Wii Are #NintendoEnthused

Last weekend, we had 20+ friends join us for a Wii Play: Motion party, complete with ice cream sundae station. It was loud, it was fun, and it was equally as fun to watch as it was to play.

The welcome sign Elijah & I worked on

Our friends arrived, and we instructed them to make some Miis. This always results in laughter as people experiment with eyes & nose sizes.

Serving out ice cream. Sean is enthusiastic!

The first half of the party, the kids played around with it. Because we had so many kids, Geoff also set up his older Nintendo systems upstairs (SNES & N64).

The games that were a big hit were Wind Runner (racing through a course with your umbrella, collecting coins, using the wind to propel you) , Veggie Guardin’ (a fun version of whack a mole, which up to 4 players can play at a time), and Skim Skipper (skipping stones, also a 4 player game).

Kids are trying out the games

Wii Play: Motion, has games that are entertaining for everyone. Our guests ranged in age from 4 years old to over 50 years old. I would totally recommend it, as would my party guests

Spooky Search

 

I was sent a copy of Wii Play: Motion to host a party, as well as party favors, a prize and ice cream sundae supplies. Thanks to Brand About Town & Nintendo! The review is my own opinion.

Colorado Fall

I could not resist one last camping trip to Golden Gate Canyon State Park. For tent campers, Reverend’s Ridge closes for the season on October 1. The only sites/dates they had left (when I booked in July) were September 23-24. This was our first time “fall camping”. We were not sure how lucky we would get with the weather. Let me show you how lucky we got:

Perfect Fall Camping

With the boys getting bigger, and becoming more experienced campers, Geoff was anxious to see if we could attempt to hike all of the Raccoon Trail. It’s a 2.5 mile hike round trip, that begins in Reverend’s Ridge campground and takes you up to Panorama Point. The hike is marked as moderate, and both kids did great completing it. The timing of our trip offered great fall colors, mostly yellows, and great temps.

Other noteworthy events were the boys learning to build a fire, and Elijah becoming a Jr Ranger.

Proud of the fire they built

 

Elijah earned a Jr Ranger badge and patch

 

We’ll be back again next summer. If you want to camp there next year, I would suggest you book early!

Get A Job: Online Applications

I’m all for online applications, but I don’t think it should be the only way to get information. It took me several attempts to get the websites to accept my resume, and some of the attempts never went through.

My biggest complaint about the online applications I filled out was that many fields were required to be completed. One such field was who past supervisors were, and could they contact them. Since I haven’t worked since 2005, the people I worked under have also moved on. You can’t even contact the Harry & David I worked for, the store closed right after I left.

One place I submitted an online application to, I also visited in person. I figure it strengthens my application if I give them a face to go with the name. I believe I’m better in person than on paper. I can also explain that while I have not worked in several years, I have been a mom & volunteer.

As the job hunt continues, I’ll keep you posted. I also welcome any advice. ๐Ÿ™‚

Get A Job

Easier said than done. And a little intimidating after being out of the work force for 6 years.

Armed with a high school diploma and rusty resume writing skills, I am searching for a part time job.

What do I want? Something that won’t steal all my free time away from my family, but still allow me to save some money to pay down debt and save for a family vacation.

My availability is limited by the fact that Miles isn’t in school full-time.

How will this end? Time will tell. Tomorrow I will write about online applications. And how fishy I look on paper.

Freedom On My Bike

Geoff has a dream. It is me, riding free and happy on a bike.

With two small kids, who can not yet ride bikes solo, it hasn’t happened. But in a few days, both kids will be in school, leaving me to at least 2 hours of alone time.

So I have Jane, my bike, but if I wanted to pop onto to my bike and head to the grocery store, I had no way to transport those goods home.

Until now.

View from back of bike

 

Elijah holds the bike to show off my new bag

Basket open

 

Oh, the places I will go. ๐Ÿ™‚

Cake Day on Atlas Quest

Those words probably don’t mean anything to you, but to me, it means I am celebrating my one year anniversary of letterboxing.

What began as a fun activity, turned into a passionate hobby. Now for the backstory:

Letterboxing began in the 1800s in England, where the boxes were few and far between. It started when a man left a bottle (later it became a box) in the middle of nowhere, with a postcard. The next person to pass by was to pick up any mail left in there and mail it.
It has been gaining steam since the late 1990s here in the U.S., with thousands of boxes planted. Now, letterboxers carry with them a signature stamp, and leave its image in a logbook found in the box. Also inside the box is a (usually) hand carved stamp, which you ink and imprint in your own logbook.

Here is my signature stamp.

My Signature Stamp

It is not hand carved, I bought it at a store. But the boxes I have hidden contain stamps I carved.

Being immersed in this “hobby” there’s lingo to know, there are guidelines, and there are a lot of other fanatics. But I love it. The kids enjoy it a little too. It has allowed us to explore new parks, and see places we probably never would have before. I’m lucky enough to have my family indulge me, whether it is hiking in a rainforest, or climbing a mountain.

If I have intrigued you, please feel free to visit Atlas Quest or LBNA. And of course, I’m happy to talk to you about it.

Happy Trails!

Empty

There is a hole in my heart, where once there was a soft furry loved one.

My cat died. Honey Cat.

In December 2001, Geoff and I talked about getting a cat. But we didn’t want to get one before Christmas. So we waited until January. We visited the Irvine Animal Care Center, and met a few cats. None of them were right. We left feeling a little disappointed. The staff told us, “come back tomorrow, and get to know Honey Cat. We think she’d be a good fit.” We returned the next day, and waited for her in the “get acquainted” room. She was so cute, a 4 year old tabby. I called to her, to come sit on my lap. She came. The first cat to respond to me. I knew she was the one. We made arrangements to bring her home.

First days at home

And like that, she’s was in our lives. We took so many pictures of her, everything she did was so adorable. The way she slept in a sunbeam. How she would stand on her back legs to barked at the birds and squirrels. Everyone who met her, adored her.

She transitioned fairly well after the move to Colorado. She found new favorite spots to nap. And when Elijah came along, she didn’t seem to mind, too much.

As she got older, she became less playful. But in the winter months, she was always searching for a warm lap to curl up in.

The last few months, we’d seen her showing her age (13). And we knew our time with her was numbered.

A visit to the vet this week confirmed it was time to say goodbye. We were not ready. I spent the day crying and moping, telling Geoff he had to make the call, I couldn’t say the words. That night, praying with the kids, I thanked God that we got to love her, that she had been in our lives. Miles cried, “I want her to stay with us forever”. Elijah tried to console him by saying, Miles, “she gets to be an angel cat”.

The morning of the appt, I just pet her and kissed her. Touching her soft fur, tears streaming down my cheeks. Geoff had to take her in, I was far too emotional to go. As he drove away with her, I saw her face in the car and lost it. Geoff was there, he saw her last moments. When the life left her eyes. And she was gone.ร‚ย When he returned, we held each other and cried. It was a the loss of someone dear to us. The child before there were offspring.

The house feels strange to me. I see the places she liked to lie, but she’s not there. I can’t bear to remove her water and food dish, though they sit empty. I turn corners expecting to see her. I wait at night to hear her tags jingle, but there is just silence. Elijah left a stuffed animal on the floor, and for a split second, I thought it was her.

I pray this gets easier. I pray that I won’t forget how soft her fur was, the sound of her purring. The sweet kisses she would give me on my cheek.

Rest In Peace Honey Cat. We loved you very much.

Our sweet girl

 

The Brown Palace- A Denver Must-See

It’s a shame that I’ve lived in Denver for the last 8 years, and never set foot inside the beautiful Brown Palace. It has been in downtown Denver since 1892. I was able to attend their inaugural Tweet-up on Thursday night. 50 Denver area tweeps & bloggers filled the atrium lobby.

Atrium Lobby at the Brown Palace

We were treated to a sample of the Brown Palace’s restaurants & services. A fantastic five minute massage in the spa, allowed us to see the relaxing area set aside for couples massages. The Ship Tavern, the casual restaurant, offered prime rib, while the upscale Palace Arms sampled crab cakes & bananas foster. The lobby held for us a great jazz band, while drinks (champagne, The Rhuberry, and other signature cocktails) and a cheese platter were served. A visit to Ellyngton’s, home to the Brown Palace’s Sunday Champagne Brunch, tickled our tastebuds with a yummy selection of desserts.

My Dessert Selections

Cristina, one of the staff members of the Brown Palace, took us on our tour of some of the rooms you can stay in. There are 241 rooms and suites, ranging from a traditional room, to Top Of The Brown, all the way to the Presidential Suite. One of the cool add-on options in the Top Of The Brown rooms (8th & 9th floors), is the Butler Brigade. Your own butler. For real.

If you can’t getaway for the night, consider making reservations for the historic tour (Wednesdays and Saturdays). It’s $10/person (free for guests), and lasts 75 minutes. This hotel has a lot of history. They also have a ghost tour, which is quite popular.

Now for you Colorado residents, you’ll want to jump on this new program from the Brown Palace-Palace Preferred. By signing up, you get discounts on the spa, valet parking and the restaurants, as well room upgrades & a special price on room reservations.

Who doesn’t need to be treated like royalty once in a while?

 

*Disclaimer- I was not paid by the Brown Palace for this write-up. I was just a guest at the tweet-up who had a fabulous time. I did however win a prize- A free brunch for two at Ellyngton’s. Thank you to Turner PR & The Brown Palace for a great event!

Colorado Camping

Family Camping Pic

Summer. It means we’re out camping. Our favorite spot is Golden Gate Canyon State Park. Just outside of Golden, it’s a real gem. We booked our site in March, allowing us to know we’d have a spot come June.

We really lucked out with the weather, it was perfect. Perhaps we can put the Armstrong curse (rain!) to rest.

We even took advantage of the talks put on by the naturalist. The first night, we learned about black bears. Prizes were awarded for correct answers, and we helped the boys score some granola bars.

The next day, the boys & I planted a letterbox, and attended the talk on pollinators. We went back that night to hear some stories, such as the Navajo story of the night sky creation.

On our last day, I convinced the family to hike up Mt Galbraith to hunt for a letterbox. The views it afforded made it worth while!

Enough words, here are some pics.

Camping Buddies

Dude's Fishing Hole

Hiking/Letterboxing on Mt Galbraith