Sunday, April 24, 2016

Savannah Bound

The weather forecast wasn't looking good for me to fly out to Savannah for our annual sisters' trip!  Snow, snow and more snow was in the forecast - but for once I was flying out of Co. Springs instead of Denver!  I told Glenn he would have to take me down - not only was there going to be a lot of snow but we would leave the house at 3:30am and I don't drive well in the dark!

Sure enough the storm came in late Friday night - we woke up to about 6" and it was coming down hard and fast!  I was thankful to have Glenn drive me as it was not a fun trip to the airport!  Luckily the flights were still going out of Co. Springs - Denver cancelled over 700 flights that day!

Glenn hung out for a while to make sure I was going to get out and I breathed a sigh of relief when I boarded the flight for Atlanta where I would meet Patty and Teri!  The clouds were beautiful when we got above them - and yes, it was a bumpy ride for awhile!!

 Teri and Patty were waiting at my gate with sandwiches in hand for the next flight to Savannah.  I arrived late as we sat on the runway a long time waiting to de ice.  It was so good to see them and we headed to our next flight!

In 45 minutes we arrived at the airport and were surprised to find out that it really isn't in Savannah and it takes about 1/2 hour to get into the actual town!  We grabbed a taxi and soon were at the cottage we had rented for the next 4 nights!  It was just perfect for the 3 of us with plenty of room to spread out and 2 bedrooms.  The cottage was located at the edge of the historic district which meant we could walk if we wanted to or take the free bus.



 We quickly unpacked and changed and walked about 4 blocks to catch the bus to the river.  Savannah was beautiful - lots of big trees with moss hanging down from most of them!  The weather was perfect and I could already feel my dry Colorado skin soaking in that little bit of humidity!

River Street was in full swing!!  All kinds of shops were set up along the river with music playing and lots of people!  We sampled delicious pecans that had been dipped in different flavors and I bought blueberry ones - gosh were they good!!  And walking around early evening with no jacket - I loved that!!

There was a really cool looking bridge in the distance!

We ate at The Shrimp Factory that evening - and this punch recipe was on our place mat!!  Not sure I would want too much of that!!

When you're in the South, you eat fried green tomatoes!!  And that's just what we had for an appetizer - I really didn't know what to expect but they were good and that's pimento cheese on top which we found they use quite a bit!

Savannah is one of 3 towns in the US where they have an open container law.  So we stopped at the nearest bar and got 3 peach sangria's "to go" and walked around!  Fun times!!


We caught the LAST bus that evening - somehow we forgot to check what times they ran so we need to be aware of that each evening as it's a couple of miles back to our place - and not something we wanted to do in the dark!

Our cozy cottage was waiting for us and since we all had been up early that morning, we hit the sack!  Even with the 2 hour time difference for me, I fell asleep quickly and slept great!

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Is This What You Do In Retirement?

Ever since Glenn and I have retired, we have worked on the new house (or the old house) during the actual work week - seems like it's just built into our blood after working for so many years that you get up and WORK during the week, play (sometimes!!) on the weekends!

Well, last Thursday Dick and Jane picked us up at 10:00am and we headed to their cabin over in Guffey for the rest of the day!!  WOW - playing on a weekday - I could get used to this!!!

Dick had brought their 4 wheeler so the guys unloaded it and we went for a ride up the mountain!!

 Jane and I have decided that the guys need to figure out a way to turn the seat around as neither one of us enjoys riding backwards!!  But it was still a great trip and beautiful scenery!!  The next picture is taken off the deck of one of the little cabins on their property.

 And an actual good picture of Glenn and I - we were happy to be out and about!!

After our journey up the mountain, we headed into the little town of Guffey for lunch!  The couple that runs it do a great BBQ outside on their smoker and HE makes all the homemade pies!!  Lunch was excellent and we enjoyed the entire day with friends!

Monday, April 11, 2016

And Life Moves On...............

IT HAPPENED!!  IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!  After all the disappointment of our original buyer not getting his money and having to re-list the old house, it has ALL come to an end!!

Monday, April 4th we officially closed on our old home - and what a great feeling that was!  The closer asked me if she should just wire the funds to our bank or did I want a check - believe me, I wanted the check in hand!!  Yes, it did go right to the bank but for a few minutes, I felt pretty special holding that check!

Our construction loan is now paid off and the small second we had on our old home is paid off - can we really be completely debt free?????   SURE - until Glenn starts building the shop!!

I do have to say it's a strange feeling to drive right by our old home now and know that it isn't ours any longer!  But it sure went to a great couple - they were so excited to move in and I know soon I'll be knocking on their door just to see how it looks with new owners in it!

Good-bye 876 Obsidian Dr!!  You were our dream home for 7 years but 63 Brittany Dr has now taken your place!

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Iowa Visitors

We were thrilled when we got an email from Aunt Nadine  - her and Uncle Don were heading to Colorado!!  Their son Craig and wife Becky were driving them out to visit their daughter Laurie and family and of course wanted to come up and see us along with our new house!

Wednesday night we all congregated at another cousins' house for a wonderful dinner and lots of catching up!!  And then Thursday afternoon they headed up our way, despite the snow!!  First we met them at our old house so they could see it - and then we came up to the new house to show them around!

We had a great visit - Laurie's kids Megan and Dillon loved seeing the baby chicks and playing with the toys.  The adults visited and it was sure fun to have them here!!

 Craig and Becky come to Colorado more often now since their daughter is here so hopefully we can see more of them!!

 Laurie's husband Josh is stationed here with the army in Colorado Springs - their kids are delightful and we hope to see more of them too!

It is always great to see family!!

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

More Easter Blessings

After coloring eggs, it was time for the 3 girls to put on their matching dresses!!  They had hoped to wear them that morning but it was just too cold!


 Not to be outdone by those cute little girls, the boys were all smiles!!

 And we finally captured Rayna for a picture of the whole bunch!!  We are one proud Nana and Papa!

 We had our traditional ham dinner late Saturday afternoon with all the trimmings!!  It was all delicious and so nice that everybody pitches in and brings their share!!  And then sadly it was time for the Keppys and Smiths to head back to Denver!

Jill and I collapsed for a little while and after getting the kids to bed, filled eggs one more time!!

The kids and Jill left early Sunday morning as Jill had to teach Sunday School - Robby, Glenn and I met them for a wonderful church service!


 And of course the Easter Bunny came while we were at church!!  Parker carries around a yellow duck that has basically seen better days but the Easter Bunny came through with 2 new ones of different sizes - he was thrilled!!

After a quick lunch it was time for Glenn and I to head back to the mountains!!  Thanks Jill and Robby for hosting another fantastic Easter!!

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Easter Blessings

Sometimes I think I take more Easter pictures than I do at Christmas!!  I just can't get enough of those beautifully colored eggs and the grand kids (girls) in their pretty pastel dresses!  I love attending church and repeating "He Is Risen Indeed - Hallelujah!!"  What a wonderful day to get together with the family!

Glenn and I headed to Ft. Collins around lunch time on Friday, hoping to miss the traffic - it didn't happen!  Some how I always end up with a full car load of things to unload!!  But it all got unloaded and put way and soon Jill and I were boiling eggs and stuffing candy and stickers in plastic eggs for the egg hunt!

Saturday morning found us at the church for the program and Easter Egg Hunt.  This year an illusionist did the program and he was excellent - kept the kids and the adults entertained!!  Most of us grabbed a cup of coffee or hot chocolate before the program at their cafe in the church!

 Because the snow from the "blizzard" hadn't all melted, the grass was snowy and wet so the Easter Egg Hunt was held in the parking lot - can you believe the volunteers put out 9500 eggs?????  Of course there are a lot of kids that attend but most every child had an overflowing egg basket!!

 Only Aleah and Kenzie wanted their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny - I think everyone else was just too cold and ready to head to the car!!

 Brad wasn't feeling well so we missed him being there!!  And after a quick lunch, it was time to color eggs!!




 It made us sad that Rayna didn't want to color eggs this year - said she just wasn't interested - but after all she IS a teenager!!  But we sure missed her sitting at the egg table!!

 Gwyn decided it was just too exciting to go down for a nap so she was getting a little cranky - Papa took over and before long, she just leaned forward on his lap and promptly fell asleep - guess he has the magic touch!!  But that position sure doesn't look comfortable to me!

To Be Cont'd.......................

Friday, April 1, 2016

Blizzard Day

We woke up Wednesday morning to a blizzard - snow blowing all over the place and at times you could barely see across the driveway.  Joleen was supposed to head back to Kansas - that certainly didn't happen!!

We enjoyed the day inside - watching it snow, working some, enjoying special coffee together and having fun texting the girls all day who of course were home too as everything was pretty much shut down in Denver and Ft. Collins!

The top picture was taken the day after the blizzard - I love the formations after the sun has come out!!  To me it looks like a big chicken claw!!  The next picture was taken the day of the blizzard.


We ended up getting about a foot - Woodland Park had 20" as did some of Denver!  But the nice thing about snows this time of year is that it does melt quickly!!