My McCar

Well, I've been thinking and wishing and hoping and praying and it finally happened - I got a new car! I call it my McCar (Mc stands for midlife crisis). It's an AWD Chrysler Sebring. Black with heated leather seats and a drink holder that heats or chills your beverage. Yes, I am spoiled (thank you David . . . I love you!).

Election Day 2008

Here's a picture of me and my fellow election workers on November 4, 2008 - Election Day. I have been working the election for several years now and really enjoy it. I am the Spring Chicken in the group (all of the other ladies are 50+). We expected a large turn-out and weren't disappointed when the polls opened at 7:00 a.m. - there was a bigger line of people waiting to vote than I had ever seen before. In the afternoon, things slowed down as expected. We planned on another rush in the evening that never happened. The last few hours seems like years - it was painful. I fear that the early reporting of polls on the east coast discouraged Alaskans from voting. Turn-out was much smaller than expected:(


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The Final Game

Bartlett's final Volleyball game of the season was last Friday. This was also "Senior Night" where the team honored the Senior players. David and I got to escort Amy onto the court where she was presented gifts from her teammates. It was very emotional for all of us. Volleyball is her first love and David and I have loved watching her play. It's a chapter in her life that is over now, but one that we have many fond memories of.

Bartlett Homecoming 2008

Much to our surprise (who knew freshmen boys could be so popular?), Daniel was voted Bartlett Freshman Homecoming Prince. He rode a float at half-time during the Homecoming game and waved to his fans. His sisters and friends used this opportunity to tease him mercilessly. Here are Emily, Dan and Amy before the Homecoming dance. Way to go Dan!

Birthdays!

August and September 2008 brought several BIG birthdays to our family. Amy turned 18, Michael turned 10 and David turned (gulp) 50! I don't understand how he keeps aging, but I stay so young:) Amy and Michael celebrated their actual birthday at our cabin in Nikiski and then had parties with their friends a few weeks later.

Amy's "friend party" was at our cabin in Wasilla. She invited l0ts of friends and we thought it would be too cold to go jet skiing (it was), so we put together a game room in the garage with a pool table, ping pong table and an air hockey table. When the guests arrived, they headed straight for the lake - I couldn't believe it! It was way too cold to get into the water, but they did it anyway and had a great time. Afterwards we ate sloppy joes and birthday cake. Then the guys went home and the girls stayed for a sleepover party. Amy said it was her "dream party".

Michael invited his friends to the Anchorage Gymnastic Association to play on the trampolines and in the foam pit. He had a great time also.

And for the best part - David's co-workers decorated his office like a graveyard, bought him gag gifts and hired a singing telegram to wish him happy birthday. When I asked him if he had fun, he said he didn't, but everyone that worked with him sure did (they couldn't stop laughing).

Back To School

Well, my favorite time of the year is here - back to school! Amy is a Senior, Emily a Junior and Daniel a Freshman at Bartlett High School. Stephen is in 7th grade at Begich Middle School and Michael is in fourth grade at Scenic Park Elementary. Amy is playing volleyball, Daniel is in football and Emily and Stephen are both participating in cross-country running. I am a full-time chauffeur.

It is hard for me to believe that I have three children old enough to be in High School! If I really want to freak myself out, I think about Amy leaving for college this time next year. I know mothers for generations have said this but, "They grow up so fast!"

Fun in Wasilla

We have a new place to play!! We recently purchased (along with Steve and Deanne) a cabin on a lake just north of Wasilla. It is only 50 minutes away from our home and the lake is big enough that we can jet ski, water ski and have a great time. I invited my parents, Duncan's family, Jessica's family and David and Teresa who were visiting from Nevada with their baby Drew for a potluck and water fun day yesterday (8/2/08). We had hoped that Kristina and her kids could join us, but they were in Kenai with Kristina's parents.

We had a blast! The weather was less than ideal (low 60's and cloudy), but it didn't rain. On the way home the kids and I discussed how much more fun it was to be at the cabin with a large group of family members verses just by ourselves. We are so blessed to have so many of our family members here in Alaska with us and we are especially excited when our out-of-state family can come visit. We hope to do it again soon:)

2008 Mayor's Marathon

Well, I did it! I completed my second full marathon on June 21, 2008. My first was the same marathon last year. According to my more seasoned running friends, when you have completed one marathon, you have "run a marathon". But, when you have completed two marathons, you are a "marathoner"! I have the title, so I think I will quit now:)

This marathon was more difficult for me because I was side-lined for three weeks during training with a foot injury. I rode my bike with my running parter (Kay) for the training runs while I was injured. I thought that if I was sufficiently rested and hydrated for the race, it wouldn't make a big difference. Apparently, riding a bike isn't a sufficient substitute for marathon training! The first thirteen miles were actually fun. I even thought to myself as I was running "This is really fun!". Miles 14 - 20 weren't fun anymore. From mile 20 to 26.2, I was hurting. I offered a police officer a bribe at mile 20 to take me to the finish line, but he was incorruptible. He had the audacity to say "You've only got six more miles to go." I wanted to punch him!

Amazingly, my time was two minutes faster than last year and I was able to manage a weak smile at the finish line. The two minutes I saved came from not stopping to use the Porta-Potty on the trail. Whatever works, right?

Finishing was a great confidence builder - especially when it was so painful. I don't plan on doing another marathon in the near future, but maybe a half. I have learned to never say never though. I believe there is a Honolulu marathon in January . . . you could probably twist my arm for that one!

Recital

Amy, Emily and I performed at a Spring Recital on June 16, 2008 at the Eagle River Fine Arts Academy. We have a wonderful teacher (Suzy) that we all LOVE! Amy played two piano pieces: "Fur Elise" and "Ballade Pour Adeline". Emily played an original piano piece (yet un-named) and did a vocal solo performance of "Wonderful" from the musical Wicked. I played a rag-time piece on the piano that I had practiced so much that I could have played it in my sleep - just ask the kids!

Memorial Adventures

Well, I had a very eventful Memorial Week-end! It started on Thursday when I picked-up Emily from school (the last day of school) and drove to Fairbanks. We were traveling to Fairbanks to see Amy compete in the High School State Track Championships. Amy had left earlier that day on a school bus with the rest of the track team. I was nervous about the trip because I had never driven to Fairbanks before and I didn't really know where I was going. I found out that it's almost impossible to get lost - you get on the Parks Highway and just drive and drive and drive. The scenery was breathtaking and reminded me why I love this state so much. After about two hours on the road, I felt myself getting sleepy and jokingly asked Emily if she would like to drive for awhile. Emily has her learner's permit and is a scary driver. She hasn't had much driving experience because she doesn't like to drive. I really didn't expect her to say yes, but to my surprise she did. Boy, I was wide awake fast when Emily took the wheel! She did a good job and drove for over 100 miles. I was very proud of her. We almost made it to Fairbanks when cars that had been traveling about the same speed slowed down quite a bit. I wasn't sure why, so I just passed them all. That's when it happened - yup, I got a speeding ticket! I guess the other drivers knew which spots to be wary of. The trooper was extremely nice though and although I was going 12 miles over the speed limit, he wrote me up for 9 so that it would only cost me two points instead of four.

We pulled into Fairbanks a little over six hours after we left Anchorage and with a small amount of confusion, found our hotel. It wasn't quite as nice as the pictures on the internet, but it was clean and the staff was friendly. We walked across the alley to a restaurant for dinner and then drove to find the High School where the championships were being held the next morning. It was easy to find and only minutes from the hotel.

Amy's event (high jumping) was the first event Friday morning. We arrived early and watched the high jumpers warm up. She seemed very nervous. The starting height was 4'6" and Amy had jumped 4'10" in practice. Jumpers get three chances to clear each height. If they don't make it in three jumps, they are out of the competition. Amy missed all three of her jumps at 4'6". We are so proud of her for making it to state her first year going out for high school track, but knew she was disappointed in her performance. After a few tears, we cheered her friends and teammates in their events. In the end the Bartlett boys took FIRST in state and the girls took third.

Amy rode home Saturday night with the track team and got back to Anchorage at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. I don't especially enjoy driving all night, so Emily and I stayed Saturday night in Fairbanks, got up Sunday morning, attended church and then drove home. The drive home was equally breathtaking and we even got to see a small heard of caribou! I watched my speed this time and got home without another visit with a trooper.

Monday morning (Memorial Day) the whole family packed up for a four-wheeling day trip. Our friend Angela was staying with us while her parents were out of town, so she joined us. We traveled to our favorite four-wheeling spot - Knik River. We went up river a ways and found a nice spot to build a campfire. We roasted hot dogs, shot guns, climbed the cliffs and played in the river. On our way back to the truck, we stopped at some sand dunes to play on and off of our four-wheelers. The kids found a cliff that they had a blast jumping off of into the soft sand. It was tons of fun!!

When we got back to the truck, we were dirty, tired and hungry. We were a motley crew, but stopped in at a Chinese restaurant in Palmer anyway. Fortunately, they didn't turn us away:)The food was wonderful and we ended the day fat and happy!

A Mother Is . . . by David

A mother is one who spanks our bum

when we yell and hit and fight;

But she's always there to calm our fears

when things go bump in the night.

A mother is one who screams real loud

when we're running late for the bus;

But scrape a knee, or stub a toe?

It's mother who comforts us!

A mother rules like a mighty queen,

with a stern and fearsome glance;

But her tearful eye and gentle nod

gives us a second chance.

A mother is one who cooks and cleans

and slaves away the day;

But a hug and kiss and "I love you"

is all she asks for pay.

A mother aches as her babies grow

and set out on their own;

(they'll always be her little ones,

even when they're grown).

A mother has answers to everything,

she'll fix any toy that breaks;

A mother is courage, and softness and joy,

and everything else it takes.

We're never far from our mother's heart;

(she has pictures in her purse).

The one complaint I really have?

She won't still let me nurse!!!

My First Post!!

Okay, like all new things this is a little scary! Inspired by my more creative friends, I've decided to take a stab at starting (and hopefully maintaining) a family blog. I am Teresa married to the dashing David, mother of the incredibly talented and beautiful/handsome Amy (17), Emily (16), Daniel (14), Stephen (12) and Michael (9). I am originally from Utah, David from Colorado. Our families both moved to Anchorage, Alaska when we were still kids and Anchorage is where we met, fell in love and are living today. We married on December 2, 1989 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple (there wasn't a temple in Alaska at that time) and have been living "happily ever after" since - really, I'm not kidding!!! My life is the fairy tale I've always dreamed of.

I am currently a stay-at-home mom and very busy with mommy stuff, church stuff, volunteering and hobbies. I am a volunteer for LDS Family Services with a special assignment to work with un-wed mothers. I work with some incredible people at LDSFS and find it very fulfilling. A good friend got me running with her a few years ago and I ran my first marathon last summer (2007). I am currently side-lined with a minor injury, but hope to run my second marathon this June. I started taking piano lessons with my daughters last year and am really having fun learning to play. I also joined a book club last year (last year was my "get a life" year) and am reading for fun for the first time since I was a kid- I love it!

Amy is just finishing her Junior year in High School. She's a fun-loving, athletic, smart, very cute and flirty young lady. Her first love is volleyball - she got that from David. She has a tomboy side that loves to go four-wheeling and snow machining with her dad and brother (Dan). She recently got herself invited on a snow machine trip with a group of young men in our ward and beat them all in jumping snow machines. Unfortunately when she landed, her helmet hit the handle bars and she ended up with a split lip. She wore it proudly like a war wound!

Emily is finishing up her Sophomore year. Emily is a stunning (super model-ish), highly intelligent, incredibly creative poet, musician and vocalist. She plays the piano and cello and has composed several original songs. She has a 60's, Bohemian style and is going to save the world someday through beautiful music. She prefers not to do anything athletic, but due to the fact that you have to have PE credits to graduate, she joined the track team this year. She surprised everyone (including herself) by competing in the 800 and 1600 meter races.

Dan is in his last year of middle school. He is also incredibly intelligent, athletic, musically talented and very good-looking. He plays the trumpet in early-morning jazz band and the french horn in school. He is good at almost any sport he tries and has wrestled, played soccer, ran track and cross-country, high-jumped and triple-jumped. His plans for next year include high school football. He loves power sports and spends every minute he can on either a four-wheeler, snow machine or jet ski. He got his learner's permit last year and drives my mini-van (with me shot-gun) more than I do.

Stephen is at the end of his sixth grade year. He attends the same middle school that Dan does. Stephen is a super smart, witty, gifted musician and a street gymnast. I don't know anyone who excels so much with so little effort. He is truly gifted. He plays the trombone in school and spends half of his life on the trampoline. He can also do round-offs and front and back flips on the ground. These skills have made him pretty popular at school where he likes to show off.

Michael is and always will be my baby. The other kids say I spoil him and I have to admit that I am guilty as charged. Case in point: Michael slept in our bed and nursed for the first four years of his life. As a consequence of that, his top four baby teeth rotted and had to be pulled when he was a toddler. I feel really bad about that. He is nine now and his permanent teeth still haven't come in, but he seems to be doing just fine without them. His dentist promises me that they will be in before he starts dating. Michael has a dual personality. If he doesn't know you, he's very shy and will hardly speak. If he becomes comfortable around you, he's a total chatter box. He has a sharp mind especially when it comes to math and is very popular at school. He's in third grade at the same elementary school David attended when he a kid. He was in the chess club this year, ran track and is currently playing Minor League Baseball with his best friend Ryan.

Well, if you've stuck with me this long, you must be my mother. So mom, tell me what you think!