Brooklynism's & Sadieism's

Wearing Brooklyn's old Cinderella ballerina costume Sadie says "maybe I can go to the ball in this dress. Maybe I can go to the Dancing with the Stars in this dress."

"Mom can you do a fabor for me?" Sadie

Brooklyn "Mom can you do a big favor for me, well it's not a really big favor its just a medium favor. Will you wake me up in the morning, wrap me up in my blankie so my legs will be warm, and get me some breakfast?"

Simple Prayer Simple Faith

If anyone knows my kids, we NEVER go anywhere without their blankies. They usually go with us in the car even for the quickest of rides. If blankies could get sky miles, ours would have free flights. My girls are inseparable from them, Brooklyn especially she has to have her blankie. Yesterday we were all exhausted and wanted to take a nap. Sadie tucked herself into bed. Eric was already zonked out on the couch, and I was left trying to convince Brooklyn to climb into bed so I could rest. The only problem was Brooklyn couldn't find her blankie. She looked all over the upstairs and downstairs with no luck. I had looked all over upstairs and couldn't find it. I had given up and was lying in my bed while Brooklyn continued her search. Finally she came in and said she still hadn't found it. I began wondering if it truly was really lost and if I needed to call my mom and have her start crocheting another one and QUICK! I then asked her if she had prayed for help to find it. She said no and promptly went in her room to pray. She knelt down by her bed and I could hear her talking. Not more than 20 seconds later she came back into my room with a big grin on her face and her blankie over her shoulder. She told me that as she started her prayer she opened her eyes and saw something white sticking out from under her bed. Sure enough there was her blankie! She truly had looked all over the house. She was greatly relieved, as was I. I told her how much Heavenly Father loves her and told her how He had just answered her prayer. I then asked if she had remembered to say another prayer to tell Him thank you. She said she hadn't yet and promptly turned to go back into her room to say her prayer of thanks and afterwards climbed into bed for a nap. Now content to snuggle with her ribbon and her rose. I too was thankful and drifted off for a much needed nap!

My Journey Towards My Great Escape

Maybe I'm crazy, but maybe I'm not. I am now officially signed up for Sharkfest 2011. I plan to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco. Last year I went to San Fran to watch my dad do it. It was amazing. Having visited Alcatraz and seeing the distance to swim, the sea lions in the water, and the people rushing out of the water after completing their swim it truly was inspiring. Standing on the shore the morning of the race at the finish line you can feel the sense of accomplishment. The best was trying to recognize my dad's arms as he swam the last 100 yards or so. There is something about the thrill of any kind of individual race or sporting event that just gets my heart pumping and my emotions on the surface. I LOVE IT! I watched swimmer after swimmer finish and thought to myself, I want to do this. I have 11 months to train and am feeling nervous already. I'm going to do it!

I've been in an exercise slump ever since I finished the half marathon last August 2009. Yes that's right 2009. I really haven't exercised since then, I haven't been able to. Since the knee had had enough there wasn't much I could do. Now almost a year later since my last big race, recovered from surgery, the knee's doing quite well. Now I've just needed some external motivation to get me going on the exercise wagon. I do so much better if I'm training for something. I need to feel that sense of accomplishment. I need that extra pat on the back that I can give myself after I've completed something hard like that. Finishing the marathon back in 2005 was an unforgettable experience, probably even more so since I was 6 weeks pregnant at the time I ran. I couldn't have finished without Kelly and Katie. That was HARD. Staring at their backs the final few miles, willing and forcing myself to put one foot in front of the next, so wanting to be running beside them, not behind them, but lacking the strength. I never considered quitting or even not finishing. But having those two in front knowing they were going to make it encouraged me and gave me hope. Good times! Good race!

Running the half marathon last year by myself was an interesting experience. I will admit I was quite upset and disappointed. I was supposed to run with a couple of my cousins, but they didn't train well enough to feel like they could do it and they pulled out. That left me running alone. Here I'd trained all year, fighting knee pain, flew across the country to run with them and there I was alone. I was glad to see them at the starting line to try some of it, but I knew deep down I was alone, and was fighting back tears and my disappointment. So I ran. I ran with a purpose almost to prove that I could do it, and do it alone. The race felt great, well, after the first 3 miles and the knee stopped hurting, it felt great while I ran. Though it was good to prove to myself that I could do it, it's so much more fun to be able to share the blood, sweat, and tears with someone else and share in the joy of the huge accomplishment. I wish they could have run it with me just because I love them so much!!! I just wanted to share that time together.

That's another reason I've signed up for Sharkfest. My dad's hooked now. He's going to swim it again next week and he's signed up for Sharkfest 2011. I know he'll be there. We'll do it together and then I can share in that accomplishment, in that moment of triumph with him. I can't wait until it's over! :)

So for now I'll be hitting the pool.

Going "Nuts" with Family

After my exhausting NY trip, I brought my parents and youngest brother home with me for more Michigan fun. Here are a few pics of our adventures at the Lugnut's game and a shot at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit.

Here's Chris and I riding in a Model T Ford at the Henry Ford Museum's Greenfield Village. Who would have thought there'd be a Ford at the Henry Ford Museum?Grandma sporting her many pairs of shades. You gotta be cool at the Lugnuts game, because they sure aren't this year...
Grandpa and Brooklyn just being themselves. :)
Sadie I believe is the one who started the whole sunglasses thing. I think she got the idea from looking at a few pictures of her aunts' Val and Alli. I love my Dad. He cracks me up!
Sadie wouldn't quite sit by Chris. She was quite content to sit behind Chris. Notice the huge sold out crowd supporting the lugnuts tonight. Double header and a double loss. I think the most exciting thing was Chris had an opportunity to be in a hot dog eating contest but declined. It was eat the number of hot dogs correlating to the inning being played. One hot dog the first inning, two the second, and so on. I think we had more fun eating popcorn and cotton candy.
Go Nuts!

NYC Insanity

Anyone ever tried to do NYC in 2 days? Can I just say EXHAUSTING! I had my own adventure just trying to get to NY. The fun part about this trip was that it was time for me and just me! I can't remember the last time I went by myself overnight anywhere! I was to fly out of the Detroit airport at 1:30 and arrive at 3:30pm simultaneously as my parents were to land. My bro-in-law Jake was to meet us all at the JFK airport and escort us to their awesome accommodations literally a couple blocks from ground zero, with a view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and New Jersey from the sun deck atop their building.

Well I board my flight on time, only to find out JFK is having "issues" of some kind and is not allowing any flights to take-off until it is resolved. After an hour wait, we finally get clearance for take-off, HURRAY! But wait! It gets better...we get pushed back, start taxiing to the runway when an attendant call light starts beeping incessantly. Due to condensation buildup from the a/c it caused the button to malfunction. We have to head back to the gate, only to wait for another hour just for the ground crew to get us to a gate, to do the repair. I'm now fast approaching 2.5 hours on the plane. It's now 3:30pm, my parents have landed and I'm still stuck on a plane in Detroit! An announcement is made, if it will take 15 minutes or less to repair we'll turn around and head out, then they stop short and announce for everyone to get off the plane. Our flight was canceled! WHAT?!? I don't have time for this! I have plans!! I paid $70 for a ticket to see Dave Brubeck an 80+ year old world famous Jazz pianist at the Blue Note and it starts at 8pm! Through some divine inspiration I picked up a phone and after a 5 minute hold rather than another hour wait to get re-booked with a flight agent, I was able to secure a seat on the 5:15pm flight, which was in half an hour. Talk about a LONG day. Of all the times I've traveled with my children by myself, we have never had this happen. I was just grateful that the one time (keeping my fingers crossed this will be the ONLY time this happens) I'm traveling alone and not checking any baggage. I get on the next flight and miraculously we actually go somewhere. I arrived in NY after 7pm, sadly without the welcoming committee and help I'd planned on. I received my instructions to navigate myself through the Metro system in NY knowing it would take an hour and a half to get to the Blue Note. I arrived at the Blue Note just in time to hear the last song. It definitely wasn't worth $70 in my opinion, maybe if I heard the show I'd feel a little better about it. But oh well! What can you do? With that adventure of just getting there now over I could enjoy the time I had to be with my mom, dad, youngest brother, youngest sister and her husband. We then moved forward at a breakneck pace to catch all the sights and sounds of NYC!!

To sum up the trip, let me just post what my dad wrote to my bro in his mission:

Friday we land at JFK airport NY. After we catch the “Air Train” to the Howards Beach stop, Jake is there with a box of cookies, huge, thick, warm, 8 oz plus cookies, chocolate walnut, oatmeal raisin, choc chip etc…. he knew we’d be famished for good cookies. He then help us get our unlimited subway pass and off to the Manhattan accommodations, 2 transfers later, we were on the streets and rolling our luggage among the Friday rush hour crowd.

This was the reception I was hoping I'd receive and would have had everything been on time...

They have the most ideal place to live. 50 yards from the Hudson River, a penthouse on the 27^th floor overlooking all of Manhattan (M) including ground Zero about 3 minutes away from their home…….We had Tickets to Dave Brubeck , at the Blue Note Jazz Club, $70 per seat……which according to Jake (and I do believe every word) is about the most famous jazz club in NY, Jake even has a CD of Dave performing the entire CD at the BN. Natalie was also coming and her flight was supposed to land about the same time as ours but the flight was cancelled….that’s another story. We met up with Alli and decided to do dinner at the BN so we caught several sub connections and arrived at this cramped probably 30’ by 100’ facility crammed with tables and chairs. After dinner the group shows up and this old guy (I told Jake before that Dave had to be at least 110 years old) comes on the scene and has to be hoisted up to the piano literally by a couple of guys….and off they go with 15 minute plus pieces of “Somewhere over the rainbow” and “I’ve got Rhythm” and others…..Dave calls up some lady from the audience to sing a number which was fantastic…then at the very end Natalie makes her entry finally (but unfortunately misses 90% of the concert). It was a night to remember thoroughly enjoyable. After we get Nat a pizza and headed to Times Square, a lot like Piccadilly Circus in London except about 10 time bigger and brighter. I have photos we’ll send…. After we returned to the apt we go down to the Hudson River and enjoy the night lights on the water and plan a bit for Saturday….real fun to have Nat there too!

Day 2 began with a dozen of the most unique/fantastic donuts, a trip to the “rip off store” and a 8:00 AM date with a ferry to the Statue of Liberty (We live in a Great Country!!!!!!!!), a ferry ride to Ellis Island where all the emigrants who came through NY were processed from 1892-1943. Then to Macy’s Store famous for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (9 stories tall and a New York block long, it is huge), then lunch at the Grand Central rail station, then to the Empire State Building and up to the 102^nd floor observation deck for a look over the city,

(Actually it was only the 86th, if you paid an extra fee, you could go to the 102nd)

in the evening we saw the most clever play “39 Steps” by Hitchcock…..what a funny show!!….you really had to be there, after we went to Times Square again so Chris could photo with his new camera and we did a late dinner…getting home after midnight. Sunday we went to Alli and Jake's M ward, very interesting building 5 stories with sacrament meeting on the top floor, with the full previous day it was tiring going up the stairs and back down for SS and up for Priesthood Meeting. Back to Alli and Jake's for a bagel lunch, starts to rain lightly, we walk to Wall Street and the NY Stock Exchange, see the Wall Street “Bull”, pass the Trinity church but they were closed (George Washington went there after shopping at Macy’s or something….Andrew Hamilton is buried there…next time you spend a $20 or a $3 bill think of Trinity), over to Ground Zero to see the reconstruct of the World Trade Center, past the Dow Jones Industrial Stock Exchange, then to the Museum of Natural History (Free with Alli’s passes, then to Central Park (what a great park we probably spent nearly 2 hours there, lots of pics), then to the Ghost Busters Building, on the same long block but at the other end is the Manhattan Temple and across the street is the Metropolitan Opera Center, then off to Columbia University to see the Campus where Jake works (reminded me a bit of Harvard, old , well kept). We went to some Italian place for some fab pasta, and one chocolate desert that was devoured by 6 hungry hombre’s. Then a subway ride to the Ghost busters Fire Station in lower M and then home to crash. Monday get up to see Alli off to work pack up and head to the airport with Jake's help. Fly to Michigan and start to recover from the breakneck pace. PHEW!!

Needless to say we were utterly exhausted!! I think I'm still trying to recover!