Today has been a day about Elise. In March, she and Bobby made her a “One Hundred Kindnesses Chart”. Every time she did something kind or thoughtful, she was given a sticker. When the chart was filled, there would be a reward. It was a chance for her to focus on others and notice how good that feels. Early on she decided that her reward would be going to see “Prince Caspian“, the latest movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series. She completed the chart earlier this month, but this is the first major town we have been in in quite a while so we had to wait until now.

What a great movie! The cast was great and the special effects were well done. The production company did a great job of limiting the amount of gore during the fight scenes, which I appreciated (and Elise’s dreams will, too). We saw the 1:00 show so we were able to eat lunch while watching. Of course lunch consisted of a large Orange Fanta, a medium popcorn and a box of candy for each of us.

Today is also a “No Boss Around Day” for Elise. Every now and then, she gets a little overwhelmed at her parents constantly telling her what to do. A “No Boss Around Day” means that we can’t tell Elise what to do. There are parameters, of course, but she’s not a kid to push her limits so we feel pretty comfortable with this. Elise gets to decide what she eats today and when she wants to get dressed, among other things. The only thing I require is toothbrushing. It’s a chance for her to be in charge for a change.

My mom also sent me Elise’s test results from the standardized test I had to give her earlier this month. Elise did great. I am completely relieved that I didn’t botch the job and Elise feels good that all of the harassing from her mother is over.

It’s warm here in Denver — feels like home. The library is nice and cool so we’re hanging out here for a bit. The AC is on in the trailer, but it never seems quite cool enough. Tomorrow we might head to Boulder to visit the Celestial Seasonings factory and enjoy their tea room where you can sample every flavor of tea they have, hot or cold. Our other option is to drive up Mt. Evans on the world’s highest paved road to 14,134 feet and then hike the last 130 vertical feet to the top. It’s nice to have options and we realize that we won’t have them for much longer, so we’re trying to squeeze all the goodness out of them that we can.