The Mouse, The Myth, The Legend

I doubt there is anything more that I can share with you about Disneyland that you don't already know, except that there is a central line of the worlds most perfect Coca Cola which is dispensed by arteries throughout the entire park, the churrors are still unsurpassed, and the Yellow Submarines still bite. Having said that, I'll just share the vacation experience via pictures.  First stop..the beach.

Home again, home again.

A perfect Baywatch run.  Mitch Buchanan would be proud.

Not convinced they should be slurped.



A quick visit to the beach, but a good one. 
I found my first piece of sea glass and 50 cents worth of a sand dollar.



My 1st visit to Disneyland circa 1986.
Riley asked why Papa was wearing his swim trunks.

Ok it's a deal.  You wear enormous sized sunglasses & I'll tie my shirt in a knot.



Their 1st visit.  Cold, wet, and rainy. 
Let me see what I can do about that.

Handing Walt my last c-note in exchange for some better weather.



Space Mountain - the 1st ride I ever went on too.



A little timid after hearing the roars from the Matterhorn's "abdominal snow monster," but Tyler seemed ok.



Look it worked!  Warm weather, warm weather.

A cup of "T."

There's swine flu, avian flu, mad cow and something about horse herpes?
I've heard there's an uprise in Amphibious Typhus.  I'll keep you posted.

I think he found his wish & he's taking it back.  I know I am.



Tyler loves trains!  Especially ones with really big chuggers.



How could he resist her?

"You can learn a lot of things from the flowers."

No caption necessary.

Summer is here, even if the temperature doesn't feel like it yet, and this fat bottomed girl has got to make the rockin' world go round.  Next up..a really, really long bike ride in Logan with more to follow.  Keep in touch my friends and with that, I bid you adieu.

Pet Peeve #9: When the National Anthem is performed in a way to showcase one’s vocal abilities (as though it’s being recorded for a top 40 hit), without reverence and selflessness, and NOT KNOWING THE LYRICS.

When I am Queen, the first item of business will be a ban on vocal variations when performing this song, effective immediately.

Other items of business, Congrats to SLCPD’s Robbery Squad for their kick-ass solvability stats, and to Det. Mike for completing his chemo/radiation treatments for Hodgkin’s!

As the country prepares cemeteries and monument sites for Memorial Day, and we as a nation acknowledge the sacrifices made by many on both foreign lands and the home front, two memories immediately come to mind.

First is from a visit to Washington D.C. on a warm, humid night. The Korean War Memorial and the surrounding monuments are lit so that they can be visited on self-guided tours after dark. There was lightning that night, non-threatening but frequent and the strikes would add a flash of light to the silent, motionless soldiers on patrol. They wear rain jackets and each one looking in a different direction, their expressions solemn yet focused. As I walked around this memorial I felt that even if it wasn’t intended to be viewed at night, it should be. How terrifying it would have been to not know, nor be able to see clearly what lies ahead, and yet these soldiers continue moving forward with bravery and purpose.

The second is that of the burial for a Fallen Officer. I didn’t know this officer well as I had only been working at the police department’s dispatch center for about 9 months. The great loss of this man was evident by the overwhelming feeling of grief the day that he was killed, and became most apparent to me at the end of that long shift when I46 gave the radio transmission that this fallen officer was 10-42 (end of service). Never again would I hear such sorrow in an officer’s voice as he respectfully ended his friend & co-workers shift. I could barely get past the lump in my throat to reply with an audible time check.

Following the funeral service in Herriman, it was a very long drive to the cemetery. The procession went on for miles. I saw something even more impressive than the endless line of police vehicles, motorcycles and glowing light bars. It was the assisting police agencies that helped with traffic control. Each officer or trooper assigned to an intersection was not just directing traffic, but standing at attention, as were many of the citizens that lined the streets. Traveling to Bountiful the freeway crosses over Beck Street. It was there off to the side, that construction workers stood facing the motorcade with their hats over their hearts. It’s most likely they didn’t know this officer, but they expressed their gratitude with this simple gesture. It was mid July, stifling hot, and the Bountiful Cemetery filled with people, all there to pay respect to one who made the ultimate sacrifice. After the 21-gun salute, the wind picked up and made the temperature bearable with a warm breeze as “Taps” was played.

All give some…some give all. A sentiment that couldn’t be more true and appropriate as we remember those who have given their all, be that soldiers of war, parents & children of soldiers, and those who protect us a little closer to home too.

Thank you to my grandfather’s, uncles, friends, co-workers, and all those who served in the Armed Forces.

One Not So Simple

A friend asked me how I came up with Lake Louise on my list of “places I would rather be.” I wish I had a short answer for that. Some time ago I was looking for a picture of Wall Lake in the Uintas, as my Google-images luck would have, I landed right in the middle of another blog. Immediately, I recognized that this was not the particular Wall Lake that I was looking for, so I read the blog for awhile to find where this one was located. Apparently, there is a Wall Lake in Canada as well. By now I was curious to learn more about the author. I bounced around the blog entries and quickly saw that she was a bicycle enthusiast and enjoyed reading about her excitement during her trips to Moab & Park City, and then I went a little numb. Damn it. She had cancer too. I now had to back up to the beginning of this blog to the first entry to read it completely through. My heart ached when I got towards the end and read that Heather did not survive breast cancer. Her friends & family have participated in cancer related fundraising bicycle rides & races, one of which was in Banff National Park, explaining how I stumbled upon photos of Lake Louise.

If you wish to read about Heather, her blog is http://onesimplegirl.wordpress.com

There you have it. Even more ironic, I was looking back in my calendar and exactly one year ago today I completed my last chemo treatment. Everyone said and everything I read told me it would be about a year before my body (and the rest of me too I suppose) would be back to normal. Not even close. Sure some things are much better, but I still have a lot of room for improvement. Now, rather than ending this entry on such a downer…let me share with you some of the best things I’ve heard recently.

Tyler: Mom, turn the water off! (As I was filling the tub with him already in it) The house is going to be all float.

Hmm…think this kid has heard any talk of floods lately?

Ever since Riley was a baby I’ve massaged her feet. I know, that doesn’t make sense for a person who finds feet repulsive (which I’m certain stemmed from working at a public pool for so long) to want to massage them right? She still loves it and while I do this before bedtime, she just starts talking about random happenings.

Riley: I saw a picture of you at Grandma’s when you were really young.

Me: Oh? Which one?

Riley: Well you had on red gloves and a tan jacket…

PAUSE FOR EXPLAINATION– When I was 15, my best friend & I had our “glamour shots” taken at Crossroads mall. Some of these photos have since resurfaced, although I thought I had destroyed all existing copies. A few of you know EXACTLY the one I’m talking about, and for that I’m truly sorry.

Riley: You looked a lot younger. You looked like a stranger, you know like someone going on a date to eat dinner or go bowling.

Me: (internal thought) Where does she come up with this stuff?

Tyler: Mom how old are you?

Me: Old.

Riley: But how old ARE you?

Me: I’m 35.

Riley & Tyler in unison: 35 YEARS OLD?!

Thanks kids. When your college funds are spent on my mid-life crisis, you’ll understand why.

Don't let these faces fool you.

I had put Tyler in a “time out.” He was adamant that he could sneak out, so I put him back in his room. He started crying as I walked down the hall so I stopped and just listened. His cries soon stopped then he said out loud,

“This is all my fault.”

Tyler I’m so proud of you. Most adults, me included, can’t and will not say those very words.

 

Tyler: Goodbye friend. I’ll love you tomorrow.

 

“You should never settle for who you are.” Michael Scott

What the_____?!

That has become the kid's favorite expression. There have been a few occasions when the question/sentiment has ended in a mild 4-letter word for which I take full responsibility. However, that’s exactly what went through my mind when I woke up this morning and looked outside only to see snow...again. It’s the last week of April so “What the hell?!” was completely appropriate. Even Riley looked out and said “I just want all this snow to melt!” C’mon Mother Nature, I understand menopause is rough, but maybe consider some hormone replacement therapy because this is really tiresome.

Here are a few places that I would rather be right now other than a cold 40 degrees in Utah:



Havasupai Falls



Musée Océanographique de Monaco



Keukenhof



Lake Louise - Canada





Seychelles











Here are some places you will never find me:

 

Dubai Hotels - or the Tower of Babel













Idiots!  And not only for wearing Speedos.





Preikestolen

 

Smoked crack prior to this photo op



Where would you go?  Or NOT go?

Gravity Always Wins

There are two that terrify me. First is needles, I cannot watch anything drawn from or being injected into me. I’d fail as a heroin addict. My second greatest fear...heights. This became very apparent when I was about 8 years old and hiked to the Timpanogos Cave with my family. Only a mile and a half hike up a non-strenuous paved trail, yet it felt like an eternity to accomplish. About mid-way up, I looked out into the canyon. Suddenly I felt like I could plummet to my death at any given moment. The vast open view was so overwhelming that I started to cry and continued crying the rest of the hike as I hugged the rock wall. The worst part was each switchback and knowing that I no longer had my precious wall to cling to. I’m sure my parents were already carrying a sibling on their backs, or else I would’ve made them carry me. Miraculously, I made it to the cave. I found complete comfort among the stalactites & stalagmites being tucked inside far from that treacherous drop-off. I was amazed by the incredible things I was seeing all around me, salt & pepper shakers, the shape of a St. Bernard’s head, and the mighty heart of the cave itself. I don’t even remember the walk down, getting in the car, or the drive home.

I went back to Timpanogos in my 20’s, this time to hike to the summit with my friends Sharra and Tony. We started early one summer morning. The weather was beautiful and there were a few mountain goats here & there. By afternoon we reached the summit, a little more than 11,700 feet about sea level. I couldn’t help but notice all the little groups of scub-scouts that made it there before me. I was a strong & healthy 20-something year old and slightly perturbed to find these little buggers had got here first! They must have started the night before.

There were plenty of rocks to secure myself between while we ate lunch. The anxiety didn’t kick in until we started our descent and reached the top of the Timp Glacier. It was July or August, still hot, but the glacier remained a frozen chunk of ice with a thin upper layer of slush. I sat at the top of this steep slope and looked down. What a breathtaking view, especially of Emerald Lake. There is was, an icy cold body of water, waiting to engulf you as you rapidly approach it while sliding down the hill at neck-break speeds.

I sat on my windbreaker tied around my waist, and noticed the squad of booger-miners slide down on their black Hefty garbage bags. Again! Beat by 8 year olds! Then Sharra & Tony took off without hesitation. I watched them glissade down so carefree. Obviously, they had done this before. I continued to sit and contemplated just how long it was take me to hike down the long way. I’m not sure how long I had sat there praying for someone to come up from behind and just shove me on my way, but I finally took a deep breath and went for it. It-was-so-fun! The rest of the hike, or hobble, was interesting, as the inherited arthritis in my knees had fully kicked-in by now. Aside from that, it was a great experience.



Approximately 1998 B.C. (before children), I went backpacking in the Uintas with a few friends/co-workers. We started at the Crystal Lake trailhead and made our way to Wall Lake. Not an exhausting hike, but once we set up camp we knew what needed to happen next. It was August and hot, especially for Uinta temperatures in the early evening.

There are two things you should know about a group of lifeguards:



I'm sure the lake was much,
much lower when I was there.



1) It is futile to expect them to stay out of water.

2) Water-safety rules do not apply to them, or so they think, (e.g. don’t just pack it, wear your jacket, cold can kill, and look before you leap.)



There was the lake, beckoning us to jump in, and not just jump in from the shore, but literally jump in. There’s a good reason why it is named Wall Lake. It was easy to climb up the wall of rocks, forgetting just how high up I had got before realizing I still had to come back down, one way or another. There I was again, like several times before, watching everyone else go first while I stood there, trying my best to muster enough courage to follow and wishing for that push from behind. Then pride stepped up and I finally jumped in. The water was a cold rush and once submerged it felt like my breath was stolen from my lungs, at the same time it was exhilarating.

Recently, I went snowboarding this winter after a 7-year hiatus, with my brother.  It wasn't too long before I got the hang of it again, and Shane was kind enough to let me warm up on the easy runs indicated by the welcoming green circles.  Then push came to shove, just like we were growing up, and he led me down an intermediate/expert trail.  It was so difficult for me to break out of the norm and feel comfortable about it, especially as I passed the blood-splattered snow (not my own, but a previous victim suffering from mid-life crisis) and thought to myself, "What the hell am I doing?"  However, I soon found myself having fun, exhausting, but fun.

I’m thirty-five years old and still afraid of needles and climbing ladders puts my stomach in knots. I don’t expect to overcome my fear of heights entirely, but it has been nice to have it lapse for a few moments. Maybe it’s not actually height itself that I fear, there is some incredible scenery way up there, more so I’m just afraid of the fall. Then again, who isn’t? Don’t expect me to go rock climbing, sky diving, or get a Frisbee off the roof. I’d like to be around for another 35 years and I know my limits.

Little Tigers

Not only does having 2 kids under the age of 5, and only 19 months apart make for a deadly combination (mostly for the parents), but add to their natural ninja skills and cyclone-like abilities a few months of Tae Kwon Do lessons and you have your own miniature lethal weapons.



I’m not sure what makes me more proud, the fact that Riley can kick butt & the fact that pushups & sit-ups are no problem for her, or that Tyler has truly found his calling as class clown.

Conversations similar to this have the standard form of entertainment:
Tyler, age 4, turns to fellow 4 year old student as they wait in line to demonstrate their skills and says,
“Do you have a pet dog?”
“No.”
“Do you have a pet cat?”
“No.”
“Then do you have a pet alligator?”
At this point I couldn’t hear the response over the laughter in the room.

This man has the patience of a saint.
Lucky for the student that has the
attention span of a ferret.



 

Riley - Master Kim - Tyler

photo by Stephanie Burnett

"Let us first be as simple and well as Nature ourselves, dispel the clouds which hang over our brows, and take up a little life into our pores."

   - Walden, Henry David Thoreau -

The Great Wave

 

Last week I rushed to a map of Japan to find proximity of Gifu to Sendai, hoping they were no where close to each other. I was relieved to find that there is a good distance between the two.



August 1994, following my high school graduation, I had the fortunate experience of traveling to Japan for about 2 weeks with a group of teenagers. (Ironically, my mom also stayed in Japan the summer following her graduation.) This was my first time flying on an airplane, 14 hours later we landed at the Narita airport. The combination of heat and humidity was like nothing I had experienced before! Then we took a bus ride for several more hours to Gifu. I was already amazed by the landscape, terraced rice paddies on one side of the highway, a racing bullet train and bustling cities on the other.

Not only was the trip by itself great,

but I shared the experience with one of my best friends.

We arrived at Kakamigahara City Hall late that night and waited excitedly to meet our host families. I met my family, the Watanabe’s; Kunio, Tomoko, their 10 year old daughter Mariko, 8 year old son Junpei and Kunio’s elderly parents. That first night is still a blur and thankful for the short drive to their home. I was exhausted and after exchanging a few gifts I put my head on my buckwheat hull-filled pillow, blinked, and it was already time to wake up.

Kunio, Tomoko, Me, Mariko, and Junpei

Breakfast...a salad with an Asian-version of Thousand Island dressing, and miso soup. Have I mentioned that I used to be the pickiest eater in the world? Not helpful when traveling to a foreign country. Luckily, I didn’t struggle too much with the cuisine and I loved that Kunio owned a restaurant that (to the best to my knowledge) translated to “The Spaghetti Jungle.” I still don’t know what I ate in some of those dishes, but it was delicious.

Wasabi anyone? 

I still feel the same way towards most sushi.

I immediately noticed the little, and not so little, differences. They are impeccably clean people, second only to my Aunt Pam. Tokyo was litter-free, their home was spotless, and then there was the bathroom. The toilet was located in its own room separate from the rest of the bathroom with specific house slippers to use while in there. What a novel idea! The toilet itself was half robot, complete with its own control panel. There was a bidet option, seat warmer, gluteus maximus massage, and though I’m not certain, the ability to launch a small spacecraft into orbit. I didn’t dare try any of them for fear of pressing the one falsely announcing to those inside the house that I was fresh out of toilet paper and fearing they would walk right in with a delivery, as the females had no qualms about doing that while I was showering. That was weird.

 

Kyoto

During my “home-stay” my family not only took me to places such as Inuyama Castle, Buddhist temples, the Sea of Japan, Kyoto and Nagoya, but showed me what their everyday life was like. We went shopping for groceries, watched the kids karate lessons and some insane game shows on TV, went swimming, and “camping” which was more like an all-day picnic in the forest, and of course, karaoke.



Sea of Japan
Mihama Nuclear Plant on the left

The grocery store was quite an experience! We didn’t have Target around here yet, so the concept of buying everything from kimonos, watches, books, and food in one place was amazing. That was the first time I’d seen a nashi (Asian pear) the size of a basketball. (While growing up, my best friend had a nashi tree in her yard; they grew to about the size of a small apple. I was already familiar with them and loved the taste, but these were incredible!) Then Kunio motioned for me to see what he found on the floor near one of the displays. It was an insect (probably a beetle) the size of my hand. I still get chills thinking about it, it was disgusting! They found my reaction quite comical. So amusing, in fact, that later the kids took me for a walk amid a bamboo forest near their house. The area was beautiful and the noise from the cicadas was near deafening, and yet wonderful as I had never heard anything like it before. They showed me where to find more giant creatures and insects, and they picked them up without a second thought, running dangerously close to my face with them.





Just as I was feeling comfortable with the customs, language, and personalities of my host family, it was time to go. It was a solemn morning as we said goodbye to each other. Their hospitality & generosity was overwhelming, I felt I could never say “thank you” enough. We boarded the bus and headed to Tokyo for the last few days of our trip.

Only 5'3 but I felt like a giant there.

I can’t even begin to describe Tokyo. A bunch of teenagers, some really cool chaperones and a city that seemed to run 24 hours a day was phenomenal! We did most of our sight-seeing during the day and took the subway downtown at night. The city was lit up with neon signs, vendors selling knock-offs of every sort, and fresh, mouthwatering pineapple sold on the streets that were packed with pedestrians. It was so fun, but by the end of the trip I was homesick.

Downtown Tokyo

Since my visit, I have corresponded with the Watanabe’s and every year we exchange gifts at Christmas. A package arrives filled with intriguing candies, snacks, toys for my kids, pictures from their travels, and traditional Japanese decorative items and the clean paper-like scent on everything is exactly how I remember it in Japan. I was so excited when I learned that Mariko was planning a trip to Salt Lake City when she was 14 years old. Following a painstaking game of phone tag, I arranged for her to stay at my family’s home. At the end of her visit it was a tearful goodbye. I still consider the Watanabe’s my family and I’ll continue to wait anxiously until I know that they are safe.