Camp is for the camper...

I just watched the official video my son brought home from his session at Ridgecrest Camp for Boys. While he actually finished camp there a couple of weeks ago, I just now had time to watch the video. As I watched it, I enjoyed seeing the excitement in his eyes as he explains certain things. I see great images of games, swimming, canoeing, mountain biking, target shooting, sports and all kinds of fun. Anyone watching it can see the fun. What you can also see, if you look closely, is the incredible example set for the campers by the staff.

Working summer camp staff is not for everyone. Many camp jobs require creativity, energy and unlimited patience. These folks do not sign up to deal with homesickness or trouble makers, yet that comes with the job. Camp staff, at least at Ridgecrest, do a tremendous job of stepping in for parents by taking care of injuries, dealing with upset stomachs and ensuring the campers do not get in too much trouble.

While at camp, the boys take part in skill development in areas such as sports, horse back riding, swimming and crafts. They also do crazy games like Sock War, Gold Rush, Bedlam Ball, Pirates of the Shawnee Nation and a plethora of other fun activities. Field trips dot the schedule for each tribe to places like Sliding Rock, Fun Depot, tubing, white water rafting and other area attractions.

Most importantly, while at camp, campers get to hang out with a staff that care about them. I can think of no better influence on my son when he is away from me. Camp leadership does a tremendous job of selecting those that will serve each summer.

I cannot help, as I watch the video, of thinking back to the years I served on a camp staff. Faces and names and activities flash through my mind. Many of the staff from those days, and even several campers, have become good friends of mine. Those relationships are among the most important in my life, and I am blessed to have met those guys.

To be honest, camp is not cheap. As with many things, a quality camp program can seem expensive. That said, there is no more important use of our funds each year than sending my kids to camp. Our daughter attends for the first time next week, and I know she will have a great time. The value of camp is indescribable. In my mind there is no doubt: Camp Changes Lives. Send your child to camp-you won't regret it.

http://www.ridgecrestcamps.com/index.php

It's only money...

Our federal government is completely out of control. There, I said it. If any one person spent money like those folks in Washington D.C., when there is no more money to spend, that person would be thrown in jail. Or maybe they would be thrown into a mental home. Maybe both would happen. Let's take a fun look back at the past week.

As you may have heard, we nearly had a government shut down last week. That would mean that the money was officially turned off, and all services provided by funds from the federal government would essentially be turned off. I will freely admit that a part of me was OK with that. There is so much spent on so many wasteful projects that I was initially OK with the idea of shutting things down.

Then I started thinking: what about the average Joe who depends on a pay check to pay bills? We heard about our service men/women who would not be paid. We started to hear that workers would be furloughed. We heard that those in Congress would still receive pay checks. I know we can all see the logic in that. (That is dripping sarcasm!)

Of course, at the last minute, a deal was struck to continue things until April 15. I imagine we will hear about this all over again at that time. Yet I started asking a question: why are we in this mess? So after some research, I found out something interesting. The reason for this threatened shut down is there was no budget passed for this fiscal year. When asked why, Charlie Rangel, Democratic Representative from New York, said, "They just did not get around to it." Now let that sink in for a minute.

About the only thing our politicians seem to know how to do really well is spend money. Basically what happens is they take money via taxes, and redistribute it. Those folks did not "get around" to passing a budget? What on Earth were they doing? When pushed on it, Rangle said there was no big uproar from the populace that no budget had been passed. Well, I guess we sort of think they might do what they are supposed to do sometime.

This is no attack on just one party. Why did Republicans not push for a budget a long time ago? If my memory serves, they have been there since January. What have they been doing? Maybe the newly elected ones did not know, yet certainly those that remained in office were aware no budget had been passed. That process takes a while. Certainly they would remember if that process had occurred.

We really need people in Washington who take responsibilities seriously. We need folks who understand we cannot simply spend, spend, spend. It sounds great to cut 30 or 40 billion dollars out of a budget, yet when the deficit is in the trillions, that is pocket change. There must be fiscal responsibility. Somehow, someway, we must get control of this financial mess. An ostrich can put its head in the sand for as long as it wants, yet that does not make the danger go away. Our population must recognize what is going on. When we have to borrow from China, to pay China what we owe them from before, that is a problem. When an individual takes a cash advance from one credit card to pay off one credit card that is a problem. Maybe we need to send all those folks on the finance committee to financial therapy. Or at least get them a good Dave Ramsey book. I will buy one for my representative, how about you?

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

The Christmas season is supposed to be a time of family gatherings, giving to loved ones (sometimes out of obligation), tacky sweaters, spending money you don't have, traveling, fighting over parking spots and just maybe dusting off your faith. We all know what the meaning of Christmas is intended to be. Much of the Christian faith recognizes and celebrates the birth of Jesus. As for the rest, it can often simply be a hassle. This year, my family had what we call:
A Griswold Christmas.

We took that name from the lovable family featured in the movie Christmas Vacation. If you have not seen the movie, basically everything that can go wrong does. Christmas lights don't work, Clark (Chevy Chase) does not get an expected bonus, both sets of grandparents arrive and create all kinds of havoc (along with Cousin Eddie and his clan) and the cat gets electrocuted. Of course there is more, yet you can probably get the idea.

This year from Christmas Eve on we had our very own Griswold Christmas. The fun started when our lovely 7 year old daughter woke us up at 4 AM throwing up in our room on our carpet. That is after she had already done this in her room on her carpet. I mean, why go to the bathroom when you can spread the love to more carpeted floor?

The next issue was a small one. We had a nail in one of our tires. Do you know how hard it is to find a tire store open on Christmas Eve in small town North Carolina? I did find one, and could proceed to the local YMCA for a workout. What else could go wrong?

The matriarch of our family is the lovely and talented Amy. Along with keeping the kids (and me) in line, she is a licensed professional counselor. Occasionally she has to be on call. This means that when there is an emergency mental health emergency she must go out and do an assessment on the person, decide what the course of action is, and try to get them some help. As I was heading home from my workout, I was receiving a frantic call from Amy that she had to head out to the hospital to do an assessment. She was confident it would not take long. Five hours later she finally got to come home. For a while. More on that later.

This past summer we got a dog. Major has provided a good bit of fun and frivolity to our family. He has also spent more time indoors than any of us really initially imagined or intended. Because he is still pretty young, he often has a lot of energy. Christmas Eve was pretty cold, so he was indoors a good bit of the day. We like to throw a tennis ball and he likes to bring it to us, play a little tug-of-war, then chase it again. Occasionally things get out of hand. One such occasion involved our trusty lap top and a TV stand that is often our computer table. Major ran into the "table" and knocked down the computer. The cover of the lap top disconnected from the main body of the computer. You think that is all? Wait, there's more!

A little while later things seemed to be calming down. The computer had been nursed to health, everyone was calm and at home and we were settling in for the evening. It was time to cook dinner. The aforementioned Amy was just getting things together to prepare dinner. Without any warning, and for no apparent reason, the power went out. The Waffle House is always open, so we decided to make the best of a less than super ideal situation and eat there. The food was fine and the company was, as always, interesting.

We got home from dinner and I decided to make a fire. No electricity, so why not? We got blankets, lit candles and settled in for an unusual night. The fire was soon roaring. We had plenty of light to play some board games and read the Christmas story-a family tradition on Christmas Eve. I noticed smoke was filling the house. I checked. I had opened the damper. I closed and opened it again to no avail. Smoke was pouring into our den. We opened a window and another door-which got some smoke out, but certainly did not help our heating situation.

Finally everything calmed down. Andrew and I were settled on the floor by the fire. Amy and Lauren were on the couch. Everyone was bundled up and warm. We were headed to sleep....and the power came back on! Perfect timing, although we were not complaining.

The rest of the evening was fine. The kids went to bed, we went to bed after setting out a few items for Christmas morning and everything was great. Until 1:30 AM. At that time, Amy received another call from the hospital and had to head back out. She returned right around 5:30 AM. Now that is a great way to spend the early part of Christmas morning!

Christmas Day started out normally. The kids got up and we opened our gifts, we had a good breakfast and everyone was settled in for Christmas Day. Around 9 AM, it began to snow. It snowed, and snowed and snowed. We ended up with about 8 inches that day. Everything looked great and for the first time in my life, I got to play in the snow on Christmas Day.

The only negative about the snow is that it played havoc with our travel plans. The day after Christmas Day we had planned to head up to Virginia and spend some time at a camp hanging out as a family. They had more snow than we did, so we decided to stay home. No big deal, we just spent more time playing in the snow.

By Monday we needed to get out. The roads were mostly clear (as far as we knew) and the kids had money burning a hole in their pocket. So we loaded up and headed off to Asheville. We did some shopping and went to a movie. Upon leaving the movie I noticed that some cars were having a bit of a tough time with some ice on the road we needed to drive. I backed way off the car in front of me to have plenty of room in the event we started sliding. Well the car in front of us (probably 50 feet in front) started sliding and went into the curb. I tried to back off even more, but there was too much ice on the road. We slid into that car at about 4 miles per hour. There was plenty of time to tell everybody to brace themselves and prepare to meet the nice lady in front of us. I probably had time to eat a sandwich we were moving so slowly. After we bumped her, the nice lady in back of us hit us. Man those were nice folks. I sure wish we had not met in that manner!

Well there was very little damage to any one's vehicle, which is good. I still had to pay my insurance deductible, which was bad. Nobody was injured, nobody was mad and everyone could drive away in their own vehicle. All in all, things could be worse.

We figured everything was done. I think it was my son who asked, "What else can go wrong?" Please take my advice-don't ever ask that question.

To be honest, nothing else big occurred. Our lap top seemed to be possessed by a demon. I suppose that will happen when it is 6 or so years old and just got dropped on the floor. At times, it would just shut off. You might be surfing that whole world wide web thing, and then all of a sudden, the computer would just turn off. On New Year's Eve, my lovely bride was conducting some important online business (FACEBOOK) and it happened to her. Now things were not funny any more. So off we went to get a new computer.

Earlier in the week we had checked out a few models. I had done some research and we made plans to get one in the not too distant future. Now things were critical and we had to have one today! We went to a store, got the one we wanted and took it home. In doing so, we stayed far away from that road where we had the accident only a few days before. I know some of you were concerned about that.

After we got home, I began the process of setting this baby up. This was fun! A computer that worked. A screen that is 17" and HD. A blue ray player. After doing a few things, I had to shut it down and restart it. At that point, the problems started. Upon restarting, a message popped up that our battery was not going to work. Our brand new battery on our brand new computer was not accepting a charge. A call to the store to an incredulous store employee (who was probably just waiting to get off work and party I am sure) and we learned we needed to take the computer in to them. That would have to wait until the next day. So I kept installing things of course. We had purchased Microsoft Office. I know you Mac snobs out there are snickering, and that is fine. The code I was provided at the store would not work. So I got to spend a couple of hours on the phone with a nice lad in India who helped me. This computer was great. Until the next day.

My lovely bride took our new home computing device back to the store to check out this whole battery issue. An employee turned it on, and hey lookie there, the battery won't charge?! They got us another computer of the same model, changed the hard drive I had so diligently worked on to the new case, and off she went. After we got the new little one home, I had to install a few things over again. Everything worked great except Office. So back I went to the phone. I called one number, no solution. I called another number, which asked for our code. Then I was told that number was not valid because it had already been used. Of course it had. So I had to call another number. For the first time all day, I spoke to an American. He seemed to care about me. We talked about how frustrated I was to be dealing with this while I should have been closely watching the Rose Bowl. He cared so much, that he transferred me to Jabeeb. I promise you that is his name. For the next 2 and a half hours I talked with Jabeeb. At one point, he got one of his friends on the phone for a conference call. And he did not care that TCU had just scored a touchdown!

Finally-everything worked. And finally, "bad" things stopped happening. I doubt seriously there was some correlation between the computer finally being set up well and the lack of less than super ideal things happening to us. It was a happy coincidence though.

So that is our story. The year we had the Griswold Christmas. Nothing too bad happened, yet it got to be a bit comical. Even though we had a string of stuff occur, we were all in relatively good health, we were together and we managed to have some fun and spend some quality time with each other.

With the new year, we hope we get the "bad" things out during the year instead of having them all in the course of a week or so. Can you plan those things? I would sure like to try!

A,B,C,D,E,F,G.......

Americans just cannot spell. In elementary school we would take spelling tests. We all worked to make a perfect score. I remember writing words during the week and then practicing them on Thursday night before bed, getting ready for the big test on Friday. Life was good if we got all of the words correct, and even better if we got a bonus word or two for extra credit.

Somewhere between then and now I have observed that people simply cannot spell very well. I know some people have trouble spelling from birth. My father will tell anyone he has never been able to spell, yet he still tries. That is not an issue. Many folks today simply do not care. I can understand that a little because we can use spell check and get by. All that is to say, I think the real issue is bigger.

We have an issue with laziness in today's society. This can be seen in spelling and grammar. Many adults do not know the difference between to, too and two. Go on any website that allows comments and read the number of times "your" is used when "you're" should be used. My son had a teacher a few years ago that sent home a note that was grammatically incorrect. She ended a sentence with a preposition. How many times a day do we hear people say things like, "Where is it at?" My mom used to tell me when I said that it was like hearing fingernails on a chalk board. At this point in my life I agree with her. We even had a presidential campaign slogan that was grammatically incorrect. We all can remember "Change we can believe in." Regardless of your feelings about the candidate what is now the President, they should have been ashamed to use such poor grammar as a slogan.

If you really want to see laziness, go to a local Wal-Mart parking lot and watch for a while. You will see vehicles going the wrong way down aisles, people parking in fire lanes and customers leaving shopping carts all over the parking lot. You can also see people parking illegally in handicapped places. That particular thing really fires me up! Just because you have the placard from the car of someone else does not make it OK to park in those places.

Laziness seeps in from texting. When you are too lazy to spell out a word completely that is a problem. From there we see people throw their trash out of windows (especially cigarettes!), drivers failing to use turn signals and we can go on and on. It is no wonder so many Americans are not simply a little overweight, they crossed into obesity. I know that is a major leap, yet can we really prove it is not all related?

This laziness really arises from the fact that we simply have things too easy. We can coast through school, coast through college, coast through work and retire to our stipend from the government. Of course this can make us lazy. We know that someone, somewhere will be there to take care of us. We can rest in the fact that if we make a bad decision, there is someone out there to bail us out. Why work hard? The government will pay my bills. Why buy flood insurance even when I live in a flood or hurricane zone? Some agency will come in and take care of my troubles. Why study hard in school when everyone gets the same grades?

Of course there are exceptions in all of this. From what I can see those that work hard, make wise choices and do well are becoming targets. If you excel in the work place and do well, you are targeted by others to get knocked down. If you start your own business and make a nice living you are told you make too much money. If you do well in school and have a chance to graduate with honors, schools will not recognize your achievement because it may make someone else feel bad. Give me a break.

It seems that in our society today, we vilify those who work hard and do well. These folks are called "privileged" or "lucky" or "more fortunate." We must refer to other folks as "less fortunate." Well if you don't go to school, and if you refuse to work, you are not "less fortunate." In this country, except for a very small percentage, anyone can go to college and make something out of life. Your family background is no excuse. At some point you need to look at yourself in the mirror and decide what kind of person you will be. If you choose not to take advantage of opportunities to better yourself, you are not "less fortunate." You are most likely simply lazy.

This is certainly not nice, yet I believe it is true. Not everything that is beneficial is going to be nice. I would write about that, but that is a whole other topic, and plus I am feeling kind of lazy...

Four score and seven years ago...

Well it wasn't really all that long ago. It only seems like a lifetime. That is because it has been a blur. And that is a good thing.

August 6, 1994. That goes down as the greatest day in my life. On that day, I got married. Life has never been the same.

I sometimes hear that grooms are nervous, anxious, fearful and have incredible doubts. The term "Bridezilla" has certainly gained popularity. If I had been marrying a bridezilla, perhaps things would have changed, yet I was never nervous or anxious or fearful. I never had doubts. I knew this woman was amazing and I had nothing to fear.

If you are married long enough, you will probably get asked how you knew this was the person you should marry. Of all the billions of people on Earth, how did you settle on this one? There are a variety of answers to this. My answer is simple: I just knew. When we decided to date, I knew there was no one else for me. If I get even more scientific I say this: I have never seen anyone look at me the way she looks at me. In her eyes, I can see she loves me. Some days it might be her allergies, yet normally she is looking at me "with love in her eyes."

Amy is a wonderful person. She is caring, loving, kind and genuine. Basically, she is everything I am not. And yet she loves me anyway. Obviously, she is also crazy. I mean, she married me! She laughs at my jokes. (At least when I have new material.) She is a fantastic mom. She keeps me sane by letting me have hobbies. She supports me in my work. She lets me watch college football! She is awesome!
I can think back to our wedding day and I remember a few things. My groomsmen were a bit irreverent, yet supportive. The bridesmaids took their job seriously. The food was great. The music was amazing. The doors opened and there she was. I know folks say that every bride is beautiful. I have seen a few that I would not classify that way (just watch Big Fat Redneck Wedding sometime). On that day, there was no more beautiful woman in the world. She was not just smiling, she was absolutely radiant. I felt like the most fortunate man in the world. And I still feel that way now.

My lovely bride will tell you there are prettier women in the world. What I can tell you is: there is no more beautiful woman in the world. And I am the luckiest guy ever. I don't know why she agreed to marry me except for momentary lunacy on her part. And then I guess she figured she was stuck with me.

Thanks to John, Michael and Danny for inviting me to that Hawks' game. That night I met Amy, and even though she really does not remember meeting me that night, my life was changed forever. (Great story, you should ask about it.) Then it took a while, yet eventually we got together. Apparently a good number of our friends were wondering what took so long. I have never been accused of being very bright and this is another good example.

So thanks for 16 great years. I look forward to a whole bunch more if you can stand it. I love you more today than I did then. I love you more today than I did yesterday. I will love you more tomorrow than I do today. Thanks for being you. Thanks for taking a power sander to my rough edges. Thanks for loving me back. Thanks for sharing life with me. I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Camp is for the camper.....

Last week, we picked up our 9 year old from camp. To be exact, it is Ridgecrest Camp for Boys (http://www.ridgecrestcamps.com/). The closing ceremony is simple, and could be viewed as a bit corny, yet it is so indicative of what boys do at camp. There are some traditional songs, a presentation or two, a brief spiel about the alumni organization (which is amazing) and a video.

The video is where it gets me. Through the video you get to see all that goes on. These campers have no idea how good they have it. I watch the video and I want to go to camp! I wish there was a session for 30 ish campers (OK, more like 40 ish!).

Throughout the 2 week session, we can go on line and see pictures and read blogs and get a sample of what is going on. Of course, you look for your son. We make a folder and save his pictures. That only tells part of the story.

I worked camp-not Camp Ridgecrest-but I worked at a camp for boys. I know that some of the things you do during a session are for the campers, yet some are purely for your sanity. I also know that if you did not love what you were doing, and love the place where you are serving, you simply would not go back. Many of the staffers go back year after year. They serve unselfishly and work hard. The video shows much of what is offered to the boys.

Mountain biking, camp outs, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, zip lines, blobs into the lake, Disc Golf, sports of all kinds, rock climbing, carnivals, water slide, field trips (eating at Fuddrucker's is an amazing camp activity I say), hiking, rocketry, paintball, hang time, bonfires, tribal rings, devotions, amazing camp food, meeting boys from throughout the country (Andrew's best buddy at camp lives in Michigan), is all just a sampling of what they do. Not every boy experiences the same stuff because each can choose some activities and then some things are camp wide or age group specific. Sock war is a camp specialty. Then they do Capture the Flag, Sub Wars, World Cup, Sink the Dock, Messy Games and so much more. All this in an environment where the focus is developing young men as leaders, and teaching them it is OK to have fun and live for God at the same time. Apparently no one ever wears a shirt either!

The camp video, which each family gets to take home, shows snippets of all kinds of activities at camp. As I watched, I literally had tears in my eyes. Watching these videos brings back so many memories and I am so glad I get to send my son. I sat him down and explained how lucky he is to get to go to camp. They do an amazing job!

Next year, our daughter can go to Crestridge Camp for Girls. I know she will have an amazing time as well. They also have a tremendous tradition and do a great job. I cannot wait to see her response to camp, camp activities, camp environment and all that is involved with camp.

In these days, many parents are leery about sending away their kids. Too many parents won't allow their kids our of their sight, thus earning the title Helicopter Parent. Allowing your child to attend camp is great for them, and can be great for you. You know they are in a safe environment, they get to experience life without you, and they get to blossom and develop in a wholesome environment. What could be better? Additionally, you get a small vacation from them, which is healthy for you!

Camp can be pricey. Most things in life that are worthwhile have a cost. In my opinion, there is very little in this world that is more valuable for them than sending them to camp. Sacrificing for their sake is good for them and you.

Send your child to camp, and you cannot believe how they develop and grow. Send your child to camp and they might find out who they really are. Send your child to camp and the benefits far exceed any negatives (like missing them). Basically, send your child to camp.

Camp changes lives.

Give it the old college tri....

I like to exercise. The way it benefits the body is a great plus. Since I like food so much, exercise is a must. Exercise helps clear my mind. If I don't work out for a while I am more testy and grumpy. So for the sake of my family, and sometimes at the urging of my family, I exercise.

I have been running really since my middle school years. I have never been the fastest for sure. My effort has always been high, I am just not real fast. And as age has crept on me, that speed is even more reduced. August 2008, I decided to get in shape and I began watching my diet and running. I dropped some tonnage and got in better shape. Last spring and summer I did a few road races and really worked hard. My body began to break down and while I wanted to work out, it was just too painful to run 5 or 6 times a week.

A couple of guys at work and church, Scott Darnell and Steve Jones respectively, started talking to me about getting a road bike. I liked the idea, yet they are quite expensive. Well finally they talked me into it, and I then convinced my lovely bride that I would use it frequently, so we bought a bike.

If you have not ridden a bike recently, you really need to try it. The thrill of the wind in your hair and of dodging Bubbas in pick up trucks and dogs chasing you is amazing. Then I began swimming a tad. I was certainly not fast, and in fact, was quite slow. Yet something was in my head....

I don't quite know what possessed me, yet I decided to do a triathlon. After lots of research and some recommendations from an old high school friend of my wife, Scott Helms, I picked one in the town of Valdese, NC. This event is the shortest adult distance tri I have ever seen. Most sprint triathlons I can find have a swim at least 500 yards. This swim would be 250 yards. The bike was 9 miles and it finished with a 5k run. So I began training, and convinced my neighbor and training partner Greg Hughes and co-worker Scott Darnell to join the fun. In October, I really threw myself into training. I learned something: I can bike and run just fine, but my swimming was awful.

This swim occurs in an indoor pool. One swimmer starts every 15 seconds or so. You swim a length of the pool, then change lanes, and so on until you get to the last lane. At that point you jump out, move to the bike and off you go. When I first began swimming I could barely go a lap without stopping. This whole breathing thing was not going well. Then Scott D. came to my rescue. After he gave me some help, it clicked. I still was not fast, yet I could swim for a while non-stop and then actually started to improve.

After a few months of training, doing most of my running and riding inside because of the rough winter we had, taking swim lessons geared for triathletes, and purchasing some new gear, the day was upon us.

I really had no fear of not finishing. Unless I was in a bike wreck, suffered an injury or came down with some strange malady, there was no way I would not finish. The only question was how would I do?

In the early morning hours we met at my house. Scott, Greg and I traveled to Valdese together and began getting things together. Being a rookie, I was not sure how to set up my area. Each participant has a spot for their bike, and that is the same bit of Earth where you place your running gear and anything else you need. We "got inked" which means you get your race number written on you with a permanent marker at this event. Then it was time to hurry up and wait.

Time began to creep up on us and eventually it was start time. Each registrant submitted a swim time and that is how we were seeded. One swimmer every 15 seconds, a break every few minutes, which meant I did not start until 9:28:30. At about 9:20 I went to stand in line. Then the nerves really hit. At this point it was as if time was leaping forward. We could watch all the swimmers going and could see some good swimming strokes, some bad and some swimmers who had clearly given optimistic swim times. These folks were passed by the people behind them. That became my new goal-don't get passed!

The guy in front of me was a couple of inches shorter then me, with zero body fat. The guy behind me was about 6' 4" and also had no body fat. Everybody around me looked fit and trim. Again, I felt incredibly nervous. Again I told myself, don't get passed! The guy in front of me started, and then it was my turn. I remember thinking, "What have I gotten myself into? Oh well, I may as well do this thing." Lame I know, but in stressful times we think strange thoughts.

The race worker was counting, "5,4,3,2,1, go" and I was off. As I went I concentrated on my form, made sure to breathe, and wondered where the guy was behind me. After the first lane I turned, found my rhythm and things were good. My training was paying off. By the end of lane 2 I was catching the guy in front of me. He would not get out of my way. For 2 more lengths he was in my way. Then on lane 5 I made my move. I pushed harder and got past him, then just concentrated on getting back on my pace. Apparently at this point, as I was passing him, my lovely children were screaming loudly and cheering like they were at a football game. With my head in the water I could hear nothing! As I got to the end of lane 10 I noticed the ladder. Out we go. From there we had to go out the door, up a sidewalk, across the street and into the bike transition area. What I kept thinking was, "Nobody passed me!" That lasted about 10 seconds.

I am told this is me swimming

Transition areas are where serious participants make up time. Some of these folks came sprinting into the area and got their bike stuff and moved on quickly. I took my time, making sure I forgot nothing, and then got on my bike. The guy I passed swimming got on his bike, passed me in the first 50 yards, and then I never really saw him again. A couple of other guys went by me in the first half mile. Fortunately, I was never passed again and even passed a few riders. The course was tough and hilly. As if the hills were not enough of a challenge, the wind was blowing fairly hard. I saw several people with some sort of equipment issue on their bike. If I knew anything about fixing bikes, other than taking them to the shop, I may have offered to help. Maybe my ignorance actually helped me a little in this area. The last mile of the bike section was mostly down hill back to the start/transition area. I did not really pedal hard and tried to recover a bit. I was slowly catching a woman in front of me and a guy was gaining on me quickly. As we got to the transition area, off the bike I went, and I attempted to get my bike on the rack. My family was just outside the fencing and my lovely daughter asked, "Daddy are you tired yet?" Well I was a little, yet we still had the run to finish. So, off I went.

Answering my daughter, "Not too tired yet."

The transition area was located in a parking lot with a pretty good slope. I had to move up the hill toward the run route, which was located on streets of the town. I noticed the woman I nearly caught on the bike was way ahead of me, and the guy who was catching me on the bike was now in front of me. "Well, just run your race and relax" I thought. And away I went. Within 50 yards I caught the guy in front of me. I was certainly not running quickly, and he seemed to be laboring. I briefly looked at him, gave a slight head nod, and kept on going. The run route was an out and back, meaning you run the same route both ways. I could see several folks as they traveled back to the finish line. Some of these participants looked fresh and strong, some looked so tired I thought they were going to fall down. Then a few were walking. I made a decision that I would not walk! And then I wondered how I looked. Did I look as rough as some of these folks did?

About a half mile into the run, I moved out of the way of a lady that was running towards me. To fully get out of her way, I moved up onto the sidewalk. As we passed, my foot caught a raised part of the sidewalk, and I fell. When I say fell, I mean I fell completely to the ground. Of course, this was right in front of a race volunteer, who was talking to a guy in a big pick up truck. They showed tons of concern by laughing at me. I laughed as well-what else could I do?

After my fall, I quickly caught back up to my pace. I seemed to be gaining on some other runners. The route was not very difficult, and in fact seemed to be fairly easy. The reason for the easy feel of the course was that it was mostly down hill. At some point I recognized that as easy as this course was, I would have to run uphill back to the finish line. After the turn around, things got tougher. We started going uphill, and I tried to maintain my pace. I passed a few folks and felt strong. I could see the woman that I nearly caught on the bike. She seemed to be slowing down, and I was gaining. After crossing the intersection we had about a quarter mile to go. I caught this woman and then saw my family. They were cheering for me and holding signs and running along beside me. While I wanted to run with my kids, I also did not want this woman to beat me that I had spend so much time trying to catch! So I kept churning away and finished before her.

Cruising in toward the finish

And that was it. I finished. I beat my goal time and really enjoyed myself. After recovering for a few minutes, I went out and saw Greg finish. Our race times are pretty similar, yet I started the swim about 15 minutes before him. Talk about looking fresh, he looked great! He looked like he had only done a 5k, not the whole tri. I wonder if he pulled a Rosie Ruiz? (http://www.answers.com/topic/rosie-ruiz) Unfortunately, I had to leave before Scott finished. Yet he did great and finished strong as well.

Greg looks way too relaxed and energetic. Did he do the whole event?

This was a blast. I am now registered for 2 more triathlons, and 1 is a lake swim. That should be a challenge. I like the challenge of adding the new events. While running is fun, and my best event, I really enjoy the variety of the different events.

My kids have decided they want to do a triathlon as well. We have found a kids' event and they are training. This could be a family affair. Well, except for my lovely bride. She really does not want to run. Yet maybe I could get her to do a relay event with some friends! That would be pretty great.

If you like to exercise, come on out and do a triathlon. To quote my friend Matt Hammons, "It's fun and real active."

My support crew after the race.