Club 8 Revealed

What is Club 8? It's finally time to find out. But first....

You may have noticed a few changes around here...in the sidebar to be sure. And there are more coming before 1/1/10. A new logo, hopefully. A new color scheme. And a new attitude.

As you may have gleaned from my Christmas posts - I'm working on rebuilding myself - I'm on some anti-depressants right now - and will be working with a counselor as well - as I try to figure out how this happened to me, and how to bounce back even stronger. Although strangely - I feel energized by this. And so - I created Club 8.

Rather than just blurt it out - I want to give you a preview.

Rae asked me to be Team Voice's Member of the Month for January - and so I wrote up a post. Be warned - it's LONG. But I'm asking you PLEASE - READ IT ALL. And comment. I need to hear from you ALL over the next few days. I need to know that Club 8 is a good idea and that you're in! We'll be announcing it on the Team Voice page, as well as AATM, but YOU - my blogpeople, get a preview right now - today! EARLY! :)

Later in the week I'll lay out for you my personal plans on how to make Club 8 work for me. But for now - here is my Team Voice Member of the Month Profile - Enjoy!

"Hey everyone. You all know me - or rather - you SHOULD. Jonathan "The Voice" here. I guess you could say I inspired "Team Voice" - and was one of the founding members.

I'm honored that Rae wants to feature me as you all go out to run in the WDW Marathon weekend in just a little bit here.

But I also want to use my space here to comment on where I've been personally, what I've accomplished, and where we're ALL going in 2010 and beyond.

You see - for me - this journey started just about THREE years ago. Right around December 2006, Lou Mongello announced on Mouse|Tunes that he would be training for and running in the January 2008 WDW Half Marathon. I'd never heard of such a thing. But I've been a lifelong Disney fan. So I investigated. At this point, I'd re-found my Disney passion, even so far as taking my wife on our honeymoon to WDW.

Sure enough - I found out you got to run through the theme parks! It sounded amazing.

One problem.

I was just shy of 380 pounds.

I was on high blood pressure meeds.

I could barely walk a flight of stairs without being winded.

So what did I do? I decided to try it. I trained. I figured 2009 was a good goal. So I trained. Hard.

I bought a treadmill.

I went outside.

I got good shoes.

I got a trainer.

I lost weight.

I got off blood pressure meeds.

I started my blog: http://voiceofmousetunes.blogspot.com.

I met friends through Team Voice.

I raised money for charity.

And I got e-mail after e-mail telling me I'd inspired folks.

And in November 2008, I was down to around 290 - having lost about 85 pounds at one point.

In January I went to WDW and completed my first half-marathon: 3:27:51. What an amazing feeling. It's hard to believe, as I sit here, that it was only one year ago.

2009 has been an incredibly busy year for me - one with amazing personal joy - and equally personal stress and sorrow.

Let's start with the good things:

Finishing the WDW Half - January 09.

Finding out we were Pregnant - March 09.

Finding out it was a girl - June 09.

Finishing the Seattle RnR Half Marathon - July 09.

Opening my own Law Firm - August 09.

Finishing the DLR Half Marathon - September 09.

The Birth of Elizabeth Noelle - October 18, 2009.

And now the less than good things:

My father getting seriously ill in Oklahoma - started in October 08 and continued through April 09. I flew back and forth several times. It was decided that he should retire from the practice of medicine and move to Seattle into assisted living with my mother and grandmother in tow. We planned it for July. Work stress was mounting as the summer hit, and in July, the day I arrived in Oklahoma to wrap up the sale of my parents house, I received an e-mail letting me know I'd been laid off and to clear out my things upon my return. Without any money, we sought out loans, being turned down by every single bank. We were lucky enough to obtain a family loan to start the business in August.

Needless to say, through all of this, my training lacked, and my eating slacked. My drive diminished. My blogging started to falter. I'd announced that I'd be running in the 2011 WDW Full Marathon, and that dream seemed all but hopeless. I'd managed to stress eat myself back into the just shy of 350 range. No meds, but feeling like crud. And unsure how to bust out of this rut.

And then in October, Elizabeth was born.

And Rae asked me to write this and be featured.

And I got a few e-mails telling me people were inspired.

And I realized that I couldn't go back. I just couldn't.

So I started planning. And plotting. And scheming.

How to take it off - keep it off - and keep my passion and energy alive.

And now I'm ready to reveal my plans and plots. :)

First of all - I've decided that for me - the joy in these competitions isn't about the competition - nor is it about "personal bests". It's about INSPIRING others. It's about the MAGIC. The JOY. And my charity work. It's about being healthy and having fun. It's about being around for a long time for my daughter. And before you start nay-saying - which I know SOME of you are - yes - I've backslid, and yes, I've made commitments before - but I've also SUCCEEDED. And I CAN AND WILL SUCCEED AGAIN. What I need from you is BELIEF. LOVE. SUPPORT.

What that means is this. At least for now - I will compete only in HALF MARATHONS. And ONLY IN DISNEY PARKS. The most wonderfully motivating magical place to race in the world. That's what it's all about!

Why? Because this is where most of our teammates started - what sparked their interest - their passion. Where the "newcomers" will start. And yes - there WILL be newcomers. Who? YOU - you the one who's reading this. The one who says "No way can I do a half-marathon! I can barely walk a city block!" You the one who says "I need to lose weight, and can't quite get motivated to do so!"

YES.

YOU.

Are you listening?

I CHALLENGE YOU. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW.

It's a simple challenge.

Step one. DECIDE. Right now. To compete in the 2011 WDW HALF MARATHON. I will be there. With you. Supporting you. Every step. ALL OF US. If you'd prefer to try sooner - then how about the 2010 WINE AND DINE HALF MARATHON (A night race!!!) - I will LIKELY (money permitting) be there too.

Just decide to do it. MAKE THE CHOICE. You don't need a blog or a message board. Just DECIDE. And if you feel inclined, e-mail me - jonathan@allaboutthemouse.com

Step two. Take up the TEAM VOICE CLUB 8 challenge.

Wait - what?!?!? What the heck is Club 8? SO glad you asked.

You see - if I'm going to race in October (WIne and Dine) - I need to lose the weight I've put on, and THEN some more. About 2 pounds per week is healthy and reasonable. One month of that is EIGHT pounds. So commit to trying to lose EIGHT POUNDS per month. Eight pounds from January to October - is 80 pounds. From January to January - 120.

So - again - TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE. E-mail me. TELL ME YOU'RE DOING IT. And every month - tell me HOW it's going. And be prepared for me to challenge you further, as you will undoubtedly challenge me further. Let's do this TOGETHER.

Step Three. Make a wish.

And I mean it. MAKE THAT WISH for yourself. Wish upon that star. And then - think of making a wish for someone else. Help me by joining the Disney World Trivia Dream Team. http://www.firstgiving.com/dwtdreamteam - Every dollar goes to help make the life of a seriously ill child better by sending them to Walt Disney World. Make a commitment for yourself. And make sure Lou knows WHO it's coming from.

For instance.

I will donate ONE DOLLAR EVERY MONTH FOR EVERY POUND I LOSE. And every month, I'll tell Lou it's from Team Voice Club 8. If I do my job I should never donate less than $8 per month. If we ALL DO THAT. Think of how much money we can raise. How many dreams we can grant!!!!

Have you all seen Kate's poem? I'll reprint it here. FEEL IT. LET IT SINK INTO YOUR SOUL.

Kate and Rae and Jeff and Deb and Bryan and Paul and Lou and Lori and Fiona and Justin and Mike and Matt and ALL the Team Voicers are directly responsible for what I accomplished in 2009. And we're going to make them all responsible for what we will accomplish together in 2010.

I may have faltered, my friends, but I'm back!!! And this time - it's for keeps!!! I want to recruit NEW Teammates - and encourage you ALL to join the Club 8 challenge so much that I'll be dedicating some time on AATM to it on a regular basis. We will have a TEAM VOICE ARMY at the 2011 WDW Marathon weekend. And I'll bring up the rear to make sure we ALL FINISH.

Remember these three words. They've never been truer. Say them with me, my friends! LOUDLY AND PROUDLY!!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!!!!

"Will You Run For Me?" by Kate

Will you run for me tomorrow? Will you run for me?

I am six years old now.

I love to dress like a princess.

Mommy says I’m too young to go to Disneyland.

She says we will go when I’m older.

I want to be older now.

Will you run for me tomorrow? Will you run for me?

I’m in Kindergarten now and learning to read and write.

I love to run and play with my friends.

It feels as if life will go on forever.

Will you run for me tomorrow? Will you run for me?

I don’t know it now, but when I am eight years old I will be diagnosed with leukemia.

Will you run for me?

The cancer treatments are terrible. I don’t feel well.

Mommy says the drugs are killing the bad cancer cells.

Will you run for me?

I just want the pain to stop.

I want to feel good and happy again.

Will you run for me?

My daddy said that you will run for me.

He said that you will raise money so that we can go to Disneyland.

Thank you. Thank you for caring about me.

Thank you for letting me be a princess again.

I love you.

A poem by Kate (GoofTroop3@disneyworldtrivia.com),inspired by Jonathan’s courageous journey to the 2009 Walt Disney World half-marathon."

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

What?

What's going on? Where am I?

What day is it? *looks at calendar*

CHRISTMAS DAY! The spirits did it all in a few blog posts! Of course they did - they can do what they like you know!

MERRY CHRISTMAS BLOGPEOPLE!

MERRY CHRISTMAS BEDFORD FALLS!!!! (forgive me for mixing metaphors)

MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU BEAUTIFUL OLD BUILDING AND LOAN!!!!

And a merry christmas to you, my friends, followers, teammates, and spirits.

I have learned a great lesson these past days - and I swear I will not be the man I have been this past year (six months, whatever). I will take the time that I have left to live, and I will give it all that I have got left to give. How? What's my plan?

First step - recognizing that I can't do it alone. As such, I've seen my doctor, been prescribed a low-dose anti-depressant, and given a referral to a counselor. It's time to work through whatever caused me to self-medicate.

Second - YOU all. Getting re-active with Team Voice. And Club 8. On Monday, right here, I'll be revealing my plans for 2010 and beyond. I'll be announcing Club 8. And I'll be asking you ALL to join me. I'll also be making the announcement on AATM and as January 2010's Team Voice Member of the Month.

Third - and possibly most important of all - I will focus on the positives I have before me. The things that keep me strong and healthy. Forget Zuzu and her petals.

Check out MY family's first Christmas together!

And what a wondrous feeling - to know you're alive - and loved - and that you have people in your life you can love.

I want to thank you all for joining me on this journey. I want to thank you all in advance for your support during 2010. And for joining up with Club 8! (Trust me - you'll LOVE this on Monday).

And I want to wish you a VERY Merry Christmas today. Enjoy your families. Your friends. Your loved ones. And never forget those who allow you to take a look back and help to change the people you are into the people you always wished you could be.

Atta boy, Clarence.

And of course, as Tiny Tim himself once exclaimed.

God Bless Us, Every One.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

Are you the ghost of Christmas yet to come?

*nod*

Are you here to show me shadows of the things that will be?

*nod*

Ghost of the future, I fear you more than any spirit I have thusly met, but as I know your intention is to do me good, I will bear you company.

Why it's the Disneyland Half Marathon! Look at all the people who are there!

Where am I spirit? Am I in the crowd?

Am I able to continue racing?

Why can't I see myself there?

Have I given up?

Has my sadness and lack of coping skills cost me my dearest hobby and greatest physical success?

A wedding...?

Who is that beautiful woman?

Why....it's Elizabeth. My beautiful daughter all grown up!

But wait...

Why did her mother give her away?

Amber! Amber?

She can't hear me, spirit.

Where have I gone? Why is my family broken?

Alone. In a sea of depression.

Adrift in a wash of despair.

Using food and other vices as coping skills to self-medicate. That's what my doctor said. I remember it, spirit. I saw my doctor just yesterday. She prescribed medicine. A counselor as well.

Does this mean I fail?

Does this mean I'm not able to recapture the best parts of myself?

Find my way back to my family? Find my way back to my health? To my team?

Spirit....show me. Tell me. What's to become of me?

Why am I missing from each of these images?

Oh spirit, no.

Please, how am I to change these images, if I am no longer here to effectuate those changes!

I have learned from your visit, spirit! I have learned what is important. I have learned how vital it is to take care of oneself - ones family - ones own health! I will honor the spirit of this and the spirit of Christmas every day spirit, if I can but wipe away the images before me!

PLEASE spirit. Tell me there is a chance I may yet change these images! PLEASE. My doctor, my team, my counselor! PLEASE SPIRIT. I WILL CHANGE.

I will NOT be the man I was this year. I will be the man I always have wished to be inside - I will be healthy - happy...

PLEASE SPIRIT! I BEG OF YOU!

SPEAK COMFORT TO ME!!

........

........

MAIN STREET.....

(Tomorrow - the redemption of the Voice - and answers from some of these revelations for you all....)

The Ghost of Christmas Present

Now Jonathan. It is time to see how this year has affected you. How it has contributed to your follies.

Consider first, your parents...

Consider your father. A man of only 64 years old. His body and mind have been ravaged by illnesses too numerous to count. Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, Chronic Asthma, Chronic Pneumonia, MRSA, and more. All of this since turning 55. His health has slowly declined to the point where you had to force the issue of his retirement from the practice of medicine, and move him into assisted living with your mother and grandmother.

Yes, spirit. Always such a vibrant lively man. And now, to see how frail he has become wounds me to the soul.

Yes. And yet, you walk his pathways this year. You allow yourself to treat yourself with disdain.

And your mother...

No spirit. Please do not...I can't bear to talk of it.

Then I will simply remind you that you that your mother took it upon herself not three days after your daughter was born to attempt suicide.

Which I haven't even fully thought of or dealt with. In fact, nobody knows.

Shall we discuss your job situation over the last year?

I think it's well known that I lost a job and have struggled to start a new firm. It is succeeding, however, spirit.

But not without sacrifice. Not without stress. Consider that your known vices are rearing their ugly heads again this year. Emotional eating, emotional spending, and more.

Yes spirit. I know. And it's coming to a head. It's becoming unbearable to feel what I feel. And it begins to affect those around me. Those I cherish.

Lest we forget the good feelings...

It is her first Christmas with you and your wife.

You can clearly see the love you have for her.

Yes spirit. And the nearly sixty extra pounds I'm carrying.

Why do you wish to focus there? Focus on the positives. Focus your energy on change.

How do you change when you can't focus? When you don't know where to begin? This feels....deeper than just diet and exercise.

Then seek out the help you need.

You have a support network. A wife, a daughter, a sister. Family and friends. Who will help and support you as you reclaim your passion and optimism. As you reclaim your body and mind. Surely you remember them. And consider that at this moment, members of YOUR team voice - a team named for you - are training hard to overcome challenges in January. They are celebrating their successes, and they were started on their paths by you.

I could not forget them if I tried. My family. My supporters. My teammates. My friends. My beautiful daughter.

My wife.

My wife who stands by me no matter what. No matter how far I sink. No matter how slippery my road gets. She reaches out to me and tells me she is there for me. Reminds me that she believes in me. That she will help me. If I will work hard to help myself.

Indeed, Jonathan. Christmas is a time for revelation and redemption. A time to remember what is important and reclaim it.

I will, Spirit! I will. I will keep the spirit of Christmas alive in my heart. I will find the strength to change and challenge the vices of the past, and the trials of the last year. I will climb out of the depths I am in, and I will seek out the help and support to do so! I will encourage others to do so as well! I will create ways for others to join in my quest!

Now now, Jonathan. You may have seen your slide. But you cannot be truly ready to change. Not until you face what all men fear the most. The spirit you will face on the holiest night of them all...Christmas Eve.

The ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

The Ghost of Christmas Past

Are you the spirit who's coming was foretold to me?

I am the ghost of Christmas Past.

Long past?

No. Your past. Christmas time has always been something you've held in your heart and celebrated all the year through, and it is at this time of year that you are most retrospective, giving me the chance to show you your own past, both the good and the bad. Rise and walk with me through your past, Jonathan.

Even as a boy you were always jolly at the holiday season. Happy. And you still are. Yet, there is a problem. What is the problem?

There's no problem.

Do you know this place?

Know it? Why I could walk it's halls blindfolded! I grew up here! And Jennifer! My sister!

A glorious Christmas morning, no? As a child, Christmas was filled with wonder and delight. As an adult, still...but again...something missing. Yes?

I don't know what you're referring to.

Don't you?

I recall this...it was in this diner that I decided....

To participate in your first half marathon. And you weighed in at nearly 380 pounds at the time. You used the spirit of joy and happiness at the holidays to propel you into action at the first of the year.

I know. I was so excited about it. I used the excitement of the project to inspire others and push myself forward.

And in one short year....

You found yourself having made great success.

I was so proud of myself. So happy with how I felt in the parks that December. My first MouseFest. I got comments from all my supporters and sponsors that told me how well it was going...and something else happened....

Yes. A group walk. Early in the morning. At the Boardwalk Inn.

The first Team Voice Meeting...

One year later, you hosted your first local fan meet. And look at you. How much did you weigh?

I was at my lowest weight. I was around 290. I'd lost over 80 pounds total. I felt on top of the world.

It would be one month later that you'd finally complete that half-marathon yes?

Oh yes. What a feeling...incredible.

Two more in the coming year. Each successively slower. Each time, you'd be successively heavier. The stress of your life had caused you to lose sight of your goals, and get complacent. You forgot what drove you. What inspired you. And you lost sight of it.

No, spirit! I still know what drives me!

You do not. If you did, then we would not be here. We show you shadows of the things that were, are, and will be, and our time on this earth is short. But we are here to do you good, and so do not fight us. Accept what we offer you as gifts.

Oh, spirit. I do accept it. It is hard for me to see how far I'd come. How happy I was. And to know how close I have come to giving it all up.

Remember Jonathan, these images are not magic. YOU created them. You fashioned the success yourself.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

A Vist from Marley

Jonathan...

How now? What do you want with me?

Much.

For a year you have floundered in a sea of despair, depression, celebration, and stress. You have wasted the gifts you've worked hard to obtain in life. You have abandoned your health. And you are on a precipice.

No. I haven't. I'm not. It's just been a hard year. Things can turn around. Things will turn around. Why have you come to bother me, and what is that great chain you carry?

I wear the chain I forged in life. I consumed it's weight...pound by pound. Ounce by ounce. Your chain was as long and heavy as mine, seven Christmases ago. I come to you today with this chance. This one chance to help prove you right. Otherwise, your fate will be sealed, and you will be doomed for all time.

You've always been a good friend to me, Goofy. Thank you.

Over the next week - this blog will be visited by three spirits.

Um...I think I'd rather not.

Expect the first on Monday...

The second on Tuesday...

And the third....on....Thursday.

Can we not just have them all on Monday and get it over with?

No. Listen to these spirits. Learn from them. Or your fate will be worse than mine. My time grows short, and I must leave you.

No Goofy! I have so many questions! Can you speak comfort to me?

I have none to give.

Farewell Jonathan...remember what has passed between us.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Pieces of....

Eight (N.) - from Wikipedia:

Eight is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.

A figure eight is the common name of a geometric shape, often used in the context of sports, such as skating.

In nuclear physics, eight is the second magic number.

Eight is the atomic number of oxygen.

Timothy Leary identified a hierarchy of eight levels of consciousness.

The Dharmacakra, a Buddhist symbol, has eight spokes.

Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday.

In Christianity, eight refers to what is beyond time.

In Islam, eight is the number of angels carrying the Holy Throne of Allah in heaven.

In Hinduism, eight is the number of wealth and abundance.

Eight is a lucky number to both the Chinese and Japanese, as it relates to abundance, prosperity and wealth. The Beijing Olympics were started at 8:08:08 PM on 8/8/08.

There are eight notes in a musical octave.

Significance to Team Voice Members:

Eight is the cornerstone of CLUB 8.

Open for membership January 1.

Explanation coming soon.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Club what now?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

COMING SOON

What does 2010 hold for the Voice of Mousetunes? For Team Voice? The mysterious CLUB 8?

Stay tuned.

More magic, mayhem, Elizabeth pictures, inspiration, TRAINING, and goal setting is coming VERY soon.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Who's this "Jim" dude anyhow?

Hi everyone, it's Elizabeth again! Well - Runny Bunny is writing for me again...still can't get the hang of these fingers...

Anyhow - this morning I'm really proud of my daddy! See - the big dinner holiday with the turkey is all over now, and all the tree decorations are up and there are pretty lights everywhere (I like lights!) - and daddy's been trying to exercise at home as much as possible, because - well - I'm still not the most consistent sleeper.

But this morning - daddy said he was going out to "the Jim". Not really sure who this Jim guy is - but Daddy got all dressed like for a workout, and went out and came back all tired. Said he hung out on a lip-tical machine for 20 solid minutes (and let me tell you something - 20 minutes is a LONG time for me). He said he was tired but felt really good to get back on track...which makes no sense...since he wasn't on a track, but on a lip-tical...

Anyhow I'm proud of my daddy for working on getting as healthy for me as he can. And I'm thankful for this "Jim" guy....whoever he is...and for you, computer people...for believing in him.

I love my daddy!

And he says that MAIN STREET AWAITS...wherever that is...