Final Post of 2022

It's been another wonderful year in the McGuirk family. We have had our ups and downs, but for the most part, we have survived the year unscathed. We also welcomed Rowdy to the family, and even though he's been somewhat destructive, he's starting to come out of the puppy phase (hopefully) and become a pleasant little fellow.

We took some family portraits this year, and per the usual, I'll finish the year with a nice picture of Bode.

The big man turned 15 this year and has already started his driver's training. Next year at this time, he'll likely be driving. He also really improved his swimming this year and has become quite the dedicated athlete. Ashley continues to do well at her job and also hits the gym three times a week at a waaay too early of an hour. We have no major plans for New Year's other than to watch some football and relax.

Happy 2023 from sunny Florida!

Happy Christmas to All

This post is a couple days late--we are probably still recovering from the Christmas feast. We had a lovely holiday. As usual, we have a real tree that we've done our best to keep Rowdy from peeing on.

Note the long cylindrical package in front of the couch. Santa must have had a hard time getting Bode's present down the chimney (it was a 45-lb barbell); Christmas magic must come in handy. Ashley and Bode could not contain their excitement before we opened our presents.

Bode and I were a little more reserved :-)

We received tons of lovely gifts from family and friends. Ashley's parents came over for a wonderful meal of ham, prime rib, and turkey. We ate until we bulged, and then we ate some more (desserts). We relaxed and had a nice day together. The weather was very cold the past few days--in the 20's in the mornings! Fortunately, Jack Frost has been beaten back, and the temps are back in the 60's. Bode is doing two-a-days for swim practice a lot over this break, so he'll be exhausted and hungry. I guess that means I better go cook dinner. Happy Christmas (belated) to all!

Egg Nog Jog

The Egg Nog Jog is a small 5k (3.1 mile) run in Fort Walton Beach. Ashley did it last year with some friends, and she wanted to do it again this year. To our amazement, Bode also wanted to run (he never runs!), so we signed him up. We arrived early and picked up their packets. Then, they took the time to pose for a pre-race shot.

Here is the start of the race. I don't think you can see Bode or Ashley in this picture as they said they were in the middle of the pack.

The beauty of this race is that it weaves through the neighborhoods such that the halfway point is really only a couple hundred yards from the start line. Thus, I was able to get some good shots of the team on the course. First, here is Bode--look at that form!

The turn-around point is just at the end of the road in the above picture, so I was able to get a movie of Bode coming back towards me.

Next, here is Ashley just after the turn-around (sadly, she let her son beat her).

I then rushed back to the finish line to get Bode's finishing kick.

Here is Ashley finishing--fortunately I had the fast-shutter speed so she's not all blurry :-)

The greatest part of this race is the food afterwards. It is sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings, and all runners get wings. Bode ate 12 (nothing like a dozen wings at 10:00 am). We then stayed for the awards presentations. I think we were all amazed when they called Bode's name as the winner for the 15 - 18 age group. I wasn't even filming, so these pictures will have to do.

I was filming when they did the 50 - 54 female age group. Ashley was the big winner!

When we got home, the two champions posed for a picture.

It was wonderful watching these two run. Perhaps more races are in their future :-) Pleasant day to all.

Holiday Season

The Choctaw Band had their annual Holiday Concert last night. Since Bode is only a freshman, he is in the concert band, which only got to play two songs. I don't think you can see Bode in the videos, especially in the first video when the choir entered. But the music was very nice, and we enjoyed a nice night out.

Bode also had a swim meet this past weekend. It wasn't a big meet, but it was a chance for the team to get in the pool and race. Bode swam five events, but I'll only show the 100-butterfly. Bode is swimming in lane 2 and took second. His buddy, Sawyer, is in lane 3, and he must have been confused because you can see Sawyer swim to freestyle strokes right after the start. I think this is a DQ :-(

We are a bit behind with our interior Christmas decorations. Ashley and I will go out and get a tree either tomorrow or Friday, and then we'll have to get busy wrapping those presents :-) Pleasant week to all.

Swim Banquet

Choctaw had its end-of-the-year swim banquet on Tuesday night. It was a lovely event. Before we ate, the team had a big photo opportunity. It would have been a good picture had I not had my finger in front of the lens.

The coaches also gave out some awards. Bode was given the Rookie of the Year award.

I also got a picture of Bode getting the award, but neither Coach Jasson nor Bode looks their best.

Bode also received his varsity letter, so I guess we are going to have to get him a letterman's jacket. Ashley has been gone all week, so we sent her a picture of Bode giving the puppies some love. Rowdy is getting pretty big.

Only 17 more shopping days until the fat man arrives. I guess I need to get on the stick :-) Pleasant week to all.

First Driving Lesson

Bode has officially driven a car on the public roads. You have all been warned :-) We took Bode for his first driving lesson last Saturday. We went up to a large parking lot and had him drive around a few times. With all his experience driving golf carts, the kid was a natural (sort of).  First, here is a picture of Bode behind the wheel. Scary.

Next, we have a two pictures of the car in motion; Bode is driving the car, and he did quite well.

We did a number of laps around the parking lot. We then decided to drive through the neighborhood. This was trickier because there were other cars on the road. He did very well, although on one narrow road, he got a little panicked, so we just told him to stop and pull to the side and let the other car pass. Otherwise, he didn't hit any mailboxes, so we will call that a success :-) We have all our outdoor Christmas lights installed. Not quite the Griswolds, but we do alright for ourselves. We just need to go out this weekend and get a tree (and maybe do some more driving :-) Pleasant week to all.