Kriederman's Colorado Chronicle

A return to Christmas

2011-03-02T08:47:00.000-09:00

I just recently got this picture sent to me....it was from Christmastime just last December. The great story is that we were taking this picture to make a Christmas ornament for Vanessa and Brian (long story, but basically they needed an ornament with a story behind it). Well, as we were setting up for this picture to take, as Vanessa was running from the timed camera to the couch.......CRACK! The couch broke with all our weight on it.

Now THAT'S a story!

Another great thing about CO.....

2011-03-02T08:11:00.000-09:00

.....is it's sunrises!

And what's better in a sunrise than some amazing wave clouds atop the Flatirons!

Skiing with a long lost friend

2011-03-02T08:08:00.001-09:00

The day was beautiful for some weekday skiing.....

Bluebird skies.....

A few clouds that played in the sky looking like they were painted....

And a friend to ski with that I had not seen in over 2 years! Becca, a great friend from my college days in Arizona, had finally meshed an off day in our schedules to go skiing. We already have another date set for this coming Friday - its so great to hear her laugh again!

A bike through town

2011-03-02T08:04:00.000-09:00

I love how you can go biking in the middle of February in Colorado!!! That's just what we did last weekend when the temperatures soared to near 60 degrees.

On our bike ride through the town of Boulder, we came across an amazing neighborhood, with just enough crazy to be fun. We stumbled upon all these great birdhouses made out of the most random things.

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-03-02T07:40:00.001-09:00

For those of you who really know Ben and I, we have a beautifully arranged deal at the home....he cooks, I clean. Its magic, especially since he is an amazing cook, and I'm a little OCD when it comes to cleaning :)

So for this years Valentine's Day, I thought I would surprise him with a fancy meal when he came home from work. It turned out great, even though I was a little stressed and over worked by the time he came home!

Appetizer: Savory stuffed figs

Appetizer/side dish: Artichoke and crab dip

Main course: Honey glazed salmon with basil

Dessert: Black Russian Chocolate Fudge Cake

Thinking I was the Most-Awesomest-Vday-Gift-Giver this year, Ben surprises me with this:

Holy excitement Batman! I've always wanted to do this, and cannot wait for our ride! Just have to wait for a nice weekend day, when I'm not working. Will post pictures when we do though!

What is Heaven?

2011-03-02T07:31:00.002-09:00

A couple months ago, us and a couple of friends of ours were all discussing what our Heaven Foods would be.....what two things would we have in Heaven to eat for eternity. What are yours?

Dingman's was the "White Cake" from the D-Bar restaurant in Denver. And bless her heart, she vowed to bring it up to us to try, even though they only made the cake in the summer time. She called them up and got to speak to the head chef, Keegan Gerhard (on the Food Network and Discovery). He was so shocked and I'm sure ammused that his cake was someone's Heaven Food, he quickly agreed to make it special and have it ready for us!

The result!

The inside is filled with white chocolate, vanilla bean flecks and raspberries!

And she's in HEAVAN!!! Thanks Ding for the cake!

Did someone say they wanted CHILI???

2011-03-02T07:23:00.000-09:00

Ben and I had an amazing recipe for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili from a friend. We had a bunch of dinners we were going to in the next several days, so we thought we'd make a big batch.......I'm sorry a GINORMOUS batch of it!
It was so big that we had to go get Ben's 5-gallon beer making kettle to put all the ingredients in!

Ben working hard at stirring

Here's a sneak peak of the pot-o-love!

And for those of you wanting to try this recipe, here it is:

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili:
4 cloves garlic - minced
1 large onion - diced
4 sweet potatoes - cubed
4 small carrots - sliced
1 red bell pepper - chopped
2 cans of black beans (15 oz)
2 cans diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 cup vegetable broth
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

add meat if desired (chicken is great)

Cook all in a big pot and grub!!!!

Lisa's Trifecta Weekend

2011-03-02T06:56:00.002-09:00

I had a goal one weekend to complete 3 wintertime sports....something we did all the time in Alaska. Did I do it? Click the picture to find out!

Trifecta Weekend

Winter Hike up in Estes Park with V & Z

2011-03-02T06:43:00.003-09:00

On a nice day this winter, we headed up to Estes Park for a fun hike with Vanessa and Zander.

Amazing thing in this picture, is Vanessa is 3 people here - herself, carrying Zander, and carrying Baby Boy #2

Zander trying to get his feet right on the snow and ice

A great view of Longs Peak

Loved the back of Zanders hat :)

Ben and Zander getting in some movie watching time together

Love how they look at the movie, then to each other, then back.... :)

Dingman's Birthday

2011-03-02T06:38:00.000-09:00

Back when I went to college for my first two years at CSU, I had this awesome roommie, Melissa. I also had this awesome drum corps friend Sara (known as Dingman) who I felt it was my responsibility to make these two awesome girls meet. And whammo - they became best friends!!! :)
Fortunately, when I moved back here to CO, I have been in touch with them because they are a BLAST! One example was for Dingman's birthday - we went to my favorite Cuba Cuba restaurant, then off to Salsa lessons!
Dingman and Melissa

Ben and I

Didn't like the teacher so well at the Salsa lesson, but we all had a ton of fun!

Thanks for the invite Ding!

Aspen Ski Trip

2011-03-01T16:06:00.004-09:00

We headed to Aspen for a weekend full of birthday fun, skiing, hot tubbing and hanging with friends. Our friend Landon wanted to celebrate his birthday in Aspen by renting a condo next to the slopes......so we decided that we should probably go, even though it was ROUGH choice, but as friends it was the least we could do for him ;) Haha, we had a blast with 8 of us tearing up a little place they call......Asssssssspen! ("Where the beer flows like wine")

Click on the photo below to see the pictures!

Aspen, CO Ski Trip

Lunar Eclipse

2011-01-11T15:36:00.000-09:00

Did anyone stay up late enough to catch the total lunar eclipse last month?

I DID! It was awesome! Unfortunately, I didn't have a tripod :( But this is the best I could do!

Quick Trip to Taos

2011-01-11T14:18:00.002-09:00

On a whim, Ben and I wanted to drive down to Taos for some exploring and some skiing. Since the drive was only 5 hours, it wasn't even twice as long as going to Aspen or Vail. So within about 4 days of deciding.....we were off! Luckily, our friend Sara Dingman and her roommate were up for some out-of-state fun as well. So, we packed up and ended up having a THRILLING trip with awesome CROWDLESS skiing and amazing food! Click on the picture below to view our photos!

Taos Ski Trip

Kayla's 4th Birthday

2011-01-05T22:32:00.001-09:00

January 2nd brought my niece Kayla's 4th birthday!

My sister had set up her birthday at Jumpin, an indoor jumping castle area for kids, big and little :)

"This is my cake!"

So excited with all her friends around!

Meanwhile, her brother Wyatt was playing with Uncle Ben

and getting some cuddle time in

YUM CAKE!

"So Wyatt, how much cake do you think you can drive in to ya?"

Christmas in Costa Rica

2011-01-05T22:26:00.002-09:00

This year, for the 4th time in a row, our plans to go to Argentina fell through again! So instead, we decided to go to Costa Rica after hearing so many great things from many friends and family. It was just the two of us, and SO NICE! Relive the vacation with us by clicking on the photo below.

Costa Rica 2010

Pre-Christmas Christmas's

2011-01-05T22:06:00.004-09:00

Since Ben and I were going away for Christmas and New Years, we had a few get togethers before we left to celebrate.

First stop, up to the Block's to help decorate their tree for their 1st Christmas in their house! Zander was very curious about the process :)

Ben working his amazing tree lighting skills

Zander working his I'm so cute skills :)

The finished product! (minus the gorgeous ribbon Vanessa added later)

The Blocks

Next weekend, they came down to our house to have a celebration with us and with our friends Seth and Whitney from the Springs.

Right after this next picture, we took a group picture on the couch - which as we were taking the timed photo, the couch BROKE!!! I'm hoping to get that photo posted here if I can find it!

Seth and Whitney - post celebration, in the PJ's ready for bed! Thanks for coming up guys! We miss you!
The very next day, my parents came down from Nebraska and my sister and her family came down from Ault for a Family Christmas. My sister and I attempted to show Kayla how fun Twister was! (Definitely not as flexible as I used to be to pull this game off!)

Kayla played Santa and handed out all the presents

Kayla was so excited to get princess stuff and barbies! Reminds me NOTHING of her mom, and totally of ME!!!! (She's actually wearing the dress my sister and I wore when we were her age!)
My dad, constantly trying to video everything - as they were heading to see my grandma in Iowa right after this. This way, she could see us all at Christmas!

Ty is a big Longhorns fan, so my parents got the whole family their own hats! :)

Backcountry skiing with V in RMNP

2011-01-05T21:40:00.001-09:00

Vanessa had new skiis, boots and bindings, and I had just gotten some new boots - so what better way to break them in than a little backcountry trip??
At first, we were going to take Zander, but Brian and Fabrizio came down off the slopes and decided it would be best to let us go alone.

He sure was cute all bundled up Christmas Story style!

Dummy me - I forgot to adjust my bindings to my new boots! Luckily Brian and Fabrizio came to the rescue, with a car key :)

Do-it-herself!!!! :)

And off the 3 of us went!

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-01-05T21:19:00.002-09:00

This year, I had to work during Thanksgiving and therefore could not go to my parents for the family get together. So our other family was nice enough to come down for a nighttime thanksgiving feast! Brian, Vanessa, Zander and our friend Gillam came down to spend the holiday with us.

Zander really likes the djembe drum!

Father and son getting some good quality cartoon action in before dinner :)

We made a delicious overnight-brined, butter-n-beer-injected turkey on the charcoal grill! YUM!

Our Feast!

Zander and his clothes-twin monkey

He moved on from the drum to the guitar - this kid just may be a musician!

After devouring our feast, we sat down for one of our favorite games back from our Hawaii times together - CatchPhrase! Vanessa takes a stab at it

Daniel sits on the sidelines

Lisa trying to get her point across

Zander wants to guess!

Gillam's turn!

Dinner with the Velasquez's

2011-01-05T21:15:00.000-09:00

We had a lovely evening with Michael and Darcy earlier this month when they came up for a dinner date in Boulder with us.
We are super excited for them as they are expecting Baby Girl V in February!

Before dinner we drove up Flagstaff Mountain for a peak at the Indian Peaks - unfortunately the clouds were trying to hide them - but they are there if you look hard!!!

Michelle visits!

2011-01-05T21:11:00.000-09:00

My roommate from college (and the matchmaker of Ben and I) Michelle, who lives in NYC, came to Colorado with her family for a visit in late November. Luckily, Ben and I were around to hang out with her!

Michelle, Rob and Nolan.....and Baby Bruno #2 on the way!

So fun to be around together again!

We went to Michelle's sisters house to visit - who just had her second child a few months prior! It was also Ruthie's, their mom, birthday! It was great - thanks guys!

Super Pow Day at Copper

2011-01-05T21:05:00.000-09:00

One fine Tuesday - Ben and Angela and I headed up to Copper Mountain for some skiing. The night before, our forecast was calling for about 3-6 inches of snow through Tuesday. Not bad, not great either. I had just gotten of midnight shifts, so needless to say, I wasn't sleeping easily. So at 4:30am, I grabbed my iPhone and pulled up Copper's Snow Stake Webcam. They were showing 9+ inches already and it was STILL SNOWING! SO EXCITED!!!!
By the time we got to the lifts around 9am, there was easily 12-14 inches of sweet delicious powder!

Angela and I, rockin it Japan style (where we met last February!)

Ahhhhhh! And a delicious Oskar Blues' Gubna to finish the day off. With 10% ABV at 10,000 feet MSL, that'll kick your butt!!!

Happy Birthday puppies!

2011-01-05T20:55:00.001-09:00

On December 5th, our (not so much) puppies turned 5!

It feels just like yesterday when they came into our lives!!!

Skiing at Loveland with Angela and Landon

2011-01-05T20:54:00.000-09:00

While Lisa had to work one weekend, Ben joined Angela and Landon at Loveland Ski Area - where they had bought passes to this year.
Nice shot of Angela holding a dwarf! :)

Ben, shaka'n it up

Angela and Landon - Landon normally boards, but decided to brush up on skiing - he was tired!

Quick Trip to Breckenridge

2011-01-05T20:51:00.000-09:00

In mid November, I taught a winter weather class with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center in Leadville. It was a GREAT experience. The day after the 3-day class, the CAIC had a benefit in Breckenridge, so I invited Ben and Daniel up to join me!

The CAIC had a deal with one of the hotels for the benefit. IT WAS AWESOME! They allowed pets, AND let you keep them in there while you were away - big help! They would just keep your cell number in case there was a problem. Apparently there are too many episodes of Animal Control being called when people keep their pets in their cars when hotels won't let them stay in the room. I LIKE!

Daniel, Ben and I enjoying the benefit! Daniel won some awesome Dynafit skiis being auctioned. A super great band played, and our friends Brian and Matt showed up as well!

Getting pumped to go skiing - it was Breck's opening day!

No more pics from the trip, except this one! Instead of taking the normal I70 back to Denver, we took 285 through Park County then up through Jefferson County. Man that was a beautiful drive! Some amazing clouds too!

A last minute trip to see the cousins!

2011-01-05T20:40:00.003-09:00

I rarely have weekends off, so when I do - Ben and I try to make the most of them! So, one free weekend appeared in early November, and what did we do?????

A quick last-minute trip to Portland to see our cousins Casey and Annie, and aunt Diane! A great time! Click on the picture below to see more photos of Portland in the fall!

Portland Visit

Bear Peak...for the 5th time!

2011-01-05T20:28:00.006-09:00

With our new member family in town - I wanted to show Daniel Bear Peak since he was looking for a good hike. With the beautiful early November weather, it was perfect timing! This was my fifth time, but had only summited once...would there be a second in my future today????

Bear Peak

About 3/4 of the way up....took a break. Daniel with his dog, Odin - who kicks but at everything the little guy tries!

Me and the pups!

Climbing toward the summit - we get a nice view of the Indian Peaks.

A glider was soaring above us

We're almost there!

Looking down on the Wind Technology Center, just south of Boulder

YES! My second summit of Bear Peak - with the dogs in tow again!

What a view!

Daniel on top

I know I've posted pics of this tree before, but I LOVE IT SO MUCH!

Until next time Bear Peak.......until next time :)

Fall Fest!

2010-11-18T08:21:00.006-09:00

Fall Fest! It's an annual tradition started back in Hawaii when we missed the fall season that we try to do every year now, no matter where we are. Luckily Vanessa was in Colorado for a brief moment so we could have it together!

We started it with a hike with the dogs, while the guys went mountain biking. Here's Charmian, Vanessa with Zander on her back, and Kelly.

As Charmian calls them....a squishy face shot!

Zander having fun with the dogs

Charmian taking Z by the hand....too cute! (By the way, she was about 37 weeks here, and she's having her baby today!!!! 11/18!)

Zander reading himself a book - Love that kid

Charmian and Kelly rehydrating after our walk :)

Vanessa helping Zander with his book

Zander had a call :)

The whole gang! Well almost.

Ben and Daniel teaching Z how to play with dolls, Ben showed him how to body slam it right after this picture :)

Charmian....DON'T GO!!!! Ben REALLY tried hard not to let her leave :)

Pumpkin carving contest!

The results!

A Fall Fest wouldn't be complete without a few car bombs :)

Ken and Cheryl's short visit

2010-11-17T08:39:00.000-09:00

At the end of September, Ben's parents came out to visit for a day, then take Ben's motorcycle he was riding this summer back to Tucson for the winter - it would be their 40th wedding anniversary trip! Crazy! But so sweet. We went out to dinner with my sister and her family as Cheryl LOVES to see any kids especially ones shes related to :)

We went to Nordy's BBQ - soooooooo good!

Amber with Wyatt

Sisterly hug with the standard brother-in-law rabbit ears in the background :)

Party Straws....who knew!!!

2010-11-17T08:33:00.000-09:00

Ben and I found these great party straws in the store the other day while heading to a Bronco game party. They are really effective to drink in the car - when you are a PASSENGER of course!

Fun for all!!!!!! Haa haaaa!

More IMET dispatches - right at home!

2010-11-17T08:25:00.002-09:00

In September....my first day back to work from our August Montana trip, the wind was just HOWLIN! Gusts around 40 mph were common, but there were a few up to 60 mph. Around 10:15am, we got a call from the Boulder Fire Department requesting a spot forecast for a fire in Boulder canyon. Weird I thought. Then I went to the roof of my work building and saw this!!!!

It was the beginning of the Fourmile Canyon Fire, the costliest fire in Colorado history! It was really strange to see such a big fire right outside my window - I usually have to fly great distances to see this. Well, after 2 days, the Incident Management team requested an Incident Meteorologist - and I WAS IT! This was my first fire certified (had just gotten certified at the Eagle Trail fire in Tok, Alaska earlier in the summer) and was a bit intimidated by the national media this fire was getting. But, like always, I had a great team to work with. After around 7 days, we were winding the incident down as the firefighters were doing a great job putting the Fourmile Canyon Fire to rest.....when the Reservoir Road fire near Loveland started. The team took command of this fire too, so I was producing two shift forecasts for two fires! It was a bit hectic, but again, had a GREAT team to work with. All in all, I was there for 11 days, what a great experience - just weird having it in practically my backyard and not being able to sleep in my awesome tempurpedic bed each night.....it was camping with everyone else for me!
A beautiful sunrise coming up over the crews tents one morning

The unfortunate destruction, but looking forward to new forrest growth and NO flooding issues hopefully!

Each night, little fun toads would come by the doors of the Incident Command Post. It was usually around a break time, so I would go out and just stare at them, get my mind off of the fire for a few minutes.

I had a great Fire Behavior Analyst (FBAN) to work for, learned and laughed a ton. Thanks Tyler!!!

Montana Lifeteam Reunion

2010-11-17T07:46:00.014-09:00

Back in August, we made a road trip up to Montana to have another Lifeteam Reunion with its members.....Randy, Ricky, Billy and Lois (aka - Rennau, Kevin, Ben and I). As an added bonus, our friend Angela who we met on our Japan trip, caught a ride with us up there as she had some friends to visit as well. SUPER FUN ROAD TRIP!

Stopped at the Tetons on the way up as Ben and Angela had never seen them

Got to Bozeman and had a cabin to stay at all week, complete with fire pits and toy guns! :) Rennau hogged them though!

We had bubble blowing contests, complete with awesome hats and leis (I won by the way!)

Rennau, Kevin and Ben on our first breakfast outting, the BEST bloody marys in the world were about to be had!

Went for a round of golf at Big Sky

The view of our cabin.....it was a little scary to look below and see what it was supported on....don't think this cabin will be standing for another decade thats for sure!

Lots of quality time spent on the porch with the pups

Kevin brought his pup Kesugi with him from San Francisco

So GREAT grillin action from Ben - Master Griller, teaching his grilling apprentice Rennau

Angela came to visit with her friends Sally and Trevor - more quality time spent around the campfire

We headed to West Yellowstone this day to go to the Boiling River. The trip was so long and everyone (5 people and 4 full size dogs in ONE car!) was getting a little cranky, so we pulled over into the woods, ran around a bit, shared a bottle of Captain Morgan - then everything was right in the world!

Construction and traffic were crazy in the park! So we needed to take the dogs on a walk, Kevin couldn't find Kesugi's leash, so he improvised with his pants :)

Our destination! The Boiling River - hot springs. AWESOME!

You definitely had to find a sweet spot, as the boiling hot thermal water (back to the right behind us) merged with the freezing cold river.....this was our sweet spot!

Piling rocks on Kevin so he didn't float away (the current was super strong!). Rennau in his "people hunting" hat

We went on a hike to Beehive Basin - beautiful place! I'm pretty sure the dogs hated to leave MT, there was so much freedom for them, no silly leash laws

Found a tree to climb in - if you click on the picture you can find almost all of us

Beehive Basin

Came back to Bozeman - spent some time on Rennau's slackline

Went go-kart racing!!!! (for the second time here, first time involved a bottle of saki and the business owners MAY have noticed something not normal/sober about us - but had us convinced there was a 3 hour wait to race because they were so busy - yet there were only 3 people there, NICE). Kevin and Ben sportin the latest go-kart racing fashion

Next adventure was a backpacking trip to the Crazy Mountains, up Cottonwood Creek to the Lake. BEAUTIFUL AREA!

Making the 7 mile trip in

We made it!!!! Cottonwood Lake

Kevin in his standard outfit - board shorts and down

We hiked up some of the peaks and looked back to our campsite on the other side of the lake, ant the valley we had hiked up through

On the top of one peak, looking on the other side

That night we had a dance party in Kevins 2 man tent, but we fit all 6 of us plus 4 dogs - it was off the hizzy!!!! Complete with a dance disco ball!

Showin off some dance moves!

To see the complete epic adventure in pictures, feel free to browse around them by clicking on the picture below!

Montana Lifeteam Reunion

Pawnee Pass Backpacking Trip

2010-09-28T11:06:00.008-08:00

All summer Ben and I were trying to work with friends to get a weekend off with everyone to go on a backpacking trip - and thankfully we found one!!!! We were going to head up toward Brainard Lakes, then hike back toward the Continental Divide, over Pawnee Pass and camp at Pawnee Lake. Everywhere we had looked at this hike said it was 4.5-5 miles one way.....not bad. However, when it was all said and done, it was NINE miles one way, or 18 miles roundtrip - WHEW! It was awesome!

A pre-hike hike with Angela and Landon and the dogs

All packed up and ready to go!

The group! (L to R) Scott, Kelly, Ben, Kaena, Roscoe, Landon, Angela, and Lisa

A view of the mountains we will be crossing later that day

Ben getting us some fresh clean water out of Isabelle Lake

Hikin up!

Gorgeous!

Looking back down on Lake Isabelle

Ben and Angela

Getting close to the Pass

We made it!! Scott and Kelly had already made it here and were going down the Pass - they were fast! But Angela and Landon along with Ben and I stopped briefly in the wind to take this photo at the pass.

WHOA! It was STEEP on the otherside of the pass...the lake at the bottom was our camping spot we were trying to get to

Super duper steep!

The lake didn't look that far away, but it never seemed to get any closer either!

Looking back at what we just climbed down!

Frolicking through the flower fields :)

Finally arrived at our camp spot - the dogs are soaking it in!

The group - done and done!

Pawnee Lake

The outstanding campfire a lone camper helped us with, so good after a huge hike!

The next morning...started packing up and getting ready for the mean and nasty hike up the pass!

Whew, we're really going to climb that????

Some cool mushrooms on the way out

Landon and Angela and their dog Roscoe - smiling before the hike of death!!!

Thanks guys for an awesome trip!!!

Mile High Music Festival

2010-09-28T10:24:00.002-08:00

Finally! We got to attend the Mile High Music Festival this year!!!! It was so great to see Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews Band again!
Chillin with some Bud Light Lime BOMBERS before the show

Awwe, look how cute and hot my husband is :)

Haha - LOVED this guy and his t-shirt

Waiting for Amos Lee to come on!

There were some pretty cool "green" rides and events going on at the show, you could produce electricity by riding on this see-saw...

...or by riding these bikes!

Getting ready for DMB!!!!

Beautiful sunset while we waited....ANXIOUSLY!

And the finale!!! Oh DMB, how I've missed you so, 2.5 years was WAY TOO LONG to go without seeing you!

Go Carter!

Dave solo time

And the crowd goes wild!!!!

New bikes!

2010-09-28T09:48:00.002-08:00

When I came back from my Steamboat Springs trip, I found THIS in the garage waiting for me!!!

I had been talking a bit about wanting to try road biking instead of always just mountain biking, so I guess Ben got the hint :)

SWEET!

When we took it on its maiden ride, I blew Ben out of the water on his mountain bike, so a few days later he got one :)

Then we found another super cheap sweet deal on craigslist and got this! A cruiser tandem! Perfect for getting groceries, going downtown on, maybe visiting a few drinking establishments on - I don't know! :)

Steamboat Girls Weekend with Mom and Amber

2010-09-28T09:11:00.006-08:00

In early August, my mom and sister and her kids joined me for a weekend in Steamboat Springs. It was our first all girls weekend (well, except for Wyatt) of fun, of which I'm sure we'll do more!

Amber and Kayla playing along the Poudre River

My mom and Kayla playing

Driving near Walden in Jackson County with a beautiful sunset shining on the surrounding mountains

Next day in Steamboat, we took a short hike to the beautiful Fish Creek Falls

Wyatt was a trooper!

My mom, Amber and kids on the bridge at the bottom of the falls

Someone's sleepy!

Next stop, Steamboat Ski Resort for some bouncy castle fun!

For those of you who know my mom, this photo is HUGE! The last time my mom was in a gondola, she passed out (as she's a bit nervous of heights to say the least). Well, she made it all the way to the top and down! Nice job Mom!

A great storm brewin in the distance!

Enjoying some food and drinks at the top

Next stop - the Wine Festival! One reason we went up to Steamboat this particular weekend, it was the annual Steamboat Springs Wine Festival. My mom and I went to a wine tasting at a book store - super fun to taste wine AND hear about great books!

And last stop, sit by the Yampa River for a relaxing sunny afternoon!

Deer!

2010-09-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

This guy showed up in our yard this summer....

you have NO idea how badly the pups wanted to go chase!!!

"Let me at 'im!!!"

Royal Arch hike

2010-09-28T08:51:00.001-08:00

Back in August, my friend Angela and I went on a hike up to the Flatirons...got lost, and ended up heading to the Royal Arch. Awesome! After running out of water several miles back, it was a beautiful sight as a reward for our miles.
Angela under the Arch - it doesn't look as big in the picture, but its ginormous!

The view of Boulder from the Arch

Cubby was TIRED!

As a treat, Ben made us a fancy dinner that night (some sort of stuffed pork), complete with hammer-tenderized meat!

Final product before putting it in the oven!

We miss our climbing buddy!

2010-09-28T08:32:00.004-08:00

Our great friend Jon Eichelberger has recently moved to Germany, where he has been experiencing days upon days of endless rain. Yet here in sunny forever Colorado, it has been the perfect weather for climbing. Unfortunately Jon was Ben's climbing buddy (as an injury has kept me from any rock climbing :( ). We miss you Jon!!!

Back in July, Ben and Jon went to go climb Lumpy Ridge in Estes Park. Here's some great photos of their fun times

A view of the climb

From what I heard from Ben....this was a bit of a precarious spot to be taking a picture of Jon

The view from the top!

DATR 2010

2010-07-22T08:36:00.001-08:00

We went to Drums Along the Rockies this summer, an event that is the home show for the Drum Corps I used to march with - The Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps. It was great to catch up with old friends and be immersed in the world of corps, such passion, commitment, craziness and fun. Unfortunately I didn't get too many pictures, especially of all the old friends I met up with who became my family the several summers I was involved!

The Blue Knights snare line - which I was a part of for a brief time in 1998.

The beautiful sunset at Denver's Mile High Stadium

The Santa Clara Vangaurd Drum and Bugle Corps

The Blue Knights!!!

Some of the best people around!!! Colby, Jon and Charmian - Love you guys!

Hiking a 13er

2010-07-22T07:59:00.002-08:00

The next day after our camping trip, I got an invitation from a friend to hike a 13er (13,000ft peak) near Breckenridge. Since I've been wanting to do a 14er, I figured this would be a good starting point. I headed up to Breckenridge in the morning and by about noon was near the top! Unfortunately, I think the elevation difference from Boulder (5500ft) then to climbing the 13er was a little much for me and I got altitude sickness...600ft sort of the summit. But the views were still amazing and I had a great time! Click on the picture for some great pics!

Bald Mountain summit

A quick camping trip near Pingree Park, CO

2010-07-22T07:50:00.003-08:00

Since it was Lisa's last weekend off (she works 6, then has 4 off, and the first 3 weekends off were taken while she was in Alaska), we went on a short camping trip up towards Pingree Park with some friends. This is a little area in Larimer County, just south of the Poudre Canyon. Some great times, with great friends, including some sling-shotting and beautiful sunsets! Click on the picture below to see more!

Pingree Park Camping

Finally, I'm a certified IMET

2010-07-03T22:51:00.002-08:00

Right after I went on the mountain bike ride with Ben and Vanessa, I was called to go out on a fire as an Incident Meteorologist in Alaska, near Tok specifically. So the next day I headed on a 18 hour trip to get to the fire, where I spent the next 3 weeks (and missed our second wedding anniversary :( ) and finally got certified! Click the picture below to see photos!

Tok IMET

And.....we're back!!!!

2010-07-03T22:05:00.001-08:00

I know, its been almost 3 months since we've last blogged, well here we go again! Sorry for the break. I've been posting to Facebook a lot, but I know not everyone has that, and its nice to have all our adventures/trips/events all in one place.

So here's one! At the end of May, Vanessa and Brian and Zander were back in Colorado. Ben and I brought our mountain bikes up to Estes for some fun with Vanessa, just like we used to do back in Alaska 4 years ago! Here's V happy as ever, with the awe-inspiring Longs Peak in the background.

Ben...taking it all in!

Finally a straight-away!!! Before this it was all uphill for about a mile, it was a nice reprieve.

Tearin it up!

Ben racing off through the aspens....

Vanessa right behind him!

The Big Thompson back in Estes Park was roaring! A great hangout weekend

Vanessa's Birthday

2010-04-19T22:17:00.002-08:00

Vanessa's birthday is a week after mine and even though we were together in Tucson last week cheersing to both our birthdays, we wanted her to have a super fun day on her actual birthday. So, with a little motorcycle ride, some fruit basket, some cupcakes, tapas and some wine, it turned out GREAT!

Vanessa's Birthday

A Tucson Birthday

2010-04-19T22:05:00.003-08:00

For my birthday this year, we headed down to The Old Pueblo for a visit with family and friends as we hadn't been back since we were married in June 2008. It was great weather, we got to see TONS of friends (including Kevin Clegg, George Kalli, Mark and Merlyn McClure, and my dear Pam Elslager), and even had some great friends from CO come down for a visit with us - Brian, Vanessa and their son Zander. It was so great to get to know our nieces better, we can't wait for our next visit with Zoe, Zea and Zali!!! Check out some of the pictures!

Tucson Birthday

A wintertime hike!

2010-04-06T10:56:00.001-08:00

This hike actually happened in early March, but I had the best time and wanted to share them. Vanessa came down with Zander and Tikka and we wanted to run some energy off the dogs - so a fun hike was planned. Its up on the Betasso Loop trail up Boulder Canyon, and I knew there probably wouldn't be a lot of people around.

Pre-hike, Zander playing with my hair

Zander is totally ready for the hike! Love his outfit

Mama and baby, ready for anything!

Group shot!

Tikka, Cubby and Ka'ena running off some energy

Sumimasem, eigo ga wakarimaska?

2010-02-28T21:08:00.002-09:00

Here is our Japan trip photos FINALLY!!!! :) The title of our post is what we used A LOT in Japan, its asking if a person understands english, which, overall almost everyone did understand just enough that made the trip pretty easy. When they didn't, it just made it fun and a surprise (not knowing what you ordered!). This trip was great, and would highly recommend it to everyone. We went to celebrate our friend Kevin's birthday, and bringing Ben's dad Ken along too. The Japanese are SO friendly and hospitable, it was hard to come back to the US. We even ended up making a couple of super fun friends that are from Fort Collins - the world is SO small sometimes! Hope you all enjoy the pictures, and it inspires you to consider going to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Japan

Steamboat Springs

2010-01-28T14:33:00.001-09:00

Last weekend, Ben and I headed up to Steamboat Springs for some skiing and some hot springin. We both had never been, so we were excited for a NEW adventure. The visibility wasn't the best, but there was some good fresh powder and NO lift lines! One of the highlights happened on our first way up the mountain...we got to share a gondola with 4 people from Japan in which we jumped at practicing our Japanese with! They said we did pretty good, and were very excited for us.

Lisa

A picture showing our visibility we had on the top of the mountain, it got better the further we went down.

Ahhh, and after a day of skiing, we headed to Strawberry Hot Springs. Probably the best hot springs we've ever been to - so natural and NO sulfur smell.

Ben enjoying the soothing waters on our achey knees :)

Lisa getting some good maxin and relaxin time in :)

On our way home, we picked up Tikka (Brian and Vanessa's dog) to watch her for the night. Threw her in the back with Cubby and Kaena, this is how much room they gave her, nice huh? :)

Our new nephew Wyatt!

2010-01-22T08:27:00.000-09:00

We stopped over to Amber and Ty's house last night for an early birthday celebration for Ty, and got to hang out with our new nephew Wyatt some more :)

A day with Jon and Charmian

2010-01-21T11:52:00.001-09:00

Jon and Charmian came up for a weekend to hang out, unfortunately I had to work, but Ben got to go play with them! They ended up going cross country skiing near Brainard Lake. Jon and Charmian were getting the hang of it :)

Next up, GIANT SNOW ANGELS!!!

Ben's attempt

Charmian's attempt

They were then going to go ice climbing but ran out of time, which REALLY upset Ben as he hasn't been out this season yet....so he put on his gear and hiked into the backyard...looking for his victim.......

Found "the victim", our dead tree stump :)

Then he thought he'd see how the "live" tree, that we spared when the garage was excavated (the contractor wanted to cut it down), would do with ice axes.........oh boy.

More garage progress

2010-01-11T18:09:00.001-09:00

In a couple of days before a snowfall, Ben, our friend Matt and I quickly sheathed the garage and layed down tar paper and water/ice shield on the roof....whew!

A view from the street. We got new windows on the house upstairs too! Wow - what a difference! You can sit on the couch below the one shown in the picture and NOT have to have a blanket! Nice.

Grandma turns 90!

2009-12-22T08:20:00.000-09:00

My Grandma T turned 90 this year so we all headed to Iowa to help her celebrate!

This isn't the best smile she has, but man did she still have her wittyness about her, crackin jokes left and right!

My mom used her cake decorating skills (she was a professional when I was little) and made the cutest cake ever!

Ta Da!!! She accidentally forgot the top piece of cake, so she had a local supermarket bakery make it for her....you can tell which one they did - can't believe they charged her for that! But still, it was SUCH a CUTE cake!

Another one of my grandma's cakes....made of all flowers. She had another one too, forgot to take a picture though, but it was cheesecake wrapped in fondant to look like stacked presents, very cute!

Lifeteam......UNITE!

2009-12-15T14:01:00.002-09:00

For Turkey Day this year, we reunited with our best friends we had in Alaska...Kevin and Rennau (aka Chris or SD). Anyway, when we were in Alaska all together, we pretty much hung out everyday, and would do some pretty crazy and random things where our individual skills and knowledge would get us out of some sticky situations. We had dubbed ourselves "The Lifeteam" for this reason. So after 15 months of being separated (Ben and I had moved to CO, Kevin remained in AK until moving to San Fran last month, and Rennau had moved to MT), we decided it was time to unite again! The 4 days together flew by faster than a roadrunner on speed, and our stomachs hurt everyday from the laughing (seriously, we felt like we had done 1000 situps the previous day!). Anyway, here's a few photos from the Lifeteam Reunion of '09! Love you guys, can't wait until our next one!

Lifeteam Reunion 2009

Our Wisconsin Trip

2009-12-13T12:50:00.004-09:00

In late November, Ben lost his uncle Bob to a battle with cancer. We were able to make it back to Wisconsin for the services, and where all the family still lives except Ben and his parents and brother. It was a sad trip, but at the same time a great one, to be able to see where Ben grew up and to be with his loving and hilarious family. Click on the picture to see some photos from our trip.

Wisconsin

Success!!!!

2009-11-20T15:51:00.000-09:00

Ben's beer is ready!!! And, by the look on his face, its great!! Woohoo, Ben's Brewery is open for business!!

A little more progress!

2009-11-20T15:36:00.000-09:00

Ben exploring the trench! We had to dig so far down because our ground is almost all clay.

Puppies turn!

We had them remove our buckled back patio....gonna put in a flagstone one soon!

Getting the foundation poured!

Stay tuned for more posts, hope to have it done by January, hopefully!

ONE YEAR!

2009-10-31T15:22:00.000-08:00

A year ago exactly from today, we were handed the keys and moved into our house!!! Its been quite a year, filled with fun, demolition, remodeling and visitors! I wonder what the next year will bring. Maybe its finally time to have a housewarming party :)

SNOW!

2009-10-29T09:06:00.000-08:00

Whew! Quite the snow dump we have been having since Tuesday night....haven't taken an official measurment, but I'm guessing at least 24 inches, and its still snowing!!!!

Decided to take the dogs skijoring in the awesome new snow! However, it didn't go so well, as the bottom layer of snow is a sloppy wet mess, so our skis just wouldn't glide.

Oh remember our garage project? Well this is what it looked like before....

And after! Think its gonna be delayed a few days. :(

The Garage is coming!!!!

2009-10-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

Work has finally begun on our garage being built....we're pretty excited about this. Thought we post a few pictures of the beginning of the demo :)

The picture doesn't really show how deep and big the hole in the ground is!

Home Brewin

2009-10-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

On to the next project!!!! A friend of ours who recently moved away from Boulder was a big home brewer but needed to lose some weight for moving, so he graciously gave us all his equiptment for making beer (Thanks Javi!!!!) So Ben was super pumped to brew his first batch! He picked out ingredients to make a Bavarian Dunkleweisen.....basically a dark Hefenweizen.

Mmmmm, smell the aroma!!! :)

Now we just have to wait til about Thanksgiving to bottle and try it! Any taste testers out there? :)

A great visit!

2009-10-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago, my old roommate from college in Tucson.....and Ben and I's matchmaker :) made a visit to Colorado. Michelle and her sister Stephanie and their kids came over for some spaghetti, some wine and lots of laughs. So great to see you guys!

Miche and Steph

Miche's son, Nolan - this kid's got the biggest eyes ever!!! :)

Steph's cute-as-a-button daughter Rachel

Our First....and maybe Last, Cruise!

2009-10-21T11:10:00.003-08:00

At the end of September, Lisa's parents, aunt and cousins, and us two went on a short 3-day cruise from Seattle to Vancouver Island. None of us had been on a cruise before so we decided to do a short one. Well, after it was all said and done, we just weren't that stoked about our experience, really overrated. Which is weird, because I know a lot of people who love cruises and never had a bad experience. The food was pretty bad, pools and hot tubs closed after sundown, and just didn't like being stuck on a boat with not much to do. Had the food been better, that might have made being on the boat better, but no such luck. Oh well, we still had a ton of fun together and now we know what a cruise is like! Click on the picture below to see our trip photos!

Cruise

Backpacking with the Velasquez's

2009-10-21T09:25:00.002-08:00

Ben and I had a slow summer since we both were injured for most of it. But this fall we both were feeling better and really wanted to do a backpacking trip. We were able to convince our friends and newlyweds Michael and Darcy to come with us. The hike we chose, that went to Arapaho Pass on the Continental Divide, was only going to be 6 miles roundtrip, only 3 one way. Easy right? Well, we didn't figure on hiking much past the Pass to camp, but it ended up being about 13 miles total. Thankfully, the Velasquez's still really enjoyed themselves and are excited to try hut camping with us this winter. You guys rocked!!!! Click on the picture below to see more of the adventure!

Backpacking with Michael and Darcy

A 90th Birthday Celebration

2009-10-21T09:12:00.002-08:00

My grandpa turned 90 this year, and we all made a trip up to Nebraska to help celebrate. We also got to cheer on my dad at an antique tractor pull...a first for Ben to see. Good times, good pics. Check them out!

Grandpa's 90th Birthday

Jackpot!

2009-10-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

Our washer didn't seem to be draining right the other week, so Ben took it apart and found out why.....(minus the wrench parts). Even a Glow-In-The-Dark Ninja found his way in! Have you looked in your drain trap lately? :)

Enjoying the Outdoors

2009-10-18T09:44:00.003-08:00

Ben and I on a mountain bike trail near Nederland

Crankin up a hill - the picture just doesn't do it justice!

Taking the dogs on a trail up Boulder Canyon

Some great single track, Ben and I are gonna bring our bikes instead of dogs next time!

Doing some training with Cubby

The view back to Boulder from the trail!

Presenting the Velasquez's!!!!

2009-10-18T07:36:00.002-08:00

Back in September, we were invited to attend our great friends wedding, Michael and Darcy. It was so great to make it to theirs and seeing all the planning Darcy put into all the decorations - something I still have fun looking at even after a year after our wedding! It was a beautiful ceremony and reception, thanks for inviting us guys and seeing your love take the next step!

Michael&Darcy's wedding

A Hike with the Block Family in the Park

2009-09-23T08:47:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, we called Brian and Vanessa to see if they wanted to hang out and maybe go hiking. This would be their baby Zander's first big hike, as V and I had gone on a short hike the day before, but this was exciting to go into Rocky Mountain National Park with all of us for a fun long hike.

All three of them were trying to get Zander into the Baby Bjorn - it was entertaining :)

The new mom and dad with their baby boy

Ben feelin and lookin good in the warm sun :)

Some of the views we had on the way up

2009-09-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

Brian with Zander, Vanessa and Ben taking the side trail up.

Once we got to the Loche, there was a very persistent chipmunk wanting food, he got withing 2 feet of me!

A beautiful blue jay was hanging around as well

Ben fishing at the Loche

2009-09-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Who needs a changing table when you have a perfectly good rock? :)

Dad and son doing a little outside bonding

Enjoying some Fosters after the hike

What a great hike with great friends!

Dispatched to the Discovery Fire

2009-09-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, I was dispatched to the Discovery Fire in Naches, Washington as an IMET trainee (an Incident Meteorologist). For those of you who have no idea where that is (I didn't before I went), its about 30 miles west of Yakima. Again, one of my favorite parts of being an IMET is going to some amazing places in this country I wouldn't ever think of going otherwise!

Here is Base Camp at the end of the incident...fire was controlled and they had already sent lots of supply away. It was located near Rimrock Reservoir.....very nice area, I would love to come back and camp here for fun one day!

Some isolated tree torching as the crews were burning fire line. The Fire Behavior Analyst and I were having lunch watching the activity - not bad entertainment! :)

Rimrock reservoir. Lots of clouds from the marine layer west of the Cascades pushing east over the crest.

On the other side of Rimrock Reservoir....again, so happy to be out enjoying the beauty of the country while doing a job I love!

Discovery Fire cont'd

2009-09-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

This was where the helibase was located....pretty nice setting eh? Three hours prior, a supertanker was here, didn't get a picture in time though :(

Amazing rock formations near base camp....I wanted to go climb them!

Some more amazing and interesting rocks....all from volcanic activity. The vertical blocky sections were so crazy!

Visit from Kevin

2009-09-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

Our friend Kevin from Alaska came down to Colorado in early August, to hang out a bit and also go to all 4 nights of Phish at Red Rocks! Anyway, it was SOOOO great to see him again and share some of life's adventures again with him.

The first day, the boys (Ben, Kevin and our roommate Conrad) packed up the canoe and headed up to a reservoir up above Boulder.

Kevin and Ben hauling it into the lake

Fishin it up!

Conrad sporting the latest fashion in PFDs and Ben looking like he's trying to unhook him

2009-09-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

The next day, Kevin and I decided to head up into Rocky Mountain National Park for a hike. We decided to head to Emerald Lake. Along the way, found this downed tree with its roots out of the ground...so beautiful.

Kevin getting a pre-hike stretch in :)

A lily pond along the way

2009-09-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

Lots of really cool logs and trees around the trail....this one was one of the favs

Cool curvy rock designs

One hell of a weird face I can give eh???!!! :)

2009-09-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

On our way around Emerald Lake

At the back of the lake, we found a huge field of columbines....we stepped very lightly around them!

So pretty!

2009-09-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

This was found in a rock....pretty sure it natural. Whatever it is, very cool :)

The view from the backside of Emerald Lake

Stoppin for some munchies

The good ol' standin on a rock pose from Kevin

2009-09-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

A beautiful waterfall coming out of the snowfield above us

Another one trickling down the rock, almost as if the trees were crying, or peeing, or whatever :)

Stopping for some tasty all natural energy bar....and to look like a buddah gnome in the forest

How is this tree alive?????

2009-09-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

The next day we decided to go play in Eldorado Canyon....as I have never been before. Lucky for us....it was COLORADO DAY!!! (Just put into effect the day before!)

A great shirt Kevin picked up while he was in San Diego, and perfect for our friend Chris Rennau who's nickname has the intials of S.D. - funny if you know what it is :)

It was another great time with a great friend...we're still working on getting him to move down here!

A Keystone Rendezvous

2009-08-18T15:08:00.002-08:00

A couple of weekends ago, Ben and I headed into the mountains to join my friend Sara Dingman for the Keystone Bluegrass and Brewfest.....fun right!??! We headed up extra early to join in on a hike in the morning, to make sure we earned our brews :)

The group of gals we joined in with on the hike.

We never skied Keystone last winter, so after scoping it out on this hike, we're definitely going to check it out! Its sad to see all the bug kill in the trees though :(

Keystone Brewfest

2009-08-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

After the hike, it was on to the Bluegrass and Brewfest! Great music, tons of beer, a beautiful day, what more could you ask for??? (except NOT to work at 4pm that afternoon in Boulder!)

Ben enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes :)

Dingman and I, enjoying some great brewskis together again

One of Dingman's friends, and hands down the best hat EVER! His mom made it!

Welcome Baby Zander Block!

2009-07-27T11:59:00.002-08:00

Two weekends ago, Ben and I awoke to someone coming into our house at 7 am....after a few seconds of listening, we realized it was Brian and Vanessa and their dog Tikka. Confused for a moment on why they would be coming over this early, Ben then said "Vanessa's havin the baby!". For some reason I didn't believe him so I got up and went downstairs, only to find Vanessa laying down having a contraction. Brian was rushing around gathering their hospital bags (the plan was for her and Brian to be at our house before the birth so the drive would be close to the hospital in Boulder, rather than having to drive the 45 minutes on the curvy road from their cabin in Estes Park - but plans don't work when you're dealing with having a baby so I've been told :) ). V's contractions were down to about 2-4 minutes in between, so they hopped in the van and headed to the hospital.

Ben and I figured since it's her first baby, we'd probably have some time. So we got up, had a nice breakfast and got ready. We got to the hospital and called to the room, in which the nurse responded to us saying Vanessa wasn't feeling so well, so if we could wait in the lobby until they called for us or Brian came out. For those of you who know Ben, he doesn't really like sitting around, and after about 40 minutes of waiting and Ben getting ancy, we decided to leave and go on a bike ride while we're waiting. We got home, changed clothes, got in the car, got as far as the stop sign in our neighborhood when we got a call from Brian announcing that the baby had been born! So we raced back to the hospital! They were all at The Boulder Community Foothills Hospital - such a NICE facility!

We were able to come right back to the room to meet the new Block.....specifically Alyxzander Drezzor Octavius Block (a name that came to Brian in a dream years ago, pretty cool). We could already tell he was on "Go!" time, as Vanessa's water had broke at 5 am, she was pushing by about 9:45am and had him at 10:50 am. As V said, "He came out like he was on FIRE!". Here's the new mommy, who went through a SHORT natural birth with NO drugs, ready to rock the party, and Zander (one of him already many nicknames).

Brian holding his new son, I think you can tell he's pretty damn happy

It was so fun to hold Zander, since he's been living in our house for much of the last 9 months and we didn't know what each other looked like! :) He's SUCH a cute baby boy, and can't wait for all our adventures we'll share with him! If you look closely, it almost looks like Ben could imagine having one :)

I love this picture, about an hour after delivering. What an amazing, beautiful and happy mom, she's an inspiration

The awesome view from their hospital room - nice eh?

Baby Z

2009-07-27T11:52:00.000-08:00

All the friends came to have a tailgating party while waiting for Zander to come into the world, however Z just couldn't wait to meet us, so no party in the parking lot! We all came into the room to hang out with the three Blocks - the first of many fun times!

Mama's so happy!

B and V looking at their beautiful new baby boy

Here's lookin at you Z

Fun with Zander

2009-07-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

Brian giving baby Z his first father-son talk :)

Precious

Love this shot, Brian stood on the bed over Vanessa and Z to get it, it could have gone horribly wrong :)

V and B taking Z home

Celebrating Zander

2009-07-27T11:37:00.002-08:00

Ben and Brian enjoying a celebratory cigar for Zander

Zander stretching in one of his cute outfits from Ben's mom

Brian had found this wine....was the perfect time to enjoy it!

A toast to the best beginning for a great new family!

4th of July at the Nebraska B&B

2009-07-16T22:32:00.002-08:00

For the 4th of July weekend, we decided to pack some clothes and the dogs and head up to Lisa's parents house in Crawford, Nebraska. They are in the process of turning it into a Bed & Breakfast...so if you're ever in the area, you should definitely go visit them and their beautiful place!

Here are some storms we drove by/into on our way up from Boulder! CRAZY!

A view from across the pond my parents built from the river that flows through their property....its even stocked with fish!

They have TONS of birds, its a lot of fun just to sit outside and see them all flying around

Some of the flower garden, my Mom LOVES flowers!

2009-07-16T22:25:00.000-08:00

We didn't know this, but Ben and I were going to ride in the Crawford 4th of July Parade....which is quite huge for the area, people drive in from Cheyenne to see this thing! I would be riding my Dad's John Deere D with him, and Ben would be helping my aunt Diane drive my Dad's John Deere G.

The Rodeo Queen

This is where the parade started, which is pretty cool....since Reed is my maiden name, and the side of the family we were visiting!

Ben and Aunt Diane figuring out how to drive the tractor

2009-07-16T22:18:00.000-08:00

My dad, in his favorite place.....on a tractor. Don't think I've ever seen him smile so big!

Diane and Ben practicing their princess waves

Heading into the main part of town

My dad and I on his John Deere G....it was the favorite of the crowd since it kept "poppin", sounds like backfiring

2009-07-16T22:11:00.000-08:00

The dogs THOROUGHLY enjoyed the pond ALL weekend!

Ben and Dad found a great spot to set up horseshoes!

2009-07-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

The guys did some clay pigeon/target shooting....my dad has had this since I was a baby and he hadn't brought it out until now...thirty years later! better late than never I guess.

Of course had to fit in some 4-wheelin fun.....I think this is where the puppies got most of their ticks (which by the way, we're still finding randomly on them, two weeks later! Just gave them medicine today)

Family portrait :) Ben, Shadow (Lisa's parents dog), Mom R, Dad R, Grandma and Grandpa R, Aunt Diane, Aunt Sue and Cousin Billy

And you can't have 4th of July without a Rodeo!!! This is us watching it from our cars (there's reserved parking stalls on one side of the arena)

2009-07-16T21:50:00.002-08:00

We took a trip out to an Old West place complete with a cute little restaurant in a tiny cabin.

At the end of our visit....sure was great to hang out, just too short of time

Ben found Kayla's (my niece) pony :)

Catchin a little sun before we make the drive back to boulder....however by the looks of our skin, looks like we just came from Alaska!!! Man we're gleaming white!

Here's a picture on our way back to Colorado....it was like someone pulled the plug to the drain!

Another Colorado weekend o' FUN!

2009-07-14T10:32:00.002-08:00

With Lisa having another weekend off of work, we headed south to explore more of Colorado. This time we headed to Canon City to camp and mountain bike before heading on a wine tasting train ride!

Our first campground with Ben next to the car ready for any kind of FUN!

Mountain biking above Canon City and the Arkansas River

Found a trail called the Tunnel trail, it followed an old train track and tunnel route.

It was getting hot, so we stopped by the Arkansas to cool off

Lisa coolin off, with her new shorter hair....she's not used to it!

2009-07-14T10:28:00.000-08:00

We headed next north of Canon City to Red Canyon Park for some mountain biking. This stripe of red was so cool in the rocks as we approached Red Canyon

We're so excited for biking, we were geared up before we got out of the car! :)

Ben bikin it up!

2009-07-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

Next adventure was to take a Wine Tasting Train ride through the Royal Gorge.....highly recommended! We had so much fun and were happy to have our friends Alex and Becca join us!

Our wine and appetizers...mmmmmm!

It was such a nice day too! And the train had this awesome open car to stand outside and get an up close and personal experience!

The Bridge over the Gorge...Ben and I were on that bridge about 4 years ago!

2009-07-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

The open car was SO fun!

Lots of rafters out to have some fun, even though the arkansas was at flood stage

Lisa, Becca and Alex

Some ROUGH waters!

2009-07-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

The water was REALLY moving....we saw about 7 rafters get flipped over on this rapid in the picture, they all go dumped! Six were able to get back in, one was over by the shore, not sure what happened to him.

After the train ride, and some dinner with Alex and Becca in Canon City, we headed toward Salida to camp for the night. Some beautiful views on the way

Awesome sunset

2009-07-14T10:00:00.001-08:00

We got up in the morning and drove from our campground in Salida west to Monarch Pass - WOW!

Then we headed northeast up Hwy 285 towards Buena Vista....and found where we want to retire or quit our current jobs and open a B&B and rafting outfit! In a valley just south of Buena vista, the views are GORGEOUS....to the west are the Collegiate Peaks.

Some sweet summer fun with rafting and hiking, and some super awesome skiing in the winter!

2009-07-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

On our way to 11 Mile Reservoir, we ran into some jackasses....literally :) There was even a baby, such a cute ass

You had to pay a ridiculous amount to use the lake and there were rangers everywhere, so we just decided to have a little lunch by the lake

2009-07-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

As we made our way across Park County towards Cheesman Reservoir, we got a little lost but found this GREAT campground right next to a river with a great tubing area.

Very quiet campground, well groomed, definitely taking another trip to this one!

Next we drove through the old Hayman Burn, that was started in June of 2002. Its amazing what growth there is, yet how much is still needed.

2009-07-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Some staining on the rocks in the Hayman Burn

Cheeseman Reservoir...our destination for some canoeing. However, there's NO boating allowed including any floatable device! Stupid.

So we headed to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs for some mountain biking, however a big nasty storm chased us out!

A parting shot as we started to head back to Boulder after our weekend of FUN!