Chautauqua Park: Bluebell Mesa

Hannah and I ventured out on another hike. We drove into Boulder and entered the land of pretentious hippies. We parked along the road surrounded by million dollar homes that back into the picturesque Chautauqua Park. The trails were full of hikers and rambunctious puppy dogs.  We immediately started on the Baseline Trail we were chatting and catching up on life. Things were going lovely until Hannah spotted a snake, YES A SNAKE!  She screamed, "snake!" and I of course started running.  She froze at the sight of the snake crossing the trail.  After our heart rates came down to an acceptable rate and we could physically discuss the situation- we decided to pick another trail that wasn't so snakey.  We of course did not stay around to catch a picture of the slithery creature.

We headed back to the trailhead and picked a new trail. We decided to start up on Blubell Mesa. The hike was steep at first and we were feel'n the burn. Then it flattened out and we could see a beautiful view of Boulder and the plains.  We continued on and headed up toward the Flatirons.  We entered a wooded area that resembled a scene out of the Hunger Games.  The hike then became a stair-stepping monster. Up, up, up, up, and then we got tired and decided to head back. We didn't know how far up, up, up we would continue to go.

All in all it was a beautiful hike and we accomplished 4 miles of scenic views with only one snake sighting.

Mt. Galbraith Loop- Golden, CO

Yesterday Hannah and I ventured out on our first hike of the season. After much deliberation we decided on Mt. Galbraith Loop in Golden, CO. It is an moderate hike that is about 4.2 miles long. The drive from town into the foothills is beautiful. We parked along the road because the parking lot was full. We thought the trail would be really busy, but we only passed other hikers periodically.

The hike starts with a incline that will get you out of breath, or we are out of shape, one or the other. The landscape is breathtaking with the trail being lined with wildflowers.  Throughout the trail there are spots that you navigate over boulders. This was a nice change of pace. There are also multiple look outs  for you to stop and take pictures of downtown Golden, Denver, and the range.

We finished the hike in a little less than two hours. Our leisurely pace was due to stopping, chatting, and catching up on life. We finished up with margaritas and burgers at the Table Mountain Inn. Felt like summer had finally arrived.

Overall, great easy hike. Would recommend to others for a easy fun day hike!
http://jeffco.us/jeffco/openspace_uploads/mtgalmp.pdf

Happy New Year

We spent New Years Eve at the Schulz's house with an intimate night of dinner, drinks, and board games....NOT! Haha, that was the plan anyway. We had the delicious BBQ made by Bretton and then things got crazy! Instead of board games we ventured out to Riverside, TX and purchased some fireworks...some serious fireworks! We then found a place along the river and shot fireworks off into the night sky....and at Bretton and Stewart, haha. We then ended the night at the house watching the NY ball drop at midnight- Happy New Year friends!

As the year ends, it is only natural to think back through the happenings of the year and reminisce.

Last January Drew started his internship at the Houston Texans. He loved the opportunity to work briefly for the NFL as an intern, he was like a kid in a candy store.

We spent February celebrating our love at a gourmet restaurant in the Woodlands called, Americas. Drew and I love food, fine dining, and new experiences so this was the perfect way to go out and celebrate our love for one another.

March is always fun because that is when my spring break is (pays to be a teacher)! I spent my spring break in Houston but had lots of fun. Drew got us (Haley, Bretton, him, and myself) tickets in the President's Suite at Reliant Stadium to see Lady Antebellum. It was awesome. Mal Pal came and visited as well.

March also brought opportunity for Drew. While out shopping in Houston we decided to go to a Houston Dynamo game. At the game Drew met his future boss and opened the door to his internship and ultimately full time job at Greenstar Recycling...score!

April was full of allergies, Dynamo games, and of course an celebration of Christ- Easter!

May brought the most epic birthday present ever- the twin trip to Vegas!

June and July was spent traveling to Santa Fe, Florida, Splashtown, and Galveston!

August I started my third year teaching and my masters program at Lamar University. This was a big adjustment but of course has built a lot of character.

September we traveled to Rocky Mountain National Park and was again reminded of why we love Colorado so much....one day we will eave Houston and move there!

October was spent going to Dynamo games, celebrating Linda's graduation, and fun with friends!

November and December was spent with countless encounters celebrating food and family.

It was a Happy Last Year and I'm sure it will be an even better Happy New Year!

An Eakins' Christmas

Merry Christmas

For Christmas Drew and I traveled to Georgia and spent Christmas with the Eakins' clan. I don't use the word clan lightly either. There were eight people with the last name Eakins and the largest group of Ms. Eakins around with- Mary Eakins, Rosemary Eakins, Sonia Eakins, and Holly Eakins...we thought that was funny.

Drew and I arrived in Georgia at 2 AM after an hour drive to Houston Hobby, 2 hour

s fighting airport craziness at Christmas time, a 2 hour flight, and

a 3 hour drive from Birmingham to Ellerslie, GA and we then finally arrived home at the Eakins' house! Sonia, Rob, and Abbie all stayed up to greet us and then we all promptly went to bed.

The first thing on the list was to wake up and catch lunch at Drew's favorite Japanese Cusine restaurant, Fuji! It was of course delicious and everyone enjoyed the hibachi grill experience! We then retreated home and I learned a new board game...which has recently become my new obsession, Ticket to Ride! If you haven't played it, you should! Beware though, we found out last night that it's a bit pricy to buy.

The next day Nana, Pa, and Rosemary arrived and the family Christmas began! It was Christmas Eve and the family was together. Sonia constructed a delicious Christmas Eve/Christmas meal that included turkey, ham, squash dressing, regular dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole,

green beens, and much more! We all ate until we couldn't eat any more. We got ready for the Candle Light Christmas Eve serv

ice and went as a family. It was beautiful and we sang praises to God for sending the best Christmas gift of all, Christ the king! I love it when you can feel the spirit of Christmas when a group of believers gather together to worship our glorious God. We went home in good spirits and reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.

The next morning we woke up and headed to church. It was evident that all the children had been visited by Santa Claus

the night before. They were all dressed in their new gifts and goodies, including one child who wore his dirt bike outfit to church. It was quite the sight to see, but soon everyone was seated and again we were reminded of the blessing of baby Jesus and this priceless gift that was given to the world. We then headed home to open and

exchange presents and a family.

As we opened presents we had a lot of fun showing all the goodies we received- our family is very blessed! We of course then spent the rest of the day snacking on left overs and playing with all our new gifts.

The highlight of the trip for me was visiting Callaway Garden's Fantasy In Lights. This is an indescribable display of Christmas lights nestled in the wooded landscape of Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA. It is the largest light display in the southeast and has over 8,000,000 twinkling lights that have themed music and displays while you observe from a trolly. My personal favorite Snow Flake Valley display.

Overall we had an incredible trip and was once again reminded how blessed we are when it comes to having an aw

esome family!

The angel said to them,

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

(Luke 2:10-11 ESV)

Thanksgiving

This year Thanksgiving was hosted at the Lumley Mountain Lodge, which is always crowd pleaser. It is such ablessing having my parents live in a vacation destination like Santa Fe. Makes for magical holidays. Even though my parentshave only lived in New Mexico for 9 years, it really does feel like home. This is proof thathome really is all about family.

Drew andI drove with Johnny dog in the car (even all the dogs make it home for Lumley holidaycelebrations)! Even though it's a long drive I love it because it gives me good time to reflect and reminisce about the passing years. We got to stop inLubbock and spend the night with Mal Pal and I got to relive my college years for a brief few hours- I enjoyed my night in Lubbock listening to a local band in the Depot D

istrict.

We made it to Santa Fe before noon and hopped into my parents car for a quick sk

i trip up to Wolf Creek. Santa Ski usually doesn't open the week of Thanksgiving which always forces us to visit Pagosa, we do

n't complain though, we love rocking the steeps up in Wolf Creek. We made it to Pa

gosa Springs i

n time for dinner and a hot tub run at our hotel. We were up and adam the next morning eating a hardy breakfast at our hotel and then we were off

to rock the steeps! The day was perfe

ct- sunny

and clear with excellent snow conditions. I had the best day of snowboarding I've ever had and even tried some new runs. My favorite run of the day was Ka the Snake, which is a mini half pipe run through the trees = awesomeness!

We then piled into the car and drove straight toBuffalo Thunder Casino and Res

ort to meet Haley and Bretton and celebrate their two year wedding anniversary. My parents treated the family to a fine dining experience at the Red Sage. It was a perfect way to celebrate Haley and Bretton's marriage. The night was fi

lled with laughter, amazing food, and watching a lady win $600 on a Sex and the City slot machine. We weren't as lucky on the slots, but we are winners when it comes to having an amazing family...which is so much more valuable then a measly $600.

The next day Drew treated himself and me to a massage at BODY. It was such what I needed after a day on the slops and winding down from school and master's work. He sure does take care of me. We ate at our favorite places in town and retreated back to Glorieta for some more hot tubing time.

The next few days were full of cooking, grocery store run, cleaning, grocery store run,

more cooking, and again a grocery store run. We coul

dn't quite stay away from the grocery store and no matter how many lists we made...we still somehow didn't get everything off our list. We even took a grocery store run for milk and butter on Thanksgiving day. I guess you could say we were all having a "Classic Susan" day. The day before Thanksgiving we went into the wilderness as a family to select the perfect Christmas tree. This is the first time we have gotten a permit to go out and actually cut down our own Christmas tree. After navigating through four-w

heeling terrain and a hot cider stop- we found the perfect Christmas tree. However, we couldn't cut it down because the permit wasn't activated until the next day. We marked the tree and sent the boys out on Thanksgiving day to retrieve the tree and have it waiting to be decorated with sentimental ordainments and love the night of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was de

licious, but like anything big event the preparation is partly what makes it special. We ate until we were stuffed and took a turkey snooze. We of course had left overs and then decorated the house for Christmas.

That night Haley, Bretton, and Mom were among the crazies who ventured out into the night to snatch up and capitalize on Black Friday steals and deals. Drew, Dad, and I st

ayed at home and slept which apparently classified us as fuddy duddies...which we were all ok with. The next day we celebrated Christmas by exchanging gifts, the lighting of the plaza downtown, and an excellent gourmet pizza at Roof Top Pizza.

All in all it was a majestic trip filled with family, food, and love. My family has so much to be thankful for and I can only hope to have such an amazing and close family with my children one day.

I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford

This quote is so true, my family is has found riches that can not be measured!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rocky Mountain NP, Estes Park, Denver, Colorado Springs

Drew and I planned a get-a-way for mid September this past summer. We counted down the days like children awaiting Christmas. When the day arrived we popped out of bed at 3:00 AM to catch our flight eager and ready.

We started the trip by flying into Denver and driving to Rocky Mountain National Park. Just the drive to the park was breathtaking and got us excitedabout our adventure. As we curved through the mountains taking in the startling views of ridged red rock, jagged peaks, and aspen trees turninggold throughout lush pine- I was reminded once again why Drew and I continue this loveaffair and fascinationwith mountain living. Then we got pulled over and received a ticket from the state of Colorado and the moment was spoiled..haha. We were at our campsite before noon and unpacked and set up camp in the cool mountain air. We visited the ranger station and quickly picked up tips from the onsite ranger about Estes Park and hiking trails. We then drove to Estes Park to get lunch and a few camping supplies. Estes Park is a beautiful village nestled in the Rockies. From every point in town there is a mountain peak reaching to the heavens. The main strip of town is reminiscent of Red River, NM with cozy knick-knack shops, candy/ice-cream treats, and breweries lining the busy streets. We did some shopping and then caughtlunch at a local lunch spot where we filled up on green chile and a local brewskie. The start of the day was charming and we ended it with a short hike to an old mine, campfire cooking, and then it was off to the tent.

We awoke early the next morning to start hiking to Chasm Lake. This hike would be roughly 9 miles round trip. The majority of the hike was uphill and much like climbing stairs. The hike started through the woods following a stream until we hit the Alpine Tundra where the pine and spruce became sparce. We slowly made our way above the tree line and was welcomed by a 360 panoramic view of the rockies. We took a break to take in the views and fully appreciate what it was we were looking at. Beauty of this magnitude always reminds me of God. He must love us so much to create such a breathtaking backdrop to be the setting of our lives. I'm never more convinced that a loving God exists then when I'm surrounded by mountains. We continued on through boulder fields. Anyone who has ever embarked on a rigorous hike knows the feeling of frustration that creeps up as one starts to feel exhausted. This feeling greeted Drew and I as the last portionof our hike to a steep turn up, up, and up. We finally reached Peacock Lake and I was disappointed because I originally thought this was Chasm Lake. We continued hiking untilwe reached boulders that we had to physically climb over. Over every turn I was convinced Chasm Lake would be on the other side; again and again it was not. Finally, after about two and a half hours of climbing we approached Chasm Lake. The lake lies about 2,000 feet below Longs Peaks summit. The lake is formed by snow melt and appeared a turquoise blue that grasped the edge of the cliff face. We immediately found a place to sit down and enjoythe captivating view while enjoying a modest hikers lunch. We then started the hike back to our campground. Once we arrived back to camp we decided we wanted to shower, a hot meal, and to sleep in a comfortable bed after such a hike. We had originally planned to spend another night at the park, but after much consideration and realizing that the campers next door who had a toddler (who screamed and cried all night the night before) had not left- we promptly packed up and headed to Denver. We checked into Embassy Suites we showered and headed to Steuben's- a restaurant downtown that my parents suggested. We were dog tired but Ienjoyed vegetarian chile relleno (best I've ever had...however, Drew says I say that about everything I eat) and Drew had skirt stake and fries. We then gladly melted into our bed and slumbered like bears in winter.

The next morning we woke up and had breakfast at Whole Foods (green chile breakfast burrito and caramel pumpkin latte) and then headed towards Colorado Springs. We went strait to the Garden of the Gods and walked around as we took in the views of steep cliff red rock that had the backdrop of Pikes Peak to top of the spectacular beauty. We then headed to Drew's uncles house and visited over lunch. We were lucky enough to also coordinate a coffee break with an old Glorieta summer staffer (Calob Poe and his new fiance). We drove back to Denver to catch dinner at Duo Restaurant which is an organic farm to table restaurant that has award winning chiefs. Drew and I both enjoyed the special which was Mahi Mahi coupled with slender potatoes that melted like butter in your mouth.

All in all we had an amazing vacation. It was a hard transition back to reality after such an amazing time and such amazing view but it only took a few days of moping around before we snapped out of it and accepted the full blessings of our real world. I guess that what vacations are for- to vacate your real life and to dive into an adventure full of beauty, food, and relaxation. I can't wait until our next get-away...Alaska maybe?

Family Time in Destin

This past week Drew and I were lucky enough to fly to Destin, Florida and vacation with his parents. We had a fabulous time relaxing, eating, beaching, swimming, and putt-putting...oh and most importantly SHOPPING at the amazing outlet mall.

Day 1

Our day started early (3:30 AM) as we made our way to George Bush Intercontinental Airport- with what we thought was plenty of time to spare. We found a great parking spot and caught the shuttle bus swiftly, then....enter the 90 year old bus driver! We climbed onto the bus and waited in the parking lot for 20 minutes making sure any and everybody caught a ride. She then proceeded to drop everyone off at the terminals. We figure because we were in terminal A we should be dropped off first. No, no, no that would make entirely way to much since for this elderly bus driver. She proceeded on terminals E, D, C, B, and then FINALLY A!!!! Now, anyone who knows me understands that I have issues with "flowing like water"....needless to say this experience nearly tipped me over the edge considering I'm very specific with my travel agenda (just ask Drew). We made it through security with enough time for Starbucks and our flight!

Our arrival was emotional and exciting considering I haven't seen Drew's parents since Thanksgiving and he hadn't seen them since early May. We exchanged hugs and headed towards Sharky's Beachfront Restaurant and Tiki Bar. We caught up on all major events and ate some delicious seafood while overlooking the beautiful clear water and crystal white sands. A great start to our trip. We rested up the rest of the afternoon, went to the pool, and then took a walk on thebeach at sunset!

Day 2

Drew and I planned on going ona run on the beach but it was raining when we woke up. The morning was salvaged byMs. Sonia delicious waffles for breakfast! We ate waffles to our hearts content and then headed to the outlet malls. We shopped till we dropped and took down the outlet malls with our debit and credit cards! Let's just say I'll be very well dressed for the start of school! We then headed to the movies to watch Captain America, I loved the movie, but we had mixed review within the group. We ate at a gourmet pizzeria for dinner, built individual gourmet pizzas to each of our own specific tastes, and we ate it alllll!!! We headed home to the condo and took a evening dip in the pool! I think one of the best parts of the trip was me watching the sunset on the balcony. I was listening the Shane and Shane, overlooking the majestic waters, and the sun was setting. God's goodness was so clear in that moment. I tend to have my major God moments while witnessing his grandness in nature. He was screaming love, mercy, and grace to my heart with the sunset over the ocean.

Day 3

We woke up and headed strait for the beach. The water was perfect and the sands were smooth. The beach rivals that of those in Mexico. We played frisbee, caught some waves, and some rays. We headed back to the condo and got cleaned up for a fancy lunch on the water at Dewey Destin's Harbor Side Restaurant. The seafood was great and the Key Lime Pie was even better. Great fellowship had by all! We went back to the condo to watch a soccer game that Drew just couldn't miss. We went back over to the outlet malls for even more damage and then caught a quick dinner at Poppy's Sports Bar. I love it when you stumble upon a great little restaurant with live music. The food had a cajun flare to it and I decided to try something new and live on the edge. I tried Alligator Wings....yes...you read right....ALLIGATOR! The guy said it would taste like chicken, but I thought it tasted like Bretton's pork ribs. Either they use the same seasoning or Bretton has been feeding me Alligator all this time. Bottom line is....it was delicious! The live music was awesome and the atmosphere was fun in the sun in Florida! We then headed over to a friendly game of putt-putt. Sonia and I tied with the most points, then Drew, then Ronnie...so Ronnie won.

Day 4

We again had a early flight and left Destin at 4:45 AM. The trip to the airport was a lot less eventful then the trip out and a lot less talkative. We were all tired from the great time and the early morning. We caught our flight and made in back to Houston safe and sound.

Blessed

We had such a wonderful time and it was a blessing of a vacation. I can't complain because I've been to both the mountains and the beach this summer- so lucky to have parents and in-laws who love us enough to want to spend time with us in amazing places. My cup runneth over with blessings!