no photo, just text

Just some rambling thoughts, and no photo to go with it.  What I would love, but too shy to ask for is a photo taken last night with my beautiful friend Marta {tears starting} ...

I know most of you know, what an amazing woman she is, and I guess I’m crying right now hating the fact that she has to go through this.  But man, if anyone has to, I guess it should be someone with a spirit as bright as hers.

Marta texted me yesterday on their way home from the Dells ... “r u working tomorrow?  most of my hair has fallen out in the last 2 days.  it’s time 2 shave it off.  it looks terrible.  i understand if u r busy.”  Seriously Marta?  I will be there in a heartbeat.

I called her back and asked how she was.  “Fabulous” was her reply ... “I feel great!”  I asked about her hair.  “I’m doing okay with it!” she says in her awesome Marta spirit {she should patent that!} ... not down, or sad ... but with an exclamation point!

So I went last night.  I was going to go with her to this class where they teach you about make-up, putting on your wig, scarves, etc. ... but I had it scheduled on the wrong night and it ended up being last night.  I had a dinner with my long-lost cousin and sister last night after work, and my cousin is moving so I couldn’t reschedule.

So I went to Marta’s last night after my dinner and her class.  I got there about 8, clipper in hand {thank you Heather}.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I don’t know why I’m crying again ... but she is just so awesome ... in every definition of the word, not just slang.  Marta. Is. Awesome.

The girls are all bubbly and happy ... Marina has this awesome rat’s nest in the back of her hair after a long car ride in a car seat {sorry, Marta, I just loved it!}.  We chat and then she says “are you ready?” and takes off her baseball cap.  It wasn’t as bad as I expected, but it wasn’t something I wanted to see from my friend.  You know?

So she sits down, we get ready.  Bailee has the broom.  Jim has the camera.  And Marina and rat’s nest are standing by for moral support.  :)

I cut it down real short first and then we take the clippers to it.  The girls are asking why I’m cutting it so short and Marta answers them beautifully and with love.  And let’s just say when I was done, I asked Jim what branch of the service we should enlist her in.  But you know what {big tears now} ... Marta is beautiful!  Those big, bright eyes ... you can see her spirit shining through them.  I love you Marta.

And for some rambling.  I got home just after 9 and couldn’t reach Taylor anywhere.  She had gone to a friends, but wasn’t sure if she was spending the night yet.  She texted at 8:46 ... how is it I can’t reach her now?  I was planning on slithering right to bed when I got home, and now uncertain of what her plans are.  I called the house where she was supposed to be ... “oh, they’ll be back from the movie shortly.”  WHAT?!?  Taylor did not ask me if she could go to a movie.  She finally called back, I yelled, she said she was sorry. I yelled, she said she was sorry. I yelled, she said she was sorry.  I said I forgave her.  She asked if I really meant it.  I said no.  She said she was sorry.   I said I forgave her.  She asked if I really meant it.  I said no {but with a smile}.  She said she was sorry.   I said I forgave her.  She asked if I really meant it.  I said I’m not sure ... well, you get the picture.  By the time we got off the phone, I had forgiven her.

My point to her was that if she can’t know better {and I know she does know better!!} to call me and ask permission to go to a movie {she knows I want to know where she is at all times, in case of emergency, etc., etc. blah, blah, blah ... yeah, all the things my mom used to tell me ... I’m there in my life right now}.  But seriously!  I need to know she will make the right choices when it comes to bigger things and I need to groom her for that now {tears again}.  She, of course, said she ‘got it’ and was truly sorry.  And honestly, I just wanted to get to bed, so caved and let her sleep over.  Why can’t raising children be easy?

{Side Bar} You know what was so great?  After I finished my run on Sunday, Taylor was sitting along the grass near the finish line.  I just happened to see her out of the corner of my eye {she was texting ... of course!  and had her head down}.  I yelled “TAY” ... she looked up ... huge smile ... got up and started running in the grass along side me.  Then she got to the finish line and was waiting for me with a huge smile and hug.  It was an awesome moment for me.

But anyway.

Slowly though the day yesterday, my legs stopped functioning {result of no training and trying to run 3 miles}.  By night time, I was having trouble walking.  I finally got to bed last night and wake up to child saying “I wet the bed” at midnight.  “Wynter?” I say.  And try to get up.  No, it’s Piper {I should’ve known, as Wynter has a camel’s bladder}.  So I go to find her a blanket to put down on the wet spot.  Of course she’s in the top bunk and my legs aren’t functioning ... I seriously thought I was going to fall off that ladder!  I get her all snug {all snug as you can be on top of a wet bed}, and hobble back to my own bed.  Shortly after I’ve fallen back to sleep ... “maaaama ... maaama” ... it’s the baby.  Remember, we’ve got the three of them in one room now.  I go in and am hit with the pungent {but somehow sweet} smell of baby urine {maybe TMI, but I know you moms can relate}.  I pick up that sweet smelling baby {who I hadn’t seen all day} and love her like there’s no tomorrow.  I realized I must have been squeezing pretty hard when I felt her suddenly give me the hugest squeeze.  Oh, I wish I could bottle that.

I get her all set and stumble once again to bed.  I’m exhausted.  I know morning will be here all too soon.  I’m aching {I must have also been running with my shoulders in my ears, as they hurt beyond belief}.  I say a prayer and ask for strength, restoration of my body, {sleep!} ... when I’m suddenly reminded {thank you Lord for speaking to me} of the reason why my body is broken right now.  And for who my body is broken right now ...

And that brings me full circle in this post {for those of you that are still reading} ... Marta, you are one amazing woman.  I pray everyday, in the morning and at night before I go to bed {and sometimes when I’m driving or think of you through the day} that the Lord stay with you.  That he give you strength.  That he keeps your spirit strong.  You are an amazing testament to him Marta and what he can do when someone believes and stays strong.  I pray that others watching you go through this season, see that you are a testimony to Him and his great love.

who loves ya baby?

We did it!!!  Team Marta ... Marta’s girls!  We did it for you baby!

I had not been training ... at all!  So after much, much thought and careful consideration, I decided it was best to back out of the race.  However ... Terrie came up with a great idea ... we’ll do a relay!  YES!  I can do a relay {with some prayer!}.  I was going to do the swim, Sue was doing the bike and Terrie was going to do the run.

We went Saturday morning to get all checked in and re-register as a relay team.  Terrie and I talked and decided to switch events.  She’s a stronger swimmer and I {when training} am a stronger runner.  Our competitive juices for some reason kicked in and suddenly we were thinking of getting the best time.  Kinda crazy considering the lack of training!

Well, the results are in and we placed 1392 out of 3650 participants and finished in 1:44:27.

For my run ... I was able to run 1.25 miles, walked the 2nd mile, ran the 3rd mile and still made it in 35 minutes {11 minute mile pace} ... not bad for a girl who hasn’t run basically since April!  {at least in my book}  :)

Marta, you were my inspiration and kept me going through that run.  I think I can speak for the others when I say you were ‘whispering’ to them too.  Thank you for your endurance, inspiration and spirit!

Click here to for photos.

this makes me teary-eyed

A note Curt sent to me after our trip ...

Thank you lover for handling all of this for us... it was a great trip we will always remember; for me it will be the trip where the hunt grew into a little girl .. 

love you 

{this is a photo of curt & hunter sleeping in the plane on our way home}

our paris adventure

A quick post before we run out to Euro-Disney ... yes, that’s right, we’re going to Euro-Disney.  Didn’t visit the Mona Lisa, but we’re going to see Mickey!

The afternoon that we arrived to Paris, we started to take a walk to see the Eiffel Tower, but got side-tracked by a little festival {actually, a pretty good sized festival}.  The kids had a great time and it was in a beautiful park.  When we got back on our way, we walked down the Seine ... with a gorgeous view of the Eiffel in the backdrop.  It was exciting to show the kids, although they didn’t believe us that it was the actual same Eiffel Tower they see in Ratatouille, because it wasn’t all lit up!  :)

We never made it quite to the Eiffel, as it was time for dinner, so we took a detour and ended up on the Champs-de-Elysses at an italian restaurant!  After dinner, we went back to the hotel for night-night.

Sunday morning, we walked to Notre Dame ... so awesomely beautiful!  We happened in on Sunday mass ... awesome.  The kids really enjoyed it too ... but couldn’t remember seeing the Hunchback of Notre Dame that we recently watched {yes, I’m educating my kids through Disney films!}.  We had lunch right next to Notre Dame and then headed back to the hotel for naps and swimming.

Sunday night, we taxied to the Eiffel Tower ... the line was way too long to go up, so we got some dinner at a street vendor and had a picnic right next to the Tower ... fun!  Then we went over to the carousel across the street for a few rides and some ice cream {kids} and crepes {me}.

Monday morning we decided it was time to go up to the top of the Tower, so headed over again.  We stood in the rain and wind for um, over an hour and a half to go up to the top.  The baby was SO done, but hung in there.  But the carousel across the street tempting her made it pretty difficult.  We finally made it up to the second level {which is about half way up}, and it was so extremely windy you couldn’t keep your eyes open.  It was about another half hour wait {outside} to get to the actual top, so we bought a quick souvenir and called it a trip!

Next, we headed across the street to the carousel for some rides, french fries, ice cream, slushies and crepes ... then to the hotel for Hunter’s nap, while I took the girls out shopping.  We all ended back at the little festival near our hotel and then to an awesome french ‘country’ cuisine restaurant ... yummy!

I have our Paris photos up {minus Disney today} ... I was able to get the rest of our Rome photos up too, so be sure to take another look.

Blessings to you all!  We’re coming home tomorrow.  This adventure has been a blast, but I know we are all looking forward to seeing home again.

good-bye europe

Some final musings from our trip:

curt is a germaphobic.

hunter’s convinced swiper is hiding in the trees {dora the explorer}.

i like crepes. with sugar. and whipped cream.  a lot.

the girls are obsessed with graffiti {and how people can be so naughty}.

my kids behave for ice cream.

don’t count on weather.com for a 10 day forecast.

when hunter plays with a toy phone, she thinks granny is on the other end.

hunter isn’t getting rid of her nukies anytime soon.

boys look at taylor.

i like to eat. a lot.

hunter has grandsam’s eyes.

my girls like roller coasters.

my girls like souvenirs.

french women are thin.

curt does have patience.

piper loves mrs. steig.

most tourists use canon cameras.

german kids talk loudly.

taylor’s obsessed with the jonas brothers.

if you lose a baby, look at the carousel.

another word for elephant is pachyGerm.

wynter lost interest in layering.

sometimes i pretend i’m katie holmes, and hunter is baby suri. {yes, i’m that lame!}

curt is obsessed with hand sanitizer.

my girls like to kiss each other.

i love to travel with my family.

french people are nicer than italian people.

the girls love odinn.

wynter needs new sparkly shoes {hers are worn thin}.

my girls love each other.

my girls don’t always like each other.

my kids travel well.

i love them more than anything.

hotel ritz

I don’t usually talk about where we stay, etc., but this particular hotel has my interest peaked ...

When we got to the hotel, there were tourists trying to take pictures {of the hotel}, but were ushered away.  Taylor tried to take pictures in the lobby, but we were asked to put the camera away.  Later told it’s for the privacy of the guests, but if no one is around then she could take a photo.

In doing some research, I found this is the hotel that Princess Diana stayed at the night she died.  Wikipedia has some interesting information if you care to check it out.

Okay, now for some E! News ... We were over at the little festival near our hotel the night we arrived and I noticed a woman who looked very recognizable to me, but also very normal.  I finally asked Odinn if it was Sophia Coppola ... he said he’d been looking too and he thinks it was.  Man, I wish I had got a casual shot of my ‘family’!!  Missed opportunity.

So the next afternoon we go down to the swimming pool and who do we see but Sophia and her family.  I run back up to the room to get my camera, so I can get that shot of my ‘family,’ but as I’m getting back to the pool area, I get stopped and they take my camera!  No pictures allowed.  I was outraged!  How am I supposed to document our family vacation properly if I can’t take photos of them swimming?  :)

It really was pretty cool though ... her boyfriend, daughter, an older child {girl} that my girls were swimming with, and an entourage of grandparents {it seemed}.  The older child isn’t hers, and I still can’t figure out {not that I’m obsessing  with it or anything, although I slightly am} who she is or if she was with them.  Anyway, my girls were swimming with her and we were all in the pool.  Sophia came over with her little girl and introduced the little girl, Romy and asked where we were from.  Curt was privy to this convo, as I was a tad out of reach and didn’t want to make a desperate bee line to where they were.  Gotta play it cool ...

Curt tells her Wisconsin and asks where they’re from, California is the reply.  Of course, I’ve learned to never tell Curt when there is a celebrity around, or anything that needs discreetness ... definitely not his strong point {case proven when we got up to our room and I finally told him who she was ... WHAT?!?  WHO?!?}.  She notes that we have four girls.  I casually wave to the little girl from afar and get a sweet smile, all the while I’m trying to play it cool.

Mom, if you’re reading this, you may wonder who Sophia Coppola is ... click here for some info. :)

Anyway, that night ... Odinn saw Chevy Chase in the lobby!  Pretty cool, huh?

I have the rest of our Paris photos up.

But right now I’m in the process of trying to get 3 girls to bed, one of which has apparently learned to crawl out of her crib {let’s hope she doesn’t take this trick home with her!} ... so gotta run!

piper's got a new pair of shoes!

We found these shoes in Italy near the Campo dei Fiori and she hasn’t taken them off since ...

They are well loved, worn in and full of European dirt!

wooden spoon | part two

THE CHALLENGE: Climb the 4 tallest peaks in the UK, Scotland and Ireland separated by 850 miles of driving and 120 miles of ocean crossing in 3 days in the quickest climb time. 

THE FIELD:  63 teams of 4 including one designated driver 

DAY ZERO : WEDNESDAY JUNE 25: after 3 hour drive north of Glasgow to Fort Williams, met up with our UK counterparts,  the JD Engineering team and did a 3 hour practice hike up the back side of Ben Nevis, the UK's tallest peak. Frontal assault on Ben Nevis was tomorrow. 

DAY ONE:  Started  the race late afternoon up Ben Nevis, 6 miles 4500 vertical feet.  Peak snow covered and in clouds..sleet and rain  and dense cloud last 1 mile of race. We finished in a time of 4:26 which was 38th out of 63 teams 

DAY TWO:  5 hour drive to Mount Helvellyn. 3 miles and 3200 vertical ft. no snow on top but top was in clouds . very cold and very windy. Last mile was on an exposed ridge with 30 + mph winds>>finished in 2:30 and placed 40th  /  63 .. then got back in car and drove 3 hours to Mt. Snowdon, the highest Mountain in Wales. Again top was cloud covered and windy finished with atime of 3:03 and placed 34th  / 63.. then drove 3 hours to catch the 2:30 a.m ferry to Ireland;

DAY THREE:    From ferry,  a 3hour  drive to Mt Carantouhill the highest mountain in Ireland... again rain off and on and sleet and snow at top; encountered the most difficult part of the race with a 1 mile climb up "the devils ladder" a steep ascent up a loose rock strewn  waterfall gulch; we finished in a time of 4:01 and placed 24th out of 63..our best finish yet!! 

That night: the awards celebration!! 

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO JD GREEN AND THE WOODEN SPOON!... THIS EVENT RAISED 460,000 Pounds for the children! 

http://gallery.mac.com/curtjohnson5 

glamourous train ride?

Who thought it would be a good idea to take an overnight train ride to Paris?  Not quite as glamourous as I remembered!

We were a tad crowded with all our luggage and carry-on bags.  Wynter was supposed to sleep with Dad, but she wanted nothing to do with him, instead wanting to sleep with Tay-Tay in the cool cabin.  So we switched it up and Wynter slept with me {Hunter with Dad}.  We kept the door between our cabins open, so we could see each other and do a little rendition of good-night John-boy.

We had gone to dinner in the dining car ... we were talking that up big time to the girls ... it turned out to not be as cool as I remembered.  But then as I saw younger passengers {students most likely} coming through to buy a “snack” to bring back to their cabins, I remembered what it was like to do that and look with envy amongst the people that got to dine in the dining car.  We need to remember to be thankful, right?

So after a loud, obnoxious dinner {my kids}, we went back to our cabin to get pj’s on and settle in for bed.  After a movie {thank God for ipods}, we said good-night.

I felt every stop, every turn, every slow down, every bump and woke up with a train-ride hangover!  Only to find out we were delayed for some reason and would be getting in almost two hours later than planned.

When we finally arrived in Paris, it was raining ... and cold.  It’s about 30 degrees colder here than in Rome.

Just before we got in to Paris, Hunter was complaining of a stomach ache and started to throw up ... after I did the mom hands “I’ll catch it” move, nothing came out.  Just then Wynter started complaining she needed to throw up.  By then we found a plastic bag, so gave it to her and yeah, she did.

When we got in, we all piled into this “thing” they use as an SUV {stroller was between the driver and Curt in the front seat}.  Wynter was on Odinn’s lap in the back seat.  We’re almost to our hotel and Odinn’s yelling that Wynter is throwing up ... everywhere!  We pull over to the side of the road, I change her clothes, give her my sweater, hop in the back seat to sit in the puke and off we go ... ahhh, the joys of motherhood {brotherhood} and travel!

We’re having a good time though and I’ll write more later.

holding hands

Do you ever get an overwhelming feeling of love when you hold someone’s hand?  Especially when it’s a chubby, dimpled baby hand that feels so fragile and small in your much larger {wrinkled} adult hand?

Wynter grabbed my hand today as we were walking to the elevator in our hotel.  She wasn’t particularly happy about something and came to grab my hand for reassurance.  I held tight to that little hand {that still is babyish with the dimples and all} ... and felt the need to protect it.

I love when I put Hunter to bed at night and I ask, “Mama love?” and she throws her baby arms around me and squeezes me tight.

When we arrived in Rome and took our nap first thing, I had Wynter and Piper sleeping with me.  Wynter kept putting her arm around and over my back and it was the most precious feeling to me.

Taylor and I have taken a few walks together, or even as we’re just touring the sights and are walking next to each other, we instinctively take each other’s hands ... it feels so good to me ... that connection we have through holding hands.

And why is it that my heart fills with joy when I see my children holding each other’s hands?

I finally have our photos ready ... click here to see.  I am running out of space on my computer, so not sure if I will be able to post anything from Paris.  We leave tomorrow night and will be taking the overnight train to arrive Paris in the morning.  The girls are too excited!

day four of our italy tour

Let’s see ... where did I leave off?  Did I mention the serious jet lag our kids suffered?  I think it was Monday night they would not go to sleep.  Time outs in a dark room, threatened removal of all next-day ice cream, nothing worked!  They finally went to sleep around midnight.  Taylor couldn’t sleep in her room and came in around 12:30.  I finally got to sleep and the baby woke up around 1:00!  It was 2:30 before she got down again ...

Needless to say we were VERY late for our tour yesterday.  Once we got on the road, we had a really nice time.  We toured the Vatican museums {including the Sistine Chapel} ... so awesome to think about all the history there.  It was a little cooler being inside, so the kids were not as crabby either.  When we were done with the museums, it led into the Vatican {St. Peter’s} ... how awesome the sight!

When I visited Rome in an earlier life, I didn’t have the appropriate attire on {I think I had shorts on, or a sleeveless shirt?}, so never got to go in.  The second time I visited with Frank & Taylor, it was closing ... so Frank quickly ran Taylor in to get one picture and they ran out.  So I missed it again.  This time I saw it and it was awesome!  Beautiful!  Amazing!

It’s a completely different trip this time ... I remember walking all over Rome when we were here previously.  Taylor in her stroller, napping when she needed to and such a good little girl.  This time, the girls are cranky, we’re driving to see the sights, missing a lot that you would see on foot, but I don’t dare try and walk!  I see lovers kissing, holding hands, strolling.  I see us hurrying, sweating, wiping noses {2 sick kids}, getting back for nap time.  I remember the recent women’s conference I went to, and one of the women speakers asked how many of us had one child.  She joked and said “one is an accessory ... a handbag!”  She was joking of course ...

But as I was watching lovers love, I reflected on this comment and remembered how different that trip was that we took with Taylor.  This time we’re dragging around 4 kids, one with a nervous stomach.  And Odinn & Skye are with us too ... 8 total ... a much different trip.  And that’s okay, we are having a great time in the way that we know how to do it.  We’re creating memories that our kids will remember and cherish ... and I think that’s just fine.

Yesterday afternoon we took the girls swimming {a must!} and then to Piazza Navona for dinner and a walk around the square.  {No ice cream for the naughty girls ... and you better believe they went right to bed last night!!}

This morning, we met our tour guide and hopped in the bus ... ready to go?  Yep!  Crash!  Our driver missed the large poles that separated the hotel drive from the street and thought he could exit.  So we hopped in taxi’s and headed to the Catacombs ...

Taylor hadn’t been feeling well {she has nervous stomach ... especially when we travel ... and especially when we travel overseas}, and it got pretty bad with a long, hot taxi ride.  So by the time we got to the catacombs, she was done.  She and I ended up sitting in the foyer part of the museum.  It was a neat place and there were still some things I could look at.  She started feeling a little better and we were able to go to lunch.  Then back to the hotel for swimming.

For dinner we went to the Pantheon area ... toured the Pantheon {amazing!}, had dinner right outside of it, the girls all went on a carriage ride after dinner, and then some ice cream before we headed back to the hotel.  It’s 10:45 pm and I’m exhausted.

I’d love to publish some photos for you ... maybe tomorrow ...

{This photo was taken tonight inside the Pantheon.}

Ciao!  :)

bonjourno!

So we made it to Italy!  Yikes!!  The most kid {un}friendly flight crew in history!  My fault for not flying the friendly skies ... although we do have United on the way home, and also my advocate husband who told me he would’ve kicked some stewardess {booty}!!

After an hour or so delay on the runway, and a “can’t you keep those kids quiet” remark from large, tourist lady with inflatable pillow around her neck {okay, I just cracked myself up at that remark, but it’s true!}, and a baby that would NOT go to sleep ... “no sleep, no sleep” is all she’s saying as she looks like a drunken sailor ready to pass out.  Mama needs her sleep baby ... please go to sleep!!!  She finally fell asleep with 2 hours of the flight left.  Giving me a total of 6 hours of sleep 2 nights running!  We finally made it into Rome.

Awesome hotel!  Awesome weather {if you like it hot and you like hot, sweaty, crabby kids!}.  But seriously, you can’t go wrong in Rome.

Skye, the girls and I headed to our room, ordered some lunch and took a much needed nap.  When we woke up, we headed to the pool and Curt and Odinn arrived shortly after that.

We headed to the Spanish Steps area for dinner and a look around ... the weather had cooled down enough to enjoy.

This morning we overslept and ended up delaying our scheduled tour by an hour or so.  Then we headed to the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain.  If I get some time, I’ll try to put some photos up within the next few days.  I’ve added a post to my Broadway Paper blog, it’s got a crazy photo on it.  The kids were pretty hot and crabby and so done with touring.  We spent the afternoon at the pool and had a really nice dinner.

Tomorrow we’re visiting the Vatican and the day after that we’re looking at some Catacombs ... not sure what to expect there, but Curt’s all over it!

wooden spoon

Curt, Odinn, and Jon {Dudley} are over surviving over 1,000 miles of driving and climbing 4 of the tallest peaks in the UK, Scotland and Wales done in 3 days.  The challenge is called the Wooden Spoon and supports disadvantaged children in the UK.  Read more about the organization and event here.

Following are a few notes Curt’s sent me:

June 24 - Thank you guys for your support.. I really appreciate it ... the children of Britain thank you as well! We all arrived this afternoon and so got a first hand view of the tallest mountain in scotland... we are going to die.

June 24 - we had a flawless trip. 90 minute plane  to Glasgow and 3 hours by car up into the scottish highlands..man its gorgeous up here. However, cold and rainy. snow on the tops of the mountains..which are  much steeper and higher (and more slippery) than I ever thought....  OH MY ..THIS IS GOING TO BE TOUGH 

June 25 - We had a classic Scottish meal last night  and did a 3 1/2 hour practice hike halfway up the back side of Ben Nevis (the largest mountain in the UK) with the JD Engineering team this morning.. got rained on for the last 30.. tomorrow the frontal assault for leg one of the race.... 

Click here for more photos.