Some Days the Racing Is Rough

Last Saturday we left our idyllic camp and headed to the frontage road for the road race.

Ethan has recently started working for a landscaping company and eating, as well as not drinking enough, caught up with him at the road race. His race was 25 miles long and he had a headache (most likely from not being hydrated enough for the altitude they were racing at) even before he started. I was proud of him for working through it and racing anyhow. It had to be a bit of a pain - literally. His outcome was not a great one, but it does seemed to have provided one of those important life lessons. He saw what that lifestyle nets, now he is going to focus on eating better food, more fruit and drinking a whole lot more - just like he used to do.

Ellie's race went better than her brothers, but not as well as she usually does. She came in 6th place. Her main problem was knee pain. She has mentioned it in the last few weeks. It gets worse when she does hill climbs. At the end of this race it hurt so much that she was nearly in tears. I was concerned so we talked to her coach about it. He says that it is a common problem, especially for young ladies. It could be that she rides toed in (kind of like walking pigeon toed) or that with the near onset on puberty she may be developing hips can changing how she sits on the saddle. These issues can be taken care of, usually with ease. Sometimes it is as simple as changing the cleat position on her shoe or adding a special wedge to her cleat. If that does not work you can see a sports medicine specialist who can look at it from a medical/skeletal way. Luckily we have an Olympic Bike Fitter as one of our coaches. Another parent runs a sports medicine clinic so I was feeling like that would solve the problem. On Thursday we had Bruce adjust her cleats. That seemed to help. Then at practice she got new shoes. Pearl Izumi ( a top end company with lovely gear) donated shoes to junior cyclist and both of the kids got a pair. We transferred the cleats and she was looking like she was back to her old, fast self again.

After all of the awards were given out we went back to camp and resumed life as if we had not left. We broke out the fun cookies and Hanson's soda after a bit of romping around. Life was good again. Ethan was already planning how he would change his ways and regain the power he lost recently.

Fun on The Water & Camp Food Recipe - Cream Cheese Chicken

Friday was a postcard perfect day. We awoke to the sun peaking through the top of the tent. The birds sang a harmonious chorus of song. The kids did the usual camp activities. They played with the intertubes, they went out in the blow up row boat, biked and hiked. I had a nice time visiting with my friends and cooking. I also enjoyed petting the dogs. Her dogs are small, song, wonderful and willing to sit with me. Our dog is wonderful and willing, but too big to sit on my lap. I usually precook my meals so that I have very little trash or clean up and the flexibility to spend my time playing. One of our favorite recipes is Cream Cheese Chicken served over noodles. I precook the noodle (to semi al dente), drain them, put them in a big freezer bag with a little bit of olive oil. I then heat them up by warming about 2" of water in the pan. I use a slotted spoon to remove them. It works like a charm. This recipe is very satisfying and smells good. If I am at a camp ground and want to make friends, this is a good people magnet:

Cream Cheese Chicken

1 Pk. Italian Dressing Mix (generic works nicely)
3-4 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 Stick Butter
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
8 oz. Cream Cheese
Noodles

Saute the chicken in the butter. Next, add the dressing and stir. Then add the soup and the cream cheese. Let simmer until well blended. Serve over noodles of rice.

You can also make this in a crock pot.

Perhaps you would enjoy this, too.

Where Have We Been? Sweetwater Camp!

Last weekend we had an omnium set of races in Glenwood Springs, a fun touristy town about four hours from where we live. We knew we wanted to spend the weekend there, but that the hotels would be way out of our price range. A small college outside of town offered dorm rooms with sheetless beds for $60 a night, kids sleeping on the floor were an extra $10 a piece - I don't think so, are you kidding? My good friend, Laura, and her husband, Davis, offered a chance to camp with them. We thought this sounded like the best idea. It was one we could get excited about. Laura found it on the net and Davis scouted it out one weekend.









Davis went up Wednesday so that their family could make a small vacation of it. It also helped secure 3 great sites. It seemed as if those spots had been designed with us in mind. The largest camp was perched at the side of the hill. It fit their trailer, dog pens, shade awning and enough chairs for all of us to visit together. It even sported a giant picnic table. The view from this spot was magnificent. From there you could look over the lake, enjoy the sunset and see the surrounding hills. The other two sites were tent sites (perfect for us) that were very private. They were perched just above the trailer spot. All three shared a common chunk of parking space. Just down the hill you could launch a small boat or intertubes. You could easily walk to the bath room, but were not close enough to hear the door slam. It made us happy.



We arrived on Thursday, set up our camp and then got serious about having fun. They boys went on a hike to a Ute cave up on the side of one of the mountains. At the entrance you signed your name and emergency contact information in a book. Then you got to explore. When you came out you crossed off the emergency information. That way they knew you had safely exited. It was a bit of splunking and they loved it. When the boys returned, in all their dirt and mud glory, they had tales to tell of tight spots, sharp corners and cave dwelling creatures. They boughtback "treasures" that included an oily rag someone used as a torch and a bottle cap.


The girls had a different idea of fun. They pumped up the intertubes and went for a bit of floating on the small lake. They found that they could like the tubes with a small device on the side of each tube. The water was cool and sparkly. It was just the ticket for a lazy bit of afternoon fun.

The rest of us enjoyed each other's company. They brought their dogs, so I got a good bit of petting in. They are Havanese. They are small, soft and a bit more compliant than a cat. Myra was happy to have me pet her for over an hour. She even gave me hugs and kisses from time to time.

As the evening encroached we began to prepare dinner.The troops returned from their various adventures. Laura and I cooked. We sat down together and enjoy the meal. Once the night had taken hold we had a small fire along with the roasting of marshmallows and making of smorses. (These are sandwiches made by placing a hot, roasted marshmallow between two bits of graham crackers and a chunk of chocolate - YUM!)

It was late by the time we were done. We all went to bed happy and excited to see what the next day would bring.

IPOD Drama

Ellie got an IPOD Nano from Grandma and Grandpa last Christmas. She was thrilled. Her dad admired it. She saw this and hatched a plan to earn money to buy one for her dad. Little did he know that was the reason she was asking so many people for odd jobs for pay that she could do. IPOD dropped the price for a shuffle from nearly $70 to around $50 in late April. Ellie saw this and intensified her efforts. Then she had me take her to Sam's Club where she bought a blue shuffle for her dad. She knew he wanted a big one with a screen, but this was her only viable option. She proudly purchased her item and gave it to her daddy who was waiting for us in the cafe. He was THRILLED. They had such a good time picking out music. Ellie especially loved showing him how to use it. She beamed each time he would clip it on (although she forbade him from using it when riding his bike). She had found the perfect non-Ellie-made present. We tried to get her to understand how important being Ellie-Made is, but I think she thought we were just trying to make her feel better about non-purchased presents. We also learned, after a while, because she could not keep a secret, that Ethan was going to buy one for me.

Then the bottom fell out in a BIG, TERRIBLE way. Larr found that he could get an IPOD Classic for both he and I with "thank you" points from our credit card. He was gleeful, Ellie was crushed. When Ellie found this out she was inconsolable. She took it from her coloring table in her room where they had shared it and threw it in the trash. Then she took it out and tried to see if she could make it so that it could be returned. She felt crushed and spurned. It broke my heart. She would not let either of us touch her. She would not talk with us. Nothing seemed to help. She wept, no, sobbed, for a few hours. She went to bed alone, without a little reading together, without a kiss, etc. I wondered how we would solve or get through this problem.

The IPODs arrived yesterday. Ellie was upset, again. She cried, again, but not so hard this time. She tried to throw away the shuffle, again. Larr got it out of the trash and tried to explain to her how he STILL loved it and how it still made him feel special that she would buy it for him. In the end we had to go to mountain bike practice. We wanted her to go with us, she did not want to go. He picked up Ellie and the IPODs and put them in the car. Once we had a picnic dinner she got out my IPOD and began to examine it. Apparently it is okay that I have one. I am not sure if she is at peace with her daddy having one. Only time will tell...

Hammering, Riding and Getting Dizzy

(photos are coming soon - I promise)

Right after school was out on Friday Ethan and I headed out to Loveland for the Hammer In. He was so excited because he had his first paycheck from his first paying job and he was ready to get some blacksmithing gear. When we arrived we found that our usual spot for the van and the tent were left open for us and the truck next to us had a few items, including a forge, for sale. Ethan looked it over a bit, unpacked a bit, looked it over again, helped me put up the tent, talked to a few blacksmithing friends, looked it over again and by the end of the night he negotiated a good deal on a complete, handmade forge. The man who made it, Levi, is an electrician by trade and an man who builds things to last so the forge is heavy duty and comes with a little extras, like three ways to control the blower motor. Ethan was pleased as punch.!

Saturday I cooked and he blacksmithed he made himself a fire poker, a fire race and a forge mop. There were also a few new people there, including Brian Brazeal, a master blacksmith who recently returned from his blacksmithing tour of Europe and Australia. All of the smiths were thrilled to sit, watch, listen and learn. Brian makes wonderful, unusual things, like a two space hanger with a dragon head, chess pieces and so on. Much of what he sells is done on Ebay.

The other cooks and I were busy all day we served: smoked pork ribs, cumin & sugar crusted pork loin, chicken fried steak, meat calizones, white chili with pheasant, brandied chicken, wild rice with leeks and bison, quail pie, olive & onion pie, Colorado coleslaw, mashed potatoes with gravy, buttermilk pie, blueberries & banana pice, strawberry rhubarb pie, caramel apple pie, spice cake with rhubarb topping, spice cake with apple topping (called "bear in t he orchard"), strawberry fritters, sopipia cheese cake (Ethan's favorite) and chocolate cake. We threw good eating habits to the wind and really enjoyed the meal. Ethan ate 3 plates of food! He ate so much that he was not hungry until late afternoon on Sunday.

Ellie, on the other hand, spend time with dad on Friday. They colored, took the dog for a walk and enjoyed having time together. Saturday Ellie went racing she placed 5th in the John Stenner Memorial 2008 Colorado Junior Time Trial Championship. She said there was a terrible headwind and she was not at all pleased with how her time/ place came out. She missed 4th place by about 28 seconds and 1st place by less than two minutes. I asked her if she had a good time. She said she did. I told her that was the most important part. Later that day she spent the night at Emily's house and had fun. One thing she thought was funny was when one of the chickens jumped up on her when she was in the hammock and began pecking at the design on her shirt. She said it felt funny.

Sunday came and Ethan was sad to go home, but not too bummed because we went to Elitche's (an amusement park) with the extended family - all 12 of us. Ellie & Daddy, along with an extra cousin or two, did the roller coasters. By the afternoon his head was spinning. He was still spinning this morning and has decided that one or two roller coaster rides should do it for him in the future. Ethan, a few more cousins and I took the more spinning, twirling route and had a good time. My favorite part was not the rides, but the shows. I loved the Hot Diggity Dog show with agility dogs. The Crique show was really fun as well.

Mountian Bike Practice, Photoshop & Blacksmithing

Mountain Bike practice took place for the first time on Tuesday. Ethan was excited to go. It takes place at the Aldefer Three Sisters Open Space Park in Evergreen. It is an amazingly beautiful place. As Ethan rode his bike Reisha (our Golden Retervier) and I walked. We both loved the variety of wild flowers to be found. The wild iris were so different from the ones I grow in my own garden. The other plant above was a real find, though I don't know what it is called. We had a nice 2 hour stroll. She slept like a baby when we got home.

Wednesday I began my Photoshop class. It is something I have wanted to do for a few years. I am really enjoying it, but it is already kicking my butt as it pushes me to think in a way my brain is not used to. I want to be good at it and be able to know how to do stuff automatically by the end of the class. We talked about file formats and then fixed CameraRaw images as well as some from a stock photo site. Very Cool!

This evening Ethan and I are off to Hammer In, a blacksmithing camp we do each year. I will have cools pic.s on Monday.

A Penny For Your Thoughts - My Son as Begins to Give Back

There are moments in your life that you want to remember. Things said or done that tug at your heart, confirn your belief that your child is a good person and that you are being a successful parent. Last night was one of those nights. It really touched me and I thought it was worth sharing. It seems important now, but I also know how easy it is to forget the little things, too.

Last night Ethan and I were at the grocery story getting some food for the week. On Friday he got his first ever pay check and was feeling like he could take over his expenses. He pondered what he would buy for himself. When we were checking out he glanced over at the galloping horse ride that seem to be in every King Soopers/City Market grocery store. He fondly remembered the times when he would walk over as a young lad and find a penny (or three, as happened one time) on the box where the changes goes into the machine. He always felt so lucky to find the money are go for a free ride. As he shared those memories with me he was fishing around in his pocket and came up with a penny. I also found one in my purse. He said that he wanted other kids to have the same thrill and has vowed to leave pennies on the horse ride every time he thinks of it. Even before we were done a little girl with a spring in her step and swishing dark hair found the penny Ethan had laid there. Just has he had hoped, she was thrilled by the magic of finding the good luck he left for her. She rode the horse with joy and giggles. Ethan enjoyed watching her. He said he was glad it was her. He says he will make sure to do this same act every time he can. My heart warmed. My son, almost 15 and nearing adulthood, has seen the value of selfless giving and wants to begin giving back. It makes me proud.