I write this on my first full day at the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont with Olivia. In the Lily funded grant that we received, I set aside time individually with each member of my family, and Olivia and I settled on this nearby shorter trip for the two of us.

[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]Phil LaBelle, 2017.[/featured-image]

(She also gets a trip on our dime to France with Melissa in exchange for Noah and I climbing Kilimanjaro together. See the title of this post.)

We’re having a blast on a day fully scheduled by Olivia. We woke early, ate breakfast, swam at the indoor pool, went for a hike on the local trails, at lunch, played a round of disc golf with a rec staff person here, took a short break, shimmied up the rock climbing wall (she did the thirty foot wall in 21 seconds, a record according to another staff member), swam in the outdoor pool, had afternoon tea, browsed the gift shop, got dressed for a nice evening meal, and will watch “The Sound of Music” before heading to bed. Oh yeah, we racked up over 21,000 steps at this point as well according to the FitBit. Tomorrow brings more swimming, yoga (a a first for me), another hike to the chapel on site, a dog agility competition, and visits to Ben & Jerry’s and Cabot creamery. Along the way whenever she can, she asks me to take a handstand picture.

A friend, when she got Olivia’s birth announcement, called her “Watch Out World Olivia,” and she was dead on in describing Olivia’s personality. She’s a ball of fun and has a heart of gold. And she knows what she wants and will go for it.

She’s a pure delight.

On this journey of mine, she brings joy and a reminder of all the good in this life.