Hope Next Exit Raffle Drawing To Be Held August 13th

FINALLY!!!!!!! Drawing for the Hope Next Exit Raffle will be held this Saturday, August 13th at approximately 3pm. I have to apologize for the extreme delay in getting to this. I want to beg your forgiveness and assure you the delay is not from sitting around watching television. Between an extreme work schedule, coaching for Team in Training, spending a little time with my family (I would have said 'spending time' but I know my wife, Crea, would have corrected me) and my training for Ironman Wisconsin, I generally do not stop for the day until 1am or so. As I write this post it is only 8pm and that is only because I am pushing off a 2 hour bike trainer ride until 4am. Anyway, I almost titled this post, 'I am an @sshole' and it would be appropriate but I will say sorry and move forward. Please do not hold this delay against me for there will be another raffle soon and this time it will be to support my amazing wife. I have taken all of the training time for the last few years. I have taken Sundays to coach. I have worked a ton of hours. Through all of this, Crea, has been an amazing support system. I could not have made much impact on the world had it not been for her support so after Ironman Wisconsin, I am going to let Crea have the spotlight as she plans to train for Lavaman Triathlon 2012 with Team in Training. I have done this race for the past 3 years and......thanks to all of you.......have been a top 3 fundraiser each time. This year I will trade places......I will watch the kids while Crea trains and ultimately gets out there to race. It will be a big day as she shows cancer what she is made of.

As a reminder, the prizes up for grabs are as follows:

HP MediaSmart Server EX495

Gateway Laptop - 15.6" Blu Ray, 4GB 500GB

Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones

Lexmark S815 Genesis All In One printer

HP Photosmart e-All-in-One printer

Punk Rock Racing Gear

Deacon Jones Autographed Football

Avatar 3 Disc DVD Set

DVD-CD Set: Date Night + Glee Rocky Horror Picture Show

2 x $50 Starbucks Gift Card (I added one as a penalty to myself for the delay)

I went through all of the donations and have compiled the list below of people that purchased raffle tickets. PLEASE REVIEW THIS LIST AND IF I HAVE NOT PROVIDED YOU ENOUGH TICKETS OR IF YOUR NAME IS ABSENT WHEN YOU BELIEVE YOU PURCHASED TICKETS........PLEASE COMMENT TO THIS POST SO I CAN REVIEW AND MAKE CORRECTIONS (if your name is here and you did not participate in the raffle.......you are welcome!!!!). Beside each name is a raffle ticket number. This coming Saturday, August 13th........which is my birthday if you really must know...........I will be at our Summer 2011 Team in Training reunion party. I will bring all of the raffle tickets there and your fate will be decided by folks with no interest in winning. I will communicate on Twitter/Facebook as the raffle begins. I will go one prize at a time by first announcing which one is being drawn for. I will then have someone pull a ticket which I will communicate via Facebook and Twitter again. To be safe I will include the actual prize one more time.

Please note I will NOT have the list of donations with me during the raffle. In my mind this is one added level of security since I will not really know who has an interest in certain #'s. Here is the list. Thank you so much for your support that helped me raise over $27,000 for Lavaman 2011 on my way to Ironman Wisconsin.

Name	Ticket #
Abhay Kulkarni	230
Abhay Kulkarni	231
Abhay Kulkarni	232
Abhay Kulkarni	233
Abhay Kulkarni	234
Abhay Kulkarni	235
Adam Del Vecchio	236
Adam Del Vecchio	237
Adam Del Vecchio	238
Adam Del Vecchio	239
Adam Del Vecchio	240
Adam Del Vecchio	241
Barbara Fuller	242
Barbara Fuller	243
Barbara Fuller	244
Bethany Chaney	245
Bethany Chaney	246
Bethany Chaney	247
Bethany Chaney	248
Bethany Chaney	249
Bethany Chaney	250
Brett Davis	251
Brett Davis	252
Brett Davis	253
Brian Ring	254
Brian Ring	255
Brian Ring	256
Brian Ring	257
Brian Ring	258
Brian Ring	259
Bryan Sloan	260
Calvin Lin	261
Calvin Lin	262
Calvin Lin	263
Caryn fishler	264
Christopher Hancock	265
Christopher Hancock	266
Christopher Rake	267
Christopher Rake	268
Christopher Rake	269
Christopher Rake	270
Christopher Rake	271
Christopher Rake	272
Christy Noel	273
Colin and the Cooley Crew	274
Colin and the Cooley Crew	275
Colin and the Cooley Crew	276
Colin and the Cooley Crew	277
Colin and the Cooley Crew	278
Colin and the Cooley Crew	279
Darlene Andronaco	280
Darlene Andronaco	281
Darlene Andronaco	282
Dashiell Nash	283
Dashiell Nash	284
Dashiell Nash	285
David Pittman	286
Dena Grablowsky	287
Dena Grablowsky	288
Dena Grablowsky	289
Don Chomiak	290
Don Chomiak	291
Don Chomiak	292
Douglas Sawyer	293
Douglas Sawyer	294
Douglas Sawyer	295
Douglas Sawyer	296
Douglas Sawyer	297
Douglas Sawyer	298
Edward Schober	299
Eileen Wolpe	300
Eileen Wolpe	301
Eileen Wolpe	302
Eileen Wolpe	303
Eileen Wolpe	304
Eileen Wolpe	305
Elizabeth Ryan	306
Eric Orvieto	307
Eric Orvieto	308
Eric Orvieto	309
Eric Orvieto	310
Eric Orvieto	311
Eric Orvieto	312
Fern Oliner	313
Fern Oliner	314
Fern Oliner	315
Fern Oliner	316
Greg Durbin	317
Greg Durbin	318
Greg Durbin	319
Inessa Vitko	320
Inessa Vitko	321
Inessa Vitko	322
Jared Morell	323
Jason Bass	324
Jason Zacher	325
Jason Zacher	326
Jason Zacher	327
Jason Zacher	328
Jason Zacher	329
Javier River	330
Javier River	331
Javier River	332
Jenna Chastain	333
Jennifer Conklin	334
Jennifer Whitter	335
Jennifer Whitter	336
Jennifer Whitter	337
Jennifer Zenuch	338
JoAnn Beluch	339
JoAnn Beluch	340
JoAnn Beluch	341
Joe Sebok	342
Joe Sebok	343
Joe Sebok	344
Joe Sebok	345
Joe Sebok	346
Joe Sebok	347
Josh Spector	348
Josh Spector	349
Josh Spector	350
Josh Spector	351
Josh Spector	352
Josh Spector	353
Judy Williamson	354
Judy Williamson	355
Judy Williamson	356
Kaleigh Vanalstine	357
Karene Katz	358
Karene Katz	359
Karene Katz	360
Kathryn Murray	361
Kristea Cancel	362
Kristea Cancel	363
Kristea Cancel	364
Kristy Brown	365
Laura Maloney	366
Laura Maloney	367
Laura Maloney	368
Laura Maloney	369
Laura Maloney	370
Laura Maloney	371
Lee and Kathy Quiring	372
Lee and Kathy Quiring	373
Lee and Kathy Quiring	374
Linda Vermeulen	375
Linda Vermeulen	376
Lisa Dracolakis	377
Lisa Dracolakis	378
Lisa Dracolakis	379
Lore Hernandez	380
Lori Jomsky	381
Lori Jomsky	382
Lori Jomsky	383
Lori Jomsky	384
Lori Jomsky	385
Lori Jomsky	386
Marjorie Wilno	387
Marjorie Wilno	388
Marjorie Wilno	389
Marjorie Wilno	390
Marjorie Wilno	391
Marjorie Wilno	392
Marjorie Wilno	393
Marjorie Wilno	394
Marjorie Wilno	395
Marjorie Wilno	396
Marjorie Wilno	397
Marjorie Wilno	398
Marjorie Wilno	399
Marjorie Wilno	400
Marjorie Wilno	401
Mark Kristof	402
Mark Kristof	403
Mark Kristof	404
Mark Kristof	405
Mark Kristof	406
Mark Kristof	407
Mark Kristof	408
Matthew Barnette	409
Matthew Barnette	410
Matthew Barnette	411
Maura McCartan	412
Maura McCartan	413
Megan Oconnor	414
Meghan Mcconnell	415
Melissa Anderson	416
Melissa Anderson	417
Melissa Anderson	418
Melissa Galyon	419
Melissa Galyon	420
Michael Kuhn	421
Michael Miller	422
Michael Miller	423
Michael Miller	424
Michael Miller	425
Michael Miller	426
Michael Miller	427
Michael Miller	428
Michael Miller	429
Michael Miller	430
Michael Sally	431
Michel Holtz	432
Miriam Sandy	433
Miriam Sandy	434
Miriam Sandy	435
Miriam Sandy	436
Miriam Sandy	437
Miriam Sandy	438
Nadim Bacchus	439
Nick Gardner	440
Nick Gardner	441
Nick Gardner	442
Nick Gardner	443
Nick Gardner	444
Nick Gardner	445
Patricia Lou Harris	446
Patricia Lou Harris	447
Patricia Lou Harris	448
Patricia Lou Harris	449
Patricia Lou Harris	450
Patricia Lou Harris	451
Patricia Lou Harris	452
Patricia Lou Harris	453
Patricia Lou Harris	454
Patricia Lou Harris	455
Patricia Lou Harris	456
Patricia Lou Harris	457
Patricia Lou Harris	458
Patricia Lou Harris	459
Patricia Lou Harris	460
Patricia Lou Harris	461
Patricia Lou Harris	462
Patricia Lou Harris	463
Patricia Lou Harris	464
Patricia Lou Harris	465
Patricia Lou Harris	466
Patricia Lou Harris	467
Patricia Lou Harris	468
Patricia Lou Harris	469
Patricia Lou Harris	470
Patricia Lou Harris	471
Patricia Lou Harris	472
Patricia Lou Harris	473
Patricia Lou Harris	474
Patricia Lou Harris	475
Penny Sprague	476
Penny Sprague	477
Penny Sprague	478
Peter Cilella	479
Peter Cilella	480
Peter Cilella	481
Peter Cilella	482
Peter Cilella	483
Peter Cilella	484
Peter Conlon	485
Peter Conlon	486
Peter Conlon	487
Peter Conlon	488
Peter Conlon	489
Peter Conlon	490
Peter Conlon	491
Rommel Calderon	492
Rommel Calderon	493
Rommel Calderon	494
Ron Harvey	495
Ron Harvey	496
Ron Harvey	497
Ron Harvey	498
Ron Harvey	499
Ron Harvey	500
Ron Kaloper	501
Ron Kaloper	502
Ron Kaloper	503
Rosalinda Batson	504
Rosalinda Batson	505
Rosalinda Batson	506
Rosalinda Batson	507
Rosalinda Batson	508
Rosalinda Batson	509
Sara Schroer	510
Sara Schroer	511
Sara Schroer	512
Sara Schroer	513
Sara Schroer	514
Sara Schroer	515
Sarah Hughes	516
Scott Clausen	517
Therese Soltis	518
Therese Soltis	519
Therese Soltis	520
Therese Soltis	521
Therese Soltis	522
Therese Soltis	523
Trisha Hegeman	524
Trisha Hegeman	525
Trisha Hegeman	526
Zsolt Kiraly	527

Thank You: Isabella Day 2011

August 1st is drawing to a close and, while this will be brief, I certainly need more than the 140 characters Twitter affords me to say Thank You. I am not sure how many characters Facebook allows but I'm sure I am not capable of living within the limits so I come here....a place I need to visit more often...my blog. I want to make sure everyone knows how grateful Crea and I are of all the support you showed us today. It would be hard to thank everyone individually but please know we read every single tweet and every single Facebook post and every email. While we personally know many of the folks reaching out to us with support, we honestly have only virtually met most of you and I find that incredible. Today's world allows a voice to people like myself to find amazing people such as yourselves. The fact that you took the time to read my story means a lot. The fact that you took the time to help us remember Isabella is priceless.

Before I close, I wanted to say a few quick things.


"There's always going to be bad stuff out there. But here's the amazing thing -light trumps darkness every time." Jodi Picoult


Mine is but one story of millions that are out there. My story involves my father and Isabella and my wife fighting cancer twice. There are other stories all around us. Tomorrow, Isabella's Day is over but somebody else will be mourning the loss of a loved one. Someone will learn they or a loved one has cancer. Somewhere, someone will get bad news. Somewhere, someone's life will be turned upside down. This is exactly why I share my story........in the hopes that my words find someone that needs to hear them. There are blessings on the other side of trying times. They will find you.


"May we all give a little piece of ourselves away every day so that when we pass.......who we are continues to impact the world"


On occasion I am asked to share my story for groups of people. When I do, I always like to close with a message tied to Isabella's impact and what it means to you.......what it means to us. Isabella, as I have shared, is a big part of who I am today. Because of her impact on me, I have gone on to play a very active role with Team in Training. Because of her impact on me, I have shared my story to many. Because of these two things...........I have hopefully impacted other lives along the way and hopefully those affected lives have paid it forward as well. My question to all of us is this..........if one little girl that never uttered one word on this planet or took one single step can have such an impact on the world...........what can you and I together accomplish. We all have the ability to make a difference. We all have the ability to change the world. We just need to put ourselves out there and make it happen.



I wanted to close with one last thought and that is tied back to the hardships and the blessings that come from those hardships. I certainly miss Isabella terribly. She was my first little girl and sometimes her missing voice is deafening. That being said, I would not go back and undo anything and that ties to my belief that everything happens for a reason. I have often said I believe my wife might not be here if it were not for Isabella. Doctors found the cancer inside Crea that they would have no reason to be looking for if it were not for my little angel. Beyond that there are countless blessings and people that have come into my life that I otherwise would never have known. Truthfully, I would not have crossed paths with most of you reading this post if it had not been for Isabella. Lastly, and I do not say this too often but this picture is of my earthly angel Thalia. She is #3 for Crea and I. Number 3 never comes if Isabella doesn't volunteer for Heaven and I could not imagine a life without this precious little girl. Blessings come from the most trying of times.


Again, thank you all so very much!!!

I Believe In Angels

It is that time again. It is hard to believe that another year has gone by let alone 8 years since the day my little Isabella passed away. I have to say the month leading up to Isabella’s Day is always challenging for me but for some reason the 2011 countdown has been especially difficult. There is no reason to try and understand why. More things have taken me to her. More things have reminded me of that day. More things have made me wonder what she would be doing if still here. The way I look at it, though, more reminders of my little girl cannot be such a bad thing. I never want to forget. I never will forget. I just miss her.

At the end of this post, I will ask a favor of you. If you know my story, this will be the same request I have asked in the past. If you are new to my story, know this has been my tradition for the past 8 years. The favor is simple so do not be alarmed. It is important though and is just about remembering my little angel on her day.

For those not familiar with Isabella, she is a big part of my story. She is a big part of me. She is a big influence over the person I am today. On August 1, 2003, the day before she was due to arrive in this world, Isabella passed straight from the comfort of my wife, Crea, to the hands of God. If you want to know the long story of that day, I wrote a post last year you can read HERE (might need a tissue or two).

Another year has passed and while I will not always have a new post on Isabella’s Day, this year I have decided to share something very personal for me and perhaps a little ‘risky’. I guess most of what I share is very personal but this will be different and is something I have largely kept close to heart. Truthfully, I have shared this story with very few people and only then at times when I thought it might make a difference. There are several reasons why I consider this post to be a ‘Risky’ one. The first is that it involves sharing a story and I do not consider myself very skilled at that task. I am good….or at least I think I am….. at writing in a manner that evokes emotion and makes you feel something but that is because I am so open about how I feel. This particular story requires painting a picture and I am not sure that will come off so well. Storytelling is a weakness of mine. I have many thoughts of writing a book………a book about running combined with my story………..a novel it would never be.

The next reason this post will be ‘Risky’ is because of the subject matter. I have wrote many times of death and hardship and pushing beyond. Unfortunately, that has touched me. Death and hardship may be a tough read but everyone can relate. This post is about life after death. This post is about belief and angels and faith. You don’t have to believe in what I believe in. I am certainly not writing this post to preach to you or convert you. I am the Christian guy that probably needs to wash his mouth out at the end of each day tied to some not so appropriate language and dirty jokes. I am not a soap box Christian but I can tell you this: it is my belief and faith that helped me survive all that has happened to me. It is a trust that there is some reason things happen beyond what I can explain. It is the belief I always share that blessings come out of the darkest of times. I can go home tonight and share a laugh with my wife because doctors managed to catch the cancer growing inside of her. They found that cancer early because Isabella passed away.

Coincidence? Perhaps, but I choose to believe otherwise.

My father could have been afraid to die. His final months could have been filled with fear but were instead filled with the comfort of knowing he was going to be with his little girl.

Idle hope? Perhaps, but again, I choose to believe otherwise.

This story takes place on the day before my father passed away. It is not a long story……….truthfully it is very short which may also be challenging for a long winded guy like myself. I am sharing it after consulting with a few people in the hopes that Someone……….Someday……….Somewhere………. is comforted by what they read here. You can believe or not believe. It is certainly your choice but I promise on all things important to me that I believe what you will read here.

It was January 11^th, 2004. I had basically been living in South Carolina since Thanksgiving of the prior year. When they told my father his leukemia was terminal, I made the decision to relocate and be with my parents for whatever time remained. It was tough on my wife, Crea, but she has always been supportive of everything that is important to me and clearly this was important. I am an only child. My Dad was the best man at my wedding and my best friend. I certainly was not going to learn about his passing via a phone call from my Mom. That is how I learned of my father’s diagnosis and it did not go so well as I crumbled to the floor in tears (the good news here is that I picked myself up and learned I was much stronger than I ever thought). It had been a rough 15 months. My Dad had fought hard. He had endured the chemo and begged for more. He had taken my phone call to learn he would not be holding his granddaughter Isabella……something he had been fighting to make happen. His voice was strong as I shared the news but I imagine his insides crumbled to the floor much like I had learning about his illness. The good news is that he picked himself up and decided to take strength from her passing. She took fear out of the equation for him. He would not hold Isabella in this lifetime but he certainly would hold her.

As a preface, my Dad was a stubborn stubborn man. I believe I have previously shared this but years before his fight with cancer my Dad had a mild stroke. When it happened, he initially refused to go to the doctor. Instead, he continued to hold business meetings with half of his face dropped as a side effect. He just told everyone he had come straight from the dentist’s office and that the Novocain had not yet worn off. His stubbornness made him (at times) a pain in the ass (somewhere my wife is whispering ‘so this is where you get it from’) but also made my father a fighter. I watched as he dug in and fought hard to recover from that stroke. He practiced his signature a million times until his amazing handwriting returned. He practiced his golf swing for hours and hours and hours never telling anyone at the club what had happened. I saw people make fun of him for his golf struggles because they didn’t know what had happened. My Dad wouldn’t let me say anything (or kick their ass). He would respond through his actions and hard work. In time, his golf game returned as a resounding rebuttal to the doubters. That same fight came out when diagnosed with blood cancer. I saw chemo beat my father down but he always got up and asked for more. When my Dad was informed he lost his battle and it was only a matter of time, he dug deep and refused to let cancer take his pride. At his weakest, he would still walk himself where he needed to go. He did not want help. He did not want to let cancer have that part of him. Towards the end, many people need help getting to the restroom. It was critical to my father that this never happen to him…….and it never did. Cancer could take his life. Cancer could not have his pride.

In those final months in South Carolina, whatever my Dad had the desire and strength to do, we would do. It might have been fishing or crabbing or as simple as mowing the lawn as my parents had never owned a house until South Carolina. On one occasion which happened to be one of his very last nights, my Dad (an amazing chef) decided he wanted to teach me how to make Penne Puttanesca…….translated Pasta of the Whores. My Dad shared my warped sense of humor so I somehow believe this meal was chosen more for humorous reasons than anything else. He was sick…….so very sick. I am including a picture of that night below. It will be tough for you to look at but will let you know just how close to the other side my father was. My Dad was an amazing athlete. Whatever he tried to do, he was good at. He had a great physique and was very good looking (which I hope is a sign of good things to come for me). You can see in this photo that cancer had taken all of that. You can see in this photo that we must find a cure for cancer. You can tell from this photo that the last 15 months had been one hell of a battle. What you cannot see in this photo is the determination and strength this man showed just to get to the kitchen to spend some time with his wife and his son. What you cannot see is the good time we all made out of a bad situation. This image is not how I choose to remember my father but I certainly choose to remember this moment.

Truthfully, this meal was the last moment I remember with my father. My Dad was very weak and the rest of this story very well may have taken place the next day. If it didn’t, I certainly do not remember the days in between but that is the most it could have been. My Dad had stopped being too mobile. He spent most of his time on the couch watching TV. It is on this same couch I thanked my father for fighting so hard and for teaching me so much. It is on this same couch I made sure my Dad knew he was my best friend. It was on this couch I told my Dad I would raise money to fight cancer on his behalf. I sometimes wonder if he knew at that moment I would go on to raise over $100,000, go on to complete an Ironman triathlon and go on to coach others to do the very same thing. He never said anything when I shared what I had learned about Team in Training. He just had a single tear running down his face and that let me know I had done a good thing.

On January 11, 2004, I went out to the living room once I awoke and my father was sound asleep breathing very heavy. It was not a difficult breathing but one of comfort and deep sleep. He seemed to be at peace for the first time in what was a long time. I was looking forward to him waking up so I could see how he felt or see if he needed anything……he sometimes would have me make a Starbucks run or go grab some food. That would never happen on this day. My Dad just kept sleeping and breathing in that same comfortable manner. The hours passed…….my father did not move an inch. Lunch went by…..nothing changed. Dinner with my mother and grandmother went by and finally it was time to go to bed. I knelt beside my Dad and for some reason I remembered something I had been told before. I couldn’t tell you who provided me this information or where I heard it but it screamed at me as I knelt in front of my Dad to say good night. What I been told is this: hearing is the last thing to go before someone passes so make sure you talk to the very end. This is what I did. I talked. I told my Dad that I Loved him. I thanked my Dad for fighting so hard. I told my Dad that we would miss him terribly but that we would be okay. I assured him I would take care of my Mom and Nannie (his Mom). I know my Dad fought well beyond when God wanted him because of his need to know my Mom had accepted he was moving on. I let my Dad know she would be okay and that it was okay to let go. I let him know I would see him again someday in a much better place and that he would have to teach me then how to be a better golfer.

Those turned out to be my final words to my Dad but I really did not know it at the time. You would think having shared all of this that I expected his breath to immediately fall shallow but I was just talking to my Dad so he knew how I felt…..so he could have some comfort if he truly could hear me. Off to bed I went and this is where my lack of storytelling will come to haunt me (if it hasn’t already). My parents lived in a gated community near Hilton Head Island. When the sun went down it was pitch black. Stephen King would have some amazing description for this darkness but for me it was a ‘walk straight into a mail box’ kind of darkness. You really could not see 2 feet in front of your face because there are no street lights and the houses are set back into the woods. Beyond the darkness, this is one of the quietest places I have ever been. You are well removed from the traffic noise of major roads and within the community, nobody is outside……..primarily tied to the darkness and the fact there are alligators in the area which you do not want to stumble across in the middle of the night. Lastly, the lots for each of the houses are big so you have a good distance between neighbors.

Got it? Dark. Quiet. Well removed from anyone and anything.

After talking to my Dad, I head off to bed. It is late evening perhaps around 10pm. I get in bed and try to sleep but am disturbed by the sound of women talking. I deal with it for a while but eventually get frustrated and decide to go tell my Mom and Nannie to be quiet or go to the other side of the house so I can sleep. I open my door but nobody is there. My grandmother is in her room and there is nothing but silence. A quick look into the kitchen reveals no one and the television in the living room is turned off. I write this off to a timing issue and head back to bed. No sooner does my head hit the pillow when the talking begins again. Ladies again but it sounds like many of them so I wonder if neighbors had come by in the middle of the night which would be quite an odd event. I open my door to nothing but silence again. I look out the windows……..nothing but darkness. Nobody is at the front door. Television is still off. Grandmother is still in her room. Off to bed I go and again the talking. Still only women but I notice a younger voice this time. I am thoroughly confused but decide I will take one more look. I go outside to silence again but decide to look for my Mom. All the lights are on in the house now but my Mom is nowhere to be found. I look in her room and she is not there. I check the attic……….she is not there. Again, no television, no grandmother, no-BODY. I lie back down, hear the voices but finally fall asleep.

The next voice I hear is my Mom.

“Your Dad has passed away” she says.

I knew those words were coming. They were expected and they made sense to me. I know that may sound odd but any other words would have seemed out of place to me at the moment. My Dad had let go. He had trusted that we were ready…….that we were prepared and he went to see his granddaughter.

Why is this story one of faith and belief? That part comes later the next morning over breakfast. We had all said our final goodbyes to my father. The funeral home had come to get him and had pronounced him dead at around 12:30am on January 12^th. We went to bed and woke up later that same morning……….the first of many without my Dad. Over breakfast, I decided to talk to my Mom and share my story about the chatting ladies. At revealing my news, my mother had this look come over her face that gave me a Sixth Sense kind of moment. You see, my mother had heard those same voices and performed those same searches. Each time, my Mom had the same findings as I did………no television, no grandmother, no neighbors, no-Body. When I was looking for my Mom, she was looking for the ladies and the little girl……..that is why I could not find her. This is where you have to choose what you believe. What I believe………..actually, what I know is that while I never got to hear Isabella laugh or cry, I did get to hear her in joyous conversation as she came to get my father and take him Home. That was what he was waiting for and for whatever reason, I was able to be a part of and hear the pre-party. I believe in Angels. I believe Isabella and my Dad can check in on me. I believe they are with me when I put in the miles and are with me at the finish line of all my races. They are not looking at the clock. They don’t care about the time or if I set a PR. They just want to share that moment of completion with me. It is this belief that motivates me on a daily basis to try and live a life that makes them proud. It is this belief that keeps me running. I feel closest to them when I am out on the streets. We all have our reasons to run. For me, I run to remember.

Thanks for reading. I hope it was worth your time and that at some point in your life this story might help you have a little hope or cause you to exercise some faith. Now to the favor I ask every year on Isabella’s Day. It is simple but so very important to me. Isabella’s Day is August 1st. All I ask is that at some point during this day you raise a glass to my little Angel. It can be a fine red wine, a shot of tequila, a glass of water or a cup of coffee (no decaf allowed!). The drink does not matter to me. It is a gesture. It is a means to help me remember the little girl that lived a short life but had a great impact. Thank you so much.

To Isabella!

Hope Next Exit Raffle - The Sequel

Hope Next Exit is back. Actually 'Hope Next Exit' never really left and is a mantra I try to live by as it pertains to fighting cancer. The Hope Next Exit Raffle is back. If you are not familiar with the birth of this Hope Next Exit picture on the left, it began late 2009 when my wife was diagnosed with cancer a second time. For those familiar with my entire story, please bare with me while I briefly share it for those that arrived to this post without the full story. I go through life assuming everyone knows my story because I have shared it so many times. Recently, however, I have been reminded on several occasions that the masses are not familiar with my story. By recent, I literally mean yesterday based on interaction with Michelle Jacobs (@BklynRunner on Twitter). We have chatted in passing on Twitter and share common Twitter friends so I assumed she was well aware of my losses. Yesterday, I was sad to see that Michelle's Mom, Ida Jacobs, was not doing so well. I reached out to see if I could help and we exchanged a lot of messages. Ultimately I learned that Michelle's Mom was deep in sleep and had been the entire day. This was a mirror image of my father's last day before passing. What our respective parents also shared was that they each had leukemia. Anyway, I offered what I could to help and I shared a very personal story and could only hope it helped. That really is why I share my story....hoping it helps someone in a similar circumstance or someone that has been through trying times and needs to know there is an amazing future beyond hardship. It usually does and that is one of the many blessings that comes out of the my experience. Unfortunately Ida passed away last night. My prayers are with Michelle and all of Ida's friends and family. Mom is now an angel...pain free and dancing. I will keep her and this story close to my heart as I push towards Ironman Wisconsin on September 11, 2011.

Back to the short but full version of my story. Over a 15 month period of time beginning late September 2002, my father was diagnosed with leukemia. While he was fighting, my wife Crea became pregnant with our first child together, Isabella Soleil Wilno. In August, 2003, Isabella passed straight from the warmth and comfort of being with Mom for nine months to God. She passed away at birth and shortly after, my Dad was told treatment would not help. I moved out to be with my parents until he passed which took place in January 2004. Shortly after, while pregnant again, my wife was diagnosed with cancer. We had the tough decision of fighting the cancer first or giving birth to our son Jaden first. We opted for the latter.......my son was born a healthy and fat child....two weeks later my wife was dealing with all the things that come with fighting cancer. She beat it. She is tough. Almost 5 years to the day later, we were back at the doctor thinking we were beyond this cancer forever. Instead, the doctor told us the cancer had returned. My wife beat the cancer a second time in early 2010. Along the journey we met with various surgeons and in one particular waiting room (which I like to call the 'Theater of Good News to Come), I saw the 'Hope Next Exit' picture above. It became our fighting words. After her successful second battle with cancer, we threw a party called Hope Next Exit and I launched the first raffle.

Almost a year has passed. I am now participating in my 11th Team in Training event, the Lavaman Olympic triathlon on April 3, 2011. It is one race on the road to Ironman Wisconsin in September. As I type this entry, I have raised approximately $13,000 for this race. I am in the running for Top 3 fundraisers. More importantly, life to date I have raised $93,000 and am $7,000 away from my lifetime goal of raising $100,000. None of this is about the glory or prizes or being a top fundraiser or even being acknowledged. For me it is about setting goals beyond my reach and chasing them down. It is about living up to the promises I made to my Dad and Isabella and my wife. It is about making sure cancer makes an exit in the near future. We need a cure. We must find a cure. That is why I am here and that is why I am launching

HOPE NEXT EXIT RAFFLE - THE SEQUEL

It is simple. I am selling 250 tickets for some cool prizes. You can see the list of prizes and some pictures of key prizes by clicking the HOPE NEXT RAFFLE PAGE. The details are at this page but in case you do not want to leave this site, here are the details:

1 ticket for $20, 3 tickets for $50

If you give an odd amount, I will give you tickets based on this formula (e.g. $70 = 4 tix)

I will do my best to cut off the raffle at 250 but it may go slightly over. I have mailed letters out about the raffle so I have no idea what money is in transit. My goal is to be as close to 250 as possible so your chances of winning are as advertised.

Prizes As of Now (retail value approximately $2,250)

HP MediaSmart Server EX495

Gateway Laptop - 15.6" Blu Ray, 4GB 500GB

Monster Beats by Dr. Dre headphones

Lexmark S815 Genesis All In One printer

HP Photosmart e-All-in-One printer

Punk Rock Racing Gear

Deacon Jones Autographed Football

Avatar 3 Disc DVD Set

DVD-CD Set: Date Night + Glee Rocky Horror Picture Show

$50 Starbucks Gift Card

You do not have to do anything other than click on the link in the top right of this page. It will take you to my Team in Training fundraising page. You donate and I will make sure to allocate tickets to you. I will create a separate blog entry tracking raffle ticket holders but as of now, we have sold 132 of the 250 tickets. Only 118 tickets are left!!! Current ticket holders are as follows (please let me know if I am missing you):

Zsolt Kiraly	1
Calvin Lin	3
Maura McCartan	2
Nick Gardner	6
Dena Grablowsky	3
Caryn fishler	1
Mark Kristof	7
Brian Ring	6
Christopher Rake	6
Abhay Kulkarni	6
Michael Miller	3
Josh Spector	6
Kristy Brown	1
Laura Maloney	6
Michael Miller	3
Christy Noel	1
Bethany Chaney	6
Ron Harvey	6
Eric Orvieto	3
Jenna Chastain	1
Eileen Wolpe	6
Sarah Hughes	1
Michel Holtz	1
Bryan Sloan	1
Scott Clausen	1
David Pittman	1
Elizabeth Ryan	1
Jennifer Zenuch	1
Douglas Sawyer	6
Lori Jomsky	6
Jennifer Conklin	1
K Melissa Galyon	2
Edward Schober	1
Rosalinda Batson	6
Fern Oliner	3
Nadim Bacchus	1
Penny Sprague	3
Christopher Hancock	2
Kristea Cancel	3
Brett DAvis	3
Jason Zacher	5

THANKS TO ALL FOR EVERYTHING OVER THE YEARS. I DID NOT RAISE $93,000 WITHOUT AMAZING SUPPORT. THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO PUSH ME TO THE FINISH LINE OF MY $100,000 GOAL AND FOR PUSHING THE WORLD TO THE FINISH LINE WHERE THE END OF CANCER IS CELEBRATED. I DO NOT DRINK. I WILL HAVE AN AMAZING GLASS OF RED WINE ON THAT DAY. MY DAD IMPORTED WINE. HE WOULD APPROVE.

A Big Victory - My SB Auction Journey

It will be big or it will be nothing.

These were the words I told my wife and emailed to Lori Jomsky when the crazy eBay idea entered my head. A lot has transpired since I exclaimed these words two weeks ago. Along the way, my already high faith in people soared, my already certain belief that cancer will be cured solidified and, although I had a moment of lapse when eBay pulled my auction, my belief that blessings come from trying times was confirmed.

Over the years I have raised over $80,000 to help fight cancer. On that journey, not too many creative juices were required. Out of the gate, the circumstanc

es of my story were so current that people openly pulled out their checkbook. Lose a father, lose a daughter, watch your wife fight cancer while pregnant with your son……………..that tends to tug at the heart strings. All I did was share my story as openly and honestly as I could. I have done that ever since in the attempt to end cancer……in the attempt to show people a way to their abilities………in an attempt to maybe help a struggling soul along the way. That coupled with increasing endurance race distances coupled with perhaps a Super Bowl Pool or raffle here and there lead me to where I am today.

Jump to January 15, 2011. I had just watched Green Bay destroy the Atlanta Falcons while I sat in the living room wearing the first ever Atlanta Falcons hat I owned. I grew up in Atlanta (and Florida which is why I also cheer for the Dolphins) but in 44 years never owned a hat. After the loss, I had a Sixth Sense type of moment where I realized earlier in the year I broke down and bought a Boise State Broncos hat to watch them lose and end their run at a National title. I also broke down and bought an Oregon Ducks hat to sit in my living room and watch them lose the National title to Auburn. Three h

ats bought…..three big losses. I also flashed to my life as an Atlanta Braves fan where they have made it to the playoffs many times but have only won the World Series once. That one time……..when they clinched the World Series with a victory over Cleveland………..I was at a wedding unable to watch. Bad Karma? I have never thought of myself as bad luck but these facts rang in my head so I came up with the idea to auction off this bad Karma to either Pittsburgh or Green Bay as a fundraiser to help fight cancer. I can deal with my Bad Karma. I cannot deal with watching any more suffering that cancer brings to this world.

I reached out to a friend Lori Jomsky (@lj3000 on Twitter) with the idea. She really didn’t know what to think but the beauty of Lori is that she would make it happen anyway. I didn’t know anything about eBay. I only had the idea. She didn’t know anything either but she reached out to a friend, Ray Montague (@zumadog on Twitter), and my silly idea was born.

It will be big or it will be nothing.

A few days after the launch of the auction, the Green Bay Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune reached out interested in the story. I wish I had a video of the shock that must have appeared on my face when news of this reached me. My silly idea was newsworthy. Next www.boringpittsburgh.com posted a great article on my story in the hopes that a Pittsburgh corporation would step in and make a difference. I loved that this article called out the city’s love of the Steelers and their love of charity. It almost made me want to root for Pittsburgh but then again, that could be a curse. News of my story made it to Chris Schauble (@ChrisNBCLA on Twitter) of NBC LA and, with no push from me, Chris presented my story to the station. Other than a high five at mile 26 of his 2010 Ironman Kona journey, Chris only knows me through Twitter but he jumped in to help. On Sunday, January 30^th, Fred Roggin shared my story in his sports report and a few days later another 30 second spot of my story aired on the 6pm NBC LA news.

Unfortunately, the same night as this last NBC story aired eBay, for whatever reason, pulled my auction citing it was inappropriate. Inappropriate? I am just trying to raise money to fight cancer. The money is not even going to me. I am not funding my kid’s education. I am not trying to go on a vacation. I am trying to save lives. What was newsworthy and a human interes

t story was not okay for the auction site. To say I was angry was an understatement. In a few hours, the Pittsburgh Tribune article would run and now the link would not work. The ability for this auction to raise big money was over……or was it. Lori and Ray worked launch a new auction site, http://r.ebay.com/4NL34C , and, as I’m typing this post on a morning flight home, I am certain folks are fighting to get the old link posted again. I went to bed upset but thank God I only had 2 hours to sleep before waking up to fly back to Los Angeles.

I woke up with a different perspective. I stepped back and noticed the results that were right in front of my face. What started as a silly little idea turned into something much more. It started with a friend that took the time to turn my concept into reality. It started with Twitter where folks that have never met me in real life made the effort to share my story. It started with a good man that doubles as a news anchor who cared enough to fight on my behalf. It started with some newspapers that thought a funny story combined with human interest was worth a read. It all lead to 1,000’s of people learning about my journey……..not just the auction but the events that lead to the auction. It led to further promises fulfilled to my Dad and my wife and Isabella. It led

to an amazing call from my two amazing kids screaming “Daddy, you were on tv!!!” which is a moment I will NEVER forget (thank you again Chris!). It led to more awareness of the battle going on to end cancer. I am confident it will lead to others joining the fight. I am confident it will lead to others realizing they can make a difference. I am confident someone on the couch yesterday might get off it today. I am confident a non-runner at the start of this week will take their first steps soon and run 26.2 miles one day in the future.

Thank you to all that made this happen this week. There are way too many of you to call out individually. You know who you are. Please know I am grateful. To NBC, and the Green Bay Gazette and BoringPittsburgh.com and the Pittsburgh Tribune……….thanks for your faith in me and my apologies for this eBay debacle.

It will be big or it will be nothing.

I do not need to monitor the auction. This is already BIG regardless of what transpires on eBay.

Note: in the last 5 minutes my story has made its way to the Yahoo home page, MSNBC a

nd Fox Sports. Amazing!!

As a side note, if my story has inspired you, you can donate above and use my bad karma however you wish!

UPDATE

It is 8:40pm on Saturday and I wanted to type a brief update to the above post. The last day of the auction was a blur. After I posted the above entry, my story started appearing everywhere. I was getting texts, emails and IM's. The first arrived alerting me I was on the Yahoo Home Page. At work, vendors and customers were seeing my story and sending me the link. From there I received calls from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society headquarters asking if they could submit my story to The Today Show.......nah, I will hold out for better........of course, you can submit my story to The Today Show. From there, Fox Sports, MSNBC, MSN, NFL team websites all were running my story. It was pretty amazing. I did make the mistake of reading some of the comments at the posts.....there are certainly some people who think everyone in the world is a con artist that clearly doubted my story was true to which I reply: I certainly wish it were untrue. It would be nice to sit down and watch the Super Bowl with my Dad and Isabella but we move on and make the most out of our losses. I really think the Thursday press craziness stemmed from the Wednesday night airing on NBC coupled with the Thursday morning publication of my story in the Pittsburgh Tribune. That created a wildfire of press that will surely be a proud moment for as long as my mind is capable of remembering. For when my mind fails to remember......here are some links to a few articles: Fox Sports Yahoo MSNBC Business Insider Boring Pittsburgh

The last update is that the high bid closed Thursday night at $1,625. I woke up excited. To be honest, I hoped it would raise more and that a corporation like Heinz or Alcoa from Pittsburgh would see the article and step in to help. I was still however very happy and proceeded to reach out to the high bidder J Shepherd of Arkansas. He was non responsive despite even Ebay reaching out to him. On to bidder 2 and ultimately bidder 3. Nothing. Apparently people thought is was funny to bid with no intent to donate which truthfully is a little hurtful given the personal nature of my story. Ultimately, I have to choose to believe that if all of these bids were fake, ultimately this was a great human interest story but not a great fundraiser. On that note, I just want to apologize and thank all of the press that helped not only promote my story but promote Team in Training, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the entire mission to #beatcancer. I am grateful again to the Green Bay Gazette, Boring Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Tribune, Lori Jomsky, Ray Montague, Michael Sally, Chris Schauble, specifically Karen at the Pitt Tribune for taking the time to get to know me and my story, all the sites that shared the press and all my real and Twitter friends for sharing in all the media excitement. I also want to thank David of @ebay who stepped in Thursday night to protect the auction from shutting down and for trying hard to get a bidder to contribute. It did not all work out at this moment in time financially for the cause but I am sure there are people that will join Team in Training or some fight against cancer because of seeing the article so, in the long term, Cancer is the loser here.

To close, I am going to be rooting for Green Bay and test out this whole Karma thing.......partially because the GB hat arrived first but largely due to the chance this whole Bad Karma thing is real. The Pittsburgh community embraced my story and I would hate for them to lose having me feel responsible. So.....we will see. Whoever wins......IT'S NOT MY FAULT....OR IS IT?

Another Beat Cancer Showdown - Hope Next Exit Raffle, the Sequel

Here we are again. I guess more importantly, here I am again asking for help. Truthfully, I am just the voice of the world, the voice of children watching their parents fight cancer, the voice of a husband or wife watching their loved one undergo chemotherapy, the voice of parents begging to trade places with their baby that saw cancer knock on the door of childhood. Over the past 7 years I have shared my story with people hoping it would help ease some pain, hoping people would see that there is a world of blessing beyond the trying times and hoping to teach there is an ability in all of us to accomplish the impossible……..an ability in all of us to change the world. I have been blessed to witness this countless times. I have seen people change. I have seen the world change.

If you somehow made it to this page without knowing my story, you can read the first entry of this blog. The short version is that in a brief period of time my Dad was diagnosed with leukemia, my daughter Isabella passed away and my wife was diagnosed with cancer. My Dad lost his battle. My wife won hers for 5 years and then cancer made a return visit. My wife is tough though. She went to her second cage match with cancer and was once again the victor. These facts are only part of the story. They are the first chapters of a much longer book that has a joyous ending. If you know me in real life or through this blog or through twitter, you know I don’t choose to focus on the sad facts but instead the blessings that came from my story. Several of those blessings are what brought me to ask you for help yet again. When my Dad’s disease was declared terminal, I decided I would run a marathon to honor his battle. As his son and best friend, I couldn’t just sit back and watch him die. The decision to run a marathon led me to Team in Training and a promise to my father to fight back against the disease that took him from me. It was an easy choice really. He would have done the same for me.

I honored that promise. I crossed my first marathon finish line in December 2004. I will remember that finish line forever. I immediately found my wife, Crea, fell into her embrace in tears and told her that was the hardest thing I had ever done. Other than holding my daughter Isabella in my arms, it truly was the hardest thing I had ever done. Not simply for the pain the marathon wall can bring but because Race Day is my time with my Dad and Isabella. I spend those miles thinking about them and talking to them. It sounds weird I know but I like to think they share each race with me and are at each of my finish lines. Race Day is our check in time. I let myself go to them, reflect on my life…..make sure I am living the life that makes them proud.

When I signed up for Team in Training, it was for one event. That one event changed my life and it helped me to see I can help others change their lives. I went on to mentor and ultimately coach for Team in Training changing my life even further. Seeing hundreds of people cross their first finish line…seeing them raise literally millions of dollars…….seeing them develop a tremendous confidence level about their ability to have an impact…….all quite a blessing.

Seven years have passed. I have raised almost $80,000 in that time span. I have a goal. It is $100,000. I am not sure if 2011 is the year I hit that goal but I certainly can try. I am going to participate in Ironman Wisconsin on September 11, 2011. I am not worried about my time. I am in it for the journey and another long day with my Dad and Isabella….another day to honor the battles won and lost…….another day that brings us closer to a cure for cancer. This Ironman is not an official Team in Training event so I will use other TNT races along the training path to Ironman. The first one of the year, my 11^th event as a TNT participant, is Lavaman Triathlon in April 2011. I need your help. The world needs your help. Cancer has taken a break from my family but it continues to impact lives on a daily basis. With that I come to you to help fund more stories of hope. I want the rest of the world to see their wives, their children, their Moms, their Dads, their loved ones beat cancer. I want future generations to have to read about cancer in the history books. I want to win this battle. I have set a goal for this race of $10,000. To help get me there, I am launching the second Hope Next Exit raffle. Thanks to Jeff Webb, @wsearunner on Twitter, we will have a web page showing off the prizes soon (please send Jeff’s family your prayers as leukemia has just touched his father). For now, I will give you the basics.

One (1) Raffle Ticket = $20

Three (3) Raffle Tickets = $50

I will only sell 250 tickets so you have a 1 in 250 chance of winning something

Current Prizes

HP Media Smart Server

Gateway 4GB Notebook

Monster Beats Headphones

Punk Rock Racing Gear

HP Photosmart Printer (with eprint technology)

Lexmark All in One Printer

Avatar 3 Disc DVD set

DVD-CD set: Date Night + Glee Rocky Horror Picture Show

More to come but these retail for over $1,500 already

To participate, all you have to do is donate at my Team in Training fundraising site. There is a link to that site at the top right of this page. In case the link is not working, you can simply go to http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/lavatri11/beatcancer . You do not have to do anything special…..just donate through the normal process. I will issue you a raffle ticket(s) and will list all raffle ticket holders as an entry on this blog so you know you are accounted for.

To jump start the raffle, we are going to kick it off on Sunday, January 9^th at the Walt Disney World marathon…….day 2 of the Goofy Challenge. If you are unfamiliar with this challenge, it is comprised of a half marathon on Saturday followed by a full marathon on Sunday. I signed up for this event a year ago and had aspirations of testing my limits and pushing hard. Last month, however, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture that will prevent me from running. I am not one to easily bow out of races though so I am going to participate and I will do a lot of walking which will make for a tough 2 days. It will be a big battle for me not to run but I will try to think of the bigger picture…….I am coaching Team in Training Summer Season 2011 which starts in a few weeks and I do have that Ironman I do not want to jeopardize. So……..I will walk. On Sunday my amazing friend Emily Conlon, @goingforgoofy on Twitter, will walk with me for which I am grateful. She is throwing her race to hang with me and it means a lot. Together we hope to get this raffle going by selling one ticket per mile which would mean $520 to beat cancer. If you need further incentive, we will be taking requests to earn your donation. Personally, I think you should ask Emily to kiss a stranger, tackle Pluto, freak dance with Goofy……….something interesting. Either way, if you are near a computer on Sunday, we will Tweet our journey (I am @run2savelives), take your requests and hope that we reach our goal. Either way, I am grateful to you all for reading this blog and for your support. I have recently spent a lot of time reflecting on how I was ever able to raise $80,000. Certainly a good story helped but I could not have accomplished this without tremendous support from family and friends…both the real and virtual kind. Time and time again, I ask for help. Time and time again, you all step up and join me in the fight. $100,000 raised to fight cancer will warrant a hell of a party. More importantly, I want to be at the party we have after they announce that next miracle drug and even better, a cure for cancer.

Thank you,

Your Friend in the Fight Against Cancer

The Best Day Ever

This will be my shortest post ever and my first that has nothing to do with running. It really came out of nowhere which is the mark of a special moment. I think it started this morning. I was looking at quotes as I always do.....trying to find one that I think might make an impact on people. Instead, I found a poem that had an impact on me.

If tears could build a stairway,

And memories a lane,

I'd walk right up to Heaven

And bring you home again.

-Author Unknown

In case you made it here without the back story......I lost my Dad to leukemia and while he was fighting I lost my daughter Isabella. In between and years after, my wife was diagnosed with cancer two times.....twice she was the victor. Anyway, this poem brought me to Isabella. I have been thinking of her a lot recently. Don't get me wrong, there is not a day that goes by without me thinking of my Dad but lately it is Isabella that has been on my mind. I think it is all the Holiday shopping. It is seeing all the kids, mine included, so excited for the holidays. It is spending hours in the Disney store and the Sanrio store and looking at pink outfits for my amazing 2 year old daughter Thalia. All good times that happen to remind me there is something missing.....one laugh that cannot be heard.

Move forward a few hours.....my wife, Crea, and I take the entire family to see Tangled. With a 2 and a 6 year old........9 out of 10 movies we watch involve cartoon characters. There is one scene in the movie showing Rapunzel's father on the night of her birthday with a tear streaming down his face as he missed his daughter that had been taken. Again, this scene took me to Isabella. Just a hint of sadness for me. Just a reminder that one seat was empty.

Jump forward one hour. It has been raining in Los Angeles for a few days now. It is supposed to rain for another few days. One week of rain in LA is unheard of. I live for these times because one of my favorite things to do is run in the rain. One problem........I have a stress fracture. No running for me so this opportunity is passing me by and it will probably be another 10 years before it rains 7 straight days. On the way home from the movie I decided that while I could not run, there was nothing stopping me from going for a walk and stomping in a few puddles. I got home, put on some shorts and sandals and was ready to go. Before heading out, I decided to see if my son, Jaden, wanted to join me. He seemed a little unsure which lead me to believe he really needed to go for a walk in the rain. He has missed the joy of jumping in a big puddle having spent his entire 6 year life in Southern California. Off we go.

Jaden seems very timid at first. He is all bundled up in a rain jacket......I am dressed to get soaked. I make sure to let him know this is truly one of my favorite things and that I am happy to have him join me. "Why do you like it so much Dad" Jaden asks.

Good question.

I never really stopped to put a lot of thought to why I liked it so much but the answer came fairly easy. I like it because I feel at one with the world. I like it because I feel closer to God. I like it because everyday there are rules to follow and boundaries put upon us but there are no rules when you run in the rain. Instead of avoiding obstacles, a run in the rain is all about heading straight for the biggest puddle. No umbrella to shield you. Just bring it on and get as wet as you can.

I doubt at six, he understood what I was saying but I know the smallest moments can make a lasting impression. I hope somewhere down the road it all makes sense. For now, to solidify the message, I pointed to an enormous puddle and told him to jump in. He looked at me thinking it must be some trick. I assured him it was not. There would be no time out. There would be no penalty for getting wet. The shoes will dry and so will you. Jump in my friend and you will know what I am talking about. Jump in is exactly what he did and his laughter could be heard for blocks. It was amazing. We spent another 45 minutes out in the rain. I took him to all the places I knew the water built up into nice big tide pools. We were not on the sidewalk. We were in the street. People were looking at us funny......maybe they were looking at me thinking I am some horrible parent but I could care less. We were kicking water on each other and having a blast. A block from our house, a new park opened........I thought it might be a good idea to play in the park in the rain. It was only us. It was dark. It was open. We were among the first to experience the park and it was incredible. We did everything there was to do.......note: slides are insanely fast when new and wet. We went down many times.....so fast that there was no landing on the feet. There was only landing on our back side but there was no pain, only laughter. After a while there, we headed home in a new direction to see if there were bigger and better puddles to conquer. On the way, we came to one of the few trees near my house that was actually losing its leaves. I taught my son about how amazing it is back east when all the leaves change color and how amazing it is to build an enormous pile of leaves and dive in. This tree had dumped so many on the ground that I was able to grab a large pile and toss them in my son's face. Again, nothing but laughter......and retaliation. We had a leaf fight for a few minutes and then continued home. He

asked why there were not more leaves on the ground all the time. I told him that the gardener's come and pick them up to keep the sidewalks clean. His response was priceless:

"When I grow up I want to be a gardener's boss and when I am, I will fire all of them so the kids can play in the leaves"

I think he was getting the point of our journey. In our last few minutes in the rain Jaden stopped me to ask if he could tell me something. "Sure thing buddy!". What he wanted to tell me was that this was "the best day ever!!!" which are words every parent wants to hear. Anyway, we made it home. Out of nowhere came this special moment with my son that seemed to bring my day full circle to the quote I posted on Twitter this morning:

"The pain passes, but the beauty remains" Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Yes I wish I could play in the rain with Isabella. One day I will. Today, the beauty of this moment will remain.