The REAL Reason They are Pushing Math These Days

It's a well known fact, I'm not a mathematician. I can barely spell the word, let alone be a practioner of the science. For me, my disinterest in math had nothing to do with not wanting to excel or even lack of ability. When I applied myself to math, I did ok. The truth: I thought math was boring. How dull is it for 25 people to work the same problem and all end up with the same answer, following the same exact steps? BORING!

Now there is a big push to encourage girls to excel at math. There are all sorts of incentives for girls to take more math and science classes, and not a day goes by when I don't see a news story about some out reach program to encourage girls in math and science related fields. After nearly four years of motherhood, I'm convinced this whole focus on getting more girls into math has nothing to do with a gender imbalance in the nation's top labs. These girls will grow into women, who may become mothers and I swear motherhood is just one God awful word problem after another.

Take this common example: Mom is packing a diaper bag for an 8 hour outing. Her baby typically needs a diaper change once every 3 hours. However, her baby just finished drinking 4 ounces of apple juice, which frequently gives her baby the runs two after completion of the bottle and those runs, when they happen, last for 4 hours and take 4 diapers. How many diapers should the mother pack?

Here's another one, a two parter: The four year old needs about 12 hours of sleep in 24 hours, divided between a 10 hour night and a 2 hour nap. If the child has been swimming, then she needs 14 hours of sleep. On Saturday, the child will go to bed at 8pm, get up at 6:30 am, swim for two hours on Sunday morning. How long should she let the child nap? AND what time should the child go to bed to ensure she will be ready for school at 8 am Monday morning? It takes the child 45 minutes to get ready for school. Assume the child's ability to nap is infinite.

My personal favorite, a little precise science: A mom is doing laundry. She has three loads left, and by shake measurement, she guesstimates only 2 cups remain in the detergent container. Each load requires a full cup, but she knows she can fudge that some. Her child is sick and a trip to the store is impossible. Your assignment, fill the first cup with a quantity that will allow the contents of the detergent container to last for all three loads. And remember, those little cups don't have lines to help you out. By the way, if you make a mistake, your sick child is sure to throw up all over themselves, you, and their bedding requiring another load of laundry.

So, I ask you this: Is there a man brave enough to tackle anyone of these common problems? And second, why are they really pushing women towards math and science? I, for one, am not buying the whole gender imbalance argument anymore.

Growing Friendships, the Anqing Seven together again: C, M, C, E, K, A. We missed our second E!

When It Blooms...

So, you know when you plan something and you're really looking forward to it? And you're really excited, but also a little fearful that all your anticipation is setting you up for a slight let down?

This weekend was one of those times. We had our second Anqing Seven (minus the long distance sister who we missed terribly) reunion get away weekend in Pismo Beach, California. La Nina is a proud member of the Seven Sisters adopted from Anqing SWI on 12/16/02.

For La Nina,the build up to this weekend was big too. She was going to see "her girls" as she calls the group, and for the first time, she understood these were the "girls" from her story. These were the "girls" who were babies in the pictures of our time in China. These were the "girls"with whom she shared cribs and toys and bottles and nannies. And for the first time, La Nina really wanted to see them.

So, we left for the three and half hour drive South on Friday right after lunch. And from the time she and "her girls" saw each other on Friday night to this morning when we had to wrench them apart, the girls had a blast. They ran on the beach, dug in the sand and played games of tag and hide and seek together. They ate their meals together or more honestly, they sat at tables together, too excited to eat. By late afternoon each day, they all had tired eyes, but not a single one of them ever wanted to quit playing. So, naps and healthy food were out the window as we let them nourish each other with little girl princess play and a few handfuls of potato chips. Each morning we parents would swap tales of kids falling asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow and yet eager to get back to their friends with first light.

The girls connected this weekend. I mean really connected. I saw La Nina engaged in play with every single one of "her girls" at some point and often they were playing in groups. The seeds of friendship planted on all of our past visits, sprouted and took root this weekend independent of parental involvement.

In some ways it defies logic: you go to China, you meet 6 families, you all adopt babies within minutes of each other, then you get to watch all those babies grow into beautiful little girls and you become close friends with their families. Was I out of the room when the fairies sprinkled the pixie dust? Because, truly, it's magic with this little group.

We plan to make these getaways annual events now. It went that well. And some day at a get away, I hope the relationships these girls started this weekend blossom into conversations and support that only they can give each other. I hope that someday as a group we can go back to China and show the girls their old 'hood. I hope they can sit together and really understand the depth they have to offer each other. And I hope too, we can be there to watch the buds of friendship bloom, much the way a gardner does, from a safe, but nuturing distance.

A Day of Nothing

It's funny how the definition of a spent doing "nothing" has changed. Four years ago, a day doing nothing meant sleeping late, reading the paper for two hours, then retiring to the couch to read a book, may be I would hit the gym and we definitely went out to dinner.

Four years later, I honestly feel I did 'nothing' today. But my day is a little different. I was up before 6 a.m., made 3 breakfasts, fed two dogs, picked up the papers, dressed 2 kids, supervised their teeth brushing, hair brushing and face washing, put on a load of laundry, walked the dog, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned up after breakfast, made a shopping list, moved the laundry, put on another load and left the house by 11a.m. Then I took two kids to the crafts store, went grocery shopping, unloaded 7 bags of groceries, made 3 lunches, cleaned up a potty accident, more laundry including folding and put two kids down for a nap. (yes, La Nina still naps--God Bless Her!) With them down, I checked email, cleaned up after launch, did more laundry, discussed dinner with the Dad (who was on the couch watching golf--not that I'm bitter about that or anything), organized the clothes the kids have out grown, comforted the Magster when she had a rough wake up, did more laundry, got snacks for two kids, took two kids out to ride bikes, watered plants, picked up 5 pots with dead plants and yakked with a neighbor until the kids were worn out. Then I set up a craft project for the kids, fed the dogs, did more laundry, made dinner--the Dad did grill, apparently, golf was over--cleaned up the aforementioned craft project, ate with the family, cleaned the kitchen, did more laundry. Suddenly, I realized it had gotten late, so I tossed the girls into the bath tub, washed their hair, clipped their nails, flossed their teeth, trimmed La Nina's bangs and supervised a second round of teeth brushing. About an hour ago, I read each girl a story, kissed them good night, told them I loved them, did yet more laundry and am now sharing my really quiet day with all of you.

And the funny part of all of it? While I'm tired--it's just normal tired and to be honest, I feel oddly rested from doing nothing all day. What the heck is wrong with me?

A Good Chinese Mother...NOT!

As a non-Chinese mother of two Chinese girls, I'm supposed to be the preserving of their culture...or at least, I supposed to give them some exposure to it. So, like a good Chinese mother, I decided to start La Nina at the Chinese school this fall.

There are two Chinese schools in our area: one for Mandarin and one for Cantonese. The Mandarin school is huge and since La Nina is from a Mandarin speaking province, I thought I would enroll her in this school. Now this school is intense, there are Math classes, English classes, Chinese classes--writing and speaking--and culture classes. And this is leaving out the entire sports program they are adding this fall.

Since the language classes are two hours long, require a parent to attend and conflict with church, I thought a culture class in dance would be a good toe in the water for all of us. (Not to mention, I haven't quite figured out what to do about the fact if I'm really trying to preserve the culture..then the Magster should learn Cantonese! But that's a whole new post.)

Anyway, for weeks I've been checking the web site for registration information. The web site is half in English, half in Chinese, but I could easily read information about the 2005-2006 school year, so I figured registeration was still not open. Then, on Wednesday, it struck me that if the Chinese School was on the same schedule as last year, classes were starting in a couple of weeks and with close to 1500 students, they had to be registering. So, I started clicking around in the Chinese section of the web site. Pay Dirt!

Turns out, I'm a bad Chinese Mommy. Actually, that's not true. The issue is I just can't read Chinese. The link to the registration wasn't in English! I clicked the Chinese link and lo and behold I found the registration subsite...in English. A little filter for keep the riff-raff out..and I was filtered! And of course, the dance class was full.

So, I sent an email note begging they have mercy on my poor daughter and her illiterate mother. And let me tell you, it's a good thing they know my name from various activities around town. The school director recognized my name. She has helped me with translations in the past was very apologetic, but it wasn't really their fault. I'm outside of her target audience. How many websites have I built in English that wouldn't have served her needs? Given my profession, I have no room to judge a targetted web site...

It was really just a little window into what non-English speaking people go through trying to mainstream their kids. How do you sign up for gymnastics, dance, soccer or any of the other on-line registrations if you don't read English? It's tough. No wonder, the Chinese community offers all of these programs. It's easier and more comfortable to just do it in your own language.

I'm lucky. Most of the Chinese community in my area is highly educated and bi-lingual. I can't say that about myself--well, I'm supposedly educated. So, by the goodness of the Chinese community, we at least have a chance at getting in...and there is always next year if it doesn't work out.

Provocation/Retaliation

We have entered a new era in sibling relationships. It is the provocation followed by retaliation era...and of course, the retaliator always gets busted. A few acts that have occured over the past few days:

Provocation: Little sister pedalling her trike like a bat out of hell on the narrow sidewalk around the court passes the big sister who is carefully riding her bike on the same side walk. This near miss almost knocks the big sister into the bushes, but she recovers beautifully due to her sensible speed and good sense of balance. However, big sister is livid that little sister passed her.

Retaliation: A few hundred yards later, big sister "bumps" (think NASCAR) little sister off the curb and little sister falls off the curb into the street skinning her knee. Of course this could have been dangerous if we lived on a busy street and not a quiet court, so big sister gets busted.
Provocation: While at Target, big sister carefully selects a birthday card for her friend. She narrows her choices to 2 cards and after much painstaking consideration she picks the card with 4 fairies, leaving the princess card behind. Little sister immediately selects the princess card just to annoy her big sister. And it works.

Retailiation: For the rest of our shopping trip, I watch the big sister stare at the princess card and I can see her wheels are turning. Finally she strikes. As little sister leans to get a drink from the drinking fountain, big sister sticks her finger in the spout, drenching little sister. Then, just to rub salt in the wound, big sister says to little sister: "I don't want a little sister anymore. I want a brother." Well, 'them are fighting words' and a soaking wet little sister takes a swing at big sister and must be physically restrained. Big sister gets busted again. Little sister demands to ride home naked. I convinced her to keep the panties on.

Provocation: Little sister and big sister are playing together on a couch and doing gymnastic tumbles off the couch. Big sister gets stuck in a position only a person without cartilege in her back can assume (think extreme backbend) and calls for help. Little sister, the closest help, walks up, grabs her foot, flips it over her sisters head and the big sister easily flips out of the position she is in. Of course, this ticks off the big sister who was really just looking to show off for Mom and Dad...and somehow I suspect little sister knew that...but she isn't hurt, just mad. I warn little sister not to do these things, and she answers, a very placating: "Ok."

Retaliation: When little sister gets herself into a similar position, big sister also grabs her foot and dumps her sister on her head. Little sister isn't so quick on the back flip. Of course big sister had just heard me warn little sister about such behavior and of course, big sister gets busted again.

As a former big sister, I feel for La Nina and yet I remember getting busted myself for similar acts of sibling disregard.

The Dancer and the Giggler

The camp of the week was the Disney Dance Camp put on by a local ballet studio. (In our town, there is a camp every single week all summer if you want to find one.) For two hours every day the girls went to dance lessons. But it wasn't just dance lessons. There were arts and crafts, tea parties, tap, ballet, jazz and today was the grand finale...a performance of all the dances they learned.

Last year, dance camp was a disaster. (I just checked my archives. I can't believe I never wrote about it.) Only La Nina was old enough and the Magster drove me batty with her repeated assaults on the class. I couldn't keep the kid out of the studio. And worse: La Nina was sitting against the wall sucking her fingers the whole time. It was so bad, we skipped the last day and I almost didn't sign up again this year, but I hate to give up so easily on something I think is perfect for La Nina, so we gave it another try.

What a difference a year makes. Despite the fact Maggie was supposed to be 3, I enrolled her in the class too. The girls had a friend E. in the class, and between E. and Maggie, La Nina was shamed into participation. And lo and behold, she discovered dancing was pretty fun. Needless to say, we have had statements like, "Mom, I just love dancing." and "Mom, Can I go to dance camp forever?" coming from La Nina all week.

So, today was the big day: all the parents were invited to watch the class perform. The kids were fired up and Daddy took the afternoon off work to attend. The teachers put hats on all the girls that were decorated with their names and sparkles, and led the dancers into the room. The girls all looked very serious as they entered and there were some nervous finger sucking, hair twirling and fidgeting before the music started. And once the music began: dancing.

La Nina was totally focused on following the teacher. She was jumping, shaking her booty, kicking her feet, following along. What she didn't have in coordination, she made up for in effort. And you know, she did pretty good. Her sister giggled. For the entire first song, the Magster giggled. There was no dancing from the Magster for a good 3 minutes. Oh, Maggie did settle down and dance after the first song, but it really was a more of an interpretive dance based loosely on what the class was doing. She was the epitome of "having a good time." And did I mention the giggling?

As for the Dad and I, it was all we could do to contain our laughter. The whole class was so darned cute. From the little girl hiding on the edge with her teacher to the girls like La Nina totally focused on the teacher to the Magster doing her own thing, it was absolutely delightful. I didn't want either girl to see me laughing and I did my best to stifle my mirth. It was painful and eventually, tears were streaming down my cheeks. All the people around me probably assumed I was a "sentimental" mom, but no, I was a "hysterical" mom who couldn't let it out.

At the end of it all, I asked the girls if they wanted to take Dance Lessons. La Nina answered: "Oh, Yes Mom. I love dancing." The Magster answered: "Mom, I want to kick a ball." Somehow, those answers didn't surprise me.

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For those who are interested: My story on the Hall of Fame published today in the Pleasanton Weekly. It's the lead story in Living.

Final Thoughts on a Great Weekend

Well, we made it home safe and sound from Canton, and we're getting ready to go back to our real life. We will be eternally grateful to the Madden family for including us in this amazing time in their lives. Seeing the induction in person was humbling. I'm such an outsider to the world of football, but even I can appreciate the honor and excitement of being recognized as the best of the best. We were honored to be apart of the experience. There's nothing like having a front row seat at history being made and that is how this weekend felt.

Since we spent our weekend around Hall of Fame Inductions, I thought I would make a few nominations to my own Weekend Hall of Fame.

Biggest Jerk: From a bus we watch we saw Hollywood Henderson pose for pictures with a group of lovely young women with very little clothes on and ignore two little boys seeking autographs. The thing that was sad is we watched so many athletes go out of their way to accomodate autography seekers, yet this guy couldn't be bothered. Hollywood-if you are so insecure you have to wear your name on your back (he was wearing his jersey) , then perhaps you should feel flattered to sign for the kids and stop trying to score with the ladies. I nominate Hollywood Henderson to my own Hall of Fame.

Biggest Comeback: Since I was standing with the press at the Enshrinee Dinner I really spent some quality time looking at Troy Aikman. And ladies, this was not tough duty. But, during the time I spent gazing at him I noticed, he showed zero emotion. He never clapped for another inductee. All the others did. He never smiled or showed a flicker of emotion. Every other inductee was clearly excited, nervous and/or jubiliant. I was left with the impression that Aikman "expected" this honor. He's a young man who was forced to retire early. He achieved Hall of Fame status before his 40th birthday. However, watching him break down repeatedly on Saturday made me realize, I shouldn't be so quick to judge. He spent years controlling his emotions on the field of play, I guess that I witnessed his control on Friday night...nothing more. Therefore, I nominate Troy Aikman to my own Hall of Fame.

Best Show Stealer: All the pressure was on Sara White to deliver the speech of her life in her husband's memory. It couldn't have been easy. Reggie White, who died only 19 months ago, by all accounts was a great football player, but an even greater man. So, there she was, in the spotlight honoring her husband's legacy. Tough gig, but she stepped up. However, I think her son stepped just a little higher. As her presenter, he was involved in all the activities, and at a young age, he showed he has inherited his father's legendary character. From when he hoisted the plaque honoring his Dad over his head to when he prayed for his mother to be given strength to when he broke down unveiling his Dad's bust, the kid was a class act from start to finish...and I think helped take some of the pressure off his Mom. So, I nominate Jeremy White to my own Hall of Fame.

Best Host/Hostess: People of Canton were truly incredible. Yesterday we took a cab from Akron to Canton to visit the Hall of Fame. Getting there was easy. Getting back to Akron where we stayed, not so easy. There were 4 of us forelornly waiting on stone bench in a park where the Hall of Fame officials told us to wait for a cab. To say we were conspicuous tourists is an understatement. As random people walking in the park passed us, every single person greeted us kindly, asked where we were from, asked if we were enjoying our stay and told us how happy they were to have us. And it was like that everywhere we went. Just really friendly, nice people. The award for Best Host/Hostess has got to go to the People of Canton.

Most Excited Inductee: Hands down it was Madden. He positively floated through the entire weekend. He moved like a kid who doing a happy dance, all day, every day for 4 days straight. His excitement was infectious and created such a great energy in our group. I will forever remember the image of him smiling, beaming really, as he was first introduced at the Enshrinee Dinner. And I think that is why he is so popular. He is so human, you can't help but like him. He's like your next door neighbor, your grandpa, your funky old uncle. He's just a guy, who loves what he does, and shares that passion with everyone. So, in my expert opinion, no inductee in this class was more excited and appreciated this honor more than John Madden.

Most Valuable Player: All games have an MVP and my MVP award goes to Auntie and Tio. These two are the best Aunt and Uncle a couple of wild girls could ask for. They planned special outings everyday we were gone, took the kids out to numerous meals, kept them clean and in line...what more could a couple of parents ask for? There is nothing like leaving without worry. We had that and it was thanks to the generosity, time and patience of Auntie and Tio. Auntie and Tio were definitely our Most Valuable Players.

Our Hall of Fame weekend wouldn't be complete without a picture from the Hall of Fame!

Glory days! All the ex-players pose with the coach. What a lineup!

Liz the Ohio pig... delicious!

Al Davis and John unveil the bust.

The press was right next to us.

Here we are at our seats just prior to the ceremony. Hot, hot, hot!

Mike and Joe give their dad a hug after presenting him with his jacket.

The Inductees on Friday night before they are presented with their yellow jackets.

Hall of Fame

Today we visited the Hall of Fame. It was much smaller than I expected and frankly not as comprehensive as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It contained a section dedicated to the history of football, the room with the busts, a section on the hall of famers from each team and a summary of all the superbowls. For me it was a bit like visiting the cathedral of a church who's religion I do not practice. It was interesting and educational, yet it didn't evoke a strong emotional response.

Seeing the hall with all of the busts was the highlight The room is a big circle and the busts line 75% of the walls, so they are all kind of facing each other. The classes are lined up chronologically, and it begins with names you've never heard and ends with the familiar faces we heard inducted yesterday. The lights are dim, ala the Haunted House at Disneyland, there is a spirital aura to the whole thing. And as Mr. Madden said yesterday, it's true: I expected them to start talking.

Even more odd was seeing the busts of other people I saw yesterday. Yesterday, Al Davis was in the flesh, today, Al Daviswas in bronze. Ted Hendricks, Jim Otto, I could go on. Odd. Anyway, glad we saw it.

An update on the kids: We miss them terribly, of course, but they are doing great. In the past three days they have been to the zoo, fairyland and had a playdate with Nana and Papa. They even had dinner with Grandpa. We talk to them a couple of times a day--cell phones are wonderful for things like that. Maggie still thinks we are in "Hi-Ho Cherrio" and I've stopped trying to correct her. We leave tomorrow early and can't wait to get home to them.

All in all, it's been a whirlwind of a trip, an amazing once in a lifetime experience. I'm glad to say I've been here and I will never again watch the Hall of Fame induction ceremony without wondering how the fans on the infield are faring.

For the record...

Yesterday, was quite an amazing day. It started early and went to the wee hours of the morning. To keep this post readable, I'm going to keep this to the highlights:

Harry Carson- Heartfelt but should have written it down.
Rayfield Wright- A pleasant surprise. Organized, heart felt, moving.
John Madden- The pro in the group. His speech was emotional, thoughtful and answered my big question: What is better winning the superbowl or getting inducted into the Hall of Fame? His answer: The Hall of Fame.
Warren Moon- Classy. I liked the fact he thanked the mother of his kids and his ex-wife.
Sara White- The big moment happened when she and her son unveiled the bust. The speech was good, not nearly as emotional as I thought.
Troy Aikman- Changed my impression of him. After Friday, I really thought he 'expected' to be inducted. But yesterday, during his speech, he was so emotional--I think maybe he had his 'game face' on Friday night or something.

Overall, attending the Hall of FameInduction Ceremony taught me two things: 1.) I really don't like the Dallas Cowboys. Their fans are so annoying. I didn't realize all the Bay Area sports stuff actually gave me an opinion on a team, but when Rayfield Wright ended his speech with "I am a Dallas Cowboy" and the Cowboy fans roared in response, I felt like yelling, "Yada, yada, yada." 2.) When you watch the Hall of Fame at home, there is one key part of the experience you miss: The Heat. It was brutally hot on that darn field. To protect the field, big plastic panels are fitted over the playing surface and those panels reflect the heat. It was so hot, there was very little emotion down on the field. During the 4 + hours ceremony, we downed countless bottles of water and wore our programs on our heads to escape the heat.

Between the Hall of Fame and Madden Party, we had about an hour to shower, change our clothes and try to recover from the heat. The Madden party was fabulous. I think that was the event the guys who wanted to come with me would have enjoyed the most. There were athletes and sports celebrities everywhere. People like a bearded Matt Millen, Bob Costas, Al Davis, Jerry Jones and more old Raiders than I could possibly list. At one point the old Raider team got together for a picture and it seemed like half the men in the room were in the picture. Henry Lawrence sang with the band and was fantastic and Phil Villipiano did a routine that was stand up comedy. His premise was it was killing him to watch 2 Cowboys go into the Hall of Fame. We had a great time and didn't get home until after 1am.

Anyway, today we are going to try to get to the actual Hall of Fame, there is a minor league base ball game this afternoon and otherwise, it is going to be pretty quiet. More to follow.

A Glove, A Jacket and A Police Escort

The Hall of Fame festivities got off to a bang of the drum today when we joined some friends for a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, about an hour North of Akron. This Louvre-like glass structure houses an amazing collection of rock memoribilia including jeans worn by Bruce Springsteen, handwritten lyrics to tunes like, 'Hey Jude,' and a collection of vinyl that would make any record collector drool. There were sections dedicated to Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and rockers from the Buck-eye State. Oh, yeah...and Michael Jackson famous glove was there, under glass. And despite all the memoribilia, the part I enjoyed the most was the music. Listening to the tunes from the different parts of my life transported me back to grammar school, high school or college so instantly, it made the experience of visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame richer than I ever expected. I don't know that I would make a special trip to see it, but if you're in the area...it's worth a visit.

But somehow, I'm guessing there are a few Raider fans reading this who could really give a crap that I saw Michael Jackson's glove. Tonight kicked off the other Hall of Fame festivities with the Enshrinee Dinner or the night when the Inductees got their jackets. The event was held at the Canton Civic Center, a big complex with an indoor stadium and several anterooms. We were seated in the garden area and Merlin Olsen was our resident Hall of Famer. Of course, I recognized him immediately as Mr. Garvey from the Little House on the Prairie television show. Remember that? I do. I always forget he actually played football too.

Anyhow, after dinner, they moved all of us into this indoor stadium for the awards ceremony where the inductees were to be introduced. By the time I visited the ladies room, the only seats left were nosebleeds, so we acted like we knew where we were going and kept walking until we were standing in the press section. Not a bad place from which to observe the ceremony--trust me on this.

First, the 6 inductees were introduced: Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, John Madden, Warren Moon, the late Reggie White and Rayfield Wright. After each was introduced they were led to the spot we were standing and I literally ended up standing next to Mr. Madden. The one thing that makes John Madden so appealing is he is such an ordinary guy, and just looking at him, I could see how much this honor meant to him. He looked thrilled, humbled and just beside himself with excitement and emotion. I wanted to just hold his hand--but that seemed some how inappropriate, so I just touched his arm and gave a thumbs up. He smiled back and nodded. It was an honor to stand so close to him at such an important moment in his career.

After all the inductees were introduced, they went back onto stage where the 70 or so Hall of Famers in attendence greeted them. Old Raiders like Dave Casper and Jim Otto, old Cowboys like Tony Dorsett and Roger Staubach, old Steelers like Lynn Swann and icons like Gale Sayers, Dan Dierdorf and many others went onto stage to greet the new inductees with a hug. I wondered what they were saying to each other as they leaned close. From where I was standing it looked like a lot of respect and congratulations were being doled out.

Finally, after a couple of press awards were given out, it was jacket time. The inductees recieved the famous gold jacket...but it was really more yellow than a Century 21 Gold--if you've seen those jackets on the real estate agents. When it was Madden's turn to get his jacket, his dinner coat was off and thrown down as he took the last steps onto the stage. He couldn't get that gold jacket on fast enough. Flanked by his sons, Joe and Mike, he proudly put on the ultimate symbol of success for the first time. Then he turned to the family table and posed for a long, victorious picture, an arm around each of his sons. You could just feel him wanting to hold onto that moment. I think all the inductees appreciated the honor, but I think John Madden relished that jacket more than any other inductee all night.

However, it was Reggie White's son, Jeremy White, that stole the show. Because his family is accepting the induction to the Hall of Fame in his honor, Reggie White's wife, Sarah, was presented a plaque...not a jacket...to honor her husband's NFL Career. She promptly handed her son the plaque and he held that plaque over his head so proudly. He walked slowly around the stage, beaming with pride. It was a beautiful loving tribute to his dad. Better than the NFL film they showed of Reggie White tackling people, better than seeing his wife accept the congratulations of other Hall of Famers. The moment wasn't scripted, it was pure. Genuine. A boy honoring his father who should have been there to accept the award himself. It was a loving respectful gesture.

The festivities ended a few minutes after that and the guests set off to find their hotel bus among a fleet of identical vessels. Once we were all shuffled into the correct seats, the Canton police shutdown the local streets and escorted our buses all the way back to Akron. I'm sure the citizens of Canton loved the traffic we created just trying to get out of town.

All in all, it was an amazing day with more fun to come tomorrow when we go to the actual induction ceremony and the Madden party after. It should be lots of fun.

A couple of side notes:

Tony Gonzalez, KC Chief Tight End and former Cal Bear is definitely the hottest football player.
If rock stars really are the size of the clothes I saw in Cleveland, they must not eat.

For some reason, our hotel seems to be here for either Madden or Aikman. Now why would they put the Texans and the Californians together?

Marino wasn't introduced tonight, I think he's not here. Did I mention that Tony Gonzalez?

"Touch Down Raiders"

"Touch down Raiders" was the cry shouted from the back of the plane when our flight touched down at 5:30pm in Akron, Ohio. A soft round of respectful applause broke out upon our landing and people rose to gather their belongings.

A suprise greeted us next: Somehow John Madden dodged security and made it out to the plane to personally welcome our flight into the Buckeye State.

"This is the first time I've been on a plane since 1979," Madden deckared as he welcomed our merry band of revelers to the Hall of Fame celebrations.

I would like to say the flight was uneventful, but that is not true. I spilled an entire 16 ounce coffee on DH and I before we ever left the ground in Oakland. Nothing like spending 4+ hours in pants soaked in coffee. I dressed wisely for such an occasion, my pants were kind of a gray color made from fast dry fabric--I am a Mom, after all. DH didn't fair so well. At least the hotel has laundry service.

At the airport we also had our first experience with something I have never seen before: Autograph Coyotes. These are grown men who carry around a variety of memorbilia hoping to get someone, any one, associated with pro-football to sign their objects. It was sort of amazing. These guys materialized by the dozens from the mecca of the Akron airport and mobbed former Raider great Jim Otto by baggage claim. I decided they must just be living at the airport with the assumption that this is the only way into town.

Once Otto started signing autographs, he was ringed 3 deep by the hounds. And it wasn't like they were little kids after a hero's signature. These guys had a greedy gleam in their eye that gave me the creeps. After a few minutes, security scattered the scavengers and they resumed their vigil by fading back into the walls, probably waiting for the next Hall of Famer to get off a flight and try to collect his luggage. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of these types over the next few days.

Since festivities start in earnest tomorrow night with a welcome dinner, we are heading to Cleveland tomorrow for a visit to the other local Hall of Fame: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I will give a full report of the day and dinner tomorrow night.

Leaving on a jet plane....

As the old tune goes, our bags are packed and I'm ready to go...well, sort of.

We are leaving on our first ever vacation sans the kids tomorrow morning. It's been 20 months without a single night away from the kids...you're probably think we are heading somewhere very adult: Vegas, Hawaii, New York, Chicago....but somehow I'm bet you will never guess where we are heading. We're going to Ohio! Yep, Buckeye State, here we come.

I've been doing a little research in advance of my trip: Ohio achieved statehood in 1803, the state flower is the scarlet carnation AND its capital is Columbus. But we're not going to Columbus. In fact, we are going somewhere that will make the hearts of most of my male readers pound a little harder: We are going to Canton for the NFL Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.

My uncle offered to travel in my suitcase, the guy I share an office with at work practically asked me for my autograph and believe me, this is the ONLY vacation my husband as ever planned. He's more worried about what clothes to take than I am. Over the next five days, we are going to witness one heck of a sports spectacle from inside the lines. It will be very exciting.

Even more amazing, we have the incredible honor of traveling with the group supporting and celebrating Coach John Madden's induction into the Hall of Fame. We will be traveling with about 150 friends and family members of Coach Madden. Tomorrow we leave on a chartered flight (of course, Coach Madden is already in route on the cruiser) and the festivities begin on Friday. We will be going to dinners, touring the Hall of Fame, watching a parade and witnessing the ultimate tear jerking ceremony in sports: The induction of 6 men into a Pro Football Hall of Fame. According to the web site, over 80 Hall of Famers plan to attend the ceremony, so we will be rubbing elbows with football's elite, elder statesman.

Auntie and Tio will be stepping into manage the home front, just as they did when we traveled to China to adopt Maggie. I'm confident the word "No" will not be uttered throughout the duration of our trip, meals will consist of pizza, chicken nuggets and french fries and bedtimes will become a quaint parental notion with little relevance to Auntie and Tio's rule. (I have utter faith that my girls will have a ball.)

And as much as I'm excited about this once in a life-time opportunity, I'm worried about my girls. Well, really, I'm worried about Maggie. La Nina made it two weeks without us while we were in China, I know she'll be fine. But the Magster has never gone a night without me, and I've not gone a night without her in 20 months. And as much sleep as that child has stolen from me, it's odd to think of a night without the threat of her sweet invasion into my slumber.

Oh, most times, I don't find those invasions so sweet, they are down right irritating. I mean, I think I can count the complete night's sleep I've had in the last 20 months on one hand. Yet, I'm so used to getting up at least once a night, I bet I wake up every night I'm in Ohio and wonder how my little night stalker is doing. (Incidently, in case you're wondering, once La Nina goes down, she rarely wakes up.)

So, my blog will be taking on a different turn for the next few days. I will be writing daily. I promised Coach Madden I would write about my experiences for him...and you'll be reading my drafts. A few people I hope I get to meet: Dan Marino. He adopted two girls from China with my agency. I watched his whole induction ceremony last year just hoping to see his daughters. The cameras were kind and granted my wish...his girls are beautiful. Gary Hogeboom. I know he isn't a hall of famer, but I would love to hear his Survivor stories. Steve Young. I always thought he was more exciting to watch than Joe Montana.

So there you have it. The adventure of the lifetime and I hope I can take all of you along for the ride.