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

Fat Kitty Shaming

January 11, 2016 By

After selling her house last spring, Jamie’s sister Lisa has has the utmost privilege of intermittently residing with our family. Upon her return from Europe, we anticipated she’d be with us for a while as she looked for a job but last month, she announced she had found a new condo and would be moving out in January.  Renting a place before getting a job? Isn’t that like the chicken before the egg or the egg before the chicken?

I know she wants her space but it’s been nice to have her here, particularly because she does the dishes and Jamie does not. There was full disclosure about this before we got married and there are plenty of other things he does around the house but dishes and toilet-cleaning are not among them.

Spoken from the woman who has not paid bills or taxes since the day we married.

Thursday is my crazy day driving kids to piano and then leading Cub Scouts so she offered to take on dinner duty that night and it’s been a treat. For her final Thursday dinner, she went all out as a way of saying thanks: high-quality grilled Costco steaks, fresh shrimp, corn on the cob, mushrooms, and two different kinds of French fries with fry sauce. We were overwhelmed and over-filled from our feast.

As we wobbled upstairs, we heard Lisa’s outburst.

“Ohhhh noooooo!”

“What?”

“Fat Kitty pooped on my bed.”

Fat Kitty is pretty much the perfect cat–non-destructive, cuddly and easy going. But his Achilles heel is he occasionally poops out of his kitty littler box when he’s 1) ticked we’re leaving him on vacation. 2) mad about being stuck indoors all winter. 3) PMSing or 4) just because.  His target is usually a blanket or towel left on the ground but to poop on someone’s bed? A rarity and it was obvious he was making a statement. He was mad she’s leaving.

Over these past months, she has turned into his most trusted buddy. He monopolized her snuggly blanket so much that she had to bequeath it to him. And during our extended trip to Canada and frequent vacations, she was always there comforting him that it’s OK to be ditched.  Lisa is his mother from another mother.

Regardless of the pain he is feeling over her inevitable departure, we felt badly, especially since she had just cooked up this amazing meal. We demanded a Fat Kitty apology and he reluctantly gave one.

I don’t see steak in our future anytime soon.

Filed Under: Family, Humor

The Force Awakens!

December 21, 2015 By

With our recent trip to Disneyland for their “Season of the Force” (slacker mama, I still haven’t full written about that trip), we watched all the Star Wars movies back-to-back and have become bona fide fans. We’ve been counting down the days until we could see Star Wars: The Force Awakens but were deterred by the crowds and bedlam. Sure, we love Star Wars but do we love it enough to stand in line for hours on end?

The answer is we love it enough to wait a few weeks until the hype dies down.

However, after seeing everyone’s social media posts on opening night, I casually did a search at our local theater to see if there were still tickets on Friday. I was shocked to see there were so snagged up four of them as a surprise for the kids in celebration of Winter Break. I remember going to see it with my family and I was thrilled that the kids will have the same memories.

Concerned there would still be a crazy-long line, Jamie instructed us to arrive an hour early for most optimal seats, which is exactly what we did…and there was only one family in front of us. As the wait stretched out, only a handful of people showed. That’s the funny thing about our local theater: it’s plenty nice but not super high-tech and fancy so it’s never crowded. In total, our theater had maybe 20 people in it for the 5:30 p.m. showing.

And of course, we all sat bunched up in the middle of the theater. Best seats in the house, of course!

Just what did we think of  Star Wars: The Force Awakens? We loved it! It was filled with nostalgia as Director J.J. Abrams managed to weave important elements of the past with a new direction for the film. I laughed, I cried, it was better than CATS.

Well, if I’d actually seen that musical that my parents chose NOT to take me to when I was about 9 years old.

And yes, I’m still bitter. But my kids won’t be because this was one film not to be missed.

Filed Under: Family

Hiel Fat Kitty

November 22, 2015 By

Fat Kitty. Captain Squishy. King of the Squish. He goes by many names (except for his given name, Remy) and what’s not to love? He’s fat, squishy, lovable, gentle and an Olympic-level snuggler.

We were horrified upon returning from Canada to learn that Jamie’s sister, who lived with us this summer, decided to put him on a diet. Garfield does not diet. He just has a slow metabolism! And she while she’d limit his food to one small bowl in the evenings, the kids and I would sneak our starving cat extra food.

I think he actually gained weight on his diet but don’t most of us?

Bode, Hadley and I adore him but after five years as a part of our family, Jamie still openly disdains him. We just don’t get it.

“Why aren’t you nicer to Fat Kitty?”

“I don’t understand why you and the kids are obsessed with him.”

“Three out of four members of this family love him. Maybe there’s something wrong with you!”

“Three out of four Germans liked Hitler.”

 

Filed Under: Family, Jamie Tagged With:

Oh Canada: The Lakehouse Edition

October 9, 2015 By

How can you summarize a glorious week with family at a lakehouse tucked away in the breadbasket in Canada? You can’t, that’s why I prefer to document our family reunion on Okanogan Lake in pictures!

I chuckle when I see other family’s carefully regimented reunions, with every last detail planned. Their perfectly coiffed, matching family pictures. Ours is typical Borowski-style chaos. Wake up. Boat, kayak or SUP. Eat breakfast. Boat, play with cousins, eat. Boat. Eat. Cards. Games. Rinse, lather, repeat. Oh wait. Scratch that because the boys don’t shower.

What I particularly enjoyed about summer 2015 at the lake is the temperature–it wasn’t blazing hot 100+ degrees like last year. With temps in the upper 80s, I deemed it to be near perfect (for me, anyway; the hardcore boaters prefer scorchers). My brother Pat’s family is incredibly generous with their resources, time and patience bringing the rest of us up to their [trailblazing] speed.

A few of our favorite things:

Water play (duh)

Wakeboarding Hadley

Wakeboarding Bode

There’s never a dull moment with cousin Jaxson. Prior to tubing, we asked if he knew the hand signal for telling us he’s done (tapping the top of his head). “Sure!” And he proceeded to do the throat-slitting gesture. That works, too.

Driving to the West Side for our Annual Family Dive-off

Lakeside Movie Night at Todd and Kim’s

First Annual Stand-up Paddleboard (SUP) Competition

When you only have one paddleboard, you improvise and have timed races. Pat won. As always. But he’s almost 50 and we’ll soon dominate him.

Pat the soon-to-be dominated

Lots and lots of cards and games

Bode’s Birthday

DQ ice cream cake courtesy of Aunt Sue

My favorite moment: globe light + sparklers = a magical birthday eve

Davison Orchard Tours


And their best peach and apple pies. Ever.

A truly epic bike ride on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail

Everyone Flying into the Rooster Tail with Guns Blazing

Not pictured:

A lot of laughter, Jane’s delicious cooking, Emily’s addictive Greek bruschetta, bloodsport croquet (we broke Dad’s new mallets), Hadley’s first all-girl dance party on the boat, early-morning kayak runs, nighttime tales of the lake monster Ogopogo, Tim Horton’s Timbits, Rook tournaments, Screamers (half ice cream, half Slurpee) and the Borowski’s epic wakeboarding moves.

Jamie and I had a competition with my younger brother Jade in surfing (we called it The Worst of the Worst). I thought for sure I would win but after popping up my first try and successfully surfing the wake, I cracked and started regressing while Jamie and Jade got better, even dropping the rope and surfing on their own.

Near the end of the week, I’d only been out a few times and was downright frustrated until my sister-in-law Jane shouted out at me, “Do you know what your problem is? You’re not having fun!” She was right. I was so focused on surpassing the boys that my failures were getting the best of me. That very next attempt, I fought my way out of the water and had my best surf of the entire week. Turns out having fun IS the key!

I loved seeing my kiddos progress on the water–Bode popped back up on his wakeboard and Hadley started carving. She tried surfing by herself on the very first day and with Jane’s assistance in the water, was able to get up and surf a bit. She showed no interest in trying again until the very last night. When you have avid boaters, you have to be bold with getting your own time on the water so I asked Pat if we could do one last run before dark, which he kindly acquiesced. I had a great run and wanted to go again until Hadley asked if she could try surfing again.

This time, she said she wanted to do it completely on her own without Jane in the water and my gosh, if that girl of mine didn’t pop up and surf the wake. It was one of my proudest moments at the lake…and then a reminder that she’ll probably surpass me in the Worst of the Worst surfing competition next year and I’ll still be at the bottom of the bucket.

It’ll be worth it.

======

In case you missed our other Canadian adventures this summer:

Oh Canada: The Lethbridge Edition

Oh Canada: The Canada Day in Raymond and Waterton Edition

Oh Canada: The Calgary Edition

Oh Canada: The Banff/Canmore Edition

Oh Canada: The Lakehouse Edition

Oh Canada: The Kettle Valley Railway Trail Edition

 Oh Canada: The Edition Not in Canada

Filed Under: Bode, Canada, Family, Family travel, Favorite Posts, Hadley, Humor, Jamie, travel

Oh Canada: The Calgary Edition

October 5, 2015 By

The kids and I generally spend a couple of weeks in Calgary before our family reunion in Vernon, B.C. With the 2015 calendar, our lakehouse dates were moved up by a week, which prompted me to skip our fun 4th of July celebrations in Denver and enjoy Canada Day in the Motherland (read about that here).

Calgary is truly one of the great cities in the world and I’d move back there in an instant. We had a glorious couple of weeks spending time with my family at our favorites haunts that included biking with dad.

My own 30-mile ride along Calgary’s extensive network of bikepaths where I was thrilled to see many of the flood-damaged trails were repaired.

The charming Millarville Farmer’s Market, followed by a drive through the Canadian countryside to Elbow falls in Kananaskis Country.

The not-so charming mudpits.

And then cleaning ourselves off after in Fish Creek.

Followed by ice cream at Annie’s Bakery & Cafe at adjacent Bow Valley Ranche.

Pedicures with Grandma.

And, of course, the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth: The Calgary Stampede!

Their unique fair food makes headlines and some of our favorites were these Gourmet Ice Pops with delicious frozen dulce caramel cream combined with a mini donut. My brother-in-law Fred had the artery-clogging Deep Fried Donut Bacon Cheeseburger.

Good thing we were on the grounds playing for 12 loooong hours and worked (some of it) off.

But the real highlight of Stampede was that crazy girl of mine. We laughed until we cried at the hypnotist show last year so imagine my surprise when that brazen girl of mine volunteered! I’ll admit I’ve always been tempted but I embarrass myself when I’m fully conscious…why tempt fate?

Closer view:

In the end, she (and a few others) ended up getting sent back to their seat because she was only partially put under, which has given her a new goal for next year.

Heaven help us all!

=====

In case you missed our other Canadian adventures this summer:

Oh Canada: The Lethbridge Edition

Oh Canada: The Canada Day in Raymond and Waterton Edition

Oh Canada: The Calgary Edition

Oh Canada: The Banff/Canmore Edition

Oh Canada: The Lakehouse Edition

Oh Canada: The Kettle Valley Railway Trail Edition

 Oh Canada: The Edition Not in Canada

 

Filed Under: Canada, Family, Family travel, travel

The Colorado Bucket List

September 3, 2015 By

I complained to Jamie last year how we rarely get visitors. We live in Colorado, for heaven’s sake, not Kansas. People should be lining up to discover our state’s glory!

As it turns out, we’ve finally had a steady stream of friends and family staying with us and I couldn’t be more delighted. Our most recent were my brother Pat and his wife Jane, who have not been to Denver since my wedding 12 years ago. Jane surprised Pat with an item on his bucket list: to attend a Broncos game and spend a couple of days with us. Clarification: The Broncos game was the bucket list; hanging Chez Johnson was a huge bonus.

I was initially at a loss how to entertain them. Though they live near the Canadian Rockies, every spare moment is spent on the water but Jane soothed my concerns and told me they wanted to experience “My Colorado,” which is another way of saying they value near-death experiences.

Day 1

So, on Day 1, I took them to Chautauqua Park in Boulder. They’re not hikers so we did a moderate one-hour loop but when Pat smack-talked me “Is that all you’ve got?” it made me vow to kill them off next time around with a more strenuous trek. At least him; Jane is much more accommodating.


We spent the afternoon strolling and lunching along Pearl Street Mall.

The real highlight (for Jane at least) was to treat the whole family to Casa Bonita that evening! When she was doing her research on Colorado haunts, this Mexican restaurant was listed as one of the nation’s Top 10 Roadside Attractions, evidence that list had a very low standard. Don’t get me wrong. Casa Bonita’s pageantry–divers plunging into a pool below a 30-ft. waterfall,  fire jugglers, strolling mariachi bands, a pirate cave, magicians, puppet shows, skee-ball machine, puppet show and arcade games–are fun but the food is terrible, with the exception of their sopapillas.  But if you drown enough of them in honey, you start enjoying yourself in that cheesy Mexican funhouse!

This picture is blurry due to my sheer terror in Black Bart’s Cave.

Day 2

Boulder’s Flatirons are the foothills of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. For Pat and Jane’s second day in Colorado, I wanted to expose them to Colorado’s extremes.

We started at Red Rocks, which is known nationally for its famous music venue. For athletes, it is a haven for pushing the limits. From active.com: “Red Rocks is known nationally for its famous music venue. For athletes, it is a haven for pushing the limits in the altitude. Sitting at 6,000 feet high, Red Rocks has two staircases on either side of the amphitheater that rise from the lower parking lot to the upper concession level, each with about 380 steps. There are two interior stairways on either side of the bleachers each with 138 steps from the stage to the top. Red Rocks features 69 rows of seats in the venue, which equates to running approximately three miles on an ascent or descent of the bleachers. Add in 21 planter boxes for plyo jumps, side stairways that climb from the stage to the upper parking lot with 83 steps, which then connect by way of an ascending quarter-mile ramp to 62 steps straight up to the upper concession area; you have a challenging workout amidst some of the best scenery in the Rocky Mountains.”

Sounds fun, right? I didn’t want to kill us off so we hiked the amphitheater loop and then did a few rounds up Red Rocks’ stairs. Believe me, that was plenty!

We felt a bit less guilty about indulging at my beloved Country Road Cafe. Jamie always orders the Breakfast Burrito but I like to test out new menu items and fell in love with the Berry Bush, potato pancakes topped with cream cheese, sausage patties, two eggs, hollandaise and blackberry-sage drizzle. It was delicious but the real show-stopper was Jane’s “Holy Cow,” a heap of mashed potatoes topped with a scramble of eggs, ham, bacon, cheese, country fried steak, sausage gravy and crispy onions surrounded by french toast. 

Aptly-named “Holy Cow!”

I kid you not: her plate was triple the size of our already-huge portions and her leftovers fed my entire family for dinner. And a small nation.

From there, we were 14er-bound to drive to the top of Mount Evans, the highest paved road in North America. We popped some Tylenol to battle altitude-induced headaches during the circuitous drive but it wasn’t until we got out of the car to hike a few hundred feet to the summit that the elevation started to wreak havoc, particularly with Jane. 

Pat had another issue: he’s deathly afraid of heights and there was something about looming 14,000 feet above the valley floor that was unsettling for him. Go figure. Regardless, the views stunned but poor Jane passed out driving down and upon arriving home, this is how I found them.

If this isn’t a raving endorsement for “Come to Colorado and I’ll show you a good time,” I don’t know what is.

In my defense, this is what I look like after spending a day on the boat with them.

Filed Under: Colorado, Family, Family travel, hiking, Humor

The final countdown

August 19, 2015 By

The kids are finally back in school, which means I’ll be able to spend some much-needed time getting caught up on this blog about all our summer travels, right? Probably not. I’m celebrating my friends’ birthday tomorrow with lunch and a hike, I leave Friday morning with some other friends to do Mudderella in Aspen and then next week, my brother Pat and his wife Jane are FINALLY coming to visit us in Denver. The only other time they’ve been here was for our wedding so it’s long overdue.

Better luck next month on updates.

The kids and I have spent our last few days cramming in all the ugly things we should have spread out all summer like assessment testing, organizing their rooms, the dentist and a failed attempt at Water World.

Le Dentist

I’m exceedingly thrilled that Bode has 3–maybe 4–cavities and that Hadley needs braces. When two self-employed people pay almost as much for health insurance as they do their mortgage, that leaves no room for dental insurance. Can you say: payment plan.

Hadley’s crooked teeth are a mess so we knew they’d need an overhaul. But sweet, responsible Bode was devastated over his prognosis and has since been hypervigilant about flossing (too little, too late). But I sure appreciate all his prayers that we’ll have enough money to pay for his rotting mouth. Not that I can talk; we just barely finished paying off my last visit to the dentist 18 months ago. 

Water World Fail

How exactly can one fail at Water World, one of the country’s premier waterparks with 50+ attractions? Allow me to divulge:

1) You wait for your husband to get off work so don’t leave until 1 p.m.

2) You get stuck in I-76 traffic for about a half an hour and don’t arrive until after 2 p.m.

3) When you finally arrive, you wait in line for a long time for two rides. For kicks and giggles, you cut your leg on one of them.

4) You wait in line for an hour for Mile High Flyer. When you’re about 15 minutes from the front of the line, the park closes for 60 minutes due to lightning/rain.

5) You cut your losses (it’s already 4 p.m.) and you go home after only riding two rides.

6) Better luck next year.

So Long, Farewell

Jamie’s sister sold her house quit her job and has been living with us this summer. I wasn’t sure how it would work out (we’re a lot to handle) but she was a delight to hang out with, she helped clean, took the kids out and even babysat for us one night so we could go on a dinner and movie night to Mission Impossible.

It was like we were almost human again!

Lisa is soon embarking on a month-long trip to Europe so for her self-off/birthday celebration, we had two fondues: One with rib-eye steak and the other was this Gouda Cheese Fondue with Herbed Crostini beef. Jamie smoked the Gouda in his smoker and the result was Out. Of. This. World. 

She’ll be sorely missed by everyone but Fat Kitty is taking it particularly hard. During all our summer travels, he’s been glued to her side, snuggled up in her soft blanket. She was his one constant and now she’s gone, gone, gone. His only solace is to rip off the heads of mice and leave their innards all over our yard.

We all have our coping mechanisms.

Filed Under: Bode, Family, Hadley, Humor

3rd Annual Birthday Celebration at The Broadmoor

May 28, 2015 By

This was Hadley’s third birthday we’ve celebrated at The Broadmoor, which means it’s a tradition, right?  While my previous trip was a working vacation for my write-up about Broadmoor Outfitters, this one was all relaxation and play.

PLAY

We started with bowling and delicious food at their high-end alley PLAY. Something you should know about the boys: they’re sore losers and were grumpy that Hadley and I started out strong.  Of course, we didn’t rub that in one bit.

 

Everyone had a strike near the end of the game except for Bode. He grabbed Hadley’s jacket and bowling ball and, with it awkwardly tucked under his arm, he chucked the ball down the alley. We tried to stop him…until we realized he had just bowled his first strike. I’m not sure what to make of that other than maybe having her vicariously closer to him was like a security blanket?

Fly Fishing

Usually, we spend a good portion of our day lounging poolside but with Colorado’s rainy weather, we had to get creative. We played a lot of heated Checkers matches in the lobby and teamed up with Broadmoor Outfitters for a  fly fishing expedition at the Lake House. This Adirondack-style lodge is adjacent to a scenic lake stocked with carp, rainbow and brown trout on one of the resort’s famous golf courses.

We had only fly fished once before at The Broadmoor’s Ranch at Emerald Valley a couple of years ago so we welcomed our guide Tyler’s expertise. As he was just about to explain how to strip the line to reel in the fish, he got a bite and was able to not only explain but show us how to do it. The guides are just that good. And so are the views. Can you see the deer on the shore just behind Bode?

The fish must have received the memo it was Hadley’s birthday because she was reeling them in like crazy! Jamie and I had quick success as well but then there was poor Bode who couldn’t even get a nibble. We’d have him switch places to where Hadley was finding all the fish and he’d get nothing while Hadley would catch them in his previous spot. With rain clouds about to burst, he’d about reached his breaking point when I uttered my first fisherwoman’s prayer: “Dear Lord, if you’re listening and able, could you please help The Boy catch a fish?”

Within a minute, he caught one hook, line and sinker. Turns out fisherwoman’s prayers really work.

The Others

We were pleased that The Broadmoor opened a game room specifically for Memorial Day weekend and we had a fun playing ping pong, air hockey, bean bag toss and foosball. This photo was supposed to be representative of Hadley and Bode learning to play pool.

But really, it’s all about Jamie’s photobomb.

And even though the Memorial Day carnival was moved indoors due to the weather, the kids had a blast.

Who am I kidding? We all had a blast going down that slide and launching into the pit.

We had a brief window of sunshine on Saturday so we swam.

Or rather, the kids did. It was still a blustery 50 degrees so Jamie and I joined the other lame, fully-clothed parents on the chaises while a small a handful of hearty kids played.

Later that afternoon, we stopped at the resort’s eco-chic eatery Natural Epicurean that features organic food. How often do you have the chance to eat healthy desserts that look like this?

We were so nice that even though Jamie didn’t join us, we ordered an extra treat. P.S. Don’t tell him that.

Believe me, we weren’t lacking in food. One night, we ate at Ristorante Del Lago, the resort’s newish Italian restaurant inspired by a luxurious villa in Lake Como. It was there that I informed Bode “Did you know if you can tie that maraschino cherry stem with our tongue, that means you’ll be a good French kisser?”

He’ll never order a Shirley Temple again.

As we lounged fireside after dinner, the kids played tag with Jamie and roasted s’mores. I am 100 percent grateful every time we’re privy to The Good Life and observed, “I know we’ve had an amazing day but just remember that money doesn’t buy happiness.”  Hadley responded: “Could have fooled me.”


Note to self: Save life lessons for when they are not currently in the moment.

The Brunch

The Broadmoor’s brunch is, hands down, our favorite part of every trip with more than 150 enticing choices alongside sculpted ice and live piano music. Jamie ensured he was first in front of what he deemed “the gateway to heaven.”

Now I know what the pearly gates look like. At least there won’t be all the calories in heaven, RIGHT?

We all enjoy the brunch but Hadley LOVES it and eats more than any of us with favorites being the pastries, breads and bananas foster.

This picture is very telling of our brunch experience:

Hadley is in sheer bliss, Bode (my pleaser) is posing but really thinking “hurry up and take the picture so I can get some more food” while Jamie has a mouthful of it.

Hiking

I always wake up at dawn to hike North Cheyenne Cañon by myself and this time, I was so overwhelmed with its forested red-rock beauty (it’s one of my Top 10 Hikes Ever), I did a second trip with the family. The Broadmoor offers a free shuttle to the Starsmore Discovery Center at the mouth of the canyon.

If you’re going to build a nature center, I highly suggest you do it in this beautiful setting.

The Birthday Girl

Hadley’s birthday fell on Memorial Day so she requested a room service breakfast of Belgian waffles and we were happy to oblige.

For presents, we bought her some clothes, a weaving loom, the Maze Runner movie and book series, some drawing paper and sweet Bode gave her a purse he had woven in art class.

I’ve long wanted to climb the Manitou Incline a.k.a. The Holy Grail of Cardio, which gains almost 2,000 feet of elevation over less than 1 mile. Hadley agreed to do it with me and it was to be our day of triumph!!  Until it wasn’t. You see, the Incline is one of the most unique and challenging trails in the country, attracting runners, Olympic athletes and cyclists from around the world. By the time we arrived at 10 a.m., the base area was a madhouse. We circled around for 45 minutes trying to find parking before finally driving down the mountain and parking in town. The problem: what comes down must go back up so we had to trek about a mile to even get to the start of the Incline. By then, I could tell Hadley wasn’t doing very well, complaining that her throat hurt.

“Let’s just hike a little bit and see how you’re feeling.”

It was steeeeeeeeep. Could we have done it? Sure. Hadley is in great shape after training for a Pentathlon all year and while I’m not where I was physically at this time last year, I could have toughed it out. But after climbing 1/5 of the way up, she looked miserable. If it wasn’t her birthday, I would have pushed her farther but I’m glad I didn’t–she spent the next day in bed with a cold.

At that moment, I noticed the sun was shining for the first time. “Here’s a plan, Hadley. Why don’t we race back to The Broadmoor, hit the pool, order lunch and strawberry milkshakes before going home?”

If there’s a way to salvage a birthday, that is it.

 

 

Filed Under: birthday, Bode, Family, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, Humor, Jamie, outdoors, travel, Uncategorized

Adventuring with Broadmoor Outfitters

May 27, 2015 By

For the third year in a row, we were able to return to The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs for Hadley’s birthday. As I was going through my pictures, I realized I never posted about our previous trip–waaaaaaay back in February when I was asked to write a story for their magazine about Broadmoor Outfitters, their onsite outdoor adventure company.

The funny thing is, we had better weather in February than we did over Memorial Day weekend. OK, it’s not that funny. We’ve had a month of non-stop rain, a real rarity in Denver. And though I’d much rather have inclement weather than 100-degree days, I’m ready for my trails to dry out.

During our visit a few months ago, we did it all:  Geocaching at The Broadmoor, a snowy hike and geocache up North Cheyenne Cañon, a mountain bike ride down Gold Camp Road, topped off by rock climbing Garden of the Gods.

Geocaching

It started with our leisurely treasure hunt around the grounds….


From there, we drove up North Cheyenne Cañon, grabbed our GPS units and hiked up Gold Camp Road, a former narrow gauged railroad bed that hauled ore from Cripple Creek to Colorado Springs. There were occasional patches of snow but when we crossed North Cheyenne Creek to start hiking the Seven Bridges Trail, I could have sworn we’d passed through an antique wardrobe into a frosty Narnia forest of ice demons, fairies and a snow queen.

We traversed a couple of the hike’s seven bridges before our GPS unit alerted us we were close to our cache…but then the arrow pointed us off-piste. And way up.

“Wait, we’re supposed to ditch the trail and hike straight up this steep slope?” I queried.

Audacious Hadley didn’t wait for the answer as she and our guide Kurt forged up the mountain in knee-deep snow. Bode and I (the more cautious ones) applauded their progress from the trail while Jamie (maybe the smartest of us all) rested on a boulder. 

And yep, that’s my kid in a T-shirt. She’s half-Canadian.

Mountain Biking

From there, we grabbed our mountain bikes. Though the pitch was moderate, the serpentine, mucky road’s precipitous cliffs and snowy patches still thrilled. I nervously barreled through pitch-black Tunnels 1 and 2 and I vowed to have my eyes checked after my blind foray with the dark side. 

At one point, Kurt pulled off the road, stashed his bike and beckoned us to follow him down the Columbine Trail, a route which leads all the way to the Starsmore Discovery Center at the base of North Cheyenne Cañon. We only hiked a couple of minutes but earned the view of a thousand hours of exertion. The canyon was a staggering cacophony of glimmering snow, velvet-green forests and Pikes Peak Granites’ milky and smoky quartz, pink feldspar and black mica.

From our perch, we could see where the mountains met the foothills and plains with The Broadmoor in the epicenter of it all.

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is not my outdoor-loving family’s forté but I knew if we were to be successful, it would be with Broadmoor Outfitters.  We were given our choice of four main routes and I opted for the easiest with nothing to prove beyond having a positive experience and staying alive. Our guide climbed up and built an anchor off the bolts that are secured into the sandstone, gave us some final safety instructions and Hadley generously volunteered me as the guinea pig. Gingerly, I shouted “on belay” and started climbing.

Unlike North Cheyenne Cañon’s granite, Garden of the God’s blush-colored sandstone felt more forgiving with plenty of ledges to rest and “flakes” to grab onto. It didn’t take long before I summited and dizzy with excitement, I marveled at the expansive red-rock sea that had been created during a geological upheaval along a natural fault line millions of years ago.

The rappel down was my favorite part and I was greeted by a shocked Bode. “You didn’t think I could do it, did you?”

“I gave you about a 50-50 chance.” He looked ill with anxiety. Vertical rock climbing walls are the nemesis of a judicious kid.

Jamie at the summit

Jamie and Hadley easily reached the top but Hadley froze during the rappel and it took a while to coax her down. And then there was Bode. To combat his apprehension, he had been bouldering at the base envisioning himself as the first American Ninja Kid Warrior. When it was his turn, he tore up and down faster than anyone and was dumbfounded when his feet touched down.

I see a future for him on Mount Midoriyama.

Valentine’s Day Weekend

It was Valentine’s Day and after a full day playing in the outdoors, we were thrilled to have our first 5-star dining experience at The Broadmoor’s Penrose Room. The whole evening is a blur–from the moment we stepped off the elevator and Bode exclaimed, “this is faaaaaaancy,” to the Caesar salad they prepped right at our table to dancing to a live band with mortified Bode (Hadley was equally embarrassed to be swung around with her father) and being so proud of them for their good manners.

Of course, it helped that we had schooled them for a month about proper etiquette, threatening any lapse would be not “Penrose Worthy.”

I think it’s important to expose the kids to different beliefs so we opted to go to a non-denominational service at the Pauline Memorial Chapel located on property. The founder’s wife Julie Penrose oversaw its construction in 1919 and between the considerable collection of religious art and artifacts from Europe, dramatic bell tower and high high buttressed walls,  it reminded me of the early Christian basilicas. It was such a beautiful, moving experience!

The Broadmoor’s famous brunch wasn’t too bad, either. Unless you’ve spent the entire weekend stuffing your face with gourmet food.

At one point, Bode put down his fork, let out a big sigh and said, “I’m not full but my mouth is tired from having so much delicious food in it.”

First World Problems at The Broadmoor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: biking, Bode, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Hadley, hiking, Humor, outdoors
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