Tag: 2ndF

2nd F meetups are fellowship related where members of the F3RVA community get together for non-workout related meetups (e.g. coffee, events, etc.)

  • Family Time!

    A 16-count crew of PAX brothers and their families gathered at The Forge for an OTB trail blazing hike through the woods. Handshake and his family proudly represented NOJ, and while most of the PAX wore rucks, Bromance wore his adorable 2.0 in an awesome military grade carrier. Shortly after 2pm, we launched down to the railroad tracks and walked West along the tracks and then trail blazed South to Crestwood Elementary. In the melee of 2.0’s pouring through the playground gate, DTH’s 2.0 Banjo caught the sharp side of a metal latch on the cheek and the good doctor/Papa applied a snowball compress and then moleskin (thank you Sable) so he could join the rest. After 20 minutes at play, the rabble was rounded up for a looping hike through the woods and back to The Forge to complete the 1 hour adventure. Sunny and 50’s, the weather was truly perfect for this hike! Everyone then converged at Casa de DTH for backyard play and bonfire time – complemented with archery, axe throwing, zipline, trampoline, swing, s’mores, and bevvies. This is what being family is all about and we’ll miss all of you guys while we’re away in PNG the next few months. Yours AYE! ~DTH

  • Belay On for Freedom!

    2 now 3 freedom fighters gathered in the Robins Family Forum at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture to watch as this Constitutional Federal Republic grew by 60 souls. 36 countries were present among the group to witness history. According to the cries for freedom heard in the room here’s the path that they gave:

    “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”

    Stars were spangled and America was blessed. YHC is thankful and humbled by the commitment taken by intentionally others when many claim it by birth. We are a nation of immigrants. What an honor to celebrate this with Belay on President’s Day.

  • Underground Popup Westhoe 2nd F

    YHC, EF Hutton, and Kubota got together for a 2nd F to talk about 2024 and what can come in 2025. Great times were had. It was extremely last minute but next time YHC will make sure there is time for a proper invite.

  • Baccalaureate

    Baccalaureate

    Nineteen, nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh, nineteen, nineteen warriors of The Gloom stepped forth onto the frozen blacktop of Buckingham in the latest edition of The Bridge. Conditions remained steady at 70 and sunny. According to Mr. Yoder’s extended situational observation report, the following might have happened:

    07:29: pre-game introductions and re-introductions.

    07:30: Let’s mosey, or, as some do, mossy.

    07:31: COP

    Circle up. Disclaimer, mangled. Purpose, mangled. First exercise, SSHs, in cadence, full-throated, no mangling. X52, 4-count.

    Dead man hang. Fudd’s Wife. Right leg high. Left leg high. Wilson’s wife. Fudd’s wife. Pigeon right. Fudd’s wife. Pigeon left. (Don’t say it…don’t say it…ok, we did Fudd’s wife three times in the first 5 minutes. Had to say it.)

    LBCs x52 4-count. Someone has a birthday coming up. Flutter kicks, x20, 4-count. Reverse crunches / gas pumps, x10, 4 count. Rosalita’s, x 10, 4-count. Flip it over.

    HRM’s, x15. Stand up!

    Copperhead squats x10. Monkey humpers, x20.

    Let’s mossy, er, mosey. 1 lap.

    Touch-a-Tree. Rounds of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Exercises were WWIIs, WWIs, squats, something else, and burpees. “Governor Bush, give me one word that describes your campaign at this point? Strategery.” IYKYK.

    In between rounds, karaoke right, karaoke left for the six / to stave off freezing.

    Let’s mosey. 1 lap.

    Triple Check, Bridge Style. The Bridge is a living construction site in places. Partner 1 did hello dolly. Partner 2 did decline merkins. Partner 3 bear crawled along the spine of the asphalt heap. As Paul Simon sang, “Slip sliding away. Slip sliiidin’ away-yeaah.” Push yourself, don’t hurt yourself.

    In the words of Chum Bucket (not present), “Let’s mosey over here.” If you can, partner up with someone from your region (Charlottesville, The Bridge, Amelia, and RVA). Line up along opposite sides of the rope. Tug-of-War. Us against Them. It’s Our Guys against Those Guys. Round 1: Our Guys. Round 2: Those Guys. Round 3: Those Guys. Final score: Those Guys 2, Our Guys 1. Bonds were built.

    Let’s mosey. 1 lap.

    Circle up. 52, 4-count SSHs, in The Cadence.

    Numbers, names, and OBT took us out with a reminder of what F3 has done for him and for each of us. “Your nickname is your passport” to a world of 100,000 friendships and supporters. Incredible what this group has done for each of us. Thank you, my friend.

    Thank you to Mr. Davis for making the best Folger’s coffee in a styrofoam cup that any human can make. Thank you to Mr. Yoder for literally allowing himself to freeze so the rest of us could exercise together.

    Announcements:

    The Bridge holds graduation tomorrow. May the wind be at the backs of each man who is moving forward on his journey. Keep us and hold us. Find your group, stick together, help each other along. As YHC’s favorite sign says, “Choose to Carry More.”

    NMS:

    Incredible group of men today at The Bridge. YHC was moved by the outpouring of support from F3 Charlottesville, F3 Amelia, and F3RVA. 14 men from those regions joined 5 from The Bridge to make 19 in total…incredible. YHC notes that we missed the record for The Bridge by 1 or 2. November 30 had 15 RVA guys; this week we had 14 from all supporting regions. Let no man say the PAX does not overwhelmingly support this AO. Not for nothing…unless Gridiron comes out of nowhere, and it might, this is the second time in 3 weeks the The Bridge is the biggest Saturday AO! Time to get on board, fellas!

    If you have not yet made it to The Bridge, or if you are looking to run it back, we’ll have another group coming out soon. Look on Slack for details. LG!

    Also, great to catch up for some home cooking, hot coffee, and Halloween 2025 tattoo ideas at The Cumberland, home to the World Famous Bologna Burger. It’s worth the stop.

    UpChuck spits the bit.

  • 10-26-24 Breaking bread

    For this evening’s meal, a family pasta classic was in order here. Cajun Chicken Polska Kielbasa Pasta in a cream sauce was the main dish. Had Salad, garlic bread as sides and Brownies for dessert. All homemade from scratch.

    This was an honor to prepare.

  • How many kids can YOU carry?!

    Eleven intrepid campers escaped their sleeping bags to start the day with relighting the camp fire, donuts courtesy of Big Rig, a bit of coffee, and of course, a kid-friendly bootcamp. Here’s how we explored Camp WEAG:

    The THANG: 

    WARMERAMA: 

    • Mosey down toward the house and circle up
    • Welcome & Disclaimer
    • A smattering of IC Reps
    • Mosey down to the fishing pond

    COP #1: 

    • DORA, Part 1
    • x100 Dips
    • Moving partner runs 50 yards and back to switch
    • Run around the pond to the back side

    COP #2:

    • DORA, Part 2
    • x200 SSH’s on the bridge 
    • Partner runs up hill and back to switch
    • Run up the trail to the pavilion

    COP #3:

    • DORA, Part 3
    • x300 LBC’s 
    • Partner runs up the trail a ways and back
    • Mosey out to the field

    COP #4:

    • Adults all carry a 2.0
    • DTH got an adult-size Boba Fett shouldered and maybe made it 50 yards
    • Meatball found himself shouldering two girls one on each shoulder to finish the race. T-CLAPS!!!

    COT at The Flags:

    • Numberama #11
    • Namerama
    • Prayer

    NAKED MOLESKIN:  F3 Family Camping was a blast, and the kids absolutely ate up the workout. Camp WEAG has beautiful grounds, even more staggering on a warm Fall day, and it was a true joy to see all the kids roasting marshmallows, telling stories, and star gazing to spy comets. The weather was perfect and we will do it again!!! Yours AYE! ~DTH

  • Milton

    We caught Fireman Ed on 45-minute lunchbreak from making sandwiches. The tables were filled with sandwiches for Florida in anticipation of Milton. Topics of discussion included rotary dial and pay telephones, house refurbishments and Spider football.

  • Lara Teague Curry 5K

    We need one more Off the Books backblast today, so here it is:

    An assortment of PAX converged on Trinity UMC this morning in order to remember Lara Teague Curry’s life by supporting the 5K named in her memory. EF Hutton, Seymore and YHC set-up and manned the F3RVA awareness table while Offshore, Chippendale, Bodo’s, Splinter, Bass Pro, Sandy, Vandelay and Joey Chestnut ran the 5K. Thanks to Gomer Pyle for getting us the spot for the table so that we could spread the word on F3 and it’s mission. Several wives took F3RVA business cards home to their husbands.

    Another local teacher left us this week, the second one this year. My wife worked with the first one.

    Mental illness is real, folks! Please make yourself aware of it. Reach out for help. No one will look at you as a lesser person. People care about you!

    Kubota

  • Trail Blazing the Source

    A dozen Ruckhenge enthusiasts jumped aboard the Q train for a 3 mile ruck and discussion of all things, with a focus on the 5 Foundations of the Q Source. Sounding like a gaggle of school girls the PAX followed YHC on some new paths to get us up to Stony Point Fashion Park, then the wide loop around Larus Park. Oyster, master of the orgasm lap, played Duck Duck Goose around COT to ensure he achieved the full 3.0 miles. All 12 PAX stuck around for Einstein coffeerama and phenomenal Q Source discussion. For those interested in jumping aboard the Q train, we’ll be doing this every Wed at 5am for quite a while. Next discussion will cover Q1 “Get Right” overview and Q1.1 “DRP” – links below for reading or listening. Yours AYE! ~DTH

    https://f3nation.com/q-source-index

  • Make an Impact at The Bridge

    Make an Impact at The Bridge

    This post is about two things:

    Men who make an impact.

    Men who take the lead, not for themselves, but on behalf of others.

    If either of those topics interests you, read on.

    The Bridge is a ministry-driven school in Buckingham, Virginia, about an hour or so west of Richmond. There, men who are transitioning from being incarcerated to being free (again) spend about a year learning a variety of trades (e.g., welding, HVAC, carpentry, mechanical skills, and so forth) so that, when they are released, they have sufficient skills and structure to be (we hope) independent, well-functioning members of our society. Succeeding with one guy is a win. In short, this is a step on a second chance at life. The men are all selected by the judicial system based on their behavior while in prison. They are challenged – many have drug, alcohol, or other addictions. If these men do not adhere to the standards, they are sent back to prison to complete their sentence. In short, it’s not a guarantee, and it’s not a cake walk. In any case, if you believe in St. Jude (the patron Saint of Lost Causes) or the story of St. Dismas, perhaps that’s enough inspiration for you to give a few hours of your time and energy to support these men on the occasional Saturday morning. Or, if you are looking to meet other F3 men and enjoy the Second F of the drive out and back, hop in the Clown Car and make an impact. I believe you will learn from this experience, and I believe you will help others grow as well.

    Our F3 brothers in Charlottesville manage this effort. F3RVA takes on a fraction of the commitment. Back in the day, we used to claim 12 Q’s a year (one per month). That was a challenge for one person to organize. So, we have changed it up. We now have 7 volunteer leaders, that’s 7 of your F3RVA brothers (ahem, F3RVA and F3Amelia), who have committed to leading (or organizing other men to lead) 2 times per year each. That’s 14 Saturdays. Quite an impact.

    In addition, if you would like to join this group of Leaders and share the challenge of Leadership, there are 52 weeks in a year. Plenty of good places still available. The more, the merrier. We can always do more.

    Here’s our list of Leaders. Everyone of them has my respect.

    State Farm: Goyne Park / Chester
    Heist: Alamo / Western Chesterfield
    Whitesnake: Gridiron / Strange’s Nursery
    Hardywood: Amelia / Jetersville / Appomattox
    Corned Beef: DaVille
    The Yankee Aggressor: City Proper
    UpChuck: Westhoe / Tuckahoe / Who You Calling a Hoe?

    As I noted previously, there are holes to fill on the map. It would be awesome to have a Leader pick up the challenge on behalf of the Stratford Hills / Midlo area. You have an entire region behind you.

    This weekend, we launch. Saturday, August 31, State Farm has the Q, and Broadway is riding shotgun. Two studs taking on this opportunity (even while they are building The Iron Bridge!). YHC sees your impact, and it’s impressive. Thank you. Nice work.

    On September 14, we have another Leader ready to grab the mantle and make an impact. Heist will be leading the crew. Thank you, as well. And, thank you to the guys planning to join him.

    To everyone else, your nano / local Leader (the guys listed above) will be organizing a small team two times per year. Jump in the car and go. For those who work out on Saturdays, this takes about an hour longer than your normal Saturday morning commitment, with a usual return by 10:30 or so. You are guaranteed to make an impact, learn about yourself, and have the worst cup of coffee (styrofoam cup, super weak coffee, all free of charge!) in support of a great cause.

    Oh, and a few guys have asked me about going to a place surrounded by a fence. If you have not been to a prison, detention facility, jail, halfway house, glamour slammer, or similar, this is not GITMO or Folsom. No shackles, no iron bars, no razor wire, no gangs, no prison guards, and no jump suits. This is a farm with a rail fence. The guys often workout in jeans (we bring them workout clothes and F3 shirts). There are one or two guys with radios. These guys look forward to seeing you. They love this, and they put out the effort to make it a success.

    YHC thanks you in advance for your time, energy, and impact.

    Let’s do this!