Too much!

Life is too much, that is really all I have to say.  But really though, that statement pretty much sums it up for me.  The past couple of months (and yes I say couple of months, because it has been that long since my last post) have been as crazy as ever.  Still hanging out in Utah, still wishing TJ would come home off the road, still wishing I was training better for my next big adventure (whatever that may be), and still finding simple joys in my everyday life that keep a smile on my face.

I was just reading my sister Katie's blog where

 she recounted her experience in her first Triathlon.  Way to go Katie!  Thank you so much for joining me.  I can't tell you how proud I am of you!  It is a scary thing to take on, but something that is so wonderful and gives such a feeling of empowerment.  In fact I was in the gym the other day feeling bad for myself because I thought it was too cold to run outside, so instead I cozied on to the elliptical with a nice flat screen TV in front of me and watched some footage from the Kona Ironman.  Now something must be wrong with me.  I felt my heart rate getting faster and faster and found myself getting very emotional as I sat there watching the journey these people were on.   I was enthralled getting lost in this amazing feat that these incredible athletes endeavor.  It just made me want to do one myself!  So I decided to set a goal, or at least save it so I have a good new years resolution.  I really want to complete an ironman.  Granted it may take a year or so before I am ready, but I want to have that experience.  

In addition to completing the Telos Turkey Tri with Katie,  Sydney and I did have our first Thanksgiving together.  That was awesome!  TJ was in China, so we  joined my family.  The day was beautiful!  I am not sure how we have been so lucky to have such an amazing Fall!  The day was nice and relaxing.  I would like to say that I have a tradition of running a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day, but really I have only done it once.  This year I begged and begged for someone, anyone, to join me on a Turkey Trot.  I was not successful.  So instead we took a, not so Turkey, Trot down to the favorite "swing" park and enjoyed some time there.

One of my favorite adventures was the trip to Wyoming to chop down a Christmas Tree.  Now that was fun!  Katie and Elliott go on this excursion every year, and every year they invite us all along.  Well stupid us that we have never gone before.  It was so much fun!  When we got to the location that we would call base camp, we gathered the goods, loaded the kids up in the sleds and hit the trails to find our Christmas Trees.  You would be surprised how hard it is to find the perfect tree.  Maybe I am just expecting perfection out of a mere Christmas Tree.   But you know what, it was so much fun, who cares if the tree is perfect or not.   

So here is to working towards something hard that you want to accomplish, tree chopping, and fun holidays. 

 

I wish you peace, joy and finding adventure and happiness this holiday season.  Happy Holidays!

Well, here I am again.  A good month since my last entry.  What can I say, being a single parent of an extremely lively 8 month old child is hard.  Still. that is no excuse.  So here I am finally writing with so much to say, and no idea how to organize my thoughts.  So here it goes: 

The past month has been full of good and bad times.  Difficult moments of soul searching, confusion, heartbreak, and well you know what I mean.  TJ has been off in New York working to get his show "Ain't Misbehavin'" open.  You know what that means, single parenthood for me.  How people do it, I will never know.  I suppose it is only possible with the support of loving family and friends, which I have an abundance of (thank goodness).  Still, that doesn't make it easy.  For me, the thing that gets me thru are moments like our child's first Halloween.  

                                                          I asked myself if it was ok to have so much fun dressing up my helpless little guy.  I figured it is fine only because children continue to enjoy Halloween as they get older.  So that is my justification for making him wear the ridiculous turtle outfit, and showing him off like he is a toy.  (At least he is a cute toy!)

Thanks Sydney for making me smile bringing so much joy in to my life!  I love you LG!

Have a Chariot Day

It is hard to see, but on the back of the bike trailer which our little LG rides in, you will find flowing in the wind, a flag that reads "Have a Chariot Day".  What exactly is that supposed to mean?  Well I will tell you what it means to me.

I have always loved the outdoors.  It is true that I am very content and happy with almost any situation as long as it involves being outside and somewhat active.  Well, when I had Sydney I thought that my outdoor activities may be cut down a bit.  But what has really happened is after investing way too much money in all sorts of little baby contraptions, about 3 different strollers, and multiple carrying systems, Sydney has been able to join in all of the outdoor adventures that we continue to enjoy.

Today as we were riding thru Snow Canyon State Park, one of my favorite places on earth, I looked up at that flag flowing in the wind and saw those words, "Have a Chariot Day", and I couldn't help but get a huge grin on my face as I thought about all of the fun that I have with that Chariot carriage and my LG riding in it.  

As many of you know, I have been training for the St. George Marathon and a Triathlon.  (Both of which I am happy to say I have completed.) 

Training for these events means pushing or pulling an extra 40+ pounds as I jog with the stroller, or pull the carriage behind my bike.  In my training I had to remind myself  how beneficial these activities were for both of us.  It really is great!  It gets Sydney out, and he loves it!  He will usually spend the first 15-20 minutes checking out his surroundings, then doze off and just enjoy the ride.  To him, I think that is what it means to have a Chariot Day.  For me it is having my LG with me as I continue to enjoy the great outdoors.

I think we should all commit to make at least one day a week a Chariot Day.  It is amazing how that fresh air lifts your spirit.

Here's to the Chariot!

I Love You

Who in the world decided that they would make three simple words carry so much weight? I ask this because these words have come to mean so much to me in the past several months. I believe that up until recently I may have used the phrase fleetingly. Maybe more of a salutation than the truly deep meaning that it holds. Letting someone know that you love them is so important and meaningful, and really should not be taken for granted. It is so important to express love to the people we care about. We all need to know that we are loved. There are few things as wonderful as being told and knowing that someone loves you. I know, for me, there is no such thing as being told too often that I am loved.

So, when the words "I Love You" come out of my mouth, it is because I have chosen to express and share that special feeling with the person/people they are directed to. It may be said in a lighthearted way, or as a farewell, but still the words are true. I feel like my heart has so much love to share, and I want to express that love to the people I care about. Mostly to my Son and Husband, I Love you! I Love you with all my heart!

Summer Adventures

Ok, so I am not doing that great with this blog thing, but I promise that I will get better. I thought that I should share some of the adventures that Sydney and I have had this summer. Now remember, these are just SOME of our adventures, as reallyh each day of our lives is an adventure.

Now when I say adventure, I must admit I use the term rather loosely. An adventure for us really can be as simple as walking from the bedroom to the bathroom without a diaper on. Or bending down to kiss Sophie and the newest addition to the animal kingdom, Maisy. All of which you do at your own risk.

What I consider to be the first true adventure of the summer was Sydney's first airplane ride, on our way to visit TJ in Indiana. He was great! A born traveler! What exactly does that mean, you ask. Well, it might mean that he is ready to hit the road with the next show that is available. Who knows...we shall see.

Following our adventures in Indiana and re-cooping at home for a few weeks we headed out to North Carolina to visit Amy's Beach house. I have just a few things to say about that: Well just one I suppose, It doesn't get much better. I have been to so many beaches in the U.S. and other countries, and I must say that the Outer Banks of North Carolina is right at the top of my list for the best Beaches in the U.S.A..

We had a great time. Holt and Becky took great care of us. We enjoyed some awesome company with Amy, Patrick (Amy's brother), David (Patrick's boyfriend), Jeff and Jill (friends of Patrick and David), and Care Bear. It was truly, truly a great vacation!
Filling time until our next trip to visit TJ we did a few fun things around Utah. One of which was the attempt that Heather, Tim and I made to climb Timpanogos. A couple of things went wrong. First of all, we took the wrong trail. Only to find about 2 hours in that we had just been following the road up over the Alpine Loop. During that time I realized how heavy Sydney really is, and thank goodness for that wrong turn, because I am not sure I would have made it to the top with that heavy guy on my back. Oh well, it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day in the Mountains. Something I definitely do not get enough of.

The next adventure was a few weeks later when we flew out to NYC to see TJ. We didn't do nearly as much as we should, being in NYC. Somehow it is a little more difficult to get around with a baby and a stroller. Basically, we walked around tons, which Sydney loved! He just sat there and took it all in. Other than that we visited the Cloisters, ran along the Hudson, and sat in Madison Square Park where they were screening the US Open Live.

Our biggest adventure actually came after we sent TJ off to China. Everything was going perfectly. The night before was our 8 year Anniversary. So a couple of good friends babysat for us while TJ and I went out. It was really, really nice! We had a delicious Italian dinner, followed by a Horse Carriage ride in Central Park. Really a great evening, and actually the first time we have been out alone since Sydney was born. Yay! It was great!

The next day everything was planned literally down to the last second. It went like this: We sent TJ off to the airport, went and met the rest of the AIDA cast (including Timmy and David)at their bus and sent them off to China. I then went back to the hotel to pack. Jared Young came and watched Sydney for me while I went to catch the matinee of "In the Heights", a superb Broadway show (strangely enough, the only thing I saw while we were there).

Immediately following the show, Jared brought Sydney back to me, we jumped in our car and were on the way to the airport. Everything worked like clockwork. Well, long story short, we missed our flight. I have NEVER done this before, but I had the flight time completely wrong. So by the time we got to the airport there was no way for us to get back to SLC until the next day.

That was the beginning of the new adventure. Another long story short, we were re-booked for the same flight the next day, got hooked up with an old friend from "42nd Street" (Evan Alboum) who took us in for the night....soooo sweet of him! We took our flight the next day, and yes, that was 9/11. No worries. We made it home safely and we were on to our next adventure.

The State Fair. That is all I need to say. The pictures sum it all up :)

So until the next time, we bid you farewell.

Long Past Due

Well here it goes, what I should have been doing for many months now, and I have finally given in.  There are many things that have inspired this blog to begin, I think most of all my two sisters.  They both have a blog which I enjoy reading so much.  Not only are they brilliant writers (which they get from my Dad, and I could only hope for that gene) but almost without fail I am brought to tears when I read their accounts of what their lives are about.  For the past month I have thought of so many great titles of things that I should write about, but not until today have I actually followed thru.

About the name:  Well the name of my blog is inspired by my little boy Sydney James Young.  One day I noticed that I am constantly calling him "little guy".  Why is that, well basically because he is anything but a little guy.  Just barely 6 months old, and weighing in at a whopping 24lbs.  I LOVE HIM!!!  All of him!  

Anyway, one day I tested his nickname out on my good friend Amy.  Recently she pointed out to me how I went about testing his new nickname. Apparently (and yes Katie, this is probably followed by some sort of bad news) I walked over to her house one day, which is just next door thank goodness, and out of no where called little Sydney "LG".  I guess I must have looked at her like "so...check out his new nickname.  What do you think?  Does it work?"  Well, I think it works.  Amy didn't criticize me, she just laughed, which is often her response to everything.  So it stuck.  

About us:  Long story short...We live in my Dad's basement.  Does that tell you enough?  No really though.  I have recently changed jobs to something much more difficult, but much more rewarding in almost every way.  I am now a full time mom!

Until October of 2007 I had been fortunate enough to work consistently in Theatre. I had worked as a Stage Manager, but mostly as a Company Manager for Broadway Touring shows.  I traveled both Nationally and Internationally for 8 years, not counting my travels during college.  I loved my job!  I enjoy traveling so much, I enjoy my line of work, and for all but about a year and a half total of that time, I was able to work and travel with my husband, which I LOVED so much!  Last October I completed a tour of BLAST in Japan, and since that time I have not worked.  Well I use the term "worked" very loosely.  

I married TJ Young on September 9, 2000.  He is an amazing, talented, compassionate, handsome  and hard working man.  I love him with all my heart!  

On February 12, 2008 I gave birth to our little boy Sydney James Young, whom is named after my late mother and my husband.

On September 1, 2008 I finally posted this blog which I actually started writing about a month ago.  Oops!  Guess I am not going to be as on top of it as I would like to.

That is enough for now, otherwise it will never get posted.  Here is to blogging!  I look forward to this new outlet of expressing my feelings.

Until next time.