The Fourth Child

There is a long standing joke in the Aho household that Maria is my "4th child".  They're not wrong - I feel very maternal about this young lady who has been such a big part of my life over the past 7 years.  After the track clinic, she met us for Korean Barbecue and showed us around the U of M campus, now that Reagan is also going to be a Wolverine!   

A Lower Peninsula Track Clinic

 

Our largest, most successful track clinic yet!  The day went perfectly!  120 people, including athletes, coaches, track officials, families, the U of M Adaptive Track & Field Team, and THREE paralympians (Eva Houston, Leo Merle, and Jaydin Blackwell).  The kids got to try on a gold medal to see how that felt, and it was just a fantastic day.  Track is growing in Michigan!  So proud to be a part of this organization!!

The New Wolverine

 

Reagan received some exciting news!  Welcome to the U of M Taubman School of Architecture!  She'll have to defer, since she's spending the next year in Austria as a Rotary Exchange student, but still... such a relief to know what life will hold when she gets home!  Awfully proud of this young lady and all her hard work.

Tampa and Cousin Whitney

 Our flight back to Detroit is not until 9 pm so we had all day to enjoy Tampa.  Luckily, Rob's cousin Whitney lives close enough to come visit and gave us the grand tour of the area.  We ate Cuban food for lunch, toured the University of Tampa, the St. Petersburg pier, and overall had a fabulous  time getting to know Whitney better.  

2nd Day At Sea

What can I say?  Today started with a jog topside at sunrise and then a workout in the gym, followed by a day of reading my book while Rob sat at the stern (still) and Reagan hung out with newfound cruise friends.  Last full day on the boat, and I am soaking in as much of the warmth as I possibly can.  

Frog legs for dinner.  Disgusting.

Nassau, Bahamas

Rob is still perched at the stern of the ship and hasn't left the entire time.  Today, he asked if he could just spend the night on his favorite couch out there on the deck, and I told him that was most likely discouraged.  This is his zen; just sitting there watching the sun and surf, soaking it all in, all day. 

I, however, prefer a little more movement.  I have been working out every morning and am trying to combat the onslaught of too much food by taking the stairs rather than elevator the entire time.  I am averaging 8 miles a day, according to my watch.  We'll see if that equates to not gaining weight on this cruise.

Reagan and I signed up for a snorkeling adventure on a catamaran and had SO much fun swimming amongst the colorful fish and jumping off the boat!  I was the last one out of the water at the end of the afternoon... just did not want it to end.

Afterwards, Reagan and I wandered around Nassau, taking in the sights (and ice cream).

The pink Governor's Mansion

There are some fancy digs in the Bahamas