Trumpets and the Rocks: Home Safely!

Before we left for our honeymoon, Shawna told me, "Our honeymoon was by far the best trip we have ever taken, not because of the location or the activities we did, but because it was the first time we traveled as a married couple and it made everything thing feel like magic." She was right.  It was definitely fun to travel around with my hubby :)  We had the best time on our honeymoon!  We feel well rested and we are ready to go back to work tomorrow.

My hubby is an interesting guy.  Obviously I know pretty much everything about Steve.  His quirks make me smile and they also drive me crazy just as my quirks drive him crazy.  The neat part is that we accept each other - good quirks and odd quirks.

Here are some of Steve's quirks showcased on our trip....

Rock Collector - I mentioned in an earlier entry that Steve loves everything to do with nature.  So when we were in NZ, he started collecting rocks.  I didn't think much of this. Well, as we were at the airport leaving NZ, the airline tell us that our bags exceeded the weight limit so we have to pay an excess baggage fee.  Hot Head Nancy is annoyed and finds this whole thing shady.  We took the same airline to NZ and we didn't buy anything in NZ...THERE IS NO WAY OUR BAGS CAN WEIGH MORE.  She said it is over 10 kilos more which is about 22 pounds.  Again, I'm annoyed by the airline and I find this whole thing impossible.  Then Steve whispers to me, "It's because of my rocks. I packed them in my bag.  Can I take them home with us?  I'll take them out if you really want me to but  I think they're cool."  FINE. He kept on thanking me all day.  

Fashion - We wore active gear for NZ.  NZ is a very casual place so you are totally fine wearing your active gear to even the fanciest restaurants.   I knew Bora Bora would be nice so I brought dresses to wear during the day and at night.  I didn't pack Steve's bag for him.  I typically do but this time I didn't get a chance to.  Well, good ol' practical Steve packed a great wardrobe for Bora Bora --- workout shorts, dry fit tees (most of the dry fit tees were from our prior races so they have writing all over them).  I came into this trip thinking we would take nice pictures by the palm trees and the beaches with him wearing polo shirts or button downs shirts and jeans.  I wasn't expecting him to wear a suit.  I do give him credit for bringing 2 polos but I asked about his shorts.  He brought a pair of cargo shorts and he said one of his hiking pants turn into shorts if you unzip the lower half.  OH JOY.  Right there I had flashbacks of the nicer outfits he has at home that I would have packed for him.  Gotta love Steve for being practical.  This whole thing set me into a frenzy so I said to him, "When we get home, we need to clean out your closet again.  We need to get rid of all those pleated pants that you still wear."  Practical Steve says, "Why are we throwing those out?  They still fit me and they don't have any holes in them."  I had to go through my long explanation why. I had the same talk about the jean shorts when we first started dating.  He never wore those around me but he had a whole stash in his closet that he didn't want to throw away because they may come back in style.  OVER MY DEAD BODY.  Lo and behold, we saw this European couple in Bora Bora and the guy was sporting a pair of slim fit jean shorts that went down to his knees.  His whole ensemble looked good together because he had the look for it.  Steve looks at me and says, "SEE. IT'S COMING BACK." I shook my head.

Love for Thrill - Steve is crazy.  He just loves to dabble with anything that gives him a rush.  We took a private tour to swim with the manta rays, sting rays, and sharks.  I wasn't too concerned about this.  I've seen this stuff at Sea World.  Looks harmless.  OH HELL NO.  This was totally different.  Our guide just drops you off in the Pacific Ocean and lets you swim with the sharks.  Obviously these sharks are harmless because he wouldn't have dropped us off there BUT STILL....these things have a mind of their own.  I told Steve that I had the impression that we were going to swim in a big fat swimming pool with sharks and I thought the sharks would be drugged up so they would just lay in the water as you pet them.  He looks at me like I'm crazy.  Somehow he convinces me to jump in the ocean.  The minute I see one of the sharks I jump back into the boat.  Steve is loving every minute and is swimming around chasing the sharks. The guide looks at me and says, "Your husband is crazy. Most people hear the word shark and they jump back into the boat.  Your husband stays in the water and wants to play with it."  It was finally time for us to move out of the shark zone but Steve was determined to pet the shark so he asked the guide, "Can we please stay longer so I can touch the shark?"  The guide was cool about it.  Steve finally grabbed a hold of the shark and touched his fin.  He came out of the water with pride.  After our shark encounter, we went to another part of the ocean to swim with the sting rays.  I stayed in the boat this time.  Steve gets in the water as the sting rays start clinging onto him.  One of the sting rays sucked his chest really hard and it made Steve scream, "OWWWW!!  THAT HURT!!  This is so awesome!!!"   Again, I'm in the boat shaking my head at this crazy boy.  He could've stayed there all day.  Finally it was time for him to get back in the boat.  He comes over to me and says, "Nancy, this is the best adventure. I'm so happy." 

Now we're back to reality.  I am looking forward to settling into married life.  I love my nerdy, rock collecting, dare devil that will never wear pleated pants while I'm his wife!!! 

Relaxing with Jacque

As much as I love the beach, I'm not the type of person that can lay around the beach all day for a week. In the past, my idea of a beach vacation has always been staying at a hotel that is on the beach and laying by the pool that faces the beach.  Infinity pools are a plus!  But even hanging out by the pool leaves me restless.  Last year when we went to Costa Rica, we did about 1.5 days at the pool and then the rest of the week was spent doing other activities and eating.

After being in Bora Bora for 6 days, I have now experienced what people do on vacation: RELAX!   We are not worried about the date/time and we have no daily agenda except eating.  I've also been getting a lot of sleep.  At home,  a good night's sleep for me is 6 hours and I've been getting 8-10 hours here.  I feel well rested and refreshed each morning.  Our daily routine here is simple....sleep in, big fat brunch, lay out on our deck, jump off our deck and snorkel, snacks, head to the lagoon and snorkel again, go to the pool, maybe workout, shower, dinner, and then go to bed.  I'm usually in bed by 10 pm at the latest. Yesterday I woke up in the middle of the night and Steve was missing. I freaked out and started screaming for him because I was worried Jacque Cousteau went for a night swim.  He had been talking about it earlier in the evening and I didn't think it was a good idea because the currents were really strong.  He was curious to see if different types of fish came out at night. Anyways, I started to panic and continued to scream for Steve.  Then Steve runs in from the other room and says "What's wrong!?!?  Did you have a bad dream???"  I told him I thought he was out swimming and I had these crazy flashbacks of recent honeymooners in the news when one spouse is reported missing in a drowning accident.  He told me he was researching for his Fantasy Football team.  I called him away from his Mock Draft.

Asian Steve is still in full force here.  In fact, he is now recruiting me to be his apprentice.  The other day he was snorkeling. I was just laying around in the lounge chair as I saw his head pop out of the water for air. He looks around from the middle of the lagoon and then screams over to me, "Nancy, go help that couple on the bridge!!  They are trying to take a picture using the self-timer on the camera!"  You would have thought someone was getting mugged by his clear cut instructions to "HELP THAT COUPLE ON THE BRIDGE".  So I was a good apprentice and walked over to the bridge to take a picture for them.  The couple was very happy and appreciative.  Asian Steve was happy about our good deed and went back in the water to reunite with his fish.

Today we are heading out to swim with the sharks and manta rays and then have a picnic on the other side of the island.  Steve is ecstatic about the sharks and manta rays.  My enthusiasm came when I was reading the picnic menu..."LOOK!  Steak, Lobster, Shrimp, Crab, Chicken!! I can eat your lobster, Shrimp, and Crab since your'e allergic, Steve. YUM YUM!!!!!!"  We head back home tomorrow night.....

Trumpets Retreat

We arrived in Bora Bora on Sunday.  As much as I really wanted to go to Bora Bora on our honeymoon, I was so sad to leave NZ.  I even started to think,  "Why didn't we just do the entire honeymoon in NZ?" during our flight to Bora Bora.

My first glimpse of Bora Bora was when Natalie and Allen came here for their honeymoon in 1998.  I remember seeing their pictures and thinking, "Where is this place??  It looks amazing,"  Then a couple of years ago, I watched Couples Retreat which was filmed in Bora Bora.  The movie reconfirmed my feelings from 12 years ago about Bora Bora.

As soon as we landed,  my thoughts about NZ faded into a wonderful memory.   Steve and I looked at each other and our eyes lit up once we saw the bright blue shades of blue and our  Over Water Bungalow.  We knew this is why we wanted to come to Bora Bora --- relax in paradise before heading back to reality.  As I mentioned in my first blog,  Jim (travel agent) knows his stuff.  Even though I butted heads with him a few times to finalize details,  he stood his ground and made sure we listened to him when we needed to.  He couldn't have been more adamant and more firm about where we needed to stay in Bora Bora. "Listen to me.  When you go to Bora Bora, you have to do it right.  There's only one way to do it.  Four Seasons." Once again, Jim was right.   I'm glad he talked us out of the other hotels I had in mind.  We love it here!!

We said goodbye to Ranger Steve in NZ.  Now we have Jacque Cousteau Steve running around.  He loves strapping on his snorkel and diving off our deck to see what type of marine life is underneath our bungalow.  When we go on walks, he will point out crabs and tell me about their habitat.  His favorite thing so far is feeding the fish and the crabs.  He likes to swim in the lagoons and dispense bread to them.  He is so giddy tearing off bread for the fish as hundreds of them surround him.  When he comes up for air, he says, "The fish were nibbling at my fingers. This is so fun."  Then he dunks his head back in the water to reunite with his fish.  He suggested I take part in this feeding fun but apparently I'm not a good bread dispenser. I give out big chunks of bread at a time.  I'm probably thinking about myself and how I eat.  Big portions.  Anyways, I'm only able to feed a couple of fish with one baguette.  Steve coached me on dispensing smaller pieces "so all the fish can eat, Nancy."  Then he gave me bread for the crabs.  I took a big piece and threw it on the crab's back.  I heard a thud.  I was impressed with my aim.

Where does Steve get his bread?  He takes them from our dinners and lunches.  In the beginning he wore his cargo shorts so that he can fit a lot into his pockets.  Then the wait staff figured out why he was asking for all this bread.  Now they give Steve a box at every meal so that he can take as much bread as he wants for the fish.

Steve and I tried Stand Up Paddle Boarding yesterday.  I didn't get far.  Steve did great as usual.  Since I wasn't making progress, I just sat at the end of his board as he paddled me around the island.  Now that's what I call fun :)

Aside from the sea life and water sports, Steve and I have been eating like maniacs every minute.   The food has been great and we just love stuffing our faces like we do at home.  I ate 7 macarons, half a pineapple, 2 passion fruit tarts for dessert last night.  That was after eating ribs, grouper, scallops and squid ink pasta for dinner.  I'm sure I'll look fabulous in my bathing suit today.  The good thing is that you hardly see anyone here.  We see a few folks at brunch or dinner but the rest of the day is completely isolated.  There aren't any other guests running around and this is peak season.  I'm not complaining.  I love that it is quiet and relaxing.  

Thank you, New Zealand!

On our last full day in NZ, we took it easy and went bike riding.  I had to start my day off with the long run though.  Steve is running again but he’s easing into the weekly mileage so I did the long run by myself. Again, the long runs in NZ have not been painful because the cooler temps and the change of scenery kept me going.   After I was done with my run, Steve and I grabbed brunch and then hit the bike trails around Lake Wakatipu.  Our bike ride showcased NZ’s beauty just as all our activities have been throughout our entire trip.   Our bike ride was a great way to say goodbye to NZ before we took off for Bora Bora the next day.

We were both so sad to say goodbye to NZ.   NZ definitely exceeded our expectations.  It is a beautiful country that offers something for everyone.  Here is what I concluded about our NZ trip…

1.    You don’t have to be an outdoor enthusiast to fall in love with NZ.   It is a gorgeous country that offers something for everyone. My parents would love the scenery and enjoy the beautiful landscape.   Our friends who love beaches would love the multi color shades of blue from the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.   Then our friends who just love to chill and party would love the energy and nightlife of Queenstown.

2.    The Kiwis are so friendly and warm.  They are extremely helpful and genuine.  I love their enthusiasm for life and their passion for the outdoors.   You know when you go into REI,  you can tell everyone there loves working at REI and they love sharing their outdoor passions with  you.  That’s how all the Kiwis are. 

3.    I was very impressed how well all the outdoor activities are operated in NZ.   Prior to arriving in NZ, the skeptic in me was thinking,  “how can they have so many activities and operate them all at a top level?  I’m sure some of this stuff is really corny. ”  I was totally wrong.  Everything is top notch.  Their ski resorts hold world championships, their mountain biking trails have held many X Games, their mountains are training trails for climbers who want to attempt even higher mountains like Mt. Everest.  And for surfers, NZ beaches are paradise.

We are so happy that we kicked off our honeymoon in NZ.  It was an incredible experience. We definitely plan to come back in the future!  We arrived in Bora Bora today.  We are looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the last week of our honeymoon.  Bora Bora details coming soon!!  

Watch Out, Shaun White!

I have never skied or snowboarded in my life.  I hate snow.  I’m clumsy on pavement so my clumsiness  is 10x worse on slippery surfaces.   These factors made my snowboarding day quite interesting.  Steve and I signed up for a full day of lessons at Coronet Peak.  Our instructor was a very sweet 26 year old Kiwi who has been snowboarding for over 10 years.  She was very patient and extremely helpful.  20 minutes into our lesson, I realized snowboarding wasn’t for me.  I had fallen 3 times.  One fall happened as I was just standing still listening to instructions.  Everything about snowboarding just seemed hard.  Even carrying the board was hard because it’s such an awkward thing to walk around with because it’s not easy to grip.  I fell just walking with the board.  After my 3 falls in 20 minutes, I took of the bindings, I took off my gloves, I took off my helmet and goggles and said I was done.  Steve came over to me and said “You can’t quit.  I really want you to hang in there until lunch time.”  We still had 2.5 hours until lunch time.  I felt like I was in gym class all over again.  Counting down the minutes until class was over.  I started getting moody with Steve and said, “you don’t understand how difficult this is for me.  I’m going to leave and do my long run.”  Again, Steve pleaded with me to hang in there.  I responded with, “You don’t know what it’s like to be in my shoes.  I’m not good at this type of stuff.  You know I find these experiences dreadful.  Just because you like it doesn’t mean I have to.  You can totally stay here all day.  I won’t be mad. I just want to leave.”  Keep in mind, Steve is doing great throughout the whole lesson. The teacher said, “Wow, Steve.  You’re a quick learner.”  He had already gone down all the practice hills without falling.  Once again, Steve pleaded with me to give it another shot.  So I told him “I will stick it out but I will be hating every minute of it.”  Awkward silence as I strapped myself back into the snowboard and went back to the instructor.

The instructor showed me a few other skills and I started doing them with her as she would hold my hands so that I didn’t fall.   There was a time when she let go of my hands and I slowly went down the hill and fell.  Steve was at the top of the hill and screamed, “Are you okay?  I’m coming down right now to help you get up!!”  I was my bratty self and screamed back “Don’t bother.  I’m fine.”  The truth is that I could’ve used his help.   It’s hard as shit to get up from these falls when your stupid snowboard is attached to your feet.   I got myself up and made my way back to the top of the practice hill.  I started going down again. This time by myself. I was able to go about 50 feet without falling. Steve started cheering for me,  “Yay!!  You’re doing a great job, Nance!!!”  I pretended that I wasn’t having fun because I was still playing the “I’m hating every minute of this” role.  I must admit that I loved going down that hill.   By the time I finished the hill, it was time for lunch. 

At lunch, I told Steve I was sorry for being mean to him.  When I’m mean to Steve, I feel bad soon after I unleash my venom because I know he is only trying to help and I know he means well.  I also hate to see his face when I snap at him with my mean spirited ways because I can tell it hurts his feelings.   I always own up to my mean ways and apologize.  After my apology, he responded with, “Nancy, it’s okay.  I know it’s really scary to try something new.  The great thing is that you didn’t quit today.  You know why?  Because you have a lot of courage.  Your courage made you hang in there. I’m so proud of you.”  The pep talk was very sweet but also seemed like something out of the final minutes of a Full House episode when Uncle Jesse is trying to teach DJ a lesson.   Regardless, I always appreciate the love and support from Steve.  After lunch we went back for the 2^nd half of the lesson.   The instructor worked with me to refine the basics that I learned in the morning and she showed Steve new tricks that he could build on from his earlier lesson. 

At the end of the day, I’m glad I tried snowboarding. I have no urgency to do it again anytime soon.  I only made it down the hill 2x without falling and even those 2 times were on mini hills less than 70 feet long.   Steve on the other hand……advanced from the practice hills to the intermediate hills and then he took on all the advanced hills!!!  It’s official.  My husband is a snowboarder.  

Fly, Fly, Fly Away

Yesterday morning we took a trip to the Milford Sound.  It is a 40 min flight from Queenstown.  Once we landed there, we took a 2 hour cruise through the fjords before flying back.  The highlight of the trip was seeing the landscape from the boat and in the air.  Of course the Trumpets were in full force with their cameras and video camera.  Another highlight for Steve was when he saw the sea lions.  When the cruise conductor said that we were approaching sea lions, Steve jumped out of his seat to get his video footage. 

During the cruise, we met a very cute couple from Barcelona. They were in their 30s and traveling through NZ for the first time. We had a lot in common with Ana and Salvador:  They have known each other for 13 years but they didn't start dating until a few years ago. Now they're getting married next month!  Sound familiar?  Salvador also works in sales.  Ana is an artist.  They love watching sports and they love to travel.  Salvador is a lot like Steve - both thrill seekers. Ana and I traded war stories about wedding planning.  Now I know bridezillas aren't just a US thing.  Clearly all brides go nuts.  It's too bad I'm not a bride anymore.  I have no excuse.  Talking to them made me miss Spain which I forgot to mention in my last post as a country where I NEVER get sick of the food.  They left Queenstown after Milford Sound. We exchanged emails and FB details so that we can stay in touch. 

Here are some of the activities we've done in Queenstown....

LUGE - Steve wanted to do this.  I was indifferent. We did it in Jamaica and I thought it was fine but nothing mind blowing.  But I figured I would do it since Steve was into it.  When we get to the luge spot, I realize this is nothing like the Jamaica experience.  In Jamaica, your luge locked into the track so it can't go anywhere.  It was basically a slow moving roller coaster.  Here in NZ, you are given a luge and then you have to navigate it down a windy and down hill course.  The worst part is that people can pass you.  I hate going down hills at a fast speed.  It freaks me out.  Especially when I'm in a device that I'm not familiar with.  I start telling Steve I don't want to do it.  He tells me it's going to be fine and that I'm going to love it.  We have these kinds of conversations a lot.  Steve is always pushing me to do something crazy and I'm resistant.  Then 10 times out of 10, I end up loving it.   It was definitely the case for luging.  I did end up loving it.  We did it twice!  I luged down cautiously but made it fun in my own way.  Crazy Steve waited for me to get near the bottom so that he can floor it down the luge and pass me at the end.  He flew around all the curves and hills and then I heard him laughing and screaming when he passed by as I was gripping on the breaks and taking in the scenery.  That's one of the neatest things about all the activities in NZ.....everything has an incredible backdrop.  You're luging and seeing mountains and blue skies.  

PARAGLIDING - Even though I'm a big fat chicken.  I've always wanted to do this.  It looks so easy. You just fly around in the air.  In this case, you're flying 3000 ft above Queenstown.  3000 ft is nothing compared to people who sky dive at 10,000 ft.  Another reason why I was drawn to paragliding is because there is no free fall.  The free fall from sky diving terrifies me.  Steve says that is the best part but that's Steve.  So I was excited for us to paraglide.  We had to take a gondola up near the top of the paraglide launch.  Then we had to hike up the remaining part of the mountain to reach its peak.  At the peak, we got strapped into our gear with our tandem pilots and I was excited to take-off!  Then it all dawned on me when I saw Steve getting ready to take-off.  HOLY SHIT.  You literally have to run off the mountain to fly in the air???  For some odd reason, I thought paragliding take-off was like a hot air balloon ride. You just stand there and the parachute just lifts you up in the air.   Steve already knew the drill and with no hesitation, he waves bye to me and sprints off the cliff and he's up in the air.  Of course he adds a few expressions of excitement as he takes off..."wahooo! yippee!!!!!!!"  i obviously didn't share the same enthusiasm.  

Then it's my turn and I look at Richard (my tandem pilot) and say, "There is no way I can do this."  He's telling me it's fine and don't worry.  Clearly he didn't hear me well enough so I had to turn on my forceful tone and say, "HEY. I'M DONE.  GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW.  I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GETTING INTO. YOU CAN'T MAKE ME DO ANYTHING."  He starts to push me slowly towards the edge of the cliff and again, I stop and plant my feet on the ground. "LISTEN TO ME.  I DON'T FEEL SAFE!" Next thing you know, he just starts running and I'm forced off the cliff and up in the air.  Once we were up in the air, I LOVED IT.  It was so awesome to be floating around and taking in the amazing scenery through a totally different experience.  Richard applied the Steve method when I start to wuss out on something.....just nudge, nudge, nudge me along and I'll end up loving it.  

It is a little after 7:30 am here.  We're leaving to go snowboarding in an hour.  This will be my first time.  Hope I end up loving it like everything else here.  

We HEART Queenstown!!!

We arrived in Queenstown 2 days ago.  We will be spending the last 5 days of our NZ trip in Queenstown.  HOLY MOLY.  Queenstown has now moved up to my #1 favorite place in the world.  It is a gorgeous city with plenty of restaurants, shopping, bars, nightlife, right in the heart of mountains and lakes.  I've always said my dream place to live would be NYC nestled in the Rocky Mountains.  Queenstown is basically that but obviously a much smaller version of NYC.  Our hotel is a block away from Lululemon which proves my theory.  When I travel for work and I'm not familiar with the area, I always search for a Lululemon because I know I'll find good restaurants and cute boutiques nearby.  This method never fails me and it holds true in Queenstown too.  

Queenstown is known as the Adventure Capital of the World.  Adventure wasn't the reason why I was drawn to Queenstown 4 years ago.  When I was backpacking, I really wanted to go to Australia before returning to the States.  Unfortunately my budget did not allow me to spend time in Australia so I was bummed.  I shared my disappointed to other backpackers that I met along the way and they all said the same thing, "Australia is cool but New Zealand is so much better.  You should plan to go there instead.  Especially Queenstown."  So that was my first intro to Queenstown.  THEN, I was watching The Bachelor - Jason Mesnick season and their final destination for the proposal was in Queenstown.  I remember seeing it and thinking, "Wow, it really is beautiful.  I MUST GO THERE SOME DAY."
So that's how we ended up here.

Once we arrived in Q, Steve and I had a strategizing meeting to put together a priority list of what we want to do, how long is each activity, and figure out which days we want to do it.  We basically want to do more activities than the days we have left so we will have a few double headers.   Other than strategizing, we've been walking around the area and taking in the beautiful scenery.  We took a gondola ride to the top of Queenstown to see the most amazing views of the area.  Our Canon point-and-shoot camera does not do this place justice.  We have never wanted a nice camera until now.  We will have to get one for our next trip here.

Another great thing about Q is the number of international restaurants.  NZ is known for their meat and fish so you have a lot of steak places and fish and chips places.  Everything we have eaten has been fresh and tasty.  Since NZ is a destination for a lot of international travelers,  they have a lot of good ethnic restaurants.  I've seen more korean restaurants in NZ than I ever did in Chicago.  Now I'm sure you're wondering why would I want to eat korean, thai, indian while I'm in NZ.  After eating fish or meat everyday, you get tired of it.  You want other types of food.   There have only been 2 trips when I haven't been tired of a country's food: Italy and Argentina.  Last night Steve and I had korean bbq for dinner followed by cookies at Cookie Time.  It's basically like Mrs. Fields but they have Cookie Happy Hour each day when it's buy 1 get 1 cookie.  Now that's my kind of Happy Hour.

So far it's been fun just being with Steve 24 x 7.  Just like any couple, friends, or family....you are rarely with someone 24x7 every single day unless it's the weekend or you're on vacation.   Even on the weekends, you will most likely have other friends with you but when you're on vacation, it's just you and the other person.  Sorry for constantly being so sappy by saying, "another thing I love about Steve..."  Well, another thing I love is that we always have something to talk about.  I know this is not unique.  It's obviously common in relationships with spouses, friends, and family.  Steve and I always have talks about serious things and broad random topics. Here are a few of the discussions we've had on our trip....

Steve vs Usain Bolt
I asked Steve if he could beat Usain Bolt in a 10K.  Usain Bolt is WICKED FAST.  But that's in a 100m and 200m race. That doesn't automatically translate into all distances.  Carl Lewis was the Usain Bolt in the 1980s but Lewis never competed in a 5K, 10K or a Marathon because he specialized in 100m and 200m.  Steve doesn't think he could beat Bolt but I think he can.  Last spring, Steve and I ran in the GW Pkway 10 Mile race against Scott Jurek (famous 100 mile distance runner mentioned in Born to Run).  Steve and Grace beat Jurek in that race.  I was only 2 minutes behind Jurek.  Now, that can mean 2 things....Jurek may not have given his best.  OR Jurek is not focused on short distances so he isn't going to be as fast as he typically would be for a 100 mile trail run.  I guess we can invite Bolt to our next 10K and see.

Animals
Since Steve is always watching National Geographic, Animal Planet, Discovery, etc., I ask all my nature related questions to him.  I'm not very sharp when it comes to nature and wildlife.  My questions are so elementary but he always has the patience to explain.  For example, when we were driving down the West Coast of NZ, we passed by a bunch of chickens at a farm.  I asked Steve what causes a chicken to lay eggs vs lay chicks.  He explained to me about the rooster and fertilization which then leads to laying chicks instead of laying eggs.  I'm 34 years old and I had no idea.  I don't remember us learning this in elementary school.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to a lifetime of these "deep talks".  I welcome anyone to join in our conversations....the more the merrier!!