We met Al Gore today....

he was a total jerk...

however I still thought it was cool to get a picture with him and then he totally acted like a jerk and i feel the same way addie did in this picture. Addie my friendly little girl who talks to ANYONE didn't like him at all... too funny

welcoming the NCAA Champs home!

Who wouldnt want to be welcomed home by this?



http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/06/425002/first-look-dukes-homecoming-celebration.html?index=121

Germany

So you may have heard and or saw in our last post that we are moving to Germany for the Fall Semester.
I have been researching everything about Hiedelberg and I am pretty excited about what I've found. Tons of gyms for me and a pre school at the University for Addison. We are going to be living in Old Town which is seriously amazing. We will be living in a small one bedroom but its an incredible opportunity and we didn't even hesitate. The stipend Ryan is getting will cover our housing plus a little extra (that i plan on spending on chocolate haha).I plan on doing hair while we are there and it shouldn't be too hard to build a small clientele. Becoming a hairdresser was one of the smartest decisions i have ever made and it continually pays off (literally). I have done hair all over the world.... Have scissors, will travel!

Ryan will be studying law (still) at the University. All of his classes will be taught in german, luckily he is fluent. However, I am not. However it is a University town with a military base near by. We'll actually be attending an english speaking ward.

It should be really fun! Come visit!

The Past Few Months

The last two months have been crazy and fun and full of adventures (as per usual)

Orlando:

For the annual Skeen girls' trip Meg went down to Orlando for a weekend full of sea life, roller coasters, and a half marathon. Swimming with dolphins has always been on Meg's life-list, as was running a half marathon. She was able to check two items off that list in one weekend. What a weekend!

Alaska :
The day before Meg got back from Orlando, Ryan flew out to Anchorage for the Alaska Law Review to spend a week meeting with attorneys and judges in Alaska. The high temperature for the week was around 30 degrees, four days in it snowed a foot and Ryan got to experience the snow removal services of Anchorage. It was an amazing experience. Ryan met a lot of amazing people and remembered yet again how much he loves Alaska.


Washington DC:

A week after Ryan got back from Alaska we took a trip to Washington D.C. We had some troubles with our hotel and had to switch last minute, but all in all the trip turned out great. The great deal we had found for out hotel, turned out to be oversold, and not available, so the website we booked through agreed to upgrade us to a nicer hotel and cut the cost of the hotel by 20%. So we called a cab, and rolled up to a 4+ star hotel with our TJ Maxx bag full of food and out big blue cooler. Classy. Addie loved all the Smithsonians. For weeks all she would talk about was the dinosaur poop and the skeletons. In addition, because of the hotel change we had to ride the metro, which turned out to be a close third to the dinosaur poop and skeletons. Also, as we left we came across a little farmers' market. One of the booths had a line that literally went around the block. We decided there was no way that we could leave without determining what the big deal was. The big deal was a local French bakery with amazing pastries and the best quiche we'd ever tasted.


Moving to Germany in September for a semester:

We received word from Germany confirming our stipend for the fall if we want it. We're going to go for it! Heidelberg from late September through mid January. We also think we have found a German preschool for Addie to attend, which would be amazing.

Met Elder Christofferson:

Elder Christofferson of the quorum of the 12 is a Duke Law Alum who clerked under Judge Sirica (sp?) who heard the initial Watergate trial. The law school invited him out to speak about his life in the law. It was a great interview, then later that evening all the LDS law students were invited for a fireside with him at the law school. We really enjoyed the opportunity to hear his advice and just to meet him. He is an amazing man and we could definitely feel the spirit associated with his calling as he spoke.

You'll note how pale Meg is. She had been throwing up all day (no, not pregnant) due to some nasty food poisoning.

Duke is in the national championship:

Go DUKE!

Addicted to cycling:

Meg has been working out like crazy. Initially to prepare for the half marathon, but now she has the itch. She's working out 6 days a week. She loves spinning classes. Ryan went along to one and has started running to try and keep up. Meg is in way better shape (says Ryan) and is so impressed by Meg's half marathon.

Easter:

Today was Easter. Addie went to an Easter egg hunt yesterday with her friends and we had another little Spiers family hunt this morning. Addie loves the "Easter Egg Bunny" and had a great Easter weekend.

Ode to my sweet little girl

have one great little girl!

Sometimes i realize what a lucky mom i am, and what an incredibly talented little girl i have.
Some of it is probably because shes an only child but she's seriously awesome. Addie has been potty trained for sometime now and it was pretty easy. She is reading and sounding out small words now like its going out of style. She has known her letters since she was about 18 months old and sounds came pretty quickly after. We started playing hooked on phonics and next thing i knew she was sounding out words and reading. Shes a little genius... (i might be a little biased)
I also love how sweet she is and how much she wants everyone to be happy. The ultimate punishment for Addie is knowing that she made someone feel sad. She has an incredible imagination and is always making up songs and playing pretend. I love how she walks around the house narrating every action in song. Although one of my very favorite things about Addie is how adventurous she is! Yesterday we went to the store to get stuff for a picnic and she requested sushi! She is always up for an adventure and to try new things and ready to go anywhere in the world we take her.
She has traveled as much as some adults... She has seen most of the United States including Alaska, shes been to Switzerland and Germany and can count to ten in 3 languages and we are currently working on a 4th.

Favorite things Addie has said:

"mom, you're my best friend"

after taking her to the Smithsonian in DC we asked her what her favorite part was and she said
"i saw dinosaur poop!"

"mom, are you sad? Do you want me to take you to the doctor?"

after throwing a fit she will suddenly stop and say
"I'm feeling much better"

"I am so proud of you Mom"

she is constantly telling EVERYONE
"You are so beautiful" , "I love it, its wonderful"

"Hi, I'm Addie and I'm 2"

2:59:48 Half marathon

Yesterday I completed my first half marathon! I had only run about 6 1/2 miles going into this, so i was really nervous. The night before I had my sisters (the veterans) giving me a pep talk. They taught me all the secrets to running (gu, the jelly beans that give you energy, drinking gatorade at all the stops and wearing a trash bag at the beginning so i can tear it off when i am not cold anymore and rubbing pretty much my entire body in vasoline) I also invested in some special socks that have padding in the toes and heels and they were awesome. The night before I felt like i was going to throw up i was so nervous about not being able to do it. So i kept telling myself over and over again in my mind that i would be able to do this.

The race started and they had fireworks going off, i was so psyched and ready to go! But Tracy just reminding me that "slow and steady" (great advice from both of my sisters). I just kept and a nice jog and got my music pumping. Did I mention i ran the entire thing in a tutu and a crown?
By the first bathroom stopped i realized i had been trying so hard to keep myself hydrated i had to use the restroom but i already felt like my body didn't want to stop so i passed it by and waited for the next one. After stopping to use the restroom i decided that was not a good idea and that i wouldn't be stopping for the rest of the race. Tracy and I got going again and i was doing great and we passed by all the Disney characters cheering us on plus the volunteers who are yelling and even using your name and it was really giving me a lot of energy. I loved the cheer squads. They also had different choirs and drummers and marching bands playing along the way. Seriously don't know what i would have done without all the energy that gave me.
By mile 7 i was feeling like a rock star for having officially run more than i had ever run in my life.
But then mile 8 hit and i was in a lot of pain and could feel my knees swelling and everything hurt and i knew i would feel better if i just stopped but there was NO WAY on earth i was going to give up now. That was when my own personal cheerleader, Tracy started pumping me up and one point even held my hand and said come on pick up the pace. And I did. I started telling myself i can do this, i am strong, i have to do this. Tracy said she kept looking back and could see me talking to myself after the race I told her i was just saying "strength" over and over again.
When we got to mile 9 i decided i had to walk so we walked for three miles (till this point i had only run and hadn't stopped) When i saw mile 10 i got really choked up and realized that was really going to do this and it was a reality and i wasn't even anywhere near the car that picks up those who fall behind and can't make it, a victory in itself.
We finally hit mile 12 and i saw Tinkerbell, Silvermist and Rosetta standing there and i leaned over to Tracy and said if Tinkerbell can't motivate me I don't think anything will. Tinkerbell is Addison's very favorite thing ever. Tinkerbell=Addison, hence the motivation. We picked up the pace and I finally spotted the sign for the 13th mile and Tracy says okay you did 13 now you can do .1! I got super emotional and totally lame. I also loved coming around the corner and seeing the gospel choir singing. I even made it in under 3 hours 2:59:48 it was close but i swear it counts! haha

I think the biggest surprise is that i expected to run through Disneyland on flat ground and that wasn't at all what we did. we were running the freeways and up on ramps and went from Disney to Epcot. The energy was awesome. Tracy was awesome. And most of all I am so proud of my mom for completing it! I am looking forward to doing it again and now that I've done it I feel like it will be easier to train for.

2 Items of Interest ( a post by Ryan)

1) So next week is premier week for new episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba (see item 2 for an explanation of why I know this). Weird Al Yankovich will be making an appearance. I feel like my childhood is meeting Addison's, how odd. Also. . . about time! Am I right?

2) Meg left town for Orlando and the girls' trip today. We both miss her already. We got home from dropping Meg off and had contained the tears when we heard something. Addison said: "You hear it?? It's a helicopter!" I then made the mistake of saying "No sweety look, it's an airplane!" She pointed at it, said, "It's an airplane . . . an airplane with . . . with my mommy on it . . . I WANT MY MOMMY!!" And the tears returned.

So it is just Addie and I for a few days. Nick Jr. is helping me out so far (thus my knowledge of Yo Gabba Gabba premier week) but my plan for tomorrow is to join Meg in our new "less TV for Addie" plan. Also in connection with Meg's trip, Addie got to come to a two hour class on contractual, structural, and equitable subordination in bankruptcy and corporate reorganization today. We went in before class and met with Prof. Schwarcz so Addie could get to know him a little. Of course she warmed right up to him, and he was really sweet with her. For about a solid half hour she sat in the front of the class next to him while he taught only interjecting an occasional comment when she questioned his logic. It was pretty adorable. The class was recorded, so as soon as I can figure out how to create clips from the recording I'll post a video of Addison's day as "Professor Spiers".