What A Great Way To Spend...........

the last weekend in August!!! HOORAY - September is almost here - my FAVORITE month!!

I headed up to Ft. Collins after work on Friday!! Did I hit traffic again??? Absolutely - but I had my Subway sandwich to eat and great music playing so the trip wasn't bad at all!!

I was very surprised at how warm it still was when I arrived about 8:00 that night - and the hot weather continued throughout the weekend!! A whooping 97 degrees both days!!

Ah, it felt so good to sleep in - and little Aleah is ONE good sleeper at night - not a peep out of her! Saturday morning we drove to a spot to watch Robby fly his remote control airplane and that was fun to watch - I even captured his great landing on the movie camera! We stopped for coffee (yum) and glazed donuts on the way home!

Robby is starting Aleah early to help him in his business as the photo below shows!!

Jill and I went to a movie "Eat Pray Love" - want my honest opinion???? Don't bother to go - it was a slow, jumbled up movie that wasn't really worth watching - and it was LONG too!! But the popcorn was good!!

Robby and Jill went out to eat at The Outback that evening so Aleah and I played and played together - she's quite the little snuggler too at bedtime - you just put her blanket on your shoulder and she lays down her head and snuggles with you - ah, pure bliss!!

Sunday morning we did church - we dressed her in the cutest dress and while waiting to go, I pulled her around on her little horse!! She loved it!!

Here's Aleah all set to pray with Mom!

And we even did a little shopping on Sunday - I had to exchange a top at Kohl's and we hoped to find some bargains at Goodwill but that didn't happen!!

All too soon it was time to put Aleah down for her afternoon nap and time for me to hit the road!!

I always hate saying goodbye - especially when I know it's going to be another 6 weeks before I see Jill and Aleah!! But next up is fall - and that means it'll be time for the "Pumpkin Patch" event in Denver - more fun!!

The "Sore Finger" Update

I DID go to the doctor last week - I'm not excited about where the location of this dr. is because she's at the hosptial which is out of town and takes longer to get there - but on the other hand, I never go to the dr. anyway so why should I worry??

Anyway, I DID like the new dr. - she was VERY friendly, very talkative, and very compassionate which I really appreciated!! And she also charged me the least amount possible since I don't have insurance to cover dr. visits!

Now to get to the point - she took one look at my finger and knew exactly what it was - and of course I threw the piece of paper away where she had written it down for me but bottom line it's an infection around the fingernail (not such a big deal) BUT it's a staph infection (quite a big deal!). I was shocked about it being a staph infection and was THANKFUL I had made the appointment - you don't mess around with those types of infections!! Where I picked it up, I have no idea but I guess you can pick it up about anywhere - scarey thought!

She said a round of powerful antibiotics would take care of it and she even had her nurse call to make sure the prescription she was giving me could come in a generic form so I wouldn't have to pay too much - I really thought that was nice!!

SO I've been on antibiotics for almost a week now - I still continue to soak it at night and put neosporin and a bandaid on during the day (per the dr's orders) and my finger DOES look better - however, it is still sore - I'll wait another couple of days and if it's still sore on Friday, I'll call the dr. to make sure I don't need another round of drugs!!

Weekend Company!!

Was I ever surprised when my sister Patty called me a week ago Sunday night and asked what we were doing for the weekend - I started telling her what was planned and then stopped in mid-sentence and said "Why do you want to know?" And it was then she told me that her and Leonard were coming out for a 3 day weekend!!!

WOW - I was VERY surprised!! And thrilled! And excited!! Patty had been to Colorado a couple of years ago but Leonard hadn't been here since 2003!! So of course hadn't been to our new place!!

My boss was kind enough to let me off at noon on Friday so when they pulled in, I was done with work for the day!! We headed to Glenn's office to show them his workplace and then over to the Chinese place for lunch! Glenn had to finish the afternoon work before he came home but the 3 of us headed out to the house and spent a relaxing afternoon on the deck!

Our Friday activities consisted of drinking strawberry dacquiris, eating guacomole dip along with bacon cream cheese dip and crackers, more deck sitting, eating grilled chicken with french onion make ahead potatos and a yummy vegetable salad, a walk in the subdivision and hot tubbing under the stars!! We were all tired and felt "fat" when we headed to bed that night!!

But of course Saturday morning we were back up cooking again!! This time it was sausage casserole with scrambled eggs and fresh strawberries out on the deck - gosh it was pretty that day!!

Glenn had a couple of work related things to do so he and Leonard took off for the day and Patty and I met a couple of friends and we headed to Cripple Creek for the melodrama and tea - we knew there was a motorcycle rally going on but we had NO IDEA how huge it was!! My oh my - they guessed about 3500 bikes were in the town which made for a sea of people down main street!! Pretty impressive!!

We saw the melodrama, "Gunslinger - Billy the Kid" and it was great - but the olio at the end was even better!! It was "beach" songs and dances and we about rolled out of our chairs laughing - they sure did a good job!!

Then it was to the "tea" house!! Just a perfect spot to be with ladies and have your tea!! We each ordered the special of the day which consisted of many tiny sandwiches, torts, scones and hot and cold tea - it was so much fun to taste everything and just sit and visit!!

Patty and I were so full from eating at the tea that we didn't even think we could eat dinner that night but the ribs had been cooking all day in the crockpot and smelled SO good that of course we indulged once again!! We ended up watching "It's Complicated" that evening and all had a good laugh!! I think all 3 nights we ate the fresh peach crisp with ice cream for our dessert!

Sunday morning Glenn played chef and we ate bacon/potato/cheese/scrambled skillet once again out on the deck!! I was happy the rain held off for the entire weekend!! We decided to go for a drive on Sunday and a little hiking but first stopped for coffee in Florissant and then made our way out to a hiking spot!

It was a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon and that evening found us down at the Wines of Colorado for our evening meal - the night was beautiful and we had a table right by the stream!!

And then Monday came - and it was time to head back to work - and Patty and Leonard had to leave to go home to Iowa as work was calling them too!! What a fantastic weekend we had and I'm so glad they made the trip out!! You're welcome to come back ANY TIME!!

How Can Something So Small, Hurt So Bad????

Today I broke down and made a doctor appointment - that's a big step for me as I rarely go to the dr. except for my annual exam!! And it's for the darndest thing - an infected finger!!

The middle finger on my right hand started puffing up and hurting like crazy about 2 weeks ago , all around the nail area - I didn't think much about it as figured I had bumped it or something - but it never got better so I did the next best thing, researched it on the internet!

The "fix" was to soak it in epsom salt in VERY hot water for as long as possible (which was pretty difficult to do at work since I type with it) and then put neosporin on it with a bandaid to keep it clean!

So I was very diligent about doing that for a few days but it didn't get any better!! I called Jaime and she was concerned it wasn't getting better and said to start on amoxicillin which I had in the cupboard (I had bought some in Mexico last Feb.)

Fast forward to today - I have taken a week's worth of antibiotics, soaked it nightly, and used the neosporin and it's NOT any better - hence the phone call to the doctor!

Was I ever surprised to hear that my regular doctor (whom I see once about every 4 years) is no longer practicing here in Woodland Park!! Another doctor has taken over though and has my records so I will be seeing someone new!

Hopefully there's an easy fix for my poor finger!!

Camping At Buffalo Peaks!

The perfect campsite set among the pine trees - the smell of coffee perking and bacon frying - glorious sunshine - cool wind and hot sun - a book just waiting to be read - raspberry tea and goldfish - a hike through the aspens - 2 days of ATV riding - corn on the cob and potatos cooked in the fire - a million stars overhead - a great campfire - sweatshirts - perfectly cooked marshmellows - complete and utter silence - such is wilderness camping at its' best..............

REALLY???? It's Already Been A Year............

It just seems like a few months ago that I wrote about having my mammogram and my annual exam!! But it's been ONE ENTIRE YEAR!!! My oh my - this is getting scarey!! Life is passing by at such a fast rate that I can't keep up!!

Yes, yesterday was appointment day and once again, I took 1/2 day off and got both appointments taken care of in the morning - they went fine - and I believe I did the SAME thing I did LAST year inbetween the appointments - coffee and a pastry, waiting for the stores to open!! Talk about deja vu!!

I did mange to get to the eye glass place and get my glasses adjusted, along with a fruitful stop at Michael's!! You just CAN'T go into Michaels or Hobby Lobby without buying something it seems!!

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I will actually be glad to have the kids back in school all over the nation because that will mean, the tourists will GO HOME!! You can't believe how crowded Woodland Park is on the weekends during the summer - it takes forever to just get through town and I'm really starting to tire of it! Not that I want summer to leave, just the tourists!!

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Glenn went to the doctor too this week - his shoulder has been hurting him for months and months and it was time to get it checked out - he went to an orthopedic doctor where they did an x-ray and discovered the good news, that nothing was torn - but also the bad news that there is a lot of scar tissue and inflammation where the tendons attach to the bone! He did get a cortizone shot and will receive another in a month if the first one doesn't do the trick - and if the second one doesn't seem to help either, then he may need to have the surgery where they go in and clean out the scar tissue around the bone - time will tell...............

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We've got another camping/atv trip planned this weekend - and before we know it, Labor Day weekend will be upon us and fall will arrive - sigh..................

North Pole Fun!

One of my fondest memories growing up is of the North Pole!! Mom and Dad used to take us kids there when we were little and I have a great pic of Patty, Teri and me standing next to Santa Claus!! I started Kindergarten the fall after we had been there and couldn't wait to get to school to tell everyone that Santa was REAL - I knew that because I had pulled on his beard and it didn't come off, therefore he HAD to be the real deal!! But one little girl just laughed at me and said that wasn't true at all - Santa was a made-up person and the one I had seen at the North Pole was just a fake - I was heartbroken - but I STILL believed in Santa Claus!!

Sunday was our day to go - Jaime, Rayna, Kylan, Glenn and I all met the Keppy's there and we headed in for some fun!! Rayna was excited to have Gary along this time as he rode all the "big" rides with her - you know the ones - they go round and round and up and down and just watching them makes your stomach turn over!!

Now my idea of a great ride is the picture below - nice and slow!!
Kenzie didn't really enjoy any of the rides too much so was content to be with Papa and ride in her stroller, although she did love the big slide!! She spent the day smiling and being cute!

I SO wanted to get a picture of everyone around the ice pole but of course that didn't happen - at least I got one of Jaime and Kylan!!

Can you believe it - there is actually a NEW ride!!! It's the cutest thing ever!! The kids sit in saddles with the name of the horse in front of you and the contraption goes up in the air and then bounces you back down, kind of like riding a horse! Evan looked so cute sitting there in his saddle!!

Here's a picture of Rayna as the ride is going up in the air!!

The little boys rode and rode rides with their favorites being the motorcycles and the cars!! We listened to the Christmas music being played, ate some popcorn, rode the ferris wheel and just had a great day with all the kids!! The weather actually cooperated and although it was cloudy (which was a GREAT relief from the hot sun), we only had a few drops of rain!!

I couldn't believe we lasted there almost 4 hours!!! That's right - we almost shut the place down!! Does that mean that next year we'll be there the ENTIRE day????

Volunteer Day!

Has anyone ever volunteered to work a day on a Habitat For Humanity house?? I'm not sure if they have them around the country or not but here in Colorado it's a BIG thing and there have been several homes built in our county! What a great way for a lower income family to own their own home!!

Anyway, Saturday was a "women's build day" on the home they're building in W. Pk and the church we're attending was lining up help for the day! My friend Joleen and I volunteered to help!

It was a HOT, sunny day with no shade to speak of so we sure got our share of Vitamin D!! We donned gloves and hats and were set to go!

Joleen and I did 2 major jobs during our time there - carrying the huge floorboard pieces over to the actual place they needed them (they're building 3 townhomes) and also shoveling gravel into a wheelbarrow to fill up the window wells!!

I'm not sure how heavy those pieces of floorboards were but soon our arms were aching!! And the gravel was nice and wet from all the rain we've had so our poor arms got double duty that day - we probably filled the wheelbarrow about 20 times!

It was a great day helping them out - there were about 25 of us there and it was just neat to watch everybody helping one another to do what they could do!! We had a great lunch served to us and by early afternoon, we headed home!! For working on the house, we each received a hat, t-shirt, water bottle and tool belt!

Joleen and I went back to my house where I made strawberry dacquiris and then we took them over to her house to enjoy them on her deck along with fresh salsa she had made! A great way to end the day.............

SEND SOME HEAT!!

Teri - Patty - Amanda - send some heat out this way!!! (no humidity wanted though!!) It was 48 degrees when I drove home from work yesterday!! At 4:30pm!!

No need to worry about forest fires this summer!!!

Energy Boost!

I need a shot of energy - I think the rainy weather is making me tired!! I've decided I could never live in Seattle where it rains a lot because our monsoon weather is starting to get to me!! It's rained every afternoon for probably the last 2 weeks which is very typical this time of year! But most of the time, it rains for a couple of hours and then the sun comes back out for the late afternoon and evening. NOT!! This year the sun has decided to hide the rest of the day and I'm missing the sunshine!

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The hail claims have subsided at work so things are getting back to normal! Now the daunting job of calling everyone who had a claim to remind them to bring their completed roofing paperwork into me so I can update the computer!

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I've been spending the last week doing hours of research for our annual Gran Trip next Feb.!! We have the trip down to 2 locations - Belize and Aruba - and it's been fun checking out these places and looking at places to stay on the internet since we've never been to either of them! Now it's time to get dates in motion, prices at both locations and make the final decision! It seems early to be doing this but I already emailed one of the places and they've already got several bookings for Feb. so it's time to get in gear!!!

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I forgot to mention 2 things in my last camping blog! First - I had ordered an inverter so I could play my IPOD in the camper and it arrived before our trip so we tried it this last camping trip and it works FANTASTIC!!! No more dragging along the large boom box and putting 8 batteries in it every so often!! HOORAY!! Second - one of the camping sites we drove by on the ATV was a nice flat spot with quite a large camping trailer - they must have planned on being there awhile because they had put solar lights in the ground around the front of the camper to make a little yard, along with some small flags - it was cute as can be and gave the trailer a real homey look while camping!!

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Where are all the does and their new fawns this year????? We've only seen one little fawn - a far cry from the twins and quads last year!! I have a feeling it's because there are now 2 dogs next door instead of one and they tend to bark a whole lot more.............. Darn - I really enjoyed seeing those little fawns around and I miss them!!

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The next post will have pics as we're all going to the North Pole this Sunday - I better take a double dose of energy for that...............

The "ALMOST" Ruined Camping Trip!

It was a SHORT camping weekend for us - short being determined by the fact that we would leave AFTER work on Friday and had to be home by Sunday noon! So we had decided to go nearby at a place called Tarryall - which I THOUGHT was only about 1/2 hour away!!

We headed out Friday after work and the journey took us a little over an hour - on the roughest blacktopped, potholed road that we have been on in a long time!! I would have taken a gravel road ANY DAY over this road!

The national forest we pulled into was HUGE - I can't imagine how many road and trail miles there were in this place!! Lots of campers too but we found a nice spot and the first thing Glenn has to do is to take the ATV off the trailer so he can unhitch the trailer - and that's when the trouble started.......... no key for the ATV.........it was in his jeans pocket that he had changed out of right before we left!!

I looked at Glenn - he looked at me - and I was almost in tears as ATV'ing was the reason we had come!! But never fear - Glenn is the most resourceful guy I have ever known and after searching for a paper clip and a screwdriver and burning his finger - he had the ATV started!! HOORAY - the camping trip was on!!

We roasted brats and had them with potato salad - beer for him, peach fizzie for me - life was good!! Except for the fact that Glenn forgot to put the solar light in the truck but I did sleep OK!

Saturday morning was pretty cold with lots of dew!! There had been a storm passing by but it missed us completely, although a few miles away, it hit pretty hard!!! We loaded up the ATV with our picnic lunch, dressed in our layers and headed out!!

We had a great day exploring - lots of streams - beautiful pine and aspen trees - lots of hiking trails that we would like to hike in the future!! I had Glenn take a picture of me just to prove that I AM actually along on these trips!!
You can see the clouds starting to build up in this next picture!

After riding around for about 5 hours, we decided we better head back as the clouds were really getting dark and we pulled into camp just as the rain started - it rained and rained and rained!! We were basically stuck in the camper for the rest of the afternoon and evening - so we played a game of Scrabble - Glenn took a nap - and I started a new book!! Unfortunately it was STILL raining when it was time for dinner so this is how Glenn cooked on the grill!!

Oh well - what's a little rain????

Sunday we rode around for a couple of hours before it was time to pack up - Glenn went to start the truck and guess what - it wouldn't start!! He had just put a new starter in the truck the week before and had made the comment before we left that it wasn't acting right and he wondered if he'd got a bad one!! Sure enough - it was bad!! He tried and tried to get it going but no luck - tried calling a couple of friends but no answer (at least we had cell service) so ended up taking the starter off (luckily we carry a complete tool kit with us) and tearing it apart and working on it - again, his skills paid off as when he put it back on, the truck started!!!

#3 problem happened when he went to load the ATV - we don't have an actual ATV trailer so it's a little tricky loading it as our trailer has open spaces on the sides and driving it up, one of the tires went into it - so we found a large tree pole and used it to wedge the tire up and soon had it loaded - we decided on the way home that an actual ATV trailer is next on the list to buy!!

So although we had a few problems with this camping trip, it all worked out OK, thanks to Glenn and his knowledge of "making do"!!! Think I'll keep him around...............