Colorado Day #2

Day #2 of our Colorado adventures started out with a trip to the Seven Falls near Pike's Peak.  Someone back home had told me that it was neat.  I told Jay the night before when we passed the sign for it that we would have to go back so he obliged.  It was WELL worth it.  Again, we had no idea what it was, just that we needed to go.  We paid the admission and headed up the hill. 

As soon as we parked the car, the kids found a little chipmunk/ground squirrel that would let them touch it and followed them around like a kitten or something.  As we explored the area, we realized that was because they had feeders everywhere and the little boogers were used to being fed!  It was cute though.

Walking up to the main attraction area, it was obvious this was going to involve a lot of climbing.  Madolyn & I were eyeing the elevator, but Jay & Lane started up the steps to the Seven Falls Lookout, all 184 of them.  It was pretty tough for this old gal, but we all made it.  After taking in the beauty of the falls from afar, Madolyn & I took the elevator down (should've done this the other way around) and the fellas took the stairs.  Then we went over to the actual falls and climbed those 227 steps.  I considered not going, but decided that I would probably never be back there again and I just had to go up.  It was quite a climb, but well worth it. 

There was a very peculiar smell all around these falls.  Madolyn said it smelled like Ravioli.  I don't know that that was the exact smell, but something was stinky.  What was weird is that it didn't smell everywhere.  It was a beautiful water fall and we were not disappointed.  I should've stretched my calves before climbing 450+ stairs though, but I survived.  We have decided that pictures just don't capture the beauty out here, but I did my best.
We then headed south to visit the spectacular Royal Gorge.  Again, we didn't really know what we were getting into.  My coworker "Kathy" and her crew visited this place a couple years ago and said we absolutely had to come.  She also suggested we do the Skycoaster and after figuring out what it was actually, NO THANK YOU...I can't believe her family did it!  They must be nuts :)  We crossed the magnificent suspension bridge that crosses the Royal Gorge.  It was sorta sickening.

All along the suspension bridge are state flags.  The family stopped for a pose next to the great state of Illinois flag.  It was sooo windy and you could feel the bridge swaying.  It was kind of like being on a boat or something.  I was not a huge fan of the feeling...neither was Madolyn!

This was the view from the bridge.  You probably can't see them, but there were gobs of people river rafting down below.  So the Skycoaster was this harness thing you got in and then it shot you out over this gorge.  I know crazy, right?  No way...Instead we decided on the little tram that went down to the bottom and the aerial tram.  We rode down to the bottom in these little four-person cars.  It was pretty cool.  Not too scary.  It took us down near the river and the railroad. Nothing like that insane Skycoaster!

Next, we tried the aerial tram.  (I think that's what it was called.)  Lane was not at all sold on this adventure, but we forced him to go.  Do you see that teeny-tiny red dot in the picture on the left?  That is the box that we rode in across the gorge.  Crazy, right?  I know, I couldn't believe I did it, but I knew I had to...What are the chances that the cable would snap with us on it?
So we told Lane he could just stay in the middle and not look out the windows.  I must say it wasn't that bad at all.  I was pleasantly surprised.  In fact, I thought walking across that suspension bridge was much harder on me than this tiny car dangling across the gorge.  Everyone agreed it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.  We hopped off the aerial tram once we got to the other side, got on the tram, drove past some Elk, Buffalo and Long-Horn Sheep. 


We finished up at the Royal Gorge and got in the car and head even further south to Pagosa Springs.  The drive was gorgeous.  My favorite comment of the day was from Madolyn.  "You know, I have never even thought that there were places out there other than Martinsville."  Oh, there's a whole world outside our little town!  I was hoping we were proving to her that the best part of the trip wasn't the airplane.  I was looking foward to going in a tunnel...I got my wish finally.  It was a short one, but it shut me up:)  After a pretty long drive, we made it to our home away from home for the next four nights.  Ahhh, we were pooped. 

We were also hungry so after we checked in, we went to a local Taco Bell/KFC combo.  Yum (ugh).  As we were leaving, an older couple asked where we were from and we did our usual explanation, "We're from Illinois and we live right along Interstate 70 in a tiny town.  We're between St. Louis and Indy, but we're just 30 minutes from the Indiana state line."  They laughed.  The lady was born and raised in GREENUP, and the fellow was born in a tiny town, he knew we had never heard of, Dundas, Illinois.  He laughed when we said we knew right where it was.  Funny.  Then they said that their Sunday School teacher there was from Casey.  It really is a small world!

Colorado Day #1

I didn't make a big deal out of our vacation before we went...internet safety, you know, but I'm going to write in detail about it; number one, because I want to journal our vacation so I don't forget; and two, because the things we've seen are absolutely amazing.  So here's to a week of posts on our vacation. 

Last year while on our way back from the beaches of Florida, Jay and I decided that although we loved the beach, we needed to see parts of the United States and show our kids their country.  We quickly decided Colorado would be our first stop.

This was Lane's first experience on a plane and he loved it.  Madolyn kept telling him over and over that the best part of this trip would be the plane.  I hope we have proved her wrong.  I'm indifferent to flying.  Don't love it, don't hate it.  Do love that it only took two hours and ten minutes to fly from St. Louis to Denver.  The car ride down to St. Louis was longer than our flight.

The first words from airport personnel at the baggage check-in counter was, "Well, at least there aren't any tornadoes and hail in Denver today."  Oh, yes, at least.  Geesh, I wanted to scream, "Hey, my little guy has never flown before, let's not mention TORNADOES."  I guess the day before in Denver it had hailed so bad, they had the snow plows out!  I can't even imagine, but we were told it hailed for an hour.  Crazy.

Everything went super well at the airport.  I was totally unprepared as far as the TSA regulations and was pretty sure I would lose all of my "important" stuff...thankfully, a full-sized can of aerosol hairspray was the only casualty.  It was a good kind too...I'm guessing the lady at the scanner is now the owner :)  Oh well, it was minor.

We arrived at the airport, retrieved our baggage and got the keys to our rental car, a Toyota Camry, which is what we were going to be driving for the week.  It is a very nice car and good on the gas mileage!  The weather was very similar to home when we arrived in Denver.  We stopped right away and ate a yummy Mexican lunch and bought Madolyn some new tennis shoes with some good tread for hiking and rocks.  About this time, Jay looked over at me and said, "This is going too well."  It was...that was unusual for us, but we welcomed it.

We then headed down the interstate for Colorado Springs, which was our destination for our first night.  We had reservations at a Drury Inn (my favorite because of all the free food) and we wanted to see the sites.  First stop, the very beautiful Garden of Gods.  The Illinois version of Garden of Gods is beautiful, no question, but the Colorado version is spectacular.  The rocks are bright orange and just sitting there.  We got out and walked around on some trails and took a few pictures.

In the picture on the left, the light-blue t-shirt climbing up on the right is Jay.  The kiddos are on the rock.  I know it's hard to see, but trust me, it's my kids.  Ha.  There were all kinds of trails we could've taken, but we decided to forge ahead.  We were only spending one night in Colorado Springs, so we felt like we had to keep moving.  After we visited the museum and welcome center for the Garden of Gods and walked around some, we loaded up and continued on to the famous Pike's Peak.  We had no idea what we were getting into.  We (I) just knew it was a place we had to see.  Jay had a much better idea of what was in store for us.

As soon as we pulled up, we saw that the last railway cog train would leave at 4:00.  It was about 3:40.  We ran to the ticket window and bought our tickets.  We would leave at 4:00 and return at 7.  Wow, that must be some trip.  It was a whirlwind, we had no time to think, we went for it.  We were told to drink lots of water on the way up so we bought three very large water bottles and a diet Pepsi.  The ride up was pretty neat.  The kids liked the first hour or so, and then it started getting cool and windy.  We had nothing with us.  We were wearing t-shirts and shorts.  At one point before we left on the cog, I pointed to a sign that said something about it being much cooler at the top.  Jay assured me we would be fine (turkey). 

By the time we got to the tip-top of Pike's Peak, we were frozen.  There are windows on the cog that you can put up, but most of the people liked them down...so we lived with it the best we could.  We were told over and over to drink water and so I did...the rest of the family didn't drink so much.  That was a problem by the time we made it to the summit, not just with my crew but for lots of folks.  We saw a few EMT's assisting people at the top.  Drinking water was crucial as the signs below had said, and it was much, much cooler just like the sign at the bottom said.  Okay, we get it...they're not just trying to sell us sweatshirts and $3 bottles of water, they mean it.   I didn't feel wonderful, but I was way better than Jay and the kids.

They have these donuts that they make and sell at the summit, and they tell us that they're a special type of donut because of the altitude.  They were tasty.  We ate several.  I was quite surprised that there was a mini restaurant and gift shop.  There was also some snow alongside the north part of the building...I say north, it seemed north to me.  They had all kinds of sweatshirts for sale, but I decided that the best deal was to buy the two for $20 Indiana blankets and that is what we did.  So on the way down, we had some warmth.  The kids laid their heads on our laps and slept all the way down.  It really messed with them.

We got our car and headed to the Drury Inn for the night.  We ordered some pretty good pizza from Fat Boys Pizza and went swimming (I stayed in the hot tub - felt pretty good on my sore back;).  We ate a yummy breakfast at the Drury in the morning and headed out for day two.  It was hard to believe we had been in Colorado less than 24 hours and had already seen so much. 

The zoo

In this episode of the Wilhoit Funny Farm and Zoo, Hank and Abby have somehow destroyed (and there is no other word that would do it justice) a 6-7 foot Poplar tree that was in our yard.  They tore it to shreds.  Broke it off about two feet from the base and chewed it to pieces.  It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

We have that black field tile around the base of some of our smaller trees to protect it from mowers, deer, etc.  We did not even contemplate that a mouse or some other small animal may decide to take up residence in the black tile and that our very smart Labradors would find them.  I'm not sure if it was a mouse or a bunny or what, but whatever was living in there has been evicted, permanently.  I meant to take a picture of the aftermath, but Jay cleaned up the evidence.  It was unbelievable and not really precious at all.

A kid, who has been working at our house and in the area, has been fishing lately at our pond.  Hank the Tank finds this very entertaining and doesn't get it that the hook on the end of that cute little red/white circle floating in the water will hurt if you decide to eat it.  We have to pen him up or he will not leave them alone.  A few days ago, I brought him inside (although he was soaked and I was in dress clothes) and got a towel to dry him off.  Oh, he loved that...and it was quite an ordeal because as I'm trying to dry him off, he's rubbing and loving and wanting more and won't stand still...and that's when I texted Jay that I really wish I could hate this animal, but I just can't.  ugh.

Last weekend we went camping, and although we came home on Saturday to feed everyone, Hank missed us really, really bad.  He had shredded two cardboard boxes he found in the garage and tore to pieces the slip-n-slide Lane just bought a month ago.  There was also a pool floatie nearby, in two pieces...I'm pretty sure it's shot.  If we don't keep the pool gate closed, he is in the pool.  If the gate is closed and people are in the pool, he chews on the gate.  He is a menace.

Our regular dogsitter is going on vacation at the same time we are (you bet we'll be working on that next time) and honestly, I can't ask someone who is not a Lab lover to watch the Tank because I can only imagine how bad it could be. (I'm wondering if they planned this on purpose:)  Jay and I talked it over and decided that if we leave him loose with Abby, the following are possibilities:  one, he will destroy everything in his reach, trees, flowers, bushes, deck, tires, garage steps, everything; two, he will be at our neighbor's house destroying everything mentioned above; three, he will get hit by a car because he doesn't realize that he can't just walk freely in the middle of the road (he has no regard for anyone else or their space); and four, he will drive my parents nuts because he will follow Abby over there and not leave.

Our only option is to leave him penned up in the dog pen, and he's never been in one until this week.  On Monday, Jay and I set it up near the pigs so he'll have some company.  We've been practicing with him in the pen as people are fishing.  We figure he'll be completely hoarse by the time we get home...and hopefully he'll still be in there...alive.  Nothing will surprise me though, absolutely nothing.  Madolyn figures he'll escape.  We shall see.  I really hope he's alive and well when we come home.

I apologize now to anyone living in the radius because you may hear non-stop barking and yelping for a day or two.  I can't even imagine what he'll do each day when my parents come to feed him and then leave.  Ouch.

He's nearing his one-year birthday.  We lost Hank the Tank I just a month shy of his first birthday.  Hank II was born July 10, 2011.  I hope and pray he survives this ordeal.  He'll probably need therapy for years after his incarceration, but he's worth it, right?  Because he's so precious.

Run, Forrest, Run

A classic movie line, right?  Except my kids have no idea what it's from and look at me like I'm crazy every time I mention it.  I mention it a lot lately too because of our dwarf hamster, Oreo, who has to be from Kenya.

That little booger sleeps all day long.  You don't see or hear a peep out of him unless you go get him out of his cave, but you can bet about 10:30 p.m. when we're all settled in for bed, he will hop up on his wheel and go to town...actually he must get farther than town.  I bet he runs as far as Chicago!  I always think surely he'll get tired...and yet it continues for hours.

Every time I pass his little cage and he happens to be on the wheel, I yell, "Run, Forrest, Run."  And that's when I get the look from the youngin's.  I told Jay a while back that Oreo has to be from Kenya because isn't that where all the really fast runners are from?  Maybe we should have named him Forrest or Kenya.

I had been taking the wheel off at night so he couldn't run, but Jay (Yes, Jay) thought that was cruel because he waits all day to run and exercise and now what does he have to live for if the wheel is 'broke'?  We sure don't want to send him into a depressive state.  I say maybe he just needs to realize that he needs a different schedule.  As I write this, I'm wondering if we covered his cage in the daytime, would he run to Chicago then instead of at midnight...hmm.

The solution we have come up with is that he has to go into a room no one is sleeping in or near at nighttime.  The problem for me is remembering to do this before he starts running and I'm already snug as a bug in a rug in bed.

He's still a cute little dude and pretty simple to care for.  One thing is for sure, he is fit as a fiddle (whatever that means;).

Not on the agenda...

for the week before a vacation:  crazy busy work days and a low back ache which developed into a major low back ache, which was diagnosed as sciatic nerve pain.  Joy.  Starting the week off were three very busy work days.  I have to tell you, I used to have very busy work days weekly, but the pace where I work now is much slower and I like that most of the time.  Every now and then it draws the days out, but I've learned to adjust :)

At about 3:30 on Monday, I looked at the clock and could not believe it was nearly 4:00, quitting time.  Tuesday, about the same thing.  Wednesday was that, plus something even more exciting in store for me.

About two-and-a-half weeks ago, I visited the family doctor because I had been having this low back ache, which I equated to the back labor I had with Madolyn.  It wasn't horrible, but present.  Dull, achy and annoying.  I had no other symptoms so I was just sure that I had something going on back there with my kidneys, although I had no problems with the kidney function that I could observe.  But I am related to my grandmother and I was certain whatever it was, it was bad, very bad.  The doctor checked me out and all was well.  Awesome.  I assured them it was not a muscle strain, this was my kidneys.  Off I went, hoping it would go away.

It didn't.  It would wax and wane a little bit, come and go...but usually ever-present and annoying.  On Tuesday of this week, I was at Lane's ball game and towards the end of the game, I went to sit down in my lawn chair and that's when it went from an achy back to an angry back.  I didn't say a word.  I just slid down in the chair and caught my breath.  The game ended.  I made it home, told Jay something was major wrong with my back and that I would have to see the doctor the next day. 

Meanwhile, Lane had showed me a 'cut' on his foot earlier in the week.  I didn't inspect it closely, but could tell it was a little over a half-inch long and didn't look red or infected.  Okay, wear socks and/or shoes!  (This is a major problem in the nice weather:)  After we got home from the ball game on Tuesday, Lane was limping.  Jay asked what the problem was and he showed him the 'cut.'  Only the 'cut' was not a 'cut,' it was a humongous splinter!  Minor surgery was performed with MAJOR reaction from the bud, who does not seem to have a very high pain tolerance and I discovered that standing on my right foot with my left leg extended back and up was very comfortable.  Strange but true.

The night was terrible.  I couldn't get comfortable.  I tried the heat pad.  I tried double Alleve.  Nothing worked.  Wednesday, I got up and took my morning walk, because I was sure it was my kidneys and I probably couldn't hurt them.  Came back to shower and was overcome with sweat, dizziness and nauseousness.   Apparently, my body was not liking my angry back and those silly kidneys.  Got ready for work and put a call in to the doctor's office that something was going on and I wasn't going to ignore it any longer.  It had been there a week or so before I had seen the doctor two weeks ago.

Then as I was talking with coworkers and texting with Jay, it clicked.  I went on that trail ride to Moonshine a month ago.  I rode 3 hours on a horse that I had never ridden and it was an extremely rough ride.  I had passed her off to Jay with an hour or so ago, and he agreed she was very rough.  I was sore the next couple days, but it never once dawned on me that that was the cause.  Duh. 

I called the chiropractor across the street and popped in for an adjustment later in the day.  I explained the problem, showed him my 'comfortable stance' and he confirmed it was my left sciatica and that it was truly angry.  He gave me a good twist, something went crack and I had some relief.  I called a friend on my way home from work who has dealt with this before and she urged me to see a local massage therapist (I guess that's what you call her) "Connie."  After Lane's ballgame, I called her up and she said come in an hour.  "In an hour" meant 8:30 p.m. but I was thrilled. 

I have never been into massage therapy or wanted to even experience it, but it was absolutely fabulous.  I was so relaxed, which I have major trouble with, and after about 50 minutes, I was done.  She had loosened up the area and said she felt it finally give in and relax.  Ahhh.  And that's what I mean.  Ahhh.  It felt great.  I would highly recommend that particular therapist if you're local, and certainly massage therapy wherever you are because I cannot tell you how much better I felt afterwards.  It was amazing.  I always questioned things like that and whether they were just foo-foo, but now I'm a believer!!

I am still a bit sore today, but not in discomfort and before it was serious discomfort.  I can take being sore.  I slept great last night, and there wasn't a sleeping position that made me uncomfortable.  Such a change from the night before.  I know I'm not healed, but hopefully my angry back will get over it because I've got things to do and annoying back pain is not on my agenda!

In the blink of an eye

Just another story to encourage all of you mothers out there who may feel overwhelmed with parenting...like maybe you're just not cutting it...or if only you could be that perfect mother like --fill in the blank-- (and I'm pretty sure it won't be with my name:)

Have you ever heard parents repeat phrases such as: "I only turned my back for a minute," "I just went inside to answer the phone," or "It couldn't have been more than a couple minutes"?  When Madolyn was five or six and Lane was around two years old, I probably repeated these phrases myself many times, but there is one particular story I thought I would share.

We were at home.  Madolyn, my firstborn, independent, strong-willed, stubborn daughter and I were in conflict (ha).  I had sent her to her room.  Lane wanted to ride his motorized John Deere tractor outside.  No problem.  I told him to go on, but I had to take care of something with his sister first.  I would be right out.  It couldn't have been more than a couple minutes.

I offered the sweet Stinky my motherly wisdom and headed outside to watch my little man on his John Deere.  Only I could not find him.  Anywhere.  Do you know what kind of tractor I'm talking about?  It's the John Deere green tractor with a battery, it's like the little toy cars and trucks they make.  It doesn't have a super loud sound but it makes a noise and you can usually hear it if you're in the vicinity.  I didn't hear anything.  And I, for sure, didn't hear that tractor. 

I hollered for Lane.  Nothing.  I looked in the garage, on the front porch, in the backyard, I even walked around the above-ground pool in case he was behind it peeing or something.  I looked out over the pond, which is directly behind our house, there were no ripples in the water.  He was nowhere in sight.  And he either couldn't hear my yelling or he was ignoring me.

We live down a long gravel driveway off of what I call the main road, which is a narrow country road.  Right where you come out of our driveway, there is a small hill and a creek.   It is hard to see before you get over that hill if anyone or anything is at the base of our drive.  Fortunately, because we lived so far off the road, I'd never been concerned about letting the kids play outside for fear of them getting out in the road. 

I remember exactly what shoes I had on.  They were turquoise plush flip-flop slippers.  House shoes.  I was standing on the concrete approach to our garage and I heard a vehicle out on the 'main road.'  My heart sank.  And I ran.  I ran as hard and as fast as I could in those turquoise plush flip-flop slippers.  I heard the vehicle come to a stop and then start again.  Pit in my stomach.  Waited for screams.  There were none, thankfully.  The whole time I ran, which seemed like forever, I was whispering prayers.

At one point in our driveway, there is a slight curve and a hill.  As I approached that point, I could hear that faint humming sound of the little tractor...I could also hear the vehicle.  I kept going and saw my little man come around that bend driving his tractor, in his boots, without a care in the world, followed by our very good friends in their truck...they were coming to fish in our pond.  They told me that as they came over the hill on the main road and slowed to turn in our driveway, there was Lane on his tractor.  Thank You, Jesus. And thank you to my friends I'll call the "Baird's." 

It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes that I was inside.  It was hard to believe that he got that far down the driveway in such a short amount of time.  Fortunately, my story ended well that day, but it sure makes it easy to see how things can happen in just the blink of an eye.

Bandwagons

Bandwagons...something I try very hard not to jump onto.  I don't know if I am getting better at that or not, but I think a lot more about it than I ever did before.  In the past, I would jump on a bandwagon so fast I barely had time to even contemplate all the aspects of what it was I was even in a tither about.  These days, I try (try, try) to stop for a moment and absorb everything I know about the subject before jumping on the tirade.

I have learned through past experiences that many times I wasn't aware of all the facts involved before I decided to join in on a rant.  Often, I would get so enraged by whatever the issue was that I couldn't see past my feelings, my desires and my own opinion, without ever giving a moment's thought to what lie beneath the core issue.

This week I have been watching on Facebook as a hot-button topic has been debated (sort of) concerning something going on at my former high school.   I do not know all the facts involved in the decisions that were made.  I have only heard bits and pieces of information and none first-hand.  I do believe that the folks on the school board and our administrators have the best intentions of our school and preserving its history at heart.  I can only assume that they didn't know what else to do, this option was mentioned and they decided to go with it.  I feel confident that none of the individuals involved are trying to destroy the pride of our high school or any of its history.

I may not always agree with the decisions that our board and administration makes; many times I cannot follow their reasoning, but I also realize that I am not in their position contemplating the decisions they must make.  I am not the one faced with certain situations and dilemmas trying to decide how best to resolve it.  It is so easy to be on the outside looking in, telling anyone that will listen how I would do thus and so if I was in charge.  I know we pay the administrators to perform their jobs and that the board is elected by the voters, but it has to be a very thankless position for the most part. 

I guess the part that upsets me the most is the negativity generated towards our school and harsh comments that have been made on Facebook, and I'm sure other places as well, about these people.  "They" comment that they're not bashing people...but I don't know how else one could interpret it.  If those things were being said about me, it would hurt my feelings, plain and simple.  I truly hope that it does not end up on our local television station because it will only bring negative publicity to our school.  Honestly, I don't know that I agree or disagree with the decision that is in debate...because I do not know enough about it to make an informed decision.

I will say that there are many good suggestions made on the post about other options the school officials could choose.  It is nice to see so many alumni and citizens care about our school's legacy.  Many have offered to donate money towards this project.  I think those are great things. 

Just like my post a few weeks ago about there being several sides to a story, I think the same could be said when talking about jumping on a bandwagon.  I have to remind myself of this often:  It is always important to hear "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say.