Glad I’m Not There

August 16, 2016 by

The only thing I dislike about our 3,000-mile road-trip to Canada is that Jamie isn’t with us. Due to our crazy summer selling the house and then moving, he hasn’t been able to take time off work (the boys of self-employment). Though we kept busy with family, we definitely missed him a lot.

Then I got what I thought was a sweet email from him after being gone 1.5 weeks entitled “wish you were here.”

Eagerly I opened it anticipated a sweet love note from my honey and I got this. 

I called to get the low-down and thankfully it wasn’t anything serious–the toilet overflowed into our storage room.

I lambasted Jamie. “You can’t send a picture with a title like that. I thought you were writing me a nice note.”

Him: “That’s the way I felt.”

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie

Sometimes you’re the cat, sometimes you’re the mouse

August 9, 2016 by

In the past, we had a problem with baby bunnies falling down our window well and as much as we hated to do it, we rescued and relocated them. I used to be a big fan of bunnies–heck, I adored my childhood pets Whiskers and Snowflake until my Aunt Sue’s dog had them for lunch. But in our neighborhood, the rabbits are pests who destroy our garden. Jamie has finally successfully blocked them out of our backyard so was surprised when he was downstairs on the phone and noticed movement in our window well. Big movement.

Shocked, he gazed upon Fat Kitty frantically pacing back and forth with a mouse in his mouth.  Being the nice man that he is, Jamie went outside and jumped down in the window well to save him but much to Fat Kitty’s dismay, he got rid of the mouse.

An open letter to The Fat One:

If you’re going to drop down into the window well in hot pursuit of a mouse, make sure you’re not too fat to jump out.

Filed Under: Humor Tagged With:

Colorado Friends: Be Sure to Tour the New LDS (Mormon) Temple

August 8, 2016 by

This entire summer has been a whirlwind and I haven’t told even a small portion of the story yet. But one of the reasons for all the delays has been that I was asked to help with the social media promotions for the new LDS (Mormon) temple that will be opening its doors very soon. As many of you know, temples are super sacred places for us and a new temple is opening in Fort Collins, which means for a limited time, the public is invited to tour the temple.

Fort Collins Temple

Below is the press release I posted at Mile High Mamas today:

Salt Lake City temple

Have you ever been intrigued to see inside an LDS (Mormon) temple?  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is preparing to open the doors of the new Fort Collins Colorado Temple to the public for an open house. The temple, which is the second Mormon temple in the Centennial State, is located at 2180 Majestic Drive, on the corner of Trilby Road and Timberline Road.

The general public is invited to tour the temple from Friday, August 19, through Saturday, September 10, 2016, except Sundays (August 21 and 28 and September 4). To make a free reservation for the open house, visit www.templeopenhouse.lds.org or call 1-855-537-2000. Tours will consist of a 10-minute video followed by a 40-minute walking tour through the temple.

Dedication and Cultural Celebration

Following the public open house, the temple will be formally dedicated on October 16. It will then be closed to the public. The dedication will be preceded by a cultural celebration featuring music and dance by local youth of the Church, to be held on the evening of Saturday, October 15, at the Hughes Stadium on the campus of Colorado State University. (It breaks my heart we won’t be here for this because Hadley would have LOVED to participate).

Background Information

Latter-day Saint temples differ from the chapels or meetinghouses where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ceremonies that unite families for eternity.

Will everyone need to have a ticket to participate in the Temple open house?

It is highly encouraged that everyone reserve a ticket on-line before they come. This will help the tours to go more smoothly and be a better experience for their guests. However, no one will be turned away. The tour is wheelchair accessible and all ages are welcome.

What will the tours be like?

The tour will start in the Trilby building with a short video and then guests will be escorted across the street to the temple where they will be taken on a guided tour. Time will not permit asking questions while in the temple. At the end of the tour, guests will end in an air conditioned hospitality tent where there will be displays and additional information about temples and visitors  can ask questions and take photos in front of a backdrop of the temple. There will also be a display of materials used in the building of the temple.

How long will the tour take?

The entire experience will be approximately 1 hour.

More information about the purpose of temples is available on www.mormonnewsroom.org.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

The skinny on all the fat around here

August 5, 2016 by

Welp, we’re in full-blown GO mode here. I have a few blog posts I’ve scheduled over the next few weeks but I won’t have a stitch of time for real-time updates until our move is final. Here are a few things coming down the pipe:

  • The kids and I are back from a great 2.5 weeks in Canada. Many, many updates to come at a later time. Or not. Maybe the rest of my life will be crazy.
  • Not so fun: 50 hours as the lone driver. Normally I leave B.C., overnight in Boise (about 12 hours) and then stay in Salt Lake City with my in-laws (4 hours away) for several days before returning to Denver (9 hours). Because of our move, I had to drive back from B.C., overnight in Bozeman and drive straight through to Denver. That was 24 hours of driving in two days. I wouldn’t recommend it. At all.
  • Normally I have several days to recover and don’t travel again for a few months. But we’re moving in less than 2 weeks so that is not an option. I have a sore throat and am wiped out. Not surprisingly.
  • Our house in Midway won’t be finished until late-September so we have to rent a couple of PODS to avoid loading everything in a moving van, unloading it into storage, reloading it again on our actual move date and unloading it. PODs are more expensive but are much more convenient.
  • We’re downsizing on our main level so are selling a lot of furniture: two sets of couches and both of our dining room sets. Dear Craiglist purchasers: please buy pronto!
  • Fat Kitty will inevitably be traumatized because he hates the car. We bought him a huge crate and this week, Jamie brought it upstairs, put his blanket in it and Fat Kitty loves napping there. Jamie has been christened The Cat Whisperer.
  • Our awesome friends threw a going-away party at their pool for us this week and our neighbors are throwing us a bash next week. My heart physically hurts at the thought of leaving these people.
  • Our POD arrives Aug 13, we’ll do our big moving party on the evening of August 15, I am helping with the Fort Collins Temple Media Day on the 16th and then we official leave Colorado on the 17th.
  • We’ll stay with my in-laws for a few days in Salt Lake City while driving to Midway to finish up the last of the kids’ school registration, pick up their laptops, etc. Pretty cool that every child gets their own computer for the year!
  • The bad:  Hadley’s school starts at 7:40 a.m.; Bode’s doesn’t start until 9 a.m. and there is an hour difference at the end of the school day. This won’t be a big deal once we’re in our house and they can ride the bus but we’re staying a half-hour away so I’ll spend 3+ hours of my day chauffeuring them back and forth, not to mention after-school/church activities in town.
  • The good: In an ideal world, we would have been in our house by the time school started, which is what our builder originally projected. But everything has been delayed: the sale of our house, the permits for our new one so we are essentially homeless for 1.5 months. Of course, staying with my in-laws is an option but that is an hour drive. Enter: my Snowmama friend Kristen who is renting us her luxury 3-story townhome in Park City for a fraction of her nightly rate. It will still take about 30 minutes to drive to Hadley’s middle school but the timing of it all worked out perfectly and is an answer to prayers.
The only problem? The townhome is exponentially more luxurious than the house we’re building so it will be a letdown to move. But we’ll (gratefully) take it.
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Tween Scene

August 4, 2016 by

They call them “tweens” for a reason. Not quite kids, not quite adults and, at times, not quite human.

One thing Hadley has going for her: she’s not an overly emotional kid so while her friends are reduced to tears the drop of…well, anything, Hadley just chooses moodiness. And to be obstinate. Thankfully, it’s only sometimes and for the most part, she’s pretty darn fun and is really growing into a beautiful young woman.

As she packed for her first Young Women Girl’s Camp ever, she was testing out my new sleeping bag. It reminded me so much of when we tried to swaddle her as a baby. No matter how tight we made the blanket, that colicky baby of ours refused to be controlled and we’d always find her stubbornly sleeping with one little arm out that she had somehow finagled out of her straight jacket. Just call her Houdini.  I asked her to reenact that and this is all I got. 

Stubborn baby meets stubborn tween.

Sometimes she really surprises me. As we were leaving King Soopers, she stopped at the little horsey ride she did as a toddler and went for the ride of her life.

I didn’t bother to tell her I finally won by snapping that shot with just one arm in the air.

Filed Under: Hadley, Humor

The Broadmoor’s Bliss

August 3, 2016 by

I’ve long stated how much we love AAA Five-Diamond  The Broadmoor and I feel honored to write for the resort’s magazine. For every visit I make on-assignment, we are spoiled to receive another trip just for pleasure. For the fourth Memorial Day weekend in a row, we returned to what has become our favorite place in Colorado.

Saturday morning, Hadley and I woke up early to conquer the Manitou Incline. The holy grail of extreme trails, this beast climbs 2,000 feet in 1 mile and we joined the rank of Colorado crazies who have done it. And never will again.

The Pool

The rest of our Broadmoor vacation was full of rest, relaxation and lots and lots of eating. Their pool is a lesson in luxury with poolside service and we even rented a cabana one of the days.

A Taste of the Good Life

Our BFF Cabana Boy feeding our virgin Miami Vice addiction

May we just take a second to talk about this man of mine? After a few hours at the pool on Saturday, he wanted to go back to the room to rest. We only had one key between us and the kids wanted to stay and play so he needed to go to the front desk to get another. The problem: he was in his swimsuit and didn’t have his wallet so he came up with a brilliant plan. When he walked up to the front desk clerk, she predictably asked for identification.

“I don’t have any. I left it in the room.”

“I need some ID from you, Sir.”

“Do you have a copy of The Broadmoor Magazine? There is a picture of me with my name in it.”

Talk about name-dropping.

The clerk looked at him, startled. And ended up sending someone with him to open up the room where he then needed to prove his existence apart from magazine evidence. So much for his “don’t you know who I am?” approach.

The Gourmet Food

Jamie made us diet the week prior to The Broadmoor, which was particularly difficult because we had an endless stream of graduations parties and a reception with gooooood food. His reasoning? Lose a few pounds so we can gain back 10 at The Broadmoor.

We made sure to hit all our favorite haunts, starting with bowling at their upscale alley Play, stuffing our faces with milkshakes and retro Americana favorites. I even played passably well and bowled a couple of strikes while Jamie had a gutterball on almost every turn…and yet he still somehow pulled off a win in the 10th frame.

I’m not bitter.

A trip to The Broadmoor would not be complete without room service.

The Summit is our favorite restaurant at The Broadmoor and their crème brûlée is worthy of the very best belated birthday celebration.

But not to be surpassed: The Brunch with the most amazing spread of gourmet food I’ve ever seen, easily the best brunch in Colorado.

Following Colorado’s destructive floods a few years ago, The Broadmoor acquired the popular tourist destination Seven Falls and in typical 5-star fashion, restored it to to an even more glorious condition. There are seven beautiful falls that cascade 181 feet down a solid cliff of naturally-carved Pikes Peak granite. We climbed the steep stairs, relishing in the refreshing spray and views, followed by an indulgent dinner in their new Restaurant 1858 at the base.

So Long, Farewell

With all that eating, I needed to burn off some calories and energy. On Memorial Day before dawn, I set out for my traditional trek up North Cheyenne Cañon, easily my favorite hike in Colorado. I relished being completely alone in that special place that, in a few hours, would be overrun with outdoor enthusiasts. I thought the views along the lower trail could not be surpassed.

Until I climbed higher and higher.

I touched magic that day, just as we do every time we are privileged to stay at The Broadmoor.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel

7-Eleven Day at Play

July 28, 2016 by

One of the things I’ll miss the most about Colorado is our posse of friends. I love that when I get one of my hairbrained ideas, I can send an email out and my friends respond. In droves!

July 7 is the hallowed day when 7-Eleven offers free small Slurpees. The kids and I wanted to bike over to get one so why not make an event of it? I invited our peeps to come hang out and then play in Van Bibber Creek with us afterwards.

Best. Friends. Ever!
The girls look sweet but they were actually plotting a movie party at our house the next night. Sucker that I am, I obliged.


We introduced many of these friends to our secret spot in Van Bibber Open Space and I was surprised so few knew about it. In fact, my friend Amy rides through there a lot and didn’t even know there was a creek. I felt honored to pass the torch to the new generation.

Of course, a Van Bibber adventure isn’t the same without a Bike-off where we compete to see who can make it through the creek without falling off. Shockingly, everyone made it through multiple times without incident, even when I did a couple of runs as The Mom Representative.

Bode’s crossing

Kids being kids, they decided to up the degree of difficulty and had splashers on the sidelines.

 

But in the end, they were the ones who got sprayed the most…and none of us minded one bit.

Filed Under: biking, Bode, Colorado, outdoors

Our Summer Pool Party Tradition

July 27, 2016 by

Every summer since the kids were little, I have enrolled them in two weeks of swim lessons. About six years ago as I sat bored out of my mind watching other moms having a great time with their friends, an idea was borne: invite members of our ward to participate.

So the following summer, I sent an email to a bunch of ladies with kids of similar ages and I was pleased to get a great response. And every year, participation has exponentially increased and has become a beloved tradition. Following swim lessons, we also stay after for public swim where even more friends come join the fun.

This year, Bode was a “Shark” with his buddies Carson and Noah.

There were probably about 12 moms with over 30 kiddos in swim lessons for a veritable pool party every day. Here we are celebrating Averi’s birthday!

Yes, I am expecting kick-backs from the community pool and hope the tradition continues long after I’m gone.

Filed Under: Bode

My love affair with Evergreen, Colorado

July 25, 2016 by

The prospect of leaving Colorado physically hurts me sometimes. I’ve loved on this place hard and while there are still so many things on my bucket list, I have zero regrets that I’ve left any major stones unturned.

One of my favorite places in Colorado is Evergreen. Just 30 minutes from our house, this gorgeous mountain hamlet is tucked away in Colorado’s mountains.  Evergreen Lake was named one of the top ten most scenic places for ice skating in the world and is bordered by mountain parks with miles of trails.

Lo, do I know those trails. I’ve spent countless hours exploring them and have only one major item left to conquer, Bergen Peak, which I vowed to do when I picked up Hadley from Mount Evans Outdoor Lab. But my irascible knee was not cooperating with this 10-mile hike so I had to resort to something different; a trail I’d never hiked. I first called the chamber for advice, then the ranger’s station, then the open space and no one could help me. I finally found some luck when I talked to a woman from the Evergreen Recreation District. I described all the hikes I’ve done in the area –from the extensive network of trails at Alderfer/Three Sisters to Dedisse Mountain Park to Elk Meadow Park to Evergreen Lake.

She responded, “I have to tell you that you’ve done more exploring here than most of our locals.”

I’ll wear that observation like a badge of honor.

She recommended the Beaver Brook Watershed, a little-known trail that is part of a 20-mile wildlife corridor between Elk Meadow and Mount Evans. I was in!

Early that morning, I took my friend Amy biking along Ralston Creek Trail and then my friend Lisa and I drove up to Evergreen together. We were limited on time so only did the 1.8-mile round-trip hike to the reservoir but I was blown away by this gorgeous, easy hike dotted with aspens and a dense forest.

There’s nothing like saving [one of] the best for last.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, hiking

Busted: A visit with the cops

July 20, 2016 by

My brother Jade arrived with his boys late last night. We always look forward to their arrival with two exceptions: 1) We get booted from his dark, cool room in the basement for our stuffy. 2) Cousin Jaxson. Don’t get me wrong, we love cousin Jax but he’s a hilarious kid with a quirky, unfiltered personality and has about five things he’ll eat in this world.

My childhood bedroom is the loudest and stuffiest in the house so I heard them when they arrived around midnight.

Then, after a near sleepless night, I heard something that sounded suspiciously like the Wii next to my head. Sure enough, Cousin Jax (on East Coast Time) was up before the crack of dawn playing video games in the family room. So I did what any loving aunt would do: I gave him a hug and punched him in the face. 🙂

The good news of my early wake-up? I went on a killer bike ride.

Fish Creek

Upon my return the whole clan was awake so the kids went on rides in my parent’s golf cart. An hour later, the cops pulled up to our house.

Oh, hell.

I was the only adult in the near vicinity so I had to deal with it. I saw them walk up the door and waited. And waited. A false alarm?

And then the knock came.

“Ma’am?”

“Yes.”

“We’ve had a complaint from a neighbor about a certain golf cart being driven by two boys through the gully.”

“The Gully” Venue of my childhood and now, the cops

They didn’t bother to ask if we had a golf cart; the evidence was parked right in front or our house. The delay at the door was probably due to them checking the engine to see if it was warm.

Truth be told, the cops were really cool about it and said they wouldn’t even be there had the neighbor not called to complain. Talk about a killjoy ruining the kids’ summer fun!

My brother’s observation when I posted our experience on Facebook?

We have been in Canada for 9 hours mostly sleeping and we already brought the cops here for driving the golf kart recklessly.

The coincidence? Just two days ago, I posted this picture on Instagram on Bode’s birthday talking about him narrowly missing running into our car while driving with Grandpa.

Turns out he’ll be needing that Get Out of Jail Free Pass sooner than later.

Filed Under: Bode, Canada, Humor
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