Complicated Simplicity

tis the season...our trip home (part three)

day five (dec 28)

we got up really early (5:30a) and hit the road at 6a. we arrived at my parent's house at 8a and had breakfast. the roads were clear and the weather was good the entire time we were in michigan.

mac's grandma had passed away the day after christmas, so we had our christmas celebration early (we were going to do it on friday, dec 30). vange was there when we arrived (brian came for breakfast), robbie and mac arrived soon after and scott arrived after that.

we played games (taboo and ticket to ride) until dinner time and then had a super delicious dinner. then we opened presents. we got gift cards and another carry-on bag and paul got some slippers among a few other little things. it was really a great christmas.

then we played more games (ticket to ride europe-vange's gift-was super fun) until going to bed.

day six (dec 29)

basically, vange came over and we played lots of games all day long. seriously-that and eat. :-)

day seven (dec 30)

again, vange came over and we played lots of games, watched the smurf movie and the help and ate broccoli cheese soup in homemade bread bowls. we also did some laundry and repacked everything.

day eight (dec 31)

we got up around 8am and at 8:30, we headed out for p's mom's. i drove mom's car and vange and mom rode with me. dad rode with paul in his mom's car. we arrived at p's mom's house around 10:30 and his sister and family came over shortly after. we had lunch (chicken shwarmas-something i miss so much here because i can't find exactly what i want) and just hung out until it was time to say good bye. my parent's and vange headed for home and p's mom dropped us off at the airport.

we tried to check in at the kiosk (because we couldn't online for some reason), but it wouldn't let us so we went to the ticket counter where the lady said our gate was locked or something. anyway, they fixed it and got us checked in and we headed for security. we had no problems (and i remembered to take everything out of my pockets) getting through and made our way to our gate. we were both thristy so we grabbed some pops and boarded our plane shortly thereafter.

we arrived in chicago and had a few minutes to grab a quick bite to eat at the billy goat tavern (a favorite when we lived in il) before boarding our flight to seattle.

we were a few minutes behind schedule, but not enough to affect our connection at all. we watched the office, a movie called a better life, cash cab, 30 rock and part of frasier. it was a super long flight. the landing was the best ever, though. we literally didn't even feel touchdown. we were in seattle long enough to go to the bathroom and wait a couple minutes before boarding. it was a tiny plane so we walked down the stairs to the tarmac to board our plane.

this was a super short flight. just enough time to take off, have drinks served, and land. it was quite a turbulent flight-it felt like our plane was swimming in for our descent-it was seriously going back and forth. :-)

we headed for the MAX (free for nye!) and got home at around eleven. we grabbed some taco bell because we were both exhausted and hungry before we crashed into bed.

and that's it!

it was a wonderful trip and we both already miss our families so very much. it was so good to see them. :-)

tis the season...our trip home (part two)

day two (dec 25)

we slept in until ten or eleven. i gave paul his christmas present and we headed over to p's sister's house. we had some breakfast and just hung out until it was time to go to p's aunt annie's. the girls rode in the truck with us.

at aunt annie's we had dinner and played games with everyone and opened some presents. then we headed back to p's mom's house. we picked her up and headed to the airport to drop off our rental truck, then went home and played pinochle.

day three (dec 26)

we slept in and got around a little more lazily. p's sister brought the girls over in time to take some naps. while they napped, we played pinochle. we all had a super fast dinner of sloppy joes before bundling up and heading to greenfield village for holiday nights. we met up with p's uncle gerard, billy, aunt annie and chris. it was a lot of fun, and was paul's favorite part of our trip. we rode the carousel and in a model t and just enjoyed the lights and decorations and music and fireworks. kbird wasn't feeling well at the end.

we then drove around our old "stomping grounds"-the church we used to attend and the neighborhood where paul used to live-before heading back to paul's mom's for some more pinochle. then i stayed up super late wrapping all of the christmas gifts we'd brought.

day four (dec 27)

we woke up to snow!

we got up pretty early because p's sister and her family were going to be over at ten for the day. we all had breakfast together and then played with the girls and such. paul and i ran to the mall to pick up something his mom had sent us there for. we had an amazing and delicious dinner and headed downstairs to open presents.

we read luke chapter two and the present opening began. paul and i both got iPod touches and paul got some shirts. then we went upstairs and opened our stocking gifts and p's sister and everyone went home. we played words with friends against each other and washed our dirty clothes before packing everything up and going to bed.

tis the season...our trip home (part one)

our trip home to michigan was amazing.

day one (dec 24)

we took the train to the airport and got there over two hours early. we got through security with no problem (i accidentally left my train ticket in one of my pockets when i went through the scanner, so they had to pat it down-then they tested my hands for explosives. it was super fast and they were super friendly).

then we found our gate and grabbed some starbucks (paul) and a pop (rachie). paul walked around a bit while i watched planes take off and land outside the window.

shortly before our flight was scheduled for takeoff, i received a text that our flight was going to be delayed until 1pm (originally scheduled for 12:39). btw i highly recommend signing up for text updates from your airline, i had the delay info long before it was announced.

no problem, most people would be able to make their connections and we would definitely make ours as we had a two hour layover in chicago. those that wouldn't make their connections were transferred to other flights if possible.

shortly before one i got a text (and they announced) that the delay would be longer. the problem was bigger than originally thought and we'd be leaving around 2:30 or 3p. however, there was another plane that had just arrived and we'd switch planes and still take off around one.

at one, we watched the other plane get boarded and take off for san fransisco. they announced that we couldn't switch planes after all and we should line up to reschedule our connections because we weren't going to make it.

we may not even leave portland until the morning.

so, we got in line and tentatively scheduled ourselves for a flight out of portland in the morning (to phoenix and on to detroit). not ideal, but a plan just in case our flight to chicago didn't leave. we also got booked on a flight to detroit out of chicago for the next morning, in case our flight made it to chicago.

there was no way we were going to be flying into detroit on christmas eve.

at around three we finally boarded our plane and took off for chicago. we watched parks + rec, a movie called the way and the middle. i drank a coke and paul drank some orange juice.

the weather was pretty much clear the entire way across the country.

we landed twenty minutes after our connecting flight took off for detroit.

we decided that it made no sense to get a few hours sleep to have to get up early in the morning, head back to the airport to wait for a flight that would deliver us to detroit in the afternoon. we could drive to detroit in five hours and be there for christmas morning.

so we rented a car over the phone and took the shuttle to pick up our car. when we got there, the reservation had been made for dec 24, 2012! he didn't have any economy cars left, but he did have a pickup truck that he would give us for the same price.

so, we drove a dodge ram 1500 with a crew cab from chicago to detroit, stopping for food at denny's on the way there. we arrived at four in the morning and sat up talking with p's mom for awhile before crashing into bed.

flight facts

in honor of our impending travel, i thought i'd share some of the flight facts of my life. :-)

• i have flown nine times total.
• i was 2 mos old when i took my first flight to iowa for my grandpa's funeral. dad was already there so we drove back with him.
• i have only taken returning flights from florida.
• my second and third flights were to florida and back for a trip to disney world when i was one.
• on the first flight (fourth of my life) i was conscious of taking, i jumped out of the plane...with a parachute and a south african man on my back. :-)
• i wasn't scared or nervous one bit.
• my fifth and sixth flights were to florida and back on our honeymoon.
• my seventh flight was to texas to send my brother off for his deployment. we drove his car back home.
• my eighth and ninth flights were to florida when p and i went on our vacation to disney world.
• we left in a huge snowstorm and our flight was cancelled, so they booked us on another one (that arrived much later). paul called the guys at travelocity to see if there was any way to get an earlier flight and they got us in one....flying first class. :-)
• i have never had a flight with a connection (until tomorrow).
• i have never flown on a flight with a movie (until tomorrow).
• i've flown twice with spirit, and three times with american, tomorrow we're flying united.
• i honestly have no fear of flying, most of my anxiety centers around getting to the airport early and getting through security with no hassle, and navigating crowds. the flight part is the easy part for me.
• i am a little over-excited about taking the train to the airport-it's just as exciting as the flying to me.

a story...about getting healthy

Every year, I say I am getting healthy. Every year, I make a big, multi-faceted plan with all of these daily to-dos.

This year, I threw all of that out the window. I want to be healthy, and it's on my goal list, but I'm finding when it comes to fitness-general is better for me.

I know some people need those little steps and a big, multi-faceted plan. That's great for them. It just doesn't work for me.

This year, I just decided to do little steps. I've been eating more salads. I still have crispy chicken and ranch on it. And you know what? That's good for now, because the main thing right now is that I am eating more vegetables. Ones that are not fried or starchy. The crispy chicken will turn to grilled eventually. The ranch will turn to something light and vinaigrette-y, but for now I'm getting more vegetables in and that's what matters.

I also decided to just start walking. Wawa needs the exercise. I need the exercise. I need the fresh air to clear my brain and make me feel more alive. I may not walk very far or very fast sometimes, but I am moving more. A huge victory in my sedentary little life. It's a simple activity, but one I am so enjoying.

I also got the Biggest Loser Challenge for Wii and I have been doing that quite often. I don't necessarily do it every single day (and I'm starting with a short-ish workout), but I've been doing it at least a few times a week-and I'm not hating it.

One last thing I've been doing is trying to schedule more adventures into our lives. Sunday afternoons (if I can pry Paul away from football) we're taking walks in a park or neighborhood (I actually want to do all of the walks in this book this year-how cool would that be?). Mondays (which is Paul's other day off) is for a day trip-downtown (a lot of walking), to a state park (hiking), to a museum (more walking around) or elsewhere. Adventure is something that I love so very much, and yet do so little of. I need more of it in my life, so onto the schedule it goes and I am pumped about that.

Just little things I'm implementing to start. Simple things to help me stick with it for the long haul. I still want to get strong. I still want to lose all of the extra weight I carry (and it's a lot), and I know that will come with time.

I am not on the Biggest Loser ranch. I am still in my real life and I have to make real and practical lifestyle changes. It's not happening overnight, but it is happening. I already feel better. I feel stronger. I feel like I can actually do it.

Right now, that's my fitness story. I'm way overweight. I drink pop. I eat not-so-healthy things sometimes. However, I am making progress and little things are changing in my life. More importantly, my thoughts are changing.

That is a huge step forward right there. So much inside of me has been changing over the past year and I am going to do this. Just wait and see.

a story (4 stories)...childhood games

 Check out Leigh-Ann's blog for lots of inspiration and her 4 stories series....trust me, her blog is awesome! :-) And join in too!!!

1. Beat the Yak-My sisters and I had this game called Beat the Yak. We would race to see who would be the first one to get dressed. The last one would be the "yak". I don't really know how or why this got started. I don't know where we heard about a "yak" or why we picked it for this game. :-)
2. Grab the Hand-Robbie and I shared a bunk bed. I had the top bunk and Robbie had the bottom. At night, one of us would put their hand up or down between the wall and the bed and the other had to try to grab it before it was pulled back up. Vange really missed out on this one...it was awesome! I think there are a couple of little girls that I need to teach this too...hmmm-next time I'm in MI the Bird, Books and the Bee are getting a lesson. :-)
3. Toss Ziggy-We had a stuffed Ziggy doll (you know, from the comics?) and we would toss it from bed to bed at night. I know....we spent a lot of time playing games when we were supposed to be sleeping. :-) Anyway, Vange and Robbie and I would toss it back and forth. I still have Ziggy...he's quite important to me because he reminds me of this game and lots of amazing memories with my sisters.
4. Hide and Go Seek/Flashlight Tag-We played outside all of the time. We'd be out there 90% of the time we were home, I swear. Hide and Go Seek in the dark or Flashlight Tag were our favorites after dark. I always loved autumn, when it would get dark at a time we could still be outside. I was really good at hiding (still am), I can stay still forever, can find great spots, and I can quiet my breathing so it's virtually inaudible. Since Cassie would stay over every weekend, there would always be at least four of us (and sometimes her two brothers and maybe some neighbor kids or other random friends). It was so much fun.

What were some games you played as a child?

a story...about Halloween

Every night, my brother David told us a story. One night it was about a magical cream that de-aged an old lady. The next night it was about a jack o' lantern that grew arms and legs. My sisters and I would eagerly await the next story as Halloween was quickly approaching.

This story was different, he said. When Scott and he were younger, they loved to explore the woods behind the house. Nothing strange there, we all felt the tug of the wild and had explored through those same woods many times. He went on to tell us about a cabin that was once in those woods. About the scarecrow with the blood-smeared face. The scarecrow that ate crows...and children.

None of us was really scared. We loved a good tale, especially one tinged with a hint of spookiness. We went to sleep and thought nothing more of that tale.

A couple of weeks later Halloween was upon us. One of our favorite holidays. One or both brothers had been taking us trick or treating in town the previous years. This year was to be no different. David was going to take us out to gather as much candy as we could carry home.

I answered the phone and a woman on the other end asked if David was there. He wasn't home, and she asked to have him call back when he got in. It was Budget Rent-a-Car....David's work.

He came in not long after that, called her back and regretfully told us that he had to go to work. There was a truck coming in and he needed to unlock the gate. Unfortunately, that meant he would be unable to take us trick or treating.

He left for work while the girls and I got into our costumes. We stopped at the houses on our street and began the walk down to town. Coming around the curve we could see a man standing on the side of the street, next to the woods.

I thought it was just someone waiting for his kids to come down from one of the nearby houses.

As we got closer, the man didn't move. I realized he had a sack on his face with holes cut out for eyes and a mouth.

We continued on, though, undeterred from our mission to get downtown and get loads of candy.

As we neared where he was standing, the man started across the road toward us. I stopped, almost immediately realizing what was going down. Robbie ran a little further on, but stopped. Evangeline, though....that girl took off. She started booking down the street with the scarecrow on her heels. Eventually she ended up on the ground in the fetal position with him standing over her.

David took off his mask and we all had a good laugh (and I'm sure Evangeline got some good scowls in).

He had been planning it for weeks...the story...the call from work...parking the car up at Marty's...scaring the crap out of us.

One of the best Halloweens of my life.

Also the same one where we whispered that we'd all run into the cememtery at once (not telling Evangeline). The moment we did, she again took off running to the end of the street. David could barely catch her.

And quite possibly the same one where David paid Robbie a quarter to walk into the middle of the cemetery to the flagpole (which she did without flinching).

Halloween is awesome...we kinda love it around here.