Because of Him, Sunday Will Come

April 18, 2014 By

After being really sick all week, my friend Lisa called me to go hiking today. We went to Matthews-Winters Park near Red Rocks and it was a glorious spring day.  We had a long talk overlooking this vista that put life into perspective again.

When we were driving, we saw a bunch of teenagers walking along the mountain road. I started tearing up when I realized they were carrying a huge wooden cross. This wonderful group of Christian youth were dedicating Good Friday to their Savior.

I have had many, many people post this beautiful Easter video and wanted to share in case you have not already taken a couple of minutes to watch it. It has received almost 2 million views in a week and for good reason.

My friend also posted this beautiful video of a former addict and repeat convict who shared his experiences with the Savior’s ability and willingness to forgive him again and again, even when he felt undeserving and the powerful message “I’m still here.”

“Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays. But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come. No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come.”

-”Sunday Will Come” -Joseph B. Wirthlin

Filed Under: LDS

Kicking off another pumpkin season

April 18, 2014 By

On Tuesday for our 10-year anniversary in our house, I was planning to make a fancy dinner to celebrate. But then I got the worst sinus infection ever and couldn’t get out of bed for a few days. So, Jamie took celebrations into his own hands and dedicated the evening to all-things-pumpkin.

Do you see what happens when I get sick? The whole world pretty much ends.

For normal people, planting would involve taking a seed and putting it in soil. Not us. The seeds needed to be filed, soaked in humic acid and liquid seaweed, followed by the paper towel method.  This year, they started with 11 seeds. Eventually they’ll find their way into Jamie’s makeshift growroom in our basement and then the strongest few will be transferred into the hoop houses outside. The kids will each grown their own giant pumpkin and Jamie will grow two of his own.

Usually Jamie is chomping at the bit to start pumpkin season but he has been more subdued about it.

“I don’t know what the deal is,” he confessed to me. “Maybe it’s because I reached my goal of growing a pumpkin over 1,000 pounds. Or maybe it’s because I’m just so busy that I’m not as into this pumpkin season.”

Or maybe his uber-obsession has been knocked down several notches and is now only a more reasonable hobby-level of commitment?

We can only hope.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Jamie, pumpkins

A Lesson in Gratitude: Our Story of Easter, Cancer and Rebirth

April 16, 2014 By

Jamie has been cancer-free for 15 years.

He had recently graduated from college and had started his own consulting firm when a lump starting forming on his neck. It disappeared after a week but night-sweats and flu-like symptoms emerged. And then the lump returned.

He tried a few home remedies to no avail and finally sought medical attention. After Jamie described his symptoms, the doctor said, “I think it could be either mono or cancer. And I don’t think it is cancer.”

He was wrong.

Jamie was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease, cancer of the lymph nodes. When detected early, the survival rate is 80 percent. Like all cancers, later-stage prognosis is deadly. He was single, without insurance and living in Utah, far away from his family.

His doctor told him to apply for Medicaid. He was initially denied. Miraculously, CLICK TO KEEP READING

Filed Under: Health, Jamie

Our Happy Neck of the Woods–A 10-year Anniversary

April 15, 2014 By

I recently had an epiphany that I am truly in love with where we live. Not just Colorado because our state is undeniably awesome with world-class skiing, hiking and vistas. But our little corner of Denver’s suburbs.  Though I’m constantly vying to move to the mountains, I love our location in the city.

We’re five minutes to each of the kids’ high-ranked schools, are a 15-minute jaunt to some of my favorite hiking trails in the foothills, are extremely close to a network of bike paths and open space parks, have beloved friends in a family-friendly neighborhood, are in an awesome ward, have Jamie’s brother and sister a few minutes away and live right above a huge sports complex that is the pulse of our community where they shoot off the Independence Day fireworks.

When Jamie and I were first married, we heard about our neighborhood that was under development and were excited when we were approved to build a house. Today marks our 10-year anniversary in our home. I still remember the day we took possession of it.  Everything was squeaky-clean and untouched and I was really pregnant with Hadley. I had two thoughts: “We’ll never be able to fill all this space” (yeah, right) and “we will never be unhappy here.” One of these two is true.

A couple of weeks ago, I was reminded how much I love our area when Bode had his first soccer game on these fields near our house. It felt so great to cheer his team on to victory.soccerNot so great: the yelling soccer dad next to me.

A couple of hours later, the kids and I walked down our hill to the community Easter egg hunt.egghuntYes, Hadley is 9 years old. Don’t judge me (see the sign in the background).

On Saturday and Sunday, it was our church’s semi-annual General Conference, which always means lot of food and inspiration (President Uchtdorf’s talk Grateful in any Circumstance was my favorite). conferenceConference always means lots of forts and messes. And I’m (kind of) grateful for them.

We took a break in between sessions to watch the kite festival at our nearby fields. Our failures in kite-flying have been regularly documented (in Kites of Death and Let’s NOT Go Fly a Kite) but it was a really windy day. We spotted our neighbors and figured maybe-just-maybe this was our day to actually fly a kite!

kiteIt was glorious to finally soar.

I have been trying to be grateful for everything little thing and it has greatly helped my attitude and enthusiasm for life. Tired of the constant messes from the kids? Someday they’ll sadly be gone and so will those messes. Sore from boot camp? Be grateful you have a strong, healthy body. Overwhelmed with work? I’m so glad I have work opportunities.  I even find myself being grateful we can buy the bulk bins of laundry detergent at Costco because there was a time after college I was scraping by to even do that.

It is easy to be grateful for things when life seems to be going our way. But what then of those times when what we wish for seems to be far out of reach?

Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I’m suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be. -President Uchtdorf “Grateful in Any Circumstances“

 

Filed Under: birthday, Family, Favorite Posts, LDS

How to up the level of difficulty at the community Easter egg hunt

April 10, 2014 By

Our community Easter Egg hunt has always been a seasonal highlight. There was the year when I was overzealous about finding the golden egg and face-planted Hadley (as I lovingly documented in the Denver Post) or when she was a toddler and kept mistaking the eggs for balls, yelling “BALL, THROW!” and launched them in the air.

We were  on Spring Break last year in Utah so missed the hunt but we were committed to make this hunt our best year ever.

Until we showed up and saw the oldest age group was 6-8. Hadley is 9. Dismayed, we did what any Easter egg loving family did: we pretended she was 8. Too bad she’s really tall for her age.As Jamie likes to repeatedly remind me: she does not get that from my side of the family.

The one advantage of Hadley sneaking into the 6-8-year-old division (along with a lot of older kids, I might add) is this was the first time they were together during the hunt. They settled in behind the taped-off area. Intensely, Bode looked down the line and spotted our neighbor Maddie. As the countdown began, he shouted, “IT’S ON!”

Now that is something he gets from me.

At the signal, they raced out and pillaged the eggs and it was over a minute later. Afterward, we hung out with friends, played games and traumatized Hadley with the Easter bunny (he is kind of creepy with that Joker-like permagrin).

We had a fun morning but if we’re being honest here, it’s kind of a lame hunt. All the eggs are laid out before them on a field so it’s way too easy. As we were walking down a hill to the fields, I commented, “Now this hill would be the place to hold the hunt. There are trees where you could hide eggs, ditches to up the level of difficulty and divots everywhere for the fear factor.”

You’d have kids crying, skinned knees and a whole lot of excitement. Heck, in some of the eggs you could even have band-aids. How’s that for some excellent planning?

Now that, my friends, is an Easter egg hunt.

I totally hope they put me in charge next year.

Filed Under: holidays, Humor

Missing in Action (with an emphasis on lots of action)

April 9, 2014 By

So, I know I’ve been MIA lately from this blog but here’s the thing: I’ve been crazy-busy juggling campaigns, ads and writing content at Mile High Mamas. If we’re being honest here, I really miss writing and hate being bogged down with the nuts and bolts of marketing but unfortunately that’s what I need to do to keep everything afloat.

So if I’m not posting here, chance are I’m writing a lot at Mile High Mamas so find me over there.

Or Hawaii. Or Disneyland. The Broadmoor would be nice, too.

A few projects I’ve been working on over at Mile High Mamas:

Mother’s Day

I am dedicating early-May to stories about your mom. What are some of your favorite memories growing up? What lessons that she taught you do you hold most dear? And even now, how is your mom still influencing you for the better? Write in whatever format you’d like–a letter to your mother or as a blog post. Find out more info here.

The Diva Dash

I look at all those marathon and triathlon moms and I think, “good for you but no thanks.” Don’t get me wrong: I’m all for living a healthy, active lifestyle and I work out regularly. It’s just that this old bod of mine has its fair share of wear-and-tear lately and relentlessly pounding the pavement is the last thing it needs to exacerbate more injuries.

So, the hardcore events are out and even 5Ks are a bit boring but when I heard about the women’s-only Shape Diva Dash coming to Lyons, Colo. on Saturday, May 10, 2014, I was intrigued. Not only is it for a great cause (proceeds go to the flood victims in this ravaged area outside of Boulder) but it’s all about having a great time as you test your speed, agility, endurance and balance along the 3-mile course. Or lack thereof. :-)

I’m doing the 10 a.m. wave with a few of my friends and if you’re local, come join us with this $10 off coupon code.

Bruxie Waffle

Bruxie Waffles

A couple of weeks ago, we were invited to the opening of Bruxie’sfast-casual gourmet waffle restaurant. This popular eatery opened their seventh location–and their first outside of California–in Denver and I’m here to tell you it was DELICIOUS (go here for the write-up).

Something I didn’t include was Bode’s complete meltdown in Bruxie’s. As a side dish, we ordered delicious waffle fries. Hadley went over to the counter to get some ketchup and she poured some into an obtuse little paper cup. The color looked a bit off but I figured it was the house specialty. We weren’t paying too much attention when she sampled it but I could tell something was wrong. I dunked (not tentatively dipped) my fry in and I thought my head was going to blow off. To make matters worse, Hadley tricked Bode into trying it and he thought he was going to die. Tears. Meltdowns, you name it.  So, just what was the culprit?  Sriracha sauce.

So, my unofficial review of Bruxie? Waffles are happy. Waffles drenched in Sriracha sauce are not.

Camps

Mizel Museum. What would you think of a summer camp where the arts are a vehicle through which children learn content, world history, take on big ideas through hands-on and imaginative activities and solve problems through critical thinking? Where the instructors aren’t college students on summer break but rather, nationally-renowned visual artists, NASA consultants, puppeteers, improvisational actors and photographers and mixed-media masters? Welcome to the Mizel Museum’s Creative Journeys summer day camps in southeast Denver where kids ages 3-14 of all backgrounds and interests engage in meaningful learning through the arts. We’re giving away a FREE week at camp so if you’re local, this is an incredible opportunity to enter here.

Wildlife Experience. How does a summer of expeditions, thrilling live animal interactions, Extreme Theater movies, interactive exhibits, hiking, science experiments, games, crafts and MORE sound to your child? Mile High Mamas is partnering with the Wildlife Experience in Parker, Colo to offer you an exclusive discount on their weekly summer half-day camps for kids ages 5-7 that run from June 2-August 8, 2014.

April Fool’s Day Pranks

I know April Fool’s Day is over but if you’re like us, the pranking just keeps going all year long. Check-out my 20 kid-friendly April Fool’s Day pranks.

Hiking with Toddlers

I didn’t write this last one but I could have. In one succinct post, our hilarious blogger Christina nails (or puts a nail in the coffin) with what it’s like to hike with kids. Don’t miss A Family Guide to Hiking with Toddlers: 12 Things You Need.

Filed Under: Family

Spring Break in Denver

April 1, 2014 By

Spring Break is officially over and I feel like I’m just now coming up for air before being re-submerged again next week.

As aforementioned, we have spent the last several years in Utah skiing and playing with family. This year, it wasn’t in the cards because of work and finances so we decided to stay closer to home.

It doesn’t hurt when your entire Colorado backyard is a world-class family travel destination.

We spent a few glorious days horseback riding, hot springs-ing, skiing and sleigh riding in Steamboat Springs (details here).

Sleigh ride dinner at the Haymaker

The family that skis together

We got together with our friends Nolan and Rowan for some quality playtime at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

“Mother, this is SCIENCE, not picture time.”

Not to mention some memorable moments hangin’ out at City Park eating Dipping Dots.
On another day, we did a tour of Engineering for Kids that brings math, science, engineering, and technology to elementary and middle school students in a fun and challenging way through after-school programs and summer camps.

I was literally moved to tears as I watched that girl of mine grasp complicated scientific and mathematical experiments that have been such a struggle for her.

On Saturday night, Hadley and I went to our church’s General Women’s Meeting and then to frozen yogurt with friends. It was a momentous occasion as all girls ages 8 and up were invited for the first time to this combined world-wide meeting that was broadcast from Salt Lake City.

I loved the beautiful musical presentation of girls from around the world singing “I am a child of God” and my favorite quote was from Sister Oscarson. “We as women can be particularly hard on ourselves. When we compare ourselves to one another, we will always feel inadequate or resentful of others. … We need to realize that we all desire to serve in the kingdom using our unique talents and gifts in our own ways. Then we can enjoy our sisterhood, our associations and begin to serve.”

She said women have “so much to learn from one another and we often let self-imposed barriers keep us from enjoying associations which could be among our greatest blessings in our lives.” AMEN!

Our Sundays after church have been dedicated to family walks. On this particular Sunday, I casually mentioned to my friend Eva we were talking about going to Lair o’ the Bear, an open space park that had been closed until recently due to flood damage. She laughed and said that was the exact place her son Rory had talked about going so we made an afternoon of it.

Yep, that’s still snow you see

Sunday walk, Colorado-style

I also introduced my kiddos to Colorado’s cossetted Camelot, Dunafon Castle, hidden deep in the woods.

We’ll call this one the bribery tree. It’s their favorite,  must-climb tree in the park and they begged me to climb it. “Only if you pose nicely for a picture,” I countered.

The things I do for a great shot.

On another day, I injured my neck really badly at boot camp. My coach prescribed a day of rest and a professional massage.

That was the day I had a house filled to the brim with all the kids’ buddies. Better luck next time.

I thought they went back to school yesterday for Spring Break but turned out, Bode had an extra day off school so he invited his friend Seamus over. I’d like to see it was a rip-roarin’ good time but good gosh, I’m so busy so this was about as exciting as it got.

The single greatest thing about our fabulous, fun-filled Spring Break? That it is over.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, LDS
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