Ahhh, Home Again

After a flight through Denver to San Diego, three days walking all over San Diego, a redeye flight to Orlando, a week with the family in Orlando, and a day-long drive back to Nashville, I'm happy to report that I'm back home, ready for a good night's sleep in my own bed.

... at least until Thursday, when I may be out again. Stay tuned!!
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Things that make today great: Drive home with Steve, Maribeth, and Molly; watching redbox movies on the way; pictures from class reunion get-together; icky McDonald's; packing the car

What I Did During Family Thanksgiving

1. Ate a bunch of crap - Coke Zeros, assorted candy I rarely eat, breakfast crap from fast food places, more crap, and Diet Cokes. It was not pretty and I am going to pay for this.

2. Watched junky tv. Okay, so I tend to do this sometimes. But I watched the same reruns that I can watch at home. WASTE OF TV TIME!!!

3. Watched movies. Here are my reviews: Pelham 123: Thumbs up. GI Joe: Thumbs down. Four Christmases - Thumbs down - except for the various funny parts - about 5 minutes total. Angels and Demons - Thumbs midway - was on the computer for some of it, didn't read the book, not a fan of Dan Brown, but seemed sort of interesting. Now, if only SOMEONE had brought Love Actually and/or Elf to watch on the way home!!

4. Caught up on sleep. Possibly. Still not sure of where I am on sleep deprivation meter after going to California and flying to Florida. Also got up early for Black Friday today. Of course, sixty gallons of non-calorie coca-cola products has not helped.

5. Shopped. If you count driving the shopping car for the real shoppers. I hate shopping but will drive people if they will shop for me. So, I now have new 700-count sheets, new sweaters, and fleece pj bottoms.

6. Watched fireworks. From the balcony of our hotel. Big tree was in the way, but I got the general idea, and didn't have to battle the crowds to see them!

7. Worked out. One day. In a minimal workout room. I would like to believe that it will help me with the next session of boot camp, but I think not.

8. Washed clothes. I only had one set of clean clothes and a whole bag of dirties from the 3-Day, so it's not like this was an option. It was a choice between clean and dirty, and clean won.

So, I guess it was a typical Davidson family holiday after all!!
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Things that make today great: Chauferring the shopping people; peppermint mocha frap; black Friday shopping by proxy

Thankfulness

On this day, I am reminded of my many blessings in life. One in particular was last weekend's Breast Cancer 3-Day. Another blessing, Molly, helped me with some graphics, and then another blessing, Sam, put the pictures together in this great video. Finally, more of my blessings, Steve, Maribeth, and Lynnette, sat through several viewings of the finished product.

All in all, a great day to be thankful!


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Things that make today great: Thanksgiving brunch at Mimi's with the family and the highs and lows; watching movies all afternoon; finished 3-day video; a great day with family

Time vs Age

Last Thursday I went from Tennessee Central Time Zone to California Pacific Time Zone, gaining (or losing?) two hours. I got up the next morning at 4 am, which was really 6 am to my body. For the next three days, I got up at 5 am and was sound asleep by 7 pm every night. I capped off the weekend by taking a redeye flight to Orlando, Florida, aka Eastern Time Zone. Even though the flight was only four and a half hours, I landed seven hours later, with very little sleep. Mix in some daylight savings time where it's dark by 5 pm, and I'm a mess. I've spent the last few days trying to convince my body that it's okay to sleep, with varying degrees of success.

The good news is that on Saturday, I shall be returning to Tennessee and good ole' Central Time. Now, can anybody tell me if all the time changes made me younger or older?
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Things that make today great: Maribeth, Sam, and Lynnette flying in for Thanksgiving; brief stay at Hilton suite; Goodings/Winn Dixie experience with Molly

A Pair of Sneakers

Last weekend I spent three days walking in San Diego. It was an amazing experience. The walk itself was beautiful – along the coast to see surfers and crashing waves, down streets lined with shops and cafes, up (and up and up) hills that literally took my breath away, through beautiful parks where I could shed my shoes and run my feet through the grass, and in neighborhoods where the residents set up stands and offered encouragement along the way.

Rather than try to describe this indescribably awesome experience, I thought I would just list some of the highlights:

*children offering bowls of candy, saying, “Go walkers!” in their sweet little voices

*signs, signs, and more signs with words that made us laugh, become teary-eyed, and keep taking that next step

*groups of girl scouts, teenagers, families, schools, sports teams, and just about any group that could call itself a group, out on the course, just to show support by cheering, passing out stickers, and offering snacks and drinks

*the boys lacrosse team who walked in honor of one of their teammate’s mom

*the signs, shirts and ribbons worn by the walkers to honor those affected by breast cancer

* the survivors who walked in the event and those who cheered us along the route

* the San Diego, San Jose, and other law enforcement officers who kept us safe along the route

* the countless volunteers who carried our bags to our already-set-up tents, or prepared and served our food, or cleaned up, or offered a kind word, or bandaged our blistered feet and wounded bodies, or massaged our weary muscles, or passed out towels, or restocked the porta-potties, or did whatever it took to make the weekend unforgettable

*the walkers who looked after each other, who helped another get up that hill, who offered assistance and advice when needed, who shared their bandages and ibuprofen, who passed along their cardboard squares to sit on the damp ground, or who told their personal stories as you walked along with them

*the dude who took Marilyn’s hand and walked with her awhile along the beach

* the bars and cafes who offered specials (like $1 margaritas) and treats in front of their establishments

* the Girl Scouts who gave out Thin Mints on Sunday morning

* the snores from the tent behind us, and the walker who yelled out “STOP SNORING” at some point in the night

* the Girl Scout troop who bussed our plates at the end of dinner

* the hot showers in the shower trucks

* the unbelievable, absolute kindness and good spirits of everyone involved in the 3-Day (well, except for the one old geezer who yelled, “Quit taking up the whole sidewalk!” – he’s lucky he kept going, because there were several walkers in our group who were about to get him!)

* the walker who gave out pins to random walkers

* the butterfly lady with butterflies representing her donors and honorees, the sisters we had breakfast with, the knee-cyst lady, the sister team during opening ceremonies, the two friends who helped Marilyn get a good position in the closing ceremony, the brother/sister team in the tent next door, and countless other walkers we met along the way

* the fact that over 3800 walkers raised over 9 million dollars this weekend alone

* the poignant and meaningful opening ceremony when we honored those we lost to breast cancer and the inspiring closing ceremony when we honored the survivors

In other words, it was three days and sixty miles, but so much more. It was a lifetime of memories packed into those three and sixty. It was the chance to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. It was the physical representation of how people can get together and do something momentous on many levels. It was the opportunity to do something significant that will literally save someone’s life.

And all I had to do was put on my sneakers and walk.

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Things that make today great: watching Pelham 123 and GI Joe with Molly; doing a little of this and that