And the Beat Goes On

It's like nothing ever happened.  I never missed a beat.  But my Dad sure missed a few.  His heart missed several and I still can't believe he survived that ordeal.   Everyone is still asking about how he is doing and he is doing fine.  At least it sounds like it over the phone.  I talked with him today.  I called him hoping he would answer and he did.  He was moved yesterday to a transitional home and he has his own room and it sounds like the nursing home is pretty good.    We talked for a bit and then we were interrupted by the physical therapist.  It was time for his exercises.  He sounds motivated and ready to move on.  We'll see. 
It's 1am and I just got home from an extremely busy night at work.  Luckily, I had fun and nice tables tonight so it made my night less stressful.  Tomorrow is New Years Eve and we are BUSY!  That means money in my paycheck and I am sooooooo happy to be back at work and sooooooo happy to be working tomorrow.  It's the biggest night of the year.  
G'night all. 

Christmas Day-Continued

After sitting with Grandpa and talking and watching him in amazement, Andy and Jack showed up.  All was well and we were in good spirits.  We decided to go back to the house and get ready for Christmas dinner at my brother Mikes house.  We got back to my Dads house, which was in Christmas shambles.  It was cozy and happy and the kids were having the time of their lives, once again.  We all are going about our business just picking at food, drinking coffee, listening to music and the mood was calm and serene.  It was wonderful. 
We all drove over to my brothers house and Kerry, my sister-in-law had the place decorated so beautifully.  She has a gift for interior decorating and is an extremely good hostess.  Her parents were there, who our family has gotten to know fairly well.  We had a wonderful Christmas dinner and talked about the recovery of our Dad.  Evening was falling upon us and we all wanted to get back to the hospital.  We now have learned that they moved him out of ICU and into a regular room.  More good news. 
We all drove to the hospital and went to see him.  The nurses, I'm sure, were shaking their heads because here walk in 5 kids and 5 adults all excited to wish Grandpa a Merry Christmas.  He wanted to be upright in a chair to visit with us all so the nurses had to scramble to get him out of bed and into the chair.  One of the nurses was about 8 months pregnant and imagining her doing her job with someone the size of my dad it's no wonder she called for back-up.  They got my dad situated and we all walked in and gave him hugs and kisses one by one.  He then wanted to introduce each and every one of us to his nursing crew and he passed that with flying colors.  Not only could he say our names but he said who all of the kids belonged to which took awhile but he did great.  The nurses were impressed as were we.  It was a huge feat. 
We stayed for awhile and by now he was tired, we were tired and the kids were restless.  We left him to get some sleep.  We all then drove back to my Aunts house for coffee and dessert and again, over 30 family members were there.  We gathered around a large table and told stories of my Mom and Marie growing up in Mananah and my Dad meeting my Mom and Marie meeting Fred.  It was so much fun listening to the stories of our family. We stayed late and laughed and ate and laughed some more.  It was a good day and we were all so thankful we were together.    We got back to Dads house.  I was exhausted. 
I haven't felt that way in over 2 years.  I hit the pillow and didn't move until the morning. 
The morning after Christmas Sharon and their 3 kids took off for Madison and it was a sad goodbye.  Jordan was crying, Zane was crying, everyone was sad to see them go.  They drove out of the driveway and it was quiet and my kids were extremely sad.  Andy and I headed up to the hospital while Jack and the girls stayed home and my friend Joe came over to say hello.  He stayed and they played wii and watched tv.  My great friend Julie, I've known her all of my life and she is very close with my family, came up to the hospital and we visited.  We now are talking with my dad about the future and what he needs to do.  At this point he still hasn't gotten up and walked on his own.  The time is coming though where he needs to do this.  Julie and I left and went back to the house and enjoyed some wine.  I heated up lasagna for dinner and Andy came home and we sat down and had a nice family dinner with Julie.  It was very pleasant to have her there.  She even took Jordan out shopping for an hour.  Jordan had a very bad day and her emotions finally broke down and she just couldn't handle it anymore.  Julie to the rescue.  Jordan LOVES Julie. 
As Jordan and Julie were out I had a little breakdown myself and started ranting and raving about leaving and how are we going to leave with everything so up in the air?  Jack was super worried about the weather and the drive and just getting back to our lives.  I knew we needed to make a plan but I was not wanting to get out of dodge so soon.  He was.  The three of us, Jack, Hannah and me started cleaning and organizing and within an hour we had that house spic and span.  We decided to leave the next morning. 
The next morning we woke and packed and had everything in the car by 10am.  We said our goodbye to Andy and took off for the hospital for one more visit with Dad.  He looked great and we were sad to leave but had to.  We stayed for about 45 minutes and said our goodbyes and left.  The leaving part was the worst because of course the guilt now kicks in and I can't help but feel it's too soon for us to be taking off.  Jack reminds me that I can fly back for visits when it comes time for that.  I remind him we don't have the money for me to just fly back for visits.   It's all so stressful. 
We decided to break up our drive in 2 days and I'm so glad we did.  We drove to York, NE in 8 hours and got a room at the Super 8.  A dump but cheap and we needed the sleep.  How I slept I don't know because the minute I hit the car after the hospital I fell asleep and slept pretty much the entire day in the car.  The next day Jack started driving and I slept another 4 hours pretty well in the car and then I drove the rest of the way home.  We pulled up to our driveway at 4:30 and home was a beautiful sight.  I forget the MN winter weather and how it does a number on you.  It's grey and gloomy and freezing cold.  You can go days or weeks without seeing the sun.  CO weather is the opposite.  It's usually bearable temperature wise and the sun shines all the time.  It was so refreshing to see the sun again. 
We're home now and I've been on the phone w/ my brothers.  Today, Dad gets released from the hospital and Andy has found him a transitional home to go to for his physical therapy.  We'll take this a day at a time and see how well he does with getting back on his feet.  Hopefully he'll be motivated to get moving and get those muscles in shape. 
We had many prayers answered and so many positive thoughts from family and friends and I want to thank everyone for your well wishes. 
This was a very big eye opener for me and it sure is getting me thinking about getting my affairs in order.  If you haven't done it yet, do it and don't wait another minute.  Planning is the key to getting through this kind of thing with minimum stress.  Living far away is what it is and there is nothing I can do about that.
Tonight it's back to work and I'm looking forward to getting my mind in another area.  Work will be just that. 
Time for a quick nap and hopefully I'll be raring to go. 

A Story to Tell

We got the call on Tuesday, December 21st.  It was 8am and I heard the phone ring and figured it was my friend, Deb.  Jordan, Hannah and I and Deb and her daughter, Tori, were to go out to the Swan Center to feed the horses.  It was our only time over the break that we could get out there.  It was snowy and cold and I was not wanting it to be brutal weather for our day at the ranch but I was looking forward to seeing those horses.  I heard Hannah answer the phone and as she was climbing the stairs to the loft, my bedroom.  She said, "Mom, it's Grandpas next door neighbor on the phone!"  I knew immediately something was wrong.  She said hello and that my dad collapsed in the driveway and that she didn't have my brothers' phone number, only mine, so she called me.   She gave me some grim details.  He was snow blowing, he collapsed and they are all over there and they haven't even left for the hospital yet and they are working on him.  I asked her what does that mean, working on him, and she said she didn't know.   I asked again, what does that mean? Are they doing CPR?  She didn't know.  I hung up and got out of bed and ran downstairs to the kitchen where my Rolodex is.  I called my brother Mike, who lives 20 min away and no answer.  I called my brother, Andy, who lives 5 hours away and his wife answered.  I was now crying and told her the short version of the story and she handed the phone over.  Andy took charge and said he'd call me back.  By now, Mike called me back and was already in the car on the way to Dad's house.  For the next 10 minutes it was phone calls.   We finally found out he was being brought to North Memorial Hospital and now we wait.  Mike was in his car already driving so he drove straight to the hospital.  Andy said he was getting in the car asap.  I now called Deb and asked her if she could take the girls with her to the ranch because I didn't want to leave the phone.  No problem. 
A couple of hours went by and we now had some information.  Dad's heart was beating and he was in critical condition and since they didn't know how long he had been laying at the end of the driveway in the snow until the paramedics got there they didn't know if he had any brain damage.  They really couldn't tell what the outcome would be so they decided to do hypothermia therapy.  http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/29445694.html
Here is a link to read about it.  Very interesting.
That is when I decided we needed to beat feet and get to MN.  I called Deb, cancelled the ranch, called work and told them I'd be leaving and since I had a full schedule I wouldn't be able to work.  Fortunately, my job is extremely accommodating.  We packed and that night I had some errands to run.  Library books, cookies delivered, etc.  I got home at 8 or so and we opened all of our presents.  It was a very odd thing not really being Christmas.  We left, with our dog, at 5 in the morning.  We drove straight through.  It was a long, long drive but we arrived at my Dads at 11pm.  My brother , his wife and their 3 kids were waiting for us and they, as we, were so excited to see them.  We stayed up talking until well after midnight. 
We woke up the next morning and Jack, Andy and me went to see my Dad.  Since he was in ICU I didn't want the girls to see him until I knew what was up.  Sharon, my sister-in-law stayed at home with all 5 kids.  She's a saint.  I love her.
We walked into the room where my dad was and he was hooked up to the many machines but not as many as the day before, according to my brothers.  He looked good considering he had just been frozen and defrosted.  Literally.   I said hi to him and he opened his eyes and looked at me.  Jack said hi and so did Andy.  My dad shed some tears.  He couldn't talk to us but we talked to him.  We kept telling him to squeeze our hand and we were telling him that we were all staying at the house.  He seemed to be listening. 
After a while, we left and went back to the house. I went and picked up some groceries and friends of Andy's brought over food.  Dinner, snacks, wine, pop.  It was incredible.  The neighbor brought over food as well.  We were set.  It was extremely thoughtful and so appreciated.  So now, we are all in the house.  Jack, Jordan, Hannah, Mike, Andy, Sharon, Rachael, Jack, Zane, Tom, Tammy, Annika, Jesse and me.  It was fun, hectic, and family.  All 7 kids, cousins, were having the time of their lives.  It was good to be home in the comfort of my family and not waiting by the phone in CO, wondering. 
We got to bed late. 
The next morning was the day of Christmas Eve.  We got up and my cousin, Steve, called and said to bring all of our kids over to his house so we didn't have to worry about them.  Jack offered to bring them to Steve's while Andy, Sharon, and I could go be with Dad.  Since it was Christmas Eve and Steve lives 30 min away I packed up Jack and the girls for the day and told them I'd bring their clothes to my Aunts house later since that is where we will all be meeting for dinner.  They left and we were back at the hospital.  We got to the ICU room where Dad was and he was now opening his eyes and trying to talk.  He clearly had things to say and we were all ears.  It was so hard to understand him but we did and he wanted to talk so we let him.  It was a good sign.  We stayed with him for the day and went back to the house to regroup.  I was so tired and I crawled in bed, under the covers and closed my eyes.  The phone rang and it was for me so I got up and talked.  I love my friends.  They care.
Now it was time to get in the shower, wake up and drink some coffee.  We were on our way to my Aunts house for dinner.  We walked in and it was so welcoming and inviting and BEAUTIFUL!!  Her house is lovely and the Christmas decorations were festive and wonderful.  We met my entire family, on my Moms side there and had a wonderful time.  Dad was better, there was snow on the ground,  I was with my entire family.  We, all 32 of us, held hands in a circle and said a prayer.  It was amazing.  The night was perfect, except my dad wasn't there and we told stories of my mom and dad and of all of us growing up together and the memories were fun to talk about.  It was late and we left and Mike, Kerry and myself went back to the hospital.  There are no visiting hours when someone is in ICU so we showed up late and didn't leave until after 11:30.  Mike and Kerry dropped me off and I crashed.  It was good to see Dad on Christmas Eve.  Having him still with us and getting slowly better was incredible.  But I still had my doubts. 
We woke up on Christmas morning at 8:30 and all of the kids, except Rachael, were still sound asleep.  She was quietly reading a book on the couch.  The day before, since my dad didn't do any decorating, I found a tiny fake tree, maybe 3 feet tall in the closet and we stood it out in the living room and placed gifts around it.  Most of the gifts were the ones Andy and Sharon brought with them from Madison but I did to to Target and picked up a couple of gifts for the girls and then, of course, Santa found his way to MN so their big gift was under the tree.  The kids finally woke up and we watched them open presents.  After presents we made bacon, eggs and toast and Andy and Sharon and their family went to church.  Jordan wanted to go to church so I asked Hannah if she wanted to go visit Grandpa with me.  Yes, she did.  The two of us drove to the hospital and I was getting her prepared for seeing him.  I didn't want her to be sad or scared so the talk was necessary.  We walked in the room and there was my dad, sitting in a chair.  No breathing tube, no oxygen mask, only a feeding tube.  He was alert and aware.  He was ecstatic to see us.  He was talking, not well, but talking.  Hannah wasn't even phased.  We stayed and talked to a few nurses and a Dr. and everyone was amazed at his recovery.  He was on the mend.
To be continued...

Merry Christmas

Lots to tell.
It's Christmas and I'm in MN.  Our Dad has been in ICU for days now. 
He was snow blowing his driveway and was putting out the garbage cans for garbage pick up and the neighbor across the street happen to look out of his window and saw my dad going about his business.  He watched him for a bit, just because that is what neighbors do, and watched my Dad collapse.  Down he went in the snow and good neighbor called 911.  They were here within minutes and had to revive him at the end of our driveway.  The brought him to the hospital where they assessed the situation.  They found that a Stent that was put in years ago tore and caused a blood clot which took him down.  They had now idea how long it was that he was not getting oxygen to his brain so they decided to do hypothermia therapy.  That's where they bring the body core temp down to around 32 degrees for 48 hours and then warm him back up slowly.  Basically, defrost him.  So they did that.  Apparently, it's a last resorts effort.   He is now back to regular temp and is still in ICU but yesterday we had a pretty positive day.  He was answering questions and he knew who we were.  He was moving, squeezing our hands and even cracking some jokes.  Andy said, "Dad, I can relate" and Dad's answer was, "The Hell you can!!"  We can barely decipher what he is saying but that is definitely what he said.  We all laughed. 
From here, we don't know what to do.  We need to talk to a social worker to decide, if he does get out of there, what kind of care and treatment he needs, who will be with him etc.  It still is all to early to tell but these are some tough decisions we will be making in the next week or so. 
That's the update for those of you who read and have been asking.  Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers.  I really appreciate it and the friendships I have are amazing. 
Merry Christmas. 

A Good Tired

I'm tired.  In a good way.  We had Hannah's eye appointment this morning and it took a lot longer than expected.  All she wanted was to walk out of there with contacts.  At least a pair to try.  Not so.  We didn't realize that it would be a session of appointments and that this was not the one she would be getting a trial pair.  That won't happen until next week and then we have to go back 3 more times to make sure that they are the ones that will work for her.  I understand all of it but it's frustrating for her when all she wants is to wear ski goggles without her glasses underneath, swim in a pool and be able to see the other side, go to school without her glasses for one day and read the board from her seat which happens to be in the back of the class.  One more thing. 
We went skiing after that appointment and it was just dumping out.  It has been snowing for days up here and we are not getting tired of it one bit.  We are going out to the ranch to work with the horses tomorrow and it's going to be brutal with the weather.  I wish we could make it out more but with work and school we aren't able to help out much in the winter.  I miss seeing those horses, sheep, llamas and the alpaca.  It's hard work but fun.  I'm glad we are squeezing in a day over our break, but tomorrow, I'm not wanting to travel out there in this weather.  That road is torturous. 
We got home from skiing today and I took a very short nap on the couch, got up and made dinner, made some cookies and the girls put together a gingerbread house.  Jack was even in the action and was preparing a salad for dinner so we were all in the kitchen.  Hannah loves, loves, loves when we are all together and she was just tickled pink about it.  We all were.  It was a great night.  Now, we are all whooped and Jack is in bed, Jordan is getting ready for bed, Hannah is falling asleep on the couch, watching a Hallmark Christmas movie, and I'm done.  it's been a pretty good break so far for everyone in our house.  Hopefully we can all keep our wits about us.  Christmas is here and before we know it we will be waking up to a new year. 
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.......falling asleep.   

It's a Wonderful Life

Yes, life is good.  I'm out of my funk.  I'm skiing.  I'm working.   We are finally getting busy at the restaurant and it feels good.  The people are here in full force for the holidays so it's a good sign we will be working a bunch.  The skiing was amazing again today and watching my girls ski powder and actually making beautiful turns through that deep snow was so cool to watch.  I'll never forget the day I figured out how to ski deep powder.  I was 20 and it was at The Basin and I remember the feeling of finally getting that rush.  I think Hannah definitely got  that feeling today.  Jordan was getting a little frustrated but that's because she was tired of having us tell her what to do.  She finally just skied away and went off on her own. 
The only downfall about this is that I am not 20 anymore.  It seems hard to believe that for years we would get up and ski most of the day, come home and eat, regroup, shower and go to work, work until midnight or so, sometimes go out after work and party, and get up the next day and do it all over again.  Now, things are a little different.  I'm looking for that nap if I ski and work in the same day.  I go home immediately after work and try to get to sleep so I can be fresh for the next day.  Times have changed and it's a wonder we all survived those times. 
Bedtime.  Another ski day tomorrow. 

Snow

This year is our snow year so far.  We are getting it, finally.  I have skied hard the past 2 days and tomorrow is lining up to be a pretty big powder day.  I got phased from work tonight to it'll be in bed early and up and adam for another ski day.  It's just incredible conditions.  Everyone in the county is stoked and people can only talk about how great the skiing is.  It's amazing how snow can change the feeling of our county.  After all, most of us are here because of the skiing. 
I made the girls go up with me at 8:00 this morning.  They weren't happy about it and they were whining but I didn't let it get to me.  I told them it's what we do and it's why we live here so get used to it.  Tomorrow will be another ski day and they WILL be going.  Spoiled little .....s.   Hannah loves it but Jordan could do without it.  She does have a good time though.  It's better than having them stay at home in front of the TV and computer.  Not how I'm letting them spend their break. 
Time for a family movie and then bed.  Powder day tomorrow. 

Break

Christmas break is officially here.  The kids are off from school for two weeks.  Jack and I had a ski day today at The Basin.  It was great skiing and a beautiful day.  I needed it. 
We got the kids from the bus stop at 3:30 and came home to a roast cooking in the crock pot.  Now, with  full bellies, we are watching "My Cousin Vinny." 
It's a good night.  I feel like I'm on vacation. 

Christmas Lists

Here are my kids' Christmas lists which I totally get a kick out of.
Jordan's List:
-my own pet; frog, rodent, hermit crab
-box of chocolate
-itunes gift card
-ipod touch (I don't think so)
-a better cell phone (she can't even keep the one she has because of consequences)
-manicure and pedicure
-sushi dinner

Hannah's List:
-despicable me movie
-ping pong table
-a violin
-adams family movie
-p.j's
-ipod touch (again, I don't think so)
-music stand
-ski helmet
-kung fu panda movie
-slippers
-long underwear
-lime green hat
-skinny jeans
-long light brown uggs (spelled oggs)

Not bad.  I can manage some things on their lists.  I just thought they were so funny.

The Blues

It's been waaayyyyyy too long since I've posted anything.  I have to admit, I've been feeling a bit blue this holiday season and have not been myself.  But I did get a good laugh this morning on facebook from my friend, Mary, who posted a funny video of myself, cleaning my camper.  I'll have to share it with you if I can figure it out. 
Also, my laptop was out of commission for about 2 weeks and that really had me flustered.  Going down into the office we have is not very comfortable and I hate sitting at the desk to do any computer stuff so I wasn't motivated at all to blog.  My computer is once again on my lap and I am happy to have it back.  All of my pictures were backed up safely and most of the information that is important to me was saved.  What a hassle that was though.  All I have to say is BACK UP YOUR STUFF!!
After getting my house all beautified for Christmas, with the exception of the tree, I did feel a little happier.  Then, Jack took it upon himself to get a tree.  He cut one down behind our house and I have to say, the tree is perfect.  It really is perfect.  He said he had his eye on it since the the fall and it was growing too close to the shed so it was good to get it out of there.  I'm impressed.  It is really nice and cozy in our house, and clean.  I had to disinfect everything.  Last Tuesday we had our holiday party for work.  Since it was a school night we were home by 9:30 and in bed by 10.  I woke up at around 1 extremely sick.  I thought maybe it was food related but it wasn't.  I was on the couch the entire next day feeling awful.  That night in the middle of the night Jordan woke up feeling yucky and the next day she was on the couch all day.  Friday came and she went to school and Jack woke up sicker than a dog.  He never gets sick.  He was in  bed all day Saturday.  Hannah was the only one who hadn't gotten it yet but lo and behold, I got home from work on Sunday night, went to kiss her goodnight at 10:30 and she said she wasn't feeling well.  She was up the entire night throwing up.  She had it so bad that she had to stay home for two days.  After her horrendous night of vomiting all night, she couldn't even hold her head up the next day.  I pulled out the bed for her to lay on in the living room and she couldn't even talk to me, let alone watch TV.  It was awful seeing her that way.  I was just trying to make sure she was taking small sips of water because I was so scared of her becoming dehydrated.  She started coming around at about dinner time and still couldn't eat.  I kept her home yesterday too and glad I did.  She had to have a full day to recover from that one.  She definitely had it the worst.  Poor thing.  It's hard to watch your kids that way.  So, the entire week I've been walking around with a spray bottle trying to get these germs out of here.  Hopefully we are done with the stomach flu for the season.  Gross.
We have the best early season skiing in years.  Lake Dillon is still not frozen yet and Jack and I were trying to remember when it usually freezes.  Yesterday they had 70 degree weather in Denver and it was in the high 40's up here.  Today it's snowing again.  I did manage to get a quick peek at a meteor shower at 4 in the morning a couple of mornings ago when I was checking on Hannah.  I looked out the window from my living room and the stars were brilliant.  I stood there looking at the stars for awhile and that is when I got to see some meteors shoot across the sky.  It was beautiful.  I was glad I took a moment to look out my window. 
Today, I just might go skiing and get some fresh air.  Bottom line, there is no reason to feel blue right now. 
I'm coming back. 

TGIF

We are living at super speed once again and I am not ok with it.  There is no way around it though because it is what it is and really, it's all good.  The girls are having fun with their activities but we are driving all over this county and at separate places trying to coordinate meeting times, pick-up times, drop off times, dinner, etc.  I will get through this month. 
All I have to say is, TGIF.  But, we do have a busy weekend ahead of us. 
I have friends in town from MN (hi Joe and Paul) and we are looking forward to skiing with them in Breckenridge.  I haven't skid Breck in ages so I am super anxious to go over there and ski the mountain..  Jack (I call him Jetstream Jack) says there is a huge storm brewing and if the jetstream changes a little it could drop feet on us.  Steamboat is projected to get a ton and if that happens the storm will probably be a little too North for our mountains.  Lets cross our fingers that everything lines up and we get hit.  It would be nice to get some more snow.  I stepped outside this morning and it felt balmy out there and the sky was very dark.  I'm waiting.  My bones are aching at night when I sleep and usually that's a good sign of something.  Ironic huh?  Achy bones, good for something?  We'll see.  I'll keep you posted. 

I absolutely cherish my mornings when my family leaves.  It's quiet, I can drink my coffee and sit down and type.  Teller is snoring away and the cat is up to no good.  Pure Bliss. 
Enjoy your Friday everyone. 

December 1st

It's December 1st already.  What happened to November?  In the blink of an eye, it was gone.  Scary.  I would like life to freeze and I don't mean stay at 32 degrees.  My kids are growing up too fast, my days are going by to quickly and I just want it to slow down.   My bucket list is getting longer and I have no idea how I'm going to get it all done.  I did, however, manage to haul all of our Christmas decorations up from the shed in the snow.   I counted that as one of my workouts for the week.  Teller thought we were taking a vacation.  Every bin that I drug through the snow and up the driveway he would get all excited and prance next to me like he was going on some huge vacation with his family.  I'd get the bin up to the house and inside and he'd sit down at the door and stare all confused.  Back to the shed and that gave him hope that, yes, we were going on vacation.  Until I got the bin in the house again.  You see, usually when we go camping or on a road trip we have to get our bags, coolers, etc out of the shed and Teller knows that.  He was obviously thinking that hauling all of my Christmas stuff from there was for his benefit of going on a great road trip.  That dog is really into road trips.  Why, I don't know because he is huge and usually is cramped up in the back seat with the girls, where he insists on riding. 
We now have the dilemma of the Christmas tree.  I am thinking of just a small, table top tree.  That didn't go over so well with the girls.  I refuse to buy one from a lot or the boyscouts because they are so expensive.  Cutting one down is a lot of work but fun.  We'll do that.  We have plenty to choose from right outside in our yard. 
The kids' Christmas keep growing and growing.  Do they realize who their parents are?  Each one wants an ipod, with a screen, in their words.  The ipod shuffle
 @ $45 wasn't good enough.  I say it's plenty.  Do they realize that one ipod is a minimum of $145??   Who has that kind of cash?  They want Internet on their phones.  They are lucky to have phones, period.  One of them, I won't name names, wrote on her list 'a boyfriend'    REALLY? 
Happy December 1st. 

Black Friday

It has been way to long since my last blog post.  Some of you who actually read my ramblings have said you missed my blog.  Tear.  Seriously, that really made me sit down and take note that maybe my ramblings are good for you, too.  Well, I've got a lot to ramble about. 
It's the day after Thanksgiving and I have no leftovers.  I didn't cook because I had to be at work at noon so the whole cooking thing was out for the day.  Jack and the girls were going over to one of my bff's for dinner w/ around 15 or so of our friends.  My friend  made the turkey and then everyone else was assigned a dish.  Jack's dish was a salad because my friends know what an excellent salad person I am.  I whipped up some pea salad I had never made before and of course I made some red jello and put little marshmallows on top because that is what we Minnesotans do.  After all, a Minnesota salad bar consists of iceberg lettuce and 5 different kinds of jello.  The jello was a hit but the pea salad, mmm, not so much.  I should have made my standard 7 layer pea salad but I went out on a limb and tried something new.  Change.  People do not like change. 

Work was great.  It was something like 20 below yesterday so I wore my bikini shirt to work for a laugh.  I walked into the kitchen, punched in and Chef and his staff of 7 were all working hard chopping, sauteing, grilling, whatever they do, and I walked through the kitchen frenzy and they all stopped and just stared.  Chef started laughing and rolled his eyes and since he calls me "hefnar" he said, "Hefnar, livin' the dream aren't you?"  I figured it was a good way to start our busy day and get everyone to smile.  I did just that. 
The kitchen staff whipped up a staff dinner for us and since this was the first Thanksgiving I have worked in almost 7 years I was so excited to sit down with everyone and eat my turkey dinner w/ mashed potatoes and stuffing.  Especially the stuffing.  Stuffing is my all time favorite.  I grabbed my plate and went to the chow line and looked at the plates of food in the window.  Brussel sprouts on the first plate, turkey sausage in gravy next, diced potatoes w/ onions, meatloaf and a spinach salad.  Now, that dinner was wonderful, don't get me wrong.  We get fed dinner every night and it's always good.  But, by God this was THANKSGIVING!!  I wanted some stuffing for crying out loud.  With gravy.  I didn't even need turkey.  Just stuffing.  I loaded my plate up and took a seat at the table with my co-workers and asked everyone else if they were bummed about the no stuffing thing.  Everyone was content and I said my peace.  My dinner was fabulous, as usual, and I had a huge serving of chocolate moose for dessert and I was stuffed.  It was time to get changed and start waiting on tables. 
We always sit down with our chef and go over the nights menu, since it changes pretty much every night.  Well, we were serving the normal 4 course dinner.  Choice of 2 soups, choice of salad or app, choice of 5 entrees, choice of dessert.  The entree selection was Veal, Lamb, Beef, Fish, Turkey w/ all the fixings.  Except there was no stuffing in all the fixings.  My jaw dropped and I let out a cry of "WHAT???"  I was literally in shock at this choice our chef had made and thought that every person who would be ordering the turkey plate would blame me when they were digging around their plate looking for their stuffing.  Since Dupster was the one to relay this message to us in the meeting I blamed him.  I said if anyone of my tables complains about having no stuffing on Thanksgiving I would be happy to send Dupster over and they could discuss it with him.  Dupster is a lowly waiter just like me so he has no control over that situation.  He was the messenger and I was about to kill him.  I did have a panic attack and was thinking maybe I should take a Valium but since I have never popped a Valium before, and I was at work, I decided against it.    I must have sold 10 plus turkey plates and not one person said a word.  Seemed no one cared two hoots about the no stuffing issue.  But man, did we ever have some good laughs over it.  That is how my job is.  Constant jokes, good laughs and great friends.  We have all worked together for years and years and we know each other so well.  It helps to be amongst good people if you have to work a holiday.  

They call this day Black Friday.  Black Friday is supposedly the hugest  shopping day in the country with the best sales EVER!   The commercials on TV are all about advertising Black Friday.   It's almost as bad as election time.  Keystone has black-out days meaning when it's a blackout day employees can't ski.  Jack tried to take Hannah out skiing a couple of weeks ago and it was a blackout day so they were denied.  Our plan was to go skiing today as a family.  Hannah has been so excited to ski.  She said to me, "Mom, to bad we can't ski on Friday because it's Black Friday."  I asked here how she already knew that they weren't letting employees on the mountain since this was back on Monday that she was saying this.  Her reply was, "because they are advertising it all over on TV."  A total Hannah ism.  It's not a blackout day at Keystone today and they are going skiing later.  She still wants to know what all they hype is about Black Friday so I am taking her shopping.  Happy Black Friday everyone.  I hope you all have some leftover stuffing. 

First Ski of the Season

We received around 7-10" of snow overnight and when I heard Jack grumbling about shoveling again I knew I needed to get out of bed and see for myself wether he was being a drama king or not.  He was being a drama king, because he always is, but he also was right to yell up to me and tell me to get out of bed because I needed to go skiing.  Someone should.  Might as well be me since I still have 10 days off before I go balls to the wall with work. 
I made the girls their lunches and said goodbuy to everyone and made a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch and covered up with a blanket.  As I watched it snow and snow outside I decided that Jack was right (I hate it when he's right).  I needed to go skiing.  It was a painless process, for some reason, gathering my gear.  Usually, I am walking to the shed, digging through bins and bins looking for my pants, jacket, neck gator, hat, etc.  Then I rummage around the garage for a good 45 minutes cussing because I can't find my goggles and boots.  Then I walk back up to the house looking for my ski pass which I usually don't have anyway and have to go stand in line to get.  Not this year.  For some reason, I was organized and all of my stuff was exactly where I remembered putting it.  And, we got our ski passes last week so we were set.    I was driving down the driveway, on my way to the mountain, at 9:30 am.  I got to the lift and they scanned my pass and there I was swinging my skis on the lift, bundled up, and enjoying the blowing snow on my face.  It always feels so good to be riding that first chair ride of the season.  Especially when you have the chair to yourself.  I am not into small chit chat and I really just wanted to enjoy the peace of the chair alone. 
It was a powder day and the snow was soft and fluffy and light.  The skiing was great.  I skied hard for the first few runs because I was all by myself and I was thoroughly enjoying it.  I ran into some friends just as I was thinking about leaving and I stayed and skied for another 5 runs.  My legs are going to be sore tomorrow.  I'm glad I have my yoga class. 
I left the mountain at around 12:30 pm and had some errands to run and picked up the kids at school.
It was a successful first day on the mountain.  I'm thinking about doing it all again tomorrow. 

Sunday Paper

Sunday, and I have no paper.  If I could get the paper delivered to my door I would be one happy camper.  But, that is why I love living where we live.  It's remote and if I did have things delivered to my doorstep, ie, the Sunday paper, take-out pizza, groceries,  I'd be a lot lazier than I already am.  I wouldn't say I'm lazy, lazy but I have pretty good lazy bones and I could take a nap everyday and I have no problem pouring another cup of coffee and watching the next morning show.  Some would say that's lazy.  I talk myself out of that term and say it's contentment.  I'm certainly content, that's forsure. 
I did get out today, because I forced myself, and made a fire in the pit in the backyard.  It was freezing all day and snowing so I bundled up and put on my snow pants, warm parka, hat, gloves and Sorels and tromped through the yard in the snow digging up wood to burn and un-buring the tables because I was thinking ahead and anticipating of one of our full moon parties where we need those tables.  I then decided that I would walk down the road a little ways.  The plow hadn't been up here so the road was completely snowy and I followed Jacks ski tracks to Rileyville where he took off up the mountain.  I was freezing because the wind was blowing very hard which brought the temp down quite a bit.  I turned around after a bit thinking I needed to start walking up and getting my blood flowing to get warm.  Glad I did.  I warmed up instantly walking home from Rileyville.  I then decided that my exercise level was sufficient for the day and when I got home I immediately got back into my comfy clothes and ate some left-over Tokyo Joe's.  After lunch it was definitely time for a nap.  I turned on the Vikings/Bears game and, bam!  Asleep.  It was a good 2 hour nap which I obviously needed after my vigorous day of freezing cold weather.  I am now enjoying the Bronco/Chiefs game with a glass of wine and the only thing that could make my day any better is if I had the paper and I could clip my coupons, read all about it and save the best for last, the travel section, so I could dream of all of the wonderful places I will see when I grow up. 
So, if you're on your way up here for some reason, bring me a paper, would you? (and pizza would be good)

Cozy

We woke up to cold temps and snow.  It is beautiful and has been all day.  The snow has accumulated to a few inches and it's time to shovel.  We haven't plowed yet and the driveway is getting nice and packed down.  I'm thinking tonight we'll need to do one sweep with the plow. 
It feels like I should be putting my Christmas decorations up.  But, I'm not one of those.  I always wait until December. 
Both of our stoves are burning and it is super cozy in my house.  I love days like today.  My dog, my cat and my blanket. 

Semper Fi

Happy 235th Birthday to the founding of the U.S Marines! Semper Fi! "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli" Thank you to all of the men and women who are and have served our country in all of the branches of the armed services!

Autographs

They say more snow is coming our way tonight. I say, please, more snow. We got our ski passes yesterday and when that takes place it's always the hurry up and wait game. Hannah is really excited to ski. Jack took Jordan, Hannah and Hannah's best friend over to Vail on Saturday to see some members of the U.S. Ski Team. Not only did they get to see them but they got autographs. Hannah didn't have her helmet or anything for an autograph so she had Lindsey Vonn sign her brand new ski jacket that she hasn't even worn skiing yet. She also got 2 other autographs on the same sleeve, in permanent sharpie. I'm not upset about it though. I thought that was a pretty good idea actually. But, those coats get so dirty and I wash them frequently through the winter so I'm afraid the autographs will wash off. We'll see.

We went for a hike up Webster Pass today, Teller and I. Teller was as happy as could be. We got home and he ran up to his new stolen stuffed animal and picked it up and ran over to me to show me his loot. He is a thief. He goes to town and looks around for squeaky toys or something soft, grabs it and runs home the whole way with his new prize. I'd love to know where this one came from. He sure is proud of it. The pictures of Teller show him with his new stolen toy.

If you happen upon this blog and recognize this Christmas dog, by all means, come up and grab it. If he'll let you.

Mucking Barns

Every muscle in my body is hurting. I am on the couch and I'm not sure I can get up. I have a party to go to tonight and I need to move. I'll blog instead.

Hannah and I worked at the Swan Center today. We got out there at around 10am. The other volunteers were getting the feed together so I went out and dealt with the hay. That job is pretty fun because you get to get hay off the bail and walk around with the wheelbarrow and place piles for the horses. 35 piles to be exact. The horses get excited and start walking slowly into the area I'm putting the hay. Sometimes they'll try to eat it right out of the wheelbarrow as I'm pushing it around. I'm not suppose to let them do that so it's funny trying to stop them.

After the hay was placed it was time to get all the horses to their feeding spots. One by one we lead them to their feed bin on the fence. There were a few barns that needed to be mucked so I volunteered to do that since it's a huge workout and I felt like beating myself up a bit. The two barns that I needed to clean out hadn't been fully cleaned out in quite some time so there were a few layers of hard muck I had to dig up. It was hard work. I took a pick ax, shovel, rake and between the three tools I got through. I had to then haul multiple 40 lb bags of pellets to place in the stalls. 11 bags to be exact. All of the muck that I dug up needed to be wheeled over to be dumped. Through the mud, over mud, around mud. After a few hours of that I was extremely whooped.

Those horses are so awesome to be with. Magic likes to have her head over the door so she can see whats going on. She's so curious. Somethin' pees on her fresh bed of pellets. Jett likes to chew on the fence. Snicker, she's naughty. She keeps trying to escape. Amigo breaks my heart every time I look at him. He's sweet and was tied to a tree during hurricane Andrew and survived. His coat is all scruffy and thick. They all have some story and they all have a different personality. It's fun getting to know them. What a great place to volunteer.

But, now I am seizing up and I can't move. Tomorrow will not be pretty.

The Morning After-Halloween

Whew. Glad that's over. We left the house in such foul moods and bad attitudes I almost turned the car around and blew it all off. We dropped off one kid and drove to Breckenridge to drop off the other. Once we did that Jack and I were in the car by ourselves looking at the mountains wondering what to do. It was kind of weird. It was our first Halloween not having the kids within a few houses. We got the local paper and checked out the 2 for 1 specials, which are plenty this time of year. We ended up at Mi Casa and we were thinking when the last time were were there. It must have been over 10 years or more. The food was good and we had a great time. The restaurant was completely empty and Jack and I were so relaxed and we talked and talked about our kids and how to be better parents and we talked, of course, about Costa Rica. We decided that getting the container delivered to our house sooner than later would be best. We are filling a container up with our stuff, shipping it off to Costa Rica so we have a car, tools, and whatever else we think we'll need. The talk over dinner, with no kids, was much needed. We ended up at a friends house, which is where we have spent the majority of our Halloweens, and it was party time as usual. Halloween in that neighborhood is a hoot. We sit around the fire in the driveway, on the hill while the kids walk up and trick or treat. It's a small neighborhood where everyone knows everyone and the mood is festive. We were all laughing at the parents, including us, because everyone has a beverage in hand, bundled up, although last night was fairly mild. It truly is a good time and everyone is happy. I was designated driver so I was behaving. It was time to drive to our meeting places to pick up our kids from their parties. We all came together at the end of the night and drove up the hill to our quiet house in the middle of the woods. It was a nice night and unfortunately, I did not get one picture. That's the one bad thing about not being with our kids for Halloween. I missed out on their costumes.
It's 8:30 am and I have already had 2 Reese's peanut butter cups. It goes well with coffee.

Anxiety and Halloween.

How could I forget? Every Halloween is filled with anxiety in this household. And the older my teenager gets, the worse it gets. Halloween, for people who suffer from anxiety, is not the easiest holiday. The clothes "feel". The costume isn't "perfect". "The costume doesn't match." The changing of the costumes that has been happening here for the past 3 days has been incredible. The Halloween bin I have is filled with wigs, dresses, make-up, clothes, purses, you name it I may have it. I even went to the thrift store and bought a few more Halloween type pieces. "They don't fit." "I don't look like the queen of Mardi Gras." What does the queen of Mardi Gras look like anyway? "It's ugly." "I look silly." These quotes are only some of the many that came before the tears started. It's like that episode of "Parenthood" with the son who has Aspergers. It was a very profound episode and my heart was hurt. And, like our stuff, it all turns out well in the end.

Am I missing something here? Isn't Halloween about silliness, ugliness, goofiness, and just plain having a good time?

I will survive this Halloween as I always do. My heart goes out to those who suffer with anxiety. It's not an easy thing to watch. I'm staying out of the costume thing as much as possible. She'll have to figure this one out by herself. I will post pictures when it's all said and done. It'll be great as always when they are counting their candy. I won't even go into what effect the candy has on us.

Winter Wonderland in October

Two days after our huge snow storm I am now enjoying the winter wonderland outside. It dumped a total of about 2-3 feet up here. I was not motivated for much on Monday except laying under a blanket and watching it snow. I did have to go get the kids and the driving was scary. Tuesday I had yoga so I braved the elements again and drove the usually 25 min drive in 45 minutes, white knuckles all the way. I kept thinking "this better be worth it" and as usual I got my om on and it was. I did drive straight home after yoga and crawled under a blanket and took a huge nap. It's now Wednesday and we received another 6" overnight and I decided to hang out up here in the woods and enjoy the beauty. I took a walk.

I had to get my long underwear and some boots out of the shed which is not very close to the house. The snow was over my knees and my walk would give me a good workout. I got my stuff on and headed out the door. The plow was just making his way up and the grater was right behind him. A nice thing since the road was a mess. They both got out of their machines, as I was heading up Deer Creek, and I overheard them saying to each other how much snow we had received up here. They were surprised. Sometimes we get snow that the other towns won't get. Once I had to call the kids in for a snow day because we had gotten over 2 feet overnight and with the wind it literally trapped us up here for the day. Even the town of Montezuma didn't get that, which is 1 mile down the road. Those kids made it to school. The school didn't believe me when I called in to tell them we couldn't get out of our driveway.

The white car in the picture made the drive up here to go cross country skiing. He obviously didn't want to get stuck and left his car right smack in the middle of the road. The plow drivers could barely get around him. I'm surprised they didn't leave a big snowbank in the front of his car. Those guys are usually ruthless.

I headed up the trail and broke trail the entire way. It was wonderful. It's a good walk, even without the snow, and I was sweating like a pig, in a good way. I got to the top of the hill and fell in the snow and made a snow angel. Teller thought I was playing with him and jumped all over me. He was so happy. I came home and again, took a serious nap. I do love my naps. I'm motivated for another day of playing in the snow. I'm motivated to ski. I am happy, now, that winter is here. It's going to be a good one.

Blizzard

It has been snowing all day. It's a blizzard out there. The roads were atrocious. I almost crashed twice. I had to drive to get the kids and I figured I'd get some errands done first. I'm surprised I made it to City Market. I took my sweet time in there because I had over an hour before school was over. I finally got the kids and started the drive home. The roads were pure ice and rutted out. We got home and I sighed a huge sigh of relief. I've been in my sweats and comfy slippers and made an excellent dinner and now I'm listening to the wind blow, watching the snow blow sideways and I couldn't be more happy to be home. At least we have power and heat.

A Cooking Day

Mountain weather at my house all day has been snow. Light snow but snow, at least. It felt like winter too. Buster, my cat, only went out once. Teller has been laying on his bed all day. Usually he doesn't lay on his bed up in the living room until after he's eaten his dinner. He has himself on a very distinct schedule. He rarely changes it up. It's also a full moon so he could be a little out of sorts because of it.

I've had this day free of kids. Even though they had no school today they have been at the Swan Center, volunteering. I brought them to get their haircuts at 10 this morning. After Hannah was done, she walked out front and I looked at her. She has the most beautiful hair and her cut was absolutely gorgeous. Our stylist, or as my mom called it, our beautician at the beauty shop, did a fabulous job. She styled Hannah's hair which only gets done at the beauty shop. I'm not the fashion mom and am not capable of stuff like that. To bad for them. Anywho, Hannah's hair was to die for. As we were walking out of the place Hannah says to me, "I look like a grown woman now." The guy waiting to get his hair cut busts out laughing and said he needed to write that one down. That's Hannah. Jordan didn't get her hair styled so it was wet when we left. Her choice. She should have gotten it styled because it is a good feeling to look all "styled" once in a while.

After the beauty shop the girls rode out to do work at the Swan Center with some friends. I came home and cooked all day. I made homemade salsa, soup in the crock pot, marinade for pork chops. I am now enjoying a Costa Rica cocktail. Unfortunately, I don't have Imperial so I am drinking this with PBR. Salt the rim of your glass, squeeze a lime in the glass, add some ice, add beer. It was so delish in Costa Rica. The snow is making this excellent beach drink a total buzz kill. However, I will force myself to consume it.

Friends are coming up for the fruits of my labor this evening. OK. that's a bit overkill since I'm popping a pizza in the oven for the girls but us adults will be enjoying my soup.

Time for another beach cocktail. I will look at pictures of the beach while I am drinking the next one.

Since last Thursday I have put on a little less than 600 miles on my car. Less than I thought.

Halloween

I love Halloween. I always have. I love getting dressed up. I love going to Halloween parties. It's just a good time had by all. Well, not all. Last year I had to work and we had a murder mystery. I walked in and my manager was excited about the evening. She brought a costume and in walks JBP and he was already dressed up as a tennis pro. I got on the phone and had Jack bring down the Halloween costume box. He did as he was going trick or treating with the kids. One of my co-workers did NOT want to dress up. He wanted nothing to do with it and was getting more and more angry and cranky as we were all getting more and more excited. I met him in the wait room and sat down and had a heart to heart with him. I told him how happy and proud he would make me if he agreed to let ME decide on a costume for him. After all, he'll be the only one not dressed for Halloween. He really didn't have a choice. He was so mad. I had found my old maternity dress (two or three of us wore that thing as we were pregnant), it was still hanging up. He put it on. I had an old lady wig that he put on. I had my old school Keystone name tag from the 80's that said Inga. He pinned it to his dress. He had on black crew socks and black shoes and the dress came to just below his knees. He looked hysterical but he was not amused. He was a trooper and we all had so many laughs at his expense.
I've always dressed up in a goofy costume. My costumes are always pretty good. The past few years I've dressed up as the lunch lady and I help out in the lunchroom at school for the school party. Usually you can't tell who I am if I am going all out. Which I usually do. Since we have all graduated from elementary school we are free from that. It was fun but I won't miss it.

I moved to San Diego in 1987 for almost a year. It happened to be over Halloween. Naturally, we celebrated. We were invited to a party at some swanky house on the beach. Big bucks. I dressed up as a bag lady. I looked great as a bag lady. It was a good costume. Until we got to the party. There must have been 100 plus people there. There was not one bag lady costume, besides me, in the whole place. All of the girls were dressed up as sexy cats, playboy bunnies, sexy brides, there probably was even a sexy bag lady but I didn't know it was a bag lady. My self esteem was going downhill pretty fast. Jack was rubber necking all night and was thoroughly enjoying himself. I have to admit, I won't make that mistake again. Meaning, I won't move to San Diego again.
As Halloween is approaching, my girls are trying to decide what to be. Luckily, they haven't had the desire to dress up in anything sexy. They have inherited my costume thoughts. Hannah is thinking of being a box. Jordan wants to be something gross and scary. Jack, he wants nothing to do with it this year. Fine by me. It is usually cold and snowy anyway.
I'm sure I'll put on something ridiculous and get some good laughs. That's what it's all about to me. Laughing.

The pictures are from Halloween last year.

Gifted and Talented

If I hear one more parent tell me their child is gifted and talented, has been tested gifted and talented, is in a gifted and talented program, is in a gifted and talented class, thinks their child is actually gifted and talented, etc....

Congratulations on your gifted and talented children.

This is why I don't get along. I just can't jump on that band wagon. My kids are wonderful. I just gushed over them on my last blog. But, they are great at some things and not so much at others. I seem to get sucked into the parents that want to tell me about their gifted and talented kids. I didn't home school Jordan because she excelled beyond belief. We don't do theatre because she is gifted and talented. She just loves being on stage. Period. We don't want Hannah to join ski team because she is gifted and talented at skiing. She is an average skier who happens to love the sport. We are an average family who is trying our best to be a happy family and enjoy life.
Summit County seems to have many, many, many gifted and talented children and parents who love to tell us that.
Again, congrats to you. But hearing it is getting old.

However, have I told you about my gifted and talented dog, Teller? He truly is gifted and talented. In puppy preschool.............

Proud and Rolling in it.

Jack and I are proud parents tonight. It was parent teacher conferences and our girls ROCK!! Good grades, good attitudes, and good kids. Plus, I ran into a parent who gave me an incredible compliment about Jordan and how she behaved on the mission trip she attended a few weeks ago. According to the parent, Jordan was awesome on that trip. Of course, I don't give J the benefit of the doubt and when I hear there was some drama that she may have been involved in I just automatically lecture her on how she could have done better. This time, I was wrong. That is all I have to say. That parent quickly corrected me when I told her I had heard Jordan was up to shenanigans. I do believe my 14 year old is maturing and making some better choices every day. Don't get me wrong. I'm not letting my guard down on her but when I receive the compliments like we did tonight, I am thinking we are doing something right. And so much of this is because Jordan is doing many things right.
Sorry, enough gushing.
I love my daughters and I am so proud of them.

Surprise

I love surprises. I always have. The day started our pretty typical. Kids off to school and I had the house to myself to enjoy my coffee. I tackled some paperwork and cleaned the house up a little. I decided to run a few errands before I went to pick the girls up from the bus stop. Target got $100 of my money today. Darnit. Off to the bus stop. The girls got in the car and we were off for home. I decided to drive them up the hill since it was only 3 and I didn't work until 4. As I was driving them home my cell phone rang and it was my manager from work. I was about to lose cell phone service and she told me the restaurant was closed tonight so I didn't have to work. It was a nice surprise. The weather today cold, cloudy, snowy and it is the perfect night to go watch the girls at swim team and sit in the pool area where it is nice and warm. A bonus for me.

I Knew It

I knew it!!
Hannah finally admitted it. She misses Costa Rica. She is our kid that was giving us the what for every time we talked about moving there, while we were there. I remember one day in particular.
We had a typical day. We were staying in the nice house. We woke up, had coffee out front feeling the air getting hot. Took a swim. Went to beach and swam. Came back for lunch and ate and chilled out for awhile. Back to beach for whatever. Home for a cold beer and a swim. This is when Hannah let us have it. Jack and I were making plans all day. We were talking about getting back to Colorado and setting goals for us to get back to Costa Rica to live. How can we pull it off? What will we do about school? Work? Where do we live while we are building our place? All that stuff. Well, Hannah was listening to every word and did not like it one bit. Jack and I were sitting out by the pool and Hannah comes out and said she needed to talk to us. OK. Talk. She was mad. Really mad. She started off by staying we, as parents, could not move the family to Costa Rica. It just isn't fair that we would do that without everyone on board. She continued... Don't you realize what you are doing to us? We have no house here, no friends (not true), no school and I am not a beach girl. I am a mountain girl. I want to ski not surf. I'm over this heat and I'm over these bugs. I am bored here and we don't have a car. We can't live here because we just can't. I want to go home and stay home. My best friend is there and my school is there and everything is there. She went on and on while Jack and I listened and appreciated her anger and frustration with us. It was actually very impressive. By the end of her ranting and raving she was crying now, which was breaking my heart, and went inside to watch tv. Jack and I just looked at each other and we were both speechless. She had great points. Which makes this even more difficult. Do we actually gamble with our family this way??
Well, obviously nothing has happened and we are in Colorado. Still talking, still planning, still dreaming, still wanting to go back. Last night Hannah and I were making popcorn on the stove. We made a lot of popcorn while we were in the casita. It brought back great memories. Hannah and I were both in our own thoughts. I was thinking of the casita. Obviously she was too because she said, "Mom, I miss the casita. I miss Costa Rica" I looked at her and said, "did you just say you miss Costa Rica?" She said, "Yes, I do. I really do." I gave her a big hug and we both just laughed.
I can't wait to tell Jack. He left early this morning to buy chains for the plow truck. He's still not back yet.

My Walk

My walk tonight. Gorgeous!

Miles

I'm going to track my miles for this week.  A day in the life of Mountain Life in Colorado.  Having the girls take the bus to and from middle school has helped but not as much as I thought.  I still rack up those miles.  I'm guessing I put on about 400-500 miles/week running around.  For instance, yesterday I picked up the girls at their bus stop and drove home, which is about 8 to 10 miles from my house.  But first, I ran down to City Market for some food.  We got home, had some food and left again at 5:30.  I drove to the High School, aprox 15 miles one way, dropped Jordan off at swim team, drove Hannah over to confirmation, maybe 10 miles from high school to church, drove back to Frisco to have a glass of wine with a friend (priorities), drove back to pick Hannah up.  Meanwhile, Jordan got a ride to the front of Summit Cove and I met her there.  All in all I drove aprox 70 miles.  Guessing.
This will be good for me to see.  I'll set my odometer in the morning and start tracking. 
That said, I need new tires, a new windshield and I'll be set.  I'm looking at $550 for the windshield and $200/tire.  OUCH! 
We did see a moose on the way home the other night.  I didn't have my camera with me but I did take pictures from the phone.  I'll post them when I figure out how to get them off of my phone.  He/she was fairly large and not afraid of us.  We were pretty close to it and it just stood there chomping on grass staring back.  I'm still humming the theme song from "Northern Exposure". 
 

Crybaby

I'm so weepy today.  Not sure what it is.  Could be the 8 pounds I put back on since returning from Costa Rica.  Could be the cold, snowy weather.  Could be Jordan.  Whatever it is I don't like it and I hate being all weepy.  Today in church Hannah and I were sitting by the window and I was looking out at the Gore Range just thinking and I would tear up.  I'd turn my attention back to the hymn or the reading or whatever it was time for and put it together.  The closing hymn was "This little light of mine" which was a favorite of my Mom's to belt out at the piano.  Of course, I full on cried and had to deal with it in church.  I hate crying in church because if someone sees you then they want to give you a hug or something which only makes me cry harder.  I hate that kind of attention.  So, I sat down after the song was over pretending to dig through my purse for something so I could get my sorry self back together.

  Hannah's confirmation class today was sort of a field trip.  As we were gathering after church I helped myself to a cup of coffee and said hello to a friend.  I like this friend.  She's funny and has two girls as well.  She is one of the "normal" mom's.  Anyway, I said hello and apologized for Jordan's behavior when Jordan went on her mission trip with our church.  Apparently, she was out of line for some things and those things were brought to my attention.   Her response was receptive and she was cool about it but I felt like such a failure as a mom for not raising a more mature 14 year old that can make good decisions.  I know that sounds like an oxymoron; a mature, 14 year old that can make good decisions, but there are some kids that actually do.  My 14 year old just doesn't happen to be one of those kids.  So, I got all weepy again.  We gathered the confirmation kids and figured out who was driving to Breckenridge.  On we went.

The field trip was this.  There is a couple, who attend our church, that built a Labyrinth in their backyard.  We went to see it.  It was super cool.  So cool, I want to build one in my back yard.  We have the perfect flat spot for it.  We learned about the Labyrinth then we were all welcome to walk it and were given some tools on what to say, pray about, chant , whatever as we walked it.  All of this to be done in silence.  Well, the entire time I walked the Labyrinth, my thing I said over and over, in my head, was something relating to Jordan.  Once again, I got all weepy and started to cry.  I had sunglasses on so no one knew but I really felt some sadness today.  It's been a very weird day. 
Hopefully when I get to work tonight this feeling will pass.  I'll make myself a cup of tea and get to work.  I'm looking forward to getting my mind off of this stuff.  BLAH!  Enough. 

New Skis for Hannah

It's 20 degrees outside and there is a little snow on our deck and in our yard.  7 days ago, on Facebook, I wrote that winter was on the way.  Well, I'd say our beautiful, beautiful fall is over.  Winter is here.  As long as it's 20 degrees out, I'm calling it winter.  It makes it super easy to sleep, or lay under the warm covers, until late morning.  The girls and I didn't even get up until 9:45 today.  I got home from work last night at around midnight and they were still up.  They watched a movie that had just ended and when I walked in I was pleasantly surprised with them saying hi.  Hannah was so excited because she got new skis.  And they're not rentals.  Jack went to a local used sports store here and walked in and, lo and behold, there were skis and Lange boots on consignment for $140.  That was the cost for both.  They happen to be in Hannah's size and for that deal Jack couldn't pass it up.   It was cheaper then the rentals.  Needless to say, Hannah has her first ever, own pair of boots and skis.  And at a great price.  What a lucky break.  Now, we need to get Jordan set up.  Again, she could care less.  Give her the beach. 
This picture is so bad but Hannah wanted me to post it.  It looks like one of those crappy pictures that you see on ebay that makes you NOT want to buy what they're selling.  Fortunately, we aren't selling these.

First Snow

 Today is the seasons first snowfall.  It's pretty too.  The race is on for opening day between Arapahoe Basin and Loveland.  I'm sure those snow guns are fired up and blowing full speed ahead.    We are gearing up for ski season.  It still brings butterflies to my stomach every year.  The girls got new ski pants and Hannah got a new coat.  Jordan didn't need one.  Hers from last year still fits.  We need to get skis for the girls.  Hannah was begging and pleading for her own pair of skis this year.  Cringe.  Every year we rent her and Jordan their skis, boots and poles.  It costs us around $170 per season, per kid and it's a great way to go.  Of course, those kids who are fortunate enough to get their own pair of skis each year, make fun of her for having rentals.  She hates the fact that her friends comment on the ski thing and really, really wanted her own pair of skis.  Ain't gonna happen.  We can't justify buying gear only for her to grow out of it in 1-2 years.  Lucky for me, we were walking through the sports store the other day and there on display were a pair of K2 twin tips with super cool graphics.  Hannah walked right up to those skis and touched them and looked at me and I said, "They're rentals", with a smile on my face.  She wanted them.  She's OK with rentals as long as she looks good.  To bad I didn't think of that last year.   Her skis last year were blah, drab, and not twin tips.  How lame. I remember my first pair of skis and how important it was that they looked good and matched my outfit.  I was 15 and my parents bought them for me after a huge amount of begging.  They were Head skis and I only remember that they were a pretty blue.  I was so excited that I displayed them in my room for weeks.  They leaned up against my wall, next to my bed, so I could look at them first thing when I woke up and last thing before I fell asleep. I can see it in Hannah.  She is the same and takes pride in her gear.   Jordan, she could care less.  It's murder for her to go out in that cold.  Give her the beach and she'll show you a thing or two about swimming and boogie boarding in the ocean. 
  I'm set with my gear although I could use a new pair of boots.  Alpine boots.  I bought AT boots for last year and they're great but definitely not the support that I'd like.  Boots are like sports bras.  Support matters.  Except boots cost around $500 bucks. 
Jack, I'm sure, will sneak in a few new pieces of equipment this year.  He is harder on equipment then anyone I've ever meant.  I'd like to see a company who can make a boot that will last longer than 2 years for him.  It's crazy. 
October 8, 2010, first snow.   Bring it on.  We are somewhat ready. 

My Testimonial, for now

OOOFDAH! 
This is all I can say about getting back to work again.  I feel like I've been run over by a snowboarder  (not a good feeling).  Chalk it up to age.  I'm not alone.  We are the geriactric crew at work and we all chuckle over our ailments.  But I had an idea.  I wasn't going to hurt so bad when 10 p.m.  rolled around.  I bought new shoes yesterday.  Not your ordinary black work shoes that you see everyone busting out of in the restaurant business.  I decided to buy Shape ups.  You know, those shoes that look like an ancient boat that curves up?  I figured I may as well get my butt in shape while working at the same time.  I put those shoes on and the jokes started to fly.  Even from me.  I felt like I was walking in moon boots.  Definitely something to get used to.  But they felt good.  I was ready to rock and roll.  My first table sat down at 5:45.  They were friends of mine.  We had some fun.  At the end of their night they noticed my shoes and after more jokes and laughing I was proudly saying "Hey, I'm getting in shape as I stand here."  Take that!  We were now talking about the infomercials selling the ab toner which I jokingly said I was wearing as well.  Not. 
My shoes felt pretty good.  10 p.m. rolled around and I had a chance to breath and noticed that I was able to pick up my pen that fell to the floor.  Usually I have to kick it under the counter so as not to bend down and hurt myself.  I was able to stoke the fire without grunting in front of the guests.  Usually when I have to heave a log on the fire I have to heave out a huge grunt and pretend I'm clearing my throat.  I was pretty happy with my new $40 shape up shoes and $25 dollar foot beds.  At the end of the night, midnight, after doing our waiter paperwork, it was time to climb up the steep stairs to the wait room to change and go home.  I hate those creaky old stairs at the end of the night.  We hurt and we are all sludging up them like it's our last push to the summit.  Egghead was in front of me and she was making those little noises as she was going up like, "oh man" and " ah" and "shit."  Not me.  She got to the top and rounded the corner and looked down at me as I was taking those stairs two at a time, smiling.      
So, no matter how ugly things are, in this case my shoes, it might be a good buy.  And I'm going to have the butt to prove it.