Happy Canada Day!

In honor of Canada Day today, allow me to divulge a disturbing glimpse into the life of my Canuckian parents who met each other curling.

And no, I'm not making that up. It is the Canadian version of meeting at a bar.

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Mom: I guess we need to go and buy another I.D. dog tag for Mia. I can't seem to find the tag we bought yesterday, and I'm not going to get a good night of sleep until she has her tag.

So they roar off to Petland. On their way to Petland, Mom conducts yet another search of the car, and lo and behold, the missing I.D. tag is found safely tucked into the glove box.

Since they are near The Superstore, Dad pops into the store for a minute,and soon they are on the way home.

Mom: Where is the I.D. tag? I can't imagine where it disappeared to!

Dad: Well, it has got to be in the car somewhere.

After yet another round of searching, the said I.D. tag is found in Chris' purse.

Dad: Give me that tag. I am going to hold it until we get home, and immediately put it on that dog as soon as we get home!

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Stan (noticing that his tooth brush was wet): Chris ,did you just use my purple tooth brush?

Chris: Your purple tooth brush? The purple one is MY tooth brush.

Stan: No, your tooth brush is blue, I have been using the purple one for the past year!

Hello, Apple? Meet Tree.

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On another note, my friend Cheryl interviewed me today at MormonWoman.org. It's not so much a site for LDS peeps but rather, a glimpse into what it is like to be a Mormon woman for those not of our faith. It's a great site that attempts to dispel misconceptions and portray us in an authentic, positive light.

Still trying to figure out why she wanted to interview me. :-)

When This Mommy Blogger Does Family Travel

Yeesh, I just went around to visit my favorite blogs and it appears y'all are posting and commenting even less than I. It's all fun and games until someone gets a life. Just don't forget to post about all your fun travels and activities afterward!

I thought June was busy with travels to Chautauqua, Colorado Springs, Georgetown and Steamboat Springs. I lied. July is even busier and I am cursing whoever planned all these back-to-back trips.

Oh wait, that was me.

Which explains why my life does appear to be cursed with all the bad things that always happen en route.

We have completed three trips so far on our Tour de Colorado. And all three have had MAJOR problems. I posted about Trip #2 to The Broadmoor today. You'd think staying in one of the world's nicest resorts would be a piece of cake.

Not for me.

Think cake-smashing at its finest.

Click here to find out about my latest cursing and a video of one of the nicest places on earth.

Twilight Tourin' and Other Olympic Peninsula Highlights

It's only taken me a week and a half but I'm finally updating you on my Twilight/Olympic Peninsula trip. I wrote about it for Travel Savvy Mom so be sure to check out my great pictures and fascinating commentary (BWHA!) of one of the most hauntingly beautiful places on earth. Even though it was the perfect trip I wished my kids were with me the entire time.

Shocking, I know.

First, the journalists:

Diane Bair (L)--The woman has written for more magazines and guidebooks than my children have had tantrums (meaning: A LOT). Whimsical voice, beautiful and almost inspired me to wear lipstick the whole trip.
Diane Schostak (in pink) --Executive Director of Olympic Peninsula Chamber. She was a hoot, wealth of knowledge and LDS seestah. Don't ask her about the Stetson she's wearing.
Harriet Baskas (back middle)--I learned not to be fooled by her petite stature. Loved this fireball who writes for MSNBC and USA Today. Her passion? Airports. Yes, some people actually like them.
Ranger Pat Shields--Tide-pooling guide. Spoke with a cool New Yorker accident. Wears sexy rubber boots.
Jennifer--Known as "Mudslide Mama" on the famed travel site Traveling Mamas. She was so delightful I tried to convince her to room with me at BlogHer. But then she ditched me upon finding out I like to spoon.

Really, who can blame her?

Some of my favorite places on the trip:

Quinault Lodge, the true wettest place in the United States (for details go to Travel Savvy Mom).


And Kalaloch Lodge overlooking the Pacific Ocean (for even more details go to Travel Savvy Mom).



Romantic, non? Most romantic of all was Dazzled by Twilight, a store in Forks that would thrill Edward (or Jacob) loving fans.


Our tour guide Travis was a riot and took us to places such as Bella's house:


We also saw Charlie's police station, Dr. Cullins' parking spot at the hospital (yes, they even have a sign), Jacob's place and the Cullins'. There was a sign on the whiteboard that Emmett was out hunting Grizzly Bears.

Which explains why the Grizzly is practically non-existent in the Olympic Peninsula.

We hung out with the bald eagles and Quileute Indians at La Push:


And we had lunch at The Treaty Line a.k.a. Three Rivers Resort.


(With Harriet who is pretending not to know me).

Sadly, I did not order a Vampire Shake. Even though I really, really wanted to.

For more of my favorite moments, be sure to head over to Travel Savvy Mom.

Just in case you missed my not-so subtle references. :-)

Not to be forgotten is my visit with Sandra, one of my dearest childhood friends. I hadn't seen her since 1991.



Here is us now at Alki Beach in Seattle. Minus the big bow and even bigger bangs.



But rest assured in a world full drama and change, there is one constant: there will always be my big hair.

Here fishy fishy, bye fishy fishy: share your fish "tales"

If there was a Social Services for Fish, we would be so busted.

I am sad to inform you that Tad, Rad and Cad met their demise, as well as those other unnamed fishes we managed to kill as well.

Total lifespan at the Johnson Slaughterhouse? A whopping 23 days. For the lucky ones.

For those just tuning in, my daughter Hadley received a fish tank for her 5th birthday from her Aunt Lisa. My husband Jamie and I had previously been resistant to acquiring a pet but thought fish ownership would be a no-brainer.

Turns out the Wizard of Oz's scarecrow isn't the only one without a brain.

We started with three fish and replaced them after each ceremonial burial around the toilet.
Tad met his demise in his Man Cave. Cad attempted the back-stroke and ended up staying there. A few others died READ ON

Meet the [Canadian] Parents

We're still having a grand ol' time with The Parents and am saddened their visit is drawing to a close. After The Broadmoor last weekend (details forthcoming), we've had a whirlwind week that has included:

Monday--Happy Father's Day to Dad! He endured a makeover I'm promoting at Mile High Mamas called "Slob to Suave" where the winner will receive a $100 gift card for JC Penny. Since Dad isn't really a "slob" I had to improvise for the "Before" picture, Canadian-style. The "After" picture is him sporting his spiffy new clothes.



Tuesday--Jamie got interviewed by National Geographic. It is my life's goal to be in that magazine and he will be made famous there for his PUMPKINS? There is no justice in the world.

We also picnicked at Lion's Park in Golden and watched the kayakers.



And yes, Hadley picked that outfit all by herself, why do you ask?

Wednesday--Dad and I drove 3 hours round-trip to Colorado Springs to retrieve his now-fixed car. We did a fabulous hike to Seven Bridges up North Cheyenne Canon Park and I was impressed by this 68-year-old man who can still hold his own on the trail.



That is a nice way of saying he could still kick my butt if he wanted to.

Today--We're heading to Boulder to have lunch at Chautauqua's Dining Hall and stroll around Pearl Street.

In other news: Jamie surprised me with an iPhone of my very own. This is partly because he is thoughtful and generous.

But mostly because he was sick of me swiping his.

Let's start at the very beginning

So, I'm a few weeks behind on my posts. I get that. Busy, busy but I have so many fun tings to share starting with our amazing trip to Chautauqua.

The trip that almost wasn't started like this:



Fortunately, we made it to our first destination: the Boulder farmer's market.



Then to play at Pearl Street.



With some hoop action behind our cottage.




But our real reward?



For the (sometimes) sordid story on the first trip on our Tour de Colorado, check out Mile High Mamas today. And please excuse my "like totally rad" video commentary. :-)

I'm baaaaack....

And busy.

Olympic Peninsula was a blast (details forthcoming; picture taken at Kalaloch Lodge overlooking the Pacific Ocean). I arrived home late Thursday night, did laundry, and hopped in the car the next morning. Destination: The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

All was marvelous. Well, except that my parent's car died in the valet and is getting towed to a dealership this morning. All six of us had to cram into my car to come back to Denver. We will then have to drive 3 hours round-trip to pick it up in Colorado Springs once it is fixed.

Really, do you think any trip 'o mine could go smoothly?

In other news, the Mile High Mamas redesign is finally complete. Swing by and say "Hi!" I promise to do the same to you once my crazy life of travels and hosting calms down!

XOXOXOX