Back in Town with a New World Record...

I just returned from a conference today and what a welcome I had. You know, maybe this has happened to you before: You're at a meeting or a conference or something or other, and you just find yourself drifting off in your thoughts to the things that are most important in your life. That's not to say that this conference was boring. It was great and I had a chance to connect with several of my peers, but still I found myself thinking about my family.

When I drove up to my house, I heard my daughter yell, "Daddy's home!" As I walked up the walkway, both Madeleine and Ryder ran into my arms, squeezing me tight, and I looked up and there was my beautiful wife, there with a smile that said, I missed you. It was just one of those moments that reminded me what I live for.

After dinner, Ryder looked over and said, "Five choo-choos, daddy." He was referring to the fact that we drive into the canyon nearly every night chasing trains, which is one of his (our) favorite pasttimes. Up until this point, our record for the most trains seen was five total. So I took Ryder and Madeleine into the canyon, and, just as Ryder had predicted, we saw five trains. Some days, we're lucky just to see one. It was awesome.

As we headed home in the dark, up ahead we saw a light on the tracks and we knew that we were going to break our record. It was funny, because it wasn't an entire train. It was just one engine, which I've never really seen before.

As we pulled over, and Ryder hopped out of his car seat and into my lap to wave to the train, he laughed and said to me and Madeleine, "Six choo-choos!"

It was a new world record, and as I write, my life couldn't feel more complete. I am blessed in every way.

On a sidenote, here's a little inspiration from the creator of one of my favorite shows LOST. If you haven't had the chance to check out TED.com, do it now.