Category: Totally Tatum

We won’t let the rafting incident get us down!! NO! We are bolder now. Ready to go to Boulder by the way! I graduated from CU (University of Colorado) in 1990. I haven’t been back (but only once) since then. I get to return back with my two LOVES! My family!
We started at Chautauqua Park. I used to ride my bike here, hike here, picnic here, drive around these roads….all of this when I was a young gal. It is still more beautiful than ever. Those flatirons!

See them all?

The day was a bit warm for CO, but we still sauntered up the park a bit. Daddy and Tot were awed by the beauty.

It was a busy day there at Chautauqua, but we wanted to take in the view. Tot and I found some dandelions. She couldn’t help it. OK, let’s blow!

I always pictured Tot prancing in a flowery field like a little puppy. Truly this place was made for her.

And Daddy? He’s focused on the view. You can see the city… And CU!

He couldn’t get enough of the flatirons. See this majestic bird flying in the picture?

Time to go, Tot.

Next stop, Flagstaff House. This was a restaurant my mom and Mimi took me to for graduation 30 years ago! It is on the top of the mountain, and it’s so fancy and glorious. We headed up the mountain 6000 ft!

Such great memories of overly pricey fancy dinners with my family.

OK, so now we are headed to the campus! Doug couldn’t believe how beautiful the architecture was. First stop: Kittredge Hall. My first dorm! Papa moved me in August of 1986. Hard to believe! It was the first year of Kittredge being open.

WOW! The beauty and the memories. Me on my bike riding to class was a common occurrence.

Now, I also drove occasionally and I had to tell the story of me hydroplaning down University Blvd. But, first, we had to visit “The Hill” where mom’s sorority still lived. Delta Gamma. My grandma Mimi and my mom both lived there.

And the Sink is still there! The best burgers ever. Mom’s first hickory burger was there in 1956. Mine in 1986!

Instead of eating we decided to go shopping. We headed to the University Memorial Center (UMC) to the bookstore.

We bought a few goodies for Tot and Mama to remember our CU experience. Tot will get her gifts in a couple of days.

Until then, she enjoyed the experience.

My 4 years here were so amazing.

I wanted to show Daddy and Tot my sorority. I lived here with 80 girls my Sophomore and Junior years. I tried to go in, but nobody was there.

It’s such a beautiful house.

Wow…just wow.

I brought them down to Pearl Street and it has not changed much. Street performers, little shops and chocolate! So…I bought Tot and Daddy a treat.
We just went to Wendy’s for lunch which is probably a sin in Boulder because of all the foodie places….but we still like it.

After lunch, I gave Daddy his little chocolate treat and he was a bit……

Now, Tot’s turn. Little love bug…what will you get?

Oh…yes.

Now, what does the Mommy get for dessert? Wellllllll, since she’s having her tummy issues, it’s…..it’s….

Oh, it’s not funny!

We had a great time, and Tot and Daddy enjoyed seeing my past. The ride home to the hotel we played little games and made the time go by quickly.

That night, our last night, we had fun conversation, lots of chocolate, and a good dinner. Chik-Fil-A of course. We doctor it up a bit, and it taste so good!
Gratitude all around. Here is mine:

I probably missed a ton, but here is a little list of my gratitudes. I love you family. Ready to go home tomorrow.

Day 3 would be a life changing, life preserving, life giving day. We gleefully left the hotel bright and early to arrive at Royal Gorge Rafting Adventures 30-minutes prior to departure. Now, we expected a 3-hour experience of water, fun, and adventure. Hmmmmmmm.

Ready to get our equipment on. And of course some Jesus; we were prayed up, baby!

Since it would be cold water, Tot and I opted for a wetsuit. Cute? Not so much. Warm. So much. The booties were a bonus.

How we lookin’?

The bus took us to the beginning of our voyage; we had one other family with us. (a perfect match…mom, dad, and kiddo about 6). Alex was our guide.

This guy was in training, and he would come as an important key to our journey.

Daddy and I sat up front with Tot in the middle. She was having a blast in our first few rapids. They came upon us pretty quickly and we all got so wet. Here the come! (Tot’s in the blue). Mommy is on her right and Daddy on her left.

Then. Shark! …the SHARK ate my family.

Well, not really. The Shark Tooth Rapids. YIKES.

We lost the guy behind me in one of the big rapids. He fell out which threw the boat off balance, and then Daddy fell out. Guess who was next???

Those two heads under our raft are Daddy and TOT!

I’m freaking out because I still need to control the boat with the other mom, but I’m more worried about my loves!

Daddy has the TOT! He’s saving her.

Then, it was key that Alex would get a hold of Tot, and luckily the guy in training grabbed Daddy. Amidst the rocks, cold water, and fear alone, they were completely shaken!!!

All are safe now. We get Daddy back on our boat, and continue to oar forward!

Tot is so cold and wanting to go home. I know she’ll remember this forever, but at this point, she is frightened. Daddy is shook up as well.

I’m SO grateful they are safe and unharmed. A few scratches, but truly a white knuckling on the whitewater.

When you fall in, you get to sign the bus. By the way, it is covered with a plethora of names. We are not alone!

Ah..he loves me. I love you too, Daddy. YOU TWO ARE MY LOVES.

Later, after catching our breath, we headed to the Royal Gorge to look down the bridge. We couldn’t get in, but we caught a glimpse. AMAZING!

The car trip home, Tot fell asleep, and when we arrived at the hotel, she was ready to swim in their pool. Recovered. Almost.

We came together again at dinner with our gratitudes. Here are mine.

What a day. I think it brought Daddy and Tot to a new level of closeness.

At least they had some war wounds to act as reminders of love, loyalty and LIFE!

ME? MORE gratitude.

Tot? Her happy self.

Tomorrow? BOULDER!

Good morning from the Spring Hill Suites in CO Springs! See the snow on the mountains?

The mountains are inviting, and we are ready to experience your beauty, Father. We started out the day with a nice workout and free buffet. Halleluia!
Then, we were off to Focus on the Family. It was a goal of mine to visit this place when Tatum was born. Doug and I listen to them daily, and Jim Daly, the president, is a man committed to family, LIFE, Fatherhood, and Jesus .

We started out in the admin building and saw the recording studio.

And Tot and I wished we could watch a recording!

The building was filled with references to how bathed in Jesus they are. They truly live what their building signifies.

We decided to hit the bookstore but first…..the kids area!! Adventures in Odyssey is a radio show we love, and they had a whole play area. First, we watched a 12-minute video about what Focus stands for. Completely inspiring. I desire for Tot to be a part of this ministry as we age and she ages.

Right now…fun! Three story slide anticipation.

Whatcha think?

Ready for some ice cream for sure.

We found the Narnia room! The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe! The wardrobe would lead us to…..

Aslan!

The bookstore was the most exciting part of the morning.

Tatum get a ton of Imagination Station books, a devotion, a book on girls growing up, and some T-shirts. Daddy and I got some family question cards and a couple of books.

While we waited for Daddy to buy his stash, Tot read. (oh, and she put on her shirt: Play Hard; Pray Hard (1 These 5:17)

What a joy to spend there. I only pray we can be more involved with them as time progresses. Thank you for all you do FOTF.

We decided to go over to the Broadmoor Hotel since it is a fancy and beautiful destination for many. (kind of like the Hotel Del Coronado).

The pool looked so inviting!

The views! Its looks like we are in Europe.

Walking around the lake, the foliage and trees were breathtaking!!!

Oh….look here!

The first pic is the one we took.

A magpie! I had to look it up.

Then, Tot took our pic. The trees!! Look how picturesque.

Tot found a friend.

More beautiful pictures.

The solo swan enjoying his alone time. The joy of the water!

Everywhere there are flowers and green.

We finalized our walk and got ready for lunch.

In the lobby…all roses. Daddy treats me like this daily….like he bought me this bouquet!

We got back to the hotel for our evening wrap up, a bit of swimming and chillin out.

We always end our night with our gratitude journals. Here is my entry for the day.

Tomorrow, watch out whitewater rafting; we are ready to take you on!

I love Colorado. Going to University in Boulder way back in the 80’s has made me even more hungry to return, but this time I’d return with my family. What a blessing.

I would surprise my Hay loves with the idea of going to Colorado Springs for a few days then we’d hit Boulder the last day. What would we do in CO Springs? Stay tuned!

We left on a Tuesday, and on the way to the airport, Doug remembered that he forgot his glasses, briefcase, and his book in his car. First bummer, but he made the best of it. Parked and ready to go in.

Then it happened. The Tot froze. I was on my way up the escalator to the gate shuttle and no Tot. Mommy!

Just get on, sweetie! You’ve done it a million times. Well, this nice man just yanked her on. He noted I have girls. What a helper he was.

And now…to the plane.

Aboard, Tot read,

I puzzled, and Daddy perused a magazine. All good and very lacking in food. But we survived.

After we got our rental, we headed to Co Springs, and oh, were we ready to get there!

But how beautiful does the greenery and the gray clouds look!
Hungry….hangry really and a bit pooped. We even didn’t want to make two trips to our room, so we hauled it all in one. Srsly.

Ok, Spring Hill Suites. We are ready to chillllll out and start our vaca. Honestly, just being together is the best part of it all.

Day 2 will be Focus on the Family!

We are so proud of your hard work. Wow, look at the handwriting improvement.

More importantly your character is what we look at. God looks at the heart, sweet girl, and you have the kindest and most loving. I love you!

Sunday morning started the weekend, and as always, we did our greeting. Vera Beck, one of our dear greeting friends, wanted a picture with the Tot. Look how cute they look!

Monday, the fire kept burning in Tot as she drew a wonderful picture to commemorate the day.

I drew one too, but I did not flower mine up as much as she did. Her’s is remarkable and so heartfelt.

We had to check on Daddy at one point as he worked on our kitchen. I LOVE LOVE his passion for creative work outside. I couldn’t find my outside shoes, so I wore Tot’s. She then, of course had to follow me, so she sported the Daddy’s lovely footwear. Not sure if it is still considered footwear, but it did take over her body.

Later that night, we shared our gratitude journals, and Tot had much to say.

This is the eve to our CO vacation. We are ready to experience our beautiful country and a fine plane ride tomorrow.

Thank you to all who fought for our country and our freedom.

It bonds and holds FOREVER! No wonder Doug is enamored by his…..

The angels singing….

His cement mixer. It’s a mainstay in our backyard; the permanence of it is just like HIS love for us. It’s permanent. Everlasting.

Well, this mixer comes in handy when you want to make an outdoor kitchen. This was one of his creative ideas at our idea dinner.

And now it comes to fruition.

Guess who helped him out?

The TOT!

My honeys are working so hard out there. Doug’s creativity is fun to watch unfold.

Then the most important part.

Wait for it…

The cement, she meant, will be forever a part of our lives. It is a symbolic idea of the permanence of HIS love, the permanence of the HAY family and our love for each other.

Tatum made it so.

Thank you Hay family. Thank you HHH for making this a reality!