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!

Waking Up

So I was getting ready for work on Friday, when a half asleep Robert mumbled something like "Oh man, look out the window... It's like... red."

I opened the curtains to find this...

It was the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. And luckily, it was somehow warm enough for me to walk outside barefoot and snap these.

So refreshing to see something like this.

OMG

Three things:

1. It snowed today.

2. I drove in it accident free.

3. It's supposed to snow again tomorrow.

Ahh... See you in 6-7 months.

Motivation

Soccer game tonight.

I've been staring at this picture all night to find my motivation. (I love my brother. Watching him play soccer was the greatest.)

I mean that's what co-ed recreational soccer is all about right?

Intensity

Aggression

YELLING

At least that's what Robert tells me...

Gotcha! You didn't really believe me did you?

arsty fartsy

This weekend was short. Good, but short. I am just so darn spoiled from those long weekends Lockheed Martin gives every other week. Oh well, guess that just means this next weekend is a long one- Something to look forward to!

On Saturday Robert and I went here.

(photo credit)

The Denver Art Museum! Needless to say I had to say the word museum a million times this weekend, and Robert loves to frequently remind me that I say it wrong. I guess some things never change. We had a really great time. And the best thing of all...

It was free!

Yes, the first Saturday of every month the Denver Art Museum allows all to enter for no charge! We were all over that.

Then we went and saw Megamind in 3D! It was awesome.

And while for most families Sundays are the days to kick back and relax, the West household has a very busy day. We wake up and go to church, grab lunch with some friends, then head over to Cheesman park to play some intense touch football. Robert has formed an army of about 45 people who religiously show up to play. Ok, so maybe an exaggeration, but there are a lot of people and it is a lot of fun! Then we go to the grocery store, come home, cook dinner, and watch a movie. I guess that part is relaxing. Tonight the feature is My Sister's Keeper. Because and only because Robert took me to see this. Needless to say, I get to pick the next ten movies we see. So I guess it's not that bad of a deal.

One last thing, thank you daylight savings for finally coming! Now I will not have to drive to work in the pitch dark praying I do not hit a deer. Now the deer are a little bit safer. Unfortunately, the sun did set here around 5 PM. Not sure how I'm feeling about that one...

Until next time! Love y'all!

Fall

We love the fall. Being from Texas, we realized that we never have really experienced a true fall. It is so beautiful, and the weather is amazing. Granted, we have heard over and over again what a freakishly warm year this has been (and I thank God every day for that), but I still think we will love our next fall. I think you will understand why...

See what I mean? Another plus- this is my commute to work! Pretty much no matter what happens during my work day, rest assured I will come home in a good mood after this drive (most likely anyways!).

Visitors!

Erin and Jon are here! YAY! And what are we doing? Well Erin and I are kicking it back on our comfy couch watching the men try to wall mount our TV. Why you may ask? Because Robert and I are way to cheap to hire someone to do it. I am jsut praying I don't wake up in the middle of the night to a huge crash, only to find our awesome 36 flat screen high definition TV shattered on our floor. That would be awful. But the men seem confident, so I am too. I think.

On a more important note....

Happy ring day to the best sister in the world!

Becca deserves her Aggie ring more than anyone I know. She has worked so hard and done so well at A&M... Even after everyone told her she couldn't get in. Just like everyone told her she couldn't play basketball. She is so incredible and such a hard worker- she's been such a great example to me.

Congrats Boo! I know you are going to do a great job chugging that pitcher of beer! I wish more than anything that I could be there!

WHOOP!

So Long Summer

So it's starting to get cold here. As in on August 31 I drove to work in 38 degree weather. What the heck? It's August. Oh right- we live in Colorado. Guess I need to put on my big girl thermals.

I'm not going to apologize for not posting in almost a month. I am also not promising to post more regularly. I have tried that and it did not work. What can I say? The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is upload a blog post... Sorry. I will try to have an attitude adjustment. But here is all the fun we've had this last month!

We went to Breckenridge with Aunt Bev and Uncle Coy! We had such a great time. All the yellow dots in the river behind us are for a huge labor day fundraiser they have... so fun! We hiked, played tennis, ate awesome food, and just loved getting to see them. More pictures to come... my other camera is in my car. But hey! That means another post soon (I hope).

We ate edamame! Not so exciting. But the first time we ate on our beautiful sushi plates! I love them.

We went rock climbing in Lyons, which is right outside of Boulder over labor day weekend. Above is pictured the rattle snake Robert and our friend Andy killed after stumbling upon it while hiking down. Sorry- no actual pictures of rock climbing. I was too busy tearing up my hands trying to climb huge boulders.

Here he is again... the awesome snake killer!!!!

So remember that fire that is totally burning up Colorado? Well it started while we were climbing and was not too far from us... oops. Don't worry we were completely safe. But this picture is from our drive home. The sun was setting right into the smoke. It looked cool, but in reality it is not cool. A lot of homes have burned up and they are having a really hard time controlling the fire. So be praying for all the families who have had to evacuate and/or have lost their homes. I could not imagine. But the Lord is faithful and sovereign!

Love y'all

Yikes. I am just awful at this. Like I said, work has proved to decrease my desire to blog 100 fold. But Robert is camping tonight and I'm sitting all alone in our apartment, so I am making myself do it. And also uploading pictures to facebook. Here is what has been going on!

Katie came!

This was the awesome hike we went on.

Robert told us to climb on the sign... I guess Katie thought she could?

Then more work. BORING. But getting better! I actually have responsibility and make mistakes and stuff. But it was a good, short week because....

WE WENT TO TELLURIDE!!!!! And my whole family was there. Which was awesome. Here are some of the things we did.

Indeed. We drove on this rode. The picture really doesn't do justice how steep that drop off is. I might have hyperventilated slightly as we went over this pass. Ophir's Pass to be exact. But boy was it beautiful.

Then we picnicked it James Feagin style. Complete with grilled lamb chops and wine. Top five best meals of my life.

Then we went on a beautiful hike to a waterfall! (See above and below). It was great!

Ok so I had to post this picture. If you haven't heard about my traumatic mountain biking experience with Robert last year it might not make much sense. But anyways... Robert, Drew, and Becca decided to go mountain biking. Even though I hate it, I really wanted to go to be with everyone. But Robert gave me a firm no after recalling my near death experience.

Needless to say I was probably a little too happy to see Becca struggling (aka walking her bike) down the mountain. Her and Drew turned their bikes in after one run. And Drew ended up having to go to the hospital because he flipped over his bike and landed on his shoulder.

All in all- I didn't miss out.

So there it is. Our past two weeks in a nut shell. Really- I will try to get better at this.

Loooove you

Workin' Wests

Life in the West home is good! Robert started his first day of work and he really likes it! Its just so great that this opportunity came up- it was literally exactly what he was looking for. A part-time job that paid well and he could learn how to roast coffee. At first I thought he was being too high maintenance, but the Lord provides!

This weekend my parents came in town! It was so much fun- we ate, ate, and ate. Sushi, pizza, turkey legs, bratwurst, steak, and wine... yummmm. Robert and I are not eating this week. Yeah right. I'm making macaroni right now. But we really did have such an awesome time- it was so great seeing them. My mom bought me flowers to plant so now our porch is super cute! Pictures coming soon- its a yucky rainy day today and got too dark to get any good ones.

Love you all so much! I will try to post more regularly- work has proved to tire me out much more than expected!

First Day of Work!

So I know it's been forever. And I'm so sorry- but life at the West household has been crazy! First Becca and Britt came to visit. Then Robert and I basically spent the next week and a half in Breckenridge with Aunt Bev, Uncle Coy, Aunt Carri, Tommy, and Ellie. It was awesome. We were totally spoiled. We hiked, fished, played tennis (Aunt Bev totally smoked Robert, which was awesome to watch), played Rumikub (best game ever), and ate so much food. Robert and I are so blessed to have such hospitable family. They totally let us crash their vacation. Here are a few pictures from the hike Robert and I went on!

Yeah we totally climbed that waterfall...

And then there was the first day of work... which was, well... long. But I am really excited for the next couple of weeks. I am working with an awesome group of people who are all really encouraging and want to help me learn.

Robert even made me breakfast on the "You are Special" plate. I love him.

Here is my first day of work outfit...

Mom and Dad are coming on Thursday!! CAN'T WAIT!

Love y'all!