Profiles in Courage: Getting on the Bus

Ok, so you are a little guy, 5 or 6 years old, and the world asks you to get on a bus and go off somewhere strange...I'd say it's a little outside the comfort zone of the chauffered pre-school routine. Well, that's what our "baby" Colby went through today...Rest assured, this is no sad story -- his mom's welling eyes not withstanding -- Colby jumped on the bus, and was immediately sandwiched on the vinyl seat by an older brother and sister in uber-protective mode.

At the end of the day, he jumped off the bus, ready for the next adventure. When asked what was great about his day, he said "the buth" -- he's got a lisp that's cute as hell.

Three fatherly observations:

1. Good for him, and every other little guy who embraced and conquered the same challenge this week.

2. As I walked home with Pam, I realized that the courage isn't all on the part of the child...not sure why this all hits home with the 3rd child...

3. Man, its all in a blink of an eye...So much for having the baby home...

Hey, at least Kindergarten is free...

Back to Basics

So, here's something you probably don't hear every day:
For our summer vacation we went to North Dakota and Minnesota...(yep, we went to the ota's...)

Trust me, every time I say that -- like Lucy -- I got some 'splaining to do. Long story long: both my folks are from N. Dakota, and we went back for a family reunion. Then we went to Minnesota, for some time on a lake, and to see my Dad's side of family.

So, obviously, we had a blast -- swimming, waterslides, tubing...late nights with cousins we never get to see...

Beyond all the pure fun, was the impact it had on me: the opportunity to see the roots I don't often see, and to understand where I came from, and who I am. A couple of my take-aways:

• there was an overwhelming # of my direct cousins and relatives who have found their way --like me, and my sister - into a Communications related profession (PR, Govt. Relations/Affaris, etc.)...Not just a couple people in these roles...MANY...very interesting.
• Just the quality of folks, perhaps short on flash, but long on substance...
• Seeing the inherent commonality of family-- both my mom and her siblings; and my dad and his...Amazing to see that regardless how different people's lives, occupations and experiences have been, that among family there is something that binds...

So, amazing trip -- enlightening, educational, encouraging.

Best of all, saw the worlds largest Pelican and Buffalo... beat that on your fancy island vacation.

Perfect 10!

Wow! On Friday, my wife Pam and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. While usually such a momentous event would create a lot of stress around how to best acknowledge such a milestone, for this one, Pam took ownership, and just said: "Get the day off, and be ready to go at 9AM, I have the rest."

While I tried my best to guess in advance of the day what it might hold, there was no way I was going to guess this one.

While I truly believe a picture is worth a thousand words <Click here to view the pictures, http://www.flickr.com/photos/27715587@N06/show/ > here's how the day went:

1. I return to the house on time from the gym and Pam greets me in her wedding dress (she changed shortly thereafter) . While this was done merely for laughs, I got to say, she still looked as good as ever 10 years later.

2. We had coffee and a walk on the beach;

3. We went to the Church where we were married, and met with Rev. Hughes who married us (he also let us ring the bell in the church)

4. We had a picnic on another beach equipped with a sun umbrella, beach chairs, lobster rolls and cold beer.

5. We went to an upscale spa for massages....'nuff said.

6. We returned to the site of our reception and had a dinner for two catered amidst the gardens. The menu was an exact replica of what had been served 10 years prior. What was so cool about this was that we were actually able to see the beautiful gardens that led us to originally choose this location (On our wedding day we had torrential downpours so heavy that all our guests saw was the inside of a tent, and muddy shoes)

7. We danced to our wedding song, and were then joined by the kids for a smaller version of our wedding cake...


Nonetheless, a great day. I guess I am now on the hook for a spectacular 15th...

Thanks for tuning in.

Go Celtics! Beat LA!

Best,

C~

Signing On: Fad or Fab?

This is the initial blog...Not sure anyone will come read this...but just playing with the technology...Time will tell if this turns out to be a Fad or something more...