow.
  • “How long it take you to get here on the bus? 20 hours?”
  • You really haven’t cursed anyone out until you spit a “FUGG YOU” at someone from deep down in the gut. FUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGG YOUUUUUUUUUU!!!!
  • You know how you recover from the humiliation & embarrassment of taking a picture with a COW?…You braid your BFF’s hair so hard & tight for 2 hours until she has a migraine. Muuwaaaahhh!!!

Ms.Pattey came in on Thursday and did a tour of the Pentagon and 9-11 Memorial with a friend from high school. On Friday, we did a City Segway Tour of DC that was an absolute BLAST. My only advice if you ever do a tour on a Segway…wear a pair of shoes that you could stand still in for 3 hours.

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Yes, you are moving along at 10mph (for the most part), but you are essentially standing in place – in the same position for 3 hours. My feet were screaming. I can’t even imagine how the girl wearing heels on the tour was feeling by the end. DUMB.

 

After the tour, we were in great need of sustenance and stumbled upon Cuba Libre on 9th St. DELICOUS!!! Both the food & the adult beverages.

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After we were sated, we hopped back on the Metro and went to pick up our race packets for the Army 10 Miler. We probably spent WAAAAY too much time checking out all the vendors & spent WAAAAY too much money…AND took a picture with a cow instead of a cheetah (I’m still traumatized) but a good time was had by all.

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We hooked up with TriBecca at the expo and she was kind enough to drive us up to Howard University so we could make our last stop on our Friday adventure. Rankin Chapel to see the AKA Founders Stained Glass Window. What a treat! As beautiful as I knew it would be.

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All of that was just Friday…Saturday was a blur of shopping, eating, shopping and laughing. Sunday was the Army 10 Miler (race report will be up later).

 

We had a wonderful weekend. I love all the different adventures I go on with my Top Mafia! Just the best group of friends – EVER. I think we have mastered that Recipe for Friendship.

 

I hope you have tried that recipe. It is great for the soul.

10/5/11

Wordless Wednesday

Prince Jordan & Lady Camille

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10/4/11

Why I Tri–Reason #221

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…and it WILL happen. Me and my Tri victims friends will be able to out swim, bike & run any zombie that even thinks to chase us to for a meal or bite us to make us part of the zombie clan. Better yet, I personally have the skill set to swim, bike, run AND shoot & stab at the same time. I’m a good person to have on the Zombie killing team.

 

Zombies got nuttin’ on me!

 

Why do you Tri?

10/3/11

Ride 60

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This past Sunday a bunch of us that signed up for the Seagull Century Ride wanted to get in some mileage in preparation. Since all of us except our fearless Ironman Leader had never done 100 miles before, we thought it was a pretty good idea to try and do 50-60 miles before the race. Uh Huh.

 

Our (TriUnify’s) resident Ironman, TarusN lead us on our 60 mile trek. It was cold (about 60) with wind and drizzling rain. WE SUCKED IT UP AND DROVE ON. If it ain’t raining, you ain’t training. HOO AAAHH! We had to get it in. However, I want you to know that Tarus lies embellishes the truth. He SAID that there were only a few “rolling” hills, nothing too tough. Lies from the pits of hell. A slight misrepresentation of reality. There were SEVERAL hills that made all of us curse & cry at the same time. It was RE-DAMN-DICULOUS.

 

We did it! No man/woman was left behind. We practiced pace lines and grabbed tips and tricks from each other. Our group was BEASTLY…especially Maddy (the pretty lady in pink). She was the epitome of perseverance and determination…a lesson & inspiration to us all.

 

Stay tuned for Tales of the Century.

10/2/11

Soulful Sunday–Mom, Me & NYC

I spent a wonderful day in September with my mother, The Queen Mum, in NYC at an outdoor concert on the Great Lawn, Central Park, New York City to see Andrea Bocelli. We stood, we talked, we walked, we made friends, we laughed, we got wet & we shivered…Another wonderful time with my mother.

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