Change

Granted, there are a lot of things changing in the Peavy household right now. Marshall started a new job. I'm no longer working. We'll have to change the way we'll think about our budgeting for a while. But, I'm talking about change around the really important stuff. 

The place where Marshall and I got engaged is being demolished.  I actually drove by the other day to see if there was any way to "get in" by chance, but the entire structure is surrounded by a fence and a nice banner hangs from the hotel window promoting its future demise.

The Four Points by Sheraton Hotel on I-25 and Hampden that is scheduled to be demolished.

The hotel bar where we got engaged. We were sitting over by the window.

There is nothing particularly romantic about this bar. Actually, there isn't anything about this bar that is romantic. However, it was the place where Marshall and I met for "happy hour" one night after work (not our first official date). We had invited others, but we were the only ones that showed up.  It was definitely here that we had our first "connection" and although it wasn't officially a date, we both knew we had met someone special. And, it was here about nine months later that Marshall asked me to be his wife. 

The hotel is still standing and part of me would love to sneak in for just one more look before our special spot is gone. It's funny - this hotel is not far from where we live now and other than taking our parents there for their first meeting (soon after we got engaged), I don't think we have been back. I guess we won't get the chance now. For now, the restaurant we went to after the bar is still standing.

Another place near our house, America's Bar and Grill, is no longer as well. 

It was here I hung with friends from DU, where Jaima first met Marshall at one of the CIC happy hours, and where Marshall and I went to eat the night before I went into labor with Drake. Guess the spicy wings did the trick and kicked me into labor.  

It obviously makes me sad that places are gone. The good news is that I am not terribly picky about where I drink my beer so I'm sure we'll find new places with new memories. And most importantly, Marshall's still around and no matter what building is demolished, he is my true pillar of strength.

Random Thursday Thoughts

Not surprisingly this week, I have had some more random thoughts. Maybe it is because I don't have to worry about which campaign I am working on, what project is next at work, or what report I need to complete.

• Wonders if the folks from Lowe's here to stack my washer and dryer saw the beer bottle on the family room table and thought I was drinking it today?
• Thinks it is funny that when D-man was reading "A Fish Out Of Water" to me, he referred to the owner of the pet shop as "Mr. Crap" (instead of Mr. Carp). I never did correct him - it was too darn funny. 
• Considering my son thinks someone would be named "Mr. Crap",  I believe him when he says he doesn't know the "F word" (even though some kid said he said it and Drake received a detention because of this tattling). And yes, D-man has been asking me all week what the "F word" is....
• Couldn't believe I was busted by my 3 year old when he found his art work in the trash. "I want the Christmas tree on the refrigerator Mommy". 
• Thinks it is sad that one of the big concerns of losing my job is making sure we have health insurance at all times and follow all the right "rules" to ensure this..... 

Skates, Drake, and Cake

This past weekend we celebrated D-man's birthday with an ice skating party. I am so happy that D-man and I went the weekend before to practice. At the party, he put on his skates and took off (it probably helped to have a friend that is a good skater and someone he had to keep up with!). We even got T-man out on the ice with the help of a cone and Marshall and I enjoyed taking a few laps on the ice as well.

D-man also enjoyed his school and home "parties" as well. When he woke up on his birthday, I heard him say, "ah-yi-yi". Needless to say, he was a bit excited. Many wishes for more happy, happy birthdays to come D-man.

Busy Week, Bad Timing?

I wanted a February baby. I don't know why, I just did (maybe because I thought 02/03/04 would be a cool birthday). Of course, my eldest son had other plans. Six years ago in January, I went into labor. It didn't go anything like I planned, and the D-man was born as January baby. Ten days early and definitely an exciting end to our January.

 

D-MAN

During this week last year, Dad's stroke occurred, and this year, I was let go from Sun. As my co-worker pointed out, my Dad's stroke had an amazing outcome. And of course, my son is such a positive addition to our lives. Although being laid off doesn't feel great right now, I can only think that the layoff that happened at the end of January 2010 will also have a great outcome. Not that you can ever plan the timing on these things, but man, both my maternity leaves were during the winter months and now, my time off will be during the winter as well.... Maybe I'll need to fly south for the winter........

But, for now, I'll celebrate my son's birthday and hope for good weather in Denver.

Random Thursday Thoughts

Yesterday, I started jotting down some completely random thoughts. 

• D-man telling T-man, "I have to do my homework, that's how I roll."
• D-man reading books in his room and listening to his static-y radio he got from Santa
• T-man pooping on the potty (I'm so over changing poopy underwear)
• D-man choosing "5 Guys" for take out and Tanner choosing "Sonic "for cherries for dessert
• T-man  dunking his own head underwater at swimming lessons and then crying
• Wondering how a busy mom lives without a crock pot and rice cooker? 
• Thinking chocolate from Belgium that my brother-in-law brings us is a small slice of heaven
• Being young enough to be excited about setting an alarm clock
• Wonders if anyone else that worked from home, cooked their lunch in the microwave and tried to empty the dishwasher before the microwave is done?  

This list may be completely random, but given the news about my termination today, it made me stop and think. Nothing on my random list was about work. Don't get me wrong. I really, really liked my job. I really loved the people I worked with and what we were doing. But when it comes down to it, I will find another job. Another company will be lucky to have me and I look forward to finding the right match and starting a new adventure.

And for now, I'm pretty sure my boys (all 3 of them) will keep me entertained.

Cuz that's how I roll.

A Year Ago Today

Today is a day of reflection for me. A year ago today, my Dad suffered a major stroke. It's really hard to believe it has been a year and how things are so "normal" now. It was hardly normal a year ago when I got the call from my sister at 4 am, booked a flight for that morning to Omaha, and left my family here in Denver to be with my family in Sioux City.



In the hospital last year.



Hanging out in the ICU waiting room.

Fortunately, the entire ordeal had a happy ending and it really reinforced how wonderful my family truly is - both Karlen and Peavy. My mom and my sisters banding together with incredible strength to make sure my Dad was getting the best care. My Dad for fighting the incredible fight to get to where he is today. My husband and brother-in-laws for taking care of the home front during the entire ordeal - kids, dogs, jobs, school. My mother-in-law for coming to help with the kids during my absence. And aunts, cousins, and family friends supporting us along the way.



Christmas 2009

I always knew I was extremely lucky to have such a strong, loving, and amazing family and this experience made me even more thankful.

I called my mom this morning to "check in" on the two of them and she had been thinking about the significance of this day as well. Of course, when I talked to Dad, he hadn't a clue why I was calling. It's good to know things are back to normal. Normal never felt so good.

I Love a Marade

D-man and I participated in the 25th annual MLK Marade on Monday with around 30,000 people thanks to an invite from his teacher. We marched with some other folks from Highline Academy on a beautiful winter day. The March/Parade was from City Park to the Capitol Building. Some of the highlights of the march for Drake: the ability to walk in the middle of the street, all the cop cars blocking traffic, seeing people sitting on their balconies watching the marade. You know - really important stuff....:)

After the marade, we took the free shuttle bus from the capitol to LoDo for lunch with Marshall. That was a perfect way to wrap up our time downtown.

Basketball Season is Here

For several weeks now, D-man has been going to basketball practice at the local rec center. After the first of the year, we now have games on Saturday mornings. He is very excited about "real games" and after the first game, I was required to keep score (D-man's team won 32 to 14). D-man informed us that he had the best player on his team, and if my son is one thing, he is observant. And fortunately, D-man has made a basket in each of the first two games.

The Power of a Whisper

Yesterday, I officially lost my voice. I have to say this is a first. Of course, the timing is never great - Marshall left last night for a long weekend skiing with his family and I'm headed to Miami next week (I'm hopeful it will be back before then).

Given that I have no voice, I have resorted to whispering (which incidently, I just discovered on WebMD can actually irritate it more). Apparently, I am supposed to "talk softly". We'll see how that goes.

Due to my affliction, I discovered last night that the boys have to be much more alert when I am talking so softly. There's no yelling from me upstairs to the boys downstairs that it is time to get ready for bed. I can't answer to kids yelling at me "to come see" from throughout the house. When I talk with my 3 year old, he immediately answers back in a whisper. When I felt myself getting frustrated last night, I couldn't even try to raise my voice which resulted in me actually calming down.

The boys' Montessori teacher has always said that they speak much more softly to the children in the classroom (and that when parents come barging into drop off their children talking in their "normal" voices, it completely disrupts the classroom). I'm now truly seeing the power of whispering both in my children and myself. Maybe this losing my voice isn't so bad.........

The Lost Art of the Handwritten Letter

I just spent the last hour and a half looking through a box of old cards and letters. None of the cards or letters had anything to terribly exciting in them, but it was a great reminder of the power of a written letter. There were birthday cards, Halloween cards, graduation cards, birth announcement, thank you cards, but mostly letters. I have always loved getting "real" mail and at one point, was very good at writing letters to people.

It was funny that several of the letters started with "thanks so much for your letter." So, I'm not sure these people really wanted to write me or if they just felt compelled to write back. In any case, I'm thankful for the many pen pals I had during grad school, and thankful that my sorting project (and my "packrattedness") has brought a smile to my face.

I've kept several of the cards, letters, etc. that the boys have received from their grandparents for this very reason. I hope they can someday find joy in reading the letters they received and bring up good memories from the past.

I found a Christmas card from my Nana, typed letters (ok, not all were hand written) from my Dad encouraging me through grad school, my birth announcement my aunt sent from a local paper, a note from my adviser with comments on my final senior paper, and several letters from friends with basic updates on their lives at the time. There's hardly a need for someone to write me a letter these days - I can find out what's going on instantly by reading their blog or Facebook page or sending off a quick email. And while I obviously love Facebook, nothing compares to having someone take the time to write you a note or send a card.

The one other thing that pleased me was that I'm still in touch with almost every person who sent me a letter. I've obviously grown apart from some of them and maybe this is the year I reestablish a better connection with these folks. I can hardly believe that I will be sitting here 13 to 14 years from now having such nostalgic feelings by reading my old emails. I guess I will cherish the annual deluge of holiday cards as that is about as close as I get to "real" letters these days (besides the letters we get from my mother-in-law - she is a truly gifted letter writer).

Pender Christmas 2009 aka Snow, Vomit, and Dr. Mario

After a 2 day delay, we made it to Nebraska for the Karlen Christmas. It was a bit longer drive due to the road conditions, but we made it in time to open gifts and spend time with the entire family. It was a great "4 hour Christmas". The kids all got along and I am so thankful for Marshall driving us all the way to Nebraska on Sunday (there were quite the drifts around Pender) only to turn around and fly out on Monday. It was so special to all be together this Christmas.



Unfortunately, after our wonderful Karlen family Christmas, the flu bug ripped through the entire family. Even though the flu put a damper on our trip, the boys and I enjoyed hanging out at Nana and Pop's for a few days. Lots of football and movie watching, napping, playing with cousins, and just enjoying our down time. We didn't venture out too much - the snow and cold were not terribly appealing. At night, Mom, Dad, and I enjoyed playing "Dr. Mario" on the old school Nintendo game. We brought the Wii and our new games, but didn't even get it out - Dr. Mario was too addictive (and Drake enjoyed Super Mario).



Our trip home was delayed a day due to me feeling under the weather and I spent New Year's with Mom and Dad for the 2nd year in a row - could this become a tradition? The drive home on the 1st was made especially long by Tanner's belly woes, but we made it.

Santa is So Nice

It is hard to believe that Christmas 2009 is over. There are so many things that you want to bottle up and remember forever. We had such a wonderful Christmas - even though it didn't go as planned. We were so lucky to be "stuck" here together in Denver and not in an airport, random hotel, or rest stop.

The boys and I enjoyed a day at home after some snow on the 24th. We wrapped present, made treats, played Christmas music, ran to the grocer store (crazy there!) and I made fish chowder for Christmas Eve dinner. Marshall got home around 4:00 and we had a great family night. Of course, it was a late night for Mr. and Mrs. Claus wrapping gifts, running to Walgreens for more wrapping paper, etc. But, always a special night preparing for Christmas morning.


Christmas Eve



Santa came!

Christmas morning was filled with all the magic one would hope for. The opening of the stockings (which Marshall made sure were filled with all sorts of goodies), special breakfast rolls (thanks Pillsbury), and a leisurely time opening our gifts from Santa and each other. One of my favorite gifts was a Christmas card that Drake got me. He wrote "I love you very much and Merry Christmas" on it. And Drake really enjoyed handing out all the gifts he got for us.

One thing that stood out in my mind is that Drake kept saying "Santa is so nice". I thought it was so sweet that he was thinking about how nice Santa is to be giving all these gifts. He wasn't thinking what a good boy he had been to deserve these or that any of these gifts were expected, but that Santa was so nice to think of gifts that were meant just for him.

Tanner enjoyed opening his gifts and playing with them right then. He wasn't concerned about more gifts under the tree - he was content with the present he had just opened. A joy to watch.

Thanks to snow on the plains, the boys got to enjoy their new gifts all day Saturday and Sunday. If only every day were Christmas day and new presents were around all the time......

Marshall is still putting together their "big gift" - but the boys are enjoying the pieces that have been put together. The game surface is small, but will be perfect for the two of them for a few years.

The Holiday Hustle

This time of year is always a bit crazier than other parts of the year. I actually enjoy trying to figure out what I still need to get, what last minute things need to be done, and just getting out and about during the holiday season. I'm guessing I inherit this from my mother as she always saved her Christmas shopping for December 23rd after her finals were graded. I, of course, don't have that excuse, but it just seems more "Christmas-y" to me when you are running around the week of December 20th getting things done instead of October.

This week has been busy, but not stressful which is nice. Drake is enjoying 3 days at DU's School Days Off program. He has been doing the rock climbing wall, the Inflatable Obstacle Course in their pool, ice skating, basketball, parachute, soccer, and much more. So far, his favorite activity has been the ice skating. I'm so proud of him for getting out and trying new things with a group of kids he doesn't know.

Last night after I picked up Drake from DU, we ran some holiday errands. We dropped off some holiday treats that Drake and I made this weekend, had dinner out, and went to Target so Drake could do some shopping. He really wanted to buy gifts for me, Tanner, and Marshall. I gave him a budget of $10 a person and we brought a bag so he could hide the gifts. It took much longer than I would have liked, but I was so proud of him for wanting to be giving gifts this holiday season. He also asked for a pen and paper and he calculated how much he had already spent on each person and then asked "Mom can you spend (aka afford) $30?", after figuring out how much each person was getting. It was very cute and ended up being a great math lesson for him - i.e., if you have $3 left to spend, you can't buy something that is $3.99.

And to top it all off, when we left the store, it had started to snow and we sang "let it snow, let it snow" as we went to the car. This type of experience with my boys is truly the magic of Christmas for me.

Holiday Birthday

This month, our youngest turned 3 (sniff, sniff). Although I know a December birthday is not ideal, I really do remember what a magical Christmas it was with a new baby in 2006. It was 60 degrees when we brought him home, but soon after, we got over 2 feet of snow. Thanks to the trajectory of the storm, Marshall's parents did make it in for Christmas and we all enjoyed a very wonderful Christmas that year.

We were lucky enough to have Marshall's parents here to celebrate Tanner's 3rd birthday this year. Their visit was short, but we were able to enjoy Zoo Lights, breakfast with Santa, swimming, a family birthday party with hats and balloons, and opening Christmas presents. It was a great weekend and always special to have time with family.

The Tree! The Tree!

The Christmas tree is finally up thanks to some help from the boys. The bottom of the tree has all the "special" ornaments that boys really enjoyed putting up.

As I have been gone the past two weekends, we had to put the tree up in stages over the past week, but we got it up in time for Gramma and Granddad's visit - whew!

Christmas is in full swing at the Peavy house and I love it!

Minneapolis Weekend

Drake and I took a quick trip to Minneapolis to spend some time with my family. The adults enjoyed catching up, watching football, and tiny bit of shopping. The kids enjoying swimming, running around the hotel with their cousins, a slumber party at Aunt Jacki's, and of course the Nickelodeon amusement park at the MOA. The mall was crazy, but the lines for the rides were not (thankfully!).

Drake was a super traveler and we enjoyed spending time with the Karlens.

Free TV and a Wine Rack

The nice weather on Saturday aided in our efforts to clean out the garage. Drake helped with the cleaning and Tanner played in the yard, played with the garden hose, and helped "mop" up the leaves.

We set out a couple items on the curb and Drake decided that we should make some signs for them and put them up around the neighborhood. You can check out one of the signs. They must have worked - both the TV and the wine rack are gone! Although our organizational projects are taking awhile to complete, we are definitely making progress. Two cars in the garage and no scraping ice in the mornings - that is progress.

Speaking of progress, the Huskers beat Kansas State on Saturday night to wrap up the Big 12 North Championship. I'm already looking forward to watching the game in Minneapolis with my family.

The Wizard of Oz

It was quite ironic that after we got home from Wicked on Sunday afternoon, Marshall found The Wizard of Oz on TV. We were able to tape the show and Drake has been addicted to it all week (a huge incentive for getting homework done this week).

I've enjoyed watching it as well and "catching" some of the things I missed in Wicked. I'm also enjoying singing the songs with Drake. I hope the show generates as many good memories for Drake as it has for me.

You know it has been a big hit when he is choosing it over watching football. Then again, it was CU football - can't say those games are really worth watching these days..........

A "Wicked" Weekend

I'm not sure you can officially say that a weekend starts on a Thursday, but what the heck, I'll say it did. It was actually a pretty crazy week at the Peavy household - a busy work week for Marshall and training for me (plus "regular" life stuff). I started my weekend with dinner with my good friend at the Squeaky Bean in the Highlands. It works out perfectly - I don't have to drive through the central Denver rush hour traffic after training, and I get to have a night out for dinner and catch up with a friend.

The "weekend" continued on Friday when I met another friend and her sister for lunch downtown. She was visiting from Nebraska and we hadn't seen each other in several years. We met at "Fun camp" in Wayne, Nebraska back in 8th grade! Although we always were able to send yearly Christmas cards and have reconnected on Facebook, it is always great to catch up with someone in person. What a special treat for my Friday!

The festivities continued on Friday night with dinner on the town to celebrate the hubby's birthday. We enjoyed dinner and drinks in LoDo at Gumbo's (we even had a celebrity siting - Champ Bailey of the Denver Broncos. After dinner, we decided we had a enough time for a drink and headed across the street to the Wine Loft. I'm so glad I have cool friends that introduce me to new places :) What a great way to celebrate the birthday of my wonderful husband - having him all to myself.








Saturday was pretty lazy - hunkering down for the snow and cheering on the Huskers to victory with my boys. We also enjoyed cupcakes with the boys to celebrate Marshall's birthday.


Sunday morning brought lots of snow and an outing downtown for us without the kids (we believe this is the first time we have ever gotten a sitter for a "daytime" activity - wow). Anyway, we headed down to Jackson's Hole to watch some football with the women and friends from my fantasy football leagues. We grabbed some drinks and food and enjoyed catching up with some folks and taking in a little football. So far, this week is looking good for the Peavy household - we've got 2 victories wrapped up and one with a pretty good potential for a win....... Down with Todd Heap!

We then headed to see Wicked for the afternoon matinee. I had heard so many great things about the show and it definitely lived up to the hype. I didn't know the story line nor the music and thoroughly enjoyed all the twists and turns of the show. What a great, great way to wrap up the weekend. Definitely a wicked weekend.



Oh, and finding $20 floating in the gutter by the car downtown and coming home to the boys' snowman was pretty wicked too.

Football Saturdays (and Sundays and Mondays)

Fall is definitely football time at the Peavy household. College game day is on bright and early and Drake has really taken to watching the games and understanding the rules. And in the morning, he wakes right up and asks who won the game we were watching that night. Last weekend, it happened to be the Huskers on Saturday night and the Broncos on Monday night so he was very into the games (as was I - Dad was gone both nights).

I now get updates from Drake during the games - interception for a touchdown Mom, 4th and goal now, 7 to 3 now Mom. And it's pretty funny how Drake someone is always cheering for the winning team.

Here's a video of the boys this Saturday. We're gearing up for the Nebraska/Kansas today.

GO BIG RED!!!!

Crazy Hair Day

Friday was Crazy Hair Day at school for Drake. He requested blue and red color so I headed to Walmart after training on Thursday to try and find some. I rarely go to Walmart, but it was close to campus and I thought the chance of finding hair color at Walmart would be quite high. I was presently surprised during this trip: no one was there, I actually "shopped" around a bit and came away with a few things we needed (bleach, over cleaner, spaghetti sauce) in addition to the temporary hair color (which was NOT easy to find btw).

Both Marshall and I worked on Drake's hair on Friday morning. This is by far the most time we have spent on Drake's hair - we rarely even get a brush through it in the morning! Marshall "goo-ed" it all up with his gel into a mohawk and then I added red - and then blue with sparkles. It was actually a fun Friday morning and Drake was really enjoying himself.

When Marshall dropped him off at school, he said Drake was so proud and all smiles. It sounded like a nice day and according to Drake, he had the coolest hair.



Enjoying some breakfast while Mom took pictures



Our Crazy Boy

Seattle Vacation Part III

Sunday was a last day in Seattle. Drake and I took full advantage and enjoyed taking a ferry ride over to Vashon Island. We didn't have anything to do when we got there, but just enjoyed sitting by the water and chatting. I can hardly believe that Drake will be 6 in a couple months. I couldn't be prouder of him - doing so well in his school



Hanging on the dock




With my big boy

We met the rest of the family and family friends at the ferry dock and went to Lincoln Park for a little hike and the playground. Tanner fell down the slide and got a fat lip and bloody nose so we headed home. But, Drake was able to head to the beach and skip rocks with Michelle and Marshall.



Skipping Rocks

We headed for the airport on Sunday afternoon and were even able to catch a glipmse of Mt. Rainier from the airport and airplane. A truly perfect way to wrap up our wonderful trip to Seattle. I couldn't have scripted it any better.

Seattle Vacation Part II

Saturday morning started with a hike through Fauntleroy Park - which is within walking distance of Jim and Michelle's house. The boys enjoyed the exploring and almost everyone in the Peavy household took a spill during the hike (a little slippery after the rain the night before). But, we enjoyed our outing and came home to doughnuts (are you sensing a theme here?) from Bob and Claudia.



The morning hike (love this picture)



Exploring!

Saturday afternoon brought an outing at the Junction in West Seattle for their Trick or Treating. Tanner really didn't want to have anything to do with his Firefighter costume so fortunately, we could claim he was a Wayne State College Wildcat. Go cats! (of course, he was telling everyone he was a firefighter)......

The weather was great and the boys really pulled in some loot. It was a great activity and fun to see all the costumes on display.



Our Wildcat



Dr. Drake



Enjoying the Trick or Treating

Saturday night we enjoyed some trick or treating in Michelle and Jim's neighborhood and then had a wonderful salmon dinner prepared by Michelle and Jim - that's what I call a real "treat" (of course, we all had some Halloween treats as well).




We wrapped up the night with a Halloween party at the neighbors. Busy - and great - day.