Top 5 Reasons to Crash Your Sister-in-Law’s Ward Christmas Party

December 30, 2013 By

We had planned to drive to Utah last Saturday, the day after the kids got out of school for the holiday break. But there was a complication: Utah’s weather. They were getting slammed by snow storms and both routes through Colorado and Wyoming were risky. On Thursday, I worriedly watched the weather while Jamie was at a Christmas party and when he arrived home at 6:30 p.m., I told him our dilemma.

“So, let’s leave tomorrow (Friday) then,” he suggested.

I was shocked, then elated. I had hoped he’d say that but when you’re self-employed it’s tough to get away earlier. But then I panicked. I had to do all our packing and round up all our gifts in just a few hours?! Somehow we pulled it off and despite a few precarious stretches of road in Wyoming, we arrived in Utah in a very small window between two very big storms.

And how glorious our arrival was!

Sledding at Sugar House Park, Utah

Dear (brown) Denver: this is what a white Christmas looks like.

We stopped by Jamie’s sister Tammy’s house and she was exhausted after setting up her ward (congregation) Christmas party. Did someone say party? We just happened to be there early…and available. And so we did what any moochers would do: we invited ourselves.

The party we crashed was actually a Christmas breakfast. Here are the Top 5 Reasons to Crash Your Sister-in-Law’s Ward Christmas Party.

#5. Hot chocolate bar. All the food at the potluck breakfast was amazing–from bananas foster French toast casserole to Jamie’s sister’s delicious potato casserole with Gruyère cheese. But my favorite was the darling hot chocolate bar with delicious, high-quality cocoa, peppermint marshmallows, syrups, whipped cream and candies.

I tried to take a picture before the table got ravaged but darn people kept coming and coming and coming. Talk about moochers (it takes one to know one).

#4. Hanging out with our edible twin cousins.

At a recent Santa encounter, Berkley asked him for a goat.

“Why do you want a goat?”
“Because I don’t have one.” Duh.

#3. The glorious snow. The ground looked like a puffed pillow, icicles framed the backdrop of the Christmas party and we later built snow forts and appropriately went to see Frozen.

Tammy is a pro interior designer.  If Mother Nature hadn’t lended assistance for our winter wonderland, I’m sure Tammy would have pulled off something just as good.

#2. Anyone who knows me knows I love bringing out my pipe chimes to play “Jingle Bells” every Christmas. But I have a new obsession: COWBELLS. Since my LDS mission in Switzerland, I’ve loved cowbells and at every Olympic games I’ve attended, the Swiss are always there sounding their mellifluous rings. But I never knew they could be actual instruments.  A colorful German-loving character in Tammy’s ward regularly gives cowbell performances and with his professional sound system, that guy was amazing.

I later cornered him. Where did he get those genius cowbells? (Ernst Licht.) How did he learn how to do them? Did he perform on German Idol?

I’m very serious about saving my money to purchase a set ($600–awk!) Jamie knows I’m very serious but has been my husband long enough to know he can’t change my mind about something as important as cowbells.

Me: “Bode, when I purchase my cowbells, will you play them with me?”
Jamie: “Bode, don’t be a sheep.”
Me: “Technically he’d be a cow.”

#1. We sat with some of Tammy and Jeremy’s friends. Jamie’s mom also joined us and at one point, their buddy leaned over to Jamie and asked if he was Tammy’s dad.

After picking himself up off the floor, Jamie later pointed out this guy’s clothing.

“For someone wearing a Yale shirt, he’s not very smart.”

 

Filed Under: Family, holidays, Humor, Jamie, LDS Tagged With: , , ,

My Merry Christmas Wish of Living Outside of Yourself

December 25, 2013 By

On our long drive to Utah, I read an article in Outside magazine, “The Pursuit of Happiness–launch the year with these simple, life-improving tips.” It. Was. Awesome. (Read the full article here). One of my favorite excerpts:

“In a 2013 study, researchers at UCLA and the University of North Carolina reported that happiness levels have powerful effects on genes and our health. But there was a catch: the specific kind of happiness mattered a lot. The unselfishly happy, whose feelings of well-being involved a deep sense of purpose in life, had a strong expression of antiviral and antibody genes.”
“Happy hedonists, meanwhile, wrapped up in materialistic pleasures, had weaker immune systems, resulting in inflammation that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. ‘Even pleasures that seem virtuous, like looking at a sunset, can be hedonic, because they involve one’s own emotional gratification,’ explains UCLA professor of medicine Steven Cole, the senior author of the study. ‘The real distinction is whether your happiness is tied into purpose and meaning outside yourself.’”

Bottom line: like so many things, how happy you are comes down to how you choose to live your life.

One of my favorite days of the year is the Christmas program the Sunday before church. We attended Jamie’s parent’s ward and I loved the humble, inspiring messages on Mary, Joseph and Jesus. As I set there looking around at this room of strangers, I just felt happy and grateful for everything the gospel of Jesus Christmas has brought to my life.

I mentally listed out all the things the LDS Church is teaching my children: Gospel principals. Morality. Honesty. Service to each other and in our community.  Goal setting. Public speaking. Leadership. Friendship. Eternal families. The worth of a soul. The purpose of life.

This Christmas, I am grateful to the many, many people, places and things that are teaching me to live a life with meaning outside of myself.

Merry Christmas!

 

Filed Under: Family, holidays, LDS

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

December 24, 2013 By

My very most memorable Christmas wasn’t even Christmas as I spent the evening in Shepherd’s Field outside of Bethlehem.

However, spending time with our LDS ward family at the Christmas party is always a highlight of the holiday season.

Sure, the Shepherd looked ticked.

Note: He was pretending he was looking up at the herald angels in awe. The kid may need acting lessons.

The girl who aspired to be Mary (remember that little debate?) was assigned to be the star, which she forsook when she learned there were animals was not very pleased about her “cheesy” sheep costume.

Baaaaaaaad. Sorry, bad pun.

Sure, our rehearsals were a disaster (but they pulled it off) and the manger was made of a hula skirt.

And that heathen Santa made an appearance.

But somehow I think baby Jesus would have loved our ward Christmas party as much as I did.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, holidays, Humor, LDS

The Holiday Piano Recital: The Story of Meltdowns, Stresses and Triumphs

December 23, 2013 By

For my kids’ holiday piano recital, their teacher gave each of them challenging holiday songs to memorize. After several Hadley meltdowns, I told her to just focus on Silent Night instead of the assigned two and that seemed to work like a charm.

Until she actually started regressing a few days before the recital. And then the freak-outs began, followed by mind games as she started thinking she couldn’t play it at all.

Bode was another story. While Hadley had lost her confidence, he was overly confident he could knock out Jolly Old St. Nicholas and Angels We Have Heard on High. The complication: he’s totally ADHD on the piano. He is always playing (just ask driven-to-drink Jamie who just wants a moment of silence) but Bode is all over the place and rarely focuses on just one song for long. At times, he was more focused on memorizing Hadley’s song than his own which, as you can imagine, went over stupendously well with her.

So, I was nervous before the recital but then I forced myself to calm down. What was the worst that could happen? So, they screwed up. Many of our friends would be at the recital so it’s  not like they were performing for strangers. I assured myself that failure and learning to pick yourself back up is a good growing experience at any age.

At the beginning of the recital, their teacher announced how proud she was of her students and how they had been assigned pieces a bit beyond their level of expertise. Finally, a ray of hope. Maybe my kids wouldn’t be alone!

And they weren’t. Though all the kids did great, there were definitely a lot of mess-ups and do-overs.

Hadley was nervous but she knocked it out of the park until the final few bars of her music, in which case she had a pretty minor flub. Most amusingly, though, was when she crossed her legs in the middle of her piece. Then there was Bode. The last one to perform, he could either be the grand or much less-than finale. He confidently strode over to the piano, plopped himself down and started pounding away with the intensity of Schroeder from Charlie Brown. The piano bench was pushed sideways, his brow was crinkled but gosh darn it if that boy didn’t pull his songs together in the 11th hour. Like Hadley, his flubs were relatively minor and he was all “I told you I could do it” grins when it was over.

He was in such an exuberant mood that as he was downing his refreshments after (one of each treat, of course), he jokingly called out “FOOD FIGHT!”

I’m sure the owners of the venue with their $25,000 pianos would have been thrilled.

As we were driving home, Hadley was in a much better mood. “Our teacher is the perfect piano teacher,” she raved. “She not only has us learn songs from the piano books but different ones as well. Then she has us perform them at a recital!”

We’re counting this one as a very surprising win.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, holidays, Humor

Just when you think you know yourself

December 21, 2013 By

I recently did yoga at Front Range Bootcamp and didn’t completely hate it.

Related: hell officially froze over that day.

Filed Under: Humor

November: Because It’s Better Late Than Never

December 18, 2013 By

Sure, I know we’re already blazing through December but November, how I loved November. I’d be pretty darn remiss if I didn’t give a few of my favorite November moments a mention before they’re lost forever.

We had our first family ski trip of the season at one of my favorite Colorado ski resorts, Copper Mountain. Many more details to come but for now, our first of what I hope will be many pictures on the lift together.And then there’s Hadley. This fun, free-spirited, strong-willed girl of mine and I may not always agree but there’s no place we bond more perfectly than the outdoors.

There was plenty of bonding for the whole family on the slopes and off. That evening, the kids tried to make me jealous when they abandoned me for Jamie’s side of our booth at Casa Sanchez Mexican restaurant.
Nope, I didn’t feel envious even one bit.

When people say they have no desire to ever try skiing because it’s too cold and difficult, I honestly feel sorry for them because they think a ski vacation starts and stops on the slopes. Soaking in a hot tub under the stars and white lights as you listen to the groomers on the mountain is truly a magical end to the day.

Boy with creepy beady eyes notwithstanding.

Jamie and I had a great month in the romance department. It turns out that if you sing “You don’t bring me flowers anymore” that if you married a good man, he will deliver.


We went on some memorable dates but none was more memorable than when we were at a preview for the History Colorado Center’s new Living West exhibit and we tried the two-seater outhouse.

Let’s just say I saw him in an entirely new light.

Do you love It’s a Wonderful Life as much as my Jamie does? I surprised him with a date night to see this  story brought to life as a 1940’s radio broadcast at Miner’s Alley Playhouse in Golden. I’m admittedly not a huge fan of the movie but fell in love with the charming and hilarious cast who made us laugh ’til we cried and ignited an appreciation for idealistic George Bailey as he received divine intervention one Christmas Eve. This 130-seat theater was quaint, the acting superb and the audience interaction was fun (have you ever been playfully given Jelly Bellies by the actors prior to a show?) 
We made an evening of it and went to dinner prior to the show. Downtown Golden has some of our favorite dining options and we tried the new Indulge Bistro & Wine Bar with outstanding service, food and ambiance  in Golden’s Gateway Station. I’m still salivating over my Filet Oaxaca, a Black Angus filet mignon served with manchego potato puree, grilled vegetables, blackened shrimp and mango mole sauce. I could show you a picture but it would just make me  hungry again.
In honor of Thanksgiving, Bode gave a great lesson for Family Home Evening and they made a big gratitude basket where we listed all the things for which we are grateful.

Jamie cut out a big pumpkin and put “grandma” on it. We all know what he really meant.

For the third year in a row, we served Thanksgiving dinner and made cards for low-income seniors through Volunteers of America.I get a little choked up thinking about all the wonderful people we met that afternoon that really brought home the whole spirit of Thanksgiving. November, you’ve never been a favorite but you will be most welcomed next year.

 

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, Jamie, LDS, Marriage, outdoors, skiing, travel

Downtown Denver during the holidays: one of my favorite things

December 17, 2013 By

Last weekend, my daughter Hadley and I had what felt like a” New York Moment” in Denver. We’re suburbanites and venture downtown every couple of months but usually for an express purpose–not to just wander and explore. We walked for miles, only slowing down to eat, shop and savor the many, many Colorado moments. A few of our favorites included:

Christkindl Market

Visit the 13th annual Denver Christkindl Market in the heart of downtown Denver on the 16th Street Mall. Once upon a time,  I served an 18-month-long LDS mission in Switzerland and this quaint German Christmas market’s music, food, holiday lights and old-world vendors made me relive the fairy tale. Hadley and I bought handmade Christmas decorations, drank cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate, devoured cinnamon-sugar pretzels as big as our heads from Styria Bakery and sampled gebrannte mandeln (roasted almonds) that had been perfected in a copper kettle important from Germany. We vowed to make a return trip to try maronen (roasted chestnuts), weiner schnitzel and for the line-up of events. Before we left, Hadley bought a horse from one of the glass artisans, proclaiming “This will help me remember this fun day,” a minor miracle for a kid who isn’t exactly the sentimental type.

Skate Southwest Rink at Skyline Park

For years, I’ve written about this free skating rink in the heart of downtown Denver on 16th Street Mall  but I’ve  never done it. Located right across from the Denver Christkindl Market, Hadley and I shopped ’til we dropped and then dropped a few times as we whirled around the ice with the Christmas-tree backdrop under a canopy of white lights. Open daily now through Feb. 16, the skating is free and rentals are only $2 (though every Sunday is a free day for kids). Learn to Skate is offered every Wednesday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and every Saturday 8 a.m.-10 a.m.

Downtown Fun

For the rest of the afternoon, we walked for miles around downtown. We bought umpteen stocking stuffers at Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop on Larimer Square (it was tough to narrow it down the literally hundreds of choices), tasted and bought gourmet olives oils and balsamic vinegars from nearby EVOO Marketplace’s sampling room and loaded up on high-quality spices, herbs and seasonings at Savory Spice Shopon Platte Street.

Anyone else sensing a food theme here?

My favorite memory of the day was as we were leaving Christkindl Market, a street performer was playing “My Favorite Things” on his trumpet. My daughter and I recently watched this classic movie together and we both spontaneously started singing and laughing at the top of our lungs.

Downtown Denver fun with my favorite girl? That day was definitely full of my favorite things.

Filed Under: Hadley, holidays, Humor Tagged With: , ,

Let the Christmas Insanity Begin!

December 16, 2013 By

What a great weekend! On Friday, my friend Amie and I volunteered at our city’s Santa House which collects and distributes toys to low-income families. I helped unload and stock shelves but by far my favorite was being a “personal shopper” and helping those in need select toys for their kids.  I’ve donated plenty of toys to toy drives in the past but being behind-the-scenes and seeing the wonderful people who are struggling gave me a new resolve to do more in the coming years.

After school, Bode joined some of his classmates to perform several Christmas songs at a local retirement home  How to score hot second grade chicks: land the coveted role of Rudolph.

Old ladies will also dig your nose and reindeer games.

Jamie’s sister Lisa generously invited the kids for a sleepover on Friday so Jamie and I could have date night at the Denver LDS Temple, which is a pretty darn awesome way to celebrate the season.

Saturday was a frenzy. Boot camp, picked up the kids, cleaned the house and had Hadley’s final volleyball game of the season. I have been the assistant coach for her cute team and they’ve improved leaps and bounds. Most gratifying is she has finally found her sport and constantly  has a volleyball in hand around the house.

It’s only a matter of time until she breaks something.

After that, we raced over to see the highly-anticipated Hobbit and Bode is already counting down ’til when the third movie in the trilogy is released on his birthday this summer. Translation: they loved it.

Upon arriving home, baking insanity ensued. Whenever Christmas rolls around, I start baking. And then bake some more. I have so many great recipes that I want to make them all so that’s exactly what I did. But I’ve gotten smarter over the years and don’t kill myself by cramming it all in on one day and started baking weeks ago. That’s what freezers are for, right?

Saturday night was about compiling all our goodies. This year’s haul included caramel toffee squares, gingerbread men, white chocolate snowball cookies, cream cheese cutout cookies, whipped shortbread and almond rocha.What I did kill myself with was packaging everything for our friends and neighbors then the massive clean-up. But didn’t they turn out lovely?

Bribery is how we make and keep our friends.

The cute kiddos made and decorated gingerbread men for their Primary class at church.

If you need us, we’ll be the ones passed out in the corner in a sugar coma.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, holidays, Humor

Why I’m hiding the knives

December 13, 2013 By

Thursday is our crazy day when I juggle carpool, volleyball, piano and Activity Days at the church. Yesterday was particularly crazy because Bode had literacy night at his school and I had my Relief Society Christmas dinner, all at the same time as Hadley’s volleyball.

That whole cloning thing would have been especially useful.

As we were racing around, Bode I were chatting and he announced, “No pressure, Mom.”

I perked up, figuring he had something he wanted to add to his Christmas wish list but it was so much better/worse.

“No pressure, Mom, but when you die are you going to leave Hadley and me money?”

Jamie joked when I told him later: “I was wondering why he was asking about my life insurance policy the other day.”

Filed Under: Bode, Humor, Jamie

KEEN on Bode’s Killer New Winter Boots

December 11, 2013 By

I haven’t complained even once about the Arctic freeze that has fallen over the country for one simple reason: remember our blistering summers? No way I can ever forget. So I’ve kept my mouth shut, grateful it’s not hot but not fully embracing the single-digit temps with biting wind chill.

Yesterday was our first day above freezing in over a week. The moment the kids walked in the door from school I announced, “We’re going on an adventure!” which usually results in knowing groans but within moments, all reluctance is forgotten as they’re unleashed in the great outdoors

We were on a mission to test out Bode’s new KEEN Loveland Boots WP ($70). I’ve been a long-time advocate of their great footwear–everything from sandals to Mary Janes to trail runners but we’ve never tried out their boots so I jumped at the chance when KEEN offered to send Bode a pair to review. Never mind I’d just bought a used no-name brand from the local thrift store. These are, after all, KEENS!

As soon as Bode slipped them on (easy to do with their bungee lace system), he squealed, “They’re so light!” which is certainly a paradigm shift from his usual heavy, clunky winter wear.  Prospect Park was the perfect testing ground as it combined outdoor play on the trails with versatility on the playground.

Because doesn’t every kid do the monkey bars in the snow?

And scale treacherous climbing walls? No problem with the dual-climate outsole for great traction on slippery surfaces.
Of course, you have to do the snow test in winter boots and the warm insulation kept his feet warm while the waterproof, breathable membrane kept him dry.

Bode wasn’t the only one having an adventure that day and both kids pressured me to join in the fun. I doubtfully looked at the slippery jungle gym. “You really don’t want me to try this and die, do you? I’m the only one who knows where the Christmas presents are hidden.”

They took their chances and I rose to the challenge by climbing the very slick climbing wall in my very non-KEEN boots.

It was touch-and-go for a bit but I lived to tell the tale. Sometimes it’s the little [in your face] victories that mean the most.

But next time, I hope I’ll be sporting some cool KEEN winter boots like Bode.

Filed Under: Bode, outdoors
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