July 14, 2008, DC/Williamsburg Vacation day 2: Mount Vernon

Afer getting caught up on our sleep on Sunday night we let the kids sleep and we left the Howard Johnson's in Maryland at around 10:00 a.m. We were on our way to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. After experiencing our first bout with the traffic (We got stuck on the bridge going over the Potomac into Virginia, but it gave us our first glance at the Capital building and the Washington Monument) we got onto highway one, the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It was a beautiful section of road. Lot's of places to stop for a picnic and just to enjoy the river and its banks. We made it to Mount Vernon without too much trouble.

As we entered Mount Vernon there was greeter there who kepts saying "Happy Bastille" Day. I thought he said "Happy Best Deal" day. I thought we had come on the right day to save some money, but soon found out I had just heard him incorrectly. After petting the goats ouside the entry gate we walked through the museum and watched a short film on George Washington. It was very moving. (Okay, maybe that was just me, although I worked hard at helping my kids realize for the rest of the vacation that our freedom came then, and still comes with a price)

We made our way to the main Mount Vernon attraction, George and Martha's house. Calvin was wearing a Christian shirt he has that says "loser" on the front of it. As we were standing in line, the guy who was playing the role of a slave worker on the grounds inquired as to why Calvin had such low self-esteem. Of course that gave us a chance to explain what his shirt was all about.

In George's house we learned that Martha always had a Virginia Ham on the table every night for dinner. There was one room that was an awesome bright green, (Calvin's opinion) and the house, although made of wood was painted to make it look like stone. They would paint it and then throw sand on it. We also learned that George Washington loved Strawberry Ice Cream. We saw his current tomb and his former tomb, and also some of his farmland. He was quite an innovator when it came to farming, and all his time as General and then President of the United States were a distant 2nd and 3rd to his longing to be at home and simply work his land.

After a good day at Mount Vernon we meandered our way through the Washington DC suburbs to Clifton, which is an outlying suburb. We finally found our way to the home of Lee and Cindy Wilbur. Cindy is Rose's cousin. We would stay for them for the next 3 nights. We had a good dinner with them before they all had to leave for play rehearsal that most of them had a part in. The kids ended up playing Rock Band (video game, which would be a nightly occurence) that night before we crashed for the evening in preparation for our first day on the National Mall.

July 13, 2008: DC/Williamsburg Vacation Day 1: Early to Rise, Early to Bed

We got the kids out of bed at 2 a.m. to drive to Colorado Springs. Yes, dad thought it was a good idea to fly out of Colorado Springs instead of Denver. (We did save a little money that way) Seemed like a good idea in April. Kids slept as much as they could in the car. We got to the Springs in plenty of time. The Colorado Springs airport is small enough that we got right through and ready for our plane in plenty of time. It was there that we realized we had left our banannas for breakfast in the van and mom forgot her hat too. No problem. The gift shop in the airport had a hat mom could buy and we got a pastry and egg bagel sandwich that we shared for breakfast.

The plane rides from Colorado Springs to Houston and Houston to Baltimore were uneventful, thankfully. All but dad watched the movie Penelope on the plane and we got little mini sandwiches to eat for lunch. When we got to Baltimore we got our bags and got reintroduced to humidity. We don't get much of that in Colorado. We made our way to the Avis car rental counter and I surprised the kids by renting a Toyota Highlander (What else would someone who has owned only Toyota's get?). I told the kids not to expect a mini van or the like, but this car had a third seat which was very important to Kendra. (she doesn't like to sit by her sister too much) Once we found our way to the interstate we headed south to D.C. One of the first things we noticed was all the trees and very little ability to see beyond the road we were on. In Colorado we can see for miles. In Maryland and Virginia you can only see what's right in front of you.

We made it to the north end of DC and checked into our Howard Johnson hotel in Cheverly Maryland. Our hotel wasn't much to write home about, but it was a roof over our head. There were many people from other countries there. (A Japanese contingent and some of Australian persuasian to be exact) The A/C didn't stay ahead of the hot humidity too well in our room, but we survived. For dinner we ventured out to a Ruby Tuesday's in Landover, saw the stadium where the Washington Redskins play, and then got a few groceries at "Giant". We were all pretty beat after getting up so early, so we were all in bed and asleep by 9 PM.

We had made it through day 1, and we were on the East Coast ready for several days of adventure.

Family Vacation to DC/Williamsburg Virginia

Recently the Gifford clan took a two week vacation to the East end of the country. (DC area and Williamsburg Virginia area) We checked out as much history stuff as we could fit into a 12 day trip. We also got to experience some other things we aren't used to experiencing like seeing lots of trees and feeling lots of humidity, a couple things we don't have too much of here in Colorado.

We had a great time together, not to mention some funny moments!

Anyway, in the coming days look for a recap of each day of our trip.

Crash!

A funny thing happened on the way to guitar lessons. We were on the street in front of the music school and a woman in a Ford Explorer got a little tired of waiting to turn left and did it any way, without really checking the traffic and plowed right into us. Paige and I were okay and since I knew it would take awhile to deal with, I sent her to her lesson while I waited for the police. I had to get my car out of the street, which was a new experience with three wheels working and one smashed in, sort-of underneath the car. It was a slow dragging, driving, rubber being peeled from the tire kind of motion. It felt very wrong to be trying to drive a car that way but I didn't want to be hit again because I was in the middle of the street.

Debbie, the other driver, was not hurt but when she went to grab her jacket out of her car she found that one of the two dogs in the car with her had gotten so upset he had peed on her coat. Her car was very drivable, with just stratches on the bumper. You know what they say about accidents, the bigger car wins.

Paige was a trooper, no panic or tears, just headed off with her quitar strapped on her back. I think she was thrilled to have the adventure to share at school. My children have now determined that Kendra is the only one in the family who has not been a passenger when mom had an accident. Also, when I called Dave to tell him, he was meeting with our friend Scott. Scott mentioned that they were together the last time I called Dave to tell him I had been in an accident. From the way these people are talking you would think this is a weekly event.

Dave spent the evening unhappily shopping for minivans on-line. He was hoping that buying a minivan had been a once in a lifetime experience but here he is again. He kept asking, "does it really have to be a minvan?" He knows the only other alternatives that will accomodate 5 people (3 of whom are growing everyday) and the big dog are a van or an SUV. The kids suggested a van like the church has (a long 18 passenger) or a station wagon. Not going to happen. We also all know Dave is NOT going to pay to drive a gas guzzling SUV and they many times don't have that much room anyway. I told him to not think about buying a minivan for himself but that he is buying for his wife. His little convertible will have to wait. So for the time being the Gifford's are the proud owners of a 1994 Toyota Camry with the bent antena that just reached the milestone of 200,000 miles as our only form of tranportation.

I hit the car door with a little bit of force so I am a little sore and have a bruise on my right thigh and didn't sleep so well but I know I have so much to be truly thankful for. I had planned to shampoo the inside of the van, fill the almost empty tank and get that cracked windshield fixed. We also had an emissions test coming up and weren't 100 % sure it would pass, something about a cadilitic converter acting up. So needless to say I am glad I procrastinated on all those details. Seriously, I know that God protected us from harm on a busy street at rush hour. He continues to bless us with what we need and more. (Dave saw a few used vans with heated seats and automatic sliding doors, talk about luxury!)

An added blessing is that Paige made to her lesson and is now working on "Colorado Rocky Mountian High" as her next piece so life is good.

Rose

Battle of the Books

I'm gonna be in Battle of the Books.You probably don't know what that is so I'll tell you: Everybody in fifth grade got a slip it talked about the program. You Fill it out and return it to the librarian. She gives a list of book's and schedule and a paper where you make question's. You have to read 5 out of 10 books. When your done with the book you make 5 question's. You also have meeting's every other Thursday. Then you have battles. They ask you very detailed question's. If you win the school battles then you go district thereyu compete with 21 other school. If you win it you get a trophy and other stuff. It's really fun so far. :-0 :-) :-) :-)

Dakota's Birthday

Dakota is now A year old in people year's,7 year's in dog year's. We had a birthday party for him on 1/5/08. the Tillion's came to celabrate. They even brought their dog! We had a cake the dog's had a ton of treat's.They both got a santa chew toy. Dakota loves his. Actually he's playing with it right now. His real birthday was tuesday. He kept using the exscuse " it's my birthday ". Dakota's barking sorry talk to you later,Bye.

Happy New Year

Another year has passed and more memories have been deposited in the Gifford Family memory bank. 2007 has been quite a year for the Gifford clan as we have grown closer to God and to each other.

Happenings

Kendra had the opportunity to spend a week at DisneyWorld in Florida with her Aunt Jill. They had a great time together and a memory that she will have for the rest of her life.

In February Rose and I got away to Hilton Head South Carolina for a week. It was a great time to rest, to reconnect, and to celebrate our 20th anniversary a little bit early.

This summer Dave had many opportunities to hike and climb with friends from church and his friend Scott as they led people on a series of meditative hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Dave, Calvin, and 3 other guys from church spent a long weekend in a cabin just outside of Telluride. It was a beautiful setting. We did some hiking, soaked in the only geyser in Colorado, visited Mesa Verde, and even got in a little fishing.

In July we all went to the Black Hills for 2 days and then headed to Primgahr Iowa for Rose's parents 50th anniversary celebration. The kids got to perform a talent in front of the church family. Paige sang Old Rugged Cross, Kendra recited all the books of the bible, and Calvin amazed the audience with his card trick abilities. The men and young men in the group even dazzled the crowd with some dancing performed to the music of the Bee Gee's.

Dave

The Fall has been very busy for Dave as he has been engrossed in an effort to change the culture at the church we attend. We want to build a church that is built on getting people connected in LifeGroups. We are well on our way with over 70 groups formed to this point and over 700 people actively involved meeting with others on a regular basis.

Rose
Rose is still working hard at Thornton High School and very busy orgnaizing events for the FCCLA program there. She still teaches kindergarteners every Sunday, and has even done some teaching of some parenting classes at the church.

Paige
Paige is not in 3rd grade and growing up fast. She loves playing with her friends, playing guitar (she did her first recital recently!) and asking when our family is going to do its next "family fun night". Paige loves to organize people (even if they don't want to be organized) and keep the mood in the house light. She seems to have a real knack for this.

Kendra

Kendra is in 5th grade and anxiously getting ready for middle school. She has her moments now, when she seems very much like a middle school girl, so I guess she will fit right in. She continues to excel in school and still doesn't like to go hiking or camping. (how did she end up in Colorado?)

Calvin

Calvin is now in 8th grade and just months now from entering High School. (Where did the time go?) His voice is changing and he has lots of friends at school and church. Calvin loves Christian music, playing basketball and even took some golf lessons this year. (Maybe he and I can hit the links together)

New Patio

Our big project for the year was transforming our backyard into more usable space. We had a 20 by 20 slab of concrete layed and bought all new patio furniture to complete the project. We even bought a fire pit! (Next year though we have to do the AC in the house.)

Dakota

But lastly but certainly not leastly, the biggest event in our year may have been on May 25 when we brought home a new addition to our family. At only 16 weeks young we brought home a beautiful 36 pound Golden Retriever. What a gift and blessing from God he has been to us. His name is Dakota, but don't let the mass of fir and bones fool you. (He is 75 pounds now!) He is a true sweetheart of a dog. He loves to play, but he also loves to please anyone who will give him attention. We are all learning the art of dog ownership. We can't run enough with him to please him, so he is a great weight control device too. He is always ready to go farther and faster than we are.

God has blessed our family in many ways this year. We try to thank him everyday for what he has given us in life itself, in the gift of each other, but mostly, the gift of God's son, Jesus. Our hope is that you have the hope found him as well. May 2008 be a year that brings us all closer to God through Jesus.

Happy 2008 from the Giffords!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Gifford's spent a quiet day at home for Thanksgiving this year. We got out of bed when we felt like it. (For Calvin that was about 11:15) We tried to wear the dog out during the day. (Dad took him for a run in the morning, and Paige and dad ran him around at the school in the afternoon) We had plenty to eat. Too much in fact. The Turkey was great! (Dakota even got his own bowl of turkey) The Mashed Potatatoes were great! The new corn muffin stuffing was great! The jello, the green been casserole, the sweet potatatoes, all great! (Thanks Mom!) Everybody had a part in making the dinner. (Kendra made rolls, Calvin made the sweet potatoes topping, dad made Pecan Pie, Paige made Apple Pie, of course mom did the rest) And having 4 pies available to 5 people was a little too much as well (Chocolate, Pecan, Apple, Chocolate, and of course Pumpkin) We ate the pie while we watched the movie "Evan Almighty". (Good movie by the way. I liked the message)

Before we ate our dinner Paige read Psalm 95 and we gave thanks to God for everything we have, which of course, all comes from him. During dinner we talked about the things we are thankful for in the last year (No "stuff" allowed)

We do have a lot to be thankful for:

• Our friends and family who add so much to our life



• Our gifts and abilities for which God wants us to use to help others



• A purpose for living



• Health to continue to climb and hike (I can't take this for granted anymore like I used to)



• Our dog



• Our teachers (that was good to hear)



• The ability to make choices (That was Paiges. What a great thought, considering in many countries having the freedom to make their own choices isn't a given. Thanks to our awesome troops!)



• Our bibles and the freedom to read them and freely live out our faith here in the USA



• Our jobs and opportunity to learn in school



• The opportunities to spend time together as a family, especially here in beautiful Colorado
  

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Day as well!

The Giffords (Dave, Rose, Calvin, Kendra, Paige,.......and Dakota)

Ashley & Lucas

I love Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel!!! There so amazing. Oh I wwould love to meet them.

Ashley Tisdale is awasome actress. She plays a sweet, loving person , then she's a snotty girl. Did I mention her singing? She is amazing I looovvveee her!!! Lucas is a great actor. He's done two movies. he's agreat actor.

Hey

Hooray

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Thats What We Say

The Eighth

Day

In November

So Remember

Its Your Birthday

Calvin:-)

Why I love my dad! by Paige

Why I love my dad!
· Because he helps me when I have a problem.
· He plays games with me.
· He takes me to the mountains.
· I like his jokes too.

Love, Paige

Birthday Poem from Kendra

Dad

My dad is sweet
He gives us treats
He’s very funny
Like Pooh with honey
He loves to hike
And to bike
He loves apple pie
But his limit is the sky!

Happy Birthday, Dave, The Dad

Hi, I am the mom in the Gifford family, Rose, and I am rarely seen or heard from in blog form (not only am I technically challenged but to make this writing semi-grammatically correct may take all day), but I have a special occasion to write. It is Dave’s 44th birthday and I know he would love new entries by his family. I know this because he mentions it daily. Many of you know Dave through work or family but few of you get to witness Dave “the dad,” so I would like to share with you what an awesome dad he is. He is intentional in what he wants his children to know and in what areas he feels lead to guide them in. Last night he spent time reading with each of his kids. He didn’t spend time with any old book but carefully chose books for their personal growth. He reads at the dinner table as well, right now it is, “When The Game Is Over It All Goes Back In The Box,” by John Ortberg, which is helping to focus our family on trophies that are truly worth winning because they last forever. As we think to Christmas he is trying to think of gifts that are meaningful, lasting and as “unplugged” as possible and how to spend our Christmas trip doing things together and making lifetime memories. One of the best things he did all year was to bring Dakota into our home. That silly dog has united our family in many unforeseen ways, like all of us out of the house and on the football field running him around in the goofest game of football you ever seen. All of this has not been pure instinct for Dave and that is almost the most wonderful part. I have been able to witness his striving to be the best dad he can be. As he grows daily in his intimate walk with God he becomes the husband and dad God wants him to be and is molding him into. Psalms 15 speaks of a godly man's actions. Through his actions Dave is establishing a founation for his kids. This foundation is the one spoken of 1 Cor 3 which is Christ Jesus and 1 Tim. 6:19 which gives them life. I love you Dave, Happy Birthday. Rose (How did I do one my first blog?)

Dakota Training

We have been training Dakota for a while. So far he knows how to sit,shake,lay down,look,sit and stay,come,rollover,leave it, and he's housebroken, he can almost sit pretty. we are really happy to have him trained,it's really useful to have him trained like: when people come over we can keep him from getting to crazy. He's gonna gradute on July 28,2007. All in all we are happy to have him trained.

Kendra

I got a dog!!!

Yesterday My mom and dad said they were going to run errands and I was playing the computer when they got home. My dad told me to go in the backyard and I did. I was so surprised. I was walking toward a pure golden retreiver! I excitedly said " are you serious". Now we have a wonderful golden retreiver. His name is dakota and weighs 36 pounds.

He's 4 and a 1/2 months old. He's really cute too. I love him a lot.

- Kendra, May 25,2007

We love Mom!

This post is dedicated to the mom of the house. She takes care of us in so many ways! She makes sure we have clean clothes to wear, she makes sure we have good food to eat (Even asparagus), and she is always available to give us a hug whenever we need one. Here are some of the other reasons why we love mom so much:

Calvin
Mom helps me get out of bed on time
I love mom because she loves me
Mom knows when we've watched too much TV
Mom helps me make wise decisions about making purchases
Mom takes care of me when I'm sick by bringing stuff home that I need

Kendra
Mom helps me with my homework
Mom helps me vaccum my room when it's dirty
Mom helps me call people to come over and play

Paige
My mom is the nicest mom I have ever known.
Mom gives me hugs and kisses.
Mom always tucks me into bed
Mom helps me forget about things when I am scared

Dave (The dad)
Taking care of the details that no one else thinks about
Having a positive attitude even when she is tired


Thanks for taking care of us, but mostly thanks for loving us all more than we ever deserve!

Flat Stanley tours the world

This year in school I made a Flat Stanley. Flat Stanley is a character from a book. Everyone in my class made a Flat Stanely of their own. We all sent our Flat Stanley's around the world. Here's where my Flat Stanley went:

He visited South Carolina with my mom and dad in February.
He visited Seoul Korea and my cousins Mattie, Michal and Mercy in March.
He visited Chicago and my cousins James and John in March.
He visited Primgahr Iowa and my Grandpa and Grandma in April.
Flat's last stop was in Lincoln Nebraska at my Aunt Jill's in April before he came back home to me, here in Denver Colorado.

I want to thank everyone who gave Flat Stanley a great time on all his visits! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Love Paige

School Fun Run

Today I went to a funrun at my school . A fun run is where you go to your school and you run around the playground about five times. I ran pretty fast. It was about a mile total. My sister and I went to the fun run. There were a lot of stands. On the stands there was stuff that you could have like a coloring book or a pencil. I had five people in my class who came. I had a lot of fun and I got to go in a fire truck. Everybody got a medal for participating in the fun run.

Paige

Calvin get's wisdom's pulled

On April 20th I got my wisdom teeth taken out. They pulled all 4 of them but the worst part was they don't even come out of the gum until I'm 18. That day my mouth was exploding in pain after the numbness wore off. The reason they pulled them was they were coming in crooked and pushing the molars next to them. I got to drink lots of milkshakes and had to swallow whole a lot of food that I ate. That weekend my cheeks were so swollen Ilooked like, well, just look at the picture.

Calvin

The caterpillar

In Science this week we are learning about caterpillars. This week at school everyone in my class got a caterpillar to keep track of. They are all in a little container crawling around. Over the weekend they are all supposed to make their coccoons. After they turn into butterflies we will let them go free in the school playground area. After we let the caterpillars go free, we are all going to get insects to study.

Paige