Getting resurrected (or would that be crucified?) in the Primary program

November 20, 2013 By

Every year, the Primary children (kids ages 3-12) in our congregation perform a program for Sacrament meeting. Each child is assigned a short  scripture or talk and it is interspersed with lots of music. Putting on a production like this takes a fair bit of planning–from writing the script to rehearsing to performing. In years past, the kids have received their parts several weeks in advance with plenty of time to practice. A couple of overachieving Primary presidencies have even burned a CD with all the Primary songs for the kids to learn.

This year, the kids received their parts only one week prior, leaving very little time to prep. I was admittedly a bit irked about this but then realized I was forgetting what I love most about the Primary program: when kids mess up. Now, I’m not talking about anything demoralizing that would land the kids in therapy session but rather, those funny little unpolished moments where kids are just kids (like the one time toddler Hadley very obviously lip synced when she forgot the words).

Every year, I have helped my kids memorize their lines but that didn’t quite happen this year due to three reasons.

1) Lack of time. Remember that?

2) Complexity of what was required of them. This is specifically referring to Bode, who was given a humdinger of a scripture in the book of Abraham that even I couldn’t keep straight…something proving them herewith to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. Huh?

3) Messing up on key terms in a major way.  And yes, there is a story behind this.

Bode had memorized his introduction, “My name is Bode and I am a child of God” and he had practiced reading his scripture several times so he could recite it smoothly. But here’s the thing: he was over it before it even began. Before church started, he complained, “When this is done, I can’t WAIT to throw away this piece of paper with my lines.”

Because the 10 minutes I required them to practice was just so demanding.

Standing up at the pulpit in front of 300 grown-ups is terrifying for anyone but all was going smoothly until Bode got near the end. We had practiced smiling as he wrapped everything up and I was prepping myself for his million-watt toothless grin…until…until…until while he was saying his final few words, he turned around and went back to his seat, still reciting it as he walked.

At first I was mortified until the congregation united in a collective chuckle. It could have been a lot worse and that worse couldn’t been Hadley.

You see, her part was a bit longer but a lot easier so she had memorized her lines. Part I involved her going up with a darling Sunbeam (3-year-old) and asking him, “Owen, what is your favorite story of Jesus?” Owen, being an unrehearsed 3-year-old, gave her a deer-in-headlights stare and shrugged his shoulders. More laughter.

But then I braced myself for Part II. You see, when Hadley had been practicing, she made a very critical error along the lines of “Because Jesus was crucified, we can be crucified, too.” I reeled in horror and then laughter when I told her the word she should have used was resurrected.

After Owen sat down, Hadley continued with her lines, which she decided to read. Normally I would have been disappointed because she had already memorized them but decided to look on the bright side:

Not preaching false doctrine from the pulpit? I’ll count that one was a win.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor, LDS

Our Junior Chefs and Why Jamie Can Just Eat Ramen noodles

November 19, 2013 By

I love Sunday mornings. Every year, our church meeting time changes between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and the latter is my favorite. It’s late enough for us to race back from weekend trips and provides plenty of time to kick back we’re home.

Jamie was just released after a few years in the Bishopric but when he was at his morning meetings, the kids sleep in (at our house, that doesn’t usually extend past 8 a.m. during the school year). Read. Practice the piano. Listen to the weekly broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle choir performing Music and the Spoken Word (seriously inspirational whatever denomination you are).

Weeknights are so chaotic with homework, meetings, playtime and activities that our cooking tutorials have been put on the back-burner. But on Sundays, the kids help me cook a big dinner and we spend a lot of the day in the kitchen together.  On a recent Sunday, we went overboard and I boasted about it to Jamie afterward.

“The kids did a great job cooking today! IHOP pancakes for breakfast, slow-cooker roast beef, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed artichokes, caramel apple bars, popcorn and caramel apples.”

“That’s awesome they did all that,” said Jamie. “So when are you going to step it up around here?”

Filed Under: Foodie, Humor, LDS

Hiking Maxwell Falls: A Matter of Unfinished Business

November 18, 2013 By

I’ve had a bone to pick with Maxwell Falls. Several years ago, baby Hadley and I joined one of my friends from Colorado Mountain Mamas to hike this trail that winds into the Arapahoe National Forest along Maxwell Creek. Only we never made it there. This hike in Evergreen, Colo. was only supposed to be a couple of miles and yet we kept going and going and going. We eventually turned back without ever finding the falls.

If there’s anything I hate, it’s unfinished business.

My Thursdays have been dedicated unto hiking and mid-October, I made attempt No. 2. There are two ways to access Maxwell Falls: a 1-mile hike (perfect for families), a 3-mile loop (both accessible via the upper trailhead lot), and a 4-mile round-trip trek from the lower trailhead lot.

Or, if you’re like me, get lost, go on a couple of detours and your adventure will last about three hours.

I’ve hiked pretty much every trail along Denver’s Front Range and waterfalls are a rarity so that made Maxwell Falls that much more desirable. I parked at the Lower Trailhead Lot and was delighted that the scenic trail in the Ponderosa forest maintained a steady upward pitch. The October temperatures were brisk, the golden aspens were hanging on for dear life and there was a dusting of snow on the trail. Pretty much, my ideal hiking conditions.

I’d been hiking for about a half hour and all was going well until The Stream Crossing of Doom.

What I did: Instead of skirting across the rocks strategically placed on the creek, I kept going straight and noticed a trail that continued up the valley on the other side of the creek. I followed the sketchy trail, over logs and fallen brush from the flood for about 20 minutes before turning back.

What I should have done: Crossed the stream and taken a sharp right up the mountain. Consider yourself warned.

Once I finally made it back on the trail, all was clear sailing until I reached the falls. There wasn’t a clear view of Maxwell Falls from the trail and darnit it I’d hiked all that way and I was only going to hear them. I scrambled down the boulders, snapped a few shots of the pretty, understated waterfall’s icicles that cascaded over the tiered boulders.

Now, a smarter person would have headed back to the Lower Lot but my confidence had returned so I figured I’d make my hike even longer by doing the Cliff Loop. It took me away from my creek-side view into a beautiful forest with a stunning glimpse at Evergreen’s charms. But remember that snow? The loop is not as frequented, the signage is lacking and the snow made it tough in places to find the trail. After about 45 minutes of hiking, it cut back down near the creek and I was dismayed when it didn’t connect with the original trail to Maxwell Falls. I was lost. Again.

I called Jamie but he didn’t answer (what’s the point of downloading your lamentations if someone isn’t there to hear them?) I said a quick prayer along the lines of “Heavenly Father, I knew I was stupid by trying to do this loop but do you think you could cast me a lifeline?” Two minutes later, I spotted a bridge and the original trail. Prayers answered!

Forty-five minutes later, I was finally back at the car, exhausted but jubilant I’d finally seen Maxwell Falls. Now, all that remains on my bucket list is accessing them via the Upper Parking Lot.

Only for that one, I’ll recruit my kiddos. They should consider themselves warned.

======

Getting there: From Denver, take I-70 west to Exit 252 and merge onto CO-74 South/Evergreen Parkway. Drive 7.6 miles and take a slight left onto Bear Creek Road. After half a mile, turn right onto CO Road 73, continue for a mile, and turn right onto South Brook Forest Road. The lower parking lot and trailhead are 3.6 miles in, on your left. To reach the upper parking lot, continue past there for about 1.6 miles more until the road turns to Black Mountain Drive/CO Road 78; drive 1.2 more miles to the upper lot (on the left).

Filed Under: Colorado, hiking, outdoors Tagged With: , ,

Recipes: Mom’s Famous Breakfast Bake

November 14, 2013 By

I’m not much of a casserole fan but man alive, I’ve always loved my mom’s breakfast bake. It’s a combination of all my favorite things and I don’t feel a wee bit guilty if I serve it for dinner.

Which I have done many,  many times.

We recently had a bunch of friends over to watch LDS General Conference and I made this dish. My friend’s entire family of eight liked it so much she asked for the recipe so here ’tis!

Warning: my mother is a domestic goddess so anytime I ask for a recipe, it is met with frustration because the woman does not work in exact measurements. However, for a recipe like this it totally works because you can add a little or as much as you’d like of certain ingredients depending upon your preference. And this recipe has always turned out for me.

Maman’s Famous Breakfast Bake

Ingredients

Shredded hashbrowns
Shaved ham (bonus if you have leftover ham from Thanksgiving!)
Grated cheddar cheese
2-3 large Tomatoes
Sliced green onions
6-8 eggs
Half and half cream
Salt, pepper and parsley
Hollandaise sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to broil. Cover a 9X13 pan with hash browns. Broil them well on each side (until tips are lightly browned).
  • Turn down the temperature to 350 degrees. Cool slightly and cover the hashbrowns with a layer of shaved ham (about 250 grams).
  • Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese (about 2 cups, depending upon how much cheese you like).
  • Cover with sliced green onions (about 1/3 cup).
  • Slice 2-3 large tomatoes and add these as the next layer.
  • Beat 6-8 eggs, add approximately 1/4 cup of cream. Add salt, pepper and parsley to flavor and pour evenly over the breakfast bake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and the eggs are firm.  To serve, cut into squares and top with a dollop of Hollandaise sauce!

Filed Under: Foodie Tagged With:

Roxborough State Park: The Shire Never Had Views Like This!

November 12, 2013 By

Everyone needs a friend like Tina. We met when Hadley and her son Nolan were babies and we were a part of our hiking group, Colorado Mountain Mamas. Though we live on opposite sides of Denver, we’ve stayed friends through the years and she’s the kind of person I talk to about anything…and drag to anything. Cases in point: she participated in the Red Rocks Fitness Challenge where we worked out every Saturday morning at 7 a.m. one summer. Or that horridly steep hike up White Ranch when we laughed the whole way through (though we wanted to cry).

I recently asked her if she wanted to join me for a hike to Roxborough State Park. Located in southwest Denver, this 4,000-acre park is a bit of haul for me but has been on my bucket list for ages because of its dramatic red-rock formations like the Fountain Formation, Lyons Formation and the Dakota Hogback.

We really didn’t have a plan…we never do and I figured we’d just find a trail and wing it. I offered to pay the $7 state park entrance fee but when we pulled up to the kiosk, no one was working and a sign guided us to a pay station where we were to put our money in an envelope. Problem No. 1: neither of us had $7. I had larger bills but there was no way to make change so Tina and I dumped out every coin we had and inserted it in the envelope. Problem No. 2: the envelope was too bulky to fit in the small slot. And so we stuffed and we stuffed and we stuffed until the envelope was completely shredded, coins everywhere and we ended up just feeding our money like it was a vending machine.

Apologies to the State Park employee who finds it. In our defense, maybe you should have someone working there to avoid lunatics like us.

We parked near the visitor center, grabbed a map and I quickly identified the longest trail in the park: the 6.4-mile round-trip hike to 7,160-foot Carpenter Peak. We wasted no time starting our hike, which is a designated Colorado Natural Area, National Cultural District and National Natural Landmark.

The trail was an intermediate pitch through Ponderosa pine, woodlands, Douglas fir forests, Gambel oak thickets, and tall and mixed grass prairie. And we nailed the fall colors perfectly.

We dubbed these enchanting oak archways “The Shire”

There was sunshine in my soul that day

There were plenty of geologic wonders along the way . The steeply dipping monoclinal sedimentary sections have resulted in the series of three major hogbacks and strike valleys, exposing highly scenic dipping plates, spires and monoliths. The granite Carpenter Peak offered the best views in the park and testified how far we had come.

View from Carpenter Peak

We had kept a steady pace on our climb but picked up our velocity on the descent because we were pressed for time to pick up our kids. For the final half-mile, we were both limping a bit–Tina from hot spots on her heel and me with my plantar fasciitis. I praised her for being a swell “friend” and she corrected me with “sucker.”

We raced back to the car and as she dropped me off, I thanked her profusely and offered.

“I’m sorry that took so long.”

“It always does with you.”

But she didn’t mind one bit. I need more friends like her.

=====

Getting there: From Wadsworth Blvd. in Denver, follow Wadsworth south past Chatfield State Park. Then turn left on Waterton Rd., which is just before the entrance to Lockheed Martin. Keep following Waterton Rd. as it crosses the South Platte River, until it ends at North Rampart Range Rd. Turn right, (south), onto North Rampart Range Rd. Then continue on for a short while until you reach the intersection of North Rampart Range Rd. and Roxborough Park Rd. Turn left onto Roxborough Park Rd. Then take the next right, (about 50 yards away), and follow it to the park entrance. From the entrance to Roxborough State Park, follow the dirt road to either of the two parking areas. The visitor center is a short walk from the second parking lot and is a good place to pick up a map/brochure of the park.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family travel, hiking, Humor, outdoors, travel Tagged With: ,

The “Mary” Takedown at Church

November 11, 2013 By

Growing up, I always wanted to be Mary in our LDS church congregation’s annual reenactment of the Nativity. But your chances are slim-to-none when you have blonde, frizzy hair and don’t exactly ooze with meekness or sweetness.

Even being repeatedly cast as an angel was a stretch (though the ringlets my mom made from those pesky overnight pink rollers were pretty angelic).

So, I could totally relate to the disagreement I heard  at church yesterday as Hadley and her bestie Alex were jockying for the coveted role of Mary at our ward’s Christmas party in a few weeks.

Hadley: “You can’t do it. Mary didn’t have short hair.”

Alex: “Oh yeah? Well, I’ll bet she didn’t have BANGS!”

For the record, I hope neither of them gets the part. :-)

Filed Under: Hadley, Humor, LDS

A note about old-man Bode and the Yeti that derailed him

November 7, 2013 By

Sometimes I swear Bode is a 40-year-old man trapped in a 7-year old’s body. I’ve long heard the term “old soul” but until I met him, I had no frame of reference. He’s just a kid who almost always tries to do the right, responsible thing.

Jamie and I have no idea how he came from our genetics.

Bode is home sick today and and he was lamenting about missing school, he observed, “Sometimes I wish I just had a robot of me so when I’m sick, that robot can go to school and learn for me.” Uhh, sure, Kid.

We recently had parent-teacher conference and he was positively gleeful about it. Remember how I was remiss about his strict teacher no one seems to like? He is thriving under her. She runs a tight ship…every good action is rewarded with “Class DoJo” points and those who misbehave are punished. Bode has become borderline obsessed about earning points and is constantly serving his teacher and fellow classmates. He has the most points of anyone and was even the first in his class to receive a “Star Award” this year. A note from the principal:

Bode has been working very hard in class and is always on task. He loves to learn and it shows! Bode also helps  his classmates stay on task and show “task 4.” Way to go, Bode. Thank you!

On the side column of the certificate there are five potential areas for which a kid can receive a star award. He had three checked off for “teamwork,” “academics” and “respect.” Most kids would be thrilled with that but not him. “I didn’t receive it for ‘safety’ or ‘service.’ I’ll have to focus on those for next time.”

Of course he’s not perfect and has so many little quirks that make me laugh. I’ve been going to life-changing-and-butt-kicking Front Range Boot Camp a few mornings a week from 6:30-7:30 a.m.  I honestly didn’t know how that time frame would work with their morning routine. I’d usually wake them up at 7 a.m., walk Bode to the bus at 7:50 a.m. and then drive Hadley to school at 8:15 a.m. For years, I’ve been a micro-manager trying to get the kids out the door. “Brush your teeth!” “Make your lunch!” “Your bed still isn’t made!” “If you have spare time, practice the piano.”

But my experiment has worked. I bought them both alarms and they get themselves up and on the rare occasion that they don’t, Jamie is here to do it. By the time I walk in the door at 7:30 a.m., they’re both dressed and have made their own breakfast and are working on packing lunches. They have the Today show on the television (a must for my mornings) and have become accustomed to watching the weather and news while eating breakfast.

Bode takes it one step further. I’ll set his alarm for 6:50 a.m. before he goes to bed and almost always, the kid will sneak over and change it to earlier, citing, “I just like extra time to be prepared.”

Who does that?!

On a recent morning he made me laugh. We were almost ready to walk out the door and he was glued to the Today show. I asked:

“Are you ready for school?

“Not yet, Mom. I’m trying to find out if the Yeti is real.”

Every 40-year-old kid has his weakness.

Filed Under: Bode, Humor

“I’M GOING TO MAUI!”–When you win your dream vacation

November 7, 2013 By

A funny thing happened four years ago when I was selected as the grand prize winner of Microsoft Office’s nationwide contest to be their accredited blogger at the 2010 Vancouver Games: I started to think like a winner.

B.O. (Before Olympics), my contest batting average stunk. When I’d enter to win something, I’d just assume I wouldn’t win and I never did.

A.O. (Après Olympics) when I’d enter to win something, I’d assume I would win.

I’d like to call this a winning mentality but here’s the thing: I haven’t won anything in four years so I have been more of a one-hit wonder, “I-think-I’m-a-winner-but-have-loser-tendencies-type person.”

Until last month.

Hawaii has been at the top of my bucket list for several years. So when I heard about a luncheon at the Oxford  Hotel hosted by the Maui Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, I resolved to finally start planning my family’s future vacation. A girl can dream, right?

Upon check-in, we dropped our business cards into a raffle drawing and then briefly met with various tourism reps in a speed dating format. I became convinced that Maui was the perfect island for my family with its combination of scenic natural wonders, Hawaiian culture and idyllic mountain and beach adventures.

As I prepared to leave, Kelii Brown, Director of Public Relations and Promotions at the Maui Visitors & Convention Bureau, announced he was going to do the drawing for the grand-prize giveaway: two round-trip airline tickets, six nights lodging (two nights each at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Hotel Moloka’i, and the Fairmont Kea Lani) and a rental car.

I loudly quipped “Just to warn you, I dropped 10 business cards into the bucket.”

Five seconds later, they announced my name. In an out-of-body moment, I panicked, retracted with “Just kidding, totally legit here!”

I instinctively jumped up like I was the next contestant on the Price is Right, but Kelii (who has zero resemblance to Bob Barker or Drew Carey) did not make any indication it was appropriate to maul him. So, in a Mary Katherine Gallagher “Superstar” moment, I lunged forward and shouted:

“I’M GOING TO MAUI!”

The organizers said it was their best reaction yet. I’m sure my fellow attendees who had not won thought otherwise.

On a funny sidenote: The only time I’ve ever been to Hawaii was when I was five and my dad won a trip from a raffle at work. It’s about time something ran in the family other than big feet and crappy eyesight.

My husband was, of course, thrilled at the news and we quickly decided to bring our kids along because they are dying to go to Hawaii. We figured even with that additional cost (the trip is only for two people) along with paying the taxes, food and activities, it will be so worth it. We also decided to tack on two extra nights at Napili Kai Beach Resort.

To surprise the kids, we concocted a treasure hunt with the final clue leading them to my son’s (messy) bedroom where I had set out his tropical swim suit and Hawaiian shirt. Their reaction at the news?

(Celebratory chokehold did not cause permanent damage)
(Celebratory chokehold did not cause permanent damage)

Note: It became slightly less enthusiastic when we announced most of our Christmas money would go toward paying for them to come on the trip but we all feel lucky and extremely blessed.

Now, excuse me while I go buy a lottery ticket.

Filed Under: Family travel, Favorite Posts, Humor, travel

Pumpkin season is a wrap with the school’s pumpkin drop

November 5, 2013 By

When Bode’s school announced they were doing a pumpkin drop fundraiser for the Colorado flood victims the day after Halloween, we were all in. It was for a great cause and we figured we needed to cut up the pumpkin anyway so why not do it in front of a crowd?

So 695-pound Elbert was the star for the day, which was pretty nice for him since his big brother 1,220-pound Stanley got all the limelight this season. (Read about Stanley’s dismantling here).
We even let kids climb all over him for once because he was near death anyway.

The PTA organized all kinds of fun games like pumpkin bowling, a pumpkin splat where people chucked their pumpkins at a target and then another where they were dropped from a ladder. Twelve lucky kids had their names drawn to have their pumpkins released from a fire truck. I’d like to think Hadley and her friend were marveling at the height of the crane, not the cute firefighters. Give it a few years.

Talk about an impressive drop and of course, Bode and his buddies thought it was awesome.
“Homerun!”

We did not have the proper equipment to lift and drop Elbert so while the other pumpkins met their death, Jamie started cutting Elbert open for the seeds. When everyone saw what he was doing, they raced over and a pumpkin celebrity was borne.


Kids and adults were begging him for seeds. He denied most…he has people all over the world who have already spoken for them but he did relent when some started offering him money. I was proud when he didn’t take the money from the desperate 5-year-old waving his dollar bill. That kid has a future as a pumpkin geek.

Looking inside the giant pumpkin

And just what did Elbert look like on the inside? The meat wasn’t very thick at all–the reason why Elbert went way lighter than his measurements.

My friend Amie and her mom Sara were so darn cute–they’re The Pumpkin Man’s biggest fans.

We found many new uses for Elbert, including the portion that was used a rocking chair.

Little did that kid’s mom know her son would come home covered in pumpkin guts.

When people saw Jamie was preoccupied with cutting up the pumpkin, they started asking me questions. One woman had grandkids at the fundraiser and was thrilled when I scored her a seed. “I read about you in the newspaper,” she raved (referring to this funny article here where Jamie was made to sound like a local celebrity).

Her husband soon approached and as I was talking to him about Jamie’s insanity (particularly the part where he monitors the temperatures of his early-season hoop houses from a temperature gauge near our bed), he said Jamie sounded just like a guy he saw on TV.

Then, there was that awkward moment when he realized we were those crazies who appeared on the Marriage Ref battling it out about pumpkins. I assured him we were still together and all was well well. :)

So, this is the official end of pumpkin season. One of Jamie’s pumpkin buddies left me a cautionary note on Facebook:

Please make sure you watch Jamie closely for signs of Post Pumpkin Depression…obvious signs are hiding money to purchase seeds at auction. Watch for invoices for next years pumpkin supplies. Only cure I know is to start preparations for next year by hauling large amount of compost, leaves and manure. This should not be confused with Pumpkin Envy which is more serious.

I’m bracing myself for the fallout.

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie, Marriage Ref, pumpkins

Halloween 2013: A wig-fighting, sugar-coma-inducing great time

November 4, 2013 By

Confession: I often look enviously at families who dress up to a theme at Halloween because that likely ain’t ever going to happen. I mean, just look at my friend Lisa’s clan as the Adams Family.

Her husband is a plastic surgeon. I can only imagine the transformations they’ll undergo in the future. :-)

Jamie isn’t the dress-up type (besides his lame pumpkin hat) and my kids prefer mainstream (read: boring) costumes.  But I guess I’ll take what I can get with Luigi and Harry Potter’s Bellatrix Lestrange, right?
I won’t mention the “creative differences” Hadley and I had regarding her wig she begged me to buy but then later deemed “too big.”
Girl wouldn’t last even one day with my ‘fro.

With the kids in two different schools, I’m normally racing around to their different schedules but Halloween worked to my advantage. Bode’s party was in the morning.

While Hadley’s was in the afternoon.Note the lack of wig. You win some, you lose some.

I made oodles of tasty pumpkin treats all week including pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pancakes with caramel apple cream cheese syrup. Papa John’s was advertising their pumpkin-shaped pizzas and I admittedly have become a pizza snob, refusing to buy the disgusting sodium-drenched frozen ones and only occasionally indulging in greasy restaurant pies for our family’s traditional Friday Pizza & Movie Nights. Our homemade ones are so much tastier with our backcountry honey pizza crusts.

Basically, my goal was for us not to eat anything healthy on Halloween. Mission accomplished!

Our neighborhood is about as family-friendly as it gets and Halloween is a non-stop party! We met at the fire station a stone’s throw away from my house for treats, drinks, pictures and friends.

Fun at the fire station

Then set out on a parade that was led by one of the fire trucks.
Two different kids, same Minecraft costume. Can someone please explain to me how that was one of the most popular costumes this year? “Look how cute Timmie looks. Oh wait. His head is a block.”

Jamie and I usually swap off taking the kids trick-or-treating and staying home to hand out candy. But this year, my feet were killing me so Jamie was on Operation Get Candy duty.  They came back after only 20 minutes with half-full buckets. Good mom that I am, I sent ‘em back out ’til this babies were full. Mama has an Almond Joy sweet tooth to fill.

Judging from their sugar coma, I’d say Halloween ’13 was a success.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, holidays, Humor, Jamie Tagged With:
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