A hike in the Rockies – Day 1

Fifteen years ago, I went on a solo hike across Rocky Mountain National Park. I started at the Bear Lake trailhead, summited Flattop Mountain (only 12,000-some-odd feet altitude), and through the park on the other side. The original plan was to make a full loop to the west side, then go back along a more northerly trail,…

We went to France (#DBAsAtFrance)

We went to France, not to cram thousands of years of history into six days of snapping pictures from car windows, but to live here as if we lived here. You know, more or less. Nearly everything so far has been under the Getting Here, and Recovering From Getting Here, categories of life and travel. No problem…

Random notes on the fireworks and spammers

Yesterday was great*...we found a place that sells fireworks and has an area to set them off - Big Bang Fireworks in Farmersville - and so the kids got to set off fireworks for the first time ever. Also, I totally forgot it was Sean and my 8th anniversary, until someone texted me a happy…

Ben Turns Four

My babyboy Benny turned 4 on Saturday. He awoke to a dining room table with presents (and one for Eric, of course), and Sean made homemade cake donuts for the occasion. The big surprise, though, was the weekend at Great Wolf Lodge, a hotel with an indoor waterpark. After quite a bit of wheedling and a little…

Alaska Vacation Writeup

I'll be writing a bunch more here - I have a LOT to say about my vacation. But, I just wanted to write down that, after two weeks of nearly solid time with my kids, I'm now back at work...and I miss them.

A quick word or two

I'm back from a two-week trip to Alaska. It was wonderful, and I'm well rested, but I'm not quite ready to tackle a recap yet (especially since I accidentally washed the moleskine notebook in which I was keeping trip notes). Just wanted to say, hi. And also, this sort of sums up something I've been…

Passport Hell

It can be fun reading about another person's misery. So here is some fun for you. I leave on a trip next saturday to Canada and Alaska. I'm going with the kids and my brothers and dad. Getting the kids' passports has been a long slow trip through hell. First, the boys. I filled out…

Hiding from the kids

Kids are awesome and precious and I'd die for them and all that...but some days they make me want to hide.  This weekend was such a set of days. Oldest was at her mom's, but the two boys spent all weekend fighting on purpose - lots of teasing and screaming and whining and sulking. Even…

Today’s Log For the Day. Day-day-day.

So today, I had a stupid fight with Sean (notmyfault notmyfault notmyfault), finished taxes with H&R Block (okay, mostly), stuck to my diet (except for a single teaspoon of sugar in my coffee) despite vast obstacles and temptations, vacuumed and cleaned carpets in two rooms (etc etc housework), hung out with my sweet Benny-boy, and…

Ren Fest and Mini Vacation

This weekend we hit 6 Flags and Scarborough Ren Fest (which runs thru May 30).  Now Mom just took the 3 older kids on a mini vacation. They're not having a bad spring break at all, and it's only Monday. Scarborough was great...as I suspected, this is the year where all the kids are old enough…