Temple Lights

First Visit

Second visit

 



Puerto Peñasco

This year I escaped Thanksgiving cooking by going to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico with the fam (including Mom and Marcus). It’s the closest beach (4 hours), but we discovered there’s not much more there than beach. We got there in time to see a beautiful sunset over the pools and ocean.

The next day we had some tacos (the best food we had while we were there), while the kids chilled with the locals.

A big shrimping town: A shrimping boat and a shrimp statue...

Our Thanksgiving dinner was mediocre and I may think twice before taking 3 kids to a nice restaurant again. Look at poor Elijah's eyes. The kids were more interested in the pools than the beach so he got some chlorine damage.

The boys celebrated Marcus' 17th bday on wave-runners.

Sunset, Iris showing us how big her mouth is, and Marcus with his bday flan

 Mariachis: We asked them to sing "mananitas" to Marcus for his bday, but they didn't know what it was. Apparently that's a Southern Mexican tradition?

Chicago

I confess I have been in no mood to write lately. There has been no shortage of cute anecdotes (Iris always screams “NEVAAA” when she doesn’t want to do something), but an abundance of inertia. The two most notable happenings during my lethargy have been a trip I took with my parents and 3 siblings to Chicago and our escape for Thanksgiving (I’m going to need a therapist to resolve my cooking insecurities).
In October, the Udall unit traveled to Chicago to support my dad as he received a Distinguished Service Award from NASPGHAN (for children's digestive health and nutrition). All six of the original Udall clan stayed in 1 hotel room. The last time I remember that happening was when we moved to NOLA and stayed in the Landmark hotel (which was owned by our soon-to-be neighbor, Al Copeland) where Hunt trapped me in a folding cot. I would venture to say we had even more fun this time. As soon as Hunt, Leah, and I arrived at the room, Lex and I realized that we were wearing the same sweater. So, of course a picture op arose.

As the 3 sisters wrestled for position in the picture,

someone started getting frisky and

and

 

somehow Leah and I ended up falling backward, on top of Lex. Lex’s iphone ended up between 3 pairs of steel buns and the tiled bathroom floor. There are few things in this world that can hold up under the buns of 3 Udall women. The screen was not only splintered, but the phone itself convexed to the curvature of a derriere. That started off the weekend appropriately: lots of laughing.

After the kerfuffle, we had Reuben sandwiches at a Jewish deli and then headed over to the award ceremony. Dad was in his element talking to all his old buddies.

There were a few colleagues there who had even been to my wedding a decade ago. We had dinner with one of them and then Hunt, Lex, and I went out for dessert (the others were too tired). Saturday we walked around,

went to the art museum,

and then ate at the restaurant (Uno) where pan pizza was invented 70 years ago. Apparently before that time, pizza was considered an appetizer. It took an hour to make, and it was worth the wait.

Mom, Leah, and I went to Blue Man Group that night: good show.

 The next morning we had an incredible breakfast and then beat the marathon crowds by going to church (it was down the block from the Obama residence, which is apparently for sale with an approximate value of 1.7 million). We got to church late, as sacrament was finishing. The testimonies were dynamite. Even my Dad enjoyed them (which is unheard of) and approached several people afterward. I think the diversity touched him. That man needs some color in his life. I went up after to ask the elders to bless the sacrament for us since we had missed it. I definitely felt the spirit there in that small classroom where I was able to concentrate on the words and my feelings without interruption.
One of the revelations of the trip is when I asked my dad why he wasn’t going to continue pursuing a masters in History. He said it was “too much work.” I never thought I would hear such a statement from his mouth, but considering his past, the man can use a rest (he’s working on some writing projects). See below for a summary of his academic and professional accomplishments.
All in all, I’d count it as a successful trip. As per the Udall tradition, we picked on eachother relentlessly. Lex was derided for being old (her bones are the most brittle, after all) and b/c she treated us as her children when we were growing up. Her response, of course was that we can thank her for any success we have enjoyed in our lives. She got on Hunt a lot for the orthopod stereotypes and we ragged on Leah for sleeping at least 18 hours the first night. Of course, there was nothing to target me with since I'm perfect thanks to Lexi's mothering skills, so I escaped unscathed, but did a whole lot of dishing.
The best part of returning home was hearing all the stories about the girls' disheveled hair while I was gone. I'm sure a brush didn't come near their heads.

For posterity, here is my dad's bio from the NASPGHAN pamphlet:
Dr. John N. Udall, Jr. obtained his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine. He completed a rotating internship at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center. Afterwards, he served as a military officer in the Indian Health Service for two years and the returned to LAC/USC Medical Center to complete a Pediatric Residency. Thereafter, he completed his Pediatric Gastroenterology fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX and a fellowship in Pediatric Pharmacology and Neonatology at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson, AZ. Following this clinical training, Dr. Udall moved to Boston, where he completed a PhD program in Nutritional Biochemistry at MIT and training in clinical nutrition at Boston Children’s Hospital. He continued at Harvard/MIT for an additional 6 years, where he served as Assistant Director of the Clinical Research Center at MIT and director of the Nutrition Support Service at the Children’s Hospital. Later he served as Director of Pediatric Research at Shriners Burn Institute. Dr. Udall then went to the University of Arizona Health Science Center for 6 years where he was the director of the Pediatric Gastroenterology section. Following this he went to New Orleans and was Section Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Louisiana State University Health Science Center, and headed the LSU and Children’s Hospital Inflammatory Bowel Disease center. During this time, Dr. Udall was a Clinical professor of Pediatrics at Tulane University School of Medicine and a professor of Pediatrics at LSU and was awarded the Richard E. L. Fowler Chair of Pediatrics. Finally, he was appointed Chairman of Pediatrics at West Virginia University Health Science Center in Charleston, WV and was Chief of the Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition section as well. He served in this capacity for 5 years and recently retired. During his career, Dr. Udall has been a leader in the field of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, and has had direct and indirect impact in thousands of lives through excellency in clinical care and through the physicians he trained. Dr. Udall is an outstanding and solid clinician and academician, and has authored and co-authored more than 30 book chapters, more than 170 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, received and managed a number of grants, and co-authored a biography of his father, published in 2006, entitled The Wonder of it All. He also organized a special supplement of nine articles published by the Louisiana State Medical Society Journal entitled Obesity in Louisiana. Dr. Udall has received multiple awards and recognition including Best Doctors in America, Who’s Who in America, America’s top Physicians, the Heart and Soul award in the Charleston Area Medical Center, and America’s top Gastroenterologists. Through his more than 40 years of clinical medicine, much of Dr. Udall’s efforts have been devoted to caring for children, mentoring students, residents, fellows and coworkers, and fostering research. Service to patients and their families, academics and the community has been one of the main pillars and characteristics of all his actions. He has served on multiple boards and committees helping shape and impact clinical practice in gastroenterology and nutrition, as well as education and research in a variety of settings. These include the Scientific Advisory Board for Heinz Infant Nutrition Institute, the UNICEF Nutrition Conference, the Greater New Orleans Pediatric Society, and the Infant Nutrition Advisory Panel of Nestle. He has also served as a lobbyist for the CCFA/ NASPGHAN IBD bill and for the IBD Research Act, and was an elected delegate at the West Virginia GOP Presidential Convention. Dr. Udall was instrumental in organizing and serving in the Louisiana Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, which honored him as the Louisiana Volunteer of the Year. He also served as President and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Louisiana Chapter. Dr. Udall has also participated in multiple educational activities, and was an examiner for the American Board of Nutrition examinations, a reviewer for the Food and Nutrition Board at the National Academy of Sciences, a member of the Sub-board of Pediatric Gastroenterology for the American Board of Pediatrics, and was a reviewer and moderator multiple times for the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting. He was also a member of the Standing Scientific Advisory Committee for the Thrasher Research Fund and was part of the Executive Committee and the Policy Committee of the Clinical Research Center of MIT. Dr. Udall was Chairman of the Louisiana Council on Obesity Prevention and Management in Baton Rouge, LA. At LSUHSC in New Orleans, he served as Chairman of the Promotion and Tenure Committee in both the Department of Pediatrics and at the LSUHSC Medical School. In summary, Dr. Udall’s professional duties have centered on leading through service and example. His activities truly exemplify those of an extraordinary clinician, scholar, teacher and human being who has always strived to do his best, and he represents beyond doubt the spirit of this award.