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.