Hangin’ with the fishes

On Sunday Dave and I took a trip to the Denver Downtown Aquarium. Neither of us had been there before so it was really fun to do it together!

If ever you were considering a trip to the Denver Downtown Aquarium, know that it is kind of expensive. An adult admission is $16 and you also have to pay $5-$7 to park your car. Imagine what it would cost if you brought kids along. Yikes! We did figure out that if you sign up for their email list ahead of time you get a buy one get one free admission coupon in your email! So that’s what we did!

Dave and I had a lot of fun spending time together and we took turns using Susan’s awesome camera to take pictures of different animals. Here’s what we came up with. Enjoy!

 

Memorial Weekend hike

This weekend we have been staying at my parents’ house because our weekend has been filled with graduation parties and family events. However, Dave, Gromit and I were able to sneak away for a little while today for a really nice hike and geocache. We haven’t been able to go hiking in a while and it was really nice to get outdoors!

Gromit was ready for the hike with his hiking backpack. Ha!

A little bit off the trail we found a geocache that was hidden in a burnt pine tree. It had all sorts of fun items in it. We took a keychain Mouse Trap game and left a little wind-up penguin.

At the end of the trail there was a really pretty lake and some old, historic cabins. It was really fun to walk around and take in the views!
 

We had such a fun day! I am so lucky that I have a husband who enjoys many of the same activities that I do! We love our adventures together and hope to have many more this summer!

Have you done any fun hikes or outdoor activities lately?

Happy Graduation, Erin!

I can’t believe that my youngest sister graduated from high school today! Congratulations, Erin!

Not only did she graduate, she was also a performer at the graduation ceremony, singing “Seasons of Love” with some of her choir friends. They did an awesome job!

And I am soooooo thrilled that Grandma was able to come to the graduation ceremony so soon after having a double bypass. Doesn’t she look good for having gotten out of the hospital recently?!?

Congratulations, Erin! We are all so proud of you!

Prom, BT and a Baby Shower

We had a busy but excellent weekend! So busy that it has taken me this long to blog about it. Ha!

On Saturday afternoon I went to my parents’ house to help my youngest sister, Erin, get ready for her Senior Prom. I have no idea how she became old enough to be graduating from high school! She went to the dance with her boyfriend of almost two years, Zach. They are certainly a cute pair, aren’t they?!?

I got the chance to develop my photography skills at the group “photo session” where everyone in their prom group gathered at someone’s house for pictures. My friend, Susan, who is a professional photographer is letting me borrow one of her old cameras to practice on so I can learn more about the manual settings, lighting, aperture, etc. I have certainly had a great time testing the camera settings in different situations and seeing what I can come up with! Clearly, I still have a lot to learn.

On Saturday night Dave and I headed out to Beta Night Club to see BT live! It was soooo much fun! We love electronic music and jump at most opportunities to see performers that we love. We usually like to be close to the performer because I love to watch them mix music. My feet were killing me after standing on that cement floor for over three hours, but it was totally worth it! I somehow managed to get a couple of good pictures of BT! Most of the ones I took had other people’s hands in front of his face, so I was thrilled to get two good ones! (Disclaimer, I took the club pictures with my point and shoot, NOT with Susan’s nice, professional camera! I promise I am taking good care of that great camera!)

On Sunday I had the honor of throwing a Baby Shower for my friend, Trisha, and her hubby, Chris. They are expecting a little girl in July and I can’t wait to meet her! We had a yummy brunch, played baby Pictionary, guessed the names of some famous mothers and fathers, tasted some baby food and tried to guess what flavor it was and had a beer chugging contest for the boys - but they had to drink the beer out of baby bottles! It was a really fun time! One of my favorite things about the party was the cake! It was so cute! No, I didn’t make it, I ordered it from one of the best bakeries that I know of - I am sooo not talented enough to make that cute of a cake. I did, however, make the favors which were “bun in the oven” muffin mix. I got some muffin mixes and put them into cute bags, tied them with ribbon and made custom labels for the front. Voila! Cute, fun and tasty favors!

We certainly had a great weekend, and we’re looking forward to more fun events this coming weekend!

What I’m Loving Wednesday

Whew! It has certainly been a long week!  More on that later… But I am back to blogging and am linking up with Jamie for What I’m Loving Wednesday!

I’m loving that I really and truly get a four day work week this week! Friday will be spent relaxing and getting ready for my fun weekend.

I’m loving that new Philadelphia Cooking Creme! We combined it with some chicken, veggies and pasta for dinner the other night and it was divine! I highly recommend trying it out!
 

I’m loving all of the plans we have for this weekend! We are helping my youngest sister get ready for her senior Prom on Saturday, going to see BT at a club in Denver Saturday night, then I am throwing what will be an awesome baby shower for my friend, Trisha! It will be a fantastic weekend!

I’m loving my sweet puppy who loves to snuggle with us and has the funniest expressions!

I’m loving my husband and his hard work in grad school so that it helps our family in the future. I know it is hard on him now, but it will pay off eventually!

What are YOU loving today?

Monday afternoon praise!

Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name ... 1 Chron 29:13.

Praise God! Grandma came out of surgery and the doctors said she did great and only needed two bypasses, instead of the three they thought she would need! Everything went well, there were no complications, and she came through it like a champ! Now we're just praying for a full and speedy recovery for her.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers! It means so much to me and my family that so many people are praying for Grandma. She is a wonderful woman, the rock in our family, and one of the strongest women I know! I am so grateful that I get more time with her in my life. Thank you, God!

Monday morning prayer for Grandma

A week and a half ago my grandmother went in to have minor back surgery. Long story short, after numerous irregular pre-op tests she is not able to have back surgery. Instead, at 78 years old, she will be having triple bypass surgery this morning.
 

So today, Lord, I pray…

I pray for the surgeons’ hands - for You to guide them and keep them steady during surgery.

I pray for the surgeons’ heads - for clarity and no distracting thoughts during the procedure and for the appropriate knowledge to handle any complications that may arise.

I pray for the operating team’s hearts - that they would love and care for Grandma as her family loves and cares for her.

I pray for Grandma - for You to give her peace about the surgery and for comfort knowing that You are with her.

I pray for my extended family - to give us peace about the surgery, trust in Your plan for Grandma and our family, and the right words to share with Grandma before and after the procedure.

If you’re feeling up to it, feel free to join me in prayer; I know that my family and I would appreciate it. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

What I’m Loving Wednesday

Today I’m linking up with Jamie for another edition of What I’m Loving Wednesday!

I’m loving my new Amazon Kindle! It was a birthday gift from my parents. I love that I can keep a library full of books in a device that weighs only 8.5 ounces. It makes reading so much more fun and I’m pretty sure I’ll actually be finishing books now! I’m also loving the awesome case I got for it from Built NY!

I’m loving this great coupon site I came across: TheKrazyCouponLady.com! She’ll teach you how to save, where the good coupons are and how to score some awesome deals! Be sure to check out the website and get ready to save some money!

I’m loving that Dave is coming home tomorrow! He has been out of town at a conference all week and I hate being all alone in our apartment at night. OK, Gromit is here to keep me company, but it is not quite the same. I’m pretty sure Gromit would greet an intruder with licks then roll on his back in hopes of a belly rub.

I’m loving that many of my friends will be celebrating their first Mother’s Day on Sunday! It will be so special for them!

I’m loving my family and friends who made my birthday weekend so special! Thanks everyone!

What are you loving today?

The best birthday ever

This past weekend we celebrated my 27th birthday! On Friday night Dave and I went to the drive-in (one of my favorite things to do) and saw Fast Five and Adjustment Bureau. On Saturday we went to dinner with my parents and youngest sister. Do you watch South Park? Have you ever seen the episode where Kyle has his birthday party at a restaurant called Casa Bonita and doesn’t invite Cartman so he devises a plan to get invited? Well, the point is that Cartman makes Casa Bonita sound like this really awesome restaurant that is really exciting to go to. Check out a clip from the show below: (fair warning, you may hear a dirty word or two)

Casa Bonita
Tags: SOUTH
PARKmore...

Well, if you’re not from Colorado then you may not know that Casa Bonita really exists! (This was a surprise to some people from out of state who lived in my hall in the dorms during my freshman year of college.) Anyway, we went to Casa Bonita for dinner on Saturday night since we haven’t been there in a long while. To my Colorado friends, the food has greatly improved! Just like in the South Park clip, we got sopapillas by raising the flag at our table, watched the cliff divers, walked through Black Bart’s Cave, and had Happy Birthday sung to us by the mariachi band. The only things we didn’t do were watch the puppet show and get our fake jail pictures taken (it was $12.95 and not worth it). Check out the pics from the real Casa Bonita - it looks pretty much identical to the South Park representation.

But the best part of my birthday weekend? I finally got what I really wanted... a serious discussion and plan for starting a family! I have had terrible baby fever ever since my friends started having babies and the fever had gotten worse with every pregnancy announcement and birth of another tiny miracle. Whenever I would bring up the subject of having kids Dave's answer was "eventually" or something along the lines of "after I graduate, get a job, we buy a house, pay off my student loans and save tons of money". His answers made sense logically, but still my heart and womb ached for something more tangible. But in the last few weeks his heart has changed a bit, thanks in part to playing with an almost two-year-old at my brother's wedding (and seeing how I interacted with her) and to him turning 30 and realizing that time is passing faster and faster and no time may ever be the "perfect" time to start a family. And I have to think that my constant prayer about this made some sort of impact, too. Haha! While the details of our plan are ours alone, I can definitely say that we will still be waiting for Dave to graduate a get a job with a decent salary before we start trying, so don't get too excited just yet.

My heart is at peace because we finally have a real plan. I am no longer anxious or impatient about "eventually" because I know what and when I'm looking forward to. I am so in love with my wonderful husband and I am so thrilled that we are both emotionally ready to take this next step in our marriage. It is going to be an exciting ride!