Haikus and Other Things

What do you do when

There's too much to blog about?

I'm paralyzed.

* Not really. Almost, though.
*Click the button to get to Laura's for more poetry and haikus!

Our Week

(Or why my calves are killing me and the laundry pile is waist-high)

Monday: Went hiking with this guy (Dominic, 15) up to the Walker's Castle ruins in Mt. Falcon, CO. Met Dan for dinner, then went school shopping. Left right after breakfast in the morning and didn't get home until after 10 p.m. Good thing I'm still young and spry. (HA! I was draggin' by the time we got home...) I'll download more photos of this awesome hike later, but here's a sneak peek:

All that remains now

of a castle in the sky

Where are the treasures?

Tuesday: Took this fella (Kevin, 20, sneering here because he hasn't had that first sip yet) up on the same hike to the castle ruins. He hadn't been up there and I didn't mind going again -- though my legs were aching (Yeah, just a bit...) from the hike Monday.

(There's another sneak peak, below.)

Oh, yeah: We also met Dan for dinner at a sports pub after our hike, where we played a national-participation trivia game. I'm awful at trivia, but won the twenty-questions segment because I know what a trousseau is. Woohoo! (Imagine the other sports bar patrons not knowing what a trousseau is.)

Wednesday: I got to spend the day -- the whole day! -- with this guy. (This pic of my honey, Dan, was actually taken last year in San Francisco... I just used it here because I like it.). Wednesday Morning: After the mandatory special-event-stop at Starbucks, we went to the Denver Zoo -- a very strange experience without a bunch of kids in tow. To compensate for the weirdness, we talked about the kids the whole time. We thought this fella (below) had William's exact same grumpy face.

I'd be grumpy, too.

Watching people watching me

Would get old real quick.

Wednesday Afternoon: After the zoo (where it's all happenin') we went to the Molly Brown house. They don't let you take pictures inside the museum, and for some reason, I forgot to take pictures outside. (Too busy hobnobbing with the other museum patrons, I guess...) But it was a great tour and a beautiful old home. Margaret Brown (she didn't really go by "Molly") was a fascinating, wonderful woman, and a devout Catholic. I highly recommend the Molly Brown House as a must-see for anyone visiting Denver.

Margaret Tobin Brown:

A million dollars

And a century apart.

I would have liked her.

After the tour and a spin around the museum gift shop, we drove around downtown (a maze of one-way streets) and found a parking space handy to Coors Field, then went and got our tickets. The Rockies have a very special deal for their die-hard, yet financially-strapped fans: it's called the Rockpile. Tickets for stadium seating are only $4 a piece, and for the price they really are the best seats in the house -- if you don't mind hiking up to them. But what's a little more hiking, right? You have to get to the stadium early, though, to get a space in the Rockpile; they generally sell out hours before the game begins. We were one of the first in line, so we got our tickets easily, then walked over to cool off (93 degrees outside!) over lunch in an Irish Pub nearby called Fado. I had Guinness (of course) and a grilled chicken sandwich. Caithiseach!

Wednesday Afternoon/Early Evening: Found our way to Denver's famous bookstore (well, at least it's famous here..), the Tattered Cover, where I perused and Dan snoozed. I'm not kidding! He found a comfy chair and really did take a nap -- while I jotted down a page full of wish list books and giggled over cards and calendars. (Any relatives, btw, who would like a copy of my list to keep in mind for future gifting events, please contact me. &;o) Y'all know how very hard I am to shop for...)

When Dan woke up, we headed back to Coors Field and took in the game. Rockies vs. Pirates. We womped 'em (poor things) 8-0. It was huge fun -- the first time in thirteen years (since Michelle was a baby) that I've gotten to go to a baseball game and not be in charge of herding children!

Wednesday Night, after the game:

See my tired feet

Who have worked so very hard.

Taken for granted.

Thursday: Since the teenagers have been in charge practically all week, I needed to take an accounting of what I've been missing. (What an absentee Mom I've been!) But the house was/is relatively clean and the children happy. Jon has been printing out Saint's Day coloring pages every day for the little ones and someone has been organizing the outdoor maintenance very handily; all the mowing and trimming is caught up and the animals are all fed. But the laundry pile is growing and the pantry is bare. I had to put some laundry on and squeeze in an early morning grocery shopping trip before taking Jon to his drivers' test at one o'clock. Which he passed easily. Here's our newest driver:

Friday Morning, 6:30 AM: The boys finished their packing and loaded the car. Kevin is headed for the Seminary, Jon to donate a year of service to the Church, and Dominic back to school in Omaha. Michelle is going along for the ride and will be back Sunday, but we won't see the boys again until they come home for Paul's wedding this fall.

I had to have a picture of the three before they left, of course.

Try 1:

Try 2:

Try 3:

Shoot. I give up.

Love these guys. I'm going to miss them.

Bonus silliness from the week: What the Littles were up to the day I left my camera behind.

William chilling out... on my bed.

Cathy perfecting her Jacob's Ladder technique.

I don't know what Gabe's buddy, Lester, has been up to here, but he looks exhausted.

Here's Anna, 6, apparently trying to get an idea of what the bow on top of her head looks like. You know, it's impossible to see the top of your head in a mirror... But this worked.

*And now I'd better get away from this computer and get some laundry going! Blessings and happy Friday, everyone!