Make travel as memorable and impactful as possible.

When you set off to go out of town, it is good to set clear goals with parameters to measure both the purposefulness of your trip and to ensure you get the most out of it. This year I set the goal that when I travel - "Make travel as memorable and impactful as possible." So, I spent a significant portion of 2013 preparing for the Kemah Boardwalk Olympic Tri. So, when I set off for a 24 hour stay in Houston, which included 2 trips to Kemah Boardwalk (45 minutes away), I knew I needed to set some goals to make sure I saw some of my friends from there. You cannot see everyone in a 24 hour visit. So, I focused on 1 friend from dental school - Matt. This plan worked because Matt and Judy set aside tons of time for this visit, which made it possible for us to jam out, go to Downhouse Restaurant, Bellisimo, Caddilac's, see Ross' place, bump into Seth, watch Life of Pi, and he even made time to show up for an early morning Sunday race in time to get tons of really awesome pictures (the 4 pictures of the race photo credit: Matt Strepka).

(Seth, Matt, Me, Ross)

 This picture is fun because the four of us used to go into the greenbelt off Hwy 6, near Bear Creek and play paintball in the woods for hours. So, just being together even for a little while was a special treat. Those days playing paintball are one of those things that it's easy to take for granted in the moment. You think, "We play every weekend. This will go on forever." But, people move, things change, and life goes on. I tell this part with some nostalgia, but fully knowing that just this moment shown here in this picture is enough.

(Ross has won his FF League 3 years in a row!)

 Ross always picks his fantasy teams very carefully, poring over the stats. Even still, winning 3 years in a row in a competitive league is a sweet feeling, (I wouldn't know - I always seem to make playoffs in my league, but never seem to be able to win the big one.)

Below you will see the choppy water of what was supposed to be the Kemah Boardwalk Olympic Triathlon. Unfortunately, due to wet roads, the bike component of the race was cut out, so they modified the race into a Swim -> Run Aquathalon. This race was not what I prepared for, so I am currently trying to decide if I should give it another go, or what. It was a disappointing experience, since race day is supposed to be the moment that you can finally measure your progress in relation to others around you.
 

(Kemah Boardwalk Tri 2013 - the water was choppy! Ugh!)

So, after much preparation, I was left with a very choppy swim that I did not feel reflected my level of preparation. Worse, I was not really ready to go from swim to run. I practiced 7 bricks beforehand (bike-runs), but, alas, my preparation was not useful this day. Once again race day taught me flexibility. After doing several races in 2005-2008, and then coming back for the MS 150 in 2011, and this race 2013, I must say that the main thing you learn from racing is how to roll with the punches.

(I was tired after those 10k.)

(Aquathalon swim to run transition)

(Running the race)

(TDA - San Antonio 2013)

The next trip was my journey to TDA. This year I made it a priority to take my entire staff to the meeting so that everyone could gain from the experience. TDA 2013 had hundreds of educational opportunities. They had something for every member of the dental staff. So, I took my hygienists, assistant, front office staff, and myself and we all took educational courses.

On Thursday and Saturday, I participated as a delegate in the TDA house of delegates. The house of delegates is the supreme governing body of TDA. So, we hold what is most comparable to a legislature in an attempt to make plans for the upcoming year of TDA. We were discussing everything from dental sleep medicine, funding of TDA (dues), the importance of attracting and retaining dentists so that we continue to have a voice in the Texas Legislature. Membership in TDA is approximately 65% of all practicing dentists. This is below the national average for tripartite ADA membership, which is closer to 70%.

(View from Drury Plaza Riverwalk)

(Me, Holly, Matt - TDA delegates)

(TDA House of Delegates)

 So, as many dentists were out meeting up with old friends on Thursday night. I took these pictures from the hotel where I got a workout in. I made time to meet up with another dear friend, Parks, while I was in San Antonio, so, we met up on Friday night - his last night of law school, congratulations homie!

Laughing til it hurts with an old friend is the best.

It is therefore my opinion that to fulfill this part of the dream, you have to make time for balance in your life. This etude on balance means that when you travel - try to spend some of that time connecting with friends. Those are the little gold nuggets that can't be measured.