2009 March Archive

On Saturday, we were told that Zev did not have a basketball game so Zev decided he wanted to go watch his friend at a swim meet. I brought 5 kids (ages 12, 6, 5, 3, and 1) up to the swim meet. (Kailey was at dance and Tate was at his football game) Mark is Tate’s coach so he was with Tate.

At first, I went to the wrong location because all Zev said was it was at Brophy. Apparently, Brophy has a separate place for its swim meets. In any case, I finally found the place the swim meet was being held at and got the kids unloaded out of the car. In that second, Mark then called to tell me Zev actually did have a game and it started in an hour and a half! Figures!

It turned out that the hotel we are considering having Zev’s Bar Mitzvah at was a half a mile from the swim meet so I convinced Mark to get Zev and then we would all look at the hotel and this is where the title of my blog comes in… stop staring at me!

So in we walk into the hotel. Now we have 6 kids since Tate is with us. He’s 8. The hotel is a pretty big hotel and the atrium part has a bunch of bridges and water ponds with big huge fish. My kids were all ecstatic except for Zev that is who wanted to leave.

Meanwhile, there is this lady who is sitting in one of the chairs in the lobby, who is just staring at me. At first, I thought maybe it’s me and she’s not really staring at me, but after a few minutes, I realized I was in fact correct. I was telling the kids to be careful since they were leaning on some of the rocks. Again, this lady is just staring at me. About 10-15 minutes passed and at this point Talia decides to use the coffee table as a jumping board – not a good idea! Keep in mind we have been at the hotel for about an hour now. I quickly get Talia off the coffee table and the woman is still staring at me. What the heck?

I wasn’t sure if I should say something or just stare back. Since I am a personal injury attorney in Arizona and my picture is plastered all over the place, I decided I would just stare back and keep my mouth shut. So that’s what I did, I stared right back at her. After a while, she got the hint and stopped staring but it was quite annoying. Why do people do that? Oh and back to the Bar Mitzvah part, we may have it there… but we are still deciding!

Saturday was a lot of fun. We had planned to go dogsledding on Saturday, but the dogsledding place was hidden away, and Jerry’s Garmin (I am not a Garmin fan, unlike most people who have used them) had no idea where it was or where we were going. By the time we got there to meet up with the other group, the dogs had already left for the day. We missed them by a few minutes. We made up for it with other fun things to do.

First, I had my first snowball fight since I was a kid. Tate probably had his first snowball fight, ever. Of course, the kid cheats, and kept aiming for headshots. He also learned that snow is much softer than the hard ground . . . and he learned it because i kept throwing him in the snow.

We walked on frozen Lake Superior. There were ice fishermen set up in their shanties, and we walked around a little. There was a crack in the ice, so we also were able to reach down into that 2″ thick ice and feel the freezing cold water below us. We then went to grab a bite to eat. (Note to all Detroiters: never get a coney if you are not in the Detroit area. It is just never the same.)

We also got to see a frozen waterfall. I never even knew such a think existed, but the falls are actually frozen from top to bottom. In our case, with highs close to 40 degrees, there was also water running underneat the frozen parts of the falls.

Then we went to the hotel pool, where the kids cheated for about 2 hours of “marco polo.” When I yelled Marco, Sammy said polo (usually, although in a whisper when i got close) and Tate would only yell “polo” if he was on the other side of the pool. By the time we were done, we had a whole pool full of kids playing with us – and they were all cheating!

That night we grabbed a bite to eat and prepared for the big day of dogsledding. We had to be up at 6:30am (thats 3:30am Phoenix time) to hit the dogsledding. I was expecting more of an “experience” than actual fun. turned out, I got a lot of both. Sunday was going to be an adventure!

The second flight was a bit more memorable. First of all, I am not a tall guy. Therefore, when I hit my head getting into a plane, we know we are in trouble. When Tate sits alone but still fills up his whole row (there was just one seat next to the window, then the small asile) it is not a good sign. Also, before takeoff they told us the plane was a Saab. A What?? A Saab? A Saab is a car. Planes are supposed to be made by Boeing and Airbus. If you have a dealership in the neighborhood offering free oil changes for a year, you should not be building a plane i am in. Just before takeoff, i looked over at the engine. Well, if you call a propeller an engine. Anyway, on the side of the thing there is a sticker that says powered by GE. I recognized that sticker, as we used to have teh same one on the side of our washing machine. Not good.
Fortunately, the flight itself was smooth, but in the future I would like to limit my air travel to planes that weigh more than car.

We landed and walked all the way from the gate to the area we would meet Sammy and Jerry. All the way in the Marquette airport, by the way, is about 7 steps.

Sammy ran past security to give Tate a big hug. It was nice to see. Not only the immediate bond they had and their excitement, but also to see it is not just my kids that ignore signs and rules to do what they want. My kids usually ignore only me and their teachers. Sammy violated federal law. Then again, Sammy is from Detroit, so he probably does not take anyone seriously unless they have a gun drawn.

That night we went to a fish fry. I had 3 different kinds of fried fish. Nice, healthy start to an active weekend. We then wound our way around the roads towards the place we would eventually do our dogsledding. Yes, that’s right. I said it. Dogsledding. How much fun is dogsledding? What is it like? Did i ever get to drive/mush the sled? Stayed tuned . . .

So, after three straight weekends of being left to watch the kids, I was finally given one. While Alexis spent her time in cozy hotels and on the beaches of San Diego, my weekend was spent dogsledding in the frozen, snow covered world of the highest point of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Yes, that is WAY north. Further north that Toronto, Montreal, Idaho, South Dakota, and pretty much the entire civilized world. I was so far north, if I wasn’t Jewish I would have sworn I saw Santa Clause on a snow mobile next to me when I got there.

But I am skipping too far ahead, first we needed to get there. It was a trip for just Tate, our 8 year old boy, and me. Well, not exactly the two of us. We were meeting up with Sammy (Tate’s 8 year-old cousin from Detroit) and Jerry, Sammy’s grandfather. They were making the full-day drive up to meet us, and we were going to fly across the country.

Well, the first part of the flight was great. Regular plane from Phoenix to Detroit. Alexis had so many IPODs and Video Players to keep Tate occupied we could have opened a store, so he was good. As for me, when I was not joking around with Tate I was reading a great new book called “When March Went Mad” by Seth Davis, all about the most watched college basketball game in history when Magic took on Bird in 1979.

Well, the Detroit airport was a lot of fun, as Tate marvelled at a cool water fountain and then we took an underground tunnel they build between terminals so lit up with neon it was a cross between Disneyland and Vegas.

However, the next plan from Detroit to Marquette was a bit different.

The next morning we went to a great breakfast place whose entrees were enough for 5 people – although Kailey ate all of hers and more! It’s amazing how little girls can pack the food away and stay as skinny as a stick. After that, we went to a small amusement park near Jason’s house. The kids went on a roller coaster a few times and the bumper cars.

We then had an emergency so we had to go back to Jason’s house. By emergency, I mean Zev, who has been totally brainwashed by his Dad, insisted we go to Jason’s or a sports bar, to watch the Texas basketball game. We were all still stuffed (well, except for Kailey) so we opted for Jason’s place. Zev was watching the Texas game and Kailey, who was STARVING already, demanded that she be taken out for ice cream. Jason was happy to take her out and bring some back for Zev.

I stayed with Zev and watched the game with him. Texas was doing really well and Zev was very excited. Jason returned with Zev’s ice cream and all of a sudden the other team started making baskets, making a run for it, and Texas was losing! Zev was not happy. Zev began blaming Jason for coming home and saying that Texas losing was his uncle’s fault. Zev told Jason while they were gone Texas was doing well and told Jason he should leave his own apartment! Of course, Zev was very polite about it. You see, I don’t think Zev can help himself. From the time he was little, he has been totally brainwashed by Mark into watching ESPN and spending all his free time cheering on your college team when no one on the team even knows you exist. Mark has succumbed to this and now my poor Zev!

Luckily, Zev did not throw anything and nothing got broken at Jason’s house, unlike some of Mark’s Michigan State alumni friends… and even Mark himself. Mark has not broken anything in many years though. I guess old age is calming him down! He still does go to the bar where all the Michigan State alums are though and lead them in singing the fight song. As a trial lawyer, Mark is happy to have anyone listen to him and follow his lead! (Editor’s Note from Mark: I haven’t broken anything lately . . . that she knows of!)

So, back to San Diego. We went out to dinner Saturday night and the next morning went out to breakfast again! We did a lot of eating and walking on the boardwalk. Sunday I took Kailey to Sea World and Zev opted to go with Jason to Lego Land. We then went to downtown San Diego for dinner and ate at a restaurant with a band playing in the background.

Monday Zev wanted to go to the Torrey Pines golf course. I thought that was interesting since Zev doesn’t like golf. Why? Probably because his father doesn’t like golf. Mark actually tried golfing and met a client who we have stayed in touch with for years, but he never liked the game. I am sure if he did like golf he would have brainwashed Zev into thinking golf was the greatest thing. We ate lunch at La Jolla which is so beautiful and off to the airport we went. (Editor’s Note from Mark: All while I spent 3 days trapped at home without any help taking care of the kids. I am not sure if this means I should be up for husband of the year of father of the year, but I definitely think some award is in order)

One thing that is amazing about having 7 kids is the greeting that you get when you come home. I opened the door and a whole bunch of little people came running to see me. My heart melted all over again when my 3 year old said, “Mommy, I missed you.” The fact that the house had been hit by only half an explosion due to the mess Mark created when watching the kids and not cleaning up didn’t seem to really matter. I give credence to Mark for watching the kids all by himself (although he had multiple visitors throughout the weekend) and keeping the house pretty clean. (Editor’s Note from Mark: Those weren’t visitors. Those were my sisters and parents coming to laugh at my trying to watch all the kids without the help of Alexis.)

Happy Birthday Mark! All your clients, friends, family, and wife appreciate all the work you do and hope you have a great day. OK, I’m speaking for your clients and family. I’m sure I’ll get an email from your sister that she would appreciate you if you made time to respond to her e-mails. Luckily, she has a great sister-in-law (that being me!)

Oh… before you all feel bad for Mark for watching the kids for 3 weekends in a row, you should all know Mark went away this weekend with our 8 year old to Michigan to go dog sledding. The choice to be in below-zero weather was his choice. We’ll see if when he comes back this was a good choice. Besides freezing over the weekend, he will be formulating all his speculations about the NCAA tournament so be on the look out for Lawyer Breyer’s NCAA tournament analysis.

(Editor’s Note from Mark: My wife was born on the same day, same year as me. We were born just 18 minutes apart. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST WIFE AND MOTHER IN THE WORLD. Special thanks to our former client and friend, Roxie, for reminding me that I needed get Alexis a present today in spite of the big contest present we will decide next week.)

Part 1 of 2 ….

Today is Mark’s birthday. I want to let everyone know how much I appreciate him and wish him a great birthday…. Ok, well like most wives I could probably appreciate him more! He has reminded me over the last week of what a great husband he is about ten, twenty, or more like 1,000 times. Why? Since I have been away the last 3 weekends in a row. First, that is something that has never happened. Second, just to back up a little bit. Let’s go over the last three weekends. (Editor’s Note from Mark: this should be interesting!)

The first weekend, I was taking 2 kids, who are 6 and 3, across the country on an airplane for 6 hours into the freezing cold. (Editor’s Note from Mark: Leaving me to watch 5 kids and take them everywhere, feed them, get them dressed, coach two basketball games, all while Alexis spent time in a heated hotel and Bat Mitzvah enjoying hanging out with relatives. Yeah, that’s even.)

The second trip was to Kailey’s dance competition. Although, I have to say it is always fun to see Kailey dance. I especially like it when she wins the best personality award. Kailey has the negotiation skills of her mother and the arguing skills of her lawyer dad. Kailey is a “watch out” combination of us. I hope her teachers are right when they say she will “grow” into her personality.

That being said, I had to walk about 10 miles with a huge dance bag on my right shoulder so I now have permanent damage to my right shoulder. Well, I don’t know this for sure, I’m just saying. The bed was about 100 years old so I have a broken back too! I probably should seek the care of a chiropractor, but most of you would be surprised to know, especially since I am a personal injury attorney, that I have never been to a chiropractor!

I will admit that Sunday of that weekend was nice in that it was quiet and I only had to track across to her dance one time – so only walked like 5 miles instead of 10… the things moms do for their children. Meanwhile, Mark was at home watching the Michigan State game… enjoying a win. (Editor’s Note from Mark: Yes, Alexis is right. I did, in fact, get to enjoy a big MSU victory. It lasted two hours. For the rest of the 48 hours, I was in charge of getting the kids everywhere they needed to be, feeding them, and watching them at all times. But, for two hours while most of the kids were at Hebrew school on Sunday morning I did get to relax, so I guess the other 46 hours are “all even!”

The third vacation, was amazing! I took Zev, 12, and Kailey, 11, to visit my little brother, Jason. Actually, Jason is not so little anymore but once a little brother always a little brother. Mark’s sister used to call her little brother, Mark, cutie pie. (Editor’s Note from Mark: that’s “cootie pie” but either way, not the best thing to hear yelled in sarcastic fashion across the high school hallways from your big sister. One time, I heard my sister Sheri and her friend yelling it to me while I was in a wrestling match in high school. Somehow, I have overcome . . . ) I think the name still fits and Mark still gets treated like a cute, little brother – by his family, not me!

Look for the continuation in tomorrow’s post!

Posted by Mark Breyer

Can Michigan State get a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament? Well, it will take some luck, starting with winning the Big10 Tournament. After blowing away the rest of the Big10 competition and winning the conference by a full 4 games, MSU is the clear favorite to get it done. In the meantime, we need a couple of early losses from some top teams that are competing for a #1 seed, and then we will have a chance.
Having said that, after years of not getting it done, I am just thrilled we won the conference, and would love to see Travis Walton, Goran Suton, Marquise Gray, and Idong Ibok (the seniors) get another banner/championship for taking home the Big10 tournament title.
Of course, I am not going to get to see almost any of the Big10 tournament. Why is that, after I watched almost every game all year?
Stay tuned to find out!

Big week for my mighty Spartans! Clinched a share of the Big10 conference title on Sunday with an impressive win at #20 ranked Illinois. Then clinched the outright Big10 title on Tuesday with a win at Indiana. To top it all off, Purdue managed to lose a game and Illinois lost another this week, which means Michigan State not only won the conference outright, but won it by a large margain. Currently the Spartans have a 3 game lead over the rest of the conference, and a win Sunday means MSU would win the conference by a full 4 games over the second place team(s)! In the history of the Big 10, this probably has not happened all that often. What a dominant powerhouse the Spartans are this year. And, we did all of this losing only 1 conference road game all season (one of the best road records in conference history) while we fought through a rash of injuries and illness.

Posted by Mark Breyer

Watch out March Madness – here comes the Gang in Green. (Pity the rest of the tournament teams in the country!)

Enough about the kids, time to talk about something really important. No, not the law. I mean something that is life-altering, meaningfull to everybody. The type of thing that is discussed at every dinner table across America. Brings people together from all walks of life: college basketball.

It is almost that time of year, again. March Madness. The best time to be a sports fan. And as a Michigan State die-hard, it is even better. You see, MSU always finds a way to be competitive. We are one of the best programs in the country. And this year, as happens often in the last decade, we have a chance for greatness. A real shot at the final four. Now, it is too early to break down this tournament (that will come once the brackets come out) but I can say that MSU is being overlooked. Great point guard play has been a key factor in almost every tournament since the 1985 expansion to 64(now-65) teams. MSU has the best point guard in the Big 10 in Kalin Lucas. Defense wins championships? How about an elite, athletic defense that goes at least 10 players deep, sometimes deeper depending on match ups. Rebounding? How about the second best rebounding team in the country. As I see it the question is not will Michigan State make the final four in 2009. The only question is who will we play when we get there!

My early thoughts on who will get there? I think Pittsburgh is a dangerous team that I think has the ability to win it all. North Carolina is fantastic, but I don’t think they are as unstoppable as most of us thought they would be when the year started. As far as frauds, I don’t think Memphis is for real. They have one good win under their belt, a lot of unproven talent (having lost most of it from that dominant team of last year) and I think they get exposed and ousted without making it to the Final Four.

People obviously want to know my thoughts on ASU. Well, I like ASU. I cheer for ASU. I want them to do well and I think Sendek is a great coach. I know Harden is the real deal. My concern is that point guard play is such a key to tournament success, and Harden plays the 2. Look, Carmelo did it for Syracuse, and others have been able to carry a team, but I think it is harder when you do not have the ball in your hands as often, and I think a Final Four appearance for the Devils would take some luck. However, I think it is at least a reasonable possibility (depending on who they match up with) so it is an exciting time for basketball in the Valley of the Sun.

Stay tuned for some more thoughts I have as we get closer to March Madness and let us all know your thoughts as well!

So after spending a weekend with Kailey in Tucson, I came back home. After a weekend with Mark left alone with the other six kids, the house definitely looked like an explosion hit it. And, as I predicted in my earlier post, Mark was watching a Michigan State game. It was a basketball game against Illinois, the number 20 ranked team. Mark went on to explain to me that Michigan State has not had a big win on the road (at the other team’s arena) for a while and that this game was a real important one for Michigan State.

Of course, Mark had recorded the game and he was watching it for a second time when I got him (sick, huh? watching a game over and over again!) so I knew Michigan State had won. I also learned that Jeff Jordan, Michael Jordan’s son, was playing for Illinois and that it was “Senior Day” at Illinois and Jeff Jordan did not get a basketball scholarship. Instead, Jeff was apparently a walk-on onto the Illinois team and he actually got into the University of Illinois on an academic scholarship . . . like Michael Jordan’s son needs a scholarship . . . however that is still pretty impressive.

Lastly, Mark has been harping on me one thousand times a day to book the tickets to the Final Four. He is convinced, as he is every year, that Michigan State will make the Final Four and that he and I have to go. Somehow, Mark thinks his presence will help Michigan State’s head coach, Tom Izzo, coach the team better and have his team win. (Editor’s Note from Mark: What a ridiculous statement. I do not need to be there for Izzo to coach better. I need to be there in case he falls ill, and needs ME to coach the team to the championship. If he is healthy and ready to go, I will trust him to do it without me)

One thing to that is every time we do go to a game, Michigan State loses except when we went in 2000 and they finally one. (Editor’s Note from Mark: Alexis has been to 2 games ever. We lost one. Interesting perspective she has.) Although our seats were almost outside the stadium for that Championship Game in 2000 since Mark didn’t want to spend the extra money for good seats since we had already spent so much money and had our third kid on the way.

In any case, we will leave it up to all of you to convince me that we should book the tickets now. (Editor’s Note from Mark: Too late. I read this first draft, saw she had not booked them yet, and booked the ticket myself. Final Four . . . here I come.) I mean why not wait to book the tickets until we see if MSU makes it? Do you really think Michigan State is going to get into the Final Four? Well, I have to keep a positive attitude for my husband so I think they will get into the Final Four, but still why not wait to book the tickets and seeing that Mark has already been to 3 final fours doesn’t it make sense to stay at home and watch the games from home? (Editor’s Note from Mark: That is a total lie. I have NOT been to three Final Fours. Not even close . . . I have only been to two.) Do you have to go to every final four? (Editor’s Note from Mark: Is that an offer? If so, I accept.)

So I asked him, my lawyer wanna be basketball coach husband, to tell me his reasoning and this is what he said. By the way, we may be having a final four bracket competition so be on the look out! …..

to be continued for what Mark says.