I have been home in Texas taking care of my mom after she had foot surgery. Part of taking care of my mom involves looking after the ranch.   On Tuesday afternoon I went out to do my daily rounds and check on everything. When I returned to the area by the barn and house, I noticed a cow in the tank bed; from a distance I notice that something was wrong. I walked over to the cow and discovered that she was in labor and about to have a calf.   I hung back and pulled out my camera to capture the process.

Growing up on a ranch you would have thought I had seen calves be born before but I had actually only been involved with the birthing of calves when there were issues.   So I found this to be one of most amazing and beautiful miracles I have ever witness on the ranch.

When I got over to the heifer the “waterbag” had passed and ruptured. I saw the vulva contracting and could tell the calf was moving into the birth canal. While all this was going on the heifer was still grazing on the grass and walking around – kind of acting like nothing was going on.  All of a sudden I saw the forefeet appear and part of the head.   Then the heifer laid down and pushed out calf.

When the calf came out it was covered in placenta membranes materials. The heifer immediately began licking the membrane material off of the calf, starting at the head and continued onward down the body. The calf and heifer were still attached with the afterbirth (and birth cord) and through the process licking the calf, the heifer separated itself from the newborn calf.

As the heifer licked the calf, it came to life.   As soon as all of the membrane materials were off the calf, it stood up and began to smell on it’s mother. By this time heifer was back to grazing on grass.   It only took a few minutes for the calf to find the heifer’s utters and begin nursing.

 

Because of the where the heifer gave birth in the tank bank. The calf was born in a pile of mud, so getting up was kind of tricky. It actually took the calf several tries to stand up because it kept falling back into the mud.

Once I saw the calf was nursing I went to the barn and put some fresh hay in the cattle pen and then brought some hay over the heifer. The heifer welcomed the fresh hay and even ate from my hand. After the calf nursed and got it’s footing, the heifer led the calf over to the pen. I continued checking on the heifer and calf for the rest of the day and by that evening the both were back with the rest of the herd.

Watching the experience was amazing, beautiful and moving. It was one of those priceless experiences. What surprised me the most about the process was how little the heifer seem to be bothered by the process and how little time the process actually took.

I took over well over 300 shots during the birth process, the following are a few of my favorites …

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Yep… this year I am the person who is going to say Happy New Year when it already 14 days into 2017. 2017 has already been busy and crazy…

2017 started out by getting on a plane and flying to our family ranch south of San Antonio. The day after my mom had foot surgery.   This means I am taking care of the ranch and caring for my mom, while her foot heals.

I have already been on the ranch for 14 days and counting. I am not sure how much longer I will be here. According to the FMLA paperwork, completed by mom’s doctor, I could be here until mid March.   When everything started, I thought I would be here 1 to 2 weeks top.   Now I find myself not sure when I will be going home.

My days are filled with making sure my mom is comfortable and that she keeps her foot elevated.   I moved her house around to make her comfortable (bedroom to recliner). I am cooking her favorite foods. And I am trying to find things she can do while off her feet.

When I am not taking care of my mom there are 40 acres demanding my attention, there are cows to be checked on, other animals to be feed and land to be tended to.

My biggest challenges are being away from husband and being a total different world that what I am use to. Basically I have not seen my husband all year.   Then being out in the country means a very low Internet connection – one that is so slow, stemming and downloading movies takes forever. Plus I am out in the middle of nowhere, so it takes at least 15 to 20 minutes to drive to a grocery store, pharmacy or even a restaurant.

So what on the agenda for 2017?

I am honestly not sure…

Before my mom’s surgery we were planning a trip to Europe in April. However, I think that will be rescheduled.

We have a couple of Volkswagen meet ups planned this summer – one in our area and other one is in the DC area.

I also hope to get up to Chicago to see my aunt and a friend’s art exhibit.

Running is up in the air. I have not signed up for a single race in 2017. I am still working on rehabbing my knee and getting back into shape.

In last few weeks of 2016, I officially applied for the doctoral program at the University of Kentucky.   I have no clue if I will be accepted or not, but if I do a new adventure will begin this fall.

So here’s to 2017!!!

The last time I wrote a blog post was mid-july, when I was traveling back from a weekend in San Antonio.  The funny thing is I thought things were slowing down but I was wrong. Since then I have travel to the west and east coasts twice, ran 4 half marathons, buried my father, discovered and met my long lost my half-brother, blown out a knee, taken steps towards growing my career and taken tons pictures.   I have a lot I want to write about and document on my blog.  But until then, here are the highlights of the last 6 months…

• I got a new camera body … the Canon 80D
• I spent a day hiking and doing photography at Yosemite National Park
• While visiting Stanford University, I got a phone call that my dad had died unexpectedly, which resulted in an unexpected trip home
• Allyn drove like crazy in some local auto crosses
• My father’s death resulted in me getting to know (and actually meeting) my half brother along with reconnecting various family members from his side of the family
• On Labor Day weekend I enjoyed trip a Virginia Beach, where I completed a half marathon
• In mid September, I enjoyed a photo hike at East Fork Lake with other area photographers
• I caught a nasty stomach infection and had to give up running the Philadelphia Rock N Roll Marathon
• We spent a day at the Ohio Renaissance Fair
• I got new lens for my camera … a micro lens 18 – 300 mm
• Allyn and I enjoyed a photo hike with other area photographers in Loveland, Ohio
• At the beginning of October, my mom and I meet up in San Jose and rocked the half marathon, 10K and 5K
• After the San Jose Rock N Roll weekend we enjoy a short visit to San Francisco
• In mid October Allyn and I visited his cousins in New York City
• While in the New York City area I ran the Brooklyn Rock N Roll half marathon.
• During our visit to New York City we spent a lovely day at Ground Zero, the new Freedom Tower and in Central Park
• I spent a Saturday exploring St. Louis, Missouri
• While running the St. Louis Rock N Roll half marathon, my foot was eaten by a pothole and I went rolling down hill, dislocating my knee and ankle
• Knee injuries kept me from running marathons in Vancouver, Savannah, Las Vegas and San Antonio
• I attended the 2016 Preservation Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Even though I didn’t run the Rock N Roll Las Vegas marathon, Allyn and I enjoyed a weekend in Vegas and took in the Hoover Dam as well as a Penn and Teller show during our visit
• My mom came up for Thanksgiving and I cooked dinner for us and some friends
• Allyn celebrated 41 years of life.
• I submitted my application to the University of Kentucky for their PhD program
• To make up for last year’s birthday, I surprised Allyn with having one of his best buddies in town, a weekend fun and a birthday dinner.
• I attempted to make my grandmother’s orange cake for the holidays
• We flew down to San Antonio to celebrate Christmas with my mom on the ranch

 

It is not often that I pick up a book that I cannot put down but this was the case with Five Presidents.  I believe I finished the book within day.

Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford is a memoir by former secret service agent Clint Hill. Agent Hill began his career with secret service after serving in the Army.   One of his first assignments was the mother in law of President Eisenhower.  He quickly move up and because part of the Eisenhower’s detail.

After Eisenhower he was appointment to protect Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy and her children. The assignment to Kennedy family was very different than his assignment with President Eisenhower.   Agent Hill quickly developed a bond with the Kennedy Family; unlike President Eisenhower members of the Kennedy family addressed the agents by their names.   As discussed in the book, Agent Hill was with the Kennedy’s during good and bad times, including holiday gathers the loss of the their third child and the day President Kennedy was shot in Dallas.

Agent Hill provides an insightful first hand account about the trip that brought the President and Mrs. Kennedy to Dallas and ultimately ended with the assassination of President Kennedy.  Hill’s retellings of the events show just how the events of the trip affected him for the rest of his life.  The section on President Kennedy is well balanced as for it did not let the events in Dallas overtake the book.  Hill discusses first hand details about the funeral that I do not recall hearing before in other books.  While Hill was emotionally affected by assassination just as members of the Kennedy family and others’ close to the President he was not allow to show it; I found it surprising how he got little to no time to collect himself after the events but was expected to be there for the continued protection of Mrs. Kennedy and the children.

Of the five presidents Agent Hill protected I found his section on President Johnson the most insightful.  Known for issues with the Vietnam War, President Johnson had a bold personality and was very personable with the agents who protected him. Agent Hill provides a insight into how the events during the Johnson’s presidency affect the man not the President.  While Agent Hill was worried that President Johnson would have him removed from his detail after his first day of service; it turned out the Agent Hill was one of the most trusted and depended agents of Presidents Johnson.  This is illustrated through the various accounts given by Hill, but my favorite is when President Johnson gave him his own set of “ranch” clothes.

The outstanding service, Agent Hill provided to the Kennedy and Johnson’s lead to his advance with the secrete service organization.   So much so, that when Hill worked with Presidents Nixon and Ford he was in an administrative role.   With Nixon he describes how request presented to him were foreshadowing of what was to come with the events of the Watergate sandal and impeachment of President Nixon.

Aside from discussing the service he provided to all the presidents he served, Agent Hill discusses how he was able to help make improvements in the protection to the those who would serve or run for public office for years to come.

Another strength of Agent Hill’s book is how he discusses how the job affected his family.  His discussion of the hardships of jobs including being away from his family and the long hours helps an outsider sees how members of the secret service put their own lives on hold to protect the lives of the leaders of our country.  As illustrated by Hill there were few presidents who included or did things to thank the wives and children of the secrete service agents which protected them.

This book was and enjoyable and easy read.   This is a must ready for those who love presidential history, modern United States or the history of the secret service.

The last weekend in April my mom flew in and we drove down to Nashville for my 6^th half marathon, the Rock N Roll Nashville or previously referred to as the St. Jude Country Music Marathon.

I had two first during this marathon:

• This is was the first time I ran a 5K and half marathon back to back
• My mom also participated in the 5K (a first for her), so I had a running partner (well at least for the first 3 miles)

We arrived in Nashville the Wednesday before the race, which meant that we spent Wednesday afternoon through Friday actually exploring Nashville.

Packet Pick Up and Expo

We picked up our packets on Wednesday since we were just down the street from Music Center Hall, visiting the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The Expo had only been open a few hours, when we arrived.

After picking up our packets we hit the expo.  Our first stop was the merchandise area.   Brooks had sale on all of their non RNR merchandise, so my mom and I both picked up a couple of items.   I also picked up a t-shirt and magnet to commemorate the race (the magnet has become a tradition at every RNR event).

Then we moved on to the “Run Happy Island” by Brooks.   They had various activities from riding the mechanical running shoe to run the mountain person up the mountain along with treadmill where you could learn about your feet and what shoes are best for you. I debated riding the shoe but changed my mind because I didn’t want to totally humiliated; we ended up getting free t-shirts from Brooks.

Overall the expo was nice; a good variety of vendors and good mix of information and sales booths.   At the expo I introduced my mom to the hoka one one.  She actually got a really good deal on a pair of their shoes … 10% off, no tax and free socks.

Overall I really enjoyed the expo and though it was well organized.  I also loved that we were able to go through the expo with very little crowd.

5K & Half Marathon … the Music City Challenge

The day before the race it looked like it was certain that there would be rain on the morning of the race.   Thus the Rock N Roll group started sending out alerts on the weather and race which was very helpful.   Also the day before the race I got a little sick.  We were walking around at Centennial Park and I started feeling a little strange the next think I know I was projectile vomiting; this resulted in me eating very little the day before the race (bad very bad).

Race morning I woke feeling okay – not great but okay.  We made our way from our hotel to downtown Nashville.  (There was shuttle bus but we opted to park at Nissan Stadium, reserved us a space.)   I ate a bagel with peanut butter and a banana.  Right as we parked and started walking to the starting line it started raining more steadily and continued getting heavier.   There was also a little bit of thunder and lighting, which delayed the start of 5K about 30 minutes.

The starting area for the 5K was just outside of Music Hall Center; from there it headed down Broadway then over to Tennessee state capital, along the Cumberland River and then crossover the River to the where it finished at Nissan Stadium.

After running the 5K I jogged across the river and to the starting line for half marathon, which was already started, so I joined in with corral 20.

The half marathon started on Broadway, on a downward slope, which helped my first mile to be at a pace of 6:59 minutes.   Then we headed down music row on 17th Street, along side Vanderbilt University and then down Belmont to Belmont University.  Just after passing the 440 loop, the race turned back towards downtown on 16th Street on the other side of music row.  After getting back to the downtown area we cut across downtown to the Tennessee state capital, where we ran around the Bicentennial Capital Mall, then along the Cumberland River and across the bridge to the Nissan Stadium.

I would describe the course as rolling hills. The peak elevation of the race was reached early in the race but I can definitely say the hills on the last part of the course was the hardest.

Between miles 9 and 12 it seem like you were downhill but there was constantly rolling hills.  I have to say last the worst hill toward the end of the 12th mile, just about a half mile from the finish.

Personally the hardest part of the race came between miles 8 and 9.   My shoes and socks were soaked from the rain.  By this time it was starting to “dry” up a little.  I could feel my feet were just raw and starting to form blister.  First I stop and readjusted my shoes and laces then I stop and loosened my laces.  Finally at mile 9 I stopped and took off my sock.  I twisted and got a good amount of water out of them, I tied them to my running belt but could only stand to run without for about a quarter of a mile.  After put my socks back on and got my feet re-adjusted, I realized that my arm was getting road burn along my right arm because i was running a sleeveless shirt on  – for the first third of the race I wore hoodie pull over, then took and tied it around my waste.  When I realized my arm was bleeding and the there was no aid station in near by I had to put back on my hoodie to keep my arm from getting worse and to stop it from bleeding.

I finally finished at a time of 4:15 which included both the 5K, half marathon and the jog in between.

When I crossed the finished my Apple Watch read 19.45, which also accounted for the first walk from from the car to the first starting lining.

I was totally done when I crossed the finished line.  I chugged a bottle of milk, then grab some snack foods, found my mom, collected my metal from 5K and headed to the car.   When we got back to the hotel room I laid down for a while and then took a nice long shower then followed by a nice long nap.

My mom seemed handle her 5K just fine, which a finishing time of little over an hour.  She tried to hang out by finish line but some how missed crossing (she yet to see me cross a finish line a race).

We did celebratory dinner at Chuy’s in the Opry Mill Outlet center next to our hotel.  Then we came back to the hotel and I napped some more, followed ice cream for dinner.

While it was a wet race, it was a good race.   I feel like despite my pace dropping to an aver of 14;27 for last 5 miles, I felt it was one of my stronger races.   The hills didn’t really bother me while there was a lot of them they were stubble.  I think the thing that got on this race was first the rain, which lead to wet feet and socks,  doing so much running back to back and then not feeling 100% the day before.

I loved the course.  The roads were relatively pot hole free.  There were supporters everywhere.  Runners encouraged other and people along the course were very supportive. At mile 11 I was just about done and a complete stranger cheered me and told me I could it – it truly felt amazing.

I would rank the Nashville Rock N Roll as one of my favorite races to date!!!

 

 

 

Remember the cartons where Wile E. Coyote hits the wall, pushes back and falls face down…

 

 

… well after running the Horse Capital Marathon in Lexington, that is what happened to me… I hit the Wall.   I didn’t want to run, write, cook, train, shot photography or do a single thing, I was down for the count.   After a winter and spring of recovering from a knee injury, kidney stones and running 3 half marathons, 2 5Ks and a 10K, plus working and keep the house going … I was done.   For most of the months of May and June I simply came home and was a sleep on the couch by 7 pm and weekends consisted go long naps.

I would start a blog post or editing a batch of pictures and find myself just looking at the screen dazed and confused. I would lace my shoes up and go for a run and find after 3 miles I was exhausted, I finally decided to take a break. Most of May and June were spent recovering and doing just what I needed to, to get by.

After the 4^th of July weekend (which was celebrated with nasty stomach bug around our house) I finally got my mojo back.

Today I am back to marathon training, healthy eating, traveling, writing, photography, trip planning, projects around the house and much much more. Over the last couple I have written several blog to recap my last two half marathons and things that have been keeping me busy. Warning … I am about to blast my blog with various race recaps, books reviews, life updates and general musing from the past several months.

This past weekend I escape to Dallas to celebrate my mom’s birthday, see my friend Sheryl and run the Rock N Roll half marathon.  For me it was the prefect weekend… friends, running and good food.

My mom drove up from San Antonio and picked me up from the airport.  After getting my race packet, we headed over to my friend’s Sheryl house.   It was so great to see her.

That night we went to local favorite of mine Torchy’s Tacos.   I got my fill of tacos, queaso and guacomola.

Saturday after the 5K we headed out for lunch at Twisted Root Burger which was an amazing burger place.   There were burgers were amazing.  I got the Kevin Bacon which was loaded with smoked bacon and blue cheese.  I also got a side of fried green beans, which were amazing.

Besides great burgers they also had a pickle bar.   They had Kool Aid marinated pickles which were actually pretty good.  I am not much of the pickle eater but they were awesome.

After lunch we headed downtown to the Dallas Museum of Art, where I meet up with more friends and then took in the Jackson Pollack exhibit – Blind Spots.

Then after the museum we did a little shopping.  I stopped at Run On! There I picked up some extra running pants and near pull over with Run Texas on it   Then we headed over the TK Maxx to look for bargains and then I popped in the Sport’s Authority since they were having a going out of business sale.

After shopping we went out for BBQ.  Sheryl took us new BBQ called Ten 50 BBQ… it was the best BBQ I have had since I moved …

Before running the Rock N Roll half marathon in Dallas I ran the 5K.   The 5K took place in Fair Park which was built for the 1936 World’s Fair and is where the Texas State Fair takes place each fall.   Today Fair Park is home to Cotton Bowl Stadium, various museums, the midway and a walking and lake area.

For the first time ever I was in corral 1.   The race started at 7:45 on Saturday make its way through and around Fair Park.

For me it was quick race – finished in 32 minutes, which was a little slower than I planned.

Weather was prefect for running … a little cold but by time we started running just the right temperature.

Running the 5K give me reassurance that I could successfully complete the half marathon the next morning. Overall it was a nice little warm up run.

Since I completed both the 5K and half marathon meant I completed the remix challenge, which got me special commemorative medal.

 

A  few weekends ago marked my return to running after rough start to 2016.

Friday morning I jumped on a plane and headed to Dallas.   I was there to celebrate my mom’s birthday, I was there to see my best buddy Sheryl and I was there to run the Rock N Roll 5K and half marathon.

I lived in Dallas from 2008 to 2012 and it was where I started running, so I was super excited to run in Dallas, for it was city I know well and it was in my home state of Texas.

EXPO

Friday after I landed at DFW and caught up with my mom I headed to downtown Dallas to grab my running packet for the weekend’s races at the Health and Fitness Expo.

The Health & Fitness Expo was little disappointing.  There was seemed to be small turn in terms of vendors.  Most vendors there were selling running gear or prompting upcoming races.

After getting my packets, I walked through  the Brooks merchandise section.   They have the new Brooks Neuro running shoes.  I tried them on they were so comfortable and light, so I went ahead and got them – then I picked up a commemorative t-shirts for my mom and I.

Then I headed over to the Rock N Roll Booth to pick up my Tour Pass Credentials for 2016.  While I was at the booth I was able to show my mom all of the Heavy Medal, medals.  I think it help her see that I was working towards something and it helped to re-motivate me about running the series this year and my goals.

One thing I was disappointed in was that I hoping that they would have some general Rock N Roll gear at the expo.  They did have some but they didn’t have the jacket I had been eyeing.

HALF MARATHON

I was really nervous about running the half marathon.  I just was not sure if I had it in me or not.   I told myself that is what I came to do, so I would not myself talk myself out of not running.

My best buddy Sheryl lives in Plano, about 20 minutes north of downtown Dallas.  So I decided to take the DART light rail to the race.  This was a smart move because there was DART station in the area where the race started, which meant I less than a 2 block walk to my coral.

Sunday was extremely cold for March in Texas.  That morning it was 30 degrees and there was frost on the ground and the wind was very wicket that morning.   The night before I decided to pick up a pair of gloves, cap and running pants and I was very glad I did.

For the half marathon I was in corral 3, which was my best corral start yet, for a half marathon.  I started the race off slow and could get my legs to loosen up.    Typically cold weather does not get to my but this time it was.   It seemed like most of the race path was overcast and covered in the shadows of the building or streets, which made the cold worse.  I just wanted sunshine to warm me up.

One thing I was not pleased with for the race was that streets were either filled with potholes or there was construction.  For me this made running the race a little tricky because I am very conscious about tripping when running.

The course took you through many parts of Dallas.  First we headed through downtown Dallas to Deep Elm.

 

Then we circled back through downtown Dallas and to the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which a bridge that opened just after I left Dallas in 2012 and crossed over the Trinity River.

Getting to the top of Hunt Hill Bridge was no easy task; the roads were closed and you had to run up the S ramp to get to the bridge.  When you reached the top the view was unbelievable; I don’t know which was better the view of bridge’s architecture or the view of Dallas from the bridge.

After we got off the bridge we were in the Trinity Grove area.  We then ran down Singleton Blvd to Sylvan Ave into the Kessler Park area and into the Bishop Arts District. Then we ran around Cliff Park and across the Houston bridge back to the Union Station / Reunion Tower area.

The when you got near the finish line the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders were there cheering you on the last 1/10 of a mile.

Compared to finish line area of the past, there was not as much excitement. You were handed your medal, got your picture taken and then given various drinks and snacks.

Then it was off lawn area to listen Blues Travelers.  I only took a peak at Blue Travelers then I was off to find my mom and Sheryl.  They had meet me at the finish line and surprised me with goodies – kolaches!

Even though Blue’s Traveler was still playing we decided to head back to Sheryl’s house – we were all just cold.

My knee and kidney both held up during the race – no real problems.   However, it was not the best race.  I finished in 3:58 which is my slowest half marathon to date.  I could not get legs working that morning, which resulted in a slow jog / walk.   I didn’t care with all I been the last couple of months I was I just glad to participating in half marathon.

From the half marathon I was able to build me a list of where I need to focus attention for training.  It was a good test and good way to show myself that I still have it.

Unlike half marathons in the past, this half was huge mind game.   From the very beginning of the race there was this voice inside of my head that kept telling me give up.  Every time I ran through an area where I knew a friend lived, the voice in my head was telling me to call that friend and just have them take me to the finish line area.   but I would not listen to it.  Then every time I passed a medical tent I wanted to stop and complain about this or that, but I would not let myself.   I keep telling myself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and I would make to the finish line.

The single thing I am most proud of for this race is that I didn’t give in or give up.  I kept going and finished the race.

 

 

 

I have talked about on my battle to lose weight, stay in shape and maintain overall good health on my blog, a lot.  More recently I have discussed how my fitness weight loss goals seem to be derailing quickly after a rough end to 2015 and an continued rough start to 2016.  I am determined to push through, get back on track and end up even stronger.

In order to do so I have set myself a goal… I am currently signed up to run to Las Vegas Rock N Roll in November.  I want to take a long weekend there with Allyn, run the marathon, go out for a nice dinner and taken in a show or two.   When I go out to dinner, I want to wear the black dress I wore to the Navy’s Khaki Ball back in 2013.  It is a size 10 (and about 4 sizes to small).  I also want to tone and shape up my body to look even better than I did at the Khaki Ball.   I invite any of running buddies who want to run the Rock N Roll, down the Vegas strip with me or friends who want support me and then celebrate Vegas style, are welcome!

THIS DRESS…….

So to hold myself to accountable I am going to start a journal page on my blog called “Operation Skinny Black Dress.”  My goal is to check in at least once a week give an update as to how things are going, how much weight I lost, that week, what my challenges and successes were.

As of today, I am setting myself a goal to lose 70 pounds. There is about 249 days (35 weeks) until the race. That is about 2 pounds a week, which I think is do able.

Operation Skinny Black Dress is not just about looking good for one night, it is about getting in shape for the rest of my life and looking good for the rest of my life.

While I have been active my whole life, I have not really been skinny.  I have always had a few extra pounds and have never really been tone and in shape, completely. This is my time to change that. My hope is accomplish that through healthy eating and working out.   To get there I need to be consistent,  I need get on a schedule and stick to it.  I need to eat healthy and smart.  I also need to document what I do and how I do it.

So here is to nothing ….

The journal page is located here!