What's Up With the Hickey's

Summer 2011

2011-08-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

The girls: Hazel, Iris, Gertrude, Pearl, Beatrice and Harriet are doing great! No eggs yet, but we are having a great time watching them scratch around, doing their chicken thing.

The boys have been having a great summer! Lots of beach trips and hanging out with their buddies and cousins!

I can't believe that Tristan will be in 7th grade next year and Nathan is entering his last year of elementary school! Time is flying way too fast!

Both the boys have been racing their mountain bikes this season and doing very well. We are very proud of them!

Sean has also joined in the fun and started racing his mountain bike this season with the boys. He's doing pretty good at it too!

Along with racing, Sean has been having a blast as a coach of the San Gabriel Valley Composite High School Mountain Bike Team. At the end of the season they were in first place in Southern California! Not bad for a first year team! Sean's goal is to be coaching a Monrovia High School Mountain Bike team by the time Tristan is there.

And as if Sean weren't busy enough, he and his co-coaches have joined forces with our local Boys and Girls Club to start a mountain biking program for the kids that are enrolled at Boys and Girls Club. They are currently starting their second session of the program and I think it has worked out beautifully as kind of a sister program with the high school mountain bike team, as the team members do their part and volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club twice a week to help teach kids how to ride bikes.

It's a WIN-WIN!

For me, I'm busy trying to come to terms with not having my thyroid! I'm not trying to sound overly dramatic. But, I have to be honest and say that it has been difficult! My energy level is WAY down and I've gained 13 pounds since April! Coming to terms with being on meds for the rest of my life has been somewhat shattering to me. I DO NOT like the thought of that in the LEAST! So come to terms with it I must, but honestly, I'm not quit there yet!

I'm trying to be patient with myself and focus on other things that I am passionate about. The biggest of which is supporting my husband and kids as they race their mountain bikes and help the Pablove Foundation fight childhood cancer with LOVE! With the help of the Pablove Foundation, we are currently in the process of growing our team, Mountain Biking for Pablove and working on getting solid sponsorships.

In early June, Nathan submitted this video and entered the Farm Rich Kids Who Give contest.

We found out just today that he is one of the finalists. This is the video we will submit so that they can make the final decision. Keep your fingers crossed.

They will be announcing the winner on August 15th. If Nathan wins, he could win, among other things, $2,500 to go to the Pablove Foundation and an all expenses paid trip to New York this fall to attend the Kids Who Give awards dinner!

Among our Mountain Biking for Pablove activities, Sean and the boys were featured as part of The People's Fleet contest that the Pablove Foundation entered this summer in the hopes of winning a $5,000 empowerment grant.

I continue to be inspired by my husband and my boys and hope that it lifts me and brings me to a point where I will participate in my own athletic endeavor. I am very proud of our work with the Pablove Foundation! They are doing such wonderful things for kids and families living with pediatric cancer! I know that our efforts go towards something very positive and loving and it feels good to know that my boys can do somethinig they love and give back at the same time. We are helping the Pablove Foundation fight childhood cancer with LOVE! We've set a very big goal for our team this year of $5,000. We have a ways to go to reach our goal by the end of October. October 2nd the boys will participate in the California State MTB Championships and October 6th Pablove Across America begins their over 1,400 mile ride from Milwaukee to New Orleans. We would love to have your support!

Please click on the link below to visit our team page. You can donate to one of us, all of us, or the team. Either way, you will be helping the Pablove Foundation fight childhood cancer with LOVE and that is AWESOME!

MOUNTAIN BIKING FOR PABLOVE

Love,

Lisa

2011 Full Speed Ahead

2011-02-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Our family is charging into 2011!

Both the boys will be racing mountain bikes for Team Pablove this season and their first race of 2011 is Sunday, February 27th in San Diego. We couldn't be more thrilled that both boys are going for it this season. Here's the race schedule, in case you want to come cheer them on!

Nathan will be working hard at raising money for the Pablove Foundation again this season. With all of your help, Nathan raised close to $2,000 last season and had a thrilling time keeping up with the Pablove Across America peloton, for the last 20 miles of their 1,452 mile journey from Seattle to Silverlake. It has been a tradition for Nathan and Sean to ride the last 20 miles of Pablove Across America for the last two seasons. However, 2011 takes Pablove Across America from Milwaukee to New Orleans. Nathan's goal this year will be to raise $5,000 with his campaign Mountain Biking for Pablove, with the "HIGH" hopes that we can all make it to New Orleans next October, so that he and Sean can ride the last 20 miles with the peloton.

MOUNTAIN BIKING FOR PABLOVE

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Soccer is Tristan's first love and he had a rough 2010 season playing for an older club team. It was hard on all of us watching him struggle through the season. Thankfully, that is past us now and we are totally stoked that Tristan has made the Clifton Middle School Soccer Team. One of only 3 6th graders chosen! He really, really needed that boost of confidence and I'm looking totally forward to taking lots of pics and sharing them here! Sports aside, Tristan really shines academically! He as been a consistent 4.0, Honor Roll student all year! We are very, very proud of him!

Sean has been busy helping to form a high school mountain bike team and acting as one of the team's coaches. Our hope is that we can establish a mountain bike team at Monrovia High School by the time Tristan enters high school and then obviously grow it and have it going strong by the time Nathan gets there. That's the plan, anyway! Right now the team is the San Gabriel Valley Composite Team, with kids from all over the San Gabriel Valley. Mountain biking has been a passion of Sean's for close to 30 years now, so I'm thrilled that he is able to give back and help kids establish a love of the sport that he has loved for so many years.

As for me, I'm the person that tries to hold it all together on the homefront. How well? I'm not really sure, at times! I love my boys and I would do anything in the world for them at any time. However, this year I will be doing a bit more concentrating on ME! We've been through some doozies since 2011 began, trust me! And all those "little" happenings, plus finding a lump on your neck kinda puts things in major prospective! I'm not panicking yet...well I did at first, but now I've had the biopsy and I'm feeling pretty sure it's a cyst on my thyroid (get biopsy results in mid March). Anyway, all that said, it's way past time for me to spend a bit more time making me HAPPY. There's a big part of me that wants to be "on the farm!" So, this Spring I'm plotting out a spot for my organic veggie garden and Nate Dog and I are building a chicken coop big enough for 5 or 6 laying hens. I'm so excited! I have all my hens named already: Florence, Betty, Marge, Ida, Penny & Ruby. How many animals will we have then????? 2 dogs, 4 cats, 19 fish in our pond, 6 hens?

Exercise used to be a big priority for me before kids. Believe it or not, I used to be Sean's favorite mountain biking partner! That's what he says! So now, I'm making it a priority again! Yoga is a must 3 times a week; and I'm enforcing my old rule of no "house work gets done today, until I've gotten outside for some exercise." This rule worked really well when the boys were little....so I'm enforcing it again.

I'm learning alot from my boys right now and one of the biggest lessons is: I need to have my own thang! So, one of my things this April is joining Team Pablove to help Children's Hospital of Los Angeles TURN ON THE LIGHTS of the new hospital building! This project was in full swing while I was working at CHLA and it is so gratifying to see the day finally approaching when the lights of that building will be turned on! My friends and past co-workers have worked tirelessly for this day to arrive! It will be a very emotional and exciting day! Nathan is an ongoing patient at the Genetics Dept. at CHLA, so I know how important this building is for children and families throughout California. If you can, PLEASE HELP ME TURN ON THE LIGHTS of this amazing facility!

CLICK HERE TO HELP ME TURN ON THE LIGHTS

Love, Lisa

Summer 2010 and The California State Championship Mountain Bike Victory

2010-09-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

We had a great summer! We stuck around home, for the most part, but we still had a great time! We hung out at the beach alot and the boys started learning how to surf.

We had a great time hanging at the beach with all the boys friends.

Every time we went, we saw our dolphin friends.

The highlight of our summer fun was Nathan's California State Championship Victory at Bonelli Park on September 12th. He really took it to them this year and came home with the following titles under his belt: 2010 Kenda Cup West Series Class Champion in the jrs. category, the Specialized Invitational Finals Champion and the California State Champion.

As we look forward to next year and Nathan's racing season, we hope that Nathan continues to grow in his sport and follow his heart as he brings awareness to the fight against childhood cancer. Nathan rides to show support and strength on behalf of kids who are in hospital rooms around the country, getting poked by needles, losing their hair, feeling sick to their tummies and fighting everyday, just to be a normal kid. Nathan races his mountain bike and raises money for the Pablove Foundation. He will partner with Pablove Across America this October and ride the last 20 mile leg of the ride from Sylmar to Forest Lawn. Nathan has riden his heart out this season and really given it his ALL. Please visit his Pablove Across America fundraising page and help him reach his goal, as he helps to fight childhood cancer with love.

MOUNTAIN BIKING FOR PABLOVE

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Now, it's ALL SOCCER and TRISTAN!! GO STRIKERS!!

Love, Lisa

Southern California State Championship Series & Pablove

2010-07-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

July 18, 2010, our little Nate Doggie won the Southern California State Championship Series in Cross Country Mountain Biking in the Jrs. 10 and Under category!

We've gone into this mountain biking scene with the thought that "Nathan should have fun" and he is having fun, but he's also got this raw, natural talent that makes it difficult not to be completely hard core about the whole racing scene. At times, I have to stop myself from having this crazy, worse than "soccer mom" mentality.

I think this was the most nervous I've ever been before a race.

Look at that face! Doesn't he look like he's having fun!!

You know, as a mom, I worry about lots of things. Obviously, all of it centers around what is best for the boys. The question always being "Is this the right thing for them?". From praise to punishment, always the same question. So wanting them to put the demons of past family mythology to rest and leave it in the past. To take with them into their lives, the best traits of Sean and I. I have lots of inspirational friends and family, who are outstanding parents. Girlfriends and sister-in-laws of mine that I learn so much from about "not sweating the small stuff."  I'm in awe of so many of them and there "child whispering" skills.

Ultimately, the same reasons that have us striving to be better parents, are in some ways the same reasons that, as a family we want to fight to end childhood cancer. Parents of kids with cancer, have absolutely NO time to "sweat the small stuff!"   They are dealing with literally horrifying circumstances all around. One story that is breaking my heart into a million pieces right now is about Daisy Love Merrick. http://prayfordaisy.com/   Her family could use your prayers right now!

Pablo Castelaz's fight with childhood cancer propelled us into action. http://getwellpablo.blogspot.com/   A few weekends ago, Jeff Castelaz, Pablo's dad and the founder of the Pablove Foundation, invited Nathan to go riding with him in Griffith Park. Talk about an inspiring guy!

They rode 13 miles and had a great time! I think they are all looking forward to riding together again in the future. And they will because in October, Nathan and Sean will be joining the last 20 mile leg of the Pablove Across America Ride 2010 from Sylmar to Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery.

Nathan's mountain biking season is about coming to an end with the Southern California State Championship Series victory. There will be a State Championship race September 12th at Bonelli Park in San Dimas. Nathan's race starts at 9:07am. If you can, come on out and support our Nate Doggie.

All of it comes down to the fact that, Nathan is our little Champion and he is still riding to fight childhood cancer with love and raise money for the Pablove Foundation one mountain bike race at a time. With the kickoff of Pablove Across America 2010, Nathan has a new goal with his campaign Mountain Biking for Pablove. Please help him do some SERIOUS CHILDHOOOD CANCER BUTT KICKING!

MOUNTAIN BIKING FOR PABLOVE

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Love, Lisa

Celebration and Loss

2010-07-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

from bottom right to upper left

Roberta Ann, Rosalee (Pinky), Robert, Regina (Gigi), Rochelle (Shelley), Rita, Richard (Mike), Robin, Ronald (Patrick), Renee, Roxana, Rhonda, Raeleen, Roch, Ralinda, Rex and Randoloph (Sean)

I married into a huge Irish Catholic family! My husband is the youngest of 17 children. Being a part of this family is a once in a lifetime experience all in and of itself. I continue to learn all the time, that celebration and loss are just a heartbeat apart.

Lisa and Sean 6/24/95

Grandma Roberta

Sean and I celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary this past June 24th. 15 years ago, as we were celebrating and joyously planning to become husband and wife, we also had to say goodbye and mourn the loss of my husband's Mother, Roberta Hickey. She passed away on Father's Day, just one week before our wedding. It was very difficult and yet this family came together and celebrated her life and our marriage, like nothing I had ever known. It was a tremendous celebration!

Six years ago, as we started getting ready to celebrate our oldest son, Tristan's entry into elementary school and his kindergarten year; and all the fun that was to come, again we had to mourn the loss of my dearest sister-in law, Rita. She was the closest thing to a Grandmother my kids had on their Dad's side. She is dearly, dearly missed every single day by Sean and I and our boys. I knew that my family's world had changed forever the day she gained her wings.

Aunt Rita and Tristan

This past weekend as our family celebrated the awesome victory of our youngest son, Nathan, at the California State Championship Mountain Bike race in Big Bear, we also mourned the loss of one of my husband's oldest brother's, Patrick. Patrick had a long hard battle with drug addiction and prison life. He was the middle child of 17 siblings. "Eight above, Eight below. How I go, the rest go."

Nate Dog, the California State Champion Jrs. 10 & Under!

Ronald Patrick Hickey

I am especially proud and thankful for my sister-in law, Shelley. She has worked so very hard to help Patrick gain his freedom from all the addiction and incarceration. Just a week or so ago Shelley posted this on facebook: "Pat gets out of prison July 12th. I am feeling how he has no one except Chuck and me. I know this is his last chance to live in freedom. He will attend my reading performance on July 30th. I hope he will hear his own powerful words in a way that makes it clear that his work is done, he simply needs to implement what he... has already accomplished. This has been a very long road."

Patrick and Shelley

This reading performance that Shelley refers to, "is the product of her work in family mythology and self-discovery. Beginning with the question "What was it like for you to be part of our family?", she collected oral histories from her seventeen siblings and turned them into first person narratives. These memories are stitched into a dialogue between one incarcerated brother and a silenced sister. Dr. Duffy's work demonstrates both the power of memory and dream to ignite voice and transform spirit, as expressed in her reading performance of Prison Is Where I Learned to Fly: Shelley's Sibliography."

Click hear to read the informaiton regarding Shelley's talk at C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles:
http://www.junginla.org/t/publicprograms/2010/summer/month/july/p/shelleys-sibliography-releasing-the-incarcerated-voice-through-memory-imagination-and-dialogue

I will write more about Nathan's State Championship victory on his mountain bike later this week, but for now, I'm just going to say - I'm happy we had a couple of Sean's siblings with us at the race. It made the bittersweet emotions of the day much more sweet all around.

Nathan with cousin Adam and Uncle Roch

Nathan with Aunt Raeleen

Nathan with cousins Leland, Ethan, Adam, Beckham and Abel

Nathan and cousin Christina

I am so proud of my family! I know that quit a bit of the spirit that lives within my boys, comes from the "Hickey" side of the family. The zest for life. The energy. The CELEBRATION!

Nathan and Tristan with Uncle Pat

Love, Lisa

Pablove One Another and the State Championships

2010-07-15T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today, the boys and I headed out to Silverlake for my 11:30am appointment for the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles Blood Drive, being held at the Pablove Foundation headquarters. It was my very first experience giving blood, but I can honestly say, it will not be my last.

The mural on the side of the headquarter's building says it all. Giving life saving blood to children in need of it's healing powers, is just one way we can "Pablove One Another". The boys and I loved that we got to visit with Jo Ann Thrailkill Castelaz, Pablo's mom for a minute at the blood drive. She is very proud of my Nate Doggie and his efforts at raising money in honor of her sweet little boy!

From one mother to another, we are in this fight with her, her family, and all the amazing people at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and all over the country that are fighting just as hard to end the monster that is childhood cancer.

This Sunday Nathan rides in the State Championships in Big Bear. I'm so proud of my little guy! He's had a great run this mountain biking season.

February - First Place at Kenda Cup West Series-Sagebrush Safari

March-Second Place Bonelli Park at H20 Overdrive Triple Crown #1

March-Second Place at Fontana City National Pro XCT

April-First Place at Kenda Cup West Series-Santa Ynez Valley Classic

May-First Place at Idyllwild Spring Challenge

June-First Place at Kenda Cup West Series-Santa Barbara Bike Festival

June-First Place at California State Series-Big Bear Shoot Out 2

I'm very proud of his accomplishments on his mountain bike, but I'm even more overjoyed at his loving spirit and kind heart.

Nathan rides in honor of Pablo Thrailkill Castelaz. He has been raising money for the Pablove Foundation one mountain bike race at a time with his campaign Mountain Biking for Pablove. He's surpassed his original goal of $500. We are thrilled and so thankful to all that have donated to this very worthy cause. This is Nathan's last "BIG" race of the season! Let's get him there! Let's get to $1,000! We've only got $300 more to go!

MOUNTAIN BIKING FOR PABLOVE

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Love, Lisa

A Blurrr of Activities

2010-07-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

The last day of School and the weekend that followed was a blurrrr of activities. The official kickoff to summer was Tristan's 5th Grade Promotion from Mayflower Elementary.

Tristan and his friend Steven were to be the leaders in their lines for the walk down to the ceremony.

The ability to take good pictures was to fail me this day, so this was the only picture I got of Tristan waiting to get his promotion certificates from the line of Teachers that awaited him.

He did get his certificates, but I seriously need some practice with this type of thing. I feel like I didn't capture the moments like I wanted to. "Note to self" for middle school and high school graduations in the future - "Open the folder so we can actually see those certificates with that beautiful smile."

The one moment I did capture was like a snapshot in time. Tristan with his buddies that he's known since pre-school.

Colin, Spence, Tristan

Nathan showing some brotherly love to his big bro on this special day.

Three of my favorite guys!

Tristan with his 5th Grade teachers, Mr. Gibba and Mrs. Gibba. It was an extra emotional promotion for them because it was their last promotion ceremony at Mayflower. They will be moving to Idaho this summer. We wish them tons of luck on their new adventure, but we are really going to miss them!

We are so exteremly proud of Tristan. He works so hard at school and makes it easy on us, as his parents. He's got a very bright future ahead of him!

After Tristan's 5th Grade promotion we headed up to Big Bear for the Big Bear Shoot Out #2. What a weekend! Three families stayed at our good friends cabin in Arrowhead. It was nice for Nathan to have his friends' support!

Before we got to see Nathan start, our friend Doug got his start. Sean was so, so proud of Doug....and secretly a little jealous that he wasn't racing too. Doug is Tristan's good friend, Lowden's Dad and we love that family!!!!

Then Nate Doggie gets to line up. Tom, the guy who runs the show, gives them all a little pep talk before every race.

On this particular day, it was the 7th birthday celebration of Pablo Castelaz, the little boy that Nathan rides in honor of and whom the Pablove Foundation is named for. I've written before about how butterflys (particularly black and yellow ones) remind me of Pablo. Well, there was a black and yellow butterfly flying above the kids heads as they were about to start their race. I took it as a good sign that Nathan would be watched over as he raced this 13 mile race through the wilderness.

My heart literally skips a beat at the start of every race.

I remember yelling "Dig deep Nate Doggie", just has he went up and around the corner.

And I wasn't to see him again for exactly, 1:16:46.81.

Our friend Kiat was further up the course and he got these great pics of Nathan. And he was "digging deep!"

He had blue shirt in his sights.

He's gaining on him!

He's gonna catch him!

This was the first and only good shot I got of him as he came into the finish. My picture taking skills were to fail me again. I was so thankful that I had Kiat there as back up! He got all the remaining shots I'm going to share with you here, Thank you Kiat!!

Coming into the finish line, my little Nate Doggie fell around this turn. He's on the ground behind these two riders.

He's getting up.

He's back in the saddle.

He crossed the finish line.

And rides right into the arms of his loving Daddy.

And supportive friends.

He worked so hard for this and it was hard!

But so worth it!

He took first place and the overall first place spot in his category this season. It's hard not to be proud of my boy, who is currently ranked #2 in the Jr. category, in the State and #2 in the Nation of 9-10 year olds.

After the race we celebrated at the awards ceremony with friends and family!

Cousins Taylor and Riley with Nathan and Tristan

Kiat, Nathan's #1 Sponsor!

Nathan with Jordan Romero, the 13 year old who just scaled Mt. Everest in May and holds the record for the youngest person to summit that mountain. He climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro when he was 9 and only has 1 more peak to go and he'll have done all 7. Now that is an amazing kid!!!

Nathan races and raises money for the Pablove Foundation. He is raising money one Mountain Bike Race at a time with his campaign, Mountain Biking for Pablove. He's currently training for the state championships to be held in Big Bear on July 18th. It's the big one and we want to hit the big $1,000 for Pablove by then and end on a tremendous note! Please help Nathan fight childhood cancer with love and click HERE to help him reach his goal! If you've already donated, THANK YOU SO MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS.

If you can't donate at this time, but still want to help, you can help out tremendously by voting for the Pablove Foundation in the Chase Community Giving campaign. All it takes is 2 clicks of the mouse to VOTE! Chase is awarding a $250k Grant to the worthy charity that wins this campaign. With your help, that could be the Pablove Foundation. Please click HERE to vote and join us in fighting childhood cancer with love.

Love, Lisa

Riding in Honor of Pablo Castelaz

2010-06-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

Butterflys remind me of Pablo Castelaz! A little boy I never had the pleasure of meeting. His story came into my family's life by way of a very much loved, but short-lived career at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. His story, shared so lovingly by his father, Jeff Castelaz, on a blog he started writing soon after learning that his darling little boy had cancer. http://getwellpablo.blogspot.com/ .

As my family and I followed Pablo's couragous fight, we were literally moved into action. That's how the writing of this loving father made you feel about the battle his son was going through.

This Sunday, Pablo's family will be celebrating Pablo's 7th Birthday and Nathan will be riding a race in Big Bear in honor of Pablo, who lost his very couragous battle with cancer just six days after his 6th Birthday.

I can't let my brain wonder why my family was moved into action by the words of this father, whose son we never knew. All I can do is follow my family's heart and let it's collective beating lead us to help the Pablove Foundation, fight childhood cancer with love. My son rides, I write. That's it. OH! Lightbulb moment! I guess you could say, this is the effort of a mother and son following our hearts to do some good, in honor of a brave little boy we never knew, but loved anyway!

Kids get cancer too and they need a life outside of the cancer treatments. The Pablove Foundation raises money for that purpose, as well as for research. I urge you to learn more about the Pablove Foundation http://www.pablove.org/ and I ask you to help Nathan reach his goal as he raises money for the Pablove Foundation one mountain bike race at a time. https://www.giftberry.org/teampledges.php?wishlist_id=146138&pledgedrive_teams_id=227&view_type=i

Love, Lisa

Knotts Berry Farm and The Santa Barbara Bike Festival

2010-06-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

June 2nd the Fifth Grade Class of Mayflower Elementary took a final field trip to Knotts Berry Farm! The last 5th grade field trip for our two beloved 5th Grade Teachers Mr. and Mrs. Gibba, who in just a couple of weeks are embarking on a new adventure as they move to Idaho! I've been Mrs. Gibba's Instructional Aide for the last two years and I was Mr. Gibba's Aide the year before that, so I, personally am going to miss them very much! They are two of the best and brightest and I'm sure they will be missed by the entire Mayflower family!

Some of 5th grade's coolest guys and gals.

Memorable adventures with the lunch lady and one of my dearest friends, Mrs. Montemayor!

The kids had so much fun riding rollercoasters.

Mr. Gibba leading some of the bravest off to Excelorator!

Screaming girls on rollercoasters......

..... it's not just the rollercoaster's that make the girls scream.......

.....and the boys love the girls!

We all had a great time hanging together - boys and girls!

What great memories for our kids!

June 6th took our family to the Santa Barbara Bike Festival and one of Nathan's mountain bike races.

Sean's sister Roxy and her husband Randy hosted us and came out to cheer Nathan on. We love them tons and Nathan rides extra fast when his Aunt Roxy is cheering him on!

Tristan get'n a little love from his Aunt Roxy too!

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it....I get so nervous for my little Nate Dog!

And he looks so cute and relaxed!

Let the race begin! He got a great start. Blue shirt is in the 13-14 age group and Nathan was 1 minute behind him at the finish.....but who knew that was going to happen at this point.

This was all we were to see of Nathan until he crossed the finish line.....

And then 6 miles and 0:30:07.68 minutes later, he crossed the finish line in FIRST PLACE!!!!

He was so tired, but he was so happy!

Tristan does a great job of supporting his little brother at his sport!

Nate Dog getting some love from cousin Deanna after the race. We love her tons too!

There he is in the first place spot! We are so proud of him! We're busy preparing for his next race in Big Bear this weekend. Wish him luck!

Don't forget that Nathan's riding his heart out to raise awareness and funds for the Pablove Foundation. http://www.pablove.org/ Please click on the Mountain Biking for Pablove link to the right and help him reach his goal. He's only got $195 more to go this season! With your help, I think he can do it, so thanks for helping Nathan fight childhood cancer with love!

Love, Lisa

Mountain Biking for Pablove

2010-05-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Nathan is busy training hard for his upcoming race this weekend in Santa Barbara. He recently particpated in the Idyllwild Spring Challenge and came in first place. He was happy to be wearing his new Pablove jersey that he got for his 9th Birthday.

We're so proud of our Nate Dog! He's a special little guy in so many ways, but mostly because his heart is so huge!

Nathan is raising money for the Pablove Foundation - one mountain bike race at a time! Please help him reach his goal by clicking on the Mountain Biking for Pablove link to the right.

Santa Ynez Classic and Tristan's Soccer Game

2010-04-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

Charlotte's Meadow in Los Olivos was where the Santa Ynez Classic was held. What a beautiful place with green rolling hills, gorgeous oak trees, and splended wineries.

I'm just such a nervous mom before all the races and this race was no different. But Nathan had a great start off the finish line and I really could not have been more thrilled for him. His Aunt Roxy came out to see him race, so I'm sure he put his best pedal forward and gave it his all.

He was way out in front.

He did 4 laps and nobody caught him!

Coming into the finish line.....

.....and crossing it! 3 minutes ahead of the 2nd place rider. So happy for our Nate Dog!

Nate Dog on the podium in first place. Currently, Nathan is in the first place spot based on points in his category. He's got a real chance of winning the whole thing this season. We're off to Big Bear on May 16th. It'll be all about the elevation then.

It's been really tough with Nathan's last few races because we've missed some of Tristan's Spring Soccer games. Sean's best friend Steve and his wife Tina were nice enough to go and support Tristan at his last soccer game while we were in Los Olivos for Nathan's race. Thank you Steve, for taking these great pics of Tristan. We're happy to say that schedules won't be conflicting anymore, therefore, we won't be missing anymore of Tristan's soccer games.

Love, Lisa

Fontana City National

2010-04-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Nathan with one of mountain biking's all time greats, Tinker Juarez!

WHAT A RACE THIS WAS!!! 35-45mph winds, course markers flying everywhere, kids getting blown off their bikes! It was crazy.....but we had a great time and Nate had a great race!

The people at US Cup and Team Big Bear, that put these races on are wonderful, hard working volunteers and we are so thankful that they do this for our kids. It's a wonderful family sport and we are so happy to be part of it.

As they were getting ready for the race, I was getting nervous because of the conditions and it was going to be one of those races where I wouldn't really be able to see Nathan as he raced. I was thankful that "the powers that be" allowed some of the parents to follow at a good distance behind, just to make sure all went well for the littlest riders.

It looked like he had a rough start, with a little bit of hike a bike. But he got back in the saddle and that was all I saw of him until......

......he came around that corner in second place. Boy was I relieved! He was so determined.....

.....as he came upon and crossed the finish line. Thank you to Tammy Sanchez for letting Nathan borrow a pair of her boys' glasses. He really needed them.

Nathan on the podium in second place. What a great race!

Love, Lisa

Bonelli Park Triple Crown

2010-03-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try and write a post for every one of Nathan's races this season, for documentation's sake! Before the race started, Nathan was called up to the box to receive a $25 gift certificate he won in a drawing. He's a lucky little guy!

I gave Sean the camera, so I didn't get any shots of Nathan starting or finishing, but Sean got some great shots of him on the course. I think we need to invest in another camera.

Nathan's in second place in this pic.

Still in the 2nd place position. 1st place rider is in 3rd.

Still in 2nd place position right behind this rider. The 1st place finisher is right behind Nathan in the red.

The breakaway. I heard talk that this little guy was named last year's "Best Young Rider" and apparently his sister is ranked 17th in the nation. So, we're thrilled that he only beat Nate Dog by 10 seconds.

2nd place finish for our boy! Not bad at all! We are so proud!

It's on to the Fontana City National Pro XCT, March 27th!

Love, Lisa

US Cup Sagebrush Safari

2010-03-05T12:14:00.000-08:00

Our Hickey clan traveled down to San Diego for the first race of Nathan's mountain biking season.

Turns out, it wasn't just the first mountain biking race of Nathan's season, but it was the first mountain biking race of Sean's season too! So of course, Tristan and I were there to cheer Daddy and Nathan on!

We had a really great day just being part of a great event and meeting lots of good people. Finally, it was time for Nate and Dad to make their way to their spots in the line up.

Nathan lined up at the end of the lineup with all the little people in his category;

I guess after awhile he kind of gets sick of me taking his picture.

Daddy lined up somewhere in the middle, with all the bacon eating, couch potato, weekend warriors in his category.

Finally, the race was ready to start. The pros start it off and then it goes down the line, through three different category's of men and woman and all the different age groups. All the way to the little kids categories. Everyone did 18 miles, however the kids did 2 laps (originally it was supposed to be 3 laps). I'm not really sure how many miles the kids course was, but they did have to cross three streams with about 2 feet of water, with each lap. Momma was a little nervous before the race started.

Daddy's up.

Then it was Nate Dog's turn.

He took the lead pretty early.....and never looked back. I'm a proud Momma!

Tristan and I hiked out onto the course to try and get shots of Nathan crossing one of the streams.

We never did make it.....but we got these great shots:

This girl in the 14 and under category is the only person that beat Nathan, and she did so by only 1 second.

He left everyone else in the dust.

It was so great to be out on the course cheering Nathan on. Tristan and I realized that we needed to hustle back to the finish line before Nathan's last lap, so we RAN all the way back to the finish line. We got some great exercise, but we were disappointed to find that Nathan only had to do 2 laps and not 3, so this is the only picture I have of Nathan on the other side of the finish line after his race.

Then came the award ceremony. Nathan looks so good up on that podium in the first place position. He really has a heart for this sport and seems to be a natural at it. We are very, very proud of him!

It was kind of a long wait after that for Daddy to roll in, but boy was it fun to see him cross that finish line.

Guys and girls were coming off of that course muddy and bloody. When Daddy came in, the boys and I were there to give him high fives. He didn't come back bloody, but he did come back muddy with a big 'ole smile on his face and he raved about what a fun time he had for days afterwards.

Happy trails to you and yours!

Love, Lisa

Soccer, Mountain Biking, Painting and A Whole Lot'a Pablove

2009-11-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

We’ve been a very busy family this Fall. School started back in late August and the Hickey’s hit the ground running with soccer, mountain biking, painting our house, and a whole lot of Pablove!

Tristan’s soccer team is currently in 2nd place and set to start playoffs in just a couple of weeks. He had an amazing year. Tristan is full of heart and speed and can outlast and outrun any opponent. He’s a great defender. Most of all, we are happy that Tristan had fun. The boys on his team this year were all wonderful kids and they all seemed to have the same silly personality. Is it the age? They goofed around a lot together this year and sometimes the parents sitting at practice would get frustrated because it looked like they were having more fun goofing around, than actually working at practicing soccer. Looking back at it, I realize that’s all that really mattered. They were having fun and he made some great friends.

Our Nate Doggie Dog decided not to play soccer this year. Instead he was introduced to the world of biking. Nathan entered his first mountain bike race in early September. He was a little ill prepared that time. I think he and Sean just went to watch the race and then, at the last minute, decided to put Nathan in the race. Anyway, he had a great time and wanted to continue. Sean promised him a new mountain bike if he completed the first race and we both promised him that we would make sure that from there on out, we would help him be more prepared for the races. He entered his second mountain bike race in mid October and this time he was a force to be reckoned with. He came in first place, 28 minutes ahead of the second place rider. We were proud. He rocked! It was so fun and rewarding to see him up on the podium with his trophy. Could we be the parents of the next Lance Armstrong? He’s definitely got the heart for it!

In between all the soccer practices and mountain biking workouts that Sean and Nathan put in, Sean was busy painting our backhouse and shed (he’s starting our house now). The back house and shed have not been painted as long as I have lived on this property, which is about 25 years. Sean put in a lot of tender loving care repairing and cleaning up both of these structures and they look wonderful in their new colors. I’m so happy to see them looking so nice and excited to see our house in the same warm colors. I’m just as excited to wash my windows that I have been saying for the last couple of 5 years that “I’m not washing them until the house gets painted”. Let’s just say, you can barely see out of them. LOL! FYI – Sean is the greatest painter in the world! If you need a new paint job on your house or business…..call us up. He’s taking side jobs!

Last but not least, our family participated in the Pablove Across America Homecoming this past weekend. The Pablove Foundation was founded in honor of Pablo Castelaz, the little boy I wrote about earlier this year, whose fight with cancer ended on June 27, 2009.
http://triselina.blogspot.com/2009/06/camping-at-el-capitan-santa-barbara-and.html
In early October, Pablo's father, Jeff Castelaz embarked on a cross country ride to help bring awareness to childhood cancer. He rode home this weekend and we all welcomed and cheered on this inspiring and loving effort. Sean and Nathan joined the Pablove Across America Ride at Pasadena Velo and rode with them as they stopped at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where Pablo spent many days during his fight with this disease. Joined by a few of Pablo’s doctors, Jeff told all of us a little bit about CHLA and the efforts they lead in the fight against childhood cancer. Afterwards, they rode on to Forest Lawn Cemetery, Hollywood Hills for a salute to Pablo and again on to Shane’s Inspiration at Griffith Park, where Jeff concluded his ride and addressed all the supporters and riders. Tristan and I were out in front of Children’s Hospital cheering the riders on as they came through and then went over to Shane’s Inspiration at Griffith Park for the conclusion of the ride. It was an amazing day for us as a family, but also to be part of such an inspiring effort.

I concluded my Pablove weekend on Monday, by attending a Welcome Home Reception at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles with all my past co-workers, as well as Jeff and some of the Pablove Across America team, including his coach Rick Babington. I was moved by Jeff’s words, as he talked about Pablo and Pablo’s individual fight with cancer, and as he promised to keep the fight going through the efforts of the Pablove Foundation, regarding raising money for continued research and childlife specialists, who do so much to make the hospital a happier place for children, as they fight this disease. This is a very important fight. I encourage you to learn more about the Pablove Foundation http://www.pablove.org/ and read about Pablo through the loving blog the Castelaz family started. http://getwellpablo.blogspot.com/

A huge honor for the Pablove Foundation! ABC World News named Jeff Castelaz Person of the Week on last night's broadcast! The boys and I were thrilled to be featured. Tristan and I, with other supporters as we cheered the Pablove Across America team on in front of CHLA and Nathan riding with the team. Click here to watch the broadcast. http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9192870

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!

Love, Lisa

Camping With Friends at Malibu Creek

2009-09-07T14:40:00.001-07:00

Our last camping trip of the summer, we went with three other families to Malibu Creek.

The Hickey's
Sean, Lisa, Tristan & Nathan

The Minett's
Perry, Linda, Blake & Lindsey
...Kona, the pup, belongs to the Fournier's

The Montemayor's
Jim, Jennifer & Frances

The Fournier's
Doug, Ruth, Lowden & Kendyl

We had a great time hanging out together. We played "spotlight on" around the camp fire the first night. We all told a few things about ourselves, like what our favorite color is, age, what we like most about ourselves and our most embarrassing moment. It was pretty hilarious and I think we learned a few things about each other.

It was nice to hang out with the kids and also let them hang out with eachother.

The first day, we went for a long hike. To where, we weren't really sure at first, but then we got word of a swimming hole with a rope swing.

So we hiked........

and hiked.........

and stopped and took pictures.....

and hiked some more.....

and hiked even more.......

and we finally got to our destination.

After we assessed the situation........

........boy did we have a good time!

Even the Dad's couldn't resist the rope swing.

After all the fun, we hiked on out of there. I think we all agreed that it was well worth the hike in.

The next day, we hung out on the beach. It was a beautiful day. The dolphins were out playing and the kids had a great time playing in the waves......despite all the shark stories.....Perry......Doug!

The Hickey's voted Blake Minett "Camper of the Week." He had the best "most embarrassing moment" around the camp fire the first night. He had us all rolling till our tummies hurt.

I think next year we decided on river rafting, right? Who's in?

Love, Lisa

p.s. Special thanks to Linda Minett for taking some of these pictures. ; )

Camping in San Simeon

2009-08-05T08:01:00.001-07:00

We had a great time camping in San Simeon with Sean's sister, Rhonda and her grandson, Cole. It just wasn't long enough!

The boys just can't get enough of eachother when they are together, but Cole wasn't feeling 100%, so we basically just chilled out at the campsite, which was totally okay by me, because I could barely pull myself away from the last Harry Potter book. The boys and Hubby were calling me Hermoine. Seriously, in all honesty, it's just nice to spend time together, regardless of where we are or what we're doing.

We did take a little drive up the coast to see the elephant seals. Along the way we saw Hearst Castle perched up on the beautiful mountain top. I've never been up there, but can you imagine the view this place must have? I was amazed to see Zebras in the pasture hanging out with the cows, and being the Africa freak that I am, I was half way hoping to see some giraffe too!

The elephant seals were amazing! This time of year, it's just the males that are on the beach and they are molting! The sounds that come from these creatures had the boys giggling...."is that coming from their nose or their butts?" Hilarious! The big one in the pic below, looked like he was the biggest/oldest one on the beach. He seriously looked like a little old man. He never moved from this spot, while all the others around him did their mock fighting.

As I watched them coming up from the ocean, I was amazed out how long it took them to get up onto the beach. They would do the worm alittle bit and let the waves bring them in, and then they would collapse and rest, and then a few minutes later, the worm alittle bit more and then collapse to rest. It was something. Even to do the mock fighting, you could tell, took a ton of energy because they're just not that agile on land.

We definitely had a great time hanging out with Aunt Rhonda and cousin Cole. We love you guys and we can't wait to do it again!

Love, Lisa

Our Visit to the Family Farm in Georgia

2009-07-10T12:19:00.001-07:00

This place has a special home in my heart. I spent many happy days as a little girl with my Granny and the animals on this farm. Of course, I have been there many times throughout my life to visit, but not as often as I would like. When I'm there, I love to sit and listen to my Granny and Grandpa Lavender, when he was alive, tell stories about the cute things my brother and I used to do when we were little. How I fell face first in a cow pie. How I used to talk to the dogs. She has some new stories too, about Opie, the little donkey my Dad has on the farm and probably many more. I could sit and listen to her tell stories for hours.

We got there in the early hours of Thursday morning. We all had to go straight to bed. Nathan was up bright and early the next morning. When I finally woke up, I found him out in the pasture amongst all the animals. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. That's were Nathan pretty much spent most of his time, unless Benji was home and then he was wherever Benji was.

I couldn't wait to see my Granny. She's 91 and it had been about 5 years since the last time I had seen her. I was ready for some good old fashioned porch sit'n with her.

And we looked out on that beautiful view from my Granny's porch.

Granny shared stories about how it used to be on the farm when she was growing up.

Granny raised all her boys on this farm. After my Dad retired from the Air Force, he purchased a part of the farm, built a lovely home, and raised my two younger brothers, Matt and Benji there.

Sean did spend some quality time with my Dad. They can sit around for hours debating politics. It get's heated sometimes, but they both love every single minute of it. Pure love!

After all the debating, my brothers put Sean and Tristan through a crossfit workout and some good old fashioned fence hopping.

On the 4th of July, we gathered at the Antioch Christian Church for a family reunion. Believe it or not, this is one of the oldest Churches in Georgia. My grandmother went to Sunday school there (so did I) and she's now the oldest parishioner that attends. Lots of my decedents are buried on the grounds of this church, along with my great-grandparents and my grandpa Lavender, who died the same year Tristan was born.

All my Dad's brother's were there. All the Lavender brother's had one daughter each. I believe I'm the oldest of that bunch. This is all of us, minus my cousin Susan, who is my Uncle Billy's daughter. We missed you Susan!

We did get to see Susan's daughter Jessie, though.

And of course I can't resist taking a picture with my gorgeous brothers.

And then of course, all of us with my Dad.

After all the fun at the Church, while the men cleaned up the place, the kids and I went swimming at my Uncle Roger's house. Tristan got crazy doing flips off the diving board. And Nathan enjoyed pushing his little cousin, Rachel around in a floaty.

After all the fun in the sun, we all went to a beautiful old bed and breakfast in downtown Watkinsville to see a Van Morrison tribute band. The place was so gorgeous. My Uncle Bobby and his girlfriend from Canada were staying there and he had a special tent set up for us and we all had some refreshing beer and wine and listened to the great tunes and continued our visit with each other. It was a great, great way to end a great family reunion. Thank you Uncle Bobby.

My Dad (in the middle) with two of his brothers. My Uncle Roger to the right of my Dad and My Uncle Bobby to the left. Uncle Billy could not be there.

My family had a wonderful, wonderful time. I'm so, so thankful we made the trip. I love you, Dad!

I want to leave you with one more video. The beautiful sounds of Georgia at night.

Love, Lisa

Our Visit With The Kornegay Family in North Carolina

2009-07-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

We took a little break from my families' farm in Georgia (I'll write the post on that soon) to travel to North Carolina and visit Sean's sister, Renee and her husband, John.

While we were there, we got to see Renee and John's youngest son, Cutler. We hadn't seen Sean's nephew since we got married in 1995. He was just a kid back then, but now he's a married man. He and his wife Cheryl, have two wonderful kids. He's also in the fight of his life, having been diagnosed with stage 3 brain cancer a few months back. He's just starting his chemo treatment; he's got the best doctors in the world at Duke University, on his side (same doc as Ted Kennedy). His prognosis is good. I know we're all keeping Cutler and his family close in our hearts as he goes through this. We love you Cutler! We so enjoyed seeing you and meeting your beautiful family!

The kids had a great time together. Nathan and Cai looked for ink berries out in the yard. Tristan chilled with Gabe, who wasn't feeling well, watching the Transformers movie. Cai put on a cute belly dance show for us. She is amazing in all kinds of ways, but she's got amazing parents, so Sean and I are not at all surprised. And then there were the fireworks. My kids are still talking about the fireworks.

Thanks for a great visit John and Renee. We love you guys!

Love, Lisa

Camping at El Capitan, Santa Barbara and Having Fun In Honor of Pablo

2009-06-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

<
This post is dedicated to Pablo Castelaz. Pablo was a six year old boy I came to learn about working at the Foundation at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Pablo's family keeps a beautiful blog about Pablo and their journey, as a family, through his childhood cancer. http://getwellpablo.blogspot.com (see my blog list "Pablog"). Though we never met Pablo, my family fell in love with him through the stories and pictures the Castelaz family posted on their blog. On Friday, while getting ready for our family camping trip, I learned that Pablo was going home from Children's Hospital for the last time, with only days to live. So, it was with a very heavy heart that I left for our trip.

I wanted to honor Pablo and his family and their tremendous struggle, by trying my very best all weekend, to stay in the moment with my family. I enjoyed my beautiful boys; their laughter and silliness; their energy and sense of adventure. I focused only on the positive and let my heart fill with gratitude for those moments.

We had a beautiful view of the ocean from our camping spot (we saw a whale!) and Sean even warmed up to the idea of actually camping on asphalt! I was in heaven……NO DIRT TO CONSTANTLY SWEEP UP!

We biked and hiked. We built sand castles and played cards. We spent quiet time together looking out on the ocean and just being with nature. We were silly together and Nathan even wanted to dress like a pirate.

We had a nice, relaxing and loving weekend. I was tremendously saddened to learn upon our return that Pablo had passed away. I can't imagine the pain a parent must go through to lose a child. It truly makes these moments of family fun and quality time together all the more potent and meaningful.

I know that I will never forget this little boy named Pablo, who I’d never met, but who has taught me so much about enjoying and loving my own spirited boys.

RIP Sweet Pablo!

The Pablove Foundation was formed in Pablo's honor, to help fight childhood cancer. The Pablove foundation will make an annual contribution to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. To read more about The Pablove Foundation or to make a donation please visit:

http://www.pablove.org/ (see my blog list)

Love, Lisa

A Beautiful Easter

2009-04-24T17:03:00.001-07:00

The Hickey family had a fabulous Easter in beautiful Santa Barbara at Sean's sister, Roxie's home. Made all the more fabulous surrounded by our wonderful family members.

Roxie, Gigi, Rhonda and Shelly

Blair, Megan, Erin and Julie

Dee, Aunt Pat, Ryan

Ralinda and Shelly

Peter, Ralinda, Deanna

Todd and Brian

We shared a delicious Easter feast prepared by all, sitting around a lovely garden table. Roxie's organic garden is gorgeous!

Tristan and Nathan were exteremly excited to spend some time with their cousin Cole, and of course all of their other cousins too!

Rhonda, Cole, Nathan and Tristan

And then Aunt Roxie brought the eggs out for the egg toss. Wow, they really had a great time! I didn't get a shot of it, but trust me, they were real, raw eggs and a couple of people got it pretty good!

Adam, Nathan, and Cole

And the winners were the father and son team. Tristan looks so proud.

Sean and Tristan

The gang of cousins, all boys, got their bags and the instructions from Aunt Roxie regarding the treasure hunt.......

.......and the hunt was on.

And then it was over and the boys all sat down to look over their loot.

Based on the facial expressions, I think Nathan and Aiden found some good stuff!

Since our kids have one of the best Aunties in the world, the fun was not over yet. Aunt Roxie had more fun planned for them with a pinata filled with Easter sweets and she got them all fired up to take their best swings for the treats.

These are memories my family will cherish for a lifetime and so I'm going to take this time right now to tell all of you We Love You. Thank you for the memories.

I tell myself everyday "Life is here to be lived fully and authentically.....go ahead just take a huge giant bite out of it" Sometimes, I find it hard to follow my own advice, but Aiden - well, it looks like he knows exactly how to take a bite out of life!

Love, Lisa

A Merry Christmas at the Hickey's

2008-12-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

Leading up to Christmas Day, Nathan could hardly contain himself. He was counting down the days, literally bouncing off the walls, and driving me crazy. On the "big day", Tristan and Nathan woke up early and started opening their gifts before the sun came up. They both got new decks (skateboards) from Uncle Jim. They couldn't have been more thrilled. The family got a Wii game which was a big hit for everyone. Uncle Jim made us a wonderful breakfast as we opened gifts, listened to Christmas tunes and had fun playing Wii. Our baby boy, Tiger had to be part of all the action and couldn't have been more cute hanging out on the couch watching the boys open all their gifts.

This was a very special Christmas for me because I had all my brothers here to celebrate with me and my family.

Mitch was here with his girls, Taylor and Rilee.

JB and I were thrilled to be able to celebrate Christmas with our two younger brothers Matt and Benji.

Matt moved to LA back in August and is making a go of it in Hollywood. I hope I don't embarrass him too much, but I have to say, you all better keep your eyes on him because before too long, we'll be reading about him as People Magazines Sexiest Man Alive. I'm really, really happy he's here and that we are able to participate in eachother's lives. I hope he stays awhile and makes LA his home.

Benji came out from Georgia, where he is a teacher, for a Christmas visit. My boys were thrilled to see him. We're working on him to make the move to LA, but somehow I think Benji will always call Georgia his home.

It was alot of fun for all of us to hang out together.

I did not have the special opportunity to spend much time with Matt and Benji growing up. I grew up here in LA and they were raised on the family farm in Georgia. I'm beyond thrilled that I've had this chance to spend with them and get to know them alittle bit better. They are wonderful young men. I love them very much and I'm very proud of them both. I'm really looking forward to spending more quality time with both of them and truely hope that we can all be more present in eachother's lives.

At the end of our Christmas Day together Mother Nature blessed us with this beautiful Christmas rainbow and I took it as a sign that more good things are surely to come in 2009.

Happy Holidays! Love, Lisa

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

Our plans for Thanksgiving were to go up to Sean's sister, Gigi's house in San Jose. We usually leave early Wednesday, to make the 5-8 hour drive up. This year my brother Matt, who has moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career, was going to join us for all the good fun up at Gigi's. However, Sean and I both came down with the stomach flu Tuesday. By Tuesday night, Sean and I felt so sick that we cancelled all our plans for San Jose and called Matt and told him the trip was off. Tristan and Nathan were so bummed that they would not get to see their cousins for Thanksgiving. I was bummed because I love going to Gigi's for Thanksgiving. Gigi does such a beautiful job and she's a great inspiration to me. Plus, I really love spending time with that side of Sean's family that we don't get to see see very often. Sean was bummed too, because he told Roch we would be there. He was torn though, because he just got a new mountain bike and he really wanted to stay home and go for a long mountain bike ride with his buddy Steve. Anyway, to make a long story short, we woke up Wednesday morning, felt much better and decided to pack up and go ahead with our plans. Matt had made other plans to go with his friends to a Ranch, so he didn't join us.

Gigi amazes me every year with how beautifully she decorates her home and the delicious Thanksgiving feast she prepares for all of us. This year there were about 35 people at Gigi's for Thanksgiving. She set up a tent in her backyard and set the Thanksgiving table up out there. Of course, it was a gorgeous table set with candles, and a lovely runner of ribbons and fresh fruit that ran the length of the table. Thanksgiving would not be the same without Megan in the kitchen helping Gigi prepare the scrumptious feast. They are two peas in a pod and I love listening to their kitchen antics. It's truly one of my favorite things. For the last few years Megan's new husband Ben has been helping too. Both Megan and Ben are amazing chefs and outstanding hosts. Cannot wait for Olive's SLO Bistro to open guys!

Everyone had a wonderful time and the prayer offered up by Rochelle and read by Gigi was a fitting prayer. Speaking to all the Earth's wonders and bounty's that we should be thankful for. Roxanna offered some great toasts and everyone sitting around the table expressed something that they were thankful for. Sean was thankful for my laughter. I was thankful that Sean hadn't walked home after we got into a fight when I suggested we should call Roch for directions. Earlier that day, Rayleen reminded me that there's a reason for that song "Do you know the way to San Jose." Every year a few of us that travel up to San Jose get lost. Every year! Sometimes we fight about it and sometimes we laugh about it. This year Sean and I fought; Roch and Denise laughed. In the end, I was glad that we could all laugh about it, sitting around that beautiful Thanksgiving table.

We all had a feastive time visiting and laughing. The cousins, the younger ones all boys, had a great time rough housing in Gigi's backyard. It's amazing how time flys. All the kids are getting so big and I couldn't help but think what the next generation of Hickey cousins will look like. With little Aidan and Izzy leading the pack. I hope this wonderful Thanksgiving tradition of being together as a big family can continue on and be enjoyed by all the Hickey cousins well up until the time that they have children of their own and beyond. Being part of such a beautiful Thanksgiving tradition is truly something to be thankful for.

Love, Lisa

My First Update

2008-11-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my first attempt at writing about What's Up With the Hickey's. It's going to take me some time to get used to writing about what we've been up too. But I figure, this will be a good way to keep our extended family in the loop.

We all had a great time on Halloween. We had Tristan's buddy Harrison (the Joker) with us. We went to my girlfriend Jennifer's annual Halloween party. My camera was acting up, so most of the pictures came out blurry. Of course, the boys came home with tons of candy and the fight was on. Seriously, I'm such a wonderful Mom (LOL!), I ususally just let them overdose on candy for the first day or so, until they get sick of it. Then, it's much easier to quietly take it away without too much trauma.

It was a fun soccer season. Both the boys played their last games yesterday, although Tristan's team will more than likely go on to Playoffs. Which means, we'll be playing a bit more soccer with him.

Nathan was lucky enough to be placed on the same team with his cousin Emmett. Emmett's Dad, Uncle Dino coached them. Sean helped out a bit too. Nathan's team was called the Cyclones. For the most part, I think they had a really great time. Although, yesterday it was pretty hot. I noticed Nathan does not perform at his best when it's so hot out. The Cyclones ended up loosing their last game, but they forgot about it really quick, when we went to their team party right after the game. All in all, I think Nathan enjoyed his season.

Tristan's team was called the Green Gecko's, although, for some reason I kept calling them the Green Gablin's. Tristan has been on a green team, his entire soccer life and as been called the Green Gablin's or the Green Gecko's two or three times. It's getting to the point where I can't keep it straight. The Green Gecko's started off struggling, but yesterday they pulled it off big, by beating the team, that beat them bad the very first game of the season. It was sweet revenge and the boys coudn't have been happier. It's off to the playoffs now.

Well, I'm off to take the boys to cousin Ethan's birthday party. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the Holidays.

Love, Lisa