Last week was great. Had a couple great rides, one being a hill climb from the bottom of Afton Mtn. to the top of Ravens Roost Overlook that I had wanted to do for some time. It totalled out at about 3800 feet of climbing out and back from the bottom. A new record for me. Was able to do a couple bike/run bricks and a couple of short swims at the neighborhood pool. This time of year is always tough for swims as the schedule at the UVA pool goes haywire when the students let out.
The end of the week brought about the annual Cale Elementary Field Day for my kids. I was in charge of taking the dog to the kennel for the weekend as we were leaving for Smith Mountain Lake afterwards. All I can say was, at least he didn't puke this time on the way to the kennel. He is a wonderful dog, but hates the car. Field Day was a great success and a blessing for many of these kids.
M was in charge of the tug of war for the kids and kept them entertained.
So proud to see B wearing his yellow FCA jersey. 4th grade was yellow, but he had other options. You had better believe that kids and people read that shirt and ask about it. What a blessing.
P had a great time as well and loved being with her friends. I am so proud of her attitude and kindness.
After the fun we were off to Smith Mountain Lake for a short vacation with my family. We skip Christmas presents each year with my family in lieu of a weekend trip. This year we made our first trip ever to the shores of Smith Mountain Lake (SML). It was awesome. We arrived on Friday late afternoon with my parents already there. The townhouse we were in was very nice and the backyard was the lake. I brought along my kayak for some extra fun and was glad that everyone got a chance to enjoy it.
We awoke Saturday morning and headed out for a bike ride. My sister is joining me at the Outer Banks Half. Myself, M, my sister and her husband headed out to explore a bit. We got to see numerous neighborhoods around the lake which added to my view of the lake itself. If you have not been there I would highly recommend it. In fact, we will be back in August for a week of SML. I could not help but think that lake living is very conducive to triathlon training. It's all right at your doorstep.
Upon returning from the bike ride and catching up with the kids, it was on to the water. My brother-in-law gave us a kayak escort for a half mile swim. Then I took B out into open water for the first time.
He loved it. I was very nervous at first and made him use M's wetsuit for buoyancy. He did fine and I was even able to draft off of him on the way back in. P was in the open water for the first time as well and was mesmorized by all the fish that were around.
That evening we hit the local Mexican restaurant as it is more gluten-free friendly than most places. I think we were all famished from the days activities. It wouldn't be a trip away from home without a stop for ice cream. Fortunately we found a DQ on the way back and there were Blizzards to be had.
I cherish any time that I get to spend with my family, as it just doesn't happen all that often. We live in separate towns and life tends to get in the way sometimes. You just don't know what the next day will bring, and you can never be sure that all of you can be together like that again. Reality can hit you like a ton of bricks sometimes. Doesn't this make it all the more imperative to know that no matter what, you will see each other again? There is only one way to do this. His name is Jesus.
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