Hiking Through Life

Bold Fresh Spoiled

Chad — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:32:34 +0000

We’ve had a lot of snow here in DC this year already and if you’ve been watching the news you probably know that another big storm is rolling through this weekend. As much as 20 – 25 inches is expected. We already went through one storm in December where we received 24 inches. Anyway… enough about that. Jen’s Mom paid us a visit in December to celebrate Christmas with us. My parents visited the last week of January. Emily Kate had a good time playing with them while they were here. My dad bought tickets to the Bold Fresh tour (Bill O’Reilly and Glen Beck tour) for the Norfolk show. DC is about 3 hours drive north and they were calling for a big storm in Norfolk so we traveled down their on Friday to ensure we could make it to the show Saturday. After we got there and got settled into our hotel after eating dinner and looking forward to relaxing for the evening we found out the event had been canceled! So we packed up and drove back to Woodbridge. The Governor of Virginia had declared a state of emergency because Norfolk was expecting 12 inches of snow. Apparently it was supposed to be the biggest storm to role through there in 20 years. The snow storm DC had in December was the 7th biggest storm for DC and they are expecting the one this weekend to top that. So much for global warming… below is a photo of the snow from December.

Avatar

Chad — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:44:06 +0000

I saw Avatar yesterday in IMAX 3D… the best way to describe it in just a couple words is simply stunning! I was amazed sort of like I was amazed the first time I saw The Matrix… and probably like people were amazed the first time they saw Star Wars back in the day. I really did not know much about the movie before I went except for a few people told me I should go see it. It was the first movie I saw in a theater since the summer of ‘08 and it was well worth it. It was just a visual masterpiece. With the crystal clear 3D projection and the precision of the picture it felt like you were right there with them. If you’re scared of heights you will definitely feel that scary feeling of looking over a cliff if you watch this movie in 3D. It is just unbelievable what they were able to accomplish with CGI in this film. Now, beyond the amazing special effects it was a good story… it was a nice balance of action and blowing things up with a little drama and romance. However, I will say that the story is nothing new… This movie is basically Dances With Wolves on another planet with a lot more action.

Many people I know have been investing in big screen HD TVs with digital surround sound… I’m here to tell you that all that money spent on a home theater system will not do this movie justice. To really get the awe inspiring effect of this movie it needs to be seen in a theater in 3D or better yet, IMAX 3D.

My Little Turkey

Chad — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:01:26 +0000

My wonderful wife made the dress Emily Kate is wearing in the photo above. She wore it several times around Thanksgiving and we couldn’t go anywhere with out people telling us how cute the dress was and how cute Emily Kate looked wearing it. I told Jen that she needs to start making them and selling them on eBay!

Brazilian Court Orders U.S. Boy to Be Returned to Father

Chad — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:31:04 +0000

Brazilian Court Orders U.S. Boy to Be Returned to Father – Local News | News Articles | National News | US News – FOXNews.com

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It is about time. This boy has been unjustly held by his step-father in Brazil for the past 5 and a half years! I will be surprised if his real dad actually gets to take him home. His step-father has been pretty persistent about filing appeals at just the right time to keep the boy in Brazil.

Marathon Completed

Chad — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:30:19 +0000

So I know I am a little slow with this update but better late than never. I completed the Marine Corps Marathon and raised a grand total of $2710 for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors! That is $90 over my goal of raising $100 per mile! I completed it in 5 hours and 22 minutes. My cousin Natalie, who came out from Colorado and ran it too, left me in her dust and completed it in 3 hours and 39 minutes to qualify for the Boston Marathon! It was a beautiful day with highs in the 60s and no wind. Perfect for marathon running. I had a great time (even towards the end when it started to hurt… there is just something about running with 25,000 people that is fun) and I left with a great sense of accomplishment! It was quite the rush running up the hill towards the Iwo Jima memorial with the big crowd of people cheering all the way to the finish. If you’re interested you can view photos of me running at the following link: http://community.marathonfoto.com/1369/finisher.cfm?bib=32656&lastName=Johnson

Thanks again to everyone who donated to my cause! TAPS is a great organization. I got this email today from a staff member with an update about the recent events at Ft Hood:

Undoubtedly, you have heard about the tragedy at Fort Hood and the 13 families who are at the dawn of their grief for their fallen military loved ones.

At this time, we simply want to say thank you for your support of TAPS, because you truly made it possible for our organization to fulfill our mission within the first few days of this tragedy.

Because of your past support, we were able to respond immediately to the need at Fort Hood, AND to those extended family members affected nationwide. Our crisis hotline saw a 200% increase in call volume over the last 4 days, and we know the calls will keep coming.

More than 80% of the families who lost their loved ones at Fort Hood reside outside of that immediate area, and TAPS is the only organization with the resources, staff and network of survivors nationwide to reach them in their time of need.

And now, we know the path of healing will lead many Fort Hood survivors on a journey for years to come. With your continued support, TAPS will stand ready to help those families for as long as they need us.

As the holiday season approaches, please keep TAPS and the families like those affected by Fort Hood in mind. Your donations help make a difference for those suffering the loss of a military loved one!