A Week of Bliss
It has been a busy and fun week in our camp. I appreciate all the emails and FB messages from my followers asking where I was and why this week's blog entry was late. I promise to stay on schedule in the future!
This week started out with a business trip to my hometown of Miami. My agency's director and I had meetings with a couple of the sports marketing partners we do business with where our "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" message, logos, and commercials run. While I know it was business, I have to tell you I was a little giddy inside when I got to stand in the Miami Dolphins' locker room. While I know they have not had a good season in what seems like decades, being a Miami native and a child during the perfect season and glory days, I was beaming inside as I stood in front of the Dolphin that adorns the center of the floor. Legend has it that only the players are allowed to touch it and only on game day. I will plead the fifth if ever question as to whether or not I broke the code and touched it.
A return home mid week allowed me to get back into the swing of eating right and training. I upped the swim miles, got in a couple good rides, and maintained my miles in the run department.
Friday after work, Stephanie, Kyle, and I along with Steph's sister Kim and her kids Taylor and Logan arrived at Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness where we stayed in a log cabin in the woods for the 5th annual Princess Half Marathon weekend. Each Disney race we try and stay at a different Disney hotel and this was my first time here in 36 years! The last time I was here, I was 5 years old and I camped with my parents, brothers and sister. More about that trip down memory lane a little later.
Saturday morning all three of the kids competed in the Disney Kid's Races of varying lengths. We boarded a Disney bus to Epcot (thank The Lord for the buses, it's the highlight to Kyle's trip every time) where we enjoyed mass chaos watching the kids run. Taylor and Logan ran the Mickey mile and did great. Taylor was even interviewed by Run Disney TV. Kyle and I ran the 400 meter dash, which is a whole quarter mile to you non-Canadians! When the starting gun fired, Kyle took off with me in tow and he never slowed down. The look of glee in his eyes as he ran and yelled "I'm doing my best daddy" about made me cry. The running scholarship hunt has begun folks!
Saturday afternoon with Aunt Kim and the kids at the pool and Stephanie and Kyle taking a nap, I snuck out to get a training run in myself. As I maneuvered the paved and unpaved paths through Ft Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge along Bay Lake, I began to reminisce about the last time I was here. In 1977 we camped on Cottontail Curl, a loop of camp sites in the original section of the park, you know, back when Mickey first settled Disney. Don't ask me how I can remember the location of where we were, just some things stick in your head. My dad back then was around my age, and I remember the entire weekend like it was yesterday. Today I ran and I realized that I am here now with my family, making memories, and hopefully Kyle, Taylor, and Logan will take something good from these trips and remember them forever like I do. As I made my way on my training run, my eyes watered up as I approached the sign for Cottontail Curl. The last time I saw that sign, dad was with me.
Sunday morning came very early as Stephanie and I headed out long before the sun ever dreamed of waking up for our trip to the starting line of her race. The kids were still snoring, tired from the fun of cooking out the night before and roasting marsh mellows. This was Stephanie's day, a day and a race she has planned for and worked hard to get to. I saw her off at the start at Epcot, then I made my way to the Magic Kingdom to see her along the route. I doubled back to the finish line to see her become a Princess, although she is a Queen in my book already. A little sore and weary, but she totally did it and I could not be more proud of my running family. God has blessed me with Stephanie and Kyle who embraced my hobby and, no pun intended, ran with it.
Bliss ......
