Our First Road Trip With Sylvia

After an incredibly action-packed first few days, Jamie, Sylvia, and myself loaded up into the Nuru van for our first road trip! As a result of the generous support of a Nuru donor, we were headed to Washington DC to set up a booth for the 41^st Marine Corps Marathon Expo.

Thanks to some guidance given by one of the nurses at Mon General, we were able to get Sylvia situated pretty quickly in the vehicle. And as we pulled out of the driveway, we quickly made a discovery. It appears Sylvia really enjoys the open road. She rested peacefully as we introduced her to Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC. (To be fair, she had been to these places before, but this was her first time outside the womb).

As we pulled into the convention center at National Harbor a light rain that had persisted through the day began to lift. Jamie and Sylvia made their way out for a walk, and I began unloading banners, tshirts, and other cool Nuru International signage so we could make our presence known for the first time at the Expo. This year marked our fourth year having a team run for Nuru, and since Nuru’s CEO was a Force Recon Marine, it only made sense to have representation at the Expo.

The setup went fairly quick and we were able to get settled in with some good friends in the area, and we had an incredible team of volunteers join us at the booth including current USNA MIDN, and one of Jake’s old roommates from USNA as well as folks who have been part of Nuru from our earliest efforts!

Sylvia and Jamie came down to do some quality inspection of the booth, and after their approval, I knew we were prepared for the opening of the expo. It is incredible that we get to do so much of this stuff together, and I’m in awe of this young lady’s ability to travel so quickly.

Sylvia Traveling Home And Extended Family Time

Well it has been a whirlwind since Sylvia’s birth—in fact on the day of her birth, we had some heavy winds and rain and a bout of cold, blustery weather to welcome her to this world (but it has warmed up a bit since then)! In fact, when I went out to grab the car seat so we could be trained on proper use, it was a warm fall day. 

But that took a turn as we were bringing her out, and the winds picked back up again. We had spent the entirety of our time in the hospital in Jamie’s delivery room, and I felt more sensitive than ever to the fragility of this life we were entrusted with, and as I watched leaves blow across the parking lot, I thought about just how scary and wonderful this world is all at the same time.

And after we arrived at home, we began to return to our routine of daily three mile walks through our neighborhood. But again, a whole new world emerged to us as we traveled. Sylvia was taking it all in, but I was thinking about how loud the construction vehicles were near Mountaineer Field, and how much louder still the giant Helicopter was as it landed near Ruby Memorial Hospital. And then the smells—exhaust, garbage, construction—we were becoming attuned to the minor details that have been the background of our routine. Our daughter, gave us heightened senses and deeper of awareness of everything going on around us.

And then we were able to have a few visitors up. Jamie’s parents (Monday) and my dad and sister (Tuesday and Wednesday) made the trip up to greet Miss Sylvia and welcome her into the world. Of course we have had our share of joyful tears with each new day, but there was something really special for me to see Sylvia’s grandparents and her aunt holding her. All of these visitors were special, but my heart melted when my dad held his grand-daughter. He’s such a hard-working and compassionate man, and it made me so encouraged and excited to see him holding her and speaking so softly to her as he welcomed her into the family. 

In addition, it was absolutely wonderful to see Jamie and her mom work together to give Sylvia her first bath. They did an amazing job, and there’s something really endearing about seeing three generations of women together, and watching as the older teaches the younger and gives encouragement along the way. I feel like Jamie’s folks did a really good job with her, so any lessons to be learned, we definitely want to pick up. 

Our world is full of awe as we witness Sylvia’s growth, and we are tremendously thankful for all of the kind notes, encouragement, and gifts we have received from friends and family both near and far. We are filled with gratitude for this new life, and we are additionally grateful for the way so many people we care so much about have rallied around us during this season as well! 

Hiking In Acadia Part Two: The Day We Hiked Our Faces Off

After a rip-roaring start to our first day of hiking in Acadia, we had decided that day two would be an attempt to explore as much of the park as we possibly could. We were due for 7.5 miles running as part of our training for Team Nuru International's Marine Corps Marathon exploits this fall, but we wanted to get some hiking in before our run. So we started on a fairly smooth and textured Ocean Path en route to Thunder Hole, but something about the path was just a little unappealing. It was a gravel path, and at least for the first few hundred feet it ran alongside a very busy stretch of road. We decided to backtrack and took another trail that took us along a small peninsula on the far side of Sandy Beach.

We looped around that trail and found a little rocky hideaway that I quickly became our favorite spot in the park. We enjoyed it so much that it became our place of rest and refreshment all of the remaining days we were in the park, but on this day, it was simply discovered and noted for a later time for further exploration.

After our first major hike of the day, we thought it was an appropriate time to venture toward Jordan Ponds House for some lunch including popovers-an interesting take on a roll that was pretty delicious! As we looked over the lunchtime fare, we decided on a buffalo meatloaf sandwich, and we were not disappointed. But we were pretty full, so we thought this was no time to think about going for a run. Instead we walked off the meal on a three mile hike around Jordan Pond Trail.

From there, we felt like we were ready, so we made a wardrobe change and donned our running threads. We made our way to Eagle Lake. It was a six mile loop, so we started thinking about creative ways to get extra mileage in. Where we landed was two different places on the mileage. Jamie made the statement that she was content with a little over six miles for her run since we had walked so many miles already, and that she wanted to run it easy. I decided the opposite, I wanted to run the distance a little harder, and try to push myself a little farther.

So we started the loop, and every couple of minutes, I would loop back to check on Jamie, and then dart forward again. In my mind, I wanted to push my pace, push my distance, and attempt to increase my steps per minute. The loop around Eagle Lake was a carriage road so it was graveled and even.  After our run we both felt energized and content. We finished together by walking up a connector road to our car and decided that we would call it a day after our run, order take-out, and make our way back to our room for rest and recovery. We logged about 19 miles that day!

Thinking back to it, there was something refreshing and enticing for each of us as we took different paths to push ourselves along trails both walking and running. It was as though the very wilderness was imbuing us with energy as we made our way along loops. I believe that as a result of our time, we are likely to incorporate more outdoor time into our weekly rhythms, and I hope that no matter where you live, your schedule affords you opportunity to do the same!

Our Amazing Delta Experience Part Three

It’s funny. A year ago, as we rushed to our gate to board our Orange County flight to Minneapolis after the Nuru Summit, I looked ahead to see the weather forecast for Minneapolis and Pittsburgh, our eventual destination. Very cold. Very, very cold. I then thought, “You know, with the weather looking as it does, what is the likelihood that we will encounter delays.”

With that, I sent a quick text to my good friend Steve Powell in Minneapolis just to see if he was home. Again, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to connect with my friend during our brief stopover.” And then I thought, “And if something happens with our flight, wouldn’t it be amazing to hang for a little longer and see his family?” He was in fact home and planned to stay alert for our call. Steve and his wife are incredible people, and both of them were elite shooters on WVU's rifle team. 

When we landed in Minneapolis, we found out our flight was delayed for at least two hours. That meant we would be landing in Pittsburgh close to midnight, and then driving from Pittsburgh to Mogantown in some pretty nasty cold conditions. I decided to approach the ticket counter at our gate to ask about the likelihood of further delays, and told her that if the situation is looking uncertain, we would love to schedule a flight for the following day, and that we had friends we could stay with. She was amazed that we would step forward in that way and sent us to Delta’s help desk to inquire further. When we arrived, we were greeted by a young woman named Diamond who thought it might be likely we could make the adjustment and sent us to talk directly with a booking agent.

The big key for me was that I did not want to be trapped in paying a change fee or an exorbitant uprgrade fee—my concerns were quickly relieved. A gentleman named Ray helped walk us through a new itinerary which would allow us to stay the night in Minneapolis, arrive in Pittsburgh during daylight hours, get some rest, AND catch up with some amazing friends.

Delta offered us incredible flexibility, and we were able to connect with friends we had not seen in nearly three years. We also had the distinct experience of being able to travel through subzero temperatures in Minnesota with amazing company.

My wife and I are incredibly grateful to Delta for their flexibility and their willingness to help make a potentially difficult travel itinerary incredibly pleasant from start to finish. I am completely impressed with their customer service, and grateful for the way so many of their staff went above and beyond in service to help make our journey incredible.

Our Amazing Delta Airlines Experience Part Two: The Good Lie

A year ago, after a layover that afforded us enough time in Atlanta to grab a meal at the Café Intermezzo (which I highly recommend in ATL), we boarded for our cross-country flight to Orange County for a Nuru summit. We were placed in a row with plenty of space and we were able to board with the first group. I personally loved the early boarding because it meant there was no question that our bag would be able to be stowed onboard without being checked. Jamie and I strive to travel light, and we had a brand new suitcase (an awesome Christmas present from her mom and dad) that we shared as our carry on (along with our backpacks).

We were seated, and then the in flight movie preview commenced shortly after takeoff. The movie? The Good Lie, starring ReeseWitherspoon. I can honestly say I have not seen many, maybe zero movies with Reese Witherspoon in it, but I can remember seeing the preview for this movie when it was initially released. Because of the nature of the work we are doing with Nuru, and the way God has opened our eyes to global issues, we were keenly interested in this movie. It is a film based on true stories of Sudanese child refugees who were named “The Lost Boys Of Sudan.” The film documents the 800+ mile trek of these children, who after losing their parents when warlords attacked their village, traveled across Sudan and Ethiopia to Kenya, where they spent 13 years in a refugee camp. They had to grow up way too fast—tens of thousands of children—fleeing their homes, and struggling to survive, but always holding on to their rich Christian faith.

The movie had us in tears. It was heartbreaking, inspiring, and soul moving. I’m grateful to Delta for choosing that movie as our in flight entertainment. As refugees are offered safe haven in our country, I can’t even imagine the difficulty of adjusting to a new culture as they work to make life-long dreams a reality. The movie stirred us in our mission to bring meaningful choices to people living in extreme poverty through our work with Nuru International, and made us appreciate Reese Witherspoons commitment to raise the profile of the challenges experienced by refugee populations abroad and in the US. Most of us have very little idea how incredibly blessed we are from a global perspective.

Delta could have shown us any film, but they chose The Good Lie. Hat’s off to you Delta for choosing to show a film that celebrates faith, perseverance, and family!

Our Amazing Delta Experience Part One

A little over a year ago, on Saturday January 3^rd, 2015 Jamie and I woke up at 3AM and commenced driving from Morgantown to Pittsburgh for a 645AM Flight. We left a little earlier because we had heard the roadways may be a little challenging for driving. Little did we know how challenging they would be. We started driving in our first vehicle option and nearly made it to the interstate near Star City WV when we hit ice patches along the road and across a bridge. The vehicle was rear-wheel drive, and so we decided it might be best to take a front wheel drive vehicle. 45 minutes later, we arrived back at our house to switch vehicles.

We started the drive once more, and ran into the same problem in the same location. This time there were a few more cars on the road (like a dozen total), and about half of them were in ditches or pulled over. We decided to turn back to the house. I knew if we were having trouble in town, the interstate would be even worse. And if we ran into trouble on the interstate, we could be stranded for quite some time, and we would not be able to walk back to our house. So we turned around again—it was 515AM when we made it back to the house. I thought, “There is no way we are going to be able to make this flight, and we might just have to eat the cost of the tickets, but that is better than being stranded, injured, or killed while attempting to make a flight.”

So when we arrived back home, I called Delta customer service and explained our situation. I had always heard that airlines make adjustments when a flight is delayed or cancelled or a connection is missed as a result of something on their end, but I was not sure what would happen in our situation. There was no way we would have made the flight. I feared they would charge us an exorbitant price for new tickets later in the day, and that we just would not be able to swing the upcharge. I had to make the flight for an All Nuru Staff Summit, but Jamie did not have to go. I figured Nuru would cover my flight, but that Jamie and I would just have to take the hit for her flight. Not a pleasant thought any way it is sliced, but it was a much better thought than one of us being hurt.

But, when I called Delta, I was amazed and surprised. The customer service representative told me that there was a weather bulletin for our area and that Delta would help us find a later flight at no extra charge!!! They booked us on an afternoon flight to Atlanta and then an evening flight to Orange County, CA. We were able to travel safely, and we were also able to get a little more rest. I quickly checked us in for the new flights, and made adjustments to our rental car reservation, and then I went back to bed for a couple hours after two stressful and tiring trips around town on ice covered roads.

Not only did Delta place us on a later flight with no up charge, but also they placed us in exit rows and allowed us to board in group one for each leg of our flight. While Jamie and I were not able to sit together on our first flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, we were able to link back up for the second leg. I had a great conversation with a flight attendant named Kristi from Toledo, and she told me about some of the great benefits that Delta extends to their employees as well. I am thoroughly impressed with Delta and I hope we are able to take future trips with them, and recommend them to you as well!