In lieu of Memorial Day, please take time to check out this video. You'll be glad you did. Hopefully it helps you remember why we celebrate Memorial Day, and will give you a greater appreciation for our service men and women. They are our people, and they're all someone else's family, just like you and me.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Cripple Creek
This weekend, our latest adventure took us out to Cripple Creek Colorado. (For anyone who doesn’t know what Cripple Creek is, it’s a little old mining town that’s now booming with a few hotels and lots of casinos.) We had a leisurely drive up there, stopped in at our traditional spot for breakfast - the Donut Mill in Woodland Park, got to Cripple Creek kinda early, checked in to our hotel, and then wandered around all over the town. It didn’t take us long to check out the town since it’s not THAT big, but we did manage to get sunburned, so we must have been out there for quite awhile. ;) At night, we had a blast playing the penny slots in the casino in our hotel…. Jen would win, but nothing significant. Greg, however, won enough to pay for pretty much our whole weekend! He has the best luck when it comes to the slot machines. On our way back home, we stopped at every little turnout that looked interesting and also at a park off of the highway called Red Rock Canyon. We had always wanted to stop and hike at that place, so we decided that this weekend would be a good time to check it out. It was so awesome, and we plan to go back many more times to bike and hike and picnic. We even saw a coyote, but when we tried to take its picture, it ran out of sight. So…. you’ll just have to enjoy a few of the OTHER pictures of our weekend below.
"Big 'ol" Cripple Creek. The view of the mountains sure is pretty there!
Here we are!
Downtown. (Our hotel is this first one on the left called the Double Eagle.)
Greg said, "Hey Jen, go in there and I'll take your picture!"
Greg and his big winnings! =)
Us at Red Rock Canyon.
Part of the trail on our hike. Cool, huh?
All in all it was an awesome weekend and we wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way. It was SO nice to finally spend some alone time together since we haven't had much of that lately, and nor will we for another month or two. Thank goodness for 3 day weekends! We have kind of a long road ahead of us, but God is in control!
Friday, May 23, 2008
On The Home Stretch
(From Greg)
Well, my CFA Level 1 test is in 15 days, and I am on the home stretch!
I am border-line tired/frustrated with the material/studying, but I pray that God will give me the energy to push through these next 2 weeks and that He'll give me the ability to recall all the information come exam day!
I will be thrilled/relieved/excited come 5:00 PM June 7th, because I will have nothing to do for 2+ months!
Please keep me in your prayers these next couple of weeks and especially on exam day: June 7th!
Well, my CFA Level 1 test is in 15 days, and I am on the home stretch!
I am border-line tired/frustrated with the material/studying, but I pray that God will give me the energy to push through these next 2 weeks and that He'll give me the ability to recall all the information come exam day!
I will be thrilled/relieved/excited come 5:00 PM June 7th, because I will have nothing to do for 2+ months!
Please keep me in your prayers these next couple of weeks and especially on exam day: June 7th!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
We have a winner!
Yes, we're American Idol junkies...... and yes, we are very pleased that David Cook won. (After all, we voted for him practically all season long!) He seems like such a nice, humble guy, and we think he'll do really well in the music industry. That boy can sing!
7 long months until Idol is back on. We're looking forward to it already! (Especially the try-outs.) ;)
7 long months until Idol is back on. We're looking forward to it already! (Especially the try-outs.) ;)
New Airline Policies
(By Jen)
So as I was dusting, cleaning, and tidying up the house this morning, I had my usual Headline News blaring on the TV in the background. Nothing really caught my attention too much until I heard that American Airlines is planning on charging $15 for checking a bag. No, not the second bag, the first bag!! Apparently they have been hit hard by escalating fuel prices, so any checked bags with tickets purchased after June 15th will be charged $15. Crazy!! I also almost learned the hard way about another one of their new changes on my past flight home from Chicago. They are charging $100 for bags over a certain size. Mine was 2 inches over their new limit, and fortunately, the lady at the counter was nice enough to let it pass this time since I wasn’t aware of the new changes.
So a good rule of thumb?? Go online and check the regulations of the airline that you are flying so it doesn’t cost you your other arm and leg to fly. They're making some changes!! (Apparently, on May 5th, most of the airlines had changed their baggage policy from 2 free checked bags to 1 for each ticketed passenger. The 50 pound rule still applies.)
So as I was dusting, cleaning, and tidying up the house this morning, I had my usual Headline News blaring on the TV in the background. Nothing really caught my attention too much until I heard that American Airlines is planning on charging $15 for checking a bag. No, not the second bag, the first bag!! Apparently they have been hit hard by escalating fuel prices, so any checked bags with tickets purchased after June 15th will be charged $15. Crazy!! I also almost learned the hard way about another one of their new changes on my past flight home from Chicago. They are charging $100 for bags over a certain size. Mine was 2 inches over their new limit, and fortunately, the lady at the counter was nice enough to let it pass this time since I wasn’t aware of the new changes.
So a good rule of thumb?? Go online and check the regulations of the airline that you are flying so it doesn’t cost you your other arm and leg to fly. They're making some changes!! (Apparently, on May 5th, most of the airlines had changed their baggage policy from 2 free checked bags to 1 for each ticketed passenger. The 50 pound rule still applies.)
Monday, May 19, 2008
The Windy City
(By Jen)
Well, I made it home from Chicago all in one piece and had THE most amazing time ever!! I would have blogged about my trip while I was there, but when the opportunity presented itself at night to either stay in and sit at the computer or to go out on the town with the girls, well… obviously I chose the latter. =) I made quite a few new friends and we all exchanged emails and Facebook information so we can keep in touch and update each other on our lives and our “road to the boards.” It was almost like we had become family at the end of the week and it was really sad to leave.
The days were long, hard, and exhausting, but it was one of the most fascinating things I have ever done. I learned so much not only for my boards, but also for my own well-being and health. Cancer is quite a scary diagnosis, and it’s so rewarding to be involved in such a life saving career and to know that I am making a difference in these women’s (and sometimes men’s) lives. How many people can say they have a job saving lives every day?? (For those who don't know... I am getting my certification in mammography)
There was so much more to this trip, but it would take pages and pages to talk about. ;) Chicago is such a fun city, and I plan to take Greg back there again someday – not only to sightsee, but to eat the best pizza and hot dogs in the world!!
Below are a just few pictures of my trip. Enjoy!!
View of the city from my suite. Look at all the smog and traffic!
Well, I made it home from Chicago all in one piece and had THE most amazing time ever!! I would have blogged about my trip while I was there, but when the opportunity presented itself at night to either stay in and sit at the computer or to go out on the town with the girls, well… obviously I chose the latter. =) I made quite a few new friends and we all exchanged emails and Facebook information so we can keep in touch and update each other on our lives and our “road to the boards.” It was almost like we had become family at the end of the week and it was really sad to leave.
The days were long, hard, and exhausting, but it was one of the most fascinating things I have ever done. I learned so much not only for my boards, but also for my own well-being and health. Cancer is quite a scary diagnosis, and it’s so rewarding to be involved in such a life saving career and to know that I am making a difference in these women’s (and sometimes men’s) lives. How many people can say they have a job saving lives every day?? (For those who don't know... I am getting my certification in mammography)
There was so much more to this trip, but it would take pages and pages to talk about. ;) Chicago is such a fun city, and I plan to take Greg back there again someday – not only to sightsee, but to eat the best pizza and hot dogs in the world!!
Below are a just few pictures of my trip. Enjoy!!
View of the city from my suite. Look at all the smog and traffic!
Another cool view of downtown.
Buckingham fountain. It soaked us when we turned around to walk to Lake Michigan.
Those of us who went into the city.
Our favorite store. 4 stories tall!
Sears Tower!
Tulips of every color imaginable were everywhere!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The Birds
OK, now we know this isn't the most exciting thing we've ever blogged about, but...... we finally have birds in our birdhouse!! Granted, they aren't bluebirds (since it's supposed to be a bluebird house) but we'll take whatever we can get.
In case anyone is wondering, the bluebird house came from Jen's Papa last year. He had made us a birdhouse from some of the old wood from his Mother's house. So this bird house isn't just any old birdhouse from any old wood - it's special and sentimental to us! Cool, huh? =)
In case anyone is wondering, the bluebird house came from Jen's Papa last year. He had made us a birdhouse from some of the old wood from his Mother's house. So this bird house isn't just any old birdhouse from any old wood - it's special and sentimental to us! Cool, huh? =)
On a side note: No, our whole backyard is not just dirt and weeds (of course we don't take a picture of the birdhouse with grass in the background though....) and yes, we are planning on finishing the landscaping sometime soon. =)
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Museum and a picnic
Yesterday morning, Jen went swimming (yes, it was swimming inside for those who live in Colorado and were wondering "what the heck!!??") with Jenn and Quentin. They had a blast swimming all over the place and splashing around in the water with all the fun pool toys. It was even more fun to have “grown-up time” and sit in the hot tub and exercise a little bit while Quentin went and played with the other kids. ;)
But THIS morning, we all piled into Mike and Jenn's car and headed up to Denver to visit the museum and go on a picnic. We first stopped off at McDonald’s for a quick breakfast, then at King Soopers for a pacifier, and eventually ended up at the museum. We were obviously in no hurry. ;)
But THIS morning, we all piled into Mike and Jenn's car and headed up to Denver to visit the museum and go on a picnic. We first stopped off at McDonald’s for a quick breakfast, then at King Soopers for a pacifier, and eventually ended up at the museum. We were obviously in no hurry. ;)
It was a great day and we explored all over the place - there's some crazy neat stuff in there! And the view from the museum is awesome too! (Click on any of the pictures for a larger/better view)
After our adventure at the museum, we were starving and went on the hunt for the best picnic spot. We decided to stay in the Cherry Creek area and ended up finding a nice, beautiful, quiet park. The perfect place and the perfect day for a picnic.
View from our picnic spot
Quentin tired out from a long day of fun
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