My husband, the funny man

Jason just came home from work, and I asked him if he was going to cook "the dogs," referring to the hot dogs that are in our refrigerator and are going to go bad in a few days. He picked Daisy up and started carrying her outside towards the grill. His comment: "Yes, I am going to start with the small one." Funny Jason!

Our Camping Trip

Our trip in pictures!

Our little cabin

My studly husband building a fire

Our cabin at sunset

Mmmmmm, smores! I want another one already!

Making smores

Daisy and Oscar were good little campers. There were two little boys next to us who LOVED the pugs! They kept coming over just to pet them. Needless to say, the pugs loved that! So cute!

One of the many scenic overlook areas

Daisy wanted to see too!

You can't really see it in this picture, but there were a herd of elk grazing in this meadow. Off to the right of the herd, there was a momma coyote nursing her baby coyotes.

A beautiful mountain valley with a stream winding through

See, you all need to come visit!!!

Happy Memorial Day!

First off, a big thanks to all of you for the happy anniversary wishes! We had a great time and enjoyed "Wicked."

We are having a GREAT GREAT GREAT weekend--I wish every weekend was a long weekend! Friday night we ran errands and rented "Catch and Release" with Jennifer Garner. It was okay, I wasn't overly excited about it. The storyline didn't develop well, but it had a happy ending. Saturday morning, we slept in and then went for a bike ride. Yes, I started my biking career this weekend, and it is pretty hard work! We are planning to ride in a 30 mile ride at the end of the summer for the American Diabetes Association, which is good incentive to get out there and practice. I hope I can make 30 miles by then! Saturday afternoon we took a LONG (like 3-4 hours long) nap, which was much needed! I can't remember what we did the rest of the day, but it must have been enjoyable and relaxing!

Sunday was church and then errands and then leaving for an overnight camping trip! This trip was spur-of-the-moment, which is not typically like us, but Jason has been so excited to camp this summer. So off we went! We stayed in a KOA campground (I know, hardly roughing it) in a cabin with a real bed! And there were real bathrooms and showers there! We made smores and sat by the fire then went to bed. Today, we made a run to Starbucks and then packed up for a drive through Rocky Mountain National Park! This is the first trip we have made there but in no way will be our last. It is so beautiful! Dogs aren't allowed many places there, so we kept the trip short, but we definitely plan to go back for hiking and camping.

It has been such a great weekend, very relaxing and just what we needed. Now back to work--but only for four days!

Seattle Day #4

Our last day in Seattle was a pretty low-key day. We went shopping at Ikea (see Shannon!) and the mall. We had Vietnamese soup for lunch and hung out with the neighbors for a few minutes in the afternoon.


In the backyard at Jason's parents' house. Isn't it so green?!

I had a great time loving on the dogs. The little one is Zoey and the big one is Ebony. They are so sweet!
We flew out Tuesday evening--the Seattle airport has had some renovations and is really beautiful! There is a great food court and lots of fun shops, plus a huge window to watch the excitement outside. We arrived back in Denver late Tuesday night and came home to our puppies, who had a wonderful long weekend with Moxie! It was a great trip, and we can't wait until our next visit!

Seattle Day #3

The Monday we were in Seattle, Jason and I went downtown to the waterfront. I LOVE downtown Seattle. There is just something about being on the water that is so exciting and magical to me. Our first stop was the Seattle Aquarium.

We saw the sea otters (I think that is what they were)--so cute!

We saw the fish from "Finding Nemo"

At the end, there is a really cool display where you can touch a variety of sea creatures. I touched the starfish--they were really hard and bumpy!

Posing with the mountains and the ferry in the background

Pike Place Market! This is truly one of my very favorite places in Seattle. All of the people, the smells, the food, the fish, the flowers--it makes me so happy! So many different cultures are represented in Seattle, so there are many different types of food in the market. I love it!

I love the floating bridges in Seattle. I had never seen anything like this before I went to Seattle, so it is pretty cool. This one goes over Lake Washington and Mercer Island.

Monday evening we went out to dinner with Jason's parents and sister and her husband for ALL YOU CAN EAT CRAB! YUM!!! As silly as it sounds, this is truly one of the highlights of our trip each time. The crab is so fresh and so good--much better than you can find anywhere in Denver. We stuff ourselves silly, but it is worth it! Monday was a great day!!!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today Jason and I are celebrating our fourth anniversary! In some ways, it feels like we have been married for so much longer than that, and in other ways, it feels like it was just yesterday.

Our marriage continues to get better and better each year, and we are so excited to see what the future holds for us. We are going to see the musical "Wicked" tonight to celebrate--everyone says it is phenomenal. I love you, Jason, and I look forward to many more years with you!

Happy Birthday, Daisy!

Today is Daisy's 3rd birthday! I can't believe she is 3 already, and I can't believe how fast the last 3 years have flown by. This little girl has brought so much joy and happiness to my life and cheered me up when I was feeling down.





We will be celebrating in the next day or two with doggie cupcakes and yummy treats. I love you Daisy!

Seattle Day 2: Mother's Day

Sunday was Mother's Day, and it was nice for Jason to be with his mom on Mother's Day. We started out the day with a latte (mine was a Snickers latte, which seems to taste better in Seattle than any other place). After our morning dose of caffeine, we went to church (where Jason is somewhat like a local celebrity when we go back to visit) and then met his sister and her family for lunch. We ate at Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse, also known as "the peanut place." This is much like Texas Roadhouse or numerous other steak places where you eat peanuts and then throw your shells on the floor. Jason's family, however, does not throw the shells on the floor but instead at each other.

An action shot of Jillian throwing peanut shells.

That afternoon we just hung out and went out to dinner. It was a low key but very fun day!

Seattle Day 1: Birthday and Baseball Fun!

We left Denver last Friday evening after work and flew to Seattle, where Jason's parents picked us up at the airport and met us with a Starbucks' mocha! I knew it was a sign that it was going to be a good trip when we saw two cute pugs in the airport! That evening, we chatted for a bit and then went to bed. We were tired!

Saturday morning, Jason and I headed to the casino with his dad for a yummy breakfast. Then it was party time! Jason's niece Jillian had her 5th birthday party while we were in Seattle, and it was so fun! We don't get to spend a lot of time with our nieces and nephew, so it was really fun to be there for that. It was a unicorn-themed party, complete with a treasure hunt and pinata!

The birthday girl Jillian

Camryn

Mikalea

Looks like I was enjoying the party!

Tracy (Jason's sister) and her family have three little foster kitties--they are so cute!

This is their dog Sadie, a Westie

We even learned how to play a Wii for the first time! We had a fun time at their house! Then Friday evening, we rode the bus to downtown Seattle for a Mariners' game.

Inside the stadium. Can you see the Space Needle in the background? I really love this stadium because you can see the water and some of the Seattle landmarks.

What you can't see in this picture is that we were freezing! I didn't realize how chilly it would be in Seattle and didn't pack many warm clothes. Thankfully, the last 2 days we were there were pretty warm. But we were cold this night! We ended up leaving at the start of the seventh inning, when we were down 7-2. No one else scored after that, so it was a good time to leave.

The highlight of the game for me--garlic fries! What more could you want that greasy, deep-fried potatoes covered in salty garlic? YUM!

We're Back!

Jason and I spent the last four days in Seattle visiting his family and friends, and it was so wonderful! We have lots of pictures from our trip, so I will try to put them up in the next few days. It was a great time, and we are ready to go again! Daisy and Oscar stayed with their best pug friend Moxie, and I think they were pretty worn out. They weren't even excited to see us when we got home! I was really glad to see them, though--even though I did have several dog substitutes to love on in Seattle!

Happy Gotcha Day, Oscar!

Today is Oscar's birthday (or the day we adopted him)! Two years ago, Oscar came into our lives. Things were a little rough in the beginning, but now I cannot imagine our lives without him. We have no idea when his real birthday is (he was a lost dog no one came to claim, so we have no history on him), so today is the day we celebrate his birthday. He is (we think) four years old today! We won't be able to celebrate until later this week, but I will post pictures when we do. We love you, Oscar!

Dad's Birthday

I wasn't able to be in Texas for my dad's birthday, but here are some pictures of his party. Mom threw him a surprise party on his birthday, and he was actually pretty suprised!

Mom and Dad

He got several gag gifts--here he is modeling a few!

The Most Wonderfulest Husband.....

...is mine! Jason sent me flowers at work earlier this week to help relieve some of my stress. Isn't he so sweet? I think I will keep him around a while longer!



Seriously, throughout this stressful time, I couldn't ask for a better husband. He has been SO incredibly helpful around the house without even being asked. He has done laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and much much more. He has done all he can to help relieve my stress and help me focus on the ladies' tea and my upcoming test. I love him so much and am thankful to have him as my husband!