All I Wanted Was a Snow Day!

When Erin and Bayley began attending Pike's Peak Community College a couple of years ago, I signed on for the email and text alerts, thinking mainly of those blessed mornings when the college would close for snow.  Well, in the 3 years' time since then I have very rarely received such a message, and when I have they usually read something like this:; "Due to snow, the Falcon campus is closed.  ALL OTHER campuses are open."  No one here has classes at the Falcon campus and we really don't appreciate hearing about their frequent cancellations.  However, I do get texts from the college, they just are not usually about snow.  A sampling of text alerts I have received:

"The Rampart Range campus is on full lockdown.  An armed gunman has been reported in the vicinity."
(Our kids aren't at this campus)

"An armed gunman has been reported at the centennial campus.  The campus is on full lockdown."
(Our kids DO attend this campus.  There is also a shooting range at this campus.  This poor guy neglected to remove his gun before entering the book store and initiated an impromptu lockdown drill)

"There has been an attempted armed robbery at the something bank next door to the downtown studio campus.  The suspect fled west, towards the campus."  (Bayley does have classes at this campus too.  I looked this one up.  The guy pointed a gun at someone, demanded money, then got scared and ran.)

"Fort Carson has alerted us that there is an unexploded explosive device near the fence between the base and the Centennial Campus.  Personnel from the base are on the scene.  There is no immediate danger to the campus.  The auto shop has been evacuated."  (Apparently there was some danger to the auto shop at least).

"There is a grass fire just east of the centennial campus.  Fire crews are on the scene.  Lots of smoke.  There is no immediate danger to the campus."  (Unless you needed to get out of the parking lot in a hurry, because all those fire crews were seriously blocking traffic.  I know, I was actually there for this one)

"The hydrochloric acid leak in Monument is not expected to affect operations at the Rampart Range campus."  (This one came in at about 6:30 am, when you would most expect the snow day kind of announcement, but alas it was only a train leaking acid and causing the evacuation of some 200+ homes  a few miles north of campus).

So, sometimes I wonder, is it really better to be this informed, or would I rather not know?  None of these incidents ended up actually affecting my family, (except for the traffic jam caused by the grass fire).  The failed bank robber was apprehended outside of campus, the fire was quickly and successfully extinguished, the poor guy with the gun in the book store got things sorted out and I guess Fort Carson must have taken care of whatever 'explosive device,' they accidentally left out by the fence,  even the acid leak was contained without major mishap.  But every time I get one of these messages on my phone I experience a moment of panic.  But I can't give up on the chance that one day the message will be that classes are cancelled for snow.  And not just at the Falcon campus.

General Conference Weekend Celebrations

In our house, General Conference weekend means cinnamon rolls for breakfast and cold cut sandwiches with chips and lemonade for lunch with both meals being leisurely consumed as we watch and listen to conference sessions. This time we actually got to watch on our TV instead of the tiny computer screen as we can now hook up a laptop to the TV. Don't ask me how, I am the one who still needs to ask for help whenever I want to access Netflix Instant on the TV. Sad, I know. In between sessions we have time to clean up the remains of our meals and play together in the yard or at the park. The traditions have made such an impression on Fionnula that she is sure that General Conference is actually a holiday, and Saturday morning, she cheerfully greeted each family member as they emerged from their bedrooms with "Happy General Conference!" And, in fact, asked me if we had any decorations for General Conference. Even though we are attired mostly in sweats, yoga pants or even jammies, and even though there are puzzles and coloring books and crayons scattered about the room as we listen, most of the kids are paying pretty close attention and several are taking copious notes, partly because next weekend we will play General Conference Jeopardy and the competition can be fierce.

Last October the entire game changed directions with the question "Name one of the places that it was announced a new temple will be built." Up until this time, Liam had been growing increasingly bored and less attentive as question after question had been asked and answered by someone other than he, mostly by older siblings who had conference notes to guide them. He could only be entertained for so long by the tasks of ringing the bell for his team or by getting to erase the points from the dry erase board as a question was chosen. By this point in the game, he was lying in my lap, seemingly completely unaware of the riotous game going on about him, but the the temple question was read and there was a split second of utter silence as all those note-takers realized that not one of them had the vital information in their notes. Then we became aware that Liam had leaped from my lap and was making a desperate lunge for the bell, his team mates had no time to react in their alarm that he was going to ring the bell and LOSE them points because he couldn't possibly know the answer, before he slammed his little hand down on that bell and shouted out "Indiana!" He had won the game for his team. I don't think that question will make the cut this year, as everyone in the house is very aware that a new temple here in Colorado was announced. I think a few of my children already have plans to marry in a Fort Collins temple instead of Denver.

Last night, after the last session of Conference, Kris and I decided that instead of our usual Sunday evening Family Home Evening lesson, just a family game would be appropriate and accordingly, Kris prepared a list of questions for our family's version of The Newly-Wed Game. The kids were assigned partners by pulling numbers out of a bowl and one of each partnership was sent from the room while the others answered questions such as; What would your team mate say was the worst thing that ever happened to them? What Harry Potter character are you most like? What are you most afraid of? What is your favorite play-doh color? For the most part, the kids amazed me with their abilty to zero in on who their siblings favorite musicians were or what their favorite picture books were. Amik's announcement that his favorite play-doh color was brown was met with all around disgust from the whole room. Fionn totally surprised us when she correctly guessed that Ronan had answered "What was your teammate's most embarrasing memory?" with "Oh... the time I told Liam that when I was a baby I fell in the toilet and Daddy had to rescue me." I should mention here that Fionn is prone to making up stories about 'when I was a baby,' and that this incident NEVER happened, nor have I ever even heard her tell this tale, which makes it all the more remarkable that Ronan was sure she would say it was her most embarrassing moment and that it was exactly what she did say. Kegan and Bayley, I am pretty sure were cheating shamelessly by signalling one another across the room, even as they were loudly protesting any time Fionn or Liam were offered any help whatsoever. Not that it did us any good, I tried to make sure Rhys knew most of the answers that Fionn needed, and when he would whisper in Fionn's ear that he was sure that Ronan was most afraid of a Bogart, Fionn would reply "No. I am not going to say that!" Or else yell out that she thought Rhys was trying to cheat. And Liam it turned out needed very little help in guessing Rhys's answers anyway, I think he even got that Rhys's favorite musical group was The Beatles without any help. But maybe I just missed it. Erin and Noah seemed the most convinced that they would never get each other's responses but Erin easily named his favorite toy and he knew what she wanted to do when she grew up ( I think she already grew up, while I was looking the other way!) The hilarity really reached it's peak though when Aislin was asked what Amik said he was most afraid of. I don't remember what Aislin said, but I do remember the look of incredulity on Amik's face that she hadn't guessed the obvious answer correctly and the total matter of fact tone he used when he said "The zombie apocalypse! Duh!"