Spring in Colorado (Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016)

Spring break in Colorado would normally consist of an exotic trip to Vail or Copper Mountain for skiing or maybe someplace warmer, but for our youngest daughter this year it consisted of hanging low, dog sitting, studying and just recharging her battery for the next six weeks. Nothing too exciting. but very fun!  

While she was home, we celebrated our oldest daughter's birthday. We had Steve's parents join us at a Mexican restaurant and then went back to their house for some chocolate covered strawberries that our youngest daughter and I had made for dessert. The perfect gluten free treat for all of us to enjoy, complete with a birthday candle.

Unfortunately for our youngest daughter, spring break in Colorado has really not felt like spring at all.  When we woke up last Thursday morning, our neighborhood had turned into a winter wonderland. 

This was the first snow since Steve's retirement that we didn't have anywhere we had to be, so we made an extra big pot of coffee, opened the blinds and sat enjoyed our coffee in the warmth of our family room.  We would have enjoyed it out on the deck, with the beautiful snowy mountain views, but although it was pretty, it cooled our coffee off too fast.

Our oldest daughter had to go to work on this snowy morning, so she headed out early. She said there were accidents everywhere and she even had to get out and push another car, but after two and a quarter hours, she made it the 32 miles to her office. She wasn't happy, but that's a snow day for you. It continued to snow all day but by afternoon it was warming up nicely so the snow was melting off as quickly as it was falling. That's the beauty of Colorado...although we get snow, it doesn't usually hang around for long.

A view of the Flat Irons after the snow

A view of the Front Range after the snow

And this snow was no exception.  By the next day, it had already started to melt, and it looked like spring was once again on its way!

By the end of last week, we had 70 degree temperatures, and had a chance to get a little yard work done, But don't be fooled!  Today we are back to our winter wonder land of a week ago.  Oh the difference a day can make!  This is a super heavy spring snow that is hard to shovel, and breaks tree limbs if you don't shake the snow off of them.  So if you don't get snow where you live, sit back and enjoy these pictures.  Personally, I hope my next pictures are from somewhere a little warmer.

He looks cold, doesn't he?

 

My poor trees, this snow is so heavy!

That's all for now.  I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of spring in Colorado!

Geese at the Grocery Store (Monday, March 21st 2016)

A couple of geese had built their nest in some pots, right outside the door of our local grocery store. When the employees went to move the pots to bring in their spring stuff, they found the nest and rather than destroy it, they decided to move it.

So they got a swimming pool and filled it with straw and moved it over by the propane tanks, rather than right in front of the door. When the geese returned, they were very confused, looking for their nest where they had left it, we just happen to be at the store that day. We left the store hoping that they would eventually notice the swimming pool by the propane tanks. 

The original nest was on the small wall just behind the stop sign.  The new nest is by the gas price sign.

The next time we were at grocery store, we noticed the mama goose sitting on the nest, and the daddy goose out on the sidewalk chasing away anyone who tried to get near the nest. We love that the employees/management did this for the geese, and we love that the geese were able to find their nest.  

It is such a busy area, right in front of the grocery store, so part of me hopes that the geese will move on and lay their eggs somewhere else.  Only time will tell.

Happy spring to all!

I Got the Music in Me (March 17, 2016)

Spring in Colorado usually means lots of snow, so one night when we were all together hanging out inside, our musical inclinations came creeping out.  Steve and the girls found themselves in an impromptu jam session. Our youngest daughter who is teaching herself to play the guitar, was practicing quietly in Steve's music room.  It didn't take long for Steve to notice and start pulling out all the fun stuff and before I knew what was happening, they were all jamming out. Our youngest was on guitar, Steve on rhythm and our oldest on vocals.  So funny, but a really fun night for everyone!

Steve was very involved in instrumental music when he was young, which he enjoyed deeply. We gladly passed it on to our girls by getting  them involved in music also at a young age.  They both continued with their music through high school, and it played a large role in making them who they are today.  Much of their love for music can be attributed to their high school band teacher/music director, Ken Sawyer. He was tough on his kids, but in a very caring way. His expectations were always high, but rewards were always there for the kids that worked hard. 

This amazing man will be retiring at the end of this school year after 36 years of teaching in our school district.  I wanted to include an article that was written about him in our local paper as a memory for our girls. The picture shows him and his daughter (the current drum major) celebrating the moment that they made semi-finals at the Colorado State Marching Band Competition.  We are all so honored to have been a part of his music program.

Congratulations to Ken and McKenna!

A 30-hour Adventure (Sunday, March 6th, 2016)

We all woke up yesterday morning, in a rush to get out of the house, but for a few different reasons. Our oldest daughter had a recruiting commitment at the University of Colorado, Boulder Engineering School, and Steve and I were on our way to Fort Collins to see our youngest daughter and her boyfriend for breakfast.  It has been exactly a month since we have seen our youngest daughter, and much longer than that since we have seen her boyfriend, so it seemed like the perfect time to make a quick trip up there.  

We picked both of them up at her apartment and headed into old town to the Silver Grill.  They always have a huge line on Saturday mornings, but they have a cute patio out back with a free coffee bar, space heaters, blankets and a fire pit.  So even if it is cold outside you can stay nice and warm on their back patio.  We put our name on the list, and sat out by the fire pit drinking coffee until our name was called.  Then we headed inside for a nice warm breakfast with two of our favorite people!  It was so nice to see them and catch up on their lives and school.  Once again, it did my heart a lot of good, just to see them and enjoy some quality time.  

We left Fort Collins by 10:30, planning on being home around 11:30 or so.  Our oldest daughter would be home from Boulder by then, and we would head out on our adventure.

Our oldest daughter's life has been very busy and stressful for the last few months.  Her husband is in the military and has been gone for the last nine months, she is in the throws of her new "big girl job" after recently graduating from college, and she is still very engaged with the University of Colorado Engineering School, and Business Minor program.  And in addition to those miniscule tasks, she and her husband are also in the process of building a house!  So believe it or not, we felt that a small get away might be in order.  

Throughout our married life, Steve and I have noticed that even the smallest of vacations can relieve a lot of stress, and make us ready to tackle the world again.  It doesn't have to be long, or expensive to make the world seem like a much better place.  So we made sure that she had a free weekend, and booked a night at the Holiday Inn Express in Colorado Springs. 

We felt that before our daughter could really enjoy the weekend, she would need to take care of a little business first.  So we headed over to her new house, and she met with the builders, and made sure that things are still moving along like they should be.  Once she was happy with the way things looked, and the important decisions were all made, it was time to go enjoy ourselves and help her relax!

    
We headed out for Colorado Springs at noon, with hopes of checking into the hotel as early as possible.  We are IHG members, (Intercontinental Hotel Group) which includes the Holiday Inn Express hotels worldwide.  Our membership, and frequent use of the hotels, gives us a few nice perks, one of which is receiving the best room available when we check in. So since we got down there early, we were able to get a nice queen suite.  Where we could all spread out and get comfortable!

On our way downtown, we drove by this great vintage McDonalds. It looked to us like a new building, but the vintage style was really fun to see. It reminded us of our past!

Steve and I have a little place in downtown Colorado Springs that we really enjoy, so we decided it would be fun to take our daughter there, and see what she thinks of it.  It is called Sonterra Mexican Grill.  They have a great happy hour from 3:00-7:00, with $3 wine, wells, drafts, and margaritas and a nice appetizer menu ranging from $3 to $6.  We showed up fairly early, and got the last three seats at the bar.  We all started out with a house margarita, and shared a ceviche.  

Their Ceviche was great, with just the right amount of spice

We also split some of their appetizer tacos, and then we split their scallops with sweet corn risotto.  Oh my!  It was so good!

This speaks for itself!

As the sun sets outside of the restaurant, it also sets inside the restaurant.....very fun!

And at 6:00, they have an acoustic guitar player named John Stone that wanders the restaurant and plays traditional Spanish melodies. We have seen him there several times and really enjoy his music. His wife is from Barcelona and they spend quite a bit of time there so it is always fun to hear about their travels.  Since he knows we really enjoy his music, he always comes to talk to us, and of course gives us a private performance.  John is an absolutely amazing guitar player and a very genuine and real person.  What a treat to get a chance to hear him again and to talk for a few minutes!  

Steve has one of John's CD's that he likes to listen to in the car when he's driving.  Our oldest daughter has heard it many times so it was fun for her to hear John play and get a chance to meet and interact with him. His website is www.johnstonemusic.net The website gives some info on John and very importantly when and where he will be playing.  There's also some sample music.  We encourage you to take a listen.   If you ever get a chance to hear him we guarantee you will be blown away!

When we finally left Sonterra, we made our way over to another little place we had heard of called The Rabbit Hole.  It's a trendy underground restaurant/bar with a small street entrance, and as it's name would suggest, it has the theme of Alice in Wonderland.

The entrance to The Rabbit Hole

The inside was very quaint, with tables in every corner.  It was cozy and fun, and we thought the prices were fairly reasonable.

Butterscotch cheese cake for three!

Our oldest daughters first martini, but probably not her last!!!

We took the hotel shuttle back to the hotel, and when we got there, our daughter got a call from one of her friends who is also a military wife, so they enjoyed a nice conversation while Steve and I headed to the hot tub to soak for awhile.  What a great evening!

This morning we slept in, and then enjoyed the complimentary breakfast in the dining room.  Breakfast was served from 7:00 to 10:00, so we were in no rush.  After breakfast, our daughter wanted to do a little shopping, so we headed out to At Home, to just look around and maybe enjoy their beautiful patio furniture for a moment.

Then back to the hotel to check out and change, and off to Garden of the Gods.  One of the most beautiful places in Colorado.

View from the Visitor's Center

Pikes Peak and the Kissing Camels

And then at our daughter's suggestion, we headed over to the Glenn Eyrie Castle for lunch and a walk.  And as we came through the gate, look who greeted us!

 Such a beautiful place to just look around and relax!

We had a quick lunch on the trunk of the car, something Steve and I do quite often when the view is right!

And as we were leaving Colorado Springs, it was cooling off quickly, and a storm was moving in over Pikes Peak

Such a fabulous 30 hours, and a totally relaxed girl....mission accomplished!

I think our trip was successful!