The Roadrunner Story
In 1999 my family took a road trip to the Grand Canyon. We drove from central Texas to northern Arizona together.
Above — The Grand Canyon — A photo from my 1999 scrapbook.
Above — Of course, I had to take this picture once we arrived.
Above — Me (right) and my siblings Andrew (center) and Alexis (left) in 1999. We’re still great friends.
I like road trips. Ever since I was a kid, I enjoy watching the landscape roll by.
On my family’s trip to the Grand Canyon, I watched the desert through the window and I saw a roadrunner for the first time. I was thrilled.
“You guys! I just saw a roadrunner!” I said.
My parents laughed. They didn’t believe me. They’d never seen a roadrunner either.
“No, really! It was running right next to the car!”
No one believed me, but I was determined. I continued to re-tell the story.
We stopped at a souvenir shop and my parents, who are always keen for a good joke, got me a small pewter figurine calling it a “roadrunner award.”
Above — A picture from my 1999 scrapbook featuring the “roadrunner award.”
We continued on our journey. My family eventually believed me about the roadrunners — they started to see them as well.
That was such a memorable trip. We still tell stories about it and I kept the roadrunner award in my room for many years as a souvenir.
Fast forward to my 31st birthday in Austin, Texas. My mother, who’d found the roadrunner in my childhood room, re-dedicated it to me saying,
“Stand and run for what you see.”
I kept the roadrunner in view during the cross-country road trip to Ithaca, New York on the way to graduate school and I continued to keep the roadrunner visible throughout my program as a reminder to share what I see even when others do not see it. Now, I keep it on my desk as a reminder to move through life with courage, honesty, and perseverance.
I am excited to discover what lies ahead and to share what I see.
Below is a gallery showing iterations of my personal logo.
