Colorado Trek: Getting there

So, more than a month ago we were boarding a plane to Colorado.

Sydney was amazing on her first plane ride. Surprisingly, she combusted when we arrived at the Indy airport, then she went ballistic while we stood in the ticket line - Brian hauled our luggage, while our angel tried to bite my face. Things only got worse when we made our way to the concourse - the wrong one. Syd threw herself on the floor, then banged her head. We tried to comfort her with her beloved Webster and Baby ... only to hear security say her dolls needed to be taken away from her for their own trip on the conveyor built. Talk about waterworks. She wad devastated. I can't blame her. She's never had her comfort creatures taken from her and I can't imagine what she was thinking.

But, she finally calmed down after we made it through. She was incredible during the wait, flight and post-flight. I'm not sure if she'll ever be that well-behaved again, even when she's 18.

Waiting with Daddy.

Watching the planes come and go.

Trying on Daddy's hat.

My thoughts ... (Brian, refers to my ramblings as hijacking Sydney's blog. :) Hmm, the verb may not be the best to use in the current environment ...

I'm blogging about summer vacation, but we've been back-to-school for a few weeks now. This time of year means Target's aisles are crowded with mini-fridges and microwaves, campus parking spots disappear and I fight the urge to stock up on crayons, pencils and notebooks (disclosure: I did buy Syd a Hello Kitty notebook and some construction paper).

This time of year is really about making impressions. New clothes for school. Sitting in the right seat on the first day, because you don't want to be in the awkward seat the entire semester. Picking the right lab partner. Local businesses distribute coupons and amp up their marketing.

On a grander scale, the Olympics and now the Conventions are all about impressions too. I'm thinking about the Beijing closing ceremonies and the conventions in general. All of it so well-choreographed.

Impressions are important (I'm in the public relations field after all!), but I'm on overload right now!

Photo problem

Just

can't

get

enough of

Sydney.

July: Indiana Dunes

We briefly visited the shore of Lake Michigan before we hiked one of the Indiana Dunes State Park trails. It was a great short hike and Syd slept in the hiker. But, she was basically bug bait - I forgot the bug spray, so the hike was cut short :(. I'll remember next summer!




*** In my defense ... There has been some buzz about the Chic-Fil-A and Sydney-chasing-chickens post. Some viewers expressed shock at the graphic post. If you missed it, I'm sure you are now quickly scrolling south.

Of course, the post was meant to be silly.

During the B.S. era (Before Sydney), I didn't think much about farm animals. Now, Sydney has a number of farm animal-related toys, books and stuffed animals. It's kinda creepy. After all, we're teaching her to adore pigs, cows, chickens and sheep: creatures that we enjoy eating. (Disclaimer: I've never ate a sheep). Why isn't there more baby kitsch with badgers, cougars, muskrats or capybara (world's largest rodent)?

She loves pigs almost as much as puppies. Well almost, I'm not sure she loves anything as much as puppies. But, it is close, and how/when do I tell her, that we eat pigs? One of my first reporting assignments as a journalist was to cover a hog farm controversy. I toured a hog farm, then didn't eat anything bacon or pork for more than a year. I also wasn't allowed to tell Jackie what I saw.

My cynicism is showing, but I'm just not as convinced at how happy those animals are in "The Big Red Barn" or "I'm a Pink Piggy."

Just food for thought ...

The Olympics are bad for your health

Before I start my Olympics spiel ... Here are more photos from July:


We debuted our 'hiker' at Purdue's Horticulture Park.


Sydney's free ride.


She's got my back.


Taking a break.


The dark things that look like exclamation points are dragonflies. They were beautiful.


Lucky for us, Sydney likes to sleep/doze in the hiker.

Back to the Olympics ... in theory, shouldn't the Olympics inspire viewers to be athletic studs? As an active person, the Olympic Games have sidelined me to our couch. I have watched more TV these past 12 days than I have in months. I'm serious. This TV time is cutting into my usual running/gym time. Not to mention, I'm staying up later than usual. Exhaustion is setting in. And, despite watching these athletes who eat nothing but celery that is fortified by water, I can't get enough junk food. Let's blame the Coke commercials. After all, the Olympics are marketing at its finest. Good thing the Olympics are every four years ... I don't think my body could handle any more.

July: What's for dinner?

Mmm. Chicken sounds good.

Mmm. It is good.

July: Lafayette wildlife

The Lafayette city zoo is a favorite hangout, especially on a Friday night in July.



Sydney as a lemur.

My little pony.
(This is the petting zoo. We did not drop Sydney in an exhibit.)


The goats really liked Brian.


Sydney pets Pretzel the python.


A side note: Sydney likes snakes as much as any animal. When we were in a visitor's center in the Smoky Mountains, Sydney was carrying a toy snake around the store. A woman exclaimed, "Little girls aren't supposed to like snakes." I hope Sydney didn't hear her. :) That anecdote is a reminder for me that she picks up on our likes, dislikes, fears, apprehensions, etc. Our goal is to educate her and keep her safe, then let her make her own choices. She can like or dislike any reptile she wants.

A train ride, obviously.

Still the train, again, obviously.


Our own Kelly Clarkson: Miss Independent.

July: It's not FAIR

Sydney loved everything about the county fair, especially the pig barn.

"Hey Sydney! What does a pig say?"
"Oink, oink."

"Oh, Sydney! What does a pig say?"

"Again, for real. I'll just tune Mommy out ..."

"Sydney, please make a pig face at the camera! What does a pig say?"
"Good grief lady. Look around. There are hundreds of pigs in here. Ask one of them what a pig says. "

Next year, we're hitting the slide.