Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

I know my posts are sporadic, to put it mildly.

I've been busy but not out feeding orphans or saving lives. Just wrapped up in my own world of frenzy.

This past weekend though Shawn and I did pay it forward. We adopted two kids from the Angel Tree. I read their tags and HAD to get them. The boy is 13 and needs pants and wants a telescope. Needs pants -- who needs pants??? Everyone should have pants. But a telescope? Heartwarming. The little science nerd wants to star gaze and wonder and dream as to what may be out there. So he's getting some new jeans, a cool v-neck argyle cardigan, a telescope, and an amateur's guide to stargazing. I hope it makes his day. (And that he really uses it for star gazing and not looking at the cute girls across the way.) The little girl we adopted is 11 and needed a warm coat and wanted an Easy Bake Oven. Uhm, did someone say dessert?? A girl after my own heart. Well, she can cook up a storm this winter. She even has enough refill packs to start a bakery. And a cute coat to boot! I wish I could do more.

Now we are off to Buenos Aires!!! A few days south of the equator doing absolutely nothing and being a tourist is exactly what the doctor ordered. The flight is a bit long but I'll get through it.

Not much all. Hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and wonderful Thanksgiving. Adios!

New York State of Mind

I am home.

It has been months since I've been back in NYC. I usually get home about every other month but with work being so super busy, Ironman training, and the house, I haven't been able to get back to NYC in over five months.

Well, last week I booked a shoot in NYC. So I packed my bags and headed to the Big Apple. The shoot went well. Typical shoot. Early mornings, late nights, but the shots look great.

Friday night I was able to run up town and have dinner with my mom. We had a nice dinner, a few drinks, and just caught up. A night that was long overdue.

Saturday I met my grandparents for lunch. I love my grandparents and know how fortunate I am to have them in my life for so long. My grandmother is 85 and has gotten a bit bossy in her golden years. She's become quite demanding. But I guess after 85 years, you get to be demanding. But, regardless of age, the lady is styling. It was a bright, sunny day so she had to wear her sunglasses. Don't you know she has a pair of Ray-Ban Aviator shades. Yeah, I don't even have a pair.



Today I'm off to see my sister and nephews. Should be a fun, family filled day. Then I head to Philly tonight for another long week of photo shoots and client meetings.

A Busy, Fun Filled Weekend

What a busy, but fun weekend. So much to report on.

Shawn had the whole week off so I thought I would take off as well. Yeah, I dream big. But alas, it was not in the stars for me. However, I did manage to take off Friday.

We had to run down to City Hall and register for our alarm permit. Yes, you need a permit for a house alarm and you have to pay 50 bucks for it! And you only get three freebies for the cops to come should the alarm go off. After that they charge you. I think we should just leave the door unlocked and windows open. The insurance deductible might cost less. But it's a good thing we went down to City Hall. In addition to the interesting people watching (I couldn't snap a picture of the lady smoking her "hand-rolled" cigarette and drinking a 40 out of a paper bag in her truck at 10 in the morning. Shawn thought that would have been rude and possibly started an altercation). But I did manage to find out it was Round Up weekend. Yes, who knew? So I made sure to take care of all my outstanding tickets and spread word to my crew to pay up 'cause the man was going to hunt us down.



After I got my personal legal issues in order we headed for the State Fair. You know, Big Tex never ages.



We made our way to the Fletchers stand. I just don't know what it is about these things but I just don't like them. I've tried them a number of times and they don't get better. I think it's what a battered and fried eraser might taste like.



After some walking around and encountering every Zoom whitening kiosk on the fair grounds (yes, you can get your teeth whitened at the fair. They must have had a dozen kiosks with people in the chairs getting zoomed. Just odd and sort of gross) we stopped for a big 'ol plate of nachos. Yum. Yum. I ate 99% of these. But I had a diet coke so it was healthy.



After that Shawn had a fried Snickers. I didn't get a picture or a bite of that. Work called and I had to take a timeout and attend to business while Shawn devoured that tasty treat.

After that, we left. It was starting to get hot and crowded. We will make it back to the fair before it ends. We'll go with some friends, take better pictures, and eat a bit more. I still need to get fried Frito Pie, fried cheesecake, fried Oreos, and funnel cake. But don't be alarmed at all that food. I'll wash it all down with a diet coke and make it healthy.

Back at the Ponderosa, I finally got the bedroom painted. Not the best pic but you get the idea. I really like this color. It's a bit dark and gray in the picture. It has more blue tones in real life.



And then I had to make the weekly Target run. I've decided it is wrong to go to Target and not snap a fun pic. This Target pic of the week is brought to you by Duct Tape (or is it Duck Tape.. who knows). But it is true that it really can solve any problem big or small. This I put in the big category.



Now, if you can drive a Jag, don't you think you could afford to take care of a little bodywork. This is just tacky. But I thank them for it because it gives me something to talk about.

That's about it for now. More to come.

The GREAT Debate. Strike That, It's Not Even Up For Debate.

Behold... my new Sonic Care. Granted I borrowed this shot from some site online but none-the-less I recently purchased a new toothbrush.



Now, I've been a fan of the Sonic Care for many years. And during my homeless stint I was without by beloved brush. So I went old school and purchased a plain, plastic toothbrush that I had to actually move around in my mouth by hand. Manual brushing. The horrors I've had to endure while homeless...

So, the new Sonic Care has been purchased, charged, and keeping me minty-fresh for two weeks now. The other day Shawn asked if we could share the Sonic Care. I said NO WAY! Buy your own buddy. Here's the Cliff's Note version of the bathroom debate...

I think he needs to buy his own. Although it does come with a second toothbrush head (see attached pic), that device is in my mouth multiple times a day. First thing in the morning. After flossing. To bring some freshness after a loaf of garlic bread... you see where I am going. Why would I want to cross-contaminate my oral hygiene? Shawn thinks that it has a second head so what the biggie?

So, second head or not is a moot point. Is this a personal product that deserves only one owner or is this a shared appliance? Thoughts?

People! Get You Act Together!

I by no means am perfect. I know my flaws and I work daily to overcome my issues and try to be the best person I can. But I need to get out my soapbox and stand atop it and ask you my readers, what is happening to our country? I think we have gotten entirely too casual and sloppy. I'm all about comfort and convenience. And I don't think you should spend a lot of money frivolously. I don't think you need to dress everyday like you are going to a fashion show. But I think you should wear appropriate clothing that fits. You should always put your best foot forward and care and respect yourself.

I don't have children but if/when I do I WILL NOT let my daughter walk out of the house looking like this. Really? Where are your pants? You are not old enough to be showing that much skin. Ugh. I had half a mind to run over to the clothing section of Target and pick up a robe to wrap around this girl.



And this one. Taken the other day while I was waiting for a table at a restaurant. Those shorts are too short and too tight for you. Not even that, homeboy has almost 50 lbs. on me and I couldn't even squish my way into those shorts. Not even if I was sucking in, laying down on the floor, wearing Spanx could I get that button closed and the zipper up. Would he wear that to see his mom and grandparents? I don't think so. So why is it appropriate for breakfast?



This will be a new thread. The "Oh no you didn't go outta the house looking like that" section. Updated as needed.

Settling In

Things have been so super crazy in my world. I wish it was because I was out feeding starving orphans or saving the planet or doing something so worthy of my time. But no, I've just been wrapped up in my little world.

The big news is that the house is done and we were able to move in last weekend. What a huge relief! First, I was really ready to be out of the temp housing. You can only live so long on a temporary basis before you have the need to paint, furnish, and add your personal touches to make a place feel like home. Second, our landlord sold her house and was moving into our place. So either we had to go, or we were getting an unexpected roommate.

I LOVE the house. It's mine. I planned. I designed. I picked out. Yes, Shawn had a lot to do with it, so I'll amend that to say WE WE WE WE WE. There is still so much to do. But it will take time to fill it with things we love. When we do, we will start to fill our house one item at a time. Below are a few pics. Keep in mind that these are raw. One week since moving in. And there is still a lot of work to do.








More pics to come as we furnish additional rooms and start having people over.

By the way, NEVER pay retail. I can't tell you how much money I have saved over the last several months. When we started looking for furniture, etc. We would go to the store, find what we liked, shop around, and then I would always snap a pic of the retail/manufacturers tag so I could Google it later. What I found online, and at such better prices, was unreal. I bought almost everything online and saved a ton of money. Which I will "reinvest" into additional purchases. Cha-ching.

I am an IRONMAN!

After years spent chasing a dream. Months and months of training. Six sweet words were finally said to me -- John Carmichael, you are an Ironman.

After 14 hours, 40 minutes, and 17 seconds I crossed the finish line at Ironman Coeur d' Alene.

I could never have made it without all the support, words of encouragement, and love of my family and friends, especially in the days leading up to the race. I had the best cheering section in the history of any race event. Shawn went above and beyond in organizing and running my cheering section. On top of that, I had support from across the country of people watching me throughout the day. Priceless. Here's a pick of my CDA cheering section.



I have to admit, and I've said it a few times before, the training sucked. There were more times that I hated it then I enjoyed it. Early mornings, late nights, entire weekends dedicated to swimming, biking, and running. Sunburn. Windburn. Cuts and bruises. Sore legs. Aching back. Blisters. Sometimes all of those at once. And if I had to do it again, I would in a second with no hesitation.

All journeys start because of a destination. The place where we want to end. But it really wasn’t the destination that made all this worthwhile. It was the people I had with me along the way. Those months spent training meant more to me than anything. The new friendships made. The existing friendships strengthened after spending hundreds of miles together. The hug after the end of a long workout that said everything words could never express. The destination would not have meant anything to me if it weren’t for the gift of the journey.

The week prior to the race was an emotional rollercoaster. So many feelings of excitement. Then the anxiety and nerves would kick in. Then a smile would pop on my face thinking about crossing the finish line. Then the look of fear that quickly rose when I thought about getting in the water for 3,900 meters of swimming with 2,200+ other people. It was overwhelming.

Race day started off really well. From the second I woke up I knew it was going to be a great day. Usually the night before any big event, I don’t sleep. I’ll get a few hours of sleep but it’s mostly naps in 20-minute increments. Saturday night I went to bed and didn’t wake up until race morning. Race morning started EARLY. 4:00 AM the alarm went off. I got up. Showered (yes, I showered. Some people think that is weird but I needed to “start” my day). Ate some food. And headed out. First stop of the day was body marking. Getting my numbers and age inked across my body. After body marking I headed to my bike for one last check of equipment, to load up my nutrition, air the tires. Then I had to drop off my special needs bags, which are available at the halfway point on the bike and run. Then it was back to the waiting game.

Our group met up that morning and it was nice to not be alone. In no time at all, we got into our wetsuits and headed to the beach. I had planned to start midpack. Let the fast swimmers go first but not get stuck behind the slow people. I ended up starting towards the front of the middle section. The swim was full on contact. The pack never thinned out. I got kicked, hit a few times, had my goggles knocked off, but I kept on swimming. Rounding the first turn buoys was tough. People in the front were stopping and/or slowing down. The people from behind were swimming into us. It was a stampede. I decided to just swim my way as fast as possible out of that pack and get past the buoy. Once I did, it was a less violent swim. I made my way back to the beach, got out of the water ran through the arch, only to have to get back in the water for the second loop of the course. The second loop was better. I took my time and stayed away from the crowd. It may have added more time to my swim but it was worth it to me to not have to worry about getting knocked around. When I started the second loop I did get a little tired but I knew I had to keep swimming. Stopping was not an option. And I did look for a place to rest but there wasn’t a buoy, kayak, or paddleboard close. When it came time to round the turn buoys a second time I saw that there was a crowd so I chose to swim far on the outside. It was a wise decision and I rounded the turn “bar-fight” free. About this time I was relaxed, in my zone, and starting to feel how cold the water was. My body was warm but my hands and my face were very aware of the 61-degree water temp. At that point, I just kept swimming knowing the swim exit was close. In my mind getting through the swim was a victory. After 1 hour and 24 minutes I exited the swim.



The bike was as pleasant as any 112mile bike can be with some pretty big hills and tight, technical turns. The first lap went by quickly and it was nice to pass my family and friends back in town. I knew I had to take my time on the bike and save my legs for the run. A lot of people hit the bike hard and then bomb on the run. I knew I couldn’t bomb. I had a few minor bike issues on my second loop but nothing that held me back. Around mile 90 is when I did start to feel the length and difficulty of the bike course. I was starting to get tired and very ready to get off that bike. But once again, I rounded the last hill and made my way back to town to the cheers of the crowd.


I changed into my run gear and started out on the run course. As soon as I came out of transition and saw the crowd of people, it hit me. The OMG I have to run 26.2 miles. Where is my cell phone, I need to cal a cab. But I started running and felt really good. I actually started with a very strong run and had to slow myself down. I knew if I kept that pace, I would not make it to the finish line. The first 4 miles of the run were great. Crowds line the streets. Passing by family and friends on my way out of town. But after that you hit the hills. The run course goes out of town, around the lake and back into town. I did get to see a lot of friends on the run course, which helps keep motivation alive. When I started back towards town you were directed to the right for the second loop and to the left for the finish. At that moment I really wished I were headed to the finish. Then you hear the finish line and as incredible as it sounds, it is the most painful and sad sound when you are routed for the second lap and not the finish chute. But then I saw the crowds lining the streets. My family cheering me one and I quickly forgot all about that and remembered that I had more than half the run behind me, I survived the swim, I was feeling good, and I was going to finish. On my second lap my legs started to feel tight and I felt a little cramping setting in. I started my run/walk and then my run/walk/walk very slow process. I didn’t want to push to hard and blow it with less than 10 miles left. I made my way out to the far side of the lake and on my way back, the day became so worth it. Off in the horizon, the sun was setting over the mountain and the lake. EVERYONE on the run course was looking at the sunset and not in front of them. It was beautiful. Once I was past the lake I made the turns to get me back in town. When I got to the fork in the road the pointer was saying finish on the left, second loop to your right. I thought, those poor people who still have one lap to go… while simultaneously thinking WOO-HOO I am headed for the finish chute. At that point, the wide smile came across my face and I don’t think it went away for two days. I was going to be an Ironman in just a few miles. Shortly after that, I heard the finish line. I can’t explain the rumble and noise of the finish. You hear it. You feel it. When I made the turn onto Sherman, which is the street where the finish chute is, it was lined with people cheering you in. The excitement was uncontainable.


But this is where my very important race strategy had to be maintained. As exciting as it was, I knew that I had to be very aware of who was around me. After 140.6 miles. After 14 hours and 40 minutes. After a rough swim, challenging bike, and a hilly run, there was no way I was going to let anyone finish near me and chance them getting in my finish line photo or have their name jumbled with mine as I crossed the finish line. And sure enough I looked behind me and there were a few people sprinting for the finish. I saw these fools ruining their finish so I slowed down. I was close to the finish and my mom got scared and thought something was wrong. Shawn knowing my finish strategy, knew exactly what I was doing and had to explain it to them. Once the sprinters passed me, I resumed my run and crossed the finish line!


I can’t even explain how exciting it was. The emotions. The highest of the highs knowing I completed the race. Reached my goal. And joined an elite group of ultra-endurance athletes who each are an Ironman.

It’s a day that I will carry with me forever. A sense of joy and pride that I will never lose. A feeling of love and support from family and friends that means more to me than words can ever say. And a feeling of accomplishment. That I did it.

There were times over the last few months where I wanted to give up. The training sucked. I hurt physically and emotionally. I thought it just wasn’t worth it. But then I crossed the finish line and had the biggest thirst for life. Knew that anything is possible. That there are no limits.

Here are a few other pics from the week and race day.

The most perfect sendoff ever!


Graham and I checking in on race day.


The crowd of athlets on the beach prior to the swim start.


Swim exit. Look at all those people still in the water!!! Who knew I would do so well in the swim.


Jake and I on the run course. He was a great little cheerleader and even wanted to run with me.


Seconds from the finish line.


Shawn and I at the finish.


And me next to my favorite sign.