Philly Rock and Run Marathon

This past weekend we trekked to Philadelphia to support Sara and her 1st attempt at a 1/2 marathon.  We rolled out of Baltimore late Saturday AM with our crazy kids in tow.  Originally we thought it would just be the two of us, but as we got closer to race day, we thought it would be fun to have them along.  

I second guessed that decision a few times throughout the trip :)  We took the car to stay lean and mean...but that also pulls the kiddos much closer together....creating all sorts of havoc and shenanigans in the back seat.  To the outsider it's harmless and cute.  For someone like me looking for a peaceful drive...it's quite the contrary.  Needless to say, I survived.

We arrived and got checked into our hotel right away...then we were off to the convention center to pick up Sara's race packet.   We grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel and took a stroll down the road to a local park...which was truly great to stumble upon.  It was packed full of a great mix of people, soaking in a spectacular day.  For Sara's race dinner, I popped out to Luke's Lobster and picked up a couple of lobster rolls.  We still have our Maine trip on the brain :)

Race day arrived early. 6 AM.  It was chilly outside and I could tell Sara was focused on the race.  I think the kids were a nice distraction for the nerves that I'm sure were building inside her.

When we arrived, it was about 25 minutes prior to the race and Sara had to use the restroom.  The line was crazy long....and as we waited and the start time loomed.....20....15.....10 minutes.....she took a cue from a few others that decided that some bushes across the street provided the perfect cover to take care of business.  That's my girl!

From there, we did our best to see Sara off to her corral/queue, but that kind of crowd doesn't provide for quick maneuvering for a family of 4.  We said our goodbyes, wished her luck....and started back to the hotel.  Our job from there was to grab breakfast, clear out the room, load up the car....then head back to the finish line. 

Getting back to the hotel was a challenge.  We needed to cross through race traffic to get there.  We picked our moment and darted (on a diagonal) to the other side of the road.  As luck would have it, an Irish pub, Con Murphy's, stood in front of us....so our breakfast choice was made.  Slainte!

We finished breakfast, took care of everything and made our way back to cheer Sara on at the finish.  Sara called to give us a head's up that she was at the 12 mile marker.  How she could do that and still keep running, I'll never know.  We were able to spot her at the finish line and could not have been prouder of her.  She was drained and hurting...but her accomplishment was written all over her.

Sara trained for this race for 6 months.  The week prior to the race both she and I came down with a summer cold and she still fought through it and completed her goal in a just over 2.5 hours.  I have an incredible wife.....who when she puts her mind to something...allows nothing to stand in her way.  Focused.  Driven.  Passionate.  Dedicated. A runner through and through.

Great job love!  I love you no matter how many toe nails fall off :)

Still there

Tonight I sat down with the kids to do some coloring and I ended up drawing. Growing up, you could find me doodling on napkins, the backs and margins of assignments, and everywhere in between.  

When I was 10, my parents sent me to Mitchell Studio of Fine Arts in Towson. At the time, the studio was in the back of Polly Mitchell's house. I typically arrived early and I would help to walk the dogs. Over 5 years, I learned a lot there....experimenting with charcoal, pastels, oil paints and even pen and ink. 

When I think back now, I wonder why I didn't do more with it. My folks were always supportive (and still are), but never pushed me. Somehow life took over and like most kids I wasn't too sure about what I wanted to do. For whatever reason, a career in the arts just wasn't on my radar.  I became focused on what would make money. That's where I went wrong.

Tapping my creative childhood tonight really touched me and made me think of my own kids. Drawing made me realize something -- what was once there still exists...waiting for me. It took me awhile to figure it out and I'm trying my damnedest to be the artist/photographer that's been trapped inside for so long.

This time around, I'm listening to the muse. I'll let my hands flow freely and create...because that's what I'm meant to do. I'll also do whatever it takes to nurture the creative spirit in Mady and Liam, just as my parents did for me.

I'm doing this! 

Inspiration

I'm constantly looking for sources of inspiration -- sometimes they're photographic, but often times I find them in a completely unrelated field or activity. We all need a 'goose' from time to time to get the wheels churning. RIght now, I've got 2 books in the queue that I'm eager to check out....both by Steven Pressfield. If you've read either of these, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'll post my 2 cents after I finish each one. 

It's good to put the camera down every now and again...

Change

I've been thinking about an update for quite some time now and I finally got around to doing something about it.  Not long ago, we updated our logo, thanks to J Watson Creative.  I've been racking my brain on the website front and finally opted to give SquareSpace a try.

So far, I'm really happy with the interface and the ability that I have to update the content on the fly. I'm a huge fan of the minimal design and focus on the images.  Like all things, time will tell, but I'm hopeful at this point and it's provided a little creative spark for me :)

I hope you'll stick around to see what develops, comment when the spirit moves you and share if you're really inspired.  In general, you're gonna find me sharing a lot more here and a little less on the social media front.

Good things on the horizon...