Blog - NWF Green Hour

Ok. As a family who would prefer to be outside rather than inside this (Blog - NWF Green Hour)is very disheartening. Go ahead click on it and read it.

So far we have not had to go to the dictionary to look up any nature words, I guess because we have always spent so much time out doors my kids just seem to know what everything is....that and the nature magazines they have received since they were about 2. But can you imaging city dwellers who do not have the access to the outdoors like us? I cannot even fathom!

A new project we are starting this month is picking a bud on a tree or bush and documenting its life cycle from now until fall (idea from green hour.org) through pictures and sketches. My guess is Phoenix will want to draw everything and Griffin will want to photography it, will be interesting how this plays out.

Oh how I dream of a white Christmas

Growing up we mostly lived in tropical locations, at least we lived in tropical locations from the time I was 4 when we moved to Hawaii until my dad retired in Orlando. So any Christmas memories I still have are of warm Christmases. Occasionally my dad would be transferring during the Christmas season and we would stop in Ohio en-route to visit family and get a small taste of snow and cold. When I married and settled in Fort Myers and started a family it seemed like every Christmas was warm. It never felt like Christmas when we were running around in shorts and swimming in the neighbor's pool. But, our relocation to Georgia three years ago promised the possibility of cold Christmases at the very least and even promised the slight chance for a white Christmas. Oh how I dream of a having a white Christmas....maybe one year!

Remembering what is good!

With a adverse and uncertain year gone by and the threat of another year just as bad as the previous approaching, I am reminded over and over again of the blessings God has poured out on me and my family. With the Christmas season here, I decided I wanted to reflect on the seasons and traditions, maybe even start a new one or two, to basically reflect on what is good in my life and the world right now, and journal it over the next month or so. There is nothing more promising than the Christmas season and the gift the first Christmas brought over 2000 years ago. So hopefully, this year and my little journal will serve as a current reminder of all that is good in my life and help me, and my family, remember that we are indeed blessed. I am taking 30 minutes each day, to relish the season and reflect on Christmases past, enjoy this year's Christmas, and and to dream about future Christmases.

Silver and Gold

One thing that has been the hardest for me with our relocation is making friends. One of the biggest reasons I did not want to leave Florida was because I had rooted….after all, being a Navy Brat, Fort Myers was the place I had lived the longest than anywhere else in my life. The idea of starting over and having to make friends all over again was not a very pleasant idea. I love my old friends. Everyone of them are dear to me. And maybe every time I'd meet someone new I'd compare them to an old friend, not so fair to the new person. Although I am somewhat more shy (yeah---me shy) than I used to be, I am still a very social person and really need that social interaction with other people. I crave it. Funny thing is, I had friends (although their football affiliations are a tad bit questionable…I mean LSU and Georgia..c'mon!) right in front of my face and was too blind or too or ..oh heck I do not know, but when I sat back and opened up a little bit, there they were, right in front of my face all along. People who would give me and my family the clothes off their back if we needed them. People who I can laugh and cry with, people who I can be myself with, people Chris and I both can count as friends. You know, the kind of people who you can just drop in to their house at any time and be received with warmth and love. I still miss my old friends somewhat fiercely, especially the really old ones, you know the ones from junior high, who went through that awkward,self conscious time with you, I mean, if we can manage to get through that terrible time together and still manage to be friends, you really have to love each other right? Although in this crazy disconnected world we live in does not allow me to see or hug all those old friends, everyone of you should know I love you and I miss you and you will always be an integral part of my life and of who I am. And to the new ones, I love you just as much, and am so glad we have each other to get through the good times as well as the tough times, and I have reached a point where I could never imagine leaving Northeast Georgia cause I’d have to leave you all behind. Wow..it took me three years to reach that point, it is the first time I have not gotten the urge to run back to Florida when the going gets tough….and for that and for you I am grateful! I love you all!

Fall

Fall is definitely in the air up here in the Northeast Georgia mountains. One of the main reasons we left Florida was to move to a place that would experience some sort of seasonal change. Although we are not near the peak of leaf changing seasons the leaves are definitely starting to change. I have the distinct privilege of crossing the Lake 4 times on the way home, as I leave work each mile brings me further and further into rural Hall County away, with each mile I leave the stress and hub bub of my work day. And right now with the leaves starting to change to contrast of the red leaves against the water and the trees yet to start their annual metamorphosis is quite striking. Combine that with the cool crisp night air the wafts through our open windows at night and it's official, fall is arrived.

In Northeast Georgia there are definite annual traditions that also herald in the beginning of fall, corn mazes dot the landscape, apple picking begins, Burt's Pumpkin Patch opens up for Business, Cumming Country Fair in Forsyth County, and the list goes on an on. These traditional fall traditions are still all so new to us migrants from South Florida, where the closest thing we had to a pumpkin patch were the imported pumpkins that dotted church lawns. And a Hayride was out of the question because the heat and humidity was stills so sweltering in mid to late Ocotber.

One of my fondest memories of fall is also fairly recent. Our first fall up here. We headed on a spur of the moment whim to go driving in the mountains to look at the leaves. We stopped at way stations along the way, took little paths, found a farm where we roasted marshmallows, took a hay ride, took a train ride, etc. From there we pulled off to waterfall hunt and found several waterfalls. We stopped at Vogel State Park for a picnic lunch and more stunning views of the leaves. We drove around to Blood Mountain to where the Appalachian Train crosses the road. That is before we knew a lot of people, were involved in almost nothing, and had nothing better to do than spend time together as a family, I kind of miss those days. Now we have to block out a weekend to even consider taking a day like that now, and I think every weekend is booked between now and the end of October.

Homework 1

So...I want to spruce up my blog, so naturally I find an online class at SISTV titled Bling Out Our Blog. So I am moving into unchartered territory. See, when it comes to handling and fondling paper and creating scrapbook pages and cards...well I can handle that, but now I am moving into the electronic world and, for all intents and purposes, digital scrap booking, and well...I guess its just intimidating to me. So this class gives me homework and homework today is what we want our blog to reflect. Well, this is me after all, and by nature I am all over the board so naturally my blog will be too. I really want this to be place where I can share what is happening in my life, reflect on my feelings or what is going on around my life or my world, and yes eventually I do want it to be a place where I can share some of my creations, I have not done much of that yet. So there you have it! Keep checking in and hopefully I will try to incorporate some of these "things" I am learning...like creating my own banner...already sounds complicated to me. We will see

Dinner table conversation and Shona's 10k

Oh six months or so ago we implemented a new “tradition” so to speak at the dinner table. Since we all come together as a family and eat dinner together after being separated from each other for 8 hours or more we started asking each other to tell the rest of us three things that happened to them throughout the day and how they felt about it. Now, we are not die hard stringent about making sure we do it every night and some weeks we do it every night and some weeks we do not. Truthfully it is sometimes hard to come up with three things that seem worth of mention. And truthfully I am not sure we have learned too much from each other for the six months or so we have been doing it, although I have to say there have been little tidbits I have gleaned from Chris. Anyways, last week the kids started doing it again, maybe since they are back in school and we are on a more regular schedule, and lo and behold I actually learned something from Phoenix I do not think I would have otherwise had the intuition to pick up on. One of her three things that happened to her was that when we went to the mail box her Highlights Magazine and National Geographic Kids magazine was not there, and had not been for months, and that made her feel sad. I had no clue she looked forward to those magazines every month, In my eyes they were just more pieces of clutter messing up her bedroom, when in reality they were something she welcomed every month with anticipation. I guess Santa is going to have to deliver those again this year for her, if she can wait that long.

So on to the 10k. The day finally arrived. My friend Audie and I had to actually run into Atlanta and pick up our race packets the day before the race. While there we decided to scope out the course…BIG BIG BIG Mistake. Granted the description described the course as challenging, and some even ventured to say it was the most difficult 10k in America, but really, how challenging could it be since it was for all intents and purposes in suburban Atlanta? Well…lets just say in 6.2 miles there were five very steep, very long inclines, with some declines, but nothing that matched the inclines, and it was not an out and back course, it was a linear start at point A and end at Point B route. The first two inclines were by far the most challenging; they were between a half-mile and a mile long each. Being the engineer I am, I am researching the grade change in for each incline cause I am curious that way and beside I feel like I deserve bragging rights. Needless to say those first two inclines we walked up. I actually found my “sweet spot” at mile 3 but was a little hesitant to push myself too hard since I have not run 6.2 miles in over eight years, and I did not want to push only to tank later on in the race, although our second half time was a lot better than our first half time. We completed the race under our goal and have something to shoot for next year. Phoenix and Griffin joined me towards the end and crossed the finish line with me. The Kenyans won. They ran it in 28 minutes (In my dreams I’m a swift and very svelte Kenyan).


Being a part of the race was an experience in itself. There were over 10,000 participants. Live bands and DJs set up along the route, spectators cheering us on, running with Olympic elite, looking forward seeing thousands of runners in front of you and looking back to see droves of runners behind you. There was also a 100k-bike race and a 10k wheelchair and inline skate race as well with all their elite participating. Pretty amazing to experience. All the proceeds benefited the World Children’s Center and apparently the event raised over 2 million dollars for the Children’s Center. Publix supplied all the food at the end of the race, trucks, and trucks of fruit, ice cream, sandwiches, you name it they had it. All free for participants and their families.

Honestly after surveying the route I considered making up an excuse to not show up, but I am glad I did not and made it. Next up (I think) is the Zooma women’s half marathon on November 18th.