A few weeks ago I had a great challenge at ABYC, to teach a standards certification course. It was a tall order to meet considering all of the other travel I have been making for the company and the prep work for upcoming work items plus the construction site that is our house and of course… a baby. However the reward was high considering the class was being held at Nordhavn Yachts in Dana Point, CA so there was the opportunity to see family while there. I took on the challenge which extended my comfort zone much further, with no real lesson plan when I started, I had to build the course from the ground up before arriving. The pay off would be that now ABYC was paying for my travel to the west coast, and all we had to do was purchase a ticket for Kris to come along with Ryder. Who knows when another opportunity like that will prevail.
So after a few late nights making last minute changes (and studying) in Dana Point, I made it through my first class (and even had a good passing rate for students).
From there, Kris and I drove up to Morro Bay to stay with mom and dad. We were only there for two days, but we made every effort to maximize our time… visiting with Uncle Bob and Aunt Barbara and even getting all 3 of my cousins out for a dinner. They of course fell deeply in love with Ryder’s charm, smile, and easy going demeanor.
Finally, before the drive back to LAX we managed a few hours to take Ryder to the beach in Morro Bay and watch the waves for a while.
Thankfully, to ease our travel tension, each leg of the flights (coming and going) we had an empty seat between Kris and I for some extra space for Ryder to stretch out. He was a perfect traveler… sleeping the majority of the flights and smiling when not. And now a bunch of firsts have been achieved: First plane ride, first bus ride, first time to the beach, first time meeting Wienold cousins and more. Who could ask for a better experience?
