Joys of Christmas

Another Christmas has come and gone. It left equally as fast as it came which makes appreciating every moment of it hard to do but very worth it. Most of the same traditions that we did remained the same, such as candle light service at church, a large dinner on Christmas eve, and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Never mind the fact that "candle light" service is now with electric lights, our Christmas eve feast was an assortment of 6 different Costco appetizers, and the rolls were made Christmas morning with the help of instant roll makers from the Pilsbury Dough Boy. Please don't think I had a problem with any of this (except for the church candles; really? electric candles? way to drop the ball on that one, ehh?) but I did find it funny the way our family improvised on traditions. Adapt and overcome is what the Army always says and I think that is clearly upheld in this family.

Onto Christmas morning; the day that every child's calendar revolves around. It was probably around 9:30 before everyone stumbled out of bed. Dad made the coffee while mom salvaged what turned out to be some delicious cinnamon rolls. Santa brought us all iPod armbands, with wireless blue-tooth earbuds. Santa knows his technology. I also received the Micheal Buble Christmas cd, which has been playing non-stop since its been opened.
Other presents from the year included: an Under Armor sweat suit, banana republic shirts, Vibram running shoes from New Balance, and some new BOXERS!!

Just trying to get into the spirit of Christmas

Jessie's Reign of Terror

Ever since Jessie was a young'n, she has found it her personal responsibility to terrorize anything that moved. Her form of "torture" comes from pinning you to the ground and tickling you until you admit her superiority. This method worked when she was the oldest, tallest, and out weighed all of us. I was the first to experience this reign of terror simply because I was the only one around, but after Jocelyn and Austin came she quickly picked up the extra workload in stride and harassed all of us equally, proving that she was the oldest and "most dominate". Fortunately, that reign of terror only worked from the ages of 2-13 in which she was the biggest, but from 14 till present she has yet to realize that she is no longer the tallest, strongest, and most dominate...even though she is 5'6" and about 130lbs. Meanwhile, Austin is currently benching 130lbs around 20 times, Jocelyn is almost 3 inches taller than Jess, and I not only outweigh her by 40 lbs, but also have almost a foot of height on her. But that does not deter Jessie from still trying to prove that she is the oldest and most dominate. The pinning and tickling method no longer works like it did before and she is usually left on the bottom of the pile. This does not stop her from initiating contact, and for that matter, admitting that she has ever lost a wrestling match against one of her "littler" siblings. According to her, she is still undefeated and the most dominate even when she is the one looking like she got her butt handed to her. Jessies favorite response in that situation is, "come back here...I ain't done with ya yet", even though it is clear that she was not on the winning side nor capable of coming up with a victory.

My research leaves me to believe that my sister has an Identity Crisis where she is left thinking that she sumo like attribute that make her impervious to mere infidel wrestlers like her younger sister. Until this complex is restored, please be alert and do not underestimate her persistence.

Tee's / Toughest Mudder (Equally Awful)

The first semester of West Point officially ended Last Friday with a 9 page history paper. Awful. I am still scared to check my grades in each class in fear of ruining the Christmas spirit. I felt pretty good in Math and decent in English, but for PL100, Math, and Chemistry I did not feel confident. I am just going to cross my fingers and hope for the best. At this point there is nothing else to do.

Toughest Mudder:
The WTM was a huge let down for me. We were getting so hyped to run it and had so many supporters that I feel like I let a lot of people down for such an early exit. I ended up doing 1 lap with Brian Gerardi, but after 4 hours of being in the cold, mud, and water, we both decided that it just wasn't safe for us to keep going. We were both shivering so bad at the end that we were splashing the broth all over ourselves. The race started out warm for Jersey (36* but sunny) so we decided to head out in shorts and save the warmer stuff for later. The sun ended up dropping within the first hour and a half and with it went the temperature. It dropped down to about 31* and windy. The worst part came at the end when there were 4 water obstacles in a row, 2 of which required you to be fully submerged in the mid December water and then swimming 100 yards in it to the other side of the bank. It was incredible how much your lungs shrank. We made it back to the recovery tent from the first lap and saw close to 35 people laying on cots wrapped up in space blankets and heaters. According to the numbers, 800 people showed up to the start line, 300 people didn't even make an entire lap, and only 103 people stayed for the entire 24 hours. Again, I feel like a wimp not trying to go out for one more, but the thought of jumping back in the water from a 20 ft tower gave me the hebadee-jebadee's. We came into the Toughest trained more as an ultra race, but really it was a battle for warmth. We brought thin running tights when the keys for success was thick wet suits. I fully expect to try it again my senior year. I want to come in better trained and equipped. The crazy part was, the leader finished 7 laps on the stupid course.... the fact that its 70 miles alone is incredible!!
So after feeling a little bummed about the out come of the race, I decided to go out for a long run yesterday. Unfortunately I forgot my running shoes at Tarmargos house when we went and took a shower there, so i dug up an old pair of Costco's trainers. . . They worked! Kinda. I ended up doing between 26-27 miles and only had one blister to show for it. I would be curious to try and do another 3 or 4 and see how I feel but want the right shoes first.

Jocelyn's Birthday Advice

So it started out as a joke a few years ago that I would write some stupid and completely useless advice to Jocelyn for her birthday. I think it started at the house when after a bsaketball game and I couldn't fall asleep, so I stayed up till 12:30 writing 10 dumb things down on her Facebook wall. Just as kicks and giggles, I did it again last year while at the prepschool. Both of them turned out pretty funny and I am left to continue the tradition tonight. I'll admit, I am kind of at a loss for some new good ones, but with some of Austins help I'm sure we can get a few more. That being said, this is an early shout out to my Lil Sis and a Happy Birthday! just because I prolly wont have time tomorrow to write it up here. Here is a look of the past two years. Still make me kinda chuckle. lol

(16th Bday)

I have waited this extra day after your birthday to invite you into the fraternity of being 16 .... bad part is... you get kicked out next year. anyways... seeing as I am the older more smarter brother, I will give you advice that i never got when I was 16. these are things I still carry with me through life today. I now give them to you. enjoy..........

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1. always check for toilet paper before sitting down.. that is the biggest one.

2. don't bother checking the expiration dates... a few days or a few years- its all the same.

3. home work is less important then facebook. always get your 3 hours min in first.

4. mountain dew tastes the best at 43 degrees. anything lower and you get a brain freeze.

5. if you aint cheating, you aint try'n

6. dont eat the yellow snow.. as tempting as it may be.

7. the grass is always greener on the other side...unless the other side is also suffering from the same drought you are.

8. captain crunch is proven to cut the top of your mouth no matter how you eat it.

9. never take candy from a stranger unless they are giving out king size... then take it.

10. free is always good, unless its a free ride at a truck stop at 3 in the morning..

hope these wonderful words of wisdom stay with you for the rest of your life... hehe

love from, -al

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(17th Bday)

So yes, it is your bday today. And i know you have been waiting for this moment since last year. . . yes, this is where i engulf you in the vast knowledge I have gained over my veteran years. This wont be as prolific as last year because, quite frankly, your only 17. Nothing big really happens at 17. Sorry to burst that lil bubble of yours but it’s the sad truth. Unless you go to Mexico, then I'm sure you can a lot of fun things… but legally… nothing. On that cheery note, just realize this; there are only 26,280 more hours till you turn 21. That is almost the same amount of time we spent in WWII… Any ways. Here are your top 10 rules for your big 1-7

1. If you see a fork in the road, don’t run it over…simple enough, right?
2. When the cats are away, the mice are a play… but to keep them from having fun, use laser triggered C4.
3. Barking dogs seldom bite, and also make great target practice
4. There’s no smoke without a fire, unless you are getting your teeth drilled at the dentists
5. All good things must come to an end, unless your pie, in which case its delicious and repeats on for eternity.
6. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, although I’ve heard that they are more intimidated by a shot gun then someone throwing an apple.
7. Where there’s a will there’s a way, except when trying to dribble a football.
8. A penny saved is a penny earned… but someone who saves theirs pennies has no friends.
9. The saying “you bit off more than you can chew” should be taken as a challenge.
10. And finally, realize that there is no right side of the bed to get out of. The only way it can be avoided is to stay in bed for as long as needed

Army vs. Navy AAR

Its Monday morning and Im about an hour away from my first end-of-the-semester-giant-lotso-point test, which is why I'm writing a blog rather then studying. Ha! No, but have been studying for the past 3 hours, including 4 hours last night so I've gotten to the point that if I don't know it by now, it prolly wont happen.

So the Crossfit competition on Friday might have been added to the most painful category list of 2011. Its funny because every stupid even I do that is painful and some sort of health danger has involved mom or dad or both. This includes but is not limited to: First half marathon, first marathon, 13 miles at 2am through the ocean, a crossfit competition, and soon a 24 hour run. They should rest assured that I am really a boring guy when they aren't around. That being said, the competition was a team lift of three different WOD's. Because our van showed up late we got assigned the 2nd WOD which was 3 rounds of 500m row, 25 strict pushups, and 25 kettle bell swings at 55lbs. I actually finished the row first and then proceeded to die out after that. I ended up dead last and was so oxygen deprived that I couldnt walk around or even keep my eyes open. Ended up going outside and throwing up for a little before just laying on the ground outside. It was one of those cases where you get up to fast and your head starts spinning... then add that all over your body. I was a mess but had a great support team there to help me out. Def am glad to have Dad, Jess, and Mom take care of me when I look so pathetic. This picture sums up the mood perfectly.

After that we went and hung out in a hotel lobby talking with some of Dad's friends. It was really fun but we didn't get back till 01:45. by the time we got in bed it was 2 and we had to set the alarm for 6. pretty brutal. The next morning consisted of almost 9 hours of standing which was awesome... ouch. It wasn't bad after the game started because we were jumping and cheering but it was brutal during the march on. We got to catch up to the Lanagans and ended spending the whole 2nd half with them. I must admit a flaw in my older post brought to my attention thanks to Gerald and Jimbo. During the 2am run before Thanksgiving, they had actually drank closer to 18-20 beers rather than the 8 that I had assumed. . . which is even more impressive. After the game we ended up going to a tailgate with the family and enjoying some time around the little fire. It all came to an end way to fast. The next day was nothing more then driving back to West Point which is never a fun story.
The best part about it all is that there is only 7 days till I am my way home. It will be the first tine in almost 7 months! Can't wait! just gotta make it though a toughest mudder first. . . oh goodness.

Army Navy Weekend

Till the season to be jolly. Well kinda. In the spirit of "All for the Corps", CBS decided to make Army vs. Navy the only football game on for the weekend of Dec 10-11th. That means waiting an extra two weeks so that there are no other games to compete against. That also means we have the game the weekend before the biggest tests of our life, or TEE's. Instead of studying all weekend like most college kids are doing, we are watching football games... see the irony in that little twist? Cuz usually its the other way around- never mind. The point is, the weekend is going to be crazy fun yet super stressful.

On that note. I did get selected to go down for the Army Navy crossfit. I'm terrified. I got skunked in practice, Im not really sure how I am going to keep up with them this week. If anything it will be a fun experience. Plus, mom and dad might be coming to cheer me on. Or in this case, dry my sobbing eyes. hah. Kind of ironic that Jessie is running the ball down with the marathon team and I'm going down to lift... and neither of us are doing well in school. See a similar trait here? hah


Now onto the real essence of the weekend. Army Navy Football. The most famous rival of all college football. Two academies clashing for bragging rights.... unfortunately, Navy has had those for the past 9 years. But this is it! I feel it. This is the year that Army beats those stupid goats and defend the Army name. I sure hope so at least because I have Kenneth Jenkins dogging me out already. I am just hoping that they can help back up my trash talking. . . please? This is the winning spirit video for this year. Pretty funny actually.

Lil Johnny

In context to the title, I just finished my first season of handball at the academy-and probably my last. We had a 4 game tournament this weekend where we played two teams. We ended up going 4-0 so that was a good way to finish the season. Unfortunetly we played bad teams, which meant I had to play some minutes in order to keep the score close; almost like handicapping ourselves. That being said, let me explain the title of the post.

Every team has a Lil Johnny. He is found on any sports team between 7th grade and 9th grade. He is the one that only goes in for that one game of the season when the score is 75-10 and there are 3 mins left in the game. The only reason Lil Johnny is going in is because he has not scored a point in the 5 years he has been on the team and his one goal is to get a single point. Everyone watching knows it. Even the grandparents know that Lil Johnny probably still doesn't stand a chance, but at least there is no possible way he can blow a 65 point lead. The crowd all goes crazy when they see Lil Johnny getting ready to enter into the game. He is thinking that they are actually rooting for him as he goes for his first career points, but everyone is cheering for the same reason; expect anything except for some athletic ability. By now, the other team knows about Lil Johnny, the ref just lets him play his own way, and both coach's have drawn up plays to let Lil Johnny score. Everyone knows that the last two minutes of this blowout is devoted to Lil Johnny scoring- no matter how much acting, fake calls, or play calls that needed to be run- Johnny needed to score. Of course, Johnny airballs a shot, or dribbles it out of bounds, or blows a layup, but the coach doesn't take him out and every move he makes has the crowd applauding, laughing, or a mixture of both. In the end, the horn sounds, and Lil Johnny still hasn't scored. He waits patiently for the next blow out where he can have the opportunity to score. Johnny is still unaware that both teams and the refs had actually tried to let him score the entire time he was in. . . . . . . . . . . at this weekends handball tournament, I was Lil Johnny. It was awful. lol

Turkey Wrap Up

So its been a minute since I last posted. My bad on that. I never got around to the Thanksgiving post mainly because I was eating...and eating...and eating. It was a beautiful thing. Grandma and the rest of the cooking crew really outdid themselves this year. We had two, count it 2, 18lbs birds, a tub of mash potatoes, and 7 pies. It was incredible. Of course there was the always enjoyable apple sauce that never ceases to amaze me. Even when I physically couldn't eat anything more I still had an overwhelming urge to have a spoonful of grandma's magical apple blend. Gets me every time.

The best part of the weekend was the 10.5 mile run at 2am. Now that doesn't seem enjoyable until you hear the company that it brought. While Dad and I were waiting for 1am to hit, the Lanagans call up dad wondering if he wants to stop by real fast. I hope in the car to say hello and the next thing you know we recruited two more 40 year old men for this little adventure. Jimbo was a little more apprehensive towards the idea but Gerald was stoke for it. He was ready to run through the water and everything. I think it had something to do with the 8 beers that both of them had had during the party earlier, but hey! Misery loves company. Gerald was a champ, he was just running and talking with me for the first 6-7 miles. He ran in part of the water with me and offered to run down eel creek with me if I hadn't shouted how much pain my...lower half was in. Good times. Dad finished the millage with me on his bike. It helped a lot having someone there for support though. I think he enjoyed the whole "Drill Sergeant" role to much though; he finished it all of with a 200m fireman's carry on the beach... just the worst!

We went into Boston as well. Dad had a brilliant idea where he gave all the kids $20 dollars to bring back as much vary of food as possible. It was essentially a deep-fried thanksgiving all over again. I found some great Asian food, philly cheese-steak and some dark chocolate coffee beans. Just the best combo for heart burn! Ill try to pull some pictures off of facebook to add on here. We also celebrated Jess and Brandon's Bday the day before. Worked out good because we got to eat more food! Awesome! We went out for dinner at the chowder house and just ate lobster and told funny stories. Great combo. I'll wrap this up before it turns into a book, but only 15 more days until I start eating some home cooking again!!!! Can't wait to be in my own bed again!