Flashback Friday

I have had this idea to do "Flashback Fridays" for awhile now (which means I probably stole it from somewhere).  My plan is to post an old picture and then just tell a little bit about it. So, here it goes...

This picture is from 2009 which I think was the second annual Miss Ghetto America Pageant.  MGA is one of the biggest highlights of the year for me.  My family and I get together and watch the Miss America Pageant and have our own pageant right along with it (think fantasy football but in the girliest way possible).  There is a draft to select your contestants (and some of the crew actually does study for this).   Each of us is also assigned a "local title" like Miss Felton Railroad,  Miss Seaford Gangsta, or Miss Milford Walmart. Everyone is required to do a shot every time Miss Delaware advances a round (we did a lot of shots last year) and there is usually a silly prize for whomever has the most contestants in the top 10 or 15 (usually socks).  At the end of the evening our winner "Miss Ghetto America" is crowned right along with the new Miss America complete with a gorgeous crown.  We seriously talk about this event all year long and have a blast.  I'm sure most people think that this is really strange but you can't even imagine how much fun we have with it. I have yet to win it but I'm pretty sure that I have this year in the bag:-)

You're Gonna Miss This...

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these times

Hadn't gone by so fast.

These are some good times

So take a good look around.

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this...

Parenting made this song so real to me.  You know those days where the kids are screaming, nothing is going your way and you feel like pulling out your hair... Whenever Dan and I have days like those...we just sing the first line of the song to each other.  It always manages to bring a laugh and/or a smile. The truth of the matter is that sometimes my children are rotten, sometimes my job sucks and sometimes I want to strangle my husband but I honestly feel like I'm smack in the middle of the best days of my life.  Being a mother and a wife is the most amazing thing in the world.  I am in awe of how in love I am with my family and this song reminds me of that even on the bad days.  Now that I am done being all sentimental let me tell you about why this popped into my head today.

Yesterday, I went to pick Brynn up from school and while I was signing her out she took off running out the door.  I caught up to her and was trying to talk to her and tell her not to do that again because it scared me and someone could take her.  While I'm saying this to her, she is not making eye contact with me and is intent on grabbing Colton's hand.  I try again and ask her to look at me.  She looks at me for about .5 seconds and proceeds to ignore me and try to grab Colton.  Now, she doesn't act like this often but when she does it does not usually end well.  At this point, I determine that this conversation had better be moved to the car and start walking to the door.  Brynn reacts by laying down in the hallway of the school and screaming because she wants me to put Colton down.  Through gritted teeth I tell her to "Get up Now!".  I must have given her the famous "Mommy-look-of death" because she did get up and walk outside where she proceeded to stomp her feet and demand that Colton be put down (she must have forgotten that look).  At this point I am boiling.  I tell her to get in the car now and if I have to tell her again, she will get a spanking. 

She knew I meant business and she did what I said.  I spent a couple of minutes cooling down, singing the song, and then began the lecture.  I told her that when she got home she was to go to her room and think about her behavior.  She knew I was upset and didn't say anything for about 20 minutes and then she said "Mama, Why do I have to go to my room when I get home?  Can't I just think about my behavior in the car?".  I swallowed the laugh and I told her I was still upset with her behavior so I needed time to cool off and she needed to think of a better way to handle herself next time.

So when we got home she did have to go to her room for a bit and then Daddy and I told her that there would be no tv that night.  We did hugs and kisses and that was the end of it.  You're Gonna Miss This....

Happy Birthday Pookie D

  Denise and I (camping...which is why we looks so rough!)

                               

Happy Birthday to my lifelong best friend! 

One of life's special gifts

Is to have a cousin like you

You're such a an awesome person

With a heart and soul so true

I enjoy being in your presences

And on you I can always depend

You are more to me than a cousin

You are also my best friend!

                         ~Author Unknown

Down and Dirty!

Sunday was such a fun day.  Dan and I both ran in the Delaware Mud Run.  We were each on different teams. Dan's team ("Can you Diggety It?") was made up of some guys from his volleyball team and my team (The Dirty Dancers) was made up of dance friends.   What an amazingly fun time!!

Pre-race chaos.  The mudders are starting to arrive.

If you don't know anything about the Mudrun, it is a 5K race through mud (sometimes knee deep) that also includes various obstacles on the course.  I'm honestly glad I didn't really know what to expect because I probably would have bailed if I had know how much upper body strength it required (I have NO upper body strength).  It's not a normal race because there are very few people who take this seriously.  Most people are dressed in ridiculous costumes and most people tailgated both before and after.  My team did not tailgate before because we were too nervous (and because it was 9:00 in the morning) but as you can see from the picture, Dan's team did:-)  ).

 The Dirty Dancers pre-race:  Me, Terianne, Heather, and Misty

                          

Can You Diggity It?:  Jim, Dave, Dan and Joel

The race started with a little jog through slippery mud (great) and a run through a little mud pit (fun) and then we came to a point where we were waiting in line for the first real obstacle. It was really backed up when we got there and we had no idea what we were waiting for so we just stood in line and chatted.  It was taking forever, so everyone in the line started chanting various things and then we did the wave which entertained us for awhile.  Eventually we got around the last bend in the line and see this big muddy hill and people climbing up the hill by pulling themselves up ropes (AHHHHH!).  Again...I have 0 upper body strength.  I was TERRIFIED!!!  My teammates all made it up super easily and then it was my turn.  I made it about 3/4 of the way up and then the guy in front of me falls.  I hang on for dear life while he gets his footing again...and then he falls again (it is very slippery). At this point my arms starts to shake (I don't know if I mentioned it but I have 0 arm strength).  I see that there is no one on the rope next to me so I make the decision to switch ropes.  I get on the other rope and continue to climb but what arm strength I did manage to muster up was gone.  At the very top, I try to pull myself up but fall flat on my stomach in the yucky mud but I hang on for dear life because the only thing I could think of is "if I let go, I am going to have to start all the way at the bottom of this damn hill again".  I did manage to get back on my feet and up another foot where my friend Misty grabbed my hand and helped pull me over the last little lip (Gosh...I love that girl).  By this time, I was exhausted but it was time to run again so off we went as I sucked wind.

We go through a couple of the easier things and then we get to the next major obstacle.  Guess what it is?!?!  A freaking vertical wall of mud with a rope dangling from it.  I take one look at this wall and think, "There is no way in hell!"  My next thought was "How can I get around this?"  The fighter in me quickly surfaced though and I realized that I may not make it up but I sure as hell was going to give it my best.  Because I'm a dancer, I have a ton of leg strength so my strategy was to use my legs as much as possible and get up the wall as quickly as possible.  Much to my amazement I flew up the wall and was able to turn around a cheer for the rest of my team as they climbed up the wall.

I don't remember the exact order of things but the rest of the race alternated obstacles and running.  We did the bear crawl through the mud, walked on a balance beam over a mud pit, climbed a vertical wooden wall, did the army crawl up a muddy hill and then dropped into the pit of icy water (we had no clue it was icy water until we dropped into it).  We did a tight rope walk over a mud pit, crawled through tunnels full of water and mud and climbed over various muddy hills and pits.  The big finale is the a giant mud pit.  You have to climb over a small hill and then your entire team jumps into the the giant pit and then crawls under wires.  Following that, it is just a short run to the finish line which the Dirty Dancers completed holding hands.

 This is a picture of the last mud pit prior to the start of the race.  It was a about waist deep at the deepest point but you also had to go under wires so you were "all in".

It sounds completely crazy...and it is!  But I had the best time that I have had in a long time.  I would honestly rank it up there with my Miss America parties (which is a highlight of the year).  We were filthy but we conquered the obstacles, used a lot of team work, and just really enjoyed it.  I am honestly so proud of my team!  We are already planning for next year...and I can't wait!!!

After the race...so gross!

Congratulations Steve and Lindy!

We had another really amazing weekend so I'm going to break it down into a couple of posts. 

The first big event of the weekend was the wedding of Steve and Lindy.  Dan and I went to high school with Steve and live a couple of minutes away from him so we have gotten to spend a lot of time with Steve and Lindy over the past few years.  I can remember when Steve first told us he had met a "cool girl".  Over the years, we have watched he and Lindy together and I think we may have known before he did that she was "the one". 

The wedding was beautiful.  The ceremony was at the Lewes ferry terminal and the reception was at the Virden Center....so perfect.  It was honestly an honor to be there and share the day and just know that you were watching something so beautiful and right.  We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends and breaking it down on the dance floor (I love to dance with my husband:-).

The new Mr. and Mrs

My groom:-)

                                                     

My friend Destiny from high school...we had a blast catching up:-)

                                                            

Dan, Steve, and Scott (LFHS grads)

Congrats Steve and Lindy.  Let's plan a Grotto's night soon!!!

Colton's First Haircut

I know, I know...blog slacker again.  There are so many things I still have to tell you about (soccer, church festival, farewell party, Ragtime) and I'm getting really behind.  I have a couple of minutes so I'm just going to start with the most recent "event" for the String Family and I will just fill you in on the rest as I get to it.

So...my baby got his first haircut!  To be honest, he has needed one for awhile but I have been putting it off.   I adore his little fuzzy baby hair but even I had to admit that he was starting to rock a mullet. More and more people were starting to tell him he needed to get a haircut so when I finally had a few minutes on Monday, I took him.

Baby fuzz:-)

Colton is not so good at sitting still but he did great.  I think he was confused as to what was going on which happend to work in my favor.  I'm going to try to include some video but who knows if it will work...

He looks like such a big boy now!

Enjoying his post haircut lolly:-)  Clearly it's naptime...

                                

In Loving Memory...

Tomorrow marks the day that we will bury one of the most influential people in my life, Tatiana Smith.  To be honest....I feel a little lost.

Tatiana came into my life when I was about 8 yrs old.  She was a russian ballet teacher at the Marion Tracy Dance Dance studio and I was terrified of her!  In the many years of my training with her, I never lost that fear of her but I did develop a hopeless devotion and adoration for her.  Below are just a few of the things Tatiana taught me. 

1.  Be humble:  She taught all of her students to do our best and be proud of everything we do but she also taught us that we could always do better.  At the time, I thought that lesson only applied to dance but in growing up I have learned that it applies to everything.  I am 100% proud of the person I have become but I am also eager to become the person that I can be.

2.  Push yourself and test your limits.  Tatiana had a way of pushing us way beyond what we ever felt was possible.  I can remember many a time when she would push me so hard in class that I would get furious and push harder then I had ever pushed before. And at the end of my fury, I always found a new skill that was beyond what I thought possible for my body.  Tatiana was instrumental in my preparation for Miss America.  I remember hanging on to every piece of critiscism she gave me at that time because I knew her words were completely unselfish and completely honest.

3.  Work hard but love harder.  Tatiana worked harder than you would even think possible.  She taught 5-7 days a week for very little money and thanks.  At the end of the day, what really mattered to her was "her girls".  Althought she didn't say it much, she loved each and everyone us.  She showed it in a million small ways.  She showed it when she would stop us in the middle of class and tell us to eat a granola bar because we looked pale, she showed it when she refused to allow us to stand in a room where there was a working microwave, and she showed it in the way that she pushed each and every one of us and made us all better dancers and people. I am forever grateful for discipline and skill she taught me but I am even more grateful for the love she showed to me in so many ways.

Tatiana was such an enigma to her girls.  She seemed to be larger than life and not subject to things that us mere mortals are.  I know that she lived a long life, full of love but I just find myself surprised that this day has come.  I will never forget you Tatiana.  Thank you! I just know that you are dancing with the angles now...and probably getting them all to straighten up thier acts as well:-)  I love you!!!

Tatiana with her granddaughter (and my good friend) Misty .

                                   

Beer Fest 2011

This weekend we attended Beer Fest.  Beer Fest is a creation of Dan's volleyball team in order to celebrate the end of their volleyball season.  I don't know how many years we have been doing this but I know it started before Dan and I were married.  Beer Fest has traditionally been held at Jim's (one of the team members) beach home in Cape May.  It's a time for all of us to get together and act like we are still young:-)  We drink, eat crabs, play games, swim, usually there is some type of dancing or karaoke involved and we spend a lot of time just laughing at each other.  I can not think of a single year that the police have not arrived at least once to tell us that we are being too loud...it's just part of the tradition (this year we did a little better because they only had to come once!).  The entire volleyball team and their spouses/significant others are invited to attend.  Occasionally, children also make appearances but it's one of those weekends that if you can find a baby sitter, you do (It helps with the illusion of feeling young and free).  At the end of the night we all adopt a spot somewhere in the house and sleep it off. 

Beer Pong Tournament

The official Beer Pong Table...we take our pong seriously:-)

                                                  

Irish Car Bombs...a staple of every Beer Fest.

This year was one of the best ever but it was also a little bittersweet because unfortunately it will be the last Beer Fest at this house.  The house is being sold.  It's always hard to see a tradition change.  I think we are a little worried that without the house, the tradition will not carry on.  I know it sounds like no more than just a drunken good time (and it is) but in a way it represents so much more. Like a family, we have all seen each other through the best and worst of times; babies, deaths, marriages, job changes, raising kids etc.  When you are with this group you can just feel the love and camaraderie and you know that any of us would do anything for each other. I think we all realize how rare that is and genuinely treasure it.  I can honestly say that I love these people and attending Beer Fest has always been one of the highlights of the year.  Shew...that was very sentimental of me:-)

The Hubbs and I

                                   
So, thanks to Jim and Nora for all the year's of hosting Beer Fest.  I can't wait for next year...we are going to make it happen!!!

The gang rockin our Beer Fest shirts:-)

                                          

Colton's 1st Black Eye

On Friday night Colton got his first black eye.  He was running in the playroom and tripped over his feet.  He fell head first into the dresser where the bottom drawer was slightly open.  He is usually a tough guy but he went into the silent shake for a few seconds before letting out a blood curling scream.  The fall looked a lot worse than it actually was.  When I was little I fell into the corner of a desk and ended up getting stitches so when I saw him fall I just knew we were going to be heading to the hospital.  Fortunatley, the damage was minor.  He had a small scratch above his eye and it immediately swelled up but now he just has a little black eye.  I think it makes him look like a tough guy:-)

It's hard to see in this pic but if you look at the eye on your right you can see some of the bruising.

Tough guy!

   

                                                  

I Remember...

We had a really fun weekend and I can't wait to share the details (which I will do once I have a chance to upload pics...tomorrow?) but before I do that I wanted to take a minute to reflect on the very somber occasion that marked the weekend.  Yesterday, was the 10 year anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11.

On Friday Brynn came home from school and announced that they had read a book about 9/11.  She said that she had learned that some bad men flew airplanes into big buildings and that a lot of fireman had died. 

I have to admit that I was not exactly pleased with Brynn's announcement.  It's not that I don't want her to know about 9/11 but I do think that 4 is pretty young to be able to digest the information.  Brynn is particularly sensitive when it comes to learning about the suffering of others.  We had to turn off the tv during all of the Hurricane stuff because we noticed that Brynn was engrossed in it.  At one point, she looked at me with big tears in her eyes and said "Mama, that lady said that people died.  Why did they die?  Is that going to happen here?"


So, when Brynn announced that she had learned about 9/11 I could easily anticipate the questions that were on the way and how does one explain it to a four-year-old child when we adults don't really understand it?  Dan and I do our best to be open and honest with Brynn but we also try to tell her things in a way that won't frighten her. Her biggest question was that she wanted to know why the bad men did that. Sigh.  The best answer that I could come up with was "No one really knows why Brynn."

Her other questions were a little easier.  She wanted to know where Mommy and Daddy were and I was able to easily answer that.  I don't think there is a single person who can not tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing at the time of the attacks.  I was in my first couple of weeks in law school in Baltimore and getting ready to attend class when I turned on the news.  I was actually watching the news when the second tower was hit and was sitting in the law school lobby where everyone was surrounding a tv by the time the towers collapsed.  I can easily remember the bewilderment and fear that my friends and I all felt.  We were of a generation that believed the good old USA was invincible.  It was inconceivable to us that this act was happening on our soil.  I think we all suddenly felt how vulnerable we really were.  It was just moments after that that our dean came to the lobby and asked us all to evacuate the city. 

I can remember spending the next few days just sitting around the tv every chance we had...looking at the images and trying to make sense of them.  Last night, Danny and I watched one of the 9/11 documentaries which was showing some of those same images and we are still trying to make sense of them.

So in the end, I'm glad Brynn knows the basics of 9/11.  I know that I will never forget what happened that day and Dan and I will just do our best to make sense of what happened right along with out kids. 

PS.  Brynn did have a nightmare about an airplane running into our house but seems to be digesting it pretty well. I swear sometimes she is too smart for her own good!

We will not forget...

                                            

Pre-K Picture Day

Today is picture day for Brynn.  She looked so cute all dressed up this morning that I just have to share a few pics:-)

Silly face

Add caption

                                                        

She actually let me curl her hair!

                                                       
    Colti wanted his picture taken today too (you can tell by his outfit that it is not pic day at his school).

Playing Catch Up

I know, I know...I have been a blog slacker lately.  We have so much going on right now with school/dance/soccer starting,  a major project with a looming deadline at work, and the last few weeks of rehearsal for a play in which I am doing the choreography, training for the Mudrun, etc.  Shew...I'm tired just thinking about it.  Yesterday my day began at 4:30 am and I finally crawled into bed at around 10:30 pm.  Unfortunately the next couple of days don't look much better though I was able to sleep until a more reasonable 5:30 am today.  So...I'm going to give you the highlights of what has been going on the past week.

As I mentioned I'm doing the choreography for a production of Ragtime at Possum Point theater in Georgetown.  We only a few weeks left and I am way stressed out that I don't have enough rehearsal time left.  I know it will come together but yikes!!!  I do have to say that I have totally enjoyed working with this group.  They are a blast and we just laugh the entire time!  My early prediction is that this show is going to be amazing.  What a talented group of people we have here in DE.  More about this in a future blog...

Some of the guys dancing in "Getting Ready Rag"

Because things are so crazy right now we wanted to make sure that we made the holiday weekend all about our family and kids.  Friday, Brynn was off of school so I took the day off to hang out with the kids.  We had a great time mixing some shopping/play time.

Brynn showing the cool balls we got at old Navy

My cousin's husband Patrick (aka: Master P) turned 30 on the 4th.  We love to tease him about being the baby of the crew.  Saturday afternoon, we had a wonderful time celebrating his birthday at a family barbecue.  It was SO nice just to spend some time relaxing (and stuffing our faces).

Happy 30th Master P:-)

On Sunday we went to church and then just spent a fun day at home.  We got a bit of cleaning/organizing (we just switched realtors and are getting the house ready to be back on the market) done but for the most part we just played.  Colton is all about hanging out in the yard these days so we spent a ton of time on the play set and on bikes.

Thanks to the holiday we had another day off of work on Monday and we took full advantage of it. While all of the tourists were heading home we went to the beach in Lewes.  It originally looked like it was going to be a rain out but it turned out to be such a perfect day.  The kids had a blast playing in the sand and water and Dan and I were thrilled to soak up some rays:-)

Beach Babes:-)

                                               

After a couple of hours at the beach we went over to the Cape May Ferry terminal for a picnic lunch.  We timed it just right because while we were picnicking we were able to see some pirates and watch the pirate ship leave the dock.

And of course you can't go to the beach without making a trip to Funland. As always the kids had a blast riding the rides and I think Dan and I had even more fun watching them.  After funland, we topped the day off with some ice cream cones.  We spent the evening relaxing at home and watching Gnomeo and Juliette.  It was an amazing long weekend and thank goodness because we have a CRAZY busy week ahead!

She loved this ride and looks so tiny in the seat.

                                         

So sleepy at this point but loves to drive a car!