Eastbridge residents and really anyone heading to Stanley have noticed the ‘shortcut to Stanley’ completely finished for quite some time now. It has appeared totally serviceable since early summer, but somehow, here we are in late fall and the road is still closed. And it appears for no reason. “We drive by it every day on the way to school,” said Kevin Gerber. “Aside from the street naming issue everything seems entirely usable. I have no idea what the holdup is. But, it’s really frustrating seeing a perfectly good street just sit there that could be getting us to Stanley quicker, and of course, Amina.”

[Read more…] about ‘Shortcut to Stanley’ Opening Delayed as Long as Opening of Stanley

Stapleton resident Jessica Boesen has two children attending Isabella Bird in Stapleton. The kids are adjusting to going back to school, and Jessica is enjoying having more time to get things done around the house to try to stay ahead of things as the household manager. The family had a great summer, but it was time for the kids to go back to school. “When we get back to school, it definitely gives the kids more structure,” said Bosesen. “During the summer, we are so laid back, and the kids stay up to0 late, they aren’t involved in as many activities because of our travels. They also get sick of each other, so getting back to school keeps them from fighting.” Overall, the kids are pretty good about getting ready for school, and don’t need constant motivation. “They’re good about getting dressed, brushing their teeth, and all that. They like going, so we don’t have issues getting them ready.” Boesen says the biggest difficulty in getting them ready for school is preparing lunches. “Every day I am stressing about making something they will eat and something that is healthy,” said Boesen. “I also struggle in getting variety in there, as they often ask for the same things. Plus, there are really only so many options you can include in the lunch. It gets really challenging. And the worst part is that I still have 328 lunches to make. It’s pretty disheartening.” Jessica says that making the lunches is so aggravating, it’s the main reason she looks forward to the weekends. “I love Saturdays and Sundays,” says Boesen. “Hell, I love when they are home sick. Just so I don’t have to pack a damn lunch. Homework I’m fine with. Carting them to practices, I’m fine with. But, lunches are a pain in the ass.” Luckily for Jessica, she only has 328 more to go.

Stapleton couple Alicia and Eric Corkery have been together for 15 years, married for 13 of those. “Like every other married couple, it’s a bumpy ride,” said Alicia. “It starts off pretty easy, then you have kids. And no one ever tells you how hard young kids are on a marriage.” Eric also understands the difficulty in keeping a relationship strong when you have kids. “Our kids won’t even let us speak to each other if they’re around,” says Eric. “They say communication is important for any relationship. Well, if my kids are around and I try to talk to Alicia, the kids interrupt immediately. It can be very frustrating.” As challenging as parenthood is to their relationship, the couple has no regrets in having kids. “We love being parents,” says Alicia. “Sure, it’s hard, but we wouldn’t trade that in for anything. You just have to fight through the hard times, and enjoy the fun times you are able to have with each other.” The couple believes most all couples who are married with kids go through the same struggles. However, they feel they excel as a couple in one particular area; pretending they are always really happy.

[Read more…] about Stapleton Couple Best in Denver at Pretending to be Happy

Back to School night can be dreaded by parents. They often feel they must attend so teachers and other parents in the class believe they are responsible, committed parents. Sometimes, they have to leave work early, figure out an early or late dinner, and in some cases, get child care for the kids. For many of the parents, they have been through the same routine year after year, and in some cases, siblings have even had the same teachers. “The schools are pretty good about sending out information,” said Westerly Creek parent Greg Kinder. “Plus, the teachers are great about getting back to you when you have a question. If you read what they send, the back to school night really isn’t that important.” The most frustrating thing for parents is when their peers ask questions to which the teachers have already answered, or if it is a question which could have easily been taken offline, and not taken up everyone else’s time. “When someone raises their hand after a teacher asks, ‘any questions?’ I just sit there hoping no one raises a hand,” said Swigert Parent Joleen Halupnik. “What could you possibly be questioning that everyone is wondering? It’s only you needing to know this info. Please, email the teacher later, or ask them after class. The rest of us want to get out of here, drink a glass of wine, and hang out with our kids before they go to bed.” And it’s not just the parents who don’t appreciate these random questions.

[Read more…] about Stapleton Back to School Nights Feature Record Low Number of Trivial Questions

Stapleton seven year old Olivia Hoffman has had four sleepovers with friends. The aftermath of all of them have been rough on the family. “She comes home tired and grumpy,” said Olivia’s mom Annie. “From what I’ve observed, it is about the same thing as an adult going to Vegas for three days. You come home exhausted, unable to think, and sometimes sick. The worst thing is, you know it’s coming. There’s no chance you are sending your kid over for an overnight party and they will come home how you sent them. You know you’re totally screwing your entire family’s life up for a while after the event.” Kids are excited so they can’t get to sleep well, plus they are in a new environment. “For kids, routine is everything,” said Annie. “I mean, when we stay at a hotel, VRBO, or even a relative’s house, it gets the kids way off schedule. So, when they stay somewhere else without familiarity and their family, but they have their friends there, it’s just chaos for the child.” Although the first three sleepovers were difficult, Olivia’s most recent one was particularly hard. “Usually, recovery is about a four day process,” admitted Annie. “She is way off schedule, takes an afternoon nap, falls asleep late, wakes up the next morning late, and so on. We kind of know what to expect. But, with this last one, the cycle simply repeated itself for over a month.” According to Annie, Olivia got a cold, was never able to get back on the appropriate sleeping schedule and was grumpy for a month. “I’m not sure if it was the particular place she was staying, or just a combination of several factors. But, I’m not sure I’m willing to go through that again.” Annie says she is going to be careful in considering allowing Olivia to go to any more sleepovers this year. “I always thought seven year olds were too young to sleepover,” said Annie. “And, maybe it’s just a maturity issue. No matter what it is, I’m not sure we will go through it again anytime soon.” Yes you will, Annie. Yes you will.

Less than fifty residents have moved in to the new development in Aurora between 26th and 25th Avenues, but city officials in Aurora are already having second thoughts about the development. “I guess we didn’t completely think it through,” said Councilman David Baldwin. “Maybe we were naïve in thinking that Stapleton problems would stay on the other side of the street. Unfortunately, we may have underestimated the power of the Stapleton brand.” From Baldwin’s perspective, once your neighborhood is named ‘Stapleton’ anything, you inherit the Stapleton attitude. “We believed that tagging the ‘Aurora’ on there would maybe bring them down a peg,” said Baldwin. “Unfortunately, it looks like we will be running into the same issues as Denver does. People complaining about every little thing, angry localized social media sites, and petty disputes amongst neighbors. This wasn’t what we signed up for. We thought adding some nice homes over here would be good for the City of Aurora. It appears it could be detrimental.”

[Read more…] about Aurora Considering Ceding ‘Stapleton Aurora’ Over to Denver

Eastbridge residents had anxiously awaited the town center they were promised over 10 years ago. People wanted a grocery store and restaurants they could easily walk to, instead of having to drive or ride bikes the roughly two miles to the 29th Street town center. Then, last year, the Stanley opened up with great restaurants, shops, and places to enjoy booze and socialize. The Stanley is right across 26th Avenue into Aurora, and is very easy to get to. Area residents immediately fell in love with the project. “We love going to the Stanley and deciding what we want when we get there,” said resident Wendi Hayne. “Plus, it’s so convenient to get to, especially when you have little ones.” The Stanley project quieted a lot of voices who had been complaining about wanting a town center. “It was so close,” said resident Eric Lembeck. “At that point, when the Stanley had opened, I honestly didn’t care that much if the town center opened or not. We had something that was filling our needs quite nicely.” Then, the Eastbridge Town Center opened giving area residents an even closer option. “It’s not like we will stop going to Stanley,” exclaimed Brian Kleese. “But the town center also has great eating options, and it is nice having the grocery store so close. It takes me less than five minutes to get to that place. It’s pretty darn convenient.” Marla Johnson agrees. “The Eastbridge town center is just so easy to get to,” said Johnson. “Obviously, crossing MLK is tough, but other than that, I mean, it’s right here.” For most all of the Eastbridge residents, having the Stanley and Eastbridge town center satisfies their needs. But at least one man is hoping things get just a little more convenient. “I love Stanley and the town center,” said Andy Dellert. “They are great. And maybe I’m getting a little spoiled, but I just think I could have something even closer.” In fact, Dellert has petitioned Forest City to build a restaurant inside his home. “I figure it will be easy to get to, you know, being right in my house and all,” said Dellert. “I will have to go down steps, probably, depending on the final design, but it’s better than biking or walking all the way to Stanley (.75 miles) or the town center (.5 miles).” Forest City is taking the request seriously and is looking into the potential of putting a restaurant in the Dellert home. “If there is money to be had, we will obviously consider it,” said Forest City spokesperson Janelle Ayers. “Now, if he was asking us to put in income-qualified housing, well, that’s clearly something we won’t consider.” Dellert says he isn’t even concerned with the type of restaurant at this point. “Surprise me. I mean, I’m pretty easy going, so have some fun with it.” Forest City says a final decision will be made on putting a dining establishment in the Dellert home by the end of September. “Fingers crossed,” said Dellert. “Hope to get another great option even closer by.”

The first day of school is the common time parents realize how quickly their children are growing up. As parents, we have known our children since birth, and can easily recall every year of their lives. So, when people realize their child is now a fifth grader but without difficulty can remember that same child struggling to learn how to walk, time seems to be going by very quickly. “I really can’t believe our little man is already in 3rd grade,” said area mom Amanda Shannon. “I mean, our little guy is such a big boy now,” she continued as she fought to hold back tears. Jim McDonald also feels his kids are growing up too fast. “Both my kids are now in full time school,” said McDonald. “I can’t believe it. Where does the time go? I love them where they are at now, but boy, time really goes by too quickly. Things need to slow down.” These are the sentiments universally shared by nearly all parents. We did find one area man who disagreed, however. “I was thrilled when they finally started going to school full time,” said Dave Farrell. “I mean, whenever I was around we had to be doing something; making them food, putting them down for naps, and so on. Just way too much work.” For Farrell, it’s not just that milestone he was looking forward to. “Now that one is in 7th grade and one is in fifth, we don’t have to do near as much with them. You know, they are off with their friends, can pour their own cereal, can ride bikes places. They’re just getting easier. Pretty soon, they will be able to get a job and drive a car.” Farrell is really looking forward to when the kids are completely out of the house. “I am so excited to get new furniture,” said Farrell. “No reason to do it now, they’ll just destroy it. But, when they are out, we can get new furniture, maybe buy a loft downtown, or just convert their rooms into offices, or game rooms. Anyway, I hope this next segment of their lives goes by more quickly than the last one. Seemed like forever that we had to coddle and take care of them.” Farrell says he will always love his kids, provided it doesn’t involve doing lots of stuff with them.