Life Moves Pretty Fast...

It has been a while…the water is travelling swiftly…and as that great philosopher, Ferris Bueller, stated, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

So let us stop and look around for a moment…and give a brief update to Team Elliott…God is good…and has blessed us immensely. Last week Team Elliott saddled up and flew to San Diego California for a 6 day vacation…where the break from 40 straight days of 100 + degree Texas Weather was very welcome as the high temps in Southern California for our stay were 82 degrees.

We land…pick up the Ford Excursion at the rental place and then moved ever so swiftly to Marine Corps Recruit Depot…a return visit after graduating boot camp there in 1988. Not much has changed and I relished imparting this part of my past to my wife and kids. I think I am 0 for 3 in having any of them sign on the dotted line…maybe something about that DI going off on a recruit that deterred my kids wanting to spend 3 months there.

My wife had gotten a great deal at the W Hotel in San Diego…and it was a wonderful place to stay the first 2 nights. While in San Diego we went to Legoland and Mission Beach. The kids loved both places and for different reasons. After our second day we traveled into Los Angeles… we visited the Tar Pits where literally 1000’s of prehistorically animal skeletons were found. We also did the Hollywood walk of fame, the observatory in the Hollywood Hills and a Dodger baseball game. We rounded out the vacation with 2 wonderful days at Disneyland and California Disney…being a big kid…I love that place…and if you can’t be happy there…you are a true grouch and I don’t want you around me. Luke, Macy and Hope will ride anything they are tall enough to ride. After getting off the Tower of Terror in which the one drops 13 floors in an elevator in pitch black darkness only to be jerked back up the 13 floors to hang a bit and then drop….I ask my 5 year old Hope, “How did you like that.” Hope responds, “Awesome, but I had my eyes closed for most of it.” I reply, “That’s fine, it’s dark for most of it anyway.” Macy kept her eyes closed for most of the raucous roller coaster California Screaming….where I was giving her a play by play of going into the loops and down the massive drops…she was glad she rode it even though she couldn’t tell you what she saw…hahahaha. Luke will ride anything…and always holding his hands up…even when going inverted…crazy like his dad. Although not quite as swanky as the W Hotel, Anaheim’s Embassy Suites was better suited for our family as we had 2 rooms to spread out a bit.

Just hanging with my family makes me happy…I laugh a lot…we all laugh a lot…I can say that my kids truly care for one another…they look out for one another…and I have to be honest…they hardly every argue or fight with each other…oh, there is the picking on…and trying to make each other laugh…but not much dissension. My wife did a wonderful job of hammering out the details on this trip…and being 4 months pregnant, not once complained and always was up for the “fun.” All my kids adore her…and it speaks of who she is as a person, wife…and mother.

I trained a couple of days while on vacation…mainly cardio. This past Saturday I rode 80 miles with Team Legacy…and at finishing time it was already a bit warm at 102.
This coming Saturday is the Hotter N Hell 100 mile ride…and I will be riding for Carolyn again…she won’t be at the finish line as she was last year…she is in the ICU…pray for her and her family…she desperately needs the prayers…for this century ride will be rode with a very heavy heart.

So Press On!...but make sure you don’t miss anything…