Family | Life Elevated Mom

When in Exile: Virginia Beach or Bust Part II

September 17, 2010 by Amber

Prior to reading this, be sure to check out When in Exile: Virginia Beach or Bust Part I to find out how we so admiringly made lemonade out of Hurricane Earl’s sour lemons.

These two are to blame thank for our entire trip to the Outer Banks, our evacuation and welp, my entire sordid existence.

And all of their existences, too.

(Back: Brother Pat, sister-in-law Jane, Bode, brother Jade, Jamie, Moi, cousin Emily, Ashton, baby Naomi. Frontish: Mom, cousin Jaxon, Dad, cousin Connor, Haddie and Arianna).

My brother Jade now lives in New Jersey and is well-acquainted (or at least better-acquainted) with Virginia Beach and led us down to the waterfront. Over 40 high-rise hotels lined the beach as roller-bladers, joggers and multi-person bikes for 2, 4 and even 6 people zoomed along the bike path.

Though it was Labor Day weekend, the area was still recovering from the storm and the small seaside amusement park was closed.

And so we took in the boardwalk.

I was moderately taken with it all until I attempted to shop in one of the many tacky tourist shops. Then some areas became overcome by drunken revelries. My distaste deepened when the pier we wanted to check out charged money.

Last I checked, “spectating” was free.

At least that is how it was in the glorious and pristine Outer Banks.

We’ll be back.

Crabbing by night and my family’s forray into darkness

September 14, 2010 by Amber

I have an ultra-competitive family. This is amazing to me for the sole reason that my parents are not overly competitive. Sure, they encouraged us to do our best and exposed us to many different activities. But there is an internal killer drive that I share with my brothers Pat and Jade.

In our schooling years, the result was excelling in pretty much every sport we played. In our over-the-hill years, the scenario is completely different:

When we vacationed at Tie Lake, B.C., we dressed in camouflage as we waged war on capturing the most turtles.

In croquet, our mallets become our weapons in the game we renamed, “Blood Sport.”

Whilst in the Outer Banks, our competition de choix was crab hunting.

When I was younger, my family enjoyed vacationing on Vancouver Island and crab fishing off the docks of Sydney. Back in The Day, we had all the fixins that included traps and bait.

In the Outer Banks, we had three things: Buckets, flashlights and our freakishly superhuman speed.

Work with me, here.

My mom also bought the men crab-hunting uniforms.

Jamie, Pat, Jade and Dad

Those decapod crustaceans didn’t stand a chance against us.

After dark when the waves would roll in, crabs would wash up onto the shore. They’d scurry around at warp speed before plunging back into the ocean.

Enter: The Crazy Canuck Clan.

We had two divisions of crabbers: the spotters and the catchers. The spotters were in charge of the flashlights and following the crabs’ every moves. The catchers were responsible for running around screaming like the Tasmanian Devil whilst trying to scoop the crabs up into their buckets.

I obviously excelled at the latter.

Bode was superior at the former.

When he remembered to actually point his flashlight at the crabs, that is.

The final standings of our crabbing competition?

The winner:

My niece Ashton. This mother-of-two was a force to be reckoned with. So superior were her skills that on our final night, she even caught one backhanded.

If this mothering thing doesn’t work out, she has crabbing to fall back on.

The Loser:

The Lord of the Gourds. On the first night, a crab raced over Jamie’s foot and he squealed like a girl. My beloved honey tried to redeem himself by capturing eight crabs the following night but the damage was done. So disturbing was his initial display that for the remainder of our crab hunting days, my family warned “Not to pull a Jamie.”

I always knew he should be a verb.

Most improved:

Hadley. For our first several nights, Hadley raced around like the rest of us but was a bit too squeamish to delve in for the kill (or rather, catch. And then release). But on our final night, she proclaimed she was ready and my family banded to together in the assist.

At the end of the evening, she jubilantly caught five crabs.

And she then threw a colossal fit as we left the beach because “I WANNA STAY AND CATCH SIX CRABS!”

She was officially inducted into the Crazy Canuck Competitive Hall of Fame.

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Family travel, Favorite Posts, Hadley, Humor, Jamie Tagged With: Outer Banks

The Outer Banks’ Glorious, Glorious Beaches

September 9, 2010 by Amber

I fell in love with the 130 miles of unspoiled coastline in the Outer Banks.

Though truth be told, I only explored a very small portion of it.

Everyone has a different idea of the ultimate beach vacation. When we were evacuated from Hurricane Earl, we spent part of the afternoon exploring Virginia Beach. A popular boardwalk, the beach was littered with tourists, tattoos and revelries. The atmosphere was upbeat, fun and for me, completely overdone.

The Outer Banks’ pristine coastal villages were the very antithesis of this party atmosphere. My very first morning, I arose before dawn (at 4 a.m. Denver-time; oh, the insanity) to watch the sunrise and collect seashells. It was the perfect kick-off to an idyllic vacation.

Getting lost and wandering around for an hour trying to find the beach house afterward? NotSoMuch.

I truly did not know how Bode would react to the ocean. Haddie fell in love with the surf in Puerto Rico but Bode is notoriously the more timid of the two. But within a few minutes, he was the madman of the ocean.

Just picture him on the bow of the Titanic with Kate Winslet in this shot.

Hadley was predictably in her element, even forsaking her Colorado mountains and declaring herself “a beach babe.”

Sigh. I just know I’ll be fighting off the boys sooner than I’m ready.

Some of my favorite beachfront moments:

So great was my love for the beaches of the Outer Banks that I was even tempted to declare myself a “beach babe.”

But then remembered it would likely entail actually getting wet.

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, travel Tagged With: Outer Banks

Kiteboarding, golfing and islanding–Outer Banks’ family travel fun

September 8, 2010 by Amber

Despite my family’s premature evacuation due to Hurricane Earl, the Outer Banks was one of my all-time favorite family travel destinations. This long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina is pristine. Raw. And achingly beautiful.

The beach house my mom rented in the Southern Shores was one of hundreds of million-dollar mansions that dotted the Atlantic Ocean.

Despite its name, Southern Shores is actually in the northernmost part of the Outer Banks with a busy shopping hub. For our next trip, my goal is to stay on the southernmost tip, Okracoke Island. Accessible only be ferry, it boasts untouched beauty, whimsical lighthouses, a quaint village and me.

Gotta start planning now.

During our five days in the Outer Banks, we crammed in a whole lot of family travel fun. Some highlights:

Kiteboarding

The Outer Banks is renowned as the Kiteboarding Capital of the World. My brother Pat (an avid wakeboarder) has recently taken to this surface water sport that uses the wind to pull a rider through the water on a small kiteboard.

I have never been a water person, nor am I talented enough to fly a simple kite so this sport was beyond my ability level. Knowing my aversion to water sports, my sister-in-law Jane tried to convert me to “Dragging.” Basically, this is kiteboarding without a kiteboard. You are harnessed to the kite and let the kite guide you as your face is used as a skipping stone across the water.

I remained shore-bound.
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Miniature golf

There are oodles of non-beach activities for children in the Outer Banks that include amusement parks, an Indy Kart racetrack, skate parks, horseback riding and so much more.

Our “more” was going miniature golfing at Lost Treasure Golf in Kill Devil Hills with cousins Jaxson and Connor.

To access the first hole, we rode on a mining train through caves, “ancient” ruins and under waterfalls.

And I confirmed that Bode and cousin Jaxson are actually long-lost twins.

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Roanoke Island

One of my biggest disappointments was being unable to travel to Okracoke Island (tourists were evacuated a couple of days prior to Hurricane Earl). Roanoke Island, one of the Outer Banks’ primary visitor destinations, was The Next Best Thing.

What we could have done:

Pet the stingrays at the North Carolina Aquarium, strolled through the breathtaking Elizabethan Gardens, saw the popular outdoor drama, The Lost Colony and enlisted the kids in Pirate Adventures where they could seek out treasures aboard a pirate ship.

What we did do:

Time was short and the weather was hot so one morning, Jamie, Hadley, Bode and I drove to Manteo. This charming hamlet wraps around Shallowbag Bay on the eastern side of Roanoke Island.

We strolled the Manteo Waterfront and devoured coconut chicken salads at the Magnolia Grille. Next, we searched for fossils at the waterfront’s pirate-themed playground.

We explored the cottage-style Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse.

And climbed trees. The kids did, that is.

Though this activity did not involve liquid face-plants, I still deemed it best to remain on solid ground.

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Pool

We started and ended each day playing in our house’s pool….

And hot tub.

(My niece Ashton’s darling girls.)

And reached for the sky.

(My toe has never looked better.)

The lowlight: When The Lord of the Gourds tossing me into the pool fully-clothed. My trespass? Mocking The Great Pumpkin, of course.

In my defense, who wouldn’t make fun of the GPC (Great Pumpkin Commonwealth)….

Stay tuned tomorrow for details on THE BEACH!

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, Jamie, travel Tagged With: Outer Banks

How my family literally looked into the eye of Hurricane Earl’s storm

September 6, 2010 by Amber

Poor eyesight. Baldness. Big feet. These are all things that can be passed down from generation-to-generation.

In my family, our inherited trait is bad luck.

And also the aforementioned misfortunes.

We come up a wee bit short in the gene pool.

I hail from an uproarious, fun-loving Canadian family but if anything bad can happen, it usually does. That said, what do you get when your entire Murphy’s Law clan congregates for the first time in 10 years in North Carolina’s famed Outer Banks?

Hurricane Earl, that’s what.

And I only wish I was joking.

Our week-long vacation actually started out smoothly. My generous mother rented a beach-side mansion that accommodated all 15 siblings and cousins in the Outer Banks’ Southern Shores.

For five glorious days, we splashed in our pool, built sand castles, chased the waves, explored quaint fishing villages, kite-boarded, stalked crabs at night and collected sea shells at dawn. It was as close to utopia as The Bad Luck Clan has ever come and I never wanted it to end.

Hurricane Earl had other ideas. CLICK TO READ ON

Filed Under: Family, Humor

Summer’s final scenes

August 24, 2010 by Amber

It was one of our most amazing summers on record and I’m still a few weeks behind on documenting it all. But our final 72 hours were some of our sweetest yet as we:

Unearthed lost treasures in Ralston Creek.

Almost touched heaven in the trees.

Discovered our very own living room in Chautauqua’s wilderness on our date night, complete with flagstone chairs.

Kicked back with my favorite person in the world.

Dined in style at Aji’s Latin American Restaurant on Boulder’s famed Pearl Street.

Ethereal and murky as these pictures may be, they represent what are only memories of our whirlwind summer. Life has returned to normal. Jamie is working. The kids are starting school. The mountain of laundry has gotten higher.

When I start to get overwhelmed by it all, I think of the memory card full of pictures with stories yet to share.

And I can’t wait for next summer.

Minor the part about the heat. 🙂

Filed Under: Family

Celebrating back-to-school “Me” day in Utah

August 22, 2010 by Amber

It may come as a shock to anyone who knows me but I really, really like to be alone.

I also like to socialize, as my third grade teacher divulged on my report card when she said I had “verbal diarrhea.”

Though I truly love exploring with my children, the toughest adjustment to motherhood for me was lack of alone time. When I was single, I frequently traveled, hiked, biked and played by myself.

Since having kids, alone time is practically non-existent, especially during the summer.

Today marks the beginning of what I call freedom.

Others call it back-to-school.

For three glorious hours a day, four days a week, I will have a sliver of time to work, play and recharge before delving into our wonderfully frenzied life all over again.

A few weeks ago, my children and I traveled in a snazzy (and sadly, loaner) Lincoln MKT to Utah to visit beloved Grandma and Grandpa who unceremoniously abandoned us to move to Utah.

Truly, I have gotten over my bitterness.

Over the course of 10 days, we we visited The Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point, which boasts the world’s largest display of mounted dinosaurs. We soared down the zipline, alpine coaster and slide at Park City Mountain Resort’s second-to-none base area, whisked above the treetops on the ferris wheel at Liberty Park, splashed at the family’s cabin at Scofield Reservoir State Park and hiked favorite haunts above Red Butte Gardens.

But admist the flurry of fun, I desperately longed for some alone time and my generous mother-in-law gave me just that when she offered to watch my kids.

Actually, I kinda begged her. Must have been my puppy-dog eyes and bulging I-need-a-break-NOW vein in my forehead.

The great thing about having a solo day on vacation is you are not tempted or guilted into staying home and tackling drugeries like cleaning.

Not that I ever do that anyway.

So, just how did I spent my glorious day?

*In-line skating the Bonneville Shoreline Trail up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls. When I lived in Utah, this was my Happy Place. It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out why.

*Driving the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway. This 20-mile drive winds through aspen groves and rugged alpine canyons of the Wasatch Mountains, passing Robert Redford’s famed resort, Sundance and the commanding 11,749-foot Mount Timpanogos.

*Buying darling clothes from Utah-based Down East Basics and inhaling a Pinata Colada Salad at Cafe Zupos. If either store were to grace Colorado with their presence, I would single-handedly keep them in business.

I finished off my day by visiting my friend Kristy who just had a darling baby girl. I stopped by Les Madeleines Patisserie and Café to buy us their signature indulgence: the Kouing-aman. This rich buttery pastry from Brittany is so addictive you’d swear it is “crack.”

Though it’s a heckuvalot more calories.

I like to think it’s this mama’s new version of bon bons.

Filed Under: Family, Family travel, Humor, travel, Utah

Liberty Park’s Fun in the Sun (but NOT Seven Canyons)

August 17, 2010 by Amber

I have a long history with Liberty Park.

When I first moved to Salt Lake City after college in the fall of 1997, this second-largest urban park was only a few blocks from my condo. I spent innumerable hours strolling the 80 acres of paths, gardens, and aviary and sitting by the pond.

In an attempt to impress a boy, I took up running there after a four-year sabbatical.

I nearly passed out after jogging only a few hundred feet.

I didn’t say all my memories were good.

But last week, Haddie, Bode and I built some fantastic ones as we had a picnic with Jamie’s mom, sister Tammy and my edible twin nieces.

See? I told you: YUMMY.

We drove our stylin’ Lincoln MKT and grabbed a pina colada salad, Hawaiian BBQ chicken panini and mango-berry salad from new-to-me Cafe Zupas while the kids ate homemade peanut butter sandwiches.

I couldn’t waste such gastronome grandeur on their wavering taste buds.

Liberty Park has a few different play areas and we started with the all-access playground and splash park that was perfect for a warm summer day. The kids raced through the water, climbed the tree house, sifted through the sand, danced to the musical instruments and played on the playground.

Next, we hit the small amusement park and the kids begged me to ride The Wheel of Death. Here’s a secret confession: I’d rather ride a thousand suicidal roller-coasters before I’d enjoy doing a Ferris wheel. But see those darling faces?

Most days I have no problem saying “no.” That day was the exception. And I’m so glad I relented because the ride on the weather Ferris wheel was exhilarating. The area was ensconced by trees whose leaves were almost close enough to touch as we swooped forward, causing the kids to grab and squeal with glee.

As a total bonus, I didn’t even throw up.

But our most highly anticipated Liberty Park activity was Seven Canyons. I’ve been to plenty of water parks but this one is different. Patterned after the valley’s seven canyons, this feature has seven man-man streams flowing around secret nooks, trees, stairs and rocks.

I had heard it was closed for the season due to an oil spill but was delighted to discover the sign that claimed it would be opening at 3 p.m. that day. And so we grabbed some snow cones and waited.

And waited some more.

When 3 p.m. rolled around, there was Nada. An inquisitive mom went to the concession stand to ask and as it turns out, Seven Canyons was closed due to some destructive lightning.

Struck by a bolt of electricity around the exact time I would be there? What’re the odds that would happen to me?

On second thought, don’t answer that question.

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

A Day in the Life

August 7, 2010 by Amber

Candy-cane-colored water tower walking, rainbow marveling and cloud watching.

Ice cream eating, craft making and water fighting.

Just an average magical day at Grandma’s in Utah.

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Hadley

Pool, Beach and Food: The Three Essentials to Any Tropical Vacation

August 4, 2010 by Amber

We interrupt The Great Pumpkin updates and my foray into national television to return to our regularly-scheduled posts on my mother-daughter trip to Puerto Rico with Hadley. Tuning in late to the party? Read Almost Reaching Perfection at the San Juan Marriott followed by Puerto Rico: Food, Moms & Fun (did I mention the food?)

The beach, pool and local fare are the focal points of any tropical vacation and the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino does not disappoint. We checked into the hotel at night in a downpour. When my daughter Hadley woke up the next morning, she was ecstatic to discover our hotel room overlooked Condado Beach.

“I thought it was just a big, open field last night!” She squealed.

“We’re not in Kansas anymore, my dear! “I proudly retorted.

Never mind that we never actually were.

The Pool

Our itinerary allotted two blocks of time to explore the beach and pool. On the first day, San Juan was wrapped in a seamless blanket of moisture. On the second day, it was hot and humid.

This woosy Canuck will take the rain any day.

I was admittedly a bit worried to go to the pool first. A few years ago, my family went to Mexico and my kids never wanted to venture out to the beach because of the pool. Sure enough, Hadley immediately fell in love with the Marriott’s waterslide in the Main Pool and the fountains in the Kids Pool (with water depths ranging from 1 1/4-3′).

I fell in love with the Pina Colada Smoothies at the swim-up bar.

We all have our priorities.

I struck up a conversation with a mom who grew up in Puerto Rico and now lives in Florida. She brings her kids back every summer but always stays at the Marriott even before going to see their grandparents because the kids love the pool and activities.

You know it’s good when Grandma plays second-fiddle.

The activities to which she referred are housed in the towel hut by the pool. Guests can check out fun games that include a Giant Connect Four, Frisbee, Giant Tick Tack Toe, Giant Dominoes, Bowling for Kids, Beach Volleyball and numerous board games.

There is also a different activity schedule posted poolside each day for adults and kids that include Arts and Crafts on Saturday & Sundays, Cookie decorating, Bingo, Yoga lessons, Zumba, Beach volleyball, Limbo for the Kids, face painting and more.

Beach

Much to my delight, Hadley loved Codondo Beach as well. Protected by a natural rock barrier, the beach is modest and undercrowded.
(Photo courtesy of Have Baby Will Travel because, if you will recall, my camera got unceremoniously dumped in the ocean)

Haddie and I built lumps of sand we passed off as sand castles, drank a gallon of salt water as we catapulted over the swells and munched on crunchy coconut ice cream intermixed with sand, sunshine and happiness.

Food

I fell in love with Puerto Rican food. These tropical masterpieces’ roots are infused in cooking traditions from Spain, Africa, Amerindian Taínos and heaven.

Trust me on that latter locale.

Raices

I have been obsessed with plantains since I discovered them on my honeymoon and Raices restaurant offered satiation at its best. The lively atmosphere is a bit touristy but they do a great job incorporating local customs with the colorful decor and staff uniforms.

Our appetizer plate, Boricula Festival, gave a great sampling of indulges that include cassava and cheese fritters, fried corn stick, fried cassava stick and plantains.

Mofongo is Puerto Rico’s signature dish and is a must-try for first-time visitors. Served on a bed of mashed plantains you have a choice of succulent beef, chicken or seafood. Raices’ version was the best I ever had.

OK, it was the only one I’ve ever had.

But I just can’t imagine how it could get much better.

Jam

Another must-visit restaurant is Jam. When my daughter and I walked into this ultra-cool and modern eatery, I immediately identified everything she could destroy in the room. It’s tough to say who was more delighted to discover the kid room tucked away at the back of the restaurant with toys and movies.

The extensive children’s menu included a number of drink selections (“Kid Tails”) dedicated to the younger set. Haddie sipped a Chocotini (chocolate and white milk with spiraled syrup in a martini glass) and dined on grilled churrasco strips with crispy tostones (fried plantains).

The moms sampled a number of different dishes, my favorite being a veritable cup of heaven: white bean soup with truffle oil. Pineapple Buanelos rolled in sweet coconut with Puerto Rican rum sauce topped off the gastronome evening.

Ristorante Tuscany

Ristorante Tuscany is the San Juan Marriott’s formal dining enclave and boasts a specially designed menu of Northern Italian cuisine fused with Latino culture. It was a perfect send-off for our farewell dinner.

Photo credit: Travel Mamas. Pictured: Corinne from Have Baby Will Travel, Colleen from Travel Mamas, Kara of Diamond PR, Debbie of Delicious Baby, me and Julian, the raw-meat-eating man child (see sordid details below).

The Marriott does not offer on-site kids clubs except during the holidays so attentive, nurturing and fun Nanny on Call PR was brought in to throw the kids a Pizza Party in an adjacent room.

While the kids played games, watched movies and had their hair French braided, the moms dined on dishes such as Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with Fiocchi Pasta, Fettucine Michelangelo and Grilled Filet Mignon with Barolo sauce.

Julian, the San Juan Marriott’s Director of Marketing, delighted us with tales of the Marriott dynasty and his Australian upbringing. He divulged that as a young child, his mother often served him raw strips of beef for snacks.

Good thing Puerto Rico is much more civilized.

Be sure to check-out my favorite moment of the entire trip!

Filed Under: Family, Family travel, Hadley Tagged With: Puerto Rico