Crystal is getting ready to do another event with Team in Training this year. The hardest and most rewarding part of working with Team in Training is raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. In 2005 Crystal raised over $2600 and did the Strawberry Fields Triathlon in Oxnard, Ca. This year she will be running the Nike Woman’s Marathon on October 21st in San Francisco, Ca and has set a goal to raise $2,500.
The hardest part of raising the money is writing a letter to friends and family asking for donations. These letters will be mailed out this weekend. Below is our first draft of our letter which fortunately won’t be mailed. If you would like to help Crystal reach her goal or check her progress you can go to
www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/crystalalatorre (more…)
May 26, 1987 - Waterbury, CT, USA
Okay…. so I’ve never been one to have a serious opinion on UFO’s but I think I may be a believer. I got a call from Crystal tonight at 9:48 as she was coming home from work. She was rather upset and talking very fast into her phone and we spoke for 1:48min. So, what happened you ask? Well, she was looking at a UFO. We looked on the Internet for photographs of other UFO sightings and we found an image of what she saw! This was taken in Waterbury, CT on May 26, 1987.
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I’m starting a new column today with Crystal. It’s called “Dining on the Central Coast.” We’re going to start documenting our dining experiences and rating the food, ambiance, and service.
Tonight we start our first installment. We decided to eat somewhere we haven’t eaten before. We ate at Don Pedro’s Authentic Mexican Food at 8550 El Camino Real in Atascadero. We were seated very promptly and quickly given chips and salsa. The chips were warm and the salsa was room temperature, but they were still good and we quickly emptied a couple baskets. The restaurant was very clean and had nice decorations however our seat was located in an area near a ceiling fan which had a recessed light above it. As the fan rotated it caused an almost strobe light effect on our table. It would have been fun if there was some good dance music playing but it wasn’t as great for eating. Our food was delivered quickly and our orders were correct. The beans were delicious as were the tamale’s and enchiladas. Crystal order a chicken taco which wasn’t that great. The chicken was very wet as if it had been sitting in chicken broth or was canned chicken and didn’t have much flavor. The service was really good however our hostess was a bit ditsy and had a very loud voice which carried throughout the restaurant when she was in the kitchen joking with the chef. The price per plate was $10-$12. Overall on a scale of 1 to 10 forks I give it 6 forks and Crystal gives it 5.
Crystal Crosses the Finish Line
Congratulations Crystal! Saturday Crystal successfully conquered the Strawberry Fields Triathlon in 1:28.58 hours and is now a Triathlete! You can check out some more pictures in our online photo album.
The most exciting part of the day was during the swimming portion in the ocean. The surf was very rough with waves breaking way over the heads of the swimmers standing in the ocean attempting to work out to the buoys marking the course. There was also a lot of debris in the ocean, large branches, sticks, etc. In Crystal?s group half were unable to break through the surf on the first attempt. Crystal was able to push through but not after being pummeled by two large waves. On the way in she was caught in another large wave containing debris which caught her up and rolled her over in the water. She was able to get out, looking a bit tired and stressed, but alive.
Crystal had set a goal to complete the even in 1:20 hours but she did it in 1:28! She was also able to raise $2000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! While running the race Crystal wore the names of Doyle Griffith and Barbara Keep, two of her friends who have been battling with cancer. Crystal wasn?t the only winner this weekend.
