April 26, 2009 - Checking off items on the Bucket List

Crossing things off the list!

It always feels good to check something off the "Bucket List" and this weekend I finally checked off another item from the list! This weekend Jennifer and I ran in the Melbourne Art Festival 5k Flamingo Run. The race kicked off at 8am and we were done and walking around the art festival by 9am!
So, the "Bucket List"..........Many of you know that I am not a fan of heights. Some might even say that I am afraid of heights, so when we signed up for the 5K I was a little nervous because we had to run over a bridge. Yep, a real bridge that goes over water!

It sounds silly, but I have always wanted to walk/run over a bridge. We use to drive over the bridge on the way to St. Mary's every morning for elementary school. I always use to think "I sure hope we don't get stuck up here". Well, as I got older, I realized I had a fear.....so I set a goal to one day walk over a bridge.

When the race started, my goal was to finish the race (because I never run), beat my time from the "Tunnel to Towers Run", and to not get distracted by the bridge! The race started out pretty well - the first hundred yards were really easy, I had a slight iPod challenge, but I fixed it pretty quickly but not before thinking "great, now I am going to have to run this stupid 5K without any music" (can you tell how much I like to run). Once I fixed my iPod about 300 yards into the race and started listening to my "5K" playlist, the song "Stronger" from Kanye West started to play......just about the same time my legs started to feel like Jell-O....how ironic:-) We hit the base of the bridge around the 3/4 of a mile mark. I was a little nervous at first, but I kept reminding myself about my goal, and that when the race is over, I would be able to check this small accomplishment off the list!

Here is a pre-race picture at 7:50am. Ya know, I don't know why I keep calling it a "race"....
well, I guess I was racing Jenn. Oh yeah, another goal was to finish before Jenn.....hahaha Isn't Jenn cute holding her water at the finish line?
Jenn and I both shaved a few minutes off our times. I think Jenn was 2 minutes faster and I was about 3 minutes faster than our last 5K. That is a pretty big accomplishment considering we don't run that much......well, I never run!
I had another funny thought during the race.......when I played baseball, all my coaches made us run miles and miles - and I HATED every bit of it...........who would have thought that I would one day run for fun?????

I felt really good after the race. I even told Jenn that I must be in better shape because I felt so good...........Now today is a different story.....I now feel like knives are driving into my legs every time I take a step....HAHAHAHA

Check out these mirrors! How cool would these be in our place in Houston? Not that we are going back to Houston, but how well would these mirrors match the decor? I told Jenn we should buy them, then match our next place to the mirrors.............but she said that might not be the best idea.......she normally knows best!

Check out Maddie & Dexter below - aren't they cute???

One last thing! You must try the new Doritos! You will not believe how much they taste like their theme.

The "Tacos at Midnight" tastes just like tacos. You actually get a hint of lettuce, sour cream, and cheese.....its NUTS!!!!

Have a great week everyone! If you're bored, drop me a line at marcmagnone@gmail.com!

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April 21, 2009....Catching up!

Let's catch up!

A few weeks ago I made a short visit to San Francisco - which I must say is a very cool place! I packed a ton into my short time in San Fran, including having breakfast with Shay and John Sampson. I took a few pictures, however I somehow forgot to have a picture taken at breakfast, so instead, I figured I would post this picture from the Hotel. I stayed at the Hotel Frank in Union Square. The Hotel was very cool, sleek, and clean.......clean is key for me:)

The Hotel Frank is a 12 story hotel with an elevator (of course), however there is also a staircase in the middle of the hotel. So the picture above is a picture I took from the 12th floor looking down..........it looks a little cooler blown up, but the blog version should give you an idea..........I also took this picture with the iPhone, so the quality is only medium.


Last week we saw Aliens vs Monsters in 3D - ironically filmed in San Francisco.......anyway, here is a picture of me trying to walk around with 3D glasses.....everything seems to come at you when you are walking wearing 3D glasses.

Maddie & Dexter heard that if they dig deep enough on Merritt Island that they will hit water. So, for the past couple weeks we have noticed a few new holes popping up in the yard. Well, I saw Maddie digging this hole in the video, so I ran to grab the camera.

When I returned with the camera, the princess jumped out of the hole, and left her brother to be blamed......[Maddie whispering to Dexter as I am standing at the door] "Dex, get out of the hole, Dex, Dex, DEXTER, get out of the hole"

Last Saturday was Margarita Saturday! Yes, it is a real holiday, it was founded on April 18, 2009. That is the day that Jenn decided to upgrade her running shoes. She bought 2, yes 2 pairs of running shoes for the quality and padding of the shoe, not the color and weight. She picked up a pair of Asics Nimbus 10 running shoes and a pair of Saucony ProGrid Triumph 6 running shoes. [As a tear comes to my eye] "I am so proud of her!"Dexter tried to get in on the action, but he is under age! He begged, but we did not want the dog police to come after us.......

Here are a few more pictures & movies from Margarita Saturday!

Isn't Dexter a cool pup?



This is Dexter's initial approach into the pool......with Maddie close by.....

.......and we have lift off!!!!!!

Maddie has not quite mastered the art of diving and swiming..........but she loves to run around and coach Dexter & Wally.
We are not sure what she tells Wally - all we know is that we think she is encouraging him!

This is Maddie's corner! She has friends behind both fences. Isn't she cute:-)

Dexter & Maddie tend to play a little longer than Wally. Once he gets tired, he likes to sit in the grass and babysit. He gets paid 2 treats an afternoon.

Maddie & Dexter love to cuddle up. They love each other so much..... They are cuddled up next to Wally's chair....This is their bed................
After a long weekend of buying shoes, playing with the dogs, hanging out at the pool, and getting some sun..........we had a wonderful dinner! Yes fellas, don't be Jealous!

Have a great week!

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April 12, 2009 - Easter Weekend

Happy Easter!


We had a great Easter weekend! Jenn took Friday off to spend the day with her amazing husband! We went to breakfast in the morning, went to the gym, had a nice lunch, got a massage, hung out at the pool, capped it off with a nice dinner, then we watched Slumdog Millionaire. Have you seen that movie? WOW, what a great movie.....with a solid storyline. It's a must see!

On Saturday we got up early to watch the surf competition at the Cocoa Beach Pier! We kicked off the day with breakfast at Debbie's Diner, stopped by Ron Jon Surf Shop, parked at the Pier, and headed to the beach. We normally go to the beach at the Hilton because they have a pool and restaurant - but since the Surf Contest was at the Pier, we tried to get as close as possible and luckily, we found a spot.


On our way to beach, we went on the Pier to check it out....... We snapped this picture before we got fried on the beach hahahahaha (Actually, we ended up not getting burnt, but the picture still turned out well)Isn't Jenn cute in her stylish glasses:)



We got to the beach around 11am, so there were not many people settled in yet, but all the booths were set up.............which means Jenn did a little prospecting on the fly!

Once we got settled, Jenn insisted that we take a picture, but SHE wanted to take the picture.....and she is still learning how to take a "couples self portrait", so I think this is picture number 10......however it looks pretty good for a rookie.

After the beach we came home to hang at the pool with the pups! Maddie, Dexter, and Wally!

Dexter is praticing for the swimsuit edition coming out in a few weeks (it will be featured on maddieanddexter.com )

This is my favorite picture - it took us about 20 shots to get all three dogs together long enough to get one bloggable shot.
Dexter is learning new things everyday! A couple months ago we started with fetch....and we are still learning - however, he has not learned the "release" command yet. Maddie learned to fetch about 3 weeks later than Dexter, however she dropped the ball from the start.....I guess Dexter just likes the taste.....
This is the best part about having all 3 dogs together. We toss 2 or 3 balls and they all chase after them. Normally we get two out of three back........while Maddie finds a nice spot to roll around in the grass.

SWIMMING LESSONS!
Yes, swimming lessons. Maddie & Dexter are taking swimming lessons everyday. Dexter was the first to jump on the first step of the pool - as expected and predicted! We estimated that Maddie would follow around the thrid week.....and she did! This picture shows Dexter on the first step of the pool!
Dexter is well on his way to being a great swimmer - now notice where Maddie is sitting:). This picture was taken on Saturday, however on Sunday Maddie paddled for the first time......woohoo!

Wally has been a pro-swimmer for the past 10 years. Actually, he caught on much faster than Dexter. Wally is a unique dog and not many dogs compare to him. Sadly he is getting old, so he cannot run as fast, or jump as high, but he sure does a good job keeping up with Dexter & Maddie. Wally is the most loyal dog, with a HUGE heart! It's so nice to hanging with him again.

Here is a quick shot of Wally in action. He still swims like a pro! He might not take a running start and jump to the middle of the pool, but once he gets in the pool from the top step, he still swims very well!

Here is dexter in action. Saturday he needed a little coaching, but on Sunday he was swimming on his own!

Try to keep your eyes off the swim instructor and focus on Dexter.

We had a great Easter Dinner. Mom always cooks a great meal! Between my parents and Jenn's parents, there is not a Holiday that goes by without an awesome meal! This picture was taken after dinner. We figured everyone takes picture of the food when it first hits the table......but you never know if the food is any good. So we decided to take a picture after dinner to show how much we loved the food!

Easter is a very special time of year! Please take a second to be thankful for all the great things in your life, all the wonderful friends & family that surround you, and the bright future that shines ahead!From all the Magnone's - HAPPY EASTER!

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April 9, 2009 - Hanging in Florida

What's Happening in Florida?

Jenn and I have been hiding in Merritt Island Florida for the past couple weeks. We are having a great time relaxing, spending time by the pool, laying on the beach, and playing with the pups in the backyard!

Two weeks ago we spent the weekend on the beach at the Hilton Hotel in Melbourne. It was very nice and relaxing.......exactly what we needed after traveling all over the country:) We found a pretty good dinner place called Meza Luna in Melbourne. The food was really good, but the service was kinda slow.........however, the food definitely made up for the slow service.

The pups are having a blast together. All they do is play outside and sleep inside! Maddie has a few new friends in the neighborhood. They spend hours talking to each other through the fence. To the human ear it sounds like "barking", but in the dog world, it's called "talking"

Maddie and Dexter pretty much took over the office. They come and go as they please when they are not outside........and they just play and play!

Uncle Wally is a big fan of Royal Canine Adult 27. He still eats his food, but he likes to sneak a few bites of M&D's dinner.
Maddie & Dexter have found a bunch of new things to do in the backyard! They love to run in the grass, smell the flowers, chase each other from side to side, talk to the neighbors, eat oranges, stand on the first step of the pool...............oh, and ah, they learned how to dig holes!
I have to admit, even though they are digging holes, they are just so cute, how can you be mad at them? hahahah
After a long day of playing outside, running in and out of the office, chatting with the neighbors, and trying to keep up with Me & Jenn.........the pups are wiped out! Wally has his own chair, but since Maddie & Dexter are just visiting, we made them a special bed. I will say that they are all starting to share the chair. Normally it's just Wally, or just Maddie & Dexter........soon we will have a mixed batch:)
This is my normal spot during the day when I am not coaching baseball or working out. It's quite comfortable......and my watch dogs make sure I am safe!

Take a good, hard look deep into the this picture.......
Everyone has "THAT" neighbor that does something silly......well this neighbor does not like the dryer. He likes to air dry all of his clothes - including his underwear.........yes, his underwear, socks, undershirts, just about anything...... So if you look just over the fence, there is a nice shot of all his clothes. Your first thought is that they are probably pillowcases, but they are his underwear ;-)

Many of you guys know my Dad.......he is one of the most favorite people in my life. Well, when he was younger, he had a musical talent (that he did not pass down to me), and was in a band called "Universal Joint"! He said it is named after a car part........so i guess one of the guys in the band came up with the name because my dad does not know much about cars. Look at the picture and try to pick him out......

In case you could not find him, he is the third from the right:) Styling as usual!

Have a great week everyone!

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