Sunday, September 18, 2011

Dealer Academy in DC

Blake and I are going to Dealer Academy in/near Washington, DC throughout this next year. It is basically a masters program. We are learning/ working/ practicing every detail of a Dealership. You cannot imagine the loads of materials we are learning. We just finished the Financial Management Class. TOUGH...and then some. INTENSE! Glad for this working opportunity. Dad is my hero even more for all the knowledge he has in the biz, and teaches us.
We got to get away for a bit one evening and went to Georgetown to eat and then went to a few monuments. Lovely, especially at night.
where a few of my fav President's have lived (Bush, W, Reagan)





just a few members of our class...there are 40 in all.


Lincoln was HUGE...especially when you stood up next to him



by the way, I got to run every evening after class....fit in 20 miles in all. I found such a perfect running route for the next year...and a few solid running buddies. hooray! who could ask for anything more? Car Biz + Running! haha....

Labor Day weekend

spent labor day weekend with our labor day crew aka 'the govs get-away' crew. if any of these pics scream CHAOS...it's true. our group keeps growing every year. had fun in Indy.

ckc and Major Qualls/ some of the group



Jake.Q.Scott about to play golf/ CHAOS



ckc and allie 'organizing'/ Q and Major



andrew jumping off the board

ava jumping/ ckc 'being brave'

Monday, August 29, 2011

'Congratulations Scott Combs from Clarksville TN! You ARE an Ironman!'

Thanks for your support, encouragement, prayers, thoughts, good vibes, and energy! Scott had a 16 hour workout and completed the Ironman Endurance Event. He was in the top 1/3 of swimmers (2.4 miles of open water swim) and did excellent on the hilly bike (112 miles) and survived the run (26.2 miles)! That was his first marathon, by the way. He is now one of the few in this unique and prestigious fraternity. Knowing about your support, carried him through the race. Thank you for your friendship!

Although it is an individual sport, it sure takes a community to help an athlete preserve in training, preparation, and the event itself. I know I’ve said this before, but if you have never had the pleasure of witnessing a Triathlon, make it your goal! The Tri community is like no other sporting community. In ways, I think it is even more tight-knit. Also, the fans are relentless. Fans will NOT let you give up in a Tri.

The one aspect I love is the unspoken bond of triathletes…..especially Ironman Triathletes. They give each other a certain nod as if it was a secret handshake. And sometimes, words are not spoken but energy and acceptance is. It’s a fraternity of an elite few who choose to test the limits of the human body, defy the odds and bleed with determination, guts, and stamina.

If you ever see the Ironman symbol, congratulate that athlete. Not only did that person endure such a fantastic event, but also a year+ worth of intense training. Ironman is a journey, not a destination! The ‘M-dot’ symbol is that of determination, endurance, and hope that anything is possible. Anything! Obstacles are just excuses…and neither have to stand in the way of goals and dreams.

I’m proud of Scott for enduring this. It’s an amazing life goal and huge accomplishment! I am counting down the seconds till it’s my turn! (PS. If you recall to a blog post a year ago, I lost the coin toss on who was going to participate in this event! Ah!)

Thanks again! If you are ever near me and my lap top, let me know and I’ll walk you through detail by detail with the 400+ pictures that were taken=) The 20 hour day went by incredibly fast, and Scott says the same. It was fantastic. I can’t wait till the next Ironman I get to witness or participate in. Definitely a huge highlight in life!

Ironman Pics


Ford is a proud sponser!




#1 cheerleader!
getting marked w/ his #
making last minute facebook checks
resting right before the swim
the swim course
the 3,000 bikes
survived the swim!
leaving bike transition. see you in 8 hours!
Go Scotty Go!
He's back...and still smiling!
on to start his 1st ever marathon
a view of the finish line
entering the finish line
the official finish line. 11:30 pm...16 hours of Ironman-ness!
FINISHER!
a treat I had made for him

Thursday, August 25, 2011

encouraging...WOW!

so it's not as bad as the dismal news makes it seems...Halleluiah for truth!

CLICK HERE to read whole story!

title: Autos, Aircraft Lifted July Durable Goods Orders
A surge in demand for autos and aircraft drove orders for long-lasting manufactured goods higher in July, easing fears that the U.S. economy might be on the verge of another recession. The rebound in the auto industry helped offset a decline in orders for most other factory goods. Demand for autos and auto parts jumped 11.5 percent, the most in eight years.

ALSO- what a compliment to our leader:
title: Obama calls Buffett, Ford CEO for advice
President Obama on Monday reached out to billionaire investor Warren Buffett and Ford CEO Alan Mulally for advice as he crafts a major jobs plan to be released after Labor Day.

to read the whole story CLICK HERE!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

catching up...some more

the newest member of our family!
our fav playgound....Centennial Park in Nashville

feeding the ducks..... can you hear the shrieks and squeals in this picture? Ducks excited for stale bread and CKC excited that the Ducks are excited=)

starting early




after re-organizing my shoes 100 times, i decided to let that go..as ckc thinks that my shoes are also her shoes and she loves to play with them. the other day, in the car, as we we already late for a wedding...i looked down and noticed that i had 2 different shoes on! thanks to my little helper.... my shoes are a mess and i just grabbed 2 that i thought were the same. Ops!