Christmas Time at the Sokol's

This was our funnest Christmas season yet at our house. We had a great service project and lots of fun events, but not so many that we felt taxed and exhausted all season long.

Steve and I attended his work party at his boss’s house on the 10th. This is the party of the year for me. I always look forward to it. This year it did not disappoint. Steak bites and blue cheese, the works. Plus the great company and lots of laughs. For a bunch of auditors, they sure do know how to have a good time.

We also saw the lights on Temple Square.
We picked a really great night. It was Monday night when the temp was in the high 40’s or 50’s. We felt really fortunate to be there on a warm night.

There have been many years in the past when we’ve been there in the 20’s and it isn’t nearly as fun.

Another highlight was taking Alyssa to the Nutcracker Ballet at Capitol Theater.
We went with Grandma Wardle and her Cousins Alayna and Hailey and their moms. We got all fancied up and had a day on the town.
Alyssa loved the ballet, almost as much as the $2.00 cookie I bought her there.

We also had a great time with the entire Sokol clan making gingerbread houses. It as a roaring good time and I have to say we held our own when it came to gingerbread house constructing. Not that it was a competition (everything is over there), but ours turned out nice. We brought some white cotton candy which made great snow. We made a snowman out of it.
When all was said and done we had a gingerbread man making a snow man. What is cooler than that? If it were a competition, I would declare us the 2nd place winner behind my mother-in-law’s house. She is a retired home-ec teacher, so it’s really not fair to be judged next to hers.

Alyssa had a great time at preschool during December always bringing home the Christmas crafts. The gold crown winner was the Macaroni gold spray paint ornament with her photo. What a treasure. I’ll keep it forever.

Her preschool teacher also gave her a special bag of magic reindeer food to sprinkle on the lawn on Christmas eve to attract the reindeer.
We had a great time out there on Christmas Eve dispensing the oats and sprinkles and glitter for the deer.

It was a huge success too, because Santa and his deer did come and left quite a load of gifts at our house but somehow had manners enough not to leave a “load” on our front lawn unlike the rude deer that usually roam around here.
We were able to show Alyssa evidence of the reindeer in our front lawn—but luckily that day it was only footprints in the garden.

The kids slept until 8 a.m. Sunny was the first to arise. We watched as she poked her little head out of her room to see what was going on in the house. This is a new process for her. She has only been in her big girl bed for a couple weeks.

We greeted her with a “Good Morning!” and asked her if she knew what today was, she didn’t. We told her it was Christmas Morning and her face brightened immediately. We told her to go wake up her sister which she promptly did.

The both ran out to the living room before I got my clothes on. Dad chased them back down the hall before they had a chance to really see what had been left. Then, together we ran out to check out what had been done.

Alyssa first saw Sunny’s things and helped her realize that they were for her and helped her understand what they were. She got a bag of foam blocks, a tiny Fur Real bunny hamster, a Leap Top computer, a Christmas dress and a little tea pot that makes pouring sounds when you tip it over. Sunny was most excited about the Fur Real bunny. She screamed out for several minutes…”I got my own Zu Zu pet!” Super cute.

Alyssa then noticed her own pile which consisted of a Hello Kitty alarm clock CD Player, Curious George book and accompanying audio CD’s to use with her radio, a violet sparkly dress and Lite Brite which she was most excited over.
It was thrilling to see them see their new things.

Once they got over the immediate excitement, they noticed that Santa had left a big cardboard play house too (still in the box). He also left a note with it that said this…

Dear Alyssa and Sunny
Congratulations for making it on the “Nice” list this year. Sunny you just barely made it. You’ve been on the “Naughty Watch” a lot this year. You made it since you did such a great job potty training for your mom.

Alyssa, you are a gem! Santa is really proud of the way you have behaved. I know it’s not easy to have a two-year-old sister always messing up your stuff. Two-year-olds can be such Pip Squeaks! You’ve been a great example.

This playhouse is for you to share. I want you to know that I expect you to be sweet to each other and play nicely together in and around the playhouse. Remember to take turns, especially you Sunny. Santa is watching! If you aren’t nice to each other, I’ll have the elves come pick it up while you are sleeping—and give it to some other children.

Have fun, I hope you’ll enjoy all your Christmas Toys. Merry Christmas

Love Santa

I took a little video as Steve read this to them. I was glad I did, because the reactions were priceless. At the end Alyssa remarked that the letter made her want to “be good”. Sunny then unbelievably remarked…”I’ve been a Pip Squeek!” twice in a row. Her two-year-old brain actually listened and understood the text of the letter. She realized that Santa thought a lot of her behavior was substandard and she felt slightly sheepish at his remarks. I was so floored by her response. All Steve and I could do was laugh with our jaws wide open. When I replayed the video later in the day for my parents, I thought they might die laughing.

Alyssa took to her new radio and audio Curious George books right away.
Sunny also took to her foam blocks.
Before we knew it both were anxiously engaged in their new presents and didn’t even ask to open presents wrapped under the tree.

At this point Steve and I took the opportunity to clean up a little and take the first batch of cardboard out to the can before the second wave started. The girls played for about 30 minutes and then ate some Cheerios and Christmas candies.

Then they started getting anxious to see what else was under the tree, so we busted a move and began the unwrapping. They each got a few more little things from me and Steve. We also opened gifts to and from each other.

I came away with the keyboard I am using right now to type this. Its wireless so I can move it around where ever I’d like. With it also came wireless mouse and desk phone. Both have corrected a serious frustration I had been having with the new office set up. It’s a real improvement in my quality of life. (I know, my life struggles are very serious right now) I guess Steve has been giving himself an ulcer worrying about whether or not I would want or would like this stuff for Christmas. He feared that maybe he had gotten me what he wanted instead…but all his worry was in vain, because I LOVE this stuff. I can’t think of anything else I would have rather had. I also got a nice pair of silver hoop earrings a pink Snuggie and some cozy socks which I always love getting for Christmas. In all I was delighted with my haul.

Steve came away with a badly needed new tool box, a wired headset for his phone, a tongue brush, some Natural Ice lip balm, a netbook bag and some replacement IKEA spoons. History, I threw out some tiny teaspoons he had when we got married thinking they were too small to be useful. I was wrong, we have really missed them and I have felt like an idiot for throwing it ever since.

We spent the rest of the morning setting up, playing in and coloring on the new cardboard play house.

Turns out it was a big hit! Thanks Santa!

After the unwrapping and playing ended around 12:30-ish, we cleaned ourselves up and headed out to see the Grandparents.

First stop was G&G Wardle where the kids got some really super soft plush blankies with a cute heart patch sewn in with their names and the year and a love from G&G. The kids LOVED them and cuddled them all day. It was a very thoughtful and cherished gift. I see them taking these blankets with them to college. A nice memento from Grandma.

Then on to the G&G Sokol where the fun continued. Lots of presents, cousins and food. No one ever comes away from the Sokol house feeling underfed or under gifted, that is for sure. Highlights included the cutest little Madeline Dolls from the book series Alyssa so loves. Sunny got one too. She calls her “Medel-lion.” Alyssa also got a super cute Barbie roadster she can actually play with. (I bought her a Corvette on e-bay when she was 2, but since I never had one as a child, I won’t let her play with it. I don’t want it to get broken. It’s a remote control one. It’s really mine, I think we all know that.) Sunny also came away with some more Little People to add to our collection. (No jokes about the “Little People” collection, we know we are small.) They also got the same play house that Santa bought. So that got traded out for a Little People school bus which Sunny loves and is sleeping with right now. We also got some cutest clothes and badly needed jammies for Alyssa.

Steve and I also got an assortment of lovely things from his parents. Highlights include a cashmere sweater for me and socks and cool tie for Steve and…drum roll…A second bike trainer! We already had one, but since we both ride it had been a real pain to switch the bike back and forth. Now we have two so we can ride together! Really exciting for us we were very thrilled.

We all had a great time socializing eating and being merry. It was definitely a Christmas to remember.


After all the Christmas mayhem we loaded up our exhausted children at around 9 p.m. and drove them home. They were both asleep in the car when we got home or so we thought. Alyssa was very convincingly faking it. After I got her all changed into her jammies, she popped up and scared me half to death. Sunny was the real deal asleep and slept in her clothes. We didn’t hear from either of them until morning.
What a great day we had. I also slept as hard as a person could until morning. Merry Christmas 2010, you were good to us.

Everest Expedition (This is Steve by the way)

Background
So, I’ve been very interested in Mount Everest for years now. The main source of this interest is an especially amusing episode of King of Queens. In this episode, Doug is forced to attend a work-retreat with his wife Carey’s law firm at an upstate mountain resort that doesn’t have TV. Without TV, poor Doug is forced to READ—and the only book he has is about Mount Everest. During a social event, the senior partner remarks about how he used to climb mountains—and Doug replies, “yeah me too.” The Senior Partner then asks, “well, what’s the highest mountain you ever climbed.” Doug: “29,028 feet.” Partner: “My, that’s Everest!” From that point on, Doug is esteemed by all the lawyers as a great man and he has to continue in his lie all weekend, discussing the toe he lost and the vast amounts of snow he traversed. So much snow that “schools would be closed for days and days.” Now, whenever Kristin or I catch someone (or each other in a lie) we respond with “29,028 feet?”

I also recently read Jeffrey Archer’s “Paths of Glory,” which is loosely based on the life of George Mallory, who led three expeditions up Everest beginning in 1921, more than 30 years before the first confirmed successful summit climb by Edmund Hillary. It was a better than average book.

Kristin and I also have watched several mountain climbs and treks on my favorite PBS television show, Globe Trekker. We’ve seen climbs up Grand Teton, the Matterhorn, and other mountains all over the world. Our favorite show was the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt. We enjoyed that program so much that we have made the Haute Route a goal (once we can rid ourselves of these little dependents). In preparation for our Alpine Trek, we bought “60 Hikes in 60 Miles” by Greg Witt and have been knocking them off as quickly as possible (as seen in previous blog posts).

The Situation Emerges
I belong to the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). The IIA holds about 10 lunches each year and is always looking for speakers to present to our group. As you can imagine, there is a long line of people anxious to present fascinating topics to internal auditors in Salt Lake City (this is sarcasm in case you can’t tell). So, in September, my colleagues and I were delighted to hear that the IIA had arranged to have South African Everest Expedition Leader, Ian Woodall, who is also an author and INTERNAL AUDITOR to speak to our group. I really looked forward to this event. Unfortunately, it was postponed and eventually cancelled.

Someone at the IIA somehow became aware of another Everest expedition leader that was coming to Utah. Precision Concrete Cutting was sponsoring an event featuring Russell Brice on a Thursday night at the South Town Expo Center. The IIA was invited to attend along with the Precision Concrete Cutting employees (awesome!) as a replacement to the Woodall event. This seemed like a logical set of events—to me anyway. It was in late December, when time is a premium, and on Thursday night, which is sacrosanct at our house (this is Kristin’s night to attend weight watchers meeting with her friends). However, I planned to attend this replacement event—since it isn’t everyday you get to hear from an Everest expedition leader.

I didn’t invite anyone else to the event, because I assumed it would be a controlled pay event (like the IIA lunches). But it was open to the public. I didn’t see ANY other auditors—and I don’t think there were very many folks from Precision Concrete Cutters. They had also invited some mountaineering clubs. There were about 100 people there. Mostly guys between 30-50 with cheap flannel shirts, expensive designer glasses, and beards (you know, the REI crowd). There were also some teenagers there in groups. It turns out they wanted as many people there as possible—so I’m sorry you weren’t all invited.

Russell Brice had set several mountain climbing speed records. He has been to the top of Everest twice. He leads commercial expeditions for his own company, Himalayan Experience. He has led several hundred people to the summit--about 10% of the people who have ever been to the top. His company was featured in the Discovery Channel’s “Everest Beyond The Limit” miniseries.

The Lecture
So, this guy spent the first 45 minutes going through what it was like to climb Everest with his company. He had slides and talked about the way climbing had changed since he first started in the early 70s until today. One of the main differences: now they bring a huge solar array to base camp to power the radios, weather equipment, cameras, video recorders, laptops, iPads, iPods, and other electronic equipment that has proliferated in recent years.

He is from New Zealand and was a runner in high school (developing lung capacity). He quit after school to pursue something “easier,” mountaineering. As youth from New Zealand often do, he went on a trip with two friends after school to South America, North America, Europe, and eventually ended up in Nepal to visit their countryman Ed Hillary. They climbed mountains during the trip—but that was the excuse, he was mainly interested in travel. In Nepal, he and his friends worked with Hillary at a hospital he had built for the locals.

After this trip, Brice moved to Chamonix to lead commercial expeditions around Mount Blanc. The problem was that he was busy in the Summer and Winter, but there was a significant off season in the Spring and Fall. So, in 1972, he led his first commercial expedition up Everest. They left from the Tibetan/Chinese side and climbed the North route, which he strongly prefers because they can bring supplies to base camp by truck instead of helicopter—also there is less inherent danger. He had slides of the old climbs, and they looked very primitive.

In the mid-90s, he changed over to the South, Nepalese side because of Chinese restrictions on foreigners visiting Tibet. He showed the climb, which involves 24 clients, 24 Sherpas, and 6 guides. The camp is made to be comfortable because you spent a lot of time acclimatizing, which mainly consists of sitting around. But you need to be comfortable and hygienic. They cook nice food and seem to have a fun base camp. They climb a short mountain first to build teamwork, identify problems with the climbers or their equipment, and to get used to altitude.

The expedition is 2 and ½ months. Only 12-15 days is spent mountaineering. The rest is spent trekking, waiting for weather, acclimatizing, and resting. The camps on the mountain are on steep cliffs where they stay roped to one another even while they sleep.

If was fascinating to hear. I can’t write even a fraction of the things he told us. But the most interesting part was after the lecture, he opened it up for questions for about an hour.

One teenager asked what kind of training he should be doing. The response was “Training?” He said that to climb Everest you need a high threshold for pain (because getting to the top will hurt) and tenacity. It wasn’t something you could train for. Obviously you need to be fit—but he had worked with several Iron Men who couldn’t even get to camp 1. (no disrespect to Iron Men—you guys are amazing). Climbing isn’t about overpowering the mountain. It is about being adaptable, relaxed, and pain-tolerant. He said you needed to arrive a little overweight since you will lose weight on the trip.

The biggest problem on Everest is wind. You can’t summit unless you beat the 20-20 rule. It can’t be less than negative 20 degrees Celsius with a 20 kph wind. If it is -30, then the wind can only be 10 kph.

The cost—40,000 Euros (about $50,000). $10,000 is for permits. He strongly recommends climbing another 8,000 meter mountain before Everest (although he has taken people up who have not).

The best time to summit is during a snowstorm. The weather is usually better when it is snowing—but clients don’t like it because then there is no view at the top. But Brice thinks this is kind of stupid since being at the top isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be. If you want a view, climb a local mountain. The real accomplishment you will feel from Everest is several months later and you realize what you had accomplished.

This was one of the most interesting events I had ever attended. Thank you Precision Concrete Cutting for inviting me. No, I don’t plan to climb Everest—although I would really like to visit Nepal and Tibet. Kristin, so far, is against it, but I suspect that it is only a matter of time until she is begging me to take her there—and probably up the mountain.

In summary, Russell Brice is the most fascinating person I met this year (edging out Lou Holtz). I can confidently say that with two whole weeks left in the year.

Kristin Sokol Day, What?

Nov 14, 2010
As many of you know I have recently retired from my four year career working for the South Valley Journal covering the South Jordan City beat. I really enjoyed my time working for the paper. It was almost always a delight to attend the events and write about all the interesting things happening in the community.

In the end, I just became too busy and too stressed. Not with the paper, but with life in general and I had to give up something to increase the quality of our family life. Although I generally did not WANT to give up the job, I did. And I am glad I did. It has been a relief not to have the responsibility. Interestingly, I have been a lot more cheerful with my kids lately.

During my time in South Jordan I enjoyed making many professional contacts. I am not supposed to call them friends, but when you spend so many years working with delightful people, it is hard not to make friends.

Anyway…last week one of my professional contacts from the city called me and asked if me and my family would be able to attend the city council meeting saying the council had a plaque to present to me. I, anxious to see my peeps at the city, agreed to attend. I do love long boring meetings (for reals).

I invited my parents to come. Next to Steve they are my biggest fans and have loved seeing my name in print and reading the articles I have written. I also invited my children to attend. A mistake I would not make twice. I’d invite Alyssa again, but I’d find alternate entertainment for Sunny.

The meeting commenced with its normal routine. Then came the portion where my name and award presentation was on the agenda. Having sat through at least a dozen of these kinds of things I knew exactly what would happen. Mayor reads off the proclamation and then on special occasions comes down with the roving mic to shake hands with the award recipient and then present said award.

This time however, it went down a little differently. The mayor opened the mic to each council member and they took turns talking about their experience and interaction with me over the years and said what they appreciated about my work in the South Valley Journal. I don’t remember this ever happening before.

Sunny sat through 30 or so minutes of the meeting prior to the award presentation and then decided she needed a drink from the fountain and ONLY I could help her with that at the exact moment they began the award presentation. She begged me rather loudly to take her out for a drink and would cry if my parents or Steve tried to remove her from me. About her behavior I will only say this. It could have been worse, but not much.

I was so caught off guard by the length and depth of the award presentation and the distraction Sunny was creating. After each member of the council spoke, the mayor then came down and said that I was a “jewel”, which might be one of the best compliments I have ever had in my life. I respect the Mayor very much and have worked hard over the years to gain his trust and cooperation. It was very appreciated to have him compliment me like that in public.

He presented me a plaque and read a proclamation declaring, and I kid you not, Nov 16, 2010 as Kristin Sokol Day! For reals! I think I just got my own holiday folks! Move over President’s Day, Arbor Day and Groundhog’s Day. Kristin Sokol Day is coming to town. Instead of planting a tree or looking for a shadow…we share a piece Tres Leche Cake. At least that’s what we did after the meeting.

I was absolutely flabbergasted at this gesture. As if all the kind words and appreciation over the mic in such an official and public setting wasn’t enough. If I remember right, there were only 2 other times when the city declared a day and they were both when Bingham High teams won State or National Championships. All I did was report the community news with some accuracy for four years. And I have to be honest, the only reason I went to so much trouble to be so accurate in my reporting was because I was afraid of repercussions if I filled in the fact-gaps with my best guesses.

I think my face must have been on fire. I felt like I had a fever of 105. I was so surprised and just…flattered. Sunny got to enjoy it with me. I was holding her in front of the group the whole time. Of course I was.

I also brought her with me for the hand-shake turned hug tour on the stand with the council.

I have admired the South Jordan City Council and city as an organization for quite some time. I knew they were happy to have me around as a person and as a reporter, but I had no idea how much they liked and appreciated my work until tonight.


Honestly it was probably a little too much recognition, but hey…who ever complains about being recognized too much. Not me.


I also got a chance to give some thank you’s of my own during the meeting. I was able to thank the council for providing an outstanding example for me to learn the civic and public process. I told them that this experience brought me the education and confidence I will need to be a community leader in the future. Guess what, I can see 2012 from my house too. Just kidding.

I was also able to thank Steve whose idea it was that I apply for this job in the first place and who was the one who supported me the whole time. He proof read all my articles and entertained the kids all the nights I was gone attending meetings. He really deserves most of the credit.

After the award, my parents took the kids to their house so Steve and I could stick around a little longer without constant pestering and interruption. As they often do, the meeting went long and we ended up sneaking out a little early to go celebrate the remainder of my official holiday in South Jordan.

I used the official proclamation plaque to get us to the front of the line and Café Rio where we enjoyed some fine Chicken Tostada’s and a delectable piece of Tres Leche Cake. I plan to make the Tres Leche Cake eating the official event of Kristin Sokol Day. So mark your calendars friends. Next year Nov 16 we’re all eating cake as we remember my fine service as an employee of the South Valley Journal serving the residents of South Jordan City.

I was just kidding about getting to the front of the line at Café Rio. I just left the plaque in the car. However, it is also my understanding that I may present the official proclamation (or a miniature version) to any South Jordan Police officer for whatever predicament I may get myself in and it will guarantee me a free pass. I made that part up too, but if I do ever get it a sticky situation, I’ll probably try it anyway.

Anyway special thanks to all my friends in South Jordan who obviously care about me a lot. All the kind words and well wishes will be treasured for a long time.

Four years in the making, a goal is met!

Dec 8, 2010

Well…I reached my Weight Watchers goal after four + years of working on it.

I went in hoping to have lost .4 lbs ( I know, dream big) so I could get my 60 pound star sticker to put on my bookmark.

When I stood on the scale the lady (Carol) said… “Oh, your .2 away.” She suggested that I take my bra off and that should take me to where I wanted to be. I, not having any pride, did as she suggested and removed my bra in a public place (luckily there wasn’t anyone else there at the time). That did the trick and I was down another .2. BooYah!


I was delighted to finally have my sticker, but then she started handing me the maintenance books and told me now I got more “points.” I was confused and asked her why and she informed me that I had reached my actual goal. I was floored.

Instead of losing .4 I had lost 2.4 and had gotten to my goal. CRAZY! I burst into tears, as did the two Weight Watchers employees whom I have seen most every Thursday morning since Alyssa was one year old. I have been taking Sunny in there since she was 6 weeks old. They have seen my kids grow and me shrink for more than 4 years. They were just as excited for me as I was. We all had a little hug/tear fest and celebrated the accomplishment.

After I gathered myself and my children, we headed out to the van where I started making phone calls. I had a hard time getting anyone to answer to share my big news. Then I finally got my friend and next door neighbor Jenny on the phone and told her. She is a dietitian and has shared my journey always being supportive offering recipes and when necessary a shoulder to cry on. She was so happy for me and it was so fitting to share the news with her first.

I drove to my parent’s house on the way home and found them out in the yard. I jumped out of the car and screamed out my big news. My mom was elated and we hugged. I think I saw a tear of pride come out of my dad’s eye too.

We drove home from there and I finally got a hold of Steve to tell him. He was surprised and so proud. Talk about support, Steve is the definition. He has never complained about the $$ I’ve spent even when I have gone months and years without losing a significant amount of weight. He also never once complained about me leaving the family each Thursday night like a religion to attend my WW class. He needless to say was thrilled for me. I cried and cried as I told him the story.

I called my WW sister-in-laws who all have been faster and more successful than me at losing weight. They were all so happy and excited about it. Seriously…how could I have any better support? They all came to the meeting where I was presented with my award for reaching my goal. It was so touching to have them there and it meant so much to me that they would leave their families and drive out into the cold rainy night to be at the class.

I shared my before and after pictures with the class. It was so fun to tell the class what I had learned in my journey and relish for a little while in the success.

What a rush. How exciting.

When I set my goal, I’m not sure I ever really thought I could reach it. I thought maybe someday if the world changed a lot and me with it, it was possible. Now that I am here, I am surprised how good it feels and how possible it feels to lose maybe another ten.

I thought there would be nothing left of me at this point, and truthfully there is a lot less than there used to be. That being said, there is more than I thought left over and I may just lose another 10 over the next year or so just for good measure. I say this at the risk of sounding like those women who are never satisfied with how their body looks. I do intend to be satisfied with the way I look and for the most part I am, but I think I still have a little way to go before I am there. I think that’s reasonable.

Today I put on some jeans I bought when I was 19 years old when I was at my thinnest. I could only wear those pants for a few weeks before I outgrew them. Since then, whenever I have lost weight, I have tried to get back into those pants. There have been a few times I have come close. I even got them zipped up once, but they looked obscene. Well today I put them on for the first time in several years. They went right on and zipped up and were a little on the baggy side. What in the WHAT??? Baggy? Hard to accept.

Anyway…I have had a personal victory. The best part is, I haven’t been doing anything over the last few years that I am not willing to do for the rest of my life, so maintaining the weight isn’t as scary of a thought as I thought it might be when I started.

My habits have changed so much over the last four years. I’m far from perfect when it comes to my diet, but when I started WW I hit McDonalds at least once a week. I also cherished the times I frequently visited chain restaurants. Now, I dread each and every occasion I am made to dine in a chain restaurant, and I have been to McDonalds exactly one time in the last two years and I found what was my favorite dish (if you can call it that) to be absolutely disgusting.

Having said this, please know that I still dine out probably too frequently. I still love fast food, I wish is didn’t, but I do. I am still working on my diet, but it’s better than it was, 62.4 pounds better to be exact. So I am pretty happy with the progress.


The most important thing I think I have gained over the 4 years is the change I have made in my brain. I should probably regret that it has taken me so long to do this, but looking back there has been some BIG benefit to slow change. The things that were so difficult for me to accept in the beginning are now my preferences. I think that will be huge as I am maintaining my current weight.

In the past when I have lost weight I have lost it rather quickly by doing things that were difficult to maintain. I either reached my goal and relaxed my regimens or gave up on doing the hard things that gave me the results I wanted. Now, there is nothing for me to give up. I like what I am doing. I am satisfied most the time. I feel good when I do the right things and I pay price for doing unhealthy things. I get sick when I eat too much junk or eat too many sweets. I don’t like that feeling and I usually avoid it (although not always).

Anyway…I guess the take home message is that I am proud of myself for accomplishing this goal. It really wasn’t that hard, the WW program is wonderful if you TRUST THE PROCESS and allow it to take root in your life and body. Follow it and find success, that’s what I do. Also, follow your heart, that’s what I do.


And here's me adding my last (maybe)star sticker the bookmark where I have collected them for the last 4 years.

Let's Play Doll House

Alyssa got a Doll House last Christmas from her Grandma. She has really started to embrace it over the last several months.

Each time she has a friend her age come over, they immediately run into her room upon entering our house. They close the door and I don’t see them again until the child is retrieved by her parents. It’s great. We love it, they love it. It’s a win for everyone.

I must admit I find the thing really, really charming. I especially love to see how they have fully furnished it with the teeny tiny furnishings we've collected. I love to spy on them living the lives of the dolls. It makes me remember my own childhood. I have very vivid memories of playing doll house with my friend Tarmy Egbert. How many hours of my life did I spend in her basement playing doll house with her Barbies? Too many to count. Times may change, but humanity does not. Every little girl loves to play doll house no matter what year it is.

Last two days in New York

July 23, 2010
We woke up to a very rainy Ithaca morning. We were served by the staff of the William Henry Miller Inn a very delectable and delicious breakfast. First muffins, then pineapple Napoleon which was thinly sliced fresh pineapple layered with luscious crème. For the entre we were served strawberry waffles with almond flavored crème. It was as good as it was fancy. I just wish I had the stomach and calories to each that much food (and calories) for breakfast.
We really enjoyed sitting out on the covered front porch watching the drizzling rain and eating our fancy breakfast. This was a moment that would not soon come around again.

After breakfast we got dressed and toured the town a little more.
We found Ithaca Falls, which incredibly, I never saw when I was here. It was right in the middle of town and only about 1000 yards from our B&B. How did I miss this when I spent 4 months of my life here?
It’s fabulously beautiful. We would have loved to have stayed, splashed around and had a little picnic, but it was too drizzly and we were pretty short on time.
Next time we come through this part of the world I definitely need to schedule more than 20 hours here.

Next on the tour was Cascadilla Street which is one of the most beautiful streets in all of Ithaca.
Also it’s the very street where I actually got frost bite as a missionary. It’s two lane street separated by a stream in the middle. Picturesque in the summer and freakin’ freezing in the winter.

After our explorations we headed back to Sammy’s for another slice of the best pizza in the world. Perfect chewy crust. YUM! Followed by another custard cone as we headed out of town. I only wish we had more time to enjoy the food here…er…I mean sights here.

We drove around and through charming upstate New York. It looks just like you think it will but better.
So scenic, rolling green, hilltop farms, shiny grain silos, white-steepled churches, the whole nine yards.

We stopped in for a quick visit in Baldwinsville NY, my second area as a missionary, to see the unique sights and visit some old friends.

Unfortunately the weather was not ideal and we were not able to see or at least enjoy seeing all the things I wanted, but we did our best. This is the Susquehanna River (ever heard of it?).
It runs right through B-Ville. It has a Loche which provides entry to New York’s canal system which connects the rivers and lake in all of New York and a lot of the north east actually. It’s kind of like a trail system connecting a bunch of different mountain ranges together, except its canals and you do it with a boat.
People go on multiweek boating expeditions visiting all the different rivers and lakes in the region. Really cool actually. Maybe someday I’ll do that. But I don’t really care for boats, so maybe I won’t. Interesting thought though.

After visiting the river we visited the Barletta Family. A family I taught the gospel to as a missionary. They have endured a lot of tragedy over the last several years, and I hope the best for them. It was great to see them and reminisce about the time we spent together when I was their missionary.

I committed them to get back to church and to go to college while I was there. Not sure if they’ve done either yet. If you’re reading this Barletta ladies, give me an update. I’d love to hear all the good things you are doing with your lives.

As we progressed toward Albany we noticed all the signs on the roadway for all the little towns we were passing through or alongside of, but we didn’t see any towns. After a while we realized that all the towns we weren’t seeing were there but were buried in the trees of upstate New York. The trees are suffocating up there. I hated the leafless trees in the winter, but I also hated not being able to see around the trees in the summer. Some people.

I was SUPER excited as we pulled into Albany. I always thought of Albany as the Garden of Eden of the mission. I wasn’t the only one. Everyone seemed to love Albany. My favorite and best companions and elders I served with in and around in Albany. We had so many great people to teach in Albany. We saw so many baptisms in Albany. Everything about Albany was my favorite. The cherry on top of Albany was the McGreevy family, who happen to be anxiously awaiting our arrival. They are a family whom I was fortunate enough to teach the gospel to as a missionary. Since then...they have been real over achievers and are now practically running the whole region.

If I couldn’t have my family and I had to choose another one, I’d pick the McGreevy’s with no hesitation. When we arrived of course they had a party (with pizza and wings) waiting for us.

I tackled Patsy (the mom) as soon as I walked in the door. I hadn’t seen her or talked to her that much in nearly 8 years.
I was so excited to see Patsy that I asked her to marry me when saw her. The whole family was there and I hugged everyone! What joy to see them all.

To complete my circle of joy, my old Mail Man who used to harass us about the church (all in good fun) was there too. The background on this is that we used to run into Vic the Mail Man all over town. We had a great relationship with him which was nice because he gave us preferential treatment in mail delivery time. He knew we lived for mail. Anyway…he always had some smart remark or impossible religious question about the church. We did our best to answer his questions and throw back the snark and sarcasm. I would end every conversation with…”Mock me now, but someday, I’ll be the one laughing, because you’ll be one of us!” Ha ha, we all had a good laugh and walked away.

Fast forward a few years. The mail man got divorced and met a nice little Mormon girl on his route. After all of our positive or least entertaining interactions, they got to talking. Talking led to this and that and next thing you know he’s at a ward (branch) activity then in missionary discussions, then in the waters of baptism, then engaged to said nice Mormon girl.
So long story short, I told him so and he was at the party with his Mormon fiance. Told you so.

So we partied down with the McGreevy’s pizza style and caught up on old times. We visited with their daughter Hillary who was 17 when I was there as a missionary. She was very much not excited about the transition her parents were making then. Now, she is a married mother of one child and has been sealed in the temple to her then boyfriend and now husband Dave. What a trip.

Honestly I have forgotten how deeply I care for these people and how comfortable I am with them. I think Steve was shocked by the familiarity with people who he really has never known.


After dinner we moved into the back yard for a fire and some SMORES. Yummy. We had such a great time. I finally got everyone to pose for a picture too. Now I can keep them all forever.

We moved back inside and looked at my blog for several hours. I’m not sure that I actually forced them into it. Patsy wanted to see the kids. At least that’s what I tell myself. I finally went to bed at 2 am. Leave it to Patsy to keep me up til 2. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

When we woke up we felt the pleasure that is upstate New York humidity. Seriously how do people live like this? We had a scrumptious breakfast that Patsy aka food pusher put so much love into.

After the meal Pasty took us down to the branch building so I could reminisce and Steve could see it. We also went on a little tour of the city.
I showed Steve my old apartment and favorite haunts, including the grocery store I shopped at.
Also on the tour was I Love New York Pizza shop where I made Steve run in and get a slice for us to share since we weren’t really hungry.
New York is my pizza mecca.

We also went down town so I could show Steve the interesting things down there. This is The Egg.
It’s a theater believe it or not. We also saw the State offices and took a mini tour of the State Museum. They were actually selling this in the gift shop. Who would buy this. Skunks are scary.


Then we met up with some friends the Peterson’s a nice member family who used to help me a lot as a missionary. We went to lunch with them and met their cute kids.

After our day of fun, we had a teary goodbye with Patsy and headed back to the New York City.
We made great time driving through the last of New York’s country side. Then it was back into the city and boy could we tell.

First it was a toll of $6.50 in Harriman (seriously).

We sailed through New Jersey where we paid the next toll, $8.00 at the George Washington bridge.
You’d think for 8 dollars on a short bridge I’d get more than just this crappy photo.
You’d think that would include a snack or something. Nope, the opposite. This was one of the worst traffic jams I have ever been in. I think the whole world may have been evacuated onto the island of Manhattan for Saturday night fever. Everyone was super aggressive in their cars. Seriously NO ONE would let me merge in. People in New York are mean in their cars. I finally forced my way in and then let someone ahead of me, so take that NY motorists!

Once we got back onto the island traffic moved SUPER SLOW. Surprised? Me neither. We were looking for one last bridge to cross to get to where we were going and so we could pay yet another toll. I was actually driving for all of this so Steve could navigate. (I am a terrible navigator.) Despite his excellent directions I somehow missed the bridge turn off ramp. AGRAHH!!!

Not knowing what to do, we got of the very next exit and all of a sudden we were in the middle of another world. Perhaps we were in the middle of the movie Dangerous Minds? Great. Here we are totally lost, in Harlem, at dusk. People (who looked nothing like me) were just standing around in the streets, like hundreds of people. It was really nerve racking. High rise project buildings surrounded us. I was pretty rattled to tell you the truth. I was sure a big gang of people would just pick up our small car and steal the tires with us still in it. Even Steve looked scared. We both had white knuckles. We would have just pulled over to regroup and find our route again, but it wasn’t a neighborhood we could really stop in.

Suddenly Steve pulled it together while I peed my pants and miraculously with the help of his trusty GPS smart phone found us back to the freeway where we got on and had another chance to take the bridge turn off, which I DID NOT miss this time around. WHEW! That could have been worse.

We were more than happy to pay the $5.50 toll to cross the RFK Bridge. You bet. Anything. But let’s just look back and add up the tolls I paid in one hour’s time. That’s $20. Yes to wait in traffic. Nice. We really take for granted our nice FREE roads here.

I must say…I will never attempt to drive myself through New York again. Too expensive, too scary, too confusing, too dangerous. Note to self…rent the car in New Jersey and take the train into the city.

We found our way back to the car rental place where we felt very lucky to be returning the car with no damage. We almost crashed once, we attempted to drive down a one way street the wrong way and had a few other close calls. The Nissan Versa we rented I must admit was not my favorite car rental of all time.

We boarded the same bus M60 back to my cousin’s apartment. It was a long ride and another HOT subway ride back to her place. Poor Steve who may be the sweatiest person I have ever met looked like he was going to pass out.
It’s hard to describe how hot and still it was down in the subway. You can actually see the air in this photo. It feels like you might never get out of there while you wait for the train to arrive. We waited more than 30 minutes for the right train to come. They run crazy on weekends, FYI. We were so tired and confused. We learned the next day that there was a record breaking heat wave that day in New York City. No wonder we felt like dying down there.

We finally exited the subway system for a short walk back to my cousin’s place where we were staying. FYI city life is very complicated especially when it comes to transportation. You don’t just jump in your car and go somewhere. It’s always an ordeal. Maybe it gets better once you’re more familiar with it. I just don’t know how people live like this, but apparently millions and millions of people are okay with it. Honestly this trip and the time in the city opened my eyes to the sheer number of people there are in the world. Honestly, I had no idea. I’m just so sheltered.

So we got back to Lynette’s place where the apartment was so hot that we simply turned on the A/C and left for a late meal. We were like the walking dead at this point after all we had done that day.

Believe it or not we got back on the subway into midtown to find food. It was much easier this time without carrying all our luggage with us. We really weren’t all that hungry, all I really wanted was one more piece of NY Cheesecake before we left the city. We struggled to find a place that would sell us a snack. It was close to midnight and only the posh dinner clubs were open. We finally found a little deli that was hopping busy. We headed in there.

I got my Cheesecake and a little chicken wrap. Steve got an apple strudel and a bagel with egg. The total cost you ask? After just paying $20 to drive across crowded bridges?
The snack meal cost us $33 dollars. Seriously, get me out of this place. I am bleeding money at this point and I want to leave.

After our meal we headed back to the subway. We started to walk down the stairs at the subway, but a cat sized rat crossed in front of us which completely freaked me out. What in the NYC rats! Get me out of this place!

We were told by the subway booth attendant that we had to walk 9 blocks to the next stop to catch the train we wanted. (Later we realized that guy lied to us. We could have just crossed the street) We deliriously pushed ourselves the nine blocks to the next station where we waited one million years for the train.
We were entertained however by a subway singer playing tunes from the 60ies. It really did make the wait a whole lot more pleasant. Just as Steve was passing out from heat stroke the train pulled up and we boarded.

Lynette’s place cooled off a lot by the time we returned. We arranged our bags for our early departure the next morning and absolutely passed out on the futon. Best night’s sleep ever, but the morning came way too fast.

After our horrible adventure in the subways the night before we hired a ride to come pick us up. It cost a reasonable million dollars. Who cares about money at this point. We already realized that we wouldn’t leave with any money at all. Steve drained all our accounts including our IRA’s to support our lifestyle for our 3 day stint in the city.

The driver arrived 20 minutes early and seemed mad at us when we only came out 10 minutes early. He punished us by driving like a bat out of hell slamming on the gas and breaks as often as possible. What had taken us hours to do by bus and subway the night before we accomplished in under 20 minutes the next morning. Steve says he was a Sikh(Seek). Are Sikh’s angry? Maybe this guy just wasn’t a morning person.
I took a pic of him anyway.

We did the airport stuff and went through the craziest boarding process of all time. I stood in the airplane isle way for at least 25 minutes waiting for what, I never found out.

We ended up sitting next to this big Jewish guy who was a retired attorney turned business owner who sold internet orders of alcohol home delivery. You know like FTD, but for booze. Steve and he talked extensively and had a lot in common career wise. Harvey was on the audit committee for several not-for-profit health systems—I guess that is somehow related to Steve’s job. Who knows? I fell asleep and woke up as the plane was landing. Seemed like a quick flight. It was so nice to be home. It was super hot, but at least it was dry.

My brother and his family picked us up from the airport and that was it. I was happy to get home to our kids who didn’t seem to have missed us at all. They spent three fun-filled days at each Grandparents house. We could have been gone longer I suppose if we had any money left that is. We should have sold some of our plasma or something.

In all it was a magical fun time for me, Steve and for us as a couple. We’ve never done anything like this before, but I hope to do many more things like this in the future. Looking back I think I loved every minute of it, even the miserable minutes. They make a great story to tell now. We are very lucky have had this opportunity for a partially subsidized trip from IHC to NYC and an opportunity to visit my mission. I hope the opportunity presents itself again soon.