Who knew?!?!

So I did my long run this morning. I was really excited at how well it went. I was able to run with the badgerland striders as their run was the distance I was hoping to go. I like running with them because they set up a course, they provide water and gatorade, there are lots of people to run with, and the course is right by the lake. So today was 12 miles and I finished in one piece. Actually I was feeling pretty good at the end. Little did I know that recovery from this run would take the rest of the day! My muscles... feel great. My head (which usually hurts because of dehydration) is fine. Today it is all about the GI distress. I won't go into gross details, but the bathroom has been my close friend today!

Sadly, blogging will be out of the picture for me for the next week or so. I will be leaving tomorrow for Reach Out Reach In. You may recall that I am helping to run this service week and so I will be gone from tomorrow until Friday.

The other reason blogging will be out for a while is that the motherboard on our computer has an issue and we are sending it in to be fixed. Whoever heard of mailing in your computer to have it fixed?!?!?! I am definitely not complaining. I called tech support. They had me open it up and pull out some of the computer's innards before diagnosing the problem as having to do with the motherboard. So they sent a box and paid for postage and I just have to call fed ex to arrange for pickup. How cool!


Well, I will leave you with a picture of Baby Brzeski. $200 cash prize for anyone who can pick out baby without help from the arrow. This picture is from May. Now the baby is 4 inches long and
living the dream!

Painting the what!?!?!?

Yes, we spent the day yesterday painting. We picked out three colors a few weeks ago and bought trim board to put up a chair rail. We picked paint that we were introduced to by my brother and sister-in-law. It is called "freshaire" I believe. I am too lazy right now to go upstairs to look at the can, but it is a No-VAC paint. It doesn't smell like paint all over the house and it apparently does not have the harmful chemicals that go into the air when you paint. Plus, it dries really quickly!

So yesterday my parents came and hauled away the double beds from the spare bedroom so that we could paint the room while it was completely empty. Plus, there was no sense storing them somewhere in the house since they won't be going back in. They will, of course, be replaced with a crib and a rocking chair! So the answer to the question is nursery. We were painting the nursery.

Yes folks, if I haven't talked to you lately, we are expecting! Baby is due in January which means (do the math) we are going on 15 weeks. We have known for quite some time and I have been really excited to share the news but we wanted to wait until the second trimester to start blabbing.

We have had a couple of appointments where we have heard the heartbeat and there is no better sound in the world! the Mamma is doing well and she is feeling much better than at the beginning though I'll leave it up to her if she wants to go into detail about what the first trimester was like for her.

All I know is that I can't wait for January. I am excited beyond words, nervous as all getup, happier than ever, scared as hell, and of course,
living the dream!

Can't sleep!

So things are good! Here's the lowdown on the last few days:

Brewers: good finish to the homestand!
CC Sabatthia, congrats on the homerun. It is always nice to see a pitcher who can pitch a complete game, win it, and hit a homer in the process. Ryan Braun, Ben Sheets, Corey Hart (the glue of the Brewers ballclub) congrats on making it to the all star game and Ryan, 14 homeruns! The final game against the Reds was a nice way to finish off the series. Look for Mota to sit the bench more in the second half (or at least I hope he does). The rest of this month is pretty important. St. Louis and Chicago series... could be quite a change in the standings by the end of July. Go Brewers.

Marathon Training: Up to 10 miles.
Saturday was my long run for the week and it was a 10 miler. That is my peak so far and will be until for another week and a half until my 12 miler. Of course you can follow my training schedule over to the right ------------> Saturday's run was a bit more difficult. It was cool at the beginning but warmed up pretty quickly and I always struggle in humidity. I am planning to run this marathon as a fundraiser for TYME OUT. My hope is to get at least $100 of sponsors for each mile and during each mile I will pray for each person who helped sponsor that mile. In an ideal world, I would raise $5000 during this race. Check out their website and if you would like to sponsor or co-sponsor a certain mile let me know. I will also invite the top sponsors to a dinner at TYME OUT next spring. Think about it... it is a great organization.

A man of Leisure?
Well, not exactly. I have been putting much of my time lately toward planning and preparing for Reach Out Reach In. I am serving as the spiritual leader for the week and I cannot tell you how prepared I like to be! I am the kind of person who wants to have thought through, talked through, written out, and re-written out ideas, thoughts, reflections, insights, etc. so that come the week of RORI, I feel at ease and excited about the people I will get to meet and re-connect with rather than having my mind preoccupied with details of the week. This year's program is full but think about it for next year if you know Catholic young people in the Milwaukee area who might enjoy a week of service with fellow Milwaukeeans.

Balistreri’s Italian America Ristorante Pizza: a winner!
I've been there before but upon return to this fine establishment, in Wauwatosa, I was reminded why we always seem to go there for birthdays. The pizza is amazing! Cracker thin crust: we're talking the kind that is just thick enough to support the toppings but not thick enough that it doesn't break into your mouth practically without even biting. Sauce: very good. Toppings:very good. Service is always good but wonderful this time. The waitress was a hoot to interact and joke around with but she also gave us space when we were in the middle of conversations. Atmosphere is the way it seems to have been for years, warm, inviting, and homey. Go to Balistreri's (the pizza one is on Wells not Bluemound).


Fantasy Football is in the works!
That's right sports fans, my annual FFB league is getting underway. I love this time of year. One of my new excitements this year is that I have invested in a traveling trophy for the league! I know, I am a nerd. Well hey, it is too much fun. I am sure that it will be a centerpiece at dinner tables whenever the losing managers come over for dinner (or more likely, when I go over to their places for dinnner!) Whatever the case may be, the big question is will Brett Favre be an option for the draft and who is going to draft him!

Well, I have an early meeting tomorrow and maybe now I'll be able to go upstairs and fall asleep so that I can continue
living the dream (or dreaming them!)

You're on Notice!

It does not take Stephen Colbert to make it official... Guillermo Mota--You're on notice! You had a 10.13 ERA in the last seven games and gave up two homeruns -- FOUR RUNS in the ONE INNING you were in the game!

So we went to the game tonight and the first few innings were excellent. Sheets struck out 11 before turning over the mound. Then things really went downhill. Mota has been disappointing before but this was a poor showing. I don't think it will be long before he is out of the regular rotation.

Before the game we did pizza at Barbierre's Italian Inn. Good pizza. It was thin crunchy crust though it had a bit too much cheese and not enough sauce. I prefer a bit more oregano but, all in all, it was pretty good. The garlic bread is similar to Mama Mia's though it was a bit more garlic and salt and butter (believe it or not).

I didn't feel bad eating it all after my run today. It was a five miler and my knees have been holding up quite well. It was gorgeous when I started though it seemed to heat up a bit during the 40 minutes. it felt good though and I am happy with how training is going.

Win or lose, you can't beat an evening spent with 37,000 people at Miller park
living the dream.

Fourth and Summer

So I hope you had a marvelous Fourth of July weekend. I spent much of it with the family. The rentals were in town and everyone was over at big brother's place as he was moving this weekend. It was good to see all.

Sunday - Summerfest! First and only time this season. We went to see a friend's band. The Charles Walker Band was quite good! They are a blues band and Charles is an outstanding saxophonist. I was floored at some of his solos. The lead singer had a deep powerful voice and carried off the vocals with great precision. It was good to get to the big gig and see some local talent... TALENT.

We sat in on another local band and I won't mention any names but they were local. We stayed for one song I think! Oh well, 1/2 isn't bad.

Here's to a cool summer afternoon spent down by the lake listening to live music and enjoying some of Milwaukee's best!

Talk about living the dream!

Running the Lakefront

So this morning I awoke at 6:30 to head down to the lakefront in Milwaukee. This is where I spent the next hour and a half running.

What a gorgeous morning!
Sun shining, gentle breeze blowing, cool morning warming up to a comfortable temp, and the beautiful scene of the lakefront, the Milwaukee skyline, and the neighborhoods to the north.

Today was a nine mile run and I am pretty sure I was just finishing up at about the same time as a group called the "Badgerland Striders." This group is in training for the Lakefront Marathon as well, and I would have run with them this morning but I thing we are on different training schedules. It was neat to see all kind os people who are likely going to be working toward the same end goal as me... not dying in October!

Enjoy your Fourth of July Weekend and keep on
Living the dream.