Failure

Well, it's over. The 100 Days of stupid came to an end on the 60th day, last Friday.

I was feeling a bit under the weather Friday and didn't run during lunch. Worse, I had to help a friend move from Concord to Bennington that night. "No problem" I thought, "I'll get on the trainer when I got home". But by the time the move was complete I was feeling really awful -- a mini Key Lime pie provided as payment for the move, while tasty, was causing me world class stomach distress. When I got home I knew this lark had come to an end. I felt so miserable I wasn't even upset about it, I was just happy to go to bed.

So now I wonder if I should try to finish out the next 37 days (most likely), *restart* the 100 days (very unlikely), or move onto to something new, like PX90 or getting back into Ashtanga (less likely). With the snow flying early this year and my Crotched Mountain season passes maybe I can can come up with a ski-related challenge...

100 Days of Stupid: Day 47-55

Came very close to taking a day off the last 9 days.

On Wednesday I hadn't done anything by 7:00 pm, was tired, and just not in the mood to run. On the way home from some errands in Peterborough I decided to stop at Temple Mountain and hike up. If I had gone home without doing that it definitely would have been over.

Friday I got creative, moving three tons of wood pellets into the wood shed. It took 45 non-stop minutes to lug 150 40 lb. bags, so it was something. Real exercise? I'm not sure, certainly it isn't as hard as running up Pack. I asked the Bride to make a ruling and she said it counted, though I suspect this was simply because she didn't want to help (in which case I'm certain she would adjudicated my effort insufficient to achieve the required stupidity).

Today I came even closer to failing than Wednesday. After a miserable night of sleep Friday and Saturday night I was in full-on zombie mode. I took a nap in the afternoon, got up at 3:30 and headed to Kimberly and Dave's Octoberfest party in Exeter. We didn't get home until 9:30. The Bride forbid my from doing a night hike, certain that something bad was going to happen (coyote attack?). So what to do? Yoga seemed my only option, until I remembered my track stand. Doug was hassling me about not doing any road riding, so this would sort of shut him up :-) I rummaged around in the storage area under the dining room and miraculously was able to find all the parts. I fired up Netflix, started the Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, and all was good for day 55.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 43-46

Not even halfway and already I resorted to back-to-back days of hiking. Pathetic. Though since I'm the only "contestant", I'm guaranteed to come in first :-)

Had a fun night hike up Pack Thursday night with S1, S2, Pat, Matt, Tracey, and Bruce (and mutts Billie, Danny, Bella, and Coby). Sadly Le KG was a no-show again due to work, as was Francesca, for the same reason. Hopefully we can get both of them and Senja in on next week's hike.

Tonight Chris B. and I did a night ride at Massabesic. Perfect cool weather. We hit Fire Line and Long Trail at decent (nighttime) pace to start, but then slowed it down and chat/rode Woodpecker (x2), Lady Slipper, and Deer Run. Wrapped up a little over two hours, just as Chris' light was dying, so the timing was perfect. Lesson 1: Assuming you don't kill or maim yourself, you never, ever, ever regret going for a MTB ride. Lesson 2: You can never spend too much on a light rig.

Guest Poster: Pie for lunch (or everybody is a critic)

I've been following your 100 days of stupid. I must admit that you are much more stupider than me for even attempting this feat, yet for some reason I admire it. I doubt that I could have that kind of perseverance to do anything I enjoy for 100 days straight. I am so far out of shape that it would probably take me a whole weekend to walk the mountain run that you do in 16:58.

Yet, amazingly, I can sit here in my office and pick apart your progress.
Please refer to the pie chart.

I am disappointed that you've spent over half your 100 days running the mountain, and only 10% biking. Mountain and road combined.. Heck, I don't even know why you listed road biking... You've done more Yoga than road bike. I've heard about your great 24 hour mountain bike races and all the preparation that goes into them. Cruising the mountain in the dark. Shuffling for position. I dream of me on my Huffy trying to just keep up with you. How am I suppose to live vicariously through you as a mountain biker if you spend all this time running?

Lets see some more progress on the biking front!

-Doug

100 Days of Stupid: Day 40-42

Running makes you better at running. Biking makes you better at biking. Neither makes you better at setting up staging and staining your house; I hurt more from the crouching and kneeling of that than from anything I've done the last 42 days.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 34-39

Fidel, Scorpion2, and Potato joined me for Day 38. Matt and Tracey got there early (they would say "on time") and did an abbreviated hike. Le KG was off waxing somebody.

A little of everything this last six days. The highlight was last night when the several cronies joined me for a night hike of Mt. Monadnock. The ladies stopped at about the 3/4 mark, which was nice as it allowed the gents to finish with a run/fast hike to the summit sans packs. Unfortunately there was no view from the summit as the last few hundred feet were wreathed in fog.

Headed out to the pub for some brew, a post hike chicken parm, and what will probably be the last Key Lime Pie of the season. I'd say it was a great day except for the fact that work has been sucking the life out of me all week.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 31-33

Nothing special about day 30, just a regular run up the mountain.

Day 31 in was done only to keep this streak alive. An all day conference call precluded a lunch time run, so I hiked up the mountain in the dark. It was peaceful except for the two Peterborough All-Stars coming down who took exception to my headlamp. Uh, it's nighttime, just shy of a new moon, and I have a bum ankle, so walking around in the dark is not on my short list of things to do. I wonder about people like this who, in the dark, in the woods, bump into somebody they don't know and proceed to have an attitude problem. Are they actually bad ass killing machines who can be as rude as they please with no fear of repurcussion or are they simply stupid? It's a way of moving through life that completely perplexes me. Anyhow, it was a lovely night, the air was dry, the stars were bright and the view from the tower was dyn-O-mite :-P

Day 33, today, was the most enjoyable day of stupid yet. Todd, Ray, Dale, and I met up for a night ride on the FOMBA trails at Massabesic. It rained a bit just before we got there, but once we started the sky cleared and it was cool (55F) and dry, perfect night riding weather. We started without the lights and headed out to Fox Tail. The rain made the roots quite slippery, so it took all of two minutes for all of us to put our lights on, I mean what were we saving our batteries for exactly?

It always takes a mile or so for me to recalibrate to night riding. You go slower, but it seems faster. In some ways you ride looser, since you don't always see the tricky stuff coming, so you don't stress about it, so sometimes you roll right over stuff that you might pause to think about in the daylight...and sometimes it rolls right over you and you crash for no apparent reason :-) While I have quite a few dabs, I didn't have any real crashes, something I'm always grateful for as I get older and heal slower.

After Fox Tail we hit Lady Slipper, Deer Run, Red Pine (the log roll is fairly frightening while damp and in the dark), Sampler, Moose Track, and Hemlock Loop. We ended the night with a quick run through Woodpecker, far and away the fastest trail at Massabesic. While following 50 yards behind Todd I heard the "whoomp" of a body hitting the dirt. I was a bit worried as I came around the corner, but he was up and unhurt. He completely lost the front in some soft sand coming around a fast corner, but didn't land on any pointy rocks ;-)

After we finished it was off to Shorty's for a cold brew and some Mexican food. A good ending to a good day.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 30

This really, really hurt.

Day 30: Probably not many trips above 180 bpm left in my middle aged heart, but today I had at least one remaining. I was trying for a 2009 ascent PR, but was 4 seconds shy (16:58). Though the temperature was cool, the humidity was still high enough to be a factor. Why do this? Why not?

100 Days of Stupid: Day 29

Ran the mountain today. While it was only four days away, it felt like longer. And I mean that in a good way; knees, Achilles, ankles, all felt great for having taken a break from running.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 27-28

I <3 singletrack.

After two slack days of yoga and hiking I got back out for some real work on the mountain bike. Banged my knee on my stem really hard and cursed like a longshoreman. Knee is swelling, but I regret nothing.

Do you have a mountain bike sitting in the garage or basement gathering dust? What are you waiting for? This is the best time of year, get on out.

Red Ring of Death

Eagerly awaiting the return of my rainy day entertainment machine. Those zombies aren't going to shoot themselves and I can't have Kevin and Chris hogging all the glory.

Of course I could have tried to fix it myself...

100 Days of Stupid: Day 25-26

A late night, a rainy and cold day; only one thing to do: Ashtanga. I am so very out of practice, but it feels good to do it.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 24

Felt really awful today, but I think it's more likely a couple bad nights of sleep, rather than no rest day in 3+ weeks.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 19-23

Getting through vacation proved fairly easy as the hot water and then *all* the water in our beach house died, prompting us to come home early. I was able to get one run in on the beach on Sunday.


Spent most of the day doing chores (what a fantastic use of vacation!) but I was able to hit Massabesic today for some MTBing. Conditions were dry and fast, well as fast as the twisty root-infested FOMBA trails allow me to go. Would like to get a group together for a night ride there before the year is out. It's a nice setup for a night ride in that you are never that far from the trailhead.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 19

Ran up Marion Davis again today at an easy (20:07 ascent) pace. Hip feels a bit better, but both Achilles are a little sore. Need to return to the days of regular ice bucket therapy for both feet after workouts. Some NSAIDs would probably help too, but I'm trying to limit those to when I need to thwart more serious inflammatory responses (e.g. sprained ankles). The latest research indicates that sparing use is probably best.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 18

Went out for a 5k road run near the ConVal high school with Matt tonight. Easy 8:29 pace. Finished with a hard 2 mile on the track at 6:33 and 6:16 (yay for negative splits).

Right hip is feeling a bit sore, a reminder, as if I needed one, why road miles are bad for me. Wrapped up with 10 minutes of Ashtanga on the field under the fading sun. I still marvel at the fact that in the bad old days we stretched out *before* running. I can't imagine doing that now, I'd rupture something for sure.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 17

Tools of the Trade

After being worn 13 of the last 17 days, slopping through a lot of mud, and being left to fester in our sunless entryway, my trail running shoes desperately needed some "destinkification".

100 Days of Stupid: Day 16

The weekday rut of mountain running continues...

When people ask me what I do (outside of work) I say I'm a mountain biker. Even during ski season I say that. But the chart doesn't lie. I'm clearly a trail runner (or mountain runner if you care about the difference). Worse, in a given year I know I road ride more hours than I ride off-road. But I'm still a mountain biker; given the choice and the time, it's what I'd prefer to do. And unlike running and road cycling of any type, mountain biking never feels like work (outside a race anyway). It's simply fun.

So why don't I have more fun?

100 Days of Stupid: Day 15

Cool (67F), dry (48%), and breezy today. Made for a fast (18:19) ascent of Marion Davis (year's best: 16:54). Unfortunately I can't say anything analogous about work today, which was a real kick in the teeth (the old 'turns out it ain't so simple as you thought problem).

100 Days of Stupid: Day 13-14

Hit the two week mark. Nothing special, just two runs up Pack Monadnock this weekend. Turned my ankle for the second time in two weeks on Saturday's run (stepped on an acorn!). Iced it down, took some NSAIDs, and it felt fine today.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 12

Not much of a video, but it gives you the idea.

Headed up to the Northeast Kingdom of VT yesterday for a long planned weekend of riding at the Kingdom Trails. Unfortunately the whole trip was cut short due to rain, but we did get a night ride in. It's a long way to drive for just over two hours of riding, but when the weather is cool and dry, and the trails are this good, it's still worth it.

Thanks to Shawn and Loralee for letting Chris, Dale, Ray, and I stay in their barn. Sure beat packing up a wet tent this morning.

The Turner gets ready to roll out.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 11

A simple caveman runner:

See mountain. Weather good. Run up mountain. Life good. That is all.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 10

Felt lazy today. It's starting to be a recurring theme. Maybe that's the lesson I'm supposed to learn? At least I scored some oral antibiotics to battle my ear infection. Hoping they don't make me sick this weekend. Anyhow, back to the laziness, I did the easiest thing I could do today: A 3.5 road run around town.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 9

Today was the first day I would have definitely taken off if not for this ill-advised, self-imposed challenge. I have a painful ear infection and barely slept last night. But the weather was decent and a couple of Advil kept the pounding of the ear at bay. So I headed over to Pack for some mountain running. Took the Wapack trail to the summit for a much needed change of scenery. I don't usually run this route as it is more technical than the Marion Davis trail and all the rocks and roots make twisting an ankle a much greater possibility. Felt fine once I started though...More proof, if any was needed, that starting is 90% of the battle.

100 Days of Stupid: Day 1-8

"For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business"

-T.S. Eliot

"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try."

-Yoda

Blatantly ripping off an idea from Inspired by an old PCHS classmate's goal of practicing her musical art for 100 straight days, last week I decided to attempt the goal of 100 straight days of workouts.

In part I do this because I don't plan on doing any other major races this year; the Wildman will likely have been it for me this year. Now I don't race to win, there are plenty of people faster, younger, and/or more motivated than myself, plus I am fundamentally too lazy to train enough to win anything. I race because it forces me to prepare to race and preparing to race injects some healthy struggle into life -- If you think struggle is all bad then I weep for you. I'm doing it for other reasons too, some pragmatic some quasi-spiritual, but to talk about those would be either boring or would exceed my daily allotment of philosophical mumbo-jumbo.

So I'm trying to engage in a moderately hard physical activity each day for 100 days in a row. What's a "moderately hard*" activity? For me it would be:

• A road run over 5k
  

• Any track workout totaling 5 miles or more

• A trail run or hike equal to or better than my regular 2.56 mile 1000' vertical climb up Pack Monadnock

• Any mountain bike ride over 15 miles

• Any road ride over 20 miles

• 30 minutes or more of the Ashtanga primary series

* Please, spare me tales of "some guy you know" who has only one leg and ran the Obscurity 200 Nightime Ultra Marathon in January while juggling flaming chainsaws. Unless you are Dean Karnazes, Lance Armstrong, or Chris Sharma, then stuff it, because there is always somebody doing something harder than you :-) If you on the other hand are doing something, then let's hear it!

I'm fairly confident I won't pull this off without some luck and an unhealthy doses or self-deception since I face at least four daunting obstacles:

1. Injury (both my Achilles are creaky these days)
   
2. Vacation (a week at the beach in two weeks...in the middle of which is the Bride's opening)
3. Work (busy as always)
4. Going to the Kingdom Trails this weekend for a long Saturday day ride *and* a night ride. Sunday looks grim.

~~~~~

I had to get several days into this before I wrote about it (in case I fell in a hole on day 2). I've been at it eight days and so far, so good:

Day 1 - 6:

Starting last Monday August 17th I ran my regular run up the Marion Davis trail on Pack Monadnock and then down the access road. The heat and humidity here have been off the charts, with 90F/90% not being uncommon. Still it was pretty easy as I've been doing this regularly for a couple years now. I even managed my third fastest ascent this year on Thursday when the heat wasn't that bad. I'm already feeling cocky, this is going to be too easy!

Day 7:

I was pressed for time so went right out the front door for a 3.5 mile road run. Again the humidity was crushing, but it was easy motivation-wise because I don't want to deal with the self-loathing that ending the streak so early would entail. How long till that well runs dry and I simply don't give a shit?

Day 8: Nicest day so far, so why did I have the hardest time getting out? Somebody said this was going to be easy right? Couldn't face another trip up Pack so I went to the track and warmed up for 2 miles, then ran a hard 3 mile @ 6:32 pace. Sadly it really felt faster, but clearly I am getting old. The brain perceives pain consistent with 6:10 pace, but the legs can't deliver that.

Wildman

Friday night the Bride and I headed up to Gorham, NH as we have on this weekend for the past 5 years. But this time we weren't headed up for the 24 Hours of Great Glen, but rather the Wildman Biathlon. I was looking for something "easier" to than the two-man team Todd and I have fielded these past 5 years as well as a race that would better leverage the mountain running I've been doing regularly the past two years. I also wanted to spend less time training, and I figured something that lasted about as long as a marathon had to require less time training than the 24HoGG. That only proved partially true...

Coming into the finish of the first leg in Shelburne, NH
Looking Good & Going Slow :-P

In its 21st year, the Wildman is a 10k road run, 22.3 mile road ride with a stiff uphill finish up the "easy" side of Pinkham Notch, and finally a 3 mile uphill-only mountain run to the summit of Wildcat Mountain. A few competitors run the race as a relay, but the bulk, like myself, were doing it solo.

The weather was close to perfect when we arrived for the 8:00 race start; the humidity was low and it was about as cool as it could be without needing to wear warmup jersey.

I didn't want to cook myself on the first leg, a fairly flat out and back with a couple short hills. I figure I'm good right now for 6:30 pace in a standalone race, so my goal was a sedate 7:30 pace. Things didn't go quite to plan as my first mile was way too quick, but I calmed down and finished in 45:20 at 7:18 pace. If felt odd to be leaving so much in reserve, but I still managed to be in 36th place, out of the 96 solo entrants.

Leaving T1 for a quick "lap" before heading to Wildcat.

Having dogged it a bit on the first leg I had a lot left in the tank for the bike. I got through the first transition quickly enough, at least by my own very low standards. Before heading to Wildcat we were required to make one 7 mile lap around some local Shelburne roads and return to the first transition area before heading out to Gorham. The lap was typical rolling New England hills, no big climbs. For those first seven miles I just tried to get into a consistent rhythm, knowing there was plenty of climbing at the end. I passed a fair number of people and was passed in turn by the better cyclists.

Here's how you know you are dealing with a mountain biker out of his element:

1) Full fingered gloves*

2) Earth tone socks

3) MTB shoes

4) Giro Xen helmet

5) Cheap no-name road bike
6) Crazy Mountain Man Beard
7) Loose and flappy shirt

* Probably the only person who bothered with gloves of any kind! I am Safety Paul after all.

After the local lap we headed for Gorham and then turned onto Rt 16. The course stayed the same with no climbs of note until the 12.5 mile mark. At that point the course climbs from approximately 800' to 2000' feet in less than 10 miles, with the last two miles climbing 500'. Hardly Tour de France numbers, but enough that you're going to feel it.

With the start of the real climbing at 12.5 I my legs felt good, surprising since I'd only ridden about 200 miles in preparation for this race, so I started to reel people in. My slack pace thus far paid off I was able to pass several riders before I reached Wildcat in 1:19:29, the 28th best bike time of the day.

Coming into T2 is a quick turn onto loose dirt with jelly legs. Fun.

T2 was a bit pokey as my legs were quite wobbly when I got off the bike and I grabbed some Sport Legs pills from the Bride. When I started the 3 mile 2000' trail run to the summit of Wildcat, my legs felt awful, forcing me into a painfully slow trot, but they would soon feel worse.

The Final Insult

After about a quarter of a mile my legs detonated and started cramping uncontrollably. If I straightened my leg my quad would seize, if I bent it too much my hamstrings locked up.

Master of the "Power Limp" (tm).

I gave serious consideration to quitting the race since I had barely started the last leg and could barely walk. Clearly I'd overdone the bike leg. But then I came around a corner and glanced at the other "runners" strung out up the trail. Almost all of them was doing some variant of the limp I was doing. Then I realized, "Ah ha! This is how it is supposed to be!", and I plodded on.

The merciful end!

Occasionally I was able to start trotting again (I hesitate to call anything I did on that last leg "running"). The one mile mark passed and I didn't feel any worse. I kept waiting for the 2 mile mark, thinking I'd try to run the last mile.

The finish area.

My thinking wasn't very clear and even as I approached the summit and saw the Bride snapping my picture I thought, "Gee, she (having taken the gondola to the summit) hiked down an awfully long way".

The course elevation profile...you get the idea.

"How much further?", I asked her dejectedly, that stupid 2 mile mark couldn't arrive soon enough. She looked at me with a puzzled look, and said "Only a hundred yards or so." I wasn't sure if I should believe her, since her distance estimation abilities are quite dubious, it might be 1600 yards. But I started running as best I could and sure enough, around the next bend was the merciful end.

Added another 4000-footer to my list today...the hard way.

I finished the last leg in 51:05**, the 37th best ascent of the day. Overall I finished in 32nd place and even beat 11 of the relay teams.

** For some reason my splits for the first two legs were missing in the race results. The splits listed above for the first two legs are from my Garmin 405 so the totals don't foot exactly. The total time per the 405 was 2:55:48, per the race results 2:55:49.

The Bride likes working support for races that last only a few hours and take place while the sun is shining.

If I was to do this race again, beyond the obvious of more miles training on the bike, I would definitely go harder on the 10k, something under 7:00 pace. I don't think it would effect my cycling too much and I don't think I could do the last leg any slower without going backwards. The main thing I'd do though is to train more for the second transition. My body was simply not prepared for getting off the bike and running. I'd done two shortened dry runs of the race in the past month but clearly this was not remotely enough. After every other bike ride I think a run, no matter how short, would be what is needed to prepare for this race.

I've only taken in this view previously with skis on.

And as to this race being easier than Great Glen, I'd tend to say it is, since it's certainly shorter, and mountain bike racing at night when you are exhausted is unrelentingly trying. But I've never done any race where my legs felt as awful as they did on the last climb; mentally I came pretty close to folding then. I suppose the real lesson is that while the race is shorter, you till have to train just as much!

Stop!

Not so powerful right now. Most misinterpreted vanity plate ever. Those who do get it however, love it, I've caught people taking pictures.

Yesterday, on my way home from my daily lunch run at Pack Monadnock I was driving through the idyllic center of my home town enjoying the fact that the rains have finally stopped. The idyll is shattered as a woman drives directly into my path from a side street. I slam on the brakes, thinking, "Surely, she is not running that stop sign. Surely she will see me and stop. Surely if she doesn't I will be able to stop in time." Alas I see her facing straight ahead, never apparently bothering, as we were all taught as children, to "look both ways". Her head never turns as she crosses into my lane. Fortunately I was able to scrub off most of my speed, with another 10' it probably would have only been a close call. Unfortunately I don't have that extra 10' and, as her head never turns, I hit her car in the right front quarter.

It would be worse if I was driving an FJ. Think mushroom cloud.

The impact is fairly minor, though I see the other car's airbag deploy. After a quick second to assess that I am intact (I only notice much later that I slammed my shin into the dash leaving a decent bruise) I jump out. By the standards of our town a "large" crowd was already milling about waiting for the children's Circus Camp performance to start. The other driver was already out of her car and being attended to. She was was none the worse for wear, excepting some minor abrasions on her arm from the airbag.

Subframe is toast, but hopefully the damage is all cosmetic.

Local mechanic and volunteer fire fighter Luke is soon on the scene and handles everything quite professionally. The police arrive later, take statements, and as far as I can tell, fail to cite the other driver for failing to stop. While that is that's their call, I can't help but think about all the little kids who ride their bikes around the center of town or the motorcyclists that come through. What would have happened to them in my place? Alternatively, if I was a semi, or one of the many driver who flaunt or local 30 mph speed limit, the other driver might not have walked away from this. I suppose I am just having a tough time getting my head around the fact that one would pull out from a side street onto the main drag through town and never bother to look. Eventually you are going to kill someone else, yourself, or both.

I was able to lash the bumper back together and as no fluids were leaking, I was able to drive the half mile to home. Then ensued a lot of time on hold with Geico. 90 minutes later a town truck came to pick up the XTerra, though not after making several calls to me in an attempt to find my house. Eventually I just went out on the street and flagged him down. Three letters for you guys: GPS. And welcome to 2009.

Now I wait till Monday to see if the damage is repairable or if the frame is bent and the truck is a total. I can't believe that it can't be fixed, but we've all heard the stories of folks in a minor fender bender whose seemingly pristine cars are declared wrecks due to some subtle damage not visible to the eye. I certainly hope that it can be fixed, I am quite found of the Exterra (or as S2 calls it, the "Etc.").

Sunny

Sadly his command of merge tracking issues is limited.

Occasionally at KRA we* take in orphaned kittens. Recently, a lone three week old male, dubbed "Sunny" by the Bride, was dropped in front of the shelter.

I love other cats...If by "love" you mean, "want to rip their faces off".

After having to drive the Bride to the shelter at 10:00 pm to bottle feed Sunny, I allegedly, in a sleep deprived haze, said something to the effect of, "Wouldn't this be easier if he was just at our house?"

Your shoe is untied. Well it's about to be anyway.

Cue to a few days later and not only is he in our house, he's in my office. Now we already have three cats, so we are fostering him only until he is adopted (and the Bride tells me we already have a hot lead). In the meantime I've learned more than I ever wanted to know about how kittens learn to poop.

I bite your face.

Now I'll say somebody hacked my account and wrote this sappy post if anyone repeats this, but I'll miss him when he's gone. Except the stink. That, I won't miss.


* I used to refer to any household affiliation with this organization only as it related to the Bride, but for better or worse I'm officially part of of "we".