The Strange Truth About Siblings

Seattle

While Katya was at her conference, I was hanging with Michelle in Seattle. Let me just say that I loved every minute of it!

Highlights:

- Went to Pike's Market two times!!

- Loaded up on pastries from the French bakery, lots and lots of cheese from Beecher's (YUM), and some of the best pears I've had in a long time.

- Went to Whidbey Island and ate some Loganberry pie - yum

- Rode the ferry to and from Whidbey Island. Way cool.

- Did two seven mile walks (since Michelle talked me into the 3 Day walk to begin with)

- Had some wonderful chowder two times and I'm not even a seafood lover

- Had dinner with Michelle's Aunt Barbara and Uncle John who made dinner for us. They are awesome people and we had stayed with them once a few years ago when we (Katya, Michelle, Rese and I) went up to Seattle on vacation. They live in the most beautiful old Victorian by Lake Washington.

- Did a little shopping at the Alderwood mall

It was a much needed break and by the time Sunday came, I was missing my family. Although, I must admit I am feeling much better now than I was before I left. I needed some time with my best friend and I needed some time to myself. Sometimes you need to recharge your personal batteries before you have the energy needed to give to those around you.

NYLSC

NYLSC is the National Young Leaders State Conference that Katya was nominated for last year and one of the two trips we have been pinching our pennies for. Katya has been recycling cans, babysitting, washing cars, walking dogs and doing anything else she can think of to earn money for these trips.

Well, the trip was last Thursday to Sunday (yesterday) and it appears to have been everything we could have hoped for and more.

I flew with Katya to Seattle Thursday morning and Michelle picked us up from the airport along with another mom and her son that were also going to the conference (the ONLY other person from Central Oregon at the conference). The conference was held at the Hilton Bellevue and it was a good thirty minute drive from the airport. Michelle stayed with the truck while I got Katya checked in.

There were scared looking teenagers all dressed up in their idea of business casual (more like business formal) with their parents walking beside them. I got Katya checked in with the extremely nice woman at the registration table and once Katya was changed into her dress clothes I left her at the door to one of the banquet rooms and her terrified eyes were starting to think that she would change her mind until I kissed her, hugged her and pushed her into the room. That was basically the last I heard from her for the entire time she was there. Trust me, had she hated it at ALL my phone would have been full of texts telling me how awful it was. As it was, she only responded to one text and she basically said she was having an amazing time and couldn't talk because she was going to the trivia night event.

When I returned on Sunday morning to attend her commencement program I saw her briefly walk by all dressed up with a smile on her face and surrounded by some new friends. The commencement was fun and it was full of hooting teens cheering on the few teen speakers that were up there at the podium. You wouldn't have expected teens to cheer on other teens that were talking about the importance of integrity, the value of feedback and resolving conflicts with mutual respect and understanding.

I am not normally the most emotional of people as I tend to keep my feelings pretty much inside. But, I was getting really teary eyed looking around at all the kids - the future of our country - and I couldn't have been more proud. My daughter was one of the kids in this crowd that worked really hard to get there by getting exceptional grades, being considered a leader and mentor by a teacher and saving her pennies for so many months. She is an exceptional young woman and I can't believe that I had something to do with her being the awesome person she is.

Katya told me that she feels this event changed her for the better. We went through the entire huge booklet that she used during the conference and much of it were ideas that I first heard at my management bootcamp classes at UCSD. What an amazing experience. Now Katya has her sights set on the Inagural Young Leaders Conference in Washington D.C. next January. We'll have to see about that one.

X Country Skiing

Well, Bob and I finally got ourselves on some cross country skiis and hit the snow! We had bought a Chariot chassis about a month or so ago from REI and had yet to try it out.

We got a half day rental for only $12 (such a deal) and headed out Skyliner Road which is just a hop skip and a jump from our house. Man was there some serious snow there! The residents that couldn't plow their way to their houses had left their cars on the street and some of them were covered with as much as three feet of snow. It's amazing what a few hundred feet of elevation does for snow levels.

Anyway, we did pretty good! We were out for almost three hours and we took turns pulling the kids in the sled, although I did a bit more than Bob since it was easier for me. Something about hips is such a help when you have to wear a belt thingie. It kept sliding down on Bob.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect and we saw three other people with Chariots like ours. Only one was a double though. The kids did fine and slept most of the way. They were bundled up and had a down blanket on top of them for added warmth. I even stuffed a few of those pocket warmers under their behinds and behind their backs because I really didn't want them getting cold.

I'm loving this new sport and I can't wait until Bob and I can go back! I won't go by myself yet because I stink at going down the slightest hill. The added weight provideds a bit too much momentum and I was picking up too much speed so I would make myself crash. I let Bob do that part since he had more control. I hadn't been on cross country skiis since I was 17.

It's way fun, great exercise and I highly recommend it! I want to try snowshoeing next.