ABC Wednesday: X is for . . .

~ X ~

Well, since I don't own a xylophone, I don't have a spare x-ray lying around and I don't find a photo of a xerox machine interesting one bit, I went for X which is the Roman Numeral for 10. 

Baker 2 Vegas Year XXVI - 3rd Place Finish (2010)

Baker 2 Vegas Year XXVII - 10th Place Finish (2011)

Baker 2 Vegas Year XXVIII - 21rst Place Finish (2012)

This year was very competitive and based on our team's estimated finish time we sort of weren't expected to "mug". But with our great leadership and awesome team runners and support crew, we did it again and "mugged" for the third time in a row. Whoo hoo!

"Team Work - Less Me, and more We"

Wow, we only have two more letters left in the alphabet!  Whoo hoo again!

To see more members, see Denise Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY website HERE. 

Baker2Vegas 2012: We did it....Our 3rd Challenge Cup Win!

During our celebration dinner at Benihana our Team Captain makes a very special speech.  She thanked the Team for all of their hard work.  She stated win or lose we have created this special bond.  "We are a Family"! 

I remember at one point last night or early this morning :), I shared with one of my Team Mates that each year I always consider not participating in the event.  And each year I continue to participate.  She said the same thing.  As tough as this event is we both decided that in the end we get back so much more from the experience than what we can ever put in.  

I've always believed that the true "character" of a person rises to the surface not in easy times but in the tough challenging times.  If we can go through such a brutal race (120 Miles, 20 Legs, 113 degrees heat, 5,000 elevation, a truck load of rules we have to maneuver and the chaos that occurs out on the road) and in the end still care strongly for each other, then I would have to say that I agree with our Captain's assessment that we have indeed become a "Family". 

So to all my Team 117 Sisters & Brothers, a Huge thank you for the honor of sharing such a memorable experience with you! 

The Journey & Prize of my B2V weekend . . . .

I'm back from my crazy road trip and what a weekend and week it has been. It's funny but I nearly didn't participate this year, but our team captain convinced me to join the team again because they needed experienced support crew help and so I did. And to be honest, I enjoy my B2V friends and the whole idea of racing through the California and Nevada desert over a stretch of 120 miles and 20 legs. It's so obscenely crazy and yet a lot of fun at the same time! It turns out that we did really well and finished in 3rd place in our division. Whoo hoo!

And here are a few images of the crazy 24 hours . . . .



After running my first ever marathon, I wrote in my journal . . .

"I realized that the greatest achievements in life are found not necessarily in the final outcome itself, but in the journey . . . Training for and running in a marathon can in some ways mirror life."

Since then, I have come to realize and appreciate those words over and over and over again. In life we are all on a journey to something, someone or some experience waiting for us. And when we achieve those things or meet the people we're supposed to meet, I often reflect the most on how I got there. I look at our trophy mug with much appreciation and gratitude, but somehow what I remember the most are the smiles of my team mates, the strategy meetings, the disagreements and mistakes we had and made along the way, the frantic preparations, the cheers . . . And so I'm home now and I placed my mug on my trophy shelf to sit and be admired every now and then, but it's the memories of this remarkable journey that is the real prize and they will always be with me.

The rest of my trip went well...Vegas to me represents the land of indulgence and excess but it can be quite entertaining when you're there doing other things besides gambling, eating, dancing and drinking . . . but hey that can be fun too. :)

Did some walking . . .

Did some eating . . .

And some drinking . . .

Worked out at the gym . . .

And on the dance floor . . .

And a few of my co-workers came with me to see Purple Reign . . .

My crazy weekend . . . And Go North Carolina Tar Heels!

Had another crazy race weekend, but all for a good cause . . . . some candid shots!

Awesome weather . . .


I found a great position for some excellent action shots...

This other photographer had the same idea and was sort of in my way . . .



The dude finally gets out of my picture frame, but . . .



As I look up I discover that suddenly the runners are running off the marked course where the cones are and I'm right smack dab in the middle of the course with runners charging on both ends . . . Yikes!



I managed to get myself out of that mess and took more random shots. Here's VRed from Muziq Unlimited, providing some great music. These two brothers are extremely talented and entertaining! I told VRed that they need to try out for American Idol!




My best friends, Steve & Bea(who finished 4th in their divisions), Yay! Thanks for coming out! You guys smoked this course! *Edited after reviewing the results, to add that Bea also finished 4th.



And thanks to my B2V Team mates who also came... Team 237 soon to be Team 220 in 2010, thanks for coming out!






And who can resist our little four-legged runners! I love it when they have their little racing Bibs pinned to their T-Shirts! :) So cute!



And I want to give a big shout out to AnnieNC and her North Carolina Tar Heels who play in tonight's NCAA finals! Go Heels! Whoo Hoo!