I am home again. Back in the states. The best part of it all so far has been getting caught up on blogs. That picture of Troy in the swimming pool is beyond classic! I happen to be showing people just to share in the silly joy that comes from seeing that.
What I miss most are the $0.50 ice cream cones at Mackers (McDonalds...which by the way everyone, and of course when I say everyone I"m exaggerating, but barely, loves McDonalds in Australia!). I had one every day except Sundays, and sometimes I had two. Why not?
Have any good cheap treat substitute ideas for me?
Love, Ice-Cream Cone lover
Early in the morning, I brought Baby Cub into bed with me. Big D had already left for work, so I didn't mind sharing the bed with Baby Cub. He started rolling around with adorable coos while I watched half asleep. Baby Cub pushed up onto hands and knees and scooted his bottom back until he was in a sitting position. I thought it was utterly amazing that he figured out how to do that on his own.
When I worked at Now I Can, I helped numerous children try to learn that very skill that Baby Cub mastered on my bed. The children at Now I Can, usually have some sort of neuromuscular disorder, mostly commonly cerebral palsy. They have to work very hard to learn how to sit, crawl, stand, walk, talk, and eat. It was an extremely humbling experience to be part of the children's journey to learn to do these simple yet difficult things.
As a child would take a first step, or sit independently, we would encourage them to say, "Now I Can." I wanted each of these children to be proud of the things they could do, instead of feeling limited by what they can not do.
My heart is full of gratitude that Baby Cub does not have to struggle to learn such simple tasks. My heart hopes that he will learn compassion for people that do go through those struggles. My heart wants him to be kind and helping to all he comes into contact with.
A recent visit to Now I Can with Tracey (the Director). I want to be like her someday!
Now I Can is competing in a competition on Facebook to win some much needed money. This money would fund scholarships for more children to receive therapy and the opportunity to say "Now I Can" at this amazing clinic. The voting ends on August 27th. You can vote 1 time everyday. Now I Can is not in the lead right now, but they are praying for a miracle. Now You Can help by please ask everyone you know on Facebook to vote for Now I Can.
Welcome back to the blog...I've missed you dearly.
I am now in Liverpool with my former mission companion Faiva. Originally she is from New Zealand, and her parents are Tongan. So yesterday we went to the Tongan congregation at church, and oh my was I in for a good time or what.
Have you ever heard of AFL? I'm guessing you may be thinking "American Football League" right now, because of course that is what I also thought. This is not correct however (I now see a reason for the NFL and not the AFL...), because it really means Australian Football League. I learned this because at the musical fireside I went to last night, the AFL team from Tonga was visiting. They were all decked out in white shirts with red ties. Wow they can sing!!! Wow wow wow. I need you to hear it. It's almost like sing-yelling, but not as harsh or bad as that sounds. But it is powerful. And all of the speeches and talks given were basically jokes about getting these fine young Tongan athletes married off to the Australian beauties. What an evening of giggles and laughter all around.
A few weekends ago Big D participated in the Northwest Passage Ragnar Relay race. It was amazing for many reasons.
First of all, Big D is not a runner. He read the book Born to Run, and got motivated. He started training and proved to be more diligent than I when it came to training. Of course he really needed to train because the Ragnar Relay is a serious race.
It is 190 miles with a 12 person team. Each person runs 3 legs of the relay with a total milage of between 12 and 21 miles. They run continuously through the night, so the sleep deprivation is part of the challenge. They rent vans and drive along the route meeting each runner at the designated exchange spots.
When I heard what this was, I thought HOW STUPID!!! THAT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE FUN AT ALL. But Big D's friend Dust is an excellent salesman, and so Big D was sold and committed. The surprising part (and more idiotic part to me) was that their team was going to dress and RUN in full costume. The team name was Lord of Ragnar and therefore they were each assigned to dress like a character from the the series, The Lord of the Rings.
I called Sally (Dust's wife) and told her that I thought this was so ridiculous that Big D was on his own for finding a costume. I could not help with this idiotic project. Sally told me that designing, and making the costumes is what made this strenuous race fun for these guys. I rolled my eyes, and listened to Big D make a sword in the garage.
Big D was to be an Uruk'hai (some scary type of Orc). Unfortunately they do not sell Uruk'hai costumes on the internet like they do for the more popular characters of the Lord of the Rings, so Big D had to come up with his own costume.
One week before the race, we were driving back from the Warrior Dash with some friends. Big D started complaining about how his costume was not done and how his own wife was not helping him. I again told him that I thought it was too stupid to be a part of. I also said that I would probably be cheering for my Stroller Stride friends who were running the race instead of him, due to being incredibly embarrassed by his costume and team.
After being so blunt and slightly harsh, I felt bad and decided to let my strong opinions go for the sake of my marriage and help Big D with his costume. Now, I am proud to said we made an awesome costume. At 4am on the day of the race, I woke up and painted his face and gave him a supportive slap on the butt and told him to "Go get 'em!" Then I got back in bed and prayed that this stupid race would not be the cause of an injury or accident to my husband.
The Lord of the Ragnar started their race at 8am on Friday morning. Saturday morning I took the boys with me to Whidbey Island to see Big D run the 33rd leg of the 36 total leg relay race. When I arrived at the exchange point, I realized that The Lord of the Ragnar team was the most popular team there. Everyone LOVED them, and were in total awe of their costumes. They were seriously celebrities.
Surprised, I decided to NOT pretend like I didn't know my husband, but instead cheer for him proudly. At each exchange, the guys acted out a fight scene that drew all sorts of attention. Big D had only gotten 2 hours of sleep in a stinky car, but he ran his last 7 miles like a true Uruk'hai. I followed him along his trail. We would pull over and let T Bear stand on top of the car and cheer for him (and other runners - #80 was a favorite). At Big D's finishing point, there was another epic battle. When they finished a lady runner asked T Bear if that was his Daddy. T Bear said, "Yes. My daddy is the strongest."
All the members of the team ran together across the finish line together. The director of the race turned on the theme music from the movie, and spectators pulled out their video recorders and cameras. Big D and his crazy team created a HUGE battle scene as they crossed the finished. People were coming up and asking to take pictures with them and telling them how awesome they were. It was a total boost for their egos.
Big D had so much fun, he said he would do it again. I conceded that I was glad I participated in this event with him. I was proud of him too.
Be sure to watch the video - it is so well done. Thanks to Dust and his crazy family for getting us in on the fun.
-Miss T
Scary! His friend made him fake teeth to wear as well, but they were not that easy to run with.
Strangers slowed down to take pictures of them running. Doesn't Big D look good in those Women's Leggings?
FYI - The results came in. And apparently if you do a theatrical show at every exchange you're not likely to WIN the Ragnar Relay. The Lord of the Ragnar team averaged a 9:30 minute/mile for 190 miles. I thought that was impressive until Big D told me they were in the last 25% of the finishing teams. The winning team averaged a 6:04 minute/mile pace. INCREDIBLE! This is definitely a race for the serious (and certified crazy) runners out there.
I have been having major issues with Google/Gmail. I think I have finally figured out my blogger account and all other google accounts. So I am back and ready to blog. I have so many good stories to tell you. Like..... The Lord of the Ragnar, a Flash Mob, my worse plane ride ever, running a red light, and more.
For now, enjoy our face paint. If you are ever bored, play with face paint. It will turn a boring afternoon into a memorable day with lots of laughter. I dedicate our Harry Potter baby to Bert - don't you love it?
Hope you are having fun down under, -Miss T
PS If any of you friends have private blogs, please send me a new invite. Send it to tenleypickett(at)gmail.com I am still using my cutlercrew email address, just needed a different email to use blogger. Thanks! I want to read your blog too.
