Webster says!

When you are at a loss for words there is always one great resource to go to for guidance, the Webster's Dictionary. You know the ole saying, "well Webster says, etc." In consulting Webster I find the following definition for the word "friend." Friend(s), a person to whom one is attached by affection: an intimate acquaintances; one well inclined toward a cause, as a friend of democracy. Friendship(s), intimacy and mutual attachment; a friendly relationship, especially one of long standing. Well this past weekend we were afforded the opportunity to enjoy some of our friends from the "Show Me State," Missouri. Mark & Amy Livesay, Clint & Shandra Chapman ventured to Lubbock to compete in the Buffman & Squeaky Triathlon. All four of these folks competed and enjoyed the challenges and misery of the swim, bike and run event held at Buffalo Springs Lake. Not only did they travel(almost 900 miles) to Lubbock but they stayed with us in Ransom Canyon. Over the years we have had many athletes and friends stay with us during events, and we enjoy them all, but this group(any number over two is a group)brought some special aura to the canyons and our household. While Amy and Mark both won their age groups, Shandra and Clint showed the canyons that they could survive the wrath of dry heat and challenging hills, both with strong finishes. Since these folks put on a series of very high quality races, the UltraMax races in the Missouri, we had to really do our stuff to show them a great triathlon race venue. We feel that the venue, the volunteers, the sponsors, and everyone connected with the event made this happen. They were very complimentary of the entire production and promised to come back for the big one in June 2007. We welcome them with open arms. The other point I would like to make about these friends is that they are about the age of my own children and regardless of our age differences we had a great time together and age meant nothing. But, the other big point I would like to make is that every parent would like for their children to be good people and offer positive vibes to the world. Well I can assure the parents of these four young adults, they can be real proud of their children. My hope would be that my four children offer the same high quality of attitude and hope to the world(and I believe they do)that these four do. They display all of the attributes a parent would want in their children: integrity, honesty, dedication, responsible, physically fit, intellectually fit, sense of humor, progressive attitude towards to growth, always accepting the challenge to move out of their comfort zones for success,plus they even clean up after themselves, and on and on! Congrats to them and we look forward to seeing them again.

Off to do a Legal Mediation,

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