Life at 5280: October 2011

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Happy Flight!

Cardinals win an epic World Series. How do I feel about it?

I now want to marry this man (so does Mike, so it's totally cool)

I now want to punch this man (on the right), and then after I punch him, I'd like to steal the millions of dollars that he makes for looking like an idiot.

I'm sorry, Matt Holliday. Your good looks do not make up for your stupidity and inability to hit the ball. It's just how I feel.

And last but not least, I now want a squirrel as a pet.

Peace, love & RallySquirrels. :)

Monday, October 17, 2011

"It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, 'Always do what you are afraid to do.' "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

So I guess that includes going to Antarctica, huh? I was feeling nervous about it today: nervous about being away from Mike, from my home, from my own bed, from everything that's familiar to me. I'm trying to trust that the Lord will give both Mike and I strength and courage in this season of life...but man. Antarctica is far. And 7 weeks is almost 2 months.

But, I'm locked in and there's no turning back now!

I can do this. I can do this.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Simple.

Two words can describe my weekend: thankful & joyful.

On Saturday morning, when I had to be at work at 7am, Mike got up with me and made me a cup of coffee. So simple, but so sweet. He didn't need to get up early on his day off!

On Saturday afternoon, I got the sudden urge to bake cupcakes. (Like, a LOT of cupcakes. So many that I had to give a lot away.) The recipe was awesome and they turned out great even at altitude, and I really did enjoy giving them out to friends. Being thankful for something as simple as cupcakes might seem odd, but delicious food is something I take for granted. There are so many people in the world who don't have the luxury of being able to bake or eat yummy food, so I'm thankful for never knowing the pain of hunger. (Click here to read about a project that our church took part in to help feed those in need. I couldn't go because I had to work -- see above -- but it's an awesome organization!)

On Saturday evening, when I was sleepy and cranky after working and baking absurd amounts of cupcakes, Mike made me get up and go on a walk at Castlewood Canyon State Park. There were no dramatic peaks, but it was so peaceful, and it made me so glad to live in Colorado. Thanks, hubs, for getting me off the couch!

On Sunday afternoon, we hung out with friends from church, and I was so grateful for and excited about the community we've built and the relationships we've developed. The people of Denver Pres are awesome, and have blessed us in so many ways.

And last but not least....it looks like the Cards are going to the World Series. :)

Peace, love, & LotsOfCupcakes!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Oh! The Places You'll Go.

I haven't even left for Antarctica and I already have been bitten by a travel bug of epic proportion. We bought Mike's ticket to New Zealand this morning, and ever since then I have been day dreaming far into the future about all the wonderful places I want to go...

I want to eat really, really spicy Thai food in Phuket. And shred the gnar in the Swiss Alps. And come within reach of a lion on an African safari. And read in the gardens at Versailles, while munching on cheese and sipping on a light Sauvignon Blanc. And get lost in Renaissance history in Florence. And go flying through the rain forest in Costa Rica next to a giant active volcano (oh, wait. CHECK).

I know I can't do it all, but I'm confident that some of it will happen. Mike and I are already talking about our next trip (which includes the aforementioned Versailles daydream, and an English Premier League soccer game for Mike in London). Fortunately, we can get TWO tickets to Europe for the price of one to New Zealand. :)

But for now, I am very content that our upcoming vacation includes these sights:

Cathedral Cove, The Coromandel

Sky Tower in Auckland

Ahhh. Can't wait.

Peace, Love, & TravelBugs.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Yellow.

Going to the Maroon Bells during the fall has been *starred*, underlined, and bolded on my Colorado bucket list for quite some time now. Like, I've REALLY wanted to go.

So I've been keeping tabs on the aspens and watching for the peak of their color so that we could maximize the spectacular-ness of the Bells. We decided that this weekend would be perfect, that we'd set out Friday night, car camp somewhere along the way to Aspen, and get to the Bells early in the morning before the throngs of tourists arrived.

Usually I'm an excellent trip planner (it's in the genes I think), so I had no worries about the overnight trip. Until I did something very stupid, which I didn't realize until we were about 45 minutes outside of Denver.

I. Left. My. Camera.

I immediately started bawling in the car, because it had already been a long week, and I had asked Mike to go running around Denver grabbing the extra things we needed for the trip (gallon of water, Everything bagels, fill up the car, etc.). So I felt terrible for inflicting such annoyances on Mike in a rush to get to the Bells, when in the end I was the dumb one. And I knew I couldn't go to the Bells without my camera, with it being the most photographed place in Colorado! Mike was super sweet though, somehow managed to stop the tears, and convinced me that it would be much better if we just left early in the morning and grabbed some delicious Winchell's donuts and coffee for the car ride to Aspen.

He was right :)

We woke up at 4am, were out the door by 5, with deep-fried apple fritters, donut holes, and coffee in hand. We arrived at the Maroon Bells at 8:30, and the rest of the day was history. The aspens were indescribably yellow -- one of my favorite parts of the day was just walking on the path through the trees, feeling like I was drenched in yellow. The Bells were spectacular, majestic, incredible, and every other synonym of those words I can think of. It was definitely worth the starring, underlining, and bolding I did on my list. :)