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

"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!!!

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

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!

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

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

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!

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."