Happy Thanksgiving

So yesterday was my 2nd ever Thanksgiving.

I spent it with my coach Loren Seagrave and his family. For those who don't Loren is a damn good chef. He could give Jamie Oliver a run for his money. lol

So I had the traditional items on the Thanksgiving menu. Turkey, Collard Greens (which I can't pronounce the American way), Corn Bread and many others dishes that I had never had before.

Dani (Danielle Carruthers) my training partner also came over to eat with the family.



The family also trimmed the tree. Which was really nice watching the boys dress the Christmas tree.



And then in good old fashioned style Dani caught a case of the da itus.

Yep I caught it too but, sorry there is no photo evidence.



So it was back to practice this morning. No rest for the wicked.

Thought I would share

I recieved this email and it made me chuckle

Enjoy!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE

1940's, 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's !


First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us and lived in houses made of asbestos.



They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, raw egg products, loads of processed meat, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes or cervical cancer.




Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.



We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets or shoes, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking!!!

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.



Take away food was limited to fish and chips, no pizza shops, McDonalds, KFC.

Even though all the shops closed at 6.00pm and didn't open on the weekends, somehow we didn't starve to death!

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!


We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.


No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. We built tree houses and cubby houses and played in river beds with matchbox cars.




We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on DSTV, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no Lawsuits from these accidents.

Only girls had pierced ears!

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

You could only buy Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns at Easter time.......no really!

We were given pellet guns and catapults for our 10th birthdays!!



We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Mum didn't have to go to work to help dad make ends meet!

RUGBY and CRICKET had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! Getting into the team was based on MERIT AND NOT DUE TO BLACKMAIL, THREATS AND GUILT FROM THE PAST..... strange but true!

Our teachers used to belt us with big sticks and leather straps and bully's always ruled the playground at school.




The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!

Our parents didn't invent stupid names for their kids like 'Kiora' and 'Blade' and 'Ridge' and 'Vanilla'

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 70 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.


We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!


CONGRATULATIONS!

Wheres Joice?

Its been a while since I last blogged as I needed some time to regroup and chill. I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and thoughts.

But, Im back!!



I am now pretty much settled in at my new training location. Im in Atlanta, Georgia. My new coach is Loren Seagrave.



Practice is going well. The training group dynamics are also great.




I will divulge about the people in the training group another time.

This past week has been a little hetic. There has been a delegation of coaches from Chinese Taipei. Loren has been holding morning lectures with them. Followed by the coaches observing our training group.

I was a hit with the coaches when I went with Anthony (Weight Room/Assistant Coach) to pick them up from the airport. I completly forgot about the Chineese phrase I have tatted on my wrists. I received thumbs up and won a place in there hearts. lol

I was able to sit in on some of the morning lectures. This helped me understand the process that we were going through in our practice session which followed.



The experience with the coaches has been great. I can't think what other walk of life I would have ever met them. They are so desperate to learn, engage and understand sprints, hurdles and jumps. It was great watching them. Their interpreter Shih-Chung Cheng studied at Nottingham Uni. I know he was drained daily from the lectures as there were no stop questions.



Loren has one of those brains that you just want to pick. lol

Im like a sponge around him. The fact that he likes to talk about track and stuff helps loads too.

Over the coming weeks I will introduce you to the people in my training group. Some people you might have heard of others not.

See you later Reggie Baker - (Dad)

"Death is always a surprise, even when it is expected, and it is a painful reminder that we don't have forever to show those we love how much we really care about them. Don't put it off till its too late. Tomorrow is too long to wait."


I know it inevitably happens to all of us but it still hurts so bad. The man I have considered my Dad passed away this morning. No, not my biological father. But, the man that hugged and tickled me as a child. The man who showed me what a real man should be. He is the one that I have set my sights out for when I pursue a relationship. He was the man who was going to give me away if I ever get married. He was my Dad.

He was the kindest, funniest hardworking man I have ever had the pleasure of being around. Both he and his wife (Yvonne) taught me about family and the love that love endures. Yvonne lost her husband of 45 years this morning. It was her birthday on Wednesday just gone. I knew deep down inside that he would go a few days after. He was her best friend and he had to be here for her birthday. I hope one day to have a love and a friend just like there’s!.

I have know about his condition since April 2008. He had stomach cancer. By the time he was diagnosed it was inoperatible. I went that morning and had his initial tattooed on my right hand. My way of feeling like he is ALWAYS with me.



A lot changed for me from when I found out. I have this strange inner sense that every now and again comes to the front. Back in April in the middle of the night when I was in Orlando something disturbed my sleep. I had this deep feeling that was forcing me to phone my sister. It was that day she told me the news.

This morning at 2am I got that feeling again. I turned on my phone and had a message from a family friend. I just knew what she was going to tell me.

I admit I have been the biggest whimp all through this summer. I didn’t go to see him until the Friday before I left. This is something that I will have to deal with and justify only to myself. In some ways the time I spent with him that Friday was enough for me. It changed me immensely. I sat in the hospital and was once again taken back to being a child. I held his hand for nearly 3 hours. He stroked the back of my hand with his thumb the same way I remembered as a child. Even though I never said it he knew I had come to say goodbye. I didn’t care about how he looked to me he was still the same STRONG, GREAT man that I love and remember as a child.

I arrived in the USA on Thursday afternoon. Right now I just want to get on the first plane and go home. I’m on the other side of the world by myself trying desperately to deal with this which is why I decided to write what I'm feeling and date stamp it. That way this moment will never be forgotten.

I know he wants me to be right where I am right now. In my last phone conversation with him days before I left he told me to go. I said ok and ended the convo by saying ‘I’ll see you later’.

So Reggie Baker I say it again ‘ I’ll see you later and thank you for everything that you did to make me the person I am. I love you with all my heart ‘


Jx