Summer is peak season for Colorado’s #1 weather risk

Summer is peak season for Colorado’s #1 weather risk

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CO bans use of handheld phones while driving by teens; makes texting while driving illegal for all

CO bans use of handheld phones while driving by teens; makes texting while driving illegal for all

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Denver Children’s Health Examiner: Safe routes program for kids and new bike law keep Colorado bike-friendly

Denver Children’s Health Examiner: Safe routes program for kids and new bike law keep Colorado bike-friendly

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25 Things About Me

1. I’m happiest when I put God first, followed by family. The rest always falls into place.
2. I believe in true love. I knew my husband was my soul mate after our first few dates.  He’s a wonderful person, incredible father and is my best friend.
3. Like most parents, I love my children with all my heart. It was wonderful when they were babies, but I’m enjoying them even more now that they’re coming into their own.
4. I have been blessed with some wonderful girlfriends — they’re fun, loyal and simply the best.
5. When I was in 6th grade, I’d write “Colorado” in big, loopy letters all over notebooks, folders, etc..  The rugged mountains & endless skies are more beautiful than I’d imagined.
6. I love sports and watching my kids and their friends play — I believe some of life’s greatest lessons can be learned through teamwork and dedication.
7. I am a middle child with 2 older brothers and 2 younger sisters. I’m the proverbial peacemaker, but I’ve learned to handle disharmony. Life’s too short!
8. My family laughs at my Southern accent that re-surfaces whenever I speak to anyone from the South. What can I say? I’m forever a Southern girl.
9. I love the outdoors — it’s amazing what just 30 minutes of fresh air and sunshine can do for my outlook.
10. My favorite room is the porch; my favorite seat is the swing.
11. I enjoy hunting for treasures at salvage stores and antique shops.
12. I treat myself to a caramel frappachino once a week ~ usually Mondays.
13. I love gardening. My Colorado neighbors are amazed that I’m able to keep lush green Kimberly Queen ferns on my front porch all summer long.
14. I was a lifeguard in highschool and college, and one of my favorite jobs was spraying down the deck. Too bad I don’t feel that way now when it comes to cleaning!
15. I love chick flicks and light comedy.  I’m a huge Owen Wilson fan. He’s funny like my husband, and looks like a guy I dated.
16. I read Amityville Horror as a child, and I swear that there were two red, glowing eyes peering thru my bedroom window at night! Probably why I don’t enjoy scary books or movies.
17. I am easily moved to tears when sad things happen to children, the elderly or animals.
18. In college I studied to be a Child Life Care specialist.  When I learned my internship was at a Burn Center with a high mortality rate, I switched my minor (Communications) to my major.
19. I’ve seen much of the US, but haven’t been overseas. I’d love to visit Ireland and Scotland.
20. I’d like a family cabin in the Carolinas with the best of both worlds: mountains and beach.
21. Our planet is magnificent, and so I try to do my part to keep it green: recycling, shopping with re-usable bags, buying concentrated products, eating organic foods.
22. I’m a life-long learner who loves to read. I have a mini-library in my study.
23. The first concert I ever attended was ELO (highschool); followed by Olivia Newton John and then Adam Ant (college).
24. I saw myself as a female “Huck Finn” growing up. Life was an endless adventure. Which reminds me: It’s amazing I survived childhood…seriously. I roamed all over — came across snakes, rafted flooded creeks, biked on highways at dusk, and disappeared for hours on horseback. No cell phones in those days either! lol
25. My kids keep getting older, but for some reason I’m not. What’s with that???

Mother’s Day: A Prayer to Children

It’s Mother’s Day weekend.  And so I  woke up early this  morning to put my thoughts about motherhood on paper.  I began  searching the internet for quotes about Moms.    Some are sweet and thoughtful; others lighthearted.  Erma Bombeck  said, “I take a very practical view of raising children. I put a sign in each of their rooms: “Checkout Time is 18 years.”

I laugh and feel blessed to be a mom of four wonderful kids.   It’s easy to do when your children are healthy and happy — or even if your child has special needs, but you have plenty of love, support and resources.   But having worked as an advocate, I know that not every child is blessed with a mom or dad who can provide them with the love and protection they so desperately need.  Not every child has access to health care or the basics of food, shelter and clothing.  The numbers are staggering.  There are more than nine million uninsured children in the U.S. — kids who are living without health care coverage.   And on any given day, there are more than half a million children in foster care in the U.S., the majority of whom have entered care due to abuse and neglect by their parents.

It might be easy to throw up our hands and say, “Not my problem.”   Or to blame government, society,  sex education or lack-there-of.   I suggest the answer begins with a prayer and continues through our actions as  loving parents, caring neighbors,  and dedicated volunteers.

“A Prayer to Children” was sent to me by my mother over 15 years ago.  It is one of many clippings that she’d tuck into letters of encouragement when I was starting out as a new mom.   Though yellow and faded,  it still adorns my refrigerator door, a reminder that there is a world outside of my family.   For while we celebrate the ups and downs and joy of raising our children,  we are called by God to embrace ALL children and to make their needs our own.

A Prayer to Children ~ by Ina Hughes

“We pray for children who give us sticky kisses, who hop rocks and chase butterflies, who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants, who sneak popsicles before supper, who erase holes in math workbooks, who have goldfish funerals, build card-table forts, who slurp their cereal on purpose, who get gum in their hair, put sugar in their milk, who spit toothpaste all over the sink, who hug us for no reason, who bless us each night.

And we pray for those who never get dessert, who watch their parents watch them die, who have no safe blanket to drag behind, who can’t find bread to steal, who don’t have any rooms to clean up, who’ve never squeaked across the floor in new sneakers, who never go to the circus, and who live in an X-rated world, whose pictures aren’t on anybody else’s dresser, whose monsters are real.

We pray for children who spend all their allowance before Tuesday, who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food, who like ghost stories, who shove dirty clothes under the bed and never rinse out the tub, who get quarters from the tooth fairy, who don’t like to be kissed in front of the car pool, who squirm in church and scream in the phone, whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we pray for those whose nightmares come in the daytime, who will eat anything, who have never seen a dentist, who aren’t spoiled by anybody, who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep, who live and move, but have no being.

We pray for children who want to be carried, and for those who must. For those we never give up on, and for those who don’t have a chance. For those we smother, and for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer.”

No More Sports: Letting Parents Down Easy

Can you imagine how difficult it was for 18-year-old Jack Elway to tell his family, and the sports world, that he would not be playing football at Arizona State after all?   His father is a Broncos legend and his mother an elite swimmer.   The notoriety, the open doors and, wow, those incredible athletic genes!  I’ve heard a few of the guys debate whether or not Jack had the athletic ability or the desire to play at the collegiate or professional level.   I say give Jack a break.  He shows strength and wisdom beyond his years for choosing his own road.   Not unlike a kid who I personally know and love.

My son Ben decided not to play a 3rd year of high school baseball…after more than a decade of  success.  His reason for no longer playing?  It had ceased being fun.  And with parents who are no John and Janet (Elway);  no concerns with headlines or disappointed fans;  he still found it hard to break the news to his supportive, but oh-so-sports-loving family.

Here’s how it went down at our house:  During fall baseball training, he told us he was going to hang up his cleats and focus on track instead.   Yeah, we were disappointed.  Where did we go wrong? Why didn’t he want to play? We took the news like a bitter cup of coffee…but began to think of track as a bit of a sweetener.  Hadn’t I been a decent cross country runner?  And speed is a key tool in all sports.  At least he’d stay involved with a team sport and continue to be physically fit.

Spring finally rolled around and before we could ask what type of shoes and gear to buy, he announced that he really didn’t want to run either.  Track, he said, was his way of letting us down gently.   He never had any intention of  sprinting or jumping hurdles.   His plan was to hit the weight room, study hard and attend the University of Alabama where he’d earn a finance degree.   And so the years of buying cleats, cups and sliders; turning dirt-plastered pants white again; careful maneuvering in teetering porta-potties; and enthusiastic cheering had all come to an end.   Like all things do.  But on the good side, those  life lessons learned thru sports will always be there to guide him:  purpose,  commitment and, let’s not forget, those important parent people management skills!

Elway’s QB son leaves Arizona St. football team

Elway’s QB son leaves Arizona St. football team

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A Gray Day

Cooler day today — some gray clouds hugging the mountains this morning.  Took a longer bike ride today and stopped at a park.   Quite a few dogs walking their owners on the trails.   Hoping it clears by afternoon so that I can sneak in some  more time outdoors.   For now,  I’m settling in for a few hours of research from my study.  Make it a great day!

A Great Start

What a beautiful day here in Colorado!  The rain has given way to blue skies and gentle breezes.  I started the day with a short bike ride with my daughter.  There are so many open space trails to explore.  We chose one that winded through a wooded area and by a lake — lots of birds chirping overhead.  She raced me home and beat me by a thread.  I’ll have another go tomorrow!

I feel refreshed and ready to get some work done.  I have decided to put aside my career in marketing to pursue creative writing.   It was a difficult decision because there’s no guarantee of income and success.    However,  days like today remind me that it is so worth it.   I’m not taking anything for granted.   Today is a great start to my new adventures in writing!