Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
'Lou-ah-vul
After the conference ended on Saturday afternoon, Michelle and I headed up to Louisville, Kentucky. Michelle has been to nearly all the states and this was one left on her list. I wanted to join her, because of my temple goal. We planned out perfectly to arrive in time for their last session of the day at 3:15 p.m. We started out on our two and a half hour drive and were making good time. We were about halfway there when I noticed a sign on the side of the road that said, "Entering Eastern Time Zone." What?! I hoped that maybe we were going to cross back over into Central, so I called the temple. Indeed they were in Eastern and we were going to miss the session. The lady on the phone was really sweet though and (after mentioning that at the very least there is a Dairy Queen down the street) arranged for us to do sealings. They let us sit in the Celestial Room as well. It was beautiful as are all the temples.
That evening we arranged to go on a river boat cruise for dinner. We had a little time to wander through the park by the dock and enjoy the beautiful weather.
We enjoyed the ride and had a lovely sunset and view of the city.
The next morning we had breakfast at this great little dive called Lynn's Cafe. They have fun decorations and amazing food. I had fried green tomatoes for the first time. Delicious!
In the afternoon, went to the Churchill Downs museum adjacent to the track.
This was a simulator. If you put your rump down, you would fail. This kind of riding is quite the workout. Those jockeys have got to be in good shape!
Lovely hat collection in traditional derby style.
A tour of the Downs is included with museum admission, and there just happened to be races going on. This lady checks the horse's ID, which is tattooed under their lip, to make sure their is no horse swapping going on.
The track is huge and from the ground, you really only see the horses on the last straightaway before the finish line.
The winners!
I just had to show how little the jockey is. Can you see him? This is the horse owner's family, by the way.
I definitely enjoyed the charm of the South on this trip. :)
That evening we arranged to go on a river boat cruise for dinner. We had a little time to wander through the park by the dock and enjoy the beautiful weather.We enjoyed the ride and had a lovely sunset and view of the city.The next morning we had breakfast at this great little dive called Lynn's Cafe. They have fun decorations and amazing food. I had fried green tomatoes for the first time. Delicious!In the afternoon, went to the Churchill Downs museum adjacent to the track.This was a simulator. If you put your rump down, you would fail. This kind of riding is quite the workout. Those jockeys have got to be in good shape!
Lovely hat collection in traditional derby style.
A tour of the Downs is included with museum admission, and there just happened to be races going on. This lady checks the horse's ID, which is tattooed under their lip, to make sure their is no horse swapping going on.The track is huge and from the ground, you really only see the horses on the last straightaway before the finish line.The winners!I just had to show how little the jockey is. Can you see him? This is the horse owner's family, by the way.
The famous two steeples.
We came the week before the Derby, so there were all sorts of events going on. This was a little festival down by the river. I saw fried snickers and oreos... did you know they are battered and fried?
There was a concert by a Christian band, Big Daddy. They really got the crowd hopping... no, literally.
The next morning we went to another event called Dawn at the Downs. We were able to go up to Millionaire's Row for breakfast and to watch the morning workouts on the track.
This is a glass replica of Churchill Downs. Incredible detail.
The next stop we made was at the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. Michelle is a big baseball fan and loved it all, except how many Yankees were in there.
Babe Ruth marked a notch on his bat for every home run he got that season.
I got to hold bats used by David Ortiz and Mickey Mantle... but only after putting on white gloves. The major leaguers who contract with Louisville Sluggers have their own individual bats they order with their signature imprinted on them.
A fun little statue.
We had to get out there and use the famous bats in the batting cage. Umm... I have never been pitched fastballs before. I think I only nicked three of the ten.
We ended the trip with a stop at the Brown Hotel for their famous "Hot Brown." It was oh-so-delicious.
We came the week before the Derby, so there were all sorts of events going on. This was a little festival down by the river. I saw fried snickers and oreos... did you know they are battered and fried?
There was a concert by a Christian band, Big Daddy. They really got the crowd hopping... no, literally.
The next morning we went to another event called Dawn at the Downs. We were able to go up to Millionaire's Row for breakfast and to watch the morning workouts on the track. This is a glass replica of Churchill Downs. Incredible detail.
The next stop we made was at the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. Michelle is a big baseball fan and loved it all, except how many Yankees were in there. 
Babe Ruth marked a notch on his bat for every home run he got that season.
I got to hold bats used by David Ortiz and Mickey Mantle... but only after putting on white gloves. The major leaguers who contract with Louisville Sluggers have their own individual bats they order with their signature imprinted on them.
A fun little statue.
We had to get out there and use the famous bats in the batting cage. Umm... I have never been pitched fastballs before. I think I only nicked three of the ten.
We ended the trip with a stop at the Brown Hotel for their famous "Hot Brown." It was oh-so-delicious.
I definitely enjoyed the charm of the South on this trip. :)
Friday, April 24, 2009
Music City USA
This years ASCA conference took us to Nashville, Tennessee. My friend Rachel happens to live there, so she was nice enough to come meet me for lunch. We grew up a few houses down the street from each other, so I've known her my whole life. She brought two of her four girls and we ate at this neat Aquarium restaurant. They were adorable and it was good to catch up.
We stayed at the Opryland hotel. When I called to make my reservation, the agent talked to me for twenty minutes, telling me all about the hotel and how amazing the huge indoor gardens are. I have to say I was impressed. The only bad part about the hotel is that it is a gigantic huge maze. I think I got lost every day I was there.
This was my favorite spot. Love the bower of flowers.
This was a cute Italian restaurant we had dinner at one night. You can't tell, but there are cute lights strung across above the tables. Great atmosphere... and food.
The keynote speaker for the conference was Naomi Judd. I enjoyed her talk about her life. She was actually quite entertaining, at one point, giving an older gentleman a comforting hug in her boobs.
Thursday night, I went to the Dove Awards with Michelle. Bethany and I had planned on going, but unfortunately wasn't able to make it to Nashville because of surgery complications. She was watching along on tv, though. I got another chance to wear my fancy dress.
I didn't know many of the artists, but I really enjoyed the evening... I'm a fan now. I didn't realize that there were so many genres inside Christian music... even rap. I did enjoy Mercy Me performing I Can Only Imagine. That song always touches me.
One moment that I will remember was during a commercial break. A pastor got up and told us that one of the performers there that evening had to leave because their little girl fell out the window and was in the hospital, so they were rushing to be with her. He asked that we all stand and pray together for her. It was a great feeling to have so many people of I'm sure so many different faiths united in prayer. I just loved being in a place in the world where it was okay to believe in Christ and talk about it.
On Friday evening, ASCA held an event at the Country Music Hall of Fame. The building was designed with a 50's Cadillac tail fin, windows like piano keys, and looks like a bass clef from above. 
I loved this car. It had guns for door handles (and just about everywhere else you can imagine on the car).
Elvis Presley's 24-carat Gold Piano. I was surprised at how many rock-and-roll artists were included, but it makes sense that they started out as country singers before rock-and-roll came about.
During the final conference luncheon, we heard from a comedian named Henry Cho, a Korean with a Southern accent. He was hilarious! A few funnies... you can say anything you want to in the South, as long as you say "Bless their heart" afterwards. For example, "that baby is so ugly, bless his heart." :) He talked about how girls repeat things and it makes sense to them... was it a date? or a date-date? Do you like him? or like him-like him? He told us about a friend named BJ who didn't want them to mess up his name on his drivers license, so he wrote "B only J only" on the app. His license came out saying Bonly-Jonly. I had a great time in Nashville!
We stayed at the Opryland hotel. When I called to make my reservation, the agent talked to me for twenty minutes, telling me all about the hotel and how amazing the huge indoor gardens are. I have to say I was impressed. The only bad part about the hotel is that it is a gigantic huge maze. I think I got lost every day I was there.
This was my favorite spot. Love the bower of flowers.This was a cute Italian restaurant we had dinner at one night. You can't tell, but there are cute lights strung across above the tables. Great atmosphere... and food.The keynote speaker for the conference was Naomi Judd. I enjoyed her talk about her life. She was actually quite entertaining, at one point, giving an older gentleman a comforting hug in her boobs.
Thursday night, I went to the Dove Awards with Michelle. Bethany and I had planned on going, but unfortunately wasn't able to make it to Nashville because of surgery complications. She was watching along on tv, though. I got another chance to wear my fancy dress.
I didn't know many of the artists, but I really enjoyed the evening... I'm a fan now. I didn't realize that there were so many genres inside Christian music... even rap. I did enjoy Mercy Me performing I Can Only Imagine. That song always touches me.One moment that I will remember was during a commercial break. A pastor got up and told us that one of the performers there that evening had to leave because their little girl fell out the window and was in the hospital, so they were rushing to be with her. He asked that we all stand and pray together for her. It was a great feeling to have so many people of I'm sure so many different faiths united in prayer. I just loved being in a place in the world where it was okay to believe in Christ and talk about it.
On Friday evening, ASCA held an event at the Country Music Hall of Fame. The building was designed with a 50's Cadillac tail fin, windows like piano keys, and looks like a bass clef from above. I loved this car. It had guns for door handles (and just about everywhere else you can imagine on the car).Elvis Presley's 24-carat Gold Piano. I was surprised at how many rock-and-roll artists were included, but it makes sense that they started out as country singers before rock-and-roll came about.
During the final conference luncheon, we heard from a comedian named Henry Cho, a Korean with a Southern accent. He was hilarious! A few funnies... you can say anything you want to in the South, as long as you say "Bless their heart" afterwards. For example, "that baby is so ugly, bless his heart." :) He talked about how girls repeat things and it makes sense to them... was it a date? or a date-date? Do you like him? or like him-like him? He told us about a friend named BJ who didn't want them to mess up his name on his drivers license, so he wrote "B only J only" on the app. His license came out saying Bonly-Jonly. I had a great time in Nashville!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Patriots Day
It was time once again for the reenactment of the battle on the Lexington Green. It started nice and early Monday morning at 5:30 a.m. We were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, though.
The "rebel" patriots gathered...
...to withstand the impressively uniformed British soldiers.
After the battle takes place, the colonist soldiers march to the nearby graveyard where they place flower wreaths on graves and give a gun salute.
Minute Man Statue
The fun you can have in front of a giant flag!.JPG)
A truck driving by was putting out flags for the parade later that morning, so we offered (well... begged, really) to help.
We concluded the morning with a visit to the local IHOP for yummy breakfast. Good times!
The "rebel" patriots gathered......to withstand the impressively uniformed British soldiers.After the battle takes place, the colonist soldiers march to the nearby graveyard where they place flower wreaths on graves and give a gun salute.Minute Man StatueThe fun you can have in front of a giant flag!A truck driving by was putting out flags for the parade later that morning, so we offered (well... begged, really) to help.We concluded the morning with a visit to the local IHOP for yummy breakfast. Good times!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Warfare Construction
After church on Sunday, I was exhausted and wanted to just veg... I mentioned to Katie that we should set up my air mattress in the living room. She then asked if we could built a fort for it. Sure, I said... that will be fun... Little did I know that forts are serious business to Katie, who proceeded to all but draw blueprints. We were suddenly finding all available construction materials in the house and using all available blankets and furniture. 
My favorite was the stars we added for a finishing touch.
When I realized what a masterpiece this was going to be, I decided that we needed to have a sleepover. This actually worked well because we were getting up early the next morning to go to the Lexington re-enactments.
I went out of town a couple of days later, but the fort lasted all week for Katie's spring break. :)
My favorite was the stars we added for a finishing touch. 
When I realized what a masterpiece this was going to be, I decided that we needed to have a sleepover. This actually worked well because we were getting up early the next morning to go to the Lexington re-enactments.
I went out of town a couple of days later, but the fort lasted all week for Katie's spring break. :)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Great Race
Have you ever seen the tv show The Amazing Race? Well, my friend Victoria's school held one around Boston as part of a food drive. The entrance fee was 20 food items each.
Just some highlights of the rules:
1) You will be visiting many places throughout the day. Most locations will have a staff member who you can identify in a colored event t-shirt. They will give you your next clue. Other locations you will be required to take pictures of you and your partner at those locations.
2) You may only use the items we give you during the morning Saturday. You may not use roller blades, skateboards, bicycles, vehicles of any kind. You may only use your feet and the T. You will each receive a T pass for the day that will get you on all buses, subways, etc. You may NOT use taxis, police cars, friends cars, etc. to maneuver the city. Any violation will result in disqualification.
3) You may NOT use cell phones, wallets, GPS, personal maps, etc. on the course. If you pick up a free map along the way, that is perfectly legal. Don't even bring those with you so you don't have to worry about them getting lost/stolen.
4) PAY ATTENTION - You will be given a notepad and pen to take with you on the course. At the end of the event, you will take a "test" to see what you remembered throughout the day. For each question you get wrong, a 5-minute penalty will be added to your time!
What do I need to do now? STUDY STUDY STUDY This event is a test of your Boston knowledge, your capability of deciphering clues (some are easy, some are hard), and your maneuverability of public transportation. Once the first clue is read, you are then on your own. You may have to ask locals for some assitance in deciphering clues. So study up your Boston trivia, street maps, etc., get a good night's sleep on Friday, and we will see you Saturday morning.
Victoria and I took the last bit of advice to heart and got together Friday night to study... maps, history, Boston trivia cards... we were in it to win it!
Just a little play by play we made note of that day:
7:04 a.m. Charlotte made Victoria get out of bed
7:21 a.m. Drove to Victoria's house and Stop & Shop for food
8:05 a.m. Arrived at Latin School and "stretched" and studied a little more:
8:32 a.m. Realized math is not an early morning activity (we only had 30 food items, not 40... oops!) Victoria ran to get 10 more
9:05 a.m. Registered, wearing our official shirts... contemplating the best time to turn in the boys with a map
9:15 a.m. The map is confiscated (good work, Victoria!)
9:40 a.m. Waiting... and waiting... Is it going to start soon?
10:05 a.m. The first clue is read in the parking lot and mad running begins
10:24 a.m. On orange line from Ruggles on the way to the next clue... Victoria is ready to block the competition
We were completely and utterly exhausted when we finished. The course ended up being 27 miles... this was probably the only marathon-length race I'll ever do. :) We went all over the city and I discovered a few places I'd never heard of and want to go back to explore... instead of just stopping and sprinting to the next spot. Really a fun day!
Just some highlights of the rules:
1) You will be visiting many places throughout the day. Most locations will have a staff member who you can identify in a colored event t-shirt. They will give you your next clue. Other locations you will be required to take pictures of you and your partner at those locations.
2) You may only use the items we give you during the morning Saturday. You may not use roller blades, skateboards, bicycles, vehicles of any kind. You may only use your feet and the T. You will each receive a T pass for the day that will get you on all buses, subways, etc. You may NOT use taxis, police cars, friends cars, etc. to maneuver the city. Any violation will result in disqualification.
3) You may NOT use cell phones, wallets, GPS, personal maps, etc. on the course. If you pick up a free map along the way, that is perfectly legal. Don't even bring those with you so you don't have to worry about them getting lost/stolen.
4) PAY ATTENTION - You will be given a notepad and pen to take with you on the course. At the end of the event, you will take a "test" to see what you remembered throughout the day. For each question you get wrong, a 5-minute penalty will be added to your time!
What do I need to do now? STUDY STUDY STUDY This event is a test of your Boston knowledge, your capability of deciphering clues (some are easy, some are hard), and your maneuverability of public transportation. Once the first clue is read, you are then on your own. You may have to ask locals for some assitance in deciphering clues. So study up your Boston trivia, street maps, etc., get a good night's sleep on Friday, and we will see you Saturday morning.
Victoria and I took the last bit of advice to heart and got together Friday night to study... maps, history, Boston trivia cards... we were in it to win it!
Just a little play by play we made note of that day:
7:04 a.m. Charlotte made Victoria get out of bed
7:21 a.m. Drove to Victoria's house and Stop & Shop for food
8:05 a.m. Arrived at Latin School and "stretched" and studied a little more:
8:32 a.m. Realized math is not an early morning activity (we only had 30 food items, not 40... oops!) Victoria ran to get 10 more
9:05 a.m. Registered, wearing our official shirts... contemplating the best time to turn in the boys with a map
9:15 a.m. The map is confiscated (good work, Victoria!)
9:40 a.m. Waiting... and waiting... Is it going to start soon?
10:05 a.m. The first clue is read in the parking lot and mad running begins
10:24 a.m. On orange line from Ruggles on the way to the next clue... Victoria is ready to block the competition
10:35 a.m. Waiting for the red train to Harvard, headed to Mt. Auburn Cemetary. Lots of red shirts waiting... darn it, we thought we'd lost 'em
10:52 a.m. Re-enacted Japanese mob scare in Harvard Station
11:15 a.m. Victoria climbs the tower in Mt. Auburn. 2nd place!
11:39 a.m. We leave Mt. Auburn in 1st place... taking bus to the Esplanade.
11:49 a.m. Happened to have the same bus driver that took us to Mt. Auburn... he thought he'd gotten rid of us
11:50 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. HELL (sidenote - we stopped taking notes at this point because we were sprinting from site to site... until my legs gave out... i seriously couldn't walk for several minutes from the cramping)
3:15 p.m. Riding another bus... legs so happy to be sitting... to JFK's birthplace
4:03 p.m. Finished the race!! by bowling a strike and sinking all the pool balls (Victoria and I had luckily played pool the week before so we were in practice)
We ended in the top 15 for time... combined with the test mentioned in the rules, we placed 14th. We were pretty happy with this, since there were 109 teams registered and only 40 completed the race. Go team Jello Salad (a little nod to Utah)!
We were completely and utterly exhausted when we finished. The course ended up being 27 miles... this was probably the only marathon-length race I'll ever do. :) We went all over the city and I discovered a few places I'd never heard of and want to go back to explore... instead of just stopping and sprinting to the next spot. Really a fun day!
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