To say I am overwhelmed might be an overstatement, but probably not.
We’ve been on this trip for 6 months. Just the 6 of us. 4 humans, 2 dogs. It has been awesome, see Facebook posts (they must be having the time of their lives our friends say!).
And it has been tough, (in a very 1st world way), I don’t post pics of us arguing, lost, or yelling at the kids (we are always cognizant of the fact we are afforded this opportunity by being born in this country, well at least Liz and I are, Hooper doesn’t care). There are days Liz and I are whooped, and nights like last night that we sleep at a rest stop, draped over with kids and dogs.

We’ve seen a fair chunk of arguably the most beautiful part of the country (world – by the number of foreign folks) the southwest 4 corners area. We now sit in San Diego, California, a city I always wanted to visit. We will be here for 3-4 weeks. Most people don’t get that opportunity. We will soak up as much as we can. In the middle of this visit we will return home to Easton Maryland, to attend a charity event I started with two sharp minded guys with a pension for silliness. And this is why am overwhelmed with joy, in 2013 I yelled at a guy (from a moving car, this still seems like something you should do) that he had the best beard in Easton. A social media argument ensued, and we decided to start a competition. Why not!?
My experience working with non profits afforded me some knowledge on how to set up the donation aspect of the competition online and the doers aka the sharp witted fellas began recruiting entrants to a beard contest. AND I had a cause. My niece was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and anything I could contribute through this means my family and I would.
Not rocket science, let’s see who can shave and grow the best beard in 2 months. (Speed kills, so we learned in subsequent years that 3 years was more appropriate for the hard core amongst us.)
The first year we made more than we thought we would, the second more than that, and so on. The formula we developed for donors to support bearded faces and the charity of their choice worked! The charities chosen needed the money, were thankful and were quick to explain just how the money helped. Win, Win and Win!

Now as we roll toward the end of the 4th year, we will have raised $50,000 for various charities.

Specifically for Kids, Pets, and Veterans. Watching the money come in from hustling beard growers warms my heart, and keeps me motivated to do more and better with  Cover Your Chin for Charity. To visit my kids hometown and the friends we have there is icing on the cake.  We will most likely settle down somewhere that affords us a view and quick access to hikes into the Rocky Mountains (life is short) but Easton and the great people of that area will always hold a large chunk of my heart.