Why I am running the Philadelphia Marathon… for Abbe Meck and all those that suffer from seizure disorders on behalf of the Epilepsy Therapy Project. Please donate if you can… http://goo.gl/k685P

I am running for my fiancee, Abbe Meck. Abbe is the amazing person that gave me the courage to run my first marathon in honor of her cousin Alayna two years ago. At the conclusion of the 2011 Disney Marathon, I had a surprise for Abbe – I proposed to her immediately after crossing the finish line and she accepted!

This past January, we were getting ready to take on an even bigger challenge, the Goofy Challenge – a half and full marathon on consecutive days. The day before the half marathon, Abbe suffered two grand mal seizures. The second of which meant she was kept for observation and not cleared to run with me during the half. I had to run for the first time without my running partner. I ran those 13.1 miles angry and upset at her seizures for taking my girl away from me that day. Amazingly, Abbe was cleared to run the full marathon the next day and we finished happy and healthy.

I tell everyone that my 39.3 miles is nothing compared to what Abbe accomplished.

I am running for Abbe and everyone who has had their lives affected by seizure disorders. Please give if you can and share your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, email, everywhere!

Please donate if you can… http://goo.gl/k685P

Small Business/Tech Links…

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Funny/Interesting Links…

• Boyfriend answers romantic note with most unromantic response imaginable
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I saw one of those shared and re-shared things on Facebook yesterday and it struck me. It’s a from mother to daughter thing with an accompanying photo of an elderly woman with a younger woman in a touching embrace…

“My dear girl, the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt to say: “You said the same thing a minute ago”… Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep. When I don’t want to take a bath, don’t be mad and don’t embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a girl? When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don’t look at me that way… remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life’s issues every day… the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If I occasionaly lose track of what we’re talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be nervous, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you. And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked. When those days come, don’t feel sad… just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love. I’ll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared. With a big smile and the huge love I’ve always had for you, I just want to say, I love you… my darling daughter.”

Yes this is mom to daughter, not mom to son, but this is something I need to work on as a man – Helping my Mom while being patient and less critical. I scoff at motivational quotes and posters, mostly because hard work is something I had no choice but to embrace. A poster of a bald eagle isn’t going to remind me to work any harder – my parents raised me better than that. I need to work hard on making my Mom’s life a little better. Don’t get me wrong, Mom is doing great. I’ve run marathons to help people fighting cancer, but I’d be a fool if I didn’t make sure that I bring that same dedication and fight to help the most important people in my life.

Small Business/Tech Links…

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Today is another busy one. We had a great weekend – Bubs’ ice hockey team won, the Manhassett block party was a blast, the Flyers won, and it was great to be playing softball with my buddies again. Now I better get back to coding.

Small Business/Tech Links…

• 5 Key Link Building Tactics in 2012
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Today is a somewhat busy one. I’ve got lots of coding to tackle today. Bubs has an ice hockey game at 2:30 this afternoon. And then we have the annual Mannhassett Trail block party this evening. I hope it warms up a bit so the kids will enjoy running around with their buddies outside.

Movie Reviews…

The Tree of Life - boy this film really pushes the film for film maker’s sake big time. The good – it’s beautifully shot, original in it’s method of story-telling, great acting, great message – “The only way to be happy is to love. Unless you love, your life will flash by.” The bad – it’s like watching exsistential paint dry.

Small Business/Tech Links…

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Funny/Interesting Links…

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Today is another busy day of coding for me and then another softball game for Viv. I’m so happy she is enjoying playing a sport. She’s a great little athlete, but always been hesitant to try a team sport. There are a lot of life lessons for kids playing sports that with the right situations, really pay big dividends for them in confidence and learning to be around others.

I was not able to be at all of Viv’s game last night because of my parent teacher conference for Bubs. And as expected, he’s doing awesome. His teacher and I talked about how he loves challenging himself and how much he has been thriving. Very grateful for his teacher and everyone at Neeta, they have done such a great job for him this year. Too often, the only items that appear in the news are solely bad things happening in education – well, here is a kid that is doing incredible in a public school.

On top of those two short people that I live with, Abbe is in process of getting back to school in hopes of finding a better career. Not many in their mid-thirties think that going back to school is an option, but Abbe has found an affordable and manageable means to do so and I’m so damn proud of her.

Life carries a bagful of hurt for all of us. It’s easy to notice the bad when it arrives. But the good stuff, sometimes it’s more subtle. Sometimes, we don’t see it, feel it, hear it, or see the smile on our own faces. I just wanted to make sure I spotted my own smile today. See if you can spot your own, I bet it’s there.

OK, I better get back to that coding.

Small Business/Tech Links…

• Here’s a Good & Basic Local SEO Blueprint
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Funny/Interesting Links…

• Emotion - this is sweet and very true. The wife of Randall Munroe (xkcd’s creator) had a recent bout with cancer and as you can imagine, life gets a bit turned upside down.
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