Amber | Life Elevated Mom

At Long Last: The 3rd Annual Pumpkin Par-tay!

October 5, 2011 by Amber

Three years ago, we instituted our First Annual Pumpkin Par-tay. Admittedly, it was a ruse to get people to help lift the pumpkin but it has grown from there.

Both the size of the pumpkin and the parties.

Since Jamie loves big pumpkins and I love to eat all-things-pumpkin, we decided to make it a pumpkin potluck and ask our guests to bring some pumpkin-inspired dishes.

Now, there are varying degrees of commitment to the cause. Some planned their dishes out several weeks in advance and it showed with delicious offerings such as pumpkin caramels, pumpkin bundt cake, pepita (pumpkin seed) salsa, mini-pumpkin pies, pumpkin chili, pumpkin empanadas (my offering) and more.

Others call the day of the party complaining they can’t find canned pumpkin anywhere and bring brownies. And then a few call a half-hour before and say, “Hey, I misplaced my invite. Is that pumpkin party of yours today?”

Regardless, it always comes together in a delicious and fun way.

Bode took on the important role of tour guide and directed people to our backyard.

Of course, The Pumpkin Man was our local celebrity.
Last year, my bestie Tina busted out with a killer pumpkin hat Jamie made famous on The Marriage Ref.

This year, she gifted him some ultra-cool pumpkin glasses.
To think she almost didn’t make it because she somehow didn’t receive an invite (apologies to any of my other regulars who befell the same fate).

Of course, everyone comes to pose with The Great Pumpkin.

And marvel.
But the real attraction was the official vine-cutting. Many people have asked me how we transport the pumpkin to the weigh-off. We use a forklift but you first need to put lifting straps around it (not an easy process).
It’s also a good excuse to get a nice butt shot of your husband.

Then, attach the lifting straps to the chain on the forklift.
Then you watch a grown-man pray that the bottom of the pumpkin hasn’t rotted out completely (if you will recall, it cracked a few weeks ago). All was well.

Except for the fact Jamie’s body turned into a pumpkin. Nice legs, dude.

For the second year in a row, our neighbor Andy was the forklift driver.

When it was over, he was heavily perspiring. “Dude, that was the most stressful thing, ever!”

Then they loaded it onto a trailer. And no, I did not approve of Jamie graffiting the back window of my vehicle with that saying.

See that kid in the orange shirt? That’s our neighbor Luke who kept shouting out, “PUMPKIN PINATA” and swinging his baseball bat at the air.

I think he was kidding but his murder would have been no joke.

After that, the kids cut their pumpkin off the vine.

And (let’s count ’em): SIX guys carried the pumpkin to the front porch.

I mention the number of men because the next morning, Jamie and I (TWO mere mortals) carried it out to the car. By ourselves. With my sore knee.

One of the many sacrifices of a pumpkin widow.

Tune in tomorrow for details of the weigh-off!

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie, pumpkins

Copper Mountain and My Ride of Death

October 4, 2011 by Amber

Missed yesterday’s post? Be sure to read Part I.

Admittedly, my reason for wanting to go to Copper Mountain in the off-season is because I have been dying to bike the portion of the Ten Mile Recreational Pathway that runs from Copper Mountain down to Frisco (about 13 miles round-trip.)

This extensive network of trails in Summit County is among my favorite in Colorado. A few years back, I biked with the kids from Frisco along the reservoir to Lake Dillon (one of my favorite days ever). Another time, I biked from Dillon up to Keystone and also we did Frisco to Breckenridge.

All that remains are for me to do Copper Mountain to Frisco and then Copper Mountain up Vail Pass, the latter of which is a 1,000-foot climb.

It’s no wonder I saved the best (or rather, worst) for last.

But on Saturday, I was determined to bike to Frisco and so I woke up at 6 a.m. It was still pitch-black outside.

I dozed until 6:30 a.m. It was barely starting to light up.

I fell back asleep hard, awaking at 7 a.m. I tried to talk myself out of going and stay snuggled up to Jamie but I had come on this trip for the express purpose of biking the trail. All other portions have been glorious and why should this one be any different?

Turns out, it was. Different, that is. As in bad-different.

It wasn’t the actual trail that was bad. In fact, a beautiful smattering of lemon-lime trees lined the path and the moderate decline to Frisco should have been a breeze.

But it was awful for two reasons: the weather and my bike.

Daytime temperatures were 60 degrees but nighttime hovered around freezing and that’s what it was when I started out. I had only worn a light fleece and Capri biking shorts and cannot ever remember being so cold on a bike path.

But I wouldn’t, I couldn’t turn back. For me, the only thing worse than quitting is having unfinished business and so I pressed onward, slowly.

The sluggish pace was due to a problem I am admitting publicly for the first time: I have an aversion to pumping tires. I’ve always felt this way and if you factor in my bike’s presta valve (that requires an adapter to pump), I avoid it at all costs.

That morning when I started out, my tires weren’t firm but still rideable. By the end, they were nearly flat.

Have you ever biked 13 miles in freezing temperatures with near-flat tires? It wasn’t pretty.I couldn’t even fake a smile here.

But I did it and now the only portion that remains is climbing from Copper Mountain to the top of Vail Pass.

Lesson learned: Wear winter clothes…and fully pumped tires.

Filed Under: biking, Colorado, Family travel, Humor

Copper Mountain’s Solace

October 3, 2011 by Amber

After our doozy-of-a-week in the hospital, our overnight trip to Copper Mountain on Friday could not have come at a more perfect time. I asked Jamie if he wanted to cancel but we have been trying to schedule this getaway for months (our lodging was a trade agreement with one of his clients).

And so we went with the understanding Jamie would need to lie low.

If there’s a perfect place to do that, it’s Colorado’s mountains in the fall and we nailed the colors perfectly.

Located 75 miles west of Denver right off I-70, Copper Mountain is the last of the major ski resorts I had yet to visit. Unlike many other resorts in Colorado, there is a ski village built around the area but no real town. This means the shoulder seasons (fall and spring) are like a ghost town. The solace was glorious.

On Friday night while Jamie rested at the condo, Hadley, Bode and I hot tubbed and then explored the area, starting with Copper Mountain Golf.

(Shhhhh, don’t tell the golfers we were on contraband bikes).

We also checked out The Woodward at Copper, a year-round snowboard and ski training camp (the first of its kind) with 19,400 feet of terrain park and pipe progression.
Basically, it’s teen/tween heaven and the staffer was gracious to show us around and even let the kids jump off the ramp into one of the many foam pits.

I declined for fear I’d be unable to climb out.

And yes, I speak from old-woman experience.

Tune in tomorrow (read the story here) for the sordid details of my ride of death. OK, maybe I didn’t exactly die but find out why I kind of wanted to. And yes, I still know I’m in need of posting pumpkin updates. It’s on my (very long) list.

Filed Under: biking, Colorado, Family travel, travel

The reality behind Colorado mountain scenery

October 2, 2011 by Amber

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
~Albert Camus

That’s as poetic as you’re going to get from me.

At the very moment I took this picture at a pit stop en route to Copper Mountain, Bode was peeing on a nearby bush and Hadley was puking on another.

Just keeping it real, people.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family travel, Hadley, Humor

The good and bad news of our hospital stint (pun intended)

September 29, 2011 by Amber

If I ever write a book, the title will be, “You can’t make this stuff up.”

Jamie was once again in the hospital for chest pain this week. On Tuesday night, he had meetings at the church and I asked him to drop off something.

“I probably can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I think I need to go to the ER,” he casually informed me.

He then revealed he’s been having chest pain since FRIDAY but never said anything because he knew I’d freak and make him go to the hospital and he would have missed his pumpkin party and weigh-off.

Death vs. a pumpkin party? Priorities.

And so they admitted him Tuesday night. We knew they wouldn’t be able to do anything until the next morning and that he’d need an angiogram. The nurse told him it was OK to eat breakfast so imagine how pleased he was to have the cardiologist come in a few minutes later to inform him he couldn’t eat before the procedure, that he now had to wait six hours, and that they were so backed up they probably wouldn’t be able to get him in until the next day.

This news did not go over well with me, in large part due to the already-overwhelming medical bills we’re paying off. There was NO WAY I was paying for an extra day in the hospital due to THEIR screw-up.

I was still at home at that point so I made some calls. They were not pleasant but apparently my loving threats hit home because 20 minutes later, Jamie called me.

“You contacted the hospital, didn’t you?!”
“How did you know?”
“They just informed me they found an opening for 3 p.m. today.”

Sometimes it pays off to be me.

The findings? When Jamie had surgery back in February, there were three arteries that were almost completely blocked as a result of his chemo radiation treatments he had in his late-20s. For two of the main arteries, they were able to put stints. The third artery is a smaller branch off the main and due to its position and size, they were unable to do anything with it. The only possible solution to open it up is bypass surgery and at this point, they don’t want to go there.

Believe me, neither do I.

And so they think it’s that darned third artery that is causing the chest pain. Because it’s not a main artery, they’re not overly concerned about it but if the pain continues they’ll reevaluate. They hope by switching up his meds, they can help him manage the pain.

So, I guess it’s a bit of good news (the stints in the main arteries are fine) and bad news (there’s nothing we can do about the blocked third artery). We hope Jamie will return home today.

I’ve got to say once again how grateful I am for our awesome friends and family and their outpouring of support. Whether it’s watching the kids, bringing us dinners or just offering to help in anyway they can, I am so humbled by everyone’s support. And I’m hoping that someday soon we can return the favor.

Read: Cease from being charity cases.

The kids and I spent most of Wednesday afternoon and evening in the hospital, with a quick trip to the nearby pumpkin farm while Jamie was doped up in recovery. I’ve become disarmingly comfortable in a hospital setting this year but what I was not prepared for: Jamie’s celebrity status.

As two nurses were wheeling Jamie into surgery, he managed to worked it into the conversation that he grows giant pumpkins. Both of the women scrutinized him, turned to me, recognized The Hair and exclaimed, “You were on The Marriage Ref!” Jamie then delighted his captive audience.

It didn’t stop there. Following his surgery, his new nurse not only remembered him from six months ago (horrors to be considered a “regular” in the cardiac unit) but also from TV.

It was my worst nightmare on many levels.:)

But here’s for hoping we’ll be able to once again pick up where we left off and start running again today.

Filed Under: Health, issues, Jamie

The resurrection of the kindergarten debate

September 27, 2011 by Amber

I know, I know. I am overdue on posting about our pumpkin festivities last weekend. And that will happen just as soon as I wade through my onslaught of deadlines, laundry, meetings and hikes. Yes, people. I am going on my very first hike today following my knee surgery.

It should set me back about a week.

However, I couldn’t delay on posting about an article I read regarding the scientific findings of kindergarten. Yes, kindergarten is a science. Or rather, the delay of starting it can be. If you will recall, last year I had some angst regarding whether I should start Bode on time or delay him like so many parents in Colorado are prone to do. I obviously went with my gut and enrolled him on time and I couldn’t be happier that I did.

Especially after these findings that are sure to ruffle a few feathers. So, come weigh-in and let me know what you think!

Filed Under: issues

Let the (Pumpkin) Games Begin!

September 23, 2011 by Amber

This is THE weekend Chez Johnson. Tonight is the ceremonial vine-cutting party where we will devour all things pumpkin.

Jamie insisted on putting the “As Seen on TV” logo on the invitation.

Because he’s prideful like that.

And Saturday is The Great Pumpkin weigh-off at Jared’s Nursery in Littleton! In addition to ~~pumpkin growers who are out of their gourds~~ over-sized gourds, there will be a kid’s costume parade, dog costume contest, pumpkin drop, chili cook-off, free straw maze, bouncy castle, petting zoo, Galleria of Ghouls and much more. Details at JaredsGarden.com.

Lest you’re confused as to why and how we’re still participating in the weigh-off after the pumpkin’s demise, Jamie has been fastidiously calking the crack. Though he cannot officially enter “Ricky” in the weigh-off, his fingers are crossed it will hold together long enough to get an official weight.

Here’s the latest shot of the pumpkin if you want to wager your own guess. Jamie had our neighbors pose because our kids are getting too big and he wants to make the pumpkin appear larger than it actually is.

Because he’s prideful like that.

Wish him luck!

Filed Under: Humor, pumpkins

One of the many reasons I love my dad

September 21, 2011 by Amber

It finally feels like Fall in Colorado and after a long, hot summer this is the time of year I enjoy the most. Well, with the exception of winter’s glorious snow. And who doesn’t love spring blossoms?

OK, mostly I just hate summer’s heat.

As a part of my physical therapy, I’ve been trying to bike daily. Though I don’t yet feel I’m ready to hike, my knee is getting stronger every day. Yesterday, I biked for over an hour and was delighted, upon summiting a large hill on the Ralston Creek Trail, to have a vantage point of two gorgeous lakes.

But even better was I actually passed a young dude on the trail, evidence I’m finally gaining some speed. “This is the stretch that always gets me,” he mumbled as an excuse. “Yeah, me too!” I breathed as I raced by.

Or not.

Dear ol’ dad posted the following as his Facebook status last weekend:

Passed these two teenagers pushing their mountain bikes up the Southland Drive hill.

’70-year-old guy passing on your left,’ said I.

‘Heh, heh,’ said they in obvious humiliation.

Just in case you’re wondering where I get “it” from.

Filed Under: biking, Colorado, Humor Tagged With: Dad

The year that kicked our butts

September 20, 2011 by Amber

I’ll admit it: I came into 2011 with a sense of pending doom. I’m not a negative gal so I’d like to think it was a premonition that this year would basically suck. I mean, it wasn’t all bad. We went on a Disney Cruise, took loads of fun ski trips and spent July in Canada.

See? That’s what an optimist does–tries to put on a positive spin.

But there’s no “spinning” the onslaught of medical bills we have from Jamie’s heart surgery, his chronic rheumatism problems, my chest pains and knee surgery. Not to mention the BBQ and refrigerator we had to replace, the car problems and the second set of phones that are on the fritz. Oh, and last week? The Internet was down for two days and Jamie’s computer was on the brink of death.

He is a web developer who works from home. One might say his computer is kind of important.

So, our big expense last week was a new computer.

Good-bye, Christmas presents. It was nice (not) knowing you.

Even with this humdinger of a year, I still recognize we’ve been blessed. We’ve been fortunate that Jamie’s business is going well (hence the 12-hour days) and that my parents made a generous charitable donation to help offset the cost of my knee surgery.

Because make no mistake: we are charity cases these days.

Last week, we attended the preview of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s new T.Rex Encounter exhibit. The kids had a blast but it wasn’t until we posed for a picture with a super-imposed dinosaur on a blue screen that I got the symbolism:

T.Rex = 2011.

Better luck in 2012.

Filed Under: issues

A Soccer Superstar is Born

September 19, 2011 by Amber

Bode is a great little soccer player and usually scores 1-2 goals per game but he’s no superstar.

At least until Saturday.

While I was at a blogging conference, Jamie, Hadley, Uncle Chris and Aunt Lisa cheered him on….
….to score lots of goals. Aunt Lisa shot this 17-second video of Goal # 6:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AprgDuGK4Mk?hl=en&fs=1]
Bode Soccer video

Now, I’m a competitor but after saaaaaay goals 4 and 5, I might have made the suggestion that he should ease up.

Jamie, on the other hand, does not have that gene.

Bode went on to score NINE GOALS.

To help motivate the kids, we issued the rule they’d get a candy bar for each goal they scored.

Bode’s sugar high should last until Halloween.

Filed Under: Bode