Christmas Card 2012

Feliz Navidad. While I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas “from the bottom of my heart,” I have to report that I cannot. The fact is that I’ve again lost the battle of attempting complete avoidance of the song “Feliz Navidad.” I try to quarantine myself from this 17-word song, and I fail every year. When I hear those first few dreaded notes, I leap towards the computer to stop it, but by then enough notes have implanted themselves in my brain and I’m lost. For the rest of the day, I’m strutting around the town like Tiny Tim, adjusting the cadence of my steps to the words of the song in my tortured head. I have 42 years of enjoying the Christmas season and its music, but I can’t hear this song again. The only solution may be to come down on all holiday music next year with an iron fist. That means I’m coming for you next, chipmunks.

I’ve begun to grow breasts. I’d like to think it’s because I live with a wife and four daughters and have just inhaled too much “product.” Sadly, it’s probably that I’m well into my 40s and my riotous, destructive use of cold cereal in the evenings is finally catching up with me. I’m already getting dressed in the mornings and then asking Adriane how I look, so maybe there’s no re/capturing my true manhood at this point. 

Cheap anatomical jokes aside, Adriane and I often talk about ways of being more refined and sophisticated. We devour Downton Abbey, admiring their manner of speaking and elegance, and we recently drooled all over the magnificence of the Nemours (Dupont) Mansion & Gardens in Wilmington, Delaware. I’m pretty sure I could live like the Crawleys or Duponts. I have to admit that I’m one of those people who actually regrets watching the breakdown of the snobbish class system on Downton Abbey. Sometimes, I think there should be a staff that irons my newspaper in the morning and brings it to me with my soft-boiled egg, and then quickly retreats so that I don’t have to see them anymore until I ring a bell. Not really, of course. That would be complete rubbish.

Adriane and I and a bunch of adult family members visited the Yucatan peninsula back in May. Hot, beautiful, exotic and utterly breathtaking are only a few of the words to describe Adriane and me in our swimsuits on the condo beach. At one point while sightseeing, we were stopped by a bloodshot, shifty-eyed guy with a rifle and “uniform” who stops tourist vehicles. And we were way out in Mayan country, learning all about hearts being ripped out of living people and ancient ball players being sacrificed for winning their match. So, as I sat in the unfortunate spot of “shotgun” in the 12-seater van during our interaction with Old Red Eyes With Pseudo Authority, my body was near to self-inflicting Montezuma’s revenge. He slowly glared at each of us with one of his eyes as he decided our futures. After an eternity, Maria Elena McRae, sweet-talked him into allowing us to keep our blood-pumping organs and, more importantly, our day’s itinerary, and on we merrily went. We visited viny, ancient ruins and swam in cool, deep cenote water holes. It’s amazing to visit a place with a bunch of outgoing Spanish speakers who ask more questions about the tour guides’ personal lives than the surrounding ruins. What a fun family and trip.

This year we bought passes to Silver Dollar City. It’s a huge Ozark and Hillbilly-themed amusement park up near Branson, Missouri. My favorite game while walking around is trying to figure out who the costumed theme park workers are and who the regular visitors are. Sometimes, that happens as I sit on a bench waiting for Adriane and the girls to come off a roller coaster. I don’t like constantly negotiating with my stomach on the likelihood of violently parting with my recently eaten sausage mash with onions. The theme park workers are extremely nice and it’s a fun place, especially around the holidays.

Adriane worked for a year as a full-time music teacher at an elementary school in a neighboring town, finishing up in June. I enjoyed calling and texting her often at her work when I knew she wasn’t able to talk. This had nothing to do with a backlog of years and years of her calling me in the middle of teaching university classes and sitting in meetings, then complain that I “never” answer the phone. And have you noticed that when you initiate a phone call to Adriane, she begins the conversation? That’s how happy she is to get a phone call. Every phone call she gets is a present. Even though she’s become much more interested in reading, she often says that her main hobby is people. In fact, it’s her genuine, Christlike love for everyone she meets that I love to watch. Even if she had a VERY hard time turning 40 this year, she’s still my eternally young love.

Amelia is 12 now. I don’t know about this whole thing. But she loves her dance class and loves to read and write. Adriane has to coerce her into having a friend come over to “hang out,” but she would just rather read. It’s hard for Adriane to understand that Frodo is every bit as real as the kids at school and that it’s OK for her to want to spend some time in the pages of a book. She’s getting so tall and ladylike, has become quite the Anglophile herself (Tolkien and Rowling), and we’re so proud of her.

Eliza, 9, is writing a comics series about gingerbread people in everyday situations that keep us laughing hysterically. Already, she loves and gets The Far Side comic. She was spinach in the school musical, and in the talent show this year got up on stage and sang and danced “a duck walked up to a lemonade stand.” Being the shy one, it was completely out of character for her. Always a nature lover, she stops to point out the unique color of the sky, and she insisted on a good burial spot after our three-day fish died. She is silly and precious.

Julia, 7, loves life and people. Every day is a gift, that contains indescribable possibilities of seeing people and being with people, hopefully with music and a party involved. We’re always trying to figure out where she gets all of this behavior. Biebs is still on her marriage radar, though I’m not sure how, and she wins the award for best big sister ever. 

Olivia, 5, says most words well but has trouble with her Rs. Therefore, she can say “Amblyopia” with no troubles when asked why she wears glasses and a patch over one eye. Her favorite magazine seems to be “The Kid” (The LDS church magazine The Friend) and, though tiny, she scored anywhere from 5-10 goals in every soccer game last season, and yes that’s a humblebrag.

Especially towards the end of such a difficult year for so many, I’m so grateful for the true meaning of Christmas, being the birth and celebration of the life and sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is the hope of a re-united family throughout eternity. I hope to emulate him more and more. Therefore, similar to Jose Feliciano, I wanna wish you a fine Yuletide and a joyous beginning of a new 365-day cycle from an undisclosed location in my chest.

Thanksgiving in Dover Delaware

Well, it was great. It was amazing. 22 hours in the car one way, 44 hours in the car total with 4 little girls. We did it. We actually did it. The drive their started with some movies and ended with some sweet yelling and screaming, but Emily was an amazing hostess and I mean the BEST cook! She's really a great cook!

First day we walked all around downtown Dover. Got a tour from the tourist ladies dressed up in their revolutionary garb. It was amazing to stand where the Declaration of Independence was first read from the steps of the State House in Dover back in the 1776. Amazing stories of heroic men fighting for independence and freedom. Caesar Rodney was one of the Patriots who rode bravely for 80 hours from Dover to Philidelphia all day and all night to become one of the last and deciding signatures for the states to declare their independence. It was sobering for me to hear of the sacrifices these men and women made for us today.

After the down town Dover, we got to go to Fifer Farms. A really neat "Farmers Market" that my Aunt Cindy drove us to. It was indoors and quaint and just so cool. They really have a wonderful place to live out there and they're just so much fun!

Tuesday we went to the Dupont Mansion in Wilmington with Amelia, Cindy, Tom and I while my sister Emily took the kids swimming at the YMCA. It was the most beautiful home all 47,000 square feet of it. Amazing really. I was in awe at how much money some people have. Just splendid. I could totally be that wealthy and have parties and soirees every night. So cool.

Wednesday off to Philadelphia to pick up Aunt Olivia and then to meet Christopher, Tom's cousin, and his kids. We did lunch at a great Italian/Pizza restaurant and then off to see the liberty bell and then over to have a Philly Cheesesteak at Jim's Philly's on South Street. All wonderful, but I literally felt sick on the way home. Too much food.

Thursday was Thanksgiving. Aunt Cindy had a beautiful table set up in her garage which she had decorated so beautifully! We had a great time had wonderful food. Got a tour of the fire station where Rod works, he is the Fire Chief there and what a great guy. Aunt Cindy and Uncle Rod are so cute and so much fun. I just love them. We were going to go over to their home Friday morning for breakfast, but Todd had to work and we ended up going to the Air Museum and walking around the art museum as well.

Ok...I'm boring myself right now. I feel sick of myself and my writing. I will just tell you quickly and wrap this up....

Friday we went to the air museum, the art museum, the shore in Lewes Delaware and ate the most delicious crab cake sandwiches at a really swanky restaurant called well...I forgot the name, but it was good! Then went home and packed and left on Saturday.

Here are some of the photos, more on my phone but that's a whole project! Ta Ta!

Here are the photos from the trip.

Southern Mama

I am from the wonderful state of Arizona. I was born and raised an Arizona girl. Tempe, Arizona is the place that I feel the most at home in all the world. When you spend so many years in one place you have memories at every intersection, memories in every neighborhood that you dropped a newspaper and the dog chased you. Memories scattered from South Mountain all the way over to Power road.

But...seven years ago I moved out to Fayetteville, Arkansas. The first week I was here I made a new friend who made sure to tell me that I needed to wear make-up when I went grocery shopping. "That's what people do here," she stated "you're in the South now." I really didn't know what that meant at the time, but seven years later, I totally get it...and I have grown to love it! I actually wear make-up 4 out of the seven days a week. It just depends on the day...somedays I feel like being the Fayette-chill "hippy" girl and other days I'll feel like getting all dolled up and sporting my  "Mary-Kay makeup Collection."

So, I still don't have my children say, "yes ma'am and yes sir," although many people do...and I still do say things like, "Look them in the eye and say hello and answer them," cause I am married to a naturally "shy" man and I get how my little kids feel now when meeting a stranger...BUT I have decided to let Amelia join cotillion. When the kids here are in 6th grade they can join cotillion where you spend $240 dollars for 7 months once a month. The kids dress up, learn how to dance, learn how to talk, learn how to be polite, learn table manners and socialize. At first I was totally against it thinking it was just a waste of money and a huge pre-soroity show, but now I think Amelia is really getting some fun and socializing out of it, so I'm good. I have to realize that my girls aren't going to want to be just like me....but actually we had teen elect growing up which was like the mormon cotillion...so...this is pretty much the same thing, just fancier.

 I'm ok with it, and she had a great time. The first Saturday they learned how to do the electric slide...the cupid shuffle. Next week it's the waltz and the fox trot. They had a lot of fun. I'm just letting go of my pre-conceived ideas about the "Southern Society" mom and realizing that even though I don't fit into that box, I know that I fit into other boxes and it's fine to peek in and have a look now and then in that "Southern Society" mama box. I kind of like it! Thank you Opah for agreeing to pay for her dresses and costumes etc. We love you for that! Here are the first pictures.

Turning Forty

Ok, so I've had a hard day and I didn't think it would be this hard! I know it's just a number and it doesn't matter, but it kind of does, because it's like the "hump" day of my life. It was one thing to have a halfway mark on the mission and burn the panty hose and the jumper, and it was another thing to have a "hump" day to college when you knew you were halfway to graduation BUT halfway to my life? I know I could live past 80, but most women these days with all the stress and craziness only live till they're about 75 don't they? And frankly, I'm not really one of those people that pines away to live till I'm in my 90s or 100s. Have you seen most people who are in their 90s? I have seen a few and frankly I don't want to wear Depends, I don't want to slobber when I eat and I definitely DON'T want my children having to change my diaper. I feel like 40 is halfway to all of that and it's kind of depressing.

But... I am taking the advice of my brother Rick who tells me to be grateful for my body, because it works and it breathes and it walks and it laughs and it does all the wonderful things that it was created to do! He's right, I know he is, but for just one day I want the chance to feel how I want to feel and to be depressed about it and then I will move on.

People have been telling me that they have this bucket list for when they turn 50 and 60, but I've decided after reading the book "The Happiness Project" (which is a great read) I'm going to start one now. The first item on my bucket list is this:

1. No more being a computer circus monkey.

A computer monkey is that thing where you sit down at your computer and your brain has been trained over time to automatically go through the same motions over and over just...because that's what it does! Example: Sit on red couch, turn on computer, check bank account, check Facebook, check e-mail check 3 blogs that I've been reading for years and are frankly becoming completely mind numbing, turn off computer and sit and think....that didn't make me feel any better.

So, instead of being a computer circus monkey, I'm going to be an analog wild monkey who thinks and acts in its natural habitat to do natural things.

I have many more things on my bucket list, but too many to explain right now, so I'm just going to let the girls continue doing my hair for me and trying to make me feel special! That's all...Happy Birthday to me.

Busy, Hectic, Memorable Week!

Wow, we have had a FULL week! The Kansas City Temple open house was going on these last two weeks. We literally didn't have a weekend to go, so we decided to just take a day off of work to get there. Tuesday night was my 1st grade Rodeo show. It went well, but I was SO glad that it was overwith. I love the people I work with, but sometimes I will say this...we women LOVE to have total control over everything! I'm the music teacher yes...but sometimes, people forget that.

After the Rodeo program we got in the van and drove 4 hours straight to Kansas City. Amelia was pretty stressed out the whole time, because she was missing out on a presentation she had to give on Anne Hutchinson. She was supposed to do it as a group, but we were gone and now she is refusing to do it alone, because she is shy. Oh well.

So, in Kansas City, we got a sweet deal at the Comfort Inn and Suites, which by the way was beautiful. That night Julia got a fever of 102 degrees. Tom went to Wal-Mart to get her some medicine and she slept all night and all day the next morning.

Got to the temple by 1:00. Got the tour. Was beautiful and was everything I imagined. My daughters got to go inside and even into the most sacred part of the temple. I will say that it was probably one of the most special/spiritual family experiences that we've had. Loved it!

Anyway...had a great time.

This Saturday night we had a huge party for Tom. Had a blues band. Val Damuni cooked the most amazing food. Kahlua pork, teryaki chicken, sweet and sour meatballs. Had a really great time! I'm now exhausted! Yes, I am. But a good exhausted. I feel very blessed this week to have all that we have. 4 beautiful girls, a wonderfully supportive husband, wonderful in-laws who love my girls and watch them often, and of course a house, even though it can at times be a mess...and wonderful people that I work with. Love them.

One more tidbit. Tonight as I was doing dishes and was trying to get the house settled, the girls all 4 of them decided to make a movie about Rudolph. Eliza was dressed as Santa Clause, Olivia had a red nose painted on and was dressed like a reindeer, Julia had Elf ears and a red outfit on, and Amelia was the director. They were adorable. I love those moments, even though it was past their bedtime....they will cherish those memories as they grow up and so will we. It sometimes just plain sucks that kids have to grow up. Oh well...

Nighty night.

Our First Real Family Vacation

This week was Spring Break. I felt like myself all over again. Working full-time is a whole new ballgame. Not sure that I'm cut out for it actually. We took the kids to Silver Dollar City and stayed in the Fall Creek Resort. Had a ball! Really had such a good time. It felt good. Just being with the girls and me and I felt zero stress.

I rode a roller coaster that I thought would make me sick and throw up, but actually it wasn't so bad. I really did think I was going to die at one point. It had actual G-FORCES pushing against me.

So I'm going to go again with the girls when it's not so crowded. We got season tickets and we are planning on surprising the girls some morning and just telling them that we are going to silver dollar city. Really we had such a great time. The log ride we rode with all of the girls and got pretty soaked, but had a ball. Julia, Eliza and Olivia were screaming at the top of their lungs as we plunged down the ending slope. It was a riot! The didn't want to go again, but Amelia and I did, so we stayed in the log boat and rode again and again. We had so much fun! It was like being a kid all over again.

Emily just read me this quote, "Life by the yard is hard, life by the inch is a cinch." Love that quote. I loved it! Seek heavenly guidance every day.

So, we LOVE Silver Dollar City. It was a refreshing getaway and we need more of those memories with our family.

Work starts again and I have to get going. Hugs!

Spring Break 2011

Here are the pictures of our Spring Break! We went to Nashville, Tennessee. It was a total blast! Seriously...I hadn't been back in years since right after my mission and it was just so much fun! We stayed with cousin Alison Leonard for the first 3 nights which was really nice. She is the sweetest cousin of Tom's who is just lovely. We got to make a fort underneath the ping pong table...Wonderful. We also got to go and meet all of Tom's high school buddies over in Lebanon. They were so nice. All of his Germany high school peeps live out there. He LOVED Nashville and said over and over how he would love to live there.

The highlight for me was seeing Mary Towns family. Mary was a young 20 year old back when I served a mission who I was able to help teach the gospel to. She was baptized and is now married to an awesome guy who serves in the military living out in Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. It is wonderful to see how the gospel helped her and she's got four beautiful little boys. What a neat story. Love her so much.

Another wonderful time was going to the home of Andrew Jackson. President of the United States in the 1820's. What a cool tour. We loved it. The other thought that Tom and I had the entire trip was how nice it was to vacation with our girls now that they were all 3 and up. It's like we realized that we entered into a different chapter in our lives. They all played with each other and were cute with each other and were happy. It was seriously one of the best family vacations EVER!

We got to stay at the Embassy Suites for 5 nights. That was also a highlight. Amy and Courtney Scheeser met us there and we swam and saw the sights with them. We got to walk all around the Grand Ole' Opryland Hotel. Went downtown to the Parthenon and walked all around. Ate some really good pizza one night. Tom and I also got to do a temple session in the Nashville Temple. That was amazingly beautiful to be there. Toward the end of the week I got a phone call from my mom telling me that Nena had died. I was sad and had to fly out for her funeral early in the morning on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful funeral and it really made me miss her and wish I had gotten to see more of her the last 10 years.

So, that in a nutshell is what we did. Here are the photos! The one of me in front of the house is where I lived when I served a mission. Great memories! Great time!