I Think It's A Girl

Saturday's busy events continued with a wonderful baby shower for my sister-in-law, Megan. This incredible lady married my brother almost three years ago, and they are having baby Mayla in January. We can hardly wait for her to arrive, so attending a party to celebrate Megan's growing belly made the day complete!

After my Girl Scout adventure, I arrived at T'liese's house shortly before noon. We carpooled together to Scottsdale, where she had some goodies to drop off for her old co-workers at Spa Avania where she worked until this past June. The spa is located at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch Resort and is gorgeous...it was so fun to see where T'liese spent a few years of her life!

We then drove to the Biltmore in Phoenix to let the festivities begin. In case we got lost, we saw a sign directing us for Megan's Baby Shower. Believe me, every single thing was considered for this party! The decorations were immaculate, located in the Grand Ballroom at one of the most prestigious hotels in the valley. Being so awesome, T'liese and I were the first ones there. It gave us the chance to scope out the steak carving table, the jumbo shrimp cocktail bar, and the made-to-order pasta table where a chef prepared goodness on every plate. Unfortunately, we had to wait almost another hour before all fifty guests had arrived and we were given the approval to start eating. The food was fabulous! And the decorations? My goodness. They went all-out! The centerpiece was a baby basket full of fresh flowers. Even the glassware was tinted pink! The tables were perfectly set for the party to begin! A three-layer cake was on display. Upon arrival, Megan simply glowed! She is going to be such a great mama. Her belly is huge and adorable, though the pictures don't give it justice. It was fun being there to represent Jeff's side of the family.

After lunch, we played some games of dressing up as "babies" and being judged by the crowd on who did the best. Had we known we were playing for $250 gift cards, I am sure we would have put a little more energy into it! We also created nursery rhymes for Megan to sing to Mayla on those upcoming sleepless nights filled with the crying of a newborn baby. We lost that one, too, but I think we had a better idea than everyone else! It didn't help that Megan's dad, Alfredo, was the judge and picked his other daughter, Maddy, as one of the winners! We are good losers, though. The cake probably had something to do with that.

And then the present-opening ceremony began. And went on for three decades. Megan hit the mother lode and got tons of presents. It looks like everyone likes her as much as us! T'liese and I snuck out about 5:30 so she could get to some other engagements. It was a beautiful party to celebrate a beautiful lady and baby on the way. Megan, you are a keeper! Now let's just get that baby here!

Girl Scouts, Minus the Thin Mint Cookies

It was an action-packed weekend from Friday on. I headed to the airport to watch some Hawker Beechcraft mechanics finish a few things left on my airplane from our inspection three months ago. The parts we needed were hard to track down, but they finally arrived. Our right hydraulic switch got replaced and passed leak tests during the engine runs, as I am sure everyone will be relieved to know! And we also (hopefully) got our ice bucket fixed to drain water better. Stagnant water inside lines that don't drain eventually lead to a water overflow inside my airplane, and not a good-smelling one, either! Unfortunately, the Japanese designed the drain hole to be level with the drain tube. We also had an oxygen mask holster broken during our inspection, and the part arrived in time to get it replaced now. It was so convenient to have the mechanics come to me at Swift Aviation instead of having to spend $1,000 to fly it down and back from Williams-Gateway Airport in southeastern Mesa. I like when maintenance items are minor enough they can simply bring a bag of tools and fix it on sight! I tell ya, my sweet-talking skills come in pretty handy when negotiating maintenance issues!

I got the airplane fixed just in time for the real fun to begin...on a chilly Saturday morning. A few months ago, I was put in contact with a Girl Scout troop leader who wanted to show her girls a female corporate pilot's airplane. After much planning and anticipation, eight girls and three troop leaders showed up to hear all about flying and to explore my Beechjet. It was a lot of fun to spend a few hours with them. I always volunteer stuff like this to people so I can try to pay back how great I have it! The whole reason I am a pilot today is because a helicopter landed in the playground at school when I was in the first grade. As the pilot talked to us, I thought to myself, "That's it. I want to be a pilot." Other than a short stint in high school of wanting to be a spy (until I figured out that I could fly and be a spy), I have always known exactly what I wanted to be! I hoped this chance to spend time with the Girl Scouts would have a positive impact on them. However, I think the only lasting impression made on them was that our lavatory is considered a passenger seat!

We lucked out and also got to walk through Swift Aviation's Boeing 737-400. They charter it to transport sports teams such as the Suns, Coyotes, Celtics, Kings, and lots of bigwigs. I guess being a Girl Scout gets you special treatment, since I haven't even seen this before! It just made the day that much better. The girls were well-behaved and asked great questions. Their troop leaders were really neat and fun to have around. No one got sucked into an engine on the ramp. The airport police were only called four times. And who knows? Maybe in ten years, one of them will want to be a pilot because she remembers how cool it was to sit in Steve Nash's seat.

Marital Advice from a Pro

Shortly before we got married, John and I had an interview with our Stake President to give us the final thumbs-up for the wedding. After telling some fun stories, he got a very serious look on his face. He warned us that the advice he was about to give was critical in creating a happy marriage. We both leaned forward on our seats to hear his precious words. "John, listen to your wife and trust her fashion advice. If she says to change something you're wearing, do it. Women just know these things, and men, well, men do not. Listen to her when you are deciding what to wear."

We left his office with the advice affecting each of us differently. I was floored! And so excited! Out of all the things to tell us about marital secrets, that was what he wanted to impart to us as being important! John, however, disregarded the advice as the rantings of a crazy man. It has been funny (I use that term veeeeery loosely) to see how his clothing plays a part in our marriage.

When we started dated, John was wearing jeans he had worn out in high school. One size too small. And very faded. His t-shirts were all old and raggedy and were usually too short around the arms and belly. Fortunately for him, dating me meant a total wardrobe makeover, in a good way. I didn't want to change him or make him into something he wasn't. I simply wanted to enhance what was already there! Within a few months, John had a lot of new clothes that I was proud of him wearing. He even got a few pairs of new shoes, even though it's like pulling teeth to get him to wear them. He is all about comfort and refuses to give up his old high-top sneakers that look terrible even in their best showing.

This morning, my heart went pitter-pat when he got dressed for a special meeting he had arranged for class. Utilizing the wonderful selection in his closet, John put on his Calvin Klein khakis (good for making him look tan because they are even whiter than him!), his Banana Republic polo shirt, and his Cole Haan leather loafers. I only mention the brand names because they are all known for looking good while being comfortable. John even posed to "give out the vibe" like Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber. I think he looks so handsome, and I didn't hesitate to tell him so about a hundred times before he left this morning! Now if I could just figure out how to throw away those old sneakers without being served divorce papers in the process, I think we would be that much closer to following our Stake President's hallowed advice of following the wife's intuition for fashion.

Christmas Box

I don't know what's inside. Which creates a little suspense and fun, since I LOVE surprises. At the same time, seeing this monstrosity in the spare room every time I walk past might drive me crazy before Christmas gets here. It arrived on our doorstep last week. It weighs more than our discussed budget should weigh, so does that give me justification to spend more on him (like I so very much want?). While I was running errands, he opened the box to check contents. You can see from his taping job that the same insight isn't allowed for me. I tease him occasionally by asking him what he would do if I looked inside. But I think we both know how much I love surprises, tortuous as they can sometimes be. I wouldn't dream of looking and risk spoiling the present he wants me to have for Christmas. But you see that smile on the box? The one that Amazon puts there intentionally to slap me in the face at least a hundred times a day? It has started to taunt me..."Micah. Miiiiiiicah. Open me, Micah. You know you want to see what's inside of me. Just open me and get it over with." How much longer can I resist such sane invitations?

This has nothing to do with my ability to hear what I want, when I want. And the smile on my face matches the size of the smile on the box. I don't mind a little taunting now and then.