Colorado Adventures

Me at 26 weeks....yup I'm growing in all directions. I've beat the Dr. goal of 15 lbs and am shooting to be an overachiever and aiming high.

Dibs is in training for going on walks.....well rides in his case

This post is long overdue.
Which means, I owe you a photo or two to show what we've been up to.

Well, Jeremy had a birthday May 11. He hoped for a calm day but Baby G. had other plans for him. I wasn't feeling right that morning so I sent an e-mail to the doctor and they called within 10 minuntes telling me to come in for a check up. So I called Jeremy and said, "now don't freak out, but I'm going in to the DR. because they think I'm having signs of pre-term labor." I guess I should have started that line better because he got a little anxious and beat me to the Dr. office. When they took my blood pressure Jeremy commented they shouldn't take his because it was through the roof. Everything is fine and they did an ultrasound just so we could see the little squirt. Baby G. really wanted to celebrate Jeremy's birthday in style so she waved to him on the ultrasound, opened and closed her mouth and yawned.......I told Jeremy he just wanted to say Happy Birthday in person.....he didn't find it as funny. I figure if he was that anxious that day he ought to be in great shape the day I really go in labor.

Oh well, everything is fine and she's growing on schedule.

Memorial Day weekend we had this great plan to go camping in Estes Park. Yes camping, in a tent w/ community bathrooms (within 250 ft.) and a firepit. I'm sure you're thinking Jeremy planned this adventure because no pregnant lady in her right mind would agree to sleep on the ground in a tent. Surprisingly, I booked the campground and came up with the tent camping idea. Jeremy loves camping and hasn't done it for quite some time. It seemed like a great adventure before we're too far along in the pregnancy and I planned to take an air mattress (modified camping). Well, try as we might to tent camp the weather in CO had other plans. It rained for 6 days straight so we altered our plans and headed to Tiger Run outside Breckenridge and rented a cabin for the weekend. It was very relaxing and just what we needed....a quiet weekend away.

This past weekend was full of adventures as well. We had a baby shower in CO and had visitors from all over here. Melissa and Janelle flew in for the occasion and we were lucky to have our parents in town (with the exception of Wayne - we'll see him in July/August). Anyway, what a time we had visiting with everyone. Not to mention, the gifts we received will be very helpful with our new arrival in September. We love the carseat, diaper bag, exersaucer, rocker/bouncy chair, clothes, and golf club set.....yes, every newborn needs a golf set, especially if she's going pro.... we have to start her young. Perhaps next we'll get a softball bat and glove........

We quickly learned the 4 bottles of white wine wouldn't last very long with all the ladies in the house, so Jeremy headed to the store for a few more. I think everyone had a great time, if nothing else we gave them enough wine to keep them in high spirits. (just kidding) The photos below are of some great ISU Cyclone clothing, John Deere clothing (a little farmer girl), our new convertible carseat so she'll ride in style, Jeremy setting up the bouncy/rocker chair and Janelle having a "sip?????" of wine.

Janelle was the last to depart on Monday and I knew what that meant.....Jeremy would be tearing the to-be baby bedroom apart and setting up a crib, etc. To no surprise, we finished dinner and he began his adventure of setting everything up. I hope this doesn't jinx us and have the baby thinking it's time to be born.....she needs to wait until Sept. 4 at least. Anyway, he set the crib up rather quickly and then hauled the glider chair up from the basement. We got quite a bit done....well, Jeremy got quite a bit done and I entertained the dogs. After finishing the baby room he began assembly on the Exersaucer......nevermind the fact the baby won't be able to use it for probably 7-8 months from now, but it's better to be prepared. Thinking about it though, we probably have more time now to do this and the next year will fly by with out new addition. The exersaucer took longer than the entire baby room to set up. It should work well.

Aside from that there isn't much new. Here's a few photos from the past month.

Pedicure Dates...

I know what you're thinking.....Julie has a weekly pedicure date w/ friends or something weird like that....actually, I've never had a pedicure......but Jeremy and Dibs have bi-weekly pedicure dates.

You read that correct, Jeremy and Dibs, our pug/chihuahua mixed dog, have pedicure dates. I call it "boy bonding time." It's rather entertaining how this all began.

About 3 years ago I asked my mom to help me cut Dibs' nails since they were rather long. I believe I held him and she cut one nail......and I got bit. Dibs does not like it when anyone, even me, touches or plays with his nails. Ever since that one bite I've left it up to the vet once a year to cut them when he's in for regular shots. Last time they used the muzzle since Dibs wasn't a fan.

Then along came Jeremy who is now convinced he is the new "dog whisper." He was convinced he could cut Dibs' nails. I just shook my head and wished him luck. I even exagerated my horror stories of cutting Dibs' nails to try and deter him from this task. But no, he's stubborn like myself and gave it a shot.

He took Dibs on the back deck and sat down in the chair. I couldn't bear to watch so I turned by back inside the house. 5 minutes later I returned to the window to see Dibs licking Jeremy's face while Jeremy calmly clipped and filed each of Dibs' nails (yes, we actually have an electronic file as well). Seriously, my jaw hit the floor......Dibs bites everyone who tries to clip his nails (including me, his lifelong owner) but not Jeremy......show's his loyalty I guess. So now this has become Jeremy and Dibs' bi-weekly ritual of sitting down for bonding time and a nice pedicure......this past weekend Dibs came to show off his new nails and I asked him if he wanted me to buy some nail polish to really finish them off right......he growled then...ha ha ha.

It just cracks me up, my husband is essentially giving our little 10 lb. dog a pedicure........at least we know Jeremy has a new resume builder if engineering doesn't work out......

All is well in Colorado. I'm still pregnant and as of this week we're told it's a little girl. We laughed when they told us that and said she'll have us wrapped around her little finger.....a boy we would have sent to play in the mud, but a girl....that means dolls, make-up, etc......what are we in for?! But, she's a healthy little girl....which was the most important news of that doctors visit.

I think that's all for now. I hope you're all having a great week.

(sorry for any errors in this posting....I'm rushing to get it posted)

It's fixed!

Two rubber seals later we now have indoor plumbing again.
Life is almost back to normal.

This house is a lemon.....and officially has water problems...

It was a crazy week at the Gacnik house in CO.

On Tuesday we were having some grout/tile repaired in the master bathroom.....simple enough, right? Well, within an hour of the project starting, we learned there was a bigger problem. Let's back up though, we were repairing the grout and a few tile because there was a moisture in the grout and below a few tile (although on the exterior of the shower, it was caused by the shower - confusing I know) which would eventually soak through the floor into the tv room below. So, we thought we'd be proactive and fix it now.

Now back to the story, within an hour of the project beginning we learned there was no backer-board down and the tile had initially been put on plywood.....not a good thing. Basically within a few months of fixing this problem the grout would have been cracking again....seems like wasted money, right? So, we stopped the project mid-way and opted to tear the entire tile floor up and lay down backboard, tile, grout and sealer. Both Jeremy and I agreed this was the best decision to fix the problem permanently. So we rotated working from home while the repairs were made Tuesday - Friday. Now it looks great!!! However, looks can be deceiving.....

We did this repair to prevent water from soaking through the ceiling into our tv room below the shower area, a very proactive fix. Today, when cleaning the bathroom before moving all our stuff back in it, we ran into a problem. When cleaning the toilet, I flushed it to wash all the chemicals down the drain and then I heard......."Julie, HELP!!!!!" So I come running down the stairs to find Jeremy standing in the tv room with a pot over his head and watching water running like a waterfall out of our light above the fireplace...... So I grabbed a ton of towels to soak up the water and try to save our TV, DVD player, etc from the mid-day bath, when finally it stopped.

Now remember, this project was completed to prevent water from coming into our tv room, not to create an indoor waterfall. Funny thing though, the water was coming from below the toilet, not the shower area where the initial water problem started.

We initially thought the water was from the 2 ft. of heavy snow we got this weekend, but then we realized it was directly below the toilet. We're assuming they did not install a new rubber seal when reinstalling the toilet. We've called the flooring people to come fix the problem immediately. Now we can only be hopeful it did not cause much damage to the electrical area the water ran down or the overall ceiling. We'll keep you posted on the outcome of this project.

As you may remember, our house in jinxed with water problems.....no water pressure, our foyer, etc....so it's only fitting that this problem revolves around water as well. Jeremy and I have laughed though, we didn't realize we were buying a "fixer-upper" when we purchased this home, but wow we were in for a surprise!!!

Other than that, it was a pretty good week. We had an unexpected mid-April snow shower which brought us 2 ft. of heavy snow. I've included a photo for your delight and laughter.....as you fertilize your lawn and plant flowers we.....well, Jeremy....is shoveling snow.

An additional photo which is just cute......Sadie now uses Elvis' rearend as a pillow.....one of these days he'll toot when she's laying there to teach her a lesson...ha ha...actually they get along quite well.

I am.....and it's keeps going up!

It doesn't take much to make me laugh. Hopefully you can find humor from this comment/situation which happened earlier this week.

Every now and then I find myself saying exactly what's on my mind, without so much as thinking before speaking. I do believe this can get a person in trouble and it probably has from time to time, however, this past Monday I found it to be rather entertaining.

Jeremy and I had a doctor's appointment to hear Baby G. (aka Shimmy) heart beat. Rather exciting again and yes it confirms I'm still pregnant. However, near the end of the appointment we are going over the do's and don'ts of pregnancy such as:

DO:
Drink lots of water
Drink lots of milk (does ice cream count as a logical addition/substitution)
"Graze throughout the day" - lots of little meals
Sleep
Exercise (still jogging with 2 Labs....hopefully I don't trip over them)
Use Hand sanitizer (like it's going out of style)
Use Lotion (after hand sanitizer to keep your hands from getting cracked and dry)
Use hand rails to keep from falling (you become unsteady on your feet)
etc. etc. etc.

DO NOTS:
Drink alcohol
Drink caffeine (which means I can sleep through the day without my kickstart)
Eat cold meat sandwiches
Drink juice
Eat cheese
Eat canned tuna (so much for lent, ha)
Eat fried foods (fries are out)
Eat salty snacks
Do high impact activities
Stay out of altitude (hello - I live in the mile high city.....)

So, as we're going through this list of Do/Do not's I'm trying to figure out just what I can eat/do that won't kill me or the baby, the doctor comes to his next item on the list. The conversation went much like this:

Dr: Now Julie, I need you to watch your weight.
Julie: (without thinking I respond) I am and it keeps going up.....
Dr: Seriously, I see people who gain 60 lbs./pregnancy and you should only gain 15-20.
Julie: Well, I'm 9 lbs. on my way so I'm guessing I may be an overachiever and exceed your chart. (I always wanted to be an overachiever in school so this is my chance)
Dr: Seriously, try to avoid the fried foods, eating out, salty snacks....maybe take you lunch and some healthy snacks. Also, you really need to exercise, not too hard but doing cardio is very important.

- Now by this time I think Jeremy and I were trying not to laugh out loud. We very rarely eat out and we don't every make fried foods. Additionally, we take our lunches to work and mine consists of this......leftovers from night before to reheat and a yogurt. For snacks during the day I have a banana and an apple......I'm also still jogging with the 2 yellow labs, Elvis and Sadie.

So the only way I can change my eating habit is to switch from the healthy meals to the all fast food diet....something I'm considering because I "need to watch my weight" and my first attempt at taking care of myself is causing me to turn into a blimp apparently.

Jeremy and I left this appointment laughing!!! It's one thing to tell someone to watch their weight who is in need of a lifestyle (food/exercise) change, but to tell a pregnant woman who's going to keep packing on the pounds regardless of what they do to "watch your weight" just cracks me up. I'm going to keep watching my weight and also the clothing that doesn't fit when I get dressed in the morning.

*One note Jeremy would like to add is that this doctor obviously has not been "trained" on what to say and what not to say to a pregnant woman....."You look beautiful no matter how much you weigh" is a much better option for a healthy relationship versus "You look like a blimp." Jeremy says it's all in training you learn the do/do nots of a conversation with a prenant wife.

*A second disclaimer, I didn't tell the doctor is I have an obsession with ice cream.....I like it so much I finish mine before Jeremy, a very impressive feat ......I only allow myself to stop once/week at a ice cream shop, but I feel that fits into the "dairy (calcium)" category on my "DO" list from the doctor.....don't you agree?

Have a great week!

The male version of a baby shower....

The male version of a baby shower does not include friends getting together or a gift exchange of any sort. Heck, in Jeremy's case it didn't even include beer with his friends. It only included a day of shopping at our favorite sporting store, REI.

Amazingly, we still had giftcards from our wedding so we thought we'd use them on a hiking pack. It's something you can carry a baby or toddler in while hiking in the mountains or just around on a walk. Jeremy was rather excited about this purchase. When we found out we were expecting he saw one of these and wanted to buy it then. However, I was only 3 weeks along and thought it might be best to make it through one or two ultrasounds before we rushed out to purchase this absolute necessity of an item. (never mind the fact we don't have a carseat or crib, but heck this baby can come home from the hospital in style riding in the "hiking pack" although it would be a long walk).

Anyway, we headed downtown to REI and Jeremy tried on the 3 or 4 different styles they had. This isn't your everyday hiking pack, it includes a sun/rain cover, diaper pad for changing, a storage area for carrying diapers, etc. One pack even had a mirror so you could check on the status of your baby while hiking. I find this rather amusing......are they expecting us to be on 4-5 day hikes and carrying all the baby supplies in the pack? Anyway, I made the deal since I get to carry the baby for 9 months, Jeremy can carry the baby all he wants in his hiking pack. So we finally made our selection.....we were getting the one with all the bells and whistles on it so we were prepared for anything/everything....and then got near the front to check out and saw another man with one much simplier and what appeared to be lighter. So, we turned around and went back to begin the selection process again. This time we walked away with one half the weight of the first one and without all the bells and whistles (still has the sun/rain protector).

We were proud of our decision and then realized 1/2 the hiking pack equaled 1/2 the price, which means we were not going to use much of our giftcard......our ultimate goal since we really don't go to this store often for it's location. So Jeremy put on his hiking pack and we proceeded to walk around the entire store looking for anything else we could add to this purchase. I'm not going to kid you - Jeremy was very proud of this hiking pack and insisted on wearing it. Since it adds depth to a person I was convinced he was going to take someone or something out while turning and looking at other items. It was like watching a kid with a new pair of school shoes walk around showing them off.....rather cute. Anyway, we came upon a youth outdoors water bottle and some other random things. Finally we called it quits and left......with money still on our giftcard.

On our way out I looked at Jeremy who was still wearing his "hiking pack" and said "this must be the male version of a baby shower!" He laughed. It was fun to see him so excited about something for this baby that he could envision using on a regular basis.

*I must note, we have looked at multiple cribs and that in itself is an adventure. Whichever one is selected really should be posted here as well because we are 1) rather picky 2) safety conscious 3) price realistic 4) ultimately over protective parents-to-be of a baby who will not be able to roll over by themself at birth and we are worried about them jumping out of the bed on day one or jumping up and down and the thing falling down. ha ha

A quick update on Sadie......

She is doing much better and in the middle of last week was able to have 3 of the 4 bandages taken off. However, one paw wasn't healing as well so they rebandaged it and sent us home with instructions on Sunday to take it off....... Well, Saturday afternoon Sadie decided she was better and pulled it off by herself. We just laughed and went with it. She's doing well and still desparately wanting to play ball.....however, she's on restrictions through this week. Don't worry, Elvis and Sadie have now rejoined me for jogs in the evening so they're using energy.

Have a great week!

It all started with a ball...

Poor Sadie - she has certainly had better days.

Upon arriving home from church Sunday 5 of the cul-de-sac dogs were playing outside chasing balls. Very rarely do Jeremy and I bring Sadie and Elvis out to join in the fun; partly because Sadie is still young and we don't know if she'll stay close by or take off and Elvis.....well, he'll pee and/or poop in everyone's yard and that's no way to make friends. But yesterday I was feeling giving so I brought Sadie out and started throwing the ball for her. She was in her height of glory! I throwed the ball for nearly 15 minutes and she'd sprint past the other dogs to get it first and then bring it back, dropping it nicely at my feet. Jeremy came out to join me and that's when I noticed red spots on our driveway.....it was almost a paint I thought but then I realized what it was. So we tackled Sadie knowing the blood was certainly from her. I thought, she must have torn a pad on one of her paws. Little did we know, but she tore through all the pads on her paws. 4 Paws with blood.

I did was any logical, crazy, pet owner would do. I called the vet and asked if we should bring our dog in. Based on her "war wound" (from an innocent game of fetch) they said yes, right away. So Jeremy and I loaded Sadie in the car for a trip to the vet. Now don't forget, we're talking about a dog who hates, absolutely hates, car rides. Well, she did better than expected but I think her paws were stinging so badly the car was the least of her worries.

Jeremy carried our bleeding pooch into the vets office and they said it would be awhile so to stop back. When we did, we were greeted by Sadie with all 4 legs/paws wrapped with pink and purple bandages. At least she looked cute. However, she was rather sore and hobbling along. She's on some nice pain medication now and it's a good thing. She slept the remainder of Sunday at home after that adventure. Funny though, the one time Jeremy went upstairs Sadie tried to follow and then realized she couldn't get back down. The pressure must not have felt good on the paws, so Jeremy saved her and carried her down. (She's milking the injury for what it's worth).

This morning she was slow moving again and really was confused when we put the cone on her head. When we are gone she has to have the cone on so she doesn't pull the bandages off. She wasn't a happy camper when we left today.

Life will be slow moving for Sadie for 2 weeks. No playing ball or running.....you tell that to a young lab who lives to play ball. Also, we have plastic booties for if it rains/snows to keep her paws dry. If we thought getting the cone on was fun, I can only imagine putting booties on her. We will find out on Wednesday if she's recovering well or what they want to try next.

And to think, it all started with an innocent game of ball in our cul-de-sac!

2009 is full of surprises!

It only seems fitting after a massive delay of blog posting to educate all you readers.

I've decided to write a reflection about what I've learned in 2009.

1. I love naps! Over the past 2 months I've learned how to multi-task during my lunch break. 15 min. = eating, 45 min = reading book or sleeping.
2. I like crackers! We have them everywhere; on the night stand, in the bathroom, in the closet, in my car.
3. I can and do eat every 2 hours. I've learned if I do not that bad things happen. In light of this discovery I added 5 pounds in 2 months. (there may be another factor too) Oddly though, in gaining 5 pounds we've discovered Jeremy has lost 5 pounds. At this rate, 6 months from now he'll be a "skinny-mini" and I'll be a waddling duck. ha ha
4. I do not love steak anymore or eggs. Steak now tastes like chalk and eggs, well it's just a bad story. Good thing we bought a cow and have a freezer stocked full of IA beef!
5. Wine, coffee and bourbon are sad friends to let go of. However, Jeremy has stepped up to the plate and helped fill my shoes. Now though he gave up bourbon for Lent so the poor bottle is all by itself.
6. Waking up at least once a night allows me to perfect walking around the bedroom to the bathroom without stepping on 1 of 3 dogs. It's good training I guess.
7. Snug pants. It's allowing me to feel like a present-day teenager and experience the delight (?) of wearing their clothing style. (it also is presenting me the opportunity to buy new clothes - although I'm bound and determined to wear MY clothes another month - wish me luck)
8. Naps. Yes, I love my mid-day naps but I also enjoy my evening naps. Jeremy is good at waking me up and telling me the ending of my favorite shows since I "meditated" for a bit of it....ok, I was asleep at 7:00 PM. Evening naps are good though.
9. I have new favorite foods. The spicer the better! Bring on the Thai food. I love Strawberry ice cream! I love it so much we now have Non-fat Yogurt because I'm a regular at eating it. I love popsicles! Red is my favorite.
10. I love to snow ski and have been banned from it by my doctor. (I tried to negotiate and lost miserably, I even promised not to ski blacks or in the trees) Along with snow skiing they also banned softball, soccer, bike riding, water skiing, and any other potential sport I love. I'm allowed to jog still (for awhile) and swim.....but really, who wants to be seen in a swim suit when you're waddling like a duck? (just kidding - that may be my saving grace in the summer heat)
11. Jeremy really is supportive of these changed habits, etc. He willingly takes naps, eats all the new foods and drinks my wine for me.
12. My due date - September 12, 2009

Other things that Jeremy and I have learned is that cribs are rather expensive as are carseats and strollers and diapers and whatever gadget they think you need for a baby. Who new a baby could cost so much?! (we've been lucky though as many have offered for us to use their stuff)

To answer the #1 question we receive - No, we do not know the gender of the baby.....Yes, we might find out....and no, we're not planning on telling.....we have to have one secret. The secret of being pregnant didn't last long since I stopped drinking coffee and wine and then stopped eating steak. That and the bump in front is becoming a little giveaway.

I must confess, we did lie a bit over the past 2 months. Although I had to work in Florida, Jeremy and I flew down early to tell my parents of the new addition this year. I think they were a bit shocked. We also lied to Jeremy's parents about my "work trip" to the Cleveland area. The only agenda item we had was telling them about the family addition as well. They were shocked a bit as well and then couldn't believe I really didn't have to work. So yea, no blog updates for a reason. Now, we're back in business and you may receive updates on a regular basis.

Next week we have another ultrasound and if I'm technically inclined I'll post a photo. Wish me luck on that one!

You live and you learn..

I know I said the posting would be sparce right now since I'm traveling for work, but these travel adventures are too good not to share.

FL - It came, it went, it's gone.....thank heavens.
As you may recall I had a business trip to FL about 2 weeks ago. Okay, so I mixed business with pleasure since my parents are down in Naples for the winter.....but it's warmer there. Anyway, it was a great opportunity to spend a few days in Naples, bum the local market, pick up my favorite giant cookie, eat a pint of ice cream from my favorite ice cream parlor (all in one sitting too), and play some golf. I was hoping to go deep-sea fishing since I've never done it before but the weather wasn't looking favorable so that will have to wait until next year. Anyway, after a few days in Naples I headed to Fort Lauderdale for my conference which went great. I had this great plan of how the trip home would work.......I'd leave Naples by 1 PM, get to the Ft Meyers airport for my 6:30 flight, enjoy a 1 hour layover in Dallas, be back in Denver by 10, in bed by 11 and at work by 8 the next day......I know...it seems too good to be true.

The trip started off great, I made it to Ft. Meyers, returned my car, checked in for my flight, got through security and only had a 30 min. delay on my flight to Dallas......although I was skeptical about making Dallas due to an ice storm that hit that day.....well, I made Dallas.....then, I sat.....I sat until Midnight when Dallas finally decided to cancel all the flights they had delayed since 7 PM that night......hmmmmm....now what I thought. I didn't the most logical thing, I called Jeremy thinking he could solve this problem.....just kidding. I did call though to get the #800 for American Airlines and then for a hotel number in the area knowing everything would book up quickly. I was lucky and got a flight for the next day and a hotel within 2 miles of the airport. It seemed too good to be true. Then I went to find a taxi or a shuttle.

It was 8 degrees outside at this time and I was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans....yes, it was a little chilly. Also, there were only 5 taxi cabs running and non of the drivers knew how to drive on ice/snow.....thrilling....fabulous!!! So, after waiting about 1 hour for a taxi I finally got one and with other people headed to the Holiday Inn Express.....oh wait, they were 3 different Holiday Inn Express' and I was the last one to get dropped off. it was an adventurous drive with my driver, new to America and his first time seeing snow. The other passengers and I told him it's best not to slam on your breaks or speed when the city is shut down due to ice packed roads....it really was bad I must admit. However, by 2:15 AM I made it to my hotel and got checked in with my bag on my back. All I wanted was a nice hot shower but I didn't have anything except for what the hotel gives you. Needless to say when I made it to the airport the next day I was clean and had 6 hours of sleep, but that was about all. Jeremy was a trooper and didn't even laugh when he saw me in my two day travel adventure outfit.

I thought Dallas was a safe bet to travel through in January when the midwest is getting pounded with snow/ice. Who knew they would actually shut down the one night I was in town.

I was home for a whooping 36 hours before heading to Albuquerque, NM for another recruitment event. That trip was much smoother.

This weekend though I'm headed back to Dallas.......and it's supposed to snow.....ALOT.....in Denver.....perfect timing!

PS. Jeremy, Elvis, Sadie and Dibs are doing great......maybe one of these times I'll have one of them update this thing.

Economy

We are weathering the economic times in Colorado. Here is prime example of how to reuse your perfectly good items. I told Jeremy he was very resourceful for using duct-tape....the king of all tapes.











I can't lie though, I'm happy I wasn't seen with him in public that day. What wife would ask her husband to put duct-tape on his dress shoe to hold it together?! I'm sure it looked classy at business meetings. In addition to the heel falling off his shoe, he also ripped his dress shirt the same day. Both clothing failures happened in the morning. Nothing but the best for my husband! I believe he was going to try mending the shirt......I told him to throw it away, we are not that bad off......seriously people! As for the shoe, I recommended we get them resoled, he said he wants to try glue on it. I just laughed.

However, a broken shoe and ripped shirt is a creative way to approach your boss for you raise. ha ha

Hope your week is going well!

Photos as promised

Ok, again a bit delayed but better late than never. Here are some photos from Christmas when skiing with Debbie, Autumn, Amber, Jeremy and I.



Debbie, Autumn and Amber right before skiing - Day 1






Debbie and Amber - the first time Amber did it by herself









Debbie and Autumn - Autumn ROCKS at skiing! No fear.








Amber - one of the falls where she sits and giggles











Jeremy and I










Amber enjoying some hot chocolate after a day of skiing





Enjoy!

Happy New Year....

.....okay, I'm slacking on this blog and I'm willing to admit it.
It not that I don't enjoy writting a "journal" for all of you to read. It just takes time and being lazy is more appealing sometimes.......that and skiing in the mountains.

A lot has happened since I last updated this.

Christmas
We had the Gacnik family here for Christmas. It was our first experience with a full house but it worked out well. Everyone arrived from Ohio and Texas the Sunday prior to Christmas and moved in with gifts and clothes to last awhile. I think back to when Jeremy and I were looking at houses knowing this first Christmas we would have a house full. I remember us regularly talking about how many bedrooms each house had and if it could accommodate guests well. After this experience, it's safe to say our house can hold a whopping 13 people......no we will not be having 11 children to fill it. ha ha ha

It was busy week though. Some of the adventures included the Denver Aquarium, the Kid's Indoor Waterpark in Highlands Ranch and St. Nicks (great shopping). We were pretty lucky too, Santa found our house so the kids were thrilled Christmas morning. It was cute watching them open presents and get excited knowing St. Nick found them all the way in Colorado. The biggest downer of the week was not having any snow. Jeremy and I had picked up a few sleds before everyone arrived in hopes we could take them to our....well, my.....favorite sledding hill by the house. No such luck though. Oh well, everyone was busy as it was.

The funniest gift to watch being played was a Nintendo Wii. The adults beat the kids at the first opportunity to play. Bowling was quite the success by kids of all ages.

We enjoyed tons of food, wine and coffee thoughout the week and a great game called "the dollar game." I'll teach you if you don't know how to play. The dogs learned what it meant to have house guests but I think they miss the attention. Every day they played ball for hours on end with Tyler, Mckenzie, Amber and Autumn. Amazing the dogs did very well with all the kids....even Dibs....we're proud to announce he never bit anyone (or at least I was never told).


The week following Christmas Debbie, Autumn and Amber stayed to enjoy CO a bit more. So we took to the mountains and taught the girls to ski. I must admit, once it clicks in a kids head, they take off. Autumn was a speed racer down the mountain and had no concerns for turning. The faster she could go the more she smiled. Amber....once Amber caught on she giggled the entire way down the mountain.

New Years
For New Year's Eve we went to Red Robin and then to the Denver Zoo lights. They city does a great job with this display and it's something you should see if in Denver between Dec. 1 - Dec. 31.

Now, well it's been back to work for Jeremy and I. This year is definitely going to be a great one. There is a bit of travel in it for each of us, some work and some fun. In the next month I'll be in FL for a conference, TX for student interviews, NM for a conference and then OH for student interviews. Then this summer Jeremy and I are hoping to make Alaska and then to Minnesota at the cabin. (based on the economy neither Jeremy or I are turning down requests from work to travel....I don't think either of us are in the position to argue when so many others are being cut from their jobs) We really are fortunate and have to stop and count our blessings.

As for visitors.......we are expecting Rita, my cousin, to be in town the weekend of February 15. It'll be a great visit.

We hope you had a great Christmas and New Years! Hopefully this year treats you and your family well. I'm guessing my New Year's Resolution should be to update this a bit more regularly. Hopefully after this weekend we'll have more photos for you, because we're going skiing in 2 feet of fresh powder. Wish us luck!

(I'll post photos later of the vacation so you can see the fun everyone had)

Let the countdown begin...

....we're getting closer to Christmas, and I've delayed on the update since Thanksgiving. It's amazing I'm still allowed to write these things since I'm so prompt on the updates...ha ha ha.

First off, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving...2 weeks ago...(better late than never for my wishes to you). We were busy with family in town. Tom, Mary, Katelyn and Caleb decided to spend the holiday in CO with us. It was a great visit and a delight to see them. The kids have grown so much and developed great personalities that light up any room they walk into.

We did the Turkey thing...surprise, surprise....were you expecting anything different?

We then planned out the "to do" items while they were in Colorado. Go to the mountains...this task proved to be more difficult than anything else.

The weatherman said we may have a few "flurries," which I thought would be great for the kids since they were in CO. Now, when someone says "a few flurries" I think of a light dusting, still see grass.......I don't think of 8 inches of snow. So Saturday when we woke up to see the ground covered we did the logical thing, instead of going to the mountains, we went sledding. It was great and I've come to identify that I may be the biggest kid on the block, seriously, I went down the hill more than anyone else and was smiling the entire time. Katelyn loved it, Caleb on the other hand enjoyed being pushed in the stroller by Tom. Tom informed us he was teaching Caleb how to "flirt with the girls." Gotta start 'em young. ha ha.

Since Saturday backfired for visiting the mountains we then decided to try for Sunday....I should know better than to plan anything....because it snowed again and the weatherman then said "if you have guests from out of town, don't let them leave." So much for "a few flurries" so we decided to drive anyway and go the the Denver Aquarium. Everyone had a great time and Santa made a surprise appearance at lunch. We then decided it was as good of time to let the kids sit on his knee and tell them what they wanted for Christmas....a pink computer in case you're wondering.

Caleb LOVES lions and thought this exhibit was great.

This is a photo of Tom and Katelyn making homemade doughnuts. Can't lie, they were great.

Overall, it was a great visit and one we appreciated. I guess we'll consider it our training run for Christmas in 2 weeks when 11 people move in for the week.

You're probably wondering about the updates with the mice, jeep and fridge......

Mice - we've caught a few more non-rent paying nor meal plan residence.....they have gone to Mouse Heaven.

Jeep - still sitting at the shop, the "cool" part we ordered online was delivered but without the piece we needed.....I guess someone before us needed it too....so Jeremy may have the biggest Christmas gift of all, a brand spankin' used Jeep or something....we're working on it.

Fridge - the appliance serviceman said it needs to be inside and will continue to stop working when it's below 40 degrees outside, who knew?

A nice funny update....Jeremy laughs that since I've moved to CO it snows a lot more in the Denver area and things break a lot faster. In fact, to support this statement he says that's why he lived for 10 years here without a shovel and then he met me......I move in with 4 shovels and 1 snow blower.......the snow blower now doesn't work.....see I bring the snow and I break stuff....anyone looking for house guest should remember that before inviting us....ha ha...anyway, we've shoveled 4 times this year and it's not even Christmas.

Also, a correction to the previous post....I forgot to include two additional things that broke this year.

Grill - literally caught on fire on the outside. Yes it was mine before we got married.
Lawnmower - that too was mine before we got married and it spend 5 weeks in the shop earlier this year, I guess it really kicked the bucket.

Have a great week and a holiday season! I'll be sure to update you soon.

Roll the dice...

What are the odds something else could break for Jeremy and I? Very high apparently!

We just received the bill for the water repairs, which insurance covers aside from the deductible, and thought we were home free. No more major purchases for a year was our plan.......that was until yesterday.

Jeremy called an informed me that his Jeep decided to stop working. Okay, into the shop where they informed us the part was on backorder.......National Backorder and no timeframe available. I addition there is no temporary fix for this since it's the steering column/ignition area. hmmm......we pondered our options for a bit - rent a car and hope the part arrives in 1 week, however realizing it may take 3 months.......not a good option....3 months of a rental car could be ~$2,000 not including the repairs to Jeremy's Jeep which total the value of the vehicle if we fixed them all. Option 2, look at a different vehicle. While standing and trying to decide what we should do, the service man at the shop offered to buy Jeremy's Jeep as is. (we were in shock) After pondering the options we decided to stop by a few places and see what a new/used vehicle costs these days. After looking around we realized you can get some pretty good deals on Jeeps, used/new, now because the economy is not doing well (in case you hadn't noticed). We didn't do anything other than look before heading home.

Now as you can imagine, a new car means more money this year and a part seems like a favorable fix. So we decided to rely on our friend......Ebay.....a reliable source at sometimes and it proved to be last night. The part, which is on National Backorder, appeared and we bought it immediately. Hopefully it will be here in a week so we can get the jeep up and running. We were thrilled. (I should note the disclaimer that we will find out today if the part we ordered is actually the correct part from the repair shop - otherwise we may be the owners of a 2006 Jeep)

After the whirl-wind experience of "to buy or not to buy a vehicle" we were beat. We were thinking that was a close call, not very funny and we should call it a day. Jeremy went to the garage to get something out of our 6 month old extra fridge and came in to announce it died. I looked at him and said, "you've got to be kidding me." The TURKEY and everything else in it.......what are we going to do? My brother Tom and his family are arriving tomorrow (now being today). Perfect timing! You're probably saying, use the warranty.....good idea but we bought this from a warehouse sale.....you get what you pay for I guess. So, today at 2:00 I'm heading to public transportation (yes, in Denver) to ride to Jeremy's office and then we are off to find a quick fix and get everything switched over before Tom arrives tonight.

I'm thinking Jeremy and I will have a glass of wine before they arrive......keep your fingers crossed that we make it through one more month without anything else breaking........2008 has been a learning experience for home ownership.

Incase you forgot everything that has broke or is just expensive in repairs, here they are:
Water pipe pressure non-existent (4 times we had replacements, etc)
Water leaked through the roof to cause damage to foyer, etc.
Double oven broke/replaced
Refridgerator broke
Jeep Dead

It's almost funny.....almost.

Have a great Thanksgiving though. Seriously, even though we have things breaking we're pretty lucky. We both have jobs we love and are doing well. We have great friends and family. We are able to be with people we love during the holidays and aren't in harms way like many service men/women. We have a roof over our head (when it doesn't leak), clothes and food and those are the main necessities. I guess it's pretty hard/ridiculous to complain about the little
things when I passed a homeless man this morning who doen't have a roof over his head or a warm meal. Be thankful for the little things, they add up!

Unexpected & Unwanted Visitor

We had a visitor and there's certain to be more.

Last night Elvis was on hunting duty and keeping a close eye on the kitchen.....which told me we had a visitor. He/She/They are not paying rent and are not on a set meal plan like Elvis, Sadie, Dibs, Jeremy and I. So, they have to go.

To lay down the law, Jeremy set a friendly "trap" with cheese. (I don't know if friendly is the best word) This morning I found one in the "trap." HA! Show's them who's boss.......(however, I'm leaving the remains for Jeremy)

I'm leaving a photo out since you can probably imagine the scene.

Maybe tonight will be lucky as well!

HOUSE UPDATE!

On a side note, we got our new entry installed yesterday and it looks great!

It will be stained on Monday. We're almost done with the rain damage repairs.

Yippie!

To Florida and Back...

I may not know what time zone I'm currently in, but I do know I'm not on vacation anymore.

Jeremy and I took a little break this fall from the rat race and headed to FL to enjoy a bit of wine and relaxation. The vacation plan was simple really, fly to FL, stay with the Kiefer Parents, drink wine, take naps, and read a book. I took two books and can honestly say they have not yet been opened. I also can honestly say I didn't take a nap. It was fun and busy. By the time we returned home I was in need of a nap and Jeremy had acquired a good chest cold.






For some reason 1/2 way through the wine experience I thought it would be "cool" to jump up on these boxes and take a photo. whoever said white kids can't jump obviously didn't know my potential......heck, I didn't even know my jumping potential. Probably not the smartest thing I've done, but it seemed like a good idea at the time



It was a great trip though. We headed to Epcot on Thursday for the Wine and Food Festival. Always a great time! There we ran into Matt, Stacy and the 3 kids, who were also on vacation. We chatted for awhile and then went on the boat ride at Norway (I think - but we had drank a few glasses of wine by then so it could have been somewhere else). We are pleased to say we made it all around the world at Epcot trying all sorts of wine and food. I would be remise if I didn't mention the spilling of wine.....at the 3rd stop....to think we were just getting started! However, dad (who spilled it) recovered nicely, bought another glass and caught right back up. Nice work!













Thursday night we went to the Hoop-de-Doo, a dinner musical event at Disney. We had a great time. I can also say I'm happy we didn't have to cook that night because I've never seen Jeremy eat so many chicken wing, etc. That in itself was amazing.











Friday and Saturday were low-key days. We swam with Mackenzie, Nolan and Kelsey.....correction, I swam with the kids while everyone else watched and laughed when I said it was cold. Jeremy got pushed in by Mackenzie so he got a taste of the temperature. ha ha




Since Matt's family spent 2 nights at the camper with us my parents brought along 2 tents to accommodate all the guest. Well, this green one hasn't been opened in......a really long time....I'm thinking 20+ years and has a great scent....so great, we gave it a day to air out and then closed it back up. No one was willing to stay in that one. Sell it dad - E-bay




Friday the kids prepared for trick-or-treating at Disney. That is the way to go. I've never seen so many decorations in a campground nor have I seen kids reap the benefits of candy. We "cleaned house" trick or treating and even used the golf cart to help us get around a little faster. More bang for the buck, right?



























Saturday we took the little 2-seater boats out on the lake. Jeremy was in one and Mackenzie and I in the other. I joked before saying we'd get drenched, knowing that you can't get wet in these things. I must have jinxed us though because the next thing you know a wave came over and I was sitting in a cold puddle. Then, on the way back to shore it began to rain......and not lightly, it downpoured so we were soaking. That's the last time I joke about staying dry.

We explored downtown Disney and found some fun shops to bum around. of course we found a few things too. Other than that we didn't do awhole lot. Great trip though, we may need to go back next year and see if we still like wine.


I'll toss photos up here. however, I'm not going to write clips for them all. Use your imagination!

What's next to come for us, well more travel.
I head to DC later this week and Jeremy will be leaving soon for CA and then Panama. (Yeah for frequent flier miles.....I hope)

Update - it's not broke

There must be a God because for a first this year, something is not broke in our house. YEAH!!!!! My manly-man of a husband tore apart the pipes under the sink to discover the reason the garbage disposal wasn't working was the pipes were clogged and backed up. I'm sure that was a pleasant smell, but he did it without complaining once.....which I think I know why.....he's the one who clogged it with the potato skins......priceless, it gave me something to chuckle about. However, I hope he's as kind about it when I clog it. Or else it will become the "you clog it, you tear it apart and fix it" projects. ha ha.

Life in the fast lane

We spent our weekend like every normal couple working around the house. Nothing exciting to it. We put our paintings, photos and clock back on the wall, moved the furniture a little more, mowed the yard, cleaned, cleaned and cleaned. Sounds exciting I'm sure.

One more thing..........Garbage Disposal = Broke. The hits just keep on coming. It seemed about time for that since the repairs from the water damage are almost done. It was time for something else to go.

Maybe in a week or so we'll add some photos again, which would mean I need to take some photos again.

However, our outlook is good. We're headed to FL on the 30th to the Wine Experience and to visit family......or should I have said to visit family and, if time permits, stop by the wine experience. We'll toast you all at 10 AM while drinking a glass of wine in Argentina or maybe Canada.

Renovations Continued and Estes Park

You're probably dying from suspense to know the updates from our water damage and see the improvements. So, here they are.....shortly followed by photos from our trip to Estes Park this past weekend (which was an adventure in itself).

We are back in the house officially and although nothing is on the walls or shelves, it is better than a hotel. All that remains are some minor repairs........and the entire front door entry which will be torn out in about 3 weeks and then a serious cleaning job. We can donate a heavy coat of dust/saw dust to anyone interested. Here are the photos from when we were in the hotel. They showed up a little better than the camera phone photos.

I think you understand the disfunction of having a fridge in the living room and toilet in the office next to a dishwasher. Something just doesn't go here.

Anyway, it's coming along and in a week or so we'll have update photos with the fridge in it's rightful spot and photos on the wall. It will look like we have lived her for 8 months......wait, we have.

Moving onward, we went to Estes Park this past weekend. Since we hadn't camped this past weekend I recommended it about a month ago; which seemed like a great idea at the time. Jeremy loves to camp so this would be something he would thoroughly enjoy. Again, it seemed like a great idea at the time until the weather man told the forecast. A high on Saturday of 46 degrees, fog, rain and then SNOW Saturday night into Sunday. What perfect weather for camping .....in a tent.....sleeping on the ground. However, I could not pull the whimp card since it is something I thought Jeremy would really enjoy. I was thrilled on Friday night when he agreed it did not sound fun so we opted for the cabin rental option.

We had a great time, aside from the fog on Saturday. Heck, you couldn't even tell we were in the mountains. There are a few photos which show the dense fog for you. The bright yellow are the Aspens turning colors, quite pretty. Then there are a few photos of the Elk.....I thought of my cousin Leon and his love for hunting when seeing a few of these animals....we did wake up to snow on Sunday and it had cleared off rather well so we enjoyed Rocky Mountain National Park. One additional photo I tossed in is of Jeremy taking photos, this was my view for much of the weekend (ha ha - it wasn't painful). He loves photography so we took advantage of the outdoors. Overall, a relaxing weekend, almost too relaxing since it took more coffee to get going this morning.