(How is it that a love affair can happen with something like this above? J. will have to tell you cause I can't put them on anymore.)
Well, Readers, and new friends, ( high fivers!),
I am
finally
getting around to posting my blogging about great times over spring break *this year!, experiences and some
HI-larious quotes outta J's mouth.
Some of what he said wasn't funny until weeks later. Which is now. And what he didn't and doesn't say seems a sign of him growing up; getting to that age where it is friends and his hobbies that absorb all his energies and thoughts. And only if I attempt to trigger his memory, he's pretty much a tween.
This juncture in his life looked like this over the break:
ski, eat, zone into a movie, sleep,
repeat.
(if he could have a bday wish, it would be for snow to not melt. )
It is just now that the stories are starting to trickle in during pillow sessions.
Like this nugget:
"Oh, Mom, on the such and such run at Targhee (no such run but I forget what he said it was called.)
I saw this tiny figure coming down the hill through the fog. He was Yay big. (puts his hand to his belly button.) and doing all these adult jumps and tricks, then slides next to me, pulls up his goggles onto his helmet and says:
'hi, man!' "
the kid was four.
J. went on to say the kid he was worried about where his parents were cause it was foggy and they were up high and maybe he was lost. Until his older brother came down.
he was six.
The six year old spun stories to Jaden about all these tricks and Jaden skied with them for awhile. And finally the Mama and Papa Bear come down the hill and the four year old kid points, with his itty bitty mitten to indicate that's his folks.
The Dad entered the trees, jumped and hit one snow flocked tree with the back of his skis, and powder falls off the pine branches.
Then Mama does it.
Six year old: "Hey, Duders!" like some CA. Valley girl's surfer boyfriend.
J: "That is your mom and dad????"
Four year old puts goggles back on says let's go and, to J's, astonishment, attempts a back flip off a jump, doesn't stick the landing but comes up smiling.
???? That's what I thought!
*I would go crazy with year round Christmas.Snow.)
Never mind me not being able to ski. Let's just try the ordinary motherhood role of:
keeping his clothes clean, food fixed to eat after hard excursion, and making sure his homework is done. I am not even professional at that stuff...
This juncture in his life looked like this over the break:
ski, eat, zone into a movie, sleep,
repeat.
It is just now that the stories are starting to trickle in during pillow sessions.
Like this nugget:
"Oh, Mom, on the such and such run at Targhee (no such run but I forget what he said it was called.)
I saw this tiny figure coming down the hill through the fog. He was Yay big. (puts his hand to his belly button.) and doing all these adult jumps and tricks, then slides next to me, pulls up his goggles onto his helmet and says:
'hi, man!' "
the kid was four.
J. went on to say the kid he was worried about where his parents were cause it was foggy and they were up high and maybe he was lost. Until his older brother came down.
he was six.
The six year old spun stories to Jaden about all these tricks and Jaden skied with them for awhile. And finally the Mama and Papa Bear come down the hill and the four year old kid points, with his itty bitty mitten to indicate that's his folks.
The Dad entered the trees, jumped and hit one snow flocked tree with the back of his skis, and powder falls off the pine branches.
Then Mama does it.
Six year old: "Hey, Duders!" like some CA. Valley girl's surfer boyfriend.
J: "That is your mom and dad????"
Four year old puts goggles back on says let's go and, to J's, astonishment, attempts a back flip off a jump, doesn't stick the landing but comes up smiling.
???? That's what I thought!
Never mind me not being able to ski. Let's just try the ordinary motherhood role of:
keeping his clothes clean, food fixed to eat after hard excursion, and making sure his homework is done. I am not even professional at that stuff...
This is how the whole Springbreak story started......
*(and this post was started back then too so I have my usual disclaimer that an infection or two happened in the middle of it and I had to recuperate)
As many of you, I planned on having my child help with some Spring cleaning- as in 'deep clean' his room over Spring break.
He would start in his bedroom closet (that I had torn apart the week before to give him a start on it) and then we'd just work our way outward, vacuuming cobwebs in corners,checking those spider traps, sucking up crumbs along baseboards, finding a home for all his crapola, etc.. etc.
All the while I would put in loads of laundry and read a good book. And make him read.
Yay!
Didn't happen.
Well, sort of. ONE day's worth of cleaning his room and his stuff in the Family Room. And we started a new book.
That was it. Out of NINE days of Spring break; one day devoted to my plan.
Why?
Didn't happen.
Well, sort of. ONE day's worth of cleaning his room and his stuff in the Family Room. And we started a new book.
That was it. Out of NINE days of Spring break; one day devoted to my plan.
Why?
Because Jaden had been strategically giving me Grand Targhee weather reports for the preceding two weeks, and I was watching the snow melt outside, I made a decision to just go.
During a window of health on his second day of the break, seeing the weather to be sunny for two days, I called the resort and booked econo rooms.
I told him to get ready because we were going to Targhee! It was after my body had unthawed and I could walk and probably a touch of prednisone that I did that. And immediately I felt like I had a huge exam in front of me for which I had not studied.
His astonishment at my announcement went from shock and awe, to pure joy.
J: "Mom, you just rest. I will pack my stuff and get your luggage in the car!"
Me to self: 'What on earth did I just do?' nodding to Jaden in a slight stupor while butterflies grew in my stomach.
(random weather pattern J. keeps his eye on so he knows when to harass me to ski)
The drive up to "Ghee" was really enjoyable; we took it slow. Despite the gloomy clouds and wind the scenery along the Snake River was beautiful. The tan and beige colored trees against slightly budding ones were gorgeous!
Me: "Look at how lovely those bushes those are!"
J: "That is sage brush, mom."
ME: "I know! It looks lovely!"
I exclaimed as if I had never seen a landscape before.
There were some slightly yellowed bushes that matched a sun worn yellow tractor amongst the white aspens. We listened to soothing music as we drove along. In Driggs it was ominously windy.
Wasn't looking forward to even getting into the lodge with our stuff.
Then we reached the place where the dead grass met with snow. J. was even more excited.
I had to stop and put something in the back of the car so he jumped out and through a snowball.
Kids.
Apparently he was checking the quality of it for skiing.
After winding up the shared road in Alta, we pulled into the car lot, noticed people getting their stuff out of their cars and I turned off the car. And
here is one of the funnies he said, that wasn't funny til now.
J: "Mom!"
ME: "What?"
silence.
a look of graveness crossed his face.
ME: "WHAT??!!" I was panicked and looked at him bewildered.
J: " I forgot my ski bag!"
Silence.
More Silence.
I think I steadily blinked while looking ahead of me at the small flakes of snow drifting from above.
For a few minutes as I pondered this small oversite. I had that bag packed for Armageddon.
And here we were. No ski bag.
Just his coat.
Everything but the kitchen sink was in that bag.
(goggles, gloves, thermals, cough drops, smart wool socks, sunscreen, band-aids so on and so forth.)
Sometimes kids do things that go beyond even getting angry or perturbed about.
My mind mulled over this new problem. At least his coat was in the car,
I had gloves in the car he could use, he would just have to resort to wearing his 'slickies' and suffer on the mountain if he got cold. There was no going back
. No refunds on rooms. No energy.
Nada.
We happened to need to rent equipment due to his vintage skiis, so all in all I was pretty calm about it.
Dunno why. I guess you just start to expect the trials after so many years of living.
The next day came and I found out why I had been so calm.
The sun,
in all its glory, came out and made it feel like we were in the wrong part of the nation. Like the weather reporter had reported; it was SUNNY
And it felt like Arizona warm weather.
Our last day there I found myself sitting in an Adirondack chair, basking in the sun at the base of a mountain next to the Grand Teton. There wasn't even a breeze. Just warm, hot sun reflecting off the snowcovered mountain and sunburning my un-sunglassed face and coatless arms.
During a window of health on his second day of the break, seeing the weather to be sunny for two days, I called the resort and booked econo rooms.
I told him to get ready because we were going to Targhee! It was after my body had unthawed and I could walk and probably a touch of prednisone that I did that. And immediately I felt like I had a huge exam in front of me for which I had not studied.
His astonishment at my announcement went from shock and awe, to pure joy.
J: "Mom, you just rest. I will pack my stuff and get your luggage in the car!"
Me to self: 'What on earth did I just do?' nodding to Jaden in a slight stupor while butterflies grew in my stomach.
(random weather pattern J. keeps his eye on so he knows when to harass me to ski)
The drive up to "Ghee" was really enjoyable; we took it slow. Despite the gloomy clouds and wind the scenery along the Snake River was beautiful. The tan and beige colored trees against slightly budding ones were gorgeous!
Me: "Look at how lovely those bushes those are!"
J: "That is sage brush, mom."
ME: "I know! It looks lovely!"
I exclaimed as if I had never seen a landscape before.
There were some slightly yellowed bushes that matched a sun worn yellow tractor amongst the white aspens. We listened to soothing music as we drove along. In Driggs it was ominously windy.
Wasn't looking forward to even getting into the lodge with our stuff.
Then we reached the place where the dead grass met with snow. J. was even more excited.
I had to stop and put something in the back of the car so he jumped out and through a snowball.
Kids.
Apparently he was checking the quality of it for skiing.
After winding up the shared road in Alta, we pulled into the car lot, noticed people getting their stuff out of their cars and I turned off the car. And
here is one of the funnies he said, that wasn't funny til now.
J: "Mom!"
ME: "What?"
silence.
a look of graveness crossed his face.
ME: "WHAT??!!" I was panicked and looked at him bewildered.
J: " I forgot my ski bag!"
Silence.
More Silence.
I think I steadily blinked while looking ahead of me at the small flakes of snow drifting from above.
For a few minutes as I pondered this small oversite. I had that bag packed for Armageddon.
And here we were. No ski bag.
Just his coat.
Everything but the kitchen sink was in that bag.
(goggles, gloves, thermals, cough drops, smart wool socks, sunscreen, band-aids so on and so forth.)
Sometimes kids do things that go beyond even getting angry or perturbed about.
My mind mulled over this new problem. At least his coat was in the car,
I had gloves in the car he could use, he would just have to resort to wearing his 'slickies' and suffer on the mountain if he got cold. There was no going back
. No refunds on rooms. No energy.
Nada.
We happened to need to rent equipment due to his vintage skiis, so all in all I was pretty calm about it.
Dunno why. I guess you just start to expect the trials after so many years of living.
The next day came and I found out why I had been so calm.
The sun,
in all its glory, came out and made it feel like we were in the wrong part of the nation. Like the weather reporter had reported; it was SUNNY
And it felt like Arizona warm weather.
Our last day there I found myself sitting in an Adirondack chair, basking in the sun at the base of a mountain next to the Grand Teton. There wasn't even a breeze. Just warm, hot sun reflecting off the snowcovered mountain and sunburning my un-sunglassed face and coatless arms.
It may as well been the Swiss Alps. (and the econo rooms were priced like we were in the Alps.)
Blue sky was the backdrop to green pines, and snow capped peaks with colorful skiers marching down the hill like ants.
ANTS
The whole thing was out of a picture book or dream I'd had but didn't picture it happening there, in Alta ,Wyoming. I always thought I'd be sitting in an adirondack chair around Martha's Vineyard next to the ocean.
Blue sky was the backdrop to green pines, and snow capped peaks with colorful skiers marching down the hill like ants.
ANTS
The whole thing was out of a picture book or dream I'd had but didn't picture it happening there, in Alta ,Wyoming. I always thought I'd be sitting in an adirondack chair around Martha's Vineyard next to the ocean.
People were skiing in shorts. This could not be happening to us. I could not believe it. Our first vacation in two years.
Two years, Readers. Well, of just J. and I.
It almost made me think that I could do it. How hard could it be? But then I had to go and could barely get outta that chair and that helped me know I should keep to walking minimal distances at a time.
Each day up above the clouds below, we met the neatest people.
The first day he skiied with a family that "had so much in common with me!" Jaden informed me when we met up.
One occassion he ran into some friends from home- twin girls who played flag football one year before grid kid with J. He would come down to me at Rendevouz point and say:
J: "Mom, the twins are up here and can rock the mountain on snowboards! We skiid together until They went on runs, I couldn't go on. I gotta learn to board. But don't worry I will still ski."
That was a choice quote.
(why all the cakes? Cause J. is having a bday and I am seeing all these cute cakes.)
And a testament to the fact that those girls are dang athletic/talented.
J. would chat up people and bring back the most amazing stories. Some of my favorites were:
"Mom, there was a GRANDMA at the top of the mountain who didn't even fall!"
(he skiied with her a bit.)
"Mom, I met the coolest people. The mom has a ton in common with you! She scrapbooks!
And her son, River, is so cool! They wanna come back next year and do it again!"
Thank you Tennessee friends!! You made that trip. And you took pictures with him on top that I am so grateful to have and can't figure out how to upload to the blog post right now.
Darn!
(I asked about riding the lift with J. And then just coming down and Targhee wanted to charge me for a lift ticket. Yeh, right! Sadly the resort is not handicap accessible despite having paraolympians skiing there.... hint, hint, Targhee)
Another stellar quote:
"Mom! I saved a brain today! A guy asked me about the sticker on my helmet. ( - the one that says Love your Brain and is for Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness thanks to Kevin Pearcen. " I can't see the future, but the man pulled one from his backpack and put it on after I told him about Kevin Pearce!"
YAY! Another saved brain!
Sometimes people just wear them when they do certain runs or stunts. But a fall or crash can happen on the kiddie hill!
He demoed a pair of Salomon R somethings
and fell in love with them. At lunch he informed me he'd turned into a 'Powder Maniac,' because of them. And wanted to BUY them. I almost fell for it, Readers. But when I asked if the cost of renting them would be taken off the total cost, rental guy said:
"No, we can't do that, ya know? Ya play ya pay."
I told them I wouldn't be playing.
I still can't figure out what the big deal was to have me ride up the lift and then down again.
Maybe they have to shut it down and then turn it on and it is along the lines of making a shuttle to go into outer space for NASA.
"No, we can't do that, ya know? Ya play ya pay."
I told them I wouldn't be playing.
I still can't figure out what the big deal was to have me ride up the lift and then down again.
Maybe they have to shut it down and then turn it on and it is along the lines of making a shuttle to go into outer space for NASA.
Each day he and I both found the coolest people to talk to.
By 4, when the lifts shut down, on the last day, J. trumbled into the lodge with his racoon sunburn and ate fries with his ski pal and I talked to the parents.
The trip was surreal. I am glad I followed my gut.
Here's more journaling of it all... I can't crop it out, sorry, folks.
Here's more journaling of it all... I can't crop it out, sorry, folks.
For so many reasons.... like:
The first day as we walked out of the locker room rental area and up the stairs, the sun blinded us when we opened the door. It was as if it had been waiting simply for us. The whole thing was accompanied by some soothing music coming from outdoor speakers in the Rendezvous fire pit area.
(I would be located further down this mountain,)
Readers, It nearly brought me to tears! Butterflies filled my stomach and I wasn't the one locking down boots into bindings and gliding toward a lift!
Heck, I just watched the youtube tribute to "Slim", one of the chair lift dudes who had been there since I started to ski as a kid. Johnny Cash can really bring on the tears.
We got our cowboy hat stickers in his honor at the front desk.
gotta have stickers.
All of this has made for some great memories and stories for future dinner time conversation.
It all came at a cost for me. Walking around with
a cane
isn't the coolest thing up at a ski resort.
Especially when great grandma's are up there skiing.
So my health update for all the Crohns/Auto Immune Suppressed Folks:
My throat and tongue are burning. Just started Imuran, could that be why?
At first I only needed warm water as I thought it was simply dry mouth side effects. But then that familiar sunburned tongue I get with a flare reared its ugly head.
I was in misery. Except for listening to conference, which is four hours of courage boosting talks from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
I sat and sucked on ice cubes and wish I was drinking the chalky stuff called sucralfate to coat my throat and find relief in the middle of the night. But I didn't pack that.
So I just piled up pillows and filled my ice container and listened.
To help with my arthritis and hopefully help me walk I had cortizone shots set up to be given last week. But they can't give it to me while I'm sick. I have Crohns. Does that mean I have to wait for a cure first>
So when will I be able to not have that going on? I don't know when that window will open up for them to give me the shot especially now that I have even more on my medical plate.
Is it a sign that I shouldn't get cortisone shots?
I will have plenty of time to research it. Shingles is making me nervous and needing to read so I will scour the internet.
That's right. It has been 2.5 years since my horrible 3 month struggle with nerve pain that was like fire ants crawling in your body.
I can't stop or out fox this disease, its side effects, nada.
I'm glad I made a spur of the moment decision to go with J. No regrets.
The final quote of the day from J.:
Me: "What on earth are you doing opening a Coke a Cola at this time of night?"
J:" Mom, I have so much in common with Caffeine."
Me: "What? How can you have something in common with pop laced with caffeine?"
J: "It doesn't make me sleepy."
Me: ?
You still aren't drinking that, remember the old wives tale?
Carbonation winds you. Meaning you can't run as fast.
And I am gonna get a cortisone shot. The benefits outweigh the risks.
I hate being sick.
The Padres are Easter Speakers for today. I feel so sorry for them.
But I am hopeful right now. The Christmas lights are plugged in just for tonight.
I am counting on what I know about Christ to help me get through this and I know miracles can happen.
Even if it doesn't happen for, oh say another twenty years. I can live with that.
And I found a way to ride bikes with J. again. Tell ya more on that later.
Much later. Cause I am still getting my balance back.
Better post this or I never will.
Heck, I just watched the youtube tribute to "Slim", one of the chair lift dudes who had been there since I started to ski as a kid. Johnny Cash can really bring on the tears.
We got our cowboy hat stickers in his honor at the front desk.
gotta have stickers.
All of this has made for some great memories and stories for future dinner time conversation.
It all came at a cost for me. Walking around with
a cane
isn't the coolest thing up at a ski resort.
Especially when great grandma's are up there skiing.
So my health update for all the Crohns/Auto Immune Suppressed Folks:
My throat and tongue are burning. Just started Imuran, could that be why?
At first I only needed warm water as I thought it was simply dry mouth side effects. But then that familiar sunburned tongue I get with a flare reared its ugly head.
I was in misery. Except for listening to conference, which is four hours of courage boosting talks from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
I sat and sucked on ice cubes and wish I was drinking the chalky stuff called sucralfate to coat my throat and find relief in the middle of the night. But I didn't pack that.
So I just piled up pillows and filled my ice container and listened.
To help with my arthritis and hopefully help me walk I had cortizone shots set up to be given last week. But they can't give it to me while I'm sick. I have Crohns. Does that mean I have to wait for a cure first>
So when will I be able to not have that going on? I don't know when that window will open up for them to give me the shot especially now that I have even more on my medical plate.
Is it a sign that I shouldn't get cortisone shots?
I will have plenty of time to research it. Shingles is making me nervous and needing to read so I will scour the internet.
That's right. It has been 2.5 years since my horrible 3 month struggle with nerve pain that was like fire ants crawling in your body.
I can't stop or out fox this disease, its side effects, nada.
I'm glad I made a spur of the moment decision to go with J. No regrets.
The final quote of the day from J.:
Me: "What on earth are you doing opening a Coke a Cola at this time of night?"
J:" Mom, I have so much in common with Caffeine."
Me: "What? How can you have something in common with pop laced with caffeine?"
J: "It doesn't make me sleepy."
Me: ?
You still aren't drinking that, remember the old wives tale?
Carbonation winds you. Meaning you can't run as fast.
And I am gonna get a cortisone shot. The benefits outweigh the risks.
I hate being sick.
The Padres are Easter Speakers for today. I feel so sorry for them.
But I am hopeful right now. The Christmas lights are plugged in just for tonight.
I am counting on what I know about Christ to help me get through this and I know miracles can happen.
Even if it doesn't happen for, oh say another twenty years. I can live with that.
And I found a way to ride bikes with J. again. Tell ya more on that later.
Much later. Cause I am still getting my balance back.
Better post this or I never will.
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