Inner Strength

Finding inner strength is what's going to get me from here to my goals.

First - a quick concert wrap up. WOW. What an amazing experience! I'm so grateful to all of the mousekateers and friends and family who showed up! And thank you to the orchestra, Ron Friesen, and the Everett Symphony. I don't even know how to describe it!

A quick update on Dad. Seems like he's got another pneumonia, and is recovering well. Ought to be home from the hospital within a day or two now.

I said I'd be back with training updates and here I am.

10 laps this morning again! Yay! Although I believe that as crowded as my pool is at 5am, I'm going to adhere to the following schedule:

M/W/F - cardio (at least ONE day of swimming - depending on my work schedule. The more time I have in the morning, the easier it is to go swimming).

T/Th/S - Weight training.

And I'm going to push hard and really try to harness my body's power! That goal of 325 is not terribly far away, and I'd like to reach it as soon as possible and move onto the next one. :)

And it's just about believing that I can do it - KNOWING I can.

And knowing YOU can.

I believe in YOU.

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Becoming Our Parents

So here I am about a month or so away from being a father. Still struggling with a variety of issues surrounding my own body and health, and my father is now, once again, in the hospital.

His breathing has gotten so bad due to fluid build up that he couldn't lie flat enough to get tests done at the cardiologist without turning blue.

So they admitted him.

And I drove to the hospital to see him.

Again.

I'm not complaining about him - nor about the hospital visit.

But I am scared. Scared for him. Scared for me. Scared for Elizabeth and Amber.

I don't want this for MY family in 30 years. Or 20. Or even 40.

And if I don't make changes - DRASTIC changes - in the habits I've re-formed over the last six months or so, it's exactly where I'm headed. And maybe sooner. Who knows?

So what do I do?

I recognize it. I acknowledge that it's how I'm feeling, and what I'm afraid of.

And I try to channel that fear into something positive.

Last night at rehearsal for the symphony on Saturday I nearly burst into tears while the orchestra played the Lion King suite and pictures of Mufasa hit the screen. Because I knew my father wouldn't be there to see this show. He'll be in the hospital.

And he'd LOVE this show.

I just won't allow this to happen to me. I just won't. I can't.

And you all have been, are, and will be helping me along the way.

For that I say once again - thank you for helping me to save my own life.

More regular updating coming next week! An update on Sunday about the concert - and then - we really hit the ground running, swimming, lifting, and everything!

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Raisin' the Bar

Wow. How busy are things getting here?

We're only 6 weeks away from Elizabeth's ACTUAL due date, which means we're really THREE weeks away from when she MIGHT start arriving. We have another baby shower coming up. We're still in baby classes. We're still working on the office (www.dichterlawoffice.com) - and did I mention this symphony I'm doing on Saturday?? (Do you have your tickets?)

That being said - I've also lost a pound (331) and am that much closer to my first goal of 7 pounds. I haven't put a time limit on it as of yet - since things ARE so up in the air. However - today I upped my swimming from last weeks 5/1 (5 laps freestyle, 1 breaststroke) to 8/2! My shoulders are TIRED. LOL

Regardless, things are moving along in the right direction again. I'm generally happy about where things are headed, and I feel good. I feel positive. I'm excited!

I feel like I'm getting motivated all over again!

And trust me - the fun is just getting started - I have some GREAT ideas coming soon that'll help ALL OF TEAM VOICE to get inspired and motivated! :)

Until then, my friends...

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My Own Private Symphony Orchestra

Last night I was privileged enough to attend a rehearsal for the upcoming "Around the World with Disney" concert at the Everett Symphony (www.everettsymphony.org). As you may or may not know, I will be narrating this concert - so this was my first time to work with the orchestra, the conductor, and the visuals. The concert is NEXT Saturday (September 26) and tickets are as little as $15. Two shows. 11am & 3pm.

Why does it sound like I'm trying to sell you tickets?

I AM TRYING TO SELL YOU TICKETS.

Last night was INCREDIBLE.

Music gets inside your soul - and no music more so than bright, cheery, powerful orchestral arrangements of your FAVORITE Disney movies - from The Little Mermaid and The Lion King to Mary Poppins and Song of the South.

Believe me, my friends. You do NOT want to miss this.

Granted - you won't have MY experience. A small practice room large enough to hold the orchestra, the conductor, and ME. What an amazing feeling. I had the entire concert all to myself!!!! :) Goosebumps. Tears. Smiles. Laughter. WONDERFUL.

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Disneyland Half Marathon Trip Report - Part Five - and a look Forward

My final day began with a post-race celebration at Goofy's Kitchen (thanks Justin!) where we got to hang out, have breakfast, and watch Chip re-enact a ride on Tower of Terror, among others.

After that it was off to DCA with the Fab Four! Soarin - front row center. Went to Grizzly Rapids, but it was down (YES!!! I didn't really want to ride anyhow...) - so headed over to Toy Story and California Screamin'. NICE.

Then we decided to ride Mullholland Madness. And wouldn't you know it - Fee and I were ready to climb the lift hill, and the ride goes 101. Now Chuck and Leigh on the other hand, were TRAPPED AT THE TOP. It took about 20 minutes to get them down. As Fee said - funny, but not fun - a little scary. But funny. LOL

Did some Turtle Talkin' (you can see the WHOLE show at the AATM feed on iTunes) - and headed back over to Disneyland. Roger Rabbit.

And before I knew it I was on my way to the airport. There were tears and hugs all around. And yes - where I am over a week later, and I STILL miss my DisFam. A lot. We chat online, but it's not the same.

Thank you Chuck - Leigh - Fee - for a WONDERFUL weekend. You guys so totally rock!

That being said - what's next?

Well - a few things. Short term goals - and long term goals.

Long term. Right now, I think it's realistic for me to say that I will compete in the 2011 WDW FULL MARATHON. I've done three halves in a year. And I want that Mickey Medal. Will I do Disneyland again? Maybe. A lot over the next year (Disneyland, D23, etc) depends on Elizabeth and the business frankly. But January 2011 is mine.

So how do I get there?

Well - the scale at the gym today said 332. So we HAVE GOT to lose weight. I'd like to take off another 80 pounds. 250 sounds like a nice round number. But that's a HUGE goal.

So let's start with Getting to 325. Seven Pounds. Goal #1.

Tools? Well I've decided to take a break from running for a bit - to focus on the weight. I'm going to mix up cardio with some intensive weight training. And started already this morning at the gym by SWIMMING. I adore swimming. But I forgot how HARD swimming laps is. I did SIX laps and was EXHAUSTED. I did a half marathon last weekend. HOW THE HECK DID SIX LAPS exhaust me? Regardless - we're going to do 2-3 days of swimming a week and 2-3 days of weights a week. And see how the first few weeks go. And ramp up as we go.

And as always...

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Disneyland Half Marathon Trip Report - Part Four

Ahhh race day.

What a wonderful race! We woke up at 4am and had a team voice POWER CHEER in front of the Disneyland Hotel. We were surprised by Chuck and Leigh inside the race area, and before I knew it - we were off!

It's a great course - nice and flat. Lots of backstage time. And Angels Stadium was awesome - despite being a Mariner's fan.

I kept a good pace - had minimal foot issues - and finished in 3:40.

LOVE THE MEDALS.

Congrats to ALL the Team Voicers who were there and finished!

Then I got to hang out with my sister for about an hour and head back into the parks for Fee's Small World meet! AWESOME....but no buttons. ;)

Lunch at the Bayou. The We Wants the RedHead meet!

And the - FANTASYLAND. We hung out in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland most of the afternoon (we being the fab four - Leigh, Chuck, Fee, and I).

And finally finished the day with a WONDERFUL showing of Magical. If you want to see it - the video is up on the AATM stream on iTunes!!!

Tomorrow - we wrap up the trip report and take a look FORWARD!

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Disneyland Half Marathon Trip Report - Part Three

My next day was filled with Characters.

We started with a breakfast at Minnie's place at the Plaza Inn. WOW what great character interactions. At one point we actually had Captain Hook offended and sitting in the corner with his back to us all and his arms crossed!

You had to be there.

Met Tink in Pixie Hollow!

Front row seats for Billy Hill!

And then - MUSICAL CHAIRS. For those of you who don't know - this is a daily 2:30 game in Disneyland for the kids. It's not on the times guides. And it's AWESOME. Just...go see it. TODAY. End of Main Street. Trust me. Go. Now.

Off to DCA. Saw Aladdin. Tower of Terror. Soarin.

The great part about this day was that despite having a small blister (THANK YOU LIANA FOR BRINGING ME BLISTER BANDAIDS) between my toes, Chuck and Leigh decided to MINIMIZE my walking. Lots of sitting. Lots of laughing. Minimal walking.

8:30 I headed back to the room.

Had a 4am wakeup call for the race!!!

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Disneyland Half Marathon Trip Report - Part Two

Just before dinner at Ariel's Grotto, Princess Fiona texted me. She was on her way. Little did we know that she'd become an immediate fixture in our little DisFam. What a riot she is!!! And surely - within minutes of being at Ariel's Grotto, everyone was laughing. We made the characters laugh. Made cast members dance. And just had a WONDERFUL time.

We laughed our way through a ride on the Jungle Cruise! Even came up with a new joke. All the while, we were humming "Skipper Dan".

Within 30 minutes Leigh and Fee had become BFFs. Now I understand they consider each other sisters. And I agree. They're like family to me. We bonded SO strongly.

After the Jungle Cruise we all sat our butts down and waited an hour for Fantasmic. TOTALLY WORTH IT.

During the wait, we were talking, joking, etc. Fee was worried that her meet would only be the three of us! She had wanted to get buttons, but was worried there wouldn't be enough people, and the minimum order was 10. At her meet later on Sunday, EVERYONE who was there asked for buttons. All 10 of us. :) Regardless, it became a running joke.

And let me say - having running jokes with friends in the parks is the BEST part. Forget trivia (Love ya Lou) - and backstage stuff (Love ya Paul). Just having FUN in the parks. With people you care about.

And big giant fire-breathing Dragons.

That's what it's all about.

Or is it the Hokey-Pokey.

No - that's tomorrow. ;)

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Disneyland Half Marathon Trip Report - Part One

I arrived at the Santa Ana airport around 9:30am on Friday morning. Gathered my belongings, took small children by the hand, and headed out. Alright - there were no small children - but you get the idea. I should note that you'll see VERY few pictures of my actual trip during these reports, as I used VIDEO - not a still camera. So....just let your imagination run. :)

Within about 15 minutes I'd found Leigh and her car. She'd graciously offered to pick me up from the airport, and was to be my psuedo VIP guide all weekend. And let me tell you something - she's wonderful! We talked throughout our car ride, so much so that we made no less than three U-turns trying to get from the airport to my hotel. LOL

After checking in and putting my things away, it was time to head to Disneyland! Leigh made me stop on Main Street and say hi to the Firehouse. :) Next stop - a nice hot turkey sandwich for lunch. Pirates, Mansion, and some nice walking around ensued. But Friday had a schedule to keep. At 1:15 we headed over to the Disneyland Hotel for the race expo.

What a madhouse. It opened at 2pm, and I'm SO glad we were there a little early. Got in, got my packet, and had the coast to coast bracelet attached to me. "You're not allowed to take this off until after the race!" Wow. Okay!

Now to the expo to get my shirt and goodie bag. As I'm looking through my goodie bag, I turn around, and Leigh has one! She shrugged and told me they just gave it to her. LOL

We'd been on our feet a lot, and I wanted to put them up for a bit, so we took the race stuff back to the Best Western and hung out for about an hour. Just a nice rest. Didn't want to overdo the feetsies. But I'd noticed a small blister forming between two toes on my left foot. Uhoh. I doctored it up as much as I could, and we headed back out - this time to DCA. See - at 6, we had my first official "Meet" of the trip. It was about 4ish by this time. So we did what any self-respecting Disneylander would do.

We high-tailed it to Toy Story and I then proceeded to watch Leigh kick my butt! Man!

Checked out the new boardwalk-style games on the pier - VERY nice. And before we knew it - it was about 5:30. We ambled to Ariel's Grotto to meet our group for dinner.

Which is where I'll pick up tomorrow. Because this was a VERY pivotal moment in the trip.

The SCOTTISH Invasion. :)

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I DID IT!!!

Here they are. LOUSY pictures. I'll have better soon.

This will be a short post. Slept in. :) Tomorrow I'll start a trip report. :)

Regardless, I want to thank EVERYONE for believing in me - texting me - FBing me - Tweeting me - and just....BELIEVING in me.

I'm sorry for the text issues some people had. I guess the split times weren't working right for anyone. Regardless - I finished. And FASTER than Seattle. I was about 11-12 minutes slower than Orlando, and about 13 minutes faster than Seattle. I think my time was 3:40 and a few seconds. :)

And now I'm home and feel VERY proud.

And I miss Disneyland.

And I miss my new Disneyland Family (more about this crew in the trip report).

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All my bags are packed....

I'm ready to go...

I'm standing here, inside my door.

I had to wake her up to get a ride.

But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn.

My car is waiting, blowin' it's horn.

Already I'm nearly there - I could start to cry!

So wish me lots of luck for me,

Tell me that you'll root for me,

Believe in me, cuz I won't let you down.....

I'm LEAVIN' ON A JET PLANE!!!

(Monday, I'll be back again!)

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1 Day - One More Sleep

Tomorrow morning I'm on a plane.

I'm going to the Happiest Place on Earth.

To run a race.

To see friends.

To be with my team.

To see my sister.

To ride rides.

To eat foods.

To smile.

To laugh.

To have fun.

To live it up for 4 days.

To do what I want.

To be who I am.

To make my family proud.

To make myself proud.

I'll miss Amber and Elizabeth tremendously. But I'll be filming a video journal for Elizabeth while I'm there. Which should be VERY cool. I hope I can use some of the audio for AATM too.

Regardless - tomorrow I get to see Main Street.

I wonder how it'll feel being on Main Street without Amber.

I wonder how it'll feel the first time I'm on Main Street WITH Elizabeth.

I wonder if I'll be able to sleep tonight.

See you guys when I get back. Unless you'll be there in which case - I'll see you REALLY SOON!

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2 Days - Remembering Success

Yes, I was a little fitter, and a little less stressed, and a little more prepared.

But I did it.

And then in June - I did it again at about where I am today - weight wise.

And that was a hilly, hot, course.

Disneyland is flat - and exciting - and a little more mild weatherwise.

And I have teammates and family and friends cheering me on. Some from there, some from afar.

I KNOW I can do this.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!