A Little City Called Rome and Something Shiny

A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend Heather found out she would be headed to Rome, Italy for work. Knowing that my birthday was on the 11th of July, she invited me to come along with her. The plan was that we’d be able to spend time together when she wasn’t working during the day, and also tack on a couple of extra vacation days at the end of her trip.

When I realized the trip was actually going to happen, I knew it was my chance to do something really big. I mean, really BIG!

You see, Rome is Heather’s favorite place in the world. The architecture, the people, the food ... it is all amazing ... While living in Rome as an undergraduate, Heather learned Italian and fell in love with the Eternal City. I figured there would be no better place to surprise her.

Earlier in the week, we had visited Villa Borghese (Rome’s Central Park). We happened upon the most romantic restaurant I have ever encountered. Nestled away in the park, overlooking Rome and the Vatican City from it’s terrace, the Casina Valadier provides the most breathtaking view from your table (and amazing food!) “This will be perfect.” I thought to myself.

Since we were absolutely exhausted from spending the 11th at a Mediterranean beach (I know, tough life, right?), we decided to switch our reservations for the evening of the 12th for the celebratory dinner.

I must have checked my suit jacket one hundred times on the way over to the restaurant that evening, making sure my "gift" was secure.

We arrived at the restaurant just as the sun was setting behind the Roman skyline. Beautiful.

I made extra effort to make Heather think that my reason for ordering champagne once we were seated was to celebrate my birthday. Shortly after toasting my 32nd birthday, I took Heather’s hand into mine. I looked into her beautiful, blue eyes, and began telling her how much she meant to me …

Shortly thereafter, I was on bended knee, ring extended; my heart open.

Yes.

We’re engaged!

We spent the rest of the dinner taking in the view and talking about the rest of our lives together.

After dinner, we walked over to the Spanish Steps. There in the Piazza di Spagna, a horse and carriage awaited us for a tour of Rome under the moonlight.

We tossed coins into the Trevi fountain, vowing to return to our favorite place in the world, which now has a deeper, stronger meaning to both of us.

Inauguration Day

The day began at 7 o’clock in a friend’s apartment in Washington, DC. I awoke to subfreezing temperatures, but a sunny dawn. After bundling up, packing some food and locking the door behind us, my girlfriend Heather and I joined hands and began walking down Mt. Pleasant Street, working our way over to the Columbia Heights Metro.

The station was already abuzz with folks from all over the world, making their way to the National Mall. The Metro cars were packed tightly, but everyone was in good spirits. People were looking out for one another. The feeling of being a part of something bigger than anything I have ever experienced in my life was growing.

We arrived at L’Enfant Metro Station and made a slow progression out of the station. We walked down Independence Avenue with hundreds of thousands of others towards the Mall.
Heather and I entered the Mall at 14th Street and worked our way through the crowd towards the Capitol, section by section. We found a spot right in the middle of the Mall, directly across from the Carousel.As we stood there for a few hours, waiting for the swearing in ceremony to begin, we made friends with others standing next to us. We talked about our families, commented on the arrival of celebrities and politicians gracing the JumboTrons and took in the estimated crowd of 1.8 million.Before we knew it, the moment was upon us and the ceremony began.

My grandparents Curtis and Helen Morris passed away several years ago. They lived the majority of their lives in a very different America; an America with less opportunity and equality; an America that judged you not by the content of your character, but by the color of your skin. They didn’t let that stop them from seizing the day, seeing the world and leaving it a little bit better than when they entered it.

My grandfather was a civil service professional assigned to the US Army Ordnance Corps as one of the first munitions surveillance experts. He retired as one of the program's senior executives and a pioneer in his field only after making valuable contributions through WWII, Korea and Vietnam. His achievements didn't just ensure the safety of Americans--they blazed trails of equality as he was the first African-American to hold such a post.

My grandmother is a pillar of motivation and inspiration. Together with my grandfather, she raised three boys all the while moving over a dozen times (Yokohama, Japan included). All three of her sons attended college and obtained advanced degrees. Two became Colonels in the United States military. One became a stellar educator and author.

Of everyone I have known and love, no one shines brighter in my heart than my grandparents. I wanted to make sure that as they looked down from Heaven on such a historic moment, they knew I was thinking of them. For that reason, I brought a picture of them with me to the ceremony.
When President Obama finished the last words of the oath of office, the crowd erupted. I looked down at the photograph in my hand and said to it, “We’re here. We’ve made it.” My eyes welled up with tears of joy. I shook hands with others around me and I kissed my girlfriend. “This is AWESOME!” I said to her. She looked back at me with her beautiful, blue, tear filled eyes and nodded her head in agreement. Complete elation took over the sea of people.

"We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

- President Barack Obama

Uncle Lee

Lee Whitlock is my great uncle. He taught my sisters and I how to ride horses when we were children, 25+ years ago. Stories about him within our family are numerous and grand. A true cowboy and model of "work ethic."

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Remarks From My Oldest Sis, And The Enthusiasm of Youth

I received an e-mail earlier this morning from my oldest sister who is stationed in Germany this morning. Her e-mail is in response to the letter my father wrote on Election Day.

Well, Dad said it very well... I can't really add anything eloquent at this point... my brain has turned to mush after 5 years of being a stay-at-home Mom.

However, I'll share a really great experience I had yesterday. I was in one of our local hardware stores shopping with Zibby when a German boy of about 10 yrs old and his mother overheard me speaking in English. He ran up to me and shook my hand and said "you are American?" When I said, "yes", he pumped his fist in the air and said "President, Neu President ... OBAMA!". His mother was grinning from ear-to-ear. I felt very proud to be an American and and it made me feel as if the great tension between the two countries was being lifted in these small little exchanges.

So, it was nice to share that triumph with my German neighbors since a lot of my military friends were McCain supporters....

We Made It

We made it grandma.

We made it.

An Election Day Experience in Virginia

When asked about 9/11, most Americans will be able to give you a vivid recollection about what they were doing when they found out the World Trade Center and Pentagon had been hit. Such tragedy will stay fixed in the American psyche for decades to come as it was a traumatizing event.

I'm realizing that today, November 4, 2008 is having the same pyschological effect on me as that gloomy day in United States history. The difference though, is that my recollection of today won't contain memories of a horrific display of terror, but of the truest illustration of the feeling of "hope."

My father wrote a great letter today to all of the members of my family. It made my eyes well up. He senses that "hope" too and feels "vindicated and affirmed of service proudly" given that more Americans than ever are exercising their right to vote ...

Well, Nov 4 was a day full of rain and wind. Mom and I hit the polls at Nansemond River Baptist Church on Highway 17 at 0530 before dawn's break properly attired in sailor foul weather gear. Fortunately, we got into the building at the end of a lengthy serpentine line that would make any football game queue look small.

The Obama-McCain contest clearly generated more voter participation than any other American political contests that I have seen in my life time. Voters arriving 15 minutes later found themselves outside in the downpour in a line stretching from the poll door to highway 17. There were more cars in the parking lot than on Sunday. The voting finally started at 0600. The voting crowd was in good spirits and very patient. No wonder, most of us were still half a sleep. Before you know it we were done and out the door by around 0730. All in all the anticipation of voting malfunctions as in images of Florida in 2000 did not happen.

Personally, I feel good. I believe this election is a singularly significant moment in American history to select a President and representatives to successfully lead us into the future while working to deliver us from the crises confronting this great nation.

This said, election comparisons are difficult to make, and imperfect at best, but this Presidential election is not unlike that of FDR in the early moments of the Great Depression. It has generated excitement not seen since the election of John Kennedy. It is even more noteworthy in that Barack Obama is the first minority individual ever to be a major candidate. If he is not elected his candidacy will still have been a remarkable accomplishment a scant 44 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

However, if the polls are right, Barack Obama will be the first minority President in our history. If this watershed event does happen the world will take note, and we Americans are likely to see an improvement in our global image if not our relationships with friends, allies, and much of the rest of world. The words in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution will take on greater significance in the perceptions of many around the globe. Just as important for us citizens will be the symbolic crossing of the often unspoken bar of race and inequality that has always lurked at various depths of American life.

Clearly, the Obama campaign has been acclaimed by many as nothing short of brilliant in ideas, strategic focus and discipline. Comments of many of his critics also echo agreement. John McCain's campaign efforts have taken a different, more strident approach and style, but they have been no less dedicated. In a few short hours all of us will know whether Obama, or McCain has been successful. Regardless of whom each American voted for, the fact that we can hold a free election even with its imperfections is a continuing testament to the American experiment begun over two hundred years ago. As a veteran who has been in harms way for this country it is also a vindication and affirmation of service proudly given.

After today the victor of this Presidential contest will be the heir apparent to the toughest job in the free world. And, with this new found responsibility comes the great expectations of citizens that our President lead, unify, and deliver. I wish him Godspeed, every success, and blessing.

Dad

Obama Will Win in November ...

... That is, if GoogleTrends is an accurate predictor. I thought I'd enter the terms "Obama" and "McCain" to see what the results would be. Maybe the results are so overwhelming because McCain supporters are older and don't turn to the Web for information on their election day hopeful?



Check out the full results here.

Soccer, Football, Joga Bonito.

Tomorrow is going to be a heavy soccer-focused day. I'm going to watch David Beckham play at RFK at noon, followed by the Euro final with a special someone at the Austrian Embassy. I like both Spain and Germany, so it should be a really good match. The fact that the Euro is being hosted in Austria makes this viewing party all the more exciting. I think I'll have to wear my German national team jersey to this one since all of the Austrians will be supporting the German squad.

I wonder if there will be schnitzel and pretzel bread? So excited!

The Bitter End ...

“The last thing on my 100-point checklist in getting ready for this trip was not to return that movie,” my father barked to my mother as he dropped the red Netflix envelope onto the settee.

Hour 10 of our four day family cruise and I think my old man’s gasket has shown symptoms of rupturing. “So dramatic,” I thought to myself … but then again, I guess that’s just par for the course whenever I have visited my folks the last 10 years. It’s not like they are going to kill each other, they always just sound like they are about to. You can tell there is a lot of love between them-- 40 years so far—But I digress …

It took us a little under six hours to sail --ahem, motor-- to our main destination for the Memorial Day weekend: the quaint, Eastern Shore town of Cape Charles.

It’s just my luck that after taking a multi-day course at the Annapolis Sailing School there was no wind for me to show off my new skills to my parents.

The wind was so light and directly on our nose each time we tacked, that even if you had a spinnaker and a massive Formula 1 wind tunnel fan you would probably still feel like you weren’t going anywhere. That’s sailing though, and if you don’t have any patience you quickly learn to develop some. Everything happens very slowly (sure, when you’re going 7 knots in your boat you later brag about how you were “hauling ass” across the bay) and there is nothing else you can do to make the boat go faster, short of dropping the sails and turning on the iron genoa (that’s the engine for you land lubbers).

It’s kind of weird that my father is such a tenured salt himself as he has to be one of the most impatient people I know. Nevertheless, put him out on the water in his vessel and he gets sorted out quickly, easing into an “island time” mentality, often taking his watch off and not putting it back on for days (something I picked up years ago from him and love to practice when out on the water.)
I hope our next leg of the journey provides more wind and the same sunshine we had today. Fingers crossed …

Oh, and if you are wondering what the title is all about, it’s a nautical term. Way back when (think 1600s, maybe even earlier), deck hands would shout to the captain “She’s at the bitter end!” when there was no more line to spare on a tied off cleat.

Tony Little Was Right: It's Technique!

I tend to eat "comfort food" over the winter, so all of my hard work of losing 32 lbs last year was completely ransacked by my pizza and ice cream habit. That's changing for good.

For the last five weeks I've been paying attention to what I eat, the amount I eat and the time I eat. Basically, I've made a lifestyle change that won't require a ridiculous diet or some type of shake. Diets don't work anyways ... not in the long run.

Coupling these eating habits with physical activity has proven itself not just manageable, but easy to follow for the rest of my life. Here are my results so far:



I've got about 7 more pounds to lose to reach my ideal weight. If my calculations are correct, I've been losing (on average) .45 lbs per day. Sports science nutritionists recommend you shoot for 2-3 lbs of weight loss per week, otherwise you run the risk of losing lean mass (muscle). So, I'm right on target with the amount I am losing.

Once I hit my ideal weight, I'll have to slightly increase my caloric intake so that I don't lose any more weight. Having 8% body fat was OK when I was cycling 400 -600 miles per week on my collegiate cycling team, but it totally isn't necessary for me any more. There have been numerous studies which show a healthier amount of body fat in men ranges between 12 - 18%. These studies indicate that cholesterol levels are ideal and heart health is optimized during this percentage.

I Mean, We Don't Know If We're the Best ...

Looking through my digital scrapbook, I came across this photo I took on a recent trip to Czech Republic.

Video Break: User Generated Video

My friend Jeff who is from SE VA sent this to me. My folks now live down where the rappers shot this. Visiting my folks has a whole new meaning.

Enjoy.

My 101 List is Getting Shorter

I'm now able to cross off several items on my 101 List.

#18 Own a home.

#31 Own a motorcycle.

#39 Go to an English pro soccer match.

#64 Go to Czech Republic

#71 Go to England.

Over the last several months I have been busy with Traveling (I went to Europe last month for a REAL vacation), designing (Home & Garden Television has nothing on my interior design skillz), playing soccer, getting lost on my motorcycle, playing uncle (my niece and nephew are so cute!) and of course working -- gotta do something to pay for all of this!

Next month I'm taking an advanced sailing course at the Annapolis Sailing School. After I complete the course I plan on buying my first yacht. Perhaps this one will do?

From Gainesville to Hollywood!

One of my best friends from college keeps showing up on my television. Check out some of DJ's acting in these clips. I'm so proud of him!!!

Blogged with Flock

The Twins Are Baptised!

Hey folks, since most of you reading this are family, follow this link to check out all of the baptism photos from this past weekend.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/g8rmni/show/

The Newest Addition to the Family

My sister Carmen gave birth to twins today. Here are some photos of Bryce and Colby:

Above Photo: Uncle Ryan and Bryce.

Above Photo: Uncle Ryan holds Colby while Daddy Matt holds Bryce.

Another Christmas, Another Photo of A Christmas Tree

I spent some time today putting a few digital photo albums together as a supplement to a Christmas gift for my parents (if you must know I bought them one of these, and then filled it with tons of photos; some photos are really old and were recently digitized by yours truely).

Anyway, in my pursuit of finding "family friendly" portrait and landscape photos, I came across several snapshots from Christmas past ...

It seems that each year I always -- without fail -- take a photo of the family tree. The tree isn't anything special: Just your average 7-foot plastic Douglas Fir, adorned with Target Store ornaments and random Christmas-y knick knacks from the past 30+ years. Wow, some tree.

Two Items On My 101 List Can Be Crossed Off

I just realized that I am able to cross off two items on my "101 Life List."

Help me by saying "syanora" to: #50 Watch a professional sport from an executive box and #44 See an NFL game.

A couple of weeks ago I went with my girlfriend to see the Washington Redskins play against the Atlanta Falcons at FedEx Field. We watched the game from an executive suite -- catered with tons of beer, chips, dips, chilli dogs, cheese steaks, cookies and other fatty, but yummy, foods.

An E-Mail From My Mother

Written in her typical tangent thought trail, here is an e-mail from my mother about an entry I made on 9/11:

"I had the same thought yesterday about your calling me on that fateful day because I too had not had my tv on that morning. And you were right, it was the one time Dad had not left me his itinerary so I didn’t know his airline or flight #. I remember making frantic phone calls after you and I hung up to Alicia and Carmen. Alicia is like her Mom so at first she panicked and got tears in her voice. But Carmen remained cool and collected and said she would do some research because I did remember that Dad was connecting through Amsterdam (not Prague). She called me back about a ½ hour later and said there were two flights coming from Amsterdam, so he was probably on one of them. Later that afternoon, he called to say his plane had been turned around and returned to Amsterdam and when they all got off the plane, that’s when they were told the truth. That’s where he had to stay for the extra 5 days until he could get another plane home. I remember leaving you voice mails because the cell phone lines were down/overloaded and hoped you knew he was all right. Scary time I hope no one has to repeat. Have you watched any of the tv specials? Dad did watch the controversial ABC docu drama and thought it was pretty good in the sense it portrayed the amount of territorial egos, pc that ruled the day instead of putting the good of the country first, and the general bureaucracy that hinders real action and decisions from taking place. I didn’t watch it as I find reliving the horror too emotionally draining. I watched a CNN report that Christiane Amanpour did on how we got to where we are. She included the life and rise to power of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. She interviewed boyhood friends and others that worked with him and then distanced themselves from him as he became more and more extremist. She tied in how the Taliban was involved, and other interesting connections."

09.11.01

I spent most of my day with 9/11 on my mind.

Driving into work, I listened to the Howard Stern show on Sirius. Instead of treating today like any other day, Howard decided to rebroadcast the recordings of his show from five years ago on this day.

The show brought back vivid memories of where I was when the planes hit the Trade Center and the Pentagon.

It made me feel numb again.

I spent the whole day at my desk listening to the show while working -- six hours of archived recording.

Right now I am at home watching President Bush address the nation about today's meaning ... what we're still doing in Iraq ...

Every once in a while I feel like I did five years ago -- a temporary feeling of not feeling safe; scared.

It can all still happen again. I think that is what makes me scared the most.