Merry Christmas!

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. "
Norman Vincent Peale

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!


 

It Beats 4 U

"Who Could See And Not Believe? The Heart That Beats The Wavelength. And Who Could Say But Never Do. Things They've Said To Someone WhoThru All That's Been And All Will Be - So In Line So Thoughfully(Lessly)In Tune With You. So In Time For Me. New Thoughts Arrive. So In Time For Me.Who Can Count The Time I'm Beatin... With My Hands?Who Can Stop The Smoke From Breathin... In My Head?Words Will Come And Words Will Go. Make Believe And Overthrow.Just Believe And You Can Do.You Know My Heart - It Beats For You.It Beats4u - So In Time We Beat. Your Thoughts Align - So In Time With Me." - My Morning Jacket

Newest Galloway on the way. Due July 2007


 

Shout Out to Mamma

Hello Mamma!

North Meets South at Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. It was our first time hosting it at our house and although it was a large group, it was actually the scaled down version as Ben, Gladys and Ilene were visiting Andy, Jonathan, and Grace in California.

Thanksgiving morning featured myself and the Whitehouse Men running the local Gallop and Gorge, a 5 mile road race that I hope becomes an annual tradition for everyone. We also got to witness first hand the Deep Frying magic of Ben and Don as we learned how to deep fry our first turkey.

For the day we still had a large gathering, Cyndi, Dave, Zak and Emily, all of Beth's brothers, Don, Harry and Ben along with Sabra, Mom, Gary, Nicki, Addie and Emmie. The highlight of my Thanksgiving however was having Denise, Ravin, Ariana and Jai visit from Long Island. We have really missed spending time with them and they spent the entire weekend with us. I am pretty sure Ravin in particular left a little more Southern, after the Deep Fried Turkey, Elmo's Diner featuring Biscuits and Gravy and a quick cruise through UNC. It was really great seeing everyone, we're looking forward to Christmas.






 

Shout Out to the Grizzies

A pre-Thanksgiving Shout Out to the Griswolds, featuring Reilly, Addie and Emmie

The Life of Reilly hits YouTube

A shout out to Grandma Carol and Poppy

Marine Corp Marathon 2006

Running of the 2006 Marine Corp Marathon
10/29/2006
8:35am
Washington, DC / Arlington, VA
Partly Cloudy 49-degrees WINDY

This was my 3rd marathon, the first was the NYC Marathon in 2003 (pics of our race can be found here), I ran the entire thing with Gary. I had just gotten into running and we really took our time. The 2nd was the Mount Desert Island Marathon in Bar Harbor, Maine 2005, race report here and pictures from Bar Harbor. I was very encouraged after this one and thanks to a a couple solid years of running I was able to break 4 hours. I went into the MCM Marathon with even more ambitious goals. I was hoping for a 3:30-3:40 marathon.

Gary, our friend John, and I went up the day before sans families. We checked into our hotel and hit the expo for our numbers. The weather was very windy this day but temps were cool and the sky was blue. We met up with Don and Andy as well as John and his friend Chris in Olde Town Alexandria. We really enjoyed the brief time we spent here, this town was beautiful and full of history. We look forward to returning with the kids.

We had a nice pasta dinner and and an extra hour of sleep due to the time change. Gary and I showed up to the start rested and ready to go. The weather was near perfect for running, albiet a little windy. I was still battling a cold and was also very nervous about trying to run below a 8:30/mile pace for 26.2 miles. I realized I had perhaps done too much training on the trails, I really had no idea what running this many miles at that pace was going to do to me. I would later find out.

This marathon was HUGE. There were 34,000 runners, they stated it was the 3rd largest marathon in the US. Picture of the start.

On the walk to the start we literally walked right into our Trailhead buddy Kerndog. After discussing goals and times, I realized my goal was very close to Kerndog's. Another red flag goes off in my head, he's fast. I do not look at myself as fast. Can I really run a 3:30 marathon I ask myself?

Gary made his way towards the front and Kerndog and I settled in with what appeared to be the right spot. The start was great, a beautiful run with a low grade uphill followed by what seemed to be one long downhill all the way to the Key Bridge heading into Georgetown. This section was my favorite of the entire race and crossing onto M Street, miles 4-6, Kerndog and I were right where we wanted to be, just below an 8/mile pace and banking some time for later. Somewhere along M street I lost sight of Kerndog, but I was still with the 3:30 balloon pacer guy so I felt pretty good.

We eventually entered the Mall and I started to realize that running 8/min miles was hard. I couldn't really talk to anyone around me or I would lose my focus, the water/gatoraid breaks were stressing me out b/c I was losing my pace, and while beautiful, I did not remember the Mall area being so damn big. We rounded the bend with the Capital just on our left, it truly was an inspriational run the entire way. Just as we exit the Mall, right near the Smithsonian Castle we hit the half way point, I was at 1:46, a very nice half but I was almost shot, I knew then there was no way I could run the 2nd half that fast. By mile 15 I had to slow down, the next section, Haynes Point, up to mile 20, was billed at the hardest but I found it to be very beautiful. It was during this very secluded section that I realized not only was I not going to finish under 3:40, I might not finish at all. My hamstrings were really tight and then all the sudden my left quad cramped. The 15+ miles at 8/mile pace had taken its toll and my 3:30-3:40 marathon became a run of survival. I had to stop multiple times to stretch out cramps.

Right after mile 19 Dean Karnezes, ultra marathon man and on his 43rd marathon in 43 days, on his way to 50 marathons in 50 CONSECUTIVE days, shuffles by and I figure if this is his 43rd in 43 days, I can keep up with him. His blog of the MCM can be found here. That lasted about 1/2 mile before my calf completely locks up. The rest of the run I was one of the "walking (or running) wounded", it was a mixture of stopping, stretching, shuffling, walking, running, repeat. I averaged a blazing 11/mile pace after mile 20. I at least broke the 4 hour mark so I felt pretty good about that.

The end of this race was an absolute logistical mess and hopefully they will change it in the future. We probably walked another 3 miles just to get our drop bags and find transportation to our hotel. I did manage to find Gary and our friend John. John's time was almost identical to mine but he ran a very smart race and loved every minute of it. I should have just run the thing with him. I was very encouraged by his mood and race.


It was also nice to have Gary waiting for me at the end, that makes every single 1/2 marathon and marathon I have ever run. One of these days I hope to be waiting on him. The run made me twice as sick as I was before I started and I had to slide down my stairs Monday morning. Yesterday I was finally able to bend my legs and today I even waked fast across my kitchen. I'll be on the bike for a few weeks before I run again. If you ask me now if I will ever run another marathon, the answer is NO WAY. Like in most matters, time has a way of erasing the bad and leaving you with only the good. Already it is the the many postive experiences of the run that far outweigh the less than desired run I had. Seeing the father pushing his daughter in her wheelchair, the blind runner being led by his escort, seeing John's smile afterwards, spending 2 solid days with Gary, all of these things, will be the memories I keep for life.

Tommy Galloway

Galloween 2006

This year's Halloween was a family/friend fun filled event. We had Gary, Nicki, Addie and Emmie, Mary Jo, Mom, Mamma, our friend from Connecticut Rita, Snally, Kate and Jack, and our neighbors Megan and Meredith.

Reilly loved his frog outfit and loved having company this year as he went out.

Addied was tigger and Emmie and Jack were bumble bees. We had a great time!



 

NC's Finest

October found the Life of Reilly at the NC State Fair. I have gone to this fair as far back as I can remember. Two big differences this year vs. my memories. This is the first time I have gone as a father and the first time I have worn shorts. I have always remembered the fair as being very cold. One thing that has not changed, I am still horrible at all the fair games and can never win anything. I look forward to many years of taking Reilly to the fair just like my parents took us.

An additional trip we took in October was to Boone. This was the first trip Beth and I have taken away from Chapel Hill without Reilly. Ben and Gladys took Reilly early Saturday and we headed to the mountains. The leaves were peak and it was BEAUTIFUL. Harry took us to a great hike on Roan Mountain. I wish we would have had more time but it was a great hike with beautiful views.

That evening Harry took us to Eseeola, a place where Gary and I worked and one of the most beautiful places in NC. The lodge has changed significantly since my days and I was a bit dissappointed in the change to the menu. It used to be a fixe price dinner with several courses. It is now a more traditional menu, still VERY good, but not quite as formal or fancy. The next morning we had a great breakfast at Grandview, followed by some shopping at the Blowing Rock outlets and then home. A very nice weekend indeed.

Tomorrow Gary, John Moye and I head to D.C. to run the Marine Corp Marathon, I'm hoping to overcome a cold before we toe the line Sunday morning, wish us luck. I'll post a race report next week.



 

Octoberfest

The Life of Reilly hits October! Things have gotten back to normal here, our kitchen is done and we've love it. Upcoming for us a weekend in Atlanta to visit friends; Beth and I, sans Reilly, are heading to Boone to check out leafs, hike and hopefully eat at Eesoloa Lodge where I used to work and where Harrison currently works. The end of October will find Gary and I running the Marine Corp Marathon, my third full marathon and hopefully my best. I am also excited as a very good friend, John Moye, will be running with us, for his first marathon.


A few weekends ago we headed out to a great pumpkin patch and corn maze, they also had animals for the kids to see. Addie, Emmie and Reilly all loved it.

Love in Life

Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.~ Franklin P. Jones

As I type, my Dad's Dad, my grandfather, is not doing well. He has not "been well" for several years now, ever since his wife, my grandmother, passed away. A part of him truly did die with her and I have to believe he will be reunited with her very soon.

My Dad was able to make it to Dalton and along with his sister, they are spending time with him. He has been in a nursing home for a few years and lately things took a turn for the worse, it seems his time is very close as his body is basically shutting down on him.

Grandpa is a very loving, kind man and my memories of him go back as far as I can remember. One thing that both sets of my grandparents have shown by their example is how to love, how to put your family first, and how to honor and respect marriage. While Reilly will grow up not remembering or knowing two of his great grandfathers and one great grandmother, I am very grateful that he got to meet grandpa, that we made the trip to Dalton when Reilly was only one, that we spent a day laughing, loving and spending time with one of the few things that most of us have and SHOULD NEVER take for granted, FAMILY.





 

Let the Renovations End

Earlier in May, I posted several pics from the beginning of our kitchen work, I am now very happy to say, our kitchen is finished!

Through it all, Beth and I learned the following:
That we have more patience than either of us thought, not having running water downstairs sucks, we hope we never have to live in an efficiency apartment, making coffee is very hard when you do not have a kitchen, paper products create more trash than I would have ever thought, very few foods taste good the next day, one can only eat so much pizza, bathroom sinks are not made for washing dishes, designing an electrical plan is very difficult, there are more tools made than you could ever imagine, most contractors, painters, plumbers, electricians, etc are very good at what they do, Reilly is a TROOPER, Beth could be an interior decorator/designer if she wanted, and most importantly, we have the best friends and family in the world, we truly appreciate all the dinners and company during the past several weeks. Now, many/most of you have seen the kitchen and we hope to have an official party to soon to pay everyone back for their kindness, but in the meantime, here are a few pictures of our new kitchen.

Picture Perfect

Beth takes Reilly to the Picture People every so often, how cute is this?

Blowing Rock 2006

The Life of Reilly visited Blowing Rock the weekend of June 2-4, to celebrate Beth and I's 6th anniversary and also show the mountains to our great friends Andrew, Kelly and Louis and John, Leslie and Madeline. Reilly met Louis and Madeline in a play group when he was only a few months old and they have maintained their playgroup ever since.

We rented a great house on Appalachian Ski Mountain and had plenty of room. We got to the area early Friday and spent the afternoon on the great park in downtown Blowing Rock and checking out a few of the stores downtown, notably Kilwin's Ice Cream.

















John, Leslie and Madeline arrived later that evening and we enjoyed a great dinner prepared by Andrew and Kelly. The kids all slept great and allowed us to have a very fun first evening. The next day we took a couple of hikes, a quick walk up to Beacon Heights followed by a longer hike to the top of Rough Ridge, I have done both of these hikes many times over the years, it was especially nice to take two families there for the first time. The near perfect weather did not hurt either.