Father I Strive To Be

As a Father, I have often asked myself if I have the strength, courage, love, and stamina to be the Father that I want Gavin and Isabelle to have. I spend each day striving to be the person that I want them to see, rely on, look up to, and emulate. When I need inspiration, or a picture of what I hope to be, I can look to Dick Hoyt. I have yet to see a clearer example of unwavering support, unconditional love, Ironman strength, and depth of spirit in a human being.

Truly an amazing story.

Food Profile

I love Donna. You all know that. And, Donna is an amazing woman, who is good at a lot of things. However, cooking, is not one of her strongest talents. I have, from time to time, given her some grief publicly about her talents at preparing meals with nothing but a microwave. Isabelle was even trained at a young age to run into the kitchen at the sound of the microwave going off to get ready for dinner.

Most people thought I was just teasing Donna to get a laugh. The way most husbands do from time to time in front of their friends. Nope. I was telling a true tale. And now, I have the proof.

We have all heard about Racial Profiling, and Economic Profiling. Well, let me introduce you to Food Profiling, compliments of Wegmans Food Markets, and your trusty little Shoppers Club Card. Donna received the letter below in yesterdays mail. Upon reading it, I have never laughed so hard, or felt so much validation, in all my life. Please pay specific attention to the second sentence.


Yep. Wegmans Food Profile proves it. Not the Produce isle, or the Dairy isle, or the Italian Foods isle. My beautiful, gourmet bride, appreciates the Frozen and Refrigerated food isle. I am a very lucky man indeed!!

Eight Years Ago...

Eight years ago, in front of most of you, I married my best friend. It seems like only yesterday, yet what seems a lifetime of shared joys, triumphs, sorrows, and misses have passed through our lives in that time. Each one made that much more special, important, bearable, and memorable because Donna is in my life. Not a day goes by that I do not take a moment to reflect on what an amazingly lucky man I am. I have many gifts in my life, and Donna, and the family she has given me, are, and will always be, at the top of the list.Happy Anniversary Donna. I Love You. Thank you for being my best friend and for giving me so much excitement to look forward to in our future.

Feels Great

Back in January of this year, I published this post stating the cycling goals I had set for myself. After a disappointing 2008 on the bike, I did not want a repeat in 2009.

Well, the 2009 cycling season has now ended for me, and I am very, very happy to follow up and say that not only did I meet my goals, I believe I exceeded them. In 2008, I was plagued by physical and mental blocks that kept me from entering any cycling events. I began this year with a lofty goal of having the fitness, and mental stubbornness, to complete three 100+ mile events before the end of the season. I planned to enter and complete the Ride for Missing Children, the Tour de Cure, and The LIVESTRONG Challenge Philadelphia.

So, how did my season shape up? This May, I completed the 100-mile Ride for Missing Children. An incredibly rewarding, and emotional chaperoned event that provides safety education to elementary students, and raises funds for The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

This July, we spent ten days camping in Maine, and I naturally brought my bike. The roads, hills, and scenery of coastal Maine are second to none, especially when viewed on two wheels. One of these rides is the climb up to the peak of Cadillac Mountain. This ride has been on my Bucket List for years, but I have never had the opportunity, or fitness, to attempt it. This year I did, and completed the 3-mile, 1,532 ft climb to the waiting cheers of Donna, Gavin, and Isabelle at the summit. One less thing on the Bucket List.

This August, I completed the 100-mile LIVESTRONG Challenge Philadelphia. Once again, with the support of family, friends, and colleagues, we raised over $3000 to support the fight against Cancer, bringing the total we have raised in the last four years to over $14,000. The event was hot and humid, but I crossed the finish line very happy with my efforts to the waiting hugs of Donna, Gavin, Isabelle, and My Mom! Loved having them all there to support me.

To round out this season, I decided to enter the Highlander Cycle Tour. This event is celebrating it's tenth year, and is one that I have often considered, but never attempted in previous years. In the cycling community it is widely talked about as the hardest event in the Region, so it is one that needs to be tried, at least once. Unlike the hot and humid conditions of the Philly ride, the Highlander was ridden with temps in the 50s, and a heavy fog mist falling for the entire day. I was chilled to the bone, and over the course of the 102-miles and 7000' of climbing, I forced myself to dig deeper than I ever have to cross the finish line. The feeling at the finish is one that is hard to describe, but through the chill, pain, and exhaustion I was more proud of myself than I have ever been. I do not know if I will be back to the Highlander. It may be an event that I am just happy to say "yep, I did that once. Back in 2009".

So, after not completing any events in 2008, I bounced back both physically and mentally to complete three 100+ mile events and one epic Bucket List ride. In addition to the miles ridden, I was proud to support some amazing organizations that do much needed work for very valuable causes.

Now, I bring my season to a close. The bike is cleaned, and hanging in the rack. I will still ride, but not with the drive that allowed me to accomplish so much this summer. Now, I will pedal and listen to the breeze. Take in the fall colors, and enjoy the smells. I won't worry about my pace, speed, or time for a few weeks. I earned some enjoyment. I know, soon enough, I will be back at it, and the 2010 season will be here.

Toof-wess

Gavin has had quite an eventful two weeks. First grade has started, and he is back in the full swing of his yearly schedule and loving every minute of it. To add to his first weeks of school, he lost a tooth. Then another tooth. Then another. Yep, two weeks into school, and Gavin has lost three teeth. He looks, and sounds, adorable. Of course, just having them fall out would be too easy. Each one needs to have it's own special story.

Tooth #1. We had been wiggling this one for weeks, hoping each day that it would fall out before school started. Gavin was excited, but didn't like me wiggling it cause it would hurt. We tried and tried, until it was half way out of his mouth, and he finally let me get a finger on it. One flick, and it was out. But then the blood started. Gavin looked like a prize fighter, standing in the bathroom, spitting blood all over the counter and mirror as it rolled out of his chin. I laughed. Gavin, not so much. Within a few minutes, he was cleaned up, and the excitement and anticipation of the tooth fairy took over and all was good.

Tooth #2. Gavin and Isabelle have really enjoyed the change over to Fall weather, and in true Fall fashion, have been playing a lot of football in the yard. Gavin had another dangling tooth, but after the trauma of the first removal, he was not having anything to do with my fingers in his mouth. Well, enter Isabelle aka LT. During a friendly game of football in the front yard, Gavin went down, with his sister coming in to offer the final hit, and make sure he stayed down. In the process, she facemasked him, and sure enough, up comes the spitting prize fighter. Tooth sitting in the grass. Thank you Isabelle.

Tooth #3. This one was an issue. It was the first to wiggle, but the last to leave. His adult tooth had already come in behind it, making him look like a shark with two rows of teeth showing. He was adamant about this tooth falling out on it's own, and would not even open his mouth for us to look as he knew we would be doing our best to pop it out. Well, the other morning, Gavin woke up complaining that his tooth hurt and that he couldn't eat. We took a look, and the gums we looking red, white, and swollen. We did our best to explain to him that taking the tooth out was the only way to stop the pain. No joy. We tried bribing him with a trip to the toy store. Nothing doing. So, we went for the forceful approach. Oops. Gavin lost it. Freaked out. Scared to death, and screaming. Couldn't calm him down for an hour. After our efforts failed, we called the dentist. Appointment at Noon. We missed the school bus, so I had to drive him to school. Then it was back to the school at 11:30 to pick him up for the dentist. He was scared, but he went along with it. The dentist was great with Gavin, and after only 10 minutes, he was holding his third tooth in two weeks.

So. After all this, what does Gavin look like? Absolutely adorable!!

Chills

I love music. All types, all forms. I always have. Because if this, I get really excited when I find an example of music that moves me. It may make me dance, sing, stand perfectly still, or in this instance, simply shiver.

I have heard Amazing Grace sung, played, and performed countless times in my life by all sorts of artists. There is no doubt it is a beautiful song. However, when I saw the clip below, the shivers just simply ran up and down my spine as I sat motionless taking it all in. The voices of Il Divo are masterful. Placing them in the Coliseum for this performance. Perfect. The fog rolling off the bagpiper at the key moment, well...see for yourself. This to me, is just one of those musical moments where the sight, sound, and musical story all collide to create something much larger than the song itself. So click on the link below, sit back, turn up those speakers, and let it wash over you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMVxzEueJ6A

The Power of The Tweet

Lance Armstrong uses Twitter. In fact, he is very active at not only posting, but also responding to his followers. I follow him. So do hundreds of thousands of other cyclists, fans, media, and curious folks around the globe. Lance has been in Europe the last few days for the International Cancer Summit. While there, he sent the following, seemingly simple, tweet...

@lancearmstrong: Good morning Dublin. Who wants to ride this afternoon? I do. 5:30pm at the roundabout of Fountain Road and Chesterfield Avenue. See you there.

Click here to read the story, and see what an amazing event transpired.

Thin on top

I laid down a challenge. I wanted to raise at least $2,500 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation this year. With five days to go, I had raised $2,000 and I needed to boost interest. So, i put it out there. If we raised the additional $500 in five days, I would shave my head. Well, friends and family ROCKED IT!! They contributed to raise an additional $1100 in just five days, bringing the total contributions to the LAF to $3,125. So very proud.

So, a deal is a deal.

Happy Birthday Buddy

My little man is growing up. Today Gavin turns six. Man time is flying. Happy Birthday buddy. I Love You.

Road Trip 2009 - Part Two

Our time in Old Orchard Beach was short. After all, it was just a stop along the route to our final destination, Mount Desert Island. We awoke Sunday morning, and followed a leisurely pace. We only had another 3 hrs (according to normal rules) ahead of us to reach MDI, but with the 10 hr experience from Saturday still hanging with us, we were in no hurry to jump back into our seats and head out. After breakfast, a walk, and a trip to the playground, we finally loaded up, and pulled back out onto the road. Destination, Mount Desert Island.

Mount Desert Island, IS Maine. Sure, most people make it to Portland, and think they have been to Maine. And my family is born and bred Northern Maine Potato Farmers from Aroostook County. But, if you ask Donna and Me, the true Maine, the one that we know and love, is contained within Mount Desert Island. Now you may not have heard of MDI before, but I am pretty sure you have heard of some of it's better known features Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Oh Yeah....that MDI.

Our destination this Sunday, and home base for most of the week, was Mount Desert Narrows Camping Resort. Right in the heart of MDI. Well, true to form, our 3 hr drive up from Old Orchard Beach took us 4.5 hrs. We had plans to meet my parents (they were also in state) at the campground for a visit and dinner, and arrived to find they had already been to the campground looking for us. We received our site assignment, and promptly set about making home for the week. The campground is, what we have come to learn, a pretty standard RV Park, with open sites, and wide roads equipped to support the large RVs and Fifth-Wheels. What the Desert Narrows lacked in layout and amenities, it more than made up for with it's view with the entire area set on a hill sloping down to the ocean. We enjoyed a view of the water from our site, and loved being so close to all the things that are "the ocean".

With perfect timing, Bob and Jackie arrived just as the set-up was nearing completion so we could all sit, relax, and enjoy arriving in such a spectacular location with so much still lying ahead. And, it did not take long for Donna to determine that the immediate need was fresh lobsters from the local lobster shack for dinner. Good thing about Maine, if you want lobster, you don't have to travel very far. In no time at all, we were all sitting around the picnic table enjoying lobster, steak, german potato salad, and potato chips. Now that's camping! Dad even demonstrated the "art" of lobster preparing when the civilized tools (crackers and picks) are not available. Years of practice made him an expert with a cooking knife and Craftsman hammer.
After dinner, we all enjoyed a walk down to the water to play on the rocks (no sandy beach up this far in Maine), walk in the frigid ocean water, and let the kids explore the tide pools. We filled our lungs with beautiful sea air and watched a perfect sunset. Everyone was happy to be there, and excited at all the adventures and memories that lie ahead over the next several days. Tomorrow, we explore Acadia.

Gavin and Isabelle hit the beach at low tide
And you thought the water in Marblehead was cold...WOW!!

Hey Mommy, look over here. No, Mommy, look over here. Mommy...Mommy...
Someone missed her buddy Grampa

Breathe in...Breathe out...perfect.

Road Trip 2009 - Part One

Donna and I have missed Maine. True, I have been there every month for work, but that is not the Maine we miss. We miss the ocean views, sound of the birds, sit on the rocks, lobster Maine. So, this year we decided we would make the yearly family vacation, all about Maine. And, we added a twist. We'd bring the camper. True American style family vacation.

For those that don't know, Maine is a long way off from Rochester. And, once you reach her borders, good bet you are still a long way off from where it is you are heading. We trained Gavin and Isabelle for the trip with a few practice car rides earlier this summer. Five hours to Howe Caverns. Eight hours to Boston. Think of it as similar to what NASA puts astronauts through before heading to the moon. So, After much planning, and an insane amount of packing, we hitched up our wagon (er...camper) and headed off on our ten day family memory maker bright and early Saturday morning. Destination for day one, Old Orchard Beach, ME.

After making years of trips past Old Orchard Beach, and the marvels of modern technology, I had carefully calculated that it should take us eight hours to get to Old Orchard. I have a few suggested add-ons for MapQuest. In their Directions Options box, they should include check boxes for Two Kids in Car, Pulling Camper, Torrential Downpours, high winds, and then let you calculate the estimated trip time. Gavin and Isabelle gave Donna and I quite a training session during day one of our Family Memory trip, and we now factor all arrival times as ETA +2hrs to predict our actual arrival time.

After a nothing but pleasurable ten hour ride, with two perfect angels in the back seat, we arrived at Paradise Park Campground in Old Orchard Beach, ME. The clerk at the check in desk knew us by name. Not because we had been there before, but simply because we were the last to arrive, and the only name left on the list. Either way, it was a nice welcome. Since we were only staying the night, we made a quick set up of camp, and headed into town.

Every wondered how to turn whine, into WOW!! in one easy step? Take two very overtired kids, and walk them onto the pier at Old Orchard. Old Orchard Beach, in addition to being a very rare, all white sand beach in the state of Maine, is the Coney Island of Maine. Trapped in time, it is a pier and boardwalk covered with more neon light coated excitement than any child could ever handle in one evening. We promptly dropped our first vacation $50 on ride tickets, and we all let loose laughing and smiling. A worthy way to celebrate our accomplishment of making it to Maine in one day, and one piece.

We enjoyed the Fun House.

Donna and Gavin rode the roller coaster.

Izzy and I kicked butt on the bumper cars.

There were Tea Cups...

And Truck Rides...

And Whales, oh my!
Then, it was back a quick walk back to the camper as we all chattered away about our favorite parts of the night. No one mentioning how exhausted we were, or how long it had taken to get here. We were here, and our fun in Maine had just started.

A famous artist in the house

Gavin is now an award winning artist. The best part, he didn't even know it! Gavin has always been talented in music, and now can add successful artist to his list of accomplishments. All before the first grade.

Each year, the schools within the Hilton School District select a piece of art work from each of their various grades to represent their school at the all-district art show. This year, Gavin's sculpture (Self Portrait) was selected to represent the Kindergarten classes from his school, Quest. But, did he come running home all excited to tell us? Nope. Did he mention it? Nope. Did he even know? I think he forgot. That's a 5-year old for you.
We are so very proud of him. His sculpture has a place of honor in our house. Guess he truly is a "Bob" after all. Talented in Music from Grampa and Papa, and now following the artistic genes of Uncle Bob.

Just had to be said

It's a powerful video. With a direct message. Give it a watch.

Racing Against Cancer -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

Cluster Ball Season

Yes, Gavin's Cluster Ball, er... Soccer, season has begun. And so, has Donna's and My careers as supportive parents, carting our kids around to their activities several days a week. Only fourteen more years of this to go. Anyway, Gavin is play soccer Monday and Wednesday nights for the Hilton Rec League. He's doing great, and is definitely one of the leaders on his team, but Donna and I are still trying to figure out if he is enjoying the game more, or the opportunity to see all of his friends from school that are on the various teams. Each night is a constant barrage of "can I go say Hi to ______?" That's our Gavin. Little Bob Welch, the mayor of every community he comes across.

The other night was a very special game. Gavin's team played the team of his girlfriend, Stephanie. Now, you may say that this is just a little crush, but I would say we are working with a full blown infatuation, from both sides. It started in pre-school, and even though they have been apart for a year, they still get the same goofy smiles whenever they see each other.

The game was terrific. It quickly turned completely into the Gavin and Stephanie hour, as they each played the game in their own little worlds, against each other, oblivious that either one had any other team-mates on the field. Stephanie is #12, on the blue team. Never far from Gavin in any of the photos. Each time it was "blues ball", Gavin would promptly pick the ball up, and hand deliver it directly to Stephanie. We were loving it.

In the end, Gavin's team lost, but I still don't think he realizes that. The Stephanie euphoria goes on, and on.

Father's Day

For the last few years, we have had the tradition of making Father's Day weekend our first camping trip of the season. Well, this year, we were anxious to try out our new camper, so we made our first trip Memorial Day weekend. We had our traditional trip planned for Father's Day weekend, however Mother Nature had other plans. Really, really wet plans. Since it was my weekend, I made the call that spending two days trying to find non-camping activities to keep the kids occupied, while sitting around a muddy campground, would not make for an enjoyable Father's Day. So we canceled the camping weekend, and headed out on a road trip to Howe Caverns instead.

I had been to Howe Caverns once, several years ago, but Donna and the kids weren't sure what they were headed for. It was raining, but that does not matter much when your plans are located 160ft underground. The 80min tour was terrific. We walked through amazing caverns over very well laid out brick walkways. The guide offered us great historical and geologic info on the cavern as we walked along, and part of the tour was even by boat, down the underground river. All very cool. And I mean that literally. It is 52 degrees in the caverns, everyday of the year.

Once we were back topside, and all thoroughly amazed at what we had just experienced, Gavin and Isabelle tried their hands at prospecting for some gems before we headed out to the hotel we had booked in Albany.
The hotel was great. One bedroom suite, with plenty of space for all of us, and a heated pool that we had all to ourselves both times that we used it. We ordered dinner up to the room, and Queen Isabelle took right to living the good life. The setup seems rather familiar. I am thinking she has been learning from Donna.
After dinner, Gavin made himself comfortable infront of the TV, before turning in.

Sunday morning, we celebrated Father's Day in the room. Donna, and the kids had brought my gifts with them, so we could celebrate first thing like we always do. They even snuck in the Red Sox camp-chair they had bought me. After some great gifts (including a cool home made hat), we made another trip to the pool before packing up for home.
Even though we broke from tradition, it was a great weekend filled with family time underground, in the pool, and in the car. Perfect Father's Day in my book. Thanks family!

I'm Back!!

Consider my hiatus officially over. Even though work still has me running all over, and Donna and I are way behind on the home projects, I just have too much to say to keep this blog silent any longer. I took a month off, and my head is swimming with thoughts, happenings, and words that I need to get out. Summer is here, the bike wheels are spinning, and July is going to be one of the busiest months we've ever seen.

So, those of you that have stuck around, hold on tight, cause these pages will fill up fast!

Thanks for checking back.

Satisfaction

Does anyone else find this as completely satisfying, as I do?? If only it would tone him down, even a little.

My day as a "Rock Star"

I now know what it is like to be a Rock Star. Adored by hoards of screaming fans, all holding signs made just for me. To be surrounded by throngs of people who have waited for weeks just to watch me enter the driveway. To recognize the look, smile, and amazement on the face of someone who is truly in awe of what I am doing. I am of course, talking about The 2009 Ride for Missing Children, and my screaming fans were all in Elementary School.

On May 15th of this year, I participated in my first Ride for Missing Children. The event is coordinated by the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and it's primary purpose is to raise funds, and awareness for the programs that the Center supports throughout the year. The ride is 100 miles long, but you would never know it. It is centered around several stops at local Elementary Schools where the kids have all been prepped with educational programs as to our cause, and have all turned out to welcome our arrival. During each stop, the riders get to take a break, eat, drink, and interact with the kids, while they get an amazing, high-energy presentation from the Center staff that is traveling caravan style with the riders.

At each school, we were greeted by hundreds of screaming kids, teachers, and staff. They had signs and banners welcoming us, and all wanted to high-5 us as we rode past. They couldn't wait to talk to us once we had left our bikes and their energy kept us charged up all day.

The personal highlight for me was that our first stop was at Gavin's school, Quest Elementary. Gavin's teacher had told the class that I would be riding in the event, and several of Gavin's classmates had signs made just for me. Talk about motivation! Donna and Isabelle joined Gavin's class for the morning, so the entire family was there as we rode in cheering me on.

Even though this was my first year completing this event, it definitely will not be my last. I plan to pull on my pink jersey for many years to come and support, and enjoy, this amazing event.

Hey Mom...

...you said you would only be on Facebook for a minute.

So Where Have I Been?

Some of you may have noticed that I have been absent from this site for longer than usual. Thanks for noticing. So, where have I been? Actually, it isn't as much a question of where I have been, but more where I haven't. Which is home.

This is the 120th day of 2009. I have been in a plane, train, or automobile for 36 of those 120 days. Doesn't seem too bad at first, until you break it down to the fact that I have been gone for 30% of this year so far. That's 30% of the year I have missed with Donna, Gavin, and Isabelle. That's 30% less Dad time. 30% less home project time. 30% less "keeping up with the Jones'" time. Any way you look at it, I have had just less time this year, and am frankly having a difficult time adjusting to it.

Trying to make up for losing 30% of the year, in the 70% that you have only breeds one thing...Stress. And that, I do have. Clinical case. Check em off. Schedule out of whack? Check. Sleep messed up? Check. Eating like crap? Check. Drinking more? Check. Moody? Check. And on, and on, and on. So, what have I done about it? I have done what I can, and dropped what I can't. Unfortunately, for my loyal readers, this site got dropped. Hard.

But life rolls on. The summer months are right around the corner, and I can see by looking at the calendar that it is going to be a busy one filled with fantastic time spent with family and friends. Some of you will be joining us as we break (not literally) in our new camper. And yes, I fully expect to take a ton of crap from the Posadni's our first trip out. We will be traveling for the Holidays, and hitting Maine this year with the whole Anderson clan.

I am going to take a break for a while, and let the things I can get done in life, get done. And those that I can't, I'll pick back up a little later. So, until I find my way back, I'll leave you with this. Thanks for checking in, and I'll enjoy my summer with you face to face.

Exponential Times

This presentation was shown at a recent Technical Forum I attended. It's pretty cool, and pretty staggeringly scary, data. We live in an amazing technical time, and I luckily get to have my hands in it first hand every day at work. But, even I, whose company is a large beneficiary of this explosion, often wonders...when is enough, too much?

Enjoy!

Exhale, Inhale, Repeat

Donna and I spent last weekend on an absolutely amazing cruise. Now, the cruise wasn't amazing because of where we went, or the amenities we discovered on board, but because of what it allowed us to do. We could breathe. Sounds simple, huh? It is, until you try and find time to actually do it in your daily life. We had an amazing time sitting, talking, relaxing, and most importantly, breathing. All things we had not done in quite a long time. I was able to re-introduce myself to Donna, and in turn learn that she is still a woman I enjoy spending time with and talking to for hours on end. Over the last five years of life, kids, families, careers this one on one knowledge seemed to get shuffled to the back of our minds, and just taken for granted for a while. It was priceless to be able to dust it off, and learn that even after all this time, we are still the two people who started this journey together almost 10 years ago.

We booked the cruise to coincide with Donna's 40th birthday. Donna is a sun and beach girl, and her wish was to get out of town, and spend her birthday relaxing in the sun and sand.Did I say she wanted to relax for her 40th birthday??

Mother nature cooperated, and we enjoyed amazing weather as we spent time enjoying the ship, the local shops of Nassau, Bahamas, and of course....the beach. I have to say, living in upstate New York, there is something very cleansing about swimming in clear blue ocean water in early March. It really gets rid of winter and sets the mind for spring.Relaxing...island style.
Beach feet.

Did I mention blue water??

Although the trip was only three days, we filled it with as much sun, music, and relaxation as we could and left the ship Monday morning ready to come home to Gavin, Isabelle, and reality. Now, only four days later, the trip seems like it was a year ago as life, priorities, and stress have flooded back in. But, it was an amazing time, and we are very thankful that our wonderful families gave us the opportunity to enjoy those three days together and take some much needed breaths.