Week 3 Winter Break: Kicking Off the Year with Adventures and Fun: A Week Full of Memories
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
– Maya Angelou
By: Hong Bing Tang Month Day, Year
12/30/2024 to 01/05/2025
Introduction:
Greetings folks! I hope everyone has been having wonderful holidays and having a great start to the new year! For me, the start of the year has been great! This past week has been full of fun adventures and activities. From an exciting new year’s party followed by a new year’s resolution run to going to a pistons game it has been an eventful week. Join me as I discuss what I have been up to this week!
The runs:
It snowed quite a bit this week! Making things gorgeous but a little tougher to run in. On Tuesday Luke decided to finish the year strong and do a workout. It was quite a short track workout. However, it started to snow while we were running the workout. Usually this is not a big deal, however since it was around 30 degrees it was more like freezing rain and to make things tougher the wind was howling. This combination caused the little, tiny ice crystals to price our skin like pins and needles while we were running in the wind. Pretty unpleasant. Additionally, as we started the workout, the track started to be covered in a slick layer of slush/ice making it hard to get traction on the 200-meter reps. Luckily, we were working together so it made things ever so slightly more bearable. It was certainly a way to end the year! Anyways after those tough conditions on Tuesday, the weather treated us well the rest of the week. While it was cold, and snowy a lot of the days. It was pretty to enjoy running outside in the white wonderland!
New Years Eve at Will’s House:
Since I was hoping for New Year’s this year, I was able to go to Will’s house to celebrate New Year is with some of his friends. I got to see some of his friends that I had not seen since high school which was awesome to be able to reconnect with them. There were a variety of activities that we were able to do. Adam and I first started off by playing with each other in the pool. I was successfully able to take the dub before we moved onto ping pong where Adam and I played against Max, Will’s brother, and his friend, despite an eight-point deficit at the beginning of match, Adam and I pulled things together and took the win. Afterwards, Adam and I played some Super Mario Bros and Mario cart on the emulator arcade machine that will be owned. It was a lot of fun, but I was not particularly good at either of the games.
At around 11pm Will decided that we should have a campfire. It was a little unrealistic since it had been snowing for around 5 hours so most of the wood that he had covered in snow and still wet from the previous days of rain, but he was convinced that we would be able to light the logs on fire. So, Phil and I decided to try to have a fire. However, we mutually agreed that when we ran out of cardboard from the pizza boxes and the fire eventually died due to not having dry fuel, we would stop. So, we tried to light the wood on fire but were only able to keep the fire alive by feeding it cardboard and paper. After about 30 minutes we ran out of paper and so the fire died. However, realizing this, Will decided to have some fun with some makeshift fireworks which were quite loud. After being outside for about an hour, we all went inside and watched the ball drop. After this we stopped with each other for a time before playing some more video games. At around 1am I got tired, so I headed back home. Overall, it was quite a thrilling party, and I was glad I went!
New Years Resolution Run:
On New Years Eve, my boss from work invited Adam and I to run the Lake Orion New Years resolution 5k. We both decided to have this be our part of our run. So we ran 4 miles beforehand and then did the 5k. It was a lot of fun since it was in downtown Lake Orion which I have run through hundreds of times! Additionally, being in the race environment was amazing and even though we were just easy running the race, just being in the environment and the racing energy caused us to run faster than I realized. Both of us cross the line together how in the final results Adam edged me out my half a second. After the race, I was able to catch up with Ray, who is a currently Lake Orion High School runner along with talked to Coach ford and Brian. A great way to start the year!
Pistons game:
On Saturday night our cross country team decided to go to the pistons game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. We all car pooled to the game it was a short 30 minute drive to the stadium. Since we got to Detroit at 4pm we decided to go somewhere to eat as well. Following the recommendation from Joey, we decided to eat at a bar called Harry’s. However the place was packed since there was so sort of special event going to so we had to wait for 50 minutes. However the wait was well worth it since the food that we all got was amazing. I got an Avocado Ranch Burger and they branded a “Harry’s logo” on the burger bun. Additionally, the fries served with the burger were seasoned perfectly and were crisp when you took a bite into them.
After eating that delicious meal, we all headed to the arena to watch some “DETRIOT BASKETBALL!!!” I had only been to the arena one of time so I was pretty unfamiliar with the atmosphere. People slowly started to trickle in once it got closer to the start of the game at 7pm. This matchup was going to be an exciting one as the wolves had been one of the best teams in the west last year and the pistons, after having one of the worst seasons in the NBA last year, had won 5 out of there 6 last games. The game started off quite back and forth but by the middle of the second quarter we went on a huge run and by halftime 20 more points than the Timberwolves. The wolves just could not get anything going through the whole game other than Ant, (Anthony Edwards) who by the end of the game had half of his team’s points. The deficit was too much for the wolves and after some explosive plays in the 4th quarter from the pistons, we were able to secure the dub.
Little Elf’s in Santa’s Workshop:
The last highlight of the week was the Coach Ford, aka Santa Claus, long run! We had a wide variety of us there; some of us in college while a couple high school runners as well. It was quite a cold run with the temperature being around the upper teens with the feels like being around 7 degrees. However, even with a chillier run, the spirits were high, and it was nice to be able to run with others than I had not run with in a long time. We ran quite a hilly route, but it went by quick. Will, and I dropped most of the crew off after 8 miles and we continued for another 5 miles to complete our long run. After finishing running, coach Ford treated us with some hot chocolate and muffins while also showing us some relics from his grandfather that he had found in his house. A fun way to have a long run and see our old coach.
The Conclusion:
As the first week of the year wraps up, I cannot help but feel grateful for the fun-filled moments and the chance to connect with friends, family, and teammates. From battling the winter weather during snowy runs to ringing in the New Year with an unforgettable celebration, every experience has been a reminder of how special life’s little adventures are. The excitement continued with the New Year’s Resolution run and the Pistons game, both of which brought fresh energy and excitement. To top it all off, a long run with Coach Ford made for a perfect ending to the week. I am looking forward to more moments like these in the coming months, and I hope the year continues to be just as thrilling and memorable. Here are to more adventures ahead!
Goals Update:
I think to hold me more accountable for the goals I made this year. I will put my updates on each weekly Blog.
Journaling: I have not journaled at all in 2025 however I don’t think it will be an everyday thing but would like to consistently do it a couple times a week
Nail biting: Continue to do it
Reading: Finished 2 books this week!
Phone usage: An average of 1 hour and 34 minutes of screen time on my phone this week. That is pretty good! Most of it being productive tasks.
Get in Touch
Got questions or want to chat? Drop a line. I love connecting with new friends!