Dossiers the Copperman, and more

Its been awhile, lets recap whats been going on..

Racing and training: Since the Spirit of Racine 1/2 Ironman on the 22nd of July, I have been primarily resting, except for the Marathon training. My plan called for 15, which was my first run greater than 13.5 miles. 17, 18, 19, 20 miles are in the upcoming weeks. This weekend, Saturday is the Copperman Sprint Triathlon. This will be more of a "fun" and training race for me. Not going to go nuts on it. The Copperman 1/2mile swim, 19mile bike, and 5 mile run should help keep me tuned up for the Accenture Chicago Triathlon on the 26th.

Adoption: As Jodie posted already, our Dossier was submitted. I cannot speak for her, but I think I was surprised by how quickly we turned that around. Our "Dossier Blitzkrieg" took just under two weeks. So we are now officially into the "waiting for a referral" stage. We will get some minor milestone updates, such as the re-opening of our Illinois Foster care license, and the notice of our Dossier has completed being translated and was sent to Ethiopia for processing. Jodie and I are ready and energized for the long referral wait that has now begun.

Lastly.. I've overheard someone wonder why people would put themselves through this (a 1/2 ironman). I can't answer for anyone but myself. And throughout the posts of this blog I've answered this question. To put it plainly... I Tri (as in triathlon) because I care. Its simple enough to just write a check, or drop change into the collection basket. I do that all the time. I Tri.. because I want to do more than just write checks. I Tri..because I have Faith that when I offer up the joys I receive, or the accomplishment I feel, or the suffering and pain I endure to the Lord, with the hopes and intentions that all those "offerings" will be accepted by the Lord and used to help others. Namely the children and families Team World Vision is working to help. I Tri.. because I can.. and its just another way I feel I can help others. Not everyone may believe in these sorts of offerings, nor may everyone have such faith. I Tri.. for Hope.. hope that my "works" serve as inspiration and motivation to others, and will be accepted by the Lord for the benefit of others...

Reading of the Day...

Hebrews 11:1
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen