Congratulations, Papa-Bear Style {Friday Photo}

Ahhh, this moment, this moment.  Inside I cried from the tenderness and laughed from the surprise all at the same time.  David shook all the kindergarten graduates' hands as they crossed the stage this week, but when his little boy came across, he held out his hand then instead swept Reid into a big bear hug high off the ground.

This father stays up until the very wee hours checking math homework, enthusiastically recites Henry V, Act IV, Scene iii (we few, we happy few, we band of brothers!) alongside his child at the dinner table, voluntarily pours over school budget details at his office desk, conjugates Latin derivatives, adeptly sorting out genitive, nominative, and dative cases, and takes great joy in surprise bear hugs to say congratulations.  Papa Bear hugs are in fact just a small outward sign of the steady stream of his fatherly love.  Thankful.

Happily Ever After

Sometimes things just aren't meant to be.

In this case, the race day mentioned here dawned with a Roberts lacing up the old pavement treaders....and it wasn't me.

Someone in this house had trained faithfully for a half marathon that never sells out. But this year it did. So he was all prepped and ready to go for an event so full that no race number was left over for his fit and eager self to claim.

I did what any chronically exhausted, slightly depressed, somewhat fearful, creaky and significantly out-of-shape mom-of-five would do: handed my Disney race number to him.  For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in fitness and in flab, till death do us part....

So in flamboyant Disney happy-ending style, my dear husband ran this weekend in a field of 20,000+ merry and highly costumed gals and 1,500 bold men, ending with a personal best for his time, an enormous smile, great memories of an incredibly entertaining course, and some big honkin' Princess bling to boot.

My (sweaty) prince.

Which he promptly gave to me.

And they all lived happily ever after...

Disney require racers to report to the race corral around 4 am and spectators aren't too far behind them.  They should give everyone a medal just for getting up that early.

With running behind him, we could all get to the serious business of fun.

Remember we are a competitive bunch.  Shucks! Mama loses yet again.

Stripey stripe stripe.

The little guy bawled 'cause he had to get off Dumbo when it was over.  Son, those are the unspoken rules of the ride.

Ahhhh, the mood swings of a toddler.

Goodbye, Disney.  Maybe one of us will shape up in more ways than one before next year's race rolls around again.

Overheard at My House

Child A:  Dad, can you enter the passcode on the iPad for me? 

Child B:  Yeah, what IS the password? 

David:  I changed it to an 8-letter word.  A word you don't know, by the way.

Child A:  Well, can you enter it for me?

David:  Okay, here's a question for all of you.  If the password is made up of 8 letters, how would you calculate the your odds of guessing it correctly?

Child C:  I would multiply 26 by 25 by 24 in descending order eight times.

David:  That would work if the letters weren't repeating, but they aren't unique.

Child D:  Then you would multiply 26x26x26x26x26x26x26x26.

David:  Correct!

Child A:  Dad, can you enter the passcode on the iPad for me?

David:  Here's an even better question!  If the password was 8 letters OR numbers that could repeat, what are your chances of getting it THEN?

Child D: I'd go with 36 times itself eight times.....

Child C: But are your chances any better since he gave us a clue?  Remember, it's "a word we don't know"!

Child A:  (bows head, wanders away to play)



Better start him early.

Final TD of the season (aka, how to extend Dad's coaching career) {Friday photos}

 

Reid gets the handoff...

 He cuts back... 

 Finds a hole and hits the gas...

 The red shirts fall in a wake of peewee devastation...

Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown!

My Anniversary Card

Today I celebrated my 17th wedding anniversary.  There was no fancy dinner, no roses, no quiet hand holding.

Instead, today was a day of action, and it reminded me vividly of the “why” behind those 17 years.

Our special day started at 6am, when we bounded out of bed to head into the cold dark to finish the setup for a youth adventure race that our kids’ school was organizing as a fundraiser.  Although unquestionably a huge team effort, David was an integral part of the race, having spent many hours figuring out the nuances of the course, creatively naming the obstacles after the classical theme of the event, staking and taping off the 1.2 mile route, assembling the best playlist in the history of amateur races, and generally problem-solving a 200-person, 10-obstacle, slightly dangerous and logistically challenging race involving children as young as age 2 that had never taken place before. 

He was into it.  Why?  Because he believes in the fundamental mission of our school: to raise intellectuals for Christ.  He is passionate about our children knowing Jesus and one day being the most well-spoken, well-educated people in the room, able to defend and articulate their faith.  The school is all about such goals, and this race was designed to support its mission.

But for David, it’s not enough merely to have a sound opinion about something.  He doesn’t believe in things politely, stand aside, and leave it at that.

He is a person of innovative ideas and trustworthy actions. 

He spent his time today (and many days prior) dedicated to working with the team and making that race a smashing success.  And it was phenomenal.  We had children from all sorts of origination points—public school, private school, homeschool, our student body.  As he released coordinated 2-minute wave after wave of age groups banded with the color coding he set up, running through stakes that he personally had buried to define the race course, listening to tunes he had thoughtfully selected (Aaron Copland, Toad the Wet Sprocket, U2), his fingerprints were all over this event, and it was a resounding accomplishment. 

There is no doubt that David is a doer in the utmost sense of the word. 

But this just takes us to 10:30am on our 17th wedding anniversary.  For my husband also chairs another board, which he doesn't take lightly.  He rushed off to change in the race parking lot, Superman-style, and head to the public ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 37,000 square foot Salvation Army headquarters that has been in the praying, purchasing, fundraising, and renovating stages ever since he joined the board. 

So, imagine David at 11am, wearing slightly wilted khakis and a button-down that I half-pressed last night and standing in front of around 100 folks in dark suits and tie-pins from the mayor’s office, numerous Salvation Army officers in their full-dress uniforms from chapters from Atlanta to South Florida, various members of the press and dignified officials and businessmen.  As he set aside the thoughts and concerns of the race earlier that morning, his clothing ceased to matter as his words connected with the crowd and he delivered from the podium on the gleaming front steps of that building a rousing, inspiring, call-to-action-type speech.  “Jesus tells us to serve the poor and needy, and this building is not only a place where the poor and needy can turn to be served, but a place where those desiring to serve Him can come and live out those words.  If you desire to serve Jesus, come here—do it here (gestures to beautiful new building).”  His words, spoken with great emotion, caused many (who pastor their own SA churches and speak regularly) to seek him out afterwards and thank him heartily for expressing what was in their hearts.

Looks neat and tidy, but we still have mud spatters on our faces from the race.

Would I take this man to be my lawfully wed husband, to have and to hold from this day forward?  I am thankful that on my 17th anniversary, by lunchtime, David reminded me many times over exactly why on November 9, 1996, I said yes and continue to say a resounding YES to that question.  Why I can't help but respect and admire him more every single day.  His thoughtfulness about faith, service, parenting, business, relationships, education and every matter that has any importance always translates into real-life execution of his ideals.  There are not enough people like that in the world.

And I’m here to testify that there is something magical about waking up with a godly man of action.  You know that the days with him will have meaning greater than your wildest hopes and dreams, and they will be an adventure ordained by God, satisfying beyond measure.

So a quiet day, some roses, and a restaurant dinner are always nice, but somehow David took this day and make it into a vividly illustrated, live-action card painted in broad and living strokes with this bold message:

I love the Lord my God.

I love our children.

And I love you.

All Eyes on Coach David {Friday Photo}

First ever flag football practice for Reid.
Two-hundred-and-first flag football practice for his patient papa.