Hey! You! Back to Work!

In case you have been under a rock for the last few weeks (in which case the free world envies you), the government opened up yesterday. And with the government opening, Chris went back to work. While he won't get back pay (since he isn't a federal employee), he had enough vacation leave to get him through, for which we are grateful. 

While I don't like to talk about politics, I think the behavior in Congress this month has been disgraceful on both sides of the aisle... not to mention the behavior of the man who is supposed to be the leader of the free world. And I also believe that the ends do not justify the means, especially when the ends turn out to be nonexistent. 

That having been said, the shutdown wasn't all bad. During his furlough, Chris was able to spend more time with the kids. I think he and the kids will always look back on this time as well spent time together. He did a great job keeping them busy and happy. His most recent search in our Google history is "hairstyles dads can do". Sorry, Chris, but I think that is really sweet. 

It's also sweet that every day, he and Jane drove across town to spend lunchtime with me. And when I came home, it was always to a clean house and folded laundry. 

So... because I'm such a "cup half full" kind of gal (heavy sarcasm intended here), I will take away from this that sometimes it's nice to have your plate completely cleared of everything that doesn't matter and just be left with the things that really do matter. While the last couple weeks have been full of concern over paychecks, bills and insurance, they have also been full of family time. Chris' furlough was a great opportunity... yet one that I hope never comes around again. 

Children of the Corn

Yesterday we spent they day on a farm. The whole day I was wondering what the "real" farm workers were thinking... that people were willing to spend money to pretend to be them for a day. Nonetheless, we had fun and did very little actual labor.

We started out with a corn maze.

About 10 minutes in, Chris climbed this thing (I think it's called a combine. I've never done actual manual labor so I wouldn't know.) and spotted a way out. That was convenient because small children have very little patience for a lengthy maze experience.

Then we took a hayride during which we were allowed to harvest all the produce we wished as part of the price of admission. 

The harvesting part was a lot of fun.

Unquestionably, the favorite of the day was the pumpkins. We harvested 11 smallish pumpkins and 3 of the miniature variety. 

As we harvested, it slowly dawned on me that someone was going to have to do something with all this produce when we got home. 

I spent the evening cooking with my faithful sous chef Chris. In our near future are some stuffed acorn squash and enough chicken pot pies to last the winter. 

 Oh... and just so you know, sweet corn isn't all that sweet in October. But who would deny the kids the delights of sprinting through a corn field, searching for an ear that hadn't seen frost?

In other news, the furlough continues. We are becoming increasingly frustrated and a little nervous. Chris wasn't able to take his sick leave, as he had originally been told and the vacation stores are running pretty lean. He has enough hours to keep our insurance this month, though. Next month is still in question. I find it ironic that this fight started over insurance and yet many workers are losing their insurance as a result of the fight itself. Still, Congress won't be rushed. Why would they? They are getting paid.

We are trying to keep our spirits up and stay hopeful and really, yesterday was wonderful. It served a dual purpose: It took our mind off our troubles and, as a bonus, it prepared the kids for the life of manual labor they will be consigned to after Congress brings our country back to its primitive state.

Snow Off

 We had our first snowfall this past weekend. It wasn't anything epic, but it was enough to have a bit of a snowball fight with Daddy. Because Daddy's fun like that. Mommy, on the other hand is not a huge fan of being pummeled with frozen water when it's already cold and windy outside. If that makes me not fun, then so be it. I will always be the one who bakes cookies and knows where the band-aids are. That's enough to get a mention in the valedictory speech.

It always sucks when it snows when the leaves are still green. Instead of a cascade of multicolored leaves, we just get shriveled up, faded leaves that are eventually blown off the tree sometime around Thanksgiving by one of our signature 50 mph breezes. I'm not a fan of winter.

Chris also got furloughed on Friday. While he won't be eligible for back pay, he is allowed to take his annual leave so he still gets a paycheck. Right now, we are hoping it will only last a couple days, but we will be just fine as long as it doesn't last longer than a few weeks. And even then, I guess we will still be fine. I mean, we have our health... and a good portion of our looks...

In the meantime, Chris gets to spend some extra time with the kids, which will give him plenty of time to learn all the latest fart jokes. His friends will be thrilled.

A Close Second

Today was the first day of second grade for Emily.

We're finally at the point where nobody cries on the first day of school. Well, until junior high at least. Then the tears will flow once more. 

But for now, she's got awhile left in the shelter of Elementary school.

So attentive looking. I hope that lasted all day. 

Jane's got one more year. And we're glad for that because she decided she couldn't bend her knees today after scraping them up yesterday. I can only imagine what a treat it would have been to drop her off at Kindergarten.

After school Emily "made" cookies. 

And then passed out from exhaustion before they were cool enough to eat. 

Yay for back to school! Yay for regular schedules! Yay for great teachers and a year packed with learning!

It's the End of the Summer as We Know it

It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here. That will happen when you try to fit a zillion things into the last weeks of summer.

The first things we had to fit in were the annual hand foot and mouth disease ritual. I find this odd since most (but not all) kids only get this once and most kids don't get it over the age of 5. Nonetheless, both kids had it last year and both kids got it this year.

Jane's hand foot and mouth disease coincided with Chris' twisted intestine. Here's how it went down: we went to swim lessons one day and everything was fine. I pulled Jane out of the pool at the end and she was suddenly covered with spots. Chris' stomach was hurting during swim lessons so he went to the doctor afterwards and was later admitted to the hospital for two days. Chris' tummy eventually untwisted and Jane's spots went away. We went to work for most of one day only to have Emily come down with a fever for about two hours that day. She never had any more symptoms, but she got a freebie sick day out of the deal.

Luckily, Chris was able to get better in time for his birthday. His appetite had returned so he needed some birthday cinnamon rolls:

And cake:

                                     

This is why Chris runs. Don't let him tell you otherwise. 

We got him a bike so we can finally go on bike rides as a family (or at least that's how it works in my head. Reality may turn out slightly differently)

I proudly put it together all by myself. When Chris took it into the bicycle shop to have the brakes and gears adjusted, the guy at the shop very politely let him know he'd throw in a handlebar adjustment while he was at it. It turns out I'm not great at putting together bikes.

The next day was Jane's annual checkup at the Children's hospital. We always try to have a little fun while we're in Denver for her appointments and this time we took it up a notch and had a lot of fun. We visited the zoo, where my children were unable to walk in the heat.

We were able to see almost every animal including this super adorable snow leopard baby that is probably already big enough to kill me. 

Jane sought relief from the heat at the bottom of a yard o'Icee. 

The next day we went to Elitch Gardens, where it was even hotter than it had been the day before. Emily was thrilled. She loves rides of every sort. Jane was consistently reluctant to enjoy and frequently angry. 

Probably due in no small part to the heat, which we tried to alleviate by going on this ride.
       

Which worked out well until the end when there is a shameless display of gratuitous soaking in the form of what feels like a fire hose. 

While it may have saved us from heatstroke, it resulted in a very soggy day.

During which we rode on a lot of rides that were uncomfortably small for the adult types.

And a few very tame ones. 

All the while, Emily, who boasts 48'' of height now, was chomping at the bit to go on rides like this:

Which Jane was prohibited from due to her height and immaturity. Probably for the best.

Now we are all exhausted both in a physical sense and a work-leave sense. Needless to say, we are sticking around for awhile which, at this point, is just fine by me.

Coming attraction: First Day of School.

Racing for a Cure

Last weekend was Race for the Cure. It was a pretty somber time because last year, we were running in celebration of Chris' mom and this year we were running in memory of her.

There are no pictures of Chris because he finished considerably before I did. He says he finished in 22 minutes and change. I finished in just over 29, so he had a good long wait at the finish line during which he probably ate a McDonalds breakfast, picked up a couple of Propel waters and moseyed back to meet me. Oh and he also says he's disappointed in his time. I'm just pleased that I didn't dry heave in front of my boss' boss like I did last year.

My sister and her family came to participate as did my parents. It was fun to see them. It's always a good time for a good cause.

Oh... and notice Emily's gap-toothed smile? She's pretty proud of it.

Hawaii: The Exciting Conclusion

Welcome to the continuing adventures of our vacation. Forgive me the detail, but someday I'm going to be old and I will forget all this. My blog is my insurance against the forgetfulness that will surely come with age.

Take a Hike

Hiking in Hawaii is incredible for a few reasons:

1) It's so pleasantly warm that you don't even care if it rains.

2) NO snakes!

3) NO bears!

All this makes it lovely to tramp through the wilderness.

We went on two hikes while on the islands. The first was on Oahu. It was a short hike on Diamondhead, which is a crater - the rim of which offers spectacular views of the island. This hike was brought to us courtesy of Flossie, which cancelled our evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I'm not sure I would have traded this experience for a luau.

Yeah... check out these views. The Rockies are pretty cool, but this is a whole different kind of experience.

Even if they wouldn't let us bring our trash cans along for the ride.

Our second hike took a bit longer and was really memorable. It was in Waimea Canyon on Kauai. It is nicknamed "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific". It did not disappoint.

Now this is Chris' personal heaven: a tasty sandwich eaten at the rim of one of the most beautiful sights in the world. 

A Pearl of History

We were privileged to be able to visit Pearl Harbor while we were on Oahu. The USS Arizona Memorial lies in the middle of the harbor - built over the wreckage of the Arizona, where most of the men who died on the ship during the attack still lay. It was a very somber experience during which I felt both heartbreak for the lives lost and pride that our country rallied together and came back stronger after the attack. Inside the memorial, it was nearly silent, although filled with visitors. It was an awe inspiring visit.

A Pig in the Ground is Worth Two in the Bush

By the time Flossie left Oahu, so had we. But never fear, this trip ends with a pig, just as it should. We attended a lovely luau on Kauai. 

This is a vacated imu oven, where they cook the pig. 

These young men are digging a freshly cooked pig out of a nearby oven.

Here it is - delish. At this point in the show, there was a woman who gasped and exclaimed, "How sad!" I think she wasn't expecting the pig to still have its face. I also think she was probably from California or New York.  

During dinner, we were serenaded. 

The pork was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. I wish I could have filled my pockets with it. The poi was a different story. I wish I could have filled my enemies' pockets with it. 

After dinner came the dancers. 

I can't imagine how a luau could be any better, so I don't feel like we missed out when our original plans got flossed out. 

Odds and Ends

A few points that don't fit elsewhere:

Hanalei Bay is so beautiful that it seems like it's not real.

We drove to the end of the road on the north shore of Kauai, over several bridges that were only wide enough for one lane of traffic. We were rewarded by this super cool cave that was just sitting by the side of the road.

There are chickens everywhere in Hawaii. I mean, everywhere. They wander around like pigeons. No joke. It's almost like they think they're real birds.

Don't tell the kids, but we ate ice cream for lunch several times. Not after lunch. For lunch.

Sorry, Michelle, but I couldn't not run in paradise. I mean, look at this. If it's any consolation, I was sweating so much I wouldn't have even needed to turn the water on to use a slip 'n slide. 

Home - It's a Reeeeaaaaly Long Way From Hawaii

Our home-bound flight was delayed twice. Once in Kauai (not so sad) and once at LAX (give me some Valium now). Just so you know, this is what LAX feels like at 8 a.m. when you have been awake since the previous morning and your body is telling you it's only 5 a.m. and you're facing a 5 hour layover that was only supposed to be an hour and a half. Oh and also you haven't showered since the previous morning. Not a high point of our trip. 

Finally, we landed in Denver 6 hours later than originally scheduled at the same time a tornado touched down in Weld county. Flying over a thunderstorm over the Rockies may be one of my top 10 most frightening experiences of all time. 

But we finally landed and this was a great moment. 

I always love exiting the airport, but never more than when I've been "secure" for the last 14 hours. 

In the end it turned out to be a blessing that our flight was delayed because my fantastic, long suffering parents volunteered to keep the girls another night, which was for the best because we could hardly stay awake for the drive home. If we would have had to keep on driving that day, I am afraid the trip could have ended tragically. 

It's a good thing we had views like this full on double rainbow to keep us awake til we got home and it was fantastic getting to see the kids the next day. While I loved our trip, I missed them.  

Hawaii was incredible. One of the best weeks of my life and I am so happy I got to see it with the love of my life. Now to decide where we want to go two years from now... 

Thanks Chris! Thanks Mom and Dad!