Colorado Vacation 2017

It was a spectacular vacation with a kidtacular theme. Much like Disneyland, every minute of every day was geared toward our children's happiness.

Last week was one of those crazy times when everything seems to happen all at once. On top of the usual madness, there were doctor appointments, Valentine parties and science fair all happening in the same two days as I was packing for our trip. Our adventure began around 10am on Wednesday as soon as the last load of laundry was dried and packed.

First stop: Mountain Green, UT for lunch. TripAdvisor listed approximately 9 restaurants and Ray's Tavern ranked #1. The menu is almost exclusively hamburgers and we all ended up ordering the bacon cheeseburger with fresh cut fries. The burgers have 1/2-pound of meat--huge! I opted to split one between Katie and Isaac who traditionally only pick at their food anyways. 

Isaac polished off his half (1/4-pound) burger and asked for another. I could not believe it! We watched with amazement as he polished off the whole thing! It was fun to see him enjoying his meal so much and he said all of his vacation dreams had already been fulfilled in that burger--haha.

Brian had been frantically trying to wrap up some freelance work before we left but he wasn't finished and we were heading out of wifi service. So, we stopped at a rest area on the San Raphael Swell. That was my first time hanging out in that area of Utah and I have to say, it was a very pretty place to bide our time. The kids and I hiked around a little and enjoyed the view.

Another 45-minutes down the road, we rolled into Goblin Valley around 6pm. Five years ago, a friend stayed in a yurt there and I have wanted to try that ever since. I was so excited to get my chance. When I called to reserve our yurt, I was told that they strictly enforce a limit of five people per yurt. I couldn't believe it! There are two yurts, so I decided to reserve them both. When we arrived, we found that the yurts are pretty huge. They could easily sleep eight or even ten comfortably--in beds. And, compared to how cramped you are sleeping in a tent, they could sleep a lot more. The ranger didn't seem to care at all if we wanted to sleep six people in one yurt. Even paying double--totally worth it!

The yurts have beds for five, a table and chairs, hardwood floors, a/c (for summer), a pot belly gas stove for heat, a ceiling fan, a skylight for stargazing and windows to view the gorgeous scenery. Outside they have a wooden deck, more chairs, a gas grill, a picnic table and a fire pit. They are true luxury! There is a pit toilet right next door and a bathroom with flushing toilets and hot showers a short walk away. Absolutely beautiful location and lots of space for the kids to explore. 

The only thing I overlooked--kind of a big thing--is that the yurts do not include any bedding. Oh boy was that a shock when we first opened the door! We were two hours away from any stores. It was either make-do or head down the road until we found a hotel and of course we all wanted to stay.

The ranger kindly loaned us a hodgepodge of sheets left behind by previous campers plus we had three pillows and five blankets in the car. It certainly added to the "roughing it" side of the experience. Ian and Isaac slept in the extra yurt and in the morning told us their heat wasn't working. It got down to 45-degrees! They survived and we all agreed the yurts and Goblin Valley were a fun addition to our vacation.

The campground was practically vacant and the daytime high was in the mid-60s--perfection!

After we figured out the bedding solution, we ate cold cereal for dinner and by 7pm it was pitch black outside. We sat on the deck staring at the heavens and I do believe it was the most stars I have ever seen in the night sky. Pure magic. 

The next day we drove to the Valley of the Goblins to hike around for about 2-hours. I find it amazing that the kids are allowed to climb all over everything. The sky was so blue. I felt like we were exploring Mars. After a few hours though, I felt like we were trekking through a desert. So, we headed to the shady pavilion for a picnic lunch and got back on the road to the Merrill's house in Centennial, CO near Denver.

 Goblin Valley Yurt

 Stargazing

It is so much fun to stay with the Merrills who are gracious hosts. We were treated to a delicious home cooked meal before setting up our sleeping arrangements that included beds for all (a real luxury for our family of six!). We were pretty exhausted from our night in the yurt and went to bed after a short visit and entertainment from the family dog Cosmo.

In the morning, our family plus the Merrill family loaded up and drove to Colorado Springs for the next adventure -- The Great Wolf Lodge. We checked in at 1pm so we could squeeze every possible moment of fun out of our stay and headed straight for the giant indoor waterpark. For grown-ups, there are four huge race slides, a tube slide and a really fun slide for four-person rafts that twists outside the building and spins riders into a giant funnel. There is also a heart-pounding adrenaline slide that begins four stories up; you step inside a capsule, the attendant closes the door, and a trapdoor falls out from under your feet dropping you straight down. I was so nervous to go on it! But, it was really fun when I got enough courage. For kids, there is a massive playland with medium size slides, buckets of dumping water and all kinds of thrills plus another separate space for really young kids. There is also a wave pool (Katie and Isaac's favorite) and a pool with basketball hoops, a climbing wall, a lily pad challenge, etc. A really fun place to play!

Around 5pm, we ventured up to our room and discovered it to be a deluxe suite with a view of the rockies! One room had two queen beds for the kids plus there was a separate room with bed, table and TV for Brian and me. The two rooms were separated by a hallway with a bathroom and kitchenette. The Merrills were so clever and packed a nice dinner of breakfast burritos and fruit that they shared with us. We had a feast in our room and relaxed for a couple of hours before some of us headed back to the waterpark that stayed open until 9pm.

After a great night of sleep, it was back to the waterpark at 9am. We had to check out of our hotel room by 11am, but we were allowed to stay and play all day. I never dreamed we would literally stay all day, but those Merrills are pretty hardcore waterpark junkies so we got a good bang for our buck.

After eating PB&J poolside, Brian decided we would need a diversion to be able to truly make it through a 12-hour waterpark marathon. We drove to a nearby theater and watched the Lego Batman Movie. When we got back around dinnertime, Sophie and Ian decided they had had enough pool time, so Brian took Katie and Isaac back to the waterpark and I went exploring with my teens. We ended up at a really nice on-property restaurant where we ordered the cheapest things on the menu (a $15 hamburger and $8 soup). We enjoyed our fine dining experience and another really nice view of the rockies. There was a dance party in the lobby after dinner. Finally, around 8pm we were able to pry the others from the pool and drive back to the Merrill's, exhausted from all the fun, to begin our last night of sleep before vacation ended.

In the morning, we joined the Merrills for sacrament meeting and even got to see sweet 5-year-old Olivia give a talk in primary. The last time we visited, Olivia was a brand new baby just a few weeks old. A lot has changed in 5-years, I was thinking as I looked down our bench in church and saw four giant teenagers sitting in a row next to Can (two of them hers and two of them mine). Her 12-year-old Sarah has also had quite a growth spurt. Five of the nine kids between us are no longer little kids. Hard to believe, but true. In 5 more years, we will both have kids who are truly adults and have maybe even left home. Oh how time flies! I'm so glad we were able to capture a small moment of time and encapsulate it into a long weekend of family vacation memories.

We were on the road by 11am for our long drive home. We opted to take I-70 because it is so picturesque even if it takes a little longer. We stopped in Glenwood Springs for lunch. TripAdvisor listed 91 restaurants and we tried the #1 ranked Slope and Hatch, which has a distinct taco menu. We ordered Cubano tacos, crispy catfish tacos, shrimp po' boy tacos and calamari tacos. Sophie insisted on getting homemade fudge from the sweet shop around the corner. It is a pretty cute town! We didn't make it home until 9:30pm. Long day of driving! We celebrated arriving in Provo (one hour of driving left!) by getting ice-cream sandwiches at a gas station. Fun family vacation--check!

 Great Wolf Lodge

 Great Wolf Lodge

 Great Wolf Lodge

 Glenwood Springs, CO Sweet Shop

 I-70

I-70

Brian has all of the waterpark photos and photos with the Merrills on his computer. 

Something Beautiful Part 3

A view looking down the street from my house when the sun is setting. Our enchanting ice sickles. The snowy hike my friend Dori and I took today. The snow was deep and we were the first ones out--trailblazers! I love my adventurous friend and I am so thankful she is in my life. We finished up the hike with snow angels and a picture looking back at the mountain when we got to the parking lot. I wish every January in Utah was like this.

Something Beautiful Part 2

It has been one of those rare winter weeks where it snows every day! I am enchanted every time I look outside by the magical beauty of the accumulation of sparkly white on all the trees and bushes and the deep shroud that covers the entire earth. Every winter, I adore the ice sickles that hang all around the edges of our rooftop and frame our picture windows. The setting sun casts beautiful hues of color on the whiteness everywhere. My world is transformed! The piles of snow on either side of my front walk go nearly to my waist. The pile next to my driveway is taller than me! It is amazing to see everything buried in this beautiful blanket and the earth seems more quiet and calm. And, every day a fresh gift of snowflakes falls from the sky.

Something Beautiful Part 1

I am thankful I homeschool Katie.

Monday morning was a slow start. She woke up at the usual time (7:30am) but she felt like lying in my bed snuggled in a sea of soft blankets for an hour and I was glad she could do that on a cold winter morning without being rushed out the door.

After she got herself ready and made her own breakfast--a sliced up banana with whipped cream--(she is getting so independent!), we worked on Math and Language Arts. I feel joy seeing her progress as we work through the curriculum. We practiced the piano together and I thought about how nice it is that she can work on this in the mornings when she is fresh and without being rushed before school.

After we finished up lessons, I asked her to go read books. She went inside a cool blanket fort she and Isaac constructed last night in the family room and cheerfully read a stack of books out loud to her stuffed animals. I was filled with warm happiness about how perfect and supportive this environment is for her right now at age 7.

I am grateful for the distance program she is enrolled in. The activities she does at the school during the 1.5 days she attends are hands on and hold her interest. She comes home talking about the fun projects and bubbling over with stories about history and processes. I feel happy that she is exactly where she needs to be academically and that she can be in our home with me.

She has lots of social interaction with friends. I am blessed that her best friend comes over every afternoon. On Mondays, her friend Jase who is almost 5, comes over and they play together so sweetly. We have had snow dumping on us for weeks so there is about a 2-foot accumulation in our yard. Monday afternoon there was a beautiful, whirling, silent blizzard with giant snowflakes falling gently. Katie and Jase grabbed their snow clothes and headed to the yard for an hour of imaginative fun. I was happy they could experience the magical weather without being confined to a classroom and restrained by a schedule. I am thankful to have her here with me for a tiny bit longer before this tender child goes out in the big, big world. This girl is a bright spot in my days.

Hello 2017

2016 was an amazing year. Brian had his incredible job with GOAL for most of the year. Katie started her homeschool program in January 2016, which means we've been loving that for 12-months and still going strong. I learned and grew so much in my job. It feels like a lifetime ago that I wrote for the Standard Examiner, but in reality, 2016 was the year I let my writing career go after 17 wonderful years. It makes me feel old to say I worked in any field for that long.

In the first half of 2016 Isaac completed 4th grade. He had the most amazing teacher and she helped our family in so many ways. We will never forget Mrs. Hunsaker. We also met a new psychiatrist and have been on a journey of discovering medications to help Isaac have a good life. I never thought I would be a parent who would put her children on medication for behavior. I am always humbled when I judge something before I have gone through it. I judge a lot less than I use to.

2016 is the year when my path through years of babysitting challenges grew into one of my greatest blessings. I now count it as one of God's greatest gifts that Isaac and Katie's best friends (two of the children I watch) get to play with them after school every day. It is special that Isaac can have a BFF who he has everything in common with in light of how difficult it is for him to make friends otherwise. It is also a gift that Katie has a built in playdate with a beautiful BFF every day now that she has less interaction with peers due to homeschool.

Sophie rocked AP European History and Ian excelled on teaching himself to play the electric bass.

After a long lull in my passion for exercise (two years?), I finally found my way back in 2016 and I have been loving my sporadic yoga class attendance. I even made a brief stab at running before it got so cold and I have joined my friend Dori on a couple of winter hikes. Winter hikes are exhilarating!

2016 was full of warmth, friendships, growth and fun. The presidential election was difficult. Brian's job loss at the end of November was painful. Looking forward from both of those events and feeling optimistic that 2017 has more incredible things in store. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas 2017

This morning, a "memory" photo popped up on my facebook feed of the nativity picture Brian took 7 years ago when Katie was a baby and all of the kids were little. Time has flown by and now two of those little children are taller than me and Sophie got her learner's permit a few days ago.

Brian's job with GOAL Foundation ended the day after Thanksgiving. At first I felt really positive and optimistic about this propelling us into something better. But, now it's Christmas and getting laid off at the holidays is the worst. Maybe this will propel us into something better. In the meantime the bills are relentlessly stubborn in their consistency. I keep trailing off into depression despite my effort not to go down that rabbit hole.

I don't want to blog about that. I want to blog about Christmas and generosity that has been shown to us. Someone anonymously brought a thick envelope of cash to our doorstep and it has saved us. When I opened it I cried non-stop for 30-minutes. My heart was so overwhelmed that someone would do that for us. I said many thanks to God and when I remember that night, it lifts me during this--one of the darkest times of my life.

Since I love to buy Christmas presents for my kids early, I already had their gifts purchased before we knew about the lay-off. We ended up only returning the flat screen tv that was meant as a gift to the whole family. The kids were pretty spoiled with gifts.

Sophie got a zebra print chair in the shape of a high heel that is adorable and a new trendy polaroid camera. It makes me laugh that we are back to polaroids after how far digital technology has come. Hipsters. She did not get the crazy huge teddy bear from Costco that costs $189. For a stuffed animal! Sorry sweetie.

Ian has gotten really into mountain biking on the trails by our house and has had to ride a bike that is more than 20-years-old and doesn't have a shock. Brian found a sweet deal on a beautiful blue mountain bike for him. It was a fun surprise! He also got a case for the electric bass guitar we bought him for his birthday. I love to hear this kid play his instruments. He bought composition software with his own money a few days ago and has been creating amazing tracks ever since. I am grateful for the joy his musical talents bring into my life.

Isaac also received a fun surprise--his own iPod. He was so excited when he opened it. He couldn't believe his eyes! Brian also bought him a miter saw because he loves being a construction worker. I put Ian's old roller blades under the tree since Isaac recently grew out of his. These kids love to get around on wheels.

A few months ago, I was walking through Costco and I made an impulse purchase of a Frozen castle dollhouse. The floor model was so fantastic it hypnotized me. It is ridiculous, standing over 5-feet tall and nearly as wide, so pretty with fancy details and wooden furniture for royalty including a throne, a grand piano and a chandelier that lights up. It is over the top and I don't know where we will put it. But, I was overtaken by a feeling that my baby is growing up and I won't get to buy things like this anymore and it jumped into my cart and came home with me. I promised to return it if Brian told me to. But, since we didn't have any other idea of what to get for Katie that could compare with the wonderful surprises we already had for everyone else we kept it and Brian spent hours assembling it. The nice part is that the castle and the furniture are big enough for her stuffed animals which she plays with every day.

My parents got the kids Lagoon passes again and a nice new rolling carry-on piece of luggage for me.

Before we knew the lay-off was happening, we purchased a one-night stay at a yurt in Goblin Valley and a one-night stay at a new Grey Wolf Lodge in Colorado--it has an indoor waterpark. The trip is happening in February. I'm happy we will get to do this and hope our financial situation has stabilized by then. We coordinated with Brian's sister's family who lives in Colorado. We will stay one night in Goblin Valley, one night with the cousins, and then both of our families will stay a night at the lodge and enjoy the water park together.

Brian is trying to run 50-marathons before his 50th birthday (he has a little less than 3 years to finish). This Saturday he will run his 37th. He noticed there is a marathon in Pueblo the weekend we will be in Colorado so my parents and I surprised him by buying an entry to the race. That will put him at 38.

We have had a lovely Christmas season. The Sunday before Christmas, our choir gave a wonderful performance. That evening, we had Brian's extended family over for a party and the went to the tabernacle to participate in a sing-in of all the beautiful songs of the season with Ian and Katie's piano teacher Lowell playing the organ.

Christmas morning, we had a one-hour program that included musical numbers, congregational hymns and Ian gave a delightful piano performance of Silent Night at the end.

We saw the lights at Christmas Village one night. My mom had all the grand kids over to watch a Muppet Christmas Carol and eat Mickey Mouse pancakes. We ate ham and watched movies at my parents' house Christmas afternoon. We got more than 12-inches of snow.

I have enjoyed seeing Ian perform with his Jazz Band this holiday season and Sophie did an amazing job in her role as one of the Hogwarts students in A Fairly Potter Christmas Carol at the Ziegfeld community theater.

I am hoping to take the kids ice skating at Station Park sometime this week. I was suppose to have bladder repair surgery. It was scheduled before we knew our insurance was ending. Then, I was happy that I could get the surgery done before my insurance ended. Then, at the last minute, I got scared to have surgery right before my insurance ended (what if there were complications?). Plus, extra hospital bills are harder to swallow when you are unemployed. The surgery will wait. After I got over the disappointment, it was a relief. Yay! No surgery to recover from this week. I guess there is always a silver lining.

Election 2016

I want my children and my children's children to know that I voted in the 2016 election and I did not vote for the "lesser of two evils" or "a candidate I hated, but the one I hated the least." I did not feel "dirty" or "like I was going to throw up" after I cast my ballot--all sentiments that many expressed about their voting experience in this election.

I voted for Hillary Clinton and I felt very good about it. She is one of the most qualified candidates ever in the history of our country to run for this office. Contrary to what her opponent wanted everyone to believe, she is not a liar. She is one of the most honest candidates (when her statements and the statements of other candidates are scrutinized and fact checked by the eggheads).

She is not a perfect person. None of us are. I'm pretty sure we know every flaw she has ever had after thirty years under the intense spotlight of public scrutiny. Sadly, most (if not all) of the negative things said against her during her campaign were blatantly false, clearly conspiracy theories, or, at the very least, blown way out of proportion. And, by the way, the whole email server thing that has been brought up ad nauseam, has been dismissed in a court of law. Also, less than 48-hours before the election, the FBI agent who had said an investigation was being re-opened admitted that "no reasonable person would consider criminal charges against Clinton for using a personal email server." Don't even talk to me about the other rumors (how she sold all of the U.S. uranium shares for favors from Russia, laughed about getting a child rapist off the hook, would have taken away everyone's guns by going door to door if elected or how she and Bill have had dozens of people killed for their own evil purposes). All credible sources put these hate-filled stories that keep circulating into perspective.

Since I first heard the name Hillary Clinton--back in the early 90s when she was first lady--until recently, I have had a bad taste in my mouth. That is because everyone around me couldn't stand her. It wasn't until she became the Democratic nominee that I had to take a hard look at asking myself what I didn't like about her? And, sadly, after long thoughtful study, the answer that came back had to do with the deep rooted undercurrent of sexism in our society. Once I began to really look at her as a person and a candidate for the presidency, I liked her. I'm not saying that 100% of my ideals for how our country should be run lined up with hers, but most definitely my ideals more closely align with hers than with the extreme right wing turn the Republican party has taken. So, I felt very good about voting Democrat and I felt even better about voting for Hillary.

Back when Donald Trump threw his hat into the ring--before he was even making strides toward becoming the nominee--I did my research on him and I was astonished. I'm not going engage in hate talk by listing details. I will say it was mind boggling. Besides what I initially learned about him, I was further surprised over and over by things he said that were disrespectful toward women and other people throughout his campaign. I have felt a lot of heaviness in my heart over the past year as America has continued to carry him on a tide of popularity that took him right to the position of Republican nominee. I felt disheartened to learn the true sentiments that exist in so many hearts all over America through the candidate selected by the majority.

I have been so naive.

Nearly every poll showed Clinton ahead, so it was with great shock and disbelief that I watched her defeat last night. I guess I could understand if it had been a different Republican candidate. Because I get that people feel very strongly about their Republican ideals and voting for those. But, I am seriously blown away that our country, when faced with these two options, overwhelmingly chose a person of this character--who has made no secret of it or made apologies for the person he is.

Last night, I felt that I wanted to run away from Utah. Because after all the talk talk talk about "I just can't vote for Donald Trump," that is exactly what Utah people did. They showed up in droves and voted for him. And, it made me so sick that for a moment I wished I could run away.

Even though we did not see history made from electing the first female American president last night (that is not the reason I voted for her, but that will be pretty cool for women when it finally happens), I feel so proud of the way she conducted herself. I admire the way she stayed calm under intense pressure, scrutiny and bullying day after day. She is a good example of strength to me.

This is the first presidential election that has caused me to shed actual tears. I was sad when Mitt Romney didn't win because I felt like America really missed out on a smart businessman with good moral character and decency who could have done a lot of good for our country. But, this time, rather than just feeling like we missed out on the better candidate, I feel utterly shocked at our choices as a nation. It is all very unexpected and a lot for me to take in.

Last night, when it was getting late and it seemed like "President Trump" was the way things were going to go, I sat down with my kids for a session of guided meditation. See--there is one positive thing already. Maybe we will begin a habit of meditating to be able to keep calm and carry on. That and maybe we will get much, much better at prayer. We had a meditation session together, took some deep breaths, hugged each other and went to bed. And, when we woke up, the sun rose, just like I promised them it would and we went about our day. I tried to explain to them that 1/2 of the country would have felt just as upset today as we feel if things had gone the other way.

The majority has spoken, and this is what the majority wants. So, I'm going to do exactly what I would have wanted the other half to do if the chips had landed on Madam President Clinton. I'm going to pray that President Trump will rise to the level of this most sacred office and that he will knock my socks off with his awesomeness and I will do my best to avoid being negative now that I've gotten this initial post about the way I wished things would have gone off my chest. Another positive about this outcome is that I don't have to listen to the never ending fountain of hatred spewed toward Hillary Clinton day after day. I guess we may have that fountain of hate spewed toward President Trump instead. But, I will not be a part of it. So--to all of my neighbors, family members and friends (and pretty much the vast majority of everyone I know in the state of Utah, apparently), please show me how President Trump is going to make things great for me. I'm ready and I'm hanging on for the ride.