Owning the Mt. Rose Summit and Sophie mourns MJ

Matt and Marv (Matt's dad) took Eva and her friend Sadie to hike the Mt. Rose Summit (10,776 ft) on Saturday - and they OWNED IT!!! Woo hoo :)

Sadie and Eva on the summit overlooking Reno - they ROCKED!

Grandpa Marv has still got it goin' ON! Don't ever let him trick you into taking a 'little walk' - he'll school ya!

Thank you Flickr person for this pic

Mt. Rose is in the upper right corner

Thank you Flickr person for this pic

The trail is over ten miles round trip (this is the back side - from Reno). It took them 3 1/2 hours to make it to the top, and 3 hours back down. I really really really wanted to go, but someone needed to be home with Sophie, who isn't quite ready for that kind of hike yet. Those are the kind of sacrifices mother's have to make ;-)

This is the view from south east Reno - Mt. Rose being the highest point

Unfortunately, we only have pictures from Matt's camera phone because my camera wouldn't turn on. And unfortunately too, when I switched out the brand new batteries I had put in the camera for their hike the night before, with yet another set of brand new batteries - it turned on, which meant that not only did we only get low quality camera phone pics, but my hoped for upgrade upon hearing the camera wasn't working, was not to be :(

But thank goodness for lousy phone cameras, nonetheless.

Good job everybody!

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Sophie's devastation over the disappearance of the storm drain frog (see previous post) was nothing compared to her devastation upon hearing that Michael Jackson had died. One episode of Spongebob was about all it took to get over the frog - MJ's death was an entirely different story however.

On our way home from Idaho, and as we were pulling out the a Sonic in Twin Falls, my cell phone rang. It was Matt. He spoke in a 'you're not going to believe this' voice, and told me it had just been reported that Michael Jackson was dead. I replied with a 'you're right, I can't believe it' voice, and so of course the kids were dying to know what we were talking about. After I was off the phone and while I was unwrapping my hamburger and getting my french fires out and sipping my Diet Coke, I told them what I was so astonished about. Ella and Eva were surprised too. We were all talking about how weird it was and wondering what all went on etc., when suddenly, I heard someone sobbing in the back seat. I looked over my shoulder, and there was Sophie, with her mouth gaping open, trying to breathe, and with tears beginning to pour down her cheeks.

Then the scene unfolded something like this...

Sophie: *sob sob sob* "But I loved Michael Jackson." *sob sob sob* "I loved him." *sob sob sob*

Me: "Oh honey, I know you did... it's okay honey. We can still listen to his music."

Sophie: *sob sob sob* "Ooooh, why did he have to die?" *sob sob sob* "Oooooh nooo... he was my favorite singer" *sob sob sob*

Me: "I know honey, I'm so sorry. I know you loved him so much. It's okay honey, we still have his music."

Sophie: *sob sob sob* "What did he die of?"

Me: "He had a heart attack."

Sophie: *sob* "What's a heart attack?"

Me: "It's when your heart is sick and it stops beating."

Sophie: "Ooooh......." *sob sob sob sob sob* "Why we all have to die????" *sob sob sob*

Ella and Eva comforting her: "It's okay Sophie, we can still listen to him... everyone has to die... he's in heaven now... even Mom's going to die someday... oh, wait... I mean... we're all going to die someday... then we'll all be in heaven together... don't cry Sophie... it'll be okay..."

Sophie: *sob sob sob sob sob sob*

Me: "Let's turn on some Michael Jackson right now and we'll celebrate his great music."

Sophie: "Can we listen to 'Thriller'?"

Me: "Yes, we will listen to "Thriller'!"

Then she commenced to quietly weep while she ate her lunch.

A little bit later while listing to MJ, I hear sobbing again.

Sophie: *sob sob sob* "I want Michael Jackson alive... I want him alive again..." *sob sob sob sob sob sob sob sob* "I wanted to see him in concert! *sob sob sob* (that was news to me)

Me: "That would have been so fun, I'm sorry honey."

Sophie continues to sob.

Sophie: Suddenly alarmed, "he won't be on youtube anymore!. 'Thriller' won't be on the computer!!!" *sob sob sob sob sob sob*

Ella and Eva: "Oh Sophie, 'Thriller' and 'Beat It' will always be on youtube, forever! We'll watch them when we get home... it's okay Sophie, we'll always have his music and videos."

Sophie: "Okay." quietly weeps.

Me: "When we get home, I'll play a song called 'Ben' he sang when he was really young that is about a rat - it's so sweet (:D)."

Sophie: *sniff sniff* "Okay."

She recovered her composure for most of the ride home, but the sobbing and wishes for Michael Jackson to be alive again were repeated several times throughout the day...

It all made me kind of forget what a freakazoid he had become - for a few hours at least! She's a keeper.