Sandy, Sunny and Salty Summer

This summer has been many things, sandy sunny and salty can describe most of it. I began the summer with a drive down to see Gordon and Jackie in May. Mom and the brother are still experiencing tension here and there but it was a wonderful time with the babies nonetheless.
Mom ran off to Africa soon there after and in true Byrd fashion Gordon shot over to China.
At this point We were pretty much set to take over the world, mom and sister in Africa, Gordon and Jackie in Eurasia. All the while Dad and I were here on the east coast (I strategically covered the Northeast coastline), Meredyth and Ian had the mid/south/west in their grasp.
Of course, Dad and Sally could have bounced down to South America if need be.

As May was upon us I enjoyed a long weekend across the water from Yorktown, VA on a nanny "vacation". I watched the 6-month old as the parents went kayaking and touring through Yorktown and The Jamestown Settlement.

Very excited to begin his first vacation ever.

From there I hopped down to experience my first Airborne jump, meaning I was the lucky duck who treated my 1SG and a new CPT after a less than perfect landing. Nearly 8 hours in the hospital and an ankle "relocation" contributed to 28+ hours awake, working and not eating nearly enough (it's the eating part that gets me).
Then over to Richmond where I stomped around town with dad and Sally...
A Virginia Beach trip (twice to be exact) one of which was full of chilly evenings and windy days, not to outshine the amazing Art Show.
Whew... Then what?
Oh, Maine!

Brother Dunstan and I

OH! Maine!!

Fresh Lobster!

First I met my namesake Brother Dunstan, in Long Island.  From Long Island it was Massachusetts, Rockport to be exact.  The views, the people, oh and not enough can be said about the Lobstah.  From Rockport I hopped up to Bar Harbor, did a handstand on the rocks then headed to Lubec, Maine.

Light house, Just before sunrise

West Quoddy Head Light

Lubec is the most Easternmost town in the United States.  Julia is in Africa so I decided to watch the sunrise from the Easternmost point in the US, the West Quoddy Head Light.  Sunrise was at 3:44 am, which was 9:44 am in Gaborone, Botswana so regardless of the cloudy skies in Botswana that morning, Julia sent the sun to me.

3:44:45 am June 22, 2012, Lubec, Maine

After Lubec and touring around the surrounding area I headed to Boston, MA in order to go to Fenway.  The game didn't happen but great beer, lots of laughs and a soaking wet hour spent waiting in line was well worth the trip.  Rockport also warranted a second visit.  My trip was amazing and everyone loves the pictures and stories, then asks, "why did you decide to go to Maine?".   

Truthfully I just wanted to go and I when I had the opportunity I took it.  Good times were had by all I encountered and I will be taking another trip Down East in my future for sure.  

The summer is not over though and more beach trips 

A weekend of art, wine and wind to boot

MOCA in Virginia Beach hosted the Boardwalk Art Show this past weekend. As a dabbling photographer and artist I must say, I would not have traveled three hours to an art show on my own accord. Luckily for me, I have a wonderful and socially inclined friend Inese. Inese decided a vacation was in store and off we went before the sun rose on Friday morning to the beach. We sat on the beach in the late morning bundled in blankets as the wind whipped through our hair and the waves crushed the sand. It was a day at the beach only in the realistic sense.
We didn't even last the day battling the cold winds, we ended up in the cheap tourist hub Sunsations. We had to buy low priced and even lower quality hoodies. We weren't letting the wind run us out of town though.
We were not alone, over the weekend I smirked at every cheap "Virginia Beach" hoodie purchased by a surprisingly cold tourist.
The ART SHOW! We came for one main reason, ok many, but the big even was the art. I logged 10+ hours perusing the booths; admiring, gawking and flipping wide-eyed through photographs and paintings. I met the artists and heard of their unique approach and method for metal working, editing, collaging, painting and the like.
Photographer Matthew Carasella said I was his "little blue tent's" biggest fan of the show. I'm putting that on my resume!! I bought two of his prints. You can see more of his work at http://www.socialshutterbug.com/
Overall, I was completely inspired to get back to art at some level at least.
Here I go on my vacation to Maine and I have my camera (of course) in tow with an accomplice; my tripod! Lighthouses and coast line be prepared. Thank you Inese for the art inspiration, you are my muse.

Yoga fearless friends and the fair weather friend

Why I cannot bite the bullet and commit to more yoga in my life is beyond me. I still feel a bit silly,when outside of a yoga studio, doing sun salutations.
This morning I will be partaking in Oceanfront Yoga, silly or not I will enjoy the strong wind in my face, sun in my eyes and great yoga in the sand. I will not allow myself to be a fair weather friend anymore.
As I move through the poses I will think of my friends who fearlessly take on yoga, whether here or there, high or low. The people who absorb the moment the environment the poses and not the impressions of others.

As you read this, fearless yogi friends of mine, know that you are next to me as I am on the beach in warrior pose. Strong, fearless, taking on the sun sand and wind, I am thinking of you.

Julia, Here's the Deal...

So here is the deal, my sisters and I are very close.  That's us with our dad two thanksgivings ago, 2009, before my deployment.

Top Row L-R:Julia, Robby (step dad), Alice (mom)
Bottom Row L-R: Ashleigh, Wendy (me), Ariel, Meredyth

We are close in age, and have grown even closer as the time passes and the miles between us increase.
Here we are at my mom Alice Perry's wedding 26 (27, 28?) December of 2009, days before my deployment to Afghanistan.

Meredyth, Wendy, Julia

On Christmas Day 2009, covered in the bows from our presents, in Due West, SC.

Wendy, Ashleigh, Julia, Meredyth (front and center)

Here we are again for Meredyth's bridal shower in Virginia, June 2011.

So if four pictures don't do it for you just take my word for it, we are close. Byrd sisters mean a lot, they have veto rights on the men in each other's lives, they will listen intently to each other's whining and gloating, crying and blabbing, boredom and frustrations.  One day they may need to listen to your sobs the next lay out the news you don't want to hear.  My sisters mean the world to me.
Julia and I trained for last year's Army 10-miler together, I ran it with my best friend Ethan just a month after she left for Botswana.  This year I will run it again, a lone Byrd girl in a sea of meaningless people (meaningless because you are not a Byrd sister when that's all I want).

Lately I have been a bit jealous... you see Meredyth and Julia have this ongoing affair... and I want a Byrd sister love affair of my own.  Julia has been gone less than a year and I don't like it.  Yes I was gone longer and it was difficult, yes, she is having a life changing time and its good for her, shut up.

Meredyth is enjoying married life in Austin, TX.  Julia is semi-miserable in Botswana, Africa and I am still a student in Northern Virginia.  Don't get me wrong I am always enjoying life, beachside enjoying life at the moment, but everyone is away.
Back to this affair...
Meredyth and Julia have this on going blogpal and I want my piece of the Byrd pie.
So here's the deal.
Julia, will you take me, Wendy, to be your second oldest sister and second blogpal?
We need to do our 10-miler training again, and each week blog back to tell the other about our weekly runs.  Its not hard, half the time I will be telling you how I missed two days of the schedule and you'll tell me an antelope joined you on your run.

So will you.  Here is the training program in PDF form, I will also email it to you.

Training begins on Monday.

Smitten, the intro...

 

MG Linnington, Alice Bell (my mom), ME, MAJ Tim Garland (MG Linnington's Aide) at the reception prior to Spirit of America in Charleston, SC in September 2011

after my promotion, thanking the crowd, my mom and MG Linnington

He says we met the day before my promotion before the cigar lounge, I don't remember, so I will start from the cigar lounge. 

 I don't remember connecting with anyone as easily and having as much of an indepth conversation with anyone so soon upon meeting.  We sat and talked about life, what we've been through and pretty much shared our life stories on a leather couch in Charleston, SC over cigars.  Initially, I was intrigued and interested in him as well as surprised by his openness, not a typical characteristic of any Infantryman. 

Week One Training: Running in Circles

I suppose running in circles is the general idea in a running program.  I think my running goes through stages, each run that is.

I talk to myself, well I think to myself.  I try very hard not to talk out loud to myself while I run... its a conscious decision and effort.  

In the beginning of my run I tell myself how strong I am, that I can accomplish anything and how today is a new day.  Today I am stronger than I was yesterday, I am a new person today, I can choose to do anything I want today.  I am more organized, more intelligent, more punctual and a better person than I was yesterday. 

Secondly, I organize my day.  Sociology; homework, study for the exam, print out the previous quizzes for review look over the discussion board posts.  Bio-Medical Ethics; exam is coming up, type up study sheets, look over terminology.  English; don't get ahead of myself, look over my research, take notes, make citations, narrow down on thesis.  Anatomy & Physiology; write research paper, ugh, decide on topic for research paper.  Pack clothes to go to FiremanDave's, leave the house by noon to take the Sociology exam.    I think by organizing my day I get out the jumbled and tangled thoughts that bind and and stress me out.  Planning it out lets me see how it can all be managed.

Next, scenery.  Finally I look up and look around me.  Its amazing what you miss when you only see the trail or path in front of you.  The trees are changing, the hills roll in front of me and the morning is clear and crisp.  Brr and my ears are cold.  Then its a blur for miles.  I don't feel my legs, I don't think about my day i just breathe and continue on.  

...and I am now officially registered for my first marathon.  

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Am I a Runner After All?

Tunnel To Tower 5K, Kabul, Afghanistan 2010

So... I have run a few 5Ks here and there, even one in full combat gear, the Army ten-miler this year, planning on a half-marathon in February and as it appears I have now been suckered into a Marathon in March.

I run fairly regularly, I am part of a local Hash (still need to be named) and there probably isn't a week that goes by that I don't log 5-15 miles... but a "runner".. oh my, I couldn't call myself a "runner" yet.  I'm not among those elite, the "I can run at any pace, anywhere, for any distance" people that I idealize and put on a pedestal, am I?

Julia trained with me for the Army Ten-Miler and we ran just about anywhere:

• Dirt "track" at a high school, for 20 laps; surprisingly one of my favorite runs
• Over the rolling hills of South Carolina, which I do not recommend 
• Blazing hot WO&D trail in Virginia "maybe we could just run later, when its not high noon" "YEP!", also not recommended
• The suburbia paths of Sterling, VA

She is a great partner, we encourage and motivate one another, we push each other to run harder and longer and its less competitive as it is sisterly love.   Unfortunately she went off to save the world one African country at a time and won't be back for two years.

I've also run on my own, since I was left for Africa I had to...  so I run through the woods, through shrubs, along highways, on the beach, through every residential area I know... and oh the bike paths.

Thats us, the super excited ones

Ethan ran the Ten-Miler with me since the Fireman is still recovering from foot surgery.  We joked and made rude comments and vulgar remarks and had offensive conversations and sang hymnals and cadences pretty much the entire ten miles.  It was great.  I haven't had so much fun for 90 minutes straight in a long time!  

I stopped by his place this evening to go for a run after the run we talked about the Marine Corps Marathon we have agreed to take on next year.  The agreement went something like this:

*ring ring*

W: Hey, Ethan, whats up?

E: (solemnly) Wendy, I think we might have to run the Marine Corps Marathon next year.  

W: (matter of factly) yeah I know, we are.  

E: What?! No! That was not the response I was hoping for!

This is my "Finish Line" pose

Army Ten-Miler Finish Line

So I found a training program and informed him we were "Intermediates" not "NOVICES" and he quickly disagreed.  

No, we are in the military and we ran the Ten-Miler, we aren't Novices.  So as we reviewed the training plan Ethan's cold feet turned attitude turned to an anxious excitement.  I don't want to wait til next year, let's do one soon.  

SOooooo... now we are training for the DC Rock n' Roll Marathon in March.  17 weeks away... the training program is 18 weeks long.  Good call Ethan, Good call.  

Hopefully by the Austin Half-marathon in February I will be able to come to terms with the all important title and finally consider myself a "runner".  Yeah, probably not.

 I'll get there one day.  

Tunnel to Tower 5K Shadow Run, Kabul, AFG

Marathon Training, Day 1