Relief Society Spotlight

March 8, 2016 by
I’m in the throes of launching a summer camp directory for Mile High Mamas and will be appearing on 9News this week to talk about everything. Translation: I have zero time to blog!
Something I appreciated about our Leap Day Time Capsules we opened last week was reading the questionnaires we filled out–we’ve certainly come a long way! A member of our ward’s Relief Society Presidency recently interviewed me for the monthly spotlight so I thought I’d post….and compare my answers 50 years from now. Something tells me that I lot will have changed.
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1. What is your full name? Amber DeEtte Johnson. I was told my middle name was French until I served in France and no one had ever heard of it.
Nickname. Not many nicknames now but growing up, I was known as “Animal” from The Muppets. A real stretch, I know.
2. Where were you born?  I was born and raised in Calgary, Canada.
3. What is your birth date? February, 1857.
4. How many brothers and sisters do you have and where do you fit in youngest to oldest? I have an older brother who is four years older than me and a brother five years my junior. I learned the survival of the fittest from an early age.
5. A memory of a favorite birthday or what is your idea of a great birthday? I have a lot of great birthdays because it usually falls over President’s Day weekend. My favorite birthday was on our honeymoon in Costa Rica but a close second was my 40th birthday where a bunch of families came to skate Evergreen Lake with me.
6. If you have children, how many?  What are their ages? I have two kids: Hadley (age 11), Bode (age 9) and a very fat cat.
7. What are some of the different places you have lived?  Your favorite places?  Why (or have visited
 My parents still live in my childhood home in Calgary so it’s wonderfully nostalgic. In addition to Canada, I’ve lived in Idaho, Utah, a mission in Switzerland and France, a study abroad in the Middle East and I’ve traveled all over. My favorite place on earth is Waterton Lakes National Park–right near the Canadian border across from Glacier National Park. It’s pure magic.
8.  Favorite Food? (or restaurant or type of food) Country Road Cafe in Kittredge, just outside of Evergreen, Colo. Trust me: it’s the best breakfast in Colorado and we take all of our friends.
9.  A favorite family activity. Our family loves to travel and be outdoors with skiing, hiking and biking as especial favorites.
10.  When I was young, I use to imagine myself as…a world traveler. I haven’t done too much of that since having kids but once they become teenagers, we hope to travel more abroad. And then serve a mission later with Jamie.
11. What is an accomplishment you are proud of? I was Microsoft’s accredited blogger for the 2010 Vancouver Games. I’m so grateful to the many people who voted me there!
12. What extra-curricular activities have you been involved in?  Younger years and/or currently.
Sports were always a huge part of my life. Growing up, that meant team sports and I was really competitive in volleyball and soccer. My dad raised us to love the outdoors and that has always been a huge part of my life.
13. If you had the opportunity to travel anywhere, where would you go? Why?
Nepal. I’m green with envy at the Rolfsons for their frequent trips! I don’t have any Everest aspirations (though base camp would be cool) but it’s been a dream to do a multi-day trip backpacking to the Buddhist Monasteries while learning the Tibetan Tradition. I find the whole region fascinating…but getting there is so expensive!
14. If you could have one wish, what would it be?  A genie with more wishes? My dreams are usually for health and a happy, Christ-centered home.
16. Where do you work? Or where have you worked? How long? I’ve worked in pretty much every form of media you can imagine. For years, I was a travel writer and publicist in Salt Lake City. Since moving to Colorado, I’ve done everything from write a column for the Denver Post to local news appearance. My longest-standing is running MileHighMamas, a great resource for Colorado moms. I’m grateful to be able to work from home.
17.  What are your hobbies/interests (hobbies, crafts, reading, sewing, cooking, singing, etc.),
Most of my hobbies center around the outdoors with my biggest passion as hiking. I love to read (but don’t do it nearly enough since having kids), play the piano and write.
18.  Something you must do in your lifetime?
Move to the mountains!
19. Share something about you that no one would know.
When I was in high school, I was a movie extra for a Japanese blockbuster that was filmed in the Canadian Rockies. It was likely my first–and last–role as a Samurai Warrior.
20.  Who is your favorite Latter-day Prophet and why? I love President Benson. I read his book The Book of Mormon–The Keystone of Our Religion when I was in high school and that was the beginning of my testimony of this great book.
21.  What three words best describe you anything else? Outgoing, Fun-loving. Not quiet.
Filed Under: Humor

Our Time Capsule’s Slice of Life

March 1, 2016 by

I realized something this week: my blog is like a time capsule unto itself that captures so many wonderful memories through the years. What was I doing 9 years ago? I just clicked on my blog’s archives and found this gem when I was already lamenting the kids were growing up too fast during one of our most memorable hikes ever. If I was worried about their fleeting childhood then, how much worse is it now? And four years from now?

On Leap Day 2012, we pulled together a Time Capsule to be opened Leap Day 2016. And then I stashed it away and promptly forgot about it.  Thank goodness I purged our entire house in January and stumbled upon it. The kids have been waiting with great anticipation to see what was worthy of being stashed away for four years, practically a lifetime for them! It’s sobering to think when we open our next time capsule, Hadley will be turning 16 and almost driving and dating while Bode will be a cute pimply-faced 13-year-old. 

Our Time Capsule did not disappoint. It was a mix of mementos, fond memories, a glimpse of how much had changed (the kids) and what had barely changed at all (the parents).

A few gems:

Hadley was turning 7 while Bode was 5. There were beautiful drawings by Hadley and not-so beautiful scribbles by Bode:

There are a shot of our wonderful home.

Bode was a cute kindergartner (featured with his long-term sub Mrs. Cannon) and Hadley was soon turning 8 and had been invited to her first event for the Activity Day Girls at church. Attached in a scroll was this Princess Manifesto I’d been commissioned to write for the occasion.

We had just learned Hadley had been admitted to our Waldorf school the following year and we were filled with excitement. Too bad it didn’t last!

 

Our questionnaires were the most revealing.

Hadley loved Timbits, friends were Alex (current bestie) and Jaida, her favorite subject was art, she loved to swim, she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up and she was most looking forward to getting baptized. It was particularly fun to read her response to what she thought she’d be doing in four years. She wrote “getting ready to be in Young Women’s,” which is exactly what is happening! (When kids turn 12 in our church, it’s a big rite-of-passage as they leave the children’s organization and move to our awesome youth program).

Bode loved peanut butter, his friends were Nicky (current bestie), Sean, Tim and Andy. His favorite subject was computer lab and he loved to play soccer and Kirby on the Wii. He was most excited to go to Canada that summer, had no idea what he’d be doing in four years but one thing was for sure: he knew he wanted to be the ice cream man when he grew up. Jamie is still lamenting the shift in career ambitions.

Jamie and I basically haven’t changed at all in our interests and friends as Stacey, Jenn, Eva and Lisa remain my dearest today.For favorite foods I listed mangoes and avocados, both of which I had for lunch that day. The biggest shift was that I had just celebrated my 40th birthday at Evergreen Lake with oodles of friends and my first column had been printed in The Denver Post. Ahhhh, those were the glory years!

Jamie. Of course, pumpkins were a big theme even though he has not attained his goal of a state record. The good news: He predicted he’d be on life support in four years and we’re clearly not there. Though we’re a few weeks removed from his snowmobiling accident and he’s still limping around like he has one foot in the grave.

Some things never change. Bur I can’t wait to see what is revealed four years from now.

 

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Hadley, Humor

Your Happily Ever After: A Message for Young Women

March 1, 2016 by

Four years ago, my friend Wendy asked me to write a story to be distributed at a Happily Ever After-themed event for all the Activity Day girls (ages 8-11) in our stake. She wanted it to feature four princesses (Princess Hope, Princess Faith, Princess Grace and Princess Charity) whose father, the King, sends them on a journey through the land. The story was to be about what they encountered and learned on their journey back to him, a parallel of our journey from the pre-mortal life, to earth and then back to our Father in Heaven. (A bit more about the Plan of Salvation here if you’re not familiar).

Obviously, this isn’t like my regular blog posts but we rediscovered this gem when we opened our 2012 Leap Day Time Capsule and I thought it was long overdue to share, the perfect message for little girls and young women trying to navigate this crazy world of ours.

Your Happily Ever After: A Message for Young Women
by Amber Johnson

Chapter One: Once Upon a Time

By Amber Johnson

Once upon a time, there were four beautiful princesses: Princes Faith, Princess Grace, Princess Hope and Princess Charity.

They lived in a kingdom of light. There was laughter. There was happiness.  But even in this beautiful kingdom, they always felt like something was missing.

One day, their father, the King, assembled them together.

“Because I love you, I am going to send you on a journey far away. This kingdom will be much different than our own. You will have many amazing adventures but beware, you will encounter difficult times during your journey that will help you truly learn what it means to become a princess….

The princesses were overjoyed to go to a new land, to meet new creatures and have new adventures.

“But how will we find our way back to you, Father?” they asked the king.

He replied, “I will send each of you with a map. But this is not like any map. This magical map is a part of me. As you listen and follow its directions, it will lead you home where you will live with your sisters and me, forever.”

Chapter Two: The Journey to an Unknown Land

The four sisters tearfully yet joyfully said good-bye to those they loved in the kingdom and to each other.  They then went their separate ways.

At first, the map was the most important part in their journey but as time went on and they became more familiar with this strange land, some of the sisters looked at the map less and less.

And before they knew it, many of them did not know how to find each other or return home to their Father, the King.

After wandering for many years, Princess Faith grew more and more lonely. One day, she encountered a strange creature on the roadside. Its mouth breathed fire, its eyes shone like diamonds, and it stood as tall as two buildings.

“Are you lost, little girl?”

Not wanting to admit to the dragon she had indeed lost her way, she defiantly declared, “I am not” and tried to race past him.

“Where do you think you are going? You are NOTHING, Little Girl!” the dragon roared.

As Faith became more fearful than she had ever been, she remembered. She was not “a little girl.” She was not “nothing.” She was a princess, the daughter of the most powerful, loving King in the universe.

Her fear turned to faith. “I am a princess who is on a journey to return to my father, the King,” she shouted. And then, for the first time in a long time, she looked at the map.

And Princess Faith remembered her Father’s words: “You alone have special talents, Faith. You are able to hope and have faith in things others cannot see.”

And her faith returned that if she stayed close to the map, she would return to live with her Father, the King.

***

Princess Hope had always relied on her sisters for everything she needed in the Kingdom. Now that she was on her own, she didn’t think she could survive in a strange land. She consulted the map regularly. Some days, she felt it gave her the guidance she needed, other days she felt discouraged and didn’t want to look at it at all.

Was she really worthy of the map’s guidance? Surely, her older, stronger, more righteous sisters were doing so much better than she was.

Everywhere Hope looked around her in this strange land, she found promises of happiness.  Television commercials promised total bliss if she would only buy certain clothing. When she watched movies, girls looked like they were the best of friends, even though they were saying mean things about each other behind their backs.

In a world where evil is portrayed as good and good as evil, Hope thought it was difficult to know the truth.

Despite her confusion and discouragement, a little voice inside of her told her to never give up on that map. Her persistence paid off for one day, the map gave her this answer: “Your beloved King seeks for your good and your happiness. But you will not find lasting happiness in the things of this new world.”

Then her Father’s words pierced her heart, “Princess Hope. Your name has a very special meaning. ‘Hope’ means longing…and wanting and never giving up on the promised blessings of eternal life through your faith in Jesus Christ.”

And Princess Hope never, ever forgot it.

***

When Princess Grace arrived at this strange land, she was very popular and made many friends immediately. There was always a party and always fun on the horizon. She consulted the map from time-and-time and felt like she was living a good life.

Until some of her friends noticed.

“Do you really think that is a magical map?” they teased. “Don’t you know there’s no such thing?”

And with time, Princess Grace believed them until one day, a strange, small woman—so unlike the beautiful people Grace had grown to know—arrived in her village.

“I hear you have a magical map,” she inquired of Princess Grace.

“I have a map,” Grace replied. “But it is not magical.”

“Then what is your price?” asked the old woman.

Reluctant to part with the map, Grace replied, “It’s not for sale.”

And as she said that, Grace remembered her Father’s words. Grace is the help or strength we are given through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Through His grace, the Lord also enables those who live His gospel to repent and be forgiven.

Grace burst into tears as she realized she had thrown this gift, this map, without price to the wolves. She repented and from that moment on, she only stayed with friends who believed in the map’s magic as she did.

****

Princess Charity traveled a much different path than her sisters. She never went even one day without looking at her map. And even though she became lost, made mistakes, encountered creatures in the woods and at times, wondered if she would ever find her way home, she never forgot her Father’s parting words to her.

“My dear Charity. Your name means the pure love of Christ. This is the love that your brother has and is the highest, noblest and strongest kind of love.”

And she lived every day, striving to become one step closer to her Father.

Chapter 3: Happily Ever After

After many years, the princesses were summoned to return home by their Father, the King.

The reunion was joyous. They were hugs and many tears as these dear sisters celebrated being together once again.

And then their father stood to speak.

“My dear daughters,” this father—their Heavenly Father said. “Many years ago, I sent you on a journey. Though it was difficult for me to see you go, I knew this journey to the strange land was the only way you could grow to become the true princesses I’ve always known you could become.”

As the sisters looked at each other, they noticed for the first time how each had changed. Their eyes were wiser, their confidence stronger and most importantly, they no longer felt like something was missing from their lives.

Their Father continued. “But I did not send you on this journey alone. This map was a representation of the Holy Ghost, prayer, the scriptures and your Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. It was a guide for you in this new world. Some of you relied on it every day. Others of you did not.”

And then their Father paused, finding the words.

“But my dear daughters, I am overjoyed that though your journeys and challengers were so different, that each of you remembered the special gifts that only you possess.  And it was those talents, along with the map, that helped you return to live eternally with me. You are now true princesses.”

Like Princess Faith, Princess Grace, Princess Hope and Princess Charity, you are the daughter of a King. And this Father has given each of you special talents and a map to help guide you home.

Always remember that if you stay true and close to your Father in Heaven that someday you will live your Happily Ever After with Him.

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Wendy’s official invitation for the event. I was the “Special Presentation” at the end when I read this story.

Filed Under: LDS

Finally, a weekend breather

February 29, 2016 by

With three back-to-back weekends of travel and Jamie’s family visiting for a week during it all, I was ready for our crazed February schedule to calm down. I had some pretty daunting deadlines and the big ones were met: namely cranking out my article for The Broadmoor Magazine (details on my amazing birthday trip forthcoming).

It felt so wonderful to be in Denver last weekend and to actually have some semblance of a normal life (though the kids would somewhat disagree because some of that normalcy was dedicated unto cleaning the garage). I also attended an uplifting stake women’s conference at church, Jamie helped someone move, the boys went out to eat and watched BYU basketball while Hadley and I had a girl’s night to see Les Miserables performed at the local high school. Several kids from church were a part of it including Hadley’s bestie Alex and my hiking friend Dawn’s son was mind-blowingly good as Javert. In fact, the singing was so unbelievable I had to keep reminding myself it wasn’t a professional production. Go, high schoolers!

Both of the kids had sleepovers on Friday–Hadley’s friend Kasey came to us while Bode was at his buddy Nicky’s house–but they ended up at our elementary school’s annual 6th graders vs. teachers basketball game. I had no idea this was the social event of the season with not only basketball but a flash mob of “The Whip.” The girls made Go Students/Anti-Teacher signs to distribute at the game and I loved watching my kids ditch me (image that) to bond with their friends.

(Bode with his besties Kyler, Vinnie, Nicky, Mathias, Jacob, Andy, Angelo, Brody. Hadley and Kasey left to sit with their sixth grade friends after handing out the signs).

I seriously get teary-eyed when I think of the wonderful group of friends they have and how much they adore each other. For the first time, I deeply appreciated how blessed we are to have such an amazing community at our elementary school. Sometimes I get sad about them growing up too fast but I sure caught a glimpse of fun things to come as teens.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley

Sew Wrong

February 23, 2016 by

Hadley has taken an interest in sewing and asked to bring my sewing machine out of the catacombs. I warned her “that’s fine but you’re on your own,” which is a subtle way of saying I don’t even remember how to thread that thing.

Fortunately, there is a glorious thing called YouTube for tutorials. And her friend Alex who stayed with us a couple of nights while her parents were in Mexico and the girls cranked out this cute skirt our of an old bed skirt.

It’s not that my mom and grandma didn’t try to develop my domestic prowess. When most kids are getting sent to their rooms for bad behavior, this tomboy was sent to the kitchen. Suffice it to say, I spent most of my childhood there. Sewing is out of the question. A wave of nausea still comes over me whenever I get within 20 feet of a fabric store.

The last time I had that sewing machine out was when Hadley was a baby and my friend Sue came for a visit. I knew I had to solicit her help. She has been sewing for more than 20 years and actually enjoys it. Imagine that! One of the few things that helped Haddie jump from 2 hours to a whopping 4-hour stretch of sleep was this little miracle blanket called a sleep sack. A friend gave it to me when Haddie was six months old and it did wonders. The only problem is no one sells this little fleece sleeping bag and Haddie already established there waw NO WAY she is giving up her blankie for some new kid who’s going to draw Grandma’s attentions away from her.

Enter, Sue. I innocently brought up the subject shortly after her arrival and she looked at me suspiciously, “You don’t want me to sew it, do you?” “Ohhhhh no!” I generously told her I just needed “guidance.” Yeah, right.

And so I brought the sewing machine out of the catacombs and plugged it in. And then she warily watched me as I searched for the power button. When I finally located it after about five minutes, I did a victory dance. It was then that she knew just how bad off we were. And how long the process would inevitably take with my pedal to the metal so she reluctantly volunteered. Victory!

But then came regret. That’s all it took? Displaying my utter and complete incompetence upfront?

If only I’d figured out this strategy years ago; it would’ve saved me countless hours of futile Domestic-Diva-in-Training sessions.

 

Filed Under: Humor

Potty Training, Jesus and Bathroom Habits

February 17, 2016 by

When we were potty training Hadley there were very few topics that were off-limits at our house. One of her favorite subjects was the potty. Or more specifically, everyone else’s bathroom habits.

H: “Grandma–poopy?”
Me: “Yes, Hadley.”
H: “Uncle Chris–poopy?”
Me: “Yes, Hadley.” And I then explain how they go in the big-boy and big-girl potty.

She was particularly fascinated by Jamie’s bathroom habits, primarily because he didn’t allow her in the bathroom while he did his business; he said he didn’t want to “confuse her.” Personally, I don’t think it’s fair that I was expected to share audience with her while he was able to blissfully lock himself up and pee in peace. There is something very unsettling about having a toddler observe and imitate your every move during your most ….errr..vulnerable moments.

On a related subject (and believe me, this does relate), one of my favorite stories in scripture is when Jesus lovingly washed the feet of his apostles during The Last Supper. This passage has so resonated with me over the years that when I did a study abroad in Jerusalem and spotted a beautiful olive-wood carving of this scene, I promptly bought it. I keep this little statue in our den and have treasured it over the years.

Hadley and I were playing in the den when she looked up the carving and delightfully exclaimed, “Jesus!” I was pleasantly surprised she recognized him from the rendering because I had never before pointed it out to her. Just as I was about ready to expound upon the doctrines of the passage befitting to a 2-year-old, Haddie said it all:

“Jesus–POOPING!”

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to view that statue in the same light again.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Pacified

February 16, 2016 by

Call it what you want. Binky. Pacifer. Paci. Soother. I call it a little cut of hell.

Sure, I loved Hadley’s pacifier when it quelled her cries but it was so traumatic breaking her of her habit that I wouldn’t let a binky go anywhere near Bode’s mouth when he was born.

And it was a 12-step program to make her quit.

Day 1: Jamie did the “snip-snip.” No, this is not in reference to the procedure he underwent when our child-bearing years passed. But rather, he snipped the end off of Binky. We then left it out in an obvious place and waited with baited breath as she approached. Predictably, she jumped right on it, as she often does when she makes a non-sleepytime Binky discovery. But after a few sucks, she took it out to observe, and then tried to put it in her mouth in a few different positions (sideways, backwards, etc.) She then made the proclamation “Broke” and threw it on the ground. We thought that was the end of it. We were wrong.

When it came nap-time, that is where the true levels of her addiction were revealed. Not only did she lay hysterically in my arms for almost two hours, she was just like a heroin addict going into withdrawals. Her entire body shaking, she screeched, “Binky, binky, binky” over and over again. It took everything that was in me to not give in as I kept picturing them mocking her at her High School Graduation ceremonies if she was still sucking on that thing.

Day 2: Nightmarish Nap-time Part II. Haddie makes her first suicide attempt. I put her in her crib after a half hour of snuggles and comforting her, with the resolve to let her cry it out. This seemed to be working. Until I heard the loud BAM! in the next room. I rushed in there and yep, she had launched out of her crib for the first time with a big ol’ goose egg to show for it. She claimed in no uncertain terms that life was not worth living if she couldn’t have Binky. There were no naps that day, either.

Day 3: Same pattern: snuggles, cry it out (with the prayer she would not launch out of her crib), only this time she went to sleep. Well, for only 15 minutes mind you. She started crying and though I was tempted to let her fuss it out, maternal instinct took over and I went in. She was covered from head-to-toe in her own vomit. Possibly part of the withdrawal program as she puked up 18 month’s worth of plastic inhalation? I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening cleaning up her incessant puke and diarrhea fest. Seven loads of laundry later, I passed out at the end of the night.

Day 4: Grandma Day. THANKFULLY. I was a nervous wreck and after going for a hike (a.k.a. Pregnant Lady Waddle) to relieve my stress, I spent the afternoon sleeping.

Day 5: Went down with little fuss and only asked for Binky periodically throughout the day.

Day 6: Finally only spoke fondly of Binky, like he was a dear, dear friend from her distant past.

A friend once shared the story of taking the paci away from her toddler. After a week, I asked her how it was going? “Bad,” she moaned. Two weeks later: “Worse,” she commiserated. By three weeks of crying and sleepless nights, she gave the pacifier back but with one caveat: she tied it on a string to the crib so her daughter could only use it to self-sooth during naptime.

At least that was the intention until she spotted her daughter sneaking in and out of her bedroom all day long so she followed her in. And watched. She went straight for the binky, took a few urgent, frenzied sucks and then walked away after she got her “hit.”

That, my friends is addiction.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Lucky #13

February 15, 2016 by

I was super competitive in sports growing up. I still remember crowding together with my teammates from Mr. Bortelin’s soccer team and grabbing jerseys with our very own number for the first time. The most popular went first: #1, #7 and before long, only a few numbers remained, including #13. I promptly snatched it up.

“Don’t wear #13,” one of my friends chastened me. “That’s an unlucky number.”

Never one to shy away from a challenge, I retorted, “Then I’ll be unlucky for the other team.”

And #13 stayed with me throughout my entire sporting career. Bonus: I never had to fight anyone for my number.

Today marks 13 years with this guy and I’m so grateful to be lucky in love.

Happy anniversary, Babe!

Filed Under: Jamie

Winter Adventures in Glenwood Springs, Colorado

February 9, 2016 by

One of my family’s goals is to ski all 25 of Colorado’s mountain resorts. We only have a handful left that include several of our state’s smaller ski areas which are perfect for families.

Last weekend, we played in Glenwood Springs, about three hours from Denver. I’ve been a longtime fan of this area in the summer–from incredible hiking to the World’s largest natural hot springs to Glenwood Caverns, an adventure park on top of a mountain with cave tours, thrill rides, alpine coasters, laser tag and much more.

Mile High Mamas has frequently touted Sunlight Mountain Resorts’ Ski, Swim and Stay package as Colorado’s most affordable family ski vacation (normal rates start at just $99 and kids 12 and under ski free). However, it wasn’t until last weekend that we could finally personally endorse this staycation.

Read my full article here at Mile High Mamas!

Two days before our trip, I was contacted by the resort’s PR rep Troy who asked if a camera crew could follow us around for a couple of days. They had been hired by Colorado Ski Country USA to capture family adventures at many of their resorts. Since we’re not exactly media-shy, we were game and I was delighted to learn Heidi was one of the producers, a spunky gal I’d worked with at 9News. Her partner in crime was Juliana Broste, a talented freelance video journalist whose life I should have lived during my single days.

Having your very own camera crew is a double-edged sword. How cool is it that we’ll have this trip professionally documented? But that came with a lot of patience as we waited for them to setup the scene, grab the right equipment and, on the rare occasion, redo a shot.

Of course, that do-over was racing side-by-side on our snowmobiles across Baylor Park’s powder-perfect playground so it wasn’t all bad!

Great love hath no man than when your snowmobling guide Ty offered to warm up Hadley’s cold fingers in his armpits.

Read all about our adventures at Mile High Mamas but something I didn’t go into to much depth about was The Crash. We truly had the most epic snowmobiling adventure ever and were traveling single-file back to our cars on the groomed terrain. Jamie and Bode had fallen a bit behind the group (a rarity because usually he was leaving us in his dust) and there were a couple of tight turns that, had I not been behind the guide, might have landed me in the dunk as well. When you have three feet of powder right off the trail, a misstep is easy and that’s what happened to the boys as they didn’t make a sharp turn and slid down a small slope. Jamie didn’t have enough time to hit the “kill” button, Bode slammed into him (momentarily blacking out) while the snowmobile hit a tree off the trail, throwing Jamie from the machine.

Miraculously, Bode was unhurt, Jamie banged up his lip, jaw and knee and the snowmobile had been wedged at just the right angle to not cause any damage. (Read Jamie’s infamous one-liner about it at Mile High Mamas).

Getting it out was another matter.

We had two guides, A.J. and Tyler. I was near the front with A.J. and when he saw the boys and Ty weren’t behind us, he halted our group and raced back. Minutes ticked by as my apprehension grew. I knew something happened to the boys because it was only them and Ty at the rear of the pack. About 20 minutes later, A.J. rode back, telling us they had crashed, they were fine, but they needed help getting the snowmobile out and grabbed Troy. We were so relieved when they finally emerged.  It was such a bummer ending to the perfect snowmobiling day but our guides handled everything like pros.

The real downer was when Jamie couldn’t ski with us at Sunlight Mountain Resort the next day and instead spent it soaking in Glenwood Hot Springs and getting a massage at their Spa (so don’t feel too badly for him). The kids and I fell in love with this 680-acre resort (where they even skied their first double-black diamond!) The weather was perfect, our camera crew was a blast and the terrain was so fun.

First double-black diamond

Hadley had a GoPro attached to her chest while all of us got to experiment skiing with a selfie stick. Tip: don’t look at the camera, look at where you’re going. Seems like a no-brainer until you’re brainless on the slopes holding a camera in front of your face.

We had originally planned to hit Glenwood Caverns that evening but decided it would be in Jamie’s best interest to have another soak. This time, we headed over to Glenwood Springs’ newest hot spot Iron Mountain Hot Springs.  With 16 mineral hot springs pools of various temperatures and a freshwater family pool overlooking the Colorado River, we were in heaven as the town’s annual fireworks display was shot from nearby Two Rivers Park in conjunction with the Sunlight Mountain 2015 Ski Spree.

Put this particular weekend on your calendar to visit Glenwood Springs next year. I know we’ll be there.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, Jamie, skiing

Chicken in the Dominican Republic

February 5, 2016 by

Purging the house and my files has brought back so many wonderful memories. I was thrilled to find all my old columns when I was the Travel Editor at Sports Guide magazine, including the article I wrote on the Dominican Republic when I was invited on my very first “Media Familiarization Tour.” Basically, this is when publicists invite you to their destination, schmooze the heck out of ya and hope you do a good write-up on their venue. I know this process well because I did it both as a publicist (schmoozer) and as a journalist (schmoozee).

Welp this particular Fam Tour was hosted by the travel and tourism board of the Dominican Republic. Basically, there were about 10 of us on this adventure trek that took us all over the DR (read my story here). There was one other athletic journalist there who delved into the many activities with me but the rest were New Yorkers who didn’t have a clue. I was the youngest in the group and felt I was trying to set a credible reputation amongst all the other established journalists. Note: I said trying. Because it didn’t take me too long to fail.

We were traveling to the interior of the DR for a white-water rafting trip. The curvy mountain roads inspired much car sickness for the others so I sat alone on the back row of our van. Upon arriving at our destination, we ate lunch and then a few of us went back to the van to grab our swim suits. Because my gear was at the back of the van, I went first. I reached beneath my seat when something FLEW out, nearly attacking me. Instinct took over and in typical Amber fashion, I freaked out. And I mean freaked out by screaming, “It’s ALIVE!!!!!”

Now, I swear this is what I said. Witness accounts differ as they all attest I instead screached, “Run for your LIVES!” A miniscule difference in messaging, wouldn’t you agree? Regardless, I soon had the entire camp running from from some unforeseen beast that was going to devour us.

I should just end the story there and let you all think I was the hero and saved the day. But that would be a lie. When we crept back to the van, we found our van driver laughing hysterically, holding his pet chicken that he had stashed under my seat. Yes, a chicken. Unbelievable. I’m glad I didn’t speak Spanish because I figured out he wasn’t all too complimentary in his commentary.

So much for my “cred” among the other journalists. I’m just hoping that chicken we coincidentally had for dinner was in no way related….

Filed Under: Humor, travel
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