Brent+Aimee

My brother is getting married in December and last week my mom threw an engagement party for him and his fiance!  We had such a great time celebrating their love and visiting with family from near and far. We had sloppy sandwiches, desserts galore, and one of Brent's favorites, root beer floats!

Brent and Aimee.  Soon to be wed!

Me and my sis.  My mom had adorable aprons for us to wear!

Thai Eats

Jordan is a sweet friend that I met in Georgia. Her and her husband moved to Colorado this week!  I met up with her at Thai Eats because it had rave reviews on Urban Spoon.

There was only one lady working.  She was the owner, waitress, cashier, and AMAZING cook.  She teaches cooking classes, so taking one of her sessions is now on my to-do list.

2012 Summer Olympics

The Olympics have come and GONE already!  How did they fly by so quickly?! We were so into them this year that we didn't rent one Red-box movie during the games. Now that is saying a lot.  One of our favorite things to come out of the Olympics this year was this hilarious "Call Me Maybe" parody. We just might have it memorized and still laugh at the "where you think you're swimmin' Mikey" line.  Yeah we're nerds.

Can't wait to see the winter Olympic Games in a couple years.  Figure Skating anyone?!

St. Mary's Falls

This hike was....well.... quite the hike.  

It was about 6 miles long with an elevation change of about 4,000 feet.

It was....

awe-inspiring

fun

terrifyingly high

hysterical

humbling

beautiful

so worth it.

 The mountains are such a wonderful reminder of God's greatness. He is the most magnificent artist. 

Indian Cooking Class

Yesterday I took my first cooking class with some girlfriends.  We had a such a wonderful time, but I think there was a little more laughing than learning.  To me, that means it was a great success.

 When we got there our instructor, Deepika, taught us about spices.

 Deepika is not only a cook, but a women of many talents.  She is a pilot, an artist, an inspirational speaker, a mother, a bollywood dancer, a military spouse, a writer, and she also knows a heck of a lot about alternative medicine.  She was telling us all about keeping the diarrhea away!  Needless to say, her type A personality kept us laughing and on our toes throughout the night.

Here is my friend Natalie hoping she is shredding the carrots properly.  No one wants to be fired by Deepika. 

Ready to marinade the chicken!

They were great sports about getting messy!  I love Jaclyn's face here!  What a funny girl!

We took some photos while the food cooked...

and drank freshly brewed chai tea!

Then we ate! (Pictured: Tandoori Chicken and Indian Fried Rice)

This was a night to remember with some hilarious memories made.  The fellowship I shared with these beautiful ladies was just what I needed.  It rejuvenated my heart!

The sky is falling

No, the sky isn't falling as our dog seems to think. Our house is being re-roofed and boy is it loud!  We are excited for this project to be over so we can get back to our regular routine.  Right now we have to be SO careful outside for all the nails that it isn't even worth it to play in the yard with Eda.  Until we have our yard back, you can find us walking in the neighborhood, hiking, at the dog park, or chasing Eda around the couches in the living room.

Wallflower

The craft store was having a huge sidewalk sale, and I found a wooden/tin flower for only 22 cents!  I purchased it thinking it would be the perfect thing to practice distressing paint on.  It worked, but I need to do some research or take a lesson on how to make my chipping and sanding look a little more natural.  I'm glad I decided to practice on something little before tackling the bookshelf and bench that are in desperate need of makeovers. 

My favorite part of my completed project is the buttons. When I was a little girl I would organize, count, line up, and stack my moms collection of buttons.  Now, vintage buttons calm my soul.  There is something so peaceful about sorting through a pile of buttons.

 I hung my craft with the rest of my "wall flowers"  hoping it might make me like this wall.  It didn't work.  I still don't care for this wall.  Any interior designers out there who would like to be my friend? ;)

Lemon Ice

My favorite summer treat by far is Culver's Lemon Ice.  It is so refreshing with a perfect ratio of sweet and tart.  Jake is happy to oblige my craving because that means he gets some custard!

There is even a bonus.  This chilly treat is guilt free as it is under 100 calories.

(No, that is not a bindi dot on my forehead, it is an unfortunately large, horribly placed pimple).

What is your favorite treat during the heat?

Our yard

Though living in a house rather than an apartment has come with a little more work and complications, it is so worth it to have a yard! 

In our yard we have an apple tree.

 Just this week some of the apples grew large enough to be eaten.

They taste just like Granny Smith apples!  It is so fun to just go grab an apple for a snack off your own tree!

We also have a peach tree.  The peaches are growing, but not yet ready to be eaten. 

 

We also have a lot of rose bushes.   

 They are everywhere in Colorado.  It must be the perfect climate for them to flourish.  They are beautiful when in bloom, but to be honest I think they are kind of a pain in the butt.  Ours grow high, but they aren't very strong so they need to be trimmed up.  I cannot tell you how many times those dang thorns have squeezed a curse out of me.

We love having a yard for gardening, projects, and grilling, but the main reason we are so thankful for our yard is because this little pup loves to be outside.  And we love her...

 

Cactus vs. Baby Toe

Today we set out to a hike a trail near the foot of Pikes Peak, but to our disappointment it was closed due to the damage caused during the wildfires.

Then we tried to hike Rainbow Falls in Manitou Springs, but that too was closed.

We knew Red Rock Canyon, one of our favorites spots, would be open so we went there, smeared on our SPF 50, and began our adventure.

The weather was a perfect 80 degrees allowing us to chat about important issues like why Jake doesn't like coconut and take in the beautiful views surrounding us. 

That is just what I was doing when I accidentally kicked a cactus.

The needles went through the mesh of my running shoes and stuck right into my baby toe.  

I fell on the ground and whined like a baby as I pulled the needles back OUT. "Ouchie ouchie ouchie!"

My toe swelled and burned as if I had been stung by a wasp. 

The rest of our walk was downhill pushing my aggravated toe into the front of my shoe and forcing me to complain (loudly and pathetically).

My husband may just be the most patient man in the world for putting up with me during this episode of "Cactus vs. Baby Toe."

Saturday Projects

Jake had a very busy week so we were looking forward to spending Saturday together, getting a few things checked off our to-do list. 
We had a wonderful day, with a little work and a lot of play.

 

This morning we did some yard clean-up and brought our weeds and sticks to the recycling center.

 We worked on making a lawn game called "Kubb," or Viking Chess.

Jake is drawing up sketches of the way we should paint them right now.

I will be sure to update when this project is complete!

*Note: the ladders and gutters aren't usually laying around our backyard. Our house is being re-roofed.

Eda did her best to distract us from our projects by begging for belly rubs and swiping our tools.

All that hard work warranted some good eats!

My husband loves...

to have his photo taken! ;)

Dog Paradise

Eda's favorite place in the world to vacation is my parent's house.  They have 20 acres of land for Eda to explore and hunt in, a river to swim in, doggy grandparents who spoil her with love, treats, and toys, and best of all they have Willow, an awesome golden retriever who is our Eda's most favorite puppy pal in the world.
Unfortunately, our visits to "Willow's house" are not as frequent as Eda would like being that we live over a thousand miles away.  In the time between our visits to Minnesota, Eda "settles" for trips to Bear Creek Dog park, Colorado's dog paradise.
Come with us on our adventure:

When we get to the park, Eda dances around the backseat as if it is taking us hours to let her out of the car.  She cannot contain her excitement.

Then Eda and the other dogs "greet" each other.  Aka, sniff butts.  Pleasant... 

Eda usually finds a pack to run with...

...until she finds a critter to hunt.  Then we play a less fun version of Where's Waldo and get some exercise following her around.

Once Eda is satisfied by the day's hunt, she finds some pups to chase her.  

This is usually when people at the park ask me, "How old is your dog?"

I say, "Oh she just turned a year."

And they say, "Yeah, you can really tell."

To which I say, "haha thanks?"...

The chasing game makes them all hot and thirsty.  Good think dog paradise is equipped with a creek!

As you can see, Eda loves to find golden retrievers to play with.  

We are convinced they remind her of Willow.

When it's time to go, we put Eda on her leash for her "walk of shame."  

She (and all the other huskies) have to be walked to the exit on lead as they would stay until THEY decide it's time to go ;)

When we see other husky owners taking their dogs away on the leash, we nod and smile. We know.

After leaving the park, we go to the soccer field down the block where Eda rolls in the wonderfully lush grass.  It's gets some of the mud off her before we put her in the car.  Eda loves this part because lets face it, I'm not the best at tending to the lawn here at home.

Homeward bound.

So tired. Great success.

Block Leave

Jake's brigade had a 2 week block leave, so where did we go? Minnesota, of course! Here are some photos to sum up our amazing family and friend filled trip!

Minnesota bound!

We dropped off our pup, Eda, at my parents and headed north to our buddy's cabin.

Grant and I at his cabin.  We get together with our friends here every year and it is fantastically wonderful.

We got to see Jake's little bro, Ike, play baseball!

My nephews played while the adults prepared a 'game show' for my cousin's bridal shower.

We were able to visit our family at Lake Sarah, where Jake's grandparents have a summer home.  Aunt Jen was here from California, and our cousin Emma is the cutie in pink! :)

We went to Denny's with my Grandparents when we arrived in South Dakota.

Everyone enjoyed Dairy Queen cake for my Grandpa's birthday!

South Dakota tradition.... Pizza Ranch!

It was Jake's first time visiting the Nielson farms in South Dakota, so I showed him around.  He was helping Whiffy get some flies away from his eyes. 

My cousin, Laura, was a great sport during all the shenanigans we put her through at her bridal shower.

Party at Panera!

Target practice

We spent a lot of time just hanging out.  Our favorite thing.  We cherished all the time we got to spend with our friends Eden and Luke, before their big move to West Virginia!

BEER (and dinner) at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Stillwater.

Me and Eden

We had a going away bonfire for Eden and Luke, then the next day....

We loaded up their moving truck!

We played many games.  Here the guys are playing Acquire at grandma and grandpa Howells.

We visited the Alcott ranch for some bedtime malts.

Only my sisters could look this cute at Kelley Farm.

Here Jake is teaching his little bro all about traps you can make when stuck in the wilderness.

The mule deer came into our yard to welcome us back to our home in Colorado!