TOGETHER!

WE WILL ALL BE TOGETHER TOMORROW! Hurray!

Stain Glass and Crane Tree

There is a cathedral near Columbia (actually it is where they hold graduation). In it there is a paper crane tree that is gorgious. On our way to campus, Stephanie and I stopped to check it out. We are in the picture, but it just is a little dark! The tree was beautiful and so was the cathedral. The above pictures are of the stain glass window. It is the largest one in the country. The center is of Christ and it is 5 feet seven inches tall. It was amazing!

I've got a ride!

Worry about the transit strike no longer! Although they still don't know about it and workers in Queens have already begun striking...I have a way to the airport and a sweet cousin who offered to take me. Chy called last night and offered to have me stay the night with them and then get up literally at the crack of dawn to take me to the airport. How sweet! Because of my over abundance of suitcasage (probably due to dirty laundry) I just decided to take a car service. My roommate new about a cheap one, so I called and booked it. I leave my apt. at 4:15 am...but it is all worth it to be home! love ya all and see you soon!

Update on the transit union...it's not what we thought!

Here is the latest information and it isn't what I thought.

The N.Y. Transit Union delayed a decision on a city wide strike until atleast 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, December 20th.

I don't know what that means for me...since I will be leaving at 6:30 am on the 20th. I was planning on leaving my place at 4:30, but maybe it will have to be earlier. Who knows. Pray for an END to the madness!

Yeah for the Subway!

In the very last second possible, the transit workers union and the city came to an agreement...at least that is what I am guessing since the subway is up and running this morning. Who knew I would be happy and excited about the stinky, old, rat infested subway. Well I am! It sure make my feet happy and life easier!

Bloggin Momma...

I was so impressed with the Bright gingerbread houses…I can see Kate and Clair have their Mom’s flair for doing artistic stuff! I have showed everyone who comes into my office. Em….everyone here is very sad that you won’t get to meet Harry Connick Jr.! You really must stay in contact with that lady so she will ask you to babysit again! I am counting the days down until you guys get here! I am so excited! We’ve got lots of packages under the tree for everyone.

I love you all…Mom

The 4 main food groups, candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup!

This is the Hershey's store in Times Square. There is candy gallore in here. Kate, Clair, and any chocolate lover would love it...it is chocolate heaven! My title for this blog is in regards to this place...it certainly is the place to eat from the 4 food groups listed above. Does anyone know the movie reference for my title? (I DO!) My old roommate Cindy is in town visiting. We went to Times Square today and to Rockefeller Center. This is the two of us in front of the ice rink and the tree. To say it is frigid is a major understatement. I am pretty sure frozen chicken thighs are warmer than my thighs were today. I had on long johns and tights under my pants and I was still frozen. When I came home I had to take off my pants to make sure they weren't black from frost bite, like Adam Sandlier's feet were on Mr. Deeds. If they do get like that I promise to let someone...probably Joel (b/c I think he would get the most enjoyment ouf of it)...poke my legs with a fire poker, like Mr. Deeds did with his butler. :) Thankful this time out and about they didn't turn black. (Don't worry Joel there is still a chance, as I will be going out into the cold several more times before I come home on Tuesday!)

Making Gingerbread houses with the Brights

Clair is doing such a good job, for such a little thing! This is a proud moment for these two hooligans!

Kate takes after her Mimi...I can just see her tongue hanging out when she is working hard at something.

Mamacita's message

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…on Tesoro Perdido! I can hardly wait for all of you to arrive! I am practically going crazy with anticipation! I am so anxious for the three grand kids to be together. Brooklyn will be in hog heaven! She loves pics of Kate and Clair. She gets very excited and smiles from ear to ear. Hmmm… I think they must’ve known each other in heaven, don’t you all agree? Be prepared to eat, laugh, watch our favorite tv shows-(Pride and Prejudice afury…girls!) and eat and laugh some more. OH…FYI…We will be playing games more this year as a special request from Emily. Rosalind is bringing Dance, Dance Revolution so we can get in the “groove” or get our groove on or whatever it is you guys say! Just a few more days until C-Day! Love, Mom

Bright Up-Date

Hello Dear Family!
I have not posted in a while. So, I thought I'd take this chance to up-date you all on what is going on with us!
Well, we have been keeping busy and keeping warm. We have pretty much finished up all our Christmas shopping. I have nearly everything wrapped and under the tree. Starting next Tuesday, we will begin the packing process. We are very excited to be with you all this Holiday season!
Yesterday we went to Kate's pre-school Christmas party. The whole family was invited and I am very thankful that Stephen made arrangements so he could come. I know it ment a lot to Kate. They sage songs, and ate goodies. Then they had a surprise visit from Santa. Suprisingly, Kate sat on his lap with out much encouragement. Clair was another story, but she did get up there with Kate and with a candy cane bribe! Ironic that we tell our kids to stay away from strangers and not to take candy from strangers, but her I am encouraging them to sit on a strangers lap and take candy from him! Hummm? Anyway, I took a few pics, but the blog is still against me and won't let me post pics, so I sent them to Em (the official blog poster) to post. So, the party went well. Ms. Moss loved her gifts and so did the high school teachers.
As we were walking out the door, Ms. Moss handed Kate a gift. At first she couldn't find it, and then she found it at the back of her pile. She said, "Oh Kate yours is special that is why it is at the back." Then she looked up at me, winked and said, "It's a little harder." I don't know what it is, because Stephen told Kate to wait until Christmas, but I am pretty sure it is a book of some sort. I talked with Ms. Moss this week about Kate and if she thought she could handle going to kindergarten next year. She said definitely she could! However, she was doubtful as to the public schools working with us on early admissions. So, since then she has been passing along lots of info on private schools. Don't worry Em, we couldn't afford them even if we want to! So, after Christmas, I will make an appointment to go and talk with the principal at the elem. school Kate is slated to go to.
Clair is doing well. She fell down the stairs the other day while holding her new book. I don't know if the book or something else did it, but she got a horrible scrape on her chin. It almost looks like a little burn scrap. It bled like crazy and she only stopped crying when Stephen put on a band-aid...which she called her "boo-boo". That night when we tried to take it off, she said "No, leave boo-boo on!" So, in the pics Em will post of the pre-school party, you will see her "boo-boo". She is really talking a lot lately and we are still working hard on colors. Every once in a while she will totally surprise us by correctly identifying several colors in a row. I am starting to think she just doesn't find the whole color game interesting and therefore doesn't pay attention. Little stinker!
Well, that is pretty much all I have to up-date. We love you all and can't wait to be together!

Kids are Funny

Kate:
The other day on our way home from Greenville, we stopped in Commerce to get some gas. A huge white stretch limo pulled into the gas station. I pointed it out to the girls. Kate said, “Wow! It is really big!” I agreed. Then she said, “Boy, they must have a LOT of kids!”

Clair:
Yesterday, Clair was playing with a Barbie. Kate got several pairs of Barbie shoes with one of her dolls on her birthday. Clair was trying all the shoes on her doll. (She loves shoes...just like her Mimi!) Then she took a pair of shoes, and carefully lined them up next to each other on the floor and proceeded to try to put her foot in the shoe. Now I know she has small feet, but they aren’t THAT small. Every time she would try to put her foot into a shoe, it would knock the shoe over and then she would patiently set the shoe back up right and try again. She did this with every pair of shoes. It was very comical to watch!

Memo-ing Mama!

Well, Saturday was a sad day at the Call households in San Antonio and New Braunfels with the sad loss of the Rockets to the Trojans in the State Championship. I told Joel that the Rockets played well…but, it was just the other team’s day to win. They were a good team and it was a good game. There are some coaches who never even go to a state game…and Joel has only been coaching for 3 years…so he is lucky. I was sad for the boys, though…they were devastated. Emily called right after the game and in true Rocket tradition was asking if the coaches were already working on their game plan for next year!

Em…as for Dr. Texas who dropped by when you were crying and knitting…if he doesn’t recognize quality he ain’t worth your time! I think your story about knitting and crying your little heart out was dang adorable! I can hardly wait for all of us to be together for the holidays! We will truly have a Call Fiesta galore! Be thinking of games you want to play and places you want to go and food you all want to eat! I love you. Mom

There might be a reason I am still single!

This weekend I might have discovered the secret of why I am almost 30 and still single. It is actually a very sad tale, so you might need a tissue before you read any farther. It all started last Sunday at the Christmas Devotional. I saw a guy that I asked my roommate about and she said that she knew him and she would have to introduce us. He is a Dr. and 30. I was thinking it could be great to meet him. Well, on Friday night after the Nutcracker, I came home put my PJs on, washed my face, put my hair up on top of my head, and started knitting while watching Nightline. Nightline happened to be a very sad one. It had 29 mothers of fallen American soldiers. As I watched I couldn't help but cry. I was touched and saddened by their sacrifice. So to paint the picture a little clearer...I was knitting and crying in my PJs and not really lookin my best. I heard my roommates approach the door, but thought nothing of it, since it was after midnight. They walked in with....yep you guess it, the cute 30 year old Dr. I was totally embarrassed. My roommate said, "Are you crying?" So not only was I sitting there looking ugly, but I also had to explain the tears. I didn't even attempt to explain the knitting. I walked into my room and my roommate followed. She said, "Please come out and watch a movie with us, we brought him here to meet you." I sucked up my pride, dabbed a little coverup on my face, put on my glasses, and threw out any ideas of ever catching him and went out to watch the movie. Moral of the story...knitting and crying on a Friday night does not make you very desireable to memebers of the opposite sex. Needless to say, they are not the best tools to tricking someone into liking you either! :( Oh well! I guess the worst part was after they left when I found out he is from Texas...man I have terrible luck, but it's funny none the less!

What do these two pictures have in common?

Now the picture on the top is of Ross, from Friends with his monkey Marcel. The one on the bottom is a lynx. What do they have in common? Well, both would be considered wild animals...that is everywhere except for in NYC. where they are considered great pets. You might be asking yourself how I know this...right? Well, a few weeks ago my roommates and I went to Chinatown. On the subway home, a man had a bag that was zipped up. He opened a can of baby food, unzipped the bag and out popped a Lynx. Yes, a real living lynx. He feed it babyfood. My roommates and I were a little afraid that it would jump out and start attaching. Luck for us it didn't. We were shocked non the less. Now what does a lynx have in common with Ross' monkey Marcel, well also today coming home from Chinatown my roommate and I ran into a man with a Marcel look-a-like monkey on his shoulders. You see it was not a puppet, but a living breathing Marcel monkey. It was very strange. I have to say that weird things happen in NYC every day. As I watched Friends years ago, with Ross and his monkey I didn't think that the story line could be based off of fact. Well, I am pretty sure I saw the man and his monkey in SoHo today! Oh... to quote my friend Stephanie, "I worry about the mental health of this city on a daily basis!" :)

Night at the NYC Ballet

Tonight I spent the evening with the New York City Ballet, as they performed The Nutcracker. It was fabulous and I didn't chuckle or laugh at all when the nutcracker came onto the stage. (The British would have been proud!) :) I left Lincoln Center feeling like my New York Christmas experience was almost complete. I still need to see the tree on Broadway, a walking tour of the window displays throughout the city, and of course ice staking in Central Park and Rockefeller Center. Luckily I have a few days left to get all that done. I was a little mad because I forgot my camera. I really wanted a picture of the Nutcracker in the Lincoln Center lobby, but what is a girl to do when she forgets. A very nice Japanese couple took our picture out in front, by the Christmas tree and they are going to email it to Stephanie. We tried taking a picture with her camera, but it was dead. Luckily they took pity on us. The women was in traditional Japanese dress....kamono and flip-flops with socks. She was very pretty and they were very kind. See there are nice people in NYC! The ballet was beautiful!

Family blog...to the tune of jingle bells.

Family blog, family blog, oh what can we say?
when dad posts we know it's in a very heart felt way-hey
Family blog, family blog, we just post away.
We can keep mom up-to-date on our wardrobe each day.

Riding the sub-way, counting New York rats
Em says they're so big, the size of a house cat.
Britni gets to post, when Brooklyn takes a nap
& Ros gets interrupted lots when her kids have to crap.

Oh family blog, family blog radioactive decay (ok, I'm having a hard time rhyming)
post on how are lives are going and how Joel's Rocket's play-hey
family blog family blog there'll be hell to pay
if St. Johns is not consumed each and every day!

How the other half lives!

Today I was subbing again at that all boys school on the upper east side of Manhattan. My eyes were opened as to how the other half lives. As I am struggling to get to school in three inches of snow, cars pull up with drivers dropping little boys off. In the class I asked who had their Christmas tree yet. One or two raised their hands, but one boy said, "Here in the city or in our country house?" Several explained that they live in the city, but have "country homes" in Connecticut or Mass. One boy then said, "We have a tree here in our penthouse, but it is small. Out huge tree is in our country house. We go there as soon as school is over and then we spend Christmas in Switzerland." What would that be like? Here I am counting rats in the (up to 9)and praying that the MTA (Metro Transportation Association) doesn't strike, and he is worried about country homes. The MTA is thinking about striking and it couldn't happen at a worse time. That would be horrible for me. I would have to take Taxi's or put some major milage on my podometor. Finger crossed Mayor Bloomberg and the union work it out! It is just too cold to walk. Who knew I would ever miss driving in the snow...well as I trudge through it today, I did!

love ya all! Please pray the weather is nice on the 23rd when I have my ticket to come home. I have this fear that I will get stuck here or worse in Chicago, where I have a lay over.

Burned, but still blogging!

Hello, everyone! Hope this finds you all well and happy! Dad and I work at the temple tonight. That is always so peaceful and nice. I am actually going to be the guide for a couple that are being sealed. I am excited about that. I am doing ok…actually I had a mole removed today…it kind of burns, but so far I’ve been able to work all day without it really bothering me. I must be one tough old bird. I wonder if the Rockets are practicing in this frigid air? It is too cold! I am so excited to see the Rockets win the State Championship Saturday….now how is that for the power of positive thinking??? I am hoping to convince Dad to do some Christmas shopping tomorrow night and then take me to dinner. I think I am worth it…don’t you guys? Counting the days till you are all here! Give my three little sweeties big hugs from Mims! (That would be Kate, Clair and Brooklyn!) Love, Mom

The baby is finally asleep..I can post!

I have been trying to post over the last couple of days and haven't made it to the computer because of the babe! Emily thanks for posting her picture.. I dont know what is wrong with my computer...actually I do its called dial-up! The pics of the tree are beautiful! I am so jealous of not being in NY around Christmas time...I am sure it is Fabulous! Sherree I am so sorry that I made you sick! I hope you are feeling better and I too pray that Brooklyn doesnt get it...she did get her 2nd round of flu shots today..so wish us luck! Rosalind I took your advice and bought a shirt to go under Brooklyn's Christmas dress....hopefully it will be better. We cant wait to see everyone for Christmas...I did some shopping today and got excited! It finally feels like December...it is freezing!! Well know new news that yall dont already know about! We are so pumped up for Sat! I can't hardly stand it...i just want to know the results already! OH! I do have HUGE news actually! My dear dad fell to the nagging of my mom this week and CUT his MUSTACHE!!! I cant wait to see him! I am sure he still looks handsome! I love reading yalls post even though I might not post! Cant wait to see everyone!

Angel Tree at the Met!

The first picutre is of the tree, a little closer. The second picture is of part of the scene around the tree. The last one is of the tree closer up. You can see the angels. They were really large. I think that when I have a tree of my own, I want to just do angels. There is nothing like being in New York City at Christmas time. Just this tree at the Met makes it all worth while! Everyone should see this!

The Angel Tree at the Met...AMAZING!!

These are of the the scene at the bottom of the tree. It is of the Christ child and it was so great.

Today Stephanie and I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was an amazing experience. The best part was the Christmas tree. OH MY GOSH! It was gorgeous. I am sure the pictures won't be it justice. All around the bottom is the scene of Bethlehem. It was great!

Message from a recovering mother

Well, yesterday I had the tummy flu….YIKES! That isn’t an experience I never want to repeat. I thought I was dying for sure! (thanks Joel for bringing me a huge bottle of coke…I didn’t even take a sip until about 10:00 PM…but thanks! Thanks to Dad, as well…who took good care of me. What would we do without family?) I hope Dad and Brooklyn don’t get it. Joel had a light case on Friday, so I hope he doesn’t have a relapse! I am back at work today and feeling sort of weak…but as long as I am not nauseous I can handle the weakness. (My secretary has disinfected the entire office…she is terrified I will give it to her.) I guess I can’t blame her! I love you guys! Mom

Not my child, but darling just the same!

Brit sent me this picture last night and I think it deserves to be on the blog. Brooklyn looks darling...two little poking out teeth and all! This is my new screen saver. I look forward to having a picture of all three little nieces together. I also know that Brit has had a hard time posting pictures, so I hope this is ok that I post this picture! If it isn't, let me know and I will remove it!
These pictures are of Brooklyn at the Missions. Good place Brit to take them. Dang it she is cute!

Thoughts by our Mother...as posted by Emily

Hey, everybody! How about them Rockets???? Beating the # 3 team in the nation??? It was an awesome game and Joel, we are so proud of you! Way to go, Bud. When you came into our Ward Party on Saturday after the game I thought the place would erupt! Everyone was asking about you before you arrived. They kept saying…”where’s the man of the hour?” Dad, Brooklyn and I had so much fun at the game. Britni was sick as a dog and hated missing it, but was listening at home on the radio…going crazy, I might add. We talked to her several times! I wish I could’ve been there to see the girls at your realtor’s party, Ros. Being afraid of Santa is very normal. Remember when Stephen dressed up like Santa and Kate was so afraid of him? We thought for sure she’d recognize him, but NOPE…she didn’t and she was going ballistic! Emily…please stay warm and stay away from the rats. You are getting just way too “glam” , Missy! Movie stars, being on the TV and going to premieres! I am so excited for everyone to be here for the holidays. It will be a Call Fiesta, for sure! Everybody stay well. I love you all…MOM

Clair the tiny Dancer!

Today we went to our realtors office to go and see Santa and to take part in holiday cheer etc. Anyway, we get there and Kate and Clair both totally freak out and won't even go in the room where Santa is! So, I am pretty ticked...we did drive like 25 minutes, in the cold and rain, plus I curled their hair and dressed them in their holiday shirts, and I had my camera...and, and, and. So, I am pretty ticked.

Then a lady says, "the dance show is starting upstairs if you would like to go and watch." So, of course the girls are ready to do anything to get as far away from the bearded freak...or as most normal people call him, Santa...they start begging...pleading to go see the dancers. So we go up stairs and they have everyone crammed in this way too small room and let the kids sit up against the wall around the floor space where the girls will be dancing.

The girls were 7 to 16 years old and Clair was totally lovin it! After the first dance she started clapping and then started yelling, "Hurray! Hurray!" Everyone laughed. Then she did the same thing after the second number. She also was trying to move her hands like the dancers and watched them real close. After the second number they had a pause so the dancers could change costumes. They lady said during the pause they'd put on some music and just let Kate and Clair do a dance since they were so into it. So Kate and Clair totally got up and were ready to show everyone their best dance moves...but I motioned for them to sit back down. The lady said "I was serious, they can dance." I said, "You won't ever be able to get them to sit down again...they will think they need to be up with the dancers!" Luckily, the girls came back in about that time. Clair cheered loudly at the end of each dance. Then they did a tap number. Clair started hitting her feet on the floor...I guess you could call it tapping while seated on your rear or rump-tapping! By this point all the ladies around us are going crazy over her. "She is such a doll." "Oh look how cute!"

Before the last number, the lady running the thing says, "And we have some info up here about our studio if anyone is interested, and I definitely want to see this little girls mommy (pointing to Clair) because we start them as early as 2 and a half. How old is she?" I said, "Well, she is too young then, she just turned two!" So, that is the story of how Clair stole the show...Clair the tiny dancer!

ROCKETS WILL SHINE TONIGHT!

CHEER JUDSON HIGH SCHOOL, ROCKETS WILL WIN! FIGHT TO THE FINISH, NEVER GIVE IN...RAH RAH RAH...YOU DO YOUR BEST BOYS, WE'LL DO THE REST BOYS! ONWARD TO VICTORY!

AND ONWARD TO STATE!

We are all so proud of you Joel!

Seven Rats and Bitter cold winds!

No this is not the title of Stephen King's latest novel. It is information about today...Saturday. Now let me explain. There are a few things that I am keeping track of during my time here in NYC. Don't ask me why I chose these things, because there is really no method to my maddess....it just sort of happened.! (I guess I might have a little of Joel's OCD!) One is how many miles I walk (232.37 miles), the amount of change I find on the ground (so far over $2) and the number of rats I see in the subway. As of today seven. I am not really sure why they are not burrowing in deeper than the subway because it is sooooo cold, but I had gone weeks without seeing any and yesterday and today I saw one. Now the second part of my title is to tell you that the cold here is like nothing I have ever experienced. Now all of your Ricks-ers will say that you have been there, but this is different...at least that is what my roommates tell me. The wind is humid and it cuts to the bone. I could seriously double up on the wear long underwear and still feel it. I think I am going to start wearing tights under all my pants. Fridgid doesn't even begin to describe it. I am not complaining...I am just informing.

Think of me when...

- you go to Target that is just around the corner from your house. I have to travel at least 30 minutes by subway to get to a Target.
- you go to Wal-Mart. I haven't been to a Wal-mart since the beginning of August. Oh how I know I am disappointing Uncle Jim and Sam Walton. But the truth is that nearest Wal-mart is over 100 miles from the city. I couldn't even tell you what city it is in.
- you buy products that are shown on TV. Sure NYC has the staples and some really fancy things, but new products are just not able to be found here.
- you start up your car, get in, and drive yourself places...there is independence in owning a vehicle.

Now I will think of you when...
- I see all the STARS!!!! They are everywhere. Here is a list of my neighbors (at least they live in my neighborhood): Conan O'Brian, Cynthia Nixon, and Kevin Bacon-wife. The new game will be linking Emily to Kevin Bacon.
- I get to go to all the premieres of movies. I've been to Harry Potter and happened past Walk the Line. Who really knows how many more are in my future...the possibilties are limitless.
- I eat a fresh canoli. Man those are good! (Don't worry mom...I am not eating too many of them.
- I don't have to pay high gas prices to drive my car around town. All I have to pay is $76 a month for a Metro Card. (now that I write this, I am not sure that is cheaper!)
- I go to the church in the temple every Sunday. That is really cool.

I won't go on and make you jealous. I just wanted to point out that there are really good things too. I am glad to be here. I do miss you all though!

Great article...

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/07/national/07antonio.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5090&en=e12b082e1d7da307&ex=1286337600&adxnnl=0&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1133536039-SPUgcyMrgZqkd1FuAYIz0w

Hey family...click the above link to go to a really awesome article from the New York Times that made me really proud to be a Texan, a San Antonian, and a Rocket! Look at those numbers...this is so cool!

SHOW ME THE MONEY

Hello familia...looks like I will end up making about $130 on my book show I did for my friend Chris. Hurray! Why can't they all be like that? Actually, the best part of the whole thing was telling Chris that she gets $180 in free books. I know I could easy spend that much on Usbourne books. They are so awesome! Anyway, just wanted to brag a little.

Mom, I would LOVE to go and see a play. I am all about going to plays, movies, concerts, games, and such! :) Is there someone you would trust with our little angels?

Em...congrats on you "A" paper...it's all you baby!

Brit....how did your picture session at the missions go?

Dad...how was temple night?

Joel...GO ROCKETS! What is you prediction for this weekend?

I must go to bed now...by the way, is our BLOG looking a little weird and cock-eyed to you guys lately...are the post lower than they used to be? Or is it just my screwie computer?

Love you all mucho mucho!

Another message from Mom!

Hey! How are my little Call darlings? I have been going like a house on fire today. I’ve had to decorate an elevator lobby on the 3rd floor because our sales office is up there and one of the residents (who is kind of a Nazi) decorated the Lobby and it basically looks like hud (as Emily would say) so the Executive Director emailed me and wanted me to fix it! How fun for me. I am waiting for the Nazi to come in any minute and let me have it…kind of like your moment at the Rockfeller center, Emily! I am not looking forward to it. Dad and I work in the temple tonight so…we will gab with all of you on the way home. I am so excited about Christmas…would you guys like to go see Tuna Christmas….a play about a small town in Texas? It is supposed to be hilarious. The girls probably wouldn’t enjoy it, but, maybe we can get a sitter that night? Let me know. Hope everyone is as fine as frog’s hair. (Who does that sound like?) I love you all….Mom

PS From Emily: I got my big 15 page paper back and I got an "A"! Thanks Ros for your great editting! :)

Message from Mom

Hey, Everybody! I still can’t post on the blog…so Em is doing it for me. I feel like you are all at a party and I wasn’t invited! Could someone help me PLEASE before I go Blogstal! Thanksgiving was very nice, if I do say so myself! We had fun with Joel, Brit and Brooklyn…thank you Rockets for winning so we could have them here! (Sorry, Brit!) We missed the rest of you, though. I am so excited for all of you to come to San Antonio. I want us to go do some fun things with the kiddos. I can’t wait for the three of them to all be together! Em…I love your pictures on the blog. And Ros…the ones of the girls are always WELCOME! Joel…we are all behind you this Saturday. I’ll be “whoop, whooping” with the best of them! I think the Rockets can do this. Brooklyn is funny to watch at games…she is pretty into it. Tell Kate that Rocket Girl is quite a bit bigger than Rocket Man…what were they thinking when they picked a humongous girl to be her??? Clair Bear…I still have your adorable birthday invitation on my fridge…it is so cute! Well…I must go prepare for this Broadway Night for the oldsters. You guys all be good. I LOVE YOU MUCHO, MUCHO! Mom

The actual Christmas Tree!

The first picture is of Stephanie and I after the light up. The middle one is of the exact second that they lite the tree...thus the blurriness. The last picture is of the tree after the lighting...thus the reason it is not blurry!

Performers at the Ligthing

Sheryl Crow and the Goo Goo Dolls were on the stage closest to us. My camera is acting weird when there is any movement...the pictures turn out blurry. (Ros you will have to help me figure it out at Christmas.) Rod Stewart, Carrie Underwood, Earth Wind and Fire, and Harry Connic all performed, but no near where I was standing. Here are two pics of Sheryl and the Goo Goo Dolls.

Performers @ the Lighting!

Sheryl Crow and The Goo Goo Dolls were on the closest stage to us. If there is any movement, my pictures turn out blurry. (Ros, maybe you could look at it at Christmas!) We were in the 4th row, but they also put VIPs and others in front of us, so were were not super close. I could see them better than my camera captured them. Rod Stewart and Carrie Underwood also performed (up or in buildings) and Earth, Wind, and Fire performed on the opposite stage. It was cool!

The Lighting at Rockefeller Center

Insane doesn't even begin to describe the night. I am glad I did it, to say that I have done it, but I plan to never do it again unless I am a performer in the program or a VIP! (Let's face it unless they want someone to perform as a teacher...I doubt I'll be a performer!) My friend Stephanie and I went to Rockefeller Center at 3:30, which is what time we were told to get there by. Now I know some of you are saying, but it didn't start until 7 p.m. and the lightening wasn't until 8:55. Well, believe it or not there were people that had been there since noon. When we got there at 3:30, there were three or four rows ahead of us. We were smart and brought camping chairs to sit on for the 4+ hours of waiting! Luckily it wasn't cold until about 8. There were 1000's of people by the end of the night and at about 5:30, they stopped letting people into the area. Stephanie and I tried to save spaces for other people in our ward, but by 4:45, that thought was thrown out. We were corraled in like cattle and it truly was tight! We made friends with some girls behind us who took our picture, but it was so tight we could hardly move. All around us weird things were happening. On our left side there were about 12 teenage girls that were sitting in a circle on the ground. These three ladies pushed right behind them with a little girl (who was about 9ish). At one point one of the ladies (who looked really hard) lifted up the little girl and in the process hit me in the head, hit the lady behind her, and kicked one of the teenage girl's in the head. Neither myself or the lady said anything (I didn't because the lady looked really hard and I was slightly afraid.), but the teenager just said "Be careful, you kicked me in the head." Well, all hell broke out from there. The language that came out of that women's mouth was worse than R-rated. THen the teenagers started cussing back at her. It was like a sceen out of a bad movie. The hard-looking women said, "You don't know who you are messing with" and then pulled open her purse and reached in. At that point Stephanie and I looked at each other, realizing that she might be pulling out a gun and this could be our last moment...if we got caught in the crossfire. Lucky for us she didn't pull out a gun, but she did pull out a badge. No she was not a police officer, she was a prison guard! At that moment she said, "I will beat you prison style!" My thought was...who is the adult here and why would you speak that way in front of your child? One of the ladies behind went to tell the police. Basically they didn't do squat...they were too busy with their hands inthe pockets, telling people to keep walking. Meanwhile in the background playing is "Tis the season"! After the situation was calmer...because the girls were mature enough to just start ignoring her...it was actually kind of funny! The tree was beautiful and what we could see of the performers was fun too. On our right side there were 4 totally drunk kids...the 4 police on the otherside of the corral didn't seem to notice that either! At one point the camera came over and one of the kids shouted out "Merry __________ Christmas!" The police just stood there with hands in their pockets...NYC finest!

More Clemson Tree

Thanks for the idea for the hat on top mom...or should I say Martha! Anyway, I took a few close ups of some of the ornaments. The one with the little girl on Santa's lap is cute because on her list of things to do it says, "Beat Carolina!" The colors aren't too great in these photos becuase the flash washes them out, but it really looks cute. I took one without the flash but it is just too dark to really see anything. Anyway, it is cute and it is orange and it is C-L-E-M-S-O-N...T-I-G-E-R-S...FIGHT TIGERS FIGHT TIGERS FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! Yes, Emily...go ahead and post your comment...obsessed!

The Clemson Tree