On Christmas Eve, I was wrapping gifts all day. Isaac wanted to wrap some "gifts" to put under the tree as well. I gave him some paper, scissors and tape and he and Katie sat cutting, wrapping and taping the same item for over an hour. I thought they were so darling working on their project together. The next day, I looked at Katie and immediately noticed that she had bangs. And, I think you know what kind of bangs I'm talking about. The uneven kind, cropped up close to the hairline. I gasped in surprise and blurted out, "Who cut your hair?" Without even blinking she replied, "Isaac did it."
Further questioning revealed that wrapping paper wasn't the only thing Isaac was cutting on Christmas Eve.
It could have been much worse. I guess since Katie never wants me fixing her hair (and, she always rips out any barrettes I manage to sneak in), the bangs will suit her once they grow out a little. What can I say? She is still so stinking cute and I just smile a little at those bangs every time I see them.
We had a very fun Christmas that included a Kindle and four way radios for Sophie, the long anticipated "Skopio" -- a super bionicle -- and a remote control airplane for Ian, walkie talkies, a hot wheels track and lego set for Isaac and a "Melissa and Doug" ice cream set, tiny tea dishes and a baby doll in a cradle for Katie.
We also got a wii for the family and our kids said they now "know for sure that Santa is real" because he left a full size air hockey table in our family room (or, as we like to call it - the party room). Sophie and Ian said they are positive that Brian and I would never have allowed such a thing as that.
Brian had Monday off from work. We wanted to look for organizational nick knacks for our home at IKEA but we didn't know who to leave the kids with all day the day after Christmas. Then, I remembered hearing once upon a time that there is a free supervised play area at IKEA. A little on-line investigation confirmed this thought. So, we hauled all four kids along for the ride.
Upon arrival, we discovered that the only one of our kids who could go in the play area was Isaac. Sophie and Ian were a few inches too tall and Katie was just barely too short. Also, Isaac could only play for one hour, which is like five minutes in IKEA shopping time.
The good news was that Sophie and Ian could check out game boys to play and Katie could sit outside of the play area and watch a movie on a big screen T.V. from a kid size chair. The other good news was that kids twelve and under could eat at the cafeteria for free all day! Apparently, they can always eat for free on Tuesdays, but we happened to come during a week long special.
Brian did some work on his laptop while three of our kids hung out playing games and watching movies and Isaac had his hour in the play area. I speed shopped through the showroom. Then, we all ate lunch in the cafeteria and all six of us raced through the showroom area together. It wouldn't have been so bad except that Katie was way beyond nap time by the time we got downstairs for the actual shopping. And, I would like to forget about how much Sophie and Ian acted like they were being tortured absolutely to death from the moment we checked the game boys back in until the moment we arrived at the check out stand.
In the end, Brian and I got some ideas and we are hoping to return soon (without the kids).
This morning, I got a great surprise which was that Brian got to have another day off from work! He started his day by fixing the hot water faucet in the main bathroom and hanging pictures on the walls (yay!). His family started arriving by 2 p.m. (for his side of the family's Christmas party) and then Brian led several aunts, uncles and nearly all of the cousins on a long hike toward Malan's Peak. I love that they could walk right from our front door to the trail head.
After that, there was all sorts of revelry -- food, crafts, cookies, a fire in the fireplace, games, white elephant exchanges for the kids and lots of visiting and good times.
Next up -- hosting a 15-kid New Year's Eve party (I'm letting my kids invite their friends over this year).
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
We Are In!
On October 25th we signed closing papers on our new home. The evening of the 28th, we received the keys. That meant we had just over 24-hours to move our entire collection, twelve years in the making, of stuff from one house to the next. We were so grateful when friends and family members showed up one after another to help us get it done.
Since Brian's first order of business was to overhaul the entire plumbing system, we packed a few suitcases and moved into my parents' guest room. The morning after we moved (Sunday), I was carrying Isaac down my parents' driveway when I rolled my ankle and sprained it. I felt like I was too busy to take care of it, but now that it's still swollen and bothering me more than a month later, I'm thinking that the next time I sprain my ankle I will put my feet up and get some crutches so it can heal properly.
Probably that will only happen if I'm retired and living on my own private island by then, right?. But, from a sensible standpoint, that is what I would do.
Brian took the week of Halloween off from work to focus only on the plumbing. And, then, the magic began. Our quiet, old house that has sat vacant for so many years was suddenly all abuzz with action. A friend brought over a big digger and made a 4-foot deep trench from the road to the house so Brian could replace the main water line. Brian wasted no time ripping out all of the downstairs ceilings so he could promptly rid the house of all its old galvanized pipes. Next came a series of holes in the walls upstairs (those freshly painted walls - ouch).
Brian is amazing. I can't believe he replaced all of our plumbing! He has been a powerhouse of energy since he began. For the first week, he worked 14-hours straight through every day including Saturday. The next week, he had to go back to work, but he has stayed busy every moment of his free time working on projects.
It took 2-weeks to get the water turned back on and flowing through the new pipes. During that time we were given the royal treatment at my parents' house. One night, they even treated us to a feast of fresh crab that my dad caught in Oregon on a crabbing trip the month before.
We were having such a nice time staying with my parents that we might have stayed indefinitely, except that we realized (with surprise) that it was already almost Thanksgiving. Since, my parents would be having a new slew of house guests for the holiday, we decided we'd better move along to give them a little reprieve in between. On November 12, we spent our first night in the new house. We didn't go to our new church until the following week, since our kids performed in their primary program on November 13. The next day, Ian turned 9 and we surprised the kids by taking them all out to breakfast at Karen's Cafe early in the morning before school.
I met with my girl scouts right after school and then I left the other three kids with a sitter so that Brian and I could take Ian out to dinner. When I asked him what he wanted, he said "Steak and shrimp" (I should also note here that when I asked him what snacks he wanted for his friend party, I expected him to say something like "Doritos" but he surprised me with "Crab and lobster" -- he got Doritos and muddy buddies). So, we took him to Sizzler. I was thinking it would be a cheap option for steak and shrimp, plus I could get the salad bar. And, he loves Sizzler after we took him there when he got a free meal gift certificate from school. I was amazed at how hopping busy that place was! And, on a weeknight. Wow. Sizzler? I had no idea.
He ordered his steak medium rare and ate it in bite size pieces by stabbing it with the plastic pointy thing that tells how the steak is cooked. I remember doing that when I was a kid. I sure love that boy.
He and Sophie are having a terrible time transitioning to the new house and going to a new church. You would think they would love having a bigger place and a bigger yard. But, they are so sentimental about our last home. You would think they would be elated at not having to change schools, but instead they are broken-hearted (and, I do mean that lots of tears have been and continue to be shed) to go to a different church (even though they know almost all of the kids already from school and Ian is now in a scout troop with his best friend). I suppose they will adjust eventually. It's hard to see them so sad. Isaac and Katie on the other hand are as happy as can be about the move and I suppose in a few years they will have forgotten all about our old house for good.
I loved our old house too and shed a few tears at our parting. But, I love our new house so much that I just can't bring myself to feel anything other than uncontrolled excitement and gratitude for our good fortune. I do miss going to our old church where we had many good friends. But, I believe we will stay in touch (we only moved a few blocks after all), and our new church seems wonderful too. Our neighbors have been so welcoming and kind to us. For the first few weeks, there was a non-stop parade of visitors dropping off goodies and welcoming us to the neighborhood. It seems this is a great place for us to live.
The thing we love most about our new home is the breathtaking views. We have huge windows that face west and we can see all the way out to the Great Salt Lake. The sunsets are stunning. The other thing we love is actually having space!
It's so nice to not be living right on top of each other. We are still close. The boys still share a room and the girls share a room too. Our bedrooms are close, but not within inches of each other. We are cozy, but at least we can fit two beds and two dressers in each of the kids' rooms. And, the closet in the master bedroom is lovely (his and hers). I honestly don't know how we ever fit everything in our old closet that was 1/4 the size. It's not so huge that we never see each other, but the space is just right so that the kids can have friends over and not annoy each other the entire time.
We are so very, very happy here. Even if the yard is dead, and the ceilings are ripped out, and it needs a new roof and the radiant heat sprung another leak just last night necessitating even more holes in the walls to get to the source. It's nice to be able to dream again. We had maxed out at our old house and it had been apparent for a few years that there was just no place left for us to go. It's going to take a lot of time to get this one fixed up, but, I know we will get it there.
When I turned in my November invoice to the newspaper, I realized I had written 11 stories (requiring 29 interviews). I also started a new job working as a grant writer on November 1. Sheesh! No wonder I haven't had a moment to unpack. Halloween, Thanksgiving, out of town friends, birthday, work, work, work . . . It's a pretty big mess over here. We finally unpacked half of the kitchen on Saturday (attempting to feed my family was interesting up until then). We haven't hung any pictures, curtains (still need to buy some of those) or even the hooks to hang up our towels in the bathroom. Everything is on the list of things to be done. But, the problem is that the list has about 30 things that need to be done NOW. So, we are being very patient and knowing that eventually it will all be done.
A gal from my new church has been asking to come and see our work in progress. Last night, I told her to come and see it and I wanted to see her house too. She bought an amazing house down the street from me 5-years-ago. I remember when that house was for sale. Brian and I were driving through the neighborhood and suddenly we came upon a huge (6000 square foot) home which was so very, very fancy and pink every inch from top to bottom (and the fancy fence was pink too). I had seen the amazing transformation that had taken place on the outside. It is just a gorgeous taupe and white home now with a black roof and shutters and amazing landscaping (nearly an acre plus a pool).
Last night, it was my treat to get to see the house on the inside. They have put about 200K into renovations and her decorating style was so beautiful. The house was such a unique piece of work to begin with. The entire thing is laced with the most unique fancy moldings. It feels like the inside of a palace! Even the bathrooms have elegant chandeliers and stained glass partitions. After going through that home, my own home felt absolutely plain. And, so it goes. There is always something better! Haha. Not really though. I'm quite happy with the deal we got on this home and not at all envious of the work they've had to put into theirs.
Now we have the rest of our lives to make ours unique and beautiful too.
Though probably never quite that fancy. It was really fun to see it though! She was such a good friend and kept it real by telling me that their heating bill is $400/month -- on level pay!!! We have yet to see the price tag of our single pane windows that frame the sunsets so beautifully for us (no reliable billing history since it was vacant for so long).
In other news, the windstorm on December 1st was one our family will never forget. We didn't sustain any damage, but dozens of our neighbors (and Brian's parents in Bountiful) lost enormous pine trees. All through the neighborhood, we saw tree after beautiful tree blown right over by the roots. The pine tree a few doors down from our old house went over too (this was a huge landmark for my kids all these years as in -- "I'm going to ride my scooter to the pine tree and back mom!"). The roots alone were taller than me when standing on end like that for most of the trees! I have never in my life seen anything like this. Our power was out for 24-hours. That is the longest I have ever been without power and it has made me ponder seriously the virtues of owning a generator. I'm just grateful it was only 24-hours since our neighbor directly across the street did not have power restored until yesterday (more than 72-hours). I think this area was especially hit hard because there are so many huge trees. It's one of the best features in the neighborhood (at least most of the time).
If you are reading this and you haven't been to the new house -- come on by! Most of our stuff is still in boxes, but it's going to be that way for awhile. So, I'm pretty relaxed about people coming over even though I would usually be mortified. Come on by, we'll have some pie ;-)
Since Brian's first order of business was to overhaul the entire plumbing system, we packed a few suitcases and moved into my parents' guest room. The morning after we moved (Sunday), I was carrying Isaac down my parents' driveway when I rolled my ankle and sprained it. I felt like I was too busy to take care of it, but now that it's still swollen and bothering me more than a month later, I'm thinking that the next time I sprain my ankle I will put my feet up and get some crutches so it can heal properly.
Probably that will only happen if I'm retired and living on my own private island by then, right?. But, from a sensible standpoint, that is what I would do.
Brian took the week of Halloween off from work to focus only on the plumbing. And, then, the magic began. Our quiet, old house that has sat vacant for so many years was suddenly all abuzz with action. A friend brought over a big digger and made a 4-foot deep trench from the road to the house so Brian could replace the main water line. Brian wasted no time ripping out all of the downstairs ceilings so he could promptly rid the house of all its old galvanized pipes. Next came a series of holes in the walls upstairs (those freshly painted walls - ouch).
Brian is amazing. I can't believe he replaced all of our plumbing! He has been a powerhouse of energy since he began. For the first week, he worked 14-hours straight through every day including Saturday. The next week, he had to go back to work, but he has stayed busy every moment of his free time working on projects.
It took 2-weeks to get the water turned back on and flowing through the new pipes. During that time we were given the royal treatment at my parents' house. One night, they even treated us to a feast of fresh crab that my dad caught in Oregon on a crabbing trip the month before.
We were having such a nice time staying with my parents that we might have stayed indefinitely, except that we realized (with surprise) that it was already almost Thanksgiving. Since, my parents would be having a new slew of house guests for the holiday, we decided we'd better move along to give them a little reprieve in between. On November 12, we spent our first night in the new house. We didn't go to our new church until the following week, since our kids performed in their primary program on November 13. The next day, Ian turned 9 and we surprised the kids by taking them all out to breakfast at Karen's Cafe early in the morning before school.
I met with my girl scouts right after school and then I left the other three kids with a sitter so that Brian and I could take Ian out to dinner. When I asked him what he wanted, he said "Steak and shrimp" (I should also note here that when I asked him what snacks he wanted for his friend party, I expected him to say something like "Doritos" but he surprised me with "Crab and lobster" -- he got Doritos and muddy buddies). So, we took him to Sizzler. I was thinking it would be a cheap option for steak and shrimp, plus I could get the salad bar. And, he loves Sizzler after we took him there when he got a free meal gift certificate from school. I was amazed at how hopping busy that place was! And, on a weeknight. Wow. Sizzler? I had no idea.
He ordered his steak medium rare and ate it in bite size pieces by stabbing it with the plastic pointy thing that tells how the steak is cooked. I remember doing that when I was a kid. I sure love that boy.
He and Sophie are having a terrible time transitioning to the new house and going to a new church. You would think they would love having a bigger place and a bigger yard. But, they are so sentimental about our last home. You would think they would be elated at not having to change schools, but instead they are broken-hearted (and, I do mean that lots of tears have been and continue to be shed) to go to a different church (even though they know almost all of the kids already from school and Ian is now in a scout troop with his best friend). I suppose they will adjust eventually. It's hard to see them so sad. Isaac and Katie on the other hand are as happy as can be about the move and I suppose in a few years they will have forgotten all about our old house for good.
I loved our old house too and shed a few tears at our parting. But, I love our new house so much that I just can't bring myself to feel anything other than uncontrolled excitement and gratitude for our good fortune. I do miss going to our old church where we had many good friends. But, I believe we will stay in touch (we only moved a few blocks after all), and our new church seems wonderful too. Our neighbors have been so welcoming and kind to us. For the first few weeks, there was a non-stop parade of visitors dropping off goodies and welcoming us to the neighborhood. It seems this is a great place for us to live.
The thing we love most about our new home is the breathtaking views. We have huge windows that face west and we can see all the way out to the Great Salt Lake. The sunsets are stunning. The other thing we love is actually having space!
It's so nice to not be living right on top of each other. We are still close. The boys still share a room and the girls share a room too. Our bedrooms are close, but not within inches of each other. We are cozy, but at least we can fit two beds and two dressers in each of the kids' rooms. And, the closet in the master bedroom is lovely (his and hers). I honestly don't know how we ever fit everything in our old closet that was 1/4 the size. It's not so huge that we never see each other, but the space is just right so that the kids can have friends over and not annoy each other the entire time.
We are so very, very happy here. Even if the yard is dead, and the ceilings are ripped out, and it needs a new roof and the radiant heat sprung another leak just last night necessitating even more holes in the walls to get to the source. It's nice to be able to dream again. We had maxed out at our old house and it had been apparent for a few years that there was just no place left for us to go. It's going to take a lot of time to get this one fixed up, but, I know we will get it there.
When I turned in my November invoice to the newspaper, I realized I had written 11 stories (requiring 29 interviews). I also started a new job working as a grant writer on November 1. Sheesh! No wonder I haven't had a moment to unpack. Halloween, Thanksgiving, out of town friends, birthday, work, work, work . . . It's a pretty big mess over here. We finally unpacked half of the kitchen on Saturday (attempting to feed my family was interesting up until then). We haven't hung any pictures, curtains (still need to buy some of those) or even the hooks to hang up our towels in the bathroom. Everything is on the list of things to be done. But, the problem is that the list has about 30 things that need to be done NOW. So, we are being very patient and knowing that eventually it will all be done.
A gal from my new church has been asking to come and see our work in progress. Last night, I told her to come and see it and I wanted to see her house too. She bought an amazing house down the street from me 5-years-ago. I remember when that house was for sale. Brian and I were driving through the neighborhood and suddenly we came upon a huge (6000 square foot) home which was so very, very fancy and pink every inch from top to bottom (and the fancy fence was pink too). I had seen the amazing transformation that had taken place on the outside. It is just a gorgeous taupe and white home now with a black roof and shutters and amazing landscaping (nearly an acre plus a pool).
Last night, it was my treat to get to see the house on the inside. They have put about 200K into renovations and her decorating style was so beautiful. The house was such a unique piece of work to begin with. The entire thing is laced with the most unique fancy moldings. It feels like the inside of a palace! Even the bathrooms have elegant chandeliers and stained glass partitions. After going through that home, my own home felt absolutely plain. And, so it goes. There is always something better! Haha. Not really though. I'm quite happy with the deal we got on this home and not at all envious of the work they've had to put into theirs.
Now we have the rest of our lives to make ours unique and beautiful too.
Though probably never quite that fancy. It was really fun to see it though! She was such a good friend and kept it real by telling me that their heating bill is $400/month -- on level pay!!! We have yet to see the price tag of our single pane windows that frame the sunsets so beautifully for us (no reliable billing history since it was vacant for so long).
In other news, the windstorm on December 1st was one our family will never forget. We didn't sustain any damage, but dozens of our neighbors (and Brian's parents in Bountiful) lost enormous pine trees. All through the neighborhood, we saw tree after beautiful tree blown right over by the roots. The pine tree a few doors down from our old house went over too (this was a huge landmark for my kids all these years as in -- "I'm going to ride my scooter to the pine tree and back mom!"). The roots alone were taller than me when standing on end like that for most of the trees! I have never in my life seen anything like this. Our power was out for 24-hours. That is the longest I have ever been without power and it has made me ponder seriously the virtues of owning a generator. I'm just grateful it was only 24-hours since our neighbor directly across the street did not have power restored until yesterday (more than 72-hours). I think this area was especially hit hard because there are so many huge trees. It's one of the best features in the neighborhood (at least most of the time).
If you are reading this and you haven't been to the new house -- come on by! Most of our stuff is still in boxes, but it's going to be that way for awhile. So, I'm pretty relaxed about people coming over even though I would usually be mortified. Come on by, we'll have some pie ;-)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
FoodMed Seattle
One year ago, my new friend Patti who I only knew a little invited me to Seattle for sight inspections (looking for the perfect hotel and restaurants for a conference she was planning). Of course I said "yes" to an expense paid girlfriend getaway and one of the unexpected results was that it led to a very fulfilling career as her meeting planner assistant.
Six months ago, I traveled to Phoenix to assist with CleanMed. I was a basket case. I had no idea what I was doing. It was difficult and exhausting, but I learned so much and it was also exciting and gratifying.
I spent the whole summer helping Patti plan smaller conferences, which she attended and I did not (actually, I ran around having all the fun I could pack in with my kids on the weeks she traveled). I learned so much every step of the way. Some days my mind was so tired when I left work. It was nice to have the mental stimulation.
Last Wednesday, we finished FoodMed, the conference we chose a hotel for one year ago. I was one million times less stressed than I was at CleanMed. the people were lovely just like the ones I met at CleanMed. The topics were inspiring, mainly centered around how to make healthy food accessible to all -- beginning with serving it in our hospitals. Everything was a success. The meals were amazing. The hotel is gorgeous. And, tomorrow I go home to start a new adventure.
It looks like we close on the new house Monday. I feel very at peace with this move. I hope it means we are making the right decision. It's exciting to see what blessings and challenges will come with the move. Another big change is that im taking time off from my meeting planning days until if and when the business picks back up. This brings a lot of emotions. After the initial shock of losing my new job (which I did not think was temporary) wore off, I began to feel grateful to just be the mom again. I've missed our little outings to the library and the Treehouse and I've missed home cooked dinners and volunteering at the schools. But, I'm also stressed to lose the income and I'm trying to maintain my faith that things will all work out somehow - as long as there are good desires in my heart.
I'm slowly learning that it really is better not to have all the answers in life and appreciating the joy of having so many things to look forward to.
Like working plumbing in my new house. (haha)
I'm really excited for that and its nice to have it to look forward to.
Anyways, its been a real treat to be in Seattle this week. The first night, we went to a restaurant that was so fancy they whisked our food away to keep it warm if someone got up to use the restroom. On day two, I worked like a crazy woman for twelve hours straight but really enjoyed a fair trade chocolate bar and a soak in the hot tub and visit to the eucalyptus steam room at the end of the day. On day three, I actually left the hotel for an invigorating walk down to Pike's Market. I love that amazing farmer's market on the water's edge. Today, we wrapped things up. The conference is over. Patti and I had a lovely dinner at the Steelhead Diner to celebrate. In the morning there is an early yoga class, then it's to the airport and back home. Back to real life for me. I love those kids of mine and hope they are excited to see me.
**Updated to add - they were excited to see me! Wow, were they ever excited. So many hugs and so much sweetness it almost made me want to go out of town more often just to get the big welcome home. We had a fabulous weekend together and now it is Monday night. We close tomorrow. We might not get keys until later - so we might only have Friday night and Saturday to move everything!!! But, I hope we will get lucky and get the keys on Wednesday night as we had planned. Either way, we will be out of this house and into the new by the end of Saturday. I can't believe we are leaving this home after twelve years here.
Six months ago, I traveled to Phoenix to assist with CleanMed. I was a basket case. I had no idea what I was doing. It was difficult and exhausting, but I learned so much and it was also exciting and gratifying.
I spent the whole summer helping Patti plan smaller conferences, which she attended and I did not (actually, I ran around having all the fun I could pack in with my kids on the weeks she traveled). I learned so much every step of the way. Some days my mind was so tired when I left work. It was nice to have the mental stimulation.
Last Wednesday, we finished FoodMed, the conference we chose a hotel for one year ago. I was one million times less stressed than I was at CleanMed. the people were lovely just like the ones I met at CleanMed. The topics were inspiring, mainly centered around how to make healthy food accessible to all -- beginning with serving it in our hospitals. Everything was a success. The meals were amazing. The hotel is gorgeous. And, tomorrow I go home to start a new adventure.
It looks like we close on the new house Monday. I feel very at peace with this move. I hope it means we are making the right decision. It's exciting to see what blessings and challenges will come with the move. Another big change is that im taking time off from my meeting planning days until if and when the business picks back up. This brings a lot of emotions. After the initial shock of losing my new job (which I did not think was temporary) wore off, I began to feel grateful to just be the mom again. I've missed our little outings to the library and the Treehouse and I've missed home cooked dinners and volunteering at the schools. But, I'm also stressed to lose the income and I'm trying to maintain my faith that things will all work out somehow - as long as there are good desires in my heart.
I'm slowly learning that it really is better not to have all the answers in life and appreciating the joy of having so many things to look forward to.
Like working plumbing in my new house. (haha)
I'm really excited for that and its nice to have it to look forward to.
Anyways, its been a real treat to be in Seattle this week. The first night, we went to a restaurant that was so fancy they whisked our food away to keep it warm if someone got up to use the restroom. On day two, I worked like a crazy woman for twelve hours straight but really enjoyed a fair trade chocolate bar and a soak in the hot tub and visit to the eucalyptus steam room at the end of the day. On day three, I actually left the hotel for an invigorating walk down to Pike's Market. I love that amazing farmer's market on the water's edge. Today, we wrapped things up. The conference is over. Patti and I had a lovely dinner at the Steelhead Diner to celebrate. In the morning there is an early yoga class, then it's to the airport and back home. Back to real life for me. I love those kids of mine and hope they are excited to see me.
**Updated to add - they were excited to see me! Wow, were they ever excited. So many hugs and so much sweetness it almost made me want to go out of town more often just to get the big welcome home. We had a fabulous weekend together and now it is Monday night. We close tomorrow. We might not get keys until later - so we might only have Friday night and Saturday to move everything!!! But, I hope we will get lucky and get the keys on Wednesday night as we had planned. Either way, we will be out of this house and into the new by the end of Saturday. I can't believe we are leaving this home after twelve years here.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Rose Colored Glasses: Off
So, we met with the inspector this afternoon and what I thought would be a 15 minute exchange turned into a 2 hour, mind boggling conversation.
He said that most of his "reports" are about 45-pages long. Ours was 79. And, in case you are wondering -- that is not a good thing.
It turns out that the new coat of paint that made buyers suddenly so interested in a home that has sat vacant for years is probably covering up a few, shall we say "blemishes"? The plumbing is trash. Major water issues. (they just turned the water on today for the inspection)
I had to leave the pow wow early to get to a meeting and Brian and I have not had a chance to discuss yet. I know there were some other issues too.
Now, we just have to make sure we can get our financing or if we have to do the repairs first. Either way, it looks like we will need a plan B for living arrangements before our new place is move in ready.
It is disappointing news, but we still really feel like this is the place. I guess we'd better get ready for a little more of an adventure than we bargained for.
Signing off now so I can go enjoy my last few days with the modern convenience of running water (hahahaha). Thank you to all the well wishers!
He said that most of his "reports" are about 45-pages long. Ours was 79. And, in case you are wondering -- that is not a good thing.
It turns out that the new coat of paint that made buyers suddenly so interested in a home that has sat vacant for years is probably covering up a few, shall we say "blemishes"? The plumbing is trash. Major water issues. (they just turned the water on today for the inspection)
I had to leave the pow wow early to get to a meeting and Brian and I have not had a chance to discuss yet. I know there were some other issues too.
Now, we just have to make sure we can get our financing or if we have to do the repairs first. Either way, it looks like we will need a plan B for living arrangements before our new place is move in ready.
It is disappointing news, but we still really feel like this is the place. I guess we'd better get ready for a little more of an adventure than we bargained for.
Signing off now so I can go enjoy my last few days with the modern convenience of running water (hahahaha). Thank you to all the well wishers!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Front Porch
I love my front porch. It is one of the best places to sit and watch a lightning storm, or visit with the neighbors as they walk by. Our family has made so many great memories while sitting out there.
Over the years, as we've discussed off and on plans to sell this house and buy something bigger, I have wondered, "How do you get a prospective buyer to appreciate something like the front porch?" It's so much more than meets the eye.
There are 101 little things that we love about this house. The maple hardwood floors, the antique chandelier, the stained glass windows, the deep storage space in the bathroom cupboards, the ancient cottonwood in the backyard (love/hate relationship with the tree actually) . . . We have tried not to be emotionally attached. We did our best job yet of being detached sellers during this current attempt. But, truly, I must admit, it is impossible. I don't know if we are just hugely sentimental to the core, or if it is because we have molded this home inside and out with our own bare hands to make it what it is, or if it is because some of the most important years of our lives - when all four of our babies were born -- were spent here, or, if it is all the neighbors we have come to love -- I'm not sure which factor contributes the most, but we are so emotionally attached to this home that it's impossible for us to flip a switch and turn that off no matter how hard we try.
This is why I was so happy when I finally met our buyers face to face last night and they went on and on about how much they love the front porch and the stained glass windows and the backyard . . . It warmed my heart. I always hoped that someday when we were finished with our little house on 25th Street that just the right people would come along and love it the way we have.
If all goes according to plan, we will be living in our new house, just a few blocks away, by the end of the month! Everything has happened so fast that is doesn't even seem real. And, now I will share the story of how we came to find our new house.
We have been talking about getting a bigger house for . . . ummm . . . let's see, about ten years. We have even put this house up for sale a time or two (ahem, or three), but, the timing was just never right. Last year, I got pretty serious about wanting to upgrade for many reasons, one of them being that we knew we would need a bigger house to raise our kids through their teenage years and it's easier to move them when they are younger (although, we have already waited so long that this transition is breaking both Sophie and Ian's hearts a little).
I was hoping that we would put the house up for sale in the spring. But, we didn't get around to doing all of the improvement projects to make that happen (we had to do quite the kitchen remodel to add cabinets to one wall and remove cabinets from another so we could install a dishwasher -- because, selling a house with no dishwasher is like trying to sell a house with no roof or no front door apparently). Brian plugged away at projects, but spring and summer came and went and we still weren't ready.
Meanwhile, a good friend of mine told me about a house up the street from her that was for sale. I appreciated her suggestion and I even drove to the house and walked around it peeking in the windows several times. But, I did not tell Brian because it was at the upper end of our price range and I didn't think he would go for it.
A few months later, Brian found the exact same house on his own while he was out driving around and came home to tell me about it (note this doesn't usually happen). When I realized which house he was talking about I said, "Yes, I know that house. I've been looking at it, but I thought you would say it was too much money." And, he said, "Well, I almost didn't mention it to you because I thought you would say it needed too much work."
We decided to take a walk through the house and the interior was much better than we expected. Here is the story of the house (as I have pieced it together over the past few months, it may or may not be completely accurate):
The house was owned for many decades by a family who cared for it meticulously. The yard was one of the most pristine in the neighborhood. The husband of the couple who owned it has now passed away and the wife is 98-years-old and in a care center. Several (I'm not sure how many) years ago, when they left the home, it was turned into a rental and thoroughly trashed. The yard went to pot. The inside (I am told though it has since been repaired) was water damaged.
In 2008, it was purchased by an investor who made several improvements to the inside -- including putting down lovely tile in several of the rooms and the bathroom vanity and kitchen counters. In 2009, the home was taken back by the bank and it has sat empty ever since.
It is my understanding that it was priced quite a bit higher and that the inside was looking pretty shabby for most of the time that the bank has owned it (the outside still looks pretty shabby). So, it got a bad reputation and it wasn't even being shown much anymore by the time we found it. But, right before we came into the picture, the bank went in and replaced all of the carpets and painted the entire interior (doesn't a fresh coat of paint make such a difference?). In addition, they lowered the price right before we went to see it too.
The house was bigger than what we were planning on buying. I mean, I wanted a little more space, not twice as much space. But, it was such a good deal. We fell in love with the huge windows, the floor plan, the lot (for it's potential, not it's current dead state), the huge closet in the master bedroom, and the covered porch over the garage which has an even better view of the setting sun than our current beloved porch. From the start, we were emotionally attached. It felt like the right space for us. And, the other best part? Our kids don't even have to change schools!
In an uncharacteristic fashion (are you even kidding - we only looked at one house!) we quickly got the house under contract (and not a moment too soon, since a backup offer came in just as we were about to sign on the dotted line). They would not accept a contingency to sell our other home and required us to close by the end of October (six short weeks from the time we got the contract), so we signed anyways and decided to just take a chance and see if it was possible to sell our house in record breaking time. In this housing market no less.
In one week, we painted the exterior, moved a ton of our possessions into boxes in the garage, replaced carpets, did 99 little touch ups and hired a genius real estate agent. The next week we had 2-3 showings every day. One couple came back three times and narrowed their choices to this house and one other (then they chose the other). Another couple made a low offer and stressed us out for eight days while we negotiated (and then walked away after we agreed to give them the shirts off our backs).
Last Monday, October 3rd, we got the news in the evening that our buyers were walking away. It was so late in the game. I said to myself, "I guess we've lost the other house and we need to withdraw our offer." It was getting to be too late for us to even get our financing in time, let alone wait for someone else to get their financing first. The bank was not willing to negotiate on our deadlines and, now, interest in the house we are trying to buy has grown and now there are several buyers waiting in the wings if our contract falls through.
I drove up to the new house and looked around at the dead yard and I thought, "This house is too much work anyways." But, in my heart, I couldn't stop feeling like it was meant to be our house.
But, how?
Of course there have been many prayers about this decision and at this time I was praying for either closure or a buyer, and a buyer is what I got!
Less than 24-hours after the contract with the wrong buyers fell through (during the whole negotiation process, Brian and I both felt that they were the wrong buyers but we were trying not to let our extreme emotional attachment to the house get in the way -- note: I don't even think they liked the house very much, they just wanted a cheap deal) the right buyers appeared! Yay! I love happy endings.
Now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes as planned. I feel at peace, like it's all falling into place. However, I've also lived long enough to know that life is full of surprises.
For now, I'm just happy to know that there is another family out there who really loves my little bungalow.
Over the years, as we've discussed off and on plans to sell this house and buy something bigger, I have wondered, "How do you get a prospective buyer to appreciate something like the front porch?" It's so much more than meets the eye.
There are 101 little things that we love about this house. The maple hardwood floors, the antique chandelier, the stained glass windows, the deep storage space in the bathroom cupboards, the ancient cottonwood in the backyard (love/hate relationship with the tree actually) . . . We have tried not to be emotionally attached. We did our best job yet of being detached sellers during this current attempt. But, truly, I must admit, it is impossible. I don't know if we are just hugely sentimental to the core, or if it is because we have molded this home inside and out with our own bare hands to make it what it is, or if it is because some of the most important years of our lives - when all four of our babies were born -- were spent here, or, if it is all the neighbors we have come to love -- I'm not sure which factor contributes the most, but we are so emotionally attached to this home that it's impossible for us to flip a switch and turn that off no matter how hard we try.
This is why I was so happy when I finally met our buyers face to face last night and they went on and on about how much they love the front porch and the stained glass windows and the backyard . . . It warmed my heart. I always hoped that someday when we were finished with our little house on 25th Street that just the right people would come along and love it the way we have.
If all goes according to plan, we will be living in our new house, just a few blocks away, by the end of the month! Everything has happened so fast that is doesn't even seem real. And, now I will share the story of how we came to find our new house.
We have been talking about getting a bigger house for . . . ummm . . . let's see, about ten years. We have even put this house up for sale a time or two (ahem, or three), but, the timing was just never right. Last year, I got pretty serious about wanting to upgrade for many reasons, one of them being that we knew we would need a bigger house to raise our kids through their teenage years and it's easier to move them when they are younger (although, we have already waited so long that this transition is breaking both Sophie and Ian's hearts a little).
I was hoping that we would put the house up for sale in the spring. But, we didn't get around to doing all of the improvement projects to make that happen (we had to do quite the kitchen remodel to add cabinets to one wall and remove cabinets from another so we could install a dishwasher -- because, selling a house with no dishwasher is like trying to sell a house with no roof or no front door apparently). Brian plugged away at projects, but spring and summer came and went and we still weren't ready.
Meanwhile, a good friend of mine told me about a house up the street from her that was for sale. I appreciated her suggestion and I even drove to the house and walked around it peeking in the windows several times. But, I did not tell Brian because it was at the upper end of our price range and I didn't think he would go for it.
A few months later, Brian found the exact same house on his own while he was out driving around and came home to tell me about it (note this doesn't usually happen). When I realized which house he was talking about I said, "Yes, I know that house. I've been looking at it, but I thought you would say it was too much money." And, he said, "Well, I almost didn't mention it to you because I thought you would say it needed too much work."
We decided to take a walk through the house and the interior was much better than we expected. Here is the story of the house (as I have pieced it together over the past few months, it may or may not be completely accurate):
The house was owned for many decades by a family who cared for it meticulously. The yard was one of the most pristine in the neighborhood. The husband of the couple who owned it has now passed away and the wife is 98-years-old and in a care center. Several (I'm not sure how many) years ago, when they left the home, it was turned into a rental and thoroughly trashed. The yard went to pot. The inside (I am told though it has since been repaired) was water damaged.
In 2008, it was purchased by an investor who made several improvements to the inside -- including putting down lovely tile in several of the rooms and the bathroom vanity and kitchen counters. In 2009, the home was taken back by the bank and it has sat empty ever since.
It is my understanding that it was priced quite a bit higher and that the inside was looking pretty shabby for most of the time that the bank has owned it (the outside still looks pretty shabby). So, it got a bad reputation and it wasn't even being shown much anymore by the time we found it. But, right before we came into the picture, the bank went in and replaced all of the carpets and painted the entire interior (doesn't a fresh coat of paint make such a difference?). In addition, they lowered the price right before we went to see it too.
The house was bigger than what we were planning on buying. I mean, I wanted a little more space, not twice as much space. But, it was such a good deal. We fell in love with the huge windows, the floor plan, the lot (for it's potential, not it's current dead state), the huge closet in the master bedroom, and the covered porch over the garage which has an even better view of the setting sun than our current beloved porch. From the start, we were emotionally attached. It felt like the right space for us. And, the other best part? Our kids don't even have to change schools!
In an uncharacteristic fashion (are you even kidding - we only looked at one house!) we quickly got the house under contract (and not a moment too soon, since a backup offer came in just as we were about to sign on the dotted line). They would not accept a contingency to sell our other home and required us to close by the end of October (six short weeks from the time we got the contract), so we signed anyways and decided to just take a chance and see if it was possible to sell our house in record breaking time. In this housing market no less.
In one week, we painted the exterior, moved a ton of our possessions into boxes in the garage, replaced carpets, did 99 little touch ups and hired a genius real estate agent. The next week we had 2-3 showings every day. One couple came back three times and narrowed their choices to this house and one other (then they chose the other). Another couple made a low offer and stressed us out for eight days while we negotiated (and then walked away after we agreed to give them the shirts off our backs).
Last Monday, October 3rd, we got the news in the evening that our buyers were walking away. It was so late in the game. I said to myself, "I guess we've lost the other house and we need to withdraw our offer." It was getting to be too late for us to even get our financing in time, let alone wait for someone else to get their financing first. The bank was not willing to negotiate on our deadlines and, now, interest in the house we are trying to buy has grown and now there are several buyers waiting in the wings if our contract falls through.
I drove up to the new house and looked around at the dead yard and I thought, "This house is too much work anyways." But, in my heart, I couldn't stop feeling like it was meant to be our house.
But, how?
Of course there have been many prayers about this decision and at this time I was praying for either closure or a buyer, and a buyer is what I got!
Less than 24-hours after the contract with the wrong buyers fell through (during the whole negotiation process, Brian and I both felt that they were the wrong buyers but we were trying not to let our extreme emotional attachment to the house get in the way -- note: I don't even think they liked the house very much, they just wanted a cheap deal) the right buyers appeared! Yay! I love happy endings.
Now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes as planned. I feel at peace, like it's all falling into place. However, I've also lived long enough to know that life is full of surprises.
For now, I'm just happy to know that there is another family out there who really loves my little bungalow.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Sophie Sews
That is an image of Sophie's foot last night and, yes, that is a needle sticking right up into the bone. If you look closely, you can see the outline of the cute slipper socks she was wearing (which she begged the Doctor to not cut off and he complied).She went to a sewing demonstration at the church last night, along with the other 10-year-old girls. I was in another area of the church working with the cub scouts when I was asked to come attend to my daughter who had "stepped on a needle."
More accurately, she had unwittingly "jumped" onto a needle that was poked into the carpet, sticking straight up. She wasn't wearing any shoes, and, of course, did not see the needle protruding in her path.
It was a pretty stressful moment for the both of us as I rushed her to urgent care. She was turning pale and shaking all over from the shock. Inside, I felt the same way, but, I'm the mom, so I had to appear like I was in control of myself.
By the time we arrived at the clinic, she had calmed down and was pretty excited about riding in a wheelchair (ahhh, the small pleasures in life). The nice staff took x-rays and then used pliers to yank the needle out. But, they made sure to take their time. Can you imagine if the bill arrived and we were like, "They want xxxxx$ for 15 minutes! What?" I'm sure they wanted us to feel that we were getting our money's worth.
About three hours had passed and it seemed all was well in the world. They had just shot her up with antibiotics (to prevent infection) and were about to send us out the door with a prescription for more antibiotics when we all suddenly realized that the needle was broken. Another x ray confirmed that, sure enough, the eye of the needle was still lodged way up in her bone.
There was nothing to be done about it right then, so we went ahead and came home. Today, we were advised by a orthopedic specialist that it's probably ok to just leave the fragment of metal in there. Hopefully, it will heal and this is the end of it.
Since there were so many who witnessed the accident, Sophie has received an outpouring of love and concern including phone calls, visits, a bouquet of flowers, candy, a pie, a pillow pet and a friendship bracelet kit. Her foot is sore, but we think she is going to be fine.
In other news . . .
It looks like we will be moving at the end of the month!!!
Is it too soon to say it? I don't know. It looks like things will be "up in the air" right up until the last possible minute. And, then, if all goes well (our agent seems very confident that all will go perfectly), we will have about 48-hours to move into our new place once things are a "for sure go" and it will all be over and done with before Halloween.
All that I have to say is -- I do not have the nerves for real estate. I like to have things planned out and wrapped up far in advance. It is a real challenge for me to just leave it all hanging out there to chance until the last possible minute. But, that is how it goes I guess.
At the end of the month we will either move, or we will have a horrible emotional shock and all of our things will be packed up in boxes with nowhere to go. Hahahaha. Wish us luck!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Spillin' the Beans
We are putting our house on the market on Friday and hoping it sells fast. Lightning quick. Like, as in the first 24-hours.
We put an offer in on a little bit larger home about a half mile away. It's the perfect situation as far as getting a little more space and the kids not having to change schools.
Sadly, it means we have to let our little bungalow go. We've loved living here. But, adding a sixth person to our family has made the space just a little more cozy than we want.
We only have one week to get an offer or we will lose our contract on the other house. So, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and if you know anyone who's looking for a house in Ogden, be sure to send them our way.
We put an offer in on a little bit larger home about a half mile away. It's the perfect situation as far as getting a little more space and the kids not having to change schools.
Sadly, it means we have to let our little bungalow go. We've loved living here. But, adding a sixth person to our family has made the space just a little more cozy than we want.
We only have one week to get an offer or we will lose our contract on the other house. So, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and if you know anyone who's looking for a house in Ogden, be sure to send them our way.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
How I Came to Know Gangrene
Brian is always saying, "We should do something more original." You know, a more original date night than just going out to dinner, or the occasional dinner and a movie.
This is the story of how we came to take our family to see a band of Sasquatches perform.
Two weeks ago, I came home after a long day of work and sat down on the couch with a sigh. There were only five more days of summer vacation. All I wanted to do was focus on ending summer with a bang and getting the kids ready to go back to school. Ahhhh . . . it was Thursday night. I didn't have to go to the office on Friday. I was ready to start my weekend.
I opened my e-mail to discover a story assignment that would have to be worked on over the weekend. Normally, I wouldn't mind. Actually, this is normal. But, on this particular night, I was wishing to not have to work over the weekend. Plus, the house was needing some TLC, and the kids were probably needing some extra TLC too. The assignment was just one more thing.
I really started to complain when I saw that my assignment was to cover a film festival involving an opening act of a band with all of its members dressed like Big Foot. "Who does that?" I was asking Brian. "If you and five of your closest friends all own Sasquatch costumes and you like to wear them and rock out in your garage . . . ?" Needless to say, I was less than enthused when I picked up the phone on Friday and started making phone calls.
Over the course of the next few days, I spoke to organizers of the Gangrene film festival and a spokesperson for the band (those Big Foots are too shy to talk to humans after all). We exchanged e-mails and and phone calls and they won me over with their sincerity and kindness. I learned that they were super nice people just having a good time.
The organizers, four film producers, said they always loved to throw backyard parties. And, to keep it interesting, they also liked to base the parties around a kooky theme. One year, they invited all of their friends to watch some of their short films on a big screen in their backyard and they called it "The Gangrene Film Festival" after their production label "Gangrene Films." Their friends liked it so much, they begged them to do it again the following year and to allow them to invite their friends.
The crowd of 40 grew to 100 and they had to move it to a high school auditorium. And, so this film festival was born 12 years ago. Since then, the crowds have grown from the hundreds to thousands and they have had opening acts including tap dancing grandmas, break dancing pirates, and -- my personal favorite -- Mini KISS, a KISS cover band comprised of little people (I didn't see them perform since I just learned about the film festival this year, but google their photos and you will love them too).
Word is out and now they receive hundreds of film entries each year. They choose which films to show based on two criteria: 1) It has to be hilarious and 2) It can contain no offensive content.
I loved that they created a family friendly film festival and that the price was family friendly too ($35 for the 7 p.m. session or $50 for the 7 and 10 p.m. sessions for the whole family). After I got over myself and decided to loosen up and think about how much my kids were going to laugh their heads off at a big foot playing the keyboard or electric guitar, I decided we would go.
I figured it was a bit of a gamble -- funny? Or, just bizarre? But, my instincts were right and the film festival was fabulous! I would totally go back again. The Big Foots of Wasasquatch were really quite talented. And, when they performed "Stairway to Heaven," and a string quartet joined them on-stage, followed by a team of graceful dancers, followed by an entire marching brass section, I realized we were getting way more than our money's worth. The films were funny and quite professional too.
The best part was that it was something the whole family enjoyed. And, definitely original. Even Brian, the naysayer, (what? you asked for original babe) had a great time. I'm excited to see what they come up with next year and I would recommend this event to anyone (although we may leave Isaac and Katie home next year since Isaac in particular started to go "it's past my bedtime" crazy about 45 minutes before the early session ended at 10:15 p.m.).
This is the story of how we came to take our family to see a band of Sasquatches perform.
Two weeks ago, I came home after a long day of work and sat down on the couch with a sigh. There were only five more days of summer vacation. All I wanted to do was focus on ending summer with a bang and getting the kids ready to go back to school. Ahhhh . . . it was Thursday night. I didn't have to go to the office on Friday. I was ready to start my weekend.
I opened my e-mail to discover a story assignment that would have to be worked on over the weekend. Normally, I wouldn't mind. Actually, this is normal. But, on this particular night, I was wishing to not have to work over the weekend. Plus, the house was needing some TLC, and the kids were probably needing some extra TLC too. The assignment was just one more thing.
I really started to complain when I saw that my assignment was to cover a film festival involving an opening act of a band with all of its members dressed like Big Foot. "Who does that?" I was asking Brian. "If you and five of your closest friends all own Sasquatch costumes and you like to wear them and rock out in your garage . . . ?" Needless to say, I was less than enthused when I picked up the phone on Friday and started making phone calls.
Over the course of the next few days, I spoke to organizers of the Gangrene film festival and a spokesperson for the band (those Big Foots are too shy to talk to humans after all). We exchanged e-mails and and phone calls and they won me over with their sincerity and kindness. I learned that they were super nice people just having a good time.
The organizers, four film producers, said they always loved to throw backyard parties. And, to keep it interesting, they also liked to base the parties around a kooky theme. One year, they invited all of their friends to watch some of their short films on a big screen in their backyard and they called it "The Gangrene Film Festival" after their production label "Gangrene Films." Their friends liked it so much, they begged them to do it again the following year and to allow them to invite their friends.
The crowd of 40 grew to 100 and they had to move it to a high school auditorium. And, so this film festival was born 12 years ago. Since then, the crowds have grown from the hundreds to thousands and they have had opening acts including tap dancing grandmas, break dancing pirates, and -- my personal favorite -- Mini KISS, a KISS cover band comprised of little people (I didn't see them perform since I just learned about the film festival this year, but google their photos and you will love them too).
Word is out and now they receive hundreds of film entries each year. They choose which films to show based on two criteria: 1) It has to be hilarious and 2) It can contain no offensive content.
I loved that they created a family friendly film festival and that the price was family friendly too ($35 for the 7 p.m. session or $50 for the 7 and 10 p.m. sessions for the whole family). After I got over myself and decided to loosen up and think about how much my kids were going to laugh their heads off at a big foot playing the keyboard or electric guitar, I decided we would go.
I figured it was a bit of a gamble -- funny? Or, just bizarre? But, my instincts were right and the film festival was fabulous! I would totally go back again. The Big Foots of Wasasquatch were really quite talented. And, when they performed "Stairway to Heaven," and a string quartet joined them on-stage, followed by a team of graceful dancers, followed by an entire marching brass section, I realized we were getting way more than our money's worth. The films were funny and quite professional too.
The best part was that it was something the whole family enjoyed. And, definitely original. Even Brian, the naysayer, (what? you asked for original babe) had a great time. I'm excited to see what they come up with next year and I would recommend this event to anyone (although we may leave Isaac and Katie home next year since Isaac in particular started to go "it's past my bedtime" crazy about 45 minutes before the early session ended at 10:15 p.m.).
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Girl Scout Camp
Thank you to everyone who supported Sophie in her Girl Scout cookie sales earlier this year. There have been so many rewards. The first was that she got to attend a three day camp at Cloud Rim, a Girl Scout campground located in the mountains above Park City.
The second was that I got to attend a "Mother/Daughter" overnighter (also at Cloud Rim) with Sophie over the weekend.
It was a gorgeous place. We hiked, kayaked on the lake, crafted together in the lodge, and slept on bunkbeds in a rustic little cabin. Sophie was able to show me all of the places she had told me about from her previous camp experience, including "the biffy" -- as they like to call the bathroom. Several of her camp counselors were there too so it was fun for her to see them again.
I called ahead to find out the menu and since they were serving pasta the first night, I decided to swing by 1025 Eatery -- a fantastic new restaurant in Bountiful -- to pick up a gluten free meal. I got a mock pasta dish, ribbons of zucchini in the most flavorful sauce I've ever tasted. Yum! It was a real treat to be gluten free that night. The chef is such a fantastic food artist that I felt kind of guilty pulling out my gorgeous mound of food (it was lovely even after being rocked around in the cooler and re-heated in the microwave).
In my dream life, I was planning to take Sophie shopping for hours at the outlet malls on our way up to camp. In my real life we were hours behind schedule so we barely had time to pick up a t-shirt and hat at the Park City Wal-Mart and peek inside two outlet stores before it was time to head up to the mountains.
We wanted to hit the outlets on the way home, but there were two problems: 1) again the issue of time, and, 2) ewww - we had just been camping and hadn't showered, so we weren't exactly presentable for shopping.
Sophie was determined to stop at the Justice store (which we discovered is not actually an 'outlet' for Justice but, just a regular store). And, while we were finding a place to park, she scouted out the Harry and David's gourmet popcorn shop. Oh how that lovely popcorn was calling out both of our names! I looked at the popcorn and almost didn't buy any. But, at the last minute I picked out a combination of caramel, dark chocolate and milk chocolate popcorn (by the way, the chocolate popcorn is coated with caramel before it is dipped in chocolate - oohlala!). I almost died when I saw that there were 210 calories per 1/2 cup!!! Yikes. I knew we could polish off several cups on the long drive home. So, I made a rule that we had to wait at least five minutes between each bite so we could savor our tasty treat and keep from making ourselves sick. I also made a rule that we each had to tell a story before we could have more. It turned out to be a great bonding time of sharing stories with each other and when we arrived in Ogden, Sophie said, "That was the best long car ride ever." Awww. That was great to hear.
What a gift this weekend was to me. I can't believe how the years keep passing and somehow I hardly ever manage to make one on one time with my kids. The more and more I am involved in Girl Scouts, the more and more I love this program.
Hopefully cub scouts will be the same way because one of my greatest fears came true last month when I was called to serve as the cub scout Bear leader. I've had some time to get use to the idea, but, hello? Girl scouts every week and now cub scouts every week too. Zooweemama! That is a lot of scouts.
The good news is that Ian will be a Bear in a few months, so, it will be fun to be his leader for the coming year.
The second was that I got to attend a "Mother/Daughter" overnighter (also at Cloud Rim) with Sophie over the weekend.
It was a gorgeous place. We hiked, kayaked on the lake, crafted together in the lodge, and slept on bunkbeds in a rustic little cabin. Sophie was able to show me all of the places she had told me about from her previous camp experience, including "the biffy" -- as they like to call the bathroom. Several of her camp counselors were there too so it was fun for her to see them again.
I called ahead to find out the menu and since they were serving pasta the first night, I decided to swing by 1025 Eatery -- a fantastic new restaurant in Bountiful -- to pick up a gluten free meal. I got a mock pasta dish, ribbons of zucchini in the most flavorful sauce I've ever tasted. Yum! It was a real treat to be gluten free that night. The chef is such a fantastic food artist that I felt kind of guilty pulling out my gorgeous mound of food (it was lovely even after being rocked around in the cooler and re-heated in the microwave).
In my dream life, I was planning to take Sophie shopping for hours at the outlet malls on our way up to camp. In my real life we were hours behind schedule so we barely had time to pick up a t-shirt and hat at the Park City Wal-Mart and peek inside two outlet stores before it was time to head up to the mountains.
We wanted to hit the outlets on the way home, but there were two problems: 1) again the issue of time, and, 2) ewww - we had just been camping and hadn't showered, so we weren't exactly presentable for shopping.
Sophie was determined to stop at the Justice store (which we discovered is not actually an 'outlet' for Justice but, just a regular store). And, while we were finding a place to park, she scouted out the Harry and David's gourmet popcorn shop. Oh how that lovely popcorn was calling out both of our names! I looked at the popcorn and almost didn't buy any. But, at the last minute I picked out a combination of caramel, dark chocolate and milk chocolate popcorn (by the way, the chocolate popcorn is coated with caramel before it is dipped in chocolate - oohlala!). I almost died when I saw that there were 210 calories per 1/2 cup!!! Yikes. I knew we could polish off several cups on the long drive home. So, I made a rule that we had to wait at least five minutes between each bite so we could savor our tasty treat and keep from making ourselves sick. I also made a rule that we each had to tell a story before we could have more. It turned out to be a great bonding time of sharing stories with each other and when we arrived in Ogden, Sophie said, "That was the best long car ride ever." Awww. That was great to hear.
What a gift this weekend was to me. I can't believe how the years keep passing and somehow I hardly ever manage to make one on one time with my kids. The more and more I am involved in Girl Scouts, the more and more I love this program.
Hopefully cub scouts will be the same way because one of my greatest fears came true last month when I was called to serve as the cub scout Bear leader. I've had some time to get use to the idea, but, hello? Girl scouts every week and now cub scouts every week too. Zooweemama! That is a lot of scouts.
The good news is that Ian will be a Bear in a few months, so, it will be fun to be his leader for the coming year.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Backyard Beach
With Isaac's birthday August, we seem to always be on a vacation or something like that when the big day rolls around. We end up getting a cake and celebrating with the family or friends we happen to be with. But, this year -- Birthday #6 -- we finally threw him a proper friend party.
He got SO excited about having his own birthday party that I got SO excited I couldn't go to sleep last night. I felt like I did when I woke up at 4 a.m. on Christmas morning.
It's so fun to see your kids that happy and stoked about something.
We decided to take advantage of the weather and make it a backyard water party. There was a slip n' slide, sprinklers under the trampoline, lots of sand and sand toys, a wading pool, water balloons, sidewalk chalk, and a bunch of games I had planned that we never got to.
The kids seemed to have a good time. Outdoors + water + sand = heaven for Isaac. So - to add a bunch of friends and gifts pretty much made it his best day ever.
I served a "dirt cake" (chocolate mousse, crushed oreos and gummy worms) and blue jello with gummy fish. When Isaac opened his gifts - he got about 10 mega-water-machine-guns and a whole new round of fun ensued.
I love you Isaac! Six years old. So grown up. I know you are going to have a great year in full day Kindergarten. Love, Mom
He got SO excited about having his own birthday party that I got SO excited I couldn't go to sleep last night. I felt like I did when I woke up at 4 a.m. on Christmas morning.
It's so fun to see your kids that happy and stoked about something.
We decided to take advantage of the weather and make it a backyard water party. There was a slip n' slide, sprinklers under the trampoline, lots of sand and sand toys, a wading pool, water balloons, sidewalk chalk, and a bunch of games I had planned that we never got to.
The kids seemed to have a good time. Outdoors + water + sand = heaven for Isaac. So - to add a bunch of friends and gifts pretty much made it his best day ever.
I served a "dirt cake" (chocolate mousse, crushed oreos and gummy worms) and blue jello with gummy fish. When Isaac opened his gifts - he got about 10 mega-water-machine-guns and a whole new round of fun ensued.
I love you Isaac! Six years old. So grown up. I know you are going to have a great year in full day Kindergarten. Love, Mom
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Baby Kate
For a long time - what feels like forever - and what has probably been for about a year, Brian has been Katie's favorite parent.
I don't mind him being the favorite. I recognize that he is the "fun one." I know that all kids go through phases at this age where they pick favorites.
I remember that our other kids went through a stage where they were super attached to Brian too. But, it has been different with Katie. When the other kids ranked daddy as #1, I was still a very close #2. With Katie, it's almost been as if she has to prove her loyalty to daddy by outright rejecting me. Even when he's not around.
It's been hard. She is my baby. First, she could not wait to wean herself (we barely made it to her first birthday), and then this. She hasn't wanted me to snuggle her, or rock with her, or lay with her at bedtime. She hasn't wanted me to comfort her when she is hurt or upset.
Rejection.
I've tried to remind myself that being "the favorite" isn't always all it's cracked up to be. Especially at times - like while we were at Bear Lake - when Brian would be ragged from all of the clinging and he would want a break, but, she wouldn't go to anyone else. Especially not me. I was like, "Sorry babe, I'd love to help you and give you a break but she just doesn't want me." It was kind of a relief as I remembered the many, many times I've been at the other end of that statement over the past ten years.
But, mostly, it hurt my feelings. A lot.
Kate is my baby, and I was kind of hoping she would be a snuggly sweet baby who loves her mommy for awhile. At least the first 18-years.
Kidding.
This stage passes way to quickly. I want to enjoy it.
I have also been perplexed about what I am doing wrong. None of my other kids rejected me like this. (Answer: I think it is because I don't have time to play anymore.)
In the past few weeks, something has happened and, just like that, I'm back in her good graces. Last Saturday night we went to a performance at a park and Katie sprawled out on my lap for over an hour. I held my breath that it would last and relished every moment.
It has been a gift the way she has clung to me at bedtime instead of pushing me away and has insisted that I lay beside her while her tiny eyes flutter and her little breaths become more shallow.
I am cherishing these moments.
I know Brian feels a little thwarted. He has really been basking in his time in the spotlight ("you are the favorite to all the others," he would say). I'd love it if she would just pick us both instead of one or the other. But, this is a mommy payday that I really need. Thanks baby Kate.
P.S. Have I ever mentioned that Isaac laughs out loud in his sleep? Who does that? It is one of his most endearing traits.
I don't mind him being the favorite. I recognize that he is the "fun one." I know that all kids go through phases at this age where they pick favorites.
I remember that our other kids went through a stage where they were super attached to Brian too. But, it has been different with Katie. When the other kids ranked daddy as #1, I was still a very close #2. With Katie, it's almost been as if she has to prove her loyalty to daddy by outright rejecting me. Even when he's not around.
It's been hard. She is my baby. First, she could not wait to wean herself (we barely made it to her first birthday), and then this. She hasn't wanted me to snuggle her, or rock with her, or lay with her at bedtime. She hasn't wanted me to comfort her when she is hurt or upset.
Rejection.
I've tried to remind myself that being "the favorite" isn't always all it's cracked up to be. Especially at times - like while we were at Bear Lake - when Brian would be ragged from all of the clinging and he would want a break, but, she wouldn't go to anyone else. Especially not me. I was like, "Sorry babe, I'd love to help you and give you a break but she just doesn't want me." It was kind of a relief as I remembered the many, many times I've been at the other end of that statement over the past ten years.
But, mostly, it hurt my feelings. A lot.
Kate is my baby, and I was kind of hoping she would be a snuggly sweet baby who loves her mommy for awhile. At least the first 18-years.
Kidding.
This stage passes way to quickly. I want to enjoy it.
I have also been perplexed about what I am doing wrong. None of my other kids rejected me like this. (Answer: I think it is because I don't have time to play anymore.)
In the past few weeks, something has happened and, just like that, I'm back in her good graces. Last Saturday night we went to a performance at a park and Katie sprawled out on my lap for over an hour. I held my breath that it would last and relished every moment.
It has been a gift the way she has clung to me at bedtime instead of pushing me away and has insisted that I lay beside her while her tiny eyes flutter and her little breaths become more shallow.
I am cherishing these moments.
I know Brian feels a little thwarted. He has really been basking in his time in the spotlight ("you are the favorite to all the others," he would say). I'd love it if she would just pick us both instead of one or the other. But, this is a mommy payday that I really need. Thanks baby Kate.
P.S. Have I ever mentioned that Isaac laughs out loud in his sleep? Who does that? It is one of his most endearing traits.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Bounce Back
We decided to "bounce back" to Lagoon (return for a second visit for only $10/person). I took the kids to the park early in the day and Brian met us after work. I decided to indulge in a Pioneer Village photo shoot. It was suppose to be just the kids, but, they put this ug dress on me and had me get in the last shot.That dress on Katie is cracking me up! It makes her look like she's a foot taller than she really is. The whole shoot was a riot. Katie could go from serious face to happy face in a heartbeat (the photographer was asking them to do both). The first time she asked them to do a serious face, Isaac kept grinning ear to ear like this: (imagine everyone else in the picture looking serious)
Then, he finally understood what she was asking him to do and he quickly switched to this "serious" face:
What a character! This last photo is the one I had made into an 8x10. Love it.It was another big day for the Nicholson family as far as thrill rides go. Katie and Isaac will officially go on (and love) anything we put them on. Sophie is still very timid about going on "big" rides, but, added "The Bat" roller coaster at the end of the day after we assured her 100 times that it was (if anything) even more mild than Bombora (and, as added incentive Brian told her she could pick anything she wanted for breakfast today -- bacon and homemade pancakes).
Ian was itching to ride Colossus. He said Puff the Little Fire Dragon officially has no more appeal for him and Bombora is bomboring. He rode Colossus over and over, and the Wild Mouse (although, he said he hates that ride, and to be honest, I a little bit hate it too - those scary turns on the top level - Mama!). He rode the Jet Star 2 for the first time, and it briefly became his new favorite ride. Then, Brian talked him into the White Roller Coaster in the evening and that took over the number one slot.
He has now ridden all of the roller coasters except Wicked and The Spider. He told me this morning that he will ride Wicked if we will go back to Lagoon this summer (and, if he can pick what we eat for breakfast). Sophie added that she will ride the Jet Star 2 if we go back.
That might happen because we got free passes to return to the park after enduring a power outage from about 4-6 p.m. Everything (and, I do mean everything) was closed. Try managing four littles, by yourself, in a theme park where all they want to do is ride rides, but, they can't (and, two of them can't understand why). For the first 30-minutes, it was no big deal, but, then they started to get restless and fight with each other. That's O.K., we'll just grab and Icee and cool off in the shade. Oh, wait every single food stand is closed (you'd think they could sell you a dilly bar or something, but, no, the cash registers weren't working, so, no). I guess we'll go play in the fountain until they figure things out. Nope. Closed. Everything was at a dead standstill. After the first hour, people started seeking answers and I was pretty disappointed in the way the employees were handling the situation (chalk it up to a park run by teenagers and twenty-somethings -- their responses were things like, "Why don't you just go hang out at your house until the power comes back on and then come back the the park." -- because, of course, everyone lives five minutes away). But, then, they told everyone they could come back to the park on another day for free, which completely exceeded my expectations and was awesome.
By the time 8 p.m. or so rolled around, I was thinking that I was so tired, I wasn't sure I could return for another day. I mean, I love taking the kids to Lagoon and I want to do it once, or maybe twice, every summer, but, I don't know about having THAT much fun three times in a row. But, now, it's a new day. Sleep has erased the challenges and discomforts of yesterday. Sophie and Ian are excited to try more thrill rides. And, it looks like we'll just have to go again.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
I Love a Good Fireworks Show
I love a good fireworks show. I really do. Every year, there is a big one at Weber State University on the Sunday before the 24th. It is a crazy event with thousands of people putting down blankets all over the campus the day before. This year, we watched the fireworks from a grassy area across the street and still had to park several blocks away. That's how crazy it is. It was fun to go early in our pre-kid days and hang out on a blanket at the campus and see pretty much everyone we've ever known from Ogden milling about.We got home from Bear Lake late last Saturday night. It was our third trip to Bear Lake in two weeks. This time, a family reunion with my parents. My dad bought a camp trailer this year, and my mom decked it out in a Mickey Mouse theme (super cute). We usually stay in a cabin near the lake, but, this year we camped out with the new trailer. Brian, the little kids, and I slept in our new tent and it was fun being under the stars.
I swore off camping for a few years. It just wasn't working for me with pregnancies, newborns, pre-schoolers who never slept through the night, etc. I wasn't sure if I would ever be into it again (sleeping on the ground just ain't what it use to be). But, it made me sad for my kids to miss out. I grew up camping all the time and some of my best childhood memories include exploring in the dirty mountains.
Brian bought some sort of pad for me to sleep on, and, although I was skeptical, I gave it a try. I am totally amazed that I slept soundly through the night and woke up without a single ache or pain anywhere! Even after two nights! Camping -- I'm back. I've missed sleeping outside.
We had three amazing days on the lake. North Beach was a crazy zoo (almost as crazy as the WSU fireworks). But, I didn't mind the crowds at all. The beach was lovely. The lake is so high this year. The water is beautiful. It was even quite warm. We cruised around on the boat and pulled all of the kids on the tube. Katie loved it most of all. She is such a little adrenaline junkie.
After three beautiful sun-filled days at the lake (and one amazing windstorm in the late afternoon of the last day), we returned home late Saturday night - happy and completely drained. But, that couldn't stop us from the fireworks show on Sunday. We snatched up my niece and nephew who are visiting from Arizona and Brian and I hauled all six kids to a grassy spot at the top of a very tall grassy hill (which, the kids rolled down and ran up about 100 times). When it got dark, I busted out the packages of glow bracelets that we've been saving ever since we forgot to use them at Disneyland. The kids had a riot seeing how huge of loops they could make by connecting them all together and throwing them like giant glowing frisbees through the air.
Then the show started. And, although it was short, it did not disappoint. Some of those fireworks were so enormous, they seemed to fill the whole sky. I love the new colors they come out with each year. Remember when we were kids and they tried to spread them out? So, it was like one firework . . . wait five minutes . . . then, one more. Until, the grand finale (which was the only part worth watching anyways). Then, people finally got smart and made the whole show into one short, sweet grand finale. So much better this way.
Fireworks are so romantic.
(my kids with their cousins wearing the m&ms shirts my mom bought them)We didn't get to bed until almost midnight, but, I still think it was worth it. On Wednesday, my mom and I took my kids and my brother's kids to Dinosaur Park.
And, on Thursday, we went to Lagoon. It was a really big day in Nicholson history. You must know that my kids are big scaredy cats when it comes to rides. I use to think, "It's fine. Just let them be kids and they will ride the big rides when they are ready." But, now it's getting a little ridiculous. So, Brian and I were giving them a lot of pressure to try something a little more daring than "Puff the Little Fire Dragon" this time.It took a lot of coaxing, but, Sophie finally rode Bombora - the new roller coaster. Incidentally, Katie is just barely tall enough to ride this roller coaster too. She was adorable. The whole time we were standing in line she would have a huge smile on her face and repeat over and over, "This is fun!" Then, the whole time we were riding, she would look really scared and say, "This is scary." Then, as soon as the lap bars were released at the end of the ride she would say, "This is fun!" And, "Again, again!" What a character!
So, maybe Bombora isn't the biggest thrill ride in the park given that our two-year-old enjoys it. But, it was a big step for Sophie and I am proud of her.
Isaac would pretty much go on anything and everything he was tall enough to ride. This included the Wild Mouse (he was a little too short, but, the guy was being nice). He was laughing his head off each time we whipped around those sharp turns that were scaring the pants off of me. What an adventurous little man.
The biggest event was that Ian rode Colossus! First it was Bombora, then, The Bat, then, he graduated to the Wild Mouse and after anxiously considering it for most of the day, he took the leap and rode Colossus. I was so proud of him! Do you remember the first time you rode Colossus? I totally do. It was a huge deal (and, I was about his age).
He's thinking about riding Wicked next time.
What a stud.
Isaac and Izzy wanted to ride the Music Express. They needed to be accompanied by an adult and no one in our group would step up. Finally, I decided I would do it. I haven't ridden that ride in years because rides like that started making me throw up about 15-years ago. I was really nervous that I would get sick, but, guess what? I didn't! It was so fun!!! We even did it twice. Then, I started to wonder if I was over motion sickness. I decided to ride the Centennial Screamer just to see. Brian and I were going to take Izzy and Isaac, but the Nazi ride worker wouldn't let the kids on because they were barely under the height requirement.
She probably saved me from barfing, so I should be grateful.
(Music Express)(I was sad to miss it)
It has been a really fun week with my kids and I'm grateful we've had this time to spend together. I miss my stay-at-home mom days when we could have these adventures all the time, but, I also feel like working is the right thing for me and my family right now.
Let's see . . . fireworks show? Check. Parade? Check. I guess on Monday, we can sleep in!
Happy Pioneer Day!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
My Cabin by the Lake
We just returned from a lovely time at the lake, and, once again, it's that time of year when I start dreaming about how I could one day have my own cabin somewhere by a lake.
Every year, our amazing friends invite us to spend time with their family at a cabin on lakefront property in Garden City. It is one of the best things that happens to us each year.
Every year, Brian's side of the family holds a reunion in the High Uintahs where we make unforgettable memories like fishing on Moosehorn lake from the canoes and hiking to the top of Bald Mountain. This year, the Uintahs were a no-go because of the unusually cold weather. So, Brian's family decided to hold the reunion at Bear Lake. And, it turned out to be the exact same week that we were invited to be with our friends.
So, we combined the two, getting to be with friends in the mornings and evenings, and spending our afternoons at the beach with our extended family.
On Sunday, there was a brilliant sunset as we lazed around the huge yard at the cabin. I've mentioned before that I love yoga. The past few months, I've been getting to attend classes twice per week. As I gazed out over that gorgeous lake at the sky changing colors, I was itching to do some outdoor yoga. But, I wasn't sure if I was brave enough to just start striking poses right there in front of everyone.
Then . . . I did it. I decided I didn't care if everyone was going to make fun of me or not and I started some sun salutations. It was the first time I've gone through a yoga routine without an instructor guiding me. I'm finally doing it often enough to be able to do that. Soon, the kids were copying my poses and the adults were saying, "That's really cool." Whew! Relief that they weren't making snide remarks (although they may have been doing that behind my back).
It felt awesome. And, the next morning, my friend's step-mom (who I'm guessing is around 70 and really outdoorsy) came to me and asked me to lead her through a yoga routine. This was the first time I've ever led someone, so, I learned two things this week. 1) I can do yoga without an instructor leading me and 2) I can talk (and somewhat remember the names of the poses) while doing yoga. This is fabulous because, for a couple of years now, I've been considering going through yoga teacher training. It's not so much that I want to be a yoga instructor as it is that I want to get better at yoga. I've always wondered if I could actually keep my balance while talking, leading, and thinking through what is coming next . . . now, I know I can.
Yesterday, at the beach, I was itching to do a headstand. I was a little nervous of what Brian's family would think, but, once again, people were nice. In fact, one of my sister-in-law's revealed that she has just started doing yoga too, and, then she whipped out a perfect shoulder stand right there on the beach. We were about to do a few poses together, but, just then, the wind picked up and started blowing all of the shade structures down. So, that was the end of that.
Now, I'm home and back to the daily grind. But, only for a few days, because we have to get back up to the lake so Brian and Steve can do a 100-mile bike race. That Brian is a powerhouse. He's doing the "Grand Slam" (all the marathons in Utah) and he's added 100-mile bike races to his regiment. (except, his bike race last month was actually 140-miles)
Now, he's talking about preparing for an iron-man triathalon (which at this point, basically means adding swimming). So . . . maybe if he gets his triathalon, I'll finally be able to justify the expense and time commitment of going through instructor certification . . . hmmm . . . not a bad idea.
Meanwhile, does anyone want to go in on a cabin together? Anyone?
I mean it.
Every year, our amazing friends invite us to spend time with their family at a cabin on lakefront property in Garden City. It is one of the best things that happens to us each year.
Every year, Brian's side of the family holds a reunion in the High Uintahs where we make unforgettable memories like fishing on Moosehorn lake from the canoes and hiking to the top of Bald Mountain. This year, the Uintahs were a no-go because of the unusually cold weather. So, Brian's family decided to hold the reunion at Bear Lake. And, it turned out to be the exact same week that we were invited to be with our friends.
So, we combined the two, getting to be with friends in the mornings and evenings, and spending our afternoons at the beach with our extended family.
On Sunday, there was a brilliant sunset as we lazed around the huge yard at the cabin. I've mentioned before that I love yoga. The past few months, I've been getting to attend classes twice per week. As I gazed out over that gorgeous lake at the sky changing colors, I was itching to do some outdoor yoga. But, I wasn't sure if I was brave enough to just start striking poses right there in front of everyone.
Then . . . I did it. I decided I didn't care if everyone was going to make fun of me or not and I started some sun salutations. It was the first time I've gone through a yoga routine without an instructor guiding me. I'm finally doing it often enough to be able to do that. Soon, the kids were copying my poses and the adults were saying, "That's really cool." Whew! Relief that they weren't making snide remarks (although they may have been doing that behind my back).
It felt awesome. And, the next morning, my friend's step-mom (who I'm guessing is around 70 and really outdoorsy) came to me and asked me to lead her through a yoga routine. This was the first time I've ever led someone, so, I learned two things this week. 1) I can do yoga without an instructor leading me and 2) I can talk (and somewhat remember the names of the poses) while doing yoga. This is fabulous because, for a couple of years now, I've been considering going through yoga teacher training. It's not so much that I want to be a yoga instructor as it is that I want to get better at yoga. I've always wondered if I could actually keep my balance while talking, leading, and thinking through what is coming next . . . now, I know I can.
Yesterday, at the beach, I was itching to do a headstand. I was a little nervous of what Brian's family would think, but, once again, people were nice. In fact, one of my sister-in-law's revealed that she has just started doing yoga too, and, then she whipped out a perfect shoulder stand right there on the beach. We were about to do a few poses together, but, just then, the wind picked up and started blowing all of the shade structures down. So, that was the end of that.
Now, I'm home and back to the daily grind. But, only for a few days, because we have to get back up to the lake so Brian and Steve can do a 100-mile bike race. That Brian is a powerhouse. He's doing the "Grand Slam" (all the marathons in Utah) and he's added 100-mile bike races to his regiment. (except, his bike race last month was actually 140-miles)
Now, he's talking about preparing for an iron-man triathalon (which at this point, basically means adding swimming). So . . . maybe if he gets his triathalon, I'll finally be able to justify the expense and time commitment of going through instructor certification . . . hmmm . . . not a bad idea.
Meanwhile, does anyone want to go in on a cabin together? Anyone?
I mean it.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Happy 4th of July
I was so proud of Ian at church on Sunday when he stood up, placed his hand on his heart and sang the Star Spangled Banner (closing hymn) with much gusto and passion. Sophie even joined in after awhile.
For our 4th of July treats, we had red, white, and blue waffles (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and whipped cream) and with dinner we had strawberries dipped 2/3's in white chocolate and 1/3 in blue sprinkles. They were a huge hit.
Now I'm lying peacefully in a hammock next to the lovely Bear Lake. My kids are sleeping in (knock on wood) after a late night of lighting off fireworks and watching an outdoor movie in the big screen (at our friends' cabin). Brian's family happened to be having their family reunion here the same week, so it's off to the beach to play with cousins today.
Why was I nervous for summer break (thoughts of being outnumbered by all these kids)? It has been the loveliest of times.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Blessed Week
You may or may not know that I started a new job recently.
Remember how Patti took me with her to Seattle last December? Well, we hit it off so marvelously and her job is so fascinating. She started thinking she might need an assistant and I started thinking I might need a job (seriously, I was starting to job hunt right before this all transpired) and wallah - now I work for Patti.
It's been nice to be able to ease into going back to work. I started doing office work for her about 10 hours per week in February and March. I traveled with her to Phoenix the first week of April. Then, she was out of town for the rest of April. I worked for her in May and then headed off to Disneyland the first week of June. The work has been hit and miss since I've been back since she has had to travel for various meetings. But, starting in July, I'll probably be working for her 15 hours per week from here on out.
I am also still writing for the newspaper, and since I added the theatre beat, that job takes 10-15 hours per week too. I miss my stay-at-home mom days and mourn their passing. I didn't plan to go back to work after I had kids. But, it is the right thing for our family. And, since it is the right thing for our family, I feel very blessed for the jobs I have.
This past week, Patti was in Langley, a charming city on Whidbey Island. She was staying at the Inn at Langley - a gorgeous property we stayed in together last December. I was holding out hope that she would find a way to take me with her so I could enjoy that gorgeous Inn again. It was truly a dream. Every room had a wall of windows looking out over Puget Sound. It's whale watching season now and the owner said we would be able to see the whales right from our rooms.
There was something about that city that made us feel relaxed and happy right when we got there. And, the food. Again, the food was to die for. Everything about the place was lovely through and through. Alas, she did not need an assistant for this trip.
So, the good news is that I had the week off. I decided to make the most of it, since I will miss having the whole summer off with my kids.
On Saturday, I took the kids to Layton Park. We had visited it on Thursday when Sophie and Ian competed in a district track meet across the street. We had to register hours before they actually ran, so we decided to have a picnic and play on the playground. My kids were begging to go back, so, on Saturday we drove to Layton, visited a few restaurants, and then played on the playground. I even interviewed a restaurant owner while they played and I was thinking, "This is a sweet life, working from a blanket in the sun while my kids are playing." I even almost made it through the twenty-minute phone call with no interruptions ;-).
On Sunday, we had dinner at my mom's house. She always does the best Sunday dinners. It is her legacy. I never blogged about the Easter Sunday dinner she did (she does themed dinners for all the holidays and goes all out). Here are some pictures:
(dessert: cute and delicious)
On Monday, my sweet sister-in-law Jan kept my boys while my mom, Sophie, Katie and I went to Salt Lake to tour the Armstrong Mansion and two Anniversary Inns. It was fun to see all of the different themed rooms and sweet the way Katie exclaimed with such excitement all 50 times, "(gasp) A bathtub!" in each new bathroom.
On Tuesday, the kids had friends over to play and we had a picnic in the park up the street. In the evening, we played and read at the library.
Wednesday was a marathon of a day, my mom and I took the kids to the Gateway Children's Museum, Clark Planetarium and the Salt Lake Library. It was a very fun day. That children's museum is so clever. My kids spent hours in the new exhibit getting lined up between the giant soft dominoes and knocked down in a line.
Thursday, I took my kids and a few of their friends (as promised) to the Syracuse Fun Center to jump on their giant trampolines, play laser tag and bowl. In the evening, I dropped Sophie off at a Girl Scout mini-camp and took the others to my mom's to visit my Pappa!!! He surprised us by driving from Kentucky to Utah for a visit. I'm so excited to see him again. He will be 88-years-old in September and he made the drive by himself. I bet he didn't even stop along the way. He usually pulls off to sleep for a few hours in his car and otherwise drives straight through. He has so much energy. I am amazed.
By Friday, we were pretty tired. It had been a big week. But, also a week that was a gift. As much as I would have liked to be at the Inn at Langley soaking in the huge jetted tub, gazing at the calming water and wrapping up in my down comforter by my crackling fireplace, I knew that the week had been better spent here with my children. Friday morning, we drove up to Snowbasin and joined a group of moms and kids for a hike. By the time we got home, we really were tired, so we spent the rest of the afternoon being lazy until we went to a birthday party that evening.
Now it is Saturday and after a long week of working overtime, Brian is home. He said he wants to spend the whole day with the kids and me (hooray!). So, next week, it's back to work, but this week has been all about my family and one of the nice things about working is that it helps me appreciate weeks like this one even more.
Remember how Patti took me with her to Seattle last December? Well, we hit it off so marvelously and her job is so fascinating. She started thinking she might need an assistant and I started thinking I might need a job (seriously, I was starting to job hunt right before this all transpired) and wallah - now I work for Patti.
It's been nice to be able to ease into going back to work. I started doing office work for her about 10 hours per week in February and March. I traveled with her to Phoenix the first week of April. Then, she was out of town for the rest of April. I worked for her in May and then headed off to Disneyland the first week of June. The work has been hit and miss since I've been back since she has had to travel for various meetings. But, starting in July, I'll probably be working for her 15 hours per week from here on out.
I am also still writing for the newspaper, and since I added the theatre beat, that job takes 10-15 hours per week too. I miss my stay-at-home mom days and mourn their passing. I didn't plan to go back to work after I had kids. But, it is the right thing for our family. And, since it is the right thing for our family, I feel very blessed for the jobs I have.
This past week, Patti was in Langley, a charming city on Whidbey Island. She was staying at the Inn at Langley - a gorgeous property we stayed in together last December. I was holding out hope that she would find a way to take me with her so I could enjoy that gorgeous Inn again. It was truly a dream. Every room had a wall of windows looking out over Puget Sound. It's whale watching season now and the owner said we would be able to see the whales right from our rooms.
There was something about that city that made us feel relaxed and happy right when we got there. And, the food. Again, the food was to die for. Everything about the place was lovely through and through. Alas, she did not need an assistant for this trip.
So, the good news is that I had the week off. I decided to make the most of it, since I will miss having the whole summer off with my kids.
On Saturday, I took the kids to Layton Park. We had visited it on Thursday when Sophie and Ian competed in a district track meet across the street. We had to register hours before they actually ran, so we decided to have a picnic and play on the playground. My kids were begging to go back, so, on Saturday we drove to Layton, visited a few restaurants, and then played on the playground. I even interviewed a restaurant owner while they played and I was thinking, "This is a sweet life, working from a blanket in the sun while my kids are playing." I even almost made it through the twenty-minute phone call with no interruptions ;-).
On Sunday, we had dinner at my mom's house. She always does the best Sunday dinners. It is her legacy. I never blogged about the Easter Sunday dinner she did (she does themed dinners for all the holidays and goes all out). Here are some pictures:
(dessert: cute and delicious)
(salt and pepper)
(place settings)
(all cute dishes)
(and, she buys my kids new church clothes
every Easter - what would I do without her?)
(place settings)
(all cute dishes)
(and, she buys my kids new church clothesevery Easter - what would I do without her?)
On Monday, my sweet sister-in-law Jan kept my boys while my mom, Sophie, Katie and I went to Salt Lake to tour the Armstrong Mansion and two Anniversary Inns. It was fun to see all of the different themed rooms and sweet the way Katie exclaimed with such excitement all 50 times, "(gasp) A bathtub!" in each new bathroom.
On Tuesday, the kids had friends over to play and we had a picnic in the park up the street. In the evening, we played and read at the library.
Wednesday was a marathon of a day, my mom and I took the kids to the Gateway Children's Museum, Clark Planetarium and the Salt Lake Library. It was a very fun day. That children's museum is so clever. My kids spent hours in the new exhibit getting lined up between the giant soft dominoes and knocked down in a line.
Thursday, I took my kids and a few of their friends (as promised) to the Syracuse Fun Center to jump on their giant trampolines, play laser tag and bowl. In the evening, I dropped Sophie off at a Girl Scout mini-camp and took the others to my mom's to visit my Pappa!!! He surprised us by driving from Kentucky to Utah for a visit. I'm so excited to see him again. He will be 88-years-old in September and he made the drive by himself. I bet he didn't even stop along the way. He usually pulls off to sleep for a few hours in his car and otherwise drives straight through. He has so much energy. I am amazed.
By Friday, we were pretty tired. It had been a big week. But, also a week that was a gift. As much as I would have liked to be at the Inn at Langley soaking in the huge jetted tub, gazing at the calming water and wrapping up in my down comforter by my crackling fireplace, I knew that the week had been better spent here with my children. Friday morning, we drove up to Snowbasin and joined a group of moms and kids for a hike. By the time we got home, we really were tired, so we spent the rest of the afternoon being lazy until we went to a birthday party that evening.
Now it is Saturday and after a long week of working overtime, Brian is home. He said he wants to spend the whole day with the kids and me (hooray!). So, next week, it's back to work, but this week has been all about my family and one of the nice things about working is that it helps me appreciate weeks like this one even more.
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Road Home
On Saturday, we packed up our things and headed toward home. When we got on the road, Sophie started complaining about her stomach. At first I thought she wanted as much attention as Ian because he does get carsick (sea bands seemed to help). But, it soon became clear that the stomach ache was real. And, by the time she threw up in a parking lot in the desert somewhere, I was thinking I should not have told my kids the story about the trip where we all had the stomach flu.
Luckily, we had a reservation at a very nice hotel in Las Vegas. So, the suffering in the car was kept to a minimum.
My brother and his family (who just moved to Phoenix, AZ) had been visiting friends and family in Utah while we were in Disneyland and they were headed back home the same time we were. We crossed paths in Vegas and hooked up at the same hotel for the night (nice timing).
My mom and Ian went to a buffet with Jared and his family, but, I stayed in the room with Sophie and the little kids since Sophie was having such a rough day.
Later that evening, we all took a dip in their gorgeous pool. We were right by the airport, so, as an added bonus, we could watch the planes taking off and landing.
In the morning, we had a lovely breakfast and the buffet had actual dishes (instead of disposable plates and plastic ware). So fancy.
We had a nice morning swim with all of the kids. Sophie was feeling well enough to join us. Then, we had to say goodbye to Jared and Hollie and their kids and be on our way.
We did have one stop at M&Ms World for a 3D movie and souvenirs for the kids. And, we had to take one last chance to eat at the Iceberg when we passed St. George. Then, it was all driving until we got home just before midnight.
The other great news about this trip is that Brian was working on the house (painting, installing new cabinets, etc.) the whole time we were gone. Life doesn't get any better than that.
Luckily, we had a reservation at a very nice hotel in Las Vegas. So, the suffering in the car was kept to a minimum.
My brother and his family (who just moved to Phoenix, AZ) had been visiting friends and family in Utah while we were in Disneyland and they were headed back home the same time we were. We crossed paths in Vegas and hooked up at the same hotel for the night (nice timing).
My mom and Ian went to a buffet with Jared and his family, but, I stayed in the room with Sophie and the little kids since Sophie was having such a rough day.
Later that evening, we all took a dip in their gorgeous pool. We were right by the airport, so, as an added bonus, we could watch the planes taking off and landing.
In the morning, we had a lovely breakfast and the buffet had actual dishes (instead of disposable plates and plastic ware). So fancy.
We had a nice morning swim with all of the kids. Sophie was feeling well enough to join us. Then, we had to say goodbye to Jared and Hollie and their kids and be on our way.
We did have one stop at M&Ms World for a 3D movie and souvenirs for the kids. And, we had to take one last chance to eat at the Iceberg when we passed St. George. Then, it was all driving until we got home just before midnight.
The other great news about this trip is that Brian was working on the house (painting, installing new cabinets, etc.) the whole time we were gone. Life doesn't get any better than that.
Disney Magic (Day 4)
And, now we come to the final day. When we originally planned the trip, we were going to go for three days. Then, we found out that the new Star Tours and the Little Mermaid ride were scheduled to open the next day. So, naturally, we had to extend the trip to four days.
I was a little nervous about four back-to-back days of theme parks in a row with no breaks in between. But, by the time we made it to Friday, I was wishing we could make it five. I don't know how to record what a dreamy vacation it was (Thanks mom!).
(sidenote: Katie and Isaac probably could not have survived a fifth day, so, it was in fact perfect).
The line for Star Tours started out being eight hours long. They made people line up for four hours before they even opened the ride (media only for the first four hours). I don't even understand how a person stands in a line for eight hours? Nor, do I understand why.
So, we headed over to California Adventure and waited in line for two hours for the Little Mermaid's new ride. It was a beautiful attraction.
We tried to hit all of the kids' favorite rides a second time and then headed to Toon Town to meet Mickey Mouse.
(he always looks so happy to see us)
My mom let each of the kids pick out a toy. I thought we'd have to choose something for Katie, but, she immediately latched onto a baby Ariel doll and she's been loving it ever since. Sophie got a Fawn doll and a Phineas and Ferb book, Ian got two cowboy guns and Isaac got a shield and two foam swords. We were spoiled through and through I'm telling you.
No one went back to the hotel room on this day. It was sad to think it was our last day at the park, yet every expectation (and more) had been fulfilled. The kids wanted to take me to see Fantasmic (since I'd been at the hotel room the time before and I'd missed it). I was so touched that they wanted to share it with me. Right before we headed over to get our seats, we checked on the wait time at Star Tours and it was down to two hours. Ian's one disappointment was that he had not gotten to ride this ride (the thing he was most looking forward to). My mom decided to brave the line with him while I took the other three kids to the show.
Evening treats:
($40 for cookies and milk . . . but they are really cute cookies)
When my mom and Ian got back to the room they told us they had waited in line for 2 1/2 hours, but, it was worth it. When they got on the ride, Princess Leah appeared on the screen and told everyone on the ride that a rebel spy had been planted on the ship and they had to make sure he was transported safely. "He is our only hope," she quipped before flashing a photo on the screen of . . . (drumroll please) . . .
Ian!!!
Disney Magic to the end.
I was a little nervous about four back-to-back days of theme parks in a row with no breaks in between. But, by the time we made it to Friday, I was wishing we could make it five. I don't know how to record what a dreamy vacation it was (Thanks mom!).
(sidenote: Katie and Isaac probably could not have survived a fifth day, so, it was in fact perfect).
The line for Star Tours started out being eight hours long. They made people line up for four hours before they even opened the ride (media only for the first four hours). I don't even understand how a person stands in a line for eight hours? Nor, do I understand why.
So, we headed over to California Adventure and waited in line for two hours for the Little Mermaid's new ride. It was a beautiful attraction.
We tried to hit all of the kids' favorite rides a second time and then headed to Toon Town to meet Mickey Mouse.
(he always looks so happy to see us)My mom let each of the kids pick out a toy. I thought we'd have to choose something for Katie, but, she immediately latched onto a baby Ariel doll and she's been loving it ever since. Sophie got a Fawn doll and a Phineas and Ferb book, Ian got two cowboy guns and Isaac got a shield and two foam swords. We were spoiled through and through I'm telling you.
No one went back to the hotel room on this day. It was sad to think it was our last day at the park, yet every expectation (and more) had been fulfilled. The kids wanted to take me to see Fantasmic (since I'd been at the hotel room the time before and I'd missed it). I was so touched that they wanted to share it with me. Right before we headed over to get our seats, we checked on the wait time at Star Tours and it was down to two hours. Ian's one disappointment was that he had not gotten to ride this ride (the thing he was most looking forward to). My mom decided to brave the line with him while I took the other three kids to the show.
Evening treats:
($40 for cookies and milk . . . but they are really cute cookies)Fantasmic was even more amazing than I remembered. I love how they go all out with the special effects. We watched the fireworks show after (I love fireworks). We had to squeeze in one more ride on It's a Small World. When I got into line with a sleeping Katie in the ergo on my back and a sleeping Isaac in my arms, I wondered if the people around me were thinking, "Lady, it's time for you to go home already!" But, it was worth it.
Isaac woke up and took one more spin on the teacups with Sophie. Then, it was time to bid the parks farewell and head off to our hotel room blissfully exhausted.
Isaac woke up and took one more spin on the teacups with Sophie. Then, it was time to bid the parks farewell and head off to our hotel room blissfully exhausted.
When my mom and Ian got back to the room they told us they had waited in line for 2 1/2 hours, but, it was worth it. When they got on the ride, Princess Leah appeared on the screen and told everyone on the ride that a rebel spy had been planted on the ship and they had to make sure he was transported safely. "He is our only hope," she quipped before flashing a photo on the screen of . . . (drumroll please) . . .
Ian!!!
Disney Magic to the end.
Disney Magic (Day 3)
I forgot to mention that we saw Captian EO (the 3D Michael Jackson movie straight from the 80s). My kids were wild about it! It was so funny to me that they loved it so much. I appreciated it more now than I did as a kid. Didn't everyone make fun of that attraction back in the 80s? Now it was all retro and pretty cool.
On the 3rd day, I talked Ian and Isaac into riding Space Mountain (their first really big roller coaster - yay!). They both liked it, but, didn't want to ride it a second time. We spent the day riding more of our favorite rides -- we spent a lot of time in Fantasyland on this trip. We rode every ride in that area of the park (my mom's favorite part), and some of them twice. It was fun that the kids were still young enough to enjoy all of the little kids rides. We also headed over to the Tiki Room and the Winnie the Pooh ride. When we came off the Winnie the Pooh ride, who should we see? But, the big man himself.
This was, surprisingly, one of the best moments of the whole trip for me. Look how sweet that embrace is. Katie and Isaac were both in heaven. Isaac grabbed a plastic figurine of Winnie the Pooh from the stroller to show him and he got so excited when Winnie the Pooh started clapping.
(It may have been the only time Isaac forgot to point out it was just a costume)
We also waited in line for over an hour and a half to meet this princess. Isn't she pretty? It made me wonder how you feel to know people have been standing in line for hours just to take your picture and get your autograph.
(This meeting came with a bonus of meeting the prince too)
On the 3rd day, I talked Ian and Isaac into riding Space Mountain (their first really big roller coaster - yay!). They both liked it, but, didn't want to ride it a second time. We spent the day riding more of our favorite rides -- we spent a lot of time in Fantasyland on this trip. We rode every ride in that area of the park (my mom's favorite part), and some of them twice. It was fun that the kids were still young enough to enjoy all of the little kids rides. We also headed over to the Tiki Room and the Winnie the Pooh ride. When we came off the Winnie the Pooh ride, who should we see? But, the big man himself.
This was, surprisingly, one of the best moments of the whole trip for me. Look how sweet that embrace is. Katie and Isaac were both in heaven. Isaac grabbed a plastic figurine of Winnie the Pooh from the stroller to show him and he got so excited when Winnie the Pooh started clapping.
(It may have been the only time Isaac forgot to point out it was just a costume)
We also waited in line for over an hour and a half to meet this princess. Isn't she pretty? It made me wonder how you feel to know people have been standing in line for hours just to take your picture and get your autograph.
(This meeting came with a bonus of meeting the prince too)This was another lovely day, with delicious meals and treats like this one:
The kids had a refreshing afternoon swim. While I was at the hotel with them, my mom took the opportunity to shop (she loves shopping). The objective was to find Mickey Mouse kitchen gadgets and apparently, there is a shop on Main Street that was perfect. My dad recently bought a travel trailer and my mom decorated the whole thing in a Mickey Mouse theme (she loves to decorate). It turned out SO cute!
After our swim, we went back to Disneyland and caught the Main Street Parade. I decided that I really love that parade. We also stayed late for a second viewing of World of Color. I loved watching Sophie and Ian carry around their folded up maps, taking them out of their pockets periodically to navigate our way through the parks. They were pretty good at it too.
This was the day that I started wishing the vacation would never end and that we had a week at Disneyland instead of four days.
(greedy, I know)
The kids had a refreshing afternoon swim. While I was at the hotel with them, my mom took the opportunity to shop (she loves shopping). The objective was to find Mickey Mouse kitchen gadgets and apparently, there is a shop on Main Street that was perfect. My dad recently bought a travel trailer and my mom decorated the whole thing in a Mickey Mouse theme (she loves to decorate). It turned out SO cute!After our swim, we went back to Disneyland and caught the Main Street Parade. I decided that I really love that parade. We also stayed late for a second viewing of World of Color. I loved watching Sophie and Ian carry around their folded up maps, taking them out of their pockets periodically to navigate our way through the parks. They were pretty good at it too.
This was the day that I started wishing the vacation would never end and that we had a week at Disneyland instead of four days.
(greedy, I know)
Disney Magic (Day 2)
When my mom first told me she was taking the kids and me to Disneyland, my first impulse was to leave Katie home. She was one and a half when the announcement came. She seemed too little to get into the experience and she was just starting to enter the difficult stage of independence. I was worried that four kids might be a bit too much for my mom and I to handle. My mom was giving us such a generous gift and I didn't want her to wind up so exhausted she regretted it.
(I'm cute, but, watch out)
When I told this thought to my mom, she said, "no," and went right to work on helping Katie "learn her princesses," so that she would be ready to fully embrace the experience. Sure enough, by the time our trip came, I couldn't fathom leaving this cutie behind. Instead, we dressed her up like a princess every day. Having her with us was a gift.
When Sophie was 2 1/2 she loved the Disney princesses. Then, she got to meet them, and, it was one of the best moments of parenthood to see her eyes light up as she ran to each one and gave them a huge hug. Seeing Katie meet the princesses was a lot like that.
And, I could tell that Sophie hasn't grown out of feeling the magic when she met the princesses, even now at the age of 10 (maybe she'll be like my mom and never grow out of it).
When I told this thought to my mom, she said, "no," and went right to work on helping Katie "learn her princesses," so that she would be ready to fully embrace the experience. Sure enough, by the time our trip came, I couldn't fathom leaving this cutie behind. Instead, we dressed her up like a princess every day. Having her with us was a gift.
When Sophie was 2 1/2 she loved the Disney princesses. Then, she got to meet them, and, it was one of the best moments of parenthood to see her eyes light up as she ran to each one and gave them a huge hug. Seeing Katie meet the princesses was a lot like that.
And, I could tell that Sophie hasn't grown out of feeling the magic when she met the princesses, even now at the age of 10 (maybe she'll be like my mom and never grow out of it).
She was still excited to see the princesses, but, at the top of her list this time around was meeting the fairies. In particular, Tinkerbell's friend Fawn (who she dressed up as for Halloween). We had to wait in line for over an hour, and we didn't know which fairy (besides Tinkerbell) we would meet in advance. When it was finally our turn, guess who was there?
(Sophie and Ian with Fawn)And, that sums up how a lot of this trip went. Being in the right places at the right times and every wish coming true.
(random pic of my kids goofing off in Downtown Disney)This time it was my mom's turn to go back to the hotel (with Katie) for a nap while I took the kids to meet characters and ride rides. I was proud of Ian for riding the Matterhorn (did I mention my kids don't like the 'big' rides?)
We took a break for a treat and each of the kids got an ice-cream cone. Isaac just could not decide between white (vanilla) and green (chocolate chip mint), so at the last minute, I let him have both. Look how happy he is with his huge ice-cream cone. I should have let them all get double scoops.
When it got late, I took Katie and Isaac back to the room for a reasonable bedtime while My mom took Sophie and Ian to Fantasmic and the fireworks. Do you still remember the first time you saw Fantasmic? I do.
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