Closet Whale Rider

Have you seen Whale Rider? I have. I own it, I love it. There are two main things that I love about Whale Rider. The first one being that it's my favorite movie to act out in charades. (Remember that ELK?) Ask me sometime and I'll show you. You'll never forget it.

The second and most important thing is that I have secretly wanted to be a whale trainer my whole life. What's that? Yes, I am a closet whale rider. Except that I've never actually ridden a whale. So I'm a closet whale rider hopeful. My family used to go to SeaWorld a lot when I was young and I fell in love with Shamu. I was also awed by the fact that those lucky trainers in whale suits got to swim with her. Maybe a little jealous too. I have a secret fantasy that whales are drawn to me and if given the opportunity to bond/train with one, I would be like the boy on Free Willy or the girl on Whale Rider. My Shamu would love me, do anything I asked, and we would do things that trained whales have never done before. At least that's how it goes in my fantasy.

So, Casey had a volleyball tournament in San Diego in July and I found out that he had never been to SeaWorld. WHAT???? How is that even possible? So I took it upon myself to remedy that right away. Luckily our friends Mark and Janean have season passes, so Casey was able to fulfill my childhood wish for free!!! (sidenote: I am obsessed with theme parks and adventure parks. Casey cannot stand them. He goes only to make me happy. So when I told him he was going to love SeaWorld, he was like, yeah okay Lex. Surprise, surprise. Casey did end up loving SeaWorld because there were no rides to make him sick, he didn't have to walk very much or stand in lines, and he just had to sit back and watch animal shows all day. For Casey that equals a fun day at an adventure park.) The best part of the day was of course, the Shamu show Believe. That was when Casey truly found out about my secret whale trainer fantasy. All he said was, "Cute kid." How patronizing. I guess he just doesn't understand my true passion and gift. Whales are drawn to me. He just doesn't see it.

A Glimpse Into the Future...

The other day I got an email from my friend Jenn Pilch. She's quite the character. She said that she had a glimpse into my future. I couldn't stop laughing at what she sent me. Before I get into that though, this is how it all started. She says that every time I call her, she thinks to herself, "Oh my gosh, Lexi's pregnant and she's calling to tell me." It's a good thing I don't call her every day. So we had a long conversation the other day about the different ways to tell people you're pregnant. We both decided a text was completely kosher, but I promised to her that if I was pregnant, I would call her. Just so that when I am actually pregnant and calling her to tell her, she can say, "I knew it. I knew that's why you were calling me." :) Anyhoo, back to the glimpse. She sent me an email with actual proof of what my future son will look like. Here was her reasoning:

• Lexi looks like Julia Roberts.
  
• Casey looks like Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone years).
  
• Therefore, our son will look like a Macaulay and Julia offspring.

Well, it just so happens that Julia Roberts does have a son, not with Macaulay, who strangely resembles Macaulay Culkin. Jenn sent me this picture just to show me what I can look forward to someday. So without further adieu, here he is in all his glory, our son, Macauley Roberts Patterson.

Isn't he adorable? We're so proud.

Casey in the AVP

The main reason we are living here in Huntington Beach, CA is so Casey can follow his dream of being a professional beach volleyball player on the AVP tour. It's not like he had to twist my arm to live here, I mean c'mon it's California and we live three blocks from the beach. It is just hard to be away from my family and friends in Utah. Whenever I am missing Utah or thinking about how expensive everything is, all I have to do is look at Casey's beaming face after a he plays, and I realize that it's all worth it. Casey is living his dream, and I'm helping him.

In July, I watched Casey play in the AVP Long Beach tournament where he took 9th place. I was so happy that I finally got to see him play! Casey has impressed me so much this year with his passion for the game, determination to get better, and his work ethic. There has been a lot of buzz about Casey this year with AVP players calling him "the next big thing" and "an up and coming AVP star". I'm not sure if he believes it yet, but I do. I'm so proud of him. This was his first full time season playing and he already did so much better than we had hoped. I can't wait to see how he does for the rest of this summer and the summers to come. All the way to the London Olympics in 2012!

P.S. In September, Casey was nominated as "Rookie of the Year" for the 2008 AVP season. He didn't end up winning, but it was a huge honor to be nominated. We attended the AVP end of season banquet and it was so fun to rub elbows with all the Olympians. Hopefully that will be Casey some day. :)

Patterson Family Affair

On Monday, July 21, 2008, Casey's Grandpa Apperson passed away. Lloyd Apperson was 89 years old and though I only knew him a short time, I quickly gained a respect and deep love for him. He was a WWII Veteran who cherished his faith, his family, and his music. And I am proud to be a part of his legacy.

I remember the first time I met Grandpa Apperson. We drove over to the Veteran's hospital where he was living to see him. As I walked into Grandpa Apperson's room and he embraced me for the first time, I felt like I had known him forever. He was so special to me, the instant I saw his smiling face. I just knew he was my grandpa, and I could feel his love for Casey and I. We sang, talked, laughed, cried, and visited. He played the guitar and mandolin for us, always with a smile on his face. I will cherish the time we spent with him, and I am fortunate to have great memories of him to pass onto my children.
The funeral was very healing and inspiring as we joined together to remember a great man. After the funeral we all gathered at the Patterson's house to celebrate his legacy of music and family. Good times! Grandma Apperson is such a courageous, kind, fun, and selfless woman who just loves her family to pieces. It was so great to watch her happiness, despite the loneliness she felt, at having her family gather around her and lift her spirits up.

Funk, Funkety, Funk

You know how you feel when you wake up suddenly in the middle of the night and you know what's going on, but at the same time you don't understand it clearly? Kind of dazed and confused? That's how I've felt for the past month. I'm kind of in a fog, a funk if you will. And I am using that as my excuse for why I haven't posted anything lately. In the mean time, here is a picture of something that made me smile recently. I couldn't agree more...