Hap Hap Happenings

February 19, 2017 By

Our busy winter season is sadly winding down and I’ve been trying to hold on for as long as possible. Here are are few of our happenings:

  • All of our glorious snow is almost gone. In Ambruary. In the mountains, spring is replaced by a not-so glorious mud season before ushering summer. I’d mentally prepared myself for this in April in May but not in February. Winter, come back!
  • Jamie speaks my love language. For Valentine’s Day and our anniversary the following day, he took me hiking and to the Blue Boar Inn, a fine-dining restaurant in Midway. We also had our family’s traditional fondue on Valentine’s Day. Jamie and I vowed not to get each other gifts to save money and for once, we actually stuck to that resolution (as opposed to Christmas when we said the same thing and yet somehow ended up buying each other the exact same gifts–A Magic Bullet blender and the Jason Bourne movie). However, we did get each other cards where we wrote several things we love about each other but as it turns out, all cards are not equal and he bought one of those huuuuuge over-sized ones. That guy wins at everything, including love. 
  • Bode is winding down his third month of Nordic ski lessons at Soldier Hollow. With the dwindling snow totals, it makes parting less sorrowful but I have truly loved volunteering with his class twice a week. I learned to skate ski and once I get my knee problems fixed, I can’t wait to do it again. He is in an awkward intermediate school and will be bumped up to middle school next year so I thought his days of class holiday parties were over until he came home from his Halloween party and told me how lame it was. So, I took over for Christmas and Valentine’s Day. I thought I was soooo over volunteering but I’ve enjoyed holding onto his final, fleeting moments of childhood. If no one is going to step up to help, I’d rather just do it than have nothing at all.
  • Hadley is a teenager with all the boy drama that involves. Not that she tells us anything but we have this glorious thing called text messaging where her love life (or lack thereof) unfolds in all the glories of unrequited teenage angst. She and Jamie have been swapping a virus for weeks. She was finally feeling better but then had a lot of late nights for her science fair project (an ode to–what else–pumpkins and nitrogen in the soil). She didn’t have to do a project because she’s not in Honors Science but as the top student in her class, she was the only one who chose to do a project. Did I mention she made the HONOR ROLL? However, her rundown body caught up with her and I told her she could sleep in as late as she wanted on Saturday but she did much more than that. She came home from school on Friday and took a nap, refusing to wake up for her volleyball team party she had been looking forward to and slept straight through the night, cranking out a whopping 17 hours of sleep. Just like her father–an overachiever.
  • The cat. Still fat.
  • I’ve been keeping busy. I went to a SkiUtah networking event a few weeks ago where I made some great contacts as we skied Sundance (the best kind of networking). My friend Sheri and I have vowed to try to ski together at Park City every week until the end of the season and we had a blast on the mountain last week. A few of us hiked to Stewart Falls a few weeks ago and got some fascinating avalanche training with beacons and probes.  I’ve been on a couple of hikes at Wasatch Mountain State Park but I need to either have the snow stick around forever so I can snowshoe it or just melt. Having snow that isn’t deep enough for snowshoes but not optimal for hiking is jacking up my knees. For the first time in my life, I’m feeling limited and it’s a constant source of frustration. I’m still fortunate to be able to do the things I love but I’m in pain when I do it.

    Park City Snowmamas

    WOW! Trail

    Sundance

    Stewart Falls

  • I feel like I’m in such limbo with work but there isn’t a lot to be done at this point because other people I’m relying on are engaged elsewhere. The kids are going to the acclaimed Keystone Science School this summer (thanks to a campaign I’m doing for Mile High Mamas) so Jamie and I will have five glorious days to ourselves in Colorado’s backcountry after dropping them off. I’ve been researching a lot of options but one is finalized: we’ll be staying at The Broadmoor after we pick them up, the perfect reward after several days of roughing it.
And the great finale of our happenings (crammed into one big paragraph):
Tomorrow is my birthday and we’re skiing Alta. We have new friends coming over tonight to play games, and our house is slowly coming together. We’ve taken a hiatus over the winter with projects but come spring, we’ll be delving in full-throttle organizing the garage, setting up shelves and putting in our yard. Jamie and I confessed we won’t truly love this house until we can finish the basement, something we can’t afford to do. (And I try not to focus on the fact that everything was done at our Colorado home and we were in a good place financially). My parents sent me some birthday money and I bought a cute mirror for our front entrance. By downsizing from a two-story house to a ranch with only one great room, a constant struggle is the kids don’t have anywhere to put their backpacks and schoolwork so our living room constantly looks like a bomb exploded. Our mudroom/laundry room is super small and inconvenient so we’ve debated moving our washer/dryer to the basement and building lockers/storage closets for all their c-r-a-p but again, that takes money. So, a temporary fix is I bought a beautiful console for the living from an upscale furniture consignment store in Park City and it has helped alleviate the mess. For now.

It has been six months some we left our beloved Colorado. In some ways, it feels like we’ve been here forever and in other ways, I wonder when we’ll finally feel settled. I read a quote this week that really hit home.

Sometimes it’s hard to watch other people “succeeding” when you feel like you keep getting knocked on your face. I get that. It’s hard to watch friends and family and peers storm “ahead” when you feel like you’re indefinitely stuck at ground zero. But from a life that’s been chopped down at the knees more than once, let me tell you… ground zero is a sacred space to be. Don’t wish it away in yearning for the mountain top. There is so much this space will give you…if you let it. Stop looking 10 miles ahead, and spend a moment or two taking in the totality of where you currently are. The juxtaposition of beauty and ashes is REAL, take it from me. But many of us miss this completely in our mad dash attempt to be anywhere but “here.” And I get that. Because pain is real, hurt is significant, fear is debilitating. Even so, trust me when I say, don’t pass over dollars to pick up dimes. What you have the potential to find in the rubble of your life, if you’ll just stop and LOOK, is beyond your wildest imaginings and will serve to propel you on to spaces and places you currently don’t have the capacity to foresee. Pinkie swear. Hang in there, beautiful you. God is on your side. -Natalie Norton

Duly noted and a much-needed reminder: we can do this.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Jamie, outdoors, skiing, Utah

The Anti-Ladies’ Man

February 14, 2017 By

For as long as I can remember, Bode has been really nervous around girls. Watch kissing on TV? Forget it. Tease him about the hotties in his class? That kid turns the color of hot tamales.

As we were working on his valentines for his class party (that I’m somehow in charge of), I saw him scribbling on some of the messages.

“Bode, what are you doing?”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m crossing out all the valentines that say ‘you’re cute.’”

Smooooooth. It reminded me of one of my favorite Bode stories EVER and believe me, there are a lot of them. When Bode was 6, we met Hadley at Camp Chief Ouray. Because I was partnering with them for an article, we were granted special access to attend the final festivities on the last night. Camp tradition is to hold a final dance, followed by the Closing Campfire Ceremony with games, skits, songs and traditions including the awarding of the Spirit Stick to commemorate the most spirited cabin. I was the most excited about the dance.

Because isn’t it every kid’s dream to have her mother at her very first one?

Crazy costumed counselors

Even my Bode had some action of his own. He was hanging out with me on the rock when a tween hottie asked him to dance. Stunned into silence, he turned bright red before literally crawling away on the rock. But she didn’t give up. Fifteen minutes later, she was back and oh-so sweetly repeated her offer. He looked at me to save him.

“Go dance with her.”

He shook his crimson head, steam coming out of his ears. Why did a girl want to dance with him?

“That’s fine if you don’t want to dance but you need to at least say something and politely decline.” It was one of those teachable moments in which I wanted to bust out laughing.

“I don’t want to dance right now,” he mumbled. At least I think that’s what he said before I apologetically thanked the sweet girl and bookmarked the moment for future blackmail.

Some things never change.

Filed Under: Bode, Humor

Family updates

February 10, 2017 By

There were so many things about last year that were a blur. I feel like we’re finally starting to come up for air and I’m hopeful life will start clicking in 2017. We recently had Bode’s parent-teacher meeting and it made me want to remember it all.  Where we’re thriving. Where we’re struggling. Because life is a compendium of it all.

Bode. We moved into our house late-September when the neighborhood posse started burrowing down for the winter. There’s allegedly a very active group of boys who run around together on their bikes and I’m hoping he will get thrown into the mix once the snow thaws. As we sat down with Bode’s teacher, she told us how he’s the smartest kid in class and she wishes every kid was just like him. Obedient. Helpful. Friendly. Surpassing goals they had set together. Many of the kids go to him to check their schoolwork before they go to the teacher, which he loves.

“But how is he socially?” I asked. I worry that he hasn’t found a bestie at school or church because usually, he easily makes connections. His teacher acknowledged that he’s doing a lot better than the beginning of the year and is well-liked by everyone. The sports of choice for the boys during recess are football and baseball, neither of which he plays. So he floats between groups. Sometimes he plays sports. Sometimes he does four square or plays on the playground. Sometimes he referees, thereby proving he is an old man in a 10-year-old’s body! He seems content but will get thrown into an entirely new mix next year when the sixth graders get bumped up to middle school.

Bode and I have had a blast during our bi-weekly Nordic ski lessons (OK, he’s in lessons, I just tag along for the free skiing) but it’s been a fun, bonding experience for us. He has started piano and in the spring, we’ll probably enroll him in the crummy rec soccer league again because we can’t afford competitive but it will at least give him another season to be the superstar.

Hadley. She continues to exceed our expectations. Don’t get me wrong: she’s a frustrating tween who speaks an entirely different language. But while other parents are agonizing over their teens’ newfound desire to be aloof and independent, it’s just par for the course because Hadley has always been that way. She wants her space; friends, schoolwork and crushes have consumed her existence. She still doesn’t have a phone but we set her up with Google Voice on her iPod and she texts her friend Allie constantly.

She’s got almost straight As (where the heck did THAT come from?) and declares math is one of her favorite subjects (ditto on the incredulity after years of tutors). She refused to do Nordic skiing with Bode, which made me sad because I actually think she would thrive on the local team here but at her request, she’s playing volleyball and has really come into her own. I haven’t wanted to pressure her (volleyball was my great love in high school) but something has finally clicked and she’s caught a glimpse at how good she is…and can be with the proper training. Her coach has pulled her aside to emphasize her potential and offered to work extra with her anytime. I’m currently looking into enrolling her in BYU’s volleyball camp this summer.

She spends hours getting ready in the mornings so the bathroom upstairs is a constant eyesore. Our next big project (after putting in the front and backyard) will be saving up for another bathroom…after the gazillion other expenses we have. When we were snowed in (interlodged) at Alta, she and I actually had some great bonding time with mother-daughter ping pong and pool tournaments and setup several challenges in the weight room. It was a reminder that yes, she’s hormonal and complicated but there’s still a really delightful kid in there who’s turning into a really great young woman.

Jamie. Worked all day in the basement in Colorado. Works all day in the basement in Utah. Obsessed with BYU sports. Not too many changes for our hard-working guy.

Me. Still swimming, swimming, swimming despite the fact that I hate getting my face wet. I’m super thankful to be in a great ward where I’m making great friends and adventure buddies.  I’m building out some cool projects and have been networking like crazy. I’m hoping things start coming together in a profitable (remember all the expenses?) and promising way.

Stay tuned!

 

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley

Sledding Lime Canyon in Midway

January 26, 2017 By

Despite living in the gorgeous Heber Valley, I’ve been surprised by the lack of information about quality places to sled. Soldier Hollow offers the longest tubing lanes in Utah but it’s lift-serviced and costs money. Beyond that, there are small pockets of hills whose locations the locals won’t disclose. And who can blame them?

So, I was happy to hear someone recommend Lime Canyon as a great place to sled in Midway. Located a few miles behind the Zermatt Resort, we found a powder-perfect playground on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with our friends, Zoie and Jonas.

Bode: future sled model

We had a blast but we arrived at the hill just as the shadows were creeping in and the lack of sunlight made it cold. Bitterly bold. So we only lasted an hour.

Yes, there is such a thing as too much powder when sledding!

The Slow Crawl to the Summit

The tween declared “I’m too old for sledding,” and I vehemently disagreed, taunting her that I’M never too old for anything.

Until she turned the sledding hill into her personal skeleton track and I declared I’m too old for THAT.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, outdoors, Utah

A Colorado New Year

January 9, 2017 By

As we were making our plans for the Winter Break, I looked at the looooong 2.5 weeks ahead of us and declared a road trip to Colorado was in order. Of course, the kids were game–they miss their friends desperately. Jamie was slower to bite but when when I received a magazine assignment from The Broadmoor to sweeten the pot, he was ALL IN.

We stayed two nights at my beloved Colorado Chautauqua’s darling cottages, two nights with our friends the Larsons and two nights at The Broadmoor. Our trip wasn’t too long, nor too short, it was just right. #CallMeGoldilocks.

Tired boy, warm fireplace

We had a rough reentry to Colorado. There are two driving routes–one through Colorado’s mountains and the other through Wyoming. Colorado’s mountain passes are sketchy in winter and Wyoming’s winds and ice are what nightmares are made of. We checked the forecast and declared Colorado was the better route and all was going smashingly until my friend Tina texted me that I-70 was closed down at Vail Pass. Now, I’m not going to start a tirade of my bitter hatred toward this freeway which is a billion dollar NIGHTMARE for Colorado’s tourism industry. We decided not to take a long detour and just hope for the best and miraculously, Vail reopened and traffic was moving! Until we arrived in Frisco (outside of Breckenridge) where we went at a snail’s pace for hours thanks to ski traffic.

We arrived much later than anticipated, checked into our cottage at Colorado Chautauqua and headed straight to dinner at their historic Dining Hall. It’s my favorite ever patio dining ever and in the winter, there were cozy fireplaces and charming Christmas decorations as we downed cornbread with apple butter, shiitake mushroom risotto and gourmet burgers with fresh tomato preserves and horseradish ranch. We went to bed completely exhausted but full to the brim.

I’ve been missing my Colorado hiking trails so much, especially since my friends and I hiked the Mesa Trail straight through to Chautauqua last summer.  Though Colorado hadn’t received much snow up until that point, it was cold and portions of the trail were icy. So, that morning when I woke up in my cozy cottage, I literally had to drag myself out of bed. And I’m so glad I did.

That network of favorite trails has raised my children. I first discovered it with my mom hiking group when Hadley was 3 months, I almost passed out trying to climb it when I was pregnant with Bode, I’ve struggled up steep pitches pushing them in their double stroller through snow, we’ve participated in their memorable theater hikes and I’ve loved seeing them reach summits of their own.

But that day was the first time I witnessed the sunrise there, making me believe I’d never really SEEN Chautauqua until that moment.

We met Tina and her kids at Country Road Cafe and happily stuffed our faces with Crispy Waffle-battered Sweet Potato Fries topped with eggs, ham, cheese, hollandaise and honey drizzle. 

We’d planned to skate Evergreen Lake but it was closed due to Denver’s lack of snow so we took the kids to their favorite bouldering location at Three Sisters/Alderfer in Evergreen.

It warmed my heart as as were hiking back to the car and Hadley pointed out the Bluebird Meadows trail sign and reminisced, “Do you remember when there was a blue bird sitting on this sign?” So many wonderful memories.

More wonders: so many friends organized parties for us. We dropped Bode at his buddy Porter’s Nerf Fun War Blowout, Hadley went to a girl’s night out part at her friend Maeve’s while Jamie and I had game night with her parents and Bode got invited for a sleepover with his besties. As we pulled up to the house, I saw the silhouettes of four ecstatic boys–Nicky, Vinnie, Curtis and Zach–waiting for him and their sheer joy of being reunited was one of my favorite moments of our trip.

And then I’m sure these gamers stayed up until I-don’t-want-to-know-how-late.

The next morning, Jamie, Hadley and I went for one last hike at Chautauqua before checking out, whereupon we disagreed about who was the most out of shape.

Hint: It wasn’t these two billy goats.

My friend Eva organized our 2nd Annual FHE Showdown with several families at the church. Last year during the inaugural event (read all about it in the FHE Musical Chairs of Death), Jamie and I had just made the decision to move but did not tell anyone for a couple of months. We walked away from that insanely fun evening saying “How can we possibly leave these amazing people?” We still feel the same way after a night of dodgeball, blood, games, basketball, a ripped shirt and a competitive game of musical chairs whereupon Jamie was dethroned.

Kids musical chairs

Adult musical chairs

Fortunately, he didn’t throw out his shoulder playing dodgeball; he only saves that for marshmallow wars (see previous Musical Chairs of Death post).

Clear Creek

We had a low-key and fun New Year’s Eve with friends, took a memorable walk along the now-frozen Clear Creek and I got up early for a walk in Van Bibber Open Space. This was the outdoor playground closest to our home and I pondered how many hours have we spent jumping, splashing, bike racing and tree climbing there?!

Then I got tired of my deep, effusive thoughts and spent the rest of my explorations cracking ice puddles like the five-year-old I am.

We went back to Arvada 2nd Ward for church and it felt like the rest of our trip: like we never left. I had so many hugs and “welcome homes” from those beloved people.

I asked Bode his thoughts about coming back and he said it was both better and worse than he anticipated. The better: wonderful friends organizing sleepovers, game nights, lunches, Nerf gun showdowns, girls night out, Country Road Cafe breakfast, Chautauqua and Evergreen hikes, comfy beds and late nights. The worse (according to Bod and us all): Leaving.

But one thing that was confirmed is that Colorado will always be home.

Stay tuned for fun at The Broadmoor.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Hadley

Soldier Hollow’s Youth League

January 5, 2017 By

When you live 5 miles away from the cross-country skiing venue of the 2002 Olympic Games, you’d better believe making it a part of your lives is a priority. The problem? I’m the only one in our family who loves to Nordic Ski. I grew up on the groomed track of the golf course across the street from my house and love love love that I’m finally living in a place that has a real winter.

Jamie claims he (somehow) got a concussion going 0.001-mile per hour the first time I took him cross-country skiing in Canada. He’s reluctantly skied a few times but claims it’s too much work and not as fun as downhill. Hadley took to it right away. When we were in Crested Butte a few years ago, our guide told her if she was local, she’d recruit her to train with the Junior Olympic Nordic Team. The problem? She had a horrible experience last winter at Snow Mountain Ranch so the one with the most potential refuses to go.

Fortunately, there is Bode who is the most easy-going bloke around so I enrolled him in Soldier Hollow’s Youth League. For just $150, he gets a season pass, twice weekly lessons for almost three months and rentals. For every two times I volunteer, I earn a free trail pass and rentals of my own.

Pinch me, this place is a dream.

Bode’s good buddy Eli is enrolled as well and I was thrilled to learn two other friends have kids in the exact same class. I know Midway is a small town but what are the odds? Bode is a strong downhill skier but has really taken to Nordic as well so I foresee many adventures in our future.

So, this is how we’ll be spending every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon this winter.

Sunset after the first day of classes

Already, 2017 is shaping up to be a good one.

Filed Under: Bode, outdoors, Utah

The Town Party

December 20, 2016 By

In today’s edition of living in an episode of Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow, my friend Sarah texted me at 6:30 p.m. asking if I was going to the annual Midway Town Party. Huh? I’d heard nothing about it but rallied the troops (namely: Bode who’s the only one with any semblance of the Christmas spirit). This move would later be met with great controversy by the Johnson Family Grinches despite the fact that the darling musical performances would have sent Jamie (who despises concerts) and Hadley (who is annoyed by everything, particularly Christmas music) over the edge.

But their (Jamie’s) tune changed when we came home with candy and the news (for Hadley) that her friend was hanging out with cute boys from middle school. We all have our motivations.

I really wasn’t even sure what the Town Party was all about. A couple of weeks prior, we had attended the Town Christmas Tree lighting so I assumed it was outside. I was wearing snazzy summer capris and, in my laziness, just threw on a pair of clompy boots to “complete” my ensemble, only to find out the event was in the Midway City Hall. In the light. Where people could see me.

We arrived late but still caught a few performances on stage including the darling Swiss Miss girls, two of whom are in our ward. I tried to convince Bode and his buddies to compliment them on doing a nice job, which apparently was akin to sending them into the lion’s den. Sorry, ladies. It’s tough to raise gentlemen these days.

The short program ended with everyone singing a couple of Christmas carols and then the Man In Red showed up to distribute over-stuffed bags of candy.

It’s pretty sad to me that our season of believing is over but Bode still went up with his buddies.

Bode later refused to tell me what he and Santa talked about so maybe just maybe he and the Man in Red have a few tricks up their sleeves yet.

Here’s to our first memorable Small Town Christmas!

 

Filed Under: Bode, holidays

November in Review

December 15, 2016 By

I know, I know, we’re well into December but November passed by in such a blur that I was barely able to document any of it. Here are a few our happenings.

Hadley turned 12 in May and that marks a major milestone when she enters the “Young Women” organization at church. And since May, my wonderful mother-in-law has been trying to organize a special afternoon tea at the Grand America in her honor. We finally made it happen several months later and what a wonderful afternoon it was!

Minus the fact that I dropped a macaron in Hadley’s tea. You can’t take me anywhere.

Speaking of Macarons, Tammy organized a cooking lesson for us to learn how to make them. I’m not a huge fan of macarons (I find they rather tastless and dry) and never had even one when I lived in France. But I’m tellin you, it’s homemade or bust because our creations were amazing. But the three hours to make them were not.

Fall in the Heber Valley was so incredibly mild and beautiful! It’s not very often we find an outdoorsy family of four with kids our same ages and genders. When the Frisbys took us on what they deemed the “flat” trail along Deer Creek and it was mostly uphill, I knew they were our kind of friends. 

I tagged along on Bode’s cub scout hike to Dutch Hollow and somehow managed to lead them on the wrong trail adding a couple of miles to an already long hike (disclaimer: I’d only explored the area once before).

It’s important to teach them survival skills while they’re still young.

We likely won’t be able to afford a greenhouse next season but Jamie has still been prepping the pumpkin patch. This was possibly the scariest moment of my life watching him operate heavy machinery. He only ran into the fence once…or twice.

We’re still getting acclimated to our house. In most ways, our former two-story, five-bedroom house in Colorado was a much better fit and I often regret downsizing to a ranch…but I know it will all be much better when we finally finish our basement. Our current biggest headaches: The tiny laundry room/mudroom and Hadley waking us up at 5:30 a.m. as she bangs around in the bathroom. Top priority: Scrape together enough funds to build her a bathroom in the basement.

The one thing that makes me happy (in addition to our amazing view) is our kitchen nook. I searched long and hard for the perfect farm table and found one at a luxury consignment store in Park City. We bought a black bench and puke-brown chairs from the same store that needed to be repainted and restored. We fretted over the colors and ultimately decided to take a chance and paint them white. I LOVE how everything turned out (thanks to Jamie’s awesome mom who reupholstered them).

Thanksgiving was low-key. We woke up to a Thanksgiving miracle: Our first snow (and visitors) at our new house!

Not-so miraculous: sick kids.

We drove to Salt Lake City to spend Thanksgiving and Black Friday with Jamie’s family where we ate Jamie’s famous bacon-wrapped smoked turkey, overindulged on Tammy’s pies and went to see “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

I slipped out on Friday morning to meet my friend Lori and her daughter for a hike to the Living Room. We never made it. I’ve hiked the trail several times before but the previous day’s snow had turned to ice due to the sheer volume of gut-busting hikers trying to burn a few calories.

Our freshman year during Natural Science Field Expedition, we backpacked hundreds of miles through Yellowstone, the Tetons, Zion and the Grand Canyon. What started as a casual hike that day turned into ice chutes, snowy bushwhacking and steep muddy slopes.

I guess some of us don’t know how to do casual.

Later that weekend, I invited a few families over for dinner before we headed over to Midway’s charming tree lighting complete with hot chocolate, cookies, skating, entertainment, Santa (who got the name of our town wrong) and Bode who, whenever his candle blew out, he’d ask “anyone got a light?”

And wouldn’t you know it, Bode, Eli and Charlie landed on the front page of our community newspaper.

So, for anyone keeping track: Since we moved to Utah, Bode was on KUTV with the pumpkins at Thanksgiving Point, BYU’s Jumbotron, The Broadmoor’s holiday campaign…

And now, the Wasatch Wave. If he keeps it up, he’ll be more famous than even The Pumpkin Man. And that’s really saying something.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Utah

BYU Fans for Life

December 14, 2016 By

When I was at BYU, I attended my fair share of football, basketball and volleyball games. Some of my most memorable moments were going to the BYU football games every week with my friend Garritt, even though I was (and still am) clueless about the game. Give me a puck and a penalty box and this Canuck can talk for hours. But tight-ends and first downs? No thanks. Despite my lack of appreciation for football, we still had a lot of fun sitting in the student section.

My father-in-law bought season tickets to BYU basketball so Jamie has met him in Provo a few times. Last month, our whole family attended “Boomshakalak,” a fun kick-off to the season. It was my first time in the Marriott Center in 20 years and it was Bode’s first time ever so it was only appropriate that my tweet landed him on the Jumbotron. Repeatedly.

And we were so delighted to run into our besties from Colorado, the Larsons, who were visiting their three kids at BYU. I had no idea they would be there but saw they posted a picture on social media. We didn’t tell Hadley about Alexis so it was a funny, surprising reunion in the foyer. 

Fast-forward a few weeks later. We attended the wedding luncheon of the kids’ first babysitter Alexis, daughter of our longtime friends and neighbors, the Haymonds (how can these kids be old enough to get married?)

We high-tailed it over to BYU’s football game, another first for the kids. When Jamie bought the tickets a couple of months prior, it was risky. Late- November games are often miserable and snowy so we kept our fingers crossed and hoped for the best…and we got better than the best.

He bought nosebleed seats (because, you know, money) but as we were getting ready that morning, Jamie’s sister called to ask if we wanted her lobbyist neighbor’s awesome two seats on the 40-yard line. OH YEAH. We planned to just take turns.

We were late to the game because of the luncheon and arrived just before half-time. My friend Sarah texted me, “You should come sit by us. There’s an entire row of seats are empty.”

And these weren’t just any seats. Her husband Ben’s uncle is a major donor to BYU sports so these were even better seats at the 50 yard line. Bode was able to sit with Sarah’s boys and Hadley’s bestie Alex (they were in town for the wedding) hung out with her.

So, here’s how you do BYU football:

Sit in VIP seats.

Take full advantage of their VIP Legacy Tent wristbands with gourmet food but make sure you accidentally go to the wrong tent first (one reserved for sponsors) so you’ll get double the amount of food before realizing you’re in the wrong place.

Then go back to those seats and enjoy your individual coolers of beverage and treats.

The takeaway?

Buying cheap seats totally pays off.

Oh, and BYU won 51-9 but we were the real winners that day.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor, Jamie

The evolution of things

December 11, 2016 By

It started yesterday in Heber’s darling Wigglish toy store. The kids were doing their Christmas shopping for each other surrounded by hundreds of the coolest toys and games…and Hadley wasn’t interested in any of them. Her Christmas wishlist includes a laundry list of wants that will never be filled–a fancy camera. A phone. Clothes. Make-up. Perfumes and lotions.

That morning, Jamie and I attended a baptism and helped a new friend move. Hadley has been so exhausted lately from waking up at 5:30 a.m. that I just let her sleep and that she did. Several hours later, I went downstairs to rummage through our basement and found her still slumbering at 1 p.m.?!!!! I laughed, dragged her out of bed and marveled at my new teenager.

Later that evening, my friend Sarah invited us to enjoy their Trader Joe’s spoils of steak and veggies. Jamie had the BYU basketball game with his dad and Hadley had homework so it was just Bode and me. Sarah helped me tremendously during those two months we commuted from Park City by letting me drop off Bode before school and during that time, our kids formed a wonderful bond. As I watched Bode play effortlessly with her three boys, I had an epiphany:

Hadley and Bode don’t play together anymore.

And that made me crazy sad. This move has been difficult on so many levels but this was such an unexpected one that has less to do with our location and more to do with age. For their entire lives, they’ve been besties conjuring up imaginary worlds with their toys and stuffed animals. Sure, they’ve bickered from time-to-time as siblings do but they also had each other, thrown together by extensive travel and circumstance.

Now when they get home after school, they go to their separate corners. Hadley will start on homework, watch make-up tutorials on YouTube or mess around with silly filters. Bode will play math games or chess. They still enjoy laughing at Studio C together and their interactions aren’t bad, they’re just different.

I commented to Jamie yesterday before my epiphany that we have to do better. We’ve been in survival mode for so long that sheer exhaustion lands us in front of the TV every night. It doesn’t help that winter’s evenings are dark and cold but we need to get back to that fun-loving family who traveled and played together.

Every night before bed, we read scriptures and say family prayers. Jamie was still at the game so Hadley, Bode and I piled onto my bed.

“Don’t turn on the light,” I suggested. “Let’s just do dark snuggles.”

I don’t even remember what we talked about but we were transformed back to how it used to be. We laughed. Shared stories. Wrestled. Gazed in wonder as the moon illuminated the snow with a lovely pearly blue-white glow.

It was a piece of magic that this bruised mother’s heart so desperately needed. Things will be different. They have to be–it’s the natural order of things as Hadley and Bode change and grow.

But it gave me hope that they’ll find their way back together again….should we all survive Hadley’s teenage years.  #JesusTakeTheWheel

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley
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