Estes Park

Our house as we left for Estes Park

Eating lunch in Estes. Coley trying to get some food from Ted.

Elk eating as the snow was falling.

I loved the contrast here between the pines and evergreens covered with snow and the other trees with their fall leaves still hanging on.

I looked out my window and saw...

A BUCK!!! He was standing two feet from my front door and stayed long enough for me to take a picture. I love living out here!!

I loved the leaves changing on the tree in our front yard. Fall is so pretty.

Ted's Trip to Royal Gorge

Ted had never been to the Royal Gorge before so we took a drive down to Canyon City to check out the bridge. I learned that my husband is not a fan of heights (great place to take him huh?). He was a good sport and liked seeing the rock the river cut through.

We took a ride down to the bottom of the gorge and this is a picture looking up at the bridge.

Ted on the bridge with the Colorado flag. It was WINDY!! We could feel the bridge swaying!!!

A view of the bridge we just walked across.

Ted looking down at the river below.

House updates...a work in progress

This is the entry way to our home. I took the photographs in Estes Park, Colorado last October with my mom and had them framed and matted. The candles and vase are a gift from Heather for my 30th B-Day and the clock is an antique from Ted's family.

The new curtains, curtain rods, couch, lamps, pillows, and coffee table. The chair is an antique from my family that needs to be fixed up.

The curtains closed

The "family" wall. It is a work in progress, still filling in the empty photo frames. Please disregard the mess in the den.

Hiking with Rick and Lisa

Well, I am WAY behind in posting so I will try to "catch up" the best I can. So it will be short and sweet and I will let the captions do the "talking". :)

Talking on the trail before we head up

My Brother in law, Rick, King of the mountain

A really cool arch

View from the top

All the hikers: Lisa's mom, Lisa, Rick, me

The Amazing and Talented Coley

SURPRISE!!!

For my 30th Birthday my friend Jenni planned a fun filled day of surprises. Here is a "picture story" of the events. A HUGE "THANK YOU" to everyone that made this day so memorable. 

The events started 2 weeks earlier (at least the part I was aware of). Jenni wrote a poem about our "western" day giving me hints as to what we would be doing. With the cowgirl hat and bandana, the only thing I knew was that it would be a day filled with surprises, one being some type of horseback riding in the morn' and a full supper in the evening. 

Here is a shot of me and mom getting ready to go horseback riding.

Mom and I decked out in our western wear.

The organizer, Jenni, and the Birthday girl.

We thought this sign was so funny...remember we are teachers and know about "time-outs".

The three of us, can you see the rain coming?

Me on Smokey and mom on Undertaker. Yes, the horse mom rode was named undertaker because it used to pull a hearse.

Riding through the Garden of the Gods. How cool is that!! Thanks Jenni!!

My mom, a true cowgirl from Oklahoma.

On the way home from riding, I got a phone call from my friend Heather in California. She was supposed to come out at the end of the month to visit me. She called to wish me Happy Birthday and I walked into Jenni's house still on the phone with Heather asking her when she would be coming and THERE SHE WAS!!! She was in Colorado!!! The BEST and BIGGEST surprise of the day!! Jenni and Heather had never met and worked this out months in advance!!! As you can see in the next photos, I was truly SHOCKED and VERY happy to see Heather! I am so blessed to have such great friends!

You can see the phone in her hand...

After the hugging and shock wore off (some), we headed to Garden of the Gods to show Heather the cool rocks near our house. 

That evening we headed to The Flying W Ranch to eat "some grub". They have a full dinner and wester show. Heather is ready in her cute cowgirl shirt. It was so sweet of her to fly out and see me especially 5 months pregnant! Isn't she adorable? 

Friends from my church group came to share in this special day. This is Brenda in her western wear. 

The whole gang! (Jenn, Rob, Gillette, Mom, Me, Heather, Cecil, Brenda, Kevin, and Jenni)

We all took turns taking pictures in front of the wagon.

Me and Heather

Me and Mom

Brenda and Cecil are so funny

Me and Rob and Jenn

Me and Kevin and Jenni

Me and Gillette

Happy 30th Birthday! Gillette brought me a cake with candles, napkins, hats, and a tablecloth all with the western theme!!

Kevin and Jenni

New Stove and Barstools

Showing how the barstool matches the chair.

The smaller oven on top

The stove and fridge

The whole set up

Okay, so I don't have a cute child to show off, so I am totally into my "new" home and updating it. Ted and I got a stove today and I LOVE it! It is a flattop with (drumroll, please...) my favorite feature --a double oven! The smaller oven heats up in minutes and can cook just about anything. The lower oven can be used for the bigger items. I am super excited because I bake Christmas cookies and have friends come over to bake too and this way we have two ovens. Also, it will save on electricity by just using the smaller oven for most recipes. (You may have noticed the vent does not match. That was a whole fiasco. We ordered an over the counter microwave to match the stove and the store did not tell us we might need an outlet installed in the cabinet above the stove. An electrician came out and said it would cost around 800 dollars to create another circuit to get an appropriate "up to code" outlet up there! We said, 'No thank you, not right now.' So we will either get a vent hood that matches for around 150 or get a microwave installed up there later.)

We also got a really good deal on a table and chair set (all hardwood) and just got the matching barstools in! Here are some pictures. 

I just finished my last graduate class until September and have made straight A's so far! 25 graduate hours in Educational Leadership from UCCS in the last 9 months! Whew! I am tired! Our last professor went around our class and asked each of us why we were pursuing a Type D license (Administrator's License). My answer got a laugh out of everyone. I was completely honest when I said, "I am doing this to keep busy while my husband is in Iraq. I thought it would be fun." I have to say, it has kept me busy.  I am still one of the Co-Principal's for Summer School. We are half way through. Only 10 more days! :)