White Stuff

Snow-capped mountains. Vibrant blue sky. Ghost towns. Wildlife. Hot springs. Great friends. And yummy food. We love Colorado!

We arrived in Colorado Springs over a week ago for my book signing at Focus on the Family, and when we got outside, Kiki picked up a handful of snow and said, "What is this stuff?"

Kiki is now an expert on snow. Over a foot dumped on us as we traveled west to Ouray on Wednesday. But the sun came out today and melted the icy "stuff" off the roads so we hiked and explored and introduced our kids to the wonders of an abandoned mining town (lots of pictures below). No matter where we travel around the world, Colorado will always feel like home.

Thank you to all of our wonderful friends who entertained us while we were in the Springs. It's been an amazing, fun, snowy-white adventure. I wish we could stay another month or two.

Dancing with the Stars

Usually my friend Brenda Salmon and I prefer country dancing, but last night, we embraced L.A.’s glitz and glamour on Dancing with the Stars—as an audience member, of course. We got tickets online and thanks to Jon’s gracious offer to watch the girls, we ditched the cowboy boots and stumbled through Hollywood in heels and dresses.

Actually, we had tickets for LAST week’s show, but when we arrived (in our formal attire…), we discovered that our tickets only guaranteed us a place in line, not to get in the show. Minor detail. So we were turned away with the promise that we would have priority seats this week. And we did.

The cozy set was surrounded by coffee tables and chairs, and we were taken to the best and the worst seats in the house—right behind the judges. This meant that we were on camera (or so I’m told, I haven’t actually watched the tape yet), but we had to strain our necks to see the dancing.

We loved getting to know the women next to us (Hi, Nicky and Carol!) and cheer for our favorites. Personally, I can’t decide between Mario, Emmitt, and Monique...okay, now I sound obsessed. I’m assuming they all danced well last night, but I don’t know for sure since I spent the show staring at the back of Carrie Ann Inaba’s hair.

So maybe I’m a little obsessed, but even as I sit in front of my computer in my jeans and T-shirt the day after the show, I’m still feeling a little L.A.-ish. And Karly thinks it’s the coolest that her mommy went and DANCED with the stars even though my favorite dance stars are at home. I’d appreciate it if no one told her that I never actually got to dance.

Punkin' Patch

There's just something wrong with going to a pumpkin patch when it's 75 outside. In October! But we had a blast with our sweet friends Windy and Marylin at this farm outside L.A. We took a tractor ride, picked pumpkins, fed the animals, and neither of the girls would stop grinning as they rode the ponies. The first time Karly went, she kept pounding her heels into the side of the poor pony to make him go faster. The attendant informed her that, much to her dismay, they wouldn't be galloping that day.

Karly Says the Darndest Things...

After watching a segment of Dancing with the Stars this week, Karly took my hands and decided to practice some dance moves. We twirled, dipped, kicked, and spun across our makeshift dance floor. She giggled with every turn, and we tried a new move—the flare. Holding hands, we stretched our free arms out and pointed our toes. Karly decided she liked to flare so we did it over and over (and over again).

The next day, Karly decided she wanted to play Cinderella. I was honored with the starring role, and once she got into character as the “mean mudder,” Karly pretended to rip my beautiful dress. I sobbed about missing the ball, but I didn’t have to cry for long. With the flick of her wand, I suddenly had a new dress to go to the grand ball where she evolved from the Fairy Godmother to Prince Charming and danced with me around the living room. We twirled and dipped and even kicked a little and in my enthusiasm, I shouted, “Let’s flare!”

Karly stopped dancing. She stepped back, crossed her arms, and glared up at me with a silent reprimand. Then she leaned in and with her three-going-on-twenty-three voice said: “Mommy, Cinderella does NOT flare!”

What was I thinking? Of course, Cinderella would never, ever flare….