Whiteboard Musings by Sanjay

At school the first graders have been working on constructing paragraphs. It is their first experience with expression in the form of words. The format they are being taught seems to be "First, Then, Finally". They've been at it for about a month now and so all of Sanjay's paragraphs follow the same outline and are equally hilarious. Each one is exactly five short sentences long and closes with "Clearly I know many things about..." which always cracks me up because there are only ever three things brought up about the subject. See for yourself...

This last one is a little disturbing... perhaps I should model better behavior in front of my kids. Why doesn't he notice all the cooking and cleaning I do? :)

The Amazing Birthday

Bartee turned 40 this year and I wanted to do something special to celebrate.  Although I had 8 months to plan and prepare, until a week ago I had no idea where I was going with it.  A friend mentioned a themed birthday party that she'd attended.  The theme?  The Amazing Race!  Being that it's one of my very favorite reality shows, I immediately started planning Bartee's Amazing 40th Birthday.  I thought it would be the perfect way to start off Bartee's crossing into a new decade.

First, there was the invitation:

We'll be celebrating all 4 decades of Bartee's life by driving around town to complete challenges, Amazing Race style.

The early planning stages have begun and I have lots of fun things in store for you. Teams will be designated by me before the race, so I really need accurate and timely RSVPs. *wink, wink* Also, plan to get here on time as we will get started with the race right away. After the race we'll meet back at our house for libations, various snacks, cake and ice cream. No gifts please.

The race will be adult-only, but I am planning to set up a babysitting house somewhere in the neighborhood. I would just ask everyone to chip in a little something to cover the cost of the babysitter(s), if you don't mind. Alternatively, if you want to leave the kids home with their favorite babysitter, it just means we can keep partying late into the night. His actual birthday is the 11th after all. Don't you want to be the first to wish him?

One more important detail... let's keep it a secret from the birthday boy.

Then there were clues, challenges and pit stops marked with Indian Flags:

Bartee is turning 40!  In celebration of this milestone, you will be participating in a race that will have 4 challenges -- one to honor each decade of his life.  So get ready to learn a little more about Bartee, move fast, be creative, and most of all have fun!

To reach the location for the first challenge, drive to Cottonwood Creek Park (lower level parking, near the restrooms and soccer fields).  Look for the Indian race flag to check in at this pit stop and get your first assignment.

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Bartee enjoys working out daily.  He has a treadmill regimen that includes speed walking.  He maintains a speed of 5.6 miles per hour on the treadmill for an 11 minute stretch.  Can you compete with him?

Your challenge is to speed-walk the .6 mile paved sidewalk around the soccer fields.  You must complete this challenge as a team, meaning everyone must cross the finish line together.  No running or jogging allowed... get those arms and hips swinging. Check your form!

The team with the fastest time will receive a 4 minute deduction from their total time at the conclusion of the race.

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It's no secret that Bartee is a bit of a cheapskate.  One of his favorite places to eat for under $5 is Taco Bell.  For the next challenge, make your way to the Taco Bell at Powers and Dublin Blvd.  On the way, draw a picture of what you think Bartee looked like as a kid. Give these "works of art" to the race operator with the Indian Flag at Taco Bell to receive your next clue.

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ROAD BLOCK - Select one person from your team to complete this challenge. 

You have $5 for this leg of the race.  Go inside wearing the oversized Taco Bell foam hat and place an order for Bartee's favorite meal.  While waiting for the order to be filled, you must stand by the counter with the hat on.  It may only be removed once your food is received and you have been seated at a table ready to indulge.

Bartee's Favorite Meal: One bean burrito with extra onions, a Chicken Gordita Baha Style and 3 packets of Fire Sauce.

The chosen team member must eat the entire meal (belching optional).  Before each bite of the bean burrito you should squirt a bit of fire sauce on it... that's Bartee's method.  No matter how it's done, at least 3 packets of fire sauce must be eaten all together by the time you finish the meal.

If another team is inside wearing the hat, you must wait for them to finish before taking your turn.

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Bartee loves to read.  He plows through 600 page novels like they were 2nd grade chapter books.  Among his favorite authors are Dan Simmons and Robert Jordan.  For the next challenge, you need to make your way to the East Library.  On the way to the library, jot down how you met Bartee and your first impressions of him.  Turn these in to Sandy at the completion of the race.   

 Once inside, follow these instructions carefully:

1. Locate a copy of "Drood" by Dan Simmons.
2. Note down the total number of pages in the book.
3. Turn to page 644.
4. Transcribe the first sentence at the top of the page.
5. Locate a copy of "The Gathering Storm" by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson).
6. Note down the total number of pages in the book.
7. Turn to page 559.
8. Transcribe the first sentence at the top of the page.
9. Take your notes to the race operator with the Indian Flag for verification.  All information must be correct in order to receive your next clue.

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Bartee is an avid skier.  Several years ago he was pushing his limits hanging with a crowd that was a little more daring on the slopes.  He ended up with a back injury that he's been struggling with ever since.

For the final challenge of the race you'll have to drive to Colorado Ski and Golf at 2454 Montebello Square Drive.  One member of the team must get into a back bend position.  The rest of the team should gather around the "back bender" saving one person to take a picture of the group. The Colorado Ski and Golf sign MUST be visible in the background.  Bring this photo with you to the finish line.  On your way to Colorado Ski and Golf, complete the "word puzzle" worksheet on your clipboard.

We will always have our memories of this amazing birthday celebration, but thanks to our friends we also have race day highlights in pictures that will last forever.

Reading a Clue at the Park

Ordering at Taco Bell

Enjoying (??) Bartee's favorite meal

This team was so far ahead they took some time for a photo opp with the race operator.

Some folks enjoyed the Taco Bell hat more than others!

Fast walking at the Park

Posing in front of the ski shop

These over achievers decided to get the shop employees in the photo as well.  They were hoping for extra credit. :)

Between pit stops, the teams had some small assignments for which they earned prizes.  Some of my favorite answers to "How I met Bartee and what were my first impressions?" include:

(1) "I met you as a waitress in a cocktail bar... that much is true".  This person knows you can always get brownie points with me by quoting lyrics from the 80's.

(2) "I met him at game night.  My first impression was that he was not good at games."

Although all the artwork submitted showed a likeness to what Bartee must have looked like as a kid, in a side-by-side comparison, this one was clearly the winner (see: facial expression and sports stance):

The party lasted well into the night and as has been the case with the last 2 parties at our house, the sign of a good time is that inevitably late into the night, and by late into the night I mean sometime after 9pm, someone ends up peeing in a place other than the toilet.  In our old age though, the culprit is one of the kids rather than an adult who has over-indulged in alcohol.  Oh my, how times have changed!

Happy 40th Birthday Bartee!  Now, what shall we do for your 50th?  :)

And in case you missed it on Facebook, I made a little birthday video for Bartee as well.  His favorite part is the dancing solo.  Check it out!

First Day of School

4th and 1st grade!  I don't believe it.  The kids are super excited about school starting again.  Sanjay woke up early and kept pestering me every 5 minutes to get in the car and go to school.  Priya on the other hand had to be woken up.  She's not a morning person at all and to top it all off she had trouble falling asleep last night because of her wild imagination.  We rearranged her room before leaving for Maryland and the poor thing still hasn't adjusted to the new and improved scary shadows that are cast on her walls views.  The day ended well and they are ready to do it all again tomorrow.

These are all kids that live in our neighborhood, but 4 of them are missing from the photo.

Fishing in Maryland

My sister it turns out is an avid fisher.  You may remember that she took the kids to try fishing last year, but  that didn't work out so well.  We ended up with some great pictures but no fish.  This year we tried again.  A couple of weeks earlier she and my cousin had found a nice quiet spot and they caught "tons of fish".  She basically guaranteed the kids that they would make their first catch.  We ended up here...

Cute little dock.

Beautiful swans.

The algae was not here a couple of weeks ago when Jean was fishing.  Not surprisingly, we ended up with more algae on our hooks than fish.  In fact, we caught exactly zero fish after about 45 minutes of hanging out.  So on to plan B.

We picked up my Mom and nearly ran out of gas driving to the other side of town where she had a distant relative that owned a farm with a private stocked lake.  Lucky for us she treats the lake to prevent algae so we were in good shape.  We set up camp under some weeping willow trees.

Within one minute of casting his line, Sanjay had a fish.  But the little guy just ate the bait and took off before Sanjay could reel him in.  :(  Priya was the first to actually catch and bring to shore the first fish.

It was quite a small fish... you can see him on the end of the line.

It was exciting, but didn't compare to what she caught a little later.  Jean said this was probably bigger than any fish that she's ever caught, and I ended up getting the whole thing on video.  Priya's reaction was priceless.  Have a look!

Crazy Fun Family

In Maryland for our annual visit and today was the family reunion.  Here's a picture of the whole gang...

After a day filled with catching up, great food, family photos and splashing in the pool we decided that the reunion wasn't complete without some planking photos.  After all, it's what all the kids are doing these days.  Of course, late last night I found out that planking is so 2 weeks ago and owling is the new planking.  Just when you think you might be cool... it's time to reevaluate.  :)

Sanjay demonstrates the beginner plank.

Aunt Weezie gives her best attempt.  Later that night, she was complaining of serious back pain... I wonder if this had anything to do with it.

It's Dana's first time, too... clearly she needs to work on her form. The arms should be down by your side, but still Merlin the dog seems impressed.

I found a pretty good spot on the deck railing, but the shirt was not really conducive to planking.

A real pro, high-school aged Sam shows us all up!

Happy Mother's Day To Me

Last week I entered a drawing for a great Mother's Day package from Springs Family Values and I got the call this weekend that I was the lucky winner!!  The owner stopped by yesterday to deliver my package personally. What a pleasant surprise and it's an incredible gift.  I'm so excited to start redeeming all the lovely prizes.  Anybody need a ham?  :)

Prize package includes: A Romantic stay at Sundance Mountain Lodge with included meal at Oakley's Restaurant, a spring cleaning package from Dust Bunnies, A Ham from Colorado Smokehouse, and a special gift basket from Couture Cupcakes Co.

If you live in the area you should check out Springs Family Values.  It is a new magazine in town that offers lots of information for the entire family.  The first issue was just mailed out a couple of weeks ago and it contains an article on summer camps, an entry from a local chiropractor and lots of other great information on deals around town.  You can visit them online or look them up on Facebook.  There's already a new give-away on their site... a helicopter ride over Garden of the Gods... now that sounds like a blast.  What are you waiting for?  Go check them out.  

About the Uniform

Tonight was VIP night at the club so we've been cleaning and cleaning getting everything just right for the members.  Tonight was also the first night that we were all required to wear our uniforms so the members could pick us out of the crowd.  So this afternoon my boss hands me a t-shirt, pair of shorts and a swimsuit to go try on.  I grabbed it and ran to the locker room.  Being the full bodied woman that I am, I tend to have a hard time finding things that fit, so I really would have rather preferred having this stuff a few days back so I could make sure everything was just so.  But alas I had only a few hours before having to don the uniform in front of thousands of members and perspective members.  I was anxious and excited to put this sucker on.  Imagine my delight horror when I opened the package to discover this...

I tried it on.  Surprisingly, it did fit.  Needless to say, it was not pretty.  :)  

I marched right out to my supervisor and asked him if he was trying to scare the patrons away.  He looked confused, so I explained to him, "This is not a bikini body".  He got a good laugh and half-heartedly promised to order me a one piece when he places the next order.  He ordered bikinis for all of us and I'm not the only one upset about it.  There are even skinny girls who are not interested in showing off their midriff.  So, I hope this gets resolved soon.  Everything else about the place is fabulous... of course, we're not even open yet, but it seems like it will still be fabulous after Friday.  

Tonight was crazy... the amount of people and the steady stream of folks through the pool area was amazing.  The excitement was in everyone.  It's so fun to be a part of the grand opening of a facility like this.  Just watching the way everything is so well-planned and coordinated... it's like a well-oiled machine.   They even had folks parking in a nearby school parking lot then had a tour bus serving as a shuttle between the club and the school.  The CEO was here teaching a spinning class when the first people walked through the doors.  Kids visiting the child care area got free face painting and I think these folks were true artists.  Some of the designs on the kids walking through the pool were AMAZING.  They were giving away smoothies at the poolside Bistro.  And throughout the facility there were demonstrations going on for things like tennis, rock climbing, swim lessons, swim team and even zumba.  Fun times ahead!