Swim Meet

Remember when you were a kid and trying out a new sport/activity/instrument for the first time? You'd been practicing and trying to learn and get better. But then came the time for all of your practice to be tested? And remember how your stomach was doing somersaults and you probably had the sweats and maybe even shaking a little?

Yeah. Well, its a brazillion time worse when you are the mom.

Tell me I'm not alone in this. Someone please throw me a bone here.

Luckily for him, Brains had no such problems being nervous on his first swim meet, which took place a couple of weeks ago.

I've never been a very good swimmer myself. I can doggie paddle like a pro. And I was even a lifeguard in high school so that counts for something right?

But this whole world of swimmers was totally new to me. They write their events, (and other things) on each other with sharpie. Sharpie you gize. Luckily, my good friend who was helping get the kids signed in that morning knew to put the sharpie only on places that the white shirt and tie would cover up. Cuz church the next day and stuff.

New to me. New to me. Not that I wasn't loving every second of it.
Shed kept laughing at me onnacuzza my excitement/nervousness every time his event came up.



Him,......not so much nervous-making.


We camped out by the Luthie's most of the day. Soooper fun.



Who'd have known he'd kill in backstroke.

Check out the groupie's on the other side of the pool cheering him on. Liesl (in the pink) knows how to do it right. She's tutoring me how to be a swimmers mom.


Brains fave part by far was getting to start up on the blocks.

Right here is about the time I'd start sweating right into my pits. Gross. But true. What? You gize don't get those? Well, then I have nothing else to say to you about that.

Breaststroke fer rizzles.

Lollerz he kept looking to the side to see where the other kids were. And then no more laughing cuz you aren't supposed to do that.

This is how the "other's" were doing in the meantime. Cracker brought his magnifying glass and they were burning holes in stuff. Good times.

Alls I can say about this one is that he is luckily worshipped by the Luthie girls and therefore is out of my hair the whole time. Thank heaven for Luthie girls.
I've come to a decision.





Swim meets rule. Girls drool.



Oh wait. Nooo.



Swim meets rule. I'm cool.



Or maybe.

Swim meets rule. Sharpen your tool.



Well, you know what I mean.

Dear Chicago, fer realz

Hey, It's Memz. Since you and I are new BFF's I really shoulda written you a better letter before. Chicago, you were the best. The hostess with the mostest. You let me come at the last minute (literal hours before plane takeoff) to join Shed on his long weekend of a business trip. You didn't even CARE that I had thrown stuff in a suitcase, hoped there was food in my house for the BYU-student-home-for-the-summer-bbsitter, bought a plane ticket, and drove to LAX to be with you. You knew I was just doing my best to exercise my "spontaneous" muscle. That particular muscle doesn't get worked out very often. It's not used to that kind of "flexing".

You let me see the Sears tower. And check out the Chicago Board of Trade. And you don't even think it's weird that those doods and dude-etts wear those weird mesh vests and scream waving papers and doing hand signs. Commodities trading. Phew Chicago. How do you do it?
You showed me your huge buildings and cool architecture.


Some of those buildings you've had are over 100 yrs old. That's totally old and stuff.



You allowed me to listen to an up-and-coming hip hop artist trying to sell his CD (who is going to be completely famous one day, I can feel it).



The columns............oh the columns.

This one is for you Roxie. In honor of flag's day this weekend.

I got to see your Millennium Park with that awesome "bean" sculpture.

You had me mesmerized.

Can you see me, Chicago? I couldn't take my eyes off of you.

I even got to watch them film a commercial there. I'll be looking for it on TV.

You even have an aquarium named after my hubby!!

I got to see your very own Navy Pier.

I totally want to bring my kids back here Chicago.

You really know how to show families a good time.

You made sure it was a beautiful 78 degrees for me while I was there. Sunny and gorge.

You even named a restaurant after my boy. Soooo nice of you.

And to top Navy Pier off you had Zack from "Little People Big World" come to visit on the very same day. I didn't ask for his autograph tho. Us famous people need to stick together.

You showed me many bizarre/coolio sculptures.
And beautimus skylines.
You were patient when I "duked it out" with one of our traveling companions on Nikon vs. Canon. You gize know who wins that one.
I even got some geography lessons from you while I was there.
So, to sum it up, my beloved Chicago, even tho I only could stay with you a few days you will be in my heart forever. And, if you are willing, I will be bringing myself AND my 3 boys back here in the future. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Love, Memzy

ps. Sorry I didn't wash your sheets.

Dear Chicago

Thank you for having this view outside the bathroom stall at the John
Hancock building.

I love you,
Memzy

Hotels and Dead Prezzies (may he rest in peace)

We decided to celebrate Memorial Day weekend last minute this year. I'm usually not really the spontaneous type. Ever since Kindergarten when my friends and I spontaneously started playing Star Wars on the playground and I was NOT picked to be Princess Leia. Instead, my "friend" Carrie jumped in front of my to scream "I'll be princess leia!!" and I didn't have the guts to contest it. I didn't like confrontation. Back then. For the rest of my delicate 5yr old year on the playground I was destined to be a storm trooper or even the occasional foray as Chewbaca. And I just know that if I would have planned the recess game beforehand I'm sure Jeff T. (Luke Skywalker) and Chad H. (Hans Solo) would have already known my plans to be Princess Leia and all would have been right with the world. My spontaneity has never been the same.

Are you gize still here?

Anyway, we headed down to the LA area for a little R&R/fun with our friends and the kiddos. Hotel pools and hot tubs are my fave thing in the world. Here are some of my pool posers.

Some of them are a little more into "posing" than others. You can decide who.

I'm not too big on museums/library's either. I know some of you will consider me dead inside because of it. But I just don't ever feel like using up my vacay time to do THAT. But Shed really wanted to check out the Ronald Reagan Memorial Library in Simi Valley. Being the totally supportive and loving wifey that I am,....I obliged.

Now I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong. Kinda like that time in LA 7 yrs ago when Shed and I were driving from a restaurant and trying to find the freeway (before iphones you gize). I was ADAMANT that it was "this" way and Shed thought it was "that" way. I was so confident I even bet him a foot rub if I was wrong. You gize know of my insane aversion to feet right? Just ask Landee and Gty about the time they made me cry.

Sooooo, I was wrong. I was so wrong that we ran right into the Pacific Ocean at which point I immediately started seizing and convulsing thinking about my future task of the feet. And did I admit I was wrong? Oh did I EVER admit I was wrong. I admitted I was wrong to the tune of "I'll do ANYTHING else except the feet I was SOOOO WRONG!!!" ::sob choke sob::

Well, I was wrong about this library/museum. It was awes. My kids loved it. I loved it. And who doesn't love Reagan anyway?

They have air force one exactly how it was when he flew to the Soviet Union to tear down the wall. You can walk through it and even do the presidential wave at the door. I killed as the first lady btw. Tho they wouldn't let us take our own pics of it.

My little Cracker wouldn't let us leave a room until he had seen every single artifact. He was bug eyed the whole time.

They had videos and rooms that were representing how it was

during his time: oval office, press room, etc.

It was super cool and I will try to be more open minded in the future.

Kinda like the time when...............................................................never mind.