Last weekend, our family decided to travel south and take in a Spring Training game. This is something we've been meaning to do for a while, and since our son is obsessed with baseball, and our daughter is too little to care, it seemed like perfect timing.
As expected, our family trip was accompanied with a modest dose of rain. This rain karma has haunted our trips ever since we took a day trip to Tybee Island 2 1/2 years ago. (I think we may need to revisit the site and chant some spell to cleanse us of this bad karma. I'm not a witchcraft sort of person, but I'm getting desperate). The rain has dominated an anniversary trip, a trip to the desert, and now this one. Or spontaneity may be the key to enjoy good weather on our trips. In this case, I will need to prepare 72 hour vacation bags... ("The forecast says clear skies for the next 3 days. Grab your bags and get in the car now!").
For the first 90 miles of our trip, we endured crazy heavy rainfall. The next day, the sky was overcast but it behaved long enough for us to fit in our morning activities, which included walking around the temple grounds with our kids. I love to see the temple...
By lunch time the sky unleashed its fury. We were in the grocery store at the time. We heard much thundering, the store's lights flickered and went out, and we witnessed crazy hurricane type rain/wind in the parking lot. It was very exciting. We were very glad that we were not driving at the time.
There was a break in the weather, and we booked it to our hotel. As we drove, we were witnesses of the toll the storm took. Ten oak trees along the road had been completely pushed over, roots and all. (Note: this picture was taken the next day, sans rain).
We bunkered down in our hotel and watched a movie together on my husband's laptop. The weather cleared enough for us to go downstairs and take advantage of the pool. This consisted of sitting on the edge of the pool with our legs in the water because the water was so cold. Apparently, outdoor pools need the sun to warm them. Imagine that. Even the spa/hot tub failed us, though my daughter enjoyed playing with the foam it made. I'm not sure what to think of that foam...
The next day- the day that really counted- was perfect! We enjoyed our game in sunny and comfortable conditions. Our daughter preferred to sit on any row but with us (already?!) and was done with the game before the first inning ended, and the home team lost. But, my son soaked in the baseball, my daughter learned how to do the Braves' "Chop", and they both got to run the bases when the game was over. This was perhaps the sweetest moment of our trip. As I stood in line with my son, he excitedly plotted to slide into home plate. As we got closer to the field, my husband met us and handed our daughter to my son so that she could run with him. He dutifully took her by the hand and carefully jogged around the diamond with her, holding her hand the whole way. He didn't even complain that he didn't get to slide. He was a true Big Brother looking out for his sister.
Despite the weather, our family trip was a success!
This above blur is my son's Pinewood Derby car. My son and husband carefully and thoughtfully crafted it for weeks- sanding, painting, resanding, weighing, etc. It was fast. In fact, it was so fast it won the second place trophy!
I wish the story ended there. His car's placement meant it qualified for the District Pinewood Derby- which we didn't even know existed and (in complete honesty) kind of spoiled the win for me. I waffled as to whether I would take my son to Districts, since my hubbie was working that day and my son also had a baseball game that day. In the end I cast aside my doubts, sucked it up, and committed. I should have listened to my doubts. Districts was a Fiasco. The races were running behind when we arrived for our race time. We sat in a gym of chaos for 2 hours waiting for the first race to finish. We were the third race. We ultimately ended up leaving my son's car, drove home for him to change uniforms, relaxed a bit (sitting in a gym of chaos for 2 hours is exhausting), and returned at my estimated time of his race. From there we would drive to his baseball game. We completely missed the race! At some point during our absence, they figured out how to speed the process up. And to add insult to injury, his car didn't even place. A double whammy for my son. He cried as he grieved the death of a dream... and I suffered from excessive guilt.
Luckily, his baseball team had an awesome game (thank heavens) which helped ease his pain. But not completely. A few days later, in our calendar where I had written "Districts", my son crossed it out and wrote, "I did not go." Ouch. What a way to turn an initial sweet victory into a bitter memory.
When my husband and I were coming home from Montana and waiting for our plane in NYC, we invented a game to pass the time. We would find people in the terminal who reminded us of someone, only with a feature that was completely wrong. For example, "Your dad only with thick, grey, hair," or "Your dad with a beard and an Amish hat." This game continued after we got home. One of my husband's co-workers gave us symphony tickets they could not use. During the intermission we picked up our game again: "Your brother with a beard, playing the viola," or "Paul Ryan playing the bass." The fun of the game is agreeing or disagreeing over the person's likeness. And then laughing when it's spot on. I suppose it's a
game I've always played in my head, so it's fun to involve someone now. On a side note, I find lots of people who look like
Sam the Eagle. Now, I bet you will too.
Yesterday, a
solicitor selling a product that can clean "anything" paid a visit to
our home. As I came out of the house he exclaimed, "Why, nobody told me
Mariah Carey is living here!" I immediately blew the compliment off as a
desperate sales ploy to win my favor, and ultimately did not buy his
product that cleans "anything". But, I found the compliment amusing, and
it caused me to ponder... on what planet am I the likeness of
Mariah Carey? I am white. I can't belt notes too high for people to
hear. I have not had enhancements. I don't wear tiny dresses. And my
house is the size of her shoe closet (just thought I'd throw that in for
fun. But it's true.).
It wasn't until later, when I told my husband about this ridiculous comparison that he pointed out the truth... I had been a victim of our own game. This guy's got it all wrong though. You can't just make comparisons willy-nilly or that takes the fun out of the whole game. Or maybe that's another game altogether...
"My mother, bless her, was a marvelous seamstress. In my childhood years, when money was short and new clothing hard to come by, she would sometimes make clothing for us to wear to school. I would see a shirt in a store window or in a mail-order catalog, and my mother would say, 'I think I can make that.' By looking at the shirt as closely as she could, she would then cut cloth and put in seams to a degree that was close to the expensive original.
"I pay her tribute of being both willing and able to do that. But she didn't like to do it that way. While she could study the commercial products and come close, what she really wanted was a pattern. A pattern helped her anticipate angles and corners and seams and stitches that were otherwise hard to recognize. Furthermore, if she went back for a second or third shirt, she was always working from a perfect original pattern, not repeating or multiplying the imperfections of a replica.
"I think you can see my point and hers. We are bound to be in trouble if a shirt is made from a shirt that was made from a shirt. A mistake or two in the first product- inevitable without a pattern- gets repeated and exaggerated, intensified, more awkward, the more repetitions we make, until finally this thing I'm to wear to school just doesn't fit. ...
"Now, I hope this helps you understand why we talk about the pattern, the ideal, of marriage and family when we know full well that not everyone now lives in that ideal circumstance. It is precisely because many don't have or perhaps have never even seen, that ideal and because some cultural forces steadily move us away from that ideal, that we speak about what our Father in Heaven wishes for us in His eternal plan for His children.
"Individual adaptations have to be made as martial status and family circumstances differ. But all of us can agree on the pattern as it comes from God, and we can strive for its realization the best way we can.
"We who are General Authorities and general officers are called to teach His general rules. You and we then lead specific lives and must seek the Lord's guidance regarding specific circumstances. But there would be mass confusion and loss of gospel promises if no general ideal and no doctrinal standard were established and, in our case, repeated. We take great strength in knowing the Lord has spoken on these matters, and we accept His counsel even when it might not be popular."
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland ("General Patterns and Specific Lives", Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, February 9, 2008)
Happy Daylight Savings. As my son said this morning as he groggily got out of bed to get ready for school, "Daylight Savings is stupid." These time changes, and air travel, always confuse me in a half-glass-empty sort of way. Did we lose an hour because we skipped an hour, or did we gain an hour because we moved forward on the clock? This is a debate my husband and I have every 6 months. But I digress...
Recently, my husband subbed for my son's Sunday school class. As part of an object lesson, he brought a baseball card of one of my son's favorite players. In the car after church, my son asked to look at the card. He studied it for a minute, and then said:
My Son: "This is a really cool card. I think one day it will be mine."
Me: (to self: Surely he can't mean how that sounds) "What do you mean?"
My Son: "You know, when he passes?"
Me: (to self: Yep, that's what he meant.)
It seems my son is already calculating his inheritance. My husband is now under strict surveillance.
It's fun to have a daughter. Before she was a twinkle in my eye, I would listen as my son declared how he wanted to follow in the footsteps of my husband or father for his future career. One night while doing the dishes I mused, "What? My job doesn't look like fun?" Well, we were blessed with a daughter, and I'm just beginning to feel the flattering effects of a copy cat living in the house.
For example, the other day my daughter was playing with some abandoned flower pots in the back yard. She was filling two small pots with leaves, and dumping them into a larger pot. She then picked up a stick and informed me that she was cooking, and then began to stir the leaves. I reveled in it!
And lately, my daughter has been diligent about bringing her purse along whenever we go on a shopping trip. The other day, I informed her that we would be going to the store and began to prepare my purse. I didn't want to bring a diaper bag, so I stuffed an extra pair of training pants and leggings in my purse. I started out the door with her, but my daughter began to protest loudly. I asked her what she needed, and she went running back to her bedroom. She emerged with a pair of training pants and stuffed them into her purse as well! Then she was ready to go. It was hilarious and darling! She is learning the ropes of womanhood.
This is something I would have formerly saved for a "Design Friday". But let's be honest, while "Design Friday" was never officially retired, anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows that died when my daughter was born. My free time for research was replaced with other, more important, tasks.... like nursing, cuddling, and showering. That was some time ago, but it always takes me a while to find my feet again after big adjustments, and lately I feel like things that have laid dormant for a time may be starting to show signs of budding again. At any rate, the consistency of "Design Friday" will probably not be returning for some time, but maybe I can fit in something here and there.
Last month I read an interesting article in Smithsonian Magazine, "The Story About Banksy". My knowledge of art history has waned since I graduated from college, and it was refreshing to update myself. Here is a slideshow of the works featured in the article.
In short, Banksy is a British street artist know for his stencil style graffiti art. He keeps his identity concealed- partly to raise public curiosity, partly because "he has issues with the cops". His works have a satirical twist, often highlighting social or political tensions. His works have been found throughout London, and other places like San Francisco, Paris, and even a wall on the West Bank in Israel. I have no idea how he accomplishes his work without being caught- some of them seem pretty involved. Much of his art is done for free, and it seems he also has gallery showings. His works are sold for high prices in auction houses. In fact, just after I read the Smithsonian article I came across a headline at an online news source I was perusing, "Wall with Banksy street art vanishes in London, appears in Miami auction house... ". I was so pleased to be in the know.
From what I've seen of his work I find his style to be appealing, and his anonimity and prankster humor kind of fun. I'm sure we have our differences in opinion, but I do find some of his works thought provoking. I also find an irony in his success and notoriety coming from an industry that he mocks. It is the strange line that all artists seem to walk. Success and not selling out.
I read somewhere that around 40 pounds of dirt per year is tracked into your house. I think my son, alone, fills that quota each month just from what dumps out of his shoes some days. And that's just one shoe!
Clearly he is having a good time during recess.
And clearly I need to legislate a no-shoes-in-the-house law.
"[Love] is far more than physical attraction. It is deep, inclusive and comprehensive. Physical attraction is only one of the many elements, but there must be faith and confidence and understanding and partnership. There must be common ideals and standards. There must be a great devotion and companionship. Love is cleanliness and progress and sacrifice and selflessness. This kind of love never tires nor wanes, but lives through sickness and sorrow, poverty and privation, accomplishments and disappointment, time and eternity."
-Spencer W. Kimball
"To find the gifts we have been given, we must pray and fast....I urge you each to discover your gifts and to seek after those that will bring direction to your life's work and that will further the work of heaven."
-Elder Robert D. Hales, "Gifts of the Spirit", February 2002 Ensign
"We are clearly instructed that each of us is given a gift or gifts. Each one of us has different talents and different gifts. Not all of us understand what all of our gifts and talents are, but we have many. Do we know what gifts we have been given? Are we seeking to find our gifts? Through effort, experiment, and practice, our gifts are revealed to us."
-Elder Robert D. Hales, "Gifts of the Spirit", February 2002 Ensign
"The decade of decision is the time for us to discover what our gifts and talents are and to decide which talents to develop further. In the process of doing that, we will have to take some chances. There's a risk/reward process in all of this. We will have to take some risks and be willing to fail and to learn from our failures and our mistakes."
-Robert D. Hales, "Return: Four Phases of Our Mortal Journey Home", Deseret Book
Our return trip from Montana was less than ideal. Our connecting flight in Salt Lake City was delayed, which would ultimately cause us to miss our connecting flight in Atlanta. There was no room for us on the flights out of Atlanta later that evening, so we would possibly be spending the night there. Luckily, our airline booked us on a flight connecting through JFK. When we made it to JFK, we learned that our connecting flight home was also delayed. So, we hung out in the airport for 4 hours kicking the breeze. A lame way to visit NYC. Our silver linings were: 1.) we had no children to pacify or entertain, 2.) our airline had given us $50 in vouchers to spend in the airport, so now our kids have NYC souvenirs from our trip to Montana, 3.) our airline also bumped us to first class for our flight home, and 4.) there is a Cafe Rio in the Salt Lake airport.
Finally, we boarded our flight ready for a First Class ride home. I was crestfallen to discover that the couple in front of us had a child riding on their lap- and this child was tired and having a difficult time. After a full day of travel, my visions of sleeping in peace were shattered, and I began to grumble inside... children should not be allowed in First Class. It's kind of surprising how quickly the First Class feeling of entitlement takes effect. I had been riding coach the whole trip, and all of a sudden I was better than everyone. I quickly remembered that I have two children of my own (one who was no picnic the last time we flew), and told myself that I need to knock it off. It took some effort, but I was able to replace my irritation with compassion.
We made it home without incident, although much later than we had planned.
But, to keep a good perspective and sense of humor about it all, here's Louis C.K. on how "Everything is Amazing Right Now and Nobody's Happy". Hilarious and so true. (sidenote: this is the only work of his I'm familiar with, so I can't say I recommend his work as a whole):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUBtKNzoKZ4
"People say of marriage that it is boring, when what they mean is that it terrifies them: too many and too deep are its searing revelations. ... They say of children that they are... brats..., when what they mean is that the importance of parents with respect to the future of their children is now known with greater clarity...than ever before.
"... No tame project, marriage. The raising of children...brings each of us breathtaking vistas of our own inadequacy.
"... [So,] we want desperately to blame [family life,] the institution which places our inadequacy in the brilliant glare of interrogation. ...
"The quantity of sheer...selfishness in the human breast (in my breast) is a never-failing source of wonderment. I do not want to be disturbed, challenged, troubled. Huge regions of myself belong only to me. ... Seeing myself through the unblinking eyes of an intimate, intelligent other, an honest spouse, is humiliating beyond anticipation. Maintaining a familial steadiness whatever the state of my own emotion is a standard by which I stand daily condemned...
"[Yet] my dignity as a human being depends perhaps more on what sort of husband and parent I am, than on my professional work I am called to do. My bonds to them hold me back from many sorts of opportunities. And yet these do not feel like bonds. They are...my liberation. They force me to be a different sort of human being, in a way in which I want and need to be forced."
-Michael Novak, quoted by Bruce C. Hafen, "Covenant Hearts: Marriage and the Joy of Human Love"
Last week my husband and I traded in our flip-flops for snow boots. My husband was attending a conference in Montana, and as his airfare/lodging/food were paid for, I decided to accompany him.
Logic would argue that leaving a sick kid and a half potty-trained toddler to go on vacation would be an easy thing to do. It was surprisingly tear jerking. But, I knew I was leaving them in good hands, and a bajillion thank-yous to my parents who were willing to meet the task and allow us to go MIA for a bit.
We reversed our bad vacation karma... or at least we made it work in our favor. It snowed every day we were there. When my husband wasn't in class, we were enjoying surroundings such as this:
Or skiing and playing in the snow:
One night, we took a moonlight trip on top of a snow cat to dine in a yurt packed in snow. It felt a little bit like a scene out of Star Wars:
Trips into unfamiliar territory always expand our horizons, so here is a list of things I learned while in Montana:
- Cold weather requires a minimum of 5 layers of clothing (underwear, long underwear, base clothes, sweater, jacket/boots/hats/mittens). Allow 5-10 minutes to get dressed or undressed.
- While living a "Downton" life is enjoyable from the housekeeping point of view, multiple clothing changes a day are overrated (breakfast clothes, ski clothes, dinner clothes...).
- I am not as awesome looking while skiing as I had imagined myself, thanks to a photographer who took "action" shots of me.
- There are more people who resort-hop and ski all winter long than you might think. My experience is that they are either retired or transient. In either case, alone.
- It is very possible to find oneself on top of a snow cat, in the snowy forest, on a cold winter's night, with a bunch of drunk people. Kind of surreal.
- Drunk people laugh at anything. This can be to your advantage if you are sober.
- Hot chocolate at breakfast is a requirement when it is snowing outside.
- There is a meatloaf in existence that combines beef, bison, and elk meat and is then wrapped in bacon. As the waiter put it, that's 4 animals in one bite!
- I used to think that not having cable in our home was a sacrifice. I have learned that cable only gives you more options of nothing to watch.
- Cindy Crawford's skincare line uses a secret anti-aging ingredient only found in melons grown in southern France.
- For a limited time only this $170 skin care line is available for $39.95!
Lessons that were reinforced:
- Your hair dries faster and gets awesomely straight in the West.
- I hate hotel tubs that back up.
- Having time to discover the world as a couple is priceless.
- I love my husband and children dearly.
