Be The Pigeon

There's things we each take for granted in life. Today, I'm no longer taking for granted the ability to breathe clearly. One of the perks of having kids is that they love to bring home germs as pets. I bet they even name them. If that weren't enough, they incubate these pets and then pass them on to their parents once they've developed the appropriate antibodies. Of course, not being immersed full time in the same biologic cesspools as my kids, I'm already at a disadvantage. Normally, I have good sense about things and by simply not sharing a cup and by washing my hands more than them (ie: once a month), I avoid 90% of the junk they bring home. This time I was simply stupid and got what I deserved. I recall sharing some drinks and such when they were sniffly. Smooth move, exlax! (a phrase we explained to them this week, as well) I first picked this bug up several days ago, but kept telling myself it wasn't getting hold of me. We took the kids for a nice...

This week we will go camping on our annual trip with friends to Rocky Mountain National Park. This is year #7 for us on this trip, and it's something we look forward to each summer. Our group campout started not long after we moved here, and it's affectionately been referred to as "Camping with the Hansens" ever since, after the family that started it and put out the initial invites. Though I grew up camping quite a bit, Jo wasn't too into it, and we weren't really a "camping couple" at the beginning. But, if you count our first year where we came home without actually staying over (which is debatable, I suppose), we are one of only 2-3 f amilies who have been each and every year. In Jolayne's defense, she's now got a rep as the best dutch-oven cooker in the group, and she's been planning this year's meals for several weeks already. She's a great camper and does a fantastic job with everything. We haven't joined the Inte...