Beach House Priorities

The Rum Punch is ready...the bar is open. What y'all doing for the holiday? Coming to Ocean City...HOLLA!

“The Coalition”- Film Premier

This past weekend at the ABFF (American Black Film Festival),  "The Coalition" premiered and was a resounding success with two completely sold out showings. The movie and its successful premier was due to the hard work and dedication of the creative talent at Team Sizzle Films, Inc. headed by Executive Producer & Writer Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens (NFL Defensive Player of the Year) and  Monica Mingo – Producer, Director & Writer. Friend, Blogger and Filmmaker extraordinaire.

 

“The Coalition” - a temporary alliance of distinct parties, persons, or states for joint action.

 

Short Synopsis - The bad boys club is really not all that bad. Young,rich and handsome...the boys know how to have a good time. They love women, fast cars and doing whatever they want to do. There comes a time in life, however, when karma is helped along. When it's done by a group of scorned women...it can prove to be devastating.

 

Check out the movie trailer:

"The Coalition" Trailer - OFFICIAL from Team Sizzle Films on Vimeo.

 

Check on Highlights from The Coalition Premier:

The Coalition Premiere Highlights! from Team Sizzle Films on Vimeo.

 

Learn more at:

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THECOALITIONFILM

WWW.TEAMSIZZLEWORLDWIDE.COM

Race Report: Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon–Sprint

 

Once again, the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon was my “Official” Triathlon Season Opener…and it still amuses me to say season opener. I participated in the Sprint Distance event with three of my AKA Sorors (Nineteen69, R.Pitts & Bailey) along with some new friends, one being James – the official PRAYER WARRIOR of our group.

 

What did I learn from this race…I STILL have work to do – not just the physical, but primarily in the mental area. There STILL was nothing earth shattering about my finish – EXCEPT I finished 6 min faster than last year. In the scheme of things, I had a 10% improvement in my time. TEN FREAKIN’ PERCENT. When I look at it that way, well, HOT DAMN, not freaking bad for an middle age chick! Nevertheless, I could have perhaps made that a 15% improvement if I had pushed through my discomfort or “perceived” tiredness instead of remaining in a “I’m comfortable” zone & crusing.

 

I am committed to working on the mental and I have “checked in” with my coach and requested more “check in time”. Coach Torture is a great coach…for me and when I’m with him or at least talk to him about my training for the week, I seem to do better, work harder, push myself past that mind hump I wasn’t going past.

 

SOOOO…while I learned that I STILL have some work to do…I HAD A FRIGGIN BLAST during this race. Can you tell?:

  

I have to say, I AM ADDICTED to Triathlon. I don’t know if it is just the sport, the challenge, the endorphin rush – I KNOW it’s the bling – I don’t know. What I DO know is that the friends I have that I’ve conned into this adventure, the friends I’ve made, the absolute fun I have, my family support…I just can’t get any better! Check out the Tri-AKA’s:

 

I LOVE MY SOROR’s. I LOVE MY SHIRT. WE ARE TRIATHLETE’s. I am so proud of my ladies (Nineteen69 & Pitts) who came back to tackle the race again! But even more inspiring is Bailey! That chick learned how to swim in 3 months and came out here and DID THIS DAMN THING!!! WHAT. WHO DAT! She is my SHERO! If she can conquer the water, learn to swim where there was no ability before and then bust out a Tri – AND NOT COME IN LAST AT THAT! – what is any of our excuse for not achieving our dreams/goals? SERIOUSLY? What?

 

And then there was JamesB…Who I met last year at a party in Philly for the first time and literally PUNKED this man into doing the tri with us. AND HE DID! Let me tell you…this man is a PRAYING! man. Our prayer warrior.

He gathered us all around, Tri-AKA’s, Uche, James &…(sorry if I missed someone) and he prayed – for super natural strength, for God to be a fence in the water – to walk on the water beside us, to protect us and thanked Him for blessing us with the ability to swim bike run when so many others can’t. WOW!  I have decided that I have to figure out a way to skype/call with the Tri-AKA’s & James so I can have a prayer session before the start of my IM 70.3 Cozumel in Sept. HAVE TO!

    

THE SPRINT COURSE
.8K swim / 25.3K bike / 5K run
.5 mile swim / 15.7 mile bike / 3.1 mile run

SWIM: BEST SWIM EVER!!! I don’t know what else to say about it. After last years fiasco panic attack swim, this swim was just AWESOME! I never stopped. I was steady, even – slow perhaps, but I got out of the water and felt GREAT! After reviewing the time, I knocked off 10 min from last year. GO ME!!!!!

 

BIKE: I felt fabulous. I thought I was doing something and had gotten stronger/faster when I was able to maintain my cadence in the big gear on front/mid range on back --- EXCEPT on the hills. After seeing my time, I realized any gains I made on the course, I absolutely LOST on the hills. Take-away – HILL WORK, Strength training. Wish list – new bike (yeah, that’s not happening soon) so – HILL WORK, Strength training.

 

RUN: I felt okay…and I cruised. I didn’t even start breathing hard. And when I should have been kicking it in…I wasn’t. I didn’t. And when I finally realized that I was malingering on this run when the damn race was practically over, it was too late to make it up.

 

Another take away – I will NEVER train or race without my HRM/GPS or speedometer again. EVER. If I had them on me, I would have known that I had to take it up a notch, kick it in and stop pussy footing around. LESSON LEARNED.

 

Congratulations LISA STEPTOE!
Here are your results for the 2012 Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon:

Swim              27:23
Bike            1:06:43
Run                42:16
Final           2:26:16

I AM A TRIATHLETE!

Steptoe Group, LLC - Mission: Small Business

9 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE. 160 VOTES STILL NEEDED!

 

Steptoe Group would appreciate your support and vote to help us qualify for a $250,000 Grant from Chase and Living Social.

 

The Steptoe Group is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business started in 2008 by Ronald and Lisa Steptoe, West Point Class of 1987 and a select team of partners committed to working in partnership with government agencies and private organizations to ensure access by all citizens to evidence based quality healthcare and health education services. The firm is nationally recognized and acclaimed by leading health care, academia, and the government organizations for its innovative solutions in education, training and assessment platforms. The firm’s pioneering work and focus is in systemic improvements to the quality care and support services provided to the nation’s service members, veterans, and their families impacted by war and / or service.

 

Please go to www.missionsmallbusiness.com, click “Support”, find us by entering in Business: Steptoe Group  - State: Maryland – City: Clarksville, and VOTE!

 

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

To learn more about Steptoe Group, LLC, visit www.thesteptoegroup.com

SegWaying with the Ladies

Saturday Segway Tour of Annapolis. It was all grins & giggles till I flipped the damn thing in the middle of the street and busted my royal ass. Shit hurt, but the gazillion dollar camera was A-OK.

 

  

 

We had a lovely tour of downtown Annapolis followed by lunch at Prussers – which had THE BEST PainKillers & Bushwhackers on the planet – like EVER! Rounded out the day with some light shopping with the Queen Mum (new beach hats, bags & replenished the cigar stash – ready for the OC Vacation).

 

 

You should take the time to check out downtown Annapolis & the waterfront. Makes for a great weekend excursion.

 

Side note: Organizing an event for the Usual Suspects is like herding cats – damn near impossible. I pass the baton onto another member of the Tribe.

Cooking With Love–Living Social French Cooking Class

Last night, the Queen Mum and I used the  Living Social Modern French Cuisine Cooking Class with Chef Bernard Henry vouchers I purchased for QM for Mother’s Day.

WHAT A BLAST!! And now I am seriously considering putting together a dinner party. Chef Henry was entertaining while imparting cooking tips over each course paired with a glass of wine. What a wonderful way to learn some new recipes and cooking skills.

 

Two new rules or key takeaways that I got out of the class:

1. You can always add – you can NEVER take away. Cooking is an art. Following a recipe is part just being able to read AND taste. If it calls for 1 Tablespoon of Salt…start with half and…
2. TASTE, TASTE, TASTE. – you can always add.

Since the microphone and the monitors were malfunctioning last night…and the class was small (under 20), Chef Henry would have us gather around the main island/station, demonstrate a skill or how to get a part of the dish together and then send us back to our station to get to work. He would then come around and taste everyone’s dish and make a suggestion or give us the thumbs up. It was like a friendly Top Chef.

      

      

The Menu

 

Zucchini-Basil Soup

Lamb Skewers With Green Olive & Mint Sauce

Sautéed Cod with Asparagus Sauce and Fennel

Rum Raisin Bread Pudding

 

All I can say – DE-FUGGING-LICIOUS!!!! OMG! OMG! OMG!

     

          

The FireMarshall is VERY excited that I have a new recipe for Bread Pudding – his absolute favorite desert.

 

Cooking with Love…and the Joy of Cooking.

 

Do you have a passion for cooking?

Vow Renewal–25th Wedding Anniversary Party

The party was EPIC! OMG!!! We had just the best time ever.

 

So many of our friends and family joined us in what had to be one of the greatest celebrations EVER!!

 

From all of the friends & family, the food (which was delicious if I don’t say so myself), THE RUM PUNCH! (let me give credit to Ila Gator- girrrrllllll), the rum punch replenishment crew of Bert & Misty, the entertainment crew of Seth & Mirella who brought a moon bounce for the kids (the laughing & screaming could be heard 20 miles away) AND produced the FIREWORKS display – WOW, JUST, WOW! …

 

…to the SURPRISE of the century! (Ron is just way to good at that keeping secrets stuff) – my classmate, my differential equations buddy, bestest friend & WP Gospel Choir Director extraordinaire – Walter Cunningham & his partner Eric – flew down from Dartmouth to celebrate with us. What a most incredible gift!

 

Sunday was fantabulous as well! We had BIG BREAKFAST with all of our overnight guests - Jeff & Regina Thor, Walter & Eric, Val & Manny (and my baby Maia) & Darren Blackwell who came back over & provided champagne support for the morning mimosa’s.

 

GLORIOUS WEEKEND.

 

Enclosed is a video from the Vow Renewal Ceremony! Thank you to our very own Pastor Robby Davis from our church home – Celebration Church –for blessing our day.

25 Years of Love–Our Silver Wedding Anniversary

Today is 25th Wedding Anniversary of the Emperor & Empress Steptoe, rulers of the True Blessing Estate Empire. We have had a wonderful journey together - more peaks than valleys, more joys than sorrows, more sunshine than rain.

Happy Anniversary! May the next 25 years be just as blessed.

Enjoy this video slide show of 29 years together, 25 years of Marriage (…and love)

Shark Bait

The FireMarshall gave me a wetsuit for Mother's Day (another sign you are addicted to Triathlon - when your gift wish list only has Tri gear on it). Tried my Orca Sleeveless Wetsuit. I managed to get it on & zipped all by myself (shredding this gloves that come with it). I think that should be considered a training session.

I look like a baby seal in this thing. HA! Hope there are no sharks in the Bay this Sunday for my 1st Open Water of the season. Hmmm...maybe I'll let everyone go ahead of me so, if there are, the sharks will be full by time they get to my yummy seal lookin' self.

I AM A TRIATHLETE!