Pics my dad takes

This post has been inspired by my amazing dad.

My father is and always has been, a dad-superhero. 

He is a wealth of knowledge about all things practical, and can talk you through a home repair over the phone, should the situation present itself.  He is always willing to help out, and he has a genuine thirst for knowledge and new experiences.  When I was a tween my dad signed up for ballet classes so we could bond about dance, and he stuck with it even after I quit.  If you need a piece of furniture built, a tree chopped down, solar panels installed, or if you are looking for general-to-specific information about all things train, Tom Diehl is your man.

**cue dramatic music**

Like all superdads, however, my dad does have a weakness that his foes could potentially take advantage of.  His Achilles heel?  He cannot resist taking (and posting) the worlds least flattering pictures of myself and other people that love him.  Below is a sampling of said photos for my humiliation and your enjoyment.

(For full comedic effect, click on pictures to enlarge.)

Here Emily and I are, on my porch at my housewarming party in October. 

We have both since decided to look into wigs and Botox.

Here Dan and I are (with Ben!) at Christmas.

I'm not sure why the gift of a glittery planner seems to have upset me. 

In this one, Dan and I went to see my mom and dad at a hotel bar near the airport when they were on their way to a fun vacation.  I thought it was safe to not wear makeup, but the explanation of "these weird poker chips get you free drinks at this shitty bar" needed to be documented.

 

...and below is my favorite series of pictures of all time.  Early in my relationship with Dan, we went to Bushkill Falls with my parents and my older brother.  Dan and I started to have a conversation which was causing us friction, so we fell back to deal with it and then catch up.  Little did we know our argument was being documented by my dad who was "testing out his telephoto lens."  

My favorite part about looking at these photos with Dan was the narrative:

Gretchen: "Wow, I have NEVER seen myself make that face before."

Dan: "Oh, that's interesting.  I wish I could say the same."

But just so you all know the score, this is the face Dan was making.  Win.

Kiya and James: Fitness Superstars

In 2009, Emily and I took the best vacation ever, to Amansala resort in Tulum, Mexico for a little something called "bikini bootcamp" (which is now located in Ibiza, Spain... a reason to go again?)
We were lucky enough to go during a really unpopular time.  It was the end of the season, and the weather had potential to be extremely hot.  That combined with a series of scary things happening to tourists near the Mexican border, and a plague of swine flu caused all of the other campers to bail on their reservations, leaving Emily and I alone with 3 personal trainers who also served as our personal tour guides for our 6 day stay.  6+ hours of physical activity a day, with fresh, fabulous food and gorgeous scenery.  It was absolutely amazing.

the staff at Bikini Bootcamp 2009: Carla, James, and Kiya (the 2 regular peeps in the front are Emily and myself)

The reason I am posting about it now is because I think our stay there was partially responsible for my attitudes about fitness today.  It was a physical, emotional, and personal challenge to focus on ourselves for that time, and to be separated from all of our technology and responsibilities.  I don't think I could thank the staff enough for their impact on me.

We spent the most time with Kiya and James (who are now married, Mazel Tov!), and I have followed them both on facebook since we got back.  I was very excited to see that Kiya was featured on the cover of Scottsdale Health in June (you can see here feature on the website here)!

I just wanted to spend this post giving a shout-out to Kiya and James for continuing to do such amazing things for the health and wellness of people and the planet.  You guys are fabulous!