Colorado - Part Two

After leaving the Garden of the Gods, Christina drove down into Manitou Springs.  It's a small, kinda hippie-like town with lots of neat, small shops and eateries and bars.  Of course, our first stop was the candy store!

We didn't eat or buy any candy.  (yeah, right!)

A dog and his human sat in a two-story window and chatted with friends.

We found a pet store and something with Steve written all over it!

Yes, I'm buying this for our house.

Then we hit Santa's Workshop, which was cool since we love Christmas and I knew it was hotter than Hades in Texas.  :)

On my "to make" list.

Then, like a strong magnet, I was pulled into a quaint wine bar with a backyard patio!!  The pull took its hold on Xtina, too!

We went along with the "you try, you buy" philosophy of wine tasting.  (Thankfully, my purchase made it back in my suitcase!)  As evening approached us, we soaked in a little more of the beauty of Manitou Springs and worked our way back home through CO Springs, driving by the Broadmoor the week before the Women's US Open.

Little creek in Manitou

Pretty Episcopal church

Preparing for the US Open

The Broadmoor Hotel

One of many gorgeous CO sunsets I saw.

After we got home, I actually saw Rob (Christina's husband who is also a college friend of mine) for the first time!  I had been there for three days and hadn't seen him yet.  :)  The three of us went to dinner and spent time catching up, drinking wine, and laughing more.  When we got home, I went downstairs to my room.  Soon after, I hear Christina coming down and the clinking of glass.  After more wine, we watched a movie and I watched Christina sleep on the sofa.  She always laughed at me that I couldn't sit still to watch TV, and now I watched an entire movie while watching her sleep!

The next morning, we grabbed the kids and headed out to Breckenridge.  That will be my next - and final - post about my trip.

My Trip to Colorado

Last month I went to Colorado to visit one of my best friends and pledge sisters, Christina, who moved there not long after Todd and I married.  Christina is one of those friends who you pick up with right where things were left last time.  She and I tear up when we see one another and cry when it's time for us to part.  We had such an awesome time just hanging out (with friends, with family, just us) and doing some sight seeing, but my time there just didn't seem to be enough.

My first night there, we went to see "Rock of Ages: The Musical." It was some awesome 80s music!!!

View of the stage from our great seats.

Christina & I (top L) along with some of her friends.

The next evening, I was able to visit my friend Traci and her husband.  Traci is also from Texas, but she made her way to the Denver area when she and Joel married.  I had fun spending time with them, seeing her pup Nika, and drinking some beers.

The view from Joel & Traci's back deck.

Nika was sad because her sister, Roxy, was at her grandparents.

Traci, Nika & Me

Traci & I

Traci & Joel a couple of days before their first anniversary!

Traci & Nika playing in the front yard.

On Friday, we dropped the kids off for sleepovers and headed south for lunch and sight-seeing.  Garden of the Gods was BEAUTIFUL.  I took over 100 photos, but here are some faves of mine:

Self portrait as we stopped at a pullover spot.

After we pulled over, we saw this bagpiper standing atop a tall rock.  Then we crashed a wedding.  :)

GOTG has beautiful rocks just jutting up out of the ground.

Nature is so cool.

Beautiful sky against the red rocks!

Taken from the Visitor's Center

Look!

Known as the kissing camels

After our tour of GOTG, we headed into Manitou Springs for some shopping and more hanging out.  I'll start my next post there.

Oh, people these days . . .

Todd finally finished his summer grad school courses, so we are heading to Destin!  Today we drove from home to Mobile, Alabama and met/saw some interesting folks along the way.

While driving through Louisiana, I passed a convertible BMW.  Driving was a tan, shirtless dude.  I thought to myself, "Cool way to get a tan."  He began to take my lead on the highway, and I later I noticed another passenger.  There was a woman wearing a black hoodie who appeared to be sleeping. The guy was looking her  way every now & then & I swear he was talking to this woman.  However, upon closer inspection (not too close), I could see that she was so pale that I thought she was dead.   After several miles of wondering what the hell was going on (and of course since Todd was sleeping), my mind went wild wondering if I should call 911.  I eventually slowed down to exit my way to a gas station when the Beamer passed me.  The lady was DEFINITELY not alive.  She was a mannequin!!!! I swear he was talking to her.  Thankfully she had on the hoodie so her hair wasn't mussed in the wind.
 Once in Mobile, we met a very nice, very homeless, very needy, very ex-con man outside a restaurant.  It was also his "birthday."  Uh huh.  He had fallen on tough times after being in jail for a year.  "What had happened was" he found his lady friend in bed with another man.  He hurt the guy pretty good, and oh, happened to hit her too.  Geez.  He "helped us" get a cab (not soon enough!), and as we were pulling up to our hotel, we learned that several months our cabbie had been jumped by a few guys in a hotel room.  Don't worry, he was fine because the dude wrestled the gun away from the bad guys, shot one dead & injured the other two.  Good for him.

People are crazy.  I'm ready to get to the beach where I can ignore most people behind sunglasses, a drink, and my iPod!

Too Cute!

I came across this video and had to share!  Poor baby just wants to play and is trying to find anyone willing to join him.  :)

California Comes to Texas!

For the first time since I can remember, a large part of the California Clan of our family came to Dallas for a visit.  My Uncle Al (my Dad's brother), Aunt Ruth, Cousin Jeff, Cousin Alicia, her husband Tom, and their kids Kelsey and Kaeton were here for only a couple of days.  They flew from California to Missouri, where they then drove through Oklahoma and to Texas.  Quite a tour!

We all went to lunch at The Pub in downtown McKinney.  Afterwards, Jeff and I hit the Landon Winery for a tasting while the others shopped.  Later in the afternoon, the "grown ups" looked around downtown McK.  I introduced Alicia and Kelsey to Sam Moon while we dropped off Tom, Jeff & Kaeton at Dave & Buster's.  Dinner was catered BBQ at Dad and Marilynn's.

Here are some pics.  I hope to get more sent to me by the CA gang.





We always have such a great time together.  It was great to see everyone, but the time was too short.  We're hoping they visit again soon!  (Hint, hint:  I know you're reading this, Aunt Ruth!!!!!)

Whitney's Graduation!

June 7, 2011:

There is nothing like getting up at the butt-crack of dawn during your summer vacation to suffer through morning traffic while driving downtown to watch 1100 students graduate at 9:30am.  Seriously, who does that to that many people, uuhhh. . . I mean, high school seniors???

Well, despite the early morning, the walking to find a seat in the convention center arena (with an ankle I sprained walking the dogs), the heat, and the time . . . I would not have missed it for the world.

My first niece graduating from high school?  PRICELESS.

And photos:

Kilee excited to see her sister graduate.

1100 kids ready to walk!  Where's Waldo?

Me (looking awful) with my graduate!

Aunt Kristin and her girls.

Whitney's family

2011 Graduate

Congratulations, gorgeous!

Oh, and did we tell you that Papa wrecked his truck taking us to lunch?  Yep.

Busy Summer!

We are a few weeks into our summer vacation, and it has already been so busy!  Todd is beating his head against his desk taking two grad school classes during the first five weeks of summer.  He is in class three afternoons a week in addition to an online class.  Working to maintain his stellar 4.0, Todd is working hard to get it all done.  I'm trying to entertain myself without making a bunch of noise in the house.

What's happened so far?  LOTS!  Our a/c motor was replaced ($$) after over two days without a/c, Whitney graduated from high school, my Dad's brother and his much of his family came in for a visit, happy hour with friends, a focus group to score some cash, and a "beginning of summer" party with school friends got our summer started.  Aeva turned 8, Will turned 4, and Todd had another birthday, too.  The pups are enjoying having us home and are (of course) still cute as ever!  I spent a handful of days in the Denver CO area visiting one of my sorority sisters, and we are now headed towards July.

Next on the blog: Posts with pics!