Did I say it was Fall?

I think the phrase "going Postal" may need to be changed to "going Arizona".  Every time I think we've finally arrived at a livable situation weatherwise it shoots right back up.  Today is 105 and windy.  So it's like having hot oven air blown right at you.  I went out to run this morning before the sun was even up and it was already hot.  The worst part about weather.... I can't control it!!  Nothing, not a letter I can write, a sweet "with a cherry on top" supplication, a strike I can organize, a sheer invasion to take part in...nothing...just nothing.  I think it's about this date on the calendar every year I break down and have a good cry over "I just can't take it anymore!!!"  But I survive..every year...I do.  But as a matter of record, I want it recorded that for the past 4 weeks or so the 10day forecast has had it being 80ish for the last three days of the forecast.  Not once has it ever gotten there, but it's always on there.  Maddening I tell ya.

This week Glee was better.  I'm still totally in over my head, but at least my time spent felt a little productive.  I finally called the bug guy after a year of procrastinating and that night Glade got stung by a scorpion.  We think.  He never saw it, may have been a spider but the symptoms were similar to a scorpion.  Irony.  Whitley is going to Homecoming tomorrow night.  General Conference is this weekend.  Brooklyn turned 12 today which I will make a separate post about.  I got a pedicure and painted them orangish brown with a sparkly spider on my big toe.  I never do that.  I had a nice lunch with friends and spent the whole day without any kids.  Chelsey left for Utah to go see Conference with her friends.  Had parent/teacher conf. and the kids all did pretty well.  Better than they have in a while. I have stuck to my Weight Watchers all week and didn't die.  Actually, today was much easier.  I didn't take one little bite out of Katy's very delish cookie.  I know it's very delish because I've had many in my life.  Wasn't even hardly tempted.  I'm down 4 lbs since I got back from Cali.  Still have 10 more to go but it's a slow process.  Now to see if I can make it through the weekend!

Lastly, I love Katy.  I know, I know.  But everyday I realize how big she's getting and how much I just want to kiss her and squeeze her all the time.  She's just adorable not on purpose.  The things she says.  Example: after a long morning of visiting teaching and playing at the park she was in the car moaning about being tired.  She started to explain to me that when she's tired she feels like she's going to cry and when people are happy it makes her cry cuz she thinks they are mad and that's why she has her really low voice right now.  Today at the store a really rude check out boy made the comment "little crybaby gets what she wants" because I bought her a second ringpop after hers crashed to the ground and shattered into a million pieces.  Rude!  She still snuggles with me every day and at some point, in her sleepy voice, she whispers "I love you Mama".  I will miss her. (I asked if when she was 20 she would still snuggle with me and she said that would be weird)

It's Fall!

Ok, so in name only.  Sometimes I spend $3.95 on a magazine just so I can look through the pages and know what fall actually is.  At my house it's still just summer, only you might not actually have triple digit temps a few days here and there.  The nights are cooling off though, we can actually go running in the mornings without dying.  When I say morning, I mean like before 7 am.  In honor of "fall" I made potato soup last night for Sunday dinner.  Ahhhh, how I love Bear Creek potato soup.  I'm changing my blog background and I might even break out the Halloween decorations in the next few days!

Friday night we went out with some friends to see the movie Abduction.  It was actually really good!  Cheesy and unrealistic, yes ( aren't they all)... but I was seriously having to tell myself to not grip the arm rests.  It wasn't scary, just intense.  Of course I ate like half a bag of buttery popcorn while doing so.  It was fun to be with friends and see a movie I actually enjoyed.

Saturday started early with Glee/Camp Rock practice until noon.  I really hope some how this pulls together and makes for a good show.  I'm wishing I hadn't volunteered, but I'm also trying to make the best of it.  I got a tiny nap before I took Brooklyn and two of her friends to the Joe Jonas concert in Scottsdale.  Pics and details to come.  We left by 3:30 and got home around 11 pm.  That's a long night!  She had a great time though and it was totally worth it.  While back at home, Glade took care of the kids in between baptizing a man who had decided to join the church and helping a friend do some yard work.  He made them dinner and got everyone ready for church.  What a gem!

Sunday I had a hard time rolling out thanks to two late nights in a row.  Church went well and hopefully my lesson got through to my girls.  In January, we had 3 laurels, yesterday there were 10.  Growing and Growing!  After church we had lunch, cleaned up, took naps and waited for cousins to arrive.  I think my kids watched 3 straight hours of Backyardagins.  Normally we don't watch TV on Sunday but I was so tired I gave in.  I was able to watch Women's Conference that I missed the night before because of the concert.  Elder Uchtdorf gives such wonderful talks, always uplifting.  Then the cousins finally came and we had a small but delish Sunday dinner.  Some time around mid-afternoon, I started sneezing and didn't stop the rest of the night.  I even took 2 allergy pills and they just kept coming.  It was miserable.  Today I'm better, but still sneezing.  Our weekends seem to just come and go so quickly because of play practice.  One of these days we're going to have a productive Saturday and get our garden in and my house cleaned up.  Someday...

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal Cell Carcinoma - the most common kind of skin cancer affecting one million Americans every year.  I am now one of those million.  I've had a red spot on my cheek for a couple years now.  At first I just thought it was a big zit that hadn't poked through yet.  A few months later I realized it was still there and maybe it wasn't a zit.  I didn't worry too much about it till recently when it would bleed occasionally.  I really knew it was some type of skin cancer but because we don't have insurance, I didn't want to pay to take care of it.  When it started to act up I decided to just bite the bullet and get it done.  I went to my Mom's dermatologist, who by the way...looks like a vampire.  I think my friend referred to him as the super hot vampire doctor.  He is nice looking but in a sort of creepy vampire way.  Anyway, they did a biopsy to confirm it and they scheduled me to  have it removed. 

Yesterday was the day.  I wasn't nervous, but having something cut out of your face is never a good thing.  The procedure was fine, but later it really started hurting.  Today it's just mildly sore.  It's nothing that spreads so I'm not worried about that, but it does mean I may likely get another as the years go on.  Oh the joys of aging!!

Cali Trip - Just the Two of Us

Our trip started very early in the morning, 4:30 actually.  We flew into Oakland, got our rental car and got on our way.  We were actually there to scout out convenient stores to see if it was do-able to start a bakery in that area so we spent most of the day in the car driving around.  The plan was not for me to drive with him, but to shop or site see or just chill with a book, but we couldn't even check into our hotel until 3pm and Oakland was NOT somewhere I wanted to hang out alone.  After a long day of driving around, we checked in, had a short nap and then decided to go for a run.  It worked out really well that there was a paved path right outside our hotel that went on for miles.  We did 4 miles that night.  I was really tired and didn't feel like a night out so we got dinner and brought it back to the hotel.  Our hotel was actually located in a little town called Walnut Creek.  I'm so naming my town something like that when I get one!

Day 2 started with another run.  The weather was really nice in the mornings, but got hot by afternoon.  I ran my best 3 miler in a long time.  This day I spent by myself shopping at a nearby center.  It was nothing exciting, but it was fun to be outside and see different kinds of stores.  I ended up at Ross, big shocker and got a few cute things including a big warm coat.  Sometimes we go to cold places!!  We usually only ate two meals.. our breakfast was free at the hotel (good ones too!) and then we would get an early dinner.  So in between, we usually found a treat.  This was my lucky day!  A yogurt shop was featuring Thin Mint yogurt.  I topped it with a light sprinkling of oreas and YUM!  I also had my first experience on a bus, and what an experience that was!  While waiting I got to chat with two lovely women who were both missing a few screws.  The 76 year old said I definitely looked the same age as her, or least in my sixties and the other filled me in on how her husband used to beat her and how many relatives she has that went to college.  Good times.  I took the bus to the local BART station (their commuting service) and then walked the 3/4 of a mile back to the hotel.

After a brief nap and some freshening up, I trekked back to the BART station, but this time to get on the big train that would take me into San Fransisco.  I did not enjoy that at all.  It was a 50 minute trip and the train feels quite rickety and is LOUD.  Once there, I waited on a corner till Glade came and found me.  Then we tried to maneuver our way through the city on a Saturday night.  It wasn't long before Glade was frustrated and just wanted out of the city.  I told him I did not ride that stupid train for an hour to not be in the city!  We finally found a parking garage and decided to find dinner.  The meters up there only took quarters and it was $3 an hour.  We put in what we had (15 min worth) and went in search of more quarters.  After about 40 minutes of begging and buying packs of gum, we finally got enough.  We ate pizza at a place called Amiccis.  After, we walked around the block taking in the sites.  That's one of my favorite things to do!  Glade was a little done with all the people and crowds so we headed home.

The next day was Sunday and we were going to go to Sacramento to check out that area.  We found a church in town and attended Sacrament meeting there.  The people were very friendly and welcoming.  We had lunch at Fudruckers, oh the chili cheese fries! and then went to see the Temple. 

A nice lady took this one for us.  Later we tried taking it with a self time and that was quite the experience. 

There was a big grassy park next to the temple that had wild turkeys roaming around.  Very strange.

This is the bathroom in the park.  I prefer to call it a tender mercy.  I'm pretty sure the chocolate muffin I thought I ate at breakfast may have actually been prune based.  Yikes! 

After visiting the Temple, we spent a couple of hours driving around.  I was so done by this point. I knew it was part of the deal but we were now at about 5 hours in the car for that day.  We finally got home and Glade, sensing my dissatisfaction, stopped by the yogurt shop for some Thin Mint yogurt.  No go, they changed their flavors.  We still got some and that was our dinner. 

The next day was by far my favorite.  We got up and ran again, this time 5 miles.  I hadn't run that much since the last Ragnar, sad I know.  It was a good run though.  We then headed in to San Fransisco for an actual day of vacation.  First we drove the bridge and walked around a cute little town called Saucalito.. I just love to say it!  There we got some taffy for the kids and poked our heads in all the souvenir shops.  I had to have some ice cream while here. (Is there a pattern here with having ice cream for a meal?)  I got the most delish caramel, banana, chocolate chip ice cream in a chocolate dipped waffle cone.  Truly heaven.  We had reservations for Alcatraz soon so we went back over to get checked in.  By this time it was actually hot. Seriously, like 90 degrees.  Totally sucky.  The visit to Alcatraz was super cool.  They have you put on a headset and take a tour at your own leisure.  You can stop it and start it whenever you want.  We spent about 2 hours on the island before catching the boat back.

Riding the ferry over to the island.

While in Saucalito, this fog just came up out of nowhere and rolled over into the mountains.  You could actually see it "rolling" over the peaks.  The line at the top of the white fog is the Golden Gate Bridge.  We actually had to drive right through it on our way back from Saucalito.

These are the showers at the prison.  I think I'll obey all laws.

Every cell looks exactly the same.

This is me in "the hole".  They said it was completely dark in there.  One guy said to pass the time he would rip a button off his shirt, toss it in the air and let it drop.  Then he would crawl around till he found it.  Repeat. Can you even imagine?

I had a hard time getting a good picture because they had glass in front of the cell, but this is the cell the prisoners from Escape from Alcatraz were actually in.  You can see the dug out vent back there and the head you see is the fake heads they made to make it look like someone was sleeping there.

It was obviously windy out there.  This is the city  behind us.

Once we got back we walked down to Pier 39.  We decided to eat at Bubba Gump's just so we can say we did.  It was super pricey, but a fun atmosphere. We even got a seat right next to the window.

After dinner we walked around the Pier a little more and got goodies for the kids.  We then hiked up a hill about a mile away to the Ghirardelli store.  The had a small display of how they make chocolate.  It was seriously filled with old foreigners.  On that note, I couldn't believe how many people were not from here.  I would bump someone and say sorry and they would retort with something I couldn't understand.  Crazy.  Anyway, they greeted us with a free sample of pumpkin, caramel chocolate.  It was so yummy!!  We roamed around a little (it was so crowded) and then grabbed a few "souvenirs" and headed out.

The next day was pretty uneventful.  We didn't run, Glade was really sore from the ginormous hill we climbed the previous day and I didn't want to have to do my hair again.  We intended on actually going to the Oakland Temple to do work, but weren't able to make it in time.  We were able to walk around the grounds though.  It's really pretty and has a walk around the top of the temple.  The temple is set high up over the city so the views are spectacular! 

This was on the grounds up on top of the walk around the top.

This is a totally random picture, but it's something that has made my vacations just a fraction better.  Leslie made me this "cover" out of a hotpad.  It goes on top of my straightener so I can pack it even if it's still hot.  So genius!!

After the temple, we set out for the airport and ended our trip with a fun flight home enjoying a Rachel Ray magazine together.  I know that sounds funny, but it was really fun to read it together and the flight was over in no time!  Back to life...Back to reality...

So Happy We Glow

Today was such a great productive day.  I was able to get so much done and keep a mostly positive attitude!  I did all my groceries while Katy was in preschool.  Safeway cheated me $3 of coupons they didn't ring up and I bought milk I thought was on sale.  Crap.  I still saved $22 in coupons so that's good.  I got laundry done, cleaned the kitchen, even did a little paperwork.  This morning I was out of the house before 6 am!  I ran three miles and the weather was almost cool.  The whole day was overcast so of course, that always puts me in a good mood. Once the kids got home from school I got my box of peaches canned with the help of two of my boys. 

We had homemade pizza for dinner and then went for a walk.  The weather was cool and breezy and everyone just wanted to be outside.  I didn't agree to dinner outside, but we decided to go for a walk after.  I remembered I had a pack of glow sticks in my closet so we all donned a few bracelets and headed out.  It was full dark so all you could see is 11 forms with random glow circles walking down the street.  The kids sang songs and acted silly the whole way.  I'm sure they will remember the night they sang the Tuti Ta song while walking in the cool breeze.  Simple and Spontaneous.

2001 and 10 years Later

A lot of things happened in 2001.  AND 10 years later things are still happening.  First and foremost, THIS kid came to our family.  Dalin is so funny and smart and sensitive, yes... he has his other moments, but for the most part he has been a joy to have in our family.

In 2001 the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series.  I was pretty on top of my baseball knowledge back then.  It was a very exciting year.  This year is the 10th anniversary of that win so they made a big deal out of it.  We went to the "memorial" game to witness all the fun for our selves.  They brought back almost the entire team from that year!  It was so fun to see them all.  Wow, they looked old.  I know, so do I.  Ten years... that's not a short amount of time.  The current team wore the old turquoise and purple uniforms, which I loved! ... for the game that night.  I hate that they switched to red.  Throughout the entire game, they played reruns of the highlights from the big game on the JumboTron.  Really really fun to relive.  The game that night turned into a very exciting one as well, extra innings and everything.  It was truly a super fun night that I was in desperate need of.  Go D-Backs!!

The attacks on the World Trade Center also happened that year, another ten year anniversary.  I feel like every year should be just as sad as the next, but this year there was more hoopla going on.  Rhett and Dalin both were able to participate in a memorial service at our local library.  Rhett read a poem and Dalin sang with his 5th grade class.  I wasn't happy to see them playing all the footage again on TV.  I think living it once is plenty.  Still, a nice day to remember.

Then there's this sweet dog.  He celebrated his 10th birthday in July.  We have had him for the last 8 of those years.  Jack has not been well for a long time now.  His hips got really bad, we're pretty sure he couldn't hear well anymore and if you've been to my house recently, you noticed he just poops wherever he happens to be.  Usually that's right in front of my front door.  Honestly, we've been praying for him to die so we wouldn't have to make that decision.  Many who come visit us say we were mean to keep him alive and yet I just didn't have it in me to say "this is your last day".  I was more than ready to be done with him, but still.. he's Jack.  Glade pulled a dead tree out of our back yard on Saturday and decided to cease the opportunity.  Without any of us knowing, he had him put down and buried him in the hole.  It wasn't until the next day when the kids noticed he hadn't eaten his food and they couldn't find him that questions started to arise.

I didn't even know.  Glade admitted what had happened and so we explained to the kids why it was OK and let them cry a little.  As sad as it made me, it was the only way it was ever going to happen.  I just didn't have the heart to do it.  I know it's a good thing but it's still hard to have him gone.  The kids wrote on sticks and cut out little hearts and put them over the hole.  We will buy a new orange tree and plant it there and call it our "Jack tree".  I would like to say he will be missed, but in reality he really just laid on the porch for hours on end.  He was the perfect dog for me and I love him, I'm sorry we let you go on for so long. 

Stop! I want off!

I can't chew.  Yes, my "mouth" is too full and I think I'm going to choke.  That's what I felt like last night after I got home from our first Glee practice.  I cried.  What have I done??  Why am I so confident in my abilities?  It was pure craziness.  My voice hurt from yelling so much (100 kids to talk over) and they were whiny "do we HAVE to do those songs?" "why didn't I get into Camp Rock?" "I want to be in the other group."... I think I should have been content to be on the sidelines waving goodbye to my sweet children while someone else did the leading.  I won't quit, but I'm very certain I won't ever volunteer again. 

Now add into that trying to keep my household running, which gets harder with every passing year.. trying to organize a Ragnar team, trying to become a runner again, trying to stay on top of my coupons, trying to stay on top of the paperwork Glade keeps bringing, a big box of peaches waiting to be dealt with, a backyard sports club I offered to help with every Tuesday, attending a Stake Marriage Class every Tuesday (yes, the same time I volunteered to help with the sports) and wondering how I'm getting to five different places at the same time tomorrow and I definitely know why I can't fit into any of my pants.  Hand over the cupcakes!

Not only haven't I blogged, I haven't even READ blogs.  If I'm on the computer, I'm usually doing paperwork or searching YouTube for some help on choreographing all these numbers.  Which still isn't done.  I have laundry coming out my ears cuz I can't even bare the thought of it right now.  My poor kids have been alone almost every night this week.  Something has to give, but what??  I guess my self pity is going to have to be the thing to go.  A commitment is a commitment and it's all temporary, right?  I'll be done just in time to have a nice relaxing Christmas!  (did I say relaxing and Christmas in the same sentence?)  I know I can get it all done, it just feels really overwhelming right now.  One day at a time!

The most beautiful part is that Glade is going out of town for business.  Yes, it's beautiful cuz I get to go too!!  Ahhh, Cali...I'll be there soon my beautiful Cali!  5 days of some serious "off duty" time.  It will be very welcomed.  Until then.. Must.  Keep.  Going. 

Anything else??

Last night we enjoyed an evening in with a few friends and some yummy pizza and ice cream.  It was nice to not have to get dressed and go out, just chill.  We didn't get to bed until about midnight once we finally got all the kids home and secure.  On a side note, it's quite a nice feeling once everyone has returned and the house is locked up and you can go to sleep not worrying.  Anyways, Glade's alarm went off at 5:30 like it always does and I groaned at the thought of 5.5 hours of sleep.  BUT, once I wake up, it's hard to go back to sleep. 

I checked the weather and it said it was only 79 outside so I decided I would go for a run.  Mind you, it's like 6:45 by now.  So I wrangled Glade into going with me and we went for a 2.5 mile run.  Hot.  It's really still hot at 80 with the sun shining on you.  I started running faster than I had been running on the treadmill so I got tired faster, but made it a mile and a quarter before I took a break.  By the time I finished, I felt like my head was going to explode, but I did it.  And it felt good.  Until about an hour later when my thighs started cramping. 

To keep this from being 8 pages long, I will summarize the rest of my "seriously??" day :

-Wanted to run lots of errands, got detained by a screaming, door slamming 6 year old (25 minutes of in and out of the corner.)
-Decided I would only be a little late to pick kids up from play practice if I just ran in to Wal Mart quickly to pick up a few things.  LABOR DAY WEEKEND.  Nothing quick about it.
-Chose a line with 4 people in front of me.  After standing in it for a decent amount of time and actually get to the counter, the guy tells me he's closed after the guy in front of me. Being the snot that I am, I made some rude comment, he offered to ring me up anyway, but I told him no thanks I'll go somewhere else!
-While in the line, I began to drool at the thought of a Subway sandwich right in front of me.  No one in line, no one, not a single person.  Until, I'm done checking out.  Now I'm fourth in line and the people in the front have to think and pause between each item they want on their sandwich.  Grrrrr.  Now I'm really late!
-Got into the car to get the kids and pulled out onto the main road.  Only a mile and a half to go.  Woops....train.  Wait, wait, wait, decide to eat the cookie I was going to give to the kids.  Finally retrieve the children.

All day I had been thinking about what we could do as a family today.  My lame brain decided on a movie, we would see Smurfs.  Not everyone was thrilled with that, but luckily Captain America was playing at the same time.  Perfect.  Actually so was Apollo 18 and Glade thought that would even be better, so some of the big kids decide they'll go with dad.  I'll summarize again:
-Purchased tickets at the kiosk, 2 for Captain America, 2 for Apollo and the rest for Smurfs....sold out.  What??  Went ahead and purchased the 4 previous and checked with customer service about the Smurfs.
Bought the only 2 tickets left to Smurfs.  Brooklyn and Katy, you're on your own.  Guess the rest of us will see Captain America.  2 more teenagers change to Apollo, fine...just need 2 for Captain America....sold out.  Back to Customer Service.  I can buy one ticket.  Ok....guess the three middle boys are on their own for Captain America and I'm stuck seeing the scary movie that I never wanted to see.

By this time, all the movies have already started and we are all still trying to get popcorn and soda.  I'm freaking out because the littlest kids have no big kids with them.  Whitley keeps shoving my soda at me, saying "here, here".  Gaaaaaa...just hang on!  I seriously looked like a monster mom and was having heart palpitations the whole time.  Nice family outing.

The Movie - this was a movie that pretty much just wanted to make you jump.  It was only scary in that way along with being a little creepy just in the fact that astronauts are being attacked by unknown objects.  After one particularly good "jump", Whitley leans over and says she doesn't think she can take anymore, Stephen leans in and says he's shaking and Nick now has a leg cramp from jumping so hard.  Stephen and Whitley decide on a time out and go for a walk.  Nick jumps right up and moves to the seat right next to me.  After the other two return, Whitley says she feels like she's going to puke and is leaving.  She snuck into Smurfs and enjoyed the rest of that.  What a bunch of Ninny's.  Again, nice family outing. 

Now we're home and have had dinner and everyone is recuperated from the movies.  The boys only have one more request... haircuts.  Oh joy, my very favorite thing.  Well, at least they can go back to school looking sharp and having a good tale to tell when the teacher says "what did you do over the weekend?"

Brunch

Katy had her first experience with Brunch this week.  I had determined to stay  home Friday and get some work done.  I was well on my way to that when at 8:30 mom called and said she was starving and wanted to know if Katy and I wanted to go meet her for brunch in an hour.  Me always being the one to please, tossed my responsibilities aside and went.  I explained to Katy what brunch was and went on our way.  When we pulled into Village Inn, she squeels "we've been here before!"  I had taken the girls there for breakfast one Saturday.  She then very seriously tells me that this is her very favorite place for brunch.  Then in the bathroom, she again says "you know this really is my favorite place for brunch."  When I asked her why, she says in her "duh" voice "you know that I love sausage!!"  We had a very enjoyable time and she did very well at sitting and not complaining while she ate her smiley pancakes.  Thanks mom!

(I wish I thought about my camera more often.  Gonna have to dust it off.)

So Brave

Ok, so I know this isn't exactly brave, BUT....I decided to hide a couple of people on FB.  I know!!  How will they ever know?  They won't...I hope.  Actually, I barely even know either one, but they were killing me!  Seriously, how many times a day can you post, and the same thing?  One was so bad with the whining that it was almost like a train wreck that you couldn't take your eyes off.  I hesitated because what if I missed something good?  Oh wait, it was never good and I would actually think (on my own time) about her screwed up life and why she was doing it all wrong.  Whew, well it's done and I'm proud of myself.  Hey, minor victories here.

We got our Ragnar team!  Now I just need to get my enlarged rear end up and running.  I wish I had some motivation.  Maybe, just maybe it just the heat.  I think 2 solid weeks and more to come of excessive heat warnings is about doing me in.  I barely want to put clothes on or shower or leave my house.  I just looked at the 10 day and until next Thursday it still just reads 111 across the board.  Oy!  Even the nights are staying in the high 80s and low 90s.  Totally sucks.

Today I went to exercise against my own will.  I fight with myself often. Luckily it's always ME who wins.  I didn't give 100% but at least it was something.  After, I went to lunch with a couple of my good friends.  Now that's something I can give 100% to!  It was really great to just sit and chat.  Except for the freezing temps in there.  I was actually shivering and with goosebumps most of the time.  Did I just complain about it being freezing and excessively hot in the same paragraph?  Nope...different paragraphs..whew! 

I'm getting old.  I've been killing myself with this choreography thing.  Yesterday I banged out another song, yeah me!  However, I threw in a few headrolls and now my neck is seriously sore.  Yes, my kids thought that funny that after a few times I left them out of the dance cuz it was killing me.  I'll still have the girls do it, but I'm too old.  Gotta get some more dancing done, our first practice is in one week.  I'm so excited to just get this show on the road, literally.