Runner Ornament

I wanted to share a runner ornament that I made out of wood. This is a silhouette of a runner that my wife (My Scrappy Journey) made for my Disney Marathon scrapbook pages shown in my previous post. What makes this ornament so unique is how creative my wife was by adding Mickey Ears to the runner. Based on the shape of the silhouette, it was the perfect size to create a wood ornament.

This first picture is a close-up view of the silhouette.



This second picture gives you and idea of the size of the ornament as I am holding it by the string. Overall the ornament is 4" tall and 4" wide at the stride of the runner.



By having the silhouette painted in all black allows for easy personalization using a paint marker.

2010 Disney Marathon Scrapbook Pages

I am able to relive the excitment from the 2010 Disney Marathon Weekend back in January all over again. My wonderful wife made these two scrapbook pages. It is funny to look at the photos and see how bundled up we were because of the weather. There were actually snow flurries falling as we made our way to the starting line for the Half Marathon. The snow flurries turned in to rain which did not help.

Then on Sunday, the wind chill was in the teens as we work up. The temp did not get much better throughout the day, but no need to complain. As one of the pages is titled, I was "Getting Goofy"!

This first page is the overall 2-page spread called "Getting Goofy". The page contains the course map for both the half and full marathon. At the expo, there was a both that had some 12x12 paper with the Goofy logo which added to the page. I am also an ambassador with Team 413. This is a running ministry dedicating to spreading the Gospel to all. I heard comments all throughout the weekend as I was running the races showing encouragement for spreading God's word. Several fellow runners took the time to tell me what an inspiration the shirt gave them as they read the verse on the back....I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...Phillippians 4:13.



Here is the left side of the Gettin' Goofy page.



Here is the right side of the Gettin' Goofy page.



The second page is a great layout showing my accomplishment of completing my first full marathon. Hard to believe that I actually did it, but as the Disney finisher certificate states, "Congratulations on completing the most magical 26.2 miles!" I really like how this one shows my bib from the race and incorporates all of the character stops along the way where I had pictures taken. My wife added a few silhouettes of running that she slightly altered using her Gypsy. Notice anything special on top of the runner's head? The runner has his very own set of Mickey ears! That is a really cool touch.



Here is the left side of the Marathon page.



Here is the right side of the Marathon page.

Toy Story 3

Yesterday, on Father's Day, I went with the family to see Toy Story 3. Another great movie from Pixar! In the third installment of the series, Andy is going to college and the toys don't know what is going to happen to them.

This has a great storyline and we are introduced to new characters such as Lotso and Ken.

For those of you who have not seen the movie, I will not spoil it for you by telling you more about the movie.

For those of you who have seen the movie, I would like to hear your thoughts/comment on the movie?

To infinity and beyond!

VBS

It is VBS week! What a glorious time for praising God! The children attending VBS have been having a great time so far! We are rounding up questions and gettin' answers!

Need Answers? Ask God!

James 1:5

Chicago Blackhawks: Under Cover

Here is a great video of the old time Hawks and the current Hawks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qyq3VOBQzM&feature=youtube_gdata

Chicago Blackhawks Goal Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wchH7xL4tdE&feature=youtube_gdata

Stanley Cup Champions

After 49 years of waiting, the Chicago Blackhawks are Stanley Cup Champions!

What a great and entertaining game 6. The Hawks came out strong with 17 shots in the 1st period. The refs were calling the game tight from the start and that was evident regarding some holding and interference penalties. In the 3rd period the Hawks had a 1-goal lead. You knew the Flyers were going to bring a ton if pressure. All Hawks fans were clock watching hoping somehow the time would speed up. With approximately 3 minutes left in te game the Flyers got the tying goal off of Scott Hartnell. For the remaining time in the 3rd period, the pressure continued. Antti Niemi was spectacular. He made an amazing save on Jeff Carter. That saved the game and helped get it to OT.

In OT, you just never know what will happen. Well, Patrick Kane gets the game winning goal and everyone except Kane a few others knew the puck went in. A minute or two later and the celebration was on. 2010 Stanley Cup Champions!

Jonathon Toews won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP. He tied the Blackhawks record for the most points in the playoffs with 29 (tied Denis Savard from 1985). Toews has had one heck of a year. Wins the gold medal with Canada in the Olympics, wins the Conn Smythe and then the Stanley Cup!

Game 6

Stanley Cup Final - Game 6 is tonight!

As Game 6 approaches, here are some points to note.

1. Pressure - the Hawks need to have the pressure they showed in Game 5 throughout Game 6.

2. Elimination - even though this is an elimination game for the Flyers, that is the mindset the Hawks must have in this game.

3. Forecheck - the Hawks need to constantly forecheck. They need to be all over the Flyers.

4. Home ice trend - this is the perfect time to break that home ice advantage. So far all games have been won by the home team.

5. Antti Niemi - enough said

This should be another great game. I expect the Flyers to come out strong at home in the 1st period. The Hawks just need to be able to withstand it. Hopefully they will and get a goal quickly to quiet the crowd.

I also need to point out a checklist for tonight.

1. White gloves
2. Hall of Fame Sport Coats
3. NHL Tablecloth
4. The Commissioner
5. A certain silver trophy 3 feet tall weighing 35 pounds
6. A team ready to hoist the cup after 49 years!

Enjoy game 6!

Let's go Blackhawks!

The Cup will be in the House

What a great comeback game by the Blackhawks after losing 2 in a row in Philly.

This, by far, was the best played game of the series by the Blackhawks. Dustin Btfuglien had his best game of the series. He was a dominant player out there. He scored a couple of big goals and delivered some crushing checks.

There was also great support from the rest of the team. I could name the entire team, but great play from Kane, Ladd, Sharp, Toews and Hossa was outstanding. Speaking of Hossa, he continues to shine. He is one heck of an all around player. Just look at the drive and determination on that play to hustle back and then he dives to get his stick in there to break up the play. Great effort!

Antti Niemi was stellar again between the pipes. The Flyers missed some point blank chances, but that happens. When they did get the shots on net, Niemi robbed them. You could just see the frustration on Mike Richards face when Niemi got the right pad on his open net chance.

Now, you will not hear me complain about officiating. The reason is they have such a tough job. I am amazed at what they can catch because if the speed if the game. We have it easier due to replays. I thought they did a good job in Game 5. They were making the right calls. Were some penalties missed, sure they were, but they were missed on both sides.

Travel arrangements are being finalized for Lord Stanley to be in the house Wednesday night. The Blackhawks will have the chance to win the cup for the first time since 1961!

I am expecting the same type of rush like we saw in game 5 to begin the game by the Blackhawks for the Flyers in game 6. They are going to bring it on their home ice to delay the celebration one more game.

I have a feeling the Blackhawks will reverse the trend in this series and win the cup on Wednesday!

Let's go Hawks!

Up For Grabs

Well, the Stanley Cup is up for grabs now. We are down to a best-of-three series now. Game 5 is Sunday night at the Madhouse on Madison. The UC will be rockin!

The Flyers played well in Game 4. The Hawks just were not generating much on the offensive end. On the defensive end a couple of mistakes and before you know, down 2 goals. On the second goal the puck was cleared from in front of the net directly up the slot to a wide open Flyer who basically saw the Grand Canyon to shoot at. Later in the game there was another defensive breakdown where a Flyer was left alone who camped out on the right post. He received a pass and had another wide open net.

Good comeback by the Hawks to make it a game. It would have been interesting if Duncan Keith was able to keep that puck in the zone to see if they could tie it with the extra attacker. As we know that did not happen and a 5-3 win by the Flyers was in the books.

Off to Game 5!

Let's go Blackhawks!

Game 4 - Stanley Cup Finals

Looking forward to game 4 tonight. It will be interesting to see how the game is called from a referees standpoint. Since game 3 there has been a ton of talk about the "calls" and "non-calls".

With any Final, you expect physical play...especially in front of the net. The battle between Pronger and Byfuglien has been fun to watch. There was a point in game 3 where Pronger cross-checked Byfuglien to the ice (which is not easy to do), then a few seconds later Byfuglien is called for slashing. Yes, he did slash and break Pronger's stick, but the cross-checked should have been called too. Just some consistancy is needed, that's all.

I am hoping Andrew Ladd is inserted in the Hawks lineup tonight. If he is, my guess is Adam Burrish will sit. Even though Kopecky replaced Ladd, he has played well, so keep him in the lineup. Getting Ladd out there will add another physical presence the Hawks can use. Right now it is just mainly Byfuglien providing that presence in front of the net. With Ladd in, now you add a second presence there on a different line. The Hawks need more traffic in front of Leighton since the point men are taking a lot of shots.

More traffic is also need in front because of the attention Hossa is drawing. Sometimes you see 2 and 3 defenders on him. When that happens, that opens lanes for the goalie to see the shots, thus more screens are needed in front of Leighton.

On the other end if the ice, Antti Niemi has been fantastic. He seems to be getting more and more comfortable as the series moves on. He continues to make stellar saves. The defense in front of Niemi has also be great in blocking shots.

I am expecting another great game tonight.

Let's go Blackhawks!

Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon

I have not posted in a while and I figured it was time to provide an update.

Last night I registered for the innagural Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon. This is going to be a great race! It wil begin at the Waccamaw are in front of Medieval Times. The course will work it's way over the Intracoastal Waterway and then to Broadway at the Beach. From there the course will head for the beach for a finish along the new boardwalk.

The finisher's medal is huge. It is asurfboard with a shark bite. They say it is 8" in length and the shark bite will work as a bottle opener. Not sure that I would want to use my medal to open a bottle, but a neat idea nonetheless.

The entry fee just increased to $70. Check it out!

www.runmyrtlebeach.com