Eli & Cami Bremer

The Itchy & Scratchy Show

2010-02-19T17:00:00.002-07:00

Here's a tribute to Itchy-and-Scratchy. Two individual kitties but very much a team, as you will see. Thank you, Lord, for the 3.5 wonderful years we had with Itchy, who was laid to rest on Valentine's Day 2010.

Merry Christmas 2009!

2009-12-13T22:26:00.002-07:00

To everything there is a season…a time to live and a time to die. Unfortunately for us this year has been full of people we love leaving this earth. Perhaps not what you expect to hear in the first line of a Christmas letter, huh? But fortunately for all, God sent a Savior so that we might have eternal life, and there’s no better time than Christmas to reflect on the people he’s blessed our lives with. And those friends’ departures from this earth have defined us more than anything else in the last year.

This Bremer Christmas update is in memory of the following friends and family:
--Nina Bremer (Eli’s grandmother)
--Jimi Flowers (Eli’s swim coach and friend)
--Katie Friedman (dear friend and wife of Eli’s groomsman Jon)
--Dane Nowells (friend and political activist)

Given that I didn’t get my usual Christmas letter out last year, we have a lot to catch you up on! 2008 was full of travel for both of us, as we realized that the opportunity to travel abroad could be closing with Eli’s possible retirement from athletics. So Spring and Summer 2008 were full of trips to Madrid, Prague, Budapest, Palm Springs, Chicago, Washington DC, and of course Beijing. In May, I left my job as Regional Director at the American Heart Association (an organization still VERY close to my heart) to pursue several opportunities. First and foremost, I wanted to support my husband in his Olympic endeavors, and the media, sponsorship and PR opportunities we had been working on developing for years were finally coming to fruition. Eli’s business, 5Ring Insight was also coming to fruition, and we all know that startups work best when they have both a visionary (Eli) AND an implementer (me)! As if that weren’t enough reason, we had 20 friends and family to organize overseas travel for AND I was being presented with numerous opportunities in the political arena. That being said, God made it fairly clear that he had other plans for me…

Eli trained as never before during late 2007 and 2008, and his performances were showing that. After a 5th place finish at a World Cup and a 12th place finish at World Championships, Eli was feeling as if an Olympic medal was within reach. So it was with much excitement, focus and determination that he headed for Beijing in early August. After Opening Ceremonies in Beijing, Eli and his teammates flew to a training camp in Singapore. During that trip, Eli had a horrible riding accident—an accident that threatened his ability to compete just days later in the competition for which he had been preparing his whole life. Medical staff in Singapore was unable to get him the treatment he needed, so just a week before he was supposed to compete in Beijing, Eli was put in a neck collar and flown on a redeye back to the Olympic Village in Beijing for medical treatment of severe whiplash and concussion.

There’s a saying in pentathlon that you’re not an Olympian until you’ve fired that first shot (shooting is the first of the 5 pentathlon disciplines). So as family and friends were arriving to watch Eli, he was unbeknownst to most of us, just struggling to reach the competition day and fire that first shot. That he did, as well as competed through all five disciplines in his Olympic debut. Watching him emotionally struggle through a rocky start was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, but also the most rewarding. I was so proud of him, and as he finished his long day with an outstanding swim, ride and run, showing his true patriotism and what the Olympics are all about. Friends and family there to witness couldn’t be any prouder. Feel free to hear this story in his own real-time words and emotions at his blog on EliBremer.com.

Eli was disappointed in his 22nd place finish, largely because he knew he had been in the best shape of his life and had been physically prepared up to that point. But with confidence that God reigns supreme in his life, he quickly shifted gears to focus on the upcoming World Cup Final, which was largely against the same Olympic competitors. Eli had promised his teammate Dennis he would train with him just as hard after the Olympics with the goal of Dennis having a good showing at World Cup Final in October. (After being one of three American men to qualify for the Olympics, Dennis was not named to the 2-man team. After that disappointment, Dennis personally committed himself to helping Eli train that last few months before the Games in exchange for Eli’s continuation through World Cup Final in October.) So in Portugal, at what was largely believed to be Eli’s last pentathlon ever, Eli and Dennis showed American strength, finishing 3rd and 4th respectively. Pretty good way to end a career, huh? Maybe…

During the last year and a half since the Olympics, Eli has concentrated on getting 5Ring Insight (5RI) up and running. The company landed its first contract with Lockheed Martin corporate in Washington DC and it’s been off to the races since. Several contracts, alliances and deals are in the works now, and we have confidence that God will provide through at least one of them. Meanwhile, pentathlon underwent a format change, and Eli’s interest in continuing the newly-reformed sport was piqued. So ‘dabbling’ in the new format, building his business, and quite frankly, resting from the pressure of constant performance, was Eli’s story of 2009.

I mentioned earlier ‘political opportunities’ that arose for me last year. After handing over 5RI reins to a newly-hired business manager, I opened my own consulting firm. Specializing in events, fundraising, media and marketing, I have made a name for myself as a political consultant in Colorado. I am continually humbled by the opportunities I am given, and I pray for wisdom as I navigate the ever-changing (and not always reliable) world of politics.

We are also still grateful to have a ‘small group’ of young married friends always with us as we walk through life. Our small group is not so small anymore, as we have grown to 14 couples. (That means there are 28 people around my dinner table when we’re all in town!) We do service projects, dinners, bible studies and outings together, but most of all we enjoy the fellowship of others who are at the same stage of life we are.

On the family front, we have 4 nephews and 2 nieces, and we LOVE being Aunt Cami and Uncle Eli. You will find pictures of many of them in our photo slide show. To sum our life up, we are blessed. Thank YOU for being a part of our blessed lives!

Merry Christmas! Please view our Christmas photo slideshow...

Eli & Cami Bremer
www.EliBremer.com
www.5RingInsight.com
www.CamiBremer.com

It's like the Bible was written exclusively for me...

2009-06-26T10:00:00.004-06:00

"My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about, and Mary has discovered it."

--Jesus

Olympics, Here We Come!!!

2008-08-04T15:40:00.003-06:00

Friends and family--

First and foremost, thank you SOO much for your prayers and support over the last few years. I am overjoyed to announce that Eli is on his way to Beijing for the Olympic Games! We have had numerous questions recently about what friends and family not travelling to Beijing can do to support Eli. So here's the list...

• PRAY! For peaceable team dynamics (the team will be together for three weeks prior to competing), for health during travel, for mental clarity and focus, for personal bests in each individual discipline of the Modern Pentathlon, for enjoyment, for post-Olympic career plans and FOR THE GLORY!
• VISIT Eli's website at www.elibremer.com often for media updates, news and blog posts. Eli's blog has also been sydicated by Lenovo, USA Today, and NBCOlympics.com, so the blog is updated about every 2 days.
• EMAIL your good luck wishes no later than August 19 either through the website or to 2008Olympian@gmail.com.
• WATCH Eli compete via streaming video. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. MST (8:30 p.m. EST and 5:30 p.m. PST--see schedule at www.elibremer.com) on August 20, Eli's event will be broadcast live via streaming video on the Internet. We will have the link on Eli's homepage, but the broadcast will originate from http://www.nbcolympics.com/modernpentathlon/index.html. We will not know about television coverage until the day-of.
• DONATE online at http://www.elibremer.com/contact.htm to offset training, marketing, and travel costs. Anyone donating $50 or more between now and August 10 will receive a free Eli Bremer T-shirt (to wear on August 20!). The Tshirts can also be purchased separately and mailed to you for $15. For more information about what the money will be used for, see 6/21/08 blog post entitled, "The Cost of Excellence". Again, your order must be received no later than August 10 to receive your shirt before August 20. When using PayPal, just put your requested size(s) and mailing address in the comments section.

Thank you all for your love, support and prayers! Feel free to forward this on...

World Championships Wives' Club

2008-06-20T10:32:00.000-06:00

One of Eli’s best pentathlon buddies watched his longtime girlfriend and British teammate Katie Livingston run into the bronze medal position yesterday. I overheard him later talking about how nervous he was while watching the ride (which can sometimes really shake the rankings up). “Welcome to the club,” I thought. The wives club, that is.

It is common knowledge among the US pentathletes that I never quite get to see the full event—that is because I’m turning away or closing my eyes during the first half of Eli’s ride. Eli’s actually a wonderful rider, but it is more nerve wracking than anything to watch your husband ride into a ring on a horse he doesn’t know and just hope that he drew the lucky one…It seems that today he did draw a good one. And as an added bonus, the first round rider (the one in 4th place and the one who will ride Eli’s horse before him) is a very good rider. Sometimes having a bad rider on your good horse is just as bad as drawing a bad horse.

I remember my mom telling me that she was more worn out after swim meets than I was, and I didn’t quite understand. That is, until a married a world-class pentathlete. While Eli is shooting, fencing, swimming, riding and running, my heart is beating harder and faster than his!

Due to overnight shifting ground under the temporary pool, they switched the order of the riding and swimming today. Surprisingly, that does calm the wife’s nerves. Perhaps I’m not as idealistic as I think in that I just want him to ‘survive’ the ride. No, I want him to do well—HE wants to do well and there’s nothing more frustrating than putting together a great competition and then drawing a bad horse. You see, Eli’s strongest sports are swimming and running, both sports of which you are in COMPLETE CONTROL (unlike fencing and riding). So at least this way he will know what he has to do in the swim and run to reach his goal. So, as I compose this email during the break before Eli’s ride, yes, my nerves like this order much better!

And I have to admit that it’s much easier to be watching in person than waiting for results at home. There are a lot of intricacies and dramatic stories that just don’t come across in the results. For example, one looking at yesterday’s women’s results may wonder why Georgina Harland, 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist and FANTASTIC RUNNER, ran so slowly. But what they couldn’t see from the results was her charge from the 30s into the low teens during the first 2000 meters. And they certainly couldn’t see her when she reentered the stadium clearly hobbling on a badly injured leg. And it’s furthermore unlikely that anyone except for those there saw her teammates hoist her onto the medal podium when their team was awarded the Team silver. THAT is enough to bring tears to any spectator’s eyes. But especially for those whose emotions are uncontrollable by the end of the day—those in the Wives’ Club!

Spring Fever!

2008-03-31T20:53:00.003-06:00

Mallory and Nick are at the beach, my parents are on a cruise, and I'm so jealous!!! I NEED BEACH--SOON! Colorado's idea of beach is the dirty sand of 30-degree mountain reservoirs!

Work at the Heart Association is going well, but I can't WAIT until next week, when I will travel to Spain to watch Eli (check out his website at www.elibremer.com for updates--he got 10th at the World Cup this last weekend). I really need some time off from work! Don't we all?!

I will go to Madrid for 5 days, then fly to Chicago for the USOC Media Summit. I hope to get some freelance pieces out of the event, as it has been a long time since I did any magazine writing.

I need it to stop snowing and freezing around here so I can get up on the roof to take the Christmas lights down! I think we're going for a new record with them being up until April! It looks kinda funny to have my Welcome Spring door wreath up, and still have Christmas lights on the roof! Granted, this is Colorado, where anything flies. At least I unplugged the lights in January!

Eli's adventures

2008-03-27T21:33:00.003-06:00

So Eli's had a very exciting few weeks, and we are gearing up for a whirlwind of a spring!

Just days after finding out that he was a Regional finalist for White House Fellows (see http://www.elibremer.com/media.htm)
Eli had a fantastic performance at the Mexico City World Cup, where he placed 5th. That is his highest World Cup performance to date, and indication of a great season to come--always a good thing during an Olympic year!

And just today, he made finals in what is arguably the most difficult World Cup of the year in Millfield, England. You can watch results of finals this Saturday live at http://www.247.tv/index.php?men=PAGE74&tourid=08pent01.

After England, Eli will travel to Poland for a week-long training camp, then on to Madrid, Spain for World Cup #4. I will be meeting him there, so expect plenty of pictures soon! We will travel back to the States together to the USOC Media Summit in Chicago, and then I will fly home while Eli flies to DC for his White House Fellows interviews. That is month #1 abroad for Eli. May will bring more of the same, as he will travel for most of the month. June and July he'll be home, preparing for the Olympic Games! He will leave for Beijing in early August, and we are planning a community sendoff for the hometown hero! Check Eli's website at www.elibremer.com for the latest competition updates.

Catch-up

2008-03-27T20:19:00.010-06:00

I actually never got a Christmas letter mailed out this year, although I started preparing a newsletter...so maybe I'll just give you tidbits of what a Christmas letter WOULD HAVE said...if I'd actually done it! And maybe that'll kinda catch us up on the blog...

We still lead the Young Married’s Small Group. The group, currently consisting of seven other young couples (DINKS—dual income, no kids), is thriving--2007 studies included The Truth Project, the Purpose Driven Life, and lots of fellowship! The group’s activities and weekly prayer requests can be found on the web at mscdinks.blogspot.com. Quite a few tight-knit relationships have been developed through the group. It is becoming the tradition that the Young Married’s who are in town and don’t have family visiting get together for holiday dinners. Easter, Christmas, 4th of July—you name it. This fellowship will never replace that of real family, but we are grateful that God gave us this second family in our small group!

While we recognize that being DINKS definitely has its advantages, we decided that it was time to ‘take the next step’—of faith! Thus, they now have a new member of the family. Lumu is an ‘adopted’ a sponsor son from Uganda. Lumu resides at New Hope Uganda—a ministry begun by Mountain Springs Church members. Eli and Cami continue to be so impressed with the education and counseling that Lumu receives there. For example, we decided to send a little extra money as a Christmas gift for Lumu. But before the ministry would give him the money, he had to decide how he was going to use it (and that had to be approved by the ministry). They are truly teaching this young man to fish...

Close church friends Fletch and Melissa moved into our neighborhood, as well as Eli's former teammate-turned coach Scott Christie and his family. Despite the fact that somehow we do not see them nearly as often as when they lived 20 minutes away, it is wonderful to have such close friends so nearby.

Melissa helped Cami throw a HUGE party when Eli returned from Pan Am Games an Olympic Qualifier. In fact, she went above and beyond, decorating the house and surprising even Cami! Ahh...neighbors!

In September (I think), we attended the Air Force Ball with Eli’s brother Max and his wife Tamsey. The boys’ ‘Uncle Jerry’ was the keynote speaker at the event in Kansas. It was also fun to see our niece and nephews interact in their home environment.

Eli and Cami traveled to Georgia for what we’re calling “Thanksmas”. The visit was complete with all the traditions of Christmas AND Thanksgiving!

Eli’s classmates Jon Friedman and Thom Gifford and their families joined us for a ‘mini’ reunion at an Air Force Academy football game in the fall. Jon and his wife Katie now live in Italy have a four-month old boy, Clark. Pictured here is the Gifford family, Brooklyn, Thom, Stephanie, Ryan, and Luke (not pictured).

We had a wonderful time being a part of these very special occasions this year!
· Nick and Mallory Addison (Cami’s sister) were married on March 31 in Albany, GA.
· Benaiah Paul Bremer (our nephew) was born April 17 to Max and Tamsey Bremer.
· Justin Bremer (Eli’s brother) graduated from medical school in May.
· Marianne Grebel (Cami’s sister) graduated from Lee County High School in May.
· Mallory (Grebel) Addison (Cam’s sister)graduated from University of Georgia’s Graduate School of Social Work in May.
· Vincent and Evania Ku (Cami’s former co-worker) were married on August 5 in Denver , CO.
· Nathan (Eli’s college buddy) and Chelsea Pifer were married on June 16 in Houston, TX.

And THOSE were just the ones we would've mentioned in our if-only Christmas letter! Since then, there's been MUCH more!

Small group friends Tom and Ali Pulford recently had a baby boy, who they named Eli.
Small group friends Jonathan and Anna Bartha had a girl, Grace.
Small group friends Adam and Liz had a girl, Emma Grace.
Small group friends Mike and Heather Temple announced they will be having a BOY this August!
Eli's teammate Dennis Bowsher is ENGAGED!
Eli's former teammate-turned coach Scott Christie and his wife Cheryl announced they were pregnant!
Eli's brother Justin and his wife Alison Bremer will be having their first child--A BOY! We LOVE being Aunt Cami and Uncle Eli!

OK, so I think that kind of catches us up...won't get that far behind again!

Family in the news today!

2007-08-31T17:19:00.000-06:00

My sister Mallory made the front page of her hospital's newsletter on the same day that Eli made headlines here in the Springs. I'm so proud of both of them!!!
__________________________________________________

Mallory Addison loves her job. You can tell it by the way she approaches a two year old who needs some diversion with a wagon ride. You can tell it by the way she sympathizes with a mother who has to separate from her child for surgery or a procedure.

"It really is a dream job," she says. "Any hospital visit for a family can be a traumatic event.
My social work background and working with children and families allows me to help ease that trauma."

Mrs. Addison has both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in social work from the
University of Georgia. Her previous experience includes working in domestic violence shelters and in the policy division of the Georgia Department of Education.

A typical day for her includes making rounds of patients in the Children’s Center with a watchful
eye for those who will be in the hospital longer than three days. She also tries to sense an immediate need in a patient or family member. She explains, "Perhaps a mother and father have been up all night and just need to run and get a cup of coffee. I tell them I’ll watch their
child. Or perhaps a child has been without his or her parents for awhile and just needs someone to color with or watch a movie. I have the time to do that."

Mrs. Addison’s training helps her identify where a child is developmentally in order to
communicate through language and ‘medical play.’ For example, if a child has to have a port inserted into their chest for easier access for medicine, a doll with a port is used to help the child
understand the procedure a little better. "I can spend time with patients that nurses don’t have or answer questions parents may be too intimidated to ask," she said. "I can distract children from their pain, explain their procedure in words they understand, help them cope with
being in the hospital, play games with them when they just get bored. I can also
plan a birthday party or just give a parent a break."

"Recently a child missed their first two weeks of first grade," she said. "So I did
homework with her. I also provide sibling and parental support, working in the
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, inpatient and outpatient rooms." Nurses and
physicians also make referrals to her. Mrs. Addison was especially happy
recently that she was able to occupy a 22-month old throughout an hour and half
wait time prior to a CT scan. She was able to reduce his anxiety so that he could complete the CT scan without having to be sedated. Sedation would have increased his length of stay and
given the child medications that could have been prevented. She adds that she has the unique
opportunity to build relationships with pediatric patients and their families, but also the
responsibility of providing anxiety-decreasing therapeutic techniques that ultimately can
decrease the patient’s length of stay.

Before the end of the year, Mrs. Addison hopes to add other services to her already full day,
including pre-op parties, holiday parties, chronic illness support groups, art therapy, music groups and movie and popcorn. Mrs. Addison’s supervisor, Penny Harrison, says she can
already see the benefits of having the new child life specialist on the floor and said volunteers
recently overheard parents talking about how helpful Mrs. Addison had been to them.
The child life specialist position is funded for two years by the Children’s Miracle Network at The Medical Center, and will be re-evaluated after that time for its effectiveness.
__________________________________

Eli's article appeared on the front page of the Woodmen Edition today...

http://www.waltpub.com/wood.pdf

Bremer Qualifies to Compete for Olympic Gold
BY JAKE BLUMBERG

This summer, a dream 21 years in the making was realized for a man who has spent nearly his entire life physically testing his body in the Colorado Springs altitude. On June 24, Eli Bremer earned a birth in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, by winning the gold medal in the
Pan American Games in Rio de Janero, Brazil. Bremer’s first place in the modern pentathlon secured him a guaranteed spot in Beijing next August; a spot Bremer has been working towards since he was seven years old.

"I began swimming when I was seven, and that’s where I like to say I began my Olympic pursuit," Bremer said. It is a pursuit the 28-year-old Bremer did not necessarily envision early in his life. "I wasn’t introduced to the modern pentathlon until I was in high school," Bremer
said. "I was into swimming and horses at the time, and realized that I wanted to be a
pentathlete when I was about 14 or 15."

The modern pentathlon is considered by some to be an all-encompassing test to determine the most well rounded athlete. The five-event competition combines the sports of running, swimming, horseback riding, shooting and fencing to determine an overall pentathlon champion.
Bremer finished the 1.82 mile cross country run in a time of 9:48:50 minutes to complete his championship effort, after entering the last stage of the competition in first place. It was a victory Bremer earned with sweat and hard work while training at the U.S. Olympic Training
Center.

With an average training day that consists of a 10-mile run, a four-mile swim, along with an hour worth of shooting and a half hour of fencing, Bremer certainly earns his position in the Air Force World Class Athlete Program. Currently, Bremer is on active duty with the U.S. Air Force as a captain. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2000, Bremer’s active duty role allows him to train full time for a chance to win Olympic gold. "They basically release you from your job to train," Bremer said. "They pay you your normal salary to train and be a good ambassador for the Air Force, which includes a lot of public speaking work, along with USOC tours and the media."

It is an occupation some may consider enviable: flying from country to country competing for the honor of one’s nation, with cheering fans urging you toward success. In many senses, Bremer would agree. "I love my job. I probably will never love another job as much
as I love this," Bremer said. Yet, his world is not all glory filled, with winner’s podiums and hounding media. Most is in fact spent sore and tired, endeavoring to recover from his most
recent international trip.

"On one hand, it is great how much I get to travel," Bremer said. "On the other hand, I basically
have been jet lagged from March through August." In the past seven weeks, Bremer has been on three trips traversing more than 10,000 miles—each. Before trips to Italy, Brazil and Germany for competitions this summer, Bremer spent time in Cairo, Mexico, England and the entire month of May in Europe. "I have spent over two weeks of my life this year inside an
airplane," Bremer said.

It is the lifestyle and strain on his body that has Bremer planning to retire after his time in
Beijing. "I have accomplished what I have set out to accomplish [qualifying for the Olympics],"
Bremer said. "I want to make a great hit at the Olympics, really make a run at it, and then let
some of the young guys move up."

Yet, retirement is no sure thing for Bremer, who is approaching a time period in his life that
could be, by his own account, his best four years for competition. Thus, Bremer is not ready
to completely commit to his retirement in 2008, though the world outside of the sports arena
is certainly calling. Bremer’s family tree reads as a veritable who’s-who in both local and national politics. His father, Duncan Bremer, served as El Paso County commissioner from 1994-2002, and made an unsuccessful run at the United States Congress last year. Eli’s uncle, L. Paul Bremer was an ambassador under President’s Reagan and George Bush, and served as the head Iraqi Coalition Provisional authority for President George W. Bush from May 2003 to June 2004. It is a lineage that may help steer Bremer to Washington, D.C., himself after Beijing.
"I am looking into applying for an internship with a program called the White House Fellows,"
Bremer said. "Only about 11 to 19 people are accepted each year, but if you do make it, you get
to work directly with a Cabinet member for a year, learning Washington from the inside out."
It is an opportunity one feels Bremer is most certainly up to; for anyone who can spend two
weeks on an airplane and still run 10 miles a day can probably run circles around those in Washington. For Bremer, it is just the next challenge to train for. "It will be very different not
working out every day, but it would be rewarding," Bremer said. "This is just not the type
of occupation you can do your entire life."

Beijing 2008...Here we come!

2007-07-30T12:38:00.000-06:00

Wow...so much news since I last posted.

First off, thank you all for your prayers for Eli's competition at the recent Pan American Games in Rio. I am pleased to let you all know that he has arrived home with a GOLD MEDAL! But more importantly, he has secured his spot as a 2008 Olympian! Thank you so much for all your prayers! Eli said that, for the first time in his life, he had this overwhelming sense of tons of people praying for him DURING the competition and that made all the difference in the world to him. The USOC media guy said that Eli was the most relaxed athlete he'd ever seen going into a Trials event. So for that, we both thank you! Please visit Eli's website at elibremer.com for details, including video of his gold medal performances. Again, thank you all for your love and support. To God be the Glory...

You probably figured this out already, but I finally got Eli's web site put together, with the help of our webmaster, Ted Slater. Ted's FANTASTIC and I highly recommend him for any of your web development needs. With Eli getting out of Active Duty Air Force in September (hopefully to get right back in as Active Air National Guard), we figured we better line up as many sponsorship deals as possible. Eli's site has short narratives on each of our current sponsors, so I encourage you to visit that...

On my health--I'm feeling quite good lately, but I do have another angioplasty in the near future. It seems that the FMD is also in my celiac, hepatic and splenic arteries. The good news is that it's asymptomatic. (I don't feel bad like I did when I didn't have oxygen getting to my brain or kidneys!) I'll keep you posted on that...

So many of you know that I've 'converted' from swimming to running lately. I began a real program at the end of December (after I recovered from my procedures), and have been running 5-6 days a week since. I ran the Palmer Lake 4-mile run on the 4th of July, finishing about two minutes faster than my goal time. I averaged 8:24-minute miles, finishing in 33:34. The last time I did this exact same race was two years ago, and I ran just under 40 minutes then.

I think that's it for now...stay tuned!

News, news, news

2007-05-19T09:51:00.001-06:00

So, no pictures yet, but this is an exciting post anyway because it's FULL of news.

Eli made the final at his most recent world cup, placing 16th overall. That brings his world ranking to 12th and current standing in the 2007 World Cup Series to 28th. He will compete in Warsaw next week, and hopes to make the final there, as well.

I started my new job as Regional Director of American Heart Association last week. I LOVE it already! I will be doing fundraising, development and implementation of the Gala (Heart Ball) and Go Red For Women events.

Eli's brother Justin and his wife Ali stayed with us for about a month while he finished up his last rotation of med school with a local doctor. It was WONDERFUL to have them around, and the house seems really quiet now without them around (Eli's still in Europe). Justin graduates from Kansas City Health Sciences Medical School tomorrow--we're really proud of him.

Speaking of graduation, my sister Marianne graduates from high school next week. I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday that I took my baby sister to show and tell in Ms. Reese's second grade class! I am proud to say that she's officially now a Bulldawg--I'm sure she will carve her own path out at UGA.

I think that's it for now, sorry I don't have any pictures!

April showers...SNOW showers!

2007-04-08T22:37:00.000-06:00

I'm dreaming of a white Easter...

What God has joined...

2007-04-08T22:29:00.000-06:00

Cami's sister Mallory got married last weekend to Nick Addison in Albany, GA. Everything about the weekend was WONDERFUL...I'll post more pictures as I have them, but just take a look at my beautiful sister and new brother!

Good news all around for the Bremer's

2007-03-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

To God be the glory, great things he has done!

Cami had an interview with USA Swimming last week and has one with Memorial Hospital this Friday! Both are promising and exciting opportunities--Cami's prayer is "Thy will be done" and she'd love your prayers as well. She was also asked to chair the corporate fundraising committee for the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women awareness campaign this year--a great way to apply the newfound passion for heart disease and stroke awareness!

Eli made the final in his first World Cup of the season, despite not doing great in any of the five events. He looks forward to building on this performance as the season progresses and is encouraged that a pretty bad day overall still puts him in the finals. Up next is Cairo for him. We'll post pictures when we have them...

Our close friends Fletch and Melissa just moved into our neighborhood last week and it's so much FUN to have them so close by! We look forward to growing closer together and being able to spend time together without staying up all night travelling to each others' houses!

It's a pretty good blog session when you can end every other sentence with an exclamation point!

The Everything Update

2007-02-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a hectic few weeks in the Bremer house, and it's just the beginning of the 'busy spring'! We finally painted our bedroom so that it matches the rest of the house now. What was supposed to take a few days was stretched out over a week, and our closet STILL is not put back together! But alas, it feels so warm and clean with the tan instead of stark white.

Cami is now filling in at the City on Fridays only and still substituting at The Classical Academy. We're still in limbo on a permanent job situation, but that should be resolved within the next few weeks. A couple of prospects are looking good...more about those when/if they become a reality!

Eli begins his world travels with the first World Cup of the year in Mexico. I'll keep you updated on his status throughout the coming weekend.

We attended our first Hermeneutics class last night at church (part of a continuing education program for pastors--Eli and I are just auditing the course). I'm really excited and I think it'll be a great class. It's just what I need to take that next step into 'digging deeper' into the Word.

Cami's a substitute teacher!? and a few other prayer requests...

2007-02-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

So while I'm waiting patiently for the Lord to make clear to me when I'm supposed to go back to work and what the heck I'm supposed to be doing, I've been doing some substitute teaching at a local charter school. I'm surprised at how much I enjoy it, and especially surprised at how much more I enjoy the elementary grades. I thought I'd get the most out of upper-level high school classes, where the students are supposedly striving for excellence. Wrong...I like the kids who are too young to know how to talk back and who think you know everything instead of the other way around. Anyway, I've got elementary Spanish, Middle School Music, and third and fourth grades under my belt. (A personal commentary--I HATE Saxxon Math--it's stupid and difficult for the kids to learn, I think!) And I'm learning more than I ever did when I was in school!!!

On another note, I have my three-month surgery follow-up this Friday. They will do a brain scan and some other tests to see what further procedures need to be done. Please keep me in your prayers, as I have a feeling my little health ordeal is far from over. Furthermore, I had an opthalmology appointment today that was a bit disappointing. You may know that I was born with the worst vision ever and have worn glasses since before I could walk (or talk for that matter!) . So a couple of years ago, I took the plunge and had LASIK performed (see Friday, Dec. 23, 2005 posting). So for the last two years, I've had the BLISSFUL experience of being able to wake up during the night and see the alarm clock or go to the bathroom without tripping. So last week, very suddenly, I noticed a marked decrease in my vision. Sure enough, the opthalmologist today said that I've gone from 20/25 to 20/45 in a very short time, likely due to another 'vascular event'. Vascular events--fancy words for strokes or TIA's. While I don't remember anything 'happening' recently, it is quite concerning that this appeared after my two surgeries in December that we thought fixed things for at least a little while. So...please keep me in your prayers 'cuz it's not over yet!

And while we're speaking of prayer requests, one of my sister's close friends is battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Visit her website at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylorbrown and keep her at the top of your prayer list!

My FMD Testimony

2007-01-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

I am a 26 year old female, 115 lbs, athletic and VERY active (I was a competititive swimmer through college and upon moving to CO picked up running). I moved to Colorado from Georgia in 2002 and was married in August 2003. Shortly after our wedding, I began having difficulty keeping my blood pressure under control. I was put on up to three meds a day, but nothing seemed to slow down the increased blood pressure. I frustratingly accepted this, having doctors tell me that I must 'just get nervous when I go to the doctor' or that 'it must run in your family and you don't know it'.

Then in late 2005, I began having severe pain in my right arm. The pain progressed despite nearly four months of PT. By the end of the PT, I had spells where I could not control fine motor skills in my right hand. Suddenly, typing, writing and even opening the blinds in the morning became huge feats to conquer and I was basically unable to use my right side.

This progressed for nearly four months before my physician agreed to do a brain scan. I also generally did not feel well and noticed a decrease in my ability to recollect names--even of people very close to me or that I had known all my life. I told my husband on the way to the appointment that I knew it sounded crazy, but that I knew they would find something (and secretly, I hoped they would find SOMETHING--I wondered by this point if I was just imagining some of these things).

Sure enough, the brain scan showed many areas of ischemia. All over, not just in one region--"multiple small infarcts"--I'll never forget hearing that phrase. In late August, I had a TIA (mini-stroke), followed by a few more. At this point, I was a mess--unable to function on my right side and just generally feeling lousy. I felt that I was unable to keep up with my work in the City's communications office and simultaneously continue to pursue any doctor that would take me seriously. So I left my job, with my boss knowing that I had to begin taking care of myself and chase this down. A few specialist consults later, we came up with a preliminary diagnosis of FMD. But the story doesn't end there. I was referred up to Denver Health Sciences for a renal angioplasty (to relieve FMD in renal arteries and decrease blood pressure). Three hours into the procedure, the Doctor came out and said to my husband, "We need to talk." It seems that they had discovered the FMD also in both of my carotid arteries, with a 90% occlusion on the left side. So needless to say, they did not open up my renal arteries that day, they instead took care of the left carotid. We now know that if they had done the renal arteries without looking elsewhere, it would have caused a massive debilitating stroke. Furthermore, I had been at VERY high risk for the massive stroke just from the carotid occlusion itself. (An interesting point is that none of this had been visible on carotid MRA done just weeks prior.) Add to that the renal stenosis and I was lucky to be alive, much less working, running and doing all my normal activites that I had pushed through the last few years. A week later, I had a second angioplasty performed on my renal arteries. My blood pressure instantly went to 105/50--much more in line with what it should have been for a healthy 26 year old.

I am now feeling better than I have in years, back to swimming and running 5-6 days a week. I now feel great and I want to help spread the word about this disease. It is thought that up to 1 in 20 women could have this and not know it. For me, I was lucky to have symptoms that persisted long enough to get a diagnosis. For many other young, healthy women, it is diagnosed only after they die of an unexpected stroke.

I have always believed in the causes of the American Heart Association. Before, it was because I wanted to encourage women to live healthy lifestyles. Now it's because I know that education and awareness is important even for those that DO live healthy lifestyles.

There is also a link to FMDSA on my website. Explore and educate yourself!

Beautiful Colorado View

2006-12-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Cami took this picture of Pikes Peak from our back deck.

Christmas update letter 2006

2006-12-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

I am currently in the middle of reading “I Love You, Ronnie,” Ronald Reagan’s letters to Nancy. Nevermind the fact that I’ve been ‘in the middle of reading’ it for at least two months, but it makes me long for the art of letter-writing. I think I was born after this romantic era, and somehow typing letters into a keyboard or going to the nearest Hallmark for a card just doesn’t do it. I wonder if letter-writing died when television icon Doogie Howser, MD made a fad of typing his daily journal on a computer. Yet, I am struck by how personal the New Testament letters seem to be. John and Paul especially had a knack for writing to large audiences, and somehow the message was always quite personal. I pray that God will do through me what He did through them, and let each of you know our hearts as you read this year’s letter.

First and foremost, Praise God from whom all blessings flow! After over a year of troubling pain, neurological symptoms and a mini-stroke, I was finally diagnosed with fibromuscular dysplasia. Why praise God? Bluntly put, it could’ve been much worse. Just in the past two weeks, I had two surgeries to open my carotid and renal arteries, both of which were severely damaged by the vascular disease (My left carotid was 90% blocked). The successful surgeries were certainly a blessing in that they led to definitive diagnosis and treatment. I am also thankful that I had some of the best specialists in the country working on me, and they managed to avert what very soon would have been a massive debilitating stroke. Thanks to all of you who diligently prayed for me over the past few months. As my former boss says, I am a ‘walking miracle at Christmas.’ I certainly feel more blessed than ever this Christmas season.

While it does seem that health issues dominated the year, we do have a few other highlights we’d like to share with you. Eli had a great pentathlon season, and seems well on his way to making the 2008 Olympic team—He spent most of the year in second on the World Rankings list! His travels took him to England, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Mexico, Egypt, Italy and Guatemala this year. I was able to see him compete three times this year, once in Acapulco and twice in front of a Colorado Springs hometown crowd (where he won Nationals).

In April, I left my job at the City to serve as Campaign Manager for Eli's dad. The Duncan Bremer for Congress campaign consumed all my spare time from April through August. The six-way primary was intense, and at times pretty nasty. I am proud to say that we were regarded as the classiest campaign, and we ran on integrity as the main issue. When asked in a television interview, each of the other candidates said Duncan would be their first choice if they had not been running. Unfortunately, we didn't fare so well on election day. But I gained a ton of professional and management experience and I wouldn't trade those short 5 months for anything! After the campaign, I went back to the City temporarily until the position I vacated in April could be filled. While I loved my work (and my coworkers), it became apparent that it was time for me to move on. The temporary position lasted just over a month and was a true financial blessing, as I have been able to "take a break" between jobs to give my body time to recover (and not to mention attend at least 3 Dr's appointments a week). I hope to go back to work in January.

On a lighter note, we got two kittens! Their names are Itchy and Scratchy (can you tell Eli named them?) and they are SOOO much fun. I've always been allergic to cats, but my allergies seem to have gone away altogether out here. I'm still pretty cautious with it, meaning the poor cats get baths at least once a week, they get terrorized by the vacuum quite a bit, and they're not allowed in our bed. They are pretty much the highlight of our lives (yes, even Eli's). They're also a bit of trouble right now, especially with the Christmas tree, but they make it so FUN to just be at home relaxing (AND they make it easier on me when Eli’s gone).

The young married’s small group we lead is still going (and growing). We love sharing these exciting years with other young couples as we all learn how to love (and live with!) our spouses in a more godly way. And speaking of sharing, we told you about Vanessa (from Germany) who lived with us last year. She went home in February, and we ‘inherited’ Iryna (from Russia) in June. We also love sharing this home God has provided for us with others.

Eli still enjoys real estate investing and is quite good at it. We will close on our 3rd investment property on December 22. Depending on whether fix-up goes as planned, we may ‘flip’ this one instead of renting it out. Timing is also important, since Colorado Springs will have an influx of military in the spring and the property has quick access to two of the local bases.

We both finished our MBA’s this year, what a relief! It’s amazing how our entire perspectives about business changed with each class. Neither of us had business undergrads, so it really ‘rounded’ us out to have solid business understanding. Our final semester, we took a class on entrepreneurship during which we had to present a business plan to our class, who acted as potential investors. We were encouraged by classmates and the instructor to pursue starting the business. I don’t have many details I can share with you now (you’d have to sign a non-disclosure agreement), but we are assembling the proper players and thinking about launching that this year.

Please know that we miss you all and would love to see you soon. Please give us a call and know you have a place to stay if you’re in Colorado. If coming just to visit isn’t tempting enough, we’re about two hours from the ski slopes. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Eli & Cami Bremer
3420 Palmer Hill Ct.
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
(719) 573-1585
cami.bremer@gmail.com
eli.bremer@gmail.com
http://www.camibremer.blogspot.com/

Catch up time

2006-11-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's been way too long since I updated the site. So let me review the last few months...

In April, I left my job at the City to serve as Campaign Manager for Eli's dad. The Duncan Bremer for Congress campaign consumed all my spare time from April through August. The six-way primary was intense, and at times pretty nasty. I am proud to say that we were regarded as the classiest campaign, and we ran on integrity as the main issue. When asked in a television interview, each of the other candidates said Duncan would be their first choice if they had not been running. Unfortunately, we didn't fare so well on election day. But I gained a ton of professional and management experience and I wouldn't trade those short 5 months for anything!

Throughout the campaign, I did not feel entirely healthy and didn't know why. I would sporadically loose function in my right arm. The loss of motor skills was often coupled with severe pain. Add that to the fact that we could not seem to get my blood pressure under control, and I was pretty much miserable just trying to get through my normal routine. My hands were so stiff in the mornings that I could not open the blinds in our bedroom. The blood pressure issue had reared its ugly head several years ago and the medicine they put me on at that time was unable to control the spike that got much worse in about January. Several frustrating months of doctors and specialists galore (8, to be exact) and one mini-stroke later, I think we have a diagnosis. Fibromuscular dysplasia of the renal, carotid, cerebral and brachial arteries seems to be the culprit. I will undergo angioplasty and possible stenting in the coming weeks, and we hope to see things turn up from there.

Meanwhile, the experience has been a faith-building one for me. It wasn't until I began to share my medical prayer requests with our small group and other friends, that the 'system' began working and Tri-Care began approving my referrals. Since the time when I myself had enough faith to share, things have really been moving along quite nicely. All of you reading this who have prayed for me are greatly appreciated. I feel the prayers from across the US, and I know God is answering them as you read this.

After the campaign, I went back to the City temporarily until the position I vacated in April could be filled. While I loved my work (and my coworkers), it became apparent that it was time for me to move on. The temporary position lasted just over a month and was a true financial blessing, as I have been able to "take a break" between jobs to give my body time to recover (and not to mention attend at least 3 Dr's appointments a week).

During that time, Mom and Marianne also came out for a visit. The weekend was short, but wonderful, with Marianne getting a riding lesson from Eli. The weather was yucky that weekend, so we didn't get to do anything outside, but it was great to have them see our house, go to our church and just hang out with us.

So moving on for me now means recovery and medical appointments. I'm applying for jobs, but don't plan to go back to work until after the first of the year. It's been a fun few weeks of catching up on those "hotspots" in the house, hanging out with family (Eli's extended family was in town), catching up with some ladies lunch dates, painting a few rooms in the house, and actually getting the Christmas decorations up in November. With the blood pressure under control (thanks to 3 different drugs), I am back into a workout routine, swimming daily again and it feels GREAT!

Meanwhile, Eli had a WONDERFUL pentathlon season and was 2nd in the world rankings list for most of the year. He is currently at World Championships in Guatemala, where he didn't do very well, but is encouraged from having a very 'solid' year. He won nationals handily in front of a hometown crowd here in the Springs just a few weeks ago. We plan to both recover this week and get a few days of skiing in before my procedures lay me up for awhile.

Oh, and I almost forgot! We got two kittens! Their names are Itchy and Scratchy (can you tell Eli named them?) and they are SOOO much fun. I've always been pretty allergic to cats, but my allergies seem to have gone away altogether out here. I'm still pretty cautious with it, meaning the poor cats get baths at least once a week, they get terrorized by the vacuum quite a bit, and they're not allowed in our bed. They are pretty much the highlight of our lives (yes, even Eli's). They're also a bit of trouble right now, especially with the Christmas tree, but they make it so FUN to just be at home relaxing (AND they make it easier on me for Eli to be gone).

And since politics is in my blood now, I couldn't stay away for too long after the primary. I worked really hard to get the Marriage Amendment passed in Colorado. I also had the opportunity to work with Vice President Cheney's traveling press pool when he was here. Local leadership was impressed with my media work during the campaign and asked me to fill the role of press secretary while he was in town.

So hopefully this posting has brought you all up to date...I'll be much better about posting now that life is not so hectic and campaign season is over. Toodles!

Land, Sea and Air

2006-03-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

The timing and location of the Acapulco World Cup made it appealing to combine with a mini-vacation. After the competition was over, we stayed at the beach for two and a half extra days. Getting out just as the spring breakers were coming in was by design!

Scuba diving was definitely the highlight of the short trip. After quite a bit of coaxing and saucer-sized eyes, I finally descended about 20 feet under the ocean for the first time. Octupus, stingrays, eels, brightly colored sponges and beautiful schools of fish were my reward. It's interesting--I thought that having grown up a swimmer, diving would come naturally since I'm so comfortable in the water. But if anything, that fact made scuba diving more difficult. A swimmer knows breath control and knows that you don't breathe in under water. That made it counterintuitive to trust the regulator and mask. Despite the fact that the times I was breathing were very rapid, I only used less than half my oxygen tank because I was pretty much holding my breath most of the time! Oh, well. It was fun and I can say I've done it now. I don't want to do it again without going through a class first. Actually, once I get comfortable with breathing underwater (practicing in a pool of course), I can see scuba diving becoming quite the hobby Eli and I can share.

Not that any other story about our trip can top the scuba diving, but we also watched cliff divers plummet into a rocky and angry ocean. That was absolutely amazing and our pictures just don't do the crazy stunt justice. Then we walked the nearly two hours back to our hotel, seeing most of Acapulco on our evening walk.

Most notably, we didn't get sick! Our experience with Mexico thus far has been dismal (Mexico 3, Eli 0), but this trip proved that our stomachs can handle it if we're careful.

The world traveler begins his world travels

2006-03-16T20:34:00.001-07:00

Eli began his season on the right foot (unbroken foot this time) at the season's first World Cup in Acapulco. He secured his ranking as the top American pentathlete with an overall finish of 22nd. Eli continues to perform as one of the fastest combined run-swimmers in the world. Shooting and fencing continue to improve in score and consistency. And despite drawing the most malnourished horse in the competition, he rode with natural ease. All in all, a great competition for Cami to see her first time watching international competition!

Howling and Growling

2006-03-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

JB loves his wolf suit, but he looks more like a lamb in it. So Uncle Eli decided that he needed to learn how to be a REAL wolf...problem solved.

Beautiful mountain views from the hottub...

2006-02-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

The House

2006-02-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Mom (and everyone else) Look! I finally spent that gift card you sent me on some decor for house. This wall was screaming, "Help Me!" and I think my purchases actually helped it out quite a bit. It's difficult to get a good picture that shows how well it really fits it, but you can kind of get the idea with these. Even an arrangement as large as this is kinda dwarfed by the wall space. Oh, well--somehow it makes the room feel cozier.

I also bought this cool scroll thingy that was just what my mantle needed to give it some depth--large enough to fill the space without putting little trinkets up. It's actually a shelf that I turned upside down and just placed on the mantle. Cool, huh?

Oh, and I have to admit that I'm pretty proud of this piece of art--literally--It's a piece of art I made! Canvases are on sale at Michael's (2 for $5.99) and I had these rub-on transfers that I thought would look great on a red background. So I created by own wall series (3 of these) with just a bit of red paint and a rub-on transfer. While I'm not sure what order or arrangement I will put them in (I might make a fourth one to display in a box pattern), they will eventually get hung in our bedroom (which is red with gold scroll patterns)--after the stark white walls in there get painted! HGTV's Sensible Chic, here I come with a grand total of $10!

This is probably not quite exciting to anyone other than myself, but I finally hung curtains over the kitchen door/windows. I love these curtains and I love how much depth it gave the whole thing to have the middle one raised above the other windows. Plus, Eli's won't have to duck under the curtains every time he goes out the door!

Enough with the house projects--I'm sure there will be more later!

Hottub Installation

2006-02-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

Nothing so scary as seeing a hottub be lifted by a crane, dragged over the top of your house, and placed squarely on your deck. Nothing cooler, either. The whole process took about 10 minutes. Anyway, thought you'd enjoy some pictures. And as you can see, the mountain view from the hottub is spectacular!!!

Can't believe January's almost over!

2006-01-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

So a summary of the last month or so...

The picture you're looking at is the Continental Divide--all water flows down one side to the Atlantic and down the other to the Pacific. Pretty cool, huh? We've been skiing a couple of times this year up at Keystone. Season passes are great because then you don't quite feel like you have to ski sunup to sundown to get your money's worth out of it. The ideal day of skiing for me is a couple of bunny runs with Eli, then a few more bunny runs by myself, a couple of hours in the lodge sipping hot chocolate and reading a book, then a few more bunny runs at the end of the day.

Vanessa went skiing with us earlier in the season. I was excited because she said she'd only been skiing four times before--finally someone to stay on the bunnies with me! Oh, but she forgot to mention that each of those 'four times' had been for two weeks at a time! I was actually relieved to learn this fact at the end of the day, because I'd wondered how someone could be that good after only four times skiing!

We also gave our German guests the true Colorado experience by taking them to Cowboys for some country dancing. It was quite humorous for Eli and I, and I think they had a good time as well! They had been trying to teach me to count in German, and I think the numbers stuck after this night of counting out two-step and three-step and cha-cha in German for them!

Remember the big screen TV I mentioned Eli got in November? Well, it was kind of space-age looking in our rather traditionally decorated living room. I REALLY wanted a nice piece of furniture to go around the monstrosity and tone it down a bit. So after Christmas, we ordered a beautiful entertainment center from Unfinished Furniture Expo and then had it stained to match our other furniture. I couldn't be happier with it and really did soften up the TV's appearance.

Other commentary on January:

Eli handily won a domestic pentathlon competition here in Colorado Springs. That guaranteed him a spot on the travel team that will compete in 6 World Cup competitions this year. I will join him at the first world cup in Acapulco in March--first time I will have seen him compete internationally!
I went home for a too-short weekend visit when a last-minute airfare popped up on Delta and Eli was out of town at a competition. It was fun to see everyone after really missing that over Christmas. Vanessa also ventured to the South for the first time, saying that it was actually easier for her to understand people there. She also understood for the first time why I'm so into Coca-Cola!
We purchased a hot-tub and are currently having our deck expanded for it. Eli's training is really running him down right now, and we figured it would really help his recovery. So...I'll update you all on that once we actually get the thing installed!
The Christmas decorations finally came down embarrassingly late--January 22! All our previous weekends had been packed with other fun activities!
The final semester of my graduate degree has begun and I think it'll actually be a really good one--New Venture Management and Strategic Management should be interesting classes to finish up with.

I think that about does it for now...Stay tuned for more to come!

Christmas in our new home

2005-12-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

Christmas was fun this year--a bit different from any other we've ever experienced, though. Still, it was fun to celebrate Christmas in our new house together. No family was around, so it was just us and a housefull (4 plus Vanessa) of German guests. We had big plans for Christmas Eve day--like going to watch a movie--but the day escaped us much too quickly and before we knew it, it was time to get dressed for church. Then, much to Cami's disappointment, we ended up in overflow at the Christmas Eve service. Still a beautiful and moving experience, but not nearly as cool when you're watching on a screen instead of in the sanctuary. I think we'll reconsider our commitment to the building fund after that!

The disappointment of not being in the sanctuary was quickly forgotten thanks to a wonderful German meal prepared by Laurie Bossert. Sourbroutin (spelling?), potato dumplings, red cabbage, and pecan pie (made by Cami) filled us all up nicely. We gave the 'Bossi' the movie Polar Express for Christmas, and stayed to watch it with the boys. I love that movie--it's true--Santa is as real as you make him, and I still believe with my whole heart.

On Christmas morning, we slept in until our excitement couldn't be contained anymore. Since not a creature upstairs was stirring until nearly 11, Eli and I opened a few of our gifts to each other. Among the highlights for Cami, a gift certificate for an hour-long massage, an MP3 player, clothes, and an after-Christmas shopping trip (which resulted in a beautiful entertainment center for Eli's new TV). Eli got a framed picture of the Gipper (Ronald Reagan) which includes the new stamp and military coin, a laser tape measure (from my Dad), some clothes and books, and the Chronicles of Narnia (all in one beautiful hardback book). He also got a little reminder that his bigscreen TV purchased in November was part of his Christmas as well.

Eli reads aloud from the Chronicles of Narnia each night, and that seems to bring back memories for him. It's apparently a Bremer tradition, as Eli's Dad used to read the books aloud to the boys when they were younger. Even when I first met the Bremer family, Duncan was still reading CS Lewis aloud to whoever was around to listen. For all you CS Lewis fans, I highly recommend going to see the movie at the theatres--everything from the characters to the Narnia itself are exactly as I imagined them when I last read the books in Ms. Dixon's fourth grade Challenge class.

Later in the day, we shared Christmas with our guests, giving Vanessa a German Bible (which was rather difficult to find). Santa must've known they were all at our house, because he filled 7 stockings! Eli cooked up some omelets, and the morning began with a rematch of WWII (the age-old Axis & Allies game). We joined the Maxwell's for an early Christmas dinner, and as always, left there stuffed to the rims! I deviated from my normal spinach artichoke casserole (a Maxwell favorite request), and made the easiest recipe ever--sour cream green beans. I think there is a new Maxwell favorite. Fine by me--it's MUCH easier than the spinach!

Christmas day ended with the continuation of what turned out to be a 10-hour Axis and Allies game! Germany won this time, so I guess we're all doomed until the next rematch!

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas! I guess the best way to start this blog would be to give you the Bremer Year in Review. Our Christmas letter kind of took care of that update, so I've included it below. And these are just a few of the pictures that made it into the email version of our letter. Enjoy!

'Twas the night before Christmas in the Bremer’s new house,
and each Bremer happy to have the other spouse.
But there’s one extra family member this holiday.
Sorry--no surprises--no little one on the way.

Instead it’s a friend from Berlin, Germany
Come to stay with us through February.
Her name is Vanessa, she’s as sweet as can be.
She’s here to train pentathlon (We think she came to ski!)

To tell her the tales of our adventurous year
Is difficult to explain to her untrained German ear.
But since you all know us, we’ll explain how alive
We really have been in 2005!

We rang in the new year with family right here.
With Mallory and Nick we kicked off a great year.
Garden of the Gods, the Broadmoor, the great mountain views
They saw it all and were highly amused.

January seventh--Cami’s eye operation
No more glasses or contacts—what a sensation!
She’s still working for the City of Colorado Springs,
Writing speeches, columns, newsletters and things.

Eli’s still working on his Olympic plans
And helped himself out with a win at Pan Ams.
He’s training full time—all day, everyday.
All other athletes—move over, make way.

A ski trip in late April, when Eli’s elbow was healed,
Left us stranded in the mountains, our ski bum status sealed.
In the summer, three sets of couple-friends moved away
Leaving our small group smaller and our hearts with dismay.

I guess that’s the nature of young, mobile friends,
But it’s never fun when their time near you ends.
I think we’ll be in touch though for years to come,
Writing and phoning, maybe visiting some.

But the bright spot through this was Eli’s growing passion
For buying houses that aren’t quite in fashion.
He spends long, grueling hours tiling, painting, and cleaning,
Then rents them out (Cami helps with the screening).

We were blessed with a wonderful surprise in June
When one of our renters wanted a second house—soon!
The house that we lived in was right down the road,
And with that, we moved into house-hunting mode.

A neighborhood known as St. Andrews we’d seen
We loved it but it just took too much green.
But to our surprise, God was preparing a place
In this parkside neighborhood we had embraced.

The perfect storm of events occurred
And we ended up with that home—it’s absurd!
The home itself was loved and blessed
and will continue to be so ‘til we’re laid to rest.

In the summer we spent time with Eli’s family,
Little JB and Gloria , Max and Tamsey.
Having a neice and nephew around is fun
Watching them grow up has only begun.

Another broken foot for Eli rounded out July,
And for August vacation, to the south we did fly.
At the end of the trip, Eli drove all the way back
He bought a new toy—a big truck (with a ski rack!).

College football season means we watch a lot of TV.
Vanessa just thinks we’re plain crazy!
But you’ve gotta stay connected somehow,
And what better way than yelling BOW WOW! (Go Dawgs!)

What else have we missed? Ahh, there is a bit more.
Cam took golf lessons. (Duck when she yells four!)
Our church, Mountain Springs, is still close to our heart,
And our small group we host is still a big part.

We’re still busy taking our MBA classes,
Cami’s done in the spring, (if finance she passes!)
Eli’s graduation will be close behind,
He’ll be done in the fall, his business skills refined.

Finally, the holidays are here,
and we’re hoping this letter has brought you some cheer.
We’re always up for visitors,
So give us a call and pack your spurs!

Much love—
Eli & Cami