This Holiday Season

So if you have been reading my blog and my running partners blog, you will know that it has been found that she has a stress fracture.

I am sorry to report that she is going to have to put her down. It was a difficult decision, but hopefully it will be respected.

I mean, she could go thru the weeks of rehab, and the crutches and whatnot. But I just thought it was easier for her to go "down".

You can send your thoughts to her address at lorilovestigger@hotmail.com I'm sure someone will get them.

Actually, she is going to start the race and then race from medical tent to medical tent. Hopefully, she doesn't hurt herself anymore than she already is. But believe me, I won't push her. She will go as far as she wants to go. The health is ultimately what is important. Besides I am still trying to convince her to the Princess Half Marathon in a couple of months.

Happy Holidays everyone!

The Johnny Depp Picture

Yesterday, I posted about carrying a 6 foot pole with a picture of Johnny Depp in order to inspire and push my running partner to the finish line.

I have been asked to change this photo to a picture of Jacob from New Moon. I don't understand why someone wants a picture of someone underage, but if that's what it takes, so be it.

I have also been told that if it was Johnny Depp and two women could be fighting over being first in position to look at him. I don't want anyone to get injured on this fun run. After all, the other one has to run the marathon the next day. So enough about that.

On another note, Betsey recently enrolled us in the Disney Dream Deck 7 ornament exchange. If you are not on Deck 7, I know you are jealous as hell. It's okay, just move your reservation to Deck 7, and you too can be with the cool kids.

We got our ornament recently, and it is fantastic. It was a Nightmare Before Christmas ornament with Jack on it with a Christmas tree. Pretty cool ornament, and oh, it lights up. So thank you, MoJo. It was great.

We get ever closer to the race. Soon it will be but a memory. But those memories will last a lifetime. Or until I get Alzheimer's.

Last note, I would like to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the Mongello family.

Merry Christmas, Mele Kalikimaka, Feliz Navidad, Happy Hanukkah and Festivus for the rest of us.

We will see you around the parks.

2 Weeks and 4 Days

So here we are again, just the four of us. Me and apparently the three people following me.

I am 18 days out from participating in the Disney Half Marathon and I am starting to go into final taper mode, and at the same time, freak out mode.

If you follow more prestigious blogs, you may know by now that my running partner has suffered an injury to her knee. This poses to be an issue because she was my primary source of motivation to even know that I could accomplish this endeavor. So this is my plan to ensure that we both finish together and cross the finish line.

1. I will ensure that her knee is taped by the KT Tape people at the booth at the expo. They know how there product works better than anyone else.

2. I will provide her with aspirin or tylenol to ease the pain.

3. I will then give her shots of Captain Morgans Rum every 2 miles to ensure that the blood is thinned so the medicine gets to where it needs to be.

4. I will carry a 6 foot pole with a picture of Johnny Depp on it, that she can chase after.

5. I will be benevolent and let her take restroom breaks, and admire the scenery in the parks. I happen to know that she is a Pirate and would probably enjoy the lush botany in Adventureland on our way out of the Magic Kingdom.

6. We finish the race.

If none of these seem to work, I can always go with the new best friend of the runner with injuries. Pure China White Heroin. That's right, it may take the pain away but also people will run to hell and back to get more once they are hooked on. That being said, I should probably start training more to outrun her.

Just kidding about the Pure China White. This race is important but not worth the $172 per gram. I would have to go with something more cost effective.

Who knows that I will do? I do know however, that in 18 days we will be finished with this race and both wearing 2010 Donald Medals.

Have Fun, Be Young, Drink Pepsi!

Disney's Half Marathon Training

So about a week ago, I was conned, tricked, and bamboozled. After all that, then I was asked if I wanted to run in the 2010 Half Marathon. Being one that can never really turn down a request, unless I really don't want to do it, I said "yes."

And so then the training began. I recently ran the Race for the Taste 10K and the Expedition Everest Challenge, so I think that I am in a good position to at least start to think about training.

I am currently running every day trying to build up miles. I have many more miles to go. However, until I get there I just get encouragement from my friends and family.

I am nervous about the race. I know I will finish though, I will be running with the non-running runner. That helps keep me motivated.

Also, I always look forward to a good trip to Disney. We are planning on going to the Animal Kingdom so we can see Nemo, and Everest. I have never done either of these attractions, and am a little nervous about going on Everest. Not much for roller coasters. I was going to do it at the Everest Challenge, but anyone who was there knows that the monsoons rained the place out and the post-race party was basically cancelled.

On a side note about that. Disney sent me a replacement lanyard for my medal since the original one fell apart due to rain.

Until then, move down. move down. clean cup. clean cup.

Alex's Trip Report

This evening, I had Alex write a trip report for our weekend at Disney. You will find it below.

My trip to Disney

The First day, I went to Epcot. Epcot stands for experimental prototype community of tomorrow. We first rode Soarin’. Soarin’ is a ride where you simulate riding in a hang glider in California, soarin’ is the most popular ride in Epcot. You must get there first thing or right after your first ride.

Next, we rode Test Track. Test track is a ride where you are in a car where you are testing a car’s equipment. This is the second most popular ride in Epcot. This should be one of the rides you get early to or you will have to wait an extensive time.

After Test Track, my dad and I split ways because he went to a wine seminar that is only available during the food and wine festival. I went to mission space since my dad is prone to motion sickness. Mission space is a ride that is kind of like a simulator. You fly to Mars in a high tech space shuttle. Each person in the ride has a certain job for the mission. They have two levels called more and less intense. After Mission space I rode test track again. I met my dad back up in a place called world showcase. World Showcase is like going around the world in a day. Most countries have some sort of attraction, like a ride or movie. Afterword, we went back to the hotel for the night.

The next morning we went to Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is a park where they have exotic animals and a few rides here and there. They close early because of the animals. You may want to get there early because, the animals aren’t very active in the afternoon. We went on a tour and saw some animals from South America. Next, We went to Kali River Rapids. It is a water ride. You will get wet. Next, we got on Kilimanjaro Safaris. It is a ride where you are on a 2-week safari and see many animals and you must find poachers. After that we rode Dinosaur. In this ride you must go into the past, find a certain dinosaur, and bring it back before The Giant Asteroid collides with Earth.

After this we headed to Blizzard Beach. Blizzard Beach is a water park that has many slides, a lazy river, and a wave pool. I do not recommend this for your first visit. We only went to two of the four parks that weekend.

This is what I did over the weekend of September26-27 of 2009

Expedition Everest Challenge

I have not updated this blog in quite awhile. I think the reason is that I have not really come up with what I want to talk about. I will have to work on this more now though. Especially now, that I have doubled my readership. You know when you double your readers from 2 to 4 that is like a big deal. Kind of like being Robot Chicken on cartoon Network.

I think shorter updates are the better way to go.

This past weekend, Alex and I went to Walt Disney. We stayed at Pop Century. It was a decent hotel with nice amenities but definitely a step below the Polynesian. Thankfully, we will be at the Boardwalk Inn in 2 weeks.

On Saturday night was the Expedition Everest Challenge. It was quite an event. We started at 7:35 and ran a 5k. After finishing the 5k, we did four obstacles. They were four marine hurdles, a cargo net climb, a balance beam, and a cargo net crawl. After we completed those obstacles, we then had four clues on our scavenger hunt. We were about 2 clues into the event, and the heavens opened up. So we had to finish the challenge in the pouring rain. I later found out that he officials closed the course prior to everyone finishing due to lightning. I hope everyone at least got his or her medal. They are outstanding.

Most of the after party was closed down due to weather, so Alex and I left the Animal Kingdom. For the first time in my life, I did not know where I parked. Not like I forgot which row, but I didn’t even know which parking lot. I was so excited about the race, I completely forgot to look. So for 20 minutes, Alex and I had to walk up and down rows in the rain looking for our car. For the record, there were three other Prius’ in the parking lot. Oh ,well it was a fun event, and I will probably try and do it again next year. Although it will be in June.

On another note, I saw Lori Burke from http://www.wewantstheredhead.blogspot.com while we were competing. I met her the day prior at the Food and Wine Festival. You should check out her blog. It is fantastic. Even if she thinks it not all that great.

Abridged Vacation

So let us begin. This blog seemed like such a good idea at the time. However, I am finding that updating Facebook is so much easier, because I can do it from my phone or my iTouch. I haven’t updated it in the past two months.

Betsey’s mom came down a week before we went on leave. She was able to see the kids one more time prior to them spending the summer with their mother.

We left for leave on a Friday morning, and stopped just North of JR’s in North Carolina. We met Jennifer. The kids were happy to see her. They left with her, and we checked into a hotel. The next morning, we finished the trip up North.

While we were on leave, I had the opprortunity to see two baseball games. One at D.C. vs. Toronto, and the second was in Baltimore vs. D.C. Both games were good, and it was nice to see the stadiums. For the record, the Nationals lost both.

I prepared for my “new” career while I was home. I want to spread pixie dust for the tilt-a-whirl, or bark for the Yak Woman. But it didn’t work out. Instead, I made funnel cakes, and fresh squeezed lemonaid. Thinking about it, have you ever met the Yak Woman? Ugly as sin, but a nice woman, and she sure can cook.
My brother Jerrod flew North, and my mom drove up and we had a mini-reunion and spent the 4th of July with family and friends.

After the vacation up North, Betsey and I decided to go South for the weekend. We went back to Disney. We stayed at All-Star Sports. It was a nice place. We did Tea at the Garden View Lounge. He had dinner at Yachtman Steakhouse. On Saturday, we went to Hollywood Studios, and had a great time. We had lunch at Mama Melrose’s, and dinner at Jiko. All four places were fantastic, and I highly recommend them.

Well, that’s all I have to say now, but with some luck, I will have Betsey update with some of her stuff.

The New Job and New Movie

So today, is Friday, and it is about 4:39 p.m.

I started my new job this week. It seems to be going well. I think as time goes on, it will become better. With the exception of two Soldiers, and two SSGs, I am the most junior person out of about 25 people. Oh, Joy.

I went and saw Star Trek last night with Alex and my neighbor, Scott. It was fantastic. I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good movie. You could know nothing about Star Trek and still have a great time. It also has the G.I. Joe, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and some other cool trailers. Go see it. You will like it.

Until next time, Strength and Honor.

I Got To Get Better At This

I have realized that I have to get better at updating this blog.  There is just so much going on, and I am not writing about it.  It could be because I hype it up in my head, and when I put it to paper, there is nothing really there.

So let us see.  Alex and I went to the Atlanta Braves Home Opener vs. the Washington Nationals.  We left our house at noon and the game was at 7:35 p.m.  Plenty of time, right?  Nope.  We got to Turner Field at 5:30 p.m. and then spent the next 2 hours 30 minutes trying to get to our parking spot.  We missed the National Anthem, the first pitch, and Flyover by the Air Force.  Everything.  By the time we got into the field it was the middle of the 2^nd inning.  At the top of the 4^th inning, they had a rain delay.  After about 20 minutes, we decided that we should go ahead and leave, because I had to work the next day.  Needless to say, after the rain delay was finally over, and they finished the game, we were already home.  Good thing we didn’t stay for the whole game, or that would have been some drive home. 

 

Alex was confirmed on Easter Sunday.  That weekend, Alex’s mom, stepdad, half brother, my mom, dad, brother Jerrod, and his two girls came to support him.  It was a nice weekend.  MacKenzie went back to North Carolina for the week with her mom.  Alex was set to go on a Spring Break retreat, but it was cancelled at the last minute.  The Youth Minister resigned the evening of Easter.  The parents rallied around the Youth Group, and were able to make many things happen that week, that helped soften the reactions that everyone felt.

 

On 30 April, I was bouting with one of my students in hand-to-hand combat.  I caught some Velcro to the face.  Not a big deal, but I mention it only because of the next day.  I was promoted to SFC on 1 May 2009.  I have some great photo’s because I have a black guy, and a busted chin.  Good times.

 

 

This past weekend, we went to the Jacksonville Zoo.  It was a fun time had by all.  The kids decided that they wanted to go to Cheeburger Cheeburger for lunch.  So I pull out my trusty Garmin and type in the name looking for the closest one.  SCORE!  There is one only 20 minutes South of the Zoo.  Actually, about 40 minutes with traffic.  Let me tell you how it was.  I wouldn’t know, because it closed down six months ago.  Sheesh.  Oh, well.  We know that there is one somewhere. J 

 

We will see where this goes in the future, but in the mean time, Strength and Honor!

It is time…

So I was sent an e-mail today saying that it was past my birthday and that I have to update the blog.

 

Okay, on Monday, 30 March, Betsey had her Ultrasound. We found out the we are indeed only having one baby, and it's going to be a boy. I think this is great. So now comes the drama of which I can help eliminate right now. Yes, we may know what we want to name him, and No, you can't find out. Nor will recommendations for names be taken. We have decided that the baby will be not named after anyone. So now that's being said, let's see what else is going on.

Last Wednesday, Alex and I signed up for our next running event. The 24-27^th of September, we will be down at Disney once again to participate in the Expedition Everest Challenge. We will be staying at Pop Century Resort. It is definitely a step down from the Polynesian, but as a consolation, we will be at the Beach Club Resort in October. Plus us it is only us guys, we don't need a lot of room.

This weekend, is going to be full of events. On Friday, Alex and I are going to the Braves home opener. They are playing the Washington Nationals. This is Alex's first Major League Game. It should be fun. Friday night, a lot of my family is also coming into town. On Sunday, Alex is being confirmed at Richmond Hill United Methodist Church. I know this is important to him. The following day, he is going on his Spring Break Mission Trip to Orlando. He will be working with "Give Kids The World." I hope he has a great time.

MacKenzie is also doing well. She hasn't been mentioned much in this blog, because she is just going right along with the flow. She scored a 100% on her Math test today, which she is extremely proud of, so I mention it here. She is also excited that her cousins are coming up this weekend, so she has more girls to play with. She will be spending Spring Break up in North Carolina. Hopefully she has a great time as well.

 

That's it for now. Have a great night.

A Very Happy Un-Birthday to me!

So I am sitting down writing this note on March 23, 2009. It is my unbirthday. We have 364 unbirthdays a year, and only one birthday. My birthday is tomorrow. I turn 32.

 

I do not know how I feel about this birthday. It just seems that I am being challenged so much by everything in my life. Betsey has an okay job at Cracker Barrel. Not the job I wish she had, but at least it is something. She has had two job interviews in the past couple of weeks. One has been fantastic, and alas, she did not get the position. Another she feels she did not do so well on, and she will find out next week about that one. I am an optimist by nature, but right now, my money is on "No." I think that is terrible for me to have this mindset, but it is so tough right now. I constantly have to ask myself, how bad is it out there? I mean, come on, she has a Master's Degree, and cannot find work. She is having to work with high school kids and worse yet is being treated as one as well. She is 29 years old, and until we moved to Georgia, was considered quite successful.

It is awful that everything has to do with a job, but it is becoming stressful on the family. She has to work nights mostly, and so the kids do not get to spend a whole lot of time with her. They see her in the morning for about an hour, and then maybe 25-30 minutes in the evening. I just wish she had a regular daytime job. We try to do what we can with the kids, but it is a lot of work just to plan simple things together. Because she is working at a restaurant, even scheduling time for us to see family is difficult. Every major holiday she has to be able to work. Get this, it does not mean that she will work, just that she can't ask off, because she might have to work. I can understand this, if she had a job in nuclear physics, but come on.

 

Easter Sunday is fast approaching. Alex is being confirmed that Sunday. It is a big deal for both him and us. My mom will be down from Virginia. My brother, Jerrod, his two girls, and my dad will be up from Florida. I hope that it will be a nice time.

I ask this question to those who read this. How is Ancient Rome like the United States of America in a religious context? Alex was given this comparison in his UMC Youth Group two Sundays ago. I did not sit in this class, so I don't know. I have been racking my brains trying to figure that one out. If you know, please let me know. E-mail it to me at Mitchell (dot) Brannen (at) us.army.mil.

My mother-in-law, is here visiting us now. It is nice that she is able to visit, and I know we all enjoy her company. She will be flying back up to D.C. on March 30. She will miss Easter, but other obligations prevail. We are happy to have her when we can.

 

Well, that is all I will rant on today, but I'm sure I will come up with something more sooner or later. Until then "Clean Cup, Clean Cup. Everybody move down."

Our Long Weekend Trip

So Thursday afternoon, Betsey, Alex, MacKenzie and I drove from Hinesville, Georgia down to Disney. We arrived around 7 p.m. and checking into the All Star Movies Resort. We went to Downtown Disney and did some shopping. We had dinner at Raglan Road. It was forgettable, but the Orlando Organic Ale is something I wish they had in Georgia.

The next morning, we got up and spent the morning at Epcot. We arrived before park opening and it was the first time I have seen the opening ceremony. We rode Soarin with almost no wait. We were able to finish out The Land, and The Seas with Nemo and Friends in about two hours. Spaceship Earth was about a 20 minute wait. It was nice , but as Betsey said, "We are Konkrit fans!"

Around 2 p.m., we went over to the Wide World of Sports and pick up our packets for the Royal Family 5K on Saturday morning. The WWS is a fantastic complex. They were having a Braves game that evening, and the fans were out in force.

The Expo was a nice event. Vendors from all over were there to show off new products. I only wish they had some merchandise for men. I know it's the Princess Marathon, but I would have liked to get at least a decent T shirt. Oh, well. Betsey forgot her shoes for the race, so we had to get her a new pair. She loves her UnderArmour running shoes.

 

We checked out of All Star Moves, and checked in to the Polynesian. What a fantastic resort. We have a great room. It was 20 feet from the volcano pool and 30 feet from the quiet pool in the Samao Building.

We went back to Epcot in the evening for Extra Magic Hours. We spent the evening in World Showcase, and had a wonderful time. We had Chinese at the quick service in where else, but China. We finally got back to the room about 10:30, and starting getting ready for Saturday morning.

Alex and I got up around 5:30. We got dressed quickly and headed to the bus for the race. It was very cold but nothing that a cup of coffee couldn't help. The race started right on time, and it was fantastic. In almost every country there was the princess to go along with it. We both received a nice medal at the end. We were back at the room by 8.

We spent the day exploring the area. We had breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Café. We had never been to the Wilderness Lodge. What a neat resort. Betsey thought the prices at Artist Point were very reasonable for dinner. For example, $10 for a steak. It is at that point, I had to show her that she was looking at the glass of wine that was recommended to go with the Steak. J

On Saturday evening, Betsey, my aunt Dora, and Uncle Bill went to the California Grill. We had a 7:40 ADR, so we were able to watch Wishes from the Balcony. If you ever have the opportunity to do this, do it. The dinner was fantastic. I really recommend the Peeky Toe Crab Salad for starter.

Sunday morning, Alex and I got up early and hit the Magic Kingdom. The park was very reasonable. With the opening at 9:00 and by 11:00, we had done all three mountains, the Haunted Mansion, Buss Lightyear, Pooh, Snow White, and Peter Pan.

Betsey and MacKenzie came into the park around 11, and MacKenzie fulfilled her mission of meeting Daisy Duck. We had dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern, and then went back to the resort for a swim. We came back to MK for Extra Magic Hours. It was a nice way to end the day.

 

Monday morning, we checked out of the Polynesian, and went over the Beach Club. We had lunch at Beaches and Cream. I don't see how some can eat the No Way Jose all by themselves.. We have also decided that when we come back for our next race, we will be staying at the Beach Club. It is our new favorite hotel. At least until we find the next new favorite hotel.

Then we just took the long ride home to GA.

Tornado Watch

So, it's 3:18 a.m. and I wanted to write a short note. We did it . We did it. We just survived our first (and hopefully our last) tornado watch. Betsey was awoken by the wonderful sirens that came blaring into our house to let us know, that there was a Tornado Watch. For those of you who are playing at home, a Watch is when a tornado has been spotted in the area.

So, she wakes me up. I hardly ever wake up to sirens because when I was a kid, we had a fire department down the road and the sirens went off all the time. Back to the story, I have to go get our daughter, MacKenzie from her bedroom. She is eight, so I didn't think I would have to wake her up. Low and behold I did. Why you ask in this time of supposed crisis? Because she made a "pillow fort" last night and got too hot. So to remedy this situation, she decided her best course of action was to take off her pants. That's not big deal, but she was also "commando." So I had to wake her up so I could get to her blanket, so she was wrapped in something before I could take her to the interior bathroom. This is a good time to point out, that if you ever think it is a good idea to sort laundry, in the interior bathroom. It's not. A Tornando could get you. We being the smart people, don't do that, but wanted to add this friendly tip.

So we get everyone into the bathroom including our dog, Lucy, and then Betsey decided she wants to see what is going on in the news. This is where we find out the Tornado Watch covers about 150 miles. I was under the impression that there was someone looking outside your door, yelling and screaming saying, "Get your ass up, it's coming to get you. We gotta go." Ala Twister style. This was not the case.

We came out alive on the other side, and wanted to share our little 2:45-3:15 adventure.

Photo's

I was asked to post some photo's of Alex training for his race, so here they are.  He was running at night, and it was freezing.  I still can't understand why he wanted to run in a short sleeve shirt.  However, I give him mad props for sporting his WDWRadio.com T-shirt.

        

End of the Weekend

It is 6:50 a.m. here in Georgia, aside from the fact, I am still tired, I am happy to report that last night's dinner stayed in my belly, instead of in the toilet or trash can, where most of my meals have been making their appearance lately.

Not that anyone has a desire to hear about a pregnant woman's morning sickness, but I think this is something seriously "underrated" in most of your pregnancy journals, i.e. What to Expect When You're Expecting.

I think everyone expects or "waits" for the nausea, so often heard about, when they are pregnant. I know I did. I had heard stories about family members who had morning sickness or had certain aversions to foods. This is all, of course, coupled with the desire to eat many other items.

That ALL being said, I had NO IDEA it would be like this. I think God definitely knew what he was doing when he had me "lose" my job in January. There is no way on this Earth that I could have held a normal 9 to 5 job this past month. Granted, I'm a Cracker Barrel server, a position not a lot of people with a master's degree consider. However, considering the fact I can sleep in, I have an infinite number of foods from which to choose to eat, and most of your customers are sympathetic to the fact that I am expecting. Since, I don't wear my wedding ring to work, they probably think I'm another unwed single mother and therefore need to leave me a bigger tip. Personally, I'm okay with that.

So, let me give you some 10 frustrations, facts, comments about being pregnant.

1. The belly touching thing is weird. I don't even have a belly yet and when people find out I'm pregnant, they suddenly want to tickle, touch, or otherwise "rub" the house for your unborn child.
   
2. You are tired, exhausted, worn-out, pooped, or another word that describes this feeling, for the first…well, for a LONG time. I'm in week 13 right now, and I still could sleep like Rip Van Winkle. Right now, it's 7:01 a.m. and I cannot wait for MacKenzie to leave the house at 7:40, just so I can crawl back into bed. After I drink a gallon of Maalox.
   
3. Maalox becomes your friend very quickly. Even vegetables give me heartburn these days. Some foods do not give me heartburn…here I have a 50% chance of them ending up in the trash can.
   
4. Throwing up sucks! I had not thrown up a long time until Christmas. I got the stomach flu right after Christmas at my parents house and spent a lot of time in the bathroom (along with my Dad and Mitch, mom, ironically enough was spared). Morning sickness is different. When you have the stomach flu, this little part of your brain goes "Hey! Don't eat for 24 hours and you'll be just fine." Sure enough, 24 hours later, you are back to normal (or close to being back to normal). With morning sickness, you are still really hungry. At least I am. You also get sick at the mere sight of some foods (chicken, pork, and green beans, for me, right now). And crave others as if they were the best things on Earth.
   
5. Cravings. I don't have too many. Except for Whopper Junior Cheeseburgers. They are REALLY good. As are the French fries. The bonus is, this food, always stays down and doesn't cause me heartburn.
   
6. So, in 9 months, my cholesterol is going to be through the roof. Who cares?!
   
7. And I might be as big as a house, probably not, but again, who cares? If one MORE person tells me that pregnancy is not about eating for 2, I'm going to rip their eyeballs out. I KNOW THAT! My girlfriend in Germany said "People who say they are eating for 2, are eating for themselves, and their fat asses." This is true, this second person, currently snacking on whatever tidbits of food end up I the umbilical cord weighs about 2 ounces. It's quite natural to say they probably need less.
   
8. But, regardless, I am using this pregnancy to eat whatever I want. I have spent the past 6 years of my life, shrinking my body down to the point where I could fit through the holes in a screen door. So, give me a break, if I suddenly desire an ice cream sundae. Do you know when the last time was I had one and DIDN'T feel guilty? Back off.
   
9. Names…ahh names. We are naming her LaFonda Moongazer, if it is a boy, it will be Ta&ji Deliverance (not a misspelling, the & is silent). Are you kidding me? Of course we aren't going to name them after a Napoleon Dynamite character or a military base in Northern Iraq. Just don't ask or give advice, you'll find out after the baby is born.
   
10. We are up in the air about finding out the sex. I would love a little girl, but I'm fairly certain I'm having a boy. That being said, some days we want to know, others we don't. Does it make shopping easier for family and friends? Of course it does…but I didn't know this was about them.
    

I'm not trying to be cynical or mean, there is just a lot of stuff that you don't expect when you are pregnant. I just wish the books covered it more, such as a good response to "Is this Mitch's baby?" I almost want to say, "Nope, he was gone 13 months, but I waited until he came HOME to cheat on him and get pregnant." In the words of the great Maury Povich, "Mitch Brannen, you…..are the father!"

As Mitch has detailed, we are headed to Disney world, in less than 2 weeks. Right now, I am still scheduled to run the 5K Saturday morning, although I will admit, sleeping in until 8 a.m. or so, does feel like a much better option right now, so we'll see. Even pregnant there is a lot of stuff I can do at Disney, minus the Tower of Terror or drinking my way around Epcot. Mitch and I have actually discussed getting me a wheelchair in the evenings, mainly because I get so exhausted so easily.

So, I'm bidding you all adieu now, so I can get MacKenzie off to school to take her Terra Nova exams. It's good to see modern day schools still using the archaic, mass, standardized testing module, proved ineffective so many years ago.

Till next time,

Betsey

An Interesting Weekend

Friday, we drove down from GA to Lake Butler, FL to visit my dad and step-mom, Nancy. We had a pleasant drive down, and were able to make good time.

Saturday, Betsey, Alex, MacKenzie, and I went to the Florida Gators Basketball game. We arrived in Gainesville about 30 minutes before tipoff. We were able to find decent parking for $5, and made our way to the Arena. This was our first college basketball game with the kids. I was surprised to find that simple things like pompoms, and programs were included. I was figuring that these items would cost a small fortune. Nope, that was reserved for the concession stand. Small drinks were $3.50 and popcorn was $4.00. Oh, well. The game was great. The Gators beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 82-68. It was a good win.

 

On Sunday, we drove back in time for Alex to attend youth group. Alex sent in a video for a Lip Sync Contest. He chose the song "I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General." He was tied for second place. I thought it was great for his first attempt.

We are only 12 days away from going to Disney. We are staying at the Polynesian and we are completely excited. We currently have ADRs for Bomas, Ohana's, California Grill, Liberty Tree Tavern, and Le Cellier. We should have a great time.

 

Not a whole lot else going on. We will keep you posted.

The Sonogram Photos

The First Sonogram

So we had our first sonogram the other day. We were finally able to figure out how to get the photos on-line. So here they are for your viewing pleasure.

 

In other news, Alex ran another 2 miles today. He is really getting comfortable with it, and he looks to do well in the race.

 

Alex is studying poetry in school and is enjoying it. He likes Langston Hughes. He was also recommended to be one of six students to attend a Science Camp in Southern Georgia. We are very proud of him. His technology class is working on creating solar-powered cars. So we will see how this goes in the coming weeks.

MacKenzie is working on those things that are important to her. She is practicing quite a bit on her multiplication, and spelling. She is reading The Tale of Despereaux. She also was selected to cheer on the All-Star Cheerleading squad for Fort Stewart. She is most pleased with this, as are we.

This weekend, all four of us are headed down to Gainesville, Florida to see the Gators play Vanderbilt in college basketball. This is the kid's first college game, and they both seem very excited. Our cousin Holly cheers for the University of Florida, and she has asked to be assigned to that game. Hopefully, she gets to cheer on Saturday and we can see her perform.

Well that is all I can think of at this time. Stay tuned for more…

Some thoughts about running

So this evening, Alex is running his 2 miles, and I began to thinking about his progress. When we first signed up for the 5K, he was unable to do a mile without having to stop. He is now running 5K's and he is able to go further, if there was some incentive involved. He is doing so well. I am looking forward to doing this run with him, and then moving on to training for the next event. It is our intention to do the Expedition Everest event in September. I am just waiting for it to open up, so I can register us for it. He has also decided he would rather do the Race for the Taste vs. the Twilight Zone run in October. His ultimate goal is to run the Disneyland ½ marathon, and then the Disney half marathon. It is a bold plan, but I have the confidence that he will reach his goals. Betsey went from not running at all to running a ½ marathon in only 4 months, so I know he can make it with amount of time that he has to train.

 

Hopefully my back will be better tomorrow, so I can pick up my running schedule again. I am ready for the race, but I still need to get some more miles under my belt. Till next time.

My First Post

Hi there. So, I'm Betsey, wife, mom, dogwalker, laundry extraordinaire, house cleaner, multiple sport cheerleader, movie quote buff, odd novelty collector, and all around good gal. This is my first post as part of the Mad Hatter 77, Mitch's newly created blog.

As he mentioned we are headed to WDW the first weekend in March for participation in the Princess 5K. I am extremely excited to being staying on property for the very first time in my life. Our previous stays generally include Shades of Green (the military resort), family, or for my first trip, an off property hotel in Kissimmee. 

Unfortunately, this will be short, as there is plenty to do around here. 

Current temperature in Hinesville, GA is 69 degrees F.

My First Post

So this is my first post, and I am not sure what it will end up being. Currently, my son, Alex and I are training for the Royal Family 5K that is being held at Disney on March 7, 2009. This is just a few short weeks away. We are all excited, because we will be staying at the Polynesian Resort. It will be our first time staying there. I have been to Disney over 40 times, and my family is rapidly catching up. We really enjoy being there, and feel as it is a second "home."

My wife, Betsey, and I are expecting a baby the end of August. It is our first child together. We had our first sonogram on Tuesday. We were not able to find out the sex of the baby yet, but we are happy to see that at least he/she is healthy as far as that is concerned.

As the days go on, I will be putting more information and posts on this page. Stay tuned.