Fun with Sarah: Chorale and Swimming

In March we were very lucky to have my sister, Sarah, come and visit us! We only had a few nights, so we made sure to pack it full of fun!

She arrived on a Wednesday afternoon. The first order of business was to get her settled and to eat dinner. Afterwards, I drug her to choir rehearsal. Actually, I don't think she took any convincing. She's a choir geek like me!

Now that it comes to mind, I don't think I've ever mentioned the choir I'm in. Let me back up a bit.

Back in January, I auditioned for the Colorado Mormon Chorale. The chorale is a choir here in the Denver area that operates under the direction of church officers. They sing at all sorts of cool events. As soon as I heard about it, I was just dying to audition.

I had a terrible cold on audition day and could barely even talk, let alone sing. The audition was challenging- especially the sight reading, and I was really nervous that my cold prevented me from getting in. But, by some divine intervention, I'm sure, I was accepted and I've been loving it ever since.

The schedule can be rigorous at times. We rehearse for 2 hours every Wednesday night and we have lots of performances. But, it's SO worth it!

Anyway, Sarah came to rehearsals that night and we had a great time.


One of my favorite parts of choir is the carpool. There are 5 ladies in our ward that are members, so we have a lot of fun on the drives. Here is me and my darling friend, Anne...


The morning after Sarah arrived, we decided to head to the Southridge Pool. Have I ever mentioned that Highlands Ranch has 4 rec centers and the are all free to residents?

Southridge Pool is one of my favorites. It has a lazy river, a log walk, fountains, a waterslide, and other fun water features. They also keep the hot tub a little cooler so the kids can get in too. The girls love it!

Stay tuned for more fun with Sarah!

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

Christmas Eve started with a little reenactment of the Nativity. Gwen loved being pregnant with the baby Jesus. Although, she was carrying a little bit high and to the left.

Christmas morning was filled with squeals of excitement (and lots of wrapping paper)

As always, we each had to pose with our Christmas stocking loot...

The most disturbing part of the morning was when my mom modeled the hat and black nightgown from my dad. Gross.

Later in the day, the extended Jensen family came over to exchange presents. The only photo I got was a picture of Gwen opening chocolate cake from her Uncle Michael. They love eating cake together!

More Holiday Fun

We spent several days of our Christmas vacation with my parents. Just a few of the highlights...


1. I love Christmas lights and I love seafood. Put those together and it's almost too much excitement for me to handle at once.


We went with my parents down to Gene Coulon Park at Lake Washington to dine on some fish and chips and to see the the lights. I've never done this before, but have always wanted to. It definitely lived up to my expectations!

2. Passing out Christmas candy to Rick's old co-workers at the downtown Wells Fargo.

3. Rick fulfilled his dream of eating at the Shakey's Pizza just down the street from my parents' house. He's been driving past it for over 10 years and finally got to try it. Really, it's just pizza, but since Rick is a pizza connoisseur, it was an important goal.

4. The girls loved being with my parents, whether we were out and about, or whether they were just at home, begging for snacks.

5. Rick and my mom bonded while making this t-shirt for Rick's brother, Andy. Gross, I know. And in case you are wondering, yes, when they were kids, Rick did in fact pass gas on a piece of bread and forced Andy to eat it. It's times like this that I'm grateful to be a girl.

6. The girls LOVED playing with Grandma and Grandpa J's dog, Emmy Loo.

7. Mostly, it was just nice being able to be with my parents. Isn't my mom cute?

Skype-ing

My mom talked us into getting a webcam. Boy oh boy is it fun! Sometimes Gwen and my mom will Skype for 2 hours at a time. They talk, do coloring books, and play memory.

Sometimes my mom takes pictures of us while talking. She took the following one right after Gwen got hurt. Gwen was sitting on the kitchen table while talking to my mom. She got a little excited and jumped in the air and hit her head on the nook light. Poor baby.

Skype-ing and Coloring (topless, of course)

Playing video games together while Skype-ing

It's hard being so far away from our family, but technology sure does ease the pain just a little!

First Guests: Keeping Busy

My dad has been starting to think about retirement. Like any good daughter, I've been trying to convince my parents to spend a good chunk of their retirement in Denver. Summer birds? Nah, too hot, but Spring or Fall birds sound just right. Why not both?

My mom has wondered what my Dad would do with his time while here. She's worried he will get restless. I can think of at least one thing.

Yes, he's dumping the grass in a storage tote because I couldn't find any garbage bags

This also marks the last post documenting my parents' visit. I was SO sad to see them go. In fact, after they left, Gwen thought I was fake crying because she's never seen me cry so hard. Pathetic, huh?