Two days ago, I ran my first 5k. I finished in 30 minutes! My sister got an award because she finished second in her age group. I was the second eight year old! It was really cool to run with my mom and with my friends, Cecelia Pell and Josie Hahn. I really wish I got a award like my dad and my sister. Also, it would be really cool if I saw you run the turkey trot. And that’s my first time running a 5k.
Category Archives: Dave
Monster Dash 2012
Monster Dash 2012, a set on Flickr.
Saturday morning was great for the Kennedys. Lot of accomplishments all around.
Marcia ran the 5k, the first she had ever run. And the first distance run since before Jack was born.
Eden ran her first 5k. She did awesome! She finished 2nd among 8 year olds, and finished ahead of a ton of 9, 10 and 11 year olds.
Noah trucked on the fun run. He finished 2nd on the fun run. And man that boy was running.
Liz ran with her old man, and with two of her friends, Molly and Mackenzie. The display of sportsmanship and competition between the three of them was awesome. They finished within 2 seconds of each other, and won their age group. Most impressive was their time, 23:20.
And, of course, I was only 2 seconds behind them. It garnered me 3rd place among 30-39 year olds.
I’m so proud of the family for the way in which they compete.
Speaking of wild
Last week, I missed a left handed behind the back. This week I had a nice behind the back assist to John Jackson. I didn’t score for once but played well. Writing won 6-4.
This was the same team that broke my thumb a month ago.
We are … WILD!
Fun night tonight. Played for the Baltimore Wild. Steve English was out there tonight as were the regulars like John Heiland, John Jackson and Kris Lindh. We were getting spanked by some team, Buffalo Wild Wings. I got on attack in the fourth quarter. We were down by 4 with about 5 minutes left. I took one strong from the left and scored a left-handed shot on the run. Then we got the ball back and I drove right and fed somebody coming down the middle for another goal. Next possession, I ran a give and go with Fletch and I scored another. Down by a goal with a minute left. We got the ball and a few chances, but I didn’t see the ball again, and we ended up losing by one, 8-7, but it was an exciting finish. And I ended with 2-2.
I did take another left hand behind the back tonight and missed. Silly. I should have just stuck it and we get a tie. But had to showboat. Next week maybe it will find the back of the net…
3:33
I just read a note from Dana Blair. I’ve been getting pretty stressed lately about sports… well, not just sports, but lacrosse in particular. I always try to do the right thing for the kids, create the best environment for the kids to play in, and make sure that they have a positive and supportive environment where they can make mistakes, and learn, and grow, and develop into self-confident young adults with drive and conviction. In my quest to provide this environment, there are always obstacles, politics in sports, adults pushing kids in certain directions, or parents acting very selfishly for their own kid’s interests without regard for the best interests of every other child in their community. And I’ve put myself in a leadership position in a club organization where parents trust my father and me. I like the position we are in, because it allows us some freedom to do the right thing. And we care.
Lately, there have been many pressures. And there have been many politics. The landscape of youth lacrosse is changing, and our club is in the forefront of the change. And we have been trying to advise parents within our club to make very responsible decisions for their children’s best interests. There are many folks in leadership positions within different lacrosse organizations that are not taking into account how much pressure is being put on the children in their communities. They are more concerned with winning, with being competitive, with keeping their registration numbers up, with putting their foot down, with creating policies, etc, to stop and think about what is best for the 10 year old girl that they are going to put their foot down on.
Issues like this weigh very heavily on me. And I have been losing sleep lately worrying about doing the right thing when the path is not always clear, or when I think the path is clear but it might take other parents longer to gain the perspective that I have to understand the effect of the path that is clear to me already.
Well, on one of the issues that has been weighing on me lately, I had a breakthrough. It came from one of the parents on my team. And when I shared the breakthrough along to some of the other parents on the team, I got a note back from Dana Blair, which included the following:
Please don’t be stressed–thanks for everything you do! You are a great dad and coach to all of our girls 🙂
After I read this note, I felt a sense of calm within me. And I looked at my clock, and it read 3:33. For some who are close to me, you know the significance of the time. I seem to have all of my divine interventions at 3:33. For years, I believe that my grandfather has come to me at that time, and has saved me, time and again. And not just to me, but I believe that he comes to Marcia, and to Bobby, and to my father at the same time.
I love you Grandpop
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns, a set on Flickr.
On July 21, 2012, the Kennedys took a grand adventure to Luray, VA and the Shenandoah Valley National Park. Eden, Elizabeth, Mom and Dad each had cameras to capture the fun and the sights. These are pictures from inside Luray Caverns.
Cascade Lake – Adventure #4
Today, we were at Cascade Lake. Adventure number 4. I went on a huge slide called Miracle Slide. It was really fun. It’s not as scary as it looks.
I went to the diving boards and I went off the platform. I passed my swimming test. It was kind of hard. But I made it.
The bracelet was the color pink. I lost my goggles on the way. Good thing my dad was there with me, because he got them when I finished. I barely made it.
Noah went down the little slide. When he got home, he threw up lots of times. Poor Noah.
Luray and Shenandoah
Marcia and I decided to take the kids on an adventure on Saturday. We planned the trip for a few days prior, but we didn’t tell them where we were going. We kept it a surprise. We only told them what to prepare: a change of clothes, a sweatshirt or jacket, cameras, shoes/socks and flip flops, a bathing suit and binoculars. The trip we had planned was a day trip to Shenandoah Valley. The kids asked fo days, “Are we camping?” and “Are we staying overnight?”.
We got the kids out of bed around 5:30AM on Saturday the 22nd. We left the house at 7:30. Our first stop was at Luray Caverns. None of us had been there before, and we were not disappointed. We spent about an hour touring the caverns. Then we spent time in the Garden Maze. And the kids mined for gems and minerals in the sluice. We left in time for lunch.
I thought it would be good to picnic at a scenic point in the Shenandoah National Park. We were planning to drive Skyline Drive and see the sites. It was so cloudy, we could barely see 10 feet in fron t of the car. So, we had a picnic in the clouds. And then we all experienced our first toilet pit along the Appalachian trail.
We took a hike down Dark Hollow Falls Trail. Luke on my back and Jack strapped to Marcia, we all hiked down to the falls. It was a beautiful sight. THe kids played in the falls at the bottom, and then we hiked all the way back up to the top of the trail.
But when we got to the car, our adventures weren’t over. The car was very low on gas, so we consulted with our maps. Found the closest gas station, several miles south, and gassed up. Phew. We made it. It was quite an adventure. And we caught the bug on adventures!
Six With Sticks 