FUN STUFF
THINGS I ENJOY DOING
TRAVEL
I love to travel and see new and exciting places. I have been to many different places all over the US and across the world. Here are some of the places that I visited.
Domestic I have seen most of the US whether by car or plane. I have been up the East Coast all the way to New York City. I have been all the way to the West Coast to California and up the west coast to British Columbia, Canada. I have crossed the middle of the US through Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, etc
The only states that I have not been to are North Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Hawaii (which I hope is next!!).
My favorite places in the US are the National Parks. I have been to Yellowstone (my favorite), Yosemite, Glacier, Grand Tetons, Arches, & Crater Lake among several others.
I also enjoy going to the beach. The beaches on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida are the best.
International Traveling out of the US is very interesting because you get to see and learn about different cultures. I have been to Guatemala and Nicaragua in Central America. I have also been to Germany and Holland as well as London in Europe. I would love to travel more outside the since I renewed my passport this year (2007).
Cruises I have taken several cruise line trips and have enjoyed every aspect of them. You almost cannot go wrong on a cruise. They cater to your every need. I have been to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, & St. Johns islands.
Sailing I also had the good fortune to be invited to go with a group of friends to sail for a week in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas last year.
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE There are several things that I enjoy doing that are not only a
way to get out and travel, but a way to help me stay physical and in shape.
Water Skiing I enjoy going out on my ski boat up to Lake Harding. I like to wakeboard (favorite) as well as slalom ski, kneeboard, & tubing. I have even barefoot-skied one time. When we are taking a break from skiing we usually go up to the sand bar and just hang out with friends.
Snow skiing I enjoy getting off of the lake and head to west to seek out the powder in the mountains. I have been snow skiing at least once every year since 1988. I have enjoyed Vail (favorite), Aspen, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Copper, Keystone, Beaver Creek, & Winterpark, Colorado, as well as Park City and Alta, Utah. I tried snow boarding once and it almost killed me so I gave it up. Last year we were able to snowmobile for the first time and really enjoyed that also. Those things will really fly!!! I got mine up to 80 miles per hour!!! (kind of scary too).
Skating Last year (2006) I was trying to find something to do for exercise that one can do by himself and decided to give rollerblading a try. I purchased a pair of hockey skates with the intent of giving roller hockey a try one day. While I was skating at a park, a guy skated by me like I was standing still!!! When he came back around, I flagged him down and talked to him about his skates. He said that he was speed skating and that he was a member of a local speed skating team. So I investigated this team, GT Speed (www.gtspeed.com), and thus began my new favorite sport. I bought a pair of speed skates and started skating in the park with them. Soon after, I was invited to come watch the team practice and see what they were all about. As you could guess, I joined the team and started training with them. At first I thought that it would a great way to loose weight and get back in shape. But when I fell in love with the sport, I decided to start competing. My first race was one of the hardest races in the US, the US10K in Atlanta. I had no idea how I would do because the course is very hilly and it was my very first race. I not only finished the race, but to my surprise I finished in 22:05 minutes and placed 5th in my age group. That was big boost to my short competing career. So I decided to start training even harder and to start competing indoors as well as outdoors. My first indoor competition came in March and I won 1st place in my age group. Since then I have competed in 5 indoor competitions and 3 outdoor competitions. Outdoors I have skated in 2 marathons (26.2 miles) and the 10K. I recently competed in the Southern regional indoor competition and placed 3rd in the Novice Master Men division, which qualified me for the National Championship competition in Omaha, Nebraska in July 2007. I will have to update you later on my performance as I leave next Saturday.
Cycling Recently I purchased a road bike to help me cross train and to get stronger for my skating. I have biked in several non-race events with distances up to 101 miles. I try to train a couple days a week and usually go between 20-35 miles somewhere around the area. We like to ride on the Columbus River Walk through down town to Fort Benning and back. If we want a challenge, we go up to Pine Mountain and ride over the mountain (an 800 foot change in elevation climb) to Callaway Gardens and back again.
Running I started running last year also as a way to cross train for my skating. I ran in several 5K races and actually placed 3rd in my age group in one. Running is a great way to train but it is very hard on your body. Therefore I do not do it very much.
Triathlon A friend of mine coerced me to try competing in one so I started training a couple months ago. Swimming is another sport that I do not have much experience at and do not get to do much of. I ran my first sprint triathlon in June at Callaway Gardens. It was a Ό mile swim, 9-mile bike ride, & a 2-mile run. I placed 135th out of 629 and 19th in my age group out of 46.
Softball I played for over 20 years before I started building houses. I had to stop when I started building because of the time constraints and commitments to building and family. I played again last year for the first time in about 8 years. I did not play this year due to the lack of interest at work (we did not have a team). I do want to try to play again maybe next year.
Tennis I played in high school and would like to get back into it in my spare time (whenever that is). If interested, send me an email.
Racquetball I also played for about 20 years until I started building. Then they closed the club where we used to play. The only place to play now is at the YMCA downtown, which I am not a member. Oh well!!!
Some of other active things that I like to do are camping, hiking, whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and almost anything that there is to do outdoors. There are many things that I have never done and would like to try someday. Here are a few: mountain climbing, rappelling, spelunking, geocaching, mountain biking, heli-skiing & adventure racing.
NON-ACTIVE LIFESTYLE There are also several things that I like to watch and
not actively participate in.
College football I am a very avid College football fan and am crazy about the Georgia Bulldogs!!! I have season tickets the all of their home games. I have been attending college games consistently for over 15 years.
NASCAR I am an avid Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fan. I try to watch the races on TV when I can and have been to a couple races.
HOBBIES I do not have very many hobbies, as I prefer to be outside doing other
activities.
Photography I do not get to do this very much but I do enjoy it and always bring my camera wherever I go. I have owned a camera since I was around 12 years old. My mom is a very avid and accomplished photographer. I have a Pentax X700 35mm camera that I have had for over 20 years and a fairly new Nikon P4 digital camera. I also have a Sony video camera that I usually bring along if I can. My next purchase will probably be a high-end Nikon digital SLR.
If you see any activities that you participate in or want to participate in or am looking for a partner, please send me line.
