Adventures Of A Colorado Mama

2008-11-28T08:33:00.002-07:00

We had an absolutely lovely Thanksgiving. Mom and Dad just returned from Mexico, so I cooked every little thing. I don't mean to brag, but I did a decent job. I made this homemade cranberry sauce with poblanos and frescos that was just excellent. The turkey was a bit dry, but it must have been fine as there's none left. Several friends came over for dessert, which was great. I just love having people over.

I'm sure I don't always sound like it, but I'm so thankful for everything we have. I love my life. My kids are the best. My husband is a hunk. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

2008-11-25T06:59:00.002-07:00

I took a little break from the gym but I was back at it this morning.

We actually went last night as well, to play basketball. I haven't played basketball in almost 30 years! I made a few baskets though.

I intended to go lap swimming last night, but no dice. Mondays and Wednesdays are water polo nights. Tuesdays and Thursdays are city swim team nights. Somewhere in there, the high school swimming and diving team practice too. I guess I'm not meant to reveal my lovely swimsuit-clad body to greater Cortez just yet.

2008-11-09T06:24:00.002-07:00

Darren, Conor, and I went to Denver for a few days. I had to attend training. Darren and Conor went because hey, free room and gas! We watched the election results in the hotel that hosted the Colorado Democratic Party's victory celebration. It got kind of loud I guess--the party was on the news because people took to the streets in celebration--but I slept through the yelling.

I'm pretty happy about Barack. We got rid of Marilyn Musgrave here in Colorado, thank goodness. I don't understand why on earth proposition 8 passed in California.

We had a great time in Denver. I really love that place. We used mass transit a lot. Ate a ton. Saw my dear friend Niki and her family, which was great but too quick. Learned a lot at training. Don't want to go back to work tomorrow!

Anna didn't go with us because she didn't want to miss class. What a great kid. I'm just so proud of her.

I bought fancy makeup in Denver for my birthday. I don't know what's come over me. I haven't worn makeup in years and years. All of a sudden, I'm feeling the need. I look old and haggard and maybe makeup will help. Stupidly, it makes me feel better about myself when I wear it. Whatever. I'm going with it.

2008-10-31T23:35:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a great Halloween. Conor was Hellboy. Anna was a devil. I think this is the last year I will go with them, and I'm sorta sad...

Anna has 5 As and 2 Bs, which is a 3.71 GPA. Wow. I never got such great grades until I was in college in my 30's. School doesn't come naturally to her--she has to work hard at it. I am just so proud of her.

Conor is doing really well too. I'm a little concerned about him right now behaviorally, but at least he is doing well at school.

Darren has just two weeks of full-time work. He hasn't found a second job yet, so I am starting to feel a bit nervous. I don't really know what to do. I know nagging won't help...

2008-10-19T09:34:00.002-06:00

I'm not voting McCain-Palin, but I have to admit I find Sarah Palin very engaging. I don't agree with her politics or beliefs, but she's interesting to watch. And this? Is hilarious.

The Durango has had issues since we've owned it. We've had it at the dealer several times just in the last few weeks. Hopefully tomorrow it will finally be fixed. We just don't know yet if it will be covered by the warranty. If it's not, I guess it will just sit there until we can pay off the repair bill.

Also, Darren just found out his hours are being reduced at work. The whole department is going part-time. We're gonna try our hardest to stay here, and Darren is going to get a second job. Not sure if I still am--I don't know what we'd do with the kids if we were both working two jobs. Darren will have the extra time, so it makes more sense for him to get the second job right now...

2008-10-16T06:53:00.002-06:00

I have to attend a meeting today at work that has had me freaked out for two days. I'm scared I'll burst into tears during it.

My glasses snapped in half this morning. I'm wearing the pair I had when I gave birth to Conor, who is now ten. I couldn't work out this morning because it took me twenty minutes to find them.

I need to find a second job. I can't believe I work 50 hours a week and still need a second job, but I'm trying not to dwell on that. I guess Wendy's is hiring. I'll swing by there after I take Conor to football practice.

2008-10-09T05:21:00.002-06:00

Our neighbor was, apparently, beaten to death by her roommate, who was possibly her boyfriend. Man. I'm kind of blown away.

Been working out 5 days a week since forever, it seems like. I go 45 minutes on the elliptical, which burns over 400 calories. Yay!

We have next Monday off for Ute Heritage Day. I'm excited--I could really use an extra day off.

2008-10-07T05:14:00.002-06:00

A woman in the apartments across our alley died this weekend. Homicide, but the police haven't released how yet. I didn't know her by name. Maybe by sight. There were lots of people that lived in that little apartment...

In other news, Conor is feeling much better. He even went to football practice last night and got to meet four former NFL players. They were much smaller than I would have thought--I was surprised.

2008-10-03T18:00:00.002-06:00

So first, one of my very favorite co-workers died in her sleep last night. Thanks for all the laughs, Mary Jane. I will miss you terribly.

Then, the whole day was shadowed by Conor's 101.00 temperature which he's run since Tuesday or so. I took yesterday off but today I totally had to pawn him off on my mom and dad, which I hate. But thank goodness they were able to help. Conor doesn't have strep, which concerns me even more at this point. He'll be going back to the doctor on Monday.

Then? There was a five-car pileup on the highway on my way home! All involved are just fine, FYI. I sat in traffic for about 10 minutes and then it dawned on me traffic wasn't moving. Duh. Turned around and took a side road so I could get to my sick son and weary parents faster.

And then? While stopped at a stop sign on a county road, I got rear-ended! Luckily there's no permanent damage to vehicles but boy, my neck hurts.

Then upon arriving at the oasis of my parents' house?! I stabbed Anna in the eye with a garden stake that was staking some cute red jalapenos! Don't ask. Suffice to say it sucked, and I thought it warranted a visit to the ER.

Thank goodness Darren has a cooler head. Anna's eye is a mess, but Darren decided it was just broken blood vessels. I had to get a second opinion from one of the floor nurses (thanks, Mikel!! you're adorable!) before I believed him.

Now we're home. Let's hope the roof doesn't collapse.

2008-09-26T22:13:00.002-06:00

I guess the summer got crazy. I don't really remember why, though. I didn't purposefully avoid posting. It just happened.

Things are interesting lately. Anna is in volleyball and doing well academically again this year. Conor is in football and doing an excellent job. Work is just crazy. The pets are well.

I'm absolutely not ready for winter.

2008-06-13T23:53:00.002-06:00

Hello ruby in the dust!

I only have six channels or so, and three of them are broadcasting tributes to Tim Russert. Believe me, I'm bummed too. He is (was) such a good interviewer. I will certainly miss his pointedness.

I'm in a real Neil Young phase. Sorry, but he's a genius.

Anna will be home tomorrow. I can't wait to see her.

2008-06-10T20:46:00.002-06:00

I've never had risotto in a restaurant. I've tried to make it myself, but I have no earthly idea how it's supposed to look or taste. I don't even think I've been to a restaurant that serves risotto. I'm sure I'd love it because I love rice and cheese and Italian food, so I'm hoping for a chance to try it someday.

2008-06-09T09:05:00.002-06:00

Back from the Russell reunion. It was a lovely time, as always. It's so good for my kids to catch up with their Russell aunts and uncles and cousins. We found an awesome swimming hole with 30 foot cliffs around it. Darren jumped off the highest cliff and Anna and Conor jumped off several lower ones. That was probably the best part...

We had to get Anna to the plane in Albuquerque for her trip to Washington D.C. yesterday evening, so we tore across Arizona to get her there on time.

Poor kid, she had to fly all night to get there. She landed in D.C. at 6:30 or so our time. I miss her terribly already. I hope she has a great time.

2008-06-04T20:32:00.002-06:00

It was so nice to connect with my niece and nephews. I'm finally sort of cool in Ben's eyes because I can answer 95% of his Star Wars questions. I love his hugs. His sister is so different than Anna. It's nice to have a counterpoint. I'm so lucky to have them in my life.

My niece's dance recital was amazing. I seriously had tears in my eyes at least three times, and I'm not an overly emotional person.

And it was so nice to get home! Darren gave me a dozen roses. The kids did laundry.

This weekend is the Russell family reunion. I dread going, but I know I will have a ball.

2008-05-22T23:12:00.002-06:00

We've only got four minutes to save the world!

Things are good but confusing. I don't even want to sort them out, so I'm just ducking my head and hoping time takes care of things.

Darren is camping. We won't see him until Sunday. And when I mean camping, I mean camping. He took NO food. He and his friend decided they were gonna live off the land. I voiced my opinion. I hope they catch fish.

So the kids and I are single this weekend. Party!!! Hopefully we don't get into too much trouble.

TOnight I wore a pair of Levis that I haven't worn in years. I'm proud of myself. It's a rare feeling, being proud, and I'm emjoying it.

2008-05-07T21:24:00.002-06:00

Anna's blog is under my blogger profile. I wish I knew how to have her blog under my profile without my blog saying she was posting in my blog, because she's not. Damned blogs anyway.

I can make it an hour on the elliptical trainer at 4 m.p.h. now. I've been at that level for 2 weeks, actually. I go 4 or 5 times a week, at least. I'm eating well under 2000 calories a day. It irritates me that I've only lost 15 pounds. I guess I'm one of those mythical fit fat people. At least I'm still working out, right?

Darren has been so sick. He's even on antibiotics for the first time in our marriage. He's been a bit of a rudepants, but I think he's feeling better today.

I'm headed to Oklahoma at the end of the month! We can't afford it, but I'm going anyway. I can't wait.

2008-05-04T19:02:00.002-06:00

I'm really just absolutely ridiculous.

This morning I watched "The Business of Being Born" and decided I really wanted to be a midwife. After about 20 minutes of finding out what it would mean education-wise in Colorado, I decided nevermind.

Then, while I was on the elliptical at the gym, I was watching the World Series of Poker or somesuch, and I decided I want to be a tournament (is that what it's even called?) poker player. I haven't had time to research that yet, though.

I don't wanna fade away...

2008-04-18T22:22:00.003-06:00

The first time I went to college, I met some really awesome people. We used to sit around and debate what the best rock song was. This always was my number one. The second best? Baba O'Reily. The third? Bellbottom Blues.

Amen.

2008-04-18T22:15:00.001-06:00

All praise and thanks to the Youtube gods. Guess I'm on a Lou Reed kick.

2008-04-18T21:44:00.002-06:00

I guess that I just don't know. And I guess that I just don't know. (Thank you, Lou Reed, for describing exactly how I feel once again.)

I just don't know how to feel about this whole FLDS thing. Darren and I discussed it at length, and I still don't know what to think.

As a mother, I always think of my kids first. It might not seem like it, but I do. I always try to do what's right for them. I'm pretty sure those FLDS mothers feel the same about their kids. They think what they are doing is right.

My children are descendants of polygamists. One of Darren's great-grandfathers fled to Mexico rather than give up his wives and children.

On the other hand, I simply can't imagine marrying Anna off to a fifty-year-old in a year or two. She's full of so much potential. Having babies is admirable and necessary to continue the species, but I'd really prefer she have her PhD first.

My dad had a good point. If there's abuse or the POTENTIAL for abuse, the children shouldn't be reunited with their moms. That doesn't make the situation any less easy, though.

I guess, ultimately, if my children were in a bad situation and needed help? I hope they'd get it, whether or not I was able to know what that help was.

2008-04-15T20:33:00.002-06:00

Life is just so weird. Really, I just don't get it.

One of Anna's teachers was murdered over the weekend here in sweet little Cortez over the weekend. Strangled by her boyfriend, probably. She taught Anna back during first quarter, so it's been a few months. Still. Anna's fine. I'm freaking out about it.

And then I found out a guy I went to school with died in a bit of a freak accident. He was cleaning his pool in his backyard. Meanwhile, a semi truck was hit by a minivan, lost control, rammed into several cars, and then broke through his privacy fence and hit and killed him in his backyard. Or maybe rammed him in his pool--I'm not sure. How weird. He had a wife and three kids.

2008-04-13T21:36:00.002-06:00

Wow, I'm totally exhausted again. We had a good very busy weekend.

Conor's last wrestling meet of the season was yesterday. He didn't place, but he wrestled harder and better than I have ever seen. I was so proud of him. I have to admit I'm glad that wrestling is over. After three practices and a meet each week for ten weeks, I get burned out.

Today we drove down to New Mexico so Anna could attend a dog obedience clinic. She's supposed to show Legend at the county fair in June. The clinic had a bit of agility training too, which was really fun to watch. Both Anna and Legend had a lot of fun and did really well.

Now I'm pooped, the house is a mess, and I need to do laundry!!

2008-04-06T10:32:00.002-06:00

My sister and her family came out to visit a few weeks ago. All the cousins except baby Nick got to go skiing, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa. Aren't they all adorable? Anna and Conor are in the back. Left to right up front are Ben, Katherine, and David.

2008-04-06T10:24:00.002-06:00

We watched "Donnie Darko" last night. Honestly, I wasn't blown away by it. The older I get, the more clues I need to figure things out. It did have a terrific soundtrack. Totally reminded me of my deep and abiding love for Echo and the Bunnymen.

Conor got second place at his wrestling tournament yesterday! It was so nice to see him try so hard. I really don't care if he wins or loses, but it burns my butt when he doesn't even try. Right now, he's thinking this will be his last year in wrestling. We'll see.

Anna has been sick since about Wednesday. She's never sick (unless it's appendicitis), so she's freaking me out. She woke up in the middle of the night last night crying about her ear hurting. That is just so not Anna. She hasn't had an earache since she was two, I swear. Also, her eyes are all goopy and look vaguely pink. They seem to be clearing up after some eyedrops, though.

2008-03-29T22:01:00.002-06:00

Today was the best day ever.

First, we drove to a gorgeous lake and fished for several hours. We didn't catch anything, which is just fine with me. I'm a big fan of sitting by a lake. I'm not a big fan of braining a poor little trout and then gutting him/her.

Then! We went to this cute little winery on the banks of a river. The wine isn't great, but the setting is lovely. We did buy a few bottles because we felt obligated--we tasted just about their whole winelist.

And then! After Anna's dog obedience class with Legend, we went out for dinner. We haven't been out for dinner in, I kid you not, six or so months. And the restaurant we chose just happened to have live music! And! The band sang "All Along the Watchtower"! I was thrilled.

Tomorrow, it's time to clean the yards. Bleh.