Beach to Battleship!!!

After all the excitement of cheering for the 2012 Ironman World Championship the week before, this week we headed to Wilmington, NC to participate in the "Beach 2 Battleship" 70.3 race!

 

Ironman 2032

 Rylan says "Watch out, Ironman World Championship 2032!  I'm coming for ya!"

T’was the night before Kona, and all through these parts… A sense of excitement was growing in our hearts!

Will it be “Macca” or will it be “Crowie”? In 8 short hours, soon we will “knowie”!

Triathletes were nestled, all snug in their beds, while visions of glory danced in their heads!

When out on the beach, there arose such a clatter! I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter!

Out on the lanai, to be quite specific,  I stood overlooking the gorgeous Pacific!

Then what did my wondering eyes soon see?  People with surfboards out in the sea!

Waiting for the “King” of triathlons to start, with all of the athletes looking the part!

The cannon is shot and the athletes start swimming.  Each of them with their own big dreams of winning!

Then faster than race cars, their cycles they mount, for in the Ironman, each second counts!

After the bike course the athletes all strive, to be the first one down Ali’i Drive!

Will it be Macca?  Raelert or Bell? Potts, Alexander, or Rapp?  Who can tell?

Regardless, the Ironman brings us together.   All kinds of people, in all kinds of weather!

Till we hear the last call at the stroke of midnight…  “You are an Ironman!” and to all a good night!

Doing Disney for Nana’s 60^th birthday!

 All 13 of us at the Magic Kingdom!  (Some of us are happier than others to be there!)

 Rylan’s first set of “Mouse Ears”

 Rylan’s first ride on “Dumbo”

Aaron enjoying the “Extra Magic Hours”. This picture was taken at 12:30 am!

A New Endurance "Race"

Anyone who thinks that a Disney vacation is not an endurance race has obviously not been to Disney lately!  Gone are the days of a casually strolling around the park, hopping on a ride when you feel like it, and just walking into a restaurant to eat.  Disney now is an extreme competition of miles of walking, fast passes and dining reservations!  Trust me; it is not for the faint of heart!  

It is always embarrassing to have to call the paramedics because your child did something stupid!  Especially, since he had been told repeatedly to stop doing it!  While horse-playing with his cousin, Aaron smacked his head on a bench and had a huge lump!  With a big lump on the back of his head, I wanted to make sure he

 was alright.

The Disney paramedics were great!  They listened patiently to Aaron’s story of what happened and did a good job checking him out.  They gave him an ice pack and sent him on his way! 

 Patriotic Mickey at the Shades of Green Resort

 Aaron was excited to finally be at the Magic Kingdom!

Rylan was so excited about his Mickey Bucket!

Our trip to Disney was in celebration of my mom’s 60^th birthday.  One of the things she really wanted to do was one of the “character meals”.   So, on her birthday, we all put on our matching shirts and headed off to the most expensive 

breakfast we had ever eaten!

 Aaron enjoyed meeting the different characters!

Rylan, Lindsey and “Chef Mickey”!

One thing I do not understand about the Disney experience is why people pay extra to stay at a certain resort, and then never take advantage of the resort activities! 

 Visiting our “sister” resort, “Port Orleans-French Quarter”.

 We stayed at the “Port Orleans-Riverside”.  From roasting marshmallows to a movie under the stars, to the water slides, we tried to enjoy all the resort had to offer!

Our Little Jedi!

Aaron LOVES “Star Wars”! 

 When he discovered that he could attend the “Jedi Academy”at Hollywood Studios, he was beyond excited!