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| New Year's Day |
Fitness
2022 was an active year for me. I started out the with a New Year's Day run around West Lake and continued my running program all the way into April when I ran the Tay Ho Half Marathon. I knew back in January that I would be leaving later in the year, and had decided I wanted to run a full marathon. My training was going well and I may have been ready for a 26-mile go of it, but the race I signed up for was cancelled for foreigners leaving me with the next best thing, a half marathon. After running the "half" I know in my heart I would have been hurting after a full 26 mile run. I still had some hope I might be able to get into a full marathon before I departed Vietnam, but that hope was shattered when I pulled something in my lower abdomen back in June that didn't heal until just recently. Between the lingering injury and all of the anxiety related to my permanent change of station move, I find myself ending my year in the opposite shape of how I started it. But, with a new year comes new hopes, goals, and dreams. Hopefully I will have all of my gear that I shipped almost literally on a slow boat from China before the end of this year, and I will develop a program that falls in line with my work schedule and fitness needs.
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| Just under 2 hour finish! |
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| Thanks to an office colleague I got in the race |
Health
I got COVID in February and passed it to Diep. Fortunately, the quarantine period had been greatly reduced and we were allowed to stay in the apartment. We had both been boosted just a little over a month prior, and though I don't want to get in a debate over it, I am skeptical the booster did anything to ease the symptoms. Needless to say, February wasn't my favorite month of 2022.
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| I'm positive, but not absolutely sure |
2022 was also a time of intermittent fasting (IF). I got great results from IF losing over 20 pounds, but gave it up when we were getting ready for our move from Vietnam. Just too many farewell parties, and then the anxiety of moving and - finally - all of the delicious food I had missed for four years in the U.S. The plan is to get back on the IF train in 2023.
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| A Site Visit in Quang Nam Province |
After that short jaunt, I was back in Hanoi when I ran the half marathon, and in early May I was off again but this time to Honolulu, Hawaii. After a week of work, Diep flew out for a week of vacation. She hadn't been in Hawaii for 20 years, so it was nice for her to visit the Waikiki area.
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| Historic Hickam Air Force Base |
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| Waikiki along the ala wai |
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| Waikiki Beach |
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| Waikiki Beach and Diamondhead in the background |
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| Kaneohe Bay on the other side of the island |
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| View from Diamondhead |
In May, I was back in Da Nang seeing the teams come in and head out to their sites for the 22-3VN Joint Field Activity.
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| Da Nang International Airport |
Shortly after that, I also got some time in Hue City and the Ashau Valley during a Senior Leader Site Visit
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| Senior Leader Site Visit at Det 2 |
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| Ashau Valley (A Luoi) |
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| Hue Citadel |
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| Leeches in the Ashau are no joke |
In June I went on a whirlwind tour of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Saigon and Da Nang during a field forensic review and redeployment activity. I don't remember much of it now.
Megan and her friend visited us in July and we were off again. Diep and Megan headed out first and I caught up with them in Da Nang and then we traveled to Saigon, again. It was a great pleasure to see Megan back home, even if for jus a little while.
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| Megan arrives in Hanoi |
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| Cha Ca Thang Long in Hanoi |
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| Da Nang Beach |
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| Hoi An Japanese Bridge |
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| Hoi An Town |
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| Fishing for Prawns in Saigon |
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| Saigon Riverfront |
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| Saigon |
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| Tan Dinh Catholic Church in Saigon |
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| Family Dinner in Saigon |
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| Cousins |
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| Old Friend meet up in Saigon |
In August I took some leave to the U.S. where I visited Megan in DC, Dad in Alabama and Sis in Austin. It was also a whirlwind travel, but great to see family in the States. Regrettably, Megan got COVID just as I arrived (I was still resistant from my February infection so I didn't get it again), but I did suffer a bout of gout on the latter half of my visit to Austin all the way back to DC.
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| Megan got COVID on Arrival |
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| Dad Veteran Photo |
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| Canoe Ride with Sis and BIL |
One last visit to Saigon in October before our return to the U.S.
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| Packing out of our Apartment in Hanoi |
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| Diep's House in Saigon |
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| Saigon Building |
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| Lau Ca Keu is one of Diep's Favorites in Saigon |
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| Gonna Miss Pho Hung |
We got back to the U.S. in early October and have been revisiting some of our favorites sites. We also took a road trip to Mobile, Al. Still lots going on, but here are some of our Stateside travel photos:
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| Photobombed at Gravelly Point |
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| Fort Hunt Park in late Fall |
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| Yes, we Voted |
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| More Gravelly Point at Reagan National |
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| Springfield Mall pre-Christmas |
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| Belle Haven Park, VA |
Other Events, People, Miscellany
Sorry for the long post. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this post really went on...
