Utah: How I Love Thee (Mostly) and our Park City Family Vacation

April 4, 2013 By

My complicated relationship with Utah was reconfirmed during our latest visit for spring break. I wouldn’t go are far as to say it’s a love-hate dynamic but I always struggle between “I want to move back here” and “I’m so glad I got out of here,” the former attributed to the mountains and family and the later, to cultural idiosyncrasies.

But what could be better than hanging out reading books with Grandma in her beautiful, new finished basement?
Not to mention dying eggs and a fun Easter egg hunt with our darling cousins?And sneaking off to do this memorable hike on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail behind Red Butte Gardens wasn’t too bad, either.
Our spring break was about two things: Skiing at Park City Mountain Resort and family. Fortunately, we were able to combine them both by staying at Silver Star, a gorgeous three-bedroom town home at the base. The gift basket is courtesy of Resorts West. The Cheese Balls, thanks to us.
We like to keep it classy.

For four days, we hot tubbed, watched The Hobbit, grilled burgers, ate and hung out.

Ski School

That was just the indoor fun. The kids did ski school for a few days and Bode rocked his “Superstar” class.

Attempting Mary Katherine Gallagher’s “Superstar” pose

And Hadley graduated to an intermediate-advanced class. Her instructor told us she used to train the U.S. Ski Team, gave us her card and said that she “could work with her.”
Some parents would sell their soul if their kid had an iota of Olympic potential. We’re underachievers who said “that’s nice” and went back to eating our Cheese Balls.

Jamie had a stellar time on the mountain, with the exception of the day I got really ill from an allergy-induced sinus infection.

I, of course, have to get sick on every vacation.

Tubing for a Bruising

Then, there was Gorgoza Park. On our final night in Park City, Jamie’s sister and her family joined us for some fun at this adventure park outside of Park City. Our kiddos tore up the mini snowmobiles.Our 3-year-old twinnies are darling and sweet but oh-so fearful. They’re under 42-inches tall so had to tube the Lower Lanes, which is a good thing because they were sufficiently traumatized. For the first run, Ada went down with her dad without a problem while Berkley was HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. Jamie’s sister Tammy soothed her fears and even Ada’s pep talk about “being brave” didn’t help. After several motivational speeches, they eventually went down with Berkley screaming the whole way.

Then came the final attempt. The staffer at the top complimented Tammy saying “Most parents just throw their kids in the tube but you handled that just right by talking it out with her.” But this time, it was Ada who decided to freak out and refuse to go down the hill. After trying to calm her down, they all loaded up and had the staffer push them down the hill with Ada screaming the whole way.

“You mean, the parents do it like this?” Tammy joked to him.

I always knew I liked her.

For Fear Factor, Edition 2 we dragged Jamie’s mom up and down The Big Hill.

She initially wasn’t very happy but unlike Ada and Berkley, Adventure Grandma didn’t cry even once.

Family Ski Day

There are few things that bring me more joy than skiing with my little family and though we hope to keep them in ski school as long as possible, I love when we can ski together. A tradition at many resorts is to throw bead necklaces in the trees as you’re passing them on the chair lift. We purchased eight necklaces from the Dollar Store prior to our trip and were so excited to try it.

The problem: Bode lost two of them before we even left the condo. We also hadn’t calculated the exact moment we would need to toss them, taking into account the velocity of the chair lift, the angle of the trees and our sheer incompetence.

Translation: We failed at physics and I think only two actually made it into the trees.

There were many, many other adventures including skiing down the Adventure Alleys designed for kids, doing the jumps at the terrain park, the alpine coaster and Flying Eagle zipline.And then my very favorite moment of the entire trip: summiting the top of the McConkey Lift. Perched at the top of the ski resort, only intermediate and advanced skiers can access it and this was our first as a family.

Bode squealed, “I’m the king of the world” as he gazed out upon the endless sea of mountains. Then as he peered over the edge as he skied and he confessed, “I’m kinda freaking out” but went on to ski it like a champ.

His wasn’t the only breakdown. The day before, Jamie had taken me down double-black expert terrain at Jupiter Bowl when I was still recovering from the plague. There are no pictures of his indiscretion, which is probably a good thing because the less evidence, the better.

Hopefully, Ada, Berkley, Bode , Grandma and I will have forgotten those freakout moments by the time we return to have the time of our lives at Park City Mountain Resort next year.

Filed Under: Bode, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, Jamie, skiing, travel, Utah

The wizarding world of siblings

April 2, 2013 By

Not to discount parents who have only one child but I firmly believe some of life’s most important relationships are learned through sibling relationships–the good and the bad. As I watch my kids play, struggle, fight, make-up, sacrifice and love I can’t help but be grateful they have each other, even if they don’t always appreciate it.

When we are traveling and adventuring, they get along marvelously 95 percent of the time. They have to–all they have is each other. When they’re home, it’s an entirely different manner. It’s about territory, competition and stuff. Hadley is entering the tween years where so many things her little brother does annoy her (I remember them well). It doesn’t help that he is thriving in areas in which she is struggling, augmenting an already complicated dynamic. Sometimes she can be downright mean.

A couple of weeks ago my friend Jenn, even though she had a house full of kids, graciously offered to watch H and B while Jamie and I went to the temple. The next morning, Jenn told me Hadley threw a fit about Bode joining in a game, stormed off, vented, got over it and later joined in. I was U-P-S-E-T and her attitude had gone too far. Jamie and I met with her to discuss the consequences for her actions and gave her a chance “to make it up” to Jenn and Bode.

That afternoon, I canceled her playdate with a friend so she could make Jenn an apology card and some Easter cookies. I then asked her to think of three day’s worth of thoughtful things she could secretly do for her brother. She decided to start by cleaning his room.

Next, Hadley carried the cookies over to Jenn, rehearsing her apology. I was proud of her–She was willingly being accountable for her actions. As she walked up to the front step, she turned and WHOOOOOSH, the cookies went flying off the plate. She looked at me, ready to cry. I looked at her. “Let’s go home,” I announced. She was deflated and I jokingly reminded her of a story we had recently read in the children’s Friend, “Three Milk Shakes for Malachi.” She started to perk up. “Hopefully it won’t take me that many times!”

This time, she loaded up our personal stash of cookies, took them over, rang the doorbell and Jenn answered. Only she wasn’t alone. Jenn is the Bishops’ wive and our kindly Bishop joined her as well. Hadley faltered a bit before sputtering out her apology. They graciously thanked her and she raced away, beaming.

She tried really hard the rest of the day to be nice to him (no small feat for her). That evening as we were getting ready for bed, Bode entered his room for the first time.

“Wow, look at how clean it is!”

“Did you do it, Mommy?”

“No.”

“Did Daddy do it?”

“No, Hadley did it.”

“Was it Fat Kitty?

“It was your sister!”

“Or maybe it was a wizard?”

Something tells me this sibling dynamic will be a long, hard road.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor

Life lessons from growing the Great Pumpkin

April 1, 2013 By

In Jamie’s words on his Facebook page:

“My wife finally wrote an article in the Denver Post about something important.”

Don’t say I’m not supportive of The Crazy.

Click to read the article

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie, pumpkins

How to get your kids to appreciate you

March 25, 2013 By

Ingratitude. It’s the age-old battle all parents wage with their kids. But I have found the solution for instilling gratitude:

Leave them for a week.

I recently spent a week in Canada for some family matters. I arrived home to jubilant children who pelted me with their stuffed animals and doused me with hugs and kisses. Their excitement was augmented when I brought them their very favorite food in the entire world: Tim Hortons Timbits (thanks to Dad for enduring a 4 a.m. doughnut run before my early flight).

But with time, the children started whispering.

“Do you see that pile of dishes? It got to be this high!”

“I have no clean underwear. Have you seen all the dirty clothes in my laundry basket?”

And the worst one of all:

“THERE HAVE BEEN NO HOMEMADE COOKIES IN THE COOKIE JAR!”

Though I left a fridge and freezer full of healthy food, McDonald’s and pizza became the staples (though you didn’t see the kids tattling about that).

I won’t mention when I called 40 minutes after bedtime on a school night and they were waging a mixed-martial arts competition after watching Here Comes the Boom. In the background, I could hear Bode saying, “Daddy said we could have three cookies!”

Sounds like he coped just fine with his store-bought Oreos.

This is not a knock on Jamie…far from it. The dude was a single dad for a week while he juggled a demanding work schedule, Bishopric, homework, poor health and shuttling the kids to their various activities while making sure they were fed. I couldn’t have gone  home if my wonderful husband hadn’t generously stepped up.

But it was a wake-up for all of them that clean clothes don’t just magically appear, delicious, homemade food doesn’t make itself, and darn it, those dishes don’t wash themselves. Maybe that lady we call Mom does more around here than nag us to keep a schedule, do our chores and to make our beds.

Though apparently they got a bye on all those things last week.

They don’t know how really good they had it.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor, Jamie

Busted: My Denver Staycation Secret

March 19, 2013 By

My life has three phases: Busy, Really Busy and Crazy Busy. I’m somewhere between the last two as I try to get caught up from a week in Canada and prepare for the kids to be out of school for Spring Break.

When 9News contacted me about doing a daily series this week about Denver staycation ideas, I said 1) Thanks 2) No thanks and 3) Gave them another option. I fed them some suggestions of area activities and that I’d be happy to present them at the beginning of the week and they could dispatch the reporters the following days. Win-win. They get the content, I keep my sanity.

So, I raced into 9News yesterday, 5 minutes later than the allotted time due to traffic but with a few minutes to spare before I went on-air. Prior to going live, a producer or reporter usually comes to prep me regarding what we’re talking about but there was none of that. Seemed everyone else was Crazy Busy, too.

A staffer came out to where I was sitting. “They’re ready for you,” and led me into the studio. The anchors were live and I was to slip in silently while they read their stories, hook up my microphone and then, BAM, the camera turned to me without any prep work whatsoever. If it had been my first time, I likely would have passed out but since I seem to thrive in the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants lifestyle these days, I was able to pull it off. It also helps that Kyle and Gary are pros who made it really easy. (I have a list of my Denver staycation ideas here).

Following my segment, I posted a picture on Facebook of me at 9News with the caption, “Wrapped up a 9News segment on Spring Break staycation ideas in Denver with anchors Kyle & Gary. P.S. Don’t tell them I’m going to Park City.”

My friend Kristy left a comment regarding a funny experience involving a trip we had taken that I had forgotten about. My first job out of college was as the illustrious ski reporter for SkiUtah on all the radio stations.

I was surprised by just how much I loved radio. As a broadcast journalism major at BYU, our training focused on a bit of radio and mostly TV, but all our reporting was serious, hard-news stories. But as the Craaaazy Canuck ski reporter, I could be zany and  fun and developed some fabulous relationships with the on-air DJs who included Tom Barberi, the longest running radio personality in Utah history, and KSL legends, Grant & Amanda.

My job was obviously to tout Utah skiing, something I loved doing as I skied 13 of their 14 resorts that 1997-1998 season. I had also started freelancing as the travel editor for Sports Guide Magazine so when I was invited to cover Jackson Hole, I kept it on the down-low. I invited two of my former mission companions–Kristy and Susan–and we had a F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S spring break in Wyoming.

Well, my ski reporter replacement slipped that I was in Utah skiing and land almighty, the media got a kick that “Miss SkiUtah was skiing in Wyoming. I even got called out in Rolly & Wells, the Salt Lake Tribune’s gossip column.

A write-up in your city’s famous gossip column for your first job out of college?

My life has been on the decline ever since.

 

 

Filed Under: 9News, Colorado, Humor, Utah

The Amazing Race: Colorado!

March 14, 2013 By

I have a longtime obsession with The Amazing Race, a love affair that started in their fourth season (they’re in their 22nd season; Jamie may-or-may not have bought me boot legged copies of the first few ones I missed). So great is my love for this show that I would forsake my Canuck citizenship and come over to the dark side (become American) for the chance to race.

It started up again a few weeks ago and the kids and I have been faithfully watching every Sunday night. I was thrilled when I learned that this season, there are some Coloradoans “The Roller Derby Moms” competing and one of them actually lives in my town! I connected with them via Twitter saying I wanted to meet with them and one of them pinged me back on Facebook and we’ve exchanged emails. Because of CBS’s strict confidentiality agreement, they can’t do a formal interview until they’re eliminated, after which I’m there! I’d love to learn all the behind-the-scenes stuff you don’t see on TV.

I flew home from Canada on Tuesday and on Wednesday, I suggested Jamie and I go on a lunch date to the Sherpa House Restaurant and Cultural Center. Knowing my obsession with Nepal, my sweet husband bought me a Groupon to this Nelapese restaurant in Golden for my birthday. The authentic decor made made me feel like I was strolling Durbar Square in Kathmandu valley.

When we were standing in line for round two of their buffet, I realized we had inadvertently cut in front of a cool-looking, long-haired dude who was standing back to make room for people leaving the room.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I apologized. “We didn’t mean to cut.”

“No big deal..I’m not going anywhere,” he replied. And as soon as the words left his mouth, something was triggered. I hissed to Jamie, “That guy was on the Amazing Race!”

Jamie glanced back and not recognizing him told me I was mistaken. I wasn’t ready to give it up but also didn’t want to make a fool of myself with mistaken identity so I casually mentioned to Jamie how I’d emailed the Roller Derby Moms this week. The bait was taken hook, line and sinker as his eyes lit up. He turned to me and before he could say a word, I said, “I knew it! You were on the Amazing Race last season?!”

Turns out Mark “Abba” Abbatista lives in Golden and was gracious enough to let me take a picture as we peppered him with questions. He and his teammate were among my favorite teams but were eliminated when a cabbie drove off with their backpacks in Russia, including their passport and VISA. Abba divulged the nightmare that ensured of trying to get out of the country , the emergency VISA issued by the embassy and so much more. He limped around a lot and figured he had a meniscus tear in his knee. Turned out he had much worse: when he arrived home and got his legs X-rayed, he learned he had been running the race on two broken legs.

I could have talked to him for hours but after 10 minutes, we let him rejoin his daughter for lunch (cuz we’re nice like that). When we arrived back at the table, I squealed to Jamie, “Can you believe that? I wasn’t too much like a crazed Amazing Race fan, was I?”

He assured me I wasn’t any more over-the-top than usual.

Take that to mean whatever you want.

 

Filed Under: Humor, Jamie

Skiing, zipling and extreme sportin’ at Copper Mountain

February 27, 2013 By

I’ve decided winter is exhausting. Not only do we usually come down with The Plague (Jamie is on week four) but we have a short few months to cram in as much outdoor fun as we can. With Denver’s dismal snow year, it has been that much more mandatory for us to head to the hills.

And yes, I said mandatory. As in HAS TO HAPPEN.

Copper Mountain was our latest destination to host us. A favorite among the locals because it’s an easy 75-mile drive west of Denver up the I-70 corridor, it remained a glaring omission in my must-ski list (though we had a stellar time there in Oct. 2011).

Hadley had a five-day weekend and Bode had three days off so we drove up after church on Sunday, skied as a family on President’s Day and then the boys drove home early Tuesday morning for work and school. That left two glorious days for Haddie and me to play, and one of them was my birthday.

X-Treme Sports

Upon arrival, we did a tour of Woodward at Copper. I’ll admit this 19,400-square-foot year-round ski and snowboard camp half-amazes, half-terrifies me. Nicknamed “The Barn,” Woodward is an all-steps progression program to help ages 8 and older learn aerial tricks and skills in a safe environment that you can translate on the mountain. See those ramps? My kids thought they were the coolest things ever.And I guess they are if you’re inclined to catch more than 1 inch of air on the slopes (which I am not).

The Barn offers drop-in day sessions, summer camps, SuperTramps and will undergo a big makeover this spring and improvements will include a new progressive foam pit designed for development of beginner park skills. The street area will double in size allowing for full access by BMX, mountain bike, skateboards and park skis and snowboards.

As a nervous parent, I was impressed with the capable staff’s emphasis on safety. Helmets are mandatory on the ramps and to even jump into the foam pit, my kids had to fill out some waivers and receive instruction.And Bode is counting down until he’s 8 so he, too play.

Copper Mountain

We’ve traveled to a number of mountain resorts around the country and what my family loved most about 2,465-acre Copper Mountain is that it was so easy. Easy to get to and the 140 trails across three mountains are easy to navigate. In fact, Hadley marveled about how wonderfully contained the base village is. “We don’t even have to get in the car!” she raved. “We can walk to skiing, dinner, tubing, zipling, skating and dinner.”

I didn’t correct her when she said dinner twice. It is, after all, very important.

On President’s Day, the kids went to ski school while Jamie and I hit the slopes. It is one of the few Colorado ski schools that has incorporated the FLAIK global positioning system, which tracks the kids’ on-mountain location, skier stats, and runs skied. Their instructors simply attached the GPS device around their leg and at the end of the day, we went online to see all their logistics. Turned out, they skied a lot harder than Jamie and me but we didn’t tell them that, of course.

Good thing there’s no tracking devices for parents who opt for an extra-long, leisurely lunch by the fire at Copper Station.

At first, I was disgruntled The Schoolhouse is located in the West Village, a shuttle stop away from the Center Village. But after dropping off the kids, Jamie and I rode Union Creek, followed by Timberline Express and that is where we found the best snow conditions that day.By day’s end, we were happy and tired. This was our first major outing since getting sick, which took quite a toll. In fact, sweet Bode fell asleep on the two-minute shuttle ride back to our condo.

How to Get an Alpine Rush

We vacillated on our plans. We had hoped to try out the new Alpine Rush Zip Line in the Center Village and then head over to the East Village for the Tubing Hill but remember the exhaustion thing? We opted to swing by the zip line since it was close to our condo, go back, chill out and then see if the kids were up for tubing. 

The latter didn’t happen but the former did…in a big way.

Poor Bode practically sleepwalked through Center Village and I honestly wasn’t expecting him to even try. But the second he spotted the zip line soaring over skating rink at West Lake, there was no holding him back. (Note: You must be at least 50 pounds and each ride only costs $10),

Jamie got outfitted in his harness and went first, racing across the sky. Hadley freaked out, “That’s too fast,” she wailed. A couple of summers ago, the zip line at Vail’s Adventure Race traumatized her and she’s been gun shy (terrified) ever since.

“I’ll go!” Bode boldly volunteered and he was off.The more you weigh, the faster you soar so Bode was considerably slower than Jamie.

“Maybe that wasn’t so bad,” Hadley faltered.

“You’ll go as slow as Bode. Let’s give it a try,” I encouraged her. The staffer soothed her fears and before she knew it, she was flying.In fact, the next day she begged to do it two more times. I’m not sure if she’s cured but her fears were definitely calmed.

Now, I just need to follow her example and tackle the ramps at The Barn the next time we’re at Copper Mountain.

Stay tuned next time for our memorable mom-daughter adventures the next two days!

 

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, Jamie, outdoors, skiing

On being amazing

February 26, 2013 By

We have a lot of transitions going on Chez Johnson. With winter winding down next month, B will be starting back up with his third year of soccer. We’ve finally decided it’s in H’s best interest to hire her a tutor and have subsequently dropped her from the YMCA and swim team to pay for it (so crazy expensive but thanks to my dad for generously offering to chip in every month). Hopefully she’ll be able to try tennis or volleyball in the spring once we get caught back up.

I’ve held fast to the creed I only want my kids in one sport and activity (like music lessons) at a time–both for them and me. We have some friends who are literally running every night from activity to activity and while that’s swell for them, I’m a firm believer kids need a lot of imaginative, creative down time by themselves and to be together as a family; over-scheduling them is not the answer.

We’re busy enough as it is with our many adventures.

We are sharing a tutor with my friend Lori, who has seen great improvements in her daughter’s math. The only day that would work for them is Monday after school at the exact same time H had piano. She hasn’t exactly been enthusiastic about practicing and though it’s a priority for me to keep her in long enough that she is proficient enough to play the hymns at church, I was fine with her temporarily dropping it and letting B take her place.

My Competitive Miss would have none of it. Suddenly, piano became the most important thing in the world to her and so we ultimately switched her to Fridays and let B take her time slot on Monday.

Yesterday was a day of firsts for both of them: H’s first day with her tutor and B’s first day of piano. She was grateful for the extra help and hopefully this will help her regain her confidence.

B (short for Beethoven, not Bode) was stoked. I wasn’t going to have him start lessons until next year but he is always plunking away at the piano and has taught himself to read music and play by ear. At this rate (and intensity) it won’t be long before he’s surpassing H which, as you can imagine, will go over marvelously.

The night before, I asked him “Are you excited for your lesson?”

Referring to his teacher, he humbly said, “She may be amazed.”

 

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor

One Romantic Evening–Celebrating 10 Years

February 18, 2013 By

Ten years. Our first major milestone since getting married and it seemed worthy of celebration.  At first, we decided upon a trip and I’ve long been obsessed with Nepal. But since we don’t have $10,000+ to drop (though this REI trip is still at the TOP of my bucket list), we decided we’d go to Mexico when my childhood BBF Allison announced she was getting married next month. But then we subscribed to every fare alert out there and realized we just couldn’t afford it right now (sob) and so here we are in Denver.

I had grand plans leading up to our anniversary that included a 10-day countdown with notes and presents. I did something similar our first Christmas together but then everyone got sick (including myself late last week) so survival became the new celebration standard.

Oh, how the great have fallen.

But it was still memorable. Jamie’s sister Lisa generously took the kids so we had a full night and Jamie plotted to take us to the Briarwood Inn restaurant, where he originally popped the question. The second time, that is. Though I said “yes” the first time, a girl dreams of her engagement and getting proposed via email just ain’t it.

I’d been battling a cold for a couple of days and an hour before we were supposed to leave, I–fresh from a shower and still in my bathrobe–took one look at our warzone-of-a-house (three weeks of illness will do that) and started cleaning. And cleaning. I figured Jamie could just take the kids over to Lisa’s at 4:45 p.m. and I could leisurely get ready–after all, our reservation wasn’t until 6:15 p.m. Ten minute before he was supposed to leave, Jamie came upstairs and freaked out. “Why are you not ready? We have to leave! You are coming with me to drop off the kids so get dressed and put on your make-up, NOW!”

I knew something was up so begrudgingly went to get ready. A few minutes later, I heard him call, “We have to go!” I raced downstairs, flew out the door and there was my white chariot!
My sweet husband had recreated our engagement night to the fullest, even renting a limo that he had scored for $60 via Living Social.

The kids were out. Of. Their. Gourd. I was so excited he had the foresight in his planning to have the limo take them to their sleepover at Aunt Lisa’s, grab her and even loop around the block. He left no stone unturned and had brought Sparkling Apple-Pomegranate Martinelli’s and put together a CD of our favorite songs including our wedding song, Sting’s “When We Danced.” “No wonder Daddy was so bossy trying to make you get ready!” Hadley mused as she stretched herself out in her seat, settling into a life she thinks she was born to live. Bode was darling. “This is 1X better than the WiiU!” he exclaimed.

We’re still working on multiplication but I gave him the benefit of the doubt that he meant at least 2X better.

“If I sold cookie dough, I would have ridden in this!” he continued. I didn’t pursue this one, either. It’s a sore subject in our house that I refuse to sucker our friends into buying the school’s sub-par cookie dough and instead write them a check. A check not big enough for the grand prize of riding in a limo.

As the kids bounced around from seat-to-seat, Jamie and I cuddled up, reflecting upon this beautifully imperfect life we’ve been fortunate to build and how much it has changed in 10 years. After dropping off the kids, Jamie had mapped out a long detour that stretched along the foothills that were on pink fire that evening. I marveled that these landscapes had been so foreign to me during that first limo ride and now I knew every trail and climb. Quite simply, they are home.

Upon arriving at the Briarwood Inn, I noticed Jamie’s car in the lot–a kindly gentleman from our ward had helped him drop it off earlier (sneaky, sneaky). The Briarwood Inn is old-school elegance and one of Colorado’s finest dining traditions nestled against Clear Creek in Golden. We ate, lo did we eat. Beef Wellington. Extensive appetizer and dessert trays. We talked about our future hopes and dreams, past happenings, opened each other’s cards (I had mustered up a Top 10 List for him) and the whole evening was pretty darn memorable.

Late the next morning, we picked up the kids, Jamie’s brother Chris and Lisa and went to brunch at Tag Burger Bar, a newish, hip burger joint. Oozing with originality and gourmand fixings. I opted for the One Night in Bangkok burger with green papaya slaw, crushed peanuts, mint and lime Sriracha aioli while Jamie loved the Blind in Texas with chile-rubbed crispy onions, aged cheddar, chipotle BBQ. And then we ordered the five different kinds of French fries: Old School Russets, Sweet Potato (yum), Finger Lickin’ with Cheez Whiz and pico de gallo and then our two favorites: Duck Fat Fries with Tag sauce and their Truffle Aioli and Parmesan Fries.

When we arrived home, we went into a romance- and duck-fat-induced coma and called it good. Definitely good enough to hold us for another 10 years….

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Foodie, Hadley, Humor, Jamie

Kids React to Valentine’s Day

February 16, 2013 By

Valentine’s Day may be over but since I’m blogging all about loooove this week, I simply had to post this charming video from Small Fry. They asked kids various questions about love, including where do babies come from, where your parents go on dates and if they’ve ever kissed anyone. Hilarious!

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/d1kXydCqhy4″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://youtu.be/d1kXydCqhy4

Confession: I have a secret dream of doing a web series like “From the Mouths of Babes.” This video confirmed it.

Filed Under: Humor
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