Oliver survived his first plane ride! I must brag; he was perfect throughout the flight. We arrived at DIA to fly to Austin, and he was in awe with all the lights and people. He just stared and babbled and didn't fuss at all. I started to worry because I couldn't find a bathroom to change him after we checked in. We stood in a really long security line (it must have been a half hour from start to finish), and then there were still no bathrooms before the tram. At this point, Oliver had gone three hours with no milk and no diaper change. I knew if I didn't change him and feed him quickly, his mood might drastically change, and I didn't want him to be in a bad mood for the plane. ... read more

I love Epcot! Andrew's goal was to eat his way around the world. Mine was to photograph him as he did so. We started out in Mexico, where we joined up with my Aunt Gerry and Wayne. We took a boat ride "tour of Mexico" and got to smell delicious food from the Mexican restaurant. Andrew decided to stop for a churro, but, to get the said churro, he first had to run across the marathon path. Hazardous! The next stop after Mexico is (naturally) Norway. Andrew bought a pastry from Norway that basically tasted like a plain tortilla. Yuck. We quickly moved on to China, where Andrew bought some plum wine that tasted like fruit juice. The scenery was beautiful, and we stayed behind to watch a 360 degree film as my parents and ... read more

I ran the Walt Disney World Half Marathon! With a stroke of good luck, my injured calf only bothered me slightly. We started out just outside Epcot, and I could hardly believe the race I'd been training so long for was actually here. They started us out with fireworks and away we went! Mom and I were dressed in our Minnie Mouse ears. Near us was a man dressed as Buzz Lightyear and another as Woody, complete with a giant, foam cowboy hat. There were also three women dressed as the fairy god mothers from Sleeping Beauty and a group of four women dressed as Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Tigger. There was one lady dressed as Peter Pan. Others wore Mickey Mouse ears, and there were some who wore Tinker Bell wings. It ... read more

My parents and I arrived last night in Orlando and stayed the night at the Hyatt in the airport. It's nice, but we haven't seen much yet. Andrew arrives here in a few hours, and from there, we'll head to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and pick up our race number at the Sports Complex. I can't believe our half marathon is already here! Starting this morning, we're focusing on carbs so we'll have enough energy for the race. Hello, oatmeal and toast! I can't wait for tomorrow, but I'm also so nervous! We'll meet Uncle Mark and Aunt Marti and my cousins Dina and Amber at the start line. One of my best buddies, Stasa, is also going to be there with her boyfriend, Ricki, and Aunt Gerry and Wayne and my cousin's wife, Kim ... read more

Mmm, the redwood forest. Andrew and I camped at Grizzly Creek Redwood State Park last night. It's a cute campground next to Grizzly Creek. There are blue birds all over the place, and we've also spotted many ground squirrels and even some unidentified burrowing rodent right in the campground. The campground has a nice, rustic feel, but with nice features like running water and showers. Outside of the campground, we found a trail this morning. It ran about a mile through the state park, sometimes even under fallen redwoods. I'll admit, there were a few more spiders around than I would have liked. After walking through about half a dozen spider webs, I kept my arms tucked in at my sides and walked behind Andrew. He absolutely loved the forest. It was very thick. The ... read more