26.2 Marathon Challenge

My dad is a cool guy. He's a hard worker, a dedicated husband, a caring father, committed son, and an ethical employer. He rides a motorcycle and taught a karate class to kids at his church. He's a golfer, bowler, and all-around athlete.

He also runs marathons. The dude is 57 and he only started running a few years ago! In October, he's running one in New York and hoping to raise money for the summer camp that me and my siblings all went to growing up and that we worked at. He and another board member have thrown down a challenge to each other to see who can raise the most money for a capital campaign the camp is having to be able to maintain and improve its facilities. His challenger is in the lead and he needs your vote!

If you're looking for a worthy cause toward which you can make a donation, here's your chance! Please consider voting for my dad with your dollars and contributing to this amazing camp that has molded so many young people and changed so many lives, including my own!

Click here to learn about the 26.2 Marathon Challenge and make a donation today.

Thanks in advance for your support!

A Derby Alternative

I've said it before and I'll say it again...making meals or desserts from scratch is a worthwhile effort that pays off. If Mine that Bird was a good investment (he only cost $9500 and was a 50-1 long shot), so is using some elbow grease to whip together some homemade cupcakes...Mint Julep Cupcakes in honor of race day!

On mine and my friend Amy's part, a decent amount of expectation and hope went into Big Brown's quest for the Triple Crown last May/June, only to be let down big time at Belmont Stakes. We remain ever hopeful for an eventual three race victory.

Back to the subject at hand. Last year for the Kentucky Derby we made some Mint Juleps that...well...weren't great. As the Derby came around again this year though, a friend of mine sent me a link to a recipe for Mint Julep Cupcakes she thought we might like.

The ingredients contain the usual suspects of mint, whiskey and sugar... but they are all mixed in and disguised into a delicious cupcake form. Be still my heart. The icing is decedent, but I think it really makes them. Unless you are feeding an army of horse-racing fans dessert, you might consider halving the recipe (make the amount of icing that the recipe calls for though!), as it yields plenty of cupcakes. Here's the link...now onward ho to the Preakness Stakes!

Playoffs...

While you may find this completely unbelievable (as do I) my Fantasy Football team, ¡ándale ándale!, has made it into the playoffs of our family league. Not only have I made it into the playoffs, but after an 8-game winning streak, I have managed to find myself in first place by the slightest of margins. (See image below.)


At this point, there are four teams left, so to be the champion, I'll need to win two more match-ups. I'm not counting on it, but I'll be very proud if I do win. While my attentiveness to my team throughout the season has aided in my success as a "manager" so far, the prowess of Drew Brees (QB), Thomas Jones (RB), and Indianapolis's defense have also been extremely helpful.

Don't let me down boys!

13.1

I'm not a runner and I have well-founded doubts that I ever will be. My mom and dad, however, just finished up their first half marathon this weekend in Chicago! They've been training for a little while now and despite the harder concrete of the city and the ridiculous weather conditions, they both finished at the respective pace they each planned on running. Hauna, who was on her second half marathon ran with my mom and kept her company during the 13.1 wet and miserable miles.

Jakob and I watched from the start and finish lines and got thoroughly soaked during the race. It would have been more enjoyable for all parties, had it not been raining for days on end in Chicago, but we made due and cheered all of the runners on. I'm so proud of my mom and dad (and sister) for completing this race and for aspiring to such an accomplishment. It's hard to not get chills watching thousands of runners cross the finish line at the end. Some have done it many times, some were limping toward their goal, but all of their faces were so proud.

After the race, we drove home, dried off and spent the rest of Sunday watching football, eating, and being lazy. I'm inspired by my family's hard work and determination that I saw yesterday and throughout their training. Maybe some day I'll attempt to run one mile, let alone more than 13!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Once again, I've been invited to test my mad skillz in the family fantasy football league. Last year was my first attempt at any such venture. My 5-9-0 season was not quiet pathetic, but certainly not successful.

Our draft a few weeks ago left me underwhelmed with my team, but we'll see what happens throughout the season. The team I'm matched up against this week has one more wide receiver playing tonight and I'm only three points ahead. I'm confident ¡ándale ándale!, my team, will lose. Right now I'm thanking my lucky stars that I didn't pick Tom Brady who made me proud as my quarterback last year. He suffered a season ending injury yesterday, and that would have gotten me nowhere fast.

Wish me luck.

And They're Off!

Some of you know my amateur (and I mean very amateur) interest in horse-racing. Perhaps you followed the quest for the Triple Crown this year by Big Brown, only to have your dreams dashed in the Belmont Stakes. I've never been to the Kentucky Derby, but it remains a distant dream of mine to attend.

While I had heard tell that there was a horse-racing track just outside of Chicago, little did I know the thrills of actually attending. A hop, skip, and a jump out to Arlington Heights, IL stands a gem called Arlington Park.

For a the small price of $7 each, we spent all the live long day there, watching the races, enjoying one of these last summer days, and placing a few humble bets. For my first race, I put $2 on "Nine Patch" to place. Despite his odds of 30-1, I couldn't resist putting my hopes in a horse named after a quilting pattern. Needless to say, he lost. Throughout the day's eleven races, several in our party won big. I think I'll stick to $0.10 bets until I get the first clue about betting and reading the odds.

D'oh!!!

And yet again, our Triple Crown dreams have been dashed! Just like Funnycide and Smarty Jones before him, Big Brown didn't pull through, thus losing the Belmont Stakes and sending the Triple Crown trophy back under lock and key. It's been 30 years since Affirmed won all three races, and now we'll have to wait another year, and perhaps a lifetime, until another horse does.

Beat by the long-shot, Da' Tara, Big Brown just didn't seem like he was in the mood for racing...I'm sure his trainer and owners were thrilled about his lack of interest in getting it done on race day. Big Brown's jockey pulled him out toward the end of the race, since the horse wasn't responding. Considering Eight Belle's fall and death earlier this spring at the Kentucky Derby, I suppose it was wise to not push him too hard. Needless to say, we were a stunned audience, as the first Triple Crown hopeful in history finished last. As far as we've heard, there's been no explanation so far for his strange behavior on Saturday.

There have been 43 horses who won two out of the three Triple Crown races and only 20 who won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness only to fail in the Belmont Stakes. It's the longest of all three races and evidently is a challenge that seems unbeatable these days. Next year it will happen though. I can hope for a Triple Crown winner and a Cubs World Series Championship while I still live and breath......except this year, the Cubs will win for sure.

Sabbatical

Pardon my absence, friends. Since graduation, I've been enjoying some down time...not reading, writing, or really doing much of anything, but I'll end my blogging sabbatical and come back to life here. Some highlights of the last few weeks include, but are not limited to the following:

TK and I went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last week with the Daigles. It was exciting to see Docta Jones back in action (and with the wonderful Cate Blanchett no less)! I was completely satisfied with the acting, script, lack of special effects, and filming. I was not so enamored with the plot device, however, and wonder how other fans felt. I know it was the 50s and all, but (I don't want to give too much away) I really didn't care for the ending. I mean, come on. Even the Nazis melting and having their evil souls taken away from them in the Last Crusade was more believable than what we were forced to experience with numero cuatro.

It wasn't really even much of a nail-biter, but Big Brown easily won the Preakness...onto the Belmont Stakes for the Triple Crown on June 7th! Mark your calendars.

My cousin Beth got married over Memorial Day Weekend to a lovely gentleman named Mike. The wedding was followed by a picnic reception held at a park in Syracuse, NY. A cover band played throughout the reception until my Uncle Paul, Beth's dad, and his band "Johnny Baptist and the Total Immersions" (true story) took over. The newlyweds are back to New York City where they live and work.

My family spent the rest of the weekend in our fair hometown of Jamestown, NY playing and hanging out in my parents' beautiful yard together. There is nothing in life I really enjoy much more than being with my mom, dad, sisters, brothers, and my man, and this weekend spent together in Jamestown couldn't have been better.

It's beginning to look a lot like summer and I, for one, can't wait!

Big Brown to Win!

For the last few years, my friend Amy and I have taken a keen interest in horse racing, focusing mainly on certain hopefuls in their prospects for the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. Hopes were dashed in recent years of course with Funny Cide's and Smarty Jones's losses at the Belmont Stakes, and who can forget the dreadful fall and subsequent demise of poor Barbaro in 2006?

Amy and I had been scheming a trip of our own to the Kentucky Derby this year, but as fate would have it the money tree we've been trying to grow still hasn't sprouted, so we opted to stay back and watch this year's race on TV. We coordinated a southern feast of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, biscuits, and green beans. We also made sure to make some lovely Mint Juleps, the official cocktail of the Derby.

TK dressed in his Derby best for the race and we had high hopes on some of our favorites (introduced to us about an hour before the race). Our 'bets' were on Big Brown (obviously), Colonel John, the lone filly Eight Belles, and our long shot Z Fortune. Big Brown became the second horse to win the Kentucky Derby from the 20 gate...amazing! Spirits were high and dreams came true as sweet Eight Belles came in second (in front of all the other boys) but the next thing we knew, she was down. Two broken ankles brought on by the race led to her being immediately euthanized on the track...a very depressing and confusing moment after we'd been so excited about the race for so long.

We'll be rooting for Big Brown to win the Triple Crown this year, even though his owner could eat a helping or two of humble pie. Despite the rather bittersweet conclusion of the Derby (a winner who was so proud, but a horse, now dead because of the race), we enjoyed our meal and have hopes of attending next year's event, big hats and all. After Eight Belles' fatal fall however, this year our Mint Juleps didn't taste so sweet.

Bring It!

Why not usher in spring with some burgers on the deck and some Cubs on the radio? Last night wasn't exactly warm, but we didn't let that stop us from welcoming the boys of summer back with some good old grilling. A little chilly perhaps, but hopeful!

100 Years...

Come on Cubbies. You can win it in 2008!

X-Games Chicago

Our fair city was hit with a lot of snow over the past couple of days, so over the weekend TK and Ben (his neighbor and fellow sportsman) took the liberty of building a ramp down the deck stairs, a quarter pipe against the garage, and a kicker in the middle of the backyard.

Using the ramp and the garage roof to get up speed, they snowboarded and skied (as much as one can in the city) for hours and hours...I love it when boys play outside!

5-9-0

Well, what can I say? It's the end of the season for the family Fantasy Football League, and I've come up short of making it into the playoffs...very short. To be honest, I ranked third (out of 10) in total points in the league so my team did very well. At least 5 of my losses were games where I just happened to be matched up against the team that scored the most points that week, and had my match-up been against the majority of the other teams in the league I would have easily won.
Tough luck, sister! Next year I'll hope for better match-ups/providence so that I can boast in my game. It was my first year, so I'm not too ashamed. Tom Brady was my only player that was consistently good and Pittsburgh's defense wasn't horrible, unlike some of my other draft picks.

TK and his sister Janine are both in the playoffs this weekend, so I'm hoping for them both to make it to the championship. I'll come back next year with a vengeance!

¡ándale ándale!

TK's family does a Fantasy Football league every year and this year I've been invited to play. Last night we had our live draft and I was fifth in the draft order. I think that for my first time I did okay. I've learned a lot about football over the past 2 years, but I think this season will be a crash course in learning more on my own, since I won't be able to fraternize as much with my opponents. The Steelers will play as my defense (heaven help us) and my starters are below. Let the games begin. "Tiercel Fury," you've got no chance against me!

Quarterback
Tom Brady




Running Backs
Shaun Alexander
Travis Henry



Wide Receivers
Hines Ward
Reggie Wayne



Tight End
Jeremy Shockey

Kicker
Neil Rackers

Keep it on!

This lion may seem like he is looking away from Soldier Field in devastation, but I think he is optimistic. It's been almost 2 weeks now since the Super Bowl and he still has his helmet on, so it appears that he's not giving up hope. It seems, borrowing from Dennis Green's tirade earlier this season, that the Bears were NOT who we thought they were. We had a good run though, and I for one learned a TON about football. The next time you think fans are just sitting there every Sunday (or Saturday, or Monday, or sometimes Thursday) wasting their time instead of "doing" something, think again. It really is quite interesting and there is a great wealth of strategy, logistics, and details to be learned. I'm not up for watching three games in a row or anything, but I have come to appreciate a good game and all that is involved. A day - or an entire fall and winter for that matter - spent watching the Bears is not a wasted one.