Four days of near heaven….

I’ve got to say Barbados is our new favourite holiday destination, it just knocked out Hawaii out of the top spot. I’d move there for the winter if the bike riding were safe. It doesn’t look like it so the search is still on. I do want something in the Eastern Time zone, you get more done when you work in the east.

It was the first time we took a 4-day vacation and it was the first time we went without the kids. Not that that’s a good thing, we like having the kids around. Heck, why have kids if you don’t want to spend time with them.

Unfortunately Alyssa was working and Reid doesn’t want to go on vacations or go to restaurants unless they are buffet style. Normally I force him to go on a holiday but figured it’s a right of passage to be home alone at 16 years old for 4-days.

My plan was to turn off work for the entire 4-days, not even to open my email. Best intentions but were far from happening. I was spearheading a super important book for the Boy Scouts of America and the building of the Summit, there new adventure base and there was no way I could leave it without following up regularly, it was too important.

The best part was the book turned out awesome. To put this in perspective, I flew to West Virginia last Sunday, met with the editor, photo editor (both I’d never worked with or known before and got them through an online ad) and graphic designer. The challenge was to create a coffee table stylebook from inception to get to the printer in less than 7-days.

I can’t tell you how massive this Boy Scout Bethel Summit Reserve project is. Words and pictures can’t describe the scope of it, although we came close. I’m more impressed with what was done in the last 36 months from nothing.

With $400 million of personal donations from 17 donors they created something is beyond believe. The project should have taken at least 6 years and they are officially opening July 15^th. I’ll be there to see 40,000 scouts and scout leaders will experience it. They also say over 100,000 visitors will be going through the site over a 10 day period.

This project has been only the first that has become a personal passion of mine. I wanted to make sure this book is world-class and gives back to those who gave so much.

I owe Alice and I another vacation. For once I’d love to just turn it off. It may have to be another impromptu vacation. Maybe end of summer. It would be great to bring the kids. Maybe a cheap Griswold vacation to Cuba or Mexico after IMMT?

Training and weight wise I think I just reversed the last 7 hard weeks of training and the last 7 days of perfect eating I think I gained those 6 lbs back and more. I ate, drank and was merry. I need to check myself into the Betty Ford clinic and go on America’s biggest loser. I tried to keep track of what I ate the first day or two then gave up, it hurt to much seeing 4000 plus calories and no exercise. I’m proud to say there was not one dinner I ate without a dessert and ice cream. I’m glad I was only gone for 4-days, Monday is a new day, no use crying about going off the rails hard.

I definitely have the Ironman Gene. I do everything to the extreme. 

Overall I got to say we had a great time, other than the work distractions. I did go in the water and spend time swimming with Alice. That’s normally Reid’s job. By the last day I was actually relaxed and told Alice “this floating in the water and doing nothing I’m getting used to”.

I was also able to do a lot of work on the plane, finishing a very important doc on the way down and cleaning out my 488 emails on the way back. I’m all caught up and ready for a fresh Monday and getting back on the work, training and eating right trail and it’s not going to be easy I’m on the road for the next 4 weeks.