Life and Times of the Sharp Family

After the triathlon, we decided to use a bike transport company to get my Quicksilver back to Michigan.  It was easier and cheaper, so what wasn't to love?  The only drawback to the whole deal was that the nearest bike shop to ship to was in Fraser, Michigan -- a good two hour drive from Albion.  What would have been sort of a drag turned into a great day when my good friend J agreed to meet me at the Panera Bread in Canton.  Since she lives over that way, she was willing to drive a ways to have coffee with me.  Colby dropped me off in Canton, drove the remaining distance to Fraser and picked up the bike.  By the time he got back with Quicksilver, I had the opportunity sit and talk with my friend for over two and a half hours.  It went by so quickly, and I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity to relax and catch up.  Instead of sitting in a car for that time, I got to have a great morning with my friend over coffee. Thank God for ...

To my dear, sweet, Dharia Lou, You are four today.  And even though that seems pretty little, you are very wise.  You have taught me many things and there are many things about you that I hope never, ever change about you: I hope you are always the first person to start dancing when music comes on. I hope you are always the first person to ask someone "What's wrong?" when you see that they are sad. I hope you are always up for and enthusiastic about any adventure, no matter how mundane.  You even make going to the grocery store fun. I hope you are always as comfortable in your own skin as you are now.  I hope you hug hello and goodbye with the same reckless abandon. I hope your hair is never quite perfect. I hope that you always wear dresses when shorts would be just fine. I hope you know when it's okay to boss people around. I hope you always love a good party. I hope you always sleep like a rock. I hope that I will always be your best friend (even th...

I have been sick today, so I spent the better part of five hours in the heart of the day sleeping.  When I stumbled out of my room, this picture shows what was directly in my line of sight as I opened the door.  I did a cartoon-style double take, shaking the sleep from my head to verify that I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing. This is Dharia passed out cold in her toy box.  I'm not sure whether she opened the lid and thought it might be a good place to sleep, or if she was was playing and just dropped.  Either way, it's pretty funny. Dharia has always been my funny girl, the one who just does strange things that make me laugh.  I am so grateful for her and for this facet of her personality.  I am thankful that she was able to get some rest today, albeit somewhat unconventionally. Thank God for a double take! Lord, thank you for the funny things that my kids say and do that make life interesting.  Thank you for my Dharia and he...

I am so incredibly thankful that today I got to see some very special people in my life -- both sets of my grandparents.  This hasn't happened very often in my adult life.  Sure, when I was a kid, I would see my grandparents together at birthday parties and the like, but at 30, not so much. My Grandpa Stuart celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday, so we went out to their log cabin in Leonidas, Michigan this afternoon to have cake and ice cream.  We spent time together watching Breslin, Dharia, and AJ swim in the river I spent many days of my own childhood immersed within.  My Grandma Stuart makes a mean punch and always seems to know just when I need some coffee.  It was a wonderful and relaxing time spent together celebrating my grandpa, who is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.  I love listening to and laughing at his stories. Straight from the cabin, we headed up to Hawk Island County Park in Lansing to meet my mom, Evan a...

At the library this week, we checked out the feature-length movie, The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  As a kid, I absolutely loved this movie, and today, I'm happy to report that my kids do too. My sweet sensitive boy Breslin, cried when Rabbit told Tigger he couldn't bounce anymore, then wept with joy when he was allowed to once again.  A similar thing happened when Piglet gave his house to Owl and went to live with Pooh Bear. It melted my hear to see my kids singing along with "Heffalumps and Woozles" and, my favorite: "I'm a Little Black Rain Cloud". I am thankful that my kids got a chance to watch such a sentimental, quality movie and pleased that they obviously have good taste. ;) But more than anything, I was grateful for the opportunity to snuggle with them, sing along with them, and spend time sharing something with them that I love. Thank God for Winnie the Pooh! Lord, thank you for the quality time I got to spend with my kids to...

Once on Main Street, I messed with my Garmin a bit to get it going.  I was wearing it for no other reason than to not be stupid; that is, I wanted to keep a careful eye on my pace for the first few miles, as I have a tendency to let my adrenaline get the best of me and go out way too fast.  I looked down and saw that I was right on track at about 9 minute miles.  At this pace, my legs felt surprisingly fresh.  The crowd support on Main Street was phenomenal -- blasting music and cheering like crazy for all of us who had just started our long journey towards completing the marathon. Not too long after exiting transition, I saw my dad and Colby waving wildly.  I blew them a kiss and tried to take everything in -- the roar of the fans, the history of the Olympic Center (where The Miracle happened in 1980), and the feel of running the marathon leg of an actual Ironman, which I had been dreaming about for so long. Not quite a mile out of town, the crow...

My kids love to dance.  Even so, it's rare that all three will dance, on camera, for any solid length of time. Tonight, they danced their little hearts out and we managed to catch the whole thing on video.  Sure, a small fight breaks out between Dharia and AJ, and I believe a Care Bear makes a short cameo appearance, but other than that you have three minutes and 38 seconds of Sharp Kid Dancing.  Their joy and silliness makes me grin my face off, and for that I'm grateful. Thank God for my dancing kids! Lord, thank you for the joy my kids have and for the joy they bring to our lives too.  Thank you for the time we were able to spend with them today and for opportunities to let loose and have fun together.  In your name I pray, Amen.