Today I went to Aurora for my passport appointment. Everything went as planned and they asked me to come back at 2:00 to pick up my passport. That gave me time to go back to Colorado Springs, pick up the family (Lily had packed and gotten the kids all ready), grab brunch and head back to Aurora. At 2:00, I got my passport!
Here we are at brunch at The Market of the Gods & Cafe:
People were watching Tennis while waiting for food
On the way home we finished The Hobbit and the older folks in the car LOVED IT. We got perpetally more and more drawn in until by the end Lily and I were waiting on every word with bated breath. Mary and Lydia loved it so much too. That book truly is a masterpiece.
Also, as we were driving home, we were absolutely STUNNED by the scenery going through the Colorado mountains. The fall colors put the whole scene over the top. I think it is one of the prettiest drives I have EVER been on, rivaled only by Mt. Olympus in Greece (which was also in the fall).
I asked Lily to take pictures. She took picture or two and a short video and refused to take any more because she said it was depressing how poorly the photos captured the grandeur of the scenery. The yellows were glowing. It was so gorgeous!
Then Ammon announced he had to pee. At first it seemed like a big inconvenience, but the stop really worked out. Not only did the kids all get a snack at the vending machine, but the rest stop was a gorgeous area right next to the river and we read all about the stretch of road we were on called Glenwood Canyon. It turns out is the most celebrated stretch of Interstate in the United States, and for good reason! Below is some of the information we found at that rest stop as well as a video of the rest stop area.
We also got some fun pictures!
We pulled in around 11PM. How I love traveling with my family!
This morning we woke up to beautiful Pike’s Peak which was the inspiration of the “America, America” song. Gorgeous isn’t it!
We all woke up early and got ready for the day and left by 7:45 so we could catch my 9:00 Passport appointment in Aurora……except that I didn’t double-check my appointment time and my appointment was actually at 8, even though I remembered it being at 9. Whoops! I felt bad and stressed because I already have very little time to pull off getting my India Visa after I get my passport, but it was what it was, and I scheduled for a new appointment tomorrow morning.
That gave us a whole day to spend as a family. Lily, as always, was our amazing guide for what to do. She promptly bought us tickets to the Pike’s Peak Cog train. A Cog train has a gear going down the center of the track to help it go up and down the really steep grades (over 20% in places).
While sitting in the train, they announced that it would be 28 degrees at the top of the mountain and suggested last stops for sweat shirts for underprepared families. I also saw the windows were open on the train and I panicked (I didn’t not realize the windows would all close towards the top to help the train stay cool). I ran quickly to the gift shop and bought 4 extra sweatshirts for the family, not being totally sure what I was buying because I was hurrying so fast.
The trip up the mountain was absolutely STUNNING and we loved our conductor who shared so much interesting information and made funny jokes.
At the top, I wanted to explore, but everyone else was very cold and wanted to stay inside the visitor’s center.
Here is a close up view of the cog in the center of the track.
While wandering around, I got some good pictures and videos to capture the grandeur of the view and terrain. I also had time to commune with God and myself, and find peace and balance. It was a peace inducing experience for me.
Here is the original structure built at the top in the 1800s. Winds can get up to 200 MPH up here (highest wind was clocked at 180, but it broke the measuring device and people think that day winds got over 200.)
I was delighted to find the trail that could take one down the mountain. It really reminded me of the landscape for the last bit of the King’s Peak climb in Utah.
The way down was equally gorgeous and we played fun games like thumb-wars.
Here are some video links to capture some of the downward journey.
After our train ride, we went to have lunch in Manitou Springs. It was fun to research mountains over lunch. We learned that the top 100 tallest mountains in the world are all in the Himalayas (by a long shot), the top tallest mountains in the US are in Alaska, and none of the top peaks are East of Colorado etc.
Another Spring! Ammon made a funny joke yesterday when he said, “no don’t drink the water, we will all live forever! Just kidding.” It was a funny nod to Tuck Everlasting when we were trying one of the Springs.
Outside of the restaurant
After lunch, Lydia went shopping with mom while I took Mary, Ammon and Clarissa to the arcade. I think we were all happy with our respective choices.
It was so fun for me to introduce all the kids to pinball for the first time. Lydia met up with us after shopping and even played a little pinball too.
After the arcade, we went to the Olympic and Para-Olympic training center in Colorado Springs. I had no idea that the US Headquarters for the Olympic and Para-Olympic Committee was in Colorado Springs. The campus used to be an Air Force campus, and when the Air Force shut it down, Colorado Springs gave it to the Olympic and Para-Olympic Committee for $1 because Colorado Springs really wanted the Committee to make their headquarters there. The plan work!
We did not visit the headquarters building or the museum, but we visited the training facility for the Olympics and Para-Olympics. World-class athletes 18 and older can live and/or train here if they desire.
We met a world-class rifle-shooter who won a gold medal at the Pan-American Para-Olympic games. He lives at the facility.Air rifle and rifle shootingWeight roomSwim lanes with warm (82 degrees or thereabouts) water. Also those yellow tubs hold weight that athletes have to lift while swimming in the water. Michael Phelps has swam here, I believe for training.Michael Phelps won over 20 medals. Trischa won oover 50 and is the most decorated US athlete in history.Those buildings are the living quarters.Wrestling
We got super fortunate to see some men’s gymnastics. They were competing here to see who would qualify for the men’s gymnastics team to join the national team in the upcoming world competition in London. They were amazing!!!
Then we went back to Manitou Springs (which we have fallen in love with) to walk around it again and eat dinner. Then the most unexpected and tragic thing happened. Lily was driving (because I was feeling tired) and as we pulled up to a crosswalk at the other side of an intersection, we saw a lady crossing the street get hit by an e-biker going very fast. A car had stopped for the pedestrian and the e-biker went around the car to keep going and accidentally slammed right into the pedestrian. The pedestrian amazingly only fell to the ground with relatively minor bumps and got right up. The e-biker however lost control and flew off his bike. He was not wearing a helmet and his head hit the ground hard. I ran out the car and tried to remember everything I could from my days as a first aid instructor, which unfortunately was not much. I knelt down and kept calling to him, and he wouldn’t respond. I kept telling him he would be ok and help was on the way. He wasn’t moving or responding, and I knew that moving him could further injure him so I just stayed there with him while people called for help. He was face down in the asphalt and his head was badly bleeding. When help arrived, I talked with the pedestrian who was shook up, but O-K. I then gave a witness statement and headed back to Lily. Lily was very traumatized and we spent time reflecting on how her trauma and sympathy for the person most badly hurt changed the details in her mind to suggest that the woman was on a bike and she was the one being careless and caused the accident. We both felt new appreciation for how people can experience things in ways that were not objectively true especially when trauma is involved.
While I was at the injury scene, Lily was talking to bystanders and the kids were playing in the park.
Ammon had fun burying his gold medal (he and Clarissa each got one as a gift at the tour from the tour guide). It got less fun when Ammon couldn’t find his gold medal that he buried. We tried helping him to find it for a few minutes, and then gave up. We wondered if someone else found it and left with it. Ammon was crying and so so sad about it. To make it up to him, we let him choose the prize for our arcade tickets later in the night. He cashed them out for candy.
Our group was a bit shook up by what we had witnessed, and my heart aches for that man who was in very bad shape. I’m encouraged by the fact that he eventually came to and was shouting to the paramedics “I will sue your a@#!”. He definitely still had some life in him. Lily and I took the moment to tell our kids to always always always wear their helmet and to always be careful when riding a bike. I believe if this man would have been wearing a helmet, he would have fared way way way better and maybe even gotten up and been able to walk off.
After cashing in our arcade tickets, we saw another spring. It was not working, but we used our imaginations and pretended to drink the water.
We ate at a Tibetan restaurant and it was delicious!
Afterwards, the family got ice cream and I got chocolate goodies.
I enjoyed this sign on the way home
When we got home, we all played ping-pong and foose-ball for about an hour. It was so fun to just cut loose and play those games with my kids. I love my family so much!
Today was a wonderful day, with the exception of our heartache for the man who got in an accident. They had to take him away in an ambulance and he was clearly hurt very badly. I pray he recovers ok.
Today We got out at a decent time (8:30?) and we drove to Great Sand Dines Naitonal Park. We continued to enjoy the Hobbit on the way as well as some children’s audio books for Ammon and Clarissa.
When we arrived it was cold and rainy. We checked the forecast and knew that it might be that way. Unfortunately, Lily did not pack anything other than nice sandals and she was also in shorts so she stayed in the car while I went and had fun with the kids on the dunes. Even though it was cold and raining on and off, we still had a ton of fun.
On the way there, we had to cross a stream that formed on the sand from the rain. Also, Lydia and Mary were trying different ways to move their bodies (running backwards, side-stepping, straight-leg stepping) and rating how much they liked each method and they had me try a few methods and rate them as well. It was great fun and I captured it here in this video:
After walking on the flat sand for a while, we climbed a small dune hill and the kids played on it. It was really interesting to see how stepping in the sand would break the wet crust (from the rain) and expose the dry sand underneath:
On the way back, we charged the hill as though we were the riders of Rohan:
And we also pretended to be characters from The Hobbit
And of course, Clarissa was obsessed with water.
On the way out, I did a quick 8 minute jog to see a trail that I wanted to see (Montville Nature Trail). It was a very short .5 mile loop and very pretty.
Then we drove the three hours back to Colorado Springs and went to tour Air Force Academy. The whole experience was a treasure. The campus is in an incredible forest right on the base of beautiful Colorado mountains. The movie we watched talked all about how cadets are broken down their first week (Day 2 they are woken with bangs and screams at their doors) and the built up throughout the rest of the year to understand principles of integrity, honor and team first. It is a special school and it was clear that people really value their time there (from the video). After watching the movie, we went on the trail to take us to the famous church (intended for both faith-based and non-faith-based moral centers). The church was closed for renovations (and completely enclosed) so we didn’t get to see it, but the trail was beautiful and the weather was nice. I’ll post a picture of the chapel from online to show what it looks like when it’s not covered up.
We weren’t able to see this because it was covered.
Below is a video of the trail to and from the church:
After our amazing trip to Air Force Academy, we went to Old Colorado in Coloradoo Springs and ate at a cantina service Mexican food (Westside Cantina). It had a Mexican Wrestler theme (luchador and had very interesting pictures on the walls.
We were a bit nonplussed by Old Colorado and Lily had the idea to go to Manitou Springs for desert so we headed there.
We were SO charmed by Manitou Springs! Our family LOVES carbonated water and there are naturally carbonated spring water taps all around Manitou Springs! The weather was gorgeous and we all went to a candy shop (Lily went to a donut shop) and we all got sweets. Then we just walked all around that charming town and we bumped into 4 of the Spring taps and tried the water from each of them. We all felt merry and just chatted the whole time feeling happy. Lily was feeling blue and stressed today, but I think Manitou Springs was a highlight for her as well. It was my favorite part of the whole day. Here are some pictures!
I loved the water so much, after we all loaded in the car, I stopped by a spring tap one more time to fill up three of our water bottles.
I was up until after 1:00 last night finishing up all my work. Lily has also been exhausted from how hard she has been pushing it. Both she and I felt we were hit especially hard this week and it was delicious to sleep in. Then we packed up and were out the door for Colorado Springs by Noon.
Why are we going to Colorado Springs this weekend? Well, I am supposed to fly to India in one week and as I was applying for my India Visa a few days ago, I learned that India will not allow me to travel there if my Passport expires within 6 months of the dates of my trip. I immediately called the US Passport office and learned that the only way for me to make my trip is for me to get an expedited in-person Passport appointment, and the closest place for that to happen is at Aurora, Colorado. And so a few days ago, I scheduled my appointment and walked upstairs and announced to the family that we were going to go to Colorado over the weekend.
The drive to Colorado Springs was 9.5 hours and as always, Lily picked out an amazing audio book for us to listen to. She picked The Hobbit orated by Andy Serkis. He is the one who did the voice and acting (the CG was based on his movements) for Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies. His oration was jaw-dropping, especially when it got to the parts with Gollum! But really, every voice was incredible and he brought the book to life in the most wonderful way. The older ones in the car really loved listening to The Hobbit
On the way to Colorado Springs we saw some gorgeous scenery with the leaves changing:
We also noticed (I believe from our map) that Colorado National Monument was right on the way (near Grand Junction). We are suckers for National Monuments, so we decided to go.
It reminded us so much of Mesa Verde. The topography was so gorgeous and the red rock with greenery reminded us of Sedona. We went on a very short hike (Otto’s Trail).
At first, I was a bit annoyed three of the kids were taking so long to walk because they were filling out their junior ranger books while walking. But then I thought it was cute and I took a video. Eventually, I took the books from thee little kids because we were on top of a fingerlike narrow pass on the mesa with cliffs on both sides, and the pathway was starting to get more narrow (hence the need to focus on where they were going). There were railings at the tip of the finger and it was amazing to look out.
On the way back, I made fun with Clarissa a bit when she was complaining about how long it was (Round trip it was 2/3 of a mile):
It was a such a great half-way break to stretch our legs and get some sun. We then ate at QDoba in Grand Junction and drove the rest of the way to our lovely AirBnB which Lily booked for us.
Mary was home sick again today and she spent time with Clarissa.
After the little kids went down, I stayed up late and helped Mary with her school project. She had to make something out of pencils that demonstrated some STEM principles. We found some random parts in the garage and used them with pencils and super-glue to make a windmill. It was so fun making it with her!
Yesterday was so busy that we did not actually sing to Mary and have cake. But today we made it up to Mary both during the day (she stayed home sick) and after dinner. We love you Mary!
Today Mary turned 10! Even though she has been sick, she insisted on waking up at 6:00 and making breakfast (largely by herself) for the entire family before it was time to go to school. I had so much fun eating breakfast with everyone. Thank you Mary and Lily! Over breakfast we took a video of everyone saying what they love about Mary.
While the oldest kids were at school, I slipped away from my office and took Clarissa to the bike shop to pick out a bike for Mary and also a bike for Ammon (his birthday is next week). We ate at Chick-Fillet while they were putting anti-pop slime in the tires.
Back at home, I put a bow Lily got on the bike and put it on the counter so she would be surprised after school.
Then I took a video with Clarissa to talk about our daddy-daughter date and then we took another video to capture Mary coming home to the surprise bike.
I then went back to work until it was time to go to the play! To celebrate Mary’s birthday, Lily got tickets to “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” at the Sandy Hale Theater and coordinated with my dad and Suzanne to join us. It was so much fun and the story of Molly Brown is INCREDIBLE.
Clarissa is hyperClarissa has crashed 🙂
We love you so so so much Mary! You are cute! You love people and animals and show that with your actions! You work hard at the piano, read, help around the house, help with Ammon and Clarissa and all around make life better. You are responsible, smart, hard-working and peaceful. We love love love you. Keep up your beautiful artwork!!
Today after work, I helped Nick to move out of his apartment. Some new people moved into his apartment and decided they didn’t like him and made some complaints against him that resulted in an eviction. It’s a very sad story and it has caused him immense grief. I helped put him up in a hotel, and we are storing his things while he gets things sorted out. We are praying that he finds something soon. We love Nick!
I took a break from helping Nick to see Mary perform at the piano finals. She (and Lily) have worked so incredibly hard. Mary did her best, but unfortunately her nose decided to turn on like a faucet and run throughout her piece. It was so distracting for Mary, and at one point Mary took her hand off the piano just to wipe her nose. Mary did not play very well because of the distraction, but she did amazing under the circumstances and it was still a very valuable experience for her. We love you Mary!
Today I woke up feeling fine, which was unexpected given how ill I felt as I went to bed. I was happy to feel well enough to attended the last part of my high school reunion (that I went to) which was a hike to St. Mary’s Lake starting from Brighton Ski resort.
The weather and trail were beautiful and it was so fun to go a little deeper with my friends on learning about what they’ve been up to. One of my friends, Genevieve, played a huge role in the testing and vaccine roll-out in Durham North Caroline and it was really interesting to learn all about that. I also told Charlie all about the crisis happening with the Great Salt Lake.
I dropped some people off and then headed home for Mary’s birthday dinner with Nana! Mary and Lily made chocolate cake which we froze and will eat another day. Dinner was a delicious souffle Lily made along with watermelon and a salad with our garden tomatoes. While preparing dinner, it was cute to see the kids interacting with and playing with Georgia.
After dinner, Mary opened up here presents from Georgia which you can see below.
After I dropped of Georgia, I came home for a bit to help put kids down and then I went to visit Nick at work who recently got an eviction notice and is going through a tremendously dark period right now. Lily and I also stayed up late working through some things.
This morning we all woke up and went to get flu shots. All of us, that is, except for Mary, who has a piano competition and so we did not want her arm getting sore. They happened to get their Covid boosters in yesterday too, so Lily and I unexpectedly got our Covid shots as well. The kids also got some extra shots they were due for.
Everyone handled their shots very calmly except for Clarissa. She asked to go last and when it was her turn, Lily held her hand while she lied down and we played music from Tuck Everlasting. When the shots happened, she burst into tears and we had to console her. Sweet girl.
Speaking of Mary’s piano competition, Lily went and took this video. Mary and Lily have been working so incredibly hard on the piece and it really shows in this video. I’m so proud of you Mary!
We found out later in the day that she qualified to go to the final competition on Monday! The notes about her performance are below:
I left around 9:30 to meet up with my friends to play ultimate Frisbee. It was honestly one of the highlights of my whole year. Was a ringleader for getting Frisbee together in high-school and some of my happiest life memories are playing Frisbee. As my friend Charlie said today, “there are few feelings in life that are better than catching a frisbee at the top of your jump in full stride.” I ran my heart out for an hour just feeling pure joy. One of my friends compared me to a gazelle, lol. It felt just like old high school Frisbee times and it was so so fun. After Frisbee, we all just chatted and then I played some basketball with Lesi, Artem and Seth.
After sports in the morning, I went to the officially organized reunion luncheon. It was incredible to so people that I hadn’t seen in 20 years! I know not everyone loves their high-school experience, or that it can be very mixed. But for me, high school was not mixed. I loved every year, and it just got better and better until my Senior Year was so happy that it was by far the happiest year of my life before meeting Lily and having a family. Being with all the people that helped make is special was a profound experience for me. I did have some embarrassment with forgetting names (and my hair was a mess, I was sweaty and in gymn clothes from having just woken up and played sports), but I really just basked in the awe of seeing all these wonderful people again after so many years and learning about how their lives turned out.
Because I got in late last night from bowling and still woke up early (inadvertently), I was feeling tired after all the activity and I went to my dads house to nap in my car for a while (all his furniture is moved out). I then showered and dressed for the evening.
I picked Anthony up and we drove to a reception hall call, “The Shop” and we had a dinner and a dance. Again, it was so amazing seeing old friends and catching up with people. I saw some funny (and embarrassing) photos that we on display as well. We had Cafe Rio, which was a repeat from yesterday, but it was so delicious, I didn’t mind at all.
When it was time to dance, I had a sinking feeling. I’m not good at dancing and I haven’t danced for probably 4 years at the last daddy daughter dance at the LDS church. I decided to just keep chatting with people (which got harder with the blaring music). But then I saw my friend Anthony dancing away with everyone and somehow that inspired me, so I jumped in and did a lot of dancing with my friends. I went from feeling like there was not one piece of me to do that, to having a blast and just letting go. That is the power of friends and music.
Speaking of friends and music, when everything wound up at the dinner/dance, we all went to Genevieve’s house. I brought my karaokee machine and we did Karaokee, and I played ping pong. I left around midnight because I was tired, but some people stayed up chatting until 4:30 in the morning!
It’s a good thing I left when I did because on the way home, I starting feeling very sick from my Covid Booster, and I had full on chills by the time I got home. What a great day!
