Deuces Wild at Footloose

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  • QIC: M*A*S*H
  • When: 6/22/17
  • Pax: Old Bay, Destiny, Beacon, Short Sale, Gilmore, Deep Dish, Twister, Spitz, Casey Jones (FNG), Flacco, Barry Manilow, cspan, Airborne, Lugnut, Asphalt, Bass-o-Matic, Cotton Eye, Culture Club, Spark Plug, Anchorman
  • Posted In: Footloose

Great showing at Footloose for a long overdue VQ from YHC.  Little warm out and someone turned on the humidifier.  21 gathered including a FNG prior to YHC issuing the disclaimer and starting a mosey around the block to the St. Johns parking lot for a warm up.  The warm up consisted of:

  • Windmill x 10
  • SSH x 15
  • Imperial Walker x 10
  • Peter Parker x 10
  • MNC x 10
  • Parker Peter x 10
  • Squat x 10

After finishing the warm up, we moseyed back to the First Baptist Parking lot.

The Thang:

After arriving at the parking lot, the PAX partnered up, size or ability didn’t matter, and commenced to embark on the first set of exercises.  PAX 1 would execute a set of exercises while PAX 2 would run across the street and up / down the church stairs.  Rinse and Repeat 4 times, trading off on the exercises and the running.  Exercises consisted of the following:

  • Box Cutters
  • Plank Jacks
  • Apollo Ohno’s
  • LBC’s.

The PAX then ran to the back of the parking lot where all were introduced / reacquainted to the Dirty McDeuce.  The PAX engaged in 3 sets of 12 reps followed by a lap around half of the parking lot.  Exercises were a fun variety of legs, chest and core.

  • Set 1 – Squats, CDD and LBC – take a lap
  • Set 2 – Lunges, Merkins, Flutters – take another lap
  • Set 3 – Shoulder Taps, Sumo Squats, Rosalitas – you get the picture, take a lap
  • Set 4 – Monkey Humpers, Hello Dollys, WAM – Final Lap

As if that wasn’t enough, the PAX moved over the nearby wall for 2 sets of dips, incline merkins and calf raises.  We then moseyed back to COT for a short round of Mary and then called it a morning.

The PAX welcomed a FNG, Casey Jones to the gloom however not all was cheerful as the group delved into prayers and praises.  This morning, we all discussed our F3 brother #Cheech  from Lexington.  Our hearts were heavy knowing that one of the PAX was seriously injured.  We asked for healing mercies for Cheech and comfort for the family and for the person driving the car that hit him.  We asked for blessings for family, co-workers, both current and former, for those hurting and those traveling.

Lastly, I am thankful that Pusher stayed with it for 3 years to get me out here.  it truly is a blessing.  Just sorry it took so long to Q.

Very Respectfully, M*A*S*H

 

 

 

 

 

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Pre-Blast: RH 20mile nite ruck

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  • QIC: Bounty
  • When: 07/08/17
  • Pax: ALL F3NATION
  • Posted In: Pre-Blast

Who: All F3 pax

What: 20mile night-time ruck through Rock Hill

When: 7/8/2017 starting at 2000, ending approx. 0200-0300

Where: Starting at Impact Church in Newport and ending at Impact Church.

Why: Pathfinder, Goruck Training, Mastodon Training, Fellowship, Experience, Fun, Challenge

The Thang: With all the ruck events coming up and the interest in rucking, I decided to map out a course that will benefit any who decide to participate. Those in Pathfinder can use this as a requirement, those wanting to do a Goruck or Endurance event can use for training, or if any just want to come out and participate in full or in portion should come (don’t have to do the whole 20miles if you don’t want to).

We will ruck through Rock Hill to the river and back mainly on Cherry Rd and Celenese Rd. This is not a timed event so any and all are welcome to join in. There will be several rest stops along the way to grab a bite, grab a drink, change clothes, stretch, etc. The only requirement is a positive attitude, 30lb ruck, a headlight, and some reflective clothing or strips. See map my run link below for route: and yes…I know it looks like a spearhead…hahahha

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/1565934379

 

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PREBLAST—The Fort-July 4th Convergence:Birth of a Nation,Birth of THE FORT

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  • QIC: CSPAN, Cake Boss, Santini, Double D
  • When: 7/4/17
  • Pax: All PAX
  • Posted In: Pre-Blast

We are just shy of 5 year anniversary of F3 The Fort being born. We are Celabrating 241 years of the birth of our Nation. How does one relate to the other…..Leadership!

It took men to think outside the box to create our Nation, the best in the world and a beacon of hope for so many. F3 was and is outside the norm of our culture and it took men to realize……we can be better!

Join us on July 4th as we celebrate our United States of America and F3 Nation: The Fort and the leadership it took to make us all better for generations to come.

Here’s the Plan:

WHAT: Pre-Ruck

  • Q: CSPAN
  • Launch from WEP 
  • Time 0515

WHAT: Pre-Run – Panera to WEP and Back post Bootcamp

  • Q: Cake Boss
  • Launch from Panera Bread Kingsley
  • Time 0515

WHAT: Bootcamp for all levels

  • Q: Double D & Santini
  • Launch from WEP
  • Time 0600

2nd F at Panera Bread post workout.

Bring family, friends, neighbors, FNGs!!! Let’s get better together and celebrate the greatest Nation in the world!

Cake Boss out!

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First Ever PreRun Backblast #CheechStrong

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  • QIC: Longshanks
  • When: 06/24/2017
  • Pax: Runners of The Fort and The Rock
  • Posted In: Pre-Blast

Today in The Fort we held a Convergence to honor the memory of our F3 Lexington brother Cheech. As with all things in The Fort we must PreDo somnething. There was both a PreRun and PreRuck option starting at 0600 before the 0700 Main Event. Convergence held at The Yard as it allows for more Parking. The Fort at Walter Elisha Park is the Original Fort AO. Luckily its only 2.6 miles away.

The Thang

Disclaimer given about sticking together and making sure you always have another runner with you. Route was given and we grabbed a shovel flag to take with us as we ran the 2.6 miles to The Fort AO. The shovel flag passed through many hands as we made our way and it was always in the front of the PAX. Once arriving at Walter Elisha Park, the flag was planted in its normal spot, with YHC’s sweaty sleeveless shirt around the shovel. The 2.6 miles back to The Yard were at your own pace with all PAX returning in time for the main event.

Moleskin
1. To my record, YHC Believes this is the first ever PreRun Backblast written in the history of F3. YHC may be wrong (likely) but I doubt it.

2. Those that know YHC know that sometimes I’m short with my words, sometimes I’m long with my words, and sometimes my words make no sense. I’m guessing you’ll get 2 out of 3 on this one and 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. Honestly I felt God had put these words on my heart since Wednesday and this is how I get to share them.

3. First off, I didn’t know Cheech. When asked prior to the Main Event how many PAX knew Cheech, not a single one raised their hand. But if you think about it, we all know a Cheech in the PAX we workout and post with. That #HIM probably goes by another name but we all have at least one in our midst. The guy that loves the Lord. The guy that would do anything for his wife and kids. That guy that is intentional in what he does. The guy that is always wearing his reflective vest, headlamp, and flashers. Right now that guy is already coming to your mind. Like I said, we all have a Cheech among us.

4. YHC was asked why we left the flag at The Fort and why YHC left his sleeveless shirt. The easy answer. I don’t know. Felt like the right thing to do and it’s what God put on my Heart Thursday morning as Cake Boss, CSPAN, Saturday Site Q’s, YHC and few others tried to plan out the Convergence. Personally, YHC thinks it symbolizes a single spirit at The Fort while we honor his memory at The Yard. Just as Cheech in now doing the Lords work at the Best AO ever – Heaven, while we’re still in this broken world doing the best we can knowing one day we’ll be called home to the Best AO ever.

5. The reality in life is that we all will have grief and struggles and things we don’t comprehend as to why they happen. I think of brothers like Olive and Spud and Stang and others that lost children way too early in life. I think of Cheech and Papa Smurf and the countless others gone too soon. Not to mention those that have lost a parent, grandparent, brother, sister, spouse, or close friend. We may go though a divorce or have friends or family going through divorce. Or add in whatever struggle or grief that is in your life. We all have them as we were never promised an easy life. And just as we all have different griefs, we all grieve differently.

6. 3 years ago today, June 24th, my dad passed away from Pancreatic Cancer. He was 66. YHC had just started attending workouts on Saturdays a few months earlier (and I wasn’t even attending those regularly). What stood out to me, was the outpouring of support from guys I had met only 1-2 to guys I had never met at all. Thats what makes this group special. What makes it different. We sweat together, we bleed together, and we mourn the loss of those around us, TOGETHER.

#CheechStrong #SleevelessforCheech

Shanks out

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  • QIC: Airborne
  • When: 06/23/17
  • Pax: Tesh, Assassin, Peabody, Airborne (QIC)
  • Posted In: The Hive

The Thang:   Another steamy South Carolina morning when the Q rolled up right on time. It was another 50 shades of pain work out with the best workout music ever.   Olivia Newton – John did not make playlist. Nevertheless, this was a physical work out.  The PAX know how much I love pushing the rock, the more time with the kettle bell, the better.   After a quick mosey around the parking lot, followed with some windmills, Merkins and Morrocan Night Clubs, we were ready.

50 shades of pain is exactly that. You do 50 repetitions of each exercise with 150 yard run in between each exercise. The first tune out of the speakers was Iron Man. How fitting when you’re pushing the rock

50 KB swings

50 KB lunges

50 chest presses

50 Goblet Squats

50 Upright Rows

50 Concentration Curls

50 American Hammers

50 One legged dead lifts

50 Skull Crushers

50 KB Flutter Kicks.

as with all of my workouts that I lead recently, I’m ending it with the Glute Midius’s burn out.  It is a series of seven exercises designed to strengthen that muscle which dramatically increases hip and the alignment. It was pioneered by Dr. Peter Attia  Who in addition to being a doctor is also a long distance performance athlete. The best quote that captures the true burning pain of this exercise was uttered by the Site Q, “My side ass really hurts right now”.  After some announcements and uplifting our F3 brother Cheech’s Family, Airborne led us out.

 

 

 

 

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Unity at The Swamp 06.23.17

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  • QIC: Dark Helmet
  • When: 06/23/17
  • Pax: Flea, Mr. T, Cornhole (Respect), DaVinci, Kenyan (Respect), Rad, ChaChing, Royale, Short Shorts, NASA, Lil E, Hasselhoff, Mainframe, Gecko, Gears, Longshanks, Tarantino, Boeheim, Router, Dark Helmet (QIC)
  • Posted In: The Swamp

4th Q this week. 4th BB. I should really check my calendar and spread these things out more before I say yes…

Flea is a guy who gets it. He’s all in. He took the red pill, and I love him for it. He’s always willing to jump in to help with anything. He even volunteers to do things he has no idea how to do, simply saying, in essence, “I’m a quick study. Let’s get to work.” He didn’t hesitate when I asked him to take the first part of the workout today either.

The Flea portion looked like this:
Mosey to the fountain to warm up:
We did SSHs, Windmills, Imperial Walkers, Squats, Merkins, and Moroccan Nightclubs and the cadence was clear and the count was high… Just like we like it.

Then we moseyed over to the front of Target for a Red Ball Beatdown. Alternate Lt. Dans and Bear Crawls between each ball. That sucked. When we finally all got to the end of the building, he handed it off to YHC.

We briefly talked about what had happened to Cheech and the horrible thing that it is, then we talked about how unity helps us through hard things, and to point up the idea of unity, we would stay in step and in cadence the rest of the workout. Here’s what we did:
– 10 Burpees (all exercises in cadence)
– 25 Flutters

Mosey to Gander Mountain in formation singing Jodys all the way…
– 24 Makthar N’Diayes (12 each direction)
– 24 Grave Diggers (12 each side)

Mosey to Valvoline Station (singing and shuffling)
– 25 Squat Jumps
– 25 Rosalitas

(I feel like there was another stop in here, but I can’t remember… Maybe there wasn’t…)

Mosey to Fountain (we wouldn’t stop now)
– 25 box/bench jumps
– 25 dips

AYG back for a little Mary to end our time…

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

NMM:
I’ll make a couple statements here…
1. Let’s keep taking care of each other. We all need it.
2. Let’s all try and be more like Flea. Let’s not let obstacles be stumbling blocks to progress, let’s make them stepping stones, Aye?

Helmet, out.

 

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PreBlast – VQ Summer 2017

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  • QIC: Ginsu
  • When: 07/11/17
  • Pax: Double D, CakeBoss, Pusher, CSPAN, Maximus, Tressel, Funhouse
  • Posted In: Pre-Blast

The Mission of F3 is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for the invigoration of male community leadership. In order to invigorate male leadership, we must strive to invigorate and encourage new males to step up and become leaders. One of the best ways we have to accomplish this is to help new PAX learn what it takes to Q at TheFort and then give them the opportunity to do so.

As such, I’d like to announce VQ Summer 2017. #VQS17 will entail 2 parts:

  • Q School – Q School will take place weekly at Block Party for 4 weeks (July 11th, 18th, 25th and August 1st). Q School will be led by some of our most experienced Qs (who are still trying to perfect their craft as well).
    • Q101 – 3 weeks (July 11th, 18th, and 25th) – Perfect for VQs – Come learn the basics of Q’ing.
    • Q201 – 3 weeks (July 18th, 25th, and August 1st) – Great for everyone – Slightly more advanced and detailed.
  • VQ Month – September 2017 – SiteQs will make every effort to involve a VQ in every workout, either leading the complete workout or leading the warmup.

This is a great opportunity to work together to develop new leaders not only within The Fort region of F3, but also within our communities. Contact Ginsu, Double D, Cake Boss or Pusher with any questions.

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It’s a sad, sobering day. #SleevelessLikeCheech at Poopdeck

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  • QIC: Dark Helmet
  • When: 06/22/17
  • Pax: Andretti (Respect), Flea, Shakespeare, Twitter, Kenyan, Sparkle, Austin Powers, Flux, Royale, ChaChing, Olaf, Wild Thing, Valley Girl, Six Sigma, Witch Hunt, Never Never (FNG), Dark Helmet (QIC)
  • Posted In: Poopdeck

I have a special place in my heart for the Pax of Lake Wylie… It was good to pull up and see a lot of farmer’s tans and previously unbeknownst tattoos as 17 (I think maybe a record for this AO?) men posted with no sleeves because we wanted to show solidarity and maybe even work through a touch of the complex emotions that come along with something like what we learned of last night and this morning.
In case you are reading this without context, a Member of F3 Nation in Lexington, SC, John Flanagan – F3 Cheech was hit and killed while running. It’s an absolute tragedy, and a little hard to wrap our heads around…
We started with an extended disclaimer (FNG and current events led us to that) and then brought it in for a quick Ball of Man to pray for safety for us, but more especially peace for Cheech’s family. Two young kids and a dedicated wife had their father and husband taken away… Then it was off to The Thang:

When you Q 4 times in a week, you get a little stale, perhaps… So rather than go crazy and get creative, and candidly since a little wind was taken out of the sails due to the present circumstances, these men got a repeat of Tuesday’s workout at The Colosseum.

Warm Up lap around the Bowl n Bounce with a little dynamic stretching
Circle up in front for Windmills, Moroccan Nightclubs, Merkins, Squats, SSH, etc.
Then we moseyed to the lot over behind the Bagel Boat for the Main Event…

Split Pax into two groups. 1 runs across the lot and back while other group does the exercise with INTENSITY, AMRAP until the other group gets back.

We did:
– Squats
– Mountain Climbers
– Squat Jumps
– Shoulder Taps
– T-Merkins
– Lunges
– Merkins
– SSH
– Flutter Kicks

Moseyed back toward COT for a quick wall sit and 10 count BTTW, then COT…

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

NMM:
There was actually a fair amount of funny stuff that happened during this workout. It would be easy to not mention it because of the somber tone of life at the moment… but here are a few things anyway…
– As is apparently par for the course, the Cat Lady made threatening gestures toward us with her car… Long story, ask Royale.
– Olaf without meds is a thing to behold… He never takes them before a workout, but today he was in rare form…
– Austin Powers (British) is Qing two days after Independence Day. After making jokes about Revolutionary War round 2, DH said something that was supposed to sound British, but sounded more like, as Witch Hunt put it, all the Axis Powers combined into one accent… Thanks for the history lesson…
– Andretti stated more than once how he doesn’t care for sweaty men
– Witch Hunt has a tattoo of his old girlfriend’s name on his shoulder. Not really, but it was fun to bust his balls about it.

That’s all I got at the moment… Gotta get another Q ready for tomorrow.

Helmet, out.

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Honoring the Fitzgerald 7 at The Abyss

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  • QIC: NASA
  • When: 6/21/2017
  • Pax: Senator Tressel (Respect), Andretti (Respect), Royale, Vinny, Change Order, Tarantino, Austin Powers, Cornerstone, and NASA
  • Posted In: Abyss

When thinking of a weinkie for the Q at The Abyss I was pretty much drawing a blank (no smarty pants comments). Long hours at work tend to do that. I knew I had to bring it, but not kill folks or make them never want to return. When perusing the BBs from other workouts I got alot of good ideas, but nothing really jumped out. I did not want to do ANY running for the 16mi ruck for H&C pretty much hammered my feet – they still hurt when I woke for this Q. I took a break and then saw something on the Pathfinder Facebook page that totally struck a chord with me. This weinke is not a NASA original.

The morning was totally icky nasty warm, humid, and just dank wet with steadily light rain showers. Abyssmal conditions. PERFECT!! As the clock drew closer to launch time there was a good group of PAX committed to making themselves better and stronger, regardless of the conditions. No FNGs, brief disclaimer made (modify if needed and don’t die). Time to get after it.

Brief run around the main parking lot to a smaller lot on the side of the school for the COP:

SSH x 20
WM x 20
IW x 20
MNC x 20
PJ x 20
Honeymooner and Downward Dog x 2

Pretty much a standard NASA COP. Heart rate is up, all muscle groups warm and pliable. Then another short run to the back lot of the school for the main event.

7s to Honor the Fitzgerald 7

The recent tragic maritime accident between a huge container ship and the Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald off the coast of Japan claimed the lives of 7 brave souls. In honor of those 7 we did a HIIT 7/7/7 workout – 7 reps of 7 exercises done 7 rounds. No rest when transitioning between exercises, no running from one point to another (a first for a NASA Q), no cones (another first). Everything done right in one spot together as a group in a nice, not too quick, cadence  – to replicate how a group of soldiers exercise at boot as well as to make sure we get the most out of every exercise, focusing on form instead of finishing first.

First group of 7 exercises:
* Merkins
* LS Squats
* LBCs
* Flutters
* Lunges
* Burpees
* Plank Jacks

PAX got through all these pretty well. We took a short break after every even # round long enough for very brief moleskin discussions. We completed all 7 rounds, and man we felt it!  Then we moved to the playground equipment for the next group of exercises.

Second group of 7 exercises:
* Derkins
* Inclined LBCs
* Hip thrusts
* Dips
* Hello Dollys
* Pull Ups
* American Hammers

We only got through 3 rounds of this group of 7s before we ran out of time. The PAX did great!! Good mumblechatter, alot of support and encouragement. Love it!!

Next time – more leg work (won’t be favoring my feet) and no COP.

Slow Indian run back to the COT just in time.

Announcements:
* CAH Guidance this FRIDAY 7pm, Decibel! on Q
* F3 Dad’s workouts are BACK!! Saturdays in July, 10am at WEP
* Mastodon CSAUP in York
* River Rat Run overnight camp CSAUP
* New Fort Logo shirts out
* Ragnar is coming!
Prayers and Praises:
* Praises for the PAX disregarding the weather in their quest to get better
* Prayers for Royale, his Dad, and his family
* Prayers for Vinny’s Dad
* Prayers for Cornerstone’s daughter and his family
* Prayers for Qwerty, Mr T, and all the PAX going through their struggles. Be there for them.
* Prayers for Cheech in Lexington

Moleskin – The Fitzgerald 7 and Faith

What struck me when I came across the 7s in honor of the Fitz 7 workout idea on the Pathfinder page was not so much the workout. Yes, it was a great idea someone came up with for a weinke. But it was mainly the thought of how these sailors died and how I tied them to our theme of the month – Faith.

Some of the sailors on board the Fitz were asleep when the two ships collided. They did not see their end coming, being taken suddenly and unexpectedly to be with Our Lord. Same thing for the motorcyclist who perished this weekend in Rock Hill, and Cheech in Lexington. Those tragic events made me think about how precious yet sometimes fleeting life is, and that at ANY moment your life can end in a myriad of ways. It is a fact of life that is always right smack dab in front of us, yet most people never even think about it or acknowledge it. They do not want to think about it. But we ALL need to be and should be prepared for it.

A soldier HAS to be prepared for that (I was not a soldier so this is in my perspective). They willingly, knowingly, voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way, understanding that they may not walk away from it. They are (hopefully) prepared to deal with the consequences of their choice to do so. They are prepared for whatever may happen. How do they prepare? To me it all centers around faith.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. – Hebrews 11-1

A soldier has faith in their commander to make the right decisions, so they follow them (a vast majority of the time). A soldier has faith in their comrades to support them and fight with them no matter how dire the situation without any doubts. A soldier has faith in their training and equipment, so they do not hesitate in their actions knowing they will have an expected result. Plus the one that ties it all together is that they have Faith in Their Lord – protection during their fight for just cause, providing for their families while they’re gone, and that Their Lord will lift their souls to Heaven if they perish. When you have a strong foundation of Faith like that, in all aspects of your life (spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically), there is nothing you will be afraid of. With that you can act without hesitation, freed from the reigns of fear holding you back. We all must be prepared in the same way as well.

I am going to take a moment and make this BB more introspective. This is where I questioned myself – am I prepared in my Faith if my life were to suddenly end? Right now I am not sure if I can say that I am 100% yes. I do not want to leave my wife, my kids, my family before I feel they will be fine without me. So I am being selfish in my faith that I do not feel they will be taken care of if I am gone, and I need to, have to, want to physically be there to love, nurture, provide for, and protect them and feel their love, all of which make me ‘go’ in life. As a born and raised Roman Catholic, I should not doubt my faith, falling back on my formation of beliefs in Him and Our Lord that are woven into the fabric of me. All of those things that I am selfish with I should have Faith that He will provide to me as well as my loved ones if/when I am gone. As a scientist – there is no such thing as a former scientist, for it is in our being, our nature to be one – I need proof, substantiation. There are millions of things ‘proving’ He exists in many ways, but science has ‘explanations’ for some of these things as well. These two sides of me used to always be at odds with each other, in a battle for ownership of my foundation of faith.

As I have grown older, the spiritual side is winning out more and more. I have become closer and closer to saying 100% yes. In my opinion no matter how much science tries, there are still some very basic, transcending, and simple questions that they cannot prove – whether correct or incorrect – nor can they completely explain without another “why?”, “how?”, or “what?” to follow on for them to tackle. Occam’s Razor comes into play here, as well as belief in Him and His Word as gospel.

We are all His children. He will take care of us. He will provide. He will nurture. He will unconditionally love. He will heal. He will protect. Whether it is in this life here on earth or not is not something to be concerned about, for He has a plan for all of us. I am understanding this more and more as I evolve in life.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you – Isaiah 43:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight – Proverbs 3:5-6
I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see – 2 Corinthians 5-7

My fears are being assuaged. I am becoming more and more prepared, closer to 100%. It is a work in progress, but …. it is in progress. F3 and the amazing PAX I have met have helped immensely in this. I hope that in some way I can eventually return the favor to you all.

F3 can have a wonderful impact on one’s life in many aspects – if you commit to it. Keep pushing each other, supporting each other in every way. Keep making each other stronger – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

9 PAX did just that at The Abyss.

Thank you for the opportunity to lead…. and be led.
– NASA

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