I Get to 'Fall In'!!!!...Kinda.....

So today has been a very long, draining day!  It started this morning before 7 a.m. with 1 of my brothers and my mom texting me saying that they already had their confirmation letters from the Marine Corp Marathon saying "Congratulations!  YOU get to 'Fall In!!!'"  So, I instantly jumped on my e-mail and saw NOTHING in my e-mail.  So I thought, 'that's ok, I have all day'.  Throughout the morning, my phone went off with various texts saying my other brother got in, then my dad got his acceptance letter at lunch-time...that's when the "crazy lady" started kicking in.  Neither Andrew or myself had heard anything about us getting in so I jumped online and started becoming an 'online stalker'.  Some people had their credit cards charged first before the e-mail so I started checking both the e-mail AND my on-line bank account (like one wasn't enough, right?).  By mid-afternoon, I was checking both every ten minutes because after going on Facebook, again, and the Official Page saying they still had 2500 people left to notify, I hoped down to the last second that ONE of us had to get an e-mail!  But, at about 5:30 p.m. central time, the Official Marine Corp Marathon Page posted the all the e-mails had gone out....neither Andrew or myself had received ours.  I was deflated, defeated, and really upset.  We did, however, receive a rejection letter 20 minutes later...that was fun. 

Ok, on to consolation bracket time:  I knew early on in the day that my mom had gotten hers, and she was going to transfer it to me so that I could run with my brothers and dad, but what about Andrew?  I just knew, that if he was ever going to run a marathon, and I mean, EVER, this was it!  I mean, come on: 30,000 runners, Washington D.C., Marines, bands, memorials, veterans, fans screaming, etc etc etc!  Sounds like a 'once in a lifetime' experience and I was gonna make him sit on the sidelines and wave at him while I ran by?  He and I were both athletes, and part of us craves that part of our life that is now long behind us in our high school and college days.  So maybe this is our way to recapture that feeling again.  So, what did I do?  I turned into 'research mode'!  THERE HAD TO BE A WAY TO GET ONE MORE SLOT!  Along came a few charities that what they do is buy entrants slots for the marathons, you pay the registration fee to them, and once you raised a certain amount for their charity, you get to run the race!  So, I decided to partner with an amazing charity called 'Fisher House' at www.fisherhouse.org that helps families of wounded soldiers, and Andrew will get my moms slot at the marathon.  Now, fortunately, my brothers were never wounded as they proudly served our country, but I really feel for those who have been. 

As I was researching about 'Fisher House', this whole day started to sink in.  From the severe disappointment, to joy of all my Johnson Family members got in, to frantically checking my e-mail, to sitting down and researching a charity.  A day that was so full of selfishness and all about "me, me, me" just turned into a completely different perspective!  This picture got so much bigger than me just running with my family at the marathon.  Now, I am running for a cause that has nothing to do with me!  It has to do with helping other people, and those people NEED our help!  Part of me is glad that I didn't get in the traditional way, now I have to 'earn it' and by 'earning it', I help others that have proudly sacrificed everything for this amazing country so that we all whole live here have this amazing life! 

Did you notice that their mascot is a HOLSTEIN COW!!!!   NOT KIDDING!!!  I'm mean, really???  I swear, it is Divine Intervention!!!  Please help me give back by clicking on the link.  I'm ready to 'Fall In', and now I get the chance to by representing so many more people than just myself.....what a day.....

I would love and appreciate your support by clicking on this link and making a donation to both the charity 'Fisher House' and also sponsoring me running in the 2014 Marine Corp Marathon: 

http://www.teamfisherhouse.org/site/TR/Event/General?px=1018517&pg=personal&fr_id=1220

So in a few months, and many miles of training, this will be me and my brother, Justin running together again.  But, this time there will be my dad, Josh, Jeremy, and Andrew beside me too with my Mom, Ellie, and all 4 of my kids waiting for me at the finish line!  Gonna need a wide-angle lens!!!  FALL IN!!!  SIR, YES, SIR!!!