Fall has arrived

Guess what we did on Saturday...

Yep - We ventured to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park to observe the yearly bugling of the bulls. It was a beautiful night. The park was loaded with all ages of people waiting to see which bulls might interact and which cows may 'escape' to another lead male. Aaron has many photos to share, but we need to upload them to the computer. May you be enjoying the start of fall.

Missing You!

I love you!

Dog Days of Summer

Savannah in her favorite spot. (July)

Although we've been busy

enjoying our summer company,

Aaron has still found time to practice

his photography skills.

Tucker and Vicki at Boulder Falls. (August)

Phoebe and Vicki relaxing at the new backyard table. (July)

Sometimes the camera gets into my hands.

Tucker and Aaron in the backyard. (July)

Fun with Family

We had a wonderful couple of weeks with visits from our families.

Tara, Lane, India, and Dane's friend Edward were in for one night on their way to a vacation in the mountains. It was great to have them around, even though it was a very short visit.

On Thurday, the 24th, Aaron's parents stopped by on their drive to the Rockies. They arrived just minutes before my mom, Ann, Delaney, Jillian, and Elliott arrived. We all had dinner together. Aaron shared his Belize photos with his parents and the girls. After which, Terry and Ann (Aaron's folks) were off to their mountain vacation.

Mom, Ann, Delaney, Jillian, and Elliott stayed for an extended weekend (not long enough). We packed their visit full of activities: swimming, a movie (Kit Kitridge), the Zoo, Casa Bonita, a cog ride to the Summit of Pikes Peak, more swimming, ... Unfortunately they live too far away and needed to get on the road again. We are so thankful that they traveled all the way to see us. We miss them already.

Slide wasn't allowing me to import today, so hopefully this link will take you to the pictures. Enjoy.

http://www.slide.com/r/bK3Mk2tw1T_qAK_-vbrwP62ACCrkP1ts?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

Belize

Belize

I (Aaron) went with a group of 11 adults on a scouting expedition for a potential middle school trip. The emphasis of the trip is to compare global climate change between Colorado and Belize and look at similarities between the two areas. Both have significant problems with pine beetle, regional temperature fluctuation and changes in precipitation distribution and intensity. The World Leadership School based in Denver and operating in several countries in Latin America is organizing the logistics and my school would partner with a Belizean school. The students would correspond with Belizean students through online video conferencing and email prior to the trip to Belize. I have to weigh all the options before determining whether I will sponsor a trip to Belize.

We spent over a week in the mountain region near the Guatemalan border, in a La Democracia village in the center of the country and then spent some beautiful days on a nearby island called Tobacco Caye. We explored the scientific evidence of global climate change in the region and anecdotal evidence from locals. We hiked to some local waterfalls, swimming pools and viewed many gorgeous wildflowers. I spent two nights with a local family and explored their lives and heard many stories of unprecedented floods and later wet seasons and longer dry seasons. The Belizean people are giving and hospitable. As we closed the week, we took a water taxi to Tobacco Caye and spent a few days on the small island surrounded by coral reefs. We snorkeled throughout the cayes and enjoyed seeing beautiful fish and exploring the mangrove islands and visited a few sea bird rookeries.

It was a great week and I am looking forward to bringing Graland students together with Belizean students. It is an innovative idea.

Outdoor Seating

What do you do when it's 100 degrees?

Buy outdoor furniture!

That is what we did anyway.

After a great summer Sunday that included:

baseball (Cody's team)

lunch at a diner

a drive in the mountains

a hike in the forest

Aaron wanted to stop and check out the clearance sale on patio furniture.

And this is what we took home (including a nice gray umbrella).

Now the weather needs to cool a bit so we can enjoy it.

Forever Friends

It was great to spend some time with Chris and Deb

at our hometown's 125th celebration in June.

(Although the day felt like October with

the wind, rain, and low temps.)

It has been too long since the three of us were together,

hopefully we will find a way to get together more often.

Miss you and Love ya!

SUMMER!

Our Three Babes

They are loving all the extra time they get to spend with us over the summer.

Although they don't seem to get the crazy schedule we keep or the long drives we take.

Some updates for the blog to watch for...

Aaron's Trip to Belize

Art and Science Activities at the School of Mines in June

A Trip to Minnesota
Lots of Hiking and Sight-Seeing

A Spring Weekend Snapshot

Saturday=Visit Chiropractor (http://www.turnonyourpower.com/index.php), Run Errands with Pups, Upload CDs, (Aaron - church softball practice)


Saturday Evening=Reconnecting with Friends and a Couple Hours at the Vet ER with Phoebes

Sunday=Magazine Reading on the Back Deck, Afternoon Nap, Evening Bike Ride to Dinner -- Try the Strawberry Fields salad at TGI Fridays!

Music Madness on Friday Night

Isn't she a cutie? My little pink nano is now loaded with a little fun music. I finally opened up my b-day present and got it set up with some new music from itunes. What an exciting evening for me=) Now I need to get the CDs out and into my SmartLists. I could be addicted. Authentic Tech Geek who has been falling behind the curve. Rock On! Aaron was also enjoying music - only his was as a chaperone at the middle school dance.

Happy 22nd on the 12th Baby Brother!

It's Adam's B-Day! (the 12th)

Kinda "New" Chairs

What a difference the "new" chairs make in our breakfast nook. It took two different work periods to complete, but through all the frustration it was worth it. To see the full effect -- COME VISIT! (If you'd like to see the captions for each picture -- just click your curser once over the pictures to activate and then move your curser on each picture for the caption and off again to continue the show.)

Glowing Eyes!

Does anyone know of great photo editing software that would allow me to re-color the dogs eyes? This problem happens often with our pups! The HP software I've been using only has red eye - that doesn't work on the greenish-yellow glowing eyes. Let me know if you have ideas for us. Thanks!

New Chairs?

Come back soon to see the latest project...

In Like a Lamb

What a beautiful first day of March! The temperature must be in the high 70s. The fresh air is floating into the open windows and bringing the promise of spring. (It is CO - snow is forecasted for tomorrow...) Phoebe, Tucker and I walked to the post office and WOW what a wonderful panaramic view of the mountains we saw! I wish I would have toted the camera along so I could attach a photo for you all to enjoy. Well, maybe next time.

Aaron and I were able to enjoy my Christmas present this week! The Billy Joel concert was great fun, although I am sure Friday's day with kids was a long one for Aaron. Not only did he have to teach, he took a bus loaded with middle schoolers for a weekend ski trip. Hopefully he is enjoying his only ski days so far this winter.

We both wish Dad an excellent birthday (today)! I am sure he is making the most of his special day!

Holiday Memories 2007

Summer Reflections 2007

Happy 2008!

May you be blessed with health and happiness in 2008!

The holiday season flew by for us. Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend we were thrilled to host our parents - it was an adult holiday with Aaron's parents from KS and my parents in from MN. Both drove in safely. There was visiting, shopping, sight seeing, eating, and even a game of Farkle. Thank you Moms and Dads for traveling the long distance to spend time with us. We love you! (We need to get some digital photos from Aaron's mom.)

My busy week started after my parents left that Sunday. The dancers (for our church production) had rehearsal that evening to try to smooth out our three dance numbers. What a great group of ladies! What a blessing I was given to be a part of "Word on the Street" (a creative account of the Mary and Joseph love story - if it happened in a present time city). Who knew I had the energy to make it through teaching in the day and rehearsing each evening. The most awesome part was that our Friday and Saturday night performances with soup supper brought in $1800 in donations for two charities in our community. Not having to rush to rehearsals has been relaxing, but I miss the fun and the wonderful people. Hopefully there will be more "drama" opportunities in the spring.

Our Christmas journey took us through 5 states for some family time (with both families). We feel blessed to have had the opportunity to safely make the trip to see everyone. (Summer is a much easier time to travel in the midwest! Anyone interested in a "real good tan" for Christmas 2008?) The challenges were closed roads due to winter conditions on two different days in two different states. Someone was watching over us on those dangerous roads to bring us safely to lodging and finally home. On both nights we were able to secure pet friendly rooms, even though rooms filled up quickly and many people spent their nights in the armory or their vehicles. Again, we thank God for being with us during our travels. Yes, all three pups made the voyage - and they must have done some good bonding in their backseat condo because we rarely heard from them (oh - except for the braking indicator - Nanna). Thank you families for hosting our zoo crew and providing wonderful holiday food. Being able to spend time with all of you is the best present of the season! We love you! (Again, we need digi-pictures from Aaron's mom, please.)

God Bless