I'll NEVER grow up!!!

A few weeks ago I spent some time with my two cousins, Chris (age 3) and Cole (age 6). We hooked up the bike carriage for Chris and went for a bike ride to the Pirate-themed park down the road from their house. It was a beautiful day out and we had so much fun singing songs and having "grown-up" conversations the whole way there. The park was pretty awesome and way better than anything I ever had as a kid. We formed a Pirate crew with some other kids and set sail to find some treasure on some of the islands there. Along the way we came across another ship with Pirates on it too. There was a large and unfortunate battle resulting in the capture of many prisoners. We continued on our quest for treasure and happened upon an island with a bright red X marked in chalk! Horary! It was the most care-free fun I have had in awhile... everyone should embrace their inner child from time to time, it is SO MUCH FUN!

Running for fun?

I started running again yesterday. I had stopped for about two weeks because I had been sick with a horrible stomach flu that has been raping our Station. As soon as you get over it, (it lasts a couple days), you feel weak and horrible, then you catch it again at work and the cycle continues. I have sterilized the be-gee bees out of the station but I think it's the male head, (bathroom), where the virus multiplies. I REFUSE to touch that place, so I guess the Station will just keep feeding the cycle. There are fewer and fewer cases now, so that is good...
So my run SUCKED MAJORLY!!! I am saddened by how hard and painful 2 miles has become. I worked so hard to get past that feeling and it is disheartening to have to go through it again. I had to stop at two miles and walk and even then I was still having trouble. So I got on the elliptical for 20 minuets and took it easy. I'm going to go back to the gym today but I need to motivate myself, my heart is not in it right now.
I am going to shoot for the Shamrock run that they host here in Portland. This year it is on the 14th, which is a Sunday. I am on duty that day but should be able to participate on the Coast Guard team if my supervisor is ok with it and if there is someone else on duty to cover my qualifications.

There is a 5K, 8K, 15K, and a 3.25 mile walk. Wes said he would do the walk, I was going to shoot for the 8K.
Here is the course map:

It is sponsored by ADIDAS and you get a cool t-shirt out of it. This would be my first-ever race and I wouldn't necessarily do it to be uber-competitive, I need the experience to help me in the future with bigger races I would want to do well at.

Sailing in Pirates Cove

Well I made the plunge and took my name off the HS A-school list (health services) and put it on the BM A-school list (boatswain's mate). I did this because I would be waiting to go to school for another two years at the very least. I expect I will get orders to report to the BM A-school within this year. The classes are large and move fast. I am happy with this decision, just a bit angry with myself that I didn't do it sooner.
The HS branch of the Coast Guard is changing the amount of active medical work that they do. A lot of it is being turned over to the Navy side or to civilian practices. The HS rate is slowly being reduced to filing paperwork, alphabetizing medical records, giving out shots, Band-Aids, and mild pain reliever. I have more potential than that.
As a BM I will probably gain a lot of sea time out on cutters and such. I do not look forward to this because it means being away from Wesley for possible months at a time. But we have an incredibly strong relationship and I know we will do fine. It will mean that I can get out and travel around a bit, not as much as one might in the Navy or Air Force, but those services are not appealing...
I do still want to pursue my goals in the medical field in College. I want to get into sports medicine and physical therapy. I hope to achieve this slowly over time with the Coast Guard tuitions assistant program. I will still have my Montgomery GI bill too.

Here is some information about the school I will be attending:
Boatswains Mate "A" School
The most versatile member of the Coast Guard's operational team is the Boatswain's Mate (BM). Boatswain's Mates are masters of seamanship, and are capable of performing almost any task in connection with deck maintenance, small boat operations, navigation, and supervising all personnel assigned to a ship's work force or small boat station.

Training for Boatswain's Mate is accomplished through 12-weeks of intensive training at BM “A” School located at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown, VA. Here students are exposed to all facets of the Boatswain’s Mate rating, from tying knots to navigating.

Course Outline
Week 1 The first week starts off with indoctrination to base and school policies and procedures. Class work will consist of leadership training, basic fire fighting, buoyage systems and chart symbols, and donning and doffing personal protective equipment.
Week 2 Basic knot tying, line splicing , seize and whip line, how to stand a lookout watch, duties of a helmsman, identify locations and positions on a vessel, boat characteristics-features, watertight integrity, stability and communications.
Week 3 Basic navigation, plotting latitude and longitude, conversions, plotting labs, and 16 hours of team coordination training (TCT).
Week 4 Underway small boat training on 41’ Utility Boats.
Week 5 Navigation rules (NavRules).
Week 6 Advanced navigation to include; plotting latitude and longitude, constructing of track lines, plot labeling, calculating, time, speed and distance, basic chart prep, set and drift, plotting visual and radar fixes, LORAN C, prepare harbor and open ocean charts, boat and ship anchoring, demonstrate taking a boat in tow, manual deployment and boarding procedures for a survival raft, perform as a rescue swimmer.
Week 7 Underway small boat training on 41’ Utility Boats.
Week 8 Tactical data, advance and transfer, solve basic maneuvering board problems, true wind, maintain surfaces and conduct level 1 safety inspections.
Week 9 How to plot a vessels course in restricted waters, scaleable integrated navigation system (SINS) lab, radar lab. • Week 10: Underway small boat training on 41’ Utility Boats.
Week 11 Time zones, sunrise/sunset, tides, currents, maintain charts and publications, comprehensive exam (COMPLOT).
Week 12 First aid and CPR, intro to small boat plotting, prepare for helicopter operations, emergency procedures in the event of a boat capsize, leadership, and prepare for graduation. PROFICIANT


On another note, Wesley and I have taken our first two sailing lessons!!! The first day we spent about an hour in the classroom with our instructor Capt Brigg Franklin, going over the class outline, learning the tons of new terminology that comes with sailing and sailboats, basic water safety, and more terminology. Then we went out to the 36' Hunter sailboat that we would be sailing on that day and reinforced the nomenclature of the sailboat, sails, and lines, (NOT rope). I am more of a visual and hands-on learner so that was helpful for me. There was not a lot of wind that first day, so when we took the boat out it was hard to visualize how the wind was making the boat sail. We were dead in the water much of the time. I was also WAY out of it because I had gotten the Depo shot that morning and it affects me emotionally for the first 36 hours, I start crying for no reason at all...
But we did practice basic navigation and Wesley was learning "the rules of the road" for the water. We also practiced anchoring a little that day.

On the next day We spent almost two hours in the classroom learning about the different knots that we will need to know in order to be able to sail. They are the " bowline, square knot, two different stopper-knots, and a clove-hitch with two half-hitches. There are more that we will have to learn in the next advanced sailing class we are taking. Most of this is new to Wes, so he is working on memorizing it and practicing it. It is good for him to learn from sources that are not "me". I am mainly taking this class to work on the terminology and learning HOW OT SAIL. I am knowledgeable on the rest but am very happy to be able to review and work with Wesley on the navigation side of things.

There was more wind on the second day and I was "better in the head" so I felt like I was actually learning and seeing how things worked. I find that I have a pretty good eye for reading the wind and knowing how to correct a luff or droop in the sails. I still need lots of work though and still feel very nervous at the thought of going out on water with our boat "unsupervised". I hope that at the end of these classes I will feel more confident.

Wes and I are also in the process of joining the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The Auxiliary is a non-profit volunteer organization that mimics the Coast Guard. They go out on the water and conduct safety inspections, patrols, offer boating safety classes to the public and SO much more. It is a great group to be a part of. Wes and I will learn so much more about boating and navigation and water safety. Wes will even be able to wear the C.G. uniform. Right now we are in the paperwork/testing/fingerprinting stage of joining. It is a big deal, just like actually joining the military, (been there done that), because you are wearing the military uniform and representing the Coast Guard. Wes is pretty excited about it.

This Weekend in Neverland...

Weekends at work are loooooong. I work every other weekend here. I show up at 0600 in the morning on Friday, work all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning. Liberty is not granted to my section until boat and engineer checks are completed on all five boats, the station is spotless, (which is like pulling teeth to get guys to do), quarters has been held, (the morning briefing and official section swap), and endless last minute work lists and training and such. So basically I don't get off until late Monday morning. Luckily, the weekends can tend to be a little laid back unless a member of the command is here for whatever reason. We can go to the gym, the guys watch a TON of TV and football, we can relax and work on personal projects and such.

The days are finally starting to get longer! I like to go out in the morning to do boat checks and get the privilege of watching the sun rise over the water and shipyards. I've started drinking coffee again so add that into the picture as well... mornings aren’t so bad at work. As soon as the sun starts rising around 0600 I can start riding my jet ski into work again. I LOVE doing that, and it is easier on Wes because then he doesn't have to disconnect from his machine to drive me into work, then come back to finish the cycle, then dive back in to go to work.
Wes and I are finally going to be taking ASA (American Sailing Association) lessons hopefully starting in February. We put them off for SO LONG because of Wes' health, and money issues. Getting this certification not only teaches you how to sail, but it is also a "license" to use a boat anywhere. For example, if Wes and I went to Hawaii or the Caribbean or wherever we could rent a boat there because we would have an internationally recognized license that proves we know what we are doing. I am very excited about this and will keep you all posted on our progress.
As far as my 1/2 marathon training has gone, I took 2.5 days off last week, then tried to start running outside on Thursday, but I had a really bad earache so I didn't run for very long at all. As a result though, I got shin splints and could only run for 15 minutes yesterday. So I worked the elliptical and abs instead. I am hoping to see improvement today but we shall see...

Endurance

Morning watch again this today. The watch stander that is temporarily standing a COMS watch in our building kept me up all night last night with his music and movies... not to mention the radio announcements every 30-45 minuets. So I am feeling very tired and coffee isn't working very well.
Last night I went over to the Navy gym and did a 5 min warm up on the treadmill then pushed myself and ran for 50 min straight. Overall I did 80 min and covered 8 miles. This has probably been the longest I have ever run in my entire life. I was very happy knowing that I can do something like that. Running is just not my forte. Sunday was a rest day so usually the day after a rest day I like to see how my body feels during warm ups and if nothing is in pain or cramping I like to increase my time or distance to see where my endurance level is at. Running on a treadmill is nothing compared to outside though, it will be quite a shocker to my body when I get to that point.

While I was over there the Commanding Officer of Sector Portland came over to work out after his work day. He was impressed that I have goals and have been sticking to them. Weight standards are always an issue over at Sector because alot of them sit at desks all day, eat at the galley (which WILL pack on those pounds), then choose not to work out even though the facilities are free. There are those who are in the fitness "click" and we keep each other motivated. Just like when you get complements about how good you look when you lose some weight, the same sort of complements you give and receive on progress in fitness help give you that extra motivation to stick with it. I could give myself a MILLION reasons why I don't want to run on a given day, or ever again... but I am stronger than that. I look at myself in the mirror and tell myself why I am doing this, why I want this. Everyone has been so supportive of my goals and I return the favor as much as possible. Thank you all for your support!

Here are the "major" injuries I have "suffered" so far...
First Blood...

And this one was pretty painful, a blister on a blister...

Peter contemplates the quality of life

I am on morning watch today. 0600-1200. My preferred watch rotation. I like standing this watch because it means I have more freedom in the "after-work" hours starting at 1600 in the afternoon. Now that I am fully qualified I can do projects and activities that I have never been to do before. I used to spend all my "extra" time studying or getting underway for training. Now I am focusing on things I have pushed to the side for several months. I have personal goals again. I have started to train for a half-marathon. I have projects to work on at the boat. I can focus on important things like taking better care of my health and well being. I can help out more with Wes's medical needs. I can hang out with friends and make new ones. I can get some semblance of a life back...
For those of you interested in my training I have run/walked a total of 86.5 miles since January first. I started training December 27, the day I became fully qualified. (Also my birthday) I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. I've never really kept them and I know very few people who have. Kudos to anyone who has, I know how hard it is. So I started all my resolutions on my birthday, they mean more to me that way. So since December 27th I have run/walked a total of 96.25 miles.
I am happy that I am trying to do this. I loved the quality of life when I was in competition shape in 2008. I had abounding energy, and was overall very happy and confident with myself. After boot camp being stationed at Sector Portland started a big downward spiral for me internally. I know that I could have been diagnosed with chronic depression which can damage a Coast Guard career if not taken care of. It is on the medical discharge list, so I put on a very good show for everyone and pretended that everything was ok. Then Wes was hospitalized and I tried to put on a better show... but there were definitely too many queues and lines that were missed and I had to find an outlet. I turned to my Mom, online TV, and food. I developed bad habits, habits that I am very ashamed of. Within the last two months I have been able to start the road to recovery and get back on track with where I would like to be in life. I have begun to "snap-out-of-it".
Fitness was a big part of my life two years ago, I am bringing that back. In the months between March and December of last year I probably worked out a little over 10 times...only to relieve stress. I now try and go to the Navy gym as often as I am on duty and have the proper time to put into it. I get all my work done as early as possible to ensure that I might have an hour in the evening to spend training for the half-marathon. Wes has been a huge encouragement to me by walking on the treadmill next to me as I run/walk. He still wants to try walking it with any family members who are interested.
The weather here has been quite yucky so I have not trained outside at all yet. I am worried about the heat in Utah, I don't acclimate very fast :-/ heat can have a huge affect on running. Just a few temperature degrees difference can slow you down significantly. But I am not planning on running this for an "amazing" PR (personal record) time, I am doing this for myself, (as bad as that may sound, I really need this), for family, and to be able to say that I have tried to succeed at something I hate more than golf...or pink...
I have been working on the boat more recently. Wes is happy about that... I put in new carpet on our lower deck and have put de-humidifiers in low-ventilated areas to combat the mold from to much condensation. Wes installed internet on the boat and has been making use of that. We are all set for the new season of LOST to air!!! As soon as the weather clears up I want to start over-hauling the outside decks. I need to completely re-do the hatchway to prevent leakage and further water damage in the bulkheads. As soon as we can scrape together some serious money we are going to have a custom dodger (a water-proof plastic and canvas cover) designed for the cockpit of our boat. The list of things we would like to do on the boat is a little daunting but I am excited to get started!

Peter Pan doesn't shop!

So, I've never really liked shopping all that much. I don't mind getting gifts for others, I like doing that. But it is hard for me to get a new pair of pants even when the three pair I own are falling off me and apart. So I broke down and got a pair when I was getting my sisters' gifts the other day. Wes also gave me an early gift of new shoes, he is the best... I figured I should try to look presentable before I get to Utah. It was a big hurdle for me to get that pair of pants, now i just need one more and some nice shirts... :-( Guess that is what I am doing on Monday...
I have been trying to think of things to put on my Christmas list... Wes is doing better than I am, he should have his list on his blog soon. Some really useful things might be gift cards to a salon, I have been fighting to keep my hair since boot camp, deep conditioning treatments help alot!
Since I am in need of new clothes, gift cards to Ross are very useful as well.
I will keep thinking though, I promise!
I also was wondering if if all the Hanna girls wanted to have a small birthday party with me to celebrate my 22nd birthday while I am there, I was thinking girl stuff like hair and nails, movies and such... Let me know what you think!
Well more later....