Rugged Maniac

Obstacle course racing (OCR) is a fairly new and emerging sport. Of course races like Mudder, Spartan and Warrier Dash have been around for years, but now they are finally coming out with OCR's for us laymen. Courses that aren't 10+ miles long, and obstacles that can only be concord by the fittest of the fit. 

Recently I, along with my friend Robyn, participated in the 4th annual Rugged Maniac.  A 5k and 28 obstacle fun run.  Just so we're clear, I run, but I don't like to run.  Running is my LEAST favorite form of exercise... I pretty much despise it. The running portion was a wooded uphill terrain... but when u insert 28 obstacles into 3.1 miles, the running isn't grueling at all.

The obstacles varied in technique and difficulty.  There was a lot of climbing, crawling and leaping. Climbing up and over cargo nets, inverted walls, and mounds of mud.  Crawling through dark tunnels, under barb wire, and pits of mud.  Leaping over deep trenches, from log to log, and rows of fire.  And then they threw in some fun ones just to keep it friendly.  There was the leap of faith where you jump into a pool of muddy water with spectators cheering you on and rating your technique.... the belly-floppers got the most praise. There was this colossal waterside where you pretty much went for it, hoping it would all end okay as you reach speeds greater than 35mph and end up in another muddy pool of water. 

There were 2 that I couldn't finish.  An inverted wall where my lack of wingspan got the best of me (these types of races are even extra challenging for us short people). And then the monkey bars... those dreaded monkey bars. I got 2 rings in and opted to let go and drop into, you guessed it, another pool of muddy water. (I know that upper body strength isn't my forte, but it also didn't help that this particular obstacle was placed 2nd to last). 

By the end my elbows and knees were pretty banged up, and my shoulders and quads were spent.  But I sprinted across that finish line with a giant smile on my face proud of what I had accomplished. 

I have already signed up for next years race with plans to have my p.i.c. Courtney join in the muddy mayhem.  If anyone else cares to join us you are more than welcome.  Can't wait :))

Out with the old

As all good things must come to an end so does my relationship with my trusty steed and machanical sidekick for the past 9 years. I bought Action Jackson (aka my black, 2dr, honda civic) on October 10, 2005. I remember the date vividly because I had to hurry up and rush over to Qualcomm for the Monday night Charger v Steerler game (Steelers won by 2...)

It was my very first new car and the purchasing process was easy peasy. I had already done my research and knew exactly what I wanted. A friend of mine, who dabbles in car sales on the side, was there to help me through the whole transaction. He knew the right Q's to ask, did all the negotiating and all I had to do was sign my name a gazillion times. We were in and out in less than an hour. Thanks Jeff!  

I drove off that lot w/only 4 miles on my car, and sold it almost exactly 9 years later with 102,645. With the exception of a handful of miles when someone else needed to drive my car for one reason or another (mostly alcohol related, safety first!!) I pretty much drove all those miles by myself.

And what a weird concept if you think about it. It's approx 240,000 miles from here to the moon and the circumference of the earth is about 25k. So that would mean distance wise, I've single handedly drove around this planet 4+ times and made it almost half way to the moon (providing there was such an infrastructure to actually allow you to do that). 

Not only did Jackson and I share thousands of miles together, the adventures I've had in that vehicle were priceless. On the West coast we traveled as far north as San Fransico and way down into Baja.  (That car has gone south of the boarder and cruised around Mexico more times than I have ever admitted to my mother.)  Conversely, on the East coast we've traveled as far south as Georgia, up into the great state of Maine.

As sad as I am to have to part with this fine piece of machinery, it was time.  Action Jackson is definately a California car.  And at the time of purchase, I had no intentions of ever living back in the Northeast. But now that I'm here (with no significant plans of changing that anytime soon) and need to drive in ridiculous elements, I need a car that can safely preform in weather. 

KB just bought a new SUV so I bought her Jeep Cheerokee (newer than Jackson w/about 30 k miles less) It was a tough decision but I think it was the right one. And when I need to throw that jeep into 4wd for the 1st time, there will be no question that I made the right decision. 

Besides, if I ever do decide to drive back to California, the jeep will be just perfect for my Mexican road trips :))

Wedding Bliss

Last weekend marked a milestone in the Brooks family.  My younger brother Ryan married his beautiful bride Marissa Baggarly. Congratulations to you both! 

Weddings are always  a blast and fun to attend, but being part of the wedding party is even better.  I can't even remember the last time I was actually in a wedding.  (Karen Roy O'Driscoll maybe? Circa 2004??). Most of my friends have been married with children for years. In fact some, married and divorced, and even married again.  (And the rest of us? Well, that could be a blog in and of itself... )

Weddings are like snowflakes in the sence that no two are exactly the same.  They literally come in all shapes and sizes. Is it an outdoor or indoor wedding? Whats everybody wearing? What's for dinner? Cupcakes or cake? Dj or band? Photo booth? Gifts for the guests? After party?  All things to consider, never exactly the same, and elements that make every wedding special and unique. For those that are interested, here's the 411 on the Brooks/Baggarly Wedding, 9/06/2014...

The wedding party: Giant = 8 bridesmaids and 7 groomsmen. 

The bachelor/ette party:  Boys to New Orleans, Girls to Ocean City, MD. (It was a blast, but one must consider I am at least 10yrs older than most of these girls. Keeping up is never an issue, it's the bouncing back part that I strugglewith.)

The attire:  Boys in black suits, pink shirts, black ties (w/the exception of the groom who wore white shirt/hot pink tie). Girls in black satin dress of their choice (thank you!!!).  Sassy hot pink heels which later transformed to hot pink flippies (thank you!!!).  And we were all armed with a sexy pink and black garter flask to be filled with our liquor of choice (thank you again!!!). 

Rehersal dinner:  Brattleboro Country Club.  Beautiful night, beautiful backdrop, super delish... thanks Jess :)  

Hair and makeup:  Enright in Brattleboro. Girls did a great job, but most of my makeup had melted off by the time of the wedding, it was so stinkin humid. 

Ceremony:  Our Lady of Fatima church in Wilmington,VT.  Beautifully officianated by Father Bernie, aka our Uncle Brian :)

Reception: Jackson Gore Inn at Mt. Snow, where most of us had rooms and spent the night. There was a buffet, Dj, cupcakes, photo booth, open bar, personalized MnM's and can coozies for guests, too many after parties to choose from, and did I hear someone had a bonfire??

So crazy that you take so much time to plan, so many details to consider, spend obscene amounts of money, and it's all over, poof, just like that. But the truth is, it's not all over.  It's only just begun.

  

I couldn't be happier for Ryan and Marissa. Not only are they a ridiculously handsome couple (my family calls them Ken and Barbie) but It's obvious that they are truely in love.  

I'm happy to be part of the Baggarly clan, what a fun bunch and good hearted people. It saddens me that our Dad couldn't physically be there.  But he was definately there in spirit and I know for a fact Jimmy Brooks is damn proud of his son. 

So there you have it folks. It was touching, it was beautiful and it was FUN. Congrats again to the bride and groom!  And it's finally official, Lil' Ry-Guy's all growns up!  Now if we could just get his big sister to do the same... :) 

Summer Fun 2014

As most of us know I can be quite the procrastinator. But to go virtually all summer w/out a single peep is a little uncharacteristic of me. I've been crazy busy and I haven't had the time to write about any of it.  But the least I can do is provide a brief recap of events since our last chat. Here goes:




1. Bangor, Maine to see Dave Matthews, whom I have seen a gazillion times, but not in what seems like a gazillion years.  There's nothing like outdoor concerts on warm summer nights.

2. Poland, Maine for a mini USM roomie reunion.  It was great to reminisce and see how everyone's lives have unfolded thus far. 

3.  SIT Community Garden: What was super exciting in the beginning has turned out to be one of the most exhausting, time consuming tasks I've ever taken on.  I will 100% be blogging about this catastrophe later... it definitely deserves special recognition.

4.  The McNulty family reunion.  There's nothing like packing 25 irish cousins into an Irish bar, for the evening of true shenanigans. It was an Irish conglomerate of similar people, with similar physical attributes and similar bad habits; which we've all learned to blame on our ancestors.

5.  Atlantic City, NJ (one of my summer playgrounds and a Thanksgiving staple growing up).  Although not nearly as luxurious as it once was, its always fun to go back.  Especially when you win $118 on the penny slots... pretty sure Jimmy Brooks played a huge part in that :)

6. Ocean City, MD to meet up w/my soon to be sister in law, Marissa, and 7 other ladies for weekend of bachelorette mayhem. 

7. SIT 50th Reunion weekend.  As a key player on the planning committee for this extravaganza, I've been knee deep in party logistics for the past 8 months.  Now don't get me wrong, I love to throw a good party, but to successfully pull off this 3 day event, for more than 300 participants had its challenges.  I am proud to say that it went off w/out a hitch, thanks to all who contributed. 

8. Fletcher/Nutting Wedding.  What do you get when you hitch up two of the nicest people, with 150+ of their closest friends/family, at a posh nearby resort for the weekend?  A hell of a good time... nuff said.

9.  And in between all that, there were wedding showers, baby showers, backyard bbq's, and lakeside bbq's.  I somehow managed to miss just 3 of the Friday night Marinavilles, where Courtney and I were guest DJs on the radio one of those nights... it was a hoot and a half.

Up next?  A giant family wedding.  My younger brother Ryan and his fiancé Marissa are tying the knot Sept 6. I cant wait :)  I have a couple more fun-runs scheduled for the month of September, including Rugged Maniac which is sure to be a good ass whooping.  And finally, once October comes around, its gonna be nothing but detox, diet, sleep and repeat... I'm exhausted!  Happy summer to all :))

Fun-Run Season is Back!

This past weekend Marissa and I participated in 5K Foam Fest New England (http://5kfoamfest.com/Location?locId=32). 

For those of you who aren’t aware, Foam Fest is one of those obstacle races.  It’s similar to Tough Mudder/Spartin Race but on a smaller scale… it’s like the Fischer Price of obstacles runs.  Most of the obstacles are made out of inflatable bouncy-houses.    It's less crowded, less intense, family friendly, and they use more foam than mud... although we were hot muddy messes by the end!

Other than a few minor scrapes and bruises we flew through those obstacles w/flying colors.  In fact, I was a little disappointed they weren’t more challenging.  But I’ll tell you what was challenging… that vertical climb for the 1st mile.  Up and up and up and up w/no end in sight.  It was mentally discouraging and I’m pretty sure I got a cramp w/in the first few hundred yards. Ugh… running is NOT my forte, especially running up hills. 

But after that it was smooth sailing.  We did the whole thing in just over an hour and only had significant wait-time at a few obstacles (which is a major problem at the bigger, more challenging races).  We sprinted to the finish line where we were greeted w/our medals, protein bars, free T’s and complimentary Mikes Hard Lemonade.  (Just one... what a tease).

We hung out for a bit at the post-race party.  They had an area set up w/additional obstacles for spectators and kids. They had a beer tent, merch tent, and other vendors pushing the latest and greatest in sport/health/nutrition. We mowed down on some festi-food (NOT healthy) and people watched.  

Aside from the parking sich, it was a blast and I look forward to doing it again next year.  In the meantime I’ve registered for a couple other fun-runs, including  Rugged Maniac in September (http://www.ruggedmaniac.com ).  It’s not going to be nearly as fun as Foam Fest but it’s going to be one heck of a challenge.  I anticipate a plethora of scrapes and bruises, ridiculously sore muscles, and obstacles that I probably won’t be able to finish.  Hit me up if you’re interested in joining… should be another great time.  

Hasta luego!!

It's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to this beautiful city I once called home. So many memories,  rediculously perfect weather, prestine beaches and back drops.   It's crazy how much can change in such a relatively short period of time.  And then of course, some things will never change... Bali Hai Mai  tai's anyone??

As predicted the time flew right by. Trying to fit everyone/everything in is nearly impossible. It was great to catch up w/those I got so see, and for those of you I missed, I hope to reconnect the next time I'm in town.  

A giant thanks to BettyBo for putting up with me for the week.  Al-vac and SusieQ.... no words needed and I miss you already.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sleep for the next 36 hours.  Lord knows I need it!!

Mötley Crew

While living in San Diego for 12 years I spent the first 6 working at Sea World. My original goal was to go back to school for marine biology/oceanography and ultametly become a marine mammal trainer. Step one:  get hired at Sea World (anywhere) because once I had my foot in the door that's all I would need. Step one done and I was hired to work in the Hospitality Center.

Now for those who are unfamiliar, every Sea World and Busch Gardens theme parks are (or were) owned by Anheuser-Busch (as in Budweiser beer).  The Hospitality Center is the designated area in each of these parks that represents A-B and the beer side.  We had a beautiful bar where we gave away free samples of product.  We had a small micro brewery where we would brew our own batches of beer (for employees only... something's to do with our liquor lisence). There was Budweiser Beer School where guests could relax for a half hour, learn about the history of the company and the brewing process, sample even more product, and walk away with a personalized Beermaster Certificate. And lastly, located right next door, were the Budweiser Clydesdales. A most impressive group of horses. The hospitality crew would help the Clydesdale handlers parade the horses around the park and assist in photo ops.

The majority of our staff were hired as temps to help out during the busy summer months. They were either exchange students from other countries, or older, retired folks that were looking for something fun to do on the side.  And although the turnover rate was high, there was a core group of us that were employed full time.  We spent year after year, growing together, supporting each other and made the most mundane tasks bearable.

The other night this motley crew reunited for the fist time in years.  And although some weren't able to make it, it was a great turnout. It was good to catch up and see everyone together again.  A giant thanks to Carol Clough for graciously hosting the event, and to BettyBoo for helping round up the troops. It was a blast! (FYI Betty featured above in red walking w/the Clydesdales... Found it online!)

Clearly step 2, or 3, of becoming a dolphin trainer was never meant to be. But regardless, those were some of the most memorable times my life.  The experiences that were had and the friendships that were created are life lasting. Each of you holds a special place in my heart and I can't wait to see you all again :))