My Next Adventure

Monday, December 27, 2010

Tell Me You Have Never Struggled In Your Life...


What is the Real Face of Hunger?
Hungry does not mean homeless. It may surprise you to learn that, every day, working parents in Southern Nevada face an unthinkable choice between feeding their families and paying the bills. Three Square was founded to help people like this get the food their families need to survive so that they can focus on other things-like getting back on their feet.

  • One in eight households in Nevada struggle with hunger
  • 50% of children in the Clark County School District receive free and reduced-price meals
  • 31,000 children under the age of 18 are served each month by Three Square’s Agency Partners
Hunger’s Impact on Our Community
In spring 2009, the Three Square Food Bank launched an ambitious research initiative: to map the impacts, implications and indirect costs of hunger in Southern Nevada. This research was done in conjunction with a series of events which brought together local, national and international experts in the fields of hunger and social services. The result is Three Square’s first policy paper, “Hunger’s Impact on Our Community: Envisioning a Food-Secure Southern Nevada.” This report explores the impacts of hunger in Southern Nevada in four specific topic areas:
  • Children and Education
  • Senior Citizens
  • Health Care
  • Economy and Housing
To read the full report, click here.
To read the White Paper Synopsis, click here.

2010 Hunger in America Report 
Every four years Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, collaborates with participating member food banks to evaluate the extent of hunger in America. Three Square and our Agency Partners participated in the most recent study which concludes that more than 37 million people – one in eight Americans – receive emergency food each year through the nation’s network of food banks and the agencies they serve.

Locally, Three Square, through our Agency Partners, served more than 214,500 individuals during 2009. In addition, we packed and provided nearly 5,000 bags of food weekly to Clark County School District students through our “BackPack for Kids” Program, served 39,000 meals through our Summer Food Service Program and provided hundreds of meals daily to kids in after school programs through our “Kids Cafe” Program.

To read the Synopsis of Hunger in America 2010 Southern Nevada Report, click here.
To read the full Feeding America Hunger in America 2010 National Report, click here.

The content in this post is taken from the Three Square website. Want to learn more, donate or volunteer? Please visit http://www.threesquare.org/.

Dispatches From The Field 12-27

Split day today. I need to do a recovery run and bike intervals today, but I cannot do it as a Brick. This is one of the more challenging assignments for me as I also have Lulu today. I need to get the training in and it requires two separate parts of my day. I also need to come up with an adventure for Lulu (our tradition) and get nap time in (more and more challenging). Looking over how the day is shaping up, I opt for the run first.

Next challenge - I am a member at Las Vegas Athletic Club, which is a huge benefit. Strength sessions, lifecycles, treadmills and pool time are all done here (pool work at the Henderson Multi Generational Center also). The problem is that you are limited to two hours of childcare daily. Often my workouts will take me to or beyond this time limit and I have been written up once for being late.

Decision - Do the run first, then get in the adventure, then a nap and later the bike intervals at another LVAC location, killer.

The weather is beautiful! Probably low to mid 50s with just a little wind (5-10mph) and beautiful clear skies. This day is made to run. I drop Lulu with child care and step outside to head for the main entrance and the upstairs track or treadmill. I breathe in. The air is clean; between the week of rain and the windy days that followed, all of the junk has been cleared out of the air. The sun feels warm on my face. I start to run through the parking lot.

The Western Beltway Trail follows the 215 Freeway from Tropicana to Charleston, passing LVAC at Flamingo. You can head back toward Tropicana for about 1 mile or head toward Charleston (4 miles). Instead, I run up Flamingo and figure I will catch the Trail on the way back. I haven't run up Flamingo before, but I know there is a bike lane to the west and traffic is light. Westward Ho!

I force myself to keep my pace easy. Supposed to be a recovery run I tell myself. The first 3/4 mile is start and stop as I wait for lights and dodge traffic. It is hard to go easy. Intuitively, I feel like I have to go hard to get any benefit from the exercise. I read about the importance of recovery, my coach schedules me for both recovery sessions and recovery weeks, still I chomp at the bit to go. I'm slow anyway I tell myself. Further complicating the situation is my work on leg turnover. I'm trying to speed up my cadence on both the bike and the run. How does running slower make any sense?

Flamingo is uphill. It's so funny that you never really notice these things in a car. I feel good. I feel lighter than I have in the past. Not so much chuggin' up the hill. I pass Bear's Best Golf Course (always wondered where that was) and the hill gets a little steeper. It's still not anything crazy but I'm a big guy and hills are a killer. Not today.

Past Desert Inn and still moving along. Only supposed to do 4.5 miles and I'm already past 3. Still need to run back. I'm going over, Coach will not be pleased. I want to keep going, I feel great. I could run all day.

I turn back. I wouldn't feel this way if I wasn't getting the kind of help I'm getting. I'll cut over and catch the trail off Desert Inn.

What a great day.   

Weekly Schedule 12/27/10 - 1/2/11

MONDAY
Bike - 75 min - 5 min Intervals
Run - Easy 50 min
    
TUESDAY
Strength - 60 min (w/Coach Cyndee)
Swim - 60 min (w/Coach Cyndee)

WEDNESDAY
Brick - 25 mile bike/4 mile run

THURSDAY
Swim - Pyramids 25-500s, 2700m total

FRIDAY
Run - 14 miles (7 to work/7 from work)

SATURDAY
Off Day

SUNDAY
Bike 50 miles, Ride for Mileage


PREVIOUS WEEK
Swim (Projected/Actual)
Time - 3:00:00/3:09:31     Distance - 6500/6500
Bike (Projected/Actual)
Time - 4:10:00/4:19:11     Distance - 55/66.53
Run (Projected/Actual)
Time - 2:25:00/2:40:08     Distance - 14/15.2
Strength (Projected/Actual)
Time - 1:00:00/1:00:00

TOTAL (Projected/Actual)
Time - 10:35:00/11:11:21

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Dispatches From The Field 12-25-10

Last night I got out of work late to begin with and then came home to help Melissa get everything together for Lucia and Christmas Day. I have to admit that I lost the feeling for the holidays a long time ago. I was definitely in the camp with those who believe that Christmas is overly commercial, I would grumble when I would see a retailer putting out Christmas decorations at Halloween. Then I had a child...

Let's just say that is how I find myself wrapping presents with Melissa at 4:00am (and secretly enjoying it).

The Handiwork
Shamelessly, teetering on exhaustion, I have consumed the goods left for Santa. This includes not only the customary cookies and milk, but also fruit, carrots and salad (as I continue to work on the "Santa diet"). Melissa writes a note from Santa in crayon and I leave the dirty plate as evidence for our daughter to discover. Melissa keeps "hearing" Lulu waking up. Terrified of being discovered, we hurry to bed.


The Ruse

Christmas morning arrives with my daughter screaming that Santa has been to our house. She has a detailed inventory prepared; informing me that Santa did not eat three carrots and two tomatoes. Melissa grabs the camera and we head downstairs to watch the renewal of my faith in the holidays open presents.

Christmas is a success and I make breakfast for everyone. The afternoon finds all three of us laying down for "nap time". I close my eyes for a little bit, before getting up to get in my Brick (Coach Cyndee does not recognize holidays).

Today was a 25 mile bike followed by a 3 mile run. I used the garage as my transition area and took off. The bike ride was relatively trouble free with the holiday there was not much traffic. Arriving back at the house, I made my transition. I don't normally push the transitions really hard on these rides, with my goal to be under 3 minutes.

I have reasonable endurance, but have always lacked speed. In short, I am slower than a turtle. Coach has let that go until now. Lately, I have been seeing more speed work in all three disciplines. I conjunction with that, a lot of my running has either been on a treadmill or a high school track.

As a result, while the run course today is one that I have done a lot in training, I haven't been on it in awhile. The run starts out immediately for me at a quicker pace than normal and the transition doesn't seem to affect me much. At each of the first two miles, I peak at my splits, I am moving at a sub-10 pace. I think my heart rate jumps 3 bpm at that news. At this perceived rate of effort, I should be 1:00 - 1:15 slower per mile.

For me, this is the current glass ceiling shall we say. My race 5K pace is between 9:30-9:45, but I am killing myself to make that effort. Today, I was hitting that pace, but my perceived effort was nowhere near that. I was really excited, the speed work is definitely helping. I need to start working a little on run strategy and I really need to get my nutrition figured out. Really a rewarding session today before enjoying the rest of the day with my girls.

Goal = 2:00:00 / 25 mile bike, 3 mile run
Actual = 2:04:54 / 28.96 miles
Bike - 1:35:31 / 25.94 miles
T2 - 2:29
Run - 26:52 / 3.02 miles

Saturday, December 25, 2010

The Scale

THE NUMBER = 257.4 (-1.6 from last week)

Something of a moral victory. Diet was mediocre this week. I had a lot of running around with the holiday and didn't get a chance to organize myself well. Gives me a really positive feel going into this coming week.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Dispatches From The Field 12-19-10

Need to get out and run. Today is 6 miles with an increased effort on the back end and race pace to finish. Coach has always got a wrinkle in there somewhere. It's never just go run; there is always a purpose. Everything has a reason.

I want to run trails today. Most of my running is on the road and I want to get more time in on the dirt. The weather is still threatening and the weatherman is calling for rain. I'm out early to try and beat that. If I can get the run in before the weather goes completely bad, I can get inside for my swim session.

A couple months ago while I was exploring routes, I noticed a road that seemed to go from the Las Vegas Wash out to the backside of Lake Las Vegas. I didn't think there was anything out there. Probably a jeep trail or something like that. Today is the day that I decided to go and explore.

I follow the mental map I have put together and find where the pavement ends. I get out of the car to a howling wind and a string of telephone poles that lead out and up the mountain. The road following these poles pulls me. I back track a 1/4 mile up the road and find a place to park the car.

The End of the Pavement
The road is flat and I get into a good rythm. Breathing is good and the pace is steady with the wind at my back. Legs feel ok after yesterdays ride. Life is good. The trail took me around the Las Vegas Wash area and was open to exploration. I get such a rush running! What a difference from yesterday.

My feet feel good and I feel strong. I have an energy today that has been lacking for me a little lately. I feel free. I needed this. There is something about being outside and alive, feeling the fresh air against my skin, the warmth in my muscles. It feels great to be alive. I feel strong. I will be back soon.
---
In the afternoon, the skies cleared a little, so Lulu and I took Rufus out to the park to get a little exercise. Lulu has said that she wants to run a race with her Daddy. Maybe a 1 mile fun run for the two of us sometime soon. Wanted to share the rainbow we enjoyed...

Lulu Could Not Get Enough.

Time To Pay The Piper

Cyndee is now watching what I eat. Necessary, but disappointing that I lack to personal strength to take care of myself. Need to work on some of that mental discipline that we talked about before...

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Metrics From Cyndee 12-21-10

Weight = 258
Body Fat = 26.5%
Hydration = 52.2%
Muscle = 180 lbs
Bone Mass = 9.2
BMR = 2597
Metabolic Age = 50
Visceral Fat = 13%

Monday, December 20, 2010

Dispatches From The Field 12-18-10

The weather turned bad yesterday (everything is relative). For me, in Las Vegas, bad weather is winds at 25-30, rain and wind chill below freezing. Not real weather, but I can still get outside and work instead of being chained to a trainer, which is why it becomes real weather. I had an "off day" on the schedule yesterday, so I was hopeful, while the weatherman was calling for more of this through the week, maybe I would get lucky and get a break in the weather for my bike ride.

5:00am. I get up and look out the bedroom window into the dark. I can see in the street light across from my house that the road is slick with rain. There has been nothing in training I have backed away from so far...except riding my bike in the rain. The average rainfall in Las Vegas is 4.13 inches and we get an average of 308 sunny days per year, rain is something I just don't have to deal with.

It's something motorists here don't have to deal with either. Vegas is famed for it's poor drivers right along side its slot machines. Because the oil on the road never gets washed away, it comes up the moment you put some water on the asphalt. In short, rainy days are good days to stay off the road here, period.

I sigh and look out the window some more and think about the schedule for the day. Melissa has some things to do this morning, but I should be able to work a ride in-between her schedule. I go back to bed.

11:00am. Melissa is back and I make a break for my bike. I need to get in 30 miles and am scheduled by Coach Cyndee to get it done in 1:45:00. I fudge to 2:00:00, knowing she has an inflated sense of my abilities. It's either that or she knows that I am a stubborn, driven personality. If she says 1:45:00, I will kill myself to make it in 1:45:00. I have been afraid to ask her if it is an inflated sense of my ability or a carrot on the stick for me; it would take some of the fun out of it.

I step out of the garage with my bike and the weather is not good. The street is dry, but that is because the wind is blowing 25-30mph. The clouds are dark and looking across the valley, I can see patches of rain coming down in various places. Clouds are darkest in the west, I need to hustle.

Starting out, I have bundled up like Randy from A Christmas Story; I'm crawling along. I make it the first three miles before I stop and reorganize the clothing situation. A little better, but now I'm cold: I resolve to peddle faster.

11 miles - decision time. My regular route takes me past the M Resort at this point. I have 3 choices: south continues the climb from St. Rose Parkway up the Old Vegas Highway out to Jean (50+ miles), west takes me through Southern Highlands and gives me several options on mileage (how far do I want to go?); and north takes me down the Las Vegas Strip making a loop back to the house (20 miles). I look at the sky; west and north the cloud cover is ugly, south looks better but is uphill and straight into the wind. I take a deep breath and go south.

I tried boxing for one summer (one of my many failed attempts to lose weight). The wind immediately feels like a tired heavyweight is leaning on me. I'm grateful the jabs to the ribs and face are missing. I grind up the hill, focusing on not stomping the peddles. The wind cuts me to the bone. I start talking to myself. I am rider, cheerleader and disciplinarian all rolled into one. I begin to curse my decision to go south.

Sloan is supposed to be a town, but the only thing there is the CEMEX plant. I usually make it here in about an hour. You can see the tower from down the road as you work your way up the hill. Push, push, push... I feel like I am riding Stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia - St. Vigil to Plan de Corones. I remember literally sitting on the edge of the couch watching the pros crawl up that course with grades up to 24%. I'm nowhere close to that, the grade is probably only about 4% for me, but the wind is relentless. I'm wiping tears from behind my glasses. I just want to turn around. The last 400 meters to the plant seem to take forever.

I get there and look at my watch: 1:25:00. I put my head down for a second. I am crawling and I still have probably another 4 miles to go up the hill and into this wind. I find solace in the thought that I get to turn around and come back down this hill with the wind at my back. At least I haven't been caught by the rain.

As I crest the hill and push over I ride a little farther, finding a landmark for my turnaround. This is the farthest I have ridden up this road in years, with my longer rides going to other parts of the valley; I will make it out to Jean sometime soon. Looking down at my Garmin, I see I am close to 19 miles. Coach is going to be mad, I will be over goal today. Junk miles always get me in trouble. I start to push for home.

Strangely, I feel good on the way back. I have noticed that my recovery is getting quicker and my body is able to bounce back more on the fly. I spin trying to get my cadence up. Supposed to be at an 80 average and I'm always closer to 75rpm. My lungs start to burn again.

Eventually I get home. Goal was 30 miles in 1:45:00 with two sets of 10 min hard effort. I crawl in at 35.17 miles in 2:21:23. Strangely, I'm satisfied with myself. I had a decent effort on the way back and I didn't quit. I hope the weather turns for the coming days.

Weekly Schedule 12/20 - 12/26

MONDAY
Bike - 90 min w/30 min Tempo
Run - Easy 35 min or 3 miles
    
TUESDAY
Strength - 60 min (w/Coach Cyndee)
Swim - 60 min (w/Coach Cyndee)

WEDNESDAY
Bike - 70 min on Trainer

THURSDAY
Swim - Drills/Intervals, 2500m

FRIDAY
Off Day

SATURDAY
Brick - Bike 25 miles / Run 3 miles

SUNDAY
Run - 8 miles, Negative Split
Swim - 750s, 2100m

PREVIOUS WEEK
Swim (Projected/Actual)
Time - 02:20:00/2:30:54     Distance - 5650/6100
Bike (Projected/Actual)
Time - 03:45:00/4:30:02     Distance - 45/69.84
Run (Projected/Actual)
Time - 01:50:00/2:22:54     Distance - 10.5/12.42
Strength (Projected/Actual)
Time - 01:45:00/01:51:00

TOTAL (Projected/Actual)
Time - 09:40:00/11:15:05

Saturday, December 18, 2010

The Scale

THE NUMBER = 259.0 (+1.3 from last week)

STARTING MEASUREMENTS
Waist = 43.5"
Chest = 47"
Calves = 18.25"
Neck = 17"
Upper Arms = 15"
Thighs = 25"

Every Saturday, I will be weighing-in to track how I am doing toward my weight loss goals. Once a month I will be submitting body measurements and every two months I will be submitting a complete body analysis that is done by Coach Cyndee to show actual physiological changes that are occuring to my body.

The ultimate goal that I am pursuing is an increase in health and fitness with an eye to living long enough to see grandchildren and bounce them on my knee. I am currently 42 and my daughter is 4 (I got a late start with pretty much everything in my life). Assuming my daughter marries later, as the numbers seem to indicate is the current trend and waits to bear children (also the trend), I figure I need to get to 85 to achieve my goals. I also need to be mobile at an increased age. In short, I need to get healthy.

This requires a complete overhaul of most lifestyle habits that I currently carry with me:

1. Diet. Food is the biggest passion and problem for me in one package. Candidly, I have psychological issues with food and work in the Food and Beverage industry at the same time. If someone out there is looking for a subject for their Doctoral Thesis in Psychology, I guarantee you a PhD if you can figure out how to fix me. I am a mess between the ears. I believe the stall in my weight loss can be directly laid at the doorstep of my failure to correct my diet. I need to eat less and eat at a higher quality level. Calories are NOT created equal. With a family, full-time job that requires me to be on my feet 9-11 hours a day and an exercise load of roughly 10-14+ hours a week in preparation for Arizona, I need to eat smart.

2. Exercise. To be fair, I started this process over the last two years, including racing. During 2010, I have been working actively with Coach Cyndee and have built a base. During 2011, I plan to run an aggressive training and race schedule in an effort to achieve my physical goals.

3. Sleep. This is probably the hardest issue for me (even more so than food). I don't sleep enough. As a Sommelier, I work evenings and usually get home around midnight. Schedule issues force me to get up early (a struggle) and get moving. I also suffer from sleep apnea and insommnia, which has been getting better with the increase in exercise.

4. Mental Stability & Endurance. I'm not really sure where I am here, but reading other peoples stories about their participation in endurance sports, it is obvious that you need to work through the pain. As Ray Zahab, endurance runner and athlete, says in the movie Running the Sahara, "[it's] 90% mental and the other 10% is mental". Mental Stability is going to get the diet fixed, mental endurance is going to get me through the exercise and both are going to help with the sleep issue.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Support Group

Lulu, Melissa and Myself

I can't believe this picture was taken last Easter. It is amazing how fast children grow.

When you are training for endurance events, they take a lot of time and energy. It requires a lot of patience and support from a large group of people to get you across the finish line. I thought it would be good to share some of the people with you along the way that are supporting and encouraging me as I try to achieve my goals.

My wife Melissa, who puts up with me everyday. Supports me as I try to find my way in the world. Tells my daughter that I am a hero (if I could only live up to that). Is very rare to complain. Picks me up when I fall down. Kicks me in the ass when I need it.

My daughter Lucia, displaying the infamous "family hug" in the picture above. What an amazing gift she is - every father should be so lucky.

Thank you for letting me do this. I love you both.


My Trusty Steed


My ride. A vintage 1991 Cannondale SC800 frame built with the Shimano RX100 group, that is still mostly original and has seen some wear and tear along the way. I picked this bike up new after being involved in an accident with a car that literally ripped my previous Cannondale in half. An accident that I was able to walk away from without injury (wear your helmet!)

This bike has seen some hard miles and I plan on it seeing a lot more hard miles before it is done. I did change the rear cassette to a 7 speed / 11-28 so I could avoid spinning out. I have not added aero bars, feeling that wind resistance is probably a good thing for me right now. It was nice to pull my bike out of the garage and start riding again.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Weekly Schedule 12/13-12/19

MONDAY
Easy Bike - High Cadence, 1 hr
Strength Training
    
TUESDAY
Easy Run - Zone 2, 50 min
Swim - Drills/Intervals, 2150m

WEDNESDAY
Bike - Tempo, 15 miles

THURSDAY
Strength Training
Swim - Drills/Intervals, 2000m

FRIDAY
Off Day

SATURDAY
Bike - Some Tempo, 30 miles

SUNDAY
Run - 6 miles, Second Half Tempo
Swim - Moderate Pace, 1500m

2011 Race Schedule

02/12/11     Tour de Palm Springs – Palm Springs, CA (Century Ride)
03/19/11     Las Vegas Tri Club Duathlon – Lake Mead (Sprint Event)
03/26/11     Showdown at Sundown – Lake Mead, NV (Half Ironman)
05/01/11     Eugene Marathon – Eugene, OR (Full Event)
05/15/11     LV Tri Club Triathlon – Lake Mead (Sprint Event)
06/26/11     Double Dipsea – Marin, CA (Full Event)
07/09/11     LV Tri Club Triathlon – Lake Mead (Sprint Event)
08/22/11     Tour of Napa Valley – Yountville, CA (Century Ride)
09/25/11     Las Vegas Triathlon – Lake Mead, NV (Half Ironman)
10/01/11     Slam the Dam – Lake Mead (2.4 Mile Event)
10/09/11     Las Vegas Tri Club Triathlon – Lake Mead (Sprint Event)
11/21/11     Ironman Arizona – Tempe, AZ (Ironman Event)

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Rufus



No offense to you pet lovers out there, but I have simply the greatest dog in the world. If I had his temperament, I would have beaten out Obama for the Noble Peace Prize last year. Anyone who has any doubt should watch Lulu abuse him as she plays with him. I kid you not.


So I was petting him the other day and found a lump on his left ribcage under the fur. Freaked me out completely. The next day we were in to the Vet and she told me that it was a fat deposit. No cancer - he was fine. Completely relieved, I was ready to pay and move on to something else when she spoke, "You know, he really could lose a little weight. It would help his joints and overall health."

I looked down at Rufus. His look seemed to say, "Really? How about you be a good owner and scratch my ears while I take a nap in your lap instead."

So we went home and I put on some running shorts and off we went to the park. There is a new trail that is about a mile and a half and is nearly flat. I figured 15 minutes would be a reasonable start. Nice and easy, let him build into it. 20 minutes later we finished up. He seemed to be alright, but was definitely not taking the lead. As soon as we got home, he got a drink of water and passed out.

Day 2 - The next morning I got up early and off we went to the park to do it again. Rufus was slower and seemed less enthusiastic about the idea of following my program. We saw a couple of rabbits along the way and I thought for sure that would spark some interest. Nothing. I was downbeat. Was I going to have to make the dog miserable everyday in the name of good health. Just because I like to run, doesn't mean he should be happy about it.

Day 3 - Off day for Rufus. I'll regroup and figure out an alternative plan. Something he will like better.

Day 4 - I got up this morning to meet a friend at the track and run some intervals. As I was loading up my gym bag (swimming later), there was Rufus with a keen look in his eye. The anticipation for the run perhaps after a day of rest? I'll have to get him out later today and see...

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Starting Points

There is a lot that I want to achieve this year. So many questions that I wish to ask and have answered. Limits that I want to approach, reach and then exceed. I have things to prove to myself.

The two fundamental questions I wish to ask:
1. Do I have the mental and physical ability to complete an Ironman length event in under 17 hours?
2. Can one person make a difference?

Of course, those two questions are very complicated and will require that many other questions be asked and answered along the way.

To be fair to those reading this, this journey began in some ways almost two years ago for me. I suppose for you to understand where I am coming from and to put my story into some sort of perspective, I will have to report some of that history. I will try to include small pieces for you along the way as things unfold.

I have read that if you write your goals down, you increase your chance of success by 75%. Here are mine:

1. Complete the 2011 Arizona Ironman in 14 hours or less. To do this, I have the help and support of my wife Melissa, my daughter Lucia and the most incredible coach, Cyndee Platko. Links to Coach Cyndee's Website and Blog can be found to the right.
2. Lose weight. At my heaviest, I gently tipped the scale at 306 pounds. I am currently 261 pounds. My goal by Ironman Arizona is 205 pounds.
3. Create awareness and raise money for those who are under-nourished. In this goal, I am focusing my efforts on ThreeSquare.org. This is a local organization that does so much to combat this problem in the Las Vegas community.
4. Create awareness about the need to support and nurture the education of our children. If our children have any hope of creating a better world and being more prosperous in the journey of their lives, it is through their education. My daughter Lucia has been an amazing gift in my life. It is her influence that ultimately started me on this journey and I see this as a way to say thank you to her for all her love and support.

I hope I can make this journey entertaining for those who wish to follow it. Thank you for reading.