Small Town Benefits
It is not likely that I spend a great deal of time spouting about how much I love living in Fort Mill, SC but I REALLY do love it here. Sure we have some ridiculous characters on the local politics scene (you know who you are) only to be matched by most of the State and even National characters but if you moved every time a goofy politician embarrassed their constituents you’d likely spend too much time at the DMV. That aside, Fort Mill is delightful. Our kids were born here, great green space (Thank you Ms. Close!), the small-town Christmas parade replayed on the local TV station, local produce, friendly people, traditions and most of all a caring community. Little things like donating blood puts you in a roomful of people who you have seen at other events most of which have been in this town a long, long time. It is special here. One of the things I REALLY like is the chances are high that you will know, or at least peripherally know someone who got their picture in the local weekly paper. Each week. There is accountability here. I am convinced this helps foster friendliness. This week Will’s Cub Scout troop (Troop 219) was covered for their yearly Pinewood Derby (did I mention Will’s car got 3rd out of the 30+ 1st year scouts?) by one of the local beat reporters for the Fort Mill Times. The funny part is that although it was Will’s scouting event, it was Stewart that found herself 1-back from the picture focus. Stewart was elated. Will…not so much. Of course this is a topic for a later blog post. Enjoy the article about and the picture of our little local “star.”
1 comment February 5, 2010
Disney World is Fun
Another statement from Captain Obvious, I know, but Disney World is really a lot of fun! The amazing part is how cool it is to see if from the perspective of a parent versus a non-parent. As a non-parent I would have planned every move in the park to hit all the best rides multiple times while efficiently seeing the entire park in the allotted time in the park. As a parent I was able to sit back and respond to the Christmas-like excitement. When the kids yelled “Teacups! Teacups!” at the top of their lungs while emerging from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride on the other side of the park, all I could do was smile and make it happen. Non-parent Jason would have explained the lack of park-riding efficiency that would cause and lobby for the proximate Thunder Mountain or Swiss Family Robinson attractions. So wonderful was the experience I almost forgot about how much it costs to see Disney (note I said almost).
This trip also had another uniquely special quality. We got to spend time at Disney with the kid’s Aunt Jenn, Uncle Jeff and cousins Lucas and Emily. Stewart and Emily giggled their days away and were nearly inseparable for the 2.5 days we spent together. Lucas and Will enjoyed a similar fear of the unknown together and talking video games. It was great to spend time with Jenn and Jeff and as a native Floridian I was shocked at how much more Jeff knew about Disney than I did. He has some mean Disney knowledge and can build a strong park “game plan” which I respect. Last point of note – they Disney Character buffets not only give the kids a super-easy way to see the Characters without lines but also serve up some pretty darn good buffet food. All together 2 days in Disney, 1 in the Magic Kingdom and 1 in EPCOT were loads of fun (although you really need 2 days for EPCOT) and being able to participate in running while watching Cindy meet a goal she trained for months to attain made for a great several days in a VERY COLD Orlando, Florida.
P.S. Cold temperatures significantly limit park attendance. Put on your heavy coats and get to Disney in the cold to avoid having nearly any wait for rides…
P.P.S – A quick video of Charlie’s first assisted steps:
Click here for the Disney World 2010 Slideshow
3 comments January 17, 2010
2 Weeks a Habit Makes and The Disney Running Report
Quick bit about habits as they relate to my new New Year’s Resolutions. I have heard that it takes 2 weeks to make a habit stick (smoker’s may disagree) so the jury is still out on a few of my new resolutions for 2010. I did kick off my 2x week yoga with a 5:15am alarm which actually gets me started on one of my other resolutions to rise earlier in the mornings (genius, eh?). Now while yoga via video doesn’t compete with yoga on a beach in a tropical island (the lady in the video clearly has that trick figured out), I do think a week into it I am noticing positive effects and getting some knowledge that will make me feel better about eventually attending a real live class. Limberness is still a ways off but feeling better throughout the day seems to be a good initial outcome. I checked the box on family game night, getting home for 3 dinners last week (working from home on 2 of them didn’t hurt) and even setup some girls time for Cindy to spend with her good friend over drinks after a massage and some nail work. My only concern is that I may be out of the blocks a bit too fast…more to come here.
Cindy and I did a little running at Disney this past weekend. The coldest Disney race on record (lows with wind chills in the low 20s and race completion temps in the low 30s) and also the largest with 55,000 runners over the 2 big events. Cindy ran a solid 4:09 and seemed to strengthen as the race progressed. The crowds at the beginning accounted for an extra .3 miles run in the race per my GPS watch as we ran around lots and lots of people. I ran even splits for the Goofy Challenge (both the 1/2 marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday). Nice and easy as I took care of a calf that had been bothering me in the months prior. Note to self for any future Disney Marathons: Spend the time ahead of the race start getting to the right spot in your corral. Not only were we not in our right time area but we weren’t near the right corral. It was all about warmth over starting position. The Disney Marathons (half and full) are great events and I would recommend them so long as you are prepared for the big race process that comes with it. Results details can be scrutinized here (Cindy’s bib #3498 was and mine were 31333 for the half and 2270 for the full) Some additional comments:
- Respect the Disney “Process” but don’t expect Disney “miracles” – they get 55,000 people through this event without a tremendous amount of unnecessary overhead but there is definitely overhead. They won’t heat the EPCOT parking lot no matter how much you think Disney of all races should be able to do such a thing.
- Carry a camera – I don’t advise this for most races but I had a great time getting pics with all of the Disney characters.
- Do go to bed early – 3:30am wakeup calls/alarms hurt more if you don’t.
- Do bring full-length garbage bags – warmth in any form is critical during the hour-plus weight in the elements before race go time.
- Do drive yourself to the EPCOT parking lot – buses were not as well organized as you would expect for Disney (the half was worse than the full I hear).
- Don’t bother with an iPod for this one – music nearly the entire way. Marching Bands, guys playing accordians, Theme Park Music, 50 gospel singers near the finish, pretty amazing.
- Don’t check a bag in the half marathon – too many people finish too close together – it was a near riotous scene (I especially hope the obnoxious guy yelling at the VOLUNTEERS at the bag drop reads this for next year).
- Don’t fear the fatigue factor from pre-race park hopping – this oddly seemed to loosen me up.
- Don’t carry water in this race – water stops nearly every 1/2 mile.
- Don’t carry food/gels in this race – it’s like a buffet out there. Fruit, candy bars, gels, boxes of raisins, etc…
- Don’t expect to PR without solid corral management.
- Do enjoy one of the few times you will be allowed in these parks for free (at least while you are running and if you forget about the cost of entry fees, travel, etc.).
- Do run this race at least once – ideally for your 1st marathon.
More details and pictures to come for the data nuts on my ‘Run’ page at the top SuttonScoop above…
2 comments January 16, 2010
In 2010, I Resolve To…
…end world hunger, solve the climate crisis, find religious harmony worldwide, cure cancer and deliver racial harmony. Just my small contribution to this great Earth while I am fortunate enough to spend time on it. What? Reaching too high you think? Maybe those are my dreams instead of achievable resolutions. What is it work always says? Build SMART goals. It stands for something. Measureable, Achievable, Time-bound yada, yada, yada…Too bad I can’t remember the acronym as it seems I can only commit to MAT goals.
Before capturing my goals for 2010, let’s first see how I did in 2009:
2009 RESOLUTIONS:
Marriage:
- Date night 2x per month (initiate setting up at least 6 of these in 2009 up from 0 in 2008). We killed this but I failed on the setup part…I call “do-over” in 2010.
- Smile at Cindy everyday. Hmmm…I might have hit 90% here.
- Tell her things I love about her more often (she did this 25 days in a row leading up to xmas) Needs improvement…my stats improve as my work reduces.
Fatherhood:
- Play with my kids on all non-working days. Check. Like adding years to my life…
- Take a 1×1 outing with each of my kids 1x per month. Generally. In the early days of Charlie we resorted to the ‘2 on 1 zone D’ often.
- Eat a family dinner together 3x per week. I’d give myself a C here. If you count weekends it was an ‘A’ if not, an ‘F’.
- Be an example for my kids (let them see me reading, creating, laughing, sharing, etc.). I could laugh with them a lot more.
- Take Will and Stewart golfing at least 1x per month. Average of 1x per month yes, but only due to an increased rate in the summer.
Health and Fitness:
- Run a 3:15.59 minute marathon on a Boston Qualifier course (only 6 minutes faster than my fastest). Fail. But did run 3:31 at 7,000 ft (Idaho) and 3:41 at the hilly Ellerbe Springs.
- Build yoga into my fitness routine (ideally 2x per week). Fail – one of my top resolutions for 2010.
- Continue to log every mile I run and track every split from my races I run. Success (Thank you Garmin!)
- Continue 3x week push-up routine. Success!
Personal Well-being:
- Honesty at all costs – work to tell the truth well no matter how difficult. Success!
- Say more with less – write with fewer words, talk more clearly. Needs improvement – my blog is proof.
- Read 20 books (up 2 from 2008). Fail – read 14. I’ll shoot for 18 in 2010.
- Start my day earlier (target 5:30am rise and 7:15am work start). Works good in the summer; not so much in the winter.
- End my work day earlier (target 5:30pm departure). Not so much; Carpool days hurt this stat (get in later; leave later).
- Work: lead more – set an example, build roadmaps, initiate vs. react. Held my own here but could continue to do more.
- Continue to commute via public transportation to reduce my carbon footprint. Success! 1 full year on light rail – gave up parking spot uptown.
- Influence others to lead more eco-friendly lives and look for better ways to lead one myself. Success! My compost has been a great selling point.
- Participate more in community with a focus on the environment and political ethics. Fail.
I aspire to do so much more here.
Drum roll please…and now, the 2010 resolutions I know everyone has been on the edges of seats awaiting:
2010 RESOLUTIONS
Marriage:
- Setup 1 date per month (continue to go on 2 dates per month).
- Enable all “Girls Nights” and “Girls Trips” for Cindy.
- Play together (e.g. cards, Wii, scrabble, etc.) 2x per month.
Fatherhood:
- Be at home eating at the table for 2 weekday dinners.
- Re-establish weekly family game night.
- Golf with the kids 1x per month.
- Weekly bike rides with the kids (need a little help from Stewart here…)
- More laughter and less lecturing with my kids (2009 repeat – needs more work).
Health and Fitness:
- Yoga 2x per week (2009 repeat).
- Eat less chicken – continue no red meat.
- Run with Purpose – donate $1 per mile every mile run in 2010.
- Run 3:15.59 at the 2010 Thunder Road (Charlotte) Marathon.
- Run sub-30 hour BRR with 6-man team (run sub-8 min pace for my 6 legs).
Personal Well-being:
- Say more with less – fewer words in professional settings both with writing and speaking.
- Start everyday at 5:30am (latest).
- Read 18 books (up from 14 read in 2009) and continue to document via blog.
- Work: lead more proactively; Build framework for others to follow.
- Learn “presentness” to help better engage with all people in my life (taking all tips/advice here).
- Develop better gift-giving habits – surprise people with small thought-filled gifts.
1 comment January 3, 2010
Christmas 2009 – Part II
Christmas came and went as quickly as 2009 did. I resolve to do 2 things differently in the 2010 Christmas season: 1) take more time off of work – ideally 2 full weeks unplugged; and 2) engage in the season earlier – too much travel, work, family sickness resulting in not fully engaging in more of the stuff that makes the season the season. Having the little man with another year under his belt and maybe at least one fewer nap per day won’t hurt either. All said, the time with family and friends around Christmas were as special of a time as I can remember. Cindy was our household MVP as it felt like nearly every day she did something to make memories for us all to have. Forever. Enjoy the pictures (warning: I didn’t spend much time putting the summarized-version together – part of my doing less to enjoy more theme for 2010. More here in my upcoming resolutions update).
Click here for the slideshow of events from mid-December through Christmas Eve. (Not for nothing, but Charlie’s 1st haircut is included here – sorry little man…it’s rough being the 3rd kid).
Click here for the slideshow of Christmas and post-Christmas festivities
Add comment January 2, 2010
Running with Purpose…
Year-end of most years allows me to do a bit more reflective thought than I typically get to do during the course of the year. For some reason I tend to execute more when I have time off of work and procrastinate or think about and subsequently forget about stuff when I am caught up working with no breaks beyond normal weekends. I like the clarity that comes with this time of year. Amongst my latest thoughts (i.e. conserve more/want less, build more/buy less, be thoughtful of others/make people feel special, be deliberate, define my passion, capture my New Year’s Resolutions, understand how someone like Jim DeMint gets elected, and so on…) I have found myself landing on the topic of Charity and Giving most of all. A buddy of mine at work put together a coat drive on his own before the holiday break. His efforts amounted to 2 car trunk fulls of coat/blankets to provide warmth to those in need. Maybe 50-75 people are warmer right now as a result of his thoughtfulness. And execution. Good example of doing good. I think me and a different buddy (John T) have come up with an equally good idea.
The Idea: Run for Charity. Simple, right? I like to run. I want to give. Like the old Reese’s Commercial we just marry the two together. My buddy John T. and I discussed the desire to both want to make our running more meaningful. I’ve run 30 or so marathons, tens of thousands of miles and aside from entry fees and the cause the races may (or may not) support, I’ve done it all for nothing more than some data in a spreadsheet, a medal in a box, and the good feeling of accomplishment for myself. Not selfless. Actually a bit selfish. Globally, maybe I am also doing a very small part to reduce overall health care expenses. But far from selfless. John T. and I both agree our plan needs to start out simple and see where it takes us from there.
The Plan:
- Define the charity or charities you will be running for in 2010 – maximize the share by engaging corporate matching programs (BAC matches up to $5,000 for most 503c organizations.
- Pledge a monetary amount per mile run in 2010 (to be tracked by the individual runner, not the group – for pressure-free engagement).
- Track miles run on an official shareable device (e.g. Garmin via GarminConnect, Nike Plus, MapMyRun.com, the Daily Mile, etc.) and share publicly.
- Calculate total mileage and dollars given (with matches) to see collective group impact.
- Figure out how to improve at year-end (and along the way).
- Spread the word to other interested runners.
The Community: Open to all runners. Giving is contagious. Let’s run on purpose with purpose.
I’ll keep regular posts on our progress here on my blog (ideally). Over the year we hope to engage the community of pledged runners in monthly challenges (e.g. Most miles run off-road, most days run, etc.). We will look to engage via an easy media means (e.g. Facebook Fan Page, WordPress Blog, etc.) in the coming weeks. I might even use few parentheticals (no guarantees). Run on with purpose…
Add comment December 31, 2009
Holiday 2009 – Part I Thanksgiving and Early Christmas Stuff
Thanksgiving has come and gone. Wow, this has been a fast year! Thanksgiving is easily my favorite of the holidays. Lots of family time. Lots of food. Little preparation compared to other holidays. Desserts! Little commercialization. Dad’s birthday. We spent Thanksgiving again this year in Columbus, Ga and had a very fun trip. Food, Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens, some golf, Hand and Foot (Dads dominated!) and just hanging out time. You might also check out some pictures of birthdays, Christmas parades, and maybe even a close-up of Charlie’s eczema (ugh, poor guy!). By the way, if you are looking for some fun music for the holidays check this group’s video out…
Click here for the slideshow of some birthdays, Thanksgiving and early Christmas Festivities
Click here for the slideshow of Charlie at 9 months
Add comment December 13, 2009
Lack of running = lack of deep thought
It’s official: I’m injured. There. I said it. Yep, it still hurts to say and nope, I don’t like it one bit. My plans (and my $75) to run Charlotte’s Thunder Road Marathon are gone. I sat at home (and some at a funeral – more here later) thinking about where I would be and were my friends were at that point in the race. There’s something I romanticize about running it. It isn’t because it is the best race in the world, although it is VERY well run and organized, nor is it on the best course in the world but it is home to me. Home, yet it sees roads and parts of my home I rarely get to run through much less right down the middle of the road. The injury is an odd one. My doc says it is directly related to my weak core and lack of flex in my hip flexors (aren’t they flexible by shear definition?). Cindy’s been saying this for years. Stretching, rubbing and electric therapy and core workouts (ugh) and I’ll be back on my routine…Being off routine just after being on form is likely the biggest pain of it all.
The result of this situation. No deep, dedicated thought (see earlier post on this topic) which means for me there is lots of scattered, shallow or worse, unfinished thoughts. What’s worse, is I spent the week traveling which aside from work hours and a brief visit with Tom K. in Oakland, I spent the week with these thoughts. I am convinced this lack of deep/dedicated thought makes for poor decision-making. As an example, when waking up in Seattle on my first morning out west I decide getting up is the right move to make. Logical, right? Yes, except it was 3:30am PT. Seattle at 4:30am is, well, cold and dark. Those fish throwers don’t throw fish at that time. Coffee shops are oddly closed then too. Another example? Sure, here’s one more. When arriving in San Francisco after flying into Oakland, AirBart-ing to the BART Station and “Barting” across the bay to San Francisco (so metro, eh?) I arrive street-level with my rollerboard bag and laptop and decide 10 blocks is a nice walk. No bad decision until I take the left on California and realize it is 6 blocks to the hotel…STRAIGHT UP! Nice work Sutton. Must get back to running soon. Stationary cycling is exactly as boring as it sounds. My family doesn’t realize that Christmas is at risk due to this issue. How will I ever get the time to think up great and creative gifts? Witty and fun Christmas Card muses? Piece a recipe together for cookies? Uh-oh…better go stretch.
Oddly, one of the places I had some of my clearest thoughts since the injury was at a funeral yesterday morning. Cindy lost a dear friend who frankly, kicked Cancer’s butt for the past 6 years. This woman was nothing short of remarkable from all I could see. Diagnosed with 6-18 months she decided to beat it back long enough to see her newborn at the time, go to kindergarten and throw his 6th birthday. Sad? Definitely. Inspiring – more than I can express. See, this woman embraced life, looked for interaction (yes, I realize the irony in the fact that I am typing thoughts to the internet unknowns) and found joy throughout it all. Obviously, I want to live life fully after this grave reminder but more than that I want to embrace the human connection. Will I stop typing to the “internets”? Probably not. Do I want to connect with friends more often? Yes. Drum up a friendly conversation with a stranger periodically? Yes. Invite people to join me more often? Yes. This spits in the face of my natural tendency. At times I fear too much interaction for it can breed not-so-great things like someone saying “no” to my interaction or even worse, me having to say “no” to those who take to my interaction and reciprocate with a follow-up interaction. This is likely tied to my desire to let the answering machine pick up. Not knowing whether someone calls with a request to do something that I can’t, or worse, don’t want to do keeps that answering machine pretty busy. Although this phone ritual could also be tied to the fact that I spend many hours a day at work on the phone. I guess when compared to looking back and seeing what you are left with without the human connection and interaction, it probably doesn’t make much sense…Do I smell any early New Year’s Resolution?
One last thing (this is not the kind of human connection/interaction I speak to above). To the lady who reminded me and the other 140 people on the cross-country US Airways flight last Friday to “turn off any device with an on-off switch, including iPods” 19 TIMES BEFORE TAKEOFF: it is time to spend a flight listening to yourself as a passenger or maybe better, just one flight with Southwest Airlines. Talk about a pleasant experience! They don’t lecture their passengers. They HELP with storing baggage in the overhead compartments. They even asked if passengers wanted a REFILL?!?!? Seriously Mrs. Crotchety who insists upon the off device with the on-off switch, 19 times is 18 times too many. Ok, I feel slightly better – see talking to the “internets” can help.
Add comment December 13, 2009
Operation Christmas Child 2009 Brought to you by Baxter Helping Hands
Giving Rocks!
After weeks of preparation and planning the Baxter Helping Hands Volunteer Organization opened the doors at the Baxter Village Hall for what has become an annual neighborhood tradition: Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Stuffing. The short story on the cause: Fill a shoe box with toiletries, school supplies, toys, candy, artwork and maybe a nice note. Put a lid on it. Label it. Box it with other shoeboxes in a shipping crate and have it shipped to children in 3rd world countries to provide basic needs, caring as well as a little joy for the holidays. Do this 344 times and you now know what went on yesterday from 1-3pm in Baxter Village. Remarkable. Inspiring. Thoughtful. Hopeful. Best of all – kind.
Enjoy the slideshow of this year’s event below and if you are one for comparisons, check out the growth in the event from last year. Can’t wait until next year!!
Click here for the slideshow of this year’s Baxter Helping Hands Operation Christmas Child Event.
Click here for the slideshow from last year’s event.
Don’t forget to thank Sweet Peppers the next time you are there – they provided good food and snacks for those hard at work! Thanks Sweet Peppers!
Add comment November 22, 2009
More camping, More Charlie, and Scavenger Hunting – Nov 2009
Unrelated to the events/pictures above but allow me to start this entry by introducing you to our family’s newest cover model: Will. He landed the highly coveted November cover of Island Events Magazine (apparently “The Original Visitor’s Guide to Hilton Head Island & The Lowcountry Since 1974″). It’s a long story but the short version is people really do look at the pictures you post to Flickr. The magazine liked a shot I took of us Kayaking this summer in Hilton Head and the rest is history. We are trying not to let this go to our heads. Just one quick trip to Madison Avenue to test the modeling waters and then back to reality, we promise. 
Throughout November we participated in kid-bouncy festivals for the school PTO, Cindy and I made a kid-free weekend happen in Blowing Rock, NC, Will finished up a very successful soccer season (multiple hat tricks), Stewart re-upped for the “Big Dippers” Gymnastics Class, Stewart, Will and I went on another camping trip to our favorite campsite (#7) at the Anne Springs Close Greenway here in Fort Mill and Cindy and I participated in a foot-based scavenger hunt about Baxter (this was a blast!). We even had a few dinners with friends we have not seen in a good while. Good month. Pictures at the links below for your viewing enjoyment.
Click here for the slideshow of our November Camping Trip with the Sullivans
Click here for the slideshow of Charlie at 9 months
Click here for the slideshow of pictures of the Baxter Scavenger Hunt
Click here for the slideshow of Stewart’s solo trip to Camp Grammy and Poppy’s
Add comment November 22, 2009
