Dads and Doughnuts

When my boss (have I mentioned a had a little job for a while?)  told me she wanted me to teach a class called Dads and Doughnuts around Fathers Day, I knew I had to ask my  dad to join me as my assistant. He did, after all, make the best apple fritters around when he was younger man working at Winchell’s Doughnuts here in Colorado! He and my mom were more than willing to come, and I was so excited. They brought my nephew Jeff to join in the fun that weekend, and we all had a blast. We didn’t waste a minute. They arrived Thursday afternoon, and the kids immediately stole their attention. They were SO excited to have Nana and Papa and cousin Jeff here.

Brothers BBQ, seriously good stuff.

Hail, just one of the many phases the weather went through that day.

The next morning we were off to the Aurora Reservoir. They brought the kayak with them, and I thought this was the perfect place to play with it. Well, the wind was ridiculous, and we didn’t ever get a chance to put it in the water that morning. We were pretty disappointed, but we put our chins up and had fun with the many other features that great place had to offer. It really is such a gorgeous, fun place, just a quick 15-20 minute drive from home. Love those cute beach bums.

They played on this awesome spinning web thing for so long. Jeff didn’t even want to get off. I might have taken a few spins myself.

While the wind wasn’t great for boating, it was PERfect kite-flying weather. I grabbed them as an afterthought while walking out the door and was so glad I did. We got those things SO HIGH. I really love flying kites, and the kids are getting pretty good at it. A perfect way to end our fun morning at the “beach”. By then we cold really seem a storm coming in quickly. We get a lot of summer storms around here.

After lunch, the storm, and a little rest, we noticed how the winds had really calmed down, and decided to put our day pass, and watercraft access pass to use and take advantage of the “glass” water. It turned out to be one of my favorite parts of their trip. There were hardly any people there, it was such a beautiful evening, and we took turns taking the kayak out in small groups. One time it was all the kids with Mom and Dad (Jeff stayed home for a little teenager time) and it was just me on the sand enjoying the absolutely perfect weather. I laid down, put my hat over over my eyes, and just enjoyed that wonderful quiet moment.

I also enjoyed when it was my turn to do some paddling. So glad we made the choice to go back.

As if that wasn’t enough fun for one day, the adults hit the movies that night. Edge of Tomorrow didn’t disappoint, and it was fun having a little double date with Mom and Dad. The Mexican Food we snuck in was a highlight as well.

The next morning was the doughnut class. After a little morning prep, Dad and I headed over to Al Dente to set up. It was a full class, and so fun to see kids of all ages with their dads. We made glazed, Bavarian cream, and apple fritters, all my favorites, but really any doughnut would make me happy. I had done a couple practice rounds to make sure I liked my recipe choices, and I really loved the results.

Heaven, right there.

I sent most of the test batches to work with KC. Phew.

Dad and I had such a great time and everyone in the class looked like they were doing the same. I’m so happy and thankful my dad was willing to make the trip for this. It really made the class, and I think I got a lot of my passion for baking from him. A memorable day for me.

(That was actually my last class at Al Dente. It’s a little shop about a mile from home. A friend told me they were looking for instructors, and I decided to give it a try. I truly enjoyed teaching there for a few months, but I decided I’d had my fill and asked them not to schedule me until further notice. I really hope to teach again in the future, hopefully out of my home, maybe kids classes? We’ll see. I really, really did love this experience, and it felt wonderful to brush off my chef skills for a few months.)

We had a lot of the day left since were were home around noon, so we packed up a couple cars, loaded the kayak, and headed for Evergreen, a  beautiful mountain town about an hour away.

Evergreen Lake is stunning.

We enjoyed an awesome local restaurant near Red Rocks on the way home and ice cream of course.

We had slower-paced Sunday, during which I gave a talk, and KC taught Gospel Doctrine. On the way up to Evergreen I bounced ideas for my talk  off mom. I always love her insight and felt much more prepared after talking to her.  We had a delicious roast dinner to finish out the day. At some point it looks like the kids attacked my dad.

The next morning we couldn’t resist a little thrift hunting while Jeff babysat. They are fun to do it with. I’d say I was successful? There were some really good finds that day.

Later that day, we made stop at Sonic before heading over to Centennial Park, always a hit with the kids, and everyone else, really. Perfect day for splash-padding!

The kids were so beat from all the fun, this one fell asleep in the car and it was almost impossible to wake her. I call that a win.

I was sad to have to say goodbye early the next morning, but loved that we were able to pack so much fun in for the long weekend. It was the perfect way to begin our summer, and I always enjoy a visit from my parents that I love. The kids were also sad to see their playmates go, but we know we’ll see them again soon. After all, Utah is just a quick 8-hour drive away.