Happy Birthday, Gail!

We celebrated Gail's birthday at Macaroni Grill - yum!

Happy Birthday, Gailie!!!

A Book A Week???

I definitely have a ways to go! I said in my Bucket List that I hope to read a book a week - I'm averaging barely one a month!!! Here's the 2009 list - some good - some not so good - but always enjoyable to sit back, relax, and get lost in the story... If you have any good recommendations, please send them my way!

The Shack (William P. Young)

Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship (John Meacham)

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books (Azar Nafisi)

Roaring Lambs: A Gentle Plan to Radically Change Your World (Bob Briner)

Twelve Day of Terror (Richard Fernicola)

The Audacity of Hope (Barack Obama)

The Beach House (Jane Green)

The Children's Blizzard (David Laskin)

...and the current reads...

Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Agression in Girls (Rachel Simmons)

The Game On Diet (Krista Vernoff & Az Ferguson)

Putting My Feet Up

Yep - this is what I want to be doing this weekend!

We have NO PLANS and it's a beautiful thing!!! What else???

• Grill out tonight and play a little tennis with the family afterwards
• SLEEP IN tomorrow (those of you who know me well know this is a real challenge)
• Take Tanner for a walk
• Get my hair cut and highlighted (FINALLY - I've been saving for this one!)
• Finish filling out all of the Back-To-School paperwork
• Spend Saturday night watching movies
• Go to late church on Sunday and then relax on the playground - with my feet up - while Greg attends a meeting
• Sunday afternoon - RELAX RELAX RELAX

Back-To-School nights are this Tuesday and Wednesday and school starts on the 19th - gotta enjoy these last few weeks with the kiddos before they officially start 5th and 2nd grade!!!

Chatty Kathy

Too funny! Hannah told us at dinner tonight that I'm like the bobble-heads in Night at the Museum that never stop talking!!! Greg and I just totally cracked up!!! Could this be why my 8th grade teacher told me I was prone to FLO's (Frequent Loud Outburts)??? and no, I haven't had enough wine to blame it on that... hehe! CHEERS!!! Natalie ~ you should appreciate this after all of the non-stop talking that we're able to do!!! Marshella - did I talk this much when we shared an office?!?! HA!

My mom just sent me this - hehe! About FLO - I always did say that you made more noise than my other 3 did put together - and that you could hear Laura clear down to Garrison Street. I love you anyway - lots - mom

PS - gotta love the "I love you anyway" - thanks Momsie!

My Bucket List

...walk the streets of Bethlehem and Jerusalem • learn to play tennis • celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans • go back to Burglengenfeld, Germany where I stayed with a host family when I was 14 • travel to Italy on a wine trip • walk barefoot on the beach in Hawaii • watch Joshua and Hannah grow up and have children of their own • win the lotto and anonymously give away thousands to people who really need it • get over my fear of spiders • work as a missionary overseas • read a new book every week • taste all 31 flavors of Baskin Robbins ice cream • run a marathon • hike colorado's hut-to-hut system • get really old with Greg by my side!!!

Four Friends

...Hannah, Ben, Joshua and Camille hanging out waiting for the movie G-Force to start - we had another great weekend with them in town for the 6th Annual Castle Rock WineFest! The guys had a great time pouring and selling, and we had fun visiting (can you say hoarse?), doing a little school shopping, and hanging with the kiddos! We even got to celebrate Camille's 10th birthday together!

...10 Things to do in Colorado...

The Denver Post published this list of 10 things to do in Colorado before you die – I’ve done all but one! Yes, I have MUCH to be thankful for!!!

CLIMB A FOURTEENER – Yep – I’ve actually done ten (a Fourteener / 14-er is a mountain over 14,000 feet) - Grays Peak, Torreys Peak, Mt. Bierstadt, Quandary Peak, Mt. Democrat, Mt. Sherman, Mt. Massive, Mt. Shavano, Mt. Princeton, and Tabaquache Peak. Thanks to Dad, Margie, Gary, and my hubby for upping the list!

ATTEND A CONCERT AT RED ROCKS – Yes – mostly back in the day (Night Ranger, Duran Duran, Fleetwood Mac) – probably need to get out there for some more up-to-date tunes!

EXPLORE MESA VERDE – Nope – it’s the one thing on the list that I haven’t done! Better get it on our plans…

SINK INTO STRAWBERRY PARK HOT SPRINGS – OK, OK – so Greg and I drove up to this place while honeymooning in Steamboat and quite honestly? The people lurking around there in their skivvies were downright scary. Yes – it was 16 years ago – maybe things have improved since then?!?!

VISIT GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK - Yep, when I was little! and it’s on our “bucket list” of things to do with Joshua and Hannah!

TOUCH DINOSAUR TRACKS – Yep – absolutely! And the article was right – the Picketwire Canyonlands south of LaJunta are THE BEST place to do it! Lots of petro glyphs there, too!

LISTEN TO ELK BUGLE – YES – and what an amazing sound it is!!!

NAVIGATE A MOUNTAIN ROAD – YES, as long as it counts that Greg was driving!!! How can I hike a 14-er but merely being a passenger makes me white-knuckled!

BOARD A TRAIN – YES to the Georgetown Loop which is amazing way-up-high - Durango & Silverton is on our list to do as well!

RAFT THE ARKANSAS – YES - the rapids were crazy and it was AWESOME!