Christmas came. Christmas went.
Looking back on our 3 days off in Pensacola Beach, we reflect on all the incredible people and special times we had together, while resting our road weary legs and brains. The last ½ km was full of flashes of all that went into getting to this much anticipated holiest of rest days! I celebrated as I saw Steph raise her arms in victory as she also knew we were close to it too! I am uber proud of my partner in crime. She’s a rock star who blows my mind with her work ethic and guts to keep on running everyday! I am also proud of Simon, for all his hard work and ability to handle these last 2 months inside the bus. That takes skill to not go crazy from.
The Hampton Inn was tough to take with our beachfront, wave crashing onto the shore views. A stay that wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for our incredible team member, Jessica Happl and her 2 weeks of determination to inspire Katie, the marketing manager, to sponsor a room with the million dollar view. Thank you Jess, you continue to give the gift of some pretty incredible places.
Steph, Simon and I also would like to say how awesome it was meeting Paul Epstein, his lovely wife, Cherie, and their three girls. They are the owners of Pensacola’s rock star running store, Running Wild. Paul welcomed us in like old friends and showered us with everything from shoes for Simon, socks with toes for Steph and I, to a great pain maker (trigger point pain release system), the “Triggerpoint” torcherer. Cherie also invited us to share Christmas day with them and their incredible kids devouring more tasty southern home cooked food! Four days later, we’re still running off the excess calories… Simon and I are about to give birth to our history making babies of jelly roll’s. Steph remains a svelt, sexy ultra-babe.
We now look ahead to running the southwest, through New Orleans, Texas and towards the west coast. It’s mind blowing to think that we are roughly 18 weeks away from unlacing back in Vancouver!
You scare me when you say there is only 18 weeks left! Yikes!
Comment by Shaunah — Monday, December 29, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
Great pictures! I’m glad y’all had the chance for a few days off on the Gulf Coast! (but I have to hide this page from my wife! She is homesick for the Alabama coast!) and since you passed through the Great State of Alabama, I’ll leave you with a quote from the greatest coach that ever lived, Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. “If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride – and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.”
Good luck out there!
Comment by Spurgeon Hendrick — Tuesday, December 30, 2008 @ 7:10 am
Hi Matt, Steph and Simon
So wonderful to read that your Christmas was awesome….. Sorry we missed you while you were in Florida, I take it you aren’t going right down to Miami now…..but cutting across country to the west.
Ange and Ruffy are staying with us in Vero Beach and we would have loved to have met up with you….oh well, we will just have to get oursleves to Vancouver for your return!!!!!!!
Keep up the fantastic work – you definitely are making a difference!
Stay safe and god bless
Urs, John, Ange & Ruffy
xoxoxox
Comment by Ursula Fletcher — Friday, January 2, 2009 @ 7:39 am