The L.A. Dime

We met the Shepherd clan at the Skirball yesterday to check out the Noah’s Ark exhibit. It was an experience full of sounds, wonderful visual sights and a ton of hands-on opportunities for our little ones.
What we were probably most impressed with the use of materials to make these enormous animals. For example, an old violin case served as the head/mouth of an aligator and drums serves as the feet of an elephant. The last piece of the exhibit allowed the kids to play a variety of instruments to make various animal sounds and pretend to jump in the water puddles left behind after the rain storm. Oh, while Sophie enjoyed all the touch-n-feel stations, her favorite part was most likely climbing up a net (that was really only supposed to be for kids 4 & up) and then running above our heads in the “jungle tunnel”.

If, like in Space Jam, the fate of humanity came down to one athlete playing a sport against an alien race, here’s who I’d choose right now. Use the comment panel to suggest more sports and I’ll add them on.

1. Football:  Offense, Peyton Manning.  But I’d prefer he not take any weeks off before the game that decides our fate.  Defense: Revis. Put him up against a nine-foot tall, eight-legged octopus, and he’d shut that freak down right now.

2. Basketball:  Kobe Bryant. Not Le’Bron.  When healthy, and let’s assume this big game is a few months away, Bryant can shoot, drive, defend, and will himself to victory.  LeBron may actually be an alien, so I’m not sure he’d qualify, anyway.

3. Golf:  Tiger Woods. See also: Competitive Philandering.

4. Baseball:   Albert Pujols as a hitter, and probably that guy from Toronto who is now with Philly as a pitcher. But my guess is aliens don’t watch baseball anymore, either.

5. Hockey:  Olvechkin or Crosby?  Broudour in goal?  See above.

6. NASCAR:  That one guy who keeps winning every year.  See above.

7.  Soccer:  Somebody with one name that ends in “o” from Brazil.

8. Cycling:  You can give the aliens Contador for their team and I’ll still take Lance.

9. Tennis: Federer. I like Rafa, but if my future is in the balance, I want the Swiss. We might be able to avoid conflict all together if we send Serena and her mouth after them.

10. Boxing: Rocky Balboa. (Without a great heavy weight, we’d be screwed.) If the aliens are little people, send Mayweather or Manny.

…..another Baby Riddell will be joining the family around July 19th!

12 Weeks

We arrived in KY on Christmas Eve and had a chance to see the immediate Riddell family within a few hours. Mom-Mom Saundra cooked up a yummy pork chop meal with lots of veggies and of course a lovely selection of desserts.
The next few days were filled with quality family time (cousin Sawyer and Sophie explored the Newport Aquarium together) and enjoyed many hours of running after each other and playing together. I got to spend some time with my two best friends in the world and we celebrated New Years Eve with a large group of UK Lambda Chi’s in Louisville. There was a bit of snow and even though it wasn’t enough to make a snowman (or even a snowball for that matter), I loved every minute of the clean, crisp, cold (it got down to 7 degrees!!!) weather. We also checked out the Cincinnati Children’s Museum which we were extremely impressed with.
I know I’ve said this before but I just love being home. I realize that it probably has a lot to do with the fact that when we’re there, we’re usually on vacation, everyone makes themselves available to see us and we don’t have to worry about making dinner, doing laundry or any other of those life responsibilities. But beyond that, it’s where I feel truly at peace and I was so happy to have seen Sophie play with her cousins and have a chance to catch up face to face with family and life-long friends. We are also very grateful for the effort Mom-Mom and Pops puts forth to make our stays memorable and enjoyable.

This year was a lot different. Sophie seemed to get a lot more into the holiday season - she loved singing “Frosty, the Snowman”, always pointed out all the lights on houses and loved turning on our tree as soon as it got dark outside. Of course, not touching the presents under the tree or taking off the decorations continued to be a little challenge but she eventually understood and waited patiently until we had our little Riddell family Christmas on the 22nd. With Nana & Opa right there with us (although on the computer, via Skype), we opened presents and tried to slow down time as these moments always seem to fly by too quickly.

This is a few weeks late but the last time Brad and I went for our check-up at the dentist, we took Sophie along so Dr. Knitter could take a look at her teeth too. She watched Dada have his teeth cleaned first and then she hopped right up into the dentist chair. The dental hygienist was very calm and didn’t get discouraged when Sophie would only keep her mouth open for a few seconds and was really more interested in eating the polishing paste than sitting still. The dentist also took a quick peek and gave us the thumbs up. All in all, it was a good attempt at getting her used to the idea and getting a new toothbrush with Elmo on it was a sure way to win over Sophie for her next appointment.

It seems that after you’ve been dating your significant other for a while, people start to ask “so, how did you two meet”. Every couple has their own story and ours began on Thanksgiving Day, thirteen years ago. I won’t bore you with the details but for all that know us, you know that it’s what we call our “typical KY story”, which we then follow with a chuckle and a big smile. So every year, I am reminded of that cold day at the Walters’ annual Turkey Bash, where a college freshman was standing in the kitchen getting a drink, when her tall, handsome “all american boy” walked in…and into her heart.

But enough about that….Thanksgiving is Brad’s favorite holiday. I believe it is because he has many, many years of fond memories which include an amazing meal, every family member surrounding multiple tables, all the cousins making fun of each other, lots of football watching and maybe even a quick nap on a well-loved couch.

Moving to LA 10 years ago meant that we’d start our own traditions and memories. It began with us hosting Turkey Day at our apartment in Hollywood and inviting anyone that didn’t have a family close by….which was mostly Brad’s USC friends. Over time, that group expanded to and include dates, girlfriends/boyfriends and eventually spouses. While there certainly is a bit of preparing and trying to figure out where to seat everyone, the actual task of making the turkey is one that I don’t find that hard and actually quite enjoy. I’ve done it since my college years at Xavier and very much look forward to it. Back then, I’d get up early to put the bird in the oven and then sleep for a few more hours. Today, our little Sophie doesn’t allow for a lot of sleeping in but she sure was excited this year (it seems that she’s starting to understand the anticipation and then happening of big events).

A few years back, we started taking turns with our dear friends Mark & Faleena. This year, it was their turn to host and we were so looking forward to having it at their new house, with their new baby Caitlin. They did an amazing job with the food, decorations and making everyone feel right at home.

I am thankful to have the opportunity to be with our little family; to be surrounded by our dear friends who are there for us when and where ever; family that supports our adventures; to have our health (and that includes having figured out about Brad’s Celiac disease); to have a job that helps provide for us; and the moments of happiness that come from simple things like hearing Sophie call for me and Brad smiling at me for no reason at all.

Our neighborhood isn’t the best for trick-or-treating, so we’d made plans with the Shepherds to join them in Santa Monica. After all 3 boys got sick though, we were left to scramble at the last minute to find a new neighborhood to go to.

And so began another “wow - we live in a crazy place adventure”. A few of my work friends had told me about a neighborhood in Westlake Village where the residents goes all out with decorating their homes; setting up stations where several neighbors congregate in one driveway to give out candy and even play music. It gets so crowded that the area is watched by policemen on horses and a team of “Disaster Recovery Officers”.

We’d told Sophie that we were going trick-or-treating that night so she happily obliged the 40 minute drive (I know, who drives somewhere to go trick-or-treating, right?) and put on her elephant costume. She grabbed her pumpkin bucket and headed to the first house. At first she was pretty good about saying “truck or treat” but that quickly changed to “let’s go to the next house”. She loved seeing all the other kids dressed up and got quite a few compliments herself. She did great walking from house to house and was very interested in all the decorations. After about an hour and a cotton candy treat for Brad & I (yup, one house had a cotton candy machine set up as their treat), we left to go home. Wanting to let Sophie enjoy her treats but also not wanting to cause a sugar rush, we decided to give her a lollipop and when asking her what she thought about Halloween she responded with “Lollipop gooooooood”.

Last night we went to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena with friends (and amazing cheese-gatherers) Laurie and Gary, plus 100,ooo other Angelinos.  With the whole world watching live on YouTube, we saw the the greatest band in the world play an epic and historic concert.  That was the third time I saw U2.  Pop in the ATL was fun, but eh… Then, I saw them a few weeks after 9/11/2001, and the raw emotional outpouring will be forever impossible to match. During “One,” they projected the names of all those killed across the crowd in the Staples Center.  On our faces and chests. An unforgettable moment.  No one could withhold tears.

The 360 tour can only be described as HUGE.  It takes 333 people five days to set up the stage.  Giant stadiums, giant stage, giant screen, and certainly a giant, iconic band that somehow perpetually remains cool.  There were senior citizens there, as well as nine year olds, and everyone in between.  All races, all creeds, all colors.  As I sat in wonder at the spectacle before me, I couldn’t help but imagine what it must feel like for Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry to look out a galaxy of humanity; 100,ooo people who paid on average $100 per seat, and withstood hours of traffic and inconvenience, to joyfully gather and see them play music.  What power.  What influence.  And the thing is, these guys — they absorb that power, that energy, and even that money, and they turn it into good.  I am no music expert, but in my very humble opinion, they rank with The Beatles as one of the greatest bands of all time.  Deny me if you will, but look at the volume of material, the albums, the hits, and then…consider their social influence.  Bono urged the crowd not to give up on them, that they still have a lot left to give. Witnessing the fun they have performing, and the passion they have for their music and their message, I have no doubt that I will be seeing the boys from Dublin again.

Photos courtesy of Gary.

Details about the logistics of the concert here.