Andi's Movement Towards Change

I turned in early last night (around 11pm). It's obvious that I don't stay out late often and that I can't hang with the young crowd anymore. Some of the group didn't come in until after 2am. That's a rare thing for me, and after a day of racing, I surely wasn't up for that! I woke up this morning and I felt great. My right hip flexor was a bit sore, but not to the point of concern. I ended up doing a bit more sight-seeing before we would all meet back at the hotel to go to the airport. I decided to head over to the Smithsonian's Museum of Archives, where the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and so much more is housed. The place was fascinating, even for a gal that wasn't really interested in history when she was a kid. A detail shot of the Museum of Archives. There were so many things to read up on, so many things to take in, and just not enough time. I ended up buying a book on one of the exhibits there so that I could rea...

I swam... I biked... I ran... I conquered! What a memorable experience! (Ongoing editor's note: There are so many more memories and photos that I want to post on here, so keep checking back. I hope to have all of this up in the next few days!!!) YES, I FINISHED my first Olympic distance triathlon today! Above is the medal that drapes a couple of celebratory drinks! The day started bright and early, like any other race day. We all met in the lobby at 6am with all of our gear so that we could bike to the race site. Riding with your transition bag takes a bit of skill. Combine that with navigating through Washington traffic (which was fortunately minimal at that time of day) and the fact that it was dark out made for an interesting ride. We checked in and set up our transition areas, and then waited for the race to begin. Some of the time was spent mingling with other racers, some of the time was spent warming up...but most of the time was just waiting. Racers bring their bikes into ...

For those of you older folks out there, here's a question for you. Remember Rolf Harris? No clue who he is, eh? Hint: Singer. Still nothing? You surely must remember the song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport". Well, I grew up listening to the album in which that song resides on, and there is another song on it, called "I've Been Everywhere". It's a catchy little tune, and I one that I found myself singing after my truly fun-filled and action-packed day. Fair warning, this is going to be a long entry. The day started off with a trip to George Bush's residence, the White House, for a self-guided tour that I was able to set up just for Team Michigan. The plans for this started months ago, when friend Ken Rogers of Automation Alley had suggested that I contact our local congressman, Joe Knollenberg, to see if they could arrange for our group. At the time, I didn't think everyone could get in (since most groups are limited to 10 or less). Nevertheless, I ...

Our flight to DC went great. The Northwest Airlines pilot was kind enough to give a shout out to the Team Michigan crew during the flight, which prompted some scattered applause for our efforts. That was pretty neat, being that I had never been recognized over an airline announcement before. The best thing, however, was that the reason as to why we are doing this was also mentioned. That, in the end, was the most important part and it really tugged at my heartstrings. Thanks to that pilot for recognizing the cause. When we were waiting for our luggage, I looked over and saw a very tall man that looked a lot like the Detroit Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick. The resemblence struck me, and I mentioned my observation to my fellow teammate, Brian. "Yeah, he was on our plane," he said. Well, for those of you who know me, I am a bit relentless when it comes to getting PR for a cause, so I immediately went over to his posse (can I call them that?) and asked if he'd mind getting his pictu...