Turtle Krawl 5K

     After a long hiatus from running, my husband and I ran the Turtle Krawl 5K in Indialantic on September 15.  There were close to 2000 runners and the course was great.  What I was not prepared for was the heat, and oh, running for 5K!  Not training before running is not a good idea.  Halfway through the course, I could feel my thighs starting to tighten and feel heavy. Nevertheless, buoyed by the excitement and the similar look of exhaustion from my fellow runners, I pushed on and finished the course in 45:34 minutes.  As one of my friends said, it's not how fast or slow you run, but that you do!

These are my running essentials:

1. My running shoes with #465 D-tag.

2.  #465 - My runner number.

3.  My shirt. 

4. ipod - loaded with running music including my power song, Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger".

Miscellaneous perks from organizers or vendors

Canvas goody bag filled with advertising supplement for future runs, a granola bar, a shirt and a D-tag

Another bag from Absolutely Natural

Drinks from Starbucks and Nathan's

Carb reload courtesy of Publix and other vendors. Running almost becomes worth it with all of these freebies at the end of the run.

Was able to snag this most plump chocolate chip cupcake.  Everybody was eyeing it as I walked to the car!

The results - 45:54 at a pace of 14:47 per mile.

My running hubby, I mean buddy.

My classroom

July 2001 changed the course of my life when 

I took on the job as a high school teacher. 

Through the years, there have been surprises, frustrations, and sense of accomplishments.

 I have taught Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Integrated Science, Science Research and even Math!

I was born to a family of teachers.

My grandfather was a school Superintendent.

My grandmother, a teacher.

My mother was a teacher who moved up to become a Principal.

My aunt was a teacher who traveled for two hours to and and from work everyday for 35 years!

My husband's father was a teacher and,

I married one!

 I am proud to be a teacher. 

Proud to have followed in the footsteps of my mother whom

I loved and worked hard to emulate.

I love my profession.
As an educator, I hope that I have made a difference in the lives of the

hundreds of students 

who have passed through my classroom doors.

So now, I welcome you to my classroom - Room 16-104

where, for 36 weeks a year, 

I work to ignite student's interest in learning about Science- 

in learning to love Science!

Room 16-104

24 desk chairs

The clock on my wall -  47 minutes is how long we get to teach about science.

My attendance folder - The courses I teach this year.

My cluttered desk 

Can't miss showing off my Seminole pride!

A gift from a special friend, Shirley.  The words and prayers have guided me through the years.

A gift from my husband when I first started teaching!  Yes, we are first class.

Things on the walls!

Periodic Table of Elements - What elements do you know?

                 Won't hurt to remind them..                                       Setting high expectations!

My credentials 

Naturally simple, vol. 11

Often we do not notice the simple beauty of

things that surround us.

I share the simple things around me...

This monarch caterpillar...who simply munches on the leaves of milkweed and in a few days will metamorphose into a beautiful Monarch butterfly.

This peace lily plant that adorns our pool...that simply blooms with the most beautiful white flower.

This lighthouse...that simply holds pillar candles.

These chopped wood...that would supply us with heat in the winder, so simply functional.

Unopened beer bottles...that simply quench the thirst during these hot summer months.

Bucket list - not mine

Do you have a bucket list?  I do.  My list includes a visit to the Great Wall of China and a visit with the Pope, among others.  My husband has a list, too. Unbeknownst to me, one item on  his list is to go skydiving!  Let's go back to me for a second...I don't have this on my list and will not have it in, ever.  Planes are a necessary mode of transportation for me and nothing more.  I will only get on one but never jump off any! Okay, let's get back to my husband.  This blog post, is in fact, about him.  So as I have said, he wanted to check off skydiving from his list.  So he and a couple of our friends who are also celebrating the half century mark decided to jump together.

The trio (from left, Noel, Ralph, Brad) with their wives before they went up the on the plane.

On August 18, 2012, three middle-aged men set out to go sky diving at Skydive Sebastian.  I was silently praying for bad weather so they would cancel the dive because I was anxious.  However, God instead blessed them with the clear blue skies!  Even the wind blew just enough to sway the flags on the poles.  They were assigned an instructor to tandem dive with and since they wanted to capture every moment of the dive, each was assigned his own cameraman.  They paid an extra $100 for this but it was so worth it.  Each second of each diver's jump and free fall from 15000 feet was captured for eternity!

Final check, or goodbye??? before jumping off the plane!

Ralph with his tandem buddy jumps off the plane just above the clouds in Sebastian, Florida

Thumbs up!

Shaking hands with the cameraman at 15000 feet!!  So breathtaking!

The skydive only took about 5 minutes but the memories of the experience will last them a lifetime.  Each had his own story to tell of how it felt being up in the clouds, jumping off the plane, free falling for 40 seconds and then slowly descending with a chute back down to earth.  For all of us who marveled at the sight of what looked like ants falling from the sky, it was an equally thrilling experience.  I, and the other wives, definitely breathed a sigh of relief after we saw the three colored chutes open and slowly camendown from the sky.

The cameraman's feet in the foreground as they separate for chute deployment. 

Landing!

Will they be doing it again?  My husband is quick to say no but the other two said they probably would.  In that case, I wish them all the best on their next dive!

After the dive with Ralph's instructor.

I have to say this was such a big leap for my husband as he is not a risk taker at all.  I am proud that he went through with it and came down (pun intended) and landed with both feet.  For those who would like to go and share the experience, I say, go for it.  It may not be for me, but it definitely could be for you!

Cruise to the Bahamas!

I have always wanted to go on a cruise but there was always one reason or another why I couldn't go on one.  This year being our silver wedding anniversary year, my husband and I decided that it was an excellent time to go.   Well, this plan remained a plan for quite sometime until we went on a Valentine's Day dinner with several of our close friends.  We mentioned that we were planning on going on a cruise to celebrate our anniversary and would they like to join us.  Well, they all said yes and so this past July a group of 18 went on a 3-day Carnival cruise to the Bahamas!

Our friends and family on the cruise.  Another couple came with us but went ahead to catch a catamaran excursion.

From the moment we got on board the ship it was endless laughter and fun!  Most of us arrived on board just in time for lunch up on the Lido Deck!  What a treat...where else can you eat a full lunch complete with dessert and waiters presenting you with mixed drinks while you wait for the ship to sail to your destination?  We'd all be our laptops or phones if we were waiting for a flight at the airport resisting the urge to buy that $8 sandwich or the $3 cup of coffee!!!

Anyway, where was I?  Oh, so we ate lunch and headed out by the bar to wait for the rest to arrive.  We were told that our luggage (another perk of cruises that I love!) won't be delivered to our rooms until later so we took this time to simply relax and enjoy a Bahama Mama!  We danced to the band playing reggae and just relaxed.

Up on Lido Deck waiting for the ship to depart.

Enjoying drinks with friends before we sailed!

After we sailed, it was fun, fun, fun all the way!  And here's why!!

The kids enjoyed dancing with the wait staff!

They posed for almost every photo op!

Some of us were brave enough to sing karaoke!

We enjoyed our nightly towel animal greeter in the evenings.

We took shots of...

The kids went jetskiing

Went shopping on and off the ship!

Some played in a slot machine tournament and one of them won!

The adults painted the town red at Senor Frog!

When we were not doing any of these, we were either tasting liquor, jewelry shopping, enjoying a comedy show or two, relaxing in the hot tub, playing cards, trying to guess songs at the piano bar, or having a drink, or two, or more at the bar!!!

We just so enjoyed our first cruise experience that we have already booked our next one in November!. In the meantime, I would like to thank our friends and family who came with us and made our wedding anniversary that much more memorable.  

A silver milestone

On July, 26, 1987

my husband, Ralph, and I vowed
to love and to hold,
for richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health,

till death do us part!

Exchange of rings

The past twenty five years together

can be summed up in a song -

"Through the years, you've never let me down,
 ... the sweetest days I've found
I've found with you ... Through the years
I've never been afraid, I've loved the life we've made
And I'm so glad I've stayed, right here with you
Through the years"

Our first kiss as husband and wife!

 "Through the years, through all the good and bad"

... there were trials along the way,
yet together we overcame all of them.
The trials strengthened our union even more
and our love grew much deeper every day.

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Turingan in 1987

We will continue on with the journey

to the next twenty-five years!