More Pictures and Videos of Liesel
Enjoy
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Five Stages of Insomnia
Stage One: Denial
I'm barely aware of Brent getting ready to go to the temple. Since Liesel entered our lives, I've been released as an ordinance worker but Brent is still desperately needed. They're always short on men and Spanish speakers so the Boston temple made an exception in his case. Somewhere in the early morning fog of semi-consciousness, I think I hear him whisper, "No no, go back to sleep. Mom needs more sleep." He turns on our sound machine to "ocean" and quietly kisses me goodbye. I recede back into the fog. Sometime later I hear Liesel moving around beside me. She's kicking off the sheets and making her little baby grunts. I stay very still. Like a ravenous bear, I figure if I don't move she won't think I'm alive. It seems she senses this foolish thinking and will have none of it. In the next second she has a wad of my hair in her tiny, delicate, impossibly powerful fist and she's blowing me raspberries.
Stage Two: Anger
Why did we let her go to sleep at 7PM last night? Was it just too tempting for us to have a date night--just the two of us with a pizza and our latest Netflix movie? Why oh why couldn't we have roused her at 8:30... just for a couple of hours, before she went down for the night? For various reasons I've had a rather rough week at work. I've been looking forward to sleeping in since TUESDAY! Can't I even have another 20 minutes of sweet, blissful unconsciousness? I untangle my hair from Liesel's hand and roll over to look at her. She cracks a ginormous smile at seeing I'm awake and laughs heartily.
Stage Three: Bargaining
I change her diaper, feed her, feed her again, take off her onesie (she likes to be as nude as possible... I'm hoping she outgrows this tendency before adolescence), I rub her back, give her the pacifier, etc. I'm pulling out every trick in the book to get her back to sleep. Meanwhile Liesel is incredibly alert; looking around our bedroom as if she's never seen it before and everything is just fascinating. She's chatting with me and letting out her delighted squeals, laughing and cooing. Every time I give her the binkie she promptly spits it out and blows raspberries at me. It takes a few tries before I realize she thinks this is a game.
Stage Four: Depression
Reality has set in; I've been up for an hour now and it's clear I'm not going back to sleep. Perhaps I'll get a nap this afternoon? Riiiiight, who are we kidding? If I'm lucky Brent will be home by 2. I have a list of To Do items as long as my arm. Some of them are non-negotiable like laundry which HAS to get done today or like Liesel ,we'll all be essentially nude. In her play, Liesel manages to scratch her own face and make a tiny cut on her nose. She begins sobbing dramatically. Poor girl, this isn't her fault. After all, this is the time she usually gets up. We've so very carefully adhered to a schedule that supposedly infants thrive on. My dreams (no pun intended) of sleeping in fade in light of my new agenda for the morning. I'm not exactly sure what's on that agenda, but I do know Liesel is the author.
Stage Five: Acceptance
In spite of all this, Liesel has a way with my heart strings. It's difficult to turn her down when she wants to cuddle and play. Okay, so sleep isn't all THAT essential. Maybe I will get a nap in this afternoon! Brent will be dying to see her when he comes home and I'll be free to slip under the covers and catch up on my shut eye. In this moment of surrender I tickle Liesel's back and notice she's laying very still and rubbing her eyes on occasion. Within minutes she's fast asleep. *sigh* Now about that laundry...
I'm barely aware of Brent getting ready to go to the temple. Since Liesel entered our lives, I've been released as an ordinance worker but Brent is still desperately needed. They're always short on men and Spanish speakers so the Boston temple made an exception in his case. Somewhere in the early morning fog of semi-consciousness, I think I hear him whisper, "No no, go back to sleep. Mom needs more sleep." He turns on our sound machine to "ocean" and quietly kisses me goodbye. I recede back into the fog. Sometime later I hear Liesel moving around beside me. She's kicking off the sheets and making her little baby grunts. I stay very still. Like a ravenous bear, I figure if I don't move she won't think I'm alive. It seems she senses this foolish thinking and will have none of it. In the next second she has a wad of my hair in her tiny, delicate, impossibly powerful fist and she's blowing me raspberries.
Stage Two: Anger
Why did we let her go to sleep at 7PM last night? Was it just too tempting for us to have a date night--just the two of us with a pizza and our latest Netflix movie? Why oh why couldn't we have roused her at 8:30... just for a couple of hours, before she went down for the night? For various reasons I've had a rather rough week at work. I've been looking forward to sleeping in since TUESDAY! Can't I even have another 20 minutes of sweet, blissful unconsciousness? I untangle my hair from Liesel's hand and roll over to look at her. She cracks a ginormous smile at seeing I'm awake and laughs heartily.
Stage Three: Bargaining
I change her diaper, feed her, feed her again, take off her onesie (she likes to be as nude as possible... I'm hoping she outgrows this tendency before adolescence), I rub her back, give her the pacifier, etc. I'm pulling out every trick in the book to get her back to sleep. Meanwhile Liesel is incredibly alert; looking around our bedroom as if she's never seen it before and everything is just fascinating. She's chatting with me and letting out her delighted squeals, laughing and cooing. Every time I give her the binkie she promptly spits it out and blows raspberries at me. It takes a few tries before I realize she thinks this is a game.
Stage Four: Depression
Reality has set in; I've been up for an hour now and it's clear I'm not going back to sleep. Perhaps I'll get a nap this afternoon? Riiiiight, who are we kidding? If I'm lucky Brent will be home by 2. I have a list of To Do items as long as my arm. Some of them are non-negotiable like laundry which HAS to get done today or like Liesel ,we'll all be essentially nude. In her play, Liesel manages to scratch her own face and make a tiny cut on her nose. She begins sobbing dramatically. Poor girl, this isn't her fault. After all, this is the time she usually gets up. We've so very carefully adhered to a schedule that supposedly infants thrive on. My dreams (no pun intended) of sleeping in fade in light of my new agenda for the morning. I'm not exactly sure what's on that agenda, but I do know Liesel is the author.
Stage Five: Acceptance
In spite of all this, Liesel has a way with my heart strings. It's difficult to turn her down when she wants to cuddle and play. Okay, so sleep isn't all THAT essential. Maybe I will get a nap in this afternoon! Brent will be dying to see her when he comes home and I'll be free to slip under the covers and catch up on my shut eye. In this moment of surrender I tickle Liesel's back and notice she's laying very still and rubbing her eyes on occasion. Within minutes she's fast asleep. *sigh* Now about that laundry...
Monday, August 04, 2008
99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall
I was inspired to do this post by Reagan, Katrina, Lisa and Joey who all did one for themselves. It took me about a week to come up with all these but I bet even those who know me very well will find something surprising in this list.
99 Things About Me:
99. I believe American Idol is a scam that will someday be exposed.
98. One significant event that has had a major impact on my life is watching people die from a horrific car accident when I was in college. I held a little girl named Jennifer Lopez while the rescue crew did their work with the rest of the family.
97. I admit that I’m legitimately OCD in many ways: I only eat Mike n Ikes in twos and they have to be the same color. If I have a bunch of unmatched ones at the end of a box I throw them away.
96. Lawn ornaments make me sad.
95. I think black people who have the incredibly dark skin are the most beautiful people on earth.
94. I still miss our Old English Sheepdog, Crosby.
93. My left ankle has a sliding tendon which constantly cracks. It’s really loud in the temple.
92. The two semesters at BYU after my mission were some of the hardest of my life. I feel very dark when I think of that time.
91. When I was younger I hated my sister Katrina. Everyone in the family always said we’d grow up to be best friends and I thought they were all being mean for suggesting such a thing.
90. My sister Katrina is one of my best friends and I can talk to her for HOURS. She is one of my biggest cheerleaders.
89. I’m told at least monthly I look exactly like someone else.
88. I’m incredibly embarrassed by my handwriting. In the past I’ve practiced for hours to try and make it better but to no avail.
87. My biggest fear is of Liesel dying.
86. My blood type is B+ just like my mom.
85. Berry Berry Kicks make me inexplicably happy.
84. I’m a laundry detergent snob. I have different detergents for whites, darks, delicates and permanent press. I never use bleach but my whites are amazingly white.
83. Brent’s opinion of me matters more to me than anyone else on earth.
82. When I complained about something as a child my mom would always tell me that was just my “Crossta Bear.” It made me wonder what I’d done with this alleged bear. Was it like a teddy bear? Had I lost it? What did it look like? I was about 17 when I found out she was saying “cross to bear.”
81. Ipso facto is one of my favorite Latin phrases.
80. Most of my childhood memories are of being sick with asthma.
79. Since my mission I love spicy foods and I add salt and pepper to just about every meal.
78. I take my friendships very seriously.
77. I wish I could cook well and I’m trying to learn but it definitely doesn’t come naturally.
76. Every so often I think of my dream house and I can picture the rooms and the décor in my mind.
75. I believe girls who claim to be low-maintenance are actually high-maintenance. You’d have to be at least high maintenance enough to mention something about your level of maintaining.
74. Once I went to visit my brother Joey and family and he answered the door with a gun in his hand. He thought I was a burglar even though I knocked on the front door.
73. When I cry in front of Brent he always kisses my tears away.
72. I firmly believe in buying quality and taking care of what you have; even if it wasn't very expensive, take good care of it!
71. I generally don’t like men who wear dress shoes with tassels on them. I believe men who wear tassels tend to be as… uhm jerks :)
70. Wal-Mart is evil and I refuse to shop there.
69. I wish I’d been close to my mission presidents. I don’t think either of them knew me much beyond my weekly numbers.
68. I’m allergic to the natural sugar in fruit. I especially can’t eat cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon.
67. When I see a cute guy without a wedding ring I imagine which of my fabulous, single girlfriends I'd like to see him with.
66. My eyes have a ring of dark blue right next to the pupil so I always look dilated.
65. I'm a bridge burner.
64. It's harder for me to give up cheese than chocolate.
63. I try to consider people's intentions before their actions.
62. My brother Logan let me drive the van to seminary before I had a permit. I hit the side of a bridge and cracked the rim of the tire. Logan took the heat for me.
61. My nails grow ridiculously fast and they rarely break.
60. On my mission I trained 5 times in a row. I was exhausted but I loved those girls!
59. Report cards from grade school note that I had a tendency to be "moody."
58. Brent was the first guy I dated that I knew could possibly break up with me. Before he came along I was the one to end every other relationship.
57. I envy and admire every one of my siblings for different reasons. They all motivate me to be the best person I can possibly be.
56. You can take the girl out of Iowa but you'll never take the Iowa out of this girl.
55. I've been off of caffeinated drinks for 3 years.
54. I still crave a coke with lemon; especially on hot days.
53. I drank a lot of coke with lemon when I was at BYU.
52. Lists make my world go 'round! I'll put something on a list like "breathe in and out" just so I can check it off.
51. Once I went to a BYU alumni event and failed to notice it was business dress. That was the same day as our company Hawaiian-themed party and I showed up in a bright, red, hibiscus-print dress.
50. I believe you can learn something valuable from everyone.
49. I'll always love my nephew Noah for calling me "Dankas" when he was younger.
48. Asking for help is very hard for me.
47. Breaking both my arms was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.
46. I begin buying Christmas presents in July and have bought as early as February.
45. When I people-watch I think about what I'd do to them if I could give them a makeover.
44. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone doesn't erase the chalkboard completely.
43. I believe happiness is a state of mind and not a set of circumstances.
42. In one of my harder BYU classes, the professor sprung a pop-quiz on us. I couldn't answer any of the questions so at the bottom I wrote, "Okay you caught me, I wasn't prepared for class today! At least I came anyway :)" He gave me points for it.
41. I don't care if I'm not my parent's favorite child (although they don't play favorites so it's never been an issue).
40. I think Pleasures for Men by Estee Lauder is one of the sexiest scents.
39. I'm a true road warrior and traveling is my passion.
38. I rarely buy anything over $50 without checking Consumer Reports first.
37. In Jr. High I had both a Typing teacher and Wood Shop teacher who were missing fingers.
36. While driving around town I make mental notes of all the gas prices so I can get the cheapest possible.
35. I know the church is true.
34. We had a lace tablecloth that as a kid I'd drape around myself and pretend I was a princess. My sister made fun of me for doing it until one day I caught her in it. She'd probably still deny this.
33. If you look around enough you'll notice there's a lot of loose change on the ground. I'm always picking up pennies, dimes, nickles and the occasional quarter.
32. On the way to one of my last OB-GYN appointments I spotted a dime but I was so big it was hard to bend over and pick up. Brent noticed and quickly picked it up for me. It might sound cheesy but I fell in love with him all over again.
31. I've stared at the Tiffany stained-glass windows in New York's Museum of Fine Arts for hours.
30. I'd love to write a book with my mom.
29. I'd love to go to Denmark with my dad.
28. I cry every time I see She's Having a Baby.
27. In my experience, money spent on flowers is never wasted.
26. Cats hate me just as much as I hate them.
25. I think scrubs make the best pajamas.
24. I believe in love at first sight.
23. My Meyers-Briggs profile is ENTJ (extrovert, intuition, thinking, judgment). I scored very high on the J.
22. My true colors profile is gold and it fits me perfectly.
21. I'll do just about anything for American Airlines frequent flyer miles.
20. I still hold utensils between my first and second finger rather than my thumb and first finger (residual habit from when my arms were broken).
19. If I could go back and do high school again I'd take an auto mechanic class and join the bowling team.
18. Ashley Judd is my idol.
17. I cannot walk downstairs with my left foot first. I have to start with my right.
16. I turned my whole family on to iPods. I've given every family one except Logan's and my parents who bought their own.
15. Learning a foreign language is very difficult for me.
14. Writing papers and essays is super easy for me. I even got an A for an A.P. English paper about a book I never read.
13. It bothers me when someone says they didn't have time to do something. You can make anything happen if you really want to, even with limited time. They're really saying it just wasn't a big priority for them.
12. I had my first smell of marijuana at a Paul McCartney concert when I was 14.
11. Liesel's laugh is the most magical thing to me.
10. My Dad still yells at me if he sees me go out in the cold without a coat because of my asthma.
9. I remember when my brother Joey graduated from high school and he spoke at the ceremony. He mentioned the number 88 is the same backwards, forwards and on its side. I was only 11 but I thought that was really profound.
8. I can roll my tongue and am a PTC taster.
7. I have a huge fear of needles. I'd like to punch anyone who says a certain type of shot "doesn't hurt." I don't have a fear of pain, I have a fear of needles. I can't even look at them.
6. When I gave birth to Liesel the anesthesiologist was a complete idiot. I had to have 3 numbing shots and he tried to go in 5 times with the epidural before he got it right. Once he left the room I cried.
5. Abnormal Psychology was my favorite class in High School. My teachers Mrs. Rogers inspired me to major in Psychology in college.
4. I was never interested in the history of American wars until I read Killer Angels.
3.When I tracted with my greenies on the mission, I used to pretend I didn't speak any Spanish so they'd have to do all the talking. It made some of them really mad which just made it funnier to me.
2. I'm shocked to hear my voice played back to me. It's the most annoying voice I've ever heard.
1. I can fly in my dreams.
Surprised by anything? Okay Brent, now it's your turn!
99 Things About Me:
99. I believe American Idol is a scam that will someday be exposed.
98. One significant event that has had a major impact on my life is watching people die from a horrific car accident when I was in college. I held a little girl named Jennifer Lopez while the rescue crew did their work with the rest of the family.
97. I admit that I’m legitimately OCD in many ways: I only eat Mike n Ikes in twos and they have to be the same color. If I have a bunch of unmatched ones at the end of a box I throw them away.
96. Lawn ornaments make me sad.
95. I think black people who have the incredibly dark skin are the most beautiful people on earth.
94. I still miss our Old English Sheepdog, Crosby.
93. My left ankle has a sliding tendon which constantly cracks. It’s really loud in the temple.
92. The two semesters at BYU after my mission were some of the hardest of my life. I feel very dark when I think of that time.
91. When I was younger I hated my sister Katrina. Everyone in the family always said we’d grow up to be best friends and I thought they were all being mean for suggesting such a thing.
90. My sister Katrina is one of my best friends and I can talk to her for HOURS. She is one of my biggest cheerleaders.
89. I’m told at least monthly I look exactly like someone else.
88. I’m incredibly embarrassed by my handwriting. In the past I’ve practiced for hours to try and make it better but to no avail.
87. My biggest fear is of Liesel dying.
86. My blood type is B+ just like my mom.
85. Berry Berry Kicks make me inexplicably happy.
84. I’m a laundry detergent snob. I have different detergents for whites, darks, delicates and permanent press. I never use bleach but my whites are amazingly white.
83. Brent’s opinion of me matters more to me than anyone else on earth.
82. When I complained about something as a child my mom would always tell me that was just my “Crossta Bear.” It made me wonder what I’d done with this alleged bear. Was it like a teddy bear? Had I lost it? What did it look like? I was about 17 when I found out she was saying “cross to bear.”
81. Ipso facto is one of my favorite Latin phrases.
80. Most of my childhood memories are of being sick with asthma.
79. Since my mission I love spicy foods and I add salt and pepper to just about every meal.
78. I take my friendships very seriously.
77. I wish I could cook well and I’m trying to learn but it definitely doesn’t come naturally.
76. Every so often I think of my dream house and I can picture the rooms and the décor in my mind.
75. I believe girls who claim to be low-maintenance are actually high-maintenance. You’d have to be at least high maintenance enough to mention something about your level of maintaining.
74. Once I went to visit my brother Joey and family and he answered the door with a gun in his hand. He thought I was a burglar even though I knocked on the front door.
73. When I cry in front of Brent he always kisses my tears away.
72. I firmly believe in buying quality and taking care of what you have; even if it wasn't very expensive, take good care of it!
71. I generally don’t like men who wear dress shoes with tassels on them. I believe men who wear tassels tend to be as… uhm jerks :)
70. Wal-Mart is evil and I refuse to shop there.
69. I wish I’d been close to my mission presidents. I don’t think either of them knew me much beyond my weekly numbers.
68. I’m allergic to the natural sugar in fruit. I especially can’t eat cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon.
67. When I see a cute guy without a wedding ring I imagine which of my fabulous, single girlfriends I'd like to see him with.
66. My eyes have a ring of dark blue right next to the pupil so I always look dilated.
65. I'm a bridge burner.
64. It's harder for me to give up cheese than chocolate.
63. I try to consider people's intentions before their actions.
62. My brother Logan let me drive the van to seminary before I had a permit. I hit the side of a bridge and cracked the rim of the tire. Logan took the heat for me.
61. My nails grow ridiculously fast and they rarely break.
60. On my mission I trained 5 times in a row. I was exhausted but I loved those girls!
59. Report cards from grade school note that I had a tendency to be "moody."
58. Brent was the first guy I dated that I knew could possibly break up with me. Before he came along I was the one to end every other relationship.
57. I envy and admire every one of my siblings for different reasons. They all motivate me to be the best person I can possibly be.
56. You can take the girl out of Iowa but you'll never take the Iowa out of this girl.
55. I've been off of caffeinated drinks for 3 years.
54. I still crave a coke with lemon; especially on hot days.
53. I drank a lot of coke with lemon when I was at BYU.
52. Lists make my world go 'round! I'll put something on a list like "breathe in and out" just so I can check it off.
51. Once I went to a BYU alumni event and failed to notice it was business dress. That was the same day as our company Hawaiian-themed party and I showed up in a bright, red, hibiscus-print dress.
50. I believe you can learn something valuable from everyone.
49. I'll always love my nephew Noah for calling me "Dankas" when he was younger.
48. Asking for help is very hard for me.
47. Breaking both my arms was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.
46. I begin buying Christmas presents in July and have bought as early as February.
45. When I people-watch I think about what I'd do to them if I could give them a makeover.
44. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone doesn't erase the chalkboard completely.
43. I believe happiness is a state of mind and not a set of circumstances.
42. In one of my harder BYU classes, the professor sprung a pop-quiz on us. I couldn't answer any of the questions so at the bottom I wrote, "Okay you caught me, I wasn't prepared for class today! At least I came anyway :)" He gave me points for it.
41. I don't care if I'm not my parent's favorite child (although they don't play favorites so it's never been an issue).
40. I think Pleasures for Men by Estee Lauder is one of the sexiest scents.
39. I'm a true road warrior and traveling is my passion.
38. I rarely buy anything over $50 without checking Consumer Reports first.
37. In Jr. High I had both a Typing teacher and Wood Shop teacher who were missing fingers.
36. While driving around town I make mental notes of all the gas prices so I can get the cheapest possible.
35. I know the church is true.
34. We had a lace tablecloth that as a kid I'd drape around myself and pretend I was a princess. My sister made fun of me for doing it until one day I caught her in it. She'd probably still deny this.
33. If you look around enough you'll notice there's a lot of loose change on the ground. I'm always picking up pennies, dimes, nickles and the occasional quarter.
32. On the way to one of my last OB-GYN appointments I spotted a dime but I was so big it was hard to bend over and pick up. Brent noticed and quickly picked it up for me. It might sound cheesy but I fell in love with him all over again.
31. I've stared at the Tiffany stained-glass windows in New York's Museum of Fine Arts for hours.
30. I'd love to write a book with my mom.
29. I'd love to go to Denmark with my dad.
28. I cry every time I see She's Having a Baby.
27. In my experience, money spent on flowers is never wasted.
26. Cats hate me just as much as I hate them.
25. I think scrubs make the best pajamas.
24. I believe in love at first sight.
23. My Meyers-Briggs profile is ENTJ (extrovert, intuition, thinking, judgment). I scored very high on the J.
22. My true colors profile is gold and it fits me perfectly.
21. I'll do just about anything for American Airlines frequent flyer miles.
20. I still hold utensils between my first and second finger rather than my thumb and first finger (residual habit from when my arms were broken).
19. If I could go back and do high school again I'd take an auto mechanic class and join the bowling team.
18. Ashley Judd is my idol.
17. I cannot walk downstairs with my left foot first. I have to start with my right.
16. I turned my whole family on to iPods. I've given every family one except Logan's and my parents who bought their own.
15. Learning a foreign language is very difficult for me.
14. Writing papers and essays is super easy for me. I even got an A for an A.P. English paper about a book I never read.
13. It bothers me when someone says they didn't have time to do something. You can make anything happen if you really want to, even with limited time. They're really saying it just wasn't a big priority for them.
12. I had my first smell of marijuana at a Paul McCartney concert when I was 14.
11. Liesel's laugh is the most magical thing to me.
10. My Dad still yells at me if he sees me go out in the cold without a coat because of my asthma.
9. I remember when my brother Joey graduated from high school and he spoke at the ceremony. He mentioned the number 88 is the same backwards, forwards and on its side. I was only 11 but I thought that was really profound.
8. I can roll my tongue and am a PTC taster.
7. I have a huge fear of needles. I'd like to punch anyone who says a certain type of shot "doesn't hurt." I don't have a fear of pain, I have a fear of needles. I can't even look at them.
6. When I gave birth to Liesel the anesthesiologist was a complete idiot. I had to have 3 numbing shots and he tried to go in 5 times with the epidural before he got it right. Once he left the room I cried.
5. Abnormal Psychology was my favorite class in High School. My teachers Mrs. Rogers inspired me to major in Psychology in college.
4. I was never interested in the history of American wars until I read Killer Angels.
3.When I tracted with my greenies on the mission, I used to pretend I didn't speak any Spanish so they'd have to do all the talking. It made some of them really mad which just made it funnier to me.
2. I'm shocked to hear my voice played back to me. It's the most annoying voice I've ever heard.
1. I can fly in my dreams.
Surprised by anything? Okay Brent, now it's your turn!
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Red Sox Nation
Contrary to popular belief, the true Red Sox experience does NOT begin at Fenway. It actually begins long before the national anthem has been sung or the opening pitch has been thrown. The real beginning of a Red Sox game is on the green line of the subway headed to the game. Bostonians are notoriously brash but when headed to a game they turn into polite... almost genteel neighbors while cramming together on the train. The mood is always upbeat and there's an undeniable sense of optimism and excitement. If you are the lucky holder of a ticket to a seat at Fenway, your fortune is indeed bright. Mostly everyone piles off the train at the Kenmore stop and heads towards the exit. Before you can reach the exit however, there are a handful of individuals asking if you're selling tickets. Once you're up on the street there's another handful of individuals asking if you're buying tickets. I've always wondered why they don't all just get together and make a business arrangement.From there you turn the corner and walk the bridge that crosses the Massachusetts Turnpike. With the cars speeding below your feet you encounter the guy selling programs, then the guy with the sandwich board telling you the end of the world is near. There's usually the guy playing the plastic containers turned on end as makeshift drums. You walk past the Cask N' Flagon where alcohol has intensified the excitement. One last turn onto Lansdowne Street to find your gate and you are met with the overwhelming ballpark aroma. Soft pretzels, bratwurst and nachos oh my! In spite of my efforts to avoid the fattening Fenway Franks and soft serve in a mini-baseball helmet I immediately salivate at the smell. "When in Rome..." I think to myself.
Brent has Liesel in the snugli. For the occasion we have her dressed in her onesie tha
t says, "There's No Crying Unless You're a Yankees Fan" along with her Red Sox hat. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE is making comments. "Oh how cute!" "Look at that baby!" "First Red Sox game?" "That's how to raise 'em!" We go through security and I joke with the man checking our diaper bag that if he confiscates her diapers I'm bringing her back when she's dirty. He smiles at me, barely looks in the bag and puts a bright, green sticker on it meaning we're a go. Eventually we find our seats and sit back for an evening of entertainment brought to us by the likes of Jason Varitek, the newly acquired Jason Bay and of course Big Papi. This is Red Sox Nation.My love affair with the Red Sox began many years ago. When I moved to Boston it was immediately apparent this was a baseball town. Coming from Iowa where football is the flavor of choice when it comes to sports I had to learn all about the Red Sox and their history. Why the Yankees were so hated. What the "curse" meant and why not to mention the name Billy Buckner in mixed company. Who Ted Williams was and why there's a tunnel named after him in the Big Dig. Like so many before me, I too wanted to be a part of this story and began to follow the team. As my time in Boston continued, frustrations with my dating life did too. I always had dates, but finding my eternal companion had eluded me as much as the World Series Championship had eluded the Red Sox. I found a parallel in that no matter how hard we tried, it seemed in the end something was against us.
After a particularly bad date I was having a conversation with God. Okay, I didn't need to be married RIGHT then. I didn't even need to know the guy. I just needed to know if it was ever going to happen. Ultimately that would alter some of the decisions I had facing me in my life at the time. I just needed a sign "Heavenly Father, if the Red Sox win the World Series this year, I'll know that I'm going to get married." At the time, I thought my chances were about as good as the Red Sox's were.A few months later the Red Sox made it into the playoffs as the wild card. Okay Heavenly Father... you caught my attention. They beat the Angels in game after spectacular game. I'm listening Heavenly Father... with rapt attention! After humiliating losses to the Yankees they rallied in game 7 of the playoffs for a 10-3 win. Not only did it secure them a place in the World Series, but it has been called the greatest comeback in baseball history. Wow Heavenly Father, you really DO hear prayers! By then the locomotive was in motion and was not to be stopped. The Red Sox didn't just win the World Series. They SWEPT the World Series, reversed the curse, went down in history and became world champions; all on my birthday, October 27th of 2004. You may think it sounds ridiculous but it's almost as if Heavenly Father was saying, "Okay Danika, this one's for you." Oh yes, I became a believer.
Interestingly enough I didn't marry the guy I watched this momentous event with and was dating at the time. Less than two years later, I married someone infinitely better for me. Going back to Fenway with my fabulous husband and adorable baby was almost a spiritual experience. I had my family, and my Fenway frank too!
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