tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25628511948053350932024-03-13T04:00:24.055-04:00A Time To LaughLife as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-68167439817918812692014-07-10T23:53:00.005-04:002014-07-10T23:53:57.899-04:00Seattle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today we did a quick tour of Seattle. Basically, the Space Needle, Chihuly Gardens and Glass, and the Pike Place Market. We're staying near the airport, so the ride in took about 45 minutes and we got to use the Light Rail and the Monorail. The monorail was built along with the Space Needle for the 1962 World Fair. The theme of the fair that year was space, hence the "space" needle. The day was nice, and the warmest we've had yet!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Space Needle from the Monorail station.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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I really enjoy Chihuly's art. It is all large scale installation blown glass. He makes "gardens" and "ocean scenes." Allen and I have both seen his work before in Indianapolis, but this is the largest collection we've come across. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved this display, it was in a dark room, the floor is mirrored so the installation looks doubled, and soft classical music tinkles softly in the background.</td></tr>
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After the gardens, we walked across the street to the Space Needle and lunch. We almost didn't get to eat in the revolving restaurant because of all the reservations I had made for this trip, this was the one that was messed up! We really had been debating about the merits of even eating there at all...its expensive, and reviews online were mixed. But when they told us our reservations were not for today, I immediately knew I would be sad if we didn't get to go up and eat! Luckily, they got us in. The restaurant is pretty amazing, it looks very 1960's, but not in a run down way. The revolutions are slow, once every 45 minutes or so, I was worried about being sick by spinning around and eating at the same time, but you can barely tell you're moving. The scenery just slowly turns beneath you.</div>
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The views were spectacular and the food was good. Probably not as good as the amount we paid for it! Lol! But, good none-the-less. We had an appetizer of mussels and oysters which was my favorite part of the meal, then Allen ordered fish and chips and I ordered crab mac and cheese. We sat and ate and enjoyed the view for about 2 hours. It was a relatively clear day and we could see all the way to Mount Baker, the most Northern peak of the Cascade Mountains. Our waiter told us it is on the border of Canada and about 3 hours drive from Seattle. We also enjoyed beautiful views of Mount Ranier and the rest of the Cascade Mountain range. To our West, the Olympia Mountain range was also beautiful and imposing. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Ranier and downtown Seattle<br /></td></tr>
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We took our very full selves down to the Pike Place Market this afternoon. It's awesome, a huge open air market selling anything you can think of, but specializing in fresh fish...and the original Starbucks!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting in line for Starbucks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double shot espresso!</td></tr>
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Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-70139529408285315842014-07-10T23:14:00.001-04:002014-07-10T23:14:17.219-04:00Portland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday we said goodbye to the wild, cold Pacific. I had loved it and miss it already. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cape Meare's Lighthouse, our final viewpoint of the coast.</td></tr>
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Driving east we came to Portland around lunch time. Let me just say, Portland's roads are crazy. We both loved the town, it was very beautiful and the downtown area where we ate lunch looked like it would be fun to explore, but our GPS gave us about 20 turns getting off the highway and to a little sandwhich shop I had found online. Then when leaving later to head to Seattle, there was literally about 30 turns and instructions to get back on! At one point we were in a double lane on ramp and we came to a flashing red light and each lane would flash alternately. I didn't get it, but Allen said "its getting us back to a single lane!" He thought that was funny...and low a behold, he was right. In about 20 feet we were back to a single lane.</div>
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In Portland, we went to a sandwhich shop called Bunk, and also to the Japanese and rose gardens. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bunk was a tiny little sandwich shop, we were proud of ourselves for actually finding it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Japanese garden was beautiful, quiet and green.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful view of Mt. Hood from the gardens.<br />
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After the Japanese garden we went to the International Rose Test Garden. It is free and completely open to the public. The garden began in 1917 because a group of Portland nurserymen were worried about the roses in Europe during WWI. As we walked down the steps from our car into the 4.5 acre tiered hill, we did not expect how dazzling the garden would be. Its hard to describe, there are thousands of roses, everywhere you look, they blanket the hillside.</div>
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The pictures do not do it justice. If you are ever near Portland, you must take the time to visit. </div>
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Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-86583068614286069142014-07-10T02:25:00.003-04:002014-07-10T02:25:47.509-04:00Cape Perpetua<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yesterday we drove up the Oregon coast from Bandon to Garibaldi. We loved it. The Oregon coast is very different than that of the Northern California. The cities are much more clean and the road is easier to drive...they're different. We loved Oregon, but don't be offended my California friends. CA did have it's draw as well. :)</div>
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Other than driving, we spent most of our day at a state park called Cape Perpetua. When we got there, we went to the visitor's center to ask for directions and the ranger told us that really, it was not the greatest day to visit the park. It was foggy so views were limited, and the low tide was not going to be very low...we were momentarily disappointed. With only hours to explore, we worried that we had come all this way just to be disenchanted. But when we walked down the short trail, through the tunnel under the highway and emerged onto the beach, we were anything but...it was amazing and gorgeous and probably one of my favorite places in the world... </div>
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It is an unforgiving landscape...a black rock beach, difficult to walk on, you had to be very careful not to twist your ankle or fall and scrape yourself on the sharp and unforgiving shards. The waves smash the edge of the rock and its not even tempting to get too close to the edge. If you fell in, you would be crushed against the rock before you could ever find a hand or foothold to climb out. </div>
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The receding waves left tidepools with small sea creatures stranded for our delighted discovery. I think this is why the ranger told us it was a bad day to visit. When the tide is lower, the small animals are more plentiful and I think you can often see starfish and sea urchins. We did not see these, but what we did see was enough. </div>
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The other thing that was so amazing about Cape Perpetua, and actually the whole Oregon Coast, is that the forest is yards away from the beach. We left the shore for a mile walk inland in order to see a giant spruce tree. The walk felt like jungle as the cold wind of the coast hit the slightly warmer air inland. Giant ferns, ivy and clover cover the ground and every tree is cloaked in heavy moss. With the fog rolling in behind us, I felt like we were walking through a scene from Jurassic Park. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roots of the Spruce</td></tr>
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I was really sad to leave Cape Perpetua and would love to return someday. It was a place so different that its difficult to describe and a memory I will cherish for a long time.<br />
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Miles on down the road to Garibaldi we stopped for some fun dinner at a little dive in Newport. It was my favorite type of place! People were lined up out the door, it was simple, and good! Allen had a crab sandwhich and I had fried oysters. I wanted the oysters because we had seen so many at the cape earlier...I knew they must be fresh! I also slurped an oyster shooter. Basically a raw oyster in hot sauce...I swallowed it whole pretty much. It was spicy and oceany.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah! Oyster shooter!</td></tr>
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We ended the day in the Tillamook/Garibaldi area. Its very rural...dairy farm meets the ocean. A funny combination, but it works! I'd love to live here. A Tillamook Cheese factory tour fixed our sweet took with fresh ice cream.<br />
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Finally, we made it to our hotel and went for a short walk around the bay's small port, admiring the ships and marveling at how they must brave those crazy, scary waves we had stayed far back away from earlier in the day on the tide pools. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy was mounted on the bow of a ship. We laughed because it takes someone about that brave to take on the waves!</td></tr>
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-84064755364772992712014-07-09T02:06:00.002-04:002014-07-09T02:06:38.810-04:00Avenue of the Giants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I think the pictures of the redwoods pretty much speak for themselves. They were majestic.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The roots of a fallen giant.</td></tr>
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After exploring for several hours we drove north to Bandon, Oregon. We stopped to eat salmon and crabcakes along the way.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our hotel in Bandon. Beautiful.</td></tr>
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Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-62728664874242941232014-07-09T01:12:00.000-04:002014-07-09T01:12:02.062-04:00Coastal DrivingBecause of slow internet in SF and the redwoods, I'm two days behind in blogging. This is good and bad, as it's annoying that I'm not necessarily blogging about the things that are most vivid in my memory, but its also nice to remember. <br />
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We left San Francisco the morning of the 6th. Making our way back to the airport from our hotel and then driving across the city was our challenge, and actually, it wasn't too bad. We started early and were going to ride the BART system all the way back, but a cabi kindly and lucratively informed us that it was not running until 8:30. Our car pickup time was scheduled for 7, and we didn't want to wait around for traffic to get bad...so we took the cab. It was expensive, but also low in stress. He took us directly where we needed to go.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving across the city was also uneventful and actually very easy. It was early and no one was out. The bridge was cold and foggy of course. <br />
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We drove the coast for 12 hours. It was supposed to be about 7, but it took 12. It was absolutely one of the most beautiful drives of my life though! Its crazy, like driving from Garfield to Eureka (for those of you who know what that means ;) for 12 hours straight. Hundreds of hairpin turns, just back and forth and back and forth. We would get an incredible view of the ocean for about 5 minutes, then turn back into the forest. Occasionally, and especially at the beginning of the trip, we kept driving past the smell of eucalyptus, and realized it was growing wild along the side of the road! One of my favorite smells. </div>
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At Mendosa we stopped for lunch and took some clam chowder for a picnic to look at the Pacific. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacket and hot clam chowder for a picnic in July. Totally different weather than home!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy really really wanted to share our lunch.</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_1729682747"></span><span id="goog_1729682748"></span>We also stopped in Fort Bragg to check out the Glass Beach. Basically, it was an old dump in the 1950's. And now, the glass and metal that was dumped into the ocean, has been churned and churned into a beautiful, glistening carpet of sea glass. It's a very unnasuming town and the area you park in is still industrial...you'd never find this gem unless you knew where to look.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvkAzc48aIj3maLI2CiWUE2F4RgrtHurGNz1PlsQVU2-T3kZLmMSN5B4JpcIcNsVrdgOvfkmUgW9YVEAsIhyphenhyphend1NMwmWfq8QUmy2TLpCx1jTVYpzNKhLAGuJW4ko8OJ2c9tJwDyFEOhIk/s1600/Vacation+Day+4+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvkAzc48aIj3maLI2CiWUE2F4RgrtHurGNz1PlsQVU2-T3kZLmMSN5B4JpcIcNsVrdgOvfkmUgW9YVEAsIhyphenhyphend1NMwmWfq8QUmy2TLpCx1jTVYpzNKhLAGuJW4ko8OJ2c9tJwDyFEOhIk/s1600/Vacation+Day+4+023.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of my favorites</td></tr>
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We also enjoyed the wildlife in Fort Bragg. I made up a story about this squirrel, that she was the squirrel wife of a sailor squirrel who went away to sea and hadn't made it back yet. She waits, patiently on this rock day in and day out, and someday, he will return.<br />
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Shortly past Fort Bragg, we turned inland toward the Redwoods. The road was still crazy and Allen enjoyed his turn zooming and pretend racing through the forest until he made me car sick and I made him slow down. </div>
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The first gigantic redwood we came to was this "treehouse." Its a tree that was struck by lightening, but lived. The burned out portion in the bottom was hollowed out by a woman in the 1930's. She actually lived inside the tree and installed doors and windows. We were so excited to have finally made it to the redwoods!</div>
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Past the treehouse we drove toward our cabin in Miranda. The trees kept getting bigger and the woods thicker. Miranda Gardens was our destination and we were not disappointed when we got there. It is on the road called the "Avenue of the Giants." and several giants were right inside the complex. Dissapointment did set in, however, when we realized just how remote we were and that there was no food to be found in the little town of Miranda at 7:00 PM on Sunday night unless we drove back 15 miles or forward 30. WiFi was also extremely spotty, so researching a restaurant was difficult. Luckily, we made the decision to go back, kicking ourselves for not stopping on the way...and found a little hamburger place that saved us! We were starving.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm happy here! I was turning into that person from the Snicker's commercial. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmm! Food!</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_2098603520"></span><span id="goog_2098603521"></span><br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-37397806209888072862014-07-08T01:58:00.002-04:002014-07-08T01:58:27.894-04:00Three Highlights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There were 3 highlights to July 5th. Alcatraz, lunch, and after dinner dessert.</div>
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Alcatraz is just cool. If you ever get a chance, go. They give you an audio tour that is narrated by ex-guards and ex-prisoners that experienced the prison themseves. Its really well done. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgqC5eBPdU0oUNi-0xj-cJMDkSFi187uqFDRF6aKJ0cPL5k9CACe7O70d3s8ZV7L2TmsiQZ6QHdK_qPOZgfzkIGXMHJ-vHVVlKJum36FQOYbiJUJJf64px4VlXXl83jzj9l1WDuRM97Q/s1600/2014+Vacation+Days+2-3+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgqC5eBPdU0oUNi-0xj-cJMDkSFi187uqFDRF6aKJ0cPL5k9CACe7O70d3s8ZV7L2TmsiQZ6QHdK_qPOZgfzkIGXMHJ-vHVVlKJum36FQOYbiJUJJf64px4VlXXl83jzj9l1WDuRM97Q/s1600/2014+Vacation+Days+2-3+045.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see we were well prepared for the cold wind today. This is a view of San Francisco from Alcatraz...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGtFKvEwGOjDaTM7PimcQr7RG1ukzRFChns6uB2OdReivi41g7BeomYIa_01prRerBKYpSAOZOi2husn3l_RsnsnIMoe6CPIkc6Y5x20cIOLphAD8m83bfQvV4GTC_0qYMfmtD9k_xtk/s1600/2014+Vacation+Days+2-3+046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGtFKvEwGOjDaTM7PimcQr7RG1ukzRFChns6uB2OdReivi41g7BeomYIa_01prRerBKYpSAOZOi2husn3l_RsnsnIMoe6CPIkc6Y5x20cIOLphAD8m83bfQvV4GTC_0qYMfmtD9k_xtk/s1600/2014+Vacation+Days+2-3+046.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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The second highlight was Shanghai Dumpling King. Its an unassuming little restaurant that seats maybe 30 people and is in an area of the city that you really have to work at to find. We used our recently gained knowledge of the bus system along with our feet to make it. I had researched a bunch of restaurants in preparation for our trip and this place was high on the list for good and cheap. <br />
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We really weren't sure what to order, having never been to a Chinese dumpling restaurant before. So we asked the waiter for recommendations and this is what we got. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-NlYWqaM6VLG0a0CaevfOBxDcI2E7XGP3Pe8HSEu0zGteFSFs39BDqJFfZWGj6ZLLQG6283OCVqmjnIg5X8Bk6Jwq348Z6I_WFqp_dWEAEkDzve0L2kkMYV4U7drwfv9pVS5mzze8Fw/s1600/2014+Vacation+Days+2-3+053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-NlYWqaM6VLG0a0CaevfOBxDcI2E7XGP3Pe8HSEu0zGteFSFs39BDqJFfZWGj6ZLLQG6283OCVqmjnIg5X8Bk6Jwq348Z6I_WFqp_dWEAEkDzve0L2kkMYV4U7drwfv9pVS5mzze8Fw/s1600/2014+Vacation+Days+2-3+053.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green pea sprouts...don't turn up your nose. This dish was to die for! Allen aptly described them as tender shoots of asparagus attached to spinach leaves. They were tender and buttery with a hint of garlic. I'd go back just to eat them again. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DFBPmLvj3ACM-paa08VREvWjWmoMil2n7KuRUkIapEJl_7zgTRBn4McwjIPQT1kaLdwPHo7NWSOxvjzmYpMkC5UMP6_rWbIuHgWBCLi3h7d78mFJL_AI1BI3sLa1ZuH21EsC41TgFZ4/s1600/2014+Vacation+Days+2-3+055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DFBPmLvj3ACM-paa08VREvWjWmoMil2n7KuRUkIapEJl_7zgTRBn4McwjIPQT1kaLdwPHo7NWSOxvjzmYpMkC5UMP6_rWbIuHgWBCLi3h7d78mFJL_AI1BI3sLa1ZuH21EsC41TgFZ4/s1600/2014+Vacation+Days+2-3+055.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dumplings did not disapoint either. They came out steaming. Tasting like tender little sausage balls, wrapped in a noodle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We ordered two different types. This one was a litte more spicy and had rice inside along with the sausage and veggies. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dessert was a sesame rice dumpling. This was the strangest part of the meal. It came in a warm, sugary, clear broth. The dumplings were pure white, and when you bit into them, they were thick and chewy with a grainy sugar/sesame filling. We liked them more for the experience than anything else, they were fun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As we were complimenting the waiter on the food, we told him we like to blog and asked that he tell us the names of everything we had eaten. He obliged and was impressed with the voice to text feature I used on my phone. He even went to get his so I could show him how to use it. He also suggested we try one more thing, the sugar egg puff. It was yummy and fresh and tasted like funnel cake. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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We left the restaurant quite pleased with ourselves for finding it. Next door was a little Chinese market and we bought Oolong tea, which I am currently enjoying while I type, and also candied ginger.</div>
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After eating, we explored the De Young art museum and also the Japanese tea garden in the Golden Gate park. </div>
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I hate to say our dinner was a let down after lunch...it really wasn't...but it wasn't a highlight either. We decided on a tourist favorite and waited in line for about 45 minutes to get in. Really, it was very good. If we hadn't had out of this world earlier in the day, I might have even said it was great. It just wasn't quite the same. But, it was good.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting in line.</td></tr>
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The final highlight of the day was our dessert, bubble tea. We had already enjoyed it the first night in SF, after our ramen experience. The last thing we did in San Fracisco was go back and get one last glass. Its a cold milky tea drink with tapioca balls in the bottom. The straws are large so the tapioca balls can get sucked up in each slurp. They are like really gummy jelly beans...its just good.</div>
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-76891020498653681682014-07-08T01:26:00.001-04:002014-07-08T01:26:12.815-04:00Fourth of July SF Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We were so excited the night of the 3rd that we didn't really sleep soundly. That combined with the time change equalled about 4 hours of sleep and waking up at 5:00 AM. We left the hotel at 6:30 and decided to hit up Walgreens to buy snacks and water which we packed into our trusty backpack and headed out in search of adventure. We wandered up and down the amazingly steep San Francisco hills for about an hour and a half before finding ourselves at the bottom of the steps leading to Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. When I was planning our trip I had read many recommendations to walk down the steps and enjoy the gardens surrounding them. But now, we found ourselves at the bottom instead of the top, so what else could we do but climb up? Climbing the steps was beautiful, but steep. The picture shows just a small part of the stairs. We climbed for about 20 minutes. The flowers were the most gorgeous we saw in San Francisco.<br />
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We hoped to be able to catch our first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge from Coit tower, but after climbing up, we found it was closed to visitors until 10AM, at this point it was only about 9. So, we walked down the other side of Telegraph hill toward Pier 39 and the ferry to Sausalito. We had decided to ferry across the bay and then walk back across the bridge. Once at the pier we bought our tickets, marveled at how few people were out on the morning of the 4th. We explored Fisherman's Warf and Boudin Bakery was my favorite stop in the touristy area. They are famous for sourdough and we bought a sourdough asiago loaf that became our snack the rest of the day. They shape their loaves into all kinds of animals and you can even pay to go on a tour and shape your own loaf. We didn't, but it did look fun.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were admiring this loaf with all the sea creatures through the window and the baker picked it up to show us, saying she had created it herself!<br />
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We also enjoyed Musee Mecanique which contains antique arcade games that you can still play. We checked our grip with one and Allen got "Out of this World" while I got "Puny." Haha, he has a strong grip. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a shooting game Allen loved. It shot metal marbles and you were supposed to knock down little tabs with painted animals. He's a pretty good shot.</td></tr>
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Finally, four and a half hours after we had started wandering the city, our ferry took off. We shivered while loving the views of the city, the bridge, and Sausalito. It was cold! In fact, this has been by far, the coldest week in July that I have ever experienced. We haven't gone one day without wearing our jackets, and in San Francisco, we didn't dare wear shorts. The fog is just icy, it rolls over the bridge and the hills surrounding it and chills the bay. But, we still loved it. We were on a ferry in San Francisco Bay!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our view of the Golden Gate. Pretty much all you could see was fog! Haha. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Sausalito. As soon as we ferried past the bridge, the fog cleared and the sky was blue. You can imagine how it rolls in over the hills from this picture.</td></tr>
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In Sausalito Allen bought me earrings. <3 He is a sweetheart. Then we roamed some more, looking for lunch. We really wanted Sushi Ran, a place I had scoped out in preparation for the trip, but it was closed for the 4th. :( Sad because it looked amazingly clean and modern. We would definitely recommend people try it just from looking in the window. After being indecisive and wandering by foot for about and hour, we gave up on eating in Sausalito. Actually, what happened was, we decided on a restaurant we found online, started walking toward it, not realizing just how far it was...walked about 45 minutes...then found it and we were not happy. So...we called a cab to take us to Vista Point, the area right at the Sausalito side of the Golden Gate. This was part of the original plan because we knew we wanted to walk the bridge and we had been told the walk from Sausalito to the bridge was rough. On the cab ride we munched on our sourdough and a snickers we got at Walgreens earlier. Preparation in action! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see a little more of the bridge and less of the fog from Sausalito.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allen likes the rivets.<br />
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When we arrived back in San Francisco, we got on a bus that we thought would take us back to the Fisherman's Warf area...wrong! Whoops! The number of the bus was correct, but it was going the opposite way. The plus side of getting on the wrong bus, though, is that you figure out public transportation...this was the same way we learned in Rome, which is the subject of another, older blog post (Lost in Rome)...so we rode the bus around...made a couple connections...rode through the Golden Gate Park...and finally made it back to Fisherman's Warf about 4:30. <br />
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We were just glad to be off our feet a while. We had been walking from 6:30 to about 3:30. That's 9 hours! And I'm NOT kidding. We had sat down a little at Fisherman's Warf while waiting for the Ferry, on the 15 minute Ferry ride and on the 10 minute cab ride. Both of our feet were killing us, we hadn't eaten a real lunch, and were exhausted. This is not to say we weren't happy. It was amazing! But, we were hungry and tired...<br />
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and we made a horrible culinary decision because we were about to collapse...<br />
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We ate at Applebees...I know! We ate a Applebees in San Francisco!<br />
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It's a sad truth, it was mediocre, and we felt better after we did it...basically, it was accesible and we had a gift card. They gave us giant glasses of water and we both had hamburgers.<br />
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When we left Applebees it was getting really crazy at the warf.<br />
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We decided to tour the USS Pampanito because we had seen it earlier in the day and it was a little out of the way and further from the crowd. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Listening to the audio tour in the submarine</td></tr>
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Back out on the street, the crowd was thick. Earlier in the day, there was barely a sole, but now thousands of people had gathered for the fireworks show later that evening. We decided that despite the distance, it would be better if we went back to the hotel, at least for a nap before coming back to watch the show. As we pushed our way through the throngs and back up the hill, we enjoyed some of the street performers including these acrobats. <br />
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It took us another hour, partially walking, partially using busses, to make it up the hill and to our hotel. We were beyond tired and told ourselves we would take a couple hour's nap and then go back to watch the fireworks...<br />
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We didn't.<br />
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We slept through the night. We were in San Francisco for the Fourth of July and we didn't see the fireworks. I know, we're old, we're lame. Haha.<br />
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We had an awesome day anyway.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tired of sitting in Dallas Fort Worth airport! Come on San Fracisco!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really cool views from the plane. Fields that are perfect circles. Plus some clouds.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful views of Arizona, in our minds, this is Monument Valley. We even thought we saw Page, AZ and Lake Powell which is one of the most beautiful places we visited on our 2012 vacation. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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Finally, this evening, we made it to our destination. The time difference is 2 hours here and we didn't really consider how hungry we would be when we landed. Of course, we were in San Francisco, a food lover's paradise! We didn't want to eat just anything. And we definitely did not want to eat in the airport! So we figured out the public transportation system, rode it 30 minutes to the station nearest our hotel, and then walked up a gigantic hill to check in. We then wandered around trying to decide where to try out our taste buds first. By this time it was about 9:30 home time and we were ravenous! We did some restaurant planning before we got here, but many of the restaurants we want to try are miles away and we needed something fast. Luckily Underground Ramen popped up as a tiny hidden gem. We knew we had run onto gold when we saw the line. You have to write your name on a dry erase board outside and just wait. The restaurant holds about 15 people at a time...and the wait was long...but SO worth it!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spicy Miso Ramen with added corn, soft boiled egg and pork belly</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pot stickers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spicy Miso Ramen with mushrooms, soft boiled egg, and pork belly.<br /></td></tr>
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Totally amazing and so worth the long long wait!</div>
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Next door to the ramen place was a milk tea and tapioca bar. If you've never eaten tapioca tea, as I hadn't before tonight, it is weird...but good. Allen had Oolong and I had green. The tapioca are like jelly beans in bottom of the milky cold tea. You drink it out of a huge straw that lets the tapioca beads get sucked up with each sip. They're chewy and yummy. You'll just have to try it, trust me, you should...</div>
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Keep tuned in, its late tonight, but we will be posting more tomorrow. </div>
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-12139562861126177642014-01-23T14:14:00.003-05:002014-01-23T14:14:50.620-05:00The Sullivan HouseholdI feel like we're finally getting back to normal after all the snow and holidays! People have been asking me to post pictures of the house, and even though I feel like its FAR from being done, I decided it was time. So forgive the messes and unfinished projects!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQpIDKn2gQ3zsV1YJvbZ9F1HwxTtQ5IoHFFlzPtRzBQuTUUuJg1fZG79UtXG45UY3KXCBfgFFHsQbDh-DPohy02T6rSd1Pw9PQnXdKdmA-HKtZIszmG4ISj5TRiQYw0oBI_kEo8l_T1M/s1600/House+for+Blog+163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQpIDKn2gQ3zsV1YJvbZ9F1HwxTtQ5IoHFFlzPtRzBQuTUUuJg1fZG79UtXG45UY3KXCBfgFFHsQbDh-DPohy02T6rSd1Pw9PQnXdKdmA-HKtZIszmG4ISj5TRiQYw0oBI_kEo8l_T1M/s1600/House+for+Blog+163.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So, this is the kitchen. When we moved in there were no appliances and it was blood red. We painted the popcorn ceiling, yes messy, and coated the wall a couple times with Kilz and my nice "frosted grape" green before we were satisfied. Its a relaxing colore that I LOVE!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA0_WCj7q8wL1aXugk-7isF0Cz70jM3aM1cjKq09SOn6zGUtF01sLHqjmaJRBbwqi_UlLtGwRV13XdkZJ6ssRIyxif9oZHr3LpfqoiMCZjeqVq9BAUuTjdVfMwxS_G-RmjdSf3J44_PM/s1600/House+for+Blog+164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA0_WCj7q8wL1aXugk-7isF0Cz70jM3aM1cjKq09SOn6zGUtF01sLHqjmaJRBbwqi_UlLtGwRV13XdkZJ6ssRIyxif9oZHr3LpfqoiMCZjeqVq9BAUuTjdVfMwxS_G-RmjdSf3J44_PM/s1600/House+for+Blog+164.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dining room met with tragedy as the table fell off the back of the truck and skidded down the road during our move. But, I rescued it by making my own table cloth! Its a work in progress, as 3 edges of the table cloth still have pins in the hem. Haven't quite had the time to finish that off. You may want to be careful sitting at our table! We also plan to get some blinds for the windows soon. Finally, notice the plants, you can't really see much of our split leafed philedandrum. We've had it since we got married, and it came from Allen's mom who has had it as long as he can remember. The other two are also family heirlooms, the geranium recently given to be by my aunt, was my great grandmothers. And, the aloe vera was a gift from Allen's great Aunt Elle. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHfsH6AmEkA-n_YTCakGJ-Wru2MfOYM0JGcJrJn8bWozBFQ-Z3aNulL3eSnNrWhSBf4VZ_B2A_HmPimsAe1M3B07Fsfa9JJk8KHm_rSSv7DsQXVFSgSOyAegphZ_e4DaoAS22DqYTZyA/s1600/House+for+Blog+165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHfsH6AmEkA-n_YTCakGJ-Wru2MfOYM0JGcJrJn8bWozBFQ-Z3aNulL3eSnNrWhSBf4VZ_B2A_HmPimsAe1M3B07Fsfa9JJk8KHm_rSSv7DsQXVFSgSOyAegphZ_e4DaoAS22DqYTZyA/s1600/House+for+Blog+165.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transition from kitchen/dining room to living room. This is a piece of art Allen made in college. Its the Lord's Prayer in Latin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdULuOwvR_lIdw7fTV2v-1iMBiT7qQcgxuAHAQWPuOcSnBfpOJm3pbh28eGOLeokiqLPI806fNItyFPj_9CMkQdI3EIVRq1yjdCc97V6B0Avk0t7pDwnHCAVxqxuFdyPDvAKafvkU18Q/s1600/House+for+Blog+175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdULuOwvR_lIdw7fTV2v-1iMBiT7qQcgxuAHAQWPuOcSnBfpOJm3pbh28eGOLeokiqLPI806fNItyFPj_9CMkQdI3EIVRq1yjdCc97V6B0Avk0t7pDwnHCAVxqxuFdyPDvAKafvkU18Q/s1600/House+for+Blog+175.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room with fireplace! Our newest edition! I LOVE IT! We are just waiting on the mantle. It should be installed sometime this week. Also, Allen took some mahogany he had collected (or rather found in my parent's attic ;) to a furniture shop and they are making us a beautiful TV/stereo cabinet. That's supposed to be done sometime this month. Finally, you can see that the carpet is kind of flipped up by the stove. We basically just need to have a carpet guy come in and do a bunch of finishing and detail work. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3BY860NzLQnb_o3BIsKtBWeJPEIM_Y1-qAQh_3tI-jSqSMZT_k2Pa1PEVuUjB2vF9BzVwkMEJQIr269trI6dyOklFAYuFcjlUUfWLyBJuHVyQ5OEqOl-f8l2pta15uDhdvW8Yi0FaRE/s1600/House+for+Blog+167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3BY860NzLQnb_o3BIsKtBWeJPEIM_Y1-qAQh_3tI-jSqSMZT_k2Pa1PEVuUjB2vF9BzVwkMEJQIr269trI6dyOklFAYuFcjlUUfWLyBJuHVyQ5OEqOl-f8l2pta15uDhdvW8Yi0FaRE/s1600/House+for+Blog+167.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room with our NEW rug! Which we love. The couch is old, and a little small for the room. We plan on getting a big comfy sectional. The large piece of art we have hauled around with us since college. A friend of Allen's who still makes and sells art traded him for some canvas frames. The one on the left is of the Colloseum. Allen made it after we went to Rome.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79zWhhPBPVAXJTuDj4WuBX7P0eV0eiZVrZeV1pu2zgwqQMckEYW2DR_IfcBgxMBCJVpx1C3VkqEO4hjsTwPfYMGo7bpR6_hGPZSgdxM6DBzzHDFYGShKWLe_czN0UVjggkI7I939aSGk/s1600/House+for+Blog+168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79zWhhPBPVAXJTuDj4WuBX7P0eV0eiZVrZeV1pu2zgwqQMckEYW2DR_IfcBgxMBCJVpx1C3VkqEO4hjsTwPfYMGo7bpR6_hGPZSgdxM6DBzzHDFYGShKWLe_czN0UVjggkI7I939aSGk/s1600/House+for+Blog+168.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room from the opposite dirrection. I love my window from the kitchen into the living room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkc_C0kTDxmMyGflYaFVdTPvI0oFdIFXorZtGEFr01QjRMbNhBl9yh9ruhyphenhyphenDzJ81AgAEZtH9hdpElgmCCghwEMse2WwI7xHT1LobIrRxceMzgqyj3hlU8XZM2xLoqme13Z5geqNNc4-2U/s1600/House+for+Blog+169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkc_C0kTDxmMyGflYaFVdTPvI0oFdIFXorZtGEFr01QjRMbNhBl9yh9ruhyphenhyphenDzJ81AgAEZtH9hdpElgmCCghwEMse2WwI7xHT1LobIrRxceMzgqyj3hlU8XZM2xLoqme13Z5geqNNc4-2U/s1600/House+for+Blog+169.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallway! I'm slowly working on painting it. You can't really tell, but I've painted the left wall. It was kind of gross when we moved in, with handprints and dirt. :P Looking much better now! And again, we love our art!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yXW0QpSKG38vtij9DaFAFALsq1B2AyRHxUCWpAhEQbAGNqqE1lFXSp6XB5_EM0wdK1MlLM1XU0dp-x2e3Y_SFKmEBY1_SnS6crks7xTV8sb0afHOKw7NoMQ5nxMjQh1ptI5VkJDL0Aw/s1600/House+for+Blog+170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yXW0QpSKG38vtij9DaFAFALsq1B2AyRHxUCWpAhEQbAGNqqE1lFXSp6XB5_EM0wdK1MlLM1XU0dp-x2e3Y_SFKmEBY1_SnS6crks7xTV8sb0afHOKw7NoMQ5nxMjQh1ptI5VkJDL0Aw/s1600/House+for+Blog+170.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathroom, with new shower curtain and rug. Its small, but the larger master bath is unusable at the moment. Its definitely one of our bigger projects. So, we like that we have this one. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8ur9OXNDr6up1M4isCeSRJw3VVXSN8FZrQ27j7BFTzDfAntLH00Na4IAecjhnx2xTKNX3P3kvn_PzalY_IPvWNLepLpxAjtHg7AFSS6ADO0DzZPBZJv5jrh9RTh2_OCSMeOO3-cnmRU/s1600/House+for+Blog+171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8ur9OXNDr6up1M4isCeSRJw3VVXSN8FZrQ27j7BFTzDfAntLH00Na4IAecjhnx2xTKNX3P3kvn_PzalY_IPvWNLepLpxAjtHg7AFSS6ADO0DzZPBZJv5jrh9RTh2_OCSMeOO3-cnmRU/s1600/House+for+Blog+171.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guest bedroom, this is where you'll stay if you come. So come visit! I just painting the walls "almost aqua." You can tell I'm not quite done if you look closely in the upper left hand corner of the picture. Also, you can see the picture that Rachel just painted us the other day. <3<br /> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1T-BZyTKM7DI07_1_aEPxfeTIwGB0XZ5x7CGsX2rcx965SufK_EEN_lX6Fej8JVUfqbQHAG-XvZL64zB8JIN0U29KLjQiNukVBoIhYU266i382onsGcl_cm8Kg78NZxKV3oIXLi7w18/s1600/House+for+Blog+173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1T-BZyTKM7DI07_1_aEPxfeTIwGB0XZ5x7CGsX2rcx965SufK_EEN_lX6Fej8JVUfqbQHAG-XvZL64zB8JIN0U29KLjQiNukVBoIhYU266i382onsGcl_cm8Kg78NZxKV3oIXLi7w18/s1600/House+for+Blog+173.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom. I love our bedspread. And yes, those are dinosaurs in the window. They are Allen's favorite toys from childhood and we found them the other day while we were decorating for Christmas. I tied a red bow on one and put it there, so its been there ever since.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghoZiRyhSRykrhRyjXZ1wKvjVL70jr2UEcEVvqQ00WVFVmF-oIWTdySgF6VexcmgApa7HA51EmqRc0bgTpRvozSdStqDAQrqWH0cWVllGI4OgtSWSWkoXXGgcBQJym7uKU9ZpV5McwPc/s1600/House+for+Blog+174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghoZiRyhSRykrhRyjXZ1wKvjVL70jr2UEcEVvqQ00WVFVmF-oIWTdySgF6VexcmgApa7HA51EmqRc0bgTpRvozSdStqDAQrqWH0cWVllGI4OgtSWSWkoXXGgcBQJym7uKU9ZpV5McwPc/s1600/House+for+Blog+174.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View out my back window. I love it. We are high up on a hill and I sometimes feel like we're in a treehouse. </td></tr>
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We are happy home owners! I'll try to post updates as we do more work. There are several other rooms that I didn't post...there's a lot of work left to be done! </div>
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-14244289893907697802013-11-13T08:52:00.003-05:002013-11-13T08:52:57.000-05:00Moving on<dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;">Today I can relate to Edward FitzGerald<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">'s translation of the </span><i style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">Rubáiyát of Omar. </i><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">This is a Persian poem written</span><i style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </i><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">over a thousand years ago, but still so poignaant about how quickly life moves. It's here, it's gone, and nothing can change that. </span></dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;">"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,</dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;">Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit</dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;">Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,</dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;">Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it."</dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;">We are moving out of our apartment tand I am so <i>infinitely</i> happy to be moving with Allen instead of away from him. Soon we will be in our new home...life keeps moving on.</dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></dd><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrMIg18_J7z_WgTfVkLm1qQGPq2nVFRFFFEq0-zzzMqilSChRgIyarvq6hJUi6nY7fRPiDSSVgWTfq69S5agduAM1cUC_hzdr-RqbpAKYCHF9JIhpYp7egRQbeLi37AOgJS35AUqDOm8/s1600/Autumn+2013+136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrMIg18_J7z_WgTfVkLm1qQGPq2nVFRFFFEq0-zzzMqilSChRgIyarvq6hJUi6nY7fRPiDSSVgWTfq69S5agduAM1cUC_hzdr-RqbpAKYCHF9JIhpYp7egRQbeLi37AOgJS35AUqDOm8/s320/Autumn+2013+136.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px;"><br /></dd><dd style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px;"><br /></dd>Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-20681370161271406712013-11-05T09:07:00.002-05:002013-11-05T09:07:11.510-05:0018 Autumn Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcgg6Bzv2dLSo6q7bnAQQDt4GqeCzhyphenhyphensrJGtd-z0MWJg7fE_KSnYWUI5XKrNKwE9ZDG9Om2xRGTrvpPfcYTnkC2bj7bvetnvMf2w0cwzLiFgHhQ3psOzx5rJNrLuP-qVpChzbdVE0mns/s1600/Autumn+2013+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcgg6Bzv2dLSo6q7bnAQQDt4GqeCzhyphenhyphensrJGtd-z0MWJg7fE_KSnYWUI5XKrNKwE9ZDG9Om2xRGTrvpPfcYTnkC2bj7bvetnvMf2w0cwzLiFgHhQ3psOzx5rJNrLuP-qVpChzbdVE0mns/s1600/Autumn+2013+003.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Do you have a favorite?</i></span></div>
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-77744553973826907332013-10-17T09:45:00.001-04:002013-10-17T09:45:21.017-04:00"Life"<div role="article">
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">"In between goals is a thing called life that has to be lived and enjoyed."</span></h3>
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I found this quote while perusing Pinterest the other day and it really struck a chord with me. I am very goal oriented. Although I do admit to loving spontenaity in my hour by hour free time, I like my life overall to include definite goals and I like to be able to work toward them. When they are reached, like finishing optometry school, getting my first optometrist job, or just finishing doing the dishes, it feels good. Actually, I think that's what I really like, the feeling of completing the goal to a satisfactory outcome...Finished goals make me happy. <br />
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This is why the quote seemed so profound. Yes goals are good, yes its great to complete them. But, if all my time and energy goes toward those goals, what happens in between? Am I unhappy until another goal is reached? I'm learning it's really important to enjoy this in between time, because, guess what? Its my life!</div>
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So, just to fill everyone in, we are in the middle of buying a house. Yes! Fun goal right? It's a little scary and overwhelming, and maybe I have a phobia of change which should be the subject of another post, but overall, we are excited!</div>
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Of course, its all still in the works, and may never happen at all, but our bid is accepted and we are working on paperwork at the moment. Closing is set for Nov 22nd, but we have to move out of our apartment Nov 14th. :S Hoping to close early!! Otherwise, back to the parents house we go! Haha. </div>
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The house was a repossession and is currently owned by Fannie Mae, its a little older and needs some TLC...there is no stove, refrigerator, or washer and dryer. And, the previous owners basically took every single light switch (33 to be exact) with them when they left. But nothing a little hard work, money, and paint can't solve! ;) The worst problem is the slope of the yard and the fact that it causes water to collect by the house. The basement is only concrete, so not damaged or rotting but it is a little damp. But, luckily since my dad's a civil engineer, we know just how to fix this problem! :) Yay for smart dads!<br />
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I am learning a lot of new vocabulary: swale and fascia come to mind at the moment.<br />
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So, I'll keep you guys updated. Hopefully no sad news! There will be lots of excitement I'm sure, so stay tuned. And enjoy that thing called life! :)</div>
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Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-31901242793094016182013-09-19T09:49:00.000-04:002013-09-19T09:49:01.473-04:00Optometry: A day offFor the past three weeks I have been working on my Thursday off. I always work Saturdays, so that means six days a week, I was up dressed and out the door. Good thing I LOVE being an optometrist. Its pretty low key most of the time. My patients are almost always happy and healthy, sometimes challenging in their vision needs, but not too difficult. Usually its the little kids who leave me the most uncertain. They just can't explain and don't have enough experience with the world to know what's normal and what's not. I often wish I could just crawl into those little 5 year old eyeballs and look out to see what's really going on... Luckily, I have a pediatric specialist within 20 miles. When I get really worried and stumped, off they go for a second opinion. It makes me feel more secure knowing that I don't have to provide every answer.<br />
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Anyway, today is my first non-Sunday day off in three weeks!! Yay!! I needed it, my house needs it, Allen needs it, everybodies happy. :)<br />
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So I started it off bright and early with a walk for my sweet Pepsi. I try to walk her every morning because during the day she just stays in the apartment by herself for hours at a time. Sometimes I do take her to my mom's (an option I am SO grateful to have!) But, Pepsi is a terrier, and if you know anything about terriers, they want mischief! They want action! They want adventure!<br />
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Today we went off leash in the recently mowed hayfield next to our apartments. Its a little scary because there are 2 really busy roads pretty close and I would be crushed if Pepsi ran off and got hit. But we took her toy and she is so driven to play with it that running off doesn't cross her mind. She certainly got her energy out today.<br />
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We had a wonderful time. The sky was gorgeous, the temperature just perfect, my Pepsi was happy. She did however disappear into some tall grass for a few minutes and re-emerge smelling like death. >-< Yuck!! I don't know what happened, but we had to head in for a bath. Luckily she likes them so it wasn't a punishment, just a happy end cap to a happy 20 minutes of running wild and free. :)<br />
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She was SO dirty! Look at that water, that's not the camera, it was BROWN! Couldn't even see through it to pull the plug! YUCK! ;) Its a good thing I was already planning to clean the bathroom today.</div>
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Now Pepsi is happlily sleeping on the couch. I think she likes momma's days off. I know I DO! </div>
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-50384329103103002292013-06-06T13:41:00.002-04:002013-06-06T13:41:39.875-04:007 Mile HikeAs readers of this blog have probably noticed, I haven't posted our adventures for the past couple of nights. Allen had a cousin who passed away and we are on the way back to be with family and attend the funeral on Saturday. Prayers are appreciated for the family.<br />
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On our way home, we stopped in Oklahoma City (No tornados in the forecast!) staying with my sister and brother. Today is Ben's birthday so we are going to celebrate tonight. :)<br />
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I had started this post two nights ago and didn't finish it. So, I will now.<br />
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I will begin with a story of our camping neighbor. She was a 5 year old little girl. The other day, while we were grilling hotdogs for lunch she started talking to us. She wanted to know if we wanted to see her new pet, and proceeded to pull an 8 inch worm out of a small cooler. Haha! She loved that worm. While we enjoyed our hotdogs, she was playing princess in her small doll castle her grandmother had set out on the picnic table. The worm was the princess and it was being slithered through windows and in and out doors. It was hilarious. <br />
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The rest of the post will just be pictures of our last 7 mile hike. 3 1/2 miles up a mountain, and 3 1/2 miles back down. I didn't think I was going to make the last mile up, but now, 2 days later, I'm still really glad we pushed it. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our reward at the top of the 3 1/2 miles. A beautiful cirque lake, nestled in the mountain.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<br />After we go home for a little while this weekend, we are planning to take our Jeep to Hot Springs, and no telling what other adventures will come this summer. Stay tuned!<br /><br />
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-3460054616408528382013-06-04T01:02:00.003-04:002013-06-04T01:02:59.969-04:00It was going to be a lazy day<br />
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Today we decided to take it a little more laid back and be lazy. We woke up pretty late, ate cold pizza leftover from last night, and popped the trailer down because it was supposed to be stormy this afternoon. By the time we got around and ready it was close to noon. Down the road, is an aerial tramway that you can ride to the top of Prospect Mountain, some 1100 vertical feet. We decided to get tickets and see what was at the top, maybe even take an easy hike back down the mountain after riding up. It was pretty windy when we started and I was a little nervous at the height of the tram cars, and the fact that it has been in operation since 1955! But signs assured us that at least 3 million people have been carried up and back down, so we climbed in and began our ascent. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ride really wasn't too scary, and again the views were spectacular. The picture of the valley includes our campsite. We brought binoculars and could clearly see our little camper all popped down and nestled in its place away from the wind. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">So, once we arrived at the top and took in the view, we discussed what to do next. We decided it would be fun to hike back down the mountain and went to the little gift shop at the top to ask about a trail. The lady selling popcorn and hotdogs informed us that there wasn't one, and that it would be very steep, but we might be able to climb down if we switched back and forth.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />So... We did it!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />And OH MY it was STEEP!! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Actually, about 2/3 of the way down we did find a trail, but until that point we were picking our way down step by careful step.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj540QKin9TZl3dypGTqZZg1uZXWD-byQ27vBzwaLnLeIimk_uDQ0SAs2ERJWZs6e_wOhhbYQTIMoef2Q0_X9W29SFSaWamAPNtEnoOqXMLav_jXwqqErzu_W60kDR2Mgt35GORmL6L-F8/s1600/2013++Camping+Day+5+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj540QKin9TZl3dypGTqZZg1uZXWD-byQ27vBzwaLnLeIimk_uDQ0SAs2ERJWZs6e_wOhhbYQTIMoef2Q0_X9W29SFSaWamAPNtEnoOqXMLav_jXwqqErzu_W60kDR2Mgt35GORmL6L-F8/s320/2013++Camping+Day+5+010.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj540QKin9TZl3dypGTqZZg1uZXWD-byQ27vBzwaLnLeIimk_uDQ0SAs2ERJWZs6e_wOhhbYQTIMoef2Q0_X9W29SFSaWamAPNtEnoOqXMLav_jXwqqErzu_W60kDR2Mgt35GORmL6L-F8/s1600/2013++Camping+Day+5+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj540QKin9TZl3dypGTqZZg1uZXWD-byQ27vBzwaLnLeIimk_uDQ0SAs2ERJWZs6e_wOhhbYQTIMoef2Q0_X9W29SFSaWamAPNtEnoOqXMLav_jXwqqErzu_W60kDR2Mgt35GORmL6L-F8/s1600/2013++Camping+Day+5+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6rKg22OUN8uS3kkXvkFFWUOi9Gi8rkdHnTpsAwJpH3qOSXnx6gEKqgaLC1PZ_wZVi32XaL-ZhyphenhyphenLGBfmX9_rEO3pWAW3MeeHN_n9WbKDJtNQKqu1515p-dzW0-HPkgBWgneATVHnYZdI/s1600/2013++Camping+Day+5+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6rKg22OUN8uS3kkXvkFFWUOi9Gi8rkdHnTpsAwJpH3qOSXnx6gEKqgaLC1PZ_wZVi32XaL-ZhyphenhyphenLGBfmX9_rEO3pWAW3MeeHN_n9WbKDJtNQKqu1515p-dzW0-HPkgBWgneATVHnYZdI/s320/2013++Camping+Day+5+013.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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So, things I learned climbing down a mountain without a hiking trail.</div>
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1. Dead limbs, twigs, logs...are NOT good handholds. You better find something alive.</div>
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2. Rock does not slide nearly as much as the dirt/pine needle combination that covers a lot of the forest floor.</div>
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3. Its really much safer to find an actual trail to climb down a mountain, but probably not as exciting.</div>
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Oh, did I mention we climbed down this non-trail in moccasins? Yes, we both have hiking boots and hiking sandals, but we left those back in the truck. We were taking it easy today, remember? I have to say though, the moccasins did make me feel very Native American as we felt our way down.</div>
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We do have a few scrapes, I slid about a foot at one point and scraped my hand, I also have a scrape on my ankle from who knows what? Allen has a small gash on the back of his leg from one of the dead logs that were no help whatsoever as handholds, but quite willing to bite you as you climbed over the top. But, again, as with Deer Mountain, we DID it!! </div>
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After Prospect Mountain, we were hungry and drove to Loveland, CO for lunch. The drive is about 40 minutes through Big Thompson Canyon which is worth it, in and of its self, because it's breathtaking, but in Loveland we also went FleaMarketing!! Yay! One of our favorite pastimes. Allen bought a Native American pinch pot to show his students, and I got a dreamcatcher. We spent the whole afternoon rummaging through shop after shop, then collapsed at Cracker Barrel for dinner. </div>
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We're finally back in the camper after another long day. In Loveland we stopped at Walmart for supplies, and got some keylime pie Greek yogurt. Yum! </div>
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No telling what adventures will come tomorrow, we leave Estes Wednesday morning and haven't even decided on our next destination. But, I'll keep you updated!</div>
Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-85745487463159647382013-06-03T00:07:00.002-04:002013-06-03T00:07:33.011-04:00Deer Mountain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh my goodness, what caused THAT grossness you may ask?</div>
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Another fun filled, crazy, tiring, day in the Rocky Mountain National Park of course!</div>
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Today, we hiked up Deer Mountain today. Three miles up a moutain! And three miles back down. </div>
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Did I tell you I'm tired and sore? </div>
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It was totally worth it though. Beautiful scenery, plus we can brag that we DID it! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nyio5BcC_FR480KJXh9zVUg67s43J7NgZWYv8aBUjmlZYjzO54TwssvJMLZPuRTAMeVFp-XTg5ugoKyyjiutkMYsBP8nxALS_Yv-pM1ksrkTHdcrw_sk-SNjgWjOgZD5xc7p9SewtVw/s1600/2013+Camping+%2528Deer+Mountain%2529+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nyio5BcC_FR480KJXh9zVUg67s43J7NgZWYv8aBUjmlZYjzO54TwssvJMLZPuRTAMeVFp-XTg5ugoKyyjiutkMYsBP8nxALS_Yv-pM1ksrkTHdcrw_sk-SNjgWjOgZD5xc7p9SewtVw/s320/2013+Camping+%2528Deer+Mountain%2529+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is at the bottom of the mountain. Notice in this photo I do not look as hot and sweaty as the next few! ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKi5YOZ0cgjKNi5g-GaJxkxVBifMT8-YGoXkbW4wYbQpBI0RA1r0DO75RUN69BufwXHm4HcCu1LLFJmgZQwjqaufvCoYU6u4LZ3nHg1PZ37YyRU4KPt4mwner4WzOhjpLF-j_QhJUSBss/s1600/2013+Camping+(Deer+Mountain)+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKi5YOZ0cgjKNi5g-GaJxkxVBifMT8-YGoXkbW4wYbQpBI0RA1r0DO75RUN69BufwXHm4HcCu1LLFJmgZQwjqaufvCoYU6u4LZ3nHg1PZ37YyRU4KPt4mwner4WzOhjpLF-j_QhJUSBss/s320/2013+Camping+(Deer+Mountain)+008.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21.4375px; text-align: start;">So the way that you gain +1,083 feet of elevation in 3 miles is a long series of switchback trails , all ascending, up the side of the mountain. Its pretty rough and the dirt is pebbly, sandy, and small boulder laden. That's what happened to our feet. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJyiVKzzARKPJomROQPJiZRilSCyBhFHKGVsrQwDxaOCazJsieVTiICojzcSYdll_KE8faEc2qi8X_EVgyb4q27lkkEua1J4dc7bEbQCjkq6tQwZhImpYRhyNaAkq-vmOz6g20FUiX7I/s1600/2013+Camping+(Deer+Mountain)+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJyiVKzzARKPJomROQPJiZRilSCyBhFHKGVsrQwDxaOCazJsieVTiICojzcSYdll_KE8faEc2qi8X_EVgyb4q27lkkEua1J4dc7bEbQCjkq6tQwZhImpYRhyNaAkq-vmOz6g20FUiX7I/s320/2013+Camping+(Deer+Mountain)+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sign's a little hard to read on the blog, but it informed us that we only had to go 0.2 more miles to the summit! But, I don't know what the elevation change between here and the summit was, but I almost quit and went back! We had to stop at least 4 times on that last 0.2 miles. The trail became a series of stairs with 2 foot tall steps you have to hall yourself over.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaY_7xkibCctVq0osHxqDomQCNCIXKyMopSwCuRccE3qQqMyp_x8jGHVdx0Ke_E9wlOEb4zsKTmCquhK8d4kjyTqV97tVMRiH9H1nUwfllZaeyjONLxk98AEPLlD223Z57Kj24WLj76E/s1600/2013+Camping+%2528Deer+Mountain%2529+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaY_7xkibCctVq0osHxqDomQCNCIXKyMopSwCuRccE3qQqMyp_x8jGHVdx0Ke_E9wlOEb4zsKTmCquhK8d4kjyTqV97tVMRiH9H1nUwfllZaeyjONLxk98AEPLlD223Z57Kj24WLj76E/s320/2013+Camping+%2528Deer+Mountain%2529+019.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were glad when we actually did finally make it to the top. The elevation here was 10,013' and although it wasn't even close to as high as we were yesterday, it still offered beautiful views. It was also the first time we had been able to see the town of Estes Park from on top of a mountain. We could even see our campsite! On top of the mountain, we rested, ate another salami and avocado sandwich and watched more chipmunks. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibo1HeWN35OP_XH9_XAHb8WYzuC9B5YyQd4hr-wh-yPyibZr8WnBcv_fbs7x-veCgkzaFrRS_URzujKXDH8XNh8zjAcAwawF9PUuTZU02LBjPz2P3VLF8mDDmN_-yITCBT1NefXP6mkF8/s1600/2013+Camping+%2528Deer+Mountain%2529+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibo1HeWN35OP_XH9_XAHb8WYzuC9B5YyQd4hr-wh-yPyibZr8WnBcv_fbs7x-veCgkzaFrRS_URzujKXDH8XNh8zjAcAwawF9PUuTZU02LBjPz2P3VLF8mDDmN_-yITCBT1NefXP6mkF8/s320/2013+Camping+%2528Deer+Mountain%2529+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This marker was at the peak. It says Bureau of Reclamation and 250.00 Dollars Fine For Distrubing This Marker. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdO_sydwgwxTdAa9OrO3b6-anM_HZrGoNN9HZZCLYdvfoIKKyEiloOkNnmDg11EA2uSL-HO_lMc6ofmIfpA5tnM3-qz3lLDmoM2Q_G9PTL62iXmmCemA7u6y6k0IIHPm7zVbmV4bZUPDw/s1600/2013+Camping+(Deer+Mountain)+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdO_sydwgwxTdAa9OrO3b6-anM_HZrGoNN9HZZCLYdvfoIKKyEiloOkNnmDg11EA2uSL-HO_lMc6ofmIfpA5tnM3-qz3lLDmoM2Q_G9PTL62iXmmCemA7u6y6k0IIHPm7zVbmV4bZUPDw/s320/2013+Camping+(Deer+Mountain)+020.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way back down the mountain we actually had to go back up a little ways, because we had gone through a little dip getting to the summit. Going up on our way down was killer! When we hit the point in the trail where all roads were pointed down I was so happy! Allen got this picture because he wanted to remember the big grin on my face. No more climbing the mountain!! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEFPJ0djKE5HDVwYPgCSL4IhzrH6-Ra9CckZ71QYFvwqSx7dDhbUlweuABKhcHdbavhhbJvAG3Zmvp7JS8mLeVpk5MzFEhoyOQZzhQ2kvUQzC6rDYdu4AV-jZUanYYDUG49DBs5eCQnk/s1600/2013+Camping+(Deer+Mountain)+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEFPJ0djKE5HDVwYPgCSL4IhzrH6-Ra9CckZ71QYFvwqSx7dDhbUlweuABKhcHdbavhhbJvAG3Zmvp7JS8mLeVpk5MzFEhoyOQZzhQ2kvUQzC6rDYdu4AV-jZUanYYDUG49DBs5eCQnk/s320/2013+Camping+(Deer+Mountain)+023.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is back where we parked the truck and began our hike. I'm pointing to approximately where we hiked. It was a long long way. But, even though I keep complaining, I'm really glad we did it! Now we can say we hiked Deer Mountain!<br /><br /><br /><br />After returning from our epic trek, we took showers to get the grime off our feet and took a nap. And guess who stopped by to visit when we woke up?</td></tr>
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-71997433172460926342013-06-02T00:05:00.002-04:002013-06-02T00:05:54.502-04:00Snow!We went up on the mountains today. There is a road from Estes Park through the Rocky Mountain National Park all the way to Grand Lake, on the other side. It was closed yesterday because of wind and ice, but by 2:00PM today, they cleared it. Up there, in the tundra, above the tree line there is snow. More snow than I've ever seen in my life. It was gorgeous. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4S6-EpTEOUUL0uN7NCngV_kt9t7prYt1MpDi55Y_CBRuSN5BCGWu3xoPAm51zhY-XKNyOEBcOsW4A9gp67PIQtz33pbs-u2W8J7UNxM6cWaApPvfRQqIMctvH3SAltq4Mx_oFhlPQBZw/s1600/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4S6-EpTEOUUL0uN7NCngV_kt9t7prYt1MpDi55Y_CBRuSN5BCGWu3xoPAm51zhY-XKNyOEBcOsW4A9gp67PIQtz33pbs-u2W8J7UNxM6cWaApPvfRQqIMctvH3SAltq4Mx_oFhlPQBZw/s1600/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4S6-EpTEOUUL0uN7NCngV_kt9t7prYt1MpDi55Y_CBRuSN5BCGWu3xoPAm51zhY-XKNyOEBcOsW4A9gp67PIQtz33pbs-u2W8J7UNxM6cWaApPvfRQqIMctvH3SAltq4Mx_oFhlPQBZw/s200/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+076.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZV-BpbTo4l8XZ6cPc2M3xlHrCUYI91Adlh7S_xxx3kMyXL2tMaCkMmmtwAsaXj_awclDkg7eiAmd-JAa0inLklZeh89gA6Ug-Qt20OZgFGH_fBqF6fGL0PgTMRxZqSEHWytGOYJ5Dogc/s1600/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZV-BpbTo4l8XZ6cPc2M3xlHrCUYI91Adlh7S_xxx3kMyXL2tMaCkMmmtwAsaXj_awclDkg7eiAmd-JAa0inLklZeh89gA6Ug-Qt20OZgFGH_fBqF6fGL0PgTMRxZqSEHWytGOYJ5Dogc/s200/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+052.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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The drive is 48 miles total, one way, and we drove from snow gate to snow gate. That was maybe 38 miles one way. We stopped at the snow gate on the West side of the mountains and turned around because we were afraid they might decide to close the pass again while we were on the wrong side. If we got stuck over there, we would have had to make our way back around through Denver, an almost 4 hour detour! So we cut off about the last 10 miles of the road and turned back to Estes. <br />
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On our way West, we stopped twice to hike in the tundra, above the tree line. The first hike was along an old Ute (Native American) pathway through the mountains. A sign informed us that the trail had probably been there thousands of years. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0uFGud6ugQD_lsasgU4vYyqQkQ5Nay6IqIrqlcbjMYMR9umnSGCBioHvAA4b3PkIwp2K2ZEDUr4hziIaHJZj7i-oXq85Kdajt2NybZsA_NSOAry4xEPY6tdf6Wmn833-x5ZM3VZ2-Z0/s1600/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0uFGud6ugQD_lsasgU4vYyqQkQ5Nay6IqIrqlcbjMYMR9umnSGCBioHvAA4b3PkIwp2K2ZEDUr4hziIaHJZj7i-oXq85Kdajt2NybZsA_NSOAry4xEPY6tdf6Wmn833-x5ZM3VZ2-Z0/s320/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allen just starting on the trail. You can see the very small people up on the peak. We went MUCH further, all the way around that peak and the next one. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnaN-aHYyPcF_ONvbkfDmOW9KPQZFUYrdtt988T1i7woP-hx2j99dIZfyuT8Pwf9oS-6eJ1ointSrKhul6dLES6SKtVClk4af3XSIDHugfvkCWnMKPwH4MBGuspjEcMGkb7AOSIfJ0sw/s1600/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnaN-aHYyPcF_ONvbkfDmOW9KPQZFUYrdtt988T1i7woP-hx2j99dIZfyuT8Pwf9oS-6eJ1ointSrKhul6dLES6SKtVClk4af3XSIDHugfvkCWnMKPwH4MBGuspjEcMGkb7AOSIfJ0sw/s320/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took a picture of the truck from the top of the first peak. It is the red dot in the center of this picture. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iSc915dzTTnWqSWGrW2aGMttd3rTLOy-zbXuCx8xh1AjhFqRqXqLgKMO6PB7dFXDEYAdfM2cQqgC-3ojL47YZRRoBklMs6dXLB6ymsK7yYzMIrc1Nt_owJyjMwU7_hiSRJxdaaE11HQ/s1600/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iSc915dzTTnWqSWGrW2aGMttd3rTLOy-zbXuCx8xh1AjhFqRqXqLgKMO6PB7dFXDEYAdfM2cQqgC-3ojL47YZRRoBklMs6dXLB6ymsK7yYzMIrc1Nt_owJyjMwU7_hiSRJxdaaE11HQ/s320/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+021.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding the guidebook that recommended this trail. Notice I have my hood up to protect my ears, suglasses for my eyes, and boots for my feet. We were prepared! Oh, and thanks to my sister Rachel for the use of her Columbia fleece and Allen's dad for his Free Country jacket without them, we would have frozen this week. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDO2gg2NE87-1q4Gjq4GXwetz-JT-Hv7FAcslj-s1K_cyDWwjW8M8tD1mUOYzSE6K5XNVVCbNFanTCUVJJgV8ZHQyv-4Q00lLVwff7q3yVUkfLfZOUbjWvc1JB60NkjYE7EIJCjz8KGE/s1600/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDO2gg2NE87-1q4Gjq4GXwetz-JT-Hv7FAcslj-s1K_cyDWwjW8M8tD1mUOYzSE6K5XNVVCbNFanTCUVJJgV8ZHQyv-4Q00lLVwff7q3yVUkfLfZOUbjWvc1JB60NkjYE7EIJCjz8KGE/s320/2013+Camping+Ute+Trail+022.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We think this might have been used by the Ute on their travels through the mountain.</td></tr>
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About halfway through this hike, we came to a snow fied. It looks nice and packed and solid and flat. <br />
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Until you fall through up to your knees!!! Allen did this on accident the first time, then I made him get back down in his tracks for a picture, then as he was struggling to get out and I was laughing hysterically at him, I fell through also. We didn't get a picture of that. ;)</div>
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We estimate that we walked about 3 miles to a peak and back. There weren't many people on the trail at the beginning, and by the end, we were all alone, high up in the mountains. It is incredibly quiet up there. We really knew we were alone when we started looking for other hiker's footprints. The trail is only a foot wide, so it would have been easy to see them, but there were none. Remember, the pass had been closed, so we may have even been the first ones out that far on the trail this season! It took about 2 hours, and at the amount of oxygen that is available at that altitude, we were tired! But the views were astounding. I took a 360 degree stitch asist picture with my camera, so hopefully we can get that printed and show everyone when we get home. We also took a few minutes and just rested at the peak, eating avacado and salami sandwiches and taking in the scene.</div>
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The other trail we hiked was much shorter, about 1 mile total, but the grade was steep and most of it was covered in slushy snow. It was a workout! But worth the beautiful views at the top.</div>
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On the way down our side of the mountains we stopped at a lookout and ate a snack. A chipmunk came up asking for a bite, and it was so tame it actually put its front paws on my lap! You're not supposed to feed the wild animals, but it was so hard not too, I mean, this guy really wasn't wild at all! We didn't get a picture of him because we didn't want to scare him away, but he really was sweet. </div>
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We are exhausted tonight! But so happy! Its not windy! Hurrah! We are hanging out in our camper, stomachs full of cheddar bratwurst and beans, listening to a neighboring camper's music. Its perfect. </div>
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Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-22773078645708695072013-06-01T01:00:00.001-04:002013-06-01T01:00:36.987-04:00Another full dayThe last post was about 20 minutes before we went to bed last night. We were worried about the cold, but we were confident that the wind had died down. Well, we were worried about the wrong problem. Our preparation with the heater and the insulation under the bed kept the camper nice and toasty all night...but the wind was another story. In a Colorado valley, you can hear the wind gusts coming way before they get to you. It sounds like you're parked next to a hiway and semis are flying past. You hear it coming and you brace, and then the camper shakes like its going to blow right over. The wind wasn't bad all night, but it did wake us up several times. Really, we were fairly comfortable and not that scared, just worried that the camper was going to get really torn up. So, we were happy to see the forecast that the wind was not supposed to be bad tonight...<br />
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...until after all our adventures today. We were pulling into our campsite, about the pop the camper up and start grilling when the radio announced that the wind gusts tonight were supposed to be 40 mph. :< Right then and there we decided that we did not want to sleep another night in our "kite." We went to the office and asked if we could upgrade to one of the cabins on site, we were going to pay the difference just for the night, because "the wind is GOING to die down tomorrow!" But when we went in and explained our situation, they felt sorry for us and upgraded our reservation for free!! So tonight, we are in this awesome cabin, safe from the wind and cold, with our own personal bathroom and even cable. :) God is good and provides for His children. Tomorrow we are going to move back to the camper because it really is fun! But tonight I'm happily sitting on a comfy couch while blogging. <br />
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So, today in pictures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhaC3X6XOjicJrOma2MEB7CUOyTJonxhIM8izdgLLtSaXNpAMbyk4xpIGYbIgjH_5FtnfFeoiRQN8WN4k-ysP8v23aP6T3qGbxaDUDIGZRwDjV61FIHisEVWrs2SOp-P-dEWiH4h7lhQ/s1600/2013+Camping+Day+3+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhaC3X6XOjicJrOma2MEB7CUOyTJonxhIM8izdgLLtSaXNpAMbyk4xpIGYbIgjH_5FtnfFeoiRQN8WN4k-ysP8v23aP6T3qGbxaDUDIGZRwDjV61FIHisEVWrs2SOp-P-dEWiH4h7lhQ/s320/2013+Camping+Day+3+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast this morning, bacon, eggs, coffee, and grapefruit juice. Mmmmm!</td></tr>
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These were shot at the Alluvial Fan in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We climbed up the boulders almost to the top and enjoyed basking in the sun.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elk crossing the road in front of our truck.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such gorgeous scenery.</td></tr>
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The next 3 pictures are from our hike around Bear Lake. We drove up to the trail head and the ranger informed us that getting 2/3 of the way around the 3/4 mile loop wasn't too bad, but after that it would be "dicy." This is what she meant: A foot of packed snow on the trail! We had to be careful not to slide into the lake! It was really exciting and fun. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my foot, I was trying to show how deep this foot print was, but I wasnt terribly successful. It was literally 2 feet deep. I hope somebody didn't hurt themselves by making it!</td></tr>
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So today was exciting and fun. We are tired and again, and very glad for the generosity of the campground manager at Spruce Lake campground in Estes Park. If you ever visit, stay here! We don't have to battle the wind, and we are in this beautiful cabin. Allen cooked us steak on the grill for dinner and said it was probably the most dangerous steak he'd ever cooked in his life. Haha! Its the wind! Its so crazy. We put the grill between two cabins so that it would be a little sheltered, but we were still worried. In the end though, the steaks were amazing and he put the coals out with water after he was done so that we made sure not to catch anything on fire. </div>
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Good night all! Safe sleeping! We are watching all of our friends and family in the path of storms and tornados and praying that you are safe. More tomorrow. <br />
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-9190608124854864852013-05-31T00:09:00.000-04:002013-05-31T00:09:08.767-04:00Real Camping...popup styleDay two of our adventure and its has been eventful. I was just looking back over the pictures and I can't believe we got it all done in one day! We arrived in Estes Park tonight to guess what??? <br />
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Wind<br />
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SNOW!!! Well, not really so much snow as just spitting sleet. Really it was about 55 degrees when we got here, but the snow caps on the mountains looked like they were covered in a blizzard. And, the blizzard was then whipping down the mountains with winds gusting at least 30 miles per hour. So, we did not put our camper up. We decided to wait it out, since this lady at the front desk of our site informed us that it was supposed to stop and be calm by 9 PM. We went to dinner at an Italian place in town. It was really yummy, but we were a little dissapointed because we had stopped outside Denver and loaded up on grilling ingredients. Maybe tomorrow we'll have better luck with less wind around dinner time. <br />
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As for the morning and the rest of our day, we were happy with our decision to get a hotel room last night after listening to the radio announcer talk about how bad the storm was. When a local radio guy in the middle of Kansas says a storm is bad, you know its true! This morning, we got up after a nice restful night's sleep and found a roadside steakhouse about an hour into our drive. It was good!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_mM564-C0llG9tI9xBNKYIa1HfhmQqk10qRQe7vLEQthfBNPABStf-eOASmyWOeovZ0L1tYoCzzKTeVuHF70eqrT1NWzX1yFKChQO7QFtnbcBx5EjbtDTQcura8icMez2dhOztEqTRM/s1600/2013+Camping+Day+2+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_mM564-C0llG9tI9xBNKYIa1HfhmQqk10qRQe7vLEQthfBNPABStf-eOASmyWOeovZ0L1tYoCzzKTeVuHF70eqrT1NWzX1yFKChQO7QFtnbcBx5EjbtDTQcura8icMez2dhOztEqTRM/s320/2013+Camping+Day+2+005.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_mM564-C0llG9tI9xBNKYIa1HfhmQqk10qRQe7vLEQthfBNPABStf-eOASmyWOeovZ0L1tYoCzzKTeVuHF70eqrT1NWzX1yFKChQO7QFtnbcBx5EjbtDTQcura8icMez2dhOztEqTRM/s1600/2013+Camping+Day+2+005.JPG" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><br /><span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">Tonight we finally did set up the camper at about 8:30 and we are doing alright with the wind. There is a rare gust that rocks us a little, but nothing like last night. Our only issue is possibly getting cold. Its supposed to be 34 tonight, but we have a space heater and we've rigged the curtains up so that our bed is like a little cave that the heater is blowing directly into. We also increased our insulation under the bed by using the seat cushions. We've been watching Bear Grylls, we know our survival techniques! ;) Its really very warm at the moment and we know its already cold outside because we went for a walk. I might take a picture of our ingeniousness tomorrow to show you exactly what we did, but for tonight I'm sleepy. Enjoy the pictures of our gorgeous drive and campsite! More tomorrow.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</span>Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-50414973883790487352013-05-29T22:37:00.000-04:002013-05-29T22:37:29.494-04:00Camping Out...sort of<div style="text-align: left;">
Well we are on our vacation!! I'm so excited to be done with school and off on an adventure with Allen. This is the first day and it definitely has been an adventure so far. </div>
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(Allen and his dad Terry planning our drive)</div>
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We decided to drive our Ford Ranger (which has a new look by the way) and pull a pop-up trailer. Pictures of these will be posted later. We are driving to Colorado and set to arrive in Estes Park tomorrow night. Today we drove through Oklahoma and we're staying in Kansas. We were all set to camp tonight and have a relaxing evening with grilled steaks or burgers or something like that...but Kansas had other plans.</div>
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Our first clue of a possible problem started in Okahoma. As soon as we turned onto I-35, there was a huge shelf cloud to our West. We learned the difference between a shelf cloud and a wall cloud by listening to the radio today...in case you are wondering, the shelf cloud covers almost the entire horizon. Yes, it did. It accompanied our drive from Stillwater, OK to Salina, KS the whole way! Just hung out on our left hand side. Then after some discussion as to whether we should stop in Salina and let it pass over, or just drive straight through it...We turned West into the storm and drove straight in. </div>
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It was pretty black and the radio said the wind was whipping at 75 miles per hour. The rain was sideways for a couple minutes. But it actually didn't last that long because it was going 40 miles per hour East and we were going 55-65 miles per hour West. We were only going that fast on the hiway because it was blowing SO hard!! And remember, we are pulling a camper. You can see the edge of it in the picture. </div>
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This is the back end of the storm. This cloud was crazy. It was huge and you could see it spinning, but it was blowing from the bottom to the top. Basically it looked like a gigantic tornado laid on its side horizontally. </div>
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So, like I said, the storm only lasted a few minutes and we arrived on the other side safe and sound, no problems. The radio was reporting tornado warnings and watches all over Kansas, but we could see light in the sky and when we figured out what county we were driving through, we new it was ok.</div>
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After driving since 9 AM, we finally made it to our campsite at about 6 PM and hesitated as the lady who checked us in told us that:<br />
1. There were more storms coming in.<br />
2. The only shelter in the campground was in the bathroom area of the main building.<br />
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I didn't get a picture of the building at the campsite, but it was not substantial. Jut a wood sided 80's style building, no way going to stand up to much...but, at this point we decided to try and tough it out. and went through the process of opening of the camper, pulling all the cables and setting all the springs. Meanwhile it was almost being lifted off the ground by the wind. Now, keep in mind, it was NOT stormy at this point, in fact it was nice and light, no clouds. But the wind was awful!! Allen and I ate our sandwich quietly and tried to tell ourselves we would be ok for the night....Then I checked the radar...Duh duh duh..<br />
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A HUGE storm was coming in!!<br />
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You know how fast a camper can be put back together and pulled down??? When we finally decided we did not want to die in the storm, our camper was packed that fast.<br />
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This is a video of the wind and the sky right before the storm, which hit about 15 minutes after we got everything in our hotel room. I'm really really glad we did it. Its still storming hard with lightening, thunder, and tornado watches outside and we've been here 2 hours. <br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwJu5GoSEGXPKARwRXuTzXlGyLDSlYmQis86pyRCm_0-IGXsgw-4w7q7_VHWX20lLCtGSW61UUdIjIh0YlbuQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Tomorrow we will camp in Estes Park. It will be beautiful and sunny...we hope ;) We are having a lot of fun...anyone who knows us, knows we love adventure...and a guy who was watching us come into our hotel said we must be on our honeymoon. Haha! That's the way to wear 9 years of marriage!</div>
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We'll keep you updated on our vacation adventures in the next couple weeks!!</div>
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Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-23961772975698129402013-05-14T22:00:00.000-04:002013-06-01T09:56:06.514-04:00I'm back!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm back!!<br />
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Back in Arkansas! And back in the blogging world!! Missed you guys. Actually, you can thank my best friend Caitlin Grace for my return since she started her own blog about her pregnancy and family and has inspired me to return to mine.<br />
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Check out her blog:<br />
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http://myfirstbump13.blogspot.com<br />
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So, A LOT has happened since I wrote my last blog post almost a year ago! I moved to Greenwood, Bloomington, and Muncie, Indiana and then finally last week, back to my beloved Arkansas. It was a long rode with lots of stories that I need to catch you up on. But now, I'm looking to the future and what's coming around the bend! <br />
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Goals for me and Allen this summer:<br />
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-Optometry license ( just one more test! State board July 13th)<br />
-Garden (we're shooting for 500 tomatoes ;)<br />
-Vacation (camping! Wherever the wind may blow us)<br />
-Family time (oh yes always lots of this)<br />
-Allen wants to work on his lessons (more details later)<br />
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I think that's all for now. I'm sure I Weill think of more later. Pictures and stories to come! :). Stay tuned!<br />
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-36389086796500323992012-06-16T01:01:00.000-04:002012-06-16T01:01:00.034-04:00Washing Machine WoesAllen and I have now been married 8 years. Of that time, approximately 18 months have included an in-house washer and dryer. Carlson Terrace, our first abode had a community washing room, free, but a good trek carrying a heavy load of laundry. The second place was the one that actually did have a washer. It was nice while it lasted. In Rogers, our duplex had a washer and dryer installed about the last 2 months we lived there. Again, just being able to throw wrinkled shirts in before putting them on, was nice. In Bloomington I used a laundry mat a block away. It was deserted most of the time and looked like it might have had a hay-day in the 70's. No one was ever there so I took Pepsi a lot for company. I had a love-hate relationship with that place. It was quiet and got the job done.<br />
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Now, in Omaha, once again...no washer and dryer. However, there is a community wash room on each floor. Somehow though, we've misplaced the key. I actually think we never got one, but they won't believe that now and if we ask for a new one, we'll have to pay to replace it...so I have been going, again, to the laundry mat. :/ Now its even worse. I work 40 hours a week and the last thing I want to do with my time off is go to the hot, crowded, dirty little place across the street. But, the past week I realized something. Sometimes the door to our laundry room in the apartment gets propped open with a trash can. On those days I can use the facilities...but I have to wait for those days. I know, complicated, right? <br />
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So, tonight I was kinda desperate, our laundry room was closed and locked, and I needed clean towels, but I was not desperate yet enough to pack up and drive across the street...so I explored. Our apartment's hallway's generally smell strange, musty, sometimes outright like B.O. I avoid and hurry through them at all costs. But, like I said, I was desperate. So, with Pepsi in tow, up the stairs I went. And wonder of wonders! The second floor was open and had 3 washers and dryers, unlike our lonely 1 on the bottom floor. Yay! No laundry mat for my Friday night. So I loaded up my 2 $1.75 machines and headed back down to enjoy some tv before coming back to switch them to the dryer. <br />
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30 minutes later, one machine was done...the other was backed up and stopped. The clothes were just laying in dirty water....So, hoping that the hairs I was finding were my own or Allen's I drug them out of the luke warm pool and into the other machine...another $1.75. Meanwhile the others dried. The second mistake I made was using dryer number 3 for washing machine number 2 that already had been washed twice. I don't know, maybe that load was just cursed? It didn't even heat the clothes up. After drying 30 minutes they were still sopping wet. I could have rung them out better. So, now after spending $8, I have one dry load of clean clothes and one clean load of wet clothes dispersed and hanging out to dry old-school throughout the apartment. Yuck! for laundry woes.<br />
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<br />Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-60151039638855592892012-06-11T20:46:00.001-04:002012-06-11T20:46:56.109-04:00The Love of Our Lives<br />
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Allen and I got married 8 years ago tomorrow. We were nineteen. I've told a few people in the past few days that this will be our eighth wedding anniversary and they always react with amazement. My reply has been: "I wouldn't recommend it for just any couple, but I wouldn't change anything in the world about us."</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2002 - Dating at 17 and 18 years old: Homecoming dance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most beautiful wedding - 2004</td></tr>
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We spent our 2nd wedding anniversary drawing Italia. </div>
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The years have been happy:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">January 2007</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2008</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LnHlIZJcT9LhBtygsmkmSjfnEHe4rgzDWTb5FrtGBVBv30wi16aufSTWD8wjPF6h_MgwtUxI8-__iohQDtsmDKhiHppg1xeTz183T2UUvuMWbpEYxa-9DsclwrpsZjuHvT_FwOK-xd0/s1600/DSC00965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LnHlIZJcT9LhBtygsmkmSjfnEHe4rgzDWTb5FrtGBVBv30wi16aufSTWD8wjPF6h_MgwtUxI8-__iohQDtsmDKhiHppg1xeTz183T2UUvuMWbpEYxa-9DsclwrpsZjuHvT_FwOK-xd0/s320/DSC00965.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A best friend's wedding December 2008</td></tr>
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In the spring of 2009 we moved to Bloomington, IN. It was a big move, far away from our normal. But, home is where the one you love is. We loved and lived in Bloomington, celebrating our 5th anniversary by eating out on the square. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2010 Eyeball date</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2010 another best friend's wedding</td></tr>
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This year we are in Omaha. The past weekend we explored the arts festival and farmer's market downtown, then planned our future house by perusing for hours through a furniture market. We did get married when we were very young, but we are blessed, and our lives have been nothing but adventure. We both love one another's company and look forward to the years to come. </div>
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</div>Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-44234292710888865172012-05-28T12:20:00.000-04:002012-05-28T12:24:08.740-04:00Family Memorial<div style="text-align: center;">
My house is quiet this morning, but it wasn't about an hour ago. 7/9ths of my beautiful family gathered in our 1 bedroom apartment this weekend to enjoy each other's company and celebrate the long weekend. When Allen and I found out we were moving to Omaha for only 3 months, we made the decision to leave most of our furniture in Arkansas. So, there's no couch, no beds, only a wooden rocking chair, a lawn chair and a stool for seating. But we made do and had fun!</div>
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We just stacked beds on top of each other. ;) Haha! Not really, Rachel was just being silly. It does make a funny picture though. </div>
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On Saturday we took a trip to the zoo. </div>
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I loved everything but the orangutans are always funny. This time they were hot and there was one hanging upside down like a bat in front of an air vent. We stood and laughed at them for a long time. </div>
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We also watched The Arctic in the IMAX and LOVED the aquarium. </div>
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The butterfly house was our last stop, but I think it was my favorite. Beautiful colors float around you and sip sugar from fruit. </div>
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Allen didn't make it to the zoo with us. He had to work. But, Sunday morning all seven of us prepared to spend a day exploring Omaha. </div>
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For as long as I can remember, dad has been braiding mine and my sister's hair. So, Sunday morning that's what he did. Rachel wanted her's done so that her hair would curl, but mom and I wore ours all day. Of course Sunday night and still this morning it is curly. Too bad I don't have him around all the time. </div>
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We drove downtown and shopped several antique malls and art galleries. We are all lovers of junk and can only attempt to control our minor hoarding tendencies. Allen and I bought two ceramic hand-made mugs from an artist, mom bought a bird picture that matches a set she collects, and John bought a vintage sweater. </div>
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Rachel found a cat. Yes, it's real.</div>
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Allen almost got eaten by a hippo. No, it's not real.<br />
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And we enjoyed Jelly Belly pop outside Hollywood Candy.<br />
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We ate lunch at a hamburger place called Runza, which we have only ever seen in Nebraska. </div>
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After lunch we explored the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. It runs between Nebraska and Iowa over the Missouri river. It is very pretty and VERY WINDY!</div>
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Allen and Rachel standing in Iowa and Nebraska at the same time.<br />
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Allen kept trying to get Rachel to look like the wind was blowing her away. Which it about was!</div>
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We almost lost John.</div>
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After our bridge adventure we went back to our tiny abode and ate lasagna and corn on the cob that mom made on the floor. ;) It was yummy!</div>
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A couple of hours ago now, mom, dad, John, Nate and Rache left. Pepsi and I already miss them and I also missed the two that didn't get to come. I hope to see Anna and Ben soon. But I was REALLY happy the five who came made this weekend so fun and memorable. I love them all!</div>
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<br /></div>Life as we know ithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05354806816255078333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2562851194805335093.post-65627159247435049072012-05-12T14:37:00.000-04:002012-05-12T14:37:09.017-04:00A Secret Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Kind friends, beautiful gardens, for what more could one wish?</span></div>
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