Days 21 and 22

After a busy week and weekend (including celebrating my parents' 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday), we took it easy on Monday. We did make a stop at the VF Outlet because they were having their big Majestic Tent Sale. I usually buy way more Phillies gear than I need (having already obtained way more Phillies gear than I need), but this time I only bought one item: a Phanatic puppet. I wouldn't even have bought that if my son hadn't picked it out himself. He already has a few Phanatics of varying size and material, but they aren't puppets. What's one more? (And surely more after that)

We also made a stop at the Toys Я Us outlet  where my son found one of his favorite toys from home: an electronic activity table. There were several of them on display, so he had a great time getting them all talking at once. He wasn't happy to leave the store, but we had to at least make an attempt to take a nap. He didn't.

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Today started with a 4 mile run. I only have 6 more training runs before running my second marathon on October 9th. It's been a neat experience sharing my training with my son. Someday I'll tell him all about it, and maybe he'll feign interest, but it will always mean a lot to me. Two years ago I didn't believe I could run 26.2 miles, and this year I couldn't have done it without him. Seriously, I couldn't. I'd probably be in serious trouble with Child Protective Services if I let him home alone for hours at a time. I'm kidding of course. I'd check in on him every lap or so. Still kidding.

We ate lunch at Ciabatta today, a local soup and sandwich shop. My son and I enjoyed the Pescara sandwich and then headed off to band practice. We left very early, as I was hoping he would take a nap on the way. He did. I gave him a full hour of sleep before I collected the required materials from the car and took him inside. Again he was in a great mood during rehearsal. I let him roam free for the second straight time, and all he wanted to do was pick up drumsticks and mallets. I had no problem with this. He once again helped me play a few songs. He can do that whenever he wants.

We ran into a few of my coworkers on the way into the building. They asked me if I miss them. While I do miss many of my coworkers, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Except maybe early retirement with full pension and benefits. And a hot tub. Don't forget the hot tub.