You Missed the Spring Showcase!

May 4, 2010: Mary (age 55) and son Dylan (age 12) at Spring Showcase

On May 4th, Dylan and I attended the annual Spring Showcase at his middle school.  He starts junior high next week, so this was his final showcase.  My baby is growing up on me.  When did that happen?!

Dylan points to his landscape art.  I thought it was one of the best on the wall!

I loved the colorful landscape Dylan drew, and I was so looking forward to hanging it on his bedroom door (which faces into the kitchen).  Unfortunately, on the bus ride home something happened to it, leaving it wet and smeared.  Dylan was so unhappy with it that he threw it away.  I was so sad!

Dylan with his science project display

Dylan chose to do his science project on the effect of heat and cold on strawberries.  Suffice it to say that by the end of his experiment there were several fuzzy strawberries tucked away throughout our house!

Mary feels the love on Mother's Day.

Five days after the Spring Showcase, Mother's Day rolled around.  As usual, my children were very good to me.  Jacob bought me balloons, red roses, and a card that played "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago.  Sarah gave me a new Willow Tree figurine for my collection.  This little girl with braided hair holds a golden heart, and she is called "Keepsake."  She truly is a keepsake.  All of my treasured figurines are!

By this time, the clock was ticking.  Ed's and my first meeting was just 5 days away, and we were so anxious to meet!  The wait seemed endless...

What You Missed

During the whirlwind of meeting Ed, falling in love, getting married, moving households, going on a honeymoon, and taking our family vacation, a lot of fun events whizzed right past me before I could get them properly blogged.

Don't worry, though.  I still carry my camera everywhere I go and captured it all on disk.  This week I plan to share everything!

Hayden with her mom Dana and dad Jeff on 24 Apr 2010

To start us off, my niece Hayden's baptism was held way back on April 24th.  Besides being a special day in a person's life, a baptism is also a wonderful time for the family to gather together!

Hayden was baptized by her dad, my brother Jeff.

Jeff with his firstborn, Justin

Jeff and Dana's second-born, Ashley, with her boys Garrett and Gage

At left is Jeff and Dana's tenth child, Haley.

On the right is their number five child, Amber, with her first baby, Ian.

The youngest of Jeff and Dana's 13 children, three-year-old Callie Jayne.

Our Callie girl was so entertaining.  When the children got up in front to sing a baptism song, she was right there with them, enthusiastically swinging her arm in time to the music, just like a seasoned choir director!

My son Jacob with his little cousin, Callie

The night of Hayden's baptism was also the first time Ed and I spoke on the telephone.  I was so nervous all that day, waiting for his call! 

Me with my step-mom Kathy and my dad Myron

Belated congratulations to my dearest niece.  You were so beautiful in white, sweet Hayden!

From Two to One

Our overloaded storage unit!

You just don't know how much stuff you own until you move.  It's even more daunting when you move two peoples' stuff into one home!

Between Ed's things and mine, my little house just can't take it all in, literally!  We plan to have a huge yardsale as soon as the monsoon rains stop, or at least pause, but meanwhile we had to rent a storage unit for the overflow.

Sometimes you have to make a mess to clean up a mess.

We did spend a couple of days unifying our furniture into a nicer living room.  We hauled off my junky couch and brought in Ed's sofa and loveseat, as well as his end tables and coffee table.  Ed made repairs to the old entertainment center and we pulled out everything to dust and vaccum every inch until the room was spotless. 

The finished product!

The living room is very small and I wasn't sure how well it would all fit, but in the end I think it came out quite well.  It has a cozy, comfy feel when we all sit there together.

Ed left this morning for Cheyenne, where he'll join his former Boy Scout troop (he was their assistant Scoutmaster) on their week-long Scout camp in Bear Lake, Utah.  After helping them prepare all year for this event, he wanted to finish it out with his boys.  As for me, for these next two weeks I'll miss cuddling on the couch and watching movies together!

Jacob, age 19, poses for his missionary application picture.

On a side note, tonight Jacob finally finished his paperwork to apply to serve a mission for our church!  All the forms are filled out, the pictures are attached, the checklists are checked, and the documents are printed out.  It's quite a lengthy process.  All that's left to do are visits to the doctor and dentist, which we'll schedule tomorrow morning.  Once those are completed, we can electronically transmit the paperwork to Salt Lake City for processing.  We are all very excited!

Small World

We had dinner guests tonight!

Derrick and Joy with their little boys.

I'm always amazed by life's little coincidences.  First, in July of last year I made reservations at the WorldMark resort in Estes Park, Colorado, never suspecting that I'd be married by the time we took that vacation trip, or that my future husband lived just 2 hours away from Estes Park.

Then 2 weeks ago, at the end of our stay in Estes Park, we attended church at Ed's old ward in Cheyenne.  While there, he found out that a young family in his ward was also planning a vacation at a WorldMark resort...right here in Pinetop!  It just so happened that Derrick, the husband/father of the family, was one of the men who helped us move Ed's stuff out of his apartment and load it into the trailer to be transported to Arizona. 

Their older son clings to Sarah's bunny, 8-year-old Cocoa Puff!

Today, Derrick and Joy and their two sweet little boys attended church with us, then came over for dinner and an evening of visiting.  Ed outdid himself with a small feast to delight the tastebuds.  We had a wonderful time and we were sorry to see them go at the end of the night.  It truly is a small world, after all!

Blogger Toddler

Party down!  I just looked at the calendar and realized that today is my blog's second birthday!

 

Two years ago today my little blog was born when I wrote my first post, an exciting little tale about my new car, the first red car I'd ever owned. 

Of course, since no one knew I had a blog, no one read it until I sent out announcements a week or two later.  Better late than never...

And now, look how much she's grown!  She's had almost 5,500 visitors in two years, and she's loved entertaining every last one of them!  (I didn't add the counter until a couple of months after I started up, so I'll never know the complete number of visitors.)

Thanks so much for dropping by to see us every now and again.  I hope our blogger friendships will go on for many happy years to come! 

No Place Like Home

The road home through New Mexico, Monday, July 19th

We've been back home for two days now, and we are loving it!  My house has never been so disorganized and in need of intensive attention, but neither has my bed ever felt so comfortable!

That doesn't mean we didn't have an amazing vacation, though.  Let me share the last few days of our trip:

Day Eight, Friday: Family Fun

Ed, Sarah, and Dylan after a rousing game of miniature golf!

Not far from our resort was a place called the Fun Park.  True, it's the kind of thing we could have enjoyed anywhere, even at home, but Dylan really wanted to race Ed on the go-carts and Ed was game for it.  He always is!

Dylan and Ed race around the go-cart track.

Once we were there, the guys had to try everything, of course!  They rode the bumper boats and did major battle spraying each other across the pool.  Both of them were soaked by the time they finished.

Let the soaking begin!

Dylan also wanted to try the big slide and the bungee trampoline.  I'm not sure either of those activities were worth the cost, they were so brief, but at least now he can say he did them.

Dylan reaches the bottom of the slide.

At the end, Ed wanted to do something we girls could join in with, so we played miniature golf.  I was surprised to learn this was the first time Ed has ever played miniature golf.  He's played actual golf in the past, but he thought this was much more fun!  We all agree!

Dylan soars above the trampoline.

Day Nine, Saturday: Wildlife

Rocky Mountain National Park

Actually, our first day in Rocky Mountain National Park was Friday.  We drove halfway through the park and saw about a gazillion elk along the road.  We decided to return on Saturday and make a full day of it.

A herd of elk graze alonside the highway.

With his hunting experience and the fact that he lived in this area of Colorado for about 4 years in the late 1970s, Ed is a knowledgeable guide.  I'm always astounded by the facts he shares about the wildlife, both flora and fauna.  He has an incredible memory and a ton of practical experience.

I know who I'd want with me if I were lost and starving in the wilds.  On the other hand, as Ed would say, if I were with him I'd be neither lost nor starving!

We also saw this buck deer on the side of the road.

Ed promised us plenty of wildlife, and we were not disappointed.  We saw moose, elk, deer, and Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep, as well as several types of fowl, flowers, and plants.  Ed entertained us with facts about each one. 

A young cow moose leaves the river at our approach.

We didn't see as many moose as we'd hoped, but we did see one.  To me, that was good enough, since I had no idea moose were found anywhere besides Alaska or Canada!

A young Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep, also on the side of the road and unperturbed by passers-by

The country was gorgeous, too. We drove home through Cache la Poudre River Canyon, an area where Ed has enjoyed so many years of hunting.

Passing through the Narrows in Poudre River Canyon

It was about 7pm when we returned to Estes Park and went on a search through the downtown tourist area for a half-pound of homemade fudge. At the last minute I'd decided I wanted fudge for my last splurge before returning to home and diet. We concluded this great day by doing laundry and packing for our return.

A rock formation in northwestern New Mexico, called Shiprock

We checked out of our condo at 8:00 Sunday morning and drove back to Ed's mom's house.  We attended church in Cheyenne one last time, then enjoyed spending our final evening with Caryl.  We'll miss her!  (And we hope she'll soon decide to come live near us...) 

On Monday we drove straight home, leaving Caryl's house at 8:00 in the morning, picking up Jacob at Chris and Donna's house in Pine at 10:00, and arriving home at 9:00 that night.  It was a long, tiresome drive, but we were, oh, so happy to be back home! 

It may be trite, but it's true: Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!

Horses and Ghosts

Sarah (age 20) and Dylan (age 13) at one of the entrances to our resort

Day Six, Wednesday: Around the Resort

Ed didn’t feel very well on Wednesday, so after running a few errands in the morning we elected to stay close to the condo. He slept for most of the afternoon and, I admit, I napped for a few hours myself. I love vacations that have room for flexibility and relaxation!

The bridge over the river near our condo

The Big Thompson River flowing right behind our building.

We rented some movies and games to enjoy while we kicked back all day. Toward dusk, Sarah, Dylan, and I gave Ed some quiet time while we explored the grounds of the resort. One of my favorite things about WorldMark Estes Park is the Big Thompson River flowing directly behind our condo. It’s beautiful. I could easily fall asleep to the sound of its rushing waters every night for the rest of my life!

Mary on the banks of the river

Sarah and Dylan wrestle alongside the Big Thompson.

Sarah and Dylan play a short game of tetherball. That’s our condo on the right behind them.

At the end of our explorations, we were walking back along the river from the other side of the property when we realized there were two large bull elks grazing just across the water from us. I tried and tried, but it was too dark by then to get a good picture of them. Still, we had fun following them along the bank and watching them.

One of the bull elks is barely visible on the right in this night shot.

Day Seven, Thursday: Horses and Ghosts

Thankfully, Ed was feeling much better today so we were able to do some of the activities we’d planned. We began with a horseback ride first thing this morning.

Ed, Mary, Sarah, and Dylan on their trusty steeds!

(Mary rode Bucket, Sarah rode Raymond, and Dylan rode Big Mac. Ed never learned his horse’s name.)

Dylan, ever the athlete, is a natural on horseback.

Our wrangler-guide Amy led us high up into the mountains over some pretty rough terrain. I thought it was exciting. Sarah said it’s her last horse ride. Ever. We actually climbed almost 1,000 feet higher into the mountains, to an altitude of more than 8,000 feet.

The view from 8,000 feet before we headed downward to cook’s camp.

After about an hour and forty-five minutes on horseback, we arrived at the cook’s camp where we feasted on scrambled eggs, sausage, and pancakes. Believe me, we were famished by then!

Dylan, Mary, and Ed have breakfast in the clean mountain air.

We followed a shorter route back to the stables, which led us over gentler hills and took only half an hour. I’m actually not too sore, which surprises me after more than two hours on horseback! Especially since it’s been 2 years since I last rode.

Sarah joins us for breakfast while Dylan takes the picture.

We returned to the condo for a quick nap (since we got up so early for our ride), and then we headed to the HUGE Stanley Hotel to take a “History and Ghosts Tour.” Ed was interested in the history and I was interested in the ghosts—well, I was actually interested in the hotel’s connection to the book and movie versions of The Shining.

The Stanley Hotel, which inspired Stephen King’s book The Shining, is in Estes Park.

Many of the people on the tour seemed to truly enjoy it. Several obviously believed the hotel is haunted and claimed to experience the presence of something otherworldly. Ed did his best not to scoff openly throughout the tour. He was disappointed with the small amount of history covered in more than an hour and a half. I was disappointed that we weren’t able to enter some of the more famous “haunted” rooms. There was much more tell than show. This was mostly because there was a TV crew at the hotel, filming in those “hot spots.” Overall, neither of us can recommend the tour too highly.

The Stanley Hotel

I was interested to learn that the theatrical version of the book, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, was not filmed at the Stanley. However, Stephen King hated that version and filmed his own miniseries of The Shining at the Stanley, starring Steven Weber and Rebecca de Mornay (I preferred the miniseries myself). I was also surprised to find out that 3 scenes from Dumb and Dumber were filmed at the Stanley. Dumb and Dumber is not one of my favorite movies! (Although my boys do think it’s hilarious.)

Our melodramatic guide in front of Room 217, where Stephen King stayed while working on The Shining.

After the tour, Ed took us to get root beer floats at Hayley’s Ice Cream Parlor. We all agreed that was much more fun than the tour!

Dylan and Ed wait for our floats.

Now we’re back at the condo. Ed is making us his specialty, chicken enchiladas, while I type and the kids watch TV. How can you not love a man who cooks for you?! Once Sarah and Dylan have done dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, we look forward to a quiet evening and a visit to the pool and hot tub. What a lovely vacation this has become!

Our Colorado Vacation

Mary, Ed, Dylan, and Sarah by the water wheel at downtown Estes Park

We’re here! We’ve been in Colorado since Friday evening, of course, but my blog has been plagued by Internet connection problems. Our lodge in South Fork was supposed to have free wi-fi, but the reception in the room was too weak to be of any use. It was better if I stood on the upstairs balcony, but I still couldn’t get my pictures to download. (Flash back to my blogging attempts on the cruise ship...)

Now we’re safely ensconced at the WorldMark resort, where in the past I’ve had great luck blogging. However, it seems that our condo is in the one building where the Internet connection is down. I can get free wi-fi in the guest lobby, but I hate to spend so much time physically separated from my family. It’s so nice to blog in the same room while they’re watching TV or whatever.

Still, here I am in the lobby, attaching photos to the last blog and composing this one!

So, about our family vacation so far:

Day One, Friday: On the Road

Chimney Rock seen in the distance

Our trip out of Arizona, through New Mexico, and into Colorado was a lovely drive through some amazing scenery, especially after we entered the Rocky Mountains.

A bereaved doe on the side of the road

We also experienced some heartbreak when we saw a doe on the side of the road.  She was skittish as cars slowed to look at her, yet she wouldn't run away because she was waiting for her fawn, who had tragically been hit by a car and was never going to follow its mother again.  So sad.

Sarah, age 20, symbolically straddles the Continental Divide

We climbed higher and higher until we reached the Continental Divide, which basically follows the spine of the Rockies across the continent, north to south.

The Continental Divide Trail

Finally, just before dark we reached our lodge in South Fork and settled in for the night.

Day Two, Saturday: Almost There

We woke on Saturday morning to find we had a flat tire, so our first order of business was to find a tire repair business. Then we drove awhile before stopping for brunch.

Jacob (age 19) and Mom wait for the tire to be repaired.

It was 3:30 when we reached our first destination of the day, the home of our friends Chris and Donna in Pine, Colorado. Jacob and their son Adam have been friends since 4th grade. Adam moved to Colorado when the boys were in 8th grade, but they’ve kept in touch over the years. When Jacob told me he wanted to spend a week with Adam after he graduated from high school, we decided to plan our 2010 family vacation in Colorado.

Chris, Adam, Donna, and Jacob see us off.

We enjoyed a nice long visit and a wonderful home-cooked dinner with Chris and Donna before getting back on the road at 7:00. We left Jacob with them for the week, so he isn’t with us for the rest of our vacation.

A deer near Chris and Donna's house

 

What a beautiful town Pine is!  After we left Chris and Donna's home, we hadn't gone even a mile before we saw 2 does and 2 bucks!

It was 9:30 p.m. when we finally arrived at our second destination, the home of Ed's mom in Carr, Colorado.  We settled in there to spend the night.

Day Three, Sunday: The Arrival

On Sunday we got up and prepared for church.  Along with Ed's mom, Caryl, we attended Ed's old ward in Cheyenne, the Frontier Ward.  After church, we returned to Caryl's house for a pizza lunch before moving on to our final destination, the WorldMark Estes Park resort.

Sarah and Dylan pose on the steps to our upstairs condo.

It was about 6:00 p.m. when we arrived at the resort and checked into our condo.  As usual, we had a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo with a full kitchen and laundry room.  It's a bit smaller than the WorldMark condos we've stayed at in the past, but it will be our pleasant little home for the next week.

The living room of our condo

We took a short walk around the grounds as dusk was falling, and then we spent the remainder of the evening relaxing in the condo.

Day Four, Monday: Estes Park

Downtown Estes Park

I loved sleeping in on Monday morning!  We didn't get up until after 9:00.  Other than doing some laundry, we puttered around the condo until almost noon.  Then we did a little bit of shopping at Safeway before going to explore the Estes Park's quaint little downtown area.

Dylan, Sarah, and Ed resting between shops.

Most of the little shops were, of course, gift and souvenir shops.  It was fun to explore many of the unique items for sale there.  We were sure to purchase our usual tee-shirts to help us remember our vacation of summer 2010.  We also enjoyed lunch at Bob and Tony's Pizza, where Ed remembered eating with his mom when he took her there last year for a Meals on Wheels convention (she's a volunteer with the organization).

Sarah meets up with Bob and Tony!

Dylan and Ed play pool at the pizza joint.

The Big Thompson River flows past our condo and also winds through the downtown area.  We paused there for awhile to enjoy the sound of the rushing waters and the cool air.  I would love to have a home located on the banks of a small river like this!

The river flows through downtown.

Dylan and Sarah test the water.

Day Five, Tuesday: Cheyenne

Today we took care of some business.  We drove into Cheyenne (about 2 hours from Estes Park) and finished cleaning Ed's old apartment so his landlords can think about moving someone else in. 

 

Ed shows Sarah how to tickle the ivories at Kelcey's house.  I didn't know I married a piano man!

Once that task was complete, we stopped by the home of Ed's friends, Kelcey and Cindy, to visit for a couple of hours.  We had a fun visit and then returned to Estes Park around 7:00.  After Ed served us a dinner of tacos and salad, he decided on a quiet evening in the condo while the kids walked to down to the pool and I headed here to the lobby to blog.

Dylan checks his Facebook page at Kelcey's house while we visit.

Can it be?  Am I really, truly, finally caught up on my vacation blogging?!  Yes, I am!  Who knows?  Maybe tomorrow I can actually blog about tomorrow!