San Diego

This San Diego trip, if you remember, was Rebekah's 16th birthday present.  The girl declared beach time to be her top priority so we booked a hotel right on Mission Bay and two blocks away from Mission Beach.  And boy, was that ever the perfect trip for her!  Because she was obsessed, fascinated, couldn't get enough of...those waves.  Wanted to play in them, run away from them, watch them, go on long walks past them.  We hunted for seashells, we dug for crabs, we clambered around a rock jetty, we explored the underside of the pier.  We dug our feet into the sand, we goggled at the weirdness of seaweed and we commentated (amateurishly) the skills of the scores of surfers we saw catching waves each morning.  I even went for a 4.5 mile run along the boardwalk.  And this was all just on Mission Beach.  This doesn't count all the time we spent on the bay....kayaking, stand up paddle board surfing, reading on the fabulous beach chairs at the waters edge.  Or the time spent warming back up again in the hotel hot tub!  As beautiful as San Diego is, no one informed me that this time of year is jokingly referred to as "June Gloom."  We never got rained on...but we didn't see the sun too often.  Which meant that the 68-70 degrees were decidedly chilly.  Not that it stopped us from doing everything we wanted to do.  But that hot tub was nice....just sayin'.

Ready for a picture-palooza?

 My little blue-eyed, blonde-haired California beach babe....

 

I have an awesome picture of Rebekah getting slammed by the wave that took her down.  Her hair is flying, she has a pretty intense look of shock on her face....it's hilarious!  But she refuses to let me post it.  So you get the aftermath shot...where she's looking at me with a face that says, "Holy wow...did you see that?!"

Seaweed....seriously alien looking stuff!  It would collect on the beach in big lumps.  Bryan found the stuff fascinating and spent a lot of time building those lumps into even bigger kind of forts that the incoming water wouldn't be able to breach.  Who needs sandcastles when you can build fortifications out of seaweed?? 

Our room had a private patio that opened up to a garden and duck pond.  The ducks, as you can imagine, were very used to people and waddled around and among us with ease.  This mama duck and her tiny newborns came to our patio each and every morning...often times knocking on the sliding glass door with their beaks when they realized that Rebekah would feed them the leftover rolls from her dinner the night before.

Our last morning in San Diego Rebekah and I got up extra early to walk down to Crystal Pier and back...all in all a 5 mile walk.  Not only was the walk along the beach glorious, but playing under the pier and watching the surfers from on top were also a lot of fun. 

Rebekah could be the poster girl for stand up paddle surfing.  She jumped onto that board with ease and made it look like she'd been doing it for years...rather than this being her first time.  Maybe it really is as easy as she says.  But it's been a long time since I've had that same skinny little 16 year old size body....and I'm guessing I'd be nowhere near as graceful and probably dump myself in the bay! 

Build-a-Bear

It was cold and windy when we headed to the Gateway to celebrate Lilian's birthday.  We had to scrap our plans of running through the fountains.  But the Build-a-Bear experience more than made up for the inclement weather.  Though we had not previously booked an official birthday party, the employees went all out when they heard that Lilian was a birthday girl and treated her like a V.I.P.  The final result was "Sweetheart"...a teddy bear stuffed, fluffed, combed and dressed. Besides the official little fabric heart and the "giggle" box that they had Lilian place inside before sewing up the bear, Lilian also decked out Sweetheart in some serious summer swim time attire...swimsuit, sandals, sunglasses, towel and beach bag.  And although the bear will NOT be joining us in the pool, I wouldn't be surprised to find her accompanying Lilian on an excursion to Cherry Hill very soon.    

Love Peace Ride

Little Red Riding Hood...four years biking this ride and it never disappoints.  This year, though altogether there were a good 13 ladies from our neighborhood riding, 5 of us decided to go up to Logan early and spend the night.  We had decided months earlier that this year was going to be all about fun, girly companionship and enjoying the journey.  No pressure, no competitiveness, no goals regarding serious mileage or speed...just playing the day by ear and riding what felt good.  So the thought of some shopping and dinner the night before topped off by a sleepover filled with gabbing and giggling sounded pretty darn wonderful to all 5 of us. 

We had a few raindrops and a bit of wind that couldn't seem to make up its mind which way it wanted to blow.  We had some serious energy draining HEAT.  We had an exhilarating downhill that I clocked myself going 40 mph on. We ate oreos with peanut butter on top at the rest stops.  We gained a love/hate relationship with the Honey Bucket facilities.  We smelled some Cache Valley farm animal stink that curled our nose hairs.  We flashed peace signs at our fellow riders.  We hollered out "car back!" and "on your left!" time and time again.  And we enjoyed the gorgeous scenery for a good 50 miles of pedaling.   

Sarah, Kim, Me, Jenn, Elise and Mylissa at the starting line.  

 Kim, Elise and I posing with the Big Bad Wolf and some other hippy race volunteers.  Notice our cute little skirts?  Specifically made to cover the unattractive padded behind of the biking shorts, we bought them at the LRRH expo the night before.  I can't count how many times I heard "Cute skirt!" from other riders as I biked by. 

Playing tag

I made a new blogging friend last November when I participated in NaBloPoMo.  Jewels from Frazzled and Frumpy is witty and down to earth.  She makes me laugh and makes me think.  She is a phenomenal writer...and I love reading the way she strings words together just as much as the story those words are telling.  I read her blog every day and look forward to when she makes comments on mine.  She tagged me last week and invited me to answer a bunch of questions about myself.  Realistically, because this is an internet version of the popular "Tag...you're IT!" game, after answering all the questions I'm then supposed to tag a few more people to keep the game rolling.  But instead of tagging specific people I think I'm just going to throw the "You're IT!" out there and if you want to pick up the ball and run with it...feel free!  (Yeah..I know, I'm kind of mixing my game references here.  Work with me here, people.)  

1- Do you have a middle name? What is it?
My middle name is Ann....Sarah Ann.  (Although I've also been called Sarah Lou and Sarah D.)  Since I got married I dropped the Ann in favor of my maiden name as my middle name.  And it's a good thing seeing as my brother-in-law also married a Sara Anne.  She kept her middle name rather than her maiden name.  So though the airlines tend to think we've double booked when we travel together and stick us in the same seat....we really are two separate people! 

2-What was your favorite candy as a child?
Swedish Fish.  The taste takes me back to Cabana Club when I was a kid.  They had a snack bar where you could buy penny candy...1 cent per fish.  I would save up my pennies and buy a handful each time I went.  Somehow they taste even better if you have a hint of chlorine on your fingers...

3-Do you have a phobia?
SNAKES!  There's some serious childhood trauma associated with this phobia seeing as my first run-in with a snake just happens to be one of my very first childhood memories.  I was born in Houston, Texas...where it was not uncommon to find snakes in the garage, in the backyard, in the street, etc.  I was 3 years old when I came upon a HUGE snake while playing on the back lawn.  Oh, I'm sure it wasn't all that big but to a 3 year old, it seemed terrifyingly enormous.  I ran for my mom who was talking on the phone to a friend.  She wouldn't come, wouldn't come, wouldn't come.  (Once again...add some 3 year old impatience to the memory).  I was crying, the dog was barking.  Finally my mom came out and, if I remember correctly, dug a hole in the flower bed, picked the wriggling snake up on the shovel...the snake big enough to flop over the sides...and unceremoniously chucked the darn thing in the hole and buried it.  I have been terrified of snakes ever since.  (And now I have the heebie jeebies just recalling that story!!!)

4-Do you wear jewelry?
Earrings every day.  Mostly silver hoops.  I love bracelets and I've been collecting big rings...both of which are hard to find because I have tiny wrists and a size 5 ring finger.  But lately I've been buying up delicate little necklaces with charms that fall into the hollow in my neck.  A turquoise heart, a silver shamrock, an owl, etc.

5-Where was your all-time favorite vacation spot?
Where isn't my favorite vacation spot??  Really...if I'm on vacation, then right here, right now is my favorite spot!  Some especially memorable favorites:  Cancun was heavenly.  We did an all inclusive week there with Bryan's family back when Rebekah was just 3 years old.  New York City last year spoke to my soul.  I know that sounds cheesy....but I don't know any other way to describe it.  I'm always more than happy to spend vacation time in San Francisco and Washington D.C.  Ultimately, though...I'm a cruise girl.  We've been on five (on five different cruise lines, even) and are planning to hopefully do an Alaskan cruise next summer for our 20th wedding anniversary.  

6-Your pizza, you don't have to share, what's on it?
I'm not terribly fond of pizza.  But every now and again when I have a craving...or have a "I can't stand the thought of cooking today" day I go for a vegetarian one. 

7-If you were stranded on a desert island and had one book to read, what would it be?
Well, The Book of Mormon, of course.  Can't think of a better book to read and re-read over and over again.  But if the point of this question is to have me name a favorite novel...then I would have to say "Pride and Prejudice."  But "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" would be a close second.

8-Dream car?  Dream 'reasonable' car?
I'm pretty fond of my big Ford F-150 truck.  But sometimes I dream of a BMW 135i coupe.  In black.  Ahhh.

9-If you could be a character in a movie or book, who would you be?
When I was younger I wanted to be Anne of Green Gables.  I loved her imagination, I loved how grateful she was for her blessings, I loved how she enjoyed details,  I loved how dedicated to education and learning she was, I loved her home on Prince Edward Island, and oh, how I loved Gilbert!!  And although I still think I would enjoy being Anne...as an older grown-up I also rather like the idea of being Kathleen Kelly from "You've Got Mail."  She lives in NYC.  And owned a book shop!  I relate with her quirkiness, her chatty nature, and her penchant for wearing cute little dresses and skirts.  But mostly the fact that she thinks things like this: "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void."   (I won't even mention Elizabeth from "Pride and Prejudice."  Because really...that's just a no brainer.  Who doesn't want to be her, right?)

10-Do you paint your nails? (Fingers or toes)
I rarely paint my fingernails.  All that work for only a day or so before the daily wear and tear of housewifery chips them.  What's the point?  Toenails on the other hand...yes.  Always.  And lucky me, I was recently introduced to the wonderful world of pedicures...
 
11-Is there anything that would make you stop blogging?
Blogging fills a few of my needs.  I'm a historian, so keeping a family history of sorts is a big deal to me.  I've kept journals since I was 10 and started scrapbooking in high school.  Blogging combines the two and is much easier for me to keep up to date on.  Also, I've discovered that I really like writing.  I'm not to the point in my life yet, where I want to try my hand at writing a book.  But blogging gives me that outlet.  So with all of that said, it would take something big and serious to stop me from blogging.  The novelty isn't likely to wear off, I'm not going to decide one day that I'm just bored with it.  

Lilian is 5

Lilian turned 5 on Sunday.  And being the birthday girl that she knew she was, she kept us all running throughout the day to accommodate her whims.  But it's okay because every little girl should be a princess on her birthday, yes?  And we were happy to oblige...well, other than the fact that after biking 50 miles the day before I was very much in need of a nap!  But when royalty calls....

Julianne decided that the gift giving needed to be in the form of a treasure hunt of sorts with a map showing an X-marks-the-spot where each gift could be found.  Lilian loved it...even if she needed a bit of help with deciphering.  She squealed over a Leap Pad and it's accompanying Tangled game (she calls it her "iPad") and shrieked with joy when she unwrapped a slushie/snow cone maker....but funny enough, I think her favorite gift was sidewalk chalk.  Go figure.

Tomorrow, instead of a big birthday party like last year, we are heading to the Gateway for some dinner, some water fountain dodging and, most importantly, Build-a-Bear.  Pictures to come sometime in the next few days...      

"Witness" Photo Shoot

You may or may not remember me mentioning that I am singing in a newly formed little women's group.  (See here)  We call ourselves "Witness."  Ours goals mostly revolve around doing performances for and sharing our testimonies with church activities...Relief Society and Young Women events, firesides, etc.  But this summer we have branched out a bit.  Three of the five of us auditioned for a talent contest in a neighboring town.  Of 60 auditionees, we were one of the 15 performers chosen to sing in the official talent show. 

All five of us are also scheduled to perform at Cherry Hill next month as part of their weekend summer concert series.  Rather than just one song, we are putting together an hour long concert...which, as you can imagine, has kept us very busy over the past weeks.  Along with choosing and practicing songs we are also busily discussing "costume" choices, choreography/staging and "segues"...as we call them....the little bit of talking we do in between each song to interact with the audience and connect them from one song to the next. 

It's a lot of work.  But these 4 other women have lifted me, both spiritually and mentally, in ways that I didn't expect.  They are good, they are kind, they are talented and they honestly care about me.  They allow me to be myself...whether I am giddy and excited or anxious and worried or grumpy and hormonal.  They don't judge me.  I feel safe airing my opinions....even if it is contrary to what someone else's opinion might be.  I can't believe how much fun it is to truly collaborate on a song with these women....taking a solo and writing in harmony parts and making the number uniquely our own.  I sing soprano on some numbers, on others I sing alto, sometimes tenor, sometimes a high descant...all of us taking turns working different parts.  It's a lot of fun.

Photographs were required by the powers that be at both the talent show and Cherry Hill.  Here is a sampling of what we got.      

Graduation...preschool style

It's a red-letter day, my friends.  Lilian has graduated from preschool.  Do you know what this means?  Can you grasp the significance of this?  All of my kids have finished preschool!  And even more importantly...I never have to drive a preschool carpool again! 

And yes, okay.  When Brandon graduated from preschool back in 2006, I thought that was it.  Lilian wasn't yet a part of our family...not even a thought in my head or a twinkle in my eye.  So I suppose you could argue that this is the second time I have experienced this particular red-letter day.  (Let's hope it really is the last this time, shall we?)

And okay, actually I was a little bit sad.  I'm not prone to be a mommy-crier at things like this.  And realistically, I'm more than ready for Lilian to head off to Kindergarten.  What I was more sad about was the thought of losing Miss Cindy.  Lilian adores her and amazingly enough, that adoration is mutual!  Not only has Lilian enjoyed her two years with Carefree Kids Preschool, she has also learned a lot!  More so than her siblings did in their years at the preschool they all three attended in our last town.  Lilian is a lot more prepared.  Yes, she has more than likely learned a lot just from her place as the youngest in the family, hanging out with and picking up things from her older sisters and brother.  But I have no doubt, most of her academic growth has come from preschool.  And my heart swells a bit when I think of Lilian's sweet teacher who spent so much time working with her.

 Celebrating all the summer birthdays.  (Lilian's birthday is in just 3 more days....she has a paper chain in her room that she has been diligently counting down the days with.  Can you say excited?)

 

Apparently Miss Cindy has some super-secret-teacher-fairy power that turns the kids into official Kindergarteners. 

One more star, one more stripe

It's been a week.  Over a week, actually, since I last posted.  This is unusual for me.  But it's been a week.  You don't need the details... and frankly, I just don't want to get into it.  Suffice it to say, my emotions have been all over the map.

But right now I am listening to some Sara Bareilles, Lilian is still asleep (at 10:52 AM!!!) and everyone else is gone.  I'm enjoying some down time.  Should I be vacuuming, emptying garbages and sorting laundry?  Oh, undoubtedly.  There is a very good chance I will regret this potentially unwise use of time later.  But maybe it's not unwise, after all.  I think maybe I need this sit still and be quiet time.

Life is busy in May.  I've long since realized that May exceeds even December in terms of hectic.  But when I glance at my calendar I realize that things aren't about to get easier any time soon.  I have so many things penciled into each and every square in every shade of pink, orange, green and blue pen that the whole month of June looks like a firecracker ready to explode.
3 days till school's out.
4 days till Little Red Riding Hood.  (We're going up Friday, actually, and spending the night.)
5 days till Lilian's birthday.
11 days till San Diego.
16 days till Ragnar.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
(Yes, I realize I'm mixing my metaphors...fireworks and icebergs don't tend to go together.  Work with me here, people.)

So I'm busy.  Maybe I'll be able to truly take time off somewhere around the second week of July.  We'll see.  So what that I've somehow found myself in charge of numerous events?  (An example:  Ragnar team captain...more work than I thought it would be.)  It's all good stuff.  I just need to be thankful for and savor the experiences, yes?  Delve into the details and find the joy in them.  At least that's what I keep telling myself.  Because as much as I am physically busy, the stress comes from trying to mentally keep it all straight in my head.  And in the meantime, I've decided that a spotless house and a perfectly manicured yard is overrated.

In a completely unrelated change of topic but something I have been thinking about nonetheless...
In my voice recital last night I sang "The Flagmaker, 1775" from Songs for a New World.  All about a woman whose son and husband are fighting the British in the Revolutionary War.  She's worried, scared, frustrated, so she spends her time stitching...one more star, one more stripe.

With the guns flaring, and the drums pounding
There's no hope of getting rest.
With the lights glaring, and the calls sounding
And the clenching in your chest.

When the man's in battle and the baby's rattle
Only makes you more depressed...
The wise woman does what she knows.
If it's fighting she fights. If it's sewing she sews.
When the tension inside overflows and goes too far...

One more star, one more stripe, to escape your lonely bed.
One more star, one more stripe, join the blue, the white and red.
One more star, one more stripe, as you pray your child's not dead.

With the roof leaking, and walls wetter
And the night as black as pitch.
With the wind shrieking, and his last letter
Says he's fighting in a ditch.
Then the candle flickers, and the river bickers
What else can you do but stitch?

One more star, one more stripe, til you feel the rising sun.
One more star, one more stripe, til this foolishness is done.
One more star, one more stripe. Who'll be waiting when we've won?

Grab a needle, grab a thimble if it's all that keeps you sane.
Think of freedom as a symbol, think of justice as a gain.
Think of life with independence, think of muskets and brigades
Think of taking the oppressors, think of banners and parades.

When the gate creaks
And the paint cracks
And the cat cries
And the night crawls
Raise a flag!
Raise a flag!
Raise a flag til you're free!

One more star, one more stripe, til this bloodshed's finally through.
One more star, one more stripe, til they come back home to you.
One more star, one more stripe, when there's nothing you can do.

If they take all the things
That define what you were and are...
One more star...  

I really dug into this performance, really put myself into the character.  By mid-song I was more or less into full mental break down mode as the character finds herself trying hard not to completely lose it.  It was...fun?  Well, yes...actually.  It's always a neat challenge and experience when you can feel the song you are performing well enough to really become the character.  I admire this woman.  And the other men and women like her who fought for our independence, for our freedoms.  I think we take those freedoms for granted today.  And I think that we are all too willing to give them up in the name of "security."  Freedom comes with risks.  If you want to be truly free, then you have to understand that things like 9/11 can happen.  Ask yourself....15 years ago if you could see into the future and watch yourself try to board a plane, would you be appalled at all the hoops we have to jump through? To the point that we are willingly walking through full body scanners, letting strangers see us nude, just so we can fly?  With only the slightest bit of a whimper from the public as a whole.  Scanners that are so graphic that children under 12 aren't allowed to walk through because the images are too close to child porn?  But we feel safer, right?  So it's all okay.  It's a slippery slope, my friends.

My privacy has been breached this past week.  It's a little bit funny if you think about it, because I spend a lot of time being anything but private as I share all sorts of details about my life on Facebook and this blog.  And yet...it is MY CHOICE as to what I share.  I live a small life.  Valuable to maybe just a small handful of people.   But the thought of someone snooping through my private life without my consent, bothers me more than I can tell.  I feel violated.  Realistically, however, there is nothing I can do about it so I go on with my life....one more star, one more stripe.

Presidential Fitness Challenge Decathlon

Remember the Presidential Fitness Challenge when you were in elementary school?  My memories revolve around being forced to do the long jump and shuttle run and 200 meter dash, push ups and sit ups....all outside in the heat and all on one day.  Things have changed a bit in the last 30 years.  They seem to take it all more seriously now, for one thing.  Or maybe they did before, but my 10 year old brain couldn't really comprehend why they were making me put my body through all these sporty kinds of activities.  Sports and I didn't really mix well back then.  So the only cool thing about it was that I was allowed to wear shorts to school that day.  (Now that I think about it, the Presidential Fitness Challenge was our actual end of year Field Day.  How pathetic is that?)

Anyhow, the Fitness Challenge now is spread out over a few weeks.  Most events are done inside the gym instead of out on the grass.  There are more events including:
200 meter dash
push-ups
curl-ups
jump rope
shuttle run
archery throw
sit and reach
basketball dribbling
standing broad jump
cup stacking

Cup stacking?  Yep.  Cue the song from Sesame Street...

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?
You've got the melody in your head, right?  I've been humming it all day.

I understand that cup stacking is all about eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills and all that...but I have to admit that I found it rather humorous to watch the kids all seriously making and un-making stacks as fast as they could...all in the name of physical fitness.  Seems a rather broad definition of the word "fitness" when you add cup stacking to these other specific Fitness Challenge events.  At least in my opinion...

But scoring in and completing all of these events at your elementary school isn't the end for some students.  After tallying overall scores, the 2 boys and 2 girls from each grade 4th-6th with the highest scores move on to a decathlon where they compete against kids from other schools in the district.  Brandon was one of the two top boy score-getters in his 5th grade.  He was pretty darn excited.  This morning I drove him to a neighboring high school for the big event.  It was barely controlled chaos with so many kids and so many events to get through but it was fun to watch.  Brandon and his team did not place but I think he had a great time.  He kicked trash on the curl-ups and push-ups, obviously.  Five days a week conditioning at the gym before working on gymnastics skills makes for a pretty strong kid in those areas.  But  I tell you what, it was a little odd to watch Brandon dribbling a basketball around a bunch of cones.  Brandon and basketball hasn't ever been a mixture I've seen before.  And probably never will again...good thing I got a picture!