Best. Visit. Ever. #IRun4Aiden

If you remember back to April, I had mentioned that it was Aiden’s and my 3rd Matchaversary.  April 9, 2015, Aiden and I were matched through the IRun4Michael program.  This is a FB group that matches runners with people who for some medical challenge are unable to run themselves.  Those of us who are the “runners” dedicated our training miles and races to our “buddies.”

https://www.whoirun4.com/

Aiden is my buddy.  I am his runner and I have to say, I was blessed being matched with Aiden!  I tell him all the time he is the best of the best when it comes to running buddies and I try my hardest to be a good runner for him.  Getting to know this sweet guy and his parents the past three years has been a life changing thing.

Running can be a selfish sport.  There’s no other way to put it. We’re always looking out for our goals, our PR’s, the next race, how we can improved, trying to place at events (if you’re a talented enough of a runner), etc….  Being matched with Aiden put an entirely different focus on my running.  Sure, I tried my best to run well but the sole purpose of running wasn’t all about me anymore.  My focus did a 360.  I wanted to be a good runner for Aiden!  More than anything I didn’t want Aiden or his family to think they got matched with a dud runner.  I didn’t want them to be embarrassed that I was their son’s runner.  The only way to do that was to do my best every. single. time. and to toe the starting line well prepared.

In 2016, right after Grandma’s Marathon, MFH (My Favorite Husband) and I made a detour on our way home.  We had decided to make the trip north a vacation and had asked if it would be possible to meet Aiden and his family on our way home.  It was so awesome when all of that worked out!!!

We met up for dinner and had a lovely evening.  It was terrific to finally get to meet these amazing people who so very generously shared their family with mine!

Fast forward two years and this time Aiden and his family were going on vacation.  This was super exciting because this was Aiden’s first vacation ever! I know it had been quite a few years since his mom and dad were able to go on a vacation as well so this was a Big. Deal. Trip!

Now, this sweet family live in the northern mid west and were heading to Colorado.  They contacted me and asked if they could swing by on their way home.  I was over the moon excited!!!  Then again, I thought, “Wait a minute!  Out west…Mississippi….that’s nowhere NEAR on their way home!  That’s a whole lot (as in two days driving, whole lot) out of their way!  I mentioned that and got the, “No big deal.  It’s only X extra hours.

That’s all it took to convince me!  Even though it meant *finally* cleaning the house a bit, I was soooo excited at the prospect of them visiting!!!

The countdown to the trip began.  The countdown numbers got smaller.  They started packing.  I procrastinated on cleaning (I do that).  They traveled west and had a fabulous time, then they turned the car south.

Panic Mode!  Time to clean the house!!!

I guess I work best under pressure?  Doesn’t matter, the house was quasi presentable when you consider a few weeks ago I had ripped up the carpeting in the house.  They would see the house with bare, paint splotched floors.  Oh well~the bare concrete was a lot better than the old carpeting and I consoled myself in that thought.

MFH and I decided to board Tess during their visit.  Tess is a sweetheart but she can be a *tad* protective and I, quite frankly, didn’t want to have to worry about her.  The day before their arrival, off she went to the boarders.  She was a grumpy puppy but she’s forgiven me already.

Soon, the doorbell rang and they were here!  YAY!!!  Holy cow, I was soooo excited!

I’m telling you, their ears are probably still ringing from my constant chatter.  They’re probably still amazed that one person can talk that much!!!  LOL!!!

We had dinner that evening and I gave Aiden his Matchaversary present.

He had just gotten a fancy new bed and they had rearranged his room.  His mom had sent me pics of his room and in the pics I noticed that both of his medal hangers were full!  Aiden needed a new medal hanger so I started searching for just the right one.

Now, what’s the fun of a new medal hanger if you don’t have any medals to hang on it?  I signed up for a few races to solve that little problem.

Aiden looks good in race bling, doesn’t he?  I need to earn some more for him!

We called it a night after that.  We had some plans for the next day.

Around noon-o’clock, we met up for some souvenir shopping and then a tour of an Antebellum home.

A few  years back, MFH and I had toured three Antebellum homes in our town.  The tours were amazing and educational….and sad when you consider the time in US history surrounding these homes.  Anyway, I was expecting more of the same when I booked the tour of this home:

The house, itself, was beautiful!  The tour was a dud.  We’ll just leave it at that.  Still, got a great pic of Aiden, his parents and his grandma in front of the house.

There were soooo many things I would have loved to have shown them and I could’ve easily talked a mile a minute for a solid month if given the chance but it was time for them to head home.

It was an amazing visit and one I will always cherish.

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your vacation to travel to Mississippi!!!  You’ll never know how much that meant to MFH and myself!  Y’all are the best!

#IRun4Aiden

One thought on “Best. Visit. Ever. #IRun4Aiden

  1. CATHY DUNCAN

    I just did the same thing with removing carpet and now have a bare concrete floor, hence my number 8 cat face.

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