Speechless

I don't get surprised very often, but yesterday my friends and family get an A+ for totally blowing me away. Some of you may know that about halfway through the Summer Swing 5K Series, we had a visit from Mayor Gary Fuller and his son. Seems they had heard a little about our run series and wanted to come out to see for themselves. Apparently he liked what he saw. Friends, we do have a unique event that is great for community relations. All of you deserve a pat on the back for the way you pull others in and make them feel welcome. I have a feeling that our friend Alvin may have been doing a little behind the scenes work, but it appears that Mayor Fuller thought it would be a good idea to brag on all of us a little. Apparently for about a month now, friends and family have been doing a little sneaking around, gathering information, making a few phone calls, etc. - that resulted in a very nice recognition ceremony at the August 18 Opelika City Council meeting - for yours truly. Actually Mayor Fuller read a very flattering proclamation to me - and declared August 18, 2015 as Doug Underwood Day(now I gotta deal with the big head!). My entire family and at least a dozen AORTA members were there (you think I might have become a little suspicious about that, but my family had spun a pretty good story about the "real" reason we were there, and I completely bought in). Much thanks to Alvin, Bob Banks, Bob and Monica Kennis, Lori, Vince, and Brody Connors, Cyndi and Corey Walp, Kim White, Dawn Kohn, and Tom Turkington, for taking time to come. That was really special! If I missed someone be sure to let me know when we run into each other again. Things were happening pretty fast and I was surprised and overwhelmed. Thanks to all of you, friends and family, for making me feel pretty special. We do this for fun and it is more play than work. I really look forward to our runs each week. Even so, this is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. Love you all, Doug