Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

The symphony.

It had been a LONG while since I had been to the symphony.

And I was very impressed that the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (ASO) was going to be making HOPE one of their stops on their  tour.

If you haven't heard, we are proud to have the new Hempstead Hall in our town.

It is on the campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope, and it is FABULOUS!

State of the art.

Innovative.

Just down-right spectacular!

Not to mention, the concert was FREE to the good folks of Hempstead County.

Hot Coffee and I made a date of it. We got all fancied up and headed out, drove around 2 miles, and made our way for the entertainment of the evening.

Once to our seats, I heard the many sounds that sent me back to junior high and high school days.

You see, I was a band nerd.

A flutist.

I was no James Galway, but I could hold my own.

After a few minutes of introduction, Maestro Philip Mann came bouncing out.

Cool-crazy hair and all.

He is not your typical Maestro.

He's hip, and full of zeal!

Another confession: there was a time in my life when I wanted to be a conductor.

You can ask my mother.

Every week when the theme song from Dallas came on -- I would conduct my heart out. (go on -- take a few minutes to listen to it...it's worth the time) :)

I would bring in the horns, the trumpets, signal the crescendos...well, you get the picture.

It was serious, folks.

Well, let's just say that aspiration faded...

Back to the ASO.

I absolutely LOVED the program.

I loved that when I closed my eyes, it was hard to tell that a group of humans was making such a beautiful sound in unison. Too often, the sounds we hear are synthesized, machine-produced -- "canned" as my daddy will call it.

I loved that Maestro Mann connected with the audience, and made us feel as though he truly came to entertain us.

I REALLY loved it that when the show was over, we got back into our vehicle and drove around 2 miles home.

Thank you, UACCH and Hempstead Hall.

Thank you, ASO and Philip Mann.

I look forward to future productions from you both!

Running in Circles

Do you ever have SO much to do -- you get little done?

That's me.

I think of the 150 things I NEED to get done.

I get overwhelmed.

I run over here and partially do this.

I go over there and partially do that.

I forget item A, that was required before doing task B.

My brain feels so frazzled that I RUN IN CIRCLES!!

BUT,

I actually know what to do.

I have to STOP.

Take a break.

Make a list.

A short one.

I make a list of 3-5 things that are of priority.

And then...

I either complete the tasks...

OR...

Run in smaller circles.

HA!

Gotta keep dreaming!

Here's to getting it done!!

Smiles,

The Coffee House

Laundry Room Blues

Laundry...

does it ever go away?

Of course not!

I go through a roller-coaster of emotions with my laundry room.

I get pumped, ready for the attack!

I'm going to CONQUER you laundry room!!

I wash and dry and fold.

Repeat.

Repeat.

REPEAT!!

And if I'm really on top of things -- the clothes may actually get folded on the SAME day.

And how in the WORLD do I end up with at LEAST 5-6 oddball socks EVERY time?!!?

I have a collection going, and when I get 5 or 6 additional spares I convince myself that I will come up with several matches from the oddball stash.

It DOESN'T happen!!

For some reason, I'm still AMAZED at the amount of socks this family produces over a few short days.

But, I have to realize -- ten feet times a couple several days is A LOT.

So let's say it all gets done in ONE day (keep in mind -- this is a RARE event).

The baskets go back in the their appropriate places.

They look so nice. So neat. So EMPTY.

This lasts all of about 30 seconds to an hour. That's it.

Either...a kiddo or the Hubs contributes a new gift or I am the first to offend with my sweaty-running-gardening-house-cleaning clothes.

Other days...

Well, thank goodness I can close the door!!

(confession: I have, in my lifetime, hung something back up JUST BECAUSE I wanted my basket to stay empty for just a wee bit longer. Don't worry it wasn't anything like the aforementioned garb. Anyone else?)

Disclaimer: I am very thankful to have a laundry room with running water....and a dryer. Let's just call it a love-HATE relationship!!

Sweet Dreams

Sleep...

Some days I  consider it to be overrated.

Some days I consider it to be invaluable.

Today...

Peace.

Quiet.

And just enough time to do a quick post.

Amazing the positions they can sleep in, don't you think? (thank goodness!)

Love my little angels!

Red River: In Conclusion...

Days 5-7

Yes. I'm cheating. But, aren't you glad (if anyone actually reads this stuff?!?)?

I just can't help it.

I'm a sucker for details.

Especially when it comes to a family trip.

I want my girls to look back at this stuff and "remember" what an  awesome time they had!

For really real -- I just love being with my crew SO much. I don't want to forget a single minute.

Which brings out the OBVIOUS...

I've allowed too much time to pass since this fabulous vacation -- details have faded.

BOO!!

PLUS the fact that it's driving me BONKERS that I won't let myself blog about other matters until I'm finished blogging about this trip.

SO -- I'm throwing these last few days together.

The girls DID return to ski school. Sugar went back for a for a full day one of the days and a half-day for the other. Spice...well, she was more interested in checking out the daycare (they had a TV in there). She took a lesson and did GREAT -- hopefully enough to spark an interest for future ski trips.


Sugar did SO WELL!! I was so proud of her for hopping right in there and trying things. She was BRAVE. She earned her YELLOW sticker which allowed her to ride up the first chair lift. I just loved seeing her face beam with excitement!

As for me....

Believe it or not -- I DID make it back to the top of the mountain.

Several times.

One of the first return trips was not so great. I had many moments when my legs/skis absolutely REFUSED to comply with my brain. Totally not a good situation.

The FINAL day of skiing...

the light bulb went off.

Things clicked.

I could NOT believe it!!

So THIS is what everyone was talking about!!!

THIS is why so many people enjoy skiing!!

And that is where my love for skiing began.

Right there in little 'ole Red River, New Mexico.

Don't get me wrong -- I have a LONG way to go.

I'm not sure I'll EVER have the desire to race down a black diamond, do anything that creates air time, or snowboard.

BUT, I DO know that when put at the TOP of the mountain, I can make it down on my own two skis!

I appreciate Hot Coffee so much for working hard to get us there. There is no one else in the whole wide world I'd rather experience skiing (or anything else) for the first time. (I'm not so sure anyone else in the whole wide world would have the patience to talk me down from the mountain.) It was a blast. It was so, so special. (even though due to avoiding a snowstorm -- it took us around 17 hours to get home!)

As always -- looking forward to our next family adventure!!!



See the tip-top? Yep. I was there. See those things that look like a tiny black speck? Yep. Those are people.

 Love this guy...

My sweet Sugar.

 The crew feeding the deer right outside our room!

Cabin time...

 Private lesson for Spice

 A day off to the "daycare"

 YELLOW STICKER!!

 Going up the lift with Hot Coffee.

 MONSTER icicle!!

 From Spice's perspective, it was a monster POPSICLE!!

Shopping Red River

Day 4 (yes, bare with me. I MUST document this first-time ski trip for the fam. I MUST, I MUST!)

Our littles informed us that although the did enjoy their day at ski school, they were NOT interested in repeating a full day immediately following. SO -- the Hubs suggested that we sleep in, cook up a big breakfast, and do a little shopping around Red River.

Shopping you say?

Sounded good to me!

I think Hot Coffee tossed and turned most of the night, but as for me -- I slept like a baby! I don't think that I slept late, but I woke up feeling well rested...

and SORE.

Those small muscles in my hips, my forearms, etc let me know exactly where they existed on my body.

Even more of a reason to have a day of recovery.

We ventured out in the snow in our non-4-wheel drive vehicle for a little shopping on the town of Red River.

Need I remind you the population is ...... not many.

They have some really cute shops, but most are target the tourist in us.

We tried on silly hats....

Silly glasses...

We even came across this BIG BEAR!!

It was a little hectic at times with the littles, but the Hubs was kind enough to hang with them in the car for a few stops while I did a quick survey of the store.

For the afternoon, myself and the girls elected to watch and movie and eat popcorn!

Hot Coffee joined a group to ski the more challenging routes of the mountains.

He came back an icy Mocha!!

For dinner that evening, we dined at Capo's

the girls enjoyed dessert! (to say the least!)

It snowed heavily while we were inside the restaurant having dinner. We ALMOST didn't get out of there without having to ask for a helping hand. BUT, we did!

Time to get rested up for the next day!

Yep.

I was determined to get back to the top......of the mountain!!

On the Mountain Top

Day 3

I don't think I've ever slept this well while on vacation. I think I slept OVER eight hours! I was well rested and raring with excitement. While the hubs and I had discussed the importance of having all of the gear ready the night before, fatigue had set in, and we settled for the satisfaction of having things "generally ready".

BIG MISTAKE.

Lesson time: 8:30am
Goal time of departure: 8:00am (the ski resort was about a 3-5 min drive from our cabin)
Alarm set: 7:00 am

I got up and showered and for some unknown reason felt the need to dry and fix my hair (totally pointless). Got the coffee brewing and fixed breakfast. I started putting on my layers. By 7:30 or so, I started getting the girls up and at 'em. After they ate their breakfast, we began putting on their layers.

The fussing began in FULL force.

The socks felt funny. The pants were too bulky. The colors were all WRONG!!

Those are just a FEW examples of the next 30 minutes we endured.

At this point, I was in total WISH mode. WISHING I had been smart enough to have my kiddos practice putting on their layers and hanging out in them some the week before we went on this trip!!

My dreams of a stress-free morning turned into PANIC mode and arriving about 5 minutes late to my PRIVATE lesson!!

Fortunately, my man Rich was patiently waiting. Rich was a great teacher for a first timer like myself. He was in his mid to late 60's and moved at a pace that I know my five year old handled just fine. But, that was perfect for my first encounter.

PIZZA and FRENCH FRIES (wedge position and parallel position for those who may NOT know) were the ski positions for the day.

I practiced up and down the most basic bunny slope with the carpets for most of the morning.

After a few million trips up and down the hill, I decided I needed to warm up. A cappuccino hit the spot! I sat inside with a gorgeous view of the slope. I was amazed at how many tiny tots I saw come racing down the mountain. I couldn't believe it! How could these little creatures with NO poles do things I wouldn't even dream of attempting. CRAZINESS!

I was also able to see SUGAR and SPICE file out from ski school. It was SO cute!! They had on their little helmets, ski school vests, tiny little skis....PRECIOUS!! I was one proud mama!!

In the afternoon, I made my first trip on the FIRST ski lift (I guess it's consider a bunny slope as well).

Let me just say -- ski lifts cause me GREAT anxiety. Almost any time I ever hear of someone getting injured (namely breaking their necks or backs) it's on the ski lift!! I realize it's often in the movies, but I know of some real-LIVE folks this has happened to!!

ANY-WAY -- needless to say I busted it many-a-time coming off the lift. I'm pretty sure I let the anxiety get the best of me. That, combined with what must have been a magnet on my backside, which attracted the lift chair, which LOVED to give me a swift kick in the derrière every time I made my exit!!

Things went pretty well my 2-3 tries on that slope.

I met up with the hubs.

He thought I was doing great! He said I was ready to go to the TOP!!

Cool! Well, sorta. I wanted to......but, I still felt pretty anxious. At this point, I had no desire for speed or steep slopes.

I looked up.

The mountain went up......

and up.......

and up some more!!!

GULP.

Everyone kept telling me, "oh, you're athletic. You'll be FINE!"

I workout. I try my best to eat a well-balanced diet. BUT, for all of the years of my life, I have NEVER been skiing. I think this outweighs athleticism at this point in time!! But, off to the top of the mountain I went.

The ride on the lift was a mix of emotions. I was thrilled to be going up with the Hubs. It was absolutely beautiful!! I was anxious as all-get-out...and that was literally just to get OFF the lift. FEAR was how I felt about heading DOWN the mountain.

Unfortunately, my first exit from the lift and entry to the top of the mountain was not as graceful as I had hoped. I slid my way (on my backside) to a stop, only to look up and see a couple from our crew witnessing my acrobatics. EMBARRASSMENT!!

Need I even go into HOW and WHO came up with the color coded slopes (blue, green, black, etc)? SERIOUSLY, folks? The greens for that day might as well have been triple black diamonds (if those even exist)!! And then, the Hubs tries to convince me that the BLUES are actually "easier" than the GREENS! I trust the Hubs. So, I follow. We head down a BLUE slope. The decline is dramatic. NOT something I would have chosen on my very first day of my ski life. But what goes up -- must come down. I wedged my way down without much event. Not bad. I can do this. All was well until fatigue set in. The internal and external rotators of the hip are a group of small muscles. I wore those muscles OUT!! And once that happened -- my legs would NOT do what my brain wanted them to do. And in all honesty, my brain was putting on the breaks as well (which did NOT help matters).

Poor Hubs. Poor ME!! I actually had a moment that I did not think I would make it down from there without help from the ski patrol. It was a (and this is NOT said in vain) coming to Jesus moment. I prayed. I fussed at the Hubs. I was on the brink of a MELTDOWN. The Hubs literally attempted to hoist me up on his shoulder. He was going to CARRY me down the mountain!! NO WAY, I said!! The Hubs finally calmed me down and talked me down every step of the way. I was so thankful for his patience, his determination, and his know-how. I'm tellin' ya...I was never so relieved to see that lift house...

TOTAL exhaustion. I felt relief, defeat, and accomplishment all in one.

What. A. Day.

We gathered up our two little ski bunnies and headed to the grocery store.

I think the day took it's toll on Sugar... (can you see her?)

A low-key evening with dinner in the room was a great way to end a physically and emotionally DRAINING day!

But, even with all that...I was determined to make it back to the top.

Over the river and through the.....MOUNTAINS

Seriously?

SERIOUSLY?!!?

I trapped myself in a blogging corner AGAIN!

I actually put "Up Next: Day 2" at the end of my last post, and because I KNEW that had to be my next post, and I KNEW it would require more than 12-20 minutes -- I have avoided blogging... AGAIN!

Dadblastit!!

So -- here I am, OVER a month has past -- and now I will be determined to ATTEMPT to accurately recall our ski trip.

Good luck with that one.

My last post, for the first time EVER since I've been blogging, actually inspired a comment from Hot Coffee.

I was kind of excited when he told me what he was doing. He was over in his chair one evening just a textin' away.

I was excited UNTIL he told me in what way he was responding.

He was DEBATING some of the facts in my story from the first day of our trip!!

GREAT, Babe!! So glad the ONE time you are going to respond -- it's to "defend" yourself/tell me I was WRONG about something!!

Fortunately, he couldn't get past the thing-a-ma-jiggy that makes read the funky letters and numbers and type them in.....so HA!

AND -- as my daddy always says about his stories,  "if it ain't true -- it oughtta be"!!

Okay. (you know I love ya, babe!!)

Back to business...

Day 2:

Since it's been so long since my last post -- feel free to glance back to Day 1 for a little refresher. (things may make more since that way....)

Day 2 started a little later than planned, as we had stayed up to the wee hours of the morning.

The girls LOVE to eat the continental breakfast when we stay somewhere that provides it. SO -- we headed downstairs to enjoy all the cereal, bagels, waffles, yogurt, fruit, etc. we could stand.

We had over half of the trip out of the way. And from what I can remember, things were fairly uneventful (a GOOD thing when traveling).

No, Sugar did not borrow Bean's paci -- it's a RING POP!!

We were approaching the mountain, and we began to wonder if we made the right decision in NOT bringing a vehicle that was a four-wheel drive.

The ice and snow covered the road. Nerves were high. The Hubs' knuckles were white...

THEN...

We were fortunate enough to fall right behind the snow plow!!

God was definitely watching over us!!

I was able to focus on the scenery.

It was absolutely BREATHTAKING!! (ok...so, the photo doesn't really do it justice, but it's what my phone captured as we were first approaching the mountains. and this is the real deal, folks. memories.)

The snow-capped mountains, the snow-covered trees...

BEAUTIFUL!!

We arrived at our destination safe and sound!!

The girls were so excited to see everything (let alone get OUT of the car) and so were we!

The cabin was just perfect AND right outside our patio...

DEER and DUCKS just hung out waiting for you to feed them! (the girls LOVED this. the deer LOVED our pita chips!)

And I must say -- skiing is fun, but it is INVOLVED!!

After a day of traveling, we then hurried over to the ski rental shop, rented equipment, bought helmets and goggles. Ran over to the ski range -- rented the equipment for the kiddos and arranged for lessons. WHEW!!

We were very glad to meet up with all of our crew, have dinner, and head to the room for some much needed R 'n R!

We had all of our ski stuff somewhat "together". It was in the same room, in two different plastic bins.

SURELY an hour and a half was PLENTY of time to get up and ready for the first lesson of the day at 8:30am. (keep in mind the ski resort was a mere 3-5 minute drive...)

SURELY...