Walk Into the Future

Tag: Fort Pierce

  • House updates

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    “Home is the nicest word there is”.

    (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

    The Walk into the Future adventures continue to move forward daily.

    I closed on my townhouse in Fort Pierce back in May.  This was something I wanted to do when I first moved here but things and conditions did not align for me.  Things happen for a reason and in due time—a bit cliché I know but this fits my home buying journey.

    I looked for a townhouse to purchase for a little over two years but did not get serious with a real estate agent until Summer 2022.  We looked in several areas, but I never got comfortable with prices and/or locations during the early stages.  We kept moving forward with the search and the prices started to come back down in early 2023.  Worked with my agent to hone into a more detailed search and we began viewing townhouses that fit my stated budget and in areas I wanted to live in.

    Found my townhouse less than three miles from where I was living in Fort Pierce.  This was a bit ironic because I looked in a lot of other areas but never checked out my own neighborhood.

    We made an offer within a week and accepted the small counter offer the following week.  Things went quickly once we made the offer, and my agent guided me through the process, and I felt comfortable the entire time.  Fast forward and we closed in the early part of May, and I was suddenly a homeowner again.  My apartment lease was not due to expire until October but there was a provision in the lease that would allow me out early with a one-time penalty.  This was a welcomed provision since I did not have to rush my move and this extra time allowed me to make some upgrades.

    Floors

    The living area in the townhouse came with tile floors.  This was a nice look for the property but both bedrooms and closets had carpet.  I’m not a fan of carpet and knew this was going to be removed before I moved in.  My realtor connected me with several flooring specialists so I could get quotes to pull up the carpet and install wood laminate floors.  Wanted to get this upgrade completed before moving into the townhouse.  My flooring guy provided me with a ton of samples to choose from and we agreed on floor color, date of installation and pricing.  Took him two days to complete the flooring overhaul and the new look made the place feel bigger and I didn’t have to worry about what the old owners left in the carpet.

    Painting

    The best time to paint is prior to moving in with furniture.  Decided to change the paint scheme throughout the townhouse to brighten it a bit and put my touches on the new place.  Got painter recommendations from friends and interviewed two painters.  Selected my painter and headed to Home Depot to pick out my paint.  The townhouse came with a black accent wall—yes, you read that correctly.  There was no way I was keeping the black accent wall.  LOL.  Picked out a nice and refreshing blue paint for the NEW accent wall and a natural (sand) color for the rest of the townhouse.  Left the paint with the painter and got out of his way to upgrade the paint scheme for me. 

    Appliances

    This move-in provided me with an opportunity for a complete reboot of the inside.  Purchased the townhouse with appliances but wanted to start fresh.  My realtor shared that Home Depot has fantastic appliance sales in conjunction with the 4th of July holiday.  I thought she was overstating the sale, but it turns out Home Depot appliance sale is just as great as she stated.  Decided to purchase a complete kitchen package and remove the old appliances prior to my official move-in.  My new appliances are all under the same warranty and should provide me with years of enjoyment.

    Furniture

    My original plan was to enter the townhouse with all the furniture I owned.  Quickly determined my new place required a furniture upgrade to make it feel complete.  My TV console was fine in my old apartment but was too small for the larger space of the townhouse.  Also, my dining room table was adequate for the apartment but did not fit the style or feel of my new place.  Made a trip to City Furniture and Rooms 2 Go to begin the process of figuring out what I wanted for the new place.  Rooms 2 Go had a better selection that fit me so made my large purchases there.  The bonus was the free delivery they offer.  Still looking to upgrade some of my shelves but very happy with my new furniture and how it looks in the townhouse.

    I still have a few more home modifications I want to make in the bathrooms but happy with my progress so far.  The townhouse is slowly becoming home for me.  Enjoy having a place of my own to come back to after work or a road trip.

    What makes your house a home?

    Irie!

    “A house is made of bricks and beams.  A home is made of hopes and dreams”.

    (Unknown)

  • Favorite Sunsets

    “My favorite color is sunset”.

    (Unknown Author)

    My Walk into the Future allows me multiple outlets to explore passion, interests, and new hobbies.

    One area I continue to expand, and grow is my love for beautiful sunsets.  I always joke with friends that I’m not a huge fan of sunrises—this is simply because I never get up early enough to see them too often.

    The sunset has a magical feel and pull for me.  I’m always amazed when the colors in the sky change and reflect differently over water than over land.  The reflections add a new dimension and provide a level of awe for me.  I get my phone ready whenever there’s an opportunity to take a shot of the sky.  I share a lot of these pictures on my Instagram feed and send some of the best ones to my tree branches. 

    Decided to compile some of my favorite sunset pictures and share with my Walk into the Future readers:

    Sunset NC

    (Duck, North Carolina)

    (Negril, Jamaica)

    (Fort Pierce, Florida)

    Sunset Disney Springs

    (Disney Springs)

    Which one is your favorite?

    Irie!

  • Navy SEAL Museum (teambuilding)

    “No one can whistle a symphony.  It takes a whole orchestra to play it”.

    (Booker T. Washington)

    My Walk into the Future continues to expand and grow tree branches.

    I am always looking for ways to enhance organizational growth and find opportunities to thrive.  I am still active with my consulting projects and this work expands my ability to develop new ways to inspire my team to meet organizational goals.

    Teambuilding activities have been the springboard towards enhanced communications, better work production and overall success.  This is an ongoing process, there are more opportunities for the organization to grow, and teambuilding will be a driving force towards this goal.

    The national Navy SEAL Museum is in Fort Pierce, Florida.  This is a fun fact, and most people ask why.  The shores of Fort Pierce were utilized as a prime World War II training location to prepare troops for beach invasions.  The underwater demolition program was a key component of the training program and was a precursor to the Navy SEAL program we know today.

    What does this have to do with teambuilding?  Great question!

    Many folks on my staff knew the Navy SEAL Museum was in Fort Pierce but only a few had been to the museum.  I went for the first-time last year with a student organization and enjoyed the experience.  I shared this with a few folks at work and we discussed a team visit to share the history and do some team bonding.  It took a bit of scheduling and adjusting calendars, but we agreed on a date and time for the team visit.

    I did not have a preset idea of how many folks would come to the museum but was happy when 10 folks showed up with smiles on their faces.  This was a voluntary outing for the team, and they took time out of their weekend for team bonding—I was impressed!

    We got an introductory briefing by the museum staff, and this set the stage for the team to explore the multiple displays and artifacts within the museum.

    I did not know how the team would respond to being in a military museum, but they were very active learning the history of the Navy SEALs and campaigns they fought in.  The ability to touch the equipment and sit in an actual helicopter allowed the team an interactive experience while touring the museum.

    The museum has displays outside as well: boats, statues, and monuments.  We got some great pictures of one of the combat boats that was larger than most of us thought it would be.  The obstacle course was popular with other tour groups present but we only tried a few of the obstacles.  I tried the rope swing but sunk quickly into the sand—I traveled 3 feet before my momentum was broken.  Think we all had a good laugh at my lack of movement on the rope swing.  A few others took a turn on the rope swing, and they had better outcomes than I did.  I may have to go back to the Navy SEAL Museum to redeem myself on the rope swing.

    The visit to the Navy SEAL Museum is another step towards making our team stronger.  It was a great way to highlight the ultimate team (Navy SEALs) and how they come together to complete missions.  The importance of teamwork on mission outcomes was a great reminder for my team as we look for ways to get better daily.  Always looking for ways to get 1% better daily.

    What are you doing to become 1% better today?

    Irie!

  • Poetic Flow: Find Your Light

    Light 1

    Out of the darkness comes the light

           Each day is a struggle of life

              The trials of the world weigh you down

       Life comes fast…like intersections choke full of traffic

        No direction…no director; just darkness

          Out of the darkness comes the light

         Find your direction, become the director

            Act, make it happen

           Open your eyes, it doesn’t have to be dark all the time

    (Fort Pierce Inlet)  

  • 2023 Winter Park 10k

    WP 1

    “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you”.

    (Fred Devito)

    Ventured back to the Orlando area for the Track Shack 2023 Winter Park 10k.

    This was my 5th time toeing the start line for the race but the first time I did not enter with a set finish time in mind.  I spent the past 4 weeks recovering from Piriformis Syndrome and my training was limited prior to the race.  Yes, this sounds like an excuse, but I was excited to race pain free again.  Decided this race would be my test to determine how well I recovered and make a final decision on the 2023 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon in April.  Pain in this race would have eliminated me from traveling to Nashville to tackle the hills up there.

    Made my way to Track Shack on Friday before the 10k to pick up my race packet and do some shopping.  I’m always looking to get new Track Shack gear and wanted to make sure I had time to check out the new selections and colors.  It appears a lot of runners had the same idea—the line was out the door when I arrived.  This is the first time I’ve experienced a long line at Track Shack, but this was an indication race capacity was full this year.

    I didn’t do a major carb load process for the 10k but made my way to the UCF Buffalo Wild Wings to indulge in wings, potato wedges and beer.  This is the meal I leveraged to launch me into the 10k.  Made sure to get to bed early so I could make my way over to Winter Park with enough time to warm up, stretch and test out my legs prior to race time.  I wanted to get a two-mile warm up before the race to ensure I was ready to complete the 6.2 miles with minimum leg issues.  There’s a lot of activity around the Winter Park race village—vendors, runners and the Saturday Farmers Market are all in the same area.  Great place to watch people.

    Made my way to the 10-minute per mile section of the starting corral.  I didn’t want to be too close to the front because my competitive nature would have taken over and I would have pressed the pace.  Figured limiting my starting position would keep me from going out too fast and possibly aggravating my leg again. 

    The race was crowded, and the first mile was slow not necessarily by choice but because there were so many runners.  This worked in my favor since I couldn’t go fast even if I wanted too at this point of the race.

    The runners started to thin out a bit around mile 2 and again after mile 3.  I did not experience any pain through this point of the race and settled into a nice clip and started to enjoy the process of racing again.  I leveraged a couple of runners for pacing to help me keep a consistent pace through the middle portion of the race.  Mentally processed the concept of speeding up but decided to just enjoy the course, great weather and being around other runners.  There was no need to push the pace or myself at this point and didn’t want to create a situation where the piriformis became irritated.

    I increased my cadence at mile 6 when we made our way back onto Park Avenue.  There were a ton of spectators at this juncture, and I pressed the pace a bit to see what I had available for the end of the race.  I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face and no pain in my legs.

    Finished in 1:02:39 and made my way over to the race village to get my beer and take a few pictures while there.  Got a chance to catch up with a few runners I know from the Track Shack circuit and did some light shopping at the Farmers Market.

    Happy with my performance and not aggravating my running injury.  Looks like I’m clear to travel to Nashville and tackle the Music City hills.

    Of course, I will get in some line dancing and country music while I’m there.  😊

    Irie!

  • Authentic Leadership Consulting Project

    My Walk into the Future continues to allow me to make a difference in the world daily.  I realize most of my life and writing focus appears to only be on my marathon preparation but I’m still busy with my consulting work as well.

    I embarked on an Authentic Leadership consulting project with the St. Lucie County Tax Collector’s office to enhance leadership training for front line supervisors.  I have been working with this organization since February but never got around to sharing with my readers.  Well, now is the time to get a full understanding of the project.

    The Director of Organizational Efficiency reached out to me on LinkedIn to discuss my Authentic Leadership work back in February.  We had initial conversations on LinkedIn and transitioned to a phone conversation on the impact of Authentic Leadership within the work environment.  I was scheduled to attend a local Chamber of Commerce event the next week and she asked if she could join me during the event to talk more.  I’m always networking so invited her to join me at the Chamber event.

    She brought her supervisor, the Chief Deputy with her to the Chamber event to meet me as well.  We spent most of the Chamber event discussing my Authentic Leadership work and how it might benefit their organization.  We agreed to stay in touch, and they invited me to meet their leadership team—an audition if you will since I did my Authentic Leadership presentation for the group. 

    This led to a request to provide a 5-part leadership training program to the 18 department leaders. 

    I worked directly with the Director of Organizational Efficiency on the topics, dates, and frequency of the training program so we could maintain a schedule that provided maximum exposure for the leaders.  The topics requested were some that I already had in my library, but I was able to build new, innovative training sessions based on the needs of the organization.  FYI, a full training needs assessment was completed by the intended audience to ensure I provided training that would benefit the organization—not just something I wanted to share with them.  This is a major key to a successful organizational training program.

    A companion 3-part leadership training program was requested for staff participating in the LEAD Academy—next line leaders coming up through the organization.

    5-part program topics:

    • Authentic Leadership
    • Goal Setting
    • Your WHY Statement
    • Being a Self-Aware Leader
    • Empowering Leadership

    3-part program topics:

    • Self-Awareness and Leadership
    • Authentic Leadership and How to be a Leader
    • Learn How to Interview (next position)

    There was some overlap with the topics, but I was able to tailor to fit each group and their needs based on what they requested in the needs assessment. 

    It was great being able to see the leadership growth in each group—some folks did not understand what leadership should be when we started but quickly developed outstanding insight on leadership when we were done.  I like to look into the eyes of my clients to determine if they understand a topic and the growth, I saw in the eyes of both groups they are better leaders now.

    I remind my clients leadership requires continued learning and development.  You must adapt to situations and people but having a strong leadership foundation is key to organizational growth.

    I am in the process of building a 2023 program for the same organization to capture more up and coming leaders.  This will ensure the organization continues to evolve and grow based on the training provided to the staff.  Excited to partner with this organization again in 2023.  Also, looking to expand my client base to conduct training with other local organizations.  Never a dull moment for me! 😊

    Irie!

    What projects are you working on?  Make it great!

  • Game On Half Marathon (Fort Pierce)

    Game On

    “There will be days you don’t think you can run a marathon.  There will be a lifetime of knowing you have”.

    (Unknown)

    My Walk into the Future continues to move forward towards the Palm Beaches Garden of Life Marathon in December.

    The 18-week training plan I’m using allows me some flexibility, but the one constant is a progressive long run on the weekends.  I am leveraging local races to energize my long runs and tackled the Game On Half Marathon in Fort Pierce in October.  This seemed like a nice local race, and I signed up for this half prior to committing to run a marathon.  Luckily, this race and distance fit right into what I needed to keep moving towards the marathon start line.

    The Game On Half Marathon is fairly new on the circuit—last year’s race was the first running.  I did not know about this race prior to this year but may keep it on my regular rotation since there are not travel costs associated with a race in the town I live.

    This was a smaller race with the projected number of runners less than 300.  I normally avoid smaller races since they do not have the crowd support like the Rock N Roll running series.  It may seem simple but having a crowd of stranger cheering for you helps when the miles start to get tough.  Also, the larger races have a ton of volunteers to man the water/Gatorade stations.  I was pleasantly surprised this race had fuel stops at 1.5-mile intervals and this really helps with the process of completing a half marathon.

    Again, smaller race so there was not an EXPO experience.  Race bib pickup was scheduled the day before the race at Causeway Cove Marina.  The process was simple, give them your name and they hand you a bib, t-shirt and four safety pins to attach the bib.  That’s it—no vendors to visit or anything to buy.  I got a quick picture in front of the Game On promotional truck with my bib and went about the rest of my day. 

    I started my carb loading process earlier in the week and went to get some more pasta to continue to ingest carbs.  Also wanted to get off my feet to ensure I was ready to toe the line in the morning—I find it harder to just kick back when I’m competing in a hometown race.  Feels like I should do normal, daily activities but this can lead to tired legs on race day.

    Made a point to get to bed early so I could get up and make it to the start line with plenty of time to warmup.  This race started at 6:15 am to get and stay ahead of the South Florida heat—yes, it’s still hot and humid down here in October.

    Got to Causeway Cove Marina in plenty time to park, stretch and warmup prior to the race start.  Made my way through the darkness towards the start line and got in the corral with the other half marathon runners.  The race organizers did not have runners line up based on projected pace time—no big deal for this race since it was only about 150 runners for the half marathon.  There was also a 10k being run with those runners starting 10 minutes after the half marathoners got started.

    I did not have a projected pace or finish time in mind since this was part of my long run.  I just wanted/needed to get miles in and the pace for this day was not as important as it normally is when I run a half marathon.  My goal was to start, finish and enjoy the race as much as possible.

    This was an out and back race so wanted to enjoy the course and have fun.  We started in complete darkness so decided to leverage other runners as pacers and to ensure we did not go off course.  The half marathon organizers mapped out the course to be completed on Seaway and Ocean Drives on Hutchinson Island, which is completely flat, no bridges to cross which was a welcomed addition.

    I started with a comfortable pace and did not push myself hard in the beginning.  Paced with a couple runners for the first three miles and then decided to pick up the pace a bit.  We turned onto Ocean Drive and headed south towards Jensen Beach.  Interesting thing happened at the 4-mile marker.  Another runner pulled up next to me and began a full conversation on life, hobbies, and the type of work we both do.  I have talked with other runners during races, but it is normally just small talk before we get down to the real racing.  Found out this was her 5th half marathon and she had friends running but she wanted to go faster so decided to tag along with me.

    We had a nice conversation going for the next 4 miles before she decided to pull back since my pace was pretty good at this point.  The great thing about running and talking with her is it created a nice distraction from the race.  I focused more on the conversation than my pace so can’t tell you how fast I was running at this point, I was just putting one foot in front of the other.

    Leveraged Miles 8 – 13.1 to test my endurance levels to determine adjustments I need to make to my training and nutrition program.  I felt good physically but need to ensure my carb loading process is improved.  I also need to map out my fueling process (time, distance) to keep moving forward with pace during races.  My lactic acid threshold is getting better but need to work on my glycogen levels consistently. 

    Finished in 2:23:41 (10:58 per minute pace) which is not fast for me, but I still took third place in my age group.  I’ll take it considering this was part of my weekend training run.  Got an additional 5 miles in after the half marathon for a total of 18 for the day.

    Still have work to do as I prep for December but happy with my progress so far.

    What challenges are you facing right now?

    Irie!

    “A marathon is like life with its ups and downs, but once you have done it, you feel that you can do anything”.

    (Unknown)

  • Race for Recovery 5k

    “Life is for participating, not for spectating”.

    (Katherine Switzer)

    The theme lately is training and racing!  Don’t think that is going to stop anytime soon since I have a marathon to get ready for.

    Happy to leverage local races to supplement my training program since running in races is a lot more fun than just training miles.  Discovered 5k’s can be fun again and a great way to warm up my legs prior to my long training runs.  Fun fact, either I am getting faster, or the competition is just letting me run by them—still trying to figure out which.  LOL.

    The latest Walk into the Future race was the Race for Recovery 5k hosted in Port St. Lucie on the Indian River State College Pruitt campus.  I consider this to still be a hometown race since the campus is only about a 20-minute drive from where I live in Fort Pierce.

    It rained the night before and I considered bypassing the 5k but knew I still needed to log weekend miles so took a chance and headed to Port St. Lucie to toe the line again.

    I did not get a chance to pick up my race bib during the week so needed to arrive a bit early so I could get my race swag and prep for the race.  Check-in was painless, and I made my way back to my vehicle to get organize, stretch, and get a quick jog in to loosen my legs.

    There was not a huge turnout for this race but the folks there were friendly and ready to run.  It started to sprinkle a bit, but I was committed to run since I made it to the start line.  Made my way to the start line to ensure I did not get caught up in traffic to start the race.

    I did not have a preset race time or pace in mind but wanted to enjoy the course and get some miles in before heading off for my long run.

    This course starts within the Pruitt campus and then heads out for a 3-mile loop before coming back on-campus for the finish.  It is completely flat, and we never had to cross traffic which is always a good thing.

    I went out with a controlled pace to allow other runners to spread out a bit to avoid bumping into anyone.  I located a runner I knew who normally runs a great pace so decided to use her as my pacer.  That only lasted for about a quarter mile since she was not pushing the pace and I felt like I wanted to go faster.

    Mile-1 was completed in 8:58. Mile-2 went down in 9:17.  Mile-3 clipped by at 9:22.  We got hit with a heavy rain down pour right after the Mile-1 marker so I’m happy with my mile splits.  This is because there is nothing worse than running with water drenched shoes and socks.  My feet felt like I was running with weights around my ankles but wanted to keep pressing forward to see what I could do in these conditions.

    Turned the corner to head towards the finish line and coasted a bit.  The funny part here is the runner I mentioned above who was not running fast enough for me was using me as her pacer.  We crossed the finish line in a dead heat, and she thanked ME for getting her across the finish line. 😊

    Both of us clocked 28:04 and finished first in our respective age groups.  Had a good laugh as we collected our awards and headed our different ways.  I still needed to get in additional miles so headed home to dry off, change my clothes and put on a dry pair of running shoes.

    Got my remaining 11 miles done before relaxing and enjoying the rest of the day.

    The 5k races were done to get me mentally ready for the 2022 Clearwater Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  Found out yesterday this race was cancelled due to Hurricane Ian lurking in the Gulf of Mexico.  Looks like this race is reschedule for October 2023—hope to run this race one of these days.

    May look for another 5k to keep me running fast—we will see.

    What are your running goals for the rest of 2022?

    Irie!

    “Sometimes you just do things”.

    (Scott Jurek)

  • Run to Stop Hunger 5k

    “Running is real and relatively simple…but it ain’t easy”.

    (Mark Will-Weber)

    My Walk into the Future allows me to mix and match my adventures depending on what I am trying to get accomplished.

    I always love the running tourist part of my journey since I get to explore and stay in shape by training.  My big running goal for 2022 is to run and complete my first full marathon in December.  My training program is going well as I am averaging 30+ weekly miles to prepare for the task of running 26.2 miles in Palm Beach.  The 18-week training program allows me some flexibility but a standard in the program is the long run concept each weekend.  The miles increase incrementally each week and I have been dedicated to ensuring I get up on Saturdays to do my part to ensure I am ready for the full marathon.

    Decided to sign-up for local 5ks to improve my speed and warm up prior to going out for my long runs.  The 5k (3.1 miles) distance provides a great opportunity to get out and test my fitness levels, gauge my speed, and have fun. 

    Signed up for the Run to Stop Hunger 5k in Fort Pierce in September.  This was a hometown race, so the running tourist did not get a chance to explore new locales, but I did get to see Fort Pierce in a different context. 

    The race start and finish line was located within Causeway Cove which sits directly on the Indian River in Fort Pierce.  I run by this location weekly but never ventured onto the site to explore everything that is located there.  I see the signs for jet ski rentals when running and always think about going in to rent a jet ski but have not made that happen to date.  Interesting spot with a lot of different activities hosted there:  RV park, drive-in movies on Saturday nights, concerts, food festivals, etc.

    https://causewaycovemarina.wordpress.com/

    Needed to complete 14 total miles so decided to park closer to downtown Fort Pierce and run across the Seaway Drive bridge as a warmup before the 5k.  My goal was to get a 1-mile prerace run in to loosen my legs and give me a springboard to get up to speed during the 5k.  Made my way across the Seaway Drive bridge at a comfortable pace and arrived in Causeway Cove warmed up and ready to go.

    I did not set a time goal for this 5k but wanted to go out faster than I did for the Celebration of Running 5k back in August.  We did not have as many runners for this race so there was not as much traffic to navigate on the course.  The course was completely flat, and we did not have to cross traffic at all.

    It was an out and back race format with the turnaround at the 1.5-mile marker.  It was cool getting a chance to see the leaders heading back towards the finish line—got a chance to gauge how close or far I was from the race leader. 😊

    My first mile was run in 8:40 and I felt comfortable with this pace.  Smiled when I looked at my watch and saw my first mile was well under a 9-minute pace.  The Florida humidity was thick as always, but this did not keep me from maintaining this pace throughout the race—my goal was to get some speed work in so no need to back off at this point.

    I locked in on a couple runners to help pace me the rest of the way after crossing the race midpoint.  I felt the humidity a bit more in the second part of the race but had my music cranking (TI’s Motivation, again) and kept running hard.

    Crossed the finish line at 26:43 for a pace of 8:35. This was my fastest 5k since March 2020 so extremely happy with the results.  This time allowed me to finish second in my age group and collect a medal and age group award.  Got a chance to talk with some local runners while waiting for the awards ceremony—we are a friendly bunch of people.

    Still needed to get in additional miles so left Causeway Cove and ran back over the Seaway Drive bridge to my vehicle.  Got my additional 9 miles completed on Ocean Drive for a total of 14 for the day. 

    Happy with my results and how my legs feel during this preparation phase of training.  Will leverage speed work more as I get closer to my marathon date.

    Happy running folks!

    Irie!

    “As we run, we become”.

    (Amby Burfoot)

  • Navy SEAL Museum

    Navy SEAL1

    “We learn a lot and each museum ends up having its own distinctive character and personality”.

    (Richard Meier)

    I was honored when I was invited to join the IRSC Student Veteran Organization (SVO) leadership board as they toured the Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida.  I have driven by the museum, but this was my first time to enter the building and get a chance to review the history of the Navy SEALs.  This trip has been the highlight of 2022 for my Walk into The Future.

    It is great to have the Navy SEAL Museum locally in Fort Pierce and my visit will allow me to share with others. 

    My first experience with the Navy SEALs was a 2017 visit out to San Diego for an Educator’s Tour while I was still at Florida State University.  Select educators from around the country are invited out by the Navy to tour and see SEAL facilities to help with recruitment efforts.  I have been on multiple Educators tours:  Marine Corps (Quantico, VA.), Army (Fort Jackson, SC).  The services like to bring educators in to show them what true military services looks like and answer questions to enhance recruiting efforts at universities and colleges.

    My time in San Diego was to learn about the SEALs training efforts so I would be able to help students understand how their education would translate to the Navy and/or the SEALs.  The training is recognized as a mental and physical challenge, this is why the SEALs are such a respected and elite group—they are truly the best of the best!

    Fast forward to 2022 and my trip to the museum.  We were able to walk the halls and view historical artifacts from SEAL missions around the world.  The history of the SEALs is displayed throughout with emphasis on the tools used for success around the world.  The central theme for me was the bravery of the SEALs and how they carried out missions with professionalism and precision.

    I learned quite a bit during this trip and look forward to coming back with friends and family so they can see/experience this great history on display.

    https://www.navysealmuseum.org/