Rewriting the Nativity on Christmas Eve (Extortion, Anyone?)

December 26, 2012 By

Confession: I went a wee bit overboard with Christmas Eve. It’s just that the night before Christmas is traditionally my family’s big celebration and I was bummed to not be surrounded by family. And so I invited ward members and neighbors who didn’t have nearby relatives. And kept inviting. My final count was between 25-30 people.

Oh, and I kinda forgot to tell my husband about it. On our way to Loveland Ski Area on Christmas Eve morning:

“We have to hurry back so I can get everything ready.”

“Get what ready?”

“Christmas Eve. We have [listed off families] coming tonight.”

“WHAT?”

“I told you about it, didn’t I?”

“I think I’d remember something like that.”

I’d like to call it Jamie’s Christmas Eve Surprise Party.

But it all turned out splendidly and was a reminder that we have so many beloved friends who are like family. We had so much delicious food we were literally busting at the seams and ran out of table and counter space.And we played my favorite games that included the Christmas bells and the Left-Right Game (which always brings down the house). And for the first time ever, we reenacted the Nativity. In Young Women’s the previous Sunday, our wonderful president pulled together a very spiritual program with carols and scriptures. I grabbed a copy of the script and vowed we’d do the same on Christmas Eve, with assuredly the same result.

Yeah, right. With young kids, that ain’t possible. A couple of the young ones had meltdowns and our darling who was to hold the star got freaked out and refused to do it. (“Star light, star fright?”)

Hadley was thrilled when her peers selected her to be Mary but I couldn’t convince anyone to be her Joseph. I finally had to bribe Bryan, one of the boys with whom I carpool, to do it.

Though chaotic, the entire night was a shining reminder that the Christmas season is about celebrating Jesus’ birth surrounded by those we love.

And my greatest takeaway: The Lord’s wise methodology of having an angel appear to Joseph in a dream to tell him to take Mary as his wife was far more effective than bribery.

Filed Under: Family, holidays, Humor, LDS

The day we lost our daughter at the airport

December 21, 2012 By

I got a last-minute request to appear on 9News this morning to talk about my travel tips with kids over the holidays. I compiled 10 of my favorite activities but here in the disclaimer on my travel expert street cred: We LOST Hadley at the airport last week.

Our trip to Disney World was pretty seamless until our final few hours. For this trip, we booked our flights through Kayak and had a mixed-bag of results. The good: We saved money. The bad: They often book you on different airlines with minimal connection time.

Our flight to Orlando from Denver was direct but on the way home, we connected through Atlanta with only a 45-minute layover.

In addition to that very small window, we had a few other things working against us: 1) Our flights were in different terminals. 2) Atlanta is one of the largest airports in the world and 3) Each of the kids had downed an entire McDonald’s soft drink in flight and were bursting to go to the bathroom.

But we had no time. We hightailed it out of there and 6-year-old Bode was in tears as we raced through the airport to the train (little dude has been cursed with a small bladder). A guardian angel worker took pity on our tortured family and called over to the plane to tell them we were coming.

When we arrived at the other terminal, Bode and Jamie raced up the escalator. Buoyed down with both my and Bode’s carry-on and another large bag, I couldn’t keep up so beckoned to Haddie to follow them up the escalator.

When I arrived at the top, there were no Johnsons in sight. I continued to race down to D4 (the far end, of course), stopping at a bathroom half-way down (I, too was dying). When I arrived at our gate, a horrified Jamie looked at me. “Hadley isn’t with you?”

“NO, SHE FOLLOWED YOU AND BODE UP THE STAIRS.”

And I then I REALLY FREAKED OUT. Just as our final boarding call was announced, he raced back through the terminal trying to track her down. I tried to hold back tears that she was wandering around this huge airport, lost and scared.

Several minutes later, he returned with her and we barely made it on the flight before the doors closed. As it turned out, she had caught up to the boys but they high-tailed it into the men’s restroom while she went to the women’s. By the time I reached the top of the escalator, they were nowhere to be seen so I sailed on by.

They waited for her but she is notoriously slow and figured I had gone in the bathroom after them and she was with me. WRONG ASSUMPTION. But she did exactly what she should have done: she didn’t try to find us and instead waited outside of the bathroom, likely cursing her rookie, scatterbrained parents the entire time.

Filed Under: Disney, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, Jamie, travel Tagged With:

Disney World’s Animal Kingdom: Hear Me Roar!

December 21, 2012 By

I was prepared to love Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland and seeing all four parks dressed up in their Christmas best. What I was not prepared for was falling in love with Disney World’s 500-acre Animal Kingdom, the largest of Walt Disney World’s four theme parks. I only enjoy the zoo on occasion and I figured this would be one, oversized sanctuary.

I’m so glad I was wrong. Not only does the park lead the way in animal care, education and research (with 1,700 animals), but it has the perfect blend of education and family fun in some of my most coveted bucket-list destinations. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park is divided into seven areas and we started with the most important one: where the food was.

In our defense, it was 11 a.m. when we arrived at the park and had not yet eaten.

We opted for Flame Tree Barbecue, a surprisingly affordable quick-service restaurant with house-smoked barbecue chicken and rib meals. While I waited for our order, Jamie and Co. found seating in one of the tropical outdoor pavilions overlooking Mount Everest.Just your average day at Disney World.

Poor Bode had thrown up at 2 a.m. so we were walking on eggshells to ensure he’d be OK. We rented him a stroller (best $30 we spent on the trip) and let him take the lead and our little guide told us Dinoland, U.S.A.® was the place.

What a fantastic way to start and he was in his element!

Asia

From there, it was onto Asia and something within me was triggered. For as long as I can remember, I’ve yearned for this region of the world–particularly Nepal and Tibet–and have been obsessed with REI Adventures’ Everest Lodge to Lodge Trek (anyone have $5,000 to spare who wants to go?) I could have sworn I’d been transported to the streets of Kathmandu (though they named it Anandapur, which means “place of delight” in Sanskrit).

The township breathed its traditions, architecture, culture and people—from crumbling ruins to mysterious temples to rickshaws to lush vegetation to castoff backpacking gear to prayer flags to the Tiger Tree decorated with scarves and bells as a tribute to the spirits for wishes that have been granted.
I was in my paradise when I boarded Expedition Everest and didn’t come down from my high—it was by far my favorite attraction EVER as it raced around the “Roof of the World” with an ephemeral Yeti sighting (didn’t see it), a broken track and roller-coaster that careened backward into darkness (couldn’t miss ‘em—AHHHHHH!)
“I cried because I was so happy!” I exclaimed at the end.
“I cried because I thought I was going to throw up!” Hadley countered.

Following Jamie’s birthday dinner at Yak and Yeti (delicious Pan-Asian dishes such as maple tamarind chicken and mango pie), we were able to bribe Hadley to go again, with the reward of her very own Lion King Nala souvenir.

Money speaks louder than fear in our family.

Africa

Bucket List Item No. 2: Go on a safari and that is just what we did on the Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition. Riding in open-aired safari vehicles, we were thrust into the 100-acre savanna as we spotted giraffes, lions, hippopotamus, crocodiles, zebras and so many more.

We traversed rickety bridges, rocky hills and even forged through rivers in the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. At one turn, our vehicle came to a standstill because of (what else) exotic animal crossings.

I was amazed how, just the day before, we had been waging the war in the concrete jungle and now were transported into an entirely different, unexpected and magnificent oasis.

And an Animal Kingdom I hope to visit again and again.

====

My Disney World coverage:

Disney World’s New Fantasyland: A Dream Come True!

New Fantasyland’s Fire-breathing Dragon, our Orlando TV Debut and Jamie’s Famous Body Part

Disney World’s Epcot: The Amazing Race Gone Bad..and Then Good

Epcot’s Newly Revamped Test Track Quenches the Need for Speed

Disney World’s Animal Kingdom: Hear Me Roar!

The day We Lost Our Daughter at the Airport

 

Filed Under: Bode, Disney, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, travel Tagged With:

Disney World’s Epcot: The Amazing Race Gone Bad…and Then Good

December 19, 2012 By

For our first trip to Disney World, we only had three days so knew we wouldn’t have time to visit all four theme parks and the two water parks. However, Epcot was at the top of my list.

The boys posing in front of Epcot’s polyhedral icon

People either love it or hate it and I knew we’d be in the former camp. My kids are huge fans of experiential exhibits (the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a favorite) so I was sure we’d enjoy Future World’s technological innovations. We adore traveling so the World Showcase’s shops, attractions and restaurants that represent the culture and cuisine of 11 different countries were no-brainers.

Oh, how wrong I was. I loved it and the other three, NotSoMuch.

I can’t really blame Epcot but rather, our strategy and timing. We visited early in our trip when all the kids wanted to do was go on rides. Instead of heading to Future World’s popular attractions, we inched our way through the 300-acre park’s exhibits. In an effort to make it more exciting, I spotted a new addition to the park: Phineas & Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure. My kids are HUGE fans of the show so I thought they  would love receiving clues on their high-tech secret agent device and doing a scavenger hunt through seven World Showcase countries.

Calm before the storm

Oh, how wrong I was (again).

The concept of this secret mission is brilliant: Kids become secret agents to help Agent P defeat Dr. Doofenshmirtz by having them explore the countries. Hadley and Bode were instantly obsessed and fighting over their handheld device (another tip: get one for each child) and all they wanted to do was accomplish their mission. However, if this is your first visit to Epcot, I wouldn’t recommend it because the clues do not take you to all the countries.

And one of those countries it does not go to is Canada. You know. THE MOTHERLAND. The land of my birth.

I was obviously invested in touring it and Hadley (who was already being a moody tween) had a toddler-esque tantrum. “We can’t go to Canada. The mission doesn’t take us there!” I will spare you the sordid details but I was fuming. She was having such a colossal meltdown that I left her with Jamie and Bode and I explored it.

Replica of Victoria’s famous Butchart Gardens

I’ll hold ruining the Motherland over her to my grave.

Jamie told her she owed me an apology and stubborn little miss wouldn’t give in. When we arrived en France, we stopped in the patisserie and practically bought out the store with all my favorites–their les tartes aux pommes (apple turnover) tasted JUST like the ones I ate on my mission. It was as we bonded over pain au chocolat that Hadley finally said she was sorry.

Lessons learned in Epcot: Canada is the great divider and France is the great unifier.

I’m pleased to say the rest of our day in Epcot went smashingly. In Germany, we gorged on all-things caramel in Karamell Küche. And had the most delicious meal at Via Napoli in Italy (lunch after desserts–I highly recommend it). When we received our large pizza, we asserted we’d never be able to eat it all.

It was Gone in 60 Seconds (I totally *get* that movie now).

I could have spent hours touring the countries (next time I’m going it alone) so not wanting to rock the boat, we only focused on food and rides. Norway’s Maelstrom adventure cruise was such a hit we did it twice in a row and once back in Future World, we visited The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion. Somehow, the red eyes totally work in Bruce’s mouth.

My expectations were pretty low when we went to The Turtle Talk with Crush Show but it was one of the most delightful parts of our day. All the kids sat up front while parents relaxed in the seats. I expected some kind of marine talk about turtle habits but it turned out to be a hilarious, interactive show where kids were invited to talk directly to the famous sea turtle, Crush.

I kicked back laughing and listening until I heard a very familiar voice.

“What’s your name little girl?”

“Hadley.”

Out of the 50+ kids in that place what’re the odds she would get picked? I was instantly on-edge. What if her tween attitude continued and she decided to CRUSH him?

After asking her a few questions, the big kahuna queried, “Where are Hadley’s parents?” We haltingly raised our hands. Jamie had a microphone stuffed in his face and corresponded with the on-screen turtle.

Crush: “Aren’t kids the greatest?”

Jamie: {Short pause} “Most of the time.”

{Other parents erupt in laughter.}

Crush: “Duuuuuude. We just totally had a moment.”

That day at Epcot, we had plenty of them.

===

My Disney World coverage:

Disney World’s New Fantasyland: A Dream Come True!

New Fantasyland’s Fire-breathing Dragon, our Orlando TV Debut and Jamie’s Famous Body Part

Disney World’s Epcot: The Amazing Race Gone Bad..and Then Good

Epcot’s Newly Revamped Test Track Quenches the Need for Speed

Disney World’s Animal Kingdom: Hear Me Roar!

The day We Lost Our Daughter at the Airport

 

Filed Under: Bode, Canada, Disney, Family travel, Hadley, Humor, Jamie, travel Tagged With:

New Fantasyland’s Fire-breathing Dragon & Jamie’s Famous Body Part

December 18, 2012 By

If you’re just tuning in, be sure to check-out my official write-up about Disney World’s New Fantasyland.

Wandering around Disney World’s New Fantasyland was enchanting. As we disembarked Under the Sea—Journey of the Little Mermaid, the staffer casually mentioned, “Watch out for dragons.”

Dragons? We didn’t think much of it. After all, it was the Magic Kingdom and pretty much anything is possible. And then we saw it: A fire-spitting, roaring dragon soaring above us.The frenetic crowd stopped, stupefied, as reality and fantasy blurred together.

(See it in action here. The robotic beast was released for the grand opening but here’s for hoping it will make other appearances.)

We wandered over to Gaston’s Tavern to grab some LeFou’s Brew (no-sugar added apple juice with toasted marshmallow syrup topped with an all-natural passion fruit-mango foam). Clearly, we were still in our spellbound state because we got pulled over by a reporter from Orlando’s Channel 6 and appeared that night on the local news!

Pimping LeFou’s Brew

Unfortunately, Bode and I were the only ones whose interview made the cut but Jamie is ever the optimist. “MY NECK IS FAMOUS IN ORLANDO!” (See above photo.)

Whatever it takes.

=======

My Disney World coverage:

Disney World’s New Fantasyland: A Dream Come True!

New Fantasyland’s Fire-breathing Dragon, our Orlando TV Debut and Jamie’s Famous Body Part

Disney World’s Epcot: The Amazing Race Gone Bad..and Then Good

Epcot’s Newly Revamped Test Track Quenches the Need for Speed

Disney World’s Animal Kingdom: Hear Me Roar!

The day We Lost Our Daughter at the Airport

Filed Under: Bode, Disney, Family travel, Humor, Jamie, travel Tagged With:

How you know you’re one heck of a party planner

December 14, 2012 By

And how you know you have one heck of a friend, as was evidenced from a conversation with my friend Lisa at last night’s Relief Society Christmas dinner.

Me: “So, what is everyone doing for New Year’s Eve?”

Her: “Should we do a party?”

Me: “A party sounds good. Let’s throw a big party.”

Her: “Yeah. Allegedly I’m throwing it. Someone–I can’t even remember who–said you were spreading the word about having a New Year’s Eve party at my house.”

Me: “Well, your house is a lot bigger than mine.”

Her. {Silence}

Me: “If it’s any comfort to you, I had my house as the contingency plan.”

 

 

 

Filed Under: holidays, Humor

The Broadmoor, New Fantasyland & Computer Problems, Oh My!

December 12, 2012 By

I’ve been having some pretty major computer problems. Every time I’m on Firefox, a JavaScript error message repeatedly pops up freezing my computer and when I switch over to IE my computer crashes. Because I have nothing better to do than fight computer viruses all day.

So, while I muddle through deadlines, computer problems and holiday-related stress, here’s a sneak peak at some pretty awesome things I’ve been working on.

First, another article (my original Denver Post Hub article is here) on the New Fantasyland at Disney World over at Travel Mamas with oodles of pictures.

8 Reasons to Fall in Love with Disney’s New Fantasyland
Then, at long last a quality article on our fabulous, epic weekend at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

The Broadmoor: Christmas Paradise in the Rockies

I’ll have many more details and pictures of both trips when I finally get caught up on everything. And that Christmas thing? I just realized it is less than two weeks away.

As bad as I have it, work-a-holic Jamie always has it worse.

Him: February is going to be a nightmare.

Me: You say that every month is going to be a nightmare.

Him: But now I’m so busy I’m predicting two months in the future.

Filed Under: Colorado, Disney, Humor, Jamie, travel

Disney’s New Fantasyland: It’s a Whole New World!

December 10, 2012 By

My family just returned from a whirlwind four-day trip to Disney World. As first-timers, we checked out the brand spankin’ New Fantasyland, had major meltdowns in the Motherland at Epcot, fell in love with Animal Kingdom and lost (yes, LOST) a child at the airport so almost missed our connecting flight.

Basically, it was just a typical vacation Chez Nous.

I’ve done a write-up about New Fantasyland in the Denver Post’s Hub today but stay tuned for many more details.

Just as soon as I recover from them all.

Filed Under: Disney, Humor, travel Tagged With:

Quite possibly the best cat picture, ever

December 3, 2012 By

It has come to this: I am one of the crazies posting cat pictures on the Internet. Oh wait, I’ve been doing that for a while now with my Fat Kitty pictures. I’m not sure why I can’t stop laughing at this picture.

Maybe it’s because Jamie says Fat Kitty isn’t a real cat.

Maybe it’s because Fat Kitty once caught a mouse in our backyard and, not knowing what to do with it, sat on it. Or maybe because it’s just so darn funny.

Filed Under: Humor Tagged With:

The lies parents tell their kids

November 27, 2012 By

This one is a bit belated (photo taken a month ago) but never outdated.

“Hey Bode, I have something fun for you to do with me!”

“What is it, Daddy?”

“You can help me mow the lawn!”

“No thanks.”

“C’mon, Buddy. It’s fun. You can help me push the lawn mower.”

And so it begins.

Filed Under: Bode, Humor, Jamie
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