I hit a tree

The only major dowfall of the camping weekend was me clipping a tree in the truck. The truck was parked out of the way, at the top of a hill. I went to move it, and bring it into the campsite so that I could load it to leave.

No big deal right?

Somehow, in backing it out, I managed to clip a small tree with the back right corner of the bumper. Oops.
Honestly, it really doesn't look that bad. Except that the bumper came in, and bent the quarter panel. And that the quarter panel came in and overlaps the tailgate. And that the tailgate grinds when you open it...

You would think a truck like this could move a small 4" tree...But apparently it didn't happen. The tree won.

Did I mention that that isn't my truck? It's my dad's! So yea, his son wrecked his truck. Now it's not just an "Oops" it's an "Uh-oh".

Sorry Dad.

Camporee and Camping

We had a great weekend! Of course we had a few little roadbumps, but otherwise it was a fabulous weekend.

It started Friday with the Boy Scout Camporee at Lake Martin. Nearly 150 scouts showed up to spend a weekend camping, working on requirements, and generally having a great time. The kids learned the basics like knots, orienteering, first aid, and Leave No Trace Camping.

One of the highlights is that both, Bethany and I went and enjoyed time relaxing away from everything around the house. Fun times. Also, considering it was a scout outing, Bethany got to enjoy Boy Scout food prepared by me!

Friday was nothing special. We stopped by the gas station for pizza.

Saturday breakfast - pancakes, eggs and sausage. Lunch - deli sandwiches. Dinner - Steak, baked potatoes, and an apple cobbler. We cooked the potatos and cobbler in dutch ovens.

Sunday was simply breakfast burritos cooked in a ziploc bag.

The kids had a blast. The whole weekend wrapped up pretty early on Sunday morning. Most of the kids were out and heading back. This was the perfect opportunity for us to go out fishing and relaxing on the lake too.

It sure was nice to get out, get some camping nights in, and have a little fun on the lake!

(pictures to come)

Everyone loves Hooper

Who doesn't love mascots?



Who doesn't love mascots even more when they throw down awesome dunks?



Who doesn't love mascots when you personally know them? Awesome Hooper. Awesome!

Superman....without a cape...

Meet Ryan Hall. Marathoner.

Here's some practice footage of him preparing for the Boston Marathon...

VIDEO FEED HAS BEEN REMOVED. PLEASE CLICK LINK ABOVE.

Quite impressive. If you don't have the 7mins to watch here are some of the interesting points:
-8mi easy warmup (pace for mile 1 - 4:18, mile 2 - 4:24, miles 3-8 - sub 4:30)
-2mi at race pace (9:15)
-He'd love to win Boston, but that's not his dying dream.

Yea, he's a machine. Really cool. Matter of fact, he placed 3rd at Boston yesterday.

It's about time

Finally, some really good friends of ours decided it was time to make a step in their relationship. Well, he at least decided he'd pop the question...


So, he took her to one of the many overlooks of the city and gave her his spill about love and marriage and how he's crazy about her. Then, he got down on one knee and asked her that famous question....


Then pulled the ring from the box...

And she said yes!

So, Congratulations Michael & Kym. That's pretty exciting. From the both of us, we wish you the best and look forward to the big day!

How it went down...

We had a pretty fun birthday celebration, so I thought I'd share it...

Dinner was planned to be at 5points Grill here in Birmingham. Neither of us had been there, and it sounded like a good place to try. Sure, why not.

Since the grill is just down the road from Bethany's work the plan was to meet her there after taking care of the dogs at home. It's a minor inconvenience, but well worth it.

I got home, let the dogs out, got the mail, fed the dogs, grabbed the camera and headed back out. And right as I shut the garage door, I realized I didn't have my truck keys. They just got locked in the house...

Don't worry, I have a spare truck key in the truck. I can just deal with it when we get home. Except that the truck was locked too. Not to worry, there's a spare key hidden in the garage.... nope. Somehow it's not there. Crap. Oh yea, the neighbor has a spare key. Too bad he's not home either.Well, I guess I ought to call Bethany and give her a heads up...except my cell phone was in my truck.

Hmm....So now, I'm locked out the house and the truck, yet my phone is in the truck and I cannot access any of my spares.

Finally, I noticed one of the neighbors was home and had to borrow a phone. Who does that anymore? Talk about feeling odd...

I shared the excitement with Bethany, told her she'd need to come home, and we'd reconsider dinner plans. No big deal. It'll be fine.

After she came home, I jumped in the car and we wound up going to Shogun instead. Still very good, but a complete turn around from our original plans. Hey, I even received a fruit desert and a Birthday song! :)

It turned out great regardless!

Happy Birthday 2009 edition

Yep, it's that time of year. It's my birthday! Happy Birthday to me! So far, it's been a pretty good birthday too (granted it is 0700). It's already better than last year's little celebration.

Tonight we'll actually get to go out and celebrate...so cool! :)

Thanks for the cards you've sent through the mail. Some came in yesterday. I really appreciate it! I even got one from "Chilly New York". :)

Very Rare

Isn't it awesome when you stumble upon a rarity and it just makes you smile? You know, like short lines and smart people at the DMV?

That really doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's great.

It happened today. I went to renew my license and to my surprise there were only two people in line, and 5 people in the whole building waiting. Took me less than 20mins and that included the driving time!

Awesome!

Where'd it go?

I seriously thought Spring was here. I really did. I mean, come on, who didn't?

The last several days and weekends have been in the 70s with light breezes and full of sun too. Perfect to get outside in and enjoy. My afternoon runs have been going outside, my bike rides have been in short sleeved shirts, and working in the yard wasn't unbearable. It's been great.

Until this week.

I guess it started with rain on Sunday. Then the wet ground and cooler temps went cooler. Monday barely got into the 50s. It stayed slightly overcast all day. The wind even picked up out of nowhere and started blowing. And worst yet is that it got even colder last night. I mean into the 30s. Yea, that's cold. And this morning? My truck registered "ICE" on the temp guage.

It's April. It's Springtime. It should be nice and warm out.

Yet it's cold.

Come back Spring. Come back NOW!

Complete surprise

"If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, triathlon must have taken him completely by surprise." ~ P.Z. Pearce

Yep, this just raises my confidence levels through the roof. I tell you what...

Post Race Update

The final results are in, and it looks like we did a little better than we though on race day. Pretty cool. Some of the photos have been uploaded, but I haven't gone through them all yet. There were quite a few.

After I finished, I ran back to cross with Bethany and this seems to be the only photo I could find of the two of us running together. Robert - Placed 232, Time 29:28
Bethany - Placed 373, Time 33:13

Race Day - Semi Live Blogging

It's race day. It's slightly raining. We're getting ready. Here's a little play-by-play as the race goes on...

-0600 - We're up. We're checking on the race status. They made a comment it could be cancelled in the event of severe weather.

-0610 - Race is on. We're getting ready.

-0635 - The bottom just fell out. It's pouring outside. Sheeting rain. I'm packing a rain jacket.

-0645 - Off to the race. See you when we get back.

-0715 - Arrival at the parking center. It's still raining, but not terribly hard. Bethany's elected to wear her rain jacket. Me, not so much.

-0740 - There are quite a few folks here despite the rain. They are putting on costumes. One group has fake butts and hospital gowns. Guess they are competing for the costume award.

-0750 - Anybody seen the start line?

-0755 - Oh, it's by the stop sign. Got it. We're getting there.

- 0800 - And we're off. Here we go.

- 0829 - Robert's finished. Slower than he wanted, but faster than the last time. Now, to find Bethany.

-0833 - Bethany's finished. She made it. Yay Bethany! :)

Overall, it wasn't too bad. The sponsors did a pretty good job of providing us with entertainment afterwards too. We worked our way back toward the local school gym, where we were treated w/ a $10 off coupon to The Melting Pot, a few water bottles, and the usual bananas, bagels, cookies, coffee, and water.

A few highlights:
- The group w/ the hospital gowns was pretty impressive. The next best group would be the girls dressed as bunnies passing out Easter Eggs as they ran.
- The guys passing out water at the aid station managed to spill the water on me instead of passing it to me. There was a goof w/ the handoff and next thing I know, water is being splashed on my face instead of in my mouth.
- Bethany's knee hurt. She's mentioning taking it easy for a little while. We'll see.

Now, not a whole lot. We're talking of possibly a bike ride later, and taking the dogs to the park. Should be a nice easy relaxing day. :)

Wonderful Weather

Here's the weekend weather forcast for our area for the upcoming race I blogged about last week. FYI - the race is Saturday.
According to the website:
THE RACE WILL CONTINUE RAIN OR SHINE. The race will only be cancelled in the event of severe weather. We will continue to monitor the weather situation, so keep checking this site for updates.

Looks like we may be running in the rain. Secretly, let's all hope nobody shows, then I might can place among the top in my age group... :) Well, at least hope so.

8 days and counting

The first race for 2009 is just over a week away. Bethany and I have been doing a little running through the neighborhood lately in preparation for it, so hopefully we'll be ready.

The Rumpshaker 5k

From their website: The Rumpshaker 5k Run/Walk benefiting colon cancer awareness is an event the entire family will enjoy! Runners, walkers, individuals, families, teams, and volunteers are all welcome. We'll have door prizes, age group awards, team awards, food, and free stuff. Come out and join us on March 28, 2009 at the Mountain Brook City Hall located in the Crestline Village area of Birmingham, Alabama to support this important cause.

As we finished off our training run last night our cool down conversation went something like this:
me: I feel like the engine is ready, but I'm concerned I'm going to be racing on flat tires.
her: At least you think you can finish it
me: What are you talking about, you can do this?
her: It's been 2yrs since I've run a 5k
me: oh. huh.

I'm hoping it's just a simple run to help me measure my fitness as I prepare for my first triathlon, while she's just hoping she can get to the finish line. We all know she can do it though.

She knows she can do it too!

So, in 8 days, we'll be shaking our rumps to the finish line. Hope to see some of you there!

I wasn't speeding

Wednesday nights lately have had me slightly occupied with the local bike rides hosted by the shop. They send one of their workers out with us, to take us around town. They sorta provide a rolling "auto shop" in the event of a break down or something. That and they know all of the local roads, routes, and rules. Pretty helpful.

Well last night was a completely new ride, with some of the same folks. We've been averaging 10-15 riders per ride and we've been covering between 12-20mi at a time. Pretty easy pace.

It started with the same basic few miles through the neighborhoods & parks before venturing into traffic and through office parks. Then we turned for the "real ride". It started with a long slow climb. The climb went for nearly 3mi of just steady upwards.

As we approached the top, we pulled aside, waited for everyone, and then realized we needed to head back to beat daylight. We made a turn and stopped again at the red light. Our group leader warned us that once we turn, we'll be going downhill at a rather fast pace. To watch for debris and lightly feather the brakes. Just a warning.

We turned. Everyone shifted and we were off, picking up speed. Serious speed. I looked at the speedometer and saw 44.8. I laughed when I saw the speed limit sign of 45. Almost. I never saw whether or not if I broke the limit, but I was close.
Now I've hit the 30-35mph range quite a bit. It's not that bad. Once you've been there it's fine. This is a first for the 45mph. That's fast. That's really fast when you realize that your tires are less than an inch wide and your brakes are less than 1/2 inch thick.

After the dowhill, it was merely a few more red lights to pass through, a little neighborhood ride, and we were back at the shop before dark. Nothing better.

I'm ready to sign up for it again!