So once the holiday weekend actually began, I took Caroline camping on the Father's and Daughters campout at Camp Liahona. I really dislike camping and wasn't looking forward to it at all. But I have to say it was actually wonderful.
For starters, camping with daughters rather than sons is a piece of cake. They are so happy and easy to care for. Caroline wanted to help put the tent up, then it was like playing house once we could get inside. The girls don't go running off into the forest or such. All the girls (it was mostly Primary-age range) played so nicely together and were inclusive. They built some things in the sand on the beach, and no one tried to destroy it.
For me, the value of the trip was seeing Caroline genuinely smile the entire time. I'd never seen that. It was such a treat for her to have Daddy all to herself and for it to be a 'girl time' instead of the brothers dominating.
Oh, and at 9 p.m., she said "I think it's time that I go to bed."
Not too bad....
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Memorial Day Weekend: Pt. 1 - Toronto
So, I picked up a new city, a new state (kind of), a new country, and a new baseball stadium all in one day last week. I had my first trip to Canada as I went to a Hasbro meeting in Toronto. Struggled to get any of the Canadian money....the ATMs just wouldn't work. But other than that, the airport was nice and efficient.
We went to a Toronto Blue Jays (vs. Angels) game at what used to be called the SkyDome. I got us wicked lost driving into Toronto, so we got to the game late (about 7:45 for a 7 p.m. start). And trying to get the parking payment system to work below the stadium was like using the ATMs. But what a stadium! You walk through the main door (like a giant convention hall) and then WOW! there's the field and such. It's a huge place, and yet the stadium itself seemed intimate.
We had seats in the lower section behind home plate. They won't let you walk to your seats when a batter is up....have to wait til a batter finishes (feels so tennis). And they have cops (no Mounties) lining the foul line between innings to I suppose prevent lawless people from running on to the field.
I missed the most golden opportunity to get a foul ball! I was with a client and someone from work, and we weren't really focusing on the game, when a ball flies over the backstop net. It came right at us, which is a lot more scary than I thought. We actually all kind of dove under our seats (chickens!). The ball landed a few rows behind us (we were in an area without other people right around us. I didn't think to try and grab it or see where it went. Well, it bounced and landed literally in the seat next to me. I only know that because some bloke came over at the end of the row and took the ball out of the seat and claimed it. I don't blame them, but I feel like an idiot!
Coolest feature at the game? They sell ICEEs via the in-aisle vendors. But alas, I didn't have any Canadian cash.
It was actually a really good game....Toronto won by one. Too bad we kind of weren't watching it too closely. But it had some home runs, a triple, some bloop singles, a double play, etc.
The dome was closed...when we left, we knew why as it was kind of a chilly night. (Redundant in Canada?)
Watched the news that night...surprised by how much coverage they gave to things in the states, including the weather. Like they were giving forecasts for what was going to be coming across Colorado and Wyoming. I live in New York, and we don't care about the weather out there.
We did see the CN tower lit up...that's pretty cool.
We went to a Toronto Blue Jays (vs. Angels) game at what used to be called the SkyDome. I got us wicked lost driving into Toronto, so we got to the game late (about 7:45 for a 7 p.m. start). And trying to get the parking payment system to work below the stadium was like using the ATMs. But what a stadium! You walk through the main door (like a giant convention hall) and then WOW! there's the field and such. It's a huge place, and yet the stadium itself seemed intimate.
We had seats in the lower section behind home plate. They won't let you walk to your seats when a batter is up....have to wait til a batter finishes (feels so tennis). And they have cops (no Mounties) lining the foul line between innings to I suppose prevent lawless people from running on to the field.
I missed the most golden opportunity to get a foul ball! I was with a client and someone from work, and we weren't really focusing on the game, when a ball flies over the backstop net. It came right at us, which is a lot more scary than I thought. We actually all kind of dove under our seats (chickens!). The ball landed a few rows behind us (we were in an area without other people right around us. I didn't think to try and grab it or see where it went. Well, it bounced and landed literally in the seat next to me. I only know that because some bloke came over at the end of the row and took the ball out of the seat and claimed it. I don't blame them, but I feel like an idiot!
Coolest feature at the game? They sell ICEEs via the in-aisle vendors. But alas, I didn't have any Canadian cash.
It was actually a really good game....Toronto won by one. Too bad we kind of weren't watching it too closely. But it had some home runs, a triple, some bloop singles, a double play, etc.
The dome was closed...when we left, we knew why as it was kind of a chilly night. (Redundant in Canada?)
Watched the news that night...surprised by how much coverage they gave to things in the states, including the weather. Like they were giving forecasts for what was going to be coming across Colorado and Wyoming. I live in New York, and we don't care about the weather out there.
We did see the CN tower lit up...that's pretty cool.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Stake Conference in the Bronx
As strange as it sounds, I really like our need to be creative when hosting stake conference in the Bronx. It's just such a New York-type thing.
In theory people can take the Metro North train to the meeting, but realistically, most choose not to. It involves about a 3/4 mile walk up a hill from the train station, and the train schedule is close, but not perfect, for the meeting times.
So instead we pull a "loaves and fishes" with our 22-space parking garage underneath the chapel.
In the early days of living here, they filled the 22 spaces and that was it.
Now, we double-park (or quadruple park, or whatever) to fill every last inch with cars. We had a high councilor several years ago who accepted the assignment and he was a master at it....our own pioneer, if you will. He has been released, and it now takes a quorum army to do what he did by himself. One Elders Quorum took last night, and another took this morning. About 6 to 7 people are guiding cars into the slots (involving major backing up and praying that no cars get dented).
Last night, the neighboring ward's quorum volunteers got 67 cars in. As we are a numbers-driven church, our ward's quorum set a higher goal of 70 cars for today. I asked for the totals when I left to drive home: 73 cars, 1 taxi and 1 motorcycle...a new Stake Conference record!
(In the defense of the other ward, one car that was imbedded deep in the garage had to get out between the leadership and adult session, and they claim that they lost a few car spaces by shuffling them out of there).
After conference, "the last shall be first" and the last two cars truly prevent everyone else from leaving. If you came late, you'd better plan to leave early.
The rest of us just mingle around in a cave of bumper-to-car-door cars waiting for your space to open up to exit. All are out within 15 minutes, and it's just kind of New Yorky to hang out in the garage.
(I've suggested we move to the annual stake picnic to the garage after stake conference....pass around some potato salad, say a blessing, and call it an activity).
As they used to say in a column in the New York Post: "Only in New York, kids, Only in New York!"
In theory people can take the Metro North train to the meeting, but realistically, most choose not to. It involves about a 3/4 mile walk up a hill from the train station, and the train schedule is close, but not perfect, for the meeting times.
So instead we pull a "loaves and fishes" with our 22-space parking garage underneath the chapel.
In the early days of living here, they filled the 22 spaces and that was it.
Now, we double-park (or quadruple park, or whatever) to fill every last inch with cars. We had a high councilor several years ago who accepted the assignment and he was a master at it....our own pioneer, if you will. He has been released, and it now takes a quorum army to do what he did by himself. One Elders Quorum took last night, and another took this morning. About 6 to 7 people are guiding cars into the slots (involving major backing up and praying that no cars get dented).
Last night, the neighboring ward's quorum volunteers got 67 cars in. As we are a numbers-driven church, our ward's quorum set a higher goal of 70 cars for today. I asked for the totals when I left to drive home: 73 cars, 1 taxi and 1 motorcycle...a new Stake Conference record!
(In the defense of the other ward, one car that was imbedded deep in the garage had to get out between the leadership and adult session, and they claim that they lost a few car spaces by shuffling them out of there).
After conference, "the last shall be first" and the last two cars truly prevent everyone else from leaving. If you came late, you'd better plan to leave early.
The rest of us just mingle around in a cave of bumper-to-car-door cars waiting for your space to open up to exit. All are out within 15 minutes, and it's just kind of New Yorky to hang out in the garage.
(I've suggested we move to the annual stake picnic to the garage after stake conference....pass around some potato salad, say a blessing, and call it an activity).
As they used to say in a column in the New York Post: "Only in New York, kids, Only in New York!"
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