Warrior Dash

On Sunday Hubby and I ran our first mud obstacle race.

A few months prior I signed up for this race online & after registering I remember sitting at my desk wondering what the heck did I just pay for? Am I crazy? I think it was something that I always wanted to scratch off my list of challenge races to do, plus hubby agreed to do it with me and there was no backing out. A couple weeks leading up to race day I was very nervous and scared that I would not be able to do the obstacles.

On race morning my we (Dad, son, hubby & I) drove to Budds Creek, MD. We found the bag check & the packet pick-up tent. In our packet was an official race shirt, bib & a coupon for a free beer. Dad & our little guy got situated & found a spot close to the finish line so they could watch & take pictures.

We met up with some other friends of mine who were also running the course. Dad was so awesome and took a group picture of us at the start line. Before you know it we were doing the count down & the horn went off. The first mile was trail running and super muddy.

The first obstacle we came to was the over and under walls. These were pretty easy, you just hoisted yourself over the wall and crawled under the next wall. I do not remember the next order of obstacles but we climbed over a cargo net, crawled under barbed wire, did a 45 degree rope wall climb & a vertical wall climb. I was unable to do the vertical wall climb, I tried 3 times and got about halfway up and just did not have the arm strength to do the rest of the way. That one was hard!  The next obstacle after that one was the slip n slide. It reminded me of the slip n slide my brother and I had as little kids, except this was a monster one. I remember running up a big dirt hill and getting in line to go down & end up in a muddy pool. It was nuts! I had gravel all over myself.  After running & tackling a few more obstacles we finished by running down a hill toward 2 rows of fire that we had to jump over and then doing a belly crawl through some mud underneath barbed wire.

Once out of the mud we were given our medals & they had bananas on tables for us to eat.

 

Overall I had a good time. Not sure if I would do one again, I really like road races but it's always fun to mix it up some.

 

Until next time............:D

Some old HDR images

I was doing some cleaning up on my external hard drive and found some old HDR photo's that I did a long time ago. For those who do not know what HDR is, it stands for High Dynamic Range. It is basically where you merge different exposed images into one. You can go from very subtle HDR processed images that tend to look more natural  to extreme that look almost cartoonish.
Here are a few that I will share. And I will end this post with my usual closing 3 words.
Until next time..............:D


This one is a very subtle HDR. This picture was taken at the Corner Bakery downtown D.C.

This one has a bit more HDR processing. It was taken inside the National Cathedral in D.C.

This is a Coast Guard ship that is docked at Baltimore Harbor. This image has some heavy HDR processing done to it and has a cartoonish or painterly look.

This last one is of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. This was the sight of 2 major American Civil War Battles.

Giving back & a quick update

It has been awhile since I last updated. Now if only I had the same love of blogging like I do photography *sigh*. It seems like time just slips away and I never seem to have (or want to make) time to update my blog. I cannot believe 2011 is nearing the end & 2012 is knocking at our doors. 
Since my last post, I kind of put my photography on hold and focused more on getting healthier & fit. Sometimes you have to change the scenery in order to "re-charge" your creative batteries (so to speak). 
I am happy to report that my nephew is almost done with his radiation treatments in Boston & will be heading home toward the middle of this month~ YAY!! They were unable to get all of the tumor & he will need periodic future follow ups to check & see if it grows. I know he will win this fight. Did you know that on average 46 children are diagnosed with cancer per day? I have also noticed that you see a lot of pink (breast cancer) but very little gold (childhood Cancer). I am not knocking Breast Cancer because it is important but I am shocked that very minimal funding is given for childhood Cancer research.  I have been trying find ways to give back & help out a family who has a child/teen who has been affected by Cancer. Wouldn't a family portrait session be nice to give to a family as a gift? 
Ok I will get off my soapbox.
I hope to update again soon & below is a tribute to all the beautiful children that God has blessed us with............Until next time :D

Baltimore street scenes

After 2 weekend visits to Baltimore & between my time devoted to the gym, I finally made time to sort through some of my pictures that I took. Baltimore is an interesting place, the harbor & Fells Point are nice with lots of restaurants, shops & touristy things, but as soon as you go a couple blocks in the other direction, you will notice a stark contrast. No more nice restaurants, shops etc.. just decayed old buildings, worn out billboard signs, homeless people,graffiti & right in the heart of it all is one our nations top rated hospitals, John Hopkins. Reminds me of the time a few years ago when I was in San Diego & crossed the border to Tijuana. I wonder if this is why they call it "Charm City"... hmmm, makes you wonder?
Well here are some of the scenes that I was able to catch.
Until next time.............:D

A day spent in Baltimore

Last weekend I spent a day in Baltimore with my sister n law and nephew. We had a nice time walking around Fells Point, visiting Fort McHenry & touring Baltimore Harbor. We did not have time to go on the Pirate Cruise but I told my nephew that I would take him next time they are in Baltimore. 

This was not just an ordinary visit/get together, although I wish it was.

You see, my nephew who is a super kid, with a great personality & happens to be very smart has a rare type of bone cancer & he was getting ready for his 2nd brain surgery. He had his surgery on Monday & is currently recovering. He still has a lifelong road of doctor visits & future radiation treatments. 

Cancer is the devil & I hope that one day research will find a cure for it. 

I used to think like "oh how I hate Monday's" but you quickly learn that everyday is a gift from God that should be cherished, enjoyed & appreciated. 

Until next time...........:D

Hello I am still around

Hello Blog !!
Yes, I am still around despite the fact that I have neglected to post anything recently. I have been really on this workout kick for little over a month. I have lost 10 lbs so far (YIPPEE) & have managed to stick to a healthy eating plan & have been exercising 6 days a week. I feel great & have a lot more energy. I still have a long way to go, but I will chip away at it day by day.

My photography passion has sort of taken a back seat to working out, but you can guarantee that I will always find time to fuel my favorite pastime :) 

Here are some pictures that I took while looking at some flowers in my parents back yard. I really liked the look of her homemade bird nest. It is a Gord that she dried out and painted a long time ago. Since some of the paint has worn off in some places, it now resembles the earth. Ok, some of you may not agree. I guess each person has their own view & perspective toward ordinary or not so ordinary objects. Maybe this is why I have always loved photography. Until next time...................:D

Manny Pacquiao vs Shane Mosley

 Well the title says it. We watched the fight last weekend at a friends house & although it was not a "knockout", everyone was still proud that Manny was declared the winner. We also celebrated a couple birthdays. Happy Birthday to my little one who is now 7. All in all, everyone had a nice time. Here are some of the pictures & until next time..............D