From Kelly:
Wow, I am really awful about updating the blog. I'm sorry! I will just give you a brief overview of the highlights from the past month (yikes! has it been that long??)
At the end of September we took a trip to Alabama. This was the first of our 50-state tour (to be completed one a year, in order, for the next 50 years of marriage). The concept is that every state has some type of natural beauty or a fun thing to do or a cool thing to see. Alabama definitely lived up to this idea. We visited Orange Beach/Gulf Shores, AL and it was a great trip! We ate lots of southern cooking (fried okra, hush puppies, cornbread, green beans, black-eyed peas, etc.) at a variety of fun eateries. One of them was owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister, so it was quite a party. They had live music and it was indoor/outdoor with volleyball courts and an outdoor movie playing and all kinds of fun stuff. We also ate at a place that served Mike a full rack of ribs in a frying pan and the staff literally threw rolls at you. They also played practical jokes on me the whole time (fake mustard on my shirt, fake vermin in the stew, etc.) and I obliged by falling for it every time. On Saturday we heard it was supposed to rain (it didnt) so we spent the day seeing an old fort and doing some outlet shopping. The deals we found we amazing! I was having so much fun snatching up the super cheap clothes. On Monday, we layed on the beach that was out the back door of our hotel and swam a bit in the pool. Lounging and reading time was welcome and I even made it out pretty far into the ocean, though I was freaking out about jelly fish the whole time. The best thing we did, though, was a sunset cruise around the bay to see dolphins. I couldn't believe how close they were to the boat! They like to ride in the wake the boat creates (like body sufing), so they were flipping and jumping and doing all sorts of tricks for us. We even saw a mom and baby. So, all in all we had a wonderful time in the gulf and would highly recommend it for a cheap beach vacation!
Since we got back, we've been trying to slow down our hectic pace and have a more relaxed fall. A few of the highlights of the first couple weeks were: a celebration dinner with James and Jamila (newly engaged), baby showers for Stephanie and Brandy, a fall colors hike and dinner at Kacy and Tara's to meet their (adorable) new puppy, Stewie! Last weekend was pretty fun because Vince, Mike P and Nathan flew in from DC to go to the CSU homecoming game and also to participate in the Abby's Voice run/walk. Though it was great to have everyone together (Matt and Carter came to the game with us), it was also REALLY cold! The temperature for the game was around 17 degrees. After the game we met up with Amy and Lindsey M and I was very relieved to have some girls around after spending the day with five boys. It's amazing the grody stories they tell when they all get together. . .
Mike's grandmother (Bachan, his dad's mom) passed away on Friday, October 2nd. She was 92 years old and died at home, which really isn't a bad way to go. The services were held last Monday with a private ceremony and then we went to lunch afterward at her favorite restaurant. That afternoon we spent at Mike's aunt's house looking at old pictures and telling stories, which is always the best part of a funeral in my opinion. I enjoyed learning more about Mike's family and seeing pictures of his history, which is now mine as well. Bachan will be missed, but I think the services were just what she would have wanted--family getting together and reconnecting.
Last Thursday we volunteered for Chef's Event, which we love to do every year. It's an event where they invite all the top chef's from around Boulder (they also have a Denver one) and you get to sample all of their tasty treats. There was everything from ceviche to "sin bars" as well as beer and wine and chocolate bars and a silent auction. So much fun! Saturday we celebrated Anna's 30th birthday with a potluck party at her house of everyone's favorite dishes. Sunday we went to the Murphy's for pumpkin carving, which was a good time although I realized that I really just don't like carving pumpkins-- it's too much work! So maybe next year I'll let Mike carve mine for me :)
As far as travel goes, Mike was in Ohio last week, next week I'm in Orlando and the week after I'm in Tulsa and DC-- all work trips.
Whew! I think that about covers it! I hope you are all doing well-- send me an update of what's been going on with you when you get a chance!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Birthday Tomfoolery
From Mike:
This past week or so has been full of birthday celebration! It all started with our trip to Las Vegas. We got to the airport on Friday afternoon and promptly ran into our travelling companions: Beth, Carter, Jamila and James. The fun had begun. We spent the time waiting for the plane to board chatting about our plans for lounging by the pool and winning the jackpot, and were soon on our way to see the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip. We arrived around dusk, got a couple of taxis to our hotel, and met up with our fifth and final Vegas buddy, Mike, who had arrived earlier that day. Poor Mike was already a little bitter, having already handed over a large portion of his gambling budget to the various casinos around town. Despite that, we were all ready for a night on the town.
We checked into our (dated) hotel room at the Tropicana and promptly set out towards our first stop of the evening: the MGM Grand Casino. We made a quick stop by the bar for a drink, and roamed between the slot machines and card tables until we found a spot at one of the blackjack tables. Kelly spent a few minutes playing, while I eyed the roulette table across the way. After our luck ran out, we decided to tempt our fates in a different locale, so we headed to the Planet Hollywood. We spent some time playing the slot machines and many of us soon decided to give up gambling for the night and visit a nightclub. So we stopped at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone because it was Ladies’ Night and they got free drinks. It was a nice, warm evening, so we sat out on the patio soaking up the neon light, chatting, and listening to people attempt to sing karaoke. After awhile we were all getting tired and hungry, so we made our way back down the Strip, stopping by the Paris, Bellagio, and Monte Carlo hotels on the way, and eventually landed in the Tropicana’s all-night restaurant for a midnight snack of nachos and grilled cheese. We managed to make it to bed, exhausted and bleary-eyed, around 4am.
We began the next day relaxing by the hotel’s massive 5-acre pool. We soaked up the hot sun while reading, snacking, sipping pina coladas and daquiris, and taking quick dips in the water to cool off. We tried to take advantage of the swim-up blackjack tables, but they were full, so we were content to return to our lounge chairs. After spending a few hours outside, it was time to explore more of the Strip. We all got cleaned up, pressed, and dressed, and took a taxi to the Treasure Island Casino in search of the city’s best dinner buffet. The cabbie recommended the buffet at the Wynn Hotel, so that’s where we headed next. We entered the Wynn and wandered through a corridor full of high-end stores, through the lavish casino, to the buffet. We stood in line for about 45 minutes and by the time we got to the food, we were ravenous. We piled our plates high with, among other things, crab legs, prime rib, lamb, veal rib tips, shrimp, sushi, and ceviche, and devoured it until we were ready to burst. Did I mention that the buffet also had an entire room devoted to desserts? This glorious addition to the meal had pretty much every dessert you could dream of, including: strawberry shortcake, crème brulee, mint chocolate mousse, pudding, ice cream, a crepe station, and about 20 others that have names that I can’t pronounce. We all heaved our bellies away from the table, raving that we had never eaten so much amazing food in one sitting. It was definitely a major highlight of the trip.
After dinner we wandered around the casino, walked to the adjacent Encore hotel, and eventually made our way back to Treasure Island in time for their famed live outdoor pirate show, complete with dancing sirens, scurvy pirates, and lots of fire. It was great, but short-lived, and we were soon making our way through the dense crowd back into the casino. We visited three more hotels and casinos before returning to ours: the Venetian, the Palazzo, and finally New York New York. We later found out that Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and a number of other celebs were at the Tao Nightclub in the Venetian to celebrate Rumer Willis’ 21st birthday. We didn’t see anyone famous, but I managed to win back a lot of the money I had lost the previous day; however the poor birthday girl wasn’t so lucky.
The next day Kelly, Carter and I woke up in time to take advantage of the breakfast buffet at our hotel. It couldn’t compare to the Wynn, but we left full and satisfied, and returned to our room to pack and check out. Our flight didn’t leave until 6 that evening, so we had time to explore. We walked across the Strip through the Excalibur to the Luxor hotel. After stopping in a couple of shops and winning a few rounds of roulette, we decided to brave the 100-degree heat and walk to the Bellagio to catch a glimpse of their famous fountain show. We entered the welcomed air conditioning in the hotel and had a few minutes to kill before the next fountain show, so we walked around the hotel’s atrium which was decorated with sculptures made from fresh flowers, jumping fountains, and even had a small aviary full of colorful birds. Afterwards, we grabbed a drink at the bar and sat and watched golf, played video poker, and headed outside in time for the show. After a delightful display of dancing streams of water, we returned to the hotel to pick up our bags and head to the airport, but not before making a quick stop by In-N-Out to grab dinner, which was deliciously artery-clogging.
The Tuesday night after we got back from Vegas, we drove up to Morrison to meet up with Carter and his friend Kerri for dinner. We initially intended to go to Film on the Rocks afterward, but the idea of getting home at 1am on a work night dissuaded us. We sat on the roof of the Morrison Inn and enjoyed Mexican food until our bellies were full, and then headed home. Wednesday night was our last regular-season kickball game. Despite playing against the worst team in the league, we only managed to tie them, 10-10. However, everyone makes it into at least one playoff game, so we’re not done yet!
Thursday was Kelly’s birthday, so she took the day off and celebrated by sleeping in, getting a 90-minute massage, having lunch with her mom, and going out for dinner at Sushi Zan Mai with me, my parents, and Beth. Unfortunately, I had to work that day, but I did manage to put together a delicious home-made ice cream cake before heading to the restaurant. After stuffing our faces full of delicious sushi we all came back to the house to meet up with Beth’s parents, open gifts, and enjoy the cake. Friday after work we met up with a group of friends for happy hour at the Downtown Tavern and then went to the Rockies game afterwards. Even though they lost to the Giants, we all had a great time.
Saturday was spent preparing for Kelly’s birthday party that evening. We decided it would be fun to have a picnic in the park, complete with food, games, and beer. So we packed the coolers, grabbed the lawn games, and headed to Washington Park in Denver. When we arrived, we found a nice shady spot under a large tree and set up camp. After people started arriving, we ate and played several rousing games of bocce ball, badminton, volleyball, and ladderball, and before we knew it, the sun was setting. We scrambled to get everything packed up and put into the car before we couldn’t see anymore, then we all drove to the Wash Park Tavern for a few drinks, some lively conversation, and to catch the end of the Broncos’ and Rockies’ games. Overall, it was a fun end to a busy week, and the birthday girl said it was one of the best birthdays she had ever had!
Sunday morning we decided to try a new church that Kelly’s co-worker attends. It’s called Northern Hills and it’s only 15 minutes away from our house! The church holds two services simultaneously; one being more edgy than the other. We decided to try the edgy one this week, so we ventured into what is appropriately referred to as “the garage,” and found a couple of open seats. The worship service was definitely edgy and seemed more like a rock concert than anything, but the band had a lot of talent and we were both impressed. The speaker was articulate and genuine, and his sermon was peppered with bible passages and sound theological teachings, and Kelly and I left with every intention of returning soon. That afternoon Kelly had a hair appointment with my sister, so I went with her to my parent’s house, hung out, and watched as Kelly went from being a blonde to a brunette in a matter of hours. Afterwards we drove to the Murphy’s to celebrate Cindy’s birthday. Yesterday was Kelly’s mom’s birthday, so we celebrated by first going to Sharon’s house to open gifts, then going to dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery.
Whew, that’s it! Until next time!
This past week or so has been full of birthday celebration! It all started with our trip to Las Vegas. We got to the airport on Friday afternoon and promptly ran into our travelling companions: Beth, Carter, Jamila and James. The fun had begun. We spent the time waiting for the plane to board chatting about our plans for lounging by the pool and winning the jackpot, and were soon on our way to see the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip. We arrived around dusk, got a couple of taxis to our hotel, and met up with our fifth and final Vegas buddy, Mike, who had arrived earlier that day. Poor Mike was already a little bitter, having already handed over a large portion of his gambling budget to the various casinos around town. Despite that, we were all ready for a night on the town.
We checked into our (dated) hotel room at the Tropicana and promptly set out towards our first stop of the evening: the MGM Grand Casino. We made a quick stop by the bar for a drink, and roamed between the slot machines and card tables until we found a spot at one of the blackjack tables. Kelly spent a few minutes playing, while I eyed the roulette table across the way. After our luck ran out, we decided to tempt our fates in a different locale, so we headed to the Planet Hollywood. We spent some time playing the slot machines and many of us soon decided to give up gambling for the night and visit a nightclub. So we stopped at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone because it was Ladies’ Night and they got free drinks. It was a nice, warm evening, so we sat out on the patio soaking up the neon light, chatting, and listening to people attempt to sing karaoke. After awhile we were all getting tired and hungry, so we made our way back down the Strip, stopping by the Paris, Bellagio, and Monte Carlo hotels on the way, and eventually landed in the Tropicana’s all-night restaurant for a midnight snack of nachos and grilled cheese. We managed to make it to bed, exhausted and bleary-eyed, around 4am.
We began the next day relaxing by the hotel’s massive 5-acre pool. We soaked up the hot sun while reading, snacking, sipping pina coladas and daquiris, and taking quick dips in the water to cool off. We tried to take advantage of the swim-up blackjack tables, but they were full, so we were content to return to our lounge chairs. After spending a few hours outside, it was time to explore more of the Strip. We all got cleaned up, pressed, and dressed, and took a taxi to the Treasure Island Casino in search of the city’s best dinner buffet. The cabbie recommended the buffet at the Wynn Hotel, so that’s where we headed next. We entered the Wynn and wandered through a corridor full of high-end stores, through the lavish casino, to the buffet. We stood in line for about 45 minutes and by the time we got to the food, we were ravenous. We piled our plates high with, among other things, crab legs, prime rib, lamb, veal rib tips, shrimp, sushi, and ceviche, and devoured it until we were ready to burst. Did I mention that the buffet also had an entire room devoted to desserts? This glorious addition to the meal had pretty much every dessert you could dream of, including: strawberry shortcake, crème brulee, mint chocolate mousse, pudding, ice cream, a crepe station, and about 20 others that have names that I can’t pronounce. We all heaved our bellies away from the table, raving that we had never eaten so much amazing food in one sitting. It was definitely a major highlight of the trip.
After dinner we wandered around the casino, walked to the adjacent Encore hotel, and eventually made our way back to Treasure Island in time for their famed live outdoor pirate show, complete with dancing sirens, scurvy pirates, and lots of fire. It was great, but short-lived, and we were soon making our way through the dense crowd back into the casino. We visited three more hotels and casinos before returning to ours: the Venetian, the Palazzo, and finally New York New York. We later found out that Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and a number of other celebs were at the Tao Nightclub in the Venetian to celebrate Rumer Willis’ 21st birthday. We didn’t see anyone famous, but I managed to win back a lot of the money I had lost the previous day; however the poor birthday girl wasn’t so lucky.
The next day Kelly, Carter and I woke up in time to take advantage of the breakfast buffet at our hotel. It couldn’t compare to the Wynn, but we left full and satisfied, and returned to our room to pack and check out. Our flight didn’t leave until 6 that evening, so we had time to explore. We walked across the Strip through the Excalibur to the Luxor hotel. After stopping in a couple of shops and winning a few rounds of roulette, we decided to brave the 100-degree heat and walk to the Bellagio to catch a glimpse of their famous fountain show. We entered the welcomed air conditioning in the hotel and had a few minutes to kill before the next fountain show, so we walked around the hotel’s atrium which was decorated with sculptures made from fresh flowers, jumping fountains, and even had a small aviary full of colorful birds. Afterwards, we grabbed a drink at the bar and sat and watched golf, played video poker, and headed outside in time for the show. After a delightful display of dancing streams of water, we returned to the hotel to pick up our bags and head to the airport, but not before making a quick stop by In-N-Out to grab dinner, which was deliciously artery-clogging.
The Tuesday night after we got back from Vegas, we drove up to Morrison to meet up with Carter and his friend Kerri for dinner. We initially intended to go to Film on the Rocks afterward, but the idea of getting home at 1am on a work night dissuaded us. We sat on the roof of the Morrison Inn and enjoyed Mexican food until our bellies were full, and then headed home. Wednesday night was our last regular-season kickball game. Despite playing against the worst team in the league, we only managed to tie them, 10-10. However, everyone makes it into at least one playoff game, so we’re not done yet!
Thursday was Kelly’s birthday, so she took the day off and celebrated by sleeping in, getting a 90-minute massage, having lunch with her mom, and going out for dinner at Sushi Zan Mai with me, my parents, and Beth. Unfortunately, I had to work that day, but I did manage to put together a delicious home-made ice cream cake before heading to the restaurant. After stuffing our faces full of delicious sushi we all came back to the house to meet up with Beth’s parents, open gifts, and enjoy the cake. Friday after work we met up with a group of friends for happy hour at the Downtown Tavern and then went to the Rockies game afterwards. Even though they lost to the Giants, we all had a great time.
Saturday was spent preparing for Kelly’s birthday party that evening. We decided it would be fun to have a picnic in the park, complete with food, games, and beer. So we packed the coolers, grabbed the lawn games, and headed to Washington Park in Denver. When we arrived, we found a nice shady spot under a large tree and set up camp. After people started arriving, we ate and played several rousing games of bocce ball, badminton, volleyball, and ladderball, and before we knew it, the sun was setting. We scrambled to get everything packed up and put into the car before we couldn’t see anymore, then we all drove to the Wash Park Tavern for a few drinks, some lively conversation, and to catch the end of the Broncos’ and Rockies’ games. Overall, it was a fun end to a busy week, and the birthday girl said it was one of the best birthdays she had ever had!
Sunday morning we decided to try a new church that Kelly’s co-worker attends. It’s called Northern Hills and it’s only 15 minutes away from our house! The church holds two services simultaneously; one being more edgy than the other. We decided to try the edgy one this week, so we ventured into what is appropriately referred to as “the garage,” and found a couple of open seats. The worship service was definitely edgy and seemed more like a rock concert than anything, but the band had a lot of talent and we were both impressed. The speaker was articulate and genuine, and his sermon was peppered with bible passages and sound theological teachings, and Kelly and I left with every intention of returning soon. That afternoon Kelly had a hair appointment with my sister, so I went with her to my parent’s house, hung out, and watched as Kelly went from being a blonde to a brunette in a matter of hours. Afterwards we drove to the Murphy’s to celebrate Cindy’s birthday. Yesterday was Kelly’s mom’s birthday, so we celebrated by first going to Sharon’s house to open gifts, then going to dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery.
Whew, that’s it! Until next time!
Friday, August 14, 2009
DC to Vegas
From Kelly:
Well, as Mike mentioned I was in the DC area last week for a proposal writing and managing class. The class itself was good and I actually did learn alot. I thought it was pretty funny though that since I didn't talk much everyone in the class thought of me as "so quiet and soft spoken"-- I wouldn't say that's true at all! But, it was fun to play the part for awhile. One of the guys in my class was Clinton's helicopter pilot while he was in office, so that was pretty cool. He couldn't tell us much but he a few stories to share, including landing in Fenway Park and how the fuel for all the jets is super special and highly protected and can only come from one specific top secret place.
The main fun while I was there was hanging out the DC-ers, namely Emily, Nathan, Mike and Vince. On Tuesday night Nathan cooked us a yummy tilapia dinner, Wednesday we went out to a place called Cantina Marina that was right on the Potomac River, and Thursday I had dinner at Mexicali Blues with Mike and Emma. Friday night we participated in my favorite DC activity-- Jazz in the Garden! This is where you set up a blanket in the sculpture garden and they have a jazz band and serve sangria and it's just a generally wonderful time of socializing and enjoying the summertime. That was awesome! On Saturday we headed out to brunch and checked out the Eastern Market, which was a wonderful outdoor shopping area where I got a necklace, which I am quite fond of. I headed home that afternoon and was happy to spend the rest of the evening relaxing with Mike.
This week has been pretty standard. We are having our annual manager's meetings at work and so our marketing group has been doing a lot of work to get things set up for those. Monday night Matt and I reinstated our Monday sushi tradition. Tuesday night was Bryan's birthday party for the family at Cinzetti's. Tony was in town from SF, so was able to join us, which was great since everyone hadn't seen him in awhile. Wednesday night we had a kickball game that we lost miserably. It's really hard because so many people from our team are gone every week that I feel we are always "short staffed", which is annoying. Yesterday I had to work super late because of an internal tradeshow we put on, but it went well so it was worth it. And tonight we leave for Vegas!!!! We are going with a few other friends and it's my first time to Vegas since I turned 21, so I'm really excited to check it out.
I think you are all caught up, now it's your turn to let us know what's been going on with you!
Well, as Mike mentioned I was in the DC area last week for a proposal writing and managing class. The class itself was good and I actually did learn alot. I thought it was pretty funny though that since I didn't talk much everyone in the class thought of me as "so quiet and soft spoken"-- I wouldn't say that's true at all! But, it was fun to play the part for awhile. One of the guys in my class was Clinton's helicopter pilot while he was in office, so that was pretty cool. He couldn't tell us much but he a few stories to share, including landing in Fenway Park and how the fuel for all the jets is super special and highly protected and can only come from one specific top secret place.
The main fun while I was there was hanging out the DC-ers, namely Emily, Nathan, Mike and Vince. On Tuesday night Nathan cooked us a yummy tilapia dinner, Wednesday we went out to a place called Cantina Marina that was right on the Potomac River, and Thursday I had dinner at Mexicali Blues with Mike and Emma. Friday night we participated in my favorite DC activity-- Jazz in the Garden! This is where you set up a blanket in the sculpture garden and they have a jazz band and serve sangria and it's just a generally wonderful time of socializing and enjoying the summertime. That was awesome! On Saturday we headed out to brunch and checked out the Eastern Market, which was a wonderful outdoor shopping area where I got a necklace, which I am quite fond of. I headed home that afternoon and was happy to spend the rest of the evening relaxing with Mike.
This week has been pretty standard. We are having our annual manager's meetings at work and so our marketing group has been doing a lot of work to get things set up for those. Monday night Matt and I reinstated our Monday sushi tradition. Tuesday night was Bryan's birthday party for the family at Cinzetti's. Tony was in town from SF, so was able to join us, which was great since everyone hadn't seen him in awhile. Wednesday night we had a kickball game that we lost miserably. It's really hard because so many people from our team are gone every week that I feel we are always "short staffed", which is annoying. Yesterday I had to work super late because of an internal tradeshow we put on, but it went well so it was worth it. And tonight we leave for Vegas!!!! We are going with a few other friends and it's my first time to Vegas since I turned 21, so I'm really excited to check it out.
I think you are all caught up, now it's your turn to let us know what's been going on with you!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Slacking in the Summer
From Mike:
Well, it’s been a month since our last blog. I should have updated this thing two weeks ago, but for some reason I just haven’t gotten around to it. So you’re in for a long one…lucky you! Where do I start? Ah yes, July…
The weekend after I arrived back from DC, we drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park with a group of friends and went camping. It was a great time of fun and relaxation as Kelly, Beth, Carter, Amy, Jamila, James, James’ brother Tyler, and I sat around the campfire drinking beer, roasting marshmallows, telling scary stories, playing Catch Phrase, and trying not to laugh so loud as to draw attention from the campsite warden. The next morning we went for a short hike up to one of the many subalpine lakes in the park and made our way home afterward.
The following Wednesday was our third kickball game of the season. This is our second year being captains of our team, Just for Kicks. This year I got a bunch of co-workers to join and, despite our lack of skill, we have a great time getting outside and playing this underappreciated elementary school pastime. Thursday we drove up to Adam and Carolyn’s house to celebrate Brianna’s 2nd birthday. It’s amazing to realize she’s that old already! Kelly and I have loved watching her grow and develop her adorable personality. As Kelly constantly reminds me, she’s not a baby anymore…she’s a little girl!
The next day we flew to California for Ben and Nicole’s wedding. We flew into San Francisco, rented a car, and drove south to our hotel in San Jose. Kelly, Nathan and I awoke the next day ready to do a little wine-tasting. So we mapped out a few vineyards and were off. Our first stop, J Lohr, wasn’t actually a vineyard but they had a tasting room full of their wines, and that’s all we really cared about. They suggested a few other vineyards so we forwent our itinerary and decided to wing it. Our next stop took us up a winding road to Ridge Vineyards. This scenic winery sits atop one of the many hills in area and had incredible views of the valley to the east. Our third stop was to Cooper-Garrod Vineyards. This tasting room was on a large estate among several horse stables. Among the fields of grape vines were tables of people picnicking and fenced yards for horseback riding. On our way back to the car, Kelly got a chance to pet one of the horses who happened to be getting a bath. Our fourth and final vineyard was the Chateau Masson Mountain Winery. We were actually struggling to find the Cinnabar Winery when we stumbled upon this one. This winery is equipped with an outdoor amphitheater and also had great views of the valley to the east. Unfortunately their wine tasting was not free, so we didn’t spend much time here. We drove back into town, grabbed a late lunch at In-n-Out, and went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.
The wedding was at a vineyard in San Martin called Clos LaChance, (pronounced Kloe Luh-Shawnce for all you non-French-speaking readers) and was the most picturesque wedding we had ever been to! The ceremony was held outside on the grass facing blue sky, rolling hills, and grapevines as far as the eye could see…gorgeous! There was a 90-minute cocktail hour immediately after the ceremony in the Mulberry grove adjacent to the lawn. We sipped sangria and sampled fancy hors d’ oeuvres while chatting with the other guests and waiting for the newlyweds to finish their picture-taking session. Afterwards we all moved up to the winery’s large, ornately-decorated, stone patio for a delicious lamb dinner. (Kelly had the halibut) Of course, no wedding is complete without a little dancing, and apparently no wedding I go to is complete without me doing the Thriller dance, so I graciously stepped up and performed my rendition of MJ’s classic at the behest of the bride. This time was a little different though, because the DJs brought a full Michael Jackson costume! Although after closer examination of the nappy wig, I only had the courage to wear the sequined jacket. Overall it was a great night and we had a great time celebrating with the bride and groom.
The following day we drove back up to San Francisco to visit Tony and his sister Jamie. We arrived in town and Kelly directed me to Lombard Street, aka the most crooked street in the world. We then drove to Tony’s apartment in The Haight, met his charming girlfriend, Linda, and then drove to a nearby park for a free concert put on by the San Francisco Orchestra. That evening we picked up Jamie and Linda and went to Nettie’s Crab Shack for dinner were I enjoyed my very first whole-crab dinner! At first I was a little creeped out when they brought my crab and in its claw was the hammer I would be using to crack its body into little pieces. But I got over it and before long was happily devouring his innards with butter and a side of corn. Tony had to work the next day so Kelly and I went to Pier 39, saw the sea lions, ate clam chowder at a seaside restaurant, took a boat tour under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz, bought some chocolate at Ghirardelli Square, gaped at the crazy people swimming in the freezing bay waters, and laughed at all the tourists wearing sweatshirts that were obviously purchased at a local souvenir shop. For those of you who haven’t been yet, San Francisco is deceivingly cold so bundle up! That evening we went to one of Tony’s favorite restaurants for dinner called Magnolia and spent the rest of the evening playing guitar hero. The next morning we ate a delectable breakfast at Mama’s on Washington Square - one of the city’s most popular brunch restaurants. Then, we rushed to the airport and hopped on our plane back home.
We went camping with Beth, Tyler, James and Jamila the following Friday. This time we were in Peaceful Valley at Camp Dick. As usual, we enjoyed our time around the campfire eating gooey s’mores and answering get-to-know-you questions that Kelly had brought. The next morning we all went for a hike. After awhile Beth, Tyler, James and Jamila had to get home so Kelly and I went on ahead in search of an elusive reservoir that we saw on the trailhead map when we set out. After walking for two hours with no reservoir in sight, we turned around and came back to the campsite, utterly defeated. By that time it had started to sprinkle, so we ate a quick lunch and took a nap in the tent and waited for the rain to pass. Unfortunately the rain did not stop, so Kelly and I decided to come home a day early and went to a new BBQ place by our house. That Sunday we had dinner with Jeff and Renae Ramsey, one of the families we support through the Campus Crusade for Christ Ministry. We had never met them before, so it was great to meet them and get to know them better.
The following Wednesday Kelly, Beth, Carter and I went to the Counting Crows concert at Red Rocks. Although it was raining pretty much the entire time, it was a great show. They played with Augustana and instead of the usual format of having an opener and then the headliner, they played several songs together the whole time. Unfortunately, the ride home was not much fun. We ran out of gas on the exit ramp from eastbound I-70 onto southbound I-25 and were stuck in a precarious, and very dangerous spot in the road. After several calls to the police, the insurance company, and a tow company, we safely got the car to a gas station and all was well. However we didn’t get home that night until after 1am and were a bit tired the next day.
Last Saturday the non-profit organization I am involved with, Built on the Rock Education, had a meet-and-greet BBQ where we got a chance to introduce ourselves to the community, our friends, and our family and tell them about our vision for the organization. It was a great time of eating and playing games and although it wasn’t an official fundraiser, we got a lot of financial support to help us get going and brings us closer to our goal of building a school in Kenya. Praise God!
This week Kelly is in DC for a training class, so I have temporarily reverted to bachelorhood. She seems to be having a great time there visiting friends and getting pampered with a myriad of nice dinners and hotel amenities. Despite the amount of video-game playing I’m getting in, I’m excited for her to come home tomorrow.
Whew, you made it! It was a long journey, but it’s over now. Until next time!
Well, it’s been a month since our last blog. I should have updated this thing two weeks ago, but for some reason I just haven’t gotten around to it. So you’re in for a long one…lucky you! Where do I start? Ah yes, July…
The weekend after I arrived back from DC, we drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park with a group of friends and went camping. It was a great time of fun and relaxation as Kelly, Beth, Carter, Amy, Jamila, James, James’ brother Tyler, and I sat around the campfire drinking beer, roasting marshmallows, telling scary stories, playing Catch Phrase, and trying not to laugh so loud as to draw attention from the campsite warden. The next morning we went for a short hike up to one of the many subalpine lakes in the park and made our way home afterward.
The following Wednesday was our third kickball game of the season. This is our second year being captains of our team, Just for Kicks. This year I got a bunch of co-workers to join and, despite our lack of skill, we have a great time getting outside and playing this underappreciated elementary school pastime. Thursday we drove up to Adam and Carolyn’s house to celebrate Brianna’s 2nd birthday. It’s amazing to realize she’s that old already! Kelly and I have loved watching her grow and develop her adorable personality. As Kelly constantly reminds me, she’s not a baby anymore…she’s a little girl!
The next day we flew to California for Ben and Nicole’s wedding. We flew into San Francisco, rented a car, and drove south to our hotel in San Jose. Kelly, Nathan and I awoke the next day ready to do a little wine-tasting. So we mapped out a few vineyards and were off. Our first stop, J Lohr, wasn’t actually a vineyard but they had a tasting room full of their wines, and that’s all we really cared about. They suggested a few other vineyards so we forwent our itinerary and decided to wing it. Our next stop took us up a winding road to Ridge Vineyards. This scenic winery sits atop one of the many hills in area and had incredible views of the valley to the east. Our third stop was to Cooper-Garrod Vineyards. This tasting room was on a large estate among several horse stables. Among the fields of grape vines were tables of people picnicking and fenced yards for horseback riding. On our way back to the car, Kelly got a chance to pet one of the horses who happened to be getting a bath. Our fourth and final vineyard was the Chateau Masson Mountain Winery. We were actually struggling to find the Cinnabar Winery when we stumbled upon this one. This winery is equipped with an outdoor amphitheater and also had great views of the valley to the east. Unfortunately their wine tasting was not free, so we didn’t spend much time here. We drove back into town, grabbed a late lunch at In-n-Out, and went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.
The wedding was at a vineyard in San Martin called Clos LaChance, (pronounced Kloe Luh-Shawnce for all you non-French-speaking readers) and was the most picturesque wedding we had ever been to! The ceremony was held outside on the grass facing blue sky, rolling hills, and grapevines as far as the eye could see…gorgeous! There was a 90-minute cocktail hour immediately after the ceremony in the Mulberry grove adjacent to the lawn. We sipped sangria and sampled fancy hors d’ oeuvres while chatting with the other guests and waiting for the newlyweds to finish their picture-taking session. Afterwards we all moved up to the winery’s large, ornately-decorated, stone patio for a delicious lamb dinner. (Kelly had the halibut) Of course, no wedding is complete without a little dancing, and apparently no wedding I go to is complete without me doing the Thriller dance, so I graciously stepped up and performed my rendition of MJ’s classic at the behest of the bride. This time was a little different though, because the DJs brought a full Michael Jackson costume! Although after closer examination of the nappy wig, I only had the courage to wear the sequined jacket. Overall it was a great night and we had a great time celebrating with the bride and groom.
The following day we drove back up to San Francisco to visit Tony and his sister Jamie. We arrived in town and Kelly directed me to Lombard Street, aka the most crooked street in the world. We then drove to Tony’s apartment in The Haight, met his charming girlfriend, Linda, and then drove to a nearby park for a free concert put on by the San Francisco Orchestra. That evening we picked up Jamie and Linda and went to Nettie’s Crab Shack for dinner were I enjoyed my very first whole-crab dinner! At first I was a little creeped out when they brought my crab and in its claw was the hammer I would be using to crack its body into little pieces. But I got over it and before long was happily devouring his innards with butter and a side of corn. Tony had to work the next day so Kelly and I went to Pier 39, saw the sea lions, ate clam chowder at a seaside restaurant, took a boat tour under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz, bought some chocolate at Ghirardelli Square, gaped at the crazy people swimming in the freezing bay waters, and laughed at all the tourists wearing sweatshirts that were obviously purchased at a local souvenir shop. For those of you who haven’t been yet, San Francisco is deceivingly cold so bundle up! That evening we went to one of Tony’s favorite restaurants for dinner called Magnolia and spent the rest of the evening playing guitar hero. The next morning we ate a delectable breakfast at Mama’s on Washington Square - one of the city’s most popular brunch restaurants. Then, we rushed to the airport and hopped on our plane back home.
We went camping with Beth, Tyler, James and Jamila the following Friday. This time we were in Peaceful Valley at Camp Dick. As usual, we enjoyed our time around the campfire eating gooey s’mores and answering get-to-know-you questions that Kelly had brought. The next morning we all went for a hike. After awhile Beth, Tyler, James and Jamila had to get home so Kelly and I went on ahead in search of an elusive reservoir that we saw on the trailhead map when we set out. After walking for two hours with no reservoir in sight, we turned around and came back to the campsite, utterly defeated. By that time it had started to sprinkle, so we ate a quick lunch and took a nap in the tent and waited for the rain to pass. Unfortunately the rain did not stop, so Kelly and I decided to come home a day early and went to a new BBQ place by our house. That Sunday we had dinner with Jeff and Renae Ramsey, one of the families we support through the Campus Crusade for Christ Ministry. We had never met them before, so it was great to meet them and get to know them better.
The following Wednesday Kelly, Beth, Carter and I went to the Counting Crows concert at Red Rocks. Although it was raining pretty much the entire time, it was a great show. They played with Augustana and instead of the usual format of having an opener and then the headliner, they played several songs together the whole time. Unfortunately, the ride home was not much fun. We ran out of gas on the exit ramp from eastbound I-70 onto southbound I-25 and were stuck in a precarious, and very dangerous spot in the road. After several calls to the police, the insurance company, and a tow company, we safely got the car to a gas station and all was well. However we didn’t get home that night until after 1am and were a bit tired the next day.
Last Saturday the non-profit organization I am involved with, Built on the Rock Education, had a meet-and-greet BBQ where we got a chance to introduce ourselves to the community, our friends, and our family and tell them about our vision for the organization. It was a great time of eating and playing games and although it wasn’t an official fundraiser, we got a lot of financial support to help us get going and brings us closer to our goal of building a school in Kenya. Praise God!
This week Kelly is in DC for a training class, so I have temporarily reverted to bachelorhood. She seems to be having a great time there visiting friends and getting pampered with a myriad of nice dinners and hotel amenities. Despite the amount of video-game playing I’m getting in, I’m excited for her to come home tomorrow.
Whew, you made it! It was a long journey, but it’s over now. Until next time!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Fishing Fun
From Kelly:
I hope you are all enjoying your summers and the heat. I decided to try to make it without a/c the last couple of days and I succeeded for one night! It's been hot out. . . Well, here's some of what's been going on with us:
One of the biggest things we've done recently was take a trip up to Wyoming over the 4th of July weekend. My dad and stepmom have two houses there on a single lot and so we go up once a year to visit and relax in the slower pace of life in Saratoga. We headed up on Thursday night and arrived late so we went straight to bed in the "guest house". The next morning we woke up early only to find it was raining. Our plan had been to float the river and we decided that we were tough enough to handle it in the rain, so Mike, my dad and I headed on out. The river ride was great. We saw pelicans, bald eagles, deer, and lots of ducks. While I spent my time watching the wildlife and enjoying the scenery, Mike was busy reeling in the fish. He caught six fish, the largest of which was a 15.5" trout. We decided not to keep his fish, though, because none were really weighty enough, so we released everything he caught.
After the boat ride, we went to the lake to take the big(ger) fishing boat for a spin on Lake Saratoga. Our main goal was just to make sure it was going to be able to make the trip to the reservoir the next day, so when we got out to the lake we just made a few speedy circles and came back in to the dock. Mike got to drive the boat, which he really enjoyed and I just enjoyed going fast! That evening, we met up with some of dad and Crystal's friends for happy hour at the American Legion and then headed down the street for some prime rib/salmon at the best place to eat in town.
On Saturday, my dad managed to get me out of bed by 5:45am and into the car by 6am to go to Seminole Reservoir. I slept for most of the 60-mile drive and when I woke up, we plopped the boat out on the reservoir and drove around looking for a good spot to fish. This time I had decided to try fishing a little so I did the hard work of letting my dad set up my fishing line and then putting my pole in the holder for me and then I sat next to it and waited for my bite. I didnt have to wait long for a 16.5" trout to grab the hook. I reeled him in and was very proud of all my "sitting there watching the pole" efforts! We decided to keep him and so we strung him on a line behind the boat. He didn't end up making it there long, though, because we later sped away to another spot on the lake and forgot about him. He was long gone by the time we stopped to check. Oh well. . . Mike wasn't having much luck, so we decided to head near the shore and try a more practical way of fishing-- shooting Carp with a bow and arrow. Mike and dad had a great time taking shots at the unsuspecting carp and it was pretty entertaining to try to find them and then watch as the guys tried to get the perfect angle. My dad eventually hit one. It was a huge, 5-lb carp that thrashed like crazy when the arrow hit it right in the back. When dad pulled it into the boat, though, I had to spit my sandwich into the water because I was so grossed out by the fish that I thought I was going to throw up. It was a disgusting sight!
That afternoon we headed back into town and went downtown to participate in the 4th of July festivities. There was a band and car show at the American Legion so we checked all of that out and then went to a local bar for a drink when it started raining. After dinner, we drove up a hill just outside of town and had the perfect view of the fireworks show. Mike and I sat (freezing) on the tailgate and enjoyed ooing and ahhing at the spectacle.
We headed home early on Sunday because Monday morning Mike headed out to DC. So, this week I've been a DC-widow. Because of our schedules, we weren't even really able to talk while he was gone, so that was upsetting, but I had a fun week regardless. Monday night I went to dinner with Beth and Lindsey, which was nice because Lindsey is living closer now, so it's easier to facilitate getting together than when she was in Ft. Collins. Tuesday I had Bible Study. We are doing a Beth Moore study on Daniel and I am REALLY liking it. It has already helped me handle some work situations. Last night we had a kickball game. Since Mike was out, I took over captain duties, which was kind of fun. We ended up coming back from a score of 0 to 5 to win the game 9 to 6. It was an awesome victory!
So, that's what's been going on with this branch of the Nishis. Tonight we are going to dinner with my cousin Andy and his grandma and aunt (my dad's aunt and cousin). I am really excited to see them since it's been so long since we've caught up with one another. We are also super excited to be expecting a new nephew this November! And are headed out to Ben and Nicole's wedding in Napa Valley next Thursday.
I hope your summer is going well and that you are keeping cool. Be sure to update us on what's been going on with you!
I hope you are all enjoying your summers and the heat. I decided to try to make it without a/c the last couple of days and I succeeded for one night! It's been hot out. . . Well, here's some of what's been going on with us:
One of the biggest things we've done recently was take a trip up to Wyoming over the 4th of July weekend. My dad and stepmom have two houses there on a single lot and so we go up once a year to visit and relax in the slower pace of life in Saratoga. We headed up on Thursday night and arrived late so we went straight to bed in the "guest house". The next morning we woke up early only to find it was raining. Our plan had been to float the river and we decided that we were tough enough to handle it in the rain, so Mike, my dad and I headed on out. The river ride was great. We saw pelicans, bald eagles, deer, and lots of ducks. While I spent my time watching the wildlife and enjoying the scenery, Mike was busy reeling in the fish. He caught six fish, the largest of which was a 15.5" trout. We decided not to keep his fish, though, because none were really weighty enough, so we released everything he caught.
After the boat ride, we went to the lake to take the big(ger) fishing boat for a spin on Lake Saratoga. Our main goal was just to make sure it was going to be able to make the trip to the reservoir the next day, so when we got out to the lake we just made a few speedy circles and came back in to the dock. Mike got to drive the boat, which he really enjoyed and I just enjoyed going fast! That evening, we met up with some of dad and Crystal's friends for happy hour at the American Legion and then headed down the street for some prime rib/salmon at the best place to eat in town.
On Saturday, my dad managed to get me out of bed by 5:45am and into the car by 6am to go to Seminole Reservoir. I slept for most of the 60-mile drive and when I woke up, we plopped the boat out on the reservoir and drove around looking for a good spot to fish. This time I had decided to try fishing a little so I did the hard work of letting my dad set up my fishing line and then putting my pole in the holder for me and then I sat next to it and waited for my bite. I didnt have to wait long for a 16.5" trout to grab the hook. I reeled him in and was very proud of all my "sitting there watching the pole" efforts! We decided to keep him and so we strung him on a line behind the boat. He didn't end up making it there long, though, because we later sped away to another spot on the lake and forgot about him. He was long gone by the time we stopped to check. Oh well. . . Mike wasn't having much luck, so we decided to head near the shore and try a more practical way of fishing-- shooting Carp with a bow and arrow. Mike and dad had a great time taking shots at the unsuspecting carp and it was pretty entertaining to try to find them and then watch as the guys tried to get the perfect angle. My dad eventually hit one. It was a huge, 5-lb carp that thrashed like crazy when the arrow hit it right in the back. When dad pulled it into the boat, though, I had to spit my sandwich into the water because I was so grossed out by the fish that I thought I was going to throw up. It was a disgusting sight!
That afternoon we headed back into town and went downtown to participate in the 4th of July festivities. There was a band and car show at the American Legion so we checked all of that out and then went to a local bar for a drink when it started raining. After dinner, we drove up a hill just outside of town and had the perfect view of the fireworks show. Mike and I sat (freezing) on the tailgate and enjoyed ooing and ahhing at the spectacle.
We headed home early on Sunday because Monday morning Mike headed out to DC. So, this week I've been a DC-widow. Because of our schedules, we weren't even really able to talk while he was gone, so that was upsetting, but I had a fun week regardless. Monday night I went to dinner with Beth and Lindsey, which was nice because Lindsey is living closer now, so it's easier to facilitate getting together than when she was in Ft. Collins. Tuesday I had Bible Study. We are doing a Beth Moore study on Daniel and I am REALLY liking it. It has already helped me handle some work situations. Last night we had a kickball game. Since Mike was out, I took over captain duties, which was kind of fun. We ended up coming back from a score of 0 to 5 to win the game 9 to 6. It was an awesome victory!
So, that's what's been going on with this branch of the Nishis. Tonight we are going to dinner with my cousin Andy and his grandma and aunt (my dad's aunt and cousin). I am really excited to see them since it's been so long since we've caught up with one another. We are also super excited to be expecting a new nephew this November! And are headed out to Ben and Nicole's wedding in Napa Valley next Thursday.
I hope your summer is going well and that you are keeping cool. Be sure to update us on what's been going on with you!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Let the Crazy Colorado Summer Begin!
From Mike:
Now that we’ve had time to readjust to daily life and have sufficiently come down from our vacation high (I know we went to Amsterdam, but I’m not speaking literally) it’s time for a not-so-exciting blog update!
Shockingly, (or maybe not) the week we returned from our trip already had a full schedule. The day after we returned home I had the day off. Kelly, however, wasn’t so lucky. While I stayed home and recovered from jet lag, Kelly begrudgingly played the role of the bread winner and spent the day at the office. The next day we returned to Blake Street Tavern for another round of trivia with James and Jamila. Unfortunately, we didn’t do as well as we had hoped, and since it got started late because of technical difficulties, we cut our losses and left after the second round; still feeling the effects of jet lag.
Friday night we went on a double date to Adventure Golf with Katey and Alex where we enjoyed a fun round of mini golf. Alex and I were also brave enough to try their new drag race attraction. We were essentially strapped into two adjacent cars, pulled backwards, and released like Wile E. Coyote in an ACME slingshot. Feeling the effects of 3.6 G-forces, we went from 0-60 miles per hour in 1 second! It was exhilarating, but short-lived. After our round of mini golf, we all went to the Olive Garden and enjoyed some great Italian food and a little lively conversation. Saturday morning, I met up with Daniel and one of my favorite students from my middle school volunteer days, David Gaskins (who is now a Junior in high school!), for a matinee showing of Terminator: Salvation.
Sunday morning we met up with Carter for church at Pathways. After the service, our friend Kenny asked if we were interested in going to the Rockies game that afternoon. After our initial decline, and subsequent acceptance (after some coaxing by Carter), we took the tickets, ate some sushi, and went to the game. The weather was gorgeous and the seats were even better! We were sitting 6 rows from the field along the first base line. Unfortunately, our good fortune didn’t last. The clouds rolled in around the 6th inning, and when the tornado sirens started going off, we knew it was time to leave. We ran through the rain back to the car and made a quick getaway before the exodus of drenched Rockies fans could clog the streets. We found out later that there was a funnel cloud over the Pepsi Center that day and that the evacuation of Coors Field had been on the national news.
Last Tuesday we celebrated my parents’ birthdays by inviting them over for a home-cooked meal and some European fare we had brought back with us. I managed to cook Kelly’s famous Taco Soup for dinner, along with green chili cornbread muffins, and some home-made chocolate ice cream. We also served the Gouda cheese we bought in Holland, Belgian beer, and topped off the dessert portion with an assortment of Belgian chocolates. We concluded the evening with a slideshow of the pictures we took during the trip.
Thursday night we went to see The Hangover with Carter and Justin Zuiker at the Denver Pavillions. I can honestly say that I haven’t laughed that hard in a movie theater in several years. The movie, while having its moments of complete inappropriate-ness, was great and we all left the theater with a smile on our face, quoting our favorite lines.
Friday night we returned to Coors field for yet another Rockies game. Before the game we went to happy hour and met up with our good friends Mike and Vince, who were visiting from DC, as well as Justin, Carter, and Bobby. Vince also brought his girlfriend, Saranga, whom we hadn’t seen since the Inaguration in January, but were delighted to catch up with, and his brother Max. After the game we all went to the Ginn Mill and chatted until Kelly and I were sufficiently exhausted. On the way home we were among the lucky cars to pass through a DUI checkpoint, where Kelly got through without a hitch, but apparently I was being shady, so they made me get out of the car and do a few field sobriety tests and take a breathalyzer. After proving my worth as an upstanding (and sober) citizen, they let me continue on my way.
Last Saturday, while Kelly went to a housewarming party for our friends Stephanie and Lloyd, I went camping with some buddies for Stephen Milburn’s bachelor party. We drove up to Allenspark, through some 4x4 terrain, to an area full of large climbing rocks. Stephen loves to rock climb, so he brought all his gear and set up a short course for us newbies to try. Four of us got up and down, but soon the clouds rolled in and we were all huddled under a make-shift shelter (which was really just the rain fly from a 2-man tent), trying to stay dry and not get struck by lightning. It was under that cozy “shelter” that Thomas, Stephen’s brother, realized that we forgot the rest of the tents. Luckily our old youth pastor, Jack, owns a cabin nearby so we packed up the gear, hopped in the cars, and made our way there. Jack was nice enough to let a bunch of rowdy guys stay there for the night. He even let us use the grill, dirty the dishes, sleep in the beds, and smoke cigars on the porch! We spent the rest of the evening drinking beer, smoking cigars, and giving Stephen questionable advice on how to be the perfect husband. It turned out to be a great night.
After I returned on Sunday, Kelly and I rode our bikes to my parent’s pool and spent the day lounging poolside, reading, and enjoying the sunny, warm weather. After awhile it started to get cloudy, so we rode home, changed, and returned to my parent’s house to celebrate father’s day with some family time and a few delicious grilled steaks.
Tuesday night was Kelly’s first bible study of the summer. They’re studying the book of Daniel, but that’s pretty much all I know about it…except that Kelly also gave up red meat because of it. Yesterday we stopped by Kelly’s Dad’s house to drop off his father’s day gift and see the house before they sell it and move to Wyoming. The house was completely bare inside, and I laughed when Kelly told me that her dad and Crystal have been sleeping on the pull-out sofa in the garage. Apparently that’s where they’ll be sleeping for the next six weeks!
That’s pretty much it for now…it’s been a busy few weeks, and it’s looking like that’s how it’ll be for the rest of the summer! We’re excited for all the warm days ahead that we get to enjoy, and hope you’re enjoying them as well. Until next time! God Bless!
Now that we’ve had time to readjust to daily life and have sufficiently come down from our vacation high (I know we went to Amsterdam, but I’m not speaking literally) it’s time for a not-so-exciting blog update!
Shockingly, (or maybe not) the week we returned from our trip already had a full schedule. The day after we returned home I had the day off. Kelly, however, wasn’t so lucky. While I stayed home and recovered from jet lag, Kelly begrudgingly played the role of the bread winner and spent the day at the office. The next day we returned to Blake Street Tavern for another round of trivia with James and Jamila. Unfortunately, we didn’t do as well as we had hoped, and since it got started late because of technical difficulties, we cut our losses and left after the second round; still feeling the effects of jet lag.
Friday night we went on a double date to Adventure Golf with Katey and Alex where we enjoyed a fun round of mini golf. Alex and I were also brave enough to try their new drag race attraction. We were essentially strapped into two adjacent cars, pulled backwards, and released like Wile E. Coyote in an ACME slingshot. Feeling the effects of 3.6 G-forces, we went from 0-60 miles per hour in 1 second! It was exhilarating, but short-lived. After our round of mini golf, we all went to the Olive Garden and enjoyed some great Italian food and a little lively conversation. Saturday morning, I met up with Daniel and one of my favorite students from my middle school volunteer days, David Gaskins (who is now a Junior in high school!), for a matinee showing of Terminator: Salvation.
Sunday morning we met up with Carter for church at Pathways. After the service, our friend Kenny asked if we were interested in going to the Rockies game that afternoon. After our initial decline, and subsequent acceptance (after some coaxing by Carter), we took the tickets, ate some sushi, and went to the game. The weather was gorgeous and the seats were even better! We were sitting 6 rows from the field along the first base line. Unfortunately, our good fortune didn’t last. The clouds rolled in around the 6th inning, and when the tornado sirens started going off, we knew it was time to leave. We ran through the rain back to the car and made a quick getaway before the exodus of drenched Rockies fans could clog the streets. We found out later that there was a funnel cloud over the Pepsi Center that day and that the evacuation of Coors Field had been on the national news.
Last Tuesday we celebrated my parents’ birthdays by inviting them over for a home-cooked meal and some European fare we had brought back with us. I managed to cook Kelly’s famous Taco Soup for dinner, along with green chili cornbread muffins, and some home-made chocolate ice cream. We also served the Gouda cheese we bought in Holland, Belgian beer, and topped off the dessert portion with an assortment of Belgian chocolates. We concluded the evening with a slideshow of the pictures we took during the trip.
Thursday night we went to see The Hangover with Carter and Justin Zuiker at the Denver Pavillions. I can honestly say that I haven’t laughed that hard in a movie theater in several years. The movie, while having its moments of complete inappropriate-ness, was great and we all left the theater with a smile on our face, quoting our favorite lines.
Friday night we returned to Coors field for yet another Rockies game. Before the game we went to happy hour and met up with our good friends Mike and Vince, who were visiting from DC, as well as Justin, Carter, and Bobby. Vince also brought his girlfriend, Saranga, whom we hadn’t seen since the Inaguration in January, but were delighted to catch up with, and his brother Max. After the game we all went to the Ginn Mill and chatted until Kelly and I were sufficiently exhausted. On the way home we were among the lucky cars to pass through a DUI checkpoint, where Kelly got through without a hitch, but apparently I was being shady, so they made me get out of the car and do a few field sobriety tests and take a breathalyzer. After proving my worth as an upstanding (and sober) citizen, they let me continue on my way.
Last Saturday, while Kelly went to a housewarming party for our friends Stephanie and Lloyd, I went camping with some buddies for Stephen Milburn’s bachelor party. We drove up to Allenspark, through some 4x4 terrain, to an area full of large climbing rocks. Stephen loves to rock climb, so he brought all his gear and set up a short course for us newbies to try. Four of us got up and down, but soon the clouds rolled in and we were all huddled under a make-shift shelter (which was really just the rain fly from a 2-man tent), trying to stay dry and not get struck by lightning. It was under that cozy “shelter” that Thomas, Stephen’s brother, realized that we forgot the rest of the tents. Luckily our old youth pastor, Jack, owns a cabin nearby so we packed up the gear, hopped in the cars, and made our way there. Jack was nice enough to let a bunch of rowdy guys stay there for the night. He even let us use the grill, dirty the dishes, sleep in the beds, and smoke cigars on the porch! We spent the rest of the evening drinking beer, smoking cigars, and giving Stephen questionable advice on how to be the perfect husband. It turned out to be a great night.
After I returned on Sunday, Kelly and I rode our bikes to my parent’s pool and spent the day lounging poolside, reading, and enjoying the sunny, warm weather. After awhile it started to get cloudy, so we rode home, changed, and returned to my parent’s house to celebrate father’s day with some family time and a few delicious grilled steaks.
Tuesday night was Kelly’s first bible study of the summer. They’re studying the book of Daniel, but that’s pretty much all I know about it…except that Kelly also gave up red meat because of it. Yesterday we stopped by Kelly’s Dad’s house to drop off his father’s day gift and see the house before they sell it and move to Wyoming. The house was completely bare inside, and I laughed when Kelly told me that her dad and Crystal have been sleeping on the pull-out sofa in the garage. Apparently that’s where they’ll be sleeping for the next six weeks!
That’s pretty much it for now…it’s been a busy few weeks, and it’s looking like that’s how it’ll be for the rest of the summer! We’re excited for all the warm days ahead that we get to enjoy, and hope you’re enjoying them as well. Until next time! God Bless!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Part 3: Amsterdam's Beauty
I know you are all waiting on pins and needles for the last installment of our blog about our trip to Europe, so I will keep you in suspense no longer. . .
On Friday, we rode the train into Amsterdam not sure what to expect. We’d had many a poke and jest about us even going to the pot-ridden, sex-selling capital of Europe and I was a little worried that us suburbanite Christian kids from Boulder would be totally overwhelmed. Luckily, that was not the case!
When we arrived we carefully followed our directions to take the tram to our hostel. When we got there we were pleasantly surprised to find a very cute, clean, safe-feeling hostel. We had chosen to stay in a Christian hostel because they didn’t allow drugs or alcohol and I figured it would be easier to sleep there than the “party hostels” or “house boat hostels” that were advertized. We get a friendly introduction from a guy that looked a lot like Tony (Mike later had a long conversation with him and they ended up getting a picture together, so you can judge for yourself).
After checking in we headed to lunch and then went across the street to the Westerkerk (West Church), which is the site of Rembrandt’s unmarked grave. We then took a trip down the block to the Anne Frank house. I was very excited to see the house since I had been re-reading her diary in preparation for our trip. It was really cool to see where they lived and be able to picture it better when she was talking about things in the book. It was disappointing, though, that they didn’t have any furniture in the house at Otto Frank’s request.
It was pretty cold out, so we decided to head inside to a cafe to have a pancake treat (actually it was more like a crepe- with strawberries and ice cream- yum!). Afterward, we browsed through some shops and then went to the main square where we toured through the Nieuwe Kerk ("New Church"), which is a 15th-century church that is used for royal coronations. We then did a boat tour, which was good because the weather had cleared a bit and it was nice to see the city from the point of view of one of the many canals that run through Amsterdam. One interesting site was a Chinese restaurant that was modeled after the original in Hong Kong. It was floating on the river and seats 5,000 people! We heard the food was not very good, though, so we never ate there. After that, we walked around along the beautiful canals and went to dinner at a pub along one of the busy streets and then headed back to the hostel to get some sleep.
On Saturday, we got a bit of a late start (it was Saturday afterall!) and then went to see the Oude Kerk (“old church”—sensing a pattern here?), which is the oldest church in Amsterdam. They were having a World Press Photo exhibit there, though, so we didn’t want to pay the $12 or so to get in and see it. On the way to the church, however, we did see a bit of the red light district- Mike was navigating us there and didn’t even notice all the seedy shops/people/women in the underwear in the windows. Needless to say, Beth and I were anxious to hurry him along and get out of there quickly. Luckily it was Saturday morning, though, so there really weren’t that many people out on the streets.
That afternoon, we took a bus tour to see more of Holland. I love taking tours, so I really enjoyed this part. The bus drove us first to a tiny little fishing village called Marken that used to be an island. There are only about 2,000 people in the village and they all had their laundry hanging out and their houses were all perfect little Dutch houses all painted the same—it was a bit Stepford-esque actually now that I think about it. . .Then we took a boat across the lake to another village, Volendam, which was a bit bigger—20,000 people living in this one. While in the villages we did some shopping and had a snack at a pub. I ordered an ice cream treat and they accidently brought me the wrong one—a Smurf treat with blue sprinkles and blueberry sauce and Smurf gummies. The Smurfs are very popular there because Amsterdam is the “comic book capital of the world” and several comics were developed there, including the Smurfs.
After the break, the tour bus took us to a cheese maker where we saw the process they go through to make their cheeses. The cheese was absolutely delicious and we bought two wheels to bring home (which turned out to be a bit of a hassle coming back through customs, but not too bad.) Then, we went next door and saw a wooden shoemaker at work and browsed through the enormous collection of wooden shoes they had in the shop. Next stop was a great view of some windmills. It was really interesting to hear about all the different functions windmills have had there—including pumping the water out of their many lakes to make more dry ground for farming. When the tour was over we headed back toward the hostel and ate at a very yummy Indian food restaurant.
On Sunday, we had planned to do a day of museums. So, we headed out after breakfast for the Van Gogh museum. It was especially cool because they had a special exhibit going on called “The Colors of the Night” and it included a free audio tour. We walked around and saw a lot of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, a lot of which are not always on display in that museum—including Starry Night, which was amazing to see in person. When we went upstairs to see the standard exhibition we also got to see his sunflowers painting, his bedroom painting, the potato eaters, and his many self-portraits. The museum was incredible and we enjoyed his art very much—it has so much movement and beauty, like Mike said “it’s like the paintings are dancing—they are so active and exciting” but his stuff is also very peaceful since he spent a great deal of time painting ordinary people in ordinary settings. After the museum we decided to defy the weather and eat lunch outside. It was a bit chilly, but nice to get some fresh air. After lunch we decided not to go to the other museum we had planned to see (admission was around $20) and instead went to see a free diamond exhibition, which I enjoyed quite a bit J After that we wandered around the streets and shopped until Beth had to part ways with us and head back to the hostel to collect her stuff and go meet her train.
After we bid Beth adieu, we browsed around the flower market, which was incredible. There were stalls and stalls of flowers in every color and variety—very pretty! And the stalls were all floating on the canals, which made it even cooler. We then went to the one place Mike had been wanting to visit the whole time—the Torture Museum. There they had every type of medieval torture device you could imagine. It was pretty crazy to see all those things and read about how they used them. I was pretty ashamed to realize that the majority of the most brutal ones were developed and used by Christians who were usually witch hunting.
As soon as we left the Torture Museum it started raining. Of course it did because this was the first day that I had decided to stop carrying around my rain coat with me everywhere. Luckily I had on a hooded sweatshirt, but I still got pretty wet on the 30-minute walk back to the hostel. When we arrived there, we took some time to warm up with hot chocolate in their café and then headed out to find our bus that was taking us to London.
That’s right—I said bus. From Amsterdam to London. A 10.5 hour bus ride. My initial plan was that we would sleep on the bus and save ourselves the (more expensive) plane ticket as well as another night’s hotel room. Well, we certainly did save money, but we did not necessarily sleep. What I didn’t factor in was that on this ride from 8pm to 6:30am that A. the driver would stop and make everyone get off of the bus for “breaks” and that B. the other people on the bus would have no desire whatsoever to sleep and would talk all night! Needless to say, we were pretty tired when we got to London. We went straight to the airport since we had our bags with us and waited for our plane for the next 5 hours while trying to stay awake (I did not succeed and took a nap for about two hours while my vigilant husband kept watch).
Overall, I really liked Amsterdam—the cobblestone streets and beautiful canals far outweigh the yuckiness of the rest of the stuff that goes on there. And all in all, it was a wonderful trip that we will not soon forget.
I am already excited to get back to London and explore more of the rest of Europe as well. Every time I’m there I discover something new and have a totally unique experience—I love that! Oh well, for now it’s back to work so I can save up enough to pay for the next adventure!
On Friday, we rode the train into Amsterdam not sure what to expect. We’d had many a poke and jest about us even going to the pot-ridden, sex-selling capital of Europe and I was a little worried that us suburbanite Christian kids from Boulder would be totally overwhelmed. Luckily, that was not the case!
When we arrived we carefully followed our directions to take the tram to our hostel. When we got there we were pleasantly surprised to find a very cute, clean, safe-feeling hostel. We had chosen to stay in a Christian hostel because they didn’t allow drugs or alcohol and I figured it would be easier to sleep there than the “party hostels” or “house boat hostels” that were advertized. We get a friendly introduction from a guy that looked a lot like Tony (Mike later had a long conversation with him and they ended up getting a picture together, so you can judge for yourself).
After checking in we headed to lunch and then went across the street to the Westerkerk (West Church), which is the site of Rembrandt’s unmarked grave. We then took a trip down the block to the Anne Frank house. I was very excited to see the house since I had been re-reading her diary in preparation for our trip. It was really cool to see where they lived and be able to picture it better when she was talking about things in the book. It was disappointing, though, that they didn’t have any furniture in the house at Otto Frank’s request.
It was pretty cold out, so we decided to head inside to a cafe to have a pancake treat (actually it was more like a crepe- with strawberries and ice cream- yum!). Afterward, we browsed through some shops and then went to the main square where we toured through the Nieuwe Kerk ("New Church"), which is a 15th-century church that is used for royal coronations. We then did a boat tour, which was good because the weather had cleared a bit and it was nice to see the city from the point of view of one of the many canals that run through Amsterdam. One interesting site was a Chinese restaurant that was modeled after the original in Hong Kong. It was floating on the river and seats 5,000 people! We heard the food was not very good, though, so we never ate there. After that, we walked around along the beautiful canals and went to dinner at a pub along one of the busy streets and then headed back to the hostel to get some sleep.
On Saturday, we got a bit of a late start (it was Saturday afterall!) and then went to see the Oude Kerk (“old church”—sensing a pattern here?), which is the oldest church in Amsterdam. They were having a World Press Photo exhibit there, though, so we didn’t want to pay the $12 or so to get in and see it. On the way to the church, however, we did see a bit of the red light district- Mike was navigating us there and didn’t even notice all the seedy shops/people/women in the underwear in the windows. Needless to say, Beth and I were anxious to hurry him along and get out of there quickly. Luckily it was Saturday morning, though, so there really weren’t that many people out on the streets.
That afternoon, we took a bus tour to see more of Holland. I love taking tours, so I really enjoyed this part. The bus drove us first to a tiny little fishing village called Marken that used to be an island. There are only about 2,000 people in the village and they all had their laundry hanging out and their houses were all perfect little Dutch houses all painted the same—it was a bit Stepford-esque actually now that I think about it. . .Then we took a boat across the lake to another village, Volendam, which was a bit bigger—20,000 people living in this one. While in the villages we did some shopping and had a snack at a pub. I ordered an ice cream treat and they accidently brought me the wrong one—a Smurf treat with blue sprinkles and blueberry sauce and Smurf gummies. The Smurfs are very popular there because Amsterdam is the “comic book capital of the world” and several comics were developed there, including the Smurfs.
After the break, the tour bus took us to a cheese maker where we saw the process they go through to make their cheeses. The cheese was absolutely delicious and we bought two wheels to bring home (which turned out to be a bit of a hassle coming back through customs, but not too bad.) Then, we went next door and saw a wooden shoemaker at work and browsed through the enormous collection of wooden shoes they had in the shop. Next stop was a great view of some windmills. It was really interesting to hear about all the different functions windmills have had there—including pumping the water out of their many lakes to make more dry ground for farming. When the tour was over we headed back toward the hostel and ate at a very yummy Indian food restaurant.
On Sunday, we had planned to do a day of museums. So, we headed out after breakfast for the Van Gogh museum. It was especially cool because they had a special exhibit going on called “The Colors of the Night” and it included a free audio tour. We walked around and saw a lot of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, a lot of which are not always on display in that museum—including Starry Night, which was amazing to see in person. When we went upstairs to see the standard exhibition we also got to see his sunflowers painting, his bedroom painting, the potato eaters, and his many self-portraits. The museum was incredible and we enjoyed his art very much—it has so much movement and beauty, like Mike said “it’s like the paintings are dancing—they are so active and exciting” but his stuff is also very peaceful since he spent a great deal of time painting ordinary people in ordinary settings. After the museum we decided to defy the weather and eat lunch outside. It was a bit chilly, but nice to get some fresh air. After lunch we decided not to go to the other museum we had planned to see (admission was around $20) and instead went to see a free diamond exhibition, which I enjoyed quite a bit J After that we wandered around the streets and shopped until Beth had to part ways with us and head back to the hostel to collect her stuff and go meet her train.
After we bid Beth adieu, we browsed around the flower market, which was incredible. There were stalls and stalls of flowers in every color and variety—very pretty! And the stalls were all floating on the canals, which made it even cooler. We then went to the one place Mike had been wanting to visit the whole time—the Torture Museum. There they had every type of medieval torture device you could imagine. It was pretty crazy to see all those things and read about how they used them. I was pretty ashamed to realize that the majority of the most brutal ones were developed and used by Christians who were usually witch hunting.
As soon as we left the Torture Museum it started raining. Of course it did because this was the first day that I had decided to stop carrying around my rain coat with me everywhere. Luckily I had on a hooded sweatshirt, but I still got pretty wet on the 30-minute walk back to the hostel. When we arrived there, we took some time to warm up with hot chocolate in their café and then headed out to find our bus that was taking us to London.
That’s right—I said bus. From Amsterdam to London. A 10.5 hour bus ride. My initial plan was that we would sleep on the bus and save ourselves the (more expensive) plane ticket as well as another night’s hotel room. Well, we certainly did save money, but we did not necessarily sleep. What I didn’t factor in was that on this ride from 8pm to 6:30am that A. the driver would stop and make everyone get off of the bus for “breaks” and that B. the other people on the bus would have no desire whatsoever to sleep and would talk all night! Needless to say, we were pretty tired when we got to London. We went straight to the airport since we had our bags with us and waited for our plane for the next 5 hours while trying to stay awake (I did not succeed and took a nap for about two hours while my vigilant husband kept watch).
Overall, I really liked Amsterdam—the cobblestone streets and beautiful canals far outweigh the yuckiness of the rest of the stuff that goes on there. And all in all, it was a wonderful trip that we will not soon forget.
I am already excited to get back to London and explore more of the rest of Europe as well. Every time I’m there I discover something new and have a totally unique experience—I love that! Oh well, for now it’s back to work so I can save up enough to pay for the next adventure!
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