Memorial Day Weekend (a little late...)

Well, here I am, behind in posting again...

Two weekends ago was Memorial Day weekend, and it was beautiful out.

On Saturday, we ventured out in Brian's monstrosity again.

It's had a bit of a makeover since we last saw it, and is looking quite snazzy.

Brian is a member of a Toyota offroading club, and we met up with a few other members and did a trail called 'Saran Wrap'.  It was a bit more difficult than the trail we did on the previous weekend.



One of the trucks we went with was a little more 'built' than Brian's, and could do things like driving up a big rock....

Now, I don't know very much about off-roading (other than to hold on tight), but I'm pretty sure this is NOT how it's supposed to be done...Don't worry, no one was hurt, and they were able to get it right-side-up in no time.

On Monday we both had a day off of work (yay!), so we decided to go hiking.  We hiked a trail called "The Crags" in Divide, CO.  The end of the trail is at nearly 11,000 feet, and the views are amazing.  It is really wonderful to live in a state with so much natural beauty.  Below are a few pictures from our hike.

It was about 4 miles round trip and our little devil was SO tired afterward.  I think he slept for 12 hours straight!

Hang on Tight!

A few months ago, Brian bought this monstrosity to feed his addiction for all things with four wheels....

This past weekend was our first time taking it up into the mountains for some off-roading.  We went to a trail called Mettbury Gulch, which is Northwest of Colorado Springs.

We had a lot of fun, and the scenery in the area is absolutely stunning. In 2002, this area was burned in the Hayman fire, which was the largest forest fire in Colorado's recorded history.  The forest is still full of dead trees and remnants of the burn. 

We took Diesel with us, and I'm not sure he enjoyed it as much as us humans did.  At one point, the ride got so bumpy that he was clinging to the armrest as if he was going to be bounced out of the truck...

Along the way, we got out periodically to search for geocaches.  We were able to find four out of the five we attempted, with the help of the world's happiest helper.  My Uncle Yogi would have been proud. 

It was quite a bumpy ride, though Brian claims it was "easy."  Below is a picture of the most difficult part of the trail.  Going up was much easier than going down, during which there may have been two wheels completely off the ground at one time.

I promise I will try to blog more often...especially now that it is summer and we are actually out doing things!

Observations from a Hockey Game

I really stink at blogging....I will try to get better, I promise.

Last Friday, I went to another Colorado College hockey game with Hubby, my Mother-in-Law, and her friend.  I tend to become very cynical when surrounded by large groups of people, and I wanted to share some observations from this game....

1.  If you are going to go to a sporting event, please choose the team you are going to cheer for ahead of time.  If you have no strong team affiliation, politely cheer for each team at appropriate times.  Please do not cheer loudly and enthusiastically for both teams, and don't cheer when the team you were just cheering for incurs a penalty.  It is very confusing to those of us around you, and makes it hard to determine whether you are friend or foe.

2.  In this country, we like to celebrate our nation, because it is a pretty awesome place to live.  Please don't remain seated during the national anthem.  Even if you are in a foreign country, it is the polite thing to do.  Seriously. 

3.  After you are done disrespecting my country, please don't pull out a book and proceed to READ through the ENTIRE game.  We are talking about a grown woman here, not a little kid who can't focus on one thing for that period of time.  Why bother coming?  Stay home and read.

4.  Ladies,  a hockey game is not a fashion show.  You don't need to wear dresses and heels.  Your pearl necklace can stay in the jewelry box.  If you do choose to wear a short dress, please be conscious of what is underneath.  Translucent tights that show your undies when climbing up the stairs are probably NOT your best option. 

5.  If your child is screaming at an unnatural decible, it is not the appropriate time to stick your fingers in your ears and laugh.  If your child continues to scream painfully loud, again, putting your fingers in your ears and laughing is not the answer.  I don't want to be deafened because you can't tell your child to stop screaming. 

6.  This one is probably most important....when you are in a tightly packed space, with a lot of people around you.....PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE wear deodorant.

Oh Christmas Tree

After resisting the urge to decorate for Christmas for as long as possible, I finally put the tree up the other day.

I bought this tree while I was in college on Black Friday for $10.  It is not the world's fanciest tree but I think it is sweet.  Someday I'm sure we will upgrade to a fancier tree.

Here it is, decked out in Christmas cheer, with Santa's favorite 4-legged helper.

Christmastime is someone else's favorite time of year.  I wonder how many ornaments will be missing this year?

18 days til Christmas!

Jillian vs. Jillian

I am a little embarassed to admit that I have fallen victim to the "newlywed nine."  Since our wedding, I have really been slacking in the "eating right" and "working out" department.  We used to live about 5 minutes from a gym I had a membership to, and now that membership has expired, and I would have to drive onto base to workout at the gym...Insert lame excuse here....Honestly, I am too lazy to go to the gym.  I'll admit it.  I also don't like running, or being outside in the cold. 

So, I decided I needed to take charge by finding something I could do at home.  After researching some at-home workouts, I found the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.  It had stellar reviews, and is only 20 minutes long.  I can handle that!  I bought the DVD yesterday and did the workout for the first time this morning.  It is only 20 minutes, but it kicked my butt! I am already sore.  I am hoping that working out with these videos, combined with eating out less, and contolling portion sizes, will help me to get in shape - and not fall victim to the holidays...Wish me luck!

Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's Day! Please take the time to remember all the servicemen and women that keep our country safe and free!  Without them, we wouldn't be able to celebrate the liberties that this beautiful country allows us!

I'd like to thank four very special veterans:

My favorite husband, US Army

The World's Best Dad, US Army

Gramps, US Army

Grandpa P, US Army

Thank you Veterans!

The "S Word"

This is what I woke up to this morning....



I don't know why this picture is so blue...

 Now for those of you that don't know, I hate snow.  It is COLD, and WET, and it tries to kill you on your way to work.  Ok - the invincible drivers of 4WD SUV's and trucks try to kill you on your way to work - but it's easier to blame the snow.  Today I saw 6 cars that had slid off the road and a garbage truck stuck in a right turn lane - Welcome Winter!