why the big mo? as in MO. as in Missouri. as in the show-me state.
the show-me state earned its nickname from us representative william duncan vandiver. in 1899, he delivered a speech to the house of representatives and famously said,
“I come from a country that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I’m from Missouri, and you have got to show me.”
i was born in missouri (MO for short….or the big MO, as i like to call it), so i guess it is natural that i am skeptical and not easily convinced by words alone. that is my approach on life: i’m not satisfied by simply hearing the words of others. i must see and experience things on my own. that’s what this blog is about: my experiences while i try to make the most of this crazy life. usually those adventures involve traveling, climbing, running, hiking, and drinking good wine or beer with friends…..
last year, that experience was climbing denali – north america’s highest peak. this fall, the experience was training for my first marathon – the marine corp marathon. next year, i’ll run the boston marathon while raising money for the esplanade association.
