The Final Frontier

Every time I go I say that this will be my final trip to Frontier Days. Last year I was so serious about not having anything to do with it that we left town. Last night, we made our return to Frontier Days for the first time since the drunken cowboy brawl of 2005 (if you want to know more about this ask Chris).






We had a great time seeing the Thunderbirds in the morning (sorry, I forgot the camera) and then going to the Air Force open house. This is Emily sitting in a helicopter. Despite her facial expression it was a very exciting moment for her.






Since we had so much fun in the morning, we decided a trip to Frontier Park (also known as the belly of the beast the last full week in July) was warranted. Yesterday was, after all, Cheyenne Day and that meant that admission was free and rides were discounted for Cheyenne residents. After riding two rides with Emily, we ate the most expensive, most disgusting gyros available to mankind and decided we were all frontiered out. In spite of the discounts and freebies, we had blown through $54 in an hour and a half.




On the way out, we decided to take Emily by the animal pens. That was a big hit. She was smiling and waving at the cows and horses and kept exclaiming, "Oh! How cute!". Of course, that part was free. Maybe next year we will just drop by and see the animals. That would be fun. But chances are good that we will once again talk ourselves into visiting the belly of the beast, spending money we shouldn't and eating food that will torture our guts for days. Isn't that, after all, what family fun is all about?

Thank you, W!

After many years of letting the summer pass us by, Chris and I finally decided it was time for a vacation. Thanks to W's tax rebates we were left with no excuses and so, last Monday, we dropped Emily off with my sainted parents and began our adventure.

We visited Independence, Liberty, Far West and Adam Ondi Ahman in Missouri and Carthage and Nauvoo in Illinois. I won't write a comprehensive summary of our travels because there are many guide books that will give you that and also most of my blogfans have been to all these places. I will however cover what in my mind were the highlights of the trip.

#1 - Allowing the GPS to guide us over a series of dirt roads to Far West. It turns out it could have been reached on main highways, but this was much more fun. It was kind of like getting lost without really getting lost.

#2 - The beautiful landscapes. I can see why the pioneers were so disappointed when they arrived in Salt Lake. It was amazing to me to see trees that had not been planted and cultivated but had just sort of sprung forth from the ground.




#3 - I thought Carthage jail would be very sad to visit, but I found it to be exactly the opposite. I was surprised by lack of blame and hatred towards the members of the mob. Carthage wasn't a reminder that Joseph Smith had been brutally murdered - It was a reminder that he believed in what he was doing enough to walk calmly into certian death.













#4 - Chris almost had a bigfoot sighting at Adam Ondi Ahman. It turned out to be a deer. Look closely. It's in there somewhere.






#5 - For the first time in my life, I saw fireflies. Now, I know a few of my blogfans live in areas where they are plentiful and find them rather unremarkable but when you stop to think about it, how much cooler does it get than a bug with a butt that lights up?

#6 - Seeing both the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers.



#7 - Getting to go through the Nauvoo temple and spending time walking around the temple grounds later that evening. The coolest part of the temple construction is that I could not find a single bit of concrete within the temple grounds. The curb and gutter were limestone and I believe the sidewalk and parking lot were granite. I know most people wouldn't have noticed but I have always had a great appreciation for such things.




#8 - Seeing the rocking horse that belonged to John Taylor's son. The story goes that the son was so distraught to leave his horse behind that John Taylor turned back after a couple of days' journey and risked his life to sneak back into Nauvoo to retrieve the horse for his son. It made it all the way to Salt Lake and was eventually donated back to Nauvoo by the family. It was very touching to see the love he had for his son.

#9 - After seeing the beautiful homes that these people had built with their own hands, I had a great appreciation for the fact that most had to leave after staying only a few months in their completed dwellings. It must have taken a great deal of faith to leave their dream homes for an uncertian future.

#10 - Making the same journey the pioneers made in months all in one day. We left Nauvoo (actually Keokuk - 15 miles away) after a late breakfast and we landed in Salt Lake in time for dinner. It really made me appreciate the ability we have to travel.

#11 - Getting to spend time with Chris.

We had a wonderful time and are very grateful that we were able to go.

My lucky day

Yesterday, as I was cleaning my car, I found a grand total of $1.61. It may be nothing to Chris' inheritance , but It was a buck sixty-one that I didn't have before and now it is burning a hole in my pocket. With that kind of cash I could:




Buy a satisfying lunch packed with vitamins and consisting of either a hamburger, a taco or fries.










Enjoy the relative silence for a minute and thirty seconds as Emily rides the super overpriced mechanical horse at WalMart.






Eat 3 packs of M&M's in one sitting - by myself. In the dark. Because I would be ashamed and also because I wouldn't want to share.











Drive 10 miles with no destination in mind while singing along to Journey.





These are all definitely strong options, but I don't want to blow my wad before I've thought it through. Anyone else have any ideas?

The Good Old Days

When Emily was a newborn and had the worst case of colic known to man, I was out of my mind. I was exhausted and constantly clinging to the very tail end of my rope. At that time, a few parents actually said to me, "Just wait until she's two and starts throwing tantrums and asking questions constantly. Then you'll long for these days". At the time, those comments engendered such a feeling of hopelessness that I wondered why anybody would have children. Now I know better.

Emily is finally two and I can at last definitively say I long for those days about as much as Nelson Mandela wishes he was back in prison.

The tantrums are not fun, but they are brief and are improving over time. They are more than offset by the range of emotions that wasn't there two years ago. At the beginning, there was only mad and asleep. Now happiness, boredom, curiosity, remorse, playfulness and a slew of other emotions have joined the mix.

As for the questions, they have been coming for about six months now and although I am not always able to give a satisfactory answer, I must say that I love being constantly asked, "What is that?" or "What's that sound?". I love the awakening that is taking place every day. With the awakening comes communication I would have never dreamed possible a year ago. I can answer her questions. I can explain rules to her. I can calm her down by talking to her and (my favorite) I can bribe her to be good.



This whole experience has left me wishing that children came into the world as toddlers rather than infants. It has also left me with a great deal of doubt when those same parents who told me I would hate the toddler years tell me how bad teenagers are. Something tells me I will never again wish for colic. And there is a great deal of comfort in that.

Now... let's just hope that the parents who tell me the second one is always more mellow are right.

A Tribute

Six years ago, I was newly married, had recently graduated from college and I was very, very fat. After I got married, I had done a lot of cooking and it showed. I had also lost access to Half Acre Gym which meant that on cold days I got a lousy workout, if I even got one at all. When I turned 23, I told anyone who asked that I wanted money for my birthday - money that would help me buy a treadmill. I got a cheap treadmill (top picture) and was amazed at the difference it made. I could run even on the snowiest of days.

Since then, I have lost 45 pounds, moved twice, had a child, recovered from a stress fracture and through it all have been able to run longer and feel better thanks to my treadmill. When you pay $400 for a treadmill, you don't expect it to last long, but I figure this one has in excess of 5000 miles on it. It has been through a few repairs and has continued to work so that I could continue to run.

Last week, my treadmill started making a new noise. It has always squeaked, but this was a grinding noise. I asked Chris to take a look. He determined it could be saved, but it would cost over half of the original purchase price. I knew it was time to say goodbye to my old friend. Last Friday, I took it for one last run. It made its horrible grinding noise on and off, but it held up like a champion. I think it knew it was the last time.

It was sad to say goodbye, but once we got the new treadmill set up on Saturday (bottom picture), I could clearly see that home exercise equipment has come a long way in the last 6 years. It is quiet, smooth and beautiful. Still, there is some emotional attachment to my first treadmill - kind of like a first car. Thanks for going the miles with me, old friend.

Punk Kids

If I ever had anything in common with teenagers, I no longer do. I started to come to this realization when Chris and I were in the movie theater a few weeks ago. A few minutes into the previews, two teenage girls plopped down right next to me and started whispering and texting. After a prolonged conversation, they decided their diets could tolerate some popcorn and so they asked me if I would save their seats while they visited the concessions stand.

"Ahh... Nope", I said, smiling politely. Why would I want to save the seats of two girls who were ruining my evening? I would rather take my chances with the next latecomer.

The girl stared at me dumbfounded, "No? Seriously? You won't save our seats?".

"No, seriously".

They didn't know how to respond, so they left without another word. We moved down a couple rows and from there on out enjoyed the movie.

Last week, I had another run in that made me realize that I could probably never make it as a high school teacher. At least not teaching the dumb kids.


A few friends and I decided to arrange a play date at a local park. As soon as I arrived, I noticed several teenagers (who were supposed to be in school at the time) playing on equipment intended for the preschool and grade school crowd. We tried to ignore them, but as soon as lunchtime began at the nearby high school, the crowd multiplied to dozens of teenagers, squeezing our small children out of the park. When they started smoking and talking at the tops of their voices about things that shouldn't even be mentioned in whispers, I knew that it was time to go.

I left feeling old. Had I really changed so much in a decade? After a bit of thinking, I realized that I hadn't changed. I never liked kids like that. I had always given them dirty looks and the occasional verbal reprimand - even when I was their age. I'm not old - just reasonable.

Now my greatest fear is sending my little girl out into a world where kids behave like that. Maybe when she turns 12, I'll order up some brochures for one of those bad kid boot camps. That way I'll have something to scare her with if she ever comes home with hoop earrings that touch her shoulders and a midriff bearing shirt.

A Wild Week

This week was very busy. On Monday we went to the zoo as sort of an early birthday present for Emily. She had a great time. We were so excited to show her the elephants and bears and lions she sees in her books, but all she has been able to talk about was the peacock. Maybe next time, we will just go to the pet store and tell her we're at the zoo. I'm sure she will be fascinated with the finches.






Wednesday my parents came to town and the two day birthday celebration extravaganza began. As you can see, we put Emily's safety first. Birthday injuries are the #12 cause of visits to emergency rooms so we made sure Emily wore her helmet the entire time.







Thursday was the birthday proper and I, being the lazy mom I am, decided we should just have a casual celebration with friends. And cake. Lots of cake. Emily didn't seem to mind at all that her birthday party didn't include a bouncy house or a visit from Cinderella. All a 2 year old really needs are good friends and good cake.