Lessmann Life in Colorado: Back to my Birthplace and Kevin's Got a Girlfriend!

A little retroactive blogging here. Thanks to Grandpa and Grammy Shrock, Gayle and I headed together to Jacksonville, Florida, to visit my cousin Chris and his family. Austin and Wyatt got quality time with the grand-parentals and, while we missed the boys, we were a) thrilled that they were geting to know their grandparents better and b) thrilled to have some alone time. We took pleasure in the simple things, like walking without pushing a stroller, snuggling on the plane, and eating without worrying about them. I read almost an entire book on the plane ride home - It's Not about the Bike by Lance Armstrong - highly recommend. Anyway, I was born in Jacksonville, Florida - lived there till I was 4. Amazing to think that my formative years took place there and I haven't been back to visit since the day I left over 26 years ago. But my return was grand. Dad happened to be stationed in Jacksonville for a few weeks for Navy duty and my mom joined him for a stint. With so many Lessmanns in one place together with Chris Crawford and family, Kevin and Mandy could not pass up the chance to join us. If you haven't been to Jacksonville, it's sweet because there is water everywhere, and the foliage is lush (see picture of trees below - that's Chris' neighborhood). Chris has a pool in his backyard and Chris' daughter Gracie braved the cold temperatures with me to go for a dip (I considered it an ice bath to soothe my muscles). An added bonus of the trip was that we all entered the Gate's River Run, the largest 15k in the world. It was the 30th something running; my dad did the first inaugural over 30 years ago and, of course, still has the t-shirt that he got. The race was Saturday and Kevin and Mandy didn't get in unti late Friday night. Line of the weekend was when Mandy was woken up and she said "The last thing I want to do right now is run a race." But with little rest and a bum ankle (ankle Mandy?), Many was a trooper and ran with all of the rest of us, except unfortunately for my mom, whose heart and knee just wouldn't let her. Everyone finished in good spirits, and we enjoyed post run beer. Kevin Gayle and I finished in the top 10%, meaning we got sweet hats at the finish line (pictured below on Gayle and me). Kevin ran nearly 7 minute miles with little training and a big 'ole cast on his arm. Gayle ran 7:30 miles and finished 16th in her age group (of 1000). Not to brag, but I managed to finish 260 overall out of 10,000 or something like that. Ok, I bragged. Bottom line though is that we all had a goal, we all ran hard, and all smiled and laughed together afterwards. Good times. So many of you have asked what Kevin's girlfriend Mandy is like. She's quite a catch, as you can see from the pictures below. She's a lawyer. She lives in Chicago but is not a Cubs fan. Best, Mandy has a sweet spirit, likes to laugh, holds her own with the Lessmann banter, and shares a common faith. Chris and Ahsli's daughter Ceder is also pictured below with the nice green foliage behind her. Everyone loves Ceder, they say, and we found out first hand why. It was just a wonderful trip, one that we'll try to repeat, although I don't know if we can top that one.

Enjoy the pics (try clicking on them to make them bigger).

Mom and Dad took us all out to breakfast - so sweet.