San Antonio Day 5 - All Day Town Pass

In April 2013 we spent a week in San Antonio Texas, for our son's graduation from Air Force Basic Training.  This is our trip diary from Day 3, our first day on base.  See More Here:
http://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/p/air-force-mom.html

As near as we could tell, ALL the roads in San Antonio are a loop.  Which is nice, because if you miss your exit, no big deal, just take the next one..  

When your airman has a town pass, the important loop to remember is the 1604, shown in red here.  Your airman must remain INSIDE of this loop while on town pass.  He can apply for exceptions beforehand, if you have family nearby, etc.  This is a large loop, you should not have any trouble remaining inside of it.

• Be sure you know where to meet your airman in the morning.  Many chose the parking lot by the baseball field.  We chose the mini mall
• Do not panic if your airman is running late.  It was 9:20 before Luke got to us. 

As agreed the night before, we met Luke at the mini mall.  He came with his duffel of civilian clothes, to sort out.  We could have brought things home with us, but he had packed pretty light, other than some letters, he planned to take everything on to tech school with him.

 

The Japanese Tea Garden was  our favorite place in San Antonio.  There are more pics of it on the Day 2 trip diary.  Here, on the left, Luke is reading the plaque that explains why the sign above him reads "Chinese Tea Garden".  (Hint: the explanation involves the bombing of Pearl Harbor)

We went to the Japanese tea garden first, and walked, and talked, and sit, and talked, and walked, and talked...  it was quiet and peaceful there.  It was not empty, there were a lot of people taking photos, but it was still so much more peaceful than the river walk.  We had tea at the cafe, then called home to talk to his sister & friend who had run a zombie 5k that morning.

The new "no shine" shoes.  They do not need to shine them..  they remind me of the gel nail polish that you use the led light to set.

Hat check!  

Congers Smoke Shack

From there we drove to congers smoke shack for more of that amazing BBQ. 

Ordering Tip: get the three meat platter.  Make sure it includes the turkey.  I know, I know - trust me - it's amazing!  The brisket and pulled pork were my other two favorites.  For sides, get the potato salad (which is not like any other potato salad I have ever had) and the spiced cream corn (which is not really creamed - it is corn in a spicy cream sauce - but it was SO good!)

 We took it half a mile down the road to Robbers Baron park, to eat it.  Airman cannot walk & eat in their blues - they must stand absolutely still, or sit.  It is easier for them to slit.

Robber Baron park is a tiny little park, with a huge cave under it.  There was a group of scouts there when we arrived, with two cave guides.  Our airman is an eagle scout, so he enjoyed talking with them for awhile before we ate.  After we ate we walked down to see the cave entrance, which is so tiny!  It is hard to believe that this used to be open to commercial tours.

Next we went back to our hotel and Luke spent a couple of hours Skyping back home. :-)

 

Groupon had a deal for Monster Mini Golf, we took advantage of that.  It was fun - a place like this would be very possible here at home.

We used Yelp to find a restaurant nearby, Luke thought Greek food sounded good, so we tried Zorbas.  Compared to main street grill here at home (owned by a Greek family, with fabulous greek food) it was very disappointing.  But as with most things this week-end, it was more about sitting and talking with Luke than anything.

From there we stopped for gelati, before taking Luke back to base.  Dan & I had been to Brindles Awesome Ice Creams for Gelati earlier this week, we knew it was fabulous.  

Note: When taking your airman back to base, he will need to show his military ID at the gate, along with your base passes and drivers licenses..

Day 3 - Airmans Run, Coin Ceremony, Base Liberty
Day Four - Graduation Day!

Tips for Running (jogging) Faster

I want to slap people who say "the hardest part of running is getting out the door."  I have no problems getting out the door, in my sneakers.  I have regularly, for three months now.  And guess what?  Running (jogging really) is still HARD for me.  

I'm slow.  So very, very slow.  So slow that MyFitnessPal does not have an option for me under jogging, I still have to log my workout as a walk.  Talk about discouraging! Today I spent sometime reading about ways to increase my speed.  This is what I found:


Change My Mindset
This is so true for me - 
"My greatest obstacle was my mind. I convinced myself that I was a turtle, destined to run slow. Once I saw my time increase I realized I had to change my mind about my body's abilities. Instead of focusing on limitations I began to consider the possibilities."
http://voices.yahoo.com/how-improve-running-speed-beginner-runners-5449197.html?cat=5

I convince myself all the time that I will never be fast, that I am not made to run, that I am too fat, too old, too out of shape to ever be a fast runner...

Update My Playlist
When I started running this year, i didn't use music or headphones at all.  I concentrated on being able to hold a conversation (my daughter runs with me).  When I added headphones, my speed increased.  This week I noticed I ran my first half mile in 6 minutes.  To a much faster song than the others on my playlist.  After mile 1 I realized I was running slower than I needed to, I think because the song on my playlist was a slower song.

Add Some Cross Training:
"Traditional strength training is one way to improve muscle strength. Cross train with cycling, kickboxing, karate, or swimming to add interest to your workout."
http://voices.yahoo.com/how-improve-running-speed-beginner-runners-5449197.html?cat=5

I want to add some "Tabata Training" to my days as well.  See the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=05_OmNySxzo  I think especially jump rope for me, would help increase my lung capacity.


Work on my Breathing
I read a lot last year about breathing techniques, and then found I have fitness induced asthma, which an inhaler helped a lot.  
For now, I want to concentrate on breathing through my nose.  Step one.  :-)
(2019 update - it probably wasn't ever asthma.  In 2017 we found out that my iron was ridiculously low.  As in, get to the hospital for transfusions immediately, low.  That didn't happen overnight, I'm sure way back in 2014 when I wrote this is when the problems began.  By 2016 I could not walk up a simple hill without being completely out of breath and feeling like I was going to pass out. An inhaler was not helping. My blood was simply not carrying oxygen.  Fixed my iron issues, and what do you know - my lungs once again receive oxygen. But it took a surgery and a full year of high doses of iron for my blood cells to recover.)

"Breathing through your nose using your diaphragm takes practice."
http://voices.yahoo.com/how-improve-running-speed-beginner-runners-5449197.html?cat=5

Increase my distance
"Every two weeks, increase the length of your long run. This will extend endurance limits.."
http://www.active.com/running/Articles/5_Ways_to_Improve_Your_5K_Speed

  I've been working on this at the lake each week, but really not pushing myself as much as I should.  Runners World  recommends a weekly long run of 6 miles to prepare for a 5k.  I'm only doing 4.25 now, and I walk part of it..  Our next 5K is just one month away.

"Since you are training for a 5K, try increasing your long run to six miles. Increase mileage very gradually over time by increasing your total weekly mileage by 10% a week."
http://www.runnersworld.com/beginners/improving-speed-and-endurance

Add a Once A Week Speed Work Out

"For example, if you wanted to run eight minutes per mile, your quarter-mile race pace would need to be two minutes. The workout pace per lap should in this case be 1 minute, 52 seconds. Walk for half a lap between the 400s." http://www.active.com/running/Articles/5_Ways_to_Improve_Your_5K_Speed

There is more on speed training under Interval Work Out, here:
http://www.military.com/military-fitness/fitness-test-prep/improve-speed-on-your-pft-run

I'm thinking since my husband is doing the c25k, I should do it with him, and use the run times for speed.  

Spark People has charts for intervals on treadmills on 3 levels, here:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1147

They look like this:
Intermediate Speed Program

What to do	For how long	Intensity (1-10)
Warm up at 5 mph pace	5 minutes	3.5
Jog at 5.5 mph pace	2 minutes	5
Jog at 5.8 mph pace	2 minutes	6
Jog at 6.2 mph pace	5 minutes	7
Jog at 6.4 mph pace	3 minutes	7.5
Jog at 5.5 mph pace	4 minutes	5
Jog at 5.8 mph pace	2 minutes	6
Jog at 6.2 mph pace	2 minutes	7
Jog at 6.4 mph pace	5 minutes	7.5
Jog at 5.5 mph pace	2 minutes	5
Cool down	5 minutes	3.5
Total Workout Time:	37 minutes

=====================================

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/p/health-fitness.html

San Antonio Day 4 - Graduation Day!

Buses start running for graduation at 7:15am, and after the crowded bleachers yesterday, we knew we wanted to be on the first bus.  But an accident and the traffic made us a little late - we didn't arrive on base until 7:15.  (It is amazing to me that there are not a LOT more accidents, the roads here are insane!)  We drove past the parade field and there was a ton of parking available, so we decided to skip the bus and just park at the field.  It filled in quick, we just happened to get there before it did.

It was windy and cold, not at all what we expected of Texas in April.  The gift shops and stands were selling out of hoodies as fast as they could put them out.

There was a large variety of dress, but most of the women, especially the wives and girlfriends, had dressed up in pretty dresses and heels.  There were a lot of people in jeans too.

After the ceremony it was a mob.  It took us awhile to get through the crowd to our son.  We snapped a few pics, then went to the dorm to see where he had lived for the past 9 weeks, and to see his nicely made bed!  :-)

 

 

Luke was the laundry chief.  I was surprised to see that he did the laundry for 50 guys with just these regular sized washer and dryers!

The area with the picnic tables is the "patio" where the guys made their phone call home most Sunday evenings.

 

At this point Luke was able to give us the photos he had ordered.  He spent $70 on photos.  Around $26 of that was for 2 5x7's of himself, and one large flight photo.  The biggest expense was the cd. He hasn't seen what is on the cd yet, we will look at them on the hotel computer tomorrow.  

Note - the flight photo included a roster, but it did not have the boys listed in the order they are standing in the photo. We had Luke list off who was who while he was with us, so I could label the photo when we got home.

At 11:10 the boys were told to get out.  Their off base leave began at 11:15.

 The ceiling at Mi Tierra

 A small part of the bakery counter at Mi Tierra

 another part of the ceiling at Mi Tierra

We headed to Mi Tierra, parking in a lot on Pecan street for just $5 for the day.  Mi Tierras came highly recommended, and it is a fun place. http://mitierracafe.com/ 

 

We walked through a bit of fiesta, but the people spilling beer and waving bbq , turkey legs around made us nervous - the airmen need to keep their dress blues immaculate. 

 

 

From there we went to the riverwalk.  We just walked and talked, stopping to sit a few places along the way.  We toured the Alamo, and sat on the benches there to talk some more.  He was obviously more tired today than yesterday. 

We returned to the riverwalk intending to take the boat tour, but the line was sooooooo long, we decided we had seen enough, and headed towards our hotel, planning to go to a whataburger for supper.  We found one near our hotel, which was on prue st, and it was almost empty.  After constant crowds, this was a great choice for us.  It was quiet and relaxed.

At our hotel we skyped and called home - we had arranged in advance for our kids to be at their grandparents house, so we could skype with all of them at once. 

Going back to base today was easier - we went to the valley hi gate and it was a faster entrance for us.  Luke had to show his id to return to the base, along with our id & passes.  The drop off was the same as yesterday.

• Make sure your airman has his id ready at the gate
• Make sure you know where you will meet your airman the next morning
• Pack a small lint brush & tide to go stick in your car, so your airman can keep his blues clean

Buying Kayaks

I've had a few people ask me about kayaks this spring, and rather than keep typing this over and over, I  am putting it here so I can just send the link as needed.  :-)

Things to Think About:

• How will you transport the kayaks?  If you do not own a truck, or have a car without roof racks, getting set up to transport them could cost more than the actual kayaks - be prepared.  You can have after market roof racks installed, or buy a trailer to pull behind your vehicle.  The trailer may be more expense, but if you have trouble lifting a kayak over your head, they are the way to go.
• Will you be kayaking mostly in flat water (lakes, the local river) or faster moving/whitewater (Creeks, streams, rivers with whitewater)
• Paddles are not included with kayaks, and cost around $50 for the cheap basic ones that we use.

Kayaks That We Own:

From Left to Right:

The Potomac we no longer own, and do not recommend

 Emotion Edge

Heritage Feather Light

Trophy 144

The Emotion Glide, and Old Towne Otter

Perception Sport Express

Emotion Edge - This is Dan's kayak. Of all our kayaks, this has the "least flat" bottom.  This is the fastest kayak we own, and it makes turns really quickly.  It's a great kayak for guides, because you can turn around and go back to someone behind you who is having trouble, very quickly. We bought this one used from These Guys Kayak.

Emotion Glide - this is a great kayak for our local rivers and lakes.  It is one of my favorites. Also purchased used from These Guys Kayak.

Perception Sport Express - this one is very similar to the Emotion Edge, but it has a better seat - this is the most comfortable kayak we own.  (none of ours are really uncomfortable)  Bought used off Craigslist.

Future Beach Trophy 144 - this is the kayak we tend to put beginners in, because it's near impossible to flip.  It has a very flat bottom, and is heavy. It's made for fishing.  The draw back is that it is very heavy.  It moves slower, and it's harder to carry to and from the water. Bought at Dick's Sporting Goods.


Heritage Featherlight  - extremely light weight, flat bottom, VERY stable.  I don't think they make these anymore. Bought off Craigslist.

Old Town Otter  - this kayak is too short for me - my legs do not fit.  Our daughter is shorter than the rest of us, and she loves this kayak.  Bought off Craigslist.



Kayaks You Should Not Buy (In our opinion)

Potomac

We did own one of these.  It was so flimsy..  the foot pedals broke off, the straps broke off, it dented..  you could feel the difference in how this kayak was made.  It was junk, pure and simple.

Coleman
I can't find the coleman we do not like online, they may not make it anymore. It is short - I think 8 ft.  It was sold as a bundle at Dicks two years ago and we know a lot of people who bought them. These flip SO easily.  I don't think we have ever been out with anyone in one that they didn't flip, at LEAST once, while we were out - even at Montour Preserve, which is a completely flat lake.


And although we are huge fans of the emotion line, we did not like the Emotion Comet.  Again, this is the shorter model.  Same with the Perception Swifty.



Things To Look For:
Size - all of our kayaks are 9-10 feet long.  The shorter ones flip much easier. The longer ones are a pain to carry on top of the car.  The more you weigh, the larger your kayak will need to be..  but the 9-10 foot ones have weight limits around 275lbs, so it's usually not necessary to go any larger than that.  

A comfortable seat. Sit in it in the store.  Anyone with any experience selling kayaks should expect you to want to sit in it before you buy it.  You can replace seats, but it is easier to just buy one with a seat you like.  :-)



Local Places To Buy Kayaks:

These Guys Kayak - we have bought all of our Emotion Kayaks used from these guys.  We LOVE our emotion kayaks!

Dicks Sporting Goods - Watch for the Trophy Fusion to go on sale for around $200.  We do not own any of these (we do have a Trophy, but not the Fusion - we have a heavier one) but several of our friends do, and they are really happy with them.  

Future Beach Fusion 10 Kayak

Where to Register Your Kayak:
To use the boat launches on the river, you will need a launch permit.  If the Fish & Game commission catches you without a permit, it is a  steep fine.

http://fishandboat.com/brag/aa_usepermits.htm

We purchase ours online through the link above, and always order the 2 year permits, as it is cheaper.

Local Places To Go Kayaking:

Montour Preserve
The Susquehanna River
Rose Valley Lake

San Antonio Day 3 - Airman's Run, Coin Ceremony & Base Liberty

In April 2013 we spent a week in San Antonio Texas, for our son's graduation from Air Force Basic Training.  This is our trip diary from Day 3, our first day on base.  See More Here:
http://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/p/air-force-mom.html

For the airmans run, many suggested using the valley hi gate onto lackland.  My husbands pass has the wrong first name on it, a clerical error, so we chose to use Luke gate, just in case.  The visitor center is located there, it is where to go if you do not have a guest pass, or if there is a problem with your guest pass.

We could have used any gate.  The name wasn't a problem at all, and it is easy to get to the reception center from any gate.

We got there early - just after 6am, and got one of the last parking spots in the lot in front of the BMT reception center.  There was a long line waiting outside the door for the 7am orientation.  We had a nice time chatting with the family behind us.

• At the BMT, get a map.  We did not, and we regretted it.  The maps I had from online did not show us where the restaurants and museums are located.
• At orientation, write down where you are not allowed to be.  You think you will remember, but you won't.  :-). We didn't have a problem, but we did spend the whole day wondering if we were traveling where we were not allowed to be, since we could not remember.  The biggie is to not leave base, that was easy.

They seated us for orientation around 6:30.  First a representative from the production company (photos) spoke, followed by a representative from sea world.  Airmen & their spouse, or airmen & their mom & dad, can attend sea world free of charge this weekend. 

There was a short video on the history of the air force, followed by a slide show with rules and guidelines. 

From there we went out the side doors and lined up for the airmans run.  You cannot stand on the bleachers for the airmans run.  They had to announce that over, and over, and over again.  Once the run starts, you may not cross the road.  That was another concept parents had trouble with.  Please follow the rules.  You are not special when you are here, and acting as if the rules do not apply to you only makes it harder for the trainees assisting with graduation.  We watched one trainee get hollered at by a TI because parents at graduation were pushing past him to get into an area they were not supposed to walk into.  Like anywhere on earth, we met some of the nicest, kindness people - and also some of the most rude and obnoxious people as well.

About 5 minutes before the run, it started raining.  Then it poured.  Even with umbrellas, we were soaked clear through.  Homemade signs ran, many didn't have umbrellas along...  and we all stood together anyway, and watched our trainees run in it.  The trainees run from the bridge past you, then they turn and pass a second time, so it does not matter too much what side of the road you are on.  Taller trainees are in the front.

A Note - many families will order banners and signs professionally printed, and have t-shirts made up..  those are great, but they are for you, not for your airman.  Especially if it is raining. They will not really see them when running past, and there is NO room for them in the stands at the ceremonies..  so they are pretty much for you to pose with and get your photo taken.  They did make extra umbrellas on this day, when it started raining hard..

After they passed a second time, we went into the BMT reception center, at the same time that families were arriving for the 9am orientation.  Mass chaos.  Had it not been raining so hard, most would not have went back inside, and this would have been avoided.  There were people jammed everywhere, trying to go in several directions, but few actually moving.  One woman had a panic attack and had to be escorted out.  After a few minutes of this, they started announcing that some squadrons families should go upstairs, and some downstairs, that busses would be arriving for us - they apparently planned to move the ceremony indoors.  (Luke later said it would not have been indoors, but it would have been under cover)

A little while later they announced that the rain had stopped and the ceremony would be outdoors.  We are from PA, so this kind of chaos over a little rain caught us off guard.  We would never have a big event like this without a clear rain plan, but Luke said it only rained 3 times in the 9 weeks he was here.  Which explains why their river walk river is smaller than many of our creeks. :-)

On our way out, we stopped by the production studio & checked to see if our son had picked up and paid for his photos.  He had.  We ordered a DVD of graduation there - $49.  

Note: The production studio can be missed easily. If you enter the reception center through the front door, turn left, go through the snack bar area, and there will be a tiny room off to your right.

We went to our car to try to dry off a bit.  I wish we had thought to bring a change of clothes.  We sat in our car until 10am - a big mistake. The bleachers were PACKED by 10am.  

• You cannot stand between the bleachers for the ceremony
• There is standing room only behind the cement barriers
• You cannot walk on the cement in front of the bleachers.
• You cannot walk in front of the bleachers. Walk behind them to get where you want to be.

We did find two seats, which a kind gentleman helped pull me up into.  There are no steps, no walkway, so once the bleachers fill in, it is very hard to get to the top - or to any place in the middle.  Ideally everyone would move to the center, but I don't think that ever happens.  Remember that most of us stood in the downpour an hour earlier...  so we are all soaked.  Crammed together.  You can't even lift your camera without jostling others.  The man in front of me was taking photos with a huge tablet.  Please do not do that.  It blocked everyone's view - the equivalent of holding a piece of construction paper in front of everyone trying to see.

The retreat was cancelled due to the weather.  It had stopped raining long before...  But no retreat meant we got to get to our son, and tap him out, sooner.  This sounded like a much more formal event when we read about it, but it was really just get to your son and hug him, then he can leave with you.  Even though our son knew we were coming, he had not spoken to us for a week, and did not know we had arrived.  So even though he knew his mom would have crawled on her hands and knees, from PA, on broken glass, to be here, he was still nervous that something had happened and we were not in the stands.  He did not see us during the airmans run (I think they have a better chance of spotting their families if it is not pouring down rain during the run) and could not possibly spot us in the stands.  There were VERY few airmen that did not have family in attendance.

I had worried that I wouldn't recognize my own child, as were many others waiting with us.  For us, it was needless worry - we picked him out quickly.  They do all look very much alike!

one of the first things we did was go back to our vehicle and skype home so his siblings could see him

 I loved seeing his name on his uniform. 

We had read that he would be exhausted, starved, and have things he needed to do...  none of that was true for us.  His stripes were all already on his uniform.  The shoes they wear now do not need shined.  He was not overly hungry, nor overly tired.

And he knew nothing about the base.  We hadn't done any research on the base, we had no ideas about where to go or what to do.  We did know about Godfathers pizza, and like just about everyone else, we went there for lunch. It was a loooooonnnnggggg line, but it didn't matter, since all we wanted to do was see him & listen to him.  The pizza was good - similar to pizza hut deep dish.  It was nice to just sit and eat with him.

 

The Parade Field was a good place to have him pose for some photos.  This was the only day we saw him in his ABU's, the rest of the week-end he was in dress blues.

From there he wanted to show us the parade field, and where to sit for graduation, so we walked around there.  His flight had helped with a lot of the graduations, so Luke was very familiar with where we should sit, and that we should get there early.

We went to the airmans museum, which was nice, then to the BX to look around - he was curious what it was like.  We skyped home (from my phone - they do not get their phones back until Monday) so he could see and talk with his siblingsThen we went to the minimall he was familiar with, and ate in the food court, sitting there and talking more.

There is a huge flag in the airmans museum that makes a great backdrop for a photo!

Drop off is very organized.  There was a sign, and a coned off area.  Only the airman may exit the car there.  You pull up, he gets out, you pull forward - say your goodbyes before you get there.

• Airmen need to be back at 8pm, drop them off at 7:30, so they have time to sign in and be in their dorm at 8pm.  7:45 probably would have been early enough on Thursday.

Day Four - Graduation Day!

Recipes to use up Egg Surplus

Please, please, Please leave any suggestions in the comments..  I don't want to sell eggs, and I've talked most of my friends into their own flocks..  so we have a LOT of eggs here these days!  =)

Great Article on How To Boil An Egg
How To Freeze Eggs

Hueveos Rancheros - Tortillas topped with refried beans, fried eggs, cheese, bacon & salsa

Challah (egg bread) - 5 eggs

Breakfasts:
Puff Oven Pancake (we triple this & make it in a 9x13 pan)
Baked French Toast
Breakfast pockets - 12 eggs
Eggs Benedict - 12 eggs
Belgian Waffles
Mexican Tortilla Omelets  - 14 eggs!
Breakfast Pizza (need to modify the recipe this uses canned cheese.    But it looks like a good idea to play with) 8 eggs
Muffin Pan Fritattas

Desserts:
*Angel Food Cake - 12 egg whites
Pound Cake - 7 eggs
Impossible Pie - 4 eggs
Chocolate Coffee Mousse - 4 eggs

Pasta
Homemade Pasta  - 4 eggs

Scrambled egg pasta (Quick Carbonara)
Pasta Carbonara - 3 eggs, plus 4 to make homemade pasta

Puddings:
Long List of Vintage Pudding Recipes here
Martha Stewart's Pudding Recipe

Pickled Eggs
Spicy Pickled Eggs

Quiches:
Basic Quiche
*Taco Quiche



*Favorites