Mountain Life in Colorado: September 2010

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

New Boots

Remember, my last post was about how challenged I am when it comes time for shopping?  Well, yesterday I took the girls to Bass for their buy 1 pair of boots, get 2 pairs free sale.  We all got boots that cost a fortune for one pair.  Red flag right there.  Obviously they jacked up the price of a pair of shitty boots so idiots like me get lured in.  Hook, line and sinker.  I fell for it and left the store with 3 pairs of boots that we paid way to much for.  Oh well.  We all picked out a pair that we liked and now we all have boots.  Mine will look good with my cute new jeans.  (The picture on my last post does not do those jeans justice).   Jordan woke me up this morning as she was leaving for school and she was holding up her brand new boots.  She was making me look at the boots and she was not happy.  I didn't look while we were in the store and I grabbed two left feet.  Unfortunately they were her boots.  She had boots but couldn't wear them because both of them were lefties.  Oops. 
I brought them back today to get the right boot and the sales lady was kind of rude about it.  "We always check the size and make sure this doesn't happen."  Well, no, you don't lady. 
All is good now and Jordan now has her boots.

Monday, September 27, 2010

No More Mom Jeans

I am challenged.  I hate it, too.  I cannot shop for clothes.  I have given away so many clothes.  I either didn't wear it anymore or grew out of it.  I loaded up bag after bag after bag and drove to the thrift store.  Now, I have no clothes.  So, today I was on a mission to get some new jeans and shirts.  It's almost like I become another person when I have to shop.  My heart is racing, I get cranky, I wander around the store aimlessly and I'm sure I must look suspicious because I am so clueless and I am looking around desperately for help.  They run from me.  I usually check out every mannequin first to get an idea of what looks nice.  Usually I'll just copy the outfit from it.  I'll get the entire outfit exactly as it is on the mannequin and try everything on.  The mannequin always looks better and I get so frustrated and leave.  That was me today.  I ended up at Old Navy and I was trying on Jeans.  They have "The Flirt, in skinny or boot cut, The Sweetheart, same, The Diva, same, Skinny only skinny, not boot cut.  Skinny was out.  I knew that much. I was looking for "The Mom" but apparently they don't make them.  Bummer.  I was really wanting a good comfortable pair of mom jeans.  Guess I need to graduate.  So I did.  I got someone to help me find my size and I totally went for the Spanish speaking lady re-stocking the inventory.  I asked her, "Habla Ingles?"  No.  Bingo.  I could practice my Spanish and take my mind off of the frustration of shopping.  We had a great time.  She was impressed that I was speaking Spanish to her and told me her name was Laura.  We were on a first name basis and I felt like I was in Nordstroms with my own personal shopper.  I loved Laura.  She was a huge help and after looking through 68 pairs of jeans not finding my size, she finally found my size and we both felt the victory.  $30 bucks for a pair of jeans.  Not what I like to spend my money on but it's getting cold up here in them thar hills and I need to ditch my shorts.  I settled on the Sweetheart, boot cut.  A good fit.
Muchas Gracias, Laura.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Volunteer Work








We started volunteering at this incredible place called the Swan Center.  It's a ranch north of Silverthorne and they have taken in horses that have been neglected or abused or their owner isn't able to take care of them anymore.  Whatever the case, it is a beautiful place and we love being there.  Today was our 2nd Saturday helping out.  Last week we learned how to handle the horses, harness them,  feed them, etc.  It's a ton of work and every bit is enjoyable.  The girls and I went back today and had a great time.  There are 35 horses, 3 llamas, 1 alpaca and 4 goats.  We feed them all.  More later.  I'm whooped and now I have to go to work.  It's my first night back since May.  Hopefully it's not busy so I don't get my bags packed.  I'm not ready for that yet.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Sleep and Consume

I must be catching up on all of the sleepless nights I had at the casita.  I still think of trying to sleep in that bed; itching, swatting, sweating, listening, HEARING.  I laugh now at those times.  Seems like all a heavenly dream.  Did I just say heavenly with all of those adjectives I just used?  Too funny. 
Jack has been getting out of bed in the mornings and getting the kids out the door.  He gets up way early anyway so it's not like he's dragging his butt out of bed like I'm doing.  It's nice to have my sleep in's.  I start work on Saturday and I'm not going to be much help once I get on a regular schedule of working until 12-12:30 every night.  That is going to kill me for the first couple of weeks.  But, time to make some money and get our insurance and live like normal people again.  I hate being normal.  I'm already getting antsy to go, go, go do something crazy.  But, we have plans brewing and goals so we should hunker down for awhile so we can fulfill those goals. 
I have upgraded our high speed internet to high speed internet.  It's so stupid.  I was paying an arm and a leg for our satellite high speed and it was waaayyyyy faster than dial up but when we got on Skype with Idan and Keren from Costa Rica we couldn't see a clear pic and it was super fuzzy and slow.  I just purchased a good web cam so I knew it wasn't that.  I had seen their picture on their computer when they were Skyping with family members in Israel and it was picture perfect.  So I called my internet company to upgrade to a faster speed and now I am paying 2 arms and 2 legs for my high speed internet.  But, the speed is way faster and I am not waiting for things to download/upload as long.  ARGH!  I am such a consumer.  I am really trying to not be so "gotta get that, gotta have that".  I normally am not.  This was definitely a huge splurge.  I did think about it before I bought the upgrade though.  I am pretty frugal when it comes to spending my money.  Oooooohh.  But I did just remember the bike pedals and shoes I just bought.  I'll talk about that after my ride and give you the rating on them.  I can't wait to try them out.  Stay tuned for my review. 

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Road Bike





I went for my first road bike ride of the summer. In fact, I haven't been on my road bike since the beginning of last summer. My friend, Liz, and I rode up Vail Pass. The colors were spectacular. So beautiful. I'll say it again, the warm and dry weather we have had has made the colors so amazing. Not MN colors but beautiful just the same.
I have a problem with some other bikers. Since I purchased my road bike, which was about 4 years ago or so, I get out a few times a summer. I have been on rides mostly by myself but sometimes with friends. Some of those friends are serious bikers. Some are like me. This is what I have observed.
Road bikers, the serious ones, or those that want to look serious, don't wear camel backs. Road bikers wear snazzy jerseys that make them look like they are on the U.S. bike team. Some wear matching jerseys and bike shorts. Visors on the helmets are out. A lot of bikers on the road wear florescent coats so the cars can see them better. O.k. fine and dandy. I, clearly, am not the serious type. My attire is all wrong. I wear my camel back and I have it stuffed full of stuff. I have attire that doesn't match and I wear my mountain bike shoes that clip into my pedals. Mostly because I can't afford road bike shoes. I have a visor on my helmet. I like my visor. Here is my problem.
Every time I go on a ride I get yelled at by some know-it-all road warrior. I'm not kidding. It started with my first ride ever on my new bike. I was out riding getting used to the gears, brakes, handlebars, shifting, just minding my own business, riding free. I'm having a great time and probably talking to myself. Some idiot, who does not view himself as an idiot but obviously views himself as another Lance Armstrong, and his wife, are rounding the corner where I am approaching. I have to veer around the forest service guy walking on the bike path. He smiles at me and I smile and wave and we're obviously very happy saying hello to each other. Well, idiot couple is thinking I'm going too fast and they yell at me to slow down. Now, I'm no fast rider. I'm not taking anything serious. The forest service guy was chill. Mr. and Mrs. Lance Armstrong wannabes were sucking up to the forest service guy and that much was clear. I shook my head and rode on. Going up Vail Pass the other day Liz and I were riding on the path going uphill. You can figure out how fast we were going. We were chatting away, going UPHILL. This lady is coming down, with her florescent green wind jacket on and we don't really give her the time of day because we're chatting and laughing. She YELLS at me to MOVE OVER. I'm already on my side of the of yellow line. I yell out "Really?" with a sarcastic tone. Some guy is behind us and passes us and she is clearly getting in our business by thinking this guy can't pass because of me. If he wanted to pass right then and there he would have let me know that he was passing me. He passed and smiled and didn't seem put out at all. The bitch on the bike assessed that situation in, literally, 5 seconds. Again, I rolled my eyes and wondered what it is that road bikers are so agro about.
If you are one of those riders. CHILL OUT!!! What's with the attitude? We are all having fun out there and some of us my not look the part but that is not my main concern. My goal is to have fun, get a workout in and enjoy the views.
I feel better. I'm going for a ride, on my road bike, with my mountain bike shoes, and my visor, and my camelback stuffed full of stuff.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Teen Years

Jordan and I got into the worst fight we have ever been in. It happened last Wednesday. I texted her telling her that I was at the school and don't get on the bus. I was in Frisco anyway and figured I might as well pick them up from school. The girls got in the car and all was good. Jordan copped an attitude about not being able to get on the bus with her friends. She was texting and chomping her gum. We were all fine. Jordan tells me she failed an assignment in Humanities (which was social studies when I was in school). She told me that it counted as 70% of her grade. Of course, I started asking her what it was that she didn't understand on the test, did you talk to your teacher about it, are you able to make it up or re-take it. All of her answers were defensive and with an attitude. It's the attitude that sends me. She got so disrespectful that I demanded she give me her phone. She refused. This is where it got ugly. I'm not going into details because I don't want to but I wish I would have handled the entire situation so much differently. Jordan, at 14, is not an easy kid. Never has been. But this was the most disrespectful I have ever seen her and it killed me.
Did I really raise a child that didn't even think before acting and saying? What the heck makes her go off like that? Balistic even?
We got home and I did take her phone away. It's gone for a month as well as her computer priveleges and t.v. It's killing her. She is also not allowed a sleepover or to go to any friends. Our biggest mistake we always make is giving in to her sooner than we should. We can't live with it ourselves so we always give her her stuff back. We have definitely created a monster and now we are paying for it. Shame on us.
This time I think she knew things have changed. I mean business. And it is not easy. Her having no t.v. or computer is very hard and she usually makes life such hell on us, so we give in. Like I said. Things have changed and she knows she screwed up. I truly believe she is sorry for her actions, as am I, and she is trying super hard to accept her consequenses. It hasn't been a week yet and so far it hasn't been too bad. She is alone in her room, which is something she has never, ever been able to do. She is keeping busy. I'm really proud of her for dealing with this the way she should be dealing with this.
I had to have a serious conversation with myself and ask myself what I was doing as a parent that was not working. I was failing with my 14 year old daughter and I just couldn't figure out why. I just hope we can all be better and stronger in the future. I'm trying.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Modern Technology


Skype. What a beautiful thing. Tonight we finally got to see Idan and Keren. Isaac and Liad were in Tamarindo so were not home. It was so great to see them over Skype and hear their voices. Jordan and Hannah were beside themselves. We saw the puppies and their house (a part of the inside) and it felt so great looking at them. We introduced them to Teller and Buster. Teller was actually trying to figure out who these people were on the computer. He was really curious. They said it was raining every night and that it was starting to slow down so the tourists are leaving and the locals will have the beach all to themselves. We know that feeling too. It's nice to make money and be working, but when the tourists die down some and things are a bit slower around here it makes life a little more peaceful for a few weeks. You can actually push your cart in the grocery store without 7 people standing there trying to figure out what kind of syrup to buy or cereal to get or whatever. We could totally relate to how they are feeling.
Keren looked beautiful as ever and happy and Idan and the girls were doing silly things and laughing. It was fun to watch.
We miss it and when Idan said he had to go Jordan almost started crying again. She then realized that we can Skype now and see them. Super cool.
The picture is of Idan. Typical, making us all laugh.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Riding up Puru Creek






I am really into riding my bike these days. I guess after all of the time I spent on the beach cruiser this summer I was looking forward to getting on my mountain bike again. It's also fall and the colors are so amazing. I don't know if I've ever seen them this brilliant. We have had warm temps, no rain, and I think that has helped. Usually, we get a freeze or a little snowfall and it ruins everything. Not this year. Keep the weather warm, but we could use some rain.
Two days ago I rode up Puru Creek with my friend Tracy. We had a ball. She's an excellent rider with an excellent attitude. I like riding with her. The pictures posted are of us in Puru Creek.
Yesterday I rode up Deer Creek. I didn't take any pictures and wished I would have. Every valley has its own view. Each one is different. You may look at the pictures and think "you've seen one mountain, you've seen them all" Not true in my mind. Each is unique and every time I get in a valley I always think it's my favorite. Then I get in another valley and say, "oh, this is my favorite". They're all my favorite and I have had so much fun in each one throughout the years. Every experience different. Webster Pass, Deer Creek, Puru Creek, St's. John, Morgan Gulch, Warden Gulch. Those are the valleys that I have spent some good quality time in and can blog about my experiences at another time.
Enjoy the photos.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Riding up Webster Pass






If you knew me you would be amazed that I am on my second cup of coffee and it is only 6:20a.m. For not being a morning person, I sure do enjoy being up this early once I'm up. The girls are, so far, getting right out of bed when I open their doors. That'll change. I drove them down the hill to the bus and let me tell you, that is nice. I'm going to like, and already do, that bus.
I came home and made another cup of coffee, watched the news, vacuumed the floor, and put away all of the clean clothes. I decided to go for a mountain bike ride. It took me way to long to get everything together. It always takes awhile. I had to dig my bike shorts out, find my gloves and helmet, and make sure my bike was ready to ride. It wasn't. I had to pump up the tires, find my pump and put it on the bike, and get my camelback filled. There is where all of my time went. Before we left for the summer I emptied my camelback bladder and rinsed it out well and hung it up to dry. I ran some bleach through the tube all because I didn't want it to rot up on me during the summer since I knew I wouldn't be using it at all. It can get gross and I'm pretty sure I have had giardia from my camelback before. It was so clean and ready for me when I returned. This is when I feel like smacking my husband. He totally took my camelback bladder and put it in his icky, grimy pack. After searching and searching for the darn thing I finally found it and I was so frustrated. ARGH!!! He takes everything of mine. My stuff is always so nice, that's why. No worries, I filled it up and started to ride. I decided to see how far I could make it up Webster before I died and I actually made it to the top. It was a gorgeous ride and not one quad, truck, motorbike, or other biker was there. I had the whole mountain to myself. It was nice. I felt great and took my sweet time on the downhill. I was home by noon. What a day.
I kept thinking of my beach cruiser in Costa Rica (which was never mine but it felt like it) and how I hope someone is riding the heck out of it. I hope it's not sitting in the shop collecting dust and getting all rusty from the humidity. It made me think of all of the miles I put on that thing and how much fun it was riding it. When I got on my mountain bike I was thinking of how I wish my seat were bigger, and I wish I wasn't so crouched over. The cruiser was for cruising. Not barreling down a mountain, or climbing up one for that matter. What a change. It felt great being on my bike again.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

My Mountains

My last post I posted pictures of a hike I did with my dog, Teller, and my cat, Buster, followed. Someone asked me if I had to drive a way to get to those mountains. Those mountains are my backyard. Literally. I walked out of my house and up the trail. I KNOW!!!!! It's an awesome place and I am glad and so lucky to have these mountains to call home.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Hiking and the Stars






It's Friday and we have all survived the 5:30a.m. wake up calls. Hannah likes school. Jordan does too. I love it. I'm getting so much done around the house and having them take the bus to and from this side of the county is going to be a huge savings in gas and miles on my car. I'm exercising and doing yoga on Tues and Thurs mornings. I feel positive about the school year and I think the girls will do well.
Costa Rica seems like a dream. It's funny how it takes no time at all to get back into a life that is filled with schedules, plans, phones, cars, electronics. I'm not complaining because I love my phone and my car. Last night I could have, and would have, before Costa Rica, taken my car up to my friends house. Instead I decided to grab by headlamp and my down jacket and walk. I'm so glad I did. I left her house at about 8 and put on my down jacket and started walking. It was such a beautiful night. The stars were out in full force. In Costa Rica we never saw the stars. Being rainy season the sky was always filled with clouds so the stars were few. We did see them sometimes but there weren't a lot of them. Here, the stars are abundant. The sky, on a clear night, is amazing. So, I got to enjoy the sky filled with stars on my walk down Webster Pass. I wore my flip flops since my running shoes were wet. I went for a hike yesterday and had to cross a river and they weren't dry. My feet were freezing. I'm going to have to get my winter stuff out soon. I have no idea where all of my shoes are. I packed everything away before we left for Costa Rica thinking our house would be rented.
Today, I am going to attempt a mountain bike ride up Webster Pass. I'm sure the altitude will kick my butt. I'm going to give it a go. Wish me luck.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The First Day of School

If only I had a hidden camera. I could have captured the emotions that were flaring from both of my girls this morning. It was their first day of school. It was a rude awakening at 5:30 a.m. Welcome to reality my family. Even the dog was bumming. He put his paw over his eyes and didn't budge. Seriously.
We were out of the house just before 7 so we could get to school nice and early. Jordan wasn't even registered so we needed to get classes for her and lockers, etc. It was another whirlwind in our lives, which we seem to be used to. Hannah was a train wreck when we got to school. She was far from crying but she was so nervous. I've never seen her like that. Not even at her swim meets which make her shake. Jordan was fine until her first class started and we didn't even have a schedule for her. We sat in the counselors office while we picked classes out. I could see Jordan's anxiety level climbing and sure enough, she got tears in her eyes and looked at me. I winked at her and told her she would be great once she got to class. She didn't cry either, which is huge for her. I left feeling all sad and I hated the whole process and as I was walking out of school I was saying to myself "what an ordeal."
I had five minutes to get to yoga. I was super psyched to get back to that class. I walked in five minutes late. I am never late for yoga. I'm never late for anything. I walked in and put my mat down and went and changed. By the time I sat down on my mat they were doing the opening chant and I took a deep, long breath and settled in. It was a great class. I feel wonderful.
I hope the kids have a nice first day. It will be interesting picking them up.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Be Who You Are

‎"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
~Dr. Seuss

This pretty much sums it up for a comment I received on one of my blog posts. Too bad. I really enjoyed this couple.

High Altitude Downfalls

Living at 10,600 ft above sea level has its downfalls. I love the mountains but I forget about the way I feel. Jordan and Jack are getting bloody noses again. My skin is dry. We're stuffed up. I have a headache. I'm already feeling sluggish. You'd think that being in the heat and humidity would make me sluggish but it was just the opposite. I felt raring to go everyday. Wah, wah, wah. I just felt like whining about it for a little because I miss Costa Rica.
On the not so negative side, the girls start school tomorrow. School has been in session for 2 weeks already so we'll have some catching up to do. I am really excited to have my free time back after homeschooling Jordan last year. I have to admit though, I'm going to miss the home school thing. I am really nervous that Jordan will go back to a state in her mind where she can't function. She is going to have to step it up and not let her emotions take over. We are crossing our fingers. Jordan is super upbeat and can't wait to get back to public school. She is excited to meet some new friends and she knows how hard she is going to have to work. We are totally supporting her every step of the way. Hannah is ecstatic. She had her clothes laid out yesterday.
Tomorrow is not only the first day of school it's my first day back to my yoga class which I have missed very much. My body feels it and my mind feels it. I am not going to know what to do with my time. Exercise, clean, cook, meditate, read, BE!!
I have a lot to look forward to.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Home in Colorado for Awhile

After a huge long drive we are finally home. It's 2:00 in the morning and we left Mpls at 10a.m. We did stop for dinner and some bathroom breaks. That is the first time we, as a family, drove non-stop. Long, long, drive when you don't break it up. Minnesota/Wisconsin was great. We got home from Wisconsin on Tuesday and dropped Eric off at Steve's office. We hit rush hour which was awful. It added another 45 min to the drive. It was a nice relaxing night and I did laundry.
Wednesday I had some friends from high school over for drinks on the patio. It's always fun to see my friends from way back and we remember good ol' times and tell funny stories. It's great what comes out. You forget about those things. The mosquito's were bad and my citronella incense was not working. Sorry guys.
Everyone left at around 12 and I cleaned up and went to bed remembering things about high school.
The state fair was the next day. We drove to Southdale Mall and parked the car and hopped on a bus that took us to the fair. It was convenient and the fair was extremely crowded. The girls were having a ball and Jack was putting up with all of it. We walked over to the other side of the fairgrounds that we hadn't seen yet and that is where all of the machinery was. Jack finally started to enjoy himself once he started seeing things like chainsaws, quads, trucks, plow set-ups, tractors, snowmobiles, etc. I love that stuff too. The girls don't. To bad so sad. We were looking. They had their fun. Actually, all we needed to do to pacify them was to purchase a bag of donuts or cheese curds or corn dogs and they were fine. I can't believe the stuff we were eating. Time for some cleansing. Tomorrow, I exercise. Wish me well. The altitude is going to kick my butt.