End of 2024 Recap!
'Tis the season for scribbled-out dates and resolutions... While I can say that I have entertained neither, I do have one or two new things I have been working on.
My blogging hiatus was partially sponsored by a pick-up in cargo traffic. After the slow summer months, October through December were B.U.S.Y. The majority of the trips were 3 or more legs, with a brutal six-legger in the mix as well. I averaged about 2 trips a week so my sleeping and eating schedule was pretty rough. I soldiered through because I knew, come the new year, that things would start to slow down again.
Out of curiosity, I totaled up my mileage for the year and was pleasantly surprised with the number. According to my calculations, I flew 133,328 miles this year. Wow. If I had to guess, my most frequented destination would be Laredo, Texas. And they say you get to 'see the world...'
On that note, however, I did end up adding two new countries to my list: Canada and Nicaragua. One of these is not like the otherrrr! I did two Canada trips and, honestly, it's hard to count them. We dropped off in Windsor, which is basically Detriot. I have seen Windsor from Detriot. It would probably take me 20 minutes to swim the river that separates the two cities. Read: Barely. Canada. And even though it's hard to count it as a whole other country, there is still one entity that really cares; U.S. Customs :)
The second new country definitely counts. For starters, the Pontiac, Michigan, to Managua, Nicaragua, was a looooong flight. Not really super long compared to commercial flights of 8+ hours over the Pacific, but in the Flight Engineer's seat (which is somehow less comfortable than standard issue airline seats??), and across the Gulf of Mexico, the 4.5 hr flight seemed like forever. This was one of the longest trips I'd done, second only to the coast-to-coast trip back in August. And on that one, the cargo was easy-peasy. This time? Not so AT ALL.
Unfortunately, this is one of the only photos I have, but using my words, I can try to encapsulate the Nicaragua experience. Close your eyes and pretend you are in a sauna with no one that speaks English. Add about 330 boxes into the mix, and there you have it.
The change in temperature from Michigan to Nicaragua was pretty extreme. At one point there was a 85 degree difference. It was a true Summer in December, only I had to travel 2000 mi south...
Before these two Central America trips, I had only been to Mexico and Canada and (like I alluded to above), these countries don't 'feel' much different than America, maybe only that in the former, everything is in Spanish. In terms of topography and temperature, there are few differences other than some rather tall mountains. Mexico just kind of feels like California or Arizona. Canada, well, feels like Michigan. But even before I had set foot on the tarmac in Nicaragua, it felt different. We were DEEP in Central America and if it didn't feel different, that would have been weird. On approach into Manugua, we flew by several ~active~ volcanoes and an island in the giant Lake Managua which I later found out was named 'Momotombito' after the volcano right next to it, Momotombo. Fun. Even more fun was them not erupting, although Masaya (which is south of Managua and we could see it as we descended) was smoking. The airport (an international one at that) felt like something out of a cartel hiest movie. It was nestled in trees that resembled a jungle and sat to the east of the capital city in a fairly sparse part of town. Truthfully, the runway surface itself could have used some cartel bucks.
Those three busy months were great for finally getting a nice rhythm going and getting me closer to feeling confident in my job. I can say now that I feel much better than I did over the summer. My sleep and diet may have suffered, but my wallet and confidence thrived.
In the few days I had without a trip, I could be found running. Yes, you read that correctly. As many of you know, I am a struggling land-dweller, however, this year I have really found some excitement in running. I am partially inspired by my mom who has done many half-marathons and is a very dedicated runner. Up until this October, I had just been running for fun, but gave myself small time or distance goals to achieve along the way to keep my motivation up. Well, in October, I stumbled across a race that was located at the Metropark very near my house. I asked my mom (since my parents live here now!) if she wanted to participate with me. She said yes, but then hesitantly asked what distance I wanted to do. She was hoping I would say 10K. Well, I said I wanted to do a Half-Marathon. Crazy, I know. She agreed even though she was fresh off of a previous half that she had done a month prior. Race day turned out to be a beautiful, mild Fall day with bright blue sky and colorful trees. That mixed with the nice, paved lake trail through the Metropark, it was a perfect setting. I had a goal of breaking 2 hours which I had honestly just kind of made up, but I had to start somewhere. I ended up finishing in 1:56:56 AND my mom also ran a PB. Here is us before and afterwards (where we were very tired but happy it was over).
Even more so than going a PB, I am thrilled that I got to do my first half with my mom. I can honestly say that I never thought I would run 13.1 miles willingly. But in this phase of my life, I am eager to challenge myself in different ways. Which segues me nicely into my newest hobby... Triathlons!
I have done a few sprint tris as a kid, but refused to do more because they involved running. Duh. But since I picked up running more seriously this year, I was only missing a bike to complete the trifecta. After doing some research, I got my hands on a gently used Quintana Roo tri bike. The scary part wasn't that I hadn't really ridden in a few years, it was the fact that it had clip-in pedals. The thought of attaching my only fall-prevention mechanism to the bike seemed like a terrifying concept (and still is...). Nevertheless, I got myself some proper shoes and the right pedals so that I can begin practicing clipping in and out. Even though I have had the bike for a little while now, I struggled to understand the pedal/shoe compatibility so I am just now getting the right equipment. Turns out, every hobby has its intricacies. Here is my bike!
If you are social-media inclined, I have created a new account to document my swimming/biking/running. You can find it at @olivcarter_tri and give it a follow if you so choose! This has allowed me to keep my personal account for separate interests.
Both of my usual sections (Swimming Scoop and Speedy Shenanigans) have been relatively quiet since August. The WRX has continued to run smoothly, proving my repair job a success! As for swimming, I haven't done much since swimming the Grand Traverse Bay. However, since I have some triathlons in my sight, I will be getting back into the pool when I can...
In more miscellaneous news, but still fun nonetheless, my dad and I (well mostly him) built a fireplace box for my electric fireplace! It looks great in my basement corner and really gives the space more purpose and interest. Take a look!
As we approached the chilly month of December, things got a little snowy, but that didn't stop me and my dad from participating in Operation Good Cheer! OGC has been going on for 40ish years out of the Pontiac airport (where I fly out of for work). It brings together local pilots to help fly wrapped presents to various airports around Michigan to deliver to foster children. This was the first year my dad and I participated and it won't be our last. The weather miraculously cleared up for the chilly Saturday morning departure and we flew the RV-10 to Coldwater, MI, which is SW of Pontiac. We took out the back seats in the RV and stuffed it full of gifts! It took us about 40 min to get there even with a gnarly 43 knot headwind. We passed three other planes along the way (hehe slow) that were also going to Coldwater. It was such a fun and feel-good adventure :)
Recipe Roullete:
Because I slacked off on my other usual sub-sections, I found it necessary to include a recipe that I have been enjoying.HEREis the link to the original recipe! This is such a great-tasting and yummy, cozy soup for winter :) PSA: this goes superbly with a pesto grilled cheese sammy. Thank me later.
Super Green Sheet Pan Soup
(Originally from Crowded Kitchen)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, trimmed, washed & cut into 1” pieces
1 head garlic
½ of a head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
½ of a head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1 medium-large zucchini, diced
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 ½-2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
½ tsp black pepper
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Juice from 1 large lemon (3 tbsp)
2 cups spinach
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Slice off the top of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves.
Place the leeks, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, potatoes and garlic on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and toss gently. Roast for 30 minutes, until all vegetables are fork tender.
About 10 minutes before the vegetables are done, add the broth to a small pot and heat until simmering.
Add all of the vegetables (only add half of the garlic cloves) to a blender, along with the hot broth + peas, lemon juice, spinach, parsley, remaining ½-1 teaspoon salt (this depends on your preference and type of salt used) and blend until smooth.
I hope you all have a productive and encouraging start to your new year! I will be back soon with more fun things to share.
Cheers,
Olivia
