The trees are budding. Note to self: plant tulip bulbs. My peonies are popping out of the ground. Oh good, they survived. Oh, what a track off we had; a visit to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Planetarium, Taekwondo testing & tournament, t-ball, a road trip to Minnesota, an Emergency Room visit and a few Spring snow storms to mix things up. Madison received her Camo belt so now she's ready to spar. The trip to Minnesota was uneventful until we headed home. It was great to see my friends and family don'tcha know and have tator tot hot dish. I love going back home but I really put on the pounds. The dinner tables are full and the homes are always welcoming. I scored a Kuchen recipe so I can't wait to make my favorite; apricot & prune. Lance would rather go during harvest time so he can be of some help to John. They weren't set to plant for another week or two. Heading home was an adventure. Not even 3 hours out of town, in Sioux City, IA, we had stopped for lunch at Red Robin. Within 30 minutes Madison broke out in hives and had trouble breathing. After giving her a shot of Benadryl and observed for 4 hours in the E.R. we were back on the road heading to our hotel in Kearney, NE. We're not sure what caused her reaction and she had another episode at school this week but without the hives. We are on a waiting list to see an Allergist at Children's Hospital and we gave the school nurse an Epi-Pen just in case. A snow storm was slotted to hit Colorado during our drive but we pushed forward hoping we would miss it. We drove through rain most of the way and hit blizzard conditions 2 exits from home. Lance and Ethan had Mammoth tickets for that night so off they went. No thank you; after 6 hours on the road I was staying home. The next morning we had to get up early and take Madison to her Taekwondo tournament across town. The snow hadn't stopped but we prayed and arrived safely. Madison won 3rd place in her 1-Steps and met Grand Master Lee; the big kuhana of the American Taekwondo Association. It was an exhausting but rewarding day.
Lance was recognized for his volunteer work at Dakota Valley Elementary. He spends an hour every Tuesday & Wednesday working with the 2nd Grade reading groups. The kids just love him and he is definiately making a difference. He was given the Wendy DeBell Exceptional Volunteer award along with volunteers from each school in the Cherry Creek School District. They threw a fancy schmancy banquet at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It was truly an honor. He was humbled because some of those volunteers do so much more than him.
