Welcome 2010

2009 was an amazing year, filled with more lessons about our limits and abilities than we could have ever imagined. We lost my father in April, moved across the country, found new jobs, and welcomed two new babies into our families. We got to drive from Denver to NC-- twice!-- and spend lots of time planning, working, and dreaming together.

I'm thankful for the hard work of 2009 and the opportunities for growth. I will continue to pray that this year is filled with opportunities for revealing our character as individuals and as a family.

Steamboat Springs

As a kickoff to the July 4th Holiday, we were able to get out of town to Steamboat Springs, a beautiful Rocky Mountain town. The drive took us west from Denver on I-70 Frisco/Silverthorne area. From here we took a two lane highway northwest to the Yampa Valley. We had rain on our drive into the ski town and there were bicyclists along the road on our way, which made for a white-knuckled drive in.

Steamboat is probably my favorite mountain destination that we have visited in Colorado thus far. The city has an actual downtown area that felt very different from the villages of other destinations. It seemed to have a larger variety of people and the stores were more accessible. During our one night stay the city was having a "First Friday Art Walk" (much like Denver's), and the Rodeo was also in town. I tried to talk Frank into buying some straw hats and chaps, and attending the event in full gear, but failed to convince him! I wish I had some pictures of our hat shopping adventure to share.

We had excellent food while we were in town including some amazing Mexican at a place called "Cantina" on the main drag. We agreed this was the best Mexican we have ever had; and we were glad we skipped the Rio there, as we have access to this in Denver. We also tried a Barbecue joint for lunch (Frank's choice) complete with buckets of peanuts and rolls of paper towels on the tables. The Steamboat Smokehouse had a great atmosphere and even better food. The sweet potato fries were tasty!

Although there was a storm brewing on the edges of the valley, we managed to get a Gondola ride in to the top of the mountain. Many people took their mountain bikes up to the top to ride the slopes down. You could even rent bikes to take down. The way up gave us a good view of some beautiful houses, and allowed us a panoramic view of the whole valley. The entire area was much bigger and more spread that I had realized. As we rode to the top, we were able to map out the ski runs, and both agreed it would be a great place to return to in the winter.



At the top of the mountain a wedding party was being assembled. We watched metal containers passing us on the Gondola ride back down probably carrying food and supplies. Later that evening, the glow of the reception could be seen back down at our hotel. What a beautiful setting for such an event. I cannot imagine how magical it would be to take a Gondola ride down the mountain after wedding in the dark, the stars lighting the way.

The next day we traveled back to Denver and, sans rain, were able to much better enjoy the two lane drive. The only hassle was arguing over who would get to drive around the fast winding mountain curves... Frank won.

Thanksgiving 2006

We really enjoyed having Beth's parents, sister, aunt, uncles, and grandmother out to Denver for Christmas. This was our first time hosting family and we really enjoyed sharing our humble apartment with everyone (no, they didn't spend the night in our one-bedroom)... but dinner and enjoying company was cozy! Thanks Meghan, Jen and Maria for joining us. It was wonderful to have family and friends together for the holiday.

Thank you to everyone for making it out here to see us! It meant so much to us to have you here. We love you! Here are some photos from our time together...


Uncle Robb, Uncle Dan, Dad, and Frank (back row)
Aunt Carole, Grandma, Mom, Kath, and Beth (front row)


The whole crew around the table (minus Frank as photographer)


Megs and Kath


Jen and Maria


Uncle Dan and Dad look on while Kathy navigates the Mac


Beth and Mom hard at work in the kitchen


Grandma and Uncle Robb enjoying some company before the meal

Welcome from Snowy Denver!

While Frank and I have been stranded inside for almost two days in Denver's 4th worst snow storm ever recorded, I guess you could say we've had a little too much time on our hands. As a result, I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog so that we can send updates to friends and family as they happen.

So, here goes...

We received about 2 feet of snow in Littleton, CO, just southwest of Denver. Frank spent time going outside completely geared up for the snow to uncover the Jeep. He was able to back up and get us out of our parking spot in 4wd... thank God for that!

Enjoy the pictures below recounting our two days of being snowed in...


Our red Jeep Cherokee yesterday as the snow still furiously falls


The building across from us in the middle of the storm on the first day


Our patio chair and table covered from the blowing snow, day 2


Frank all bundled up and ready to go outside