What's S'Happening with the Stockwells: Catharsis

I spent this past weekend running and running and running in The SharksWithFreakinLaserBeamsAttachedToTheirHeads' second attempt at Reaching the Beach. We did it! And not only did we do it, but we shaved FOUR HOURS off our time from last year, and although I didn't think it was possible, had even more fun. While I will try not to bore you with another long recap (that would be here) I do want to say a couple of things about this experience. First, I came to this whole team sport thing really late in life (as in last year). I am now realizing that this is because, until the last few years, I had never really felt like a true contributor. As a sub-par athlete with rather poor eye-hand coordination, my team experiences always left me feeling at best like a free rider and at worst like dead weight. So I gravitated towards individual sports, where I would disappoint only myself if I failed. I told people I just didn't like team sports. To be honest, I just didn't get it. And now I do. Now I understand what it feels like to be a real integral part of a team, to be depended on, to depend on others, to experience highs and lows together, and to come out as a whole that is somehow better than the sum of its parts. It's pretty awesome. Another thing that struck me about my experience this past weekend (as evidenced by the continuous post-race high I have been riding since we finished Saturday afternoon) is how much I needed it. As parents (and especially as moms), we tend to lose little bits of our pre-family identity as we adopt these all-consuming (and don't get me wrong - wonderful and fulfilling) roles as mothers, wives, employees, etc. I guess maybe it's just part of growing up, that as we begin to widen our circle of focus beyond just our own needs, some of who we are at our core gets lost. Experiences like these are akin to pressing a reset button - it is so rejuvenating to return (if only for 48 hours) to the more carefree days of young adulthood, when staying up all night was a choice, making new friends was as easy as sharing a common goal and some funny stories, and the only person I needed to worry about being fed and rested was myself. I know that my boys (big and little) miss me while I'm away, but I hope they read this someday and are proud of their momma for taking care of herself and pushing that reset button from time to time.

But this blog has been a little too "Liz's Outdoor Adventures" and not enough "What's S'Happening with the Younger Set" of late, so here are some adorable pictures of the munchkins and all the fun they had while I was away. Big thanks to my super-husband, who encouraged me to join this crazy team of his, kept the boys out of trouble, sent me frequent updates (with pictures) that made me smile, and didn't complain one bit (until my ride home, when I got the hopeful "Are you on the road yet?" text). Seriously, being able to get away without worrying for one nano-second about the homefront is a true gift for which I am oh so thankful.