Monday, July 11, 2011

University of Notre Dame ... Swim Meet ... June2011

We have already established that swimming in general consumes our lives.  Travel is the best part of it though.  The kids work so hard at practice, so the meets are the reward.  Most of the time we stay at a hotel for the weekend and make a trip out of it.  The kids compete during the day and hang out and play in the hotel pools at night.  It is a great time, to sit back with the parents and just relax.

Memorial Day weekend brought us to South Bend, Indiana, home of the fighting Irish!


How cool is that?  To say I swam in a pool that Janet Evans holds a record.  She is only one of the many great athletes/olympians to swim at this pool over the years.


The girls got to use the actual college locker rooms.

All the trophies were just sitting out right on the table for us to see.


The wall photos and quotes were so inspiring.


Gabby and her BFF swimming team mate Brooklyn.  Both girls just in "heaven" feeling so grown up.


Our future "Irish" swimmer.


Bella and the #1 fan...



There is really only one word to describe the whole weekend experience.

...AwEsOmE ....

Need I say more?????

Courtney
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Saturday, July 9, 2011

Traveling Days ....


It's hard for me to believe but "G" and I took a trip to California almost 2 months ago.  My younger sister "Kiki" just graduated with a masters degree in education.  My parents, myself and Gia all went out to La la Land for a visit.  D1 & D2 still had school, so they had to stay back with Mr. Mom.

She should be in movies, she is so dang cute!

This is after landing in LAX, waiting on the curb, for my sister.  We kept telling he to look for Justin Beiber!

A picture of the program, and the whole reason behind the trip.


During the long accolades ceramony, I took the little one for a walk around campus.

On our walk she met a friend.

The next day was Kim's party/open house.  My parents are on the right, and our good family friends on the left.  Sharon in the yellow use to babysit me when I was little.  She tells everyone I use to play bank teller in her bathroom.

When we moved to the house of five on cambridge drive five years ago,Sharon and Joe lived 4 houses away. Sadly Joe took a job transfer 2 years later and they sold the house and moved out to San Jose California.  It was close enough that they came over to see us and attend Kim's party.

Gigi, and Kiki proudly posing with the vegan chocolate cake I made.  Yuck if you ask me, no sugar, eggs or butter.  Made with lots of tofu.


Gia made her first friend.  Jetta.  Her mom is a teacher and my sisters, school.


A view of the mountains, from Tye's apartment.


Tye is my sister's boyfriend.  He does voice over's in movies.  Here he and the little monkey are making funny faces.



The almost graduate trying on her cap before the actual ceremony.


Parmount Pictures, is a 3 block walk from my sister's apartment.


This is where she lives.  It is a cute old building with lots of character.  ♥ the red doors.


Commencement was actually at Universal Studios.


 Can you believe that?  We had to drive to a theme park and pay $20 just to park, so we could attend the ceremony.


It was in the amp-a-theater.  It was a bit surreal for me.  The lobby sold, hot dogs, chili cheese fries, nachos and beer.  Only in LA does a Commencement Ceremony sell beer!





This trip happened over mother's day weekend and I wanted to find a way to remember the trip, so I decided to buy myself some hair.  My sister's school, where she works,  is only a 2 block walk to the "house of hair".  So I thought, why not?

My hair hasn't been this long for 14 years.  Ha, it has been  fun to wear, but wow is it hot and heavy.


Now that Kiki has a master's degree, she took a new job at a new school, so she can make more money, This is at a beach community, if she moves closer to her work, I may have to visit a tad more often.  LA is not for me, I ♥ the ocean and beach to much.


Courtney


Thursday, July 7, 2011

A simple sunrise....

I am fixated on these pure Michigan Commercials, yep, I admit it, they about bring me to tears. Is it the instrumental music that gets me? Maybe? Or it could just be Tim Allen's peaceful, calming voice. I don't know, maybe it is just my age and the thought that my life is flashing by me at warp speeds. ...

"25,000 mornings give or take, is all we humans get. We spend them on treadmills, we spend them in traffic .... and if we get lucky, really lucky, it dawns on us to go spend them in a world where a simple sunrise can still be magic....25,000 mornings, make sure some of them are pure Michigan."

I could care less about the pure michigan part, but boy oh boy, the 25,000 mornings has hit me hard. Really, is that all we get? If you do the math it is like 70 years worth of mornings. 25,000 just doesn't seem like very many. I mean I'm half way there!




Half of my life, flashing by, I've never really been a morning person, but maybe,just maybe, that might need to change.

Courtney