Kindra and Her Imagination...

Just when I think that I've seen it all...she amazes me even more! Whether it's her singing and talking to herself, dressing up in my clothes, or becoming lost in her own little world...it's the BEST!
As I was doing the laundry this afternoon in the other room, I could hear Kindra chatting away to herself. I peeked in on her and found this. I had to grab my camera and snap a few shots because it was way too perfect to pass up! I love you Kindra...don't you ever forget it!

Horse Heaven!

No....this is not some image from "Napoleon Dynamite", though it looks that bad! This is a shirt that Kindra and I found for her to wear to her grand adventure to the Lehi Round-Up Stock parade!
It's no secret that Kindra loves horses so when my friend invited us to come along with them to the stock parade that the city of Lehi puts together, I was more than happy to go along.
I was actually surprised that I had not thought of the idea myself since this was not the first time that I had been to this event. Basically growing up in Lehi, I know how important these few days are. I have many, many, many memories of the infamous "Lehi Round-Up Rodeo"! It was a huge deal and was always filled with some dramatic event! As a teen, it was actually a lot of fun but because my family is not from Lehi and because it is not a historic family event to attend the festivities, the tradition has not lasted.
Chantel is a member of the "Cooper" family who has lived in Lehi since the beginning of Lehi's time...seriously... so when she informed me that her grandparents were the "grand somethings" for the year, I was not surprised. "Hey, why not? Kindra will love it and will go crazy so we're in!" How could I not? I knew that Kindra would be in heaven!
Chantel's daughter was also going to be in the parade riding a horse so it was going to be an even bigger deal for her. "...and guess who's horse she is going to be riding? Tommy Lewis's so you'll see him too and remember...he married Jen Elmer. Emily will be sitting with her family but they'll be across the way...." I began to be flooded with faces and with memories. "This will be fun?!?", I told myself not knowing what to expect!
Kindra was so excited when I told her what she and I were about to do. We parked down at the elementary school so that we could go up to the park and what do ya know...that is where they park all of the horse trailers so we got to see it all!
Kindra was full of questions and was trying to bribe everyone and anyone that she could to be able to pet, to feed, to touch, or to ride a horse and what do ya know...it worked! When Tommy brought the horse up for Aspen to ride, Kindra was right there in his face asking for a quick ride and she got it!
"What's this...and this...and this...and this?" She could not keep her questions in but they were happily answered.
We had a really fun night and I loved thinking back on all of the great times that I had growing up in the "small town" atmosphere. I would never take any of it back...good or bad...it made me "Katie" and I learned a lot. It was also fun to run into people whom I had not seen for a very long time...as scary as I thought it would be...it was not! I like that I got to see how we've all turned out.
Thanks Chan for inviting us! It was way fun and it gave me a great "Mommy Daughter Date" so for that I am indebted :)

Generations....

The sounds are the same, the feelings are the same, the backyard is the same
Carter, Kindra, Colin, and Abbi
But 25 years ago it was
Tiffany, Travis, Katie and Jake
As I sit and watch them, I just laugh!
It is all too surreal, all too comical, all too amazing how it can all just work out....
HMMMMMMM?!?

Going Back To My Happy Place...

It was the summer of 1999 and I had no idea how my last year at SVC was going to turn out. Both of my roommates, my two partners in crime were now married, B and I were not dating at that point, and my outlook had changed a bit over the summer. It could go any way!

Once again I was required to get back to BV, Va before school actually started to get back for practice (soccer). There is a reason why coaches require teams to be together, all alone, before the year begins and it makes perfect sense. Unity is their primary goal.
Right from the start, what would come to be later known as the "girls club", were unified and solid. We were leaders, we were witty, we were "horne...horne...horne", we were rebellious, we were devout, we were classy, we were not shy, we were supportive, we were mature yet immature, we were in your face, we were not fearful, we were competitive, we were hilarious, we all came from different worlds but all understood where we had been, we gave when/what was needed, and we made memories that only we could have made.

Because I was the oldest, because I was an athlete, because I had a reputation from the previous year...I was given the title of "The Ringleader". This title annoyed me when coming from The Dean's lips but was comical when talking amongst friends. Whatever, right?!?


I have talked about this before...the fact that my sis Jenny and I were known as the "Trickery Terry sisters" and here is proof...This was the day before graduation and we were goofing around taking pictures. Notice that we are spelling T R I C K?!? So perfect since later on that evening, we pulled off the best trick known to SVC ! That will go down in history and I'll just leave it at that!!!
We were laughing so hard last night about this weekly event that HAD to take place because of Jenny and Alice. Every Wednesday was "Dawson's Creek" night. There was absolutely NO TALKING ALLOWED and it was to always be a serious matter....The best part of it all was that SVC did not get the WB station so our house was the only place for it to be seen. They only let certain people "in", people who they knew they could trust to "obey the rules"! I'm not kidding......

In the town over, Lexington, there was a restaurant/bar named "Spanky's". It was one of the hangouts that we have great memories of! I still feel bad for our parents who had all ready purchased meal tickets over at the school but were also paying for our "Spanky dinners"!
After the seasons were over, we were able to take off on the weekends for some memorable road trips. Probably the best and the worst one ever was during our Spring Break. We had the perfect plan and the perfect hook-up so we headed down to Panama City, Florida. It was so fun and so out of control but don't worry...it was not as bad as what they show on TV!

Another weekend we headed up for a DC/Baltimore trip which proved to be classic like always. There were close to 12 of us crammed into 1 hotel room. It was utter hell trying to actually get comfortable enough to be able to sleep. It was also freezing and I swear that I spent all of the 52 hrs living in my coat.

We thought of this trip and of this pic so we could not pass up the chance to get another one that would be more up to date...
Heather, me, Jenny, & Alice Alice, who is originally from AZ, and currently lives in OK was able to plan a trip to Utah last week so we were able to get together for dinner. The last time that I saw Alice was in May of 2000 so it had been a while and I was very excited to see her! Alice is just Alice and she had us laughing so hard last night while she was getting us up to speed. She is now married and has a 9 yr old step-son who they have full custody of which is the best since Alice swore that she was 1- never going to have kids and 2- that she was not going to take on her her husbands name. She's 1/2 and that exactly describes the liberal, strong willed, feisty, feminist that she is and that's why you can't help but love her. She is hilarious and has the best quotes and one-liners ever!

We were reminiscing about some history with a guy that we all ended up hating. It all started because he and Alice had a little thing, he said some stuff that was uncalled for, she ended it and he got all bent out of shape. As we were talking about it...she was in complete denial that she had kissed him and was sure that it had been because she had kissed one of his friends. "And we just witnessed first hand the denial process that goes on when we are trying to forget an event that caused us some type of trauma". It's funny what your mind chooses to block or to not block out! You probably had to be there back then and you had to be there last night to fully understand it but for those of us who were...hilarious!

On a more serious note, she did share something last night that did hit home. We were talking about friendships and about the way you can choose to react when something is done to spitefully hurt you. Unfortunately it allows you to realize how malicious, catty, and immature that people can be. With this being said, you can choose to deal with it the best way you can and then get over it or you can choose to react just as catty, be bitter about it, and hold a grudge for the rest of your life. Sometimes things happen that you will never forget but you can at least move on. She realized that it's almost a guarantee that you yourself have also done something to someone, that makes them feel the same way, whether you meant to or not. You have to be careful and think about what you do before you do it because you never know how it will be misconstrued. You just can't become ignorant in that department. As of lately, that is something that I've come to realize and something that I need to constantly remind myself.

Each of the "girls club" members have gone on different paths. Some are married, some are not, some have children, some are in denial, some have been hurt by another, some this, and some that but we all shared an extremely important part of our lives and that will never change.

Never....

The older you get, the more important those true friendships, those wonderful experiences become. The older you get, the more you are able to really see who your friends were and are. The older you get, the more you are able to see what really should matter to you in this life. The older you get, the more mature you should become.

We promised to not be as bad as we have been by getting better at staying in touch. Because I was the organizer and planner of the group, I promised to plan another "girls club" trip just for old time sake. "How fun and out of control would that be?!?"

"Girls Club" rules!!!

My Own Kind Of Wimbledon

The Utah Tennis Association and T.R.A.I.L.S., the same program who I took my ski lessons from, put together a Wheelchair Tennis Camp last weekend. I had a lot of fun with it because it allowed me to be athletically competitive against someone but mostly because I sweat my ace off which is very rare!

The last time I had played, no I mean the last time that I had tried to play tennis was in the 9th grade when I had gone with my Dad to go hit some balls. Seeing that he had been a tennis star in his day and seeing that the patience was quickly leaving as his balls were quickly doing so as well, that play time was short lived. Needless to say, I had no clue how this was going to all work. I understood how to play "able bodied" tennis but the concept of wheelchair tennis just did not make sense so I was curious to see how it all worked.

I talked Trevor into coming up with the kids so it made for a good Saturday morning activity. They had a chair waiting for me which is very similar to a wheelchair bball chair so that was the first thing that I learned. Second, instead of allowing one bounce, they allow two bounces and third, everything else, all of the rules, are all the same.

The instructors were so nice and even did some work with the kids which Kindra just ate up!
Here they are "walking the dog" as they called it? (I have no clue when it comes to the terminology of tennis!)

...the kids practicing up their techniques...

The best part about having the kids up there was that they were able to get so involved. Kindra really got excited about playing around and Carter was the official ball collector as we were hitting the balls into the other end/side of the court. It was a perfect way to keep them occupied...

We made sure that we understood our balance. That we understood the way that the chair would manoeuvre. We practiced some hitting techniques and finally, our serve. I really got into it and my competitive nature came right out. I wanted to understand it, catch on like that, and to be perfect. I will admit that I can be too hard on myself by having to be a pro right from the start but feel that that is why I am able to succeed. Interesting and something to think about....hmmmmmm.
The last time that I had been over to the park area was literally when I was 6 yrs old right about that same time that the movie "Savannah Smiles" came out. There were some rides, some peddle boats, and some nasty looking animals. It was horrible and actually frightened me because I was worried that I was going to be kidnapped like "Savannah"! Seriously, I'm not kidding!!!

So I was really surprised when I saw the play area for the kids. We were only there for a few minutes but they had fun. They always do when they get to play on "new toys".

Like I have said before...I have to try and do everything. I would go crazy if I didn't. I don't want to ever feel like I am giving in or giving up. NEVER!! Such a fun morning and such a great workout. The next day I woke up sore since I used muscles that I am not used to using. NO COMPLAINTS though...it's that good kind of sore that proves to yourself that you worked really hard and gave it your all. No regrets from that activity! They have weekly court times so that will not be the last time that I am going to go out and play. I had that much fun!

#41 - The Frederiksborg Castle

Here we are...#41 on my "Bucket List"---The Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark. It is here that I will be able to see the other paintings that were done by Carl Bloch for the Kings Praying Chamber. Some have recognized Carl Bloch to be the greatest artist ever to interpret the life and death of Christ. Exquisite and breath taking are still not words that can describe these paintings enough. I saw a program that they did on him and was amazed! I wonder as to what exactly was going through his mind as he was painting them. I can not even imagine how inspired he was!

Hanging above my fireplace I've got a print of "Christ healing at the pool of Bethesda". From the moment I first saw this painting, I knew that I had to have a copy of it in my home. It brings me a sense of comfort and peace. A sense of protection that I know is important to have in our home.

Through the assistance of a Danish born artist, the acquisition of this painting was recently made possible for The Museum of Art of Brigham Young University. My brother, who also works at the museum, informed us of an activity that they were putting on that the kids would love so how could we pass it up?!?

As I was wandering about, looking at the different exhibits, I was reminded of the love that I have for art museums and for museums in general. I grew up with a father who was the king of museums. He made sure that we hit up every, and I mean every museum and historic fort between Toronto and Utah. The summer that I spent in Italy was one that I will never forget with that being what we spent most of our time studying...Art History. That summer, I learned how to have my "quickening of spirit"! :)

The kids were dying with excitement when they realized that they could have a face painting! Oh boy....

....and what do you think that Kindra asked for?!? One guess.....!
There are my kids with my brother waiting for Colin (Jake's little boy) to get done.
Carter and his dragaon....

...and Kindra with her horse! I will admit that I am starting to get a little scared about her obsession! :(
Me and my side-kicks....
One of their activities was a "Medieval dancing" lesson which everyone participated in. I had a good laugh! My kids actually paid attention and did a really good job!

Kindra and her favorite exhibit... "Smokey". Let me tell you...this was a great one to have to try and explain why the horses name was Smokey. "But he's not smoking Mom and he doesn't look like a cigarette?!"

Aunt Jenny and the kids....Colin and Kindra...

...Abbi (Jake's little girl)

We were thinking back on all of the museum adventures that our parents would take us on. Some were interesting, some were fun, and some were snore boring but we would never take any of them back. Jake and I vividly remember our first trip to Washington DC. We were 8 & 10 and my Dad made us take the train in and walk to every exhibit possible! As a child, no one wants to do that but we did! Memories were definitely made!

Lyssa.....we missed you and thought of you so don't worry....you've not been forgotten!

PS Did I mention that I'm having fun being a stay at home Mom?!?