4 hours ago
Sunday, October 25, 2009
4th Annual Muller Monster Mash
Our fourth annual Halloween extravaganza was great fun, as always! Congrats to Dylan (Swedish Chef), Lisa (Jessie the cowgirl), and John (Jesus) for winning the costume contest!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Camping at Golden Gate Canyon
On Saturday morning we met up with our new friends Chris and Adrianne and trekked up the mountains to Golden Gate Canyon State Park. We had a great time hiking, cooking over the campfire, and listening to Paul and Chris jam on their guitars. I tried to do some mountain biking, but holy crap it was hilly (and the altitude didn't help either!). We all had fun, though, and will definitely be camping again soon!
Sadie had an especially grand adventure...I think she vaguely remembers this white stuff...
Sadie had an especially grand adventure...I think she vaguely remembers this white stuff...
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Having a Ball
Paul and I went to the Air Force Ball on Friday, and had a lovely time! This picture got posted on the base website:
The ball was packed with over 400 people, and the dance floor was full of boogeying Airmen the entire time. We'll definitely be going back next year! Happy 62nd birthday, Air Force!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Weekend in New England
Paul and I spent the weekend in New England for our friend Adam's wedding. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and we had a great time visiting with friends and family. On Friday night, we went out for lobster with Uncle Mike and Aunt Janet. It's always wonderful to see them, and we had so much fun, we forgot to take pictures!
Saturday morning we visited Gloucester harbor (where I actually remembered to take pictures) before going back to the hotel for the wedding. It was a gorgeous setting, and the ceremony was very sweet. Then it was a long night of partying! We had so much fun, and are so glad we were able to share this special day with Adam and Jill!
Sunday morning we drove to Boston and met up with my cousin Jen and her husband, Joe, for brunch. I was in serious need of sustenance after the night before, and this really hit the spot. We took a nice walk through Harvard Square and Harvard Yard afterwards, and again, forgot to take any pictures :-(. But it was a lovely morning, and we enjoyed it thoroughly! All too soon we had to head back to the airport to return home to Colorado. It was a short trip, but packed full of fun!
Saturday morning we visited Gloucester harbor (where I actually remembered to take pictures) before going back to the hotel for the wedding. It was a gorgeous setting, and the ceremony was very sweet. Then it was a long night of partying! We had so much fun, and are so glad we were able to share this special day with Adam and Jill!
Sunday morning we drove to Boston and met up with my cousin Jen and her husband, Joe, for brunch. I was in serious need of sustenance after the night before, and this really hit the spot. We took a nice walk through Harvard Square and Harvard Yard afterwards, and again, forgot to take any pictures :-(. But it was a lovely morning, and we enjoyed it thoroughly! All too soon we had to head back to the airport to return home to Colorado. It was a short trip, but packed full of fun!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Paul Takes Charge!
So far, we are really loving Colorado! I even feel like I'm back at work in Melbourne, because there are prairie dogs everywhere :-) Here is one just outside the base.
We've still got a few weeks before we can move into our house, so we're living in an executive apartment. The computer is taking up the entire dinner table, so we've been eating on the coffee table. This provides prime opportunity for Sadie to beg.
On Thursday, Paul officially took command of his new detachment. My mom and Paul's dad came to lend their support. Here are Paul and his dad (they are manly men, as you can see by the fact that they aren't standing close to each other):
I tried to bridge the gap :-)
Col. Onaga (left) presided over the ceremony to transfer command from Maj. Chellgren (middle) to Paul:
Maj. Chellgren relenquishes the guidon:
And Paul takes it over!
Paul gave a speech that was short and sweet!
Our friend from Florida, Parveen was there, too. So was Kirk, who is our friend from Wright-Patt, and is now teaching at the Academy!
It was great to have so much support there for Paul! Now he gets to get into his new job full-swing!
We've still got a few weeks before we can move into our house, so we're living in an executive apartment. The computer is taking up the entire dinner table, so we've been eating on the coffee table. This provides prime opportunity for Sadie to beg.
On Thursday, Paul officially took command of his new detachment. My mom and Paul's dad came to lend their support. Here are Paul and his dad (they are manly men, as you can see by the fact that they aren't standing close to each other):
I tried to bridge the gap :-)
Col. Onaga (left) presided over the ceremony to transfer command from Maj. Chellgren (middle) to Paul:
Maj. Chellgren relenquishes the guidon:
And Paul takes it over!
Paul gave a speech that was short and sweet!
Our friend from Florida, Parveen was there, too. So was Kirk, who is our friend from Wright-Patt, and is now teaching at the Academy!
It was great to have so much support there for Paul! Now he gets to get into his new job full-swing!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Day 6: We Made It!
We awoke in Stratton, CO on Friday morning to find the air thick with fog. It was blissfully cool, which was a nice change from the blazing 100+ heat in Kansas. We called the condo we'll be staying in for the next month (while we're waiting for our house to be ready), and they told us that we wouldn't be able to check in until at least 2:00. So we decided to take our time on the 140 mile trip to Denver.
Curie was still extremely unhappy to be in the U-Haul, but when we stopped for gas, he finally decided to get up and explore a little bit.
Before we began the trip, I did a search for roadside attractions along I-70, and I came across the Wonder Tower. Apparently, it's been there since the 1800s, and you can see six states from the top. (Which six, you ask? Who knows?!) This place was seriously straight out of House of 1000 Corpses. My mom stayed in the car, and later called Paul and I while we were inside to make sure we weren't being "raped and pillaged."
The crazy old man inside showed us antique Indian clubs made out of walrus bones, mini ice cream makers, and golf-ball stamps...and he didn't just tell us what they were, he made us guess! I think he would have sat there showing us things for hours if we had let him. We escaped, though, and made our way up the tower. There was a room at each level filled with old stuff--paintings, books, knicknacks, and TONS of bottles and jars. The top tier was access via a ladder-like set of stairs that went up through a tiny hole. The view from the top was pretty cool, though!
After chatting with the old man a bit more, we made it out alive and continued on the road to Denver. We arrived at about 11:30, and went straight to the storage unit we had reserved several weeks before. The owner came outside and told us that they'd had a lightning strike the day before, and all of their computers were down. He couldn't give us our unit, but recommended a place down the street that was cheaper! We went there, and talked to the two employees, both of whom seemed one step outside death's door: The lady talked like she'd been chain smoking continuously since her first birthday, and the man had to remove his oxygen tank to take us to our unit (which probably wasn't the best idea, because he was hacking and coughing along the way). Paul later asked if I wanted to take a bet on whether either one of them would still be alive when we went back to get our stuff next month. That's probably really mean, but holy crap, these people were in rough shape. They were really nice, though, and set us up with a storage unit to fit all of our stuff. We unloaded the U-Haul in about an hour, and loaded it back up with the few things we'd need for the next 38 days. 
Curie was still extremely unhappy to be in the U-Haul, but when we stopped for gas, he finally decided to get up and explore a little bit.
Before we began the trip, I did a search for roadside attractions along I-70, and I came across the Wonder Tower. Apparently, it's been there since the 1800s, and you can see six states from the top. (Which six, you ask? Who knows?!) This place was seriously straight out of House of 1000 Corpses. My mom stayed in the car, and later called Paul and I while we were inside to make sure we weren't being "raped and pillaged."
The crazy old man inside showed us antique Indian clubs made out of walrus bones, mini ice cream makers, and golf-ball stamps...and he didn't just tell us what they were, he made us guess! I think he would have sat there showing us things for hours if we had let him. We escaped, though, and made our way up the tower. There was a room at each level filled with old stuff--paintings, books, knicknacks, and TONS of bottles and jars. The top tier was access via a ladder-like set of stairs that went up through a tiny hole. The view from the top was pretty cool, though!
After chatting with the old man a bit more, we made it out alive and continued on the road to Denver. We arrived at about 11:30, and went straight to the storage unit we had reserved several weeks before. The owner came outside and told us that they'd had a lightning strike the day before, and all of their computers were down. He couldn't give us our unit, but recommended a place down the street that was cheaper! We went there, and talked to the two employees, both of whom seemed one step outside death's door: The lady talked like she'd been chain smoking continuously since her first birthday, and the man had to remove his oxygen tank to take us to our unit (which probably wasn't the best idea, because he was hacking and coughing along the way). Paul later asked if I wanted to take a bet on whether either one of them would still be alive when we went back to get our stuff next month. That's probably really mean, but holy crap, these people were in rough shape. They were really nice, though, and set us up with a storage unit to fit all of our stuff. We unloaded the U-Haul in about an hour, and loaded it back up with the few things we'd need for the next 38 days.
Once we were done with that, we decided to just head to the condo and take our chances that they might be able to check us in early (it was about 1:15 at this point). Paul went into the office to ask, and came out 15 minutes later looking very humphy. "It's not going to be ready until 3:00," he said. "And the lady in there was really mean."
That gave us an hour and a half to kill, so we found a park on the GPS, and went there to eat lunch. The park was extraordinarily beautiful! Curie was dying to get out of his carrier, but we knew we'd never find him if we let him out.
Sadie really enjoyed watching a group of people play kickball.
At about 2:30, a storm started coming in, and everybody cleared out of the park. We loaded everybody back into the cars, and drove to a Target parking lot near our condo to wait until 3:00.
At about 2:30, a storm started coming in, and everybody cleared out of the park. We loaded everybody back into the cars, and drove to a Target parking lot near our condo to wait until 3:00. At 3:10 we arrived back at the condo, and the lady (who Paul said was much nicer this time, and that they were friends now) said that they had had two wedding parties staying there, and that they took forever getting out. She said that our condo still wasn't ready, but that we could move our stuff into a guest room next door before it started hailing (which it was supposed to do that afternoon). We got everything up the stairs and into the room pretty quickly (but not neatly):
Very shortly thereafter, our condo was ready and we schlepped everything over there. Curie immediately explored the whole place and found a nice spot on top of the cupboards.
Sadie plopped down in the hallway for a nice long rest.
We got things settled (including the computer, most importantly), and then collapsed! It was a long day!
Sadie plopped down in the hallway for a nice long rest.
We got things settled (including the computer, most importantly), and then collapsed! It was a long day!
Tomorrow I'm heading back to Florida to work for the week, and then I'll be back here in Denver for a week and a half. I'm definitely going to miss Denver while I'm in Florida. The grass is green and soft, the trees are big and lush, and the weather is warm and breezy. I'm looking forward to moving into our real house next month, and starting my job in Aurora!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Day 5: Kansas Crossing
Today we spent 8 hours crossing the state of Kansas. It was a long day of driving, but now we can officially say it: "We're not in Kansas anymore!" At about 4:00 p.m. MDT, we crossed the border into Colorado! We're finally in the state that will be our new home!
The Kansas crossing was long, but beautifully scenic. The eastern part of the state was surprisingly hilly, and we saw some really pretty scenes at the crest of each hill. The camera didn't really do them justice:
Maybe it's the geek in me, but I think wind farms are really cool. This one seemed to go on forever:
Paul and Curie both spent a good portion of the trip napping.
About 200 miles from the Colorado border, we started seeing signs for Prairie Dog Town, which boasted the "World's Largest Prairie Dog." I was excited by this for several reasons:
The little prairie dogs were popping up everywhere!
Most of them didn't let us get to close before they retreated to their holes, but this one looked young, and probably didn't have a fear of humans yet:
Here we are with the World's Largest Prairie Dog! According to the sticker on his belly, he doesn't speak Spanish, but that's OK because we don't, either. You'll notice that my hair is blowing in the wind--about 2 minutes after we took this picture, the sky opened up and a torrential downpour began!
The other animals were cool, too, but the 5-legged cow was just kind of sad. She had an extra leg growing out right next to his tail. I didn't take a picture because I felt like I'd be exploiting her.
The Kansas crossing was long, but beautifully scenic. The eastern part of the state was surprisingly hilly, and we saw some really pretty scenes at the crest of each hill. The camera didn't really do them justice:
Maybe it's the geek in me, but I think wind farms are really cool. This one seemed to go on forever:
Paul and Curie both spent a good portion of the trip napping.
About 200 miles from the Colorado border, we started seeing signs for Prairie Dog Town, which boasted the "World's Largest Prairie Dog." I was excited by this for several reasons:
- Jamesha and I call each other "Prairie Dog," because we used to share a cube wall and we would pop up above the wall (like prairie dogs popping up out of their holes) to talk to each other.
- Last night at dinner Alex told us that there were several "World's Largest" things along I-70 in Kansas, and since we had been in the car for 5 hours without seeing any, we were starting to think that he was lying.
- The sign also promised rattlesnakes, buffalo, and a 5-legged cow
When we pulled into the parking lot of this sparkling gem of Kansas tourism, my mom rolled her eyes and said she would watch Sadie and Curie while Paul and I checked it out. The owner lady let us bring Curie inside so he wouldn't get too hot, which I thought was really sweet of her. Paul and I paid our $14 and ventured back to the farm, thereby dispelling Paul's fears that we were actually entering the House of 1000 Corpses and were about to be murdered.
The little prairie dogs were popping up everywhere!
Most of them didn't let us get to close before they retreated to their holes, but this one looked young, and probably didn't have a fear of humans yet:
Here we are with the World's Largest Prairie Dog! According to the sticker on his belly, he doesn't speak Spanish, but that's OK because we don't, either. You'll notice that my hair is blowing in the wind--about 2 minutes after we took this picture, the sky opened up and a torrential downpour began!
The other animals were cool, too, but the 5-legged cow was just kind of sad. She had an extra leg growing out right next to his tail. I didn't take a picture because I felt like I'd be exploiting her.
Back in the car, we noticed this cloud that looked remarkably like a prairie dog (look right above the billboard). We thought this was quite fortuitous.
It took me a good 3 minutes to extract Curie from his carrier when we were back in the U-Haul. When I finally got him out, he buried his head in my arm, and didn't come up until we got to the hotel. This cat does NOT like traveling.
About an hour later, we hit the state line!
And now we're here, in Colorado!
Our hotel is really nice, even though it's in the middle of nowhere. Curie is once again content because he has a nice big window that he can look out of. Sadie has been having a great time--I think she's actually going to be disappointed when we get to our new house!
It took me a good 3 minutes to extract Curie from his carrier when we were back in the U-Haul. When I finally got him out, he buried his head in my arm, and didn't come up until we got to the hotel. This cat does NOT like traveling.
About an hour later, we hit the state line!
And now we're here, in Colorado!
Our hotel is really nice, even though it's in the middle of nowhere. Curie is once again content because he has a nice big window that he can look out of. Sadie has been having a great time--I think she's actually going to be disappointed when we get to our new house!
Tomorrow is a very short day--just about 2 hours, and we should be in Denver!
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