我爱北京

Seven years ago Ben and I were in Beijing shortly after they won their bid for the Olympics. We left with t-shirts in hand that touted Beijing 2008. At the time, it seemed so far away, but it has come and gone. (luckily we can drown our sorrows in some U.S. Open Tennis...) Of course there has to be a Week Two Olympic Recap. If not the imbalance would kill me. Plus so many great and wonderful things happened in the last week. And some not so wonderful, but very human things happened as well. Where to begin...


1. Finishing things up at the natatorium, where Dara Torres looked out of place everywhere except in the water. Where she looked awesome! I heard rumblings about her coming back in 2012. Why not? You only missed sweet victory by .001. You go girl, er, old lady. And thank you for submitting to extra drug testing and letting them keep samples for years to come.


2. Speaking of old women, 33 year old Oksana Chusovitina, who has stayed in gymnastics to save her sons life, wins silver on vault in her fifth Olympics. She too says London is a possibility "why not. I will only be 37." Who says you have to be 14 to win in this sport?


3. Another question about gymnastics: Why do the coaches always come up to the bar when the gymnasts are about to do a dangerous trick? Do they think they are actually going to catch them or somehow break their fall? It's just distracting to the viewer.


4. I enjoy some good falling replay action myself. As long as no one gets too hurt of course. NBC likes it too cause they sure to show every angle of every mistake, slow motion, rewind, frame-by-frame. It saves me from having to rewind to see every slip off of the diving board, every body flung off of the highbar, every foot catching on a hurdle, every dive for the finish line. (Kathleen I know these were among your favorite moments as well)

5. The one mistake I couldn't stand to watch replayed - either time it happened - was the dropped batons in the men's and women's 4 x 100 relays. That one stayed with me for a few days. This also reminds me of another question - why were the Americans bibs showing what country they were from written in sharpie? Everyone else had officially printed numbers. Maybe the fumes from the still wet marker altered their ability to hand-off or grasp the baton?

6. Or maybe it was the fumes left behind in Usain Bolt's wake that dizzied our men. Lovingly described by many as a "freak of nature", he killed everyone in the 100 and 200 Michael Phelps style. Had he actually ran the entire 100 instead of shutting down, looking both ways and pumping his chest before crossing the finish line, perhaps he would have smashed the world record by even more. Many are criticizing his lack of sportsmanship and perceived lack of effort. How do they know that they wouldn't start celebrating before the line if they knew they were about to win their first Olympic gold medal? Maybe he gets paid every time he breaks a W.R. and wants to do it bit by bit. Anyhow, what I liked most was his interview afterwards. His answer to every question was some form of "I'm not worried about that" or I'm just happy". Don't worry be happy...that's a true Jamaican for you.

7. My favorite moment in the 200, when due to disqualification of two other runners, Walter Dix got moved up to third and someone, his sister, girlfriend, wife? was congratulating him on his bronze medal on the way into the tunnel and he said "yea, well I still lost".

8. A team that was super happy to win a medal was the USA women's eight's rowing team. They won gold and their reactions were just what the Olympics are all about.

9. I was most impressed with the men that swept the 400 hurdles. They seemed like the nicest, most humble guys ever. I have them lined up to babysit next week.

10. Not nice, and not coming anywhere near my children is the coach of U.S. Pole Vaulter Jenn Stuozynski. After she won the silver, he proceeded to ream her in public - on a microphone no less. Whatever the "meat grinder" is, I wouldn't want to be caught in it either but she won silver! Jenn is defending her coach which is fine. It made for good TV.

11. The biggest loser of the games by far is Angel Matos of Cuba. The former tae kwan do olympic champion kicked a ref in the face after being disqualified. It's okay, now he's disqualified for life. Goodbye.

12. The best hairdo of the Olympic games goes to Catherine Ndereba. Not sure how aerodynamic it is but her beehive still looked good at the end of the 26 miles.

13. I was surprised by the lack of vignettes and in-depth athlete profiles that NBC played this Olympics. But they did play one very interesting one about Cornelius Horan, a defrocked Irish priest, who while wearing a green beret, a red kilt and knee-high green socks attacked Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima as he was leading the marathon in Athens. He ended up getting bronze I believe and he didn't run this year but I enjoyed the story and especially the interview with Horan himself.

14. Overall the commentating was good. I knew Jim Lampley was in the building when I heard someone use the term "cataclysmic" - his favorite descriptor. I really enjoyed Mary Carillo's travelogues and her banter with Bob Costas. He had one more favorite quote for me "the US laid an egg in the birds nest tonight" in reference to the unfortunate baton drops. Oh Bob, stop it.

15. My favorite non-Olympic but related quote was from J. Lo. who was overheard saying that she “couldn’t understand why everyone is talking about that swimmer,” according to a GMA source. “She couldn’t come up with (eight-time gold-medal winner Michael) Phelps’ name, and then she yammered on about how she was the one training for a triathlon just six months after giving birth, and how that was the big story right now, not ‘the swimmer.’ ”

16. Favorite moment of 2008 Olympics - David Neville diving over the finish line for the USA to sweep the 400. That's what going for the gold - or the bronze in his case, is all about.

Week Two Crush - Lolo Jones

And since baseball and Softball are out at the next games. See what sports they are up against and vote for your favorite to be included in the 2016 Games. Two of them get picked. No I don't have any influence on which two get picked but vote anyway for fun.
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Avery quotes - While watching the medal ceremony for the men's basketball - "Is Michael Phelps up there". Even Miles knows who he is. If you ask him who Michael Phelps is he windmills his arms real fast and says "swimming".

While watching trampoline - "That's a sport!? Is swinging a sport too?"

Opposites

When we are driving around town we like to play the "opposite" game. We take turns challenging each other to find the opposite of the word we come up with. For instance - I say "dark" the answer is "light". I say "smooth" the opposite is "rough". I say "slow" the answer is "fast". I say .... oh what- you think you get it already...it's a pretty hard game, I'm not sure you can grasp the concept in just so few examples but anyway, I'll assume you catch on quick.

Avery is pretty good at the game but she outdid herself recently. We threw her an easy one - "fat". Her answer - "tan". The opposite of fat is tan! Of course! We all know that nothing trims you up like a golden glow. An unknowing mistake on her part, but a factual one nonetheless.

Coffee anyone?

When Aunt Britt was in town, we were invited someplace we otherwise would not have been (invited is a loose term - she needed a ride) - to the home one of the homes of the owner of a little coffee shop on a corner near you. Surprisingly, it was a place where I felt that even if on the loose my kids probably couldn't do significant damage (still they were kept on a very short leash). Rustic and comfortable, common materials like concrete and wood were used extensively throughout the interior. Customized to make something ordinary yet extraordinary at the same time. Incredible art, magnificently manicured grounds and all of the toys to make it a place where everyone - and their sister - wants to hang out. To top it all off we got to see a real life size 23 Shaquille O'Neal sneaker that we probably could have fit Miles in.

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Original Starbucks location in Seattle.

GO WORLD.

Beijing Olympics Week One. In no particular order a collection of highlights, observations, questions, quotes etc. (Because that's all we've been doing this week - as you can tell by the length of the list)

1. The men's 400 free relay/Jason Lezak. Hands down, the best Olympic -come from behind -proud to be and American and not French moment in all of history. Not only were two world records broken and the fasted relay split ever clocked in this race, the celebrating by the team (especially you-know-who) was, well, epic.

2. Janos Baranyai dislocating his elbow. There are video and pictures out there in cyberspace. If you are looking for a reason to lose your appetite, or possibly your lunch, just Google his name.

3. The U.S. women going 1-2-3 in the sabre. Who knew we were good at fencing?

I must admit that I am confused by the scoring (and the screaming - I'm pretty sure that it's a blunt edge they are working with) I took a semester of fencing in college and I still didn't get it - but GO USA!

4. Park Tae-Hwan of South Korea winning the men's 400 freestyle - not because he is the first Korean to win a swimming medal but because of his embarrassing and disappointing false-start in the 2004 Games. Redemption is sweet!

5. The American National Anthem being cut short during Michael Phelps' first Gold Medal ceremony. Oops. On a side note - Ben says that Michael Phelps should have his own anthem. I think it would sound something like the Jaws theme - Da Dum...

6. Raj Bhavsar being referred to by one of the NBC commentators as the "spiritual leader" of the US group of men's gymnasts. What? Because he's Indian? Because he does yoga? I know this seems like a lame observation but this is just one example of their contrived and dramatic comments, yes I'm talking about you Tim, Elfi, and Al. Mostly Al, who knows nothing about the sport, but I suppose he has a good commentating voice.

7. On the other hand, Bela Karolyi, a conspiracy theorist in his own right, I could listen to him make stuff up all night. My favorite quote so far (in reference to the Chinese gymnasts being underage)- "Look at them, they have the little bitty baby teeth," said Bela. "It's as big a problem as doping. It's a slap in the face to the whole world. Shame on them, but there's nothing you can do about it." Makes me want to go out and rent the movie "Nadia".

8. Question - How can the gymnasts do their beam routines while the other competitors awful floor music is playing?

9. Kerri Walsh losing her wedding ring during a beach volleyball match. Finally someone with a metal detector found something! In return the lucky finder got a "customary beach volleyball love pat" on his derriere.

10. In other derriere patting news, although invited, President Bush declines to pat Misty May-Treanor's bikini-clad rear-end and awkwardly brushes her back instead. None of us would have faulted you George for going for it, we've all admired (wished for) the beach volleyball players physique (except for the Belgian team - one too many after practice chocolates perhaps ladies?) Or maybe he was just holding out for an invite from Kerri Walsh instead?

11. I almost hate to bring this up because I think China has put on an amazing Olympics but it's part of the first weeks highlights for me - "Chinese girl not 'pretty' enough for opening ceremonies". Yet another lip-synching scandal. I think both girls are cute. Judge for yourself here.

12. Not so cute however, are the beach volleyball cheerleaders. "Part cheerleader, part go-go dancer, the beach babes -- "shatan baobei" in Chinese -- writhe and jiggle to blaring rock and disco music in bathing suits that would make their prudish Communist elders roll in their graves. "All of us in China have paid a lot to stage these Olympics and tanning my skin brown is part of that effort," said Wang Hui, one of five Chinese women chosen to dance with veteran Spanish cheerleaders at Beijing's 12,200-seat Chaoyang Park stadium" I had to look them up because I kept getting glimpses of some pretty bad dancing when NBC would go to commercial.

13. Favorite Bob Costas Quotes. "If you were wondering if Michael Phelps is good enough to do it with his eyes closed -- the answer is apparently yes."

"They want to kill you, but do so respectfully" - ref. Walsh/May-Treanor's view of opponents.

I can't remember the exact quote (in other words I didn't have a handy notepad to write it down) but there was a funny exchange between Bob and Mary Carillo after she met the world's tallest man. Something about after her meeting him and then coming over to chat with Bob - getting the bends (decompression sickness). You know, because Bob is short. It was funny at the time.

14. Eat. Swim. Sleep. Add to that - be interviewed by Andrea Kramer* and be "at a loss for words". Again, and maybe for the last time, I'm talking about M.P. He is amazing, awesome and again, "epic". Although his body is a bit freakishly disproportionate - He is the greatest swimmer of all time. I do have a problem with him being dubbed the "greatest olympic champion of all time" (buy the DVD now at NBC.com). What other athletes get to go for 8 medals in one Olympic games? Male gymnasts maybe but that's about it. Is my favorite moment when he out-fingertipped Cavic (the Serbian who was born in Anaheim and raised in Tustin?)to win the 100 fly. Probably. Would I now recognize his mother and sisters anywhere. Yes. (Would I have recognized Mark Spitz without his stars and stripes speedo and his mustache? No. ) Did I love watching his coach Bob Bowman's hips undulating along with Michaels while watching from the pool deck during the fly race? Hilarious. Thank you M.P. for all of the wonderful moments. Unfortunately you have no where to go but to disappear into obscurity for the next four years with your millions of dollars of endorsements. Enjoy.

*not be be confused with the gymnastics interviewer Andrea Joyce - I thought they were the same person, but no, just equally poor interviewers

Week One Olympic Crush - Aaron Piersol.

Second runner-up - Bob Bowman.

What have been your favorite week one moments?

So I'm not the only one in the house with an opinion:

The end of the first week couldn't have come sooner for Avery, and she's going to be disappointed to know that she has one more week of shhhing and fending for herself left. I keep telling her how important these games are and that everyone in the world is watching.

Begrudgingly she has stayed up and watched most of it with me. And she has some observations of her own.

(while watching the 200 women's butterfly) - Look! Mermaids. REAL Mermaids.

(when hearing the announcement for Hungary's Laszlo Cseh) - Hungary? That makes me thirsty.

(referring to China's "women's" gymnastics all-around team) - Mom...Are those girls my age? (Answer - Maybe. (not that Shawn Johnson looks any older...))

Spoiler Alert

Darn it MSN, do you have to give me olympic results at the TOP of the browser? I already clicked "HIDE RESULTS" from the first day you spoiled my fun. But you couldn't resist being the first one to tell me when Michael Phelps has won yet ANOTHER gold so you snuck it in RIGHT THERE AT THE TOP next to the button that says SHOW ME THE RESULTS. A girl can only stay up so late you know.

And what are you doing here browsing blogs when Whitewater Kayaking is on? Get back to your spot on the couch. Or on the floor in front of the couch doing situps because you're pretty sure that if Dara Torres can do it, so can you.

Ward (s)Hopping

Often, one of the saddest things about moving is leaving the ward* family, (aka congregation) (unless you are escaping a calling in the nursery). Such has been the case for us our last two moves especially. Although we are optimistic that we will again "land" in a particularly awesome ward, a perk of being new to an area and not having a permanent home is pretending like we actually have a choice in the matter of deciding which ward we attend (you don't, I tried once). Ward hopping.

We have been doing it for the last few weeks and sensing that the end to this freedom is eminent we made a particularly bold move this Sunday and attended three different wards. I know, you're adding up the commitment in your head and coming up with a whopping nine hours of devoted worship from the Westbrook family. I wish we had the stamina for a Sabbath day marathon like that, but it was Fast Sunday ( I'll let you determine why that would be an impossibly long day, albeit a great opportunity to really get the pulse and flavor of a ward). We did the abbreviated version and went to the three different wards that share a building. One of Ben's favorite jokes when we are introduced as visitors in Sunday School is to say that we just moved to the area and we are shopping for the ward with the least tithing (I could hear all of his jokes a million times and still giggle my head off heehee). So with ammunition like that why not start of our day with Sunday School?!

We actually arrived intending to attend the 11 o'clock services but when we arrived at 11:10 and knowing that Ben refuses to go into the chapel late. I suggested we catch the last hour of the ward we most likely would be attending. And we were right on time for that. After that they dismissed and left the building so we went to Sunday School (in a ward with particularly talented SS teachers - score) and capped off the day with Sacrament Meeting from the third and final ward. Not wanting to disturb the children's play and learning (wink wink), we left them in their primary and nursery classes - with the help of the eagle-eye watch of a friend, should Miles try to betray us with a necessary diaper change - and we attended sans kiddos!

Next week we will be responsible and settle into the ward we are obligated to attend by way of the map and we will do so with a glad spirit. But in the meantime, we enjoyed our visits.

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Definition of Ward (via Wikipedia):
A ward typically consists of 200 to 500 active church members within an area that is within a reasonable travel time of the meetinghouse. ("Reasonable" will vary between countries and regions.) A stake may be organized if there are at least three ward-sized branches in adjacent areas. Once the stake has been organized, the ward-sized branches are organized into wards. If there are not sufficient congregations in an area to form a stake, a district (analogous to but smaller than a stake) is formed to oversee local congregations. In areas where there are greater numbers of active church members (such as Utah), the area of a ward can be as small as one-fourth or one-fifth of a square mile.

When a ward(s) become of a greater size, the ward will divide geographically. Generally, if both geographic divisions are in a reasonable time of the meetinghouse, then they will meet at the same building, but at different times. Most ward buildings are designed to house up to three or four wards.
Individuals can find out what ward they reside in by either talking to a local LDS leader or by using the meetinghouse locator tool on the church's webpage.

Historical Orgin - The term ward originally referred to the political subdivision of some of the municipalities in the Mid-western United States where members of the LDS Church resided, and in particular the political organization of Nauvoo, Illinois in the 1840's. Bishops were assigned duties and responsibility over specific ward boundaries in these cities, and over time individual congregations were defined by these boundaries. After the Mormon Exodus to Utah, this same terminology was preserved in the establishment of communities throughout the western USA. Indeed, voting districts of several Utah communities still follow the historical boundaries of their original LDS congregations. Due to the religious connection of this term, traditional Mormon pioneer communities generally do not use the term ward to define voting districts for political purposes.

July Recap

What's new... what's new...? Hmmmm...... besides everything? To start we survived the coldest July ever. We went from endless summer to endless autumn.

Miles - Favorite new word/phrase is Iennoo (sounds like I-N-O, translation I dunno). Miles - where are your shoes - Iennoo. Love to play kitty or puppy, complete with ankle licks. Favorite new sport - Racquetball. Not sure how good he is at that but his dad takes him. Accomplishments - pooped in the potty. Unfortunately, even a full sized candy bar reward was not enough to encourage a repeat performance.

Avery - Wishes that a giant would "stomp down all of the trees in Washington because there are too many and none of them are good for climbing". That's our little environmentalist!

Ben - Is scoping out these rivers here and hoping for some free time so he can slip away and see if what they have in them is as good as what everyone says. Oh yeah, about that free time - He started work.

He's been wanting a little pickup for a long time and finally got it. A 2002 Ford Ranger. The kids like riding in the little cab in back. And their mom likes it because it reminds her of the good old days and the truck his dad had when we started dating. And we're both glad to have a manual transmission back in the family again.


Me - Well, I got a cell phone. I know, welcome to the 21st century. That's what my sister told me anyway. You'd think that with a masters in management of technology that I would embrace all things technical. I don't - unless it's Tivo/DVR (or Caller ID - I like that too). All I learned is that technology advances too fast for any of us to humanly keep up with. In fact my degree became obsolete 6 months after I earned it. Ben actually got me a cell phone for Christmas about 6 years ago, to which I said thanks but no thanks and he gladly took it as his own. Since then we have shared one (yet another dichotomy - what Realtor doesn't have their OWN cell phone?). Digression alert (I love that one T-Mobile commercial -"it's a buyers market - it's a sellers market baby" "any closet can be a walk-in closet if you try hard enough" - hahaha. Anyone? Sara - I know you love that one too)

Personally,I just prefer the home land line with unlimited nationwide calling. When it rings I can hear it, I get great reception in all parts of my house, if the handsets missing I can page it, I don't have to worry about running out of minutes, I'm not tempted to talk and drive at the same time and frankly I like not being able to be reached at all times and I don't need another thing to remember to take with me when I walk out the door. Do I understand it's convenience and potential benefits in an emergency - yes...maybe. I'm not even going to mention brain tumors. Anyway, I have one whether or not I like it. Done. Don't be offended if I haven't given you the number. I still don't have it down quite yet. And chances of me actually being able to locate it if you would call me are slim. Why would I carry it around - it doesn't even take pictures.

Also - My Botox wore off. I was just starting to think I didn't need it. Actually I had forgotton completely that I had gotton it. I'm not planning on getting it again any time soon. But I enjoyed my disabled corrugator muscle while I had it.