World Traveler

Ok, so I am not really a world traveler, but I have made my way around the nation this past month.

Two weekends ago I got to go to LA with Padna and Papa to see Aggie Engineer run at Santa Anita, and to do this:

It was so beautiful, and we had such a great time. Aggie didn't win, but he sure did try hard! Which is all that matters right? Well maybe not in the horse racing business.

Next stop: Newtown, Pennsylvania. Never heard of it? Not surprised. All I know is that I flew into the Philadelphia airport and then drove 30-40 minutes to get there. It was my first business trip. I felt like such a grown up. But it was a long week. I was gone Monday to Friday. And I had not seen Robert since the previous Thursday. While I didn't think being apart from him for that long would be a big deal (we had done it before when we were dating), I was wrong. The week was really busy, so I don't think I completely realized how much I missed him until I saw him on Friday. I almost cried. Actually I did cry a little bit. It was weird because I couldn't really explain why I was crying. I just kept saying things like "I am just so tired" and "I just missed you so much." It was kind of pathetic, but I think Robert thought it was cute. I slept better than ever that night with him by my side. It was a good feeling.

Next stop: Monarch/Telluride, CO. A much needed vacation with family after a crazy work trip. We got to see the Wests and Feagins. We tore it up on the mountains.

I skied for 5 straight days (something I have never done before in my life). We had a great time getting to hang out with our brothers and parents. We just love them.

Speaking of brothers- this is probably one of the best brother pictures I have ever seen. Granny and Mac sent it to me. I had it printed and framed because I love it so much.

Snowshoeing looks weird when you spell it.

I always think I am spelling snowshoeing wrong, but spell check is assuring me that I am not.

We went snowshoeing last weekend with our good friends the Kennedy's. It was so awesome. I love snowshoeing. Maybe more than skiing. I said that to Robert, but he reminded me that we have only been once and it just happened to be the most beautiful winter day we could ever ask for. Sometimes I make bold statements.

Here we are getting our gear ready to go. Check out that hottie in the shades.

These are the Kennedy's. They are awesome and let us come over to their cool house all the time.

I can't even tell you how beautiful the hike was- we were in Rocky Mountain National Park. I had never been there before, but I was not disappointed. We went off the main trail and walked all over the mountain on untouched snow.

Me and my awesome husband on a lake! That is one thing we cannot get over- people walking on frozen lakes. It seems so unnatural... so deadly- but then again, I guess we are from Texas. It's really not as big of a deal as we thought.

We owned snowshoeing.

Here's the whole group.

Needless to say snowshoeing definitely made the winter here a little more more bearable.

But then it was -20 degrees when I got to work on Tuesday.

Snow Day!

So I totally forgot to mention our Snow Day here in Denver. Well, I don't know if I would call it a snow day because I still had to go to work. Apparently not all cities shut down when there is 8-12 inches of snow on the ground, which to me is a little bit lame.

Below is our parking lot in our aparment. Note my husband's car...

We spent about 15 minutes scraping off mine. And then Robert, because he is so great, drove me to work. I would have completely hyperventilated the second I slid on ice- even if I was only going 5 mph. I have begun to overcome that fear, but it is a very slow process.

But look how beautiful the drive was! And how scary the roads were! I now know why Colorado has state income tax. To pay for the snow plowers.

Lunch Break

Oh man has it been a while! I had some free time on my lunch break, so I figured I would give a little update. (Sorry for the lack of pictures- I need to get some on my computer here at work). So much has happened this past month... Where do I begin?

We got to go back to Dallas for 10 days over Christmas. What a blessing that Lockheed Martin shuts down for that time. It was so great seeing family. I couldn't believe how fast the 10 days went by. By the time we were leaving it felt like we had just gotten there yesterday.

Robert and I were totally spoiled at home. On our drive back we had to fold down all the seats of my Forerunner, and the car was completely packed. We drove home all in 1 day (wow, was that an adventure). We got back to our apartment around 9pm-ish and then had to unload our car. While the old me wouldv'e said, "Let's just leave it til tomorrow," the new me now knows how easily cars get broken into- even in nice neighborhoods. (Evelynn (aka GPS)- we still miss you.) So we unloaded. In the snow. We dumped it all into our living room. Then we opened a bottle of wine. Then we were a lot happier.

Now we have been back to the grind. Robert is looking for a full time job, and I am really enjoying my off-Friday weekends. No work this Friday! Yay! It makes the week so much better, I cannot even explain it.

Also- in approximately 20 minutes, I will be heading down to donate blood in the parking lot of where I work. For those of you who know my very deep fear of needle, you will be surprised to know that I volunteered to do this. And I have not been nervous about it at all- until now. My hands are getting a little sweaty. But there is not turning back- they need my blood. Or at least I am telling myself that. I will let you know how it goes.

Oh- and Happy MLK Day! What an awesome day to look back and reflect on how the Lord used one person made such an impact. The Lord is big. Let Him work through you.

'Tis the Season

'Tis the season! And you know how I know?

Pumpkin rolls are stacked high in the freezer.

We finally bought a Christmas tree and hung up our stockings! We were pretty set on getting a real on this year, but since we will be home for so long we knew we wouldn't be able to enjoy it for very long. Plus, this bad boy was pre-lit. And discounted since it was a floor sample.

Side note: I love our ornaments. Robert and I have tried to get one from every place we have been together. And after decorating the tree Robert said, "Wow, we sure have done some cool stuff together." He is so right. I love doing life with him.

We have a new wreath on our door! I love red berries, so this was perfect. Robert even found it for me and suggested I buy it. He really had to twist my arm.

10 days until we are home for Christmas! Can't wait to see everyone.

Sick...

Sorry, no pictures on this post. Because I am pretty sure you would not want to see them. So here we go...

At 3:30 on Wednesday morning, I woke up to a horrifying sound. Robert vomiting. I rushed to the bathroom only to learn that he had been throwing up for the past two hours. So as my mother taught me, I got a cold rag, some water, and saltine crackers, and scratched Robert's back thanking the good Lord that I, too, was not throwing up. Robert wanted to sleep on the couch so I joined him and we talked about how I would work from home in the morning. The perfect plan. I would have a relaxing day at home and tend to my sick husband. Unfortunately, about two hours later, it was I who was hugging the toilet. So there we were, husband and wife both puking our guts out. I guess we should be thankful that we didn't need to use the toilet at the same time. It was a pathetic sight (hence no pictures).

Luckily, Robert stopped throwing up around 11 am and I around 1 pm. We were dehydrated and really weak. We only had Ginger Ale in the house and had already drank it all. So around 6 pm I decided that one of us needed to go to the store and get some gatorade. I mean we were totally delusional, and after reflecting on the day, Robert and I are fairly confident that we were kind of in and out of consciousness all day. I mean don't get me wrong, we were napping too, but there were definitely chunks of the day we don't really remember... Yeah. So we needed to get some kind of substance in our systems. Robert couldn't move, so I drove to the gas station (which looking back was probably pretty dangerous) and got some Gatorade. Life saver. Since we could actually keep it down, we started feeling better immediately. Phew.

It was probably one of the longest days of our lives. And definitely the biggest trial in our marriage that we have faced. But we made it! And since I went to the gas station by myself, I have gotten some really good foot rubs/back scratches since yesterday. :)

Right now I am making my first pumpkin rolls! Yum... I will post pictures of the final results!

Friendships

So I realized that I have not mentioned the amazing friendships we have made here in Denver. The Lord has truly surrounded us with amazing people who have been such an encouragement to Robert and I. And definitely helped with the homesickness.

For example... Our good friends Andy and Chrissy opened up their home and threw me one of the best birthday parties I have ever had. Chrissy homemade pizza dough and set up an awesome buffet and we made individual pizzas!

It was so fun! And so good. Actually one of the best pizzas I have ever had.

Here are some of my sweet girlfriends that I have made. They are all so much fun- I just love them!

Then Andy and Chrissy had the awesome idea to through a murder mystery party. (Can you tell they are great entertainers? They are probably the most hospitable people I know.) We attended last night and we had a blast! They prepared a delectable French dinner (along with homemade truffles. Oh my gosh, were they good), and today, my abs are soar from laughing so hard. Here is a picture of the gentlemen all dressed up.

Like I said, we have made some great friends, which have made the transition here so much easier. We are so thankful! Now, back to cleaning/organizing/moving in. Moving in? What? Haven't I been here 6 months? Yes, but I am still hanging up stuff on the wall and organizing our closet. Oh well, better late than never!