Michael & Liz are Bloggable

Cole got a walker for Christmas. Up until today he hasn't really shown any interest in it. But today he crawled over to the walker, stood up and took off. Our mouths dropped to the floor. His first go at it, wasn't anywhere near the definition of walking, he was practically running. He's just trying to keep up with it! I grabbed the camera and over and over again he kept running with the thing. Check out how awesome it is:




We're just wondering how long it will be until he drops the walker and keeps going!

I'm beginning to think blogging is not the best use of my internet time. There are some people who read it, which is nice and I appreciate it. But I feel like most of our family (with a few obvious exceptions) I intend to blog for don't even read it or pay attention to it. So I'm contemplating retiring the blog, but we'll see.

 I knocked last year's resolutions out of the park. They were to "Go Vegan" for 6 weeks and to run an ultra marathon. I think I ended up doing 8 or 9 weeks on a strict vegan diet and I ran 62.5 miles in the Lake Hinson Ultra. Mission accomplished.

 Here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2013:

1. Negative Split Weight. For running, when you negative split, it means every interval, whether that be mile or lap, is faster than the previous interval. Every interval is incrementally faster. I want to do that with my weight this year. Every year is the same story. At one point or another I lose a little or a lot of weight and then pat myself on the back with 78 zebra cakes. I inevitably put the weight back on. So this year I am challenging myself to not gain whatever weight I lose. Obviously I am going to make an effort to lose weight, but the real challenge will be to maintain and not gain it back. So from the first of the month to the next, I have to be within 2 pounds or less than the month before. The lowest weight also carries over, so if I weigh 180, then 181.5, I can't go up to 183. I am giving myself that 2 pound buffer just so I don't drive myself crazy near the end of the month. So I am going to try for 12 straight weigh-ins to always weigh within 2 pounds or less than my lowest weight total. Hopefully this gives me some "maintenance" training.
   
   
2. No Soda. Moderation is not in my vocabulary. When I say no soda, I don't drink soda. When I allow myself a soda, I drink it every meal, take baths in it, and brush my teeth in it. It's awful. So for the fourth time in my life, a no soda resolution. Even as I write this post, I am enjoying one of my last Coca-Colas.
   
   
3. 6 Perfect Budgets. This one involves Liz a little bit but she's more than on board. 2012 has been awful for our family budget. We've messed up somewhere every single month. November and December have been especially TERRIBLE. It's a combination of bad planning and unexpected expenses. I decided, since I am a very serious resolution maker, to make it a goal to hit our budget on the nose 6 out of the 12 months. I even thought 4 was a good goal, but Liz responded "seriously? not even half the year?". Very good point. So I refuse to lose this year, we have far too many financial goals to be so whimsical about dipping into savings when we spend more than we make. 

Health and finances! Two of my favorite topics. To me, these are some tough resolutions. Hopefully I can take them down!

I have not blogged very much this Fall, mainly because I have been extremely busy. More on that... maybe after the new year. 

I need to look up what my average movie per month rate is now after 6.5 years of Netflix membership. With Cole, our average is starting to slow down, but that's OK. I'm trying to watch more movies I'm interested in because of that. For a while I'd try and watch everything, but I'm starting to turn on my filter.

September: 

• The Sitter (2011) - 3 stars - I expected a lot out of Jonah Hill, and this was so-so. Obviously it had it's funny parts, but it could have been better. 
• Digger (2006) - 1 star - I've become a huge Paul Rudd fan, but even he couldn't save this movie. The plot, of a clam digging family on Long Island, sounded promising. But it severely disappointed. 
• Red Riding Hood (2011) - 4 stars - I think Liz liked this movie more than I did. It definitely wasn't what we expected. I was really waiting for the wolf to be dressed in grandmother's clothes, but that never happened. 
• Our Idiot Brother (2011) - 4 stars - I LOVE this movie. Paul Rudd is the youngest in the family with 3 older sisters, so naturally this movie intrigues me. At times I've also felt like the idiot brother in the family. But Paul does such a good job of acting like an oblivious simpleton. He gives a big wake up call to his sisters and works to break down their walls they've built up. I also love his blind love for his dog Willie Nelson. 
• Born to be Wild: IMAX (2011) - 4 stars - It's narrated by Morgan Freeman. If nothing else, you get to listen to him talk for 40 minutes. But it's interesting to hear about conservationists efforts to save animals.
• Rango (2011) - 2 stars - This movie DID NOT need to be 1 hour and 47 minutes. It could easily have been summed up in 30 minutes without missing a beat. It was goofy and funny, but just dragged. And the ending, like many movies, seemed like it was just drawn out of a hat from bad movie ending ideas. 
• Over Hear Dead Body (2008) - 4 stars - Once again, Paul Rudd to the rescue. This movie was a 1 or 2 star movie, but Paul Rudd's hilarity seriously saved the movie. Even his first scene on camera had Liz almost spit her drink out. He's awesome. 
• The Eagle (2011) - 4 stars - As much as it dismays me, I really like Channing Tatum. He did a great job. This plot and story, while obviously far-fetched, was really unique. I was impressed. 
• What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) - 4 stars - This was an ultimate chick-flick, but really, what do you expect from a movie with this title? I think this was another one Liz enjoyed more than me. I think Elizabeth Banks was the best character as an owner of a baby/pregnancy store who struggled to get pregnant. And Anna Kendrick did a great job too. That's the second movie I've really enjoyed of hers (the first being End of Watch). 
• Modern Family: Season 3 - 5 stars - This and Parenthood are our favorite shows on television. 

October:

• Prometheus (2012) - 2 stars - I expected a lot out of this movie. But there was far more unanswered about this movie than things that made sense. It proposed tons of questions and mysteries, but gave absolutely no effort to answer any of it. So annoying. 
• The Vow (2012) - 5 stars - Obviously the ultimate chick-flick. You can't help but like Channing Tatum's character and sympathize with Rachel McAdams. She has amnesia, remembers nothing of having been with him, and he loves her trying to get on with his life after the accident. It was predictable as all chick-flicks are, but still enjoyable. 
• The Object of My Affection (1998) - 3 stars - Another Paul Rudd movie. I like Jennifer Aniston, but Paul Rudd carries the movie. It wasn't really spectacular though, just an average movie all around. 
• The Debt (2010) - 4 stars - Not a movie you want to play catch-up in after having missed the beginning, but that's what happened. It was a very complicated and weird plot, but certainly kept you engaged. 
• The Beaver (2011) - 2 stars - I wanted to see this movie because it was the first movie that Mel Gibson was involved with after his complete meltdown. As it turns out, this movie was apart of his complete meltdown. This movie was STRANGE and really felt like a carry-over from his crazy life into a movie. 
• The Five-Year Engagement (2012) - 3 stars - I'm a huge Jason Segel fan, but he could have been much funnier. This movie had a LOT of potential, but didn't live up to my expectations. It was mildly funny and entertaining though, hence the 3 stars. 
• Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - 2 stars - I got this movie sent to us because I'd heard it had a pop-culture reference that I should understand. That didn't seem to be the case and we watched a terrible movie along the way. Almost nothing happened and you felt sorry for all the characters on top of it. 
• The Dilemma (2011) - 4 stars - Vince Vaughn + Kevin James = Awesome. This is the second time we've gotten this sent to us, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time. 
• Soul Surfer (2011) - 3 stars - I don't give too much sympathy for surfers that get eaten by sharks. That's why I will never run a marathon in the Serengeti wearing a referee's uniform. But it was based on a true story and it was an enjoyable come-back story. 
• John Carter (2012) - 2 stars - This movie completely collapsed at the box office and NOW I know why. This had HUGE potential. The idea and concept of an unknown world on Mars was intriguing. But they went and took a poop on the plot and ending. I gave it 2 stars because of it's premise and the sweet graphics, but that's it.

A few weeks ago I went out to our garden and came upon some unexpected plants. Little did we realize, that after we pulled out the plants that we no longer wanted at the end of the Summer, plants from the previous year sprouted up.

That's right, we did NOT plant these in 2012. This Thai Dragon Pepper plant, I had planted in 2011:

I made the mistake last weekend of taking on the challenge of eating one of the red ones. That was a MISTAKE. I spent some time under the faucet (yes, I realize water isn't the best solution, but it felt good).

Then I spotted tomato plants, which is not where we planted them this year:


All the plants in the front, all tomato plants from 2011 that just popped up unexpectedly:


So cutting down that tree in the garden turned out to be the best decision ever. We'll see if we get any tomatoes before it gets cold enough to kill them.

Now, it's October. Wait, it's almost November, and I just went out to the garden and found an abundance of sweet peppers, and enough red jalapenos to kill a person. I would have thought that all the plants would be dead by now, but they are still producing more than we can handle.

Here are some peppers I left in the garden:


And this is what I just picked out of the garden:


I wouldn't be surprised at this point if the peppers keep producing all winter long. Crazy.

We know that the thing that makes Cole laugh the hardest, is when Daisy and Gryffin are playing. We didn't realize until yesterday that involving Cole in their play was the easiest way to get him laughing.

We were doing this for a good 15 minutes before deciding to try and video it. Here is a montage of Cole laughing. I dare you to try not to laugh:

Growing up I played almost any sport I could get involved with. Soccer. Basketball. Baseball. Tennis. Track and Field. Cross Country. Etc. Etc. My interest, enjoyment, and talent would probably be listed in the same order as well.

I had no illusions about how average I was at Cross Country and Track. Much like how I am today, I was decent at running but I mostly fed off of my competitive nature and unwillingness to quit.

I was very good at tennis, but when you take the sport up at the age of 17, you really don't compare to the players who began 10 years earlier. I'd say I held my own.

I was good at baseball as well, but then they started throwing curveballs in high school, and I was not interested (or capable) in hitting those. I can remember the exact moment too. 3 pitches. 3 curveballs. 3 swings. 1 out.

Soccer and basketball are different stories though. I played both sports all year round, enjoyed them immensely, and was usually one of the best players on any of the teams. In my mind, I was equally skilled and accomplished in both, that is until recently.

When I got to high school, my freshmen year in soccer I was the last man on the varsity bench, which sounds terrible but is actually really good for a freshmen. I got some playing time my sophomore year on a team that was consistently ranked #1 in the state. Starting my junior year, I was one of the main contributors on the team and during my senior year was the captain and starting sweeper. My point in describing this, is that at the time I felt I was great at soccer and looking back, I believe that to still be true.

Basketball is a different story though. I played point guard my freshmen and sophomore years for the freshmen team and junior varsity team. I was on the right track. Junior and senior years though, when I made varsity, I rode the bench.

I heard one college basketball player a few years ago refer to himself as the "human victory cigar". When the game was no longer in doubt, he was sent in just to get a few minutes of playing time. That's who I was. You know when the crowd starts chanting the name of the guy who never plays and rarely gets a shot, in order to see him come in and make a miraculously worthless 3-pointer to end the game? That was all me, junior year especially.

I felt shafted, wronged, and treated unfairly. BASKETBALL WAS MY SPORT! I was supposed to be better than a human victory cigar! I stuck out 2 years of hustling the hardest in practices, winning all the wind sprints when everyone is exhausted, doing everything I could to prove myself, only to get the best and most comfortable seat in the house on Friday nights. I spent many hours throughout those winters contemplating the one thing I would hate the most, quitting.

I spent many years of my adult life completely oblivious to reality... until today.

I have some basketball videos from high school that I watched this week for the first time in... ever. It was a massive slice of humble pie. My contributions to the team were not fast-breaks, lay-ups, and 3-pointers. They were turnovers, fouls, and 3-point bricks. I'm surprised I played as much as I did.

I had this coddled self-image that all along I was a great point guard who was valuable to the team when really I was being treated as I deserved to be treated. The varsity bench was meant for me. I was certainly good enough to make the team, there's no doubt about that. I had skills, but I was nowhere near the great player I thought I was. The person playing ahead of me DESERVED to be playing, and I did not. Here I thought all along that my coach was wronging me, when really he was passively giving me the truth of the matter.

For a decade now, I had looked at my basketball experience as a growth opportunity. Here I was, sticking it out, refusing to quit in the face of injustice. That experience and the feelings I once held will always be inside of me as something I had felt I had gone through. But now that I've watched myself and seen myself through the eyes of a camera, I've learned a whole new additional lesson.

It just makes me realize that I am not the person I think I see standing in the mirror. No one is. We can't be judges of ourselves no matter how great or terrible we think we may be. Sometimes someone in your life who cuts to the chase and gives you direct criticism is just as valuable as someone who is a constant encouragement. I think we all could use a dish of both, hold the humble pie.

This past weekend was huge when it comes to Cole's development. He started moving and crawling a lot more, and is continuing to "sit-up" more often and for a longer amount of time. His old crawl and lunge methods are much more crawl than lunge these days, and he can fly across the floor now. But he also learned his most impressive skill so far, and that is standing.

He likes doing it on small furniture, but he is most proficient when we offer our hands to him. He pulls himself up on his knees, and then immediately pops up to his feet. He is still wobbly and is nowhere near the point of standing on his own, but he LOVES bouncing and weaving on his feet.

The following video shows 3 clips. The first and last clips show how quick he is at crawling around the floor now and the middle clip is his ability to stand. Liz's Mom is in town and she is his standing assistant in the video:

This past weekend I ran the Hinson Lake 24 Hour Ultra. To give a brief summary, it's a running race that lasts 24 hours. All the runners run around the 1.52 mile lake as many times as they can in that period of time. The results are based on how far you run, not how long it takes you like normal races. You don't have to be out there the whole time. You can run 1 lap or you can run 100 laps, it's up to you.

We got up at 3AM on Saturday and got to the course early. We wanted to get a good spot on the course to set up our tailgating tent. Get a good spot, we did!! That was a huge help, although we didn't have to get out there at 3AM. The only people out there at that time were people who were camping the night. No one showed up until 5AM. Although if you didn't get there by 6AM, you may not have gotten a decent spot.

Here's a picture of me and Cole right before the start. I think his new nickname is "mini-me", and you can probably see why. Our hair is so similar, so funny.

Cole enjoyed hanging out in our bug free tent and rolling around on the blankets.


He also discovered grass for the first time, and I wouldn't say it got rave reviews.


At 7:50 AM, they did the pre-race briefing in the rotary lodge parking lot, can you identify which one I am? I'm not subtle.


We shared the tent with a friend of mine I met in the Spring, Mark. He's standing next to me in his almost-trademarked red running shirt. He may claim not to be a good runner or very experienced, but he pushed me in the direction of doing this race, so I have him to thank for me joining in on this awesome craziness.


Here is our tailgating tent we set up on the course. We were right next to the scorer's table and refreshment stand, which had it's pros and cons. It was awesome to be able to get convenient food, but it was tough to sleep at night with so many of the runners eating and talking next door. When we set our tent up, it was then dubbed "The Taj Mahal of Tents" by the envious runners around us. I'd say that's appropriate, big thanks to Joe and Mandy for lending it to us!!


I have to mention though, that the race director and the food and scoring volunteers were absolutely fantastic. I have never been a part of an event that was run so flawlessly and smoothly. Their organization and direction didn't make it feel like a race, but rather a run with a lot of casual friends. Their process of counting runners was clear and concise, and their generosity with food and supplies was incredible. They had more refreshments than I have ever seen and on Saturday they bought an unbelievable amount of pizza for all the runners to pick up on their way by. The race registration was only $24 and you got a "tech-tshirt", a pint glass, and 24 hour ultra sticker. Can you think of another race that provides that kind of swag?!

Here is Hinson Lake. If you look closely, you can see the bridge on the far side where runners turn and make their way back around the course. At night, when people had their headlamps on, you could see little lights bobbing up and down in the distance. VERY COOL!


Only 20 feet into the race and still looking strong, score!


Here is the beginning of the race and tent row on the dam of the lake. You can see why getting a good spot here was crucial. Runners could stop and eat and converse with their helping crew. Not having to walk to your car or a distant tent in this race that requires so much time and energy was really important.


Mark and I coming over the bridge after lap 1.


When we were running by Liz after the first lap, I just waved and said "hey!" and Liz says "Do you see who's holding Cole?!" and I turned and there was John and Allison who came all the way from Atlanta to see the race. It wasn't until I was well past them that I realized they were standing there. As if this picture needs a caption, I yelled out "HOLY CRAP!"




On lap 2, John jumped in. He had come all this way to pace with me as long as I was moving. That was such an awesome surprise! Allison was so great helping take care of Cole and he certainly enjoyed it!


Cole and his favorite past time. He LOVES getting a foot rub. When it gets to be around 6 or 7PM, if you put him on your lap like this and rub his feet, he gets so calm and sleepy.


Around 10AM, I got another surprise! Matt came down from Raleigh to help pace me too! I cannot exclaim how good it feels to have friends like that travel so far for me. It really meant a lot and I can't thank them enough!! For 20 miles during the day, he took my mind off the race (as best they could), and having good conversation really helped. Matt stayed until around 6PM and ended up pacing me for roughly 20 miles. Very awesome!


Around the same time Matt left, Liz and Allison went back to the hotel with Cole. Liz, being the photographer, was not in any of the pictures, but I could not be more thankful for how much she helped throughout the day. She was constantly handing us food and drinks as we ran by and almost made Wendy's sellout of their #6's and #7's. She was a trooper for all 24 hours and I am so blessed to have her in my corner!

So a little more details about the race, the course was surprisingly flat. There were very few up and downs, and that was a huge relief. I read before the race about a part that was dubbed, "Mount Hinson". I did not realize until I ran the course for the first time, that the name was sarcastic. It's no more than a bump in the trail.

The trail consisted mostly of packed sand with the occasional wooden bridge and a few more sandy portions. The sandy portions were super obnoxious. Before the race I noticed people had these handkerchiefs tied around their shoes. I asked Mark "Is that to catch sweat? That's brilliant!" and he said "No, that's to stop rocks and sand from getting in the shoe." Little did I know, that that is even more brilliant.

I ran the first 30 miles in 6 hours, which my game plan was to hit a marathon in that time, so I was happy. I've done marathons in 4 hours before, but having so much farther to go in this race, I added walking, eating, drinking, and taking short breaks to the running plan.

Between miles 30 and 40, I was started to have a lot of knee and leg pain. That is rare for me, I have never had knee pain or leg pain before, but they were for good reason. 2 weeks ago I had a soccer game in which I kicked the ball a little funny and I hurt a muscle in my leg. It's the outside muscle near your shin that helps you lift your toes, whichever one that is. And last weekend, maybe this deserves it's own blog post, I fell down the stairs with Cole in my hands and banged my knee up. So with those two incidents that caused these pains, Allison, the traveling pharmacist, gave me Aleve which promptly took those pains away completely. Life saver!

At mile 40 I also started developing blisters on the bottom of both feet. I think mainly because of the sand and rocks that hopped in my shoes while running. To stop them from getting worse, I resorted to just walking from then on. I walked until I hit 52 miles at 9PM, and due to the blisters, threw away my goal of not stopping at all. John and I laid down, put our feet up, and decided getting a little sleep was a good idea.

We napped until 2AM, at which point I woke up and had a moment. I was sitting there and watching all the elite runners run by. I started thinking to myself, "You've done 52 miles, and are laying down during the race with 6 hours to go? Seriously?! When is the next time you'll have this opportunity. Do you really want your story to be that you threw away the last 11 hours of the race?"

So I got up and kept walking in spite of the blisters. At this point though, I'd say it was more "waddling" than walking. My muscles felt great, my sleepiness dissipated, but those blisters were killing me. The outside temperature was pretty cool, maybe 60 degrees, and that felt wonderful. I continued walking until around 6 or 6:30AM. On my 41st lap, one short of what I was hoping to get, the blisters on the bottom of both feet burst. My pain threshold had been exceeded. I sat down and called it a day.

Sitting in a big baggy sweatshirt never felt so good!


John got up super stiff and sore, and we took this picture near the end of the race. John, if I remember correctly, covered a total of roughly 41 miles. At this point  in the morning, I had walked an additional 10 miles from 2AM to 6AM and finished 41 laps for a total of 62.32 miles.

Thumbs up for a job well down:


I couldn't resist including this picture as well:


And if you looked up "sexy" in the dictionary, you could find this picture:


The Banana Lap. I love John's quote on the subject: "Everything in life should have a banana lap". At the end of the race, because it's a 24 hour race, they include what is called "The Banana Lap". If you are leaving the scorer's table, and don't think you can complete a full lap in the time that is left, you are handed a banana with your number on it. When the clock hits 24 hours, they honk a horn, and everyone drops their banana where they are on the course, and the race director makes his way around and marks everyone's distance. 


Technically I did participate in the banana lap, but only half-heartedly. At 7:30AM, I took a banana and walked what I thought was .2 miles, and set my banana down. That would give me 62.5 miles. My feet were too blistered to be able to make it around another lap, so after setting down my banana I walked back to our Taj Mahal and waited for the horn.

An unexpected side-effect of the race? I no longer think running a marathon is that big of a deal. 26.2 miles? Whatever.

Will I run Lake Hinson again? At 8AM on Sunday I announced that it was not worth the effort or pain to run 62 miles. Today I disagree. I am proud of my distance but am frustrated by the blisters. I'd love to know how far I could have gone if I didn't get blisters? 70? 80 miles? I continued to eat and drink enough that my muscles never cramped and my energy level never wavered. It only took 1 day, but I'd say Lake Hinson 2013 may be a go.

Almost exactly 2 weeks ago, I posted a video of Cole beginning to show the first signs of crawling. Today Liz caught him for the first time actually making progress. He does this bounce and then lunge routine that helps him get closer to the objects he desires. It just so happened that the object he wanted was Liz's cup, and it's hard to catch something that rolls away from you so easily!

This video is just far too precious to not share with everyone. Not only is Cole adorable, but I love Gryffin just sitting in the background waiting for someone to play ball with him. Enjoy!

In a couple weeks I'll be participating in this event: http://www.hinsonlake24hour.com/

The rough overview is that it's a 24 hour running race. You run/walk as many times around that 1.5 mile lake as possible during the span of 24 hours. You can be out there the entire time or you can do 1 lap and quit. It's a  "run at your leisure" type event.

I have 2 goals for this race:

• I want to be one of the people who stays out there the whole time. There is no way I'm going to run 24 hours, I think 5 or 6 would be a challenge, but with the exception of eating and using the bathroom, I think I can handle being on the trail and walking for that amount of time. 
• I would consider anything under 50 miles to be a total failure, so that is my minimum. What am I aiming for? I would be elated with 80 miles total. I have secret dreams of eclipsing 100, but that is far fetched and unrealistic in my opinion. 

I'm thankful after 5 years, I can still make Liz laugh. 

Liz: "Can you remember that?"
Me: "Yes, I'm very rememberful."
Liz: "Nice use of language there."
Me: "It was good Englishness."
Liz: "Even better."
Me: "I try my bestest."
Liz: "Hillary would be proud."
Me: "Probablies."

Cole is growing so fast!! He is now regularly getting up on all fours. He can wobble there for anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds and then fall back down. He can also get up and fall forward in order to get to toys that are out of reach. I'd say crawling should be coming any time now!!

This week he turned 5 months, and I cannot believe it has gone that quickly. Here are a couple pictures from his 5 month birthday:

Liz told me that this is the most boring of all my blog posts. The 1 or 2 people who read this blog would probably agree with that, or at least that's what I'd guess. I enjoy watching movies and writing about them, but waiting 4 months and typing them all out was way too much. I need to find a better way to do it. Maybe pick my 2 or 3 favorites from each month? Either way, hope you can find one or two in here that may interest you.

May:

• The Big Year (2011) - 4 stars - We really enjoyed this movie. I thought it may be boring since it's about birds, but the cast did a really great job getting you to enjoy the bird watching aspect. I especially enjoyed Jack Black and Owen Wilson, really funny in this movie. 
• Forks Over Knives (2011) - 5 stars - Nothing has ever appeared more true to me than what is presented in this documentary. You need to see this documentary.
• Food, Inc (2008) - 5 stars - This was a little less riveting than the Forks Over Knives documentary, but still made you think.
• Limitless (2011) - 4 stars - LOVED the concept of this movie! It may sound ridiculous to take a pill that makes you as smart as anyone in the world, but it was executed really well. Bradley Cooper did a good job too. 
• Hugo (2011) - 3 stars - Why is this movie so popular and accomplished? It was cute, but not groundbreaking. There's no need for it to win so many awards. I'd actually go so far as to say it was borderline boring.
• Battle: Los Angeles (2011) - 4 stars - Give in to the concept, and forget the fact that it's far-fetched and unlikely, and this movie is really well done. I thought they did a great job in the action sequences and allowing the viewer to follow the plot. Aaron Eckhart was awesome too.
• Game of Thrones - Season 1 (2011) - 5 stars - OK, this show is not for everyone, mainly because of the amount of nudity, gore, and violence. But get past those obstacles, and this show is absolutely BRILLIANT. I cannot wait for the other seasons to be released on DVDs!!
• Little Fockers (2010) - 3 stars - We watched this movie in May, and I honestly cannot remember anything about it. Probably why we gave it 3 stars, it's a shrug your shoulders type movie. 
• Midnight in Paris (2011) - 2 stars - I was expecting to LOVE this movie. Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams are awesome. But the plot was absolutely ridiculous and moved along very slowly. You could also see the end coming from a mile away. Snooze.
• Dolphin Tale (2011) - 3 stars - Not much to dislike about this movie. I can't recall why we only gave it 3 stars, but it was definitely a feel good story and we enjoyed it.
• Tower Heist (2011) - 2 stars - This was not a bad movie until you got to the meat and potatoes of it. It was the ridiculousness of the ending completely ruined the movie. They could have come up with something better. 
• Fighting (2008) - 3 stars - It's exactly the kind of role you want Channing Tatum in. Don't give him a lot of lines and make him beat up a lot of people. You get what you expect to get out of it. 
• The Adjustment Bureau (2011) - 5 stars - I think Liz in particular LOVED this movie. It was complicated and action packed and starred Matt Damon. Not a lot to dislike there! 
• Crank (2006) - 2 stars - Netflix says I'd hate it, and they were close. I can't really put my finger on why not though. Maybe because it was just action sequences with very little purpose. 
• Win Win (2011) - 5 stars - Paul Giamatti is absolutely brilliant. We LOVED this movie. Actually so much so that when it started skipping in the middle, we stopped the movie, sent it back and waited for a replacement. It had great acting, intriguing plot lines, and threw in humor in unexpected spots. This wasn't a popular movie, but I highly recommend seeing it.

June:

• Middle Men (2009) - 3 stars - Was definitely not worth the time. I like Luke Wilson, but this was an average and uninteresting movie. 
• Real Steel (2011) -  5 stars - I cannot express how much I enjoyed this movie. It's like Rocky with robots. What isn't awesome about that?!?! You can see the ending coming from a mile away, but when can't you in a sports movie? It had everything you'd want. I highly recommend it.
• Unstoppable (2010) - 5 stars - Once again, the ending was going to be obvious. But it is advertised as a "nail-biting race against time", and that's exactly what it was. It was full of action and suspense. Very good movie. 
• We Bought A Zoo (2011) - 4 stars - They bought a zoo, what else do you need to know? Very cute movie and when is Matt Damon not awesome?
• The Lincoln Lawyer  (2011) - 5 stars - What a complicated movie! I think this movie is based on a book, and it showed it. The plot twisted and turned the entire time and continued to surprise the whole time. Matthew McConaughey did great as always. 
• Skyline (2010) - 1 star - When it ended we said "you have GOT to be kidding me". This movie started great. The concept was cool, but all of a sudden at one point, the director must have quit and was finished up by a 2nd grader. 
• Fair Game (2010) - 4 stars - I did not know this movie was about the Scooter Libby case. That alone made it interesting. 

July:

• Unknown (2011) - 4 stars - I love Liam Neeson. He alone can get a movie to 3 or 4 stars. But the plot was interesting, unexpected, and action-packed.
• Source Code (2011) - 3 stars - Another movie that somewhat lost me at the end. I was with you until a certain point, then it just got dumb.
• GasLand (2010) - 5 stars - If you don't know what "fracking" is or how TERRIBLE it is for the environment, you need to see this movie. It's SHOCKING that anyone thinks this is a good idea. 
• Away We Go (2009) - 3 stars - I had much higher expectations for this movie. I thought John Krasinski would make it funny, but unfortunately his character watered him down. 
• Love and Other Drugs (2010) - 3 stars - 2 people in interesting jobs get into a relationship and crazy things happen. The idea is ground-breaking. 
• Hereafter (2010) - 4 stars - This movie was unexpectedly good. I would love to meet someone like the character that Matt Damon plays. I would love to know more about the after life. Maybe the reason I liked this movie is because it gave me hope and faith, even if it was fake. 
• Big Miracle (2012) - 4 stars - The plot: there are 3 whales trapped in the ice. You get one guess as to what happens, GO! With that said, I still enjoyed John Krasinski in this. 
• Stand By Me (1986) - 3 stars - I've said it before and I'll say it again, there are very few movies before 1990 that can compare to movies nowadays. They have to rely too much on the power on acting, which is over rated to me. This is one of those movies.
• Monte Carlo (2011) - 3 stars - I don't discriminate in my enjoyment of movies. Even the girliest of chick flicks can be good to me. This one though was average at best.

August: 

• Blue Valentine (2010) - 3 stars - I did not enjoy this movie at all. Despite it starring Ryan Gosling, it was pretty boring and awful.
• Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) - 2 stars - I really hope this isn't the standard for future Narnia movies. The quality is declining. Maybe it's because the reality and relatae-ability of the story is getting more difficult. 
• Gulliver's Travels (2010) - 3 stars - Don't expect any Oscar's with this movie, but it was cute and decent. Jason Segel could have been a little funnier, but oh well. 
• Horrible Bosses (2011) - 4 stars - I really like the cast with Jason Batemen and Jason Sudeikis. Sudeikis needs to be in more comedies, he's really awesome. This movie could have been less raunchy, but other than that it was hilarious. 
• Gnomeo and Juliet (2011) - 3 stars - This was a cute kids movie, not much more than that. 
• Wanderlust (2012) - 3 stars - Paul Rudd is freaking hilarious. He alone can carry a movie. The only reason it got 3 stars is because I don't think hippies or drugs are funny. 
• Machete (2010) - 1 star - I watched this because it was the first movie Lindsay Lohan was in after her troubles. She started with a bad one, this was AWFUL. 
• Another Year (2010) - 1 star - We tried twice, and couldn't get through it. We never ended up finishing it, just didn't care enough to.
• Apollo 18 (2011) - 2 stars - I would love to know more about the secrets NASA may or may not have about space and aliens. This was a decent movie, but was incredibly short and too overly straight-forward. 
• Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011) - 2 stars - You have Ed Helms and Jason Segel in your movie, how could it possibly be bad? They did their best, and almost did it. Not a good movie. 
• Biography: Harry Potter Kids (2009) - 2 stars - This was just a 1 hour TV documentary about the Harry Potter kids. The most interesting part was about the casting they went through. Other than that it wasn't very revealing. 
• Birds of America (2008) - 3 stars - This was pretty boring most of the time, but the ending was fulfilling. Netflix thought I'd give it 1 star though, so I guess it exceeded expectations?

In July Cole mastered rolling from front to back and back to front. Recently we've been seeing him show the early signs of trying to crawl. While I was upstairs, Liz pulled out the camera and caught Cole trying again. The first part of the video is his efforts with Liz trying to encourage him.

This evening I sat down with Cole while Liz went out to the garden to pick some veggies. For a few weeks now I have been messing with Cole and hoping he would imitate me. Well today he finally did it!! I've been sticking my tongue out at him and bubbling my lips. Usually it draws laughs or smiles from him, but tonight he started doing it himself. His best few were before I busted out the camera, but I caught a couple good ones. I feel bad he's doing these firsts while Liz leaves the house, but at least I'm catching them on camera. Someday he'll start walking while I'm at work, and that'll make up for it.



I love spending time with this boy!

Liz took this picture last night. I love Cole's expression in it. It's like she walked in and said "hey look here" and they all 3 look up at the same time. Too funny.

This evening, while Liz was at the gym, Cole was on the ground and was being super active. He was kicking his legs and scooting on his stomach as he pushed himself inch by inch. I thought it was funny so I got the video camera out. Early in July, Cole perfected the rollover from his back to this stomach. We have been concerned though because he has yet to roll over from his stomach to his back... until tonight! How often do you catch a "first" for your child? I feel so lucky to have caught it on camera, and it was a wonderful surprise for when Liz got home. Now you get to enjoy:

Last night I said to Liz, "Have we ever pulled vegetables out of the garden this late into the season?" This is the 3rd year of our garden, and during the previous 2 years, when the July heat came around, our garden died.

Admittedly, the first year we over watered like crazy. It was our first garden, we knew nothing about gardening, and basically drowned the plants. By late June/early July, our garden was over. Our second year we perfected the watering and were hoping our garden would bloom, but it died out just like the year before. So we had a new plan for year 3, take the garden to a new level, and give it more sun.

In the Spring, we took our garden and went from this (keep in mind it's the early Spring and there are no leaves or foilage of any kind):

While I was at jury duty today, Liz sent me a picture that I couldn't resist posting. It was so cute it became the background on my phone:

Before Cole was born, a friend of ours gave us their high chair and Liz's Mom made a lining to it to give it a little cushion. He tried it for the first time today and loved it! He just sits and plays with his toys. It's a good way for Mom to be in the kitchen and Cole to be able to watch and only be a couple steps away. It's also a good way to give him practice sitting up. I just love this picture.

This past Saturday I ran the Grandfather Mountain Marathon. It goes from Boone, NC to near the top of the mountain. It is advertised as one of the toughest marathons in America. I didn't really take that seriously... which was a mistake. It has easily one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Check out the details:

Did you read that right?!?! 3068 feet in elevation gain!!

To the average hiker, that doesn't sound bad, but to a marathon runner, that is about as miserable as it gets. If it wasn't going uphill then the downhills were so steep that you were trying to slow yourself down. After the first 2 miles, there were very few flat parts. But in the end I finished in 4:06 (I forgot to stop my watch, so that's why it says 4:08). I am THRILLED with that time. I probably could have done better if I didn't walk as much in the last 6 miles, but that's what I do. Someday I will break through and run the whole thing. This wasn't the race to do that.

 There were 2 highlights for me though. The first one came around mile 4. A puppy, very similar looking to the dog we met in Mexico named Bubbles, started following me. He was probably a good 20 or 30 pounds, but very clearly a young pup. At first I tried to "shoo" him away because I was worried he'd get hit by a car or run too far away from home. He had a tag, but his safety consumed my thoughts for a few minutes. I did have visions of just letting him follow me the whole race and taking him home. But after a mile he started trailing off and I lost sight of him. I only hope he got back home OK.

The other highlight was the finish line experience. It almost made up for the difficulty of the race. It was in the middle of the world's second largest Scottish Highland Games. There were thousands and thousands of people crowded around a track. We enter on one side, run all the way around and then finish on the other. It was so cool to be a part of that and be cheered in that way.

Once we finished we sat around for a few hours watching the games. They had things like the caber toss, stone throw, hammer throw, sheep herding, duck herding, and track and field events. It was a perfect ending to the race.

Will I run this race again? Maybe in a few weeks I'll start thinking it's a good idea, but I haven't yet forgotten how tough it was. If I do run it again, it won't be for the accomplishment of finishing the race, it'll be for another chance to finish in the midst of the Scottish Highland Games. I will never forget how awesome that was. I can't imagine a better finish line experience than that. Here is a picture of me coming around the track:

You can see some pictures using our photo album link at the top.

Last week our family celebrated a couple big moments in our lives. Saturday was Liz and my 5 year anniversary and Tuesday was Cole's 3 month birthday.

We went to dinner on Saturday and sitting behind us was a couple who were celebrating their 25 year anniversary. We had a few laughs at their expense mainly because they were sitting in a rounded booth very far apart from each other and neither one dressed up for the occasion. The guy had the audacity to wear a tank top to his anniversary dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in the area. But turning and hearing they were celebrating their 25th, made our 5 seem too easy. I'm not impressed though, I have no doubt we'll hit 25, only instead we'll sit close to each other and dress up for the moment.

Here are some pictures from June and the beginning of July.

The above picture was taken at my cousin Flynn's wedding. It was hot for the ceremony, but we had a wonderful time. They are such great people and we were so lucky to be a part of their day.


Look at Cole grow! I don't think the change from 2 to 3 was as big as 1 to 2. I love that we are documenting his first months this way.







Before Liz and I got married, we had the conversation of "where will we be in 5 years?" We both agreed we'd be married with 1 child, financially stable, and living in the same house. We certainly stuck to the plan! At our anniversary dinner, it was fun having the same conversation. We both agreed on our plans, so if our ability to dictate our life stays true, it proves to be another wonderful 5.

As many of you know, at the beginning of the year I tried to be as ultra healthy as I could possibly be. I followed the "Eat to Live" lifestyle for 2 months and then went vegan after that.

At the end of February I felt as fit and healthy as I ever have in my entire life. I had lost 30 pounds, slept fantastically every night, and had more energy than ever before. I would call that the peak of my year, as far as my physical body and fitness goes.

Since March I maintained or undid my healthy ways a little bit at a time until June. Around that time I started discarding the vegan diet for what I like to call "eat what I want". I started drinking a lot of soda. I gave up veganism at first, then I started giving up on even vegetarianism. Around my birthday at the end of June I fell into it full boar, pun intended, by eating chicken sandwiches, burgers, and anything else with meat.

That leads me to today. Easily the worst I have felt physically in the last 6 months. I have fallen off the wagon in a monstrous way. It has been a week full of food that I would have called a good/delicious week only 7 months ago. I've had cheese coneys, pizza, steak, french fries, and more soda than any human should have in a month, let alone a week. It has all culminated to tonight, where I ate a full slab of ribs at one of my favorite places in the world.

To be candid, I have slept horribly this week. My allergies have never been worse. I feel sluggish and tired all the time. Only 1 week until one of the hardest marathons of my life, and I haven't run 1 mile in the month of July yet. My stomach is uneasy and there's more to say about that, but I'll let you deduce what I mean. I've had a slight headache for the past few days. And my breaking point in this madness was sitting at dinner after finishing the ribs, I actually felt dizzy and nauseous. I was not satisfied or comforted or any other word you could use to describe how food should fulfill you. I was DIZZY.

Let me be clear, it's not the quantity of food I am struggling with. I don't want to hear the cliche "all things in moderation". There have been some days I have done moderation very well, and it hasn't helped. There have also been other days in which I have eaten my face off with vegetarian burritos or tofu lasagna and still felt great. I know what full and stuffed feels like, but I'm far beyond that.

You can see where I am going with this. Food absolutely matters. This little "experiment", if you can call it that because I certainly did it involuntary, has made me realize just how much my diet matters. The "Eat to Live" book asserts that you can stop and even reverse the growth of cancer and heart disease just by changing your diet. I have never been a bigger believer in the that approach or the vegan diet than I am right now.

I believe now that once you start healthy eating, it's even more difficult to go back without feeling like a train wreck. I want to feel good. I want to feel energized. I want to undo the damage I have just done. I want to take back the last month and prepare again for a marathon I very much care about.

So starting now I am back on it. I'll be vegan for the next week and starting on July 14th, Liz in both her support and curiosity is going to be embrace the "Eat to Live" lifestyle as well. It's not easy, but I'd give anything to feel that way again, or scratch that, I'd eat anything to not feel this way again.

Cole turns 2 months today! It's crazy, time is just flying by so fast!! It has been a lot of fun watching him grow, but I must admit, I feel like the best times are in front of us. He is growing more and more interactive and aware each day. He's finally smiling at us on command and it seems as though he is intentionally hitting toys that we hang in front of him. I also cannot wait to start introducing him to family who haven't met him yet. His growth is slow and steady, and the camera angle and zoom make his size in these pictures a little deceiving, but it's there:

I think what I have been most impressed with, is the strength in Cole's legs. He likes being held like he's standing up, he'll kick, take steps, bob up and down like he's doing squats, and at times even support his own body with his legs. I hope it means he'll be an avid soccer player or athlete. The other day a friend of ours asked if the soccer ball hanging from his car seat was a subliminal message to let him know he should like Soccer. I said "No, it's a direct message telling him I really want him to like Soccer". Don't get me wrong, he can enjoy and participate in whatever he wants, but I can't deny that I'm really excited to share with him a passion I've had my whole life. I look forward the days where we can kick the ball around together!

I've labeled the first 6 weeks of life as the "oblivious phase", and I'm so glad it's over. I think it's difficult to give love and care to a baby without receiving anything back. I'm not expecting gifts or flowers from an infant, but the occasional smile, coo, laugh, or eye contact go such a long way. There is so much satisfaction in being able to communicate with him on that small level. It makes the tough times like the crying and diapers so much more bearable. And like I said before, I think it can only get better from here!