Spring Break pictures: Easter

The pictures resume.

I had several pictures of Easter, but so did Em, and then we exchanged pictures and now I don't remember which are mine and which are hers. And she posted some on the GOFR. So, I'll just post a few from that day. It was awesome. We shared a feast (that seemed relatively easy to prepare).

The happy couple. We were SO enjoying ourselves!

Cute sisters.

What Jackson actually looked like ALL of Easter Sunday (post-church, thank you).

A happy momma with her screaming baby.

You can see his head is read from yelling.

Finally, look at how TALL she is?

I don't even know what to DO with that.

Spring Break pictures: Sedona to Flagstaff and Back

We made a quick trip through Sedona to Flagstaff to the Formans' favorite Mexican restaurant. Mmm, good. And also, beautiful drive. I took my Dramamine so that I wouldn't get car sick, but let me tell you, I still did. Franz was gracious enough to tone down the fiesty switchbacks as we neared Flag, otherwise, I might have lost my delicious Toffee shake from Wendy's.

We were in a convertible, which made the Sedona mountains even BETTER than when I'd seen them before. It was insane! Kyle got some great shots because of it. Maddie and I froze in the back seat because of it. But I'd say it was worth it.

The driver.

The tween and me.

She had her iPod and was into her music most of the trip.

It was too loud and windy to converse.

But I was so glad to share the back seat with her!

Coming up on Sedona.

First glimpse.

Sedona.

The mountains of Flagstaff!

Spring Break pictures: The Wildlife Zoo

The infamous day of the 3 P's, Kyle, Maddie, and I had a terrific time at the Zoo. Here are a few of the shots we liked best.

Maddie and Kyle got on the sky lift.

I kept my motion-sick self on the ground.

We were all happy.

The view from the lift.

A very cool perspective.

They had many insane looking creatures.

Like the white alligator

(two of them actually, in separate habitats, in separate exhibits).

The hairy wart hog. Gross.

Somebody needs a hair cut.

The snoozing crocodile. Outside of the baby animal house.

Kind of weird to see cute baby porcupines and tiny wart hogs,

and exit to find a giant crocodile.

A pacing jaguar. He was hungry.

We did get to be around the snakes at feeding time.

And, Grandma, I know you hate snakes, even the thought of them,

but it was REALLY cool. Their reaction time is lightning fast!

Sweet little turtle family outside the baby animal house.

Hungry camel, eating his alfalfa.

This brilliant peacock was trying to find his female amidst all the people chaos.

What's crazy is that little girl in pink behind him,

she actually snuck up behind and touched him.

I promise you, I'd never do that to a fully displayed male peacock. SCARY!

The petting zoo was a favorite for Maddie, I think.

And my absolute favorite in the cage was this baby llama.

One little girl couldn't stop following it around to pet it,

because it was SO soft.

A happy, and very tired, group at the end of our day.

Kissed by the sun and entertained by the animals!

Spring Break pictures: The Hike

A couple of times on our break, we went for a splendid hike that begins about 2 blocks from the Formans' front door. It's got mountains, saguaros, lizards, strange and scary black beetles, a bee hive in a cliff side, all kinds of flowers, and even some water (see below).

The coolest cactus we could find.

The ridge line.

The water behind the dam.

Kyle, atop a mountain, the highest one, I think.

He said it was very windy.

I declined the offer to climb it with him, as I was really tired at that point.

On the side away from the city. This would be the North side.

Beautiful view of Lake Pleasant Parkway.

Here is the suburbia side. The first home you see across the street is the Forman home.

Looking straight down, this is how high we were at one point.

Gave me vertigo.

Me, in all my hiking glory. And suburbia behind.

I love this desert!

A parting shot. This land is gorgeous!

Spring Break

It was lovely. The weather couldn't have been more perfect -- clear, wide blue skies every day. The one day that had suggested a chance of rain turned out just as amazing as the days before and those after. We had great company, too, in the form of great hosts. I had plenty of time to get my baby fix for the year (although with three new babies in our immediate family, I feel we'll have plenty more time this year for baby fixes). Jackson seemed to warm up to me pretty quickly and although he's a hefty 12 lbs., I loved holding him, too. He is such a sweet baby. The girls are a riot, as usual, but because of an unfortunate stomach bug that Katie got just before Easter, Kyle and I actually had significant alone-time with Maddie. I kept trying to remember life as a 7-year-old and I really can't. I'm always so impressed with her perception and sympathy and reasoning. I'm not sure I was that mentally developed at age seven.

Kyle and I got two great hikes in during our stay, both on the mountain just behind the Forman's home (the trail starts about 3 blocks away). The first trip, we climbed the first peak we could find. It was really difficult and we encountered a bee hive in a small cavern on the side of the mountain. Hundreds of bees. Luckily, we were a distance enough away to stay safe. It was mating season for some sort of nasty beetle with a red thorax and head. They were everywhere, but only at a certain elevation, which was interesting. The second trip we decided to do the entire WestWing Loop trail, which circled the mountain near ground level on the south side, and then climbed to several scenic overlooks. That hike lasted 2 and 1/2 hours, and it was very windy which helped cool us off.

Here is a list of other really fun things we did:

• Fire pit and roasting marshmallows on our first Sunday evening in town.
  
• Barnes & Noble / PetCo with the girls and Jackson.
• Movies with Em & Franz nearly every night after the kids were in bed.
• Kyle and I played tennis on two beautiful mornings at a nearby park -- our first tennis matches of the season!
  
• The Wildlife Zoo (just Kyle and Maddie and me).
• Convertible trip a la Franz with Maddie and Kyle and me through Sedona (which Kyle had never seen) and up to Flagstaff, where we had dinner at the beloved Casa Bonita Mexican restaurant.
• Easter church service and a wonderfully relaxing day, full with Easter egg hunting and a scrumtrulescent feast of ham, cheesy potatoes, broiled & herbed asparagus and green beans, delectable rolls, and two kinds of pie.

Maddie is always so creative and there were two very small, but fantastic things she did for us while we were there. Upon our arrival, as we unpacked in the guest room, I found a tiny vase of our great-grandmother's that had four beautiful, tiny flowers in it. The desert was aBLOOM because of the recent rain -- everywhere was green, purple, orange, red, yellow, white, and pink. The fuchsia bougainvilleas were full and crawling every wall you could see in the neighborhoods. So, Maddie had chosen a few of these flowers to welcome us. It was precious!

The second thing took place under my nose and I didn't even realize it until days later. After school on Monday, Maddie was very busy cutting and coloring and glittering. I didn't pay any attention to it, but the morning we left, she brought down two little egg-shaped pieces of paper that were bedazzled in various glittery designs, with messages on the inside, specific to the person she was giving each to. I'm constantly amazed at her thoughtfulness and creativity.

The vacation was so relaxing, despite the fast-paced life of the Formans. It was fantastic to get away from here, to rest, to play, to hike and have sunshine every waking moment, and to be with family. I'll have some pictures up here shortly; there just hasn't been time yet for laundry or picture-sorting!

Upon returning, I've noticed that everyone on campus is smiling, has some color in their cheeks, and seems to have reversed the bad attitudes from stress that accompanied the weeks prior to break. It's nice to have the hope of Spring and Summer, shortly thereafter!

No pictures yet

Alas, I forgot my camera-computer cord, to upload pictures while we are here in South Carolina. Shoot.

But I must say that the 12 1/2 hour drive down has been completely worth this...100% clear blue skies (until a thunderstorm sprang up last evening, when we were already inside making dinner). The beach was busy over the weekend, but yesterday was much less so. There are also colorful people to people-watch and strange tides to fight against whilst walking in the water. Typical to me, I've started a shell stash. I can't help myself (though perhaps I should seek intervention); I love finding shells.

Tommy, Tracy, and Calli were here with us three stooges for Saturday evening-Tuesday morning. Then Leslie, along with the Edwards gang, headed back up to NC, while Kyle and stayed here at the most relaxing and delightful beach cottage known to man. He asked last night if we could buy it and move here. It would be nice.

But nothing about this is realistic. Beach for hours a day. Sleeping for 11 and 12 hours a night. (Seriously...we have been, and it's been wonderful.)

But isn't that what vacation is supposed to be about? Escaping reality? And we are, quite well, thank you.

Hop you all back home are doing well. :o)

Week away

I have just spent the most delightful week away from home. It was jammed full of fun and different adventures for me.

• Blueberry picking with my sisters, mom, and nieces. Grand total of 50 lbs. Les and I nabbed 25 of those for our baking pleasure.
• Movie out w/ Kyle: Star Wars (awesome).
• Cook out at the farm with the nieces, sisters, mom and dad. Complete with watching the girls chase chickens for a very long time.
• A baby shower for my sister-in-law. Being a part of the production team for something like this at the Gottschalk house is always a treat. This year's main event: The 11-hour cake.
  
  
  
• A boat ride in extremely windy conditions, but fun nonetheless as the 2 littles got to swim in the lake with their life jackets and noodle-chairs.
• Finally today, a completely NEW experience: the Indianapolis Indians. Leslie, Kyle and I headed down this afternoon for a game. It was the most perfect baseball day -- puffy, billowing clouds and blue, blue sky. We sat in the sun, which was fun and drenching at the same time. My only sun from this past week came from today. It was pretty fun, despite the sad showing of the Indy Indians.
  
  
  Having WAY too much fun.
  

Now, I'm back to work for two weeks before my next vacation starts off with a bang: Margaret's wedding. :o) Very exciting. Then, the Upland Trio is off to the Carolinas. Oh, dear Sun, I can't wait to feel your southern rays and sandy beaches. As well as the Edwards', of course. Seeing them is always the best treat of my summer.

Who wouldn't love this sweet little face?

Summer plans

It's finally June, and my work days are nearing an end. I'm struggling to come to grips with the fact that I will not finish this project by Friday, my last day here. I was so ambitious, all certain that I would indeed complete this project and in the process be very impressive to those who knew what was going on.

Reality is, well it always was and will continue to be, that I am not impressive, I don't know what I'm doing, and I will not conquer this task before June 6th, a mere two days from now.

As disappointing as that is, I'm looking past the self-imposed deadline to the weekend, which I will once again spend in Indy doing fun things with fun people. Just around the corner, beginning Monday in fact, is my first adventure for the summer.

Trip #1 (or Adventure #1) entails traveling to Arizona, hanging out with the Formans for a week, being in charge of two small children for the following week, sharing that responsibility for yet another week, and then returning home.

Adventure #2 is on July 5th and is the first huge concert I've been to in years.

Adventure #3 begins July 9th and lasts nearly ten days, encompassing a road trip, a beach, the entire Edwards family, and my dear Sara W.

Adventure #4 comes after a short break in the traveling and excitement, a break that will include an eye exam, a teeth cleaning, etc. Regular maintenance. The 4th Adventure is a Dave Matthews concert, an exciting step for me.

Interestingly enough, the two musicians I'm seeing live this summer (John Mayer and Dave) did not impress me with their original work, years ago. I did not like either of them until at least their third albums. Maybe my tastes changed, or maybe I can only now appreciate stellar musicians when I see/hear them.

This week during the evenings, I'm packing a big suitcase and determining the various things I must do prior to leaving town for an extended period of time.

In the midst of that, I am reminded that my dear friends Liz & Chalupa will be moving far away while I'm gone. It's heartbreaking and I try not to think about it. Yet, as I'm in the middle of my last week in town, I can't help but think about their absence upon my return. Tonight we'll have our Last Supper, of sorts. I will miss them terribly.

Ushering in Springtime

Today is the final day of my spring break. I've gone many places and seen so many people, but all within a 150 mile radius of my home. Here are some facts about the last 10 days.

Cities visited:

• Rochester
• South Bend
• Fishers
• Indianapolis
• Greenwood
• Bowling Green, Ohio

People seen:

• mom & dad
• brother & sister-in-law
• cousin and baby
• six high school friends
• four new friends
• one long-lost college friend and roommate (and her large family)
  

Activities:

• car work (oil change, tires rotated, new air filters)
• random conversation with a truck driver from Toledo while waiting on car
• movie night with Sara W.
• birthday dinner and movie with dad & co.
• Easter service and game day with fam
• devastating LASIK consultation
• dinner & movie out with Liz R.
• massage
• tortellini at my favorite Italian place in Indy
• lunch with Elizabeth M.
• afternoon with Sara & Ava (including baking cookies and taking a walk)
• evening with Leslie D.
• Indianapolis Museum of Art (it's free!) & new downtown branch of the Marion Cty. Public Library with Liz B.
• dinner at Loon Lake Lodge with Matt & Courtney and the best server ever named Joe
• evenings with Kyle
• a heavenly voice recital performed by Cat Randall, my favorite vocalist of all time--with music so beautiful she brought tears to my eyes with the "Flower Duet" from Lakme and "Give Me Jesus"

Distance traveled:

• nearly 1,000 miles

I'm convinced there's no better way to spend a vacation than sleeping in, taking walks, visiting old and new friends, reading good books, drinking coffee, experiencing new places, and spending time with the people I love. Though my original plan to visit friends on the coast fell through, I must admit that this break was not a let down at all. It was, in fact, one of my favorite vacations ever, continuing the idea that vacations I plan and take on my own tend to be the best ones. Though I was surrounded by people this week, I was operating on a no alarm clock, relaxed, take-my-time schedule, which translates to stress-free and perfectly lovely.

Florida, here I come!

There is nothing like a break at the end of January. Especially when a January has been as cold and unfriendly as this particular one has been.

A 4-day trip to Florida to visit my grandparents and aunt should help get me through to the end of March, when I'll be heading (hopefully) to California for a few days.

They say (they being my connections down there as well as the people at the weather channel) that it should be in the 70's and sunny. While my aunt reminded me, "It's winter here!", I say -- her winter is nothing like this winter. Wind chill factor of negative 22 makes me think I signed up to live in Canada or Alaska, not Indiana. I'm thinking anything above 60 will feel like paradise.

That said, I'm currently enjoying the company of one Sara Wolf for a few days. I found on my mirror this morning a checklist of things I was to do today, as dictated by the Teacher, herself.

• Have a great day at work
• Wear some Very Sexy Hot perfume (so you don't smell like soup)
• Email Sara
• Say "Top of the morning!" to someone

Now, I may or may not have told the story of the soup fiasco of last week, but let's suffice it to say my house has smelled like nasty soup for about a week. She was trying to help me out, obviously.

The first thing I saw this morning as I squinted my way into the bathroom and flipped on the light was "Say 'Top of the morning' to someone," and I burst out laughing. It was the perfect way to wake up. Oh, Sara.

I'll report on the loveliness of Florida upon my return--Tuesday evening.
Until then, try not to freeze!

Finally, selections from my Christmas break

Leslie and I fighting over the wishbone in the 22 pound turkey Tracy prepared for us in North Carolina.

We also climbed a mountain - Crowder's Mountain - with 254 steps at the top.

Tracy got five of us free tickets to an NBA game of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Great seats!

For the second time, I traveled through the Lazy 5 Ranch, a drive-through wild-life park with all kinds of llamas, emus, ostriches, pot-bellied pigs, antelope, a rhino, giraffes, long-horned cattle--all sorts of cool beasts. This picture was taken out the back of Mindy's van.

And this is our family -- the Edwards -- our lovely hosts for a week.
We enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Despite all of the fun we were having, Leslie was sick for two long weeks. So sick, in fact, that she tried very hard to go to a doctor, not something she's prone to do. Ever.

When I tried, on New Year's Eve to get a picture with her...this was all she could give me.
And, truth be told, I felt very sick the entire evening myself.

The next day, this is what I looked like: stayed in my pajamas all day, didn't redo my hair from the previous day or anything.
Because I posted this picture, you cannot get mad at me for posting the above delightful photo of you :o)

Paradise getaway

My family had the most untraditional Thanksgiving ever. Split in half, we all ended up in Mexico, but in two coastal cities more than 20 hours apart from each other. Needless to say, we didn't all see each other, but managed to have a blast in our respective paradises: Mom & Dad, Ev & Emily in Puerto Vallarta; Emily & fam, Leslie, & myself in Puerto Penasco (also known as Rocky Point).

I don't know how to pick a few pictures out of the whole trip to show you how beautiful and perfect it was, but I'll try. And I'll add in a few adorable pics of the nieces for good measure.

The girls and their favorite Aunt Leslie

Katie's unbeatable smile.

Sisters, sisters...

Maddie & me

Our lovely hosts, Emily and Franz