Black Friday

 First - pictures of the Savages and the Keppys who enjoyed Thanksgiving without us!  Boo Hoo - next year we hope to be all together again!

Friday morning Jaime and I headed to Co. Springs (after getting coffee) and picked up Rayna to do a little bit of shopping!  Now I was basically done since we're celebrating this next weekend but it's always fun to head to Kohl's and pick up a few things!!  And that's just what I did!

I wanted a new cozy blanket to cover up with while we watch TV at night!  My current blanket was getting scruffy looking and Glenn and I both use those blankets every night!  Of course they were on a fantastic sale so I picked one out and am already enjoying using it!

Also found a cute green sweater there!  Jaime made a haul as usual and the store wasn't packed like some years!  We also stopped at Target and World Market before stopping for lunch at a new place that Rayna recommended - The Spagetti Factory - it was very good and a great choice!

Jill and Jessi and the girls were shopping a little bit too so we had fun texting back and forth!  But after lunch we were all getting sleepy so dropped Rayna off and headed back home!  Luckily it was a nice day out so we didn't have to wear our heavy coats!

Thanksgiving 2022

 What a different Thanksgiving this year!  The entire family always makes it a point to get together on this holiday but it just wasn't going to happen this year!  Gary had to work Thanksgiving Day so they had made the decision to not come, since they would only be down for a few hours!  And in the meantime, we had found out that Cindy and Rene' from TX were going to be in town at Cheryl's place who lives in Firestone, CO, not far from Denver!  And after some planning, we had all decided to get together up in North Denver for a meal and get together!  So after hearing this, Jill's had decided not to come down either since we would all see each other up in Denver on Saturday!

Jaime and I decided we didn't want all the work of a traditional Thanksgiving meal so we opted for steak and shrimp!  SO much easier than a turkey with all of the trimmings!  Glenn and I headed over mid morning and once we got organied, we settled in for a game of 5 Crowns - Rayna and Matias had never played the game and we all laughed and laughed as we tried to teach them, assuring them it was an EASY game but they had a tough time getting the concept - ha!

Dinner was excellent!  Shrimp, steak, wild rice, green beans and pumpkin bread!

As you can see, Jaime had her house decorated for Christmas - it's stunning!  Gnomes everywhere you look!

They haven't decorated the big tree yet but it's on the list!

We continued our card game after lunch - Jaime won with super low points.  Matias and I took the honor of the highest points!!

We enjoyed pumpkin and apple pie while we finished our card game and then it was the mandatory pictures!

We sure enjoyed our time at Jaime's but certainly missed Jills and Jessi's families!  Pictures of them coming up!

Southlands Parade

 Is it already time for the Southlands parade?  IT IS!  So we headed to Denver from Ft. Collins  mid-afternoon on Saturday and after a great dinner, donned our long johns, hats and gloves (and hand warmers) and headed to the parade in 2 cars!

Yes, it was cold outside but it was bearable!

It always seems to take FOREVER for the parade to start - especially when you're standing at the very end of the line!!  But we were right next to the rope and had a a great view!  This was my favorite vehicle with the cute sleigh on the top and figurines in the windows!

The dancing trees were cute as can be!!

Evan played in the band and they sounded fantastic!  I didn't get a picture as he was on the other side from us but it was sure fun to see him playing!

Gwyn had fun racing up and down this parking area to keep warm!

Here's the 5 of us!  Kenzie was there but was off with friends!

After the parade, Jessi and I waited to pick up Evan, which wasn't a long time!  They had instruments to pack away on the bus and soon we picked him up and headed home for chunky monkey ice cream - YES!!

Kenzie had a lock-in in Parker with volleyball teams so Evan and Jessi took her there at 10:00!  I was ready for bed!  She had a great time and was brought back to the house around 6:30am by a friends' mom and of course she headed to bed for the day!

The rest of us went to church and a little later the 4 adults headed to The Perfect Landing, a restaurant at the Centennial airport to celebrate Jessi and Gary's anniversary - (late of course but we don't care!).  We had a table right by the window and it was so cool to look out at all of the private planes and see the people get out of them.  Most of the planes were quite small!  We even saw a plane that brought in a patient that the ambulance picked up!  Quite interesting!

Anyway, the meal was delicious!  I had shrimp quesadillas and they were excellent!  And of course I brought 1/2 home so got to enjoy them the next day too! 

Jessi, Gwyn and I took a walk in the afternoon - Gary went fishing for a while - Glenn watched football!  We enjoyed just hanging out and playing rummikub that evening with Evan.  

Do I look like I'm shrinking or what?

Monday morning came all too soon!  I walked with Jessi to take Gwyn to school - yes it was COLD!  She took Evan to school as Kenzie was not feeling well at all with her cough, and Glenn and I headed out when she went to work!  

I had my endocronologist appt. and it went well!  All was fine with my ultrasound and medication will stay the same!  Best news was I don't have to go back for a year!

Headed North

 Is my life so boring that I have had nothing to write about the past 2 weeks?  Hardly!  It's just not very exciting things to write - volunteer time at the Food Pantry, coffee with Jaime, a couple of PT appts on my foot, a blood draw, choir girls get together, coffee with Glenn at the Wild Horse, a massage, a windshield replaced on the car AND all the Christmas decorations put up!  So yes, it's been BUSY!

But now it's time to head to Ft. Collins and then back to Denver!  We left early enough so we could stop at Costco for a couple of items - yea, that didn't pan out too well as they had neither of the items I went for!  But as we all know, you can't just walk out of Costco empty handed!  It was a nice trip up to Jill and Robby's house and fun to see all of them!

We had an early dinner as Aleah was headed out with a friend to a comedy show that night!

And Parker needed to scoop the back cement as they'd had about 3" of snow (it basically missed us!)

Jill and I took Aleah to her friends house and then shopped for just a little bit!  I got a couple more presents to add to the pile at home!

It was COLD out that night!  So cold that it was the first time Glenn and I got cold enough in the lower level that I had to add a couple of blankets on the bed!  Yes, there's a standing heater down there but I didn't think to turn it on!

When Aleah got home mid-morning, her and I went out to Ziggy's so I could grab coffee and she got a frappe - always a fun time taking your granddaughter along!  We played a few games of cards before it was time to grab lunch and head to Parker's basketball game!

It was an exciting game with the score going back and forth - Parker's team got way ahead for a while and SHOULD have won but the other team started making baskets and soon it went into overtime.  Unfortunately they didn't win but it was still a great game and Parker played well and even made a basket!  

Jill playing around with her camera!!  I actually love those hats!

And all too soon, it was time to head down to Denver - our time was short there but we had fun and that's all that matters!

November Has Arrived

 And with it, the wind!  Oh my gosh - the wind has been crazy this last week - it blows and blows and of course with the colder weather, it feels a lot like winter is arriving!

Glenn has been gone for an entire week - yup, even though he took a week off to go hunting in Walden, he decided he wanted to go to Iowa for a week of pheasant hunting and fishing!  After figuring out the cost of gas (and wear and tear on one's body!!) and comparing it to a flight, the flight won out!  Neal could pick him up at the airport and drop him back off so away he flew.  He had never flown with a gun in tow but he said the process was easy!  He's on his way back home as I write and I know he had a good time but of course missed home - probably me!  HA!

I enjoyed the "alone" time but do miss him putting wood in the wood stove!  It's the little things you don't think about when hubby is gone!

I had 2 projects that were on the list to get done last week and I did succeed in getting them done - now I won't know what to do with all my spare time!  My 2 projects were finishing up the grand kids snapfish books that I give them for Christmas AND finishing up the calendars that I do for the kids!  It may not sound like a lot but I spend hours and hours and hours gathering pictures and arranging and downloading and editing - it's a lot but I sure enjoy doing it and I know they all appreciate it come Christmas!

Friday night our neighbors invited me to go in with them to Grandmother's Kitchen - a local restaurant in town that is under new ownership (friends of the neighbors).  The restaurant was having a "soft open" for their newly added dinner menu and wanted some feedback!  Their specialtiy is burgers and gosh they were delicious!  Made from 3 different kinds of cut meat - all fresh, never frozen!  And the fries were hand cut and excellent too!  I enjoyed the evening along with a piece of pumpkin pie!  Glenn and I will definitely have to go soon so he can try it!

Saturday night I had Jaime and Kylan over for dinner and games!  Brad is off hunting in Missouri!

Jaime brought a Boston Cream Cake for dessert!  We played game and some cards and enjoyed the evening!

Last evening I could tell there was going to be an awesome sunset!!  Because we get some great sunrises over Pikes Peak, it's pretty rare that sunsets (which are on the back side of the house) look good over the peak - but last night was an exception!  It looked like the peak was all pink!

It's apple cider time!  But not just any apple cider - hot apple cider with a shot of butterscotch schnapps along with whip cream and caramel drizzle!  Yum!

October Photo Dump

 That had to be the quickest month ever!  One minute I was blogging about Sept. and now Oct. is already gone!  Time for Thanksgiving plans and Christmas plans!

Glenn and I love going over to the Wild Horse for coffee or breakfast - it's decorated so cute for fall so decided a picture was in order!

I couldn't imagine what I had ordered that was coming in this huge box!

And then I opened it - REALLY?

Glenn and I went to an RV show in Co Springs - it was really fun to look in at some of the amazing campers and RV's - we checked out several toy haulers too!

Hard to imagine even "camping" in something this nice!!

When Jessi was here we took photos at the Wild Horse before coffee - love the fall decorations!

And that's a wrap for October!

It's Been A LONG Time

 Glenn and I were thrilled when we heard that Erica (Cindy and Rene's daughter) and her family were moving from Alaska to Pagosa Springs, CO!  WOW - that's a LONG way to move!

And we were even more happy when she texted a while back and let us know that they were heading to Co. Springs and could they stop by?   Absolutely - and it worked out that they could spend a night also!

The last time we had seen Erica was many years ago when we went to Disneyworld with Cindy and Rene and Erica was working there!  She got us some great deals and led us around the parks with ease - we had SO much fun that trip!

And then she moved to Alaska, met her current husband Adam and they have 3 little girls - where has the time gone?

They arrived last Saturday and I think we must have talked till 10:30 that night!!!  There was a lot to catch up on!  Their 3 girls are precious and so fun to be around - they're certainly not shy!!

This little one stole our hearts!

We enjoyed hearing about their life in Alaska and what they had to go through to move to Colorado - they lived in Wrangell which is on an island!

Great times with them and we hope to see all of them again over Thanksgiving!!