I am in Canada this week for American Thanksgiving.
I know. I’ve always been a bit confused.
Last week was a frenzy of voting and downright begging for people to vote for me. In fact, I’m still doing so because the public can vote here daily until Nov. 29. In case you missed my announcement, I am 1 of 5 semi-finalists to blog at the Olympics for Microsoft Office. I even launched a “Just One Tweet” Whrrl campaign to get Ellen Degeneres to tweet for me.
Because she has, like 3 million followers on Twitter juxtaposed against my 3.
Since returning to my childhood home in Calgary, my frenzied pace has slowed down to being fed three meals a day and having in-house babysitters thrilled to play with their grandchildren.
I may never leave.
My husband remained in Denver for work and I’m always a bit worried when traveling alone with the children (for the reason why see one of my many family travel disasters). Shockingly, everything went smoothly and the only mishap was when my hair got caught in the seat belt of my parent’s SUV. OK, this is an understatement. The shoulder belt completely devoured a large section of my curly mop right up to the crown of my head. My dad was one step away from having to give me a buzz cut to get it to release.
At least my head would have resembled a shiny tree ornament for the holidays
We will be here for 12 days, the longest we’ve been away from my husband Jamie. I wanted to do something above-and-beyond daily phone calls to let him know we were thinking of him.
And to remind him that the peace and quiet he’s enjoying during his throwback to bachelorhood really does suck.
I recruited my 5-year-old daughter and we made cards for every day we’d be gone and hid them all over the house. Hadley wanted to draw a map. I told her it would be easier to just do a master key detailing the location of his scavenger hunt and we’d call him every day with the clue.
Sound seamless? This is me we’re talking about.
In the beginning, everything went as planned. We drew, we hid and we wrote the master key. I was careful to place it in my purse so I would not forget it at home. That first morning in Canada, I went to call him with his first clue….
….and it was gone. Vanished from my purse. Some swarmy member of the Taliban likely swiped it when I was busy telling the grumpy Customs officials I was, in fact, their friend not foe.
Or more likely I am just always cursed.
I broke the news to Jamie and begged him not to tell Hadley I had screwed up our surprise. “We’ll just have a different kind of scavenger hunt,” I consoled him. “One where I try to recall where we hid all 12 of the cards!”
This, from the woman who finally remembered where she cached her husband’s Christmas present six months after the fact.
It’s going to be a long 12 days.
Author: Amber Johnson
Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.
Mama Bird
Oh no!! What a cute idea with the scavenger hunt; stinks that it won’t get played out as planned. But, I’m sure Jamie will run across all 12 cards while he’s cleaning. 😉
So, I checked out your competition for blogging from the Olympics – it is your destiny to win this! I’ve been throwing my votes your way every day!
I hope your scalp is healing and you and the kiddos are having a ball!
Kari
This is hilarious! I’m with you. I always hide Christmas presents and I can’t remember where I hid them.
Kari
P.S. I voted for you. That picture with Ellen is a classic.
Noelle
Great idea for hiding cards around the house. I would lose the master key too.
Amber
Glad to know I’m not alone. 🙂
serf 'rett
Why is it that I’m not surprised?
FFG
I bet your master key is in the same place as all of my grocery lists. There has to be a black hole in every purse. I hope your trip is wonderful. BTW, I voted again. Go Amber!
Amber
Thanks for the votes!
Sad thing is I wasn’t surprised either. 🙂
Rosey Pollen
Amber,
I think it’s hilarious as well. I hide stuff especially candy and then I forget where it is . Maybe that’s a good thing!
Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
JoAnn
I always tease my husband that he could hide his own Easter Eggs and STILL not find them all. Looks like he’s not the only one? LOL
Holly at Tropic of Mom
Ha! I also hid my husband’s Christmas present so well that I didn’t find it for months … after I bought a duplicate present, of course. Have fun!
Fabiola
Oh no….. I hope you can remember all the places and Jamie can show Hadley all the cards when you get home.
Perrry Peck
You got my vote!
Lauren in GA
Jaime is resourceful…I bet he can find them all, right?
Right?
Right, Amber…right?
I got the voting to work for me…I have voted each day ☺…I don’t think I have forgotten any days, at least…I have voted multiple times, how’s that?
Amber Johnson
You’re awesome!
And yes, being married to me forces one to become VERY resourceful. 🙂
mommyknows
Your new avatar cracked me up! Glad to have you within a few hundred kms rather than a couple of thousand 🙂 Enjoy your visit!